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We Came To Play!

We Came To Play!

Opening Magic Kingdom

Opening Magic Kingdom

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Williams Family Featured in Family Times Magazine


We were featured in the Family Times Magazine, again.  The first time was last spring, and the subject was Disney travel.  So, when a different reporter called to do another story on travel, specifically over the holidays, I informed them that we had been featured in the spring issue for a travel article as well.  Not that I didn’t want to be featured again, just that I didn’t want the reporter to go to all that work and then have the article scrapped because the same family had just been in the magazine.  The reporter checked, and it was okay for us to be in the magazine again.

The reporter came to our house one day in the late afternoon.  We had made arrangements for a specific time.  She asked us all questions about traveling during the holidays and took notes.  I think she had a picture already in mind, and we had the photo opportunity for her. . . the stack of suitcases.  So, that is the photo that was in the magazine.

Most of the article is accurate.  We have traveled to a variety of places during holidays.  And, travel can be busy and hectic and sometimes there is weather to content to.  We have spent unplanned overnights in cities due to delayed or cancelled flights.  We have flown to and landed in cities that were not on our itinerary.  We have experienced weather issues, plane issues, crew issues, and car issues when traveling.  A bit of all of the above is to be expected.  When you expect a bit of a delay or hassle, then it is a pleasant surprise when flights and itineraries go smoothly.
The one point I wanted the reporter to get and put in the article, isn’t there. That is the point that there are a whole bunch of people eating at restaurants on those holidays when people perceive that everyone is around a large table with their family in the dining room at a family home. That Normal Rockwell picture is hard to capture and our holiday travels tell us that you can get that same meal, and possible that same feeling, having your family gathered around a table at a restaurant. And, that you won’t be alone—there are many other families that do the same.




Thanks to our travel agent, Shauna, for referring us!

Click here to see the entire electronic edition of the Family Times Magazine.

OCCP's Halloween Dance

 OCCP hosted it annual Halloween Dance and Costume Contest at Bridge View Center Friday evening for children kindergarten through sixth grade.




The large event center room was filled with creative costumes and dancing kids. Parent chaperones lined the perimeter of the room, along with other parents in attendance the event.


 The entrance to the dance was decorated for the occasion with theater props from previous productions and dances.




Every 10-15 minutes the music would stop for door prize drawings. As children enter, a number is written on their hand. Throughout the night, numbers are drawn for prizes. If the number drawn matches your hand, you get a prize!



The costume contest came towards the end of the evening.  Three trophies were awarded for funniest costume, scariest costume, and best costume.  The boy in his “tick” costume took the prize for best costume!  The photo below also shows the funniest costume and scariest costume winners.


OCCP is a great organization doing many things for our community and children. The project on the front burner right now is the theater production of “Best Christmas Pageant Ever” to be performed at Bridge View Center the first week-end in December featuring about 50 children in various parts.




To read about a previous OCCP dance, click here.



To read about previous OCCP productions—click on the name of the show—Oliver Twist and The Wizard of Oz.



To read about The Wizard of Oz cast performing in Central Park—click here!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

So You Want to Meet Chip and Dale

 Hunting for and finding Disney characters is right up there with collecting autographs and photos.  For us, it is just part of going to Walt Disney World or taking a Disney Cruise.  We want to meet the characters.  Someone once asked me, "How many times can you see the same mouse?"  My response--"How many times can you_______(fill in the blank with whatever pastime they like)?"  They get the idea.  Anyway, so you want to meet the Chip and Dale at Walt Disney World.  Let's see if we can find them!

 One of the first places to look would be at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom.  We got to say hello to just Dale in the photo above, but sometimes you might find both Chip and Dale.
 Another place to look at the Magic Kingdom would be right on Town Square beside the Exposition Hall.  The Exposition Hall is just to the right as you enter the Magic Kingdom.  There is a character meet and greet location just to the right of Exposition Hall.  That's where we found Chip and Dale in the photo above.

 And, here they are right on Main Street, U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom!  Ah, Cinderella Castle in the background, two lovable chipmunks in the foreground.  What could be better than that?

 Speaking of Exposition Hall, one rainy afternoon we found Chip and Dale just inside Exposition Hall meeting guests.  Just enter Exposition Hall--it looks like a store when you enter, but keep going to the back on the left.  You will be surprised by what might find!

