Where Was The Princess & The Frog at Walt Disney World?

I started to leave my thoughts as part of my comment to Justice Ny's post about The Princess and the Frog movie, but thought that it deserved a post of its own.

As many of you know (from being bombarded by my tweets, Facebook postings, Foursquare check-ins and the like!) my family went to Walt Disney World for spring break this past week. While the trip was truly fantastic, I have to say that I was a little disappointed at how little of a presence Princess Tiana had at the Walt Disney Parks. Having 2 little girls - one of whom is a die-hard Disney Princess fanatic - we were on the Princess Circuit this week. My girls did the Princess Makeovers, we booked a special lunch with the princesses, and we spent way too much time at Cinderella's Castle. But there was one glaring omission; where was Princess Tiana? We had to hunt her down while at the Magic Kingdom (she was hidden in a garden that we only found by accident) and her meet and greet times were very limited! So much so that we didn't get a chance to meet her. We didn't see her in the parade, she did not make an appearance at our princess lunch, and the boat cruise that Disney launched to welcome her is no longer running...

I really think that Disney could be making a little bit more effort to make a big deal about Tiana at their parks. Because, she is a big deal! She really should should have a special section devoted to her and her cast of characters. Or even a "Bayou Breakfast" where people could reserve special seating to meet them. SOMETHING. I mean, Tigger and Pooh have their own breakfast for Pete's Sake. So do Lilo and Stitch. And even Chip and Dale. I have to think that some special event focused on Tiana and her friends would be a huge hit.

I made sure to seek out the window where her dress is displayed (will put up the photo later). But unless you were looking for it, you wouldn't see it. My gals were bummed to not have met her and so was I. Of all the wonderful things Disney did amazingly right this week, the lack of a showing of The Princess and the Frog Characters was definitely a let down. I'm crossing my fingers that this is simply because the movie just came out. If there's not a PATF ride somewhere next year, Disney's got some 'splaining to do!

Magical Memories

We're on Day 3 of our Disney Trip. And despite all my apprehensions about coming with three children under the age of 6, I have to say that we've been having a wonderful time and I'm so glad we decided to do it.

The high points so far? The Bibbity Bobbity Boutique Makeovers for my girls on the day we arrived. Giggles was transformed into a full-fledged princess by a Fairy-Godmother-In-Training into a little princess, complete with pixie dust, makeup and a tiara. Chatterbox, ever the rock star, chose the "Pop Diva" package and sported multicolored, spiked hair for the past two days. That was awesome. The other highlights (for me) were the Storybook Dining Princess Lunch at the Akershus Castle in Norway at EPCOT. We got up close and personal with almost all of the royal court: Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Ariel, and - GASP! - Cinderella. When I booked the reservation, I was told that the specific princesses that would be in attendance could not be guaranteed, and so we were all excited to see the heavy hitters there. My girls got to ask them questions, take photos, get autographs and give hugs to their favorite Disney ladies. The look on their faces when the princesses walked in? Priceless. We're gonna seek out Jasmine and Tiana tomorrow. Another fave was the Mickey's Phil-Harmagic 3-D movie. It was great! Each night over dinner we've been chatting about our days and recapping our favorite moments. Those times are my favorite moments.

The low point? THE BATHROOM RUNS. I mean seriously. I think I have been to every bathroom in EPCOT and the Magic Kingdom so far. Between the two girls with miniature bladders, lots of water and frozen lemonades, and hours at the parks, I have taken them to the potty a zillion times. It's even caused us to miss a show and get out of line after waiting 30 mins for a ride. Is there a Guiness record for most bathroom trips at Disney? 'Cuz I'm sure that I'm a shoo-in.

Overwhelmed

I am feeling very overwhelmed right about now. It seems like things are in overdrive in all aspects of my life. At work I am bogged down with 2 cases for which I am the lead. In addition, I am on a major taskforce and council that are both in overdrive at the moment. I'm so backed up that I just end up floundering around uselessly from conference call to meeting hoping to make it through the day. At home I am trying to keep my family running semi-smoothly, which is hard when I only have about 2 hours per day, along with weekends, to do it. Homework needs to be done daily, groceries need to be purchased, meals need to be made. Hair needs to be braided, doctor's appointments attended, school reading logs need to be completed, recital lines need to be rehearsed, and box tops need to be collected. Dance classes need to be attended, summer camps scheduled, wedding gifts purchased and quality time spent. Volunteer committments need to be met, fitness routines done, personal invitations honored and phone/email messages returned. With our company, there are conference calls to be had, agreements to draft, events to coordinate, a site to launch, and oh yeah, a conference to plan.

I definitely need a break. Spring break is coming up soon and for that, I am grateful. However, that trip requires lots of planning too! We are headed to Disney World and, while I know we're going to have a great time, just getting there - with the right tickets booked, the right size strollers packed, the right size car rented, and a manageable itinerary planned (complete with the right Disney character breakfasts reserved) - adds another host of things to my already overburdened To Do list.

Breathe, Fergie. Breathe.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition - It's a Giveaway!

Is your three-year-old daughter driving you crazy with the incessant watching of HSM 3? Is your five-year-old daughter working your nerves with the constant references to Hannah? Or is that just me? Ahem. Just when I was about to swear off Disney for good (ok, not really - after all, Tiana is coming!), they won me back over with their limited release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition. The original movie made history in 1937 as the first full-length animated feature ever made. Another fun fact for you movie buffs: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the first film to ever have a motion picture soundtrack, and the first film that uses music to advance the story.

For the first time in 7 years, Disney is releasing the classic movie, and it's in high-def Blu-ray. in the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition Combo Pack, there is a Blu-ray disc and a DVD all in one package. The set also comes with plenty of extras, including High-Def sound, Backstage Disney scenes, Disney Family Plan games, and tons of other bonus features. Thanks to Disney and One2One Network for sending me and my girls one to review. Now, I don't have a Blu-ray player, but it didn't matter in the least. My girls and I watched the DVD version on my laptop on the plane ride home from Blogalicious and it was great. Brought back memories for me (and also a few chuckles at how times have changed). I was worried for a second that my kids would get bored of it quickly, since it looks so different than the cartoons that they watch these days, but they loved it.

Would the little princess in your life like to have her very Diamond Edition of Snow White? She's in luck. For your chance to win a copy of the Combo Pack ($39.99 SRP), please leave us a comment. Giveaway ends Sunday, November 8.


Ah yes, Prince Charming. He hasn't aged a bit.

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

I've been invited to attend the Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World's Epcot theme park. This will be my second time going and I'm super excited because there will be great food and wine. What else could I want? The 14th Annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival runs from September 25 through November 8th.

If you have an opportunity to go, please do. It's really a fabulous event. Live music, performances, great food prepared by celebrity chefs, wine from around the world.

Need I say more??

For more information, check out this link!