If you’re just tuning in, you can find Part 1 of our girls’ weekend adventure here.

When I left off, Colorado Sister and I had just taken a ride on Tower of Terror. This is one of my favorite rides in California Adventure, so I was excited to share Colorado Sister’s first ride with her. She liked it…at least, I THINK she liked it…sort of. Afterwards she said her brain felt like it had been taken out of her head, shaken around some, and then put back in her head upside down. Not exactly the reaction I expected!

Originally, our plan was to head over to ride California Screamin’, but since Colorado Sister was out of sorts, we decided to head over to the Animation Building to do the Animation Academy and Turtle Talk with Crush. If you haven’t been in to the Animation Building, I highly recommend visiting. Colorado Dad and I “found” it when we were doing the D23 scavenger hunt a few years ago and always make it part of our trips. It’s a great (air-conditioned) break from the crowds.

Animation Academy gives you an opportunity to get a group drawing lesson from a Disney animator. Each session focuses on a different character, so if you really wanted to, you could stay there all day long and have quite a collection of character drawings! Our character was Tigger and we had fun trying to follow along.

Learning to draw Tigger at the Animation Academy

After our animation break, it was almost time for our dinner reservation at Carthay Circle, so we decided to head over a little early to have a drink in the lounge. The bartenders at the Carthay Lounge are top notch and the drink menu offers some unique options that are a cut above the normal drink options you can find at Disney. The Lounge is an excellent place to have a snack, or even a late night dessert if you don’t want to eat a full meal. It was tough to decide, but in the end, Colorado Sister ordered a Sparkling Mare, which includes sparkling wine and elderflower liqueur, while I opted for the Double Pear Martini, made with pear Absolut and pear nectar. Both were delicious!

Sparkling Mare at the Carthay Circle Lounge

Double Pear Martini at Carthay Circle Lounge

While we were waiting for our drinks, I went over to the host stand to check in for our reservation but let them know we were in the lounge and were in no real rush for a table. I was impressed with how well the waitstaff in the lounge communicated with the host stand – the hostess came to get us right after we received the check for our drinks.

The menu changes seasonally at Carthay, but there are a few menu staples we knew we wanted – the signature fried biscuits and the firecracker duck wings. We had been thinking about those fried biscuits all day and they did not disappoint. One of the servers kept trying to take the basket away, but we kept sending him away For our entrees, I chose the short rib ravioli and Colorado Sister had the mushroom risotto. Our dinner was fantastic, and of course, I was so busy eating that I only got one picture.

Short Rib Ravioli at Carthay Circle

After we found a little bit more room for a couple bites of brownie sundae, we received our World of Color preferred viewing tickets and I headed out to the patio to take a few pictures. The Carthay patio is a great place to watch the fireworks over in Disneyland, but it was too early for that, so I took a few pictures of the crowds instead.

A view of Buena Vista Street from the Carthay patio

We rolled ourselves out of the restaurant and headed over to take a spin on Toy Story Mania. The wait time was supposedly 35 minutes, but by the time we got to the front of the line, it had been more like 50 minutes and we only had a few minutes to get back over to Paradise Pier for World of Color. The Carthay Circle preferred viewing section is right in the middle, so it’s a great spot, but by the time we got over there, it was pretty full, so we were in the back. World of Color is one of my favorite Disney shows, but it’s definitely tricky to photograph. I took about a zillion pictures but only got a couple decent ones. The best photo time, in my opinion, is AFTER the show. The fountains are low, but still on, and the crowds have moved on.

After World of Color

We were getting pretty tired at this point, but we hadn’t been over to Colorado Sister’s favorite part of the park yet, so we had to do a quick spin through Cars Land. The single rider line for Radiator Springs Racers was about 20 minutes long, so we decided to go for it. Unfortunately, our big meal, standing to watch World of Color, and then standing in a line that wasn’t moving as fast as we would have liked, did us in. After our ride around Radiator Springs we headed back to the hotel where our comfy beds were ready and waiting for us…Well, almost.

