Looking for Mickey Quest at the Disneyland Resort

Disney fans! Are you looking for an adventure? There's a new challenge coming to the Disneyland Resort this month, starting July 16, 2015. We're excited to share about "LOOKING FOR MICKEY QUEST" with our readers! Are you up for the challenge?

In the spirit of the Egg-Stravaganza and the Adventureland Trading Company, the Looking for Mickey Quest is a scavenger hunt type of activity where you buy a map and find hidden Mickeys throught both Disney Parks. We always love doing these extra fun activities. They are the cherry on top of an already magical experience at the Disneyland Resort! Plus it gives you a chance to score on some limited edition, collectible Disney swag, which we think is really awesome!

(Awesome photo courtesy of: @spedstick on Instagram, thanks Paul!)

Here are the details straight from the Disney Parks Blog:

Two Ways to Play and How it Works!

There will be a “Looking for Mickey Quest” themed to both Disneyland park and to Disney California Adventurepark. The locations, clues, hidden Mickeys and surprises for each Quest will vary. Purchase a Quest Guide from one of the parks and follow the clues that will direct you to the location where each hidden Mickey can be found. Once you arrive at the location, scratch off the answer to reveal if you have found the hidden Mickey. Whether your answers are right or wrong, return with your Quest Guide to the redemption location to pick up a surprise.

Disneyland Park

The Disneyland park “Looking for Mickey Quest” Guide has twenty (20) questions and can be purchased for $19.95, plus tax, at the following locations: Disneyana, Gag Factory, Pieces of Eight and Star Trader. Quest Guide comes with a specially themed lanyard. Available while supplies last. No discounts apply. Limit TWO (2) per guest.

Disney California Adventure Park

The Disney California Adventure park “Looking for Mickey Quest” Guide has ten (10) questions and can be purchased for $12.95, plus tax at the following locations: Elias & Co., Off the Page, Oswald’s, Radiator Springs Curios and Tees, Hats and Tattoos. Quest Guide comes with a specially themed lanyard. Available while supplies last. No discounts apply. Limit TWO (2) per Guest.

(Cool photo courtesy of: @disney_pinhead on Instagram, thanks Blair!)

Whether you choose to search for the hidden Mickeys or not, return with your “Looking for Mickey Quest” Guide to the respective redemption location before July 31, 2015, to pick up your surprise. Note: The Quest Guide must be redeemed at the redemption location within that specific park. The surprise will vary based on which quest and which park you decide to conquer.

Disneyana in Disneyland park

Elias & Co. at Disney California Adventure park

Theme park admission is not included, however is required to participate in this event. Event is not subject to discounts. Event information subject to restrictions and change without notice. Looking for Mickey Quest starts on July 16, 2015 and goes while supplies last.

Gary Buchanan: The Ultimate Disney Cast Member #DisneySMMoms

"It doesn't matter where you take things from, 
it matters where you take them to." - Jean Luc Godard 
(one of Gary Buchanan's favorite quote)

If you've ever been to any of the Disney Parks, you've probably been touched by a Cast Member. A Cast Member is what employees who work at Disney are called. They add the pixie dust to your Disney vacations. The people who work hard everyday to make sure that your experience at Disney is the very best it can be. They are always smiling, engaging with you (or your children), and usually asking if they can be of help in any way.

We have had an exceptional experience with an incredible Cast Member in particular. We met Gary Buchanan, Disney Parks Social Media Managing Editor, a few years ago in Florida at Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. He was leading a conference breakout session called "Fire and Ice" about the Disney Parks Blog with the Disney Parks Social Media Director, Thomas Smith. Over the past few years, he has wowed us with his creativity and made us laugh with his cute and quirky videos. He's super smart, unique, and not afraid to take risks. He has been an inspiration and a mentor to hundreds of Disney employees, Disney Moms Panel members, and Disney Social Media Moms. Everyone who meets him feels happier, and when he leaves you are left feeling that you just met someone really special - Gary is the real deal!

This week, we learned that his time at Disney is coming to an end which makes us very sad. We will miss learning from him and just being in his presence at various Disney events. Gary made our Disney experience as a whole even more magical and we truly appreciate him! We gathered a few of our favorite "Gary" quotes about creativity and paired them up with photos from some of our favorite moments of him!

Good luck on your new adventure Gary! You are a character all your own. We look forward to seeing the magic you create in your next role. Thanks for the memories!

Some Thoughts on Creativity from Gary:

"Date an idea, don't marry it."

"Creativity is coloring outside of the lines."

