Captain EO to Show at Other Disney Parks!

Just read that Captain EO will be playing at three additional Disney parks by mid July!  Due to its success at California's Disneyland, Disney has decided to show the film at Disney World's Epcot, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris!

Check out the details at the link below:

Captain EO Returns To Disney World Link

Read more about Disneyland's Captain EO in one of my previous blog posts by clicking on the link:

Captain EO!

Festival Showplace

The Festival Showplace for the Food and Wine Festival is located in Stage 12.  Stage 12 is not usually open and I hadn't been inside before so I was excited to check it out! For the festival, it is the place to go for the Wine Seminars, the Marketplace, the Star Lounge, and the Wine Seller/Festival Gift Shop!

Wine Seminars
The wine seminars take place on the Showplace Stage.  We attempted to get into the Buena Vista Carneros Wine Seminar but just barely missed the line cut off.  The way it works for these seminars is you line up outside Stage 12 past where they have a ticket counter set up.  You need to get in line an hour before the seminar begins which is when they start selling tickets.  I suggest you show up early for this (at least 15-30 minutes) because they only have so many seats.  Make sure you have your ID so you can prove you are 21 or older.  The tickets for the seminar are only one dollar!  

Taste of California Marketplace

At the Marketplace, you can order some tapas sized dishes, wine, beer, or soda.  Here are some of the dishes you can try:

I tried the Santa Rosa Pear Salad which was good but didn't have enough pears or other toppings and my fiance tried the Marketplace Slider which he enjoyed. We also tried the Beer Battered Halibut which I thought was delicious!  We also got a glass of the Chalone Chardonnay which I liked but came in a thimble sized glass that wasn't enough for the price.

My favorite was the Ghiradelli Chocolate Profiterole.  It was a good sized dessert and satisfied my sweet tooth!

It was fun to try the different Marketplace items and I look forward to going back for some more halibut and dessert!

Star Lounge

This Lounge is located in the corner of the Festival Showplace.  They have a good drink menu complete with beer, wine, and even margaritas!

We tried the Festival-Inspired Margarita made with Alma de Agave Tequila and drank it at one of the lounge tables.  Since the lounge is next to the Marketplace, you can grab a snack to go with your drink. 

Also in Stage 12 is the Wine Seller & Festival Gift Shop.  There was a lot of cool merchandise in there that I took pictures of so I'll save these for my next post!

I thought that since these posts are about the Food and Wine festival it'd be fun to end each post with a picture of a Disney character who loves to cook! 

Today's character is Kronk from Emporor's New Groove!  He loves to cook and he really appreciates good food!

Who is your favorite Disney character chef?  Feel free to comment and let me know which character you want to see in the next Food and Wine Festival post!

Disney's California Food and Wine Festival- Introduction

So it's finally the time I know you've all been waiting for!  It's time to talk about food and wine! This past weekend, I went to California Adventure to check out the Food and Wine Festival.  I took lots of pictures so I'll be breaking this up into a few entries that I'll be posting throughout the week.  So let's get started!
As you enter California Adventure, you'll notice that the park is decorated for the festival and that the California tunes they usually have playing has been changed to instrumental music.

Near the main entrance to the park you'll also notice their new spot for the Festival Welcome Center.  Here you can get information and schedules for the festival.

Past the Welcome Center. you will find the Chef Showcase stage in Sunshine Plaza. This is where there are culinary demonstrations by different chefs including some celebrities from cooking shows. This chef was from Boudin Bakery.

Throughout the park they have Festival Wine Walks and a Beer Walk where for $10 (per Walk), you can sample wines from different regions or a variety of beers.

Over by the Mission Tortilla Factory, they even have Olive Oil tasting which seems to be free.  (I'm not sure how many people would be willing to pay for tasting Olive Oil!)

In the Hollywood Pictures Backlot, there are several Festival spots such as this Belgian Brewers Collection stand where you can buy beer.

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Nearby, next to the Monsters Inc. ride, are where the Festival's Junior Chef activities are held.  This is where children ages 11 and under can have a chance to learn about cooking!  Chef Goofy is there too!

The Backlot is also home to the Festival Showplace which is located in Stage 12 which isn't usually open to the public!  Here you can attend wine seminars, visit the Taste of California Marketplace, have a drink at the Star Lounge, and shop at the Festival Gift Shop.  My next post will feature pictures from the Festival Showplace!

