Adventures and Mousecapades: A Podcast About Disney

OMG - our lunch at the new Steakhouse 71 during our recent trip to see the Mouse in Florida was INCREDIBLE! This week's episode is our review of the reimagined Waves Restaurant, now going as Steakhouse 71. It's incredible food at moderate prices (at least for by Disney standards), and the 15 layer chocolate cake is to die for. Just make sure you eat before you listen! ---- Adventures &am...

Let's face it - we're all busy and when it comes to getting ready to go on vacation you are either the kind of person who starts packing a month in advance, or you're up until the middle of the night right before you leave hoping you don't forget anything. Frankly, we're a little more in the latter camp, but we do start getting prepared long before that sleepless night. Th...

This week we offer our trip report for our Merrytime Cruise back in 2016 on the Disney Fantasy to the Easter Caribbean, with stops at Tortola, St. Thomas, and Castaway Cay. We got spoiled in concierge this cruise, had an incredible dinner at Remy onboard, sailed for the first time with Aristocat Charters, and enjoyed a cabana on Castaway. And of course there was plenty of Disney magic to go around...

We're back to Disney World on this week's episode as we remember our time in the parks before our Christmas Cruise. We stayed in a 3 bedroom grand villa at Bay Lake Tower with a beautiful view of Magic Kingdom and the fireworks - what a treat that was! Give a listen to find out one of our favorite places to view the fireworks from in the Magic Kingdom - and it's not where you think...

Sometimes your travel plans take a left turn at Albuquerque. Sometimes they take a right turn in Orlando. This week we have to think on the fly as our travel plans change at the last minute and we have to defer our sailing on the Wish until the spring, and instead find accommodations for a week somewhere in Florida. Stressful? Yes. Amazing in the end? Absolutely! Hear how we pivoted from a 4 night...

The timing worked out and we were able to attend the first MNSSHP in three years! For those of you who don't know all the Disney acronyms, that's Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. We had a great time sampling some of the food, snagging some Mummy Mickey popcorn buckets, engaging with live actors on Pirates of the Caribbean, and enjoying the Disney's Not So Spooky Spectacul...

This week we're joined by Wendy Spies, who recently cruised on the Halcyon ... otherwise known as the Galactic Starcruiser at Disney World in Florida. Hear all about her family's experience from the character interactions and story elements, to the food, to kids hanging out in the bar playing Sabaac. Truly her experience showcases the magic that Disney Imagineers and Cast Members create,...

Join us as we explore the amazing island of Oahu from our home away from home, Disney's Aulani Resort. Highlights of our 8 night stay included the impressive Polynesian Cultural Center, the various museums and memorials at Pearl Harbor, and a jump scare moment when the tsunami warning sirens went off as we were driving by the beach. And rest assured, we spent PLENTY of time sitting out on our...

A tropical paradise to explore and enjoy, Maui is one of our favorite places on earth. While our Disney trips are often "go go go", time in Hawaii is the exact opposite for us. This week we cover the first half of our island hopping trip back in 2016, without the kiddos. Join us as we explore the rugged coastline, touch the stars, and have meals that we still dream about to this day. ---...

Join us this week as we get a preview of the new Disney Studios and World War II exhibit at the Museum of Flight here in Seattle. Since we have a family membership to the Museum, we were able to attend a lecture by the exhibit's curator (and MoF Trustee) Kent Ramsey. This was a fascinating look at what Walt & Co. were up to during the war, why Donald Duck was so popular with the troops, a...

On to Disneyland for this heavily pixie dusted leg of our 2015 adventure. We get a surprise stay in the Adventureland Suite at Disneyland Hotel, experience the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay on Haunted Mansion, and enjoy Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Plus, join us as we discover what happens when a 4 year old gets a bit too overwhelmed. ---- Adventures & Mousecapades is a pas...

Ahoy Mateys! It's time for double the fun as we board the Disney Wonder for a back to back family adventure in the fall of 2015. Join us as we take a train from Seattle to Vancouver, BC for a repositioning cruise down to San Diego, and then witness the transformation of the ship for Halloween on the High Seas. This episode has planes, trains, automobiles, busses, and cruise ships, and a whole...

