M.M. – Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar

DSC05026Pictured above my friends, is pure happiness. A perch in the shade with my favorite ice cream treat in the ENTIRE WORLD: Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar. Welcome back to MUNCHY MONDAY, the tastiest day of the week.

Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar:

noun

Perfection. A frozen serving of silky, creamy vanilla ice cream covered with a thick, rich chocolate shell in the shape of the iconic Mickey ears.

IMG_0644Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar is a whole-lotta-name. My family and I usually just call it a Premium Bar, and I’ll treat you all like one of the gang and refer to it as such here. Sold exclusively by Disney, we can thank Nestle for bringing this delight to us. The bar comes packaged in a red, blue, and white wrapper featuring a smiling Mickey face. (You can see the wrapper stuck under my cup in the picture above.) Now-a-days you can find a Premium Bar just about anywhere on Walt Disney World property. They’re available at all theme parks, as well as Downtown Disney, from an ice cream cart. You won’t have to trek far in any park to find one of these carts set up with a big, blue umbrella and a sign displaying what goodies it offers. You may also be able to find a Premium Bar in the food court of your WDW Resort Hotel. Just ask a cast member if your hotel serves them up.

IMG_0645 Now that you know where to find them, let’s talk strategy. Everyone has a different approach to how they eat a Premium Bar. Hubby, as seen to the left, digs right in, biting off an ear. He prefers to enjoy the chocolate & vanilla flavors together in bites. I’m not really a bite-my-ice cream kinda gal. I like to savor the ice cream slowly as it melts. So I very carefully eat the chocolate shell first and then eat the vanilla ice cream layer by softly melting layer. You can see below, how I’ve already got the side of the chocolate coating off, exposing the vanilla ice cream. My strategy also makes the Premium Bar last longer. Win.

DSC05027Like Pineapple Dole Whip, I shamelessly eat more than one of these during a WDW trip. I simply love them. They’re the ideal treat – sweet, cool, and refreshing. Incidentally, I’ve discovered that despite of the countless hours I’ve spent at Walt Disney World and the many, many times I’ve enjoyed this treat, I have very few pictures of it. I will say that this reason is probably two pronged. Firstly, it’s so tasty you want to eat it immediately, and photographing it doesn’t really come into consideration. Secondly, we usually visit WDW in the summer. And it’s HOT. There is little-to-no time for snapping pictures before you start to have a melting mess on your hands. But the melting mess, especially when you’re a kid, is part of the fun.

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M.M. – Chef Mickey’s

DSC_0069Welcome back to MUNCHY MONDAY! I must admit I had a hard time deciding what to write about this morning – there are just too many delectable choices at WDW. Fortunately, my very wise momma suggested one of her favorite dining spots – Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort Hotel. Though I wouldn’t admit it to her, Mum knows best and she proved it with her perfect pick. Chef Mickey’s has it all: great food, a breath-taking setting, and lots of VIP treatment from Mickey Mouse and his pals.

Chef Mickey's SignLocated inside Disney’s Contemporary, this restaurant is just a short stroll or Monorail ride from the Magic Kingdom. The restaurant is open and bright, with striking views of the Monorail coming and going. The many windows of the Contemporary let in plenty of light and offer picturesque views of Bay Lake and the Magic Kingdom. You can also glimpse the beautiful mosaic mural by the legendary American artist Mary Blair. Don’t be surprised if the mural looks familiar, especially if you’ve just come from the Magic Kingdom. Mary Blair was instrumental in creating designs for Magic Kingdom’s classic attraction It’s A Small World. She also created designs for the boat ride El Rio del Tiempo in the Mexico pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase, as well as concept art for Disney classic films such as Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and Song of the South.

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Window view from Chef Mickey’s

DSC_0043This spot is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and all three meals are hosted by Mickey and friends. Personally I think this is one of the best ways to meet the VIP characters. Dressed in their kitchen finest, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto (sometimes Chip n’ Dale too!) come to visit you right at your table one by one. You have time for pictures, autographs, and plenty of hugs. A lot of special interaction can happen with character dining that doesn’t always happen at the parks. And the best part – no waiting in line! How special to be a kid (or kid-at-heart like me) and start your day having breakfast with Mickey Mouse and his pals before hitting the parks. Or in turn, take a break and have lunch with the gang, or see them at dinner as the perfect end to the day.

My brother (a chef himself) & Chef Mickey

My brother (a chef himself) & Chef Mickey

Chef Mickey’s is a buffet restaurant, so help yourself to as much as you like. Breakfast includes items such as scrambled eggs, quiche, bacon, sausage, pancakes, biscuits, bagels, croissants, french toast, breakfast potatoes, cereals, yogurt, fresh fruit, and my favorite- Mickey Waffles! And if you’re like me, you’ll be pairing your eats with lots of coffee and fresh juice. Lunch and dinner buffets are host to American fare such as soup & salad, pastas, roasted turkey, fresh fish, roasted chicken, carved beef, and various veggie sides. Kid’s can have all of their favorites too – such as macaroni and cheese, chicken tenders, and pizza. Dessert can be found at the ice cream sundae bar. Yes please.

A meal with favorite characters is a great way to celebrate your day and this table service spot is well worth taking some time out of your schedule for. Chef Mickey’s is popular with guests so reservations are a must. I suggest you make them as soon as you are able to after booking your vacation. The characters and cuisine are subject to change, but for the most part it’s a pretty steady scene with lots of smiles and laughs.

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One of My Favorite Snacks

There are about a million wonderful things about Disney World. Seriously. In a place that is twice the size of Manhattan, that contains 4 Theme Parks, 2 Water Parks, around 25 hotels, and over 100 restaurants, I’ll probably write a million posts easily.

But today, as I sit down to write my second true post, finding a place to begin talking about anything is seeming incredibly daunting. As I’ve been sitting here trying to decide what to talk about I’ve realized that I am hungry. And so, as my stomach is growling at me for an afternoon snack, it seems as though food will be where I begin.

One of my favorite Walt Disney World snacks is a Disney Parks Icon: The Mickey Premium Bar:

Mickey Premium Bars

These can be found all throughout Walt Disney World. Look for an ice cream cart located in the parks, usually under a large blue umbrella. If you don’t see one in your immediate view, walk 25 steps in any one direction and you’ll find one. This frozen treat in the shape of a Mickey head is a rich and creamy vanilla ice cream bar with a thick chocolate coating on the outside. So simple, yet so stinking delicious – especially when it’s hot as blazes outside. Everyone eats his or hers differently, but my technique is to each all of the chocolate coating off first, then slowly enjoy layer by layer of the vanilla ice cream as it slowly melts. If my fervent testimony isn’t enough, let me give you this fact: This is the most in demand snack at Walt Disney World. Yum.