My 25 Favorite Disney Things #4

Today, we reveal our #4 pick........and let's get right to it!  

Toy Story Midway Mania!  Yup, that's #4!!!

 

I fell in love with this attraction in 2010 when we rode for the very first time.  Keep in mine, I had a fairly long stretch after a horrible divorce that I could not afford to go to my favorite place in the world.  As a single Mom, and the income I had, it was not possible for me to think about going.  So, I just suffered through, and Paul, being the wonderful man he is agreed to have a week long stay at Walt Disney World as part of our 10 day belated honeymoon trip.

Much warmer in October 2012 than in February of 2010! And no poncho!

If I remember correctly, we rode on the attraction 3 times the day we were at Hollywood Studios.  It was pouring on that day in early February.  I mean POURING....and not very warm either.  So, we opted to wait in the long line and not do a Fast Pass as it gave us time to get out of the rain, and dry off.  Well, it was about a 45 minute wait, but well worth it!!  We got Fast passes right after we departed the ride, and then we went on again later before we left.  Not too long of a wait.  I kicked Paul's butt in scoring all three time!  
We enjoyed it only once last October, and were given the Fast Pass tickets by our friends Cathy and Bert.  We more than appreciated the gift!  

It's just fun fun fun!!!

Here is what the Walt Disney World Website says about Toy Story Midway Mania!:

Ride and shoot moving targets at this midway-style, 4D shootin’ game starring your favorite Toy Story characters.

A Rootin’, Tootin’, Shootin’ Match

 

Zip through a virtual, 4D shootin’ gallery of carnival games.
Step inside Andy’s room and wind your way through a toy treasure chest of classic playthings. Pass a Candyland® game box, Viewmaster® discs, crayon drawings and a Scrabble board before picking up a pair of special 3D glasses for the fun to come.
Mr. Potato Head, Boardwalk Barker
Inside the vibrant toy box, meet Mr. Potato Head®, decked out in a 1920s barker outfit as he introduces you to the attraction. With more dialogue than any other Audio-Animatronics figure ever created for a Disney Park, Mr. Potato Head yuks it up big time.
Playtime!
Climb aboard an early 20th-century-inspired Carnival Ride Tram and grab your spring-action shooter. With 3D glasses on, glide into the Toy Story Midway Games Play Set and take aim at stationary and moving 3D objects in a variety of fast-paced games.
Thrilling Games of Skill
Toy Story Mania! invites you to play 5 unique, virtual carnival games in 3D alongside the loveable cast of characters from the Disney•Pixar Toy Story films.

Game 1: Hamm & Eggs
Hamm and Buttercup invite you to knock down both moving and stationary barnyard animal targets using hardboiled eggs.
Game 2: Rex & Trixie’s Dino Darts
Launch darts and pop balloons in front of a bubbling volcano in this game starring Rex and Trixie.
Game 3: Green Army Men Shoot Camp
Toss baseballs to break plates at a green army men firing range.
Game 4: Buzz Lightyear’s Flying Tossers
Buzz Lightyear urges you to toss rings and make them land atop the Little Green Men.
Game 5: Woody’s Rootin’ Tootin’ Shootin’ Gallery
Shoot suction-cup-tipped darts at a variety of mine-cart targets in this game inspired by the “Woody’s Roundup” television show.

As each game is completed, your Carnival Ride Tram will quickly rotate and slide onto the next game.
Compete with friends for the highest score or try to achieve a new personal best! But remember, whether you’re an expert or a beginner, everyone’s a winner!
Surprises Galore!
Select targets throughout the attraction feature special 4D special effects, like air blasts or water sprays. Don’t be surprised if that 3D balloon you’re aiming for splashes you when you hit it.
Scoring Points
Points pile up when you hit your mark. As any good cowboy or cowgirl knows, harder-to-hit targets are worth more. After each game, your score is posted showing how well you did; after all games are played, your total score is tallied and displayed.