Tina Fey Visits Disney World

Last week, Tina Fey, writer and star of 30 Rock, visited Disney World with her family.  This picture was taken of her at Disney's Hollywood Studios outside of the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater restaurant. 

I'm a big fan of Tina Fey so when I read about her Disney World visit, I thought it would be fun to do a post on how she seems to be a fan of Disney!

During Disney's Year of a Million Dreams campaign, Tina Fey was Tinker Bell in the Disney Dream Portrait Series by Annie Leibovitz.  Here is the photo titled "Where You Never Have to Grow Up."

Here is the photo zoomed in on Tina Fey as Tinker Bell:

On a few of the episodes of Tina Fey's tv show, 30 Rock, her character says "I want to go there" when she hears of or sees something she likes.



Last year, while Fey was on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, she revealed that this line came from her 3 year old daughter.  She was looking at the Disney World website and she said "I want to go to there."   Check out the video of Tina Fey on Late Night:  
 




Last week's episode of 30 Rock also had a scene with a reference to Disney princesses that I thought was pretty funny.




Tina Fey's new movie, Date Night, is currently in theaters and you can catch her on 30 Rock on NBC Thursday nights!

Aviator Minnie!

Went to California Adventure today!  Take a look at who we found at the park!

 I've never seen this Minnie before so I was really excited when we spotted her!  She was by the plane that is next to Soarin' Over California.

I took several pictures around the park today especially of the Food and Wine Festival for some upcoming posts so stay tuned!

In the Bag

So today while I was at work, I got a fun little tune from an old Disney cartoon stuck in my head.  It goes with the Earth day theme from the last few days so I thought I would share it with you.  The cartoon is called "In the Bag" (1956) and it features Humphrey the Bear.  In it, the Ranger of Brownstone, Humphrey's home, tries to get all the bears to tidy the park.  One of the ways he tries to do this is by making the task a song and dance.  Check out the video below:



Have a good weekend everyone!

Ladybugs at California Adventure

Today for Earth Day, 140,000 ladybugs were released into the gardens of California Adventure!  Students and horticulturalists dumped ladybugs into the gardens throughout the day.  Ladybugs help keep the plants in the gardens healthy by eating aphids which could harm them.

 This ladybug can be found at Francis' Ladybug Boogie at California Adventure!

 So if you see a ladybug while visiting California Adventure, remember that they are helping the plants! Hurray for ladybugs!

Earth Day

Tomorrow is Earth Day! 
My little sister and her girl scout troop reused plastic water bottles to make cute piggy banks!  She sent me a picture of her piggy bank that she made to look like Mickey!

I love it!  Thank you, Shannon for sending me this picture!

I don't usually do anything special for Earth Day, but I think it is a good day to think about small things we can do to help the earth!  Whether it be recycling your cans and bottles or turning off lights, every act counts!

Last year, I bought some of these bags for my mom and family to use instead of shopping bags:

I'm proud to say that my mom has pretty much eliminated using plastic bags when she goes grocery shopping!  She sets a great example of what we can do to make a difference!

Check out Earth Day merchandise on DisneyStore.com:

Disney Earth Day Merchandise

Make Mine Music

Disney's Make Mine Music premiered 64 years ago today!
I love so many of the segments of this film! The segment that many know best is "Casey at the Bat." One of the Games of the Boardwalk at California Adventure is based on it.

'Casey at the Bat' at California Adventure

My favorite segment is the one called "Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnett." It is set to the song sang by the Andrews Sisters.

Check out Make Mine Music! You'll be surprised how many segments you recognize!

World of Color Debut Date Announced!

The date for the World of Color's debut has been announced- June 11th!
For the past year and a half, California Adventure's Paradise Bay has been undergoing some construction as equipment for the water and light show is installed.

Paradise Bay

Crew installing equipment for show

World of Color will have Disney cartoon images projected on to a 19,000 square foot water screen as well as fountains that shoot up to 200 feet!
Originally, the show was to start during the spring but now it will be shown on the first night of Disney's summer promotion, Summer Nightastic. World of Color is expected to draw large crowds so Disney is considering having some kind of Fastpass system for the show.
I'm really excited for this show! Disneyland annual passholders might be able to see some sneak previews but that has not yet been set. So make sure to mark those calendars- June 11th!

