Ronni Loves Disney!

Fashion At Disney World

2012-04-28T23:16:00.001-05:00

Jo-Lynne over at Musings of a Housewife has posted a helpful tutorial on proper fashion at Disney World.

I have to admit, I've had my fair share of Disney fashion disasters. I could have used a post like that many years ago. Instead, I have a parade of some embarrassing and maybe not so embarrassing photos to share with you.

Look at this mess:

August 2001

Nothing cute about this.
Although compared to the people around me...
I guess I'm not so bad!

May 2005
To be fair, I think I did OK on this trip.
I wore a lot of pink.
It is one of my favorite colors, after all. :)

September 2008
Adam and I went to Disney World for our honeymoon.
I think I did really well here.
(If you ignore the bridal ears)

August 2009
This is the year I ran into some trouble.
BIG trouble.
I have no clue what I was thinking, buying those shorts.
Or what Old Navy was doing, selling the ugly ass things.

NO NO NO NO!!!!
The shirt.
The hair.
The shorts.
THE POSE.
ALL SO VERY WRONG!!!

This shirt could have been cute....
IF I HADN'T BEEN BUSTING OUT OF THE THING.

I have no words.
Only shame.

January 2011
This was a tricky time of year because the weather was SUPER unpredictable.

This is mostly what I wore, give or take a hoodie or heavy duty coat.
I mean, I know it looks crazy.
But a sister had to keep warm, you know what I'm sayin'?

June 2011
Summer time. When I knew it'd be hot
...and I could redeem myself for the ugly ass Old Navy shorts!
By now, I'd learned some stuff.
NO MORE UGLY shorts. ABSOLUTELY NEVER ALLOWED.
Also no shapeless, boxy tee-shirts!
It's possible to look cute and be comfortable!
(Although I refused to give up the Keens.
Ugly as those suckers are, they're really comfortable and much cuter than Crocs.)

LOVE my look here!

Meh. Not bad, but definitely not great either.
I'm trying, dang it!

I remember this day.
I was quite cranky at parts.
Probably cause the tank top was a lot less flattering than I'd hoped.
Oh well.

February 2012
This was the trip when my luggage got lost.
Unless I wanted to spend a fortune in gift shops
...my choices were very limited.

You're going to laugh.
But this was my favorite outfit from that trip.
I do adore this striped sweater!

I think I look pretty OK here too, thanks to my friend Keri, who brought me clothes! NICE clothes!

So there you have it. I wouldn't take ANY fashion advice from me, because clearly, I'm too hit or miss with the whole thing. Instead, hop on over to Musings of a Housewife and listen to Jo-Lynne. Although I disagree with her opinion on that adorable Mickey Mouse shirt, everything else is SPOT ON.

And darned if composing this didn't make me homesick for a Disney Park. ANY Disney Park. Soon, my friends. I'll be back there soon. :) Til next time! :)

A Few Of My Favorite Things

2012-04-10T19:08:00.004-05:00

There's no question that I think Disney World is amazing. I wouldn't keep going I hated it, right? People often ask me what I like the best, but I don't think I've ever broken it down in a blog post. Therefore, inspired by this week's All Ears newsletter, I decided to make a list of my favorite things to do at Disney World.

Arriving. There's nothing like getting to Orlando International Airport, hopping on that little tram, and rushing down to the Magical Express. Once you're on that bus, the vacation really begins. They play a video as you take the long journey to the resort, and then once you drive under that gate, the rest of the world falls away. All I can think, when that happens, is, "I"m here! I'd better check in on Foursquare! YAY I'm here! And I have XX number of days left! YAY!!!" The anticipation is delicious!

Eat! I love the food there. Our favorite place is Garden Grill, but I also really like Columbia Harbour House, ABC Commissary, and Pizzafari. Yummy!

Listen to the announcements on the buses. I love it when they say "You'll be home soon." The funny music they play on the buses when we pull into Magic Kingdom. And I always laugh because they're so formal, calling the buses motorcoaches and saying they "depart" instead of "leave". In Chicago, I am no stranger to buses and they definitely don't call them motorcoaches here!

Take in the atmosphere. I love to smell the scents, hear the music, look at the people. So many different types of people. Every time I go, I am more amazed at the things Walt Disney thought of, and the things the Imagineers continue to do. Just little things, like the ground changing as you go from land to land in the Magic Kingdom, to there never being more than 30 steps between trash cans because Walt actually counted how many steps it took people holding trash before they'd throw it on the ground. That meticulous attention to detail amazes me because that means there's always something new to discover on a Disney trip.

Meet the characters! I've definitely calmed down from this, but I used to be a HARD CORE character meeter. I used to stalk them. Now that I've met most of the characters I wanted to meet, I don't see any reason to stand in long lines now... unless it's someone rare. For example, on Valentine's Day, the princes were out with the princessess. So even though I'd met Aurora and Snow White before, I'd never met Prince Philip or Snow White's prince.

I'll also go meet a character if there is barely any wait, and I ALWAYS have to meet Mickey Mouse at least once when I go to Disney World. I mean, how can you go and NOT meet Mickey every single time, right?

Experience the attractions. There are a few attractions that are must-dos for me. Like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I missed it my last trip, as it was closed for refurbishment. There are some that I just have to do at least once, like the Carousel of Progress.

See the parades. I used to wonder why people would sit and stake claim on parade spots up to an hour before the parade even started. I mean, they could be riding rides or seeing shows or buying stuff, right? But then, one night, I lined up to watch Spectromagic. And THEN I GOT IT. Just so you know, Spectromagic was this huge light parade that ran nightly, sometimes twice nightly. IT WAS EPIC. And let me tell you, that's a heck of a parade to experience as your first one. The music STILL GIVES ME CHILLS and I even have it as my ringtone.

full spectromagic video

Everything is lit up. The costumes! The floats! Everything. It's beautiful! And when they replaced it with the Main Street Electrical Parade, I was like "OK. I've never seen this one, so I'll give it a shot, but I hope they go back to Spectromagic before long!" Well, they're still running MSEP, so I have no pressing need to stay late for the Magic Kingdom parade until they bring Spectromagic back. I love that parade so much that I bought the soundtrack as soon as I could.

So yeah. Parades are the thing. Especially when you get to BE IN THEM!!!

Shop. Duh! Gotta get some souvenears (you see what I did there?) and pick up postcards to send to friends and family back home, right? I buy at least one new pair of earrings every trip. I also collect pins, ornaments, and magnets commemorating that particular trip. I always get one for the year we're there for sure, but if I fall in love with a new attraction or something, I'll get a pin for that as well. I love to look around the shops and let myself get tempted to buy things I don't need. :)

Being immersed. There are many reasons we stay on site at Disney Resorts, even though it's usually cheaper to get a suite off site. Those reasons are a.) Dining Plan b.) Disney transportation c.) Extra Magic Hours d.) Total Disney immersion. That means no chain stores or dirty sidewalks. No fast food chains to tempt me or dog poop all over the place. It's a complete and total escape and I LOVE IT.

I hope to get back really soon!

That's all I can think of for now. Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into a few of my favorite things about Disney World!

New Disney Ship Christened!

2012-03-04T13:42:00.002-06:00

I know, I'm like 4000 years late with this but yay!

I've never been on a Disney Cruise. I KNOW RIGHT? What is up with that?

Adam says he has no interest in going on a Disney Cruise, to which I say WHAT? How can you not be interested in having food available 24 hours a day?

Maybe he's not interested because there is no Haunted Mansion on the ship, and he's not into islands and beaches and things like I am. Because I can think of plenty of things I'd want to do on the ship AND on the island excursions, and I think a cruise would be a lot of fun. In addition, I think I'd feel less pressured to do too much because a cruise is supposed to be relaxing. Laying by the pool on deck? Yes please!

