photo courtesy of Disney

New Sailings for Disney Magic and Disney Wonder – In 2010, the Disney Magic will sail to Europe for an unprecedented five-month season of Northern European and Mediterranean cruises.  Book-ending the summer season of 12-night Northern European Capitals cruises, the Disney Magic will once again return to the Mediterranean for 10- and 11-night cruises, with three new ports of call – Tunis in northern Africa, the island nation of Marta, and Ajaccio, Corsica.  In the summer of 2010, the Disney Wonder will sail four- and five-night cruises to Nassau, Key West and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.  In the summer of 2011, the Disney Wonder will sail for the first time to Alaska, with seven-night cruises calling on Tracy Arm, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan.

Disney Cruise Line Expanding Its Fleet– The Walt Disney Company is expanding its successful cruise vacation business by adding two new ships, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, to set sail in 2011 and 2012, respectively.  Two decks taller than the existing Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, the new 1,250-passenger liners will more than double the passenger capacity for Disney Cruise Line.  Now under construction, the Disney Dream will offer magical innovations, engaging children’s spaces, family entertainment and immersive experiences for which Disney Cruise Line is renowned.

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Our view of the hub stage from the gold ring.

We waited, then practiced some more, waited, then they started checking out the camera shots. (We had a camera directly in front of us so…who knows, you may just see us Christmas morning!) We did several more practices and then they started recording shots of us dancing in this pseudo-flash mob. Finally at around 10am the Jonas Brothers arrived and briefed on how the shoot would go. Then we did several takes with the Jonas Brothers singing the entire song. I lost count of how many takes there were. At about 11:30am we were finally finished, hot (the sun had come out and it warmed up significantly), tired and very hungry.

The Disney Cast Members tried to herd everyone to Main Street to be in the audience for the taping of the parade but most of the people left to hit the rides and get lunch, which is exactly what we did. We enjoyed a lunch at Pecos Bill’s and rode a few rides before we headed back to Main Street USA via the Walt Disney World Railway. The area where they were filming were jam packed so we didn’t bother to fight the crowd. We did however get to see Kelly Ripa being her crazy self. While they were filming part of the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Parade Kelly was dancing around and my husband captured this video.

After watching some of the Christmas parade taping we rode a few more rides before catching the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade. Once the parade was over we headed out of the park. We had a wonderful weekend but, all good things must come to an an end.

Don’t forget to watch the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade on ABC, check local listings for times.

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In 2007 we were blessed to receive tickets to be a part of day 1 of taping, which was the acts that perform in front of the castle. That day we saw the Dancing with the Stars cast, Patti Labelle and Jessica Simpson. We have no idea who we will be seeing this year.

This year Thursday will be spent recording the castle acts. Friday morning we need to be in the park at 7am to learn some choreography for the opening number, that should be fun, and Saturday is the taping of the actual parade down Main Street USA. Being in the audience means a lot of standing around, 4 hours a day of it in fact, but it also means that once our work is done we can play in the Magic Kingdom for the rest of the day.

Cold, rainy weather is headed to Disney World today and tomorrow so we may be looking like drown rats, I hope not though. I will be twit picing, whrrling, facebooking and blogging this weekend so stay tuned to find out which acts we see.

I am also looking forward to hopefully meeting up with some of my Sorcerer Radio friends like Michelle, Kristen and Aljon. I might get to meet up with a few Twitter friends too so there is a lot to look forward to despite the weather.

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We ordered a few different appetizers off the menu so we could test them. None of them were foods I cared for so, I didn’t try any. Our server shared with us the story behind the famous Cobb salad, which was originally created in 1937 at the Original Brown Derby in Hollywood by Robert Cobb for theatre magnate Sid Grauman.  In case you didn’t know the Cobb Salad is made up of finely chopped greens, turkey breast, egg, bacon, tomatoes, crumbled bleu cheese, avocado, chives and Cobb dressing.

