Halloween Costumes at the Disney Store

Are you still looking for a Halloween costume for your kids? Most of our favorite costumes have been either inspired by Disney or Disney made. Bean especially loves her princess costumes. After Halloween, they become a part of her everyday dress-up collection, which is ever expanding. We don't generally mind the expense, but we alway look for a good sale. This weekend, the Disney Store is having a sale on Halloween costumes and accessories. Select styles are 25% off, so it's definitely a money saver. If you haven't found a costume yet, be sure to check it out.

New to me Disney fun

Oooooohhhhh, the Claw!

I don't know about you, but I love to go to garage sales and used stores like Goodwill looking for fun Disney treasures. The prices are always affordable and I've found some really fun items. I wanted to share some of the goodies I've found in recent weeks.

I am unfortunately addicted to the Little Green Men from the Toy Story movies. I just adore the little critters. When I found a Big Bucket O' Little Green Men at the shop across from Toy Story Mania in Hollywood Studios, I really wanted one, but just couldn't spend $20 on a bucket of Little Green Men. What would I do with 25 anyway, right? Well, I guess I'll have to do something with them because I just bought an unopened set at a garage sale for $3.

I take so many photos at Disney World that I figure you can never have too many frames. I found the cutest Fantasia frame at Goodwill for 50 cents. The only trouble was that Mickey's nose was missing, but I figure I can fix that easily enough. 

I also picked up this cute Mickey pirate for $1. I love pirates and Mickey, so I couldn't pass it up. And I found a kids cup with Mickey and Friends dressed as Pirates of the Caribbean for 50 cents that I plan to use as a vase.

One of my favorite finds is a set of three McDonald's glasses from 2000. I have Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom and EPCOT and only paid $3 for the set. I have looked everywhere for a MGM Studios one, but they seem to be fairly scarce and far too expensive. Regardless, I love these glasses and use them every day.

Bean was happy when we found two of the color your own pillowcases, one with Fairies and one with Cinderella. They were brand new, still in the package, for $2 each. Bean has recently discovered that she loves to color iron-ons, so this was perfect.

And now you know why I can never pass up a garage sale or Goodwill: I never know what Disney goodies I will encounter!

Camelbaks at Disney World

I'm over at the Tips from the Disney Diva website today talking about my favorite Disney World tip: using Camelbaks to stay hydrated.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Disney

Happy Thanksgiving, ya'll! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving spent with family and friends and all of the things we should all be thankful for. Eat lots of turkey and plan your Black Friday shopping lists. There are some awesome deals out there, especially on Disney movies on DVD and Bluray and Disney clothing and toys. Check out Black-Friday.net for all the ads so you can plan your predawn shopping strategy! Good Luck and Happy Thanksgiving!!

Crocs

I don't know about you, but when I first saw Crocs, I didn't like the look of them. And then I drowned my shoes in a sudden downpour at Disney World. The Pirates of the Caribbean Crocs were on clearance at the Pirate shop, so I decided to give them a try. Within a few hours, I was hooked. My feet felt fantastic and the rain no longer bothered me. Admittedly, I did have to wear them with peds liner socks for the first few days to avoid blisters, but it was a small price to pay for comfort. I liked my Crocs so much that I wore them everywhere and actually wore them out. (There is no tread left on my first pair!) I found another pair of the Pirate Crocs at a Crocs outlet in St. Augustine for $10, so I replaced my first pair. Then I decided to give the ladies Mary Jane style a try. They quickly became my new favorite shoes. They are less bulky and have a more sleek look to them and I love them. I got basic pearl white and love to change them up with Jibbitz. They are a lot of fun. I haven't managed to get a pair of the Mickey Crocs yet, but I keep looking, hoping to find some at a more reasonable price than at Disney World. Sometimes you can get them at Big Lots or Ross for $10 or less, and the Crocs outlets are great too.

