Starling Travel

This postcard from PostSecret made me so happy.

Here is the front of the card:

It reads:

Your pal, Mickey Mouse
Love, Minnie Mouse XOXO

Here is the back of the card:

It reads:

The best part of my job is seeing your child’s face as they meet their “best friend.” Don’t ruin it by rushing them for a pic. Hearing them talk is the best part!

I love knowing that the people who play the characters at Disneyland actually CARE about the kids. I had seen an inkling of it, watching them sign the autograph books for the children, but knowing that my thoughts are true makes me want to visit The Happiest Place on Earth again.

How long until I can go to Disneyland again?

PostSecret’s beneficiary is the National Hopeline Network. It is a 24-hour hotline (1 (800) SUICIDE) for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.

Last year, my sister, Stacey, wanted to go to Disneyland for Christmas. After a HORRIBLE flight delayed by a snow storm, we arrived in California the day after Christmas and enjoyed the park all dressed up for the holidays.

Here is a video showing what it’s like:

Considering how much a fan of the Haunted Mansion I am, you might think that I hate what they do to the ride for Christmas, but I loved it. Here of some photos of the Christmas decorations:

What I loved most of all, however, is the parade and fireworks every evening. They had SNOW! I know it sounds crazy that they would be able to produce a gentle snow fall every evening in southern California, but they did. I don’t know what the snow flakes were made of, but they felt just as cool and fluffy as the snow that delayed our flight in Salt Lake City for so long.

When my sister suggested that we fly to Disneyland for Christmas, I thought she was crazy. I just went along for a family trip that we could laugh at and remember. Now, it’s a year later and I’m sad that I will miss Christmas in Disneyland this year.

Did you know that Disney had a YouTube channel about their amusement parks and cruises? I had no idea, but I’ve spent the last hour or two enjoying it!

• YouTube – DisneyParks’s Channel

Here are my favorites:

The 40th Anniversary of the Haunted Mansion: I love the Haunted Mansion, so seeing this video with it’s history made me happy today.

A Model Day at the Magic Kingdom: This GORGEOUS tilt-shift video makes Disneyland look like a scale model. Watch it in full screen mode so that you don’t miss a thing. LOVELY!

Barack Obama Joins Hall of Presidents: I had no idea that Disney World had a Hall of Presidents. Just seeing this video makes me want to go to Florida NOW!

Of course, you’ll NEVER see something like this on Disney Park’s YouTube channel. Here is a snippet of Be Our Guest, in which a dancer topples his cart. Keep an eye open on the right side of the screen at the 0:36 mark.

It looks like work on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is well underway.

Construction photo via: PostSecret on Twitpic

It will be at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando Florida. According to Universal, it’s going to be a big deal:

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is not just a single attraction. This new themed environment will provide fans with a one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience the magical world of Harry Potter and his friends, and to see some of their favorite locations from the books and films such as the village of Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forrest, and even Hogwarts castle itself. The area will feature attractions, experiential shops and restaurants.

They have conceptual designs of the attractions on the Universal website. Here is what Hogwarts Castle will look like:

It looks nice, but will you be able to go in it?

The new land will be anchored by the most recognizable landmark in Harry Potter’s world: Hogwarts castle. Fans will get to experience some of their favorite locations both within Hogwarts and around the castle grounds.

Here is what Dervish and Banges “experiential” shop will look like:

Universal is going to have a huge surge of visitors just because of this single attraction. I hope they are ready for the crowds. You can find out more here:

• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Universal Orlando Resort

Here is a video of the construction underway:

Here is the official Universal Studios announcement:

I love these photos from Rudy and Cassie on their trip to Disneyland. I always wanted to have a picture of myself trying to pull out the sword in the stone, but no one would take one of me. Next time I go, I’ll have to finally get a snapshot of me.

You can see all the photos here:

• DisneyLand (April 2009) – a set on Flickr

I love this tweet from Rudy:

• Twitter / Rudy Jahchan: Loving the tweetbacks I got from you all regarding our Disney trips. Also awesome learning many of you are insiders at one time or another.

It seems like whenever I tell the Internet I’m going to Disneyland, the whole world wants to experience it with me. We all turn into children again when we talk about Disneyland.

