Friday, 12 June 2015

My Favourite Places to Eat in... Epcot



Now if there's one thing Epcot is not short of it's places to eat, but where's the best place to grab a bite when you've got the whole world to choose from, here are my favourite places to eat.

 Breakfast
Now I have to be honest, I've only eaten breakfast at Epcot once but it was a very nice experience. It was at Akershus in Norway, as with Magic kingdom there are reservations available before the park opens, so this is a great way to see a very quiet Epcot. The buffet itself is very different to the other buffet breakfasts available at WDW, there is a lot more of a European continental feel, which being Norway makes sense. It's also a great experience for young and old princess' alike, you get to meet 5 princess' in total, which is well worth the time saved queuing to meet them, plus you get a free photo included in your meal price with Belle :)











Lunch
Now I don't really do lunch at Epcot either, I'd rather have some snacks from around the world, but there are a few quick service places I would recommend for a quick bite.

 UK Pavillion
The chip shop in the UK pavillion is a great shout for quick service, especially if you're craving some proper chips not fries, the seating area outside looks over the lagoon and it a lovely place to sit and relax for a while.

USA
The quick service in America is another great place to eat for quick service with sandwiches and general lunchtime food.

 Japan
Katsura grill in the Japanese pavillion is a nice stop off around the world, I love teriyaki chicken, and it's good for something a little bit different.
Snacks
The best part of a day in Epcot is definitely the snacks my top place to head is Germany to Karamell Kuche I have loved Werthers sweets as long as I can remember and this is caramel heaven :)

Some of my favourite picks are the brownie, cookie and the chocolate pretzel sticks :)

 Another great place to stop off is the France Pavillion and L'Artisan des Glaces, the ice cream is amazing :)

If you're happy venturing outside the park then you should take a quick trip to the beach club and visit beaches and cream, home of the kitchen sink. Now I'm not sure we can technically class this as a snack, but ice cream isn't really a meal so... snack it is.



8 of us couldn't finish it, so... good luck :']

 Dinner
My favourite place for dinner in Epcot is Coral Reef, the food is really nice but the location is what makes it my fave. Located next to the seas, one wall of the restaurant is a giant fish tank, so while you're eating you can watch sharks and giant turtles swimming around. One of the best food items is the coconut-mango chiffon cake, it is delicious and light too which is great after a big meal :)



Another good place to eat, although a little pricey, is Le Cellier in the Canadian Pavillion. Le Cellier is a steakhouse and serves up many different cuts served in different ways, when I went we ordered the largest steak, which I remember being about $64, although I have just looked on the menu on the website and can no longer see it :( It was huge, I ended up leaving a fillet steak size piece because I couldn't finish it. Another great thing about this restaurant is the bread :'], you get pretzel bread and it is delicious!



So there we have it, my favourite places to eat in Epcot, I've not eaten too many meals at this park, but the few that I have had were all great and I can't wait to explore more of the dining options on my next visit to Walt Disney World.
Where are your favourite places to eat in and around Epcot??

Sunday, 10 May 2015

How to Maximise Your Trip to Walt Disney World

Click here to watch the video



Today I'm talking about my top tips to help you to maximise your trip to Walt Disney World.

Sunday, 3 May 2015

The Disney Tag

Click here to watch the video.


1. A scene in any Disney movie you wish you could experience.

 2. An unforgettable experience/moment you've had at the parks.

 3. What none Disney song/s bring back memories of Disney and/or the Parks?

 4. When was the first time you went to a Disney Park?

 5. If you could choose any of the characters to be your best friend who would you choose?

 6. Who are your favourite Disney Princess'?

 7. Name a scene/moment in any Disney movie that never fails to make you cry.

 8. What is the first Disney movie that you remember seeing?

 9. What is your favourite Disney movie?

Tuesday, 21 April 2015

My Favourite Places to Eat in... Magic Kingdom



You've just been on Space Mountain, and are thinking of heading over to Frontierland for a cool down on Splash Mountain, but first you need to refuel, where should you eat?
Well today I'm talking about my favourite places to eat in the Magic Kingdom! (& the monorail resorts, cause they're pretty close)

 Breakfast

 The most important meal of the day but where to eat it?
Well that all depends on what you're after, do you want to eat on the go or do you want a relaxed start to the day.
My favourite on the go place for breakfast is definitely the Main Street Bakery, sure it's now a Starbucks, but it's location is what makes it so handy, plus who doesn't love a good Starbucks. Picking up a Frappuccino and a bacon sandwich and eating it in front of the castle is a lovely start to the day, or if you're in even more of a rush then you can just take it along with you to whichever land you choose, though be aware most attractions won't let you take open drinks in with you (closed bottles are allowed of course).

