Disney's Beach Club is one of our all-time favorite Disney resorts. For one, the theme and decor of this resort is the perfect blend of vintage charm and summer fun, and the area around the Beach Club is beautiful and convenient with Epcot and Hollywood Studios on either side and the Boardwalk across the water.

During our first stay at the Beach Club back in the mid-nineties, one of our favorite pieces of decor was the sand castles that are kept and preserved in glass boxes! We looking at all of the different castles and trying to recreate them in the sand out by the pool, even though our attempts paled in comparison! These castles can be found all throughout the resort and are especially a big hit with kids; but during our last trip to WDW, we found one that especially caught our attention!

Located inside the resort, just down from Beaches and Cream and near the windows facing the awesome Stormalong Bay pool, we found a sandcastle hiding a small Mickey Mouse figurine waving to guests who passed by! This quickly became one of our favorite Hidden Mickeys, as well as a fun hidden gem to revist while strolling through this beachy, breezy resort.

Kids often get a kick out of out hunting for Hidden Mickeys, and we are confident that they will have a blast looking for these sand castle boxes to find the one that holds this Mickey. So be sure to remind yourself and your kids to keep an eye out for it when you visit the Beach Club during your next trip!
 
Has anyone else seen this hidden Mickey at Disney's Beach Club Resort? Let us know!

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"D" is for a Dole Whip t-shirt! I want this! How about you?

Want to know a secret? We have one for those of you trying to book a Disney vacation over the dates you want and still grab one of Disney's great deals and discounts at the same time!

For those of you who don't know, when Disney releases a deal like Free Dining, or a room discount, certain dates are "blacked out" or are not available. These dates usually fall on some of Disney's busiest times, such as holidays or special events.

But there is a way to enjoy these special dates and discounts too. How? Here's the secret!

If you book your Disney Vacation on the last day of a deal or discount, it will extend throughout the rest of your trip. This way, you can enjoy the discount even though it has ended!

Confused? Here's an example. Disney's Free Dining Offer extends to December 20th 2012, just five days shy of Christmas. However, if the first day of your vacation is December 20th, and you take the offer, the Free Dining deal will extend throughout the rest of your trip.

That means you can have free dining throughout your Christmas trip to Walt Disney World! Now that's a great Christmas gift!

So that's our secret. We have taken advantage of it ourselves in past years and it's great to have that flexibility!

Has anyone ever taken advantage of this secret? Do you think you would? Let us know!

Most guests at WDW are on the go and on a budget; and this is why we believe that resort food courts are definitely an important factor when deciding which Disney resort to choose!

All Disney resorts feature a food court; and we guarantee that you will spend some time here during your vacation, especially if you have kids. They offer a variety of meals, snacks, drinks, and sweets which you can either enjoy at the nearby tables or take back to your room; and while all the food courts perform the same functions, they are not all created equal.

So we are flipping through the archives of our past Disney vacations and pulling out our favorite food courts! Ready? Here we go!

Riverside Mill-Port Orleans Riverside's food court has one of the greatest settings, a massive old mill! The rustic theme and towering ceiling makes this an awesome place to dine! As with some of the larger food courts on property, there are several stations in this food court offering different menus, one of which is a station where you can have a massive helping of pasta made just how you like it with whatever you want in it!

Landscapes of Flavor-Until this summer, I probably would not have listed a value resort food court on this list; but Disney's newest resort, the Art of Animation, shows how Disney has updated and improved their food courts! For example, at this food court, you can enjoy freshly made smoothies, healthy menus, and unique items such as the Surf and Surf Burger, the Pastrami Cheeseburger, and Mongolian Stir Fry! Also, unlike other food courts, you can actually eat on real plates and silverware.

The Mara-Animal Kingdom's food court is larger than many of the other deluxe resorts and offers African flavored dishes, in addition to American fare. The cultural offerings that the Mara provides makes it a great stop for guests looking to sample something different; but for us, the biggest draw was their famous dessert, Zebra Domes!

Roaring Fork-Located at Wilderness Lodge, the Roaring Fork has a rustic, fishing theme and is definitely on the small side. However, it makes our list because of its awesome chili, which really tastes better in a outdoors-inspired resort. Also, it's one of our favorite stops for breakfast as the Roaring Fork offers a variety of Mickey Waffle platters with different toppings, such as chocolate, strawberry, Banana Foster Waffles, and their Wilderness Waffles! Yum!

Gasparilla Grill and Games-The Grand Floridian's food court is located in its acarade, but don't let that deter you. While the interior isn't amazing, it's still light and airy and carries the resort's Victorian theme. Why do we think this food court is one of the best? We like the unique variety of meals available, such as the Lobster Mac and Cheese and their awesome Caesar Salad!

Walt Disney World is full of little tributes to Walt Disney. This is especially true of the Magic Kingdom and rightly so as this park truly came from the mind of Walt himself.

These little odes and touches make the park a little more personal and definitely adds depth. It's almost as if the park is a photo album of Walt, a living representation of his dreams, interests, and accomplishments! We always like finding new tributes to Walt, as well as revisiting the old ones we have found during our trips; and today, we are here to point out one of our favorite references to Walt Disney!

Most people know that the windows on Main Street showcase names of individuals and legendary Imagineers; but, if you pay attention, you will find that Walt has the very first window you see, as well as the last window on that street! That's definitely not a coincidence, it's a tribute to Walt.

