April 2011

I SLEPT IN CINDERELLA’S CASTLE (Part 2)

by oh amanda on April 27, 2011

(Catch up here first: Disney Social Media Moms Day One & Two and Cinderella’s Castle Part 1)

#castlegirls

Finally! We are driving away from our private Disney Junior dinner to watch The Magic, Memories & You (a super cool multi-media show ON the Castle) and Wishes (the fireworks show). But as guests of Cinderella herself we don’t have to stand with sweaty vacationers breathing down our necks–oh no!

Steve waltzed us right in the middle of the only green space in front of the castle! He just opened up a gate in the middle of the sidewalk and in we walked. We were literally LAYING IN THE GRASS as we watched the shows. Not only that we were snacking away on buckets of popcorn, Mickey Mouse Ice Cream bars and bottled water. If I had been on the outside looking in, I would have been tweeting pictures of us to see if anyone could figure out why we were famous. It was that cool.

Me & Crystal on the lawn waiting for Wishes!

After the show, we ran up to our room (IN CINDERELLA’S CASTLE!) to change clothes and dump our cameras. For some reason we were too excited to take pictures. Plus it was dark. Then we headed down to our private viewing area to watch the Main Street Electrical Parade. Of course, some of us couldn’t watch it without asking Steve some more questions about security, the scheduling of performers and kidnapping. You know, the usual Disney questions.

All this time, Les had been an honorary member of the House of Hills. But after the parade, Steve let him pal around with us. We hit up the new AMAZING queue at The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh (did you know the new movie is coming out July 15?), rode Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear (where Steve told us how to score BIG!) went shopping and got a tour of the new Fantasyland expansion. (Gotcha! He didn’t give us a tour, just explained it all in massive detail while looking at the map.)

Then Les had to leave because we were going down to the Utilidors! Never heard of that particular attraction? That’s the underground world of the Magic Kingdom! The place where Cast Members can fix plumbing, dump trash, get away from the Small World song and can travel through the Kingdom without being seen! HOW COOL IS THAT?

This is a very top secret place and no cameras are allowed. We even had to have special nametags to get in! But at this point it was like 2am, so I don’t think anyone cared anyway. Not that the Magic Kingdom was quiet. Oh no! The parks are being cleaned, fixed and readied 24 hours a day. It never closes.

While we were in the Utitlidors, Steve told me my new favorite story…

When Walt Disney died in 1966, they were in the middle of planning “the Florida project” or the Magic Kingdom of Disney World as we know it. Walt’s brother, Roy postponed his own retirement to head up the project and make sure that his brother’s dream would become a reality. And he did it–the Magic Kingdom was ready a full month early AND under-budget! Can you imagine?

The day of the opening ceremony, Roy Disney was supposed to speak and open the park to the public and media. Well, he apparently got emotional about his brother’s passing and said, “I’m not going up there without my brother.” The PR guys and others around him were like, “Well, there’s nothing we can do about that! It starts in FIVE minutes! You have to go out there.” Roy crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair and said, “I’m not going without my brother.” For the next few minutes there was mild chaos as they tried to figure out who could give the speech. Finally, an insightful Cast Member walked up holding Mickey Mouse’s hand and led him to Roy. Roy stood up, took Mickey’s hand and walked out to give his speech.

{i totally stole this pic off the Orlando Sentinel site...}

And as he gave his speech, he wanted everyone to know that this new theme park was not part of their family legacy. It wasn’t about his dad. Or him. It was about Walt. It was Walt’s dream, his baby, his love. So he changed the name then and there to WALT DISNEY WORLD. Not Disney World in the vein of Disneyland. But WALT Disney World so everyone would know it was Walt’s dream come true…

Walt Disney World is a tribute to the philosophy and life of Walter Elias Disney… and to the talents, the dedication, and the loyalty of the entire Disney organization that made Walt Disney’s dream come true. May Walt Disney World bring Joy and Inspiration and New Knowledge to all who come to this happy place… a Magic Kingdom where the young at heart of all ages can laugh and play and learn — together. ~Roy Disney October 25, 1971

But the really romantic part of the story is that Roy died just two months later. What an amazing story of devotion, loyalty and making others’ dreams come true! We all had tears in our eyes as he told the story!

