Thursday

Under the Living Seas

~Epcot's Living Seas Pavilion~
When I think of "under the sea" I think of (as I'm sure many of you do) The Little Mermaid movie. I also think of the under world in The Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavilion in Epcot formerly known as The Living Seas Pavilion

We've enjoyed many an afternoon watching the fish, enjoying demonstrations and of course riding in the little clam shells:)
Epcot's Living Seas Pavilion
This Butterflyfish spends its days cruising the Living Seas coraf reefs eating small crustaceans. Butterflyfish sometimes swim in schools and when they find a mate it's for life.

There's always something exciting going on in this amazing under water world. I think that's why it's a "must do" attraction for us. The pavilion tank is 5.7 million gallons with coral reefs and plant life growing throughout. 
The pavilion has evolved over the years and each visit we discover new additions and more sea life. There are now more than 6,000 inhabitants, which include sea turtles, dolphins, rays and other sea life.

Tuesday

Wordless Wednesday~Kaleidoscopic Spaceship Earth

Welcome and thanks for stopping by 
    Everybody neat and pretty?
Then on with the hop.....
to a Kaleidoscopic Spaceship Earth







You may also enjoy visiting all the great blog posts that linked up to the hop 





The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop!


 
The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! 
It's easy to join ~ simply link up your 
Disney Almost or Wordless Wednesday posts,
hop and make new Disney friends! 
Hey there, hi there, ho there, you're as welcome as can be to the hop!!!!




Monday

Foodie Fare finds at The Writer's Stop

There are numerous Foodie Fare finds in Disney's Hollywood Studios but we have found the most irresistible snack find to be at The Writers Stop. Tucked away and often missed (next to The Sci Fi Dine-In Theater) is the little book store with the art deco facade where you can find the famous Carrot Cake Cookies.

Saturday

Saturday Shorts~ The Lion King Musical Tribute

This week  for our Saturday Shorts we are showing Disney's Lion King 3D Blu-ray trailer, which is coming to theaters September 14thTrailers for the animated 1994 classic appear now with the showing of the new Car 2 movie. Since I'm not getting to the theater this weekend I thought I'd share it here. 




Its highly anticipated home entertainment debut kicks off October 4, celebrating the Diamond Edition release of the epic movie “The Lion King” in high-definition Blu-ray™ and Blu-ray 3D™.

A Lion King musical tribute to celebrate:-)


For more detailed information check Disney's Lion King

It's hard to believe the debut of Lion King  was in 1994! I can't wait for to see it in 3D!


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Thursday

~ Magic Moments ~ Wishes


Welcome to this weeks Blog Hop hosted by Babes in Disneyland and co-hosted by Manda's Disney Blog.  If this is your first visit to Focused on the Magic, WELCOME!!  I'm so glad you found me and I'd love to have you follow my blog and join in on all that happens here.  If you didn't come here through this week's blog hop, please visit Babes in Disneyland and Manda’s Disney Blog to see all the posts and to join the hop!!  

The theme this week is "Magic Moments."  When I first read this topic, a flood of magical moments came to mind. Each Monday I post about our magical moments in the parks as we seem to experience quite a few. I wondered how I could pick just one for this week's hop?  So, I went directly to my DH and magic moments partner for a consult. We both agreed Wishes at The Magic Kingdom had to be at the most magical moment every visit.

Tuesday

Wordless Wednesday ~ Wonder-filled Sunset



Welcome and thanks for joining us on The Wordless Wednesday Disney Blog Hop! Everybody neat and pretty? Then, on with the hop...
to a Wonder-filled Sunset




This was taken as we were leaving port the first night of our cruise on The Wonder while enjoying cocktails on the veranda and Wondering what magic lay ahead......  



The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop



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The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop

Welcome to The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop
Hosted by Debs @ Focused on the Magic! 
Link up, share your pics and make new Disney friends! 


Before you link up and hop away, please take a Minnie moment to review the blog hop guidelines. 

•   This blog hop is for any and ALL Almost Wordless or Wordless Disney - related photo posts! Disney related pics taken in the parks, at home, night, day, characters, animals, people, plants.....are all welcome! If you are a blogger who would like to join, please do, but be sure to enter a URL that directly sends readers to your Almost Wordless or Wordless Wednesday Disney post.  
•   While you're hopping, don't forget to follow through Google Friend Connect, Network Blogs, Twitter and Facebook. Please let everyone know you were there. We all love to read comments:)
•   Please post the Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop button code into your html somewhere in your blog or in your post. In Blogger it's done in the edit HTML tab on your posting page or add it as an html gadget.  I've made a new smaller button that should fit almost anywhere:) If that's not for you then a link back to the hop would be greatly appreciated:) Spread the word if you can.The more Wordless Wednesday Disney Blog Hoppers the more magical it will be for all!
Most importantly - Have a fun Disney day hopping!!
  
