Author: Cheryl

Cheryl is a Disney Fan , she is also vegan and jewish. She’s addicted to BravoTV and spends her time volunteering for Hadassah, more information about Hadassah’s life saving research can be found at Hadassah.org. —-——————-——————-———-——————-——————-——— ———————-—— About this website: On the Go in MCO is a lifestyle and informational blog about all that central Florida has to offer! Enjoy our unique perspectives and news about the Orlando area attractions and resorts at Walt Disney World, and Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. Our adventures also take us to Tampa Bay and LEGOLAND Florida in Winter Haven.—-———————————-—-———-——————-——————-——— ——————-———— The site also features posts on finding activities, places to go and things to do in the Orlando & Central Florida Areas that are off the beaten path. —-——-——————-——————-——— —————-——— On The Go In MCO welcomes opportunities for product reviews, giveaways, sponsorships and other promotions based on companies and products that would be beneficial or of interest to our readers. As a contributor I am open to travel opportunities as well as advertising. Onthegoinmco.com adheres to full disclosure and FTC guidelines. Requests for site statistics may be directed to shelley@onthegoinmco.com. —————————————-——————-———————- I am not employed. In addition I am not employed with The Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries – The posts here are of my own opinion and do not represent the position or opinion of the Walt Disney Company. For official Disney information and news visit www.disney.com or their www.disneyparks.com. All Disney characters and images mentioned are ©Disney. All other text, ideas and images are ©Shelley Caran unless noted. Items provided to Onthegoinmco.com for review will always be clearly noted on the post itself as well as any other terms of sponsorship or payment for reviews. Any feedback or questions or ideas can be sent by emailing shelley@onthegoinmco.com.

The JCC’s 4th Annual Winter Festival

The JCC’s 4th Annual Winter Festival presented by theJewish Community Center of Greater Orlando will be Sunday, January 27, 2013 from 11:00am until 5:00pm.

The Winter Festival is full of great activities, food, fun, and games for the whole family!

This year’s festival will feature a real snow park for sledding and winter fun, a rock wall, horse and carriage rides, carnival rides, bounce houses, and a bungee jump.

For the younger children in your family Mr. Richard will be there singing and telling stories and there will be face painting. While the older children may want to check out the video game area.

The Winter Festival also features a JCC IDOL Singing Competition with Celebrity Judges, and anyone from the ages 5 to adult can enter to win $500 or an iPad mini! You will have to register in advance to participate in the competition at http://www.orlandojcc.org/calendar/featured_events/j_idol.

Admission to the Winter Festival is free, but there is a small charge for activity wristbands.

The JCC Winter Festival will be held at JCC’s Jack & Lee Rosen Southwest Orlando Campus
1184 S. Apopka-Vineland Road
Orlando, FL 32836 (map)
407-387-5330

To buy your activity wristbands in advance & to get more event details, visit http://www.orlandowinterfestival.org/

You can also share the Winter Festival with friends for a chance to win prizes!
http://orlandowinterfestival.sharewitheverybody.com/

Claire Bilby Moves On To Disneyland Paris; Ken Potrock Takes Over Disney Vacation Club

Claire Bilby Message to Members

Dear Members,

I want to share an important Disney Vacation Club organizational announcement with you, our Member families.

As Disney continues to identify ways to deliver the best-possible vacation experiences, the company is providing new growth opportunities for members of the leadership team. In this case, Disney is giving me the opportunity to lead the Sales and Marketing organization at Disneyland Paris, leveraging my depth of international sales experience.

I am thrilled about this new opportunity, which begins February 1, and also deeply proud of the great work our team has done over the past couple of years at Disney Vacation Club. The team has accomplished so much and truly elevated the benefits, perks and experiences we provide to our Members.

You will be pleased to learn that longtime Disney leader Ken Potrock is succeeding me at Disney Vacation Club as Senior Vice President and General Manager. I can tell you that you’re in great hands with Ken. He is a wonderful leader, full of creativity and passion for the Disney brand, and extremely talented. Most recently, Ken has served as the Senior Vice President of Disney Sports Enterprises and Downtown Disney in Florida. I have known him for a long time and couldn’t be more delighted with his passion for the Disney brand, for innovation, and for always putting our Guests and Members first. In his new role, Ken will also have responsibility for Adventures by Disney, our family guided-tour business.