 Now, let's take a look at EPCOT and see if we can find our fury friends.  One place to check is the EPCOT Character Spot, just to the right of the Fountain of Nations.  Sometimes Chip and Dale can be found there, along with many other Disney characters.  The photos above and below were taken at the EPCOT Character Spot.  Note:  I understand that sometimes Chip and Dale can be found just outside the EPCOT Character Spot.  As you exit, turn left and then look to your left.  We have seen them there, but just haven't stopped for a photo or autograph.


 At Hollywood Studios, Chip and Dale have their own morning meet and greet at the courtyard in front of the giant Sorcerer Mickey hat, as seen in the photos above and below.  The last time we were there, Chip and Dale must have remembered us, as they had us turn around and take a photo.  As you can see, they were making fun of the backs of our shirts.  Silly chipmunks!


 Another place you can find Chip and Dale at Hollywood Studios is at what we like to call the "Character Explosion."  When exiting from The Magic of Disney Animation attraction, guests enter a large room with animation stations, etc.  On non-Fantasmic! nights, this area is bursting with characters with new ones showing up every 20-25 minutes or so.  This character explosion lasts for about two hours!


 Now, I searched our many photos for Chip and Dale at Animal Kingdom and couldn't come up with a thing.  If I were a predicting person, I would say they might be found at two different locations at Animal Kingdom.  One would be the Character Greeting Trails at Camp Minnie Mickey and the other would be at Rafiki's Planet Watch.  Where have you seen Chip and Dale at Animal Kingdom?

Another location you can find Chip and Dale is at Fort Wilderness.  The photo above was taken at Mickey's Backyard BBQ.  Chip and Dale were ready to help cook dinner.  There's also a nightly campfire hosted by Chip and Dale at Fort Wilderness.

As far as dining with the chipmunks, only the Garden Grill at EPCOT offers that opportunity.  The Garden Grill is open for dinner dining only.  Chip and Dale used to be a part of the character meal at the Liberty Tree Inn at the Magic Kingdom, but alas, there is no longer a character meal at that location.

Some Disney guests have a difficult time distinguishing between the two.  Here's an easy way to tell them apart.  Chip has a dark, almost black, nose. . . like a chocolate CHIP!  Get it?

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

A Disney Birthday Surprise!

A friend of ours turned the magical age of 40 on Monday. To honor her birthday, her husband surprised her with a trip to Walt Disney World. While it really isn’t my story, I was involved in lots of parts of it and have kept it a secret for a while. So, here’s the wonderful story of a wonderful birthday surprise.



This all started about two months ago when our friend’s husband conspired with another couple to get his wife on a plane and to Orlando to celebrate her birthday. First issue was the fact that the wife typically handled all the vacation details, reservations, etc. and the he didn’t know who to call. I gave him the name and number of our fantastic travel agent, Shauna. She was happy to help!



I then got another call, “We’re making dining reservations, what times are the parades?” Yep, I could help with that one, too, and asked some questions about where they were going to eat, etc.



Another call, “What kind of a reason can you think of to get her to Des Moines on Sunday without it seeming suspicious?” While this one was a bit harder, I came up with an idea of a “couples only brunch held at a hip art gallery on the East side that offered watercolor painting and sculpture making while drinking champagne.” Pretty good, huh? While I don’t know if he used the story or not, (I’ll find out later) I was thinking that if an art gallery doesn’t already offer this experience, they may want to start!



Next call, “What’s something we could do that would be special when we get there Sunday night?” Well, my idea was the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage, but they actually got tickets to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. That will work, too!



I checked in on Sunday. Boy, was she ever surprised! They had landed in Orlando and were on the Magical Express on their way to the surprise resort! I knew it was the Contemporary with a Magic Kingdom view, but I wasn’t telling. They had had a great flight and were now in love with AirTran. Yeah, me too!



At 7:00 am Monday morning I got a text. “We’re opening the park!” Yep, I knew what that meant. I meant that they had been chosen to be the First Family at the Magic Kingdom. That they would ride through an almost empty park on a fire engine and board the train in Toontown and ride into Main Street Station during rope drop and get to countdown and throw the confetti to officially open the park. What a great thing to do on your birthday!



