Pretty sure you need insoles for glass slippers.

 

Hello, Internet-land! I’m here and I’m in the mood to blog. Today about something kind of weird, but necessary – foot care at Disney! Unless you have wings, magic feet/shoes, or an ECV, this applies to you (so Tink, Cinderella, and my gramma – y’all can skip this post).

“Foot care at Disney? This sounds lame and gross.” I know, I know. I tend to over-prepare (and over-think?) sometimes, but honestly I’d rather do that and have an awesome trip than be uncomfortable and sad the whole time. I’m sure there are others out there like me. :)

Before I just list what I like, let me just say that this is what has worked for me. I’m not a doctor! I’m a curvy girl, and I do NOT run, but my job as a preschool teacher requires me to stand and walk around pretty much all day. I don’t have kids, so no stroller, and it’s usually just at my own pace (sometimes faster, sometimes not). I hate wearing wet shoes, and I also hate not being able to do whatever I want on vacation, so I almost always wear something water-resilient (something I don’t have to wear socks with) because if I feel like a water ride I don’t want to worry about my shoes. I like to open and close the parks OH YES I DO.

I don’t deal with debilitating pain with my feet/legs; before I go on a trip I try to incorporate some long-distance walking in to my days to prepare.

That having been said, here is what I normally bring for my tootsies on a Disney trip:

Bandaids – try to keep them on you at all times, just in case

Moleskin – also just in case

Lotion – I am blessed with an overabundance of The Body Shop Body Butter, so that’s what I usually bring (when I check a bag). It’s super thick and good for worn-out feet. When I’m traveling carry-on, I just take whatever lotion I can. I know there is stuff out there made just for feet, too, but as I said…I have a lot of Body Butter.

Rubber Ball – the one I have is smaller than my fist…maybe, slightly bigger around than an Oreo? – I got mine from one of the machines in our local Old Navy for 50 cents, haha! This is what I use to massage each foot at the end of the day; just put it on the floor and roll your foot around on it. I guess you could also get a “real” travel foot massager, but I live on the cheap, and this is just so portable!

Peppermint Water – I know, this sounds weird. And I don’t know where I heard of it, but it’s very refreshing and as a bonus makes your hotel room smell like peppermint and not like tired feet. Basically I just get a small spray bottle (they have these at most places you can buy travel-size products) and fill it with water and add maybe a teaspoon of peppermint oil. It makes your feet tingly and cool.

Tylenol/Aspirin/Ibuprofen – whatever you use. I take some as soon as I get ready to settle down and treat my feet. After standing all day, it helps.

Lookit that, I have written almost an entire page about feet! Who knew this could be so, um, interesting? Let’s continue with shoes.

My best friend can get through an entire day at Disneyland with little to no foot pain on a trusty pair of Old Navy flip-flops. She just can. She’s used to wearing them and she practically lives in unsupportive (adorable) flats. She learned the hard way to not break in a pair of new shoes at a Disney park, however. Yikes. If she’s not rocking the ON flip-flops she’s usually wearing Teva sandals.

Tevas

I need something more substantial. My requirements: must be sandal-like and waterproof-ish. Like I said, I will not wear wet socks but I want to ride Splash Mountain whenever I feel like it. I started out with (ugh) Crocs. I tried other, super comfy, nice sandals, but I got a blister and had to go back to Crocs. I tried to be slightly cuter than the “classic” version and bought the Mary Jane style, but Crocs is Crocs, and I just dealt with it. (Disclaimer that I do not wear Crocs ANYwhere else.)

eugh. I actually own these.

 

Since then I tried out a knockoff pair of FitFlops, and those worked out so well that I bought the Disney FitFlops on my next trip, and those have pretty much become my parks shoes. Super supportive, cuter than Crocs, and Disney-fied! I’d recommend them to anyone, or if you can’t afford FitFlops, you can get similar shoes at Payless.

My actual, well-worn Disney FitFlops

Quick lightning-round about shoes:

Mom: wore her $20 sandals from Macy’s to Animal Kingdom/Epcot all day, no problems. Wore flip-flops with a band across the back for Typhoon Lagoon.

no shoes in this, I just think this pic is cute!

 

Maddie: “Crocs. Ugly but comfortable.”

see? ^

 

Caitlin: wore her usual tennis shoes with socks, used gel inserts. When her feet got wet, she went back to the hotel and changed. When she wasn’t wearing sneakers, she used Teva-like sandals and felt okay.

see? ^

 

If you plan to take a break at your hotel during the day, you can always switch shoes. Sometimes it’s nice to have a change.

