1. I feel like I’ve been living in a Disney movie the past couple of weeks… no, not the fairytale, picture-perfect world kind… the “for every laugh there should be a tear” kind.  Just a lot of sad and stressful situations lately and a lot of things I can’t fix, change, or heal.
2. However, I did do the most exciting thing last weekend… booked my Disney World trip for June!  I’m still looking for some food tips from any WDW foodies out there, so please read my trip planning post and comment if you have some dining advice.  Thanks!
3. I’ve been going back and reading the Kingdom Keepers books again in anticipation of the fourth book’s release in mid-April… these books are so captivating and engaging, I feel like I am actually at “Disney After Dark.”  If you haven’t read them yet… DO! 😀
4. Hopefully everyone had a safe and happy Saint Patrick’s Day yesterday and enjoyed learning a little bit about the Little Man of Disneyland.
5. Everytime I start planning a Disney trip I am more acutely aware of the changes to my body that my Fibromyalgia has caused.  My planning now has to include more break-time, more nap-time, and less go-time.  Any fellow Fibro Disney fans out there know what I’m talking about?

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I found this little gem from the D23 Destination D: Disneyland ’55 convention.  The Little Man of Disneyland children’s book was a rare souvenir from the early days of Disneyland.  In this funny little story, Mickey shows a little Leprechaun the lay of the Land.  The Little Man even makes his home right in the park.  The From Quirky to Collectible presentation was lots of fun, and these children’s books were one of my favorite parts.  So, from Rays of Disneyland and the Little Man of Disneyland… Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Calling all WDW foodies!  The plans have officially been made, and, this summer, myself and six of the greatest people in my life will embark upon our best adventure yet.  But, now comes the real fun… planning the meals, of course!  There’s nothing quite like dining at a drive-in movie, in mom’s kitchen, or while taking a spin around the Land, and it’s my job to make sure that all seven of us, have the best of the best dining experiences in the World.

So, I need your help.  I have lots of favorite restaurants in Disney World, but I want to know what your favorites are.  What’s the best restaurant in each park?  The best restaurant to accommodate large groups?  The best for a toddler and a seven-year-old?  If you could only eat at one restaurant per day for five days, what five restaurants would you choose?

I want these Disney rookies to fall in love with Disney World as much as I have, but we definitely have a wide-range of tastes in meals, so I want to hit all of the greats, as recommended by myself, and all of you, the experts!  In the Magic Kingdom, my favorite table-service restaurant is Liberty Tree Tavern, but what is the best option for counter-service?  And, what are some of the other great table-service places?  I really want to try the new Italian restaurant in World Showcase, but is it worth it?  My friends really love Mexican, though, so would La Hacienda de San Angel better, or is the atmosphere at the San Angel Inn enough to make it the best choice?  If you had to choose between the Sci-Fi Dine-in or the 50’s Prime Time Cafe, which would you pick at Hollywood Studios?  And, finally, where do you eat at Animal Kingdom because I don’t have any idea!  Then, once the parks are all covered where are the best places to dine in the rest of the World?

Wow, that’s a lot of questions!  I think I need a lot of help!  Leave your comments below with your favorite dining choices at Disney World, or if you have only been to Disneyland, which dining options would you be most interested in at WDW?

I had so much fun sharing my last round of Disney treasures from the antique store, that I just had to follow-up with an AWESOME find that I got at a thrift store this weekend.  The best part of finding treasures at the thrift store is that they aren’t priced like treasures. 🙂  Sitting out in the middle of the housewares section was this plate, an original Orange Bird plate from Walt Disney World. I had recently read about the recent incarnation of Orange Bird merchandise at WDW and thought this might be a reproduction, but the markings on the back of the plate indicate that it was from Orange Bird’s “glory days” in the Magic Kingdom back in the 1970’s.  At $2 price-point, I was sold!

With Fat Tuesday coming up tomorrow, and the conclusion of the Mardi Gras celebration at Disneyland last weekend, it seemed like an appropriate time to bring back the “Why I Love…” series, with a look at New Orleans Square.

I’ve never been to New Orleans, but being a fan of all things jazz, I’ve always wanted to go.  I love the rich history an vibrant culture of this jazzy, southern city, so it’s only fitting that New Orleans Square would be one of my favorite places to visit in Disneyland.

On lazy afternoons, I love to sit on a bench – usually the one next to La Mascarade d’Orleans – and soak in the atmosphere.  There isn’t anything at the parks that I love much more than Ernie, the jazz guitarist, who sets up his stool near the Courts des Anges and passionately plays to the passers-by.

