Disney Things to do in Quarantine!

Long time, no see!  Of course, that's how everyone's feeling now--not just me for abandoning my blog for so long!  Honestly, it can be easy getting lost in everyone else's blogs and social media accounts dedicated to Disney, and start to feel like I have nothing new to add to the conversation, but THAT'S NOT THE POINT OF THIS BLOG!  The point is, I love Disney, and I love writing, and that's that.  So in the spirit of revisiting passions during self-quarantine, I thought of sharing a list of fun activities to keep you in a Disney frame of mind!

What to Eat

My friend Marla (a wonderful artist who also teaches the sip-and-paint classes offered at the Disney World hotels--follow her on Instagram @marla_e_artist) told me that Disney is sharing certain park favorite recipes on their app, My Disney Experience!  So far they've shared a Dole Whip recipe (blend 4oz pineapple juice with 2 cups of frozen pineapple, and add one big scoop of vanilla ice cream, to make 4 servings), and the Disney Parks Blog has a Mickey Mouse Beignets recipe, and churro recipe!  There are a lot of copycat recipes floating around on the great interwebs!  I've also seen Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bars and Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches at my local grocery store (I currently have the sandwiches in my freezer).  I recommend using InstaCart or Shipt for any grocery errands (and please tip your shoppers)!  You can also make Mickey-shaped ANYTHING if you have cookie cutters, circular food (Oreos, Nilla wafers, banana slices), and/or imagination!  Just the other day I made a Mickey-shaped chocolate chip cookie sundae, thanks to my oversized Mickey cookie cutter!

What to Watch

Disney Plus is a great option if you need a daily dose of Disney!  I'm making my way through the Star Wars saga, myself!  For those who still watch TV, Spectrum is offering the new season of the DuckTales reboot (season 3) on demand for free until May 31!  (I have so much to say about how DuckTales is KILLING IT that I might have to make a separate blog!)  Over on WDW News Today, they've posted a list of character shows from Tokyo Disney made available to watch on YouTube for a limited time (some of these aren't available anymore).  You can always type in parade names and Point-of-View ride videos of attractions from any Disney park on YouTube and you'll find lots of fun things to watch!

What to Craft

The Flower and Garden Festival is my favorite Epcot Festival and I was SO BUMMED that I didn't get to go before the closures.  So I channeled that frustration into these floral Minnie headbands for my mom & myself with woodsy-looking wire, fake flowers, and headbands from Michaels!  I learned by watching a youtube tutorial years ago, and you can, too!  The Disney Parks Blog is also sharing video tutorials of how to draw a VERY LONG LIST of characters!  Disney Family also has a long list of crafts to choose from, including this colorful pom-pom Mickey pillow!

What to Wear

These days you might feel like it doesn't matter WHAT you wear--you don't have to go anywhere, and no one will judge you but your cat.  But our appearances affect how we FEEL!  Don't forget what Jerry told George when he showed up in sweatpants!  I have a long history (starting in 2012 when I first stumbled upon the tumblr account) of putting together Disneybounds (if you don't know, please drop everything and click here), in which you put together an outfit based on a Disney character (it's not a costume).  Canadian Leslie Kay and her friend dreamed this up years ago when they were getting excited for a trip to the parks--they were Disney-bound, and playing it up to get excited about their trip!  A woman after my own heart!  This trend has really blown up over the last few years and she even released a book this month!  If you have Instagram, you can follow the trend at @thedisneybound where she shares flatlays of outfits and pictures of people just like you and me in their Disneybound finest!  Another fun Disney fashion account to follow is @ashtinelikekutcher, who also posts flatlays (all the elements of an outfit arranged together and laid out flat, like an outfit display without the mannequin) of Disney-inspired outfits, and where to find everything!

What to Listen To

I've been listening to a Disney mix on Pandora (I ask Alexa, "Play Disney on Pandora," and she says, "Disney--CHILDREN'S--radio, on Elyse's Pandora Account" and I feel like she's making fun of me every time) on those rare occasions when I'm not on the couch watching TV.  I'm not a podcast-listener yet, so I don't have any Disney ones to recommend, but I'm sure they exist!  You can also look up soundtracks on Spotify and YouTube.  On Instagram, @michaeldoesdisney was posting daily COVID-19 related Disney spoofs that are very entertaining to watch, and he also recommended an account, @disneyworldsounds, which uploads exactly what you'd think--minute-long sounds of Disney World, including ride music and announcements, parade music, voiceovers, and environment sounds (i.e. Main Street USA background music)!  You can also tune into one of my live couch concerts where I play originals and covers (including Disney songs and a special ukulele Disney medley I put together) on my instagram account, @elysebuckley!

