Bucket List Destinations

I have always loved travelling, there is just something about being in different parts of the World that you cannot beat. The World has so much to offer and I would love to take part in it all. However, if I had to choose just 3 Bucket List destinations these would be the places I would go.

1. NEW YORK CITY

Ok, so this one is probably on most people's bucket lists, (if they haven't already been that is.) But there is something about this city that seems somewhat magical. I guess it seems like an exciting adventure where there is so much to see and do. Lots of movies and tv shows have been set here and the majority of them make the city seem so glamorous. As an avid fan of anything and everything musical related, Broadway is a dream for me! I couldn't even count the amount of musicals I'd love to see and although choosing one would be difficult, I'm certain I'd love whatever I would decide. Who hasn't pictured themselves on top of the Statue of Liberty? I know I have! Glancing out onto the entire city from above, and of course taking lots of photos! Central Park has always interested me too, it looks like a forest from the aerial shots I have gandered at, you could certainly get lost in it, that's for sure. As a theme park and fun fair lover, Coney Island seems like a lot of fun. There seems to be so much to do in New York, of course we cannot forget about the shopping. I would love to physically shop till I drop. It also seems lovely at Christmas, all of the shop windows have marvellous wintery displays, and quite often the snow falls down on all the shoppers below. It is very picturesque and I would imagine would get you right into the Christmas spirit. 

2. DUBAI

Dubai is one of the World's most luxurious places, and this can be seen by the various images that I have found of it. Not only does it have glorious weather and huge beaches, but it has many amazing looking attractions. For starters, staying in the Atlantis Palm Resort would be an absolute dream come true. I doubt you would ever need to leave the resort for all the amenities it provides. It has everything from it's own aquarium, to a water park, an ice cream parlour to a dolphinarium. This place looks truly amazing! Outside of that however, The Dubai Mall would be the ultimate shopping destination, I'd love to bring some souvenirs back for all my friend's and family from here. The Dubai Zoo would be a refreshing change and would give me the chance to see some of nature's most amazing wildlife. If I wanted a change from the heat, I would definitely head to Ski Dubai, I have always adored the snow and wish that I could ski, so having a chance to do just that would be brilliant! 

3. TOKYO DISNEY

As a massive fan of Disney movies and theme parks, Tokyo Disney is most definitely on my travel bucket list. I have been to Disney World in Florida 8 times and Disneyland Paris 2 (soon to be 3.) Tokyo Disney has particularly interested me as it has two theme parks in its complex, the original Tokyo Disney and Tokyo Disneysea. The latter is a whole ocean themed park, mainly based on the Little Mermaid, which is one of my all-time favourite Disney classics. I have watched various YouTube videos of the Little Mermaid section and I must say their technology astounds me! I have recently viewed images and videos of an attraction named Mystic Manor, which seems like a haunted house style ride with trackless technology. As well as this, Pooh's Hunny Hunt and Monsters Inc Ride and Go Seek look like seamlessly made attractions I love attractions with an interactive element, and the Monsters Inc ride has just that. You have a torch attached to your ride vehicle which is there to help you seek out the monsters which help you rack up points. There are so many attractions at both parks that I would just love to experience, plus the hotel resorts look out of this world (as everything Disney always is.)

So these are my top 3 travel destinations for my bucket list, however there are an infinite amount more that I would love to visit too. Please feel free to leave comments underneath of your top 3 travel destinations or if you have visited any of these places and want to tell me about them, feel free to do that too.

