Goofy with Chip 'n' Dale Hallmark Ornament

By Nick

This ornament of Goofy with Chip ‘n’ Dale at a tree farm was a “secret reveal” from Hallmark in 2012, meaning it wasn’t in any media advertising in that years Keepsake Ornament line. 

Titled “Half-Off Hijinks”.

What exactly are these 2 chipmunks up to? Let’s read the box and find out.

Half-Off Hijinks!

Goofy and Chip ‘n’ Dale

Chip ‘n’ Dale would like a tree-

the season’s straight ahead!

But this makes Goofy wonder

if his sign has been misread:

he said that he would sell a tree

for only half his normal fee,

but rather inexplicably,

they cut off half instead!

Robert Chad

Hallmark Keepsake Artist

Now we know, Chip ‘n’ Dale took the sign literally! 

I wonder what would happen if I tried that at our local tree farm…naw, better not!

Jedi Mickey's Star Wars Dine at Hollywood and Vine

By Nick 

On a recent trip with 2 friends to Walt Disney World, we went to Jedi Mickey's Star Wars Dine at Hollywood and Vine, which is in Disney's Hollywood Studios through June 14th.

We started off this galactic dining experience getting photos with Jedi Mickey himself!

 Me, Mickey, Joe and Josh

As we were being brought to our table, we were handed our Lightsabers. Okay, they were pieces of paper that we rolled up, choosing either the blue side for the good guys or red for the bad, and securing this with provided rubber bands.

This is a buffet, and like the normal buffet at Hollywood and Vine, which my wife and I visited in January and enjoyed very much, there is a wide range of interesting choices mixed in with more standard fair. Several of the items are named in honor of Star Wars characters, such as the salad greens below, renamed "Greedos Fresh Green Mix."

Continuing down the buffet, we get other items, such as Yoda's Edamame Salad, Obi-Wan Insalata Caprese and, seriously, my favorite dish from the entire meal, R2-D2s Cantaloupe Salad, which had, obviously, Cantaloupe, pancetta, greens, and, I believe, a vinagarette. I really need to contact Disney and try to get the recipe, it was terrific.

Moving along we get to entree items like Princess Leia's Sweet and Sour Pork (a bit dry), and Ahsoka's Orange Chicken (very tasty).

There is a carving station that served Kessel Run Roasted Strip Loin and Dexter Jettster's (Obi's diner owning friend from Episode 2) Herb Roasted Turkey.

The"Padawan Kid's Buffet" serves Kanans Corn Dogs, Chewbaccas Chicken Tenders and other kid friendly foods.

As you dine, favorite Disney characters come around dressed like favorite Star Wars characters, like Chip and Dale as Ewoks.

If you miss one, don't fear, they come around frequently, and a Cast Member will make sure you've seen everyone, like Darth Goofy...

...and Stormtrooper Donald!

On to what many consider the most important part of any meal, dessert! One of the best were the
Darth Vadar Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake.

I didn't try the tarts as I was saving room for the cupcakes.

My favorite dessert was Aunt Beru's Blue Milk Ice Cream. It tasted like cotton candy!

We opted for the Fantasmic package, which gave us guaranteed seats for the show, and cost $63.99 for adults, and $38.99 for children aged 3-9.

I highly recommend this experience. True, it is not cheap, but it's a lot of fun, and the food is really very good. It's 3 of my favorite things in one. Disney, Star Wars, and food! May The Force be with you!

Princess Leia Minnie and me

Hangin' Out With Chip 'n' Dale : Story Behind the Photo

By Nick

This photo was take January of 2011, when we were hangin' out with our buddies, Chip 'n' Dale at their Campfire Sing-A-Long at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort.

We had arrived early for this terrific event, and were surprised to find these 2 scampering about. They were very excited to see us, and we had our own private photo session.

If you've never been, I can't recommend it highly enough!

You can bring your own marshmallows and sticks, or buy a S’mores kit from the Chuckwagon Snack Bar.

Then, sing along to old-time favorites led by a guitar-playing cowboy, who is joined by the chipmunk duo!

Afterwards, you can watch Disney movies at the Campground Cinema, which we didn't do that evening, but plan on during a future visit.

Disney's Merry Christmas Carols

By Lisa Green



From our very own Disney Collection (well, Joseph’s anyway), I found a seasonal treat!  This Disney Christmas album from 1980.  (I hate calling it vintage – in 1980 I was in highschool.)  Not only is the album cover adorable, the songs are just great!  I mean who wouldn’t adore an album from 1980 that features Molly Ringwald singing The First Noel?!?

 
Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Chip, Dale, Goofy, and Pluto are joined by Larry Groce and the Disneyland Children’s Sing-Along Chorus.  Even Clarabelle Cow herself also makes a brief vocal cameo appearance!

