Walt's Disneyland- A Walk in the Park with Walt Disney

 

"Walt's Disneyland" A Walk in the Park with Walt Disney by Marcy Carriker Smothers is an enjoyable, insightful read for Disney's established fans as well as those preparing to visit the park for the first time.  

Avenger Fans...Get Ready to Assemble!

Avenger Fans...get ready to Assemble because the Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure Park is ready to open!

Disney Channel Fan Fest Is Expanding To Disney World in 2020

Disney Channel fans it is time to cheer!

The interactive experience Disney Fan Fest is finally expanding to Walt Disney World in Florida, during the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival. 

Chris Nichols' Welcome to Disneyland

“To all who come to this happy place: Welcome.” — Walt Disney

We love a good Disney book, especially one featuring beautiful photos of the Happiest Place on Earth! We can't wait to get our hands on this beauty!

Photo Provided by Taschen

Attention Foolish Mortals: A New Haunted Mansion Book Coming Soon!

This is not the final cover, but a draft, and is presented to mimic the final cover.

I receive an advanced proof copy of the new middle grades book based on Disney's Haunted Mansion ride (a favorite of mine coast-to-coast). I was so excited to get this book! It was precisely the kind of thing I would have read in 5th grade (when my Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark? obsessions were at a peak). 

I have read many proofs in my day, but this disclaimer is by far the best I've ever seen! 

The book was written by John Esposito with some illustrations by Kelley Jones. Check out my review (and follow me) on GoodReads! And be sure to grab your copy this July when the book hits stores in all its purple-wallpapery glory! 

Article By:  Melissa Beeman 

Disneyland 60 - Fabulous Fashion

Disneyland 60 had it all!  Disney-loving presenters, great performances and sneak peeks galore!  It was full of Disney trivia, memories and glimpses of the future.  The special was everything you would expect from Disney and more.  And by more I am talking about the fabulous fashion!

Two presenters incorporated the true spirit of Disney into their look for the evening.  They stood out enough for me to cheer their subtle "Disneybounding!"



*Photos by Disney*

Happy 50th Birthday, It’s A Small World!

It’s A Small World turns 50 this week. Amounting to this celebration, Disney has posted pictures and history to their blogs and spread the cheer throughout social media. “The Happiest Cruise that Ever Sailed” was originally created for the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair. It was created in honor of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).  It was transferred to the Disneyland Resort and opened on May 28, 1966. This E-Ticket attraction has been re-imagined for each of the Disney Parks around the world.

This attraction is definitely a staple to each of the family vacation to Disney World. Recently, I was finally blessed to be able to trek out to Disneyland and ride the original (or at least its latest reincarnation). As the first It's A Small World attraction, it has undergone many updates. The 2008 refurbishment brought in a cast of 37 familiar faces to the Disney community. In each scene, characters from Disney and Pixar films can be found amongst the other 300+ dolls that had been in place since opening day. During the holiday season, It's A Small World undergoes a holiday transformation including songs featured in the attraction. They have also created a nighttime presentation on the outside facade of It's A Small World, which also undergoes its own Holiday treatment.

As in Picturing Disney fashion, here are some photos from It’s A Small World in Disneyland.

Unlike the loading bay in Walt Disney World's version,
Disneyland's loading bay is outside.

Peter Pan & Tinkerbell (she is flying next to the crescent moon) in
the beginning of England.

Alice & the White Rabbit in England

Cinderella, Jack, & Gus in France 

Pinocchio & Jiminy Cricket in Italy

Aladdin, Jasmine, & Abu in the Middle East

<3 <3 <3 My Favorite <3 <3 <3

Mulan & Mushu in China

Simba, Timon, & Pumba in Africa

Each time I tried to get a shot of Timon he went back into the
prop next to Pumba and Simba. However if you look closely,
you can catch his little face popping out ever so slightly.

Donald, Jose Carioca, & Panchito Pistoles in Mexico

The Three Caballeros

Ariel & Flounder in the South Seas Room. Although she is not really
 recognized formally at all in Andrina, one of Ariel's Sisters. Attina has also
been included but was not there when I made my visit.

Marlin & Dory in the South Seas Room

Lilo & Stitch in the Polynesian Scene

Woody, Jesse, & Bullseye in North America

Finale Room. It differs a lot from the Walt Disney World version as there more
colors instead of the white, gold, and blue hues.

