Do You Tsum Tsum?

So my latest Disney craze are the Tsum Tsums!  Here is a picture of them stacked up like they are meant to be:

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Have you seen these cute little things?  They are just mini plush collectibles with a very Japanese chibi, or childlike, look to them and they are cute as a button!

I have to admit, Tsum Tsums are not something I would have ever seen myself collecting, but then I got the amazing game app on my phone and then I could not stop playing it.  If you have never played the app you owe it to yourself to give it a try.  It is not a match 3 game like Bejeweled.  Instead you string together as many of the Tsum Tsums that are connected as you can.  If you get enough of them a magic bubble appears that you can burst to make more disappear from the board.  Once you score enough you get to open mystery boxes to collect more of the Tsum Tsums!  Here is a picture of the game:

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All of your favorite Disney and Pixar characters are here to collect and recently they have began to have the Star Wars characters be collectible as well.

This game is darned addicting to say the least.  Before I knew it, I was running out to the Disney store to buy the newest characters as they get released.  They typically cost around $4.95 a piece so that makes them a very cheap collectible by Disney standards and they are very well made.  They also stack very easily on top of each other so you do not need a ton of space to display them.

As I mentioned there is a wide array of characters you can collect.  Recently Finding Dory characters were released as well as Jungle Book.  The Marvel comic book characters have been released and they are in the midst of releasing more Star Wars characters as well.

I currently own around 50 of them and I can say that just looking at them all stacked up makes me smile and remember all of my Disney friends and why I love Disney so much – its the characters and stories!

Have a magical weekend and thanks for dropping by!  Best of luck with your Tsum Tsum collecting and please try the IOS game. It is free and I promise you will love it!

Brad

It’s Been Awhile!

Well it certainly has been awhile since I have been able to post to the blog.  Life happens!

But so does Disney!  Disney never goes away, and I guess neither do I!

So where do we start?  There is so very much going on in the Wonderful World of Disney today.  In fact we recently got back from a short trip to Disney World and boy has it changed!  What used to be Downtown Disney is now Disney Springs and boy is it a change for the better!  The massive variety of new, and might I add better, shops is just awesome for those of us who love to shop.  Of course my favorite new shop is the Star Wars shop that was formerly called Trend-D.  The sheer amount of Star Wars love in that shop brought a tear to this old Jedi’s eye.  I could have bought the entire shop for sure.  The shops now longer all seem like they are selling the same thing either which is a huge improvement.

On the subject of food, oh my goodness is there a ton of new and awesome and fun new food options.  I have to tell you about Splitsville if we are going to talk about food.  Yes it is a bowling alley, and when you think bowling alley you do not think great food.  But you also don’t think sushi either when you think bowling, but Splitsville has some awesome sushi.  I cannot explain how much fun it is to grab your shoes and head to the lanes and have this amazingly huge table behind you, a massive big screen television in front of you and some of the best food you will eat at Disney all right there while you get to bowl!  This is a must do especially if you have children!

Speaking of sushi to die for, Food Network Iron Chef Morimoto has a new restaurant there called Morimoto’s and all I can say is if you like sushi in the least you owe it to yourself to have lunch there.

I could go on forever about the food, fun, and new shops but I will save it for individual posts that will have much more detail coming up.  Needless to say, Disney Springs is a welcome change for those of us who love to go there and were getting tired of the “same ol same ol”.

The parks also have so many new things going on in them and some of them will take you by surprise for sure.  My second favorite ride at the Magic Kingdom (behind Splash Mountain) is the Haunted Mansion and I’ll be darned if they did not slip in another surprise at the end of the ride.  After all of the great new additions on the outside of the ride like the courtyard “toys” you can play with while waiting in line, the Hitchhiking Ghosts at the end of the ride must have taken some technology courses because they now (thanks to your Magic Bands) say things like “See you at home in Indiana!”  They will also call you by name and sometimes tombstones appear with your name on them.  The Imagineers at Disney never sleep and I for one am grateful for things like this that personalize the trip and leave you with memories you never forget.

