Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

After visiting Not So Scary in early October I was highly disappointed in my experience. Fortunately guest services was kind enough to offer me a readmit for another party event including Very Merry. Overall I found the Christmas party to be much more enjoyable with less crowds, better shows, and atmosphere, not to forget unlimited snicker doodles, apple juice/slices, and hot chocolate!
Before the party really started I hopped on a couple rides including Jingle Cruise, the overlay for Jungle Cruise, which was a welcome barage of new jokes and corny holiday puns. Starting out around 6:30pm Jack Skellington, as Sandy Claws, was already meeting with party guests over in Storybook Circus with a line less than 20 minutes. As he becomes one of the longest lines during the night I was thrilled to basically walk right up to meet. He did not autograph but a "pre-signed" card was offered to every member of each party.
After my early start I got in the forming line for Daisy, Donald, and Scrooge McDuck. Again no autographs but unfortunately no card either.
Princess Fairytale Hall was hosting Prince Charming and Flynn Rider along with the normally present Cinderella and Rapunzel, all of whom autographed.
At Adventureland terrace Peter Pan and Wendy Darling were meeting for the majority of the night.
I'm fairly strict on myself on waiting in line for characters I already have pictures with or that meet in the parks regularly so I skipped out on the Tomorrowland dance party, Mickey, Minnie, Santa Claus, Santa Goofy, Anna, Elsa,Aurora, Snow White, and all Seven Dwarfs (Also at NSS).
The Holiday Hootenany at Horseshoe Review was fairly standard pop music with the Country Bears and some of the classic cartoon friends Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle Cow, and Clara Cluck.
I personally skipped the Frozen Castle lighting but heard it was fairly cute as far as dialogue. The Once Upon a Christmas Time Parade is well done but hard to see clearly unless you are right up against the parade route. Even just a couple people in front of me was enough to not be able to get decent pictures or views of most floats and definitely not of the walkers in the parade. The toy soldiers are a yearly favorite and I can see why.
The Holiday Wishes fireworks were twelve minutes of beautifully orchestrated explosions with Christmas music.
In the end I found my night at the Magic Kingdom for the Very Merry Christmas Party to be much more worth the extra money and would absolutely recommend a family to use a this opportunity to spend a long night at Magic Kingdom over spending the $99 for a one day ticket to MK.
As always have a magical day!

Dapper Day Fall Soirée

Hollywood Studios played gracious host to this fall's Dapper Day event. The weather started out a bit discouraging but guests stayed the part in stylish outfits. This was my first time attending this gathering so I have a bit of work to do on my attire but I am super excited for spring!
The meet ups are in the fall and spring at Disneyland California, Walt Disney World, and Disneyland Paris. This group created such an amazing following and I really hope they are able to bring the expo and style boutique that they offer in California to the Florida crew soon!
I didn't take many photos of other dapper dressers but here are a few of me and links to other photographers who captured the hordes of finely dressed guests.
Also the 27th was the operating day for Studio Backlot Tour. The area is being used to expand the Pixar attractions at Hollywood Studios.

 
 

  

 

Dapper Day FB

JAWs Photography FB

Fairy Tale Weddings Showcase 2014

Grand Floridian Convention Center hosted this years Fairytale Weddings Expo.
There was a plethora of sparkle, ambiance, food, dessert, photos, and, experiences. The cast members representing the different departments of Weddings, Catering, and Escapes (honeymoons) were all lovely and knowledgeable. The mousse cake samples were a little disappointing, the dinner samples were delicious, and the table set ups absolutely breathtaking. Senses Spa was providing complimentary hand massages, hair, and makeup. Alfred Angelo had a collection of the Disney Bridal gowns on display including live models in the Cinderella gowns. The photography department was covering everything and had beautiful samples of their photos on different mediums.
I'm still not sure I personally would ever hold my wedding with Disney but to any of you who dream it, they can surely get you there!

