Monday I was able to attend the AP preview of Toy Story Mania and I have to say I was completely blown away with the attraction!  There is now another ride in Hollywood Studios that will draw you in again and again!  While other AP guests had waited in line for a couple of hours on Sunday, Monday after lunch was a perfect time to go - 15 minute wait!  This is one que line you will really enjoy standing in.  (This is where I give a little about my age)  The games I loved as a kid - Chutes and Ladder, Barrel of Monkeys, MR POTATOE HEAD!  The detail is amazing in this room.  Toys, games, puzzles are on all four walls. 

I didn’t spend a lot of time in front of Mr. Potato Head to get to interact with him, but he really does keep talk to you while in line.  He was quizzing those of us in line on our favorite attractions in WDW.  One guest said he made him tug at his ear when he was in line earlier, so this should make standing in line for this ride more enjoyable.

The ride itself is a 3D attraction where you play carnival type games at every turn.  First you are tossing balls at animals to knock them over, another screen you are at you are popping balloons with darts, then another time you are breaking plates, and then the one I never quite got the hang of, was tossing rings.  The last two screens are a rapid fire round… just when your arm is about ready to fall off from all the shooting!

Now, you are asking yourself why the title?  Because with every shot you make you have to pull a cord at the back of a small cannon looking gun. The cord has to be pulled out to make it shoot and then it has to retract back before you can shoot again!  Sounds easy, but after the first two screens, you are hoping you are ambidextrous because your one arm is very tired from pulling the cord so you could shoot.  You are also hoping that you can aim with the other hand!  So my advise to you is to start training that weaker hand and arm now to get a better score!  Learn to look for the small far away items for a higher score, and above all….. Have fun!  Because after all, you are riding around in Andy’s room and playing with all his toys!

 

Monday I was able to attend the AP preview of Toy Story Mania and I have to say I was completely blown away with the attraction!  There is now another ride in Hollywood Studios that will draw you in again and again! < more... >

Breakfast today is on your own anytime from 7-9am in Storytellers Café inside the Grand Californian Resort hotel.  Some people have already left for their flights, mine is earlier and others are staying on to see more.  They did give us a 4 day Park Hopper so you could use it all day today and play in the parks.   Again a wonderful mix of buffet breakfast food with characters, bears and entertainment running around.  I have a short window and eat really quick then say goodbye to all of my friends.  Sad moment but I’m glad to be going home, I miss my family tons! I catch a towncar at the front, and get to say goodbye to Diana before heading to LAX.  You have to just sit and take it all in.  We had so many laughs, so much fun (maybe too much !!) and have fond memories to share with others.

I truly believe its not the “magical moments” or the “surprises” albeit all wonderful, it is the amazing people we be-friend and its seeing their reactions to the “Ah” moments, that makes these Adventues unforgettable.  They will be memories and most of us will stay in touch.and be friends going forward.

I highly recommend this if you are a Walt History buff, want a great family trip, Love Disney or anything Disneyland!   Where to next?
 

Breakfast today is on your own anytime from 7-9am in Storytellers Café inside the Grand Californian Resort hotel.  Some people have already left for their flights, mine is earlier and others are staying on to see more.  They did give us a 4 day Park Hopper so you could use it all day today and play in the parks. < more... >

Again, our meet time is 7am for breakfast. We head over to Goofy’s kitchen today. This is a lunch/brunch buffet featuring very goofy items like peanut butter pizza and rice crispy cereal treats etc. More characters, more pictures, more fun.

