Day 1644: Change is Hard

Since Disney made more than one announcement concerning the future of more than one Disney Parks attraction the other day, the internet has been buzzing with controversy. As a Disney Blogger and YouTuber, among other things, it can sometimes be difficult to stay quiet when there's such continuous conversation abut the future of the parks - about what's right and what's wrong and what Walt would or wouldn't have wanted. But if I've learned anything in almost five years of blogging, it's that you should probably stay quiet until you've had enough time to truly come to a conclusion about how you feel, and then you should probably reexamine that feeling more than a few times over. For some, this might only take a few minutes, but I prefer to take a bit more time to sort out my thoughts, and I think I finally have.

We'll start with the first announcement, concerning the attractions currently sponsored by Siemens: Spaceship Earth, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, and it's a small world. So many seemed shocked by this development, but for me, it was just a few weeks ago that I scoffed at an article that suggested the company would obviously renew their sponsorship with Disney. It hasn't been a question in my mind for almost a year actually; Siemens wasn't going to renew and I was prepared for it.

Given the track record of sponsored attractions in the Disney Parks, the fact that these attractions have kept sponsors on board as long as they have is sort of astonishing. It wasn't until January of 2016 when I stood in the Test Track Chevrolet Lounge gazing out at the Universe of Energy that I truly realized just how important sponsors are for these attractions. There I was, standing tall and pretty in a brilliantly decorated and designed lounge at Test Track when just across the courtyard was Ellen's Energy Adventure, an attraction I've come to love and adore over the years, slowly decaying. The cast member who brought us up to the lounge caught me looking at it and began to explain the sad story of how, because it has no sponsor, the Universe of Energy is only maintained to the point where it can continuing running. They'd make those minor repairs, just enough to keep it going, but it quickly became obvious that not everything at Walt Disney World is meant to stay the same, and sometimes for more reasons than one.

Does that mean I'm terrified for the future of not only my favorite attraction, but also my favorite nighttime show? Of course. I'm always terrified for an attraction that loses a sponsor, because I've seen what they've done to attractions in the past, Maelstrom at the forefront of that list. It's not a matter of Frozen Ever After being bad, because it's not. It's more about the fact that, at some point, every single one of these attractions becomes a part of the staple, normal Disney experience. We welcome new attractions into the Disney Parks family, and we say goodbye to them too, and even after all this time, I still feel for those that have lost their favorite attraction. Sometimes I even fear of it happening to me too.

Which brings us to the second announcement from Disney Parks and Resorts: the changes to the Auction scene in Pirates of the Caribbean. To say I wasn't shocked about this announcement, unlike the sponsorship from Siemens, would be a lie. I couldn't have predicted this one in a million years, and for me, it seemed so out of the blue that I initially found myself angry. How could they take out such an iconic scene and completely change it? It seemed unnecessary, regardless of the fact that I completely and 100% agree with the reasoning for changing it.

It frustrated me, then, that I was so upset about something that I knew I shouldn't be upset about. I watched as Twitter exploded with arguments on both sides of the discussion, some calling it a necessary change, praising Disney for finally working its way out of the gutters of sex slavery and human trafficking, and others petitioning to put a stop to the changes altogether. It felt odd, to sit on the sidelines and watch as so many argued about the fate of an attraction that, for the most part, will stay the same when the fate of my own favorite attractions hangs in the balance.

So I stayed quiet, until I happened across a tweet that made a reference to the future of IllumiNations. What will happen when they likely announce the replacement for my favorite nighttime show at the D23 Expo later this month? Am I not supposed to be sad? Am I supposed to walk around praising Disney for getting rid of something that literally means the world to me simply because others can do without it and it's in need of a change anyway? Am I supposed to ignore those feelings simply because what follows IllumiNations might be better or more politically correct or in tune with the world we live in today?

Simply, the answer is no, and that's what's important here. It's ok to be sad about change, even the changes coming to Pirates of the Caribbean. Yes, Walt always intended for the parks to be continuously changing, but sometimes change comes with a forced hand, oftentimes after the departure of a long-time sponsor or a change in the social climate. Yes, it's incredible that Disney has waited until now to update the Auction scene in Pirates of the Caribbean when it should have been done years ago. And yes, perhaps if you're arguing that there's nothing wrong with the scene itself, you might want to reexamine your views.

But because these attractions, whether it be experiences as a whole or specific scenes, become a part of our Disney experience, we grow attached to them. There's something special about sailing on Pirates of the Caribbean and hearing "We wants the Redhead!" because it's something we've done for a very long time. I know it was incredibly difficult for me when they removed the smoke and distinct smell of the burning of Rome on Spaceship Earth, and while that was a much smaller change than what's coming to Pirates, it still affected me. It affected a lot of us, just as these new changes will.

And as hard as it might seem, it is time to move ahead. I'm incredibly excited about the New Auction scene in Pirates of the Caribbean, because it's obvious that Disney has already put a lot of time and thought into creating a better message while preserving some of the history and nostalgia from the attraction we grew up with. If that's what we're truly getting and that's how Disney is going to move ahead with whatever is coming next, whether it be for Pirates or Spaceship Earth, IllumiNations or the Universe of Energy, what else could we ask for?

Have a magical day!

Day 1193: Make 'em Laugh

Sort of by accident, a lot of what we ended up seeing on our trip to Walt Disney World in January occurred simply because we happened to be walking by at the time. While I've seen much of the entertainment around World Showcase, Frank hadn't, so when we would hear something I'd be sure to make us stop so she could experience it too. 