In California, the ride exits through a small shop called
It's A Small Toy Shop.

In the next post, I'll share some photos from the It's A Small World Attraction in Walt Disney World.

Dealing With Transportation: Part 2 - Getting Around

Our Park Mantra is “Rope Drop to Fire Works”. On all of our trips to any park, my husband and I have always agreed that if we were going to spend time in the parks, we are going to experience as much as we can in the allotted time available.

As previously mentioned, on this trip to California, we would be without a permanent form of transportation. Unlike our trips to Walt Disney World, Disneyland was proving to be a little more difficult to plan. Disneyland is like its own shopping mall. Everything there is within walking distance. So at least in terms of the days we spent at the Disneyland Resort and attending D23 Convention, there was no need for the cost of a car rental or other form of transportation. 

As for the day we were going to visit Universal Hollywood, the situation was a bit different. It turns out that unlike how most of the parks in Florida are mainly in Orlando/Kissimee, Universal Hollywood was closer to Los Angeles. This is about 1 hour away from Anaheim. When looking for transportation, we asked our concierge about what most guests did in this particular situation. They mentioned that Greyhound, a major bus company, offered a service to and from your hotel. The problem was that rope droppers like my husband and I would not benefit from their system at all. A bus will pick guests up at 9:00am from their hotel and drive them to the Greyhound headquarters. From there, they will drive guests to their destination. We would not be guaranteed arrival to the park until after 12:00pm. There was also a chance that we would arrive later depending on how many other guests went on our same route. Guests would also be required to come back prior to 6:00pm in order to get back to their hotel. After finding out this information, we had to look for other options. There was no way that we would be sacrificing time in the parks when we did not know when or if we would come back to visit Universal Hollywood.

I called our hotel again and asked to speak to their concierge. After explaining our situation, he suggested that we use a Select Rent A Car. Select Rent A Car works directly with the Best Western Family of Good Neighbor Hotels in the Anaheim area. Their service includes the following:

·  A pick up from your hotel to their location.

·  Guests are only responsible for the payment of the rental for the car and the cost of any gas used while during the time of the rental.

·  At night instead of having to return the car to their location and walking home, they will allow you to park the car at your hotel. They will pick it up in the morning at no extra charge to you and the hotel will not charge a guest for a parking fee for that night. All you will have to do is leave the keys with the hotel staff and everything else is taken care of.

They also offered us a $5 promotion because of the referral from our hotel. The gentleman who runs the company is very polite and accommodating.  I highly recommend their services.

Next time, I will focus on something that was a first time for our family: Flying.

What have you done during a vacation to get around? Any other recommendations?

Planning 101: Tickets

The first thing I researched for our great adventure was tickets. As I had mentioned before, we were going to be on our trip to California for nine days. Within these nine days, we would visit the Disneyland Resort, Universal Hollywood, and the D23 Expo.

For those of you who do not know, D23 is an official fan club created through Disney. The club was established in 2009 and is most known for sharing and involving the community in The Disney Company’s rich history. Every two years, D23 has an expo where many pieces of the company come together to showcase various aspects of what was and will come from The Disney Company and its affiliates. I have been part of this club since 2011.

In December, D23 began sending out the member ticket prices and early bird rates for this marvelous affair. I took advantage of their early bird offer and saved $102.00 (nearly 30% of the cost for general admission) for both or our tickets.

Gus, my husband, was the one who was responsible for the savings on our Disneyland Resort Tickets. He found out that our financial institution had a fantastic rewards program that offered Disneyland Park Passes. The best part was that these were Two-Day Park Hopper Passes. All we had to do was build up our points on our bank credit card. By using the credit card to pay bills and expenses, it would allow us to get 2 points per dollar spent (using their debit card would get us 1 point per dollar spent). So in terms of saving, we essentially got these tickets for free.

Finally, I want to talk about Universal Hollywood. I would like apologize just in case I offend any Universal enthusiasts. Unfortunately for me, they were terrible to deal with. Typically in Universal Orlando, there are tons of promotions available. This is especially true around the time of their Mardi Gras and Halloween Horror Nights events. Whether it has been through Coke-a-Cola promotions, Florida Resident Discounts and other promotions, Gus has ALWAYS been able to save on tickets when he has gone to this park.

Over the span of seven months, I was given various methods that would guarantee us a discount on our set of one day park tickets. I was also told that in order to receive any of these discounts, I would have to wait until the day of our arrival in the park to purchase the tickets. In a last attempt to get things settled before our trip, I called two weeks  before our adventure was set to begin to see if there was any way to purchase the tickets ahead of time. The representative delivered the news I expected and more. None of the discount methods I had been advised of would work.

When doors are closed, God opens another.

After feeling that I had been lied to for the past several months, I was not happy. I asked to speak to a supervisor and told him our story. I also told him how mislead I felt about all the information I was given. This supervisor was kind enough to give me a special discount at the gate. It would guarantee 25% off of our total for general admission. It saved us about $43 (my total included the lowest parking fee) on both our tickets.

The one thing I learned on this journey is that no matter what is blocking your way, you have to at least try to get around it. Asking about a discount or promotion will get you a lot farther than just assuming it isn’t possible.

What have been some of the best/worst experiences you’ve had with getting tickets for your vacation?

When Reality Strikes

Can you hear the angel chorus singing "When You Wish Upon A Star" right about now?

After we made the decision that we were going to take the trip to California, it was clear we were going to need help to plan our trip. As I had mentioned before, Gus and I had never been to California (See The Decision to Make the Jump). At least in Walt Disney World, we both knew how the resort functioned and what was necessary to take to make the trip run smoothly. I had heard some information about California, specifically Anaheim, but nothing concrete.

The first thing we did was figure out the dates for our trip. Because we live only four hours away from the Walt Disney World Resort, we typically just drive up, spend the weekend, and come back before Monday rears it depressing head.

We decided to go for nine days. This would give us enough time for two fly days, a day for each park we wanted to visit, three days for the D23 Expo, and one day to site see.

I figured that the best thing to do was contact a Disney Travel Agent. There are many out there and they are willing to help make your vacation easy and memorable FOR FREE. I gave them an idea of what we wanted based on what most would ask for if they were going to the Walt Disney World Resort:

                        ·        Airline Tickets

                        ·        Rental Car

                        ·        Accommodations at a Disneyland Resort

                        ·        Tickets for the parks we wanted to visit

I’ll be honest. I almost broke down and cried when I saw the prices. A trip that was quoted at roughly $4,000 was not going to work for our wallet. After talking it over with Gus, we came to the realization that some “dream” aspects of the trip would have to go. No Disneyland Resort stay, no rental car, and we would have to plan and save wisely if we were going to make this somewhat impossible trip a reality.

©OnlyOneMarkInc

But I wanna know, has this happened to you? Were your plans nearly shattered like Cinderella’s broken glass slipper? Tell me about it. I wanna know.

The Decision to Make the Jump

Gus (my husband) and I live in Miami, Florida; a tropical paradise in its own right. We also live 4 hours away from Walt Disney World. You would think that would be enough for us, but, alas, no. Like Carl and Ellie from the Pixar film UP, everyone plans a once in a lifetime adventure. Ours was to go to California. My main focus was to get to Disneyland.

We decided in December of 2012 that we would begin planning the trip. What really drove us to finally make this adventure a reality was in a sense something similar to what drove Ellie and Carl to reach Paradise Falls. Life throws you curve balls and although you do not have all the answers as to why something unexpected happens and leaves devastation in its wake, you only have one option. You have to try to turn lemons into lemonade or, in this case, make the impossible possible.

The first step was to weigh out our options. After talking to a Disney travel agent, I realized something quickly. In order to get us to California and back without breaking the bank, I was going to have to research everything. Air flights, hotel stays, park tickets: you name it. One thing I wish I had was someone to guide my way. If you are in the same boat, have no fear. I’m going to help you make the same jump we made step by step. Be warned: many bumps and great moments are on the way. Keep up with me as I tell you the marvelous tale about how Gus and Monique finally got to Disneyland.

Last Chance to enter the Disneyland giveaway!!!!

I have teamed up with some amazing bloggers to bring you this magical giveaway!

