WDW Weekly News Update

This week isn’t even over yet but Disney has shared a few different pieces of exciting news with the public.  In chronological order…

February 12th: Rivers of Light show opens.  The long anticipated show that was supposed to open last summer is now ready to go.  This date is based on Fastpass+ bookings which recently were added to the system.

March 17th: Although this date was announced a while ago, I am so excited for The Beauty and The Beast movie!

May 11th: Final showing of Wishes which is the nighttime fireworks show at Magic Kingdom.
I really hope I can see Wishes one more time before it ends because it is a fantastic show and there is nothing like the soundtrack.

May 12th: “Happily Ever After” replaces Wishes as the new nighttime show.  I expect Magic Kingdom will be absolutely packed on this night.

May 27th: The opening date of Animal Kingdom’s Pandora!  We have not been able to see much of the construction, besides the one very tall tower structure so I am interested to see what Disney has done with Avatar, even though it was not my favorite movie.  I will definitely need to watch it again before May 27th.

2019: At some point in this year, the Star Wars Land portion of Hollywood Studios will be opening!

In conclusion, this summer is a great time to visit the Walt Disney World parks.  2019 will be a fantastic year to go if you are a Star Wars fan, or you can wait until 2020 when the hype decreases a little.

5K Part 2 and half marathon disappointment posts coming up soon!

Walt Disney World Updates

It seems Walt Disney World changes every time I open my laptop!  I’m going to break down the changes by park to keep myself organized but I am sure there are a few I might miss.

All Parks:

• Metal detectors are now at all Walt Disney World parks before you enter the park.  I am interested to hear how this is working as the regular bag check lines can get pretty lengthy some days.  My advice to Disney would be to somehow try to put the metal detectors ahead of the bag check so the lines wouldn’t get so backed up.  For example, put a line of metal detectors coming off the buses at MK, at the monorail exit at MK, and off the ferry at MK.  Extra security is always good but I also do not want to spend half an hour in the line to get into the park.

Magic Kingdom: 

• A new sit down restaurant has opened called Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen.  To see the menu click here.  The menu looks a little more daring than many of the Magic Kingdom menus which is exciting and I hope I can try it in January for dinner.

Hollywood Studios

• The Star Wars Launch Bay opened which has different items from the Star Wars movies and you can even get a photo with Darth Vader or a Storm Trooper depending on the timing.  Star Wars Episode VII has made over 1 billion worldwide.  I saw the movie over break and it was great.  I am looking forward to getting my photo with a Storm Trooper next summer.
• “Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular” fireworks show debuted a few days ago as well and is a Star Wars fireworks show
• The final days of the Osborne Dancing Lights are coming up.  I have heard that there is now a line to get into the Streets of America at night and that the parking lots become full.  So, if you would like to see the lights, get to Studios early and leave early.
• One Man’s Dream had a preview of the Good Dinosaur for a while, not sure if that is still there.  A Star Wars preview was also in one of the theaters at the park.

Epcot:

• Captain EO has left Epcot!  For now…but I hope for a while as I miss Honey I Shrunk the Audience.  The short term replacement is a Pixar Short Film Festival which sounds like a fun, air conditioned way to break up a long day at Epcot.

Disney Springs:

• The Ganachery, a new chocolate store opened and looks delicious.
• Two pedestrian bridges are open
•  Morimoto Asia is opening a new quick service place with a limited menu, similar to how the Wolfgang Puck Restaurant has an Express section for quick items.
• It seems a new store opens every week so stay tuned for more updates

 

Disney World: This or That Tag

Natalie at Disney Freak with a Bit of Mascara and The Disney Diva tagged me to participate in the Disney World: This or That survey.  I am going to tag Britt from Live Love Run Like a Princess because she is heading to Walt Disney World in a few weeks and Kaila from Kaila in Wonderland because she will be participating in the Disney College Program in the spring. I would definitely recommend checking out all of these sites because they are great blogs that I really enjoy reading!

I sometimes am hesitant about doing tagged posts but I LOVE posting about Disney and LOVE completing Disney questionnaires so here goes!