Enchanted Calls

I recently got a code for a free Disney Enchanted Call from Princess Tiana. I ordered and received the call today. It was actually kind of fun. The phone rings at a prearranged time and tells you to press 1 within 30 seconds. You press 1, and Tiana says hello and starts talking about making gumbo. A minute or two later, she tells you that she's got to go because her pots boiling over, and says goodbye. Bean really enjoyed it. She was excited that Tiana had called HER personally. I don't know how much these calls normally cost, but there is a deal for several calls available from Disney Movie Rewards. The calls are great for kids and are a wonderful surprise. Consider arranging a call as a special birthday surprise for that wonderful birthday kid.

Pin Trading - Getting Started

In the last few years, I have come to love collecting pins. At first, I didn't understand what all the excitement was about. But now, I love the added adventure of looking for that perfect pin to trade for.

I purchased my first pins off of Ebay. While many collectors complain that you can't guarantee the authenticity of such pins, I've found a few reputable sellers to buy from and haven't had any problems. The great thing about buying off of Ebay is that you can often get pins for $1.50 -$2.00, much less than the $6.50 and up that you would pay in the parks. I generally don't worry about which pins I get when buying from Ebay, after all, you can always trade for what you really want once you get to the parks.

I have several collections of pins that I have put into frames to decorate my home. I love Pirates of the Caribbean and have a frame that has pins surrounding a lithograph of a pirate ship. I also love the Haunted Mansion and have a set of pins surrounding a postcard of the Mansion. It's a fun way to display your collection. For extra pins that I haven't decided where to display yet, I keep them in a soft book with felt pages. Disney sells pin trading bags and books, but they can be a bit pricey, so I made mine. It keeps my pins safe and allows me to look through them quickly and easily.

Once your collection begins to grow, you'll probably want to go through your pins periodically and see if one that you had to have before is now one you'd like to replace with something new. New pins are coming out all the time, so there's always a new set to start collecting. My family likes to trade with cast members exclusively. While some Disney guests will trade with you also, the ones I've met just want my best pins without offering anything good in return. As a result, I just stick to the cast members, who will trade you any pin on their lanyard. You can trade 2 pins with each cast member, each day. This is great for those times when you see more than one pin that you just can't live without. I've gotten some really great, and sometimes rare, pins from cast members. They are a lot of fun to talk to and always willing to trade. Some only trade with children, which is great for the kids, but most will trade with anyone. My niece loves looking at all of the pins and trading with nearly every cast member we talk to, so her collection is ever-changing. She enjoys searching for Princess pins, and pins from her favorite Disney cartoons.

Pin trading is a lot of fun and can be very entertaining. After all, the search for that one perfect pin is a grand adventure. So, get yourself a lanyard and a few pins to get started and get out there, and let the games begin!

Outlet Store vs. Park, or How to buy the cool stuff without spending a fortune

I love going to Disney World and strolling through the shops browsing for fun new items to add to my ever-growing Disney collection. However, unless you find a rare sale or clearance item, you can end up spending a small fortune. A few years ago, I heard about the three Disney outlet stores located near Disney World. One, Character Outlet, is fairly small and sells both Disney and Universal Studios merchandise at a decent discount. There are two that sell all Disney items and are licensed Disney stores. Disney's Character Premiere, has several items that are discounted 50% or more, but also a lot of items that are regular price. The last store, Character Warehouse, sells items removed from the parks to make way for new merchandise, at a steep discount. This is our favorite Disney store. We've purchased a lot of fun items there at a great price. They have had everything from toys to Pal Mickey costumes, to t-shirts from Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and EPCOT's Food and Wine Festival, all for 50-70% off. They usually have a wide selection and a wide variety of price ranges, with something to suit everyone. We've purchased pins there for $4 or less, picture frames from Tower of Terror ($1) and Star Tours ($5 and it even lights up!), scrapbooking items for 75% off the original price, and a ton more. This store also gives stickers to kids that come in, just like the stickers given out in the parks. It's a little farther from the parks than the others, but offers the best value.

