Wordless Wednesdays-Flowers of Disney

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Besides being the owner and travel professional of Snapshot Getaways, Lisa is an avid traveler, food nerd, blogger & podcaster. Her answer to pretty much everything is food and travel, and is happiest when the solution includes both. You can contact her at Lisa@SnapshotGetaways.com, to talk food, travel, Disney-whatever. 

Taking A Break Inside the Parks

The seemingly non-stop action at Disney World is a large part of why we love going.   But let's face it, even in The Most Magical Place on Earth we still sometimes need a break. There are a lot of people who like to schedule breaks in their afternoon to go back to the resort to swim, nap, or just lounge around. That's a great strategy for many people but what if you just want a quick recharge without leaving the parks? Thankfully there are multiple places in each park to do just that:

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Our favorite pick-me-up spot in this park is the Honey I Shrunk The Kids Movie Set Adventure. The larger than life plants and bugs are fun for the kids to climb and explore while Mom and Dad can lean back and just take a minute to relax.

Another great option in this park is a leisurely stroll through Walt Disney: One Man's Dream. This interesting look into the mind of Walt Disney is rarely crowded and you walk through at your own pace so your break from the hustle and bustle can be as short or long as you'd like. 

EPCOT:

There are multiple options within EPCOT that offer hands on exhibits and low key displays that can be be explored at your own pace. From making paper in Innoventions to finding some fishy friends in the waters of Sea Base, there's a laid back activity for nearly everyone.

If you prefer a break that gets you off your feet EPCOT also has a few slow rides that might do the trick. Living With the Land offers a slow trip through the greenhouses that grow everything from the foods served up Garden Grill to the Mickey Shaped Pumpkins you'll spot at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. If you're looking for a longer break Ellen's Energy Adventure is a 45 minute seated slow ride through time. 

Animal Kingdom:

There are multiple trails and exhibits at Animal Kingdom where you can stroll at your own pace to see various plant and animal life including the Discovery Island Trail, Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, and the Oasis Exhibits. The Boneyard is a playground where the kids can climb and explore dinosaur bones at their own pace while Mom and Dad relax for a few minutes. If you're ready for a break from walking and being on your feet you can hop on the Wildlife Express Train for a 12 minute journey for a behind the scenes peek into the care of the animals in the park. One of Animal Kingdom's most popular attractions, Kilimanjaro Safari, offers an 18 minute ride with close up views of animals in lush habitats. 

Magic Kingdom:

If you're looking for a low-key place to take a break from all the standing and walking there are multiple options in this park. The Liberty Square Riverboat is a 1/2 mile, 17 minute journey with glimpses of sights you won't be able to see if you stay on land. A trip around the Magic Kingdom on the Walt Disney World Railroad will offer another 20 minutes worth of unique views of the park.  For a relaxing, ten minute trip behind and ABOVE the scenes don't miss The Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover with even more spectacular views you won't want to miss. 

If what your kids really need is a little unstructured play time then you can have a little fun and get a little (or a lot) wet at the Casey Jr. Splash and Soak Station. Or head on over to Tom Sawyer Island for an escape from the crowds and the noise while you explore up to five different trails.

The Carousel of Progress and Hall of Presidents are interesting, but not overly stimulating, shows in the Magic Kingdom where you can sit and relax in a comfortable, cool theater for about 20 minutes.

As you can see there are plenty of quiet and relaxing spots at Walt Disney World that make it easy to recharge and jump right back into the magic. Do you have a favorite place to relax in the parks that's not mentioned here?

Hope is a travel addict who feeds her addiction between trips by planning magical vacations for others. Contact her at Hope@SnapshotGetaways.com or find her on Facebook. 

Explaining The Water Park, Fun & More Option

While most folks know the ins and outs of adding the Park Hopper option to their Magic Your Way park tickets,  the Water Park, Fun & More option seems to cause some confusion.  Also did you know that sometimes it is better to add the Water Park, Fun & More option than to just buy a one day water park admission?