Of course, that led to some serious comedy throughout the entire vlog, and really, this is another one of those times were I sort of start to remember just why I love vlogging and bringing the camera with me everywhere I go at Disney. I mean, there just aren't words to explain how wonderful Frank trying her first piece of raw fish was, and when in World Showcase you really can't find something more entertaining than any of the spectacular music or performing groups. 

Also, I've really been discovering some new favorite places to watch IllumiNations over the past few trips, and I've probably seen it a record number of times too. On this particular night we made it a point to stop and wait for the show in Japan, although if you want to stand up on the balcony you'll want to get there rather early, because it's become quite the hotspot for photographers and viographers (myself included). We ended up eating at Tokyo Dining and then just waited up there though, so things worked out rather well. 

All in all, this particular vlog was a part two, and we spent almost the entire day in World Showcase, and the entire day at Epcot. I hear a lot of people talk about Epcot as a park hardly worth visiting, but for me, that's absolutely not the case. I could probably spend the rest of my life at Epcot and still not spend enough time there. I mean, there's a lot of food to try there after all.

Let me know which of the Epcot performing groups is your favorite in the comments! 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1114: All Around the World

To say I've grown up with IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth would be an understatement. If you've seen my "When Did It Start For You" video, you know very well that the soundtrack to Epcot's Fireworks spectacular has been a constant part of my life and inspired much of my love of music. Needless to say, that means that I've seen IllumiNations more times than most people could probably imagine. In fact, the last time I saw it (just a few days ago) a couple happened to be standing behind me and walked up about three minutes into the show. All I heard was "Do they still have that stupid globe thing...oh they do" as the barge that carries the globe floated out from behind the other side of the American Adventure pavilion. Her husband so kindly suggested that "at least I think it moves faster now." Sorry buddy, but it probably moves about the same speed as it did when the show first premiered years ago.

Anyway, lately I've really been trying to see IllumiNations from as many angles as possible, and now I can definitely say that I've checked off a few new locations. First and foremost, we spend most of our viewings on a bridge by Italy, which we've termed the "artichoke bridge" thanks to the decorations that line the top. If you get there early enough and secure a spot, you're above the rest of the crowd, and it makes for a wonderful view.

The Fastpass+ viewing area for IllumiNations is held almost directly across the water from my usual spot in Italy though, and offers a much closer look at the fire barge that is used in the opening act of the show. If it's a particularly cool night I love standing up there, and for those of you that just can't seem to use that fastpass on IllumiNations (Test Track is waiting, right?) then you'll be happy to know that there is still some decent viewing back behind the fastpass area. We got there about 20 minutes ahead of time and had no problem grabbing a decent spot. (For those curious, the left picture is inside the fastpass viewing area, and the right is back behind it).

On the band trip in 2014, our band director (and tour guide) insisted that we see IllumiNations from the bridge next to Mexico. While not my least favorite spot, I'm also not a far of the crowds (probably tour groups now that I think about it) that tend to gather there. We stood there for over an hour and a half to make sure we had a good view (and I only got up front because I was the one with the camera). Either way, like I said, the bridge does offer a nice view, if you're willing to put up with groups and/or stake out your spot. 

And finally, the most recent of my viewing location discoveries - the balcony in Japan. If you're a photographer this is definitely one you'll want to check out sooner rather than later, although you will probably have to stake out a spot ahead of time. We happened to eat dinner at Tokyo Dining the night we watched from up there, which made it really easy to enjoy our dinner and then head right out onto the balcony to wait (we stood there for about 45 minutes, although other nights I know a friend of mine said it was completely empty). 

Where will I go to watch IllumiNations next? Well, I've always been curious about the view that the bridge area near the France Pavilion offers, which has always seemed a bit far away from the action for my tastes, but I'm looking forward to a viewing in that vicinity at some point. Other than that, I'm sure there's plenty of other unique locations to view IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth from...it's just a matter of finding them! 

Do you have a favorite location to watch IllumiNations? Let me know in the comments below! 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on January 25 due to travel).

Day 1110: Never Tell Me the Odds

I was told it couldn't be done. In fact, I think I had many more people explain to me their belief that four parks in one day couldn't happen, and even more so, that there was no way you could see all three fireworks spectaculars in one night (meaning Fantasmic, IllumiNations, and Wishes). Even more so, the world seemed to be against us and gave us pouring rain on the day that we attempted to accomplish the "impossible."

Then again, when have I ever turned up a chance to beat the odds?

Back in June 2015 I made an attempt to head to all four parks in one day and almost succeeded. In fact, I came so close that I absolutely knew that doing three attractions in all four parks in one day was completely feasible. You had to do your planning and be open to going with the flow, but it was possible, and when we made the decision to return this January we knew we had to take another shot at making it work.

Our day started out at Animal Kingdom, much like the last time I attempted this challenge, and despite the influence of rain, we did manage to hit up Kilimanjaro Safaris, It's Tough to be a Bug, and DINOSAUR for our three attractions, as well as stop for some Starbucks before the rain really set in. Usually when I attempt this challenge we head to Everest first, but because of the rain, I figured that probably wasn't the best idea (especially with a camera in hand to document our day). Regardless, we finished up at Park 1 and then headed to our second park of the day, Magic Kingdom.

By the time we got to Magic Kingdom (after a bus/monorail transfer at the Poly), the rain was finally starting to calm down. We were, of course, still soaked, but we made do as we headed to Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Carrousel before stopping for some lunch at Cosmic Rays. The great part about the rain though? No people! For some reason, folks just didn't want to brave the pouring rain, even on a Friday, so the parks were unusually quiet all day long...perfect for a four parks, one day challenge! 

