Olivia's Disney Adventures

In all the years I have visited the park as a local and a traveler I never once had to deal with rain until this trip. Most of our trip was beautiful and warm. Our last 2 days were wet. We never considered the idea of rain even when watching the weather. We figured oh it will pass us by or only rain for part of the day. Not the case.

The first day it rained it happened to be my birthday 12/17. It rained ALL day long. It never let up once. Instead of letting the rain ruin our plans we did what everyone else was doing - bought disney ponchos. When you think anything disney you don't think cheap but when our ponchos were only $6.50 (available in youth and adult for the same price) and very nice I was very surprised. The thick material was perfect for not only keeping the rain off of us but also keeping us warm.

We donned our ponchos (shown above with my niece making her mad face that she loves doing for pictures) and continued to ride our favorite rides as allowed. The ponchos were great even for the stroller. Only a few rides were not open for visitors such as Alice in Wonderland and The Mad Hatters Tea Party. We even chose to purchase disney umbrellas for $10 to help when moving our nephew from his stroller to a ride.

We stuck with rides that we could find relief from the rain and ate when the rain became heavier. All in all it really wasn't that bad.

We didn't have the option of skipping a day at disney due to the amount of days we had on our passes and our hotel reservations. If we had the option we may have opted to stay in the hotel room and watch disney DVDs.

When traveling to the park watch the weather. If needed bring along those umbrellas or ponchos. If you forget their options are inexpensive and readily available at most of the shops inside of the disney parks.

It rained our last 2 days of our visit to the park and even on the 3rd day as we drove home. Be careful when traveling as you may get stuck or plans change due to weather. Always have a backup plan.

*Pictures are property of Olivia's Disney Adventures and are not to be reproduced or distributed without permission of Olivia's Disney Adventures

If you are visiting the park with young children this is one location you will want to be sure to know where it is located. You can find Disneyland's location at the north end of Main street next to first aid (if you pass the Plaza in you have gone too far). Disney's California Adventure park one also located near the Mission Tortilla Factory (don't forget to visit Mission Tortilla and taste a fresh tortilla on site, yum!).

This is your place to feed, nurse, or change your child in a quiet and comfortable setting. They even have facilities for your walking toddlers. No need to change course with potty training here.

We learned just how valuable the baby care center was when we lost my nephew's pacifier. They have these available for a small fee (cash only). Luckily for us there is no limit on how many you can buy in one day because a baby wanting to play the throwing game can get expensive. One day we even forgot to pack baby wipes in his bag. These can also be purchased at the baby care center. It was so soothing I wanted to just hang around a bit and take a nap.

If you are visiting the park and run out of diapers you can also find baby changing kits in the bathrooms around the park for about $1 (need coins here).

*Pictures are property of Olivia's Disney Adventures and are not to be reproduced or distributed without permission of Olivia's Disney Adventures

What a fantastic vacation! So many memories, so many pictures, so much to tell!

I thought I was going to have an easier time to blog while away but was not able to do so. Seems the android doesn't recognize the text area of my blog as a place to type. That's ok because we will just have fun catching up.

As soon as we arrived back home we were faced with the reality we did absolutely no Christmas shopping! So instead of sharing our fondest of memories we had to do in 4 days what we normally would have done in 1 month.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with lots of memories to cherish for many many years to come!

 *Pictures are property of Olivia's Disney Adventures and are not to be reproduced or distributed without permission of Olivia's Disney Adventures

We are on our way to Disneyland! We have chosen to drive so will take us about 12hrs before we arrive. Snacks all packed, clothes for 3 temperature changes, cameras all charged, laptops charged, movies (disney of course) selected.

I can't wait to see the Magic Kingdom all dressed up for the holidays. Even though we go often I am excited to see all the new and exciting adventures we will come across.

Monday is a star studded Pirates premiere in Downtown Disney. Maybe we will be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Johnny Depp!

I will share some of our daily adventures and maybe even a video or 2.

As Peter Pan would say.... Here we go!

