Disney Preparedness

I think it's fair to say that my family goes to Disney theme parks a lot. Usually we go to Disneyland, but in a few weeks we'll be making our second trip to Walt Disney World this year. And whether we are driving or flying there are always a lot of preparations to be made for a good time. Doomsday my come and go, but before you tackle the Mouse consider these things from a Disney Prepper.

1. Disney Dining
   In a Disney park your focus isn't usually on food. But while you're there you are going to have to eat, and a little planning and foresight can get you a reservation in the best restaurants that Disney has to offer. In Disneyland's California Adventure park there is the new Carthay Circle Restaurant (probably the best meal I've ever had on a Disney property) and in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom there is the Be Our Guest restaurant in the newly opened Fantasyland. Both are hard to get reservations for and almost impossible to get a table at without making a phone call in advance. One thing to remember - typically Disney dining doesn't take reservations beyond 30 days60 days for Disneyland and 180 days for Walt Disney World in advance, but that policy can change at any time. Generally the earlier you book, the better. But keep that number handy in your information phone, because if it's 10AM and you know where you want to eat lunch at noon, it's worth putting a call in. I've made reservations in the park and walked right up to a table while the other stooges were waiting with their names on a list.
   Disney Dining Walt Disney World - (407) 939-3463
   Disney Dining Disneyland - (714) 781-3463
    
2. Download the Apps
   Any decent prepper knows that even the best laid plans will always require some adjustment along the way. And while you're enjoying your vacation, the best way to figure out how to adjust your plans on the spot are some of the Disney Apps available to download to your smartphone. The best is actually the app made by Disney themselves, Disney Mobile Magic. It's free, works on iPhone and Android (sorry Windows Phone users) and gives you attraction wait times, maps and a calendar of what is happening that day in the park. It will only give you the most important information if you are in the vicinity of the park, but make sure you download it before you start your trip. Because when the timing of something you've meticulously planned fails, it's going to be the first thing you go to. I should also give an honorable mention here to the Birnbaum Walt Disney World and Disneyland guide books (available digitally as well as old-fashioned hard copies). If you want a great book to plan your trip with, these are the best. I also recommend the Birnbaum's Walt Disney World for Kids. My kids love going through the book at home to help plan the trip.
    
3. Bring ONE Toy Per Child
   What's that you say? You couldn't possibly travel with your children unless you were sure they had at least five of their favorite stuffed animals and dolls and action figures and video games? Preppers know that if you've got to bug out, keeping it light is key. This won't last long, because once you get to Disney your kids will have a strange way of accumulating all kinds of stuffed animals and dolls and action figures and games. Because don't forget - you are going to have to find a way to bring all of that stuff back.
   
   (On a related note, one of my fool-proof tricks for taking young kids to Disney is buy them one small toy right after you get in the park. Make it the first thing you do. Because when you've been waiting for 45 minutes to ride Dumbo, having a new toy to play with in line goes a long, long way.)
4. Swimming Suit & Medicine
   This one is rather self explanatory, but it bears repeating. You can buy almost everything in any of the Disney parks, but the two things that are going to be a real pain if you forget is medicine and your swimming suit. If your kid has special eyedrops that you only need when their eyes act up, then it's almost guaranteed they will act up on the trip you forget the drops. And the weather is good pretty much year round in all of the parks, and while you can buy a suit at the gift shop, you are going to wish you remembered it when you were packing.
    
5. Imagine the Memories Before You Go
   If you're reading this then there's a good chance that you are also the person in your family in charge of taking the pictures and keeping the memories. Before you pack your cameras and your MULTIPLE memory cards (always bring more than you think you'll need) try to imagine what kind of thing you're going to make after the trip is over. Are you going to make a slideshow for your Apple TV? Are you going to make a photo album to put on the coffee table? Or are you going to make a full-blown home movie with pictures and video? Whatever the answer is, if you can imagine the finished product it will help you think about what kinds of pictures or video you what to take while you're there. It's understandable that you might want to take a bunch of shots of Cinderella's Castle (one I took is up above) or Sleeping Beauty's Castle during the holidays. But how many of those pictures are you going to actually show to other people? Get the shots you need and keep the focus on the people you're with and you can never go wrong. And don't forget to pass that camera off to someone else so there is a record of you having fun too!
   
   For more Disney photography tips, check out another post I made a while back,Using a DSLR in Disneyland (or Disney World)

But most of all take a deep breath. Because this time you aren't prepping for the apocalypse, you're prepping for fun.

Amazingly Awesome Disneyland Time-lapse Video

Thanks to my GoPro I've started enjoying making time-lapse videos. I've tried to take time-lapse in Disneyland (I even managed to make one in the car on our way). But with over 30 thousand images and a year in the making, this video really sets the bar high - and provides some pretty awesome inspiration.

