Why I don't think that the new Fantasyland Sucks...

Let me start this post off by saying that I grew up during what many like to call the Disney Renaissance. I was seven years old when the Little Mermaid came out and almost every year after that, Disney was putting out another beautifully done film. Every year it was so exciting to see what they were going to put out next. I think it's because of this that i'm always going to have a soft spot for the characters and films that came from that period of Disney film making. Yes, even the princesses.

Despite the insane princess craze that's ensued over the past several years, I can't completely hate on the princesses. Like many of us do, sometimes I get sick of seeing them. And sometimes I get tired of the focus put on them. BUT! I think a lot of people are forgetting the fact that the princess section of Fantasyland is NOT the only addition. I feel like that's where a lot of the negativity is coming from.

Because the circus side of things had an earlier opening and not as much focus put on it, it feels like this has made people kind of forget about it. Especially if you're someone without children. You may not take the time to walk through and check it out. To look at the fantastic theming that's been put in or the smaller attractions that have been added. My point in this being, the entire Fantasyland expansion IS NOT completely princesscentric. Yes. A lot of focus is over on that side of things, the two bigger attractions are princess themed and those are they ones that required more time and thus, being exposed as the final part of the "New Fantasyland" through soft openings along with passholder, and CM previews.

My passholder preview is set for next weekend, but last weekend I ended up caving and spending the day at  the Magic Kingdom. When we got there on Saturday afternoon, we strolled to the back to see if anything was up and running. We were met by a gaggle of cast members informing guests that there was a special preview going on that day for Imagineers and their families. We shrugged it off and went on our way, enjoying the rest of the park for a bit. I mostly wanted to go check out the newest edition to Pirates of the Caribbean.

I'll hop off topic briefly to tell you that I absolutely love the little addition they threw in. It's enough to not take away from the original ride, not distracting from the nostalgia. The mermaids are projections in the water, just swimming along in and out. It's very brief. They also added a mermaid skeleton  in on the beach. Kind of morbid, but kind of awesome. The only other thing to change is the soft singing of the song from the movie. It is, in my opinion, a very eerie and beautiful touch.

As I mentioned before, we walked through the new area where Mickey's Toon Town Fair had been. I've been down this way a couple of times and I've shared how lovely I think the new dual Dumbo spinners are. The retheming for the Great Goofini is adorable in my humble opinion. The new set up for the meet and greet seems very well done too. Lots of shaded areas to escape under. The Casey Jr. Splash zone is there for kids to play and cool off in. I really do think it's very nicely done.

We were headed over to the Haunted Mansion when we couldn't help but notice a small line along the construction walls hiding the work being done on the mine coaster. We checked with a cast member and sure enough a few minutes later, we found ourselves headed inside. We headed into the Be Our Guest restaurant first. I'm honestly a lot more excited about the lunch menu than the dinner. It looks nice, but the choices seem very limited.

As a fan of the movie, I adored it. I'm a huge geek for Disney's rock work and they didn't disappoint. Next to the building, below Prince Adam's castle, is a tumbling waterfall built on a "mountainside". There's a walkway leading up to the restaurant and you're greeted by a very lovely and well carved entrance. The theming is absolutely beautiful. The stained glass set up is gorgeous, everything I saw just took my breath away. It really is like walking into the movie. You half expect Mrs. Potts to come hopping up next to you and start singing Tale as Old as Time.

Next was Gaston's tavern. More great theming. They weren't kidding when they commented about antlers everywhere. The portrait of Gaston hanging over the mantle is another little scene that sticks you straight in the movie, especially when you glance over and see Gaston's chair sitting nearby. We didn't sample the food there, but the cinnamon buns smell delicious. I did try out LeFou's Brew. Now, i'll admit how skeptical I was when Disney announced this little concoction of theirs. It was, and I still think is, Disney's answer to Butterbeer. Is it going to sell as well as Universal's frozen treat is? Probably not. But I tell you what....it was damn tasty. I'll definitely be returning back with another glass. Quite possibly with a bottle of apple schnapps or some sort of vodka. It'll be fun to experiment with. The gift shop was similarly themed, A lot of general beauty and the beast merch. Some of it was really quite pretty,  especially some of the nicer cups and glasses that they had there.

Next we made our way to Ariel's Undersea Adventure. Again, GORGEOUS theming. There's rocks and waterfalls all around you as you make your way through the winding queue. I did not get to catch a glimpse of the hidden nautilus that had been carved into the rocks, but a cast member pointed it out so that I could look for it next time when it wasn't dark. There's a little interactive area with these projected crabs that you can play games with, but we didn't really have time to check them out. There's a point in the queue where you're greeted by an AA Scuttle who greets you and gives you an idea of what lies ahead. We rode twice and didn't have a wait either time, just walked through and hopped into our little shell.

