Check Out Our New Mobile App!

Http://fanapp.mobi/growing_up_disney

To make it even easier to connect with us on the go, DisneyDad has created a Growing Up Disney app.  We'd love it if you'd take a look and let us know what you think.  You can download it from the link above and it will be available on app stores soon.

We are excited to be the Mobile App of the Week at Infinite Monkeys!

Trip Planning with My Disney Experience - Part 2

My experience with My Disney Experience.

I work in IT so I do a lot of work on computers (I basically live on one at work), so it is natural to go on line and work with managing my account on the DVC Members web site, and now with my reservation integration with My Disney Experience.   I have felt right "at home" using the site.

Disney has allowed making reservations on line for years.  You can go on line and book your room, tickets, and purchase Disney Dining Plan.  It has only been fairly recently that Disney Vacation Club members could do the same thing by booking with their Vacation Points.  My Disney Experience has put all the capability of managing your resort reservations together with your dining reservations and integrated it with a iPhone app.  You can invite others to use My Disney Experience to "plan" along with you.

Amy and I have used our shared My Disney Experience to make dining reservations for our trip.  We have put events and activities on our shared calenders and added notes.  So far everything has worked well as we have planned our trip while we are over 600 miles apart.

The integration between the web version and the iPhone app have proved to be pretty seamless.  There are differences in how they work and display data but both do pretty much the same thing.  Dining reservation made on one, show immediately on the other.  So as we have been doing our planning everything shows on My Disney Experience.

With our trip approaching it is time to do Online Check-In.  It is now available 60 days out from the start of your reservation.  This past week I did my check-in.  My Disney Experience handles this too.  Online Check-in allows you to go ahead and handle everything you would do at the Front Desk ahead of time.  Resort check-in becomes a quick process (once you stand in line to get to the desk).  I did my check-in on my pc.  I don't know if you can do the same thing on an iPhone.

Amy decided to cancel one of the character breakfasts she had booked.  When she canceled it, it was removed from My Disney Experience.

My Disney Experience has been a nice tool to work with Amy on planning our trip next week.  

Have you done any of your trip planning on MDE?  If so let us know what you think about it.

--DisneyDad

Guest Post: Waiting in Lines? There’s An App For That!

There’s nothing more magical than watching your son’s face light up when he sees his favorite character (Tigger, for the record) for the first time. But there’s nothing less magical than listening to that positively grating whine he makes when we’ve been waiting in line too long.

That’s where my iPhone comes in. These four fun, free apps will distract your whiney little Mickey or Minnie in no time flat:

1. Awesome Eats

Created by Whole Kids (a foundation established by Whole Foods to improve nutrition), I like this because it is free of ads. My son likes it because it appeals to the OCD in him. (My fault.) The load times are a little bit slow, but once the game gets going, though, he loves swiping the vegetables into their proper bins. As a mom, it’s pretty awesome to see your kid getting excited about snap peas and mushrooms.

2. Coloring Book Free - Animals by TheColor.com

This is a simple tap and color app, but it keeps my son occupied for hours. He loves sweeping through the crayons at the bottom of the screen, looking for the exact right shade for the pop color creation in his imagination. Created by TheColor.com, this app offers nearly 100 free designs to color, although it does display lots of “locked” pages that can’t be colored unless you upgrade. For now, though, my little guy is happy with the free pages.

3. Tic Tac Toe

It’s so simple and obvious, but my son loves the interaction of clicking in the boxes and passing the phone back and forth with me. Maybe it’s not teaching him math or spelling, but he is learning to be a good sport. (Because, ehem, I don’t let him win.) The only thing I don’t like about this app—developed by Optime Software—is the ads, but so far I haven’t seen any that are objectionable.

4. Toy Story 3

There are many, many opportunities to spend money with this app by Disney Interactive, but there are some fun, free components in this download, including Woody’s Wild Ride, which is pretty much my son’s favorite game. Ever. I am useless at this game (I can barely keep Woody on his horse), but my son is able to expertly pilot Woody through the series of obstacles, and it keeps him going for 10-15 minutes at a stretch. Ride like the wind, Bullseye!

Now it’s your turn: what’s your favorite app for distracting kids from a long wait?

Elisabeth McGuirk is a full-time mommy and part-time Disney enthusiast living near Johnson City, N.C. She works on MickeyFix.com, helping fellow Disney fans find all of the Disney stuff they didn’t know they needed. Find your Mickey Fix on twitter @mickeyfix.

