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 458: This Isn't Disney Food!

It seems that after coming back from Florida, a lot of us have a bit of a problem. Actually, it happens no matter what Disney Park you go to. It can happen with Disneyland too. The issue here? Food.

I'm pretty sure that if we didn't force ourselves to eat, we would actually starve, because the food outside of Disney World is just no where near the same as the food inside Disney World. Like I am so deprived right now that I was discouraged from eating last night.

I guess it's kind of interesting though, since here at my college there ARE various foods that I can compare and contrast with Disney foods. It's kind of scary actually, the things I eat here compared to the things I eat there. And these are just three of them. I could go off on a whole list of foods that I've had in both places...but that are also just significantly better at Disney, because everything is.

The Butterfinger Cupcake

I know, I know. I've talked about this before. In fact I had a whole blog post on it back in September. But that doesn't mean it's stopping me from making another comparison right now, especially since I literally had the two different cupcakes a week apart from one another. Less than actually.

In general, I do love the butterfinger cupcake I make here. It's small enough for me to eat, and it's just kind of fun to make your own in the dessert line here at college. But it only comes around once every month or so, making it kind of depressing when we DON'T have frost your own cupcake bar. On the other hand, it's kind of funny though, because I have obviously converted Shovell to my side already, and she hasn't been to Disney yet! The Butterfinger Cupcake is one of the things she's specifically asked to try when we go in June, and who would I be to deny her the deliciousness that is the butterfinger cupcake?

House Made Chips

Yesterday for lunch we had like a chicken sandwich and then these house made chips. So I'm just sitting there eating my chips and my sandwich and my strawberries when it occurs to me that...these...these remind me of Disney (to which my friends always respond: "Everything reminds you of Disney"). It's true, everything DOES remind me of Disney, especially in these stages of Disney Depression that I'm trying to counteract with Once (OH MY GOSH HOOK'S COAT...Ok, freakout done) and the fact that I'll be back at Disney in 80 some days with my best friends. But still, it doesn't mean I don't think about it all the time. Because I do. I very much do.

The chips here at school were ok. Good even, but certainly not the stuff they have at Disney...specifically like the ones I ate a couple weeks ago at the Grand Floridian. Like seriously, I'm pretty sure I could live forever just eating those chips. Ok, maybe not...but they are delicious.

Bread

Yes...just bread. And no, I don't really have a picture for this one from college because I was really lazy last night and wasn't thinking about how I would write a blog post about this today. Either way, last night it was like a dairy fest in our caf, and guess who forgot her lactade? THIS GIRL. So I may have stolen a few Mozzarella Sticks to eat when I got back to my dorm and mostly ate a sandwich and then some baguette with butter. Only I'm sitting there eating it and like halfway through doing so I realize that this bread is not Disney bread, and it tasted nothing like the amazingness that comes out of the France Pavilion.

It was super, super depressing. So instead I just have a picture of said amazing bread from a couple weeks ago. I literally just want to sit and eat bread there all day. ALL. DAY.

Can we just go back to World Showcase for lunch?

Have a magical day!

Day 355: A Few of My Favorite Things: Christmas Edition

The last time I did a Favorite Things Post, I got really hungry while talking about some of my favorite Disney Foods. This time things are going to get a bit more Jolly, since I'm talking about some of my favorite Christmas traditions and events at Walt Disney World.

I've been to Disney World during the Holiday season several times now. I remember going as a kid and going to the Christmas Party for the first time (ok, I honestly don't remember the first time, but I remember going to it when I was still a kid). I remember when the Osborne Lights were still on Residential Street, with all the houses completely lit up like it was when the tradition first started. And I remember, of course, the many many Christmas Trees that decorate the resort. And the giant Gingerbread house, of course. There's that too. But we'll get to that.

Favorite Christmas Tree:

While I absolutely adore all the Christmas Trees at Walt Disney World, I'm pretty sure my absolute favorite takes it's place at Disney's Animal Kingdom Main Gate. I love all the different ornaments on it, and how they're this perfect mixture of Mickey Mouses and the animals that you can find in the park. Honorable mentions for Favorite Christmas Tree include the Tree at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa as well as the Tree on the opposite side of the Lagoon outside Disney's Contemporary Resort.

