Marvel Movies To See Before Infinity War

April 27, 2018May 4, 2018 Mouse Monorail

SPOILER-FREE

Marvel Movies To See Before Infinity War

With the release of Marvel’s highly anticipated infinity war, the now-thriving studio is celebrating 10 years of superhero movie-making magic. But with 10 years comes 18 films that have all been leading to this pinnacle moment: the movie where all our beloved superheroes come together to fight an ultimate super villain.

Marvel Movies To See Before Infinity War

While comic book fans know and understand the care and planning this kind of storytelling takes–that being years’ worth of smaller story arcs that have to simultaneously hold their own as an independent movie AND fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe arc as well. This is something special in cinematic history as no other studio has provided audiences with 10 years’ with of movies culminating in an epic battle movie to decide who lives and who dies. NO SPOILERS!! That’s just how Villains work right? They decide who lives and dies til someone defeats them. And you thought I was spoiling it!

SPOILERS!!!!

Also, PSA: Speaking of spoilers, if you go see this movie DO NOT SPOIL IT FOR OTHERS!!! Everyone deserves to enjoy this movie first for themselves. Furthermore, take a friend or loved one if you’re emotionally invested in these characters. Trust me. #ThanosDemandsYourSilence

Marvel Movies To See Before Infinity War

Back to the movies. Now, in a perfect world, I’d say see them all! (And if you have, that’s awesome. Chances are you’ve already seen it too). But let’s be real. If you haven’t been enjoying these movies since they first released Iron Man, then no worries!! Let’s talk about the few movies you really need to see to understand what’s going on when Infinity War starts.

In no particular order (as to not give anything away) here’s my Marvel Movies To See Before Infinity War:

·Captain America: The First Avenger
·Avengers: Age of Ultron
·Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (at least. Both is best)
·Captain America: Civil War
·Thor: Ragnarok
·Black Panther
·Spiderman: Homecoming
·Captain America: The Winter Soldier
·Doctor Strange

Marvel Movies To See Before Infinity War

So there you go; my main list. I cut eight for you. ::busts out my best Maui impression:: You’re welcome!

If you haven’t seen these titles, chances are likely you’ll be confused about something at some point. So what are you doing still reading my blog post! Go watch these super fun titles and then enjoy the epicness that is Marvel’s latest Titan of a film, Infinity War!

Did I forget anything? If you’ve seen Ifinity War -WITHOUT SPOILING IT- Which Marvel movies do you think should be seen before Infinity War?~Meredith °o°

Check out our other Marvel content Infinity War!

15 Tips for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

November 17, 2017November 17, 2017 Mouse Monorail

15 Tips for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party has kicked off at Magic Kingdom, and a few of us were lucky enough to be at the first party of the year. If you are heading to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, we’ve put together some tips to help you get the most out of the party!

Maximize Your Park Time

This should be a no-brainer, but don’t leave early! Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is a hard ticket event. This means that you’re paying specifically for the party. That said, you’ll want to make the most of your money spent by enjoying the entirety of the party. There’s so much to see and do, you’ll need every single second! Christmas party ticket holders can get into the Magic Kingdom is early as 4 PM, and if you stay until midnight, you can get in a full day in the park for much less than a regular day ticket. Furthermore, don’t leave too soon! Make the most of your merriment.

Bonus tip – take the morning off from visiting other parks, relax and enjoy a pool day or wander through Disney Springs. Get an early nap, and then head to the park by 3:30, so you can enter exactly at 4pm. You will be charged and ready to party all night long! You can even schedule a few fastpasses before 6pm!

Catch The Second Parade

Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade is not to be missed. The parade runs two times during the party, at 8:30 and 11:00 pm. The first parade is definitely more crowded, so bypass that parade and knock out some rides or meet characters. When it is time for the 11pm parade, many of the crowd with young kids have cleared out. Bonus tip – some of the parade floats are scented, so remind your children to be using their noses to sniff the air during the parade!

Ride Rides

Because a limited number of tickets are sold, you are guaranteed lesser wait times for some of the most popular rides at Magic Kingdom, including Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We waited less than 20 min to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and 5 minutes for Space Mountain! Bonus tip – the park crowd really dies down by the end, and as long as you are in line for an attraction at midnight, you are guaranteed you will be able to ride, even if the party is over at midnight.

See Exclusive Characters

Party times are when Disney pulls out the high demand characters! At various places around the park you can expect to see all Seven Dwarfs, Moana, Jack Skellington as Sandy Claus, Scrooge McDuck, Santa Claus, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps and more! Check out what characters are where when you arrive at the party, but don’t be upset if they change characters before your turn. Bonus tip – the lines for characters can be very long. If this is high on your priority list, try to schedule character times around the parade or other holiday shows.

Bust a Move

Nothing gets the party started like dancing with characters at the dance party locations! Bonus tip – practice your best silly dance moves and get into a dance off with a costumed character!

Watch Holiday Wishes!