Santa's reindeer can be visited at Disneyland while they rest up for the long night of delivering Christmas presents.

Our very 1st Disneyland Christmas vacation is just days away. Thinking of all the things I want to do and see. Can't wait to share a Dole Whip Float with the little ones, share the Captain EO experience, see all the Christmas decorations, take my niece on her 1st big kid ride (the matterhorn), sit down to a parade, watch the fireworks show, take a stroll in Downtown Disney.

All this made me think of rides from yesteryear. I loved rides and attractions such as the people mover, bear country jamboree, and the short lived rocket rods. I try to see and do everything each visit because you never know when you will come to find your favorite ride has closed forever to be replaced by something new and grand.

What are your favorite rides and attractions of yesteryear?

See many of the rides and attractions of years past at http://yesterland.com

Gowalla is the simple and fun way to capture and share the places you go, from local favorites to new discoveries around the world. A fun way to share what you are doing around the disney parks with family and friends.

It's easy to post photos, add beautiful Stamps to your Passport, and follow your friends.
If you haven't already, download Gowalla for iPhone, iPad, Android, Palm, or Blackberry. Then, find your friends and go out with Gowalla!

Beginning today, there’s a new way to explore and experience Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. We’ve teamed up with location-based web service Gowalla to make ‘checking-in’ to your favorite Disney places a lot more magical.

The fun starts with our new digital Passport Stamps. Hundreds of locations within Disney Parks will feature these exclusive Stamps created by Gowalla – it’s the largest number of custom Stamps ever developed for a brand. The Stamps can be collected and kept as a virtual scrapbook by using Gowalla and checking-in around the parks. Take a look at some of my favorites.

You’ll also be able to view park happenings with custom Disney Passport pages at each park that include maps featuring a check-in stream, a list of popular places and Trips.

Trips are a special “bundle” of attractions by age or interest.

• “For the Little Ones (under 44 inches)” is a dream track fit for pint-sized park-goers to Magic Kingdom in Florida. It includes “Mickey’s PhilharMagic,” Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Peter Pan’s Flight and more.
• “Characters in the Wild” treats Disney’s Animal Kingdom guests to a show track that includes “Festival of the Lion King,” “Finding Nemo-The Musical,” “Flights of Wonder” and more.
• Just in time for the holidays at the Disneyland park, “Santa’s Reindeer Roundup,” “Believe…in Holiday Magic” fireworks and Sleeping Beauty Winter Castle are on the menu for the “Seasons Greetings” Trip.

Of course, there’s more to come. We’ll be highlighting special events in the parks in upcoming months and you’ll be able to secure unique Passport Stamps for checking in at custom events via Gowalla to record your experiences as they happen.

You can start your Disney Parks adventure now by going to Gowalla.com/WaltDisneyWorld, Gowalla.com/Disneyland or Gowalla.com/DisneyParks. You’ll need to join Gowalla via the web or download the free application onto your smartphone.

Oh, and be sure and let us know your favorite stamps or any others you’d love to see.

Everyone who has visited the Disney parks more than once develop traditions. I can be a special picture, eating at a special place, purchasing a special item.

I have 2 - we always ride Mr Toads and take a picture inside the entrance in front of mickey with the train station in the background.

Traditions are important to many visitors as these are what they carry through the generations for many years to come.

What are your special traditions?

SUNSHINE PLAZA

Baker's Field Bakery
• Demitasse Dessert
• Merriest Place on Earth Hot Mug
• Mint Chocolate Cupcake
• Frosted Gingerbread Man
• Holiday Biscotti
• Pumpkin Muffin
• Pumpkin Spice Latte
• Snowman Shortbread
• Eggnog/ Eggnog Latte
• Peppermint Mocha
• Caramel Apple Cider
• Holiday Brownie

Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream
• Crushed Candy Cane Premium Cone
• Peppermint Ice Cream
• Red/Green Sprinkles on a Premium Cone

Disneyland Resort
 
Santa's Seaside Pavilion
Paradise Pier: 10:30 a.m - 5 p.m.