So maybe one day I'll be able to talk him into going on one, but I won't let that stop me from eventually getting on a Disney Cruise myself, even if I have to go on my own or if I have to talk a girlfriend into going with me.

It's The Tri-ip Report

2012-02-20T23:53:00.016-06:00

(sang to the tune of Morning Report)

** NOTE: I am aware that there is some jacked up text showing up about halfway down my post if you view it on its own page. Google shows that other people are having the same problem and there doesn't seem to be a solution that works for me as of yet. ANNOYING. But if you read it on the main page, it's OK. I don't know either. **

So. Yea. Disney World happened.

AND IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!

I'm going to cheat and copy/paste most of this from my personal blog, so if you've already read this, you can skip it. But if you haven't, then I must insist you indulge because although it is long, it is worth it.

Seven trips and it never gets old. Even though I spent the first day half crazed out of my mind due to lack of sleep and being hopped up on energy drinks. Magic Kingdom was as magical as ever, with rides, yummy food, fireworks, and of course, Mickey Mouse. 'Cause it's just criminal to go to Disney World and not visit Mickey Mouse at least once, right?

*warning, lots of pictures ahead!*

We experienced the PeopleMover, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Carousel of Progress, Mickey's Philharmagic, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor (where I got to be on the big screen and use my psychic powers to convince the monster onscreen that he could know which number I was thinking of), and it's a small world.

Characters met: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pirate Goofy, Ariel, Belle, and Cinderella.
Restaurant: Liberty Tree Tavern (dinner) and Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe (snack)

Challenges appeared that evening when I realized that my luggage hadn't turned up (typically, Disney will retrieve it and bring it to our rooms, but there were some snafus early in the process, and in this case, the process completely broke down). The next morning, I still had no luggage and I was developing a migraine. We nipped that in the bud with a cocktail of Bayer, Extra Strength Tylenol, and an energy shot. By the time we got to Hollywood Studios to meet my friend Keri, the headache was gone.

keri and me

I was too chicken to ride Tower of Terror (also, my stomach was queasy from aforementioned drug cocktail) so I passed on it. I did, however, ride and LOVE (as usual) Rock N Rollercoaster.

We watched the Pixar's Countdown to Fun parade, which wasn't as good as the Block Party Bash used to be, but it was still neat.

We experienced Rock N Rollercoaster, Star Tours, the Beauty and the Beast stage show, and Muppet Vision 3D, which is the best 3D show in the parks (although I do love me some Mickey's Philharmagic!)

Restaurants: ABC Commissary (lunch) and Kona Cafe in the Polynesian (dinner)

Day Three = still no luggage. Disney was on it, though. They were going back and forth with Southwest, and I finally had to come to terms with the fact that my stuff might be gone forever. Keri had brought me some clothes, and because I was running out of underwear that I'd packed in my carry on, I knew that I'd need to buy stuff later that evening. Whatever. We headed to Epcot and the first thing we did was grab Fast Passes for Soarin'. Then we got in line because Soarin' only had a 25 minute wait which is UNHEARD OF. That attraction almost always has at least an hourlong wait. At least. And we got to ride it twice in one day!! ROCK ON.

While I was in line for Princess Aurora and Prince Philip (the princes were out!!), I got a call from someone who had my bag! It had gotten picked up by someone who thought it was a friend of theirs, and was in Gainesville. The girl I talked to was very sweet, but between us two, the airline people, etc., we realized that I'd not get my bag back in time to finish out my vacation. Oh well. I continued to have fun anyway.

at dinner, we had the most scrumptious red velvet dessert
this is me with the last bite
i really didn't want it to end

We experienced Test Track, Mission: Space (Green, for Less Intense), Maelstrom, Captain EO, The American Adventure, Ellen's Energy Adventure, and Soarin' (2x!). I also got some Jammie Dodgers!!

jammie dodgers and a fez
now i am ready to take on the world
(end doctor who reference)

Characters met: Princess Aurora & Prince Philip, Snow White & Prince Charming, Mickey Mouse, Pluto, and Chip & Dale
Restaurants: Bakery in Norway (for a snack) and Garden Grill (dinner)

Day Four, we headed to Animal Kingdom. I always forget how much I enjoy Animal Kingdom until I'm there. It's the prettiest park of all of them, with all its greenery and wild animals. Love watching the animals.

Expedition Everest is an AWESOME roller coaster. Just sayin'.

Of course, the highlight of this day was the fact that THEY ASKED ADAM AND ME TO BE IN THE JAMMIN' JUNGLE PARADE.

We'd just had lunch at Pizzafari, and I said "Let's go to Camp Minnie-Mickey." There wasn't really anything we wanted to do there, but the Festival of the Lion King is there and a show was about to start. We were debating going in (it really is an excellent show) when a cast member named Robb (who happens to be really awesome, dontchaknow) stopped us, asked if it was just the two of us. We said "Yes," and he asked, "Would you like to be in our parade?" We had to be back at the hotel at 5pm, so time was of concern. But the parade started at 3:45pm, so we were all good. Once it sunk in, I was like...

Because being in a Disney parade is a dream come true for me. No, seriously. You guys. I have wanted to be in a Disney parade since 2005, when I saw Spectromagic for the first time. Sadly, Disney isn't running Spectromagic anymore, but that parade is the MOTHER of all parades and it's also my ringtone. Anyway, I would LOVE to be a parade dancer, and I think I'd kick some butt at it, but I'm probably way too old for something like that. But still. Eeeeeee!!!

So yeah. THAT HAPPENED. And one of the cool things is that one of the dancers--I'd recognized her from other shows at Disney World. She seemed flattered and amazed that I'd done so. :)

sara's the dancer on the left end
she's the one I recognized from other disney shows
crazy, huh?
it was so neat to meet her

So, in Animal Kingdom, we experienced the Kilimanjaro Safari, Rafiki's Planet Watch (where I got to hold poop!), Expedition Everest, and I GOT TO FREAKING BE IN A PARADE AT FREAKING DISNEY WORLD, Y'ALL.

i'm holding poop!
(don't worry, it had been baked and coated)
no stinkies here

So, despite the lost luggage, I had an AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING trip! And if I had to choose between not having lost luggage and having just an OK time, or losing the bag and being in a parade, I'd lose the bag every time. Hopefully it won't come to that again, though.

My bag is safely with me now. Disney got UPS to pick it up in Gainesville and they overnighted it to me. So I won all over.

And I cannot wait to get back to Disney World!!!

And just in case there weren't enough pictures in this post, there are loads more here: [LINK]

You know you want to click it! :D

Thanks for reading.

The Wonders of Disney Animation

2012-02-10T21:58:00.000-06:00

Awesome video is awesome.
This is increasing my excitement for I WILL BE THERE IN LESS THAN TWO DAYS!!!!!!!!!!

Going Back Home! :)

2011-12-28T15:37:00.002-06:00

Over Thanksgiving, my husband told me, out of the blue, "I'm going to take you to Disney World in February. It's part of your Christmas gift."

So, you can imagine how thrilled I was, right? I didn't know the next time I'd be heading out to Disney World. I had no idea it would be this soon!

1. I honestly thought he was tired of going. (This will be my 7th trip.)

2. He rarely suggests travel or vacation that isn't an obligation (like to see family or something like that, or work).

Naturally, I'm thrilled. We'll be going just when I am DONE with winter in Chicago, and it will be during value season, so I'm hoping for low crowds. It will be later in the season, so hopefully it will be warmer than when we went in January of this year. AND it will be over Valentine's Day!

