How to Survive Disney in July (Part I: The Heat)

On my last trip to Disney World (here in Florida), I found myself scowling and trudging through the oppressive heat and humidity.  I thought, "Why do people come here when it's this bad?"  Which is a question I was surprised to hear myself ask, because I won't hesitate to go to Disney on ANY day!  But now that I've been a FL resident going on 7 years, and have recently become an Annual Passholder again, I realize I'm spoiled with the ability to go basically whenever I want, so I get to be choosy!  I don't have to plan a trip months-out and around school holidays (though I still will).  So, if you find yourself at Disney in the horrible heat, but that's the only time you CAN be there, here are some tips I hope you will find useful.  

1. Hydrate (and wear SUNSCREEN)

This is probably the most obvious tip that you already know.  Please, please, please make sure you are drinking water throughout the day!!  You might NOT know that the water at Disney doesn't taste the BEST, so we always bring insulated water bottles from our own water at home (I use a Brita).  Yes, it's annoying to carry it around, but I always have a backpack, and lately I just carry it in my hand because I drink from it so often.  My boyfriend, Wayne, brought his running belt made for carrying water bottles, and that worked quite well since he didn't have a backpack.  

Every Starbucks will give you a cup of ice water for free if you ask.  You can buy ice-cold bottled water throughout the parks as well.  There are water bottle refilling stations and water fountains near the bathrooms.  My favorite place to get water in Epcot is the entrance to Spice Road Table in Morocco.  Just walk in, look to your right, and there is a cold pitcher and cups (they prefer you to fill cups, not bottles, but you can pour the water into your bottle from the cup quite easily).  This week at Hollywood Studios, we ate at Pizza Rizzo, and found a few water stations there too!

2. Shop (and reapply your sunscreen)

The souvenir shops have the best AC!  So even if you don't intend to buy anything, just pop in, admire the cute and creative merch, and when you're ready, head back out!

3. Use Cooling Accessories (over your sunscreen)

I see people with those headphone-shaped personal fans hanging around their necks--I haven't taken the plunge to get them myself, but they always look like a good idea.  There's also a ton of personal fans that are phone-sized that you can wear on a lanyard, and of course the ones you can clip onto strollers for the little ones.  Read the reviews though, because some are much better than others!!  And Disney parks sell the spray-bottle fans so you can mist and fan yourself at the same time!

The one accessory I DO use is the cooling towel.  They sell them at Disney with Mickey silhouettes printed on them, but I actually got mine from a pack my dad ordered for a family trip last year, I think from Amazon.  Just pour water fountain or sink water over it when you're ready, squeeze it out (or don't--you might want the extra drips), and drape it around your neck, head, wherever.  Yes, they warm up quickly, but just move them and flip them over for more cooling, and re-soak them when you can.  I still claim I would have collapsed without mine when my friend Kim let me borrow one of hers on a trip we took to Universal last July. 

4. Take Breaks (to put on more sunscreen) and Edit Plans

The only must-do on vacation is to take care of yourself!  If you're too hot and tired to wait in line for a ride or stay at the park for a dinner reservation, listen to your body, and your travel party.  You can cancel dining reservations with no penalty up to 2 hours before your reserved time.  I love being in the parks, but my favorite relaxation memories have been at the hotels.  There's something to just lazing about your hotel room eating snacks, getting a cocktail at the hotel bar, or walking around the resort looking at the water and little magical details in the theming.  An added bonus--if you're leaving a park and staying on property, you can enjoy the blast of AC on the Disney bus back to your hotel!

5. Use Windshield Covers!! (a literal sun screen!)

That being said, if you're NOT staying at a Disney hotel, or if you're a local and heading home at the end of the day, make sure to use one of those windshield sun-blockers!  If you plan on renting a car, see if one will fit in your suitcase!  I feel a HUGE difference between the times I remember to use it and the times I forget!  Like a 10 or more degree difference! 

RunDisney: How I Ran My First 10K

 I ran my first 10K at Disney last week for the inaugural Springtime Surprise Weekend: Celebrating Yestermorrow!  (What is Yestermorrow?  My friend Kim and I decided it's that feeling you have post-race where you don't know what day it is because you woke up in the middle of the night just to be there.)  I ran my first runDisney race in 2018 for the Princess 5K, and in 2019 I was lucky enough to join my brother-in-law for the Friends & Family Fun Run 5K!  They were both at Epcot.  There is a wealth of information all over the internet about the runDisney experience, but I still wanted to share mine!

