Be Our Guest - Don't Believe Me, Ask the Dishes!

As many of you already know, the all new Be Our Guest restaurant is part of the New Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom and it opened for the public on December 6, 2012. I was incredibly fortunate to be invited to dine at Be Our Guest a few weeks early by my awesome friend, Jeff.

Amy and Wendy joined us and we slowly strolled our way over to New Fantasyland to check in an hour early...or so we thought. On that night, they were only letting people check in 15 minutes early. Generally any restaurant will allow you to check in up to 1 hour early or 20 minutes late. I'm not sure what the policy is now but the restriction may have been in place because we were attending a Tables in Wonderland event.



When we walked in we were greeted by a number of Castmembers saying "Bonjour!" and welcoming us to dine at their restaurant. Never underestimate the power of a greeter, they really give the first impression of the restaurant and set the stage for your entire dining experience.

Our Hostess lingered for a moment by Le Dessert Carte...long enough for me to absolutely know I had to save room for one of those cream puffs!



When we sat down, I immediately noticed the beautiful red napkin rose on our plates!



The style of the menu was very nice in keeping with the theme of Beauty and the Beast.



After we placed our orders, we wandered into the West Wing while we waited. I love the torn photo of Prince Adam here, every so often the lights go dim and the picture changes to the Beast instead.



My Mom will love this one - they have the Rose from Beauty and the Beast in the West Wing. Another dose of Disney magic - the petals appear to fall continuously. It's really spectacular!



I can't wait until a few of these candles show up at the outlet down here!



We were seated at a table near the back of the ballroom with a spectacular view of the "snow" outside - another dose of Disney magic! One thing I need to mention is that the tables at Be Our Guest are spaced out very nicely. At some of the other restaurants in the Walt Disney World Resort, you are almost on top of the table next to you and you can hear their entire conversation. We all felt that our table was very private even though it was out in the middle of the ballroom.



I hear that the babies on the ceiling in the ballroom are the relatives of the Imagineers, cute or weird? I think it's a little of both!



The ballroom is spectacular down to every last detail. I can't believe that they recreated something I've walked through in my mind since I was 10!



Our food arrived! Before digging in, we spent about 20 minutes taking pictures haha! A table full of food and 3 happy faces :)

Photo by Wendy Pugh-Hummel

Amy and I both had the Pork which came with Au Gratin Macaroni (which is just a fancy name for Mac n' Cheese) and the seasonal vegetable of the day which was green beans and red peppers. All very good!



Jeff had the steak which was also delicious!



Wendy had the French Onion Soup which looked so delicious I wish I had gotten one too! I had the French Onion Soup at Les Chefs de France and it was SO good! I wonder how this compares?



After dinner, the waitress rolled the dessert cart up and asked us if we wanted anything? Of course we did!! I like how they take the desserts right from the cart and put them on your plate. Instant gratification is the best :) But before we dug in, we had to go another round with the cameras!

Photo by Wendy Pugh-Hummel

I had the chocolate cream puff and it was SO good!



The lemon meringue cupcake - also very good!



I have to admit the triple chocolate cupcake was a bit better than my chocolate cream puff and I wish I had gotten that instead. Luckily, I had a bunch of friends to share with!



In honor of Mickey Mouse's birthday, we requested the grey stuff. You have to request the grey stuff as part of a celebration and they give it to you for free. I love that they did this, it is such an awesome nod to Beauty and the Beast!



The waitress was happy to take a group photo for us and we even got into a bit of a conversation about cameras and the ins and outs of photography. That's what I love about Disney employees, most of them are happy to chat you up about anything!



We lingered at our table for as long as we could and then left to explore the rest of the restaurant. Yes, there's more! There are 3 rooms total - The Ballroom, The West Wing, and The Music Box Room. We had yet to explore the Music Box room!



The reason it's called The Music Box Room is because there is a giant music box in the middle of the room with Belle and Beast on top playing selections from Beauty and the Beast. I burst into tears when I walked in here, it is SO beautiful!



I love the roses everywhere, even in the furniture!



There are tapestries all around the room, this one is my favorite - it's hilarious!



Again, more roses in the details around the pillars in the room.



Before we walked out, we had to get a group photo in front of the beautiful replica of the stained glass window. It was a fabulous night filled with friends, good food, and new experiences!



Overall I had a great experience at Be Our Guest and I cannot wait to go again! The atmosphere was spot on with the theme of Beauty and the Beast and I am really so glad that they added an entire section of New Fantasyland dedicated to Belle's adventures. The food was delicious and was served to us hot, fresh, and with a smile. I was happy with all of the Castmembers we interacted with from the greeters to our waitress to the exit greeters. I highly recommend Be Our Guest for children of all ages (like 32) but good luck getting an ADR for awhile!

Read about this experience from my friends' perspectives:

http://therelocatedtourist.com/2012/11/19/a-review-of-the-brand-new-be-our-guest-restaurant/
 http://mymagic100.wordpress.com/2012/11/19/64-dine-at-the-be-our-guest-restaurant/

And my friend Krista's experience - we didn't eat together but we ran into her both before and after her dining experience!

http://disneyways.com/2012/11/26/be-our-guest-for-dinner/

Belle's Cottage Preview

I am finally getting around to posting about my adventures in New Fantasyland, yay! This is the story of the day back in September 2012 when I first stepped foot in New Fantasyland.

It was my friend Beatrice's birthday so we all met up at EPCOT on a rainy Saturday afternoon.



