2009 in Review

What a year, what a year!!! This has been a huge year in the World of Disney (and no, I don't mean the store). This year has brought us what I would like to call "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly".

"The Good": One huge good thing I would say would be the introduction of D23. This club was a great addition to the Disney Company. While I do believe that the club is slightly overpriced, I believe the perks that you get from a membership are completely worth it. In connection with D23, the major D23 Convention in September was another "Good". The experiences provided at that convention had never been seen before from Disney and there were some amazing announcements, including some of the other "Goods", including then announcement of the Fantasyland Overhaul, Star Tours 2, Cruise Line Announcements and so much more! This convention had many exciting and big pluses for this year.

This year's celebration and promotion "What Will You Celebrate?" seemed to come as a good success to Disney. Not as big as the "Year of A Million Dreams" maybe, but it still seems that many took advantage of the Free admission on your birthday or at least the "Birthday Fun Card". As for this coming year's celebration, "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day"...Well, I'll get to that in a little bit.

I continue with the good by mentioning the return of The Muppets to popularity! From being a part of the new Disney celebration, to the rumors of a future refurb of MuppetVision 3D, to their hilarious Youtube videos, you cannot deny that the Muppets are back and ready for action! Definitely what I would call a "Good".

My final mention is the return of hand drawn animation to the Disney Company with the movie release of The Princess and The Frog. This movie not only brought back an art thought lost by computer animation, but also brought a new princess to the collection to be loved by all!

"The Bad": In some way, this category should be called "The Tragic". Many tragedies befalling the Disney Company this year. They say that things come in 3's and that was certainly proven over the summer! First was that terrible monorail crash that killed a driver named Austin right after the 4th of July. A few weeks later, we had the sudden death of an actor named Mark Priest, who died after a fall he had while doing the Pirate Tutorial in Magic Kingdom. The third would be the accident during the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular practice that killed one of the actors of that show. Three tragedies that hit the company in less that 2 months.

Unfortunately, this would not be all of the deaths that the Disney family would have to endure this year. The final blow for the year came just a mere 2 weeks ago with the death of the beloved Roy E Disney. Crucial in many decisions in the Disney Company since the death of his uncle and father, Roy cared deeply about the family business and took pride in seeing that Disney kept the quality it has always been known for. He will be sorely missed.

The safely of the transportation has been questioned this year in Disney. Between the monorail crash, bus problems and a total monorail shutdown just the other week, it has many people worried, wondering if it is alright to use and questioning whether it is worth using. I personally think such issues can happen to anyone and it is just a bigger deal because it happened to Disney.

"The Ugly": There were some pretty ugly things that happened in regards to Disney, though we hate to admit it. The first would be the collapse of Stitch's Supersonic Celebration in Tomorrowland. While Stitch is cute and fluffy (though I know some people that would disagree on that), his show that lasted a mere 6 weeks is what I would definitely call "Ugly". They did not plan well for the show and spent a lot of money on something that will probably not get used often. A big blunder on Disney's part.

Another "Ugly", also from Tomorrowland, would be the new audio for the Tomorrowland Transit Authourity. The Space Mountain Refurb went pretty smoothly from what I know, but all did not go well with the TTA. The audio has been changed with a new voice and new sayings. The audio has been described by many as just downright boring! There is no talk whatsoever in Space Mountain and the famous reference to Tom Morrow has been cut completely, angering many veteran guests. It's really a shame.

The final under the "Ugly" category is Captain EO. Well ok, this is more of a personal preference for the "Ugly" category...let me explain. I do not know much about Captain EO, what I have seen seems very cheezy, I am not sure it will really work for today's audience and the only reason they are bringing it back is because of the outcry that was given for its return after Michael Jackson's death. I personally find this a ridiculous reason to bring back an attraction. There was no outcry for the Walter Cronkrite audio for Spaceship Earth after his death, why bring this back?

This finally brings us to the future segment:
What Awaits us in 2010???

What will happen with Captain EO: They are closing Honey I Shrunk the Audience in California on the 4th of January to bring this back in February and I cannot wait to see what happens to this attraction. It is suppose to only be a limited engagement...it will be interesting to see exactly how limited.

The fate of Sounds Dangerous in Hollywood Studios: This is pretty self explanatory. An attraction on seasonal operation, closed for 11 months and opens just in these last 2 weeks planning to close again on the 2nd of January...why waste the space on it? If you are going to close it Disney, just do it! There are not too many people who will miss it, honest!

Studio Backlot Tour: This is supposedly going down for refurb in February to reopen again in March, but there are many rumors flying around that when it does go down, it will not come back. Ideas and concept art for a Monsters Inc. roller coaster have been circulating for a while online and it is utterly convenient that Backlot happens to be located smack at the end of Pixar place.

