Sweet treats at the Jolly Holiday Bakery!

Although I normally approach planning a Disney vacation with a level of gusto and meticulousness that most find irritating, I went into my trip to Disneyland with a shortish list of must-do's to be completed in no particular order. At the recommendation of countless blogs and podcasts, a visit to the Jolly Holiday Bakery was a must-do!

Referencing the 1964 classic Mary Poppins (one of my all-time favorites), the Victorian-style building is a bright and cheery yellow and, along with the Plaza Inn on the other side, 'caps off' Main Street USA very nicely. Notice the weather vein atop the sign: 

Although the Bakery sells lunch faire and coffee, I was there to sample the baked goods. My friend Ryan and I decided we would share the Red Velvet Cupcake, and Peanut Butter and Chocolate Whoopee-Pie, and the famous Matterhorn Macaroon! :

All three were delicious. For taste, my favorite was the Red Velvet Cupcake for its lovely color (I LOVE PINK) and real cream cheese icing that I didn't find too sweet. I will say, however, there is something charming about eating a Matterhorn Macaroon in view of the Matterhorn, a lovely experience not to be missed!

What is your favorite place to get a sweet treat at Disneyland or Walt Disney World… let us know in the comments section! Also, if you enjoy the blog, search The 'Diz-Fizz' on Facebook and like our page where we'll post photos, opinions, and general non-sense between blog posts!

Film Friday: Tiki Knick-Knacks in Adventureland!

Although most people associate Disney with princesses and mice, the company also has a highly developed dialogue with Hawaiian culture and tiki kitsch. This comes as no surprise given that 50's America was Hawaii crazy (Hawaii became a state in 1955)! 

Although Adventureland is a more general exotica than authentic French Polynesia, the strong gravitation towards tiki kitsch cannot be missed by even the most casual visitor.  These details out side Disneyland's Enchanted Tiki Room serve as just one example. Enjoy!

Five Things to Love about the Disneyland Hotel!

In some respects, I think that choosing a hotel is the trickiest part of planning a trip to Disneyland. After much consideration of the pros and cons of each hotel, weighing on-site versus off-site, I did finally settle on the Disneyland Hotel and am pleased as punch that I did! I'd like to use today's post to highlight a few things that I ADORE about the Disneyland Hotel.

1) Trader Sams.

Unfortunately, inflated expectations can often lead to disappointment. Thus, I approached Trader Sam's, a whimsical tiki bar in the Disneyland Hotel courtyard with some caution given that I had only heard that it was the best thing ever. IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT :)! Hands down, the best bar on Disney property, anywhere. With just the right amount on tiki kitsch and interactive elements, this bar is definitively Disney whilst still maintaining an adult atmosphere. The specialty drinks are awesome too, but they get their own post :).

2) Disney details everywhere you look.

Everywhere you look in this hotel, there are definitively Disney touches. From the LED fireworks built into the headboard, to the pillows, to the monorail water slides, you can't avoid the magic! Although I haven't stayed at the Grand Californian, I can only imagine it is a completely different experience. It was really lovely to be so immersed in the Disney bubble for my first time out there.

3) The Kahlua Pork Flatbread at the Tangaroa Terrace.

This was the first and last thing that I ate on this trip. 'Nuff said.

4) The Monorail water-slides. 

Absolutely gorgeous and unexpectedly fun!

5) History.

You can feel the history in this place. From the vintage photographs to the framed concept art, even the retro looking font used for the logo, you are constantly aware that this hotel exists because Walt Disney wanted it to exist. To stay at this hotel is a very special experience and I highly recommend it to any die-hard fan.

Human Ariel Should be Wearing her Pink Dress, amiright?

Although the list of elements that set Disney Parks apart from other theme parks is extensive to say the least, among the most important is the presence of walk-about and meet and greet characters. On this last trip, I had a blast looking for (okay, stalking!) my favorite characters around the park and spending a few minutes talking to them. Among my favorites was Ariel at Fantasy Faire. Bubbly, sweet, and cute as a button, I really loved chatting with her for a few minutes.

There is one thing, however, that bothers me about his particular Ariel meet and greet. Although she meets as a mermaid in Walt Disney World, at Disneyland, Ariel meets as a human. I wouldn't mind this at all (after all she does finish out her story as a human) except for the fact that she is wearing this stupid green dress that isn't in the movie! It would one thing if she didn't have any human clothes to choose from, but she has several! Cosplayer Traci Hines has done a killer job with all of them:

Personally, I think Ariel should meet in her pink dress at the formal meet and greets, and walk around in her blue dress. What about you? Does Ariel's green dress bother you? Let me know in the comments section! 

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Film Friday: Partners, Pumpkins and a Pink Castle!