Into the Woods

For me this movie had been long awaited. This post is quite late considering that I watched it with Lucy and Emily on the very first day it came out. The combination of the words Disney, Musical and Fairy Tales, meant this movie was pretty darn sure to impress me. It did not disappoint. 
Not only was the film full to the brim of amazing actors and actresses, they were also exceptional singers. Apart from seeing her in Mamma Mia, I had no idea that Meryl Streep could hit those kind of notes. James Corden also shocked me with his singing efforts. Who knew he could sing? The younger actors and actresses were too extremely impressive. Lilla Crawford who played Little Red Riding Hood had a singing voice that 30-somethings would be jealous of. In one particular song she sings deeper and sounds older than Anna Kendrick. Daniel Huttlestone (of Les Miserables fame) is too extraordinary and keeps his usual musical flair and cheeky grin. I can also not forget how sexy Johnny Depp is in this movie. He is only in it for the briefest of time, yet he is one of the most memorable parts. His song "Hello Little Girl" has so much sex appeal, you literally fall in love with the villain, (well I did anyway.)
For those of you who don't know the storyline. The very brief basis of it is this:
There is a baker and his wife who unbeknownst to them have had a curse put upon them from the witch next door so that they may never have a child. In order to break this wretched curse, they must locate 4 items and bring them to the witch. These being: the cloak as red as blood, the cow as white as milk, the hair as yellow as corn and the slipper as pure as gold. As you can tell already this story is going to intertwine the lives of lots of different fairy tale characters. It puts a twist on the modern fairy tales that we know and love and spins everything on it's head.
The songs are unknowingly catchy and lovable from the offset, and I have been singing them ever since. If you haven't yet seen it and love everything that Disney stands for, you must go and see it! You won't regret it!

Disneyland Paris

I have booked Disneyland Paris for my 23rd birthday in June, and I am majorly excited! Anyone who knows me well will know that my 2 favourite things in life are Disney and theme parks, and this combination is enough to set my excitement levels through the roof. The best part of it is that I am dragging my friends along with me. The attendees are: myself, Lucy P, Lucy S, Pete, Amy, Rhys, Emily and little 2 year old Eloise. I think what excites me more is that Eloise is going to be in her element, surrounded by all of her favourite characters and I want to make it so magical for her! As I have been to Disneyland Paris before, I would like to reminisce on this blog post about my favourite attractions. I haven't been since about 2009 so although I am pretty sure that the Toy Story Playland and the new Ratatouille attractions are going to be top of my list by June, for now I can't add them.

10. Pirates of the Caribbean
As a lover of the films and the Disney World version of the ride, this one is a no brainer. I love the idea of venturing into the Caribbean to spy on the lives of pirates. Also the drops make it a little more exhilarating for an ordinary family ride. And who doesn't love singing YO HO YO HO A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR ME!

9. Snow White's Scary Adventures
This is a classic ride that was taken from Magic Kingdom in Orlando and I dearly miss. It is a family friendly ride that I am hoping will not scare the pants of Eloise. She has recently watched Snow White and loved the movie so hopefully it'll be ok. I adore rides that are based on Disney movies though, it makes them unique.

8. The Voyage of Pinocchio
Again, a ride based on a movie, and one of Walt's first movies. It's quite an underrated Disney movie as it doesn't feature any princesses or princes, but it's a brilliant movie all the same. I love the fun fair part of this ride resembling Pleasure Island.

7. Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
Any ride that has an interactive element makes me love it even more. Especially when I have the opportunity to compete with the person sat next to me (ahem...Lucy P!) Me and Lucy love competing against each other, plus we both love Toy Story!

6. Star Tours
I am loving the upgrade in Orlando to give it that 3D edge, as well as the fact that you can now get a different adventure everytime. However, the Paris version is the original version and although it is in French it still makes a fun simulator adventure!

5. Casey Junior Train
Rollercoasters are always fun and when they can incorporate a family ride into it, it means we can all enjoy it on this trip. Eloise has also just watched Dumbo and loved the idea of the train and the circus animals, so hopefully she will really have fun on this ride.

4. Art of Disney Animation
I was always into drawing cartoons and once had a book of all the Disney characters I had drawn. So learning how to draw them properly is right up my street. Hopefully I will get to draw one I haven't learnt so far.

3. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Again, a rollercoaster is always up there in my top rides. This one is my favourite coaster in Orlando, and I am hoping this one (with its new effects) will be better!

