Taryn's Mad Hatter Adventures

Author Archives: taryngirl

• Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade

  Posted at 9:03 am by taryngirl, on February 25, 2019

  1/7/19

  We finished up our yummy lunch at Three Broomsticks and then took some time to explore Hogsmeade.  The brave ones went to ride Forbidden Journey.  I unfortunately can’t because of my motion sickness!

  The weather was just perfect!

  

  My first stop was Honeydukes!  I couldn’t wait to see all of the sweet goodness!

  Many of the candies were consistent with the movie.  Chocolate frogs, exploding bon bons, etc.

  They also had a case with many yummy treats!  I was so full, I didn’t get anything.  But so many things looked delicious and the line was long!

  Looking back, I regret not getting anything to eat for later!

   

  

  I went into all of the little shops.  Everything was themed so wonderfully.  It really felt like I was in the movie!  

   

  Posted in Hogsmeade, Islands of Adventure, Uncategorized, Universal Orlando, Vacation, Wizarding World of Harry Potter | 0 Comments | Tagged Hogsmeade, Honeydukes, Islands of Adventure, Universal Orlando, Wizarding World of Harry Potter

• Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party!

  Posted at 8:46 pm by taryngirl, on February 24, 2019

  8/17/18

  We were toying around with heading to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party or not.  It had been so hot, and it was the very first party of the year.  We knew it would be crowded!  But how could we go all of that way and not do it right??  So we bought our tickets.  Some side notes.  DVC members could actually enter the party at 2 p.m. if they wanted.  2 hours earlier than the normal 4 p.m. entry.  Even though party hours are listed as 6 p.m. until midnight, you can technically enter at 4 p.m.  The party festivities don’t begin until 6 p.m., but you still can ride rides or eat, etc. until then!

  We didn’t bring official costumes for this.  But we did have ears!  So we opted for those.  It was SO HOT AND HUMID!  So we were glad to not be wearing anything heavy.   Here we are leaving Bay Lake Tower on our walk over to Magic Kingdom.

  

  When you get to the turn styles, you will enter at the ones with the cast members all dressed in their Halloween uniforms.  They will get you a wristband which is used to let cast members know you are there for the party (and paid for it!).

  You also can pick up the special brochure that outlines everything special for the event.

  

  Here’s a snippet of a video.  When you enter through the gates and get past Tony’s, you will go the back way…not up Main Street!  So you are actually behind the buildings on Main Street.  Here you will see special merchandise, maybe some trick or treating, maybe some special photo opportunities, etc.  You will come out near Tomorrowland.  You can also see some other costumes!

  This is just one of the trick or treat trails.  Traffic moves one way so the line keeps going!  It was packed!

  

  We were a little bit hungry, so we hit up Columbia Harbour House.  Surprisingly, this is the only food picture I have from here!  This is the Garden Salad with Chicken from the Kid’s Menu.  Came with two sides and a drink.  It was CHAOS in here!  They forgot one of my sides and I didn’t even go back to the counter to get it.  This was the perfect size for my hunger at the moment!

  

  From there, we hit a few rides.  We also stopped by the dance party in Tomorrowland before making our way to the front of the castle for the fireworks and parade.

  

  We got a really good spot in front of the castle.  It was crowded!

  

  There was a Hocus Locus show going on in front of the castle.  We were a little too far away to see it.

  

  This parade is probably my favorite parade!  I love the costumes on the live characters, and my favorite is the grave diggers!

  

  

  Our loot from trick or treating!

  

  Our PhotoPass pics!

  

  I’ve done the Halloween Party 3 times now.  I’m not sure I need to do it again!  The price seems to go up each year.  My kids have both experienced it at least once.  I would like to do the Christmas Party though one more time!

   

  Posted in Disney, Magic Kingdom, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Uncategorized, Vacation | 0 Comments | Tagged Disney, Magic Kingdom, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Walt Disney World

• Animal Kingdom Morning Touring

  Posted at 10:32 am by taryngirl, on February 23, 2019

  8/17/18

  Our plan was to be up and out of the room early today, but we got a late start!  We got to the bus stop at 9:20 a.m. and ended up not getting to Animal Kingdom until 10:20.  There were 4 scooters waiting to get on!  So we missed our Safari FastPass+.

  

  We did make it to our second FastPass+, Dinosaur!  This is my favorite ride in AK.

  

  I think Kaylee is screaming in Alex’s ear here…hahahahaha.

  

  Donald’s Dino-Bash was happening while we were there.  The whole land is transformed into a celebration.  There are special character spots with Launchpad McQuack and others!

  

  Kinsey had her very first meet and greet ever with Pocahontas!  She spent several minutes with her.  It was very special!  These are all PhotoPass pictures.

  

  We stopped to enjoy It’s Tough to be a Bug on the way over to Pandora.  This can be scary for little kids believe it or not.  At one point it gets pitch black while spiders descend from the ceiling and smoke blows into the room!

  From there we headed over to Pandora for our Flights of Passage FastPass+.  Sadly I don’t ride this because of my motion sick issues.

  

  I spent some time watching this man in the utility suit while I waited.

  

  This is one of my favorite backdrops for pictures!  It’s become a tradition now so I take pictures of my daughters here each time.

  

  Lunch was of course at my favorite Satul’i Canteen.

  

  Cheeseburger Steamed Pod (Kid’s Meal)–Steamed Cheeseburger Pod stuffed with Ground Beef, Ketchup, Mustard, Pickle and Cheddar Cheese served with Vegetable Chips and Grapes.  It also comes with a drink (not pictured).

  We cut this and shared it amongst everyone.  It’s very good!  It’s a nice little appetizer.

  

  Chopped Wood Grilled Chicken Bowl–Choice of base (I did rice!), wood grilled chicken, vegetable slaw, with your choice of sauce.

  This is my go to and one of my favorite quick service meals in all of Disney!  I say this in every trip report, but it’s a nice change from the regular offerings.

  

  I always get all 3 sauces and mix them together in my bowl!

  

  Chili Garlic Shrimp Bowl–Shrimp tossed in chili garlic sauce with noodles and vegetable slaw

  This is a little bit spicy!  Spicier than anyone was anticipating.  But still good!

  

  Slow Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef Bowl–Slow roasted marinated beef with choice of base and vegetable slaw with bobos.

  The inside of the restaurant:

  

  This was my first time watching UP!  A Great Bird Adventure Show since it changed from Flights of Wonder.  I reallllly loved the Flights of Wonder show.  I think it was an often forgot about experience in Animal Kingdom.

  

  The new show was okay.  It wasn’t my favorite though!  Some of the elements were the same as the old show.  And some were new.  I encourage you to check it out at least once!

  Posted in Animal Kingdom, Dining Review, Quick Service, Satu'li Canteen, Touring Plan, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Animal Kingdom, Dining Review, Pocahontas, Quick Service, Satu'li Canteen

• Magic Kingdom After-Fireworks Dessert Party

  Posted at 12:45 pm by taryngirl, on February 18, 2019

  8/16/18

  In all of my times traveling to Disney World, I have NEVER done a dessert party!  For one, my husband does not really like dessert, and two, it’s pricey!  When I saw that a new AFTER Fireworks Dessert Party was introduced, it intrigued me.  I DREAD when fireworks are over and there’s a stampede to exit…crowds, pushing, etc.  What better way to avoid all of that than eating some dessert!

  I booked us online and the cost was $69 for an adult and $41 for a child.

  Upon arrival, we headed to Tomorrowland Terrace area.  There were two different check-in stands as there are multiple dessert parties that you can do.  They issued us wristbands and then we had an escort to our reserved seating area in the Plaza Garden.  (You can check in up to an hour prior to the fireworks!). Once inside the Plaza Garden area, it’s free seating/standing anywhere you can find space.  It was not crowded at all when we got there.  We ended up here:

  

  View straight ahead.

  

  To our left.

  

  To our right.

  

  Most people at this point were just sitting on the lawn waiting.  We didn’t feel crowded or squished at all!

  

  Behind us:

  

  It’s starting!!

  

  Our view was spectacular!  On very crowded, hot days, this experience may be worth it just for the lack of stress with the fireworks viewing!

  Once the Happily Ever After fireworks were over, we headed directly back to Tomorrowland Terrace for the dessert party (while everyone else was bum-rushing the exit!).  We checked in again at the podium and showed our wristbands.

  There were so many amazing options!

  

  Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake!

  

  POG Juice!

  

  The seating area.  You can see it wasn’t full at all!

  

  Overall, WE LOVED IT!  I would absolutely do it again (and skip dinner prior).  With the egg rolls and spinach dip, that was a meal itself!  I loved that everything was a small serving allowing us to sample multiple things.  I especially loved the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake with ice cream, the macaroons, and the chocolate covered strawberries.

  I would love to hear if you have ever done a dessert party?  Let me know in the comments!

  Posted in Dessert Party, Dining Review, Disney, Magic Kingdom, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Dessert Party, Dining Review, Disney, Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World

• Pete’s Silly Sideshow Character Meet – Storybook Circus

  Posted at 10:02 am by taryngirl, on February 12, 2019

  8/16/18

  We decided to head towards Storybook Circus.  There was a PhotoPass photographer right outside of The Little Mermaid ride, and there was no line!  So we took advantage of that!

  

  We were lucky enough to get a magic shot with Sebastian!

  

  We made our way to Big Top Souvenirs, which is one of my favorite stores!  The second you walk in, all you can smell is SUGAR.  They have so many good snacks here!  Outside and to the right of the Big Top, is Pete’s Silly Sideshow.  Here you can meet some characters.  We decided to check it out because the wait was only 10 minutes.

  Our first character was Goofy.

  This was hands down one of our favorite character meetings EVER!  There were so many good Memory Maker pictures, that I couldn’t pick just one.  So sorry…

  

  This was seriously the best!  I’m not sure how Donald could compete…he was up next!

  This was so funny.  You will notice that Donald makes everyone put up the number 1 finger.  This is because he thinks he is #1 and not Mickey!  I never knew this.  He made everyone in front of us do the same thing.  So Kinsey was watching this and said, “I’m going to do #2 instead.”  She tried!  But they didn’t let her!  Hahahahaha

  

  

  At the end, the PhotoPass photographer took my phone and started taking selfies with it.

  There are two more characters at a separate entrance…Minnie and Daisy.  We didn’t have time to hit them up.

  If you haven’t checked out this character greet, I highly encourage it!  This was the second time we’ve had a great experience here.

   

   

  Posted in Character Meet, Disney, Magic Kingdom, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World Resort | 0 Comments | Tagged Donald Duck, Goofy, Magic Kingdom, Memory Maker, Pete's Silly Sideshow, PhotoPass, Storybook Circus

• Magic Kingdom Morning and Breakfast at Be Our Guest

  Posted at 5:11 pm by taryngirl, on February 8, 2019

  8/16/18

  We had 9:30 a.m. breakfast reservations at Be Our Guest.  Since we were staying at Bay Lake Tower, we walked over!  It’s a quick, short, painless walk.  And you have your own security on the walkway over, so you avoid the mass screening lines once you arrive.

  

  

  

  We were meeting my cousin in front of Be Our Guest, and made it there just in time.  This gentleman greeted us on the walk across the bridge.

  

  So many fun details in this restaurant!

  

  These fellas are lined up along where you wait to order.

  

  Be Our Guest is one of the few Quick Service locations that accept Advanced Dining Reservations.  You can also order ahead for breakfast or lunch up to 30 days prior to your reservation.  Under My Reservations a link will appear next to your reservation.  You don’t have to do this though if you are not sure what you want!  I can be indecisive so I never order ahead.  I like to see what I’m hungry for once I get there.  ***NOTE!  This is from August.  Pricing has gone up since then and is not $28 for an entree!  the menu itself is also different now!  They have added just waffles, French toast sticks, etc.

  

  Ordering is done on a touchscreen or with a live person.  They had both when we were there.

  

  Breakfast and lunch seating is wherever you can find a spot!  There are three different “rooms” that you can choose from…Grand Ballroom, Rose Garden, and West Wing.  The Grand Ballroom has the most seating.  For dinner you are seated where they put you.

  Grand Ballroom:

  

  West Wing:

  

  I like to eat in the West Wing if I can find a table!  The rose is in this room and the room goes through a transformation as time goes on.

  For breakfast, you get a plate of pastries for your party.  My cousin and I ordered separately, so they got their own plate.  So this was just for 2 of us!  I didn’t order Kinsey an entree or meal here.  I knew she would just eat these pastries!
  

  My meal:

  

  Open-Faced Bacon and Egg Sandwich–Poached Eggs, Applewood Bacon, Brie Cheese, and Arugula on a Croissant served with Fresh Fruit.

  I loved this actually.  I have a hard time paying $25 for a breakfast though!  So we definitely don’t eat here every trip.  It’s more of a splurge.  It IS a good value on the dining plan for a Quick Service though.  A beverage also comes along with the entree.

  My cousin’s:

  

  Vegetable Quiche–Mushroom, Zucchini, Bell Pepper, Onion and Chive Quiche served with Fresh Fruit

  My cousin’s:

  

  Feast A La Gaston–Scrambled Eggs, Herb-Roasted Potatoes, Apple Smoked Bacon, and Sausage served with Fresh Fruit

  

  After our yummy breakfast, we hit some rides in Fantasyland on the way to our first Fastpass+ at Haunted Mansion.

  

   

  Posted in Be Our Guest, Dining Review, Disney, Magic Kingdom, Quick Service, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Be Our Guest, Disney, Magic Kingdom, Quick Service, Walt Disney World

• Disney Vacation Club Moonlight Magic at Epcot

  Posted at 9:55 am by taryngirl, on February 5, 2019

  8/15/18

  Being a Disney Vacation Club Member does have some perks!  There are some special events held throughout the year for us.  We were lucky that one was happening while we were there!  I also was luckily able to get tickets…these events sell out quickly!  It’s a free event, but they limit the number of people.

  The event time was 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m., however attendees could start entering at 6 p.m.  Upon arrival, we were given our food vouchers (a quick service meal was included), a wristband and a map/schedule of events through a special check in line.

   

  

  Each person was given a voucher for a quick service meal available at one of the locations listed above.

  

  We headed straight for Sunshine Seasons!

  

  Mongolian Beef–Mongolian Beef and Vegetables served with Rice (You can pick from fried or white rice). $13.49

  This was my meal.  I never really get to eat lunch here.  Usually only breakfast because I am waiting while people are riding Soarin’.  This was good!  The dessert was the Key Lime Tart, and one of my favorites!  I did pay out of pocket for the dessert here.

  

  (I have no idea which this is!)

  

  This was a special for the evening I believe, as I can’t find it on the regular menu!

  

  Slow Roasted Pork Loin–Slow Roasted with Mashed Potatoes, Barbecue Sauce (she got it without) and Corn on the Cob $13.99

  I think this was just okay.  A little bit dry if I recall.

  When we were finished eating, we headed towards Spaceship Earth.  (We had FP+ for this evening!  We were able to make them for regular park hours before the official party started.)

  After our Spaceship Earth FP+, we headed to our Test Track FP+.

  

  It was really hot and muggy this evening.  Another perk for the party was unlimited fountain beverages.  We stopped in Electric Umbrella for some drinks and for Kinsey’s meal of Chicken Nuggets.

  

  Mousegears is one of my favorite stores!  So of course I had to check it out and see what seasonal merchandise they had.

  

  They have really stepped up their game!  It used to just be a few t-shirts.  If you happen to come unprepared for the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, don’t worry!  They have plenty you can choose from!

  From here, my cousin and her family wanted to meet Sebastian.  He had one of the longest lines!  Kinsey and I rode Nemo while they waited.  There was a steel drum band for entertainment while waiting in the line!

  

  We went from there to the dance party that was happening with a live DJ.  Kinsey couldn’t get enough!

  

  It was soon time for the fireworks, so we walked to the edge of the World Showcase.

  

  After that, we were pretty tired, so we headed back to the resort.

  

  Overall, it was a really fun time!  There were other rare characters to meet but that wasn’t our focus.  We just wanted to have a good time and hit a few rides.  Oh, and have a Mickey Bar!  I would definitely do this again if we happened to be there during these special events.

  Posted in Dining Review, Disney, Epcot, Quick Service, Sunshine Seasons, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Disney, Disney Vacation Club, Epcot, Moonlight Magic, Quick Service, Sunshine Seasons

• Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Three Broomsticks Lunch

  Posted at 8:08 pm by taryngirl, on February 4, 2019

  We continued on to Hogsmeade and headed straight for Three Broomsticks!

  

  

  We got there at a really good time.  There actually is a queue outside so the cash register areas do not get too jammed, and so the doors are not blocked for those who are exiting.  We luckily avoided this and walked right inside.

  Here’s a picture of the breakfast menu that they serve.

  

  And the lunch menu:

  

  We already knew we were all going to get The Great Feast!  When getting the feast, you cannot use a quick service credit per person.

           Once you are in the line inside, the first person you get to will tell you what register   number to go to.  You place your order at the register and they normally hand you your food right there.  We were such a big group with 3 orders of the feast, so they just gave us our drinks and brought our food to the table.  We were given a number to put on our table.

  There is another person who seats you.  I think this is to avoid people saving seats.

  

  The chicken was moist, and the ribs were good!  I loved the potatoes and the vegetables.  I could do without the corn on the cob.

  

  I really enjoyed this meal!  I thought it was really good.  When looking at the price, it almost seems cheaper to order just a single serving per person.  But it was fun to get it in a feast!  

  I would definitely return here!

  Posted in Dining Review, Islands of Adventure, Quick Service, Uncategorized, Wizarding World of Harry Potter | 0 Comments | Tagged Dining Review, Harry Potter, Hogsmeade, Islands of Adventure, Quick Service, Three Broomsticks, Wizarding World of Harry Potter

• Islands of Adventure -Marvel Super Hero Island, Toon Lagoon, Jurassic Park

  Posted at 9:14 am by taryngirl, on January 28, 2019

  January 7, 2019

  We met up with all of the other agents just inside the gates at Islands of Adventure.

  

   

  From here we made our way over towards The Incredible Hulk Coaster.  The Port of Entry area has some nice shops and great photo opportunities.  Puss in Boots was meeting along this stretch with no one in line!

  While some of the group went on Hulk, others went on The Amazing Adventures of Spider-man.  Just a note.  I get motion sick.  Especially with the simulator rides.  I can’t do the rides where the screen is moving and we are falling, etc.  But I was ok on most of this ride!  The only time I had to close my eyes was the scene where we were falling.  

  

  This was such a cool ride!  We used our express pass and were on in no time at all.  I took some time to go into the shops along this street.  This one had some really cool merchandise!  

  My daughter loves Groot!  I was happy to see these here!

  The quick service location in this land.  They weren’t open yet, as it was before lunch time, so I ran in to take a quick photo!

  The actual comic book shop:

  

  I made my way back towards Doctor Doom’s Fearfall to meet up with everyone.

  

  They did have a test seat outside of the ride that you could try before entering.

  

  From here we headed over to Toon Lagoon.  This area was practically empty!  We took some time to go into the shops.

  

  Unfortunately I didn’t go on this ride.  I really didn’t want to walk around wet all day!  You do get SOAKED on this!

  

  This whole area was so much fun!

  Our next stop was Skull Island:  Reign of Kong.  We used our express pass to ride the actual Kong ride.  This was a pretty cool ride!  King Kong at the end was pretty amazing.

  We were starting to get hungry now, and we really wanted to eat at Three Broomsticks in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  We walked through Jurassic Park (the main ride was closed for refurbishment) on our way.

  

  Up next…Hogsmeade!

   

  Posted in Islands of Adventure, Uncategorized, Universal Orlando, Vacation | 0 Comments | Tagged Islands of Adventure, Jurassic Park, Marvel, Marvel Super Hero Island, Toon Lagoon, Universal, Universal Orlando

• Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort

  Posted at 2:11 pm by taryngirl, on January 27, 2019

  August 15, 2018

  We arrived without incident about 4 p.m. using Lyft.  I had gotten the text around 11:30 a.m. that our room was ready!  So we headed immediately up the elevator to our room.  Scan my Magic Band…anddddd, the room was not clean.  The sofa bed was unmade, there were dirty towels on the floor in the bathroom, etc.  So we headed back down to the front desk.  I let them know the situation, and it was almost as if the girl didn’t believe me!  She offered us a FastPass.  Sure, why not!  It had to be for the next day though, which was our Magic Kingdom day.  She asked my daughter what she would like to ride, and Kinsey couldn’t decide between Splash Mountain or Space Mountain, so she gave us both!  We were so tired and hot and I just wanted to lay down.  But we had to sit.  And wait.  And wait.  For them to go clean it.  We sat outside for awhile in the back courtyard area:

  We were so hot, so we went back into the lobby to wait.  My phone rang and it was the front desk.  I told them I was sitting right there and could see them!  She came over again and apologized for the room not being ready and that they were crediting my account $125 for the trouble.  About 15 minutes later, she came back again and said, “It’s ready!”  She personally went up with us to our room.  Guess what…THEY WERE STILL CLEANING.  She was mortified!  I told her it was fine and we were just going to sit in the hall until it was ready.  It was after 5 p.m. now!

  The two housekeepers finally exited.  We FINALLY got into the room around 5:30 p.m.  At least we knew it was really clean!

  We were staying in a Deluxe Studio, Standard View.  Here’s our room tour:

  

   

  You can’t beat the location of this resort!  It’s a quick walk to the entrance of Magic Kingdom.  The security/bag check is on the walkway from here to the Magic Kingdom.  So you can avoid the longer lines at the monorail if you choose to walk.  It’s also faster than taking the monorail!  Contempt Cafe is one of my favorite resort quick service locations.  And the view of the fireworks from this resort is amazing.

  Now…we were laying down resting before the DVC Moonlight Magic Event at Epcot, and the phone rings.  I answer it and someone asked if we would be in the room because Private Dining had a delivery for us.  I told them I didn’t order anything, and they said they knew that.  5 seconds later there was a knock on the door.  He brought a tray in with 6 gigantic Mickey shaped chocolate chip cookies and a 12 inch tall (at least) white chocolate Tinker Bell along with a note.  I completely forgot to get a picture because I was stunned!  They went above and beyond any expectation I had as far as making things right.  I NEVER got nasty or complained and begged for things.  The Disney magic was just offered!

  This is our home DVC resort and I absolutely would book here again!

   

  Posted in Bay Lake Tower, Contemporary Resort, Deluxe Studio, Disney, Room Review, Uncategorized, Vacation, Walt Disney World Resort | 0 Comments | Tagged Bay Lake Tower, Contemporary Resort, Disney, Resort, Room Review, Walt Disney World

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