Disney Book Apps are on sale this weekend only!

This morning I received an email from Disney Digital Books with a great deal on select books and thought I'd share.  Tink adores Princess and the Frog and Toy Story, so I know I'll be taking advantage of this price.  Enjoy!

--Amy

Back to School Labor Day App Sale!

A select group of PREMIUM Disney Book Apps are on sale for a LIMITED TIME! 
Sale ends at 11:59PM (PST) on Monday, 9/5...Buy Today!

	Princess and the Frog Read-Along Get on down to New Orleans! Relive the enchantment of The Princess and the Frog in this fully interactive reading experience!	Was: $3.99 Now: $1.99!
	Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue Join Tinker Bell and her friends on a fairy-filled adventure that lets you become part of the action!	Was: $2.99 Now: $1.99!
	Toy Story 2 Read-Along Your favorite toys are back for their 2nd exciting adventure and they’ve got some new friends.... Get inside Toy Story 2 like never before with a fully interactive reading experience!	Was: $3.99 Now: $1.99!
	Toy Story 3 Read-Along Have three times the fun in this fully interactive reading experience!	Was: $5.99 Now: $1.99!
	Cars 2 Storybook Deluxe Experience the action-packed story of Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2 in this supercharged children’s book app filled with vibrant art, professional narration, exciting music and sound effects.	Was: $5.99 Now: $1.99!
	TRON Legacy: The Complete Story Discover the world of TRON Legacy with this incredible interactive book app! Featuring stunning illustrated artwork, true-to-life stills from the Film, as well as six exciting Motion Comics.	Was: $3.99 Now: $1.99!
	Disney Comics The Disney Comics app is your portal for all your favorite Disney Comics. Many titles are now just $0.99 and don't miss fantastic deals on bundled stories of your beloved Disney characters!

Blogoversary Month: Sponsors

I'd like to thank those individuals and companies who provided items for reviews and/or giveaways this past year.  I've enjoyed getting to know the representatives of these companies  They are great people in addition to having wonderful projects, products, and services.

~Travel with the Magic, an excellent Authorized Disney Vacation Planner with a current giveaway, they also brought you our coverage of Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
~Beyond the Attractions, a very helpful book all about WDW with preschoolers
~Punflay, fun and educational iPhone/iPod/iPad apps for children
~Knell Studio Works and Mouse of Zen, two talented guys sharing their Disney passion through photography, graphic design and haiku poetry
~GoGo squeeZ, the coolest applesauce ever
~Swanky Stitch, beautiful handmade strap covers for your SLR/DSLR camera
~coming soon Eversave Orlando

iPhone App Review: Measurement

First, I want to thank Nicola and Punflay for being so patient with me. I received the Measurement app a while back but with all that’s going on in my personal life, I just couldn’t get out a decent review until now.  

Punflay makes really fun and educational iPhone/iPad apps for children. I’ve had the opportunity to review several in the past for each platform. This time I was asked to review their Measurement app for iPhone. It’s the latest in the Mathomatix series. The previous app was Number Sense, which helps children practice ordering numbers, compare sets of numbers, and simple addition and subtraction.

Measurement is designed for kindergarteners. They will learn and practice basic concepts of length, width, capacity, as well as time and months of the year.  My daughter loves to play with this app although at almost two years old, she's not quite ready to really comprehend it.

The first screen is simple and the child just needs to press play to begin. They are then taken to a chalkboard with five games: Crazy Clock, Scale Tale, Fill Me Up, Long and Short, and Action Months. Each game provides enough opportunities to practice the concept of the game.  The games are straight forward, allowing the child to work on the concept more than how to operate the game.  Simple reinforcing messages are given when the child gets a correct answer, and if a wrong answer is selected, they are told to try again or get a subtle buzzer.  

Crazy Clock allows children to work on telling time as well as common times when activities in their schedule may occur.  The hands will only move clockwise and once the child reaches the specified time, they stop.  

Scale Tale offers a chance to compare two items and decide which is heavier or lighter.  My daughter loves this one.  Must be the cute monster.

Fill Me Up works on understanding volume.  It's another fool-proof game.  You can't continue to put items in a full container.

Long & Short, as you might have guessed, is all about comparing length.  The child needs to touch the card of the correct answer.  I like the sparkles you get when you are right.

In Action Months, the child has to "catch" each letter and drag it to its proper place in the word.  Once the name of the month is spelled correctly, the child is rewarded with animation of the letters.  This reminds me of Sesame Street claymation.

