The decorations really were EVERYWHERE you look! While Pixar Place is the furthest of Disney's resorts from the Disneyland park, about a 12 minute walk, it's very close to California Adventure. It even has it's own special entrance into that park. It was really nice popping right into California Adventure, especially since we were so close to the Cappuccino cart that has those great steak and egg breakfast burritos. You could take the long way and walk straight into Downtown Disney, which was perfect for our reservation over at Din Tai Fung, or you could always cut through the Grand Californian. Our room was a good size, with lots more great Pixar details. They added a lot of USB outlets, which really makes a difference when you need to charge everyone's devices! It was a very comfortable stay, the only issue was the new style of elevators that confused a lot of guests. You just press the button for your floor and it tells you what elevator bay to wait for. Each elevator would only stop at a few floors of the people riding that specific elevator. People kept pressing the button repeatedly causing multiple elevators to then stop at their floor even though they were on a different elevator. Sometimes I do believe some signage with instructions might help people. One of the coolest features of this hotel has to be the rooftop pool area.
There was even a nice little band that performed for a bit near the lounge area.
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Our night begins over at Animal Kingdom Lodge. The Starlight Safari is just one of those cool experiences you can have at a Disney Deluxe Resort, but you don't have to be staying there to experience this one. Like most Disney extras a reservation is required. Since we knew we were going to end up at Animal Kingdom Lodge we also made an earlier dinner reservation at Boma for a fantastic meal. The Starlight Safari happens twice each night, once at 8:30pm and again at 10pm. We booked the earlier one. This safari does have a few restrictions. All guests have to be 8+ years old and in good enough health to ride this bumpy safari vehicle. Guests who ride in an EVC can come too, they just have to leave their mobility vehicle at the resort during the safari. Total cost ends up being $89 per person. We hopped into our rugged safari vehicle with 2 other families and our guide. I think there were a total of 12 guests on our ride. The sun hadn't quite set, but darkness was quickly approaching. We each had access to a monocular night vision device, which was REALLY COOL. So once it got dark we had a cool green night vision to keep seeing everything around us. Our guide, Paola, gave us lots of interesting information about the Animal Kingdom grounds and about each of the animals we encountered along the way. No you don't get to see any predator animals on this safari, we drove through a few different open sections, which would be difficult to keep the predators away from their prey. We saw around 20 different species of birds and large herbivores on our safari. We even saw a Giraffe sitting down, which is a rarity. Apparently giraffes only sleep for about a half hour a day, but broken up into sessions of a few minutes throughout the day. So for a giraffe to sit down and rest meant they felt very safe. It's not easy for them to sit down and get back up.
Towards the end Paola pulled out an empty Ostrich Egg for us to examine. All the Ostriches in Animal Kingdom are females, so they lay lots of eggs. The resort does lots of different things with them, which are pretty funny. Some are hard boiled and given to some of the big cats to chew on for enrichment and others are used around Easter for Holiday decoration activities. Even hollow the egg shell was very solid and oddly textured, almost waxy feeling.
It's Mouse O'Clock!There are lots of Disney resorts you can stay at, but nothing beats the ease of getting to Magic Kingdom from Disney's Contemporary Resort.
The Contemporary has 3 different buildings on property. There's the Main Building, the Garden Wing, and Bay Lake Tower. Not all rooms here are created equal. I definitely felt our Studio Room at Bay Lake Tower was much smaller than our rooms over in the Main Building.
When we stayed on Club Level our room was focused on Frozone!
Now don't worry if you didn't get a park view room. If you head over to the Main Building the 4th floor has a wonderful viewing area where you can enjoy the fireworks too! They even pump in the music from MK to really make it an experience. The Contemporary also has some amazing on-site dining locations! Steakhouse 71 is right downstairs for some good food options and Chef Mickey's is a solid character meal on the 4th floor. Both are great choices when it comes to Disney dining.