One of my absolute favorite rides at any Disney park also makes its home in New Orleans Square in Disneyland, Pirates of the Carribbean  There is nothing quite like taking a ride through the bayou, followed by a pirate-inspired meal at the charming Blue Bayou restaurant that sits inside the ride.  Or, heading over to Café Orleans for a cheesy Monte Cristo on the patio, as the Bootstrappers play near by.

The not-so-well-known treasures are also bountiful in New Orleans Square.  Remember the One-of-a-Kind store nestled in the quaint little shop that now houses Le Bat en Rouge?  Even as a child, I could get lost meandering through the rare goods found only in this shop – definitely not the stock Disney merchandise you find in every store now.  Or the Jewel d’Orleans – recently redone – that was one of the last remaining outside companies leasing space inside Disneyland.

The back streets and courtyards of New Orleans Square are so beautiful, with the crown jewel being the Courts des Anges – always showcasing a stream of the season’s most beautiful flowers, flowing down the winding stairs.

When Princess and the Frog came out in 2009, I instantly fell in love, so one of my favorite memories of New Orleans Square was meeting Tiana and Naveen in that courtyard, which, in December, was replete with giant Poinsettias.

In fact, I have lots of great Princess and the Frog memories in Disneyland… the bayou-inspired store with movie merchandise, dripping with wisteria and delicate lanterns…

Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee on the Rivers of America… even the abbreviated version of the Jubilee that we stumbled on last September.

New Orleans Square has it’s own pace, it’s own “vibe” – somewhat removed from the rest of the park.  It offers food that you can’t find any where else in the Land, music that is unique to these streets, and an air of history that seems to radiate through the alleyways.  And, while

this was the last of Walt’s contributions to Disneyland, from the curtained windows of Club 33 above the streets, to the former Disney Gallery that was to be Walt’s personal appartment and is emblazoned with that famous “WD” and “RD”, there is a special sense that Walt was here.

1. My Vinylmation obsession collection is reaching all new heights with the many new releases hitting DisneyStore.com lately.  But, my favorite piece arrived yesterday… the 9″ Retro Disneyland vinyl, part of the Park #5 series.  I LOVE this vinyl.  The colorful blocks remind me of the light-up wall at the now-long-gone Fantasy Waters show at Disneyland Hotel, and the dynamic retro illustrations of Disneyland are really awesome.  Look for a post about more of my Vinylmations sometime next week.
2. I’ve been on a Princess and the Frog kick lately… I just can’t get enough.  The music can be heard blasting from my iPhone pretty reguarly, and the movie is a favorite on my days off.  And, yes, I cry EVERYtime at the end.  It really is a lovely movie and a renaissance of sorts for Walt Disney Animation, as they returned to their roots in hand-drawn animation and really brought this one home.
3. Plans continue to progress for my big Disney World trip in June.  I’ll be posting another trip planning post on Tuesday and asking for your help in compiling a list of great Disney World restaurants for kids and adults alike.  Start thinking about your favorites!
4. The new season of American Idol is in full swing and, so far, I think it is one of the best seasons ever.  I love the new flavor of the show, and it gives me hope that the American Idol Experience at Disney World wasn’t built as errantly as I once thought.
5. I’m excited that I already have some posts in the works for next week… hopefully March will be a busy month here at Rays of Disneyland, and I hope you can join me for the ride!

Although widely debated among Disney Purists, the addition of Captain Jack Sparrow to Pirates of the Caribbean remains one of my favorite attraction “plussings.”

Trip Planning Tuesday is back and this week I need your best tips and advice on traveling in large groups to Disney World.  As I mentioned before, I have the amazing opportunity to visit Disney World this summer with my best friend and her family.  The means there will be seven of us adventuring through the theme parks… but the biggest group I’ve ever traveled to Disney with is three, so I need some good tricks for getting through the summer crowds with seven people.  In additon to myself, we’ll have my best friend, her terrific husband, their two little girls, her awesome mom, and my favorite Disney companion, my mom.

We want to visit all four parks in the six days that we will be there and, also, have to take into consideration naps for one of the girls, as well as my own physical limitations presented by my Fibro.

I’ve been trying to plan at least one table-service restaurant per park (possibly with the exception of Animal Kingdom), and the best game-plan for counter-service meals.  So, my first question, how difficult is the advance dining reservations process when you are booking for large groups?  Also, have you found some restaurants are better at accomodating these large parties?

In regards to resting during the day, do you have any tips on the best times to go to and from the parks to avoid major headaches with the busses?

I’m so excited for this trip, and while we’ve already faced adversity in planning it (work schedules, etc.), I know that it will be one of the most magical experiences of my life.  I’m sure that whatever our plans are for eating and resting and everything else in the World, we will have an amazing time, just being together and discovering the magic together.

Albeit a replica in a Main Street Window on display for Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary in 2005, the site commanded a certain reverence that stopped the true Disney geeks dead in their tracks.