'Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival' Coming Soon to Epcot's Magic Eye Theater

Disney Parks Blog announced yesterday that we'll soon be able to have an all new 4D experience at the Magic Eye Theater in the Imagination Pavilion at Epcot.  "Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival" will include a look into the visionary minds behind some of the world's most iconic animated films.

Inside the theater, guests can put on their 3D glasses and enter the imaginative worlds of three animated shorts, that will burst to life on the big screen.

To make way for this new attraction, fans will have to say goodbye to "Captain EO" with it's last showing on December 6.  

Mini Vacation to Disney's Beach Club Resort

We recently returned from a 2 night stay at Disney's Beach Club Resort.  I posted on my Facebook wall, that I took less photos than usual.  Sometimes, the mom in me wins, and I decide to spend a bit more time being part of the memories, rather than trying to capture every one of them on my iPhone.  Of course, the Travel Agent in me was paying attention to everything along the way, so I'll be able to give you my mini-vacation report and review of a few details of the trip.

Although I did online check-in, I went to the front desk when I arrived at 10am to see if my room was ready yet.  I was told it would be a while before they had the room ready for us, so they escorted me to the fifth floor to the Club Level lounge, the Stone Harbor Club (You need to be staying in a Club Level room, or in a room with Club Level access to enjoy the Stone Harbor Club).  Before gaining access to the club, I sat down with one of the cast members and finished checking in. We went over the details of our stay, and since I had already made my fastpass+ and dining reservations, there wasn't much he needed to help me with.  I was given a phone number to call, and a phone number to text if I needed anything from them during my stay.  The members of my party who were over 21 were given a sparkling punch, and the kids were offered non-alcoholic versions.

Inside the lounge, there was a continental breakfast set up with pastries, fruits, yogurt, cereals, and 2 hot dishes, cheesy grits and hot oatmeal (with all the fixins).  There was orange juice, milk, water, and a self serve coffee machine that allowed you to make coffee, lattes, espresso, etc. There were a few tv's set up, along with 2 kid sized tables and chairs.

Once we were done checking out the lounge, we decided to explore the resort.  Disney's Beach Club Resort is by far one of the most beautiful resorts on Walt Disney World property. It is a Deluxe Resort hotel, themed to resemble seaside resort cottages in New England's early 20th century.  The location of the hotel is one of the reasons why I chose to stay for this trip.  Our main purpose of this mini vacation was to not only utilize the amazing pool, Stormalong Bay, but to have easy access to Epcot so that we could visit the International Food & Wine Festival.  Not only is Epcot only a 10 minute walk from the Beach Club, you can also walk to the Boardwalk, the Swan & the Dolphin resorts in the same short amount of time. If you are not big on walking, you can always take the ferry to any of those resorts, as well as to Disney's Hollywood Studios.  With all of that at our fingertips, we wound up over at the Yacht Club for lunch.  We planned on grabbing what we thought would be a "quick lunch" at the Captain's Grill.  I was not overly impressed with the meal.  The service was slow, they forgot to bring us our appetizer, and the food was just okay.  It wasn't bad, it just wasn't amazing, and I've come to expect amazing food from the Disney restaurants. 

By the time we were done with lunch, we headed back over to the Beach Club to check if our room was ready.  It was!  We headed upstairs and our friendly cast member escorted us to our room.  The room was beautiful, with 2 Queen Beds, a desk with chair, a dresser, mini-fridge, TV, and DVD player.  The only problem was, it wasn't big enough for my party of 6 (My mom came with us, so we had 3 adults and 3 kids). We were supposed to be in one of the rooms with a pull out sofa.  They quickly picked up the phone to work things out.  I was offered either this room, with a rollaway cot, or a different room, with the pull out sofa, but on a different floor (still with club level access).  I opted for the different room.  We wound up on the first floor, facing the Boardwalk, with a fantastic view.  

I will admit, we took full advantage of the free food and drink at Club Level and spent a good portion of the day going back up to the lounge to see what offerings there were.  Breakfast is from 7am-10:30am, Snacks, including house-made potato chips, cookies, trail mix, and pretzels are served 11:30am-4:00pm, Hors d'oeuvres and Wine are served 5pm-7pm, and Desserts and Cordials from 8pm-10pm.  Although the wine and beer are not out until 5pm, we were told that all we needed to do was ask and they would bring us anything we needed.  