Hope these (now 2) pages of feet info helps! Have a great trip! Take care of your feet!

One last thing – if somehow after everything, including your older sister’s knowledge and best intentions, you’ve still managed to find yourself in the parks with uncomfortable shoes, a raging blister and no supplies (ahem, Maddie), you can take a trip to the First Aid station located at the end of Main Street (across from the Central Plaza, next to the Baby Center). Her experience: “There were a couple people there but this one lady was really nice and helped me right away. She saw my foot and was very sympathetic about it; she gave me an ankle bandage and an extra one for later, too. They were very helpful. Also I signed like a Medical Log thing, so now my name will be there forever!”

Attn: Cast Member Guy

Attn: Jakob (yes, with a K) who looks like a mixture of Buddy Holly and my friend Eric from high school - and used to work at Splash Mountain, and let me and my best friend ride twice in a row during the fireworks, and the next year when we came back he was working the Mark Twain dock:

We like you. Tee hee.







Haha, oh, the Disney Things we do and say. ;)

Buena Vista Street! (+ Carthay Circle!)

I know everyone is excited about Cars Land, and so am I, but can I just gush about how excited I am about Buena Vista Street?? Hollywood Land, yes! In my mind I add the Carthay Circle area to all this, because the time period matches, also it matches in my heart.)
It's even better because Walt Disney had wanted a Hollywood Land at some point, but it never came to fruition. (I don't actually have a source for that, but I think I read about it somewhere, so I'm gonna go with it.)
Anyway, old-timeyness. I LOVE. I'm especially excited about the Red Car News Boys, a Newsies-spinoff show that I'm sure will have my fangirl heart all twitterpated. I can't wait!

when a loved one has special needs: using a Guest Assistance Pass and other tips I've learned

I think it’s safe to say that I’ve been to the Disney Parks many times. In fact, people no longer act surprised when they find I’m going or have gone; they just say, “Another trip?!” Which I understand. (Because they’re JEALOUS.) Anyway, to the point. I’ve been to Disney with adults, with kids, with lots of people, and alone. With a fox, in a box, in the rain, on a train, etc. So I’ve experienced many points of view when it comes to touring. Today I’m going to talk about touring with someone who has special needs.

I have two pretty great sisters. One of them (age 21) has Asperger syndrome. It’s a spectrum disorder with some shared traits of autism. Spectrum disorders are called such because they are many and varied, but Wikipedia describes AS like this: “Asperger’s is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development. Although not required for diagnosis, physical clumsiness and atypical use of language are frequently reported.” Saying that it’s been hard to deal with throughout our lives would be an understatement, but just like anyone, our family just does the best we can.

When we got the opportunity to go to Disneyland at Christmastime, I was so happy for her! It was her first time, and I wanted it to be wonderful. Here’s where we need to be careful – I’ve said it before, expectations can make or break a vacation. Having realistic expectations is key. I knew this would be different from the trips I’d taken before. I knew that we needed to plan far enough in advance to prepare her for the trip. We could watch rides on youtube, plan where we wanted to eat, and decide what shows were a must-see. In my sister’s case, she is extremely routine-driven, so everything about this “vacation” would be outside of her comfort zone, and when she gets put out of her comfort zone things get unpleasant for everyone. So we tried our best to be as prepared as possible, which definitely helped!

I wanted her to have a Guest Assistance Pass so we could have the option of shorter wait times. We weren’t looking for a “free ride,” but if the situation got too crowded or uncomfortable things could get unpleasant for us and for those around us, so I thought it would be a good idea, just in case. At the time of our departure I couldn’t find a phone number to call for special needs services, so I just called the Disneyland Hotel and they connected me to the right people (this is a good tip no matter who you’re trying to contact!). They explained how to obtain a Guest Assistance Pass at City Hall, right when you enter the park. A doctor’s note is NOT required, but make sure they write down the correct number of people in your party and the length of your entire stay on the card! I also learned on this trip that there are different levels of GAPs – at first we were issued just a “wheelchair” pass, which meant that we could use the wheelchair entrances (usually the attraction’s exit ramp) to get to the front of the line. This is great for most of the rides in Disneyland. However, the pass couldn’t be used if the attraction had a wheelchair-accessible queue, which applies to most of Disney California Adventure. I agree with this practice (in fact, I’m familiar with it as my grandma used an ECV on our family WDW trip), but it didn’t really fit what we needed, so I had to make another trip to Guest Services. Once I explained, they very nicely stamped our pass so we could use it on any attraction. So it helps to double check when the Guest Relations Cast Members issue your pass. We ended up utilizing our Guest Assistance Pass about half of the time. The person on the card always has to be in the riding party, so no dice if they refuse to ride California Screamin’! Sometimes the wait isn’t shorter (cough, Pirates of the Caribbean, cough), so try to be aware of the regular wait times. We still used the Lines app from touringplans.com quite a bit.

