Disney's Newest Beach Resort - Aulani

You may have heard about Disney's newest resort in Hawaii.  Or maybe you've even had the chance to visit.  Either way this tropical paradise should be on your list for your next vacation destination.

Aulanil resort and spa is located in  Ko Olina, Oahu.  This is on the west side of the island where you will find less tourists and beautiful green mountains on one side and the ocean on the other.  

It has all the lush waterways, pools and ocean breezes you want to experience when traveling to Hawaii.  At this resort you can snorkel in O'ahu's only private snorkeling lagoon.  There is endless swimming,  movies on the beach, an award winning spa, and special island excursions.  Learn to surf, take hula lessons, and even go on a horseback riding adventure.  

If you feel like relaxing, take a break and enjoy the spa while your children enjoy the traditional Hawaiian storytelling at Aunty's Beach House.  Your little ones will be safe with certified  Disney youth counselors and participate in fun age-appropriate activities.

Even though you are away from Walt Disney World or Disneyland, you can still enjoy your favorite Disney friends throughout the resort.  They will be there to welcome you or make you smile at dinner.

So if going to Hawaii isn't enough, you can experience travel in true Disney fashion with exceptional customer service and accommodations in one of the most beautiful places in the world. 

Remembering the 7 Dwarfs

As a previous Disney Castmember, my manager told me I would be asked the names of the 7 Dwarfs many times by guests.  She was right.
How were we told to remember them?
2 S's  2 D's and 3 Emotions

Sleepy Sneezy - Dopey Doc - Bashful Grumpy Happy

Food Allergies

Short blog today, but one that needs to be addressed. 
My son has food allergies.  When we travel this can be stressful.  We've learned to adapt and make changes to our plans, but I know sometimes he feels guilty or even left out. 
One thing Disney has done is allowed our vacation to be a lot LESS stressful when it comes to this issue. 
By providing a refrigerator in our room (Moderate and Deluxe resorts) it has allowed us to have his soy milk and other items available so he always has something to eat.  Or we can at least easily prepare sandwiches to take in the park.  He loves to eat so a sandwich would be a snack for him if he's feeling hungry.  Breakfasts can be difficult when you have a child with milk, egg and peanut allergies.  So cereal is always available too with his soy milk nice and cold. 
And when we are at the park, it seems as though all the cast members (at least ones we've come into contact with) can help us with the food allergy issue.  I think they have a book with the ingredient/allergy information behind the counters to help you.  And in our experience, the chef at Boma in the Animal Kingdom has come out to walk us around the buffet to let us know what he can/can not eat.  So DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK! 
But the best part for him is being able to have rice milk or soy milk ice cream here.  He felt included and most importantly felt as if his dietary needs were important. 
I love that!
Thank you Disney for making his trip even more magical for all of us. 

Do Park Changes, change your plans?

Ok, so I asked this question recently and I started thinking about all the changes to DW and DL that are coming up. 
Not only are there constant refurbishments going on, but there are lands being constructed and hotels being built. 
These are exciting changes.  Sure the refurbishments are a bummer sometimes.  Especially the major attractions.  With Big Thunder going down for many months, it may be hard to adjust your plans around that.  If that's one of your favorites anyway.  But if I knew we had a Disney World trip coming up, but haven't finalized the details of when.  You can bet, I would hold off until the Art of Animation hotel was completed as well as the new Fantasyland.  Those are 2 major changes (updates) coming up. 

And if we were heading to Disneyland, then I'm sure we would hold off until the new Cars Land was completed at California Adventure.  After looking at some photos, it looks like there may be a similar ride to Test Track at EPCOT.  You get in a car and speed around a track.  I'm thinking you go faster, but not completely sure.  I mean, Cars is based around race cars.  As opposed to the Tomorrowland Speedway. 

Sure, once we get the go ahead to book a trip to Disney we can hardly wait to start checking on flights.  But with so many fun changes coming up, maybe it's best to wait.  Unless you are one of the lucky ones who can go more than once every year or two. 

So, what do you think?  Wait?  Or just go and enjoy all the wonderful things the parks have to offer now? 

So many hotel choices!

When planning your trip I think one of the biggest decisions is where to stay.  I know for me I did so much research on Disney property hotels and hotels near Disney.  We considered the Hilton near Downtown Disney (we'd stayed there before).  We considered The Nickelodeon hotel because of the themed rooms and pool area.  And we almost stayed at The Doubletree hotel (again Hilton which we like) knowing it had been recently remodeled. 

But after reviewing Mousesavers.com we saw a hotel near Disney that was similar to Doubletree or Embassy Suites but for much less.  We stayed at the Buena Vista Suites for 89.00/night.  The rooms were similar to Embassy Suites but much smaller.  The breakfast was included in the morning, but on a much smaller scale than Embassy Suites.  Overall it was fine.  It was clean, and close to the parks and another plus is that there was no resort fee or parking fee. 