The animatronics are beautiful on this ride. There's a few cute little tricks they do with projection and lighting that are really cool. The first is that as you're riding back in your shell, you can look down and it looks like waves washing up on the shore. The further back you go, the higher up the water rises on the back of the shell in front of you, until you are completely underwater. The rest is a recreation of the movie, little scenes and songs.

The reason I love this ride, is that it's a very "classic" Disney ride. I was actually kind of annoyed by this at first. I thought, "If you're going to be making a big expansion, why not do something more cutting edge?! Why not do something with a huge WOW factor?". But then I started thinking about all of the things that made me fall in love with Disney and the parks. I thought about which rides were my favorite. And the closer I got to the debut of this ride, the more excited I got. I was not let down. It was beautiful, well done, and just very classic Disney....just with better looking AA's. Except maybe for the fact that my boyfriend swears up and down that the Eric in the final scene waving to you in his wedding attire looks stoned off of his ass.

We did stop by later to meet Ariel in her grotto, which is really just the same thing that had been put in after the closing of 20k. Speaking of 20k (what was once my favorite ride in the park!) Disney...for some reason...held onto vials of water from the original ride. A few days before my visit, they emptied those vials into the water outside of Ariel's new ride. I thought this was kind of neat. Uniting the past with the present and what not. Anyways, it was a cute little meet and greet. I'll tell you a secret, I kind of actually like the meet and greets when you're dealing with a face character that can play their part well. It's a silly experience, but they can definitely make it fun. When we met Ariel, it was our second go through the expansion and it was about five minutes until midnight. I think she was one tired little tuna.

We also paid a visit to Belle in Maurice's cottage. Kris was not particularly thrilled about waiting fourty five minutes to see Belle. Fortunately, I have an amazing boyfriend who, for whatever reason, puts up with my insane love of the mouse. Yet again, beautiful themes, beautiful attention to detail. This is actually a really neat attraction. Again, I wasn't sure about this one. I had seen the video though and it really did look worth checking out. This was originally a tiny little show performed on the side of the castle a few times a day. Belle would show up and use the kids in the audience with a few basic props to tell the story of how she and the Beast fell in love. This is the same basic concept, but on a much bigger level. You start in Maurice's cottage and are trasported via a very bad ass Magic Mirror to Beast's castle. There you are greeted by Madame Wardrobe and a cast member who tell you that you're going to surprise Belle by acting out a story. Little kids are taken from the Audience and they're all briefed on which part they will play. Then you head into the library where Lumiere helps you surprise Belle and they all act out the story together. I really don't think I can tell you enough about the AA's in this ride. You really do have to check them out for yourselves.

The best part of this, was that we were the last to head into Belle's library. The little boy in front of us who had been selected to play the part of Maurice, suddenly chickened out. His mom, slightly panicked, turned around and asked Kris if he wouldn't mind stepping in. Seeing my 31 year old boyfriend on the floor cross legged with a bunch of little kids telling Belle a story made me laugh and just light up. He really did take it like a champ.

I'm sure there's a lot left to see. And yes, it's a lot of cheese. But you also have to remember that fantasyland has always been geared towards the little ones. It just so happens that a lot of us are kids at heart and still enjoy the rides and attractions there!

I will tell you one thing though. Even if I DO enjoy the occasional meet and greet with a character and even if I don't mind the idea of progress....I still think it's BS that they pulled out Snow for this Princess Fanfaire whatever the hell it's going to be. And there's my little piece of negative feedback!

An ode to the Dreamfinder...

The first time I rode Kongfrontation, I was in the sixth grade. My first year of middle school was coming to an end and my dad and step-mother had decided that a long weekend in Orlando was in order. Mind you, I was fairly disappointed that our final destination did not involve my favorite mouse, but I was willing to give this new place a try.

It's no secret that I'm a huge chicken. This little problem of mine has actually improved over the years. This trip occured when getting me on any ride I had never experienced before was a long, daunting task. These were the days when even the drop on POTC turned me into a big bundle of nerves.

After being assured over and over again that there were no drops, just a big monkey with a bad case of banana breath, I psyched myself up to face the beast. I still remember freaking out walking through that haggard queue, my stomach in knots. I also remember holding onto my dads arm for dear life as the tram started off. It was the girl holding the mic at the front of the tram that caught my attention, though. She was amazing.