Fantaslyand Overhaul: Yea, we know, its happening, but when?? I would absolutely love to see a timeline for this. It is just a little broad for people when you say by 2012. I know I would like to know what will be closed, if anything, on my trip in June. The railroad is scheduled to be closed in 2010 for a few months because of this overhaul, but we don't know when yet. Will I be able to see Mickey and Minnie's house for the last time on my trip in June? Even just a brief idea of what is going to be tackled first would be great to have!

Marvel/Disney: I did not put this acquisition in the 2009 part because I am not honestly sure if this is good, bad or ugly. I will be very interested to see if anything happens with this combination in 2010.

Monorail/Transportation Safety: I will assume that Disney is and will be taking a good hard look at what happened this year in the way of Transportation around the park and will look into some safety features and updates that are needed to ensure that calamities like this year do not happen again.

So much of this and more is to happen in 2010, the only word of advice that can be followed is words from the great Walt Disney himself: "Keep Moving Forward!"

Thank you all so much for reading this blog and giving me the feedback that you do! It really makes it enjoyable to write and I hope you will continue to come here to The True Disney Fan for Disney news in 2010!

Weekly NDM Post

Hey everyone,

Posting this a little late today, the holidays are getting the better of me. This week there is a blog up on the Disney Driven Life and it is about the past year and what lies ahead in the future! Check it out now at http://thedisneydrivenlife.com/archives/2242 and also, later this week, as the year winds down, keep your eyes here on The True Disney Fan as I will be going into even greater detail about all of the big happenings this year and what I hope happens in 2010!

Merry Christmas to All!!!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!! :)

From The True Disney Fan to you, I hope you have a great holiday!! Spend time with the ones you love or, if you are not able to, keep them close to your heart!

Have a great day everyone!

Technology Making Magic Happen

As us Disney fans know, the thing that makes Disney so appealing is the magic that you feel when you are there, the feeling that no matter how old you are, you can act like a kid there! And while Disney will do that all year round, there is a special time of the year that magic just seems to be everywhere....You guessed it, Christmas time!! Just the idea that Santa is coming around the world to spread happiness to all, the magic is seen on children's faces whenever the word Santa is mentioned, its just heartwarming!

For the last few years, I have been keeping an eye on something that makes the magic feel so real! It is a satellite that is ran by US-Canadian military organizations called NORAD that actually tracks Santa as he flies around the world! His position is updated as he makes his flights and even sometimes there is live video as he flies over major cities!

There are some great new updates to the site this year, including being able to track Santa's flight on Google Earth (check it out by clicking here)! There is a map of Santa's Village at the North Pole that allows the children to see which area of his village is the busiest that day and has some fun activities for them to play (click here). The site even gives facts about Santa, and if you come to the page on New Years Eve, you are able to see how many cookies Santa eats that day as he travels the world! (click here)

The best part about NORAD Santa Tracker, you are able to see your children's face light up when they see that Santa is getting closer and closer to their house! They may even go to bed voluntarily! (We can only hope anyway!)

To visit the NORAD Santa Tracker page and track Santa's flight on Christmas Eve, click here!
Follow the NORAD Santa Tracker on Twitter at twitter.com/noradsanta
Check out the fan page for NORAD Santa Tracker at facebook.com/noradsanta

Weekly DDL Post

Today is Monday and you know what that means: A new post on the Disney Driven Life from the Gossip Girl! (Thats me!)

This weeks post has to do with a rumor that has been going around for months and this past week, finally became a reality! Find out what I am talking about by reading the full article on the Disney Driven Life site! http://thedisneydrivenlife.com/archives/2164

Sneak Peek of New Disney/Rayovac Commercial

As a blogger, I have been very lucky to have not only awesome readers, but the privilege to share new and exciting information with these readers!

This coming Monday the 21st, during Good Morning America, a new Rayovac Battery commercial, taped in Disneyland, will make its debut! Rayovac Batteries are the preferred battery of Walt Disney World and Disneyland, so it is fitting to have a commercial filmed there. The commercial features a little girl, dressed as Cinderella, who receives a magic wand with a Rayovac battery in it and the wand then allows her imagination to go wild around the park! This commercial promotes the magical side of Disney, the creativity and imagination that is Disney known for.

I am so happy to announce that, for all of my great readers, I have a sneak peek of this commercial! Enjoy!

Did you enjoy the commercial?? You can give Rayovac your feedback by going to their Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/RayovacFans. Those who visit their fan page will receive a $3.oo off coupon for batteries, just in time for Christmas!

Disney Dream Weddings Special

The one thing a girl looks forward to her entire life is her wedding! Just the idea of looking like a princess, walking down the aisle to her prince charming....it just seems like a living fairytale!

