Amanda Tinney

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Turf Club 3 Blogger Dining Review!

24 November 2010 by Suzannah Otis 4 Comments

Back in October, there was a perfect storm of Disney fans, bloggers and social media mavens swooping in to the place Where Dreams Come True, our beloved Walt Disney World. This little rendez-vous among the many came to be known as Epic October. There was a Walt Disney World Moms Panel Reunion, meet-ups, live podcasts, the first annual Disney Food Blog Foodie Fest and – when all was said and done and the proverbial dust had settled, three blogging friends sat down to enjoy a leisurely lunch at an off-the-beaten path spot where none of them had ever dined – The Turf Club at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa. These three bloggers were myself, AJ Wolfe from The Disney Food Blog and Amanda Tinney from Disney Every Day. We decided in-between the great conversation and reconnecting, that we would each take one course and write it up on our respective blogs – a trifecta of reviews if you will. I have the honor of reviewing the main course entrees, so here we go!

As a little preface, I think we all agreed that the Turf Club is a great place to escape the hustle and bustle of the Parks. We had a lovely table outside on the covered veranda area, overlooking the Sassagoula River. In addition, because it is out of the way – a little hard to get to if you aren’t a Saratoga Springs guest (but not impossible) – and it isn’t shall we say known for its fare, the seclusion is paired with absence of crowds. The result is a quiet, serene, relaxing meal, which is hard to accomplish in most resort dining locations. So for this reason alone, I would definitely head back with my husband to enjoy a quiet meal if we were unable to secure a reservation at a favorite spot.

Turf Club Patio — View from our Turf Club table

Now on to the entrees!

ZannaLand News Update!

12 November 2010 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

Today I’m currently running around organizing and packing for a weekend trip to Walt Disney World to represent the Moms Panel. I’m very excited and will share the details (Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and lots of other fun “hair-raising” items!) with you in several future posts. So in the mean time, I thought I’d do a quick update of some other things I’ve been working on.

Sunday Readin’ April 11 2010

11 April 2010 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

buzz at pizza planet — photo ©Alex Goldman

Welcome to the second Sunday in April (I almost wrote August there, oops)! It’s been another exciting week in the world of Disney blogs, and I’m about to share some of my favorite articles. But first, I’d like to invite everyone to check out the wonderful links on the Your Disney Community tab on ZannaLand. There are some great places to get your Disney fix and discover something new!

In addition, if you missed the articles on ZannaLand this week be sure to check out my interview with AJ Wolfe of Disney Food Blog fame, Disney Moms Panelist Erin Foster’s report on Disneyland Paris, and my review and giveaway for Chad Emerson’s Project Future.

And finally…my good friend Amanda Tinney has decided to turn the tables and put the Meet Your Moms Panel spotlight on me…but YOU get to ask the interview questions. Head over to DisneyEveryDay.com and ask a question, which Amanda and I will get together and share the answers to in the near future. Oh, I almost forgot – Amanda also let me share my take on the new D-Street Vinylmation shop in Downtown Disney’s West Side, so check out the pictures and news there too!

Now, onto the Disney articles that caught me eye this week:

First, whether you are on twitter or not, you must do yourself a favor and check out Scott Otis‘ twitpics of his adventures in Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. He’s sharing some amazing pictures and updates with all of us – Thanks Scott!

The official Disney Parks Blog tells us all about the new adults-only dining option on the upcoming Disney Dream cruise ship – Remy – after the famous culinarily-gifted rodent from Ratatouille.

Then head on over to the Main St. Gazette for a great interview with Ridley Pearson of Kingdom Keepers fame. While you’re there, take a look at the great collection of Official Walt Disney World Transportation Cards – how cool!

If you’re looking for even more (and constant!) Disney stories from around the world – don’t forget DisMarks.com and be sure to submit your favorite stories there to keep the updates growing strong!

Happy Sunday!

The Disney Community – The Magic is in YOU!

23 March 2010 by Suzannah Otis 17 Comments

Faithful readers may have noticed a gap in updates here in ZannaLand. Never fear – I have lots of fun stuff lined up. I’ve just been working on some behind-the-scenes (or backstage to use a Disney term) things on the site and trying to make it better organized for visitors that may be looking for specific posts or planning help. In addition (outside of running after my 3 kids), I’ve been working on another page within the site to list some other places to get your Disney fix online. Basically a blog roll, as is very common on other sites – however I really want to make this a lot more than just a listing of links. And here’s why…{you knew there had to be a story in here right?}

I know I’ve talked a bit in the past on here about the how and why of wanting to write about Disney. To go into a little more detail, it was really because of twitter and the amazing Disney community that lives there. A year ago, I was just a fan connecting with other Disney fans on twitter and discovering that there existed so many sites and blogs about Disney. When the thought occurred to me to change the focus of my blog here to one about Walt Disney World, the support was overwhelming. I never heard a “oh, don’t bother, there are 10,000+ Disney sites out there!” or “it’s already been done, what could you possibly bring to the table?” even though those were exactly the doubts I was having. Quite the contrary, I received cheers and open arms waiting to help. And trust me – I asked for help – a LOT.