Remember how I said we didn’t get our room keys when we checked in? Yep, I forgot too. I had to visit the Front Desk, explain the situation to the very confused Cast Member (“you really should have gotten your keys”) and THEN we were able to fall into our comfy beds and drift off to sleep.

Sweet Dreams at the Disneyland Hotel

Next up: A day in Disneyland!

My sister and I just returned from a surprise girls weekend at Disneyland to celebrate her 30th birthday. I’ll get to the specifics of what we did during our visit in the next couple posts, but first, I thought I’d share a couple of planning tips since I had to plan the trip while keeping Colorado Sister in the dark (it was a birthday surprise after all!)

Enlist some help
Since this trip was a birthday present, I wanted to make sure Colorado Sister had no idea it was coming. But, that made planning a little tough since I couldn’t really ask her when she would have an opening in her schedule. Luckily, I had help from my mom as well as Colorado Sister’s boyfriend. They were able to give me info on her schedule and also made sure that no other plans were made for that weekend. There were a couple times when I was positive the secret was out, but we all were able to keep things quiet.

Stay on-site
Admittedly, I was very lucky to have some extra DVC points to use for our hotel stay for the weekend, but even if I hadn’t, I would have chosen an on-site Disney hotel. Why? I just don’t think the atmosphere can be beat, especially when you’re planning a special trip. It was also important for us to have access to early morning hours, a perk for Disney hotel guests, so we could maximize our time in the parks.

Plan something special
I usually try to plan one “extra” thing for our celebration trips, just to make it extra memorable. Since this was Colorado Sister’s 30th birthday celebration, I figured it called for some “extra” extras, so I planned several things:

• Dinner at Carthay Circle + Preferred Viewing for World of Color — Carthay Circle is one of my favorite places to eat, so I knew this would be on our itinerary for sure. But, what I didn’t know was that you can get Preferred Viewing tickets for World of Color if you have either an appetizer & entree OR entree & dessert per person for either lunch or dinner. The viewing area is right in the middle and is only for Carthay Circle diners, so it’s a pretty good perk.
• A waterside table for lunch at the Blue Bayou — Another one of my personal favorites, the Blue Bayou is always a fun experience and if you can get a waterside table, it’s even better. I made sure to book an 11:30am lunch reservation – this is the first seating and as long as you’re not late for your reservation, you’re guaranteed a waterside table.
• The Fantasmic Dessert Package — I love Fantasmic at Disneyland, but I DON’T love getting there really early to get a front row seat on the ground. Booking the Fantasmic Dessert Package eliminates that crazy wait by allowing you to purchase reserved seats (an actual chair!) along with an assortment of desserts and beverages. It’s a bit spendy, at $60/person, but is well worth it for a special occasion.

The two dining reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance using the regular Disney Dining line at (714) 781-3463 or by emailing dine@disneyland.com. The Fantasmic Dessert Package can be booked 30 days in advance using the Entertainment line at (714) 781-7469.

Make the reveal memorable
Colorado Sister’s birthday was actually a couple weeks before our trip, just because of how our schedules worked out, so I had to decide if I was going to reveal the trip on her birthday or wait until the day we left. I figured it would be really hard to keep the secret as we got closer, so I decided to reveal everything on her birthday. I found a Disney itinerary template over at WDW Prep School that I used as a guideline for creating an itinerary and I also got a photo album from Michaels that I made into a “Disney Memories” album. But, I wanted to drag the surprise out for as long as I could, so I added a couple of pictures from our January trip in the album and then added these pictures:

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Colorado Sister was pretty overwhelmed when she opened the album, so I think it was definitely a memorable reveal!

Up next: Day 1 – From Colorado to World of Color

Exactly 2 months from now, the Colorado Family will be boarding a plane to sunny Oahu where we’ll spend a week at Disney’s Aulani Resort and Spa. We are all SO excited for a little sun and sand, but last weekend I realized that both the kids have grown out of their swimsuits, so that means it’s shopping time!

Colorado Princess of course wanted a princess swimsuit, so we headed over to the Disney Store swim shop where she picked out a Rapunzel ensemble. Everything arrived yesterday and I must say, it’s all pretty darn cute!

