5 on 5: Passholder Anniversary

It's been a year since we have been Premier Annual Passholders, and we are celebrating our top 5 favorite moments!  Our passes were purchased on May 4, 2012 and expired on May 4, 2013, just in time for the 5 on 5! In honor of this anniversary we wanted to chronicle our top 5 memories of this year. Below is our list, enjoy!

Danny!
-Partner ring exchange at the "Storytellers" statue at Disney California Adventure - I felt like we fell in love at Disneyland and, just like Walt Disney's story began in California, I felt like our story began in California...  And since then we've had a blast!
-Running the Tinker Bell 1/2 Marathon - Who would not be proud or happy to have run a 1/2 Marathon?!  Let alone a 1/2 Marathon at Disneyland themed after Tinker Bell?!  Chello!!!
-Visiting Disney's California Adventure 2 months after it's grand re-opening - People say it's like stepping into the movie.  We say it's like stepping into someone's imagination, and getting the chance to visit this place before it was constructed, during its construction and after its construction was a true excitement, thrill and blessing!
-Going to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival - I didn't really know much about this festival, other then they served food from around the world...  What I didn't know was - HOW DELICIOUS IT WAS!!!  If there is one event from each coast I recommend going to at Walt Disney World, it is this one - The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.  IT.  IS.  A.  MUST.  DO.  (The event at Disneyland is any of Mickey's Halloween's Party, hard ticketed events)!
-Running the Expedition Everest Challenge and 5K - This is the event that started it all for Jaime and I, and also got me hooked on runDisney events!  Why not end with the best!  Also it got us more fit!

Here's to a new year!

Jaime:

Commitment to fitness by way of runDinsey - We purchased our PAP's the day before our Expedition Everest 5k knowing that we were going to make runDisney a part of our year and lives. Since then we have also run the Jingle Jungle 5k and Tinkerbell Half Marathon (Danny also completed the Princess Half) and have done other runs at home to keep us going for runDisney. I am so happy to have such an amazing motivator to keep me running!

4 Parks in One Day - This past March I had the opportunity to travel to Orlando for  professional conference and stayed an extra couple of days to enjoy the parks. On my last full day at the parks I visited all four parks. We hit all the major rides, got great food, saw some amazing shows, and had a wonderful time! I wouldn't recommend doing 4 parks in a day every trip but it was a fun exercise to see how much we could do in a day!

Passholder Merch - this isn't an event, per say, but I have really enjoyed getting to see and sometimes buy the passholder merch. This last trip the special vynalmation for passholders was a little Orange Bird, which has special significance for Danny and me. Since we had always collected a pin and vynalmation with each trip we have gone on it was fun to get a different array of stuff to consider.

Walk in Walt's Footsteps Tour - This tour is exclusive to Disneyland and was a great way to experience the park. Not only was it full of fun facts and trivia (my favorite) but we also were given special access to a few rides, got to see inside the lobby of Club 33 and got to go into Walt's apartment! I highly recommend doing this tour and walking in the footsteps of this visionary.

Our ring exchange - Last, but not least, is the memory of Danny giving me a commitment ring in front of the Storytellers statue in Disney California Adventure. Since we have written about it before in other posts and Danny listed it above, I don't feel that I need to elaborate much more, but needless to say, I will cherish this memory for the rest of my life. Love you Danny!

We can't wait to see what this next year as passholders has in store for us!

Pardon our Dust!

Danny and I apologize for the lack of regular updates as of late! We left off sharing our Tinkerbell Half Marathon Weekend and all the fun we had. Since then Danny and I have each traveled to Walt Disney World on solo-trips and are just a few days away from a few more days with Mickey in Orlando!

We hope to get back to regular posts about our trips, park-tested recipes, decorating with Disney, and general Disney musings in the next few weeks!

See ya real soon!

5 on 5: Disney Animated Classics

This months 5 on 5 is dedicated to the Magic of the Walt Disney Animation Studios - Animated Films, and our top 5.  Now while Danny! may really love "Ducktales The Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp" and Jaime may love "The Brave Little Toaster," they are not Walt Disney Animation Studios.  Those are films created by other animation studios the Walt Disney Company owns.  We're talking legit classics here.  With that said, see our faves below!

