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Photo Tour

Limited Time Magic: Cinderella Castle Suite Tour

21 October 2013 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

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Cinderella Castle

Note: This post was originally written by Joe Morisco as a guest blogger for zannaland back in April of 2013. Enjoy!

As part of the ongoing promotion Limited Time Magic, Walt Disney World has been giving extremely limited tours to lucky winners through an email contest. I was lucky enough to win a spot on a tour for arguably the best tour given out at the Magic Kingdom. The winners of the tour met at the Magic Kingdom at 8:30 AM. What was supposed to be a group of 25 ended up being only 15, with 10 no-shows. The group was then split, with half going to tour the suite, the other half heading over to Be Our Guest at Beast’s Castle.

This tour with an Imagineer was a 1 1/2 hour tour.  The highlight of the tour was the Cinderella Suite, since this is not normally accessible to any day guests. The Imagineer that worked on the suite walked us through, pointing out all the tiny details. I included a photo gallery below of everything we saw in the suite. After being in the suite for about 45 minutes, we were brought over to Be Our Guest and through each room in the restaurant. The Imagineer explained the theme for each room as well as details that you may overlook. At the end of the tour, they brought out a dish of “grey stuff” for us. Overall, this was a great experience that we could not normally partake in!

 

Limited Time Magic Castle Tour

Cinderella Castle Suite Window
Cinderella Castle Suite Window
Cinderella Castle Suite Elevator Art Work
Cinderella Castle Suite Elevator Art Work
Inside Cinderella Castle
Cinderella Castle Suite Tour
Floor going into Cinderella Castle Suite
Ceiling for Cinderella Castle Suite
Door to enter suite
Ceiling for Castle Suite
Details for pillars in castle suite
Sconces inside the suite
Antique table & chairs inside suite
Ceiling decoration inside suite
Imagineer & Tour Gudie lead us in
Stained Glass windows tell the Cinderella Story
Beautiful ceilings
More stained glass windows
Bathroom vanity
Bathroom tub
Bathroom sink

We hope you enjoyed the photo tour – keep watching the Disney Parks Blog for future Imagineer Tours as part of Limited Time Magic!

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Filed Under: Disney Tours, Top Stories, Walt Disney World Tagged With: Castle Dream Suite, Castle Suite tour, Cinderella Castle, Cinderella Castle Suite, Imagineer tour, limited time magic, Magic Kingdom, Magic Kingdom tours, Photo Tour, Walt Disney World

PHOTO TOUR: Tangled Area With Charging Stations Opens in Magic Kingdom

14 March 2013 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

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The much-rumored “Rapunzel Restrooms” finally opened to guests last Friday, and boy was it worth the wait. The area is so much more than “just bathrooms,” offering beautiful new vistas, seating areas, a fun scavenger hunt, and perhaps best of all – charging stations for cell phones! There are no signs at this time noting the charging stations hidden within tree trunks, but while I was there, several cast members came over to ensure we knew there were charging spots there.

On opening day, I decided to embark on my first-ever Ustream broadcast, and gave a little live tour of the the area in the daytime, returning for another live stream at night, which included Wishes nighttime fireworks show, as seen from that area of the park. I was really impressed with the amount of theming and detail provided to this area. It is officially my new favorite place to hang out in the park, which sounds weird because it is basically restrooms, but it’s more than that. It actually reminded me a bit of Disneyland, in that you could just sit and unwind while the world rushes by. There area lovely full-grown trees, a waterfall and a babbling brook, relaxing music, and lots of pretty things to look at. At dusk, the area takes on an enchanting glow as the lanterns are switched on and just gets more magical as the night goes on.

Here are the two broadcasts, if you’d like to take a tour of the area: Tangled area daytime tour and Tangled area nighttime tour. Please forgive the random chatter in the beginning as I was figuring out Ustream – I promise future broadcasts will not be quite so embarrassing (at least I’ll try to ensure that!).

