Limited Time Magic: Easter Egg Hunt in Redwood Creek Challenge Trail

Hi Mousers!


Just got back from 3 days in the park during Spring Break crowds! Woooo-weeee was it busy!
At one point after a parade, I turned around and could no longer see any part of Mainstreet's pavement. It was just a overflowing river of people and strollers.  Craziness!

It's good to take days easy when the park is that crowded.  Running around trying to hit every single attraction and grabbing fastpasses is a surefire way to run yourself ragged.  Especially when you have multiple days in the park.  I read a comment on Instagram this last week that I've adopted, as I love relaxing in the park, "Attractions are for tourists" LOL
It's true! I love going into Disneyland and DCA and taking in all the sights and sounds the park has to offer.  There are shows galore, food to eat, people to watch, characters to hang with, and music to tickle your ears!

Ok, I need to get to the point of this post!

This year, the parks have been marketing Limited Time Magic.  Which means that they'll be offering special attractions or happenings that are out of the ordinary for a certain amount of time.  Last week was an Easter Egg hunt all over DCA that awarded Vinylmation keychains to finishers.  A few months ago, there was the Golden Horseshoe Review and over at WDW special long ago characters appeared for meet and greets.

This week, in DCA, there was a special Easter Egg Hunt inside the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.  We took advantage of the Annual Pass Holder early entry to the area (8am-9am) and had a lot of fun.  (Even though we were the ONLY adults climbing up the bridges and stairs LOL) There were eggs hidden along the trail that you had to identify with each part of a special map given to you upon entry.  Each egg had a corresponding letter that you used to decode a special Easter message! I'm not sure the purpose of hiding the individual badge icons on the map, but you scratched off the silver coating to reveal which one you were working on through the challenge.
There was also a little section on the bottom to identify the totem pole animals with their meanings.

After completing the challenge, you could attend the Wilderness Explorer Ceremony to receive your Egg Hunt badge.

The ceremony was really cute! If you haven't gone to see it before it's worth it to go at least once.  The group host starts it out, teaches you the WE motto, and soon Russell joins in after he finds the camp.  You may even get a peek at Kevin too!

This week is definitely worth going because Carl arrives just before the end donning a pair of fluffy white bunny ears along with Easter garland wrapped around his walker. Too CUTE!

Both are available for pictures after the ceremony and you are awarded your Egg Hunt badge, a Senior Wilderness Explorer Badge, and a peep!

If you're going to hit the parks at all through the weekend, go check it out! It will only be available through Easter Sunday.

Have a great weekend!

I have Luigi's Balls!

Bet that got your attention, didn't  it! *giggle*

I've managed to get my hands on a very awesome item that is now part of Disney history. 

Many of you eagerly awaited the opening of Carsland this past summer and were excited to finally be able to experience the type of attraction that once graced the Tomorrowland of yesteryear.  At last we'd get a glimpse of the beloved Flying Saucers that opened in Disneyland in 1961 by way of Luigi's Flying Tires in Disney's California Adventure.

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When this attraction first opened in summer of 2012 it was an enTIRE-ly (see what I did there?) different experience.  Guests would float around on huge oversized hover tires and bounce off each other in a round arena.  Added to the fun were giant oversized beach balls proudly bearing the flag colors of Luigi's home country. Italy! If any of you weren't able to get there this summer, it was quite the experience trying to use your weight for movement and simultaneously try to reach for beach balls, all the while avoiding being hit in the face by more flying through the air! It was a blast! 

But Luigi's Flying Tires hasn't closed.  Why do you say it's part of Disney history?

Unfortunately, the powers that be nixed the giant beach balls in August of that same summer.  They only lasted just a few months. 

Why would Disney remove them if they were so fun?

A Disney spokesperson stated at the time "We regularly make modification's to attractions to provide guests with the best possible experience"  What I take that to mean in simple terms is - people were getting smacked in the face with giant balls and didn't think it was very fun.  I heard from cast members that the attraction had the most incident reports out of all the resort and most were from the beach balls.

It wasn't uncommon to see this happening on one side of the attraction during the ride.  It didn't personally happen to me, but I'd be a little bit overwhelmed if it did LOL 

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So unfortunately, Luigi was neutered, so to speak. 

Fortunately!  I have connections and was able to get a hold of something pertaining to my long intro in this post.  This past week while cruising Instagram, my feed let me in on a little Disney secret.  Cast members had access to purchase the unused, packaged beach balls from the attraction!  And it just so happened that I was in the right place and the right time to go get one! ... or two... ok, I got THREE! 

I now have possession of the historical beach balls that caused so much commotion and apparent injury on this attraction.  They will be safely stored inside their packaging and I have no inclination to take them out and use them.  

Luigi's famous beach balls 

So there ya have it! If anyone was wondering what happened to all the beach balls, they were put in a giant bin and sent over to Company D for Cast members to purchase.  If you want to grab some and don't know any Cast Members, I suggest you make friends QUICK! There were lots of them but plenty of CMs were on their way to Company D to buy. 

Hope you guys all have a GREAT weekend! Hit the parks and enjoy the new Fantasy Faire that opened up!