Places to Stay

Walt Disney World’s Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Preview

28 April 2014 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s off to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train we go! The long-anticipated final jewel (pun intended) in the New Fantasyland crown is about to be complete. Local, national and international media and travel professionals will be descending on the Walt Disney World Resort in just a few days, to learn all they can about this new family roller coaster, as well as other news and updates from around the resort. Some of the other topics we may hear about include the latest updates to the My Magic+ system and Magic Bands plus what’s coming up this summer at WDW.

I’ve made a choice not to share too much of the attraction as it has been revealed. I know I will be wowed when I ride for the first time, and want you all to have that same experience first hand. With all of the whirlwind of activities coming up starting this Wednesday night, I thought it would be a good idea to have a landing page where you can find all of the updates from the events, and where to follow along with me. Feel free to add me at the following outlets if you don’t already:

Twitter: @zannaland – here is where my main updating will happen. It’s easiest for me to tweet news and tidbits, retweet other folks who are at the event or official accounts, and it’s also where all of my instagrams will be shared.

Instagram: @zannaland – this is the easiest (and most fun) way for me to share photos and short videos with you all. All instagrams will be shared to twitter and my facebook page as well.

facebook: zannaland – as above, all of my instagrams will be shared here, as well as future blog posts and videos from the events.

YouTube: zannaland – Any videos from the opening will be posted here

Check back here for updates, photos and more – and feel free to share, RT, like, or otherwise share the love that you see here! ♥

See you in the Mine!

Resort Review: Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress

15 April 2014 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Exterior Pond Front at Hyatt Regency GrandCypress MEDIUM

There have been so many changes in the Orlando area in the past few decades, many hotels and resorts have come and gone. Some in the Walt Disney World Resort area have completely changed, upgrading their 80’s roots to more modern styles and accommodations. Amid all of the resort choices, one stands out as an established, luxury choice for those wanting all of what central Florida offers. That resort, is the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress.

Celebrating 30 years of exceptional service, Orlando’s original luxury resort, Hyatt Regency GrandCypress, offers guests 1,500 acres of timeless fun just minutes from Central Florida’s most popular attractions. The Grand Cypress has really managed to combine the “old Florida” feel with state-of-the-art guest rooms and amenities.

I was recently given a chance to experience the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress and after driving by it for the past 30 years, was pleasantly surprised with all they had to offer. I fell in love with the look and feel of the resort, the wonderful, luxurious rooms and the amenities that really made me say, “theme parks? what theme parks?” It is amazing how a place a mile away from Walt Disney World Resort can feel so private and secluded and away from the hustle and bustle of tourist life. I really didn’t want to leave.

Grand Cypress offers families luxury amenities surrounded by a tropical oasis that features the resort’s signature lagoon pool. Inspired by contemporary design, the lagoon pool offers a tranquil escape coupled with vibrant activities for children of all ages. The 800,000 gallon, half acre, free-flowing pool boasts 12 waterfalls, heated and non-heated zones, two whirlpools, a rope bridge, walking paths, and expansive, wrap-around sundecks. The secluded grotto areas with padded, ridiculously comfy lounge chairs were in a word: heaven. You could lay back and watch the world go by, or jump in and enjoy the fun in the sun.

Lagoon Pool Deck at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress 2013 SMALL

Guests can also enjoy the new Water Slide Tower Pavilion, new Water Jet Splash Zone, and new children’s Rock Climbing Stations complement the resort’s numerous recreation activities including the family favorite S’mores pit, beach volleyball, tether ball, hammocks, watersports and marked jogging, walking, and biking trails. Additionally, Grand Cypress guests have easy access to 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus Signature Design golf and the award-winning Tennis and Racquet Club. I was really blown away with how many recreation activities the resort offers, all included in your resort fee. Did you see the S’mores pit part?? The trails were great too, I love being reminded that there is more to Florida than just attractions.

Family at Firepit at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress 2014 SMALL

From the lobby atrium and check-in with champagne, to the beautiful rooms, with stunning views, the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress truly has it all. I loved having access to the Regency Club too – it was the perfect place to grab a quick breakfast or snack throughout the day, and the seating and views were wonderful – a great spot for seeing Disney fireworks too!

We enjoyed dinner at Cascade American Bistro, whose motto is: “Thoughtfully Sourced…Carefully Served” This translates to all the food which is offered in the restaurant is locally sourced and always fresh. I loved the table-side herb garden that they brought over, and the main courses and desserts were a delight. Worth visiting even if you aren’t staying as a guest.

