Frozen Summer Fun at Hollywood Studios

For the first time in forever, we had the opportunity to                                          see Arondale's Royalty  in Hollywood Studios!  At the park entrance, Cast Members were giving out Take-Along Olafs so that we could all take photos of his first summer vacation.  We were encouraged to share those pictures on Twitter or Instagram and post #olafsummervacation.  Hollywood Studios will post some of those pictures tonight before the fireworks.  Another fun part about Olaf is that on his back, you have his autograph along with Anna, Elsa and Kristoff.    There is an App that can help in your Frozen Summer Festivities, so check out the Aurasma App if you have a Smart Phone or Tablet.  The Royal Welcome was a wonderful celebration and we had the honor of even seeing several Disney Park executives enjoying the festivities.  Olaf came out to have some fun on the screen and we all wished for it to be a little bit cooler, so it snowed in front of the stage.  

Queen Elsa & Princess Anna are taking a goodwill tour of neighboring kingdoms this summer and made their grand entrance on a horse-drawn sleigh, which is truly a fantastic sight!  I enjoyed the dancing snowflakes, skiing group that came through and even the ice harvesters chopping through. One of my personal favorite parts was seeing Kristoff - he's DREAMY!  
If you have the chance to go to this event don't miss the Frozen Sing-Along!  It happens 7 times daily at Premiere Theater and was even better than I expected! They were giving away tickets to the Sing-Along outside the theater.  The tickets were being handed out in chronological order and once all of the tickets were given out, there would be no more that day.  But even for us on the first day, we came out of the first show a little after 1pm and immediately got a ticket for the 2:30p show to see it again...yes, it was that good!
And they still had plenty of tickets to give away.  Wandering Oaken's Frozen Funland has an ice-skating rink and you can skate for a $10 fee.  There is also a play area with real snow so you can make your own snowman.  You can get an Olaf cupcake which is Carrot with Vanilla Buttercream marshmallows and white chocolate.  You can get the Olaf cupcake at most quick service locations throughout the park.  Most of the merchandise is in Wandering Oaken's Trading Post - but bring your patience.  Due to capacity limitations, the wait to get in was approximately 2 hours to shop or ice skate.  This is open from park opening to closing, so this may be something to come back later and check out.  In the late afternoon, check out DJ Chill as he hosts a Dance Party & music from the Ice Men of the North.  Then you can close out your Frozen Summertime day with a special Fireworks Spectabular set to music from Frozen.  I had a blast and I hope you get the opportunity to see this event for yourself!

Rainy Day Parade in the Magic Kingdom

As we come into the "rainy season" at Walt Disney World, I recently came across a parade that happens in the Magic Kingdom that is not on your Times Guide.  But if you don't stay around during the

rain, you'd never know it exists.  In fact, after asking around I've heard this back up parade has been happening for quite some time.  But after 14 years of frequent Walt Disney World visits, I experienced the "Rainy Day Cavalcade" for the first time.   What a fun parade!  I love that the Cast Members skip and dance along wearing their raincoats, galoshes and holding umbrellas.  It seems that when a parade is about to happen and rain comes through, the characters fill the Main Street Vehicles and make the most of it!  The parade that we would have seen was the "Move It!  Shake It!  Celebrate It!  Street Party" -- so the characters in the vehicles were only the ones that would have been seen in that parade.  

 I've since searched online to see that they do the same thing for the regular 3pm parade.  It seems that those parade characters pile into the vehicles and come down Main Street if that parade is rained out and they don't bring out the parade floats.  So make a note if rain comes through, just throw on a poncho and make the most of your Disney Day!  You'll be singing for days!  The music alternates from "Singin' in the Rain" to the special song for this parade...and one that has a wonderful tune!  You'll be singing "Jingle Jingle, Splash Splash!  Tell me how long with this rain last.  The rain keeps droppin'.  There ain't no stoppin'.  Tell me how long will this rain last."  Such a great catchy tune!  

 

Downtown Disney's new store: Marketplace Co-Op

Downtown Disney is one of the ever-changing and growing places to enjoy while you visit Walt Disney World.  One of the newest additions is Marketplace Co-Op, a really great new store that has everything for the classic Disney enthusiast to the sports enthusiasts, to stylish ladies and even the young girls who may be more interested in makeup & fresh new looks.  So basically this store is for all of us!  I parked in the "B" Section and was right at the entrance to this wonderful store.  It is in the area where Team Mickey Athletic Club & Rawlings Making the Game used to

be.  The new store, Marketplace Co-Op opened on Friday, June 6.  It is a "testing space for new Disney retail concepts" and they have areas inside that include 6 unique boutiques:  Cherry Tree Lane, Disney Centerpiecee, Zoey and Pickles, Beautifully Disney, D-Tech on Demand and The Trophy Room.  You can select items from each boutique and walk around to all of them so that you only make one transaction in the end - which is nice. As I walked in, my first stop was in Cherry Tree

