Walt Disney World

Hotel Plaza Boulevard – Disney Springs Area, FL

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First off I’ll apologize for the delay in getting around to writing about these new penny press machines.  These were released weeks ago while I was out-of-town on a Family vacation.  It’s amazing how just a week away can put everything so far behind.  I’m still trying to time to write about our trip.  But in the mean time I figured I needed to try and catch up on some of these “newer” machines.

I’ve mentioned in a previous post about these hotels that are located on Walt Disney World property but are not Disney owned.  They are usually referred to as “Good Neighbor” hotels.  You get most of the same benefits (fast passes, early park hours, and transportation to the parks) but usually at a much lower price which is nice.  Located to the east of Disney Springs right along Hotel Plaza Boulevard are these seven hotels.  Each of these hotels does have a Disney gift shop located inside, but in the past none of them ever had a pressed penny machine.  Then all of a sudden five of these hotels received machines and I had to head over as soon as I was back in town to check them out.

Since I had never visited these hotels before I wasn’t sure what the parking situation would be like and was worried about high hourly parking rates.  So instead I parked (for free) in one of the Disney Springs parking garages and walked to each of the hotels.  I walked through the Marketplace and just beside the Once Upon a Toy Store is a walkway that allows you to cross the busy Buena Vista Drive.

These walkways were actually pretty nice, and my daughter had a great time watching the cars pass by underneath our feet.  Eventually we ended up on the far side of Hotel Plaza Boulevard and headed into the first hotel.

The Hilton Orlando Buena Vista was out first stop.  Heading inside through the main lobby area we hung a right and down the hallway we saw the familiar Disney Store sign.

There is nothing unique about these stores.  After visiting all of them they pretty much carried the same items, standard souvenirs, plush character, drinks, snacks and toiletries.

   

Just inside the store on the right side was the penny press machine.  The cabinet was painted the classic Mickey red which was a nice surprise.  The designs available in this machine were of  Mickey & Pluto, Lilo with a  Camera, and Stitch playing a Ukulele.

The hotels are next to each other, but there is still quite a walk in between each one.  It was a nice walk although this time of year the Florida sun and humidity can get to you pretty quickly.

The second hotel was the Holiday Inn Orlando.  We headed inside past the check-in area, hung a left and just near the lounge area was the gift shop.

As my daughter checked out the souvenirs (although I think by now she has pretty much all of them) I found the machine along the sidewalk and pressed my coins.

   

The designs at this machine were of two new designs: Chef Minnie with a Cake, and Goofy fishing, but the third design was of Lumiere & Cogsworth from Beauty and the Beast.  This last design used to be available at the Once Upon a Time gift shop in Hollywood Studios.  It had been removed back in July 2017 when two new 8-design touch screen machines were located there instead.

Still on the same side of the boulevard the next stop was at the B Resort & Spa.  Strange name, but this was a beautiful looking hotel.

I was only able to check out the lobby and gift shop but from what I could see this looks really nice and I’d be interested in checking it out in the future.

As I walked into the gift shop I noticed a large mural behind the check out area.  I’m sure it was just an interchangeable piece of wallpaper but it was still fun to look at with the Magic Kingdom and it’s landmarks depicted in the image.

Plus the penny machine was right beside it so while I used the machine I took a closer look at it.  I’ve seen some t-shirts and other merchandise in some of the park stores with this style drawing so I’m sure this is the new 2018 design.  I may have to pick something up the next time I’m in the parks.

   

The designs at this machine were of Minnie with her hands together, Pluto jumping on Mickey.  Both of which were brand new images.  The third design is of Anna & Elsa from Frozen.  This used to be at the Puffin’s Roost in Epcot at the Norway Pavilion but had been removed a year or so ago.

The last hotel on this side of the boulevard was the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton.

This was an interesting designed building, but the lobby area was not very big.  As soon as I walked in the check-in desk was to the right, and the Disney store was to the left.  Pretty easy to find.

   

While I used this machine to press the pennies the cast member in the store came by to  talk.  She mentioned the machine has just been brought in a few days prior.  I asked if she knew whether all the “Good Neighbor” hotels were getting them and she wasn’t sure, but more on that in a bit.  The designs in this machine were of Minnie Mouse, Donald in a Tuxedo, and Jiminy Cricket.

