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Toy Story Toy Box for the Disney Infinity

November 8, 2013

Yesterday, Disney Interactive releasedthe winners of the Disney Infinity “Toy Story Challenge” for Toy Box creations that are inspired by one of the most iconic movie franchises and the newest Play Set – Toy Story in Space. Disney Infinity players are clearly big fans of the Toy Story films as this week’s winning Toy Boxes were some of the best overall creations submitted yet. The top global Toy Box of the week is “The BIG Room,” which is a recreation of Andy’s room filled with enemy toys, a mini soccer game and even a racetrack.

Winning submissions include:

The BIG Room: When the kids are away, the toys will play! A truly remarkable recreation of Andy’s room from Toy Story.

Woody’s Roundup: Experience the Toy Box mode from Toy Story 3: The Video Game… but this time with Disney Infinity characters!

Capture Zurg!: Alien invasion! Drop them in the ship’s pen, then capture Zurg at his secret lab and bring him back to the asteroid pen.

Saving Mr. Rex: Battle the way through Zurgbots and help Mr. Rex escape from Zurg… Be on the look-out for secrets along the way!

The City Dump: You’ve been thrown away by mistake and must escape the dump. Beware of Lotso’s trickery, or face a fiery demise.

How to download new Toy Boxes:

Select “Toy Box” from the Disney Infinity Main Menu

Select “Toy Box Share” and “Disney’s Toy Boxes.”

There will be a list of all the featured Toy Boxes for players to download.

When you’re ready to submit your Toy Box for consideration, follow these directions:

Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U

Bring up the Pause Menu and select “Online/Multiplayer.”

Then select “Toy Box Share” > “Disney’s Toy Boxes” > “Submit to Disney.”

Follow the prompts. You’ll be asked to give your Toy Box an original name and description. Choose carefully – they will be shown to everybody if your Toy Box is featured.

iPad

Bring up the Pause Menu and select “Toy Box Share.”

Then select “Disney’s Toy Boxes” > “Submit to Disney.”

Follow the prompts. You’ll be asked to give your Toy Box an original name and description. Choose carefully – they will be shown to everybody if your Toy Box is featured

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

Top 10 Ways to Save Money for Your Disney Trip and Reduce Expenses

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

November 8, 2013

We’ve been passholders for several years now and people are always asking us to help them plan their trips, including ways to save money for their planned Disney trip. We live 10 hours away from Walt Disney World, so even though we’re annual passholders, we do indeed still have to be disciplined to save for our trips. It’s not exactly cheap to make the trip from NC and we’re just a single-income household living off less than half what we had in income before my husband’s neck injury nearly 6 years ago, but if we can do it, anyone can. Our methods of saving money allows us to make 2-3 weeklong trips a year (yes, I’m blessed to have a job that gives me 3 weeks of vacation a year). While visiting Disney that many times isn’t ideal or even desired for some families, these tips still apply to anyone planning a vacation to the Most Magical Place on Earth – and really, some of these apply to just saving money in general.

10. Eat breakfast in room – We’re not big breakfast eaters, so for us, this is a no-brainer. We like to bring trail mix snack packs or granola bars and eat those each morning. It saves us from having to 1.) Spend money on breakfast at the parks and 2.) Waste valuable time by not riding rides at rope drop.

9. Save your spare change – We don’t use credit cards and since we’re big fans of Dave Ramsey, we like to use cash to pay for things. It helps keep us disciplined, especially if you’re doing an envelope system so that you only spend the money you’ve budgeted and placed in an envelope each month. If we have change left over at the end of the day, it goes into a change jar. That money adds up after a while of saving and goes right into our Disney fund.

8. Bring snacks to parks – This is very important if you have kids. Spending money on snacks can be a big budget killer. Of course, if you’re on a Disney Dining Plan, then you have a snack included each day. Because we don’t stay on resort, we don’t take part in the Dining Plan and even when we do stay on resort, we still opt out of purchasing the plan since we’ve found it’s just way too much food to eat each day, but that’s another story. We use to bring snacks and only make the occasional purchase of snacks in the parks. Then we discovered a Disney cupcake…

7. Credit card rewards/Chase Disney Visa – While we don’t use credit cards, most people do it seems. We do have a Chase Disney Visa card that never gets used anymore, but if we did use it, we could earn cash back that they then turn into Disney Rewards (basically a Disney gift card). Most credit cards have rewards programs, so if you are a regular user of a credit card, be sure to cash in those rewards for Disney or Landry (Rainforest Café, T-Rex) gift cards or cash for your fund. Another perk of the Chase Disney Visa is that you can get a free photo with a couple characters in Epcot, so be sure to review their site for this info on all the other extras you get, like room discounts, tour discounts, money off purchases, etc.