A New Toy Story

As an honorary toy, you’re invited to enter the world of Buzz and Woody. The Toy Story Midway Games Play Set is Andy’s newest game, and the toys have been patiently waiting for him to leave so they can get a crack at it.
Now that he’s not around, they’ve opened the box, set up the game pieces and called for you to join them in the fun.
Preserving the humor and heart of the hit Disney•Pixar movies, Toy Story Mania! continues the exciting adventures of Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of Andy’s eclectic toys.

Ok gang.......there is your #4!!  Join us again tomorrow for #3!!!!

My 25 Favorite Disney Things #5

WOW!  Can't believe there is only 5 days until Christmas!  We started this countdown on December 1st, and I just can't believe that we are 21 days into this.  Time sure flies, huh?

Ok, so today we reveal my #5 pick, which is an attraction. Four more attractions are on my top five list.   

Drum roll.........#5 is:

Soarin'®

 

Soarin' is just one of the best attractions ever!  Paul and I actually experienced this for the first time together in 2010.  He was hooked, and said of all the attraction at Walt Disney World, this is his personal favorite. It being on my top 5 list, once again speaks volumes. 

Here is what the Walt Disney World website says about Soarin':

 Take flight and feel the wind through your hair as you fly above breathtaking vistas of California. 

An Exhilarating and Epic Adventure

Experience the Golden State like never before while "hang-gliding” over landscapes as varied as they are beautiful.
Feel like you're flying—and even smell what you're seeing as you skim rolling waves, powdery ski slopes, majestic redwood forests, fragrant orange groves and familiar landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge.
Live the California Dream
In the grand Disney tradition, Imagineers pulled out all the stops to make fantasy reality, bringing California to life using a 180-degree IMAX projection dome and aerially captured footage that reproduces the flight path of a hang-glider. Thrill as you're lifted 40 feet in the air, engulfed in the stunning panoramas, swept from one scenic locale to the next!

Entertainment, Right on Queue

As you ready for your aerial adventure, check out the interactive games you can play while in the standby line. State-of-the-art infrared technology allows you to participate in up to 5 different games on massive digital projection screens using your body.
The 5 Games
Train your bird for a race, collect treasures as you pilot a hot-air balloon, “pop the blobs” to reveal a picture underneath, or create a virtual landscape by moving mountains and planting seeds.
Relax and have a good time—your turn on Soarin’ will arrive before you know it!

Join me again tomorrow when we reveal #4!!

My 25 Favorite Disney Things #6

We have another tie today!!  There was no way I could choose one of these three things over the other, as I love them equally as well, and cannot go to Walt Disney World and not have each one, at least once! 

So, we have a three way tie for my #6 pick......Dole Whip, Mickey Ice Cream Bar and Rice Krispie Treats!

Yes, indeed.....I love to snack when I am on property!  All three are yummy! 

I hope the pictures below do not make you too hungry!!

Paul showing off his delicious Dole Whip!

Always bite off the ear first! 

 I have the Mickey shaped treat pictured here, however.........my favorite of them all are the Rice Krispie squares at Wilderness Lodge!!  They are thick, and huge, and very yummy!!!

My 25 Favorite Disney Things #7

It's a tie!  Seriously.........I could not pick one over the other........even though one is classic, and one is on the newer side.  I love both my my #7 picks equally.........so here goes!

#7 picks are

"it's a small world"®

First, we will start with the classic.  I can never, not go on this attraction at least 3 times during my visits to Magic Kingdom.  One of the first attractions I ever went on WAY back in 1976.  Since this is Throw Back Thursday I had to go with this attraction first.  Unfortunately, I have no pictures inside from that trip.  Back in the day, when you had to use film, and flash bulbs (the younger set is reading this with a huge blank look on their faces I am sure).  For those who remember the strips of bulbs you would get and put on your camera.  You had to be pretty picky what you were taking indoor pictures of, because the bulbs were expensive!
Back to the attraction, It's a Small World is so much fun.  Even though you get the song stuck in your head for hours, and/or days............you can't help but love it.  As a matter of fact, the big portion of my Christmas gifts this year pertain to this attraction!  I can't wait for next week to open them!  I will share all this after Christmas!