"Have fun and play with no rules."

"Through play you go from Ha-ha moment to Ah-ha moment."

"You can build on an idea that's been done before and you make it your own."

"Keep your foot on the gas pedal!"

(Gary's favorite Disney quote:)

"If you are coasting, it means your are going downhill" - Walt Disney

Enter the #Disneyland60Contest from Disney Parks Blog

Do you have old photos of yourself at the Happiest Place on Earth from 5, 10, 20+ years ago? Us too! Well guess what? The fine folks at Disney Parks Blog want to see them. You may or may not have heard of the Disneyland Through The Decades photo contest going on right now on. It's easy to enter, just upload your old photos from the Disneyland Resort. Tag them on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #Disneyland60Contest. Get them in by the deadline August 27, 2014. Then get ready to vote for your favorites on Disney Parks Blog. Cool prizes to be won! Official details below!

*The photos below was taken of Jessica, by Tracey at Disneyland, while she participated in a parade down Main Street U.S.A. with fellow students (band & cheer squad) from John Burroughs High School, circa 1994.*

How to enter:

Each week, @Disneyland on Instagram will be asking for your special photo memories from a specific decade. (Regardless of the weekly decade inspiration, you can share a favorite photo from any of the decade periods between now and August 27, 2014.)

Post your photos on Twitter or Instagram, using the hashtag #Disneyland60Contest by August 27, 2014, and make sure to let us know the decade in which the photo was taken in the description or tweet.

Make sure your entry is official! 

To be considered an official entry, your photo must be shared as a new Instagram post with the contest hashtag and the decade in which the photo was taken in the description. Hashtagging an old Instagram photo post will not be considered an official entry. Feel free to screen grab it and re-upload it to Instagram to enter if you have a photo already posted on the channel.

When the submission period is complete, we’ll select the top five photos from each decade, and Disney Parks Blog readers will vote for the top photo from each of the Disneyland Decades. Each decade winner will receive a special Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration prize. Then, we’ll give you the chance to vote for one Grand Prize winner from among the winners of each decade. This lucky fan will win a trip to the start of the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration in spring 2015!

For complete rules, click here.

Where's Pascal? It's The New Where's Perry for Disney Fans!

There's a new game in town, that's giving the catch phrase "Where's Perry?" a run for it's money.

Where's Pascal?

It's the new hide and seek game sweeping the nation... 

Well maybe not, but we do know that there is a really awesome area at Magic Kingdom that was inspired after the village of Corona in the Disney movie Tangled. Really, it's amazing and feels like you've stepped into the movie. (It's incredible how Disney continues to do this!) Incorporated in the scenery and greenery are Pascal and some of his friends hidden by Disney Park Imagineers. You can see a sneak peek at a few of the hiding chameleons on our post over here:

Hidden Treasures: Disney World Unveils New Tangled-themed Scavenger Hunt

Happy Hunting!!!!

If you'd like to know all about the New Fantasyland at Walt Disney World get the all of the latest and greatest on Disney Parks Blog.

Full Disclosure: We were invited to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. Walt Disney World offered a special discounted rate for all attendees and their families. This is a once in a lifetime experience and we are grateful to Disney for allowing us to participate. We'll be sharing unique things seen and heard throughout the Celebration. Please keep in mind these our own personal thoughts and opinions, not those of the Walt Disney Company.

Must-Read List of Official Disney Blogs

If you are a Disney fan, we've got a new must-read list for you! We gathered 13 Official Disney Blogs that you won't want to miss! From Arts and Crafts to which Disney Movie is coming out next. Want to know when your favorite Disney Channel Star is making an album? How about the latest news from the Disney Parks? 

When you want to know what's happening in the Disney World, you are sure to find just what you want to know from one of these

  Official Disney Blogs

the most magical blogs on the internet!

Want to know 25 Official Disney Twitter Accounts, we've got you covered!

The Return of the Orange Bird at Magic Kingdom

The Orange Bird Returns to Magic Kingdom

Have you heard the buzz about the return of the Orange Bird to Walt Disney World Resort? He's back at Magic Kingdom Park only in Adventureland. You can get the adorable Orange Bird souvenir straw cup exclusively at his home, The Sunshine Tree Terrace, right across from Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride.

Since we were just at Magic Kingdom for the first time, we couldn't wait to pick up our orange bird drinking cups. So cute, round and well... orange. They don't have these little guys at our home park Disneyland. A perfect inexpensive souvenir for fans of all ages. There's all kinds of new Orange Bird Merchandise including pins, shirts and hats.

