Countdown to Magic

     Hello my friends, we will leave Thursday June 23, heading to our magical laughing place. Disneyland Resort in Anaheim! I am so excited, we all are. I am also a bit sad because my son's won't be with me. My oldest had to stop going three years ago due to life getting in the way. I missed him but I at least still had one son with me. Now he has a new job and can't go so this will be my first trip without my kids. Even though I can't wait to go, I am feeling a bit sad.

     I know though that I will have a magical time! We will stay in Kingman as we always do, eat dinner at Cracker Barrel which is a new tradition started two years ago, and then get up the next day, Friday, and head to Anaheim.

     We should arrive around 2 PM, head to Wal Mart to buy milk and other supplies. Then to the room to unload the vehicle. This year we can go to the parks on Friday night so of course we will. We plan to just put our stuff in the room and not even unp

ack. We are blocked out on Saturday so can unpack then. Friday night will be a riding kind of night.

     We don't usually plan things out when we go to the parks but we do talk about what we want to do first and well, we want to go ride Racers. Our plan is to go to DCA first and see what unfolds. We may find Soarin to have a not so long line so we'll wait there, or we may stop and do something else as we walk by. We will end up at Radiator Springs though and to racing.

     Our first night we are not sure what is for dinner but it may be Flo's V8 or a burger from Smokejumpers. That will unfold too.

     Sadly I know we will not go to Big Thunder Barbecue during our vacation. We will miss the food. What we will miss most of all though is the Mad T Party. It makes us very sad that it is gone, we will miss our daily doses of T.

     We are excited for Frozen, it will be amazing. We can't wait to see Magical Map again and well are excited about everything that is there.

     I won't be online much, I don't plan to spend my days of fun on my phone. I will however check Facebook and might even write a blog some evenings. I always have plans to blog a bit but just never take the time. I will try to keep my readers informed as to what is happening while we are having a blast.

     See you in the land of magic.

Some People Get It, Some Just Do Not

     I have so many friends and relatives who just don't get our love of Disneyland. They always ask me why we go every year. They can't believe that we go to the parks for ten days. Many people ask us how we refrain from getting bored riding the same attractions over and over. Well it is the magic, it is wonderful, it is fantasy, it is being a child again, it is fantasy and well that fantasy is magical.

     I tell those friends of mine who get sort of snotty about Disneyland that going to Disneyland every year is no different than them going camping every weekend. It is pretty much the same when you go camping too. But it is something you love. So I don't understand why some people want to trash on what others love...but this blog is not negative so that is all I will say about that...

     When we enter the main gate we toss our worries away. Then we walk along and go through check point, then off to the parks we go. We rarely know which park we plan to enter first, we just go where the magic takes us. There are times we plan on entering one park first and then hopping over to the other later on. But many times we "wing it" which makes it even more fun.

     We rarely plan out our meals, rides or anything. Everything we do is just done as we walk by. Oh yes once in a while we head for a Fast Pass for a specific attraction but if there is a short wait on one or not too long wait on another, we stop and ride. I mean that is what it is all about.

     The attractions in the parks are amazing. They are experiences that are magical. Even the queue is magical on most attractions. Indiana Jones has one of my favorite queues. I always hope we get to wait a little while so we can check things out. Yes your feet get tired from standing but that is just a part of it all.

     There are some days we don't get on may attractions which is fine. On those days we are just happy to be there. We find places to get a soda/water, and sit to people watch. We also take these opportunities to hunt for Hidden Mickey's or I find new photo ops.

     While we are there it is very busy but we have decided that everyone else is there for the same reason we are, they love the parks as much as we do and we just enjoy the "ride". With that attitude we generally only cross paths of others who are like minded and feel like we do.

     I have many friends who love Disney as much as we do. We talk about it, love going over and over and over again, we never tire of the experience and find new ways to make magic each time we go. We could talk about Disney all of the time and never tire of anything related to it. I love those conversations...they are also the ones who understand when I say I want to scream that I mean I want to scream on a ride...

     So soon we are off to feel the magic!!

Can't Wait to See Frozen

     I absolutely loved Aladdin when it played at the Hyperion at DCA and was sad to see it go but, hey it had a long run. It was time for it to step aside for something new. I was so thrilled to hear Frozen would enter the theater and can't wait to see it.

     I was able to see Aladdin the first year it played and will be lucky enough to see Frozen its first year too.

     I've been watching different video previews of Let it Go from the live production. The technology is amazing. Leave it to Disney to make it bigger than life!  I can't wait to experience it in person. Even this video gives me chills. I can imagine how it will be when I am actually there.

               The lines will be long, but the wait will be worth it. I hope that they let you video tape it because I plan to do so.  So for those who have no seen the Youtube video, enjoy.

Let it Go Frozen Live at the Hyperion

Planning our Meals is a Part of the Magic

     Even before we leave on our Disney vacation to our magical home we start planning our meals. Yes that is right, we start planning what we will eat and new things to try and about what we ate last year and what we will miss long before we leave town.

     We usually head to Downtown Disney and eat a Wetzle Dog our first evening in Anaheim but this year we can go to the parks so we plan to go eat either a Smokejumper burger or my mom thinks spaghetti and Pizza Port sounds great. Oh what a tough decision. But what will actually happen is we will enter the main gate, then as we get closer to the parks we will decide which one we plan to enter first...and yes we will go where our tummies want us to go. Once we enter the park we will decide what sounds good when we get in. Of course we will check out the attractions to see what the wait times are and possibly wait to ride. We always just take things as they happen. That is the magic of the adventure.

     Of course though in our planning we do talk about the things we plan to eat while there.We will visit Pizza Port for pasta, pizza and other yummy food. Another visit is Smoke Jumper Grill for their delicious burgers with condiments galore. Flo's V8 for their healthy and yummy food. To get the taste of Blue Bayou without the high prices we will go to Cafe Orleans for Gumbo and Monte Cristo. The gumbo is the same and it is some of our favorite food. We will eat there more than once. Then there's Award Weiner for a dog and chips. Plaza Inn for character breakfast. We also talk about our meal at River Belle Terrace, breakfast there too. Fish and chips or chicken strips at Stage Door and the baked potato at Harbor Gallery. We will go to Wetzles for our dog at some point and then there are the off property places like Pizza Press. We will eat there several times since we stay at The Carousel.

     There are also the snacks we talk about eating. We love the Churro, will get a Ghirdelli sundae many times, Dole Whip is a favorite once a day treat and the ice cream in Radiator Springs is a must too. Oh and yes who can forget a funnel cake at Stage Door.

     There are new places and foods we plan to try too. One is the churro funnel cake and Hungry Bear. There are many more foods we plan to try. Yes we talk about the food like that is all we do is eat but really it is not. We usually eat one big meal and small or shared meal the rest of the day. Yes we have either a Dole Whip or Ghirdelli Sundae each day, sometimes both but if we have both we don't eat dinner.

     We will miss the Big Thunder Barbecue and hope to find another place that has BBQ. I am sure there are other places we will encounter and there are some I have missed but remembering and planning is a part of the fun even if we don't plan to stick to our plans.

     It is a lot of fun planning our meals. Of course we have no idea when we will eat what. To us though  a part of the magic is talking about our trip and what we will do when we get there. Soon, we will be soar, scream, drop, splash and laugh.
   

Only Disney Fanatics/Dis-nerds Will Understand

      Only those who are completely and totally Disney Fanatics or Dis nerds will understand this post. Only they will truly get it. Those to who Disneyland/DCA is as much a part of their life as well, eating or breathing...those who look forward to that next Disney vacation before the current one is over. Those who call Disney Resort their home.

     We made our reservations in early January and we began planning and talking about our vacation the day we left Anaheim the year before. 

     I mark on the calendar two months out and well, we are at that mark. We are so excited for our trip and it is only 38 days until we leave. WOW 38 days! That is so close. Our list of what we need to bring is written out, our reservation at The Plaza Inn for the character breakfast has been made and now we wait for the day to come when we get in the car and leave.

     We find the anticipation of our upcoming trip home almost, I say almost, as exciting as being there. The talk is about what we will do when we arrive, what we have done in the past and well planning out our trip. Of course, we never really plan our days in the parks or our time at the resort, we let things unfold as the magic carries us away. But it is fun to plan. It is fun to talk about how we will go to DCA our first day or how we will head to Fantasyland first on our second day. Knowing full well that we won't know what we are going to do until we do it.

