Rediscovering my love of Star Wars

Tags

Disney, han solo, luke skywalker, princess leia, star wars, Walt Disney World

It’s been almost 10 years since I watched a Star Wars movie.  The last time I watched a film it was when I purchase Revenge of The Sith on DVD in 2005 and that film I only watched once.

I have been a lifelong Star Wars fan but to be honest after the prequel trilogy ended I felt I was too overloaded with It. I did watch the Clone Wars cartoon and now Rebels but it has a different feel than to the movies. To me I always connected with Luke, Leai, Han and Chewie. Heck I played with their action figures when I was 5. But then again this was my generations film.

So last night after I watched The Hobbit the battle of the 5 armies I felt something I haven’t felt since: well you get the point.

So I decided to throw in Star Wars. That’s A New Hope for all you newer Star Wars fans. As I started to watch the film and for the first 15 minutes or so I was distracted and I was fiddling with my phone. But then something magical happened. I was engrossed in the Star Wars Universe without touching my phone again for the remainder of the film. In this day in age with all the distractions for a brief hour or so I felt like that 8 year old kid watching Star Wars and playing with his action figures. To be honest when The Millennium Falcon got sucked into the tractor beam i actually paused the movie to get some of my action figures which haven’t seen the light of day in 12 years.  

After I finished the film I remember why I loved the movies so much. As a kid Star Wars was something fresh and new to a young kid. The universe that they lived in was dirty, full of characters you wanted to know more about. And a universe you want to explore with a lightsaber you actually want to hold and play with. Star Wars let your imagination fly to places it has never been before.

I am really looking forward to the new set of films that are coming. The one thing I am truly looking forward to is my 4 year old son seeing this universe for the first time. What will his reaction be with Darth Vader’s revelation and then Princess Leia? Will he fall in love with this universe that George Lucas created? Only time will tell. But I am looking forward to exploring that universe once again with my son. For a time I can relive my memories with Star Wars through him.

May The Force Be With You, Always!

Tony’s Town Square Restaurant – Magic Kingdom

Tags

Dining, Dining Plan, Disney, disney dining plan, food

Tony’s Town Square Restaurant is in a wonderful location with a great view of Main Street. It is adjacent to the Town Square Theater that features meet and greets with Talking Mickey Mouse and Tinkerbell. The interior is beautiful with touches and details from Lady and the Tramp. The fountain in the middle is great selfie spot!

We went for dinner with just adults. There were six of us and we were able to get same day ADR’s. Always check the MDE app because you never know when someone will cancel.

We started with the Calamari. We got two orders and needed them both! Did you know that calamari is the national appetizer of Rhode Island? It was perfectly seasoned and cooked well but not overcooked as can happen with calamari.

We had the Chicken Parmigiana, the Shrimp Scampi and the Cannelloni. All the dishes were prepared well but some of the portions were rather small and not unlike you could get at any Mom & Pop Italian restaurant. They lacked a wow factor. They were fine but we all expected much more.

Deserts were fantastic. We had the Tiramisu, Chocolate Cake and Pistachio Crème Brulee. They were all well worth the wait! They were all truly works of art! The presentation and flavor were perfect.

The service and atmosphere were great. The entrees needed some help but all in all I would give it a 3.5 out of 5. Glad we went but don’t necessarily have to go again.

PD – positivelydisneyliving.com

Hot Topic: Your New Favorite Stop for Disney Merch

Hot Topic is a store that I think many Disney fans overlook. There you can find more than just t-shirts; dresses, tanks, bags, jewelry and Funko figures are also available. While DisneyStore.com tends to focus on clothing for the Disney “Fab Four” and the latest Disney or Pixar film, Hot Topic offers a lot of merch from classic Pixar, the Lion King-era films and current ABC and Marvel content. They also offer a lot of items for ladies. The dresses fit beautifully, many tees are offered in a slimmer Ladies fit and tanks are a great alternative to regular tees.

Here are a few of my favorites….

I love their Peter Pan merch right now. This aqua tank is a beautiful color and the quote is a subtle reference to the film. The cosmetics/accessories case below has such a cool vintage map graphic. Meanwhile, the sugar-skull look of this Peter Pan handbag is much more trendy. I’ve seen sugar skull stuff everywhere lately so it’s neat to see Disney offering merch with this look. I also noticed a couple of sugar skull Star Wars shirts while in store.

Online, Hot Topic offers a creative collection of Once Upon a Time (“OUAT”) tees. I like that they aren’t overtly OUAT themed. Fans can easily point them out so it makes it fun to run into other fans that want to discuss the show! I sported this Captain Hook shirt for Pirate Night of our last Disney Cruise on the Fantasy and it started a passionate OUAT discussion at our dinner table!

When I spotted the Dark Swan poster at San Diego Comic Con on Twitter, I was hoping this would be offered as a shirt. Luckily, Hot Topic had it available exclusively online soon after the OUAT panel here.

Hot Topic continues to have a strong showing of Pixar merch in stores and online. I like these Monsters Inc. tees because of their simplicity: Sulley Navy tee and We Scare tee. The colors and graphics remind me of the concept art from the film and really stand out against the dark tee.

I found these colorful tees in stores. The Bing Bong tee is super soft. I was also really excited to see Wall-E and Brave merch out there! Both of these come in a slimmer Ladies fit.