As I say “au revoir” for now, please know how much I have enjoyed my time with Disney Vacation Club and the privilege of getting to know so many of our Members. I look forward to Ken and the rest of the organization continuing to enhance the Member experience in creative and magical ways!

At Disney Vacation Club, it’s all about you – the Member – and that commitment will never change. Thank you for vacationing with Disney year in and year out. We look forward to delighting and surprising you each time we welcome you home.

Sincerely,

Claire Bilby

DVC Merry Mixer

Each year the Disney Vacation Club celebrates the holidays with their DVC Merry Mixer.

This event takes place inside the World ShowPlace Pavilion which is located in Epcot between the United Kingdom and Canada Pavilions. The DVC Merry Mixer will be held for four times this year, two of which have already past, but there are still two more being held on December 11th and 18th from 3pm to 5pm.

At the event you can get cocoa and cookies or a rice krispy treat. There are also Arts & Crafts, Dancing, Simon Says competitions, and much more. You can also find some special Mixer only merchandise offerings, including a special Disney Vacation Club pin and each year a Tree Ornament that is a metallic replica of the same pin. This year there are even some New Fantasyland pins that were first released at this event and will be found elsewhere soon. You can also preview upcoming pins as well as buy DVC merchandise. (warning the lines for this can be long).

If you attend this event, don’t forget to enter the DVC Gift Basket raffle that is held.

And don’t forget to get in line to meet Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, and Goofy.

DVC Merry Mixer Pictures!

Wreck It Ralph Merchandise at Walt Disney World

Wreck It Ralph Merchandise has arrived at Walt Disney World!!!

The Wreck It Ralph merchandise totally captures the spirit (and sometimes smell) of the movie! The pieces are super fun, with great details and imagination. I love it when the merchandise stays so true to a movie, especially when its a movie that I absolutely loved!!!

From Walt Disney Animation Studios and Emmy®-winning director Rich Moore comes “Wreck-It Ralph,” a hilarious, arcade-game-hopping adventure. For decades, Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) has been overshadowed by Fix-It Felix, Jr. (voice of Jack McBrayer), the good-guy star of their game who always gets to save the day. Tired of playing the role of a bad guy, Ralph takes matters into his own massive hands and sets off on a journey across the arcade through multiple generations of video games to prove he’s got what it takes to be a hero.

On his quest, Ralph meets tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (voice of Jane Lynch) from the first-person action game Hero’s Duty, and feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman) from the candy-coated cart-racing game Sugar Rush, who may just be his first real friend. But everything changes when a deadly enemy is unleashed, threatening the entire arcade and Vanellope herself.Ralph finally gets his chance to save the day—but can he do it in time?

Wreck It Ralph Merchandise — Arcade Cards now feature the main man himself!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m6RC9Nsl-g&feature=share&list=PLhc_IRGaIEKDhZu85PSCBs_tYS8OmGw2Y

Wreck it Ralph was such an amazing movie, and the Wreck It Ralph merchandise is great!

Frankenweenie Merchandise At Walt Disney World

Frankenweenie Merchandise at Walt Disney World

What better way to celebrate Halloween than by taking a look at the Frankenweenie merchandise that is available at Walt Disney World!

From creative genius Tim Burton (“Alice in Wonderland,” The Nightmare Before Christmas”) comes “Frankenweenie,” a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new “leash on life” can be monstrous.

A stop-motion animated film, “Frankenweenie” was filmed in black and white and rendered in 3D. The talented voice cast includes: Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Robert Capron, Conchata Ferrell and Winona Ryder.

Presented by Disney, “Frankenweenie” is directed by Tim Burton, produced by Tim Burton and Allison Abbate, from a screenplay by John August, based on an original idea by Tim Burton. “Frankenweenie”.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBfcGLBJ2Uc&feature=share&list=PL7D0F0A66C4B8DCAE

Don’t forget to head over to our friends at The Disney Film Project, to check out their recent podcast all about Frankenweenie!