Once I had left the DoubleTree suites it was time to cross over the boulevard.  This is a very busy street so be careful crossing.  I didn’t want to risk just running across especially with my young daughter along for the visit.  So we waited, and waited and waited for the traffic light to change.  But made for a much safer crossing.  On the other side were a couple of hotels but we had to head all the way back towards Disney Springs.

At this intersection of Hotel Plaza Boulevard and East Buena Vista Drive is where the overhead walkways where that we had initially taken to cross the street.  On this side of the boulevard there was a sidewalk so we just headed to the right down East Buena Vista Drive.

After a bit of a walk we found the last hotel on this trip the Hilton Palace Buena Vista.

This Disney store is a little more difficult to find.  If you come in through the front main entrance of the hotel you need to take the elevator down a floor.  In this area is where the food court section is and the gift shop is just nearby.

This was yet another beautiful looking hotel and I was really surprised.  I’m not sure why I just assumed these would be a little run down or outdated but they were definitely not what I was expecting.

   

This was the last machine to use and unfortunately it was a little temperamental.  It seemed like the slide the finished pressed penny uses to eventually end up in the cup at the bottom wasn’t lined up correctly.  The machine seemed to press the coins fine, but once they slide down they apparently ended up in the bottom of the cabinet.  I asked the cast member for help but they said they didn’t have the key to open up the machine.  Thankfully I had a few extra sets of quarters and pennies for just this type of situation.  After a few test runs I found that if I kept my hand just inside the bottom cup it would help keep the pennies from dropping inside the machine.  Hopefully this has been fixed as the cast member said they would bring it up with their manager.

With all these new pennies stored away in my pocket we decided to make our way back over the walkways to Disney Springs.

Now I did mention that I had asked the cast member at the DoubleTree Suites about other machines in the area.  As you can see from the picture of the area map I found along the sidewalk there are seven Good Neighbor resorts.

As of this visit I made there were only five of these resorts with penny machines.  However I have read online that rumors are swirling about the remaining two hotels (Best Western and Wyndham) will be getting machines in the near future.  Fingers crossed!

   

Plus you can read here about the Hilton over at Bonnet Creek that got a new machine that I had posted about earlier.  It definitely seems like Disney has been releasing a lot of new penny press machines in locations they never had before.  I’m hoping this is due to the popularity of these machines and they realize people really enjoy them plus of course they make the resorts some money.

This was quite a bit of walking to start in Disney Springs, and make the long trek to each resort.  But it took about an hour and a half at a leisurely pace.  We tried not to rush and once I was inside these hotels I did want to spend a bit of time checking them out.  I didn’t see any of the guest rooms, but if they are anything like the lobby’s and mail hotel areas I would absolutely keep these in mind when visiting the area.  Plus they have penny machines so that’s always a plus in my books.

(Closed) Contest – Win a Set of 2018 Walt Disney World Pressed Coins

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** Thank you to everyone that entered.  The contest has closed and the winners have contacted by email.   Check back for future contests.

Congratulations Hannah for being one of the lucky winners.

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FREE CONTEST:

This is a chance for you to get a complete set of the 2018 Pressed Coins that I had written about in a previous post.  Click here to read all about them and get more details on each coin.  This will include all 15 coins (8 Pennies and 7 Quarters).

We did this last year or maybe the year before and got some great suggestions, so I wanted to try it again.  All you need to do is post a comment below with any ideas you have for the 2019 annual set that you would like to see for next year.  This can be a unique set of movies, characters, ride or attractions, or food (Mmm…Dole Whip Penny).  Last time we had suggestions of Disney Snacks, Yearly Festivals and Holiday Parties like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.  Let your imagination run wild.

Post as many times as you like, and be sure to spread the word.  This is always a lot of fun when there is lots of participation.  The contest will end on July 31st, 2018.  At that time I’ll randomly select a winner and will contact you for your mailing information.

Good luck!!

**Please note this is just for entertainment purposes.  This contest is not sponsored or endorsed by The Walt Disney Company and this contest does not mean these coins will actual be implemented.  As I mentioned this is just for fun, but you could get a free set of coins.

Hilton Orlando at Bonnet Creek – Lake Buena Vista, FL

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Everyone is pretty familiar with all the Disney owned resorts in Florida like the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, POP Century and so many more.  However there are also some non-Disney resorts on property that are known as Good Neighbor resorts.  They have a lot of the same benefits as a Disney resort but usually without the Disney price tag attached.  For years to my knowledge there has never been pressed penny machines at these Good Neighbor resorts but that has started to change.