No one does fireworks like Disney, and Holiday Wishes will definitely not disappoint. It is a beautiful fireworks show set to very festive holiday music. We even got a little teary eyed! Bonus tip – if you can scope out a good spot directly in front of the castle for Holiday Wishes, stay there and catch the 10:30 stage show, and the 11:00 parade.

Catch the Last Stage Show

Enjoy the last stage show of Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration. The crowd will be thinned out and you can score some great pictures up close! Bonus Tip – Pick a spot right behind the partners statue of Walt and Mickey and you will be front and center for the show!

Enjoy Sweet Treats

Stop at all the sweet treats stops and enjoy the yummy snacks that are complimentary! This year they have cookies, snow cones and even soft pretzels, hot chocolate, apple cider and eggnog! Bonus tip – be sure to bring a zip top bag to get extras and save them!

Use Your PhotoPass!

Make sure to stop and get party exclusive photo ops using your Photopass! Bonus tip – don’t forget to get lots of pictures of you and your family or friends with the frozen castle backdrop and the Main Street Christmas tree! You may even have Tinkerbell added into some magic shots in her holiday finest!

Catch the Snow!

Enjoy the “Florida snow” on Main Street during the party. It’s so beautiful and so much fun. Bonus tip – tell your kids not to try and catch the snow on their tongue…it’s really soap bubbles!

Shop ’til you Drop

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is the only place you can purchase exclusive party merchandise. Don’t miss it! Bonus Tip – Shop as soon as you get to the party. Party exclusive merchandise has been known to sell out quickly!

Frozen Holiday Wish

Don’t miss out on Frozen Holiday Wish because it only plays once during the actual party. This is THE show where Elsa uses her magical powers to freeze Cinderella Castle. Bonus tip – watch out for Queen Elsa’s other friends to make appearances during the show!

Choose Dinner Time Wisely

Plan dinner around when the first stage show or parade begins. The quick service restaurants will empty out as people move to enjoy the shows and parades. Bonus tip – Fill up on party goodies and choose a kids portion of nachos at Pecos Bill’s for dinner. You can thank us later!

Record Videos and Take Photos

Record videos and take lots of photos then combine them for a fun video you can watch with your family on Christmas Day! Bonus tip – Take pictures WHILE you record a video on your iPhone by using that magic little button on the left hand side of your iPhone screen!

#VeryMerry

The official hashtag of the party is #VeryMerry. Make sure you are utilizing it on social media! Bonus tip – Have fun and upload a picture of yourself in front of the castle after it’s been frozen. You need to show your friends how much fun you are having!

One more Bonus Tip!

Whether you are attending the Christmas party this year, or have it on your bucket list for a future trip to Walt Disney World, one thing is for sure….Christmas shirts, Mickey ears and even Christmas pajamas are all the rage! You can coordinate outfits and plan for a super cute Christmas card to send out when you get back home!

Have you attended the Christmas party? Have any tips you would like to share with us? Be sure to check out more fun Disney Christmas fun here on blog! For more Christmas party info, be sure to see this post and this post for more general Disney Christmas fun. If you’d like to get crafty then check out this post, and this post, and this post too!

Merry Christmas from The Mouse and the Monorail!

5 Things to Know About Hurricanes at Walt Disney World

September 6, 2017December 16, 2019 Mouse Monorail

5 Things to Know About Hurricanes and Disney Travel

Traveling during the Atlantic hurricane season, typically June 1 to Nov 30, can be tricky. The odds of traveling during a major hurricane at Walt Disney World are extremely low. However, it’s always a good idea to know what you’re getting yourself into when planning a vacation during this time. Even more so, if you’re traveling during the season peak month of September! We have you covered though!

Closures Due to Hurricanes are Rare

Orlando’s central location within the state of Florida makes it a much safer place to ride out a larger storm. Did you know the structures throughout Walt Disney World were designed to withstand gale force winds? It’s no wonder that since its opening in 1971, Walt Disney World has only ever closed for hurricane weather a total of 4 times!! The most recent being just under a year ago, with Hurricane Matthew. While a closure can be frustrating, it’s better to know that things are closed and everyone is safe.

You Can Change Your Travel Dates Without Penalty if a Hurricane Warning is Issued

According to Walt Disney World’s official hurricane policy,

“If a hurricane warning is issued by the National Hurricane Center for the Orlando area—or for your place of residence—within 7 days of your scheduled arrival date, you may call in advance to reschedule or cancel your Walt Disney Travel Company Magic Your Way vacation package and most room only reservations (booked directly with Disney) without any cancellation or change fees imposed by Disney.

If you have products and services provided by third-party suppliers included in your vacation—such as airlines, hotels, car rental agencies or vacation insurance companies—you will continue to be responsible for any non-refundable payments, as well as cancellation or change fees assessed by those suppliers. The policy does not apply to certain special events or dining experiences.