Obviously we weren't done yet though! After a stop back at Old Key West for some dry clothes and shoes, we headed back out to Epcot, where we took a quick trip on Spaceship Earth, Journey Into Imagination, and the Seas with Nemo and Friends before meeting up with a friend of mine who has a friend who works at Test Track and brought us up to the Lounge. It was an amazing experience that I'll elaborate on more later, but needless to say, we ended our time at Epcot with a line-skip ride of Test Track. 

Finally, we headed quickly to Hollywood Studios on a bus that just happened to pull up right when we needed it. While there we headed to see The Muppets, then on Toy Story Midway Mania and finally on Tower of Terror before grabbing more Starbucks and some churros amidst a beautiful sunset. 

And then started the real challenge. Since I already knew that four parks in one day was possible and, more than anything, it was almost easy, I knew we had to do something...extra...and making an attempt to see all three nighttime shows seemed like the perfect way to spice things up. We started with Fantastmic, which we waited for while eating our makeshift churro/Starbucks dinner, and then realized that if we were going to do this, we were going to do it right. In other words, we knew we couldn't just see Fantastmic...we had to see Symphony in the Stars too. After our Star Wars finale, we quickly walked back to Epcot for IllumiNations and then raced out of the park to catch the first monorail back to Magic Kingdom so we could get a spot for Wishes. Amazingly, the force was with us, and we not only got back to Magic Kingdom (I initially planned for us to watch from the beach by the Poly), but we also managed to get one of the best views for Wishes I've ever had. 

Somewhere amidst four parks, fourteen attractions, lots and lots of rain, three trips to Starbucks, and over 15 miles of walking, we managed to do all four parks in one day and see all four nighttime spectaculars at the Walt Disney World Resort. It's probably important for me to mention that this all required a lot of planning...as well as the fact that the fireworks shows all happened to be an hour apart (Fantasmic at 7, Symphony in the Stars at 8, IllumiNations at 9, and Wishes at 10) and the fact that, somehow, we never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus that got us exactly where we were going. The real question remains though - would I do it again? 

The answer? Definitely. Aside from the fact that by the end of the day we felt like our legs were going to fall off, there was an absolute sense of accomplishment in the fact that we did it. We did what everyone claimed to be impossible, and we had a lot of great adventures along the way. But more than anything, it's almost a metaphor for how I want to live my life. I want to defy the impossible and live up to the dreams I've had, because one thing is always for certain...never tell me the odds. 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on January 24 due to travel).

Day 1079: Lights on Lights on Lights

With the Osborne Lights coming to a conclusion at the end of this holiday season, I can't help but be...well...pretty sad. As much as I miss the original lights I grew up with as a kid, it's always hard to see a tradition at Disney go. But Christmas light shows go far beyond the Dancing Lights at Hollywood Studios. So I did a bit of research and found a few of my 2015 favorites to share with you!

We absolutely have to start out with some Star Wars, because that's really what this 2015 holiday season is all about. Maybe Disney could just do the Osborne Lights in Star Wars land and time them all to Star Wars music? I think it would work pretty well!

And then there's this, which just flat out TAKES THE CAKE: 

I was only about halfway through my research when I found that one, but now that I found it I don't even want to find something else. I'm done. This video wins. 

I'm apparently a bit bias when it comes to IllumiNations. 

Have a magical day, and share some of your favorites in the comments below! 

(Note: This blog post was written on December 22).

Day 1071: Missing Christmas

As the song goes, "I'll be home for Christmas," but as a Disney fan that lives miles and miles away from home, I don't really feel that way at all.

To be fair, I've never actually celebrated Christmas itself at Disney World (or Disneyland for that matter). We have responsibilities here at home. Plus, who in the world would want to go now when I can go in a few weeks when it's much less busy. I have, however, celebrated many Christmas seasons at Walt Disney World, usually around Thanksgiving. In fact, a large chunk of my trips have been during the holiday season, to the point where I take in the holiday traditions as just a regular part of my year.

When I'm far away, on the other hand, things get a little tricky.

There's a Garden of Lights in my area that pretty much everyone gets to during the Holiday season, and I'm always asked about going. I usually turn everyone down though, citing the fact that "it's no Osborne Lights," but truthfully, I think the real reason I turn everyone down is because it only makes me miss home more. And now, with the lights leaving for good after this holiday season, I can't help but wish a bit more than I was home this Christmas.

But that's not all. We can't forget the decorations around the Walt Disney World Resort, or the Gingerbread Singles that are sold at the Grand Floridian (pretty much the only thing I want for Christmas this year). There's the dream lights on the castle, and Holidays around the world at Epcot, plus the holiday tag on IllumiNations that's pretty much my favorite thing during the holiday season.

And yes, I can make my own Gingerbread and put up my own decorations, time my own Christmas lights to "Christmas is Starting Now" or watch the Holiday IllumiNations online, but none of it is quite the same as experiencing it for myself. It's honestly one of the many reasons that I don't have a problem with the prospect of working on Christmas in the future, as long as I'm working at Disney. Yes, the parks are crazy and it's a stressful day, but at least I'd be home for Christmas, and that's really all that matters, right?

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 23).

Day 994: Song of the Day

I'm always trying to find new ways to bring little bits of Disney into my daily routine. After all, that's what this blog is all about! Well, I'm happy to say that I've found yet another way for Disney to make an appearance, and this time it occurs pretty much every morning on my walk to class! This year, I'm lucky enough to not start any of my classes until, at the earliest, 10 each morning. It provides a little extra time to get work done, whether it is filming a video, working for one of my on-campus jobs, or catching up on homework on practicing, AND means that I can take my time heading to my first class of the day.