We finally left the utilidors and walked through a vacant Magic Kingdom to our room (IN THE CASTLE!). But before we went to bed we had to put on our Cinderella’s Castle Suite ROBES and pose for a picture in front of the castle. WHO GETS TO DO THAT?!!

castle robes

The next morning I got up first (well, after Amy who was doing #b90days in the foyer) and after I got dressed (in my new Cinderella shirt), I went outside to see the park all by myself. But I got out there about 5 minutes too late and the park had JUST opened. Anyway, there was a Photo Pass girl in front of the castle and we had a little impromptu photo shoot just for me!

photo pass

Then we were off to the races! Steve had of course retired after our all-nighter. But never fear, we had another amazing guide to hang on to–Michael! He took us to Cinderella’s Royal Table for breakfast where I had the most amazing stuffed french toast I’ve ever seen in my life…

are you kidding me?!

And this is where we realized we had been breathing Pixie Dust for a little too long. When you arrive at Cinderella’s Royal Table, the first thing you do is get your picture taken with Cinderella. Well, when we saw her, we were gushing about staying in her suite. We told her thank you and gave her hugs and cheek kisses. We thought she was really THE CINDERELLA. And that SHE really set up the suite for us. That she REALLY knew we had just come from HER HOUSE!

But it gets worse. When Snow White came to our table, we jumped to our feet (a table of SIX women with no kids at Disney World!) and told her we slept in the suite. She said (in her most wonderfully sweet and precious Snow White voice), “Oh, are you the b-loggers?” As if she was trying out a new word she’d never heard before!

Snow White and the B-loggers

We laughed hysterically and then proceeded to make fools of ourselves explaining blogging and why we got to sleep in the Castle. And with each additional Princess (Belle, Jasmine and Ariel) we continued to talk, to explain our blogs and thank them for their hospitality–AS IF THEY WERE REALLY THE REAL PRINCESSES!

Amy explaining the internet to Belle

We knew we were crazy but we couldn’t help ourselves. The magic had fully penetrated our being. There were no kids to play act in front of. We were just six twiterpated women who were having Princess dreams come true. I’m pretty sure if they had offered us Princess dresses to wear the rest of the day we would have donned them in a nano-second!

Michael taking us backstage

Finally, Michael drove us to our park of choice–The Animal Kingdom and got us set up on the Kilimanjaro Safari. After that we were on our own to enjoy the parks as peasants. It was tough coming down from the royal heights, I have to admit.

The coolest part about talking to Michael, Steve and our other Castle Cast Members is that they kept saying, “WE”. Even if it was in reference to something that took place before they were born…”When we built Magic Kingdom” or “when WE started Epcot”. I asked them about it and they said it’s just part of their vocabulary–not because they were trained to say it but because they really feel that they are part of a big family. A group of people who are making dreams come true. For families, kids and even b-loggers!

And now a few extra pictures I haven’t shown you yet…

White Chocolate Pumpkin Carriage filled with Chocolate Covered Strawberries in our suite!

Glass Slipper Towel in our bathroom

Turndown Service. Probably by GusGus.

This is hard to see--the inside of the fireplace had fireworks--one was a hidden Mickey!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

And one final picture of me…

Me & Steve, Magical VIP Tour Guide

This whole experience has secured my dream of being a VIP Tour Guide at Disney when I retire. One day it will be ME leading crazy groups of people through the parks! Only I’ll look like Tour Guide Barbie. Ahem.

Most pictures by me. Some by Crystal and Amy. Don’t steal ‘em regardless, ok?

Want more Disney? See my most magical posts on earth!

I am not a Disney employee. The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent Disney’s positions or opinions

{ 13 comments }

BEST DISNEY WORLD DINING TIPS: Top Ten {Tuesday}

by oh amanda on April 25, 2011

in disney

Last September I did a post about Best Disney Websites. And honestly, I didn’t have a long list. I’m kind of a newbie when it comes to the Internet-Disney subculture. Most of you real Disney fans were properly shocked by my naivete then proceeded to DEMAND that I read The Disney Food Blog.

I did and promptly fell in love.

The food at Disney MAY be my most favorite thing. And the Disney Food Blog highlights every bit of Disney-food there is! We’re talking snacks, meals, drinks and planning. When we were on vacation in September, I pulled up the Disney Food Blog on Les’ phone more times than I can count!

