Carsland trip: Planned!

What's up Mousers!

We all know that it's been a huge couple of weeks for the Disneyland Resort.
Anyone who's reading this blog probably already knows how exciting it is to be there first hand or for the not so lucky, we can feel the excitement coming from other people who've been there.

Well, I officially planned a trip to go and see it with my own eyes. I'm so excited!! We plan to make use of the new Early Admission perk for Annual Passes.  If you're unaware what that perk/policy is, here's a link to a blog post I wrote about it.

This trip is going to be a bit different than others because we're going for a main purpose.  Operation: CARS LAND.

It's interesting coming from the viewpoint of someone who doesn't get to visit the park as often as I used to when I lived much closer.  Disneyland time was usually spur of the moment and even if we did go a full day, it was at a leisurely pace.  Friday nights frequently ended up  filled with people watching, Gibson Girl ice cream, and multiple rides on Pirates.

THIS time, we're having to plan a bit in advance due to crowds and to get the most out of our time.  Granted, I have been fortunate enough to be able to go to the park multiple times throughout the year even with the distance, so if parts of Disneyland are unavailable or if for whatever reason, we don't get to experience something, it's completely ok! .... well besides Cars Land... lol

1st on the list was to decide which days to visit the parks and we're planning to do 3 days this time.  Do we want to hit over a weekend? Or do we want to stick to only weekdays?

2ndly, Part A: which day do we want to hit Carsland? Knowing crowds over the past few weeks have been pretty intense, we'll probably go one day, take however long we need to take to do all we want, and then steer clear unless for some crazy reason it dies down.
            Part B: register for the Early Admission to DCA. Noting that the scheduled days vary and we need to be aware of which we're allowed to do so.

3rd, Figure out if there is anything special/new that we can make reservations for, ie The Carthay Circle Restaurant. This dining "experience" started taking reservations before it had even opened it's doors and became full very quickly! Your best bet is to call as far ahead as possible - you can make reservations as early as 60 days out. (call 714-781-DINE for the Disneyland Resort).  Dining here is also very advantageous because if you order an entree paired with either an appetizer or a dessert, you get reserved Center seating for the World of Color show, eliminating the need to go stand in line for a fastpass.
I should mention also, again because of the crowds and anticipated long wait times for the attractions, we made reservations for the restaurant on a separate day than our Cars Land day.  The last thing we'd want to do is have to get out of a line or leave a packed area to make the reservation time.

 Other than experiencing and taking in all the new aspects of Buena Vista street, that's about it as far as hard core planning.  I'm positive we'll have plenty of time to do all we wish to do in 3 days, especially with early entry.  I'm holding out hope that Disneyland park numbers continue to stay level and wait times remain lower than normal summer cues.  It seems as though the popularity of the new DCA has relieved poor Disneyland of some of its summer load. It was getting pretty packed out there for the last few years, craziness!

Till next time, Have a Magical Day!

Annual Pass Early Entry

Good Morning Mousers!

Hope you all have had a pleasant first part of your week, the end is near! It's almost weekend time and that means, maybe for some of you lucky ones, a bit of time in the parks.

The Disney Blog came out with an entry last week on Early Admission information for the Disneyland Resort.  Normally, I don't pay a whole lot of attention to those topics because as an Annual Passholder (I have the Deluxe) we haven't had that perk available to us.  Until Now.


For those of you who may not know what "Early Admission" is or involves, I'll give you a quick run down.  When staying at a Resort Hotel, ie The Grand Californian, The Paradise Pier Hotel, or the Disneyland Hotel, guests can enter into Disneyland park or Disney California Adventure an hour early before the scheduled opening times.  You must present a valid theme park ticket and your active hotel key for admission.

     Disneyland park Early admission for Resort Hotel Guests are scheduled for: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays
     Disney California Adventure park Early admission for Resort Hotel Guests scheduled for: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. *DCA open lands are Cars Land, Hollywood Land, and Paradise Pier.


Now the new addition comes with the inclusion of Annual Passholders to this offering which started June 18th 2012 and will continue until September 13th 2012.  Considering the popularity of Cars Land for the next foreseeable future, an extra hour in the morning for the top 2 Annual Passes could be quite the advantage! I say "top 2 Annual Passes" because as of July 1st the lower passes will be blocked out for most of the summer. I would think this has added to the congestion of the last few weeks in Cars Land. All these AP'ers are trying to get their trip in before the black out days hit.  The Deluxe AP has much fewer black out days and if you're lucky to be able to afford the Premium AP, you're good to go no matter what.

This perk has come alongside price increases to both tickets and annual passes that hit in the spring.  It's nice to get a few extras thrown in when one year differs so drastically from the last.

In order to take advantage of the new admission perk, AP'ers much register the date they'd like to enter on.  You can go to that website here.
You must be 18 or older and have a valid Annual Pass both at time of registration and the entry date.  In order to be valid, your annual pass needs to have been activated by the ticket booths at the Resort.  If you have an online print out or a ticket from off sight it, will not work until validated in the system.
Please note that the entry days for Annual Passes are opposite as Hotel Guests!

    Disneyland Park Early admission for Annual Passholders are scheduled for: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
    Disney California Adventure park Early admission for Annual Passholders are scheduled for: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays


I hope this information helps some of you Annual Passholders plan your summer trips to the original Magic Kingdom. If you have any questions regarding policies or would like more information, here is the entry from the Disney Parks Blog regarding early admission or you can comment below and I'll do my best to answer :)

Have a magical day!


**Update** Make sure you check the website for current admission times.  I recently asked during a visit to the park and the Annual Pass Early Entry was limited to the weekends only!
This could be due to a high volume of crowds or a winter/spring schedule for 2013.

Mary Blair and Mermaids: Part Duex

Wha-Wha-Whaaat?! Two posts in two days?? It's summer vacation! hahaha

This will be a continuation of yesterday's post, "Mary Blair and Mermaids", so if you haven't read that first part, please click the link and check it out.

This morning after eyeing those delightful bags again, I once more pulled up a google search to see what I could find out about this line. Surely more than just one person had discovered this. And of course they had!

D23, which is the "Official Disney Fan Club" by Disney itself, put an article out at the end of last month (May) about a special line of collaboration bags with Le Sports Sac.


Disney It’s a Small World by LeSportsac Collection Takes Consumers on a Trip Around the World

05.21.12 – LeSportsac and Disney Consumer Products recently announced the launch of the Disney It's a Small World by LeSportsac collection, featuring handbags, totes and accessories that combine the bright aesthetic of LeSportsac with inspiration from the mid-century artwork of Disney artist Mary Blair.

LeSportsac and Disney Consumer Products recently announced the launch of the Disney It’s a Small World by LeSportsac collection, featuring handbags, totes and accessories that combine the bright aesthetic of LeSportsac with inspiration from the mid-century artwork of Disney artist Mary Blair, who created the whimsical look of the beloved Disney theme park attraction it’s a small world.

Disney It’s a Small World by LeSportsac collection includes five seasonal deliveries, each inspired by a specific country. In addition to celebrating a country, each delivery will be anchored with a Signature Tote and a colorful print that pays tribute to the unique facades and architectural works of Disney’s it’s a small world attraction. The collection kicks off with a celebration of Tahiti that includes two graphic totes and a range of 12 styles in two vibrant prints.

“We are so inspired by Blair’s original art and the it’s a small world theme of global awareness,” said D’Arcy Jensen, vice president, Global Creative Director, LeSportsac. “Each collectible design we are creating is a colorful narrative that is sure to delight fans of Disney, Mary Blair and LeSportsac alike.”

The it’s a small world attraction, which debuted at the New York World’s Fair in 1964, was created by Walt Disney both as a salute to UNICEF and his belief that everyone is united in their love of children and dreams of a better tomorrow. In keeping with the original philanthropic message of it’s a small world, Disney will make a donation to UNICEF in honor of it’s a small world, and all product in the Disney It’s a Small World by LeSportsac collection will include a special hangtag sharing the history of the original attraction and the connection to UNICEF.

