Beauty and the Beast at The Straz

Belle and Beast are at The Straz Center in Tampa, May 5 - 10.  My family and I had the opportunity to see this beautiful love story on opening night. 

As a mom, I loved the message behind the Beauty and the Beast story.  It taught us to always be kind and love others. It also showed, not to judge a person by his/her outward appearance.

Once a prince, the Beast was cursed because he was selfish and unkind to an enchantress who saw no love in his heart.  After many years alone in his castle, the Beast met Belle, a beautiful but odd girl.  Belle, at first afraid of the Beast, grew to love him as he changed into a kinder creature.  Belle and the Beast's love for one another broke the curse and returned all of the castle's enchanted inhabitants back to their human form.


Jillian Butterfield as Belle and Ryan Everett Wood as Beast. Photo from The Straz Center by Matthew Murphy

Dylan, my 10 year old, said he enjoyed the show.  Lumiere, the candelabra, was his favorite character because of his hilarious jokes, movements, and candle hands.  I think the French accent had something to do with it too.  Every time Lumiere was happy or excited about something, he lit up his candle hands with silly gestures.

The enchanted objects. Photo from The Straz Center by Matthew Murphy

Jared, my 13 year old, also loved Lumiere.  Patrick Pevehouse did a great job entertaining the kids and adults as an enchanted candelabra!

Jillian Butterfield as Belle and the cast. Photo from The Straz Center by Matthew Murphy

My husband and I thought Gaston, played by Cameron Bond, was quite the character, always flexing his muscles and admiring himself.  I have always loved Gaston's song in the bar...it's just so macho with over the top testosterone humor.  Jillian Butterfield's voice as Belle was amazing.  Of course, I loved all of the songs; Belle, Gaston, Be Our Guest, and Beauty and the Beast!

We thorough enjoyed this family show!  But we won't use antlers in all of our decorating.

What is your favorite Beauty and the Beast song?

Disclaimer: As a member of the Tampa Bay Bloggers, I received four tickets for my family.  All opinions are my own.

Disney On Ice Let's Celebrate review

 

Our family had the pleasure of seeing Disney On Ice's newest show, Let's Celebrate! at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in downtown Tampa.  Disney On Ice presents Let’s Celebrate! brought more than 50 Disney characters to Tampa for one colossal party on ice!  This all-new show featured an action-packed, magical montage of celebrations and was set to a blend of contemporary music and favorite Disney songs.

Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse started out the show with some of our favorite characters as they celebrated a Very Merry Unbirthday Party with Alice and the Mad Hatter.

 

 

After the Unbirthday party, Mickey donned a hat and robe as he captured the crowd with his magical life-size brooms from Fantasia.  The kids in the audience, including my own, loved these glow in the dark, dancing brooms and familiar music.

 

 

Since Mickey was dressed in costume, the rest of the gang wanted to dress up too.  Jack Skellington hosted a Halloween haunt with our favorite Disney Villains.  This was Jared's favorite act from the show.  We were excited to see Maleficent since her upcoming movie will be out soon.  It was also fun to see Captain Hook since Jared and I just watched the season finale of Once Upon a Time.

 

 

From frightful to delightful, the showed moved on to a Royal Valentine’s Day Ball with the Disney Princesses.  Each princess entered the ice with her one true love.  They danced to a contemporary version of one of their movie's songs.  At this point I noticed the kids in the audience getting a little restless.  It may have been the slower moving act or the contemporary song versions that were not recognized by the younger patrons.

 

 

Following intermission, Mickey and the gang traveled around the world visiting different celebrations.  We saw Mardi Gras with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen; a Hawaiian luau with Lilo & Stitch; a Japanese Spring Holiday with Minny; a Chinese New Year with Mulan; and a winter wonderland with Woody, Jessie and Buzz Lightyear.  I loved the Rex and Hamm costumes from Toy Story!

 

 

We had fun seeing all of our beloved Disney characters in one big party on the ice!  Both of my boys really enjoyed the show.   Dylan thought our time there flew by, indicating he was enthralled with the entertainment.  This was a wonderful show for the entire family.

Disney On Ice presents Let’s Celebrate skates into The Tampa Bay Times Forum May 15-18.

Performance Dates and Times:

Thursday, May 15, 2014 - 7 p.m.

Friday, May 16, 2014 - 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 17, 2014 - 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 18, 2014  - 1 p.m., 5 p.m.

Ticket Prices
Rinkside Dining $75
Premium $45, $40, $32, $28, $25, $18, $15, and Kids Tickets start at $12.

Save $5 on select performances using promo code MOM5. This offer is not valid on Rinkside Dining or Premium seats. No double discounts. Not valid day of show. Not valid for Sat. 11am, Sat 3pm or Sun. 1pm performances.

Tickets are available at DisneyOnIce.com or ticketmaster.com, at any Ticketmaster outlet, by calling 800.745.3000, or at the Tampa Bay Times Forum ticket office (phone for information only: 813.301.6500).  For group ticket sales and information, call 866.248.8740.