Hmm.....living fairytale....sounds like another place I know......Why of course! Walt Disney World!! (Like I could forget that!) I honestly cannot think of a better way to spend your living fairytale than in the one place where fairytales and dreams come true every day!

Why do I bring this up? No, this is not my engagement announcement, I bring this up because I just watched an incredible television special on the Disney Dream Wedding and I just have to share the great information in this with you!

The special, which aired on WEtv last week and was hosted by celebrity wedding planner David Tutera, followed a couple as they planned their dream wedding in Walt Disney World. It even showed you how it all came together on their wedding day! The couple picked one of the David Tutera's Couture collection for their wedding, the Simply Chic. I will be honest, it was not my favorite of his 4 collections, but it was still beautiful and the bride adored it when she saw it all come together.

This show covered everything you could think of, every detail that goes into a wedding! They showed the choices of a small or large wedding, the flower arrangements and how they are made, they even showed what a rehearsal dinner could look like! They talked about cakes, all the different kinds that you can have and even showed how, if the bride has a specific design she wants for the cake, they will follow her exact instructions. The couple they followed actually had a custom made cake that the bride saw in a magazine. This just shows that Disney will do ANYTHING to make sure that your wedding day is how you want it to be.

Wedding dresses were even covered! They visited a bride-to-be trying on some of Kristie Kelly's Disney Princess wedding gowns, which I am in love with by the way! Just to see the look on the bride's face when she found that perfect dress is a wonderful sight!

The Disney Dream Weddings special covered every aspect of a wedding and answered a lot of typical questions that a bride and groom-to-be would have. The showed the expensive and affordable sides to a Disney wedding and what makes a wedding in Disney unique from a wedding anywhere else in the world.


Oh, and a quick side note! Disney Weddings can not only help you plan your wedding and your honeymoon, they now have a new feature, Disney Engagements! Their website give you ideas on the perfect spot to pop the question and ways to make that magical moment more memorable than ever! They can even help you plan special surprises to highlight that perfect moment!

For information on Disney Engagements, visit their website by clicking here.

For more information on Disney Fairytale Weddings, visit their site here.
Click here to go to the specific link for David Tutera's Couture collection.
To Follow Disney Weddings on Twitter, click here.

DVC Webcasts Confirm my Likes again!

This past Saturday, I watched a Disney Vacation Club Webcast called "Unwrapping the Magic". In this webcast, we were shown around all of the Disney parks and were able to see what the parks looked like and did around the holidays. They also spent time talking about getting a DVC, of course. They explained the prices, where to get one, how to get one, and what the points can be used for. They even give special offers to people who watch the webcast, incredible deals on DVC properties!

Chris and I have looked at DVC's in the past, hoping to get one in the future, and where we would want to get one has been debated back and forth. I had to say after watching this Webcast, I am starting to lean towards Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom Lodge. The rooms just look so beautiful, some even are Lion King themed!! I know we will be vacationing mainly on Disney properties, but just knowing that we can also use it for other places, like New York or Hawaii or Europe is really awesome!

Overall, i found the Webcast to be very entertaining, informative and fun and I will most definitely watch one again! I want to get as much information as possible before making such a big purchase. Another plus side to the DVC webcast, they give out great free prizes to those who are watching! This time, I actually won something (which is rare, I never win anything)! I got a gift package from DVC which included a Santa Mickey hat, mug, ornament, luggage tags, coffee, Shortbread cookies, pretzels, mustard, and a mickey shaped plate! It was a very awesome prize, i was so excited! Here are a few pics:

Here's the package!! :)

The Genuine Shortbread Cookies!!!!

Its a cute little Ornament

All the stuff that it came with

A Sad Day for Disney

TTDF would like to send their condolences to the Disney Family at the loss of a dear family member, Roy E Disney. Nephew of Walt Disney, Roy understood the magic that his uncle wanted in his parks and fought to keep the magic as the main drive in everything that The Disney Company did. Not only the Disney family, but every fan of Disney will miss his guidance and dedication. Thank you for all you did Roy! Say hello to your father and uncle for us all!

Temporary Holiday Change

I know I just started the Pin Memories on here, but due to the holidays, I made the executive decision (since this is my blog) to post some ornaments instead of pins and tell the stories behind them. I hope you all don't mind the switch and enjoy the ornaments. Merry Christmas!

Tribute to Uncle Walt

While just 10 days ago, all Disney fans were celebrating the birth of legend Walt Disney, I would like to take a moment to remember a sadder time in Disney history, his death. 43 years ago today, the world lost a most treasured man, a man who's legend will never be forgotten. He spent his entire life making others happy and loved every moment of it! He gave the world most cherished memories that many hold dear to their hearts. His ideas, dreams and imagination will live on forever.