Elyse--why did you run a 10K?  I moved to Tampa from NY in the summer of 2016 for a teaching job, where I met my friend Kim, who had just moved from Michigan to be our school's Media Specialist.  We joined a run club together to be social and get some light exercise, not knowing how seriously everyone there took running, or how fast and far they could go.  They were equally as friendly and welcoming, so we came back every week to run/walk very short distances (turning around before anyone else and still not making it back first), and we'd all enjoy a beer together afterwards.  We ran on Tampa's Riverwalk which is just gorgeous at night with the color-changing lights and beautiful buildings across the water from the University of Tampa.  

Our school district offered a PD (professional development course) on staying fit, which was a free training course for teachers to get in shape for the Gasparilla 5K (Gasparilla is Tampa's yearly pirate celebration every February--it's a big deal).  Kim and I signed up for the training, got some good tips, and went on longer runs each week to help us prepare, and we ran that race in 2017.  Kim moved back to Michigan when the year was up (we had a horrible principal who would be fired the next year), but we made plans to get together again for our first runDisney race!  It took us through Epcot early in the morning before any guests arrived.  It was magical, and gave us gorgeous medals!  

Kim and I talked about doing another Disney 5K this year.  We enlisted the help of my parents to up our chances of securing spots in the race.  Within minutes, the 5K had sold out.  Kim and I had been anticipating this for months, and we were so bummed!!  It was just devastating!  Then Kim said, "What about the 10K?"  She was able to register both of us, and the race didn't even sell out that DAY!  

Then started the worrying.  Can I run that far?  What do 6.2 miles even feel like?  I couldn't fathom doing a back-to-back 5K, but I started training, using the Jeff Galloway method.  Except I couldn't get up to running for longer sets of time with only one minute of walking in between.  The Buckley method turns out to be "run for 1 minute, walk for 1 minute (or 2, nobody's watching)".  Over time, I was able to run for a FEW minutes longer than that, and kept my walking breaks short, but after a few months of training, I was only running up to 2.5 miles at any given time.  My run club friends suggested doing 4 miles since I was weeks away from the race, and would have time to heal, but also to figure out how it felt (and what kind of blister bandages and pain killers I'd have to pack, thought I).  

That weekend, as I finished mile 3, the toe next to my big toe went numb.  I walked the 4th mile back to my apartment, feeling it start in the same toe on my other foot, and noticed my legs felt like Slim Jims (dried, chewy meat sticks).  I worried.  I asked friends and the internet what happened.  I found out my shoes may have been too small, too big, too tight, or too narrow.  I may not have been wearing the right socks.  I couldn't believe that adding just one half mile onto my normal distance would have such an impact.  The shoes had been a dream up till then.

The weather took a turn after that, in the weeks leading up to the race.  I had to let my feet heal and try to get them back to normal before going on another long run, but the rain thought I should get more rest.  Race weekend came before I was able to do another 4-miler, but I was sure the Disney atmosphere would propel me onward and everything would be fine!  

Kim and I had heard a great deal about the dreaded Balloon Ladies followed by the "struggle bus" (the shuttle that takes you to the end of the race if you don't keep the required pace--that rhymes, and my completed song about it will be in my next post), which makes me think of Bubble Bobble when the screen would flash "Hurry Up!" as a warning before the terrifying skeleton ghost would come kill you unless you finished the level!  STRESS!

                                      Balloon Ladies are like Bubble Bobble's Skel-Monsta

We agreed we'd be fine taking the shuttle if we really couldn't finish.  I picked Kim up from the airport after work on Thursday, and we went to see Frozen on Broadway (at the Straz in Tampa) as a treat to ourselves!  It was great, and I put the final touches on my costume before we went to bed.  We had a leisurely morning and headed out to our hotel and the expo.  My next post will be all about the runDisney Expo!!

Disney Things to do in Quarantine!

Long time, no see!  Of course, that's how everyone's feeling now--not just me for abandoning my blog for so long!  Honestly, it can be easy getting lost in everyone else's blogs and social media accounts dedicated to Disney, and start to feel like I have nothing new to add to the conversation, but THAT'S NOT THE POINT OF THIS BLOG!  The point is, I love Disney, and I love writing, and that's that.  So in the spirit of revisiting passions during self-quarantine, I thought of sharing a list of fun activities to keep you in a Disney frame of mind!

