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Celebration Buttons

Every day is a celebration! No matter where you are there is something to celebrate every single day. The Disney parks are no different!

You can visit City Hall in Disneyland or the Chamber of Commerce in Disney's California Adventure to receive a special button to celebrate your day. Celebrate your birthday, just married, engaged, anniversary, or just celebrate any day for any reason with a celebrate button.





Our wedding anniversary was a week after we last visited the Disneyland Resort but we decided to take a day and celebrate in the parks. We both wore our anniversary celebration proudly and cast members helped us celebrate by wishing us a wonderful anniversary.

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*Pictures are property of Olivia's Disney Adventures and are not to be reproduced or distributed without permission of Olivia's Disney Adventures (http://oliviasdisneyadventures.blogspot.com)

**I am not affiliated with, compensated, or employed by getawaytoday.com, disney or its affiliates. This is a personal testimonial sharing my own tips and experiences.

Olivia Vidal
© 2012

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Let's Talk Some Trash

Have you looked round the lands as your walked through and notice something interesting? Every land has a trash can designed withing the theme. You can tell what land you are in based on the trash can design. Next time you are walking through Disneyland or Disney's California Adventure, take a look around. Below are a few found in Disneyland.



Also notice most trash cans are accompanied by a recycle can. Whenever you can, do your part and recycle.

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*Pictures are property of Olivia's Disney Adventures and are not to be reproduced or distributed without permission of Olivia's Disney Adventures (http://oliviasdisneyadventures.blogspot.com)

**I am not affiliated with, compensated, or employed by getawaytoday.com, disney or its affiliates. This is a personal testimonial sharing my own tips and experiences.

Olivia Vidal
© 2012

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Popcorn Buckets

There is something amazingly delicious about the popcorn from Disneyland. Its perfectly popped with the right amount of butter and salt. Oh so yummy!

Even better is you can purchase a popcorn bucket. Sure they cost around $12 but they are always adorable and make a great souvenir that I use the entire trip.

I purchase a bucket the first day and every trip to purchase more popcorn I purchase the typical serving and dump into my bucket. That means I get to keep my popcorn safe while on rides.

I don't usually buy more than 1 but I found 2 different buckets this past trip - Lightening McQueen and R2-D2.

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Star Gazing

I love to gaze at the stars. I really love spotting them in the crowd. You guessed it! I am not talking about the twinkling stars in the sky. I am talking about the 2 legged kind. I was totally star struck when I seen Kevin Costner walk by while enjoying the atmosphere at the Mad T Party in Disney's California Adventure.

I am not usually the one to take their picture because they are trying to enjoy their visit just like I am. But come on! This is a big time movie star! He's been a favorite since I seen American Flyers way way back in the 80's. Yes I know, I just aged myself considerably but its Kevin Costner!

I do love how he was just like any of us. No glitz except for the VIP guide but we spotted him walking around without the guide just like the average person. Unless you were paying attention many didn't notice him (those who didn't notice him totally lucked out!)

As you can see in the picture he knew I was taking it and didn't seem to mind. I didn't rush his family and intrude for an autograph. At the point I would have been wrong in my opinion. I just wanted my picture and I was done.

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*Pictures are property of Olivia's Disney Adventures and are not to be reproduced or distributed without permission of Olivia's Disney Adventures (http://oliviasdisneyadventures.blogspot.com)

**I am not affiliated with, compensated, or employed by getawaytoday.com, disney or its affiliates. This is a personal testimonial sharing my own tips and experiences.

Olivia Vidal
© 2012

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Focused on the Magic.com: GIVEAWAY! Disney Dooney and Bourke Wristlet!

Enter to win! Click the link for details on how to win. Good luck!

Focused on the Magic.com: GIVEAWAY! Disney Dooney and Bourke Wristlet!: I am super excited today to announce a new Disney Dooney Giveaway here at Focused on the Magic !  I have teamed up with a great group of Dis...



