Pokemon, Amorette's, Ghirardelli, and More Merch from Disney Springs!

My parents came to visit my brother and me last week and the closest timeshare they could find was in Kissimmee, which is right outside Orlando.  So of course we all went to Disney Springs together!  First of all, if you are staying outside Disney property, definitely check out local stores, outlets and gift shops.  There are tons of souvenirs around!  I went to CVS and they had aisles of stuffed animals, mouse ears, and Disney mugs!  I bought a towel there!

So I haven't had a good margarita since I moved down here.  I went over to Dockside Margaritas in Disney Springs and got this Patrón Añejo Margarita (I had to look that up from the site).

Exactly what I had been craving!  You can read the menu here.

Then of course we went to the World of Disney!  I hadn't seen these mugs last time:

These are just 2 of the many cute designs like this!  The ceilings are always fun to look at in this store.  Here are Ariel and Pocahontas, and a little mural of Mickey and Minnie on a magic carpet ride with Aladdin and Jasmine!

These Mickey magnets are so pretty, but a little bit expensive in my opinion.  I bought three for my classroom, but I also got to use a resident discount!  I don't know if that's new this weekend, only on weekends, or for a limited time... But it was 15% off last Monday when we were there, and becoming 20% off the next day!  It was still 20% off when I went back this weekend!

Pokemon Go isn't going unnoticed at the Springs!  I haven't heard much about it in the news lately (we must be getting used to it), but a couple weeks ago Basin announced some limited edition Pokeball Bath Bombs!  Aren't they adorable?  I finally went back and bought one yesterday haha.  I was just too curious to see what was inside!  (I'll show you in my next post!)

Also, Starbucks was giving out free samples of a PokemonGo "Team Instinct"-inspired Mango Lemonade!  It was actually really tasty and refreshing!!  Where do I sign up for this team? 

We stopped by a new shop called Amorette's, which is a french patisserie that has these adorable Mickey-shaped financiers (like almond sponge cakes, according to Google.  Wish I had known this.  I would have bought one!) You can read the menu here.  

The financiers and most pastries are $8, and I was surprised that the mini cakes (which are decorated exquisitely) are only $15!  They also have boxes of beautiful pastel macarons.  The big-ticket items are the Mickey and friends cakes which are $65.

But so cute you can kind of justify it...

This woman is painting the ears (probably with chocolate).  There are decorations around suggesting an artists' workshop, and I was happy to find this painting of one of my favorite Disney parade costumes from the Festival of Fantasy:

And I love this wall of sprinkles in color order!!

Speaking of Sprinkles, I finally made it inside! 

I loved the Sprinkles in NYC and this is very similar.  They also have ice cream!  I was hoping they'd have some special Disney cupcake (maybe they do--I didn't read the menu), but I didn't find anything.  I was hoping they'd have 3 of their fancy dots on one cupcake to make a Mickey, or at least have one on display like a hidden Mickey!  

They had this adorable dollhouse-size display of their shop which I absolutely loved:

And I highly recommend buying the mix if you can--I tried the chocolate one (the cylinder with blue on the bottom)--it's my favorite mix yet!  It also makes you feel like you're doing it from scratch since you have to prepare various ingredients that aren't in the package (but that's what makes it so fresh).  I posted about it in my cupcake blog a couple years back!

I haven't tried it yet, but Sprinkles also has the first-ever Cupcake ATM!  I imagine it's only open during business hours because it's probably someone physically placing a cupcake in the little window.. I really don't know.  But it's a cute idea!

We stopped at Ghirardelli to get some ice cream treats:

Mine was the "Treasure Island Sundae."  It had a warm brownie in it, along with hot fudge and walnuts drizzled over the ice cream.  SO GOOD!

Before we left, I stopped by Arribas Brothers and found some cute glassware designed like Disney characters (like this Mickey vase--it's the only one I could get a clear photo of since the sun was shining right behind the window)

I love this Chihuly-looking chandelier!

 There were some cute miniatures in glass like the Genie, the Toy Story Aliens, Tigger, Pooh, and more!

My favorite was this gorgeous pegasus unicorn!  Reminded me of Fantasia!

A couple addenda to my previous post... I took a photo of B.B. Wolf's Sausage Co. menu (click for larger image):

So while they don't have turkey or chicken sausages, they do have a vegetarian option!

