friends

💖Galentine’s Day Gift Guide for Disney Lovers

Musings, Spotlight

Chocolates and roses are nice, but your gal pals are extraordinary and deserve something just as special!  For me, I actually met many of my close friends through our love for Disney.  So I was excited to think about what kind of small Disney gifts I could give to friends this Valentine’s Day! If you have Disney friends in your life, here are some great Galentine’s Day gifts they’ll love!

1. Disney Headbands

We’ve seen these cute headbands make their way to the US parks after their popularity spiked at Tokyo Disney Resort.  I’ve definitely started quite the collection.😆  But I especially love the ones from BooHoo because you can also find fun Disney PJs for you and your bestie!

2. Park Photo Session

Since I met many of my close friends through social media, booking a mini photoshoot with a friend is such a fun way to bond and get some memorable photos!  I highly recommend Edwin and Kevin, who both have an amazing eye for getting that unforgettable shot!📸

3. Disney DIY Earrings

I’m not super crafty, but if you’re wanting something truly unique for your one of a kind friend, try DIY’ing the most extra Disney earrings!  Erika’s DIYs are so clever and her tutorials are super easy to follow!

4. DisneyBound Book

As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I met many of my close friends because of our love for Disney.  But more specifically, I met many through DisneyBounding! And honestly, we’ve become so close because DisneyBounding is such a great way to bond and get to know new people! If your friend is unfamiliar with DisneyBound, the official DisneyBound book is the perfect introduction!

5. Basin Soaps and Bath Bombs

If you want to pamper your bestie, consider getting them some soaps or bath bombs! And for the Disney lover, the only thing that makes luxurious bath bombs even better, is a bit of Disney magic. I especially love visiting the Basin store at Disney Springs because they have SO many cute Disney designs!

6. Disney Luggage Tags

It’s no surprise that I love a fun Disney trip. And I can never say no to a Disney trip with friends! So show your Galentine how excited you are for your friends getaway with a Disney luggage tag! I love these Mickey and Minnie ones from American Tourister!

 

7. Wishable

I’m not usually a plushie person, but I couldn’t resist the spam musubi and shave ice Wishables from Aulani! Because Wishable are blind bags, it would be so fun to have a Charlie and Grandpa moment, à la the Chocolate Factory, with your bestie and open them up together! Sorry, no lifetime supply of chocolate, but you get a lifetime supply friendship!😆

Getting a little something for your friends is always a kind gesture, but it can never replace the emotional support and quality time that you and your friend give to each other. So this Galentine’s Day, don’t forget to tell your friend how much you appreciate them and make some fun memories together!💖

ABW

Disney Cruise: Aboard the Disney Wonder!

Disney Style, Travel

IMG_3094Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to sea we go!  A few weeks ago, I went on a Disney cruise with a group of friends and we were probably the only group of young adults without children.  I say young group of adults because there were actually older (probably retired) couples that were vacationing without children too.  AKA my life in 30ish years.

“Alisa, aren’t Disney cruises only fun for families and kids?”  On the contrary!  Yes, Disney cruises are aimed towards families, but as we learned, it is first and foremost a cruise.  Which means you still get great food and dining experiences, fun cocktails and drinks, and “adult only” areas.  All of these things just happen to have a little Disney magic sprinkled in.

So how’s a group of young adults supposed to enjoy a Disney cruise?  Well, let’s start with FOOD!

Each night we dined at a different “restaurant.”  The first night we ate at The Animator’s Palate, which honors the history of Disney animation.  You’ll find animation sketches everywhere and what once started as a still black and white drawing will then turn into a full-on colored animation by the end of the night!  Throughout the night, we were excited to keep tabs on the new changes we saw throughout the restaurant.  And to join in on the magic, we all Disney Bounded as Disney animated characters.  Erika and Vince of Village Haus were clever enough to bring a black and white outfit and then a colorful outfit to change into at the end of dinner!  So clever those two.  And spoiler alert (seriously, if you don’t want to know skip ahead now!): Sorcerer Mickey comes out in full force at the end and it was the best part of the dinner.

For our second night, we dined at Tiana’s Place, which obviously serves up tasty southern inspired dishes.  And we all decided to Disney Bound characters from The Princess and the Frog.  I probably ordered 5 courses that night, which was not ideal for my all white Mama Odie Disney Bound outfit.  And if you get a chance, take a lap around the room to see all the small details.  On one wall, there were cabinets filled with photos of Tiana’s parents, her dad’s recipe box, and various frog paraphernalia.  But again, the best part of the night was at the end of the dinner when Tiana and Louis led a fun-filled jazzy dance party!

golden mickey

Before or after dinner (depending on your scheduled seating time), be sure to catch at least one of the Broadway-style shows!  The first night was “The Golden Mickeys Live Show” in which Golden Mickeys are awarded to different Disney movies.  I assumed the usual characters would make an appearance — princesses, fab 5, maybe even Stitch and other critter characters if Disney was feeling adventurous.  But Disney threw me a massive curveball.  There was one portion of the show that featured Tarzan, Mulan, and are you ready for this…Hunchback of Notre freakin’ Dame!!  I may have cried a little while surrounded by small children that were constantly their parents who that character was that was walking funny.

And I cried not so much because they were some of my favorite movies growing up, but because it was just so great to see them represented in a show!  Quasimodo is NEVER in a show!  Just to see them get their moment in the spotlight and get recognition was somewhat emotional for me.  “Alisa, these aren’t even real people, they’re freaking animated characters.”  I knooowww, but they get validation and credit for being worthy Disney characters for once! 😭  But my tears dried up halfway through the Mulan segment.  Hopefully, more on that in a later post.

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Aside from great dining and entertainment, the Disney Wonder is full of prime instagram spots.  So for all those social media butterflies out there, you’ll love bopping around the boat getting all those cute photos.  For our group of social media enthusiasts, we were on a mission to take the most #basic Disney cruise photos.  And with the help of Taylor Jackson, we got some amazing shots and quite possibly the best basic Disney cruise photo ever.  Check out Taylor’s vlog to see how he captured these amazing photos!

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^The winner of the most basic Disney cruise photo.

Eating + entertainment + cute photo ops = fun for young adults on a Disney cruise!  And of course add a few drinks into the mix for an extra fun time. 😏🍹  But in general, you can always have a good time anywhere and anytime as long as you’re in good company!  And honestly, I think this trip was SO MUCH FUN because of the incredible people I got to experience it with.  Did I mention that I also cried during the last night of our cruise at dinner because I was so thankful for great time we had together and to just be there in that moment with all of them?  Oh, I didn’t? 😅  Well, now you know how grateful I was to be on this fun trip with these extraordinary people. 🤗  Go check them out! –> Leslie, Erika, Lindsay, Vince, Taylor

ABW