Track Listing:
1. The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) – Chip ‘n’ Dale & Donald
2. I Wist It Could Be Christmas All Year Long – Willio and Phillio
3. Sliegh Ride – Mickey, Donald, Goofy & Larry Groce
4. Away In A Manger – Larry Groce
5. Here We Come A-Caroling – Larry Groce
6. The First Noel – Molly Ringwald
7. Here Comes Santa Claus – Mickey, Donald, Goofy & Larry Groce
8. Joy To The World – Larry Groce
9. Silver Bells – Larry Groce
10. The Twelve Days Of Christmas – Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Minnie, Chip ‘n’ Dale, Clarabelle Cow and Larry Groce
11. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Larry Groce

If you find yourself in the mood for some Disney Christmas songs of yesteryear, you can still find places online to purchase one of these timeless gems for yourself.  Try etsy, ebay, Svoundtrack.com, or gemm.com – expect to pay $7 to $22 depending on album condition.

This article was originally posted on the Living a Disney Life Blog.

Trip Report: October 11th-October 17th 2014 - Part 4

By Nick

Tuesday October 14th,

I had a hard time sleeping, as this was our Castaway Cay day, and I was very excited to be going to this lovely island that I had seen in so many photos through the years.

We had a quick breakfast at Cabanas, and then headed ashore.

I had been told that we should head directly to Serenity Bay, the 18+ beach, but instead we stopped at the Castaway Family Beach as it was already very hot. We chose a couple of chairs in the shade, and headed directly into the water to cool off. 

Note the prescription sunglasses I'm wearing above. More on that in a minute.

After floating around for awhile, we decided to try out the slide, Pelican Plunge. 

I had bought a really cheap waterproof video camera before going on this trip, which really worked out well, despite the photo quality not being the best, for $40, what the hey. 

I brought this camera to Castaway Cay, and figured I'd video my trip down the slide. 

At the top, the Cast Members warned me to hold onto my sunglasses. Did I listen? Sort of. 

I held onto the video camera with one hand, and my glasses with the other. 

Let's roll the clip.

I got to the bottom of the slide, and, yes, the glasses came off, and even though I had one hand on them, the gushing water behind me took them out of my hands. I was juggling them, and...gone.

I was told by the life guard who had witnessed this whole sad event that the bottom is very deep, and full of jellyfish, so the odds of me going down, blind, literally, and finding anything was slim to nil.

The life guard directed me to fill out a form. This is a very common occurrence it turns out, and every day, after closing, life guards comb the bottom for lost items and bring them to the ship.

Lucky for me, I'd brought a pair of regular glasses with me, so all was not lost.

After getting my spare glasses, we decided to head to Serenity Bay for a look at that part of the island. We were told we should get a tram, as the walk was long and hot.

Once we got to Serenity Bay, it did indeed look serene.

We preferred being where there was more activity, so we hopped the same tram back.

I'm glad we did hop a tram, we saw these folks walking, and they looked totally spent.

Once we got back to our chairs, it was closing in on lunchtime. You could smell barbecue all over, so we went to Cookie's to eat. The burgers were good, but the spare ribs and chicken were delicious. I even shared a frozen tropical drink with Barbie, who rarely drinks.

After lunch, we floated around in the lagoon for a couple more hours until we started to prune up.

On the way back to the Dream we stopped and took pictures at this popular photo spot.

Once we got back on the ship, we showered and got dressed for the Family Halloween Party at 4:45 in the Lobby Atrium, which featured a visit and dance party from our favorite Disney pals.

 

We were Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus on vacation. My wife sewed her dress, my shorts, and my Santa hat and facial hair.

We were a hit! Many people asked if they could get photos of us, or with us. We are pretty sure that some young children may actually have believed that I was Santa! 

The dance party was a lot of fun. Where else does one get to dance with Chip and Dale while holding a drink and dressed as Santa?

After the party, we headed to the upper decks as we sailed away from Castaway Cay.

We skipped our dinner at Royal Palace, and instead decided to try the sit down dinner served at Cabanas on certain nights during the cruise.

For appetizers, we both had the Ahi Tuna and avocado tower and Baked Potato and Cheddar Cheese soup, while for entrees, I had the marinated rib eye steak, while Barbie had the grilled Portobello Mushrooms.

Everything was terrific. This was my favorite dinner of the cruise. It was less formal, and the food was actually just as good and better than we'd had the previous 2 evenings.

We took one last walk around the Dream before turning in early, having decided to skip the adult costume party that evening at 10:30pm. 

And who did we encounter? Captain Henry!

And, to have an even happier ending to my favorite day of the cruise, we stopped by Guest Services to check if my sunglasses had been recovered, and indeed they had!

Please check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of my trip report as well.