{Destination Disney} The Letter "H"

Welcome and thank you for hopping here from the Destination Disney blog hop hosted by Heidi from Reviews and Reflections! Thanks for joining me and I hope you enjoy my pictures this week :)

We are now on to the letter "H"

Handy Manny

Hat

Hula-Hooping

Hidden Mickey

Heimlich

Harambe Wildlife Reserve

Hollywood Blvd Sign

Happy Birthday

Don't forget to check out more great "H" posts at the Destination Disney blog hop!

Amanda

Five on Friday

Last week I wrote about the top five things I would like to do that are outside of the Disney parks. If you missed out, you can catch up here.

This week I wanted to list the top five countries in Epcot that I would like to explore on our next trip. Epcot has always held a great appeal to me because of the World Showcase. I like to travel, and although I haven't traveled out of the country much, I dream of doing it one day. There are so many beautiful places in the world that I would like to see and visit. The World Showcase allows me to do that in just a simple trip to Disney! These are the countries I would most like to explore more in Epcot:

5. Mexico - I would love to visit this pavilion and check out the artifacts and Mexican history that they have. We have not had the pleasure of checking out this pavilion to it's fullest. I think that the Gran Fiesta Tour ride would be fun to go on as well! Plus, you can't go to Mexico and not get a margarita - so I would have to check out La Cava del Tequila and get something to quench my thirst while listening to Mariachi Cobre!

4. Morocco - I would like to check out all the beautiful mosaics in this pavilion. I also would like to check out the Belly Dancers in the Restaurant Marrakesh - I've always loved how they move, wishing I could move like that too! LOL :) Plus, I am sure I could do plenty of shopping here too!

3. France - I definitely want to eat at Le Chefs de France one day and get to meet Remy! I know the food would be delicious. I would also like to watch the movie Impressions de France - to be able to see more of the country itself. And I know they would have some wonderful smelling perfume that I could try out!

2. Japan - There are many things I want to check out in the fabulous pavilion. The candy lady for one - I have heard that her works of art are amazing! We enjoy eating at our local Japanese restaurants, so I'm sure we would like Teppan Edo. It would be wonderful to enjoy some music from the Japanese taiko drummers and of course I want to check out Pick-a-Pearl and get a beautiful necklace made!

1. Italy - This is the pavilion that I am most fascinated with. If I could pick only one country to travel to - it would be Italy! I want to try out both of the restaurants, as well as the bakeries for something yummy and sweet. I would like to study the architecture more and see the beautiful buildings that they created. And I am sure I could find some beautiful leather item to bring home :)

What is your favorite pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase? What pavilion would you like to explore and learn about more?

Amanda

Disney Blog Hop: Why I LOVE Disney

Hi and welcome! Today is another edition of the Disney Blog Hop hosted by Babes in Disneyland. I always have a great time reading everyone's posts on the topic each week. A big thanks to Lisa for hosting and coming up with these fabulous topics!

This week's topic is in honor of the D23 Expo - Why I love Disney. Now, this shouldn't be a hard post to write - after all I think all of us love Disney so much. Why else would we have Disney blogs? But it actually took me a little while to figure out exactly how I wanted this post to go. What did I want to write about? About a month ago I did a Top Ten Tuesday post on the reasons that I LOVE Disney - you can check it out here. Of that list, I wanted to talk about one thing in particular: Being able to forget about day to day stresses and responsibilities and just having fun!

I think this is something that everyone who really lets go in Disney World is able to experience. Instead of having to get up early every morning to get ready for work, going in Nicholas' room 2 or 3 times to get him out of bed and ready for school - we both eagerly get up when we are at Disney so we can get to an early ADR! Instead of having to worry about traffic to and from work, we can hop on a bus, or just drive and park close to the park and have a great time! Instead of having to be at work for 9 hours a day and missing out on that special time with Nicholas, my husband and I get to spend 24/7 with him on our vacation! We really enjoy that special bonding time and we always come back from Disney a stronger family :)

When we are in Disney, we don't have to worry about the mundane things of our daily lives. We get to eat cupcakes for breakfast, or skip down Main Street holding hands - and no one thinks anything of us. I can tear up while watching Nicholas get excited and talk to his favorite characters, or have my breath taken away while watching Wishes. All of these reasons, and many many more are why I LOVE Disney so much!

Cupcake for Breakfast - only at Disney :)

Why do you love Disney? What special things make you enjoy your vacation?

Amanda

Wordless Wednesday

Hi there and welcome to another Wordless Wednesday :) I am joining in the hop at The InfoMouse and Focused on the Magic again this week. The theme from The InfoMouse blog is Disney's Magic Kingdom. I thought this was a perfect shot - just outside the park - ready to have a great day!

Don't forget to hop on over to Focused on the Magic and The InfoMouse to check out more great Wordless Wednesday posts!

Amanda

Whispering Canyon Cafe Review

On our trip this past March, we went with some friends who are life-long Disney goers (if that's a word!). My good friend's parents are DVC members and she has done to Disney at least once a year since she was little. She said there is one restaurant that is her father's favorite and we had to try it out - Whispering Canyon Cafe.

