Entrance to Landscape of Flavors through the Ink and Paint Shop

If you’ve read some of Shelley Scholl’s recent articles you know that we spent a day at Art of Animation on our last trip.  We love to tour all of the hotel properties and with this being the newest addition to Walt Disney World we couldn’t wait to see it.  Although we primarily visited to see the theming, grounds and buildings, pools, etc. we decided to have lunch at Landscape of Flavors while we were there.

I’m not normally a fan of food courts and typically like to have most of my meals at seat down restaurants.  Needless to say, I’m a big fan of ADR’s (advanced dining reservations).   However, on this trip Shel convinced me to only have a few ADR’s and instead eat more impulsively.  The plus side of this was that we anticipated spending a lot less money on food than we normally do as well.  Anyway, after we visited the Ink & Paint Shop (the resort’s gift and convenience shop for those of you who might not know) we strolled on over to Landscape of Flavors.

The first look was impressive just due to the sheer size of the venue.   I really don’t know for sure but I’d guess that it’s at least four times the size of other quick service resort options.  I know it was much, much larger than anywhere else we’ve encountered with the possible exception of Coronado Springs.  Bottom line….. it is BIG!  We knew before arriving that there was going to be a large selection and variety of food but I had no idea just how enormous it would be.  Let me start by telling you that there are eleven items on the drink menu alone, and that doesn’t count milk, soda, coffee, water OR the create your own smoothie.   Create your own is a definite theme here.  Besides the aforementioned smoothie, you can create your own salad, burger, pizza, pasta or stir fry. There are five different burgers on the menu in addition to the create your own, individual and full size pizzas, and six different Asian entrees like Mongolian Grill Beef Stir Fry or Mongolian Grill Fish or Tandoori Sausage or Shrimp to name a few.  Oh, and if you’re extra hungry before you pick out your entree, you can have one of seven different kinds of soup while you’re thinking.  What’s really exciting about the food court though is that the items are not all pre-made.  Yes, there are some components that are cooked and ready to go, but for the most part your meal is made fresh when you order.  Also, the food court is set up with different stations for the different types of food so everyone can head off to the station that has the type of food they want to order.

So what did we have?   Shel picked the Caprese Sandwich and she watched while they put it together just for her.  She said it was one of the freshest and most delicious ones she had ever had.   I opted for the create your own salad.  They had just about every veggie I could think of that you might put into a salad and several different meats as well including grilled chicken and shrimp.   The most amazing thing to me was that the salad was one price regardless of what you put into it.  Now, unlike a salad bar, you are not creating the salad hands on.   The cast member asks what you want and they put it into the bowl for you.  However, don’t worry because not only are they generous to begin with, but if you want a little bit more of something they already put in your bowl, they’ll be happy to add more.   You are only limited by what will fit.   I was a little overwhelmed by all of the choices available across all of the various stations and the salad ended up being an amazing choice.   It was fresh, delicious and very filling.   So much so that I didn’t have any room for one of the 13 desserts they offered.  Yes, I said 13!

If you’re staying at the Art of Animation, you should definitely take full advantage of this food option.  Although we only experienced lunch (which is the same menu as dinner), the menu for breakfast looks wonderful as well.  Just be forewarned that if you are staying in The Little Mermaid Section you will be quite a distance away.  Landscape of Flavors is located in Animation Hall, the main building where you check in and it is closest to Nemo, Cars, Lion King and The Little Mermaid in that order.

Map of Art of Animation – Landscape of Flavors is located in Animation Hall, the large main building to the front and right of center on the map

More importantly, if you’re not staying there….. make a special trip.  I survived our lack of ADR’s and actually enjoyed many of the places we went to that didn’t require advance planning, but this one was definitely one of my favorites.

One of my favorite cells from outside the Ink & Paint Shop…. Included here just because it’s so pretty!!

Thanks for reading!

Jo Scholl is proud mom to three grown children, one of which is fellow columnist Shelley Scholl, and to one small black puppy named Mickey Mouse!  She is anxiously awaiting (and counting down – 109 days – to her next Disney destination!!

I’ve never really been a fan of zoos, at least not until Animal Kingdom (AK) came along.  I love AK and the safari is one of my favorites, but today’s article is about a different kind of animal……   Towel animals!  Those incredible creatures that magically appear on your bed nightly on the Disney Cruise Line ships.

You see, Shel and I are 82 days away from our next cruise and it can’t get here a minute too soon.   In between trips, and when the countdown isn’t enough to keep me sustained until the next trip actually arrives, I sit at my computer and run a slide show of previous trip’s pictures to relieve my anxiety about having to wait 82 more days!   This morning I focused on cruise pictures and these cuties popped out at me.

If you are a Castaway Cay or DVC member you may get some extra goodies along with your towel animal. Here’s a cobra!

The stateroom attendants that make these astonishing creations each night are amazing.  I realize that everyone could probably learn how to do this, but could we really do so in a very limited amount of time, while straightening cabins up, replenishing supplies, turning down beds, etc.?   And doing so in multiple cabins?   I know I couldn’t.  So sit back, scroll through and enjoy!

So expressive!

What is he thinking?

Seated elephant

Standing elephant

I’m not sure about this one. It looks like an elephant, but the truck is missing. What do you think it is?

Swan

Manta Ray

We’ve heard this one described as both a chicken and a monkey. I’m really not sure myself, but on this occasion he was dressed for pirate night!

This one is another mystery to me. I think it looks like a dinosaur!

And last but not least……   We received this final creation on our last cruise and were blown away because we had never seen it before.  It was massive!

Our very own sea turtle

Thanks for reading!

Jo Scholl is proud mom to three grown children, one of whom is fellow WDW Fan Zone columnist Shelley.  And a small black dog named Mickey Mouse!

Although I’m currently 52 days away from our next cruise on the Disney Fantasy, I find myself equally excited for our trip in the fall; 151 days away.  Although this trip will be shorter than our last trip to Walt Disney World (WDW) I’m still really looking forward to it, and one of the big reasons why is we got into Bay Lake Tower (BLT)!

As my fellow Disney Vacation Club (DVC) owners know, sometimes getting into a resort which is not your home resort is really hard to do.  Originally, Shel had booked us at Boardwalk Inn for this trip and we were both pretty excited since we love being that close to Epcot and having the availability to walk to and from our resort.  However, one day, a few days after the seven month booking window opened up, Shel thought about looking to see if BLT had any availability…… And it did!  Imagine our surprise!  We now have a one week stay confirmed in a one bedroom unit.  Oh happy day!

Just this past week, fellow columnist Darlene Nagi did a fantastic review of BLT .  I certainly agree with just about everything she said and will add some additional comments here.

This will be our third stay in BLT but our first time in a one bedroom.  Last fall we stayed at Kidani Village for several days in a one bedroom and moved over to BLT for the last four days of our trip.  Unfortunately, the only room we could get was a studio.  Now, as far as all of the DVC resorts go, BLT has the smallest studio accommodations.   They are still lovely, but they are just kind of small.   The absolute best thing about our accommodations last time was the view.

We had booked a theme park view and WOW.   Wow, wow, wow!!!!   It was Incredible.   The picture I’m including here doesn’t remotely do it justice.  From our balcony we could see Bay Lake, Seven Seas Lagoon, all of the mountains in the Magic Kingdom (MK), ferry traffic, the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian.  It was incredible.  The only sad thing was we only had two nights where our schedule allowed us to see Wishes directly from the balcony.   It was spectacular!  Adding to the enjoyment was the fact that one of those two nights we watched with our good friends Mary and Steve.  It really doesn’t get much better than that!

Our amazing Magic Kingdom view

Our amazing Magic Kingdom view – nighttime viewing

This trip around we will have a lake view.  The vast majority of rooms at BLT are lake view rooms, so when you really want to get in that might be your best option.  In this case, it was simply the only room that was open so Shel grabbed it.  Even though the studios are small, the one bedroom units are anything but.   And, one of my absolute favorite things about the unit is that it has two full bathrooms.  Each having our own personal space to get ready each day is wonderful.   Add to that the fact that we get a jacuzzi tub (Really DVC, why can’t they be in all the studios as well?) and I’m in heaven.

Of course, room size aside, proximity is what this resort is all about… at least for me.  Yes, it’s on the monorail and that’s the first thing everyone thinks about, but it also is pretty amazing that it’s walking distance from the Magic Kingdom, you can take a boat over to Wilderness Lodge and perhaps a little known fact; the walk to the bus stop is one of the shortest ones we’ve encountered.  So accessibility is absolutely wonderful.