To make life more interesting, I've started doing #DisneySongOfTheDay, in which I play a different Disney song everyday, take a screenshot of it on my phone, and then post it on Twitter with the hashtag! So far it's been a ton of fun picking various songs, and it's an awesome way to go through the music library on my phone!

Here's a few of the songs I've included so far:

I would love to see some others adopting the Disney Song of the Day into their routine too! I throw in some earbuds and listen on my two-three minute walk to class, but maybe you listen during your drive home, while making dinner, working on homework, or even taking a shower! Let me know some of your favorite Disney songs in the comments below too! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 26 due to a tight schedule).

Day 915: Almost (But Not Really) The Same

I have this tradition that seems to baffle people: Every time I sit and watch fireworks, I play Illuminations on my phone. This Fourth of July was no different, even as I head a couple of hours away to visit my roommates.

Fireworks have always been one of those things where, once you experience all Disney has to offer, there's no going back. Don't get me wrong, fireworks can still be fun and beautiful, but there's something very different about sitting and watching some things explode in the sky and experiencing all that Illuminations: Reflections of Earth has to offer. As Megan pointed out on our drive, my expectations for fireworks are through the roof, and there's no changing that...but it also doesn't mean that I can't acknowledge good fireworks when I see them.

Last year, when we headed up North with the band, the fireworks we ended the trip with were some of the most dissapointing fireworks you've ever seen, and while I didn't go on the tour this year, it sounded like those they watched this year weren't much better. This year, on the other hand, I was in a completely different place, and my fireworks were actually pretty darn good. I was actually very impressed with those that we saw, which went on for a while before leading up to a grand finale that lasted quite some time. The finale also happened to remind me of another Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza I saw a few years back...one much more influenced by Disney:

It took a little while for me to find a decent recording of the exact show I happened to watch back in 2011, but this one did the trick. That's right. I was there for that. It's sort of odd thinking about how this was a video taken from somewhere else around World Showcase and from not far away I was watching as well. 

Here's a recording of this year's fireworks as well via Inside the Magic: 

What I wouldn't give to have seen these fireworks live. As for our fireworks, like I said, they were definitelly wonderful, as you can sort of see even from this one picture (which has more than one firework...meaning it already beats last year). As usual, I listened to Illuminations during the show and always smiled a little extra whenever the fireworks would happen to match up with the music. Just another way to bring a little bit of home back here to Wiconsin. 

Happy Fourth of July everyone! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on July 6 due to travel).

Day 907: #WDIS4U

A few months ago (has it really been that long already?) I shared the story behind when my love of Disney started, but in typical Disney fashion, I had to make a video to go along with it, and there's a bit extra to the story this time too!

Of course, you can hear the whole story about how my love of Disney really took off with the Millennium Celebration at Epcot in the video below, but I want to know how it started for all of you? I've been a Disney fan as long as I can remember. I've grown up with the company and the parks and I couldn't be more thankful for that. But that's the point of this entire campagin. The reality that each of us have our own individual stories to tell, but with Disney we can come together as one.

See what I did there? Illuminations references for the win.

So watch my story and then let me know how it all started for you in the comments below!

If you're not already following my YouTube channel, be sure to do so and check in every Tuesday for new Trip Vlogs and every Friday for a new Friday Funday video! 

Have a magical day!

Day 885: Change of Tempo

It seems that just about every year we all come up with these grand ideas to add exercise into our lives. Whether it be at the beginning of the year as a New Year's Resolution or in the middle of the year like me, more as a summer project, it always ends the same way.

We do it for about three days and then give up or forget about it.

But for once, I've actually somewhat kept up with one of my goals: direct through a few pep band songs every night. It's probably good to keep my arms moving anyway, and since conducting in high school made me probably the most fit I've ever been, it seemed like a natural way to keep up with things. So that's what I've been doing: directing pep band songs that my brother has saved to his computer. And for the most part, it's been working.

Every night I have him pick a few different songs, surprising me with whatever it is he's decided to have me conduct that particular day, but there's one song in particular I generally have him play before I finish for the night: Illuminations.

That's right, there's a pep band arrangement of the song, but apparently, as I just now discovered, it even goes beyond just Reflections of Earth! I just came across the full show and to say that it's a life goal to conduct these doesn't even describe it. You can listen to the recording here:

Yeah, I'm pretty much in love with this piece. I have a need. 

We'll see if I blog about any other of the Disney Pep Band pieces in the future, but there's a ton of them! 

Have a magical day!

Day 849: When Did It Start For You?

One of my favorite portions of the #DisneySide campaign thus far has to be the When Did It Start For You? series. Over the past month or so, Disney has really had a focus on when Disney became a part of our lives, whether we be a cast member, an actress on OUAT like Ginnifer Goodwin or a regular Disney fan sitting at home, blogging on her couch. It takes something that connects all of us and lets us go back to our roots. It allows us to return to those initial moments when we really found we loved Disney, and that's something spectacular.

Now, originally I was going to do a video on my YouTube channel for #WDIS4U, but I haven't had a chance thanks to finals. So instead I figured I would share my story here, on my blog, because after a lot of debate, I think I really have finally narrowed it down to when it all really, truly started for me.

As many of you know well, I love music. I've always loved music. My family has always really encouraged my brother and I to play instruments and sing and be active in ensembles. I started playing the oboe during the summer before 5th grade, and during my freshman year of high school I picked up the saxophone, which is what I play now as a music performance major in college.