Visit Hyatt Regency GrandCypress for their always great offers and Florida Resident Rates.

If all of the above still hasn’t convinced you, give the video below a look, you’ll be making reservations in no time!

Muppetational New Scavenger Hunt at Epcot for Muppets Most Wanted

9 April 2014 by Suzannah Otis 8 Comments

Over the weekend, I saw a friend on instagram post a photo of a new Muppets Most Wanted-themed scavenger hunt taking place around Epcot’s World Showcase. I grabbed the family and headed over to check it out, because if there’s one thing I love, it’s scavenger hunts, and the Muppets. Oh wait, that’s two things. Actually, there are hundreds of Muppets…so…if there are hundreds of things I love, they’re scavenger hunts and the Muppets! Anyway, I was excited to experience it in person.

We entered through the International Gateway to World Showcase, so I asked at the Agent P. kiosk where to find this Muppet adventure. We were told to head over almost to Mexico, so we did, with some pauses along the way for bunny-checks in Canada’s Victoria Gardens area (we couldn’t find any, so decided they were all inside the tiny cottage) , drooling over the Cronut counter (we were stuffed from Sanaa), and saying hello to Duffy. It’s quite easy to get happily distracted in World Showcase, especially with a 5 year-old in tow. Then we came upon a sign proclaiming it was the MBI – Muppet Bureau of Investigation, and we knew we were in the right place.

Muppet Bureau of Investigation — The sign-up area is located right next to the hydroponics booth for the Flower and Garden Festival, before the bridge to Mexico.

I decided to take photos to chronicle our entire Muppet mission – If you don’t want to read below, let me sum this attraction up for you in a few bullet points:

Easy to sign up for and get started (no waiting for a return time)
Two options for missions so you can choose a side of the World Showcase to cover (same end result)
Only takes about 20 minutes per side (3 country visits per side both ending in America)
Keeps the attention-span of small ones (pre-school through elementary would be perfect)
Perfect amount of interaction with a sense of accomplishment at the end
Muppets!

If you want to be surprised by the clues and the results of our quests, you may want to end your reading now…you’ve been warned! And now, There be spoilers (and evil frogs) ahead!

Okay, now the fun stuff. I LOVED this experience. Unlike the Agent P. adventures, there was not TOO much to do – it is the perfect amount of walking, activity and attention-span capturing for little ones and above. For older kids, sure, they may think it’s kind of easy, but it definitely looks like this temporary quest was some sort of testing to see how it goes. I think it is a great success and hope for more in the future. It is definitely less intrusive as far as beeping, talking cell phones in Agent P’s adventure go. It’s also fun that you have to interact with cast members for this adventure (not sure they appreciate that part, but it’s fun to have to go out of your way to speak to international cast members that you may not have interacted with otherwise).

We started in Germany. You know up front when signing up that your choices are Germany, Italy and America, or the United Kingdom, France, and America. I love that you have the option and that it’s short enough that your whole day isn’t taken over by this adventure.

You look at your MBI booklet and it tells you to look for the world’s oldest and most expensive cuckoo clock. So we headed into the cuckoo clock store and looked around. Soon we discovered the subtle but fun clue. It definitely doesn’t overpower the store taking away from the regular experience of the German pavilion. Once we saw it was a note from Constantine, we opted to read it in his accent (which we have taken to doing around the house anyway, much to the dismay of my 13 year-old daughter). I’m sure the German cast member standing next to me appreciated my excellent Constantine impression.

Muppet Epcot Mission — Go ahead, read it in Constantine’s accent…you know you wanna

We got our sticker and it told us to head to Italy and that we were getting there by train 301. This was important. Our Italy page told us to look for a Gonzo mask in Il Bel Cristalo store. Again, this was subtly done and did not take away from the rest of the store. Italy also had some fun Muppet details. I’m now wondering if we missed any in Germany! There is also now a train schedule posted right next to the Muppet Topiary display between Germany and Italy, showing another reminder of train 301, which you’ll need in Italy.

Now our next clue took us to the American pavilion and the end of our mission, so I’m going to show the other two countries of the U.K. and France before ending in America. (We actually worked backwards from France just to see if we could figure out the clues and get the stickers out of order. Thanks to a helpful cast member in France, we were able to do just that.) But I’ll put the details in the proper order below.

So we went back to France (not really we started there, shhh) to the perfume shop. I spotted the diamond, cleverly shaped like an actual carrot, a very Muppet-like joke. We are then prompted to enter our code again, this time asking how many carats the diamond is.

The cast member in France then told us we had to go to a very scary place – America! We didn’t head back since we already experienced the conclusion of the mission. But here’s how it ends:

The booklet has visual clues like Lady Liberty and hot dogs (Liberty Inn!) but the map shows the check-in point is actually to the right of the American Adventure entrance. There is a kiosk there, where you receive a final sticker, a certificate of completion, making you an official MBI agent, and you are allowed to go behind some landscaping to see…

And that’s that! We had a wonderful time, and even though there weren’t actual Muppets at every turn, it was, I think, perfectly themed and really well done. It will be interesting to see if Gio asks to do the missions again or if it’s a ‘one and done’ kind of experience for him. The MBI Muppet scavenger hunt adventure will be active during the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, through May 18. I’ll update as I get more information. I kept some of the visuals a surprise so you can experience the stickers, the booklet itself, and other details yourself.

I’d love to hear if you’ve experienced this yourself and what you thought. What was your favorite part?

Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel Will Light It Up Blue Tonight

2 April 2014 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

April is Autism Awareness Month and April 2 is World Autism Day. The Light It Up Blue program was started as a unique global campaign which helps raise awareness about the disorder. In honor of this historic day, thousands of iconic landmarks, buildings, hotels, bridges and retail stores are among the hundreds of thousands of homes and communities around the globe that illuminate blue to spread autism awareness.

Tonight, April 2, 2014, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel will be joining other iconic buildings around the world — including the Empire State Building in New York City and the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia – and lighting up blue.

In addition, one of the hotel’s signature restaurants, Todd English’s bluezoo has created a specialty blue cocktail, named blue sparkler, in honor of Autism Awareness Month. Through April 30^th proceeds from sales of the drink will be donated to the Princeton House Charter School, an Orlando area school for children with autism.

The blue sparkler is a mixture of pavan liqueur, Florida 4 orange vodka, sparkling wine with orange and vanilla syrup. Todd English’s bluezoo is located in the lobby of the Dolphin and can be reached at 407-934-1111 or www.thebluezoo.com. For more information on Princeton House Charter School visit www.princeton-house.org.

…

In other Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin news, guests at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel will experience Easter magic during PEEPtastic Easter April 16 to 23, a celebration sweetened by thousands of free PEEPS® brand marshmallow samples, PEEPS®-inspired menu items, PEEPS® décor and Easter-themed activities for families to enjoy. This sounds SO fun, and I think I need to head over and check this out in person. Giant Peeps? Glow-in-the-Dark Easter egg hunt? Peeps milkshake? Sounds so fun!

During the week, guests will be treated to complimentary PEEPS® marshmallow chicks upon check-in, during special appearances by the Easter Bunny and at other surprise moments. For some sweet eats, PEEPS®-inspired menu items will be featured at several of the hotel’s restaurants. Menu items will include s’mores made using PEEPS®, a PEEPS® inspired milkshake and chocolate-dipped PEEPS®.

The Epcot Resort Area hotel’s annual glow-in-the-dark Easter egg hunt – a favorite for kids – headlines a full schedule of Easter-themed activities at the hotel, including traditional Easter egg hunts, Easter egg races, a bunny hop relay, arts and crafts, and meet-and-greets with the Easter Bunny. (Activities are all complimentary for guests, except for a small fee for various crafts. Please check the event website for pricing.)

For an added magical Easter morning experience, guests can order an Easter Basket, featuring a variety of candy, a solid milk chocolate bunny and a plush toy, delivered by the Easter Bunny himself to their guestroom. (Additional costs apply.)

Larger-than-life PEEPS® will be found across property, as the iconic chick-shaped marshmallow will serve as inspiration for several approximately 3-foot, 50-pound white chocolate sculptures.

Other special features during the week will include a special Easter dinner buffet at Garden Grove restaurant, featuring Disney character appearances on Sunday, April 20, at 5 p.m., a campfire, glow-in-the-dark volleyball, family game night and a poolside showing of the movie HOP.

For more details about PEEPtastic Easter at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel, including a full schedule of activities, visitwww.swandolphin.com/easter. To make room reservations, call 1-800-227-1500 and mention “PEEPS.” Overnight rates start at $189 per night.