And here are some photos of the UNIQLO patches that I believe were not pictured in the website image I'd posted before.

Until next time!

Unique Clothes from UNIQLO and more in Disney Springs!

I relocated this week for a teaching job that begins in a few weeks, which puts me an hour away from Disney!  It doesn't give me free admission of course, so I won't be there ALL the time.  But everyone gets into Disney Springs for free!  This is my first time visiting since the new Town Center was added.  I unfortunately didn't get into Sprinkles (it was packed and the line went outside where it was 95 degrees with no shade), but we did check out UNIQLO, which was pretty cool.

Actually I just realized that we were there on UNIQLO's first day open, July 15!  UNIQLO has 2 floors and loads of Disney merchandise--even some that is unique to the Disney Springs location!  My favorite find was the display of Disney patches that they could iron onto merchandise for you!

(photo from http://www.uniqlo.com/us/company/news/2016/disney-springs-store-opens.html)

I couldn't think of anything to patch at the time, but I was in LOVE with the Donald and Daisy mouse ears patches.  I'm definitely going back (the possibilities are endless--shorts, polo shirts, the sleeves on a t-shirt, hats, the waist band on a skirt)!  My brother and brother-in-law bought me a blue shirt I had my eye on with stripes by the chest and Daisy wearing heart-shaped sunglasses (my favorite kind of sunglasses)!  I can't wait to wear it (as soon as it's under 90 degrees so I don't sweat in it).  

They are also selling traditional Japanese Yukatas--less formal Kimonos is the only way I can think to describe them.  They're beautiful!

Our actual first stop was the new Coca-Cola experience (which I was calling "The Coca Cola Experience"), "World of Coke."  I follow Disney Food Blog on instagram (and you should, too!  @disneyfoodblog) and saw a picture of the Float Tray (I had been calling it the Float Flight--much more fun to say) which I had to try!

They are 8 different sodas with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in each cup.  Our favorites were orange soda, root beer (of course), coke, cherry coke, and cherry cream soda.  Our least favorites: grape and Sprite.  It brought me right back to one lazy summer day years ago when I decided to try making my own grape soda float.  It's still gross.

Have you seen the videos of people meeting Coke Bear (as I fondly call him)?  Coke Bear is meeting people in Las Vegas and is very energetic and silly!  He blinks his eyes, opens his mouth, bites your head, smiles at the camera... I really can't wait for this character meet and greet at Coke World in Orlando!!

During my last visit I had seen construction facades to two kiosks and I couldn't figure out if they were jokes or the real deal.  It turns out they were real!  AristoCrepes and B.B. Wolf's Sausage Co.  While the sausage co. was up and running, AristoCrepes was not open during our outing.  It didn't occur to me to look at the sausage menu, but I took a picture of the crepe menu!

remember, you can click on any photo to see it enlarged!

cute!

Though I did get a picture of the cute detail on the roof of the sausage kiosk:

The balloon was finally up and running (I say finally because it wasn't operating due to HIGH WINDS [always in caps on the scrolling marquee] during my last 2 visits) and it looked beautiful.  We were distracted by the new Town Center offerings and were exhausted from heat on our walk back to the parking lot, so we never had a chance to go up before the HIGH WINDS came back.

I can't wait to see what the view is like from up there!!

Meanwhile, at Planet Hollywood:

Not lookin' so good.  The last time I visited in April, they had cranes and construction paraphernalia surrounding the big star ball, and it seems like nothing has changed.  I appreciate that the construction workers have big beach umbrellas to provide shade, though!  I imagine they're still examining things... Or doing very discreet work.  They are adding an "observatory" which will have fun new menu additions, as reported again by Disney Food Blog, who must have been part of the "special event" at Town Center during my visit, closing a large part of Town Center after 4pm!  (One day... one day...)

The big yellow supports I had seen around the Lego serpent in the water are gone now, which looks just lovely!

And, something that was being worked on the last time I was there... The completion of the "Springs!"  The water is a beautiful, clear blue with lanterns scattered about on blown glass!

Just gorgeous!  This is on the bridge between Town Center and the Boathouse area.  An unexpected surprise!  