Measurement is a great app for your pre-schooler or kindergartener to practice various concepts of measurement.  The graphics and sounds are very cute, disguising the learning a bit.  We all know kids love our iPhones and here is a fantastic chance to learn while they play.  

For the younger set, I reviewed ABC Numbers and Baby Explorer last fall.  Those are loaded on my parents' iPad.  Tink loves playing with their iPad on every visit and still enjoys these two apps, especially Baby Explorer.  

Thanks again to Punflay for providing these apps for my review.  We've enjoyed playing with them all and look forward to seeing what's next from this talented team.  

iPad App Reviews: My Numbers, ABC Numbers, and Baby Explorer

GIVEAWAY DETAILS BELOW!

I am proud to share reviews of three more fun and educational children's apps from Punflay.  This time Tink and I tested iPad apps.  The larger screen of the iPad really lends itself well to games for little ones.  Thankfully my parents don't mind the kiddo playing with their rather expensive toy. 

First up is ABC Numbers.  This new app incorporates the previously released My Numbers app along with a really well done game for teaching letters.  Below is the first screen and the large buttons make it easy for little ones to choose a game.

Here are a couple of screens from the ABC portion of the game.  You run your finger along the letter wheel to select a letter.  If you touch within the oval containing the letter and picture, it says "La, L, Ladybug" in this case.  In the white box toward the bottom of the screen, the child can practice writing the letter by tracing within the outline.  The color of the "ink" can be changed by touching the blue, green, or red dots below the writing box.  My 16 month-old daughter's favorite part was the star on the right.  If you pull down on the ring, the star sings the ABC song.  It's really cute and just like a real pull-string toy, if you pull the string halfway, it only sings half of the song.   

For the numbers portion of the app, here is the screen you'll see.  The color of the buttons can be changed using the wheel in the upper right and the item to be counted is selected along the bottom of the screen.  Touching the musical note allows the user to choose one of three songs or to have no music at all.  The game itself is a pretty simple counting game.  In this case, the 8 button was pushed.  Eight flowers light up.  If you touch an unlit flower, it will count 9 in a pleasant child's voice.  If you choose a lit flower, it will say 7 and the flower you touched will no longer be highlighted.  It's a good game for practicing counting to ten.  I like that it also counts backward as this allows you to work on basic addition and subtraction with your child as well.

This is the intro screen for the independent My Numbers app if you choose to buy (or win!) it separately.

Tink loved Baby Explorer!  Here's the start screen.

This game is like a high-tech version of one of the many plastic toys you have, without the "cluttering the floor" aspect.  Starting from the left, the butterfly can be pulled down and it bounces back with a cool springy noise.  The wheel on the bottom spins and the 4 colorful rings slide back and forth.  Moving to the top right, the child can push the four buttons to get a corresponding noise.  Tink really liked this. 

The coolest part of this game is the center of the screen, which contains 5 games.  The wheel at the bottom right changes the game.  For the egg game, you touch the egg repeatedly, cracking it a little more each time.  Eventually a new friend pops out.  Pictured here is the duck but this one contains some surprises.  The bubbles and flowers games are similar.  The child can pop the falling bubbles or flowers.  Tink particularly liked the flower version and the notes played when the petals fell.  Another game lets the child help a frog jump from lillypad to lillypad and the final game moves three jumping fish. 

Again, Punflay has designed apps for children that are both educational and fun.  They've provided enough variety in each app to allow it to appeal to children for months or years to come.  We've really enjoyed playing with these apps.  In particular, Baby Explorer held my 16 month-old's attention for a long period of time and at that age, that's an accomplishment.  She'll get to play with these apps again at 18 months of age when we see my parents at Walt Disney World.  I look forward to seeing how her interaction with the games improves.

Click here for my review of two children's iPhone/iPod apps from Punflay.

Punflay has their educational apps (iPhone/iPod/iPad) on sale this week.  One of them is even free.  Check out their site soon.  The sale ends September 16.

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Ready to enter to win My Numbers for iPad? You get one entry for each of the following. Please note each as a separate entry in the comments section below so I know what you have done.  Don't have an iPad?  Feel free to enter and gift the code to a friend who does.

Mandatory Entry: Briefly tell me why you think your child (or grandchild or you) will enjoy My Numbers.  No other entries will count if you don't do this one.

Extra Entries: (If you are already following me through any of these channels, just note that. Hey, free entry!)