What to Eat

My friend Marla (a wonderful artist who also teaches the sip-and-paint classes offered at the Disney World hotels--follow her on Instagram @marla_e_artist) told me that Disney is sharing certain park favorite recipes on their app, My Disney Experience!  So far they've shared a Dole Whip recipe (blend 4oz pineapple juice with 2 cups of frozen pineapple, and add one big scoop of vanilla ice cream, to make 4 servings), and the Disney Parks Blog has a Mickey Mouse Beignets recipe, and churro recipe!  There are a lot of copycat recipes floating around on the great interwebs!  I've also seen Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bars and Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches at my local grocery store (I currently have the sandwiches in my freezer).  I recommend using InstaCart or Shipt for any grocery errands (and please tip your shoppers)!  You can also make Mickey-shaped ANYTHING if you have cookie cutters, circular food (Oreos, Nilla wafers, banana slices), and/or imagination!  Just the other day I made a Mickey-shaped chocolate chip cookie sundae, thanks to my oversized Mickey cookie cutter!

What to Watch

Disney Plus is a great option if you need a daily dose of Disney!  I'm making my way through the Star Wars saga, myself!  For those who still watch TV, Spectrum is offering the new season of the DuckTales reboot (season 3) on demand for free until May 31!  (I have so much to say about how DuckTales is KILLING IT that I might have to make a separate blog!)  Over on WDW News Today, they've posted a list of character shows from Tokyo Disney made available to watch on YouTube for a limited time (some of these aren't available anymore).  You can always type in parade names and Point-of-View ride videos of attractions from any Disney park on YouTube and you'll find lots of fun things to watch!

What to Craft

The Flower and Garden Festival is my favorite Epcot Festival and I was SO BUMMED that I didn't get to go before the closures.  So I channeled that frustration into these floral Minnie headbands for my mom & myself with woodsy-looking wire, fake flowers, and headbands from Michaels!  I learned by watching a youtube tutorial years ago, and you can, too!  The Disney Parks Blog is also sharing video tutorials of how to draw a VERY LONG LIST of characters!  Disney Family also has a long list of crafts to choose from, including this colorful pom-pom Mickey pillow!

What to Wear

These days you might feel like it doesn't matter WHAT you wear--you don't have to go anywhere, and no one will judge you but your cat.  But our appearances affect how we FEEL!  Don't forget what Jerry told George when he showed up in sweatpants!  I have a long history (starting in 2012 when I first stumbled upon the tumblr account) of putting together Disneybounds (if you don't know, please drop everything and click here), in which you put together an outfit based on a Disney character (it's not a costume).  Canadian Leslie Kay and her friend dreamed this up years ago when they were getting excited for a trip to the parks--they were Disney-bound, and playing it up to get excited about their trip!  A woman after my own heart!  This trend has really blown up over the last few years and she even released a book this month!  If you have Instagram, you can follow the trend at @thedisneybound where she shares flatlays of outfits and pictures of people just like you and me in their Disneybound finest!  Another fun Disney fashion account to follow is @ashtinelikekutcher, who also posts flatlays (all the elements of an outfit arranged together and laid out flat, like an outfit display without the mannequin) of Disney-inspired outfits, and where to find everything!

What to Listen To

I've been listening to a Disney mix on Pandora (I ask Alexa, "Play Disney on Pandora," and she says, "Disney--CHILDREN'S--radio, on Elyse's Pandora Account" and I feel like she's making fun of me every time) on those rare occasions when I'm not on the couch watching TV.  I'm not a podcast-listener yet, so I don't have any Disney ones to recommend, but I'm sure they exist!  You can also look up soundtracks on Spotify and YouTube.  On Instagram, @michaeldoesdisney was posting daily COVID-19 related Disney spoofs that are very entertaining to watch, and he also recommended an account, @disneyworldsounds, which uploads exactly what you'd think--minute-long sounds of Disney World, including ride music and announcements, parade music, voiceovers, and environment sounds (i.e. Main Street USA background music)!  You can also tune into one of my live couch concerts where I play originals and covers (including Disney songs and a special ukulele Disney medley I put together) on my instagram account, @elysebuckley!

What to Do

Now that you have some ideas, you can combine your favorites into activities!  I love having video chats with my friends, using the Marco Polo app, and Zoom for longer conversations, and I'm grateful to the US Postal Service for still delivering letters and packages to those in need of a pick-me-up (or essentials)!  You can have a video conference party with friends (perhaps you all get dressed up in your favorite Disneybound with a Disney-themed cocktail), a movie watch-party (my friends and I text reactions as we watch together), or send some heart-felt letters with doodles and photos to the friends you wish you were with!  Decorate your windows to make someone's walk a little brighter!  Make chalk art of your favorite inspirational messages and characters!  If you miss being at the parks, you can recreate some rides or park decorations, or even turn your bathtub into a lazy river!  Dress like Ellie and have a picnic on your own "hub grass!"  Comment with any other ideas below, and have a safe and fun time, making your own magic!