The GAP is can be used for shows, too. We didn’t use it for parades or fireworks, but we did for World of Color and it worked out pretty well. Even with a pass, try to get there early, because those areas fill up quickly. In fact, we had a much more positive experience going to a second showing of WoC, because of the way cast members guide your group to your section in a (somewhat) orderly line. I know after that it’s every man for himself, but it made a huge difference for us. We were able to have a smooth transition to our seats, it was less crowded so we could sit together, and we weren’t stressing about pushing or being pushed. Of course this depends on the crowd levels when you visit the parks. If it’s not a crowded evening you might be able to comfortably find a spot on your own with little or no drama.

view from the special needs yellow section for WoC

A few other things that helped us have an amazing “Sisters Trip:”

-        Earplugs and sunglasses! If you have a loved one on the spectrum, you already know the sensitivity to light and sound that sometimes makes Disney trips challenging.

-        We took a long break every day, and had some early nights. This was so different for me; I am a rope drop girl and I like to close the park. When I “take a break” that means sitting on the curb drinking a cherry coke, not going back to the hotel! But it really worked best for all of us. We were able to have quiet time during the day, and even plan some special things at night while everyone else was in the parks. One evening we dressed up and spent some time in the Grand Californian lobby. We listened to the carolers and got our picture taken with Santa before our dinner reservations at Napa Rose. Everything was slower-paced and quiet, which was what we needed. It also made the nights we did close the park more fun.

-        We stayed on property. It’s more expensive, but it’s convenient and special, and that made it more pleasant for us to spend lots of time there during our stay. Also, walking through Downtown Disney was much less stressful for my sister than crossing the busy streets.

-        We tried to have one sit-down meal every day. When you add up the prices, it really doesn’t have to cost too much more (at Disneyland, anyway!) and it’s a nice experience that’s calmer than going counter service in the parks. Order a drink with refills and you’re already getting some value. And at Storytellers’ Café you get free bread. (Side story – our waiter there was SO sweet – when he boxed up our leftovers he snuck in an entire box of bread and corn muffins without telling us! We had breakfast for the next day and lived like kings. We still talk about it.)

-        We ended up planning two character breakfasts. It was important for my sister to meet characters and I thought this could be a good way to see a lot of them without having to wait in too many lines or get disappointed because our line had been cut off. We still did meet some characters in the parks, but going to these meals ensured that we got a good breakfast (she sometimes forgets to eat or isn’t hungry, which makes her feel wretched later!) and a lot of sweet character interaction.

Minnie & Friends character breakfast at the Plaza Inn

-        This goes along with my “realistic expectations” mantra: when she was overtired, we stopped, and we *gasp!* didn’t do everything. Once again, this feels like Disney blasphemy to me, but dragging people around when they’re tired and cranky really is about as fun as it sounds. So even though I wanted so badly for her to see Fantasmic! we didn’t go. Being flexible is a good tip for any vacationer. But there will be another time, and when we see it I’ll probably spring for the reserved seating so she can sit down and eat while we wait.

I know some of these suggestions involve spending more than you might otherwise. Every person is different, and this is what worked for us. We had a long time to save and plan, and it was absolutely worth it. She had a blast. We all had a blast. I look at these pictures and feel tears well up a bit, because she's smiling so beautifully and that's not something I always get to see. She wore her “First Visit” button proudly every single day. I feel so fortunate that I was able to enjoy such an experience with my sisters!

Being as knowledgeable and prepared as possible helped us have an amazing trip. Hopefully this can be helpful to others who are hoping to do the same!

I forgot that I do Disney songs on the ukulele!

"The Second Star to the Right"

That's me! My channel is youtube.com/erinbev- there are several videos there, some Disney, some not...but mostly Disney. I mean, come on.

I love my baritone ukulele!

"When you look for the bad in mankind expecting to find it, you surely will."

Dr. Chilton: [finding Pollyanna hidden behind a plant] Hello. Is this the town meeting?
Pollyanna: Oh, no. It's in there. In the conservatory, for heaven's sake.
Dr. Chilton: Oh. Are you one of the Ladies Aide?
Pollyanna: Oh, no. I'm just a child. I'm not even supposed to be here! Shh!
Dr. Chilton: What's your name?
Pollyanna: Pollyanna Whittier. That's my aunt over there, the pretty one. This is her house, and I live with her. Shh!

