Tag Archives: Disney’s Old Key West Resort

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Disney’s Magical Advantages!

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Day 274 in advancing toward meeting up with Mickey Mouse at the Magic Kingdom.

GAH!!!!  My plan for today was to book our trips to and from Disney’s Old Key West Resort and Orlando International Airport on Disney’s Magical Express.  Can you tell?  I’m just a little excited about that!  All six of us who are going in October (me, my honey Mike, our son Jake, his wife Eliza, our daughter Emi and her husband James) have finally booked our flights.  Once all flights are booked, if you are a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Member (and we are), you can go to the DVC website and book the bus.

Now for those who are not Disneyphiles, Disney’s Magical Express is a free perk that folks staying at Disney resorts are provided.  It is literally a FREE ride to and from the airport.  (Now I know there are skeptics out there saying, “Oh, you’re paying for it.”  And that may be true, but I would stay on property even without this perk, so it feels free to me.  And I appreciate it!)  🙂  And on top of that, we can check our luggage in Chicago, and they will deliver it to our room at Old Key West.  Can you say, “Holy wah!”?  I love it!

So, now we are one step closer to being all ready for our vacation.  I hope to write soon about: Disney Vacation Club (it gets me to my happy place), My Disney Experience (an absolutely fantastic planning app), and  apples (I have a bone to pick with the apples/doctor saying).  Thank for hanging in there with me, my dear readers.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: I am drinking a cup of Starbuck’s coffee from my Magic Kingdom mug, as I type.  It arrived yesterday!  I LOVE it!  Two of my favorite things in one place–Magic Kingdom and Starbuck’s.  Yahoo!   Ya-le-hoo-lah! Thank you so much, Bro Geno and Sis-in-love Patsy!  And thanks to Regina, niece-in-love extraordinare,for picking up an extra mug, just in case.  🙂  Love you guys!

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The First Six Restaurants

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Day 272 in eating my way around the world and meeting up with Mickey

My plan for today was to begin my research on healthy choices at the restaurants we will frequent at Walt Disney World in October.  My go-to site for this is AllEars.Net.  What a great site!  It has all the menus from all the restaurants at Walt Disney World!  Love it!

 

Here we go: (Think: the song from Peter Pan “Think of the happiest things…it’s the same as having wings…you can fly!”)

  1. Olivia’s Cafe at Disney’s Old Key West Resort (our home away from home)  Healthiest thing on the menu for breakfast: Monroe Egg White Omelet  Thing I will probably order: Conch Republic Omelet with a side of fruit.  We are eating breakfast at Olivia’s more than once, so perhaps I will get to try both.  Healthiest thing on the menu for dinner: Key West Salmon Salad (this is real contender!) Thing I may order: Mallory Square Cobb Salad  Whatever I order I will definitely order Conch Fritters as an appetizer to share.  They are my favorite thing at Olivia’s! (The healthiest appetizer on their menu is the House Salad.)   Dessert: Healthiest option: Mile High Zero (a no sugar added tropical panna cotta)  It’s still very rich so this is to share.  I may order this, but we love the Key Lime Pie, so that is a possibility.
  2. Crystal Palace for breakfast: This is that most dangerous of meals–the buffet!  But, hey, we’ll get to visit with Winnie the Pooh and friends (I’m thinking Piglet and Tigger.) I will have an omelet made with vegetables and just a little cheese, a side of fruit, coffee and water.  Yum!
  3. Be Our Guest for dinner: French food–tres rich!  The healthiest appetizer on the menu is Garden Salad.  What I will probably order: Seasonal Salad Trio and I’ll split with Mike and anyone else who wants to try a taste.  Entree: The healthiest thing is probably the Layered Ratatouille, which is a real contender for me.  But I may order the Pan-seared Chicken Breast.  Mike and I will again split.  Dessert: the healthiest choice-Lemon Raspberry Cream Puff (no sugar added), But I already know I’ll try The Grey Stuff.  My friend Lumiere told me it’s delicious!
  4. Yak and Yeti for lunch: Asian food-notoriously high is sugar and/or fats (unless you’e eating raw) Appetizers: Healthiest choices: Lettuce Cups for Two OR House Salad.  I would order either. Entree: Honestly the healthiest thing and probably what I would order to share with Mike–Kobe Beef Burger (I wouldn’t eat the bun) with a side of Sauteed Baby Bok Choy.  Mike will probably order some fries too.  Dessert: Healthiest choice: Sorbet  What I will order Mango Pie and 6 forks.  It’s a speciality here.
  5. Tusker House for dinner (another dangerous buffet): I would choose salads. carved meat and/or fish of the day, vegetables, and I would check out the vegetarian choices to see if anything tickles my fancy.  Dessert: (Yikes! Also a buffet!) I probably will try the Chocolate Volcano Cake and/or the Strawberry Mousse Cup.
  6. California Grill-Appetizers: probably the 2 healthiest things to choose from are Farmer’s Strawberry Salad and Mushroom Flatbread.  I would try either.  Entree: Healthiest choices-Braised Lamb Hind Shank OR East Coast Flounder (Mike will have to choose because I have a hard time ordering Flounder ever since I saw The Little Mermaid!) Dessert: Healthiest options: Chef’s Selection Cheese Board or Plant City Strawberry Cheesecake (no sugar added)  I, however, will choose between Vanilla Creme Brulee (one of Mike’s favorites) or Warm Homemade Fritters (they’re banana for crying out loud!)

