Decorating with Disney: 1st Edition/Christmas Edition!

This is a new blog post we will be posting monthly, published mostly by Danny!  This idea comes from the massive amount of merchandise/memorabilia we have gathered from our various trips to both Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts.  We don't have the ability to just throw our Mouse Ears in a box, nor the will to fully embrace our inner Disney freak and all out decorate our house with Mickey stickers.  With that said we have found, and are still finding, ways to embrace our love for all our Disney Pins and Vinylmation in a practical way and will be sharing them monthly - and hopefully getting your feedback!  With that said please see our first post! 

As the Christmas season is wrapping up we thought we'd share a way we embraced both a classic Walt Disney World character and a classic Disney Parks piece of merchandise into our Christmas decorating!  

Jaime (right) modeling her Orange Bird
Mouse Ears gifted from Danny (left)!

The Orange is a classic Christmas gift - along with all fruit - as it is seen as a simple and healthy stocking stuffer from Santa and Mrs. Claus (well at least depending on which story you've read/grown up with).  The Orange Bird is also a classic - and original mascot, to the Florida Project/Walt Disney World - as it was both an ode to the Sunshine State and partnership with the Florida Citrus Commission that signed off on Walt Disney World coming to Florida.  See the following link for more information on the Orange Bird: http://d23.disney.go.com/armchair-archivist/d23-presents-armchair-archivist-the-orange-bird/

The Orange Bird Mouse Ears atop our
Christmas Tree!

Mickey Ears are a classic Disney Parks souvenir - no explanation needed - why, you ask?  Well because they are, duh!  

Therefore, when the Orange Bird was brought back for the 40th Anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort much of his classic and contemporary merchandise was brought about.  These included a merger of the classic Mickey Ears and Orange bird!  Now while these ears are adorable and a soon to be classic piece of merchandise to hardcore Walt Disney World fans - they really don't make much sense outside of the World.  However around Christmas time we thought they would make perfect sense outside of the WDW and on our tree top.  We placed these ears atop our tree merging both the Orange of holiday and WDW classicness; and finding a practical way to embrace our love for Disney Parks memorabilia.  

Thoughts?  Overall we love it, and we would love your feedback!  Please feel free to leave your comments below or tweet us @TMEbloggers.

Peace

Hungry Bear Leads to a Happy Bear!

The MountainEars getting ready
to enter the Hungry Bear!

The Hungry Bear quick service restaurant at Disneyland Park is a recently renovated counter service eatery located in Critter Country.  Critter Country houses such famous attractions as Splash Mountain, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and much more. 

This eatery is located right off the Fastpass return area for Splash Mountain.  It has a great view of the Rivers of America which houses attractions for both Critter Country and Frontierland - which always leads to a fun time trying to figure out which attractions belong in which area of the park - I'll give you a hint, Critter Country only has around 1-2, Frontierland has the rest ;)

As you would expect from any quick service eatery in Disneyland, there was nothing spectacular about the service, other than you order your food from a kiosk and pick up your food at the counter.  However, the service seemed quicker than usual, and we're thinking its because this eatery is a little hidden, which we didn't mind!  Also the Cast Members were more than generous to give out extra cups of water (which are free and consist of filtered water BTW) which was a nice perk!  

Also as you would expect from any quick service eatery in Disneyland, once you have grab your food you grab yourself a seat, however this is where things change...  

Sailing Ship Columbia getting ready to
float by the Hungry Bear dinning area!

Sailing Ship Columbia floating by
the Hungry Bear dinning area!

There is both an upstairs and a downstairs dinning area, with tons of seating and not tons people! We went downstairs and sat right next to the Rivers of America and saw Canoe Paddlers from Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes exploring the rivers manually, and sailors exploring the rivers not so manually on both the Sailing Ship Columbia and Mark Twain's Riverboat (PS we recommend trying Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes, they're cute and fun, just don't sit behind two kids who have no idea how to paddle unless you want to really "experience" the rivers)!   We also saw people exploring the Pirates Liar at Tom Sawyer's Island, people walking into New Orleans Square and people using the hidden bathrooms next to us which are great because less people use them!  Overall this is GREAT people viewing area with a nice quite atmosphere - and we highly recommend it!

Ducks near the Hungry Bear
dinning area!

We also saw a few ducks both in the rivers and in the dinning area with us, which was cute and nice!

And as you would expect from any quick service eatery, plating is nothing spectacular, other than being served your food in a basket.  However this is where things change again...  

The food looked exactly what it looked like it the picture - WHICH NEVER HAPPENS!  Of course we know Disney isn't like McDonalds or Burger King in that their food for the most part looks exactly like it is pictured or as you would expect.  However this was picture perfect.  

