Blog Posts by Michelle Browne

The Best Way to Experience Magic Kingdom’s Festival of Parade

11/21/2023 • Blog, Walt Disney World • There’s so much to see and do at Magic Kingdom but how can you fit it all into a single day? If you can’t extend your trip to include multiple days at Magic Kingdom, knowing the little tricks to maximize what you can experience with minimal wait is key to checking off your must-do list. For many families, Disney’s Festival of Fantasy Parade is a top priority attraction that they want to experience. After all, where else can you see all of your favorite characters in one place within a 12-minute attraction? The Festival of Fantasy parade starts in Frontierland and makes its way towards Liberty Square before turning and going past Cinderella’s Castle and down Main Street USA. There are many ideas as to where the best spot for watching the parade really is. For many years, my family would camp out in Liberty Square outside the Diamond Horseshoe, […]

Steakhouse 71 – Dining with Historic Flair!

9/26/2023 • Blog, Walt Disney World • Looking for a secret gem of a dining location located in the heart of Walt Disney World? Look no further than Steakhouse 71, located at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, just outside the Magic Kingdom. Inspired by Walt Disney and named for the year of the opening of Walt Disney World, you can find historic pictures amid mid-century design and enjoy a portfolio of the Disney family wines as you sit down to enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner. At Breakfast time is where you can enjoy scrumptious options such as Walt’s Prime Rib Hash, Floridian Eggs Benedict, or the Avocado Toast while sipping on a Mimosa, while the kids enjoy Mickey-shaped Waffles (a must on any Disney vacation!) with a Sunshine Punch before heading to the parks for a day of play. With the restaurant located on the first floor, simply head out the doors and you’ll find yourself on the pathway […]

Resort Spotlight: Disneyland Hotel

9/7/2023 • Blog, Disneyland • If you are looking for a magical room at Disneyland for your next resort stay, then look no further than the Disneyland Hotel. With nostalgic flair and touches of pixie dust inside your room and throughout the resort, this hotel pays tribute to the classic years of Disneyland while providing modern, state-of-the-art amenities that guests will want to return to trip after trip. Rooms Disneyland offers multiple styles of room for all sizes of families. In the Frontier, Fantasy, and Adventure Towers, rooms feature 1 King Bed or 2 Queen Beds or 2 Queen Beds and 1 Day Bed with views of the Pool, Parking Lot, Trees, or the Downtown Disney District. The beds themselves feature Sleeping Beauty’s Castle fireworks headboards and play a sweet lullaby to encourage dreams of Neverland. Looking for concierge service? Try a Club Level room that has access to the E-Ticket Club Room where you […]

Keeping Cool in the Disney Summer Heat!

9/1/2023 • Blog, Walt Disney World • With summer upon us, the heat and humidity of Florida can send even the most southern of families screaming for a cool relief. We know you’ve been eagerly anticipating your Disney World vacation for months and we don’t want you to miss out on any of the fun that Disney has to offer because of the heat. Here are some tips to help you survive the hottest and most humid of Disney days: 1. Take advantage of Disney’s Extra Park Time. By staying on property at Disney, you qualify to enter Disney’s parks early every day and select resorts have additional extended evening hours for their guests on various nights. This extra park time coincides with the coolest of times to visit the parks not to mention the least busy times. Not a morning or a late person? Go back to your hotel during the hottest part of the day […]

What’s in my Disney Loungefly Backpack?

6/2/2023 • Blog, Cruises, Disneyland, Walt Disney World • If you have ever been on a Disney vacation or viewed any pictures of fans at Disney, you’ll see something in common with a large number of guests visiting the property. Guests everywhere – at Walt Disney World, at Disneyland, and on the Disney Cruise Line ships have their Disney themed Loungefly backpacks with them. I’ll admit that when I first saw the Loungefly craze I was a bit skeptical. I had a large, beautiful Vera Bradley backpack with a Minnie Mouse paisley pattern and I could fit everything I ever needed on a Disney vacation inside of it. So why would I purchase this small backpack instead and use it in the parks? Well time and pretty patterns eventually won me over and I bought my first Loungefly backpack. My first day of using my backpack I was blown away by how much I could fit inside my bag. […]

