Apr 22 2014

Tuesday Trivia – Disney World The Sword In The Stone

Can the sword in The Sword In The Stone in front of Prince Charming Regal Carrousel in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World actually be drawn?

Please check the comments section for the answer!

Apr 21 2014

The 2014 Liebster Awards

After all my boys went to bed last night (including my hubby), I decided to get on my computer to catch up on some of my favorite blogs. What exciting news did I find? I received such an amazing surprise…I was nominated for the Liebster Awards! I am so grateful for this honor! Please read below for the rules and my nominations.

Rules

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

I was nominated by the outstanding blog The Disney Diva! Thanks again for the nomination…you are the best!

Answers to The Disney Diva’s Questions

Who or what inspired your blog? Well, I’ve loved Disney World my entire life, and this year when deciding on my New Year’s resolution, I chose to do something more fun than to exercise or eat more veggies! I decided to create a blog about my favorite place of all time…Walt Disney World!
Most useless sidekick in a movie and why? Hmmm…tough one! How about Steve the monkey in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs? He doesn’t seem to really help out much, but he sure is cute!
If you had to choose, would you rather have dinner with The Hulk or go to a dance with The Thing? Although, as a rule of thumb, I don’t have dinner with anything green around (including vegetables!), I would still go with dinner with The Hulk.
Which Pokémon would you want by your side? Pikachu! (Confession Time: He’s the only one I know the name of and I only know him because he was on my son’s spelling test last week.)
Who would win in this fight, Link or Batman? Uh…Batman? I’ve heard of him. Who is Link??? I feel like I have been living under a rock or something!
Favorite non-princess Disney movie (animated or live)? I love Ratatouille! Must go back to my dream of going to France someday!
At the end of Inception, did the totem stop spinning? The top stops spinning, but whose totem is it really??
What is your biggest pet peeve? Grumpy people…leave that for Snow White’s dwarf please!
What is your favorite quote? “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney
Name one famous person (dead or alive) that you would want to have a drink with. Walt Disney. Are we starting to see a theme here?!
Dessert before dinner? Heck yes! What dessert are we having? Chocolate cake with lots of chocolate frosting. Yummy!

My Nominees

My Questions

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

Apr 20 2014

Disney Movie Review – Bears

This weekend I had the pleasure of seeing the new Disneynature film, Bears, with my eight-year-old son. He really wanted to see this movie after watching the preview a few weeks ago. At first, I was a little reluctant fearing that this was going to be like so many other Disney movies and something terrible was going to happen to these adorable bears. But my son was really eager to go, so despite my reservations, I decided to brave it anyway!

WARNING – SPOILERS FOLLOWING THE PHOTO!!

Photo Courtesy Of Disneynature http://nature.disney.com/

The movie runs a little over an hour and follows a mother bear and her two cubs during their first year of life. The movie was filmed in Alaska and the scenery is stunning! The narration is very well done and the story moves along at a steady pace. I was pleasantly surprised to see that all of the bears survived. However, they encountered several harrowing experiences like avalanches, wolves, near starvation and other more aggressive bears. My son and I were very nervous for the bears’ survival several times throughout the film. I would definitely recommend this movie for families, but keep in mind that it might be too nerve-wracking for very sensitive children to watch. As bear lovers and living in bear country ourselves (in fact my son’s school was on lockdown earlier this year due to a bear on the playground!), we really enjoyed this movie!

What about you? Have you seen Bears and what did you think? Please leave a comment!

Apr 18 2014

Friday Favorites – Best Epcot Future World Attractions

For today’s Friday Favorites, I’m going to share with you my picks for best Epcot Future World attractions. Epcot is my favorite theme park in Walt Disney World so it was really hard to choose my top attractions. I decided to narrow it down to my favorite five and here they are in no particular order.

Spaceship Earth This ride is classic Epcot to me. Even though it has gone through several minor refurbishments throughout the years, it still reminds me of early Epcot. This is a 16 minute ride that travels through the 18 story iconic Epcot geosphere depicting the history of communication from cave men through today. There is a great use of audio-animatronics, wonderful narration and beautiful music that help create and tell the story. This ride is suitable for all ages and is not to be missed!
Soarin’ Another great ride that most everyone will enjoy! This ride simulates flying in a hang-glider over the gorgeous state of California. The attraction itself lasts a little over 5 minutes and has you high above the ground in a seat that moves gently creating the sensation of flight while you watch stunning scenery on an IMAX type screen. There is also wind, music and smells to add to the mood. This ride is great for anyone who isn’t afraid of heights and you must be at least 40″ tall to ride.
Test Track This is a fast-paced thrill ride that reaches speeds of 65 mph. The premise is that you are designing your own concept car and then putting it through the test track to see how it measures up. This attraction uses clever interactive technology to allow you to customize a virtual car and then once you are done testing it on the test track, enables you to continue the experience with even more games and experiences. This ride is great for any thrill-seekers in your group and you must be at least 40″ tall to ride.
Living with the Land Another classic attraction that is perfect for anyone in the family. This is a slow-moving 14 minute boat ride that displays the history and future of farming and agriculture. Now this may sound too boring or educational to be fun, but this attraction is filled with amazing audio-animatronics, waterfalls, thunderstorms and real plants to help bring the story to life. There are no height restrictions for this ride. If you love this ride as much as I do, consider dining at The Garden Grill. This restaurant rotates while offering views of Living with the Land.
Mission: SPACE (orange or green) This is the most intense thrill ride in Epcot. There are two versions of this ride Orange (that spins) and a milder Green version. The premise for this attraction is that you are manning a shuttle mission to Mars. The entire experience lasts about 15 minutes including a pre show training where you will assume one of four positions (navigator, pilot, engineer or commander) of your space shuttle. During the actual ride you will have an interactive role to play based on your position, however, if you panic and don’t do your part, no worries, it doesn’t effect the outcome of the attraction. This ride, created and designed with the help of NASA, uses flight simulators to mimic a space launch and is said to be very authentic. Be forewarned, this is not for people prone to motion sickness. Even the mild Green version can cause people to lose their lunch! You will also want to pass on this one if you are claustrophobic. Once closed, the capsule you ride in is small and you are strapped in very tightly with an over-the-shoulder type restraint. Mission: SPACE has a height requirement of at least 44″ tall to ride. However, keep this in mind, when my son first rode Mission: SPACE he was just 44″ and was very uncomfortable! Although, he met the height requirement, most of his height is in his legs, so the shoulder harness came down very close to his neck and he felt like he was almost being choked for the duration of the ride.