Exiting the ride, I was a completely different girl. The ride quickly became a favorite. More importantly, I wanted to operate that tram. I wanted to read that cheesey ass script and make peoples days the way that girl had made mine. That was what I wanted to be when I grew up. And so, dear readers, began my fascination with working at a theme park.

As most of us know, we lost King Kong to Brendan Fraser in the early 2000’s. I, like so many others was devastated by the loss. It was just prior to that time, however, that I had recently graduated high school and started rediscovering my love for the Jungle Cruise. I had also discovered The Adventure’s Club. My options were expanding! Ha! I’ve said it a million times, I’m now thirty years old and if I could survive life working on The Jungle Cruise and delivering cheesey puns all day, I’d pack my bags and head for Kissimmee in a heartbeat.

The fact of the matter is that I love to perform. I adore entertaining. I fell head over heels in love with the theater at a very young age and it’s stuck with me ever since. If I had the chance to make others smile and laugh, to share a bit of that magic that I love so very much, I’d be on cloud nine.  Maybe it’s growing up in Florida, maybe it’s my insane love of theme parks, or maybe it’s just my love of all things dripping with cheese, but the thought of working at Universal or Disney has been almost every bit as appealing to me as Broadway or Hollywood is. I know. I’m weird. Deal with it.

I tell these stories because I recently read From Dreamer to Dreamfinder by Ron Schneider. I guess you could say that I’ve been a fan of Ron’s for the majority of my life, I just never realized it. Ron was the first to portray one of my favorite Disney icons. The Dreamfinder. He brought that character to life along with that devious little purple dragon the way no one else could. While I had recently learned of some of his other work, I still knew little when I anxiously purchased his book.  I had no clue that he had been so involved with so many of the attractions that I had grown up with and loved. That it had been his voice leading me around on that darn train I love so much for years. Or that he was partially responsible for the way I love to remember Universal Studios as it was. Dripping with old Hollywood goodness.

 The book just struck so many chords with me on a personal level, it really hit home hard.  I’ve found myself recommending it to all sorts of people. It’s filled with awesome stories for theme park fanatics, bursting with inspiring information and advice for performers. Even if you’re the average Fred, George, Joe, Bob, or Sue…get it. Read it. I promise you’ll be entertained.

I seriously can’t tell you enough how thoroughly I connected to this book personally. Seriously. I’m adopted. If I hadn’t already met my birth parents, I’d have myself convinced Ron is my father. Is that creepy? I don’t care.

Prior to reading his book, Ron had been a hero to me strictly for his portrayal of Dreamfinder. I wasn’t even a few chapters in when this started to change. As a girl who grew up wanting nothing more than to make others smile and laugh, he quickly became an inspiration. We may only have a small statue in a room full of mummies to remember Kong by. My hopes of cracking Jokes at the Adventure's Club may have been dashed out by Disney's new idea of "progress". And alright, Jungle Cruise Skipper may not be the most lucrative of career choices for a grown adult. But at the end of the day, I still find myself keeping an eye out for auditions. I keep dreaming, and Ron's words have encouraged me to do just that. After all, you never know what adventure is waiting for you next. 

(Side story!) 

I always love telling this story. The King Kong queue was one of the most awesomely themed queues that there ever was. It was also one of the most disgusting. It smelled like asshole. The whole thing. It just stunk. I don't know if this was on purpose, but I now like to think so. It was a recreation of Penn Station. Grafitti on the walls, dank and icky. I had never been in a subway before, but that was how I had imagined it.

I was 22 before I finally made it on my first trip to New York. We took the train from New Jersey and arrived at Penn Station. I will never ever forget getting out of that train, getting a whiff of the air, and the look that crossed my face.

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed. Totally dumbstruck. "I know, it smells as unpleasant as everyone says it does." Someone in my party remarked. "No." I replied, standing in the crowd for a moment. "Holy shit it smells exactly like King Kong!"

The one where a princess steals my heart...

I'm not going to lie. I've been very excited for the release of Brave. I got sucked right into all of the hype with very little hesitation. The story sounded great, the animation looked spectacular, the music that i'd heard so far was beautiful, and for the first time ever....we were introduced to a princess with a real pair of stones.


Jasmine came pretty close, Belle had a good head on her shoulders and seemed to be going down the right path, but Merida? She takes it to the next level. So I showed up to the theater first thing Saturday with my friend and sat anxiously. By the time the credits rolled around, I was pleased to say that once again Disney and Pixar did not disappoint.


