Posted under Disney, Travel by The Blonde Diaries on September 26th, 2008 12:45 pm
One of the hidden treasures in the World Showcase section of Epcot can be found in Norway. Norway is one of two countries that features a “ride” to showcase the history of their country. In the Norway ride, Malestorm, you experience a storm as you go through the countryside of Norway and see everything that Norway has to offer such as polar bears and their famous “trolls”. The beginning of the ride is very dark and can be fairly spooky for young ones but it does light up fairly quickly in the ride and is not as scary. There is one little part where you go backwards for just a short period of time before going down a very small slope in your boat. This video is not the best of quality but it will give you a good idea on the darkness and lighting of the ride and help you to decide whether or not to bring your small ones on with you. The first 45 seconds are fairly dark but then you can see the ride much better. I hope you find this useful.
Posted under Disney, Travel by The Blonde Diaries on September 19th, 2008 8:32 am
I have been posting quite a few Disney Ride videos highlighting some of the larger, more popular attractions. But there are many other rides/attractions out there that are lesser known and everyone in your family can enjoy them. Today, I want to share with you a ride that is not widely talked about other than it needs to be refurbished and/or replaced entirely. It remains at Walt Disney World because it is one of the original rides that originated at a state fair and then was placed into the park because it was Walt Disney’s favorite ride. It has remained fairly untouched since it was put into service in the parks and will most likely remain this way.
Which ride is it? The Carousel of Progress which can be found in the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland. The ride follows a family through the decades and shows how technology is entering our lives in multiple ways and how it is helping us. It ends with wondering what will be next. Enjoy the video below and definitely make sure you ride it once. It is worth it and it is air conditioned!
Posted under Disney, Travel by The Blonde Diaries on September 18th, 2008 5:27 pm
Disney never surprises me with their promotions nowadays. For the past two years, Disney has been celebrating the “Year of a Million Dreams” where Disney has actually given out a million “dreams” in their theme parks each year ranging from free FastPasses, Mickey Ears, and a night staying in Cinderella’s Castle among many others. Next year, Disney is helping you celebrate milestones in your life with the promotion titled “What Will You Celebrate?” Guests celebrating a milestone such as their birthday, first trip, honeymoon, or graduation will be able to obtain a special pin from Guest Service locations throughout Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Orlando. Most people who celebrate milestones and wear these pins usually get a little extra attention in the parks by Disney Cast Members. If that isn’t enough, Disney is offering to those who decide to come to the parks on their actual birthday free admission. All you need to do is bring a valid ID and proof of your birthdate. If you already purchased admission you can elect to receive a gift card in the amount of a 1 day admission to the parks from Disney! For more information check out the Disney Parks website.
On a side note: I did celebrate my birthday at Disney in 2006 and it was fabulous. I enjoyed receiving a birthday cupcake at a few restaurants and a free photo from a Cast Member during my stay. It was really fun to wear the birthday button so make sure if you are celebrating your birthday to pick one up. Each park has a different button so try and collect all of them!
Posted under Travel by The Blonde Diaries on September 18th, 2008 9:11 am
We are officially packed for vacation. I am super excited. I have been planning for this vacation since last fall because I needed a vacation to look forward to after such a rough year at work. Mike switched jobs last fall so we were not able to keep our originally planned vacation and I was feeling quite tired and worn out. So, I quickly decided on Disney for this year and started saving and planning. This time tomorrow I will be at the San Antonio airport getting ready to get on a plane to Orlando.
Southwest has been great. I was unsure if we’d have a problem changing our original flights because their website said you could change but it had to be the same origination and destination points. When I called Tuesday the girl I spoke to was excellent and changed my flights without question or charging me a penny. A++ for Southwest and their support for those of us that were impacted by Hurricane Ike.
Mike and I have remembered a number of items that we have forgotten at home because of the hurricane. For the most part we have repurchased everything that we could here in San Antonio and will repurchase what is left in Orlando when we get there. Some of the items we have picked up along the way have been kind of funny though. I guess you can say that we are trying our best to be prepared for anything. The only thing we haven’t bought for this trip are vessel sinks. I think for this week we can do without them. lol
Posted under Disney, Travel by The Blonde Diaries on September 15th, 2008 12:32 pm
Mike and I have 4 days before we board a flight (hopefully from Houston) and head to Disney. So far I think we are all set. I have been making the final arrangements and checking the final items off our checklist but I have hit a few snags.
Magical Express - this is the free service if you are staying on Disney property and fly to Orlando. They will pick up you and your bags and bring you to the resort. You don’t have to do anything but check in at the Orlando Airport at the Magical Express counter. They should send a packet about a month ahead of time with your luggage stickers so they can pull them for you. Well mine never arrived and I just noticed. Too late to have them resent so I will just have to get them myself and bring them with me to the counter. Not terrible but I should have known better!
Special Event Tickets - We are heading to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party next week. If you order your tickets ahead of time you can receive a discount on select nights and avoid shipping fees by having them held for you at Will Call (of any Disney Park). If you call Disney directly you can pay via Disney Gift Card (you can’t if you try to order online)!
Disney Visa rewards - why is it every time I try and do something with Chase and this card I get an error message? I just don’t get it. Luckily, I made sure to order my rewards card about a month ago. If you happen to forget to do this there is a location in Downtown Disney (DTD) that will pull up your account and issue you a card there and transfer your points onto it. I think I will try and call Chase first and if that does not work I’ll just do it at that DTD location.
Packing - you always think you have everything together and then you evacuate and find out you are missing things! Mike and I went through everything yesterday and packed for vacation while here in San Antonio and I couldn’t believe the number of things I forgot or thought were in our backpack in the closet. My biggest tip here so that you don’t forget things - get a box and label it “Disney Vacation” and throw everything into it as you purchase them. I think Mike and I will make it back to my apartment before we leave Friday but just in case we will purchase extras at Walmart today.
Luckily, nothing major has popped up that we are missing or will cause problems with our vacation. For some reason I just have not been as organized as in the past and have had these few “problems” pop up. I will make sure not to do this again and I hope yall use my snags to help make your trip go a little smoother. I hope to find some time tonight to post a few more Disney Ride videos and maybe another report as an evacuee.
