Disneyland Paris April 2012: 20th Anniversary

While studying in Europe I made a side trip to Paris with a classmate.We made our way over to Disneyland after a quick lunch at the Studios where we had spent our first couple of hours. 
My friend, his first visit to any Disney park, soon realized a few things. The first being my obsession over Disney, the second the amount of detail put into everything at the Disney parks, and third how magical these places truly are.
This being my 3rd Disney Resort visited this year I am no stranger to the classic Main Street entrance leading to the castle but here in Paris they were celebrating the 20th Anniversary and were wonderfully decorated and had all sorts of special parades and shows just for the occasion. I've read that Disneyland Paris was built to have the expanse of Magic Kingdom in Florida with the intimate atmosphere of Disneyland California and having read this after visiting I completely agree. We strolled through the shops discovering passages behind the stores with great detailing of artifacts displayed along the walls, even some of the bakeries had a back window to order at (would be great if there was bad lines in front)!
The castle is the most unique I've seen, still smaller than Magic Kingdom but larger than California. Past the shops of Main Street the park divides into the classic Hub and Spoke to the different lands: Discovery, Fantasy, Adventure, and Frontier.
Our first stop was Phantom Manor, the Paris version of Haunted Mansion. The area is amazingly detailed and the interior refreshingly different from the American counterparts. In the same area is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad one of the many rides here that I found even better than back at the parks in Florida or California.
On our way to Discoveryland we crossed paths with a small character parade for the 20th Anniversary celebration. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, Chip, Dale, and the rare Clarice stopped in front of the castle to meet with their fans. The only downfall I experienced was the lack of crowd control, no formal lines were made and the cast members had no initiative to make any. Anyone who managed to elbow their way to the front is who got their picture next.
We continued to Space Mountain: Mission 2, being used to the sharp turns of the original I was very surprised at its true roller coaster feel. It launches you from the outside into its futuristic housing where you will go upside down and much faster than the original. Continuing with our space exploration feel we went on Star Tours, this ride is the same as the non-updated ones back in the states. C-3P0 doesn't sound too bad in French.
On our way to Fantasyland we wandered through the castle interior with lovely stained glass portraits of the Sleeping Beauty story and a dragon guarding the dungeon. The Fantasyland attractions are the closest to the American originals but more than just the language can be spotted as a difference. It's a Small World was surprisingly in English but an area dedicated to the United States is featured at the end of this cruise complete with football and baseball players, and icon landmarks. One of the largest attractions in Fantasyland is Alice's Curious Labyrinth. A large maze which leads you through the movie scenes into the Red Queen's castle. 
Traversing our way to Adventureland my most important stop was Pirates of the Caribbean! A beautiful rendition where the entry way seems to be a fully functioning fort very similar to ones I have actually been to in the islands. They clearly expect large crowds as the queue is very long and has many pirate-y details to soak in even if there is no line. Also in this area is Adventure Isle which has many attractions for the younger children such as Captain Hook's ship and the Indiana Jones Temple of Doom rollercoaster. Indiana Jones is another attraction that is different at every park, in Florida it is a stunt show and in California a 4x4 experience through movie set style with special effects.
The afternoon parade was spectacular. Disney Magic on Parade! A special soundtrack was created for the Anniversary and some floats were specially decorated as well. As I turned to see my friend's reaction I could see the goosebumps and told him that the best was even later with the fireworks.
The fireworks were mostly done in the castle projection system that is used for Magic, Memories, and You show back in the states with only a small amount of explosions but it was still fantastic! With a combination of French and English Peter Pan leads you through the class movies as the other characters appear on the castle or water screens (similar to Fantasmic). Disney Dreams was as beautiful as any other fireworks show I've experienced at a Disney Resort.
We had time before closing for one more ride so we were off the Buzz Lightyear ( a tradition among my trips as the line is usually so long during the day). After we sadly made our way to the entrance wandering through the stores for last minute souvenirs before we made our way back to the city.
Yet another spectacular day at the Most Magical Place on Earth.

