Kick Off Your Shoes & Stay A While!

Welcome to what i'm referring to as my new room!

Doesn't she look lovely? I've had the Banana Business boys working hard on her and i'm so happy with the result. I was in the mood for a little change around here to match the changes that are going on in my personal life and i love the new doo.

When i say 'my new room' i feel as though Legs is turning into a bit on an inner sanctum; here you get to hear all of my opinions, first hand, all about my life, loves and loathes, as well as girly chats about make up, hair and fashion! Plus, the best part of it all is the lovely ladies i've met along the way. It's become a little like my own bedroom so welcome on in! Throw off your shoes, pull up a chair and stay a while!

The Boys are ironing out a few kinks at the moment so bare with us, we'll be fully up and running in no time! In the mean time why don't you take a look around at my most recent posts!

Thanks for stopping by,

K|xo

American Beauty #1: ORLY Polish

While i was away i took full advantage of being in a country i know to have some great beauty products. Watching gorgeous beauty gurus on Youtube - Such as Missglamorazzi and Amarixe - have teased me into the world of American beauty but finally getting to visit the drugstores and cosmetics chains myself, i indulged.

I'm not sure why but i seemed to come away with a mammoth of nail varnish, there was just too many beautiful colours and brands i wanted to try. My first port of call was ORLY, a brand i've always eyed up in Boots but have rolled my eyes at the price. Now, i don't know if it's me but i'm pretty sure the bottles i've spyed in Boots are a lot smaller than the ones i picked up from CVS. Maybe that's just me but i was very impressed with the amount of product you got for about $8. They were also better than i expected in dry time, i was a little worried that they'd be awful as i'm a real quick drying polish fiend but actually they weren't too bad. Maybe a little bit longer than my all time love, Models Own, but altogether nothing awful.

I decided to stick with two as the range that CVS carried was a little limited, but these two really stuck out to me - unlike anything else i have in my collection.

 ORLY Nail Polish in Oh, Cabana Boy

I already knew i wanted to check out Cabana Boy as i'd seen Fleur rave about it a couple of months ago. It's so unlike me and i'm not really sure what's happened to me over the last month or so. I used to be opposed to pink, just because i like to be girly but nothing too pretty, prissy, flouncy girly and to me pink was just that. However, lately pink seems to be sneaking its way into my wardrobe first in a gorgeous tunic top and now into my nail polish! I don't think i own anything like this in my current collection, actually i don't think i own anything pink so this is a nice addition. I love that it's not plain it's super bright and a gorgeous shade. I was worried that it's shimmer would be a bit too much for me but actually it's really flattering and insanely beautiful. It's the perfect match for my new neon pink Victoria Secret PINK top too!

ORLY Nail Polish in Terracotta

I actually went and came back to this shade as i wasn't sure if it was for me. For starters i'm not entirely sure what colour i'd call this; in the store i thought it was somewhere between the orange and coral, when i got it home it looked somewhere between the pink and orange and when applied it seemed a lot more red, however it's actually a really lovely shade to have in my collection. It appears really classic but without being too 'trendy' like a classic red nail. It's girly without being too out there and really adorns the hands. I'm actually really in love with it and am glad that i've got it for future occasions.

Have you ever given ORLY a go and if so what are your favourite shades? I'm desperate to try out some new colours!

K|xo

Honey, I'm Home!

So, i'm finally home after what seems like forever and i've kind of fallen off the blogging train a little. Since arriving home, on Friday, i've spent my time unpacking, finding my feet and spending time with my boyfriend after not seeing each other for a month - too long.

However, i'm finally back and beginning to think about blogging again - but the break was kinda nice!

So, i hope you all enjoyed my WDW posts while i was away, i'm glad they scheduled because i was worried they'd give out on me and it'd be a little quiet around these parts. I had the loveliest time away, i think it was some time that i needed away from reality and all computers, phones and social media. It's a bit of a jungle out there in the land of Twitter, and such, so it was great to get away from that for a while. It was also great to spend some time in my one of my favourite places in the world again, especially with my lovely parents.