2. Phantom Manor
I love a good horror / ghost train themed ride, and the Disney versions are amazing! There attention to detail to make a good story is impeccable. The Haunted Mansion in Orlando is one of my all-time favourite rides, and this one, although slightly more scary is so fun!

1. Cinemagique
Ok, so most people will be thinking....why a show, not a ride. But this show is the most innovative show I have ever seen! I am always in awe everytime I see, plus they change it a lot and add newer movies into it. But basically a seemingly ordinary man from the audience goes up on stage to answer a phone call and somehow gets sucked into the movies. It's brilliant!!!


So those are my top 10 attractions so far for Disneyland Paris!
If you'd like to comment yours feel free! Or any tips for visiting there in June for my birthday! 

R.I.P Robin Williams

My heart sank when my Mum informed me of Robin Williams' passing on the morning of August 12th 2014. My brain didn't really take in the information as I questioned her and said ... "Who's died?" As she repeated it, I was in shock. He has always been such an inspiration to me and has featured in many of my all-time favourite movies. "Why?", I said, "what happened?" When she told me that the news had said it was suicide, I was in even more shock than before. He had always seemed like such a happy-go-lucky type of guy, a man with enough humour to make the whole world laugh. But this of course, is the sad but true reality about how depression works. The people who look happiest on the outside, are sometime the people who are suffering the most. It has been well reported that Robin had suffered from an addictive personality, but this didn't seem to assist with his final demise. It has recently come out from his wife, that he suffered from early signs of Parkinsons Disease. He covered this up very well and this just puts into perspective how much of a struggle things must have been for him. Robin's death serves as a brutal reminder to how the affects of a mental illness can really harm a person from the inside out. The reality of this, is truly heartbreaking. Even a man of Robin's age, had not been able to be comfortable with his life and who he was. This has caused a domino effect across the entire world. Everyone has a favourite film, character or memory of Robin, he was a true legend! He was not only hilarious in his portrayal of certain characters, but also touchingly accurate with his emotions of others. Although I never got the chance to meet one of my idols, other celebrities have named him as a caring and loving individual.  
I would like to take the time to list the movies that I personally love from Robin Williams:
* Popeye - the first movie chronologically from release that I have seen. A lot of people didn't enjoy this movie, but I personally think that he captures the true essence of the cartoon character, I couldn't imagine anyone other than Robin doing him justice.
*Hook - as a child of the 90s this one of my classic children's films. I have always loved Disney and fairy tales and still do to this day, so a renewal of the classic peter pan story was always going to be something I enjoyed. A celebrity cast made this even better as I aged with the movie. Robin showed that it doesn't matter how old you are, you still have to believe.
* Aladdin - Brings me right on back to fairy tales and Disney. I have and always will love a good musical, this movie has not only amazing songs, caring characters and bright colourful scenes. The genie was like a character I had never encountered before, he was interesting, unique and of course everything that Robin encompasses.
* Toys - A movie that not many of my friends have seen and I think is totally underrated. It is very different and brings the whole child-like side of Robin back to the screen.
* Mrs Doubtfire - What can I possibly say about this classic movie that pretty much the whole world doesn't already know? It is perfect from start to finish. The fact that Robin's relationship was falling through as they were filming just shows his strength and his ability to draw from his own experiences. 
* Jumanji - Again, as a child of the 90's this was one of the movies I always pulled off my video shelf. It had everything, adventure, imagination and let's face it, who didn't wish they could play that board game just once ;)
* Jack - Another underrated Robin Williams film in my opinion, this once again shows his ability to act child like (more so than ever before.) The clever thing is, is that you don't once think of him as an adult throughout the entire movie. What other actor could pull that off? Erm...nobody!
* Bicentennial Man - I am not usually into sci-fi type movies, however for this one I make an exception. The emotions are so real in his portrayal of a robot with human feelings, it's one of the few movies that brings me to tears, and that's a tough challenge!
* A.I. - Another movie that brings me to tears, ok so it's not for Robin's portrayal in this one, but he pretty much pulls the whole story together, right?
* R.V. - Playing the Dad once again, this story is just hilarious from start to finish. It's a light comedy with disastrous consequences.
* Night at the Museum - Who would have thought that Robin Williams would make the perfect Teddy Roosevelt?
* Old Dogs - Robin and John Travolta made the perfect pairing in this comedic movie!