However, I think my love of Disney really took off when I was around 4 years old. Like music, Disney has, obviously, been a huge part of my life. My parents both went to Walt Disney World before they met, they went after they met, they went there on their Honeymoon, and when I was 15 months old, they took me for my first trip.

When I was 4 though, the Millennium Celebration started at Epcot. Many of my earliest Disney memories occurred that year. I remember taking pictures for Leave-A-Legacy and the giant celebration building that had a snowman with real snow and the Tapestry of Nations Parade with te puppets that were way taller than I was. One of them leaned down to shake my hand once and I hid behind my Dad, but the puppet-master waited a minute and after I reached out to shake the puppet's hand, I didn't stop talking about it for the rest of the night.

But what really had an impact on me was Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. We had this tape with the music from the show that my parents would put on every time we would drive somewhere, even if it was just the five minutes to town.We still have the original tape, but I'm pretty sure I listened to it so many times that it's long since worn out and we had to upgrade to a CD.

The music from throughout Disney Parks all across the world, Illuminations and the music of the Millennium Celebration included, has inspired me every single day, whether it be in the practice rooms, in a music theory class, in a parade block, or out on stage performing. I definitely still listen to Illuminations: Reflections of Earth on a regular basis, sometimes when I'm happy, sometimes when I'm sad, sometimes when I'm angry, and especially when I'm driving somewhere.

That's when it started for me.

When did it start for you? Let me know in the comments below or share your story with the world by using #WDIS4U!

Have a magical day!

Day 817: Stay Motivated

I don't stay at school most weekends, mostly because I generally have something going on at home or somewhere I need the car to get to, and on those rare weekends when I have nothing going on, I generally like to spend the little bit of freetime I have lounging around with miss Lillybelle or looking at slides with my family. My roommates, I know, probably wish I would stay more often, and if it were up to me I think I would. I adore my roommates and I love college...it's just that it doesn't always work out that way. However, because we just got off of spring break and this next week is shortened because of Easter, I figured staying on campus made sense, especially thanks to the huge amount of work I had to get done.

Midterms, thank goodness, are now officially over, or at least they are as I'm actually writing this (Monday, March 30). Midterms generally surround spring break and into the following weeks, so while it's nice to have them sort of split up, it just so happened that I ended up with two midterms on the same day. It's never nice when that happens (and it also happens to be the reason that the last week of the semester, finals week, is more terrifying than anything else in the world), and therefore I spent most of my weekend surrounded by an obnoxious amount of books and paper, trying to finish up a take-home essay-style midterm for Classic American Novels while also studying for a French exam.

Unfortunately, lots of work means a lot less Disney, and while it creeped it's way into a number of things over the weekend, there just wasn't a lot of time for the usual Disney beyond my daily Disneybounds and the continuation of the Everyday Disney Challenge. However, I needed to keep myself motivated to work somehow, and luckily it was Disney that provided exactly the thing I needed to keep me going: IllumiNations.

Over the weekend, as part of the Everyday Disney Challenge, the prompts both included pictures from IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, mostly because there are so many different things that you could photograph, and since the second prompt was "We Go On," you could even include older pictures from the Millennium Celebration. Regardless, I posted two photos from the fireworks presentation, which you'll see in a few days as I round up the month of Instagram photos, and that got me thinking.

Luckily, with everything I've done over the past few years through my vlogs and with filming for the Band Trip Video, I have most of the attractions and performances at Disney on recording. It means that, at any given moment, I could probably sit down at my laptop and easily watch High Def recordings of just about anything from Walt Disney World. You name it, I have it: Spaceship Earth, Test Track, Pirates of the Caribbean, Expedition Everest, Festival of the Lion King, Fantasmic, The Great Movie Ride and, of course, IllumiNations.

So at the end of the night, after finishing most of my work for the day and getting a good chunk of studying done for my midterms, I sat down, plugged in my good headphones, turned down the lights and watched Illuminations on my laptop. Now, maybe it's not 100% like being there live, but if you get close enough to the screen and pretend, it works well enough for me.

My next piece of Disney Video Motivation? The American Adventure, which I was going to watch Sunday night, but didn't get a chance to because instead I just headed to bed early. Maybe tonight though, if I can manage to make my way through 7 chapters of a book, make new French Flash Cards, fill out a housing application, and get through three hours of rehearsal time this afternoon. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on March 30 due to Midterms).

Day 779: I Don't Know Everything

A common misconception is that I know absolutely everything about Disney. Unfortunately, I don't. I know, big surprise, I'm not a complete Encyclopedia of Disney. I mean, I do know a significant amount of information, especially when it comes to Epcot and Walt Disney World as a whole, but things do still surprise me from time to time. It just so happens that the other day, I was caught completely unaware at a huge connection to Disney in my life.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, my family was looking at old slides from Walt Disney World in the 80's and 90's, which led me to listening to some old music from the parks, specifically former versions of Illuminations at Epcot. We all know that I'm a huge fan of the Gavin Greenaway music that graces World Showcase each night these days, but as many times as I've listened to that soundtrack, I'm not anywhere near as well versed in what came before it.

For those that don't know, previous to Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, there were multiple other versions of the show, many of which only showed once a week (usually Saturday nights). The soundtracks for those older editions are largely made up of classical music. The version I found on YouTube, which I've included below, is Illuminations 25 (B), celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort with the return of classical music to the show.