As you drive on Buena Vista Drive towards Disney Springs there is a sign for Bonnet Creek Resorts.  Then there is a long winding road that takes you past a Wyndham Home, and then a slight turn for the Waldorf Astoria, and Hilton of Bonnet Creek.

In between these two hotels is a parking garage.  There is a fee for parking however on my trip I was in and out in less than a half hour and there was no charge.  Just be aware that this fee does depending on your length of stay.

This is a very nice hotel.  The grounds are well-kept as you would expect.  I’m sure Disney keeps a close tab on things like that for appearance.  Out back there is a large pool, and even a lazy river which on this hot day did seem like a nice idea.  Too bad I was only visiting and not actually staying here.

When you enter through the main entrance you are on the second floor of the hotel.  This is where the registration area is located, as well as bar / lounge, a few restaurants, part of the conference center as the Disney store.

The Disney store is actually down a long hallway just off of the main lobby but not too hard to find.  If you look closely at the above picture you can see the penny machine just to the left inside the door to the gift shop.

As with most hotel gift shops on Disney property the items inside are pretty standard.  Soda, juice, beer, snacks, t-shirts, mugs, plush toys, pins, etc.

Then just to the left of the checkout area and inside the main entrance is where the penny machine can be found.

The machine is in a plain black cabinet and has just three designs.  It’s almost strange to see this type of machine since lately the fancy touch screen 8 design models have been popping up everywhere.

The designs on these pennies are of Mickey & Minnie with two Mickey Balloons, the Mad Hatter, and Simba from the Lion King.  I really like this set and that first design of Mickey and Minnie is really cute and during my visit was the popular design most people were pressing.

So far this is the only hotel at Bonnet Creek that has a pressed penny machine but hopefully that will change in the near future.  There are some other Good Neighbor Hotels on Resort Boulevard that have new penny machines that I’ll be reviewing very soon.  There has been a lot of new releases and I’m still trying to get caught up after being out-of-town a few weeks ago.  Happy pressing and make sure to try some of these non-Disney resorts they are becoming a nice alternative for your vacation stay.

Epcot Flower and Garden Festival – New WDW Penny Booklet

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To start off I’ll say that post doesn’t include any new pressed coins.  Instead this week I was going to go over a recent visit to the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot that ended with a new pressed penny booklet.  I’m still hoping that one of these years Disney decides to put out a special pressed coin design with the Festival logo which I think would be a fantastic collectible.  But for now let’s take a stroll around the World Showcase.

Epcot has become known for all it’s festivals and they seem to have very few days during the year where there isn’t a festival going on.  The biggest is the Food and Wine in the fall, but the Flower and Garden in the Spring has been getting pretty popular.  The festival for 2018 runs from February 28th through May 28th.

Each year there is usually a passholder giveaway, and for this year they are offering some new magnets.  You do have to show up in person with your passholder card and ID to get your magnet and it’s limited to one magnet per pass.  After picking up our magnets my wife and I headed towards the main area of the festival around World Showcase.  The festival included topiary of your favorite Disney characters, a butterfly tent, more flowers than you can imagine, and my favorite the foods booths.

I’m not sure if it’s because I originally was from Canada or not, but for some reason we always seem to head towards the Canadian Pavilion.  The first food stand we tried out was the Northern Bloom.

The line at this location is always long which is usually a good sign the food is good.  Each stand has usually about 3 food items and 3-4 beverages both with and without alcohol.  I’m not a food critic so I’ll leave the reviews to the professionals but did want to share some pictures of what we sampled.

First up were some Seared Scallops with fresh green beans, butter potatoes, brown butter vinaigrette, and applewood smoked bacon.

We also decided to try the Beef Tenderloin Tips with a mushroom bordelaise sauce and whipped potatoes with garden vegetables.

Just before the UK pavilion we found one of our favorite stuffed bear friends with his favorite hunny pot and balloon.

In front of the France Pavilion was a really cool topiary of Beauty and the Beast.  We  continue on to the next food stand that was in-between France and Morocco called Florida Fresh.

We tried one entrée here and we both thought this was probably our favorite from everything we tried this day.

