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Introduction to Making The Madness Magical

                Every Disney movie pretty much starts out the same way. You hear the magical sound of “When You Wish Upon a Star”, the chills go down your spine, you get that knot in the pit of your stomach (you know the one you get when you’re really excited about something and you feel like you could burst at any moment) and then you can just feel the magic in the air floating all around you and it’s AMAZING!!!! Well I hope this blog can give you that exact same feeling!

               Maybe I should introduce myself. Hi my names Terra!! I am a Disney addict, lover, connoisseur and not ashamed to say it or show it! I’ve been going to Walt Disney World since the ripe old age of five. My first trip to WDW was in the year 2000 and let me tell you I will never ever forget it. That first walk down Main Street U.S.A holding my mom’s hand while my dad was behind us taking pictures. Since then we have been back multiple times and even decided that DVC was a perfect fit for us since we are all Disney addicts and let me tell you what, it was the best decision we as a family have ever made!!

           What is the point of this blog you ask? Well let me tell you, the point of Making The Madness Magical is to help make the entire planning process easier! Like I said before I’ve been to Walt Disney World multiple times, it’s literally my second home, and I know it like the back of my hand. Not only am I here to help make the planning process easier, but I’m also going to help keep you all up-to-date on all the latest Disney World happenings and with all the recent announcements, updates and changes it sounds like our beloved second home will become a little unfamiliar to us all until we figure out the new lay of the land.

 See Ya Real Soon,

Terra Kay

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2015

When the Halloween decorations make their way to the Magic Kingdom we know that Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party isn't too far behind. Now every year Disney likes to debut some very special treats for aforementioned party. So without further ado let's take a peak at these wonderfully themed snacks!!

First up is the creepy-crawly Spider Cupcake! This is a chocolate cupcake with a nice little edible spider on top and you can find him in the Main Street Bakery!

Next to the creepy-crawly spider cupcake you will also be able to find the vanilla Monster cupcake also available in the Main Street Bakery!

Now when you think Halloween what is the first thing that comes to mind? If you said ghost then yay because that brings us to the next treat. Which is a Ghost cupcake! Now this is a returning treat, but it's had a makeover. This year the Ghost cupcake has a chocolate base (it was vanilla the previous year) and is topped with butter cream icing, dusted with cookie crumbs and has a lovely fondant ghost propped up on top with a marshmallow under it!! This tasty treat can be found at Gaston's Tavern back in "New" Fantasyland!

Who doesn't love a nice ice cream sandwich every now and then? Well if you would like one while at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party then look no further than the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street U.S.A!! Stop in there and get a Handmade Halloween Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich! You won't regret it, trust me!!

Candy Corn the unofficial symbol of all things Halloween! If you love candy corn then you're going to love the next two treats that are making an appearance this year. The first one is a Candy Corn Cone, it is Candy Corn Soft-Serve Ice Cream and it even comes with a cone FILLED with candy corn!! You can find this at Storybook Treats.

The final special treat at this years Halloween Party is Candy Corn Cotton Candy. Yup you heard me candy corn cotton candy, this will be available at various carts and kiosks around the Magic Kingdom! However there is a twist, the vibrantly colored candy-corn inspired layers offer different flavors: original sugar, pina colada and orange!!

So are you attending Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party this year? If so which treat are you wanting to try the most?

Main Street, U.S.A Tips & Tricks

The Magic Kingdom Park is separated into seven lands, Main Street U.S.A, Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, Now one unique thing is that the layout of the park is like a wheel, so the castle acts like the wheel and the pathways to the different lands are the "spokes". Okay let's start off with Main Street first, because that is the first land you will come to upon entering the Magic Kingdom. Le's get started!

Our first tip is plan to do your shopping during a parade or in the early afternoon as opposed to at the day’s end. Why? Because the shops are less crowded and you won’t have to fight the crowds at the end of the day. Trust me the Main Street shops at night when everyone is making their way out is horrendous and not worth the stress! Also another little tidbit that you should know, is that if you are staying at a resort on Disney property, you have the option to send whatever you buy back to your resort and just pick it up at the gift shop when you get back. That way you aren't lugging heavy bags around the park all day. Just make sure that it IS NOT your last day there.

One of my favorite things about the Magic Kingdom, is the Walt Disney World Railroad! The railroad has three stops and they are: Frontierland, Fantasyland and you guessed it Main Street. This is a great way to get acquainted with the Magic Kingdom if you’ve never been before, but it’s also a fantastic way to relax and you get a nice breeze on those hot Florida days. Beware though, the railroad doesn’t run during firework presentations so plan accordingly!