Eco-Friendly at Disney!

5 years ago, I participated in a challenge called 48 Days of Blue which gave a list of small changes to make in your daily routine to be more eco-friendly.  The number 48 comes from the number of days between Earth Day and World Oceans Day!  That's where I first learned how even a small change like not using a plastic straw could make a big impact!

🌍🌎🌏

Some of the easiest challenges I found were using a tote or cloth bag when shopping, using cloth napkins, bringing my own cup to cafes, and packing my own lunch.  This challenge has made me take some more time to think about my everyday choices!  If I'm planning on going to a restaurant, I try to remember to bring a container so if I have leftovers, I can pack them myself and not waste plastic or styrofoam to-go boxes!

2 of my favorite Disney Parks reusable cups! (Stainless steel straw is my own)

I'm so happy to see big companies making some changes to their practices and products, like Marshalls selling biodegradable toothbrushes, and Publix Supermarkets selling a set of 6 reusable metal straws and cleaner for $5.99.  When I visited the Florida Aquarium on World Oceans Day, I noticed they are now selling a wide variety of eco-friendly products, like Bee's Wrap (beeswax and cloth alternative to plastic wrap), reusable water bottles and lunch containers, 4oceans bracelets (one bracelet sold = 1 pound of plastic removed from the ocean), socks made from recycled plastic water bottles, and reusable straws!  Which made me wonder...  where is Disney on this eco-trend?

Maybe they're already doing an awesome job of stocking eco-friendly products (I've seen reusable water bottles and cups that come with washable straws, like those pictured above), but I haven't seen much else!  And with a park solely dedicated to animals, I'm surprised that the only eco-conscious thing I've witnessed so far was the decision not to stock plastic straws (they have paper now) or sell balloons.

This Halloween milkshake is from Magic Kingdom and THEY used a big old paper straw, too!

Disney, as a company, has been eco-conscious on a larger scope for some time, as you can see from their conservation fund efforts (click there to see the field of solar panels in a Mickey-head shape you can drive past on your way to the parks)!

I donated a dollar to the conservation fund back in 2008 and got this pin!

One big and exciting new offer at the parks is the line of reusable shopping bags exclusive to each park (and Disney Springs) in 3 different sizes each!

This is the big bag!  I had to stretch my arm out to get this photo! 😆

Another huge change is the makeover to Disney hotel showers--no longer do they have single-use plastic bottles of shampoo/conditioner (as cute as they were, with the tiny Mickey ears.. I've kept many from my visits in the past so I'm not too upset 😉), opting instead for pump-bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash attached to the wall so you can't throw it out!  This saves so much plastic!!

Don't try to take these bottles home!

What I would LOVE to see are more eco-friendly products being offered... with Disney themes!  How about some bamboo cutlery with Mickey heads cut out of, or branded into, the handles?  What about Animal Kingdom bamboo toothbrushes?  Bee's Wrap with Mickey heads printed on them, or princesses, or Zootopia characters?  Please let me know if these products exist somewhere!!

In the meantime, here are some easy ways to be eco-conscious at the parks!

My bamboo fork was perfect for my Italian dish at Flower & Garden!

1. Bring your own cutlery, especially during festivals!  My parents got me a set of bamboo utensils for Christmas, in a carrying case made from recycled water bottles and a carabiner clip.  It came in so handy at the Flower & Garden Festival this year so I wasn't tossing a set of plastic cutlery at every booth!

2. Bring your own reusable water bottle!  I wasn't sure if we could bring our own into the parks--I know you can't have an opened water bottle going through airport security--but my friend was visiting me and brought her own and they were totally fine with it! (Of course, you probably won't want to refill it with that Disney water fountain water 🙈--try asking nicely for refills at Starbucks and quick-service restaurants!  They might have to give you a cup, but it's better than a plastic water bottle!)

3. Bring your own bag! I bring a backpack on my trips anyway, so this one was a no-brainer!

Of course my list is all bringing your own stuff, but you can purchase reusable totes and adorable cups and mugs at the parks!  Starbucks has many drink container options.

Some Epcot drink container options!  You can be eco-friendly AND fashionable!

