Celebrate National Sandwich Day by Signing up to Get a FREE Sandwich at Disney

Published November 3, 2013 by Disneyways.com

Why not celebrate National Sandwich Day by signing up to Get a FREE sandwich at Disney? National Sandwich Day is TODAY November 3rd!

John Montagu was the 4th Earl of Sandwich, and lucky for us, he was also a heavy gambler. Montagu often spent many long hours in London’s gambling parlors. In 1762, he created the sandwich by putting meat between two pieces of bread so that he could remain at the gambling table during his meal.

Obviously, the sandwich was named after him, and the rest as they say…is history.

Here are 3 ways you might want to celebrate today, and show Earl a nod of thanks:

First head over to DeliFreshThreads.com and check out the awesome sandwich themed shirts! Until midnight tonight – you can get 25% off if you use THANKSEARL as your checkout code.

Second, you can learn how to get a free sandwich at Downtown Disney’s Earl of Sandwich (or other select locations) by clicking here.

Finally, whether you are at Disney or not, why not consume your favorite sandwich? Better yet, go ahead, be bold and daring..try a new sandwich! Have a magical day!

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What to Do With Leftover Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Candy

Published November 2, 2013 by Disneyways.com

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party was great – but now you’ve been pilfering from the trick-or-treat stash. This week your kids have come home with bucketfuls of candy. This candy binge has to end!

Or does it? Fortunately, there are dozens of things you can do with leftover candy to make sure not a single sweet treat goes to waste. Thanks to the Huffington Post for all of these great ideas!

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Leftover candy for baking

Hand Pies. It doesn’t get simpler than this. Buy pre-made refrigerated pie crust and use a cookie cutter to cut it into circles. Chop up the candy, sprinkle it on the crust, fold it over, crimp the edges and bake.

Stained Glass Cookies. Here’s an idea for your leftover lollipops and hard candies. First, crush candies up in a food processor. Roll out sugar cookie dough, cut your shape, then use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out the center. Place the outlined shape on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Fill the center with your crushed hard candy and bake the required time.

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Candy Bar Ice Cream.

Four ingredients is all you need for this delicious ice cream. Melt 4 oz chopped candy bars with a ½ cup sweetened condensed milk in a double boiler. Then stir in a cup each of whole milk and half and half. Refrigerate for 2 hours, process in an ice cream maker and sprinkle some chopped candy bars on it before serving.

Candy Bark.

So easy, so delicious! Melt plain chocolate bars in a double boiler and then pour onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread into an even layer, then sprinkle on an assortment of leftover candy. Let it set for a few hours and enjoy.

Change up the consistency.

Use a food processor, nut grinder, or microplane to create candy grounds for all your holiday baking. Use it as ice cream topping, bake it into cookies, sprinkle on top of cupcakes or cheesecakes, and stir it into your hot chocolate.

Leftover candy for decorating (and gifting)

Count down to Christmas.

It will be much easier to control your child’s candy intake if you incorporate it into an advent calendar. There are a million ways to do it. We like this one where you take a bulletin board and use a hodgepodge of boxes for each day. Click the photo to be taken to the instructions on ArtistsHelpingChildren.org.

Save it for the gingerbread men.

A gingerbread house doesn’t have to be all gum drops and candy canes. Your Halloween candy can make a castle fit for a gingerbread king like a chocolate bar thatched roof!

Decorate your door.

Buy a Styrofoam wreath from a craft store. Wrap a decorative ribbon around the top of your wreath and tie it off to create a wreath hook for your door. Then glue on candy starting with the biggest pieces. For a glue-free wreath use lollipops and stick them right into the Styrofoam. Click on the photo below go be taken to KnittingNeedlesandRunningShoes.blogspot.com for instructions.

Donate it to the troops.

Get into the spirit of giving with your leftover Halloween candy. Non-profits are gearing up to send holiday care packages to troops and Halloween candy is the perfect addition.

Final tip: Oops! No leftover candy, only candy wrappers? Kids can make candy wrapper turkey wall art. Gather together all the fall-colored wrappers (hello, Reese’s, M&Ms, Butterfingers, Snickers, Tootsie Rolls and Kit Kats). Click on the photo below for instructions from HousingAForest.com

So what do you think? Will you be doing any of these?

Solving the Mystery of the Disney World Turkey Leg

Published November 1, 2013 by Disneyways.com

Disney World turkey legs…are they really made of turkey?

What gives them that unique taste?

Do we really want to know?

Next to Dole Whips, School Bread, and Mickey Bars – the Turkey Leg has trotted it’s way into the lineup of iconic Disney foods. Please join me this month as we explore the subject of the Disney Turkey Leg (and more!) in the November edition of the Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free at Walt Disney World newsletter!