Danny!

1. The Little Mermaid - It was the first ever Disney film I ever remember seeing and it was also a film I grew up watching when I grew up in the late 80's early 90's.  This was also the first film in the "Disney Renaissance" and has since become a classic and I feel like I contributed to that a little bit ;)

2. Peter Pan - It's a timeless story with class characters and beautiful artwork. It has also lead to one of my all time favorite attractions in the Disney Parks (P.S. Disneyland's Peter Pan is better, just in case you were wondering :)

3. Sleeping Beauty - I feel like there are many classic "Princess" stories.  Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.  Sleeping Beauty is my favorite because of 2 reasons.  1st - when Princess Aurora is hurt, the whole kingdom goes down with her...  This never happens in any other princess story, and I appreciate that not just the woman suffers in this classic fairy tale...  Hey I'm a feminist and I'll take my kicks where I can get them.  2nd Maleficent.  Need I say more?

4. Beauty and the Beast - Again, this is a film I grew up with.  Now a timeless classic, that I grew up with.   The Walt Disney Animation Studios (and first ever animated film) to ever be nominated for an oscar, that I grew up with.  How AWESOME!  Also I wanted that magic mirror!

5. Meet the Robinsons - Wait, what...?!  Yes I said "Meet the Robinsons!"  Why?  Cause this is what I consider the film Jaime and I saw on our first date, and we LOVED it!  Little armed dinosaurs and Todayland, can it get any better?!  Maybe for you, but it explains our relationship perfect, and I LOVE IT!!!

Jaime's:

 

1. Bambi - First of all, if you have followed this blog at all you will know that I love animals. This movie has a bunch of great animals and is beautifully animated. Yes, the story is sad at times, but it is so charming that I can overlook what that man did. I also love the score that accompanies the film. The music and animation are synced and beautiful, particularly the rain scene. LOVE IT!

2. Beauty and the Beast: I know there are lots of popular memes about forgetting the prince and going for the library, but it really hits home for me. Who doesn't love a slightly rebellious, bookish, brunette princess? I know that there was a lot of personal resonance there. 

3. Little Mermaid: Another princess that is slightly rebellious and less traditional really helped this movie make it onto the 5 today but I also love the classic songs that make this movie what it is... Kiss the Girl, Under the Sea ... who can't sing along when you hear them?

4. Dumbo: I really love the story that Disney did such a great job animating. The love between a mother and a son, the power of self-determination, realizing that being different isn't bad. All great things. There are some aspects I could do without - aka Mrs. Jumbo being locked up for protecting her child - but this will always be a top for me. 

5. Lion King: Yep, another animal movie. With great songs that you can't not sing along to. I love how bright this movie is compared to some of the more muted animations of the past and I love the setting. I don't have much more to justify my love for this movie, but you know what? Hakuna Matata. 

5 for 5: Night Shows

This month’s 5 for 5 is all about the night shows. We had originally talked about doing a more general ranking of shows but realized that with the variety of “shows” you can find at Disney it might be nice to distinguish between night shows and the rest such as the stage shows and spontaneous/less formal shows.

 

Danny’s 5:

1. Remember Dream's Come True - an EXTREMELY brilliant and well put together firework show that is more than a show, but a tribute to Walt Disney and Disneyland!

2. Halloween Screams - a fun new take on Halloween and Fireworks that embraces Halloween, Disney Villains and new technology (with the flying of Zero over Sleeping Beauty Castle)!

3. World of Color - Another brilliant example embracing technology with the lack of people power (I.E. needing characters to perform, as in Parades, Fantasmic, etc...) or the need to shut down a part of the park (I.E. Fantasyland during the fireworks); while embracing new brilliant story telling on a new medium.  Plus it's SO beautiful!

4. Illuminations: Reflections of Earth - A beautiful firework show that doesn't scream "DISNEY," but tells a beautiful and wonderful story!

5. Main Street Electrical Parade - It's a BRILLIANT, TIMELESS and WONDERFUL classic!

Jaime’s 5:

1.      Halloween Screams: Having only see the Halloween fireworks show at Disneyland I do not have much to say about how it compares to the Halloween show at WDW. With that said, I love that Zero the Ghost Dog from Nightmare Before Christmas does a flyover and that you get to see and celebrate many of the classic villains from Disney’s past!

