Disney resorts

Our version of Main Street Bakery Cinnamon Rolls

Published on May 8, 2020 by Adventure is Out There Travel, LLCLeave a comment

When your son turns 9 during Coronavirus, you get creative with what will bring him joy. I asked our son what we could do at home to make his 9^th birthday special he quickly responded with make Disney Cinnamon Rolls. Is he our son or what?

Over the last few weeks, a lot of butter has been used and we have tried the recipe several times, but we have enjoyed a lot of time together as a family in the kitchen. I think this is a memory our kids will certainly have of this crazy time.

We will celebrate this amazing boy on Sunday, May 10 by making this special recipe. Here it is if you are looking for a special treat for your family. It would also make a great treat for a mother, but I must add your kitchen will be a bit of a mess after this recipe. Keep that in mind if you are trying to show your love to those special Mommas out there.

Dough

1^st set out butter and cream cheese to room temperature (set out for a few hours)
2^nd in a small bowl mix ½ c water, 2 Tbsp sugar, 2 packets active yeast with a fork
3^rd in a large bowl mix 1 packet (3.4 oz) of vanilla pudding and 2 c of milk with a whisk. Melt 1 stick of butter and mix with pudding mixture. Then add 2 eggs to the mixture. Next, add the yeast mixture. After mixing the yeast in pour this into a mixer.
4^th fold in 8 c of flour to the mixer.
Let the dough rise. Cover with saran wrap. (may take over an hour)

While you are waiting for the dough to rise, you should make the filling.

Filling

2 cups brown sugar
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
Stir the above with a fork

Once your dough rises, flour the surface where you are going to roll it out. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 34”x21”. The dough needs to be a nice even layer (not too thick or too thin). Next, melt 1 stick of butter and paint all over the dough. Now get the cinnamon & brown sugar mixture needs to be sprinkled all over the dough.

Start at one end of the dough and slowly roll into one long jellyroll. Take a sharp serrated knife and cut into 1”-1 ½” pieces. Set the rolls into a buttered pan that you will bake the rolls in. Space the rolls several inches apart because they will expand. Bake at 350˚ for 20 minutes.

Frosting

8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1 stick of butter at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 c powdered sugar
3 Tbsp milk

In a medium-sized bowl mix the cream cheese, butter, vanilla extra, and slowly add in powdered sugar. Fold in milk one tablespoon at a time to make sure frosting is at the desired consistency.

Once your cinnamon rolls have slightly cooled drizzle a layer of frosting on top. Enjoy!

Please email me with any questions or suggestions. My email is tracy@adventureisouttheretravel.com.

Tracy Eggenberger

Want to see more Disney recipes? Check out Susan’s bread pudding recipe here.

A Stay at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

Published on August 16, 2017August 16, 2017 by Rebecca1 Comment

On a recent trip to Walt Disney World, we decided to finalize our “stay at every resort” challenge and booked a stay at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. After countless trips, and visits to the resort, how have we never stayed here? Well, I have a guess, and it may be because we are from New England and felt like the theming would be the same as where we live, so why not stay somewhere where the décor is different. But that was just silly. This picturesque seaside resort has just risen to the top of my favorites list!

Yacht Club is one of Disney’s Deluxe Resorts. It is located behind Epcot on the Boardwalk. It connects to Disney’s Beach Club Resort in more ways than one. You can walk from one resort to the other, as they are literally connected. They share a pool (more on that later), Ship Shape fitness center, restaurants, and a fabulous location.

The décor of the resort upon entering is more formal than its sister Beach Club, which I liked! You can see this in the dark wood furniture, chandeliers, and brass accents. It was a nice change to find a lobby that was quiet with not

much of the “hussle-bussle” we have seen in other resorts. The exterior of the resort has a gray and white clapboard appearance with a meticulously cared for lawn.

The rooms at the Yacht Club are currently undergoing a beautiful modern refurbishment! Upon entering the room I was surprised to see the changes already! The location of our room was at the end of one hallway. The walk from the lobby was lengthy, and one elevator was turned off due to construction. But there was a door to a staircase which put us on the Boardwalk quickly! It may be worthwhile to request a room closer to the lobby, but we enjoy the extra steps so it was no bother to us.

