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Epcot: a big new world!

Filed under Disney Inspired, Fresh Picked Posts, Getting in Shape for Travel by rescuesk on March 15, 2012 at 12:09 pm {3 comments}

So you are well rested after your adventure in the Magic Kingdom yesterday, and ready to take on Epcot, right? Let’s go!

While the Magic Kingdom is the smallest park on property, Epcot sometimes appears to be the biggest. (It’s not.) Epcot is actually divided into 2 lands, FutureWorld and World Showcase, and both will require some walking!

If you arrive at Epcot via Disney bus or monorail, you will have a relatively short walk to the entrance of the park. If you drive your vehicle, keep in mind that the paking ot is rather large. If you want to save your walking strength for the park, take one of the trams that circle the parking area. They will drop you close to the entrance.

Once you are in Epcot, don’t become overwhelmed by the size. (Save that for Animal Kingdom.) Epcot is laid out, in my opinion, very nicely and very convienently for getting to all attractions. You will start by walking past the fountains and the Leave-a-Legacy towards the park’s icon, Spaceship Earth. From there, you can choose to walk right or left, depending on which attractions you want to see. The walk around the park is beautiful. 

You will be walking towards World Showcase, but the walk will be made easier because you will be stopping to see so many of the attractions along the way, as well as appreciating the beauty that is Epcot. Epcot always gives me the impression that you have stepped into a futue filled with music, sunshine, flowers, birds and fountains. I have seen the future, and it’s good! The attractions in Epcot are set a bit back from the main path, and they are large attractions! Unlike the Magic Kingdon, where you often stand in an outside queue and enter the building at the beginning of the ride, you will enter many Epcot attractions and find a whole story to go with the attraction. For example, if Soarin’ is your goal, you will enter into The Land Pavilion. Soarin is downstairs and to your left, but there are a treasure trove of other goodies to explore before you get there or while you ar waiting for your Fastpass time to come up. Spend some time in all the pavilions in FutureWorld…you’ll d up your walking steps! :)

From here, its on to World Showcase! When you enter the park via the bridge between FutureWorld and World Showcase, you will be facig World Showcase Lagoon. From here, you can walk to the left or the right. The path is a big circle around the circumference of the lagoon, passing by the countries on your way around. This can be a long walk, especially on a hot summer aftrnoon. It can also get very crowded during some of the festivals. Take time to rest. There are benches placed all around the lagoon, as well as tables near the outdoor eateries. And one of the nicest perks is the Friendship boats that run the length and breadth of the lagoon. Climb on one for a relaxing and scenic ride across the lagoon. The ships run in both directions with 2 seperate lanes of travel, so you can cut out some, or all of your walking back.

Remember that with every park adventure comes the walk back. You will get tired in Epcot, and then you will have to get back to your resort. If you stay to watch Illuminations, the night time show that is presented on World Showcase Lagoon, you will have to walk from wherever you are in World Showcase, across the bridge into Future World, and then back to your transportation option. The Friendships do not run after  Illuminations gets set up, around 7 PM, and they do not run after the show. Unlike the Magic Kingdom, your feet are your only option out of the park.

Once back at your resort, time to rest, relax and rehydrate. Our next park is small but mighty…Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Get prepared to do some walking, but alot of standing. You don’t want to miss the Streetmosphere that goes on in this wonderful park!

“Couple-time” ideas at Walt Disney World

Filed under Disney for Couples, Fresh Picked Posts by Terri Sellers on February 25, 2012 at 4:44 pm {7 comments}

So when Chris and I started to talk about our “couple-time” at Disney World for this blog update, we talked about many, many things that we enjoy doing together as a couple while visiting the mouse. We enjoy dining, going to the spas for a couple’s massage, riding certain rides, but we also enjoy the simple pleasure of time together that we sometimes can’t get at home because of his work schedule and my travel schedule. And that is what this week’s blog is about – simple things you can do as a couple to relax and enjoy your time at Walt Disney World together.

