Why I Went to Disney World During a Pandemic

Why I Went to Disney World During a Pandemic

Yes, there’s a global pandemic. Yes, I have a kid with an underlying condition. And yes, I went to Walt Disney World. Before you judge me (or anyone else) for going to Disney World instead of staying quarantined at home, let me explain why I went to Disney World during a pandemic.

empty main street usa magic kingdom

Safety Precautions

Disney is doing everything they can to not only follow but go above and beyond the CDC and WHO guidelines. I had heard from other people that it’s safer than going to the grocery store. After going myself, I can absolutely agree. Here is a list of some of the things they are doing:

  • You must get a reservation before showing up because they are only allowing the parks to get up to a maximum of a 25% capacity. I can’t say the same for other theme parks. 
  • Nobody with a fever or showing symptoms of COVID-19 is allowed to enter — and yes, they do temperature checks (administered by Advent Health professionals) before going in. 
  • To avoid cross-contamination, they stopped doing bag checks and instead require everyone to go through metal detectors. This also makes getting in quicker.
  • In addition to sanitizing high touch points like rails and ride vehicles often, they also offer hand-washing stations and plenty of sanitizer throughout the parks. 
  • Masks are required at all times (even outside and even while having your photo taken), with the exception of when you are actively eating or drinking while stationary and not near other guests. 
  • There are neither parades nor fireworks, which would typically mean guests are crowded near each other in close proximity. You cannot meet and greet with characters either. They do, however, have sporadic character cavalcades.
  • Signs are displayed throughout the park with frequent announcements over the loudspeakers to remind guests of the rules.
  • Markers along each queue indicate where to stand to ensure physical distancing of at least six feet between parties.

Physical Health

Because my son has a rare liver disease called biliary atresia, it was of upmost importance to me to talk with his doctor before we made any decisions about visiting the parks. And when I say that we talked with his doctor, I mean that we spoke with his transplant doctor — not just his pediatrician.

My son went through several blood tests, an ultrasound of his liver and a COVID-19 test. This is routine; I didn’t do it just because I wanted to go to Disney World. But the test results came back indicating that his liver functions are currently at practically normal levels, and his COVID-19 test came back negative. All of this was in our favor. And after talking it over with his doctor, he said it would be absolutely fine to take our son to Disney World as long as we remained socially distant and washed our hands often, which we of course did.

Additionally, I do have grandparents in their 80s, so after leaving the parks, it’s my intent to remain quarantined at home for at least two weeks before I see them again. While I still maintain that Disney is safer than the grocery store, it just seems like the right thing to do. My family’s health and wellbeing remain my top priority.

Empty Park

And the final reason I decided to go to Disney World was because of the nearly non-existent crowds. Even just driving up to the Magic Kingdom, my husband and I remarked to each other how almost eerie it was to see the empty road leading into the parking lot. I had never seen crowds that sparse — certainly not in broad daylight.

The only line that was at all a hassle to wait in was “it’s a small world,” and that was mostly because we had to wait for them to do the deep clean to sanitize all of the ride vehicles. I’m absolutely OK with waiting a little longer if it meant that it was going to be safer to ride.

Was it fun wearing a mask outside in the Florida heat and humidity? Nope. But we stayed in air conditioning as much as we could and didn’t find the masks to be as much of a nuisance as we were expecting — probably because we were too focused on enjoying our time.

We pretty much walked right onto Peter Pan’s Flight, which is typically at least a 90-minute wait on a normal day. And when we were done riding the Winnie the Pooh ride, nobody else was in line, so the cast members asked if we just wanted to ride it again. Given the fact it seemed like the ride our youngest son enjoyed the most, we were all for it.

Seeing the happiness on my sons’ faces after months of being locked up was priceless to me. My younger son had never even seen the outside world in his entire life before this. Hearing the giggles of my two boys made the trip absolutely worth it.

In the end, you have to assess what’s right for you and your family. But given the safety precautions Disney has taken, the fact our son’s transplant doctor gave us the green light, and for the sake of my own mental health, visiting Disney World was the right choice for our family. The allure of an empty park was just the cherry on top.

Disney World Dapper Day: Donald Duck Disney Bound

Disney World Dapper Day: Donald Duck Disney Bound

If you’ve never heard of Dapper Day, it’s really more like two different dapper weekends—two days in the spring and two days in the fall—in which people dress up in retro outfits like in the time of Walt. You see outfits from about the 1920s to about the 1950s, and they’re mostly fancy Disney bounds. Not sure what a Disney bound is? Check out this post.

While a lot of people like to pick out their characters that they want to Disney bound as ahead of time, I did things a little backward. I went to Nordstrom Rack to find a dress I thought could pass off as retro that would also be affordable but good quality. I figured I would find something that looked good on me and then decide which character I could Disney bound as after picking out the dress. After trying on several outfits, I found this beautiful Eliza J blue neoprene dress with bows on the shoulders.

