May 8, 2014 - On the Go in MCO

Star Wars Galactic Dine-In Breakfast

Everyday from 8 am until noon, the Sci Fi Dine-In is transformed for the Star Wars Galactic Dine-In, and for Star Wars fans this needs to be on your must do list.

I will be honest, the breakfast is a little pricey at $47.99 for adults and $29.99 for kids before tax and gratuities. If you are on the Disney Dining Plan, you will need to allot two table service credits for this experience. And the real bummer is that there are absolutely no discounts available!

However that being said we would (and hopefully will) go back to the Star Wars Galactic Dine-In, because we had a great experience with the service, food, and characters who we would normally have to spend time finding during Star Wars Weekends.

After you are called to go to your table, you first take a photo with Darth Vader and Boba Fett. What is really great is that with your meal a digital photo of your party is included with a commemorative PhotoPass card that you can only get at the Star Wars Galactic Dine-In. We also really appreciated that there were several character attendants who were able to help us take photos on our phones, and they didn’t mind when we took a little extra time for some selfies.

The first thing that we noticed when we sat down was that the normal Sci Fi reel of movies had been replaced with at Star Wars loop of extended film clips, created bits with characters, a nice peek at Star Wars Weekends with James Arnold Taylor, and even a hefty chunk of the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special. It was awesome!

The menu has some really great, but really different options for breakfast. As you can see below there aren’t too may breakfast entrees, so I would definitely suggest trying to go a little on the later side so it can be more of a brunch than a breakfast. Also…BLUE MILK!!!!

Here is the menu…

Star Wars Breakfast Pastries

Vanilla Cream Turnover, Almond Pastry, and Double Chocolate Muffin

Anchored Appetizers (Choice of One)

Greek Yogurt Parfait with fresh berries and Homemade Granola OR Seasonal Fresh Fruit and Berries

Entrees (Choice of One)

The Dune Sea – House-smoked salmon scrambled eggs, wild mushroom potato hash with multigrain toast slatered with goat cheese butter

The Kessel Run – Grilled beef tenderloin on baby spinach with bacon and cheddar custard on a roasted tomato and cheesy horseradish potatoes

Tatooine Sunrise – Scrambled eggs, Nueske’s bacon, sausage links and breakfast potatoes

Imperial Delight – Caramelized banana-stuffed French toast with caramel sauce and strawberry compote

Ackbar Surprise – Smoked paprika-dusted shrimp pan-seared with cheesy grits

Mos Eisleys Morning – Egg white omelet with shiitake mushrooms and caramelized onions, garlic roasted fingerling potatoes, and greek yogurt with berries

Star Wars Galactic Dine-In — I had the Ackbar Surprise, and it was really tasty! The grits were extremely creamy and the shrimp were tender.

Kid’s Menu

Appetizer (Choose One)

Greek Yogurt Parfait with fresh berries and Homemade Granola OR Seasonal Fresh Fruit and Berries

Entrees (Choose One)

Kenobi Cuisine – scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and breakfast potatoes

Gamorrean Goodness – Puffed French toast sticks in cinnamon sugar with chocolate dipping sauce

Complimentary Beverages (With Refills)

Blue Milk, Freshly Brewed Joffrey’s Coffee, Minute Maid Light Pomegranate Lemonade, Hot Tea, Hot Cocoa, Soft Drink Selection, Ice Tea, Minute Maid Apple Juice, Minute Maid Orange Juice, 1% milk or chocolate milk.

Specialty Drinks (Not Included)

Bellini – peach puree and prosecco $8.75

Mimosa – orange juice and prosecco $8.50

During breakfast at the Star Wars Galactic Dine-In there are three characters meet and greet opportunities that come to your table. Jawas, Stormtroopers, and Greedo come to your table, but as you know Sci Fi is SUPER dark so taking photos requires a flash or some assistance from someone’s flashlight app.

My biggest tip for these character interactions is to have fun! While I love the Stormtroopers, the Jawas are the best because you can trade with them!!!

All-in-all we all had an awesome time at the Star Wars Galactic Dine-In, and we can’t wait to try dinner at The Jedi Mickey’s Star Wars Dine at Hollywood and Vine this weekend!

Disney’s Old Key West Resort – Welcome Home with Kelly Christine

I have been a Disney Vacation Club member since 2008, and as I continue to explore the resorts on trips to Walt Disney World, I keep coming back to Disney’s Old Key West Resort. Old Key West is the original DVC resort, which opened in 1991. It is decently sized with almost 800 rooms and the rooms vary in size from studios, one, two and even up to three bedroom two story grand villas. It isn’t the number or type of rooms that makes this my favorite resort.

I love the way I feel when I’m at this resort. I’ve stayed at 90% of the DVC resorts in the continental U.S., and I never feel so relaxed and comfortable at any other resort as I do when I’m at Old Key West. The excitement of a Disney vacation seems to disappear at this resort. It feels like I’m in a beach town, relaxing in my home away from home. The staff at OKW add to this atmosphere by treating guests like members of the family and welcoming us home. In some areas of the Hospitality House (where check in and the restaurant/gift shop are located), there are pictures of DVC members with their families enjoying their vacations at the WDW resort. Their Community Hall has been the most “homelike” to me, the cast members there are welcoming and have always been up for a good conversation. I enjoy this resort top to bottom.