That’s plenty to chew on for today.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: Still waiting on my cup.  Isn’t it a shame when you pay for expedited delivery and post office doesn’t come through???  PTLA!

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Wishes Fireworks Dessert Party

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Day 269 in my preparations to meet up with Mickey

Today’s plan actually happened last night.  I booked us for Wishes Fireworks Dessert Party.  So now on our first full day at Walt Disney World this October.  We will start the day out with an early breakfast at the Crystal Palace (or Crystal Cathedral if you prefer–that’s for you, Wayno!) at Magic Kingdom,  Then everyone can go wherever they want for the middle of the day.  Then we meet up at the Dessert Party back at Magic Kingdom at 9:20 pm and sit and enjoy warm and/or cool drinks and various desserts while we wait for and then watch the fireworks over Cinderella’s Castle.

In the middle of that first day, I have a date with Disney’s Old Key West Resort.  I want to swim, and I want to sit and sip a cool drink on the boardwalk at the marina.  I can just feel the sun warming my back as I read my Kindle.  I can just smell the local flora (and the chlorinated pool).  It will be magical.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Reserved! (Reservated? Twitterpated?)

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Day 251 in the reality of Disney Dining Reservations and meeting up with Mickey (5 months and 27 days to go)

OK, so I was up at 4:30 am this morning ready to get online and make our meal reservations for October.  The online reservation system opens at 6:00 am Eastern Time, which is 5:00 am Central Time.  Am I tired now?  Oh, yeah!  But I’m jacked to have made the reservations.  It’s always a better idea to make reservations and then cancel the ones that you cannot do.

My plan for today is to share  the reservations that I was actually able to make:

Tuesday, October 13–Fly to Florida.  Dinner at Olivia’s Cafe at Disney’s Old Key West Resort (Our home away from home)at 7:15 pm

Wednesday, October 14–Breakfast at The Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom at 8:15 am.  I had hoped for Cinderella’s Royal Table, but it wasn’t available.  I can’t be too disappointed though, because the Crystal Palace is beautiful and elegant and…oh who am I kidding…Winnie the Pooh is there!!

Thursday, October 15–Dinner at California Grill at the Contemporary Resort at 5:25 pm.  I had hoped to eat at Be Our Guest Restaurant that afternoon, but it wasn’t available.  (Fear not though it’s a-comin’.)  We have an early dinner so we can head to the Magic Kingdom for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween.  Woo hoo!

Friday, October 16–a day out of the parks.  Breakfast at Olivia’s Cafe at 10:15 am and Dinner at Artist Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.  This is Mike’s favorite restaurant in Walt Disney World.  He and I have been there three times, and each time it has been a delicious, memorable, special experience.  Every time we’ve been there he has said, “We have to bring the kids here sometime.”  Maybe this will be the time.  But they are free to completely plan their own day, as they wish.

Saturday, October 17–Lunch at San Angel Inn Restaurante at EPCOT at 12:30 pm and Dinner at Tusker House Restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  I had to swap out 50’s Prime Time Cafe at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, because of no availability  (But it’s coming later.)

Sunday, October 18–Lunch at Yak and Yeti at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at 2:00 pm.

Monday, October 19–a day out of the parks.  Mike and I will have Breakfast at Olivia’s Cafe at 10:15 am and Dinner at Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant at  Downtown Disney Area at 7:15 pm. The kids plan to go to Universal Studios this day, to experience all the Harry Potter-ness of it.  😉

Tuesday, October 20–Lunch at 50’s Prime Time Cafe at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at 12:40 pm and Dinner at Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom at 4:55 pm.

Wednesday, October 21– Breakfast at Olivia’s Cafe at 8:00 am.  Then we fly home.

So there it is in black and white, dear readers.  It should be fun!  Meet you at the Kingdom!