In addition, here is a photo gallery highlighting all the details of the new Tangled area:

 

Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Maximus the horse’s horseshoes
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Rapunzel’s tower with waterfall
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Rapunzel’s tower with waterfall
Rapunzel rest area
View of the Tangled area from under Columbia Harbor House
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Rapunzel tower and men’s room with thatched roof
Rapunzel rest area
Overview of Tangled lanterns
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Another tower view
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
More lanterns
Rapunzel rest area
Ulf the mime
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Vladamir and his tiny unicorns!
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Unicorns!
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Hookhand at the piano
Rapunzel rest area
Women’s room sign
Entrance to the ladies room
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Rapunzel’s painting goes all throughout the inside of the ladies room ceiling
Rapunzel rest area
Men’s room sign
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Men’s room exterior – here on the right you can see Flynn’s satchel (wonder if the crown is still inside?) and on the left a chest-piece bit of armor from the royal guards, and the kingdom’s newest weapon of choice, a frying pan!
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Exterior building and a lantern
Rapunzel rest area
Cast Member only area and Companion Restroom sign
Rapunzel rest area
Maximus says Kingdom Staff Only!
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Another tower and waterfall view
Rapunzel rest area
View of Tangled area from “its’a small world” and Peter Pan’s Flight
Rapunzel rest area
View of seating area looking back to Liberty Square
Rapunzel rest area
View of seating area looking back to Liberty Square
Rapunzel rest area
Phone charging station cleverly disguised as a log
Rapunzel rest area
Tangled phone charging station outlets
Rapunzel rest area
“Action shot” of the phone charging station
Rapunzel rest area
Tangled seating area
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Lanterns at dusk
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Lanterns at night
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Lanterns at night with Rapunzel’s tower

 

And here are the interior shots of the actual restrooms:

Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Right inside the ladies room
ladies room ceiling
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
ladies room ceiling
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
ladies room ceiling
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Rapunzel’s paints inside the ladies room
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
The ceiling switches from flowers and birds to a night sky
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Another shelf inside the ladies room
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Little princesses changing area in ladies room
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Wanted posters inside the men’s room
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Flynn has fixed his nose, finally!
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Wanted posters in mens room
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Shorty poster
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Stabbington Brothers poster
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Flynn Rider wanted poster
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Frying pans, the weapon of choice
Tangled Rapunzel bathroom area
Little knights changing station in mens room

 

One of my favorite parts to this new section of New-ish Fantasyland, is a fun scavenger hunt where you find little Pascal the chameleon’s friends as they are hiding in the area. There are 10 in total and some of them are really good at camouflaging themselves! If you would like to be surprised and find them all on your own without seeing the photos first, scroll by this section!!

Friends of Pascal scavenger hunt
Friends of Pascal scavenger hunt
Friends of Pascal scavenger hunt
Friends of Pascal scavenger hunt
Friends of Pascal scavenger hunt
Friends of Pascal scavenger hunt
Friends of Pascal scavenger hunt
Friends of Pascal scavenger hunt
Friends of Pascal scavenger hunt
Friends of Pascal scavenger hunt
Friends of Pascal scavenger hunt

 

 

I was not able to find any hidden Mickeys, so if you’ve found any, I’d love to hear about them, or your thoughts on this new area, in the comments below!

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Filed Under: Disney Attractions, Disney News, Top Stories, Walt Disney World Tagged With: babbling brook, chameleon, charging station, Disney charging stations, fantasyland, lanterns, live stream, Magic Kingdom, Magic Kingdom charging station, nighttime tour, pascal scavenger hunt, pascal the chameleon, Photo Tour, Rapunzel, rapunzel bathrooms, rapunzel charging station, rapunzel restrooms, rapunzel tower, relaxing music, restrooms, scavenger hunt, seating areas, Tangled, tangled bathrooms, tangled charging station, tangled restrooms, tangled tower, tangledtown, theming, ustream

PHOTO TOUR of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights!

13 December 2012 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

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Walking around the corner at Disney’s Hollywood Studios onto New York Street and seeing the overwhelming amount of holiday lights displayed at the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is one of those must-do moments for me, that takes my breath away every year. If I could figure out a way to move into one of those Brownstones on the street, I would pack up in a heartbeat. Heck, I’d even live above the T.P. Tree! 😉 It is such a gift that Disney gives us each year, the beautiful lights, the music, a way to pause and enjoy the wonder and spirit of the season. It’s impossible not to go home happy.

