Weekend Update (& Hamburger Mickey Giveaway!)
We wanted to drop in with a few updates as we continue to respond to feedback you offered late last fall (hopefully you’ve noticed!). We also have a new giveaway of an obscure souvenir that we posted about in our Tokyo Disneyland Winter Trip Report. Before we get to that, a few notes…
We’re currently at Walt Disney World (I know, it’s really soon for another trip, but this is for “Christmas” with my parents, so we have an excuse), and as with that Tokyo trip, we’ll be posting updates on social media, and will try to do some live streaming on our Facebook page.
Since the emphasis is on spending time with my family this trip, that will probably mostly be early in the morning or late at night after my parents have gone to bed. (I used to scheme about going to parties “after my parents have gone to bed.” Now, I scheme about doing live Disney videos. How things change!)
Regardless of how much live posting we’re able to do, we will have a trip report for this visit to Walt Disney World, so stay tuned for that. It’ll likely start once the Tokyo report is finished (so, late February). Speaking of which, we want to say thanks for your response to that. We really appreciate all of the comments thus far on that.
In other “news” (not really), we’ve now dined at ~240 Disney restaurants and stayed at ~80 hotels near the Disney parks (including off-site hotels), which I’m guessing is some kind of record. Probably not the kind of record most “normal” people would want to claim, but we are not normal people. As a dorky Disney fan accomplishment, we have to say we’re pretty proud…
Thus far, we’ve posted 196 restaurant reviews (all of which you can find in our Disney Restaurant Reviews Index). We still haven’t finalized our dining schedule for our current trip, but we’ll easily dine at 3 new restaurants. If you have suggestions of places we have not reviewed and that are mid-range price-wise, let us know in the comments.
I’m thinking the 200th review should be something special…like the Chef’s Table at Victoria & Albert’s or Planet Hollywood Observatory.
We also wanted to give you an update about the potential group booking for Wilderness Lodge the week after Thanksgiving. Be Our Guest Vacations has been looking into setting this up for us, and they have been in contact with Disney’s ‘Group Getaways’ department. As of right now, Wilderness Lodge isn’t even available for a group rate that week, and alternative offers at other resorts are paltry (in my opinion).
My guesses–and these are just guesses–is that it’s too early for a strong discount or this is a popular window for hotel bookings (Free Dining likely won’t be offered during those dates this year, which is an indicator of internal projections) so Disney doesn’t feel the need to offer discounts to reach occupancy targets or Wilderness Lodge is wrapping its renovations this year, and that coupled with it being a popular resort during the holidays means its excluded from promos during this timeframe. I’m hoping for option #1, but some combo of #2 and #3 seem more likely.
Where does this leave the potential group booking? I’m not sure. With general public Free Dining dates likely to become official within the next couple of months, part of me wants to wait for that, and then reassess whether this option is possible and, if so, who is still interested. If you need/want to book something in the near future, I wouldn’t wait around on this. I hope we can still make something happen, but my level of optimism has dropped.
Now, time for a shameless plug for our other blog, TravelCaffeine.com. This covers our non-Disney adventures, offering more or less what you see on this site, except for places that are not Disney. Actually, our Disney geek-dom influences a lot of our travel decisions, so we end up at sharing photos from a gorgeous sunset at the castle in Germany that inspired Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland, the real-life Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland, the experience of visiting my favorite scene in Impressions de France at Epcot, etc. Some of those posts are going to be interesting to Disney fans, even though they are not explicitly about the parks.
And if, for some odd reason, you actually enjoy my writing style, I suspect you’ll like what you’ll find over there. I recently wrote a sarcastic post about honoring America…by eating a really big burger in Canada. I shared our bizarre experience eating inside the belly of a cute monster in Japan. I posted (what I think are) pretty photos from a party on the lawn of a castle. I’ve written several reports about arguably “dangerous” hikes I’ve gone on.
Those are just some posts illustrating what you’ll find on TravelCaffeine. The point is that even if you are not interested in the U.S. National Parks, Asia, Europe–or any other travel destinations outside of Walt Disney World–you still might enjoy reading the anecdotes we post over there. Some of you read this blog just for the straightforward Disney planning advice and nothing else, and we can totally respect that. In that case, TravelCaffeine might not be for you. 🙂
While TravelCaffeine has existed for a few years now, I had not posted regularly in a while. This year, placing a renewed emphasis (something I’ve said before!) on it was a New Year’s resolution of mine. Through the end of January, I think I’ve done pretty well, adding 3-4 new posts per week with many more to come. Writing these posts helps motivate me to get photos edited; hopefully it will also help motivate us to take more road trips throughout California this summer.
I’m sharing all of this here, now, because I’m hoping that if this interests you, you’ll check out TravelCaffeine and maybe follow it on social media, subscribe to email updates, or even just comment on posts you find fascinating. As with anyone who shares broadcasts their lives on the internet, we crave attention and affirmation, and your reading and commenting on the posts really helps with that. In other words, you’d be doing me a favor by reading TravelCaffeine, and that’s basically community service. 😉
As a “carrot” for that, we have a giveaway. And, what better way to merge our real-world and Disney interests than with a prize that combines our two greatest passions: cheeseburgers and Disney!!!
This prize is the Mickey Mouse burger purse Sarah is wearing in the top photo (not the exact same one–Sarah would never part with hers!). It’s the perfect combo of bizarreness and coolness, making it one of my favorite pieces of merchandise in a while. And, you can win one here…
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Please be sure to properly complete each giveaway entry method and then verify it in the giveaway form above. When we do these giveaways, people invariably get confused by the email newsletter sign-up. You have to visit the link to sign-up for the (free) email newsletter, and then return here to verify that you did it.
