How About Making This Christmas Incredible?

Christmas is on the way, and it's the time where we are starting to think about gifts. How about making an Incredible Gift Pack for that special child or family in your life? You could include
The Incredibles 2 Blu ray/DVD, these cute "fast as dash" kids pj's, Incredibles stickers, a pack of popcorn - everything needed for a family movie night.

The Lion King Signature Collection

As a teenager, The Lion King was one of my absolute favourite movies. I actually saw it 3 times in the movie theater - that's how much I loved it.  The story, the characters and the soundtrack.  I would play the songs on repeat while doing homework or day dreaming about my latest crush.

As I grew older, my love for the movie remained unchanged. It had been many years since I watched the film, but when it was added to The Walt Disney Signature Collection, I was sent a copy to review.

Even though the years have passed, time hasn't changed my love of The Lion King. I don't know what it is that spoke to me back when it was first released, but whatever it is continues to do so.

I loved Simba, but I think that I would have to say Rafiki is probably my favourite character in the movie.  

The digital release was August 15th, and the Blu-ray/DVD release was today, August 29th.  "It is time" to introduce a whole new generation to Simba, Timon, Pumba and the rest of the cast.  

Blu-ray bonus extras include:

• The Recording Sessions
• Inside The Story Room
• Visualizing A Villain
• The Lion King: Song Selection
• and more....

The Lion King Signature Collection #Giveaway

Available now for Digital Download

"One of the biggest animated films in history— "The Lion King"—joins the highly celebrated Walt Disney Signature Collection. The coming-of-age masterpiece, filled with humor and heart, breathtaking animation and soul-stirring Academy Award®-winning music (1994: Best Original Score and Best Original Song, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"), arrives on Digital on Aug. 15 and on Blu-ray and DVD on Aug. 29. Audiences will fall in love all over again with the treasured classic, and a new generation of fans will laugh with Timon and Pumbaa, cry with Simba and Mufasa, burst into song, and find their place in the "Circle of Life.""

Time For A Giveaway

Use the form below for your chance to win a copy of The Lion King Signature Collection on Blu-Ray. Open to Canadian residents over the age of 18. Void where prohibited.

Entry-Form

Walt Disney World Fastpass Worthy Rides

The idea behind the Fastpass is to pre-book a time range to arrive and ride a particular attraction. You have a 1-hour time frame to show up in, and the cast member at the gate will scan your band to see that you have arrived at the correct time.  The Fastpass system is completely free to use, and is pretty simple once you get used to it.

There are 2 gates when you approach the ride or attraction. Standby and Fastpass. If you have a reserved Fastpass, you go to that line. *MOST times, you can walk on to the ride, or have a very minimal wait.  Standby is a regular line.  There will be a time above the sign letting you know the approximate wait time.

Disney On Ice: Worlds of Fantasy {review}

As a Disney On Ice Insider, I was lucky to receive 4 tickets to Disney on Ice - Worlds of Fantasy at Canadian Tire Center. The show comes just a few weeks after arriving home from Disney World, so it was nice to be able to get a little Disney Magic back for a short time.

Walt Disney World Vacation 2015: Epcot #disneyside

Sunday morning we took the monorail over to Epcot.  Mr. J really wanted to ride Spaceship Earth, so everyone went on that while I had a look through a gift shop.  We headed over to the Character Spot for photo's with Mickey, Minnie and Goofy.

Walt Disney World Vacation 2015: Magic Kingdom #disneyside

We are home!  We left Ottawa on January 30th and headed to Orlando.  We were met at the airport by Disney Magical Express and dropped off at our hotel.   We arrived earlier than check in, so our room was not ready.  We headed to the Contempo cafe for lunch and afterwards were able to get into our room.  My in-laws rented a 2 bedroom suite at Bay Lake Tower.  It is part of the Disney Vacation Club, and there is a sky bridge that attaches it to the Contemporary hotel.  Staying at Bay Lake was a quick walk to the Magic Kingdom (about 12-15 minutes with the kids, or 7 minutes if it was just the adults).  We were also a quick walk to the contemporary to catch a monorail or bus.

Planning A Walt Disney World Vacation

We have been home for a week and are trying to settle back into routine.  It's been a little difficult as Mr. K has been sick with a tummy bug most of the week.