Once we knew we had a room there, my whole plan for where I wanted to go and what I wanted to eat (always my HIGHEST priority) changed.  I shocked Shel by telling here that I thought we would probably spend the majority of our time at the Magic Kingdom.  Of course we are going to visit Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios (DHS), but I’m actually going to forgo Animal Kingdom this time around (that really surprised Shel).  We have one ADR in Epcot and one in DHS, but everything else is going to be in the MK or at one of the monorail resorts. Having this trip be half the time of our most recent one could make it feel like everything was rushed.  But, having the incredible accessibility of BLT to most of what we are going to do saves us all kinds of travel time.

So location is the number one reason why I love BLT, but I have to admit that decor is another.  I never would have thought that I’d like the decor but it is very clean, streamlined and futuristic with a heavy flavor of art deco.   Strangely enough, it actually reminds me of Disney’s cruise ships in a way; probably the art deco or art nouveau vibe.

The pool complex is great and if you want a change of pace you can actually just stroll over to the Contemporary’s pools.  The grounds are lovely and there are some really cool sculptures and topiaries and we never knew were there until we took an early morning stroll a couple of trips ago.

BLT pool complex – view from a lake view room

And, of course, back to food.  Although sadly reservations have not yet been made available for the newly renovated California Grill (we will be substituting that dinner with one at Citrico’s), you have a wealth of choices without jumping on the monorail or leaving the grounds.  For breakfast you can choose the incredible experience at Chef Mickey’s, Contempo Cafe or The Wave.  Lunch is available at both Contempo and The Wave, and dinner is available at all of these locations, plus California Grill when it reopens.  For snacks you can go to the Sand Bar (out by the Contemporary pools) and late night offers the Cove Bar, Outer Rim, The Wave Lounge and Top of the World Lounge.  And by the way, Wishes is amazing from Top of the World.  For many years we’ve watched fireworks from the top of the Contemporary, but Top of the World is even better.  It’s a large viewing area, but since admittance is controlled it becomes a much more intimate experience.  Also, perhaps the best thing about it is you don’t need to rush back into dinner.  You can take your time and savor the experience.  Just be forewarned that if you’re vertically challenged like me, the walls are a little high.  Safety first!

Hmmm….. now my senses are heightened, my taste buds are watering and I’m primed to go.   Unfortunately it’s still five months away.   Oh well, I do love the anticipation!

The remaining photos are a preview of a one bedroom villa at BLT; courtesy of a friend who was fortunate enough to have already stayed there.  Hope you enjoy!

BLT master bath – there’s a folding screen between the tub and the master bedroom

Master bedroom

Master bedroom, media center and desk

BLT living room

Great view of the kitchen from the living room

the dining area

Aren’t these pretty?    I really can’t wait!

Thanks for reading!

Jo Scholl is mom to three grown children, one of whom is fellow columnist Shelley Scholl.  She is also mom to a small black dog named Mickey Mouse!

Shel and Nana are taking me on another cruise on the Disney Fantasy.   Yay!  We’re leaving in just a couple of weeks and I just can’t wait.  I snuck on Nana’s computer today to look back at some of the fun we had last time.  Here are some of my favorite memories.

Shel’s got me all packed up and we’re ready to go. I wonder where her luggage is?

At the airport hotel patiently waiting to leave for the cruise

Breakfast at the airport. Shel says I have to wait to eat until we get on board.

Finally! Lunch at Cabana’s is delicious!

I told Shel we had to pose by Minnie. I’ve got a secret crush on her! Shhhh!

Nana’s carrying me around so we can see the ship. She sure is a beauty! The ship silly…. not Nana! LOL!!

I got a little anxious on our way to the cabin. Oops!

Nana fixed it by getting me some ice cream. Do you know you can get ice cream almost anytime you want? Wow! I’m definitely going to like it here.

I’m a little tuckered out after all that food, and ice cream besides, but no time to go back for a nap. I’ll just rest here for a bit.

I wonder what time the show is tonight?

I really can’t tell time very well but Shel knew when the show was and here I am waiting for it to start.

Day two and we’re really busy today. This is my first time playing the Muppet’s Adventure Game.

Everyone signed up for wine tasting today. Boy that’s a lot of glasses!

They didn’t forget me though. They put water in my glass since I’ve so young, but everything tastes better in a wine glass!

I got to sit in the side car located in La Piazza. What fun! Vroom, vroom!

Wow! This cabin door is just the right size! I wonder who’s room this is?

We’ve just arrived at St. Maarten. Isn’t the water pretty?

I better put on my sunglasses before we go outside.

All dressed up for dinner on our last night. I’m so sad that the trip is almost over!

Looking at my menu for breakfast the last day. I had such a good time that Shel and Nana said we could come back! I can’t wait!!

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my pictures from our last trip.  Nana told me that Shel bought me a bunch of new clothes for our upcoming voyage.  I was too tired to go to dinner every night last time, but if I’m getting all this new stuff, I bet Shel wants me there every night.   I better take naps during the day!

Thanks for reading!

Jo Scholl is proud mom to three adult children, one of whom is fellow columnist Shelley Scholl, mom to a small black dog named Mickey Mouse, and Nana to me, Duffy Bear!

On board the bus and ready for the cruise! Unaware of the amazing surprise waiting for me!!

If you’ve read (dear daughter) Shelley Scholl’s recent article,  then you probably already know we’ve just returned from my 60^th Birthday Cruise on the Disney Fantasy.  What an amazing time!   Although the weather was less than perfect and I had quite the ordeal returning home (a tale for another time), this was the most incredible birthday celebration!!  Although I actually won’t be turning 60 for another month, Shel arranged this week long event with some wonderful friends.

THANK YOU SHELLEY!   Big giant thanks also to Allison & Steve, Mary & Steve and Pam & John.  The individuals I shared this trip with were the biggest reason I had such a great time!!

Today I want to share one of the most magical of surprises.  Allison & Steve came in a couple of days early and spent some time in the Magic Kingdom, but the remaining six of us left the airport on Saturday morning via Disney Cruise Line transfers for our short trip to Port Canaveral.  We had a brief disappointment when we weren’t able to check in for the ship at the Magical Express (ME) desk at the airport.   In the past, you could check in at ME and bypass the check in at the cruise terminal.  Although I am very disappointed at this change, perhaps for this trip alone, it worked out very well for me.

You see it seems as if Shelley and my friends utilized some pixie dust when first arriving at the cruise terminal, and before I knew it some magic started to occur.

A very nice cast member, Mary Ellen, came over to me and asked me if I was celebrating anything on this trip.   I said yes, it was my 60th birthday and Mary Ellen proceeded to tell me that I had been named the “Family of the Day”.  Woo hoo!  This honor entailed being one of the first families on board the ship (only concierge guests could board before my family) and being announced as the Family of the Day.   In addition we had special reserved seating at the cruise terminal and we able to get our picture taken in front of the cruise ship model with Mickey and Minnie!   I don’t know if you realize what an honor this photo was, but we were told that it’s unheard of for a guest to get both Mickey and Minnie to pose together in a family picture; it only happens for very rare occasions!!   Although only Shel and I (as my actual family group) got to be in the picture Mary Ellen did arrange for my entire group to be able to wait at the first official picture station on the cruise ship gangway, therefore enabling us to get a group shot of everyone upon first boarding the ship.

Our reserved seat….. Right outside the giant mouse ears leading onto the ship!

My very own fairy godmother – Mary Ellen, me & Shel

WOW! Mickey & Minnie came out special to welcome me to the ship! INCREDIBLE! What fun!!

Saying goodbye – almost time to board

Standing in the mouse ears while being announced as “Family of the Day” to all of our fellow cruisers.

All together on the gangway!

My amazing friends!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Shelley, an incredible daughter, and to Allison & Steve, Mary & Steve and Pam & John.  I had the BEST TIME EVER and I can’t wait to do it all over again.   Tick tock Mary!

Thanks for reading!

Jo Scholl is proud mom to three grown children, one of whom is fellow columnist Shelley Scholl….. and a small black dog named Mickey Mouse!

Shelley and  I recently completed our eighth trip onboard one of the amazing Disney cruise ships; this one on the Disney Fantasy.  Since our very first trip on the Disney Magic in 2000 friends, family and acquaintances have always made comments like, “Really?   Isn’t that ship just for kids?”  I always answer no and tell them what a great ship it is for adults.  Today, I’m going to tell you about a very adult activity we participated in this last time around.