Disney’s Pollyanna may be the perfect film.

Before you write me off as a hopeless romantic (which I am) and think I’m ridiculous (which I very well may be), let me explain.

First I will synopsize. Or, I will let IMDB do it. “A young girl comes to an embittered town and confronts its attitude with her determination to see the best in life.” So, she has a “Pollyanna” attitude and she wins over the town, specifically her stuffy, rich Aunt Polly, who incidentally finds love once she can turn in to a Real Woman with Feelings. (I made that last part up myself!) Of course, Pollyanna suffers a crippling accident and it really shows them all, those sourpusses! But it all turns out all right in the end. I mean, it has to! It’s Pollyanna!

I didn’t grow up with Pollyanna. I had heard of it, and I had grown up with Hayley Mills – I can wax on the perfection of The Parent Trap (50s clothes! Maureen O’Hara! Ub Iwerks special effects! The Sherman Brothers! Stafford!) later. But I never saw Pollyanna. In fact, I don’t actually own Pollyanna now; the copy I’ve had for years has been, ahem, “borrowed” from my best friend. (Guess I’ll have to get my own copy now…) She bought it and lent it to me, and I liked it quite a bit. And then I watched it with my mom. And my sister. And oh, how it has grown on me. Once I started thinking about everything I loved about the movie, I kept finding more and more reasons.

Guys, this movie has everything.

1)     There is food, or the mention of food, in almost every scene.

This is true. I think I first noticed this when watching the DVD commentary with Hayley Mills and director David Swift. When Pollyanna first arrives to her Aunt Polly’s home, she is told what time to come to dinner, asks about steak and ice cream, and carries around a glass of milk. The next day she gets taken out for strawberry frappe and sneaks snacks from the town meeting luncheon “in the conservatory, for heaven’s sake.” She walks around with a pocket full of fresh peas on Sunday, delivers charity food to the needy, and at the glorious Bazaar, oh, the treats to be had! Corn on the cob, giant slices of watermelon, and cake slices as big as your head. If you watch the movie, you will now notice all of the food, so you’re welcome. And I’ve definitely left a lot of stuff out, so enjoy looking! YUM.

Giant cake! Bonus props to Reta Shaw just for being in this photo, because I love her.

       2)     There is a fashion/makeover scene. Also the clothes are fabulous.

Makeover scene! It’s every chick flick movie and America’s Next Top Model watcher’s dream! Of course Hayley Mills is cute even in her bumpkin dress, but it’s so sweet when she gets excited about buying store-bought clothes “out of an actual store,” including “stockings and underpants,” and eventually parades her new finery, looking even more adorable and precocious. Of course, all the costumes are fantastic – dresses, suits, and hats hats hats! I swoon! Honorable mention goes to James Drury as George Dodds in his fancy suit and straw boater and all his shirtsleeves. Once I started researching I found out that Walter Plunkett (you know, Gone With the Wind, Singin’ in the Rain? I can’t even.) was the film’s costume designer, so of course it made perfect sense that they were all stunning and extraordinary and lovely.

Don’t worry! She buys the hat AND the dress but doesn’t wear them together.

3)     The cast is absolutely fantastic.

When I read reviews about Pollyanna, the ensemble cast is always mentioned as arguably the best live-action cast that Disney has ever put together. Everyone gave a strong, believable performance for the film they were making. Yes, there is a fair bit of sweetness and cheesiness. Likewise, some characters come off as overly callous and cynical. But by golly you believe it when they’re giving it to you. I’m not going to go through every actor and write about how marvelous they were, because I’d still be here tomorrow morning, and I have to be at work instead. But I will write their names in all caps so you can see how sincere I am about it. JANE WYMAN. RICHARD EGAN. KARL MALDEN. NANCY OLSON. ADOLPHE MENJOU. AGNES MOOREHEAD. KEVIN CORCORAN. JAMES DRURY. ANNE SEYMOUR. RETA SHAW. MARY GRACE CANFIELD. DONALD CRISP. EDWARD PLATT. JENNY EGAN. LEORA DANA. HAYLEY MILLS, HAYLEY MILLS, HAYLEY MILLS.

Anne Seymour is incredible as Mrs. Tarbell and oh oh oh! That hat!

"You're impertinent - I don't like you at all! When are you coming back?"

4)     It’s just like Main Street, USA.

