Birthdays last for a weekend, right? Part 1

Yay..me :)

Since it was my birthday, and we were lucky enough to have a bye-week that weekend, that could only mean one thing.....Disney for the weekend!!

Just so you know, I am a slight bit OCD. My house must be clean before we leave & all laundry must be done. So, with that being said & after being at Disney on Thursday, there was a lot of work to do on Friday before we left! Needless to say, left later than I thought but oh well. We'll still be able to get an early start on Saturday!

The major excitement of Saturday was the fact that Magic Kingdom was open til 1am! This meant that after 10 pm, most of the lines die down. No Florida sun & heat to beat down on you. 

Since we are true theme park people, we also have Universal Passes as well. We decided to get up early & hit Rip Ride Rocket. What an incredible ride. I personally did not ride that, but the 3 older kiddos did. Basically, they waited 70 minutes (which was a short wait according to many people I spoke with) which gave me plenty of time to take Princess Peanut on some rides for her. Highlight of the day..pictures with Shrek & Donkey & riding ET for the first time! She is getting so big. *sigh*  Got some great pictures of the kids on R3. They basically gave it 2 thumbs-up & 1 "it was okay". They liked picking the music track for the ride, but said it was hard to hear.

The afternoon adventure was great, although it was about 100 degrees..no joke. Time for some pool-time back at the hotel :)

Celebrate.....ME :)

picture taken by Maria Elkin-not bad for a camera phone ;)

OK….
How often do you take time out of your day to celebrate the things you need to? Or do you just celebrate when it’s convenient? Most of the time, life is so busy & hectic, we tend to push off celebrations until it’s convenient for everyone. But, thanks to Disney this year, we will stop and celebrate when we have to!

I have lived in Fl since 1973-74-ish. For as long as I can remember back, we always went to Disney twice a year. We always went at some point over the summer & for my birthday in October. For quite a few years, my dad’s company gave out tickets for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. That’s quite a few trips. And since we have had passes, we average a trip every 2 weeks. But I can honestly say, in all of those years & trips, we never went to Disney on my actual birthday.

This year, I did.

We didn’t get as early of a start as I would have liked, but we did arrive at the Magic Kingdom at about 12:30...just in time for the Move It Shake It Celebrate It Party. We skipped down Main Street & danced in the street with Baloo & sang along with Mickey. Even though I have seen this before, it was different because it was MY birthday this time J I think just about every cast member between the entrance & the castle stopped to tell me Happy Birthday. It was so neat!

Only having a few hours in the Kingdom, we hit a few of the standard you-can’t-go-to-the-MK-and-not-ride rides...Haunted Mansion & Pirates of the Caribbean. By naptime, we had successfully danced, sang, spooked & swaggered all over the land.

Even though I only had a few hours to play, this was definitely one of the most magical birthdays ever. Celebrating with me was The Boy, Peanut & Peanut’s friend. I have to admit, this was a great promotion. I never would have stopped everything to celebrate on a Thursday under any other circumstances. So, Disney, I say thank you. Thank you for forcing me to stop & celebrate me. I had fun.

TTA PeopleMover...where is Mr Morow?

picture taken by Maria Elkin-not bad for a camera phone ;)

WEDPeopleMover
Tomorrowland Transit Authority (or TTA)
TTA PeopleMover
Everyone is familiar with this popular Tomorrowland Attraction. You know the one…the little blue cars on the track above that circle Tomorrowland. When I was younger, this ride was awesome because it took you inside Space Mountain without having to ride Space Mountain. Tomorrowland has seen many changes throughout the years, but the TTA really hasn’t changed much.
Until now.
The actual ride itself is the same. Disney has decided this past week to update the audio track. And the blogsphere has gone wild. Since I was going to be visiting Disney on my birthday, I decided to see if it was really as bad as everyone said it was.
It was as bad. It was almost worse. L There was no more Mr. Morrow.
“Paging Mr. Tom Morrow. Your Party from Saturn has arrived. Please give them a ring.”
The ride was never a thrill ride or even a flashy ride. It was a simple ride, narrated by a futuristic woman. There was a theme to the ride. You were riding the Blue Line of the TTA. The woman spoke as you went around the “town” as if it were a real transportation system. It was cheesy, but cute. I know there were a few other jokes, but none as memorable as Mr. Morrow. The ride is now narrated by a guy in a very blah tone. It’s more like a talking park map.
Now that Mr. Morrow and future lady are gone, they did add in character voices as you pass by the appropriate area. For example, Mickey Mouse speaks as you pass thru Mickey’s Star Traders. Buzz Lightyear as you enter Buzz’s Space Ranger Spin. Roz has a laugh as you pass the Laugh Floor. These additions were cute. Well, at least the 2 toddlers I had with me seemed to enjoy it.
There is a petition out to save Mr. Morrow. Apparently, the ImaginEars (I think that’s how they spell it…lol) are looking to see how the general public takes the change. So, if the Disney powers that be see this, please...PLEASE…bring back Mr. Morrow.
Have you heard it? Tell me what you think….

Examiner article by Peggy MacDonald

Petition Link

Princess Peanut turns 2

Princess Peanut has turned 2.

And where do you think she wanted to go for her birthday?


If you guessed Disney, you are correct. Sorry...no prize this time ;)


We went to the Magic Kingdom for birthday number 2. She was lucky enough to have her best friend (who is also a member of a Disney family...another blog) with us for the day. The park was beautifully decorated for Halloween. Wait times were at a crazy all time low for the day & the weather was great! Couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.

Princess Peanut was so excited to be there that day, she decided to stop & actually pose for pictures in front of the train station! Normally, she wouldn't stand still for anything. But on this day, she decided to pose...for 15 minutes!! It was so cute :) Pink Tiara and all, she was ready to rule the land for the day.

We rode all of her favorite rides & did all of her favorite things...TTA, Buzz Lightyear, Haunted Mansion. We visited Minnie & Mickey's houses. Rode the tea cups. Sailed on Its A Small World. Took Pictures with Stitch. Carried napping babies onto Pirates (you *can't* leave the MK without riding Pirates). Caught a monorail to Epcot & watched the fireworks. Ice Cream at McDonalds on the way home.

In all of that, after about 10 hours, 6 kids & 2 parks , the moment of the day came when leaving Its A Small World. She wanted to walk to the stroller, so since she is all "grown" now at 2, I held her hand & let her walk. About 1/2 way to the stroller parking, she started jumping up & down. As I stopped to look down at her, she jumped on my leg, wrapping her arms & legs around my leg, and just hugged me with the biggest smile on her face. Its those kinds of smiles & these kinds of moments that keep me going back to Disney again & again .

Oh & btw, she wore the tiara ALL day...even napped in it :)

Nothing like spending the day in the park with your best friend on your birthday!

My Family

OK, I am ready to get this blog rolling :)

Before I start, since there are so many of us, I should probably introduce everyone. That way, as you follow along, you'll know who I am talking about! 

The Boy-

DS just recently turned 18. Graduated high school & starting to really develop an appreciation for Disney at a deeper level. He holds true to the original concepts of Disney, loves the Mouse, and all history behind it. His all time favorite - Jack Skellington & anything Nightmare :)

Mini-Me-

DD1 is just about 15(in 11 days) and is a carbon copy of me. Do you know what it is like to argue with a teenage version of your current self?? Not so much an adventurist, but more of an appreciative soul, she too loves the parks and can't wait to celebrate her "Fantastic 15th Flip-Floppin' Birthday Fiasco" at the parks. Her fave...Marie from the Aristocats. Quite fitting...lol

Future Headache-

DD2 is 13, almost 14(in December) and is exactly what her name says. She is my adventurer...my free spirit...my little spitfire. While very close to DD1, (almost twin-like) she is totally different. Will ride just about any ride at all... Her favorite...Chip & Dale

Peanut-

DD4 is brand new 2. Also known as Princess Peanut when she feels like wearing her tiara, which is quite often. She also has more than one, so they match whatever she is wearing. She is quite the leader, often dictating which way to go at the parks. Yes, at 2, she has her favorites. Her since-day 1-fave...Piglet.

Well, now you have met our Disney crazed family. I hope this helps.

Ticker-Tape on Main Street

Buzz Lightyear has been to infinity & beyond.

And then he went to Disney World.

Having a toddler who loves Buzz Lightyear, I knew for certain we had to be there. The parade was Friday, October 2nd. All week we talked about rockets & going to Disney to see Buzz. I talked my friend & her 2 yo into going as well. So, as soon as she got to my house, we loaded up both babies & were off!

We found our place on Main Street for the parade just before 2pm. The kick-off to the parade was 2:45pm, so we had plenty of time. It was so neat. a CM named "Skip" came out and gave the backstory on Buzz & his adventure (Disney Parks Blog covered the event.).


The parade started off with a dancers, dwarfs & Snow White in honor of the re-release of Snow White & the 7 Dwarfs.



First in the line-up was the Disney Marching Band.



Then Buzz Aldrin was next. I have to admit, it was neat to actually see one of the first astronauts to land on the moon.




Next was Mike Fink, dressed in his official NASA blues. As he stopped in front of us, he donned a pair of Mickey Ears.



Finally, Buzz arrived....riding on RC. Yes, it was actually the 12" toy that was in space that was in the parade. I can't tell you how excited Peanut was to see Buzz riding on RC. It definately was not what I expected...but it was cute.




As Buzz got in front of the Main Street Emporium, the ticker-tape madness began. Confetti shot from the roofs, cameras flashed. And then Buzz continued around the circle.

I don't know why I thought that the big Buzz Lightyear character would be in the parade. Overall, it was a great experience. I had 2 very happy, satisfied toddlers that afternoon. Since we didn't have to leave for a while, we headed off to ride, what else...Buzz Lightyear!