For my family a rest day doesn’t mean, “do nothing”, although just lying in a hammock on the beach is a definite possibility. For us a “rest day” means we’re not going to be rushing through a park. Instead, we may sleep in a bit, take a dip in the hotel pool and then take advantage of the many other fun and entertaining options available at Walt Disney World Resort.

Adding a rest day into your schedule has many benefits, including allowing older members of your party to recover from a busy park day, exploring all the nooks and fun Disney has to offer as well as helping to save money by reducing the number of park day tickets needed.

Here are a few of my favorite “Rest Day” activities in no particular order:

• Resort Hopping to figure out where I would like to stay next
• Shopping at Downtown Disney with a movie at the AMC Fork & Screen
• Relaxing with a swim and drinks by the pool
• Interactive Gaming at Disney Quest
• Horseback Riding or Renting a Boat
• Heading to the Spa for a Massage
• Playing a Round of Golf
• Catching a Dinner Show like the Hoop-de-doo

Most of all a rest day should let you relax a bit and really take some time for yourself. After all, you are on vacation at Disney, and there’s a whole world to explore. How would you like to spend your days that aren’t in the Parks? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Disney's Contemporary Resort

Today we’ll take a look at another great unofficial Disney resort fan site featuring a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel.  Today’s featured fan site is “Tribute to Disney’s Contemporary Resort” which is located at http://www.disneycontemporary.com.  I love the trend of these resort fan sites popping up across the web, and this one is no exception.  It’s sleek style and easy to use navigation makes this site fantastic.

The Contemporary is one of Walt Disney World’s original deluxe hotels, and is located just outside the gates of the Magic Kingdom.  Room views from this resort are spectacular; from the fireworks of the Magic Kingdom to the lovely Bay Lake it’s simply breathtaking.  The resort also offers a wide variety of dining options for it’s guests.  Not to mention, it sits right on the monorail line for easy access to anywhere.

Tribute to Disney’s Contemporary Resort,  is a fantastic resource available to help you decided if this is the right resort for you and  your family.  It offers hundreds of photographs and articles advising on every corner of this Disney Classic.  The site even offers information that features the newest Disney Resort addition of the Contemporary’s Disney Vacation Club property, Bay Lake Tower.  It’s a great tool for comparing the Contemporary Resort to other Disney Deluxe Resorts before you book your Disney Vacation Package.

Stop by the tribute site and see what you think of this Disney classic.  I believe it to be home to some of the most popular restaurants and lounges on property.  Though the resort has occasionally struggled over the years with how to maintain a “contemporary” edge without feeling dated, I believe the Disney’s Contemporary Resort is currently at it’s pinnacle of modern elegance.

This post was part of the Disney Blog Carnival #36!
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The figures all start out as a plain vinyl Mickey Mouse, then are transformed by artists to resemble various characters and objects from Disney theme parks and movies. Ranging in size, the typical Vinylmation is 3 inches tall, but some are available as 1.5-inch Vinylmation Jr. keychains or larger 9-inch figures.

Vinylmations are sold in series, with varying release dates and subjects. Series released so far include the Park Series, Urban Series, Muppets, Cutesters, Holiday, Sports, Toy Story, The Animal Kingdom, and more.

Some Vinylmation series are sold in clear boxes, so you know what you’re getting ahead of time, while other figures are packaged in a “blind box” or “mystery box,” which means you won’t know which figure you are getting until purchased.

The mecca for Vinylmation purchasing and trading is D-Street at Downtown Disney, where product releases and events are held with Vinylmation artists. Aside from D-Street, Vinylmation can be found at many gift shops throughout Disney World, and some can be found at disneystore.com.

FAQ from Disney, including where to buy and trade Vinylmations at Disney World, can be found here.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parade at the Magic Kingdom.

The Christmas holidays are a very special time at Walt Disney World, filled with special events in and around each of the four theme parks.

Magic Kingdom events

Magic Kingdom is host to the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party featuring Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. This is a hard-ticket event held only on certain dates. You’ll need theme park admission plus your ticket to gin entrance into this special event, where you can sip on cocoa and much on Christmas cookies, take in the parade with Santa himself, see the special Wishes holiday fireworks, meet and greet with characters, take in special shows, and much more.

Every year, part of the “Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade” is taped at Magic Kingdom a few weeks prior to Christmas. Either go and enjoy, or stay away to avoid the crowds!

Click here for info and prices for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

Epcot events

Epcot plays host to the Candlelight Processional, held at the American Gardens Theatre three times nightly. The story of Christmas unfolds daily during this event featuring various celebrity narrators, a mass choir and 50-piece live orchestra. While no extra tickets are needed for this event, you may want to book a special Candlelight Processional Dinner Package to ensure a good viewing location.

Holidays Around the World is another special Epcot event, where you can hear local holiday customs and folklore from around the world. Cap it all off with a special Holiday IllumiNations show.

Hollywood Studios events

Hollywood Studios is home of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. There’s a special story behind the event’s origins – as all the lights were originally shipped in from an enthusiastic Arkansas family – the Osbornes! Millions of lights twinkle and delight every night from Nov. 8 through Jan. 3. It’s not to be missed!

Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney events

Animal Kingdom is home to the Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade and Santa Goofy’s Holiday Village. Both of these are included with park admission. And finally, Downtown Disney is home to Festival of the Seasons, where you can pose for photos with Santa himself!

Click here for info about all of the special holiday events for 2010, including dates and ticket info!

Resort displays

Aside from special events at the theme parks, you can also check out beautiful holiday decorations at the resorts! The Contemporary Resort, the Grand Floridian Resort, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge and all the rest are always decked out in their holiday finery. Some even have beautiful gingerbread house displays. This is a great no-cost way to enjoy some holiday cheer, even if you don’t have theme park tickets!

Holiday treats and meals

And who can forget special holidays treats? Only during Christmas time can you get special treats like holiday-flavored fudge, homemade candy canes, and special cookies, brownies, chocolates and more! Click here to see what you can expect.

Several Disney restaurants also serve special holiday menus. Click here to see some top picks for special holidays meals at Disney World.

We hope you have a wonderful time during the magical Christmas holidays at Disney World!

This post is part of the DisMarks Disney Blog Carnival! Check it out for more great Disney-related content and information.