“Our collaboration with LeSportsac pays homage to the magical experience of it’s a small worldwhile continuing the legacy of the message behind one of Disney’s most beloved theme park attractions,” said Robert Oberschelp, director, Disney Collections, DCP. “Walt Disney’s vision is as powerful and true today as it was when he first shared it with the world.”

The Disney It’s a Small World by LeSportsac Collection is available online at LeSportsac.com and at all LeSportsac flagship boutiques worldwide. LeSportsac is also available at better department stores and select specialty stores.

The particular design I've been oogling is the "Tahitian Dreams" collection.  As the article mentioned, they'll have 5 seasonal designs so I'm assuming this will be available through the summer and then in the fall a new design will replace it.  All the more reason to buy! (Disney marketing at it's best!)  I do wish they had a preview of the upcoming prints so consumers could see what's coming and plan to purchase one or the other.  But considering I'm mermaid-obsessed, I'm fairly certain I will love this print the best! 

The main site of Le Sports Sac has a really nice video and description about the collection here, check it out! 

Thats it for today! Hope you all have a fantastic rest of your day and see you back here soon. 

Mary Blair and Mermaids!

Hey Mousers!

This blog has been a bit of a bore lately and I apologize for that.  My lack of Disney posts have been the result of too hectic a schedule for waaaay too long.  Good news is that I'm out of school (I teach at a few elementary schools) for the summer, I'm planning a multi day trip in a couple weeks AND a whole mess of new things are happening over at the  parks. Although, I'm sure that if you're reading my ramblings, you probably already know the majority of them. :)

I wanted to show you guys something that I found on Instagram this week that had me squealing with delight! If you've read previous entries on this blog, you know that I'm OBSESSED with Mermaids! I freaking love Mermaids. I have red hair, my room is seafoam, I still have my Ariel barbie doll.... get the picture? haha

Anyway, I was perusing along Instagram, (my username is Anniemcbeth! Come follow me!) and I came across Zannaland's picture of this....  *gasp*

taken from Zannaland's Instagram

I died.  I love Mary Blair and her design but to have an entire line of bags marrying both her and mermaids?! Again... I died.
(For those of you who may be reading this and aren't sure who Mary Blair is, she was the creative genius behind "Its A Small World" and many other Disney projects including concept illustration for Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, and CInderella.) 

I had no idea where you would find such bags, so I googled "Le Sports Sac Disney" and an entire line of these gems came up in my search. Online store here. The sad part is a lot of the online stock is sold out already, but I can completely understand why! The print is adorable and that little mermaid charm.... *sigh*  I'm assuming that you could find them in the parks, but I have yet to see that nor do I have any evidence of anyone else buying it there.  I plan to investigate when I go in a couple weeks.

I'm seriously debating purchasing one of the larger bags... These are not items that come along everyday in park merchandise or even at the Disney Store.
These are my favorites I think...

small cosmetic bag $28

travel cosmetic bag #28

picture tote $128-$148

large weekender bag $138

They're all so cute!

 I'd love to have the cosmetic bag but that's one of the ones which have sold out. :( Sad Panda.  Which do you guys like the best?

The larger weekender bag would definitely get a lot of use and it doesn't have to "go" with an outfit like a regular bag would.  Of course, if you were visiting the park a lot, it would be fun to have a smaller one be your "Disneyland/World bag". So many choices! and so much cuteness!!  What's a girl to do?!


Alright, enough drooling over handbags hahaha that'll do it for this post!

I hope you guys enjoy some other types of posts as well as some park info, I know there are a lot of blogs and huge online resources (ie Mice chat and Dateline Disneyland) that can give you better information than I.  I hope this helps fill in a little bit along the way :)

Hope you all have a fantastic rest of your week!


*I've discovered a bit more information regarding the bags. Check out Part II of this here!*