Why It's OK For Adults to Wear Mickey Ears

This is me, wearing my new Mickey Ears. I haven't owned another pair of Mickey Ears since my parents got me a pair for my first trip when I was 6 months old. I used to think that they were kind of dorky and that I would look weird. 

I bought these because I love everything England, these were the perfect ears for me. I was so excited to put them on and I did not take them off the whole day.

Reasons for Adults to Wear Mickey Ears~

1. So you can act like a kid again.

2. To show that you are a big Disney fan.

3. To express yourself with the ears that you chose.

4. To look more festive at the parks.

5. To show people that you do not care if you look like a dork.

I loved wearing my Mickey Ears mostly because no one cares! Disney is the one place where you can dress like a "dork" and act like a kid and you can turn around and see 50 other adults doing the same thing. Disney is a place where you can act like there are no cares in the world. You can be free of all the stress of life. You are free to wear your Mickey Ears proudly and not be afraid of looking silly. 

Here are some of my favorite ears from the Disney Store website, but there are many more to choose from.

Pirates of the Caribbean Ears $16.95

Birthday Ears $16.95

Baseball Ears $16.95

Tower of Terror Ears $16.95

My Favorite, Little Known Disney Movies

These 3 movies are some of my favorite Disney movies. They were never the most popular ones. They don't have any attractions tied to them of any merchandise either. I love them and hopefully after this post you will go out and watch them!




The first movie is The Sword in the Stone. It is the tale of the soon to be King Arthur. Arthur meets Merlin and his life is forever changed. He learns all about magic and the world around him. Eventually he pulls the sword out of the stone and becomes king.

I love this movie because of the historical values to it. I have always been intrigued by medieval history and the story of King Arthur is one of my favorites. The characters in this movie and pretty wonderful too. My favorite is Merlin. He is just so quirky and funny, but he really cares about education. 

My next movie is Treasure Planet. It is the classic story of Treasure Island but with a futuristic twist to it. It takes a troubled kid and send him off on an adventure that will turn his life around. He will meet pretty amazing characters along the way and learn a lot about himself in the process. 

I love this movie because while it is the same story that Disney has used before (Muppet Treasure Island), it is way different! The space theme and the quality of characters is what makes the movie. There is a lot of comedy but a lot of learning as well. The main character changes so much that you begin to root for him towards the end. 

The last movie that I love would be The Black Cauldron. It is very unlike most Disney movies. It is kind of creepy because of the Evil Horned King and dragons and witches and skeletons. The goal is to hide the cauldron from the king so that he can't release his army. A young boy must rescue his pig (who can see where the cauldron is). Along the way he meets new friends who agree to help him defeat the king and get his pig back. 

I love this movie because it is so different from everything else that Disney has done. I like the dark and creepy factors of this movie. There are a lot of happy parts too. The main character starts out with only 1 friend and by the end of the movie he finds 2 more and a love interest. 

I think the fact that these aren't the most popular Disney movies adds to their charm. Just because they didn't get great feedback when they first came out doesn't mean that they aren't great movies. Even Disney can have some flops, but if these are the kinds of stories that grab you, then I hope I gave you a new favorite movie to watch!

10 Tips for Staying Cool at Disney World This Summer

I took this article from Chip & Co. because it is really informative. Since the next time I will be going to Disney is in June, I thought that this article was perfect for me to read.