 

2.      World of Color: I love that this show is unlike any other, pretty much anywhere. While I love fireworks (in a form or location) I really love that this show is special to California Adventure, embraces Walt’s vision for moving forward and innovating, and is simply a visual stunner. The only drawback is the viewing area is not designed for short people (child, or vertically challenged such as myself) so you really have to stand to see the show and after a long day at the parks that can make me grumpy.

 

3.      Fantasmic! I really appreciate the mix of Disney storytelling, characters, music, and pyrotechnics. As per usual I find myself a bigger fan of the Disneyland version than the WDW version but like that at Hollywood Studios there is a large auditorium with plenty of seating. At Disneyland you sometimes need to stake out a spot around the Rivers of America hours in advance and frankly I would rather be on a ride!

 

4.      Illuminations: I like that Illuminations feels true to Epcot, where the show takes place. While there is much to be said about “Disney” and having classic characters and music be a part of pretty much everything I really appreciate that Illuminations doesn’t have that. What it does have is a celebration of people and cultures from around the world and an inspiring message of unity. Another perk: Epcot is huge and there is plenty of great viewing locations where you can sit down and enjoy the show!

 

5.      Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Fireworks at Disney World: I was not sure of the exact name of this show, but we have had the privilege to enjoy two MVMCP celebrations (2010 and 2012) and I have really enjoyed both fireworks shows. Being a Chicago native and transplanted to Colorado I think there might just be something about wearing shorts and a t-shirt, outdoors, in December and being full of holiday magic without being cold? Who knows?

Walking Walt’s Disneyland Footsteps!

When one thinks about Disney Parks, one usually thinks about the timeless classic attractions such as: Space Mountain, the Haunted Mansion or even Flying Dumbo.  One can also think priceless moments such as meeting your favorite character for the first time, eating your first (or in our case thousandth) Mickey Ear’s Ice Cream Bar or watching your favorite firework show.  However when we think of the Disney Parks, we think of our favorite theme park; the classic Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California!  

The time.  The thought.  The imagination, and everything else that was put into this now infamous theme park is almost inconceivable to this day.  But Disneyland is also a wonderful example of a real persons dream come true.  And this person is the infamous Walter Elias Disney.  And his theme park was and is Disneyland.  It’s also the only theme park that he ever stepped foot in, unfortunately.  And while a piece of Walt Disney lives in every park through inspiration, Walt’s absolute vision is truly captured in Disneyland.  Therefore we wanted to explore Disneyland through Walt Disney eyes. 

Therefore on our last trip to Disneyland, we did exactly that!  Specifically we took the “Walk in Walt’s Disneyland Footsteps” guided tour.  And it was simply brilliant!  Now we don’t want to give away this tour through spoilers, however we will highlight 5 brilliant aspects of this great tour – since we seem to love the number 5!

First, if you have never been on a guided tour of Disneyland – GO!  It allows you to take in the park in a way you never would.  Even if at the very least, it allows you the opportunity to take in an aspect of the park that you normally wouldn’t by simply slowing down.  In the case of our tour we were shown little details of the park such as where Walt Disney stood in the park during his opening day speech, the amount of detail put into little aspects of Disneyland that make it the Happiest Place on Earth and why certain areas of the park are designed in the ways in which they are.

Second, you learn about the history of Disneyland.  Now while we see ourselves as amateur Disney buffs – we even learned some new things beyond what we thought we knew - which is great!  For example we learned the true meaning behind what makes a weenie in a Disney theme park, and that there are more weenies then you think… 

Third, you get to see Disneyland as from Walt Disney’s viewpoint.  Contrary to popular belief and obvious belief – Disneyland wasn’t as big today as it was on July 17, 1955; which again is obvious.  However – what we believed Disneyland to be on day one, really wasn’t even that.  And as prepared for crowds as Disneyland is today, they defiantly weren’t as prepared as we would like to have thought they were on day one – which is great to hear.  Yes great, because its nice to see that even the best of the best can be underprepared, as it shows that Walt Disney was human – and that real humans dreams can come true!  (maybe elaborate on how small the park was and is here…)

