Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Disney Rumor: New Fantasyland Eatery to Take Over the Village Haus

If you have dined in the Magic Kingdom, you have probably been to Pinocchio's Village Haus, which is a counter service in Fantasyland.  This restaurant does not really have the best food available in the World, but it does offer a fantastic view of It's a Small World.  I love to wave at the boats as they pass, and I love to wave up to the people who are eating in the restaurant.  

Rumor has it that this eatery will be undergoing a facelift when New Fantasyland opens.  I heard from a castmember on our last trip that Gaston's Tavern would make its home in Pinocchio's Haus.  Now this is just a rumor, but it seems to make sense given that the Beauty and the Beast Restaurant is being built right near this counter service location.  You can even see Belle's cottage house taking shape if you look at current construction pictures.  

My initial reaction to this news is not sadness, but a sense of hope that with a new theme will come a new menu for this restaurant.  The current menu does not have too many interesting items.  At one time, there was a very good turkey sandwich on the menu, but sadly, that sandwich is no longer at this restaurant anyway.  I will be sad to see the Pinocchio theme leave because it doesn't seem like Pinocchio will be represented in any other part of this park either.  Well, we will just have to see what happens when New Fantasyland finally does open later in 2012.
This old sign has a great deal of detail, while the new signs look less permanent.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Disney Purse Ventures

I am the proud owner of three Disney Dooney and Bourke purses.  I have the white Mickey Sketch pattern, a small black barrel type purse with the princess pattern, and the kristen tote with the 40th anniversary print.  My favorite of the whole group is the 40th anniversary bag.  The print on the purse is detailed and nostalgic, and this purse offers a great deal of space.  Along with all of these purses, I have many, many other Disney World totes and other purses that populate my closet. 

With all of the above information in mind, it should be clear to you that I really like to collect Disney bags of all shapes and sizes. Since Disney has been working with Dooney and Bourke, I wonder if Disney will launch onto other luxury purse brands.  Now, I have some ideas for this.  Vera Bradley is not really a luxury brand, but it would be a great partnership for Disney.  Vera Bradley creates patterns that are often florals or other more abstract designs.  I don't think it would be terribly difficult to hide some Mickey heads in such a pattern.  Come on Disney, make some more awesome purses that I can buy!  I promise that you have a captive audience with me at least.  What do you think?  Should Disney create more purses in conjunction with other designers?

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Articles that have been published on WDW Daily News!!!!

Over the past few weeks, I have been writing articles for a website called www.wdwdailynews.com, and I am really excited to be published as one of their feature story writers!  Please take a look at these articles, and give me some feedback.  Thank you for reading!

Here are links to the articles that I have written thus far for WDW Daily News:








EPCOT Center: Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow


If you can dream it, then you can do it!  This sentence keeps resounding in my head.  I have become slightly obsessed with 1980s EPCOT Center.  I don't know what it is, but I can't seem to stop being sort of obsessed with the EPCOT that wasThe optimistic view of the future that was present in this Futureworld of the '80s really keeps calling to me.  I have been listening to the ride-through of Horizons on D-COT, and it really perks me up when I am feeling down.  Why doesn't Disney create any more attractions like this?  

In addition to Horizons, I just can't get that Veggie, Veggie, Fruit, Fruit song out of my head.  I remember watching Kitchen Cabaret as a young child and loving it.  I really miss it.  Anyway, my EPCOT obsession has been odd because honestly, Epcot is not my favorite park.  I really like Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, but if I had a time machine, and I could re-visit the EPCOT Center that was, I would be a happy camper. My obsession has led me to create Horizons key chains and search for old EPCOT stuff on ebay. It is so odd!  I guess Disney really knew what it was doing back then, but sadly, we have Mission Space and other attractions that have replaced the old favorites.  I miss the Dreamfinder and the old Figment ride as well as the World of Motion with its quirky look at transportation through the ages.  I miss the dated, but happy view of the future that Futureworld used to give its visitors.  I am not really a fan of Mission Space, and look at the slow death of the Wonders of Life Pavilion.  It has been sad to see all of the attractions in this facility meet their demise over the years.  

I have an idea!  Why not get rid of the Universe of Energy and the old Wonders of Life Pavilion and create something new and exciting!  This would bring new life back to this side of Futureworld.  Maybe they could bring back and new, refreshed Horizons show.  

Ahhh, I can hear Grandpa and Grandma getting ready to sing happy birthday to Davy right now!  I hope Mom and Dad can get that little boy's shoe and hold onto their dog, Napoleon.
Remember, if you can dream it, then you can do it! Yes you can; yes you can!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Well, I know that this is a Disney blog, but I can't let the momentous occasion of the finale of the Harry Potter series go without at least talking about it for a little while.  First, I love the Harry Potter series, and I have read each book at least 3 or 4 times each.  With that being said, there have been some movies that have not been my favorites in the series; however, that is not the case with this final installment of the epic novels.  This movie picks up exactly where 7 Part 1 left off, and this adds continuity between both films. Overall, I think that this movie was fast paced and exciting.  I like the ways in which we were given more insight into Voldemort's vulnerability.  This lends to a stronger character development of the monster who was once Tom Riddle.  This movie is definitely action packed, but I do not think that it relies too much on heavily done up action sequences to make up for the moments that the audience receives with some of the major characters in the series.  I cried during the movie as I knew I would. The tears were definitely brought on by the sadness of the movie but also by the thought that this is truly the end! 


One of my complaints about this movie was its short running time.  I wanted to sit and revel in the magical world for much longer than two-ish hours.  This movie could have been much longer, but overall, it still worked.  Finally, as in the book, I really do not care for the Epilogue.  It was well done in the movie, but it is not my favorite part of the book.  I would rather have seen the aftermath of the battle and Hogwarts coming back to life rather than the scene at the train station.  In closing, this movie is an absolute must-see, and I do not think you will regret your visit to the theater.  Remember, everything in the books cannot be represented in the movies.  Although this movie leaves out many details from the book, the movie itself works with the story the directors and producers were trying to tell.  Even though the series is officially over, Harry Potter and his world will not be going away any time soon.  These novels are part of an epic story that will not soon be forgotten.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Back to Realityland from WDW


Well, it's a sad day indeed when you have to leave the confines of Walt Disney World. :(  I wish our trip could have gone on forever! We had a wonderful trip, and we truly enjoyed our deluxe dining plan.  We even went on a Backstage Magic Tour.  Whenever we take a trip to the World, it makes me want to move to Florida even more!  For now, I'll leave you with a lovely picture!

Friday, July 1, 2011

WDW tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the day!  We are leaving on our magical vacation tomorrow, and we can't wait.  We are just about packed, and my husband just went to bring our dog, Lydia, to board with the vet.  We can't wait until we arrive; we are so ready for a nice long vacation from reality.  We have lots of dining reservations (thanks to the deluxe dining plan), including the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show, Le Cellier for dinner, and even a Backstage Magic Tour.  We are going to have an awesome trip, and I can't wait for it to start!