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*Pictures are property of Olivia's Disney Adventures and are not to be reproduced or distributed without permission of Olivia's Disney Adventures (http://oliviasdisneyadventures.blogspot.com)

**I am not affiliated with, compensated, or employed by getawaytoday.com, disney or its affiliates. This is a personal testimonial sharing my own tips and experiences.

Olivia Vidal
© 2012

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Disneyland Fountains



I love the fountains found around the Disneyland Resort. I do find them under appreciated though. Next time you visit the Disneyland Resort, take a moment to appreciate their beauty and splendor. Here are the 2 found in Toontown that I find the most fun.

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Packing Tip - Pack Light

Everyone wants to look and feel fabulous but that doesn't mean 10 pieces of luggage for a 3 day trip. An easy way to do this is roll your clothes instead of fold. Sounds weird to many I know. This really does save space. Saving space means lesser luggage and you may find you can even get away with strictly carry-on luggage.

When repacking for your trip home roll your dirty clothes. Do not just stuff them. Packing different between arriving and departing will result in less space and more hassle getting that suitcase closed.

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*Pictures are property of Olivia's Disney Adventures and are not to be reproduced or distributed without permission of Olivia's Disney Adventures (http://oliviasdisneyadventures.blogspot.com)

**I am not affiliated with, compensated, or employed by getawaytoday.com, disney or its affiliates. This is a personal testimonial sharing my own tips and experiences.

Olivia Vidal
© 2012

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Carsland Buttons

During our recent trip to the Disneyland Resort we visited the brand new Carsland at Disney's California Adventure. Let me say WOW! You have to see it for yourself to truly appreciate and understand how amazing Carsland is.

A fun benefit was collecting the Carsland buttons. These are only found in Carsland from the cast members in the shops and sometimes the cast members walking around. Most will make you answer Cars trivia correctly or even general Disney questions.

There are a total of 6 buttons to find and collect. Sadly I could not find one of them. Everyone was out so that button will have to wait until my next trip or until I can find someone willing to find me one on their next trip.

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Vacation Tip - Souvenirs

Buying souvenirs at the Disney parks is one of my favorite things. The least favorite is knowing I over spent or do not have enough. To keep your souvenir costs reasonable set a budget and buy a Disney gift card for that amount. This way you stay on track. This is great for kids and teaches them to be responsible and teaches them to make smart choices.

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*Pictures are property of Olivia's Disney Adventures and are not to be reproduced or distributed without permission of Olivia's Disney Adventures (http://oliviasdisneyadventures.blogspot.com)

**I am not affiliated with, compensated, or employed by getawaytoday.com, disney or its affiliates. This is a personal testimonial sharing my own tips and experiences.

Olivia Vidal
© 2012

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Disneyland Resort PhotoPass+

You can now get all those photos you love on the Disneyland Resort PhotoPass+!

The photopass+ now includes your favorite ride photos, character dining photos, and all the park photos you love already. This is huge! The regular photopass does not entitle you to your ride and character dining photos.

You will receive:
  • A voucher to exchange for your Photopass+ card (with pre-purchase) at any one of the photopass sales   centers
  • Disney Photo Gallery CD with over 300 stock photos
  • Unique code to create and order your Photopass CD
  • Print packages and digital copies on your photopass+ card from Character dining experiences ($34.95 ea if purchased separately)
  • Digital photos from select attractions ($14.95ea for digital download if purchased separately)

Attractions Include:
  • Space Mountain
  • Splash Mountain
  • The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
  • California Screamin’
  • Radiator Springs Racers

Dining Locations Include:
  • Goofy’s Kitchen
  • Ariel’s Grotto
  • PCH Grill at Paradise Pier
  • Plaza Inn

To redeem your photopass+ voucher take to one of 2 photo centers at Disneyland or Disney's California Adventure. In Disneyland you will find the photo center at the end of Main Street on the right hand side next to the Baby Care Center. In Disney's California Adventure you will find near the entrance on the right next to the lockers. You will be given a photopass+ card on a lanyard. Every time you have your picture taken give this to your photographer or photo counter after exiting rides. At character dinners present your card prior to your picture so they can properly document your card info. During character dining we received the printed picture package as well as photos taken on our photopass+ card.

