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More Frozen Experiences Added At Disney Hollywood Studios

July 3, 2014

As I mentioned last week, Frozen activities are now coming to Hollywood Studios for the summer. Now there is even more Frozen fun coming to the park! Disney Parks announced that Disney is offering The Frozen Summer Fun Premium Package! This will be available July 5 through September 1 (excluding August 23 due to the Villains Unleashed event).

You can purchase tickets for $59 for adults and $34 for children (including tax and gratuity) and you will receive access to:

Refreshments and reserved viewing for Anna and Elsa’s Royal Welcome Processions at 11:00 a.m. Sisters Elsa and Anna will arrive via horse drawn sleigh, accompanied by Kristoff and other citizens of Arendelle. You must check in at 10:30 a.m. to Min and Bill’s Dockside Diner prior to the event.
Next you can take advantage of reserved seating for a showing of the For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration performances held from 12:30 – 7:00 p.m. daily.
At the end of the day you can attend an exclusive dessert party from 8:30 – 10:00 p.m. in a reserved area with VIP viewing for the new Frozen Fireworks Spectacular.

Frozen-Cupcake-571x625

If I were going to be in Disney during this time period I would definitely take advantage of this experience to share it with my children. The dessert party and special viewing area for the fireworks is what appeals to me the most.

Please note: discounts do not apply and Park admission is required. You can book this experience by calling 407-939-1939.

I Finished Another Great Book!

July 2, 2014

The book I just finished reading last night is Twice As Strong: 12 Seconds, 2 Brothers and the Marathon that Changed Their Lives about JP and Paul Norden. When I finished the book Stronger by Jeff Bauman prior to that my kindle listed recommendations for what other books I might like to read. I love to read books about people who overcome tragedy. This was yet another good book to read about the strength of the human spirit when faced with adversity.

Two brothers were at the Boston Marathon to watch Paul’s girlfriend Jacqui run the race when the bomb went off taking a leg from each brother. Since the brothers both experienced a similar experience they were mixed experiences for both of them. The brothers are moving forward with their lives now a year after the bombing. Read about how they endured the dramatic changes in their lives and moved forward to find the positive and make things work.

Below are the books that I have read and books that I plan on reading along with my FAVORITE electronic device, my Kindle. I love my kindle. In my opinion it is a great invention. When I first saw it on Oprah’s favorite things show I thought it was brilliant, but at the time it was $300! Now it is so affordable and I take it with me on all my trips and it is in my hands every night before I fall asleep.

Tower Of Terror 2014 Medals Released

July 1, 2014

runDisney released the medals for this year’s Tower Of Terror races. The Tower of Terror medal looks the same as last year except for the year and the ribbon. It has glow in the dark windows and the elevator goes up and down. The Happy Haunted 5K Trail Run Medal looks awesome! Now I wish I were getting up to run that one! It glows in the dark, too! Kids who run the the diaper dash, 100m, 200m 400m and 1-Mile races will receive the Donald Duck Kid’s Race Medallion.

Disney Tower of Terror Medals

I ran the Tower of Terror race last year for the first time and it was a fun race at night in the dark! Being just a 10-mile race (I say just because it isn’t a half marathon), it is about a 2 hour race that begins at 10:00 p.m. It was lots of fun but I had to plan my eating accordingly last year. This time I will also try harder to get in a nap prior to the race. I’ll be there with friends so it’s hard to say how the day will play out; but I’ll do my best! The expo was fun last year and there are opportunities to listen to the guest speakers at the expo also. This is a nice race because it isn’t super large. People get dressed up and have fun with the night race theme and you can also attend the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party during that weekend. I am hoping to bump into Mike Rahlmann from the Be Our Guest Podcast as well as Mike and Michelle from the Mickey Miles Podcast while I am there, too!

Will you be running the Tower of Terror 10 miler this year? What will you wear for a costume? I need to think of some ideas for my Tower of Terror costume. I didn’t do anything rather exciting last year so I need to be more creative. Do you have any ideas to share?

In a future post I can share with you tips and tricks for training and preparing for this race. Stay tuned!

#whyIRunDisney New Video Released – Sarah Kate Sligh

June 30, 2014

Need a little inspiration this morning? This will get you going!

Sarah Kate is a Runner, She is a Champion! She is AWESOME!! Watch her awesome story about why she runs and doesn’t let anything get in her way! We all need to live and think like she does!! I loved sharing this video with my children. I know it made an impact on them. Sarah says, ““I run to prove what I can do and who I am.” She is 11 years old. What a profound statement from an 11 year old! This is her message:

“If you want to do something just go for it and don’t let anything stand in your way, and just finish strong.”