What to Do

Now that you have some ideas, you can combine your favorites into activities!  I love having video chats with my friends, using the Marco Polo app, and Zoom for longer conversations, and I'm grateful to the US Postal Service for still delivering letters and packages to those in need of a pick-me-up (or essentials)!  You can have a video conference party with friends (perhaps you all get dressed up in your favorite Disneybound with a Disney-themed cocktail), a movie watch-party (my friends and I text reactions as we watch together), or send some heart-felt letters with doodles and photos to the friends you wish you were with!  Decorate your windows to make someone's walk a little brighter!  Make chalk art of your favorite inspirational messages and characters!  If you miss being at the parks, you can recreate some rides or park decorations, or even turn your bathtub into a lazy river!  Dress like Ellie and have a picnic on your own "hub grass!"  Comment with any other ideas below, and have a safe and fun time, making your own magic!

New Flower Hunt at Epcot's International Flower and Garden Festival!

Before I moved to FL a year and a half ago, I wanted to fly down from NY just so I could participate in the egg hunt (or "Eggstravaganza") during Flower and Garden.  It looks like it started in 2014 with these eggs as the prizes:

from disneyparks.disney.go.com

Now that I see what the first options were, I'm so upset I didn't actually go!  😂  I think these are the cutest out of all the ones I've seen!  Later on they added ones like the Cheshire cat, Lady & the Tramp (2 different ones so you'd need 2 maps), Jessie and Woody, and Dory and Nemo.  You have to buy a map, then look around Epcot (there is also a Disneyland one, I don't know how that operates) for the character eggs hidden in all different countries around World Showcase.  It's the cutest Easter egg hunt EVER.  (They have other search-and-finds like the Ratatouille one a couple years ago you can read about here, the Festival of the Arts one where you had to locate a specific painting in each country, and the one I wrote about in my last post with Chip & Dale on hidden wreaths around each country.)

So I was thrilled when I got to participate last year and got myself a Mickey egg!  (I later found BINS of them at Cast Connection--a special store only Disney Cast Members are allowed into but they can bring friends and family as guests--I HIGHLY recommend a visit!  But this made it seem so not special that I didn't get any.  And where would I put them?  I value the one I earned!!  And I keep it on my bathroom counter.)

I saw the options for this year, and I wasn't crazy about them, but I did see a NEW search and find with a long-lost character, Spike the Bee, from Donald Duck cartoons of the 1950's and 60's!

Spike's Pollen-Nation Exploration!  Just like the other search and finds, you have to find something in almost every country.  This time you had to find a special flower or plant in each garden.  It was a bit easier than other search and finds because they were all on the ground, in specific gardens.  They each had a photo of the plant sticking up out of the ground with an adorable model of Spike hanging out right next to it.

                       

The one by Mexico was probably the hardest.  No, I'm wrong, the hardest for me was the one in Savanna because I didn't see that one!!  I'll have to check again next time if they're still up.  I didn't really mind because I had found all the rest and I could use process of elimination (plus they don't even check.  I actually heard a cast member ask if someone buying the map wanted their prize before they even started searching--where's the fun in that!!?).  

Before I bought the map (you get your usual discount if you are an Annual Passholder--which I JUST BECAME so this blog is going to get a well-deserved facelift, at least in content and frequency of posts!) I asked what the prize was.  It was a set of patches with characters on them.  (For Festival of the Arts last year, they were magnets of classic art pieces with Figment in them--I don't know if they did it this year.  For the Ratatouille one you could get a really nice quality pin with Remy and the vegetable of your choice.  For the Chip & Dale wreaths one you get a set of buttons--the circular pins with safety-pin kind of backs of the ornaments you found and one larger one of Chip & Dale.)