Day 2 - We got up early and headed out to the Magic Kingdom to see the Welcome Show. 

We did a few rides and then checked in for our breakfast reservation at The Crystal Palace.  We were celebrating my oldest daughter's 17th Birthday, so our table had some special Mickey confetti sprinkled on it when we were seated.  Before we even got a chance to order drinks, Winnie the Pooh was playing peek-a-boo with my 2 year old.  The breakfast buffet included hot and cold offerings, an omelette station, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, Mickey waffles, and plenty of other things to choose from.  The characters made their rounds and came to see us, take photos, and sign autographs through the course of the meal. At the end of breakfast, the brought out a birthday cupcake and a card (signed by Winnie and his friends) for my daughter.  

After breakfast we finished out our fastpass+ reservations and headed out of the park. We stopped into the Fire House to pick up a pack of Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom (a fun interactive game that is totally free) cards.  As we were leaving, we decided to pop into the Harmony Barber Shop to see if they had time to give my son a quick hair cut.  Sure enough, they took him right away.  At first he was a little squirmy, but once they gave him some spinning toys, and a TON of Mickey stickers to distract him, he was a trooper.  

Now it was time for that amazing pool!  Once we got back to the resort, we were changed and ready to hop in the pool in no time. Stormalong Bay is the most coveted pool on Disney property.  You need to show your Magicband when entering the gated area, and you are given a wristband to keep on while you are at the pool.  The kids spent a few hours playing in the sand, making sand castles, splashing in the water.  We went around the lazy river, and down the slide a few times too.  

It started to drizzle and we took it as a que to get the kids out of the pool and dried off.  

After getting a snack from the club, we roasted a few marshmallows and headed to Epcot.  We strolled around World Showcase and sampled a few of the different offerings at the International Food & Wine Festival.  We grabbed a spot in Canada and watched Illuminations.  Although the park was open of Extra Magic Hours, we decided to get back to the room and get some sleep..it had been a long day...and thanks to my little one it was a long night too.

Day 3- Although I was up until 2am, strolling the Boardwalk, trying to get my son to go back to sleep, I was up bright and early to get the most out of our day.  My mom and I took the little kids upstairs for a quick breakfast, then headed over to Hollywood Studios on the ferry.  We rode Toy Story Midway Mania, The Great Movie Ride, and did a little shopping. While we were off having fun, my oldest and my husband were packing up our room and getting ready for check out.  It was time to go meet up with them and go to lunch.  

We had reservations at Sanaa.  Located at Animal Kingdom Lodge, the restaurant has become one of my personal favorite "hidden gems".  We checked in for our lunch reservation and asked for a window seat.  They told us it would be about a 10-15 minute wait, and I was happy to wait.  We could watch the animals from the viewing area while we waited for our table.  

Our table had an amazing view, and was totally worth the wait.  We ordered the bread service, that includes different pita and naan breads with a selection of dips and spreads.  It's fantastic.  Everyone ordered something different for lunch, and everyone loved it!  My husband did think the serving size was a bit too small for the steak.  The "milk and cookies" dessert on the kids menu was a big hit with my little ones.

After lunch we headed over to Animal Kingdom and rode the Kilimanjaro Safari. Because it was the middle of the day, there wasn't too much activity, but we did get to see some giraffes, zebras, and even some baby warthogs.  I always recommend doing the safari first thing in the morning, when the animals are more active. During a light rain is always a good time too..but you will get wet.
After the safari, we wandered the park a little more and saw the baby gorillas too.  

We stopped at Disney Springs to do some "quick" shopping and use up our remaining dining plan credits.  One of our family favorites is Wolfgang Puck Express.  It counts as a quick service entitlement, but it is very close to a sit down experience.  You order your meal at the counter, but then you bring your order number to your table and the food is delivered to you.  Your server will continue to get you anything you need from that point.  

After a little more shopping, it was time to head home.  The best part about living in Central Florida, is that I'm only 45 minutes away from any of the Disney attractions.  