If you thought the Contemporary was close to Magic Kingdom, the Grand Californian puts that to shame. This is as close as you can stay to any Disney park. There isn't really any transportation to the parks in Disneyland. It's ALL walking distance., but that walking distance can vary quite a bit. Many hotels and resorts are a good 15 minute walk from the park gates. After you have put in over 30,000 steps in the Disneyland from 8am to midnight, proximity is a blessing. 10 more minutes of walking can be agony on weary feet, trust me I know!
Now if you really want to add that next level of Boujie you can always stay at Club Level!
Unless we had a dining reservation we would often just pop back over to the lounge for food. Just when you thought the Grand Californian was done, they up the ante on special occasions.
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The Captain's Suite is actually a Galaxy Class Suite and a Standard Cabin combined...
During our ship's muster and the safety video before boarding the ship we were shown safety procedures in case of a real emergency. Each room has it's own "panic room" built into the wall, so if you are unable to get out, you can lock yourself in and call for help on the phone inside.
Our room had all the standard hotel room amenities you'd expect. There was a small refrigerator and safe, but there were some nice extras like a water pitcher and a variety of glasses above a little bar sink. There was also some odd alien plant-life growing inside a case in the wall.
In case you missed Angie's live session, here is her room tour video. Overall the rooms was pretty comfortable and roomy, I would definitely consider this upgrade for anyone who needs privacy or extra breathing space. Our next voyage will probably be in a standard cabin with our younglings. They don't take up much space. Private Photo Sessions
Photo session time slots are limited, but some of the best times are right after boarding, early the second morning, during the Batuu excursion, or during dinner times. Because there are other guests running around doing missions, you can't have your photo session interfere with mission activities. So if you want to take pictures in the Engineering room and its currently occupied by an activity, you'll have to pick somewhere else for photos. These times also typically don't interfere with your ability to do missions as well. We didn't want to miss out on anything we could do on the ship, so we opted for pictures first thing in the morning our second day. I was even able to run off and eat breakfast before our photo session. We shared our photo session with our cabin mates, so we all were able to get some GREAT pictures. Here are some of the highlights from our session. There are few photographers walking around on your arrival day, so you can get some pictures on the bridge and in the atrium, but we really enjoyed getting some quality photos when people weren't around. Overall we had an AMAZING experience aboard the Galactic Starcruiser. If you're a big Star Wars fan, you have to find a way to budget one of these trips in your future. I hope you all enjoyed our coverage aboard the Halcyon, we'll be back there in December with the kids! So I'm very excited! Remember when it's time to plan for Disney:
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I am so excited to finally be able to sit down and give you all my firsthand experience aboard the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser. Wow! There is just so much to unpack regarding this voyage. I'm going to do my best to give you all my take while spoiling as little as humanly possible. Today's blog will focus on the experience itself and what to expect. So hold on, as we go to a Galaxy Far, Far Away! |
I can tell you I spent the last week or so jumping around in anticipation of this vacation. As a lifelong Star Wars fan, this just felt like a dream come true, but I was anxious that it wouldn't live up to my expectations. From the moment you are waiting to check-in you are greeted with the classic score from the films, which only kept me riled up while I waited. Our shuttle was finally ready to take us up to the Halcyon. Watching the view ports while our craft was taken up to dock with the ship was SO COOL, Disney did not miss out on the details! Once onboard we were given a brief tour and explanation of the ship, then guided back to our room. I was just awe-struck by the visuals and details all around me. |
The Halcyon is a ship after all, so it's laid out similar to a cruise ship. As guests we have access to decks 4 through 7, so there isn't any fear of getting lost. Most of the action happens on deck 4 throughout various rooms or up in the Atrium on Deck 6. The Atrium is also where you will encounter most of the characters you will engage with throughout your story. These characters were so well crafted, they just felt like real people. | |
From alien musicians to officers of the First Order, you will meet a wide variety of characters on the ship. I highly recommend having unique outfits for yourself as I felt we were interacted with more often than the guests in normal clothing.
You can have interactions a plenty! The Galactic Starcruiser is not just a hotel for you to enjoy, it's a full on experience! The more you engage the characters and follow along with your personal story, the more you will get out of this experience. You get so much more by talking to them. But in person interactions aren't the only way to further your story.