Disneyland Paris April 2012: Studios

While studying abroad in Europe it was a must that I spend at least one day visiting a Disney location.  (disclosure: I do not speak nor understand French and most every ride has French soundtracks)
My friend and I arrived fairly early in the morning and had already decided to spend the first part of the day at Hollywood Studios so to avoid going back and forth across the parks. The first ride we hit was Tower of Terror, very similar to the ones back home but a thrilling experience as always.
Then Rock'n'Rollercoaster hit our radar. Knowing we did not have enough time to go on every ride in both parks we had to condense what we chose. Fortunately there were not too many lines during the day so we did get on all the ones I could not miss out on.
The day was on and off rainy so while walking through the Toy Story area we got rained on and quickly got in line for Crush's Coaster (Very Awesome!). I appreciated having a fun ride form of Finding Nemo much more than the "Turtle Talk with Crush" that is back home. In this same area they have little kid rides Cars themed and replicas of the buildings from Radiator Springs.
Back towards the entrance are several buildings for different sit down experiences and shows with specific start times. Some of these included musicals, the art of Disney animation, and Cine Magique. I wish we could have spent time at the different shows at here but we had too much ground to cover to stay in one park all day. I look forward to when I will be able to visit again and have more time to explore.

Enjoy the photos and have a Magical day!

Disneyland California Spring 2012

This was my first visit to the original park and I had the package deal! As a a special girls weekend my mother, grandmothers, and I spent a few nights at Paradise Pier. After checking in we went straight to Disneyland and went on Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean after the circle tour on the Disneyland Railroad. We also did the walk through of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Our room had a great view of California Adventure and the first night, too tired from flying, watched World of Color from our window.

Next morning we woke up early to get there in time for Magic Morning Hours at Disneyland and hit many of the popular rides with no wait times! These included for us: Casey Jr. Circus Train, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Peter Pan's Flight, Pinocchio's Daring Journey, Snow White's Scary Adventures, Storybook Land Canal Boats, Alice in Wonderland, and It's a Small World. From there we crossed into Toon Town and went on Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin and Gadget's Go Coaster. After having lunch at Cafe Orleans, and enjoying their Mardi Gras celebration with Princess Tiania.

Once the park started to get busy we went over to California Adventure caught part of Minnie's Fly Girls Show in front of Soarin' before using our instant Fast Passes from the hotel to walk right on. Continuing on we got in line for Monster's Inc. and then went back to the hotel for an hour to rest up before going back to Disneyland to see the Magic, Memories, and You! show on It's a Small World then Fireworks from in front of the castle.

The next day was breakfast at Plaza Inn near Sleeping Beauty Castle after Enchanted Tiki Room and Indian Jones' Adventure (to avoid the long waits later in the day). Afterwards we joined Nemo and friends on the Submarine Voyage and took off into outer space with both Space Mountain (instant fast pass again!) and Captain Eo.On our way out of the park we spent some time having Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. We made our way back to California adventure for a late lunch at the Golden Vine. We decided a little musical delight would be wonderful and caught Aladdin, spent some time in the Animation Studio, and even did some Wilderness Exploring at Redwood Creek.

 Later that night we went back for elecTRONica a special night time show based on Tron: Legacy including music, characters, and a laser show. We didn't spend too much time enjoying all the scenes brought to life as we had to catch World of Color (priority viewing from our lunch that day) but not before I used another instant Fast Pass and rode California Screamin'! The show was amazing and, as most Disney performances do, gave me goosebumps.

I know there were still many rides missed but for a first time visit in just a few short days but I had a truly magical weekend. Enjoy some pictures from my trip and I hope that you too have a Magical day!

Magic Kingdom: Keys to the Kingdom Tour

My family and I have been planning to do a tour at Walt Disney World for a couple years now and finally booked the Keys to the Kingdom Tour in Magic Kingdom. This tour takes you through some of the classic attractions with a group guide sharing the history and fun facts about them. The tour takes you on 2 rides; Jungle Cruise and The Haunted Mansion. On the Jungle Cruise instead of having the normal skipper telling you corny jokes your tour guide tells you more about the history of the ride. In addition to the rides you walk backstage to the parade line up and storage areas, eat an included lunch at the Columbia Harbour House, and even go under the park to the Utilidors. Backstage and underground are no photography areas, no matter how much we would all love to take some pictures! The neatest thing about being backstage is the chance of seeing cast members working on exclusive material, on my tour we managed to catch a glimpse of a dance practice for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party Parade!

