Sparkly Ever After

First Day of Star Wars Weekends 2013 Live!

Nicole — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:44:15 +0000

I’m Live at Star Wars Weekends on Friday May 17th! I’ll be updating this post with pictures and videos all day. I’m counting how many people I see wearing this Her Universe My Hero shirt. So far the count is two..

Breakfast from Starring Rolls.

Stormtroopers were on the stage doing fun bits and keeping everyone in line. This one was cute and funny.

The motorcade has all the Star Wars celebs and characters that are there that weekend.

My go-to must-have lunch at Studios. Buffalo Chicken sandwich from Studio Catering Co!

These folks are always around to take pictures.

We just got in line for Darth’s Mall (merchandise tent) at 2:20. Let’s see how long this takes..

Forty minutes later we’re in! Here’s all the Her Universe merch I wanted to see. It’s the sparkliest booth of all.

Lightsaber central!

Ashley Eckstein signing autographs.

These are a few of my favorite things.. that I saw in Darth’s Mall.

We enjoyed the day but left early. We’ll be back another weekend. I like Star Wars Weekends for a few reasons. It’s nice to see Studios transform for this event with an extra layer of galactic fun. I love the shows that happen in the Premiere Theater like James Arnold Taylor’s uplifting show and the rare characters out for pictures. Don’t forget this is all included with your regular park ticket!
Until next time.. may the force be with you.

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My Helicopter Ride Over Orlando

Nicole — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:00:02 +0000

Orlando is filled to the brim with fun of all kinds and I’m on a mission to experience and share it all – even the thrills. I couldn’t believe I tried the trapeze out and now I’ve climbed to even higher heights. For my stepdad’s birthday, I took him for a helicopter ride over Orlando. Our tour featured Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios, SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, Wet ‘n Wild, I-Drive and more. We could see some Disney in the distance too like the Contemporary, Spaceship Earth and Expedition Everest. The ride was less than 6 minutes long and we were about 800 feet high in the air. Thrilling! I was scared about it because.. I mean, it’s an air craft! But there was no time to chicken out. We walked in, said we wanted to fly, paid, got weighed and were escorted to the landing pad. You can watch this video and see how it went..

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Disney Starbucks Menus by Robert Farrell Part 3

Nicole — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:14:58 +0000

Enjoy this third installment of Disney Starbucks menus by Disney Consumer Products Artist Robert Farrell. He makes these little beauties for fun for three specific Cast Member Starbucks locations in California including Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale. To see over 30 more menus and an interview with Robert, see my first post here and the second post here.

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First Look at Big Hero 6

Nicole — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:35:13 +0000

Walt Disney Animation Studios shared this first look at Big Hero 6. The city in the animated feature and images below is San Fransokyo and seems to be an interesting combination of San Francisco and Tokyo. Have a closer look at what seems to be the Golden Gate bridge and you’ll also see some Japanese inspired architecture. The night-time city looks absolutely lovely. These images are vague and intriguing but the movie is inspired by the Big Hero 6 Marvel comics so you may be familiar with it. I hadn’t heard of it before but I also hadn’t heard of the Avengers before the movie. This film is “an action comedy adventure about brilliant robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada, who finds himself in the grips of a criminal plot that threatens to destroy the fast-paced, high-tech city of San Fransokyo. With the help of his closest companion—a robot named Baymax—Hiro joins forces with a reluctant team of first-time crime fighters on a mission to save their city.” It will be interesting to see how this movie does amongst the success of Marvel and super-hero movies at the moment!

Big Hero 6 is in theaters November 7, 2014

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Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend Medals 2013

Nicole — Sun, 12 May 2013 14:00:20 +0000

In addition to the recently announced Glass Slipper Challenge, runDisney fans have some more bling to be excited about. Earlier this week these beauties were rolled out as the medals for Disneyland Half Marathon weekend!

photo via Disney

I’ve been *running Disney* since 2008 and these are some of the cutest medals they’ve had. [Besides the Princess crown medals of course.] I’ve yet to run a Disneyland Resort race but I’ve always eyed the big classic “D” medal that you get for running their half marathon. The vintage font-ed strap on this one is fantastic! It’s so nice to see Alice get the love she deserves on a medal too. The 5k and the 10k. I would have liked to see the coloring on the Alice 10K medal like Dumbo has. The Dumbo medal is what runners receive for doing the Dumbo Challenge i.e.. running both the 10K and Half Marathon that weekend. That’s basically the equivalent of the Glass Slipper Challenge here on the East coast. With the stars and swirly circus design, Dumbo really takes the.. peanuts.

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Merida Becomes Official Disney Princess

Nicole — Sat, 11 May 2013 14:31:53 +0000

Today at the Magic Kingdom, Limited Time Magic gets girly! A special celebration for Merida’s coronation took place on the castle stage. Adding Merida as an official Disney Princess Character makes the new total 11. The rest of the Princesses and the year they made their movie debut are as follows:

Snow White 1937
Cinderella 1950
Aurora 1959
Ariel 1989
Belle 1991
Jasmine 1992
Pocahontas 1995
Mulan 1998
Tiana 2009
Rapunzel 2010

The event was star-studded this morning as Merida arrived on her horse, Angus, for the ceremony and all the other Disney Princesses waited for her at Cinderella Castle. There were also appearances by Sophia Grace and Rosie, Debby Ryan, and Gabby Douglas and her mom. It was a nice touch to see Queen Elinor, Merida’s mom, present as well especially because Mother’s Day weekend is upon us. Thanks to my friend @PrincessJess508 for letting me use this lovely picture of the celebration.

