I’ve always been fascinated by maps… in fact, at one point in my childhood, I wanted to be either an architect or a cartographer – strange kid, I know. 😀  So, Mondays around Rays of Disneyland are going to be all about Disney maps.  Whether it be pictures of cool Disney maps, points of interest you might find on the map, or specific destinations around the Land; I’ll be exploring everything that makes Disney maps little pieces of magic that guide you along the journey.  So, stay tuned next Monday for our first stop in the series… you never know where this map will take you!

Prior to our Walt Disney World trip, I had only a passing aquantaince with the Star Wars franchise.  I had seen each the original trilogy only a handful of times, Episode 1 no more than three times, and had missed Eps. 2 and 3 all together.  I had riden Star Tours one time, only two years prior, and, with the exception of an Ewok obssesion carried over from childhood, I didn’t feel any deep connection with the Saga as a whole.

So, when we started making plans for WDW and knew that we had to take my friend’s husband to Star Wars Weekends to make this trip complete, I started watching the movies over again and trying to gain enough of a cursory knowledge of what I would experience at Hollywood Studios for the big event.

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I started to appreciate the films and characters in a way that I never had before.  However, it wasn’t until we walked up to the Studios’ turnstlye and saw Storm Troopers on the rooftops that “appreciation” turned to something more like “healthy obsession.”

We were on a mission when we got to the park that morning – although, if asked, I will vehemently deny making a numbered, coded map to plan out our every step.  Our first stop was Star Tours for Fast Passes, then it was off the Jabba’s Hut, the one-stop shop for all things Star Wars Weekends.

Disney definitely does merchandise right, and while we were super disappointed that the Star Wars Vinylmation had sold out the previous weekend, we found plenty of other odds and ends that would later fill our suitcases.  The two kiddos had loads of fun wielding fancy toy light sabers, and my friends had lots of fun chasing down all things Boba Fett. 😉  Faces painted, bags of goodies shipped off to our hotel, and with sigficantly lighter wallets, we headed back to experience the all new Star Tours attraction.

While I had only been on the original Star Tours once, I was really looking forward to the updated version, and it definitely didn’t disappoint.  Armed with my new knowledge of all things Star Wars, I had so much fun literally diving into the Galaxy… our ride sequence was Droids, Hoth, Leia, and the Death Star… and it was AWESOME!  And yes, I squealed, giggled, and yelled like a giant nerd, but I loved every minute of it.  I even picked up my own tiny, magnetic Wicket the Ewok since I never got my own Ewok when I was a kid.

The rest of the day was hot and busy and lots of fun.  We took on the Rockin’ Roller Coaster, saw loads of Star Wars characters roaming the park, waited in the blazing sun for the Motorcade, and had a throughly enjoyable lunch at the Sci-Fi Dine-In (even if we were exhausted, sweaty, cranky, and starving by the time we made it to our late-afternoon reservation :D).

The pure magic of the day?  Watching my friend share his love for Star Wars with his girls, who both, regardless of their age, soaked it up excitedly and passionately.  I loved every minute of watching my friends experience the magic of this special day and I was so blessed to be able to be a part of it.

The countdown to Disneyland and the D23 Expo has reached less than 30 days!  I’m so excited for the Expo but I’m also really excited that I’ll have at least a couple of days in the parks and that there are quite a few new things to explore.  I’m definitely ready for “Soundsational Summer!”  🙂

The first night we are there, we have reservations for World of Color dining at Wine Country Trattoria.  I watched a few short clips of the new Pirates sequence in World of Color on YouTube and I can’t wait to see it in person.  On the first day, I also really hope to be able to get in a ride on Little Mermaid at California Adventure and see the Soundsational Parade at Disneyland.  I’m really looking forward to Little Mermaid… I think this one has been a long time coming, and, while I actually loved Golden Dreams and was sad to see it go, I think this will make a great addition to DCA.  I was definitely not a fan of the previous parade at Disneyland – the name of which I never bothered to remember 🙂 – and I think (hope) the new parade will be much more in keeping with the kind of entertainment I want to see at the parks.

My other must-do is Star Tours.  While I did get to ride the new version at Disney World, I definitely want to experience this one at Disneyland too.  I’m hoping that with the somewhat limited time I’m going to have away from the Expo that I have time for lines at both Star Tours and Little Mermaid.  Beyond those two new rides, I also want to make sure to have time for Soarin’ and Toy Story Midway Mania, since we had to skip both of those at WDW.  That seems like a pretty tall order of popular rides for no more than a bit over two days in the parks!

Regardless of whether or not I end up having time for all of that, I’m so excited just to have a chance to soak up a little bit of the magic for a few days, and the Expo is such an amazing opportunity.  I just can’t wait!! 🙂

From D-Street in Walt Disney World, the awesome Vinylmation Chandelier.