1. Do not stay at the parks from open to close. Really. It is just too much. Nothing makes me sadder than seeing little ones with beet red faces and sweat pouring off of them, sitting in their strollerscrying, as their family waits in yet another line in the Magic Kingdom. Don’t do it. Plan for a break back at your room every day. Whether it’s to go to the pool or take a nap (and we’ve done both) everyone will really be much happier if you do this, when you return to the parks in the evening.
2. Consider which are the outside attractions and which are indoors and air-conditioned, and plan accordingly. As in, do the outside ones first thing when it is coolest…or later in the evening after sunset. Plan to be in as much air conditioning as possible after 11 a.m. Keep in mind that those air-conditioned places are good for naps too….
3. Think about the rides/attractions that are wet and will cool you off, and plan for those as well. By that I mean that when it is hottest and you really want to go on Splash Mountain to cool off…so will everyone else. Plan your Fastpasses accordingly.
4. Have access to lots of water to drink. Bring water bottles with you and refill if needed. We have often frozen them overnight, and then put them in the backpack frozen the next morning. It’s also a great way to cool off the back of the person carrying the backpack.
5. Mister fans are great. Save some money by getting some at home to bring with you. And remember to bring extra batteries.
6. Really think about touring the parks with the weather in mind. For example, World Showcase is just not the place to be in the heat of the day. As much as I love that area, it is just miserable walking in the sun around the lagoon, because there is not much shade. World Showcase is an evening place for us in the summer. Animal Kingdom is another park where I would very carefully think about how long I wanted to be there during the heat of the day. Seriously, even the animals know to take it easy in the afternoon there….so you will truly see more of them if you go early or go late.
7. Take advantage of Extra Magic Hours. Really. You will get a lot more done when crowds are lower first thing (because most people do not want to do this), and will be in perfect shape to have lunch and then leave for your break (see #1) just as everyone is arriving for the day.
8. Prepare to use lots of sunscreen. Bring it from home because it is much cheaper than buying it at the parks.
9. Know where the First Aid Stations are in each park in case someone gets overheated and needsassistance, and keep an eye out for where you can go inside to cool off quickly if needed: gift shops, food court, Hall of Presidents etc.
10. Remember that Florida has pools everywhere for a reason.

I totally agree with not staying from opening til closing. It really is just too much, even for bigger kids/adults. For one, your feet hurt. No matter what kind of shoes you are wearing, your feet will hurt after walking all day. Even to this day, we still take a mid-afternoon break back at the hotel. We take naps, eat lunch or swim. It is a good refresher so that you can go back to  park and start all over again. 

Here are some really cool products from the Disney Store, that will help keep you cool. Always remember to stay hydrated and listen to your body!

Jungle Cruise: Ride Review

Jungle Cruise is located in Adventureland. It is past Pirates and across from The Enchanted Tiki Room. 

There is a fast pass for this ride. It can get really crowded because people just love it so much. I would suggest either getting a fast pass or just waiting til the crowds die down a little. 

Jungle Cruise is a water boat ride through the jungle. A tour guide guides along the way and spouts out corny jokes the whole time. A lot of the jokes are the same unless you get a really good guide that goes off the script. Those are the best ones because it make the ride more entertaining. 

Here are some pictures from a ride I took a couple of years ago. 

The entrance sign

Probably the most photographed part of the ride. 

I really do love this ride even though I have been on it before. Your experience changes because of the cast members, so they really do make the ride. Another fun tip for those who have ridden many times (or never), go at night. It really makes for a cooler ride and a little creepy in some places too. 

I would give this ride a 8 out of 10 because it really does depend on the crowd and the guide that you are with to make the ride a little extra fun. Even if you have heard the jokes before, laugh!! That's what the guides want and it is so much more fun to laugh at the corniness of it all. This ride is truly a Disney classic. You will love it!

How to Pin Trade

I first started pin trading this year. I had always bought the pins but never traded them.
This is the article where I got all of my information on pin trading:

Official Disney Pin Trading


Here are the main rules that I found on the site:

Guidelines For Guests

"Disney Pin Trading is magical fun for the whole family!  The most important guideline
to remember is to have fun collecting or trading the Disney pins you like.
• The main criteria to judge whether a pin is tradable or not is that it must be a metal
pin bearing a “©Disney” mark on the back that represents a Disney Event, Place or
Location, Character or Icon.
• Pins should be in good, undamaged, tradable condition.
• For a safe trading experience, please trade one pin at a time, hand to hand with pin
backs attached.
• Guests may trade a maximum of two (2) pins per Cast Member, per day.
• Please refrain from touching a Cast Member’s or Guest’s pins or lanyard.  If you need
a closer look, kindly ask the Cast Member or Guest wearing the lanyard if she or he can
bring it into clearer view for you.
• Monies, gifts or receipts may not be exchanged or used in trade for a pin.
• When trading with a Cast Member, Guests should offer a pin that is not currently
displayed on the Cast Member’s lanyard.
• Pins from other business units of The Walt Disney Company (i.e. ABC, ESPN) are
accepted for trade.
• Operating participant pins that show a Disney, Disneyland® Resort, or Walt Disney
World® Resort affiliation are accepted for trading.
• Plastic pins, rubber pins or other non-metal pins are not accepted for trading.
• “Personalized Name” pins are not accepted for trade.
• “Broche style” or “clasp pins” are not accepted for trade.
• Disney Service Award pins, Spirit of Disneyland® Resort pins, Partners in Excellence
pins or Cast Member costume pins (i.e. Host/Hostess Badges, Disney Trainer) are not
tradable"

At first, I was a little nervous about pin trading. I will only trade with cast members because I only trade my Hidden Mickey pins, that most guest collectors probably aren't looking for. The Hidden Mickey pins are the ones that come in a mystery box. You get 2 pins for $12. Then you can trade for the more expensive ones. I always kind of felt bad for taking expensive pins and giving cast members the Hidden Mickey pins, but I got over it when I realized that this was part of their job and that they probably got discounts on their pins anyways.  Here are all of my pins (before my trip in June at least).

This is my lanyard to trade. It is so much easier to have a specific lanyard (or something) to keep track of all of the pins that you have traded for or want to trade with. 

This is my lanyard of newer pins. I have some on here that I traded for and ones that I bought on my last family vacation.

These two are just a random sampling of pins from all different trips. 

This is my oldest lanyard. It has some of my first pins and a couple pins that were my Grandma's but not Disney official for trading. 

I have gotten some pins from E-Bay, but you have to be really careful about scrappers. Those are fake pins that you can not trade at the park. This website has some guidelines about scrapper pins:

Known Scrapper/Counterfeit Pins

I hope that you have enjoyed my guide to pin trading. It really is a lot of fun, and I treat it as kind of a free souvenir. I hope you find some good ones on your next trip!!

Studio Backlot Tour: Ride Review

The Studio Backlot Tour is located in Hollywood Studios. If you keep walking through Pixar Place, you will see the entrance. The entrance is a crashed tour bus, that sometimes spits water at you.

You first queue up to go to the pre-show area. The pre-show is a special effects demonstration with some park quests to participate as actors. Its a pretty good show if you have never seen it before. If you are like me and have seen it over 5 times, then its just kind of routine.

After the show, you get to walk through the prop house to get to the ride. It is really cool and the props are sometimes cycled through when new movies come out. This time there were a lot of Prince of Persia and Sorcerer's Apprentice things out.

The Prop Warehouse (Sorcerer's Apprentice)

The first part of the tour takes you through the outside bone yard. This is where all of the vehicles are from your favorite movies. They are not changed out often enough, so if you have seen it before then nothing with surprise you. Next, you go through some of the buildings. These are really cool because a lot of the times you get to see things that are actually being worked on.  During my last trip there was work being done in the prop/construction area. It looked like a purple dinosaur almost.

The Earful Tower

The next thing you see is Catastrophe Canyon, this is probably the main attraction of the whole ride. This one is still cool even if you have seen it before. The idea is that you are taking participating in a special effects scene. There is fire and flooding and rain, its just really cool.

Catastrophe Canyon

Catastrophe Canyon

Catastrophe Canyon

You see a few more things after the canyon. Before Light, Motors, Action came to town, you could see all of the houses from different movies. I really miss the old tour, but I do like the stunt show. The tour is over after you round the corner to the exit station. There is a cool exhibit inside the exit building. It is called Villains in Vogue. It has a lot of costumes from all sorts of villains. You really must check it out. I won't ruin all of what is in there.

Villains in Vogue

I do love this tour, but unless they change it up soon, I'm not sure how often I will continue to ride it. It was refurbished two weeks before I came this April and the only thing they changed was the addition of 2 props. I would say that this ride is a one time thing. Its not worth it to go on twice or even wait hours for.

It really needs to be longer or at least have more variety. I liked the old one much better. 

I would give this ride a 5 out 10, mostly because I have been on it a million times and nothing ever changes. It is just one of those rides that you ride because it is a classic. 

Have You Ever Noticed....

The windows of the Emporium in Magic Kingdom?? 

The Emporium is the largest gift shop in Magic Kingdom. It is located right at the start of Main Street USA, on the left side when you walk in. It is made up of different rooms for each category of items (girl's clothes, housewares....) 

On my trip in April, I came across these windows. I remember them being decorated for Christmas, but I did not know that they were decorated during the off-season. The cool thing about these are that they move. They dance or fly and some other things too. 

These were taken at night, so that explains the off quality of them. I hope you enjoy them and check them out the next time that you are in Disney!!

New!: It's a Small World Purses

This article was taken from Chip and Co (I tweaked some stuff). I just thought that it was really cool and decided to share it!

"LeSportsac and Disney Consumer Products announced today the launch of the Disney It’s a Small World by LeSportsac collection featuring handbags, totes and accessories that combine the bright aesthetic of LeSportsac with inspiration from the mid-century artwork of Disney artist Mary Blair who created the whimsical look of the beloved Disney theme park attraction “it’s a small world.”

Disney It’s a Small World by LeSportsac collection includes five seasonal deliveries, each inspired by a specific country. In addition to celebrating a country, each delivery will be anchored with a Signature Tote and a colorful print that pays tribute to the unique facades and architectural works of Disney’s “it’s a small world” Theme park attraction. The collection kicks off with a celebration of Tahiti that includes two graphic totes and a range of 12 styles in two vibrant prints.

“Our collaboration with LeSportsac pays homage to the magical experience of “it’s a small world” while continuing the legacy of the message behind one of Disney’s most beloved theme park attractions,” said Robert Oberschelp, director, Disney Collections, DCP. “Walt Disney’s vision is as powerful and true today as it was when he first shared it with the world.”

The Disney It’s a Small World by LeSportsac Collection is available online at LeSportsac.com and at all LeSportsac flagship boutiques worldwide. LeSportsac is also available at better department stores and select specialty stores."

As of 6/1/2012 these bags are now for sale at http://www.lesportsac.com/smallworld/

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin: Ride Review

As soon as we walk into the Magic Kingdom, we head straight for Buzz. Every time, without fail. We like to go for the competition and its just really fun to try to beat your scores. Also, right when the park opens, you can get on this ride at least 4 times in a row before it starts to get really crowded. Why? Because everyone else goes to either Fantasyland or Adventureland. 

This is the main entrance to the ride. 

This is inside the queue area right before you get loaded onto the ride.


The big Zs are what you will be shooting at. 

Photo Credit

One really cool thing about this ride is that you can control the spinning of your car. There are also hidden targets so even if the room has no Zs in it, keep shooting. I have heard about hidden targets that give you thousands of points in one shot too. There is no clear list as some have been removed since they were leaked onto the internet.

I hope you enjoy this ride as much as my family and I do!!

Making Your Car Stand Out

How many times have you seen a plain, black Mickey antenna topper on someones car? Haven't you ever wondered about the many different styles that Disney has to offer? Not to mention the other wide range of products for your car.

The most common thing that people have are the antenna toppers.
This is the one that I bought a couple of trips ago.

I got this one not so that I would just have something Disney on my car, but because it means something to me. 

Every time we go to Disney, we always get the "biting Mickey's ear off" picture. It has become tradition over the years. So when I saw this, I had to have it!

On my last trip I bought myself this sticker:

I talked myself out of it on my last trip, because it is $7.95. I told myself that this trip, if it was still there, then it was a sign and I had to buy it ;-)

I love it! These are the only two decorations on my car and I am so happy that I got them. 

Here are a few of my favorite toppers and car accessories that are available at

www.disneystore.com

I love that this one is a window cling so that it doesn't look like you are going to Disney World all the time.

I hope this inspires you to dress your car up a little bit. Of course, there is a bigger selection at the parks but the on-line store has some really cute things!

Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe Review

Pecos Bills is located in between Frontierland and Adventureland. It is right around the corner as you follow the road past the Splash Mountain bridge. There is nothing else around it, so it can't be missed.

This past April was the first time that I had ever tried Pecos Bill's. I had read bad reviews before, but I still wanted to try it out.   I ordered the cheeseburger with fries and an iced coffee. My friend ordered the chili with fries. The cool thing about Pecos Bill's is that there is a toppings bar. It has all of the normal stuff like lettuce and pickles, but it also has mushrooms and onions. 

I piled my burger up with mushrooms and some extra cheese and I was good to go. I eat my food one at a time, so by the time I finished my fries my burger was a little cold. Not Pecos Bill's fault of course!

The food was pretty average for Disney food, I did not think it was terrible. I would have to say that the iced coffee was my favorite though. It is so hard to find good coffee at Disney. My friend said that her chili was a little bland but it was still pretty good. 

The nice part about the restaurant is the seating. There is a huge amount of space inside. The outside is a little small, but it is at the very end of the parade route. If you go one of the very front tables it would be a nice place to watch the parade (as long as you don't mind waiting awhile).

The Disney World website puts the price range at $14.99 and under. I thought that the food and the price went very well together. I do not know if I would eat there again, but at least I know that it would be a good option for a coffee!

I would rate Pecos Bill's at a 6 out of 10.

Below is a sample menu (click the picture to make it larger)

Photo Credit

* FREE * Entertainment

A few years ago I bought this book (the 4th edition);

I was going to Disney with my best friend and I thought that we would have a lot of fun trying to find all of the Mickeys.
It was so much fun!! The cool part about the book it that it is set up to be a game with a point system. There are clues for each Mickey and the book separates them by park and then by attraction.
There is also a second section with extra hints if the Mickeys start to get really hard.

Above is an example of the book. This is the first section which consists of the clues and the amount of points that the Mickey is worth. If you still can not find it with this clue then you can skip to the hint section and try from there.

At the end of each chapter there is a box where you can put your score.

I just recently ordered the 5th edition off of Amazon. When I went to Disney this April, I was struggling with some of the Mickeys. I looked them up in the 5th edition and realized that they were no longer in the book! That was why I could not find them!

The book retails for $12.95 if you buy it at the parks or at a book store. I was able to get mine on Amazon for about $9 with shipping.

I love this game and it really makes waiting in long lines go a lot faster. It can also be a fun competition to see who can actually spot the Hidden Mickey

Here is the link to order it (the Walt Disney World version) off of Amazon! Remember that the newest edition is #5!
http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Mickeys-Disney-Worlds-Secrets/dp/1887140840/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336686437&sr=1-6


There is also a version for Disneyland and the cruise line.
Below are some of my Hidden Mickey pictures from my last trip!

Car Parts in the Test Track queue

In the mural at the Star Traders shop in Tomorrowland

The border of the screen at Mickey's Philharmagic

Introduction

First, a little bit about me. My name is Cecelia, I am 23 years old and I live in Illinois. I have been travelling to Walt Disney World since I was 6 months old. Come June, I will have been to Disney World 12 times.

I like to say that I know everything about travelling to Disney. I follow every blog possible and keep up on all of the latest happenings. I know pretty much only about Walt Disney World, but I will try my best to put some updates on the other parks up here.

I am also an avid photographer so a lot of the pictures you will see have been taken by myself. The goal of this blog is to help people learn about Disney and I hope to help you with your future trips. This is also a place to feature some of my favorite things about Disney, so it won't be all travel ideas but a lot of other stuff too. Nothing is off limits as long as it relates to Disney.

I hope that you enjoy this and hopefully people learn something from me!