He'd wanted to make it a COMPLETE surprise, but then he remembered that the planning is part of the fun for me. So, he's footing the bill while I pick the meals, plan which parks we're going to hit, and which events we're going to do. All he asks is that we eat at Garden Grill and he gets to ride Haunted Mansion. I AM MORE THAN OKAY WITH BOTH OF THOSE STIPULATIONS!

So...LET THE PLANNING BEGIN!!! :D

Disney Designer Princesses

2011-10-29T14:33:00.001-05:00

In late summer/early fall, The Disney Store began releasing ten limited edition Disney Designer Princess dolls.

They were available exclusively at The Disney Store (and online), and at $59.50 each, these dolls were a great deal. They're beautiful, with amazing gowns and accessories. I can understand why everyone went crazy over them.

The dolls are now sold out, and boy did I have some adventures trying to get the two I wanted: Jasmine and Tiana. I'm talking long lines, broken Web sites, and a lot of nail biting. I was sure I'd end up with neither, but my dear husband came through for me for both dolls, one by waiting in a very cold line on Michigan Avenue, and the other by getting his computer to somehow get through the disneystore.com checkout. (I'd waited in line at another Disney Store, and they ran out of dolls two people in front of me.)

They were worth the trouble. I haven't even unboxed the dolls yet and I'm absolutely in love with them. They're stunning!

Here is Tiana:

Here is Jasmine:

I'll take more pictures once the unboxing happens. :)

Funky Style!!

2011-10-05T12:05:00.002-05:00

I know I have blogged about this before, but watching YouTube today brought it back to the forefront of my mind.

When I was in high school, I LOVED LOVED LOVED the all new Mickey Mouse Club. This is the show that spawned Britney Spears, Keri Russell, and Justin Timberlake. I was a fan from the beginning--well, once we got The Disney Channel installed in my house. Back then, I had to beg and plead for us to get cable in the first place, and The Disney Channel was a premium channel, like HBO or Showtime! My parents knew how important Disney was to me, so they sprang for the premium. Back then, my cable life revolved around The Disney Channel, MTV, BET, and VH1. I loved music videos and there was no shortage of them in the early 90s.

I started watching MMC when I saw the video for Summer Vacation by The Party on MTV. I thought Damon Pampolina was the hottest thing on TV. I was ready for a new crush--I was over my New Kids on the Block phase, Joey Lawrence and Kirk Cameron did nothing for me, and Dino and Glenn Medeiros were just too old. I am not sure how I figured out that The Party had to do with The Disney Channel, but once I realized that The Party was made up of Mouseketeers from MMC, I was hooked. My crush on Damon was short-lived, though. I started watching MMC in its third season, and that's the season that Ricky Luna started. More on that later.

The show, to me, was so different from any other show. It wasn't a typical multi-camera sitcom filmed in beta. It was a variety show, with skits, singing, and dancing. My favorite was the musical numbers. I liked learning the dance steps and I liked singing along. The cast members used their own names, and at the end of a taping, they let the audience come down and dance with them, which made them seem more approachable than say, the kids on Blossom. I really wanted to be friends with all of them.

My life back then mostly consisted of school (ugh), an after school job at the deli, marathon phone conversations with my best friends (our record: 13 hours), writing (mostly fanfic), and music. I wasn't getting out much nor was I participating in a lot of school activities. My life was MMC and those kids. I wrote fan fiction about them before it was cool. If I wasn't planted in front of the TV at 5:30pm Monday through Friday, then the VCR was recording the show. That show was the reason I got up some mornings, the reason I got dressed and did my hair. Maybe I was just going to be in front of the TV all day, frantically rewinding the VCR so I could learn yet another dance step, but I was up and moving. And that was a good thing.

There were two Mousketeers who inspired me the most. One was Mylin Brooks. I thought she was absolutely beautiful. She had this gorgeous dark hair, this beautiful face, and she was on a TV show that was filmed at Disney World. She was smart and talented and I desperately wanted to be her.

It was this video here that started my fascination with Mylin:

Please refresh if the videos aren't showing up. YouTube is being a pain in the rear.

Ah yes, Disney Channel's watered-down pop lyrics. I didn't care. I watched the video all the time. I even learned the steps. I can still do most of the steps. I NEVER in a million years would have imagined that one day, this would happen:

Through the wonders of the Internet, I reached out and asked Mylin to be my friend on MySpace back when MySpace was cool. She accepted, and we began talking back and forth. When everyone moved to Facebook, she and I kept in touch on there. I was part of her "American Girl" street team back in 2006. It was amazing to get to work with her.

In July of 2010, I finally got to meet and spend the day with this woman, and let me tell you, she is just as sweet as she is beautiful. My mom is tickled pink because she knew how important MMC was to me, and she knew how important those kids were to me.

The other Mouseketeer that changed my life was Ricky Luna. I had an obscene crush on him when I was a teenager, and I didn't care. Every single day from 5:20-6:00pm, I would sit in front of my TV, VCR remote in hand, ready to tape anything with Ricky in it.

When the MMC came on, the Mouseketeers would pop into a circle and say their names. He popped into his circle, yelled "Ricky!" and I was instantly head over heels. Well, as much as a girl can be with a guy whose first name is the only thing she knew about him. But we don't need to worry about that. Look at this video:

He's the one in the red shirt and the suspenders. I dare you to say you don't understand how teenage me could have fallen for that total Mr. Hottyness.

I got to meet him for the first time in 1993, when MMC came to Cleveland to do a tour. Boy did I make a fool out of myself. I grabbed him and yelled "I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU." Mortifying. Forgive me. I had no social skills and I was face-to-face with the object of my teenage fantasies OMG what was my life??? Don't judge me.

Here are a couple of pix from that weekend:

Forgive the blurriness. I scanned these back in 1997 when I had no idea how to really work a scanner.

In late 1997, Geocities came out. I could make my own web page, what! So I did. I made a Ricky Luna fan site. If you google "Ronni's Ricky Luna Fan Page" some old, old, old mirrors of that site will come up. Good times. I made that site in hopes that Ricky would do a search of his name and find it. He did. That site was the top hit in all the search engines. He contacted me and we kept in touch on and off over the next several years. MySpace and Facebook kept us even more in touch. Back in 2009, this happened:

Yeah, it was pretty awesome. I got to hang out with him and his manager's family. It was a really fun day. He lived up to the crush that 17-year old me had on him and then some because he's just an awesome, kind, and warm human being. We laugh about my declaration of love for him at Tower City mall back in 1993. I still can't believe I did that. Anyway, now he's a super talented producer and he makes really good music, which you can download for free from his site. I recommend the Electro Bomba mini mix. You can get it here. :)

I'm proud to call him my friend.

I leave you with this video. I just watched it again and it gave me chills because I loved it so much back then. And as I belted along with it, remembering all the words, I realized that I still love it today.

If only The Disney Channel was still this awesome. Oh well. At least they have Phineas & Ferb.

This is cross posted at my personal site. Feel free to visit and follow! :)

Social Networking Disney Style

2011-07-06T18:46:00.005-05:00

Today, I was invited to join what I think is the coolest thing ever. If you love Facebook and you love Disney, and you can't get enough of talking about Disney, then this site is for you. Create your profile, connect with other Disney fans, upload photos, and discuss anything and everything Disney in the extensive forums.

This site's in its babyhood, and it needs some awesome members to help it grow. Join by clicking here: http://sharemickey.com. Sign up is and painless and easy, and before long, you'll be sharing memories with other Disney fanatics.

See ya there! :) I'm Ronni!

Disney World Photos!

2011-07-04T16:26:00.003-05:00

I forgot that I'd promised you more photos from my most recent trip. Here they are:

There's plenty more where that came from, right here: [LINK]

Disney World June 2011 Recap

2011-06-11T00:45:00.005-05:00

Here's a rundown of my most recent Disney trip. More photos to come in a separate post. (They're uploading now.)

