Adventures By Disney: Quest for the West

This Adventures by Disney tour is my favorite one so far of three and counting (I’m booked for two in 2008; >).  Really, I think the name could easily be changed to “Quest for the Best”, and then I would say we found it!

There is something about the combination of immersing ourselves in an environment, while at the same time having all transitions and excursion decisions handled by fantastic tour guides, that makes an already amazing destination (ie:Yellowstone National Park and the Tetons mountain range) purely divine!

I’ve put together a narration of pictures of this adventure here: Quest for the West
And if you’d like to ask questions about any of the Adventures by Disney tours or how to plan for them, please feel welcome to join me here at the Adventures by Disney community forum  I’ve already signed up for Discovery Down Under (Australia) and Sacred Valleys (Peru).  I’d love to have you come plan with me!

Disney Dining Changes Abound

Wow!  There are some big changes happening at Walt Disney World in terms of dining!  (For a complete overview, click here: Disney Dining Changes )  There are several new restaurants coming to Epcot, Animal Kingdom, The Swan Resort, and Downtown Disney.  Chefs are changing restaurants.  Kid’s meals are focusing on healthier options, and all meals will be trans-fat free by sometime in 2008.

It’s always fun to have new restaurants to review.  In fact, writing Walt Disney World restaurant reviews is one of my favorite responsibilties  But, even more exciting to me, is Disney’s focus on healthy meals for the youngsters and the young at heart.  I’ve appreciated Disney’s willingness to prepare special dishes for folks with allergies and diet restrictions since I started visiting Disney World regularly 10 years ago, but this new intention to provide a healthier quality of food in general makes me want to clap my hands and shout, “Hurrah for Disney!”

We can look for most of these changes to be in place by mid 2008…  and I’ll be eagerly reviewing all of them as they happen.  I promise!

Disneyland Dining

For those of us who are “of a certain age”, memories of Disneyland include fast food, plain and simple.  The purpose of the park was ride, not food, right?  Well…  that age has passed!

Disneyland Resort now prides itself on being a ‘dining destination’ as well as a “themed ride park”.  Recently, we explored some of the eateries at Disneyland, and we came away amazed and delighted by some of the restaurants where we dined.  In the Magic Kingdom, our favorite was Cafe Orleans in New Orleans Square.  I got the vegetarian Monte Cristo — YUM!  Over in the California Adventure park, we sampled Ariel’s Grotto, a character dining “event”.  Again, we enjoyed the quality of the lunch we had there very much.  Our favorite resort restaurant — hand’s down — is Storyteller’s Cafe in the Grand Californian Hotel.  And then there is Downtown Disney, walking distance from the parks and a vertible dining opportunity; >)  Our favorite is the Italian Eatery, Naples Ristorante & Pizzeria

If you’d like to see all of the dining options available at the Disneyland Resort, head on over to Our Laughing Place and check out the Disneyland Resort section.  Once you go, I’ll think you’ll agree with me that Disneyland isn’t just for rides anymore!

Disney’s New Frontier: Adventures By Disney

I confess:  I am a Disney addict.  Disney art decorates every room in my house.  I moved to Florida from Oregon so that I could get to Disney World more easily.  I started a Disney web site (Our Laughing Place), and a Disney-focused travel agency (Our Laughing Place Travel)…   all to support my Disney habit.  If there were a 12 step program, I would only join if the meetings were at a Disney resort.

Some might even go so far as to say, I’ve visited Disney World and Disneyland enough to last a lifetime.  And — while it’s true that the Disney imagineers provide plenty of change to keep me coming back to check new venues — I was starting to think I might have to start traveling to other countries to get my Disney thrill.  Imagine my delight to discover the Disney company read my mind and developed an easy way for me to do just that! 

Adventures By Disney takes Disney where the magic has never gone before…  Land Tours around the World!  The focus is – of course – on family fun, and the intention is to provide a quality experience with Disney’s magical touch along the way.  The first year these tours were offered publically was 2006, and I sampled the Costa Rica Eco-tour.  Here’s the pictorial review I wrote: Path to Pura Vida  In 2007, I signed up for two tours:  Fiesta Espana and “Quest for the Wild West” (I’ll write a review for this one as soon as we get back)  The 2008 itineraries are so exciting, I could barely whittle it down to three.

 There IS a pattern here, and you can probably tell I am as enamored with the impeccability of the Disney style with their land tours as I am with the quality of  I find in the Disney parks.  What can I say?  I’m hooked on pixie dust

With Adventures By Disney, I’m ready to travel with Disney to “Infinity and Beyond”!