Maybe this is why I can just turn on Pollyanna while I write or clean and just be happy, or why it’s my go-to movie when I’m sad. Not because she inspires me to look on the good side and play the Glad Game, but because it reminds me of my favorite place in the world. The music especially – you could imagine hearing that music coming from a window in one of the Disney Parks.

      5)     Everything else.

Other miscellaneous things I love about this movie: Peter Ellenshaw’s matte art, countless cute “kid moments,” explaining Hayley Mills’ accent by saying her father was a minister in the “British West Indies,” dogs, the classic Misunderstood Lady story, Forbidden Love, fire and brimstone, Ben Tarbell telling off his wife, the amazing made-up quote from Abraham Lincoln, hairbows, the dance sequence, and the fact that the movie was 134 minutes long, but Walt Disney had fallen in love with it and refused to let director/screenwriter David Swift make any cuts. That is a long movie, folks. But Walt loved it. And that makes me love it even more.

Part of Pollyanna is about growing up. She experiences a tragedy and finds it difficult to do what she has been trying to inspire all of these crabby adults to do for 134 minutes: to look on the bright side and get though life’s challenges with a smile. I think we all get to a point in life where we feel as though we must become “realistic,” rejecting the Pollyanna principles as inherently impractical and naïve. That’s part of growing up, but it doesn’t have to be. With help, Pollyanna finds the strength to face her problems with positivity, and it’s heartening to watch. Also, I think I mentioned that there are lots of hats.

Get it, girl.

Sooo...I guess what I mean is that Pollyanna is a wonderful film for the sentimental Disney fan who enjoys vintage Disney, childhood, and the nostalgia of it all.

And also that it may be perfect.

Ode to Toad

Oh, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, you are such fun. A 1955 Original, you are nostalgic and simple and silly and genuinely fun. Never change.

<3***<3***<3

So, obviously I love this ride. I think it's because Mr. Toad is a favorite of my mom's. She likes Disney, but she's not a "Disney Person," the way I am, so the fact that it's her favorite means a lot. When I asked why it was one of her favorites as a kid, she thought a minute and said, "I always liked how you went to hell. I thought the little devils were funny." So...okay.
No matter who I'm with, we always enjoy having fun and acting silly as we drive through Toad Hall, London, and No Where in Particular. The queue is beautifully detailed (I love the amphibian-themed books in Toady's library), and the special effects are pretty clever for 1955.
Mr. Toad is also a Disneyland exclusive, since the Disney World version was removed to make way for Winnie the Pooh (oh that bear! He ousted Disneyland's Country Bears, too. I can't be too mad, since he IS pretty sweet). Yes, I pretend to actually drive the vehicle - because I'm sophisticated and awesome that way.
Toad: the original Indiana Jones Adventure.

Yay!

My Bert bag is finished! Took a few days because I work most of the day, plus I used liquid stitch...but I'm pretty happy with the result. Next stop, Disneyland! <3

Funniest picture from my WDW trip

The nice cast member boy was trying to get me to move along, but I was not leaving until I got this.

Not even tuppence a bag, y'all.

Disney craft time

Watching Mary Poppins and crafting my Bert bag - here are the bows!

Disney treats

Yum! So cute!

Food Friday!

Decided to try a Dole Whip Float Swirl while in WDW. At their Dole Whip stand, you can get the pineapple with vanilla or orange swirl if you want. It was good...different! I think I'm a traditionalist, though. Also, I was appalled that the WDW Dole Whips were located nowhere near the Tiki Room, AND that in fact there is no food or drink in the Tiki Room at all! Everything is so different, crazy! The policy is loosely enforced, however, and since I truly didn't know, I was able to enjoy my pineappley (+orangey) goodness whilst singing like the birdies sing. YUM.

The 8th wonder of the universe!

Dumbo!

I was fortunate enough to be able to experience (at least part of) New Fantasyland's Dumbo in WDW. Because I am a nerd tourist, I was very excited and took lots of pictures. I love the circus theme of red, gold and blue (most of New Fantasyland will be circus-themed) and I got a kick out of the fact that the Dumbos wore different colors from their past incarnations. I rode after midnight during spring break, but the line wasn't too crazy. I rode alone and I don't care! Here are pictures!
(I think my favorite detail is Mrs. Jumbo near the top - and the colors, oh the colors!)

It's been months!

Sorry I've been gone forever, my little blog. I resolve to blog more. Here are my souvenirs from my one-day trip to WDW last month! I <3 Disney merchandise! And they <3 my monies.