Remember, entries are due by tomorrow night for the Hidden Mickey Challenge! Here's one to wet your palette while you guessers wait for the photos to be posted! Where in Walt Disney World can you find this Hidden Mickey?
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Archive for January 2012
Hidden Mickey Challenge!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Remember, entries are due by tomorrow night for the Hidden Mickey Challenge! Here's one to wet your palette while you guessers wait for the photos to be posted! Where in Walt Disney World can you find this Hidden Mickey?
All Aboard!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
When I look at this picture all I can think is how I wish I was right there, right now!
PHOTO TIP: Take some pictures while waiting for your ride vehicle, train, or monorail. This is the most liked picture on our Facebook page and it was simply a girl waiting for her ride into Frontierland! ;)
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Part Three 2006: Dine Around the World
After the day was done we went right over to MGM Studios for our dinner at the Sci Fi Dine In and then to the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. It was a spectacle to say the least. Like Clark Griswold had decorated the whole street with Christmas Lights. It was amazing, fake snow, Sinatra Christmas music on, like a fairy tale. We called our parents to tell them about it and say “I love you.” I can still feel the amazement in my chest when I think about it and can’t wait to head back for this season again!
We were pumped so he headed to Downtown Disney to do some
shopping. We browsed and shopped and
grabbed a drink and snack or three while we walked. We headed back to the room around midnight and decided not
to set the alarm. Not that it
mattered because we were having so much fun we were up before 8am to grab ahold
of more adventures!
We headed back to Magic Kingdom this morning and got to
catch Cinderellabration. If you
missed this stage show it ran fron 2005-2006 during the “Happiest Celebration
on Earth” promotion which celebrated Disneyland’s 50th
anniversary. Different attractions
and shows made there way all through the worlds Disney Parks. This is my favorite of all the Magic
Kingdom stage shows I have seen and I took enough pictures you could probably
make a flip book!
Afterwards we hit Fantasyland and Tomorrowland again as well
as another stop in Toon Town. This
was my first ride on the Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups and on Dumbo! We ended up
lunching in Frontierland because Rob is a Pecos Bill addict, and then took the
monorail over to Epcot. We walked
over through Innoventions and got our Disney Cardmember Photopass picture and
certificate, then we explored the Seas a little. Next up was World Showcase dinner #4 at Rose and Crown in
the UK. We were seated outside but
it was closed in and some heat lamps were on to keep warm, although it wasn’t
all that cold outside. We walked
around World Showcase after dinner and watched Illuminations before making our
way back to the resort.
Our next started at MGM, where we walked the shops, met
Baloo, and saw some of the attractions we had missed like One Man’s Dream,
Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and took another ride on Great Movie Ride. We were so intrigued by World Showcase
as we had made our way to and from our dinners that we decided to head to our 5th
World Showcase dinner of the trip nice and early so we could see the pavilion
in the light of day instead of after dusk.
World Showcase dinner five was at Teppanyaki (which is now
Teppan Edo). We love the Japan
pavilion and loved our meal here.
This is not typical hibachi by any means. I highly recommended it then and still do! After dinner we
made our way out to the buses and headed back to MGM for Fantasmic!
Our final day before hitting the beach (we spent a long
weeked at my grandparent’s condo on Anna Maria Island after our Disney World stay)
we had plans for a character dinner at Garden Grill. We decided to split the day between our two favorite parks:
Magic Kingdom and Epcot. We slowly
took in the scenary and took lots of pictures as we headed up Main Street USA
and rode all of our favorite one last time before heading via the monorail into
Epcot. We loved our meal in The
Land and managed to ride Soarin’ a couple more times and hit some other Epcot
favorites before we had to head out.
But we already knew we weren’t saying goodbye, just “See ya real soon!”
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Part Two 2006: I heart Cinderella's Castle
Saturday, January 28, 2012
After we left the resort for the first time we headed to Epcot. It was amazing to say the least. We stopped in awe to look at Spaceship Earth. We had a dinner reservation for Akershus so we headed right over. I thought I would be weirded out by a real person “playing” princess but I nearly gasped when I saw my very favorite staring back at me- it was Belle. We were in Disney World actually eating with the princesses. Could it get any better than this? Little did I know what lay ahead of me the following day.
As a tween I had never realized that the reason all of my
favorite TGIF shows on the ABC Friday night line-up had gone off to Disney
World because, in fact, Disney owned ABC and was using it as a marketing
ploy. And so when I first walked
through the gates at Magic Kingdom I did, feel some strange sense of
nostalgia. I remembered when
Michelle Tanner cut Stephanie in line and became princess for a day (when the
hug music came on Michelle offered Stephanie her crown and there were two
princesses for the parade), I remembered DJ picturing her boyfriend Steve as
Indiana Jones, and I pictures Steve Urkel and Laura Winslow getting
married.
It did not take long for me to get out of the realm of 80s
sitcoms and realize that I was in Walt
Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.
It was the best day of my life besides getting married and my niece
being born and all that. So what
did we do? We took pictures all
the way up to the castle (together, of each other and of the castle itself) and
then we headed to Fantasyland. My
first ride was Peter Pan’s Flight.
After that we made our way around the area and headed out towards the
castle. We ended up in
Adventureland and headed up, eating at Pecos Bill’s for lunch. After lunch we went back onto Main
Street, towards the entrance and hopped the train to see Mickey and Minnie’s
houses. After all was said and
done we headed to the Tomorrowland entrance to view the Parade (again I thought
of Full House). Once it ended we
went for Stitch’s Great Escape and made our way through the other Tomorrowland
rides that interested us.
Next it was off to Epcot for dinner. World Showcase meal #2 was Restaurant
Marrakesh in Moracco. Then we made
a pitstop at the hotel for sweaters and made it back to Magic Kingdom in time
for Spectromagic and Wishes. I
must say, back to the TV references.
Spectromagic was incredible and I am so glad I got to see it so many
times before the switch back to Electric Light Parade.
Neither of us knew what to expect when it came to the last
two parks. Rob had been to Disney
once, Animal Kingdom wasn’t built yet and MGM wasn’t something he remembered
well since he had been 7. When we
got to MGM we promptly bought “ears” from a vendor- mine like Stitch, his like
Sorcerer Mickey. Then it was
straight up Hollywood Boulevard and around the corner to check the times for
Indiana Jones and try out Star Tours. While we waited for Indy we wandered around close by
and were able to see MuppetVision and get some pictures with characters. After we saw Indy which was all I had
expected and more, we headed towards Mickey Avenue to check out all the
animated stuff, we hit up Magic of Animation but somehow skipped the Animation Academy (my first time was February 2011). For lunch we opted for lunch at ABC
Commisionary but not before we tried the Great Movie Ride. After lunch we wandered some more,
missed the parade, and hopped on a couple more rides.
The last ride was the best. My boyfriend does not like rollercoasters, nay, he hates
them. I promptly lied to him and
told him that the Rock’n Rollercoaster wasn’t so bad. He asked if it was inside- I lied and said that it was just
a wall and he asked if there were loops and I said no way. I am lucky he was such a good
sport. That and the fact that he
couldn’t stop laughing when he heard Steven Tyler yelling “Threee, Twooo, Oneeee”
before we were off. It was a great
end to a long day at the park so we grabbed some mickey-shaped ice cream pops
on the way out.
Next stop was our World Showcase Dinner #3- Mexico. This was by far our favorite of the all
the World Showcases that we had eaten at.
And afterwards we grabbed another quick Margarita at the stand outside. Oh, and I can’t forget that we fast
passes Soarin’ on our way in and got to go ride it on the way out- it was
AMAZING and still one of our favorites!
The next morning, we went to Animal Kingdom. My excitement the last few days had
caught up with me. I had been up
at 5am for Magic Kingdom and around 6 for MGM… I couldn’t help it my body just
woke me up at that time. I was
tired. We got up closer to 7:30
and made our way to the food court and then the park. Animal Kingdom was great for a day when we had woken up
tired. We made our way through the
Oasis nice and slow watching and taking pictures of all the animals. I must say we didn’t accomplish quite
as much here as the other parks since we were both tired and not as
interested. We skipped Dinoland
all together and spent the day doing Maharajah Jungle Trek, Kilimanjaro
Sarafis, Pangani Forest Exploration and eating at the Flame Tree BBQ for
lunch.
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Part One 2006: Thanks, Marc Summers!