I thought to ease myself back in i'd just do a little introductory post and some holiday snaps to keep you guys happy. I had a great time and now i'm back to the gloomy English weather, it's a little hard to bare!

A Towl Mickey to Welcome us | EPCOT's Spaceship Earth | Mickey's Sorcerer Hat | Catchy Slogan from the Streets of New York Scene | Hollywood Tower of Terror | Beauty & The Beast | Giraffe on Safari | Gorilla on a Wildlife Trek | Stormy Florida Sky | Cinderella's Castle by Night | Wishes Fireworks over Cinderella's Castle | Cat in the Hat in Seuss Landing, at Universal Studios | The Wizarding World of Harry Potter | Rhinos on Safari | Shamu at Seaworld Orlando | Shamu, Mum & Baby Shamu at Seaworld Orlando | Clyde & Seamore take Pirate Island

Hope you're all having a lovely British Summer! Back soon with regular posting.

K|xo

Where in Walt Disney World: Overall

I am a HUGE Disney buff, and my specialist subject would be Walt Disney World. I've been lucky enough to visit Disneyland in California and the one in Paris, but WDW is by far my favourite and in my opinion the ultimate.

After many years of travelling to the Sunshine state of Florida, and visiting Disney World i thought i'd impart some wisdom, tips and tricks, the best things to do and maybe what not to, just in case any of you are ever thinking of taking the trip or maybe i can intrigue you to do so. So, get ready for a the ultimate guide to Walt Disney World and the surrounding area while i'm away at the same destination!

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Walt Disney World covers 30,080 acres and holds four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site Disney themed resorts and 8 resorts that aren't Disney owned. You can even find a campground, two spas and physical fitness centres, five golf courses and a plethora of other recreational activities and entertainment. Walt Disney developed the resort in the early 1960's but sadly died in 1966 before his original plans were fully recognised and before it's completion in 1971. Disney World opened on October 1st 1971 with only the Magic Kingdom but EPCOT was added in 1982, Hollywood Studios - formerly MGM Studios - in 1989 and Animal Kingdom in 1998.

It's a place where dreams are made. Come with me and explore the ins and outs of the happiest place on earth.

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So, it's come to end of our Walt Disney World journey and it has been a pleasure to share it with you. I've tried to add in hints and tips along the way, but there's so much exciting information to tell you that i decided to do one last post with as many tips and tricks i could think of. So, without further ado here is what i've learnt along the way and through the many years of holidaying at WDW.

The thing i would say first and foremost is that if you're the kind of person who wants to wake up at 11am, lounge on the beach and tan for hours, this definitely isn't the holiday for you. I'm certainly not one of those people and honestly, i can't think of anything much more boring. An important tip, i would say, is to get to the parks fairly early. I'm not saying get up at the crack of dawn but getting there early is practical as well a good idea. Not only because it means you can get a lot done before the crowds descend but also because it means you can do a lot before heat gets too intense, and this is especially important if you've got little'uns as the midday heat can often be too much. If you stay on Disney property in a Disney Resort hotel then you're also eligible for 'Disney Magic Hours', this means that you're allowed into the park some two hours before the rest of the public are allowed entry and you're also allowed to stay beyond the regular closing time to give you extra time to do those things that were a little too busy at the peak daytimes.

Something that's also a great advantage of staying on Disney property is it means you get to park for free at any of the Disney parks, water or otherwise. That may not sound like a lot but it sure does save a hell of a lot of money in the long run as a day parking fee can be $15, and if you want to take advantage of my next tip then this could also be particularly pricey.