After three-plus years of sitting on my Disney Bucket List, the day had come to check one off the list… Disney World with my best friend and her family was gleaming in the early-morning Orlando sun like a field of pixie dust encrusted wishes.  After a near-midnight plane touch-down, we were a slightly bleary-eyed group of adventurers as we set off for the Kona Cafe Friday morning.  But, onward we pressed, and, after bus, boat, and a slightly frantic stroll through the Polynesian’s lush grounds, we were getting our nom on with Banana-Stuffed French Toast, which was nothing short of amazing.

Finally, we were stepping off the Monorail and entering the Magic Kingdom… I was so excited to see the girls’ faces when they stepped onto Main Street for the first time, but it turned out that the real magic was in seeing all of our faces (regardless of age and whether or not we had been there before) as we realized not just that we were staring at Cinderella’s Castle but that we were doing it together.  For those of you who know me in “real life,” you know everything that my friend and I have gone through in the past few years, and how special it was for us to be taking the vacation with each other and our families.

The rest of the day was full of a stream of exciting and touching experiences, as we intrepidly toured Main Street and Tomorrowland.  We had the awesome opportunity to meet Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Mickey, Minnie, and Buzz all in the course of a few hours!  The girls were thrilled… and the adults too. 😉  Although, we only got through three attractions on the first day, we had loads of fun picking out our Mickey ears, starting our week-long quest for Vinylmation, learning that Disney Cast Members are very patient when you drop your bag on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (love ya, Megan! 😉 ), and my mom and I even got to see our favorite classic, Carousel of Progress, and eat at one of our old-time faves, The Plaza Restaurant.

After much-needed naps and a break from the unrelenting Florida sun, we were off again, this time taking a relaxing Sassagoula Boat Ride to Downtown Disney for an evening of food and fun.  We had a quite enjoyable meal at the T-Rex Cafe (which I found surprisingly tasty and fun) and ended our evening at the Mother Ship of Vinylmation, D-Street.  D-Street was a really cool experience for all of us as we share a love of Vinylmation and we shared in a great experience, making trade after trade with another group until they ended up with the Buzz vinyl they were searching for and we ended up with the Woody vinyl that we needed!

The highlight of Day One?  Having my best friend and her family experience, first-hand, why I love Disney so much, and seeing them share that magic with my mom and me.  It was a first day that was different and uniquely special from any of my other trips, and it set the tone for a really wonderful vacation.

Coming up next Tuesday… Star Wars Weekends or “The Dawning of My Star Wars Obsession Appreciation.”

1. It’s really nice to be back up and running here at Rays of Disneyland.  If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen the week-long battle I fought to retrieve this domain from… wait for it… The Redemption Process… *cue lightning and dramatic organ music*  Yep, should you ever find yourself on a blog hiatus, don’t assume that your domain name has been renewed because there is every possibility that the credit card on file with your hosting service may have expired, causing your “Auto-Renewal” to switch back to “Manual Renewal.”  When that happens, small, hairy gremlins will reach into the blogosphere and drag your domain – kicking and screaming of course – into an underworld holding cell, where they will then demand large sums of money and a week of your time in exchange for getting your blog back on-line.  Well, it’s either that or a good ploy by hosting companies to take advantage of your unfortunate set of circumstances… but I like the first one better.
2. I can’t believe it, but it’s already been a month since my fabulous Disney World vacation!  I’m excited to start a series of “Trip Report Tuesdays” next week to share some of my favorite memories and magic from that trip.
3. Winnie the Pooh opens in theaters today and I can’t wait to see it.  No matter how old, I’ll always be a fan of “the bear of very little brains.” 🙂  I’m interested to see if this film stays true to the original or veers more in the direction of the enjoyable but less traditional sequels.
4. Disneyland is just 33 days away and I couldn’t be more excited… I really hope that they release the full D23 Expo schedule soon because I can’t wait to plan out my three days.  I’m also hoping that the sessions are either a little easier to get into this year or that they repeat them a couple of times.  My only regret from last time was not getting to see everything that I had wanted to see.
5. 33 days until Disneyland means 33 days until I get to see World of Color again… and I can’t wait for that either!  It really was magnificent and I’m so excited to have the opportunity to watch it again.  Let the countdown begin…

Free Disney Tickers

I can’t believe that the D23 Expo is only 35 days away!  I’m so excited to have the opportunity to do this again.  The 2009 Inaugural Expo was so indescribably awesome, I don’t know what they will do to top it… but I’m sure they will come up with something!

I thought for my first Disneyland in August Trip Planning Thursday I’d give everyone a quick glimpse of just a few of my favorite moments from 2009.

