Festival of Fantasy Review

      For those of you who follow the happenings of the Walt Disney World Resort, you know that Sunday was the premiere of a brand new parade called Festival of Fantasy at Magic Kingdom. Todd and I visited WDW on Monday, and made a trip to Magic Kingdom so we could see the parade. We absolutely loved it! The music was great, the costumes and floats were beautifully colored and detailed, overall it was great to watch!
      My favorite float by far was Tangled. From the sun lanterns, to the various Snuggly Duckling singers, and the over sized swinging axes, you could see the parade a dozen times and notice something different with each viewing. Not to be outdone, however, was the huge Maleficent dragon, who breathed fire and was flanked by some terrifying crows. I definitely recommend making time in your next Magic Kingdom visit to see it. Without further ado, here are the photos:

The parade is led off by Belle and the Beast

On the same float is Cinderella's dress being made, and Cinderella herself on the opposite side.

Reigning darlings Anna, Elsa, and Olaf round out the title float.

Like Cinderella, they only stay on one side (the right), so keep that in mind when picking your spot. The other side is Tiana.

See what I mean about details?

Rapunzel grinning up at Flynn's smolder.

Coral covered dancers precede the Little Mermaid float.

Ariel being driven by Sebastian and combing her hair with a Dinglehopper.

Bonus: Can you spot the Hidden Mickey?

The Lost Boys usher in Peter Pan's float.

On second thought, maybe this float is my favorite. Look at all those colors!

Captain Hook swinging menacingly on an Anchor, next to the Neverland map on Pride Rock.

Peter Pan and Wendy, always exploring.

Of course, you can't have Peter Pan without Tinkerbell.

Merida clapping joyfully atop her giant bagpipe.

Above her head you can see the plate of pastries and her little brother as a bear cub.

These frightening creatures are nothing compared to what they bring with them...

Maleficent in all her winged glory. 

The sheer size of this amazing.

The Alice in Wonderland and Snow White character strangely don't have a float.

More beautifully costumed dancers in front of Pinocchio and Monstro.

Riding Monstro's tale is Dumbo, followed by Daisy, Donald, and the Fantasia crew.

Fantasia animals.

And Pluto brings up the back!

Goofy, Chip, Dale, and these adorably costumed performers dance behind Pluto...

And then lead up to...

The grand finale! Mickey and Minnie themselves.

I thought they made a greater last float than an introductory one.

And with that ends the Festival of Fantasy! 

Disney Vacation Planning DVD 2014

The new planning DVD arrived in the mailbox this afternoon! While we know every bit of the information on it by now, we still love to watch them to get excited for an upcoming Trip. And this years newer, sharper version is a great  improvement upon the DVDs of years past.

For those who don't know, a free Disney Vacation Planning DVD can be ordered free of charge from Disney website, and it's chalk full of vital information for anyone planning a trip.

The first big change that I noticed was the shift from the prospective of the Travel Moms to the perspective of actual Cast Members. This, in my humble opinion, made a huge difference. From the charming Fairy Godmother in Training to an Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular performer, the joy and passion these people put into their jobs is truly heartwarming. Personally, the Travel Moms reciting cue cards and talking about how "cute" all the attractions are seemed rather reductive of the true Disney Magic. Note: the Travel Moms aren't completely absent from this DVD, but they are used in a more genuine way.

One other big detail we noticed was that everything seemed to be presented in greater detail. Attractions, resorts, Downtown Disney, FastPass + and even My Disney Experience. The images were cleaner, brighter, and there were more things mentioned at each park and resort, specifically a lot of dining options.

Of course some of the differences were par for the course, like the inclusion of New Fantasyland, but the whole thing just looked nicer. The images were bright and crisp, transitions between segments were clean, overall it was much more enjoyable to watch.

Have you seen DVDs in the past? Do you like the new one? Or dislike it? Don't be shy!

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2013 Review

  

     About this time every year, Disney becomes a little bit more magical. Beginning with Halloween and continuing through Christmas, Disney loves to put up decorations for the holidays. This is my personal favorite time of the year, and I was excited to finally get to experience Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party for the very first time this year.

   The event was really a lot of fun! Last year, Todd and I went to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party for the first time since we were children, and we had a blast! So when the time rolled around this year, we were excited for some more Disney magic. As beginners, however, we figured out a few mistakes we made.

 

My best friend Rochelle and I as Red and Snow from Once Upon a Time.

Todd as Jack Sparrow.

    Even though it's technically autumn, and the park is fully decked out to look that way, it's still Florida, and it was approximately 80 degrees. Once the sun went down it was a little better, but still pretty warm. Rochelle, Todd and myself all wore costumes with layers, with Todd and I in long sleeves and pants. My costume consisted of a peasant top, pants, boots, a fur trimmed vest and cape, and it got really old, really fast (Note: I was really psyched, however, when I girl shouted "I love your Snow White costume!" It's always nice to have more obscure costumes noticed). Even Rochelle's costume, which was significantly cooler than Todd's and mine, was cumbersome after a while because of the cape. So I cannot stress this enough: Wear something comfortable.

    Secondly, the Trick-or-Treating is pretty lame. We were expecting it to be more like the cookies and cocoa at Very Merry, with huge stations and tons of cast members. Instead, it's a lot of long lines and two cast members at the end handing out pieces of candy. Honestly, we didn't do it all, and I doubt we will in the future. With such a short amount of time to enjoy the event, waiting in line for a few pieces of candy seems to be a bit of a waste.

This ghostly woman tells stories all night long.

     Throughout the park, there are rarely seen characters to be seen, like this lady above. You can also see the Seven Dwarfs, and this year Jack and Sally made an appearance. This characters are definitely worth it to see, but get in line early, the wait gets long fast.

Dancing ghosts and the lost man with his dog from Haunted Mansion.

    The Boo to You parade is spectacular! All of the Disney Villains are in it, as well as characters from the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and many others that aren't seen in a typical Disney World parade. At the end, cast members hand out candy to the kids, so they will get something if you skip the Trick or Treating.

Lanterns from Tangled all over the beautiful castle.

 

 

Maleficent casting her spell.

After the parade, before the fireworks, Disney showed a special Celebrate the Magic with a Halloween twists thrown in.

Oogie Boogie's eyes projected on the Castle.

 

 

     The grand finale of the night is the Happy Halowishes Fireworks show. The score is fantastic, with a medley of different Halloween and Villain favorite songs. Again, absolutely not to be missed.

    In short, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is a wonderful event, and is absolutely worth doing with your family for special, spooky memories.

Despicable Me 2 Review

While this is not a Disney film, it is a major competitor in the market, so I think it warrants a review. I've never written movie review before, so here goes nothing!

Todd and I went into Despicable Me 2 with high hopes, as we both loved the first one, and we had been told the sequel was just as good.  We went on Saturday morning, with a theatre full a kids and their families. If you based this review solely on the audience reactions, it would be an easy 10/10. So  to any parents, it's safe to say that your kids will love it. There were enough silly Minion jokes to make up an entire film, as well as some laughs from Gru and the girls, Margo, Edith, and Agnes. However, for parents or other older patrons, there was a lot of heart and slightly more mature humor as well, with subplots of Margo discovering the world of boys, and Gru -reluctantly- getting into the dating scene.

The plot was predictable, as one would expect from this type of movie, especially being a sequel, but not horribly so. There were a few parts that dragged on a little bit, with the same jokes being repeated a few too many times, but kids will eat it up, and probably laugh the most at these times. The ending was a good one, with a few more laughs and everything tied up neatly in a bow. One thing to consider is during the credits, there were a lot of gags put in for the 3D version, so if you do go see it in 3D, make sure to stay all the way through.

Overall I'd give this movie a 9/10. The laughs were great, the heart was in it, and we'd definitely go see it again.

A honeymoon, a family suite, and 24 hours of Disney.

Disney is so great about helping make a celebration special.

      Todd and I are officially a married couple. Yay! Our concierge gave us these buttons upon arrival, and of course, we were greeted with "Congratulations!" by many cast members throughout the park, as well as some special decorations on some of our desserts.

       For our honeymoon, we stayed at the Art of Animation. The room that was originally booked was at the Pop Century, but a reservation opened up for a Little Mermaid standard, and we jumped at the chance. Art of Animation is in a league all of it's own, as posted here and we were so excited to stay again, especially considering this trip would be much longer than the previous single night.

     We came to check in mid-morning and get on our way to the theme parks. As we were receiving our booklet, room keys, parking pass, etc. we didn't really listen to the specifics, as we have been through the process many times. However, as we were leaving the lobby to drive to the room and unload, Todd and I looked at each other and both asked: "Did she just say 'Cars Family Suite'?"

     Sure enough, that's the room we were in. We still have no idea what happened, but we're guessing the Mermaid rooms were overbooked, so they upgraded us. Since AoA has opened, Todd and I both have been dying to stay in one of these family suites. Basically,  Disney gave us an amazing unintentional wedding present.

Love the cleverness!

There are great stills on every floor right outside of the elevator.

 The theming and layout of the rooms are really great. While Todd and I certainly enjoyed all of the extra space, it definitely was not used very much by us, but it would be perfect for a larger party.

 

The master bedroom is large, with a dresser, two nightstands, a flat screen television, and a connecting bathroom. 

The living room has a kitchenette, a pull out bed/ sofa, an easy chair, another dresser like the one in the master, and a coffee table. The kitchenette comes stocked with paper plates, paper cups, paper towels, a coffee maker ( with coffee and tea), and plastic cutlery. 

It's hard to see, but the towels next to the t.v. are shaped into a car.

It's a map of radiator springs!

 

  In the main entryway, there is a table with four chairs that pulls out into another bed.

You get to sleep next to Mater!

 Right off of the living room is a second bathroom, where the exquisite theme continues.

     The accommodations, obviously, were amazing and made our honeymoon a very happy one. Next month, we're staying here again for a family vacation, so it will be interesting to see how the stay goes when there are four adults and one child, as opposed just us two.    

I'd love to see a Rapunzel meet and greet right here.

     During our stay, we spent a lot more time at the Magic Kingdom then we have been as of late, and it was nice to take in some updates. The Tangled bathroom/ D-Zone charging station is a really cool area that opens up the area surrounding it nicely.

Rapunzel has decorated every surface of the Ladies room.

She even stores her paint supplies here!

The Starbucks signs are up out front of the Main Street Bakery in anticipation of the reopening in a few weeks.

24 hours of Magic Kingdom!

     On our final day was the Monstrous Summer 24 hour Disney Day. We got up at and were at the park by 6 o'clock in the morning. There were themed baked goods, and buttons were given out to celebrate the event. Unfortunately, as the evening approached, it got terribly crowded, so we skipped out at about 10 o'clock pm. But we got to experience most of the excitement!

Lots of buttons!

Mike Wazowski is the perfect shape for treats!

Sully marshmallow kabobs.

These cake pops were so delicious! The cake inside was more like a chocolate brownie.

     The little details everywhere made the event quite the spectacle!

 

Our first married visit to Disney!

     Needless to say, we had a wonderful honeymoon. Disney is truly a master at special events, and even staying at Value Resort, any romantic trip is sure to be special.