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5/31/2019 0 Comments Galaxy's Edge Grand Opening Day Today we were lucky enough to visit Batuu, A remote outpost on the Galaxy's Edge. You are able to obtain your wristbands two hours prior to your reservation time which is done over in Star Wars Launch Bay in Tomorrowland. Today they also had a pop up store for limited time opening day merch, so after we did some shopping, we grabbed our bands for our 2:00 p.m. reservation. We spent about a half hour in line at the entrance by Critter Country before we were able to enter.  Before we even arrived to the park, we had a plan. We knew it was in our best interest to head over to Oga's Cantina first and get right on line. We had a 45 minute wait before being able to enter the cantina (which we thought was very reasonable). A cast member took our name and asked how many guests were in our party in order to check us in just about 15 minutes before it was our turn. There are two options when your inside, to stand at the bar, or to sit at a table, and those options are not up to you. The cast member brings you to your area and they ask you to stay put once they show you to your spot. We were seated at a table with two other families we did not know, but when your in Batuu, everyone is your friend. We ordered the Bespin Fizz and the Yub Nub (both contain alcohol). You also see a picture of Oga's Beer Flight served in Rancor Beer Flight Souvenir Board and glasses from a guest we shared the table with. You have to be careful when ordering, when we got the bill it was almost $70 for our two drinks because the Bespin Fizz comes with a souvenir cup and we did not pay close enough attention when we ordered originally. If getting into the cantina is a priority for you, we recommend getting in line for it as your first stop of the day. They actually closed off the line about 15 minutes after we got on it and it fills up very fast. After the cantina we headed over to Ronto Roasters to grab a bite. We decided on the Ronto Wrap which includes Roasted Pork, Grilled Pork Sausage, Peppercorn Sauce, tangy Slaw, all wrapped in Pita. Although it is not something I would go for on a normal day, it was actually quite tasty. While we were at Ronto Roasters we utilized the Mobile Order function on the Disneyland app to order our Blue Milk from the Milk Stand. This saved us time and when you are working with a four hour limit, every second counts. We walked right up after ordering the milk and it was ready within seconds! The Blue Milk tasted like the rocket ice pop you would have had from the ice cream truck in the summer as a kid but with a creamy consistency. It was good, but very sweet. After we grabbed our Blue Milk we headed into Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo where we enjoyed the Smoked Kaadu Ribs. These are sticky pork ribs that come with a blueberry corn muffin and cabbage slaw. These ribs were delicious and literally fell right off the bone. For dessert we ordered the Oi-oi Puff which was a raspberry cream puff full of passion fruit mousse. This was very sweet and after drinking the Blue Milk two bites was enough. This restaurant had a similar feel to Santu'li Canteen at Pandora in Walt Disney World. We were able to grab seat inside a neat little boxed out structure that seats around eight people. There is a good amount of seating here for when it does get crowded, but miraculously it was pretty empty during the time we spent there. As if we weren't full enough, we ran over to Kat Saka's Kettle to grab our souvenir popcorn bucket full of the Outpost popcorn mix. To be perfectly honest, this is something we just did not care for. It is a colorful mix of popcorn that is supposed to have a sweet and spicy mixed taste to it, but we just could not get into it. Luckily, we grabbed a "Thermal Detonator" container of Coca-Cola to wash it down with (and it is a pretty awesome bottle to take home). As we did some walking around we ran into some popular characters. It is sheer magic the way they interact with the guests. Your time in Batuu is very interactive and you sometimes even forget your in Disneyland. Although we loved the reservation system Disney had in place to alleviate the chaos, four hours is not enough time to obtain footage of every single area, shop, and place there is in Batuu, but we did get to the main areas we really wanted to capture. It is very important that you have a plan when you visit so you get as much in as you can during your time there. The itinerary we created worked very well for us and we truly had no issues getting done what we wanted to do. Something extremely important to remember is when you first enter the land you will have the prior groups reservation with you for an hour before you get two full hours of the land completely to yourself. The last hour of your reservation is going to be shared with the next group of guests as well, so you want to make sure you are following a plan to optimize your time. Right before the next group of reservations came in we immediately got online for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. After going through the que a cast member give you a colored ticket that tells you what your job is, Pilot, Gunners, or Engineers, and you wait for your group to be called. I would be lying if I said I was not worried about the crowds, the chaos, and getting anything done today but Disney and their cast members really exceeded our expectations on how well they handled every single part of this historic day. The reservation system is a blessing. It truly gives you access to enjoy your time without feeling overwhelmed. Our biggest piece of advice is to have a plan before you enter, stick to it, but still try and allow yourself to become immersed in the culture. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