Something that i take advantage of, usually more towards the end of the trip when i've take full advantage of the parks and done what i want to do, is using my hopper ticket to skip from park to park, all in one day. I think that hopper tickets are a little pricier but it means you're not restricted to one place, for example i love to do the Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom in the morning, because a lot of the best attractions are outside, or at least the queuing areas are, so when the weather gets a little extreme i skip on over to EPCOT or Hollywood studios and take advantage of the more indoor rides and shows. It also means that i can check out Fantasmic! in the evening, when it's gotten a lot cooler!

As i've mentioned multiple times now the weather in Florida can be really intense, come rain or shine - more often so shine if you'll be visiting during the Summer months. A great thing that the americans use EVERYWHERE is aircon and i highly recommend you take advantage of that! It really takes the edge off the heat if you hop in and out of the air conditioning, so when you're really feeling too hot pop into a near by shop or hop on an indoor ride to give yourself some time out of the sun, it honestly helps!

Another, maybe less obvious, weather problem with Disney World is the rain. The Summer months are pretty predictable, it's seriously hot for most of the day but around two o'clock a sudden, short downpour occurs. Now, this isn't so much a bad thing because it's still not cold but a nice break from the searing heat but you don't always want to get soaking wet nor layer up in macs so my best tip is to buy a WDW poncho with a fetching Mickey Mouse on, that'll keep you dry but not overheating. Perfect!

Disney has a great way to skip the lines and do all your favourites faster, it's called a Fastpass. It works by you visiting the ride that you want to enjoy, but with the line being an hour plus wait. So, all you have to do is go to it's Fastpass distribution area and check the time of return. Put your Disney ticket into the Fastpass machine and it will give you a ticket offering a time slot for you to return. When it's your time to come back, you join the Fastpass queue instead of the regular one and you get to skip a lot of the wait time. You're only allowed so many Fastpasses at one time, your ticket will also tell you the time for when you can get your next Fastpass and the machines won't issue you any until that time. It's a great way to jump the queues and do your favourite rides quicker.

Walt Disney World has numerous delicious and world renowned restaurants from EPCOTS cultural delicacies, like Canada's infamous Le Cellier to Cinderalla's Royal Table in her Magic Kingdom Castle. Of course there are hundreds more eateries that specialise in quick service food, where you can pick up salads, sandwiches, burgers and chips and take the weight off your feet but Disney also has some amazing sit down, three course options that aren't to be missed. However, like i said before some of these are world renowned and people come far and wide just to eat here so if there's somewhere you're desperate to try out, might it be Chef Mickey's for an encounter with the big cheese or the French Pavilion's Les Chef de France for a chance of spying Ratatouille's big star Remy the mouse, then i highly recommend you try to book well in advance of your stay at Disney. This can be done through the Disney website or through your travel agent, or if you do forget all about it - or find somewhere you'd like to try while you're on holiday - then the cast members at the front desk of your Disney Resort Hotel will be more than happy to help.

I'm now about to tell you about my best kept Disney World holiday secret, and it also has to do with eating. It may come as no surprise to you that eating in the Disney parks, or at resorts, can become pricey if you're doing it regularly - like staying for a two week holiday - especially as there's breakfast, lunch and dinner to think about. So, while i'm away i rarely eat dinner inside the Disney boundaries. I'm not quite sure how it was discovered, whether it was a recommendation or by pure chance, but during dinnertime you can usually find me at a restaurant called the Ponderosa on the I4, that happens to be very near Disney World. It's a buffet style restaurant that's amazingly priced but seriously delicious. It works by you choosing a main course from a wide selection of everything from steak to fish. While you're waiting for your main course you're encouraged to check out the buffet that has so many options of salad, chicken, tacos, soup, pasta and beyond. It's all you can eat so you can visit the buffet as much as you like, before and after your main course, but there's also a dessert stand that has some delicious options like cookies and brownies. They also do a brilliant breakfast buffet too. Honestly, the pricing is amazing for what you get and it'll save you plenty of dollar!

Lucky enough for me, i've visited Disney World every year with my parents and we have chosen to hire a car, however if you decide to stay at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel then you have full usage of the Disney World Transportation Buses. These go from all Disney World Resorts to all the parks, waterparks and Downtown Disney area so you can get around the World freely, without having your own car. This a great advantage and will save you money overall, there's even the Disney Magical Express to escort you from the Airport to your Resort hotel. I would say the only disadvantage is that if you ever wanted to visit anything else in the Orlando area, or otherwise, it's difficult to get there. For example Universal Studios, Seaworld, Aquatica, Wet 'n' Wild or the amazing outlet malls Florida is famous for but the bus service can be of serious help if you're lacking a car. We still like to use the Disney Transportation sometimes if Dad wants a break from all the driving, they're seriously handy.

I would say those are my top tips for holidaying at Walt Disney World and this post marks the end of my Where in Walt Disney World series! Thank you so much for coming along with me and normal posts will resume shortly! Thanks for sticking around.

K|xo

All Images Sourced from Google Images

Where in Walt Disney World: The All Star Resorts

I am a HUGE Disney buff, and my specialist subject would be Walt Disney World. I've been lucky enough to visit Disneyland in California and the one in Paris, but WDW is by far my favourite and in my opinion the ultimate.

After many years of travelling to the Sunshine state of Florida, and visiting Disney World i thought i'd impart some wisdom, tips and tricks, the best things to do and maybe what not to, just in case any of you are ever thinking of taking the trip or maybe i can intrigue you to do so. So, get ready for a the ultimate guide to Walt Disney World and the surrounding area while i'm away at the same destination!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Walt Disney World covers 30,080 acres and holds four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site Disney themed resorts and 8 resorts that aren't Disney owned. You can even find a campground, two spas and physical fitness centres, five golf courses and a plethora of other recreational activities and entertainment. Walt Disney developed the resort in the early 1960's but sadly died in 1966 before his original plans were fully recognised and before it's completion in 1971. Disney World opened on October 1st 1971 with only the Magic Kingdom but EPCOT was added in 1982, Hollywood Studios - formerly MGM Studios - in 1989 and Animal Kingdom in 1998.

It's a place where dreams are made. Come with me and explore the ins and outs of the happiest place on earth.

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The Disney All Star Resorts are considered 'value' hotels, therefore they're cheaper than a lot of the other Disney resorts and cater towards families. There are three themed options: Disney All Star Sports, Disney All Star Music and Disney All Star Movies, each catering to a separate passion. The main difference between all three resorts is the decor however the rooms and the food court are pretty much identical. I say this because often you travel companies, etc, give deals on these hotels so don't be disheartened if the one you're ofter isn't on offer because they're all very similar as well as being close together, so are easy to visit to see the sights. The really cool thing about these hotels are the amazing larger than life statues that lean against the blocks of rooms. Each resort has statues relating to their theme, for example Movies has a giant Pongo and Perdita looking over it's guests, Music has a different music related icon for each block eg. cowboy boots, jukeboxes, xylophones and Sports has oversized tennis rackets, american footballs and all sorts of sport related objects.

 We'll start with Disney's All Star Sports as this is the resort i know least about, as i haven't stayed there personally. However, all three are almost identical just variation on the themes. All Star Sports has ten hotel blocks, divided into five pairs of three storey buildings; Hoops Hotel, Surf's Up!, Center Court, Touchdown and Homerun Hotel with Stadium Hall housing the main lobby, check in desk, the End Zone food court, the Sport Goofy's Gifts and Sundries shop and the Game Point Arcade. The resort has two swimming pools; the main beach themed Surfboard Bay Pool and the smaller Grand Slam Pool shaped like a baseball diamond. The smaller of the two has a Goofy atop a mound, in the middle, but instead of hitting baseballs he shoots a fountain of water at swimmers. "In addition to making a splash at the 2 swimming pools, kids can climb, slide and play at the Resort's playground and enjoy video and pinball games at the Game Point Arcade."

