"Enchanted:” The E! True Disneyworld Story of a Birthday Princess (UPDATE 4/18)

[Enchanted]

Oh, wow! I forgot how soon your trip is! *jealous!* I hope it comes quickly for you! I'm glad to hear that you will be doing a trip report! That makes your DIS friends so happy! Hehe.

Haha, I forgot how soon it is too, and I'm the one going!!!

I can't wait to start my TR! I'm going to take soooooo many pictures for it!

 

[Enchanted]

Road trip!!!!

This is what Mom yells everytime we climb in the car to head for Disney World. She loves her a good road trip. We all do really. Because my family are what you call “road trip people.” We’ve never flown to Disney, only driven. There are several reasons for this:

1. My dad will never admit this, but he’s afraid to fly because he’s afraid of heights (which he also won’t admit to). And after a traumatic turbulence experience Aunt C’s husband isn’t so keen on it either. So when we travel with them, we must travel by land.

2. Aunt C and I have what you might call “luggage issues.” We like clothes. And shoes. And bringing back lots and lots of souvenirs. A one suitcase limit just would not be enough for us. Driving gives us the freedom to pack whatever we want instead of just what we need.

3. Road trips are FUN!!!! Sure they take forever, but they’re all about the family bonding We play our favorite Disney music, watch Disney movies, play trivia games, etc. We think the drive down is just as fun as being in Disney! And on the drive back, we use the time to plan our next trip, which is what we need to take the sting out of having to return to real life.

So this post is all about the road trip part of our trip.

Right now, the plan is for Mom and I to leave home on Friday, March 20th after Mom gets home from work. I have Fridays off so I’ll load up my car with the luggage and run a few last minute errands, like putting my paycheck in the bank and stuff while she’s still at work. After Mom gets home, we’ll say our goodbyes to Dad and the boys and head out for Aunt C’s house. We live in Ohio, and Aunt C lives in Tennessee, so we plan to stay the night at her house and head out from there Saturday morning. Usually Aunt C gets a rental van because she gets awesome deals between her AmEx card and her AP. So at some point Friday night or early Saturday morning, we’ll make a luggage transfer from my car to the rental van. Then, we plan on driving all day Saturday until a) we get tired and need to stop or b) we get to Disney!!!! Our Top-Secret Resort reservation isn’t until Sunday night so we plan to stay elsewhere Saturday night depending on how far we get. We’ll get up early on Saturday and have breakfast (We usually hit a Cracker Barrel. Their breakfast is outta this world!), and drive however much further to check in at the Top-Secret Resort.

I can’t wait!!!!

Here are a few pictures we took of the mountains at one of the overlooks in Tennessee on our November trip. I was born in Tennessee, and some of my fondest childhood memories are of driving through the mountains to my Maw Maw’s (Grandma’s) house.

Those all just say "road trip" to me. (Can you tell it was really foggy and rainy that day? In fact, it started pouring buckets while we were standing there and we had to make a mad dash for the van. LOL! Hopefully we'll have better weather this trip.)

A big part of a road trip for us is Disney music. We have just about every Disney compilation under the sun, from the movie soundtracks to the park soundtracks. We listen to one right after the other. The Pirates of the Caribbean soundtracks are a favorite, but we usually save them for when Aunt C (who usually insists on driving) starts to get tired because they always pump her up! We also plan on listening to the “Four Parks, One World” and “Wishes” soundtracks because those are old favorites now.

A few weeks back though, I started looking around iTunes for new music for us to play. Mom has a car converter for her iPod that we plan to use on my iPod since I have more music than she does.

Speaking of my iPod…have I introduced you yet? I like to call him Jack….

Tres magnifique, no?

Anyways, back to surfing on iTunes. My first find was an album of Disney steel drum music like they play at AK or CBR. So far, I’ve bought “Under the Sea,” “Hakuna Matata,” “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King,” and “Be Our Guest.” I love it! It’s so tropical and vacation-ish! If any of you are interested, the artist is Trinidad and Tobago Showboat Orchestra. The Disney album (called “Beauty and the Beat”) is the only album they have on iTunes so it should be pretty easy to find.

Next, I bought “Kiss the Girl” by Colbie Caillat and “That’s How You Know” by Demi Lovato from Disneymania 6. I love Colbie’s cover of “Kiss the Girl.” It’s perfect, and everything that that song should be. Tropical, breezy, and romantic all at once. Demi’s version of “That’s How You Know” is very energetic and fun. She really rocks it out!

