Snacky Saturday

Snacky Saturday

So we all know that there is no shortage of snacks at Walt Disney World and there are ALWAYS debates over which snacks are the best. Well I sat down and asked my parents to give me their top five absolute favorite must have snacks when we visit the World! I'll be posting the lists thought the day so keep an eye out!!

Introduction to Making The Madness Magical

                Every Disney movie pretty much starts out the same way. You hear the magical sound of “When You Wish Upon a Star”, the chills go down your spine, you get that knot in the pit of your stomach (you know the one you get when you’re really excited about something and you feel like you could burst at any moment) and then you can just feel the magic in the air floating all around you and it’s AMAZING!!!! Well I hope this blog can give you that exact same feeling!

               Maybe I should introduce myself. Hi my names Terra!! I am a Disney addict, lover, connoisseur and not ashamed to say it or show it! I’ve been going to Walt Disney World since the ripe old age of five. My first trip to WDW was in the year 2000 and let me tell you I will never ever forget it. That first walk down Main Street U.S.A holding my mom’s hand while my dad was behind us taking pictures. Since then we have been back multiple times and even decided that DVC was a perfect fit for us since we are all Disney addicts and let me tell you what, it was the best decision we as a family have ever made!!

           What is the point of this blog you ask? Well let me tell you, the point of Making The Madness Magical is to help make the entire planning process easier! Like I said before I’ve been to Walt Disney World multiple times, it’s literally my second home, and I know it like the back of my hand. Not only am I here to help make the planning process easier, but I’m also going to help keep you all up-to-date on all the latest Disney World happenings and with all the recent announcements, updates and changes it sounds like our beloved second home will become a little unfamiliar to us all until we figure out the new lay of the land.

 See Ya Real Soon,

Terra Kay

Welcome Home Wednesday!

I love going home and at Walt Disney World, home for my family is Disney's Old Key West Resort! Old Key West opened on December 20, 1991 as Disney's Vacation Club Resort. Then in 1996 it was renamed to Disney's Old Key West Resort and has the largest rooms out of all the DVC (short for Disney Vacation Club) Resorts, which is fantastic!

Every single one of the hotels on Disney property have a theme, so what is the theme of OKW? The setting of OKW is turn-of-the-century Key West. As soon as you get there your ears get filled with the sounds of steel drums, Jimmy Buffet songs and you feel as if you are in the Florida Keys on a tropical getaway. You instantly feel the weight of the real world lift off your shoulders and the relaxation vacations begins.

One of the really cool things I love about OKW is that it itself is a community called Conch Flats. They even have their own general store called Conch Flats General Store, a restaurant called Olivia’s Café and a little bar called the Gurgling Suitcase. If you’re looking for a bite to eat, but don’t feel like cooking something in your room or going to the park then definitely try out Olivia’s its delicious and the staff is wonderful!

If you’re DVC members like my family and I are, then you’ll get what I’m talking about next. Like I said before, OKW is its own little community and if you go back every year you get to know the people who work there. You get so used to seeing them and you even become friends with the cast members that work there. One cast member that stands out to me is Robert from the Gurgling Suitcase. Every night when we’d get back from a long day at the park, my dad would head off and go get a Bloody Mary and he did this pretty much every night. Well over the course of the week, my dad and Robert learned quite a bit about each other,  became best friends and after our trip their friendship became “Facebook Official” (you ALL know what I mean by that lol). So it really is a home away from home and those who work there truly do become your second family and it gives you something else to look forward to. Let me tell you that that, is just another example of Disney magic!

Fantasyland Cinderella Castle Fun Fact

If you're and avid Disney fan, then you know what I mean when I use the term "Disney detail". Disney has always been known for their attention to detail, in both their movies and parks. Our next fun fact/ hidden gem, is in Cinderella Castle. If you know your Disney Imagineers and have a sharp eye then you’ve probably already found this one. In the mural scene inside the walkway in Cinderella’s Castle, where prince Charming has placed the glass slipper on Cinderella’s foot, you will find two Disney Imagineers. If you look to the far left of the mural, there is a man standing and that is John Hench, and then the man standing directly behind the prince is Herbert Ryman. Hench and Ryman, if you didn’t know, were the lead designers of Cinderella Castle.

Magic Kingdom Fun Fact Friday

The Magic Kingdom is full of hidden gems and fun little secrets to discover. Through the day I will be posting and talking about all the different tidbits about the different lands in the Magic Kingdom. Now hopefully these will be fun facts that you don't/didn't know already, so lets get started!

Sushi Sunday Pt. 2

My family and I LOVE sushi and when I say we love it, I mean we really really love it!! So when it comes to Disney we pretty much know where we can go to get our fix of it. Here are some of our favorite places to get this yummy Japanese dish.

The first place we are going to talk about is Tokyo Dining in the Japan pavilion at EPCOT. Now Tokyo Dining does require reservations, so make sure you have reservations if you decide to eat here!! Okay at this restaurant there is no shortage of sushi. They have over 20 different options you can choose from. One of my personal favorites is the Combination – Matsu, if you’d like to know more about that you can check out my last post. Another aspect of this restaurant I absolutely adore is the ambience of it. Tokyo Dining has a sleek look about it and is very modern.

Next up is a hidden gem that often gets over looked in my opinion. I say that because my family and I have been to Disney World roughly nine times and until recently know what it was. Turns out it’s a nice little quick service restaurant called Katsura Grill and it is also in the Japan pavilion is EPCOT! Now unlike Tokyo Dining you don’t need reservations in order to eat here which is amazing! The only thing is, is that they only have four things on their sushi menu, but what they do have is excellent! I’d also recommend that if you do go here try some of the other things on the menu, but we’ll get into that another day.

Another one of our favorite places to get this tasty treat is at Sunshine Seasons in the Land pavilion at EPCOT. Now I know this doesn’t seem like the most obvious place to get sushi, but trust me if you love sushi just as much as we do then you’ll adore the fact that you can get it here. Plus you don’t have to make the trek all the way back to the Japan pavilion just to get you some, you’re welcome! Anyway just like Katsura Grill you don’t need reservations to eat here and they don’t have many options on the sushi menu, just the basics: California Roll, Spicy Roll and Vegetable Roll, but they are really good!

The last place on this list is 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian Resort which is near the Magic Kingdom. One thing you should know about 1900 is that 1. It does require reservations and 2. It is a character meal. What is a character meal you ask? Well what that means it that there are certain Disney characters at this particular restaurant Cinderella, her stepsisters (Anastasia & Drizella), Lady Tremaine and Prince Charming (swoon) are walking around and will stop at your table to chat, take pictures and sign autograph books as you dine. One other thing this is a buffet and the food here is excellent and the assorted sushi is delicious!

There are other places on Walt Disney World property to get sushi, but we have yet to try them all. When we do try them though I will be sure to write up a review and let you guys know how it is and if the places live up to all the hype! So until then keep on eating weird and uncooked fish!