If you're looking for a more slow paced start to the day, then there are plenty of good choices.
Crystal Palace do a character breakfast, if you book an early time before park open, then you can get into the park early, get some pictures on main street before the crowds enter the park, and if you're quick, have finished breakfast before the park is even open. The characters are Winnie the Pooh and friends, including Piglet & Eeyore who you rarely meet anywhere else. Food wise nearly all character breakfasts have the same buffets, or at least the one's I have been to, cooked breakfast, pastries, cereals and usually some dessert foods as well, plenty to fill up before a busy day, and normally enough to keep you going until late afternoon. 




Other options for character breakfasts lie outside of the park itself but still close by enough for a day in MK, Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary is a short walk or monorail ride from the park, it has similar food to Crystal Palace, but you'll be meeting with Mickey & friends and it a great way to meet these classic characters without the queues.


Another resort based option, which just so happens to be my favourite character breakfast is 1900 Park Fayre at the Grand Floridian, again you can get to this resort by monorail or by boat for MK, the food again is the same as the other restaurants mentioned, however the setting for this breakfast is my favourite, I love the Grand Floridian and the restaurant is beautiful and you get to meet Mary Poppins, Alice, Mad Hatter, Winnie the Pooh & Tigger (how very British).





Lunch

Halfway through the day when energy levels are falling you need a good pick me up, now personally I only ever get quick service for lunch as I'd rather have a table service for breakfast or dinner.
One of my favourite spots for lunch is Pinocchio Village Haus located in Fantasyland just before the main entrance to New Fantasyland. With plenty of seating both inside and out, and views overlooking It's a Small World.
The Caprese flatbread is my go to order, big enough to fill you up, but not too heavy that you feel bloated or lethargic for the rest of the afternoon. 

Another great spot for lunch is Be our Guest, sure the lines can get a little long, but it's a great way to experience the restaurant without trying to get a reservation in the evening. Plus they serve the exact same desserts at lunchtime as they do at dinnertime and you still get your meal served to you via cart :'] When I went for lunch I ordered the roast beef sandwich and the lemon meringue cupcake, the food was delicious and the restaurant is beautiful, everyone should get to experience it for one meal of the day :)





Another great place for lunch is Cosmic Ray's over in Tomorrowland, purely because of the amount of choice available, the queues are generally manageable and I've always managed to find a table pretty quickly. They serve hot dogs, burgers and sandwiches, it's standard quick service food, no frills nothing special, but if that's all you're after then here you can get any of the generic lunch time meals you can get at the other quick service establishments. And if you sit outside there's pretty good views of the castle and the hub :)

Snacks

 Now sometimes a full on lunch wouldn't be necessary, especially if you've eaten a massive breakfast (though if you can handle both, then power to you). But you still need something to keep you going, a Disney snack could be just the thing.
My favourite snack has got to be Dole Whip, Pineapple-Vanilla swirl is an amazing invention and a refreshing cool down in the Florida humidity.

Another great option is any of the many snack carts around MK, Turkey legs, Churros, Mickey Bars & Popcorn are all staple snacks in the Magic Kingdom. But lets not forget the not quite so portable funnel cake, a stop at sleepy hollow for a funnel cake dusted with cinnamon = yummy.


 Dinner

 My absolute favourite place to have dinner around MK is Ohana's at the Polynesian, just a short monorail ride away. The Polynesian is a beautiful resort and the beach is a great place to chill out with a cocktail before your meal. The meal is a sit down buffet, where you get brought dishes of food to share and skewers of meat to choose from :)
The food is amazing and the views out over the lagoon are great, and if you time it right then you can watch wishes while eating your meal, they even play the music into the restaurant.