I'm a little bit biased. Archery is a big thing in my family so I think that's awesome to start with. I also know how difficult it is to handle a bow and arrow, so her ability to do so won me over almost instantly. I also adored the fact that she wanted to do things for herself. I went in hoping they stayed true to that story line. A princess that doesn't need a prince? It's a good message to put out there. If  had a little girl, I think i'd rather she learn a lesson like that over one that tells you to give up everything you have and know, including your own voice,  for a hot guy with pretty blue eyes who you've never said two words to. No offense, Ariel, this particular ginger seems to have her head a little more together than you did. 




In the end, I walked away and got exactly what I expected from this film. A lot of Pixar fans so far seemed to be less than thrilled with it, and I can understand that. I knew going in that this wasn't going to be your average Pixar film. It's their first shot at a fairy tale. Brave hangs in the area somewhere between Pixar and the classic disney animated features we all know and love. I think that's probably why I'm so in love with it. It's a mix of old and new. They've managed to mesh the movies I've come to love as an adult with the ones that I loved growing up and in my personal opinion, it mixed perfectly.


The animation was absolutely stunning and I found myself caught up in admiring the details throughout the movie. It really is difficult in some of those scenes to tell that they're actually animated. The soundtrack, as I mentioned before, is beautiful. The story, however, was the icing on the cake. It was action filled, full of meaning, and very touching. There is of course, plenty of comic relief. Most of this was provided by a very dainty bear and Merida's three younger brothers.


I've read that the pizza planet truck does, in fact, make an appearance though I was way too caught up in the movie to catch it. I've also been informed that here's a cute little scene after the credits along with at small tribute to Steve Jobs in there as well. As with any Pixar flick, there's a million things hidden here and there, i'm definitely going to have to check this one out again. I recommend you do too.

Disney posted part of the schedule for this years Candlelight Narrators, excited!

Schedule & Narrators†
American Gardens Theatre (5:00 p.m., 6:45 p.m., 8:15 p.m.)
November 23 to November 25, 2012 — Isabella Rossellini
November 26 to November 29, 2012 — Neil Patrick Harris
November 30 to December 1, 2012 — Whoopi Goldberg
December 2 to December 4, 2012 — TBA
December 5 to December 7, 2012 — TBA
December 8 to December 10, 2012 — TBA
December 11 to December 13, 2012 — Jodi Benson
December 14 to December 16, 2012 — Olivia Newton John
December 17 to December 19, 2012 — TBA
December 20 to December 22, 2012 — Trace Adkins
December 23 to December 25, 2012 — Gary Sinise
December 26 to December 28, 2012 — TBA
December 29 to December 30, 2012 — Marlee Matlin / Jack Jason

* Candlelight Dinner Packages do not include Park admission.

†Narrators are subject to change without notice.

I did this last year for the first time. It's breathtaking and quite moving. Sadly NPH's shows are going to be Monday through Thursday. Bah! 

Happy Cupiversary!

I started this blog after hockey season so I've not yet touched on the other love of my life. The Tampa Bay Lightning.

Eight years ago today the Bolts won their first Stanley Cup. I say first because I fully believe that sooner or later those a-holes are going to bring us another. The fact of the matter is, the 2004 Stanley Cup run is extremely important to me. Not just because my favorite hockey team won it all, but because of the memories that were made over those couple of months. Alexis, (the disney co-hort that's often referenced) and I met the year prior. She'd drive all the way down from Jacksonville for the festivities and we, along with a few other close friends, rode out the cup insanity together. 

The Lightning have long had a policy of selling discounted game day tickets. Two sections, one behind each net, would go on sale the morning of a game. For the majority of the playoffs, these were given out on a first come, first serve basis. What did this mean? Camping in Downtown Tampa. And we went all out. There were tv's and PS2s, lots of music, and just a really amazing time. Snowball fights from the zamboni leftovers, dancing on the bar across the street (RIP Outpost!), lots of laughs and a million smiles. The plaza of the St Pete Times forum had become it's own little community, and a fantastic one at that. Everyone was there for the same reason, to cheer on our bolts. 

The final series was intense, but in the end, the bolts prevailed at home. I stood in the spot I'd spent so much time in over the past two months and watched my boys, one by one, hoist Lord Stanley over their heads. Call me a dork, but it was an extremely emotional moment. I'd watched them fight so, so damn hard to get to that point. I'd shared the experience with a truly fantastic group of people, many of whom I still consider very dear and very close friends. It was an experience, one I wouldn't give up for the world.

 A lot has changed since then. We went through a pretty rough patch for awhile. We try to ignore that that ever happened.  Players have left, returned, and left again. There are new faces everywhere and the area itself has gone through a very amazing face lift. Old faces are still there, though now in front of the camera instead of on the ice. But their presence still shines through. Having Captain Dave, or as I like to call him, "Dad" be there game after game gives me a sense of comfort. I feel like his leadership and experience still effects us all. Thanks for the memories, Bolts. I'm looking forward to a lot more.