Thank you for everything Uncle Walt, we miss you!

Another Awesome Muppets Video

Ok, so the other week I posted that hilarious video of the Muppets singing Bohemian Rhapsody. Well this week, we have a new video that was just hilarious! Beaker, The Swedish Chef and Animal singing Carol of the Bells! Check it out!

New Posts for DDL

Starting today, I am going to have a weekly post on the Disney Driven Life about....what else, a Disney topic of course!!! I will put the link up here every week so that you can check out the post!

This weeks post: All Im gonna say is it has to do with Villains, a boat and music! If you want to learn more, go check out my new post over at the Disney Driven Life by clicking here. And keep your eyes here every week for what the new post is of the week!

June Trip Update

This morning I got up at 5:30 in the morning to prepare to book my dining online!!.....only to find out that I could only book our first day and that if I wanted to book online, I would have to wake up every day for the next week and book the restaurants we wanted that day to ensure we got the restaurants that we want. I was very frustrated by this and after going back to sleep for a little bit, I decided I would try calling at 7 and see if calling made any difference. The worst they could say is no. But they didnt!!

Because Chris and I are staying at a resort on property (Animal Kingdom Lodge for those who are just coming into the trip report), we were able to book over the phone! We got everything we wanted with only a few changes in time! Here are our choices:

6/12- Cap'n Jacks for 6:30pm
6/13- San Angel Inn for 6:00pm
6/14- Boma for 6:05pm
6/15- Crystal Palace for 8:05am
6/15- 'Ohana for 9:30pm (Have to call again about this one, the schedule wasnt out yet so this is the only time they had. we are hoping for 7:30)
6/16- T-rex Cafe for 6:00pm
6/17- Chef Mickey's for 5:30pm
6/18 (Chris' Birthday)- 50's Prime Time for 12:05pm
6/18 (Still Chris' Birthday)- California Grill for 9:00pm

These are our restaurant plans!! We are so so excited to be doing these!! Once everything gets cleared up about 'Ohana, Ill post our basic itinerary!

Disney World with the Holiday Touch

I just finished watching "Behind the Magic: Disney Holidays" on HGTV and I was blown away! I knew a lot of the information (since I am minorly obsessed) and I've seen pictures and video of the parks at the holidays before, but it was all very well presented by the host, David Bromstad, and he helped to bring a new light to the holidays. I loved seeing the transport trucks that all of the decorations get hauled on and seeing all of the trucks and workers all over the Magic Kingdom. And, I will be honest, there were a couple spots that made me a bit teary eyed, just thinking about being there and seeing all of the magic and wonder.....its just so overwhelming and moving! It was a great television special and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves to know what goes into making Disney as magical as it is.

Poems and Pins: New Features on The True Disney Fan

I have decided to start a few new features here on the blog to keep it fresh, interactive, and ever changing for you viewers.

The first feature is a showcase of pins that I have collected throughout my trips to Walt Disney World. When I go down to WDW, I get a new lanyard and fill it with pins that I like or one that have a meaning from that trip. For instance, I'll get pins from rides that I had gone on for the first time or new restaurants that I visited. I will put a picture of the pin in the side bar and write a little caption under the picture explaining when I got the pin and why. I would also like to invite anyone who has a favorite pin or a story about a pin, or even a comment about the pin that I put up to please email me at lady_aurora_yensid@hotmail.com and I would be more than happy to put it up here on the site.

The second feature, and my favorite, is a poem of the week. Haiku writer extraordinaire J.B. Conway, known as Mouseofzen on twitter, will have a featured Disney Haiku every week here on the blog. He writes tons of poems related to Disney topics, past and current. You can even send him a topic and he will write a poem on it! He is currently working on a book with all of his poems compiled. The following is a description of the book:

Finding new inspiration, Police Officer J.B. Conway has revisited his passion for poetry and cultivated his fervor for Disney with Mouse of Zen. Always having been creative, Conway turned to writing as an outlet. He published a passionate book of poetry after the 9/11 tragedy titled Crime Scene Lyrics which explored themes of loss, despair, love, hope and joy. Conway’s enthusiasm and love for Disney was rekindled after he witnessed Cinderella's Castle through his young children's eyes back in 2006, creating a turning point in his life. Mouse of Zen was a natural progression of a love of poetry, the simplicities and complexities of the natural Japanese art form known as haiku, and a rapidly growing fascination with the entire Disney universe. This collection of Disney inspired, mouse-sized poetry envelops all feelings, sights, sounds, smells, beauty, love, and passion found deep in the nooks and crannies of Disney parks, movies, and attractions. These invigorating works of art will appeal to and offer a fresh perspective to the magic found in us all.