I got another call Tuesday morning. “When are parent/teacher conferences in February? There’s a free dining special and we are thinking about coming back.” I answered the question and asked how their trip had been so far. Great! They are coming back home today—the birthday woman, her husband, and their friends. And, while I wasn’t with them in body, I was with them in spirit. I could imagine their excitement at being at the happiest place on earth!



That’s what Disney does, you know. It brings out every part of you that is still young and young at heart. A visit to the Magic Kingdom makes you believe that all your dreams really can and do come true. And, for one very lucky person, yesterday, many of her dreams were coming true!

The Many Hats of Disney!


Oh, the many hats of Disney!  Since we are somewhat of an unusual family with unusual pastimes, one activity we do while shopping at Disney is try on hats.


The scenario goes something like this. . . we wander into a shop in any park or any resort.  The husband heads off in one direction and I follow the boy looking at merchandise that is nearby him, but keeping an eye on him.  Then, the husband comes to find us and says, “Hey, Schnooks, check this out.”  He will then be donning some sort of hat he has found in the store.  If he really likes it, he will say, “Get a picture of this.”  This is when I am supposed to take out the camera and get a shot.

Some hats get tried on without a photo.  Others get tried on with a photo.


None of us are safe.  Hats have been donned by all of us at some point or another in the World.




We have even brought our own hats to wear!  The Santa hats got us into the spirit of the Season at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.


Have we ever purchased any of the hats?  Yes.  We purchased the raccoon hat that we found at Fort Wilderness, two pirate hats, and a jack-o-lantern hat with Mickey ears.


The hat thing reminds me of something that happened during our second Disney Cruise.  We would see this lovely couple each night in the lobby getting their picture taken with the characters.  The first night, the man had on an interesting Disney hat.  We thought he was excited about the first night on board.  The next night, same man, different hat.  Hmm. . . So, on the third night, sure enough, a different hat.  That’s when I decided to ask him about the hats.  He told us that he was a huge Disney fan and was also very difficult to find a gift for.  So, his family, friends, and students (he was a high school principal) would get him Disney hats as gifts.  He had quite a collection and brought several of the hats with him on the cruise.  As the days past, he would often be seen wearing different hats during different times of day.  That, my friends, is an example of Disney spirit!


So, if you and your family are looking for a relatively inexpensive way to experience what Disney shops have to offer, or are trying to beat the heat on a warm afternoon, check out the hats.  They can be found in any shop at any park and at any resort.  Happy hunting!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Do You Know the Secret About the Giant View-Master?


If you have been on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, then you have noticed the giant View-Master that Buzz uses to train the Space Rangers.  But have you noticed that there are no other View-Master reels other than the one already in the View-Master?

That is because Disney Imagineers have hidden the View-Master reels at another park!  The giant View-Master reels can be found at Hollywood Studios in none other than the Toy Story Mania queue.  As you wind your way through this amazingly themed queue, you will discover several View-Master reels, but alas, no View-Master.  That is because there is only one giant View-Master in all of the Walt Disney World Parks.

So, the next time you are in the queue for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, ask someone nearby where they might find other View-Master reels for the View-Master.  Or, the next time you are winding through the Toy Story Mania queue, ask what happened to the View-Master for all the reels and see how others respond.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

The Character(s) We Are Most Looking Forward To . . .


We were discussing over breakfast what characters we were most looking forward to seeing or finding during our next trip to Walt Disney World.  The boy emphatically said Huey, Duey, and Luey would be the characters he most wanted to find and see.  The husband added to the “duck” theme with Scrooge McDuck and the boy then added Professor VonDrake into the mix.  I think they’ve gone quackers, but it does bear some thought as to characters that might be found on the Disney Dream.  I mean, Donald is the helmsman for the new ship, so why wouldn’t his relatives be found on board?  I’m digressing.

 One of the characters I’m most looking forward to seeing/finding is Bert and Mary Poppins. You see, we have met Mary a few times, but Bert only once. And, it has been a few visits since we had seen Mary until our last visit in March.




When meeting Mary Poppins, she will surely ask about your favorite part of the story. The boy will tell you it is when the chimney sweeps dance on the roof. “Ah, Steppin’ Time,” she would interject. She will also tell you to hurry or “fitzpah, fitzpah.”



I understand that Bert and Mary are making appearances in the Magic Kingdom as of late, so I am hopeful we can spy them.  And, while we don’t have plans to dine at 1900 Park Fair, that is another location Mary can be found.  We have also seen Mary Poppins in EPCOT, both by Norway and the United Kingdom Pavilions.

