Animal Tales Tour at Disney Animal Kingdom - DDG 160

Welcome to the show notes for the Disney Dream Girls podcast for show number 160 for Sunday 28th May 2017. If you wish to listen to the podcast, whilst reading this blog, all you have to do is click on the audio player below. Alternatively, our podcast can be found in most places that host podcasts such as iTunes (click here to subscribe) and Stitcher Radio.
 
Coming up on this weeks show, we are joined by guest Becky Manion to talk about the Animal Tales tour she took at Disney Animal Kingdom as well as the usual Disney chit chat between Michelle and Jayne. 

The tour is approximately three and a half hours long and costs $90. It is offered at 7.30am on most days and can be booked by calling (407) 939-8687. It is suitable for teens upwards and wheelchair/ECV users needs are accomodated for. For tours aim to to enable guests: to have a backstage look at the animal-housing areas; see how their dietary needs are met; see how their veterinary staff care for the animals and find out more about conservation efforts.

For those of you who have been backstage before, you will appreciate it is a very different environment. It can be very industrial looking. For some this may take away the magic of visiting the parks so consider this factor before booking a backstage tour. However, if you want to see the everyday running of a theme park, read on!

On the show, Becky explains the check-in process and what was for her the best part of the tour... being the first guests in the park - meaning picture opportunities! Check-in saw you been given the usual headsets, name badge and a cool metal drinking bottle (filled with water) with the tour name printed on the front.

As Becky did not want to give too many spoilers away on the show but she did share some elements she found interesting such as how their track an animals well-being using glitter and how one animal likes a cup or two of Twinnings tea.

A highlight was getting close to some of the animals. Alas, as this was mostly a backstage tour, photo taking was not permitted hence the picture above is from the WDW website but you do get to visit the Rhinos!

Whilst the tour is not a hands-on experience there was some upclose encounters during the tour. Additionally, Becky did meet a wide range of specialists that spoke about their role in the park. 

To sum up the tour, the price is inline with other Disney experiences (in fact possibly a little less) but $90 is quite high and if you have a large group wishing to take part then the cost will be very high for you. However, if you are keen to find out more about the animals then this is a must.

We hope you have enjoyed this show and if you are looking to book a Disney or indeed any holiday, why not get in touch with our friends over at Holiday Hamster for a quotation  by clicking here.  

Until next time, it is goodbye from us but don't forget to keep up to date with us by ensuring you follow along on all of our social media sites:

Twitter @DisDreamGirls and @JaynePhipps
Facebook - search for Disney Dream Girls
Email - info@disneydreamgirls.com
Instagram Disney_Dream_Girls
If you choose to support us financially (via Patreon) we offer a range of incentives and our eternal thanks for your support. 
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/DisneyDreamGirls 

Cutest Tokyo Disneyland Snacks

Welcome to the show notes for the Disney Dream Girls podcast for show number 159 for Sunday 21st May 2017. If you wish to listen to the podcast, whilst reading this blog, all you have to do is click on the audio player below. Alternatively, our podcast can be found in most places that host podcasts such as iTunes (click here to subscribe) and Stitcher Radio.

 
On this weeks show, we welcome Chris Nilghe of TDR Explorer podcast and together with Michelle they talk about the cutest items you might find in the Tokyo Disneyland Resort but in true Dream Girls fashion, we start with the food.

Photo Credit TDR Explorer Website

1. Dumplings aka Mochi There are a range of different dumplings you can get and I defy anyone to say that these items aren't cute! We mention the two current varieties, firstly the Green Alien dumplings and then the Scrump dumplings. These are made from pounded rice and filled with delicious creams such as strawberry and chocolate. The Scrump ones have three flavours and Chris says his favourite is the sweet potato. Whichever you try, we are sure you will agree that they are highly addictive!

Photo Credit TDR Explorer Website

2. Mickey and Minnie Waffles
Who could resist a clear plastic pot filled with these indulgent treats - especially when served with a side of maple syrup! Yum! These are perfectly light and fluffy and totally do not need to be shared!

Photo Credit TDR Explorer Website

4. Gyoza Dog These are larger than the picture shows! They are filled with ground pork with chives, onion, cabbage, garlic, sesame oil and soy sauce then encased in a dough. This treat is available in Tokyo Disney Sea and sometimes they other seasonal variations. Warning - the lines do get long! Previous guests of the show Kat and Lewis also raved about this treat in past podcast shows.

Photo Credit Kat Maddever

5. Eukiwa Bun
This one is worth buying for the really cute packing alone! You will find Donald Duck bursting through the lifesaver steamed bun! Not for those with a shellfish allergy though as it is full of juicy shrimp!

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6. Chandu Tail
You will find a large variety of steam filled buns in Tokyo, which confused Michelle as she thought buns meant cake! But these are savoury and can have varied fillings. The Chandu tail is packed with creamed chicken and is available at Disney Sea in the Sultan's Oasis. Just look at the picture... they are cute! Increadibly well themed too as I'm sure listeners to the show will recall our love of all things Chandu when we reviewed the boat rides in Tokyo.  However, whilst Chris was a fan, we've read other reviews that say the packaging is more appealing than the snack.

Photo Credit TDR Explorer Website

7. Tapicoa Drinks For a warm day in the parks there is nothing more soothing than this drink and the bonus is they look cute too! They are similar to bubble tea and can be found in many locations.  Some of the tapicoa drinks have the cutest Mickey shaped 'bubbles' in too!