The Frankenweenie merchandise is fun and quirky just like the movie! I hope that you enjoy this peek at the Frankenweenie Merchandise!

Happy Howl-oween!

Heather Thomson, Real Housewife of NY, to speak at Orlando Breakfast for Jewish National Fund

Heather Thomson, THE REAL HOUSEWIFE: MAKING A SEASON OF THE SHOW AND A BUSINESS SUCCESSFUL

Heather Thomson, a fashion designer, celebrity stylist, philanthropist and newest cast member of the successful Real Housewives of New York franchise, is the woman behind the successful Yummie by Heather Thomson brand.

Heather will be speaking at the Hilton Orlando on October 21, 2012, at the Women for Israel Breakfast to benefit the Jewish National Fund

ZUQIM: YESTERDAY, TODAY AND A VISION FOR TOMORROW

NOA ZER heads Resource Development for the Central Arava Regional Council. She is married to a second generation farmer from Paran and both of them are starting their second agricultural season as pepper growers on Moshav Paran in the Central Arava.

WOMEN FOR ISRAEL BREAKFAST – Jewish National Fund

Sunday, October 21, 2012 • 8:00-9:15 am

Hilton Orlando

6001 Destination Parkway Orlando, FL 32819

This event is in conjunction with JNF’s National Conference. You are invited to stay for the Opening Plenary at 9:30 am. For more information about the conference, visit jnf.org/nc.

Dietary laws observed • Please RSVP by October 5, 2012 to Rosalie Brinbaum at rsvpfl@jnf.org or 561.447.9733

Star Wars Celebration VI – The Clone Wars Panel

Star Wars Celebration VI was full of great panels, and our first one of the convention was The Clone Wars Panel. The scheduled panelists were Supervising Director Dave Filoni and Visual Special Effects Supervisor Joel Aron. After Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I was very excited for this panel. Arriving early we managed to find seats near the front of the hall. While waiting, Todd made friends with the hosts of a Star Wars Podcast.

Dave and Joel dove right in showing us drawings of Onderon, a planet that is well known by fans of the Dark Empire Series of Star Wars books. They discussed tribal influences, and how with this season the Jedi will begin to shift their goals from saving the universe to teaching the universe to save itself. They then showed us a clip of a battle on Onderon.

Map of Anakin's Room — Map of Anakin’s Room

Discussion turned to the Jedi and their possessions. Reminding us that while most Jedi are trained from birth, Anakin had a life before the order, and as such his bedroom had more to offer than other rooms. Showing us some designs for a new set for his bedroom we learned some of what they planned would be in there. They finally showed us a clip of Anakin and Obi Wan talking in Anakin’s bedroom about his relationship with Padmé. In the scene was a nod to the movies in the form of a pod-racing poster featuring Sebulba and Ben Quadinaros in his room.

The next part concentrated on droids, and Dave commented about how children could go interact with droids in the Expo Hall and how you should spend some time watching them do this if you had a chance.The next clip shown was of droids on a ship being led by R2-D2 on some sort of unknown mission, and we got to see them get caught in a field of comets. We then shifted to drawings of a Republic Hover Commando. We learned from Dave that he used one of the first painted hockey goalie masks as a reference for the Commando’s mask. They then showed a clip of the Republic Commando in action as he provided backup for the droids.

Next we got to see a series of scenes and images including Darth Maul and Savage Opress working with Pre Vizsla, Leader of the Death Watch. Some images were presented of members of the Black Sun, a criminal syndicate from Star Wars novels. The big crowd pleasing scene was when we got to see the Bo Katan lead a team to rescue Obi Wan. After she takes out his captors, Bo Katan does this hair flip at the end of the scene that was both intricate and made it seem like her fight was effortless. Dave brought up a convention guest who was dressed like Bo Katan to demonstrate how popular she had become and why we were getting to see more of her.