The Fantastic
+ Online check in. Quick and easy.
+ Getting a ground floor room in building three. Refurbished and redecorated, close to the main building and the pool.
+ Boat ride to Downtown Disney. It was beautiful.
+ Magic Kingdom Rope Drop.
+ Star Tours 3D. Holy crap is that ride awesome now!
+ Garden Grill. I think they outdid themselves this time. Everything was delicious, and as usual, the character interaction was top notch.
+ Kilimanjaro Safari. There were TONS of animals out!
+ The gorilla strutting out, squatting in front of all of us spectators, and proceeding to show us how he does #1 AND #2. Quite entertaining!
+ Festival of the Lion King. It was fantastic as always. And I was FINALLY in the giraffe section.
+ Dancing with Phineas and Ferb! The line to meet them was long and hot, but we were entertained! And when it was finally our turn? Rock on!
+ Seeing the Torch Lighting ceremony at the Polynesian. (I am determined to stay there someday. I love that place.)
+ Chocolate-covered marshmallows rolled in mini Reese's Pieces. YUM.
+ Aidan and me finding reasons to laugh hysterically in the hotel room, probably driving poor Adam crazy.
+ Living With The Land. Always a neat ride, and we had an entire boat to ourselves.
+ PeopleMover. So relaxing. I'm always sad when it's over.
+ The Memories castle show. OK, they could do without the pictures. Just show us the effects on the castle. So awesome!

The Good
+ Flight was smooth.
+ Aidan falling in love with Pirates of the Caribbean.
+ Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (always awesome).
+ Surprising Aidan with a trip to the LEGO store in Downtown Disney.
+ Meeting nice people in line or on the bus.
+ Liberty Tree Tavern. Good food. Very busy, though.
+ Soarin'. Always a good time.
+ Weather. It was hot, but we had plenty of water and one of those spray fans. We were OK.
+ New music to buy, new earrings to be had.
+ Watching Aidan enjoy Mission Space: Green, and Test Track.
+ All the cool stuff in the store in Japan.
+ I am not as obsessed with getting character photos anymore, so a little less standing in line for that. It made the characters we DID get more special.
+ Sitting in one of those little side streets off of Main Street and discovering a few secrets. :)
+ No rain!
+ Seeing Space Mountain with all the lights on. WEIRD!
+ Naps in Hall of Presidents and Carousel of Progress. I KNOW, but believe me, I needed them!

The Meh
- Whispering Canyon Cafe. Too loud and the food was so-so. Our server, "Lazy Suzan," was nice, though. And the ketchup thing? HI-LARRY-US.
- Chef Mickey's. Food was just OK. Kids running wild and screaming. Character interaction was rushed. Server did what she could, but she was super busy. She did give us a bunch of apple juice boxes and tell us to take them with us. I do not envy her job at all. Adam tipped her well.
- The long queues just for Fastpasses for Soarin' and Toy Story Midway Mania. Holy crap.
- Sunshine Seasons at Epcot. Disorganized, unclear direction for those of us with the DDP, and no good selections for picky kids that didn't cost a billion snack credits.
- Traffic jam on the way to Hollywood Studios.
- Finding out we went to Hollywood Studios on a Fantasmic Day. Crowds! Eeek! Will plan better from now on.

- Flash pictures on Pirates. Blah.
- "High-speed" Internet. Not high speed at all. I finally just gave up. It was slower than dial-up.
- Wondering, as I impatiently waited for more people to get the heck out of my way, why I visited the parks over and over. A lot of the other guests were getting on my nerves!

The Ugly
- People who stop in the middle of the entrance to a ride, decide to gather around and confer, and act offended or like *I'm* the rude one for going around them. Why should I have to wait for them to make up their minds?
- I walked into a restroom in AK. Saw that there were stalls open, so walked past the people who were standing there. Then I double backed I asked a girl if she was in line and she said "well.... sorta." HUH? Was tapped on the shoulder by an older lady and informed that they were in line. I was confused. Why were they in line when there were open stalls? Fortunately, this rest room had another side with tons of empty stalls. I left those people to stand in "line" (how are you 'sort of' in line anyway?) and used one of those empty stalls. Seriously, my bladder refuses to wait for people who can't make up their minds or figure out what to do.
- People getting downright nasty when waiting for buses in the morning. Although I guess I can't blame them there. Apparently, everyone and their moms decided to go to Animal Kingdom on Wednesday. When we got to the bus stop, the line was very long. Three Downtown Disney buses and two Hollywood Studios buses came in a row, but no Animal Kingdom. Ariel, the fancy guy dressed in Mardi Gras clothing, called in for an Animal Kingdom bus and it FINALLY showed up. Unfortunately, there was a Downtown Disney bus in the way, so the AK bus stopped by the people who'd just walked up instead of the people who'd been waiting. Much yelling ensued. It was not pretty. One lady came barreling through with her son like "I WAS FIRST IN LINE." I was amused, but then, I am used to letting three trains go by in the mornings before work b/c they're just too crowded to fit another person on. I wouldn't have cared about waiting for another bus.

Park Grades
based on crowd level, fun quotient, wait times, characters, activities, personal experiences
Magic Kingdom: B+
Epcot: B+
Hollywood Studios: B
Animal Kingdom: A-

Random Thoughts
We started out the trip in Magic Kingdom and had fun, but I felt overwhelmed at times. Not sure why that was. I suppose I wanted to get so much out of the way so the "relaxing" could begin. But that day, there was none, really, because there was so much. Rides, parades, shopping, dinner, fireworks, shows. Plus, we stayed for Extra Magic Hours, and Aidan got upset when we tried to get him on the Haunted Mansion. We were exhausted!

Epcot was good. We managed to avoid most of the huge crowds, and the thrill rides were great with Aidan. Soarin' is always a treat! Spaceship Earth makes us smile. Garden Grill was fantastic. I ate too much! And we went back to the room pretty early to recover from Sunday.

Hollywood Studios had its moments. Phineas and Ferb sure were great. Toy Story Midway Mania was fun, too, especially because we got moved up ahead. Aidan beat me, but I came close! We enjoyed the Art of Animation, and we all drew Dopey in the Animation Academy, which I'd never done before. I was pretty convinced I'd screwed up the picture, but I did a pretty good job. :) The food from the ABC Commissary was good and the people working there were nice considering how busy and insane it was in there. Star Tours was super. I got cranky at times, but managed to do OK.

I took the most photos in Animal Kingdom. Pizzafari was yummy. The Kilimanjaro Safari was the best I'd been on. Tons of animals out! More than I'd ever seen. The trails were fun and not too crowded. There is that one section of the park that's always INSANE--that part right before Africa. What is up with that?

That park is beautiful. I never appreciated it until recently, which is a shame. Camp Minnie and Mickey was cool, and we ran into Brer Bear there. We explored it a lot more than usual and I'm so glad we did. Everything from playing the djembes to walking around and enjoying the scenery made the park a great experience.

Finished off the trip with another visit to Magic Kingdom. This time, I didn't feel the pressure to do a bunch of stuff, as we'd already done everything Sunday. So, we relaxed, rode a few of our favorites, tried to get Aidan back on Haunted Manion with no luck (he was done after the stretching room)

A lot of things bugged me way more than they did before. I don't know if it was the heat, I was tired, or that I didn't get to plan as much as I would have liked. I still had a general good time. I'd say my entire trip was a B+. But I definitely felt like some of the magic had dimmed. Maybe I went back too soon. Maybe there were too many other people. Could I be outgrowing it? :( I don't know. I do know that I vacillated between not wanting to come back to Chicago and being ready for a day at home to do nothing. I was sad to leave, so I guess that counts for something.