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8. Bread
Now you may think bread... why are you including this daily staple in the cute list? Well look at the pictures! Mike Wazowski Melon bread is a sweetened bread that the Japanese adore and when you taste we think you will agree with them. There are also other delicious styles to try such as Pluto's bone which is filled with chocolate! 

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Have we whetted your appetite yet? To be fair, we do mention lots more snacks on the podcast but we decided to limit this list to a lucky even eight. So make sure you listen in to the podcast for some more snacks, top tips on cutest outfits, Duffy photo spots and the best themed restaurants. 

We can't urge you strongly enough to go over to http://tdrexplorer.com/ and read their blogs, listen to their podcast and watch their youtube videos. They are the best English language podcast for the far east parks.

We hope you have enjoyed this show and if you are looking to book a Disney or indeed any holiday, why not get in touch with our friends over at Holiday Hamster for a quotation  by clicking here.  

Until next time, it is goodbye from us but don't forget to keep up to date with us by ensuring you follow along on all of our social media sites:

Twitter @DisDreamGirls and @JaynePhipps
Facebook - search for Disney Dream Girls
Email - info@disneydreamgirls.com
Instagram Disney_Dream_Girls
If you choose to support us financially (via Patreon) we offer a range of incentives and our eternal thanks for your support. 
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/DisneyDreamGirls   

Disney Dream Girls 158 - Michelle and Jayne's Mid May Disney Madness Show

Welcome to the show notes for the Disney Dream Girls podcast for show number 158 for Sunday 14th May 2017. As always, if you wish to listen to the podcast, whilst reading this blog, all you have to do is click on the audio player below. Alternatively, our podcast can be found in places that host podcasts such as iTunes (click here to subscribe) and Stitcher Radio.

 
This show is a bit of a mixed bag, with our views and opinions on the new Guardians of the Galaxy uplevelled cost event and whether attending Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party on opening night is a good idea. 

Then we move on to our main feature and we pose the question - What would you do in the parks to celebrate your birthday if money was no object? We have one or two ideas for someone with deep pockets to try out!

Please accept our apologies for the short show notes but as it was Michelle's birthday at the weekend she was busy with other things! Normal service will be resumed next week!

We hope you have enjoyed this show and if you are looking to book a Disney or indeed any holiday, why not get in touch with our friends over at Holiday Hamster for a quotation  by clicking here.

Until next time, it is goodbye from us but don't forget to keep up to date with us by ensuring you follow along on all of our social media sites:

Twitter @DisDreamGirls and @JaynePhipps
Facebook - search for Disney Dream Girls
Email - info@disneydreamgirls.com
Instagram Disney_Dream_Girls
If you choose to support us financially (via Patreon) we offer a range of incentives and our eternal thanks for your support. 
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/DisneyDreamGirls   

Disney Dream Girls 157 - Kat and Lewis Review Their Tokyo Trip

Welcome to the show notes for the Disney Dream Girls podcast for show number 157 for Sunday 7th May 2017. As always, if you wish to listen to the podcast, whilst reading this blog, all you have to do is click on the audio player below. Alternatively, our podcast can be found in places that host podcasts such as iTunes (click here to subscribe) and Stitcher Radio.

 
On this weeks show, we are incredibly pleased to welcome back, for their fourth appearance, Kat and Lewis to talk about their trip to Tokyo Disneyland Resort. This trip saw them jubilantly complete the magical loop - meaning they've now visited all of the Disney theme parks in the world!

Photo Credit - Kat Maddever

Celebration T-shirts - Photo Credit Kat Maddever

On the podcast, they discuss their thoughts on staying at Club Level in the Disneyland hotel. They in fact had a turret room, which sounds amazing - right down to the turn down service where Mousekeeping laid out hotel pyjamas for them each day! Despite the amazing theme park view, they did agree that it was not as good value as the other Club Level stays they had in other parks.

Hotel View

We then spoke about the attractions at Tokyo. They then listed their top five but both agreed their favourite was Pooh's Hunny Hunt and they share their top tip on how to get on to the attraction first!

Photo Credit - Kat Maddever

Out of all Disney theme parks, Tokyo is the park that all visitors will agree has the cutest snacks. Kat and Lewis endeavoured to try as many as they physically could! From Kats eagerly anticipate gyoza hot dog to Lewis trying to track down all of the different popcorn flavours. 

On the Popcorn Hunt - Photo Credit Kat Maddever

Fine Dining Bliss - Photo Credit Kat Maddever

Star Wars Snack - Photo Credit Kat Maddever

Kat and her Gyoza Hot Dog - Photo Credit Kat Maddever

Relaxing Lounge Drink - Photo Credit Kat Maddever

For more refined in park dining, they ate at Magellan's and SS Columbia Dining Room as well as drinking in the lounge at Magellan's and the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge. The food was amazing and they thoroughly recommend finding time out from theme park fun to enjoy a delicious meal. 

Why not take a listen to find out about their theme park adventures! If you have a question you would like to ask Kat and Lewis about their travels, email us info@disneydreamgirls.com and we will put these to them on a future podcast.

We hope you have enjoyed this show and if you are looking to book a Disney or indeed any holiday, why not get in touch with our friends over at Holiday Hamster for a quotation  by clicking here.

Until next time, it is goodbye from us but don't forget to keep up to date with us by ensuring you follow along on all of our social media sites:

Twitter @DisDreamGirls and @JaynePhipps
Facebook - search for Disney Dream Girls
Email - info@disneydreamgirls.com
Instagram Disney_Dream_Girls
If you choose to support us financially (via Patreon) we offer a range of incentives and our eternal thanks for your support. 
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/DisneyDreamGirls