Well, when I was at Disney Social Media Moms Celebration (Cinderella’s Castle Day 2 *is* underway and will be up this week!) I finally got to meet the author of the Disney Food Blog, AJ Wolfe! She is delightful and I decided we must do something together. Which worked out perfectly because she just released the MOST FABULOUS ebook EVER.

I read it all and learned so many new things I’m going to start searching out answers on the Moms Panel about food! Not to mention it made me so excited about our upcoming trip in December! I think I’m going to plan our trip around restaurants and meals I need to eat!

So, before I read the book I thought, “I’ll do a post about some of my favorite Disney restaurants and meals. Then I’ll mention the Disney Food Blog Guide Ebook, etc.” But the book is SO good that basically this post is going to be about the ebook with an aside to me and my favorites. I’m telling you, if you are going to Disney World and plan on eating there YOU NEED THIS BOOK. Here we go:

The Top Ten Things You Need To Learn From The Disney Food Blog Guide & A Little Bit of Stuff From OhAmanda

{nice one, huh?}

1. The Disney Dining Plan

I told you we did the Dining Plan on our trip in September. It was free when you booked a room and bought tickets. And to me it was worth every single penny and every single calorie. The food was divine, the service excellent and the experience unparalleled.

Well, apparently, I may have missed out on some savings! AJ gives an awesome rundown of the cost of the Disney Dining Plan–whether or not it’s a deal for you and your family. If the FREE Dining is worth it and more. She actually gives charts with prices to help you decide!

2. Top 5

kouzzina

You know I love me some lists. (Clearly.) And if I had to choose my Top 5 Disney Restaurants, it would be tough. Especially because I haven’t eaten at all of them. But I’ll give it a stab anyway. Here’s a list within a list for ya:

1. 50′s Prime Time Cafe {I can’t help it. I’ll never get over the surprise of my waiter yelling at me.}
2. Akershus (Breakfast) {Maybe it was because of Lydia’s love for it? Plus, I love breakfast.}
3. Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue {Best of the best!}
4. Boma {It’s at the Animal Kingdom Lodge! And so much food! SO MUCH FOOD!}
5. Kouizzina {I’ve been there 3 times, so I kinda feel like an expert.}

If my list doesn’t do it for you–AJ has TONS of these Top 5 lists…for counter service, character meals, table service and more. She’s speaking my love language.

3. Itinerary

The other day I read a question on the Moms Panel site where someone asked if they thought they could eat at 3 sit-down meals in Epcot in one day. I don’t know if it was possible or not, but I sure would want to try! AJ gives some sample itineraries for your meals–where to eat (and what to get) if you are at each of the parks, at some of the resorts, if you are trying to save money, if you are a vegetarian or if you have a large group.

4. SNACKS

Ok, I love the meals. I love sit-down dinners. But I can down some snacks. I made certain we did not waste our snack credits on frivolous snacks like bottled water or *gag* turkey legs! I wanted the most fun and interesting snacks we could find. And Disney Food Blog came to my rescue. We had the carrot cake cookie at Hollywood Studios…

hollywood studios snacks

The Zebra Cupcake at Animal Kingdom…

disney world food

and the Cinnamon Roll from Main Street Bakery. And fudge. And Mickey Mouse Rice Krispies Treats dipped in chocolate. And more…and more!

5. Specialty Meals, Events & More

The Food and Wine Festival at Epcot is FULL of great food (ok, I’ve only been once and it was like 10 years ago and I was with my 70 year old grandmother, so I don’t really remember much of the food). Every holiday serves up new and exciting foods. You wanna know about how to get a birthday cake delivered to your table? Propose to your girlfriend at dinner? Watch the fireworks from your table? AJ tells you every bit of it in her ebook.

However, she did NOT mention these special Halloween cupcakes we bought while we were there. In honor of my favorite Wicked Witch’s sister (I have a favorite Wicked Witch?!)…

wizard of oz cupcake

6. Printables

You know I’m a sucker for a printable. And AJ includes some for budgeting, booking, calendaring and even brainstorming your meals. My little fill-in-the-blank heart is pitter-pattering right now!

7. Reviews

On the Moms Panel, people always ask about our favorite restaurants. Or the best restaurant for a certain age-group. (See, here’s one I answered about best character meals!) The DFB Guide includes reviews of EVERY RESTAURANT ON PROPERTY. Are you kidding me?!