This policy also applies to Disney’s Vero Beach Resort or Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort in the event a hurricane warning is issued for those destinations.”

Travel Insurance is Key

Whether you’re planning to travel during the hurricane season or not, travel insurance is always a good idea. One of the many things it can cover is the ever-unpredictable weather situations that can and do affect travel. It’s good to remember that each travel insurance plan is different. Your travel agent can explain more about what’s covered. Unfortunately, most insurance plans can’t be added onto a paid in full vacation package.

Be thinking of the potential for hurricanes and whether you should select travel insurance when you first book your trip. Furthermore, most insurance plans will help cover costs associated with travel such as airfare to and from your destination. Remember: Even though Disney may reschedule your vacation without penalty, other third-party vendors that you have bookings with may not allow a reschedule. For more information on Walt Disney World’s travel insurance, click here. For more information on Disney Cruise Line’s insurance policy, click here.

Disney Has Safety Protocols In Place for Guests On-Site

While it’s no secret that Florida gets its fair share of hurricanes, it may be surprising to some that Walt Disney World is designed to withstand gale force winds. In the event that Orlando sees a direct, or even near-direct, hit from a hurricane, guests staying on property will be protected and even entertained! Many guests who’ve ridden out recent storms like Hurricane Matthew have reported that they’ve participated in games, movie marathons, and even unannounced character meet and greets within their resorts’ lobbies and food courts! Additionally, most resorts will allow guests to ride out the storm in their rooms. However, should the storm become more intense, each resort has an interior space to relocate everyone.

Disney Cruises Are Subject to Change

While Disney Cruise Line makes every effort to maintain its fleet’s schedule, safety is always paramount. Unfortunately that means that sometimes Disney has to make tough decisions. If the safety of any of Disney’s ships is in jeopardy, Disney Cruise Line assesses that risk and plans accordingly. This can often be as little as diverting around a storm or mixing up the port days during each sailing. Sometimes though, the risk is too great and Disney will make the call to cancel sailings. As of 5 September 2017, Disney Cruise Line has now canceled several sailings due to Hurricane Irma. Disney announced that they would be giving all guests a full refund and offering 25% off a future sailing. To find out more about what Disney Cruise Line is doing now for Hurricane Irma, click here.

If you are considering a trip to Walt Disney World or a Disney Cruise during hurricane season, just remember to stay prepared and flexible. Safety is the most important thing! Stay weather prepared and keep an eye on Disney’s official sites for the latest information. Additionally, for more information on rainy days at Disney, be sure to check out our other blog post here. ~Meredith ºoº

Road Trip Survival Kit: A DIY Tutorial and Free Download

August 15, 2017August 16, 2017 Mouse Monorail

If you’ve read our blog in the past, you’ll know that I love to design, craft, and generally make stuff. It’s so much fun to create items for family vacations. However, traveling with kids can be difficult. Therefore, I knew I needed something entertaining for our long road trip to Walt Disney World. I came up with this fun and edutaining Road Trip Survival Kit that was a big hit!

Road Trip Survival Kit: A DIY Tutorial and Free Download

I’m so excited to finally share my DIY Silhouette studio design and file with you all! Before we get started however, I’d like to say that this post is not a sponsored post. We’re not being paid to promote the Silhouette Cameo and Crayola products I used. I just happened to stumble upon these awesome travel art cases and couldn’t resist personalizing them for our big road trip.Also, I LOVE my silhouette cameo. If you have a silhouette cameo, then you know what I mean. If you know what I mean, then let’s get started by listing what you’ll need!

Supply List

Silhouette Studio software and compatible vinyl-cutting machine
Permanent Vinyl in your favorite colors (I used oracal 651 white and silver)
Crayola Stow and Go (I used the Dry Erase and Color Wonder Mess Free versions)
Free Road Trip Survival Kit download file (for personal use only)
Rubbing Alcohol and Cotton Balls -OR- Clorox/Lysol wipes
*Optional: printable worksheets and laminating machine

Do It Yourself

First of all, download the free file here. The fonts featured in this design are indicated within the file so that you can download and customize the name with your own. Furthermore, fonts featured can be found at dafont.com and are free for personal use only. Please DO NOT use this file to create your own items for sale. This file is intended for personal use only.

Extras

Whether you’ve got a laminating machine or not, you’ll want to include some fun roadtrip extras. After a short pinterest search, I found several fun and free printables to include in my own kids’ roadtrip survival kits. Here’s a few we used and enjoyed. Additionally, if you’re using the dry erase version of Crayola’s Stow and Go, you can laminate the worksheets to use again and again!Thanks for reading! If you’ve enjoyed this freebie, please let us know! Be sure to check out Beth’s Driving Tips here on our blog too! For more Disney tips, tricks, tutorials, packing lists, dos and don’ts… Okay, you get the picture. We’ve got a podcast too! The Mouse and Monorail Podcast. You can also find us on the following socials: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, & YouTube. ~Meredith ºoº

Seashell Picture Frame

June 19, 2017June 20, 2017 Mouse Monorail

Seashell Picture Frame

It’s finally summer and family vacations, including beach trips, are in full swing. And I’m so excited to be back today to show you all how to make this fabulous little Seashell Picture Frame. This frame will be perfect to help commemorate your favorite beach memories! I used a photo from our cruise aboard the Disney Dream and just love it! So let’s quit stalling and get started!

