New Maleficent Trailer Released

Go here to see the latest trailer for Maleficent, releasing this summer. Our household is pretty psyched about this one!

Happy Halloween--Throwback Thursday Edition

Hope you're having a Happy Halloween! It's rainy and cold in Nashville, so it's likely we won't be trick-or-treating tonight. Still, in honor of the holiday and also Throwback Thursday, I thought I'd share some of our past Halloween costumes--almost all are Disney-related. Enjoy!

Oz the Great and Powerful, with Theodora, Evanora, and Glinda

Cinderella

Minnie Mouse and Jasmine

Snow White

Alice in Wonderland

Vidia and Tinkerbell (and a "Fairy Puppy")

JoJo (still one of my favorites!)

Rapunzel

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2013

Since 2009, we have consistently visited Walt Disney World in either September or October. And every year we consider attending Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party...and we always talk ourselves out of it. For one thing, I am extremely frugal and this hard-ticketed event goes for about $65 a pop (for approximately 8 hours of time in the Magic Kingdom, since guests are typically admitted into the park by 4 and the party lasts until midnight). For another, our children are just now getting to the point where they can stay up until midnight without getting whiney or grumpy--and you know if we pay for the party, we're staying until midnight! Finally, we had never been able to come up with just the right costumes for our predominantly-female family. Until now.

My husband has a very narrow field of costumes that he would consider wearing--and they mostly consist of Super Heroes or Star Wars characters. We desperately tried to talk him into LaLaLoopsy dolls last year, but that was a lost cause. Then it came to me...Oz! His costume would be rather normal--a tuxedo--and ours could still be fun and elaborate. Everybody wins! We were rather frugal with our costumes too. Some pieces came from our own closets, many were purchased second hand, and a we even made a few things. My best find was the 99-cent Tuxedo jacket for my husband at Good Will--score!



My parents were with us at the party too, and they dressed as Miss Kay and Phil from Duck Dynasty. It took a little convincing for my dad, although camouflage is pretty central to his wardrobe anyhow. Since he didn't want to wear a beard in the Florida heat (or, well, anywhere), he used this paper fan--perfect, right? For my mom, all that was needed was an apron.



We arrived at the Magic Kingdom around 4:00 p.m., when guests are typically admitted into the park. The party officially starts at 7:00, and that's when they begin ushering other guests out. Since we had a 3-hour window before the party technically started, I was able to schedule 3 Fastpass+ attractions for our Magic Bands in that time. So, basically, we had to head immediately toward the Fairytale Princess Hall upon our arrival.



After visiting with Cinderella and Aurora, we did Enchanted Tales with Belle. Both my husband and youngest daughter got to play roles in that one--fun! [An aside: one small way they've improved this attraction over Storytime with Belle is that now any child that would like a part can have one. They have plenty of "minor" character cut-outs so everyone can participate.]



Our final FP+ was for Under the Sea/Journey of the Little Mermaid. In addition, I think we were able to ride Dumbo, check out Belle's village (including Gaston's Tavern), and visit the Haunted Mansion before the party started in earnest. One of the highlights of the Haunted Mansion is seeing the CMs in ghoulish makeup. Even better, we were entertained by Madame Renata as she engaged guests outside the mansion.



Once the party started, we decided to do a bit of Trick-or-Treating along the way. I have to admit, this was one area of disappointment for me. I expected there to be CMs on every corner handing out treats, and that wasn't the case. Yes, there were a few "big" trails that had more than one stop, but those were few and far between. And some of the T-or-T areas were so far off the beaten path that it was rather inconvenient to search for them. Even after searching a few out, we all left the MK with less than half a bag of candy each. And by the time we weeded out what we wouldn't eat, it was less-than-impressive.

The highlight of the evening for me was the Boo to You Parade. The Headless Horseman signals guests to the parades arrival--yes, a real live horse with his rider! You'll see both familiar and exotic characters in this parade. It is certainly the most unique Disney parade, if not the best. There were grave diggers--complete with shovels that sparked on the pavement. And zombie dancers, just as those in the ballroom at the Haunted Mansion. We even caught a glimpse of the Hitchhiking Ghosts. And the catchy tune that accompanies them all will be stuck in your head for days! We liked this parade so much that we came back for the second viewing!



Another fun thing about MNSSHP is that you see characters that aren't typically available on a regular basis. While we aren't usually willing to wait in the long lines for some of these, we did manage to see a couple. Tarzan and Terk had almost no line, so we snagged a photo. While the Seven Dwarfs had a tremendous line (guests started lining up at 4:00 p.m.--I'm not even kidding!), there was absolutely no one in line when we dropped in just before midnight! Lucky us!