Special thanks to Sarah Norris for allowing me to guest post. I am thrilled to be a part.

Just click on the photo below to get all the turkey talk and remember – if you are doing Disney on a special diet –

do not miss the Gluten and Dairy Free at Walt Disney World site!

Have a magical day!

Review! Illuminations Special Diets Dessert Party 2013

Published October 31, 2013 by Disneyways.com

You heard us talk about it all year, and the day finally came for the annual Special Diets Dessert Party in 2013!

Click HERE to read the review that I did for WDW News Today. Keep watching DisneyWays and GFDF at Walt Disney World for news on when the next event will be coming!

Time for a Cool Change at Club Cool

Published October 30, 2013 by Disneyways.com

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Get ready for some changes at Club Cool in Epcot! Starting October 30th 2013 Club Cool got some new flavors! I was in Club Cool the other day and noticed many sodas were out of order or no longer available (including my favorite…Smart Watermelon.)

Sadly, I never even got to say goodbye. (sniff sniff…)

Please click HERE to read my post at Chip & Co. all about the new flavors that are coming… what’s staying…and what’s gone for good! Follow Chip & Co. on Instagram and Twitter for live photos from the parks today and all month long!

Prize Giveaway and an Interview with Jeff Bahm: Owner of Doombuggies.com

Published October 30, 2013 by Disneyways.com

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Check out show #74 with the impressive Jeff Baham! Jeff has had a long history with Disney which is very interesting. Besides all of that though, I think Jeff is SO cool. You know how you get to talk to someone and from that day on – you just think wow…that person is SO cool? Yeah…that is Jeff.

You will hear on the show that he is amazingly humble and knowledgeable. I don’t listen to a lot of other Disney podcasts but Jeff’s podcast – Moustalgia is on my list. I love learning about Disneyland since I have never been there. The team has great chemistry on the show, and each podcast ropes me in from beginning to end! It’s no surprise that Mousetalgia was nominated for the Podcast Awards this year. You can vote for them here.

Jeff is the author of THE Unofficial History of Disney’s Haunted Mansion. He has years of involvement with his award-winning Disney fan sites, such as Doombuggies.com – AND he hosts the Moustalgia Podcast. You can also check out Doombuggies.com for a link to listen to his brand new podcast all about the Haunted Mansion. He has served a term on the Disneyland Creative Advisory Council, and has worked closely with Disneyland and Walt Disney World to help develop and promote special events, including a re-creation of Disneyland’s Tahitian Terrace in 2012. This guy has even rubbed elbows with some of Disney’s greatest legends– including Richard Sherman!

For a limited time, you can enter here to win a free autographed copy of Jeff’s book!

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Highlights of this awesome interview with Jeff include:

My terrible impression of the ghost host (OK that’s NOT a highlight…)
How Jeff got to go to Richard Sherman’s birthday party
Here is a link to buy your copy of “The Boys” – a fantastic movie produced by the children of the Sherman brothers about their Dads – and what really happened in their career
The story of how a family got to sleep in the Haunted Mansion one night
How Jeff and his team celebrated the 10th anniversary of Doom Buggies – wow what a party!!
How Jeff got to serve a term on the Disneyland Creative Advisory Council
Learn about all the cool stuff they do at Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion for Halloween
If both were falling off a cliff – would Jeff save Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion or Disney World’s Haunted Mansion? Find out here!

Click HERE to listen to the show directly from your computer. Look for the small grey circle with the sideways white triangle inside. Click on that circle and make sure your speakers are on. The show will begin immediately.

Thanks for listening and be sure and send us your feedback! Have a magical day!

Video: Your Questions Answered – The Reimagined Disney Magic Cruise Ship

Published October 29, 2013 by Disneyways.com

I asked some friends to send me their questions about anything they wanted to know about the newly reimagined Disney Magic, and these wonderful folks really delivered! Thank you all so much for these awesome and fun questions – I hope my answers are worthy!

My husband and I were very fortunate to spend 2 wonderful nights on the beautiful Disney Magic. It was our first ever Disney cruise – and cost us way too much money – but we really enjoyed it!

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This is my first time making a video like this. I am a total nerd – nervous – and the video itself is of pretty poor quality. I apologize for all of that, but I hope you find the information helpful. I found out the hard way that YouTube only gives you the ability to load 15 minutes of video – so I had to separate mine into one 7 minute segment and one 8 minute segment.

Thanks for tuning in and muddling through all of this with me as I embark on this new method of sharing the Disney magic with you! Please send me your thoughts and feedback. I would love to hear from you!

Have a magical day!