Will post pix soon. Now, I must sleep. Good night!

!!!

2011-05-24T00:51:00.003-05:00

Only one more weekend left before Disney World! And all I've managed to do was buy a bunch of shorts, a bathing suit, some cute tops, and a sun visor. And OK, I never thought I'd own a Kangol, but that's the kind of visor I got. DORK, I know. But it was the only visor they had at the store I was at.

Today, Aidan and I talked a long time about what we're going to do at Disney World. I dared him to yell YAY as loudly as he could once we walked in the gates. :D He also told me that he wants to ride the Carousel of Progress 42 times.

Last time I took him, he was timid and scared of a lot of things. Now he says we've "gotta" ride Pirates of the Carribean. I am stoked about that. I am so excited to show him everything. Oh and he also asked for Disney Dollars. I ALMOST forgot about that. Fortunately, I work right around the block from a Disney Store, so I can pop in during a lunch break and get that handled.

I dunno. I just want to make this trip extra special for him because he's at the age where it's awesome. He's not too embarrassed to be seen with me yet, but he still has a sense of wonder about him. It's going to be so much fun! :)

Wow. I can't believe it's coming up so soon.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH CRAP I NEED TO BUY MY PHOTOPASS PRE-VACATION CD!!! *off to see the wizard*

Night!

This Is Bananas!

2011-05-05T21:30:00.001-05:00

Less than a month from now, I will be playing in the Magic Kingdom. I can't believe it's coming up so quickly. I've only recently managed to find time to transfer my dining information to my iPhone! It just seems like it was just February and more than 100 days left to go. Time is flying!

I am so eager to feel the sun on my skin. To hear the music and smell (and eat!) the cookies. I got a new camera, and I am so excited to use it in the parks.

Warning: excited rambling coming up!!

I haven't even made a list of stuff I want or need to buy for the trip. I HAVE gotten a few new outfits and a new pair of Keens (that it's not been warm enough here to wear out except once), and as I mentioned, my new camera (and zoom lens!). I am thinking of getting a bucket hat for me and one for Aidan. Or a baseball cap for him so the sun won't be in his eyes. OK, I'm done thinking about it. I am DEFINITELY getting him a baseball cap. And I need another one of those fan/spray bottles. I think I'll just buy the ones they sell there. Expensive but I know it works (unlike the cheapo-chang Walgreens one we had a couple years ago), and if it breaks for some reason, I understand they'll replace it free of charge.

I just got word from my travel agent that she's received our travel documents! When I saw the email in my inbox, my heart skipped. Trufax. Because you know that once the documents are here, it's time to really buckle down with the planning! That means I need to start making lists yesterday! I need to actually UNPACK the bright pink carry-on bag that still has stuff in it from my last Disney trip and oh God, laundry is essential. THIS IS CRAZY, y'all! Crazy in a good way.

There really isn't much to say right now, except that I'm sorry I've been absent. My job is demanding, I've started working out (go me!), and the days are almost a blur (Except when I'm in the office. Then they crawl. Isn't that typical?). I hope time slows down while I am actually AT Disney World, so I can enjoy my trip without feeling like the days are flying by.

I need to go to bed, although I know I'm going to have a hard time falling asleep. It's OK though because DISNEY WORLD in less than a month!

Now is when it starts to get REAL.

Milestone!

2011-02-27T00:11:00.003-06:00

We've hit the double digit mark! Fewer than 100 days until Disney World!!
Aidan's really excited. Maybe we'll even get him on Big Thunder Mountain this time. (Not really counting on that, and I know for sure that Tower of Terror is out of the question.)
I know it's still a long ways away, but it's just a little bit closer every minute.

Looking Ahead

2011-02-08T21:30:00.010-06:00

This winter is not letting up. Every day it gets worse. More snow. Colder temps. Greyer skies. So depressing. Even the thought of Disney in June isn't cheering me up now, because June may as well be a million years away at this point. *sigh*

But at least I have a Disney World light at the end of the tunnel, right?

As promised, I am going to give more details about the upcoming trip. I'll be doing things a bit differently this time around. For the past four times I've gone, my routine has been similar to this:

Sunday - Arrive, drop off stuff in resort room, hit Magic Kingdom, soak up Extra Magic Hours
Monday - Back to Magic Kingdom. Get bored by midday. Hop if I have a Park Hopper, endure if not.
Tuesday - Epcot. OH YES Garden Grill!
Wednesday - Hollywood Studios
Thursday - Random whatever, go home

There was usually at least one character breakfast mixed in, and two character and/or sitdown dinners. I always wanted to fit in the parades and the fireworks. This has worked for me every Disney trip since 2005. But I want to switch things around a bit. Shake things up. With more frequent parades, I can do it. It's time.

I have never gone to the parks in June before. I've gone in January, May, August, and September. (So far, my favorite has been May and September, but if I want to take Aidan, those are out of the question.) We're going the very first week, so I am hoping the crowds won't be terrible and it won't be too humid. I'm looking forward to the sun warming my skin, but my husband and son will melt if the humidity is too stifling.

This will be the first time we're flying in on a Saturday night and not going to any parks. We're flying Airtran, and I ALWAYS expect delays with them. By coming in Saturday night, I won't feel like we're missing out on park time when the inevitable delay happens. We can just go to Port Orleans and relax.

In the past, I've always wanted to be wherever the evening EMH were. I am a night owl and therefore being at Disney World at night is awesome. However, I'm going at a busier time of year than I am used to, so I want to avoid large crowds any way I can. I plan to do Rope Drop every day (I usually sleep in), and have early evenings relaxing by the pools and stuff. Well, after the fireworks and everything. Midday breaks will be utilized if needed. I'm skipping the Park Hopper. I rarely use it. I also plan to spend more time in Animal Kingdom. On our last trip, Adam and I enjoyed the park a lot more than we anticipated. He LOVED the safari and Expedition Everest.

So. This time, it's going to be like this:

Saturday - Arrival
Ride the Magical Express to the resort, check in, chill out in the pool and/or hot tub, or hit Downtown Disney. I'd like to try the boat ride to Downtown Disney from the resort. I hear it's really nice.

Sunday - Magic Kingdom
It's important to me to go to Magic Kingdom on my first day in the parks. I have to see the castle, smell the scents of Main Street, hear the music, watch the parade. The difference is that I'll be dragging Aidan out of bed so that we can do Rope Drop. Magic Kingdom will have evening Extra Magic Hours, so I figure we can ride all the awesome stuff in the morning, have lunch, go back to the resort and relax, and then hit Magic Kingdom in the afternoon for the parade and then evening hours. I love the evening EMH at Magic Kingdom. The park empties out. It's quiet. The castle is changing colors. It's gorgeous. P

Monday - Epcot ...and GARDEN GRILL!
For the rest of the trip, I will be avoiding any parks with EMH, so instead of going to Epcot on Tuesday, we'll be going on Monday. (Usually, I hit Magic Kingdom a second day.) It's going to feel weird, but I think I'll be fine. And hey, Garden Grill a day earlier than normal is always a welcome change to the ole routine. God, I love that place, and the character interaction there is my favorite.

Tuesday - Hollywood Studios
I've heard weird stories about the bull run to Toy Story Midway Mania at Rope Drop so people can load up on FastPasses. I like TSMM, and I'd really like Aidan to experience it, but the idea of that bull run kind of scares me! I think I'll do it anyway, because I think Aidan would love the ride. Tower of Terror--I doubt I'll get a chance to ride it this time around, unless I can get up the courage to ride it alone. I don't think Aidan will ride it, and we could do the parent swap (maybe?), but we'll see. I'd love to ride Rock N Rollercoaster just once. It's a rough one, but it's super fun. For dinner, we'll bus it to Wilderness Lodge for Whispering Canyon Cafe dinner (I am excited!).