Mickey Mouse All Star Game Statues

It was announced today that there are going to be MLB themed Mickey Mouse statues placed around Southern California in celebration of the 2010 All Star Game! The statues will be appearing at different So. Cal. landmarks during the days leading up to the game on July 13th at Angel Stadium. MLB is selling small collectible statuettes that are replicas of these 7 1/2 foot statues on their website. There are thirty-six variations of them!

These are available on MLB.com.

In addition to these statuettes, next month there will also be a variety of MLB Disney merchandise. The All Star Game is taking place so close to Disneyland that it isn't surprising that MLB would team up with Disney to celebrate the event. Stephen Teglas, vice president and general manager of Fashion & Home North America at Disney Consumer Products was quoted on MLB.com:

"Baseball and Mickey Mouse really connect families, and with the All-Star Game being in our backyard this year, it made perfect sense to combine the magic of Disney with America's favorite pastime... We look forward to delighting fans of both brands with our unique products and collectibles."

The locations of where the full sized Mickey statues will be found has not been released. The placement of them around So. Cal. carries on a recent All Star tradition where the host city places MLB themed statues around the area. For example, there were Statue of Liberty models around New York and cowboy boot statues in Dallas when they hosted the game. St. Louis had decorated replicas of their Arch around their city last year when they hosted.

The statuettes are currently available on MLB.com but eventually will also be available at DisneyStore.com, Walgreens, and some other locations.

So for all you So. Cal. residents, keep an eye out for those All Star Mickeys!

Disney's California Food And Wine Festival- Tomorrow!

Disney's Food and Wine Festival begins tomorrow! It takes place at California Adventure and will go on until May 31, 2010. The first weekend of the festival will include Celebrity Chef Guy Fieri from Food Network. There are several seminars and demonstrations that don't require reservations but are first come first serve so you should show up early in order to get a spot. Make sure to look at the schedule to get the details for the activities you want to attend. During the festival, there are new items on the menus at restaurants at the California Adventure park. For example, last year Pizza Oom Mow Mow had a ravioli dish on their menu that I enjoyed very much!

Check out the events they have coming up by downloading the schedule for the festival:

Disney Food and Wine Festival Schedule

I'm ready for some food and wine! Have a So Disney weekend everyone and to my friends in San Antonio- Happy Fiesta!

Disney Channel Update

I just got back from visiting family in Texas this morning. I went straight to work from the airport so it's been a long day! I spent the weekend with family including my youngest sister! She helped me get caught up on what's new on the Disney Channel! Here's some of the stuff we watched!

Good Luck Charlie- This is Disney Channel's newest television show that premiered recently on April 4th. It stars Bridgit Mendler who played a vampire named Juliet in the Wizards of Waverly Place series. It also stars Jason Dolley from the Disney Channel Original movies Hatching Pete and Minutemen. The show is about a family who recently had a new addition, baby Charlie. Each show ends with Mendler's character concluding a video diary that offers advice for Charlie. My favorite part of this show is that none of the kids are famous or have any special powers. They are just normal kids.

Sonny With A Chance- On it's second season, this is an amusing show that stars Camp Rock's Demi Lovato. She plays a girl from the Midwest who gets her big break when she is cast on a kids comedy sketch show called "So Random". (Anyone remember Nickelodeon's All That?). The show is about what goes on behind the scenes...it's kind of like 30 Rock for kids. The show is actually pretty funny and enjoyable! It's my favorite of the non-animated shows on Disney channel right now.

Wizards of Waverly Place- This show was an Emmy winner for Outstanding Children's Program last year. It is about a family who is like any other family except that the kids are wizards in training. The twist that I found interesting is that the siblings will have to compete against each other once they are adults in order to decide who will keep their magic powers and be the family wizard. This past weekend, my sister informed me that Shakira will be a guest star on Friday, April 16th's episode! I love Shakira!

Phineas and Ferb- This animated series is my favorite of the shows currently on Disney Channel. It is about two stepbrothers and their daily adventures. Each episode starts with Phineas saying "I know what we're going to do today!" Their older sister, Candace, is always trying to bust them and get them in trouble. Their pet platypus, Perry, is a secret agent fighting against the evil scientist Doofenshmirtz. The show is a lot of fun for the whole family to enjoy! My sister received her puppy last year while we were watching this show and she named him Phineas!

Me and my sister's puppy Phineas

Thanks for watching Disney Channel with me, Shannon! Miss you!