I haven’t bought these yet, but I also found the theme songs to my fav Disney afternoon cartoons! Such as “Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers,” “The Gummy Bears” (LOVED that show!!!!), “Tale Spin,” and “Duck Tales.” I used to sing those theme songs all the time! So I’ll definitely be buying those soon!

Finally, when I was a kid, I had a cassette tape of Disney remixes called “Mouse House Dance Mixes” that I LOVED. I was a dancer so I loved the remixes and used to dance to them in my room all the time. I loved it so much in fact, that I played the tape until it broke. Several years back, I went to buy the CD version so that I could play it in my Walkman (Yes, THAT many years back…. ), and I came to find that the CD was no longer being printed. WHAT???? Oh man, I was devastated. Totally devastated. Every time we went to WDW, I would search the music sections of the gift shops for it in the vain hope that a box of them would be found in a back room somewhere and put out for sale. Alas, my searches came up fruitless. It was so sad.

Well, then, we went to Fantasmic one year, and while we were waiting, they started playing the CD!!!! I squealed out loud as they played the old covers of “Under the Sea,” “So This Is Love,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room” that I had loved for so many years. “The Tiki Room” version is especially fun because it’s a Macarena remix. Aunt C thought that was hilarious. Talk about 90s, right? So anyway, I thought that since they were playing it in Fantasmic, they would release the CD again. Right? Because why would they play something and then not sell it? This is Disney we’re talking about! They have a gift shop at the end of every ride! Surely they wouldn’t play something and then NOT expect people to buy it!

Still, the CD was kept in whatever vault Disney keeps their old retired stuff in. DHS continued to taunt me by playing the CD before Fantasmic, in the streets during EMH hours, and during a dance party over at Playhouse Disney that we passed once. It was cruel. It was torture. It was so un-Disney.

So then, during my iTunes hunt for new Disney music, out of pure hopeless curiosity, I decided to search for it. And lo and behold…..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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.
.
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ITUNES HAD ADDED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are no words for the happy dance that I did in that moment! I don’t think I’ve ever hit the buy now button so fast in my life! FINALLY! Finally, my favorite Disney album is back in my life. So many good memories revived! I highly recommend that you check it out if you like dance remixes. Even if you don’t, you may still enjoy it because the music is just so cheerful and high energy without being little kid-ish. It’s perfect for working out to.

So that’s enough about music for now. There are still a few things in my iTunes shopping cart that I may purchase, but we’ll see.

As for other road trip entertainment, we’ll most likely play our old standby favorite “Are We There Yet,” an “I Spy” like game that’s road trip-themed. Here’s a link to it at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Are-There-Aut...e=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1235590068&sr=8-8

Basically, what you do is set a time limit and give each player so many cards for that specified window of time. Whoever finds the most things on their cards within the time limit wins. Very simple and easy to play. We add the rule that everything you “find” must be outside the car so you can’t use any of the objects or people inside your own car to win. The cards have all kinds of interesting things to search for like, “A bent road sign,” “A broken-down car on the side of the road,” “Someone sleeping,” etc. Once I had one that, I kid you not, said, “Someone in another car who is picking their nose.” I don’t think I ever found that one, but boy, did we have a good laugh looking! It’s a lot of fun to play, and pretty cheap for some good road trip entertainment.

I’m also bringing some DVDs to watch on the portable DVD player. My choices so far are:

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl”

“Enchanted”

and some old classics like “Beauty and the Beast” (my FAV!)

“Aladdin”

and “The Lion King”

I also got “The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning” for Christmas and haven’t watched it yet, so I’m taking it along too.

So as you can see, our drive will be anything but boring! I think it will be the perfect ramp-up to a wonderful vacation. If you have any special road trip traditions or ideas, let me know! We're always looking for new and fun things to try!

Just 24 more days!!!!

 

[autumnpalm]

Great update!!!

Oh my gosh, I tried to convince my DM to drive down to Disney but she wouldn't hear of it so we're flying instead. Reading about your road trip is totally making me jealous though, it sounds so darn fun!

I'm heading over to iTunes right now to check out the dance remixes CD. DM and I DO have to drive 3 hours before the crack of dawn to get the the Buffalo airport (darn border crossing!) so we'll need something to get us going. Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[Enchanted]

Great update!!!

Oh my gosh, I tried to convince my DM to drive down to Disney but she wouldn't hear of it so we're flying instead. Reading about your road trip is totally making me jealous though, it sounds so darn fun!

I'm heading over to iTunes right now to check out the dance remixes CD. DM and I DO have to drive 3 hours before the crack of dawn to get the the Buffalo airport (darn border crossing!) so we'll need something to get us going. Thanks for the recommendation!