If you don't want to venture out of MK then my favourite place is Be Our Guest, the food is nice and the atmosphere, as I said about lunch, is great. Plus in the evening you get to meet your host, the Beast, a character you'll be hard to find anywhere else so it's great for character hunters like myself :)






So there we have it, my favourite places to eat in and around Magic Kingdom. I haven't eaten everywhere so there may be a few jems missing from my list, where are your favourite places to eat?

Friday, 17 April 2015

Why I love Disney...



One of the questions I get asked so much in my life is "Why do you love Disney, isn't it just for kids?". The majority of people who ask me this have never been to a Disney park, so I want to explain why I love Disney.

 The Parks




The Disney parks are what I love the most about Disney, don't get me wrong I love the films and the music and the characters, but Disney parks bring all that together, along with so much more. 
I first visited a Disney park in the summer of 2013 when I participated in the International College Program, I didn't really know what to expect when I went, I've loved Disney films my whole life and I was really excited to see what it would be like, but I had no idea I would fall in love with the place as much as I did.
Living and working at Walt Disney World was everything I hoped and so much more, I made friends who I hope will last a lifetime, and experienced so many new things. Walt Disney World honestly feels like a second home to me now, and going back there just makes me remember all the good times I've had, and excited for all the memories I can make.
Being in a Disney park is like being in a bubble, everything is clean and everyone (more is less) is friendly and happy. Cast members will go out of their way to make your day special, from a smile and a wave, to the odd magical moment, greeting your children as princess' or space rangers and helping out in anyway that they can. 
You can become you inner child and no one will judge you, wearing Minnie ears while meeting your favourite princess is just as acceptable at the age of 3, as it is at the age of 53.


The shows and parades are spectacles that make you smile, the rides aren't for the thrill seekers of the world, but they are so well themed and the stories behind them mixed with the nostalgia make them just as good as the fastest roller-coasters in my book.
The resorts offer service that I've never experienced at any other hotel I've stayed in.  
It really is not just a place for kids, there's plenty for adults to do, from fine dining, spa's, golf courses, drinking around the world. 
I've spent over 3 months worth of time at Walt Disney World over the last 2 years and there is still so much that I still haven't done, parks that I still haven't visited (Typhoon Lagoon). My short trips to Disneyland and Disneyland Paris even though they are much small resorts, there is still plenty I haven't done and there are still resorts I haven't visited in destinations I've always wanted to see.

 The Films
The first film I ever saw in a cinema was Pocahontas, I loved watching Sleeping Beauty and Snow White as a child. As I got older I watched more and more films, some classics I never even properly watched until I was in my teens. Pirates of the Carribean are films me and my family loved to go to the cinema to watch together, people forget that Disney don't just make animated films, Mary Poppins, The Princess Diaries, Alice in Wonderland and lets not forget that the Walt Disney company now own Marvel and LucasFilm and some people also don't seem to realise that Disney has owned Pixar since 2006 and has been involved with the studio since before Toy Story was released. 


 Everything else
Disney own the Disney channel and Disney junior but they also own ESPN and the abc channels in america and have produced many well loved shows such as Lost, Grey's Anatomy, Scrubs, Ugly Betty, Once upon a time...
All of which I love and there are so many more.
Disney musicals are some of the best loved musicals going, the main one being the Lion King which is still hugely successful on Broadway and the West end and has been going for over 15 years.
I went on my first Disney Cruise in 2014, and it was my first ever cruise, and I loved it, the Disney bubble at sea and getting to visit new countries. Castaway Cay is the Disney bubble on an island it was great, and I can't wait to plan my next Disney Cruise.
So when people ask my why I love Disney, really what's not to love? There is so much going on in that company, that at some point everyone in their life has probably loved Disney in one way or another. Is it just for kids? No way, the whole point of the Disney parks when Walt first opened Disneyland was somewhere that families could enjoy together, something that wasn't just for kids or adults, but for all ages. I personally think that the parks do that and so does everything else that they do. 
The people I have met through Disney and the memories I have made being in Disney parks, watching Disney films with friends and family, laughing and crying at TV shows are all the reasons I love Disney.
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