Cinnamon Rolls at the Magic Kingdom Anyone?

My favorite place to stop at the Magic Kingdom for a quick breakfast is the Main Street Bakery. They make the best Cinnamon Rolls around! The smell of the warm gooey Cinnamon Rolls alone is a treat, but of course eating them is even more so!

They are so big that you can easily share one and still feel like you have had plenty!

But you know what is really neat about the Cinnamon Rolls? They count as a snack credit on the Disney Dining Plans. Yes!

A Hug From Disney's Goofy Character

How often do you have a chance to be greeted  with
open arms by Goofy?

 This was truly a magical memory!

I found my friend Goofy waiting for me along the Camp Minnie-Mickey Greeting Trail in Animal Kingdom. Would you like to give Goofy a hug or met and greet other Disney characters? There are many opportunities to have your photos taken with the Disney characters throughout the Walt Disney World parks. They will even be happy to give you an autograph! 

Disney's Wilderness Back Trail Adventure Segway Tour

Walt Disney World offers two Segway tours, The Around the World at Epcot and the Wilderness Back Trail Adventure Segway Tour which is held at the Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.  My husband and I have had the privilege of going on both tours, but today I will talk about the Wilderness Back Trail Adventure tour. Talk about fun! It was one of the highlights of our trip!

There are two guides that accompany you on this tour. You spend the first half hour or so learning to guide and drive the Segway. Safety is a number one concern and the guides want to make sure that you are comfortable on the machine. The driving of the Segway is not difficult. With your weight centered over the machine you then either lean slightly to the left or to the right to turn. To stop you lean back a little with your heels. Leaning forward on your toes allows you to move forward. The wheels on this Segway has the rugged all-terrain wheels. They allow you to go up hill and down, over bumps and even pine cones safely. You  are given a safety helmet to wear and a set of ear plugs that plug into what reminds me of a walkie talkie devise that hangs around your neck. This devise allows you to hear what the tour guild is saying along the whole tour. Just a little side note here, I wished I had brought the ear plugs that I use for my ipod. My ears are small and it was very hard to get the ones that were provided into my ears comfortably, but not missing a word that our guild said was wonderful!

The scenic two hour tour takes place at the Fort Wilderness Campground. We rode up to Bay Lake and paused to listen to our guild explain some of Walt Disney World's history, fun facts and to just enjoy the scenery. If you look closely you will see the Contemporary Resort in the background.

This is a bird sanctuary area and the wild life was abundant.
We made a few stops along the way and one was at the Disney Stables. This is where they house all of the horses that are used in the parks for the parades and of course for Cinderella's Coach. One of the draft horses was being groomed at the time. The groomer answered all of our questions and allowed us to pet the horse. I felt very small next to that draft horse!

One thing that I didn't expect was deer along our pathway. For some reason, the deer do not fear the Segways at all. It is like they think you are not a danger because you are not walking on two feet. They just look up and then ignore you. The guides allowed us to stop for photos and to just enjoy the wildlife. Of course Disney can't guarantee you that there will be deer on every tour but you never know...you might see some too!
For most of the tour we were on a paved pathway, but we were also given plenty of time to go up and down small hills and around trees. If you were not comfortable with the terrain then you could stay on the paved pathway. We enjoyed the freedom that the Segway had to offer and loved weaving in among the trees.

The Magnolia Trees were in bloom that day. Beautiful! One of the tour guides gave me a blossom. I had never seen a bloom up close like that before, let alone smelled one. That was just one of the little touches that made this tour special.

Disney's Hollywood Studio Quackers and Cheese

When you are walking the streets of Disney's Hollywood Studios be on the look out because you never know who you might meet! The Magical Memory Monday post today is about one of the characters you might find there. This French Chef was happy to share his latest creation with us.

He proudly lifted the silver lid from over the tray he was carrying to reveal his Quacker's and Cheese. This caused some giggles to erupt, and then to add to the merriment in his thick French accent he accused us of being a paparazzi.He put the lid back on the tray and with a look of disdain he continued on his way down the street. More giggles followed and we went on our merry way to see who else we would encounter during our day.

Disney Cruise Line And Castaway Cay

Do you enjoy the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies? I sure do! Did you know that the actual ship that was used in the movies, The Flying Dutchman is harbored at Disney's private island called Castaway Cay?

Castaway Cay is one of the ports of call for the Disney Cruise Line's Bahama cruises.When I was aboard the Disney Cruise Line's ship, The Wonder, this is what I saw when I looked off the deck.  Can't you just imagine Captain Jack standing on the deck? I sure could. The crystal blue water and the sandy beach is the perfect back drop for The Flying Dutchman.

The Flying Dutchman isn't the only thing to see while on Castaway Cay but that is for

another post!

Disney's Toy Story Green Alien Cupcakes

The Toy Story Aliens are my favorite characters in the Toy Story movies. Why? Maybe it is the way they ooohhh and awwww. Or perhaps it is because they are the ultimate heroes in Toy Story 3? I'm not quite sure but they  always bring a smile to my face. I ran across some Alien cupcakes on this site and I just had to make them! So, come along with me and lets make some Alien cupcakes!

You will need cupcakes, frosting, black decorator gel icing, food coloring, Green Apple Sour Straws, Green Apple Sour Belts and white Mentos. Of course my Alien was right there to give a helping hand!

Next, color the icing a lovely Alien green. I cut the ear shapes with kitchen shears out of the belts and cut the straws into 2" lengths.

Here are the supplies needed  for each Alien cupcake.

Place three Mentos on the cupcake and add the black eyeballs and mouth with the black decorator gel icing. I made some different shaped mouths too.

Insert the antenna by pushing into the cupcake at an angle. Take the ear shapes and wiggle them into the icing. Hint: The next time I make these little guys I will cut my ears out ahead of time and let them sit and dry for a little bit so they will stiffen up. These ears tended to droop a little over the sides.

Voila! Alien cupcakes! 

I just have to say it, "You have saved our lives, we are eternally grateful!"  Whew, I feel better now! If you make some of your own Alien cupcakes I would love to hear about them!

Disney's Wishes Fireworks Show

One of our favorite memories at the Walt Disney World is being able to see the Wishes fireworks show from the Seven Seas Lagoon.

While we were taking the ferry from the Grand Floridian Resort over to the Magic Kingdom the Wishes firework show began.We were able to watch the fireworks as we traveled across the lake. As we approached the dock the show wasn't over, so the captain slowed to a stop and allowed us to see the grand finale before docking.  I love watching Wishes as it never gets old for me, but watching it from the water was a special treat for me!

The Writer's Stop at Disney's Hollywood Studios

One of Disney's Hollywood Studios hidden secrets is the Writer's Stop coffee shop. This little shop was not listed on the official park map on my last visit, but you can find it on Commissary Lane next door to the Sci-Fi Dine-In Restaurant. I do not enjoy coffee, I am more of a diet Coke kind of gal, but I love to stop at the Writer's Stop. You may be thinking why is that?

Is it because I can find souvenirs, books, and a few things for my kitchen? Is it because on a hot day at the park the air conditioning feels wonderful?

No! It is because of the Carrot Cake Cookies! Yes, there are other confections sold here to eat along with a cup of coffee or soft drink, but the Carrot Cake Cookie is at the top of my list of yummy snacks to find at Disney's Hollywood Studios. When you walk up to the counter don't be alarmed if you don't see it among the other goodies in the display case. I don't know why, but they are encased in a white paper bag, so you might not see them at first glance.

Once you purchase the cookie and a drink you can usually find a nice quiet place to sit in the Writer's Stop to enjoy every bite! The moist carrot cake type cookies are sandwiched between a smooth and rich cream cheese icing. I usually think the best part about carrot cake is the cream cheese icing, and this cookie had a perfect ratio of icing and cookie.

This is a large cookie! It is a perfect size to split with a friend as I did when I enjoyed it's yummy goodness. It is a bargain at $2.95 and when I was there it was even included as a Snack Credit on the Disney Dining Plan. On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the top, this rates as a 5 with me!

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin

The Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin attraction is one of my favorite things to do while in the Magic Kingdom. I can never just ride this once and be happy. This ride is a video-game inspired ride that is based on the story line of Buzz Lightyear and the Evil Emperor Zurg from Disney's Toy Story 2 movie. 

I totally enjoy blasting away at the Evil Emperor Zurg's robot minions!  While spinning around in the space cruiser you hit the targets with the laser cannon. When a target is hit there are fun sounds and special effects to be seen. Points are added to your score on the display screen in the front of the space cruiser.  As you walk out of the attraction you can see the photo that was taken of you during the ride and the rank you received.  I was happy to see that I was at the Galactic Hero rank which is the highest rank possible!  My husband was at the Star Cadet rank. We won't even go there! I think something was said about my spinning the space cruiser around too much, or not spinning it at the right time. That could be the case, but I will be keeping my Galactic Hero rank and leaving it at that!

Disney's Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue

My husband and I had the opportunity to attend the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue dinner show held at the Fort Wilderness Resort. We had a wonderful time! This show is the longest running dinner show at Walt Disney World. It has a Country & Western feel that just might set your foot to tapping or even stomping! The entertainment  is top notch. There is a lot of singing, dancing and of course plenty of corny jokes.







The dinner menu consists of all-you-care-to-eat fried chicken, smoked BBQ pork ribs, seasonal vegetable, baked beans and corn bread. Strawberry shortcake is served for dessert. I must admit that while dessert is usually my favorite part of any meal, I had my doubts that this dessert would match the quality of the meal. I was afraid it would be like the soggy yellow type cake with watery strawberries spooned over it that I have been served in restaurants (non Disney related) before.  I am happy to say I was wrong and enjoyed every bite!   The food is served in between the the singing and dancing of the cast. At times you will see the guests having such a great time they can't help but stand and twirl their red gingham napkins over their heads and join in with the laughter and fun. 

During the final musical number the servers hand out washboards to the guests. They encourage you to take a "clean" spoon and help the band out with some added rhythm. I must admit that along with the strawberry shortcake this was one of my favorite parts of the show!

Disney's Magical Express

Want an easy and free way to get from the Orlando International Airport to Walt Disney World? Disney has made a way! If you are a guest at one of the  Disney  Resorts then you qualify for free ground transportation on the Disney's Magical Express to and from the resorts. Once advance reservations are made you will receive a booklet in the mail with luggage tags that you will place on each piece of luggage. When you arrive at the airport you will make you way down to Disney's Welcome Center on level 1, side B. After checking in you will be directed as to where you need to wait for the next bus leaving for your resort. 

There are no worries about your checked luggage as it will be pulled for you and delivered free of charge to your hotel room! I always feel that once I step onto the Magical Express Bus my vacation has truly begun! The bus will deliver you to the doorstep of your resort. Upon checking in you are then free to hit the parks with the knowledge that your luggage will be waiting for your when you return. No worries...I like that!

Minnie Mouse Is a Quilter

  

Yes! Minnie Mouse is a Quilter just like me! I was thrilled to be able to visit Minnie's quilting studio.  As you can see here I am admiring her latest creative endeavor.  She is one busy gal!

Displayed on the wall is her quilt that won a first place blue ribbon at the county fair! 


Minnie allows daily visits to all who would like to see what she is currently working on. Minnie's studio is located in her home (a.k.a. Minnie's Country Home) in Mickey's Toontown Fair at Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom.

If you would like to visit Minnie's studio I would love to help with your travel plans! Please click here to ask for a free, no obligation quote for your next trip! And by the way, you do not have to pay a penny for my travel services, Disney does! It's not to early to start planning your next trip to a  Disney destination!

Editors Note:  Mickey's Toontown Fair is no longer open due to construction at the park. I hope Minnie's quilts are displayed at another area soon! :)