Exit to your left, Please. Please exit to the left....

I've said before that i'm not a fan of Disney making big changes. Usually, I get fairly sad when I see a ride get taken out. I was beyond angered at the removal of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea from Fantasyland. I won't lie, the first time I walked into that area of the park and saw the lagoon completely filled in, I cried. The thought that nothing resembling that original ride would ever be there again absolutely broke my heart. Even walking through the park recently and realizing the fantasyland skyway tower had been demolished broke my heart.

I'm not a big fan of changes either. I think the only complete refurb on an attraction that i've ever been 100% happy with is Space Mountain. (Though I do miss Mario Lopez's brief appearance in the queue!) HOWEVER, I think I was young enough not to get worked up over the changes on Snow White's Scary Adventures. I fully admit that I was a huge chicken growing up, everything scared me. I didn't get on a coaster until I was in my twenties. I was terrified of haunted houses until I faced my fear and ended up working in an amazing one. (I suppose nothing is going to get you over your fears like standing in the middle of Eastern State Penitentiary alone in the middle of the night will.) The Snow White scared the ever loving crap out of me as a child. It took me YEARS to get back on it without practically having to be forced into one of the mine carts. So most of my encounters with one of the fiercest of Disney villains occured with my eyes closed while clutching my father for dear life.

No, Snow White isn't the most exciting of rides. No, it's not the best ride in the park. It is (or was), in my humble opinion however, a very iconic part of Fantasyland. I get what Disney's doing. I get that they're appealing to bigger crowds and trying to grow. I get that they're putting this big focus on all of the princesses. The thing is, you're taking away the ride that centers around THE ORIGINAL Disney princess. The one that really did start it all. Yes, it's not the original and I know that. They ruined that for a lot of people what? Twenty years ago? But now it's gone all together. And for what? Another meet and greet? That upsets me. Taking down an opening day attraction, a ride that has been there for 41 years to make way for another meet and greet area, that upsets me even more. The princesses are all over the damn park, there's plenty of room elsewhere.  Maybe if they were making way for something bigger, better, newer, more exciting...then I might not be as upset. But this? I just don't like it.

I don't like that Fantasyland has become this vague, twisted version of the one I treasured in my childhood. The one thing I liked about this big expansion for the "New Fantasyland" was that they were adding on. I had it in my head that Fantasyland, the way I remembered and treasured it as a child, would still be there. Little by little, it's all disappearing. First 20k, then Toad, now Snow White. Even my little corner with It's a Small World and and my beloved Peter Pan has been torn up and pretty soon i'm sure that will be beyond recognition too. Ugh.

I'll end this on a positive note and tell you the one thing I do like about the changes so far. And this is going to tag me as a really big Disney nerd. I like that they moved Dumbo. The flying elephant attraction is present at almost every Disney park and all of them, with the exception of ours, has been built over a water fixture. Disney World's was the only one that was unable to be built around/over a fountain because of the ulilidors. Birthdayland/Starland/Toontown fair was added on long after the park was added and built without utilidors, so with the moving of Dumbo to the new Storybook Circus area, we finally got our water fixture. Well, I guess it's fixtureS since we're going to have double dumbo hubs. And it really does look beautiful. I won't take that away from everything. I'm sure the new fantasyland is going to be gorgeous. And yes, i'll be there asap to check it out once my blackout dates are over and everything starts opening up. It's just sad to see everything getting moved, changed, and torn apart. Disney's killing off my childhood piece by piece, so thank goodness for memories.

Maybe this is why EPCOT took over as my favorite park. Well, this and the margaritas. And French Kevin. We can't forget him.

The dark side takes an even darker turn...

When I find a book I love, I have issues putting it down. It's always been like that. Such was the case with Leonard Kinsey's follow up to The Dark Side of Disney, Our Kingdom of Dust. I'm a big fan of Leonard's first book and have been anxiously awaiting this release since he announced it. I downloaded the novel to my nook last night and finished it in less than 24 hours.

The story of a young man who flees to "The Most Magical Place on Earth" when he feels he has no where else to go, he turns to the place of his fondest childhood memories in hopes of solace only to discover things aren't quite as they seem or as he remembers. Our Kingdom of Dust is not your average Disney bedtime story and this certainly isn't precocious Tink's particular brand of Fairy Dust.

The cast of characters is portrayed by what I can only describe as twilight zone versions of some of The Walt Disney World Resort's most beloved and unsung heroes. It's a dark and twisted, and sometimes very humorous tale that any Disney fan with a darker side can appreciate on many different levels. Leonard brings back flashbacks of terror that many a Disney fan can relate to and pays tribute to the place that so many adore on a much more grown-up level.

This definitely isn't your typical fairy tale, but it's certainly an entertaining one.

I don't know if this is the closure we were hoping for...

It breaks my heart to see Disney close down (or absolutely ruin ::coughfigmentcough::) an attraction that's been around for as long as I can remember. I have this horrible habit of going back and watching on ride videos from 20k, Horizons, and the like. The problem is that I start watching them and start to get really upset that they're gone and will only live on in my memory....and you tube. When I was starting to plot out this post earlier, I realized that it really had the potential to go all over the place. I'll save my thoughts on the closing of Snow White for the 31st when it actually takes it's last run. The post where I go all she hulk and rant and rave about what they've done to Journey into the Imagination will wait for a post of it's own as well.

Aside from the downfall of Figment, there are two other rides that REALLY upset me upon their closing. First, 20k leagues under the sea. The thing with 20k is that as a child, it completely blew my mind. That and the Tiki Room. When I think back on my first experiences in both, which I can actually remember quite well surprisingly, it strikes me as Disney magic at it's finest. The Tiki Room is still there and has thankfully been restored to it's former glory. Sadly I cannot say the same for 20k. Even after they had officially closed down the ride, I spent so long keeping my optimistic outlook that they'd find something equally amazing to do with the lagoon. The first time I walked into fantasyland and found the lagoon filled, I nearly cried. Any chance of anything resembling that magic was gone forever. To say I was ready to start spitting nails when I found out that DisneyLAND was going to be re-theming and reopening THEIR submarines a few years later is a gross understatement.

I know the Nemo ride there isn't the same and never will be the same. I know I'll never see that silly bastard of  a sea serphant's face ever again, but still. It pisses me off. They have SOMETHING left of it. What do we have? A stinking Nautilus carved into a tree at pooh corner. (WHICH I STILL CANT FIND BY THE WAY. DAMNIT.) This brings us to ride #2. The one who Pooh now occupies. The ones those aholes in California also still have access to.

Mr. Toad. Oh, Mr. Toad. May you rest in peace. I miss that ride something fierce. While I am, in fact, a fan of Winnie the Pooh, it's just not the same. I don't mind the Winnie the Pooh ride, I kind of like it. I think the effects are adorable. I get a kick out of the picture hung in Owl's office of Mr. Toad and Owl.

Mr. Toad was also Alexis' favorite ride. She once told me that she loved standing in line and watching the kids coming out crying because they'd just paid the little red guys with the pitchforks a visit at the end. Yes. We are those people. Now, Alexis has been boycotting Pooh for years. She refused to ride because it had taken the place of Mr. Toad. Somehow this past weekend, we convinced her to get on. Thankfully I had the good sense to whip out my camera.

Not all the language in this is particularly appropriate, so you've been warned. It's nothing AWFUL, but this is a Disney blog so I figured I should put up SOME sort of warning.

I don't know if this is the kind of fun Walt had in mind when he envisioned epcot...

My favorite Disney partner-in-crime and I had made the decision a few weeks ago to spend Cinco de Mayo in Mexico. Well...the Mexican pavilion at Epcot, but that's close enough for us. We were joined by another friend and headed over to Magic Kingdom when it opened for some amazing tom foolery. (One of the highlights of our morning will be documented in another post later on.) Around 11, when The World Showcase opened, we hightailed it over to the margaritas.

I'm a big fan of frozen margaritas, always have been. That being said, my trips into La Cava del Tequila inside the Mexican Pavilion have not been numerous. I usually stick to the frozen concoctions they sell outside. This time, however, we were quite excited to try this Blood Orange Margarita we'd heard a lot about. Fabulous decision. We were told that Pepe would take care of us, and take care of us he did. Our other friend tried the passionfruit. It was also super tasty, but heavy on the sweet side. If you like sweet drinks, I definitely recommend it.

The line for El Rio del Tiempo was ridiculous and though this is usually a must do for us, we decided to bypass it for the time being. Margaritas in hand, we continued on our way through the World Showcase. Recently, Draven from DSOD referred to drinking around the world as a bit of a rite of passage. I have to agree. It's actually a rite of passage i've been participating in since I turned 21.