It’s a Small World uses this same technology at the end of the ride during the “Goodbye” section as it says your name and wishes you a fun voyage.  I think Disney has realized that in our world today we need to be entertained even when we are waiting for the rides so they are really using the Magic Band technology to truly personalize your Disney experience.  I for one love this and hope it continues for sure.  Look for other treats like this on Expedition Everest, Rockin Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, and a few other surprises which I will let you find for yourself.

Finally I have to mention that over at Epcot the Flower and Garden Festival was in full swing but to our awesome surprise they have now incorporated food into it as well by setting up the same style kiosks that they use for the Food and Wine Festival.  This is such a welcome addition.  The flowers and topiaries are beautiful, but the food from around the world just adds that something extra to make it a full day of walking through the countries.  The food styles is truly similar to the Food and Wine with a few changes, but as you have read here before, the food here is exceptional and it is really cheap compared to sit down restaurants at Epcot.

Well it is great to be back posting here!  The posts will not be daily for awhile but I hope to get back to that pace soon.  I realize the readership here has probably gone away and I will be starting fresh, but thats ok!  Disney is for everyone and one people find us again, the fun will kick up all over again.

Thanks for reading and visiting and remember to keep Disney with you 24/7!

Brad

Massive Post Full Of Pictures

Hello to all of my Disney Friends!  I know it has once again been too long since I made a post, so today I am making up for it by giving you tons of new pictures to look at from our favorite Happy Place!  Here you will see all kinds of different pictures today from all around the web.  The majority of the pictures come from the Disney Parks Blog and I would like to thank them for sharing them.  They take some of the best pictures I have ever seen from all the Disney Parks.  You will see pics from the Food and Wine Festival, a ton of pics from their DIsney After Dark series, some pics of new merchandise that will be available soon, and also some miscellaneous pics that I found.  I hope you enjoy the pics and I hope you have a truly magical weekend!  Here we go!

More Disney Questions Answered – Part 5

Hello again my Disney fanatical friends!  It is once again time for me to try my best to answer your Disney questions.  There was no real theme to the questions this time around so I will just tackle them head on in honor of football season!

Questions #1 – Tre K. from Montreal Canada wrote in to ask, “Hi Brad!  I love your blog and all the pictures you share with your readers.  My family will be heading down to Disney World around Christmas time.  I know you have said you love Disney in the Fall, but what are your thoughts of being there the week of Christmas?  Any help would be great!”

Thanks for writing in Tre.  Disney at Christmas time is simply one of the most beautiful and happy places to be in the world!  I dare anyone to walk around Disney world in December and not have a huge smile on their faces!  It is the best that Christmas has to offer, without any of the colder weather.  The magicians at Disney will even make it “snow” for you at the Magic Kingdom during their evening Christmas parties.  Of course over at Disneys Hollywood Studios the Osbourne Christmas Lights simply must be seen to be believed.  There are more Christmas lights in one place than anywhere else, and the lights dance to music.  So with all of that said, it can also be one of the most crowded places on Earth in mid to late December.  My advice to you is be prepared for very long lines in later December.  Also, during the evenings in December, colder winds blow through and it can get a little bit chilly at night so dress appropriately.  One of these days I’d love to take a Disney Cruise in December to see what that experience is like.  Thanks again Tre and I hope you have a Merry Christmas at Disney World this year.

Question #2 – Shirley H. from Ohio asks, “Brad I have a question for you about Disney World.  I have just started a very serious diet and then we decided to go on vacation to Disney World.  Do I stand a chance at all of eating healthy at Disney World?  if it is anything like my other favorite amusement parks like Kings Island and Cedar Point, then the answer must be No.  Can you help me?”

Shirley, you are certainly in luck as Disney has most recently started taking healthy eating seriously for their guests.  I can honestly tell you that pretty much anywhere you eat, you will find healthier options.  I will also tell you that most often the healthier options tend to be the more expensive options.  If you go for the salad instead of the cheeseburger, then expect to pay around 2-3 dollars more per meal for it.  But overall, their portions are very large on salads, fruit plates, turkey burgers and other healthier options.  You can even find many gluten free options as well.  If you’ve read any of my posts you already know that I love food and I especially love the food at Disney.  I promise you that you will find many healthier options that you will fall in love with as well.  You should definitely try the smoked turkey leg at the Magic Kingdom for a great start.