Lane and I immediately wanted to whip out my credit card!  This was an

extremely crowded store...but it's new, so I completely expected the crowds.  And, trust me, I was thrilled that I went!  The sun hats, scarves and beautiful costume jewelry fit right into my

summertime attire and the Dooney & Bourke section is fantastic!  They have Vera Bradley and all sorts of wonderful designs for Disney ladies, like me. By the way, I have selected one of the Dooney & Bourke handbags for my wish list...as every Disney girl must have an endless wish list.  If you'd like to see my personal favorite, here it is!  My next stop was to Disney Centerpiece and let me tell you, these two were my personal favorites of the 6 boutiques featured.  

Disney, if you make them complete stores, I would be thrilled!  Disney Centerpiece has homeproducts that I have been missing for a while.  Nice kitchen and collectible items to Disney-up your own home!  

Plus a special splash of classic Disney attractions.  I was thrilled to see a lot of really great items to purchase from Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise, Adventureland's Aloha Isle and it's famous Dole Whip...not to mention that sweet Little Orange Bird who cheerfully thought happy little organge thoughts as I purchased several items from that section of the store.  I even saw and couldn't resist a wonderful Mr. Toad to bring home.  You can get plates, coffee mugs, shot glasses or regular sized glasses of all sorts.  There are pillows and signs from different areas of the parks...I could truly go on and on about how every classic Disney fan needs to visit this store!  

The next store I went to was the

Trophy Room.  It has vintage-

inspired sports clothing and collectibles.  

Then I walked across the hall to D-Tech on Demand.  This was a very busy store where people were personalizing and accessorizing all of their high-tech devices.  The designs were great and you could do all sorts of personalizing.

   

The next boutique was Beautifully Design.  This was a fun store with makeup, fragrances and all sorts of beauty accessories.  They even had a chair where you could really see what the colors would look like on you.

My last boutique to check out in the new Marketplace Co-Op was Zoey and Pickles.  That is a store for the kids.  It includes the rends and fashions...and even has shoes.  If you're planning a Walt Disney World vacation, you must try to work in some shopping time at the Downtown Disney Marketplace.  

 They're working on a new parking garage & will change the name to Disney Springs in the upcoming months...but you can add Co-Op Marketplace to your favorite shopping stores like World of Disney, Once Upon A Toy, The LEGO Store, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and so many more magical places to smile and bring home small pieces of the magical memories that you make while you are in this happy place. 

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Star Wars Weekends at Walt Disney World

Star Wars Weekends at Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World have become more popular every year!  Now that Disney has acquired the rights to Star Wars, we are getting more event dates, more character appearances, more top celebrities and entertainment during these special weekends.  Now, I must

admit from the start that I am not a huge Star Wars Fan, but I think they have some CUTE and interesting characters & I have seen most of the movies.  

This year, I got to see John Ratzenberger and Mark Hamill on their first of hopefully many Star Wars Weeknds.  It was also a thrill for me to see Billy Dee Williams.

 Some stars are available for more than one weekend.  Star Wars Weekends went from May 16 - June 15, 2014.  Each of the five weekend hosted different celebrities and events. If you are looking to

get a star autograph, I would suggest arriving very early.  I even heard that lines began as early as 4-4:15am during some days this year.  As soon as people are allowed to enter the park, they rush up to the FastPass Line for the star they want an autograph for.  Many times ALL Fastpasses are gone within the first 10 minutes after people are allowed in the park.  Don't worry if you want to see your favorite characters and don't want to wait at the gate that long.  Just watch their cars go by and scream out their name during the 11:30am parade.  Most of the parade is of the 501st - there are many Star Wars organizations that come dressed in costume and they get the chance to march through the parade and get the appreciation.  If you want Star Wars character pictures, you are in luck - they are all over the park!  If you are a fan

of Ashley Eckstein & the Her Universe Brand of Women's clothing, you will be in luck with her line and other special merchandise featured at Darth's Mall.  Plus, you'll even have special yummy treats for the occasion.  You can even enjoy presentations featuring the celebrities on-hand.  For example, the weeks

that I attended some of the presentations were:  "Obi-Wan and Beyond, starring James Arnold Taylor" or "Visit to the Maul, starring Ray Park" as well as several other interesting conversations and

behind-the-scenes experiences shared by the stars themselves.  If you've missed this year, you have one more weekend.  And if you must plan a trip, keep an eye out for dates next May-June.  It's always filled with fun from Storm Troopers and characters everywhere getting in on all the action!  Most of all, just enjoy the fun and "May The Force Be With You" at Disney's Hollywood Studios!