• Become a fan of Growing Up Disney blog on Facebook.
• Follow Disney4Babies on Twitter.
• Follow Growing Up Disney publicly on Google Friend Connect (see widget at right.)
• Subscribe to the RSS feed for this blog.
• Send a tweet about this giveaway (one per day). Feel free to copy and send this: "RT @Disney4Babies Visit http://www.growingupdisney.com/ for a #giveaway of a great children's app from Punflay, My Numbers #Disney #iPad"
• Blog about this giveaway.
• Add Growing Up Disney to your blogroll.

This contest ends at midnight Central time on Monday, September 20. The winner will be chosen at random from all eligible entries.  You'll be notified via email and have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.  Good luck!

 

Disclosure: I received apps from Punflay for reviewing purposes. No monetary compensation was received or offered. All opinions expressed are my honest thoughts on these products.
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And the winner is comment #3, Bill.  Congrats!  I'll be contacting you shortly.

A Walk Around The World With Ridge--The continuing saga of apps....

What good would the nice new iPhone 4 camera be without some great editing apps to really take full advantage of your pictures on the go? There are effects, cropping, coloring and collage apps just to get started. Now there are tons of apps out there, some are paid and some are free. I prefer the free apps because be honest who doesn't like to get free stuff...

One of the coolest apps that I haven't been able to use on a large scale is Autostitch. Autostitch is an app that allows you to take multiple pictures of an object from different angles or perspectives and then it will blend these photos together into one. The effect is something just a little different than a panorama. If you need/want such an image, this is an awesome way for the iPhone to accomplish this trick. I need to appologise for not having a cool picture to show off. The only thing I have used it for is to take a picture of my livingroom in my condo. I doubt anyone cares to see that, so I'll revisit this one when I get to Disney in 50 days.

Photo Mess is another app that I am really digging right now. Photo Mess allows you to make simple collages. If used in conjunction with some of the other photo editors, some really neat effects can be achieved.

Adobe offers us Photoshop Express. Something great about this app is that it has eliminated a photo cropping editor and a some subtle effects apps from my phone. So you want to adjust the exposure, saturation, tint, contrast or make it black and white? Done. Want to turn your picture into a sketch, sharpen or soften the focus, also done. Want some nifty pre-programmed effects? Also done. Then once the picture is the way you like it, Photoshop makes it a one button process to post to Facebook or twitpic. Pretty cool.

Then the last one I will bore you with is Tilt Shift Generator. If you are familiar with Disney then you might have seen the end of the Christmas parade last year where you could still see the people moving but the buildings looked like they were toys. Well that is what this app can do for your photos. I have tried it on a couple shots I have taken at Disney World in the past and the effect is pretty cool. It doesn't always work out just right but you have to play with it until it looks right to you. The app changes the focal points within the picture blurring parts of the picture and sharpening others. This app is the only one that was paid and at .99 cents on iTunes, it was worth it.

There are so many photo apps available and what I have listed above is only a few of the apps I have on my phone now. Once I have a more time to use the others I'll be glad to share what I find out. So I recommend Photoshop for sure, it's free and does an excellent job of editing your pictures straight from your phone or iPod and even iPad has an app. Photo Mess is also free and makes some pretty decent pictures and worth giving it a try. Tiltshift is pretty specific and the results may vary. At .99 cents it by no means breaks the bank but I can't see as it is a must have.

Do you have a favorite app for photos?

A Walk Around The World With Ridge--Time Waster Apps

I have lots of apps for my iPhone but some of the best are time wasters that have no other purpose than to help me pass the time. Here are just a few of my favorites for entertainment while in line at Walt Disney World or really anytime you are waiting around.

Angry Birds: I don't know if you have played this game but it is a simple formula that proves to be highly addictive. The premise: you are birds who have your eggs stolen by a spherical, green pig-nosed creature. Naturally you being a bird, are angered by this theft. What are you to do about it? Well how about flinging your body at the enemy and destroying everything in your path? I know, fun right? With 165 levels active (30 more are coming soon) and at least 14 bonus levels you unlock from simple tasks and just pure Easter egg hunting, it is sure to keep you busy for quite a while. It is available for 99 cents for iPod/iPhone and $4.99 for iPad. If you just want to try it out, there is a free version available on iTunes.