Preorder your photopass+ for only $69.95. That is a $30 savings! You must order a minimum of 14 days prior to leaving for your next Disneyland trip to receive your package in time. (we ordered ours July 4 and received it July 9). Don't have time to preorder? You can purchase your photopass+ at the park for only $99.95 and receive all the same benefits listed above.

When you receive your package be sure to read all materials and take your voucher with you to exchange for a photopass+ car. Place your voucher will all important vacation documents. If you lose this voucher or forget it, you cannot retrieve this later. Keep all important vacation documents with you. If you are flying keep these in your carry on luggage. Placing it in your checked luggage you could risk losing these if the unfortunate mishap occurs where your luggage is lost or mis-routed.

Once you arrive home log into your photopass account at www.disneyphotopass.com and enter your 16 digit photopass id to claim your photos. You will then be able to view all your pictures. You can edit your photos by cropping, adding borders, or both. Once you have edited all photos you can now order your photo cd using the special code found in the cd that came with your prepaid voucher or in the cd given to you at the photo center at the time of purchase. Be sure to edit all pictures before ordering your cd. This way you receive all edited pictures on the cd and not just the pictures taken.

This was the best money we ever spent! We took 150 photos ( not as many as we hoped to take) but the character dining photos alone paid for the cd. The rest made it worth it!

Once you claim your photos, go to your message center on your photopass account. Here you will find a bonus download for all your ride photos including a license to reprint these photos. You will need the license when you go to print these photos at places such as Walgreens photo center.

For more information and to order yours, visit http://www.disneyphotopass.com/dlrphotopassplus.aspx


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*Pictures are property of Olivia's Disney Adventures and are not to be reproduced or distributed without permission of Olivia's Disney Adventures (http://oliviasdisneyadventures.blogspot.com)

**I am not affiliated with, compensated, or employed by getawaytoday.com, disney or its affiliates. This is a personal testimonial sharing my own tips and experiences.

Olivia Vidal
© 2012

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Not ready to leave the magic?

You've arrived at your final day and just can't bring yourself to leave the magic of the Disney parks? You can upgrade your ticket.

Before your ticket expires on the final day you can choose to add more days or turn that ticket into an annual pass. Simply visit the ticket counter to explore your options and pay the difference.

I added 2 more days for only $32 a ticket. We arrived at Disneyland with a 3 day hopper so adding more days was very reasonable. If we had more time we could have added 3 days for $38. Sadly, not an option.

Next time you visit the Disney parks whether its CA, FL, or anywhere else find out how you can add more days or even upgrade to an annual pass using your existing ticket purchase (provided it has not expired).

*prices and terms may vary so please see a cast member for the most update information.

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Packing Tip - Shoes

I love buying reusable grocery bags but can never remember to take them to the store. This results in hundreds of grocery bags. I can never remember to take them to the store to recycle either. That doesn't mean they go to waste.

One way I use plastic grocery bags it to place my shoes in them when I travel. This keeps my shoes from coming in contact with my clothes or any other items depending on how I pack. No dirty clothes and my old plastic grocery bags are reused.

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*Pictures are property of Olivia's Disney Adventures and are not to be reproduced or distributed without permission of Olivia's Disney Adventures (http://oliviasdisneyadventures.blogspot.com)

**I am not affiliated with, compensated, or employed by getawaytoday.com, disney or its affiliates. This is a personal testimonial sharing my own tips and experiences.

Olivia Vidal
© 2012

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Vacation Tip - Dining Schedule

Schedule your meal reservations into your phone calendar. This allows you to play and not watch the clock. When the time is near you will be alerted and can plan on moving towards your reserved eating establishment. I set mine to 1 hour before our reservations.