We planned on being there for 4 nights and then heading over to Disney's Beach Club Resort for 3 nights.  We wanted to splurge a little on this vacation and experience another Disney hotel we had never stayed at.  I called Disney to make sure a family of 5 could stay comfortably in this room.  I saw the pool with the sandy bottom and they had a small refrigerator in the room and we were sold!  Plus it was within walking distance to EPCOT, and they offered movies and bon fires on the the beach at night.  How amazing is that?  So out of the blue one night while we were at the first hotel, my husband says, let's call and see if we can stay one more night at the Beach Club and leave here a day earlier.  WOOHOO!  You don't have to ask me twice. 

It all worked out and the kids were thrilled.  We liked the Buena Vista Suites, but we LOVED The Beach Club!  And if you've ever stayed there you know why I say that. 

Another big plus for us was the fridge in the room.  Having a son with food allergies, can make it difficult sometimes to eat out.  Keeping his soy milk in the room and cereal, snacks and bagels made our mornings go faster and more convenient so we could get to the parks and do what we came to do! 

Here are just a few things to consider when deciding which hotel to stay;
1. Do they charge a resort fee or parking fee?
2. Can you comfortably fit your whole family in the room?
3.  Do they have a closet?  Sounds strange but I'm pretty sure the Disney Value resorts do not.  This can make for a crowded room.
4.  Do they include breakfast? This is important for my whole family.  They need to eat before the day begins. 
5. And of course...How much are you willing to spend? 

Where are these little princesses coming from?

So after using a Restaurant.com certificate to eat at House of Blues in Downtown Disney, we decided to do a little shopping.  We were looking for pins for the kids lanyards and we saw the cutest little princesses walking around behind a Cast Member as if they had just been nominated for Best Little Disney Princess.  They were so cute.  All of them, about 4, were probably 4-6 years old.  They were dressed up in their favorite princess outfit and had their hair done up with sparkles and a little tiara. 

Where did they come from?  Lexie and I were curious.  So we asked around and found out about the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.  This is an experience for little girls where they can have their hair, nails, and some makeup done to look just like a Disney Princess.  There are different packages and I'm sure the experience is magical for them.  There are two places Disney does this and I'm sure the appointments book up fast.  (Something to consider)  One is inside Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom and the other is at the World of Disney Store in Downtown Disney. 

Why Bibbidi Bobbidi you ask?  You don't recognize this phrase?  Well let me fill you in:





Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo
Put 'em together and what have you got
bibbidi-bobbidi-boo
Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo
It'll do magic believe it or not
bibbidi-bobbidi-boo
Salagadoola means mechicka booleroo
But the thingmabob that does the job is
bibbidi-bobbidi-boo
Salagadoola menchicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo
Put 'em together and what have you got
bibbidi-bobbidi bibbidi-bobbidi bibbidi-bobbidi-boo

This is the catchy song the Fairy Godmother sings to Cinderella. 

Well while we're on the subject of little Princesses, do you have a little pirate in the house?  Disney offers something similar at the Magic Kingdom right outside of Pirates of the Caribbean.  This is called the Pirates League.  This is where your little one (boy or girl) can transform into a pirate.  Disney completes this look with a complete makeover and some training.  You get a new 'pirate' name and enter a room where your picture is taken. 

Disney just keeps adding on new experiences for your children.  I wish the boutique had been there when my princess was younger.   

If you think you'd like to take advantage of these opportunities.  Make sure you call to get reservations early.   



40 Years Ago

So the obvious thing on the blog today is that my page looks different.  My daughter has been helping me figure this layout thing so that I could make it look a little more jazzy.  I want this to appeal to everyone, not just current Disney fans, but people who are thinking of going, and looking into it as a vacation possibility. 

I'm still wanting to help people plan their trips.  Whether it be to WDW or Disneyland. Both places are spectacular and have so much to offer.  There are multiple blogs and agencies out there who can help.  I'm just someone who can give you more personal attention by doing the busy work for you. 

Ok, now as I was updating my blog, I realized that the Magic Kingdom just turned 40 yesterday.  And it has changed so much.  I remember my first trip when I was about 10.  They still had the A rides and the E rides and some in between.  I remember Space Mountain being an E ticket and at that time, you had limited tickets for each ride.  BUMMER!  Now it's awesome that if you want to spend your day going on Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, or Big Thunder, you can.  As much as your day allows. 

I remember the characters walking around the park and people would just walk up to them and hope to get a picture and an autograph.  Now it's a controlled environment where they are in a certain spot at a certain time and you wait your turn in line to get a picture. While other Cast Members are there to guide you. 

There was no EPCOT, Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom.  There were 3 main hotels and that was The Contemporary, The Polynesian, and Fort Wilderness.  EPCOT, was a plan Walt Disney had to be built, but the plans were put off after Walt's death.  His original plans were altered and EPCOT was built in 1982. 

Walt Disney was a pioneer.  He was a dreamer.  He wanted another place on the other side of the United States where families could come together and have a magical vacation. 

I think he was quite successful in that dream.

This is an original map of the Magic Kingdom back in 1971 when it first opened. 

I'd say it's changed quite a bit since then.