To discover more about Disney On Ice, go to www.disneyonice.com, visit us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

*Disclaimer: My family received 4 tickets to see Disney On Ice presents Let's Celebrate in exchange for promotion and review.  All opinions are my own.

Let's Celebrate! with Disney On Ice

Disney On Ice presents Let's Celebrate! is one colossal party on ice with all of your Disney friends coming to the Tampa Bay Times Forum, May 15-18.

Loving Life's family four pack ticket winner is Jeanna Johnson.  Congratulations!  My family hopes your family enjoys the show as much as I know we will.  Some of the favorites we are looking forward to seeing are Lilo & Stitch; Woody, Jessie and Buzz Lightyear; and the Disney Villains skating to a medley of holidays, celebrations and festivals from around the globe.

Even if you didn't win tickets, don't miss out on these fabulous skating celebrations when Disney On Ice presents Let's Celebrate! comes to Tampa.


Halloween Haunt

Valentine's Day Royal Ball



A Very Merry Unbirthday

Disney On Ice presents Let’s Celebrate skates into The Tampa Bay Times Forum May 15-18.

Performance Dates and Times:
Thursday, May 15, 2014 - 7 pm
Friday, May 16, 2014 - 7 pm
Saturday, May 17, 2014 - 11 am, 3 pm, 7 pm
Sunday, May 18, 2014 - 1 pm, 5 pm

Ticket Prices
Rinkside Dining $75
Premium $45, $40, $32, $28, $25, $18, $15, and Kids Tickets start at $12.

Save $5 on select performances using promo code MOM5. This offer is not valid on Rinkside Dining or Premium seats. No double discounts. Not valid day of show. Not valid for Sat. 11am, Sat 3pm or Sun. 1pm performances.

Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com or at any Ticketmaster outlet, by calling 800.745.3000, or at the Tampa Bay Times Forum ticket office (phone for information only: 813.301.6500).  For group ticket sales and information, call 866.248.8740.

To discover more about Disney On Ice, go to www.disneyonice.com on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Many holidays and celebrations will be featured in Disney On Ice presents Let’s Celebrate!  What is your favorite holiday?

Disney Cruise Tips

 

Here are some tips when taking a Disney cruise...

1. Disney Cruise Lines has Florida resident rates for November - April with the best deals in January and February.  Call for Florida resident rates or search online using special offer code FLR. Our family of four save $800 with the FL resident discount.
2. Bring wide-mouthed water bottles (like a Nalgene) to take advantage of the ship's free beverages.  Outside the main restaurants, free beverages are only available from the beverage stations on one specific deck.  The 8oz cups provided won't hold much.  If you have your own bottle, you can fill it up and carry it with you on the ship.
    
   
   
3. Pack bottled water and Gatorade in your suitcases to have in the room. I packed an 18 pack of bottled water and Mike packed an 8 pack of Gatorade in our rolling suitcases. You have a mini fridge in the room to keep them cold. With kids, it's nice to have drinks on hand in the room. They sell bottled water on the ship but it's expensive...like $40 for a case of bottled water!
4. Alcohol! You can bring your own alcohol on a Disney Cruise but they ask that it's in a carry-on bag. Here's what they say "Beverages must be packed in your carry-on bag—which must not exceed 22 inches wide, 14 inches high and 9 inches deep in dimension".   Even though their website says no coolers, we found that a soft-side cooler that you carry, within the dimensions, is fine. All three families we went with, carried a soft-side cooler on the ship. I saw one family with 2 cases of water and a case of beer strapped to a foldable dolly. A case of beer on the ship was $110. 
   
5. Bring boxed wine so you don't need a corkscrew.  Mike and I brought Black Box wine. Personal alcohol is supposed to stay in the room but if you're discrete, you can take it other places on the ship.
6. Small bills.  Room service is free but tips are paid in cash when the food is delivered.
7. Make sure to pack typical beach gear for the pool and Castaway Cay...beach bag, sunscreen, etc. They provide beach towels on the ship and on Castaway Cay.  The gift shops are not open when the ship is in port.
8. A lanyard to hold your room key. The room key also acts as a credit card for purchase made on the ship.  I didn't carry a purse on board and didn't always have pockets so the lanyard came in very handy. 
   
9. If you have kids, don't plan to spend much time in Nassau unless you book an excursion.  We did get off the ship in Nassau so the boys could see a different country and get a non-Disney souvenir. We probably only spent 2 hours off the ship in Nassau.
10. Plan for Castaway Cay to just be a beach day unless you book an excursion.  They rent snorkel equipment, rafts and floats and provide chairs on the beach on a first come basis. They have a special snorkel area with an underwater ship, submarine and mickey.  My water-proof camera was perfect for snorkeling!
    

We went on a 4 night Disney Cruise out of Port Canaveral, Florida in Feb 2014.

Do you have any other helpful tips while on a Disney Cruise?