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*Pictures are property of Olivia's Disney Adventures and are not to be reproduced or distributed without permission of Olivia's Disney Adventures (http://oliviasdisneyadventures.blogspot.com)

**I am not affiliated with, compensated, or employed by getawaytoday.com, disney or its affiliates. This is a personal testimonial sharing my own tips and experiences.

Olivia Vidal
© 2012

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Packing Tip - Dryer Towels

When I pack my clothes I place a dryer towel in a sandwich bag and place in my luggage. This keeps my clothes smelling fresh the entire trip. I pack an extra one in a trash bag where I place dirty or wet clothes (bathing suits and beach towels). Placing one in my dirty laundry bag keeps everything from smelling musty or moldy.


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*Pictures are property of Olivia's Disney Adventures and are not to be reproduced or distributed without permission of Olivia's Disney Adventures (http://oliviasdisneyadventures.blogspot.com)

**I am not affiliated with, compensated, or employed by getawaytoday.com, disney or its affiliates. This is a personal testimonial sharing my own tips and experiences.

Olivia Vidal
© 2012

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How Early Do You Pack?

I typically begin to pack about a week before we leave on a trip. Packing a week early gets most of what I need set aside so there is last minute washing (except my last 2 trips where I was drying clothes right up to when we left). Packing early also allows me to go through my list checking things off to see what is left or any last minute trips to the store.

This time, however, I'm getting the itch to pack much sooner. Because it is so out of my routine it feels strange. We typically drive the 12 hours so we are on an open schedule. This time we are flying. That means the schedule feels tighter so we have to be organized arriving and departing.
How early (or late) do you start packing?



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*Pictures are property of Olivia's Disney Adventures and are not to be reproduced or distributed without permission of Olivia's Disney Adventures (http://oliviasdisneyadventures.blogspot.com)

**I am not affiliated with, compensated, or employed by getawaytoday.com, disney or its affiliates. This is a personal testimonial sharing my own tips and experiences.

Olivia Vidal
© 2012

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16 Days and Counting

We are 16 days away before we leave and the excitement is mounting!

Our hotel is booked, tickets pre-purchased, Disney dining reservations made, transportation arranged.
We are beginning to pack and purchase any items we need for our trip. I use a list based on activities to ensure we have all we need for our trip. This cuts down on visits to a store when we should be enjoying our vacation.

I like to work out dining on and off the Disney property to keep us within our chosen food budget. We use a food budget to keep us on from over spending. We are have a souvenir budget for the same reason.

The night before leaving we print all confirmations, receipts, tickets, and place all in a folder so we have everything we need in one place. I do this so there is no worry of losing any if these before or during our trip. If you are flying do not put these in your checked baggage. Always place in your carry on.

For every trip I have a specific ritual. In that I buy everyone brand new socks. This way I know everyone has enough socks for the week. It is something I always do.
What is your pre-vacation ritual?



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*Pictures are property of Olivia's Disney Adventures and are not to be reproduced or distributed without permission of Olivia's Disney Adventures (http://oliviasdisneyadventures.blogspot.com)

**I am not affiliated with, compensated, or employed by getawaytoday.com, disney or its affiliates. This is a personal testimonial sharing my own tips and experiences.

Olivia Vidal
© 2012

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28 Days and Counting

I will be arriving in California in just 28 days and that includes Disneyland!

I can't wait to check out Carsland and Buena Vista Street. I'm also excited to check out Goofys Sky School and Ariel's Undersea Adventure since these opened after our March 2011 trip.

I will have plenty of adventures and tips to share including dining on a budget as I plan to take one day to eat for an entire day on a specified budget.

What would you like me to cover?


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*Pictures are property of Olivia's Disney Adventures and are not to be reproduced or distributed without permission of Olivia's Disney Adventures (http://oliviasdisneyadventures.blogspot.com)

**I am not affiliated with, compensated, or employed by getawaytoday.com, disney or its affiliates. This is a personal testimonial sharing my own tips and experiences.

Olivia Vidal
© 2012

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