Favorite Wreath:

There are a lot of wreaths all around Walt Disney World. Big ones, small ones, hanging ones, ones attached to walls...and this giant one. While there are many many wreaths that line the halls o the Disney Resorts and Parks, this giant Mickey that hangs on the Contemporary is most certainly my favorite. I love walking through inside the resort and standing and just looking up at the giant thing. I have it in plenty of pictures from over the years too.

Favorite Christmas Decorations:

Seriously, this one is really hard. All of the decorations at the resorts are beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Each fits in perfectly with the different themes of each resort, and that's why it's so difficult to pick a favorite. I mean, I love the Gingerbread House at the Grand, but I also love the different chocolate decorations over at the Yacht & the Beach Clubs. They have beautiful work put into them. So I guess those three tie for this one. Gosh a shingle from the Gingerbread House sounds good right now.

Favorite Holiday Addition:

I wasn't really sure what to title thing, but my favorite of the "Holiday Specific Things" would have to be the Illuminations "Peace on Earth" tag. I remember a number of years ago when I went in December instead of November, and every night you knew exactly what time it was because at 9:15 or so there would just be thing giant bang letting you know that all the extra fireworks went off. And you could hear it from just about everywhere on property. I mean, I love Holiday Wishes as well, but this just makes me happy.

Favorite Holiday Special Event:

For this one you've got just about three options, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, The Candlelight Processional and the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. Now, if you had asked me a couple years ago what my favorite was, it would most certainly be different from the answer I am about to give you. I'm going to have to pick the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. When I was a kid it was the whole street, with all the houses, and I really miss having all of that, but I do really love Carol of the Bells, and when I went last year to the lights it was just kind of cool to see people in the street dancing and stuff. It was cute, and that's one of the reasons that I think it's gone up on my list.

Honestly that's about all I can think about for categories of favorite holiday things. I guess you could add in Holiday Parade, but there's only two of them, and one of them you have to go to the special party to see. Overall, I just love Christmas at Walt Disney World, and I really can't wait for the day I get to go out to California to see Disneyland at Christmsatime too, because I'm pretty sure it's just as amazing out there!

Here's today's Disney History: 1936: A baby girl named Sharon Mae is born. Less than two weeks later she will be adopted by Walt Disney and his wife Lillian.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 30 due to time restrictions).

Day 167: The Grand Hotel

Starting yesterday, I headed out on my annual band trip, this year to Mackinaw Island. While I'm super excited for next year's trip, which will hopefully be at Disney, this year promised to be just as exciting, even if it is only for three days. But either way, today we spent a large portion of our day at the Grand Hotel, and I felt that I would share my thoughts, and how the entire thing related to Disney for me.

The Grand is a wonderful hotel. Now, it certainly isn't Disney quality by any means, but it has it's unique characteristics and little things that do make it special. Is it, in my opinion, a four star hotel, no, not by any means. I'd much rather pay the four to seven hundred dollars to stay at the Grand Floridian. I had some favorite things about the Grand though, like how it is built and still decorated similarly to how it would have been when it was built. I mean, you get a real key as your room key, much different from the cards and now wristbands that Disney has. Both are unique in their own way, so you can't really compare much there, other than the fact that both are awesome for different reasons.

Also, the basis that every room is different is a great aspect to the Grand. Now, I didn't say that I liked the rooms themselves, only that it's cool that every one of them is different. Honestly, I was very fortunate to get the best room out of anyone on the trip. The four of us staying in it had a handicap room, so everything was giant sized, and there was plenty of space for everyone. The colors on the walls were beautiful, and the entire room just worked. I can't say the same for others though, as most of our guys ended up with rooms covered from head to toe in pink.