I have so many wonderful memories tied into these lights – with my dad, who loved them as much as I do and loved the Studios too, my mom, as we tear up remembering the times with my dad, my older kids when they were little – I can still picture my now almost-14-year-old son sitting in his stroller, reaching his hand out to catch the “snow” as it fell, and now my youngest gets to experience it all as well and more and more memories are made each year. The past few years I’ve added memories with friends and other locals too. It’s just such a great place to wander and hang out. No parades or fireworks to line up for, just relax and enjoy the sights and sounds that envelope you at every turn.

So without further ado, lets take a look at some highlights from my most recent visit:

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Tree
Sid Cahuengas is always ready for Christmas!
One of my favorite Disney holiday displays!
My attempt to emulate Tom Bricker 😉
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
Santa!
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
Ooh, a black cat!
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
Fireplace with stockings
Fireplace without stockings!
The T.P. Tree
The infamous Toilet Paper Tree!
Crowds love The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
Spectacle of Dancing Lights
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
The canopy is the best
City Hall
City Hall with Mickey and Minnie lights
Santa Goofy is on hand for photos
Merry Christmas!
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
The big tree!
Peace on Earth!
Still more canopy!
Canopy in motion!
And even more canopy!
Canopy from afar!
Santa and the tree!
So pretty!
Santa and snow!
Blue canopy (yes, I guess I went overboard with canopy shots)
Looking up from next to the canopy.
Cannot get enough of the canopy!
The colors here are so pretty!
I loved this tiny pink hidden Mickey
Can I move in now?
The nativity is beautiful…
Goodnight from Hollywood Studios!

 

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Filed Under: Disney Holidays, Photos From the Parks, Theme Park Holiday Events, Walt Disney World Tagged With: Christmas lights, colors, dancing lights, Disney, Disney Christmas, Disney holidays, Disney photos, Disney snow, Disney's Hollywood Studios, extreme Christmas lights, holiday lights, hollywood, hollywood studios, lights, manger, music, nativity, osborne family, Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, Photo Tour, Santa Goofy, SODL, spectacle, Spectacle of Dancing Lights, spirit of the season

Inside Disney’s Art of Animation Resort-Lion King Room Photo Tour

19 September 2012 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

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After my initial tour of Disney’s new Art of Animation Resort, which has opened in phases, the last two buildings, Lion King and Little Mermaid are now open. I thought I’d venture back over and tour the new areas to share here with you. In addition to the exterior of the Lion King and Little Mermaid buildings, I was able to tour a Cars and Lion King room. I’ll be sharing the other photos in subsequent posts, but for now, let’s check out a Lion King family suite and its surrounding buildings.

Disney's Art of Animation Resort Lion King
Hakuna Matata!

Before I share the photos, a quick note about all of the buildings at Art of Animation. When I first saw the property back in April, what I was most impressed with were the tiny details. In the Finding Nemo section, it was the landscaping, made to look like you were actually under the sea, along with things like the swim mask featured in the film, famously marked with “P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney”. The giant sea creatures were fun for the kids, but it was those details that really made the theming work for me. The rooms were also pretty and full of muted colors like you saw in the movie.

By far my favorite section was Cars. It was as if you were walking into a less-vast Radiator Springs. After visiting Disney California Adventure and seeing the “real” version of Cars Land, of course this area cannot compare, however it’s an excellent second place. What makes it so great is the perspective. You see the cars, properly-sized, as you would in the film and you feel as if you are a part of the town. The landscaping, again, is a key detail, painting a desert scene in keeping with Radiator Springs. You’ve got the Cozy Cone motel and other landmarks that are again, properly sized so it feels natural. The rooms inside are in keeping with this theme and, I think, a nice mix of racing vs. Radiator Springs decor. We’ll see photos of the rooms in an upcoming post.

The Lion King buildings sort of straddle the line between the over-sized Finding Nemo and (as we’ll also see in later) Little Mermaid rooms and the proper perspective of the Cars section. The Lion King statues are bigger than life-sized, but not so huge that it feels just silly and not at all realistic. I like the unique layout of the Lion King buildings, with the famous “Hakuna Matata” log that Simba, Pumba and Timon dance across in the movie and the Elephant Graveyard where the three hyenas, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed are found. Of course all of the wonderfully detailed scenes are riddled with “Please Do Not Climb” signs, which will probably make this a battleground for cast members trying to protect guests and those guests hoping to get that really cool photo from their vacation. I do love the lush look of the building entrances and the overall fun but not too over-the-top theme of the Lion King buildings. Later I’ll discuss the Little Mermaid buildings and my thoughts on their theming. Now, onto the photos!

