By Tink's Agent, Missy.

I recently had the most delicious cookie ever at Gideon's Bakehouse, located in Disney Springs at Walt Disney World®.  The entire process of purchasing the cookie was an experience.  We arrived at Disney Springs for shopping and a dinner reservation at around 5pm.  I had heard from friends the previous day that there were crazy long lines for Gideon's. 

Challenge accepted! I went to see what the buzz about Gideon's was all about.  There was a woman at the end of a short line with an ipad.  I asked how long the line was and she told me three hours.  Then she informed me it was three hours in a virtual queue.  I put my name in and headed to dinner.  About 2 and half hours later I received my text alerting me to head back to Gideon's Bakehouse.  When I got back a woman asked my name and told me to wait in a short line.  About ten minutes later I was at the door. 

Going into Gideon's is an experience.  The doors that you walk through look like dungeon doors.  When you walk in it is dark and a little smokey.  The decor resembles an old library.  Available for purchase are cookies and cakes. All cookies are half pound.  I purchased the chocolate chip and peanut butter crunch.  The clerk told me I should buy the containers of frosting to dip them in. I followed her advice and purchased vanilla and peanut butter frosting.  So good!   Over all, it was a really cool experience and the virtual line made it possible for me to get my yummy treats!

By Tink's Agent, Maggie.

With Christmas less than six months away, I have been reminiscing about my engagement at the one and only Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at the Walt Disney World® Resort. Memories come to mind not just of Walt Disney World, but of one of the most amazing venues to say "I do" at on-property -- Cinderella’s Royal Table!  I was completely surprised by my husband but according to him, Disney helped him plan the whole evening! 

We started with meeting Cinderella before we were seated. She was, of course, as beautiful and regal as ever, then we were seated at a window seat. Apparently this was the ‘best seat in the house’ according to our waiter! We enjoyed a wonderful meal together and then came dessert. They brought out what I was told was a ‘dessert platter’ it was covered with a silver case. They set it down and uncovered it -- and  there was Cinderella's glass slipper!

I looked up and my husband had the ring out on the table.  He proceeded to get on one knee and pop the question!  Of course, I said YES! Then we were whisked up to take several photographs while everyone in the restaurant was clapping!  Even the princesses who had already visited our table came back and congratulated us! 

After the excitement, the nighttime firework show started up outside and we had a front row seat inside! We could see them right out our window at our table!  It truly was magical!

Afterwards we got to keep the glass slipper and were presented with wedding flutes for our upcoming ceremony. The flutes have Cinderella’s Royal Table engraved on them, and now sit in our china cabinet!

Getting engaged at the Walt Disney World® Resort was definitely one of the most magical experiences of my life but what was even more magical was that everything was photographed, so now we will remember forever! This is just another reason that the Walt Disney World® Resort is considered the happiest place on earth!

By Tink's Vacation Planner, Pollyanna.
I have many Walt Disney World® "Bucket List" items that I still have yet to accomplish; staying at every on property resort, attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, and riding every Disney water ride in one day. I am proud to say that I have been able to cross several items off of my Bucket List such as ordering the "kitchen sink" at Beaches and Cream, and visiting the underground utilidoors.  A huge item on my Bucket List was experiencing all four Disney World Parks in one day - and guess what, I did it!

You are not crazy to wonder if four Walt Disney World Parks in one day is even possible.  I am able to tell you that it can be done!  My son and I carefully planned out how to make visiting four parks in one day happen. Being that it was summer we had extended park hours to use to our advantage, but we also had the heat and crowds to work around as well. We got up early, ate breakfast at our resort, and went to the bus stop to get our day started.

We chose to begin at Epcot since it had extra morning hours for resort guests. We were there for rope drop and went straight to Soarin’ and then Spaceship Earth. The crowds were still light so we could have stayed to enjoy more time at the park, but we knew we had a full day ahead of us. Our next stop took us to Hollywood Studios where we rode Star Tours and The Great Movie Ride (oh, how I miss that ride). We grabbed a quick lunch at Pizza Planet and began our bus ride to Animal Kingdom. By then it was mid-day and we were feeling the Floridian heat in full force. The heat and humidity were not going to slow us down! My son and I entered Animal Kingdom and he rode Expedition Everest as a single rider. (I was not brave enough to ride it!).  We were hoping to see a show (like Festival of the Lion King), but our timing did not work out. So instead we both hopped on the ride, Triceratop Spin, before grabbing an ice cream on our way out of the park. Our last park of the day to experience was Magic Kingdom.  We had planned our FastPass+ selections here knowing we would be enjoying a popular park at a busy time of the day.  Although it was busy, we had a great time in our last park, and went back to our room knowing that we had survived the day and accomplished our goal - and it was fun!
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Visiting four parks in one day at Walt Disney World is not for the faint of heart; especially in July. This experience is not for vacationers that have limited time or who want to get the most out of every park. I am a frequent visitor so checking this off my Disney Bucket List is a memory I will not soon forget, especially because I accomplished it with my son.  

Tink's Tip: As Pollyanna suggests, if you want to attempt four parks in one day, definitely have a plan!  Grab four park maps (available at your Disney resort, and also at the entrance to each park) and sketch out what rides you hope to hop on.  You will need a park hopper ticket to access all four parks.  Remember to stay hydrated, especially if you are going in the summer months.  You will need to go through security at the entrance to each park.  Have fun!