 Link-up your Disney Almost Wordless or Wordless posts and let's hop
ºoº

ºoº




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Walt Disney World & Our Unconventional Family Traditions





Traveling to Walt Disney World over the past 20 our family has developed quite a few traditions. After thinking about them I realized we have way too many to include in just one post. Therefore and henceforth, this will be the first in a series of posts about our traditions. We enjoy the usual family traditions such as eating in favorite restaurants, taking pics in the same locations trip after trip, visiting certain rides on certain days. Along the way a few unconventional traditions have developed....... 

Monday

The Muppets (2011)

The Muppets (2011) movie poster

The Muppets Movie (2011) by Walt Disney Pictures is due in theaters 


November 23, 2011

Sunday

Silent Sunday ~ Happy Father's Day

DH, Paul enjoying a little putting at Epcot

Friday

Foto Friday ~ Who's Your Daddy?


~Happy Father's Day Disney Dads!!~


Thursday

Hooray for The Citizens of Disney's Hollywood Studios!



In honor of the 2nd Annual International Disney Hollywood Studios Week hosted by Matt Hochenberg of Studios Central and WDW Today I thought I'd share my tribute to the incredibly talented Citizens of Hollywood Studios.




Officer First Class William Club to the rescue of
Honey Darling, the darling of Hollywood



Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop - Disney Style

Welcome to The Wordless Wednesday Disney Blog Hop!
Link up and make new Disney friends! 
Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It Minnie ! 


Everybody neat and pretty? Then, on with the hop!


ºoº  Grab the button for your blog 


       Link-up your Disney Almost Wordless or Wordless posts and let's hop
ºoº The link sign up is closed but the links are active. Please feel free to hop and leave comments:)




ºoºBe sure to come back next Wednesday for the next Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop! 

Have a magical day!
~ DebºoºS~



Monday

~Magical Memories Monday~

 Magical Memories Monday Series

Often magical moments aren't part of a touring plan. Here a Cast Member created one such magical moment on Main Street, USA in the Magic Kingdom. Using only a few simple tools like a broom and a bucket of water he brought smiles to everyone around.


Some Guests kept walking without noticing the artwork below their feet. Others stumbled over it laughing. Sadly the water art evaporated in a matter of minutes in the FL heat but the magical memories that sidewalk artist created will always remain.

Have you seen the water artists in the parks? Did it make you smile?

Hope you are having a magical day!
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Sunday

~Silent Sunday~

Thursday

Sounds Like Summer at WDW

It's summertime! Time for the "Sounds Like Summer Concert Series" at the America Gardens Theatre in Epcot's World Showcase  and it's also the theme of the Babe's in Disneyland blog hop today, co-hosted today by my friend Melissa at Disney on Wheels. Be sure to check them out for some cool summer posts!
Each evening from June 12th through July 30th park Guests will be rocking out to live performances of the best tribute bands "playing" tribute to timeless hit groups. there are 7 in all will put on great shows.
The summer concerts are always part of my touring plans. I try to schedule my Epcot plans with WS ADRs around the concert schedule, leaving plenty of time to queue up and find a seat for the last show. Even if we don't have an ADR at Epcot on those nights and just want to grab a counter service meal, The Liberty Inn Restaurant serves up American fare like cheeseburgers and BBQ. There are plenty of tables outside to sit and enjoy a meal or snacks while listening to the concert. There's enough room to dance too:)
If snacks are on your mind (nodding:) there a two kiosks close by, one just outside the pavilion offers delicious funnel cakes and the other more chilly snacks like these Red White and Blue icy cold drinks.
Whether we're listening from inside the theater or WS in front of the American Pavilion or even standing in the back of the theater. It's a must do summer activity.
This year's “Sounds Like Summer" Concert Series kicks off with the authentic sounds (live clip below) of tribute band, Hotel California - A Salute to the Eagles.

Their performances will include these classic sounds from the Eagles song vault:
  • Heartache Tonight 
  • Hotel California 
  • Lyin' Eyes 
  • One of These Nights 
  • Take It Easy 
Here's the complete schedule for the "Sounds Like Summer Concert Series", 2011
·                                June 12 – June 18: Hotel California — A Salute to the Eagles
·                                 June 19 – June 25: Stayin' Alive — A Tribute to the Bee Gees
·                                 June 26 – July 2: Slippery When Wet — The Ultimate Bon Jovi Tribute
·                                 July 3 – July 9: Little Queen — The Music of Heart
·                                 July 10 – July 16: Frontiers — A Tribute to Journey
·                                 July 17 – July 23: Karin Lawson — A Tribute to Janet Jackson
·                                 July 24 – July 30: 2U — A Tribute to U2
Please note: Entertainment is subject to change without notice.
Showtime
Showtimes are scheduled for 5:45 p.m., 7:00 p.m., and 8:15 p.m. 
*except on July 4. On July 4, showtimes are scheduled for 5:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:45 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

Do you enjoy the summer concerts at Epcot? Do you have a favorite group?


Wednesday

The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop

Welcome to The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop
Everybody neat and pretty? Then, on with the hop!!
Mary Poppins is our first stop on the hop.