From breakfast we walk back to the hotel and are escorted into CA Adventure, yes, only ones’ in the park again. We wave to all of the guests waiting beyond the gates to get in. Hee Hee ~ Love this~ Our backstage tour today is at *Spoiler Alert* Soarin Over California. The Mickey group gets to ride first and we all by ourselves. The host reminds us to look at the "gliders" and notice they are modeled after Erector sets. We are then taken backstage and wow what an event. I don’t want to spoil all of the fun for future groups so I’ll leave out some details. The host then shows us the beads of orange and pine that are like mini-bath oil beads that they change out every month. Next is Turtle Talk with Crush and its cool how he interacts, I’ve never seen this before. We then get to go into Animation Academy and draw with a real cartoonist instructing us. We of course draw Mickey and then in this hall then hand out Mickey ears to all guests who are having birthdays in April or May. That’s me ! We are then given 5 more fast passes and get the afternoon on our own. Our little groups decide to head to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (no, I was pulled kicking and screaming almost ). Even though I do not like this ride I do it and actually besides being a little shaky, its was fun… We ride Monsters Inc too with Nate’s family and then head to the Hyperion since we are given VIPs seats for the Aladdin show. We have front row seats, first floor, back section and wow this show still is one of my favorites. The Genie is funny and the venue is great. After this show we head back to the hotel for some down time. I got shopping and try out the gym. The hotel has a great gym with lots of top of the line bikes, steppers, treadmills and weight machines. It is attached to the Mandara Spa which smells fabulous. I love to come work out here so I can then take a shower in the spa area and use all of their lotions and sprays etc. The pool was packed today since it was 90 degrees and I’m wishing I had time to go.

We meet the group at Disneyland resort at 5:55pm for our farewell dinner. This is not my favorite part of the trip but is wonderful and we are in the Sleeping Beauty’s Pavilion above Goofy’s kitchen which is wonderful. We are greeted with cocktails and make our way to very cutely decorated tables of old black/silver/gold movie reel decorations. Our special guest for the dinner is Disney Artist and Historian Stacia Martin. She sketches for us our favorite characters and then personalizes them to take home. She is an amazing person and draws people in as she is sketching and asking questions, relaying history and information~ A real treat. The food here is pastas, meats, special salads, and an array of desserts. Wonderful and tasty and I try all the desserts almost just to make sure they are all good ~ they are~ We also are given a pin that says Adventures by Disney at the table too. Then Minnie and Mickey come in to see us off and take pictures with us. If you like Characters, wow, this is the tour!!

The group at this dinner stands up and tells their favorite part of the trip. It’s sad and funny and wonderful because from the first day until now, all of the "I came on this trip to see ___" have really changed. We have bonded, and laughed, and sang and cried. This dinner concludes with a slide show made by the guides of all the fun on the trip. It seems like weeks ago that we were in Hollywood and it’s so fun to see the shots they capture of the whole trip.

We all take up our sketches from Stacia and head out to Disneyland for VIP viewing of the Fireworks. Great seats located right at the Plaza Pavilion. Beautiful show and its great to see Tinkerbell flying around for a long time, not just dropping from the Matterhorn as she used to do. After the fireworks I head with Nick, Steven and Helen to Space Mountain to ride it at night. I had promised to do this with him and it was thoughtful he reminded me before we left. We took the monorail back home after that and I headed to bed. Beci of course wanted one more night to play so she stayed out with the fun group headed to ride many more hours of rides and got done late (how are those feet?).

Again, our meet time is 7am for breakfast. We head over to Goofy’s kitchen today. This is a lunch/brunch buffet featuring very goofy items like peanut butter pizza and rice crispy cereal treats etc. More characters, more pictures, more fun.

From breakfast we walk back to the hotel and are escorted into CA Adventure, yes, only ones’ in the park again. We wave to all of the guests waiting beyond the gates to get in. Hee Hee ~ Love this~ Our backstage tour today is at *Spoiler Alert* Soarin Over California. The Mickey group gets to ride first and we all by ourselves. The host reminds us to look at the "gliders" and notice they are modeled after Erector sets. We are then taken backstage and wow what an event. I don’t want to spoil all of the fun for future groups so I’ll leave out some details. The host then shows us the beads of orange and pine that are like mini-bath oil beads that they change out every month. < more... >

