Family, travel, mom blog | Theme Park Mom (Leigh Caldwell)

A trip to Walt Disney World is all about fun, right? So what if your teen wants to audition for the American Idol Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios? That could be a lot of fun, but it could also lead to a lot of disappointment.

When Laura LeClair’s family planned a visit to Walt Disney World last year, her teenage daughter Victoria decided to give the American Idol attraction a try, and she made it into a show.

Here’s what Laura told me about their day behind the scenes:

“When we entered Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the pre-screening auditions were set up just inside the entrance on the left side of Hollywood Blvd.  That audition is a 90-second song of your own choosing (acapella).  Victoria sang “Fairytale” by Sara Bareilles.

“The cast members asked Victoria her age (15), and made sure she had an adult with her.  Once they determined that she would be moving to an actual audition, there was a form to sign and Victoria was given a sheet with many different songs and asked to select two.

“This was just preliminary to get an idea of what kinds of songs appealed to Victoria.  She selected “Black Horse and a Cherry Tree” and “Part of Your World.” Because Victoria was a teenager, she had to have an adult stay with her during the process.

“Cast members then brought us to the backstage area. We were escorted into the “red room” where the contestants were given iPods and told to listen to their songs and let the staff know when they have selected the two they want to sing.  Another performer chose one of the songs Victoria had thought about singing, so she had to change her second song to “Colors of the Wind.”  Once a song is selected for an audition, it’s taken off the table for the rest of the day.

“There was a flurry of activity backstage (many different rooms – some with doors; some open areas), with several hopefuls auditioning at any given time. (more…)

There is a lot to see and do at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, including a couple of great rides that even children under age 5 can enjoy:

Star Tours: Star Wars fans will enjoy this motion-simulator ride to the moon of Endor. When your pilot takes a wrong turn, you blast-off to an entirely new adventure. This ride is in a vehicle that simulates twists and turns without actually going anywhere. The ride queue is filled with Star Wars props and familiar characters, which can also be fun for your jedis.

Toy Story Midway Mania!: Join Woody and other friends from Toy Story on this ride through classic carnival games. You will use a shooter on your car to pop balloons and shoot water in 3-D. Children will need to wear 3-D glasses to get the full effect of this slow-moving ride.

This post is part of “Under 5 Friday,” a series of posts designed to give advice on taking children ages 5 and under to theme parks.

I had the privilege of going to the American Idol auditions in Orlando today, to cover all the hoopla for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Orlando Attractions. Though I must admit that when I got up at 3:30 a.m. to drive to downtown Orlando and join the fun, I wasn’t really feeling “privileged.”

Close to 10,000 people turned out waaayyyy too early for their shot at stardom. And I got to walk up and down through the crowds, chatting with them and listening to them sing.

If you’re an American Idol fan, check out my story at HeraldTribune.com. There’s also a photo gallery there with some of my pictures from this morning.

Here’s a link to the video I made featuring four Southwest Florida singers. (I can’t get the embed to work right now.) They appear in this order:

• Caira Everly, 18, of Cape Coral
• Cliff Stump, 27, of Sarasota
• Christy Swathwood, 25, of Sarasota
• Matt Hembling, 16, of Fort Myers

And then there’s this:

HeraldTribune.com made me their “featured tweeter.” How cool is that?

Over at Orlando Attractions Magazine, I blogged about a couple of the winners of Disney Dream Tickets who were auditioning for American Idol today. The winner of the finale show at the American Idol Experience is awarded one of these “front-of-the-line” passes each day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (Read more of my coverage of the American Idol Experience.)

Here’s a video that includes one of the Disney Dream Ticket winners: