May 1 2014
Video

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – Who’s Excited??

Recently Disney Parks Blog posted a ride-through video of the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride. The construction walls are down and this attraction looks amazing! So much detail and creativity has gone into the making of this ride, I can’t wait to see it! Disney has yet to release an official opening date, but rumors are that it will open this month. Anyone else excited??

 

Liebster Award 2014
May 1 2014

A Second Liebster Award

Wow! I can’t believe that I’ve been lucky enough to be nominated a second time for the Liebster Awards! For those of you who don’t already know, a Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers to encourage them to continue their work.  What is a Liebster?  The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. Since I was just nominated the first time a couple of weeks ago, I have included my answers to the new questions I was given, along with my original nominees. So here we go!

Rules

  1. The nominated blogger must link back to the person who nominated them.
  2. The nominees must answer the 11 questions given to them by the person who nominated them.
  3. Those nominated must choose 11 of their favorite bloggers who have less than 200 followers to answer their own set of questions.
  4. When you are nominated, you cannot nominate the person who nominated you.

I was nominated by the amazing blog Disney Nouns! Thanks again for the nomination! I really appreciate it! 

Answers to Disney Nouns’ Questions

  1. Who would win: Mr. Incredible or Superman? Definitely Mr. Incredible! I love that guy!
  2. Your new boss is Emperor Kuzco. Quit? Or grin and bear it? I’m out of there!
  3. Should every movie have a little scene after the credits, or is that so yesterday? I wish they would, because after watching Avengers, my kids always want to wait to see if there is one.
  4. Your daughter wants Rapunzel hair…for real! Tell her to start growing it or get out the scissors? I say “Go for it!”
  5. Has Pixar lost its momentum, or are they as good as ever? I still love Pixar, even though Planes wasn’t the greatest. I’m hopeful Planes 2 will be better!
  6. What is your favorite Humphrey Bogart movie? Unbelievably, I’ve never seen one.
  7. Which Muppet would you most want to be, and why? Without a doubt, Fozzy Bear! That guy is so lovable and funny, two great qualities for a person (or a bear)!
  8. WDW or Disneyland if you could only visit the one you choose ever again? I love both resorts, but my heart belongs to WDW!
  9. Have you ever visited Universal Studios Theme Park? Did you enjoy it more or less than Disney? I’ve visited Universal in California. I enjoyed it, but I felt it lacked the character and detail of Disney.
  10. An animal. A bird. Or a fish. Which type of creature would you want to be, and why? Bird is out; I’m not a fan of flying. Fish is out; I am afraid of water. Animal it is! I would love to be a dog, living with a family who loves me and thinks of me as one of their own!

My Nominees

My Questions

  1. Disney World or Disneyland?
  2. What is your favorite Disney character and why?
  3. What is your favorite Disney memory?
  4. What is on the top of your Disney bucket list?
  5. Survivor or Amazing Race?
  6. What would you do first if you won the lottery?
  7. If you could create your own Disney attraction what would it be like?
  8. Would you be a Disney villain or hero and which one would you be?
  9. Do you prefer sun or snow?
  10. What are you doing today in another universe, if parallel universes actually exist?
  11. Would you travel to space if given the opportunity?

Congratulations to all of my nominees and have fun with the questions!

Disney World Magic Kingdom Tomorrowland Speedway
Apr 29 2014

Tuesday Trivia – Tomorrowland Speedway

How long is the track and how fast can you go on Tomorrowland Speedway in the Magic Kingdom?

Please check the comments section for the answer!

Disney Hollywood Studios Star Tours
Apr 25 2014

Friday Favorites – Best Disney’s Hollywood Studios Attractions

For today’s Friday Favorites, I would like to share with you my picks for best Disney’s Hollywood Studios attractions. There are lots of great ones here especially if you enjoy thrill rides and shows. Here are my top five choices in no particular order.

  • Toy Story Mania! Hands down, one of the best family rides in all of the Walt Disney World theme parks. Toy Story Mania! combines old-fashioned carnival games with interactive 3D technology. A great ride for everyone in your group!
  • Star Tours: The Adventure Continues For those who love Star Wars (and even those who don’t), this a thrilling flight in a motion simulator ride. With lots of twists and turns, not to mention over 50 different ride combinations, Star Tours is always exciting! You must be at least 40″ to ride.
  • The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror An amazing combination of thrill and artful design, this attraction is not to be missed! After making your way through an abandoned hotel and into your elevator, prepare yourself for an adventure that ends in at least one 13-story drop. Thanks to the randomly programmed lifts and drops, you are in for a wild ride! You must be at least 40″ to ride.
  • Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster In my opinion, this is the most thrilling ride in all of Hollywood Studios! This an indoor roller coaster in the dark that speeds along at up 60 mph while traveling through loops, corkscrews and hills all to blaring Aerosmith music. Hang on tight…in the first few seconds of the ride you go from 0 to 60 mph and head into the first loop pulling 5 g’s! You must be at least 48″ to ride.
  • Muppet*Vision 3D If you like the Muppets, you’ll love this show! This is a 17 minute 3D movie of classic Muppets comedy. Fun for the whole family!

What about you? Do you have a favorite Hollywood Studios attraction? Please leave a comment!

Disney World Mickey Mouse Ears
Apr 24 2014

Disney World Tips & Tricks – Best Disney World Rides For Babies And Toddlers

Traveling to Disney World with a baby or toddler can be such a rewarding experience. Some of my best Disney World memories are watching my boys enjoy the amazing Disney attractions for the first time. With well over 100 rides and attractions spread among four theme parks, it might be hard to know what is appropriate for young children or what might be too much. Here are my recommendations for best Disney World rides and attractions for babies and toddlers divided into three categories: Fun For All – these rides are universally liked by small children, Great For Most – these rides will work for most kids in the age group and Proceed with Caution – a lot of these rides will be fine depending on the temperament of your child.

Magic Kingdom

Fun For All

  • Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
  • Country Bear Jamboree
  • Enchanted Tales with Belle
  • it’s a Small World
  • Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
  • Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
  • Walt Disney World Railroad

Great For Most

  • Dumbo the Flying Elephant (goes up and down under your control)
  • Jungle Cruise (fake use of a gun by boat driver and one dark tunnel)
  • Mad Tea Party (spins a lot!)
  • Mickey’s Philharmagic (loud at times and water sprinkles on you a little once)
  • Peter Pan’s Flight (dark in spots and there is a scene with the crocodile about to eat Hook)
  • The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (goes up and down and tilts under your control, may get a little wet from a spitting camel)
  • Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover (dark in spots – often a favorite ride for kids to nap)
  • Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid (large Ursula audio-animatronic)
  • Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress (this is a  21 minute show in a rotating theatre – nothing scary and has a cute audio-animatronic dog)
  • Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room (show includes a simulated thunderstorm)

Proceed With Caution

  • Pirates of the Caribbean (dark most of the ride, one small drop, lots of pirates and skeletons)
  • Haunted Mansion (dark most of the ride, images of ghosts, caskets and a graveyard)

For both of these Proceed With Caution attractions, my boys were fine as babies. Later, they went through a short phase of being scared of the dark and images in these rides.

Epcot

Fun For All

  • Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
  • Turtle Talk With Crush

Great For Most

  • Journey Into Imagination with Figment (big blast of air in one place and a loud noise in another spot)
  • Living with The Land (simulated thunderstorm in one section)
  • Spaceship Earth (dark in spots)
  • The Seas with Nemo & Friends (dark in spots and audio-animatronic sharks)

Proceed With Caution

  • Ellen’s Energy Adventure (dark in spots, large audio-animatronic dinosaurs, loud noise associated with “The Big Bang”, 35 minutes long)

Hollywood Studios

Fun For All

  • Disney Junior – Live on Stage!
  • Toy Story Mania

Great For Most

  • Muppet Vision 3D (a little water sprinkles on you once)
  • Voyage of the Little Mermaid (large Ursula character)

Proceed With Caution

  • Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage (some kids may be scared by the Beast character or the story itself)

Animal Kingdom

Fun For All

  • Festival of the Lion King
  • Finding Nemo – The Musical (does begin with the death of Nemo’s mother just like the movie)
  • Kilimanjaro Safaris

Great For Most

  • TriceraTop Spin (moves up and down under your control)

Proceed With Caution

  • It’s Tough to be a Bug! (dark, lots of bugs, loud noises, simulates bug touching you, a little water sprinkles on you – really just for true bug lovers, I’ve seen many kids completely terrified and screaming during this attraction)

For a complete list of all of the Disney World attractions and their descriptions, please check out these links for the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.

What about you? Do you have any favorite rides for babies and toddlers? Please leave a comment!