     I search through Facebook for anything on what is happening in the parks all year long but even more diligently now that it is closer to our trip. I love to read about other guests magical experiences and feel sadness for those who do not feel the magic. I mean it is magical and wonderful just standing in line waiting to get on a ride. It is magical just entering the gates. Heck for us it is magical strolling down Harbor Boulevard on our block out day checking out the little shops along the way. 

     I plan to blog about our days while I am there, to share the spherical places we visit and the things we do.  I want to do this because I enjoy reading about it when I am not there, I feel the magic through others magical visits. So I hope to make others feel the magic when they can't be there to experience it on their own. I am sure I won't blog each night but will sure try to. If I even share a picture here it will be fun. 

     Only 38 more days!!! Yes I have Disney on my mind, all of the time! 

     

     

Disney Resort: It's About Atmosphere

     Disney Resort is not just about the rides, it is about the smells, the sounds, the feel, the air and well simply the atmosphere that makes it special and magical. You don't even have to enter the parks to feel the magic if you truly feel the magic.

     We get annual passes to Disneyland and DCA every year. Our passes have black out dates but that does not stop us from having fun because it is more than just the rides, it is well like I said earlier, the atmosphere.
     Of course entering the parks is the most fun of all but we find plenty to do on our black out days. Our room has the Disney feel, everything in the entire area actually has the Disney feel even as far as The Block of Orange.

     When we first get to Anaheim we stop at Wal Mart to buy our snacks and such for our vacation. Then we head to our room where we unload and unpack. Then it is off to Downtown Disney where we get to experience live music, wonderful sights, great shopping and those amazing smells that are in the air. After we eat at Wetzels Pretzels and enjoy some music we head back to our room. The fun does not end there, if we get back early enough we can watch the fireworks from Pizza Press at our hotel.

     The next day we are able to enter the parks which is of course the best part of the trip. When we first enter the main gait we throw our troubles away. We are excited to hear the Disney music as we walk along and then decide which part to enter first. Once we enter we just stop to take it all in, to really enjoy where we are. Slowly we stroll down Main Street taking in the sights, smells and sounds along the way. Usually we head to Adventureland, from there we never know where the day will take us. As we wait in line for attractions we visit and enjoy just being there.

     On our other block out days we like to walk along Harbor Boulevard and check out all of the shops. It is also a lot of fun to go to Downtown Disney for entertainment and atmosphere again. We sometimes wander around the Disneyland Hotel area to check out their shops and sites.

     One thing we never are is bored because no matter what we do while we are in Anaheim, it is fun, it is exciting and it is magical
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Tribute to T

     Two years ago we discovered The Mad T Party Band in Disney's California Adventure Park. We absolutely fell in love with the band. Last year we made it a point to watch their shows almost every night, every set. We loved discovering who each performer is and "getting to know" them. They became a part of our Disney family so we were looking forward to seeing them again this year. Well, that was not meant to be, Disney decided to send them down the Rabbit Hole for the last time on March 30, 2016 causing much sadness for many T Party lovers.

     As I thought of my sadness as the show drew near and end, I realized that my sadness is nothing compared to those who are a part of the T Party. I was in theater in high school and remember how heartbreaking it was when each play ended. I watched my son and his friends recently as they were so sad as their play ended. You feel this sense of loss and emptiness for something that has been a consuming part of your life for months. In high school theater you spend more time with your fellow performers and crew members than your own family. They become your theater family so when it is over, you are sad. It is of course necessary to move on but you feel this sorrow in your heart and know you will miss spending all of that time with those wonderful people.

     Imagine spending the last 4 years performing with what becomes your family in Wonderland. I thought about that and how sad those who were a part of such an amazing show for that many years must feel. They are all extremely talented and will move on to greatness but for a while they will feel that sense of loss and sadness for what was.

     I have created the video Tribute to T in tribute and dedication to all involved in the Mad T Party. They brought so much happiness to many people and I wanted to do something to share back with them what they shared with me, joy, happiness and fun!  The video includes most of the pictures I took while watching the band and some of the songs I recorded. It is long but for those who love T it will not be long enough.

     Thanks for the memories and Break a Leg in all you do!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoQEX2fBduM

This blog and video are dedicated to all who made the T experience magical!