You can read more of his awesome poems by following him on twitter or on his facebook page, MOUSE OF ZEN. If you have any feedback, comments or questions for Mouse of Zen, you can email him at mouseofzen@gmail.com.

I hope you enjoy these new features on The True Disney Fan! Look for these to be updated every week and please send your feedback to either J.B. or myself!!

Walt's Legacy: Disney World and EPCOT

One of my favorite parts, if not my favorite part, of Walt Disney's legacy would have to be his "Florida Project", known today as Walt Disney World! In honor of his birthday, I thought I would share with you all the Disneyland USA show that he did describing his visions and dreams for his Florida Project, including all of his ideas for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, or EPCOT. This was his great dream! He used this video to show his ideas to the Florida legislature in order to get permission to start building and to receive the rights to self govern. How is the EPCOT that Walt visioned similar to today's Epcot? How is it different? Watch the videos and find out!

"To all who come to this happy place.....Welcome"

108 years ago today, in Chicago Illinois, a baby boy was born. It was not known then, but history will know that baby as one of the most talented and successful animators who every lived. It was not known then, but today, there is only a few people in the entire world who do not know his name. Today, he is on the list as one of the most influential people of the 20th Century. That man, that baby, born 108 years today, is Walter Elias Disney.

Throughout Walt's life, he worked to create happiness and to entertain the world, succeeding beyond his wildest dreams! From his creation of Mickey Mouse in 1923, to his idea for Full Length Animated Features with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to his inspired reinvention of amusement parks with the first theme park, Walt used his endless imagination to create joys that would stand the test of time.

Walt took a small company that he began running out of one room and created a mass corporation that not only creates quality cartoons and movies, but runs television stations, broadcasting companies, theme parks, resorts, a cruise line, radio stations and so much more! Walt's small company grew to be 100 times larger than I'm sure he ever dreamed it would be!

Walt Disney is not just a person. When people think of Walt Disney, they think of his imagination, creativity, endurance, energy, perseverance, and the happiness he has brought to the world. People know that when they hear the name Walt Disney, kindness, quality and smiles come along with the name. Whether you are 1 or 100, anyone can enjoy the surprises, adventure and fun that Walt and his company brings.

From every single Disney fan around the world, Happy Birthday Walt, and Thank You!

The Princess and the Frog: Behind the Scenes

In high anticipation for the upcoming movie The Princess and the Frog (released December 11th), I have an exclusive vignette that was released by Disney Interactive Studios! This was also seen on the Wii version of The Princess and the Frog video game (released for Wii, Nintendo DS and PC on November 17th). This video gives a behind the scenes look at the making of the film through the eyes of some of the film makers and animators! Its a great video, showing the absolute enthusiasm that the creators at Disney have for this film and Disney's return to hand drawn animation. So please enjoy this look behind the scenes of The Princess and The Frog!



Just watching this makes me even more excited for the movie!! Just to see the enthusiasm that the animators have for it feeds my enthusiasm. Besides the amazing animation, the music is so catchy and fun! I have not gotten the soundtrack yet, but it is definitely on my "must get" list for the near future! Feel free to leave me your feedback on the video and your thoughts about this movie.

Muppet Video Sensation

So I know that this is one of the latest Twitter video crazes and it features the wonderful Muppets, so I figured I would just post it for you all to see, for the few people who haven't seen it yet. Enjoy the Muppets singing Bohemian Rhapsody!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The True Disney Fan would like to wish all of her American friends a Happy Thanksgiving!

This is what The True Disney Fan is Thankful For:

• Her Mother, Father and little sister
• Her loving boyfriend, Chris
  
• All of her great friends from her University
• Food on the table
• Walt Disney and his many visions
• All of her great friends she has met at Sorcerer Radio
• The opportunity to work with Celebrations Magazine
  
• The amazing people she has met on Twitter, Facebook, and other awesome Disney sites
  

Last, but not least, She wants to thank all of the awesome people who read and enjoy her blog posts! If it was not for all of the positive responses she has gotten from her readers, she would not be so enthusiastic about writing!

Have a safe, happy and delicious Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving in Philly

Hey everyone!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the States and in just a few short hours, I will be on my way to Philadelphia to spend the night and then, tomorrow morning, get up to watch the 90th Annual 6ABC Ikea Thanksgiving Day Parade!!! I have seen the parade in Philly before, both on television and in person, but this year is extra special!

