Hangin' Out in Disney Springs!

I don't live in Florida, but my brothers do.  So when I visited for a job interview at a school, we decided to spend a fun day at Disney Springs!  What I love most about Disney Springs (nee Downtown Disney) is the park-like experience for zero admission fees.  There is, of course, a huge difference between the Springs and a park (rides, character meet and greets, parades), but you do get the Disney atmosphere, park-exclusive merchandise and food, access to the Disney park buses (to watch fireworks for free from just outside the entrance to Magic Kingdom) and unique experiences.  We had a great time hanging out, and here are some highlights!

First of all, to get to Disney Springs, you have to drive through the gates to the kingdom:

...which I'm pretty sure means you've entered the happiest place on earth.  So things are already looking up.

Since my visit last month, they have opened up a new shopping area, Town Center, with stores like Alex + Ani, Zara, and Sprinkles.  Actually it all opened today, May 15!  So I'll be covering all the things that have made Disney Springs magical before the newest additions!

I love that Disney Springs has Disney parks merchandise at World of Disney (the old NYC store on 5th ave was a park store so they had park merch too.  When they closed that location to open in Times Square, they became The Disney Store, meaning they had Disney Store products--not Disney parks products!  Meaning no pins, antenna toppers, and other cute park things.), but I was excited to find that they also have exclusive Springs merch:

Of course this may be the only thing that is specific to Disney Springs (it may also be available elsewhere, but really--why?) but it's fun and cute!  It's a glass bottle really playing up the idea that Disney Springs is an old-timey Florida spring water district.  I guess there's not a lot you can do with that.  The bottles don't come with corks or tops, so I imagine this is just for show, or for immediate serving!

Of course this may be the only thing that is specific to Disney Springs (it may also be available elsewhere, but really--why?) but it's fun and cute!  It's a glass bottle really playing up the idea that Disney Springs is an old-timey Florida spring water district.  I guess there's not a lot you can do with that.  The bottles don't come with corks or tops, so I imagine this is just for show, or for immediate serving!

There is also the Characters in Flight balloon which lets you ride up into the sky and from which, I hear, you can see the surrounding parks (at least Epcot's Spaceship Earth).  It's been too windy my last 2 trips (ughh) so I haven't been able to go up, but I am dying to!!

As for the park-exclusive food, there are 3 food trucks stationed towards the La Nouba/House of Blues side of the Springs near Starbucks that have samples of meals from Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot's Food & Wine Festival!

Of course none of these trucks had opened yet--we were there pretty early!  I thought this logo was pretty cool: 

They also have other park favorites:

We stopped at Joffrey's Coffee (mostly because they had a sign advertising their alcohol-infused beverages) where I got a frozen chai tea with Kahlua!  I was excited to get my first cup with this adorable Disney design:

It was particularly refreshing on this particularly hot day!  Oh, there's that springs mineral water bottle again on an old-timey painted sign:

The Lego store is always one of my favorites!  I was looking for the Lego Disney minifigures but they hadn't yet been released.  I saw from Disney Springs' latest instagram post that they are currently stocked (I got mine at Barnes & Noble)!  I don't usually go into the store but I love the sculptures all around the shop:

World of Disney is my favorite shop in the Springs (followed by Basin, but more on that later)!

Hi, Disney.  It's me, Elyse.  I'd like one of each pair of these socks in adult size. 

Lots of fun photo ops available (my brothers did me the favor of trying these bows on):

Poor Dug in the Cone of Shame:

 Make sure you look up--they have gorgeous ceiling paintings!

Lumiere really lights up on all three candle spots.  I'm going to buy him when I get my own apartment:

Next to World of Disney is the Ghirardelli chocolate shop:

Looks even better at night!

They always offer you a free sample as you walk in (David has shown me the "repeat offender" technique).  This time they were handing out a new flavor, blueberry.  It was very pretty, but a strange taste pairing!

In February it was a little chilly, so David and I got the "drinking chocolate," which was a cup full of melted chocolate drops!!  Amazingly delicious, but you need to get the smallest cup and not drink the whole thing like we did. 

Rich, delicious, stomach-ache-inducing.