6. Give up eating out a meal once a month or going to the movies – We make sacrifices each month in order to save for our trip, and it’s definitely much harder to do now that we’ve moved from the country to the city where everything is convenient. If you have a large family, giving up a meal out or a trip to the movies can save quite a bit of money each year – with all the money you save in your budget, put it in your fund. We also gave up cable *gasp* and just use an antenna now – yeah it looks funny to have an antenna sitting next to a 55” HDTV, but hey, we save $70+ by not having cable. To us, it’s worth the sacrifice to give up those things if it means that we get to enjoy a vacation to Disney World instead.

5. Use Coupons – Sounds simple, but it can be quite intimidating to a lot of people. My husband gets stressed trying to figure it all out, so he leaves that part to me, but he loves seeing the total go down at the grocery store as they’re scanning coupons. You don’t have to ‘extreme coupon’ to the point where you have a stockpile room full of toilet paper (yes, I had a stockpile room designated for nothing but things I had purchased using coupons – then we moved and now I’m just down to a little closet). But with every bit of money you save each month, you can put that money into your Disney Fund. Whether you put it in a savings account or a jar at your house, just make sure it’s put aside so that you don’t spend it. If you earn a rebate or gift card for buying certain items, put the money equivalent back into your fund as well. For couponing help, be sure to visit our friend at Couponing to Disney.

4. Earn extra $ and Giftcards Online – For the longest time, this was a huge part of how we saved for trips (and paid for Christmas gifts…). Then I started working full-time away from home and I just don’t have as much time to dedicate each night to this now, but if you’re just watching TV, why not make a few bucks while doing it? There are a lot of survey and rewards companies out there and not all are created equal. But I do have my favorites. Some allow you to earn cash while others allow you to redeem points for gift cards. Not all gift cards are Disney related, but if you do earn a gift card to something like Amazon, just be sure to take that money that you earned and put it into your Disney fund. The ones that I’ve fondest of are: GlobalTestMarket, OneOpinion, MyPoints, Swagbucks (until they banned me from taking surveys because I was racking up too much $ doing so…), Mindfield, and Opinion Outpost. Again, you’re not going to get rich doing surveys on these sites, but some money is better than none.

3. Buy Disney Gift Cards at Target – This seems to be a very popular way to save money now, as we notice that our Target always has very few Disney gift cards in stock (I think we spotted only 2 last week). For those that don’t know, if you have a Target Red Card (Debit OR Credit), you save 5% off your purchases, including gift cards – I know, that’s crazy, right? But it’s true. And if you take part in the Pharmacy Rewards program, then you can save an additional 5%. I don’t know about you, but saving 5% or 10% on Disney gift cards that I can then put towards paying for my room/package, food and souvenirs sounds good to me. The only problem you may have is finding enough of these gift cards in your store.

2. Stay off resort – Not everyone will agree with me on this one, as they think you somehow lose the magic if you stay off resort. And while that’s true to a certain extent, I’d still rather go to Disney and stay off resort than stay at home and watch TV because I couldn’t afford to make the trip to Disney World…in our 15 trips over the last few 4 years, we’ve only stayed on resort twice, yes, two whole times. Did we lose the Disney magic? Nope. Staying off resort is the single most important reason why we’re able to make more than one trip to Disney World each year. I’d rather stay off resort, save money and go to Disney more than once than splurge, stay on resort and only make one trip a year. But maybe that’s just me. I don’t buy into the argument that it doesn’t cost ‘that much more’ to stay on resort. I’d say spending an extra $400-$1400 to stay in a Disney Resort as being a big justification to stay off property – and that’s just if you have one room. There are a plethora of options off resort and I’m not saying you have to stay in the cheapest hotel/motel in Kissimmee that you can find – trust us, we’ve done it and I can’t say that we wouldn’t do it again if it’s what made the trip happen. You can rent a condo/townhome or stay in a mid-range hotel for much less than staying on resort. You’re only sleeping there for the most part, so we just don’t find having a room to sleep in on resort that much more important since we don’t always take advantage of the pool or other resort amenities. Now, if you’re not a passholder, then you will have to pay for parking each day, but that’s still less than $100 for the week. Staying off resort also means that you have many more options to save money by eating meals outside of the parks. This is a give and take decision and you really have to decide for your family which is more important – saving money so that you can perhaps buy extra souvenirs (or in our case, pins) or even make the trip by staying off property or stay on property so that you can enjoy some of the ‘extras’ you get for being a resort guest. If you can afford to stay on resort, then by all means, do so!