This year, my little sister, Emily, is actually marching in the parade! She is a member of the first Tournament Of Bands All Star Band! She is the only member of her high school that signed up to do this and we are so proud of her! She will be one of the many color guard members that are marching with the band. The band is almost 200 members strong and will be making their first appearance at the parade after meeting for the first time just the night before! It is an amazing feat by all of these students and I am so proud of my sister for being involved!

Make sure to check out Good Morning America at 8 am Eastern, the TOB All Star Band will be featured at that time!!

For information on the 6ABC Ikea Thanksgiving Day Parade, check out the Offical Webpage Here.

If you would like to help my sister with a fund raiser for her indoor color guard season, please see my blog post on it by clicking here. Anyone in the US or Canada is able to purchase items from it from now until December 4th

Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse!!

In Honor of Mickey Mouse's 81st Birthday, I thought I would post some pictures that I was given from a Disney magazine from a past birthday!

Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse!!

Unique Fundraiser! Can you help my sis?

Hey everyone! I don't usually put stuff like this up, but I thought that it was so cool and it would help my little sis, Emily, pay for her Guard Tuition. Plus, it could give you an idea for a fundraiser you may have to do!

The fundraiser is at www.schoolservices.us.com/shop/. It is like the magazine fundraisers that used to come out years ago except for one awesome feature - the catalog is online!! It has almost anything you can think of! Food, wrapping paper, jewelry, christmas decorations and gift ideas, flower bulbs, toys, kitchen tools and more! And for my Disney parents, there is a set of 5 Disney books under Kids that you may be interested in.

The fundraiser works like this:

1. You go to the website and shop your heart out
2. When you go to pay, along with your address and payment information, they will ask for

• School ID: ws23aps02
• School Location: Newark, DE
• Name of the student: Emily Clawson
• There is NO Homeroom/teacher name, just leave it blank
  

3. Buy your items and confirm
4. In 1 to 3 weeks, your order will be shipped directly to you!

The money that you spend goes to help my sister pay for her Winterguard tuition. The fundraiser ends Friday December 4th and anyone in the United States or Canada can purchase items. If this sounds interesting to you and you want to do some Christmas shopping, both my sister and I would really appreicate it. And even if you don't, hey, at least I gave you a pretty cool idea for a fundraiser!

A Timeless Classic Renewed!

As I sit and eat more of my incredibly buttery theater popcorn (like really buttery, I have to practically wash my hands every time I take a bite), I am thinking about the awesome movie I just saw. I had heard that A Christmas Carol was going to be excellent and I was not disappointed! I have seen many versions of this movie, as it is a favorite of my father and because of the general love of Christmas found in the Clawson household, and I was quite impressed. They stuck firmly to the story, incorporating all of the well known scenes and even adding the not-as-known ones, including the infamous hearse. For those who have seen the "Mickey's Christmas Carol", the final scene with the ghost of Christmas Yet to Come really reminded me of the scene as it is done with Pete in that film.

My mom, sister and I did not see the movie in 3D (Mom is not the biggest fan of 3D) but we were easily able to tell where the 3D parts were and even in 2D the graphics were very pronounced! You still felt like you were in the movie itself! The animation was by far the best feature and addition to the classic film. At the beginning, a book opens to an illustration and then the animation switches from the illustration to the live animation of the movie and, if I did not know any better, I would have swore I was watching live actors rather than animation! I knew it would be good, but was blown away by the total quality!

While I am thoroughly impressed with this movie, I will not pretend that it did not have its frightening points. The appearance of the spirits, the hearse...there were some parts that made both my sister and I jump out of our seats. Because of this, I am not sure I would recommend this for young children; there are just some scenes that I would consider nightmare worthy. Then again, I am a total chicken, so if your child is up to the challenge, I highly recommend it! It really is a family movie with a great classic plot and tale of the true spirit of Christmas, I would just hold on to your little ones in case they may be frightened.

So two thumbs way way up for A Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey! I would highly recommend it to start off your holiday season!

Disney's Fight Against Germs

Pictures have surfaced of Hand Sanitizers that are being installed throughout the Disney Parks in Florida. It is in response to the H1N1 Pandemic. There is a sign above the dispensers giving tips to stay healthy and you can also find the tips inside the maps.

What do you think about this? Good idea for Disney? Is Disney being too safe by adding this new feature? Let me know what you think! Leave a comment below on this post or send me an email at lady_aurora_yensid@hotmail.com. I find this a very interesting addition to the parks, but I am not completely sure how I feel about it.

Brief Health Update

Ive been so busy with school and Disney that I forgot to give a health update! I got a month's worth of Enbrel from my old doctor just to hold me over until we are able to meet with someone to talk about a payment plan for the medication. Hopefully I will get the help paying, but right now I am just happy to have some medicine! I'm heading to the doctor to get some blood work done this morning. I'll hopefully remember to keep you all updated now! :)

What are those sports victory commercials......