What You’ll Need:

Old picture frame
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Brown and tan acrylic craft paints
Paint brush (sponge or brush)
Shells (please purchase from a craft store rather than taking directly from the beach)

Decide where you want your shells to go BEFORE you glue them. Move them around until you have the best fit and the majority of the old frame is covered. You may also want to paint the entire frame your brown color before you glue if your picture frame is a bright or dark color. I didn’t with mine since it was so similar in color to my shells.

Once you’ve finished gluing your shells, give the inside and entire outer edge a coat of brown paint. Let dry.

You can use your paint drying time to warm up your glue gun. Once it’s dry and using your glue gun, squirt on glue to create a textured surface to the frame edges. This will eventually have a coral-like look! There’s no right or wrong way to do this. I just did little squiggles all around and made sure to not let it glob up too much in any one section.

Go ahead and give it a second coat of brown paint at this point to cover all the plastic-looking glue texture onto your Seashell Picture Frame.

Once it’s dry again, use your tan to lightly brush or sponge-paint the raised areas of the frame’s edges. (The texture you created with the glue gun). Once that’s dry, you’re done!

Seashell Picture Frame

And that’s it! Super simple and quick project that has a BIG impact. Please share with us if you make one too!! ~Meredith ºoº

Buying Shoes for Disney

June 15, 2017June 14, 2017 Mouse Monorail

Buying shoes for a Disney vacation

One of the biggest, and oftentimes overlooked, aspects to planning your Disney vacation is what shoes should you wear? From my own experience, there’s too many options and it can be overwhelming. And what’s more, is that the chances are high that the shoe that best works for you won’t work for someone else. We all have our reasons for why we choose the shoes we do and I’m here to help you nail down the shoe that will best work for you.

Decide what shoe style you already like best

This one is the biggest tip and most important. For me personally, I prefer sandals because I can’t stand having hot feet, especially Florida heat hot! But you may not like sandals and prefer tennis shoes instead. Others may swear by flip flops, and so on… My point being here that you should start your search by knowing, and keeping in mind, your favorite shoe style. Don’t abandon what you know works well for just you just because you read somewhere that “this shoe is the only shoe you should wear at Disney”! It’s also good to point out that you should keep any health concerns you may have on your mind when considering shoe options.

Explore new options

Keeping in mind what style you tend to prefer, check out blog posts etc about that shoe type. If you’re a sandal gal, then explore new shoe styles like a recent fan favorite, the Sanuk Sandals. If you’re only into tennis shoes, then maybe explore some sandal/tennis shoe hybrids like Keens. In any case, and this is important, be sure to go to an actual store and try them on to ensure both fit and comfort level. I had a pair of Chacos I was convinced I wanted but once I got them on, I was not about to drop over $100. They just didn’t feel “right.”

Budget for new shoes in your vacation fund

If your family is anything like ours, by the time school let out for the summer and we were ready to embark on our vacation, our school shoes had definitely seen better days. Not to mention they barely fit the kids! Knowing that I’d spend $$$ for ours shoes helped us better realize and prepare how much all aspects of our trip would realistically cost. It also ensured that we wouldn’t be spending top dollar on cheaper shoes while at Disney because “the strap broke” or whatever conundrum that may happen. Murphy’s law and all…

Consider which parks (or cruise) you’ll be attending

If you’ll only be visiting the four main theme parks and don’t plan on riding the wet rides, you’ll probably be just fine wearing tennis shoes. On my family’s most recent trip, we knew we’d be visiting both water parks as well as the major theme parks and took this into consideration when purchasing our shoes. This special consideration led us to a shoe that functions mostly as a tennis shoe but feels like a sandal, is completely waterproof, and slides on and off easily. With the water parks a consideration for us, I wanted to ensure I could purchase something that would work no matter which park we were at.

If you’ll be cruising, your needs will be different than that of a park-goer. You may opt for sandals and slip-ons the majority of the time and save your sneakers for any adventurous excursions you may take. Always keep your destination, and it’s terrain, in mind when shopping for your shoes.

Consider how long you plan to wear them

If you’re going for multiple days as a parks vacation, then you’ll want to go for long-lasting comfort. It’s also good to take two styles of shoe and rotate your shoes each day. This way you won’t have excessive rubbing in the same areas from extended waking times and those spots will get a break every other day.

Additionally, consider the amount of time you’ll be spending in that particular park. If you’re an annual pass holder and won’t be in the parks all day, you may opt for a more stylish shoe since long-lasting comfort wouldn’t be a consideration. Amanda loves her 101 Dalmations Vans for her leisurely trips to Disneyland (ah, the passholder life). They’re comfy and she’s stylish! The best of both worlds if you ask me!

