Day 1241: Club Villain

After my mom experienced Club Villain back in January, she knew that she had to take me when we went this May. Really I wasn't sure what to expect, but overall I loved the experience, the atmosphere, the characters, the food, and honestly, pretty much everything! 

Since it's a highlight, we'll start with the food. There was a good selection of New Orleans inspired main dishes, my favorite of which was something with pork. I don't 100% remember, but I do know there was some really delicious gravy, and I love gravy. Then, for dessert there were two selections from each of the four villains: Cruella de Vil, The Evil Queen, Maleficent, and the Queen of Hearts. Honestly the Queen of Hearts won out for dessert in my book with a red heart shaped macaron and a red velvet cupcake, but the others were all just as delicious! And while I couldn't drink them, there were also select themed beverages for each of the villains as well. 

Now, onto the show, which definitely kept you entertained the entire night. There was a DJ between main performances, but Dr. Facilier and his right hand man were the real stars of the show. Special performances that included singing and dancing occurred throughout the night and I cannot wait to share some of these in upcoming vlogs! I can't even try to describe to you how amazing these were! 

And of course, the night wouldn't be complete without a visit to your favorite villain. On your special invitation you were given times that sort of acted like fastpasses for when to visit with the villains, and they'd take pictures and chat with you in their special areas. Personally I loved Cruella and the Queen of Hearts, because they're just so entertaining. 

I would definitely go back to Club Villain again...if we hadn't gone on the last night. I mean, I can definitely see the appeal of themed events like this, and I think that with the right selection of characters and themes, they could keep them going all year long and people could continuously come back. If you came in hungry and wanted a couple of drinks it was definitely worth the money, and I highly recommend it if they do bring it back! I mean, almost the entertainment alone is worth a good portion of the price, and with the delicious food to top it off, you're golden. Plus, when else will you get to meet The Queen Hearts? 

Have a magical day!

Day 1236: Rare Gems

There's probably a good four or five autograph books from my childhood, at least, sitting on a shelf at home, and I can almost guarantee that the majority of the autographs in those books are from Mickey and Pluto. And then there was a period where I didn't really care much about characters or autographs at all, which lasted until I really became a part of the Disney community on Instagram and watched as so many others had memorable experiences with characters. Now, since bringing my friends to Walt Disney World for the first time, I've really been trying to meet more characters, and as with any trip, I found a few new ones.

Disney World and Disneyland are very different in regards to characters. In Florida, each character has an attendant nearby to help control the line and any unruly children that may be around. At Disneyland this isn't always the case, as usually face characters will roam more on their own, sometimes without even a photopass photographer. Second, the variety of characters is much wider at Disneyland, and it's where I managed to pick up a couple of characters that I'd never be able to meet in Florida, like Oswald!

There are opportunities to meet rare characters at Walt Disney World, but you just have to keep an eye out for them. This past January, my Mom attended the inaugural Club Villain event, and when there was an opportunity for her to bring me this May, we took the chance. At Club Villain, which I'll blog more about later, you have the opportunity to meet four distinct Disney villains, none of which you'll find anywhere else at Walt Disney World on a regular basis: Maleficent, The Queen of Hearts, The Evil Queen, and Cruella de Vil. Dr. Facilier is there as well, hosting, and while you can't necessarily meet him, he does stand near the back for a good portion of the show, where you can catch a picture with him if you wish (I didn't, unfortunately).

While you used to only be able to meet Olaf out at Disney California Adventure, he recently made the move to Florida again, and this time it seems like he'll be staying. Currently, or at least when I met him, he's in his own little private meet and greet near Star Tours in one of the old sound stages, and honestly you can't beat the adorableness that this snowman is all the time. 

Early in my trip, I happened to be walking around World Showcase and had stopped to listen to Alberta Bound in the Canada Pavilion when the gates to the old Millennium Celebration building opened, revealing a wealth of rare characters. I'm talking Baloo, Captain Hook, Smee, the Country Bears, and a few others. Since I wanted to round out the performance by Alberta Bound, I only had time to stand for one character, and despite my love for Captain Hook, I went with Baloo, who was just super sweet!

And finally, I was walking out of Animal Kingdom in the mid-afternoon one day when, suddenly, off to the side, a head popped out of the brush. Tarzan happened to be meeting on a side trail near the Tree of Life, and since he was out of the way and not directly visible, no one was there. Another family went in addition to ours, so we waited for a minute or two, but my conversation with Tarzan about cameras and bananas was well worth the stop! 

I must say that despite the fact that there are so many half-empty autograph books at home, I'm almost finished with the one I started a couple of years ago with my friends. We've met a lot of characters, and I'm always looking for new ones! I am saving one special page for Flynn Rider though, whom I met once. I didn't get his autograph then, and I'm definitely determined to get one next time! 

Who's your favorite rare character to find in the Disney Parks? 

Have a magical day! 

Day 790: Darkness At The Edge Of Town

And so it begins again.

I remember that this time last year I was simply celebrating the fact that it was March, simply because a year ago we still had a whole week to wait before the first returning episode of Once Upon A Time. Luckily, this season we're a bit spoiled with a week less of hiatus, and while it gave me one less week to put together Disneybounds, it's not stopping me!

But first, I want to mention that yes, I will be participating in the March Disneybound Challenge. I've thought about doing it in the past and just haven't, but for some reason, this year I just really wanted to. I mean, I was already doing four of the days for OUAT and since Once started back up on March 1st, it just felt like the right thing to do. So definitely keep an eye out for pictures from my March Disneybounds as well! I haven't decided if they'll be on my Instagram or not, but they'll definitely be on my Tumblr!

As for tonight's Spring Premiere of OUAT, it just had to be one of the Queens of Darkness, and who better than Cruella!?! While the fur coat is kind of big and bulky, and I really don't wear lipstick (it's a mess when you play instruments), this one was pretty darn fun to pull off. The hair, a faux bob, was a completely new attempt for me, and with only a couple of hours to make it all work, that was sort of nerve wrecking. I guess it was all worth it though, because Victoria Smurfit, who portrays Cruella on OUAT, favorited my tweet with my outfit! We're definitely on a roll with these Disneybounds!

As for the episode itself, the first one back is always a little weird for me. Spoilers are rampant in the days leading up to the premiere, and while I attempt to only read spoilers involving Hook, sometimes you just get too much of a sense of the episode. So while I loved it (and I mean LOVED it), I'm definitely looking forward to next week when I really don't know much of what's going on, even if I AM very excited about a promised Hook and Emma "heart to heart." 

It's good to be back in the OUAT habit though. I know that I mentioned to a couple of my roommates that coming in on a Sunday afternoon and at around 5 heading to our dresser area and starting on my outfit and my hair and makeup just felt so natural. Plus, when you have most of the cast live tweeting with you, as well as all your Oncer friends, everything just feels right. Your schedule has resumed and I know for sure that I have something to look forward to every weekend now, which will definitely be nice considering my busy schedule over the next couple of weeks. 

So welcome back Oncers, and here's to another half season! 

Have a magical day!