Finally, I had to stop by the Ganachery, even on this HOT day, to pick up one of these cute Mickey chocolate ganache bars (it was strawberry flavored ganache on the inside):

Absolutely adorable!!  I asked if they thought it would melt, and they gave me 2 options: 1. I could set my purchase aside and leave it behind their counter for pick-up when I was ready to leave the Springs, or 2. They could give me a complimentary ice pack in my bag, which should last about 4 hours!  Without an ice pack it would last about 1 hour.  I went for the ice pack, and it was the best option.  Mickey survived the hour drive home and he was delicious!

I was excited to premier the backpack I had ordered after seeing it in a DisneyStyle post (also on instagram, @disneystyle) from the website shein.com:

I highly recommend traveling with a backpack around Disney--it leaves your hands free in a way a purse would not!!  I just checked their website, and they have one in pink!!  Adorable.  I hope you enjoy your next trip to Disney Springs!!

I'm so excited!!

Just stopping by to say how dang excited I am for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival...  Every day I've been visiting the MNSSHP and Epcot Festival facebook pages.  They update with new photos all the time and I love it.  I'm just looking for stuff to do in the meantime.  Spoonful, which used to be Disney's Family Fun website, has all these really cute Disney-themed Halloween crafts and treats to make!  I love the Mickey mummy cupcakes and the eyeball cake pops on forks!

I also saw at Target (it's probably also at Shop Rite, etc.) some sugar cookies with pumpkin Mickeys on them!  They're by Pillsbury and oh the link has Cinderella cookies, too!  I might get them tomorrow just to put my dad & me in the Halloween "spirit!"  Haha.  Well I'll be sure to post if I do make them soon!!

Tokyo Disneyland Part II

Well here is part 2 of my Tokyo Disney blogs!! Last time I covered my trip to Tokyo Disney Sea.  This time I'll be focusing on the Land!  My friend Donald and I spotted each other from far away:

Of course a huge gust of wind came right when our picture was being taken with him:

Here I am with Prince John, sucking my thumb.  (It's a reference to the movie.  Robin Hood, the one with the foxes.  Prince John sucks his thumb and goes, "Mummy!" a few times.  This isn't my normal photo pose.)

We saw the castle as we walked in!

Hooray!

 

We were there for "Easter Wonderland" (like Tokyo Disney Sea's "Spring Carnival") and there were eggs all over the park of characters!  I have at least one picture of an egg later on but here's the big egg centerpiece of the park (I forgot I'd given myself bunny ears):

 

 Here's a cute window display near the entrance:

There was a Monsters, Inc. ride (Ride and Go Seek) that I was super excited about, but the wait was FOUR HOURS and all the Fast Passes were done for the day, so I missed that.  

                            

 I found one of the eggs here:

                                      

At least they have themed souvenir shops for most of the rides!  I found a Monsters, Inc. hardhat.  It matched my dress!

Disney is so great about all the little details, like these on the walls of the shop (you can click them to make them bigger):

They also had Roz's glasses for sale, which I really wanted (with the pearl chain and everything), but ended up not buying.  Now, years later, I have real cat-eye glasses with my prescription :)

Then there were the classic rides, like It's a Small World:

I don't usually take pictures during the "cruise" because it takes away from the first-hand experience.  But this was in Tokyo so I tried to take some memories home :)  This came out a little blurry but it's the best of them:

We didn't ride Dumbo, but here's a cute photo-op next to it:

And Timothy S. Mouse on the top of the ride:

 

Here's Peter Pan's Flight:

And Pinnochio:

They also had Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain.  You could meet Cowboy Goofy, Woody, and Jesse!  The crowds were so big I hardly got to see anyone but I came pretty close!

Here's another egg in front of Splash Mountain :)

And another adorable Disney detail, a scene where I guess Chip and Dale have been:

Here's a really cute snack we had:

An awesome Up scene:

There was this really cute version of the Tiki Room featuring Stitch (in Japan they call him Stitchy, which is so cute) called Aloha E Komo Mai.  Stitch's paw prints were on the ceiling, and there's actually a whole synopsis of the ride on wikipedia (I looked it up so I could remember exactly what it was, and it's really cute).

Anyway, it was an awesome time and I just adored both days.  What a great place to spend with my brothers.  It really was the cutest.  I'd love to go back there!  Notice the eggs with Mickeys on them on this lit-up sign as we exited.  Sigh... that was so great.  Goodbye, Tokyo Disney!