Just out the window from Ghirardelli was the volcano from the Rainforest Cafe which I had never seen erupt, so that was pretty cool: 

And just next to this area is Basin, a bath store that sells bath bombs, themed soaps, bath salts, shampoo and conditioner bars, and other body products.  I fell in love with them on my February visit when I bought a couple Mickey confetti bath bombs.  It really is like a special event when you pop one of those in your tub!  Here are a couple of the fun soaps:

An appropriately-placed Mickey fountain:

Another favorite up there with World of Disney is Goofy's Candy Company!  

This sign is made of jellybeans

Look how cute and Florida-relevant these chocolate mini crocodiles are!

The Good Dinosaur pops:

Giant crispy rice treat:

David and I had too much fun (if there is such a thing) in front of the fun-house mirror...

The details are everywhere in Disney--I especially liked this bench near the Christmas shop:

We were looking to eat at Fulton's Crab House where we ate last time:

but it was under construction so we pardoned their pixie dust and ate at Portobello instead.  Good food at a reasonable price, and they give you the choice of olive oil OR butter with your bread (I said if they were so fancy they shouldn't even give us the option.  Just bring both over and make us feel spoiled)!

We also absolutely love Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar:

My Reggie's Revenge came with this snake wrapped around an oar--I love drinks that come with souvenirs!

Between the Hangar Bar and the Boathouse, you can get a ride on an amphibious vehicle:

To me, the cars always look like they're going to sink, but that's just their "style!"

For the gamers out there, there is DisneyQuest, a big arcade that I heard once was "hosted" by Genie from Aladdin (not sure where I heard it so don't take my word for it, but he was the featured character).  It's really a big mystery to me because I've never gone in--you have to pay a pretty hefty price for a ticket (about $48), but it sounds cool!  This is just inside the entrance (before they take your ticket), and it looks pretty majestic!

They have free Frogger and Donkey Kong Jr. for us cheapskates:

Of course there's always more... Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba is an amazing show (I saw it back in 2008) which has just announced a couple new acts this year!  I found a stall that takes requests for custom paintings on Tom's shoes while you wait.  There's also a shoe store that carries special running shoes as well as Disney designs:

And the running store carries shirts that aren't necessarily Disney but say things like "Look Like a Beauty, Run Like a Beast."  The Starbucks features "Starbucks Evenings," which pair wine and craft beers with small plates of culinary delight!

A pretty mobile hanging from the ceiling in Starbucks

In summation... there is always so much to do at Disney Springs, and they are only adding more.

Top Ten Free/Cheap Disney Souvenirs

Disney is expensive.  Airfare, hotels and park admission.  Paying to get there and stay there is just the beginning.  Fortunately, there do exist SOME souvenirs you can take home without spending too much.  Here are my top ten:

1. Pressed Pennies.  Costing a total of 51 cents, these are some of the least-expensive souvenirs.  They may be small, but they have always been fun for me to find in my purse long after my trip has ended!  Disney also sells little collectible books to keep your pennies in (but probably worth more than your collection)!

2. Mickey Ear Shampoo Bottles.  If you've already paid for a Disney hotel, why not take a bunch of these home?  If you use one even a little bit, Mousekeeping gives you a new one when they clean your room, and leave the old one, too!  I love the little mouse ears on the caps.  I have a small collection myself!

3. Disney World Pens.  Another room freebie, but I think you only get the one.  I took mine home and it adds just the right touch of magic to the mundane.

4. Postcards.  I don't remember how much a postcard cost when I was there, but it didn't break the bank.  They have some pretty cute ones.  I keep the one of Mickey and Minnie riding Dumbo with the castle in the background on my bookshelf.

5. Mickey Swirley Straws.  If you are dining at a Disney restaurant, you have the option of Mickey straws for about 50 cents (actually 40-something, but I'm rounding up).  I know this because when Jim & I last ate at Be Our Guest Restaurant, we ordered using the kiosk instead of ordering ahead (I recommend ordering ahead--you'll miss the suits of armor getting into coughing fits, which isn't too appetizing), and one of the options was a Mickey Straw!  We got 2 and they are so cute.