Above is the Shrimp and Stone Ground Grits with Andouille sausage, sweet corn, tomatoes and cilantro.  We continued our way around the World Showcase and relayed enjoyed the other topiary and food options.

Over near Japan they had the above pictured item called Frushi.  This was as you can probably guess a fruit sushi filled with strawberries and pineapple with coconut rice.

Woody from Toy Story was located right in from of the Smokehouse in the American Pavilion.  The food here was already really good.

Lady and the Tramp in front of the Italy Pavilion.  This is always one of my favorite animated Disney movies.

Then over by the African Marketplace was Rafiki and Simba in their famous pose from the movie.  By this time we had done a lot of walking, a lot of eating and looked at more flowers than I thought possible.  Even thought we are locals and come to the parks on a regular basis I’m still a sucker for the gift shops and this was no different.  On our way out of the park we stopped in at the Mouse Gears store to see if there was anything new.

We did decide to pick up a few items and as we waited in the queue to check out the above caught my eye.  A new pressed coin booklet.  As you can see the price was $11.99 which is pretty pricey for these but the Disney booklets do hold quite a few more coins than the standard booklets found at museums and zoos.

This booklet was really cute and I liked the design on it.  The front cover has the Magic Kingdom with Mickey and Minnie.

Inside there is Hollywood Studios with Goofy and Pluto, and Epcot with Donald and Figment.

On the back cover was the Animal Kingdom with Daisy duck.  I will admit that I don’t actually use these booklets to store my pressed coins in, but am still a sucker for anything pressed coin related.  I have quite the collection of these types of booklets and picked this one up as well to add to that collection.

The Flower and Garden festival is really fantastic and seemed to set it up a bit this year.   The beautiful colors of the flowers and the fun of walking around and trying different foods is something we have really come to enjoy.  The festival ends soon on May 28th so if you are in the area be sure to go check it out, or at the very least maybe you just need a new booklet for your pressed pennies.

Grand Floridian Resort NEW Pressed Pennies

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As luck would have it I go out-of-town for a week and when I get back home there was a bunch of new penny machines released.  I’m not complaining but it did make for a busy few days as I tried to get caught up on what I had missed.

For this first stop I headed over to the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.  If you aren’t staying at this resort or have a dining reservation parking here is usually off-limits.  Depending on who you get at the security booth sometimes they let me park for 10 minutes to run in and use the penny machines.  But don’t bank on this every time as I’ve only been able to do that a couple of times.  In most instances I park over at the Ticket and Transportation Center and take the monorail over.

To access this new machine that was just released you need to head up to the second floor of the main building.  However, as mentioned above if you take the monorail over you will enter the resort already on the correct floor.

Just inside the doors to the monorail station is where the new 8 design machine can be found.

The plain white cabinet of this machine fits right in with the style of this resort.

All of the designs say “Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort” on them which is already nice to have included.  The images included in this set are of Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Mickey & Minnie, Pluto, Tinker Bell and Bambi.  This was a nice new set to have released and I’m curious to see if more of these 8 design machines start showing up at other resorts.  They definitely seem to be the machine of choice at Disney lately.

Before we go, some of you eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that this machine is located in the same place a previous 3 design machine was.  Well as part two of this adventure I headed over to the Yacht & Beach Club Resorts which is where that machine had been moved to.

The machine can be accessed from either the Yacht Club or Beach Club resort as it can be found outside the Lafferty Arcade which is pretty much in between both resorts.  This is also just a short walk from the famous Beaches and Cream Soda Shop.  As you can see in the picture above to the far right is Beaches and Cream with the original penny machine found at this resort.  In the middle is the Arcade and on the left side is the penny machine relocated here.

The machine is the same, and the three designs are also unchanged.  For those of you still trying to collect the 2018 dates pressed coin set this is where the 2018 Chip & Dale penny can now be found.

This was an interesting choice of locations for this machine, but it does kind of fit with the design of these moderate resorts.  I’m just happy they didn’t make this disappear for a while as it would be inconvenience to lose out on the 2018 penny.

As I mentioned before there are still some other new machines out there that I’m working on visiting and documenting.  I should have details on those shortly, and will be sure to share with everyone what the new coins looks like and where they can be found.