Additional activities for the night included character dance parties, a Villains castle show, and a seasonal castle projection show and fireworks. Honestly, we barely saw/did these things, as we were intent on seeing the parade, trick-or-treating, and riding a few attractions. My one regret is that we missed a full viewing of the Villains Dance Mix & Mingle--we just lost track of time. But, all-in-all, we enjoyed the party. Would we do it again? Probably not anytime soon. But it's definitely worth checking out at least once.

 

 

Trip Report: Extended Version

Still putting a few things away here at home, but I finally finished my last load of laundry from the trip--woot! Here's the general overview of what we did each day. More details to come on specific events/restaurants.

We started our trip on Friday afternoon. My parents traveled with us this time, so we waited for them to arrive from Indiana that morning. In the mean time, my girls and I had a callback for a Christmas show (we all got in!) that we had to work in before we left town. When my parents arrived, we had just a few minutes to repack their van with all our luggage and theirs. Fortunately, we were only going to Atlanta--a four-hour trip--so it was OK that we were a little tight. I think everyone had something at their feet, but we squeezed everything in. We had a brief stop-over for our callback and then were on our way to my brother's house where we spent the night before heading for Florida on Saturday.

The trip in to FL was also pretty smooth. We stopped at the Welcome Center and snagged a free cup of OJ before arriving at Pop Century around 4 p.m. on Saturday. [A side note: I actually turned down free passes to the Sea World Halloween party for that evening. I was offered an opportunity to review it for Trekaroo, a family travel site, but knowing that our arrival time was unlikely to be early in the day, I let those go to another family. It hurt a little, but it was the right decision.] Our check-in at Pop went pretty smoothly. We had done online check in, and this saved some time. Still, I had to wait for an actual desk clerk Cast Member, since I was paying with gift cards and not the credit card on file. My mom, on the other hand, was able to check in with a roaming CM who had a handheld device, charging their room to her card. It took all of about 30 seconds.



We had only stayed at Pop one other time, back in 2005 soon after it opened. Our reactions were largely the same: this resort is fine, not great. The theming throughout the resort is fun, but the rooms are somewhat bland. In addition, because it is so large, it always feels crowded. That said, our room assignments were precisely what we had asked for, so we really have no complaints...we just like some of the others better than Pop. This was also our first opportunity to use our Magic Bands. We were all very excited to see that they indeed worked in opening our doors. That is, perhaps, the single best use of them--so convenient to simply tap your band to the censor, especially when you have your hands full.

That Saturday evening, we had our traditional dinner at Sweet Tomatoes (we don't have these in Nashville). We love to fill up on healthy food (soup and salad) before diving in to all Disney has to offer. I found an online discount that gave us 15% off with my Visa card, so that was a bonus.

Since we had two different types of tickets--Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and Homeschool Days Parkhopper Tickets--we were told by my CM cousin that it would be a good idea to have plastic tickets to enter the Parks, particularly for the Halloween party, to ensure that the system didn't take away one of our Parkhopper days instead. (This is one of the quirks of the system--it can't prioritize tickets at the gate.)In addition, we knew that plastic tickets would be our only opportunity to acquire Fastpasses while in the Parks (though we had scheduled 3 FP per day on our Magic Bands through FP+). So, since we had no evening activities planned, we headed to the Magic Kingdom Guest Relations to have our tickets "fixed."

The process did take some time--it's clear there are still some kinks in the system and quite a learning curve for CMs--but we were rewarded well for our trouble. Since we were arriving near closing, we were given passes to head into the MK in time to see the evening fireworks. (This "Magical Moment" was courtesy of our daughter who kept begging us to go into the park then...followed by our explaining that we didn't want to waste a whole park ticket day for just an hour or so in the MK. The CM overheard all this and granted her wish!) Along with that, we were given two FastPasses good for any ride--we were able to ride Under the Sea (which we'd never been on) and Buzz Lightyear. We also got free ice cream bars from a cart! All-in-all a pretty sweet deal!

Because of our surprise trip into the MK, most of us didn't have great walking shoes on (the girls and I were wearing flip flops) and we also got to bed later than planned. But sore feet and a little less sleep were a small price to pay for Extra Magic!



Sunday, we tried to sleep late and ate a light breakfast in our room before heading to Whispering Canyon Café for lunch. I'll write more on this experience, but I'll just mention that what could have been a terrible lunch turned out well for us again because of the way Disney handles their own mistakes.

After an hour or so of rest, we donned our Halloween costumes and headed to the party. I'll do a separate post on this as well...overall, we enjoyed the whole night, but it's not something we feel we have to do often or again anytime soon.