Now let me tell you...Adam and Eve had a snake and an apple. I have Epcot's World Showcase. There is so much variety and pretty much anything you get is amazing. I've been on this ridiculous diet and needless to say, it got shoved aside for the day so that I could partake and do Cinco de Mayo up right. We're nearing the point to this post and why Epcot is probably the most amazing and evil place in all of Disney.

We continued on to Germany where I've recently become a fan of their wine flight. After that, it was onto Italy where we sampled some Limoncello, and then I had the frozen Red Stag and lemonade in 'Merica. This is one of my favorites. They brought it in for the Food and Wine festival last year and decided to keep it around.

Soon enough, we were wandering into France. (If you haven't read my previous post, now would be the time.) We're about half way through our trek around the world and I'm feeling pretty happy at this point. I think that's a nice way to put it. So we start to walk by Chefs de France. In case you've never been there, the entire front of the restaurant is all windows, so while walking by you can see people dining inside. You can also see the waiters taking care of them. I felt the need to look for our new favorite waiter, Kevin. Okay so maybe this was a stalkerish move. I regret nothing. I was peeking inside, walking down the length of the building, trying to catch a glimpse of our favorite French waiter.

No such luck. We were about to cut our losses and move on to Vins de France for the glass of Moet someone had been craving for the last two weeks when we walked by the front entrance. There, in all of his glory, was French Kevin. (This is his new name, btw.) The next five minutes were spent bickering about why I couldn't walk in there alone and how someone had to come with me. Finally we all started to walk in together. I was about halfway up the walkway when I ran into the restaurant. I did not walk, I ran. As soon as I got inside, there was Kevin to greet me.

Fueled by my adventures in the World Showcase so far that day, I started to explain to French Kevin that he'd been our waiter for lunch a few weeks ago and that we'd thought he was awesome. He laughed and nodded. "Oh yes, I remember you, you were sitting over there." Stop the presses. He remembered us? I told you it was fate, Kevin. I knew this was something special. I KNEW YOU FELT IT TOO!

This was probably the highlight of everyone's day. It totally makes up for the fact that I'm a class act and dropped one of those "CAUTION: WET FLOOR" signs while giving my friends my personalized tour of the viking church in Norway. It even makes up for the fact that I got my bag completely soaked when I felt the need to go running through the small fountains that were clearly put there for the enjoyment of children under the age of ten. It was amazing.

We finished our trek around the world and color me shocked, ended up back in Mexico. Our grand total of rides in Epcot that day? Two. Maelstrom in Norway and Spaceship Earth, where I passed out mid ride. My nap would have been a lot more enjoyable if Judy Dench would have stopped yammering on in my ear. Our intentions had been to return back to the Magic Kingdom and close out the park, but injuries and disappointment in the "technical malfunctions" on POTC found us making our way out of the park immediately after dinner. SOMEONE forgot to say goodnight to George. Smooth move, guys.

I'm going to leave you with two things. One. Don't run through Norway wearing flip flops after drinking. You will likely end up hurt. SOMEONE on this trip learned this lesson the hard way. I'll give you a hint. It was not me.

Secondly. Go like French Kevin on Facebook. You can do so here. Yes. I went there.

Paris, je t'aime....

Dear Kevin,

I've convinced myself that what we had was special. I know, deep down, that what we shared was real. There may not have been any singing candlesticks or dancing flatware, but it was magic.

From the moment you introduced yourself, I knew that we were in for an extraordinary experience. Your smile, your accent, everything about you drew not only me, but everyone in.  You see, Kevin, these are the things that they write about in story books. Lancelot and Guinevere, Tristan and Isolde, Romeo and Juliet.....French Kevin and Table Number 7.

I don't care what they say, I know we had something genuine, something amazing. I know you wouldn't dare ever speak to another table the way you spoke to ours. And don't worry, Kevin. I know. I know that had you not had to work that evening, you would have gladly left with us to explore everything the world (showcase) has to offer. Romantic viking boat rides in Norway, dancing to the maricachi band in mexico....it would have been amazing. I know your heart is breaking as much as ours, but fear not, French Kevin. Fate (and seasonal passes) will bring us together again.

Fate and the lobster bisque. That ish was fantastic.

The one where I start flipping out like a 5 year old over my new sippy cup...

Not long ago, over at Fresh Roasted Corn, Hoot posted about the Florida Orange Bird, some of it's history, it's past ties to Disney, and his possible return. You can read about he and Chief's shenanigans here.