The cover-up is even doing double duty as she insisted on wearing it as a nightgown to bed last night

Colorado Boy is refusing to have his picture taken in his new swim stuff, but since he’s TEN (which means he’s almost an adult) he wanted something a little more grown-up, so we visited one of my favorite kid clothes’ sites – Lands’ End. He found a cool “kraken” (it looks like an octupus to me, but whatever) rash guard and board shorts along with some new flips. My favorite part about Lands’ End swim stuff is that most of the shorts come in their Slim option so they actually fit Colorado Boy. Woohoo!

Getting all these new beach clothes for the kids was making me kind of jealous, so when I ran across a cute maxi dress for a killer price on Zulily, I just had to go for it. It’s a little long, but I like it a lot – it’s very comfortable and should be great to throw on for dinner after spending a day at the beach!

So now we’re all set to head out! Too bad we can’t leave tomorrow

This week’s Wordless Wednesday theme is Disney Time!

For us, Disney Time means time to get that rare picture of all of us together

A time to reconnect

And a time when all the usual sibling rivalry is replaced by love, hugs and harmony!

If you haven’t heard yet, Disney is giving away some “Disney Time” in the form of a Disney vacation of your choosing all through the month of January. To find out more about the sweepstakes and to enter for your chance to win, make sure to visit Disney Time Sweeps every day in January!

Today’s post is part of the wonderful Disney Wordless Wednesday blog hop, hosted each week by Deb over at Focused on the Magic. Click through the image below to see other Disney Time WW posts and make sure to link up  - it’s a great way to find other Disney bloggers and to share your blog with a great group of Disney fans!

Today’s Wordless Wednesday theme is a November calendar shot. My hubby has a business trip to Orlando at the end of the month and he suggested that the whole family come along as a birthday present for me. Of course I couldn’t say no! This trip is going to be full of a bunch of firsts for us – first time staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, first time seeing Candlelight Processional, first time eating at a couple restaurants that I’m embarassed to say I’ve never been to – like 50s Prime Time Cafe – and hopefully, the first time seeing the New Fantasyland. I am SO excited!

To celebrate my anticipation, I’m going with a picture of that little piece of Disney magic that always gives me a little pick-me-up when it arrives

Happy November to everyone and thanks, as always, to Deb at Focused on the Magic for hosting our weekly blog hop and coming up with the great theme’s each week! Don’t forget to hop on through to visit the rest of this week’s great November calendar shots and if you have one to share, don’t be shy – link on up!

Welcome to this week’s Wordless Wednesday blog hop, where we’re mixing it up with Mickey and Minnie. Here are a couple of favorites from our recent Alaskan cruise.

For more on our fabulous trip to Alaska on the Disney Wonder, make sure to check out the first few posts from my trip report!

Thanks, as always, to Deb, the fabulous host of our weekly Disney blog hop. Make sure to click through to visit the rest of the hoppers this week and if you’d like to share your own adventures with Mickey and Minnie, make sure to link up!

Yep, I’ve got it…the bloggy blues. After successfully moving my blog over from WordPress.com to a self-hosted site over the weekend, I’ve suddenly found myself with zero time to write anything new, so until I get my life straightened out later today, please enjoy my remedy for the bloggy blues…or any kind of blues, for that matter!

Dreaming about the crystal blue waters on beautiful Castaway Cay

In last week’s trip tip, I gave a few of my favorite tips for saving money on Disney cruise fares so this week I thought I’d focus on the things that are not included in your fare. The cruise fare is most likely going to be your biggest expense since it covers your room and all your food, but beware of the things that aren’t included – they can sneak up on you

Bingo - Disney cruise ships don’t have a casino like many other ships do, but you still have an opportunity to try your luck (and spend your money) by playing bingo. The bingo games are typically held each day and include cash prizes and other giveaways (spa gift certificates, Disney pins, etc.). The easiest way to save money here is to just not play at all, but it is fun and if your kids are like mine, they’ll probably drag you to at least one game. Don’t get taken in by the pre-game sales pitch – just buy a few cards and have fun. Also, make sure to check the personal navigator each day because they occasionally give away free bingo cards at the shops when you make a small purchase.

