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Princess Fiona’s Cookie Castle Decorating at Gaylord Opryland

July 28, 2012 By sami

We recently got to experience Princess Fiona’s Cookie Castle Decorating experience Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, TN. It was actually the first thing we did after checking in for our Summer Fun with Shrek & Friends package and it was the perfect way to start our stay with our DreamWorks friends.

After we were seated in the Water’s Edge Dining Area (the same area where the Shrek Feast is held), a baker’s helper came out with Fiona. Even though she had a wireless mic on, it was hard to understand her, though I think she was setting up a story about how the Fairy Godmother had ordered a bunch of cookie castles and she wanted us to help her make them.

All our daughter cared about was that she got to see Fiona after taking care to braid her hair just like Fiona and put on her Princess Fiona Ogre ears….

Kariss was especially excited to show Fiona the doll she found of her at a consignment sale, and Princess Fiona seemed equally excited to meet her mini-me:

We didn’t waste any time starting in on our cookie castle decorating. We had a choice of white or green castle (we chose green), then were given white frosting and a bunch of candy to decorate with. Considering my lack of decorating skills, the kids were very grateful that daddy made it to Opryland in time to assist with this project:

Our first born dove right into this project:

And while our first-born took painstaking care in choosing what candy to use where in the castle, our second-born took equal care in choosing which candy to eat first

OH, and he also found some creative uses for the squeezable frosting that was supposed to be used as our glue:

At the end of the construction process, the kids took part in a very cute ceremony where they each received unique names from the kingdom.

Princess Fiona seemed very grateful for their help:

And of course daddy couldn’t let Fiona go without a picture with the fair princess:

The Princess Fiona Cookie Castle decorating was included in our Summer Fun with Shrek & Friends package, but anyone can go to Gaylord Opryland and pay $29.95 per family to participate without even staying there in the hotel. To be honest, I’m not sure if I would have traveled there exclusively for this event alone, but it truly was a great way to kick off our weekend, not to mention a fun activity we all got to participate in together as a family!

In exchange for my honest opinion, our family was provided this experience by Gaylord Opryland. I’d love to hear what you thought of this experience if you’ve taken part in it as well!

Filed Under: Events, Reviews, Travel Tagged With: Castle, cookie, Decorating, Fiona, Fiona's, gaylord, hotel, Kids, nashville, opryland, princess, resort, tn, Travel

Walt Disney World Coronado Springs Resort Review

May 27, 2012 By sami

This Walt Disney World Coronado Springs Resort Review is based on our 7 night stay in May 2012 that included both a blog conference event stay and a family pleasure stay.

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is located between Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park and falls into their “Moderate Resort” category.

I had stayed at the Coronado Springs resort years ago, but it has since been renovated and some nice amenities have been added, most notably free wifi throughout the resort and beautiful sliding doors dividing the sleeping area from the bathroom. This latest feature served us especially well especially since I had to wake up much earlier than the rest of the family and it allowed me to get ready with ease knowing I wasn’t going to disturb their sleep! (Formerly, only a curtain pulled to divide the two areas, which did not give nearly as much privacy or sound protection.

We typically don’t stay in moderate resorts because we don’t feel like the small increase in room size over the value resorts & the inclusion of a “beverage cooler” (aka mini fridge) warrants the substantial difference in price. However, the Coronado Springs resort is laid out beautifully, and I appreciate the inclusion of the Rix lounge to hang out in and work, along with the new quick service snack shop located right off the main lobby where you can grab a quick snack or even refill your Disney refillable mugs.

The pool was also a big hit with the family. While we had a “quiet pool” located right outside our rooms, we also spent a good deal of time at “The Dig”, the much larger pool featuring not only a large pyramid in its center, but also a very fun and non-threatening water slide with a spitting jaguar that even my 44″ tall 6 year old felt comfortable going down by himself.

While the convention center was not the grandest nor the newest of facilities on the Walt Disney World property, everything was VERY conveniently located and the furthest ballroom was less than a 10 minute walk from my room in the “Cabanas” (Building 9B). This made it nice if I had to go back to my room in the middle of the day to drop something off or freshen up.

The Coronado Springs resort also features two other restaurants: The Maya & The Pepper Market.

I have yet to eat at the Maya, which is the nicer of the two restaurants, however we have frequented The Pepper Market over the years. It looks exactly like you’d imagine as an open-air market, but one thing has changed in 2012. Though dinner you can still visit various stands and make your choice among them, breakfast and lunch have become all you can eat buffets (around $14.99 for breakfast and $16.99 for lunch). If you go for dinner, try the nachos or fajitas, both of which are plenty to share amongst two people and will cost you around $10.

