On Monday I was very fortunate to be invited to a Pre- Grand Opening Tour of the brand new Disney Store in Times Square. On that note, a big THANK YOU to Shawn Turner, Disney Stores North America, Laura Spencer, Disney Parks and Maria Bailey, BSM Media for the invite!! I took A & R out of school a bit early and the three of us jumped on the subway and headed on down to Times Square. The girls LOVE Times Square and are always excited to walk down Broadway where there is an endless array of things to see.
R & A Getting Ready To Rock Times Square And Disney!
The girls were practically bouncing with anticipation as they raced down Broadway heading to the Disney Store. They could barely contain their energy. I was trying to keep up with them as we dodged in and out of the crowds of tourists. I wasn’t sure what side of the road it was on, but A and her eagle eyes quickly found the bright lights that we were looking for!
The Disney Billboard Above the Storefront
Before we even entered the store, the girls and I stood out front and watched the giant Disney screen as it played through advertisements for various Disney shows, products and movies such as the upcoming movie Tangled. (A movie that our whole family can’t wait to see!) We crossed the road and entered the store where we were warmly welcomed by an enthusiastic Disney employee who pointed us in the right direction to find our tour group leader. We were given head sets for the tour and the girls and I looked around at the first floor while we waited for the tour to start. The girls were totally overwhelmed with the possibilities. They did not know what to look at first. As I tried to keep one eye on them and one eye out for the start of the tour I was struck by how busy the store already was, as happy children (and adults) moved from section to section checking out the merchandise.
Our tour started and we made our way up the escalator to the second floor. We followed the pixie dust trail and explored the many different areas of the store. Our first stop was the Disney Store Theatre. I think A could have stayed in this area forever. She loves her Disney shows and in the theatre you have the opportunity to choose your own movie and t.v. clips as well as songs. There was an extra special guest waiting in the theatre on Monday. Both girls were totally starstruck that they got to meet and receive an autograph from Gregg Sulkin star of Wizards of Waverly Place and the new movie, Avalon High. I have to admit, he IS a cutie =)
Gregg Sulkin
We continued on our tour passing the CARS section where you can custom build your own car. I had to bribe the girls that we would come back and do it at a later date so that we could continue on with the tour. The tour continued and we soon entered the Princess Castle, R’s favourite part of the new Disney store. The Princess Castle has every princess outfit, accessory, toy, movie, book and most importantly doll that you could ever want. There are even TWO magic mirrors in the castle that are triggered by chips in the merchandise, for example, if you wave a magical wand over the mirror it will come alive with a story from whatever princess wand you are holding. R was totally in awe and could not get enough of this.
Mirror, Mirror, on the wall...
I have to admit it was a bit hard to follow the tour at times while trying to reign in the girls. I mean, who can blame them? I wanted to stop and look at everything too. I found that I learned more about the new store when the tour was finished and I had the time to look around as the girls happily entertained themselves by discovering all of the wonderful products the store had to offer. The lucite trees are beautiful as well as the ceiling that includes many of Manhattan’s iconic buildings in the skyline. However, what really impressed me was the Disney staff. It was just like being at a theme park. The “cast members” were knowledgeable, helpful, courteous and most importantly were patient with and genuinely seemed to like hanging out with the children. After all, even though many of us can become jaded by the thought that this is just a mega store selling toys, my girls were definitely caught up in the magic. Isn’t that really what it is all about? A place where kids can go and just have fun being kids. With all of the fun at the Disney Store the kids had definitely worked up an appetite. We headed over to Carmine’s where we were fed a feast fit for Kings (and princesses). Thank you for such an amazing dinner! While tucking in my girls that night I asked them what their favourite part of the store was and both A & R responded “the princess section and the CARS section, oh, and the Tangled section oh, and the theatre oh, and dessert at Carmine’s- does that count?” and on and on… I am guessing it was a magical night indeed 😉
The Beautiful Trees throughout the store
The Princess Castle
R & Bolt
Oh, and by the way, I LOVE the store rules. Here they are:
1. Watch our for flying fairies.
2. Singing and/or whistling encouraged.
3. Make way for princesses.
4. Giggles are welcome.
5. No scowling allowed.
6. Pirates must stow their swords.
7. Follow your imagination.
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It's Always An Adventure 