Princess Merida! What a great addition to the Disney Princesses. Brave is a wonderful movie and does a nice job of showcasing Merida’s strengths and vulnerabilities all at once. With her beautiful and wild red hair and feisty personality, she has become a favorite of many Disney fans. Merida’s handsome black and white Clydesdale horse is also her best friend and loyal companion. For the riddle this month, can you tell me his name? The prize this month is a reusable Disney tote.
So, you just had the time of your… or maybe it was a while ago. Either way, you have a wait till you’re back at the happiest place on earth, and you need something to ease the wait. One of the best ways to make your days magical in-between trips is with listening to Disney music. But with a ton of Disney music out there, it can be daunting to find the music that best captures the essence and magic of Disney, especially the magic of Walt Disney World. Here’s a quick look at at few Disney CDs (and an internet radio station) that do a great job of easing the wait between till your next Disney trip.
Four Parks – One World
This is the moment we all have been waiting for. That little fish that taught us all to “just keep swimming” is back. On April 2nd it was announced that Disney’s Pixar will be releasing the sequel to Finding Nemo. The sequel will be titled Finding Dory. The movie, which will be directed by original Nemo co-director Andrew Stanton, is set for release on November 25, 2015 in the U.S. I cant wait that long!
I love Disneyland. My love for Disney reaches far beyond the park. I love anything that is connected to the name Disney. One can’t help but think happy thoughts when you hear the name Walt Disney. When there is anything Disney related I really try to check it out. Recently we decided to take a trek out to the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, CA. The Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit were there for a limited time and I had to see it before it was gone.
Many of us watched stunned as we heard Lucy scream, “I don’t want to go to Disney World”, as she suffered through a torturous experience with TSA. If you are not familiar with this incident please see LUCY’S ORDEAL, but be warned it will tear at your heart strings. I know my anger would boil with this mistreatment but to hear my child say they didn’t want to go to Disney World, well, that would bring out my fighting side. In situations like this I am usually careful at pointing fault with the screeners, but the TSA did admit responsibility and heavily apologized. However, there is a line between doing your job and being mean. Yes, this story has a happy ending, Lucy did go to Disney World, and she did get photographed with Mickey. Disney magic comes through once again!
We know how much you love Disney and if you’re anything like me, any second your mind can wander, you’re thinking about your happy place. If you’re lucky enough, you have enough time to think about things you’d like to do on your next trip, where you’ll spend your time, eat, what attractions to visit, where you’re going to stay and all the other details. For those who are even luckier, you’re actually planning a trip right now that’s going to really take place! There are so many different places to look for information when you’re planning – for an upcoming trip or a “some day” trip – and we want to know where you like to find your info. Over the next few weeks, each day you’ll see a new post asking you to nominate your #DisneyFaves in a new category. Please leave your nomination in the comments section (one nomination per person please). You can chat with other Neurotic Disney People about the nominations using the hash tag #DDLFaves during the nomination, voting and awards process. Once the nominations for each category are closed, we’ll open the voting to determine the ultimate favorite for each area. Winners will be announces right here on The Disney Driven Life once the voting has closed. Opinions are important and we can’t wait to hear what y’all think about each group!
The other day I was daydreaming about past trips to Walt Disney World. This time my thoughts were on Animal Kingdom Park. This is one of my favorite places to be. I love the rides and shows in this park, but most of all I love the plants and animals. The riddle for February has to do with the tigers of Animal Kingdom Park. What is the name of the trail/attraction the tigers are found on?
Submit your answer to ddlriddle@thedisneydrivenlife.com by midnight, Feb.28th for a chance to win a Disney magnet. Best of luck to you!
Contributed by: Sherri Jeffries (NDM#237) Sherri is the DDL Riddler.
It didn’t take long for me to decide what article I would open the year 2013 with. After surviving another Christmas season, I decided what better way to begin the New Year in the middle of winter than talk about the most magical vacation spot in the tropics! And yes Disney fans, I’m talking about Disney’s Aulani resort and spa located on the Leeward Coast of Oahu, about 18 miles west of Honolulu. This resort is totally different that any Disney resort you might have been to. Disney turned to veteran Imagineer Joe Rhode to help design the new resort, because Joe was raised in Hawaii and has intimate knowledge of its culture, people, traditions and history. Unlike typical Disney resorts, you’ll find few references to the Disney Company, or even few signs sans the gift shops that advertised the Disney moniker. Even Mickey and Minnie and the rest of the characters keep a low profile. The idea was to showcase Hawaii’s culture, its people, the land and its history. And Joe Rhode and company have done an amazing job.
Image credit:blastr.com
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”
There is nothing more relaxing than sitting back and enjoying the great movies associated with the holidays. One of my favorite is Disney’s A Christmas Carol featuring the talents of Jim Carrey and Gary Oldman. Carrey is fantastic as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, but he doesn’t stop there. For the riddle this month, can you name one other character that Carrey provides the voice for in this movie?
Image credit: phineasandferb.wikia.com
Congratulations to Richard A., the November DDL Riddle winner. Richard answered correctly that Ashley Tisdale provides the voice for Candace Flynn and has appeared in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Miss Tisdale is also famous for her fabulous portrayal of Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical series.
Richard is the winner of a Disney Christmas ornament. Keep an eye out for the December DDL riddle and another chance to win!