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Disney's Beach Club resort, in fact, I tried to extend my stay when we checked out, but the resort was fully booked for the weekend.  

Too Much Food & Wine?

A Youtube video recently popped up on my news feed and I thought I'd share.  Apparently, one man had a bit too much to drink at a recent visit to Epcot's Food & Wine Festival and decided to climb the Mexico Pavilion pyramid.  There is plenty of speculation that this kind of behavior might get him banned from Disney for life, but nothing that has been released to the public.  

Consider this our Public Service Announcement of the night..please drink responsibly!

Registration Opens For Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend

Registration opens today for the runDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon weekend events at Walt Disney World.  Do you plan on running in the Jungle Jingle 5k or the Wine & Dine Half Marathon?  If so, you should be prepared.  Registration opens at 12:00 p.m. EST, 11:00 a.m. CST, try and be online a few minutes early to help ensure you get the race you want.

To make the registration process go smoothly, here's a list of what you should have on hand when you sit down at your computer.

1. What races do you and your family plan on participating in? Are you planning on going to any of the other race events, like the International Food & Wine Fest After Party at EPCOT or the Pre-Race Taste at Hollywood Studios? Make a list, with the most important race/event at the top.  Be aware that the runDisney races fill up fast, and you may not get into all of the events that you want.

2. You'll need to know all of your information in order to register for each event.  Name, Date of Birth, Phone Number, Mailing Address, Email Address, Credit Card information, Billing Address, and Shirt Size.  If you already have your Proof of Time, you'll also need the race information: Name of Race, City/State/Zip, Date of Race (year), Distance of race, and your Finish Time.  (Don't worry, if you don't have your proof of time yet, you have until August to submit it).

Once you get registered for all of your events, you'll want to book a room at one of the participating resorts to make race day easier.  Please contact Kristin for a quote.

Walt Disney World 24 Hour Event - Coolest Summer Ever

The news is out, Walt Disney World will be hosting a 24 hour event  May 22-33 at Magic Kingdom to kick off the "Coolest Summer Ever".  The event will be hosted by Olaf, the summer-loving snowman from Disney's hit "Frozen".  

Magic Kingdom park will be open for 24 hours from 6 a.m. to 6 a.m. Friday May 22, 2015 to Saturday, May 23, 2015.  Guests are invited to come in costume to show their Disney Side.  A selection of favorite attractions, entertainment, special merchandise, and of course food and beverage will be available all night long to kick off the "Coolest Summer Ever" at Walt Disney World Resort.

Some highlights you won't want to miss this summer include: 

Frozen Fun - "Frozen" Summer Fun LIVE will return to Disney's Hollywood Studios June 17-Sept. 7, Daily shows and experiences at Disney's Hollywood Studios - including a royal processional, a sing-along show, Frozen-themed treats and merchandise, plus a Frozen fireworks display above Hollywood Boulevard.

Cool Thrill Rides - Guests will find thrills from milt to wild to out of this world in all four Walt Disney World Resort theme parks.  Ride one, or ride them all.  Choose from Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom Park; Test Track presented by Chevrolet and Soarin' at Epcot; Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park; Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Star Wars Weekends - Guests will find stars from another galaxy during Star Wars Weekends May 15-June 14, 2015 at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

New Restaurants and Shopping - Throughout the summer, new waterfront dining and boutique shops flow into the Downtown Disney shopping/dining/entertainment district as its transformation into Disney Springs continues. 

Epcot Entertainment - New entertainment acts will appear throughout World Showcase at Epcot which also brings a fresh summery twist on a fan favorite, Voices of Liberty.