OOOOOOH Yes, I remember....

Jessica, You are on your way to senior year of college and have met the man of your dreams! What are you going to do next??????

I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!!!

That's Right!! Chris Reid (that man of my dreams I mentioned earlier) and I just booked our first trip to Walt Disney World together!!!

I received this awesome email from Disney Destinations that had a special PIN code in it that would give me 20% off a Value Resort, 30% off a Moderate and 40% off a Deluxe. Naturally, after much research, the 40% off was the best buy!

The next thing to do was to decide which deluxe to choose. Again, after much price checking and debating and asking for recommendations, Chris and I decided on the Animal Kingdom Lodge! We both never thought we would be able to stay in a place like this!! Especially with a Savannah View! That's right, we have a Savannah view!!!

Excited does not describe in any way how amazingly thrilled we are!!!

Our trip is booked for June 11, 2010 and we are staying until June 19th!! We have park hopper passes with the water park option and will be on the Dining Plan! We are able to book our dining reservations on December 13th, so make sure to keep an eye out for a post around then saying where and when we will be eating!

Since we have the Savannah view, we are also hoping to post a web camera in our room looking out on our balcony! There is even a possibility of a live chat session from our room one night in the SRsounds.com chatroom! More on all of this will be coming when the trip gets closer!

Keep an eye here for all of our trip planning updates! In the next week or so, I will post the list of Restaurants that we are looking at! I hope you will enjoy these trip planning posts as much as I am going to enjoy writing them!!

A Disney Dream of Mine

I have never been on a cruise before but, when I do, I know I want to try a Disney Cruise first! This is not just because I Love Disney (though that is a big reason) but the Disney Cruises are such an experience and there is so much to do!! You could never be bored on a Disney Cruise! There are restaurants, shows, lounges, movies, swimming pools, AquaDucks, bars.....wait AquaDuck?! What the heck is that?!



This is the AquaDuck, or a virtual simulation of it anyway. It is a water coaster that will be one of the features on the All New Disney Cruise ship, Disney Dream!

The AquaDuck will be 765 feet in length and travel around the top deck of the ship! The water can push you as fast as 20 feet per second and the 'swing out' loop takes you 13 feet off of the deck to look at the ocean below you!



This video shows more details of the AquaDuck along with many of the other amazing features of the new Disney Dream!

The Dream's maiden voyage is in January of 2011 and, though I will not be on the maiden journey, I will definitely set sail in the future!

For more information on the Disney Dream, visit the following sites:

Disney Dream factsheet from Allears.net

Official DisneyParks blog post about the Disney Dream

Mini Interview With Author Ridley Pearson

When I was in Walt Disney World on my last trip in 2007, I was looking at a shelf of books and stumbled upon The Kingdom Keepers. As I read the synopsis, I found it to be about my favorite place, Walt Disney World obviously, and adventures within it. I bought the book and took it home to read and was amazed at the detail about the parks that was in the book! I was so excited that when I finished reading the book, I read it again, just to be transplanted into the detail of Disney World once again! The story line just gave me chills and being able to picture where the story was taking place exactly just made it feel all the more real! I was able to as a few questions of the man that is behind the Kingdom Keepers and Starcatchers books, Ridley Pearson, and thought I would share it with all of my friends!
1. What makes you want to write adventure books about Disney?
The "world" of the Disney parks is exciting and intriguing. Working with Disney -- getting into the parks when they're closed -- is just too much fun!

2. How did you come up with the idea for The Kingdom Keepers?

I think the inspiration was a trip to WDW with my daughters: I wondered, as we left: What's it like in the parks when everyone's gone?

3. Was a lot of research involved? Maybe some research trips?

Yes. I've made many visits to the parks at 5AM when no one is there. Then I talk to the Cast Members that run the attractions and get the "inside scoop." It's the best part of writing the books!

4. How did the Starcatchers Series originate?

While reading Peter Pan to my daughter, she asked me: How did Peter meet Captain Hook in the first place?" That started it all!

5. Who is your favorite character in the book? Why?
I like Hook a lot; the incompetent pirate. And Tinkerbell. But Molly will always have a place in my heart because she reminds me of my daughters, Paige and Storey.

6. Any other thoughts/comments?

Kingdom Keepers 3 comes out in April. Disney is making a new Kingdom Keepers website and on-line game. Should be really FUN!!!

You can check out Ridley Pearson's Website at www.ridleypearson.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/RidleytheWriter.

I personally am VERY excited to be hearing about this new website and on-line game! I will be keeping an eye out for this information and will keep you all updated as information comes out!

Halloween Through the Years

For Your Sheer Entertainment, I thought I would pose some comical pictures of my past Halloween's. Feel Free to laugh and enjoy.

