6/3 – Denise’s Corner, My New Friday Column – Weekly Roundup and Q&A – Carrot Cake Cookies, Tangled
Hi everyone!
Welcome to Denise's Corner! Mousesteps is now over 4 years old, and I'm adding a weekly column to the mix. While I'm always adding new content, I've never had anything that was done on a specific day each week. So bear with me if I'm a little late sometimes with it! I plan to post a new column each Friday.
A friend had suggested I start this column, which will pull together everything I've done for the week – as well as answer any questions you might have! I have been going to Walt Disney World for 35 years (Disneyland for 20), and spent 6 years as a Disney specialist travel agent after working at the Disney Reservation Center for one year. I've also been on Disney message boards for nearly 20 years, so Social Media is not new to me.
This has been an especially busy year for Mousesteps, as it has for all of the Disney related websites. This past couple of weeks have included the opening of Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, as well as the yearly event, Star Wars Weekends. Phineas and Ferb are now greeting guests at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and we put up photos and video of the incredible Dolphin Presidential Suite – the view is the best I've seen on Disney property! I will miss the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, which ended during the D23 Destination D weekend.
I've had many questions over the last couple of months, and now I have a place to answer them! If you have any questions, send an email to Denise@Mousesteps.com. I have a contact form, but it needs to be fixed. You can also write to me through Twitter and Facebook.
Q: Where can I find the carrot cake cookies you've mentioned on your website?
Carrot cake cookies are found at Disney's Hollywood Studios, at either the Writer's Stop or Villains in Vogue. We always split one – the two soft cookies with the cream cheese filling is too rich for just me! This is probably my favorite sweet treat at Walt Disney World. I did an article for i.see.Kissimmee as a guest blogger that mention them as well!
Q: Would you recommend the Polynesian Resort or Beach Club?
I grew up at Disney's Polynesian Resort – my family stayed there every year for 7-10 days at a time from 1976 – 84 (before we moved to Florida). When I have the money to stay at a deluxe resort for a night, Disney's Polynesian Resort is usually my first choice. However, when I was a travel agent, my first question for a guest looking for either a monorail resort or a Boardwalk area deluxe resort was to ask what park the guest planned to spend the most time in. Epcot is an event park – the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival and the Epcot Food and Wine Festival take up easily a third of the year (not to mention Holidays Around the World). If you plan to go to Epcot more, I'd recommend the Beach Club. But if you plan to head to the Magic Kingdom for more of your days? A Magic Kingdom resort will be more convenient. There are other factors too – Polynesian Resort rooms are larger than the Beach Club rooms, and any Magic Kingdom deluxe resort has a great beach view of one of my favorite shows on Walt Disney property, the Electrical Water Pageant. On the other hand, Stormalong Bay is part of the Yacht and Beach Club, and is likely the most sought-after pool at Walt Disney World (the Polynesian Resort is the only deluxe resort to not have a jacuzzi). You can't go wrong at either resort! We just put up a video room tour of the Polynesian Resort on our YouTube channel.
Q: Tell me more about the Magic Kingdom "Tangled" Meet & Greet!
This is my favorite Meet & Greet on property (actually called a "Play and Greet", not to be confused with the Phineas and Ferb Meet & Play!) We visited for photos and video when it first started, but this is one of the harder character opportunities to participate in. There are a small amount of guests allowed into the Fairytale Garden, where the kids color and dance with Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. After that, everyone in the garden lines up for photos and autographs. It is extraordinarily fun, but the lines can be long. So plan accordingly if it's on your "must-do" list! The Fairytale Garden is on the side of Cosmic Rays that is closest to Cinderella Castle. Rapunzel and Flynn Rider still get the heaviest traffic on our YouTube channel, even though the movie "Tangled" is over 6 months old.
I hope you enjoyed the column this first week!
Denise