A Splash at Water Parks - A cool new deal double the fun at Disney's two iconic water parks - Disney's Typhoon Lagoon and Disney's Blizzard Beach.  You can no purchase a one-day water park ticket and park-hop between the two water parks in the same day that both are open.  

runDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World

We got a taste of our first runDisney race when we walked/ran in the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend 5K a few weeks ago.  Now, we are getting ready to make our first attempt at running a half marathon.  Why not make our first try a runDisney event?  Registration opens on March 17, 2015 for the Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend events at Walt Disney World.  Here's a schedule of what you can expect:

runDisney Health & Fitness Expo - Friday, November 6, 2015 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 7, 2015 - 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Location: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex

Disney Wine & Dine Pre-Race Taste - Friday, November 6, 2015 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Location: Disney's Hollywood Studios Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! Theater

Mickey's Jingle Jungle 5K - Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 7:00 a.m.
Start: Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Finish: Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park

runDisney Kids Races - Saturday, November 7, 2015 starting at 10:00 a.m.
Dashes at 10:00 a.m.
1-Mile Run at 10:45 a.m.
Location: New Balance Track & Field Complex

Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon - Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 10:00 p.m.
Start: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
Finish: Epcot

Hollywood Studios

Finish Line Party - Saturday, November 7, 2015 10:00 p.m. - 4:00 a.m. Sunday, November 8, 2015
Location: Epcot

For more information about the races, visit www.runDisney.com

2014 Eat to the Beat Concert Lineup

We're so excited that the 2014 Eat to the Beat Concert Lineup at Epcot International Food & Wine Festival has been announced!  It looks like there are some great performers lined up..We've seen some of them at past Eat to the Beat concerts, and some are new. We are particularly excited to see Jo Dee Messina join the line-up.

Here's the schedule:

9/19-9/21: Jo Dee Messina
9/22-9/23: The Pointer Sisters
9/24-9/25: Rick Springield
9/26-9/27: Christopher Cross
9/28-9/29: Hanson
9/30-10/2: Air Supply
10/3-10/5: STARSHIP starring Mickey Thomas
10/6-10/8: Sugar Ray
10/9-10/10: Fuel
10/11-10/12: Sister Hazel
10/13-10/14: TBD
10/15-10/16: Billy Ocean
10/17-10/19: Night Ranger
10/20-10/22: Smash Mouth
10/23-10/24: Jim Brickman
10/25-10/26: Los Lonely Boys
10/27-10/28: Wilson Phillps
10/29-10/31: Dennis DeYoung, original member of STYX
11/1-11/2: 38 Special
11/3-11/5: Boys II Men
11/6-11/7: David Cook
11/8-11/10: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

SOME of these concert dates fall within the Free Dining promotion too!  Who's your favorite performer listed?

Disney Visa Perks - Private Character Meet 'N' Greet

Did you know that there are special perks for Disney’s Visa card from Chase?  As a cardmember, you and your family can experience extra perks every time you visit Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, or Disneyland Resort.  

My favorite perk is the Character Meet ‘N’ Greet at the Private Cardmember Location.  If you are headed to Walt Disney World, be sure to stop by the Innovations West building at Epcot.  If you head to the back of the building, between 1PM and 7PM and you’ll find a special roped off section where you and your family can line up to be part of an exclusive Meet ‘N’ Greet with some of your favorite Disney Characters.  Who’ll you’ll meet is always a surprise until you are allowed behind the curtain, but it’s usually at least 2 of the “Fab Five”.  

When you join the line, you’ll be asked by a cast member to show your Disney Premier Visa Card or Disney Rewards Visa Card in order to enter.  Once it’s your turn to go behind the curtain, make sure you have your autograph books and photo pass card ready.  There will be a photo pass photographer who will take several photos of you and your family with the characters. They will give you a special voucher with the last four digits of your Visa on it to hold onto.  Make sure you put it someplace you won’t lose it, so that you can take it to the Photo Center on your way out of Epcot for a free 5x7 print.

In addition to the Character Meet ‘N’ Greet, the Disney Rewards Visa Card offers the following year round perks:

• Earn 1% or 2% (depending on what card you have) in reward dollars on card purchases
• 10% off on select merchandise purchases of $50 or more at DisneyStore.com and Disney Store locations.
• 10% off on select merchandise purchases of $50 or more at select locations at Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort
• 10% off on select dining locations at Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort
• 20% off non-discounted price of select guided tours at Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort
• Special vacation financing
• $50 Onboard Credit on a Disney Cruise

There are often “Limited-Time Offers” as well.  For example, at the time of this writing, cardholders can order an exclusive cardmember pin.  Also, at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival there is a special lounge open just for Chase Cardmembers where you can recharge your phone, get complimentary soft drinks, or just put your feet up and relax for a little while.