And if you’re attending a special event, you may even want to bring along a super cute pair to wear only for photo ops! Doesn’t Sarah look fabulous as Daisy for Dapper Day at Epcot? Those shoes make it! But we all know that walking around the park, especially Epcot, in those shoes aren’t a real option. She opted for cute sandals the rest of the day and saved the pumps for the photopass stops.

Don’t forget to break them in!

Don’t forget to purchase them early enough so that you and your family time to break them in well. Nothing’s worse than getting to Disney with a super comfy pair of shoes only to find wearing for them hours on end has rubbed a righteous blister. I purchased our shoes at least two weeks before our trip and had us all wear them several hours a day before we left so that they were broken in well. Good thing too, because mine did rub my heel a bit the first few days. But once I got to Disney?! No blisters whatsoever for the entirety of our trip (and we were there 8 days y’all!)

Now that you’ve got those tips in your shoe-buying arsenal you’re probably wondering what our favorites are here at the Mouse and the Monorail.

Keen

My new favorites are Keen. Not only are they completely waterproof, come in sizes that fit my 2yo as well as myself, but they act like a sneaker yet feel like a sandal. I can’t ask for anything better! They’re super comfy and it’s no exaggeration when I say that I wore these multiple days from rope drop to kiss goodnight. And not only did I have NO blisters, but I didn’t even have the classic Disney foot ache those nights! That’s amazing considering I know all too well the Disney foot ache that comes after multiple days in the parks! Don’t we all?

And when I say they’re waterproof I don’t just mean you can wear them on Splash Mountain. Oh no! I wore them everywhere throughout all of the parks, including the water parks. And I didn’t just leave them in the lockers at the water parks either! They swam wonderfully in the wave pools (the sandal-like holes help water move through them easier than traditional swim shoes) and lazy rivers as well as all of the tube slides! The only times I had to take them off was for Humunga Cowabunga at Typhoon Lagoon and Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach! Everything else was fair game with these kicks!!

Sanuk Yoga Slings

I also really enjoyed my Sanuk Yoga Slings for our Magic Kingdom day and 4 night cruise aboard the Disney Dream. I wore them for our girls trip to Universal too! And Amy really enjoyed these shoes too! She recently wore them for Magic Kingdom day and Disney Dream cruise as well! They’re super squishy and unlike regular thong flip flops, these slings stay on no problem. You can even stop by the Sanuk store at Disney Springs to check them out! Jennifer is all about comfort and opts for her classic Nike and Saucony Tennis shoes. Go with with you know works well and if it ain’t broke, right?

We hope these tips have helped you and would love to know what your favorite park shoes are! Comment below or tag us in a social post on your favorite social site! We’d love to hear from you! ~Meredith ºoº

Where To Find the Perfect Disney T-Shirt

April 25, 2017May 22, 2017 Mouse Monorail

Ways to Score the Perfect Disney T-Shirt

Let’s be honest here, no Disney vacation is complete without some sort of Disney-inspired fashion. Whether you’re subtly rocking your inner geek with light saber earrings or boldly proclaiming you’re one of 57 other family members on a reunion vacation, the chances are pretty likely you’re going to give your travel attire that special Disney flair. And what better way for us to share all this Disney t-shirt acquisition knowledge, than by giving you a list of our favorites?! Before you get going with this post, be sure you’re read the first part of this post over here. Well, go on. I’ll wait.

Now that you’ve read the 4 ways to find cute Disney shirts, let’s get on with the update! I’m going to start by adding to what we mentioned in that first blog post.

Buy One!

Shops Sarah mentioned above:

A few more worthy of noting are:

DIY

Wait, don’t go running and screaming just yet! There are LOTS of way to make a super cute Disney t-shirt and most of them can save you some money. Saving money is great if you’re planning a trip to any Disney destination! The wonderful thing about making shirts for yourself and your family/friends is that it’s so customizable. Everyone can have their favorite characters and colors, and Uncle Jerry can have his moisture-wicking active wear too! Seriously though, making shirts on your own is a great way to really show off your Disney favorites.

The Mouse and the Monorail team

Don’t just limit yourself to favorite characters either! Maybe your kiddo loves Space Mountain? Why not make a super fun Space Mountain shirt?! Another great thing about DIY Disney shirts, is that there are so many different ways to make them.

The Pirates League Disney T-shirt at Magic Kingdom

Here are a few of my favorite ways to make Disney shirts and all of these techniques can be easily searched on pinterest with countless results:

Silhouette Cameo (or Cricut if that’s your jam!) and siser easyweed and glitter htv
Screen Printing
Freezer Paper
Tie-Dye
Fabric Paints/Markers
Bleach/Bleach Pens

Be sure to check out our pinterest boards for more fun DIY ideas. Check back with us here for another fabulous DIY shirt tutorial soon!