One of the simplest things we enjoy doing is taking a walk. For example, after dinner on the Boardwalk we will get some ice cream at Seashore Sweets and walk around Cresent Lake, hand in hand, listening to the music or to Illuminations.  Sometimes we will grab a spot for the evening Boardwalk entertainers – magicians, jugglers, etc., and partake of the show. Who knows you may even get to be part of the show!  How about a walk along the shores of the Sassagoula River at Port Orleans Riverside, or a walk from the Boardwalk area to Disney’s Hollywood Studios early in the evening as the sun goes down and all the lighting in the resorts and parks begins to turn on?

Boardwalk evening entertainment

You could also finish dinner at either the Kona Café or ‘OHana and then go sit in a swing, lie in a hammock or just sit on the sandy beach at the Polynesian and watch Wishes across the Seven Seas Lagoon. I love the idea of having my shoes off and my toes in the wet sand while listening to the music and watching the fireworks of Wishes. Toe curls in the sand over and over while having the Wishes soundtrack playing. AHHHH. Now that is relaxing.

Wishes fireworks over the Seven Seas Lagoon

We love to get many, many photos taken by Photopass photographers in lots of different locations, funny photos when we can let down our guard and goof around. Since we often travel as a couple, the only way for us to get photos together is to use a tri-pod and timer, or to utilize the photopass photographer. In addition to having them take “official” photos, we will also give one of our cameras and they take photos with that as well. Often these photos are as good (or better) than the Disney photos.

Miss Tinkerbell surprised us!

On our last trip to Disney World, on our last day we were in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We’d spent the morning touring, and then after lunch, found a bench across from the American Idol Experience and sat together and talked. I think we sat there for over an hour surrounded by the hubbub that is DHS. We did a little people watching and quite a bit of relaxing, delaying our departure and return to the real world. Sometimes I think we (or at least I) are in a hurry to commando tour from ride to show and show to ride and “get it all done”. At that pace, we miss the little things that make WDW a magical place. So – I think you should always make some time to just sit together, talk to each other, even maybe hold hands like you did when you were first dating.

Another no cost, easy to do evening “couples-time” activity is a soak in the hotel spa (hot tub). You could even grab a nice Frosty Adult Beverage from the nearest pool bar (if you are so inclined) to help keep you cool while you soak away any tension from a long day of touring in the hot tub. I prefer my grown up “tubbing” in the evening, as it does tend to cut down on the number of younger folks also in the spa and makes it feel more like “couples-time”. You can also grab a couple of loungers by your hotel pool, soak up the warm Florida sun while reading a great “vacation” book on your Kindle, Nook or Ipad.

Wilderness Lodge spa

One other thing that Chris has done when I have visited WDW solo (sometimes I can get off work and he can’t) is to have Disney Floral deliver flower arrangements to my room. They don’t have to be big (and frankly they don’t have to be from Disney) but I think it is truly wonderful to come back to your room and open the door to the lovely scent of flowers with a little card telling me how much he loves me and hopes I am enjoying my time at the “Happy place”.

Disney Flowers on a Solo Trip

There are so many things you can do on your trips to Walt Disney World to capture that magical time with your significant other/spouse.  Sometimes it means setting aside the touring plans, the fastpasses and all the ADRs to just relax and reconnect with that special person in your life.

Thanks for reading, and we will see you in the happiest (and most romantic) place on earth.

Terri & Chris!!

 

Disney on foot!

Filed under Fresh Picked Posts, Getting in Shape for Travel by rescuesk on February 25, 2012 at 2:47 pm {6 comments}

Ready to walk?

Hey, that got your attention, didn’t it! :D For one brief moment, you thought I was going to blog about getting to Disney by foot, didn’t you!

No, don’t worry. There are lots of ways to get to Disney, but unless you live in Cinderella’s Castle, walking there isn’t a way most travel journals would recommend.

But we are going to talk about walking in Disney.

Disney is a big place. Its a large place. Actually, its a huge place! 43 square miles, to be exact! Now, don’t fret, you aren’t going to be walking all 43 miles of that. Some of it is resort area, some of it is undeveloped,  and some is downright swamp country! But since you’ve chosen a Disney vacation, walking will be a big part of your daily routine.

If you’ve been following the blog, you know how important walking before you leave is. So, you’re ready for this, right?

