Adult Butterbeer Recipe!

Want to make your very own adult Butterbeer?  By adult I do mean alcoholic! 

Read on for a super easy, at home recipe!

Planning 101: Tickets

The first thing I researched for our great adventure was tickets. As I had mentioned before, we were going to be on our trip to California for nine days. Within these nine days, we would visit the Disneyland Resort, Universal Hollywood, and the D23 Expo.

For those of you who do not know, D23 is an official fan club created through Disney. The club was established in 2009 and is most known for sharing and involving the community in The Disney Company’s rich history. Every two years, D23 has an expo where many pieces of the company come together to showcase various aspects of what was and will come from The Disney Company and its affiliates. I have been part of this club since 2011.

In December, D23 began sending out the member ticket prices and early bird rates for this marvelous affair. I took advantage of their early bird offer and saved $102.00 (nearly 30% of the cost for general admission) for both or our tickets.

Gus, my husband, was the one who was responsible for the savings on our Disneyland Resort Tickets. He found out that our financial institution had a fantastic rewards program that offered Disneyland Park Passes. The best part was that these were Two-Day Park Hopper Passes. All we had to do was build up our points on our bank credit card. By using the credit card to pay bills and expenses, it would allow us to get 2 points per dollar spent (using their debit card would get us 1 point per dollar spent). So in terms of saving, we essentially got these tickets for free.

Finally, I want to talk about Universal Hollywood. I would like apologize just in case I offend any Universal enthusiasts. Unfortunately for me, they were terrible to deal with. Typically in Universal Orlando, there are tons of promotions available. This is especially true around the time of their Mardi Gras and Halloween Horror Nights events. Whether it has been through Coke-a-Cola promotions, Florida Resident Discounts and other promotions, Gus has ALWAYS been able to save on tickets when he has gone to this park.

Over the span of seven months, I was given various methods that would guarantee us a discount on our set of one day park tickets. I was also told that in order to receive any of these discounts, I would have to wait until the day of our arrival in the park to purchase the tickets. In a last attempt to get things settled before our trip, I called two weeks  before our adventure was set to begin to see if there was any way to purchase the tickets ahead of time. The representative delivered the news I expected and more. None of the discount methods I had been advised of would work.

When doors are closed, God opens another.

After feeling that I had been lied to for the past several months, I was not happy. I asked to speak to a supervisor and told him our story. I also told him how mislead I felt about all the information I was given. This supervisor was kind enough to give me a special discount at the gate. It would guarantee 25% off of our total for general admission. It saved us about $43 (my total included the lowest parking fee) on both our tickets.

The one thing I learned on this journey is that no matter what is blocking your way, you have to at least try to get around it. Asking about a discount or promotion will get you a lot farther than just assuming it isn’t possible.

What have been some of the best/worst experiences you’ve had with getting tickets for your vacation?

Hogwarts Happiness

 

 I adore walking through the castle and the ride you can find inside and I can't wait for what's to come with the new expansion.  Although I know Disney has my heart Universal has now, with the Wizarding World, cemented my return every few years to enjoy stepping into Rowling magical world. 

Happy Birthday, Harry Potter & Neville Longbottom!

Shopping at Hogsmeade Village

 Shopping in Hogsmeade is as much fun as the rides and attractions (and food and drink). 

 The shops are so well created and filled with exclusive merchandise that any Potter fan will love!

Drinks from the Wizarding World

 Butterbeer is one of my favorite theme park drinks of all time and what I love about the set up of the Wizarding World is how the Hog's Head is connected to Three Broomsticks.  The food is quite good (I have had the Shepard's Pie and the Fish & Chips) and the drinks are divine.  Want to make your own Butterbeer with a little something extra in it for adults? Check back tomorrow for a great recipe!

Exciting News & Harry Potter Giveaway from Second Star Studios!