Thanks!

I can't imagine the drive from Canada! But you do have the three hour drive to enjoy for a mini road trip! Look at it this way, you get some of the fun without all the leg cramps!

Can't wait to hear if you like the CD!

 

[TeaForTulips]

Yay for road trips! I totally agree with you! Road trips are just so much fun!

I'm so glad you found your music on iTunes. I am a Colbie Caillat fan, so Ill have to find her Kiss the Girl song. I love Jack the ipod. Oh and I too was a HUGE fun of Gummi Bears (bouncin' here and there and everywhere) and Tale Spin (woo-ooo) and Chip and Dale RR .... how great were those!? They put Gummi Bears on DVD and I want to buy it for my nephew!

Thanks for the tip about the game! I will totally buy that for our road trip in April! I usually print out a HUGE scavenger hunt list that we do the entire trip and we see who can spot all the state license plates first.... so lame but we are competitive, game playing people.

We have the car DVD players also that I was going to make a Disney DVDs only rule... Last time I used them they gave me a headache. I'm hoping it was a coincidence and not really the players... we will have to see. Your movie choices are tre fabu! I have not seen Enchanted though. Do you recommend it?

Yay for 24 days!

 

[Rora]

Gorgeous pictures of TN!!

WOW! Jack is niiice!

OMG, we had the same tape!! I was a dancer too and would always choreograph dances to that music! So happy to know it's on itunes!!

Okay, hold the phone, where on earth did you get the Beauty and the Beast DVD?! I cannot find it anywhere- even on Disney property- a CM told me that it was in the "Vault" and wouldn't be released on DVD for another couple of years. I've tried eBay and Amazon but they have them for like $60-- now I love Belle but not gonna spend $60. Any help?

Very good movie choices! Ariel's Beginning is really cute- not as good as the Little Mermaid but fun!

Hooray for only 24 more days!!

 

[AGPrincess]

(We usually hit a Cracker Barrel. Their breakfast is outta this world!)

MMMMMmmm...yes PLEASE! Potato casserole and sourdough French toast! Yum! Fabulous update...my family loves road trips too. I love just listening to my iPod, staring out the window, and dreaming!

I can't believe your trip is sooo close! Very exciting!!

 

[jewels1916]

Great update! I love road trips too!! I can't remember that last time I was on a really fun one. Kelly and I talked to road tripping to Disney World this year, but with having to take off work, and our trip being so close to the holidays (where we will take more time off work) we just didn't think it was feasible. But reading all about your road trip is making me wish we could drive! I don't have a problem flying, I fly back and forth to TX from DC all the time, so it's not a big deal, and I fly to NY all the time too for business. But sometimes a good roadtrip is just what ya need! Oh, and I love your ipod!! Pretty snazzy!!

 

[tinkgurl]

I love driving to Disney too! When we're driving through Chattanooga and into Georgia--it's absolutely gorgeous!

I had to go look up the Colbie Caillat "Kiss the Girl" on youtube. Such a cute version. I love her so you made my day!

 

[Enchanted]

Yay for road trips! I totally agree with you! Road trips are just so much fun!

I'm so glad you found your music on iTunes. I am a Colbie Caillat fan, so Ill have to find her Kiss the Girl song. I love Jack the ipod. Oh and I too was a HUGE fun of Gummi Bears (bouncin' here and there and everywhere) and Tale Spin (woo-ooo) and Chip and Dale RR .... how great were those!? They put Gummi Bears on DVD and I want to buy it for my nephew!

Thanks for the tip about the game! I will totally buy that for our road trip in April! I usually print out a HUGE scavenger hunt list that we do the entire trip and we see who can spot all the state license plates first.... so lame but we are competitive, game playing people.

We have the car DVD players also that I was going to make a Disney DVDs only rule... Last time I used them they gave me a headache. I'm hoping it was a coincidence and not really the players... we will have to see. Your movie choices are tre fabu! I have not seen Enchanted though. Do you recommend it?

Yay for 24 days!

Gummy Bears is on DVD???? Shut. Up. OMG, I sooooo want that now! Haha! You guys will love "Are We There Yet?" We've played it on every road trip for nearly ten years now. It's great!

That stinks about getting headaches while watching movies in the car. Hopefully it was just a coincidence. "Enchanted" is a totally great movie, especially if you're into princess stuff. It's basically Disney parodying and paying homage to their own princess movies. It's really, really cute and funny, and there are tons of hidden Disney references in it, including cameos by Paige O'Hara (who voices Belle), Jodi Benson (who voices Ariel), and Judy Kuhn (the singing voice of Pocahontas).