This tour is named not for the facts of the park but for the four "Keys" that all of Disney is run by; Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency, in order of importance. Safety is always most important and everything from the color of the sidewalk to crowd control are covered. Courtesy is the guests comfort and everyone visiting the park is treated with a great amount of respect. Show was Walt's understanding that people come to his parks to get away from the real world and this live stage is kept up to the best possibilities of all the cast members. Efficiency is last, which is something I'm grateful for in Florida as one of the most inefficient things done is blasting AC with doors open! While some things seem impractical to most it is usually done to keep to the other 3 Keys. That being said, Disney is also very proactive in being environmentally friendly, they have their own power plant, recycling facility, and if you've ever seen the holiday lights covering the castle they are run with the same power it would take to run only 1 standard refrigerator!

Overall this tour was fabulous for either a Disney know-it-all or a beginner wanting to know more about the magic behind it all. I highly recommend going on the tour if you get the chance!

Some neat trivia from my tour:
~Oswald the lucky rabbit, Walt Disney's first animated creation was taken from him by Universal. Nearly 80 years later Disney traded rights with Universal, Al Michaels for Oswald. Yes that is right, a real person for an animated character!
~Steamboat Willie is not Mickey Mouse's first appearance in film. There were 2 other shorts made before it, but were not released on a national scale until later.
~On Main Street U.S.A. there is only 1 American flag, located at the central flag pole in Town Square, the rest only have 49 stars.
~The only building on Main Street that is truly 3 stories tall is the Kodak Theater. The rest are built with a "forced perspective" where every level is made smaller so that by the 3rd floor everything is half sized.
~Main Street is modeled after Walt's hometown
~Cinderella Castle is made out of fiberglass and there is no actual bricks in it
~The river around the center of the park is also connected to the Jungle Cruise ride and used to have a swan boat ride
~The drop in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is because the Railroad is right above it
~The bridge leading to Tomorrowland is larger than the one leading to Adventureland as the majority of visitors are right handed and have a natural tendency to go right
~You can tell which land you are in depending on the music you hear and the buildings or landscaping of the area.
~Backstage buildings are painted in "Go Away Green" so that any wandering eyes would not be able to discern its presence
~Magic Kingdom is the only park with the underground tunnels for cast members

Have a Magical Day!

Castaway Cay

If you ever get to opportunity to go on a Disney Cruise in the Caribbean odds are you will make a stop at the private island known as Castaway Cay. On the island is several age specific areas as well as lovely family beaches with snorkeling and underwater treasures to be found whether on your own or with a tour. When docked you can see the Flying Dutchman, Davy Jones' ship from Pirates of the Caribbean, and once you are on the way to the beaches there are many photo opportunities with it as a background. From the cruise ship you walk a little ways and than can catch a tram down to the beaches.

Down by the beaches is where you can buy or rent all your beach necessities. There are also random character meetings all around the island, so if you spot Minni Mouse in her bathing suit don't worry you are hallucinating! The first beach areas you come to are the family beaches and are fairly nice but don't seem to have much in the way of shade and tend to have more people at them all through the day. Walking down farther you might pass the younger children play areas, Spring-a-leak, Pelican Plunge, and Scuttle's Cove.
The teen designated area was still being built when I last visited in October 2010 and was not very fun. There was very little shade and not much to do but they were still working on it. Farthest from the ship is Serenity Bay the adults only beach. Sadly at the time of my cruise I was 16 and not supposed to be down there.
I personally am afraid of the ocean so I stuck to the beaches and hanging out with friends from the teen area but everyone I saw doing snorkeling looked as if they were having a great time and I know there are lots of neat things in the Snorkeling Lagoon.

Spend your time wisely if you are planning on doing more than lazing on the beach as there is lots to do on the island. If you are stuck on what to see you can always ask a cruise director or a crew member what they would suggest as well as check out some other Disney forums to get more opinions!
Some photos from my visit:

DCL: The Disney Wonder

October 2010 I went on my first Disney Cruise. Being an experienced cruiser with close to 20 vacations under my belt I had a general idea of what to expect but there were certain things you just can't prepare for that Disney brings to the table.

Walking on board for the first time you are introduced to the lobby by a waiting caller and then offered directions to different activities currently being held around the ship. If you embark around lunch time I highly suggest eating at Parrot Cay, you get a buffet with out fighting the crowds on the top deck and are served drinks by waiting cast members.

The dining on board is done differently from any other cruise line I've been on. Instead of staying in one room with a changing menu every night, aboard the Disney ships you have 3 different restaurants that you switch between and your waiting staff follows you to each room. On the Wonder the 3 main dining rooms are Parrot Cay, Triton's, and Animator's Palate. Each restaurant has its own special attributes associated to it. Parrot cay which is a buffet feels as if you are sitting inside an expanded Enchanted Tiki Room with all the vibrant colors and tropical birds painted everywhere. Triton's, true to it's name, has a mosaic mural on the back wall inspired by The Little Mermaid and is lit from large jellyfish like lamps on the ceiling making you feel as if you are dining in an underwater wonderland. Last but not least Animator's Palate is the most technological of all the general dining. While you eat the soundtrack of classic Disney movie music accompanies your meal as you can delight in the changing colors and pictures around the room.

There is always something going on to entertain the guests. Many activities you can partake in are in the theaters. The Disney Wonder has 2 movie viewing areas, one large inside which will play midnight releases of new movies (got to see Secretariat on my cruise!), and the outdoor screen by the pool. There is also the large Walt Disney Theater where the major performances are held every night. Just like the shows in the parks these are not to be missed.

As a teen it may seem that there isn't much to do, but like most cruise lines there is a strictly teen lounge. It is a great place to meet up with other people your age and chill out, play video games, or just get away from family for a while. One thing I would not suggest is sitting around bored if there is something going on! Little things such as audience participation which may seem like it is just for little kids is just as fun at 16 and 17! I've made some great lasting friends from cruises, and with social networking sites and texting it is beyond easy to keep in touch.

In true Disney fashion fireworks are not to be missed. The only cruise line to have a fireworks show definitely puts Disney Cruise Lines just another step above. Albeit the show is no where near in comparison to anything at the parks but for being in the middle of the ocean it is a pretty spectacular sight.

Have a magical day!

Blizzard Beach

If you've ever been in Florida between the months of April and October you'll know just how hot it can be here in the south. Luckily the Disney Water Parks are a completely thrilling, chilling, and refreshing way to beat the heat or enjoy the Florida Sunshine. The parks are seasonal so if you're looking to visit them make sure to check out the Disney Parks website to validate park hours and availability!

Recently I visited Disney's Blizzard Beach, one of the two water parks. Blizzard Beach boasts thrill slides for the brave, a family raft ride, and a children's play area "Tike's Peak" ( this one I can't tell you much, as the area is for the little ones and their parents) to name but a few. Other areas are age centered to help entertain the younger groups and have height limitations so that us pesky teenagers don't get to have all the fun, no matter how much I wish I could play in those areas just for a bit!

If you have the stomach for heights and subsequently sliding down the equivalent of a 12 story building, Summit Plummet is for you. Personally I don't have that much bravery so you'll have to either try it yourself or ask someone from the exit area if you should dare. There is one other body slide, the Slush Gusher, which is right next to the Summit Plummet. This slide has a similar concept with out the long straight drop.

There are two Toboggan racer slides where you lay on your stomach on a mat and wait for the green light to set a group slipping down to the pool at the bottom racing 1 or 2 other lanes at the same time. Along with these is also several tube attractions including the Teamboat Springs, a family raft ride,  Downhill Double Dipper, and Runoff Rapids. Encompassing the center of the park is a lazy river called the Cross Country Creek which has inner tubes for children and adults but if you don't feel like searching for one floating around its perfectly acceptable to swim through or float on your own. Melt away Bay is the last of the major attractions and is a large wave pool with a beach and lots of seating and lounge chairs for those who don't want all the thrill of the slides.

Dining in the park is limited to counter service and seating is hard to come by quickly during major meal times. As far as I could find there doesn't seem to be an indoor seating. The easiest way to insure a table is to have a person from your party search while you order and hold down the spot for everyone. However, if you are looking for more than a hamburger or chicken fingers I would suggest taking a bus to Downtown Disney and eating at a restaurant there.

If you decide to rent a locker for the day it's helpful to know that yes, they are all day lockers. So no need to worry about putting in quarters. The price for a larger locker is currently $15 and when you return your key you have the option of getting $5 back or a travel mug. The stores also rent/sell towels so if you are staying at a hotel you don't need to worry about not having a beach towel to dry off.

As is the case with Florida weather it is subject to rain quite often. In many cases it could rain nearly every afternoon, but if you aren't opposed to waiting generally will clear with in a hour or two. I highly suggest keeping an eye on the weather forecast and getting to the park earlier before most storms have a chance to start.

Most importantly of all, Have a Magical Day!