First of all, for those who may be hearing about this for the first time, the Water Park, Fun & More option is a optional addition to your Magic Your Way Disney World park ticket. It allows you (1) admission to the following activities:

• Blizzard Beach water park
• Typhoon Lagoon water park
• DisneyQuest
• ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
• (1) Round of mini golf at Fantasia Gardens (before 4:00 pm)
• (1) Round of mini golf at Winter Summerland (before 4:00 pm)
• (1) Round of golf at Oak Trail family walking course (does not include clubs or golf cart rental, & reservations required)

For each day of park tickets you buy, you will receive a (1) admission to your choice of the activities above. So if you have a (1) day Magic Your Way park ticket, you would receive (1) admission, if you have a (5) day Magic Your Way park ticket, you would receive (5) admissions. 

You can:

• Use more than one admission per day-so if you wanted to use one admission in the morning for Typhoon Lagoon, and a second admission in the evening at Disney Quest-that's fine.  
• Mix and match which activities you would like to use your admissions for. You can also use them all for the same activity. 
• Use the admission for re-entry in the same activity within a day. So you could go to Blizzard Beach in the morning, leave and return later in the afternoon. But it has to be in the same day and the same activity. 

Your tickets will expire 14 days after first use, just like your Magic Your Way tickets, but you can add the No Expiration option and if you do not use all your admissions up in one visit, you can use the remaining admissions on later trips.

Now let's talk money. The cost to add the Water Park, Fun & More option to your Magic Your Way base ticket:

• $37.27 (including tax) to add to a (1) day Magic Kingdom park ticket.
• $42.60 (including tax) to add the Water Park, Fun & More to your (1) day Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom park ticket. 
• $52.19 (including tax) to add it to any 2 or 3 day Magic Your Way ticket.  
• $63.90 (including tax)to add the Water Park, Fun & More option to a 4 day or longer Magic Your Way ticket. 

Obviously, like all Disney ticket options-the more days you add, the less you pay per day for the ticket. Adding the Water Park, Fun and More option to a 10 day base ticket breaks down to an additional $6.39 a day. 

Now when does it actually save you money to add the Water Park, Fun & More option, and when should you just buy a (1) day admission to one of the activities? The quick answer-when you have the park hopper option, plan to visit a water park, or plan to visit at least 2 activities during your stay. Here's the breakdown why:

To add the Park Hopper option on to a Magic Your Way base ticket is the same cost as adding on the Water Park, Fun & More, but to add BOTH onto your base ticket:

•  $86.27 (including tax) to add to a (1) day Magic Kingdom base ticket.
•  $91.59 (including tax) to add it to any (1) day Epcot, Hollywood Studios, or Animal Kingdom base ticket, and also to any (2) day or more base ticket. 

The cost of a (1) day water park (Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach) ticket is $56.45 per adult (including tax).

The cost for a (1) day Disney Quest ticket is $47.93 per adult (including tax.**

The cost for (1) round of golf at the Oak Trail Golf Course is $40.47 per adult (including tax).

The difference to add the Water Park, Fun & More option to a Park Hopper:

• $49.00 to a (1) day Magic Kingdom ticket with Park Hopper.
• $48.99 to a (1) day Epcot, Hollywood Studios, or Animal Kingdom ticket with Park Hopper. 
• $39.40 to a 2 or 3 day ticket with Park Hopper. 
• $27.69 to any 4 day or more park ticket with Park Hopper.

So based on just a (1) day admission to a water park, you can save anywhere from $7.45 to $28.76, just by adding the Water Park, Fun & More option. And the more days tickets you have, your value increases because after the first days savings, every activity you visit from there on is essentially free. 

The only time it doesn't make sense to add the Water Park, Fun & More option is:

• If you are going during the colder months, and it might be too cold to visit the water parks. 
• You have you activities planned out and do not have the extra time to fit additional activities in. 
• You have no interest in the activities included in the Water Park, Fun & More option. 

