I'm a winner!

I would like to thank John Frost (The Disney Blog) for randomly selecting yours truly as the Grand Prize winner of the "Year of a Million Dreams" Mickey Ears for the contest he was running in honor of his son's 4th birthday.

This just so happens to come of the brink of my very own birthday, so that makes me even happier for the selection.

If you didn't get a chance to read my submissions they are here:

The Birthday Contest (Courtesy of "The Disney Blog")

and her:

The Birthday Contest: Part Deux

I would also like to thank John for all the traffic this little contest has generated to my little neck of the woods.  For those of you who have been visiting due to following the links on John's blog, I would like to say, "Hello" and I hope you like what I have put to paper.

I'm not the typical news & rumors site or a site full of geeky stuff like The Disney Geeks.  I just put my opinions to pixels for the world to see.

Stick around and read.  You may or may not agree with what I have to say, but I try to do it in an entertaining way.

Technorati Tags: The Disney Blog, Contest, Winner

The Birthday Contest: Part Deux

I noticed that the few submissions that I could find online were answering all 3 questions posed by John.  To make sure I cover all the bases for my contest submission for the special Mickey Ears being offered by John Frost of The Disney Blog, I decided that I'll answer his other two questions as well.  I don't have as much to say on these other two, so I'll tackle them in the same blog post:

Q:  What is your favorite or most useful tip for guests of Disney's theme parks?

I'm asked for tips all the time by friends.  I tell them all the same thing:  plan, plan, plan, and then plan some more.  I tend to believe that one way to assure yourself a bad time at Walt Disney World is to show up without any consideration for where you are going, what you want to do, and approximately you want to do it.  I also consider making one's ADRs a part of this planning process.  Granted, it seriously ruins the spontaneity of the trip because you need to pick places to eat dinner, but it has quickly become a necessary evil due to the popularity and affordability of the Disney Dining Plan.

As I mentioned in my post a few days ago about my being stuck outside "The Disney Zone", I suggest that one purchase The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World <DING> and use it as their Disney Bible.  It has tons of invaluable information that can be used to plan what you want to get accomplished and where you want to eat.

Q:  What is your favorite Disney theme park attraction or show and why?

As I reported to George over at The Disney Geeks in their Meet Our Neighbor posting:

Oh, this is a tough one. I have so many rides that I MUST ride. But if you are putting a gun to my head, I'd have to say........... Pirates of the Caribbean. Haunted Mansion comes a close second, but that song in Pirates just makes my toe tap.

What can I say, that is short, sweet and to the point when it comes to my favorite theme park attraction or show.  What can I say, I'm easily entertained.

Technorati Tags: The Disney Blog, contest

The Birthday Contest (Courtesy of "The Disney Blog")

Well, John Frost of The Disney Blog is having a fun little contest in honor of his son's 4th Birthday. 

So, I thought, "What the hay" and am now submitting my entry into this little game of chance.

I'm reading the instructions to be that I can answer any of the three questions posed in the contest instructions to qualify for submission.   So.....

Q:  Have you ever celebrated your birthday at a Disney theme park? If so, tell us about it.

That would be a big 10-4.  I celebrated my 35th Birthday in the company of "The Mouse" in September 2006.  Not only did I spend my birthday there, but we turned it into 10 days of fun and excitement. 

I proudly collected the 4 birthday buttons from each of the theme parks and wore them with pride the entire time we were there.  I was amazed at how many other park guests went out of their way to wish me a happy birthday.  I expected the Cast Members to do this, but it was a pleasant surprise to have total strangers passing on good wishes.  By the end of our trip, I was looking around for celebratory buttons so I could "pay it forward".

For the actual Birthday Celebration, we did a character breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table.  This was something my wife really wanted to do.  I am not the biggest fan of the characters after my traumatic experience with the Wicked Witch  as I described in The Disney Geek's Meet our Neighbor piece I participated in back in early July.

I must say that the Princesses know their stuff because they got a real kick out of the fact that I couldn't keep my eyes open in the pictures my wife was taking.  They each were trying to pass their personal tips onto me, but nothing seemed to work.  To top it off, I got a kiss on the cheek from Aurora!

We did dinner for my birthday at Victoria & Albert's.  I must say this is not a place to go if you don't like sitting for 2.5 - 3 hours for a meal and do it in a coat and tie (for men) or dress (for women).  But, we had a blast.  We tried all kinds of new foods and got to play dress-up.

My wife got to celebrate her birthday this year in Disneyland.  We were there for 5 days and she wore her Birthday Button from Disneyland with pride.  One thing they do at Disneyland that they don't do at Walt Disney World is put your name on the Birthday button.  That is a nice touch.  That way, you can actually be wished a Happy Birthday by name!

We did a character breakfast for my wife too.  We had hers at Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel.  For her Birthday Dinner, we went to the Napa Rose in the Grand Californian with her mother, her mother's husband, and her sister.  Fun was had by all.

This year, we are going back for my birthday.  This year we are just doing the Character Breakfast because we've decided it made a good tradition.  Upon recommendations from friends, we are going to give the Ohana Character Breakfast a shot. 

Stay tuned to this blog.  There will surely be a trip report about our September 2007 trip to Walt Disney World and another birthday celebrated with the Mouse.

 

Technorati Tags: The Disney Blog, Contest, Disney Birthday