Eliza J blue dress with bows on the shoulders

I immediately thought of Disney bounding as Donald Duck, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it because he’s a boy character. I thought maybe village Belle or Dory or Sadness. But then my friend Suzy told me, “It’s definitely Donald. Stop trying to make it anything other than Donald.” And she was right. This dress definitely screamed Donald Duck.

Because I was going for a retro look, I wanted to get a fascinator or a pillbox hat to go with the dress, but my husband convinced me to go with a beret to make my Dapper Day outfit look more like Donald Duck.

To put the finish touches on my Donald Duck Disney bound for Dapper Day, I added white gloves, a red bow tie, a yellow belt, and red high heels. I would have worn yellow high heels if I owned them, but I didn’t and didn’t want to spend the money on them either. I bought a white feather boa (feathers because he’s a duck of course), but I unfortunately forgot to bring it with me to Disney World. I accessorized with white cat-eye sunglasses and a white parasol.

Donald Duck Dapper Day Disney Bound Magic Kingdom

I must have done a good job with my outfit because the official Dapper Day Facebook page actually featured me. I was so excited! I couldn’t convince my hubby to dress as Daisy Duck, so he went for more of a Dapper Dan look with a pale blue pinstripe suit and a boater hat.

Donald Duck Dapper Day Disney Bound Magic Kingdom Cinderella Castle

I wish that I got a photo with classic Donald, but we were at the Magic Kingdom Dapper Day, and classic Donald is at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I did get a photo with Donald in his circus attire though, and he loved my outfit.

Donald Duck Dapper Day Disney Bound Magic Kingdom the astounding donaldo

Probably the most exciting part of the day was telling Mickey Mouse that we were expecting a baby! This was when Mickey could still talk. It was great to be able to hear him tell us congratulations, and it makes me a little sad that Mickey can’t talk anymore.

Donald Duck Dapper Day Disney Bound Magic Kingdom talking Mickey Mouse

So what do you think of my Donald Duck Dapper Day Disney bound? Who do you think I should Disney bound as at Dapper Day this year? Let me know in the comments! And be sure to follow me on Instagram for more Disney fun.

What to Look Forward to at This Year’s Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival

What to Look Forward to at This Year’s Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival
I think we all know that my favorite time of year is the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, but a very close second in my heart is the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. And there are some great things coming up this year!

First, in case you didn’t know, pineapples are my spirit fruit because they are sweet on the inside and wear crowns. Ha! Dole Whips are my favorite treat at Magic Kingdom, and I loved getting it with the coconut rum topper at the Food and Wine Festival. But what I’m really excited about is an entire area dedicated to pineapples at this year’s Flower and Garden Festival—the Pineapple Promenade. Champagne is usually my go-to drink, so I seriously can’t wait for the Florida Orange Groves Winery Sparkline Pineapple Wine. And it’s from my hometown of St. Petersburg, FL!

I love fruit. I love sushi. But have you ever heard of frushi? Yes, it’s sushi made out of fruit! How cute is that? You can find it at the Japan pavilion. It has pineapples, strawberries and melons rolled up with raspberry-coconut rice and sprinkled with toasted coconut. Plus, there’s whipped cream on the side.

My all-time favorite drink at Epcot is the Grand Marnier slushy at the France pavilion. But they have a twist for the Flower and Garden Festival this year—La Vie en Rose Frozen slushy with Grey Goose Orange, St. Germain Liqueur and cranberry juices. Yum!

Of all the places I’ve traveled in the world (the real world, not just Epcot’s world showcase—ha!), Morocco had some of the best food. I just adore all the spices, so I can’t wait to try the homemade falafel with pickled beets and turnips, tomato salad and tahini sauce at the Morocco pavilion. Now if only I can talk them into adding some harissa sauce on the side….
It’s no secret that I love spicy food, so when I saw the beef brisket burnt ends hash with white cheddar fondue and pickled jalapenos on the menu at The Smokehouse at this year’s Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, my mouth watered at the idea of it. Definitely a must!
What are you looking forward to the most? Let me know in the comments!

What to Look Forward to at 2016 Food and Wine Festival

What to Look Forward to at 2016 Food and Wine Festival

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, I’m not talking about Christmas. I’m talking about the Epcot Food and Wine Festival at Disney World. Leave the kids at home. This is when the adults get to have their own magical experiences. It’s time to eat and drink around the world! Disney announced this week the offerings for this year’s festival, and I’m stoked already. So what am I most looking forward to? Let’s break it down.