Villains Unleashed

August 23rd, 2014

 Darkness fell on Hollywood Studios and 50 of our favorite Disney Villains took the stage and the park by force (the Sith helped out).
From 8pm to 1am character meet and greets were staged and roaming throughout the park along side stage shows, dance parties, and fireworks. The event was created in response to the 2013 Unleash the Villains Limited Time Magic event that was inclusive in park admission. While this event was considered "hard ticket", or in other words separate admission, the price was comparable to Not So Scary. As many other bloggers have mentioned, yes the lines were very long.
Was the event oversold? Possibly
Was it worth the admission price? For me yes
Should they make changes for the next one? Absolutely

Overall I highly enjoyed the event for the rare character interaction aspect. I met/took pictures with 11 of the 50 villains. Watched a few minutes of the Hades Hangout at the Sorcerer's Hat Stage, danced at the Awesome Mix Tape Vol. 1 in Animation Courtyard, and was in awe of the fireworks display as always. Club Evil in the Brown Derby was definitely a really cool idea but could have been better executed instead of self seating.
One of the reasons I was able to see so many characters is that I skipped over those that had the largest lines, I already had photos/autographs with, or were often in the parks normally/at other events.
My character list: Tusken Raider (Star Wars), Shan Yu (Mulan), Stromboli (Pinocchio), J. Worthington Foulfellow (Pinocchio),  Star Lord (Guardians), Gamora (Guardians), Shenzi (Lion King), Banzai (Lion King), Ed (Lion King), Bowler Hat Guy (Meet the Robinsons), and the Big Bad Wolf.
I was highly impressed by the amount I interacted with and the autograph poster/cards given out at the exit were wonderful!

 

Frozen Summer Fun

Yoohoo, Big summer blowout!
In response to the world wide phenomenon that Frozen has brought about Disney's Hollywood Studios has added a number of special shows, merchandise, and atmosphere bringing Arendelle to Orlando! The specials run until September and include a morning parade, sing-a-long with Anna Elsa and Kristoff, ice skating and snow, fireworks, photo backdrops, and merchandise exclusive to the park.

I personally skipped out on the morning parade as it can be difficult to find a good spot to see the stage from as well but there are several high quality videos available on Youtube. I did walk around in Wandering Oaken's to scope out the merchandise and watch the ice skating show before guests were permitted on ice.
Olga and Osvald are the ice skaters and if you can catch them will happily take pictures and sign autographs.
The Sing-a-long was absolutely adorable. Hearing all the children ooh and aah and sing their favorite songs (and adults too). Kristoff was very spot on and so was Anna, I'm a bit leery of Elsa but it'll come with time.
Fireworks were absolutely splendid! Glow with the Show Ear hats synch up with this spectacular display in the sky and your favorite characters return to the stage to help with the lights.
Overall this was a wonderful day and very well put together on short notice to Disney Staff. Sure the music will be stuck in your head for weeks but totally worth it for those that enjoyed any part of the film!

 

 







          

Marketplace Co-op

June 6, 2014 was the grand opening for the first phase improvements to Downtown Disney at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. Marketplace Co-op took over Team Mickey and TrenD and created 6 separate store areas.

Beautifully Disney- make-up, fragrances, and beauty accessories from the Beautifully Disney line, H2O+ line, in addition to trained cosmetologists on hand to help you try on collections of make up complementary!

 


Cherry Tree Lane- handbags and accessories from Disney Parks, Vera Bradely, Dooney & Bourke, and Disney Couture.

 


D-Tech on Demand- Customized D-tech merchandise including phone cases, and other electronic accessories

The Trophy Room- Sports themed Disney attire and collectibles.

Zoey and Pickles- clothing and accessories for young girls both generic designs and Disney inspired pieces.

Centerpiece- your collected location for home goods, kitchen collections, and textiles.

Customized Magic Bands

So Magic Bands have now been in use since last fall. It started out with bland gray bracelets, then you could choose between a limited selection prior to your vacation, and now you can buy your own for around $13 inside the parks!
The colors are still limited for my taste, and many other people as well. Fortunately there is an extremely easy way to personalize them quickly and inexpensively.
I have small wrists so I took off the extra gray/black band extender to have the "child size" band. All you need is nail polish to make the otherwise generic into one of a kind!

Before-

Make sure the band is clean and doesn't have any residue before starting. I used a teal sparkly nail polish for the base, let it dry, then taped off chevron stripes. For the stripes I used a coral/bright pink then added a glow in the dark pink nail polish as a top coat to it. Let the polish dry completely (over night is great) before wearing it to the park. I've had mine decorated for over 2 months now and the polish is still intact and not peeling at all.

