The Disney Fantasy: Our first Impression

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March 31, 2012

The Disney Fantasy: Our first Impression

I count myself incredibly honored to have been among the chosen to take part on the Fantasy Inaugural Voyage.

This voyage, though far to brief, was incredible. I’ll admit I didn’t expect the Fantasy to be much different than the Dream. After all, they are sister ships and the time lapse between the building and release of the ships was very brief.

To detail the ship in its entirety would make for an extremely lengthy article and I know you all well enough to know your attention spans won’t last that long.

I’m assuming that the main questions on everyone’s minds revolve around the differences between the Dream and the Fantasy so here we go.

The decor-obviously the ships are going to be decorated differently; just as the Magic and Wonder are. The Peacock theme on the Fantasy is very well done and is absolutely gorgeous. The colored chandelier in the atrium is beautiful and will take your breath away.

The layout– The Dream and the Fantasy are set up practically identical, so if you’ve been on the Dream you won’t find the Fantasy hard to navigate.

The adult clubs-While I truly enjoyed the theming of Evolution (on the Disney Dream) in my opinion The Tube (Disney Fantasy) has it beat hands down in theming. You truly feel transported to the Tube in London. There are even red phone booths, british flag leather booths as well as railings and leather hand straps to hang onto, just as if you were riding the Tube. The bar area is gorgeous and the lighting style is very modern and functional. The glass bulbs can have images illuminated on them, can change color, etc. The dance floor also lights up and can have images projected onto it. There seems to be a much move vast selection of seating especially in seating decor. You’ll find large ornate overstuffed velvet chairs fit for a king as well as super modern circular chairs in red lacquer, large oval booths to accommodate new friends and plush overstuffed couches and chairs. The play on red, black and white really gives a great contrast and the textiles give it a rich feeling that Evolution doesn’t really have. The Tube looks very expensive and well thought out and is immaculately themed. There are now mini remotes for audience participation; so it was fun to vote in the “Match Your Mate” competition it really made you feel like part of a game show audience.

The Europa District-This cluster of adult areas has upgraded and changed each location as well as the overall layout. The new layout is much better and makes La Piazza a destination as opposed to a walk way as the District Lounge seems to be on the Dream. The adult areas feel a bit more distinguished and each one has its own identity and has to be found, unlike The District where you feel like everything is in one large hallway and you just pick which door; right or left. The transformation between bars is really quite amazing.

Ooh La La makes you feel like you are in a French Boudoir, with velvet chaise lounges, fantastically ruffled chairs and ornate decor. Ooh La La feels much more European and French influenced than the Champagne bar on the other ship-Pink. I really can’t decide which I like better; I have to admit that the Pink elephant is pretty darn cute on the Disney Dream! Both places have a very different feel to them; while one is modern and bright the other is very French.

O’ Gills Irish Pub seems a much better solution than 687-the sports bar on the Dream. This seemed to draw a much broader crowd but still serve the purpose of lots of beer and televisions; and let’s be serious….who doesn’t love to pretend they’re Irish?!

The water features in the adult areas are the best addition to the Fantasy. Deck 12 now has a water feature that’s perfect to sit on the edge and dip your feet, or sit in the shallow water to stay cool in the hot sun. It seems to serve as a sort of watering hole for sun bathers and it’s nice to see folks chatting together during the day. The chair situation on the upper decks also seems to have improved. There seem to be more chairs, and there are also shady areas brought to you by Cabana-esque shelters to the sides of the decks. You’ll find many people here listening to music, writing or on their laptops. This is a perfect spot for folks who want o be outside but can’t take the heat (literally). The top on the “shelter” covers a large area so it’s not like having your own private cabana and I love the open feel of it and the fact that shade dwellers can now intermingle instead of sending a single member of your travel party to bed for an umbrella or place in the shade. This deck is a place everyone (sun worshiper or not) can enjoy together.