Mickey Edition Nintendo 3DS and Magic of Disney Game Out April 11

1 April 2014 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

Disney Interactive and Nintendo will be launching Disney Magical World for the Nintendo 3DS on April 11 – basically Animal Crossing for Disney fans but here’s the official description:

In Disney Magical World, players pick from a selection of characters and can customize with Disney-themed outfits and accessories. The personalized character explores the world by managing a café, planting crops, and collecting Disney character cards in a new magical world. Favorite Disney characters also join in the fun to find missing items and solve problems.

To coincide and celebrate this release, Disney is also releasing a special “Mickey Edition” Nintendo 3DS XL, and it sure is pretty! Covered with golden Mickey heads, it will be released exclusively at WalMart, on the 11th. Look:

Disney 3DS — G Hannelius, currently starring in the Disney Channel sitcom Dog With A Blog , films a promo for the new Disney Magical World game with actor Cole Pendery. Photo courtesy Nintendo USA

Will any of you Disney Gamers be picking this up? Early Easter Bunny gift, perhaps?

SeaWorld’s Just for Kids and 50th Anniversay Sea of Surprises

31 March 2014 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

SeaWorld has always been a local favorite for my family, and with the recent 50th Anniversary Celebration and Just for Kids events, they make it more fun than ever to enjoy. This kid-centric festival brings families together to enjoy fun rides, adorable animals and an all-new party zone. “Just for Kids” is included with park admission and takes place Saturdays from March 22 – April 12.

During “Just for Kids”, SeaWorld’s year-long 50^thCelebration will be in full swing. Park pathways will come to life with oceans of spontaneous entertainment. Guests will enjoy a Sea of Surprises featuring new interactive experiences and shows, even more up-close animal encounters and the SeaWorld “Surprise Squad” treating park guests with prizes and special experiences every day.

Here are some photos of our recent visits to celebrate the 50th Anniversary and during the Just For Kids event:

[flickr_set id=”72157643570291023″] Photos in this set are ©Christian DiMarzio

Just For Kids Festival Highlights:

ALL-NEW! Rockin’ Rockhopper Party

Starting at 11 a.m., families can experience warm-hearted whimsical fun and make lasting memories as they dance along to family-friendly DJ’s at the Rockin’ Rock Hopper Party in Antarctica – Empire of The Penguin®, play games, such as Rock Hopper Ring Toss and Penguin Plunge, enjoy live penguin appearances, snow moments, snacks, face painting, caricatures and meet the one and only Puck, star of Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin.

ALL-NEW! SEA Garden

Share the wonder of close-up encounters with amazing animal friends and learn how we care for our natural world at our all-new SEA Garden.

Shamu Dance Party

Dance the night away with Shamu & crew at the Shamu Dance Party at the Village Square located at the front of the park. The party begins one hour prior to park closing with a stilt walker emcee who fills the square with music that the whole family can dance to, including popular line dancing songs and party favorites. The Shamu Dance Party continues until 30 minutes after park closing.

Ocean Adventures Kids Program

Kids can go on an educational, card collecting program, also included with admission, starting at 11 a.m. Children will look for the Sea Star icons inside the park, where they’ll discover fun, educational activities. At each location they will collect a stamp and a limited edition Explorer’s card. Once they visit all four locations, they’ll receive a coupon to redeem at select gift shops for a special SeaWorld prize. Limit one prize per participating child.

The best way to experience all of the fun, music and treats at “Just for Kids” and SeaWorld’s 50^th Celebration is with an Annual Pass, starting at just $13 per month for Florida Residents. Pass Members can enjoy all four Saturdays of “Just forKids” fun and all of the amazing special events throughout the year, plus the unforgettable animal encounters, world-class thrill rides and family fun found only at SeaWorld.

Follow SeaWorld on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest details about SeaWorld Orlando’s “Just for Kids” Festival. Join the conversation by using the hashtag #JustForKids.

Medieval Times Social Media Exclusive Offer-All Seats $28!

28 March 2014 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Medieval Times is celebrating March Madness by offering a ticket sale of $28 for all seats! (This offer expires 3/31/2014 and is not valid at the New Jersey or Dallas castle.) I was able to enjoy Medieval Times here in Orlando when they premiered a new show a couple of years ago, I think it’s time I go back! We had a wonderful time and the food was great too. It’s hard not to enjoy the action and be a part of the show, cheering for your knight. You can check out the photos from that visit on my Zannaland Facebook page album page (and feel free to “LIKE” my Facebook page while you’re there!).

This offer expires in just a few days on 3/31 so use code 28MM right now and get ready to joust!

Find more info at MedievalTimes.com and book your visit today online or by calling 1-888-WE-JOUST.

You can also find Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament on Facebook and Twitter.