 

 As you know from past reviews and posts I love Second Star Studios on Etsy and they have a really awesome new project! They are running a Disney World Scavenger Hunt to help raise money for charity AND you don't even need park tickets to paritcipate!! Find the complete details and purchase registration here.

Adventure awaits you at our Disney Resort Charity Scavenger Hunt. To register for the event purchase a button for EACH member of your team. Buttons will be distributed at the event along with your clue sheet.
The event takes place September 28th, 2013 from 10am-4pm and will take you throughout Downtown Disney, the Polynesian, Contemporary, Art of Animation, and Pop Century Resorts.
50% of your purchase will be donated to the Ronal McDonald House Charities.
25% will be used for prizes such as shirts, prints, and Disney gift cards.

As another awesome giveaway for our Disney-Potterhead crew! Just check out this amazing bag and enter using the Rafflecopter below!! This coming week I will be featuring some great pics of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter on the blog in honor of the two fabulous Gryffindors whose birthdays are this week- Harry Potter himself and Neville Longbottom! Enjoy this great kickstart to Harry Potter week! :)

 

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All Aboard the Hogwart's Express!

 

For the next few days we will be switching gears to another Orlando theme park: Universal's Islands of Adventure.  What better way to start a few days of posts from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter than with the Hogwart's Express itself.

 When will you be headed to the station to board the train?

Magical Moment Monday: One Family's Magical Musical Vacation

When Andrea (the Disney mom in the video) posted me a link to this adorable video over on our Facebook page I knew I wanted to share with all of my readers.  What a fun way to fill in all the gaps while Disney vacationing! First thing I did was message her for her blessing to share it here-- well actually that was the second thing I did because the first thing I did after I finished watching was restart the video and show it to my husband! ;)  I love the song choice and the shots in this video.  Over and over I thought to myself "Wow what a great way to pass the time between fastpasses or when waiting on rides!" I could not get over how creative and just how FUN this is!

After talking a little more with the family I have a nice bit of background on how this video came to be:
The lovely Fischer Family visits Walt Disney World once or twice a year and the kids have been going to the parks since before they were born! The idea for the video came when Andrea was watching vacation videos on YouTube and after discussing with her Hubby they decided they would try it themselves.  As soon as they heard "Good Time" they knew it would be perfect for their video! Although her son was hesitant (and clearly her daughter was not! lol!) the whole family got on board with being silly in front of complete strangers. And as Andrea said herself "It actually enhanced the fun. We shot footage wherever we went and sang the song or mouthed the words."

And for the specifics: It was shot in late November/early December 2012 using a Canon Rebel T3i camera.

I don't know about you but I adore this video and it inspires me to get creative with my own videos in the parks! :)

Wizarding Week Goes to Disney

How's this for bringing Picturing Disney's Wizarding Week full circle...

Guess what I went to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party as last year?
Hermione Jean Granger (complete with replica wand from Olivander's Wand Shoppe in Hogsmeade)!

Hogwart's Express

Wizarding Week continues with a stop for a photo op!
When you stop for a visit at the Wizarding World and you enter Hogsmeade Village there parked right out front is the Hogwart's Express.  And guess who you can find out front for meet and greets? The conductor himself!

Hogsmeade Village

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then these pictures of Hogsmeade can replace what would have been 4,000 rambling words of my love of this place!  How many times in life can you say that you just walked into the pages of your favorite book?

Hogwarts Castle

We have all fallen in love with Cinderella's Castle... Sleeping Beauty's Castle... and most recently Beast's Castle... but what about a Hogwart's Castle?  The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry deserves equal credit it for the monumental attention to detail! Let your imagination soar as you approach the fun and excited flagship ride and you will be transported to a place where some of the most magical heroes in the history of literature grew up!

Honeydukes

Chocolate Frogs for EVERYONE!

One of the most well-put together shops, or maybe just my favorite because I have such a sweet tooth, was Honeydukes! The legendary wizard candy shoppe is right at home in Universal Orlando's very own Hogsmeade!