Animal Kingdom 20th Anniversary – WDW Florida

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Update at the bottom (4/18/18)
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In just over a week it will be April 22, 2018 also known as Earth Day and my birthday.  However around here in Florida this is also known as the day Disney’s Animal Kingdom celebrates it birthday.  Back on April 22, 1998 the park first opened and as the cast members say “It’s not a zoo it a jungle out there.”

Now for anyone that can do some simple math next Sunday will mark the 20th anniversary of Animal Kingdom.  As Disney is known to do they are celebrating this big achievement in style.

A lot of the gift shops have all sorts of 20th anniversary merchandise including pins, t-shirts, mugs, magic bands and lots more.

Plus a nice special treat for us pressed penny collectors, six new special penny designs.  Now these are spread out in three different machines in the park.  The first one is located back in Rafiki’s Planet Watch at the Conservation Station.

To get here you need to take the Harambe Railroad on a short trip, and then a long walk back to the conservation station.  Please note that this place is not open the same hours as the park.  On my recent trip I was just able to get on the last train which left the station at 4:30pm and it was closing at 5pm.  Make sure you check the hours before trying to collect these coins as it may not be open if you are visiting later in the day.

Inside the conservation station you can meet Doc McStuffins, and sometimes Rafiki himself.  Towards the back of the building in the corner is where the penny machine is located.

This machine has been here for a year or so with other designs which have now been replaced.  In this machine all three of the designs have been changed and are of Simba, Timon and Pumbaa from The Lion King.  All designs say “Disney’s Animal Kingdom 20th Anniversary.”

After taking the train back to Harambe Station in Africa you can head towards the icon of the park The Tree of Life.

Sorry I really like this tree and the details of it when you get up close are really amazing.  If you stay late enough once it gets dark there is also a new projection show on the tree where the animals all come to life.  The next set of pennies is actually located outside the park at The Outpost Shop.

This shop is right near the tram loading area just before the security check at the entrance to the park.

As with the other stores inside the park you can also get some 20th Anniversary merchandise.

This store has two penny machines inside.  The first machine has three images but only two of them have been changed.

For you Up! fans out there you can get new designs of Doug and Russell both with “Disney’s Animal Kingdom 20th Anniversary” included in the image.

On the other side of the store is the second machine, but this has only one design that was changed.

Keeping with the Up! designs this machine has a new image of Kevin also with the “20th Anniversary” as part of the design.  Kind of a strange way to disperse six new designs over three machines but who am I to complain.  I love these special sets and hope they do more.  I was at Epcot’s 35th anniversary last year and was sad to see now special coins were available.  Hopefully if this is a success they will continue to offer more like these.  When I pressed these coins earlier today they were definitely popular and lots of people were waiting in line to press their own.

Here is a shot of the complete set of six designs that are currently available.  I’m not sure if these will be permanent or only available for a limited time.  If you get a chance to press these make sure you do just in case they don’t stick around and it’s a really great set of pennies.
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Updated 04/18/2018:
I’m not sure if this was an unintentional mistake but the set of pressed pennies listed above from the Pixar movie Up! were just recently combined into one machine.  Initially as I had listed above two of the designs were in one machine and the third was in a separate machine both located in The Outpost Shop.

As you can see from the marquee picture below the designs have not changed they were just combined into one machine.

This does seem to make a little more than having the set split up among two machines, but both machines were in the same store so you didn’t really have far to go to find them initially.  In any case for now if you are interested in this 20th Anniversary set you just have to find the one machine.

NEW Pirates of the Caribbean – Magic Kingdom

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I’ve mentioned in previous posts that my all time favorite Disney attraction is the Haunted Mansion, but coming in a very close second is Pirates of the Caribbean.  In the past there have been pressed coins designed for the ride, and the most recent was in a unique machine that looked like a treasure chest.  There is always something special when a new machine is made available in the Magic Kingdom so when I heard a new machine appeared there and was themed around Pirates I had to head over immediately.

With spring break still going on the parks were busier than usual.  After making our way down Main Street we headed into Adventureland.

The construction walls on the right side of the pathway are hiding the new Club 33.

For those of you that may not have known, the Pirates ride has been under a refurbishment that extended from mid February to March 2018.  Part of this closure was to update part of the ride known as the Auction scene.  The famous Redhead was being transformed into a Pirate auctioning off items plundered from the town.  The stand by line was over an hour, but I managed to get a fastpass and was on within 10 minutes.

Some people are not happy about the change as this is a classic Disney ride, but I actually was impressed with the changes and really liked the new Pirate Redhead.  After the ride was over we exited through the Plaza del Sol Caribe Bazaar also known as the gift shop.

I remember taking home numerous plastic pirate swords from here when I was a kid, and can only imaging how TSA would feel about them now at the airport.  This is a pretty big store and has everything you could imagine that is pirate related.

Over near where the restrooms are located is where the new penny machine is found.  This is the same place the previous 3 design machine was located but has now been retired.

These new 8-Design machines seem to be the new norm throughout the parks.  I’m still a die-hard pre-1982 penny person, but have been getting the hang of these new machines.  Being able to get more designs and with the electronic payment available makes collecting these a little more easy not having to carry around a pocket full of change.  If they could just figure out a way that I could use my own pennies in these I would be in heaven.

For anyone that hasn’t used one of these machines yet, should you come across one make sure to try it at least once.  The inner works of the press is really fun to watch.

The machine pressed all the “pennies” nicely.  I did roll  a couple sets and a few of them were a little short or off-center but nothing too serious.  The designs in this set include Pirate Mickey, Pirate Minnie, Pluto with the Jail cell key as seen in the ride, Pirate Goofy, Pirate Donald on a Cannon, a Skull and Crossbones, Dead Men Tell No Tales, and the Pirate Ship.

I’m not sure why but I just get the feeling that 2018 is going to be a big year for new Disney pressed coins.  This new machine is a great theme and I’m glad the Pirate attraction got these great new coins.  My fingers are crossed for maybe an 8-Design Haunted Mansion set which would be awesome (hint hint Disney).  But whatever comes out next I’ll be sure to get there as soon as possible to check them out.

Town Center Fire House – Disney Springs, FL

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Did I just post about a new machine at Disney Springs.  Well with all the changes that have gone on there plus the still to come new restaurants and stores I find myself spending more and more time there and enjoying every moment.  I don’t find myself needing an excuse anymore to go visit the Springs but this past weekend when I heard that another new penny machine showed up I jumped in my car and headed over to check it out.

For anyone thinking about visiting just for this machine as I did, I parked in the Orange lot which brings you down just near the big Coca-Cola store and Planet Hollywood restaurant.  If you walk between these two buildings directly in front of you is a covered area that starts the Town Center.

Behind the construction walls on the right side of the walkway in the picture above is the Wolfgang Puck restaurant coming soon.  But right before that on the right side is the Firehouse also known as the building where the restrooms are located.

This does make for some awkward moments trying to take pictures and video but thankfully I visited early in the more before this area got too busy.

This is a 4-design hang crank machine in a nice full wood cabinet.

The designs that press on the pennies include Firefighter Mickey, Firefighter Donald, Pluto with a fireman’s helmet, and Red the fire truck from the Pixar movie Cars.  As you can see from the picture above the images came out nicely, however this actually took me quite a few tries to get this set to roll properly.

Above is a picture of the seven other pennies I tried to press that didn’t roll correctly.  Considering this is a brand new machine it’s surprising that the machine wasn’t aligned properly.  Just as a tip for anyone that may be using this machine I tried turning the handle fairly slowly and starting to press the design a little earlier that having the arrows completely lined up as per usual process.  It took a little practice but was able to get a full set eventually.  The machines throughout Disney property usually have stickers on them where you can report a message that is broken.  Unfortunately this machine didn’t have that so I tried submitting a note through one of the other machines to see what happens.  It’s not completely a lost cause at this point, but can be frustrating so make sure you bring some extra coins.  Always pays to be a little over prepared.

Food Truck Pavilion – Disney Springs, FL

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Fresh off the new release of the 2018 dates set of pressed coins Disney didn’t waste much time getting out another new set of pressed pennies.  The new machine can be found over at Disney Springs which seems to be a popular spot lately for new machines.

Over on the West Side is where you can find the big AMC movie theatre, Cirque du Soleil theatre, a Starbucks and some other interesting stores and restaurants.  This area is under quite a bit of construction right now with the recently demolished Disney Quest building making way for a new NBA Experience, and some other new restaurants.

Just past the Starbucks and across from the Star Wars Galactic Outpost and Marvel Superhero Headquarters is an open area just along the water front.  This area is where you can now find the Disney Food Trucks.

Usually there are three different food trucks here but lately only two have been available with the third one on the move around property.

