In the Shadow of the Mouse

Been awhile since I last posted... lots of things to talk about so I'll be probably be posting multiple times over the next few days.   First big piece of news... we now have a game room!   This is the only picture I have, and it shows off the pool table, ... [More]

Well, after reviewing our finances and being truly in need of another trip to the land of happiness, we're heading back to Disney World in time for Sydney's 10th birthday! Disney has some great promotions going on for birthdays... either you can gain park admission for free (which, since w... [More]

So much mystery was surrounding the number 23 the past several weeks around Disney... signs such as this...     led to much speculation. Well, last week the mystery was revealed in the form of a new Disney community called D23. It's a somewhat exclusive club, o... [More]

So in my last post I told you about the Disney Vacation Club, which I was introduced to by the Disney Doorway to Dreams store in Woodfield Mall.       Doorway to Dreams is the Disney version of a timeshare, where you buy into Disney resort properties, but buyin... [More]

So I mentioned in an earlier pin post about one of our favorite places to trade pins (and they really aren't very many in the Chicago area) and that's Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, home of Disney's Doorway to Dreams. Doorway to Dreams is a store representing the Disney Vacation Club, a... [More]

So my property management company, VillaDirect, has finally posted pictures and very cool 360 images of several of the rooms. And they turned out GREAT! The link to their site is here.   Also scoping out games rooms. Typically, people are putting the game rooms in the garage, ... [More]

We're the Christiansen family and we own a beautiful 7 bedroom vacation rental home in Florida right outside Disney World. For more details click on the PICTURES tab above! 

So in my last post I told you all about the pin obsession shared by my family members, and today I'm going to talk about the community itself and how it all works.   First, the only place you can buy pins (legitimately) is through Disney. Yes, you'll find some used pins on ... [More]

Quick update on one my family's favorite activities when we visit Disney World (or visit Woodfield Mall, the local home of "Doorway to Dreams")... and that's PIN TRADING!   On our first trip to Disney World we saw the pins, we saw people trading pins, and in gener... [More]

Magna Opus Vacation Home Pictures! [More]