Our Top 5 Favorite Things to Do a Disney!

So you have probably read lists after lists of Disney's must do's. Well this list is a bit different. Read why these are on my must do list every time we visit a Disney Park. So here are 5 of our favorite things to do. 5. EARS! Get Ear Hats and Personalize Them! Every time Justin and I visit Disney we must buy new ear hats and have them personalized. For example, we typically visit Disney for our wedding anniversary every other year. During this we have each ear state the anniversary Year and counting. On one set of ears we say something like, "6 years" and on the other "and counting...” This past trip we ran in our first RunDisney race and begged the cast member to personalize our Captain America hat with "Infinity Gauntlet Challenge 2016" and on the Spider Man hat, "We did it!” Now a few years back Disney changed its policy about what can be put on an ear hat. This policy states a name or date is fine, but phrases are not allowed. Just goes to show how Disney Cast Members will go above and beyond for their guests. Of course the cast member received approval from a higher authority before making the hats happen. But they seem to always be ok with sprinkling a little Magic on the hats for us.

4. Dine with a Character. This is one of our favorite things to do. Now we don't have kids of our own, but we sure do turn into them when characters are around. A few of my favorites include Plaza Inn at Disneyland and Cinderella's Royal Table at the Magic Kingdom in WDW. We had breakfast at the Plaza Inn which was buffet style. I almost prefer buffet style breakfasts. After picking out our food we sat at the table to be greeted by characters like Max Goof, Fairy Godmother, Minnie, Tigger, Pooh, Eeyore and many more. I've never seen such a large selection of characters to meet in one meal. For Cinderella's Royal Table, we've enjoyed several dinners here. The first was our honeymoon. We started off by entering the castle to be greeted by Cinderella herself. After having our picture taken with her, we moved upstairs to the ballroom to be seated for dinner. Talk about dinning in style! Throughout our meal we were visited by many princesses such as Ariel, Snow White and most of the other classics. Halfway through our meal, music begins to play and the female mice from Cinderella came out, followed by the Fairy Godmother singing a song of celebration. She had everyone in the restaurant raise their hands that was celebrating something. So we did. Next thing I know our server places this box on our table and said that it was ours to take home. We opened the box and there lay a set of Cinderella Royal Table Champagne flutes. Which unfortunately broke thanks to Harry being the sneaky cat he is. Justin contacted Disney who went above and beyond to try and replace them. They are safe and out of Harry's reach. They no longer offer these wonderful gifts without the purchase of a package.

3. Have Dessert with your Fireworks. So, we have only done this once so far. In November of 2015 we took a 3 day trip to WDW. During this trip I packed in more than you could imagine. I was beyond excited about enjoying champagne and dessert while watching fireworks. The Wishes Dessert Party was sold out while we were there, Luckily Epcot's Illuminations Sparkling Dessert Party had limited availability, so I booked it. When we arrived that night we were given incorrect directions by cast members to find the dessert party. Thankfully we found a cast member that not only knew where the party was held, but personally took us there. We arrived with time to enjoy the unlimited food and drinks. Let's talk about the options. The amount of desserts to choose from was just insane. We loved it! Not only was the food great, but the view. Well worth the money.

2. Have a Dole Whip. Now if you have never had a Dole Whip, you should. Justin isn't a big fan, but I love them so much I had it tattooed onto my arm. What is Dole Whip? Pineapple goodness is what it is. Pineapple soft serve ice cream. Now you can take it one of three ways, first is just the ice cream, second is served in pineapple juice and third is add a splash of rum. I've had it all three ways and love it! You can find Dole Whip in select locations at Disney World and Disneyland. At Disney World you can find Dole Whip at the Magic Kingdom in Adventureland, just look for Aloha Isle. You can also find it at Captain Cook's located at the Polynesian Resort. If you’re on the West Coast at Disneyland you can find yours at the Tiki Juice Bar in Adventureland or you can over to the Disneyland Hotel before 5pm and get yours with rum at The Coffee House. I chose to enjoy mine with rum after I finished my first half marathon. What a way to celebrate.

1. Go to a Festival. If you’re anything like us, you probably enjoy trying new food and drinks. I love going to festivals just for this reason. Disney offers many different events and festivals throughout the year. Not only can you try amazing foods, but Epcot offers outdoor concerts as well during these times. Early in the year, Epcot hosts the International Festival of the Arts. During the spring, enjoy the sights and smells of pure nature at Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival. During the fall, enjoy traveling around the world enjoy dishes from all over at Epcot's International Food and Wine Festival. At this point, Justin and I have only enjoyed the food and wine festival. We were in foodie heaven, and we all know I love my beer. They had a Craft Beer Marketplace where you could try several different craft beers. Of course flights were available for those who are a bit indecisive. We plan on visiting Epcot during the Flower and Garden and the Food and Wine Festivals this year. We're beyond excited and can't wait to share our thoughts on this years festivals in the near future.

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