One of the best ways to save money at Disney, is to buy your souvenirs from an outlet store at some time during your trip. Because we usually drive down, we drive right past our favorite store on the way to the parks. As a result, we like to stop BEFORE going into the parks and pick out a few new things. We always budget for souvenirs and allow Bean to pick out a new toy and accessories at Character Warehouse, then don't purchase much in the parks. She usually gets more this way for the same amount of money that we would have spent in the parks. Also, this means that she has something new and exciting before we even get to the parks and so she's less likely to fall in love with something in the parks. If you want to go to the parks first and are spending several days, you still may want to check out the selection at the outlets at some point during your trip. We have often found the same or similar items from the parks in the outlets at a much lower price. It's a fantastic way to save money and still make the kids very happy.

If you would like to visit the outlets, here are the addresses.
Disney's Character Warehouse
Pr1me Outlets International, Suite #95
Mon-Sat 10AM-11PM, Sun 10AM-9PM
4951 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819
(407)354-3255

Disney's Character Premiere - Suite #1252
Mon-Sat 10AM-10PM, Sun 10AM-9PM
8200 Vineland Avenue, Orlando, FL 32821
(407)477-0222

Character Outlet - Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores
Mon-Sat 10AM-9PM, Sun 10AM-7PM
15629 Apopka Vineland Road, Orlando, FL 32821
(407)238-9301
charout@embarqmail.com

Free at EPCOT

Last but not least, my favorite park for freebies: EPCOT. EPCOT has the same basic free stuff: stickers, buttons, maps, times guides, and a whole lot more. The best freebies at EPCOT are from their kids activities, and there are several. The biggest kids activity, which will take you around the entire park, is the Kidcot Fun Stops. (Although these stops are intended for kids, I have participated in them as well, saving the charms to use in my scrapbook.) There are 17 fun stops; one in each of the 11 countries and one in each pavilion in Future World. The Kidcot Fun Stops are sponsored by Sharpie and have markers to color the charms or masks at each station. The charms each come in several colors so that kids can personalize their collection. Starting with the Innoventions Pavilions, you can get a Kidcot Fun Stop lanyard to attach paper charms to at each station throughout the park. At Innoventions West, the charm is an ID with a mobile phone from Kim Possible. At Innoventions East, the charm is a 3-D food pyramid with Rufus inside and kids learn about the food pyramid. At the Living Seas pavilion, you can get a shark or dolphin charm and learn about ocean creatures. At the Land pavilion, they have ladybug and Venus Flytrap charms. Kids learn about plants and insects. At the Test Track shop, kids can get two charms: a race car and a caution cone. After completing the 5 stops in Future World, head over to the World Showcase. 

In the World Showcase, the Kidcot cast members are native citizens of their respective countries. As such, they can tell you quite a bit about their country and will often teach kids to say "Hello" and "Goodbye" in their native language. At the first country, pick up a mask for more collecting fun. There are several different types of masks available, including some special seasonal ones. The three masks that are available anytime are an African style mask, an Asian style mask, and a European style mask. Each mask has a paint stir stick handle that will be stamped at each country. At Christmas, you can get a Santa mask and during the Food and Wine Festival, you can get a special mask with a chef's hat on. We usually start with Mexico and work our way around. In Mexico, kids can get a Jaguar charm and the first stamp on the handle of their mask. In Norway, the charm is a Viking Ship. In China, the charm is a Kite with a butterfly punched out. In China, they will also stamp your Chinese zodiac sign on the back of your mask as well as writing your name in Chinese. In Germany, the charm is usually a Teddy Bear, although the last charm I got was a Gingerbread boy. In Italy, the charm is a Half Mask. At the American Experience, the charm is a Rocking Horse. In Japan, the charm is an origami style Butterfly, although a Frog has been available in the past. In Morocco, the charm is a Khamsa, or Hand of Fatima. The Morocco charm used to be plastic, but has since been changed to paper. In Morocco, you can also ask to have your name written on your mask in Arabic. In France, the charm is a Hot Air Balloon with a fleur de lis punched out. In the United Kingdom, the charm is a Dragon. In Canada, the charm is a Dream Catcher, although a Maple Leaf was available in the past. At times, kids are offered a small gift such as a poster or certificate upon completion of the World Showcase masks. While they are not always available, it's worth making sure to visit each country on your way around the lagoon. 