That wraps up this bit of housekeeping. We hope you’ll drop by social media to catch some of our current visit to Walt Disney World, and our updates on TravelCaffeine. If you are planning a Walt Disney World or Disneyland vacation, check out our planning resources! The best place to start is our comprehensive Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide or Disneyland Trip Planning Guide to make the most of your experience. If you have any other questions or additional feedback, we are all ears!
Thanks for making our Disney trips exceptional!
I loved following your guys’ recent Tokyo trip on social media. I wish I was in a position to galavant a bit more! Can’t wait to read through the blogs some more. I’ve gotten tons of advice from you for our first WDW trip.
I’m excited to read more about your California adventures (that don’t involve DCA). We live in Arizona, and always talk about how we should do more in California than going to Disneyland, but other than a few trips to Joshua Tree, we haven’t really done much. I play competitive dodgeball, so I sometimes go to California for that, but I’m usually still just exploring the area around the gym, if anything.
I actually have noticed the changes in your posts and honestly they’re really nice. Thank you for that. Excited to see your travelcaffeine. Travel is something I’ve always wanted to do and I envy the fact that you guys are able to travel so much. I will live vicariously through you until then!
Thank for for all you do! Have already made notes from your Tokyo posts. We are going in April for first time and can’t wait!!
I’m so happy that you guys are going back to doing frequent trip reports! I love both of your blogs!
Have a great trip with your parents. I remember your trip report from a long time ago when you went in December with your parents and nearly froze to death. Hope you have some nice weather this time!
Thank you both for all that you do for your blogs! I’m a lifelong Disney fan and this blog always helps me plan and get excited for my next trip. The photos are fantastic and I really enjoy the writing style.
So cool of you to do a giveaway! Give us a little bit of your “disney street cred”!
I am thrilled to have another blog of yours to follow! I’m currently planning my Bachelorette party in Disney World and have used this blog many times for tips and tricks. I think my Bride to Be outfit needs a burger purse!!!!
TravelCaffeine looks great, I love your photography and travel blogging style, I’m surprised I never checked it out sooner. I’m hoping within the next year to travel to Japan so your entries about adventures had there will be really helpful and informative!
I was really hoping for some kind of discount at WL after Thanksgiving, either through the group discount or otherwise, but your theories make a lot of sense. I will assume there won’t be one and then let it be a pleasant surprise if there is! We’ll be there regardless and hoping for a Bricker sighting if only to tell you in person how much we enjoy your blog, photos, and Disney insight.
Food recommendations:
Mid price? I see Mama Melrose and Tony’s missing from your review list. I don’t patirculaty recommend either, but would choose mama melrose out of the two, but that means going to the studios 😉
Deluxe burger might be worth trying at Disney springs. I only had a milkshake there but it was AMAZING. Highly recommend even though the milkshake was pricey
I know Coronado springs has a table service meal. It was decent 10 years ago when we first tried it, but when we went a couple years later we weren’t impressed and haven’t been back since
For a bit higher of a cost, I see 1900 park Fair is missing and we LOVE that place. Not only is the food great, but the stepsisters are some of the best Disney characters to interact with. The strawberry soup seems like something Sarah would love.
There’s also cape May cafe for dinner which I thought was decent, and the rest of my party loves it. If crab legs are your thing I guess it’s a must do.
If I had to push for anything here I’d say 1900 park fair even though it’s not moderately priced. We had a blast there
I always enjoy your posts and pictures, Tom. As a fellow Disney fanatic, DVC member and lover of photography, you caught my eye early on and I have been following you since.
I have to comment particularly on that purse. My 21 year old daughter is a bigger Disney nut than we are (if that’s possible) and she’s vegan, so I literally had to laugh out loud at the prospect of her carrying this around!!! It’s so fun, love it.
Thanks for always keeping us informed AND entertained, esp while we wait on another trip thru this cold winter here in New York!!
Thanks for the updates! I love Mickey shaped food so that purse is up my alley!! I’m happy to hear you guys are having a good time with your parents in Walt Disney World. My one question is what makes you believe “Free Dining” won’t be offered this year for those dates? And if not, do you suspect some room-only or package type discount to take its place? I’m only asking because I am already booked at Wilderness Lodge the week after Thanksgiving. Thanks!
How about dining on the Rio Grande Nachos challenge at Pecos Bill’s? I just read about it and thought that I wished I was there to try it myself. Who know how long it will last?
I have followed both of your blogs for years, but now I will definitely be using them a lot more to help plan a trip to Japan this September. Thank you for all of the information you continue to provide about the Asian parks. I know you have mentioned they are not your most popular ones, but they have been helpful in planning/inspiring my trip. I am looking forward to reading the rest of your winter trip report. Keep up the good work!
I got really excited because I thought it was a hamburger giveaway. I was much less excited when I realized what it really is.
The only thing that I love more than Disney is the national parks! We’re heading to Disneyland in May followed by a week in Yosemite. Keep all of he posts coming, loving following you and Sarah’s adventures!
Well, there’s a decent amount about Yosemite over there, and plenty more to come. It’s my favorite escape from the warmth of Southern California, and I try to make road trips up there as often as possible!
Really enjoy your blog and your style. We’ve only been going to Disney regularly for 4 years. My wife and I are both mid 40’s and we have a 9 year old daughter. The Disney bug bites hard, so we go frequently. We’ve gotten and used a lot of good tips from this site. Keep it up.