1. Have a Yard Sale or sell things on Craigslist – This is my top way to earn money for a trip. I believe I earned $600 for December trip last year, all because I decided we needed to get rid of ‘stuff’ that we no longer used. This is very easy to accomplish when you’re doing your annual ‘Spring Cleaning.’ I think we all have items in our homes that haven’t seen the light of day in over 6 months and those are all items that you can sell and put cash into your fund. We have a rule in our house – if it hasn’t been used in the last 6 months to a year, then we don’t need it and those items make it into our sell pile. This is also a great way to get your kids involved in the planning/saving of your trip. Have them go through items in their rooms that they perhaps don’t play with anymore. They won’t see it as something they’re giving up if they know it’s going to gain them a trip to Walt Disney World. They can even have a lemonade or snack stand at the yard sale to help raise even more money towards the goal of a trip. Of course, if you don’t like having a yard sale, just list things on Craigslist (this is how we do it), just be sure to meet in public places for safety reasons.

So there you have it, my Top 10 ways to save money for your next trip to Walt Disney World (and these same principles can be applied to your trip to Disneyland as well) and also cut down on expenses to allow you to make the trip. Do you have other ways that you like to save? If so, be sure to share in the comments below.

Emma Thompson to be honored with Handprint-Footprint Ceremony

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

November 7, 2013

Academy Award-winning actress Emma Thompson will be honored with her handprint – footprint ceremony, on November 7th, prior to the The 2013 Opening Night Gala event of The American Film Institute Festival. Following the ceremony, TCL Chinese Theatre will debut the screening of Disney’s newest movie release – “Saving Mr. Banks”.

Emma Thomspon who stars as “Mary Poppins” author P.L. Travers, is an accomplished British actress, author, comedian and screenwriter. Emma Thompson and P.L. Travers appeared to share a similar life changing event in the lose of their fathers at an early age. The actress once said how this event tore her family apart, and commented, if her father were still alive perhaps she might not have had the courage to pursue her career.

Ceremony Takes Place at TCL Chinese Theatre Prior to Screening of “Saving Mr. Banks,” Opening Gala of the AFI Fest, on Thursday, November 7

Inspired by true events, “Saving Mr. Banks” is the extraordinary, untold story of how Walt Disney’s classic “Mary Poppins” made it to the screen and also stars Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Annie Rose Buckley, Ruth Wilson, B.J. Novak, Rachel Griffiths, Kathy Baker and Colin Farrell.

When Walt Disney’s daughters begged him to make a movie of their favorite book, P.L. Travers’ “Mary Poppins,” he made them a promise—one that he didn’t realize would take 20 years to keep. In his quest to obtain the rights, Walt comes up against a curmudgeonly, uncompromising writer who has absolutely no intention of letting her beloved magical nanny get mauled by the Hollywood machine. But, as the books stop selling and money grows short, Travers reluctantly agrees to go to Los Angeles to hear Disney’s plans for the adaptation.

For those two short weeks in 1961, Walt Disney pulls out all the stops. Armed with imaginative storyboards and chirpy songs from the talented Sherman brothers, Walt launches an all-out onslaught on P.L. Travers, but the prickly author doesn’t budge. He soon begins to watch helplessly as Travers becomes increasingly immovable and the rights begin to move further away from his grasp.

It is only when he reaches into his own childhood that Walt discovers the truth about the ghosts that haunt her, and together they set Mary Poppins free to ultimately make one of the most endearing films in cinematic history.

Disney presents “Saving Mr. Banks,” directed by John Lee Hancock, produced by Alison Owen, Ian Collie and Philip Steuer, and screenplay written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith. Executive producers are Paul Trijbits, Andrew Mason, Troy Lum and Christine Langan. The film will release in U.S. theaters on December 13, 2013, limited, and open wide on December 20, 2013.

Disney Movie News – A Live Action Jungle Book Movie Might be on the Way

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

November 7, 2013

On the heels of the live action Cinderella Movie… Jon Favreau the director, who is best known for his Iron Man movies and the Christmas classic, Elf, is in negotiations to direct Disney’s live-action version of The Jungle Book.