   

The Springs Street Tacos obviously has various tacos for sale.  The Fantasy Fare truck has things like empanadas, chicken taquitos, and Mexican meatball sliders.  This area also does have live music later on at night and can get quite crowded with spectators.

If you are walking along the main pathway you will see the penny machine just to the center entrance to the Food Truck Pavilion.

The machine has some nice artwork on the cabinet.  The design is of the Disney Springs logo which I think is pretty cool.

This is a cute unique set of pennies that I hope they continue releasing.  The set includes images of Minnie eating an ice cream cone, Chef Goofy with a Turkey, Chef Mickey with a Sandwich and Dopey Dwarf eating Cake.  With the recent changes to Disney Springs and the massive amount of new restaurants now available these coins just fit right in to this area.

Above is a picture I took of the machine at night which you can see the area does get busier, plus there is a mobile bar right beside the machine which usually has a long line. This can cause a little congestion around the machine but people are usually nice to step aside if you ask to use the machine.

As I mentioned before I really like this set and think it’s a great new addition to anyones collection.  Hopefully they continue on this pace of releasing some more creative designs like these ones.  Side note, if you are visiting Disney Springs make sure to check out some of the new restaurants they really are great.  A few of my favorites are Art Smith’s Homecomin’, and Maria & Enzo’s.  Enjoy!

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex

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Click here to see my YouTube channel video on this destination
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Growing up in Canada we are pretty much born with a hockey stick in hand.  I’ve always loved pretty much any kind of sports, but always had a special place in my heart for Hockey.  But in Canada we do have a few weeks of warm weather from time to time and during that warm time I did play quite a bit of baseball.  During middle school and high school I played basketball, volleyball and even some Rugby for a very brief time.  I think it was partly due to the competition I loved, but also the camaraderie with my team mates and the satisfaction with improving your playing skills.  When I was young the facilities we played at were pretty limited, but they did the trick and we enjoyed playing wherever we could.

Flash forward years later and now that we are living down in Florida hockey is around but not like it was in the Great White North.  So what is a sports fan to do.  Of course with the internet and TV I can still watch all my favorite teams, but there is still something about amateur sports.  During a conversation with my parents about Spring Training Baseball they mentioned the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Disney.

I’ve mentioned in the past that for the last few years they started coming down to Florida to see their beloved New York Mets over in Port St. Lucie.  Usually they would try to visit other teams in central Florida and a few times came to the ESPN complex to watch some games.  I looked up the complex online and was amazed at how big this place was, and it isn’t just baseball/softball fields.

There are fields for Soccer, Track and Field, Tennis, and indoor arenas for Basketball and Volleyball, plus I’m sure a lot more I didn’t even notice.

After parking in the lot you walk up to a central hub with the complex logo in the middle.  This is a big photo-op for the athletes, their family and all fans looking to document their trip here.

Just up a little walkway from the hub is the main entrance that takes you to the different fields and restaurant inside.  Tickets are required to get into this area, but for most of the events the prices are pretty inexpensive.

Back down by the hub is the ESPN Clubhouse which is like the souvenir shop for the complex.  No admission is needed to access this store.

As with all the other gift shops on Disney property there is a lot of character merchandise, but also a lot of ESPN stuff as well from t-shirts to shots glasses.

In the back of the store near a Cast Members only door/backroom area in among some sweatshirts was the main reason for my visit this morning.

This machine has had the same designs for a few years now.  I remember visiting this machine years on a previous trip and it was located at the front of the store near the cash registers.  When visiting keep and eye out for it as they seem to move it around from time to time.

The machine is a three design electric model.  The images on each of the pennies included the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Logo, Minnie & Daisy, and Team Mickey.

Also during some special events there is an additional penny machine located in the J Center Arena.  I went during the Wine & Dine Half Marathon weekend to use this machine.  You can read out it here.

This is a cute little set of pressed coins.  Getting to the complex without a car can be a little difficult, but there are Disney buses from time to time taking guests over there or of course you can take a cab or uber.  You can check the complex website to see a schedule of games that are going on year round.  Be sure to buy some tickets and support the young athletes (and some professionals) as their teams play here.  This is kind of a hidden gem but a really nice place to take in a great morning or afternoon of sports.  The competition is great, the complex is fun and there is even a penny machine for a quick souvenir of your visit.