After a few more scenes, the lights came back on, and sitting on stage was George Lucas. It was unexpected and unscheduled. George discussed that he and the writers had to figure out how to bring Darth Maul back, and why he was in the Clone Wars television series among other things. Then they showed us the Clone Wars season 5 trailer. Both of which you can see in the following video (The trailer is at 5:24 and runs until 8:50).

The Clone Wars Panel was definitely a highlight of our time at Star Wars Celebration VI!

Star Wars Celebration VI – The Beginning

Star Wars Celebration VI – The Beginning

Star Wars CelebrationVI was coming to Orlando, and as soon as he heard my husband, Todd, and I planned to attend. The question that we first faced was when to attend? Fortunately, we know a Jedi Master who had been to many Celebrations in the past. And after talking with him about what we could expect and things that we wouldn’t want to miss, we decided that Saturday would be the best day for us to attend Star Wars Celebration VI. We chose Saturday since it had two panels we definitely wanted to attend: “The Clone Wars”, and the “Super-Secret Star Wars Panel”. And then we also discussed and listed a few other panels we might want to attend as well as some other things we wanted to see. Then, after letting Todd do the rest of the event planning for Celebration VI, I looked at the Orange County Convention Center parking map and found a garage nearby so we wouldn’t need to shuttle.

When Saturday finally arrived, we left the house early knowing that the panels we didn’t want to miss would be really crowded. After following the highway signs directing which exit to take, we tried unsuccessfully to find the parking garage. So we ended up parking at the Orange County Convention Center parking and shuttling over to the West Building. I found it ironic that the shuttles were run by Empire, and it was cool that they were showing Star Wars movies. Once we got to Star Wars Celebration VI there we saw plenty of Star Wars decorations and people dressed up as their favorite characters. We then went off to go get our passes, review our plan for the day, and walk by the Expo Hall to see if it was open. It wasn’t, but a line had formed of those waiting to get into the Hall. Instead of getting in line there, we took some pictures of some of our favorite costumes and decorations, and then decided to head to the other hall where we needed to get in line for our first panel.

In my next post about Star Wars Celebration VI, I will talk more about the panels and share some of the great details we got from attending them!

Star Wars Celebration VI - Weekly Review — Star Wars Celebration VI Logo

Disney Vacation Club: Staying At Bay Lake Tower For An Amazing One More Disney Day

It was Disney’s One More Day event on leap year, the park would be open 24 hours, so I decided I would like to get a room close by using my Disney Vacation Club, DVC, points. I originally booked a 1 bedroom at Bay Lake tower, but later changed it to a 2 bedroom not knowing who would want to come after and crash.

That morning we arrived early at Bay Lake Tower, the Disney Vacation Club Resort near the Contemporary, and let the guard house know that we would be having additional guests needing parking passes. They advised us that we should get parking passes since it was there was a special event that day and that parking enforcement could happen, and then we called our friends who were on the room to advise them that they should get parking passes as well.

Todd had done Disney Vacation Club Online Check-In the night before, so we didn’t stop at the front desk which turned out to be a bad idea this time. Around 1pm, I called to check on the room. The front desk said that I had to go to Bay Lake Tower and check in before they could give me my room info. I left the Magic Kingdom and headed out, at check in I was still confused why I had to be at the desk but I got our room keys.

The room was not ready so I went back to the park. The security lines were a little more crowded so I rented a locker. It was a few hours later, I finally got the notice that the room was ready. Thank goodness since by then I needed a nap. After my nap, I walked into the Contempo Cafe for dinner then I went back to the park. Around 1am, I was ready for bed; I walked back to my room. I woke up around 9am. Checkout was at 11am.

We left at 11am and headed back home. It was a quick stay, but having a room close by was really convenient and a great use of my Disney Vacation Club Points!

Note: These photographs are not those of our room.

Thank you to Betsy Bates for the use of her photographs!

Disney Vacation Club Bay Lake Towers Couch Area (courtesy of Betsy Bates)

Disney Vacation Club Bay Lake Towers Kitchenette (courtesy of Betsy Bates)

Cohen’s Deli Opens New Kosher Hotel Near Disney World

A new Kosher Hotel is opening its doors in the Disney area.