The Spa – There’s lots of great treatments you can book at the spa, but they can get spendy. One great option we’ve used is to buy the pass to the Rainforest Room, which will give you access to the heated loungers, steam room and showers for only $15 for a one-day pass. If you definitely want to do a treatment, but don’t have anything specific in mind, make sure to check your personal navigator – they include spa specials each day.

Pictures – The great thing about the cruise is that there are tons of photo opps and there’s a team of photographers that will take your picture for you. The bad news is that all the pictures they take cost money if you decide to purchase them (you don’t have to buy any if you don’t want to). You can buy individual pictures or purchase a package, but I’ve never really seen any deals, so I usually just include this in my budget. One thing to keep in mind is that most of the photographers are happy to take a picture with your own camera, so you can save money that way. The other thing that we do is group all our pictures together in one place and wait until the 2nd to last day to decide what pictures to buy. That way, we can go through everything from the cruise and only pick our absolute favorites.

Port Excursions - Every stop along the way has excursions available for you to book so you can see a little bit of the city you’re visiting. We’ve had some great excursions on our trips, but they can get expensive. I’ve covered a lot of the tips for saving money on these in a previous post, so I’ll just say here that it’s very important to do your homework. Look at all your options and make sure you’re getting the best possible experience for your money.

Alcohol – Adult beverages as well as some non-alcoholic specialty drinks like smoothies and lattes are not included in the cost of your cruise. Neither is bottled water or soda in cans that’s delivered via room service. For non-alcoholic drinks, make sure to bring your own cup so you can get refills at the drink stations on deck 9. For alcohol, Disney is one of the few cruise lines that allows you to bring on your own, as long as it fits into your carry-on bag. So, we bring on our own wine and save a ton of money. You’ll be charged a corkage fee if you bring the bottle into the dining rooms, but you won’t be charged anything if you just bring a full glass into dinner with you.

Palo/Remy Upcharge – No savings tips here. The $20 for Palo or the $75 for Remy is absolutely worth the experience, so just plan for it and put it into your budget.

Tips – Tips for your room attendant, assistant server, server and head server are all required. There is a recommended amount for each person that Disney will automatically add to your bill for your convenience but you can modify that amount, up or down, as you see fit. We have never not given the recommended amount to any of crewmembers we’ve had – they’ve all been great, so really, this is just another item to make sure to budget for. But, one thing I like to mention is that if you’d like to give any of your team something “extra” it doesn’t have to be money. They’re all on the ship for several months at a time, so think about things like pre-paid calling cards for calling home, iTunes cards or even candy (Hershey’s miniatures seem to be quite popular!)

So, those are some of the things you might encounter while you’re onboard. I haven’t included souvenirs on this list, but don’t forget about those!

To finish up, I wanted to share my favorite way for saving for these “extras”. Our secret weapon is Disney gift cards! Yep, they’re accepted in the shops and to pay for your onboard account, so we stock up on Disney gift cards during the months before our cruise whenever we have a little bit of extra cash. I put together a high-level budget for the things I think we’ll buy, based on what we did on our previous cruises, and try to grab a gift card whenever I can. And since you’re not saving cash or setting it aside in a savings account somewhere, you’re probably not going to need to dip into it before your cruise, so it really adds up quickly!

Today marks 7 weeks until we set sail to Alaska on the Disney Wonder and the whole family is SO excited about our trip. This will be the 4th trip for my husband and me and the 2nd for our kids, so I thought I would take the next several weeks to share some tips and tricks we’ve learned along the way.

Tomorrow, I’ll start with some things I’ve learned to save money on cruise fares as well as how to save money for some of the expenses you’ll have onboard.

But, before I kick things off, I’m interested in hearing from you – what questions do you have about cruising with Disney? Let me know in the comments below and I’ll make sure to answer them in the coming weeks.