 In the End Zone food court you can surround yourself with sporting paraphernalia and where you can order quick meals form breakfast pancakes to dinner burgers. This range of resorts is also categorised under the 'value' price range so you can rest assured that the food courts are very reasonably priced.

 I love the All Star Movies Resort. This is the resort that salutes some of Disney's classic films, such as Disney Pixar's Toy Story, Fantasia and the Mighty Ducks. Like Sport, it's divided into five pairs of three storey buildings with each pair named after one of the featured movies; 101 Dalmatians, Mighty Ducks, Fantasia, Toy Story and The Love Bug. Each block boasts larger than life icons from the blocks film name, for example the Toy Story section features a 27 foot tall bucket of Green Army Men, a 30 foot tall Woody icon and a 47 foot tall Buzz Lightyear. The buildings are painted in bright colours with beautiful details as well as some hidden surprises.

The main building, named Cinema Hall, houses the lobby and check in desk, the 'World Premiere' food court, Donald's Double Feature shop and the Reel Fun Arcade. The World Premiere Food Court has five movie 'marquees' feature fresh and quick food options, from omelettes to pasta served in a setting that resembles a grand movie theatre. Also like All Star Sports, Movies has two swimming pools. The main Sorcerer's Apprentice themed Fantasia pool and the smaller Duck Pond pool shaped like a hockey rink, surrounded by the Mighty Ducks resort blocks.

Now for the final All Star Resort; Music and actually the resort i'll be staying at during this holiday. Another of Disney's value hotels, All Star Music features giant icons that pay homage to classic music genres, including Jazz and Broadway. Again there are five pairs of three story buildings with each being themed after a different musical genre; Calypso, Jazz Inn, Rock Inn, Country Fair and Broadway Hotel, each adorned with huge musical instruments, and icons. Up until the brand new Art of Animation Resort opened, All Star Music was the only value resort to offer homes to the larger Disney families. At this resort there are suites available to sleep up to six.

This resort's main building is called Melody hall and like the others houses the lobby and check in desk, the Intermission Food Court, Maestro Mickey's shop and the Note'able Games Arcade and of course, there's always the option to take a swim with the choice of two - the main guitar shaped Calypso pool and the smaller grand piano shaped Piano pool. The Calypso pool features a colourful fountain depicting the Three Caballeros - Donald Duck, José Carioca and Panchito. The Intermission Food Court is the place to find french toast to pizza and sandwiches to quesadillas, all in the surroundings of murals and iconic musicians. 

All three of these resorts have great facilities available to cover all sorts of different needs. At the concierge desk, in the main lobby, the cast members can help you buy Disney park and water park tickets as well as book dinner reservations throughout Walt Disney World and secure show seats. All the resorts have coin operational laundry facilities and dry cleaning, and laundry service is available for pick up from the front desk. If you're looking for a few hours away from the kids there are several childcare services available at the resorts, to keep your kids happy and safe. If you're staying late at the parks or you just fancy some time in your room, catching up on the Disney Channel, why not order in one of the delicious hot pizzas, sandwiches, salads or desserts direct to your door. There are multiple facilities for guests with disabilities and any cast member would be happy to to expand on what's on offer, but there are accessible paths to all blocks, pools, car parks and main lobby to make for easy access throughout the resorts. The rooms come complete with cable TV and Disney programming, wi-fi in rooms as well as select public spaces, hairdryers, iron and ironing boards, mini fridges as well as the resort has self-parking and pack & play playards available from the main reception. The resorts also have arcades and playgrounds to keep the littleun's active and happy, they all have their own gift and sundries shop or why not try walking or jogging the all star trail, that's around one mile long and trail cards can be found at the concierge desk.


I'm very excited to be back at these wonderful resorts, especially because of their great value and facilities. I hope you get the chance to experience them too!

K|xo

All images sourced from Google Images