Fourth, the tour really does give you an idea of Walt Disney’s presence in the park.  Understanding the ideas, creativity and vision behind a theme park that set the precedence of the entertainment industry is remarkable.  And arguably yet to be duplicated.  As much of Walt Disney’s magic is in the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and even Disney California Adventure – its, arguably, missing that bit of Walt Disney’s personal touch that can only be seen in Disneyland – such as the detail in New Orleans Square.  Just look up one day when you’re in New Orleans Square and wonder what is up there and could be up there beyond the Disney Dream Suite and Club 33  (or even below the buildings…)!

Fifth, arguably for any one person the best part of this tour is that you get to step into Walt Disney’s private apartment above Main Street U.S.A.  This was where Walt Disney lived during the construction, opening and operation of Disneyland.  He wanted to be as close as possible to his park during its opening days and during its day-to-day operation, and while he had a home in Burbank, California – even back in the 1950’s Los Angeles traffic was crazy and he felt it would be better to be in a home away from home.  There is nothing that we want to say that will give this amazing experience away to anyone who goes into this guaranteed amazing adventure, other then these two random facts…  First, your tour guide for the tour and the docents for Walt Disney’s private apartment will be two different people, which is a nice switch up!  The docents are truly brilliant people that know so very much about Walt Disney’s home away from home and are more then willing to share that information in such a professional brilliant manner!  Take advantage of their time and take in the apartment as much as possible!  Second bring your best camera possible with you into the apartment.  Why?  Because you and your group only get one picture in Walt Disney’s private apartment.  One.  Not one per camera.  One total photo.

Overall this was a great tour and we cannot recommend it enough, if only for the fact that you get to step foot into Walt Disney’s private apartment.  However on top of this you get a name tag button, a SUH-WEET pin, and a meal from the Jolly Holiday Bakery!  Who can deny this amazingness?!

5 For 5: Sit Down Restaurants

Another 5^th of the month means another 5 for 5! This month we are ranking our favorite sit down restaurants! In full disclosure there are lots of amazing places we have yet to try so our list cannot be taken as the ultimate authority of where to dine at Disney. With that said we try to consider not just the food but the overall experience, service, value and ambiance of the restaurants. Without further ado the February 5 for 5!

 

 

Danny:

1.      Carthay Circle: because it’s elegant, delicious and beautiful - all in one lunch! This restaurant is located in Disney California Adventure Park.

 

2.      Kona Cafe: it has a great breakfast and GRRREAT Kona coffee at a great value! You can get pure Kona coffee in a French press while you eat or you can buy a bag of the whole beans ($40 last time we checked) which is less of a value but sure helps curb your Disney withdrawls when you are home brewing a pot! Located in the Polynesian Resort at WDW.

 

3.      1900 Park Fare: the food is great for a buffet (which says a lot) and the dinner characters are hilarious! Remember this? Located at the Grand California Hotel at the Disneyland Resort.

 

4.      Cafe Orleans: it has classic Disneyland Park food down to a tee and it is sure yummy! Located in Disneyland Park.

 

5.      Le Cellier: based on the samplings at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival (we have not eaten there yet) this place HAS to be in my top 5!  Yummy beer cheese soup and steak! Located in Epcot at WDW.

 

 

Jaime

 

1.      Kona: I am a sucker for great breakfast food, a theme you will see repeated in this list and Kona is my go-to! There are so many great options whether you want a sweet or a savory breakfast or both – hello Big Kahuna, yum! Kona is located in the Polynesian Resort at WDW.

2.      Sanaa: This restaurant has it all, except breakfast! The menu is exotic without being intimidating to a pickier eater such as myself. The food is surprisingly light and fresh for being heavy on sauces and slow-cooked meats. Sanaa is located at the Animal Kingdom Lodge – Kidani Village and situation right on a savannah where you can watch zebras, giraffes and other animals as you eat. Amazing!

3.      Carthay Circle: I consider this one of the best dining options at all of Disneyland Resort. While I normally favor all things Land over World there are just too few outstanding options to really make this cut. Carthay, however, will be a perennial favorite. The flavors of their food are so bright and I can always find multiple things on the menu to make my mouth water. Carthay Circle is in Disney California Adventure Park.