Justin Marks is writing the script, which has no producers attached to it yet.

The Jungle Book, written by Rudyard Kipling, is a collection of fables set in India The majority of it focuses on Mowgli, a young boy raised by wolves whose friends include a bear named Baloo and a panther by the name of Bagheera.

Does a Live Action Jungle Book movie seem like something you would watch? Or should Disney just leave this classic movie alone? Let us know in the comment box below.

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

Top Five Reasons Why Disney World During The Holiday Season RULES!

Catie

November 7, 2013

Walt Disney World is always a great place to vacation, but it gets even better during the Holiday season! There is so much to see and experience at the Parks and Resorts during this time that it’s hard to describe it all! But I shall try – with this rundown of the top five BEST things about WDW During The Holidays:

FOOD – Disney Food is by far some of the best food on the planet – and they manage to make it even better for the holidays! Pumpkin fudge at the Main Street Confectionary, Holiday themed cupcakes and candy apples and cookies (including gingerbread Mickeys!), candy canes, and everything is adorned in red and green sprinkles to get you in the holiday spirit. Many Disney restaurants also take part in the holiday cheer by offering special menus and dishes for the occasion, check out the list of participating restaurants here

Decorations – Disney‘s motto when it comes to decorating at Christmastime should be “go big or go home” – because they CERTAINLY go big on the holiday décor! Every lamp post you see is adorned with a (Mickey shaped!) wreath, and garlands and wreaths adorn Main Street USA, and every Park and Resort have their own Christmas Tree (many of which are larger than life!) that is covered in lights and themed decorations. The piece de resistance though is Cinderella’s Castle – which is draped entirely in nets of lights that are turned on at dusk and twinkle so beautifully that they will bring out the Christmas lover in even the biggest Grinch out there!

Gingerbread anyone? – Gingerbread is a very popular Christmas treat – and its everywhere at WDW! Head to these resorts and check out their displays:

Disney’s Boardwalk Resort – Check out the intricate Gingerbread scene here which includes Lilo, Stitch, and a mini Boardwalk Bakery

Contemporary Resort – A Giant Gingerbread Christmas Tree greets you here, it’s truly a sight to see

Grand Floridian Resort – The Resort Lobby houses a Life Size Gingerbread house, where you can even purchase gingerbread “shingles” to take home

Yacht And Beach Club – My personal favorite Gingerbread display is located here – the life size spinning Gingerbread Carousel – it’s hard to

believe it’s made out of cookies!

Not a gingerbread fan? Then head over to Epcot’s America pavilion – where Mrs. Claus has set up shop – baking delicious cookies and various other treats. Pair these with some hot cider or cocoa and you’ve got the perfect holiday snack

Live Entertainment – Head over to Epcot for evening presentations of the Candlelight Processional which includes re-telling of the Christmas story by celebrity narrators, and includes an orchestra and choir accompaniment too. Festival of the Seasons in Downtown Disney includes daily appearances from Santa himself, as well as live entertainment (carolers, bands, and more!), and plenty of shopping options with something for everyone on your gift list. Head over to Animal Kingdom for Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade – which includes music, dancing, and your favorite characters all decked out in their holiday finery. End your night over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with their Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights – a dazzling display of millions of lights that will awe and amaze

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party – Is held on select nights around Christmas time, and it includes a special parade and fireworks display, as well as character meet and greets. Oh, and there’s free cookies and cocoa – yum! The Magic Kingdom is shut down to the general public for this event, and only those with tickets to the party are allowed entry (click here for official date and ticket information). Oh, and the best part? They make it SNOW on Main Street during the parade!

I would have to say that Christmas Merchandise is a close “runner up” to the above items – there are some adorable stuffed animals, shirts, pins, hats, ornaments, and much more available at shops around the Parks

Disney + Christmas = the perfect combo! Oh, and we can’t forget about the Holiday Cheer – The Cast Members are all dressed up in holiday style, and they really go the extra mile to pass on that holiday spirit, plus there’s Christmas tunes playing everywhere, and it all combines to create the perfect holiday atmosphere!

Star Wars Episode VII to Open December 18, 2015

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

November 7, 2013

star wars episode vii logo

Pre-production is in full-swing and a confirmed release date of December 18, 2015, has been set for Lucasfilm’s highly anticipated Star Wars Episode VII.

