Travel

Epic Mickey: Hooray For Hollywood Studios

April 24, 2012 By Blonde Mom 7 Comments

The iconic landmark Crossroads of the World, a great place to grab info and a souvenir, greets you as you enter Hollywood Studios.

We headed to Hollywood on our last day at Disney World—Hollywood Studios to be precise.

Although this was our last day at Disney we still had plenty of time to explore one last park as our flight didn’t depart until after 6 p.m. After a quick breakfast at Starring Rolls Cafe in Hollywood Studios (a great quick service option on the Disney Dining Plan) we headed to the Indian Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. We’re big fans of all the Indiana Jones flicks so I didn’t doubt that this was a show we needed to check out, provided there were no live snakes or hostile natives with poisonous dart shooting blow guns. We all loved it. It had action, pyrotechnics, and plenty of humor weaved throughout to keep us entertained the entire half hour.

Fun special effects and explosions were on hand during the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular.

Disney World Tip: Make plans throughout your Disney parks experience to enjoy some of the shows. This is a great way to sit down and chill out temporarily (quite often literally from the Florida heat) from the crowds and ride madness. Plan on arriving at least 15 minutes before show time, however, in order to snag a decent seat. Be sure to research times in advance, too. If you’re on Verizon, the Mobile Magic App is a must for your phone and provides daily show times for each park.

We’re big Star Wars fans so we had Star Tours on our “must do” list at Hollywood Studios and we had grabbed Fast Passes prior to the Indiana Jones Spectacular. As luck would have it, when we left the Indiana Jones show we spotted a Jedi Training Academy session outside Star Tours and heard the undeniable sounds of light sabres. The Force. It was with us. We loved Star Tours. It’s definitely a must do ride for Star Wars fans, young and not so young. (I remember having a HUGE crush on Mark Hamill in the Empire Strikes Back days).

Stormtroopers on alert during the Jedi training show.

I’m a huge chicken when it comes to thrill rides. Let’s just say that during all my Disney World family vacation planning I may or may not have Googled things like “scary rides to avoid at Disney” and “Disney rides that will make you pee your pants and cry for your mama” to ensure I’d come home in one piece. Neither hubby or I like heights so we knew we didn’t want to ride the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror with Miss C and even she had heard from enough friends that it was really scary so we enjoyed the polar opposite of thrill seeking terror at the Muppet Vision 3-D show. Very cute and entertaining for Muppet fans of all ages. I mean who doesn’t love Kermit and Miss Piggy? I was also feeling a little green after riding Star Tours. I blame having an empty stomach. It’s not easy being green, is it Kermit?

One ride we didn’t get a chance to check out with the girls was Toy Story Mania! If you have kids, especially ones 12 and younger, it’s a must do on my list. I’d had the chance to check it out on my Traveling Mom travel blogger retreat in February 2011. It’s very similar, however, to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, which we’d ridden when we’d gone to the Magic Kingdom.

We got in more exploring time after a quick lunch at the ABC Commissary and then it was time to head back to the hotel and quickly hit the lobby souvenir shop before catching a late afternoon shuttle to the airport. Miss C picked out an adorable stuffed Mickey Mouse and Miss A chose a Disney character charm bracelet (which honestly surprised me as she’s not such a girly girl) and a cool Wizard Mickey comic book.

One thing to note about the resort checkout experience is that Disney World strives to make so many of these travel details as streamlined as possible. We were flying on Southwest Airlines and we were able to check in our luggage directly at All Star Movies Resort. This was a nice perq to staying on Disney property as we didn’t have to worry about our luggage once we left our hotel.

Lights, camera, action!

Of all the Disney world theme parks, Hollywood Studios was probably our least “must do” park but, as with all things Disney, we loved it!

What are your must dos at Hollywood Studios?

I’ve been writing about our first ever Disney World family vacation. Check out my previous posts!

Day 1: Magic Kingdom

Day 2: Animal Kingdom

Day 3: Epcot

Day 4: Magic Kingdom

Check out all my Disney World pictures on Flickr.