Friday, January 27, 2012
I have always loved Disney. My parents always thought it was cute and my sister and brother thought it a little annoying. But I didn’t care. I didn’t care when I was 10 and clipped a special edition “Beauty and the Beast” comic out of the newspaper for 4 weeks before Christmas. I didn’t care when I was 15 and forced my friends to go see the newest animated classics on opening night in the movie theatre. And I certainly didn’t mind when I was 20 and having my boyfriend buy me every Lumpy (from Pooh’s Heffalump Movie) stuftee as they came out in the Disney Store. And for the most part no one seemed to mind the hobby either. I have no regrets about my childhood. I never went to Disney World. That didn’t make me a better person or a worse one. I got to go to Florida and to Sea World and on many other vacations to Hershey Park and the Jersey Shore. And whether I was 4 or 14 I had always known I was lucky to be able to vacation at all. I knew that some people had never been on vacation and I was brought up kind, appreciative, and generous. My family is beyond wonderful. There was never a time in my life that I felt unloved or unwanted.
When my now husband and I had talked about Disney it had
always seemed far off. We met in
high school and I had four tedious years of college (commuting and working when
I wasn’t in class). Then, after
talking with some friends I planted the seed in his head, I would be graduating
in December 2005 and so we should go to celebrate after Christmas. We talked with friends who had been and
the seed started to grow into a real plan. Then, on Food Network there was an “Unwrapped” special on Disney food and after a few minutes of the mouth-watering goodies he was
hooked. I can still remember all
my excitement. My first plane
ride. My first trip to Walt Disney
World. Cinderella’s Castle here I
come.
We booked through a Travel Agent and I started hourding my
Disney Dream Rewards dollars from my Visa. I bought all the guides I could get
my hands on, scoured the internet, and asked for a Christmas filled with Disney
Dollars that year. Before I knew
it the time had come!
It was hailing when we got to LaGuardia airport in New York
City on the morning of January 2nd. Or sleeting. Or
maybe it was freezing rain. All I
know is that I had little scratches on my face from the walk inside from the
car. My parents had volunteered to
drop us off, and it was my first plane ride. I was so excited I couldn’t possibly have been nervous. I promised my mom I would call her when
we landed and kissed and told both my mom and dad that I loved them.
Our journey had begun.
We boarded our plane- a Delta Song- and spent the whole trip charting
our progress on the little map on the screens in the headrests. When we got off
the plane we didn’t have to worry about luggage because we had opted for
Disney’s Magical Express. We used
the restrooms and followed the signs.
Then I saw it. A huge white
glove waving me on. The castmembers
all had Mickey hands and I felt my heart skip a beat.
We boarded the bus and took the ride which seemed to be
lasting forever. When we made it
to All Star Movies I was so excited I am surprised I didn’t pee a little. I
felt like a kid. We took off our
jackets since it was a very warm January and headed to the front desk. We were quickly checked in and
off to our room. It was in the Herbie section which is pretty much at the heart
of the resort as you had to walk past the Fantasia buildings and pool and of
course the Winner’s Circle to get there.
We put down our carry-ons and walked the resort to take some pictures
before heading to Epcot.
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Hidden Mickey Challenge Contest & Giveaway!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
I recently picked up some new Disney books to wet my palette while I plan a trip that is tediously far away. In my mini stack (which included the Birnbaum's Dining Guide 2012 and Pat William's How to Be Like Walt) was the newest edition of the Steve Barrett's Hidden Mickey's books! Wow was I blown away! Sure the description says over 200 new Mickey's but these were some great ones that I am itching to go check out! It got me thinking... what about having our very own hidden mickey contest that incorporate both this incredible book series and my love of Disney pictures??
So here is how it works:
1. Email your best Disney Parks hidden mickey picture to picturingdisney@gmail.com and with your attachment include how you would like your name viewed (Maybe a nickname or something like "Melissa P. from New York" to be internet safe.) Also include where your Hidden Mickey is located in the parks You will have about a week to send pictures from today until midnight January 31st.
2. On February 1st, head over to our Facebook page where you will find the "Hidden Mickey Challenge 2012" album. Guess where each Hidden Mickey in the album is located. In the evening on Friday, February 3rd I will announce via the Facebook page that the contest is closed and tally the number of correct answers. If your photo stumped the most people YOU WIN!
3. There may be other small prizes for things like the person who guesses the most correct or the person who guesses a particularly difficult one right so keep your eye out!
In any case, I am super excited about this and hope you all will join in the fun!
Can't wait to see all your Hidden Mickeys!
xo Picturing Disney
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Epcot is love.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
I made my husband pose for this last year and I think it says it all. Epcot is love and no amount of hand hearts could properly complete this little photo tour.
PHOTO TIP: Take advantage of the forced perspective. This was inspired by watching people leaning on, holding up, eatings, and kicking Spaceship Earth!
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Mouse Gears
My favorite shopping can be found near the Innoventions pavilion at Mouse Gears! They offer a great selection of not just Epcot merchandise but Walt Disney World merchandise as well as offer the Disney Visa Cardmember discount! I often hit this as my last shop if I can't make it out to Downtown for some last minute souvenirs and gifts!
PHOTO TIP: Use props! I wish I had discovered this idea sooner since I buy a different stufftee each trip! Use your new vinyl or toy to add a little cute to your otherwise landscape or shop shot!
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O Canada!
And last but certainly not least on this visit to World Showcase is the Canada pavilion. Home to my favorite beer (Moosehead) and full of photo ops! Be sure to walk all the way back to check out the "mountains" and if you can snag a ressie to Le Cellier I highly recommend it!
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Keep Calm and Disney On
Monday, January 23, 2012
I always love empty park pictures and love strangers walking hand in hand pictures so you could imagine I love this shot on my way from the Boardwalk Resort into Epcot early one morning. Off to the left you will see the replica of Shakespeare's own cottage while you can grab fish & chips up ahead on the right at Yorkshire Fish Shop.
There is so much to take in while you are walking through each pavilion its easy to get lost in the main walkway but don't forget to venture into each pavilion and check out everything they have to offer. The UK shops are some of my favorites!
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United Kingdom
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Head over to the United Kingdom for a journey through fun shops, character meets, and glorious food!
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Oh the streetmosphere!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Not sure if streetmosphere is the technical Disney term for the great shows and performers features in all the World Showcase pavilions but these guys are my favorite of ALL! Don't miss this show next time you are heading passed the Eiffel Tower towards the France pavilion! Oui!
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Minaret
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Morocco is another place to just take a moment to look around you. You will really feel transported into the Middle East. The Minarets are beautiful and the art and architecture style is so different than anything we have here in the United States, you will feel like you are in north Africa not somewhere in central Florida.
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Changes.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Check out the new logo!
Hope you like it as much as I do! I scoured iStockPhoto today and spent my whole afternoon adjusting everything to my liking.
I've also enable the dynamic blogger layout. As you can see its very crisp, clean, and smooth. The top bar has links to each major label and our Facebook and About Me pages. Additionally, all the way on the left there is a drop down menu where the page will reorganize itself in a way that is most pleasing to each reader! I love that!
Be sure to search using the "Flipcard" setting. It makes a really cool animation and its fun to explore! Once blogger tweaks it a little and I can add a Facebook and Twitter button as well as a "Follow" link I can clean up some of the header bar and I will be very pleased.
Really awesome design day here at Picturing Disney!
Here's hoping your day is filled with Disney magic! :)
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Morocco
The only pavilion commissioned by it's country's namesake, Morocco is detailed like no other. Here you will find everything is clean, cultured, and as you wind through the maze of shops you may even feel like you are in a bazaar or marketplace.
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Torii
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
The red torii gate that marks the Japan pavilion has also come to symbolize traditional Japan. These are used to mark the entrance to a holy or sacred place in the Shinto religion and you will find that the pavilion feels a little like a sanctuary garden.
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Japan
Monday, January 16, 2012
A quick view of Japan from the window at Teppan Edo. I love catching the culture in the most unlikely places (like here on my way back from the bathroom). Japan is a great pavilion for shopping, dining, and just enjoying the ambiance of the area.
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Word Art.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
We now interupt this photo tour for some fun pictures I created thanks to Flikr and Photoshop! I don't know who the original picture credit should go to but I altered the color and added the text and texture. If you know who should get credit shoot me and email so I can update the images and this post with proper credit! I love Pinterest and Flikr but sometimes you can't find the originator!
