We arrived bright and early, picked up our park tickets and gold badges for the Candlelight Processional and hit the park. As always, we got fastpasses for Soarin’ and then headed to the single rider line for Test Track. We love riding single rider because we often get to ride with people who have never ridden Test Track and it is fun to experience the ride through a newbies eyes. We spent time in Innoventions-Ron and the boys were all chosen to participate in the game show “What’s Your Problem”
We visited The Seas with Nemo and Friends and Journey Into Imagination with Figment before it was time for our Soarin’ Fastpasses! Crowds were very light for a Saturday.
After Soarin’ we were heading to World Showcase when we saw a crowd gathering at the Fountain of Nations stage. It was almost time for “Joyful! A Gospel Celebration of the Season featuring D’Vine Voices”. Being a family of musicians, we had to stick around for this show-and we were glad we did. It was a wonderful, upbeat gospel celebration!

Next we headed towards World Showcase and Aaron noticed the Lights of Winter archway was missing. I told him Disney had retired the archway saying the technology was obsolete. We all disagreed with Disney as we would often sit under the archway and relax to the lights and music, we are very sad that it is gone. As we traveled throughout World Showcase we all felt that there were fewer decorations than in years past and that left a melancholy feeling around the rest of our day. We were excited that we would be seeing Vanessa Williams as the Candlelight Processional narrator later in the evening; that is until we arrived at the America Gardens Theatre to find out that Chita Rivera would be narrating instead. Granted, Chita Rivera is a stage and screen icon it just wasn’t who we had planned on seeing. I understand that changes happen-I also noticed that Whoopi Goldberg was replacing Kirk Cameron the following weekend and immediately sent a message to a friend of mine who had been going on and on about seeing Kirk Cameron-it is just a bummer when they happen to you.

We had a few hours before it was time for the 6:45 Candlelight Processional so we listened to the Voices of Liberty sing Christmas carols in the rotunda before viewing the American Adventure. Then we traveled though the other countries in World Showcase checking out their holiday traditions. At about 6pm we made our way back to the American Gardens Theatre to get in line with all of the other people with reserved seating. This is when our magic began. A cast member came up and said,”You have a gold badge, you don’t have to stand in this long line. Go to the rope at the center rear of the theatre.” So we got out of the line and went to where we were told where we were met by another cast member who said,”Oh, you have gold badges I’ll be seating you in about 20 minutes so you can come back then, you don’t need to wait here.” Well, we chose to wait anyway and as soon as the theatre was emptied from the previous performance we were escorted to our seats-the best in the house we were told-row 5 just right of center.

They were wonderful seats! We have seen the Candlelight Processional many times and we have sat all over the American Gardens Theatre but we have never had such a wonderful view of the narrator. The great seats were an added bonus because my digital camera decided it didn’t want to take any photos with the flash so I had to rely on the camera on my Blackberry to get this shot of Chita Rivera.

For me it just isn’t Christmas until I see the Candlelight Processional (one of my Disney dreams is to sing in the Processional). Even though I own the CD and listen to it regularly from the day after Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, nothing can compare to the thrill of being there in person.

Thanks to Walt Disney World Event Services-Charles Stovall, Laura Spencer and Leanne Jakabowski for inviting our family to celebrate the Christmas season at Epcot. Merry Christmas!

Disclosure-We received four 1 day 1 park passes and four gold badges for Candlelight Processional from Walt Disney World Event Services. All opinions in this post are 100% mine. If you have any questions please refer to my disclosure statement at the bottom of this page.

The post An Epcot Christmas appeared first on The Mom Maven.

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.

The post Hollywood Brown Derby appeared first on The Mom Maven.

We checked in at The Pirate’s League, which is in Adventureland near Pirates of the Caribbean, at 10:15am for our 10:30am appointments. We were shown 6 pirate looks to choose from. I chose the Empress and Jordan chose a more rough and tumbled pirate look. We were then whisked away inside what used to be the East India Trading Company’s storeroom. These savvy pirates, under the leadership of Captain Jack Sparrow, knew that instead of random pillaging and plundering it was easier to just take over the storeroom and set up there as their new Pirate League base of operations. First we must claim our new pirate identities. This is accomplished by turning the Captain’s wheel, which rolls 2 dice, which when used in conjunction with a cyper book and the month of your birth determines your pirate identity. (check out the slide show below to find out our pirate names).

Next we were escorted back into the main part of the building where the pirate transformations take place. We even got to see my friend Shari from CrazedMommy and her son as they completed their pirate transformations and headed out to explore the World Showcase at Epcot. After waiting just a few minutes, we were assigned to our Pirate Masters who would be in charge of our transformations. Jordan’s look included him having a black eye and his Pirate Master asked him if he wanted to get it the hard way or the easy way. He said the easy way so they called over a 2nd pirate master to hold Jordan still while the 1st one pretended to punch him in the eye and give him a black eye! Jordan was also told that since he was getting a black eye and a scar he needed to create a back story about the fight(s) that left him with these problems. He was also told that if anyone commented on his face he should say, “You should see the other guy.” The other guy in Jordan’s backstory was…a skeleton, very creative.

My Empress makover required a lot of choices be made. I had to choose nail color, eye shadow color, lipgloss color, which jeweled tattoo to wear, bandana color, eye patch color and bag color! Now, these are not major choices for a grown adult but…when you bring your child to The Pirate’s League I suggest you either discuss some of this ahead of time or you help them make these decisions. I ama girly, girl wannabe. The last time someone else did my nails and make up was 18 years ago for my wedding! It was fun to be pampered, even if I was becoming a pirate. Hmmmm maybe next time I can go to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Any way… once our transformations were complete,we took the pirate oath and were sworn in as pirates! Next, were were taught sword etiquette and given our swords. The last stop was shhhhhhh…this is a secret…we went into Captain Jack’s secret sanctorium…shhhh don’t tell anyone about it but it was COOL! You have to see it for yourself!

We left the Pirate’s League with some booty and a treasure map too! The Pirate’s League is a fun experience and I think every pirate lover needs to do it at least once in their lifetime. Last time I walked through the parks in my tiara and princess sash and was treated royally by cast members and guests. Wandering the parks as a pirate is a little different. We did get to ride up front on several rides because the ride operators said they wanted to keep an eye on the pirates and make sure we didn’t leave with any extra booty. We were stopped by several guests wanting to know where we got our “Pirate Makeovers”, and we received several comments from guests my favorite being a little girl who pointed at Jordan and said, “That guy is a real pirate.”

Eliza Pilferfish

Enrique Foulstench

The First Mate Package – $49.95+ tax includes:

• Bandana
• Choice of Facial Effect
• Fake Teeth
• One 5×7 picture

Empress Package-$49.95+ tax includes:

• Bandana
• Vibrant & Bold Makeup Makeover
• Face Gem
• Nail Polish
• One 5×7 picture

The Captains Package-$124.95+ tax includes:

• Choice of pirate costume
• Choice of Facial Effect
• Fake Teeth
• Three  5 x 7 pictures

You can book your visit to The Pirate’s League by calling (407) WDW-CREW.

Thank you to Charles Stovall, Erin Catalano, and the entire Disney Media team. Thank you for this awesome opportunity!

The post A Pirate’s Life for Me! appeared first on The Mom Maven.

THANK YOU!

Leanne Jakubowski of Walt Disney World Social Media and Leanne’s Life

Laura Spencer of  the Walt Disney World Moms Panel

Mary Haupt of Walt Disney World Marketing and Special Events

Maria Bailey, CEO of BSM Media

Tanya McNally of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel

Also a very big thanks to the amazing staff at Disney’s Yacht Club resort, as well as all of the resorts, restaurants and attractions that we visited on our whirlwind, magical weekend.

I also want to thank all of the MagicalMoms who were part of this weekend. It was a real treat to meet online friends in real life. I know I have made some new friends for life.

Daisy Sutherland of DrMommyLLC

Shellie Ross of Blog4Mom

Shari Keating of Diary of a Crazed Mommy

Stefanie Faquet of Mommy Musings

Melanie Edwards of Modern Mami

Leigh Caldwell of ThemeParkMom

I can’t wait to see you all again!

The post Thanks for the Magical Memories appeared first on The Mom Maven.

The Characters in Flight balloon is the world’s largest tethered gas balloon. The 72 feet in diameter balloon is filled with 210,000 cubic feet of a lighter-than-air gas. The gondola is 19 feet in diameter and can hold up to 29 guests plus the pilot.

I was very excited when I saw on my Florida Mom Blogger’s Mixer itinerary that we would be riding Characters in Flight, weather permitting. I have wanted to fly in a hot-air balloon for years and I figured this ride would be a good test to see if I was comfortable “floating” in the air.

Saturday morning was rather windy and when our group of 13 arrived we were told they could only take 4 of us at a time. So, we took 2 groups of 4 and our hosts (aka the chickens) chose not to ride. The view was magnificent! When you are 400 feet up in the air you can see for about 10 miles. You can easily see The Contemporary Resort, Spaceship Earth, Expedition Everest, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Typhoon Lagoon as well as the downtown Orlando skyline.

The entire ride took about 9 minutes. I would love to do it again, but this time at night. I can only imagine how beautiful it would look with all of the lights twinkling in the evening sky. Tickets for Characters in Flight cost $16 for adults ages 10+ and $10 for children ages 3-9. Everyone under age 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Characters in Flight is wheelchair accessible; guests in ECVs must be able to transfer to the gondola, which does not have seats. There is no smoking, eating or drinking allowed on the ride and they do not allow strollers or baggage.

Safety is key and the weather restictions for this attractions are very strict.

• Winds 3 mph or less they can take 20 passengers at a time
• Winds 3-12 mph they can take 10-20 passengers
• Winds 12-22 mph they can take up to 10 passengers at a time
• Winds above 22 mph or in stormy conditions they do not run

I don’t know what the wind speed was when we rode but we had 5 guests plus the pilot on my trip. On the video you can hear when I turned into the wind, it gets very loud. I felt very safe and secure despite the wind.

What do you think? Would you like to ride Characters in Flight on your next trip to Walt Disney World and Downtown Disney? Leave me a comment and let me know.

The post Characters In Flight appeared first on The Mom Maven.