Such a powerful message and something that I think really impacted my 5 year old daughter. I love these stories that runDisney’s Robert Hitchcock is profiling. They are so amazing, special and motivational. Please read more about Sarah Kate on the Disney Parks blog.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUioDGG-RGE&w=560&h=315]

The EPIC Summer of 2014

June 28, 2014

This is the first official week of summer at our house. Despite the fact that my kids have been in the pool for almost a month now. The last day of school was Monday, June 23 so that means summer vacation!!! I wanted this year to be one of those summers the kids will never forget. I know that I have memories of my summers when I was a kid. These are memories I hope to never lose. That’s why I am creating the Epic Summer of 2014 for them. It’s all about FUN, sun, water fun, basic happiness, love and family time. What do you remember from your summers as a kid? I remember putting playing cards on my bike and riding around the yard sounding like a motorcycle. I remember when it was a treat for us to go to a friend’s house to swim before we got our own pool. Camping, air shows in Cape Cod, family reunions, staying up late at night, playing hide and go seek in the dark, bug bites, catching fireflies, soda in the glass bottles from the Pop Shop in North Haven, the carnival on the hill behind my yard and the Musco’s yard! Going up to the carnival grounds after they packed it all up to look for loose change and any money that may have fallen out of people’s pockets. Friday nights were always special because my dad didn’t work late on Friday nights, so we made popcorn and ate it in the “red bowl” and watched the Dukes of Hazzard, the Hulk, Donnie and Marie, and heard Dallas (when we were in our beds). And my parents always told us to stay in our rooms when we woke up and let them sleep! It never happened. Summers were magical. From the day you step off the bus to the weeks before school when it is time to get some back to school clothes from Sears. I want to create that feeling for my children. The day after my son’s last day, I put up a tent in the back yard for them to play in. Then I had my lunch break with them in there and gave them some one on one time. We went to the Hamden Fireworks this Friday night. We made water balloons today to have a water balloon fight. We took a little road trip to get ice cream from a seasonal ice cream place! We played with sparklers! I am looking forward to making many, many more special memories this summer! What special things do you remember about your childhood?

Frozen Summer Fun! And Cinderella Castle Updates at Disney

June 27, 2014

Photo Source Disney Parks Blog

Some big announcements came out this week about Disney. (Well, they are big announcements to me). “Frozen Summer Fun Live!” activities and experiences are happening in Hollywood Studios! In Disney’s Hollywood Studios there will be full day all-new Frozen experiences from July 5 – September 1. There is no additional cost for these activities as they are included in park admission. I am curious if the fireworks will be any different than the ones done during Fantasia. I heard the fireworks done for the Villains event were spectacular.

Here are some of the experiences:

Olaf on Summer Vacation – Olaf the snowman is having the time of his life on his very first summer vacation! He chimes in throughout the day to keep everyone updated on all his adventures. Plus, you can pick up your very own Take-Along Olaf from locations in the park, so he can join you on your summer vacation. And when you share your photos with Olaf on social media, be sure to tag them with#OlafSummerVacation. They may just get selected to appear in that day’s grand finale!
Anna and Elsa’s Royal Welcome – At 11:00 a.m. each day, Elsa and Anna arrive in Hollywood as part of their goodwill tour of neighboring kingdoms, making their way down Hollywood Boulevard in a horse-drawn sleigh. Kristoff is along for the fun, too, joined by a flurry of skaters, skiiers, ice cutters and more! The entire procession culminates in a special moment at the Sorcerer’s Hat Icon Stage to officially welcome the visiting royalty to this kingdom of Hollywoodland.
For the First Time in Forever: A “Frozen” Sing-Along Celebration – Cool down inside the Premiere Theater, where Anna and Elsa join the Royal Historians of Arendelle for a fun and comedic retelling of the unique history of their Kingdom, filled with delightful, sing-along moments from “Frozen.”
Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post & Frozen Funland – Inside Soundstage One, Oaken and his cousins have created a Frozen Funland filled with cold weather activities, unique photo opportunities, and more! There’s a frozen pond with ice skating demonstrations, wintertime fun for kids in the “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” play area, a “big summer blowout” with plenty of “Frozen” merchandise, and special “Frozen”-inspired food and beverage offerings.
“Coolest Summer Ever” Dance Party – Starting at 5:30 p.m. each day, a dance party takes over the area around the Sorcerer’s Hat Icon Stage, with a DJ, live band, and more! The band plays a variety of classic and contemporary summer rock & roll hits, as well as a cool, rocking medley of “Frozen” favorites. It’s going to be hot!
“Frozen” Fireworks Spectacular – Everything wraps up at 9:45 p.m. when Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf come together at the Sorcerer’s Hat Icon Stage for a grand finale to the day’s festivities, kicking off an awe-inspiring fireworks display set to the glorious music of “Frozen!”

These activities sound like a lot of fun! Too bad we missed them by a few months. I wonder if they will be coming back for repeat performances in the future. Please note that during these events, there will not be photo opportunities with Elsa and Anna. In my opinion I think this is a good way to increase the number of people who visit Disney Hollywood Studios. Right now, Anna and Elsa can only be seen if you wait over 4-5 hours in Magic Kingdom at the Princess Fairytale Hall. So this is another opportunity to “see” them; however you cannot pose for pictures with them in Hollywood Studios.

If you are planning on travelling to Disney World in January or February for Marathon weekend or the Princess race weekend, you will not be able to book a dining reservation at Cinderella’s Royal Table. The refurbishment is scheduled to begin on January 5, 2015 and end on March 6, 2015. If you are still looking for a princess dining experience, you can book a reservation for Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Epcot’s Norway Pavilion.

I wonder what the refurbishment will look like! I wonder if the menu will also be changed. I have been there twice before I had children and would love to take them to the castle for a meal one day; however, the food choices never really appealed to me and I know my kids wouldn’t really like the choices there either. I always liked the way the castle looked inside, so I wonder what the refurbishment will include.