From left: Fried Green Tomato Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries,
and Ham Sandwich with Strawberry Pie

And as you WOULDN'T expect for any quick service eatery, the taste is AMAZING!  I (Danny!) got a Fried Green Tomato Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries (to share) and Jaime got a Ham Sandwich and a Strawberry Pie (to share).  Both were elegant!  The Sweet Potato Fries were fresh and warm and the Fried Green Tomato sandwich made me enjoy fried green tomatoes from when I was a kid and my southern neighbors Kathleen and Adeline would cook friend green tomatoes for me.  They were fresh and sweet.  Crispy and warm.  Tasty and savory.  And overall great! The pie was sweet and also fresh, which again is GREAT to have mid summer! Jaime really enjoyed her sandwich. She remarked that the wheat bread was hearty and a great quality and the meat was very tasty. She normally does not get any sort of condiments like mayonnaise on her sandwiches (this one included) and liked that she could really taste the nuttiness of the bread and the sweet and saltiness of the meat. The pie was so delightful! We opted for the seasonal pie since it was summer and we really enjoy fresh berries. The whipped cream was light and sweet, the berries were tart and plump and the crust was tender and just the right thickness. Overall, even though it was a small pie it was a great size to share and not too heavy for the middle of a hot day.

Overall, if you can't tell - we highly recommend this quick service eatery for its uniqueness in quick services dinning location, atmosphere.

Taste: 8/10

Originality: 5/5

Plating: 4/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Service: 5/5

OVERALL: 27/30

runDisney – Expedition Everest Challenge and Mickey’s Jingle Jungle 5K

Jaime and I are getting ready to run our second ever runDisney race this Saturday November 10, 2012.  This will not be the headline race (the Wine and Dine ½ Marathon) but the family fun run 5K – Mickey’s Jingle Jungle 5K.  Our first ever runDisney event was the Expedition Everest Challenge in 2012.  It’s the only 5K headline event sponsored by runDisney.  With that said, this blog post will focus on what we are expecting and what our past race was like.

runDisney sponsors many ½ Marathon and Marathon events at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.  All events, except for the Expedition Everest Challenge and Tower of Terror 10 Miler, are at the minimum ½ marathon events.  All ½ Marathon and Marathon events include a family fun run, which includes a 5K and kids runs.  These events are meant to target people who want to participate in the event weekend itself, but whom aren’t ready to dive into a minimum 13 mile run.  I also like to think they are there to get people excited about fitness and wellness, but yet again, not be intimidated by a minimum 13 mile run. 

Our first race was the Expedition Everest Challenge and this was a blast!  So many people were there in the most creative and elaborate costumes EVER seen.  Yes costumes.  runDisney is, I’m pretty sure, the only race where you can dress in a full body suite and be complimented for it.  People dress up like classic Disney characters such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Disney Princesses like Aurora and Ariel or even Disney quirks such as Yeti A and B mode (if you are a Disney’s Animal Kingdom fan you’ll get this), Earl from Up and Figment.  The people there are a huge perk. Also you get to see characters and take pictures with them during the run if you want, how fun!

The course itself was both good and bad.  The first mile of our 5K was completed in the parking lot, which is both intimidating and exciting all at once.  If felt like we were running in the parking lot forever. Once you entered the park the raceway became very narrow. With nearly 5,000 people on the run there was a huge mix of people who were taking the race very seriously and those just there for a fun challenge. What made this race unique though are the obstacles that must be completed. It was a fun change of pace to stop and run through tires or hop over hale bales but at the same time it slowed down the overall pace of the race. In addition to the obstacles, once the race portion was over came the scavenger hunt that was also factored into your overall time. We were not anticipating how confusing this would be, but luckily Jaime is good at puzzles!  There were a lot of people so if you are not ready for running in huge crowds a runDisney event may not be for you. The Expedition Everest race is one of the smaller runDisney events compared to something like the WDW Marathon that hosts over 20,000 people.

For the Expedition Everest Challenge all participants received real medals and post race party tickets with their registration fee, in addition to the standard race shirts and refreshments. Some may feel that the entry fee (around $100) was too expensive for a 5K race but we didn’t mind since the post race party was like an extra day in the park. The party went from the time you finished the race and scavenger hunt until 3am. Many rides were open including the Primevil Whirl, Dinosaur and of course, Expedition Everest! Some snack carts and beverage stations were also open. A fun quirk about the medals is that they are a compass, which embodies the expedition theme. One thing to note, however, is that the face of the compass is incorrect with some of the directions in the wrong places. Nonetheless, they are pretty great and it was cool to see all the proud finishers wearing their medal around the parks!

Overall the race was neat because we got to run through a park that is rarely open past sundown. The participants seem to take the event seriously but not so much so that if you are stuck on a clue during the scavenger hunt they wouldn’t help you. We were warned before the race began and again around mile 2 to be very quiet for a certain stretch of the race as we were running in a backstage area near were some of the animals sleep overnight. How cool is that?! The post race party was tons of fun, but since only some of the rides were open we did experience some long lines. Riding the signature attraction of the Animal Kingdom, Expedition Everest, in the dark was an unforgettable experience that we partook in several times that night.