Wednesday - Animal Kingdom
We're going to try to spend the whole day here. I really hope Aidan is over any fear of coasters by then because Expedition Everest is so fun! The safari should be fun, too. And maybe the giraffes will be out again. Then, dinner at Chef Mickey's.

Thurday - OPEN
We leave that evening, so we'll just pop into whatever park we want, eat a counter meal, and relax until time to go and wait for the Magical Express.

We've decided that sit down breakfasts cut into precious Rope Drop time, so we're going with all dinners this time. Breakfast will be a quick snack (cereal, cinnamon roll, etc.) procured from the food court the night before) so we can just GO. Also, we get the dining plan, and the dinners are a bigger value when using the dining plan.
I'm eager to see how this new plan will work out. Come on, June!

Til next time!

Our Disney McSquee Faces

2011-02-07T21:38:00.003-06:00

I so cannot wait to be back there!

Disney Dreaming

2011-02-03T19:00:00.005-06:00

We just had the mother of blizzards in Chicago. So bad that my job actually closed on Wednesday, and this morning's (non)commute was so stressful that I ended up going back home to warm up. I was so frustrated that I decided to take another day off. My boss told me to write a Disney blog entry, so here I am.

I AM SO READY FOR JUNE, YOU GUYS. Seriously, this morning, I stood on a train platform in 1˚F temperatures for an hour. I am so over the cold and snow, and every day I dream about being in Florida with the sun beating down on me while I nom on a chocolate and M&M covered marshmallow or maybe even a Casey's hotdog. It is that serious, folks.

The past couple of weeks, I went ahead and put the deposit on our Disney trip and extra night at Port Orleans French Quarter, got Adam to book the plane tickets, and made our meal reservations. If you're one of the three regular readers of this blog, you know that I like to try something new every trip. Here are my meal plans for our June trip:

Saturday - Whatever strikes our fancy. We won't be on the meal plan yet, so I figure we can eat at Downtown Disney or even in one of the resort food courts.

Sunday - Liberty Tree Tavern dinner (Of course I had to put in a tried and true favorite!)

Monday - Garden Grill dinner (Always.)

Tuesday - Whispering Canyon Cafe dinner (This is our new place. The menu looks scrumptious, and I hear that you can get into some real shenanigans here!)

Wednesday - Chef Mickey's dinner (I've never done this place for dinner before and I am eager to try the parmesan mashed potatoes.)

I used to follow a certain pattern every single time I went to Disney World. This time, I'm going to be doing things differently. It's just about time for me to eat dinner, so stay tuned for more details. :)

Trip Report!!!

2011-01-29T23:29:00.008-06:00

Finally, I'm going to do my trip report. It's a long one, so settle back with a snack and a drink and dive in. And please comment for the love of God! :)

So, Disney World came upon us FAST. We had a blast. I spent most of that first day in denial and in a daze, but that might have been because I was so darn tired 'cause I couldn’t sleep the night before! (I was excited, but also because I'd left all my packing and organizing to the last minute as I am wont to do.) I didn’t start to feel like it was real until after the Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade!

We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter, which is one of the moderate resorts. OK, I got spoiled. The bus stops were close to the parks, the resort was small and quiet, there was a hot tub, and it was just pretty! (Check in was super slow, but we ended up meeting some people from Columbus OH who just happen to be now living in the house that Chris--my ex-husband and good friend--grew up in. How is that for coincidence? Guess who was singing “it’s a small world” all afternoon after that?) Anyway, Adam and I decided that it’s worth the extra $$ a night for all the extras we got out of it. We’ll be staying there this June as well.

(God, imagine if I ever get to stay in the Polynesian! Talk about spoiled rotten, right? But that won’t happen for a long time, not with rooms starting at $400 a night. Yowsa!)

Almost every character I met hugged (or kissed) me, some more than once! I even got a hug from Tinkerbell. The hugs from Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen (the highlight of my trip) were the best, though.

Did I mention that Tiana is my favorite Disney princess? Oh well, now you know. On Sunday, our first day there, we were going around Magic Kingdom, and I’d mentioned to Adam that meeting Tiana and Naveen would make my trip. It would make my YEAR. We couldn’t figure out where their meeting place was, but we’d been planning on hitting MK the next day, so we decided we’d look for them then. Well, Adam and I got to the park at Rope Drop (I highly recommend doing that–it’s awesome so early in the morning!), and we ended up RIGHT BEHIND THEM as they walked down Main Street. When we got to their meet and greet place, they let me take pictures with them and chatted with me and it was like, amazing. I was like this when it was all done:

Yea, that was a pretty awesome day in the Magic Kingdom, even if it did rain quite a lot. It was warm, and I rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad twice (ended up riding it five times total during the trip), and it was the day of the Main Street Electrical Parade, where Adam and I were quite entertained by a total brat who was 11-years old and acting like a spoiled princess (she had visited the Bippity Boppity Boutique at some point during the day–she was ALL done up). Adam and I nicknamed her Veruca Salt.

Although we had a great trip, I don’t know if I’ll go in January again. The crowd level was pretty great for the most part, and soaking in the hot tub in the evening was nice, also. But a couple of days, it got pretty cold, and that’s not what you want to have to deal with when on a vacation in FLORIDA. We only had one day of rain, though, and one day it was absolutely perfect out. So the weather was hit or miss, and a lot of things were being refurbished or fixed up. Tarpilicious! Not that I noticed…too much. I was too busy gawking over the fact that Christmas stuff was still up for the first few days of the trip. I was thrilled, to be honest, because dude, I still had my Christmas decorations up, and I figured if DISNEY didn’t have theirs down, then I shouldn’t feel bad. (Of course, once I came to this conclusion, all the decorations were gone the next day. Even the poinsettias that had been planted were changed to purple and pink and yellow flowers.)

Here are a few picture highlights:

And you can see many more pictures here: Disney World 2011

(YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO LOOK AT THEM!)

It was nice seeing Adam’s family at various times throughout the trip as well. Eli ran the Goofy (in case you don't know, the Goofy is when you run the half-marathon AND the full marathon in the same weekend--we saw a lot of people wearing their marathon medals and limping, let me tell ya), Melissa ran the half-marathon, and Adam’s parents were there for cheers and support. Also, Cassidy brought little Lola which was awesome because she seemed to enjoy the park in the best way a little baby could:

We ate good food (Liberty Tree Tavern, Garden Grill, and Boma FTW), saw parades and shows, rode rides (yea Expedition Everest, Tower of Terror, Rock N Rollercoaster [twice], Space Mountain [twice], and of course, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad), and really had an amazing time. I cannot wait to take Aidan this summer. Because OH YEAH we are going again! Twice in one year for me, and Aidan too, because his father is taking him in August. ROCK.

Oh yeah, I have six words for you: GIANT CHOCOLATE AND M&M COVERED MARSHMALLOW.

So getting another one of those when I go in June. Mouth is watering just thinking about it.

And now, some lists:

New Experiences This Trip

* Port Orleans French Quarter (staying in a moderate resort)
* Expedition Everest
* Country Bear Jamboree
* Meeting Pocahontas, Meeko, and Flik
* It’s Tough to be a Bug
* Captain EO
* Boma
* Flame Tree Barbeque
* Meeting Frozone
* Seeing the JaMMitors
* Mission Space: Green

Things I Wish I’d Done But Didn’t Get Around To

* Buying bath bombs at Basin White
* More of the dark rides
* Visiting the Japan pavilion in Epcot
* Mailing Aidan’s package from Disney World
* Sending Aidan an autographed postcard from Mickey Mouse
* Sending postcards in general

Lessons Learned

* Don’t schedule more than one character breakfast. Too dang early to get up, or they interrupt Rope Drop advantages (little to no ride lines!). Go for character DINNERS instead.
* Crystal Palace > Chef Mickey’s
* Avoid shopping in the Emporium. That place is a mad house!
* I would probably go later in the winter next time. The weather in early January is too unpredictable. I’d go for February. Should still be low crowds as long as I avoid Valentine’s Day or President’s Day.
* Port Orleans French Quarter has pretty good bus placement at the parks! Close bus stops, and bus service is really good. We rarely had to wait for a bus and if we did have to wait, it was never very long.