There are so many more things I love him for. I could spend all day writing about him. He is one of the best actors of our generation and he will be sorely missed!

Rest in peace Robin.

Maleficent

As a major fan of everything Disney, I had been excited for months to watch Maleficent. As soon as it was released at the cinema, I dragged my best friend Lucy to come and watch it with me. I have never really seen a movie featuring Angelina Jolie before, and therefore didn't know what to expect. However, her portrayal of Maleficent was perfect! I was more than impressed with her look, acting quality and her voice. I couldn't have asked for a better Maleficent. 
The storyline itself was a fantastic twist on the original Sleeping Beauty story. Without giving away the story to you people who have yet to watch it, it was highly different in parts to the original which makes for good viewing. 
Elle Fanning is one of my favourite actresses so I knew she was going to be the perfect princess. She still upheld the class and elegance of the original cartoon Aurora, with a little added sassiness and a lot more independence. This princess, unlike the original, isn't going to wait around to be saved.
Disney have made an amazing film with fabulous special effects. The three fairies are really life-like as they shrink and grow throughout the movie. The woodland creatures too are very cleverly made via computer animation. 
This definitely is a must see movie for any Disney or fairy tale fan. I cannot wait till it comes out on DVD so I can watch it again and again. 

Monopoly

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to have received a limited edition Monopoly board game. I had entered a facebook competition with Virgin Hot Air Balloons and had somehow managed to pluck the exact cubic feet of air that one of their hot air balloons holds out of thin air. Apparently the answer is 425,000 cubic feet or air in case you ever need to know. They told me that they would send out a prize for the closest answer and I was really excited to find out what I had won. 
When the large rectangular shaped box arrived at my door I was even more intrigued. As I unwrapped the brown paper from around it, I was excited to find a board game. Me and my friends have games nights all the time so this is a perfect prize for me. My current Monopoly board game was my mum's from when she was a child, therefore it is ripped, missing pieces and just in a bad way. This particular version is called the Virgin Money Edition. All of the squares which are usually properties are based on Virgin businesses such as Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Trains, Virgin Hot Air Balloons, Virgin Books and so on, which makes the game a lot more interesting. I cannot wait to play this with my friends and be able to review it properly. But so far so good.
I love entering competitions and I class it as one of my hobbies. The main reason I enter is because it's fun, the prizes are always just a bonus. I love the kind of competitions with effort involved, such as making videos, taking photographs to a theme, making up slogans etc. 

Welcome

As a young girl I always dreamed of being a princess, and to be perfectly honest that childish dream hasn't gone away. Between my love of Disney, fashion, make-up and fantasy, my life is as much as I can possible make it a fairy tale. This blog is going to be full of everything that I have a passion for; and although the majority of it will be girly banter, I also partake in the love of theme parks, travelling, photography, YouTube and horror movies. So don't rule yourselves out of reading this just yet!
However, first of all I feel it proper to introduce myself. My name is Ellie, I have just turned 22 years old and come from a small town that nobody has ever heard of. My favourite place on Earth is Orlando in Florida and I cannot wait to visit there once again in September this year. You will most likely find me joined at the hip with my best friend Lucy who features in most of my adventures. She may even have her say on this blog. My hobbies are extremely varied and people seem to clarify me as a unique sort of person. I'll latch on to anything that takes me fancy, be it media related, baking, entering hundreds of competitions or being a total know-it-all at a pub quiz with my friends. 
So this is me. If you want to follow my adventure then please feel free.