That being said, I’d like to offer some tips for your stay at OKW:

Tip 1:

When booking on DVC points, I recommend choosing the “near Hospitality House” option. While you may not end up at the front of the resort, you will end up within a 5 minute walk of the hospitality house. I prefer to stay at Old Key West for runDisney race weekends and staying up front helps save your feet for the race and not for the trip to the race buses.

Tip 2:

There is a drink that you can only get at Old Key West that is delicious and one of my favorites: the Turtle Krawl. It reminds me of something I have had wandering Duval Street in Key West. This drink can be found inside Olivia’s and Gurgling Suitcase, the restaurant and bar located next to each other at the Hospitality House. I also believe Gurgling Suitcase is home to the best rum runner on property.

Tip 3:

Have a meal at Olivia’s! It’s a cozy and comforting atmosphere that reminds me of the family owned small restaurants in resort towns I’ve visited. Their menu has a decent range of food but there’s a secret menu item available daily for DVC members that is always comfort food. The most popular is the fried chicken, it’s known to sell out quickly! I would also recommend the pork chop.

Have you ever stayed at Old Key West? Have you ever done any of these tips? What tips of your own do you have for this resort?

2014 D23 Fanniversary Details

D23 hits the road, bringing beloved memories to life with the Disney Fanniversary Celebration

Rarely Seen Film Clips, Photos, and Art Highlight the Roadshow Event, Which Will Tour the U.S. this Fall.

For the third year in a row, D23: The Official Disney Fan Club will hit the road with D23 Disney Fanniversary Celebration presented by Walt Disney Records The Legacy Collection. The live event will visit 11 cities across the U.S. to commemorate dozens of magical Disney milestones celebrating landmark anniversaries this year.

Hosted by Disney archivists and the D23 Team, Fanniversary 2014 will revisit beloved theme park attractions, animated and live-action films, characters, TV series, and more than 90 years of Disney history including Donald Duck, the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair, Sleeping Beauty, Haunted Mansion, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, The Little Mermaid, and many more. The event, which runs approximately 105 minutes, will also feature the never-before-heard track “Evil Evil” fromWalt Disney Records The Legacy Collection Sleeping Beauty and a demo recording from Walt Disney Records The Legacy Collection The Little Mermaid.Fanniversary events will be open to the public, with special admission prices for D23 Members.

D23 Fanniversary — A hat worn by Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins, recently discovered by the Walt Disney Archives. This black straw hat with faux cherries and flower blossoms was featured in the film as part of Mary’s instantly recognizable “traveling costume.” (Photo Disney)

In addition, following each show, two rare items from the Walt Disney Archives will be on display for guests to see and photograph: a hat worn by Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins and a “Duckster” award. Created in 1952, this bronze-colored award in the image of Donald Duck honored those who made significant contributions to Disney over the years. Both Walt Disney and Donald Duck himself were among the recipients of this unique prize.

D23 Gold and Silver Members will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets on May 21 for $23 each. Tickets will be available to D23 Free Members on June 11 for $33 each, and remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public on July 9 for $40 each. Tickets will be available at D23.com/Events. The touring schedule is as follows:

August 9: Burbank, Calif.
August 10: San Diego
August 16 & 17: San Francisco
September 6: Chicago
September 13: Seattle
September 20: Atlanta
September 21: Philadelphia
September 26: Washington, D.C.
September 28: New York City
October 4: Boston
October 25: Orlando

For times and locations, please visit D23.com.

Fanniversaries that guests can look forward to celebrating at each stop include:

Donald Duck (80th anniversary)
Disneyland TV show (60)
Sleeping Beauty (55)
Darby O’Gill and the Little People (55)
Disneyland’s Monorail, Matterhorn Bobsleds and Submarine Voyage (50)
Disney’s contributions to the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair (50)
Mary Poppins (50)
Haunted Mansion (45)
The Love Bug (45)
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (35)
Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) (25)
Splash Mountain (25)
The Little Mermaid (25)
Pleasure Island (25)
The Lion King (20)
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™ (20)

…and many more!

More details about D23 Disney Fanniversary Celebration presented by Walt Disney Records The Legacy Collection can be found at D23.com/Events.

About D23

The name “D23” pays homage to the exciting journey that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his fledgling studio in Hollywood. D23 is the first official club for fans in Disney’s 90-plus-year history. D23 gives its members a greater connection to the entire world of Disney by placing them in the middle of the magic through its quarterly publication, Disney twenty-three; a rich website at D23.com with members-only content; member-exclusive discounts and special events for D23 Members throughout the year.

Fans can join D23 at Gold, Silver, and Free Membership levels at D23.com and at www.DisneyStore.com/D23. To keep up with all the latest D23 news and events, follow us @DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.