In the Disney Play App, you will find events for you to participate in, but also this is where you will get communications from some of these characters. They will send you messages and based off your responses will change your story. It's a big if/then scenario system, so if you take too many jobs for the First Order, you may find yourself working for the bad guys. There are at least 4 different story arcs that you can participate in, though it is possible to be involved in more than one. I myself was smuggling goods while also helping out the Resistance. |
With everything there is to do with the story, you really start to get sucked into what is happening on the ship. Not all of the activities are specifically attached to the story. You will get the opportunity to train on the ships bridge, learning how each station operates. From firing off weapons, to manning the defenses, and even repairing ship systems: There is a lot to learn here. Though my favorite activity had to be the lightsaber training. |
My inner jedi came out strong for this!
There were also optional activities to entertain yourself and the younglings throughout the trip. I participated in a very short Sabacc Tournament. I watched some kids involved in a Droid racing competition. There was the Star Wars equivalent to bingo, and few other activities I didn't even get to see. There really was a lot you could do on board! |
Even the engineering room was it's own system of mini-games. Some missions needed you to gain access to other-wise restricted rooms. You had to follow along and develop your story to gain access to some of these rooms. The Star Cruiser was such an intense experience our two night voyage really felt like a full 5 days! I have a few more blogs to write to be able to cover this full experience. Including a food/drink review, a complete room tour, as well as our excursion day to Batuu in Galaxy's Edge! Follow along as we guide you through the rest of our adventure aboard the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser! |
When it's time to plan for Disney: It's Mouse O'Clock!
We love to try new resorts, so this was our first stay at DIsney's Yacht Club Resort and it will probably not be our last! Wow, were we ever impressed with all the perks we got from staying here. Walking distance to two parks, great pool, water slide, nice rooms, good eats, plus it also has a lazy river... Let me tell you why staying at Yacht Club was absolutely awesome. |
| Yacht Club and Beach Club are both located along Crescent Lake. This lake sits right next to Epcot and is also right next to Hollywood Studios. So you can either hop on one of the friendship boats or walk to either of these parks. We loved being able to walk into Epcot to enjoy the Food and Wine Festival and then just walk back over to our room. Even at Hollywood Studios we took a break midday and rode the boat back over to our resort, very convenient. While I love riding the skyliner, the line to leave the parks can be crazy long at the end of the night. |
The rooms are pretty big with all the things we've come to expect from a room at a Disney resort. We had our little refrigerator and coffee maker, our nice beds with ample plugs and usb slots to charge all of our devices, and the bathroom which has a double vanity. We even had a nice little balcony with chairs that gave us a surprisingly good view of the Epcot fireworks. | |
Since you are located on the lake you get access to all the restaurants along the Boardwalk like one of our favorites Trattoria al Forno. Beach Club has Cape May Cafe, Beaches and Cream, or eat at Ale and Compass at Yacht Club either way you have ample dining locations. You can always swing by The Market at Ale and Compass for a quick bite to eat or shopping. We liked to stop there to trade at their pin board.
What truly makes Yacht/Beach Club stand out above the rest is their pool area, Stormalong Bay. It is huge! Featuring the longest water slide at a Disney Resort (231 ft long!) and a pool that has a sand bar the kids can play in makes this the perfect resort to spend the day at. You even get a nice deep lazy river. This isn't one of those shallow lazy rivers, this one is 6-8ft deep. We had a blast lazing around this river and then going over to play in the sand. |
| The kids really enjoyed playing in the sand here more than they do at the beach. Maybe it's the lack of debris in the sand or lack of sea life to bother them. Stormalong Bay is also one of the few Disney pools that offers cabana rentals. It was a great way to guarantee comfort and relaxation while we enjoyed our resort day. |
The water slide, the Flying Jib, was pretty great! Who doesn't want to go down a pirate ship water slide?!
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And just in case you want to see it all at once, here is Angie's live tour of the pool area.