And for folks who do not add the Water Park, Fun & More option before they arrive, you can add it while you are at the parks. Even if you have used a few days on your Magic Your Way park tickets. You will be charged for how ever many days you originally had on your tickets, so take that into consideration when deciding to add the Water Park, Fun & More option, so you can get the most value. 

So there you have it, hopefully this explains what and when adding the Water Park, Fun & More option to your Magic Your Way park ticket makes sense. Done right, it can save you money and increase your Disney fun!

**At the time the article is being written, Disney is including (2) free Disney Quest admissions in the coupon book that comes with the Magic Your Way packages. We are not sure if this will become a standard inclusion or will no longer be included at some point. This changes the savings and value of the Water Park, Fun & More option if Disney Quest is one of the activities you planned on using your admission(s) on. 

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**Besides being the owner and travel professional of Snapshot Getaways, Lisa is an avid traveler, food nerd, blogger & podcaster. Her answer to pretty much everything is food or travel, and is happiest when the solution includes both. You can contact her at Lisa@ SnapshotGetaways.com, to talk food, travel, Disney-whatever.

Disney Is Missing The Boat On Kouzzina Replacement

Earlier this year, I was really saddened to hear we would be losing one of my favorite restaurants, Kouzzina. Kouzzina is a collaboration between celebrity chef Cat Cora, and Disney. It pays homage to Cora's Greek heritage and has lots of Mediterranean influences on it's menu. 

While I am a big food nerd and chef groupie, I am also a purist and tend to favor the less famous chef's verses the celebrity ones, so I wasn't really in a rush to try Kouzzina out when it first opened. But after one breakfast meeting there, I was a fan. The purity was there with just enough appealing dishes for the masses; a hard balance to achieve. My favorite meal there is breakfast. Great takes on old favorites, and FANTASTIC new dishes, like turkey & sweet potato hash, with arugula and 2 eggs how ever you like them. Poached-always go for poached with this dish!

 

To add insult to the injury of the announcement of Kouzzina's closure-the announcement of it's replacement was the second punch for me. Trattoria al Forno. Another Italian restaurant. Don't get me wrong-I LOVE Italian food. From the well known comfort Southern Italian style dishes like lasagna and chicken parmigiana, to less sauced and seafood dishes of the North-who doesn't love Italian food? But I can get good Italian food anywhere-here at home, and at MANY of the restaurants in Walt Disney World that are inspired or specialize in Italian cuisine. I really feel Disney dropped the ball on this one, and got a little lazy. Which the potential to put any kind of cuisine in that piece of Boardwalk real estate-why go with something they pretty much have covered with Via Napoli, Tutto Italia, Tutto Gusto wine bar, Mama Melrose's, Citricos, Tony's Town Square, Mangino's, Il Mulino, and even though I hate to mention it-Portobello's? I think a Brazilian churrascria (steakhouse), a Spanish influenced restaurant serving tapas and paella, or even a clam house; traditional New England Crab/Lobster would have been a better and more interesting replacement. Can you imagine being able to get good, fresh raw bar on the boardwalk? Or some Maryland crabs? 

I realize that in going with a comfortable stand by, Disney is choosing the path of least resistance, but really think Disney missed an opportunity here to have a little fun and add another gem to the Boardwalk area dining. Don't get me wrong-I am fully confident Disney will do a fabulous job with this concept, and the food will be fantastic, I just wish they had taken another chance on something a little more unique in that space.


~Lisa

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**Besides being the owner and travel professional of Snapshot Getaways, Lisa is an avid traveler, food nerd, blogger & podcaster. Her answer to pretty much everything is food or travel, and is happiest when the solution includes both. You can contact her at Lisa@ SnapshotGetaways.com, to talk food, travel, Disney-whatever. She also can be found posting food pics and reviews at Disney Happy Food Dance on Facebook.