I'm such a big Disney fan, but I also care about the choices I make for the environment.  I'd love to see Disney using their brand to encourage the purchase of more sustainable, eco-friendly products to take home and to use again in the parks!

New Best Hangout Spot at MK

I took a magical Christmas-time trip to Magic Kingdom with my family this past weekend (can't remember the last time we all went together!) since my parents are visiting from NY for the 2nd Christmas in a row.  It was VERY crowded, and we decided, after a few FastPass rides, to relax with a WDW railroad trip around the Kingdom!  We were upset to find out that it actually isn't running due to the new Tron ride they're building--the construction is on or close to part of the tracks.  So not only was it not running that day--it won't be running for quite some time!

While this was initially a let-down, it ended up being a nice break from the crowds!  The conductors were still working at their station, delivering the sad news to visitors but welcoming us to have a seat, take a break, take pictures... They even gave us each a sheet of Mickey's 90th Birthday stickers!  We took a couple goofy photos (pun not intended!) and I tried taking a family selfie (direct-sunlight fail), and we just put our bags down and relaxed.

It looks out onto the entrance so you can see all the people excited as they come in!  I don't know if they would let people have a full-blown picnic on the seats, but I'd recommend trying it!  At least a little snack break!  The sky might even smile at you!

It's a great place for railroad fanatics too because, in the station, there are some display cases of train models and other train paraphernalia.  The top floor has a great view of Main Street, USA:

You can see the castle, the Christmas tree, and some Christmas decorations!  I bet it looks great at night, too.  On the inside they have old nickelodeons that actually work (and are free!) with black and white shorts and cartoons.

I got excited and thought this was Oswald out of the corner of my eye.  Looks more like Felix.  Oddly, they don't even show the cat that was in the bag!

A nickelodeon!

Just gorgeous!

So on super crowded days, or if your feet are aching, remember the stationary WDW railroad where they let you stay a while and take it all in!

New Flower Hunt at Epcot's International Flower and Garden Festival!

Before I moved to FL a year and a half ago, I wanted to fly down from NY just so I could participate in the egg hunt (or "Eggstravaganza") during Flower and Garden.  It looks like it started in 2014 with these eggs as the prizes:

from disneyparks.disney.go.com

Now that I see what the first options were, I'm so upset I didn't actually go!  😂  I think these are the cutest out of all the ones I've seen!  Later on they added ones like the Cheshire cat, Lady & the Tramp (2 different ones so you'd need 2 maps), Jessie and Woody, and Dory and Nemo.  You have to buy a map, then look around Epcot (there is also a Disneyland one, I don't know how that operates) for the character eggs hidden in all different countries around World Showcase.  It's the cutest Easter egg hunt EVER.  (They have other search-and-finds like the Ratatouille one a couple years ago you can read about here, the Festival of the Arts one where you had to locate a specific painting in each country, and the one I wrote about in my last post with Chip & Dale on hidden wreaths around each country.)

So I was thrilled when I got to participate last year and got myself a Mickey egg!  (I later found BINS of them at Cast Connection--a special store only Disney Cast Members are allowed into but they can bring friends and family as guests--I HIGHLY recommend a visit!  But this made it seem so not special that I didn't get any.  And where would I put them?  I value the one I earned!!  And I keep it on my bathroom counter.)

I saw the options for this year, and I wasn't crazy about them, but I did see a NEW search and find with a long-lost character, Spike the Bee, from Donald Duck cartoons of the 1950's and 60's!

Spike's Pollen-Nation Exploration!  Just like the other search and finds, you have to find something in almost every country.  This time you had to find a special flower or plant in each garden.  It was a bit easier than other search and finds because they were all on the ground, in specific gardens.  They each had a photo of the plant sticking up out of the ground with an adorable model of Spike hanging out right next to it.

                       

The one by Mexico was probably the hardest.  No, I'm wrong, the hardest for me was the one in Savanna because I didn't see that one!!  I'll have to check again next time if they're still up.  I didn't really mind because I had found all the rest and I could use process of elimination (plus they don't even check.  I actually heard a cast member ask if someone buying the map wanted their prize before they even started searching--where's the fun in that!!?).  

Before I bought the map (you get your usual discount if you are an Annual Passholder--which I JUST BECAME so this blog is going to get a well-deserved facelift, at least in content and frequency of posts!) I asked what the prize was.  It was a set of patches with characters on them.  (For Festival of the Arts last year, they were magnets of classic art pieces with Figment in them--I don't know if they did it this year.  For the Ratatouille one you could get a really nice quality pin with Remy and the vegetable of your choice.  For the Chip & Dale wreaths one you get a set of buttons--the circular pins with safety-pin kind of backs of the ornaments you found and one larger one of Chip & Dale.)