OK, that’s enough for now. Hope you enjoyed my short recap. Talk to you soon… but first, I leave you with some LOLz for days:

Okee dokee, artichokie. Signing off for now. Hope you enjoyed my trip report. I'll be back soon!

Byeeeeee!

I'm Back!

2011-01-16T14:12:00.008-06:00

I had a super magical time at Disney World! We had such a good time that we're already planning to go back in June! This time with Aidan. Kids stay and play free! Say WHAT! :)

So excited!

I loved staying at Port Orleans French Quarter. I enjoyed the small quietness of the resort, and I loved their hot tub. The bus stop was really close to the parks, and the buses came often! We only had to stand once. The weather was all over the place, but it only rained once. We had everything from mid-70s to low 30s. I wore everything from short sleeves to full on winter gear with many layers.

Long updates with lots of pix coming soon. (I don't even have them all uploaded and/or captioned yet.) Here are some highlights from the trip:

Meeting Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen!!!!!
Rope Drop at the Magic Kingdom. Walking on rides! Walking down the street with characters! Little or no lines for anything. It was awesome!
Seeing the looks on little girl's faces as Princess Tiana walked past them on Main Street.
Doing the Arrested Development chickens in Hollywood Studios.
Tower of Terror with all the Selzer siblings.
Riding Expedition Everest for the first time. It was awesome.
Riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad FIVE TIMES foo.
Space Mountain.
The hot tub at Port Orleans French Quarter. So nice after a long day of standing and walking.
All the nice people and cast members I got to talk to.
HUGE hugs from most of the characters. Lots and lots of hugs!
Riding coasters with Cassidy.
Seeing Adam really enjoy himself and get excited.
Being able to buy lots of stuff.
Seeing baby Lola's face when she met Mickey Mouse and the princesses.
Yummy food at Crystal Palace, Boma, Garden Grill, and Liberty Tree Tavern.

Full trip report(s) coming soon. I've yet to edit the videos, the rest of the pictures, etc.

Talk soon! :)

!!!

2011-01-07T23:07:00.004-06:00

Holy crap! In about 36 hours, I'll BE IN ORLANDO!!! Possibly riding the Magical Express! Eeeeeeeeeee!!!

And guess what? I haven't packed a dang thing yet.

I'll get on that tomorrow.

No, really, I WILL!

And I have done some important things. I'm not completely worthless, you know. In addition to Early Bird Check-In and the Photopass pre-order, I've got the cab hailed and memory cards cleared. Tomorrow I will pack, go to the bank, pack, charge camera batteries, pack, review the schedule, pack, and work myself up into a frenzy of excitement. I'm sure I'm forgetting something there, but it'll come to me.

I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!

Weather looks good. High 60s, low 70s. I plan to wear jeans and hoodies mostly. Will take a jacket for cool nights. I also got some cute stretchy thin gloves. Mmm, fewer than two days until Liberty Tree Tavern. Nom. And CASTLE and Mickey Mouse and music and cookies and yummy smells and shows and rides and Princess Tiana (Oh Lord, let me get to meet Princess Tiana!) and parades and pictures and pictures and pictures!

*does the happy bootie dance*

Wow, I'm still very much in denial that it's here and that I need to get on the ball or something!

Less Than A Week!

2011-01-03T18:15:00.004-06:00

OK, seriously, this has really snuck up on me. I am so not prepared!

So much has happened since I last posted. I was offered a full-time job and I accepted, with the provision that I'd not have to cancel Disney World, and I've been so busy with work (lots of long days and some weekends), birthdays, and the holidays that I haven't had much time to give Disney World much thought until a couple of weeks ago when Suzy emailed to say that she was ready to send out my travel documents!

So, the documents are here (along with a gift from Suzy--I have mentioned how awesome she is, haven't I?) and I barely had any time to look through them before stashing them in a safe place. I went ahead and did the early-bird check in for our flights (because let's face it: there is no way I'm going to be up at 6:40 am this Saturday), and I pre-ordered our Photopass CD. I've yet to make a packing list, check the weather obsessively, clear off my camera memory cards, recharge the camera batteries, make sure the Flip cams are in order, and check and recheck the crowd calendar. I even have a new Disney Parks Blu-ray Disc™ that I still need to watch. What is wrong with me?

I think I'm in denial, as I always am, when I am this close to the Disney trip. I mean, it's less than a week away, and I'm still kinda like "la la la." I think once Friday rolls around I'll be in full on frenetic Disney mode, but now all I can think is that I have a work week ahead of me, so until *that's* out of the way, there is no need to get all crazy with excitement yet.

What I am doing is praying for warm weather, no rain, no wind, and lots of sunshine. I think I'll have a better idea of what to pack once the end of the week gets here and I have a clearer picture of what it will be like out there.

I am very excited to go, though. Lots of stuff I want to buy, lots of stuff I want to eat, and lots I want to see and do.

I'll try to post more this week. Maybe I'll get more crazy! :)

Jack's Resort Anagrams

2010-10-21T20:19:00.010-05:00

Originally found here, Jack Spence designed an anagram quiz starring the Disney Resorts. Now, I love Disney, but I also love me some anagrams. I decided to try my hand at it! (Disclaimer: just because I love anagrams doesn't mean I all that good at them!) Thank goodness he provided clues, which helped me a bit. My answers are below, in bold. Starred answers mean that I had to get a little bit of help. (blush)

1 A Cub Belch - Sandy
Beach Club

2 A Dark Bowl - Atlantic City
Boardwalk

3 A Massive Troll - Celluloid

All Star Movies*

4 Be A Ranch Cabbie - West Indies

Caribbean Beach

5 Betrayal Woke - Cove

Bay Lake Tower*

6 Country Pep - 100
Pop Century

7 Darn Frigid Loan - Admitted 27th
Grand Floridian

8 Deaf Ogres Hens - Olive, Kelly, Hunter
Shades of Green

9 Demon Gold Milk Again - Creature
Animal Kingdom Lodge

10 Downers Lifters - Stronghold

Fort Wilderness*

11 Goat Grasps Rains - Racetrack

Saratoga Springs

12 God Sells New Ride - Forest
Wilderness Lodge

13 Insane Ploy - Papeete
Polynesian

14 Butch Lacy - Ship

Yacht Club*

15 Loaner Sport - French City
Port Orleans

16 My Rancor Poet - Up to date
Contemporary

17 Parrots Stalls - Athletic
All Star Sports

18 Poor Rancid Songs - Explorer

Coronado Springs*

19 Rustic Llamas - Harmony
All Star Music

20 Stewed Yolk - Hemmingway
Old Key West

ETA: Here are the answers . I got them all right! :)

The Disney Store at the Block 37 Shops!

2010-10-08T22:15:00.004-05:00

Several days ago, on my way home from work, I noticed that a new Disney Store was opening up. There was a big blue covering in the windows, and a sign for a casting call. I briefly entertained the idea of applying, but knew that I'd not be available until the winter. So I nixed the idea. The casting call came down not long after I saw it, anyway. Then the blue covering came down. I could see sparkly chandeliers and pretty blue princess dresses in the window. I had to get in there!

