When Kim and I went in July, we saw this sign at Wandering Oakens Frozen Funland. Due to the slow wi-fi at Walt Disney World, we didn’t bother to download the app. Why would we need an app for the experience? A week or so after our visit, a friend of mine put some pictures on Facebook of him and Sven. I recognized where the picture was taken but I knew Sven wasn’t there when I visited. I asked him about it and he told me about the Aurasma app. So, before we went on Friday, I downloaded the free app onto my phone. It is available in the Apple Store and the Android Marketplace. One of my goals for that trip was to play with the app…it is a lot of fun!

Upon returning home, I did more research and discovered that this is the second time Disney has used the Aurasma app. The first time was at this year’s Star Wars Weekends. Here is a video of my friend, Gary Buchanan from Disney, talking about the app’s use during that event.

How is Aurasma being used at Frozen Summer Fun?

1. If you point your phone, with the app open to the cover of your park map, you will see a welcome video, complete with Queen Elsa!
2. Inside Wandering Oaken’s Frozen Funland there are 2 places to take pictures with the app. One is with Sven and the other is with the trolls! There are also two with Olaf outside of funland.

As you can see the Aurasma branding shows up on your photo but that doesn’t bother me if it means I get a photo with Olaf!

How to Use Aurasma

1. Download the free app before you leave home.
2. Open the app and point at anything containing the Aurasma logo or a designated backdrop.
3. Dots will begin spinning on your screen until it locks in.
4. Then you will see this screen:

5. Make sure whoever is taking the picture tells you where/how to stand.
6. Snap the picture and then click Save to Photo Gallery.
7. Share your photo!

I can think of lots of ways Disney can continue to use the Aurasma app around the parks. I know lots of people who would be very excited to have their picture taken with Wall-E in Tomorrowland or Future World, Lumiere and Cogsworth in Fantasyland and Mufasa or Simba in Africa. The list is endless! I can’t wait to see where Disney and HP take us next! What are your thoughts? What character would you like to have an Aurasma photo with?

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The actors who play the Royal Historians of Arendelle are fantastic actors and comedians. They do a great job telling the story of “Frozen” and keeping the 30 minute show moving along while keeping the audience laughing and singing.

There is something about communal singing that lifts the spirit and tears down walls. This “Frozen” singalong does just that, as does the entire Frozen Summer Fun experience. Sitting in the Premiere Theater with a few hundred strangers of all ages and backgrounds, singing beloved songs together is a heartwarming experience. I know I probably sound a bit sappy, but I was truly moved by the experience.

I think we sang “Let it Go!” seven times during our day at Frozen Summer Fun, between Anna and Elsa’s Royal Welcome, the singalong, the dance party where several versions of the song were played by both DJ Chill and The Ice Men. I would say it was just me, but others I talked with felt the same way. On a crowded July day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, people seemed nicer and more patient than usual, all because of a truly shared experience.

If you have the opportunity to visit The Studios by September 1, 2014 I highly recommend the singalong. I along with a lot of the online Disney community are hoping that the singalong gets held over, at least through the holiday season. I can’t wait to see it later this month with my hubby and I’d love to take my kids this fall…so I am really hoping for an extension.

Let it Go!

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Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post and Frozen Funland

On Soundstage One you can find Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post and Frozen Funland. There are two entrances one to the Frozen Funland and one to the Trading Post.

Frozen Funland

When you enter Wandering Oaken’s Frozen Funland you are transported to a winter wonderland. It is much cooler inside than it was outside in the Florida summer sun…but it wasn’t cold. Here you can go skating, $10 gets you socks, skates, helmet and 30 minutes of ice time. Enjoy a “Frozen” themed snack, have your photo taken with a beautiful backdrop and play in the snow. Unfortunately we didn’t get to play in the snow, and if you follow me on social media, you will know why. <hint, hint>. We also don’t skate but we enjoyed watching people of all ages glide and pivot, glide and pivot.

Trading Post

A trip inside the Trading Post could easily set and “Frozen” fan back a lot of cold hard cash. (pun intended) If you are looking for “Frozen” merchandise, this is the place to be. T-shirts, costumes, dolls and books are available as well as iPhone cases, sweet treats and more.

Coolest Summer Ever Dance Party

I have written before about how brilliant I think Disney’s dance parties are. They have great DJs, family-friendly music and Disney characters-a perfect combination for fun. Dance parties are also a great place for kids to get their wiggles out. Kids and parents need to remember that this is not a time for autographs or one-on-one photos-this is a time to dance with some of your favorite Disney characters. At the Coolest Summer Ever Dance Party DJ Chill spins great tunes while we all danced with Minnie, Daisy, Dale and Pluto all decked out in their summer vacation garb.
Later in the evening we were also dancing to the tunes of the Ice Men band, they are good…but I prefer the DJ.

Frozen Fireworks Spectacular

The epic day of “Frozen” events was capped off by the “Frozen Fireworks Spectacular” Last month I told you I had never seen fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios…and now I have! We found a great viewing location on the left, facing the hat. I knew I wanted to be able to see the stage and above the hat so this seemed like a great location and it was. We arrived more than an hour early and just relaxed and listened to the dance party music while we waited. The show begins on the stage with Anna, whose microphone wasn’t working right. It kept cutting in and out and we were lucky if we heard every third of fourth word. This was very disappointing. What made it even worse was that there were 2-3 opportunities for them to change out her mic and this was never done. I am married to an audio tech and I know that sometimes equipment doesn’t work BUT I also have been then “assistant” who runs to the stage to bring a performer a different mic so that the audience can hear what is happening. Unfortunately this technical problem dampened our spirits about the final event of the day.
We did see the projection show for #OlafSummerVacation which I told you about last week. The Fireworks show was beautifully done and the “Let it Go” finale was wonderful.

If your summer plans bring you to central Florida, I hope you will plan a day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to enjoy some Frozen Summer Fun!

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We arrived in the park at about 9:30am. We headed straight back to the Streets of America to pick up our “For the First Time in Forever: A ‘Frozen’ Sing-Along Celebration” ticket. These tickets work like FastPasses, but don’t count towards your FastPass+ totals for the day. You choose which show time you want to attend and you arrive back on the Streets of America during the scheduled time frame to get in line for your reserved seat.

Anna and Elsa’s Royal Welcome

Next we headed to Hollywood Blvd to find our spot for “Anna and Elsa’s Royal Welcome”. This mini-parade follows the usual Studios parade route, up Hollywood Blvd and over to the Star Tours area. We had a decent spot for the parade, near the hat stage just behind, what I was told is a Frozen Summer Fun Premium Package viewing area. The people in this area had on the package lanyards but in this area they didn’t have the soda and ice cream that the main package viewing area offers. After the parade there is a brief stage show including and official, Anna, Elsa and Olaf. This short show includes an abbreviated sing-along of “Let it Go”.

While we were in the parade area we also took our #OlafSummerVacation selfie. In a few locations around the park you can pick up your own Take-Along Olaf aka Flat Olaf. The idea is to include Olaf in your photos and tag them with the hashtag #OlafSummerVacation. Some of the photos taken that day, and shared on social media will become a part of the projection show before that evening’s fireworks. Not only is this a simple, fun addition to the overarching “Frozen” theme, it is genius marketing on Disney’s part.

For the First Time in Forever A ‘Frozen’ Sing-Along Celebration

Now it was time to head back to the Streets of America to get in line for “For the First Time in Forever: A ‘Frozen’ Sing-Along Celebration”. Those of us with tickets queued up along the side of Muppetvision 3-D, in the shade. We headed into the theater about 10 minutes before show time. Since we were a party of 2 we were able to sit near the front, directly behind the people who had purchased the Frozen Summer Fun Premium Package.

This show is AMAZING! If you and/or your child is a “Frozen” fan this show is a must-see. My August 4th post will go into much more detail, and include some video but for know…just go see it.

In conclusion…Frozen Summer Fun is a wonderful event included in your daily ticket price. The fun ends September 1, 2014 so make your plans now. Make sure you are subscribed to The Mom Maven so that you don’t miss the rest of this series. If you want more “Frozen” fun right now, my friends at Sunshine and Hurricanes are hosting a whole week of Olaf’s Snow Day in Summer including a great giveaway, crafts and more!

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