When one thinks of visiting Disneyland, it instantly brings up the thought of family. A day in the park with family includes strollers, meeting characters, juice boxes and tired kids holding a plush and dozing off while heading back to the bus that takes you to your hotel. You have thoughts of planning your trip like a well oiled camping adventure. You can’t forget the extra shoes, or the bib or heaven forbid the container of Goldfish crackers! Rarely do adults even dare to dream about what it could be like going to Disneyland WITHOUT children. It’s like the unspoken rule that has been ingrained into our brains, Disneyland without children is absolutely not allowed. What if……..just what if you jumped out of the box and grabbed your sweetie and headed the the Happiest Place on Earth sans children? What would that date be like?
This is the second part of a blog series that will look at the different steps of planning for an upcoming Christmas trip to the World. Essentially, I found myself in August suddenly planning for a Christmas trip. In my last post, I went through the reasoning that led me to choose the Contemporary Resort as the best choice for the week. This post is all about Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs).
ADRs can be made 180 days in advance of the first day of your trip, and for some restaurants which fill up quickly, you definitely need to call as soon as that window opens- especially during busier times of the year. So, maybe you can imagine that I was a bit panicked to begin planning meals in August for a Christmas trip- we were already more than a month inside that 180-day window for the most crowded week of the year. I knew there wasn’t time to lose in making ADRs. But, it’s not as simple as trying to make ADRs at any restaurant possible… I didn’t want to make an ADR at the Brown Derby on a day that we would end up spending in the Magic Kingdom. So I quickly had to plot out which day we’ll be in which park (because it would stink to be in Animal Kingdom with an ADR in Epcot!). This is a huge task, but an important one- and there is only one resource I trust to help with such plotting… the “Crowd Calendar” over at touringplans.com.
Source: The Walt Disney Company
Even though the news of Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm is a few weeks old, it seems like there’s still a lot of buzz about this deal. As expected, you can find people who are thrilled about this partnership, while others remain skeptical.
What do I think?
From a business perspective, I have to tip my hat to Bob Iger. I think this was a very smart move on his part and it shows that he is constantly on the lookout for other like-minded individuals that can help the Disney brand grow stronger. (Remember, he was responsible for the recent acquisition of Marvel Entertainment as well as another tiny company by the name of Pixar.)
Our family really enjoys watching Phineas and Ferb. The show is fun, creative and has some awesome music in it. I love the relationship between Phineas, Ferb and Candace. It reminds me of my own son and daughter. The riddle this month focuses on Candace. Her character is voiced by an already popular Disney gal who displayed her talent in a few other Disney shows and movies. Who is she and what is one other show/movie she has been in for Disney?
Submit your answer to ddlriddle@thedisneydrivenlife.com by midnight on November 30 for a chance to win a Disney Christmas ornament. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Contributed by: Sherri Jeffries (NDM#237) Sherri is the DDL Riddler.
The latest entry into the Kingdom Keepers proves a worthy read. As a high school librarian so I read A LOT of young adult literature and lead a successful student bookclub so I would like to think of myself as a bit of an expert in the field which makes this published book review all the more intimidating. I FEEL the PRESSURE, a librarian writing a Disney book review on a Disney site, to be read by thousands of die hard Disney fans. Here we go!
Millions of families from all across the globe travel to Disney World each year for fun and entertainment. Whether you plan to board theme park rides, watch shows, or visit some of the local attractions you’re sure to have a great time. But for parents visiting the park with babies and infants, keeping everyone happy can be a challenge. Your baby might not be ready to enjoy the main attractions but Disney World offers some great facilities that should make your trip a lot of fun, even with a baby in tow.
So I got your attention? Maybe, with better truth in advertising, the marquee would proclaim: “Tom Hanks as Walt Disney.” Yes, Tom Hanks landed the role of our favorite American icon in a movie concerning his chase to land the rights to Mary Poppins from a very distrusting author, P.L. Travers, portrayed by Emma Thompson. Reportedly, this is the first on-screen portrayal of Walt Disney.
This is the first part of a blog series that will look at the different steps of planning for an upcoming Christmas trip to the World. I’ll explore some reasoning for some of the decisions (for example, why I picked the resort I did), and how I’m hoping this plan will help us deal with the most crowded week of the year. And then, after the trip, I’ll share what went well, what could have gone better, and any major mistakes I made in planning. We’ll find out together if my approach to planning makes sense. Feel free to add comments on things you’d consider, or different approaches you’d take.
Let’s start by deciding what park you want to visit each day of your trip. You would want to consult touringplans.com ($12 subscription for a year but well worth it) again for each park’s crowd level for the given day; they even suggest a certain park for the day. Although one of the positives of staying at a Disney resort are the extra Magic Hours at a particular park each day, those parks tend to have larger numbers on their appointed day and may be best to avoid.
Now gather those dining reservations and the event schedule available at: EVENTS
Begin building an itinerary (samples to follow). RELAX!! You do not have to go by it step by step, but it will help you ensure you do all of the things you want (which you won’t but good try!).
Remember: Start off planning for two days at Magic Kingdom, and one day for each of the other parks. For each extra day you have add them in this order: Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Disney Studios. Example: Seven Night Stay – 2 at Magic Kingdom, 2 Epcot, 2 Disney Studios, 1 Animal Kingdom. Another option is to spend your last extra day park hopping to do your favorites once again.