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The Chattanoogan: Full Service, Family Friendly In The Heart Of Downtown Chattanooga

April 19, 2012 By Blonde Mom 18 Comments

We didn’t commit to a big spring break trip since we recently returned from our first Disney World vacation, but a quick weekend trip to Chattanooga proved to be the perfect family getaway.

Chattanooga is an easy two-hour drive from Nashville and one Tennessee city my husband and I always say we could easily live in. The downtown area is clean and pedestrian friendly, and there is a wide variety of attractions and restaurants for families with kids of all ages, not to mention that there always seems to be an art or music festival going on in the riverfront district.

The Chattanoogan is the city’s only AAA four-diamond rated hotel.

Our comfy room featured two double beds and a contemporary vibe. Amenities include high-speed wireless Internet and a coffee maker, both musts in my travel book.

We were recently invited to review The Chattanoogan, Chattanooga’s only AAA four-diamond rated full-service hotel. I know what you’re thinking. Is this too fancy pants for families with kids? We saw several families with kids, from toddlers to teens, staying at the hotel as it was spring break weekend. This lovely hotel is located just about one mile from the busy riverfront area, where the bulk of the city’s attractions are located. It’s in close proximity to the most popular attractions, yet is more on the edge of the busy downtown district. You can literally park your car and leave it for the weekend as The Chattanoogan is just a quick walk to one of the city’s many electric trolley pickup stations.

Many of the natural materials used to build the hotel, such as in the beautiful open lobby, are from Tennessee.

We arrived late afternoon on a Friday and when we asked the front desk about dinner options within walking distance, we were immediately handed a helpful map and guide to various Chattanooga eateries in just about every category you could think of. Chattanooga has everything from sports pub type restaurants to popular chains such as Mellow Mushroom and Buffalo Wild Wings to fine dining. I was also impressed that so many of the downtown establishments, including The Chattanooga, support and promote each other. We settled on Urban Stack, about a block over from the hotel, since a co-worker and food blogger had highly recommended it, and it sounded like a good casual family option for us and the girls.

A burger is an experience at Urban Stack.

Urban Stack is no ordinary burger joint. The drink menu was also quite extensive and after our drive it was a welcome sight and a great way to kick the weekend off. I had the Morning Glory burger, which featured a fried egg, and it was amazing! Urban Stack offered great service, food and drinks, and yes there is a kids menu. We enjoyed eating outside and enjoying the gorgeous weather. Back at the hotel that evening hubby and I enjoyed the martini bar and we all enjoyed shooting pool and playing indoor shuffleboard in the adjacent game room, as well as relaxing outdoors on the patio by the firepit. We honestly barely spent any time in our hotel room!

I just had to try the Strawberry Blonde. I’m normally not a bourbon drinker, but this drink easily converted me.

Saturday got off to an excellent start as I headed down to the second floor to The Chattanoogan’s spa for my first ever aromatherapy massage (I chose a citrus scent as a wake me up aroma). The Chattanoogan is the only downtown Chattanooga hotel that offers a spa, which is definitely a plus for anyone wanting to squeeze in a little pampering session during family getaway time. I also noticed the great nearby indoor (heated) pool. Although we didn’t use the pool, I saw several families headed to the pool throughout our weekend stay.

The Chattanoogan offers a fantastic buffet breakfast at Broad Street Grille that offers everything imaginable, from slap your mama good Southern style biscuits and gravy and pancakes (my 9-year-old’s favorite) to healthier options, such as fresh fruit and oatmeal and yogurt. Personally I love to start our day off with a big breakfast at our hotel when we travel.

Saturday was our designated aquarium day and because it was spring break for many area schools, the Tennessee Aquarium had organized several extra activities and events throughout the day. We went on two very interesting behind-the-scenes tours—one was of the aquarium’s enormous tank feeding area and one was a look at the “sick bay” area. My older daughter, Miss C, is very much interested in marine biology and my younger daughter also loves animals and nature so the aquarium was the perfect outing. We ended the afternoon watching Born to be Wild at the nearby IMAX movie theatre and loved it. Fair warning, you will want to adopt an elephant or orangutan!