Monday was a "rest day" after our late night. We have brunch at Kona Café (always a favorite) and did a little shopping for last-minute necessities like milk. We had planned to walk over to Art of Animation for dinner, but a downpour of rain nixed that idea. We settled for the Everything Pop food court. It was fine, and we were able to mostly dodge the rain.



Tuesday was a full day in Epcot. We had FP+ for Soarin', Character Spot (we've actually NEVER done this), and Test Track. We tried to change our selection for the Character Spot, since there was no line and we didn't really need to use it, but neither the app nor the kiosk nearby would allow us to make another FP+ selection (something it should allow you to do). As I said, still a few kinks in this system. As for Test Track, we really enjoyed the new "design-your-own-car" aspect of the ride, but we otherwise prefer the old version. It loses something with all the dayglow and darkness. For example, because it's so dark inside, you can actually see the daylight outside as the car in front of you breaks through the wall to outdoors, so there's no element of surprise. Sure, we knew it was coming, but it was more exciting when you used to crash through those doors than it is now. Also, it's hard to tell what the semi that heads toward your car is, so it's not as exciting/scary either.



We had lunch at Sunshine Seasons. We also visited the Chase Visa lounge in the American Adventure for free drinks and a nice little rest. In the evening, we took in some of the Food & Wine festival and had some tasty dishes, but we found that our old favorites (particularly the bakery in France) are a better deal and we are never disappointed in them. While we didn't stop to sit down, we stood and listened to Sugar Ray perform the one or two songs of theirs that we actually know. Took us back a few years. Scott and I finished the evening with dinner at La Hacienda de San Angel--alone. (My parents and cousin took the girls for us!) A rare treat for us!



Wednesday was our Homeschool Program at Disney's Hollywood Studios (more on that later). We hit all our favorites (Toy Story, Great Movie Ride, Tower of Terror, Star Tours) and tried a new dessert favorite: the Butterfinger Cupcake from Staring Rolls Cafe. (So very delicious!!!) But lines were rather long at even the marginal attractions, which we are just not used to. (I've come to the conclusion that balanced school calendars are screwing up Disney in the fall for all us homeschool families!) We saw Minnie Mouse in her new meet-n-greet and waited 45 minutes for my youngest to get her photo with Wreck-It Ralph and Venelope (never again). After getting frustrated at wait times, we decided to head over to Epcot to finish out our day at EMH. Even with F&W crowds, we were able to hit Soarin' again and several other less popular attractions. And we ate at the French bakery. Again.



Thursday had us back at the MK, our favorite park, and the one we are most comfortable navigating--which, in turn, allows us to do and see more in a day. We did two "new" things: First, we ALL rode Space Mountain together! It's a new era for our family! The other new event was eating at Be Our Guest. I'll do an entire post on that, but our overall impressions were VERY favorable. I'd put it on my "must do" list for sure. We left a bit before the MK closed to stop by Captain Cooks (Polynesian) and have a late dinner. Loved the pork nachos! And, of course, we got our self serve Dole Whip!



Despite it being our least favorite park, we decided to give Animal Kingdom a half day on this trip--if for no other reason than to eat at Flame Tree BBQ! And for the first time, our girls (and I) rode Expedition Everest! Our oldest didn't want to do it again (youngest went again with Daddy), but at least she got on it! Very proud of this brave move (if you knew her, you'd appreciate how hard this was for her). We got soaked twice on Kali River Rapids, and we saw my friend Claire flying as Squirt in Finding Nemo. That was really all we cared to do at AK, so we hopped back to the Studios for the end of the day. Again, the Studios was rather crowded, so we mostly attended shows and minor rides. (My parents weren't with us on Wednesday, so we mostly went back to DHS for their benefit.) We weren't able to ride Toy Story (out of FP), but we hit most everything.



Our last event before leaving town was breakfast with one of my old theatre friends at Olivia's (Old Key West Resort). We had a lovely visit, a good meal, and a bonus of 40% off with her CM discount (she is a seasonal Disney employee). We had another uneventful trip back to Atlanta, where we stopped over for my sister-in-law's birthday and to see my nephew who has been away at college. After a great night with them, we drove across town to my aunt's house so that my Dad could do a few quick repairs for her while we visited. She made us a yummy lunch, and by early afternoon we were on our way back to Nashville.

That's the long version of the whole week, but there will be several posts coming on specific events, activities, and restaurants. Oh, one other thing: although the crowds were greater than we expected, we couldn't have asked for better weather! Other than the brief shower on Monday, and one tiny shower while we were inside the American Adventure at Epcot, we had clear skies and mild temps!