Who is the Orange Bird? 

Here is an excerpt from Disney Parks Blog explaining his origin:

"The Orange Bird is a sunny little fellow with an orange for a head and green leaves for wings. Unable to utter a sound, the Orange Bird makes his cheery thoughts appear above his head in puffs of orange smoke. An original character created for the Magic Kingdom Park in 1971, the Orange Bird has returned home to the Sunshine Tree Terrace where his beaming smile can be seen today."

Full Disclosure: We were invited to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. Walt Disney World offered a special discounted rate for all attendees and their families. This is a once in a lifetime experience and we are grateful to Disney for allowing us to participate. We'll be sharing unique things seen and heard throughout the Celebration. Please keep in mind these our own personal thoughts and opinions, not those of the Walt Disney Company.

Disney Parks Blog Shares Story Telling Magic

"We like to tell stories so good they're contagious!" -Thomas Smith

We've been reading and loving the Disney Parks Blog since it began in September 2009. As the one and only official blog for all of the Disney Parks they naturally have all of the latest and greatest Disney News the moment it breaks. But they also have a unique almost magical way of telling stories. When we heard that we would be given the chance to meet Disney Parks Social Media Director, Thomas Smith and Gary Buchanan, Social Media Managing Editor in the #DisneySMMoms Breakout Session called "Fire and Ice" we were intrigued and ecstatic. It was an honor to meet these two Heroes. Let us assure you, they definitely lived up to the hype. They were silly and serious, business but approachable and caring. These gentlemen both exemplify what a Disney Cast Member should be!

They put on a show, taught us a little of what they know and it was awesome!

Photo courtesy of our friend Josh Hallett 
Thomas Smith and Gary Buchanan

We learned the Disney Parks Blog works like a well-oiled machine.
 They have a large crew, a "posse" of 70 writers. Did you know Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman, Tom Staggs is an author on the blog? Several posts go out each day.
Seeing their editorial calendar made us melt.

What drives Disney Social Media Program?

Curiosity = Ideas

Ideas on Story Telling shared by Tom:

*Explore, experiment and try new things.

*Ask yourself questions like: What if? and Why not?

*Share your experiences!
Experiences that are anticipated before they happen, talked about while they're happening and afterwords.

*Bloggers should be like trusted guides that let you experience their story through a journey.

*Always remember: "Creativity Lights The Way!"

Thoughts on Creativity from Gary:

*Gary shared his all time favorite quote:
"It doesn't matter where you take things from, it matters where you take them to."-Jean Luc Godard

*You can build on an idea that's been done before and you make it your own.

*Gary suggests to "date an idea, don't marry an idea."

*And he shared his favorite Walt Disney quote:
"If you are coasting, it means your are going downhill"-Walt Disney

*Keep your foot on the gas pedal!

*Creativity is coloring outside of the lines.

*Have fun and play with no rules.
Through play you go from Ha-Ha moment to Ah-Ha moment.


Here's our tweet stream during the session.
There were so many great ideas, and quotes. We wanted to share their brilliance.

Photo courtesy of our friend Josh Hallett

Photo courtesy of our friend Josh Hallett 


Follow Disney Parks Blog on Twitter @DisneyParks
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We have more to share about Disney Parks Blog coming soon!

Full Disclosure: We were invited to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. Walt Disney World offered a special discounted rate for all attendees and their families. This is a once in a lifetime experience and we are grateful to Disney for allowing us to participate. We'll be sharing unique things seen and heard throughout the Celebration. Please keep in mind these our own personal thoughts and opinions, not those of the Walt Disney Company.

Annual Passholder Fantasmic 20th Anniversary Celebration

Happy 20th Anniversary Fantasmic!

 Fantasmic! has been bringing the magic to Disneyland Guests for 20 years now.
We can't wait to Celebrate!
Have you seen the show? What's your favorite part?

 We will be attending the Fantasmic! 20th Anniversary Celebration Event at Disneyland:

Tuesday, May 22nd

and we can't wait to share it with you! Will you be there? Or maybe you are going to one of the other 3 nights? (There were 4 different dates to choose from.)

The event will officially begin after regular Disneyland Park hours, and run from 10:00pm through 1:00am. The private viewing of Fantasmic! (for registered Annual Passholders only) will show at 11:30pm.

