Walt Disney World: It's Not Just for Kids

A is for….

Hedy — Tue, 29 May 2012 17:19:31 +0000

Animal Kingdom Lodge!

Disney and veterans…

Hedy — Mon, 28 May 2012 04:17:54 +0000

Today’s Decoration day Memorial Day. As such I thought I would talk a little about some of Disney’s discounts for member of the military and their Veteran initiatives. My father was a Coast Guard vet (Korea), and a close friend (the one I take to movies) is an Army vet.

Shades of Green

Much like the discounts for teachers and nurses at the Swolphin, they also offer discounts for military. Disney also offers discounted tickets and room bookings for members of the military. However, in my opinion the best military benefit at Disney World is Shades of Green. Located by the Magic Kingdom, Shades of Green is an Armed Forces Recreation Center. For my fellow civilians, this designation means that it is run by the military. It is designed to improve the morale and welfare of the members who stay there, and to provide a lower-cost alternative to pricey hotels for soldiers. While mainly for active member of the military, they also have offered rates at times for veterans and those honorably discharged. Military Disney Tips has a lot more information of Shades of Green.

Disney’s newest Veteran’s initiative is their Heroes Work Here program. When I went on my Yuletide Fantasy Tour in December of 2007 there was actually a meeting going on in the American Adventure rotunda. The Heroes Work Here (launched in March) initiative involves Disney hiring 1,000 veterans over the next three years. How great is that?

Happy memorial day! Thank you to all who serve!

Magic Blogorail Green: Cool off

Hedy — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:35:21 +0000

Welcome to those of you joining me from A Disney Mom’s Thoughts and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the Final stop on our Magical Blogorail. This month’s Magic Blogorail Green’s theme is Places to cool off. Now, you know I love Splash Mountain, but it’s not my favorite place to cool off. My favorite is a place which warms my heart every time I think of it, Ol Man Island at Port Orleans Riverside/Dixie Landings.

Dixie Landings was my first resort on my first trip in 1993 (it’s kind of surreal that at the time it was only two years old). One day, we went to the pool. Now, I didn’t swim as a kid (I learned to swim as a teen/tween. but that’s only quasi-salient to the story). But the slide! The depth! I could slide! I could slide! I could hang out my the play areas. I loved it. According to my sister-in-law, I reported wanting to spend more time in the pool after my trip.

I visited Ol Man Island every trip I stayed at Dixie Landings. On my last stay at POR in 2006, I swam and enjoyed the Muddy Waters pool bar there.

Thank you for joining Magical Blogorail Green this month. We will be back Friday, June 22nd with an all new theme. Keep checking in with our blogs in between loops to keep up to date with our Disney info, photos and stories. If you are looking for more Disney magic, you can make your way over to The Magical Blogorail website to see all our members and their blogs, as well as all our previous loops.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1st Stop ~ Your Highway in the Sky 2nd Stop ~ Disney Living

3rd Stop ~ Adventures of a Disney Princess

4th Stop ~ A Disney Mom’s Thoughts

Final Stop ~ Walt Disney World: Not Just for Kids

Wordless Wednesday: May 23, 2012

Hedy — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:38:17 +0000

Mickey and Minnie in the 50 years of Magic parade at Disneyland in 2005.

Gift ideas for Disney dads…

Hedy — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:29:39 +0000

If you’re looking for a gift for your Disney dad, here are some ideas:

For the gadget dad: If dad and his iPad are rarely separated, how about this Disney iPad Portfolio Cover – Black?

For the outdoorsy dad: The Summer Brights Mickey Mouse Aluminum Water Bottle with Neoprene Cover from Disney Shopping would be great camping or at the beach.

The traveling dad will love the Mascot Mickey Mouse Duffle Bag.

Your Disney collector dad must have a Vinylmation NBA Boston Celtics Figure (or some other team..I guess).

While there’s not much Disney jewelry for adults for men, the Disney #41644 Men’s Mickey Mouse Metal Band Collectible Watch is classy but Disney.

Snow White, reloaded…

Hedy — Sat, 19 May 2012 02:38:42 +0000

I am a fan of all Disney princesses, but for Snow White I have very mixed emotions. One one hand, Snow White was my first-ever movie the theaters in 1987 (I hid under my seat when the witch came out). Aesthetically, I love how the 1937 style is so evident in Snow’s appearance, from the curled bob to the shape of the lips as red as blood. As a Disney fan, I love it for its historical significance (remember the Oscars in One Man’s Dream?) On another, Snow White is kind of blah-she doesn’t really have anything going for her, and we all know how I felt about the ride.