 

Princess Fairytale Hall Now Open...Sort Of

It's what we refer to in the Disney universe as a "soft opening," but the Princess Fairytale Hall meet-n-greet opened this past weekend to some guests. From the photos I've seen, it's absolutely gorgeous--far more elaborate than past homes of the princesses.

Guests can expect to see all the regulars on a rotating basis: Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Rapunzel, Tiana, Jasmine, even Mulan. Conspicuously missing from the hall (at least from photos/video I've seen) are Belle and Ariel, presumably because both of these princesses have their own dedicated areas in the New Fantasyland.

I can't wait to take my little princesses to see all their favorites!

 

Disney to "Unleash the Villains" on Friday the 13th

What looks to be one of the more exciting editions of "Limited Time Magic" is coming to Disney's Hollywood Studios, as they "Unleash the Villains" on September 13. But what, exactly, does that mean? Here's the info from Disney's site:

Coming Friday, September 13, get ready to experience the most spine-tingling bit of Limited Time Magic yet at Walt Disney World Resort! From 8:00 PM until 1:00 AM—a.k.a. the 13th hour—the Disney Villains will be waiting for your arrival as they make their way to the dead center of Disney's Hollywood Studios. Come along for this devilishly delicious affair, on a night jam-packed with 13 dastardly Disney baddies and a host of fiendish festivities. It's a one-time event you won't soon forget… even if you try! And be on the lookout for further announcements and more details as the date of the event draws closer, only at Disney Parks!

With the enormous popularity and limited availability of the Disney Villains, I would expect the Studios to be exceptionally crowded for this event. That said, if you're a Villains fan, don't be afraid to brave the crowds--how often do you get to see these baddies? But if you're not planning to join in the villainy fun, I highly recommend choosing another park to visit on Friday the 13th to avoid the crowd.

New Annie Leibovitz Disney Dream Portrait Released

I love these so, so much! Here's the latest Disney Dream Portrait by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz, featuring Jennifer Hudson as Princess Tiana:

 ©Disney

This photo ad will appear in publications like Vanity Fair, People, and O--the Oprah Magazine.

 

 

What If Disney Princesses Had Instagram?

This is one of the funniest Disney spoofs I've seen in a while. Enjoy!

 

Meet-N-Greet Update

photo ©Disney

Sofia (as in, "Sophia the First") is now greeting guests at Disney's Hollywood Studios, just outside "Disney Junior--Live on Stage!" Check the entertainment times guide for specific times so that your little princess doesn't miss it.

 

Happy Independence Day!

 

Friday Photo

I read today that Disney Theatrical Productions is exploring the possibility of a Muppets musical on Broadway. How fun would that be?! So, in honor of this, I present today's Friday Photo:



 

 

Hidden Mickey Monday

OK, so this isn't exactly a hidden Mickey...because it was right out in the open. And, it's not exactly a Disney-licensed version of the Mouse. But we saw several of these Mickey ride-ons in Chinatown.

Friday Photo

While visiting New York last week, there was one place that was high on my "must-see" list: the Disney Store in Times Square. Our hotel was just a few blocks from there, so I was looking forward to doing a little shopping in my spare time. To my great disappointment, this sign was on the door:


 

Our flight home was on May 10. This certainly was a "glitch" in my plan. :(  I did manage a tiny peek inside the door on the following day when someone just happened to be doing some sort of repair on the doorframe. Wish I had my camera ready. But I did manage to snap these pics of Mickey, Minnie, and Woody. Yes, I know...not the real characters. In fact, Mickey was "headless" part of the night--definitely not how a true Disney character would act. And there were about 4 Woodys and 3 Mickeys within a two-block radius of each other...definitely not the Disney way. The pic below, however, is the only Minnie we saw on our trip.





 

While I Was Away...

Here's the news from Walt Disney World over the last week:

• Merida officially became a Disney Princess in a coronation ceremony at the Magic Kingdom on May 11. This brings the official court to eleven Disney Princesses. (Have I mentioned that 11 is my favorite number? My husband and I were married on 11/11/00, after exactly 11 months of dating. We celebrated our 11th anniversary on 11/11/11!)


• Free dining and room discounts for fall dates were released to the general public, following a brief exclusive release for Disney Rewards Visa cardholders. You can check out the discounts on the "Offers" page on the WDW website.


• PIN codes for free dining--with a wider range of dates--also went out to a ton of previous Disney guests. I got mine! Did you get one?


• Constructions walls went up at the former Pleasure Island section of Downtown Disney, so that work can begin on the new Disney Springs area.


