The Magic Behind the ‘Company’: Getting to Know Brenda

This is an interesting little assignment from Chip this week. He wanted to let all of you get to know all of us which is a great idea, but I don’t remember the last time I thought about myself so much. 🙂

Name? Brenda

Where do you live? I was born and raised on the Texas Gulf Coast and I am here to stay; at least until I retire, buy a mobile home and become a part-timer at the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds in  Walt Disney World.

How long have you been with Chip and Company? I have been writing for C&C for 6 months.

What topics do you write about? I have a new weekly spot called “Wednesday with Walt” which I love because I think he was an extraordinary man; I also write a cornucopia of things related to Walt Disney World, having a Disney family, and being a Disney fan in general.

Favorite C&C Writer? All of them.

Do you have a Blog or Website? No, I don’t have one of my own, but I help out Nancy on The Affordable Mouse!

Have a Facebook Page or Twitter? Sure, my facebook page is linked here and my Twitter account is @bootsietx (although I seldom use it because I am Twitter-challenged).

Favorite Disney Website other than Chip and Company? The Affordable Mouse of course!

What % of your clothes and house is decorated with Disney Gear? I would say roughly 70%.

Chip or Dale? Chip, of course — why would you even ask?

What’s your Favorite Disney Park? Magic Kingdom, followed closely by Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

How many Times have you been to the Disney Parks? 15

What’s your First Disney Memory? My first Disney memory was of Disneyland when I was 8. That is the only time I have been there and I don’t remember much, except for the tea cups and how beautiful it was.

My favorite ride, hands down, is Tower of Terror. If anyone has read my blogs they are very familiar with what a thrill I get from that ride.

My favorite show would be Finding Nemo: The Musical, which is exceptionally done and can be found at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park.

My favorite event is the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. My family and I look forward to that breathtaking spectacle of Christmas lights every year — it is a wonderful start to the Christmas season.

Where is your favorite place to get your grub on? My favorite places at WDW are Le Cellier (Epcot) and ‘Ohana (Polynesian Resort).

What’s your favorite snack? Anything chocolate!

You have the whole park to yourself tell us what park it would be and plan of attack? My park of choice would be Disney’s Hollywood Studios. My plan of attack would be to ride Tower of Terror and Rock N Rollercoaster all morning. Then, I would head to Starring Rolls for some yummy chocolate snack options. I would then get in line for The Great Movie Ride and request to ride both versions of the ride. I would spend a couple of hours in One Man’s Dream (the story of Walt Disney). I would then head to the American Idol Experience (except that if I am having the whole park to myself, I would have to be the entertainment and the audience so that probably wouldn’t work), so I would instead play around with the Citizens of Hollywood for a while and maybe take them all to the Sci-Fi Dine In Theater for a burger, fries and a shake. After that, I would ride Toy Story Mania about 10 times before seeing Beauty and the Beast, followed by Voyage of the Little Mermaid. I would especially love being able to attend the Art of Animation and do some sketching myself at the Animation Studios, as I would have one-on-one lessons from one of the world’s best animators. I would take pictures with every character at the park; then I would have someone else take my picture with each photopass photographer because they never get to be in the pictures. I would grab dinner at the Brown Derby and take it with me to enjoy during Fantasmic! Then, I would sit on a bench with a monster cup of cappuccino and reminisce about the day and how all this got started in the first place.

Least Favorite Disney Ride or Attractions? I definitely do not like the Astro Orbiter. I have an issue with heights so going up in an elevator to ride a ride that goes up in the air, while you are already on top of a building, is not for me…but thanks anyway!

What’s missing from the parks? Walt

Which thing do you wish Disney would bring back? The original, working Yeti in Expedition Everest.

What do you bring to the park with you? My family, of course. I also take my itinerary, water, chap stick, sunscreen and my camera.

Do you fly, drive or take a Magic Carpet to the Disney Parks? We drive to WDW, although I would prefer the Magic Carpet.

What’s your most and least favorite Disney character and why? Mickey Mouse is undoubtedly my all-time favorite Disney character because I have always been charmed by his optimistic and friendly nature. My least favorite would have to be Ursula; I’m no petite princess at 5’10” but that big girl scares me!

Dining Plan, OOP, or Bring Food with you? I do all 3 depending on the circumstances. When free dining is offered, that is a no brainer. When it is not offered, we often dine out of pocket. On budget trips, we eat breakfast in the room with foods we brought from home and carry our snacks in our backpacks; then we buy only one meal while out in the park.

To ADR or Not to ADR? We only ADR when we have the dining plan, usually. We definitely ADR with free dining (please bring it back, Disney!)

Events at the park that cost extra good idea or should be included with park admission?  The one extra cost event we usually attend is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. We were wondering this year if it is worth the added expense, so we may not do it this year.

When is your next trip to WDW or DL? September, 2011 — and I can’t wait — so hurry up September!!!

What is your favorite Disney Movie? I absolutely LOVE the Pirates of the Caribbean movies — all of them. We attend the first midnight showing of all of them — it’s a family affair.  My new favorite animated Disney movie is Tangled in 3D. I also love Beauty and the Beast, Finding Nemo, and loads of other Disney movies.

Do you have any Disney Collections? Well, yes, I sure do. I have a Disney office my hubby created for me full of our memorabilia, pictures, photo albums, Disney pictures and paintings, all my stuffed Disney characters, etc. I write my blogs in there and it is my favorite room in the house. I have a collection of about 50 snow globes in the china closet in my dining room, most of which light up, move and sing some beautiful Disney song; and I have a Mickey collection of all types of Mickey items. Every Christmas decoration we adorn our house with at Christmastime is Disney as well.

Have you been on a Disney Cruise or Adventures by Disney? Not yet, but a Disney cruise is  coming this December!

Ever been to DLRP or TDL? No, believe it or not I don’t have any desire to go to Paris nor Tokyo. I am happy to stay right here in the USA, unless my bucket list trip to my grandmother’s hometown in Italy ever becomes a reality.

Finally what does Disney mean to you? Wow – now that is a question! Walt Disney always said that we should remember, “It all started with a mouse.” To me, it started long before there was a mouse. It all started with a boy — a very special boy named Walt Disney. Without ever meeting the man, he has influenced my life in so many ways I cannot even count. He had vision, unwavering dedication, a super-highway of ideas running through his brain at any given time. He saw an opportunity to bring happiness to people’s lives through many different avenues and he followed through with his vision. Disney to me is the idea that the world could be a beautiful place if everyone could figure out how to live in harmony and be kind to one another. This is what it’s like at Walt Disney World. That is why every year for a 10-day period we go to a place that was part of Walt’s utopia. Staying on property keeps you submerged in Disney throughout every minute of every day. Every single one of my senses is heightened there: the music is more melodic; the sun shines brighter; the birds sing sweeter; the grass is greener; everything is cleaner; and, most importantly, the folks are nicer — everything is better and it makes me wish I could stay there forever. I wish all the world was just like it! And, I wish I had Walt’s gift to help make it happen!

That is a little about me — actually more than I ever knew about myself! I hope all you Disney fans out there will let us hear about you too!!!

Have a magical day!