Flik's Oversized Ornaments
A Bug's Land


Santa Greetings
Hotels of the Disneyland® Resort (Nov. 25 - Dec. 24)

Holiday Carolers
Disneyland® Hotel
Nov. 25 - Dec. 30 (Daily)
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa
Nov. 26- Dec. 26 (Friday-Sunday only)

Thanksgiving has passed and now on to the final steps of vacation planning and preparation. As I countdown I love having a fun countdown ticker to add to the excitement. I searched for a fun Disney themed ticker and came across www.myvacationcountdown.com. There are many out there so search for Disney countdown tickers and see what you find.

With each visit to the Disney parks I think about what Disney cast member I want to be. Sometimes I want to be a princess, sometimes I want to be the ride operator for Mr Toads, other times I want to be a tour guide who knows all the secrets of Disneyland. More often than not I want to be Mickey Mouse. I want to be playful, the most recognized character in the park, and one of the most overly exaggerated character there is. Mickey Mouse and Walt Disney were my inspiration in college so being Mickey Mouse would be an honor.

Who would you want to be at the Disney parks?

While at Disneyland right before Christmas, I have been watching and looking for special events during this festive time. I found this event on the Disneyland Facebook page.

Decorate Gingerbread Houses at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney Dec. 11, 12 and 18.

Kids of all ages are invited to participate in this festive holiday event. At the Gingerbread Workshop, kids can be involved in the entire process of creating their very own gingerbread house — from the actual construction to the decorative touches.

The workshop kicks off with each participant decorating his or her own chef’s hat in preparation to be “Chefs for the Day.” Afterward, Chef Darrin Finkel will lead a hands-on demonstration of the proper assembly of a gingerbread house. And then, they’ll dive into the fun stuff — decorating the gingerbread houses with handfuls of holiday candy personally procured by Santa's elves.

Price is $45.00 plus tax per Gingerbread Kit (includes gingerbread house and candy, decorated chef’s hat, unlimited sodas and 2 reserved seats.) Additional seats sold for $10.00 each.

Reserve today by calling 714-776-5200 Monday-Friday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Advance Payment by credit card required for reservation confirmation. Jazz Kitchen will not be responsible for the assembly, holding or transporting of Gingerbread houses.

When:
Saturday, December 11, 2009, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Sunday, December 12, 2009, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Saturday, December 18, 2009, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

You want to see all the characters and take pictures but don't have time to view or purchase the professional ones? Not to worry. Disney has that taken care of for you. During your first character visit ask the photographer for a photopass. Its free! Every time you get a new picture taken give the card to the photographer. You have up to 30 days to view your photos online, make fun edits with borders or add to merchandise, and place an order. You can even add those ride pictures to your photopass! No more passing up those photos because you are afraid you will spend too much.

Even better is you can order a CD of all those pictures for 1 great price! This is a fabulous way to share the cost with other family members who vacationed with you.

Lose or forgot your card? That's ok because you can get another. You can add more than one card to your photopass account.

Visit http://www.disneyphotopass.com prior to your next visit to the Disneyland resort for more great tips!

Dole whips floats are undoubtably my favorite Disneyland treat. You will find this delicious treat in very few places (Disneyland, Disney World, and 2 or 3 vendors in Hawaii) so it is a treat you may never experience away from the Disney parks.

A dole whip is a pineapple soft serve frozen dessert. A dole whip floats includes dole pineapple juice. If you have never tried this treat may I suggest you arrive at the Enchanted Tiki Room found in Adventureland early, share and savor this treat, and move on to a fun and energetic atmosphere found inside the Tiki Room.

This is a unique experience found only at the Magic Kingdom. Enjoy, dance, laugh, savor.

Celebrating a birthday, anniversary, honeymoon, family reunion, first time visiting the park? Disney offers special occasion buttons. Visit City Hall on Main Street and get a free button! You can also visit guest services in Disney's California Adventure Park.

Arrive early because these buttons are limited.