5 Things Not to Miss in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

March 16, 2017March 16, 2017 Mouse Monorail

5 Things Not to Miss in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

Earlier in March, I had the incredible privilege of attending the world premiere, red-carpet celebration and screening of “Beauty and the Beast” in Hollywood. It was fabulous, and we can’t thank Disney Music enough for affording us such an amazing opportunity! If you’d like to hear more about my actual experience, check out our Beauty and the Beast premiere podcast episode. For now, here are five things not to miss in Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.”

The New Songs

Although this movie stays very true to the original animated version, there are some beautiful songs that Alan Menken has put together that you don’t want to miss! Because the filmmakers wanted to further enhance the characters’ stories and is, after all, a musical, there are several new songs that are sure to delight. My two particular favorites are Days in the Sun and Evermore since they explore the cruel reality of the enchantment under which they live.

I’m also happy to see that they opted for Days in the Sun versus the song Human Again that was cut from the original version. Each character gets their turn to sing about life before enchantment. Although the pop versions of Beauty and the Beast (Ariana Grande & John Legend), How Does a Moment Last Forever (Celine Dion), and Evermore (Josh Groban) are fantastic, the more heartfelt and real performances of these songs within the movie, performed by a most fantastically-talented cast, are so much better. (Sorry Celine! You looked lovely at the premiere!) Finally, Evermore is a great way to truly show the Beast’s feelings. It makes the Beast relatable, and we all appreciate it much more from Dan Stevens who brings the Beast to life.

If you’d like to check out the music before you catch the movie, you can find it on iTunes, Amazon, YouTube, and Spotify.

The Old Songs

The old songs do not disappoint; most notably the title song performed by Emma Thompson. She delivers a wonderfully heartfelt performance that brings to life one of this franchise’s most beloved characters. Prepare to be dazzled and charmed! The Gaston number performed by LeFou (Josh Gad) and Gaston (Luke Evans) is just as fun and over the top as the original.Don’t get me started on the Be Our Guest scene. It’s gorgeous! So many more colors than I dreamed we being seeing and no worries, the dishes can still sing and dance! Something There and Belle are also very good and deliver all the heart that the originals did so many years ago. I’ll go ahead and answer your question, you wanna know if Emma is any good, right? Well, I say yes! She’s not an operatic vocalist and she’s not here to trample you with tons of runs like a certain genie in a bottle, but Watson delivers a solid, and very real-life, Belle. It’s evident that this is her singing voice which adds to her own character depth. It would not have been as likable if they had used someone else’s singing voice for her.

The French Opulence

This story takes place in France. The decor and level of opulence, stemming from the young Prince’s desire to collect all things beautiful, is over the top. The castle, in it’s enchanted and regular form, is magnificent to behold. I really appreciated the level of detail. Disney hasn’t cut any corners to make this a beautiful movie! From the opening scenes, they show off the grandeur that was the lifestyle for French royalty. The costumes are beautifully designed! Check them out both in the beginning as well as the end of the movie!The most fantastic bit of opulence is the design and detail of the everyday objects. Yes, I’m talking about Lumieré and Cogsworth. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill candlestick (he’s sure to point that out to you!) and Cogsworth definitely isn’t a Timex hopping around! Design plays a huge role in how the objects are animated. I particularly enjoyed how they made Cogsworth’s face appear and disappear with his gears. With Lumiere, he twirls around to “hide” and become inanimate again which further emphasizes the curved design of his body. It’s all lovely, all of it! Don’t miss it!

Cadenza!

This character is so good, he deserves his own spot on this list! And I can’t mention this new character without first mentioning Madame Garderobe since she is his love interest. Their beautiful duets both in dance and song, make this pair of lovebirds a pleasure to watch. To fill you in here, Cadenza (Stanley Tucci) is a musician/harpsichord and accompanies Madame Garderobe (Audra McDonald) during her aria. He also provides accompaniment for big numbers like Be Our Guest and Beauty and the Beast, with a notable touch of comedic timing in the former. His comedic value throughout can’t be beat and kids as well as adults are sure to love him. Stanley Tucci, you are awesome!

Emma Watson and Dan Stevens

Emma is lovely and brings more warmth and charm to Belle than she ever did as Hermione. That’s totally okay because Hermione is not Belle, and she shouldn’t be. She was the perfect Hermione, and she’s really going to shine as Belle too!There’s something to be said for the natural chemistry that she has with her Beast co-star, Dan Stevens. Although the look of the Beast is somewhat off-putting, it works well because it forces the audience to dislike him first just as Belle does, as well as subsequently fall in love with him too.

In short, this movie is a delight sure to please audiences regardless if they’ve seen the original or not. It’s truly a tale as old as time. I’ve got my tickets. Have you gotten yours?