1.Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios? Magic Kingdom.  Hollywood Studios just can’t compare.

2.Epcot or Hollywood Studios? Definitely Epcot.  The World Showcase is amazing and one of my favorite rides in Studios, the Backlot Studios Tour has been closed for a while.  Also a little disappointed that the Osborne Lights won’t be back after this year.

3.Animal Kingdom or Epcot? Is this even a question? Epcot.  If you can’t tell Epcot is my favorite park with Magic Kingdom as a close second (right now anyways).

4.Epcot or Magic Kingdom? Epcot.  See question 3.

5.Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom? Hollywood Studios.

6.Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom? Magic Kingdom.

6.Splash Mountain or Space Mountain? Splash Mountain and I am bummed I did not get to ride it last trip

7.Peter Pan’s Flight or It’s A Small World? It’s a Small World 100%.  I do not like Peter Pan because the track is above you and not below.  I do not like rides when the track is above.

8.The Jungle Crusie or Pirates of the Carribean? This one will have to be a tie.  These rides are two of my favorite in Magic Kingdom.  I finally understand all of the jokes on The Jungle Cruise and enjoy it much more when I was little and got this and the safari in Animal Kingdom confused.  And Pirates is a classic even though I still jump at the gun shots.

9.Be Our Guest Restaurant or Crystal Palace? I haven’t been to Crystal Palace in years, but we are going to try it again next trip hopefully.  So Be Our Guest wins this one, especially since it is in my top two for Magic Kingdom restaurants.

10.Tower of Terror or Rock ‘n Roller Coaster? Tower of Terror.  I really like the whole frightening atmosphere and like watching the Twilight Zone episodes and then trying to find connections to the show in the lobby and library.

11.Beauty and the Beast-Live on Stage! or Vovage of the Little Mermaid? Well I fell asleep during Beauty and the Beast last time so…Little Mermaid it is!

12.Toy Story Mania or Star Tours-The Adventure Continues? Toy Story Mania since my stomach gets upset on Star Tours.  Although now I have seen all of the Star Wars movies so I might have to go on it again just to recognize the characters even though I won’t feel completely well after, haha.

13.Test Track or Soarin’? Both are great top Epcot attractions.  I think I would go with Test Track because I have not been on it in a while.

14.France or United Kingdom Showcase? Besides the crepes in France and the circle vision movie…the pavilion is not my favorite.  I prefer the UK pavilion because I think there is nothing better than taking a break from the rides and listening to the band play.  The UK stores are fantastic and my favorite Disney character, Winnie the Pooh, can be found here.

15.Mission Space or Spaceship Earth? I’ve only been on Mission Space once and I really enjoy Spaceship Earth so Spaceship Earth wins.

16.China or Japan Showcase? Japan because Japan has amazing drummers and delicious Hibachi.

17.Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three 
Caballeros or Maelstrom? Gran Fiesta Tour. This really should not be a question.  Anyone in my family knows that Maelstrom was my least favorite ride ever except maybe Stitch’s Great Escape.

18.It Is Tough To Be A Bug or Festival of a Lion King? Festival of the Lion King.  It’s Tough to be a Bug is scary, especially when there is so much smoke and you can’t see anything!  But I could watch the Lion King show over and over.  Disney is the only place where you can get hundreds of people to act like elephants in the audience while they are waiting for the show to start.

19.DINOSAUR or Expedition Everest? Audio-animatronic dinosaurs are my number one fear so I definitely prefer Expedition Everest.

20. Polynesian Resort or Contemporary? Contemporary.  Great restaurants and within walking distance to Magic Kingdom.

21.Pop Century Resort or Art of Animation? I haven’t been to either but Art of Animation looks more fun.

Thanksgiving at the Brown Derby

 Day 2 of the Walt Disney World restaurant week and I have to state a fact.  I am a picky eater.  Anyone who knows me and is reading this blog post already knows this but here is my disclaimer for those who are reading and don’t know me as well.  Anyways, the Brown Derby is not my favorite restaurant in Disney because most of the food is fancier than I would like it to be (I am perfectly content with a bowl of pasta with sprinkle cheese on the side).