Yacht Club has so many conveniences that we just absolutely LOVED it. Deluxe resorts are on the pricey end, but we felt this one was worth the splurge. Feel free to ask us for more information or recommendations. We are here to help you make that next Disney vacation that much more magical.
When it's time to plan for Disney: It's Mouse O'Clock!
There are many places to stay when visiting Disney World. We prefer the convenience of staying at one of Disney's resorts for the added convenience of Disney's great transportation options as well as proximity to the parks. When you're going to Disney on a budget their Value Resorts are a great option. But which one is right for you? Pop Century, the All-Star Resorts, or Art of Animation? All three are great and have something different to offer you. |
Each resort offers transportation to and from the parks as well as to Disney Springs. Each resort has it's own food court, gift shop, and pools. The value resorts feature great Disney style theming! From the rooms, to the walkways, all the way into the pool everything has eye catching decorations. Let's breakdown each group.
All-Star Resorts
There are 3 different All-Star Resorts all located right next to each other. Each one has a different theme to go along with it's name: All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, and All-Star Movies. All 3 resorts have been recently renovated, though Sports doesn't reopen till December and Music just reopened earlier this month. Our focus will be on All-Star Movies from our most recent visit. The pools are quite nice and each resort has large statues and decorations to fit along with it's theme. Our gallery below showcases many of the decor you can find at All Star Movies. Fantasia, Toy Story, The Mighty Ducks and Herby the Love Bug are all featured in each area of the resort. |
The renovations have made the rooms really nice. The murphy bed makes the room feel more spacious and gives you the option of a small table in the room for eating a quick meal. The only real downside to the All Star Resorts are that they only have buses for transportation. Also the All Star Resorts often share the same bus line stop from the parks, which can sometimes slow your return to your resort. With the other two All Star resorts opening back up, we will have to see if any of this changes in the future. | |
Here you have a side by side comparison of our room at All Star Movies and our room at Pop Century. Since refurbishments the rooms are very similar.
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All Star Music has added Family Suites recently which sleep up to 6. The rooms are similar to the standard rooms, but have a separate bedroom and a kitchenette that features a large refrigerator and a microwave. They also have two beds that pull down out of the walls in the living area, very similar to our video above showing that setup in Pop.
Pop Century
Pop Century has all the same amenities as All Star but with a change of decor. The decor here is set by decades from the 1950s up to the 1990s. The nostalgia is strong at this resort. From Rubix cubes to giant Mickey shaped telephones, there is something from your past here somewhere. By staying at Pop Century you also get access to the Skyliner to take you to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios. You will still have buses to Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom and Disney Springs. |
Art of Animation
Art of Animation is the resort that just screams Disney! From the animation cell artwork in the lobby to all of the statues of classic Disney characters, AoA is the resort for any fan of Disney animated films. If you have a larger party, Art of Animation can be a great choice. Their family suites sleep 6 nicely and give you an additional bathroom. The suites can be found in 3 areas: the Finding Nemo Suites, The Lion King Suites, and the Car Suites. |
There are standard rooms located in the Little Mermaid area, but these rooms are a little smaller. Even with renovations these rooms have two full sized mattresses, instead of queens like most resort rooms.
Each pool features amazing decor to go with it's theme. We stayed in the Cars Suites and still enjoyed going over to the main pool in Finding Nemo. The pelican statues cry out "Mine, Mine, Mine" as you pass them on your way to the pool. You also have access to the Skyliner from AoA which is shared with Pop Century. I personally love taking the Skyliner to the parks instead of only riding buses back and forth. |
Which one is right for you?
There is no wrong choice when it comes to staying at a Disney Resort. But some of these resorts will meet your needs better than others. The All Star Resorts are great for those looking to spend a little less on the stay, but overall, my family prefers Pop Century for the convenience of the Skyliner. For Larger families you'd want to stay in one of the suites but my preference would be Art of Animation for the extra bathroom. I don't like to fight over who gets to use the restroom next... All the Value Resorts are pretty good right now and really have that WOW factor for Disney fans. Book with us and we'll help tailor your stay to best fit your family. Our expertise is there to help make it the best trip ever. |
When it's time to plan for Disney: It's Mouse O'Clock!