~Meredith ºoº

Glitter Mickey Ornaments: A DIY Project

December 21, 2016January 9, 2017 Mouse Monorail

Hey howdy hey, it’s time for a DIY! A DIY featuring Glitter Mickey Ornaments, that is! Today we’ve teamed up with Beth and her kids over at Paper Angels Vlog to bring you this super fun and simple Christmas ornament craft. All you’ll need is some ornament bulbs, mop ‘n glo, extra fine glitter, and paint pens. And if you want to get fancy, you can add Mickey ears vinyl stickers and glitter blast them! This craft is great for kids and adults alike. Thanks for watching and be sure to subscribe to Paper Angels Vlog because I have a feeling we’ll be teaming up more in the future!

More ways to enjoy the Mouse and Monorail

If you’ve enjoyed this video, please let us know and be sure to include your own DIY Christmas ornaments! You can also find us on the following socials: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, & YouTube. ~Meredith ºoº

Disney Park Maps Video Tutorial

December 12, 2016January 9, 2017 Mouse Monorail

Remember that time I made a tutorial about how to make a Disney park maps ornament?! Well, our good friend Beth over at the PaperAngelsVlog has given us a little video about how they made their own version. I’ll let Beth explain better:

New #phototutorial up over in the blog! Check it out at www.mouseandmonorail.com/parkmapornament ~Meredith °o° #diy #handmade #howto #modpodge #glitter #disneyparks #disneyparkmap #ornament #handmadeornaments

Hi guys!

When I saw Meredith’s tutorial about the park maps ornament, I immediately added it to my to-do list and got the supplies. That was last year. Ha! We finally got around to making our own this year! We did our ears a little different. I wanted the sparkle of glitter without the mess so we used glitter paint. We painted the ears black and then added the glitter paint over it. The paint gave it a nice little shine.

Watch the video below to see how we did ours!

This was such a fun project. It looks amazing on the tree and reminds us of the special memories from the parks.

Thanks for watching and thanks to Meredith for the awesome tutorial!

And thank you Beth for that shout-out! You all did a fantastic job and they look amazing. If you want to see more of their Vlogmas 2016, be sure to find them on youtube here and subscribe!

Liked this post? You can find my original tutorial here and make your own! There’s also loads more Mouse and Monorail Christmas fun here, here, here,and here!

Want to pin it all instead? Find them here:

Park Map Ornaments Tutorial —–> here

“Sirenbucks” (Disney/Starbucks) Christmas Wreath Tutorial —–> here

Disney Store Ornaments —–> here

Top Five Last Minute Gifts —–> here

DIY Wreath: Inspired by Starbucks and Disney

November 28, 2016February 4, 2017 Mouse Monorail

DIY Wreath

It’s finally time to deck the halls and trim the trees, and have we got a treat for you! My DIY Sirenbucks Ornament Wreath will help you celebrate with two of our favorite things; Disney and Starbucks!

While perusing the facebook one day, I came across a cute collection of Disney characters as Starbucks logos and have since wanted to find something crafty to make with them. And I’ve finally found the perfect fit! You see, I’d been collecting these little coffee cup stoppers for quite some time and had the idea to make some sort of wreath. I knew I wanted to incorporate candy canes (because naturally my favorite Starbucks drink is a peppermint mocha), but didn’t really have any clear direction until I saw that fb post. It was like a light bulb going off! I can make a Sirenbucks wreath!! “I’ll use an ornament to display the logo and fill it with real coffee beans,” I thought. And after finding the wired ribbon for 70% off at Michael’s I was ready to get this project going.

Supplies

Wire Wreath Form
25 ft Wired Ribbon
12 Candy Canes
18 Starbucks Coffee Cup Stoppers
Washi Tapes in Coordinating Colors
Clear Ornament Bulb with Flat Back
Decorative Ribbon for Bow
Small Wired String Lights*
Small Amount of Coffee Beans
Print Out of your Favorite Starbucks/Disney Mashup (not my original design but it’s available to print here)
Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks
*Golden Mickeys confetti saved from our Disney Cruise (Don’t worry, if you haven’t cruised! You can use whatever here!)

*Optional: These items aren’t necessary, but definitely add to the overall look.

Directions

Step One: Start by tying a knot securing the wired ribbon to the wreath frame. Create loops with the ribbon by pushing the wired ribbon in-between the wreath frame. Continue creating loops to fluff out until the entire frame is covered. If you aren’t sure how this works, you can refer to this tutorial I found on pinterest.

Step Two: Use a glue gun to secure a coffee stopper to the bottom of each candy cane heart. You’ll be gluing and working from the back until the entire candycane/stopper “snowflake” is secured together. So, once you glue it, be sure to leave it facing down and try not to move them around too much for best results. Continue until you have 6 candy cane hearts.

Step Three: Lay the candy cane hearts together and position stoppers inside the top of the heart so that the ends of the stoppers point inward towards the center of the wreath. Glue and secure the stoppers to the candy canes and the points where the candy cane hearts touch one another. Once dry, you can also add washi tape around where the candy canes touch for a little more security and p’zazz.