Satellite Falls: I can’t even begin to describe this wonderful invention. This is yet another water feature for adults only (that means PEACE AND QUIET!). This water feature has a water curtain that falls down from around the circumference of the sphere above. You can sit on the edge, dip your feet, climb on it, stay under the water curtain or find a spot inside the water curtain. The tile work is beautiful, and its a great use of location. The concierge level sun deck (which has privacy and key card entry of course) shares this space but it has a very relaxed, almost quaint feel to it. Again you’ll find shady spots here as well as loungers in the sun.

The addition of “Aladdin” and the newest show “Wishes” are the other major changes as well as the changes and upgrades to Animator’s Palate. Overall the ship is beautiful beyond words and I can’t wait to cruise again and stay on for a full seven days to really experience all the Fantasy has to offer!

If you’d like to experience the Disney Fantasy, there are great rates for Guaranteed Rooms with Restrictions available for April sailings! Contact me for your free quote and to check availability! [email protected]

Disney Fantasy: The Tube (thepracticalplanner.blogspot.com)
Disney considers another gourmet lunch option on Fantasy (passporterboards.com)

The Disney Fantasy: Our first Impression

Disney Classic Peter Pan Re-imagined on iPad and iPhone

By

Chip

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March 31, 2012

“Peter Pan”, the first in a series of Disney Classics storybook apps available for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, launched today. Featuring original illustrations by Disney Legends John Hench and Al Dempster, readers can relive the magical story of the classic film Peter Pan through word-for-word narration, multiple reading modes and interactive surprises.

“Disney Publishing has access to a vast library of stories and characters that we are now able to bring to a new generation of readers through mobile devices,” said Lyle Underkoffler, vice president, Digital Media. “We are particularly excited to add this app to our collection of Peter Pan-inspired books, including Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s best-selling Peter and the Starcatchers series, which will debut on Broadway this spring.”

The Peter Pan App invites readers to join Wendy, John, and Michael on their adventures with Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, the Lost Boys, Captain Hook and his swashbuckling crew of pirates. Built into the story are interactive puzzles, coloring pages, a leveled-memory matching game and musical instrument, as well as tap-and-play interactivity.

Over the next few months, Peter Pan will be followed by several other Disney Classics tales, including Jungle Book, The Aristocats and Bambi.

The Peter Pan App is available for $3.99 from the App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, or at http://www.itunes.com/appstore.
For more information, visit http://disneybookapps.com and http://www.facebook.com/DisneyReads, or follow on Twitter @DisneyReads.

Peter Pan Returns to Neverland in All New ‘Jake and the Neverland Pirates’ Premiere (chipandco.com)
Disney Releases “The Lion King: Timon’s Tale” and “Tangled” for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch (chipandco.com)

Disney Classic Peter Pan Re-imagined on iPad and iPhone

Addicted to runDisney

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

-

March 31, 2012

three Caballeros, running, rundisney

Since the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend in January when I ran the 5k and was a spectator for the half marathon, I haven’t done much running. No guilt here – I was 6 months pregnant for Marathon Weekend and continuing running to that point was a huge accomplishment, especially from who I was in my younger days.

But, post race, running became nearly impossible – too much pain. And, even though I’ve completed 2 half marathons at 13.1 miles each (and all the training runs leading up to that), I’m not good with pain. However, now that I haven’t been on a run in over 3 months, I’m craving some time on the pavement. And, being due with baby #2 in a few short weeks, it’s looking to be another few months before I get in real run time.

Without my actual runs, I’ve been exciting watching runDisney announce their new race – the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10 Miler and move the Wine and Dine race to a different weekends – races I hope to someday partake in. And, I got to read all about the newest Disneyland Half Marathon inaugurate the Tinkerbell Half Marathon. Plus, registration for the 2013 WDW Marathon Weekend opens soon and we can start planning our next trip – our first trip as a family of 4!

Of course, after not running for 5 months, I’ll basically be starting over, but I have until January to run 13.1 and thanks to Jeff Galloway, runDisney’s official trainer, I’ll be ready. Will you be running with me?

Touring for Two (disneybabiesblog.com)
Registration is now open for the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend! (chipandco.com)

The Muppets Invade Disney

By

Chip

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March 31, 2012

When Walt Disney Pictures released “The Muppets” last Thanksgiving, there were lots of reasons for fans like us to celebrate. After all, most of us have watched “The Muppet Show” for decades, have seen the movies and experienced the marvelous madness of Muppet*Vision 3-D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (which is as much a loving tribute to the original TV show as the recent movie).

Now that “The Muppets” is available on Blu-ray and DVD, we’ve gained one more reason to cheer: last month, the Academy Award for Best Song was awarded to “Man or Muppet” from Walt Disney Pictures’ “The Muppets.” And if you haven’t been keeping a list, this was the very first Oscar awarded to a Muppet project, ever!

It was also the first Oscar for New Zealand-born lyricist/composer Bret McKenzie, who found it an amazing thrill to be part of a distinguished Muppet music legacy, which has earned numerous Grammy and Gold Record awards over the decades. “I wanted to make sure the songs sounded like Muppet songs,” he told us. “So I took on the job of producing them, to make them feel cohesive and to help the film itself hold together sonically.”

You can hear “Man or Muppet” and the other great songs in the new multi-disc “Wocka Wocka” Edition that combines a Blu-ray, DVD, movie download and soundtrack album download in one package.

Be sure to check out my Muppets Bluray Review here

Wocka Wocka MUPPETS Honored with Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (chipandco.com)
Hungry for More Muppets?! (chipandco.com)

Marvel’s ‘The Avengers’ Monorail to Debut This Spring at Walt Disney World Resort

By

Chip

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March 31, 2012

Great news Marvel Studios is bringing Marvel’s “The Avengers” to Walt Disney World Resort this spring! Also expect to see Marvel Characters coming to the Disney Parks Soon.

In Marvel’s “The Avengers,” super heroes team up to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.

Similar to the “Tron”-themed wrap, one of our Magic Kingdom Park Monorails is currently undergoing a Marvel’s “The Avengers”-themed changeover to celebrate the May 4 opening of the film, which stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

Photo credit Daniel Plumey aka F-Stick

Marvel Hosts ‘Avengers’ Q&A on Twitter (chipandco.com)
Disney Confidential – Magic Kingdom Monorail Loop Closing (chipandco.com)

Marvel’s ‘The Avengers’ Monorail to Debut This Spring at Walt Disney World Resort

Disney Store 25th Anniversary Giveaway

By

Chip

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March 30, 2012

On March 28, 2012, Disney Store will celebrate its 25th anniversary. In celebration of this momentous occasion we are giving away this HUGE Disney Prize Pack!

Disney Store 25th Anniversary Gift Pack consists of a Mickey & Minnie Mouse Photo Frame, a World of Disney Journal, a World of Disney Ballpoint Pen, and a World of Disney Reusable Tote. All of these items plus many more are available now at Disney Store.

For more information about Disney Store’s past 25 years, be sure to visit its official blog, The Buzz, which is posting daily articles celebrating its vibrant history.

To enter just use the Rafflecopter form below. As an added bonus I will manually enter any shares you do from the top or bottom of this page. (Just click the red Share Button) You have between now and Saturday March 31st at 12:01am. to enter.

So enter, comment, and share as often as you like.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disney Store’s Exclusive 25th Anniversary Offer for D23 Members (chipandco.com)
Disney Store’s 25th Anniversary Sweepstakes (chipandco.com)

iPad App Review: Learn Chinese: Toy Story 3

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

-

March 30, 2012

I was recently given the opportunity to review an iPad app by Disney. This special app, called Learn Chinese: Toy Story 3, is part of their new Language Learning Read Along initiative, and is designed to help children — and adults, if they are so inclined — to learn how to read and speak Chinese with the help of your friends from Toy Story 3!

The folks at Disney deserve many kudos for this app — it is so incredibly detailed, it takes quite a while to get through all of it, and even after looking at all of the nooks and crannies, I still haven’t absorbed it all in, so don’t ask me to speak to you in Chinese, please!

The premise of the app is that you read the story first in English, and then you substitute some of the words for Chinese, then more of the words, and so on until all of the story is in Chinese. Take a look at these screen shots for more information.

iPad App Review: Learn Chinese: Toy Story 3 — All the words are in English.

There are some other incredible features for this app. For example, do you see the little toy microphone to the left of these screen shots? If you tap that, it will open up the recording feature of the program, which will allow you to record your voice for practicing pronunciation of Chinese words — or, if you are learning English, English words. You can record the words as often as you want, and play back the recording to see how you compare with the narrator’s recording.

Have you noticed that you can highlight the words? When you tap on it, it will briefly highlight and the narrator will pronounce the word. However, if you “flick” the word with your finger to the bottom of the screen, it will put the word at the bottom, but translated into Chinese (or if you are reading the word in Chinese, it will translate it to English). That is just one of the things that really documents how well designed this app is, and what a great job the folks at Disney did. Take a look at these two screenshots to see what I mean.

I really can’t stress enough how incredibly well designed this app is. The cost of this app is $4.99, and for such a small fee, it really does pack a lot of learning into the app! My daughter Sophie has a book that talks about the Chinese language, and even shows how to write some common Chinese words, and she loves this app. If you are looking to get your children interested in a foreign language, this app may be just the ticket for you to make learning fun for your children. Give it some thought, you might just find yourself learning a new language!

Disney Publishing Worldwide Releases “Learn Chinese: Toy Story 3″ for iPad(chipandco.com)

Disney World Quick Tips – Avoid the Morning RUSH

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

-

March 30, 2012

The early bird gets the worm right? This Disney World Quick tip is for all those non morning people out there. (Like Me)

If you aren’t the Disney Character Breakfast type, or need a little something to get you going in the morning (try coffee), you can avoid the morning rush by trying this easy trick!

In the evening when you arrive back at your resort from a long day in the parks, stop into the snack shop and pick up a muffin, granola bar, pop tart or pastry and bring it back to your room (many of these count as snacks on the Disney Dining Plan). Since all resorts have refrigerators you can even grab some milk and cereal and stash it in your room. We like to use Garden Grocer for all of our grocery needs.

When you wake up the next morning you have your breakfast ready to go, no muss, no fuss and no morning rush!

Disney World Quick Tips – Travel Bag Must Haves (chipandco.com)
Disney World Quick Tips – Room Upgrades is it worth it? (chipandco.com)

Disney World Quick Tips - Avoid the Morning RUSH

Marvel Characters Will Arrive in the Disney Parks

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

-

March 30, 2012

Since the Disney acquired Marvel, many fans have wondered if we’d begin to see some of the famous characters like Spider-Man and Hulk in the Disney parks alongside beloved Disney characters such as Mickey and Minnie. At Disney’s shareholder meeting two weeks ago, Bob Iger addressed that directly, and the answer is yes.

There’s always been hints that Marvel would eventually make a debut in the parks, and who can blame Disney for wanting to add some of their 8,000 plus new characters into the mix of these ever growing parks. Bob Iger has said that preliminary design work has begun on ways to incorporate the comic legends into the parks.

“We’re working on some concepts. It’s our hope that in a few places around the world, Marvel characters will appear either in attractions or lands or in some form to provide entertainment, like our Disney characters do.”

Iger also mentioned they are looking for ways to incorporate Phineas and Ferb more fully into the parks.

“That’s a great suggestion. I know we are hard at work figuring out ways that we can bring Phineas and Ferb in particular into the parks. … We think there are some great opportunities there.”

In what form Marvel will show up though, we still don’t know. I’m guessing a few rides and shows are definitely on our way though. I for one think this is great news, and I really look forward to seeing how this plays out. With such great additions to the parks such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones, I can see the Imagineers coming up with some incredibly ingenious plans that make the heroes fit into the park the same way they were able to make the Lucas Films properties fit into their respected lands. It’s not hard to imagine that there will be some very excited kids seeing their favorite heroes in the Disney parks, that they’ve never been able to meet before. I can’t wait to see where Disney goes with this.

Netflix: Stream Disney Parks and Disney films instantly to your computer, game system or smartphone (couponingtodisney.com)
Red Car Trolley Tests the Track at Disney California Adventure Park (chipandco.com)

Marvel Characters Will Arrive in the Disney Parks

Disney Interactive Launches Original Web Series for Gamers “Power Up”

By

Chip

-

March 30, 2012

Power Up, Disney Interactive’s new original web series gives families an inside look at the exciting world of video gaming. Presented by Kinect for Xbox 360, the weekly show on Disney.com is hosted by YouTube and musical sensation, Christina Grimmie, who will cover a wide range of game-related topics, including reviews of popular console, mobile, social and casual games. The series will also feature comedic game-based skits with other popular YouTube stars, as well as original songs and music by Grimmie. Fans can also check out Power Up on Disney’s network on YouTube, Disney Mobile and Xbox LIVE.

To celebrate the launch of Power Up and the highly anticipated “Kinect Rush: A Disney•Pixar Adventure” video game, players can enter the “Power Up Sweepstakes” for a chance to win a family trip to San Francisco, for a private tour of Pixar Animation Studios, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the game, as well as the opportunity to play “Kinect Rush: A Disney•Pixar Adventure” with Christina Grimmie. To enter the sweepstakes, guests can visit Disney.com/PowerUp or text “POWERUP” to 347639 (DISNEY).

Disney Interactive announced that “Brave: The Video Game” is currently in development (chipandco.com)
Disney Baby Celebrates 1 Million Facebook Likes (chipandco.com)

Disney Interactive Launches Original Web Series for Gamers "Power Up"

Merida from Pixar’s Brave Meet and Greet is Coming to Disney Parks

By

Chip

-

March 30, 2012

In the upcoming Disney•Pixar movie “Brave,” Merida is a headstrong teenager with a vibrant spirit and a softness of heart, struggling to take control of her own destiny. You’ll be able to discover Merida’s story when “Brave” opens in theaters June 22 and, beginning in mid-May, Merida will be coming to Disney Parks in an all-new character greeting experience.

At Magic Kingdom Park, Merida will appear in Fairytale Garden in a setting inspired by her Scottish Highlands home, where young guests will be invited to engage in archery lessons and other activities until it’s their turn to meet her. Joining Merida will be the three bear cubs from the film, who will no doubt be up to plenty of mischief.

To prepare for Merida’s arrival, Rapunzel will be moving from Fairytale Garden April 15, to a new spot at the outskirts of Adventureland where she will continue to greet her loyal fans and subjects.

When visiting Disneyland park in California this summer, Merida and the cubs will find a home away from home near “it’s a small world” in Fantasyland, where guests will also be able to participate in activities inspired by Merida’s story.

According to Creative Director Reed Jones, “These new play and greet experiences at both parks will immerse our guests in ‘Brave,’ giving them the opportunity to be a part of Merida’s Scottish clan. And we’re all excited to have the bear cubs join Merida with their silly antics, creating a whole new way to bring our beloved Disney Characters to life.”

All new Brave Poster and Trailer from Pixar (chipandco.com)
A Tale of Two Disney Parks Splitscreen Video (chipandco.com)

Merida from Pixar's Brave Meet and Greet is Coming to Disney Parks

Very funny Kinect Star Wars Video with Chris Pratt

By

Chip

-

March 29, 2012

Chris Pratt becomes more powerful than you can possibly imagine in this video for Kinect Star Wars, coming to Xbox 360 with Kinect! Hilarious!

Pre-order the Xbox 360 Kinect Star Wars Bundle via JediMouseketeer.com and get Kit Fisto (details) (jedimouseketeer.blogspot.com)
Kinect Star Wars “Girly Vader” Trailer (jedimouseketeer.blogspot.com)

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