COCKTAILS!   Well Disney calls them Tastings!  On a previous cruise we participated in a wine tasting which was part of a series of tastings; red, white, sparkling, etc.  We attended the red tasting.  Not being a huge wine drinker, it was interesting to try some new things, but none of us was particularly impressed.  I certainly don’t want to imply that the cast member did a bad job, but I have to admit that they didn’t seem particularly passionate about their topic, and therefore the presentation was a little dry (forgive the pun!)  Add to that the idea that I prefer to pair wine with food to really understand and enjoy it and you can guess that we didn’t enjoy the tasting all that much and didn’t sign up for any additional tastings on that trip.

This time around five of our group decided that we wanted to try a couple of the other tastings that were offered and we signed up for a beer tasting, martini tasting and a mixology class.  Additional tastings offered are champagne, cognac, whiskey, tequila and margarita.  Side note here…. If you are interested in participating in any of the tastings, make sure and sign up right away as they are very popular and fill up fast!

Although order doesn’t actually matter, I’m going to tell you a little bit about each tasting in the reverse order of our participation starting with the beer tasting.  I almost cancelled out on this one as it was held on the last day of the cruise which was (and is typically) Castaway Cay day.  What with wanting to spend as much time on the island as possible and that inevitable packing to go home, I was afraid there just wouldn’t be time.   Fate intervened as rain drove us off the island earlier than expected and a quick packing job allowed me to attend along with Shelley and Steve Q.   I was really looking forward to this tasting as I’ve only developed a taste for beer in the last five years or so and don’t really know much about them.

So we walked into McGill’s and the tasting began.  We had five rather large pilsner glasses in front of us along with a shot.  A shot you say!  More on that in a minute…..   I wish I could remember all of the types of beer we tasted, but unfortunately I cannot.  It might have something to do with the five large glasses!  Anyway I do remember that we tasted the beers in order from light to heavy and the first one we tried was a Belgium beer.   It was quite mild and good and the second beer we tried was along the same lines and also pretty good.   I think this might be when the bartender (cast member) had us participate in the shot.   He made sure that everyone knew the proper technique to drinking a shot is one drink down the hatch.  Eww!  Was it yucky!   He asked everyone is anyone knew what it was.  No one did so he proceeded to tell us that it was actually a non-alcoholic beer and quite popular among those that couldn’t or shouldn’t imbibe the real thing.   I have to tell you that I would rather drink swamp water.  It was gross!   Next we tried a beer cocktail and it was also rather nasty.  I can’t recall what was in it but I know that I’m not opposed to a beer cocktail.  During my son’s wedding trip I was introduced to something called a Michelina (this may not be spelled right so my apologies to any bartenders for butchering the name); basically beer, bloody mary mix, clamato and Worchester.   It sounds terrible, but was really quite refreshing and became my drink of choice at the pool.  Anyway my point is not all beer cocktails are bad, but this one sure was.   The last beer of the day was Guiness.   I’m sure I’ll have a lot of people who will disagree with me (I certainly did at the tasting, and Steve was definitely one of them) but I didn’t like the Guiness at all!  Not a bit.   I felt like it had a licorice flavor to it and also seemed kind of smokey tasting, and I didn’t find it refreshing at all.   All in all although I really only liked two of the five drinks, we really had fun and it was great to try a few new things.  I definitely came away with one new beer that I liked and one I didn’t.  In my opinion this one was all about the tasting as the cast member wasn’t overly informative and the guests participating seemed more interested in the drinking than the educational aspect of the experience.  The cost of this tasting (like all of the others we experienced on this cruise) was $15.00 per person.   VERY reasonable!  No beer went untasted during this session.   There were setups for four or five people that didn’t show and instead of taking those beers away the extra beers were just offered to anyone who wanted them.    EVERYONE had a good time but it was definitely a daytime “family” setting and no one became rowdy or unmanageable in any way.  One more comment about the family setting.  There were a couple of kids in the bar.  Although the tasting group was in a semi-private setting, that seemed a little weird to me.

It looks like only Duffy participated in the beer tasting!

Tasting number two was martinis and was attended by me, Shel, Steve, Pam and John.  John almost didn’t come to this one and has said he won’t go to it again.  However if you’re a martini drinker like me, you’d probably enjoy it.  There were five or six drinks again; a little smaller than what you’d typically get if you’d order a drink, but considering they were martinis, plenty of alcohol was flowing.  I only remember three types that were served.  They were a traditional gin martini, a cosmopolitan and a dirty vodka martini.  I can’t remember the rest……. Give me a break, we had five martinis!

Steve Q & John listening to our cast member describing the classic martini.

Last (though first attended) was our mixology class also attended by me, Shel, Steve, Pam and John.  I shouldn’t tell you how much fun it was because I don’t want them to get booked up before we get registered on any future cruise!  Okay, well I guess I just did.   It was loads of fun!!!  Unlike the spa, Palo and Remy and port excursions, you cannot book tastings until you are onboard so like I mentioned earlier, get signed up as soon as possible.   We walked into the mixology class and saw this!

The setup at Skyline

Not only was it really pretty set up in Skyline Bar, but you could tell immediately that we would be doing the actual mixing, not just watching a demo and learning recipes.  I believe there were five different cocktails made (five must be the magic number!) and a sixth was served as a thank you.  I couldn’t imagine how this was going to work and how everyone would get a turn, but it was handled quite easily and professionally.   Four at a time, guests would go behind the bar to an individual drink station and follow the instructions of the bartender.  I think there were 16 of us in the class and the drinks consisted of a muddled cocktail, a martini, a traditional cocktail, a shot and something else; what, I don’t know!  Again, five cocktails people!  Well, six really.  My only complaint is that we weren’t given recipes for the drinks.  Obviously it’s hard to remember what you’re doing when you’re drinking the whole time, but it’s also hard to remember because we were having so much fun.  I also don’t remember our bartender’s name and I wish I did because he was fantastic.  He was fun, informative, instructional, and cute!  After some prodding by the guests he also showed us bar “moves” which were incredible, though he wisely didn’t let anyone try those.

Yes, he really has a glass perched atop that bottle – balanced on his nose!

Aren’t they pretty all in a row waiting for us?

Shel looks excited she’s finished. I’m still hard at work.

Do we look proud of ourselves?  Notice Paris in the background?  Skyline is so pretty!

We all LOVED the mixology class and will definitely be doing it again.   Next time I’m going to write stuff down though, or maybe Disney will institute the recipe cards to hand out.   Anyway the only drink I remember the recipe to is the shot which was called a brain hemorrhage.    I’m not sure of the quantity of the first ingredient, but it’s a shot so I assume its shot size.  Anyway you start with a shot of Zambuca.  You then take the back of a spoon and slowly drizzle some (no amount given, but approximately 1/8 inch) Bailey’s Irish Cream over the Zambuca.   You have to do this carefully because you want the two liquids to stay separate.  Then to finish off the drink you drop a couple of drops of grenadine into the center of the shot.   The grenadine drips down into the mixture and looks like a brain stem.  It was really cool!

Here’s the brain hemorrhage! Pam was the lucky bartender on this one!

So for all you adults looking for a little daytime adult only fun, look into the tastings offered on your next cruise.  Typically you will see all of the week’s tastings listed on your first day’s Navigator (daily cruise information sheet). Yes, there was a lot of alcohol involved but you don’t need to be a big drinker and finish everything that was put in front of you.  No one in our group is much of a drinker but we all had an amazing time.   For $15.00 per tasting we were able to try things that we might not try in a normal setting, learn a little bit and have just a ton of fun!

Thanks for reading!

Jo Scholl grateful Disney Vacation Club (DVC) owner (the aforementioned trip was proudly brought to you courtesy of DVC) and proud mom to three amazing adult children, one of whom is fellow columnist Shelley Scholl.  And a small black dog named Mickey Mouse!

In just over two weeks I’m going to find myself in a very unusual position…… alone in Walt Disney World (WDW) for the day.  Although Shel and I will be together for a week, just a week or so ago I decided to fly in a day early.   Southwest makes changing your flights very easy as they don’t charge for any changes, only if the actual cost of the fare has gone up.   What precipitated this change you ask?  The reason, a loss of a few Disney Vacation Club (DVC) points due to my plan year ending, banking, borrowing and transfer rules.   It’s silly really, but in the 20 years that I’ve been an owner of DVC I think I’ve only lost about eight points up to now.

Home away from home – our favorite DVC resort – Bay Lake Tower

We have a lake view room so this is what our view may look like on this trip.

I debated about this for days and the final factor influencing my decision was finding out that I had already asked to have the “extra” vacation day.  All the stars aligned as I was able to get my flight changed, and more importantly, book that all important room.  I couldn’t believe it when I was actually able to get a one bedroom at Bay Lake Tower (BLT) for the extra day at the beginning of the trip.  What I’ve really excited about is the fact that I’ve been told that since I booked this one day on my DVC account and Shel booked the remainder of the trip on hers, that I would actually be able to link the two rooms together and not move.  WOW!   What a nice surprise that was.  I actually only wanted a studio (which wasn’t available), so the linking option cinched the deal!  Shel’s a little skeptical that it will actually happen, but I’m anxious to see if it actually works.