We begin this day with a meet in the lobby then head out for Disneyland Park for our Character breakfast at the Plaza Inn located at the end of Main Street.  Some of the best memories I have our since we are the first group on this trip, Quinn or Diana hold up an Adventures by Disney sign as we walk around and we get the best stares as we head into the park before anyone else or just walk around. I love that. We head into Disneyland and no one else is there and we are a group of 36 walking down Main Street And no one else is there! Have a said that! Wow, it is so cool! We go to Plaza Inn and have an elaborate breakfast with lots of goodies and are inundated with many, many characters. Again, our group is off in the Bird cage room along until just before we leave. We get pictures with Chip/ Dale, Fairy Godmother, etc etc. Jim from ABD Operations has been with us on this whole trip now too and has a funny encounter with the Fairy Godmother. He really is wonderful and has been a great extra added member.

From breakfast we head to our first backstage experience at Indiana Jones. We actually are given the chance to see how the Jeeps really are moved around on the chassis which has hydraulics and moves much more than I thought. Matt, the 15yr old young man in our group is given the chance to use the joystick which moves the jeep around. We then are taken up and around and put on the ride to experience what we have just seen. I tell Nate, the youngest in our group at age 8, that I want to ride with him and Dani his sister who is 10. What a wonderful family! The kids have brought along their parents Emy and Gary and grandma Ginny who is the matriarch of the group but does all the rides and keeps up with everyone. Go Ginny!

From Indy we head to the Big Thunder Ranch area and are greeted by Cortney who tells us the history of Walt’s love of horses and how at one time they had horses and animals throughout the park itself, even Indians riding on horses on Tom Sawyer Island etc. This building also displays the many ribbons awarded to the horses all over California. So not only do they work here, they are also shown at County fairs etc for competition. We are given the opportunity to go in and feed the goats there are here in the petting area. They also have donkeys and a cow here. We get to walk through the park and then enter backstage to see where the Steam engines and Monorails are kept and Ed and Vern our hosts tell us more about the history of Walt and his love of trains and how these engines came to be in Disneyland. We walk through from here over to the Circle D ranch area to see the small house in site which was once the real home of the Dolly and Owen Pope. The Pope’s are the only people who ever lived at Disneyland and actually took care of the ranch which at one time had 220 horses etc. Cortney tells us how now the horses only work 2 hours / day and have 1 week off per month. They are allowed to work 5 years in total and then are sold. We get to see where all the other animals from the park live. The day is very hot and we are given time to rest here and get water too. Then we head back on stage for our lunch.

We head to New Orleans Square and Café Orleans and get to try Gumbo, Monte Cristo Sandwiches, salads and have Beignet’s for dessert. All of us are given Mardi Gras beads as we enter (yes, no one else has them) and have the pleasure of having TK the Pirate as entertainment for our lunch. He tries to recruit Nate in to becoming a pirate but Nate holds out. Nice lunch in a great location. After eating we are taken into the exit of Pirates of the Caribbean ride. All of fit into two boats and you can hear the group all singing away. Again, the bonding, the fun…

Our next two events are magical on their own since again they are never done except for rare times or VIPs. We break into 3 groups now for Mickey, Minnie and Goofy (sorry Jim). The Mickey group is escorted by a Tour Guide into Walt’s Apartment. The amazing thing here is she gives us a little history and tells us no one really ever gets to see this. The décor is Victorian with heavy pink, white and dark burgundy’s. The original grilled cheese maker is here along with glass baby bottles the Disney’s used for their grandkids. The bathroom is retro pink tile with a 4 headed shower stall. The carpet look brand new and there is an old Victorian phone with an actual working number and yes I wrote it down. Then there is the lamp that has been lit since Walt died and this sits in the window overlooking Main Street. There are only about 4 people who are allowed to change the 120v bulb when it burns out and our Tour Guide is one of them. We then get another Magical moment surprise which again brings several to tears and are allowed to take a group photo in the Apartment. It’s amazing to know Walt actually sat here at times and looked out of this window onto his park.