“We’re very excited to share the official 2015 release date for Star Wars: Episode VII, where it will not only anchor the popular holiday filmgoing season but also ensure our extraordinary filmmaking team has the time needed to deliver a sensational picture,” said Alan Horn, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios.

Star Wars: Episode VII will be directed by J. J. Abrams (Super 8, Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek)and is being scripted by Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi). Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, with Tommy Harper (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Jack Ryan, Star Trek Into Darkness) and Jason McGatlin (Tintin, War of the Worlds) serving as executive producers. John Williams is returning to score Star Wars: Episode VII.

Shooting is scheduled to begin spring 2014 at Pinewood Studios.

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

Disney Dining News – Splitsville Menu Adds Gluten Free Options in Downtown Disney

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

November 7, 2013

Guests who adhere to a gluten free diet will be excited to hear that Splitsville in Downtown Disney has recently updated their menu to include 16 new gluten free dishes. Rather than creating a separate gluten free menu, Splitsville integrated the new dishes into the regular menu. In fact, you can easily identify them by finding the GF symbol located next to the menu item description. Of course, any time you dine at a location with a special diet, be sure to let your server know so that they can alert the managers & chefs of your special dietary needs to ensure food allergy safety protocol.

The gluten free dishes at Splitsville are not only safely GF but also provide a lot of great flavor and appeal. Items such as the rice bowls are very popular and offer large portions—a great value for GF and non-GF diners. Craving pizza? GF diners can enjoy this rare treat at Splitsville where they can customize their pizza with all their favorite GF offerings. The restaurant even has some terrific sushi offerings, including the Alberto which contains no rice but has spicy tuna and avocado rolled in thinly sliced cucumber and served with a lemon ponzu sauce. Other offerings include appetizers such as the Blazing Chicken (think Buffalo Chicken wings, only gluten free), steamed edamame and even seared ahi tuna. Gluten free salad offerings are also available and several entree options such as blackened mahi mahi with spicy voodoo shrimp and grilled salmon with mango chutney, fresh broccoli and sushi rice.

It’s pretty clear that Splitsville new offerings provide not only safe options for guests with Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance and other special dietary needs but also tasty ones too. A full listing of gluten free options at Splitsville can be found on Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW. Of course, always check with the restaurant for the most up-to-date gluten free offerings. For guests who have multiple dietary needs, check with your server for additional special diets assistance.

When Sarah isn’t sharing planning tips about the Walt Disney World Resort, you can find her at Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW where she writes dining reviews and shares tips and tricks about dining at Disney with a special diet.

There will be no Full House Spin-Off or Sequel

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

November 7, 2013

There has been no official statement about a Full House spin-off or a sequel or anything concerning Full House. This has been a rumor that has been circulating for a little while now. No one really knows how it started or where it came from, but there are some ideas about it’s origin.

It is said that a website called Oh No They Didn’t copy and pasted an entire article from a blog called Disney Treasures. That blog had copied and pasted the article from Screen Rant, which explains at the very top that the whole thing was an April Fool’s joke from earlier this year.

Both blogs ignored comments complaining that the story was an April Fool’s joke from this past spring.Also, they both copied and pasted a link that when you click on it sends you to a photo of this man saying, “OMG April Fool!”

So sorry there is no Full House show coming.Sometimes it seems as though the internet gets a mind of it’s own. Just because you see it online does not make it true.

What do you think should Full House come back to television? How about a spin-off would you watch it? Let us know in the comment box below.

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

Electric Bus Testing Happening Now at Walt Disney World

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

November 7, 2013

electric bus concept — Photo credit joshuacunning.com

This month Walt Disney World Transportation is testing one all-electric bus. This test model is being driven by transportation cast members at Walt Disney World, but not for long. Testing is scheduled to end mid-November. The all-electric bus is not a Disney-owned vehicle and is quieter than traditional buses. Disney is doing the testing due to the fact that electric vehicles are becoming more common within the passenger transit industry. Disney has nothing to announce at this time as to whether they will be converting it’s fleet to electric buses. For now, this is just one bus in testing – for a very limited time – and nothing more.

Electric Bus Testing Happening Now at Walt Disney World — Photo credit joshuacunning.com

In doing my research for “electric Disney bus” however, I stumbled on the photos included in this post. This is an awesome and imaginative concept created by Joshua Cunning (for entertainment purposes only). Josh dreams of the future Disney transportation coming to us in this proposed system called the ULTra transportation system. He explains that is would consist of small, lightweight, computer driven electric vehicles running on slender, special-purpose guide-ways. Just imagine for a moment what it might be like to travel around property in one of these! Who knows what the future could hold?

Best Times of Year for Couples to Visit Disney World

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

November 7, 2013

My husband and I try to go to Walt Disney World as often as possible throughout the year. We make about 3 week-long trips a year and we’ve definitely discovered the best times to go and when to just stay far away. Some people just laugh when you tell them you’re going to Disney World or say “but isn’t that for kids,” to which I will unequivocally debate that theory. My co-workers no long ask where we’re going on vacation, but rather ‘when’ we’re going back to Disney World – they know me well. I think Disney World is a wonderful place for both young and old, especially when it’s just a couples trip – I mean, who doesn’t like to feel like a kid again? Work and life in general can be stressful and a trip to Disney World just kind of takes it all away, even if for only a brief period of time.

So what are the best times to go and when should you avoid going to Disney World if you’re traveling as a couple? The obvious time to avoid the parks is during the summer. Not only is it insanely HOT in Florida, but it’s crowded. Kids are out of school and everyone is taking vacation, so the parks are busy and you’ll be beyond sweaty after a day in the parks. Holidays are also times you want to avoid for the same reason that schools are out for breaks during those days. Big events in the parks also bring crowds, such as Star Wars Weekends (although I do have to admit that as someone who has never seen an entire Star Wars movie, I really enjoyed going during one of the weekends this was going on). But those events are generally held during the year when schools are perhaps still in, so the crowds aren’t too bad.

There are three times of the year that we like to visit the parks. Fall is a very popular time of the year to go, usually in October or early November. The weather is (usually) much cooler, Magic Kingdom has awesome Halloween decorations and the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party to enjoy, and typically the crowds are pretty low. Although, I’ve heard a lot of complaints about the higher-than-normal crowds in October this year, but it still beats going in the summer or during a holiday weekend. Another word of warning, since this is also the time of year when the Food & Wine Festival is going on, be sure to avoid Epcot particularly on weekends when locals visit the parks. I’ve yet to hear many positives about visiting on weekends during the festival when it’s insanely crowded in World Showcase.

We love visiting Disney World when the Flower & Garden Festival is going on and have done it every year for 3 years now – but we avoid going the week before and after Easter, as schools are out on Spring Break then. Not only is the temperature cool or mildly warm in March/April, Epcot is simply beautiful during that time of year. We’re sort of HGTV nerds, so we try to plan our trip around which HGTV designer is featured that week at the Flower & Garden Festival, but that probably doesn’t matter to most people.

Our hands down favorite time of the year to visit Disney World is in early December. We try to visit in the first or second week in order to avoid those who are getting out of school for Winter Break (it starts to get crowded each year around December 20th). The resorts are beautifully decorated, there is just a slight chill in the air, the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is a lot of fun, the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights are awe inspiring and mesmerizing, and nothing can beat the decorations and Castle Dream Lights in Magic Kingdom. It just doesn’t feel like Christmas to us until we’ve made a trip to WDW. And of course it’s simply romantic to take it all in with the one you love.

When do you like to visit Walt Disney World? Let us know in the comment box below.

Orlando City Soccer to Play at Disney World

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

November 7, 2013

The Orlando City Soccer Club has found a new home, although temporary, to play in 2014, as the Florida Citrus Bowl begins renovations worth $200 million dollars. The team will play its home games at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Disney World Resort.

This will be the team’s temporary home for one year during renovations of the Florida Citrus Bowl. The Florida Citrus Bowl is set to re-open in early 2015

Recently Orange County approved the plans to spend $20 million on a new soccer stadium.

The deal also includes money for a renovated Citrus Bowl and the second part of the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center.

The soccer stadium will be built west of downtown in Parramore and would help make Orlando City Soccer an MLS franchise.

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

Former Disneyland Cast Member Sentenced for Dry Ice Bomb

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

November 6, 2013

A former Disneyland Cast Member has been sentenced to 36 days in jail after two dry ice water bottles exploded in the theme park.

The Orange County District Attorney’s office says 23-year-old Christian Barnes was sentenced Monday. He plead guilty to a court offer of one misdemeanor count of possession of a destructive device.

Barnes was also sentenced to three years informal probation, 100 hours of community service and ordered to stay away from Disneyland.

Prosecutors say Barnes placed dry ice in two water bottles that exploded in May at the California theme park when he was a Disneyland employee. No one was injured in the blasts.

Wishing you Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

Sunshine

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