It will be open year round to serve the Jewish Community worldwide.This is a joint venture between Cohen’s Kosher Deli and WorldGate Resort. This is a huge step in the development of Cohen’s as a business who serves and supports the Jewish community in Florida. The resort hotel is now Kosher and Offers Kosher events and kosher dining as part of its main business.

This will be a unique hotel and WorldGate resort and Cohen’s are planning on a spectacular Rosh Hashana and Sukkot program.

Disney Vacation Club: Beach Club Villas and Running The Princess 5K and Half Marathon

It was last minute trip. Our friends were running the Princess Marathon, and then I decided to run the 5k. So we needed a room!

I searched for availability and saw that there were rooms at the Beach Club Villas. After I made sure it was a host resort for the race,so we would have transportation, we booked our stay.

Since we didn’t care where our room was, I chose to do an online check in. We had never done online check in before, and it was really easy. We also opted for Disney to send us a text when the room was ready.

After our race we went to Epcot, and then got the notification that the room was ready. We went back to the room rested a little then boated over to the boardwalk for an event.

We then went to Wide World of Sports for packet pickup for a friend. Then it was back to the parks, and then off to dinner at Beaches and Cream. After dinner we went back to the room for an early bedtime to get ready for the race.

The next morning we caught a shuttle to Epcot for race start, and I went to Magic Kingdom to catch everyone on Main Street. Then after the race, I went back to the room to rest for a bit.

The best features at the Beach Club are the pools, they have 2 quiet pools in addition to their feature pool, Stormalong Bay, which has a slide and a lazy river. Also in addition to Beaches and Cream, it offers a Character Breakfast & Seafood Buffet Dinner at Cape May, and the Beach Club Marketplace with sandwiches and convenience items.

I wish I had more time at this resort!

Beach Club Villas Studio Main Room (courtesy of Betsy Bates)

Beach Club Villas Studio Kitchenette (courtesy of Betsy Bates)

The Force Is Strong In Orlando – Star Wars Celebration Returns

Star Wars Celebration VI is returning to Orlando!!!

The event will be August 23 – 26, 2012 at the Orange County Convention Center in the West Concourse located inside the West Building, Halls WA – WD1. The West Building faces International Drive. The street address for the West Concourse is 9800 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819. map

The event will run from 10am – 7pm Thurs/Fri/Sat and 10am – 5pm on Sun.

All tickets are available for order online along with T-Shirts and Souvenir Programs. Tickets ordered before July 21, 2012 will have their tickets mailed out to them by USPS. There is no cost for this mailing – the ticket you receive is all that’s required to get into Celebration. No waiting in lines. If you’d like a faster delivery you can pay $9.95 for UPS delivery. For orders of 5 or more tickets, UPS shipping is automatically added to your order. Any tickets ordered after July 20, 2012 will not be mailed. Instead, bring your order confirmation to a registration desk. International tickets will not be mailed.

For Adults, one day tickets are $55 for Thurs/Fri or $60 for Sat/Sun, and $135 for a 4-day pass.

For Children, one day tickets are $27 for Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun, and $54 for a 4-day pass.

There are also 4-day and Weekend-only Family packages available with various Adult/Child combinations ranging from $211.85 to $388.80 – equaling a 5% to 10% discount over the above prices.

At this time all VIP Packages have sold out.

Tickets can be purchased at the door, but will be more expensive, so ordering online is definitely the way to go.

Not sure what Star Wars Celebration 6 is they have an Online FAQ, and there is also a YouTube Advertisement.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9qWrgqfUGI

At the final Star Wars Weekend 2012 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Star Wars: The Clone Wars Director Dave Filoni not only showed a clip of Embo, the bounty hunter he voices in the series, chasing Anakin and Ahsoka while snowboarding down a mountain using his hat (also a weapon and shield), but also told us that he’s planning to bring a preview episode from season 5 of The Clone Wars to Celebration.