Another way to get from one end of Main Street to the other, is by taking one of the Main Street vehicles. These vehicles include a Horse-Drawn Street Car, a Jitney, which is an early automobile without a roof, a Fire Engine, a replica of the very first fire truck and an Omnibus, a gas-powered, open-air 2-story bus. Now keep in mind that this is a one-way trips so once you get to where the vehicle stops you will be asked to hop off. That is all of the helpful tips I can think of for Main Street, U.S.A, so if you have any let me know!! Next up will be Adventureland!

Frontierland Tips & Tricks

Frontierland takes you all the way back to the American move out west during the 1700s and the 1800s. From the beautiful mountain ranges, raging waters, unexplored caves and abandon forts there is no shortage of fun to be had here by all.

The first tip I have is for one of the most popular rides in Frontierland and that is Splash Mountain. AS most of you know there is a fifty percent chance that you will get DRENCHED on this ride. Well if you’re not a fan of walking around in wet clothes fear no more, I got you covered! The first thing you can do is put an extra set of clothes in a couple of plastic bag (or one of the big Disney merchandise bags work wonderfully) and then change after you get off the ride…OR you could just sit on the left side of the log. What? Sitting of the left side of the ride? Yup if you sit on the left side you’ll still get a bit wet, but you won’t get as wet as what you would if you sat on the right.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is another extremely popular attraction in Frontierland and because of that the line tends to be very long. If this attraction is one of your must dos then my suggestion would be to hit this ride during the Festival of Fantasy parade! I’m telling you to do during the parade because most families will be watching that, which means you will have little to no waiting and it is magical!!

The Country Bear Jamboree is one of the less popular attractions, but if you’ve never been on it before check it out! One thing though is that if you do decide to watch it, just know that this attraction opens at 10 a.m. everyday even though the rest of the park opens earlier in the day.

Welcome Home Wednesday!

I love going home and at Walt Disney World, home for my family is Disney's Old Key West Resort! Old Key West opened on December 20, 1991 as Disney's Vacation Club Resort. Then in 1996 it was renamed to Disney's Old Key West Resort and has the largest rooms out of all the DVC (short for Disney Vacation Club) Resorts, which is fantastic!

Every single one of the hotels on Disney property have a theme, so what is the theme of OKW? The setting of OKW is turn-of-the-century Key West. As soon as you get there your ears get filled with the sounds of steel drums, Jimmy Buffet songs and you feel as if you are in the Florida Keys on a tropical getaway. You instantly feel the weight of the real world lift off your shoulders and the relaxation vacations begins.

One of the really cool things I love about OKW is that it itself is a community called Conch Flats. They even have their own general store called Conch Flats General Store, a restaurant called Olivia’s Café and a little bar called the Gurgling Suitcase. If you’re looking for a bite to eat, but don’t feel like cooking something in your room or going to the park then definitely try out Olivia’s its delicious and the staff is wonderful!

If you’re DVC members like my family and I are, then you’ll get what I’m talking about next. Like I said before, OKW is its own little community and if you go back every year you get to know the people who work there. You get so used to seeing them and you even become friends with the cast members that work there. One cast member that stands out to me is Robert from the Gurgling Suitcase. Every night when we’d get back from a long day at the park, my dad would head off and go get a Bloody Mary and he did this pretty much every night. Well over the course of the week, my dad and Robert learned quite a bit about each other,  became best friends and after our trip their friendship became “Facebook Official” (you ALL know what I mean by that lol). So it really is a home away from home and those who work there truly do become your second family and it gives you something else to look forward to. Let me tell you that that, is just another example of Disney magic!

Fantasyland Cinderella Castle Fun Fact

If you're and avid Disney fan, then you know what I mean when I use the term "Disney detail". Disney has always been known for their attention to detail, in both their movies and parks. Our next fun fact/ hidden gem, is in Cinderella Castle. If you know your Disney Imagineers and have a sharp eye then you’ve probably already found this one. In the mural scene inside the walkway in Cinderella’s Castle, where prince Charming has placed the glass slipper on Cinderella’s foot, you will find two Disney Imagineers. If you look to the far left of the mural, there is a man standing and that is John Hench, and then the man standing directly behind the prince is Herbert Ryman. Hench and Ryman, if you didn’t know, were the lead designers of Cinderella Castle.

Storybook Circus Fun Fact

As I mentioned in my last post. Disney is very good at paying attention to detail. Whether you notice it or not, the details are there. This next fun fact is in Storybook Circus at Barnstormer and is a hidden nod to what was previously there beforehand. Just after you enter the queue for Barnstormer, all you need to do to find this, is turn around and look up at the back of the attraction’s sign. You might notice that it looks pretty chopped up. That is because it was previously the original sign for Wiseacre Farm when Storybook Circus was still called Mickey’s Toontown.

Disney Inspired Clothing

Like most people who love Disney, I am obsessed with clothing that has anything Disney related on it!! So today I will be sharing with you one of my most absolute favorite Disney inspired online clothing store. Now the web store I'm talking about is called Whosits & Whatsits! Whosits & Whatsits was founded by Tiffany Mink in 2011.