Just when you think you cannot take any more surprises we are given real train ticket that the conductor punches *spoiler alert* and get to ride in the Lilly Belle! This coach car has been refurbished to the original state and is decorated in Victorian again, much like the apartment with antiques and inlayed wood, brass roof ornaments and special low lighting. A conductor always rides with the coach when there are guests inside. Our conductor also relays the history of the train more and the things you see on the train like the Grand Canyon scenes etc. We all get to sign the guest book too which is so neat and not very full until we get here.   We end back on Main Street just before its time for the Parade of Dreams. Most of our group takes the VIP tickets the ABD group is given for viewing of the parade up on top of the Train station in rows of bench seats. Fabulous location. Beci and I opt not to do this and spend the afternoon on our own.

We meet up with the group later for a special viewing of Fantasmic. We are given a roped off area right in the front of Orleans café, dead center. This is a great location and a great show. Much better here than in Florida in my opinion. And we also get to see the fireworks from here. After both shows our small group (now adding Brad, Scott and Tracey to our Power Group) decide to head off for more rides. We are given 5 fast passes for any rides for the night. We head to Jungle Cruise (not boat!) and get a very funny host then from there walk over to Space Mountain. We decided to do a good deed and each give one fast pass away to guests in the standby line…Gave us a warm fuzzy before heading into Space Mountain. In the ride I must have been oxygen deprived because I could not stop laughing and it starts to catch and I think we just begin to get giddy from lack of sleep and over stimulation. ("what do you mean I can’t use a fast pass in the water line, I thought these were good for any line?") and (Fast passes from heaven, ahhh….you had to be there). We end the night by riding Buzz Lightyear
fore heading home for the night. Really the best time and with great friends.

We begin this day with a meet in the lobby then head out for Disneyland Park for our Character breakfast at the Plaza Inn located at the end of Main Street.  Some of the best memories I have our since we are the first group on this trip, Quinn or Diana hold up an Adventures by Disney sign as we walk around and we get the best stares as we head into the park before anyone else or just walk around. I love that. We head into Disneyland and no one else is there and we are a group of 36 walking down Main Street And no one else is there! Have a said that! Wow, it is so cool! We go to Plaza Inn and have an elaborate breakfast with lots of goodies and are inundated with many, many characters. Again, our group is off in the Bird cage room along until just before we leave. We get pictures with Chip/ Dale, Fairy Godmother, etc etc. Jim from ABD Operations has been with us on this whole trip now too and has a funny encounter with the Fairy Godmother. He really is wonderful and has been a great extra added member.

From breakfast we head to our first backstage experience at Indiana Jones. We actually are given the chance to see how the Jeeps really are moved around on the chassis which has hydraulics and moves much more than I thought. Matt, the 15yr old young man in our group is given the chance to use the joystick which moves the jeep around. < more... >

Meeting at 7am proved not to be an issue today due to the fact that we all knew we would be going to the Disney Studios and Imagineering. When you have a group of avid Disney fans who really understand how no one gets to see these two places, being on time is not an issue!! Breakfast this morning is in the hotel at Twist, the hotel restaurant. The buffet included eggs, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, omelets, breads etc. We sat with Brent, Brock and some new friends Alex and his mom Haydee. Had they known then what they know now about us crazy people, they may have moved to a new table!!! LOL. We have a little delay in getting the bus but boarded it and headed out for the Imagineers. Everyone is like kids giggling and just anticipating and singing the songs playing on the CD in the bus. We were met by Dave who will be our guide. He walked us down a hallway filled with sketches and drawings and pictures. No pictures in here as you can imagine so its all visual memory. Not knowing we would gaze and gawk it took our group a lot longer to get to the room they had set up for us… He gave us a great overview of what Imagineers do and how Walt wanted his team of people to work. Showed us a slide/video presentation and walk us through a few new things they are working on…then we got an awesome Magical Moment surprise that brought several people to tears. We split into groups and got to meet Valerie, a Sculptor, who took us into the Sculpting studio so we could see marquette’s (pre-molds) they make to then scale up or down depending on the project they are doing. In this room were Heads of Presidents, many Disney Characters and the miniature Walt and Mickey statue with Mickey holding the ice cream cone. Snow white and the seven dwarfs too surrounded us. Amazing! From Sculpting we went to sound and Steve played us a video of how they make sound really feel real just but them taking a dummy head to places and video taping on location sounds then remixing it. Very cool demonstration. We all then got to walk through where they were building mini models of things to come in CA Adventure and even though we could not see much you knew this are where it all begins. Dave then gave us a demonstration of animatronics and showed us "Joe Cocker" a bare bones person so we could visually see how the insides work. We walked through another hallway of painting and murals then out into a courtyard where we were allowed 30 minutes to shop at Mickey’s of Glendale. No one but the imaginers are allowed to go here really so for our group 30 minutes seemed so short but Beci and I broke the bank by throwing as much of and as many things we could into bags. I would say we easily as a group spent over $15000 in 30 minutes. Beci of course had the most but all for good causes!!!