Over 30,000 still images taken over the course of a year. Check out The Walt Disney World version here: http://youtu.be/OwgfRgome5k Instagram: http://instagram.com/daniel_s_navarrete

Check out Daniel Navarrete's YouTube Channel here.

The Ten Best Disney Princess Songs

A friend of mine on Facebook recently posted that he found himself downloading princess songs, and that he never thought he'd find himself doing something like that. As the father of two girls I have also gone through the princess phase, and his post made me realize that there are in fact a lot of really good songs associated with "princess movies". It also made me realize that I know just about all of them by heart.

So here's a list for you Dads of daughters that are just starting to love princesses. And like I commented back to my friend on Facebook, enjoy it now because by the time you realize how awesome it is, it's almost over.

[A quick note about the list: This list is of Disney princess songs. While I'm sure I'm probably missing a princess with a song not related to a Disney movie, none came to mind.]

10. "Some Day My Prince Will Come" - Snow White
I wanted to leave this one off of the list because the sentiment is pretty much the exact opposite what you want to teach your young girls. But it's a classic that just about everyone in the US can sing part of (or at least hum), so I'm just going to ignore the obvious and remember that the movie came out in 1937 when the world was a very different place.

9. "Something There" - Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is really more like a Broadway musical than a movie, and this song is one of the best. But the best part isn't even in the soundtrack recording. It's at the very end of the song when Chip says "What's there, Mama?" My kids say it every time they hear it.

8. "Just Around The River Bend" - Pocahontas"
Colors of the Wind" is also a good song, but the best of the bunch is the song that explains who Pocahontas is. She's kind of an under-appreciated Disney princess, but this is a great song. It's also put to great use in the new World of Color show at Disneyland's California Adventure theme park.

7. "A Whole New World" - Aladdin
This princess song duet is probably sung more by Aladdin than princess Jasmine, but it's a great song from a great movie. It also is my go-to song to sing to my girls when I really want to embarrass them.

6. "I'm Wishing / One Song" - Snow White
This is the best from Snow White, if only for the incredibly odd transition when the Prince comes in at 1:30 with, "TODAY!!" It's still a really well written song, and feels like a time machine when you hear it.

5. "So This Is Love" - Cinderella
Cinderella is the first princess my oldest daughter really fell in love with. And every time I hear this song all I can think of is her watching it, glued to the television and saying afterwards, "It's so beautiful!"

4. "Almost There" - The Princess and the Frog
This song is the exact opposite of "Someday My Prince WIll Come" for all the right reasons. It's not a ballad, but like many of the others in this list it defines who the character of Tiana is. She's a young woman who is working hard to find happiness in her life. But she's going to get it through her own hard work and on her own terms, not from some prince who is going to give it to her. Princesses, welcome to the 21st century.

3. "Part of Your World" - The Little Mermaid
This song is the best modern (post Sleeping Beauty) princess song there is, and it might be the best Disney song in the modern age.  It's superbly performed, superbly written (both music and lyric) and holds up to any of the classic Disney song masterpieces.

2. "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" - Cinderella
The classic Disney princess song from the classic Disney princess movie. On other lists this song would likely be at the top, and it's not hard to understand why. It's so pervasive, that in the Disneyland Hotel the guest rooms have the opening line on the throw pillows on the beds, and the song plays in music box fashion in the nightstand to twinkle lights in the headboard.

1. "Once Upon A Dream" - Sleeping Beauty
This is in my opinion the best princess song there is. The lyric was written by Jack Lawrence based on a melody from Tschaikovsky. As the story goes, Walt Disney had scrapped the score for Sleeping Beauty that Sammy Fain and Jack Lawrence had been working on and just wanted a song based on Tschaikovsky's melody. The music is of course eternal, but the lyric is near perfect.

"But if I know you / I know what you'll do. / You'll love me at once / The way you did once / Upon A Dream."

 You can't turn a phrase much better than that.

Poorly Conceived Product Design

I was in Target yesterday with my kids and saw this on the shelf. I think someone may have dropped the ball in Disney's product licensing department.

Using a DSLR in Disneyland (or Disney World)

A trip to a Disney theme park with the family is one of those occasions when you know you're going to take a lot of photos. If you don't have a camera that can switch out lenses, then just bring your compact point and shoot and count yourself lucky that there's one less thing you'll have to lug around. But if you want to bring your "big" camera with more than one lens, then there are a couple of things to keep in mind when you're considering which lens (or lenses) to bring.

