Reviews

Vote Now For Your Favorite Disney Dooney & Bourke Photo!

5 October 2010 by Suzannah Otis 320 Comments

First, thank you so much for your patience with this contest – I knew I’d be out of town (in Walt Disney World!) for 5 days (along with quite a few of my readers too!) and wouldn’t get to post the entries I’d received. Now let’s get right to those entries and voting!

Voting will be counted by number of comments for each entry. Only one vote per email address please. Voting will start now and end on Thursday, October 7 at midnight. Voting has ended. The winner will be announced on this entry on Friday, October 8. The winner will then need to let me know which color wristlet they’d like and I’ll head to WDW and pick it up! Thank you to all who participated!

Congratulations to entry #2 from M. Turner for garnering the most votes. I think she got half the internet to vote for her! 😉 If you could contact me and let me know which wristlet you’d prefer (up to $49 in value) I’ll pick it up on our next visit to the parks. Congrats again!

There was some concern about votes since so many came in for one # at one time – but what you cannot see on this end of the post is the email and IP address attached to each comment, which appears in the email I receive with each comment. I do realize that this method of voting was perhaps a bit frustrating and will be working on a new way to vote for any future contests on ZannaLand – I had no idea how passionate you guys could be for a Disney Dooney! Because she came in second place and I personally loved her picture with Buzz and Woody fighting over the Dooney – I’m going to be sending the owner of entry #13 a $25 Disney Gift Card as well, so please let me know where to send that card. Congrats!

Thank you again to all who participated – I loved seeing the creativity here! I look forward to future giveaways here on ZannaLand.

Show Me Your Disney Dooney Photo Contest – Win a Wristlet!

25 September 2010 by Suzannah Otis 5 Comments

If there’s one thing most ZannaLand readers are passionate about (in addition to love of Disney of course) it’s the exciting Disney’s Dooney & Bourke collaboration. My good friend Amanda of DisneyEveryDay.com had the fabulous idea that I should ask people to show me their Disney Dooneys! I agreed that this would be a fun thing for fans to take part in – and thought I’d sweeten the deal by giving away a Disney Dooney & Bourke wristlet to the contest winner!

ZannaLand Disney Dooney & Bourke Photo Contest Info:

Take a picture of your Disney Dooney & Bourke – your favorite, your whole collection, by themselves, with people or pets – the ideas are endless and you are only limited by your creativity! Don’t have a Disney D&B? What about a pic of you with a sad face? 😉 Get creative!
Email me your best shot (one per person please), I’ll post all of the entries here, then readers will vote on a winner.
The contest winner will then get to choose what color wristlet they receive (of available wristlets in Walt Disney World up to $49 in value – sorry I can’t produce a Disney Cruise Line or Disneyland wristlet!).

Send one photo entry to [email protected] by Thursday, September 30 2010. I will then post the entries and voting will commence (info to follow on voting). Help spread the word on twitter, facebook and anywhere else you’d like – the more pictures the more fun we’ll have!

Ready to hit me with your best shot? Go!

Phineas and Ferb: Ride Again on Nintendo DS

24 September 2010 by Suzannah Otis 8 Comments

With a household of gamers, I had no trouble getting someone to give me their opinion of the new Phineas and Ferb: Ride Again Nintendo DS game I was given to review from Disney Interactive Studios. Here’s what the family thought of the game:

Disney Interactive has delivered a fun game for fans of the popular Disney Channel show Phineas and Ferb; Phineas and Ferb: Ride Again for the Nintendo DS and DSi. The game follows the adventures of the title characters as you guide them through the environments of Danville looking for parts to build various contraptions. There are many mini games to break up the action and keep the game play fresh. You can also download content to share rides and compete against friends.

A personal favorite is a Pac-man style game in which you try to collect screws for a project while steering clear of Candice. After playing through the first level of the game the only complaints were that Perry was relegated to being a “save point” and is not included in the game play elements, although you can play as Agent P. while he battles Dr. D and his robots. Finally, the open style of game play, having no defined path through which to complete a level, may prove to be a little frustrating for younger players. Overall Phineas and Ferb: Ride Again is a fun and satisfying game for fans of Danville’s most famous residents.