The amount of walking you will do each day depends on the park you choose to visit. I’m going to cover the Magic Kingdom today, and address the others in future blogs!

The Magic Kingdom is the quintessential Disney theme park. It might surprise our readers to know that this is also one of the smallest of the parks, approximately 107 acres! Your walking day begins before you get to the park. If you are arriving at the Magic Kinfdom in a car, you will be parking on the other side of the lagoon. You will take either a monorail or the ferryboat to get to the kingdom. When you park, you can proceed to one of the tram stops and take the tram to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) and choose your option. There will be a short walk from your car to the tram, and from the tram to the transportation of choice. You cannot walk from the TTC to the Kingdom; there is no path, and it would be quite a hike anyway. Once you arrive at the Kingdom, there is another walk from the boat launch or the monorail station to the main entrance. If you are arriving at the Kingdom via Disney bus, the walk to the Kingdom is slightly windy and slightly uphill. It actually is a little bit further away than you would suspect. If you are staying at the Contemporary Resort or Bay Lake Towers, right next to the Magic Kingdom, you can walk to the park. This walk is a bit more than a quarter mile, but its quite pleasant, and a great way to start your day!

Once you pass through the main gates, you will need to walk up Main Street to access the attractions. The Magic Kingdom is designed around a central hub, Cinderella’s Castle, with all the lands branching out from there. “Walking” might be too broad of a term, You will more than likely meander up Main Street, taking in the ambience of this uniquely Disney area. Pace yourself…you have alot of ground to cover and you don’t want to get tired.

Once you get to the hub, you can choose your land. No matter which direction you travel in, you will be walking, but with so much to see and do, you should be pacing yourself at a nice leisurely pace. You will not have this luxury at every park, so enjoy it now! :D You’ll basically be walking in a big circle, around the back of the park and back to the front. All in all, its a nice easy walk, mostly flat and with plenty of places to rest.

When your touring day is done, walk back to the hub for a final stroll down Main Street. If you are tired, you can wait for one of the transportation vehicles to take you back down to Main Street. If you are still feeling like you can do a bit more wlaking, meander back down Main Street to the main entrance. Keep in mind that the same walk you did to get into the park now needs to be done in reverse. You will need to walk to the Disney buses, the monorail station, the ferry boat launch or the Contemporary Resort. And from there, you will still need to get back to your resort and room. Its always good to save a little energy for this return trip, especially if you are going to be carrying tired children or pushing a stroller.

So, you survived your first big walking adventure at Disney! You are back at your room and ready to take on the next park. Rehydrate at night (water or Gatorade…we’ll talk more about hydration in a future blog) and get a good nights sleep. Tomorrow we take on Epcot…get ready to hoof it here!!

 

Welcome to Walt Disney World for Couples

Filed under Disney for Couples by Terri Sellers on February 20, 2012 at 10:10 am {9 comments}

We are Terri and Chris Sellers – better known on the Passporter Boards as Passporter Guide DrDolphin, and her better half – Crick85. We are two 40-somethings without kids, but love to share Walt Disney World with friends and family – especially our nieces and nephews. We enjoy traveling to WDW a few times a year and enjoying our couples time there and thought it would be good to share some “have quality couples time” ideas with all the Passporter Blog readers – whether the trip be a “couples only” trip for a special occasion like an anniversary, or finding small romantic moments in the middle of a busy family trip.

Chris & Terri Sellers

One of our favorite "couple" places!

First a little bit about us. I am a marine biologist who works for a federal government agency as well as teaching Environmental Science for a small liberal arts college and Chris is a pharmacist at a major hospital in Jacksonville, Florida.  We enjoy traveling around the country and taking planned and impromptu trips to Walt Disney World, and being members of the Disney Vacation Club makes that possible.

Disney Vacation Club's Saratoga Spring Resort and Spa

I (Terri) have been a Disney fan since I re-discovered Walt Disney World (WDW) in 2001 while running the Disney Marathon, and began to make multiple trips a year after moving to Jacksonville in the fall of 2001. Chris sort of stumbled (still stumbles) into WDW because of me. We made our first “couples trip” in August 2008 when my sister and her family were visiting WDW and Chris and I had been dating for only two months. He had no clue what was in store for him. Chris’ previous trip before this one was when he was about 8 years old with his family and his only memories of the trip are of riding Space Mountain with his eyes closed and screaming quite loudly.