We see lots of first-time cruisers, or first timers with Disney Cruise Line at least, asking some common questions on various message boards about how things work on the Mickey Boat. This week we tackle some common Q's and turn them into A's, and lend some lessons learned along the way too. Disney Cruising is always changing, and even we learn new stuff, so whether this is your first exc...

This week we cover 10 tips and tricks for going to a Disney park with little kiddos in tow. From packing favorite snacks to setting healthy expectations about how much you can do in a day, it really is possible to enjoy a Disney visit with infants and toddlers. What's your favorite tip for hitting the parks with Junior Mousketeers? Let us know! And yes, Alicea did catch come down with Covid t...

Alicea had the great pleasure to work at Star Wars Celebration 2022 a couple weeks ago, spending the weekend with none other than Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) herself! What a sweet gig! We get a glimpse behind the scenes and hear how Alicea got into all this in the first place. May The Force be with you! Mentioned in this episode are: Ahsoka Tano | Wookieepedia Her Universe | Fashion for Fangirls...

Alicea had an opportunity to visit Disneyland a couple weeks ago all by herself. Flying solo in the parks has some definite perks, and can even be relaxing if you want it to be. Is Genie Plus worth it for a relaxing chill day in the parks? The answer may surprise you! ---- Adventures & Mousecapades is a passion project from Alicea & Nathan Novak - two Seattleites addicted to The Mouse. We...

Visiting a domestic Disney park in 2022 is complicated, and the new Genie and Genie+ services, plus Individual Lightning Lane Selections (i.e. pay-per-ride "fancy rides"), and all the rules around how and when you can use them are a big cause of that complication, confusion, frustration, and added cost. This week we talk about these offerings and our experience with them in Disneyland ov...

Following up on last week's episode, we look across the plaza to Disney's California Adventure Park and the highlights from our recent spring break trip. We enjoyed the new Avengers Campus and Pixar Pier, learned a few things about ride redemption passes, and even discovered a couple a trick that could help you choose the fastest line at the ticket gates. ---- Adventures & Mousecapad...

This week we dig into our recent trip to Disneyland over spring break, focusing on Disneyland Park. Hear what we loved and what we unfortunately missed, what it was like with big crowds, and how many attempts it took us to make it all the way through Rise of the Resistance without a breakdown. Hint: many. ---- Adventures & Mousecapades is a passion project from Alicea & Nathan Novak - two...

You're heard from him a little bit, but this week it's time to really meet our son Sterling. Come along as we explore Disney from the eyes of a 10 year old who's been going on Disney trips since before he remembers. Sterling and Nathan also plot how to complete a "Grand Slam" on Disney Cruise Line before anybody else in the family. ---- Adventures & Mousecapades is a p...

This week we share our experiences as guests at the world famous Club 33 at Disneyland. We'll talk about the history, how you become a member (bring your checkbook!), and what it's like to dine at this exclusive venue - we're lucky to have been twice! So come along and take a peek behind the door at 33 Royal Street in New Orleans Square. ---- Adventures & Mousecapades is a passi...

Make sure you have a snack ready as you listen along to this week's episode as we recap all the eats and treats we had on our recent trip to Disneyland for Spring Break 2022. From the amazing new Pym Test Kitchen, to California Adventure Food & Wine kiosks, to old favorites like Plaza Inn, there was a LOT of great stuff to enjoy. And of course, churros!!! ---- Adventures & Mousecapade...

Disney's finally coming back to "normal" after the pandemic, and we wanted to talk a little about how Disney reacted to the pandemic and the impacts it had on us as a Disney traveling family. We were literally among the last Disney guests globally when things shut down in March 2020. We had multiple trips cancelled. We experienced Disney World with restrictions and shortages during...

We continue catching you up on our trip reports from the days of yore recapping our first visit to Disney's Aulani Resort & Spa on Oahu in Hawaii. We're DVC owners at Aluani, and this 2014 trip was our first visit to the "door knob" we'd purchased. We visited the Pearl Harbor memorial sites, enjoyed the lazy river, and found a great beach for the kiddos to play in the...

This week we dive into Disney's timeshare offering, Disney Vacation Club. We've been owners at Disney's Aulani Resort in Hawaii since 2013, so we're sharing what we've learned over the years about how DVC works, the benefits of ownership, the costs involved, and the difference it's made in our family. There's a lot in this episode, so buckle up! If you have any q...