We gathered back onto the bus and headed to Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. As a working studio again they do not really offer tours here and there are not cast members here but studio people. We were walked through the hallway of the art building housing some archives, paintings, sketches, drawings etc. The building we walked thru, I believe it was the Animation building has 6 - 8 wings all with outside windows and leveler shades so artists can control their own lighting. This building as a tunnel underneath connecting it to the Ink/Paint buildings next door. The tunnel is still used in movies today. We headed out and took photos in the courtyard of legends then were given 45 minutes to shop and eat lunch in the Commissary here. Marty Sklar was here also eating lunch with all of us mortals! Nick, a 13 yr old on the trip with his parents Helen and Steve, is a Disney enthusiast and very knowledgeable about Walt’s history and Imagineering. He was thrilled to see Marty.

Back on the bus now for the drive to Disneyland Resort. As you drive in the bus they play music that is selected specifically for the Adventure. I remember this too from the Southwest Splendors trip I saw. On our trip we are listening to older music from the Hollywood days, 70s tunes, Monorail music and then current Disney tunes. Then you suddenly here the whole bus starts singing as we are driving…so amazing. We have all really bonded, love Disney and just are acting like kids. As Tracy puts it she loves seeing us "all become children again" in our love of Walt and all things Disney. I hope this carries through in every group on Backstage Magic.

Arriving at the hotel we have about 2 hours of down time to check into the rooms here and relax before meeting for the welcome reception and dinner. Beci and I have a nice room overlooking the courtyard area and I just love the bedding, new flat screen TVs, bathrooms and the shampoo amenities are really nice. At 5pm we meet in the lobby and are greeted by David the 2008 Disneyland Resort Ambassador and Fred who works in ABD Operations. David the Ambassador also gives Beci and I Repeat Adventure guest pins too. I was really looking forward to this pin. We head over to Disneyland Resort Hotel and got to the Wine Cellar for a little cocktail hour. They have a guitar player hired to play music, have a selection of several wines to try and wonderful Bruschetta, veggies, dips to enhance this. Our host is Carlos who manages the Cellar and Hooks Pointe restaurant.. We head up stairs at 6pm for our dinner. One thing not mentioned before is we are always given tables away from all other guests in areas by ourselves with menus catered for our Group. It adds a nice touch and helps facilitate the bond of the group. The Guides all travel from table to table during the Adventure so you get to meet with them and know them more. We are fortunate enough to have our now core group Brent, Brock, Alex, Haydee to eat with. Quinn tells us stories of how he tried out to be a 2007 Ambassador and was a finalist.