Roadside attractions that are free to the public are rare indeed. When they come in the form of a giant blue whale, you’ve hit nirvana!

You can learn more about the Blue Whale here:

• City of Catoosa: Blue Whale

Emily Elliott took video of the Blue Whale and shared it on YouTube:

Here is what the Blue Whale looks like from above

View Larger Map

Next time you’re thinking of taking a road trip, try Route 66. The Blue Whale is just one of many niceties that you’ll find along this old road!

Via: Twitter / Ash Buckles: RT @problogger: Check out …

While scanning my mom’s old photographs, I found a few snapshots from the debut of the It’s A Small World attraction that Disney showcased at the 1964 World’s Fair. You can see them here:

Seeing these photos reminded me that I have a photo of the It’s a Small World ride at Disneyland from 1984:

The ride changed a lot from 1964 on its way to Disneyland in 1984. Twenty years later, the story is still the same. It’s a small world, even between mother and daughter.

I don’t know how I missed it, but back in 2005, NakedJen went to Disney World and had some insights to share with us. Be forewarned, NakedJen is in fact NAKED, so if you’re at work, don’t click on the link:

• nakedjen: Ten Things To Know About Walt Disney World

My favorite:

When attempting to take a naked picture lying on Mickey’s Bed, alarms will go off. There’s a reason that there is a do not cross sign there. His bedroom really is off limits. The minute you step into his bedroom, loud alarms sound and Disney cast members come running to see what all the commotion is about. They then will discover you standing there half in the room, half out of the room without your clothes on and they will not be PLEASED at all.

In fact, she didn’t actually get a naked picture of herself in Minnie Mouse’s room either. She photoshopped herself into the picture. Considering the crowds of children at the park, I would be shocked if she had been able to get away with it without getting arrested.

When we were in California last February, we were able to visit Star Trek The Tour. It is currently at the Queen Mary and is destined to travel to 40 U.S. cities, but we couldn’t be sure Salt Lake City was on the list, so we saw it while it was in California.

Star Trek The Tour is a collection of the props, sets and costumes from all the Star Trek television shows and movies. The coolest part was the staff allowed us all to take as many pictures and video as we wanted. I took so many pictures that I could fill the screen with them all. Here a couple of highlights:

When you first walk into the place, the Guardian of Forever is there to greet you. They let you walk up to and jump through it all you want. It’s awesome!

There were dozens of these exhibits with props from the original series. I loved how much attention to detail they gave them. Some of them were labeled as props, but repainted. Others were in original condition. If they were replicas, it said so on the little card.

Here is Captain Picard’s office with his desk and even a photo from Deanna and Riker’s wedding. It was fun so see all of the sets from television in real life.

You can see ALL of the photos I took here:

• Star Trek The Tour – a photoset on Flickr

At the end of the tour, you go through a Star Trek Experience. It was a lot of fun and this video doesn’t really do it justice:

Download this video for your iPod

The experience leads you out into the gift shop. If you think that it’s just ordinary Star Trek paraphernalia, then you would be mistaken. I bought my Starfleet Academy school ring there and I haven’t been able to find anything like it anywhere else. Not even The Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas has them.

Ssandart got video in the Borg Simulator. Since these kind of rides make me motion sick, I avoided them. Looks like they were pretty cool, though. Skip to the 2:06 minute mark to see the video of the simulator:

Here’s a commercial for Star Trek The Tour on YouTube:

A special thank you to Wil Wheaton for announcing this on his blog:

• WWdN: In Exile: announcement two of four (collect them all!)

I wouldn’t have known about this if I hadn’t read it in his blog, so I’m so glad I was able to play with all the fun at Star Trek The Tour!

Wil Wheaton visited Disneyland recently and posted his photos on Flickr. You can see them all here:

• WilWheaton’s Disneyland slideshow on Flickr

He included the obligatory photo of himself in front of the Haunted Mansion. At this time of the year, it is all decked out in Nightmare Before Christmas goodness.

I have never gone to Disneyland in October, so I’ve never seen the Halloween decorations on the Haunted Mansion. I’m really wanting to jump in the car and take a road trip right now for a quick jaunt to CA. Stop me, okay?