Okay so Whosits & Whatsits has THE BEST DISNEY INSPIRED APPAREL EVER!!!!! Two of my personal favorites are the Peter Pan inspired Neverland Beanie and Lost Boys Tee. Mostly because those are the only two items I’ve gotten from them, but I really want one of everything they have.

I'll be posting pictures of the items I have gotten from Whosits and Whatsits and I will also be telling you some stories about what people have said to me when I was wearing aforementioned items. Stay tuned!

Neverland Beanie Whosits and Whatsits

If you love Peter Pan as much as I do, then you will love this item I got from Whosits and Whatsits!! This is the Neverland Beanie and it is my go to when I'm having a bad hair day or if I want to do a Peter Pan inspired Disney Bound for the day.  

Okay so on my last visit to Walt Disney World I wore this to the Magic Kingdom and I got so many compliments on it! The best thing that happened that day was when I was sat on the curb watching Festival of Fantasy Parade and the float that carried Peter, Wendy, Smee, Hook and Tink went by. Wendy instantly noticed me wearing the Neverland beanie and started waving and attempted to get Peter's attention to show him, but she had no luck. While Peter might not have notice my hat Captain Hook sure did and honestly it's true, actions do speak louder than words because he took one look at me saw the beanie and slid his hook across his throat, then pointed to me......YIKES, but I wasn't afraid of him so I gave him a look and did it right back to him! Needless to say, that was one of my favorite character interactions I had on my entire trip!! Even though I couldn't interact more with him, it was still a highlight and something I'll never forget. So thank you whositswhatsits for creating a magical experience!

What's New Wednesday

I'm back! With that being said, I want to start a new series or theme for Wednesday and this new series will be called...What's New Wednesday!! 

What's New Wednesday will be a weekly roundup that consists of all the new happenings coming and going at the Walt Disney World Resort. I will cover everything from attraction closings, refurbishments, character meet and greets, which characters we'll be saying so long to (whether it be for a short time or for good), restaurant's, events and all those other things we need to know about in order to have the best vacation ever at The Happiest Place on Earth!

Dream Along With Mickey

In the first instalment of What’s New Wednesday we will be saying goodbye to one of the most popular stage shows at the Walt Disney World Resort, Dream Along With Mickey. With an incredible run of practically 9 years (hands down making it the longest running Castle Forecourt Stage show in the history of the park) in September, the time for an update has come.

This summer, the all-new live stage show “Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire” will grace the Castle Forecourt stage at the Magic Kingdom in the Walt Disney World Resort with magic, music and merriment! With the marvelous backdrop of Cinderella Castle, Mickey and his friends will welcome some beloved characters from a few of Disney’s newest classics: “The Princess and the Frog,” “Tangled” and “Frozen.”

In the new show called “Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire,” Mickey and his troupe of Merry Makers have been prepping to host a joyous festival and have travelled far and wide to invite friends from other lands to join in on their celebration. From the Land of the Bewitching Bayous, Goofy has invited Tiana, Naveen and Louis to add a little spice of New Orleans jazz to the party. From the Land of the Enchanted Woods in the kingdom of Corona, Donald Duck brings some new friends he met at the Snuggly Duckling, and Daisy introduces us to her special guests, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. Finally, Mickey shares a surprise with Minnie, as he has traveled to the Land of the Majestic Mountains of Arendelle to invite Olaf, Anna and Elsa, who contributes a blast of her icy powers. It all culminates in a grand dance, as the Merry Makers invite all their special guests to join in the fun on this special day!

Marking the first appearances by Tiana and Rapunzel in a show on the castle stage, “Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire” brings to life beloved Disney stories both classic and contemporary in a tantalizing performance featuring an original song, memorable music, lively dancing and special effects of magic.

Watch for “Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire” to make its debut in summer 2016! As for Dream Along With Mickey the final performance will be on April 2, 2016 so be sure to catch it before it’s gone for good.

                                           (pictures via Disney)

Character Meet and Greets

Character meet and greets are one of the best things at Disney World! I love the interaction and getting to rub elbows with some of my favorite characters from the movies I absolutely adore so let’s chat about that next. This has some pretty great news and some news that some of you may not like depending on how much you love these people.

Good news first! There will be two new character greeting experiences debuting this spring at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where you step into the scenes with some of your most beloved Disney characters, as they live out their Hollywood dreams. Premiering in spring 2016 in the Echo Lake district at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the all-new Celebrity Spotlight, the perfect place for a dream encounter with one of Disney’s latest stars. Get ready WDW fans, because the warm hug loving snowman Olaf, from Disney’s hit film “Frozen.” Is finally coming to Disney World! Olaf will be living out his dream “In Summer,” chilling on the beach and ready with warm hugs for all his friends!