However, in November 2012, we were in Walt Disney World for Thanksgiving and of course I had to eat Turkey for Thanksgiving.  We did not know ahead of time that the menu was going to be preset if I remember correctly but it turned out fine.  Unfortunately, the dinner was interrupted by my digital camera (what people used before iPhones) not working right after these photos were taken.  And I apologize for the blurry picture of the menu so you can either try to decipher it above or read below.  Also the menu might have changed since 2012.  The appetizer for $10 was a Oyster and Brie Soup with Champagne, Chives, and Lemon Aioli.  The main meal *the most important and what I ate* was Turkey Breast with Apple-Pecan Cornbread Dressing, Butternut Squash and Green Beans, Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry-Orange Relish, and Natural Pan Gravy for $32 for adults or $13 for children.  The dessert was a Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pecan Brittle, and a Cinnamon Anglaise for $9.

Anyways, the dinner was very good even though I am not big on Thanksgiving food.  I really enjoyed the turkey, although I wasn’t a mashed potatoes fan then and I remember the rest of my family enjoying the meal as well.   I do remember that a few family members wished there were more cranberries with the turkey and actually ordered additional and we all wished that there was a chocolate dessert .  I would recommend eating at Brown Derby for Thanksgiving since it was very good and there are a limited number of places that serve Thanksgiving food on Thanksgiving in Walt Disney World.  Make sure to make your advanced dining reservations early if you are going to be in Disney during a major holiday!    

Last Year for the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

The Disney Parks Blog announced today that this will be the final year for the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights in Hollywood Studios (Click here to read the official announcement). Many guests are disappointed about this but are not completely surprised since rumors have been circulating that the new construction would take place where the lights are displayed. I’m really disappointed by this news. When my family and I visited Walt Disney World in November 2012, the dancing lights were my favorite part of the Christmas decorations. They were magnificent! I could’ve spent all night there watching the lights move to the music around the streets of America buildings.  Somehow it also manages to snow in Florida while the lights display goes on. The cycle of songs only lasts about 10 minutes before pausing for a few minutes and then repeating. These lights are one of the most magical things I have seen at Disney  If you haven’t seen the lights I would recommend planning a trip now to go over Thanksgiving break or on a weekend if you can to see the lights. If you don’t know the story behind the lights you should look it up as well, but here is a short two sentence summary.  The lights originated at the Osborne Family’s home and expanded every year until neighbors complained about the brightness. The lights moved to Walt Disney World and have been a fan favorite ever since.  Anyways, if you know anyone who needs a tour guide around Walt Disney World for their upcoming November-December trip to Walt Disney World let me know!  I would LOVE to see the lights again before they are gone.

Star Wars Movies

I finally finished watching all six of the Star Wars Movies.  My dad had a goal to have a Star Wars movie marathon over the summer and we were able to finish 5/6 movies in the three days before I left for school.  We started out watching the first one in black and white and color.  How is that possible?  Just use a broken VCR player.  We only lasted a few minutes before we decided the VHS was not working.  But it was funny watching and saying “C3PO is walking in snow, nope sand, nope snow” when the screen flickered between color and black and white.

I finished the last one (in order of release) on Saturday night.  I am very interested now to see what Disney decides to focus on when they add the Star Wars section of Hollywood Studios.  I also think it would be neat to be in Disney during one of the Star Wars weekends.  Then again, I would love to experience every special event Disney holds.  But now I am thrilled that I can finally understand more of the Star Tours area and know who C3PO is during the ride.

I really enjoyed the movies, but it was hard to watch such a popular series with the bits of information I had already heard about the series.  So for example, I knew that Darth Vader was Luke’s father (which most people know) but I kept asking my dad questions about when was Luke going to find out and how did Darth Vader turn bad and so on.  This also hints at my lack of patience but when there are six movies, it is hard to wait 7 hours for an answer in the third movie!

