Do You Remember: The Adventurers Club?

Last Saturday, I discussed Pleasure Island. My favorite club at PI was the Adventurers Club, which was styled after a private club for world travelers and explorers and was set in 1937.
The walls of the club were covered with artifacts and photographs from various explorations.
It had animatronics, puppets, and a cast of "adventurers" who performed in shows and improvisational comedy while mingling with the clubgoers.
There was also an actual club to join, with a newsletter, (which I have somewhere, and will surely share if I rediscover it) and a button.

There was so much to see and do at this club, including drinking specialty beverages, such as the official drink of the club, the Kungaloosh, which may of may not have come in this canteen, (I can't remember, too many Kungalooshes).

Sadly, the Adventurers Club closed in 2009, with the rest of the clubs on Pleasure Island, but fans, including me, still hope that it will return once more to Walt Disney World in some form or another.

Planning For Epcot's International Food and Wine Festival

It seems that every year Epcot's International Food and Wine Festival gets bigger and requires more forethought and planning. The dates for the Festival are September 27th- November 11th.
I usually check out what the Disney Parks Blog, the Disney Food Blog , the Food Festival Blog, and The Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos (which I also contribute to, so, yes, this is a plug!) have posted for the latest information and tips for planning.

To start, there are several tastings, seminars, and special events, many of which require reservations. The phone lines to book these experiences open for Passholders August 9 at 8 a.m., and the general public at 7a.m on August 13th, so check ahead as to what you would like to attend, and be prepared!

Here's what we do to plan.
Essentially, the trip revolves around Epcot.

First I check out park hours during my visit. I'm a morning person, so the plan is to go to one of the other parks with early Extra Magic Hours, have lunch at that park, and take an afternoon break. We'll then visit Epcot during the evening. If possible, we avoid the weekends. That's when a lot of locals go and it gets VERY crowded.
On 2 days, usually Friday and whichever day Epcot has early EMHs, we'll hit the food booths early, and visit another park in the evening.

Also, as soon as the menus come out for the booths, we'll go through it and decide what interests us.
I make a copy of this paired down list, and pair it down even further by highlighting the must haves.
Pacing yourself is key, for a variety of reasons, which is why I pick those must haves. 

Financially, this is an expensive event if you plan to try a bit of everything. Sure, on the surface, $3-$7 for a sample may not seem like much, but this adds up quickly!
As for paying at the booths, we get gift cards. It's quicker than cash, and an easier way to keep track of what you are spending. Barbie has very generous family members who usually give us gift cards for birthdays and holidays, and we save them for this event.

Then there is the alcohol, which can add up even faster than the food.
I have tried the suggested food and wine pairings in years past, and then had a beer or 2, and then a mixed drink. This is a bad idea. Trust me!

We'll be at the Festival during it's opening week, so stop by our Facebook page for photos and reports.
I hope some of these tips help, and perhaps we'll see you at the Festival! Enjoy!

An Encounter With Stitch : Story Behind the Photo

Guest Writer Wednesday:
By: D'land Diva

This picture was taken on our son Z's first trip to the Disneyland Resort. Over at California Adventure Stitch was out and acting true to character, kind of naughty with the guests. When it was our turn to meet him, he tried to take Z's shoe off. Then he tried to put it on his own foot, and then tried to run away with it!

The D'land Diva is a writer and editor for The Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos Blog.

Square Enix Formation Arts Lilo and Stitch Figures

I discovered these figures while doing a search for "Gashapon" Disney figures, which I've started collecting in the last year.

Lilo and Stitch holds a very special place in our hearts, as it's the first Disney movie we saw together, so I'm always on the lookout for reasonably priced collectibles from this film.
I got the whole set for $40 on eBay.
They usually go for a much higher price per figure on eBay than what I paid for all 5, so was pretty happy with the purchase.

I am not very familiar with Square Enix Formation Arts figures, so I was a bit surprised when I opened the box and saw this!

 A puzzle! Just insert the figures into their respective slots.
Are these toys for young children? Do they come in Capsules like Gashapon?
Whatever they are, I think they are awesome!

As an extra bonus, they look great amongst our plants!

Disney's Wilderness Lodge

The Wilderness Lodge 
and 
Fort Wilderness Resort and Camp Ground

Part 1 of 3: The Wilderness Lodge

The Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness are two great resorts that I think complement each other wonderfully, offering many things to see and do, and some great places to eat. My wife and I have stayed at both resorts. We stayed at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge, a Disney Vacation Club property, and in the Wilderness Lodge main building in January of 2011. We also stayed in a cabin at Ft. Wilderness with another couple in November, 2011.

In part one of this series, I thought I'd share a few pictures of the Wilderness Lodge.

The front of the Lodge is impressive.



The Lobby is even more spectacular. I spent a lot of time just sitting in the lobby, enjoying the surroundings, and people watching.











The indoor hot spring starts in the rear of the lobby...

 ...where the water flows down into the waterfall, and continues....



...into the pool.


Here's a glimpse of our our room.







The view from the balcony is terrific.



In the evening, the balcony is a great place to enjoy a cocktail, a snack, and....



...watch the Electrical Water Pageant.



The view to the left of our room.



The lodge from the ferry to the Magic Kingdom.
This is a great bonus to staying at the Wilderness Lodge. You may not have the monorail, but the boat provides at least one additional form of transportation "home" after fireworks.



The Lodge is amazing, and one of my favorite resorts. It's a short boat ride to the Magic Kingdom, and a short bus ride to Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios, so you don't feel like you're too far away from everything.