Shel and I are really great travel partners overall, but sometimes there are things that we just don’t agree on.  So what should I do for the 8-10 hours I will be on my own after arriving at BLT?  Here’s a few of the thoughts that have been running through my head (constantly!) since I made the travel change:

• Lay by the pool
• Ride the monorail.  Around the resort loop and to/from Epcot.  I love the monorail
• Eat a pork shank (Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom – MK)
• Enchanted Tales with Belle (MK) – Waited FOREVER to see this during the Fantasyland preview we attended.  Shel  didn’t really like it (particularly after the wait), but I’d kind of like to see it again
• Have dinner at Columbia Harbor House (Shel doesn’t like fish so we NEVER step foot in here, but I do and it would be a good opportunity to try it
• Visit the Haunted Mansion again, and again, and again, and again………You get the picture
• Ride the monorail stopping at all of the hotels to walk around, shop, take in the view, etc.
• Get dessert from Narcoosee’s
• Watch Wishes from Narcoosee’s
• Just eat appetizers from Top of the World Lounge at BLT and then watch Wishes
• Actually go to Epcot to eat someplace that Shel wouldn’t normally go and then stay for Illuminations because she normally doesn’t want to stay
• Sleep in!

This just might be the winner on where I spend my alone time!

I don’t think I’ll have a cabana…. but wouldn’t it be nice! This one is at The Contemporary.

Well as you can see, my mind has been racing.  My first and last ideas may be my favorites, but I’m sure you’ll also note that my mind keeps jumping back to food!  I LOVE all of the various food possibilities at WDW which is probably why my thoughts are all over the place.  There is just so much to pick from!!

I’m sure I’ll keep coming up with more ideas right up until I step food on property.   Please share your thoughts with me.   What would you do?

Thanks for reading!

Jo Scholl, grateful Disney Vacation Club (DVC) owner and proud mom to three amazing adult children, one of whom is fellow columnist Shelley Scholl.  And a small black dog named Mickey Mouse!

Duckies, duckies, duckies!  It seemed like everyone you looked you saw rubber duckies.  Was this some weird hallucination?   No.  It was the Aqua Ducky Derby onboard the Disney Fantasy!

The very first Aqua Ducky Derby onboard the Disney Fantasy!

Imagine our surprise on our last trip when we started seeing rubber ducks in the gift shops.  We soon learned that Disney was sponsoring a charity event for Make-A-Wish International in conjunction with the 30^th anniversary of the Disney VoluntEARS program.   For just $5.00 you could purchase a duck, decorate it and participate in a race down the Aqua Duck!  How exciting and what a good cause!!

Decorating events were held throughout the week to give everyone a chance to personalize their ducky (or multiple duckies).  Waterproof markers were the only medium allowed.  It was astonishing to see what people could do to a rubber ducky with just a few markers; particularly the kids.   Everyone in our group participated, though I’m sad to say that we never made it to a decorating event as a group; just too busy all the time.  In fact, I never made it to an event at all, but luckily for me the front desk had a supply of markers at the ready for some private ducky decorating.

The normal starting point for the Aqua Duck

Donald and Daisy take to the stage to begin the event

A few examples of the creative duckies. These duckies weren’t allowed to race though as only ducks decorated with markers were permitted.

The day of the big race everyone crowded onto decks 11 and 12 to witness this historic event.  The anticipation built as “Wipe Out” played over the sound system and guests and cast members alike waited for the big moment when the duckies would be released.  In a surprising turn of events, the duckies did not enter the AquaDuck in the funnel.  As we watched the duckies were carried up a stairway right after the first bump in the coaster.  Maybe they really would have wiped out if they had to take that initial spin out over the ocean blue!  How long would it take for the duckies to make it out to clear tubing?  We waited, and waited and waited.  Seconds seemed like hours!  In reality the duckies made their appearance in probably under a minute and suddenly the AquaDuck was full!   What was really surprising was that practically all of the ducks appeared at once.  I expected to see them float gently by, but suddenly the AquaDuck tube was a sea of yellow!  It was really quite cool!

A sea of ducks!

The last few participants make their way to the end of the race

All of this activity played out on the big Funnel Vision screen which just added to the excitement.   Additionally I couldn’t figure out how we were going to watch the duckies go through the tube and see them come down the chute.  Luckily we didn’t have to be in two places at once as the finish was nicely displayed on the giant screen.  I don’t know how they picked a winner as thousands of ducks slid down all at once, but somehow they did and winners were named for first, second and third place.

Daisy waiting at the end of the line for the winner!  Sorry for the poor photo quality of this particular photo, but the only shot we could get of the finish line was off of the big screen.  We were too busy watching the race to head to the finish line.  Those ducks were fast!!

This was a great event enjoyed by all and such a fantastic fundraiser for a wonderful organization.  The Disney Parks Blog announced that over $14,000 was raised on the day of the race with all four of the Disney ships participating.  I know it’s unrealistic to expect everyone onboard to participate, but think about the enormous amount of money that could be raised.  At just a $5.00 donation per ducky, times 4,000 passengers, times 52 cruises a year, these little guys would raise $1,040,000.00. Over a million dollars a years on one ship!  I haven’t heard yet if Disney is going to keep the Aqua Ducky Derby but I sure hope they do.

If you’d like to donate to Make-A-Wish you can do so on their website at https://wish.org/ways-to-help/giving/donate

Thanks for reading!

Jo Scholl, grateful Disney Vacation Club (DVC) owner and proud mom to three amazing adult children, one of whom is fellow columnist Shelley Scholl.  And a small black dog named Mickey Mouse!

If you’ve read Shelley’s recent article you already know that we were fortunate enough on our recent trip to be able to participate in a test of the Fast Pass Plus system at the Be Our Guest Restaurant for lunch.  Since we had already planned on having our first lunch experience there and were poised to stand in a very long line, be exposed to the harsh Florida sun, and eat earlier than we would typically like to hopefully reduce the amount of time we needed to wait; it was exceptionally exciting to by-pass all of our concerns by utilizing Fast Pass Plus.  But onto the food…….

Shel and I had independently decided what it was we were going to order for ourselves when she discovered that we had both picked the same item; the Croque Monsieur.  In an effort to experience more than one item on the menu, Shel switched to the Braised Pork (Coq Au Vin Style).  I’m sure everyone knows this by now, but the Be Our Guest luncheon experience is not like any other counter service meal anywhere in the Magic Kingdom, nor the entire world of WDW.  Once your order is placed you head to your table with your special rose and shortly thereafter your food arrives directly at your table, brought to you on one of the beautiful serving trolleys.  The one part of the dining experience that is similar to most other counter service locations is that you are given a cup and are able to choose and fill your beverage selection yourself at one of the several stations set throughout the restaurant.  Unfortunately for me, our food came so quickly that I missed the experience of actually witnessing our delivery.  All was well though, because the actual food surpassed expectations and was outrageously delicious!

All items on the menus are based on French food to complement the theming and décor of the restaurant.  The Croque Mousieur is a grilled sandwich of carved ham and gruyere cheese with a béchamel sauce, and is served with pommes frites (French fries).  I wasn’t entirely sure that I was going to like this sandwich due to the addition of the béchamel sauce as I’m not much of a sauce person when it comes to a sandwich; I don’t due butter, mayo, mustard or anything else typically.  Add to that the fact that béchamel is a white cream sauce made with butter flour and milk.  It’s what I use to make my homemade mac & cheese creamy, not something I would expect to have on a sandwich.  However, I wanted to make sure and experience the sandwich the way it was supposed to be eaten so I braved it.  Boy, was I glad I did.   The sauce was not thick or runny as I had supposed it might be, but just added a wonderful light creaminess to the sandwich.  I can’t even say that the sauce had much taste to it as much as it just seemed to bring out the flavor of both the ham and the cheese.  Proportions appeared perfect with exactly the right amount of all of the components and the sandwich was presented perfectly grilled, warm and gooey.  I am actually making myself hungry and want to have another one right now!  Not quite so successful were the pommes frites.  Perhaps I’m being unfair due to the fact that the sandwich was so delicious the frites just couldn’t compare.  Add to that the fact that I had eaten pommes frites at the Be Our Guest dinner service the night before.  Those pommes frites were INCREDIBLE and these just couldn’t measure up.  However, I wholeheartedly recommend the dish.  Potatoes are one of my favorite foods, but the sandwich was sooooo good, and more than enough food all by itself that I didn’t even need the frites.  I ate just a couple and was completely satisfied.  Here’s a picture of Shel’s pork.   No pic of the sandwich as it was so good we ate it before even thinking about taking the picture!

Now Shel, as previously mentioned, had the braised pork.   Pork is my absolutely favorite meat, but I was worried that this might be too heavy of a dish during the hot daytime hours.   After tasting Shel’s dish, I shouldn’t have worried and will probably be getting this the next time we go there.  The description of the dish is slow cooked port with vegetables and bacon with mashed potatoes and green beans jardinière.   I actually don’t know what the vegetables in the port were as it was hard to identify individual items in the rich and glossy brown sauce.  I suspect it was carrots and perhaps some other root vegetables.   You could definitely taste the bacon in the dish, though it wasn’t overwhelming which can sometimes happen, and the pork was incredibly juicy and delicious.  The green beans had a little too much stuff (jardinière, particularly red peppers) in them for my taste, but were still yummy.  I don’t think I even tasted the mashed potatoes as I was overwhelmed with the amount of food we had overall.   I’m pretty sure we polished off most of the pork dish and only about three quarters of the sandwich.  Of course, we were also saving ourselves for dessert!

Ah, dessert.   I can’t say that dessert is something we normally indulge in with lunch.  Sometimes we might get a sweet snack in the afternoon, but rarely do we order dessert.  However, we sacrificed for the cause; needing to experience dessert for the review!

A brief side note here regarding our previous dinner at Be Our Guest.  I obviously couldn’t wait for lunch and just had to order a dessert at dinner the night before.   I have to admit that nothing really stood out to me, but I ended up ordering the Chocolate Cream Puff.   I was not a fan.  Although the chocolate mousse in the cream puff was delicious, it was very dense and the puff itself was thick and heavy; not at all the light airy consistency you expect in a cream puff.  It was also a bit mushy.  So sorry, but I can’t personally recommend this item.

However, for lunch Shel and I both decided to try a cupcake.  Shel ordered the Lemon Meringue Cupcake and I ordered the Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake.  Again, I wasn’t overly excited by the choices because everything was filled.   I’m not sure I get the latest craze that cupcakes need be filled, but I tried anyway.   WOW!   I shouldn’t have worried for a second!  The strawberry cupcake was fantastic!  Everything about it was good.   Despite being filled, it was light and airy and the combination of the very berry tasting mousse in the middle combined with the tangy cream cheese frosting was amazing.   I snuck a little taste of Shel’s lemon cupcake and it was also really delicious.   The lemon was definitely tart, but gave a really nice balance with the fluffy meringue.   I found myself wanting to go back to Be Our Guest JUST for cupcakes; so I heartily recommend you try them.

Tart, tangy and delicious!

So delicious! Don’t know what those little pink balls were…. but they were soooo good!

We will go back?  Absolutely!  Would we stand in line?   I think we would.  The restaurant is reasonably priced, the atmosphere is enchanting, and the food was incredible.

Thanks for reading!

Jo Scholl is mom to three amazing children, one of whom is fellow columnist (and frequent travel partner) Shelley Scholl, and a small black dog named Mickey Mouse!

I’m crazy about DVC – Disney Vacation Club, and always have been. I often tell people that buying DVC was the best financial decision I ever made! I truly believe that and my belief has never wavered. So it is with a great deal of excitement that I’m announcing an additional Blog Talk radio broadcast to the WDW Fan Zone family; one that’s all about DVC!

Thanks to our founder, Stuart Sternberg for the idea and for asking me and my fellow columnist, Darlene Nagi to co-host the show.  Stuart, Darlene and I are both sooooo excited and grateful for the opportunity!

The main purpose of this show will be to share our passion for DVC with you, discuss what we love about DVC (and in some cases, don’t love), tell you where we’ve stayed or plan to stay in the future, and describe everything we can about DVC from an owner perspective. Both Darlene and I own DVC points, but became owners at different times and through different circumstances. I’ve been an owner since 1993 and Darlene is a newbie; having just purchased within the last couple of years. I think our different perspectives and experiences will make for some lively discussions.

This show won’t be statistical with a bunch of facts and figures, but rather very personal, dealing with our own impressions and experiences. We will of course, always endeavor to deliver accurate information. If we don’t know about something for sure, we’re going to own up to that. We’re sincerely hoping that a crucial element of the show will be listener input. We’d love to receive questions from you. If there’s something you’d like us to address, please send your questions to comments@wdwfanzone.com In addition we may sometimes ask guests to appear with us on the show. If you’re interested in discussing your view of DVC, let us know at the same comments address given above.

Our first show will be Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 9:00 AM EST and our goal is to produce one show a month airing on the third or fourth Saturday morning. Please join us at Blog Talk Radio. We’re looking forward to sharing our passion for all things DVC with you!

I’m missing the Magic Kingdom because, not only is it CRAZY cold here, but……….

1. It’s the holiday season and I know everything is decorated beautifully.  I’d go ahead and take the monorail to see the decorations at the resorts too.   So close to the Magic Kingdom and I just can’t pass up the opportunity to see them. The amazing tree, all of the decorations and the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian and the grand Christmas tree at Wilderness Lodge with its warm cozy atmosphere.  I know Wilderness Lodge is not on the monorail, but this is kind of a wish list of what I’d like to be doing, it’s going on anyway!
2. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is being held on select nights.   Hot chocolate, cookies, and it will snow on Main Street.  Even if it’s hot outside!
3. Castle Dream Lights on Cinderella Castle.  Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?
4. Celebrate the Magic.  If the Castle Dream Lights weren’t exciting enough, you can also see the castle illuminated and transformed with incredible images from Disney stories.
5. Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade.
6. Holiday Wishes.   Special seasonal fireworks.  What else is there to say?  FIREWORKS!  I love them!
7. The Jungle Cruise is currently sailing as the Jingle Cruise.   I don’t know if Disney
   has done this in the past.  I’ve certainly never heard of it, but doesn’t it sound like fun?
8. The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights.  I know it’s not in the Magic Kingdom, but really!  Would you be able to pass it up?   I know I couldn’t.
9. No more magical place on earth!  Always!  But especially during the holidays.
10. And finally.  My absolutely great friends Mary and Steve are there right now and I really miss them!

If like me, you can’t actually go to Walt Disney World for the holidays this year, I hope you enjoy some of my memories from last year!

The Grand Floridian tree from the upper balcony

Full shot of the tree. If you look carefully you can just see the Gingerbread House peeking out from the left rear of the tree!  They were just in the process of assembling it, so no pictures of the finished product during this trip.   It opened the day we left.

Interior of the Grand Floridian

The Wilderness Lodge tree. My friend Steve stayed up late and watched it go up. He said the lobby transformation was incredible!

The bridge over Silver Creek Springs at the Wilderness Lodge

Magic Kingdom Light Posts

Cinderella’s Castle in all its Christmas glory

In green

And finally, in blue! I could stare at it all night!

Happy Holidays from Shel & Jo

Jo Scholl is proud mom to three grown children and a small black dog named Mickey Mouse! 

Jo is also co-host with fellow columnist Darlene Nagi of the new WDW Fan Zone Radio Blogcast – DVC Edition.  Join us for our next broadcast on Saturday, December 28, 2013 at 8:00 AM CST.

The days leading up to Christmas were filled with all kinds of Disney activity; wrapping Disney themed gifts, purchasing new Disney ornaments and décor (Walgreen’s had some great stuff this year!), spending a day at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago exploring the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives, and lastly seeing Saving Mr. Banks.  Exploring the Disney exhibit at MSI was absolutely incredible.   I couldn’t believe what greeted us as we were driving up to the museum.

Our first impression when arriving at the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago

But, today’s article is going to be about Saving Mr. Banks.  This film was highly anticipated by both Disney fans and non-Disney fans.  Perhaps the question I heard people discussing most frequently was whether or not Tom Hanks (or anyone for that matter) could pull off a portrayal of the highly iconic, much beloved Walt Disney.  In my opinion neither Tom nor the movie itself disappointed.  If you don’t want to know anything about this movie prior to seeing it yourself, stop now and come back after you’ve seen it.   Although there are no spoilers per se in this article, sometimes you just want to see something first before listening to someone else’s opinion.  If you’ve chosen to read on, here goes.

Saving Mr. Banks is the story of how Walt convinced P.L. Travers to sign over the rights to Mary Poppins.  Like everyone else of my generation, and most everyone else on the planet, I loved Mary Poppins.  However, with my sincerest apologies to Mrs. Travers, I’m not sure I knew Mary Poppins existed until I saw the character come to life in Walt’s innovative and revolutionary movie in 1964.  How sad it would have been if Mary Poppins had never been made and we had not been able to share this treasure with generations to come.  In Saving Mr. Banks we see how close we came to this actually happing.  You see, Mrs. Travers, as brilliantly played by Emma Thompson, was a rather prickly individual.   My biggest surprise with this movie was that a great portion of the story focuses on her background.  Although I didn’t know this was going to be the case, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the movie.  Instead it enhanced the overall story for me because it showed Walt’s resolve, persuasiveness and dedication to making this movie in fulfillment of a promise to his daughters.

I was initially a bit concerned when Tom Hanks first appeared as Walt.  Having grown up with Walt in my living room every Sunday night, he was most definitely a “real” person to me.   Tom really doesn’t look anything like Walt, and in interviews pre-release he talked about how Walt’s (Tom’s) mustache became the most important mustache in film history.  Obviously the importance given to the mustache was an effort to “help” Tom resemble Walt.  In my opinion though, the eyes really did the trick.   Whoever did the eye makeup on Tom was amazing.  Although the brows still weren’t quite right, the shape of the eye, and most notably, the “bags” under the eyes really did the trick for me.  Also Tom perfected Walt’s stance, walk and mannerisms.  That just left the voice.   For my fellow baby boomers who welcomed Walt into their homes each week, you know Walt’s voice was very distinctive.   To begin with the voice just wasn’t right, but as the movie went on it became more and more like Walt.   It’s a testament to the movie itself and most certainly Mr. Hanks that before long I believed I was really watching Walt.

I briefly mentioned Emma Thompson before and stated that she was brilliant.  There is simply nothing more to say.

The sleeper performer in this movie, for me, was Colin Farrell as Travers Goff (who we learn was P.L. Travers’ father).   I’ve never been a big fan of Mr. Farrell.  I think most times I can take him or leave him.   He’s certainly cute, handsome really, but he tends to play rough, gritty or nasty characters.  Travers Goff is a tortured soul, seemly unhappy with his everyday life, but full of whimsy and brimming with love for his family.  Colin Farrell does an absolutely amazing job and turned me into a fan of his for life.

All of the casting was spectacular.  Special mention has to go to Annie Rose Buckley as the young Ginty (P.L. Travers as a child), Ruth Wilson (Margaret Goff), Paul Giamatti (Ralph) and B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman as Robert and Richard Sherman, Kathy Baker (Tommie), Melanie Paxson (Dolly) and Rachel Griffiths (Aunt Ellie, the inspiration for Mary Poppins).   A bit lost in the production is Bradley Whitford as Don Da Gradi.   This has nothing to do with Mr. Whitford’s talent, as he too was wonderful.  It’s just that all of the other characters were simply larger than life.

I really had a special connection to this movie during the scenes which featured Richard Sherman.  I was lucky enough to revel in an intimate performance given by Mr. Sherman to a group of about 500 in 2012 on Lou Mongello’s Dream Cruise 2.0.  Not only did he share his amazing talent with our group but he engrossed us with stories of his career and time with Walt.   Although I was a pre-teen when this movie took place, my connection to Mr. Sherman made me really feel I was actually in the room!  It was in a word, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

So you see this actually wasn’t much of a review; instead I had to take a few moments to praise everyone involved. I’m sure the entire crew was fantastic, but the cast is who really brought this tale to life for me. I loved this movie!  Loved, loved, loved it!  If you haven’t yet seen it, go now, run and do it now!  In fact, as I write this article, I’m preparing to see it again tonight!

Preparing for a fun day!

Jo Scholl, WDW Fan Zone columnist, is mom to three wonderful grown children (one of whom is fellow columnist Shelley Scholl), and a small black dog named Mickey Mouse.  Jo is also co-host (with fellow columnist Darlene Nagi) of the WDW Fan Zone Blog Talk Radio Blogcast – DVC Edition, where Darlene and I share our passion for all things DVC (Disney Vacation Club).  Please join us for our next episode on Saturday, January 18 at 8:00 AM/CST at Blog Talk Radio

As I sit bundled up in a blanket due to Chicago’s -14^o weather tonight (with a wind chill factor of 35^o below zero………  BRRRRR!), I’m dreaming of warm, sunny Florida weather.  Although right now mid-90’s and sunny sounds absolutely heavenly, in reality sometimes that level of heat (and humidity) can be almost as hard to cope with as these freezing temperatures.

But in an effort to keep myself warm right now, I’m dreaming of that heat and thinking about what I like to do when it actually gets a little too hot to handle in the parks.   Here’s my list:

1.  Go spend some time at the pool.  This one is really a no brainer and not very original, but it’s tried and true and always soothes.  If you happen to be a DVC member, you are also invited to pool hop, which is a great opportunity to visit pools outside of the resort you are staying at.  Just keep in mind that some pools are closed off from pool hopping; Stormalong Bay at the Yacht and Beach Club and Uzima at Animal Kingdom Lodge have not been participants in this benefit for many years.  Recently added to the exception list were the Bay Cove Pool at Bay Lake Tower and the pools at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.  So if you want to utilize any of these specific pools, you’ll have to book your stay at those resorts.  There are still lots of great options though and trying new pools can be a lot of fun!

   The Grand Floridian Waterfall Pool

2. Since you’re going to be pool hopping anyway, take time to visit Disney resorts you may not have stayed at.  If you’re trying to get out of the heat and stay cool, don’t worry about the grounds on this outing, there’s still plenty to see inside each resort.  Go exploring beyond the lobbies; walk down a couple of halls and scope out good locations for future stays.  Visit the gift shops and check out dining options.

   This amazing artwork is at the Art of Animation. You can spend hours looking at everything.

3.  Go have a nice sit down lunch somewhere.  Although I enjoy just about every restaurant both in and out of the parks, for this suggestion, go ahead and leave the park you’re in.  Magic Kingdom is the easiest park to do this from because the hotels on the monorail loop offer many pleasant options, but you can also jump on a bus and go to any of the resorts.   If you don’t want to actually have a formal sit down, try some of the great food courts at the resorts.  One of my favorites is Landscape of Flavors at the Art of Animation.   It’s huge and you’ll find something to suit everyone’s palate.

   Landscape of Flavors is tucked into the back of the Ink and Paint Shop at the Art of Animation

4.  Keeping to the food theme, but something a little different.  Go have tea at the Grand Floridian.  I almost hate to suggest this one because it seems as if it’s a bit of a hidden treasure.  It’s never been crowded when we’ve been there.   We always schedule it on a Magic Kingdom day and it’s a perfect break during a hot day.  It’s just a beautiful and relaxing atmosphere that just being there seems to cool you off.

   Tea sandwiches at the Grand Floridian

   A selection of desserts at tea

   The amazing strawberries and cream! Yum!!

   Look how beautiful the presentation is. No mistaking where this is being served!

    

5.  Last, go to a movie.  I know this seems a little weird to some to think about going to a movie when it’s something you can do at home anytime.  But, it’s a really nice way to take a couple of hours to cool off during the hottest period of the day.   By the time the movie is over you’ll feel ready to head back into a park and resume the fun after the worst heat of the day has passed.

   So go grab a bus like this one and head on out to find something cool to do.

Jo Scholl, WDW Fan Zone columnist, is mom to three wonderful grown children (one of whom is fellow columnist Shelley Scholl), and a small black dog named Mickey Mouse.  Jo is also co-host (with fellow columnist Darlene Nagi) of the WDW Fan Zone Blog Talk Radio Blogcast – DVC Edition, where Darlene and I share our passion for all things DVC (Disney Vacation Club).  Please join us for our next episode on Sunday, February 23 at 8:00 AM/CST at Blog Talk Radio

If you’re on this particular website and reading this post, you’re probably at least a little bit obsessed with Disney. Or, you may be the newbie who is trying to do research for their first trip to Walt Disney World or Disneyland. Don’t worry or feel left out, once you cross onto Disney property that obsession will begin to take hold and you’ll soon join the ranks of those of us that couldn’t imagine a life without Disney, be it the parks, DVC, movies, music, the Disney Cruise Line or the endless other facets of the legacy Walt left behind.

I’m here to express my gratitude for the joy that Disney brings into my life. 2014 has been a very difficult year for my family so far. We’ve experienced illness, injury and loss and at times it’s been really overwhelming. Perhaps it sounds trite to some, but the magic balm that soothes my soul is Disney. Of course trip planning is the number one thing I look forward to the most, and I am fortunate enough to have two trips planned for this year; one to WDW and one on the Fantasy. However, the benefits I receive go far beyond just vacations. If I’m feeling particularly blue all I need to do is pop a Disney movie into my DVD player or turn up the volume on my iPhone with the score from one of the classic animated films or music from the parks. This simple act always makes me feel I’m part of the fairy tale when actually all I’m doing is sitting on my couch, cleaning house, going to work, etc. I would hazard a guess that whether you’re obsessed with Disney or not, you would be hard pressed to not find yourself smiling when doing one of these things.

Do I buy into the commercialism of Disney? Absolutely! And willingly. I wander into the Disney Store every chance I get just to get a little “fix” of the magic. I have Disney items in my house, Disney clothing, Disney artwork, Disney cups, pens, stationery, keychains, etc. and every one of these items brings me joy.  But what I value more than anything is the friendships that Disney has brought to my life. Sharing common interests is always a great basis for a friendship, but the mindset of a Disney obsessed fan is just different. I think we tend to be the “glass half full” type of people, because no matter what curves life may throw us, we can ALWAYS find joy in our Disney experiences.   I am so very grateful for those individuals Disney has brought into my life; the love and support they offer, and the absolute joy they bring!!

My amazing Disney friends with some of Disney’s incredible cast members.

Thank you Walt!

Jo Scholl, WDW Fan Zone columnist, is mom to three wonderful grown children (one of whom is fellow columnist Shelley Scholl), and a small black dog named Mickey Mouse.  Jo is also co-host (with fellow columnist Darlene Nagi) of the WDW Fan Zone Blog Talk Radio Blogcast – DVC Edition, where Darlene and I share our passion for all things DVC (Disney Vacation Club).  Please join us for our next episode on Sunday, March 30 at 8:00 AM/CST at Blog Talk Radio

Today I invite you to join me for one of our favorite traditions.  Dinner at Palo!  Please share our dinner at Palo on the Disney Fantasy!  Of course we must start with cocktails!!  However don’t miss the dessert at the end.  I hope you enjoy this visual culinary feast!!

Bellini

Cucumber Martini

Antipasti

Fritto di Calamari

Fresh Arugula Salad

Mozzarella and Plum Tomatoes

Potato Gnocchi served with Gorgonzola Sauce with Asparagus

Lobster and Marscopone Ravioli

Chianti Braised Beel Ravioli

Intermezzo

Beef Filet with Bordeaux Sauce

Beef Filet with Gorgonzola Sauce

Palos Lengendary Chocolate Souffle

My good friend John with our lovely server Jessica. Ending our meal with a bang! Ahhhhh

Jo Scholl, WDW Fan Zone columnist, is mom to three wonderful grown children (one of whom is fellow columnist Shelley Scholl), and a small black dog named Mickey Mouse.  Jo is also co-host (with fellow columnist Darlene Nagi) of the WDW Fan Zone Blog Talk Radio Blogcast – DVC Edition, where Darlene and I share our passion for all things DVC (Disney Vacation Club).  Please join us for our next episode on Sunday, April 27th at 8:00 AM/CST at Blog Talk Radio

I love texture and design so one of the things I enjoy doing is taking pictures of the incredible choices Disney makes when decorating their properties; or in this case the Disney Fantasy. Lou Mongello, host of WDW Radio always says to “look up, look down and all around you”.  You’ll never know what you might see.  I’m forever taking pictures of carpets, tile, lamps, chairs, drapery, etc.  So here’s a visual tour of some of the items I found of interest while sailing on the Disney Fantasy.  These photos are in no particular order so make sure and look through all of them as you might discover something you didn’t know.  I hope you enjoy!

Royal Court – centerpiece of the restaurant

Do you know where this tile work is? If so leave the answer in the comments section. I can’t remember and it’s driving me a little crazy!

Amazing both top and bottom! This is the shopping area right outside of the Walt Disney Theatre.

This one is outside the Buena Vista Theatre. Notice the direction of the heads again. The ears are forward while the bottom of Mickey’s head is aft.

The peacock theme carries up to the second level above the atrium. This is a popular character meet and greet area.

Part of the atrium side seating area

Outside the elevators overlooking the atrium

One of my favorite carpet themes on any of the ships. The Peacock!

The atrium chandelier close to the top. Quite a different perspective.

So this one’s not up or down, but rather behind a door! The very special guest “facility” outside of Palo. It’s worth a look!

The entrance to Palo. Spectacular!

Quiet Cove Pool from the deck above. I like to think there’s a second Mickey ear under that balcony overhang. Sadly there is not but that doesn’t stop me from considering this a “Hidden Mickey”

Stateroom hallway carpet. Do you know that many of the carpets are directional? The top of the world here is forward in ship speak!

Atrium chandelier from the vantage point directly below

Cabana’s

Jo Scholl, WDW Fan Zone columnist, is mom to three wonderful grown children (one of whom is fellow columnist Shelley Scholl), and a small black dog named Mickey Mouse.  Jo is also co-host (with fellow columnist Darlene Nagi) of the WDW Fan Zone Blog Talk Radio Blogcast – DVC Edition, where Darlene and Jo share their passion for all things DVC (Disney Vacation Club).  Please look for next episode on Saturday, May 17th at 8:00 AM/CST at Blog Talk Radio. 

Seven Dwarf’s attraction sign letting me know that the ride would not open for six more days!

In May, I was lucky enough to have two and a half days scheduled to visit Walt Disney World. How do you decide what to do when you only have a limited time to visit? For me, there was not a big decision, as I knew one of the days would be devoted to the Magic Kingdom. After all, the Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train was going to be opened.   Or so I thought! My timing has always been particularly bad when it comes to openings. It’s just a coincidence since I don’t think I’ve ever planned a trip especially around something opening. My trips always seem to fall just a day or two short of new events or attractions. So you can imagine my disappointment (though not surprise) when it was announced that Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train (SDMT) would open on May 28^th.   You see, our one and only day in the Magic Kingdom was scheduled for May 22^nd!

Depression set in as I reflected on the fact that I was going to miss the opening by six days! I became a crazy woman as I logged onto My Disney Experience at every opportunity to see if a soft opening would occur, and if so, if Fast Pass Plus (FP+) would become available. I’m sure I checked the site four, five or six times per day! Then it occurred to me…..   Wasn’t I the press? After all I write for this blog! Shelley told me that if I was considered important press, I would have been invited to attend the press event. However, my delusions continued; deciding what could it hurt to ask.

On my travel day, Shel let me know that testing was taking place. Oh my! My excitement started to build! Maybe, just maybe, they would test tomorrow! We arrived at the Magic Kingdom bright and early in order to be one of the first to get in and I went immediately to Guest Services.   Were they testing today?   No.   Were they going to be?   No. I did tell them I wanted to write an article, and they were very nice, but still said that no tests were planned. INSERT very sad face here! We went immediately to our first FP+ at Thunder Mountain, but I could get the SDMT out of my head. So after a thrilling double ride (they let us go twice – yay us!) I told my traveling companion, Donna, that I was going to head over to SDMT. Donna reminded me they weren’t open, but that wasn’t going to stop me. I had to at least see it, didn’t I? I went up to the normal (empty) queue and talked to a cast member who also very nicely informed me that testing would not take place today. But, I looked over to my right and there appeared to be a queue. What was this? I spoke to a second cast member over toward this unofficial queue and was told that people were lining up and waiting for the possibility of testing occurring. Well, sign me up! Donna thought I was crazy, but graciously agreed to wait with me in the 90 plus degree weather; no shade, after all this wasn’t really a queue at all.   The excitement level was crazy. Everyone was chomping at the bit to get onto a ride that wasn’t even open! Within ten minutes or so, it appeared we started to move. Were people getting frustrated and leaving the queue?   No. When we looked over at the official interior queue of the ride (previously entirely empty), there were people there! Wow! Was this really going to happen?   IT DID!!!! I’m proud to say that on May 22^ndat approximately 10:16 AM I had the privilege to test ride Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train!   Wishes really do come true!

Up close and personal

I loved it! I am entirely incapable of writing an appropriate review of this ride because I was too darn excited to take it all in! I will tell you the ride is FUN!   Fun for the whole family! I’m a thrill seeker and typically like extreme rides best, but Disney did a fantastic job making this ride enjoyable for all, including a thrill seeker like me. This coaster doesn’t offer big thrills, but engages your senses at every twist and turn. The ride is so smooth that you feel as if you are going faster than what you probably are. The rocking motion of the individual cars is amazing! The ride seems both fast and slow at the same time. Confusing I know, but basically I’d say that it’s due to the fact that you are experiencing the thrill of a coaster with the fantastic sensory overload of incredible Imagineering, highly advanced audio- animatronics, and just plain breathtaking scenery.   I’m beyond thrilled I got to experience this amazing new ride.   With just one ride under my belt, I can quite confidently say that this is my new favorite ride in the Magic Kingdom. I can’t wait to ride it again on my next trip!

Me and Donna in front of Snow White’s cottage. Thrilled after our ride!

Jo Scholl, grateful Disney Vacation Club (DVC) owner and proud mom to three amazing adult children, one of whom is fellow columnist Shelley Scholl. And a small black dog named Mickey Mouse!

Jo is also co-host with fellow columnist Darlene Nagi of the new WDW Fan Zone Radio Blogcast – DVC Edition. Join us for our next broadcast on Saturday, June 21, 2014 at 8:00 AM CST when we will be discussing Disney original vacation club property, Old Key West.

Different trip – same amazing ship!

As I was driving into work this morning I fantasized about being on vacation instead.  I’m sure many of you probably do the same thing every day.  Anyway, as I was in the middle of my fantasy I stopped to reflect how really lucky I am because my fantasy becomes reality in 84 days, 120 days, 237 days and 293 days!  I have four Disney trips with my wonderful daughter Shelley coming up in the next year!!  This has never happened before and I am so incredibly excited.

In the past I’m written about how much I enjoy the anticipation of trip planning and also how grateful I feel for the opportunity to travel like this.  THANK YOU Disney Vacation Club!  Although we are actually paying for one of the upcoming trips without utilizing DVC points (gasp!), none of this would be possible without being a DVC owner.  (Insert shameless plug for DVC!)

So where are we going?

• Trip #1 – Disney Fantasy – Eastern Caribbean – a grand celebration of a very special friend’s milestone birthday.  Nine of us are going and we’re going to have an amazing time!
• Trip #2 – Our first stay at the Wilderness Lodge (Villas) with two of our favorite people!  So excited for this one as the timing puts us there for Christmas decorations, and it’s a resort I haven’t stayed in yet.  Check off one more box on the list of trying to stay everyone at least once!
• Trip #3 – An all girl’s trip to the Flower & Garden Festival next spring.  We’ll be staying in one of our favorite locations, the Boardwalk Villas.   Everyone is excited for this trip now that F&G is like a mini Food & Wine Festival.
• Trip #4 – Disney Wonder – Panama Canal – 14 days of bliss!  Lots of time to relax and the excitement of the Canal itself and three ports we’ve never been too.  This was actually the first trip I ever wanted to take on Disney and I’m finally getting to do it 14 years later!!

The excitement builds every day!

I’m in a state of disbelief that this is actually happening.  I never thought I’d be able to experience this kind of travel.  I am (more than) a little freaked out but all of the expenses not covered by utilizing DVC points for our accommodations, but confident it will somehow all work out.  It’s kind of an enforced saving program.  I can’t waste money shopping for frivolous items when every penny needs to be saved for me to indulge in this type of travel.  I’m sure there will be less movies and going out and also many more bagged luncheons and dinners at home in my future.  A small price to pay for such an exciting upcoming year!

I can’t wait to tell you all about the Panama Canal a year from now!

Heading back soon!

Jo Scholl, grateful Disney Vacation Club (DVC) owner and proud mom to three amazing adult children, one of whom is fellow columnist Shelley Scholl. And a small black dog named Mickey Mouse!

Jo is also co-host with fellow columnist Darlene Nagi of the new WDW Fan Zone Radio Blogcast – DVC Edition. Join us for our next broadcast on Saturday, July 19, 2014 at 8:00 AM CST when we share our passion for all things DVC.

Photo courtesy of Callum Lukey

Never have I enjoyed a movie so much when I wasn’t sure I even wanted to see it in the first place!   Maleficent – if you don’t read any further, read this…..RUN don’t walk to see this amazing movie!

Maleficent was released on May 30, 2014. I was unable to attend opening weekend and unsure whether I even really wanted to go or cared if I just missed the theatrical release and perhaps saw the movie sometime in the future on video.   Finally, three of my friends and I made the decision to go see Maleficient over the July 4^th weekend. Not only was I sorry I waited, but all four of us were all ready to see it immediately a second time. Unfortunately we had dinner plans which couldn’t be rearranged and we didn’t have the time.  So sad!

Maleficient is the retelling of Sleeping Beauty focusing on the character development of Maleficent herself. She’s a Disney villain, right? We all know that, so why do we need to know more about her?   Much in the same vein as Disney’s and ABC’s popular Once Upon a Time the slant on the story, in this case the character, is twisted. Maleficient is not exactly who you think she is. Rather, we begin by learning why she is the way she is; evil.   As the movie develops you begin to question whether or not she actually is as evil as we’ve been led to believe. I don’t want to give out any more of the storyline or the development of the character because it could spoil it for you, but take it from me it’s worth seeing the story revisited.

As much as I loved and enjoyed the story, my favorite part was by far, Angelina Jolie. Angelina as Maleficent is MAGNIFICENT!   Truly, she was born to play this role! There are not enough superlatives to describe what an amazing job she did. Her voice, her walk, every mannerism, and her incredible beauty all completely defined the character and made you believe she was Maleficient right from the first moment you saw her. Yes, there was a significant amount of make-up to define her facial features in a specific way, but her eyes mesmerized you throughout every scene and drew you to her for every moment of every scene she was in. Elle Fanning as Princess Aurora was also beautifully cast as was an amazing bird you’ll just have to see. And make sure and keep your eyes open for the debut of Shiloh Jolie-Pitt as the toddler Aurora. Angelina stated in an interview that they had to cast her child since any other child would have been afraid of her in full Maleficent regalia. Shiloh is probably in the movie for no more than a minute or two, but appears to have a future in movies if she chooses to go in that direction; probably due to the charisma she’s inherited from her parents!

So I know critics didn’t love this movie, and I’ve seen some very mixed reactions from within the Disney community, but I loved it! The three people I was with loved it! And, as we were leaving for our dinner reservation we were already planning the movie night we were going to have in front of the 65” television screen as soon as this movie is released to video!

Go see it now while it is still out on the big screen! The story is great, the actors are great and although I didn’t discuss it above, the scenery, set design and cinematography are all incredible!!

Jo Scholl, grateful Disney Vacation Club (DVC) owner and proud mom to three amazing adult children, one of whom is fellow columnist Shelley Scholl. And a small black dog named Mickey Mouse!

Jo is also co-host with fellow columnist Darlene Nagi of the new WDW Fan Zone Radio Blogcast – DVC Edition. Join us for our next broadcast on Saturday, August 23, 2014 at 8:00 AM CST when we will be discussing Darlene’s latest vacation to WDW and the amazing DVC properties she is staying at.

Today’s article will be very short and sweet.   If you are departing for a Walt Disney World vacation anytime soon and are utilizing Magical Express for your transportation to the World, make sure and WEAR your Magic Bands.   I know that sounds really simple, but on a recent visit the Cast Members at the Magical Express area of the airport said that most travelers are still not doing this.   In case you weren’t aware, your Magical Express reservation is part of the Magic Band system and can (and should) be used in place of the booklet everyone is used to receiving in the mail.   Perhaps that’s part of the problem since Disney is still sending the paper booklets with your “ticket”.   You don’t need it.   Just swipe your Magic Band. Isn’t it great to have one more thing automatically done for you?   I know a lot of people are still weighing in on Magic Bands and whether or not they are in favor or not.   I am definitely in big favor of the program and love them!

So where should Magic Bands go next? Since I’m off to the Fantasy in October, I’d definitely say the Disney Cruise Line fleet of ships.   The Dream and Fantasy already took technology to a whole new level aboard with swiping key cards on cabin doors instead of needing to insert them into a slot, and having lights go on and off in the staterooms based on whether or not your card was loaded into the receptacle. Wouldn’t it make sense to just wear your Magic Band there too?   I think so. It would be perfect for Castaway Cay too since you wouldn’t even need to carry your key card; your Magic Band could take care of everything.   I don’t know about you, but one less thing to carry (yes, even as small as a key card) and I’m definitely in, or on board (pun intended) as the case may be!

Can’t wait to share my cruise experience with you. Thanks for reading!

Photo courtesy of Shelley Scholl

Jo Scholl, grateful Disney Vacation Club (DVC) owner and proud mom to three amazing adult children, one of whom is fellow columnist Shelley Scholl. And a small black dog named Mickey Mouse!

Jo is also co-host with fellow columnist Darlene Nagi of the new WDW Fan Zone Radio Blogcast – DVC Edition. Join us for our next broadcast on Saturday, September 20, 2014 at 8:00 AM CST when we will be discussing Darlene’s latest vacation to WDW and the amazing DVC properties she stayed at.