 

It's a pretty long soundtrack, but I was listening to it in full for the first time last week while, of all things, curling my hair on a Wednesday morning. So I'm standing there, curling my hair, and I'm already freaking out because of some of the absolutely brilliant music included in the show, specifically around the point of the inclusion of "The Aquarium" from Carnival of the Animals, "A Night on Bald Mountain" by Mussorgsky and so on and so forth when all of a sudden I start automatically singing along to the score. For a second, I stopped, trying to figure out why in the world I was singing, but then I realized that what came next wasn't just any other song. 

It was Jupiter. 

"Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" is a movement from the Holst Planets Suite, and it just happens to be the movement our college wind ensemble played this past fall. That's right, I've gotten to the point in my music career where I am playing some of the same pieces as have been included in spectacular shows at Walt Disney World.  You can imagine my excitement. 

As a music major, there's so many wonderful pieces out there, and you can't play it all, but I do believe that now it's one of my goals to play as many of the Disney featured pieces as possible. After all, I already have a few checked off my list! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on February 24).

Day 643: Goodbye Maelstrom

We've reached the end of yet another classic attraction, and I'm honestly sad to see it go. Not as much because I was a huge Malestrom fan (I wasn't, and I won't pretend I was), as much as I am just a fan of Epcot altogether. It's actually caused a lot of mixed feelings for me, since I'm not sure really how I do feel opposed to how I should feel. It's a big bunch of confusing, much like how people saw the attraction itself for the entirety of it's World Showcase run.

I'm definitely a fan of the Disney of the past though, as most of me memories as a kid come from attractions that are no longer there, things that have long since disappeared from the parks. I remember Horizons, I remember Wonders of Life, I remember the old Living Seas, I remember the old Spaceship Earth, and I remember the Millennium Celebration and everything that came with it. And that's just in Epcot. My favorite park is a far cry from what it was when I was a kid, and even further from what it was when it opened in 1982, but I guess that's just a part of the overall idea. Things keep evolving, we keep moving forward, and that's what makes Epcot, and Disney, what it is. It's one of the things I love so much about it.

But still, I can't help but be sad. There were a lot of people out there who really, truly, loved Malestrom. As I said, I wasn't one of those people, but the closing of this particular attraction, for some odd reason, really made me stop and think. Malestrom wasn't my favorite attraction, but for many it was, and I can certainly relate to that. We can all relate to that. I'm lucky. Extremely lucky. Spaceship Earth is relatively safe from ever disappearing completely. Yeah, it changes from time to time, but I doubt the overall basis of the attraction will ever leave, and I'm pretty darn sure it's never going to be closed down and replaced with an attraction featuring the newest animated hit. That would be ridiculous.

What if it was though? How in the world would I react if they announced that Spaceship Earth would be closing in a month? I'm not going to Disney for another three, so if it closed now there would be absolutely no way for me to ever experience it again. That's a tough realization to deal with. Or Illuminations? That show has been such a key part of me life, down to every last second of it, and I couldn't imagine, I can't imagine, what I would do if it closed with little to no warning. I do know, however, that I wouldn't be able to handle it. Not at all. I would break.

So to those out there that are dealing with the loss of Malestrom, I may not completely understand, but at the same time, yeah I do understand. I just can't imagine what it's like to be going through the loss of your favorite attraction. These things become such key elements of our lives that when we try to imagine a life without them it becomes impossible. For now let's all imagine a world where we can all ride our favorite attractions forever.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on October 19).

Day 609: They Came!

When I asked one of my friends for blog post ideas she came up with a crazy total of two. Yes, two blog post ideas for me to write about when I have about 20 blog posts I need to actually write. Super helpful, right? Then again, she did come up with the topic for this blog post, at least half of the way. She told me to write about how park tickets came for her and Megan for our trip in January, which is super exciting considering it's just the next phase of "I'm actually going to Disney World again."

That's not what we're here to talk about though. Nope, in fact I figured that since I can't really just write a bog post about how their tickets came. That's exciting for us but not really for all of you. However, it is still a bit of Disney in my everyday life and deserves to be talked about.

After much consideration, when it came to our January trip, we decided on Basic 9-Day tickets without the parkhopper option. It really doesn't matter for my family since we all have (or will have) annual passes, but for my two friends who are spending a good deal of money on this trip, we had some decisions to make. My Mom was shocked by my recommendation for basic tickets in trade for the parkhoppers, since I honestly can't remember a trip where we didn't parkhop at least once (unless it was a super super short trip before a cruise or back in the day when it was only one park a day no matter what). So here are the reasons as to why we decided on those basic tickets:

1. Parkhoppers are more expensive. 

I figure this one is pretty self explanatory, but it's still worth mentioning. When deciding which ticket is right for you, cost is definitely one of the things you have to think about. Based on what you like to do, parkhoppers might be worth the extra money, but they're not for everyone. You have to factor in the time it takes to get from one park to another and whether or not you're staying on property and if you have a rental car. All those things matter!

2. Park Hours

A big one for us in January is if it's even worth it to park hop. We're going during the off season, which to be honest is kind of weird for me now. When I was younger we traveled during the off season all the time, but in the past couple of years we've gone more in the summer, simply because it works better time wise. Summertime means longer park hours, and it also means that Magic Kingdom closing at 8 in January is a huge shock. This is a park I regularly visit at midnight or one in the morning, simply because I can, so having it close at 8 (although it's open until later a few nights each week) is crazy. That being said, with the parks only open for those shortened hours, it's way less worth it to parkhop.