The River Journey area of the Tennessee Aquarium. There is another separate area totally dedicated to ocean life.

That evening we ate dinner at one of Chattanooga’s finest restaurants without ever leaving the hotel, a bonus after a busy day exploring the aquarium. Hubby had a fillet and I had fresh fish at Broad Street Grille. Remember how I said I was impressed with downtown Chattanooga businesses supporting one another? Our amazing bread during our meal at The Chattanoogan Hotel’s Broad Street Grille was from nearby downtown Chattanooga bakery Niedlovs and the herbs in the dipping oil were grown on property in the hotel’s very own herb garden. In all my travels I’ve NEVER known of a hotel property to grow their own herbs! Our server did an excellent job of explaining the extensive wine offerings. We also introduced the girls to one of my all time favorite desserts, creme brulee!

We came, we saw, we kicked some swinging bridge phobia!

On Sunday we headed to Rock City, which was about a 15-minute drive from the hotel. I hadn’t been to Rock City since I was probably 9 or 10. We loved touring the gardens, going to the observation point and Lover’s Leap, and we were all pleasantly impressed by the afternoon bird show. We saw a wizened bald eagle, a buzzard who acted more like a puppy than a bird, and several other beautiful birds. We headed to Ruby Falls next and and went on an amazing tour of this underground waterfall discovered in the 1920s. The tour is more than an hour long, but there were kids who looked to be as young as 2 on the tour. Honestly I would recommend it for children a bit older as there is no bathroom once you descend into the cave.

One of the many breathtaking vistas at Lookout Mountain. You can see seven states from the observation area.

Not wanting to go home quite yet and wanting to take advantage of the hour we’d gain as we switched back to Central Standard Time, we headed to Point Park, an off-the-beaten-path park my husband recalled visiting when he was a Boy Scout. Point Park offers amazing views of downtown and the riverfront area. We then headed back down the mountain to Coolidge Park for an early dinner at North Shore Grille. Coolidge Park is a wonderful family friendly park on the Tennessee River. On my must do list for our return trip is Clumpies Ice Cream.

From the downtown area with its popular attractions such as the Tennessee Aquarium and the Creative Discovery Museum, to more outdoor oriented attractions located on Lookout Mountain such as Rock City and ziplining (for kids 12 and older), Chattanooga has something for everyone.

BlondeMomBlog’s Must Dos For Family Fun in Chattanooga:

Tennessee Aquarium

Creative Discovery Museum

Rock City (go see the bird show…it is surprisingly well done and you literally have birds fly over your head)

Ruby Falls

IMAX Theatre (great to do in the late afternoon after a day at the museum or aquarium when you need down time)

Aretha Frankenstein’s (we’ve been on past trips to the ‘Nooga and it’s a great breakfast spot!)

Urban Stack

Coolidge Park (Features a wonderful indoor carousel and fun animal statue fountain area…be prepared for little ones to gravitate toward the water, though!)

Incline Railway (We didn’t make it to the railway but I remember doing it when I was a kid!)

Point Park (Great for Civil War history buffs…steep drop offs, though, so I would hesitate to take very young children.)

Disclosure: We were guests of The Chattanoogan Hotel, which provided us with hotel accommodations as well as admission to area attractions courtesy of the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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Epic Mickey: Swashbuckling Pirates, Splash Mountain, And Wicked Stepsisters

April 12, 2012 By Blonde Mom 10 Comments

Another beautiful day at the Magic Kingdom.

No matter how big, or small, a kid you are, you can never get too much of the Magic Kingdom. On our fourth at Disney we headed back to the Magic Kingdom as we had visited the park on day one of our vacation but didn’t arrive until late afternoon. I hadn’t purchased the Park Hopper option for our tickets and that ended up being fine as we had five days to explore all the parks.