Disney says this about this classic attraction:

Embark on a whimsical boat ride past a jubilant confection of singing children from around the globe.

“The Happiest Cruise That Ever Sailed”

Sing along to the classic anthem of world peace during a delightful musical boat tour hosted by the children of the world. From a colorful dock, climb aboard a cozy boat and set sail along the Seven Seaways Waterway on a 10-minute journey.
Amid a vibrant, multi-colored backdrop exquisitely crafted out of papier-mâché, glitter and fabric, behold a cast of almost 300 traditionally dressed, dimple darlings from nearly every corner of the globe sing a simple song in their native language about universal harmony and dance. Travel to all 7 continents and, by journey’s end, see for yourself that it truly is a small world after all.
Set Sail!
From the snow-capped Swiss Alps to the golden Serengeti, the children of the world are ready to make your acquaintance. During your tour, experience a rainbow of diverse cultures from such far-off locales as:

• Scandinavia
• The British Isles
• Western Europe
• Eastern Europe
• The Middle East
• Asia
• Africa
• Antarctica
• South America
• Australia and the South Pacific Islands

Before you return home, the children reunite for a grand finale, reminding us of the common bonds of friendship, laughter and happiness we share—and that if we see the world through the eyes of a child, we’ll realize we are all basically the same.

The Classic Song

Written and composed by an Academy Award®-winning team of brothers, the song "it's a small world" is a timeless classic.
As you sail the Seven Seaways, “it’s a small world” is lovingly sung by the children of the world in their native languages—including French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and English. Despite the change in language, the Sherman Brothers came to the conclusion that a single musical theme was the way to bring the song together, thus reinforcing the attraction’s larger message of cultural unity and harmony.
The Story Behind the Song
Originally, Walt Disney envisioned the world’s children singing the national anthem from each country they represented. But he quickly discovered that everyone singing a different tune resulted in a musical cacophony. Walt approached Richard and Robert Sherman, who were hard at work on Mary Poppins, to create a singular song that could be sung by all of the children. The result was “it’s a small world”—one of the most well-known songs of all time.

Timely as it is today......this would have been Robert Sherman's 88th birthday today.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DINOSAUR

Now on to DINOSAUR!

This attraction creates a true adrenalin rush, especially for those who are riding for the first time.  You don't know what to expect.  Even those of us who are "old hats" at this, still get a thrill when certain things happen.  Thrilling and fun, all at the same time!  What more can you ask for?

 That's me, in the back row!  I just can't believe what I am seeing!!

















Disney says this about DINOSAUR!,
 Take off on a scary, prehistoric tour aboard a rip-roaring Time Rover to save a dinosaur from extinction.

A Trans-Dimensional Joyride to the Dinosaur Age

Travel back in time on a perilous race to rescue an Iguanadon before the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs strikes.
Step inside the halls of The Dino Institute, a one-time secret research facility and museum that is home to real fossils dating back to when dinosaurs walked the earth. During narration provided by Bill Nye the Science Guy, stroll past prehistoric exhibits and behold the colossal skeleton of the carnivorous Carnotaurus, one of history’s most feared dinosaurs.
A Secret Mission
Make your way into the research control center and watch an informative video about your adventure into the primeval past aboard the CTX Time Rover—your vehicle for the trip back in time.
The presentation takes a turn when you're recruited to rescue a mild-mannered Iguanodon from extinction and return back to the present with the 3.5-ton dinosaur.
There’s just one problem: The date you're being transported to is around the same time that a giant meteor hit earth and caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Can you find the Iguanodon and return back to the present in time to avoid the cataclysmic event?
Blast to the Past!
Board a sturdy, 12-seat Time Rover and race through a darkened forest in search of the tagged dinosaur.
Experience the world as it existed 65 million years ago! Speed past a spiky Styracosaurus grappling with a nearby tree. Brace yourself as you careen through unpredictable hairpin turns, a ragged Aliormus foraging for food nearby. Dart around a fearsome Velociraptor hunting for prey and avoid the clutches of a Cearadactylus soaring overhead.
As the countdown clock ticks, meteors crash all around you: The end is near. Suddenly, the terrifying roar of an unimaginably huge beast can be heard in the distance. Is it the friendly Iguanodon you’re searching for—or the dreaded Carnotaurus looking for a meal?
Time is nearly up. Will you complete your mission and make your escape? Or will you join the dinosaurs and become extinct?

