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