After dinner we walk over to Disneyland Park and all the 1^st time guests take a picture before entering. We actually have a lot of guests who have never been here which is so cool. We are walked over to our first Fun Experience in the Park, the Haunted Mansion. The coolest part of this tour is not waiting for rides. We are guided into a back entrance and get right on to the ride. The host has several people lay flat on the floor while we are in the elevator which is so cool and they said it really makes for a fun experience. This is Nick’s favorite ride here and he is thrilled. We get off the ride and are have about 90 minutes so Brent, Brock, Alex, Haydee and I follow Beci across the park making the most of this time. We manage to get on Indy, Space Mountain, and Finding Nemo submarine. I loved being back on the submarines here since its one of my fondest childhood memories but the ride itself was not spectacular. Running out of time we decide to all it a night and head back to the hotel

Meeting at 7am proved not to be an issue today due to the fact that we all knew we would be going to the Disney Studios and Imagineering. When you have a group of avid Disney fans who really understand how no one gets to see these two places, being on time is not an issue!! Breakfast this morning is in the hotel at Twist, the hotel restaurant. < more... >

We load up on a bus, yes, it just magically appears, and head over to the highlight for the day for me, Jim Henson Studios.  Not a far drive and very apparent by the huge Kermit located on top of the building and dressed like Charlie Chaplin.  You see Charlie Chaplin.  Here is our guide Quinn holding up our ABD placard inside the Jim Henson Studios. 

Designed and built by Chaplin in 1917 he filmed there for many years along with renting it out to others famous people who also made movies there until 1952. All I can say is wow. The renovation is very amazing. Chaplin sold the studio in 1957 and it was again sold to Red Skelton in 1959. In 1961 CBS bought it and held it for a few years and then they sold it to A&M Records and it was a recording studio for many years and for many famous people.  They recorded many songs in this studio including, "We are the World" here. We pretty much got to walk around inside private office spaces, watched a video of the studio created just for Adventures by Disney (we were the very first group to see this) saw an entire cabinet of Emmy awards, got inside the studio set and best of all got to be in the Creature Shop with Mike one of the puppeteers. I mean wow!  Mike explained how they make puppets, how they use animal tronics, some of the people who they work with and demonstrated how the puppets work on file etc. Truly and amazing area, no one ever really get inside this building.  He later came out to the courtyard and let us take pictures with him and a puppet, so cool.

He is also part of an improv group called Puppet Up which you can find on the internet.  After touring we joined up with the whole group and ate lunch they had set up in the courtyard patio on the grounds.  We chatted wtih Andrew, ABD Operations manager during lunch and just relaxed before moving on for the day.  The food at the studios was really good too, I got a huge salad while others had hamburgers and shrimp and pasta.

The next stop we hit was a suprise for the day and a special treat available for us on this initial tour, Walt Disney’s Barn in Griffith Park.  This was opened exclusively for our group but is staffed by an all volunteer staff so may not be available very often to all Backstage Magic guests.  What a great treat!  The Disney Barn is really considered the birthplace of Imagineering and holds lots of aritifacts of Walt’s love of trains. In 1998 this barn was moved from the Holmby Hills Disney home to the Griffith Park location.  The Disney family chose this location since Walt had been a charter member of the Club here. The volunteers here are big Disney fans and really fun to listen too.  

They also offer rides on an electic, scaled down train that travel along a 12 minute loop.  The train we rode on holds about 30 guests total and it is really relaxing to sit there and ride around through the various quirky little tracks they have set up.  Its is very cute to watch big adults straddling a small train and riding around through the trees.

The ABD part of the tour ended for the day at 4pm and after this tour.  Back at the hotel the group split up a little and each went their own directions exploring the Hollywood area, seeing Jimmy Kimmel or just relaxing.  I had made plans to go to dinner at Campanile where Vicki’s son Thomas works and so I just relaxed a little before heading out.  Beci needed to work so I recruited our two new friends from the Tour Brent and Brock to join me.  This restaurant is on La Brea not far from the hotel and we got a cab there for $15.  It is located right next to the La Brea Bakery.  Its an Italian restaurant and the food was so amazing it almost put us in a coma it was so wonderful.  Thomas came out to say hi and was sweet enough to give us several wonderful starters and desserts.  Again amazing with an expansive wine list.   Very Cool! 

