Day 1315: Little Golden Book

As a Disney fan, my collection of random Disney items is starting to fill my shelves faster than I can make space for new additions, and ultimately I'm just going to run out of shelves period. While this doesn't really slow down my collecting, I have a mental list of items that I declare as "If I See It" pieces, meaning that yes, I'd love to own it, but I don't need to buy it. So instead, if I happen to see a copy of it, I'll pick it up and add it to the collection, but if I don't, that's alright too. 

The Little Golden Book on Everything I learned from a Disney Little Golden Book (confusing, I know) was one of those items. My mom had a copy gifted to her a while back, and lately everyone in the Disney community seemed to be picking up a copy, and since I loved Mom's copy, that meant that it was about time to get my own Little Golden Book. 

If you aren't familiar with the Little Golden Books, they're a popular series of children's books that many of us read as kids. I had a few myself, now long gone I'm sure since, well, I haven't been a kid for quite some time, but this particular book takes everything to a new level. This book simultaneously offers fresh inspiration for children and a new generation, and gives all us adults a serious case of "the feels" as we cope with our lost childhood learned through reading. 

In particular, I love this book because it features not only some of our favorite classic lessons from Little Golden Books of the past, but also current films with new artwork, including Frozen, Monsters Inc. and Tangled. It brings a new meaning to some of the themes of films old and new, and honestly, it's just a wonderful book to have around when you're having a bad day. It's the perfect length for a quick motivation session or cry about the past, and there aren't many things that can accomplish both of those these days. 

If you haven't found your own copy of Everything I Need to Know I Learned From a Disney Little Golden Book, what are you waiting for? Unless, of course, they're on your "if I see it" list. If that is the case, I found my copy at the Grand Floridian. ;) 

Have a magical day!

Day 1314: Book It

It's pretty obvious at this point that 2016 is the year of Disney trips. It's been a stark contrast to years such as 2013, when, initially, I didn't think I'd be going on any trips (despite the fact that I picked that year to begin writing for Everyday Disney), and really, four trips in one year, in less than 10 months really, is more than even I'm used to. I still have a trip scheduled for October, when I'll finally get to attend the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot for the first time since my childhood, but after that we didn't really have anything in mind. 

Until now. 

After some debating over whether or not we would go to Florida over Spring Break, similar to what we did my freshman year, we ultimately decided that just Mom and I would head down for another January trip, which just happens to be one of my favorite times of the year to visit Walt Disney World (next to Christmas, of course). We even added an extra day to our stay, making the trip the longest we'll have taken since January of 2015, which will offer for plenty of time to film videos and do some photography while avoiding rain and the cold weather. 

The point here is this: Disney fans have this problem, where if we don't have another trip planned for after our next trip, we'll end the day depressed and sad, so instead of just moping around wondering when another trip will fall into our hands, we take the initiative and just book another trip. Because, as Disney reminds us on our Magical Express ride back to the airport, the best way to get over one vacation is to start dreaming about the next one. 

Do you frequently have multiple trips planned at a time? 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1313: All The Others

Per usual, after a Disney trip, I share a few of my favorite pictures from my time in the parks, especially pictures that won't otherwise be shared since they may not fit a specific topic. So, without me rambling any further, here are a few of my favorite pictures: 

I don't frequently grab one of the real cameras, aka my parents' DSLRs, but I had enough sense to bring along Dad's on my solo trip this July. While I didn't use it until the last day, it's obvious to me that some of my favorite pictures were taken with his camera, despite the fact that I only used it for a couple of hours. There's just something refreshing about the sound of a real camera in comparison to an iPhone, wouldn't you agree? 

Have a magical day!

Day 1312: Birthday Wishes

There are very few ways that you can celebrate your birthday that are better than celebrating at the most magical place on earth. 

While my actual 21st birthday was earlier in July, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to celebrate at Walt Disney World, especially since the trip was sort of like a birthday present. It's amazing how much magic one little birthday button can create, and I can't thank the amazing cast members throughout the resort enough for all the magic they created, from saying happy birthday to creating very magical moments for me throughout my trip! 

During my day spent at Hollywood Studios there was plenty of birthday magic to be had. Mickey threw me a birthday party (not a castle party...it's still too soon to bring that up), a wonderful cast member gave me a strawberry bar, and my lunch at the Brown Derby was made extra delicious by the entirety of the staff there! 

And then at Animal Kingdom, the staff at Tiffins brought me a special dessert with a candle (that I remembered to take a picture of before blowing it out), and at the end of the night, the staff of the Animal Kingdom Starbucks made a magical moment for me by gifting me a special Mickey-Shaped Cinnamon Roll (which was pretty much my favorite moment of the entire trip). 

After that I stopped wearing the buttons, as I was already overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from everyone I met, but honestly, I think the two days and three hours I was "officially" celebrating my birthday were almost better than the entirety of my actual birthday trip three years ago (although celebrating with my family was pretty magical too). But more than anything else, I was always aware of the fact that, for the week I was in Florida this July, I was there alone. I wouldn't be meeting up with my family later in the day for dinner, I wouldn't be seeing them for a Fastpass, and while I was alone, I never really felt alone. The cast members made sure of that, and they made me even more determined to return in just about a year to make magic for others just like me as a cast member myself. 

Have you ever celebrated a birthday at Walt Disney World? 

Have a magical day!

Day 1311: Photographic Evidence

Perhaps one of my favorite not-so-hidden secrets of Walt Disney World has to be the thousands of little pictures you can find right in front of Spaceship Earth. These pictures, a part of the Leave A Legacy campaign that began in 1999, allowed guests to put their own permanent mark on one of the most visited places in the world, and now, 17 years later, you can still see the pictures, proudly displayed at Epcot. Plus, it's photographic evidence that I was indeed at Walt Disney World all those years ago. 

