Cinderella is the most iconic Princess of them all. She’s usually dead center in any picture of the Princess line up. She has two castles named after her. She’s what many people think of when the word “Disney” is mentioned. She’s also subject to a lot of argument on whether she makes the cut as a feminist figure. Why do people dislike Cinderella so much? Many oversimplify the plot, twist it and reduce it to: an attractive girl gets everything she wants because she’s attractive. Cinderella is so nice that her level of niceness is unattainable for most people. And therefore, an impossible person to emulate. Some people dislike Cinderella because they claim she needed a prince to save her. Couldn’t she have just gotten up and left her abusive step family anytime she wanted? Did she have to marry the first man that came along? Let’s put Cinderella into historical context like we did Snow White . Cinderella was released in 1950, shortly after WWII. After the destruction of the war, many peo...

Animal Kingdom: Wilderness Explorers Expedition Eversest The Festival of the Lion King THE ANIMALS! EPCOT: Test Track Soarin' The World Showcase (I love just to walk around and explore it).  Hollywood Studios: Rock'n' Roller Coaster Tower of Terror One Man's Dream The Osbourne Lights (RIP) Magic Kingdom: Dumbo Philharmagic Teacups Winne The Pooh

History Disneyland was a huge success for Walt Disney. Always wanting to improve and innovate, Walt was dissatisfied with the size of Disneyland. It was very difficult to add all of his ideas into such a small space. So, he started looking elsewhere to open up a bigger theme park.  Another problem with the park was that you could easily see and access the outside world. Walt wanted guests to feel transported. He wanted guests to forget about the outside world. This is also reasoning behind buying more land. The more land Disney has, the more difficult it is to see the outside world. This is also why the Magic Kingdom has a parking lot that is separate from the park itself. Then, guests can take one of 2 transportation options - one of the future (monorail), and one of the past (ferry boat) - to arrive to the Magic Kingdom.  At the time, Orlando was not the tourist destination that it is today. Most of the tourists in Florida could be found on the beaches of the Atlan...

The Disney Princesses are often topics of criticism. They are too weak, too focused on outwardly beauty, and offer nothing of substance to the world. This criticism is especially apparent in feminist circles. However, just like any other group of people bundled together under one label, there are disagreements.  If you ask a handful of  feminists their opinion on the Disney Princesses, you will get a handful of different answers. Why are the Disney Princesses even worth the attention of feminists? Walk into any Wal-Mart or Target or toy store and you will get the answer. The Disney Princess line is heavily marketed to young girls all across the world. And anything fed to the minds of the next generation while they’re still impressionable is worthy of examination. Whom these kids decide to emulate is whom they will become.  The Disney Princesses, of course, are not just limited to children. Disney movies span over decades and generations. Everyone, no matter the age, c...

5. Ride the Mountains Three of four WDW Mountain rides are located in Magic Kingdom. Big Thunder and Splash Mountain are right next to each in Frontierland. So when you are done riding one, you can hop in line for the other! Space Mountain is on the opposite side of the park in Tomorrowland. Every time I go to Magic Kingdom with a group of friends, we always ride at least one mountain. Between the classic Splash Mountain photo op, screaming on the wildest ride in the wilderness or goofing off of the moving sidewalk exit, memories can easily be made on these rides. The mountains are some of the most popular rides in Magic Kingdom, so the wait times are long. See if you can fit in all three in one day. Don't forget to visit Animal Kingdom to ride the fourth mountain: Expedition Everest. 4. Mickey's Philharmagic This is one of my favorite attractions in Magic Kingdom and what I consider to be a hidden gem. It is not the most popular ride, so I had no idea what to expec...

SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers! When I first heard about the movie Zootopia , I was a little apprehensive. The idea of anthropomorphic animals has been done countless times, even by Disney themselves.  I knew that in order for this movie to be successful, it's story needed to be unique to set it apart from all of the other anthropomorphic animal movies. I had high expectations of the movie from the very start. I was not disappointed. One of the first things I noticed about the movie was how contemporary it was. There are CDs, cell phones, cars, voice recorders, apps, pop stars and the DMV. It reminded me of one of my personal favorite Disney movies, 101 Dalmatians. 101 Dalmatians was really the first contemporary Disney movie. It was set in the year it was released (1961) and featured technology of the time such as TV, radio and cars. Even the style of animation was based on contemporary art. While some people critized this movie for not feeling "Disne...

  My biggest tip for Disney during Christmas week is: don't. Don't do it. It is tempting because the kids will have off school and there will be special events going on all over the park, but do NOT do it. Christmas is absolutely insane. It is the busiest time of the year at the busiest place in the entire world. So that adds up to a lot of crowds. Crowds so thick that it will take you 2 hours to walk from the castle to the exit, a journey that normally takes 5 minutes. Attractions people detest, like the Barnstormer will have hour long waits. And that means the rides you'll actually want to go on will be a 2 or even 3 hour wait.  The line to even get into the park will be an hour long. The parks will not let people in after a certain time because of capacity. You'll feel claustrophobic. You won't get to do much. And it's more expensive to go during Christmas. DO NOT DO IT. You can still experience what the parks have to offer during the Chri...

A  Disney trip can be expensive. Luckily, Disney Darling Blog has some tips and tricks to save money at Walt Disney World:  1. Get H2O for 0 Most of the quick service food stands will give you a free cup of water if you just ask for it! I usually do this instead of bringing a water bottle because water bottles take up room in bags, on rides and can easily be lost. Once you finish your free cup of water, you can throw it away. If you are thirsty later, you can always get another one. A water bottle costs $3.50.  Say you have a family of four and you each buy 2 plastic bottles of water every day and you're staying for four days. $3.50 x 4 x 2 x 4 = $112. If you chose to get free cups of ice water, you could be saving over $100! 2. Skip the stroller Instead of renting a stroller from the parks or outside companies, just have your kids walk. This is good for several reasons. Your kids will get exercise and burn off some energy before having to stand in half-an-hour lon...