Question #3 – Elizabeth G. from Arizona wrote in to ask, “Hey Brad!  Thank you so much for sharing your love of Disney with us.  Every time I read one of your posts it makes me remember all of the great times I have spent at Disney World.  I wanted to ask you, what are some of your favorite collectibles that you have purchased at Disney World over the years?  Thanks again for the awesome blog!”

Thank you Elizabeth!  I always appreciate kind words about the blog and I love sharing my love of Disney with all of you.  Now on to your question.  This is an incredibly hard question, right on par with asking any parent which of their kids is their favorite.  But if I had to make a short list of some of my favorites, I would say that my Haunted Mansion Tomb Stones that light up that I put out for Halloween are right up there as one of my favorites.  Of course my first set of Mickey Mouse ears that I got on my honeymoon are among my most precious collectibles.  We have purchased and traded a million Disney pins and each one has a story behind it so I love looking at them.  I could go on forever on this topic because I have over 22 years of going to Disney behind me so needless to say we have a ton of stuff – from Christmas ornaments, to collectible statues, to lithographs, to signed books from Disney authors.  Oddly enough we did not start buying the new Vinylmations and don’t plan to, so I guess we can say that we don’t buy EVERYTHING sells!  Thanks for your question Elizabeth.

As always, I truly appreciate each and every one of you who takes the time to read the blog and write in with your question and well wishes and kind words.  You simply are the best and I love hearing from you.  I’ll see ya back here again real soon and I hope you have a very magical weekend!

Disney Halloween Pics from Around the Web

Hello foolish mortals!  Tonight’s post will be a short one, and totally focused on the best of all the Disney Halloween pics I have found around the net.  I just love this time of the year.  Here in Indiana, Fall is starting to set in.  The leaves are changing color.  I can now buy apple cider at the grocery store.  And soon a trip to the orchard to buy Halloween pumpkins is right around the corner.  

Fall is always an amazing time at the Disney Parks as well, and I simply can’t wait for our cruise/trip to Disney World.  If you have never been to DisneyWorld in October, you really need to go at least once.  The weather is very nice in Florida that time of year, and for every day except Halloween itself, the crowds tend to be a little smaller than normal.

Well rather than blather on about how much I love Halloween at Disney, I will instead share with you my latest batch of pics that I have found around the web.  So let’s get started and remember, do not raise the bar – I will do it for you!

A Disney Friday The 13th!!

This past Friday was Friday the 13th and this year Disney decided to do it up in Spooky style!  What did they do?  They unleashed the Disney Villians to take over Disney Hollywood Studios for the evening and it was a resounding hit!

 

They brought out many of the most popular and some not so popular villians to put on a show and then hang around for a meet and greet with photo opportunities as well.  Needless to say when word got out about this event, all of the local Florida resident flocked to the park in such massive numbers that Disney had to stop letting people into the park early in the evening because it was at capacity.

 

Of course Disney never lets an event go without offering some tasty treats to go along with it.  For Friday the 13th, they had a couple of new items on display – Candy Corn Ice Cream and Ghost Cupcakes shown here:

 

To cap the night off Disney had a very special fireworks show called “Villany In The Sky Fireworks” and it was a huge hit with all of the guests in attendance.  I personally was not there of course, but I have read many stories from people who did go and it was clear that Disney had a hit on their hands with this event.  I have always said that Disney needs to do more with the villians.  I realize that they can be scary for the younger kids, but it is the adults who have the money and will pay for events just like this.  I have also said that Disney should build and entire park themed around the villians.  They also missed the mark in the fact that the ultimate villian ever created, which they now own, in Darth Vader was not present at this even.

All in all I would say that it looked like a very fun time and if anything like this were to be put on a weekly show basis, I would easily line up to take part in it.