The first window showcasing Walt's name can be found right above the train station, the old fashioned structure that lets us know that we're not in reality anymore! This window is small, and the script is difficult to read, but along with Walt's name it says "Keeping Dreams on Track." How appropriate due to Walt's passion for trains and as the man who kept focused until his dreams became a reality for us all to enjoy.

We like this window's location. nice to think that even though Walt Disney isn't with us anymore, he still welcomes us into the park when we approach the park gates!

The last window on Main Street USA sits above The Plaza Restaurant, across the street from Casey's Corner. This window is on the second floor and faces the Cinderella Castle! In addition to reading Walt's name, it says "Graduate School of Design and Master Planning."

We really appreciate this detail because Main Street USA, a time and place where Walt once walked and knew, is bookended by representations of himself. It's fitting that his windows face the entrance, as well as the park's primary icon. Be sure to look for these design details on your trip!

This week's theme is gold and I found this black and gold framed piece of artwork at WDW during one of my trips last year. I thought those of us who are counting down to the opening of the Fantasyland Expansion could appreciate it!

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This week's theme is Disney Friends, so I chose this statue of Roy and Minnie on Main Street!

"Welcome to those of you joining me from Disney on Wheels and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the Final stop on our Magical Blogorail."

Today's topic is Best Picture Taking Tips for Disney! This is a great topic because taking pictures at Disney is one of our favorite things to do. Besides, what better place to capture memories than the home of magical castles, mountains, fairies, and princesses?

With that said, here are some of our best picture taking tips:

~Have a Cast Member or PhotoPass Photographer take a family photo for you, especially in front of the castle. They will happily do it for free! Also, feel free to ask another guest or family to take a picture for you too. This is a common practice at WDW and most guests are happy to do so.

~Take impromptu photos. Don't stage all your photos, but rather keep your cameron ready to capture the little moments, including your kids' expressions! These random shots will probably mean more to you than the staged ones later on.

~Pay attention to length and width. What do we mean by this? Think about your pics before you take them and consider whether a vertical or horizontal shot is best. For example, if the object of your photo is tall, consider taking a vertical photo, like the one of Mr. Ray in the photo to the left. The empty, extra stuff on either side only detracts from the main objects

~Want to get that classic shot of the castle or the Partner's statue without crowds and peoples heads in the way? Arrive at the parks early or book an early breakfast reservation and stop for pics along the way.

~Bring a waterproof camera. You can get some great photos and capture some of your vacation's best moments by bringing a waterproof camera to your resort pool or water park! Position yourself at the base of the waterslide to capture your child's grin or iin the wave pool right before a wave crashes overhead!

~Give your kids the camera for awhile and see WDW through their eyes! It's sure to be amusing too.

~Take pictures on cloudy days. It has been said that cloudy skies are better for picturing taking; but I always like those pics with clear, blue sunny skies in the background too! In that case, try to take your pictures with the Florida sun behind you.

~Consider taking a photo from a different angle! Feeling artistic? Get a picture of an icon, building, or piece of decor from a different angle for a whole new perspective. It's a lot of fun to do this with the castle, with the balloon vendors on Main Street, or pieces of decor, such as this chandelier in the lobby of the Boardwalk. 

~Take your camera into the shops and take pictures of yourself trying on some of Disney's fun hats! Or pose with some fun merchandise!

~Have your camera ready at sunset! For those guests who have simple, digital cameras, getting nighttime shots can be tricky. So to capture the parks in a different light, I like to wait until around sunset to snap some pics of the parks with a multicolored sky and evening shadows!

So those are some our best picture taking tips! We hope you enjoyed them; and if you have some of your own, feel free to share in a comment below.

"Thank you for joining Magical Blogorail Orange this month. Our next loop will be Tuesday, September 18th with an all new theme. Keep checking in with our blogs in between loops to keep up to date with our Disney info, photos and stories. If you are looking for more Disney magic, you can make your way over to The Magical Blogorail website to see all our members and their blogs, as well as all our previous loops.”

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Loop should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1st Stop ~ Your Highway in the Sky

2nd Stop ~ Focused on the Magic

3rd Stop ~ Heidi’s Head

4th Stop ~ Disney on Wheels

Final Stop ~ A Glass Slipper Vacation (You're here)

It's probably no secret to our loyal readers that we are big fans of Disney pins and a great deal of our souvenir budget is spent at the pin carts at the parks and resorts! However, our Disney pin hobby doesn't end when we leave the parks as we like to display our pins while back in reality; and many Disney guests have found some great ways to do so.

But on our last trip to Walt Disney World, we ran across a new souvenir which serves as a great way to not only store, but display, our Disney pins while at home in professional and purely Disney way!

Disney is now selling Create-Your-Own Pin Display Kits. This consists of a foam board on which you arrange your pins, along with another thin, foam overlay which features a cut-out of Mickey Mouse or Cinderella Castle! When you place the cut-out over your pins, you have a pin collage in the shape of either one of these Disney icons. Cool, right?

Once its framed, your board will look like one of Disney's collectible frame collages you find for sale! But it's all yours and you made it yourself!

This is also a great gift for kids, as they can arrange and re-arrange their pins in this easy foam board as much as they want. In addition, they can display it in their rooms and they are sure to be proud since they did it themselves.

These foam board kits are reasonably priced at around $20. So be sure to check these out on your next trip, we think it's a great investment or just lots of fun for a pin trader and collector whether young or old!