I left with an arm filled with Wizard candy and hung around outside for a while when I was drinking my Butterbeer.

At Honeydukes you can get all the favorites featured in the Harry Potter books and movies such as:
-Cauldron Cakes
-Fizzing Whizzbees
-Exploding Bonbons
-Treacle Tarts
-Bert Bott's Every Flavor Beans
-& classic treats like fudge and other chocolates!

My favorite were the Sherbet Lemons which came in a cute Honeydukes jar as well as the "sugar quills" lollipops! The candy here was a super cute souvenir from my trip and such an original gift to bring back to people.

If you can't make a stop to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (and Honeydukes) part of your next Orlando vacation, try and stop at the Universal Studiost store at the Orlando International Airport and check out the small selection of Wizarding World products they carry there! I picked up a Chocolate Frog last Fall and the Wizarding World souvenirs may be the best that Universal has to offer!

Bubble & Geek Wizarding Week Giveaway!!

The really fun and awesome Etsy shop, Bubble & Geek, graciously donated a Harry Potter themed Pumpkin Pasties candle and Butterbeer lip balm to give away while we feature some of the most fun and awesome pictures from around the Wizarding World this week! As we lead up to Halloween we will be featuring posts daily about Universal's Islands of Adventure's most magical area!

In the mean time, use the rafflecopter widget below to enter for your chance to win!

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Wizarding Week: Why You SHOULD Cheat on Disney (just for a day)!

I decided that the week before Halloween would be a great time to feature some pictures from Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  While this is a Disney Photoblog with so much going on in Orlando and with the number of trips I have taken there I wanted to share some of what I have explored outside Disney too.

I was blown away by Universal, not because I thought Disney paled in comparison at all, but because I could see this experience changing from what I had previously read and seen (and expected).  Disney has pushed the Universal theme parks to up their game.  Guess who benefits from that? Us! I have cheated on Disney and you should to, here’s why:

• Now that Disney’s Hollywood Studios is MGM no more, some of the signature old Hollywood feel has been stripped from the park.  I desperately miss Stars & Motor Cars and can never understand why there is never a wait for the Great Movie Ride or Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream.  There is something to be said for the walk through Lucy Museum and Walk of Fame at Universal that brought back the nostalgia of some of my old MGM favorites- you can even eat at a replica Mel’s Drive In for lunch!  The fact that the park is owned by Universal gives it a more diverse movie catalog then you would expect- everything from The Mummy, E.T., Back to the Future, The Simpsons, Jaws, and more are represented here.  And a lot of these classics in my mind have not been reinvented as Disney does so often.
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is, in my opinion, the most amazing non-Disney theme park feat ever.  It gives Disney a real run for its money.  I am almost happy that Universal got the rights to this over Disney because it is so incredible! From a Butterbeer at Three Broomsticks, to a Chocolate Frog at Honeyduke’s, or buying a replica wand at Olivander’s there is no greater representation of the classic young adult novels of our generation.
• It’s nice to see a non-princess castle every once in a while.  Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey is like Soarin’ on steroids and the cue walking through Hogwart’s is artful, thoughtful, and true to the world J.K. Rowling created.
• The two park pass does not require a bus, boat, or monorail to park hop.  While you can really commit a full day to each park in Universal, if you opt for their version of a park hopper you can easily walk through the shopping area called CityWalk and make your way between Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios theme parks.

While the Disney bubble is hard to push yourself out of, I am convinced that Universal is a great choice for some non-Disney time.  I rave to every Harry Potter fan I know that they must visit the Wizarding World.  With so many families come back to Disney year after year, its no wonder that places like Discovery Cove and Legoland have made their way to Orlando.

What do you think about Universal? Do you stay in the Disney bubble your entire trip or trek out to other Orlando attractions?  If so, what’s your family’s favorite non-Disney park?  Look for pictures from now through the 31st of my favorite parts of the Wizarding World and decide for yourself.