This giveaway is brought to you by:

Love Our Disney, One Artsy Mama, MousekaTools, Capital B, The Benson Street, Maybe I Will, Cheerios and Lattes, Mouze Kateerz, 7Alive, Ginger Snap Crafts, Free Time Frolics, Brought To You by Mom, Mellywood's Mansion, The Bragging Mommy, Create & Babble, Real Moms Real Views, Crazy for Crust, Happy Go Lucky, Picturing Disney, and Rarely Tidy

The winner of the giveaway will get a 4 night hotel stay at a local Orange County hotel (a moderate hotel) and 2 3-day 1 Park/day Tickets to the Disneyland and Disney California Parks. Your hotel room can be booked for up to 4 people (so you can bring the kiddos along- you just need to cover the extra park tickets). If Disneyland isn't your thing, or the cost of transportation, food, etc makes that prize less appealing, the winner can opt for $600 in Disney or Visa gift cards.

When you enter, please read the official rules in the rafflecopter box regarding travel dates, blackout dates, and hotel location (item #12 covers most of this). Just to cover the basics- this giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 and older. Travel must occur on or before June 15, 2014 and black out dates may apply during November and December of 2013.

To enter simply use the rafflecopter box below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If for any reason the rafflecopter box does not appear on your screen please ****CLICK HERE***** to go directly to the rafflecopter site to enter.

I love Mr. Toad

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is one of my favorite Disneyland rides and I am so glad it still exists since I missed its days in Disney World and I am an east coast girl! I love how it feels nostalgic even though I've only ridden it half a dozen times! I hope everyone perusing this gets a chance to ride someday! Check out this link for your chance to WIN a trip to Disneyland (or a huge score of Disney gift cards)!

Let the Memories Begin at Sunset :)

On my first trip to Disneyland I couldn't get over how close DCA and Disneyland are and I loved the little photo ops like this sign! Be sure to enter to win a Disneyland stay!!!

To enter simply use the rafflecopter box below! & for more details visit this post!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If for any reason the rafflecopter box does not appear on your screen please ****CLICK HERE***** to go directly to the rafflecopter site to enter.

Matterhorn View

Coast to coast Tomorrowland is one of my favorite lands in Magic Kingdom and I love how they are so different yet so familiar in both Disneyland & Disney World.  I love this shot from my first Disneyland trip in 2011 with the Matterhorn in view.

Don't miss your chance to win a Disneyland trip or gift cards! Check out all the details here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If for any reason the rafflecopter box does not appear on your screen please ****CLICK HERE***** to go directly to the rafflecopter site to enter.

Visit Critter Country!

Have you ever been to Disneyland's Critter Country?  I just love it, especially the small touches like this little critter's home.  Don't miss your chance as part of the Disneyland or gift card giveaway to win a trip! :)

See all the details here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If for any reason the rafflecopter box does not appear on your screen please ****CLICK HERE***** to go directly to the rafflecopter site to enter.

Wanna win a trip to Disneyland?? :)

I have teamed up with some amazing bloggers to bring you this magical giveaway!

This giveaway is brought to you by:

Love Our Disney, One Artsy Mama, MousekaTools, Capital B, The Benson Street, Maybe I Will, Cheerios and Lattes, Mouze Kateerz, 7Alive, Ginger Snap Crafts, Free Time Frolics, Brought To You by Mom, Mellywood's Mansion, The Bragging Mommy, Create & Babble, Real Moms Real Views, Crazy for Crust, Happy Go Lucky, Picturing Disney, and Rarely Tidy

The winner of the giveaway will get a 4 night hotel stay at a local Orange County hotel (a moderate hotel) and 2 3-day 1 Park/day Tickets to the Disneyland and Disney California Parks. Your hotel room can be booked for up to 4 people (so you can bring the kiddos along- you just need to cover the extra park tickets). If Disneyland isn't your thing, or the cost of transportation, food, etc makes that prize less appealing, the winner can opt for $600 in Disney or Visa gift cards.

When you enter, please read the official rules in the rafflecopter box regarding travel dates, blackout dates, and hotel location (item #12 covers most of this). Just to cover the basics- this giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 and older. Travel must occur on or before June 15, 2014 and black out dates may apply during November and December of 2013.

To enter simply use the rafflecopter box below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If for any reason the rafflecopter box does not appear on your screen please ****CLICK HERE***** to go directly to the rafflecopter site to enter.