Sturdy Branches Health Club at Disney's Wilderness Lodge

If you feel the need to keep up with your workout routine during your Disney stay, you are in luck. Wilderness Lodge ( and the Villas) have a health club available to guests called Sturdy Branches.

Our Guide to Disney's Swan Reserve Resort

 

Last summer while we were staying at the Walt Disney World Swan Resort, we had a perfect view of the newest resort being built, The Swan Reserve.

 At the time, I recorded some of it for Instagram and I accidentally called it the Swan Select.  I did notice my mistake, but the story was already published and saved to my highlights. Nobody called me out on the mix up with the name, so life went on! 

Our Experience at Storybook Dining at Artist Point

 

As soon as I booked our stay at Wilderness Lodge, I knew I wanted our family to experience Storybook Dining at Artist Point.  

Fall day 5k

 

Tis the season for fall running.  The same weekend I ran the Friday night 5k, I ran another 5k Sunday afternoon.

Lewisburg Lights 5K -A night time race

 My second 5K of the season was the Lewisburg Lights 5K.  

This was a bit different than the 5K I ran the previous week since it was held at 7pm.

Where to find Disney's 50th Anniversary Characters before they are gone

 

Maybe you've noticed over the last year or so that certain Disney Characters  have had a wardrobe upgrade  for the 50th Anniversary.  If you are going to be visiting any of the Disney parks ( or resorts) before the 50th anniversary ends ( March 31, 2023), than you'll want to get a photo of the characters in these fabulously shimmery outfits. 

So where can you find these characters? 

Harvest Festival 5K

 Fall racing has begun here!  I didn't have any plans this fall to do anything big, but I did end up doing several local races which I enjoyed.

Get these Disney Photo Lenses ( Perfect for Spooky Season)

 We have been loving the Disney photo lenses lately. 

The photo lenses are available to anyone who purchases Genie Plus. 

I actually forgot that these lenses were included in the Genie Plus purchase until the end of my first park day so I didn't get to take advantage of them much.  However, even after your Genie Plus day expires ( we only had Genie Plus for our Magic Kingdom day), we still got to take advantage of the Disney Photo lenses on the app for up to 45 days afterwards.  This worked out great because we visited the parks a few more times during that 45 day period. Even though we no longer had access to the Genie Plus, we could still use the photo lenses. 

About this Summer.....

 Well, I've really fallen off the wagon when it came to doing the month in review blog posts.  I may have to set a new goal of doing them quarterly, like a "season in review" post. 

So, about this summer.....

Complete Guide to Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

 

It's been a very long time since we've stayed ( or even visited) Disney's Caribbean Beach resort.  

10 Tips for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party You Will Want To Know

 

We just returned from Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party ( MNSSHP) and thought we would share these very helpful tips for anyone who is thinking of going in the future. 

What you should know about the running trail at Disney's Wilderness Lodge

 

One of the things I was looking forward to the  most on my recent trip to Wilderness Lodge was being able to run on the trails there. I heard they were some of the best trails on Disney property. I even wrote a post earlier this year about the appeal of theses trails. You can read that HERE.

Our favorite Disney snacks

Today we are sharing some of our favorite Disney treats and where to find them. 

What we did at Epcot Food & Wine Festival

 We had the opportunity to visit The Epcot Food and Wine Festival during the first week.  This was exciting for us because we rarely get to go to a Disney festival or party during the first week.

Here is how our day went and what all we got to experience.  I'll also share what we thought the "Best of the Fest" was so far.  ( I say so far, because we may end up visiting again before the festival ends).

Our Experience at Swirls on the Water at Disney Springs

Swirls on the Water is Kiosk in Disney Springs that sells frozen treats.  Many of the treats are for a limited time and some are to commemorate the 50th anniversary celebration. 

Fishing at Disney

During our most recent stay at Wilderness Lodge, we took some time to visit Fort Wilderness.  The direct boats from Wilderness Lodge to Fort Wilderness campground were not running at this time so we took a direct bus.  Fort Wilderness is a huge resort. Please see this post for transportation information on where you should get picked up and dropped off. 

Canoeing at Fort Wilderness

 During our stay at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, we decided that we were going to rent canoes at Fort Wilderness. 

4th of July 5K race

It's about time we put some Fitness back into this Fairytale Blog!  

Since 2020, our racing has been rather slim and so have our race recaps. This past week I ran my first race of the year, can you believe it?

Our Room at Boulder Ridge at Disney's Wilderness Lodge

During our recent stay at Wilderness Lodge, we were in Boulder Ridge in a Deluxe Studio. This worked just fine for our little family of four for this trip.  Boulder Ridge and Copper Creek are both the DVC ( Disney Vacation Club) sides of the resort but you don't have to be a DVC member to stay there. 

Our Guide to Disney's Wilderness Lodge

If you've been a long time reader of our blog, you may remember that it is a goal of ours to stay at every Disney World Resort. We keep getting sidetracked from this goal because we like going back to our favorite resort! 

A Birthday and new Disney merchandise

 We've complete the first week of June and Summer vacation has official started around here!  