3. Everything Else

Because of those reduced hours, it gives us a lot of time to spend outside of the four main parks. There's still Mini Golf and Downtown Disney and a whole world of resorts to visit, so there's enough to do outside of Epcot and Hollywood Studios that parkhopping seems almost ridiculous. You can spend that time doing other valuable things!

4. Personal Preference

This is a new addition to my list of "Do you want a parkhopper." I'm so used to Walt Disney World that it really doesn't matter to me HOW much I experience rather than how I experience it. For the seasoned Disney goer, parkhopping is kind of fun. It's an adventure to see how many parks you can make it to in one day, and seriously the next time I'm there in the summer I'm going to attempt a run at seeing all the fireworks in one night (yes, Fantasmic, then Illuminations and finally Wishes). It's gonna happen. But for someone who hasn't been to Disney World as often as I have, it's sort of nice to stay in one place each day and just sort of take things in. When we went in June the only park we had a full day in was Magic Kingdom, and both Megan and Ashley commented on the fact that they enjoyed being in one place the whole day, simply because they felt like they got to see way more. I definitely took that into account when planning this next trip, and I agree with them. As much as I love parkhopping, it's kind of nice to just go to Magic Kingdom for a day. A chance of pace for the constantly moving Disnerd.

And so, we ended up with basic tickets. No matter which ones they had though, I'm just happy they get to go with me. Honestly, after June I don't think Walt Disney World will ever feel quite right without them by my side, and I'm extremely lucky to be able to share it all with them on a much grander scale.

We may have a few months to wait yet, but we'll figure some way to pass the time, right?

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 30).

Day 601: Fireworks Galore

If you've been reading long enough to remember back to last year, I blogged about our school and the beginning of the year fireworks. It's still a thing, and I hope it continues to be so for a very long time. Initially, I was going to blog about something else, but then we went down and saw the fireworks and this just sort of had to be written about, even if it is going to technically be the second blog post about them, but hey, I blog about Spaceship Earth and Once all the time, so this counts, right?

This year's fireworks display, we think, was even better than last years, and honestly we're incredibly lucky to have such a great college, even if they may be blowing up some of our tuition money. Either way, there wasn't music synchronized or anything, but the fireworks went on continuously for quite some time, and they were definitely timed out, something that most of the Fourth of July fireworks we saw were not. We actually said the fireworks here were better than the ones we saw on the Fourth, and it's true.

But that's not all that reminded me of Disney and the spectacular fireworks displays that take place there every day. Unlike last year, I made sure my phone was charged so I could take pictures and video throughout the show, and I posted a couple of pictures.

I actually had someone comment on the first one and how she thought it was Illuminations at first, and she's right. It does look remarkably similar to this picture I took back in June:

The fireworks are out on the water, we sit at the water's edge, they go off from two barges in time with one another and the entire thing just has a great vibe to it. I actually said that our fireworks show here got the "Lizzie stamp of approval," which is a really difficult thing to get when it comes to fireworks. I have high standards. 

We also snuck into the new science building here on campus and went through some unlocked doors before ending up in the greenhouse, which reminded a few other Instagramers of "Living with the Land." They started with the lyrics to "Listen to the Land" and it just made my day. 

And that's the update on the fireworks. I am happy that I stayed for them, since I could have come back to my dorm and worked more, since there's just this never-ending list of work for me to get done. I feel like the only break I can afford is lunch and writing the blog (today's post...not the others). That and my checking social media. But it'll all be worth it, that's for sure!

Have a magical day!

Day 593: Good Times and the Tears

My friend wrote a blog post the other day and then proceeded to tell me that there was an Illuminations reference in it and the second I got around to reading it, I would pick it out instantly.

I did.

Now, I haven't met many people in my life who love Illuminations quite like I do. Literally, as you guys well know, that fireworks show and the music is my LIFE. It means more to me than anything else honestly, other than maybe Spaceship Earth, and I will cry like no other the day it leaves. I'll probably force my way to Disney just for the last performance itself, even if I have to fly down at some weird hour to get there. That's how much it means to me.

But since finding out that we were going to Walt Disney World with the high school band, my friend Ashley took it upon herself to listen to the music basically on repeat. And I mean on repeat. Once a day, at least, for almost 300 days she listened to the soundtrack for Illuminations, and honestly that number quickly racks up against my own infinite amount of time spent listening to it.

There's more to Illuminations than just the music during the show, however. In fact, there's much more, and yeah, I'm talking about "Promise." I talked about this song a really long time ago. We're talking the first month of this blog long time ago, but I do faintly remember it. I talked about the "Soundtrack of my Life" I had to make for Psychology and how I threw Promise on as a bonus track because it basically defines my life and my childhood.

What I didn't expect was for it to define my time with the high school band the the band trip to Walt Disney World itself.

I mean, just think about it. The line Ashley featured in her blog post, "Through the Good Times and the Tears," very much describes my trials and tribulations with the band, especially as we move on to the next great adventure. And so, now Promise has an entirely new meaning to go along with the significance it already carried.

I can honestly say that I never thought I'd be able to share something like that with one of my friends, much less more than one friend. Nor did I ever believe I'd be able to say that we're all going back. This is my home, and now I get to share that home with my friends. They understand what I'm talking about, although maybe they do still get a bit lost when it comes to me talking Disney history with my brother. And it just goes to show that no matter what, through the good times and the tears, there are a few things that will always be with us, whether that be each other or Disney or the perseverance we've shown over the past year and a half.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on August 18).