When we started dating, and decided that Chris would join the family on our trip in August, I don’t think Chris knew what to expect with the size, breath and wealth of things to do at Walt Disney World.  He still doesn’t.  Since that first trip, we have gone from “a couple” to being engaged and since been married – celebrating many of these events at either Walt Disney World, or onboard the Disney Cruise Line ships, making the most of the romantic offerings in all those locations.

Chris tends to leave the planning up to me, and 95% of the time, really “doesn’t care” what we do… So – for those of you who have significant others/fiances/spouses that travel to WDW with you, but really don’t care about all the magical details that make you love Walt Disney World so much, welcome to our world.

We plan to talk about many different romantic and special things you can do as a couple at Walt Disney World, and even do some reviews of things that we do while on our Disney trips, as well as how to plan for romantic/couples events while in the parks.

We’d also love to answer any questions you might have about Romance at Disney/ Disney for Couples, so we’ll be checking the boards – (http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/disney-romance/)  for great questions or blog topic ideas.

Thanks for reading, and we will see you in the happiest (and most romantic) place on earth.

Terri & Chris!!

 

Shedding Some Light on Jet Lag

Filed under Disney Inspired by Sandra Bostwick on February 18, 2012 at 2:32 pm {7 comments}

Jet lag is a primary cause for some seriously unfortunate vacation photos! (You can quote me on that.)

I don’t want to look like an extra from a Zombie movie (or miss a minute of fun) on my upcoming trip from New Jersey to China, so I decided to look into how to beat jet lag.  

I started by asking one of my fellow PassPorter Guides for tips. Here is what DebiDebiDebi had to say:

Sandy, I know some people think we’re crazy for this, but when we’re am preparing to head to the east coast (3 hours ahead of our PNW time) we do this: We start getting up 3 hours earlier than normal for 5-6 days ahead of the departure date. That way we have adjusted to East coast time prior to arriving and we are good to go by vacation time! Like I tell people who question my sanity for getting up at 2:45 am instead of 5:45; it’s amazing how much housework I get done during that early morning, with no outside distractions (phone, TV, etc). Works well for us!

(Thanks, Debi Debi Debi)

PassPorter Author Dave Marx gave the following tips:

I’m pretty much lag-impervious when it comes to my body clock. As long as I have enough sleep, I bounce right back.

My biggest problems come from lost sleep on Eastbound red-eyes. I’ve had 3-4 hours of sleep, if I’m lucky, and since it’s morning wherever I arrive, I’ll have a long day ahead of me. So, I try to plan a few hours of nap time after I get home/to the hotel. If that’s not possible, I try to have nothing on the itinerary after dinner.

To get sleep either eastbound or westbound, I focus on being comfortable on the plane – non-restrictive clothing, slip off my shoes, enough leg room (not a lot of stuff under the seat), etc. I tend towards window seats, so my neighbors won’t have to wake me to go to the restroom. I usually bring over-the-ear headphones on long flights, which I find more comfy than ear buds over long durations. Then I can put on my favorite music and close my eyes.

(Thanks, Dave!)

If you have any tips, please share them in the comments below!

So, is Jet lag real? Let’s look at some facts from the experts. Symptoms include fatigue, lethargy, mood changes, cognitive impairment, gastrointestinal disturbances, and sleep disturbances (Parry, 2002). YIKES! Leger et al. (1993) surveyed 507 business travelers and found almost half suffered from fatigue, 78% had disturbed sleep and 27% felt they had “intellectual disability” from jet lag! OK, this is serious stuff! So, what is a traveler to do?

A well-known sleep expert, Dr. Chris Idzikowski, says that changing your watch on the plane alone won’t help. It seems as if light plays a key role in managing jet lag. Cromie (2009) found that light boxes help long-distance travelers and shift workers, and that blue light gives the best results. Apparently, sleepy people exposed to blue light for six and a half hours performed better, rated themselves as less sleepy, showed quicker reaction times, and had fewer lapses of attention than people exposed to other types of light, particularly green light. Blue light was even found to help people with vision loss. Who knew?