Loyal readers of the blog will have noticed that I missed the usual and Sunday and Wednesday posts. This is of COURSE because I was taking my first trip to the place it all started, The Disneyland Resort in California! I am now completely obsessed with Disneyland and will be discussing it and my trip at length on the blog, but until then, enjoy this Instax shot of the Partners statue and Sleeping Beauty's castle <3.

FIlm Friday: Stave Church at the Norway Pavilion

Super bummed out to read this announcement on the Disney Parks Blog that Maelstrom will be replaced with a Frozen attraction. Norway is wonderful and complete and charming just as it is and it is a dirty rotten shame that Disney would sacrifice the integrity of World Showcase in order to capitalize on what is sure to be a fleeting fad. I hope they sell enough Olaf plushes to justify my broken heart.

The Stave Church at the Pavilion, who knows what will happen to it now...

Disney Afternoon and Gummi Glen at Disneyland!

From 1990 to 1997, The Disney Channel aired a two-hour block that featured animated programming aimed at children. Yeah, you got it... it was called the Disney Afternoon!  This defunct television event has become somewhat of a fascination for me. Although any nineties child (and their parents, I'm sure!) could pick a title from the line up and accurately sing the hook, the shows' relative obscurity to most have rendered them irrelevant to Disney as it exists today.

Of those that constituted the Disney Afternoon, of particular interest to me is The Gummi Bears. Although I can't remember specifics from the show, I DO being enamored by the extended fantastical world, now I see that it was like Lord of the Rings for children! I'm making it a personal goal to get hold of the DVDs.

All of this, however, serves as background for the REAL subject of today's post. A while back, I became aware that in 1991, the Motor Boat Cruise at Disneyland got a Gummi Bears themed overlay as part of Disney Afternoon Avenue (which eventually became Mickey's Toontown fair). Since the show is a source of interest to me, I've wanted to have a look at what photos exist of it. Unfortunately, since the overlay was short-lived and this was an age before camera phones, precious little exists. Here is what I was able to find:

The motor boats floated past cardboard cutouts of Gummi Glen, the hollow tree the Gummi bears lived in and the location where they made Gummiberry juice (I'm really trying to type this with a straight face). It's some classic Eisner-era ramshackle non-sense, but an interesting (if somewhat insignificant) piece of Disneyland history nonetheless.

Given that vinylmations have been released of some of the Gummis, there seems to be some kind of niche market for these characters. I think it'd be a hoot if some of the classic Disney characters were brought back as walk arounds. Heck, I'd make a special trip to get my photo taken with Darkwing Duck!

Vinylmations of Cubbi Gummi and Gruffi Gummi.

Special Edition Disney New Balances!

In January 2016, a handful of girlfriends and I will be taking a trip to Walt Disney World in order to run the Half Marathon event that is part of the larger Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend.  Although I have never been all that athletic of a girl, the weekend is going to coincide with my 30th birthday and I figured, What better way the commemorate the event than reaching a hefty fitness goal in my favorite place in the world!?

In addition to the races, the event also consists of a running expo where exclusive runDisney merchandise can be purchased, including limited quantities of special edition Disney New Balances. Here are the ones from 2014:

Each is themed to a particular character including Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Cinderella, and Sorcerer Mickey. I definitely would have made a run for the Cinderellas!:

I'm obsessed with the little embroidered appliqué on the back and the sparkles on the plastic component on the body of the shoe:

Even the material used on the inside is printed with a special Cinderella fabric:

It is no surprise that this special edition merchandise is incredibly popular. Apparently you have to sign up for a time to come purchase a pair and there is a limit to how many you can buy (two adult pairs and two children's pairs) because of the people who try to stock up to sell them on EBAY (which makes me FURIOUS by the way). Anyway, can't wait to snag a pair when I run my race in 2016!

Film Friday: Quotable Disney!

Walt Disney was a fairly quotable guy, but this particular quote that is written on a wall at 'One Man's Dream' (the Walt Disney Tribute at Hollywood Studios, one of my favorite attractions at the Studios) is one of the most well-known and best-loved. KEEP MOVING FORWARD. Words to live by.

Lovely Africanized Cover of 'Let It Go'

Let me begin by saying that it is very unusual for me to do a Frozen-related post. Whilst the movie puts a lump in my throat as big as the next overly-emotional 20-something female, I have tried to avoid being another voice feeding the hysteria. Mostly, I'm salty that Maelstrom is being flagrantly sacrificed to the Frozen gods when there are SO MANY better solutions for getting these characters and this world into the parks.

This Africanized cover of 'Let it Go', however, is quite irresistible. I'm a sucker for African music anyway, and the children's voices lifted together in soaring harmony makes this into something quite uplifting. I know sometimes people don't like to watch the videos in blog posts, but this is definitely worth the 3 minutes. if only to hear the little girl at 2.32 who TOTALLY kills it.

I love this little gal.