Aulani is Disney's Resort and Spa located in Ko Olina, Hawaii on the island of Oahu. Ko Olina means "Place of Joy" and we were so very happy to be there. Aulani was created by Disney Imagineers working with local artisans to make the ultimate family getaway, showcasing the beauty and culture of Hawaii. We love sharing our adventures with you all, so follow along with us through Aulani. |
| Everywhere you look, you are surrounded by the lush beauty of Hawaii. We were up on the 10th floor and could see all around the resort, from the lagoon all the way to the green mountains in the distance. It's just a lot to take in... It's overwhelmingly beautiful. Oahu is a beautiful island but you get that extra bit of Disney magic at their resort. |
Aulani's lagoon lets you dip into the cool waters of the Pacific without any worry of big waves or heavy currents. The water was always calm and pretty cold.
There are plenty of beach chairs to go around. The waiters come by to take your drink orders during the day, though it can get pretty busy during the weekend. If you'd prefer a shadier seat you could always rent one of their Casabellas for a shadier bubble. Zoey NEEDED to drink out of a pineapple, so we made that dream come true.
No matter how much we love the beach, the kids always insist on spending more time at the pool. Aulani has built a great pool area. With two water slides, a large lazy river, a kids splash area, and multiple pools and hot tubs to enjoy. There are a lot of chairs in the pool area, but even with reduced crowds during COVID it was sometimes hard to grab chairs. If you want to spend your day at the pool you'll want to grab some chairs early before they are all gone.
We splurged and rented a Cabana for one of our weekend days. We knew it was going to be busier and wanted to guarantee comfortable seating. We had a waiter we could call with the push of a button, as well as our own refrigerator and safe. The cabana comes with bottles of water, sunscreen, a fruit platter, and a desert plate. We relaxed and enjoyed our whole day here. The kids got to try out all the pools and both water slides. I lost count of how many laps we made in the lazy river. Which features some beautiful views of the resort. |
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There were plenty of good eats around the resort. The Poolside menu had some yummy volcano fries and Poke' Nachos. You should definitely get the Shave Ice, it super cute and tasty. I tried mine with the sweetened condensed milk, but it was sweet enough without it. We had some great sushi over the at Olelo Room. And of course, we couldn't pass on the Dole Whip!
As you would expect during COVID, not everything was available. Characters were around during scheduled hours, but at a safe distance. Ama Ama was closed, otherwise we would have had a character meal. The Luau hadn't opened up yet, but they brought it back shortly after we left. The kids' club, Aunty's Beach House, was still closed. But there were still plenty of activities for us to partake in. |
We also went on the Menehune Adventure Trail. It's a high-tech guided scavenger hunt through the resort. You rent an Ipad for an hour and are given clues of where to go. The device then reacts with the environment around you, lighting up torches or spraying water out of a volcano. The kids had a lot of fun.
We had a lot of fun making our own Mickey Aulani ears. You get to pick 5 items to add to your ears. You pick between metallic or lighted ears and then get to assemble them with little leaves.
Over all we had a remarkable adventure. There is so much to do in Hawaii that we wish we had had a few more days to do it all, We will definitely be on the look out for future deals to go back to this AMAZING resort. We had so much fun!
Ask us how we can help make your vacation dreams a reality! We love helping you make memories with your loved ones.
When it's time to plan for Disney: It's Mouse O'Clock!
Ask us how we can help make your vacation dreams a reality! We love helping you make memories with your loved ones.
When it's time to plan for Disney: It's Mouse O'Clock!
We're checking out all the resorts, so you don't have to! We recently stayed at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort and I've noticed that this resort does get a bad rap for being a "convention center" resort. I can honestly say that it has been one of the nicer resorts I've stayed at thus far. Coronado is a "moderate" resort. So it's a step up from your value resorts like Pop and the All-Stars. Which means we have full sit-down restaurants and a water slide at the pool. |
Moderates like Coronado and the Caribbean Beach are very large properties, so it can be a longer walk to get from one end of the resort to the other. Coronado is laid out in a nice circle, so it's easier to get across than Caribbean Beach. The resort is divided into 4 different areas each themed for a different Hispanic culture. Each area is a unique blend of Spanish, Mexican and Southwest American cultures. We stayed at the Gran Destino tower and it was just delightful. It's the newest addition to the property and they sure made it feel fancy! |
The Tower!