For my entree I chose the Grilled Rib Eye Steak – with arugula, crispy sweet onions, gorgonzola, red bliss potatoes, and oven-dried tomato vinaigrette and it was to die for! For dessert I chose the signature dessert of the Hollywood Brown Derby, the Grapefruit Cake. It was good but I enjoyed helping Tina finish off her Bananas Foster much better!

Have you ever eaten at the Hollywood Brown Derby? What is your favorite menu item? Leave me a comment and let’s talk.

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This amazing resort boasts 295 spacious rooms ranging from studios to the 3 bedroom, 4 bath, multiple balconied  grand villas. Due to the resort’s location, guests have a choice of the standard view, Bay Lake view or the awe inducing Magic Kingdom view.

The crescent shaped resort beautifully compliments the A-framed Contemporary Resort to which it is attached. Bay Lake Tower is connected to The Contemporary Resort by the Sky Way Bridge (not the one in St. Petersburg). This room key accessible, covered walkway connects Bay Lake Tower to the restaurants, shops and monorail station of The Contemporary.

Sky Way Bridge

The resort lobby is modern and warm. The color palate used throughout the resort is very contemporary yet warm and inviting.

lobby

We toured a Grand Villa Suite with Magic Kingdom View. When we stepped into the suite there was a collective gasp as we saw the view from the 2-story window. I actually got goosebumps when I entered!

The View

The Kitchen

The loft sitting area

The master bedroom

The Disney artwork that hangs on the walls of this resort is very modern yet classy.

View from jaccuzzi tub

This picture doesn’t do it justice but you can sit in the jaccuzzi tub with the sliding wall open to the master bedroom and have the curtains open and watch the fireworks over Cinderella Castle! Turn your surround sound television to channel 20 and you can even listen to the narration and music for Wishes! I’m thinking add some chocolate covered strawberries and it could be the perfect evening

Bay Lake Tower offers a Mickey shaped pool, a kids splash fountain and awesome looking pool slide as part of it’s recreational features.

We are not DVC (Disney’s Vacation Club) owners, though we have dreamed about it. A stay at Bay Lake Tower will cost you anywhere from 12 points per night for a standard view studio to 153 points per night for this spectacular grand villa with Magic Kingdom View, depending on the season. Non-DVC owners can stay here on rented points or, when there are rooms available, they may stay here for anywhere between $395-$2000 per night depending on the room size, view and season. The #magicalmoms I toured with discussed each chipping in $167 + tax and having a one night reunion in this incredible suite.* I think it’s worth it!

*Disney does have minimum length of stay rule on most DVC resort stays so unfortunately this dream probably won’t become a reality.

Next time I’ll show you the very exclusive Top of the World Lounge at Bay Lake Tower.

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The Hall of Presidents is updated regularly with each new US President being added. Other than the addition of new presidents, the attraction was basically unchanged from 1971-1993. In 1993 the script was changed, much to the chagrin of Disney and US History purists. The narrator was also changed from Lawrence Dobkin to Maya Angelou. For me personally, this major overhaul did not improve the attraction. Though I have visited Walt Disney World many more times between 1993-2009 than I did 1971-1993, I have entered the Hall of Presidents fewer times since 1993’s changes. In 2001 actor J.D. Hall re-recorded the narration previously done by Ms Angelou.

On July 4, 2009 the Hall of President’s re-opens after undergoing more updating. Yes, President Barak Obama gives a speech, as have the past two presidents. The new narrator is Morgan Freeman who has a much more commanding voice than Hall. The attraction has also been retitled: Hall of Presidents: A Celebration of Liberty’s Leaders. Other upgrades include Abraham Lincoln giving the Gettysburg Address, and for the first time in the history of the attraction, George Washington stands and gives a stirring speech.

Though I am not a fan of President Obama, I am a fan of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, the Hall of Presidents and Walt Disney World. I am eager to witness the upgraded attraction and I hope the the minor historical inaccuracies of the last major upgrade have been fixed.

Here is video, direct from the White House website of President Obama recording his speech for the Hall of Presidents.