4.      Boma: breakfast wins again! I love a good buffet because I can sample as many things as I want without being tied to one entrée. Boma is the only buffet to make my list because I know I will always get a great variety of familiar and new foods and sometimes a new take on a familiar favorite (goat cheese and chive scrambled eggs!) in a given meal.  The trek over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House is worth it for Boma!

5.      Liberty Tree Tavern (lunch): Since Danny decided to make his 5^th a place he has yet to try but can’t stop thinking about I have opted to do the same. By the time I got to number 5 I was pretty torn. We have been to lots of other places and eaten some great food but nothing that I would say I would need to do again like I have with 1-4. I am really excited to try the Liberty Tree Tavern next time I go to the Magic Kingdom; there is a pot roast with my name on it!

Tinkerbell Half Marathon Part 1

They say that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. As it turns out the journey of 13.1 miles also begins with a single step! Less than two weeks ago Danny and I found ourselves in Anaheim, California preparing for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon. In all fairness “preparing” may be an overstatement because I can tell you exactly what we did to prepare for the entire half marathon. We:

·         Signed up for the race
·         Downloaded the Jeff Galloway Tinkerbell Half Marathon training plan
·         Completed a 10k to be placed in not the last corral
·         Completed a 5k for fun
·         Bought our running outfits
·         Bought Clif blocks and Clif gels



Yep, that was pretty much it and as you can see we didn’t exactly get many training runs in. I was a little worried to say the least. What if I couldn’t do it? What if I got chaffing in weird places? How many blisters should I expect on my notoriously blister-prone feet? Would I be completely exhausted after? What if I was too sore to walk the next day?

I decided to set my worries aside for a little while and enjoy the parks before my self-imposed torture – did I say that? I meant before the half marathon. We arrive on Thursday afternoon and spent the next two days hopping between Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Let’s be honest, the best part about running at Disney is vacationing at Disney.



Carpet leading to the packet pick-up

We arrived at the Expo/packet pickup a few minutes before opening on Friday morning to long lines outside of the Disneyland Hotel and decided to check out the expo first. The expo was a little smaller than expected but it was still nice to see different running products and the race merchandise. As the expo portion began filling with people we realized that most of the crowd that went to packet pick-up was probably finished and making their way into the expo. We headed out of the ballroom area that housed the expo and into the parking garage of the Disneyland Hotel where the pick-up was located. Despite being in a parking garage Disney managed to make it look a little classier with decals and carpeting.



Jeff Galloway

Packet pick-up was super quick taking us each about 5 minutes. We then went back upstairs to the expo to collect our shirts and hear Jeff Galloway speak before heading back to the parks. Of all the things that we did or didn’t do to prepare I think hearing Jeff speak was the most helpful and reassuring. He reminded us to pace ourselves at the beginning and save our energy for later in the race when we will need it more. He also addressed one of my major concerns about what to eat before the race. I followed his advice and had some water before the run but held off on eating anything until I felt like I actually needed something. This advice is certainly not followed by all before a race which I understand but since I had not done any long runs or runs this early I was not sure what would work best. This method seemed to really work for me. Overall, I highly recommend taking in some of the guest speakers that runDisney arranges at the expo. Not only did I receive helpful advice but it also helped replace my nervousness with excitement.



Danny trying to get a picture "with" Jeff
Galloway during the expo

The next day, Saturday, Danny had arranged for us to go on the “Walk in Walt’s Footsteps” Tour through Disneyland which was a 3 hour walking tour around the park. The tour was listed as 3 hours but there was quite a bit of sitting involved including about 30 minutes for lunch and a few rides so the time on our feet was not very intense. I don't want to go too in-depth about the tour as Danny is going to write a recap for the blog and I don't want to give anything away! After the tour we retired to our hotel and took it easy for the rest of the day in preparation for the next morning. As our last official act before becoming half marathoners we got dinner with Danny’s cousins Debbie and Sandy who live in the LA area. It was really great to see them and catch up and have them wish us luck.

Up next: the big race!