The area is beautiful, it's easy to forget you are in Florida. It is also in close proximity to Fort Wilderness, and all its great activities. (More on them coming later in the series!)

Next up: The Villas at Wilderness Lodge.

This article originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos Blog, where Nick is a contributing writer.

Restaurantosaurus at Disney's Animal Kingdom

 
Restaurantosaurus is a quick service restaurant located in the Dinoland USA section of Disney's Animal Kingdom, themed as a “dorm” where paleontology students live and dine, when they aren't digging for fossils nearby. It looks like it was cobbled together with various pieces of other buildings and even an Airstream Trailer.

 

The themeing here is extensive.

The menu is fairly limited, with Hot Dogs, Burgers, Chicken Sandwiches and nuggets. Kid's Picks are Turkey Wraps, Peanut Butter and Jelly, and a Cheeseburger, and come in a plastic pail with a shovel. For dessert there is chocolate mousse and cheesecake in a glass.

 

My wife had the Macaroni and Cheese Hot Dog, creamy Macaroni & Cheese and tasty Bacon Bits top our delicious Hot Dog, served in a fresh Bun with your choice of Apple Slices or French Fries. It was very tasty, but with too much bun.

 

I had the Grilled Chicken Sandwich, a grilled Breast of Chicken topped with a Tomato, Garlic, and Basil Relish and Cheddar, served with choice of Apple Slives or French Fries. This was delicious, and I would absolutely get it again.

There is a fixins bar. I am not at all sure what all is in this, as there was a couple of covers over part of the bar when we were there.

Each room is cluttered with items they have managed to dig up, both out of the ground, and, apparently from junk shops and flea markets.

 

You can even eat in the trailer, which apparently is a highly coveted area.

There are clever puns throughout, and even notes and a bulletin board to read, with notes between "students".

 

The restaurant even has it's own soundtrack, with such songs as "It's the End of the World as We Know It" by R.E.M. and "Walk the Dinosaur" by Was (Not Was).

This a really great place to get out of the heat, or to head to during a sudden shower, as there is plenty to look at. And the food is pretty good too!

This article was originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos Blog, where Nick is a contributing writer.

Do You Remember : Pleasure Island?

Pleasure Island is / was  a section of the Walt Disney World Resort within Downtown Disney's shopping, dining, and entertainment district. Pleasure Island officially opened May 1, 1989.  A misconception is that the island completely closed on September 2008, but only the clubs closed.  The island's stores and restaurants remained open.

The site is often mistakenly thought to have been named for 'Pleasure Island' from Pinocchio, where unsupervised children misbehave and are eventually punished by being changed into donkeys that have to work in salt mines. But there was an interesting back-story created by Walt Disney Imagineering, that had nothing at all to do with Pinocchio.

The island's nightclubs were once home to a shipping company owned by adventurous businessman Merriweather Pleasure. A great storm destroyed the business and Mr. Pleasure disappeared with the warehouses remaining behind. Years later, these warehouses were refurbished and converted into nightclubs.

This button is likely from 1992, the first year I visited Walt Disney World.

This shot glass is from that same time. Both feature the Pleasure Island mascot, the Funmeister.

There was much fun to be had a Pleasure Island. Every night was New Year's Eve for instance, with a countdown and fireworks.

Speaking of fireworks, there was a restaurant called Fireworks Factory, with a pyrotechnics theme.  According to the island's fictional backstory, Merriweather Pleasure manufactured fireworks in the building until one of his cigars caused an explosion. The restaurant was decorated with authentic pyrotechnic props.

I also enjoyed the Comedy Warehouse, a nightclub which featured improv comedy. But the best thing about Pleasure Island was The Adventurers Club, which I would visit on multiple evenings during my trips. Stop back soon for a look at this beloved and very much missed spot.

Disney Princess Royal Salon : App Review

Disney has done it again, with another wonderful app for iPhone and iPad. Nick decided to let me review this one, as it is a very princess oriented app. First you pick your princess, Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, or Rapunzel.

 

Then you chose her invitation from four envelopes, and then dress her for whichever wonderful event you have chosen.

During the process of dressing, you can change the hair on your princess to any style you want. You can choose her outfit and color of her dress to any color of the rainbow by dragging your finger over the heart. You can even take a picture of your own pattern for your princesses dress! The pink and white checked dress in the photo below on the left is one of our sheets in fact! Different cloth patterns, dress styles, colors, the options are endless.

Now you go on to accessorize her outfit with jewelry, hats, flowers etc, and if you don't like what you've chosen, just swipe it off and it disappears.

By hitting the castle in the upper left you can start again with a new princess! The book in the upper right corner takes you to your photo album.

 This is like electronic paper dolls, but so much better, with awesome music, some narration and options beyond belief. (Oh, and by the way, Nick grabbed the phone from me and wouldn't give it back, he was having so much fun!)

Thanks to Disney Publishing Worldwide for providing this app for review. Click here to get it on iTunes.

The Poncho, Disney Parks, and You

I won't lie, I am not a fan of the rain, and I'm especially not enamored with it when I'm on vacation at a Disney Park.

But let's face it, rain happens, and we just need to deal with it. You can either stick to indoor activities, like shopping at Downtown Disney, or maybe bowling at Splitsville.
Or you can turn that frown upside down, and just throw on a poncho!

We bring our own, but they are readily available all around the parks.
Parks are often less crowded during rain.

So next time you encounter rain and want to hit the parks, just grab a poncho, and keep having fun!