I learned this from experience during a recent stay at The Dream in NYC, where guest rooms are bathed in blue light. I left the light on all night, and it was wonderful! I woke with a sense of calm, alertness and a readiness to take on the day. I actually made plans to buy a blue light for home, I liked it so much! Here are some photos of Dream. 

SO, I suppose if you are flying into New York, The Dream is the place to go!

But If you are not flying to NYC, and don’t have access to a blue light, all hope is not lost!

Several studies showed great results for using light to help with jet lag. Parry (2002) found positive results combining bright light with melatonin for jet lag. This study breaks instructions down for Westward and Eastward time zones, and is worth a peek if you are traveling. Since I’m not sure how I’ll react to Melatonin, and don’t want any surprises this close to a trip, I think I’ll stick with the light alone, though!

To make a long story short, if you are traveling to a country where day is night, limit the amount of light during the day and use a VERY bright light (five times the intensity of a normal room light) at night. Dark sunglasses and any source of bright light in front of your eyes should do it.  Strangely enough, a friend of mine gave me a bright-light LED visor light just the other day, which should do the trick. I guess hitting the ground in China running was meant to be!

A great link for timing the light was created by sleep expert, Dr. Chris Idzikowski and British Airways. Using this jet lag advisor tool requires a bit of thinking, but it is worth it!

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/drsleep/public/en_us?wakehours=7&wakemins=00&sleepOK=sleepBad&destTimeHours=23&destMins=00&homeTimeHours=10&homeMins=00&B1=Get%20advice

All the articles below should be available free on the internet, but you may need to use Google Scholar as your search engine.

So now I’m done with science and I’m ready for some wide awake fun and exploration! I hope you’ll travel with me as I visit Hong Kong Disneyland and the city nearby. Oh, and please just give me a nudge if you notice me nodding off from jet lag.

References

Clothier, J. (2006, April). Sleep doctor offers jet lag secrets.  CNN Business Traveler. Retrieved from

        http://edition.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/04/06/biztrav.jetlag/index.html

Cromie, W. (2009, February). When the blues keep you awake. Harvard Science.  

       http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2006/02/when-the-blues-keep-you-awake/

Leger, D., Badet, D., & De la Giclais, B. (1993). The prevalance of jet-lag among 507 traveling

     businessman. Sleep Res (22) 409

Parry, B. (2002, September). Jet lag: Minimizing its effects with critically timed bright light and melatonin

     administration, Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology. 4(5) 463-466. Retrieved from

     http://www.horizonpress.com/jmmb/v/v4/53.pdf

Walking your way to a great big beautiful tomorrow!

Filed under Fresh Picked Posts, Getting in Shape for Travel by rescuesk on February 5, 2012 at 12:18 pm {no comments}

Let's walk!!!

When you think of fitness, what comes to mind? Today’s media would have you thinking of beautiful people in spandex, walking on their home (read:expensive) exercise equipment, trying out the latest diet craze (“6,000 grapefruits a week and you’ll lose 10 pounds!!!!!”) or trying an unproven diet supplement with a warning that it is not FDA approved. Advertisements of that sort can turn you off to fitness and improved health. The cost, the technology and the monotony are enough to make you rethink your fitness goals and reach for the TV remote and another bag of chips.

But there is a better way! Trust me, I know it, I do it, it works for me. Ready? Wait for it…wait for it…its…

WALKING!!!

The simple act of getting up and walking can do wonders for your health, your body and your self esteem. Just beginning to walk on a routine basis makes you feel like you are doing something good for yourself.

So how do you start? Of course, the first answer is to get up and take a walk, but its so much more than that. Its easy to make walking part of your daily routine, and I’m going to help you figure out what works best for you.

Your first step is not to figure out your ultimate fitness goals. That will come later. If you set lofty goals for yourself, you’ll be disappointed. Rather, you should start with where you are right now in your fitness life and see what it is you can accomplish that will make you feel good about yourself. In other words, if you haven’t been walking anywhere in 3 years, don’t expect to do a mile your first day out. Start with a small goal. Make it something you like to do. If you enjoy the mall, drive to the mall, and do a lap around the perimeter. If you survive that, do another one. If you are tired after one, rest. If you like the outdoors, find a walking trail. Don’t worry about doing it from one end to the other and back. Walk a quarter of a mile, turn around and come back to where you parked your car. You’ve begun! If you have a treadmill that is living its life as a clothes rack, try this: position it in front of the TV and download a favorite TV show episode. Most half hour shows are really only 20 minutes, and if you can do 20 minutes on the treadmill, that’s a great start. The TV will keep you entertained and maybe even motivated! My preference when I am on my treadmill is my MP3 player, with the fast tunes cranked up LOUD. Its not good for my ears, but its good for my motivation.

The bottom line is that to stick to the walking commitment, you need to make it something you enjoy. If its not in a situation you are stimulated by, you will get easily bored and you will not want to continue.

Take it easy and slow, do a little more each time. You don’t have to walk every day, 3 or 4 times a week is a great goal. By the end of the first 2 weeks, you will begin to see little changes. You will not be so winded anymore. You will not feel the pain in your legs. And you will begin to feel better about yourself.

My own walking regime began in 2010, when I realized that I had signed up to walk 60 miles for a cure, and I couldn’t even walk up the stairs without losing my breath. I also felt that I needed to be healthier to more adequately perform my job duties. It doesn’t bode well if the paramedic is having more trouble breathing than the patient! I began slowly. I did a half mile on the treadmill, and slowly increased it to a mile. Then I picked up the pace. And then, I added some inclines. When the weather got warmer, I began to walk the walking trails in our national park. The first time, I thought I was going to keel over by the end. But after a few weeks, even these were getting easier. And while 60 miles is no walk in the park, I felt I was prepared when I took that first step.

Find what you love! Start with some small steps! And soon, you’ll be asking yourself, why didn’t I start this sooner? :)

Next time, we’ll talk about what walking at Disney is all about, and what to expect!

 

Are You a Big Kid Now? Walt Disney World for Grown-Ups!

Filed under Grown-Up Disney by aliceinwdw on January 17, 2012 at 2:09 am {5 comments}

“Hi, my name is Kelly, and I am an adult.“

At least I think I am.  Well, no that’s not true.  My “number-of-years-on-the-planet” says that I am, but really, most days, I don’t feel like it.  I’m actually in denial, I think, about how old I really am because, in all honesty, I still feel like a much younger version of myself.  But then, inevitably, reality kicks in: “Oh look I need new tires!”, “I need to call a plumber because you flushed what down the toilet?”,  “Why are all these lights on?!”  I cannot believe that I am starting to sound like my mother!  Yep, and it’s then when I’m reminded that I am, in fact, a grown up.

However, if I have to be a “grown up,” is that really such a bad thing?  I mean, I might even go so far and say that it is quite possibly even more fun than being — dare I say it?! — an actual kid (even if you’re like me and are still refusing to admit to, and actually act your real age most days…but I digress).  Ok, sure, we typically have to get up and go to work (be it at home or elsewhere), but at the end of the day, for example, we generally don’t come home with armloads of homework (no I’m not counting making dinner, doing the dishes, or taking out the trash — isn’t that what the kids are for?? (I am so getting egged at Halloween…); I’m talking the dreaded book reports, science projects (although those do end up becoming yours, don’t they?), and math assignments, especially those evil word problems!  To this day, I cannot tell you, if the train leaving Miami at 8am on Tuesday going 120 mph heading to Albuquerque uphill in a snow storm, then why did the chicken cross the road?  What??  Wait, where was I?  Oh, right!  Homework.  Ok, so even if you do have to take work home with you, at least, after all is said and done, you get paid!  So, whose inner kid is laughing about getting a recess and naptime now?  Huh??  Yeah so is mine, but, come on, do you know what you can do with that paycheck that you can’t do with that game of tag or any of that extra beauty sleep?  We can go to Walt Disney World (“WDW”)!  Ha ha ha ha ha!  So there inner child!  Stuff that in your pipe and…

*ahem*

Uh, right, so my point:  While it’s very true that I may not always feel like paying bills, getting enough fiber, or admitting that I probably shouldn’t be shopping at Hot Topic anymore (whatever, pink hair is awesome!), I do know that there are benefits of actually being an adult — aside from the no homework!  I mean when I am able to spend an inordinate amount of time planning for yet another trip to one of my favoritest (it’s a word; ignore what spellcheck says!) places on the planet, WDW; that’s good enough for me!

Disney World?!  Really?!

Oh yes,  I said, “Disney World!”  Now, I know, you’re either nodding in agreement or asking, “Wait, but isn’t that place for kids??”  Well, if you’re here, reading this, then you’re probably just like me (help the world now!), or are a little curious about whether or not it is possible to hit Fantasyland and ride “it’s a small world” as a group of full grown adults and still walk out with your dignity.  To which I simply reply:

"it's a small world" in the Magic Kingdom * photo by ghartler

No, you can’t.

Oh, I’m kidding!  But if you refuse to ride it (like some husbands I know), it’s ok!  There are plenty of other things to do, places to go, things to eat and drink, and rides to ride that more than make up for it!

For those of you who know what I’m talking about, I bet you’ve, at some point, also wandered around the parks with just your spouse, significant other, friend, sibling, cousin, mailman…no, not the mailman, but with that person or persons who are actually old enough to drive, vote, drink, and stand taller than the 40″ ride height “ruler,” and thought, “I l❤ve you for being here with me!”

Well, I know I definitely have!  My husband, Brian, who by the way you will get to know as the “DH,” which generally stands for “darling” or “dear husband” (it can also stand for other D-words that shall not be repeated here!); he and I have been married since 2005.  Does it show?  :-P Anyway, we honeymooned in Walt Disney World and fell so in love with it that we have, without fail, returned for every anniversary since!  Currently, our “family” is comprised of several furry critters, all of whom we consider our kids; however, so far, to date, Disney has not redefined its definition of “kids.” So when we travel to WDW, we tend to do so on our own.

So, for this reason (no, not because I can’t ride Space Mountain with my cats , but because I don’t travel with human kids!), I am here, to share my planning and traveling experiences with you.  Because, believe me, it can — and should, at least once! — be done!

Planning is A-Mazing!

Actually, planning is half the fun of a Disney trip!  No, no, it is!  I mean I love it so much that that’s why I am, as you may or may not — but totally should! — know, one of the guides for the Planning Your Adventure forum over at PassPorter.com.  It is definitely because one of my favorite things about choosing to go to WDW every year *woot* is all the yummy planningthat goes into it!  See what I did there?  “Yummy;” i.e. food, plus my referencing to adults who can hopefully drink…oh, there is so much fun to be had!

Ok, wait wait wait, now before I continue and you start thinking I’m just going to babble on and on each post about being one of those people who stroll up to Epcot’s Rose & Crown Pub in the United Kingdom pavilion at, like, noon and grab a Black & Tan and a Guinness, then head out into the Florida sun, double-fisted, ready to get all wild and belligerent during one of the new British Revolution shows…that only happened once.

I’m so kidding, but I totally know who you mean if you’ve seen it!

No, I’m just referring to all of the great things that we, as adults, get to experience and (responsibly!) enjoy at a place that so many think is for kids only.  They don’t even realize what they’re missing, and it’s this, the what they don’t know, that I plan on exploring, asking about, reporting on, dreaming out loud about, and maybe even contemplate doing at Walt Disney World because it does have so much to offer for those of us traveling with only one Disney-themed suitcase.  *wink*

Wait, all of our suitcases are Disney-themed.

Ok, fine, then this blog will be one that is for those of us who like to get away from the real world and escape to a place where we really are treated like princes and princesses, even if we don’t wear the costumes out in the parks, er, out in public, um…nevermind.  What I’m trying to say is that I just hope you will continue to come back and share in all of the wonder that can be had in a place not only meant for kids — but for us big kids too! So until next time…