1. Pineapple Dole Whip Soft-Serve Ice Cream with Bacardi Coconut Rum

My all-time favorite snack at Disney World is the Dole Whip. Now they’re adding a coconut rum topper? I think this is what dreams are made of. Look for it at the Refreshment Port. Take a right when you enter World Showcase from Future World, and it will be one of the first kiosks on the right.

2. Twinings® Pumpkin Chai Tea Frozen Cocktail with Caramel Vodka

One of the great things about the Epcot Food and Wine Festival is that they bring in extra countries with kiosks around World Showcase that they don’t usually have around the rest of the year, such as Ireland. Why a chai drink is at the Ireland kiosk instead of at an India kiosk, I may never know. What I do know is that chai tea is my go-to drink at coffee shops unless it’s fall, in which case I’m as basic of a girl as it gets because I love my pumpkin spice lattes. Putting those two together just might make my tastebuds explode. But then they also want to add caramel vodka? It’s like they tailored this drink just for me.

3. Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey Caramel

New to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival this year is the Chocolate Studio. If there’s one thing I love almost as much as Disney (other than my husband and family of course), it’s chocolate. I could totally relate in Frozen when Princess Anna sang, “I want to stuff some chocolate in my face!” This liquid nitro chocolate-almond truffle sounds like it will just melt in your mouth. AND it has warm whiskey caramel? Shut up and take my money!

4. Artist Palette of Wine and Cheese

Also new this year is the Wine & Dine Studio. The Artist Palette of Wine and Cheese includes a trio of cheeses (La Bonne Vie goat cheese served with toasted Craisin bread, Karst cave-aged cheddar cheese served with fig compote, and Statesboro blue cheese served with spiced candied walnuts), each paired with a wine (Conundrum White Blend 25th Anniversary, Kurt Russell’s GoGi “Goldie” Chardonnay and Robert Mondavi Maestro Red Blend). Is there anything in life that goes better than wine and cheese? Well, maybe magic and Disney. But really, this is a way to get all four at once.

5. Grilled Beef Skewer with Romaine, Apricots and Feta Cheese

Disney is more than just theme parks and movies. In fact, you might be shocked to find out what’s included in the vast Disney empire. One of the many things that Disney owns is the television channel ABC, which of course includes the TV show The Chew. And what promotes better synergy than exploiting the fact they own both a cooking show and a food-themed event than having a The Chew kiosk at the 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival? However, this grilled beef skewer with romaine, apricots and feta will likely make me forget that I’m giving into “the man” (or I guess in this case, it would be giving into “the mouse”).

What are you most looking forward to? Let me know in the comments!

Food and Wine Fest

High Tea at the Grand Floridian

High Tea at the Grand Floridian

First off, do resorts get any prettier than Disney World’s Grand Floridian? I mean, come on! Gorgeous! My sister and I absolutely love high tea. We grew up going all the time with our grandparents on cruises, so of course I had to take her to try out the high tea at the Grand Floridian in the Garden View Tea Room for her 19th birthday. It did not disappoint.

High tea at the Grand Floridian

You do need to book this in advance because times for high tea at the Grand Floridian do fill up. Both my sister are huge fans of the book Pride and Prejudice. So of course I had to get the Derbyshire Tea package, just because Mr. Darcy owns half of Derbyshire. However, I pronounced it like they do in the movie, but our waiter pronounced it phonetically. I was a little put off by that. Maybe I’m just a snob — ha!

Grand Floridian champagne

The Derbyshire Tea package was $45 and included various finger sandwiches, cheeses, fruits, a scone, a tart and my choice of dessert and tea (duh). It also included a glass of Veuve Clicquot, which happens to be my favorite champagne. (We had it for the toast at my wedding.) Because she’s not 21 yet, my sister opted for the Bedfordshire Tea package, which is $30 and is essentially the same exact thing as the Derbyshire Tea package, just without the champagne. A $15 upcharge to include a glass of Veuve didn’t seem like that bad of a deal when you consider how expensive a bottle is.

Grand Floridian high tea

For the teas, my sister got the Earl Grey, which the server warned tasted more like licorice than regular Earl Grey. My sister didn’t seem to notice the licorice though. I opted for the nutty chocolate tea because it sounded like it was going to taste like Nutella. While it was good, it wasn’t Nutella good. Then again, few things are.

Grand Floridian high tea sandwiches

The sandwiches they brought out were all very good. In order of how I liked them, there was a curry chicken sandwich, a golden beet and goat cheese sandwich, a cucumber and cream cheese sandwich, and an egg salad sandwich. This actually surprised me because cucumber and cream cheese and egg salad are usually my two favorite kinds of sandwiches. However, I wasn’t huge on the bread they paired with the cucumber, and the egg salad had a bit too many chives. Overall, they were all yummy, especially that curry chicken one. The scones came with butter, apricot jam and lemon crème. The lemon crème was definitely my favorite. It was delicious!