We load up on a bus, yes, it just magically appears, and head over to the highlight for the day for me, Jim Henson Studios.  Not a far drive and very apparent by the huge Kermit located on top of the building and dressed like Charlie Chaplin.  You see Charlie Chaplin.  Here is our guide Quinn holding up our ABD placard inside the Jim Henson Studios. 

Designed and built by Chaplin in 1917 he filmed there for many years along with renting it out to others famous people who also made movies there until 1952. All I can say is wow. The renovation is very amazing. Chaplin sold the studio in 1957 and it was again sold to Red Skelton in 1959. In 1961 CBS bought it and held it for a few years and then they sold it to A&M Records and it was a recording studio for many years and for many famous people.  They recorded many songs in this studio including, "We are the World" here. We pretty much got to walk around inside private office spaces, watched a video of the studio created just for Adventures by Disney (we were the very first group to see this) saw an entire cabinet of Emmy awards, got inside the studio set and best of all got to be in the Creature Shop with Mike one of the puppeteers. I mean wow!  Mike explained how they make puppets, how they use animal tronics, some of the people who they work with and demonstrated how the puppets work on file etc. Truly and amazing area, no one ever really get inside this building.  He later came out to the courtyard and let us take pictures with him and a puppet, so cool.

< more... >

Well, not to steal JoAnne’s words but I too am anticipating an upcoming Disney Vacation!

I am going on the Adventures by Disney, BackStage Magic trip on April 22nd !  This is a work trip for me (yeah, right) and Beci to experience the Itinerary for one of our wonderful communities.  Unlike the last Adventure I went on, Southwest Splendours, this one will not have me hanging off the sides of cliffs in the Grand Canyon (Annette is sighing now) or being chased by a deer (again with Annette, see the pattern) but, I have no doubts I will find many "adventures" on my own to explore and hopefully will stay out of too much trouble.  hee hee….poor Beci!

The cool thing is I got my Disney Adventure "Bag" in the mail yesterday which just pumped my heart rate up even more for this trip.   Here is a photo and we may be one of the first one’s to get the new bag so this is very cool…..  In the past, Adventures has had BackPacks they mail to guests.  I really liked my backpack with the faux suede bottom. This bag is a stonewashed black denim, shoulder bag.  Much like a computer bag and it even has a handle on the top.  It opens up and has lots of room and pockets.  We’ll see how it holds up with me!

 

The great thing is there are many "backstage" adventures we will be going on for this trip.  We even will get to be in the Audience for a Jimmy Kimmel Live show.  If you have never been in an audience it is quite an experience.  When I lived in LA I used to be on a VIP list to go to shows and loved being able to do this.  Cannot wait to be back in California where I’m from and at Disneyland!!

I will be blogging on the Adventure as time allows so watch for more on this….Hollywood here I come.

Well, not to steal JoAnne’s words but I too am anticipating an upcoming Disney Vacation!

I am going on the Adventures by Disney, BackStage Magic trip on April 22nd ! < more... >

Tonight was the Jungle Book DVD release party for Annual Passholders in Animal Kingdom.    A limited number of Annual Passholders were able to sign up to attend the event so we really felt like we had the park to ourselves.  The weather didn’t cooperate but it was still fun.  Dinoland and Asia were open for us so we got to ride Everest with no wait!  Since it was raining and we were already wet I didn’t mind riding Kali River Rapids and staying on for a double ride.  We also got to meet a couple Jungle Book characters that you nornally don’t see in the park like Mowgli! 

 

I am really hoping that events like this will become a regular thing for Passholders!

Coleen

 

Tonight was the Jungle Book DVD release party for Annual Passholders in Animal Kingdom.    A limited number of Annual Passholders were able to sign up to attend the event so we really felt like we had the park to ourselves.  The weather didn’t cooperate but it was still fun. < more... >

Mouse Fan Travel is proud to return as the Official Sponsor!