Me in 1989 at my aunts house as a bunny....not really sure why I'm crying, lol!
1990, my sis says I look like a mischievous tiger, lol!

1992 I believe, in my pre school parade waving at my mom!

1993 as Jasmine. It was really cold, so I had a sweat shirt under my costume andII hadn't really worn make up before, so I was afraid to put my lips together and mess up the lipstick.....must have been afraid to blink too which is why my eyes are that wide!

My sister, Emily's First Halloween! She was the cutest cow!!

1996, I am Pocahontas (not really sure what's with the mask) and Em is Big Bird...a very small Big Bird.

Me and my Poodle Skirt in 1997, got to dress up for school! :)

Gotta Love Home Made Costumes! I'm Candy Buttons and my sis, of course, is Minnie Mouse.

Here's the last pic, from about 2003. My Sis is a Witch and I am a Show Girl!

Hope you enjoyed laughing at these blast from the past pics!

Happy Halloween!!

A Big Disney Halloween to All!

The True Disney Fan wishes one and all a Safe and Happy Halloween!

"Its Halloween-loween everybody
Let out a scream
Yea its Halloween!
Its Halloween-loween everybody
Its Halloween
Give a Scream its Halloween!"

"When hinges creak in doorless chambers, And strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls Whenever candlelights flicker Where the air is deathly still That is the time when ghosts are present Practicing their terror with Ghoulish delight!"

"This is Halloween, everybody make a scene Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright It's our town, everybody scream In this town of Halloween"

"I want to scare myself!"

"Boo To You!"

"Hurry Back.....Hurry Baaack be sure to bring your death certificate if you decide to join us make final arrangements now. We are dying to have you."

The Disucator: Creepy Creeps with Eerie Eyes- A Descriptive Writing Lesson

Do your students need to practice writing descriptively? Why not use the holiday to your advantage? Follow this fun lesson plan to have the children talk about their own Haunted Mansion.

Subject: Language Arts
Grade: Can be adapted from Kindergarten through 5th Grade
Estimated Time: 40 to 50 Minutes

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to

• learn describing words
• be able to describe a haunted house
• write a paragraph about haunted houses

Materials:

• Haunted Mansion book and audio (can be found at http://www.mousevinyl.com/content/haunted-mansion-disneyland-records)
  
• Access to a computer and projector (if this is not available, the children can take turns watching it on the computer or the teacher can just read it out loud to them without showing them the pictures)

Procedure

1. Ask the students what they think a haunted house looks like. Ask them what a haunted house has in it and what makes it a haunted house.
2. Write the descriptive and key words the children say on the board
3. Show them the Haunted Mansion book
   
4. Have the children write for 15 to 20 minutes about a haunted house they visited or a haunted house they would make. Make sure they use some descriptive words that are on the board and were in the Haunted Mansion story. (For the younger grades, you can have them draw a picture of their haunted house instead of writing about it and the writing samples can be from a couple sentences to a paragraph or story. Allow the children to be creative, let the ones writing even draw a picture of their haunted mansion if there is time for them to do so.)
5. When they are done, allow the children time to share their writing/picture with the other students

This is a fun activity to work on children's writing skills and descriptive thinking, plus it gets them in the holiday spirit! Feel free to use the descriptive words that are given in other fun holiday ways, including a word search, crossword or even a Halloween themed Hangman game!

Thank you to www.mousevinyl.com for the awesome Haunted Mansion book and audio used in this lesson.

Check out www.teach-nology.com/web_tools for an excellent Word Search maker among other great teacher tools.

Until our next lesson, class dismissed! (And a Happy Halloween!)

A Shiny New Addition for Disney Weddings

Disney has found almost every way of making everything needed for the ultimate in Disney weddings. But now they are reaching out to a new area they have not entered before; pre-wedding! How are they doing this you might ask. Why, by designing the very thing that begins most all wedding plans-the Engagement Ring!

Yes, Disney now has its name on a selected variety of rings and bands designed by none other than Kristie Kelly, the designer of the Disney Fairy Tale Wedding Dresses! She has designed gorgeous rings, inspired by the princesses, just as her gowns are. You can find her designs on Pascal Mouawad's website by clicking here.

There is a catch to these rings though. According to www.luxist.com, the rings are semi-mounts, which means that the center stone of the engagement rings are not included in the price, which alone are $1,200 to $6,000. To pay for the ring, then to have to pay for the stone on top will make the ring a pretty hefty price once it is together. See luxist.com's article on the rings by clicking here.

The price may be steep, but if is what you really want to show your lifetime commitment to the one you love, then it is yours for the taking! What will Disney come up with next??