Disney’s Phineas and Ferb: Ride Again is available now on Nintendo DS and Dsi. The single-player game is rated E for Everyone and retails for $29.99. For more information including screenshots and game trailer, head over to Disney Interactive Studios Phineas and Ferb: Ride Again page.

Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue Crafts & $10 Coupon Off Blu-Ray+DVD Combo

21 September 2010 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue comes out TODAY on Disney DVD and Blu-ray! Now you can get $10 off the Blu-ray+DVD combo pack! Just click here for the $10 coupon.

Also click the images below, or head to http://tiny.cc/TinkGFRActivities for some fun print & play crafts and recipes to keep your little fairy rescuer entertained. The activity links will be .PDF files for you to download, print and use. Enjoy!

We’d love to hear what you think of the new Tink movie! Watch for a review of the new Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue Nintendo DS game later this week!

In Napoli Where Pizza is King…Epcot Welcomes Via Napoli to the Family

6 August 2010 by Suzannah Otis 10 Comments

Ok, so Dean Martin said love was king, but he never tried the pizza at Via Napoli now did he? I was among those lucky enough to get a taste yesterday at the Via Napoli grand opening celebration and I can’t wait to return. Of course there has been a lot of buzz about Via Napoli online since it was first announced it would join the World Showcase family of restaurants. Fears swirled that adding a new element to an existing country pavilion would disrupt the look and flow of our beloved Italy, while others felt an expansion was necessary and eagerly awaited its arrival. Me? Well, I am used to Boston pizza, where Dominoes is a 4-letter word and places like Bertucci’s once took the pizza chain restaurant up to date and into the land of the brick oven. Knowing there would now finally be a place to get authentic Neapolitan pizza in Epcot, I was a fan before I even got there.

All images not watermarked are ©Disney

Now I know, everyone just wants to know how good the pizza is, but please indulge me as I discuss what makes Via Napoli such a satisfying experience…First of all, look at the picture above – how beautiful is that? So authentic-looking and inviting, isn’t it? Before we venture inside, lets take a look at the ribbon-cutting ceremony with Epcot Vice President Dan Cockerell, Patina Group CEO Nick Valenti, legendary chef and Patina Group and founder Joachim Splichal and of course, Mickey and Minnie, in their finest Italian couture!

Which Disney Candy Fits Your Personality?

24 July 2010 by Suzannah Otis 17 Comments

disneymints1 — There's a mint or candy for every mood at Disney...

Do you know someone that could use a tin to match their personality??

Blogiversary Giveaway Winners and a Disney Blog to Share

10 July 2010 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

I just wanted to quickly announce the 5 winners of the anniversary giveaway from a few weeks back. Thank you again for all the support and love you’ve given me and the blog in the last year and for all the participation in the giveaway. Here are the winners as chosen from random.org:

Complete Guide to Disney iPhone/iPod Touch app: #45, Rikki Niblett

Complete Guide to Disney iPhone/iPod Touch app: #21, Miss M

Set of 3 Audio Guides from Lou Mongello: #9, Lynne from Texas

Celebration magazines: #25, Brian Hubbard

Walt Disney World Trivia Guide: #2, DVC Mom

Please contact me at [email protected] with your mailing information! (For those that won the apps, I only need your email address.) Thanks so much to everyone that participated – I promise it isn’t the last giveaway. Thank you for reading!

…

Oh, and speaking of reading, I wanted to share a site I found recently, thanks to the fabulous DisMarks. You are checking out DisMarks, right?? If not, you should, it has some of the best Disney articles all in one spot. Anyway, I saw an entry from http://www.parkeology.com and clicked over to read it. I laughed, I cried, and I didn’t even have to kiss 3 bucks goodbye (someone tell me they remember that tag line?).

Parkeology has been around since December of last year but they are not short on great topics, even better pictures and videos, and a hilarious commentary on some really unique aspects of Disney Parks. Shane and TeevTee have some amazing facts and history to share. Seriously, I almost didn’t want to tell anyone about it because I wanted to keep their awesomeness to myself, but that would’ve been very evil of me. So please check them out and be sure to comment and let them know how you like their stuff. It’s my mission to go back and read all the blogs I missed from them and I can’t wait.

Blogiversary Giveaway! It’s ZannaLand’s Anniversary But YOU Get the Gifts!