I picked up a pack of Star Wars Heroes playing cards at the Hot Topic store in the shopping outlets near my school and they are very cool because no two cards are the same.  A lot of card packs repeat the photos across the deck but this one does not.  I collect packs of cards and have about 20 something packs right now.  I like to collect cards when I travel and it is also fun to have a wide variety of cards to choose from when playing rummy with friends.

I liked the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 6th the most, but not in that order.  And this is in the order the movies were released in, not chronological order.

I found out I have work on the Star Wars runDisney weekend, which further makes the point that I can’t sign up for the event unfortunately.

I hope everyone had a great weekend.   Have an awesome Monday!  (First day of school for me!)

 

Relaxing at Disney: Hollywood Studios

Thanks to my cousin for suggesting that I write a post on how to relax at Walt Disney World.  Sometimes you go with people on a Disney vacation who want to relax the entire time they are there instead of running from one ride to the next and staying out from park opening to closing.  If you are used to a high speed Disney vacation or were hoping to have one, accommodating for the travel companion who would like some downtime can be challenging.  You want to still have a fantastic vacation and see everything possible but you also want to make sure that they are not completely exhausted and are having a fantastic time too.  So, I will be writing a series with posts on each park and options outside of the parks for ways to relax.

Hollywood Studios is a challenging park for relaxation.  The park is physically smaller than Magic Kingdom and Epcot and does not have as many benches or places to sit.  But there are some ways you can slow down during the day.

1) Watch a show.  The Beauty and the Beast show is a little less noisy than Lights, Motors, Action but is also shorter.  You will be sitting down during these shows, out of the hot Florida sun or afternoon shower and so they can provide a nice break from the constant walking.  Disney has also started movie previews in one of the theaters which last about 10-15 minutes and are nice to see.

2) Go to the Streets of America (if it isn’t Christmastime).  Unless the Christmas lights are up, the Streets of America are usually very quiet.  You can sit on a bench or walk around slowly and be separated from the hundreds of guests in the rest of the parks.  I find it fun to try and spot all of the New York references on the stores and take photos next to the subway or shops.  Also a great meeting place for a large group since it is rarely packed here.

3) Shopping…for me this is stressful, but for others it is relaxing.  The shops on either side of me in the photo above are great, as well as the little ones such as the Indiana Jones store.  Some of the stores have items you can’t find in many other places in WDW.

4) Sit-down table service meals are good because you don’t have to worry about finding a table and you are forced to eat a little slower as you wait for the drink and meal to come.  You might prefer the less expensive option of grabbing a hot dog and running to the next attraction, but if someone wants to take the day more leisurely, either set a time minimum for lunch (30 min) or go to a sit-down where you are in air conditioning and have to spend time waiting.

5) If you finish what you would like to see in Hollywood Studios, then take the boat over to Epcot, which can be a less hectic park than Studios.

 

Disney Challenge

Natalie at Natalie’s Mostly Disney Blog (https://ncdavis2003.wordpress.com/2015/05/26/i-got-tagged-to-do-the-disney-challenge/) tagged me to do the Disney Challenge.   I have not been on top of writing posts lately but her tag has inspired me to write and schedule a few posts today!  Thank you Natalie for getting me back on track with blogging!  I was tagged in the Beauty Bloggers challenge by Danielle (https://itsagreatblogafterall.wordpress.com/2015/05/06/beauty-blogger-tag/) and that post is coming soon as well.

1.What was the first time you went to Disney World? I was 6 months old for my first Disney trip.

2.What is your favorite Disney Park? Epcot is my favorite Disney Park but I enjoy Magic Kingdom the best for extra magic hours at night.

3.What is your favorite land in Magic Kingdom? This is a challenging question but I have to say it would probably have to be Frontierland because I love Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and the general feel of the area.

4.What is your favorite Disney resort? Old Key West

5.What is your favorite snack in Disney World? Favorite snack by far is the same as Natalie’s favorite snack which is the Mickey Ice Cream bar.  I can’t go to WDW and not get a few!

6.What is your favorite souvenir to get in Disney? Although not considered souvenirs, my aunt and I always send out postcards on our trips. I enjoy picking out the postcards in the store and mailing them to family and friends.

7.What is your favorite counter and table service in Disney World? So many restaurants in WDW and I have to pick two?  Oh no.  One of my favorite counter service restaurants in Disney is Be Our Guest and one of my favorite table service restaurants is 50’s Prime Time Cafe.  I also really like Yak & Yeti in Animal Kingdom, but we do not eat there too often.

8.What is your favorite ride in Disney World? My favorite ride in Disney right now is the Tower of Terror.

9.What is your favorite show in Disney World? My favorite show is the Hoop Dee Doo at Fort Wilderness because it is hysterical.  I definitely recommend it if you haven’t seen it.  My favorite in park show would be the Beauty and the Beast show in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

10. What is your favorite parade and night show in Disney? My favorite parade was “Remember the Magic” in Magic Kingdom.  I remember this parade most from the home movies I have watched of it but I could sing more of that soundtrack than I could of the new Festival of Fantasy parade.  My favorite night show is Wishes, but I loved seeing Disney Dreams! in Disneyland Paris last summer.

11.What is your favorite world showcase  in Epcot? My favorite pavilion is definitely the United Kingdom because it is always fun to stop and listen to the music there.

12.What color is your magic band? Blue

13.What is your favorite character to meet in Disney?  I like meeting Mary Poppins because we share a name or Winnie the Pooh because he is my favorite character.

14.What is a Disney character you haven’t seen that you wish you could see? I would like to meet more of the princes!

15.What is your favorite Disney memory? Well this has to be the most challenging question I have ever answered in a survey.  Hmmmm…this is too hard!  Can I pass on this for now and come back to it in a few weeks once I have an article written with a bunch of my favorite memories?

16.What is your favorite Disney character? Winnie the Pooh

What is your favorite Disney song? When I am running I like listening to “Go the Distance” but I also really like “Golden Dreams” from the American Adventure pavilion in Epcot.  My favorite classic Disney song might be “Under the Sea.”

Fun Fact Friday #17

Disney Fun Fact: Casablanca is one of the very few films which is featured in the movie clip sequence that you watch while waiting for the Great Movie Ride AND has a scene in the ride.  The above photo is a photo of the huge movie screen in the waiting area.

My Fun Fact: I watched Casablanca a few years ago for the first time and am on a mission to watch all of the movies that are featured in the Great Movie Ride.  I still have many movies to watch!  I am not looking forward to watching Alien…

What’s your favorite part of the Great Movie Ride?  Have you seen all of the movies that are a part of the ride?

March Trip Report Day 3: Elsa and Anna vs. Cinderella

Thank you so much to my 100th subscriber! Here is a link to my 100th subscriber so you can look at her blog!  https://examiningdisney.wordpress.com  and here is the promised, highly anticipated third day of my trip.

Day 3 of our March Trip was spent in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  The bag check lines were a little long getting into the park, compared to Epcot the day before but it was okay.  It was starting to get warm but was not supposed to be as hot as the day before.  My sister and I wore matching shirts and matching braids which my mom did for us.  My shirt said “She’s my Anna” with a Mickey hand pointing to my sister and she wore one with “She’s my Elsa” on it (pics later on in post).  It was so weird not seeing Mickey’s Sorcerer Hat as we walked into the park!  As my dad said, with the hat present, it always seemed like the Chinese Theater was slightly off center, but as you can see that is not the case.  Construction walls were up around the front part where the hat was, but did not hinder the overall experience.

We had Fastpass+ Reservations for Tower of Terror so we went there first.  The line was the longest we had seen it in a while.  We almost debated getting out of line and riding it at a later time, but we stuck it out.  This was the first time I was not scared and was actually more excited going on the ride.  The lobby, library and the ghosts don’t frighten me anymore but the cast members still sorta do!  Next we had Fastpasses for Toy Story Mania so figured we should probably get there quickly.  It had just been announced that a third track was going to be built since the lines are CRAZY.