Snow also doesn’t seem to have much of a following, so I was kind of surprised to see that two Snow White movies are coming out this year: Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman. I saw the former a few weeks ago and was pretty underwhelmed: the story was pat, Julia Roberts was annoying, and the last Bollywood dance number was really weird. Claire’s had an exclusive merchandise deal, but I think the stuff went bogo as soon as the movie came out.

When I first heard that Kristen Stewart was going to be playing Snow White in Snow White and the Huntsman; I thought she was perfect. I do not care for her as an actress (or maybe she’s just never played a character I like), but I think she’s beautiful, and a great Snow with her pale skin and dark hair. I am a fan of the whole “princess goes tough” genre, so I am excited for the movie. It seems like the hype for this movie is getting pretty big. I saw some of their stuff when I was at Claire’s a couple of weeks ago. There’s kind of a Hot Topic/emo touch to the stuff that I really dig. For higher end tastes, Benefit has a gift set-I love Benetint, High Beam and Badgal mascara.

I am unsure if I’ll go to see the movie in the theatres when it comes out on June 1, as I am planning on seeing Brave later in the month. Are you planning on seeing it? Did you see Mirror Mirror?

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Ding, dong, the witch is dead!

Wordless Wednesday: May 16, 2012

Hedy — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:01:19 +0000

Happy mother’s day

Hedy — Sun, 13 May 2012 04:10:03 +0000

WDW Not Just for Kids Review: Newsies!

Hedy — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:25:18 +0000

This past Sunday, I went to the Macaroni Kid Expo (and had the privilege of meeting Dana of The Dragyn’s Lair). I finished up earlier than I thought, so I decided to see if I could see a show. (click to cut to the review and skip my rambling) I walked down to Times Square and went to the TKTS booth. Newsies, which was high on my to see list, especially as I had listened to Dana’s review on the train, was listed as being 40% off. However, it started at 1pm, and it was 12:45. The dude at the TKTS booth doubted I would make it, so I decided to walk and if I made it, would just pay full price rather than losing my ticket. I walked the 8 blocks to the Nederlander Theatre. I asked the guy at the ticket booth if I could get a ticket, and I got an orchestra ticket discounted :). Solo for the win. I sat down and watched the show.

Review time. My first reaction was that a set made of scaffolding at the Nederlander…really? However, I got over it. I really liked Newsies, and I think it will do well (read: it’s neither Tarzan nor Little Mermaid). It is different from the movie in some pretty big ways. My main complaint is that it takes away Sarah as Jack’s love interested, and replaces her with Katherine Pulitzer, who did not even exist. I predict that both Jack and Katherine will be played by some Disney star in the future. I was really impressed that they skipped the opportunity to get too “current events” with the plot.

The dance was incredible. The Newsies cast dances incredibly well. (I feel the need to point out that there is some fan service in the form of shirtess/under-shirted newsboys and show girls.) Dana commented that the cast feels a little bare-bones, which I agree with: Billy Elliot is able to create much better strike/crowd scenes.

The plot is based on a Disney movie, so it’s pretty predictable. That said, I felt like it’s closer to a Beauty and the Beast than the Lion King in terms of staying power. Did you know that MGM used to have Newsies> I remember them from our trip in 1993.

You can use your Disney Visa rewards from either your traditional or Disney Premier Visa to buy your ticket and merch at the show. Check out Broadway Box for discounted tickets-my favorite source for buying tickets ahead of time.

Disney Discount: Teacher, Nurse and Government rates at the Swan and Dolphin

Hedy — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:40:10 +0000

This week is both Teacher Appreciation Week and National Nurses’ Week. If you or somebody in your family are a nurse or teacher, did you know that your vocation could equate to savings on your Disney World vacation? The Swan and Dolphin hotels have discount program for both nurses (you can book online or via phone using the code NURSE) and teachers/support workers (you can book online or via phone using the code TEACH). There are also discounts at the Swolphin available for government workers (The mom was both a Commonwealth employee and a high school teacher) and members of the military (who include nurses).

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