6. Mickey Foam Keychains.  They have these up next to the registers at most souvenir shops in Disney--little one-inch balls of foam with 2 foam ears glued on, on a short ball chain.  About a dollar each, they are great souvenirs!  Simple and durable, they come in a couple different styles--Mickey, Minnie, Tinkerbell, princess, and rainbow!  There are probably more by now.  Tinkerbell has cute little wings on the back, and the princess one has a tiny tiara!

7. Photos.  If you can't spring for the Memory Maker (which is a great deal if you're using PhotoPass anyway), just use your own camera.  The Disney photographers (especially the enthusiastic ones) love taking pictures using your own phone or camera.  You can also look at and share the pictures as soon as you have them taken, which you can't do with PhotoPass!

8. Park Maps.  For friends who love Disney but can't get down there often, an up-to-date map can be a great thrill!  It's also nice to have for yourself!  I have one from my Disneyland Paris trip years ago, and from the new Disney Springs in FL!  I like looking at maps and remembering my favorite rides and experiences, and it's fun to see if something has changed since the last map!

9. Drawing Lessons.  The Art of Animation resort offers daily free drawing lessons of your favorite Disney characters!  I have one of Tigger and one of Mickey!  They used to offer these in Hollywood Studios at the Animation Pavilion, but since it is going under a great overhaul, they have moved this experience to the resort (I only know this because I asked. I was very indignant about my favorite part of the Studios being taken away!)

10. Stickers.  I see a lot of large, circular, doctors-office type stickers floating around the parks, having fallen out of pockets, bags and small hands.  There are some specific to certain events, experiences and places, but the only source I have found so far was my hotel.  I was in the Pop Century gift shop and there was a dry erase board with trivia questions on it.  I asked the cashier if there was a prize for getting all the answers right, and she said she'd give me a sticker (I'm 31 and this got me excited)!  They were all about Big Hero 6 and I had recently seen it, so I got all the answers correct, and she gave me a whole bunch of stickers (probably because of my glee and air-punches after "winning") of all different characters!

There are, of course, hokey gifts you could bring back to friends and family, like an empty water bottle labeled "Disney Air" or one you filled at the Cinderella fountain labeled "Disney Water," which, for the right audience, I'm sure would be a hit.  I hope these not-so-hokey souvenir ideas make your shopping easier, lighten your load, and provide lots of good memories from your trip!

Finding Remy

This past year's Food & Wine Festival at Epcot featured a fun new addition: Remy's Ratatouille Hide & Squeak!

For about the price of a pin (I think it was $10), I picked up this adorable game board map of Epcot with ovals around it.  Here's how to play:

The ovals each had a country written on them, and a corresponding sheet of stickers of Remy with different ingredients.  You had to find which ingredient Remy was posing with in that country and match the corresponding sticker.  

Here he is in Germany with some bread:

China with tomatoes:

And so on and so forth...

We also made sure to enjoy all the food & wine, of course!

And continued our search!

Peek-a-boo!

The less-obvious ones were the best (frustrating yet rewarding), like in France (above) with the garlic in the middle of the "jardin," and in the gondola in Italy!  

(I love all those poles with Spaceship Earth in the backdrop)

We found someone else during our Remy search!

I have to say, the one in England was the hardest to find!  I heard a desperate father asking a security guard if he knew where Remy was in the UK and he had no idea.  I hope he did and just acted like he didn't, you know, to preserve the magic!  

After finding them all, we took the game map to the Port of Entry to claim my prize:

You could pick from an array of these Remy pins, which were replicas of the drawings on the game stickers.  It was hard for me to decide, but I thought this was the cutest!

They stamped this on the back of my map so I could keep it and not cheat!

Reading the small print now, it seems I didn't even have to put any stickers on--just buy the thing and you get a pin!  But that wouldn't have been worth it at all!  The search was a fun thing to add to our enjoyment of the festival, and I felt I earned this pin!  I hope they do something like this again next year!

Duffy Goes to Hong Kong

On our October '15 trip, I was very excited to meet Duffy, the Disney bear, as I had in 2012.  At that time, he was in his pumpkin suit, greeting visitors to the left of the entrance for the World Showcase.  This time, it was Daisy who was greeting guests, so I decided to come back later for whenever Duffy was due.