[portfolio_slideshow]

What do you think of the Art of Animation Resort in general? What about the new Lion King section? Share your favorite details in the comments below:

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Filed Under: Commentary Land, Disney Movie News & Reviews, Disney Planning, Disney Resorts, Photos From the Parks, Reviews Tagged With: Art of Animation Resort, Art of Animation tour, Cars building, Disney's Art of Animation, Disney's Art of Animation Resort, Lion King Building, Lion King room tour, Little Mermaid buildings, Photo Tour, value plus resort, value resort

Photo Highlights of the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival

24 April 2012 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

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Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Vibrant colors come alive in Epcot

The Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival has been a family favorite for years, so of course this year was no different. Below are some of my favorite flowers and topiaries. I’ve left some displays out so you can discover them on your own when you visit. If you have the chance, make your way to Epcot and take in the sights and scents!

Be sure to check out the workshops and merchandise locations too for some great info and home garden ideas. There are fun activities for the kids and informative ways to take better care of our world, one garden at a time. The Flower Power Concert Series also offers a fun way to relax and enjoy the day with some sounds from the past.

The Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival runs until May 20, 2012

As always, click any photo to see full-size.

Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Breathtaking orchids at the Mexico pavilion
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Another favorite of mine is always the Chinese dragon
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Be sure to check out the tiny Flower & Garden Festival at the Italy miniature train set
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves outisde of the Germany pavilion
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Frozen rum drink and iced coffee in Haiti
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Menu offerings in the Haiti section
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
You can learn more about crops grown in Haiti, including coffee
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Haiti is a new addition to the Flower and Garden Festival
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Lotso just wants a hug!
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Woody and Buzz are hanging out in an “Alphabet garden” at the America pavilion
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
The bonsai trees are always a favorite of mine
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Bonsai trees in Japan
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Mrs. Potts and Chip in France
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Cogsworth and Lumiere topiaries
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Beast and Belle greet guests in the France pavilion
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Pooh and the gang outside of the UK pavilion
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Baby pineapples!
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Water Wise Fruit and Vegetables garden
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Chimpanzee sand sculpture – couldn’t fit it all in one shot!
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Close-up of Chimpanzee sand sculpture
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Kids play area on the walkway to World Showcase
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
The famous floating flowers, so pretty!
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Vibrant colors come alive in Epcot
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Captain Hook and and the Crocodile
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Butterfly topiary outside Bambi’s Butterfly Garden enclosure
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Gorgeous peacock topiary and flowers
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Dancing elephants! – Epcot Springs to Life
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Dancing ostriches from Fantasia
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Fantasia – Sorcerer Mickey topiary
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
More Fantasia mushrooms
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival entrance – mushrooms from Fantasia
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Sorcerer Mickey welcomes you to the Festival
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Filed Under: Disney Planning, Disney Special Events, Walt Disney World Tagged With: Disney annual events, Disney flower festival, Disney photos, Disney Special Events, Epcot, Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, flower displays, Flower Festival, Flower Power Concert Series, flowers, garden ideas, home garden, Photo Tour, Spring, Spring flowers, topiaries, vibrant colors

Photo Tour of Disney’s Beach Club Presidential Suite

4 January 2012 by Suzannah Otis 7 Comments

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One of my dearest Moms Panel family members is Kay, who is like a mom to us all and keeps us all full of magic and pixie dust year round. Kay was kind enough to let us visit her suite at the Beach Club last month, when a flock of ‘old’ moms came down to visit and welcome the ‘new’ moms for the 2012 class. With Kay’s permission, I took some photos of this amazing suite, since I know I’ll probably never step foot in it again! I thought I’d share them here with my readers to see all the lovely details and amenities Disney provides.

Enjoy the tour and big thanks again to Kay for sharing her suite with us!

 

Many people have asked for the music used in the video above, it’s from Poppin’ Guitars: A Tuneful of Sherman, which is a great CD! Check it out below:

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Filed Under: Commentary Land, Disney Resorts, Walt Disney World Tagged With: #wdwmoms, Beach Club Presidential Suite, Disney, Disney Presidential Suite, Disney Resorts, Disney videos, Disney's Beach Club Resort, Epcot Resorts, Kay Belin, Photo Tour, Resort tour, Walt Disney World

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