Finished-

Hollywood Studios Silver Anniversary

May 1st 1989, Disney MGM Studios was opened to the public. 25 years later I was able to celebrate the silver anniversary at the parks that went out with a bang! Entering at 09:00 am I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of crowds. I suppose most guests made their way straight to the limited merchandise for the event inside Studio Stage 1 near the Backlot Tour.


I, on the other hand, strolled leisurely down Hollywood Boulevard, rode the Great Movie Ride, then watched the rededication ceremony hosted by the parks VP Dan Cockerell. Cast Members who were also celebrating 25 years of service had a chance to shine in the spotlight on stage. A guest who had been present opening day was brought on stage to participate in commemorating the anniversary in concrete along with Mickey Mouse, a 25 year cast member, and the VP of the park.








With the Florida heat getting to sweltering I was very appreciative that the entire ceremony took only about 10 minutes. Afterwards was time for a delicious celebratory Nutella cupcake from Staring Rolls. Cupcakes sold out around the park by early afternoon.

The rest of my day was filled with a 64 question scavenger trivia hunt around the park. Kudos to WDW Celebrations for bringing together the event group and making this challenging but thrilling set of questions. Studio 25 is the groups 10th event and each one has had awesome trivia hunts that stump even some of the most Disney Detail obsessed people (Hint: ME). I am proud to say that my group/family tied for 1st place with 55/64 questions!
The Character Cavalcade was highly disappointing with only a dozen or so actual characters. Even more sad is that there were not any celebrities to speak of. As a milestone anniversary in the parks I would have expected a little bit more attendance. I might have spotted Johnny Depp though....
The finale I had been waiting for all day finally arrived at 09:30 pm. Twelve and a half hours of being in the park, running around, waiting for rides, and sweating like crazy had all come to the fireworks tribute. The display featured major attractions from around the park including The Muppets, Cars, Star Wars, The Tower of Terror, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. All in all the fireworks were some of the best organized and executed I have seen from any Disney park and was thoroughly impressed by this one time show!

For the First-Timer: Animal Kingdom

For those of us that are avid Disney Parks connoisseurs we sometimes have difficulty explaining why we continue going back. This problem often happens when I am taking a friend to the Disney Parks for either the first time, or the first in a long time. Generally speaking I have a high rate of converting them into Disney fans by the end of day one. The most important part of bringing someone who has not been to the park before is understanding what they expect to get out of it. If they don't like storybook rides, skip the waiting at the kids rides. If they don't like roller coasters, think of all the extra time you have for other attractions!

When it comes to Animal Kingdom it is on average the least congested of the parks. This is great if you are bringing someone who does not like all the crowds. If possible avoid coming to this park in the summer as the humidity is much higher than the other parks and there are not nearly as many indoor/ air conditioned areas to cool off. For those who enjoy seeing animals close up take them to Rafiki's Planet Watch, the Kilimanjaro Safari Ride, and the different animal Treks in Africa and Asia.
If they like big thrills take them on Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, Primeval Whirl, or Kali River Rapids (if they don't mind being soaked!).
Animal Kingdom has a lot of nooks and crannies filled with animals. The trails around the Tree of Life on Discovery Island are home to dozens of birds and other animals that most people never even know are there. Take your time (if available) to walk around leisurely and don't rush if you don't have to. You can even let your inner child take over and join the Wilderness Explorers for the day and earn badges!
Always keep in mind what your friend/guest like or don't like. Don't make them go on a ride just because you want to! They may regret coming to the park if you only take them on what you want to go on.
Keep everyone happy, well hydrated, and let the magic begin!

Holiday at Yacht and Beach Club

It was the end of the year and soon the decorations would disappear. January is now here the lights are down and the trees away. I was able to catch the last of the decorations at Yacht and Beach Club on the 31st. A carousel made out of gingerbread and chocolate, a sea shore themed tree in the lobby, and a miniature train going through a Disney village.  The carousel had 14 hidden mickeys in golden paint. some were on the horses and others on the structure itself. I wish I had the chance to see the other resorts but so it goes. Hopefully next year along with Very Merry Christmas Party!