Disney on Ice

Some of my family and friends went to Disney on Ice in Texas a few weeks ago! Check out a few of the great pictures they took:

Nightmare Before Christmas

Beauty and the Beast

Prince Mickey

Lilo and Stitch

Sorcerer Mickey vs. the Disney Villains

Princess and the Frog

Mickey and Minnie- Princess and Frog

Finale!

Can you believe all those pictures came from one show? Disney on Ice tours all over the world. They are really fun to see, especially for children. The shows change and feature many Disney characters! This particular one my family saw was called "Let's Celebrate". They had a great time! Special thanks to Nellie and Andrew for sending me these awesome pictures!

Check out the link below to see if there will be a show near you:

Disney On Ice Link

Disneyland Tip- Wait Times!

So I thought I'd start off the weekend by sharing a Disneyland tip! If you are at the park this weekend and wish you could know the wait times of the rides without having to walk to them, there is a spot at the end of Main Street where you can find out! Here there is a board that has the names of rides on it and their wait times. Not all the rides are listed but some of the most popular ones are! It lists some shows and special events. Also if one of these rides are closed, it'll display that as well. There is a small information booth near it where a cast member receives the wait times from other employees around the park and keeps the board updated. You can go this person with any questions or to request one of their assorted buttons (like a birthday button).


Unfortunately there is no board like this at California Adventure. They now have Disney apps you can add to your phone that tells you Disney wait times as well. But if you don't have these like me and you're at Disneyland and want to know how long the wait for a ride is, check out this board to see if it is listed!

Anaheim Angels

This past Monday, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim started their season! Because of their past association with Disney, I thought it would be fitting to do a post on the team!

Angels game

In 1994, before Disney owned the Angels, they released the film Angels In the Outfield. The movie stars a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Danny Glover, and Christopher Lloyd. Gordon-Levitt plays a boy who sees real angels on the field helping his favorite team, the Angels, win the pennant. Whenever the boy would see angels on the field he would flap his arms. At games today you still sometimes see fans do this motion as their cheer for the team.


A couple years after this movie, Disney bought the Angels. Their stadium was down the street from Disneyland. The team was known simply as the Anaheim Angels partly because Disney wanted Anaheim to be a destination city like Orlando, Florida (Disney World's location) is. In 1997, with the help of HOK Sport, Disney Imagineering remodeled the Angels' stadium. This remodel included the rock fountain that my fiance' always says reminds him of Big Thunder Mountain.

Rock fountain at Angel Stadium

In 2002 while still owned by Disney, the Anaheim Angels won the World Series. One of the ways they celebrated their victory was at a Disneyland Parade. Here is a picture I found of the event from the Associated Press (2003):

Mickey is an Angel fan!

In 2003, Disney sold the team but the Angels' history with Disney remains and at the games you can still find hints of Disney in things like the rock fountain and the stadium's location. Also, several of the fans I see at the game have Disneyland merchandise and seem to be fans of Disney like me! I always wear my Angels Mickey pin that I got at Disneyland at the games:

At game on Monday, there were some fans that brought a sign that said 'Matsuiland' in support of the Angels' new player, Hideki Matsui. It was very creative!


Matsui hit a homerun during that game helping the Angels beat the Twins 6 to 3! When Matsui was asked about the sign, he said that he had not seen it and had not heard of Matsuiland but that he has heard of Tokyo Disneyland!

Angels games are always a fun activity and if you don't mind where you sit, you can find tickets at a great price! Here is the site to the Angels website:

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

So that wraps it up for today! Go Angels! I hope they have a great season!

Easter at Disneyland

"I'm late for a very important date!"
This post comes a bit late but better late than never! On Easter morning, I went to Disneyland for breakfast. The crowds at the park were surprisingly smaller than I expected. We waited no more than 15 minutes for the Matterhorn and five minutes for the Haunted Mansion. We left around 1:30pm and it still didn't seem too crowded. Disneyland doesn't do anything special for Easter like they do for Halloween and Christmas but I had thought there might be more people because it was Spring Break for some schools.

Disneyland on Easter

When the earthquake occurred later that day, the rides were shut down. Local news showed a picture of people leaving the park. After Easter dinner, we went back to Disneyland to watch the Electrical Parade. There was a decent crowd for the parade but it did seem that there was an even smaller amount of people at the park. I think the earthquake might have scared some tourists away. Disneyland is very prepared and ready for earthquakes though and the park was up and running after inspections were done.
So what was I doing when the earthquake occurred? I was actually getting some eggs ready to dye them! Luckily I didn't drop any! Here are some pictures I thought I would share:



Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend!