Two of my favorite things in life are Disney characters and makeup. (What……..is that so wrong?)
Anyway, that’s why I got so excited about this and had to share it with you today!
From InStyle Magazine: “Disney gets the makeup treatment by e.l.f. cosmetics, with three Disney villain palettes featuring the Evil Queen, Cruella DeVil, and Maleficent rolling out at Walgreens stores for $10 each starting September 15th. (The collection also includes eye shadows, false lashes, a magic mirror, and more!)“
Maleficent is my favorite Disney villain of all time. Do I want to take makeup tips from her? Probably not. Will I be checking every Walgreens in town to see if they have these? Definitely. Some times it feels so good to be bad…and what girl doesn’t need a magic mirror? Are you kidding me???
I believe that the palettes are only going to be released to a limited number of Walgreens, (5,000 stores) so it may take some effort to track them down. You can be sure that if I do see them, I’ll buy them to review here on the blog.
I don’t know if the line will feature any of my favorite plus-sized villains – but I sure hope so.
“Late Fall” is the time frame for Test Track to return. Don’t you love it when Disney gets specific?
Walt Disney Imagineering’s Melissa Jeselnick revealed more details about Test Track through a Q&A chat session posted Monday on the Disney Parks Blog.
Here are some things Melissa had to say about what we can expect.
Remaining the same:
•Ride vehicles. They are “still the same physical ride that our guests know and love,” Melissa says. “You’ll ride in our sim car.”
•Track layout. The indoor-then-outdoor nature of the attraction continues, including the 65 mph stretch.
•Queue workarounds. Both FastPass and single-rider line will be available again for Test Track. YAY!
Expect these to be updated:
•Marquee. Test Track will have a new look upon approach in Future World.
•Queue. The pre-show area will be totally rehabbed, with a theme that is “changing from testing to design,” Jeselnick says. On display will be “actual items, sketches, cars, models from GM that have never been seen before by anyone outside the Chevrolet family,” she says.
•Music. The soundtrack will be futuristic and have sound effects. (To me, the thing looks like something from Tron. It seems the music may sound like Tron too!)
Here’s what will be totally different:
We will get a chance to virtually create a “dream vehicle” using interactive kiosks. Whether this is done individually or as a group, the new creation(s) will be graded against the standard sim car (the vehicles we actually ride in as we know them). When you get to the slide show at the bottom, look for the photo with the dials. We get to choose from factors such as capability, efficiency, responsiveness, power and speed. The actual ride will be the same, only now you get to see who makes the best “dream vehicle” in comparison to the sim car.
The post-show will kick off with a scoring opportunity, not just with the guests in our car, but guests throughout the day. (Think Toy Story Ride ending) From there, we’ll move into other opportunities to interact with our design. The show room space will still be there with the Chevrolet cars, and we’ll have our own photo ops with different concept cars.
Why the changes? Melissa told us car design has moved into a digital realm, and now Test Track will reflect that move. Test Track is one of my favorite attractions. I have a feeling it will stay that way. How about you?
I was hearing rumors about Disney taking away ” The Magic, Memories, and You” which is my favorite show!
But here’s what I found out from Disney:
“Celebrate the Magic,” a new nightly projection show on Cinderella Castle, will debut at Magic Kingdom Park in mid-November. “Celebrate the Magic” will incorporate favorite elements from “The Magic, The Memories and You!” with all-new music, storytelling and special effects. “The Magic, The Memories and You!,” will be presented for the last time on Monday, September 3, 2012 at both Magic Kingdom Park and Disneyland Park.
SO, to me, I think they are actually just improving my favorite show – not just taking it away.
I did a little research on the newest restaurant that is coming to Disney World, the fabulous Be Our Guest Restaurant. It will be a table service restaruant in the new Fantasyland located in what looks like the basement of Beast’s Castle. Here is a link to check out a model for yourself . Disney has said we can start booking for dinner some time in August (any day now!)
In listening to one of my favorite podcasts I found out that grey stuff is NOT on the menu but is said to be delicious (if you are familiar with the song from the movie). We get to look forward to a massive mural and THREE themed dining rooms. Get ready to feel truly immersed in scenes from the 1991 animated film “Beauty and the Beast”.
Photo credit: Disney
Here are some more interesting details:
The Be Our Guest Restaurant will be counter service for lunch, so that means we won’t need reservations for that time period. As far as counter service goes, it will be fancier then what we are used to. We will see things like real plates and real silverware. One of my personal favorite differences about this dining facility is that we will food at the counter and then get to sit down and wait for the food to be brought to us, similar to the way things work at Wolfgang Puck Express. Here is a wonderful review with pictures in case you want to know more about Wolfie’s….
At dinner we can expect full table service dining. This is the part of the day where you will certainly want to have a reservation. As a former Disney restaurant hostess, I can tell you with confidence it is highly unlikely the restaurant will not be taking walk-ins, at least for the first few months.
Here is the expected Menu for the Be Our Guest Restaurant: Counter-Service Menu: Sandwiches and salads on the menu will include a tuna Niçoise salad and a Croque Monsieur sandwich with carved ham, Gruyere cheese, béchamel and pommes frites, plus Carved turkey on a warm baguette with Dijon mayonnaise, or a grilled steak sandwich with garlic butter spread. These are also served with pommes frites. A braised pork dish — this is the Chef’s favorite. Vegetarians will enjoy a loaded vegetable quiche or quinoa, shallot, and chive salad. On the kid’s menu at lunch, expect a carved turkey sandwich, roasted pulled pork, Mickey meatloaf, seared mahi mahi, or whole-grain macaroni topped with marinara and mozzarella.
Table-Service Menu: Charcuterie plate with cured meats and sausages, mussels steamed in white wine, French onion or potato leek soup, a salad with champagne vinaigrette, and a salad trio with roasted beet, raisins, and orange; green beans, tomatoes, and roasted shallots; and watermelon, radish, and mint.
Main course options include a thyme-scented pork rack chop with au gratin pasta, rotisserie rock hen with roasted fingerling potatoes, pan-seared salmon in leek fondue, grilled strip steak with pommes frites, sautéed shrimp and scallops with veggies in puff pastry with creamy lobster sauce, and an oven-baked ratatouille.
For dessert, enjoy strawberry cream cheese or triple chocolate cupcakes, a chocolate cream puff, or a passion fruit cream puff.
For kids at dinner, it’s grilled steak, grilled fish of the day, whole-grain macaroni, or grilled chicken breast.
Important Info:
Reservations will be very difficult to get when it first opens. ADRS will open late August!
A credit card number will likely be required at time of booking. If you need to cancel, do so prior to 24 hours before your reservation time; there will be a fee to cancel within 24 hours.
Here is a video of fun things to look for in the restaurant- so you can point them out to your friends when you eat there. The video also features some fun facts. How many lights ARE there in the chandelier?
Well, now you’ll know. You will hear them say they want us to have an “eyes up jaw down reaction” when we walk in the restaurant. I can almost grantee that kind of reaction from me, how about you?
Disney Food Blog posted a wonderful piece today that includes beautiful pictures of the new Starbucks that has been placed in n the heart of Disney California Adventure’s new Buena Vista Street! Why is this exciting? Because it means the Starbucks at Disney World are coming soon!
If you are in DCA you will have to keep your eyes peeled. Disney is famous for adding little touches and details that you really have to look for, and the sign at the new Starbucks fittingly is discreet. You will want to go inside Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe, which is a quick service restaurant, for your Starbucks fix. While you’re there you can also choose to partake of some of the cafe’s food offerings. They have soups, and also sandwiches, like the roasted veggie or roast beef and cheddar. Check out the sweet treats too! With a few exceptions, the top two shelves in the case are Starbucks treats, and the rest are Disney.
I am still California dreamin’ but if you get to go – please send me a note and pictures. I’d love to hear all about it!
Twitter was buzzing yesterday with announcements that Big Thunder was testing! It seems like we’ve been waiting for construction to finish forever but testing means we are so close to the grand re-opening! Monday is the official first day we can take the wildest ride in the wilderness – and I for one – am so excited I can hardly stand it. Check out these amazing pictures and posts from bloggers who were actually there!
John Frost, one of my blogging heroes, actually got to RIDE Big Thunder yesterday! Check out his write –up if you are interested in his honest review! There’s going to be a wider queue with added show scenes AND….wait for it….air conditioning!!! Yippee!!
What do you think? Are you going to head out for the big day tomorrow? Please send me your pictures and stories from the big day! My email address is disneyways@gmail.com.
Disney has just released booking dates for the 2012 EPCOT International Food & Wine Events. Food and Wine will take place September 28, 2012–November 11, 2012. The date to call and book your events is August 10th at 7:00AM (eastern) for Annual and Seasonal Pass Holders, DVC Members, Tables in Wonderland Members and Golden Oak Residents. On August 14th at 7:00AM (eastern) all festival programming will open for booking for everyone. We will get additional information on all of the event celebrity guests and cooking demonstrations in the near future! You may want to subscribe to Disneyways by typing in your email address on the right hand side of this page – so you can be one of the first to know!
Here’s a video so we can reminisce about last year’s event!
I graduated high school in 1993. I am very proud to be a part of what I consider the “big hair” generation. Just like the girl in the Peanuts cartoons – I enthusiastically embraced my “naturally curly hair”. Just to prove it – here’s a picture of me at about that time.
You can stop laughing now. I still love my big hair, I just style it a little differently. Have you seen the trailers for the brand new Disney Pixar movie coming out on June 22nd? It’s called Brave, and I know it sounds weird, but bringing big hair back may be one of the things that excites me most about this movie. Merida is the main character, a skilled archer, inadvertent unleasher of chaos, a beastly curse undoer, even a Disney Princess for the feminists – and she does all of this while redefining what it meant to have beautiful BIG hair. I haven’t even seen the movie and I love her already.
Speaking of Disney Pixar movies…summer is upon us here in Florida, and I think it’s way too hot to be outside. That’s why I want to tell you about the Disney Pixar Summer Movie Weekend. In the midst of remembering our fallen heroes, along with all the planning and grilling this weekend, you just might want to find some time to relax and unwind! It’s pretty exciting that Disney is bringing back some Pixar classics. That’s right – this weekend you can catch Ratatouille, Toy Story 3, Up, and Wall-E at participating AMC Theaters. Prices vary but many tickets are just $6! Click here to get tickets and a list of participating AMC Theaters.
Maybe you’re more like me. To be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of seeing movies in theaters. Why risk having some kid kick my chair through the whole thing when 2 months later I could sit on my couch with my dog and enjoy the movie on my own time? Pixar movies, however, are an exception. One has to be in a real movie theater to fully appreciate the graphics, sound, and detail of these movies. My fantasy is to head to AMC Downtown Disney 24 Dine-in Theater to see Ratatouille for the Saturday showing. I haven’t had a chance to go to the new theater or (I’m ashamed to say it…) to see Ratatouille! Alas, with so much going on, I’m afraid it will just remain a fantasy.
I will try to plan a little better and get out to see Brave after June 22nd. Who knows? Maybe I will even put on my MC Hammer pants and do a little dance for everyone in line for tickets that day. (Please Hammer – don’t hurt ‘em!!) I will definitely use lots of mousse and a diffuser on my hair for the occasion – that’s a given. At least I will look hot when they haul me off to crazy town.
UPDATE May 2014: Saratoga Springs is no longer offering this program.
This is my Mom. Isn’t she a cutie?
My Mom loves flowers. She has a green thumb that I did NOT inherit! I needed a great and original idea for my Mom this year – and I think I found just the right thing. Today I thought I’d share with you what I found out about the Floral Experience at Community Hall in Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and spa.
This is so cool!
The floral experience helps us learn how to take ordinary fresh flowers and design a Disney-themed keepsake arrangement to take home. Disney says that in the process Mom will impress family and friends by “learning magical design tricks of the trade” and have the “experience of a lifetime” becoming a Walt Disney World florist for a day! So not only will we be giving her a gift of flowers, we will also be able to share that time and experience together at Disney…no park admission required! By the way, you don’t have to have a Mom or be a Mom to enjoy this experience. It’s all year round and really for anyone who enjoys this sort of thing.
(Hint!) There is no age limit on this class and almost anyone can learn how to design a Disney-themed floral keepsake…so if Dad isn’t into arranging flowers … this might be the perfect thing for a wife and daughter to enjoy together as a Mother’s Day gift. The class is one hour in duration and held every Wednesday from 2:30-3:30PM and costs $50 a person. You can book this up to 180 days in advance and in fact, reservations are required for this activity. Disney needs the advanced notice to determine supplies, therefore walk-ups are not accepted. Activity, take-home arrangement and items used to create it are subject to change without notice. There is a 2 Day cancellation policy so be sure and review that with the booking agent. The number to call and register is 407-WDW-PLAY.
My plan is to book the experience (if she can get a day off work!) and present my Mom with a card on Mother’s Day with all the details included. This way so she will know s what to expect and when. The bonus is she will have a beautiful arrangement when all the flowers from Mother’s Day are long gone. We all want to be the favorite kid so maybe this will get me some brownie points!
Please let me know if you decide to do the floral experience (or if you’ve already done it) and maybe we can post our experiences on Disneyways in the future!
Disneyways 