My Embarrassing Character Secret – and Some Tips For Seeing and Meeting the Characters on Your Disney Cruise

Published October 28, 2013 by Disneyways.com

I have something to confess. Meeting characters in the Disney Parks is not on my top 5 list of favorite things to do. I could never really put my finger on exactly why that is. I promise I am not a character snob. I adore Disney characters with all my heart, I love getting hugs, I love watching other people meet them – so what the heck is my problem? It took going on my first Disney cruise to figure it out. I am pretty sure my problem is the walking, the waiting in the heat, and the fact that the LAST thing I want is my picture taken after the humidity attacks my hair and makeup. I think I just didn’t want to admit any of this to myself and it’s still a bit embarrassing to admit it to you now.

But, guess what? Getting on the cruise ship with it’s shorter lines, variety of characters close together…and glorious AC converted me into a full-fledged character person. This means there is hope for anyone! So if you are having that awkward moment when you realize character meet and greets aren’t your thing…give it a try on a Disney Cruise. All of a sudden I was excited and wanting to meet every single character I possibly could! In the process I learned some things about the best ways to see the characters — and also how character meet and greets work on the Disney Cruise Line.

Much to my surprise – characters started appearing before we even boarded the ship! So my first tip is to keep a watchful eye before and during your cruise!

To begin, your cruise will kick off with an awesome character party. You don’t get to meet and greet but you might get to dance and sing along with some of your favorite characters. It’s super fun to see them in their cruise wear!

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Just like in the parks, if you want to meet the characters, you need a plan. So your first step is to check out the cruise program. The program is called the Personal Navigator – and it’s delivered each night to your room automagically.

Your Personal Navigator shows you which characters are slated to make an appearance and where. If you find a character that the family wants to meet, be sure to get to the spot a little early to get ahead of the crowds. If you are late, the lines can get long…but it’s all good. Making friends is super easy on a Disney Cruise, even when you are in line.

navigator

My next tip might be more like a secret. Check your Navigator for open house times at the kid’s clubs. My husband and I dropped in to see all the cool new stuff they are offering. While we were there – Tiana came in to tell the kids a story. I don’t think it was formally announced that she would be there. For whatever reason, she took me by complete surprise. I felt pretty ridiculous for having such a hard time choking back the tears – but I was so excited to see her! Princess Tiana was just so lovely! The kids were absolutely enthralled with her and hanging on to her every word. There was a feeling in that room that I just can’t describe. Beyond sweet and beyond magical.

Tiana

Our cruise did not have any stops but most of them do. Obviously, the Disney theme continues offshore, too. When you disembark at a Disney cruise port, so do a number of Disney characters. Check your Navigator for the names of characters joining you on land so you can plan ahead.

The ship will offer Disney PhotoPass photographers at most of the character greeting locations, and they will take photos with your personal camera if you want them to. Prefer taking your own pictures? Be sure to check out our 4 quick tips for capturing great character photos!

Last but not least do NOT miss the Broadway style shows that the ship offers. They absolutely bring the fairytales and the characters to life right before your eyes. Disney Dreams–An Enchanted Classic is one of 2 musical live shows that played in the Walt Disney Theatre onboard the Disney Magic ship for our cruise. It is the BEST Disney show I have ever seen in my life.

love meeting characters

I grew up 30 minutes from Walt Disney World, and still live here in Orlando, so this is saying a lot. We were not allowed to take video or pictures unfortunately…but trust me on this. I saw more characters than I could count through my tear-filled eyes.

What are some of your favorite tips for seeing and meeting the characters on a Disney cruise?

AquaDunk on the Disney Magic

Published October 27, 2013 by Disneyways.com

There’s so much I want to share with you about my cruise on the recently re-imagined Disney Magic! Today, let’s start at the top – the highest point on the ship to be exact! The launch point for the Disney Magic’s new thrill slide, AquaDunk, is in a spot no guest has ever been… at the very top of the ship’s funnel. Not only does this water slide drop 40 vertical feet, it sends riders almost 20 feet out over the side of the ship in a translucent tube with a breathtaking view of the ocean below.

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Did I go on this thing? No way. But here’s a pretty cool video from Ricky over at InsideTheMagic.net to give you an idea of what it’s like.

Festival of the Masters ~ Activity Times, Locations and Bonus Tips!