One More Disney Day at Disneyland

In the beginning of this year Walt Disney World and the Disneyland Resort announced a special event to celebrate Leap Year 2012. The two parks (Magic Kingdom and Disneyland) were going to be open for a full 24 hours starting at 6am on Feb 29th until 6 am on March 1st. They called it "One More Disney Day" But what started out to be "One More Disney Day" for us, turned into "One Disney Day We'd Like To Forget." 

From the moment we heard about it, we planned on attending this monumental event! My sister and I decided to meet in the Parking lot at about 9pm. We had been reading Twitter all day about how the crowds were less than expected. We both wanted to go as"just adults" after we put our kids to bed. We thought, people will be tired from being there all day long will probably be clearing out around then. And wouldn't it be cool to walk around Disneyland when its normally closed? Just like Grad Night all over again. I went with my husband and she took our mom with her. When we came to a grinding hault a few exits away from Disneyland Drive we knew it was crowded, but we honestly had no idea what we were in for. 

All of the streets surrounding the parks were full of traffic jams. Cars were honking like crazy, people were amped, it was very chaotic. We finally got to the parking structure & signs posted said that Disneyland Park was full. The parking attendant let us know that they weren't letting any new guests in at this time, but they should be shortly. It sounded promising enough so we decided to pay the $15 and press on, after all we had come a long way. (Only like an hour and a half... but still) Plus we didn't want to miss out on this once in a lifetime chance to watch the sun come up at Disneyland. While on the shuttle, which took an incredibly long time to get to it's destination we noticed that it was filled with a lot of college-aged kids who wreaked of alcohol. Never a good sign. 

When we got off the line for the security check those lines were backed up too. I've never seen it this crowded. It was overwhelming. We expected to have to wait at the front gates to get in, but luckily by this point (almost an hour later) my husband and I arrived at the perfect time when they were letting the last few people in. When my sister and my mom arrived 5 minutes later, they weren't so lucky. They waited there for over an hour in crowd of hundreds that just kept building. Some people said it reminded them of Walmart on Black Friday, and they feared a stampede at any moment. My sister and mom said that they no longer felt safe when they saw a few locked-out guests trying to climb the locked front gates. I assured her it wasn't any better on the other side of the gates, as the park was way more crowded then even I could handle. We got caught up in the 10pm presentation of Soundsational Parade. After it was over we remained gridlocked on Main Street for a good 15 minutes. It was ugly.

The thing that I really wanted to be apart of was the Mid-Night Snack meet-up hosted by Disney Parks Blog. I read that people were allowed to line-up at 10pm. We got over there around 10:45 and it was already full. And the event didn't even start until 12am. A little disappointing, but at this point it was to be expected. Each restaurant had such a variety of specialized food and menus for the night, that we were perfectly happy to eat somewhere else. But every eatery we went to was even more crowded than the next. At that point, no snack or meal was worth the line for us.

Less than 2 hours of being at Disneyland and I was over it. (A first for me) My husband said that before we left, he'd like to see the 1am presentation of Fantasmic. I reluctantly agreed, and we packed in like sardines an hour before the show. I couldn't really see the show, but it sounded awesome. My view consisted of the backs of people's heads wearing Mickey Ears. This was partially my fault. I wanted to stand as close to the edge as possible, because my crowd tolerance limit had been exceeded a long time ago. Once the show was over it we made our way back to the front and stopped off at the Enchanted Tiki Room. We decided to escape the masses and see the show. Apparently it was another great place for all of the exhausted people to take a nap.

We only got on one ride the entire night, (other than the shuttle) and that was the Disneyland Railroad. The line for it took 30 minutes, but it was worth the wait. Instead of having to fight our way through the crowd to get to the other side of the park, we just hoped on the train. There was something different about the train this night, that I've never seen before. Half of the passengers were sleeping. So many guests were completely wiped out from being there since 6am, or the ones that had been waiting in line since 10pm the night before, they decided to take a nap. We even overheard one girl say, "This is my third time around the park, I just needed a place to relax." It was weird. But then again, so were all of the adults in snuggies.

Throughout the night I saw people in strollers & wheelchairs having a horrible time trying to maneuver through the crowds. No one seemed to care or show any consideration. But considering the overall age and feel of the guests, it was no longer a good place for families at this point. A few of the areas, like Mickey's Toontown was a good place to get some air, as the crowd was fairly lighter there.  Surprisingly there was no real wait in Mickey Mouse's House to see and take our photo with him. I wished he would've been in his PJs but I found out later the characters dressed in PJs were located at Carnation Plaza. 

On the way out, my husband suggested that it may be less crowded in Tomorrowland, and hopefully we could get something to eat and sit down before we headed home. Little did we know the Tomorrowland Terrace was having a full-blown Rave concert. The night's music was being DJ'd by local Radio Station, KIIS FM. This was obviously the spot where people came to "Party."

By the time we left at 3am the crowds were more manageable. But we tried to get on one last ride before we left, Autopia. We figured that it couldn't be that bad. It was still a 45 minute wait... At 3am! Needless to say we passed and headed towards the gate. Once we got outside to ride the shuttle back to the Toy Story parking lot, we were met with another long line. I convinced my husband to wait the 30 minutes instead of walking back, which some of our Disney friends did.

Disneyland is all about making memories. We've made so many wonderful family memories over the years, but this was not one of them. I can actually say that this was my least favorite memory of Disneyland.. As a matter of fact the more people and Cast Members we talk to about the whole #Disney24 experience, the more similar stories we hear. Like the pot smoking on Pirates of the Caribbean, the alcohol bottles on the grounds, the people napping wherever they could throughout the park and the guy running around without a shirt being chased by security.

We did hear that the park was a lot nicer earlier in the day. It was more of the family vibe, and that was before the park was yet to reach capacity. We should have gone then, but we thought it would have been more crowded in the day time, it ended up being the evening when everyone and their drunk friends decided to visit. I'm sure if you asked any person under 25 what Leap Year at Disneyland was like they would say how much they loved it, and maybe if I was 21 again, I would say the same thing. But I'm not 21, not 25, not even 30 anymore. I'm a 34 year old mother of 4, and I was disappointed by our "One More Disney Day." 

Here's what other people had to say about "One More Disney Day":

Disney Day Trippers

Babes In Disneyland

Inside The Magic

Disney Parks Blog Meet-Up / Sharky and Bones Concert

Disney Rocks . . .  Literally!

We recently attended the Disney Parks Blog Meet-Up, and it Rocked! They had a special concert starring the Never Land Pirate Band. Now when you think of a going to a rock concert, Disneyland Resort may not be the first place that comes to mind. But after you see our video of the private performance by Sharky and Bones, you will most definitely change your mind. It was a really fun event  for the entire family filled with pirate games, snacks, drinks, photo opportunities, character meetings and everyone who attended got a goodie bag!

The Disney Parks Blog is the official blog for Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line. They have multiple posts daily that vary from photography, food, sports, behind-the-scenes as well as all of the latest and greatest from each Park. They have fun giveaways, contests and meet-ups (like this one) where they welcome Disney fans of all ages to participate.

Disney Junior on Disney Channel has helped to give this Pirate Rock Band a Disney house-hold name on their hit show, Jake and the Never Land Pirates. They can be seen and heard on every show, as Sharky and Bones two of Captain Hooks ship mates. What you may not know about them is that they are just 2 regular guys, both dads from Portland, Loren Hoskins (Sharky) and Kevin Hendrickson. (Bones) As well as singing any number of their catchy Pirate Rock tunes at the end of every show. And now you can even meet, greet and take photos with Jake at Disney California Adventure daily in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area. Do you remember when we interviewed Sharky and Bones at the D23 Expo? That was fun!

Disney Junior on Disney Channel has helped to give this Pirate Rock Band a Disney house-hold name on their hit show, Jake and the Never Land Pirates. They can be seen and heard on every show, as Sharky and Bones two of Captain Hooks ship mates. What you may not know about them is that they are just 2 regular guys, both dads from Portland, Loren Hoskins (Sharky) and Kevin Hendrickson. (Bones) As well as singing any number of their catchy Pirate Rock tunes at the end of every show. And now you can even meet, greet and take photos with Jake at Disney California Adventure daily in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area. Do you remember when we interviewed Sharky and Bones at the D23 Expo? That was fun!

Just another magical day packed with family, fun and Pirate Rock! If you'd like to have an adventure of your very own, Disneyland Resort is currently offering a deal, that won't cost you all of your Gold Dubloons. For Southern Californian residents only, get a 2-Day Ticket for $99, and pick one park each day you visit. Buy now through June 1, 2012 and learn more about the Special Offer.

Remember Peter Pan Returns to Never Land on Jake and the Never Land Pirates, tonight on Disney Channel.

If you'd like to see 2 new songs and all your favorites from the Never Land Pirate Band performances from the day, go check out our YouTube Page! We have 5 videos... You don't want to miss them!

(Disclosure: This is not a paid post. We attended the Disney Parks Blog Concert and Meet-Up where we jumped and danced around like 6 year old pirate rock groupies.)