Travel with the Whitakers

In our last toddler and preschooler post we talked about all of the amazing attractions and experiences for this age group at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Park. Today we have for you the best experiences for toddlers and preschoolers at Animal Kingdom Park! This park has a lot to offer for this group, especially if your kids love animals and/or dinosaurs! Characters – Characters can be found throughout the park and which character meet and greets are best for you really depends on what type of characters your kids want to meet. Christian loves to meet Mickey and his friends, Doc McStuffins, and pretty much any character that involves a full costume and can’t talk to him. All of these, as well as “face” characters like Pocahontas, and more can be found throughout the park. Keep in mind that character experiences and locations are subject to change – be sure to check the My Disney Experience App and the Walt Disney World website for up to date information. Wilderness Explorers – ...

Triton’s is one of the first things you see when you board the Disney Wonder for the first time. As you enter the main lobby it is to your left. In front of the main entrance to the restaurant is a statue of Ariel – after all, the restaurant is named after her father. Triton’s is one of the three main dining restaurants on the ship and it is the most upscale of the three. The back wall features a mural of King Triton, Ariel, Flounder and their kingdom. The ceiling also showcases light up sections that resemble shells, and lamps around the room feature the loveable Sebastian the crab. The cuisine here has a French influence, but even if you’re not adventurous there will be something on the menu for you! We dined at Triton’s four times over the course of our last two sailings. One of those times featured the Pirate Night menu and the other was the last night of the first sailing which also features a different menu – each of these two times will have their own post. We were...

Disney World is the perfect vacation for kids of any age - that includes kids at heart like me. There’s just something, though, about seeing your child experience the magic of Disney as a toddler and preschooler. The wonder, the excitement, the innocent belief in the magic of it all, from the rides, to the characters, to the food, and of course seeing the Castle at the end of Main Street. Note: There isn’t a firm definition of when exactly a child becomes or stops being a toddler, or a specific age group for “preschoolers” either. For the sake of today’s post, though, we’re going to classify toddlers as kids ages 1-3, and preschoolers as 3-5. Today we’re here to talk about all of the magical experiences for kids in these age groups at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Characters – Characters can be found throughout the park and which character experiences are right for you little one(s) is up to them. Christian loves to meet Mickey, Minnie, Buzz Lightyear, Donald, Pluto ...

Things have been super busy lately, but today we’re happy to finally have another post for you! Tiana, from Disney’s Princess and the Frog , always dreamed of having a restaurant of her own and cooking her daddy’s recipes for guests to enjoy. Tiana’s Palace abaord the Disney Wonder is her dream come true. The dining space is decorated with photos of friends and family members of the chef, as well as knickknacks and stories about the girl whose dream came true. The tables are set with placemats that are shaped like lily pads and frogs are artfully painted on the plates in a nod to the form that the main character, Tiana and Naveen, take for much of the film. If you look closely, you’ll also find some fireflies, a nod to Ray and his family, around the restaurant. The restaurant is set to be in New Orleans, and hallway that leads in the dining space embraces this with “brick” walls that carry on into the main seating area, balconies and Mardi Gras beads. The Mardi Gras feel is c...

Start your Walt Disney World vacation in the most magical way possible – abroad Disney’s Magical Express! Today we’re going to answer all of your questions about Magical Express. What is Magical Express? Disney’s Magical Express is a FREE motorcoach transportation option from the Orlando International Airport to your Walt Disney World Resort hotel at the start of your trip and return service to the Orlando Airport at the end of your trip. You don’t have to worry about your luggage! A few weeks before your trip you’ll receive yellow luggage tags in the mail. These tags have your resort, confirmation number, and the name of the lead guest on the reservation. On the day of your trip be sure to place these tags on your checked bags before checking them at your departure airport. Once you get to Orlando there’s no need to go to baggage claim, just head to the Magical Express check in area and later on your tagged bags will meet you in your resort hotel room. What if I don’...

Rotational dining - each night trying a different restaurant and a different menu, all with the same service team – is one of our favorite parts of a Disney Cruise. There are three main dining restaurants, and even though you eat at each restaurant at least twice on a seven night sailing, and one three times, you won’t see the same menu offerings twice! (Well, unless you’re like us and take back to back sailings.) Today we have for you the menu items that we tried from the two Animator’s Palate exclusive menus. Enjoy! As with all main dining dinners each of the menus feature a delicious bread and dip combination to hold you over until your appetizers arrive. Six Grain Country Bread with Caramelized Onions Sun-died Tomato Dip and Garlic and Herb Focaccia with Roasted Garlic Dip are both quite satisfying. The bread and dips pair nicely together and these two dips are two of our favorites on the ship – we had to ask for more of both. We sampled two appetizers from each menu....

Step back in time when you step into 50’s Prime Time Café at Hollywood Studios. 50’s Prime Time Café is located in the Echo Lake section of Hollywood Studios, between Hollywood and Vine Restaurant and the Indiana Jones Outpost. When you step inside you’re transported back to the 1950s. Period décor, a TV at some tables playing videos from the time period, and a wait-staff that treat you like family await you! After you check in take a seat on one of the couches while you wait for your table. Once your table is ready you’ll be called for by your cousin – after all everyone is family here. We’ve eaten here on quite a few of our trips and have always had a great experience. This past trip was no different for the “Whitaker kids,” and the food that game from mom’s kitchen was delicious. As the other three locations that we dined at on this last trip were, the staff at 50s was amazing with the allergy restrictions that our party had. Once you’re seated be sure to set the table...