A Non-Park Day at Disney World: Downtown Disney and the Boardwalk
Have a day off from the parks planned for your Disney World vacation? (Hint: If not, you should consider it!) Find out why here, plus two great options for your day off!
Luxury Disney: A Princess Tea Party Dream Come True
photo by Jeri Gloege via Flickr
When it’s nothing but the best for your little girl while on your Disney World vacation, then the Perfectly Princess Tea Party at the Grand Floridian Resort is a must. Held in the Garden View Tea Room, this posh event invites girls ages 4 – 12 to dress up as their favorite princess and enjoy tea time treats like mini sandwiches, fruit and princess cake. The tea party is hosted by Rose Petal, a helper of the famous Princess Aurora. Princess Aurora may make a special appearance here as well!
Special Gifts
Her royal tea party awaits at 10:30am, and each princess will receive special gifts including:
- A special 18-inch My Disney Girl doll dressed in a Princess Aurora gown plus accessories
- A ribbon tiara
- Silver Princess link bracelet
- Fresh rose
- Special princess scrapbook page
- “Best Friend” certificate for their new My Disney Girl doll
Adult Disney Princess Tea Menu
Your adult tea menu includes grapes, egg salad sandwich, chicken-almond salad sandwich, salmon salad sandwich, shrimp tart, blue cheese barquette, smoked cheddar cheese, sage derby cheese and lavosh. Children are served peanut butter and jelly hearts and grapes. Both of you will also be served Princess Cake and tea for two.
An adult must attend with the child. Reservations must be made and can be made up to 180 days in advance. The event price for one adult and child is $250.
Imagine the delight your daughter will have dressing as a princess, enjoying the most magical tea party she has ever had, surrounded by the Victorian beauty of the Grand Floridian and with all sorts of Disney princess magical touches! It’s an experience she won’t soon forget, and I’m willing to bet that watching her joyfully sipping tea from her fancy little cup will be something you’ll cherish forever as well.
I’d be delighted to arrange this on your behalf as part of your custom Disney itinerary and as part of my concierge services. For more information, please email [email protected]
Disney Character Signature and Autograph Ideas
Looking for character autograph ideas for your next Disney vacation? If you’re looking for something beyond the typical autograph book that you can purchase from Disney stores or in the parks, this blog post is for you.
Collecting autographs as you go through the Disney parks can be a lot of fun. Having something to sign that can be turned into an inexpensive souvenir makes it even better! One way to do this is to create your own autograph book, with custom pages and a cover tailored to your children. There are many autograph page designs out there if you search Google. For example, a large collection can be found here: https://disneyautographpages.shutterfly.com/pictures.
Getting Started
To use these, open a program like Publisher, choose a 4×6 page size, and insert the images you have saved. You can create a cover page with clipart or other pages you find around the web, or if you are talented with graphics, you could design your own. Add the child’s name and the date of the trip as a reminder of the trip for the future. Next, print out your pages on card stock. Then, head to a printing place, like Fed Ex or Staples, and cut the pages to size with their paper cutter. Ask to have the pages spiral bound, and for the first and last pages to be laminated. Tada! Your very own custom autograph book for your Disney trip! Here’s an example of one that I made for my kids a few years ago:
DIY Option
If that sounds like too much work for you, I’ve got another, easier, DIY option. Head to your local craft store and pick up a photo mat. You’ll want one that has a fairly wide border, and you’ll want to consider the size of it since you’ll be carrying it around the parks. If you want something that you can easily slide inside a backpack, an 8×10 photo mat, with a place for a 4×6 photo insert, works great. It’s big enough to fit a decent amount of character signatures while still fitting easily into a backpack or shoulder bag. However, if you want a LOT of character autographs, say in Disney World where it’s so much easier to find a wide variety compared to Disneyland, you may want to consider taking something bigger. Now, while shopping, be sure to grab a good assortment of colors of sharpie pens. You’ll have the characters sign the photo mat as you go, and when you return home, you can select your favorite picture to insert the middle. This makes an adorable keepsake for your child’s room! I brought one for each child to Disneyland on our last trip, allowing for them to each pick their favorite photo when they got home.
I’m always happy to help my clients map out their favorite characters in the parks, as well. So if character meet and greets are important to you, plan to have a fun way to collect their autographs and I’ll help you put a good plan together!
Disneyland Sidetrips – Disneyland to Huntington Beach
One of the great things about a Disneyland trip is that there is often time for a few side trips. Huntington Beach is a great day trip, or even a good place to stay a few extra days after Disneyland.
How Far is Huntington from Disneyland
Getting there takes roughly 30 minutes depending on traffic. If you’re staying at Disneyland without a car (not a bad idea in general since it’s so easy to stay close to the parks), you can easily pick up a rental car in Downtown Disney for the day.
Arriving at Huntington Beach from Disneyland
When you arrive at Huntington Beach, you’ll see an impressively wide stretch of sand bordering a true Cali surf town. Here, you can try your hand at surfing or just watch the surfers do their thing. Kids are sure to love playing in the vast amount of sand here. You can easily pick up sand toys at the nearby Walgreens if you don’t feel like packing any with you.
Then, head over to Ruby’s on the dock for some classic burgers and milkshakes with an amazing view. The restaurant is at the very end of a long dock, with expansive views of the Pacific Ocean. Their milkshake menu is pretty amazing, and reason enough to stop here.
What To Do After Lunch
After lunch, you can explore a cute downtown area, full of small surf shops, restaurants and the like. Or, head back to the beach for more fun in the sun. You can rent beach equipment, ranging from surf boards to beach umbrellas to bikes, at Zack’s Surf shop.
Then, when you’ve had your fill of beach fun and sun, you can head back to your Disneyland hotel and enjoy a dinner in Downtown Disney.
Or, for a longer stay, you might consider the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach. If you’d rather end your Disneyland trip with a few days relaxing in a beach down, this lovely resort is perfect for families. Just across the street from the beach, with a pedestrian bridge over the highway for easy access, and with gorgeous landscaping and tropical pool area, this resort will give you a luxurious, pampered end to your Disneyland vacation.
photo by John-Morgan via Flickr
phot by Sylvain Leprovost via Flickr
photo by Angry Julie via Flickr