 

We look forward to this next race, the Jingle Jungle 5K, because it will be an early morning run through the Animal Kingdom. From the look of the map it seems that the race route has been changed, which is exciting. Maybe we will have less running through a paring lot and more through the park itself?

The Disneyland Corn Dog Cart Review

The Disneyland Corn Dog is something we wanted to try for a long time.  Key word, Disneyland Corn Dog. Not Disneyland Resort Corn Dog, but Disneyland Corn Dog. 

The reason I state this is because I, (Danny) had never had a Corn Dog from Disneyland Resort until our past trip in Summer 2012.  I have wanted to try a Disneyland Resort Corn Dog from the Corn Dog Castle at Disney California Adventure since it opened during the re-imagination of the park.  However, Jaime has tried a Disneyland Corn Dog from Disneyland Park, and was not blown away by it.  Why?  She violated the cardinal rule – she let it cool down.  However she had some hope to retry it.  So I gave in and tried (okay lets be real, insisted, we get a Corn Dog), from the Corn Dog Cart at Disneyland Park…

 

How was it you ask?  AMAZING!  See the pictures throughout this post and you will clearly notice we had no picture proof of how good the 3-4 Corn Dogs we got from the Corn Dog Cart were, because we inhaled them. 

Simply said – just get one.  And eat it right away.  And than eat another.  Yum!

Taste: 10/10

Originality: 3/5

Plating: 5/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Service: 5/5

OVERALL: 28/30

Keepsakes and Collectables

Disney has set the standard for mementos. No matter what you collect it seems that Disney can sell it to you from spoons to original art. For each trip we go on, the MountainEars have an agenda when the time comes to hit the shops and scope out souvenirs. Both Danny and I each like to find a Vinylmation and pin to remember our trip. There is normally no rhyme or reason to the ones we pick. Additionally, we each have a third thing we collect that are more suited to our individual tastes.

For our August 2012 Disneyland Resort trip we decided to take advantage of being annual passholders and each picked up a passholder exclusive DLR Vinylmation. Danny got one that was themed after Goofy’s Sky School and I got the other which was themed after the Silly Symphony Swings. Since these were in clear boxes we decided to also get some mystery Vinylmations, too. This trip, in honor of Cars Land opening and getting to see the Cars-wrapped monorails, I decided to get a monorail Vinylmation. I opened my box to find Flo and could not be happier. I love her character and the awesome aqua she is colored. Danny picked a box from the Animation 2 series which revealed our very first mystery chaser figure. For this series, the figure was of the Headless Horseman and does not follow the traditional shape of the Mickey Vinylmation figurine. While I am sure there are many out there who do not like this figure we were pleased to get it seeing as how we have never picked a mystery figure before.

For our pins we decided to get limited editions. Danny selected a beautiful pin that had glass doors that swing open to reveal the Story Tellers statue in the revamped Disney California Adventure. I selected a cute pin with Chip and Dale in outerspace that contained a small globe with a piece of the original Tomorrowland pavers inside. Overall, we were both pleased with our picks and adding them to our collection.

The one other thing I love to collect and appeals to the frugal and practical side of me is postcards. My love for postcards is not exclusive to Disney. No matter where I travel I try to purchase a few postcards to send out and a few to keep for myself. I love postcards because they are typically on the inexpensive end, are easy to store away when needed and have great imagery that captures the spirit of wherever I have visited.

 

While I am not one to “collect” autographs for myself, I do like to make it a point to get a few postcards for characters to sign and send away to family and friends. I find this to be a great way to share some Disney magic! Sometimes I will just get one or two signatures on a card and sometimes I will collect signatures on theme like getting as many princesses as will fit on a card. Warning: princesses like to take up a lot of room; if you decide to get more than a few and want to send it out you may need to put the postcard in an envelope before sending

 Aside from pins and Vinylmation, Danny does like to collect autographs, especially when he is at WDW. He likes to get a new autograph book for each trip and get as many characters to sign his book. This is a tradition he has kept since childhood and while I do not necessarily like to wait in line to meet everyone the look on his face when gets his book signed is priceless and worth it! I think this is a great way to get a “free” souvenir and bragging rights.

 Having a few go-to collectables is a great way for us to remember our trips and have a little bit of home away from home when we cannot get to the parks. We are slowly but surely incorporating Disney into our home décor and are looking forward to making a pin mural and fun display of the Vinylmations. No need to buy other knick-knacks and trinkets when we already have ones we love. In future posts I hope to not only document all of our Vinylmations and pins but also how we have incorporated them into our home décor.

 jmi