  

Don’t over look their scarves and dresses. I wore this Lilo & Stitch Hawaiian scarf and 50s-style Mickey dress on our last cruise and got tons of complements. Again, not in-your-face Disney but small hints that other Disney fans will appreciate.

So don’t let the loud music turn you away – head into Hot Topic next time you are at the Mall to see some of their creative Disney merch. Or better yet, check out HotTopic.com to see their nearly 1,000 Disney items. Have fun and happy shopping!

You can find more from me at MerchMouse.wordpress.com

1900 Park Fare – Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

Tags

Dining, Disney, disney dining plan, food, Grand Floridian

1900 Park Fare is a buffet restaurant located inside the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. You will want to give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the scenery before your meal. The sheer opulence of the GF takes a while to soak in. Walk around the grounds and check out the Alice in Wonderland themed children’s play area.

The restaurant is open from 8am to 9pm and WDW park passes are not required. You can get to the GF via car, boat, bus or monorail depending on where you are coming from. I have enjoyed meals at just about every time here and have not been disappointed. Not on the same day! The characters that you will meet do change from time to time. I have seen Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, the stepsisters, Alice and Mary Poppins.

The children’s section of the buffet is lower and has Mickey head shaped plates. There’s no judging adults who use those plates, just in case you were thinking about it. The selections are what you would expect – breakfast has mini Mickey waffles, potato puffs, cheesy scrambled eggs etc. For dinner there are the staples of chicken nuggets, pizza and macaroni and cheese. Children do not have to stay in that section and can choose from the entire buffet.

Wilderness Lodge my Favorite Resort.

I have been asked many times what my favorite Disney resort is or why is it the Wilderness Lodge. The simple answer to this for me is well this is the first Deluxe resort my wife and I stayed at.

Back in 2002 my then finance and I took our first vacation together. It was such a magical trip. It was the first time we actually had time to ourselves as we had just recently gotten engaged.

So while staying at the Wilderness Lodge we fell in love with the beauty and rustic feel of the resort. When you first enter the lobby the first thing you notice is how immense this feels. You notice four large tepee chandeliers floating above your head and 2 extremely large totem poles guarding the entrance. Take a walk to the left hand side and you will see an 82 foot tall fireplace that is an re-creation of the layers of the Grand Canyon.

As you walk deeper into the lobby you will notice a bubbling hot spring that starts inside and flows outside along the grounds and feeds into the swimming pool. From there the water then flows further out into the grounds into some beautifully kept landscaping. Next to this landscaping you will find the Fire Rock Geyser that shoots water up to 120 feet into the air. This erupts on the hour from 7am to 10pm daily.

After you finish watching the Geyser erupt you can take a walk along the boardwalk that takes you to the boat launch to the Magic Kingdom or the Contemporary and Fort Wilderness Resort. This is a great spot to just take in the quiet and beauty of Bay Lake. This is one of the best selling points for us. With 2 young kids in tow we can easily wheel the stroller onto the boat to and from the Wilderness Lodge without having them wake up.

Staying at the Wilderness Lodge I personally don’t even feel like I am staying at a resort in Florida, except for the 90 degree heat and 100% humidity. But that is what the pool is for to cool you off and to grab a drink by the Trout Pass Pool Bar. What more could you want?

Besides walking the grounds there are 2 restaurants you may choose to eat at. Artist Point is a signature restaurant and then you have the Whispering Canyon which is more family friendly with some hootin and hollerin thrown in. Or you can stop at the Territory Lounge for some drinks and appetizers to pass the time.

My favorite thing to see in the lodge is actually located in front of the Mercantile which is the gift shop at the lodge. At the entrance you have a beautiful totem pole with Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Humphrey the bear who is the mascot for the Wilderness Lodge Resort.

The Wilderness Lodge truly feels like a home away from home for us. From the air blasting us when we walk into the lobby or the smells emanating from Whispering Canyon. That’s why when we hear “Welcome Home” we literally take that to heart.

To get a better view of the mornings at the Wilderness Lodge please check out my Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0P0yx8QfAA

50’s Prime Time Cafe

50’s Prime Time Café in Hollywood Studios is a blast from the past! Think of all the comfort foods that you would have at Grandma’s house. Not only is the food familiar but so is the decor! From the formica tabletops and patterned wallpaper to the milkshakes and green beans, 50’s will give you that sense of deja vu all while you watch the reruns of classic television shows.

They have different varieties of milkshakes that are rich and made with real ice cream. I have tried the Peanut Butter and Jelly, Strawberry and Peeps Milk Shakes. Each one was beyond my expectation and the Peeps tasted just like the beloved Easter treat!

Aunt Liz’s Golden Fried Chicken is crunchy and moist and perfectly paired with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Gravy and seasonal veggies. I got lucky and got carrots. I’m not a green bean fan. Cousin Ryan’s Vegetable Lasagna is filled with creamy and cheesy yumminess. Mom’s Old-Fashioned Pot Roast is a meal worthy of Sunday dinner. The portion is very generous and you will not leave hungry!

If by some chance you have room for desert, the Traditional Warm Apple Crisp A la Mode can’t be better! The Pineapple Upside Down Cake is not too large but also a great ending.

I’ve eaten at 50’s many times and have never had less than a great meal. I find that the more engaged you are with your server or “cousin” the more fun you’ll have. I could sit in there forever finding cookie jars and knick knacks that were at Aunt Shirley and Aunt Millie’s houses!

Enjoy!