Monday

Magical Memories Monday with the boys

Welcome to Magical Memories Monday! A day that always warms my heart with happy memories and gets me craving my next trip to make even more memories. 
This week we asked our kids what their favorite Disney memory or activity is.

Getting a straight answer out of my guys is like getting me to ride EE twice in a row. 
I did my Disney best over the weekend. Being held captive on a long car ride with nothing but open road to stare at seemed to help us focus on the question at hand;) 
Peter's first response was the memory of the giant Genie bowling him over at the Contemporary. You can read all about it here. After further consideration and a few miles down the road. Peter decided the time he rode Rock n Roller Coaster with his cousins Ian and Laura on a trip in 2000.  

From the ride and not his cousins ;)
Then he remembered the time they got soaked taking a spin in the Breathless. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to tell the boat operator that my son drives race cars! We went faaaast after that! 

Sunday

Weekly Recap ~ May 29th - June 5th

We managed to stay Focused on the Magic of Disney™ this week despite a trip to New York and unexpected trip to the emergency room yesterday. More or less on that later, first let's recap.

Star Wars Weekend Past Pics & Tips covers pics from past magical trips to Star Wars Weekends. Sprinkled in are some hopefully helpful tips for photography, shopping and touring. I'm not an expert in any of those areas (although DH might disagree about shopping) but I do have a lot of experience and enjoy sharing whenever I can to help make your trips a bit more magical. Each tip is marked for quick reference.

Deb's Disney Pic of the Day

Occasionally I'll pull out pic I think fits with the topics of the week and feature it. This one is of Darth Vader and The Stormtroopers dancing to Thriller,
from Star Wars Weekend. Check out Peters' Darth Vader mini video of the dance!

The Love Bugs  

they're baack, those pesky Love Bugs. We talked about them and shared some tips as to how to deal with the amorous flying bugs while in WDW. We also said goodbye to Herbie the Love Bug :(

Wordless Wednesday Hop - Disney Style  

I love Wordless Wednesday maybe because one of my hobbies is photography. To me Wednesday means sitting down with a cup of coffee in my favorite Disney mug and viewing Disney Wordless Wednesday pics on the web. Unfortunately, it can be harder than finding Hidden Mickeys at WDW. Wading through a lot of non Disney (no offense intended) pics first before finding Disney themed pics takes a lot of time. This week I joined forces with 16 great Disney fan blogs for a hop. Please check out this weeks links and leave a comment. Next week come join us (link up, visit and comment) for another Fun Blog Hop Disney Style ~ Wordless Wednesday.


A View of Illuminations


Thursday was The Disneyland Blog Hop and once again I came in at the tail end.The topic was Disney Firsts. I posted A View Of Illuminations while on the road to New York which was a first for me. This was also the first time I was able to get many good shots of Illuminations from a seated relaxed enjoyable location and a great view. No one was bumping the tripod or pressing up against me and I was seated with an adult beverage on the patio. Ah! A welcome first after a long day and a wonderful meal at the Rose & Crown Pub.


I hope you enjoyed this weeks posts and stop back again next week for more Focused on the Magic Of Disney™ ºoº



P.S. The trip to NY was ok but the traffic was insane!!! The trip to the emergency room for Peters' hand wasn't ok. He is paralyzed and in pain in his hand and the doctors after all the testing don't know why. We're seeing a neurologist on Monday. Too bad I can't get an appointment with House, we're not far from Princeton:P

Friday

A View of Illuminations from The Rose & Crown


This was my first time taking pics of Illuminations from a absolutely picture perfect location in a seated position, adult beverage at my side with an unobstructed view! Best of all, no one was jostling my tripod or shoving for a better view. 
Touring the World Showcase countries in the afternoon, having dinner in one of the countries then topping off the evening with Illuminations is my idea of a perfect plan. We may not touch all 11 countries every time but you can always find me watching Illuminations in Epcot at 9pm. There are several spots I enjoy viewing it from. On this particular night we had just finished a fabulous dinner on the The Rose & Crown upper balcony (review coming soon) when the fireworks started. Our dinner was timed perfectly as our server lifted the last plate the show started. There is exactly 30 minutes between the time the music starts and the show begins. It was a calm night without wind and in my opinion the best viewing area to see Illuminations. Our server explained that on a windy night the ashes will fly on the wind in the direction of the Rose & Crown and Canada. I was aware of it because it had happened to us in the past but I had no idea that there are metal roofs on a few of the buildings in the UK and Canada to protect them form ashes. It was a magical memorable night filled with pixie dust we'll always remember.

What's your favorite area to view Illuminations? 

Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday Hop - Disney Style

Hey there, Hi there, Ho there! 
Our first stop on The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop: 
A Magical Night


ºoº
I'm really looking forward to seeing your Wordless Wednesday pics! 
It's time to link up, so just add your Wordless Wednesday or Almost Wordless Wednesday link to the list below, grab the button at the top and post it on your blog and hop away! 


The link sign-up is closed but they're still active. Please feel free to hop and enjoy! 
See you on the hop!


    

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