The Disney Store at Block 37 opened on September 28, 2010. I didn't know about this, or I would have totally been there! Instead, I sauntered in today on my lunch break. It had been kind of a rough morning for me and I needed a little bit of Disney magic to help me through the rest of the day.

This new Disney Store is simply beautiful. The first thing I noticed was the way it smelled. I can't describe the scent of the store, only that it reminded me of being AT Disney World, in one of their stores. It's decorated beautifully. I couldn't resist getting my camera out and taking a few pictures.

The staff was friendly, smiley, and a bit overwhelmed. *I* was overwhelmed! There is Ridemakerz, an interactive section of the store where you can build and customize your favorite Cars character. There is a section for little (and big) princesses to make some magic happen with some magic mirrors. And a huge sitting area where kids can draw, watch Disney stuff on a huge HD screen, and even choose what they wanted to watch with big remote controls that looked like giant iPhones.

I had a fun time browsing the store. It transported me out of Chicago and the middle of the workday just for a few minutes. After purchasing a cute little plush Halloween Minnie Mouse and a Trick or Treat bag, I headed back out into the city.

I'm very glad this store is here. I'll be going back!

To Agent or Not to Agent?

2010-10-05T21:49:00.005-05:00

The first time I planned a Disney World trip on my own was in 2008. The two trips I'd taken prior had been planned by my then husband, Chris. My first was in 2001. I still have all the paperwork for it, and all the receipts. He did everything, and booked our flights using AOL Travel. Does that even exist anymore?

The second trip happened in 2005. Again, Chris planned the entire thing. I didn't see any of the financials or paperwork for that trip. I might have it all buried in my Precious Things bin. Maybe I'll hunt for it someday.

In 2008, I got remarried and Adam and I decided to take our honeymoon at Disney World. We got married in July of 2008, but decided to take our trip in September because we wanted cooler weather, lower crowds, and lower prices. We got all three. I planned that trip on my own. I know, isn't it the husband who is supposed to plan the honeymoon? Whatever. I had fun. Plus, he's the one who paid for a good chunk of it, so I'm not complaining. (The rest was funded by our friends and family and well wishers who contributed to our Disney Honeymoon Registry.)

The night I finally got online to book, the site was acting weird and not loading. A quick trip to some message boards confirmed that Disney was indeed having issues and that calling would be easier. Now, I'm not a phone person. I would much rather communicate by e-mail/blog/text message/Facebook/whatever. But this was my honeymoon and it was Disney World so I sucked it up and made the call. The agent couldn't have been nicer. I felt like I was talking to an old friend. I called again a few days later to make my dining reservations (no online system yet) and even though I was kind of annoying, the rep was pretty patient considering that I was indecisive, was calling well into the 180 or 90 day window they had going on at the time (because I'd booked the trip so late) and having a hard time finding replacements as my first choices were not always available. I guess that wasn't too painful, but man was I glad when Disney came out with their online reservation system a few years later!

For the trip I planned in 2009, I decided to click on one of the many Disney-oriented travel agencies to see what I could see. I happened to click on Mouse Fan Travel. I think I was at work, waiting for something to do, and browsing All Ears, and they had a link. I clicked it. Decided to get a free quote because I'd just gotten an e-mail about a free dining promotion. Not even 24 hours later, I got a response from Suzy. She was able to put the package I wanted on hold while I waited for my boss to approve the days off I'd requested. Once he approved them, I gave Suzy the green light to charge my card for the deposit, and I booked our flights with Southwest.

Over the next few months, Suzy was my go-to person for anything I needed to ask for my upcoming trip. She made all our ADRs (YAY, I didn't have to get on the phone!), scheduled our Magical Express information, and when it came time for me to make the final payment, I actually had to call her because my bank changed my card and I needed to update the information on file.

I don't ever dread talking to Suzy. She is amazingly personable and sweet. Again, it was like talking to an old friend.

Suzy got our trip documents first. You know what I am talking about! That magic package from Disney World with all of your information, perks, goodies, Magical Express tags, and assorted good stuff. She sent them to us using expedited delivery, but also included some surprises! There was a Peter Pan slap bracelet, a lanyard (that I still use), and a Minnie Mouse antennae ball (that I do not use because some wack job would just steal it). I was not expecting the extra stuff, but that cinched it for me. If I was ever going to plan another Disney trip, I was definitely going to use Mouse Fan Travel.

When I went to plan my 2011 trip, I didn't even hesitate. I e-mailed Suzy right away and she usually got back to me within hours if not minutes, even if I e-mailed her at 2:30am. She priced many different packages and options for me, helped me when I wanted to change a few things around, and again offered to call in my ADRs, but now they have the online system, and I had fun doing those myself!

So, to agent or not to agent? It's totally up to you. Some people would rather have complete control, especially if they have to make modifications to their vacation plans. Also, if you book by yourself, you get a Disney confirmation number and you can go on the site and play around with things. As for me, I find the services and help that Suzy provides for me to be beneficial and valuable. I am not a fan of math, but she's good at figuring out the best deals for me. She handles all the paperwork, and I can ask her anything because she's a Disney expert and a fan of the parks herself. She gets back to me quickly, and she's always fun to communicate with.

A good agent will try to get the best possible deal for your upcoming vacation. Mouse Fan Travel checks for discounts and automatically applies them if your vacation is eligible. There are many other services they provide as well. And did I mention how patient Suzy is with my questions? On top of all this, Mouse Fan Travel's services are free.

I'm sure that many of the other Disney-oriented agencies are just as great. I know a lot of people like Dreams Unlimited. There is also Small World Vacations. There are many agencies out there, but you want to make sure you book with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner.

I can't see not using Suzy for future Disney trips. She's been such a help, and I trust her 100% with my vacation planning needs.

Rope Drop!!

2010-10-03T17:00:00.003-05:00

I like to try new things when I go to Disney World. Usually it's a new restaurant or a new attraction or a ride. But this time, I plan to attend a Magic Kingdom Rope Drop.

*insert fanfare here*

OK, wait, WHAT? I've never done a Rope Drop? And I call myself a DISNEY WORLD FREAK? What the what?

See, what had happened was...I almost did one in 2005. We were just a few minutes late, and it was unintentional. Meaning, we just happened to arrive as it was happening. On the video, you can hear everyone counting down in the background and Mickey Mouse jabbering away. We were on our way to breakfast, probably the Crystal Palace. I was walking and trying to get my then two-year-old to walk on his own, but he wasn't having it. He wanted me to carry him. I remember feeling disappointed that I couldn't walk quickly enough, especially while carrying Aidan, to get up to where the good times were happening.

I did a Disneyland Rope Drop in 2009. That was pretty cool, being at the park so early. It was chilly at first, but it warmed up during the day. That was thanks to Melissa and Eli, who are our resident Disneyland experts. It's to the point that when I see the pictures, I crave chocolate donuts because that's what we all munched on in the car on the way to the park.

Anyway, I think I am ready to do a Magic Kingdom Rope Drop. We only have one chance. Our second day there. It will be tricky because we're going to be doing the Extra Magic Hours late the night before. I am not an early riser by nature. Adam is. He gets up every morning at 6am no matter what time zone we're in. It'll be ME who's holding everything up. Still, we have ADRs at Crystal Palace that morning, so it really will be in our best interest to be there for Rope Drop anyway. Not that we'll benefit too much from it; we'll be eating instead of hitting attractions and such. Still, the crowd level is pretty low for that day, so I'm not too worried about getting to do the things we'll want to do. Besides, I just want to do it, so I can say I've done a Rope Drop at Magic Kingdom for once in my life. Even if it does mean getting up insanely early during my vacation. It'll be worth it.

But I can do it. It'll help that there won't be any EMH that morning--so I don't have to get up at an ungodly hour or anything.