• The new castle projection show, "Celebrate the Magic," was announced and will coincide with the May 24 "Monstrous Summer Event."


• Wendy and Peter Pan are together again! The duo can be found near the queue to Peter Pan's Flight for daily meet-n-greets. Peter Pan was formerly greeting guests alone in Adventureland.


• La Nouba (Cirque du Soleil) is closed until the end of the month for refurbishment.


• After just a few months in operation, Be Our Guest Restaurant menus are already being tweaked--and some prices are going up. Ouch.

That about covers what you might have missed while I was away!

 

Disney Pulls Another All Nighter

On May 24, guests at the Magic Kingdom can once again party all night long! "The Monstrous Summer All Nighter" was officially announced via a giant projection of Mike Wazowski on Spaceship Earth at Epcot. While technically it is a 24-hour party--from 6:00 a.m. on May 24 through 6:00 a.m. on May 25--the MK will indeed close briefly after that to "reset" for the regular opening on May 25. So, no, you can't stay in the MK for two days straight.

Similar to last year's "One More Disney Day" to celebrate Leap Day, this event will both celebrate the upcoming Monsters University film and also be tied in with Limited Time Magic. (This is also the kick-off of Memorial Day weekend.) There will be special entertainment (likely an extra parade and dance parties, etc.) to help fill the extra hours. And some of the characters will even appear in their PJs!

Does anyone out there have plans to attend? Let me hear from you!

 

Monsters University Monorail

Monorail Teal has a new look! It's has been taken over by Mike, Sully, and some of their friends from Monsters University. But don't worry, Marvel fans. The Iron Man 3 monorail is still in circulation as well. Click here to see the story on the official Disney Parks Blog.

photo ©Disney

 

 

Spring Break at WDW

No, I'm not there. (Boo.) In fact, here in Tennessee, the weather feels distinctly un-springlike! We have snow on the ground as I type this--ouch. And although the Lake Buena Vista area isn't seeing white flakes, the cool weather has closed Typhoon Lagoon for the day (Blizzard Beach remains open for the few crazy people who are willing to brave the cold). And earlier in the week, they also experienced Tornado Warnings--yikes! But the severe weather clearly isn't hindering the crowds, as proven by the Magic Kingdom reaching Phase 3 closure yesterday. (Park admittance during high-capacity days is based on various factors including the type of ticket you have, dining or other reservations, and even the type of transportation used to get to the Parks. Phase 3 is the last step before closing the Parks to ALL guests, regardless of these factors.)

Here are a few updates for spring/Easter/Spring Fling ("Limited Time Magic") activities around WDW:

• Mr. & Mrs. Easter Bunny are appearing at Epcot (United Kingdom in the World Showcase) from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., now through March 31.


• "Celebrate a Dream Come True" parade (Magic Kingdom) will be offered twice daily from now until April 6, at 12:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.


• This week's "Limited Time Magic" is called "Spring Fling." Expect special character meet-n-greets in the Magic Kingdom in Town Square from 9:00 a.m. until 5:10 p.m., and characters will also be making pre-parade appearances before the aforementioned "Celebrate a Dream Come True" parade.


• "Taste of Hollywood to Go" is now being offered as a dining option at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The $15.99 boxed meals ($5.49 for children) include reserved seating for Fantasmic! and count as one quick service credit on the Disney Dining Plan.

 

Friday Photo

We have exciting plans tonight--we're going to see Peter Pan, starring former Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby. It's hard to believe that at 60 years old Rigby is still flying high as the boy who won't grow up! (I'm optimistic, if a little skeptical, about how that will translate.) In honor of our plans, I've posted one of our favorite family photos with one of the girls' favorite characters.



 



 

Friday Photo

This Friday Photo is a bit of a brag. Wanted to post this pic from 2009 of my oldest daughter, Reagan, with her favorite Princess to say that I'm super proud of her (Reagan, not Ariel) for being cast in Disney's The Little Mermaid Jr. with the Starbright Players! She will be one of the Merfolk in this fun musical, and she is very excited to be spending some time "Under the Sea" with Ariel and her friends!

Disney Unveils Newest "Dream Portrait"

I'm a huge fan of the Annie Leibovitz series of Disney Dream Portraits, which puts celebrities in classic Disney character roles in settings of epic fairytale proportions. Disney just unveiled the latest in the series on the Official Disney Parks blog, and it might just be the favorite of tween girls everywhere. Depicting the ever-popular lead character from Tangled, Rapunzel, is the multiple-Grammy-winning artist Taylor Swift. It's quite stunning--in a good way. See it for yourself here.