Restaurants at the resort are great too. When I was there in July, there was a bit of construction going on behind cleverly placed walls. What’s happening behind them is the creation of a new lobby lounge and the new Ale & Compass Restaurant, which will replace the former Captain’s Grille. This new gastro-pub style restaurant will present a New England-inspired menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The plans for the cozy lighthouse-inspired décor look really cool.

Other restaurants and lounges include the Marketplace at Ale & Compass for a quick bite to eat, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Crew’s Cup Lounge, Beaches ‘n Cream Soda Shop (you gotta order the No Way Jose, you’ll thank me), andCape May Café (which has a great character breakfast). There are even more but we didn’t visit them this trip.

One afternoon we abandoned Epcot and had fun in the pool . Storm-a-Long Bay is often considered the “best” pool at a Disney resort, for many reasons. Most prominently is its sand bottom! Yes! when you get in the pool, you are walking on sand! Weird at first, but then it seems really neat. There is also a lazy river and amazing pirate-ship slide! Now, I don’t do water slides, but I did this one and loved it! Because of its popularity, cast members do check magic bands to ensure you are staying at Yacht Club or Beach Club and give you a bracelet granting access for the day.

Another great feature of this resort is its location. You can quickly walk to Epcot, a little bit longer walk to Hollywood Studios, or you can take a short boat ride!

My family and I just loved this resort. The beautiful décor, quiet ambience, super cool pool, variety of restaurants, and location to the parks makes it the perfect choice. We will be staying here again on our next trip!

-Bekka C

As an aside, this resort would be PERFECT for a honeymoon or couples getaway!

Did You Know Volume #1: Valet Parking

Published on January 22, 2017January 22, 2017 by aiottravelrobLeave a comment

This past September, my family spent a weekend at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge for a joint celebration of my son’s 16^th birthday and my 40^th (wow, that hurts to type). When we pulled in on Friday morning, I decided to use Disney’s valet service. Outside of Tables in Wonderland, this would be my first time using Disney’s valet service.

I am that guy that likes to drive myself around Disney property; nothing against Disney transportation, I’m just a control freak!

After we checked in and had a bite for lunch, we called upon the valet to retrieve our car so we could head over to the Magic Kingdom for a few hours before closing out the day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. While waiting for our vehicle, an attendant asked if we needed any directions or help. Being a Disney Super Dad, I said, “No Thank You.” The attendant then asked where we were headed, and I replied, “Magic Kingdom.” This is when I learned, thanks to another great Cast Member, that once you pay the daily valet fee (currently $25.00) at any of Disney’s Deluxe Resorts, you can also use the valet service at any of the other Deluxe Resorts (on the same date) without having to repay the fee.

Upon hearing this, I immediately felt like a schmuck, after all, I know everything, I’m a Disney Super Dad, remember…

Much to my surprise, we were able to drive into Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa; use valet service, then hop the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom (I’m a simple guy and am easily impressed by the little pleasures, lol).

Now, anyone who’s visited the Magic Kingdom knows that getting from the parking lot to the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC) then over to the Magic Kingdom, can at times, be a bit arduous; especially if you’re carrying little ones. Well… Here’s your tip of the day: you can utilize valet parking at one of the monorail resorts, and then hop the monorail to the Magic Kingdom.

Now, I must throw out a disclaimer… You are going to have to pass through security to get into any Disney resort; however, security at the monorail resorts can be especially “picky” (especially during peak times). Therefore, you will need a “reason” to be at the resort (i.e. dining reservation, spa appointment, etc.). In our case, we were already staying at a Deluxe Resort and had paid for the valet service, so security let us in. In the past, you could simply say that you wanted to “look around” or “visit” the resort. That is not always a guarantee now…

When using valet parking, it is important to remember that the fee you pay goes to Disney and not the valet attendant; so please, please, please remember to tip the attendant.

Another point to keep in mind, when you pay to park at a Walt Disney World Park, you can use that receipt to avoid paying the parking fee at another park on the same day. This does not apply to valet parking and park hopping. If you paid for valet service at a resort (and you are not a resort guest), you will still need to pay the parking fee at the park.

Well, that’s enough out of me for this month!