One of my favorite things about a Disney cruise is stargazing from our ships or Castaway Cay.

Over the past couple days, however, the stars weren’t only in the sky. They were all over the Disney Dream, whooshing down AquaDuck, burning up the dance floor in Evolution or posing with characters on the pool deck.

If you’ve been anywhere near a media outlet this week you’ve probably heard something about the Disney Dream. On Wednesday, award-winning performer Jennifer Hudson christened the ship in a dazzling ceremony at Port Canaveral in Florida. Here she is posing inside the Art Deco atrium lobby:

After the big event, the ship set sail for a special two-night preview cruise with hundreds of journalists from around the world, plus celebrities including John Stamos, Marlee Matlin, and brothers Kyle and Christopher Massey. Also on board were dancers Cheryl Burke and Lacey Schwimmer from “Dancing with the Stars” and Travel Channel favorite Samantha Brown.

Here are Christopher (“The Search for Santa Paws”) and Kyle (“Fish Hooks”) taking a wild ride on AquaDuck:

Meanwhile, Lacey and Cheryl visited Pink, the ship’s chic, champagne-inspired lounge for adults:

Up on the pool deck, John and Marlee reconnected with old friends:

Did you catch Sam Champion from “Good Morning America” broadcasting live from the ship? Whoopi Goldberg taped several fun segments for “The View” so watch for them soon.

For members of the media, it was a whirlwind opportunity to experience the fun and innovation of Disney Cruise Line and the amazing amenities of the Disney Dream. Add a comment below and tell us which coverage you’ve enjoyed most.

Can you believe the ship’s maiden voyage departs Wednesday? On Monday we’ll start counting down to that major milestone with some exclusive, behind-the-scenes videos we shared with reporters on the christening cruise.

Tagged: DCL, Disney Dream

Filed: Celebrity Visits, Disney Cruise Line

Have you ever ordered “Oscar’s Choice” at Carnation Café in Disneyland Park? Ever wondered just who “Oscar” is?

Oscar is Oscar Martinez, the longest tenured Disneyland Resort cast member. He joined the company Dec. 29, 1956, and has been a Disneyland mainstay for 54 years – and at Carnation Café since 1967!

Oscar’s Choice – scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, Oscar’s potatoes, a croissant and your choice of bacon or sausage with fresh fruit — is served daily for breakfast, made by the eponymous “Oscar” himself five mornings a week.

Once his world-famous potatoes are made, Oscar greets and seats guests on the restaurant’s patio, occasionally posing for photos with guests.

We asked Oscar a few questions:

• Favorite Disneyland attraction? “it’s a small world.”
• Favorite Disneyland restaurant? “Blue Bayou.” (He said he misses the pot roast they used to serve).
• Did you ever meet Walt? “Unfortunately, no. Though I saw him in the park, I never had the opportunity to speak with him.” Once, he said, he saw Walt at Carnation Plaza Gardens looking at the on-stage umbrellas, including one that was a different color than all the rest. Oscar said he heard Walt say: “Get that one outta’ here!”

Happily, we share Oscar’s yummy recipe.

Oscar’s Potatoes

Serves 4 to 6

1 large white onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
4 tablespoons butter, divided
2 pounds red potatoes, thinly sliced
Coarse salt, freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Sauté onions in 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat until translucent; remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, add remaining butter and potatoes and sauté until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Combine the onions and potatoes in an ovenproof casserole dish; cover with foil and make small slits for ventilation. Bake 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Serve hot.

Tagged: Dining, DL, DLR

Filed: Disney Dining, Disney History, Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort

UPDATE – New video added below of the Disney Wonder as it sailed into the Port of Los Angeles.

What an exciting day! The Disney Wonder arrived at the Port of Los Angeles early this morning and the ship is here to stay! This is BIG news for West Coast Disney fans. The ship will sail seven-night Mexican Riviera cruises from the Port of Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta from now through April 17. It will then reposition to Vancouver and sail to Alaska from May 3-September 6 cruising to Tracy Arm, Skagway and Juneau, and Ketchikan. I’ve been fortunate enough to have cruised on Disney Cruise Line and all I can say is: YOU’VE GOT TO GO! It’s a Disney vacation experience at its best.

Check back this afternoon to take a look at video of the Disney Wonder as it sails into the Port of Los Angeles.

Tagged: DCL, Disney Wonder, Video

Filed: Disney Cruise Line

Nowadays, trips to the parks with my daughters include stops for some “must see” characters. And the funny thing is, I was the same way as a boy with Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. How about you? Over the holidays, we grabbed a camera and asked guests at the Walt Disney World Resort about their “must see” characters.

Now it’s your turn. Please tell us about your favorite character in the comments.

Tagged: Video, WDW

Filed: Walt Disney World Resort

As the exciting expansion of Disney California Adventure park moves forward, the Disney Parks Blog continues to give you a front row seat and backstage pass to all of the excitement. Since the expansion was announced, we have opened Toy Story Mania!, Games of the Boardwalk, Mickey’s Fun Wheel, Silly Symphony Swings and of course, the nighttime spectacular, “World of Color.” Now, Walt Disney Imagineering has turned its sights to the next highly-anticipated opening: The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, coming soon in 2011. In this video, Imagineer Lisa Girolami takes you behind the curtain (or under the waves) to give you a first look at Ariel’s world. From the drawing board to the incredible scenery, this is an attraction sure to make a splash with guests.

Tagged: BtS, DCA, DLR, Video

Filed: Behind the Scenes, Disney's California Adventure Park, Disneyland Resort

Here is the fourth video in our “Did You Know?” series. Take a look back at Parts One, Two and Three. In this series, our cast members share “fast facts” about various aspects of the Disneyland Resort – this time about the environmental way in which we drained Paradise Bay at Disney California Adventure park in preparation for “World of Color.” More than 60 years ago, Walt Disney expressed his commitment to the conservation of natural resources and that commitment holds true today.

If you like being a “Disney-cyclopedia” at parties – this is a segment you won’t want to miss.

Check it out!

Tagged: BtS, Conservation, DCA, DLR, Video

Filed: Disney's California Adventure Park, Disneyland Resort

I recently gave you a sneak preview of the 2011 Hidden Mickey pins for Disneyland Resort. Now it is time to turn the spotlight on Walt Disney World Resort. I’ve been involved with the development of the Florida pins since 2004. Again, it is bittersweet that this will be my final collection (yet I had lots of fun with the designs). Don’t worry, Julie Young, one of our pin developers, will assume development of the 2012 collections. Like the Disneyland Resort collection, there will be two different waves of about 30 pins each.

The image at the top of this article is one of my favorite collections (besides the boot from Horizons that I showed in the recent EPCOT Center blog post). The artwork came from the 33 ½-long playing record I have featuring the Orange Bird. Like many of you, I love the Orange Bird! This collection seemed like the perfect fit to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort. My favorite pin – the Orange Bird relaxing in the sun (ah, how I wish I was on the sands at Disney’s Polynesian Resort right now enjoying a Dole Whip).

Speaking of the 40th Anniversary, another wave one series features Disney characters in the classic Disney “D.” The artwork for this series was originally created for a mystery pin collection. I commandeered the artwork from Julie (Shhh! Please don’t tell her). The second wave of Hidden Mickey pins coming later this year will feature different characters that complement the first wave pictured above.

I was inspired for the series pictured above after walking through Serka Zong Bazaar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The location had several tee-shirts with artwork called “cute yeti.” I immediately thought they would make great pins – come on, he is super adorable! My favorite pin is “scary yeti” (though I don’t know how something so cute can be that scary).

One new thing this year is having “chaser” pins in the Hidden Mickey pin series for Florida. I would have done the same for California but I instead created the alphabet series. We have featured chaser pins in various retail pin sets during the past few years. Basically, there will be a select number of “chaser” pins in wave one. There will not be a chaser pin for every style; I only selected a handful of designs. You’ll immediately recognize them as they will be silver colored. I can’t say how many chaser pins were created for each of the designs selected. I can say they will be slightly rarer. So if you find one, you can do the “happy pin dance” (I can show you those moves later).

Again, look for these pins coming to Cast Members’ lanyards in Florida in late January/early February. Happy Trading!

Tagged: Pin Trading, Pins, WDW

Filed: Walt Disney World Resort