Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party II

There was so much fun stuff to do at the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Another very cool thing that you can only see while at the party is the Mickey’s Boo to You Halloween Parade. From the cute characters like Pooh in Piglet, Mickey and Minnie in their costumes to the totally creepy Haunted Mansion ghosts and grave diggers the parade was something very unique and not to be missed. My favorite parade moments were the grave diggers from the Haunted Mansion. They performed a dance in which they would drag their shovels along the ground to create sparks. Not only was they dance really great but just look at how creepy they are!



And speaking of dancing the Villains Mix and Mingle show was really neat. Those villains can dance. And the best part of it all was at the end of the show they come down into the crowd to mingle. Here is one of my favorite shots from the show…



But the best part of the evening were those who braved the cold and wore their costumes. Here are some of my favorite costumes of the night…



It was a lot of fun and I am positive that Norwood and I will go to another Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and of course now we have to check out the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

Tuesday night Norwood and I went to our very first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party in the Magic Kingdom. We really did not expect. We had been told by friends that they fireworks and the parade were very cool and of course you could walk around the Magic Kingdom and trick or treat. So we went thinking it would be good but… we had no idea how fantastic the party events could be! My favorite thing of the whole evening were the fireworks! Happy HalloWishes is by far the best fireworks show I have ever seen. Ghosts and Ghouls come out and the Villains take over. The ski lights up like never before. Take a look at just some of the shots that I took of Happy HalloWishes…





Jackie you were so right the fireworks were AMAZING! When they tell you that you can see them from all over the park, they really mean it. The scream along at the end was so cool.

Another thing that was fun that I have not done in many, many years was trick or treat. Norwood and I had planned to go to Mickey’ Not So Scary Halloween Party in costume as Giselle and Prince Edward from Enchanted. When the night arrived it was just too darn cold to wear them, so we went in regular dress. Here are some shots from Alice and the Mad Hatter’s Treat Trail…







We ate so much candy last night I think we are good on sugar for the rest of the year! There was so much more that we experienced at our very first Mickey’s No So Scary Halloween Party that I will have to tell you more tomorrow.

In the meantime if you would like to see more of the fantastic Happy HalloWishes Fireworks show check out my flickr Happy HalloWishes Set or Happy HalloWishes Slideshow. And also check out my Alice and the Mad Hatter’s Treat Trail photos. And of course if you want more Disney Halloween photos I have an ever growing Disney Halloween Slideshow.

Dreams Come True Parade

Another specialty of the Year of the Million Dreams is the Dreams Come True Parade. The parade features not only all your favorite characters and their dreams but also animation artists who create such wonderful drawings and characters as Mickey Mouse himself…



Many of the animation artists are on bicycles and they feature the art of Disney on several of the floats. It is a great parade, one of my favorite Disney parade so far. Be sure to catch it on your next visit to Magic Kingdom. The parade begins in Frontierland at 3pm daily.

Dream Along With Mickey

During the Year of a Million Dreams (which is quickly coming to a close) Magic Kingdom plays host to an incredible stage show called Dream Along with Mickey. The show involves dancing, singing, fireworks and dreaming. The characters come out and talk about their dreams to one another. Poor little Donald declares to all the characters and the audience that he does not believe in silly dreams. Shocked they all hope to show him that if he wishes hard enough dreams come true. With special guests some welcome and others who only want to cause trouble and great dancing the show is something that you will not want to miss.

The show is presented on the castle stage each day and the show times are as follows: 9:40am, 10:40am, 11:40am, 4:35pm, 5:35pm, and 6:35pm (be sure to pick up a times guide on your visit to check the times for your days).

It is a sweet show that will have everyone believing in dreams by the end of the show. The show is popular and the area tends to get crowded so make sure to arrive early to get a good spot.

If you would like to see more of my photos from the Dream Along with Mickey Stage Show head on over to my flickr set or slideshow.

Otis Day and the Knights

The International Food and Wine Festival continues until November 9, 2008 and so does the Eat to the Beat Concert series. Last Wednesday Norwood and I took our date night to Epcot to hear Otis Day and the Knights.



They rocked the stage and by the end of their show they had the people on their feet shouting…



It was a great time and I look forward to more of the entertainment this month and the beginning of next month. Norwood and I have never been to so many concerts as we have been since moving to Florida and getting our Disney Annual Passes. Stay tuned for more entertainment all around Disney World.

If you would like to see more of the photos that I took from the Otis Day and the Knights concerts check out my flickr set or my Otis Day and the Knights Slideshow.

International Food and Wine Menus

So far this week I have filled you in on the special events that I think are must sees now I want to tell you about the FOOD! There are so many food choices to try throughout the World Showcase that I wanted to collect pictures of all the menus so that way when it comes time for your trip (or if you are curious for next year) you will be able to see what is served what qualifies for the Disney Dining Plan (not all items are counted as your snacks… each menu places a purple square next to the items that qualify). Since there are so many places to eat and drink I will not bore you with a really, really long post about each little spot. Instead I will highlight a couple of our favorite places from our recent tasting trip.

Istanbul Turkey:Located in between Canada and the UK are the tastes of Istanbul. Personally I recommend the Meze and Norwood recommends the Pistachio Baklava. Both are eligible for the Disney Dining Plan (snacks)

San Francisco USA: Located in between America and Japan you can find some favorites from San Francisco. Norwood and I both enjoyed the Roasted Beet Salad with Goat cheese.

Cork Ireland: is located in Italy and the Frozen Irish Coffee is definitely something that you will want to add to your taste list… YUM!

Those are just some of the things we tasted during our tasting tour. To find out more of our recommendations and to see more of the menus check out my International Food and Wine Festival Menu photo set.

Also Check out the Food and Wine Festival Menu page.

Louisiana- Epcot

Located between Morocco and France in Epcot’s World Showcase, Louisiana is one of the favorites of many visitors to the 2008 International Food and Wine Festival. Even when there is not a live performance or a seminar there is a crowd milling around Louisiana. Some of the things you can experience while at Louisiana are; Daily culinary seminars (12:40, 2:25, 3:30, 5:15, and 7:00pm) that share tips on Cajun cooking and much more (check the Food and Wine guide for the days that you are there), Live Entertainment (daily 1:55, 2:45, 4:20, 6:20, and 7:55pm) and of course tasting. Some of the menu items are: Louisiana Seafood Gumbo, Crawfish Etouffee, Praline Bread Pudding (my pick), Bourbon Caramel Sauce and the drink items include: Abita beer, Amber and Purple Haze.

While you are tasting and listening to the band in Louisiana do not forget to pick up a recipe card and some purple beads. It is a grand time and if you need to narrow down the countries and special exhibits you see while at the International Food and Wine Festival be sure to put Louisiana on your list… you can thank me later :).

If you would like to see more pictures of Louisiana check out my Louisiana photo set or Louisiana slideshow.

The Pearville Fair – Epcot

Although much of the International Food and Wine festival may seem like it is not kid friendly (all the wine and beer tasting for example is not something you take the kids for) there are things that kids will enjoy while attending the International Food and Wine festival. One of the family favorites is the Pearville Fair. Pears, pears, pears! From tasting to fining your inner pair this is a good time for all. The Pearville fair has a large section of the World ShowCase located in America.

While at the Fair you can taste a variety of pears (see a menu here) and you can also walk around and find out about the different types of pears (check out the photo set to find out which pears are featured). You can also head over to the "Find your inner pear" and laugh at the fun house type mirrors that show what you would look like as a pear.

If you would like to see more of my Pearville Fair photos check out my Pearville Fair Slideshow or Pearville Fair photo set.

Melbourne Australia Exhibit

Besides the many little stands that offer tastes of various countries around the world there are the Special large exhibits that feature a little more information about the country that you taste food and wine from. One such exhibit is Melbourne Australia. Here you can walk though famous landmarks in Melbourne and the Queen Victoria Market. At the Victoria Crossing there is a wine tasting booth that wine fans will not want to miss. If you want more information about the wines that they offer for tasting you can also attend one of the wine seminars offered. Each seminar is given on a select day and times are typically 1:00, 2:50, 4:25, 6:15, and 7:25pm. If you are there for the food, no worries there are some tasty Melbourne treats that you can experience such as the Grilled Lamb and the Wattleseed Mousse.

If you would like to see more of the Melbourne Australia photos check out my Melbourne slide show or Melbourne photo set.

Eat to the Beat: Sister Hazel

The International Food and Wine Festival is more than just food there are also great musical performances during the festival. As you last month the opening act for the Eat to the Beat series was Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. They were awesome and a great way to start off the series but the entertainment just kept getting better. Last week Norwood and I rocked out with Florida locals Sister Hazel.



We went to two of their three shows for the evening and both were awesome. At the end of the night they played their crowd favorite “All for you.” America Gardens was packed and the crowd was on its feet throughout the last show. It was a great time. The rest of the shows in this year’s series include acts such as.. David Cassidy and Los Lobos. For a schedule check out my Eat to the Beat Series Page. Like the Sounds Like Summer Concert series the show times are 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45. We highly recommend that you line up early to insure that you can get seats in America Gardens. All the shows are very popular and very packed, but if you can get seats you will have a great time!

If you want to see more Sister Hazel Pictures check out my Sister Hazel slideshow.

Kodak Photo Spots

The last fun free thing to do while inside Disney parks things I would like to mention this week is of course the Kodak Picture Spots. Each spot is a special place in the park where you can stand in front of and get a great photo. It is fun to go around the world and take photos of yourself or your family at each one of the spots or if you are like me, you can also take and collection pictures of the Kodak Picture Spot signs. Yes I know I am a dork. This year I have started my picture collection of the Kodak Picture Spot signs. Here is my latest addition to my Kodak Picture Spot Sign Collection…



And here is the shot that I took in front of the Spot…

Disney Pin Trading

This year I have discovered so many things about Disney that I had not realized before. One of my favorite things to do for virtually free is Disney Pin Trading. I say virtually free because you will need to buy at least one pin to start your trading fun. During our perfect day to Magic Kingdom I finally decided to buy my first pin set. There are so many different ways to go it actually took a long time to decide. Do I get the lanyard with the pins? Do I just buy pins and if I just buy the pins where do I attach them? So many questions to ask yourself when making your first pin purchase. Since I always have my camera with me at the parks I decided that another strap around my neck might just make me crazy so I would attach my pins to may camera bag strap. Whew! Now that I decided where to pin my pins the big decision which will be my first pin. I wanted a surprise so I bought the Hidden Mickey Pouch. At Magic Kingdom there are two Hidden Mickey Pouches to choose from Red and Blue. The Red Pouches have little studio feet (different characters footprints) and the blue pouches have Princesses. I went with the Studio Feet and a Mickey Throughout the Years Grab Box. While at the register I the Halloween Pins so of course we bought one of those as well…





The next day while we were at Hollywood Studios I made my first trade for a pin that perfectly sums up Norwood and I…



Of course a Mickey Coffee cup! It is one of my favorites I am so glad the cast member I asked about how pin trading works had one. With my first trade I was hooked and now here is my little collection…





I think I might need that strap after all!

Photo Pass

As many of you know I love taking photos. Since our arrival to Florida from Colorado this summer I have taken close to 20,000 photos of all the Disney parks. Yes really that many! Every day I upload Disney pictures and you may have noticed links to sets and slideshows. I try to make a slide show for each event, shop, restaurant, ride… you know everything Disney. As I make them I will share them here on the blog because I know that I am not the only one who loves to look at pictures of Disney World. Okay so we have established…I really like taking photos! But you may notice that there are not too many picture of myself that show up on the blog or the slideshows. It is not because I am shy but because often I forget to stop to take my own photo. So one day while hanging out at Animal Kingdom I noticed an entire family posing for shot in front of Everest. I watched them get their photos taken by the Disney Photo Pass Photographer and thought… I should get one myself. So after the family completed their photo shoot in front of Everest I asked the photographer how it worked and how I could start one.

The Photo Pass is completely free. You can take as many photos as you want, all you need is the card which you can grab from any of the Photo Pass photographers, they are usually located at Picture Spots and major places in the parks…like Everest. You walk up to a photographer pose, they snap your shot and then you take your card home and login to the Photo Pass site. You can edit the photos with neat little Disney things and order prints or gifts or download the photo from the site. It is very cool. Make sure that you order your prints or gifts before 30 days, because they will be deleted to make room for more. Also if you want to email along your photo albums to family and friends you can click the share button and email your albums. The card looks like this…



And here are some of my favorite photo pass shots…




I will have the actual photos once my Disney Photo CD arrives. By the way the Photo Pass CD is an awesome thing. You can upload your own photos taken and use the ones that the photopass photographers take of you. There is not limit to the amount of photos you can have on your photo pass CD. It costs about $125 dollars regardless of the number of photos you put on the CD. If you are with a group of people you can have their photos added to your card as well. It really makes picture taking easy and organized.

Now that I have a photo pass I have tons of pictures of myself at Disney. Get one… it is so much fun and free!

Looking for the Mouse

Everyone who knows Disney knows about the Mouse that started it all… Mickey! What some may not know (I have to admit I did not know it until this year when we had the opportunity to spend more time at Disney World) is that he is hidden every. Those three little circles that make up the silhouette that is recognized the world around make their way into every inch of the parks. If you are a regular at Disney and you want more to do then ride the rides or eat why not take a little hunt and look for the little guy. There are books written on it and groups dedicated to it (by the way locals Norwood and I are looking for a hunting group … email if anyone is interested). It is a lot of fun looking for Mickeys. There are some days that Norwood and I just go to the park to look for them and of course snap a picture.

Here are some of my favorite Mickey’s we have found…


This Mickey was found in Epcot during one of our first visits this summer. He is located in Morocco just next door to the outdoor stage where Mo Rockin performs. When I first found it I did not realize what I had seen. The plates caught my eye because they were pretty then after taking a picture of it I looked at the camera and told Norwood “Look it’s Mickey!” It was later that day that we were introduced by Luis our favorite Epcot security guard to Hidden Mickey’s.


Ghost Mickey is one that I found recently at Mickey’s Toontown Fair in Magic Kingdom. If you are looking around Mickey’s House, check out his fence. Each little fence post is a little Mouse Head. Ghost Mickey was more than just another Mickey Found however… While I was trying to focus on the very large Mickey pumpkin in Mickey’s front yard I notice a white image blurred in the lower right hand corner of my view. I moved my camera slightly so I could have Ghost Mickey completely in my shot without focusing. The result was very cool. Happy Halloween!

If you have Mickey’s you have found let’s talk about them here. If you want to see more of my Mickey’s check out my slideshow.

Window Shopping for Disney Glass

Coming off the fun of last week and the perfect day at Disney I started to think about all the things that we did at the parks that cost very little money or no money at all. Once you are inside the parks there are so many activities you can do besides ride the rides (you know how ride chickens are) so I thought that this week I would tell you about some of the neat things I found to do while at Disney. Of course there is always window shopping. All the parks and Downtown Disney have unique shops with stuff you may not see other places…especially if you are a Disney nut. While at Magic Kingdom recently (Norwood and I suddenly have Magic Kingdom on the brain since our perfect day) we went into a store that sold some of the best glass sculptures I have ever seen. Not only do you get the chance to see lots and lots of glass Disney memorabilia but you also get to see artists making the glass…





Norwood and I sat there for awhile and watched both gentlemen make little glass items and then we browsed the store. We saw some amazing things and had a great time looking and watching the artists. Here is just one of the items you can find in the glass store located just next door to Main Street Bakery in Magic Kingdom’s Main Street…



If you would like to see more of the items that were made and for sale in the Glass Shop check out my Disney Glass Slideshow.

The End to the Perfect Day

We did so much during our perfect day at Magic Kingdom I could not even write all about this week. One of Monica’s favorite things during the day was the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular at the end of the evening. Not only was it Monica’s first time seeing Disney fireworks but it was also me and Norwood’s first time seeing the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular. It was really amazing and quite different from other fireworks at Disney. Jimney Cricket is your host for the fireworks show and several of the characters talk about their dreams and wishes. There was even a special appearance by Tinkerbelle! Also for those who have not yet seen Wishes Nighttime Spectacular I have a little tip… watch the smoke clouds after the fireworks, you might just see some hidden Mickey’s. Here are a few shots of the End to our perfect Magic Kingdom day…







If you would like to see more of the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular check out my flickr set or slide show.

Magic Kingdom Perfect Day Part IV

Whew! We have done so much this week so far let’s take a little break and have a bite at a great place on Main Street, The Plaza Restaurant.

Location: Main Street USA – Magic Kingdom

Meals Served: Lunch and Dinner

Reservations?: Well it is a sit down restaurant and generally you do need reservations but on our perfect day we just walked right up and received the perfect table. If you need to make reservations or you want to you can do so by calling 407-WDW-DINE

Price Range: $15-35.99 per person

Type of Food: Sandwiches, burgers, and sundaes and the best Milkshakes in Magic Kingdom

Review:

The Plaza was great. The service was fantastic and we were able to walk right in on our perfect day at Magic Kingdom. Norwood and I were just wandering around Main Street when we were looking around (we never really noticed how much was there that we had never seen before) when we found The Plaza. Just as we were walking up there was a Dream Along with Mickey stage show going to begin. We did not know what it was so we asked the hosts what was going on and if it was the last show. They were so helpful and made sure that we would have enough time for a meal and then we able to walk right over to the next stage show.

The food was great! They had some great veggie options. Here is what Norwood and ordered…


On the right is a hummus sandwich with mozzarella, lettuce tomato and a small amount of pesto and on the left is the turkey club. Both were great. The French fries (you have a choice of chips, slaw or French fries with each sandwich) are the best fries I have ever had, I highly recommend them! What was my favorite part of the meal was the desert…



We both ordered a Mint Chip Milk shake and neither one of us could finish it. They are very large portions. What we thought we would do next time is buy two different flavors and split them (each milkshake could feed two people).

The Plaza both food and service were great and we both highly recommend it.

Mouse Beat Forum

Hello All-

I need to interrupt this perfect Magic Kingdom day week to tell you about the current state of the Mouse Beat Forum. Last week spam bots were able to dodge security and put a lot of not very nice stuff on the Mouse Beat Forum. In order to clean it out and add additional security I had to lock down each topic we had open for discussion. It will stay this way until early next week and then it will be back up and running. No one’s account or their posts will be lost, but there may be an extra log in needed when you enter the forum. I apologize for the forum being down and for the additional security that will be needed.

Okay I now return to the perfect Magic Kingdom Day….

Perfect Day Part III

Let us continue on our perfect day at Magic Kingdom by talking more about the Magic Kingdom rides. Never in my many visits to the Magic Kingdom have I been able to walk onto all the rides and I mean all the rides. No waiting in lines on our perfect day to the Magic Kingdom. Not a fast pass was distributed to the Mouse Beat family that day. The longest wait we saw was 20 minutes for the Indy Speedway.
So after being completely soaked on Splash Mountain we hiked over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for a screaming good time… (Monica wanted me to mention that my eyes are closed on a not very scary part)



The entire day we were able to get on all the rides we wanted to make sure that Monica tried during her first visit to Magic Kingdom and then some. It was amazing to be able to just walk up and not during the rain. One year during the Christmas season Norwood and I were able to walk onto Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean because it was raining out and many took cover in the restaurants and stores. Speaking of Pirates of the Caribbean, Lucy here is your long awaited shot of
Johnny Depp, I mean Jack Sparrow …



And here is the real life Jack Sparrow…


If you are a fan of Pirates of the Caribbean like my Mouse Beat reader friend Lucy (who asked a very long time ago for a photo of Johnny Depth on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride) and want to see more pictures head on over to my flickr set or check out the slide show. And if you want more of the Magic Kingdom with brand new photos check out the Magic Kingdom slideshow.

The Perfect Magic Kingdom Day Part II

Yesterday I started off the week by telling you about the wonderful weather and the great boat ride over to the Magic Kingdom. As I left you yesterday I was telling you about the happiness that was in the air at the gates. In the past when we arrived at Magic Kingdom there have been families that look tired and kids that are cranky. Not that afternoon. Everyone was in such a fantastic mood and who could blame them the park looked so cheery with all the Halloween decorations. Here are a couple of shots of what was in the park…





Happy pumpkins were everywhere! Main Street was decked out with all the "Not so Scary" Halloween decorations. This was the first time that Norwood and I were able to be at the Magic Kingdom during the Halloween season. We had been at Magic Kingdom in 2003 for the Christmas season, which I really look forward to this year, but never during Halloween. We both loved the decorations and took lots of pictures of them.

After admiring the decorations on Main Street we headed over to the train station to catch the train into Frontierland to begin planning our ride schedule to make sure that my sister Monica, who had never been to the Magic Kingdom before was able to see all the big highlights. Norwood and I thought that if we were lucky we might be able to get four rides in that day. Just as we were walking up to board the train we heard the last call. We thought, “Darn we missed it!” But the conductor waited for us all to board. We made it in just in time!

After arriving at Frontierland we walked over to Splash Mountain where we thought there might at least be a half hour wait. Guess what the wait was….5 minutes! We walked right on. And as we were preparing to get into our log a nice woman and her son offered Monica and I the front since it was her first time on the ride. We were soaked!

The day just kept getting better. I will have to tell you more tomorrow about the rides, food and live entertainment that we enjoyed during our perfect day at Magic Kingdom. If you would like to see more of the Magic Kingdom in the meantime check out my Magic Kingdom flickr set which has brand new photos! Or if you like you can check out the Magic Kingdom slideshow. Also if you would like to see more pictures of the Halloween decorations at Magic Kingdom check out my flickr set or slideshow.

The Perfect Day at Magic Kingdom

I am sure that many of you have seen those great commercials where the families are having absolutely magical times at Magic Kingdom in Disney World. We love Disney World but we have never really had those perfect, I mean absolutely perfect days at Magic Kingdom. We have had fantastic times at Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Such great times that we decided to move from Colorado to Florida just so we could go every time we felt like it. But last Wednesday Norwood and I had the best day we had ever at the Magic Kingdom. All this week I want to tell you about our perfect day at Magic Kingdom.

First the weather was fantastic! Fall is really a great time in Florida. Last Wednesday was in the 70s not too much humidity and there was sunshine. As we entered the gates at the Magic Kingdom parking lot, we noticed that we were able to park at the front where the transportation center was (and it was hours after opening)! The short trek from the car to the ferry boat was delightful, a cool breeze and sparse crowds. We arrived on the ferry boat and were able to land a perfect spot right up front where we could feel the breeze off the water and take great pictures like these two …





At first I thought the day might actually be a long one because just as I was thinking how perfect the day felt so far the ferry boat turned off and they asked us all to unload and head over to another ferry because of technical problems. I could see in the distance that there was already a group waiting and I thought that it would be a mad rush to get on the next ferry…but NO! People were polite and everyone was able to get on the boat. We set sail for the Magic Kingdom and once again it felt Magical.

When we arrived at the gates of Magic Kingdom there were not too many people and those who were there we happy and already having a good time. There is so much more to tell you about our perfect day at Magic Kingdom so come back each day this week and find out more. If you would like to see more of the Magic Kingdom in the meantime check out my Magic Kingdom flickr set which has brand new photos! Or if you like you can check out the Magic Kingdom slideshow.

First Timer at Animal Kingdom Part II

Yesterday, I told you about Monica's love affair with Rafki well that quickly faded when we stopped in Yak and Yeti for drinks and a sundae. Monica had another love affair with someone she met in Yak and Yeti….



They were good friends until the sundae arrived…



After the Fudge Brownie for two we all decided to try and catch Everest before the park closed. I of course, having already vowed to never ride it again sat in the chicken pit (a very cute little guy named Michael named it that because many of us were talking about how we did not want to ride Everest because it looked crazy) and Norwood and Monica went on the Expedition.

When they boarded the train Norwood turned to Monica and asked her if she was ready to go fast, she said “Yeah!”



All was good until they reached the tracks that the Yeti had broken and everyone realized that there was just one way to go…



Overall, Monica really enjoyed Animal Kingdom. Stay tuned for Monica’s first time adventures in Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. If you would like to see more of Monica’s photos head on over to the flickr album.

First Timer at Animal Kingdom Part I

On the second part of our week at Disney with a first time Disney theme park hopper we took decided to take Monica to Animal Kingdom (Norwood’s favorite park). Upon entering the park we ran into Monica’s new boyfriend…



It was love at first smooch. All else was not important including her previously severe hunger when she met Rafki. After tearing her away I asked her if she wanted pictures with Baloo and Timon who were also at the gate and she said… “Naw, my circle of life is complete.”

After a short romance at the front gate we made our way into the park and ate at Pizzafari, which is a quick service eatery that has Italian Food…



Monica told me to mention to those readers who had not eaten Pizzafari that is was well worth the money and she highly recommends the frozen lemonade. Once we refueled we headed over to the River Rapids and the Kilimanjaro Safaris. Both were according to Monica “Totally awesome!”

Tomorrow I will tell you more about Monica’s Animal Kingdom adventures. To see more of her pictures head on over to the flickr album.

Epcot First Timer Part II

Yesterday I let know about Monica’s first time on Living with the Land and Test Track which she deemed both to be very cool or awesome. Today I want to tell you about where we ate at Epcot. Long ago I mentioned that Teppan Edo was so much fun and that Norwood and I both enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. When we were trying to decide where to eat while at Epcot Norwood and I wanted some place unique with good food options for Vegetarian eaters and we thought that Teppan Edo was a good choice. Monica really enjoyed it. Here are some more of the things that happened on Monica’s first trip to Epcot…


Chopstick war! It was ugly there, luckily there was no food involved at the time.


Then we took a long walk to China from Japan where we posed…




Made friends with a tomb guardian…


Then took a boat across the world into the future.


On the way to hang glide in California we stopped for a little refreshment…



When asked if she would go again to Epcot Monica replied… “I would like to live in this world.”

Tune in tomorrow to hear about a first timers experience at Animal Kingdom.
If you would like to see more of Monica’s pictures from her first Disney World adventure check out the flickr album.