Other fun free activities to make note of for the kids at Coronado Springs:
* Daily pool activities & games (with prizes!)
* Campfire every night at 7pm
* Disney movies shown outside under the stars at 9pm

We got a great rate with the conference that extended through our entire stay, but otherwise I still don’t think I’d pay the extra money for the moderate resorts. Also, when traveling with a conference, you’re eligible for discount theme park passes, including some “After 2″ and “After 4″ passes, so that you can enjoy the parks after you’ve been in your meetings all day

Have you ever stayed at Disney’s Coronado Springs resort? How would you review the property?

Filed Under: Real Women, Travel, Travel Tips, Walt Disney World Tagged With: coronado springs, hotel, moderate, resort, review, Travel, walt disney world

Disney Art of Animation Resort Project Manager Interview

May 25, 2012 By sami

I’ve taken you in the lobby and out to the pool at the new Disney Art of Animation Resort, but now you can get a sneak peak inside the rooms as I interview Nicole, a project manager for the latest Walt Disney World Value Hotel.

She helps us discover the thinking behind the rooms, what differentiates it as a family suite and how they carried out the theme without making it too ‘kitchy’!

2012 04 28 DSSM Art of Animation 034 300x168 Disney Art of Animation Resort Project Manager Interview

2012 04 28 DSSM Art of Animation 035 300x168 Disney Art of Animation Resort Project Manager Interview

2012 04 28 DSSM Art of Animation 041 300x168 Disney Art of Animation Resort Project Manager Interview

Filed Under: Reviews, Travel, Walt Disney World Tagged With: "art of animation", hotel, interview, nemo, resort, room, walt disney world

Disney Art of Animation Nemo Pool Video

April 29, 2012 By sami

Continuing in our sneak peak into the Disney Art of Animation resort hotel, we move out of Animation Hall and out into the Nemo pool area!

You are literally made to feel as if you’re the size of Nemo swimming in the ocean, complete with larger than life coral and those pesky seagulls perched atop the neighboring hotel stairwell

Have you seen what it looks like to enter the lobby of Disney’s Art of Animation resort? Watch my Art of Animation lobby entrance video!

Filed Under: Reviews, Travel, Walt Disney World Tagged With: "art of animation", hotel, nemo, pool, resort, walt disney world

Disney World Florida Hotel Deals January 2012

January 9, 2012 By sami

Think of booking a last minute spring break trip? I have some special Disney World Florida Hotel deals you can still take advantage of before the end of January 2012.

Right now, you can save 30% off select Disney Resort hotels February 21 through March 31, as long as you book by January 22, 2012.Just be sure to mention code N6P when booking.

It can be hard to find discounts during this time of year at Disney World, so this could work out to be a great deal. However, to avoid the crowds, I would suggest going there towards the beginning of that time period rather than the end

Filed Under: Deals & Freebies, Disney, Travels Tagged With: Deals, florida, hotel, resort, Travel, Walt Disney World, world

PGA National Resort & Spa FL Deal!

September 18, 2011 By sami

Here is another great hotel deal for both my friends in FL or those of you looking for a great Florida getaway! The PGA National Resort & Spa (just around the corner from where we used to live!) is having an Eversave deal:

Get a 1 night stay at the PGA National Resort & Spa starting at just $115!

When we lived in Florida, we used to love going over to PGA National for a spa day or just to relax in one of their pools with waters from Around the World! With this deal, kids even stay for free

Also, if you sign up for Eversave (who has great travel & family deals), your account will automatically be credited with $3.

Filed Under: Travels Tagged With: deal, eversave, FL, national, pga, resort, spa

From the Inside: Disney Social Media Moms Day 1

April 5, 2011 By sami

Yes, the Disney Social Media Moms Conference ended about two weeks ago and I’m just getting my Day 1 post up to share with you all…so we’re going with the theme “Better late than never!”

But I didn’t want any more time to pass before I shared at least a piece of this incredible experience with you all. The road was a long one getting to this event (literally and figuratively) and throughout my time there, I kept thinking how blessed I was to have been chosen to be among such gracious, talented and influential women.

I was also thankful for a blog event that finally not only allowed my family to take part with me, but actually encouraged them to do so and included them in the activities!

Rather than talk too much about Day 1, I thought I’d give you the story in pictures:

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I told you it was a long road...

We finally made it out of the car and checked in at the Grand Floridian. Being from Florida, it’s always been my husband’s dream to be able to stay at the Grand Floridian and embrace the old-world Florida charm the resort truly embodies. (Plus, it’s just fun to be able to hop over to the Magic Kingdom on the monorail!)

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If you look hard, you can see Cinderella's castle above their heads in the background!

The kids loved the “magic” touches in the hotel room

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A Mickey made out of towels on their bed

And Ricky and I loved the view from our terrace

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It doesn't get prettier than this!