25 June 2010 by Suzannah Otis 51 Comments

Have I mentioned I love celebrations? I really do. It’s part of why I love December so much, it has my birthday AND Christmas 2 weeks after that. I’d celebrate something every day if it meant balloons and decorations and lots of pixie dust too of course. (I did briefly consider becoming a wedding planner just for the joy excitement of planning amazing parties…then I watched Bridezillas. ;))

Anyway, my friend and fellow Walt Disney World Moms Panelist Doug Ingersoll has been generous enough to donate not one but TWO codes to download his all new Walt Disney World Complete Travel Guide app for the iPhone or iPod Touch!

But wait, there’s more! (Sorry, no steak knives) The incomparable Lou Mongello of WDW Radio and Celebrations magazine fame (as if he needs an introduction?) has graciously given me a prize pack featuring some of his amazing theme park Audio Guides, issues of Celebrations Magazine AND his Walt Disney World Trivia Book. How cool is THAT??

How do you get a chance to win these fabulous prizes you ask?

Quite simply, just comment below and you’re entered to win!

Additional entries may be earned by:

RT’ing about the contest on twitter (be sure to use @zannaland in your tweet so I can see it)
Sharing on facebook or anywhere else – message boards, email groups, the possibilities are endless! 😉 Just link me to it here
“Liking” the ZannaLand facebook group
Joining Networked Blogs on facebook
Joining Google Friend Connect (join in the box to the bottom right of the main site)
Subscribing to our RSS feed or via email (box on the right of the main site)

If you’re already a member or subscriber, just let me know in a comment and I’ll count that too.

I only ask that you leave a separate comment for each entry, because that’s really the only way I can track entries and give you credit for each item. I apologize to my Canadian and International readers but this giveaway is only open to US mailing addresses.

I will be giving away 2 codes for the Walt Disney World Complete Travel Guide app, 1 set of all 3 Lou Mongello Audio Guides, 1 set of two Celebrations magazines, and 1 Walt Disney World Trivia Guide, for a total of FIVE prizes to win.

Giveaway ends July 9, 2010 at 11:59pm.

Thank you again for all your support and readership this past year, and special thanks to Doug and Lou for providing the prizes you are hoping to win!

Winner of Kevin Dundon Cookbook Giveaway and ZannaLand News

22 June 2010 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

First things first, I must announce the winner of the “Great Family Food” by Chef Kevin Dundon giveaway. After inputting the number of entries into random.org, #14 was chosen – Jennifer P. Congratulations, Jennifer! I’ll be emailing you for your info to send the book your way. I wish you many happy hours of delicious cooking with it! Thank you so much to everyone that entered, tweeted, re-tweeted and spread the word about the giveaway and ZannaLand.

…

Some other news – I am now an official contributing author at TampaBay.com’s Whoa, Momma! blog. I know I mentioned I was writing articles for them before, but now I’m all permanent-like and my name’s on the header and my author bio’s on the side. Yee haw! 😉 Pretty darn cool and I am extremely grateful and honored that the fine ladies over at Whoa, Momma! for taking a chance on me. You can read my latest post on Activities Off the Beaten Path at Disney there now, with more to come in the coming weeks. Some pieces may even be picked up by the St. Petersburg Times and in turn their news wire and show up in your local paper.

I’ve mentioned on twitter but I know not everyone is there – I have also written a couple of guest posts for Mr. Hidden Mickey Guy himself, Steven Barrett. Again, the honor was mine and if you told me a year ago I’d be doing either of these things, I’d have laughed and said “yeah, right!” I’m so very grateful. You can read my post on Disney After Dark and Staying Cool in the Summer at Disney over on his site.

And of course, you can find me over at DisneyWorldMoms.com where I’ll be answering questions for a few more weeks. I’d love to get a question from a reader to answer on the panel! Just click on the “ask Suzannah a question” link on my WDW Moms Panel bio page.

If you are looking for other ways to stay connected, you can find me on twitter @zannaland, or the facebook page for the site: facebook.com/zannaland (close to 500 members now!) over there you can post comments or questions on the wall, interact with other Disney fans, add pictures to the group photo album and keep up with all the blog entries as well. I’d love to see more of you!

Thank you so much for reading!