It is already Friday the 13th of July which isn’t an unlucky day for me.  It is a lucky day becasue it means it is just about time for the Magic Meet in PA.  I have been counting down the days for awhile now.  It was a week ago today that I started packing my car in Florida.  We hit I 95 for the fun drive from FL to PA.  We drive up to visit family each summer so the Magic Meet is a perfect fit for me.  I am glad to be able to add this event to our summer pilgrimage.   I attended last year and had so much fun and this year is going to be bigger and better, especially since Hersheypark is a post Magic Meet event! 

Growing up in PA Hersheypark was the next best thing to going to Disney World.  We would visit quite often but now it is the other way around for me.  I am looking forward to seeing this old favorite again.  Any place with chocolate as a mascot can never be bad if you ask me.

If you are wondering what the Magic Meet is all about it is sort of like a Mousefest in July.   There will be many guidebook aurthors, webmasters, and of course Disney fans all gahtering together to share thier love of Disney.   This year’s meet sold out rather quick so if this sounds like something you may want do next summer be sure to check the site www.magicmeets.com  I will do my best to post some details from the event as soon as possible,

If you already have your ticket for this year please stop by and say HI!  If you don’t have a ticket to the meet but live close enough to Hersheypark we would love to see you in the park on Sunday too!

See ya real soon!

Coleen

 

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It is already Friday the 13th of July which isn’t an unlucky day for me. < more... >

We arrived at the airport in plenty of time to check in at the Alaska airlines desk for our first flight to Chicago. They tell us our bags have been checked thru but unfortunately we need to check ourselves in at the British desk in Chicago for the next two flight legs.  This shouldn’t be a problem as we have 3 hours to make the connection and get where we need to be. Right? 

The reality of the Chicago connection seemed a tad more complicated. Chris and I arrived in Chicago and worked our way thru the terminal to the shuttle leading to the international terminal where we checked in at the British airlines desk. The agent at the desk informed us that we were invited to go to the first class lounge located next to gate 11, but unfortunately they did not have a fast track line at O’Hare. Initially that was fine, until she further explained that the line was just about an hour long.  (Ok.. I get it …. now I know why she was apologizing.)  Behind us snaked a security line that made me wonder if 3 hours for a connection with time to enjoy that wonderful lounge, was indeed enough.

And here is a confession – if you are ever with me and we are presented with a choice of lines to get into please do not allow me to choose unless of course you have time to kill and have a desire to be in the longest line. For some reason I am cosmically drawn to the line that will have some kind of issue just moments before I am the next to go.  Supermarkets, drive thrus, and yes airport security. I choose the line that for the last 15 minutes has been moving at a very quick pace.  Just as we approach and are now one person form the security station, here comes an army of flight crews who of course have the priority to avoid delayed flights.  We are stopped for what seems like an eternity..  (ok minutes, but if you hate lines as much as I do… then you get it)  about 15 minutes later we are through the screening process and on our way to find the lounge. 

Once there, we are checked in and offered a wide array or beverages and snacks to prepare for our flight. We were given the choice to have dinner before or during the flight so we elected to wait. We found a window seat and watched as our Boeing 777 aircraft pulled up to the gate next door. About 30 minutes later they announced boarding for first class passengers.  We made our way onto the aircraft and to our seats… errr.. beds…  err pods. That may be the best description – pods.  Each seat was very private with its own controls, nice sized table that lifted out of the console, and personal entertainment screen. They even provided a light weight sleep suit, slippers and a personal amenity kit with lip balm, tooth brush, toothpaste, eye shades and a pair of comfy socks for the trip. Nice touch!

Once airborne we were provided menus for dinner which provided several starter options as well as entrees. Chris had the Lobster salad with sesame chicken and I opted for the steak and mushroom pie with mashed potatoes. Dessert was New York cheese cake with berries. They also had a nice wines list with 3 reds, 3 whites and champagne as well.

After dinner the stewards came around and converted the seats to beds.  Fully flat, approx 6 feet and was a very comfy way to cross the pond. I even managed to get a little sleep to prepare for the next leg of the journey that will take us to Barcelona.

We arrived at the airport in plenty of time to check in at the Alaska airlines desk for our first flight to Chicago. < more... >