More to Disney

Disney's  Boardwalk

When you think of Disney most people think parks, characters and rides.  But did you know there is more to Disney then that?  Disney has so much to offer and you don't even need to step into one of the four main parks.  Over the next few posts we will highlight some of them.
   Resorts: Disney has 22 resorts that you can explore.  Some of the themes are just amazing and well worth taking a look at.
*The Animal Kingdom Lodge sits on part of a savannah. You can walk out the back of the resort and see  animals.  Some of the rooms even overlook the beautiful view. This is one resort we would love to stay at.
*The Boardwalk, Beach Club and Yacht Club sit close to the Swan and Dolphin hotels.  There is a very nice path that you can walk around.  Of course there is a boardwalk with good food and live entertainment (in the evenings).  The atomosphere is very relaxing.
*The Polynesian Resort is one of our favorites.  It has a very tropical feel to it.  You even get a lei when you walk in.  Walk out onto the beach and there is a fantastic view of Cinderella's Castle, it is also a great place to watch fireworks.
*The value resorts - All Star Movies, All Star Sports, All Star Music, Pop Century and the new one opening May of this year The Art of Animation all have larger then life props that are very fun to look at.
*If you head over to Port Orleans Riverside or French Quaters you are in for a real treat.  If you walk through you will notice that there are no palm trees, a friend of ours pointed this out.   This is to keep the feel of being in the south real.  You can park at one resort and take a nice slow walk on the path that connects the two resorts.  Or if walking doesn't float your boat, you can take a boat ride from one to the other.  The boat also goes to Downtown Disney.  These two resorts are peaceful, that is unless you go see Bob play.  More on him later!
These are just a few of the resorts Disney has.  As time goes on we will try to highlight each of them in detail.

Andy's bedroom door ~ All Star Movies

Port Orleans ~ Riverside

Have a magical day!

Wilderness Walking

One of our favorite things to do at Disney is walk (thank goodness, cause walking makes up a good percentage of your time) - especially in the resort portions or the World.  A great place to spend a quite hour walking is a little trail from Wilderness Lodge over to the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds.  You cross over a road and are within a stones throw of a service road, but it is unusually remote feeling, with nothing but trees and overgrown greens along the trail.  The path offers a couple of small detours off to the side back into the foliage, but we tend to stick to the main pathway. Don't be surprised at all when you come across deer crossing the path or simply sitting on the side, snacking on some good Disney greens.  Some bikes use the path, but you will enjoy the peaceful environment if you need a get away.  Of course, at the end of the trail is the stable area of Fort Wilderness, so you can stop and say hi to all the giant horses that are stabled at the Campgrounds.  Walk back through the main area and you will find yourself at the dock where you can grab a boat right back to the Wilderness Lodge where you started.

Check out this little video of a friend we met on the trail...

Thursday Thoughts

General Conversation will be the focus of Thursdays.  It can be commentary on anything related to Disney.

Let's get started!

 I was having a hard time coming up with something to write about and we decided to head over to some resorts to walk around for bit.  We stumbled across the gingerbread house going up in the Grand Floridian and I decided that would be a great "thought" for today.  Christmas is just around the corner, ok really it's Thanksgiving that is just around the corner, but Disney is getting all dressed up for Christmas.  The gingerbread creations they have in some of the resorts are just amazing!  We stood and watched them putting together the victorian display that they have put up the last 13 years.  It will take them 3 days to complete and the store will be open on November 14.  You will be able to purchase gingerbread men (of course), small gingerbread houses and other gingerbread items.
There were a lot of cast members helping and even the Grand Floridian executive chef was lending a hand.  We spoke to a really nice cast member from GA.  She answered our many questions like...what kind of frosting do you use? - Royal icing (powdered sugar, egg whites and creme of tartar), is the whole thing made of gingerbread? - No there is a wooden structure to hold it up, the gingerbread would be too heavy,  Does the icing taste good? - It wasn't her favorite but it wasn't too bad once it dried.  After our many questions she gave us a sample of part of the gingerbread, it was actually pretty good!

That's it for today - have a Magical night!