Day 547: A Wild Showcase

Our final day at Walt Disney World this June is probably going to live on in my memory as one of the most spectacular, amazing days of my entire life. In fact, as much as I LOVED the parade at Magic Kingdom, I think this last day was actually my favorite day of the trip, despite the fact that Megan and I spent most of it soaking wet. I mean, for some strange reason, everything worked out perfectly. Absolutely perfectly. In fact, by the end of the day, it was getting creepy how it all worked out so well. Because it was just ridiculous.

The day began, however, at Animal Kingdom. We got there just before park opening and headed directly over to Everest, which many of us questioned multiple times why we were even on it in the first place. But we all loved and enjoyed it all the same (and Ashley continuously asks if we get to go on it again in January). Then, since we had a few minutes and the wait wasn't very long, we hit Kali as well, using the 2 hour locker rental to hold our stuff while we journeyed on. Now, before this trip I had never actually been on Kali River Rapids, so it was a new adventure for all of us! Well, other than my brother. He's been on it before. We got wet. Really wet. And spent the rest of the day being wet because of it. Megan's shirt took a beating, but aside from that we all survived.

Then we met up with my mom and godfather for Kilimanjaro Safaris, which we waited a while for, but we got on none the less...and in the front seat too! I've never really been up there! Plus our driver was great and there were plenty of animals out to see us! I mean for us to see. We followed our safari adventure with Yak & Yeti. Normally we like to get reservations, but Y&Y is one of those places where if you walk up at 11, right when it opens, you can usually get a table without waiting too long, and this trip was no different. Even with six of us, we managed to get a table and enjoy a delicious lunch...which Ashley and Megan enjoyed tons. Especially the Cherry Limeade I'm always texting them pictures of.

After lunch it was off for a special surprise for Ashley: meeting Russel & Dug, but they were on break and wouldn't be back until 1:30. Needing something to do, I noticed the line for Tough to Be A Bug was only 15 minutes, and with the time included in the attraction, that would put us back in the line for Russel and Dug right about when they were scheduled to return. And it did! So we met Russel and Dug and then headed off to meet up with our group so we could catch a ride via Disney transportation to Epcot.

The thing was, we were scheduled to be leaving Animal Kingdom at 3, but being the smart Disney person I am, I encouraged our group and room to leave at 2:30 instead, putting us ahead of the rest of the group and catching an earlier bus. Needless to say, it worked, and instead of just leaving Animal Kingdom at 3, we were walking on Imagination at 3. Yep, another thing done. And then we hit Finding Nemo as well before finding the last member of our usual group, who's room had insisted on leaving Animal Kingdom at 3 like the schedule said. A stop at Club Cool was then in order, with our director trying Beverly, which was unbelievably entertaining.

To follow that, we walked around to American Adventure, getting there just in time to catch the Voices of Liberty before seeing the show itself. With a walk back around to the front of the park to use our first fastpass of the day, we made it all the way around World Showcase. Megan and Ashley I'm sure are both excited about the fact that in January though, we get to spend a whole day there, instead of just hurrying past each pavilion!

Our fastpasses were scheduled that day so they were all right in a row, a decision that I made in hopes that we could get things to work out the way we needed them to. Since we hadn't met too many characters, a visit to Mickey and Friends at the character spot was our stop, where Mickey commented on my Magic Ribbon I was wearing that day, and we did a dance with Goofy before hanging out with Minnie. Seriously great. And since we hadn't gotten to do it yet, we made a trip to Mouse Gear for Mouse Ears as well! It took a while to get everyone their ears, but it fit into the schedule perfectly, since we then set out to use our next fastpass: Test Track.

I set it up so we would go through at the same time as my parents, but the dark clouds rolling in had us a bit afraid. The attraction had closed down because of the weather previously, but was open on and off. With our fastpasses, we missed the line, although if we didn't get on, the rest of the night was pretty much shot because we'd be stuck there.

BUT WE DIDN'T! In fact, we got through, went on Test Track and as we walked off into the post-show area, THAT'S when they announced that the attraction was shut down again because of the storm. LITERALLY THE BEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE. With that accomplished, we headed to Spaceship Earth, which we hit as it was raining. And then it was off to Soarin', our last fastpass and attraction.

BUT WAIT! The night wasn't over yet! We grabbed some dinner from Seasons and headed off to our meeting spot in Mexico. It started raining as we made our way over there, so we ended up eating on the floor just inside the Mexico Pavilion, but we loved it anyway, especially since Megan's first Disney dining experience started on the ground as well.

Then we hit a problem. Rain. It just rained and rained and rained. We were set to watch Illuminations from the bridge by Mexico when they started at nine, but when it hit 9:45 and they said that there would be a half hour until Illuminations, I got a bit concerned. Then they made an announcement a few minutes later saying it was postponed. But it wasn't CANCELED, just DELAYED. Illuminations was like the Number One thing Ashley was excited about, so we started using the force to make the rain go away and it WORKED.

Illuminations started, and we finished our trip with it. Because like I said, some force out there in the universe made our last day work absolutely perfect.

Total things accomplished: Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Lunch at Yak&Yeti, Tough to Be A Bug, Met Russel & Dug, Imagination, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Club Cool, Saw the Voices of Liberty, The American Adventure, Walked World Showcase, Met Mickey, Goofy & Minnie, Got Mouse Ears, Test Track (RIGHT BEFORE IT RAINED!), Spaceship Earth, Soarin', Dinner from Sunshine Seasons, and saw Illuminations!!!!: 19 Things AND we transferred parks!

I don't know how we did it. But we did. Although I'm very excited about spending more time with my friends at my favorite park. Like infinitely amounts excited.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on August 1).