Disney Wish: Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure Review

4/11/2023 • Blog, Cruises • Disney Cruise Line has enhanced their cruise ship dining on the Disney Wish by adding more entertainment to their rotational dining experiences. My favorite of the new options is Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure and let me share my experience from the trip and why this restaurant was my favorite dining experience onboard. Tables are assigned for dining at all of Disney Cruise Line’s rotational restaurants so don’t be concerned if you are running a few minutes late. Those that arrive before the restaurant opens, will wait in the fully decorated entrance hall to the restaurant complete with port windows covered in frosty designs. You’ll be able to view and take pictures with the royal portraits and statue of armor, just as Anna and Elsa experienced growing up in their Arendelle castle. Once you enter the main dining hall, you’ll be seated around the performance stage set in the middle […]

“Avengers, Assemble!” – Visiting Avengers Campus at Disneyland

12/13/2022 • Blog, Disneyland • Disneyland, once again, went above and beyond expectations when on June 4, 2021, Disneyland’s California Adventure opened the Avengers Campus. This is Disney’s newest land and it is a MUST visit vacation for all Marvel fans. Headlining Avengers Campus is the all-new ride “WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure”. This family-friendly ride invites people of all ages to help gather up the rogue Spider-Bots that are continuously replicating and causing havoc in Avengers Campus. Each ride vehicle accommodates four people on each side to cast their webs and for those that are more competitive, the different colored Spider-Bots have different points associated with them so you’ll want to cast your webs for those worth more points. Be aware that this ride is extremely tiring on your arms, so practice casting your webs even before your trip (as fast as you can), to build up those muscles as strong as Spider-Man. WEB […]

9 Tips for Keeping Cool in the Disney Summer Heat

7/12/2022 • Tips, Walt Disney World • With summer upon us, the heat and humidity in Florida can send even the most southern of families screaming for some cooling relief. We know you’ve been eagerly anticipating your Disney World vacation for months and we don’t want you to miss out on any of the fun that Disney has to offer because of the heat. Here are some tips to help you survive the hottest and most humid of Disney days: 1. Take advantage of Disney’s Extra Magic Hours. By staying on property at Disney, you qualify to go early or stay late at Disney’s parks. The extra magic hours are the coolest of times to visit the parks not to mention the least busy times. Not a morning or a late person? Go back to your hotel during the hottest part of the day to rest so that you’ll have the energy for the extra magic hours. […]

Capturing your Senior’s Photos – Disney Style!

6/14/2022 • Blog, Disneyland, Walt Disney World • Having a senior high school student is an exciting time for a family. There’s so much to do and one of those many tasks for many families include booking a photo session for your student to capture their personalities. Have you wanted to have a Disney-themed session but don’t know how to do it? This year I embarked on Disney photos for my own senior. We visited both Disneyland and Walt Disney World and had sessions at each location. Here’s what I tried and learned and how you can have senior photos, Disney style, for your own child. If your family is visiting Disneyland in California, you will need to take the photos yourself. I highly recommend staying at an official Disneyland resort or a hotel nearby the parks so you can head back to change if you are doing evening photographs or to change into your park clothes after […]

Exploring Hogwart’s Castle at Universal Orlando

12/26/2021 • Blog, Universal Studios • For every Harry Potter fan, a visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando is a bucket list item but for true Potterheads. It's the extra Easter Eggs that are hidden that can make the experience truly magical. While magic appears around every corner in both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, let’s explore the hidden items in Hogwart’s Castle that you’ll want to take note of on your next vacation. Here are my top 5 hidden items for you to find! 1. Mandrakes- The first hidden item is located outdoors, in the greenhouse. If your visit to Hogsmeade has low crowds, you may miss the Mandrakes, but pause just before you enter the castle and check out these restorative plants located behind a fence so that they cannot be accidentally pulled out of their pots, subjecting you to their screams. 2. Four Founders of Hogwarts: The Hall of […]