Pirates of the Carribean had been closed temporarily for maintenance on our arrival day and was on our must do list so we headed straight to Adventureland to check it out and get our Jack Sparrow on! Adventureland ended up being one of our favorite areas of Magic Kingdom. As luck would have it, a pirate show was going on (and who can turn down a good pirate show?) and while hubby and the girls enjoyed all the swashbuckling fun, I headed to Splash Mountain for Fast Passes. It finally had clicked in my brain that the key to avoiding lines for your “must do” ride was to immediately high tail it to that ride as soon as you entered the park to snag Fast Passes. Then you can enjoy some other rides and activities and plan your day accordingly.

Honestly I tried not to plan our daily Disney agenda to death even though I can be a complete control freak. At one point when we were in line to get Snow White’s autograph I noticed the woman in front of me had a laminated schedule timed down to the minute for their day. Now THAT is a planner. We had our ideas of the must do things we wanted to hit but we could have easily spent another full day at every park. There’s just no way to do it all and I resolved to be all zen with Mickey Mouse about it.

Is that Johnny Depp or Jack Sparrow? Either way, I just had to take his rogue pirate’s picture. Ahem.

One thing you can definitely plan on is getting wet during the grand finale 52-foot plummet on Splash Mountain. Actually hubby and Miss C were seated in front and got soaked! Miss A and I escaped without getting too wet. Splash Mountain was one of our favorite rides. I loved the Song of the South theme and at 11 minutes it was one of the longest rides at Disney. We also rode the Walt Disney World train ride that encircles the Magic Kingdom, which was a nice slow change of pace, and got a sneak peek at some of the construction for the new Fantasyland area, scheduled to open in 2013. The new area will feature an Ariel ride, Belle’s cottage, and more. The conductor and tour guide did an excellent job of giving us some scoop on all of the new rides and attractions being built during this expansion project. This fun time-lapse video from April 10 posted on the official Disney Parks blog gives a sneak peak of the progress being made. And so of course all this means we MUST GO BACK to Disney, right?

Getting ready to get soaked on Splash Mountain!

We enjoyed lunch at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn, which didn’t make my favorite restaurant list. The food is decent enough quick service for a fast burger but isn’t anything to write home about, quite honestly. Because I’d done a lot of research, though, I knew that the food at Magic Kingdom is not the best the parks have to offer. But it’s fine for fast, family fare. The girls loved it. Plus we had dinner reservations that evening at 1900 Park Fare.

After lunch we headed to Future World and went exploring. Tomorrowland Speedway was our final ride for the day at Magic Kingdom and we loved it! I felt like Danica Patrick with the wind whipping my hair. OK not really. I think we went 5 MPH. The girls drove the cars, though, and it was a blast.

Tomorrowland Speedway

We headed back to the hotel early afternoon as we were all a little worn out. The weather was breezy and temperatures were in the 60s so it was a tad too cool for extended pool time but we did lounge poolside for an hour or so before relaxing a little in our room and getting ready for dinner at the beautiful Grand Floridian hotel. All Star Movies does a great job of planning fun organized poolside games for kids.

A little piece of advice for ya’ll. You can consult all the books and websites you want but you will always get the best advice from friends who have been to Disney multiple times! A friend told me that we should definitely take the water taxi over to the Grand Floridian which launches near the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. The boat ride back over to Magic Kingdom late that evening was a tad chilly but it was such a special way to end our last evening at Disney.

The Grand Floridian is one gorgeous Disney property. It reminded me of the Hotel Del Coronado in California. I had made dinner reservations for the Cinderella character dinner back in December. Although my girls are way past the Bibbitty Bobbitty Boutique age and dressing up like little princesses, they absolutely loved interacting with the characters during our buffet dinner. I highly recommend Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner at 1900 Park Fare for a fun character experience and a great meal. The girls got autographs from Cinderella, Prince Charming, and the wicked stepmother and stepsisters (who were absolutely hilarious in character.) Plus you get to see an incredible upscale Disney property. After dinner we walked on the beach and enjoyed the water parade, minus the crowds.

It was hard to believe this was our last full day and night and Disney, but we had the entire next day to spend at Hollywood Studios.