Hosts for the event are:

James Arnold Taylor – Voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Pablo Hidalgo – Author & Lucasfilm Resident Star Wars Expert

David Collins – Voice Actor/Director, Musician & Designer

Chris Hardwick – Nerdist Founder

In addition, there are may other guests coming from cast, crew, and artists to pop culture personalities and celebrities. Many of whom will be available for autographs, while others will be giving talks and interviews. The complete list and updates on who is coming can be found here.

Disney Vacation Club: Kidani at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Marathons

In 2010, for Marathon cheering we stayed at Wilderness Lodge. I love the proximity to Magic Kingdom.

Once Todd registered for the Half Marathon, I waitlisted Bay Lake tower and we made a reservation at Kidani as well.

For Disney Vacation Club, members currently get to plan vacations at the 11 months ahead for their Home resort. My home resorts are Boardwalk Villas and Saratoga Springs. At 7 months ahead they can use their points at the other disney vacation club resorts.

Since Bay Lake Tower is close to Magic Kingdom, I waitlisted a studio there and also made a reservation at Kidani since Todd’s cousin Lindsay and her partner Jackie were staying there.

What is a waitlist? If all of the DVC inventory is taken, you can request to be on a list that if someone cancels, you woud get a chance to get a room. It was about 2 months before the event when I cancelled my request.

Kidani is the Larger of the DVC choices at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Todd called DVC to verify our request of a room near his cousin. We went to dinner the night before at Sanaa which is located in Kidani and stopped to verify that we would be near them. That morning when we checked in, our assigned room was no where near them! After a few tries with the front desk, we got our room.

For most Disney races you have to be up early, race buses stop at 5am promptly and traffic can occur trying to get there. Most of this is a blur. For an accurate account go to Todd’s blog at Touringplans.

Since we had a savannah view, which basically means you get to see the animals. It was great to be able to go back to the room and relax and open the curtains so we can see the animals. We got some great shots of the scenery and animals!

We did not get to use the pool during this visit, but we did visit Sanaa 2 nights in a row. Sanaa is excellent, it works well with my dietary needs. I agree with others in that this resort needs a counter service option for convenience!

We enjoyed our stay at Kidani, and look forward to staying there again!

Vacationing My Way with DVC

If you aren’t familiar with the Disney Vacation Club. Basically its a timeshare system by Disney, when you buy in you buy points. Originally my husband and I bought 170 points when we lived in Massachusetts and we were visiting about 2-3 times a year. When we moved to Orlando, we lived 40 minutes away, which while seems close is a long drive at Midnight after wishes. Now we live about 10 minutes away.

We have a total of 245 points, I banked in 4 points from last year. The following is my current and past vacations for this calendar year. In my next articles I will be discussing my stays and my reviews.

I will be talking about our upcoming stay at Disney’s Boardwalk Villas from September 28-30, 2012, where we will be staying in a Deluxe Studio with a Garden View using 32 Vacation points.

During One More Disney Day, we used 48 Vacation Points on a Ded. Two Bedroom Standard View room at Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

On February 25 & 26, 2012 we stayed at Disney’s Beach Club Villas in a Deluxe Studio using 22 Vacation Points.

Earlier this year from January 6 to 9, 2012 we stayed at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas- Kidani Village in a Deluxe Studio Savanna View using 46 Vacation Points.

Many thanks to Betsy Bates for the use of her pictures in this post!!!

DVC: Doing The Math Cruising On Points Or Pay Cash

I decided to join my friend Kim on her cruise after Lou Mongello’s WDW cruise in November. The cash price is $1219 for a Category 8D, which is a porthole with seating.

The points value is 90 points per person for the 1st and 2nd passengers.
That calculates to 180 points. Plus there is a $95 exchange fee.
If I were to rent my points I would get $10 a point So the cost is $1895.

I’m sure someone out there is asking, What if I chose a cheaper room?
I’ll do that math, the cheapest point value for my cruise is 75 points.
That calculates to 145 points. The cost would be $1545 which would be more than the room I chose.

Hopefully this math helps someone, let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: This is not a solicitation to rent my points, it is being done to evaluate when to use cash versus points.