Pictures (clockwise from top-left)

1. Convention Center Entrance – Come one, come all… this beacon in front of the Anaheim Convention Center welcomed guests on Harbor Boulevard to the Disney Magic that waited within.
2. Attraction Posters – Disney Parks and Resorts pulled out all the stops with their show floor pavilion.  This poster mural lined the exterior walls, keeping all the theme park secrets inside the pavilion.
3. Ridley Pearson – The Kingdom Keepers/ Peter and the Starcatchers session with Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry actually ranked up there with the show-stopping arena events for me.  I love these books, and both authors were delightful.
4. Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter Hat – This pic has proven to be a favorite among Rays of Disneyland readers, and seeing the prop in person was just as amazing.  However, seeing Johnny come out on stage in full Jack Sparrow regalia was the highlight of the show.
5. Wall-E – I was so thrilled to get to “meet” Wall-E at the Expo.  I never thought I would have this opportunity, as his park appearances were extremely rare.  This was truly an amazing experience.
6. Lightning McQueen – This life-sized Car was a sneak-peek at what fans can expect from Cars Land at Disney California Adventure next year.
7. Wizards of Waverly Place – Wizards is my true guilty pleasure on TV, so lining up with all the “tweens” to see the cast was a must-do for me. 🙂
8. Storm Troopers on the Show Floor – In a little nod to yesterday’s post, the preview of Star Tours II – The Adventure Continues, complete with Darth Vader and these Storm Troopers, was a blast.

These are just a small sampling of all the amazing experiences at the Expo… what was your favorite part?

Wow — Time really does fly these days!  I guess you could say I’ve been on a bit of a blog hiatus.  One of the most frustrating Fibro symptoms that I battle is “Fibro Fog.”  It’s always there, but every so often it invades my brain like a wormy virus and “disables” my ability to focus, concentrate, multi-task, and basically anything else that a person would need for the task of writing.  As such, blogging feels like a nearly impossible task, and, for a writer, that is a pretty unbearable place to find yourself.

So, what does that have to do with the ultimate geekery of titling a blog post with a quote from Yoda?  Well, had you asked me that question two months ago, I never would have made the connection.  But, after two complete viewings of the six-episode Star Wars Saga and a magical experience in Walt Disney World, Yoda seems to resonate with me in a different way now.

So, bear with me as I air my giant Geek-Card for a moment.  As I was watching Star Wars one night, it was as if Master Yoda looked right out of my TV screen and said, only to me, “A writer you wish to be?  Then, ‘do or do not. there is no try.'”  Laughing yet? Probably.  But was it effective in my life?  Definitely.  Now, I’m not saying that Fibro Fog isn’t real and doesn’t have a profound effect on how I live my life.  Sometimes my brain is so drained from trying to focus at work that I can hardly function to drive myself home.  But, how much easier is it to say, “I tried to write today, but it was really hard, so I gave up,” instead of just doing it, and, no matter how poorly it may turn out, knowing that I did it anyway, even when it was hard.

So, that’s the plan moving forward for Rays of Disneyland.  Post as often as I possibly can, and keep doing it even when it feels impossible.  There will be days that nothing gets posted because I did it and it didn’t go so well, but, hopefully, there will be lots of days when I can say look what I did, even though it was hard, and it took me a long time, and I got so distracted and so frustrated, but I did it.

From the bold pink trumpet flowers bursting from the vine to the glistening drops of sunlight on the lens, this quick shot outside of Pirates of the Caribbean is one of my favorite Rays of Disneyland.

D-Street in Downtown Disney, Disneyland. I was there, by chance actually, on opening day!

When I first saw a Vinylmation figure on-line, almost two and a half years ago, I thought, how silly!  Who would ever want something so strange? When I saw them in person about a year later, I thought, well, those are actually kind of cute, maybe I’ll get one.  At the end of that trip, I had 12 “cute” figures tucked nicely in my suitcase… I guess the rest is history.  My collection is now nearing triple digits.  Sometimes, I think those little vinyl Mickeys must be infiltrating my brain because I can’t stop buying them! 😀

So, what changed my mind?  Before I had seen them in person, I just didn’t “get” it.  But, the detail on the real things is really quite astounding.  Who would think that three inches of vinyl could capture the entire essence – the magic – of one very specific snippet of the world of Disney?

That’s what they are for me… a tiny piece of Disneyland that I get to take home.  Every time I look at one in my collection, I am transported to a tiny place where the magic lives – put them all together and it’s a snapshot of all of my favorite pieces of a Disney puzzle.

My favorite new tradtion in the Parks is buying one vinyl to open at every meal while at Disneyland.  I shared that on a Disney forum once and was promptly blasted for having such a “ridiculously expensive” tradition.  Maybe… but when my anxious breath catches in the instant before pulling that little Mickey from its temporary foil home, I not worried about ridiculous or expensive (at $9.95-$12.95 per piece they are rapidly becoming one of the least expensive collectibles in the park, by the way).

Opening a vinyl during a meal has even become a staple tradition at home.  I try to keep a few vinyls on hand from DisneyStore.com and we open them from time to time – at breakfast before a long day or at dinner after a particularly tough day.  It’s the ultimate way to bring the magic home.

Love ’em or hate ’em, I would love to hear your Vinylmation thoughts!  Do you have a favorite piece, a favorite tradition, or maybe a reason why you just don’t “get” it?  Share it in the comments below!