I really had no idea what to expect, except that she told us to be prepared for some fun! We made our reservation for an early dinner - I think about 5:30. We were actually one of the first ones in the dining room that night. Once we got checked in, we wandered around the Wilderness Lodge lobby to check out all the sights. I was amazed at how beautiful the inside of the resort was. We checked out the bridge and the geyser as well. It wasn't long before we were buzzed that our table was ready!




Beautiful light fixture in the lobby!


We were seated close to the front of the restaurant, next to the window. We thought it was a great spot! As soon as we got our first drinks, both the guys drank them so fast - so they got refills. Now, when you drink that quickly at Whispering Canyon Cafe, they don't just refill your glass - you get a much bigger one that I'm sure most people don't ever finish :) And that was just the beginning of the fun we had!

Look at the size of those drinks!

The waiter/waitresses make you feel like family when they first arrive to take your orders. They toss the napkins and straws out on the table and cut up with you! Our waitress was so fantastic. She picked on the guys and messed with the kids - it was a blast!! My husband had a lot of fun with her and ended up leaving her a crazy tip - a bunch of quarters! He had told her to break down his change so he could leave a tip, but she didn't, so he left her what he had available.

That is a lot of quarters :)

Whispering Canyon Cafe really knows how to have a good time with the kiddies too! While we were there eating - there were 2 different activities for them to be involved in. First, they had all of the kids come up to the front and did the Hokey Pokey. My son loved it - he loves dancing and singing, so he had a ball. The second came later in our meal, they had a horse race! All the children that wanted to came up and grabbed a wooden horse and "galloped" around the restaurant. My son enjoyed it so much that he went around one more time after everybody had stopped - LOL!

You put your Right foot in, you put your Right foot out . .

Horse race!

Now, we didn't just come to have a good time, we came for a good meal! Whispering Canyon Cafe is famous for the Canyon Skillet, which is definitely a feast! It includes: Smoked Pork Ribs, Pulled Pork, Oven roasted Chicken, Beef Brisket, Mashed Potatoes, Cowboy Beans, Corn on the Cobb, Cole Slaw, Mixed Greens w/apple vinaigrette and Cornbread. Plus, all of it is All You Can Eat! Unfortunately, we did not get the Canyon Skillet - although after seeing it at a nearby table, we will next time. I ended up getting the Chicken Vegetable Penne Pasta, which was delicious! The serving was huge and more than enough for two people. I ended up saving half for lunch the next day at our resort. My husband got the Pot Roast w/mashed potatoes and veggies. He said it was ok - not the best he's had but not the worst. His plate was clean - so it must have been decent :) Nicholas got the kids Grilled chicken strips w/pasta and marinara sauce and veggies. He was also celebrating his birthday, so he got a yummy cupcake for dessert!

Yummy!

Overall, we had a fantastic time at Whispering Canyon Cafe and cannot wait to go back! If you are looking for a restaurant where you can not only have a delicious meal, but also a fun time - this is your place! Oh, and don't forget to ask for ketchup!!

I am linking up today with the Tiggerific Blog Hop . . . or Bounce! Check out all the other great posts!

Amanda

Five on Friday

Last week on Five on Friday I posted the top five characters I would like to meet in the parks. If you missed out on that post, you can catch up here.

This week I want to post the top five things I would like to do that are outside of the parks! This can be an activity, show or whatever!

5. Chip & Dale's Campfire Singalong - I know my son would love this! In fact, we would all enjoy it. Chip & Dale are so funny and who doesn't love smores? I know our family does! This would be a perfect ending to a great day - just to sit around the fire, eating smores, playing with Chip & Dale and having a fun time!

4. Fishing Excursion - I am not a huge fan of fishing, but my husband is! I think this would be a fun thing to do for us both to spend some time together and even if I didn't want to fish, I could bring my Kindle and enjoy our special time just relaxing and knowing we are both having a great time!

3. Mini-Golf - We love playing Putt Putt (as we call it in the South). We always play each time we go to the beach, but I would love to do it at Disney! I'm sure it would be so much fun and I would love to see the great theme and decorations they have - I know they are fabulous!

2. Spa Experience - What woman wouldn't put this on their list? I have never had a professional massage, facial, or anything. I would love to have it all and just be able to spend a day relaxing and being completely pampered.

1. Cirque du Soleil - La Nouba - I have always wanted to see a Cirque du Soleil show and Disney would be the perfect place! I think it would be amazing to watch and see what all they can do. I really hope we get to do this soon!

Have you been able to do any of these? What are some activities that you want to do that are outside of the parks?

Amanda

{Destination Disney} The Letter "G"

Hi and welcome! Thank you for joining me from the Destination Disney blog hop hosted by Heidi from Reviews and Reflections. I am so glad you decided to hop on over and hope you enjoy my pictures :)

We are moving on quickly through the alphabet and this week we are on the letter "G".

Green Aliens

Goofy

Gaston

Garbage

Gator

Goofy's Candy Co.

Gepetto

Giant Ice Cream Cone Light

Gorilla

Giraffe

Don't forget to hop over to the Destination Disney blog hop to check out more great "G" pictures!

Amanda