Duffy was never due--it seemed to be Daisy's new spot.  We didn't ask anyone, but we got some news before we left the park.  I have my own little Duffy with magnetic hands and feet (and back of head) who we had in our PhotoPass photo in front of Spaceship Earth.  The photographer said, "Oh, Duffy!  That makes me so sad!"  We asked why, and she said it was Duffy's last day a few days earlier, and that he was going off to Hong Kong Disney!

This was a display at one of the Downtown Disney stores--it had tons of cute stuff, plus a large array of Duffy merch.  This giant Duffy happened to be in that pumpkin costume I remembered!  They were still selling the bears you can dress up, purses of his face, and lots of outfits.  I don't know if they'll be phasing Duffy out of the park completely, but all I know for right now is that he is no longer greeting guests in WDW.  I wonder if he is in CA, and I wonder if we have seen the last of him!  I know he originated in Tokyo Disney, and I guess he did not catch on over here.  Sorry, Duff!

Towel Animals Extinct?

I love Disney's towel animals.  When my dad & I stayed at All Star Music in 2012, we had 2 towel ghosts with pipe cleaners and sticky eyes hanging in our window.  It was the cutest thing!  I have always appreciated this unnecessary gesture from "Mousekeeping."  I told Jim about the towel animals we'd get on his first trip with me last year, and all we got was the Mickey head on the bed (I think I posted a picture and wrote about the lack of towel animals in a previous post).  When we returned to Pop Century a couple weeks ago, we didn't even get the Mickey head!  Nary a towel animal was seen in our room the entire 7 days of our trip.  I was pretty upset.  I was thinking of leaving a note asking for one, but part of the magic was getting one out of nowhere, not having to ask for it.

Then I read this:   http://disboards.com/threads/no-more-towel-characters.3422508/

It's a discussion board about how towel animals are apparently no longer allowed to be made and left for guests because of a recent survey where people said they'd rather have cleaner rooms than towel animals.  Can't someone clean a room and then leave a towel animal?  I thought it was part of the Mousekeeper training, in addition to cleaning a room!  I'm very upset if this is how it continues.  We want our towel animals.  Maybe we can start a secret code to let Mousekeeping know it's okay to leave us towel animals, like those pins people wear that say "It's OK to wish me a Merry Christmas!"  If I knew how to make pins, I'd probably try that.  And we can leave them on our night stands.  But if the towel-makers are getting reprimanded for doing that, we still might not get our towels.

Dole Whip RIP?

Given all the choices of flavor combinations and floats at the Dole Whip stands in Walt Disney World, I have never been sure of what constitutes a real "Dole Whip."  Is it pineapple soft-serve?  By itself or on top of a cup of orange juice?  The Dole Whip air freshener my mom brought home for me last year for my car is a pineapple-vanilla twist in a cup--is that it?

Anyway, with the swapping of booths in Adventureland as some sort of preparation for the forthcoming Jungle Cruise-themed restaurant (which is a whole other story--is this something we want or have asked for?  Will the "skipper" waiters make puns of our orders?  What will the cuisine feature?), you can now only find pineapple soft-serve at one stand, and orange and vanilla at another.  I don't know about the floats.  But I do know that pineapple-vanilla twist did not find a new Magic Kingdom home in the shuffle.  It is gone.

Photo and great opinion piece from blog.wdwinfo.com.

When we asked about this, we were told that since Disneyland in CA did away with their pineapple-vanilla twist, WDW was required to follow suit.  This cast member added that the Polynesian resort serves it.  I don't understand why we now have to take a ferry over to the Polynesian just to get a treat that was always available in the park.  (There is a very in-depth article on the new Pineapple Lanai shop at the Polynesian from Disney Food Blog--you now have the option to purchase your whip in a souvenir cup or bowl!) 

Apparently you used to be able to make your own pineapple-vanilla soft serve towers at a restaurant in the Polynesian called Captain Cook's--I love this picture from the blog easywdw.com!  They used chopsticks to make a very impressive tower!

 I settled for an orange-vanilla twist and was sorely disappointed. At least this interaction kept us in the area long enough to realize that Rafiki had shown up for photos!  Is that new?  

BFFs!!

Still to come: Duffy, Dapper Day, Pirates of the Caribbean, cute merch, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2015 edition, Epcot Food & Wine, pins, Downtown Disney/Springs!