A FASTPASS is a service that allows you to enjoy the rest of the Disneyland Resort while your place in line is saved. You go to select popular rides and get a fastpass for a later time in the day. This allows you to ride other rides instead of standing in a long line.

Here is info right from the Disney FASTPASS site:

Using Disney's FASTPASS Service

   1. Look for the FASTPASS distribution area near the entrance of an attraction.

   2. Check the FASTPASS "Return Time" display to learn when you can return to experience the attraction.

   3. Insert your Disneyland Resort admission ticket, readmission ticket or Annual Passport into the FASTPASS machine.

   4. A FASTPASS ticket will be printed with your Return Time.

   5. Enjoy the rest of the Disneyland Resort.

   6. Go to the "FASTPASS Return" queue at your Return Time, show your FASTPASS ticket to the Cast Member and enjoy the attraction!

Disneyland Park

    * Autopia, presented by Chevron
    * Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
    * Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
    * Indiana Jones Adventure
    * Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin
    * Space Mountain
    * Splash Mountain

Disney's California Adventure Park

    * California Screamin'
    * Grizzly River Run
    * Soarin' Over California
    * The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
    * World of Color (distributed at Grizzly River Run)

If you are vacationing with young children, you will want to learn about and utilize the rider swap program available on some rides. This allows a group with 2 or more adults allows your party to enjoy the attraction while 1 adult waits with the child then swaps when the remaining groups completes the ride.

Click here to see what Disneyland resort attractions offer the rider swap - Rider Swap

This engaging documentary looks at the exciting array of family fun and entertainment that awaits visitors at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., including the original Disneyland, the first venue in what is now a global family of theme parks. Since then, other attractions -- including California Adventure -- have opened adjacent to the original park, reinvigorating the area known as "the happiest place on Earth."

If you have never visited the Disneyland resort, been several years since your last visit, or want to learn a new tid bit about the Disneyland Resort, you will want to check this out. I found this while browsing for something to to watch on Netflix's instant watch. 

With so many great options the Disneyland resort has to offer, it can be tough and expensive to make the right decisions.

Before you head out to the resort parks, come up with a budget you are comfortable with. Knowing where you are financially is a huge step in finding the right dining services that are right for you.

My suggestion is small meals/snacks and 1 large meal. Large meals will slow you down if you want to take in a full day of the parks. Not to mention large meals can be torture on those fast rides so beware.

Visit the Disney resort website for all great options in and out of the parks. You also have the option to select eating options based on price per person.

Disneyland Resort Dining

Some of our favorite places to eat in Disneyland are:

Plaza Inn - this is where we enjoy minnie's breakfast, a character dining experience. This can be a heavy meal so take things slow as you are fueled for the day.

Bengal BBQ - We each get a skewer and share a large soda. They also had a fabulous jalapeno and cheese pretzel that wasn't spicy. Its great for a light meal/snack.

Royal Street Veranda - they have amazing gumbo and clam chowder in bread bowls. We tend to get 1 per 2 people since it can be filling.

Tropical Imports - found next to the jungle cruise it is a great place to pick up fresh fruit. Its nice to grab a fresh apple to snack during the day

Tiki Juice Bar - I try to save this for an evening treat but they have the most amazing dole whip float. A dole whip is a pineapple ice cream of sorts in pineapple juice. Absolutely yummy. Arrive 20 minutes early for the tiki rom and enjoy a whip or my favorite a dole whip float.

My favorite places to eat in California Adventure are:

Cocina Cucamonga - the mexican food is great and with large portions it is easy to share for lunch or have your own for dinner.

There are carts with turkey legs we always hit up once. We share 1 large turkey leg and 1 large drink and we are set.

Ariels Grotto - soak up the fun with princesses and lunch at ariels grotto.

And the one place we can never go without is Goofy's Kitchen in Disneyland hotel. The food is fabulous, the characters are wonderful, and the most amazing memories have come from dining at Goofy's Kitchen. Our first dining experience at Goofy's Kitchen including my then 7yr old son totally twitterpated by Snow White and a sword fight with Goofy and Captain Hook tableside. Our most recent laugh was my son then 15 (last year) put in the corner for time out by chip because he was wearing a hat.