I actually have two Leave A Legacy pictures, one from 1999 with my mom (which I'm pointing to in the picture above) and another of my brother and I from a few years later. I will say that it's pretty difficult to find the pictures, because their individual "addresses" are certainly something you need to decode, but nothing makes me happier than visiting these pictures, a permanent piece of me that is always there at Epcot. It's sort of like a physical part of me that's always there...despite the fact that I don't look much like I did 17 years ago. 

There's been continuous rumors over the years that the plaques will come down at some point, as obviously they're not original to the park, and I believe they were only guaranteed for 20 years, but I would hate to see this living reminder of so many taken down. Of course, there's thousands more represented near the Magic Kingdom in bricks, of which I also have one, some of which have worn down over the years to the point where they're unrecognizable, but that's what the Florida weather will do to you I suppose...if you're a brick that is. 

Do you have a Leave a Legacy photo or a brick at the Magic Kingdom? Let me know in the comments! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1310: I'll Be Back

I always find leaving Disney World to be sort of ridiculous...in more ways than one. For starters, it's ridiculous, honestly, that I get so upset walking out of a park I've been to probably over a hundred times (we're talking about Epcot here people), and I know for a fact that I'll walk there hundreds times more. It's ridiculous because, as I left Epcot, I was thinking about Fastpasses for our next trip, reservations which I could make only hours after returning home. It's ridiculous because this isn't like walking out of my house for the last time, or leaving yet another dorm room or apartment behind as I move somewhere else. This is a Disney Park, filled with thousands of people, heated to the brim in the scorching Florida sun, and ever changing, whether we like it or not. 

And yet, from the second I take a step beyond the main entrance gates, or any gates for that same matter, a certain somberness takes over. It doesn't matter if I'm unsure when I'll be back or if I know I have another trip scheduled in two months, it's always the same. While I'm better at not crying when I leave these days, it doesn't mean I don't want to, and after this trip I spent the majority of the ride to the airport wondering why this happens...and how in the world we get it to stop. 

I'm fairly certain that we'll never stop missing Disney when we're hundreds of miles away. Gosh, even those who live nearby probably get to missing the parks from time to time, and when the only solution is to go back, we're sort of out of options other than to start planning another trip and not-so-patiently count down the days that pass by much too slowly. 

It's also ridiculous though because, really, why are we leaving Disney in the first place? No one can live there permanently, obviously, but it's that exact reason that I'm pretty sure there's no where else in the world I'd want to work. That feeling, of never wanting to leave and not feeling at home anywhere else, is the exact reason I know there's only one place I can spend the rest of my life working...even if, technically, I'll still have to leave Epcot at the end of the day. 

But if anyone figures out a way for me to live at Epcot, let me know. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1309: Use and Abuse

I've been waiting for the day you can make additional fastpass reservations from your phone since the initial introduction of Fastpass+. It's one of the things I loved about the old system - the ability to have a fastpass for more than a few attractions if you planned your day right. Of course, the new system has greater benefits: the ability to schedule your day prior to entering the park, securing a morning fastpass instead of getting to the park at 9 only to have a fastpass for 8 that night, and my personal favorite, the ability to change your fastpass time at any point in the day, actually making everything more flexible than I thought it might be. 

But what was missing was the ability to make additional fastpasses, which we now can, finally, do. I tend to have a rough idea of how my day is going to go, but I also love to plan on the spot, and from the second I realized I could have additional fastpasses, I went to town...or rather, all across Magic Kingdom...using and abusing the new system. 

Since the park was open until midnight the night I was there, I spent most of the afternoon hours at The Grand Floridian for Afternoon Tea, which allowed me to get out of the heat and take a much needed break. But by the time I got back to Magic Kingdom, I was ready to go. Now, the way the system works is that if you use all three of your fastpasses earlier in the day, you can make additional fastpass selections at any point for any attraction in any park. Often times, you can snatch up a fastpass for only minutes out from the current time, which means you could be outside Pirates of the Caribbean and could probably get a fastpass to skip that half hour or 40 minute line right then and there, and the second you scan your magic band at the fastpass line entrance, you can make another fastpass selection from the app. 

And you can keep doing this for as long as there are fastpasses available. 

Once I figured all of this out, I just started making new fastpass selections while in line for the attraction I had the previous fastpass for. So I began at Pirates, and while in line I made a fastpass for another attraction, which I believe was for Big Thunder. While waiting for the fastpass, which started soon after, I took the train to Fantasyland and walked the rest of the way to Tomorrowland, where I got a phone case for a friend and headed on the PeopleMover. Then it was all the way back to Big Thunder, where I made a fastpass for the Barnstormer. While waiting for the Barnstormer I made a fastpass for Dumbo, and while waiting there I made one for Winnie the Pooh. As I waited for Winnie the Pooh I made a fastpass for the Tomorrowland Speedway, and from there I secured one for Buzz Lightyear, and then Peter Pan, and finally Splash Mountain. It brought me to a total of 12 fastpasses in one day, which I didn't think was humanly possible...but apparently is. I also had a chance to head on the Teacups, the Carrousel, Astro Orbiter and then Pirates one more time at the end, so I guess you could say that it was a wild five hours after my Afternoon Tea. 

As for how many fastpasses you could get in one day, I'm sure 12 isn't the highest you could get, and I look forward to attempting to visit all the Magic Kingdom attractions in one day in the future, even if I have to really abuse the system to get there...but for now we'll say I'm utilizing the system, because really, that's what I'm doing! I'm just utilizing it to it's fullest potential...which may be a bit more than what Disney intended. 

Next time, I estimate 16 or 17 fastpasses...but who knows how many are possible! 

Have a magical day!