In addition to the masks, you can purchase an "EPCOT Passport" to have stamped as you travel around the world. The cast members will stamp each passport and write something about their country or a message of welcome in their native language. I have not used the purchased passports, but there are a few free ones on the internet that can be downloaded and printed before you go. The first one I used was from a Disboards Dis-Signer. I've also created my own special passport to use at Christmas, incorporating the various holiday greetings from each of the 11 countries. 

Another fun freebie at EPCOT, although one that is only available to Disney Visa cardholders, is a free photo. To get the free 5x7 photo, part of the Visa Meet'n'Greet, you have to go to the Innoventions West pavilion sometime between 1:30PM-4:30PM. You show your card to the cast members and they will give you a certificate for the free photo. You can get one free photo per day, per unique card number. The wait to get in to see the characters can vary, but usually is around 20-30 minutes. While there are usually 2-3 characters in the room, sometimes there are as many as four. The last time we went, we saw Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy. It was great to spend a few minutes with the characters as the only family in the room and my niece loved the one on one interaction without all the distractions of other families waiting to see the characters. If you have a Disney Visa, I would highly recommend it. 

Another fun free thing in Innoventions West is the velcro frogs. These are often overlooked and can be a ton of fun. The frogs are available near the Slapstick Studios show. After picking a frog, which come in several colors, you can dress your frog in a wide variety of clothing. They have everything from sunglasses, to capes, to shorts and shoes, to Mickey ears or crowns. There are different accessories and different colors available every time we go. We love to play with the frogs while walking to the different areas of the park, and with EPCOT, there is a lot of walking. When you finish your frog, a cast member will give you a soft velcro bracelet so that you can wear your new creation. The frogs are a blast! 

And don't forget to visit Club Cool in Future World. Sponsored by Coca Cola, Club Cool gives you a chance to try Coke products from around the world for free. There are 8 different flavors to try, ranging from the delicious to the unique. Our family loves the watermelon soda available in China, although we didn't like the bitter Beverly soda from Italy. It's a great chance to try unexpected flavors and also very refreshing on a hot day, although it can get very busy. And there you have it, freebies at Disney World.


**UPDATE**
The Kidcot stations that were located in Future World have all been removed. Whether this is temporary or permanent remains to be seen. I'll update this if the stations are returned.

Free goodies at Animal Kingdom

The Animal Kingdom has some free goodies, but they are mostly for kids. You will still find the same stickers, buttons, maps and times guides. Then there are some that are unique to the Animal Kingdom. At Guest Services, you can request a copy of Timon and Pumbaa's Wild About Safety Safety Challenge and set of Safety tip cards. There are 15 safety cards humorously detailing what to do and what not to do to safely enjoy a day at the Animal Kingdom. The tips include "Don't wait too late to hydrate", "Follow the rules of the jungle" and "Have fun in the sun, don't get overdone". The safety tips are quite smart and putting Timon and Pumbaa into each situation will help kids enjoy learning the rules of the jungle. 