Opening this spring as well, is “Mickey and Minnie Starring in Red Carpet Dreams,” located just off Commissary Lane near the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant. Here you can join Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, as they’re living the dream as A-list Hollywood stars. You’ll walk the red carpet, step into a scene with Minnie, where she appears as a Tinsel Town starlet in a ritzy setting straight out of a lush and colorful musical extravaganza. Nearby, you will find Mickey portraying his iconic role of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice from “Fantasia.” For Disney character fans, this spring at Disney’s Hollywood Studios promises to be a dream come true!

Now for the not so great news as some of you may or may not have known, Lady Tremaine (you know the evil stepmom from Cinderella?) well she and her daughters have always met in the Magic Kingdom at the new Fantasyland wall or at the side of Cinderella castle. It saddens me to say that Lady Tremaine will no longer be meeting guest in the Magic Kingdom, but I’m almost positive that the step sisters will continue to meet at both locations. However if you are an evil ne'er do-well loving individual and want to meet her along with her daughters then you can do so by booking a reservation at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian!! As an added bonus if you go to see here at 1900 you’ll also get to meet Cinderella and the ever so handsome Prince Charming *swoon*, plus they have delicious food!

                                             (all pictures via Disney)

Share Your Ears

Hello Friends! Disney announced a marvelous campaign earlier today. Disney's new campaign is called "Share Your Ears", so what exactly is Share Your Ears? Well what this is, is that  Disney wants us to help them unlock more magic. So in celebration of the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration, Disney Parks will donate $5 to Make-A-Wish for  every 'ear photo' (Mickey Ear Hats, headbands, ect.)  you share on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #ShareYourEars! What are you waiting for get creative and start sharing those ear photos!! Also if you'd like to learn more, be sure to check out the link below.

http://shareyourears.org/

Baloo & King Louis

This is totally going to seem like an odd pick, but these two have one of the best meet and greets EVER!! I kid you not, I had the best interaction and experience with them. This happened in December of 2014 it was our first day on property, because we had flown in that day and decided to go to Animal Kingdom because for us that is a half day park. Well we get there and in all the years we have been going to WDW we hadn’t meet King Louis and it had been ages since we had seen Baloo so my mom and I hopped in line (dad sat this one out) mostly because it was sort and we had some time to kill before our fastpass. Anyway it was finally our turn and Baloo and King Louis were hysterical! They were dancing around so I thought “ya know what I’m gonna have fun and dance with them!” see I’m not one who puts myself out there or likes having the attention on me so this was a bit of a big step for me. Any who we were having a blast just dancing around and at one I was dancing with King Louis and Baloo interrupted by coming between us and Louis got “upset”. After we got done dancing I said hello to Baloo and then I turned to Louis and said “Hello King Louis.” and did a little curtsy as well and he loved it!! I can honestly say that those two were absolutely fantastic and that was one of the best character interactions I’ve had to date and that’s saying something. Definitely looking forward to making another trip to Animal Kingdom to see those two again!

Minnie Mouse

Okay so now we are throwing it all the way back to the year 2000 which just so happened to be the year my parents and I took our first WDW trip. The place Liberty Tree Tavern, the character the leading lady herself Minnie Mouse. Now obviously this was back when dinner at Liberty Tree was a character meal and sadly it no longer is, bummer. We have the setting and the character so let’s get to the story, so my parents and I we eating and like most five year old, I was not a fan of the nasty cooked carrots! I was NOT going to eat them at least that’s what I thought and boy oh boy was I sadly mistaken. Now Chip, Dale and Goofy had already stopped by our table and here came Minnie and she was amazing!!  We were having a grand time and then she noticed the one thing left on my plate........yup the cooked carrots asked why I hadn’t eaten any of them and I told her I didn’t like them and she wasn’t having any of that, so what did she do? She grabbed my fork put a few carrots on it, did the little choo choo train motion and I ate those suckers because when Minnie feeds you a food you don’t like you just agree and eat them!! That experience happened over fifteen years ago and I will never forget it as long as I live.

Buzz Lightyear

Buzz usually has a somewhat long line, so when I seen that it was fairly short I jumped at the chance to meet him! The last time I seen him I was five so I was dying to see and talk to him again. This happened this past December as well and now that I think about it, this past trip gave us some of the best character interactions we’ve had in a long time! Okay so what happened was it was my turn to meet him and I got up there and this trip I wanted to actually talk with the character, not just get a picture and leave, so I asked him which “button” on his space suite put him into Spanish mode and he pointed to so I then asked him if I could press it and he let me!! I was so thrilled, because I read where people have done this and they had a blast. So I pressed the button and he went into his Spanish mode, stared by doing a little salsa dance and had me grab his had so he could spin and twirl me around and it was seriously so much fun!! So if you have a buzz fan or want to meet him I highly recommend that you ask him about his Spanish mode button!!!