8. Dining With Kids

disney food kids

There’s picky eaters, no naps, missed bedtimes, too much sugar and more to deal with when you are eating with kids at Disney. The DFB Guide covers all of it and more–the character meals, picky and adventurous eaters, baby food and even baby-sitting! Lydia’s favorite thing about the kids’ meals is that they were always served on a Mickey Mouse shaped plate!

9. ADRs

For the uninitiated, ADRs are Advanced Dining Reservations. You NEED these for certain meals (like if you want to eat at Cinderella’s Royal Table or with Chef Mickey)! We were hoping for a character breakfast to end our vacation. But I couldn’t get anything. I ended up calling EVERY SINGLE DAY while we were at Disney and finally got 1900 Park Fare (see my #momfail on that one) the day before!

10. Money Back Guarantee AND Coupon Code

The DFB Guide is 250 pages (including TONS of links and full color photos). And it is $18.95 which I admit, is kinda steep for an e-book. BUT if you don’t like the book or you don’t think it’s helpful, you can get your money back! (But believe me you will NOT want your money back!) And you can get $4 off with the code: OhAmanda.

OH! AND I’M GIVING ONE AWAY TODAY! Wanna win?

Enter to win a Disney Food Blog’s Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Ebook (do one or all, leave a separate comment for each):

Leave a comment. What’s your favorite Disney food? restaurant? meal?
Tweet it! I’m hungry for DISNEY! I need the @DisneyFoodBlog’s new ebook! @oohamanda is giving 1 away! http://bit.ly/OhDisFood
Share on Facebook. It’s easy – just click the “Like” button at the bottom of this post! You can even add a status update with it!

Contest ends Saturday, April 30.

:: :: ::

Let’s see your Top Ten! WRITE it on your blog. Then LINK back to me somewhere in the post (you can use my button or just a text link, I don’t mind) so others can play along. Finally, come back and PASTE your url in the linky below. And if you wanna up the fun factor, start visiting and commenting, stumbling and tweeting, facebook liking and sharing the rest of the Top Ten Tuesday’s participants!

Disclosure: I was given the DFB ebook to facilitate this review. I am also an affiliate–anyone can be oneI really was going to just add the book as a post-script to this post but I loved it so much it became my main feature! It’s that good! All opinions my own. I am not a Disney employee.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Little Seeds

by oh amanda on April 25, 2011

in motherhood

source: manjaris creation

Spring is Here!

One day this week, the kids and I laid on the back porch and drank in the spring weather. The sky was blue, the temperature was 74 and nicely breezy, the birds were singing, the creek was dancing and the grass was green. Every year I am surprised at how much the Spring invigorates me. I never realize how much winter has damped my spirits until I get the first whiff of Spring!

The second this Spring hit, we started gardening. Now, not big gardening. In fact, I would not even consider myself a gardener. But I love having my kids play in the dirt and watch things grow. I want them to see their food come from a plant they buried in the dirt. I want them to feel the slowness of growth and the dirtiness of maturation.

{read my full post at Motherhood Your Way…}

{ 0 comments }

Firsts: Top Ten {Tuesday}

April 18, 2011 top ten tuesday

I’m feeling kinda old-school-fill-in-the-email-and-then-email-it-to-four-more-friends kinda thing today. So, here are my… TOP TEN FIRSTS! {sorry, I just couldn’t think of a great new title for that one…} 1. First Car My 1989 red CRX. I loved that little thing. It looked like a micro-machine. Sadly I totaled it in college. {Didn’t I just tell you [...]

Read the full article →

My New Favorite

April 16, 2011 linky love

Photo :: :: :: Lydia and Asa checking out the flowers. Thing I Want To Do :: :: :: Walt Disney Scavenger Hunt Place to Get Lost :: :: :: CraftGawker Site To Spend My Evenings :: :: :: Disney World Moms Panel {I’m answering questions this quarter! Come talk to me about your vacation!} [...]

Read the full article →

Silent Inspiration

April 13, 2011 me

This morning I stumbled across a tweet about Signing Time’s 10th Anniversary. I have loved Signing Time for years (and have blogged about it numerous times!) so I clicked over to enter their contest and watch some special video interviews with co-founder Rachel and her family. I was (as usual) so inspired by them. They [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries