Update: The winner of the Disneyland Giveaway is... Gail of @microblogginmom. You can find her on twitter ALOT! Looking forward to get to know her and her whole family better. Thanks to everyone for entering!
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I love Disneyland. I love it even more when my family and I get the VIP treatment. Last month, the team at Disney were kind enough to fly me and my family down for the weekend. We flew, the kids missed a day of school and we took a much needed vacation. The whole place was decked out for Halloween and it was simply awesome. Along with 20 other mom bloggers, the family and I were treated to a VIP tour of the Magic Kingdom - including our favorite rides new and old - Pirates of Caribbean, the Tea Cups and the Haunted House!
One of our favorite rides was Space Mountain, which was transformed into Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy for the Halloween weekend. Ghosts appear out of the starry darkness and swirling galaxies of Space Mountain, reaching out as if to grab guests as they speed through space. My 9 year old LOVED it. My 6 year old thought it was fine, and would be okay with never having to go on it again. LOL! It had been years since we went on that ride and it simply kicked butt!
If you are thinking about checking out the park for Halloween, you CAN NOT miss the fire works show. Take a nap in the middle of the day if you think you will be too tired. Just don't miss it. I grew up in the shadow of Disneyland park and could see the show almost every night out of my bedroom window. Honestly, this show is nothing like I have seen before! The “Halloween Screams - A Villainous Surprise in the Skies" fireworks spectacular did not disappoint. The kids and I drank hot chocolate and were awed by the entire presentation! To start the show, “Master of Scare-omonies” Jack Skellington appears in a flash of fire above Sleeping Beauty Castle. There is fire, scary music, laser lights and fireworks. You have GOT to see this. We are going back next year (yes, even with the 7 hour drive!) to see this again. Really- it rocked that much!
So who wants to go to Disneyland?? The kind folks at Disneyland are hosting me and my family again for a trip to Disneyland the weekend of November 20th to 22nd. If you live in the Bay Area and want to go with us, then you and three guests can come along!! The park will be all decked out for the holidays, so it will be extra fun without the crowds! woot!
The prize includes: Flight for 4 people from San Jose Airport to Orange County Airport on Friday, Nov. 20 returning on Sunday, November 22nd, accommodations at the Disneyland Hotel and Park Hopper passes for 4 for all three days. On the 22nd, you and your group MUST attend a VIP tour and dinner with us (me and my family) hosted by the Disneyland Parks staff. You are on your own to enjoy the park before and after this part. Dinner is included and mandatory on the 22nd, but you are own your own for food and other expenses before and after the official Disney tour. You also don't have to hang out with me and my family the whole time except during the tour: ) But you are more than welcome too! We don't bite - I promise!
YOU MUST BE ABLE TO GO TO DISNEYLAND ON NOV. 20-22, 2009. THE TRIP CAN NOT BE USED ANOTHER WEEKEND AND IT IS NOT TRANSFERABLE TO ANYONE AND CAN'T BE SOLD TO ANYONE. YOU MUST BE WILLING TO FLY OUTTA SAN JOSE AIRPORT.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU MUST BE NICE TO MY KIDS AND BE FUN TO TAKE ON A TRIP! :)
How do I enter? You do not have to be a blogger or on twitter, just a fan of me or my blog and LOVE Disneyland as much as I do.
1.) Leave a comment by 10/27/09 midnight on the xiaolinmamareviews.com site. Tell me what you'd look forward to the most if you won the trip or your favorite memory of going there. You must leave a valid email for me to contact you. If I can't email you, you can't win.
2.) I will choose a winner using www.random.com and announce the winner here on Wednesday, 10/28/09 afternoon. I will email the winner directly, so make sure your email is valid.
Extra chances to win:
1.) Follow me on twitter @xiaolinmama. If you do already, leave me a comment telling me that and I'll count it as an extra chance.
2.) Tweet the contest, you can use this language or make up your own, Copy/Paste: "Bay Area peeps only - @xiaolinmama is givin' away a trip to Disneyland! Contest ends 10/27 Enter now! http://bit.ly/ZzxGO "
I will track the tweets through Tweet Grid, so no worries about sending me the permalinks.
3.) Blog about my giveaway- with a link back here. (Share the link in my comments section AFTER it is live.)
FULL DISCLOSURE: Disneyland Parks paid for my family and I to visit the park in September 2009 and are sponsoring the trip in November 2009 for my family again. They are also paying for one of my readers and three guests to check out the park, flights and a room at the Disneyland Hotel. They did not pay for me to do this review. Thanks Disneyland Parks!