Step Four: Find your favorite Disney/Starbucks mashup logo online and print out so that it’s the same diameter as the flat circle on the back of your ornament. Also, my ornament has a diameter of 2.5″. I liked the Sirenbucks best because Ariel is my girl, but go with whatever is your fav! Then, cut out and glue or mod podge the logo to the back of your ornament. You could also coat the back with some glue from a glue stick and roll it slightly to insert it into the ornament.

Step Five: Add some real coffee beans into your ornament stopping just before the word “coffee” on your logo is covered. Remove the wire hook portion from the ornament top (it won’t be hanging so this is just in the way). With the hook gone, the cap won’t stay on by itself, so add some glue and secure it to the ornament. Add some coordinating washi tape around the top and a cute little bow atop and the ornament is done!

Step Six: Secure the ornament to the ends of the coffee stoppers centering the ornament the way you like it best. Then glue everything down to the ribbon-covered wreath frame. I glued all of the candy canes as well as the stoppers so I wouldn’t have to worry about anything falling off.

Step Seven (optional): Use a glue stick (NOT a hot glue gun!) to glue the Golden Mickeys to the inside of your hearts. Then string the wired lights through and around the wreath. There’s really no set way to do this. Just eyeball it! 🙂 I used the washi tape to secure the little battery pack to the wreath frame. And no one says you have to stop here either! If you’ve got other little knick-knacks that may relate to your design, then add them too! This one would look great with a few little dinglehoppers, a couple of thing-a-ma-bobs, and maybe even a snarfblat!

Step Eight: Hang and enjoy!

Happy Holidays

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little tutorial because I really do love sharing my crafty adventures. Please help us share this with as many Disney folks as we possibly can! You can find us on the following socials: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, & YouTube.

Meet Noelle

November 17, 2016November 16, 2016 Mouse Monorail

Meet Noelle! She’s the newest Mouse and Monorail contributor. She’s my bestie and we’ve both done Disney together and are planning to do it again together very soon. I’m also happy to have her joining our little Disney family because I believe she has a great perspective to share with our readers. Here, she can explain a little better than I can:

Hi! My name is Noelle Wright. I’m a single 30-something and my bestie is Meredith, the co-creator of The Mouse and Monorail. While I have loved Disney all of my life, Meredith introduced me to the wonders of Disney World six years ago, and it has become my most favorite place on Earth.

I’ve been asked if I could share with you a different perspective of Disney World as I am not only single and childless, I am also disabled, suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. I am planning to return to Disney World next May with Meredith and her family and I hope that through my posts, you will take away that Disney World is not only for those with children. I hope to show you that Disney World is a place for everyone, including single adults and also those with disabilities. I have found that no matter your age or ability, the cast members at Disney sure do try their hardest to ensure that ALL people are able to have a magical time. I look forward to sharing my knowledge and preparations with you and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I do writing them.

“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney

Until next time,

Noelle

Sssshhhh!! We’ve totally done those other parks that must not be named together too! (And you can even hear us talk about it in episode 29 and 3/4 of our podcast!)

It’s great to have you Noelle as our newest contributor and we can’t wait to see what all you have to share with us! ~Meredith ºoº

Last Minute DIY Halloween Costumes!

October 29, 2016February 4, 2017 Mouse Monorail

It’s almost Halloween and you still haven’t got a costume. Your kids aren’t helping because they can’t make up their minds either. Fear not! Our newest Mouse and Monorail contributor has the perfect DIY Halloween costumes for you. Thanks to Beth (Paper Angels Vlog) for this super cute tutorial!

DIY Halloween Costumes

Paper angels vlog

Hi guys! I’m Beth from Paper Angels Vlog. I am so excited to be guest posting on the Mouse and the Monorail. If you watch our channel, then you know that we are HUGE Disney lovers.
Recently we shared how we made our Incredibles Halloween costumes. When the kids were trying to decide on what they wanted to be for Halloween, I figured it would be a princess, pokemon, or maybe someone from Star Wars. I have a 8 year old boy, 7 year old girl, and 5 month old boy for those that don’t know. The whole Incredibles set, right?! When I made that remark to the kids, they were on board to be the Incredibles for Halloween. Yay!

This is a perfect last minute costume idea. Head on over to Walmart (or a local thrift store) to pick up your red shirt. You will also need some felt. That is it! You can keep it simple with just the shirt or go all out with red pants/leggings, black shorts, black boots, black masks, and yellow ribbon around the waist. We are keeping it simple with just the shirts and masks. Walmart has the masks for around $2.

Watch the video to see exactly how we made ours. Enjoy!

Let us know if you are making an Incredibles costume, and look for more guest posts from us in the future! Thanks for watching! ~Beth ºoº

Thanks again, Beth, for contributing your awesome talents! Stay tuned for more new contributors to the Mouse and the Monorail!