I am writing up individual posts about the different parks and our experiences, but wanted to write a post about some of the services you can take advantage of while visiting Disney.

The Pirates League #Disney

One of the activities that I wanted the boys to experience while we were at Disney was The Pirates League.  Boys and girls (moms and dads too if they want) can transform into a Pirate or a Mermaid. There are a few different packages to choose from, ranging in price from $29.95 - $79.95 - depending on which you choose.

Tips For Flying With Small Children

Before leaving for Disney, I was a little concerned that the kids would get bored and not behave on the flight.  I knew that if they were kept busy, they wouldn't have a chance to get bored and therefore their should not be any fighting.

Photo Credit: Cathy of Cathy Thinking Out Loud

Wordless Wednesday: Disney Pirate

This week's Wordless Wednesday post is from our Disney Vacation! Mr. J had a great time turning into a Pirate at The Pirates League.

Photo Credit: Disney Photo Pass Photographer

If you want to read about our experience, you can check out the post I wrote about The Pirates League.

Our #Disney World Family Vacation

We arrived home from Orlando on Saturday afternoon.  I wish that I could say it was a completely wonderful, magical vacation - but to be perfectly honest, while we had fun, it wasn't the best trip. The kids, 4 and 7, don't get along at home, and it was even more apparent while we were away.  To be in a hotel without their things, stuck together for the majority of the day made for 2 little boys that fought more than normal.

Disney On Ice World Of Fantasy! Coming To Canadian Tire Center

Disney movies and characters are big in our house.  Hubby and I have always been fans (we even honeymooned at Walt Disney World) and our boys have followed as fans as well.

Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival #review

Mickey Mouse and friends were in Ottawa this past weekend for Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival! As a Disney loving family, we were really excited to be able to attend.

the stage when we arrived

Dream Vacation

Welcome to another round of Canucks Content Carnival!  This month we are talking about dream vacations. Check out my post, and then visit the other blogs that are linked up!

One of my dream vacations was Walt Disney World.  I have had the wonderful opportunity to visit Disney World TWICE, and will be going for a third time next winter.

Some things to keep in mind for a Walt Disney World Vacation:

1) Cost - it can be a relatively inexpensive vacation if you stay off site. You can find some very reasonable hotel rooms, and there are shuttles to take you to the parks or you can rent a vehicle.  We much prefer to stay on-site, so that adds to the cost. However, there are 3 resort types at Disney from Value resorts all the way to Deluxe. We enjoy staying on the monorail, which means a deluxe hotel (there are only 3 hotels on the monorail system).  Food is expensive, so to keep the cost down you may want to consider bringing your own snacks.

2) Peak Season - if you are travelling during any of the peak seasons, it is going to me more expensive and much more crowded. This means you will be waiting in long lines for rides, unless you take advantage of the fast pass program they offer.  We like travelling during the low season, which means we go late January or early February. You can walk onto most rides, or have a minimal wait.

3) Travelling with kids - kids are unpredictable, and while you may have certain things you want to experience or have planned, sometimes you need to just go with the flow. If your child doesn't want to do something - it may be best to skip it to avoid a full out meltdown in Disney (which are super common, and my oldest had 3 on our trip).

4) Stay hydrated and fed - make sure you eat at regular intervals and stay hydrated.  Disney is very big, and there is a lot of walking involved. If you have a hot day added in, it's easy to get dehydrated.  To keep costs down, bring water with you.

6) Reservations - I always recommend making your dining reservations as early as possible.  If you are only one person, or a couple you are probably fine to not make advanced ressys, but if you want to eat at a specific time, or a specific restaurant then I would suggest booking early.  Things fill up quickly, and a family of 4 would have a hard time walking in to a restaurant for dinner between 5 and 7pm.  Same things goes with any special events (bibbidi bobbidi boutique, pirates league etc)

5) HAVE FUN!  - the whole point of the vacation is to have fun. Try not to get too stressed about things that happen.

What is your dream vacation? Have you done it or is it still a dream?

An InLinkz Link-up

Write A Letter To Your Favourite Disney Character

A little while ago I came across a photo on facebook.  It had a Disney address, and a small blurb that you could write to your favourite character, and you would receive an answer back.