Too Scary for Kids?

DINOSAUR includes loud sounds in the dark and menacing dinosaurs that may be scary for children.

(Depends on the kid for sure!!)

My 25 Favorite Disney Things #8

My #8 pick on my list of top 25 things to do at Walt Disney World is the California Grill!

We totally love this restaurant, and can't wait to see the refurbishment on our next trip.  Dining at the CG atop Disney's Contemporary Resort is a real dining experience.  YES.....it is expensive, and if we were not on the dining plan, it would take a HUGE chunk our of our dining budget, but we always get the Disney Dining Plan, so we only wind up paying for any appetizer we get and our cocktails.  Well worth the cost!! 

Here is a picture of the new dining area of California Grill. 

 Photo via The Disney Food Blog.









I had dined at California Grill twice before Paul and I ate there the first time in 2010, and then again on 2012.  Both times we were celebrating something special.  The first time we were on our "belated" honeymoon, and then in 2012 we were celebrating Paul's victory over cancer.  They were totally on it with each one.  Decorated table, neither one exactly the same so it wasn't like it's a "form" decoration.  Each was personalized to our celebration. 

Our table by the window.......a wonderful view of WISHES as we dined!

Our sushi appitizer.......the Dragon Roll!

My dessert!  It's all about chocolate, right?

 Paul's dessert! 









The staff, the decor, the food, the VIEW..........We have and will always have very fond memories for our experiences at California Grill.

Join us again tomorrow for #7 on my list!

Disney Picture of the Day!

Todays ‪‎Disney‬ Picture from the Park - Tower of Terror -

 They say its all about timing - the sun just made a peek through the clouds that were coming over Hollywood Studios. I saw the sun shining on the Tower and made a mad dash to get the shot.

My 25 Favorite Disney Things #9

Whoo hoo!!  Single digits!  That means we are only 9 days away from Christmas!  Ok, so getting to my #9 pick on the list of my 25 favorite things at Walt Disney World............
Character Greetings is in the #9 spot!

I just love meeting the characters and getting autographs.  I know.........autographs!  Well, I do think it's fun to look at my book at the end of the day who I met, and who signed your book. 

My last trip was all about Princesses!  Even though other characters are way too awesome to miss, I made sure this time that I got to see lots of Princesses!

Here are some of my character greeting pictures from May!  Enjoy!

Meeting the Beast for the first time at Be Our Guest restaurant!  

 Photo op with Marie!

Me and the Big Cheese himself!

Cinderella!  

Aurora!

Meeting Rapunzel for the first time!

Mary Poppins and penguin!  So cute!

Doug and  Russell from UP!

Donald!

Baloo and King Louie!

Minnie Mouse......always so sweet!

Winnie the Pooh!

My very favorite, Eeyore!

Tigger!  We bounced together!

Here with Brent Dodge and Amy Petermann, we met Storm Trooper Donald and Goofy Vadar at the "May the 4th Be With You" day!

Chip and Dale at Epcot

Panchito Pistoles, Donald Duck, José Carioca, The Three Caballeros!  Oh, and me too!

Meeting Mulan!

At Akershur meeting Princess Jasmine!

Doing the Snow White pose!

My favorite Princess, Ariel!

At Cinderella's Royal Table, with Snow White again!

Jasmine again (same girl as the night before....she remembered me!)

Aurora and me!

With Cinderella again!













At Magic Kingdom on my last full day, I got to meet up with Woody and Jesse!  Love them!

Join us again tomorrow........as we reveal #8!!  See you then!