Wining & Dining at Epcot!

The hurricane day is over and my kids are back at school today. It's no wonder that I am thinking about wining and dining after a hurricane day right? :-)

I must say that one of my favorite things to do with my husband and friends is to go to Epcot Center during the Food & Wine Festival. It is such an absolute delicious blast! What the folks at Epcot do, is they set up their World Market Place with over 20 booths that have sample sized food and beverages from the various countries. It's like a World's Fair with class if you know what I mean. So you can meander around, sample say Bavarian chocolate beer and a chocolate dessert and then go get Saki and Sushi and then on for Cider and Potato Soup and the list goes on and on. You do have to pay for these scrumptious samples of course, but the prices really are reasonable. They cost about $1.50 - 4.50 each and of course you can pick and choose what you want. And...... you can go on the various rides and attractions like Test Track, Mission Space, or Honey I Shrunk The Audience. All in All it is truly something I look forward to all year, and something I attend at least 3 or 4 times while it goes on.

The Epcot Food & Wine Festival goes on from September 29th through November 12th. For more information you can check out my web site or buy my book!

Oh yeah, they also have concerts the entire time during the festival - it is an awesome time.

Hurricane Day Reminds me of Snow Days!

My boys jumped up and down as the news reported "schools will be closed today due to Tropical Storm Ernesto." Strange, I know, but that's Florida. It reminded me of snow days up North when I was little, when my brothers and sister and I just waited for a day off from school in the winter time. Yes it's just August, but this is our "Snow Day." And it got me to thinking that Fall is just around the corner, and there is so much to look forward to coming up at Disney and Universal and Sea World. I love this time of year at the Parks. There are so many special things to do with my family!

I can't write about them all in one day, but the first thing that comes to mind is "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party" at Disney's Magic Kingdom. This special event is good for toddlers to seniors. It is so much fun - I just love it. Your kids get to trick-or-treat throughout the park, the characters dress up in costumes, the staff hand out cookies and hot chocolate all night that is just so scrumptious, and while this is going on the park is of course decked out in fall colors and pumpkins and halloween decorations galore.

Also, Disney has an awesome parade down Main street U.S.A. for Halloween with lights and music and characters and themes - it's just fantastic. I really can't say enough about this special event for the family. It's one of those warm and gushy memories to keep forever.

Cheap Hotels in Orlando?

I started thinking about hotels today because my husband is up in Detroit staying at a Fairfield Inn, and he was telling me about the services they were offering and comparing them to the hotels we write about down here in Orlando. So I thought I would write about hotels today in my Blog. When I write about hotels in Orlando, I try to tell people that there really are economical hotels that they can stay in. I think that people only think of the big "Grand" hotels that they see in the Disney commercials and that type of thing. And it is true, there are some super duper deluxe hotels in Orlando and at Disney World. But I also know that so many families save up for so long for their vacations to Disney. When you live in Kansas or Idaho or North Dakota it isn't so easy to get down to Florida for vacation is it? Even if you live in Indiana and have a family of four and work like crazy sometimes it isn't easy. So hotel costs are kind of a big deal. That's why I like to talk about the fact that there are so many decent hotels in the Orlando area for as low as $39 or $49 a night if you search a little bit. I actually list some of them in my book. They are neat and clean and some of them even include breakfast!
Believe it or not, sometimes there are hotels on Disney property that have specials for $59-$79 a night. The trick is that you have to know the special codes to request and they aren't always available. I also have those codes in my book. Hotels are an integral part of a vacation - but they don't have to break the bank of your vacation.

My first audio post

Blizzard Beach August 28th

I'm home after a day at Blizzard Beach! A beautiful day it was too - sunshine galore. My boys love Blizzard Beach - I think this water park is a great choice for children ages 10 and up. The water slides are great - They love the Summit Plummet and the Slush Glusher and I still get to enjoy a lazy river and a wave pool as well. And the thing I love about the Disney water parks is that I can bring my cooler with me. This way we can save money on lunches and drinks - that save about $30.00. I buy a pass for the year for us, so the day is really a free day for me since I bring our food and drinks. The park is open from 10am to 6pm so we have a really full day of fun too. The slides and wave pool keep them busy - then they float and swim and come back for lunch and then go back and do it all over again. We needed sunscreen today though, I must say - Don't ever forget that when you visit Florida! We are all tired and ready for bed. Good night all!

Typhoon Lagoon

Okay, Post number two! Yesterday we went to Typhoon Lagoon to celebrate my birthday. Typhoon Lagoon is one of my favorite places ever - it's a water park at Disney World. It is so much better than the beach because it's like being on an island with music and beautiful flowers and tropical drinks and it's less sandy.

My favorite part of Typhoon Lagoon is the Lazy River. I floated in my tube for hours just gazing at the purple and orange flowers, feeling the sunshine and the water mist and listening to the music. It relaxes me so much - I just love it. The water is nice and cool, but not too cold and there is always plenty of shade too.

We got our usual rain this afternoon showers, but by then I had enjoyed myself so I wasn't disappointed - I had played in the huge wave pool - gone down the water roller coaster called the "Crush and Gusher" floated and celebrated like crazy.

I just love Typhoon Lagoon. I may head to Blizzard Beach tomorrow with my kids because they have the day off of school for a teacher's work day. Then I can compare them pretty easily.
More later!

First Blog Hello

Well, this is my first post, and I don't know why a writer like me would be nervous to write. I think it's because of the word BLOG.....BLOG sounds like BLAH.
Anyway - I want to write because I am thinking that if I post a blog everyday I can put down my thoughts about DisneyWorld and Sea World and my trips to Orlando all the time and the different hotels I see and the weather and all that stuff that I see and encounter everyday in Florida. I am thinking that this will be a good way for me to keep my mind nice and fresh and talk/write about what I love every day: Florida, Disney World, Sea World, Universal, hotels, and traveling cheap cheap cheap!