No matter your preference or budget, there are plenty of options to suit your dining needs.

To help with our vacation budget and pay off as much as possible prior to arriving on our Disney vacation, we purchase our Disney tickets in advanced. There are several places to make your purchase - Disney.com, Disney store, or my personal favorite getawaytoday.com. On getawaytoday.com we can get a 5 day hopper for only $195 which is a $45 savings over gate prices.  For our family of 3 that saves us $135 that we can use towards a very memorable character dinner at Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland hotel.

You can also pre-purchase character dinners at the Disneyland resort, Pirates dinner adventure outside of the Disney resort, and other park tickets such as Universal Studios and SeaWorld. I love finding ways to save so we splurge in other areas.

Many of these you can use will call so you never have to worry about forgetting your tickets. Ask about will call prior to purchasing if this is important to your trip so there are no misunderstandings.

Until recently I never thought much about child safety when visiting a large park such as Disneyland. When my son was young, he was the only child in the group so there were 20 eyes on him. Now as we visit the park we have 3 young children and my son is part of those 20 eyes. It is now important we have child safety products for the young members of our group. A great place I have found that provides all our needs is My Precious Kid. They have products for child ID bracelets (medical and non-medical), safety harnesses, lost child tattoos, and more.

Check out these products for your next Disney trip (or anywhere for that matter)
http://www.mypreciouskid.com/products/wearable-id-products.html
http://www.mypreciouskid.com/products/child-safety-products.html

While at Disneyland resort, if your child gets lost here is where you will find your child safely

Baby Center and Lost Children

Baby Centers — including comfortable facilities for diaper changing, nursing and bottle feeding — and Lost Children facilities are available in the following locations:

Disneyland Park
The end of Main Street, U.S.A., next to First Aid.

Disney's California Adventure Park
Next to the Mission Tortilla Factory in the Pacific Wharf.

Downtown Disney District
There is no Baby Center in the Downtown Disney District. Lost children found in the Downtown Disney District are taken to the Lost Children location inside Disneyland Park.

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/plan/guest-services/baby-center-lost-children/

When traveling with a group that includes teenagers who wish to explore the park without adults, always have a meeting point and time. Make sure your teenager knows exactly where the meet up point is and provide them with a park map so they can find their way around. If your group does not have cell phones, long range walkie talkies work well. The rule in our family is all group members stay in the same park. There is no park hopping and we all meet for meals. Our meeting place is in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle since it is the most recognizable attraction and the first you see as you walk into the park. Being a central location is an added plus.

My first and favorite hidden mickey is in the haunted mansion. If you don't know where it is, you will just have to keep your eyes open!

I love cake pops. They are so incredibly simply and so yummy. What makes them better is when someone can add a Disney spin on them like Bakerella has!

You can find her amazing creations on DisneyFamily.com

She has created - Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pooh, Mrs. Potts, and so much more!

See all her Disney inspired recipes at http://family.go.com/disney/pkg-disney-recipes/pkg-bakerella-recipes/

You can also visit her blog for more creations at http://www.bakerella.com/ (she also has an amazing book!)


*photo shared from DisneyFamily.com and not owned by this blog

I grew up in Southern California which made Disneyland very accessible to my family. It was not uncommon to find us visiting upwards of four times a year. It was home to us. It was the familiar place where we played and laughed no matter our age. It was a magical place where all our dreams would come true.

We moved from California in 1992 when I was only 17 but Disneyland never left our hearts. We all try to make the trip back once a year to rediscover our love and share with the new members of our family.

We have added spouses and children to our lives. As our children grow and one soon to be an adult I reflect on the years of past while at the Magic Kingdom.

Last year we visited for the very first time during Halloween. In all the years of living just an hour away we never visited during any holiday. The decorations were amazing and we were able to see the park with new eyes.

This year we are returning for the Christmas season. We will again see a new Magic Kingdom with all new surprises and wonder. Because of this I have decided to start this blog and share what we have learned, fun tips, and more!