Tag Archives: Disney Parks Blog

Thank Disney it’s Friday – July 13!

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Hooray…it’s Friday!!!

For me the most interesting bit of news coming out of the Disney world this week was the release of the Disney Parks air fresheners. The Disney fan community has not stopped talking about it all week! We all know that there is nothing better than catching those smells as you walk round the parks, those smells tell you that you are home :)

 

And so here is YOUR Friday question…..

When you are NOT on vacation what everyday smells remind you of Walt Disney World???

Does the smell of the air conditioning in your car remind you of stepping onto the monorail in the morning? Does walking into a candy shop remind you of the sweet smell on Main Street? Or does barbecue sauce on a smoky barbecue remind you of Frontierland (that’s a favourite of mine)??!!

 

:) :) :)

Orange Tuesday!

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Now I know that there will be many posts on many blogs in the next few days covering the Orange Bird’s return to the Sunshine Tree Terrace at Magic Kingdom but I couldn’t resist the opportunity to take time out of my Walt Disney World planning schedule to write a few words of my own.

Firstly I cannot claim to have been a die-hard Orange Bird fan since the 70′s, I was not one of the many fans that longed to see him and his orange thought bubbles return to his home in Adventureland….in fact I wasn’t even aware of the Orange Bird until a couple of years ago when he started cropping up in conversations on Disney fan message boards.

But over the last couple of years….and this is why yesterday’s events had such a big impact on me…reading about other people’s love for that bird, hearing the history of his connection to Disney and seeing his lovely smiling face on websites, collectibles, t-shirts and even Imagineer doodles, gave me an affection for this cute little orange creature and made me wish A LOT that he was still bringing sunshine to Adventureland.

I commend Disney for yesterday’s event. They just sent a message out on Twitter that this little gathering was taking place for no apparent ‘special’ reason….but you can just tell when Disney have something up their sleeve. And this time it was something for the fans, they had listened and responded. Okay sure it’s about money-making; a stunt like this will bring those of us who are into Disney history and nostalgia flooding into the park to buy an oversized Orange Bird t-shirt or one of those wonderfully plastic Orange Bird sipper cups (please, please still be there for my next trip!) but I like to think that this decision was also a nod to those lifelong Disney fans like us who spend our days reading, writing and planning Disney :)

So, although I don’t remember the good old Orange Bird days I will remember the day that the Orange Bird returned to his perch at the Sunshine Tree and I’m proud to be a new fan of that lovely lil’ bird.

Here’s a link to Lou Mongello’s WDW Radio show from November 2011 reminiscing about the Orange Bird.

Here’s a link to the official coverage of the Orange Bird’s return on the Disney Parks Blog and here is the wonderful merchandise I hope to get my hands on!

So I’ll end this post with a singalong to the Sherman Brothers lyrics, make sure you check YouTube for the wonderful original tune….

“Little Orange Bird in the Sunshine Tree
Won’t you think of something sunny just for me?
Think funny thoughts or sunny words
That will make me happy, little Orange Bird…..”

 

 

Retail therapy Disney style!

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Shopping at Walt Disney World is great. Shopping at Walt Disney World for Christmas is AWESOME!!

There are a couple of shops on property which sell Christmas items all year round (Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in Magic Kingdom, Days of Christmas in Downtown Disney) but in November and December nearly every shop in the parks and resorts is bursting with holiday goodies.

I especially like picking up Christmas items which have a year on them, this way each Christmas when the item is put on display (or worn) it will remind me of my WDW trip that year.

This is a dated Vinylmation which I picked up last December, produced for the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.

This is my favourite tshirt from my WDW collection. Although red isn’t my usual colour it’s just so festive, I like the play on words and the fact that it reminds me of my trip in 2005.

And then I have my mug from 2001. This was originally filled with soda and bought outside the Fantasmic area. Retro yet?

I tend to go a little bit crazy with shopping when I’m visiting the World and with all the Christmas merchandise I find it difficult to know when to stop! Unfortunately I’ll miss out on my WDW shopping this December but the Disney Parks Blog kindly published a ‘Disney Theme Park Merchandise Holiday Guide’ this week. It appears you can even phone them quoting the product number and they will ship it to you…..yes….the little voice in my head has already told me to put down the guide and step away from the phone!!!