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The American Adventure
The shop located here and the show are worth a stop. Although mostly overlooked the architecture is classic and the photo ops are abundant.
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Italia!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Like all the World Showcase pavilions Italy is chock full of fun and wonder.
PHOTO TIP: Keep an eye out for Photopass Photographers heading through here! You can often get a little mini photoshoot out on the bridge! As you can see love is in the air in Italy and even clouds can't keep the smiles away!
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Overlooking.
Friday, January 13, 2012
PHOTO TIP: Try and find a view Spaceship Earth from pavilions and rides. Some of my favorite pictures are taken from the pavilions looking out at the rest of World Showcase and at the lagoon. You get a true angle that you SEE so much but don't really photograph very much.
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Terra Cotta Army!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
And do not miss what's inside the temple- a full scale mini replica of the entire Terra Cotta army unearthed in China! Its amazing!
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Don't forget to look up :)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Inside the replica Temple of Heaven is this great artwork on the ceiling. I love the way Disney gets even the intricate details right! Don't overlook the beauty above you when you are there (with your eyes or your camera lens)!
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China
Monday, January 9, 2012
Next stop, China! I love the serenity that you can find walking around the Asian pavilions in Epcot. There is a sit down restaurant and counter service here as well as shops, museum, and a really cool Circlevision film.
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Viking fun.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Also found in Norway is this might Viking. Here's a pic of me last February as my husband and I made our way back from our World Showcase segway tour. ;)
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The Lion King on Broadway
Saturday, January 7, 2012
I've been waiting almost 15 years and today was finally the day I got to see The Lion King on Broadway! Best Christmas Gift Ever!!! Love my husband for this! Once I get my pictures from my camera uploaded I will post a full report but for now here's a sneak peak!
Here's the Simba plushie Rob bought me when we first got to the theatre!
And of course I could not resist stopping at the Times Square Disney Store!
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A little Norwegian Village
The next pavilion is Norway and here there are an abundance of shops as well as the only other ride in World Showcase, Maelstrom. Definitely worth a stop considering its a Fast Pass attraction and there is a lot to take in here to see and do.
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A Warm Welcome!
Even though I know Chip & I lured you in with a great giveaway, now that you are here I wanted to thank you for joining my blog whether you follow here using Google Friend Connect or follow the Facebook Fan Page!
Here is a gift for Disney crafters!
Attached you will find an original crochet doll design for a Nemo plush doll. I created this Nemo from scratch and then recreated him to create the original one-of-a-kind pattern. I thought he would be a fitting choice since I got so many comments on the picture of The Seas! ;)
Although my shop is currently empty I have a couple more patterns on Etsy. And if you are a Ravelry member you can see my project notebook has lots of Disney-inspired amigurumis (although I did not create patterns for each doll I've created).
In any case, here's the PDF of your very own Nemo crochet doll pattern!!
Thanks for following! :)
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Pixar Studios meets the East Coast
Friday, January 6, 2012
Home of the wildly popular Toy Story Mania, Pixar Studios is the newest addition to Hollywood Studios. As you can see, even though this was a sllllow park day this area is always bustling!
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Donde Esta Donald?
Its hard to get a good picture while riding one of my all-time favorite Disney rides but this remake of the old Rio de Tiempo boat ride is fabulous. I love the integration of the cartoons, the music, and the very short waits!
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Take a ride Aboard the Friendship!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
After a quick run through Future World, off to World Showcase!
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Spaceship Earth from across the park
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
I just can't stop taking landscape pictures of Epcot. No matter what time of year or the weather the colors always seem to pop and the reflections just make everything bright.
Snap away my fellow Disney photogs!
PHOTO TIP: The water in Disney Parks has an additive that makes it dark! It makes it look cleaner (and this way we can't see all the alligators... LOL!!! J/k j/k!) and a little reflective which is great for some pictures.
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Living with the Land
Monday, January 2, 2012
Living with the Land is often overlooked which means that unless its raining and people are escaping the wet weather you can usually walk onto this fun ride and see some of science behind Epcot's Land. Also, there are quite a few hidden mickeys to be found here!
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Some sunshine for 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Nope, those aren't New Years balloons from a snazzy celebration they are the art found on the ceiling of The Land in Epcot. You will notice they are seasonally themed since they reside above Sunshine Seasons!
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