Versatility
Walking around the park, you're going to face all sorts of photo moments. Sometimes you're going to want to try to get a wide shot of Sleeping Beauty's castle, and sometimes you're going to want a close-up portrait of your kid on the carousel. So a good, versatile zoom lens is the lens that you'll be using the most at the park. I use a Canon 24-70mm, and with the 1.6x crop factor (due to the sensor size on my camera) I get an effective focal length of 38-112mm which covers a great range of shots. You might be tempted to rent something big and crazy like a  70-200mm lens, which might be fun but is kind of overkill. At Disneyland, and Disney World I'm assuming, there aren't that many moments where you are going to want to take a really long shot. And you'll likely find that 70mm isn't nearly wide enough in many situations (I have enough problems at 24mm).

Fast Glass
"Fast Glass" is just a nerdy thing photography people say to describe a lens that has a wide aperture. A wide aperture lets in more light, and more light means the shutter speed can remain "fast" even in low light situations. At Disneyland, this is essential, especially if you're taking pictures of your kids. You're going to take plenty of pictures outside during the day, but you're also going to take plenty of pictures inside (restaurant, rides etc.) not to mention at night. Having a lens that will allow you to avoid using the pop up flash - or bringing an external flash - is awesome. I always bring my favorite Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens, and when we're watching the parade at night or I want to take pictures of my girls in "It's A Small World," the 50mm always delivers.

Other Disney DSLR Things To Consider
Don't bother trying to bring a tripod unless you really want to lug that thing around all day. You can try a beanbag or something like that, but honestly there aren't many places you're going to want to use one. I don't even bother with my Joby Gorillapod - it's just too annoying. If you're concerned about getting pictures of the whole family (including you) avail yourself of the many Disney Photo Pass photographers. They know how to handle your camera - just be smarter than I was and make sure auto focus is turned on.

Get a good camera strap that is comfortable and ditch that strap that came with your camera. Those straps are uncomfortable and all they do is advertise to thieves that you're walking around with an expensive camera. I've used affordable, normal straps from Op/Tech and like them, and now I'm using a shoulder strap from Black Rapid that I really, really love.

Use the smallest camera bag possible, but still bring a bag. I use an older version of this bag from Tamrac. It fits my camera body with my zoom lens attached, and there's enough room at the bottom for my 50mm. I also bought a water bottle attachment for the side, and I ditched the water bottle and use the attachment to hold my drink, my kid's water or whatever else I need to throw in there in a pinch.

Oh, and make sure you bring twice the memory cards you'll think you'll need (on the trip, not necessarily to the park) and a backup battery. Trust me. The real work comes when you get home and have to go through all the pictures you've taken.

RELATED POSTS (from Chris Ford):

Tips for Surviving a Weekend at Disney (with the Kids) [Man of the House.com]

Tips For Surviving a Weekend At Disney With Kids

 

This past December we went to Disneyland for a weekend trip. The holidays are a fun time to go visit "the happiest place on earth", and since we live within driving distance (and our kids are only getting older every day) we figured it was time. It was our third trip, and we're starting to figure out what works and what doesn't work - especially when you bring your kids. If you're interested, check out my latest post on Man of the House - my five tips for surviving a weekend at Disneyland with the kids.

Tips For Surviving a Weekend at Disney (With Kids) [ManOfTheHouse.com]

Dumbo Jumbo?

My wife was reading a small book based on the Disney movie Dumbo to our two-year-old this evening, and she brought up a good point. If Dumbo's mother's name is "Mrs. Jumbo," then Dumbo's full name is Dumbo Jumbo.

At first I suggested that maybe she never took Dumbo's dad's name, or maybe they were never married. Forgetting the fact that this scenario would be pretty progressive for the story of a Disney movie from 1941, were any of that actually true she'd be "Ms. Jumbo." Nope. His full name is definitely Dumbo Jumbo.

Which leads me to wonder what kind of a mother would name her kid "Dumbo Jumbo?" It has to be at the top of the list of all time worst names. Don't you think a mother who loves her child as much as Mrs. Jumbo obviously does in the movie would have thought it through a little better?

Which further leads me to wonder if the actual writers of this whole Dumbo story even realized that they were naming their lead character "Dumbo Jumbo." I can only imagine they probably liked the name "Dumbo" and then wanted to name the mom something else kind of like it and came up "Mrs. Jumbo." But when you think it through, it's really a terrible choice.

I think I should probably stop thinking it through now.

Of course, if you're interested in watching the movie yourself, you can get Dumbo (Big Top Edition) for $16.49 from Amazon.com. But be forewarned. When Mrs. Jumbo tries to help her son and the animal trainers keep her caged up and tied down, it will probably get to you too.