You’ve got a friend in me…

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Sometimes life can present you with a hurdle…a challenge so unexpected that you cannot see past it and no amount of pixie dust or wishing upon a star will help. For in those instances not even Disney magic can guide you through the darkness.

And so after going quiet since the end of November I wanted to share with you, my readers, that I now find myself in the most unexpected and darkest time of my life. And daydreaming about happier times in my favourite place seems almost impossible.

However, I also wanted to share that through this I have discovered that I have a wonderful network of friends, who have all been brought into my life due to our shared love of the man who had the biggest dreams of them all….our dear uncle Walt.

And although many of these friends live hundreds or even thousands of miles away, some whom I have never even met in person, these people have reached out to me during my time of need. 

You will never know how you can brighten someone’s day with a card, a parcel, a telephone call or even a simple text message until you have been through a tough time yourself. That contact does not take the pain away but for that brief moment it is put to one side while you smile at the thought of someone being there for you. 

And so I want to finish by letting you know that Daydreaming Disney has not gone away but posts may be sporadic for a while. I hope you will bear with me and please know….you’ve got a friend in me…. :)

 

Shop Disney!

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As Christmas approaches the shops start stocking gifts and goodies that not only do we want to buy for others but also buy as treats for ourselves…The Disney Store is no exception!!

There’s nothing better than preparing for those cosy, winter evenings in front of the Christmas tree than by picking up a new pair of pajamas covered in a cheery seasonal print.

These leggings are currently available on The Disney Store UK website and in The Disney Store shops. There are two tops also available in similar designs but if you’re anything like me you already have several t-shirts from the parks which you can wear with them!

The adult sizes range from XXS to XL on the website, our Disney Store had sizes from XS to XL in stock. You can either buy a size to fit snugly as leggings or buy a size up to have them slightly baggier. The ankles are elasticated; meaning that even if you’re short like me you won’t be tripping over them as you walk around the house!

I really like the pattern, it’s very festive and features on other items available in the range too.

A good quality sleepwear item, and at £10 it’s a treat which will help with those winter daydreams! :)

 

 

Thank Disney it’s Friday – November 23!

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Well hello to another Friday! :) I hope all my American readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving day and now I guess the countdown begins to Christmas!

I am extremely proud to announce that this is the 100th post on Daydreaming Disney!!! Time flies when you’re sharing daydreams ;) I have lots of new features heading your way, plus we have the new Daydreaming Disney Facebook page….

 

And so, in honour of the 100th post here is your Friday question….

If you were given $100 to spend anywhere on Walt Disney World property what would you choose and why???

It might be a signature restaurant, a shopping spree in World of Disney, a behind the scenes tour or even 25 Citrus Swirls…I can’t wait to read your ideas! :)

 

And don’t forget…..we’re having another Daydreaming Disney giveaway!!!!! Every reader leaving a comment on ANY Friday question posed in November will be added to a prize draw. A name will be selected at random on December 1 to win a selection of goodies picked up during my trip to Walt Disney World!!!

:) :) :)

 

 

Was it worth it?

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Back in August I shared a post about Disney’s Photopass and Photopass+. Since returning home from my vacation I’ve had several people ask me what I thought of the new Photopass+ service and whether it was worth it.

Firstly the price….by pre-ordering the Photopass+ package before my vacation it cost $169.95, which I must confess is expensive for a bunch of holiday snaps on a cd. But I think it’s the extras that make it worth it for me.

Not only do you get the Photo Gallery cd with the Disney ‘stock’ photos on it but I love being able to use the Photopass website to edit my own photos before ordering them on the second disc. You can zoom in, crop, change the colour, add borders (including ones for special events) and dates….and there’s no limit to how many times you recreate a photo. I chose one of ours from Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and reproduced it six times with different borders! And you can do all this with the attraction photos too…

Speaking of attraction photos…this is the main highlight of Photopass+ for me. We were riding attractions just so we could get another photo added to our card. It was great fun looking for our photo on the screen and knowing that whatever it was like we would be getting a copy. Also, digital copies of attraction photos are added to your Photopass account so that you can download those straightaway, without waiting for your cd to arrive in the mail.

Unfortunately we were only eating at one of the restaurants on the list where you would get a dining photo as part of the Photopass+ package. But I was pleasantly surprised when we turned up at Chef Mickey’s for breakfast and were told that not only did the arrival photo get added to our card but we also got a printed version in the Chef Mickey’s presentation folder at no extra cost!