Another fun kids activity is the Kids Discovery Club. There are six Discovery Club stations throughout the park, one in each land. At each station, kids will learn about animals and the environment through games and quizzes. In Camp Minnie-Mickey, kids place their hands inside a hollow log and try to identify the item in the hole, such as a turtle shell or a pine cone. On Discovery Island, kids learn about insects and arachnids, such as tarantulas, and can try out "bug vision" with a special bug eye mask. In Asia, kids learn about Siamangs, tigers, and frogs and try to identify them based on what sounds they make. (During the summer months, there is an extra freebie available at this station. Last summer, after the presentation and stamps were given, each child was given a coupon for a free bottle of water for every member of their party. They were trying to encourage people to stay hydrated.) In Dinoland, kids help reunite jaw bones with dinosaur skulls. In Africa, kids follow clues to track and identify an animal. At Rafiki's Planet Watch, kids do a scavenger hunt to identify wildlife that can be found in their own back yards. At the end of each activity, the Kids' Discovery Club Membership Card is stamped. Once kids have collected all six stamps, they take an oath to protect animals and the earth and to respect nature and are given the final Rafiki Ya Wanyama stamp. They also receive a Kids' Discovery Club Activity Guide full of games to learn more about our world. Each station only takes a few minutes, although you may need to plan carefully to make it to every station before the park closes as they are spread throughout the park. It actually took us 4 separate trips before we were finally able to complete the card in one day. 

Another fun freebie, that may no longer be available, was the Disney Where Dreams Come True Magical Moment Certificate. The first time we received one of these was when we rode Dinosaur. We were selected as the family of the hour and the four of us got a car to ourselves. They also gave us a certificate to commemorate the honor. 

Another fun thing you can pick up, although cast members would prefer that you didn't, is a pair of bug glasses from It's Tough to be a Bug. We had a pair that broke, so we saved them. We took the legs off and the lenses out and used them in a scrapbook with photos in the lenses. Unlike the other 3D glasses, the Bugs Life ones look like bug eyes, so they are rather cool.

More Free? At Disney's Hollywood Studios

Disney's Hollywood Studios also has several free items that can be found within the park. As with the Magic Kingdom, there are maps, times guides, buttons, and stickers from cast members. However, Hollywood Studios has several unique freebies of it's own. If you have small children, you'll probably watch the Playhouse Disney Live Onstage show. During the show, tissue paper confetti will rain down on the audience. The shape of the confetti changes whenever they change the lineup of Playhouse Disney shows that are featured during the stage show. The last time I was there, it was large tissue paper leaves, which Bean gathered up to put in her scrapbook.

Another fun thing for kids can be found just after entering the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster area. On the left, they have a kids area set up where kids can decorate a large paper CD with stickers and take it home. They also give the kids magnet frames advertising new Disney Channel shows. Although this was the first time I had seen this kids area, it looked like it was expected to stay.

One of the coolest kids freebies is from Block Party Bash. At the end of the show, small red, yellow, green or blue Nerf balls, emblazoned with the Block Party Bash logo are shot out over the audience. While not everyone gets one during busy times, most of the kids will get one, either from the ones shot into the air, or from the ones cast members pass out so that everyone can have one of the balls.

At most of the table service restaurants, kids are given fun menus that are specific to the restaurant, with activities in addition to the menu. They have cool games and pictures and can be fun to take with you at the end of the meal. However, interesting free stuff isn't just for the kids. At the Hollywood Brown Derby, they serve fantastic food, and copies of the recipes. At the reservation desk, you can request copies of the recipes for the Cobb salad and Grapefruit cake, both of which are amazing. The recipes are printed on the back of a card that is shaped like the Brown Derby logo. When I ate at the restaurant, they told me that you can also request the recipe for the dish that you order and the chef will provide it. Whether you eat at the restaurant or not, you should request the recipes at the reservation desk. They will be happy to provide them.

Heaven forbid you should have to make a trip to the nurses station, but if you do, they give out Nurse Minnie stickers. Another fun free item is an extra fast pass. Toward the end of the night, if the fast pass stations are still open, I like to get a fast pass for my favorite ride and keep it to put in my scrapbook. The fast passes have the logo for the ride at the top and are a fun way to remember a favorite ride.