Coral Reef at Epcot

 

One of the restaurants I've always wanted to visit at Epcot was Coral Reef.  I attribute this to seeing it on Full House back in the day. Does anyone remember that episode?

For as many times as we've visited Disney, I can't believe it has taken me this long to eat here.

Dining at Todd English's Blue Zoo at Disney's Dolphin Resort

 We had a late dinner reservation at Todd English's Blue Zoo restaurant that is located inside the Disney World Dolphin Resort.  I have to say, by the time we got there, I was starving because we had had a long day and this would be the first real meal I had.

Coffee Talk and No More Goals

Hey All, it's Lacey! I've had some things on my mind lately so I thought I would link up with the ladies for "Coffee Talk" and chat about it there! 

So if we were having coffee, I'd say let's talk about goals, but not in the way you would expect.

Swan Boats at Disney World

 

Some of the most fun we've had on a non park day was when we went out in the Swan boats.  The Swan boats are located behind the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resorts on their private lake.

Experience Dinner at Shula's Steakhouse at Disney World Resort

 Shulas is a signature restaurant located inside the Disney World Dolphin resort.  We were actually staying at the Dolphin at the time and were able to make a reservation for the same evening only a few hours before.  

The Boathouse at Disney Springs

 

On one afternoon we had reservations at The Boathouse at Disney Springs for a light brunch.

This was another "new to me" restaurant.  For being a Sunday afternoon, it surprisingly wasn't very busy yet. 

Changes to Disney's Boardwalk Inn and Resort Area

We love the Disney's Boardwalk resort area! We've stayed at each of the resorts in this are ( Boardwalk Inn, Yacht & Beach Club, and Disney's Swan and Dolphin).  

Navigating Gideon's Bakehouse at Disney Springs

During a recent layover in Orlando, I finally made it to Gideon's Bakehouse. For those of you who don't know about Gideon's, it is said that you need to get in line super early in the morning because the wait is SO long. The cookies must be really good! I had to see what the hype was all about!

This will be your favorite path at Disney

 One of the benefits of staying at a resort along the Seven Seas Lagoon is the access to the magic Kingdom. If you've stayed at one of those resorts or even visited, you would know that you can easily get to the Magic Kingdom via monorail or even one of the boats.  I find both modes of transportation magical and each gives a different perspective of that resort area. 

February Wrap up

 It's time for our monthly wrap up. 

In February, I've been really consistent in going to my fitness classes.

Mickey Cake Pop Maker Tips

 

The other week I shared on my Instagram story a good deal on a Mickey Mouse Cake Pop maker. 

You can pick one up HERE for less than $15.

Try these Lays from House of Good Fortune in Epcot's China Pavilion

 

Tucked in the back of the China pavilion in Epcot is the gift shop, House of Good Fortune.

Yachtsman Steak House at Disney's Yacht Club - Dining Review

If  you are looking for an upscale meal away from the crowds and parks, I suggest Yachtsman Steakhouse at Disney's Yacht Club Resort. 

January Wrap up

 It seems that every year I try to be consistent in doing a monthly wrap. I started off pretty well in the beginning of 2021 and then half way through I couldn't keep up with it. Let's see how the monthly wraps go this year!

I do feel like January started off very strong. After being ill and feeling very weak the last few months of 2021, I made a commitment to do more exercise and come back stronger.

Mama Melrose at Hollywood Studios Review

 During our time at Hollywood Studios, we had reservations at Mama Melrose, the Italian restaurant. 

Mama Melrose is located in the back of the park in the Grand Avenue section. It is near the Muppet Vision attraction.  

When we got to the restaurant, we checked into to let them know we arrived and then waited outside the restaurant for a text to tell us our table was ready.

What Really Happens if you DNS a Disney Race...

  My last race ( before the world shut down) was the Hershey Half Marathon in October of 2019. That was the race that got me motivated to run again after a devastating loss that summer. I was looking forward to doing more races in 2020, but we all know that if we didn't run races in January or February of that year, than a race didn't happen.

That's why I was so excited to sign up for one of the Disney Wine and Dine races when Run Disney returned in November of 2021!

Basin White at Disney for an Interactive Experience and Personalized Souvenirs.

 If you only ever visit the beautiful and expansive lobby of  Disney's  Grand Floridian Resort, you might actually miss one of our favorite little shops, Basin White.  Basin White, or often just called Basin's is a shop that sells soaps and bath products.  

You can make your visit somewhat "interactive" if you wish and you can pick up some pretty inexpensive and practical souvenirs.  What I like most about Basin White is not only all the amazing scents, but you can basically "build your own" products/souvenirs.

The New Year & Some Favorite Holiday Disney Items

 

Yay, we made it through the first week of the New Year!  I hope you all had a nice Holiday season. We had a really nice Christmas with family and are ready to be back on the blog with more Disney and Lifestyle content for 2022! Today I will start putting away the rest of the Christmas decorations but before I do, I wanted to share some of the Disney Holiday merchandise I've acquired this season.

 Most of these items came from the Disney Parks, unless otherwise noted.