I was intrigued.  I asked Mr. J and Mr. K if they wanted to write to one of their favourites, and Mr. J decided right away that he wanted to write to Pluto . Mr. K, however, did not want to send a letter.  Mr. J set to work, wrote his letter and mailed it off.

Mr. J with his letter ready to be mailed

We waited, and waited and didn't hear anything.  I think he eventually forgot about it, until Tuesday.

When he got home from school, waiting for him was a post card from Mickey and the gang.  Once side of the card has the 5 characters with their names, and the other side has a quick typed message from Mickey.  I am unsure what you would receive if you wrote to one of the princesses or another character, but he was satisfied since Pluto was on the card.

If you have a Disney addict in your life, have them write a letter and see if they get a response! If you do, please come back and let me know!

Attn: character name
Walt Disney World Communications
P.O. Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040

Don't forget to include a return address for the postcard to find you!

Disney's The Pirate Fairy Will Be Available on DVD and Blu ray Combo Pack April 1st

From the world of “Peter Pan” comes “The Pirate Fairy,” a swashbuckling new adventure about Zarina (voice of Christina Hendricks), a smart and ambitious dust-keeper fairy who’s captivated by Blue Pixie Dust and its endless possibilities. When Zarina’s wild ideas get her into trouble, she flees Pixie Hollow and joins forces with the scheming pirates of Skull Rock, who make her captain of their ship. Tinker Bell (voice of Mae Whitman) and her friends must embark on an epic adventure to find Zarina, and together they go sword-to-sword with the band of pirates led by a cabin boy named James (voice of Tom Hiddleston), who’ll soon be known as Captain Hook himself. With laughter, heart, magic and thrills, “The Pirate Fairy” sets sail April 1, 2014.

Another great Disney movie that kids are sure to love. My boys love to watch anything created by Disney, and The Pirate Fairy is no different! They love that the fairies and the pirates are shown together in a movie.  Baby Croc was my favourite, and seeing how he became Tick Tock Croc

You can own the movie on April 1 2014 when it is released on DVD and Blu ray combo!

Visiting Disney World With Small Children #disney

I am a huge Disney lover. All things Disney. My first experience with the theme parks was on my honeymoon. Hubby and I spent a week at the Grand Floridian and had an amazing time. We spent lots of our visit at Magic Kingdom and Epcot. We thoroughly enjoyed Animal Kingdom, although only needed a half day or so to visit that park.  For us, Disney Hollywood Studio's is our least favourite.

Disney On Ice: 100 Years of Magic {recap}

If you are a Disney fan, then you are sure to love Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Magic.  Our family had the chance to see the show today, and it was great.  The boys sat, eye's glued to the ice watching as some of their favourite characters skated around the ice.  Mickey and Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Daisy.

The show takes you through short versions of Finding Nemo, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, Pinocchio and more.

Hubby and I loved watching the excitement on the boys faces as they took it all in!

If you plan on heading to the Ottawa show you can order tickets from Capital Tickets - use the discount codes below:

MUM44 (*4 tickets for $44.00 - weekday shows only) and MUM4 (*$4.00 off tickets for weekend shows)

Excludes Front Row, Rinkside, and VIP tickets. No double discounts. Additional Fees May Apply. Weekday is defined as Monday thru Thursday and Friday Matinee. Weekend is defined as Friday evening and Saturday and Sunday

A few things to keep in mind if you will be attending:

• Parking was $8.00 (not sure if that changes for the evening performances or not)
• Disney products for sale when you walk in the door (immediately in front) 
• Sno cones can be purchased in souvenir cups - they range in price from $12-$15
• Programs can be bought for $20.00

If you go - have fun! It is such a wonderful family outing!

*As a Feld Family Entertainment Ambassador, we received tickets at no charge in exchange for helping to promote the show on Tales of Mommyhood. All opinions are honest and belong to Tales of Mommyhood, your opinion/experience may differ*

Disney's Frozen Available on Blu ray Combo Pack March 18

Have you had a chance to see Frozen yet? Don't worry if you didn't make it to theaters - Frozen will be released for home viewing on March 18 2014!