But I didn’t have much time to enjoy our view before I had to head over to the Grand Floridian Wedding Pavilion for our opening events. We were greeted with Minnie Bride Ear headbands and tables filled with brightly colored candy centerpieces.

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Good enough to eat!

We were then welcomed by the Disney team and treated to insights from Carly Roney (founder of The Knot) and David Tutera (wedding planner extraordinaire). While I’ve been happily married for over seven years and didn’t need too much advice on upcoming wedding trends and colors, I was delighted to hear about the new line of Disney Princess inspired Wedding Dresses by Alfred Angelo (which only further fueled my desire to renew our vows at Disney World for our 10 year anniversary!)

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The Cinderella Wedding Dress

After hearing about how Disney is letting the “memories begin” in 2011 and learning about their new Disney Vacation Club property in Hawaii opening in the coming year, I reconnected with my handsome husband and kiddos for a fabulous lawn party and carnival Disney style!

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See the beautiful wedding pavilion behind my handsome men?

There was games, AMAZING food, and even a sand sculptor!

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The sand sculpture of our Disney SM Moms logo was amazing!

And of course it wouldn’t be a true Disney event without a visit from our hosts, Mickey & Minnie themselves, dressed in their finest for the fair!

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Cute as a mouse!

They even provided pails and shovels for the kids to play with on the Grand Floridian Beach!

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Who knew there was a beach in Disney World?

But perhaps one of the sweetest treats on Day 1 of Disney Social Media Moms was getting to re-connect with my friends! (You’ll also notice my affinity for self-portraits!):

The fun and fabulous Amy from Moms Toolbox

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Amy & me

The always fashionable and friendly Audrey from Mom Generations

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Audrey & me

And of course the fantastic ladies of the Savvy Blogging team! Including my long lost sister Andrea of Savings Lifestyle, my Relevant bud Toni from The Happy Housewife, and new friend Crystal from The Thrifty Mama

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Sami, Amy & (most of) the Savvy Blogging girls!

For the past year, everyone’s been telling me how similar Andrea and I are and after meeting her in person, I’m truly flattered! People continued to mistake me for her all weekend, with the one exception, she won a night in the castle suite and I didn’t (remember, I’m 99% excited for you and only 1% jealous

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Can you tell who's who?

All in all, it was truly a good time had by all on Day 1. I’ve always wondered what it would take to see one of these special events from the inside, and now I know. I’m so grateful to all the planning and hard work that went in to putting this event on and can’t wait to share more memories from the rest of my time at Disney Social Media Moms 2011!

P.S. A fellow Disney Social Media Mom just let me know that Amy and I made it into the Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings Platinum Soiree video! (Look for us about 33 seconds into it with our royal applause!)

<a href=”http://lm.logicalmedia.com/z/20571/CD10138/&dp=2658523″>Click Here</a>

Filed Under: Family, Reviews, Travel, Walt Disney World Tagged With: beach, grand floridian, Kids, media, mickey, minnie, moms, party, resort, social, Walt Disney World, wedding

Wearing Fresh Produce Dresses at Disney World Grand Floridian Resort

March 20, 2011 By sami

My mom has been wearing Fresh Produce apparel for as long as I can remember. She’s always appreciated the casual style and comfort and I always remember the bright colors. So when I found out the Disney Social Media Moms Conference was going to be held at the Disney World Grand Floridian Resort this year, I knew I’d be wearing Fresh Produce Dresses there!

Many of you saw and asked about the beautiful oyster colored party dress and pink lightweight cardigan I wore on Talk of the Town this month – that’s from Fresh Produce! Yes, they still make the great tanks, tees, shorts and skirts that you know and love. But they now have a self-described, “hip sister” line known as ME.

IMG 2836 225x300 Wearing Fresh Produce Dresses at Disney World Grand Floridian Resort

In the main lobby of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort

The ME line of Fresh Produce (named after the founder’s initials) embodies everything you’ve come to love about the brand, but with a modern pop and flair to is. I’ve found that when looking for women’s resortwear in the past, it’s always seemed targeted towards the over 60 crowd – but not anymore! I’m particularly fond of their tunics and dresses with a Caribbean fashion feel. Having lived in the Caribbean during my tennis days, there is an effortless yet stylish sophistication that always made me feel put together.

IMG 2832 300x225 Wearing Fresh Produce Dresses at Disney World Grand Floridian Resort

A little hang time with Duffy the Disney Bear

I don’t know about you, but I’m always conflicted when dressing for Disney World. I want to stay cool and comfortable, yet pretty for a picture! I think you’ll find Fresh Produce meets the best of both worlds! And I think Disney would agree with me – you can actually find Fresh Produce in their stores at the Resorts and Downtown Disney!

I’m thankful Fresh Produce provided me with this outfit for the conference and am excited to see even more of what they have in store for Spring and Summer 2011!