For dessert, my sister chose the strawberries and cream—so beautiful! It came with a sprinkle of red sugar in the Grand Floridian logo, and she said it tasted as good as it looked. I got the assorted pastries, which included two macaroons (love!), a chocolate-dipped strawberry and a puff pastry in the shape of a swan, filled with a strawberry cream. Amazing!

Briar roses

Everything was absolutely delicious and well worth the price. Plus, they even gave us each a rose at the end of tea. A Briar Rose, get it? (If you don’t get it, you’re not a true Disney fan.) We were so full from this (our reservations were for 4:15) that we didn’t even notice that we didn’t eat dinner before the fireworks at the end of the night. I highly recommend afternoon tea in the Grand Floridian’s Garden View Tea Room!

Happiest 4th of July on Earth

Happiest 4th of July on Earth

I love going to Disney World pretty much any day of the year, but it is a little extra special to go on a holiday. Here are some photos from my trip to Disney for the 4th of July. It was pretty crowded and really hot, but I love seeing all the patriotic décor around Magic Kingdom.

4th of july tinkerbell

Where else would you expect me to be on the 4th of July? Ha! Check out my patriotic outfit: blue tank top with white stars, red shorts and Magic Band. And I know you can’t tell in this picture, but my blue Mickey ears actually light up like fireworks — get it?! I’m such a nerd. 😛


Of course I had to get a red, white and blue snack too. As much as I love the Nutella waffles from Sleepy Hollow in Magic Kingdom, I’m not sure it was the best choice to have a hot treat on such a hot day. I would, however, highly recommend it in the fall or winter. It’s amazingly delicious.

Ice cream probably would have been a better choice. Can’t go wrong with the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor!


How freaking cute is Cinderalla’s carriage? And the Independence Day sign was a nice touch!


It was so hot that I couldn’t stay the whole day, just for the morning. But it was still worth it! Going to Disney for a few hours is better than not going to Disney at all. That’s my motto.

God bless America (and Disney World)!

What to Wear to Walt Disney World

What to Wear to Walt Disney World

Sure, anyone can tell you to wear comfortable shoes and to dress for the weather (e.g., the hot Florida sun or afternoon showers), but let’s face it. When you’re at Disney World, you’re probably going to take photos that you’ll want to look at for years to come, so you shouldn’t dress like a slob.

Did you know that while kids are allowed to dress up, people age 14 and older are not allowed in the parks if they are in costume? While you may not be able to dress up in a costume, there are still ways you can capture the essence of a character without actually dressing as that character. My best suggestion is to think of that character’s color palette and accessories. For example, Snow White dresses in blue and has a red bow in her hair. Plus, she poses like this:

SnowWhite

Notice that my fingernails are also yellow, like Snow White’s skirt. See? You can dress up at Disney without literally dressing in costume. However, I wouldn’t recommend wearing a blazer all day in the middle of summer at Disney World.

Here’s an example of me channeling my inner Princess Jasmine. Jasmine wears all blue and is (I think) the only princess who wears pants. She also has a blue headband and fabulous gold earrings and necklace. Bonus points if you pose in front of your character’s ride.

Princess Jasmine

Just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean that I always want to dress up like a princess. (Although I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love dressing like a princess!) Sometimes you just have to go with a classic, and what’s more classic than Mickey Mouse? Of course I have my Mouseketeer hat, my “home” T-shirt with Cinderella Castle on it, black shoes, red Fitbit, Mickey bangle bracelet and yellow Magic Band. I could have gone with my red Magic Band, but I decided on yellow to match Mickey’s iconic yellow shoes because, well, I don’t own a pair of yellow shoes, and I can’t picture myself buying a pair either.

Mickey Mouse Disney Bound

Thanks to Disney’s purchase of the Star Wars franchise, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is loaded with Star Wars experiences. My favorite character from the newest movie is BB-8. And when I saw this T-shirt and Mickey ears on Etsy, I had to have them. These are probably my favorite pair of ears I own, and I own several, haha! Plus, I wore my pearl earrings (because they are little white balls, like BB-8), white scalloped shorts (because of the color and round shape of the scalloping) and carried around my BB-8 thermos, which you can pick up at the popcorn cart outside of Star Wars Launch Bay in Hollywood Studios. I just wish I had an orange Magic Band!

bb8

Dressing up for Disney World doesn’t mean that you have to dress like any particular character either. Sometimes it’s fun to dress in a theme instead of a character. For example, my husband and I wore “safari gear” on a trip to Animal Kingdom. I even made sure to wear my purse that looks like a satchel.

sarai outfits at Animal Kingdom

Have more suggestions or ideas of what to wear on your next Disney trip? Let me know in the comments!