Our FROZEN Summer Fun!

With the popularity of Disney’s FROZEN it was no surprise that we spent a portion of our summer vacation with the hottest characters!

 Our plans to meet or get a glimpse of the characters started way before our vacation began.  We knew Olaf, or a replica of Olaf, was located at Castaway Cay, Disney Cruise Line’s private island in The Bahamas.  And, we had snagged a Fastpass + to meet Princess Anna and Queen Elsa at the Princess Fairytale Hall in the Magic Kingdom 60 days prior to our vacation. 

We had also “heard” that Anna was greeting guests on board Disney ships, so imagine our delight when we saw that both Princess Anna and Queen Elsa would be on the Disney Fantasy.  All we needed was a special ticket!  I headed off to D-Lounge at the designated time—shortly after 12:30—and had to speak to three different Cast Members before obtaining the magic ticket.  One ticket per stateroom, everyone in the party there at the designated time, no need to arrive early, etc.  The time on the first ticket was going to overlap with some activities we already had planned, and eventually, we were given a ticket with a time that worked for us.  I did not have to wait in line very long to obtain the ticket, but had heard that the line had been quite long just a few minutes prior.  Also, many guests did not see the advertisement in the Navigator when they checked in at the port, but were still able to obtain a magical ticket from Guest Services.

Our designated day was our first “at sea” day and our time was 11:30 am.  Location—Animator’s Palate on Deck 3 Aft.  The restaurant had been turned into a frozen paradise by the creative use of lighting and digital displays on the screens.  We showed our ticket at the door, followed the path, and gave our ticket to the appropriate Cast Member, and our Key to the World Card to the photographer and the rest was history.  It was great to meet the characters together.  We did not need to bring autograph items as that was being handled for us. . . but more about that another time.  All three of us agreed this meet and greet was a highlight from our cruise.

Next came Olaf at Castaway Cay.  We said hello first thing in the morning as we exited the ship.  Good thing, too, as when we returned to the ship, one of Olaf’s arms had been broken off.  We informed the nearest Cast Member upon discovery.

Our next interaction with Olaf came when the phone rang in our resort room at Walt Disney World.  Olaf’s voice was telling us it was time to get up and have some FROZEN summer fun!  Just a note—one of our recommendations is to set a wake-up call and then answer by pushing the speaker button on the phone.  That way, everyone in the room can hear the character on the other end.  I asked people throughout our trip if they had heard Olaf’s wake-up call and I could not find anyone else who had made a wake-up call! 

 At Disney’s Hollywood Studios we once again bumped into Olaf as a puppet of sorts and then again on the big screen in front of the hat for the “Welcome Show.”  And, of course, all of the characters from FROZEN showed up in some magic photos throughout Hollywood Studios.

The FROZEN fireworks display was also hosted by the characters—both live and digital.  Just another treat!  Oh, and speaking of treats—we enjoyed the Olaf cupcakes at Hollywood Studios, too!

We “hopped” back to Hollywood Studios on another afternoon and took in the FROZEN Sing-a-long.  We obtained a ticket for a specific showing, queued up 20-30 minutes prior, and made our way in the Premier Theater.  We ended up with great seats in the second row! (NOTE:  There are plans to move the sing-a-long to the location which previously housed The American Idol Experience, as that attraction is closing.)

The show itself was delightful!  Hosted by two citizens of Arendale who are then joined by Anna, Elsa, Kristof, and Olaf digitally.  The story is retold with great movie footage and of course, singing along!  (Remind me to tell you the story of the young lady sitting in front of us.)

Finally, it was our day to meet Anna and Elsa at the Magic Kingdom.  We had a Fastpass+ time for 9:00 am which was great for morning extra magic hours.  The wait was less than 5 minutes for us and we were ushered into the room to greet the Princess and the Queen—separately, but in the same room.  No wonder the wait is so long—as Elsa just watched us greet Anna and by the time we got to Elsa, another family had been let in.  My efficiency radar went way up on this one, but nonetheless, it was magical.

There was also a shop when guests exit that is filled to the brim with FROZEN and other Disney Princess merchandise.  We found the playset that we had been hunting for since leaving the ship and promptly paid for it.  It included the figures of all the characters and we didn’t buy it on the ship thinking we would get it at Walt Disney World.  Alas, no one had it, even World of Disney! 

Speaking of merchandise, we also brought home an Olaf plushy and ornament for the Christmas tree to commemorate our FROZEN summer fun!

NOTE:  We saw the movie for FREE when it opened in theaters courtesy of Adventures by Disney--click here to read more.