I was trying to be non-chalant about taking a photo of all the options so it's not the best angle:

(and someone else's hand--I'm not engaged 😂)

I was really torn between the Figment set and the Mickey set, but the Mickey set had Orange Bird, and Figment had 2 with just writing on them.  So, sorry Figment, you still have my heart, but there's just not enough Orange Bird merch going around (unless you go to the Disney dress shop--there's a dress, an adorable purse, and jewelry of him).  I haven't decided where I'm putting them yet but I'm happy with what I got!  I'd say the Exploration was totally worth it.  It's fun to have a purpose and notice things you normally may not.

As for the Eggstravaganza--the options this year include the updated cartoon shorts versions of Mickey and Minnie (not my cup of tea), Mike Wazowski and Sulley, and Cinderella and Belle.  If you are an AP you can purchase a set of 2 Star Wars eggs for $9.99 plus your discount.  They are of a storm trooper and C3PO!

I believe you can purchase the maps at various spots but I know for sure you can get them at the Port of Entry at the beginning of World Showcase, and at World Travelers, which is at the back entrance/exit by the Beach Club resort.  You can only redeem your maps at the main shops on either side of the entrance to World Showcase (definitely at Port of Entry, and I imagine at the one facing it too.  There is another one, right?  Anyway go to Port of Entry if you're in doubt!).

Holidays Around the World at Epcot's Festival of Holidays!

Last year was my first taste of Christmas at Disney when I went to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.  This year I went to Epcot with my brothers (now that my brother in law works for Disney, we're there a lot more often!) and got to experience Epcot International Festival of the Holidays!

First of all, the decorations at the entrance were perfect:

Like the scene from Big Fish but with Poinsettias!

I looked for these globe ornaments all over the park but couldn't find any!  Maybe next year, Epcot?

Gotta love Disney topiaries!

On a side-note, I absolutely love this 80's Epcot Mickey & Minnie window display!  These are the costumes Mickey & Minnie wore when we were kids!

Super cute Goofy and Donald holiday photo op!

We had to ride Figment's Journey into Imagination (in dire need of an update.. bring back Dreamfinder!) and I never noticed this adorable wall!!

It was a little overcast and chilly so my photos weren't as bright as I'd like..

Tree details

I am a sucker for any and all of these scavenger hunt maps throughout Epcot!! I've done the egg hunt (where you earn an Easter Egg of a Disney character), and the Figment one last winter during Festival of the Arts (you get a magnet of a famous painting featuring Figment).  I also did the Ratatouille Hide & Squeak (my first one) where, when you're done, you get a nice quality pin of Remy with an ingredient that matches the map stickers!

This one features Chip & Dale each with a different wreath around the world!  It was sometimes difficult to find (especially when I started and wasn't exactly sure what I was looking for--glad I got to share this info with some other people with maps and lost looks).  They were frequently found at Kidcot stations around the "world."

Here they all are (click to see in a separate window):

Even if you're not in the search, they're still fun to find!  And here's what you get:

 A whole set of pins, but not the usual Disney kind--the button kind (which is still super cute).  You get one big pin with Chip & Dale on it, and 5 little ones from the assorted wreaths!  You can pick from 3 sets, which overlap in options so you can usually get all the ones you want!

So cute!

There was also amazing food at special holiday booths in every country!

New Year Celebration Soba (which I've had before since my brother in law is from Japan!)--it was warm and delicious.  Definitely hit the spot!

The Buche de Noel (Yule Log) from France--the meringue mushroom was perfect!!  (I made my own buche de noel this year and made my own mushrooms--now that I know how time-consuming and fragile they are, I applaud Disney for making so many of these for each buche!!)

Seared Salmon from Canada (the sauce was very maple-y) was the last thing I had, and amazing.

Tostada de Tinga from Mexico actually started my day!

Here are some of the decorations around the park:

Inside the American Adventure

Gudetama tree toppers in Japan's gift shop

I think this was my favorite!!  I have this Spode design on a tea towel in my kitchen which I bought after moving here because it was on our Christmas glasses at home!

Inside the "cookie nook"

Super cute snowman topiary on our way out.

It was an amazing time and my new holiday favorite!!  I also realized I've been to every Epcot festival this year!  Perks of living in FL!  If you haven't been to this one yet, you can still get over in the next few days--it's over Dec 30!!