Disney Marathon 2014 Recap

Oh Disney Marathon, why do you tempt thee?

The Disney Marathon was my first marathon last year in 2013.  It was a fun race, if you can ever say running 26.2 miles is fun.  We stopped for pictures, took walk breaks, and enjoyed the scenery.  The course is not my favorite because of the different terrains, twists, turns, slanted streets and overpasses. This race, marks my 3rd marathon.

This year I had a time goal in mind.  I wanted to finish the marathon in under 5 hours.  If I did, it would be a 25+ minute PR for me.

I headed to Orlando on Saturday with my fellow runners and MBs (marathon bitches).  We picked up our race packets and browsed the expo at the Wild World of Sports.



Marie, Chrissy, Carly - marathon runners

Michelle, Marie, Chrissy, Carly, Maribel and Faith - runners and MBs

After the expo, we went to Downtown Disney for lunch and shopping where we met up with two more friends, Daffodil and Mica, who were volunteering at a water stop the next day.  I love these ladies!  We always have a great time together!

3:00am came much too early for this night owl. But I got up and got ready to run my 3rd marathon. We found the signs our MBs made for us.

We got to the start area at 4:00am and had plenty of time to spare since the race didn't start until 5:30am.

Marie and I, in our Minnie costumes, decided to try and stay together during the race, unless one of us was hurt or needed to take more time for the race.  We ran a similar pace and trained together so it was a good match.



Mile 8 on the Disney Speedway

This was a tough race for me because I just wasn't feeling the run.  Runners have good running days and bad running days.  It's never a good thing when a bad running day falls on race day.  On this day, I was ready to be done at mile 10 which is unlike me.  The half marathon's 13.1 miles is my favorite distance and I wasn't even there yet.  About this time, my feet started to hurt and I felt blisters forming on the bottom of my toes.  Another anomaly, as I usually don't get blisters on my toes.

We pushed through and I felt better after we reached mile 16, knowing we only had 10 miles left.

It was so nice seeing Daffodil and Mica volunteering at the mile 18.3 water stop!  At this point, Marie and I were both feeling various pains. My left knee was hurting and Marie's hips were bothering her.  We knew we'd see friends at this water stop so it was something to look forward to.



Mile 18.3 water stop with volunteer Daffodil

Then we saw our MBs at mile 19 inside the baseball field at the Wild World of Sports.  We stopped for a quick picture but quickly got on our way.  Starting back up from a stop or walk was hardest on my knee.



Mile 19 in the Wild World of Sports baseball field

As we left the Wild World of Sports with only 6.2 miles left, I told Marie we could make the under 5 hours goal if we kept going at the same pace.  Unfortunately, Marie's hip pain was too much and she had to take some walk breaks.  I decided to push on ahead and try to meet my goal of finishing under 5 hours.

I was exhausted and my pace was getting slower and slower but I knew I would be so close to 5 hours and I really wanted it, so I pushed!  There was no sprint left in me at the end but I made it to the finish line in 4:57:56!




Done and looking swollen!

Our friend Carly came in at 4:10 and Marie came in at 5:03.

I had a fun race and even more fun with friends! I did end up with 3 huge blisters on my toes.  UGH

Div Place: 483/1650
Gender Place: 2488/9697
Overall Place: 6768/19198
5 mile split: 51:36
10 mile split: 1:45:01
Half split: 2:23:49
20 mile split: 3:48:10

Chip Finish time: 4:57:56

That's a 27+ minute PR over the Clearwater Marathon last year.

Have you even run a Disney race?

Richard Petty Junior Driving Experience

Richard Petty Driving Experience now offers Junior Ride-Alongs at the Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, FL.  The Junior Ride-Alongs program allows children ages 6-13 years old and at least 48 inches tall the opportunity to experience real-life racing in a specially equipped two-seat NASCAR race car.  The children ride shotgun with a professional driving instructor for three thrilling laps on the Walt Disney World Speedway.

My boys had the opportunity to experience the Richard Petty Driving Experience Junior Ride-Alongs.  I was so excited for them!  We made the drive to Orlando and found our way to the Disney Speedway where parking is free.

Before the ride-along, we got to tour the garages and see some of the expensive, fancy cars.

My boys loved the expensive cars, which by the way you can pay to drive on the race track too!  Now on to the race cars!

 

Happy, happy boys!  They loved their three laps in the race car and wanted to go again.  My boys each received a souvenir photo and a ride-along experience video.  Check out their videos below!

Jared

 

Dylan

Wahoo!!  The Junior Ride-Alongs cost $59-$69 plus tax (price varies by track).  The Junior Ride-Along program generally is offered between 9am to 4pm on days they are on track, on a first come, first serve basis.

My boys had so much fun and can't wait until they are old enough to drive a race car on their own.  Fortunately, I have some years before that happens.

*Disclaimer:  We were given the Ride-Along Experience, souvenir photo and video in exchange for this review.  All opinions are my own.