I was a little disappointed with the ‘lanyard’ used to hold the Photopass+ card. I think at the price paid Disney could afford to provide a nicer piece of material; even if it had the Photopass logo on it, it would have looked more like a standard lanyard and we would have been more happy to show it off.

I had also hoped that the sight of a Photopass+ card would have encouraged more interaction from Photopass photographers. By having the card it indicates that you have already pre-purchased the cd and therefore must be keen to have photos taken in the parks and capture those special memories. Unfortunately we saw very little acknowledgement of the fact that we had already handed over $169 for the package and the majority of the enthusiasm for the photos came from us.

After queuing up to have our pictures taken with various characters, just because we could add them to our card, we even commented that wouldn’t it be nice if the Photopass+ package gave you some kind of ‘fastpass’ for the character meet and greets….it would certainly add to the list of reasons to pick it up.

 

So….was it worth it? To me….yes….but I do admit that it is an expensive treat. And one only worth getting if you are going to fill that disc with a LOT of pictures that will help you remember that magical vacation for years to come.

I’m now waiting for the finished disc to arrive in the mail and cannot wait to share some of those memories with you in the coming weeks. :)

 

 

Thank Disney it’s Friday – November 16!

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Hello daydreamers!! It’s been quite an exciting week in the Disney fan community with the announcement of the first two WDW Starbucks locations….but let’s leave all that behind us and jump on a fun-filled Magic Kingdom attraction to blow away our worries….

 

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or Splash Mountain….which shall we choose and why???

 

And don’t forget…..we’re having another Daydreaming Disney giveaway!!!!! Every reader leaving a comment on ANY Friday question posed in November will be added to a prize draw. A name will be selected at random on December 1 to win a selection of goodies picked up during my trip to Walt Disney World!!!

:) :) :)

 

 

It’s the small things….

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Sometimes you can spend so much time planning your Walt Disney World visit down to the finest of details; what parks, attractions, restaurants, resort….but sometimes it can be the small things that can make your vacation extra magical.

If you stay at a Disney resort you will have come across the housekeeping staff…or ‘Mousekeeping’ as they are affectionately called by us Disney fans. They do the thankless task of keeping our rooms tidy everyday…we’re on vacation so we don’t want to even think about housework!!

Many guests leave a daily tip for their Mousekeepers and I am no exception, but I like to do something a little extra if I can. During our visit in 2010 we left a UK picture postcard with our tip everyday and this year saw me leave a decorated Disney envelope which held a Disney trading card and the tip.

Now it’s likely that you will be aware of the small phenomena that are ‘towel animals’….animals made from towels left in your room by Mousekeeping. These days you usually get a Mickey face left on your bed for your check-in day and then you may get one or two extra during your stay. In 2010 we got a duck to hold our toothbrushes and a candle as it was Christmas.

During this most recent trip we got our Mickey and a duck in the first week but that was it; I must confess that I was a little disappointed that my Disney envelopes each day hadn’t resulted in a few more….but all of that changed in the second week!!

I don’t know if we had a different Mousekeeper in the second week or whether they just had more time but boy did they go to town with our animals!!! The first afternoon we came back and saw an elephant on the bed I squealed with delight, it was BRILLIANT!!! We left the elephant sitting on the spare bed and so it began…everyday we would return to the room to be greeted by something different…our Mousekeeper’s talent was amazing and each one made us smile and laugh out loud!

I hope you enjoy taking a look at our creations….and remember…it can be the small things that bring magic to your Disney vacation :)

 

 

 

Thank Disney it’s Friday – November 9!

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Hello all, I hope its been a week full of Disney magic; whether you have been in the parks, cruising or planning your next trip!

During my October visit I used the Disney Dining Plan for the first time ever, I can’t wait to share some tales with you about that!!

But in the meantime, here’s your Friday question…..

If you had just one SNACK credit left on your dining plan what Disney food item would you use it to buy and why????

I look forward to getting hungry from reading your answers!!

 

And don’t forget…..we’re having another Daydreaming Disney giveaway!!!!! Every reader leaving a comment on ANY Friday question posed in November will be added to a prize draw. A name will be selected at random on December 1 to win a selection of goodies picked up during my trip to Walt Disney World!!!

 

:) :) :)

 

Returning home….

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Don’t worry… I haven’t skipped all the posts about my recent trip and gone straight to the sad coming home part…. today I’m thinking about returning to my ‘Walt Disney World’ home…

In my series of posts covering planning for a trip to WDW I discussed how Wilderness Lodge had become my favourite Disney resort, after staying there in December 2010. As the October 2012 trip approached I began to wonder if I would feel the same affection for the Lodge, whether it would feel as magical as I had remembered it or whether I should have taken the risk and chosen to stay at a different resort for a different experience.

I need not have worried…..

As soon as our airport transfer car pulled up at the Wilderness Lodge main entrance a cast member came out to greet us and said ‘welcome home’….yep, the magic had begun. I explained that I had already completed the Disney Resort On-Line Check In, at which point we were shown to a CM on the front desk who was ready and waiting with our documents, it was that easy! The cast member at the desk was from the UK so we had a chat about the International programme, how long she was there for, what roles she had been working and how she hadn’t packed any jumpers for the ‘winter’ months!

After being given our check in documents the cast member said that she had some mail for me and handed me two envelopes. I couldn’t believe that I was getting mail, it really was like coming home!!! It turned out that two of my wonderful Disney friends had sent me letters in anticipation of my arrival, it was such a kind thing to do….and made me feel very important!!

Despite liking the location of our room in 2010 we had decided not to submit any specific room requests during on-line check in, we decided to let fate (or Disney) choose! Boy am I pleased that we did!!!

We had been allocated a room on the fifth floor, overlooking Bay Lake, with views of Discovery Island and even a glimpse of the Contemporary Resort! When we first got to our room I couldn’t stop looking at our view, I felt immersed in the Disney magic that I had spent so long daydreaming about.

Later that first evening we discovered that not only we could hear the music from the Electrical Water Pageant but see it from our balcony too!! It was great fun each night to be able to tell what time it was based on the pageant music starting up and the sound of the Wishes fireworks from Magic Kingdom.

And I’m so pleased to say that the rest of the resort lived up to the memories too. Obviously the Christmas tree was missing from the grand lobby during this visit but that just made the size of the lobby even more impressive. Roaring Forks (the quick service area) was as good as we had remembered and the outside pool and geyser area was as pretty and relaxing as before.

I fell in love with the calmness of the resort all over again during this trip.The flickering lights leading from the bus stops, welcoming you home after a long day in the parks, the distant sound of the Lodge music, the colour of the wood and trees…. it all felt as perfect as I had remembered.

We also had some new experiences of Wilderness Lodge during this visit. As we were using the Disney Dining Plan we treated ourselves to a meal at Artist Point, and as the weather was a LOT warmer during this trip we used the resort boats to get to Magic Kingdom and the Contemporary. And how can I ever forget the amazing collection of towel animals that we received from Mousekeeping? More on these experiences to follow!!

At some point during our trip I realised…. this resort truly is my Walt Disney World home! :)

 

 

 

 

 

Thank Disney it’s Friday – November 2!

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Hello daydreamers!! As promised…the Friday question is back!! :)

Following my two week trip to Walt Disney World I have loads of new questions to ask you…it feels great to give you a reason to do a little bit of daydreaming Disney at the end of the week!!

 

So…during my recent trip to the World I visited the new Art of Animation resort, which as you know is based on four Disney animated films….what I would like to know is….

If you were an Imagineer for a day and could add another area to the Art of Animation resort….which other Disney movie would you use as a theme and why???

 

But wait….there’s more…. we’re having another Daydreaming Disney giveaway!!!!! Every reader leaving a comment on ANY Friday question posed in November will be added to a prize draw. A name will be selected at random on December 1 to win a selection of goodies picked up during my trip to Walt Disney World!!!

 

Happy daydreaming :) :) :)

 

 

 

Where dreams come true….

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Hello fellow Disney nerds and daydreamers…I have returned from the World!

It was a fun and exhausting two weeks spent at Walt Disney World; meeting up with old friends, having new experiences and creating Disney memories to cherish forever.

So I hope you’ll join me in the coming weeks as I share some of my stories….I’ll let you know my thoughts on the new Disney Photopass+, the Disney Dining Plan, eating at signature restaurants and of course…using Disney transportation. I’ll share how I felt about attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, the Food and Wine Festival and a fun Eat To The Beat event.

I’ll share the highs….and maybe even some lows of our trip (there were a couple)!

I look forward to daydreaming Disney with you…..so for your safety, please remain seated and keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the vehicle at all times……  :)