The Enchanted Pumpkin

Good Morning! Our Magic Bands arrived! Unfortunately, these stick-on covers didn't stay on long, but we thought they were super cool looking anyways (: Yes, I am still here! I have been so busy the last few weeks that I haven't had a chance to post, but I am back this week to bring you some planning tips I discovered through my experiences in planning our upcoming Disney World vacation using My Disney Experience! (ONLY 7 DAYS - not that I'm counting or anything...)  This is the first time my family has been in about 10 years, so we're basically newbies at this point! All righty, so the last few things we did for planning included picking out our Magic Band colors (which showed up at our house two weeks ago!!!), and scheduling all of our FastPasses! We were so excited to get our Magic Band box, which included our two personalized Magic Bands, cute luggage tags, and a Magical Extras card with a bunch of coupons to get some fun things like free mini golfing games

Good Morning! Packing for vacations can be hard. Especially if you are like me and you feel like you have to pack the kitchen sink *JUST IN CASE*! Trying to pin down some of those essential items for the parks before you over-do the weight limit on your bags? Don't worry, we've got you covered! Here are 5 essential items that we always take with us to Disney! (Lots of links provided so you can see some of our favorite products!) 1. SMALL Backpack or Cross-Body Bag The trick with finding the right bag is going as small as you can and still comfortably get what you need into the park! We pack pretty light when walking around Disneyland. My purse usually contains a wallet, my phone, snacks, a couple of park maps and times guides, my waterproof digital camera, and my phone charger. I carry around either a small cross-body bag that I don't mind getting a little beat up (especially when shoving it into and pulling it out of the little mesh bags on rides), or I take one of my

Good Morning! I snagged this picture while walking past the Castle during fireworks! This week, we're talking about fireworks! It is a common struggle to really really want a good seat for the fireworks, but really really not wanting to fight the crowds or stake out a place on Main Street for two hours. (That's precious ride time!) Well don't worry, we've got you covered! There are several places you can get a good show without having to hang out on Main Street all night. Here are our favorite three! Fireworks from Tomorrowland - in line for the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage! 1. Red Rose Tavern (Village Haus) This is our favorite place to watch fireworks if we have already seen it once or twice from the front of the castle. There are no projections back here, which means that very few people watch fireworks from this area!! You can pretty much show up here 10 minutes before the fireworks start and still get a good seat. We just sit out at one of the t

Good Morning! I figured we haven't had enough dining posts just yet! ;) So this week we are going to dive into our family's top 5 favorite restaurants in the Disneyland Resort! This list doesn't include snack carts or walk-up type restaurants (or else the Turkey Leg Stand would be included!!), and all restaurants have been judged based on both theming and food! Let's start with number 5 on our list! 5. Alien Pizza Planet (Redd Rocket's Pizza Port) I really like the food at this restaurant! This is a cafeteria-style dining experience that serves pizza, pasta, and salads! I know their food isn't the best quality that you can find at Disneyland, but I still really like their (large) pepperoni pizza slices, and Count Down Chicken Fusilli, which is Fusilli pasta, grilled chicken, Parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and a Parmesean-Pesto Cream Sauce to top it off! I haven't been able to go see the Pizza Planet overlay yet, but I do hold the unpopular opini

Good Morning and Happy Wednesday! Sorry for all of the sporadic posts - one of these days I'll get my pictures ready over the weekend instead of gathering them throughout the week!  This week is all about the Character Dining Experiences at Disneyland! Which experience is the best option for your family? Which will be most worth the price? See if our recommendations for Character Dining can help you with your choice! We have tried 3 out of the 4 character dining experiences that are currently offered in the Disneyland Resort, including the breakfasts at the Plaza Inn and Storyteller's Cafe, and the dinner at Goofy's Kitchen. All Character Dining experiences in the parks are buffets, which really helps to know when deciding if it is worth the price! Our favorite? Minnie & Friend's Breakfast at the Plaza Inn! Here's why: Out of all the dining experiences, we have loved the food here the most. It's good quality, and there are a LOT of options! I lov

Good Evening! Beautiful Hidden Mickey (Picture taken by my Aunt Carla). Can you figure out where this one is hidden?? Since people seemed to like the last photo scavenger hunt we posted, I decided to make one for Disney WORLD! I plan to try this out as well during my trip in October, and I'll post some pictures when I get back! Have fun! (For a printable version, email enchantedpumpkinblog@gmail.com) See if you can track down Madame Leota's Gravestone! Watch closely, she's keeping an eye on you!   Uncle Steve got thrown in the stocks! Don't miss this fun photo op! ⍟    ⍟    ⍟    ⍟    ⍟    ⍟    ⍟    ⍟ The Enchanted Pumpkin's DISNEY WORLD  PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT  2018 Get pictures of at least 3 kinds of Mickey shaped foods! - 5 pts each Spot 3 Hidden Mickey's - 10 pts each Find Madame Leota's gravestone - 5 pts Get a picture of three different castles! - 15 pts Take a picture of three rides outside of Magic Kingdom that you ca

Good Morning!  This week since I am so late in posting, I have added a bonus Disney Dining secret at the bottom of this post!  Looking tips on the best places to stay around the Disneyland Resort? Look no further, we've got you covered!!  First things first - is it better to stay on property or off property?  Disneyland currently has three hotels on property: The Grand Californian, The Disneyland Hotel, and The Paradise Pier Hotel. The Grand Californian is built between California Adventure and Downtown Disney, providing quick access to shopping and a private entrance into the park! The Disneyland Hotel and The Paradise Pier Hotel both have Downtown Disney access, with the Disneyland Hotel being the closer of the two.  As far as on-property hotels go, I have only ever stayed at the Grand Californian, and while it was DEFINITELY an amazing experience, it was probably one of those stays that won't happen very often. The reason? Price . Staying at Disneyland's on-prop