What character would you most like to see during your next visit to Walt Disney World?

Did You Know You Can Design Your Own T-Shirts at Disney?


 Did you know that make your own shirts at Downtown Disney’s Marketplace?  We made the shirts shown in the photo above at Disney’s Design-A-Tee, one of the shops at Downtown Disney.

 If you are taking a bus to Downtown Disney, Design-A-Tee will be on your right, just past the bathrooms and water jets. It is across from the Christmas store and next to the art store.




If you are taking a boat to Downtown Disney, Design-A-Tee will be past Rainforest Café on your left, just past the art store and across from the Christmas store.


 When you walk in, you will see touch screen kiosks that have an outside trim that makes them look like t-shirts. These kiosks have tubing that goes to the ceiling. The tubing runs crisscross around the ceiling of the store.




There are over 400 pieces of Disney art to choose from in designing your t-shirts. A variety of sizes and colors are also available. As you can see, we customized ours with words as well. Adding text can be a bit tricky as the designs only allow for so many letters. (We have found the design functions on Zazzle.com to be more flexible when it comes to text.)


 The premise is you design a “mini-t-shirt” the size of your hand. After proofing, that mini-me design is sent flying through the overhead tubes into the back of the shop where it will magically be stretched into the size you need.




The price is a bit high, but not outrageous. You can wait for your shirts—30 to 90 minutes depending on how busy they are, or you can come back later and pick them up or have then delivered to your Walt Disney World Resort for no charge.


 My recommendation would be to go to Design-A-Tee first, if you are at all interested in purchasing customized t-shirts. Then, you can take in the rest of the Marketplace or Downtown Disney while the shirts are made. Since Design-A-Tee is near the bus stops, just stop in and grab your t-shirts before taking the bus back to your resort. Then you have your shirts and can wear them!




As you can see, we have one set of matching t-shirts from Design-A-Tee. We will do it again when the boy grows out of this one or if we wanted a long-sleeve design. Note that you don’t have to make matching shirts at Design-A-Tee—the point is customized t-shirts. If you have someone in your party celebrating something special, you could capture that with a customized t-shirt, or make one to commemorate a special visit or memory.



Design-A-Tee at Downtown Disney is just another way Disney provides you with an experience that seems magical and custom made for you, the Disney guest. 


Saturday, October 23, 2010

Some Changes in AAA Perks at Walt Disney World


Since we are set of hands and toes away from our next, and 7th, visit to the Walt Disney World Resort, our paperwork arrived this past week.  In reviewing the booklet that comes with all of your package information, I noticed that there are some changes in “perks” for AAA members.


The first change I noticed is that while there is still a ticket per person for Disney’s Story Time Experience, an intimate storytelling experience with a character from a classic Disney feature, it has been moved from the Magic Kingdom to EPCOT. While we have never taken advantage of this perk before, we were aware of it and had actually called to make the required reservation. The times did not fit with our touring plans. NOW, the times and days are listed on the back of the ticket—a nice touch—and an advanced reservation is still required. The Story Time Experience is located in the Norway Pavilion next to Maelstrom and is offered Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 10:00 am, 10:45 am, 11:30 am, and 12:15 pm. Your ticket to Disney’s Story Time Experience along with the advance reservation made at least 24 hours in advance are required for admission. Note: Two of the above mentioned times are actually before the official opening of World Showcase at 11:00 am. But since the Norway Pavilion is the home of Akershus and Princess Storybook Dining, you can gain access to Norway before the rest of World Showcase opens.




Again, we will not be taking advantage of this perk, as our schedule for our upcoming trip has us at EPCOT on a Sunday.


 
Another change I noticed was a ticket per person for a AAA Special Parade Viewing at the Magic Kingdom. This ticket, along with an advanced reservation made at least 24 hours in advance, allows for special reserved viewing area for the 3:00 pm parade at the Magic Kingdom. The ticket indicates that the reserved viewing is available on certain days of the week and black out dates apply. The viewing area is on the 2nd level of the Main Street Train Station. Hmm. . . I think we’ll check this perk out and see if the reserved viewing is available while we are at the Magic Kingdom.




Our Photopass card came in the packet of information as well. All I need to do is activate the card and pre-order our Photopass CD at a significant savings.



Let the countdown begin!