The Jerk Who Didn't Blog

Yep, that's me. The jerk who knew one of her friends was going to Disney World, and with all of the best intentions wanted to get a few more posts up before she went, is now faced with less than a week before her friend goes. So said friend of the first part is posting some sample outfits from her previous trip for the friend of the second part very last minute!

Searching for treasure in Magic Kingdom!
Double-up on tank tops, denim bermudas, my trusty Skecher Goga Mat sneaks<
deer antler necklace, leather wrap bracelet (love!)

Guest Stories - a Cast Member Blog

Not fashion-related (sorry 'Genie!), but still perfect for my blog. See, I am a SUCKER for Cast Member tales. I love the terrible and the wonderful. This one is full chock-a-block with amazing, tears-inducing Magical Moments. I knew my Disney-loving friends would enjoy reading them.

http://www.talesofadisneylandcm.com/search/label/Guest%20Stories

August 2014 Trip - The First Few Days

Life just seems to fly by sometimes and I haven't set aside the time to dig into what I wore and how it all worked out. I had hoped to get some more photos from my sister, who took tons on her phone, but despite 8 reminders (EIGHT!), she doesn't seem motivated to upload them anywhere so about half of the photos I should have are inaccessible to me. *super sad face* I just hope I get to see them someday.

In the meantime, hubby and I took some, and we have PhotoPass photos as well!

What I Wore to Disney - Top Hits!

Hello friends! I haven't written since I got back from my trip to Disney World for my birthday, and I guess I should get to blogging about it, eh? But first, all hail the shoe and wine altar! That was a little shelf in our hotel room, and we couldn't think of what one would use it for. So I made use of it by mounting my favorite things, including the welcome card, happy birthday photo from Mickey and my birthday pin that was waiting on our bed when we arrived. Now isn't that a great use of space?

I hope to blog about each outfit eventually--how I envisioned wearing it, and how I actually wore it, what I thought in practice, etc. But for now, let's hit some highlights of my fashion foray!

Dressing 4 Disney - Night & Day

Disney World has many facets to it. On the surface, to the uninitiated it appears to be "just a theme park".  Be we who have taken the opportunity to fully embrace Disney know it is so much more.

People are always surprised when I tell them that fully half the reason we love to go to Disney is for the food! We have a sit-down meal nearly every night of our trip, some of them quite swanky (and there are entire blogs dedicated to the food at Disney, like my favorite DisneyFoodBlog.com, for instance.) Sure, some people will still walk in with cargo shorts and muscle tees, but that's fine. We're not there to look at everyone else, we're there to enjoy one another's company, soak in the joyful atmosphere, appreciate excellent customer service, and of course eat delicious cuisine from around the world (and World !).

Special Diets at Disney

Seems every other person these days has some dietary restriction, either by choice or for health reasons. Never fear! Disney is really fantastic about not only offering lots of delicious food options, including really healthful stuff, they also offer lots of alternatives and tweaks. So even the most difficult-to-feed park-goer can find a few items to sate their hunger.  Here are some resources which help you navigate the food landscape at Disney.

Gardens Kiosk at Animal Kingdom
Photo from DisneyFoodBlog.com

First up, in 2013 Disney added a kiosk at Animal Kingdom which addresses food allergies and special dietary needs. If you're gluten-free, vegan, or have food allergies, you want to stop by the Gardens Kiosk on Discovery Island (near the entrance to 'It's Tough To be A Bug'). Open from 9am-3pm every day, there is a cast member there to help advise you on possible food choices for your needs throughout the park, and how to communicate your food needs to chefs throughout the World. In addition, they serve up treats free from some of the most common food allergens, including peanuts, dairy, soy, shellfish, corn, eggs and more. Enjoy some Tofutti Ice Cream, or gluten-free cupcakes baked by Babycakes of New York. And get this: as of 2014, they added a few gluten-free beers and cider to the lineup!

Disney also offers this web site, which gives some brief information about Special Dietary Requests, including how to make requests at restaurants, and even a section on kosher meals..

Things I Love at WDW - Disney's Hollywood Studios

My second in a series exploring some of my top faves in each of the Walt Disney World parks. I am not necessarily going to include some of the obvious attractions that everyone tends to ride, but instead try to turn my eye to rides, attractions, and dining that you may not think of. Disney Hollywood Studio has some hidden gems, but there are a few big obvious ones I do feel the need to highlight. So without further ado....

RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS

Tower of Terror
So this is one I would consider an "obvious" choice, BUT I am including it for one big reason: not everyone who has been to Disneyland realizes that the Disney World version is not only different, but staggeringly superior to its West Coast sister. I don't want to give away in what way it is different or better, because if you haven't had that spoiled for you then I would love for you to go and discover it for yourself.

Animation Academy
This spot feels a bit out of the way--it's at the back of the Animation Courtyard in the Art of Animation building, to the right as you face the "Big Sorcerer's Hat", past the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. We stumbled upon this by accident on our first trip to Walt Disney World, and now we make it a point to visit it multiple times every tip--it's just so fun! In short, you are lead through a step-by-step tutorial on how to draw a Disney animated character. Which character is taught changes throughout the day, never the same two in a row. They post a list of the characters they plan to do during the day and an approximate time the lesson will begin, so if there is one you particularly want to get to do, refer to the board and plan ahead. At the end, you have your own self-created souvenir. We often get right back in line for the next lesson when we finish the last one!