Newest Disney Vera Bradley Print Mickey’s Perfect Petals to Debut May 4

28 March 2014 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

As with all other Disney partnerships with handbag designers, the Disney Collection by Vera Bradley is another successful venture. I’ve reported on the original debut of the Disney Vera bags, and also shared photos on social media of the additional designs released (stay tuned for an upcoming post on the Disney Vera Bradley bags available on Disney Cruise Line!). Now, according to Steven Miller at the Disney Parks Blog:

Mickey's Perfect Petals — Mickey’s Perfect Petals. Photo ©Disney

…a new event titled, “A Perfect Petals Brunch featuring the Disney Collection by Vera Bradley,” is coming to World ShowPlace at Epcot on Sunday, May 4. This ticketed event will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and will feature the release of a brand new color called “Mickey’s Perfect Petals.” In addition to a scrumptious brunch and a special gift, event guests will have the first opportunity to purchase seven new items. The event store will also carry some previously released colors from 2013, including “Midnight with Mickey” and “Where’s Mickey.”

The best part of this brunch, however, will be a special appearance by Barbara Bradley Baekgaard, co-founder of Vera Bradley. Barbara has wonderful stories to share, especially about her mother who played an important role in her life and in the founding of Vera Bradley (it’s fitting that this event will take place the weekend before Mother’s Day!).

If any quantities are remaining following this event, the new “Mickey’s Perfect Petals” items will be released when Cherry Tree Lane opens in the Marketplace Co-Op at Downtown Disney Marketplace (stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for that opening date). There are no immediate plans to carry this color at Disneyland Resort or on our Disney Parks online store.

Tickets for this event are $125. Admission to Epcot is also required to attend. To register, please visit DisneyParksMerchandise.com beginning at 1:00 p.m. EDT on March 20, 2014. If you are active on social networks, I invite you to join the conversation by using the hashtag – #DisneyVera.

Where's Mickey — The previously released “Where’s Mickey” pattern. Photo ©Disney

Will you be attending the Perfect Petals Brunch, or hoping to get a bag after at a Downtown Disney store? What do you think of the new design? I love the color palette!

LeSportsac Tink Designs Pay Homage to Marc Davis

28 March 2014 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

It’s no secret that we love bringing you the latest Disney designer purses here at Zannaland, and there are certainly no shortage of them lately! I have personally loved the Disney LeSportsac designs from the start because of both the versatility of the bag designs, as well as the tribute to original Disney art that LeSportsac offers. With such wonderful bodies of work from Mary Blair and now Marc Davis, it’s no wonder these bags are instant hits and loved by so many. LeSportsac is truly a great choice for use within the parks as well, with multiple zippered pockets, lightweight, easy-to-clean styles and a choice for every occasion. I know the “it’s a small world” styles were so popular, and I have no doubt the new Tinker Bell patterns will be as well.

LeSportsac Marc Davis Tink — The Marc Davis Tinker Bell print

LeSportsac Neverland Tink — Neverland print

This is just one style, of course you can find so many more at LeSportsac.com AND enter their giveaway for a Tink bag too! Which is your favorite design? The Marc Davis or the Neverland? (I think I’m partial to the Marc Davis personally.)

We’ll be having a giveaway here at Zannaland too, I still have a few “it’s a small world” designs to giveaway, so stay tuned!

NEW Epcot Flower Festival Disney Dooney White Daisy Pattern

28 March 2014 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

Disney and Dooney & Bourke keep surprising us! Here is another unannounced new Disney Dooney pattern spotted on instagram and ebay! Available at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival Center, the Daisy pattern is available currently in the crossbody Letter Carrier and Satchel sizes. Personally, I LOVE this color scheme, it’s some of my favorite color combos. I think this is a great, subtle Disney pattern for those that don’t want to scream MICKEY! on their handbag. These bags are made with the lighter nylon material, not the coated canvas of the other traditional Dooneys.

EDIT: Now available online at DisneyStore.com!

Here are some current photos:

Disney Dooney White Daisy — White Daisy – Letter Carrier $128, Satchel $198. Photo ©DizThruBrownEyes used with permission and thanks! 🙂

Thoughts? Will you be heading to Epcot to get this Disney Dooney?

Check DisneyStore.com for sales of select current released Disney Dooney & Bourke purses and Zannaland’s Disney Dooney & Bourke page with ALL handbag photos and info.

*DisneyStore.com links are affiliate links, which means it costs you nothing extra to click or buy, but if you do, I get a small commission. Thanks for reading!