Gorgeous pictures of TN!!

WOW! Jack is niiice!

OMG, we had the same tape!! I was a dancer too and would always choreograph dances to that music! So happy to know it's on itunes!!

Okay, hold the phone, where on earth did you get the Beauty and the Beast DVD?! I cannot find it anywhere- even on Disney property- a CM told me that it was in the "Vault" and wouldn't be released on DVD for another couple of years. I've tried eBay and Amazon but they have them for like $60-- now I love Belle but not gonna spend $60. Any help?

Very good movie choices! Ariel's Beginning is really cute- not as good as the Little Mermaid but fun!

Hooray for only 24 more days!!

OMG, you had Mouse House too? Wasn't it awesome! I had untold love for that tape when I was a kid. And I used to choreograph little dances to the songs too! My mom videotaped me doing a bunch of them in my old dance costumes. Lol!

$60 for Belle??? Yeesh! I don't blame you for not wanting to spend that kind of dough! I bought my copy of Beauty and the Beast back in '02 when the platinum copy originally came out. Buuuuuuut....

I took the liberty of looking up the same version of the DVD on half.com (which is owned by eBay and a great site!), and found a few copies of it still in the shrink wrap for under $20!!! Here's the link:

http://product.half.ebay.com/Beauty-and-the-Beast_W0QQprZ3382768QQtgZinfo

Hope that helps! I'm glad to hear Ariel's Beginning is cute. I wouldn't expect anything to top the original, but it's nice to hear that it's not a waste of time or anything.

MMMMMmmm...yes PLEASE! Potato casserole and sourdough French toast! Yum! Fabulous update...my family loves road trips too. I love just listening to my iPod, staring out the window, and dreaming!

I can't believe your trip is sooo close! Very exciting!!

The sourdough French toast is my fav!!! Light, fluffy, and yummy! Glad to hear someone else understands the Cracker Barrel love.

I love looking out the window and daydreaming on road trips.

Great update! I love road trips too!! I can't remember that last time I was on a really fun one. Kelly and I talked to road tripping to Disney World this year, but with having to take off work, and our trip being so close to the holidays (where we will take more time off work) we just didn't think it was feasible. But reading all about your road trip is making me wish we could drive! I don't have a problem flying, I fly back and forth to TX from DC all the time, so it's not a big deal, and I fly to NY all the time too for business. But sometimes a good roadtrip is just what ya need! Oh, and I love your ipod!! Pretty snazzy!!

While it's a bummer that you and Kelly can't road trip together, but just try to remember that a plane ride means even more time in WDW!!! Plus, you get to work out your road trip mojo when you move next month, right? It's the best of both worlds!

Glad to hear you liked "Jack"! Haha! He's one of those "skins" from skinit.com that you can buy to go over your electronic devices. They run between $10-$30, I think, depending on what device you're putting it over. The iPod ones are usually around $15, but I got mine for free using Mom's Disney Movie Rewards Points! I just had to pay shipping.

 

[tinkgurl]

OMG Gummi Bears is on DVD?! Where?!?!?!

 

[Enchanted]

I love driving to Disney too! When we're driving through Chattanooga and into Georgia--it's absolutely gorgeous!

I had to go look up the Colbie Caillat "Kiss the Girl" on youtube. Such a cute version. I love her so you made my day!

Haha, Tink, you posted while I was posting!

Chattanooga is TOTALLY gorgeous. I love that part of the trip.

Glad to hear you loved Colbie's "Kiss the Girl"! Her music is always awesome, but her singing Disney is just even cooler somehow.

 

[Enchanted]

OMG Gummi Bears is on DVD?! Where?!?!?!

I just found it on Amazon!!! Only $24.99 for the first THREE seasons!!!

And dude, they have Ducktales, Darkwing Duck, Talespin, AND Chip N' Dale Rescue Rangers too!

Where the heck was I when these were released? I could have asked for these suckers for Christmas! I LOVED those shows!

 

[tinkgurl]

I just found it on Amazon!!! Only $24.99 for the first THREE seasons!!!

And dude, they have Ducktales, Darkwing Duck, Talespin, AND Chip N' Dale Rescue Rangers too!

Where the heck was I when these were released? I could have asked for these suckers for Christmas! I LOVED those shows!

Oh my gosh, I loved all those!!!!!!!!! I miss being a kid.

 

[HeatherBelle614]

Love the pics; beautiful!

Great movie choices; two of our favs - Beauty and the Beast and Lion King. Have you seen Brother Bear? It knocked Lion King down to #2 for DH's fav Disney movie!

I'm looking forward to our road trip, too. We haven't driven down since I was 15, so I'm excited!

Rescue Rangers? Ohmigosh! I may have to talk DH in to this one; we both think WDW is weeding out Chip and Dale as you don't see them often anymore!

 

[Enchanted]

Oh my gosh, I loved all those!!!!!!!!! I miss being a kid.

I know! Me too!

Love the pics; beautiful!

Great movie choices; two of our favs - Beauty and the Beast and Lion King. Have you seen Brother Bear? It knocked Lion King down to #2 for DH's fav Disney movie!

I'm looking forward to our road trip, too. We haven't driven down since I was 15, so I'm excited!

Rescue Rangers? Ohmigosh! I may have to talk DH in to this one; we both think WDW is weeding out Chip and Dale as you don't see them often anymore!

Thanks for the picture love! I remember seeing Brother Bear when it first came out, but I don't remember anything about it. If I remember right, I was sick when we watched it so I think my mind was elsewhere. I should rent it and see what I missed!

Chip and Dale are the best, aren't they? My brothers and I just loved the Rescue Rangers! I hope WDW isn't really phasing out CnD. That would be so sad.

 

[TeaForTulips]

Yay! I'm glad you found the DVDs! It is crazy what is out on DVD! I added Enchanted to my NetFlix! Hopefully I will get it soon.

 

[jewels1916]

"Enchanted" is a totally great movie, especially if you're into princess stuff. It's basically Disney parodying and paying homage to their own princess movies. It's really, really cute and funny, and there are tons of hidden Disney references in it, including cameos by Paige O'Hara (who voices Belle), Jodi Benson (who voices Ariel), and Judy Kuhn (the singing voice of Pocahontas).

HOLD THE PHONE!! THOSE LADIES (Belle, Ariel, Pocahontas) ARE IN ENCHANTED?? Enchanted became one of my favorite Disney movies as soon as I saw it. I love it. And I am a huge fan of Belle and Ariel, (I too have my own Disney playlist). Where are they in the movie? I think I am going to have to watch it tonight. And Wall-E, which I bought yesterday at Target for $10! Yup, Wall-E is on sale at Target right now for $10, and although it isn't a "musical" Disney movie (always my favs), it is still very cute!

 

[Enchanted]

Yay! I'm glad you found the DVDs! It is crazy what is out on DVD! I added Enchanted to my NetFlix! Hopefully I will get it soon.

It IS crazy what's out on DVD! I didn't even think to check to see if shows like that had been released! D'oh!

Yay for "Enchanted"!

HOLD THE PHONE!! THOSE LADIES (Belle, Ariel, Pocahontas) ARE IN ENCHANTED?? Enchanted became one of my favorite Disney movies as soon as I saw it. I love it. And I am a huge fan of Belle and Ariel, (I too have my own Disney playlist). Where are they in the movie? I think I am going to have to watch it tonight. And Wall-E, which I bought yesterday at Target for $10! Yup, Wall-E is on sale at Target right now for $10, and although it isn't a "musical" Disney movie (always my favs), it is still very cute!

Haha, yep they're in Enchanted!!! Here's the run-down:

* Jodi Benson (aka Ariel) plays Patrick Dempsey's receptionist/secretary. When Giselle is peeking in the fish tank at his office, you can vaguely hear an instrumental version of "Under the Sea."

*Paige O'Hara (aka Belle) plays the woman in the soap opera that Prince Edward and Nathaniel watch in their hotel room. The soap's "love" theme is taken from some of "Beauty and the Beast's" instrumentals. Also, the dialogue is very BatB if you listen carefully....

*Judy Kuhn (aka singing Pocahontas) plays the woman with all the kids who answers the door in the apartment building when Prince Edward is searching for Giselle.

I thought it was a very cute nod to the "princesses" of the past to include these lovely ladies in the film.

And Wall-E for only $10? I am SO there.

 

[TeaForTulips]

HOLD THE PHONE!! THOSE LADIES (Belle, Ariel, Pocahontas) ARE IN ENCHANTED?? Enchanted became one of my favorite Disney movies as soon as I saw it. I love it. And I am a huge fan of Belle and Ariel, (I too have my own Disney playlist). Where are they in the movie? I think I am going to have to watch it tonight. And Wall-E, which I bought yesterday at Target for $10! Yup, Wall-E is on sale at Target right now for $10, and although it isn't a "musical" Disney movie (always my favs), it is still very cute!

Aw, I was just at Target last night... How could I miss Wall-E on sale?? I will have to go back! Thanks for the tip!