Published October 24, 2013 by Disneyways.com

Festival of the Masters

At last, fall is in the air, and the 38th annual Festival of the Masters is back November 8-10 in 2013. Festival of the Masters is one of the premier gatherings of artists in the Southeast with it’s one-of-a-kind and limited-edition paintings, photography, sculptures, jewelry and more.
Listen to the live music and enjoy hands-on fun for all ages. And this year, artistic cocktails take a front seat with a new twist called “Mixers and Masters,” with dining locations featuring specialty drinks for sipping and strolling. Look for feather banners to indicate which restaurants will be participating, with each cocktail priced separately.
Three times a day you can stop by “The Art of Mixology” at the Waterside Stage, with experts showing what goes into making an artfully delicious cocktail during each 10-minute demo.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. November 8 and 9, and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on November 10. Admission and parking are free. Valet parking will be offered for $15 or if you are a Tables in Wonderland cardholder, you can valet for free with a qualifying meal receipt. Don’t forget to tip your valet!

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FESTIVAL OF THE MASTERS ACTIVITY TIMES AND LOCATIONS:

CHALK ART: Chalk Artists will transform more than 1,000 square feet in the Marketplace and West Side into a colorful display of art.

FINE ART MASTERS: Throughout Downtown Disney® West Side, you’ll find over 150 award winning Fine Artists, including original, one of a kind, and limited-edition painting, photography, sculpture, jewelry, glass, wood, and more.
Emerging Masters: Come see more than 20 up-and-coming artists located in the Marketplace.

HOUSE OF BLUES FOLK ART FESTIVAL: “Where the Art Meets the Soul” Featuring more than 30 local and national folk artists, located on the West Side near House of Blues®. In addition to the art displays, guests can enjoy live musical performances by regional blues musicians Friday and Saturday night in the restaurant, as well as a variety of Southern dishes whipped up from the House of Blues kitchen daily, opening at 11:30am.

ART OF DISNEY: Come visit the flagship art gallery at the Marketplace full of art from the Disney Masters! Artist appearances will be scheduled throughout the weekend.

DISNEY ARTIST VILLAGE: Visit Disney Artist Village on the West Side where you will find a wide array of art featuring your favorite Disney characters. Meet the artists behind these works of art throughout the weekend. The Disney Artist Village is located between Cirque du Soleil® theater and House of Blues®.

D STREET at Downtown Disney® West Side: Celebrate the 5th Anniversary of Vinylmation™ all weekend long at D Street with the new, limited edition figure celebrating this milestone event. Disney Design Group Artist, Thomas Scott, will appear on Friday, November 8, from 10:00am – 12:00pm to sign the latest Vinylmation™ figure.

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ART CHATS at the WATERSIDE STAGE!: during the day at the Waterside Stage, located in the Marketplace, there will be fun interactive chat shows about art and what art can be. Get exclusive behind the scenes details on the design development of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort with a Disney Artist.

LIVE PERFORMANCE ARTISTS!: Art comes alive as artists create a masterpiece on stage before your eyes, bringing their inspiration to life! Live shows with Disney Artists will be performed throughout the weekend at the Waterside Stage, located in the Marketplace.

CHILDREN’S CHALK ART: Back by popular demand, Children’s Chalk Art. Visit the Marketplace to find a section of walk to creatively chalk.

FAMILY ACTIVITIES: Enjoy family friendly activities provided by: Michaels®, LEGO®, Little MissMatched™, Rainforest Café®, Disney Interactive, and Festival of the Masters Children’s Chalk Art.

MICHAELS: The Michaels Design Team is excited to entertain and inspire you with fun interactive art and crafting experiences for the whole family located on the West Side.

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PERFORMANCE TIMES AND LOCATIONS

BONGOS CUBAN CAFÉ® – WEST SIDE
Friday- 2:30pm-4:00pm and 5:00pm
Saturday- 11:00am-12:00pm, 2:00pm-3:30pm, and 4:30pm-5:30pm
Sunday- 11:00am-12:00pm, 1:00pm-2:30pm and 3:30pm-4:30pm

LA NOUBA BY CIRQUE DU SOLEIL® – WEST SIDE
Enjoy appearances on the plaza between DisneyQuest and Cirque du Soleil by performers from La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil on Friday and Saturday between 4:00pm-4:15pm

HOUSE OF BLUES® – WEST SIDE
Live Entertainment on the Front Porch throughout the Weekend

SPLITSVILLE™ LUXURY LANES
Live All Day Entertainment on Outdoor Patio throughout the Weekend

RAGLAN ROAD® IRISH PUB AND RESTAURANT
Live Entertainment Saturday and Sunday from 12:00pm-4:00pm on the Outdoor Patio and inside the restaurant on the Main Stage

BONUS TIPS:

Be on the lookout for special outdoor demonstrations of acrobatic artistry by performers from Cirque du Soleil.
Don’t forget your camera so you can create your own artistic photo memories.
Stop in the House of Blues Folk Art Festival – where there will be more earthy creations on display

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