I must say, I find it hard to believe that he didn’t know what the attraction was or what it was about. No, Mr President, they are not wax figures, they are audio-animatronics. Please, do your girls a favor and bring them to Walt Disney World on vacation like most Americans. What are your thoughts? Any special memories of the Hall of Presidents? Leave me a comment and let me know.

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When you enter The Pirate’s League you first get your pirate name. This is an involved process that includes a ship’s wheel, a treasure chest, 2 dice, your birth month and a code book.

Shari aka @Shash is turning the wheel to get her pirate name

Next you choose the package and look that you want. There are 3 “makeover” packages available The First Mate Package for boys and men $49.95, The Empress Package for girls and women $49.95 both include facial effect, earring, eye patch, sword & sheath, temporary tattoo, pirate coin necklace, map case treasure folder with photo and a personalized pirate oath. The third package is The Captain’s Package for $124.95 which includes the choice of a costume.

The details that Disney Imagineers put into the building are amazing. As we walked through the rooms there were constant oohs and ahhs over the intricacies of the decorations.

The Disney Cast Members at The Pirate’s League are amazing! Everyone we came in contact with were truly convincing pirates. The Magical Moms were all wearing princess tiaras as we entered The Pirate’s League. We were warned that the pirates may try to plunder our jewels and that they did.

When you pick up your pirate portrait, you’ also receive a Secret Pirate Cypher and a unique pirate coin necklace that are your keys to more pirate adventures throughout Adventureland – you can find clues and discover treasure, and even meet Captain Jack Sparrow himself!

The Pirates League is now open in the Magic kingdom for guests ages 3 and up. To make your reservations call (407) WDW-CREW.

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My camera and Vado HD batteries are charged, I’ve added texting to my cell phone so I can Tweet from the resort, I have a notebook that fits in my backpack and a few pens. I also have my sunscreen and comfy shoes. I am determined to have fun but learn everything I can so that I can come back and share with you everything Disney has to offer families.

I am so excited to be a part of a great group of mom bloggers, all of whom love Disney. It will be great to meet in person ladies whom I have tweeted with on Twitter. I will be tweeting all weekend long using the hashtag #magicalmoms. If you don’t already follow me on Twitter, now is a great time to do so, I’m @MomMaven.

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Every Thursday Heidi at Reviews by Heidi hosts a Disney themed photo meme called Destination Disney. Each week she posts a different topic and we post photos and/or a story about that part of our previous Walt Disney World vacations. It is a lot of fun and gives me another reason to dig through my Disney photos.

This week’s topic is Animal Kingdom-Dinoland USA

Dinoland USA is a fun kitschy area of Animal Kingdom. There is The Boneyard-an amazing play area for kids. The Boneyard is a great place to let the kids run and play for a while-especially if they have spent a lot of time waiting in lines. Next is the Dinosaur ride. This ride is not for the faint of heart. It is a thrill ride and the ride itself is very jerky. I don’t recommend this for young children or people with back and neck issues.

The 1500 seat Theatre in the Wild orginally was home to Tarzan Rocks an awesome rock concert show based on the Disney’s Tarzan movie. The first picture is of Tarzan and Jane and the second is of the full stage and the extreme skating monkeys. The Theatre in the Wild is now home to Finding Nemo-The Musical. This is currently my favorite show on Disney property. I love the acting, scenery, puppetry and music. We own the soundtrack and listen to it all the time. None of my pictures for this show have come out well but trust me, this is a beautiful show and is not to be missed.

As you head into Chester and Hester’s Dino-rama, you go back to a 50’s style midway complete with games of chance, 2 rides and you may even get to have your picture taken with your hosts Chester and Hester. Triceratop Spin is a Dumbo-esgue ride. One of my all time favorite rides is also found in Dino-rama, Primeval Whirl. It is a wild mouse coaster with a twist. Each car also spins like a tilt-a-whirl car! It is so much fun! Here you have myself, my husband, my son Jordan and my father-in-law heading off on our Primeval Whirl adventure.

Dinoland USA is a lot of fun and has plenty of rides and shows to keep you entertained.

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