Dinner was good, not amazing, but I think it's great because a lot of people really enjoyed it. I have experienced some of the best food in the United States, so I can't really compare it the same as others do. For many on the trip it was the best food they've ever had, just because of how complicated and fancy it was. But like I said, it wasn't the best food I've ever eaten. I think there's more hype than what's really there, but once again, I had a great time at dinner because I was fortunate enough to have the closest table to the live jazz ensemble, which was absolutely my favorite thing about dinner.

But I think my favorite part of the evening was how we were all dressed in our finest. I actually Disneybounded as Sorcerer Mickey, as you can see below. I wore my red dress, got some navy blue heels, a navy bow and my brown satchel. And then I had a necklace that I made out of a pair of earrings that were the stars from Fantasia. But there was also another live jazz group that played in a lounge where we all had a chance to dance. I've never really done something like that before, like live dancing, so I think that was honestly my favorite part of, not just the grand, but of the entire trip (since I'm technically typing this up after the entire thing is over). It's a memory I'll hold forever just because it was something that I just leaped and did it. I was adventurous!

Overall, I think the Grand is a nice hotel, but it isn't as nice as people say it is, or at least from my perspective. The Island itself, which I'll talk about a bit more tomorrow, was nice, and I loved the entire experience, but I don't have a wish to return. Now, to put it into some perspective, I traveled with my band and another band to Colorado several years ago, and I would really like to return, but I don't really have a want to go back to Mackinaw Island. The same goes for Boston and New York, I'd love to go there too someday, and while that was a bigger trip, there was still a lot I didn't see at Mackinaw. I don't know. I think that from my perspective, I'd rather spend the money to go somewhere else, not even just Disney, but like New Orleans, or Colorado or New York, than to go back to the Island. It was nice, it just didn't really appeal to me.

Still, the trip was a great time and I really enjoyed it, so it's not to say that it was the fault of my band. I love band trips, and I really am glad that everyone else enjoyed it! Or at least it has sounded like everyone else enjoyed it! I'm happy that I could help bring these new experiences that were probably amazing to every other member of the band, and honestly, I'd rather have myself be unhappy than everyone else unhappy. That way they have a positive experience. If I don't have one, I'm still going to make the best of it. =)

Here's today's Disney History: 1955: Disney's 15th animated feature film, Lady and the Tramp, has its world premiere in Chicago. It is the first Disney cartoon feature filmed in CinemaScope (A widescreen film process). It will be generally released 6 days later.

Have a magical day!

Day 67: Jazz

Tomorrow my Jazz Band heads to a nearby city to perform at a jazz festival...featuring a professional alto saxophone player from LA. I'm pretty excited, as this is the second time I'll get to meet the professional (we went last year and he was there), although I'm a bit disappointed that I won't be playing a solo. It's a long story, but I'd love the feedback...and I'm not necessarily going to get any.

Either way, this morning we had a saxophone section (I'm lead alto for the group) and the five of us, plus our director, were discussing our futures. I'm double majoring in English and Saxophone Performance, and like I've said before, I'd love to head into Imagineerng. But one of our songs features the saxophone section on flute and clarinet and a couple people thought it was funny, but I put in my cent of the jazz band at the Grand Floridian.

I love this group, and I've certainly looked up to them over the past few years, especially since I became lead alto my Sophomore year. The Jazz Band is a great group, and I think it'd be wonderful to play with them someday. It's like one of my dreams.

Anyway, I've spent a good amount of time this morning listening to music from the Floridian, and it's kind of funny that it came up today since I spent a good amount of time yesterday writing about just this subject in my memoir. It's like the second time something has connected to the fact that I'm writing about stopping and smelling the roses. Maybe it's a sign that this section should be in the memoir?

Here's today's Disney History: 1983: U.S. President Reagan pays a visit to EPCOT, escorted by Dick Nunis, President of Walt Disney World, and several hundred math and science students from Central Florida. He first visits the American Experience attraction before making an afternoon speech at a podium located on the World Showcase Lagoon, directly opposite of Spaceship Earth. Reagan speaks of the promise of EPCOT Center and what it meant to his friend Walt Disney and to the world.

Have a magical day!