The rain didn't last long because it knew it was Beatrice's birthday and the sun needed to come out! Someone read a tip on Twitter that they were letting people in to a preview of Belle's Cottage in New Fantasyland so we hopped the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom. We had a fun ride over to the Magic Kingdom all excited about the possibility of stepping foot into New Fantasyland so early!

When we got to the Magic Kingdom, we pretty much ran for the entrance to New Fantasyland. We were pleased to see that the tip on Twitter was correct and we were ushered behind the walls of NEW FANTASYLAND!!



This was the perfect spot for a group photo! We were all SO excited to be a part of one of the very first previews!!



We made our way down to the queue for Belle's Cottage which was the only attraction open at this time. Another awesome group shot spot can be found at the well (wink, wink to all LOST fans).



Construction progress at Be Our Guest, it's so funny to look back at this now that I've been through there so many times since this was taken!



While we waited in the queue, we had fun taking photos and enjoying each other's company. It is so wonderful to be part of a group of like minded people who totally geek out over events like this!



I really loved all of the details they put in to make you feel like you were walking into a cottage in France.






When we walked into the house, I noticed immediately how much it felt like a lived-in home. Although it was brand new, Disney sprinkled their magic and made the house feel cozy.




We didn't get to spend nearly enough time in the front room before we were ushered into the next room. The Castmember did a good job of setting the stage and getting us excited to relive Belle and Beast's love story. All of a sudden, the lights go out and you are treated to what I think is one of the most advanced pieces of Disney magic to date. The mirror in front of you magically expands and turns into a hallway that you walk through! If you don't believe me, let the videos in the playlist below tell the story!

When we left, many of us thanked the Imagineers standing around the room. This experience was pure Disney magic at its finest!



Read more about this experience from my friends' perspectives:

http://therelocatedtourist.com/2012/09/09/there-may-be-something-there-that-wasnt-there-before/
http://mymagic100.wordpress.com/2012/09/15/48-in-progress-experience-all-the-new-attractions-in-the-fantasyland-expansion/
http://adisneygirlinorlando.blogspot.com/2012/11/new-fantasyland-overview.html

Happy New Year Family & Friends! A Recap of 2012

This year has been the biggest in our lives (yes, even bigger than our Disney Fairytale Wedding). My wonderful husband, Jason, helped me realize my dream of relocating to Florida and we had a fantastic year getting settled in our new life together. I love my husband, I still can't believe I met someone who loves Disney as much as I do and who was willing to go along with my relocation adventure.

Thank you to all of our family and friends for the support and love you have given us. We are truly blessed! Please enjoy this video recap of our adventures in 2012.

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah Tip For Today: Merry Christmas!

The Zip-a-dee-doo-dah Tip For Today is a series of short inspirational videos, stories, assignments, or quotes that I hope will inspire you to be the very best version of yourself that you can be every single day.

Today I just wanted to wish you all a very happy and healthy Merry Christmas! To start off your Christmas morning, I have a video for you of the opening show at the Magic Kingdom that I shot this past weekend. Enjoy!

Does this video inspire you? Join the conversation by leaving a comment! Have a magical day!

Christmas Eve Breakfast at Wilderness Lodge

Today I had the pleasure of starting what I hope will be a new tradition - breakfast at Roaring Forks at Disney's Wilderness Lodge on Christmas Eve. This is our first Christmas as Florida residents so my husband, Jason, and I wanted to do something special. Our friend Jeff suggested specialty waffles at Wilderness Lodge and we were in! Who can resist the classic Christmas ambiance at the Wilderness Lodge - it was the perfect place for Christmas Eve.

As a Florida resident, it is really fun to go to all of the Disney Resorts. It almost makes you feel like you're back on vacation!



After meeting our friends Jeff and Amy in the lobby, we let our noses lead the way to Roaring Forks! I was SO excited to be here for the first time!




When we walked in, I was really happy when the Greeter said "Merry Christmas!" It put me in the good mood I needed to enjoy my specialty waffles! I was torn between the Strawberry and Chocolate waffles but I finally landed on Strawberry YUM!



Waffle display case, I wish I had this in my house! Next time I think I will try the chocolate!



I think I need to incorporate this into the logo for this website somehow...



My friend Amy displaying the food Vanna White style!



Here's a close up of the Strawberry Waffles - SO INCREDIBLY GOOD!!!



Roaring Forks was a fantastic experience. We went around 10:15AM and it was almost completely empty. We were treated nicely by the staff who all wished us a Merry Christmas. The quality of the Mickey waffles was very good - they were served to us hot, fresh, and DELICIOUS! I will definitely go there again.

After our awesome breakfast, we walked around the Wilderness Lodge a bit - it really put me in the Christmas spirit!




I know this one isn't Christmas related but as it was my first time at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, I had to take a picture of the famous totem pole!





We walked over to the DVC building and there was barely a soul there. I was amazed it was so empty on Christmas Eve!




We walked into the "train room" and it was completely empty!





We sat in front of the fireplace (which was actually nice since it was only 69 degrees outside - BRR!) and enjoyed each other's company for awhile.



Before we left, we had to get a photo in front of the tree in the Wilderness Lodge Lobby. This experience was everything I wanted for my first Christmas Eve as a Florida resident! Thanks to Jason, Amy, and Jeff for sharing the memories with me :)



I hope you all have a wonderfully magical Merry Christmas!