My favorite Souvenir - Pressed Pennies

My favorite Disney World souvenirs are pressed pennies. I've been a pressed penny fanatic for years, collecting them wherever I go. At Disney World, there are hundreds of pressed penny designs available, both in the parks and the hotels that make up the resort. Every time I go to Disney World, I make sure to bring quarters and pennies to feed my habit. I've tried several different ways of containing the coins in an attempt to make it quicker at the machines. My favorite method is to use M&M minis tubes. They are the perfect size to hold $12 in quarters, although the longer tubes will hold more. I usually carry two tubes, one with quarters and one with pennies. I always go to the bank to pick up at least one roll of quarters and one roll of pennies. I try to get a new roll of pennies, both because they are shinier and because I can then smash 2010 pennies in 2010. For kids, I decorate the M&M tubes with Disney stickers. After the pennies have been pressed, I put them into a small coin purse that I carry just to keep track of my pressed pennies. There are several websites out there that keep track of what penny designs are available and they update them frequently. My favorite penny site is Press Coins. They have great checklists for all of the pressed coin machines. Now that I've collected all of the pennies from certain machines, I carry a print out showing where the machines are and which designs are available in each machine. I check off the ones that I have to avoid duplication. It seems kind of silly, but I really only want one of each penny. I use the pennies in my scrapbooks, just like you would stickers. Last Christmas, I made ornaments using pressed pennies. I used a Mickey fried egg mold and a recipe for cinnamon applesauce ornaments, using a straw to poke a hole near the top center. After the ornaments dried, I glued a pressed penny to the front of each ornament. I glued a sticker to the back with the year and name of the person I was giving the ornament to. Each ornament has a pressed penny that represents the person I was giving it to. For instance, my niece loves all things French, so hers has a penny from the France Pavilion at EPCOT. I love pressed pennies, and they are one of the most inexpensive souvenirs available at Disney World. And if you save a few pennies, you have more to press!

Favorite Tip - Camelbaks

My friends and family are always asking me how I can afford to go to Disney World so often. Well, there are several things that make that possible, but they all add up to one thing, getting the most out of Disney while spending the least amount of money. My family and I went to Disney World in September of 2007. We stayed on site at Shades of Green, the military resort at Disney World. We ate all of our meals in the park or hotel and, as it was fairly hot that week, spent a fortune on drinks. When we got home, we added up the cost of buying drinks everyday and realized that we had spent approximately $70 per day for drinks for our family of 4. We were shocked. When you're in the parks, you don't always realize how much you are spending on the little things. So, we decided that, before we made our next trip to Disney World, we had to find a way to get the cost of drinks down.

As an Air Force family, Camelbaks were the obvious choice. They come in several sizes and styles, including one that is appropriate for small children. The adult packs hold 2 liters of water and the child's pack holds 1 liter. For my sister and Bean, who don't really like to drink water, we add Kool-Aid singles, Crystal Light singles, or Lipton singles. They last most of the day without needing to be refilled and keep everyone well hydrated. Bean loves her small pink pack, and we've added Disney patches and pins to dress it up. Inexpensive carabiners are a great way to clip items onto the packs, although you'll want to keep it simple as extra stuff can get caught in the bag bins on most rides. The various styles of adult packs have multiple pockets for holding whatever you need to carry. My pack has one large pocket, great for storing rain gear, snacks, extra napkins, etc, and one small pocket just the right size for park maps, autograph books, pens, extra pins, pressed pennies, and other small items. I have carried the pack for the last 5 trips and love it. I rarely run out of water before the end of the day but it's usually empty by the time I get back to the hotel. When using Kool-aid or another powdered drink mix, we rinse each pack out at the end of the night and allow it to dry. For water to fill the packs, we pick up gallons at Wal-mart and then just refill them at Wal-mart as necessary. It's a very economical way to keep the whole family hydrated and no one really misses the soda that we don't buy. The packs themselves aren't super cheap, (sometimes you can find other brands of hydration packs on clearance at the end of the back to school sale and they work just as well), but they are a great investment in your family's future vacations. So, when you start planning your next Disney vacation, consider purchasing hydration packs. They're fantasmic!