He'd posted some pictures that suggested that Mr. Orange Bird himself may be lurking behind some metal covering put up to hide his presence for the time being. My friend and I made a visit to Magic Kingdom today and while walking through Adventureland, I decided to take a gander at the new Sunshine Tree Terrace sign for myself. Sure enough, there they were. What appear to be two little leaves hidden behind a metal cover. Why they would hide his cute little face is beyond me, but that's sure what it looked like. As we were walking back to take a look at the front of the sign again and I was shouting something about how someone needed to get me a broom to knock the damn thing down, I noticed an older couple doing the exact same thing we'd just been doing.

I made a comment to them, excited to see another Orange Bird enthusiast. We talked for a moment and that's when the woman pointed something else out to me. The torches that line the awning of the terrace were lit. She wasn't sure how long they'd been doing that, but they hadn't been lit for a decade. You may not be able to tell by the picture, but I assure you that those babies were burning away.

AND THEN! THEN! She pointed behind her towards the counter and remarked, "Today is the first day they're selling those too." And that's when I saw him, in all of his orange plastic glory. Little Orange Bird sippy cups on sale at the Sunshine Tree Terrace. We took a spin on Pirates and afterwards I promptly ran over to purchase one of my own. $7 for a poorly made, crappy, plastic little sippy cup that I'm sure was intended for children? Money well spent if you ask me!

Much to my dismay, the gentleman that sold me my the most amazing souvenir I've brought home from Disney in a long time had no idea who the Orange Bird even was! "I don't know who he is, but people sure seem to like him!" I just shook my head and walked away happily sipping my crappy lemonade out of the top of my new buddy's head. I'm just hoping there's more to follow!

Random concerns for Disney icons and scaredy cats...

Okay seriously...how does this silly bastard not get his head taken right off? Is this legit? did that actually happen? I'd be seriously concerned that Goofy was facing certain decapitation .

Personally, I was into my twenties before I would allow myself to attempt a ride on Space Mountain. I hate roller coasters. Hate. HATE. The funny thing about it is, it's this big freaky mental thing. I went on Space Mountain. Loved it. I have been on a million times since... Loved every one.
Well...almost every one. I have plans to ride Space Mountain this Sunday. As a result, I am currently a big bundle of nerves about getting into one of those nifty rocket ships and blasting off. Seriously nervous. It happens every time. It's this very reason that I refuse to step foot on Splash Mountain. The panic attack that I'm sure to go through waiting for that drop to come is going to ruin every single aspect of that ride that I know I would enjoy. It's not not worth it to me and it stinks.

Sometimes it stinks being a pansy!

Lets get this party started, shall we?

I was born and raised in Florida, and to be quite honest with you, I've never been a fan of the state. I blame the weather, mostly. Then there's the tourists and the snowbirds. The latter two did not, however, become a nuisance until I had acquired my drivers license.

I made it out of the state for a handful of years. I relocated just outside of Philadelphia and fell in love. My return to Florida was not completely voluntary, but there is always going to be a part of me that knows that this is home and where I'm supposed to be. Really, at the end of the day, there's three things that keep me here and keep me from really detesting my home state. My friends and family, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and of course....Disney.

I've been a Disney fan pretty much from birth. Movies, books, songs, and of course the theme parks. I took my first trip at the age of three and have been hooked ever since. I'll be turning thirty in a couple of weeks and Walt Disney has been the one consistent love of my life. You know, this may be the reason I can't land myself in a real relationship. Just something to think on.

I made this blog as a place to collect my random thoughts and opinions on the subject at hand. Also as a place to document the ridiculous adventures that take place from time to time when my friends and I pay the House of Mouse a visit.

There's people out there that think it's insane for a grown adult without children to love a place like Disney World the way I do. The fact of the matter is, it really is magical. My tastes have changed and adapted as I've grown older, but as soon as I hit Main Street, my heart lights up and the little girl in me perks right up. True, I've grown up, the way I spend my days in the parks is nowhere near the schedules I held once upon a time, but there's something amazing about "the world" that keeps me coming back again and again. It's my happy place. While I'm at Disney, my biggest concern is getting on Peter Pan's Flight (Still my favorite ride, 27 years later, I'll have you know...) before the lines get too ridiculous. No stressing, no anger, no real world to piss you off. Just Margaritas in Mexico, napping in the Carousel of Progress, or catching up with Fozzie and Kermit.

So that brings me here. My attempt at a Disney blog. Just my own little corner of the interwebs to throw my two cents in. So stick around, grab a dole whip, keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times, Por favor mantanganse allejadro de las puertas, and of course....no dancing on the monorail.

Stand by for ridiculousness....

In less than a week I will have my Disney seasonal pass back in my hot little hands. Soon enough I'll post something about why i'm even considering blogging all this nonsense and plenty of pictures from the trips that are already planned out. Until then, I'll leave you with this....