The elevators are very innovative. You press which floor you are going to on the touch screen and it assigns you an elevator. The elevator will only stop on the floors that have been marked on the touch screen. During the pandemic it has been best to wait for each party to load on the elevator before pressing your floor, so that each group can remain socially distanced. It really wasn't designed with Corona virus in mind, because everyone keeps pressing their floor and then only one group gets in the elevator, so you end up stopping on their floor even though they didn't get on the elevator. |
The room! So much room!
The room shared the same warm color palette as the rest of the hotel. It was surprisingly spacious with a pretty big bathroom as well. I'm a sucker for a sliding barn door. The beds were high enough to hide our luggage underneath and we had ample room to stretch out and enjoy our space. We had a pretty good view of what I first thought was Galaxy's Edge but later I figured out was Expedition Everest over in Animal Kingdom. | |
A pool built around a pyramid.
The pool was pretty big with a nice little quick service stand nearby. Angie was able to grab some Piña coladas while the kids had a great time splashing around. The water slide was a nice addition. The kids kept running over to get in line for the slide, it wasn't big and scary but a gentle little slide into the pool. Disney pools are open pretty late, so it's great to just pop down if you leave the park earlier. Nothing like relaxing in the hot tub after a long day of walking the Parks.
The food was the real winner here.
Coronado Springs has 2 quick service locations, 2 dine-in locations, and a lounge area. We took some time to sit and eat at each of the dine-in locations. We were not disappointed!
You wouldn't think much of a place called Rix Sports Bar and Grill. It's menu does lean towards burgers and nachos, but there was a surprise hit there. We tried the Watchos, waffle fry nachos, and they were so good. The queso sauce and bacon made this dish while the waffle fries remained crispy through the whole meal. My daughter had some regular nachos and the chips became soggy after a while, unlike our waffle fries.
You wouldn't think much of a place called Rix Sports Bar and Grill. It's menu does lean towards burgers and nachos, but there was a surprise hit there. We tried the Watchos, waffle fry nachos, and they were so good. The queso sauce and bacon made this dish while the waffle fries remained crispy through the whole meal. My daughter had some regular nachos and the chips became soggy after a while, unlike our waffle fries.
At the heart of the resort you can find the 3 Bridges restaurant. It's in the middle of the lake with some beautiful views of the rest of the resort. The food follows the theme of the resort with varieties of Latin foods like tacos and sangria. The home-run of the evening were the shrimp and corn fritters. These warm little nuggets of corn and shrimp were just delicious. We actually came back another night for more of them.
The Dahlia lounge sits at the top floor of the Gran Destino tower. It's a good place to relax and grab a cocktail. The balcony sports a spectacular view of a large part of Disney. You can see Epcot's Spaceship Earth all the to Hollywood Studios Tower of Terror. It's a very relaxed atmosphere, but definitely made for some "grown-up time." I enjoyed my little cocktail with that beautiful view. The theme park lights at night look great, just sadly don't photograph very well. Overall Impression |
This was the nicest resort we have stayed at so far. The only negative is that it is a bus resort, so the bus is the only way to get to each park outside of taking a rideshare. I would love to stay at this resort again because of the food options. You don't want to always have to run off to grab a bite to eat, so it was very nice having some GOOD food right there on the property. I highly recommend grabbing a room in the Gran Destino tower!
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When it's time to plan for Disney: It's Mouse O'Clock!
Ask us for more info and recommendations with a free quote. We can help make your Disney dreams come true!
When it's time to plan for Disney: It's Mouse O'Clock!
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Angie & Gabe Garcia-Lavin make up the Mouse O'Clock Travel team. Married for more than a decade, they share a love of each other and a love of Disney that runs deep.
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