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5/21/2019 0 Comments The Magic of the Holidays Meets the Magic of Nature in a Whole New Way This Year at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Everyone will be feeling extra merry and bright at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park this holiday season, with festive new entertainment and holiday déecor in every land! It all begins when you cross the bridge to Discovery Island, finding yourself in the midst of a celebration of winter, hand-crafted by the eclectic community of artists who make the island their home. The village is filled with sparkling white holiday decorations. Colorful, animal-inspired luminaries line the rooftops, and wireframe lanterns in the shape of beautiful birds can be found perched throughout the area. And during the day, Discovery Island springs to life with a holiday gathering of winter animals, realized in the form of life-size, artisan-sculpted puppets. Reindeer, foxes, polar bears, penguins and more interact with guests, accompanied by serenading musicians as they create a playful atmosphere of festive fun. As day becomes night, the rooftop luminaries and bird lanterns all around Discovery Island bring a warm and festive glow to the entire village. At the center of everything, the Tree of Lifeawakens with a series of wintry tales, complemented by a familiar and heartwarming holiday-inspired musical score. Between awakening moments, the Tree of Life continues to shimmer and sparkle throughout the night, alive with the magic of nature and the spirit of the holidays. Over in Dinoland, U.S.A., all the Disney character friends gathered for Donald’s Dino-Bash! get into the spirit with colorful holiday decorations in the style of Donald Duck and each of his pals, and at night, you are invited to gather ‘round Truck-O-Saurus for the Holiday Hoopla Dance Party with Chip ‘n Dale and plenty of interactive fun and games. In Asia, the residents of Anandapur have decorated the theatre district in celebration of Diwali, the holiday festival of lights in India. Glowing flowers, lanterns and more illuminate the square between Anandapur Theater and the waterfront stage, home to authentic cultural performances. The village of Harambe in Africa welcomes visitors with a unique holiday presentation, blending the inspiration and style of western traditions with the colors and textiles of authentic African celebrations. The various groups appearing throughout Harambe introduce holiday-inspired enhancements, including costume additions and new music, to their performances. The holiday fun continues inside Tusker House for dining with Disney friends, where Mickey and his pals spread holiday cheer throughout the meal. The holiday spirit even reaches Pandora The World of Avatar, where the ex-pats living and working on the moon of Pandora bring a little Christmastime fun to their alien home, with a display at Pongu Pongu of kitschy holiday décor, combining vintage pieces from Earth with items handcrafted from materials indigenous to Pandora. It’s going to be an extra magical holiday season at Disney's Animal Kingdom and across all the Walt Disney World Resort, filled with wonder and delight in all four parks! Make plans to join in on the fun starting Nov. 8, 2019. To book your next Walt Disney World vacation contact a Starstuff Travel Planner at Info@StarstuffTravel.com today! Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Have you ever just wanted to order that special MagicBand when you log into your My Disney Experience account just to find the basic colors, or maybe, you travel to Walt Disney World so much you have collected every single color band twice over! Well we are so excited to tell you that very soon, Disney Resort hotel guests and new and renewing Annual Passholders will have the option to upgrade, at a discounted price, from a complimentary solid color MagicBand to one of more than 30 new MagicBand options featuring your favorite Disney characters and designs. These new MagicBand options will be available for pre-arrival purchase at a special price of $14.99 off retail cost through the My Disney Experience website. That is a true savings over the cost of some of the ones on online over at shopDisney or in person at the parks! You can still order those complimentary MagicBands if you are a guest who chooses not to upgrade to one of the new options, and these new design options can also be shipped to guests’ homes (U.S. addresses only) if ordered 11 or more days ahead of arrival and can be personalized if done so at least 6 or more days ahead of arrival. Check out the video below to get a sneak peek! To book your next Walt Disney World vacation so you can take advantage of these neat beauties contact a Starstuff Travel Planner at Info@StarstuffTravel.com Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram |
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