Fantastic Contraption: Another game I am hooked on is Fantastic Contraption. It is $1.99 on iTunes and is a game made for those inquisitive people who love to solve puzzles and to build unique locomotion devices to move an object from a starting area to a designated finish. This one requires a little more concentration than some other games so I don't know that I would play this one while standing in line. This is more of a “take a break, sit down and rest the feet and frustrate yourself for a while” game. There are 45 levels to choose from and it you can even edit your own.

Hidden Mickeys: Now the last app I want to discuss is Steve Barrett's Hidden Mickey's. Yes, this one is only really good while you are in the parks. Now I say that, yes, you can use this app anywhere; however it has been designed, much like the book of the same name, to be used in the parks. I have traveled with the actual book before and really enjoyed the hunt. Now with the iPhone app and the use of location technology, it is a more interactive and immersive experience. You earn points for finding the hidden Mickeys. It comes in at $5.99 on iTunes. I like this app because it makes you examine the lands and attractions a little more closely than usual.


Regardless of your type of phone or handheld game, please use them wisely. Please step to the side if you feel the need to stare at your phone more than your surroundings. Just have a little decorum and try not to impede the flow of traffic. Disney is a busy place and I like to use my phone, almost too much, but I will always get to a stopping place before being lax about where I am going. You never know when the international double wide strollers of death will dart in front of you or knock your heels off.


Do you have a favorite time waster? What is it and where do you use it most?

A Walk Around The World With Ridge--iPhone Apps

iPhone Apps...there really is an app for just about everything. I personally have way too many apps on my iPhone. In a new series, I am going to talk about several Disney dedicated apps as well as some apps that will just make your time in the queue a little more pleasant (also they are good for everyday usage). Everything from park maps and dining to photo editing, the iPhone does it all. I find it necessary to mention I am in no way compensated by any developers or Apple; I just really love my iPhone.

First up is a set of park map apps from www.Upinpoint.com. These are interactive park maps that show attraction locations, restaurants, and bathrooms along with descriptions of each point of interest. The maps use a number and letter system and when you select one of these letters or numbers the name of the attraction comes up. If you touch it again the detailed information about the attraction is displayed. Ride length, basic description of the ride, if fastpass is available and wait times. I personally use Lines for wait times but that info will come later. Overall these park maps are robust and are extremely handy for both the Disney beginner and the seasoned veteran who just wants a little more information on the park. I personally have the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom maps; however Downtown Disney is also available. I purchased my apps separately but now they have an App Pack for $2.99.

The new App Pack includes all the above maps as well as Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens Tampa, Polynesian Resort, Wilderness Lodge, Yacht and Beach Club, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Swan and Dolphin Resort, Coronado Springs Resort as well as the Orlando International Airport. That really is a ton of information for $2.99. Side note: I now own this App Pack and it removes the four separate apps and consolidates to the one.

Navigating the app is very simple. To find your location tap the familiar icon in the bottom left corner of any map and the blue dot is you. Then to get information on an attraction tap either the number or letter that is displayed over it. In this case Cinderella's Golden Carrousel (yes it has changed names, I am betting this is fixed in the next update.) Now tap the blue arrow to get detailed info on the ride. Not displayed in the picture is the attraction name and wait time; I moved them out of the way so other information could be seen. At the very bottom of the information screen is priority selector that will place a star over the attraction on your map. Once you have taken part in the fun you can select "visited" and a check mark now appears over said attraction (see red circle).

Now I know I said this map app was also good for experienced park goers as well as for the newbies and that is true. Because while I/we know where to go and how we like to get there, once in line I am inquisitive and like to get extra information on things that I might not think about at home. Enter the Wikipedia button. Now I know, Wikipedia is not an academically sound source but isn't it fun to use? It provides lots of information: true or not, it's entertaining.

Now I used just the Magic Kingdom map for my examples but each map works exactly the same way and each are full of useful information like calendar of events found in the tool bar icon of a calendar. It gives park, attraction, and performance times for the particular month and day selected. You can search from the tool bar, the ubiquitous magnifying glass. The settings are located from the tool bar (looks like a wrench) and you can set the information you would like displayed. You can get wait time information, but as I said before I like to use "Lines" and I will talk about that in the next post.

Overall the Disney Theme Park Maps from Upinpoint.com are very useful and I have recommended them to my cousin for their family trip in November. I have spoken about them before and have a trip planning update coming soon from them. I have tried to find something negative or a draw back to these map apps, however they are solidly built and just darn handy.

Do you have a map app on your phone? Have you found a flaw or a drawback in these maps? Let me know your thoughts, I love apps and am always looking for good ones.