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see ya back here again real soon!  Have a magical day!

Spooky Disney Questions Answered

Hello to all of my Disney friends out there, and thanks for your continued support of my little Disney Blog!  I am humbled to say that just today we crossed the 18,000 unique visitor count!  You are the greatest, and I truly do appreciate each and every one of you, and especially those of you who continue to send in your questions and comments!  It is because of folks like you that I continue to write about my fanatical love for all things Disney!  Thank you again and now, on with the show!!!!

Tonights post will focus on answering your Disney questions, and these are all around a special, spooky theme – Halloween!  After my last Halloween post, I received a lot of questions about Halloween at Disney World, so I gathered those all up and will answer them here for you tonight!  So let’s get started!

Question #1 – Sally L. for Kansas wrote me to ask, “Hi Brad.  Your Halloween post came at a very great time as we are going to be heading down to Disney World the second week of October and we do plan on attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.  My question for you is this – I have 2 younger boys ages 5 and 7.  My fear is that after spending a full day in another park, will my boys get tired out early and then the expense for these party tickets will be a huge waste?  Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Sally your question is a great one.  Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Tickets are not cheap.  Depending on the discount you get, you can end up paying around $50 per ticket no matter what age you are.  So given that, you do want to ensure that everyone will be able to enjoy the entire party.  So here is my advice for you – since your boys are on the younger side, why not plan on spending the day at your hotel pool, and then maybe hit Downtown Disney for an early dinner, then head back to your room until the party gets started around 6 pm.  That way no one will be tuckered out and will very ready for a full night of spooky fun with Mickey and the Gang!  The party will last at least until 1:00 am in the morning, so if you get there at 6 you will have around 7 hours of fun in the Magic Kingdom.  I hope this tip helps you Sally!  Have a ball with Mickey and the gang!

 

Question #2 is from Eric F. from New York.  Eric wrote in to ask, “Hey Brad!  My entire family loves your blog and we anxiously await each new post and especially all of the great pictures that you share with us.  Speaking of pictures, how dark is the Magic Kingdom during Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween party?  I am asking because I find that my pictures with my camera turn out really bad in low light?  Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

Another great question Eric.  I can tell you that at times, it gets extremely dark during the Halloween party.  Especially right before the parade and the fireworks show.  My advice is to put your camera into low lighting mode (if your camera has that option) and to try to hold your camera as still as possible.  This is the same advice I give to anyone who is trying to take picture of the fireworks shows as well.  To be honest, outside of the parade and the fireworks shows, the park is really well lit and this will not be an issue for you for most of the night.  Thanks for writing in Eric!

 

Question #3 is from Dana P. from Ohio.  Dana asks, “Hello Brad, and thanks for the awesome website.  I have a question about the intensity of the Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween party.  I have heard that a headless horseman rides through the park with very scary music behind him and that would be way too scary for my 6 year old daughter I think.  What are your thoughts as to the intensity of the entire party?

Dana you are very correct that the entire party gets kicked off on Main Street as the lights go out and a headless horseman does indeed come riding down Main Street very fast with loud music behind him.  But I will also tell you that most of the kids are not scared by this at all.  In fact, the horse is so very tall that he rides on that the kids are more in awe by it than anything else.  The rest of the party is is almost 100% not scary in any way.  Your child will enjoy drinking apple cider, going trick-or-treating throughout the entire park, and getting to meet characters and take pictures with them.  Oh and riding all of their favorite rides.  So if you truly think the headless horseman will scare your child, simply hear away from Main Street as the party gets started.  I hope you have a very spooky time at the party!

 

The last question for tonight was submitted by Joseph T. from California.  Joseph wrote in to say, “Hello Brad!  Thanks for your great blog, even though you tend to focus only on Disney World instead of Disneyland.  With that in mind, can you tell me the differences between Disneyland at Halloween time and Disney World? “

Well Joseph you got me there.  Since I am a Disney World fanatic and live closer to Florida I do focus more on Disney World.  I have been to Disneyland back in 2001 and we did love the park of course, but we simply do not get much of a chance to get back there.  As far as Halloween differences go, I am envious of Disneyland in that their Haunted Mansion gets a makeover each year for Halloween that includes the characters from the Nightmare before Christmas movie.  As well, Disneyland’s Space Mountain has been getting a scary makeover as well with ghosts who pop up along the rollercoaster track as you you and spooky music as well.  Most of everything else seems to be the same to me, including how the park is decorated and the types of treats that are available.  I will always prefer Disney World to Disneyland only because I am so much closer to Disney World.  Thanks for writing in.

Well that’s it for another post.  Again, thank you all so much.  Your interest and the fact that you keep coming back really are the fuel that keeps me writing here, so thank you again for that.  I’ll see ya all back here again real soon!  BOOOOO!   HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!

I’m Back!!! More Disney Infinity – Food And Wine – Halloween

To all of my faithful readers, I have to apologize for my lack of posting lately!  My only excuse is that college is very hard, especially for a 45 year old with a full time job!  So forgive me as I struggle to keep up!  I have not forgotten about you, or Disney, so lets get back to the fun!

Ok so I am still very much in love with the video game Disney Infinity.  Of course I hardly have time to play it, but when I have had time, I have been very fortunate that now that more people have the game, they have started to created their own toy boxes which they are sharing with everyone.  Therefore I have a bunch of new worlds and toy boxes to play in!  Disney themselves have released about 10 new world and games to play and they are really great.  I have gotten 2 new racing style games to play, including a really cool recreation of the Sugar Rush scene from Wreck It Ralph.  This is the game that just keeps on giving.  Finally, on November 26th Disney will release a bunch of new toys and playsets, including Tron and Toy Story, so look for those coming soon!

So I also get a recipe from the Disney Blog website for a couple of the Epcot Food and Wine dishes and we took time to make them here at home.  Of course our versions of the dishes are not nearly as good as the Disney versions but I do have to say that they were a close proximity of them.  If you would like to have these recipes too, please click on this link to go to the official Disney Blog website —–> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my family will be sailing on the Disney Fantasy coming up in October and Disney will be holding costume contests while we are onboard.  I have gotten many great costume ideas from you readers ever since my post about it.  We are taking your ideas and it now looks like we will all be dressing up as Haunted Mansion Ghosts for the cruise!  I can’t wait to see what everyone else dresses up as.  Of course Pirates will be huge since we will be on the ship, and that is why we wanted to go with something totally different.

Well that’s it for todays post.  I will be back tomorrow with more answers to your Disney questions which have been piling up while my school work has been getting done.  I have not forgotten you and I will work to get more posts up going forward.

I’ll see all of you great readers back here again real soon!  Have a very magical weekend!

More Epcot Food and Wine Festival for 2013

I loves me some Disney Food!  And there truly is nothing better than taking a stroll around Epcot’s World Showcase and getting to try 48 different countries food all in one weekend!  My family calls it “Eating Our Way Around The World”, and it is simply a night of gluttony the like of which have never been seen before!

We start at the beginning of World Showcase where we put $100 on a wrist band strapped gift card.  This makes it easy to always have your money with you as you visit each kiosk, as well as keep your hands free for all of the eating that is about to take place!

 

I should also mention that while $100 may sound like a lot of money, there are 4 members of my family that use that pool of money to eat from for all 48 of the countries there.  Also, any money that we do not spend on the Food and Wine Festival that is left on the card can be spent ANYWHERE at Disney World, so the money is not stuck on the card.  Disney thinks of everything ,remember?

Here are quite a few pictures of the many different dishes that will be offered at the 2013 Epcot Food and Wine Festival.  Please enjoy these pictures!  I will be enjoying the dishes in person during our late October trip!

 

It is simply impossible NOT to walk away from the Food and Wine Festival totally stuffed.  You will easily find 5-10 dishes that are to die for, so always feel free to ask for the recipes from the different countries, as they are always happy to share them with you.