I was trying to be non-chalant about taking a photo of all the options so it's not the best angle:

(and someone else's hand--I'm not engaged 😂)

I was really torn between the Figment set and the Mickey set, but the Mickey set had Orange Bird, and Figment had 2 with just writing on them.  So, sorry Figment, you still have my heart, but there's just not enough Orange Bird merch going around (unless you go to the Disney dress shop--there's a dress, an adorable purse, and jewelry of him).  I haven't decided where I'm putting them yet but I'm happy with what I got!  I'd say the Exploration was totally worth it.  It's fun to have a purpose and notice things you normally may not.

As for the Eggstravaganza--the options this year include the updated cartoon shorts versions of Mickey and Minnie (not my cup of tea), Mike Wazowski and Sulley, and Cinderella and Belle.  If you are an AP you can purchase a set of 2 Star Wars eggs for $9.99 plus your discount.  They are of a storm trooper and C3PO!

I believe you can purchase the maps at various spots but I know for sure you can get them at the Port of Entry at the beginning of World Showcase, and at World Travelers, which is at the back entrance/exit by the Beach Club resort.  You can only redeem your maps at the main shops on either side of the entrance to World Showcase (definitely at Port of Entry, and I imagine at the one facing it too.  There is another one, right?  Anyway go to Port of Entry if you're in doubt!).

Holidays Around the World at Epcot's Festival of Holidays!

Last year was my first taste of Christmas at Disney when I went to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.  This year I went to Epcot with my brothers (now that my brother in law works for Disney, we're there a lot more often!) and got to experience Epcot International Festival of the Holidays!

First of all, the decorations at the entrance were perfect:

Like the scene from Big Fish but with Poinsettias!

I looked for these globe ornaments all over the park but couldn't find any!  Maybe next year, Epcot?

Gotta love Disney topiaries!

On a side-note, I absolutely love this 80's Epcot Mickey & Minnie window display!  These are the costumes Mickey & Minnie wore when we were kids!

Super cute Goofy and Donald holiday photo op!

We had to ride Figment's Journey into Imagination (in dire need of an update.. bring back Dreamfinder!) and I never noticed this adorable wall!!

It was a little overcast and chilly so my photos weren't as bright as I'd like..

Tree details

I am a sucker for any and all of these scavenger hunt maps throughout Epcot!! I've done the egg hunt (where you earn an Easter Egg of a Disney character), and the Figment one last winter during Festival of the Arts (you get a magnet of a famous painting featuring Figment).  I also did the Ratatouille Hide & Squeak (my first one) where, when you're done, you get a nice quality pin of Remy with an ingredient that matches the map stickers!

This one features Chip & Dale each with a different wreath around the world!  It was sometimes difficult to find (especially when I started and wasn't exactly sure what I was looking for--glad I got to share this info with some other people with maps and lost looks).  They were frequently found at Kidcot stations around the "world."

Here they all are (click to see in a separate window):

Even if you're not in the search, they're still fun to find!  And here's what you get:

 A whole set of pins, but not the usual Disney kind--the button kind (which is still super cute).  You get one big pin with Chip & Dale on it, and 5 little ones from the assorted wreaths!  You can pick from 3 sets, which overlap in options so you can usually get all the ones you want!

So cute!

There was also amazing food at special holiday booths in every country!

New Year Celebration Soba (which I've had before since my brother in law is from Japan!)--it was warm and delicious.  Definitely hit the spot!

The Buche de Noel (Yule Log) from France--the meringue mushroom was perfect!!  (I made my own buche de noel this year and made my own mushrooms--now that I know how time-consuming and fragile they are, I applaud Disney for making so many of these for each buche!!)

Seared Salmon from Canada (the sauce was very maple-y) was the last thing I had, and amazing.

Tostada de Tinga from Mexico actually started my day!

Here are some of the decorations around the park:

Inside the American Adventure

Gudetama tree toppers in Japan's gift shop

I think this was my favorite!!  I have this Spode design on a tea towel in my kitchen which I bought after moving here because it was on our Christmas glasses at home!

Inside the "cookie nook"

Super cute snowman topiary on our way out.

It was an amazing time and my new holiday favorite!!  I also realized I've been to every Epcot festival this year!  Perks of living in FL!  If you haven't been to this one yet, you can still get over in the next few days--it's over Dec 30!!