This was definitely one of the better Limited Time Magic events and I was sad to miss it. A special shirt was available to commemorate the occasion but it was only in children’s sizes. There seems to be a great amount of success with the LTM events that are shorter in length but more extravagant. Hopefully we see more!

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Disney iPhone Photography Tips via Capturing Magic

Nicole — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:51:33 +0000

Love phone photography & Disney?
I’m a guest on this episode of the Capturing Magic podcast where we talk about phone photography in the Disney parks. Me and the lovely hosts of the show, Steph and Brittney, share lots of iPhone photography tips and photo taking tips in general. I reveal some of my favorite iPhone photo apps and teach you how to do sabering! [sabering= a term I coined for adding a lightsaber to a pic of an unsuspecting everyday Jedi]

Also, on the Capturing Magic blog Tanya recently interviewed me & shared her tips for how to make your photos sparkle. You can read that here.

Win the Capturing Magic app!
This unique app allows you to plan photo ops for yourself in the parks, reminds you to take pictures when you are in certain spots & more! To enter to win a free redemption code for this app leave a comment below and tell me what you use to take photos at Disney. Phone camera? Fancy camera? I’m iPhone 5 all the way. Winner picked 5/16.

AND THE WINNER IS: Rachel! Expect an email from me

[Photo via Capturing Magic]

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Creating Disney Infinity: The Toy Box

Nicole — Sun, 05 May 2013 16:12:40 +0000

In this video watch John Lasseter, Ward Kimball and other Disney greats talk about creativity and play. Get behind the scenes and see how the free play Toy Box mode of the Disney Infinity video game came together. Disney Infinity is out August, 2013.

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Titanic The Experience Mother’s Day Brunch in Orlando

Nicole — Sun, 05 May 2013 15:31:33 +0000

Titanic The Experience is hosting a Mother’s Day brunch in Orlando on May 12th at 11:00 a.m. Offerings will consist of a buffet-style meal including eggs, bacon, sausage and potatoes similar to what was likely served in the first class dining rooms for breakfast during the maiden voyage. Guests will also enjoy live entertainment from famous passengers and crew members aboard the R.M.S. Titanic including The Unsinkable Margaret “Molly” Brown, Captain E.J. Smith and more. I visited Titanic The Experience around Halloween for a Ghost Tour. The exhibit is well put together and I felt completely enveloped in history. If you’re looking for a unique way to celebrate the holiday for mom, this brunch is something different.

Tickets
Tickets may be purchased at the Exhibition Box Office, by calling 407-248-1166, or online at titanictheexperience.com.
The cost is $45 for adults and $35 for children.
Location
Titanic The Experience is located at 7324 International Drive.

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May the 4th at Hollywood Studios & Giveaway

Nicole — Sat, 04 May 2013 12:38:20 +0000

May the 4th be with you! A play on words and dates for Star Wars fans and now the inspiration for a day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort! As part of Limited Time Magic, Hollywood will host May the 4th Be With You. Special Star Wars characters, merchandise, a dance party, and even parents participating in the Jedi Training Academy with their younglings are all part of the fun. I’m excited to enjoy the day with my fanboy boyfriend Jim and will be posting live pictures and videos here all day! May the 4th at Hollywood Studios will be a great day!

Giveaway
I’m also giving away this Star Wars The Clone Wars sticker book and signed Ashley Eckstein photo to someone who comments on this post today! I’ll pick the winner on the way home tonight. The more you comment, the better your chances are.

It’s a rainy day but we’ll make the best of it!

Merchandise madness! This is the line to buy the shirts and pins for today.

Jim’s selections of shirts..

Jim just made this pretty picture because we’re stilllll.. in the merch line. Like an hour later already. No where close to a register.

Chewbacca! The line was so long but I snagged some pics as I walked by.

Jedi Mickey!

Darth Vader cupcake! It has a peanut butter cream inside.

Wearing a Her Universe shirt today.

Jedi Training Academy.. now with parents! Just for today though. So cool to see Ahsoka in the show!

I was so happy to finally see Star Tours up and running. We just happened to be watching JTA when it opened and jumped on.

Me, Jim & Tim waiting for Star Tours.

..and this gal!

Really enjoying the day with my favorite fanboy.

We ate lunch at the place where we had our very first date on 12/30/11.

The Brown Derby

Fast pass line for Star Tours at 3:46..

May the 4th dance party.

VIDEO: Star Wars Characters out and about at Hollywood Studios

Sun setting on the character dance party.

Star Tours again. We had hoped to ride with a character but at least we saw some in the space port.

My friends took up the whole row behind us on Star Tours. Tim, Peanut, Maria, Brent, Paul, Katelyn & Gio.

More friends we’re watching the fireworks with. Tyler, Linda, Alejandra & Derek.

The fireworks were really fantastic! The show didn’t last long, only about 7 minutes, but it was filled to the top with fireworks and unique ones at that.

Thanks to everyone who followed along today! I will do more live posting because it was so fun and easier to keep up with than social outlets on a day like today when I have a lot to share.

NINA you’re the winner! Email me your mailing address at nsiscaretti@gmail

Love to all and may the fourth be with you!

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