My all-time favorites are the Lobster Tails, the Belgium Waffles, the Cheese Soup, and the Hawaiian Slider.  There are many different types of beers and wines on sale as well, but none of my family drinks much, so I can’t really help you with a favorite alcoholic beverage.

Each year my family always looks forward to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival.  The weather in October is always a little cooler and nicer in Florida that time of year.  The crowds are a little bit thinner because everyone waits until Thanksgiving and Christmas to crowd the parks.  And finally, this food is simply to die for!  You will never find this much awesome food in a single place anywhere else in the world.  You can go back for the dishes you truly love and you get to at least try a bunch of new food you wouldn’t normally try anywhere else.

If you can make it down to Disney World for the Food and Wine Festival I highly recommend that you do.  You will not be disappointed!

I’ll see ya back here again real soon, and I hope you can make it to the Food and Wine Festival!

Disney Halloween Coming Soon

I know the calendar is just getting ready to turn to September, but nonetheless it’s officially Halloween time at Walt Disney World.  Starting in mid September, the Magic Kingdom becomes the host of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

 

Of course the park totally transforms into a fall festival atmosphere with jack-o-lanterns and scarecrows being placed all over the park.

 

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party is exactly as it sounds, a family friendly party where Disney closes down the Magic Kingdom to all regular guests during the evening and only lets in those people who have purchased tickets to the party.  As a tip from me, I recommend going as early in September as you can because the crowds are much, much smaller!  With the park closed down and the rides open, this party will become the absolute best time to get on and off all of your favorite rides time after time with little to no waiting!

 

The party includes the Boo To You parade where all of the great Disney villians come out to party with the guests, and it is quite a hoot with very catchy theme music.  There are grave diggers who scrape their shovels against the concrete and it creates eerie sparks that light up the dark night!  

 

Of course what would a Halloween party be without trick or treating right?  Disney takes care of you here as well.  You will be given a trick or treat bag and at various areas all around the park, Disney has set up Goofys Candy Company stations where they grab two handfuls of candy and fill your bags with it.  The great things is you can go back through the lines to get candy as much as you want!  Disney doesn’t just hand out junky candy either.  There are Reeses Cups, Snickers Bars, suckers, and chocolate candies of all kinds.  This is the good stuff and you should make sure you leave with a full bag or else you are missing out.

 

There are several dance parties throughout the different lands of the Magic Kingdom, with the best parties being in Tomorrowland.  You get to get an apple cider anytime you want, as well as candy, caramel apples and cookies.  There is also a costume contest for those who brought along a costume to wear.  On this front, please remember that even in September and October in central Florida it is still very hot out, so keep that in mind before you want to wear a hot, bulky costume.  Sweating all night and feeling uncomfortable is a sure fire way to ruin your night and party.

 

As I mentioned, the best thing for me about these parties is the fact that the park is closed to regular guests, meaning I get to ride all the rides I want!  We were at a party once and we got to ride Space Mountain 6 times in a row without even having to get out of our car!  There is just no feeling better than knowing that usually you wait about 50 minutes to ride Space Mountain and you just got to ride it 6 times in a row!  All of the big rides remain open for the entire length of the party so feel free to take your time and ride everything you want to ride.  Another tip form me is this: if you know you are going to Mickey’s Not So Scary party during the evening, stay away from the Magic Kingdom during the day and go to another park.  This way you don’t waste time waiting in lines to ride stuff at the Magic Kingdom when later on in the evening you will basically walk right on all of your favorite rides.

 

Finally make sure you stop by the Haunted Mansion during the night.  They have it really decorated up for the party and you are guaranteed to see many a ghost roaming the grounds during the evening and they love to have their pictures taken with you.

I know that Halloween is a couple of months away, but when you are on Disney time like I am, it is Halloween already!

My family will be taking a Disney cruise this upcoming October and Disney is going to be having Halloween parties and costume parties about the ship, and we simply cannot wait.  We are thinking about dressing up as the Duck Dynasty family to try to win the costume party!  Wish us luck, and Happy Early Halloween!

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you back here again real soon!  Have an incredibly magical day and a very spooky Halloween!  Boo to You!