Well the Fastpass line was so backed up due to a breakdown and a health emergency.  You know it is bad when the Fastpass line is not moving at all and standing a good thirty feet outside of the first Magic Band scanner.  But, it did give us a good opportunity to check out the Hollywood Studios snapchat filters and take a few photos.  We decided to wait it out and it eventually got up and running.  We probably spent half an hour waiting, which is not too bad.  It was nice to be able to explore the line as well and talk about how kids these days will never know what ViewFinders are.  I bet most kids would not recognize a majority of the games featured in the ride, which is a shame.  Toy Story Mania was good but I lost to my sister…by a lot.  I think there was something wrong with my ring toss thing.

We went to One Man’s Dream because we all enjoy seeing the different artifacts in there.  I always like seeing Walt Disney’s childhood desk, a model of how his office looked and the set up of the room where Walt filmed his Florida Project video.  In case you have not been before, I have included a few photos.  There is also a film after all of the artifacts (including a model of the Abraham Lincoln animatronic) explaining Walt Disney’s life and how he came to design Disneyland.  We see the film every few trips, but passed on it this time in the interest of time.  We met up with my mom and decided to quickly head to see Cinderella’s carriage before lunch.  The carriage is currently located on the Streets of America, where the Osbourne Family Spectacular of Lights is during the holidays.  We waited in the hot sun to get our photo taken by it while listening to Sweat, Mulch, and Shears perform down the street.  It was worth it though and very cool to see the carriage from the movie up close.  I still have not seen the movie, but hope to soon.

After getting our picture taken, we ran over to 50’s Prime Time Cafe for lunch.  I had an amazing chocolate milkshake there, as well as a very good Chicken Pot Pie.  My entire family enjoyed their meals very much.  My milkshake was the first milkshake I had had in months though and it tasted heavenly.  We always like eating here for a sit down lunch.  Maybe I will do a few future posts on restaurants we ate at during this trip.

After lunch, we had some time so we went to watch the 10 minute preview of the new Cinderella movie in one of the theaters.  The preview made us all want to go see the movie right away and we thought about seeing it a few days later in Downtown Disney, but never made it.  Hopefully I will get to see it before it is out of theaters.  Our Fastpass time for the Frozen Sing Along was approaching so we walked over to that.  As I said in the earlier post on it, it was FANTASTIC!  I just can’t let it go how great it was.

We managed to fit in a lot more than I thought into Day 3 of the trip.  After the Sing a Long, we had a refueling break at the Writer’s Stop cafe.  We also took a pic of our shirts so that you can better see what they look like!  On our list of things to do, we only had the Great Movie Ride left for the day and we had just enough time to fit it in before having to head back to get ready for dinner.  The Great Movie Ride is another family favorite.  I used to not enjoy it because I was scared of the shooting and had really only seen the Wizard of Oz but now that I know what’s happening and more of the movies, I really like it.  We waited on the standby line for this attraction and it was not too bad.  I liked being able to notice the details of the Chinese Theater and watch the movie collection on the screen.

After the Great Movie Ride, we called it a day for the parks.  When you know how to strategize the attractions and your top things for the day, you can get a lot done.  We went back to Old Key West, relaxed, and got ready for dinner.

We met my aunt at Trattoria al Forno on the Boardwalk for dinner.  This restaurant was a million times better than Cat Cora’s old one.  I had plain pasta with parmesan cheese because I had been craving that for a few days, bread, and gelato.  Italian food is my favorite.  We then watched a few of the street magician shows and walked around the shops on the Boardwalk.  The Boardwalk has a lovely atmosphere at night and it was great seeing my aunt.  I was ready for sleep after this.  I went back to the room and fell asleep very quickly.

So in terms of Anna and Elsa vs. Cinderella, Anna and Elsa got one point for us going to the Sing Along and another point for the shirts we wore.  Cinderella got a point for her carriage and another point for the movie preview.  Just shows that new Disney princesses can never overtake the classic ones.  Day 4 we head to Downtown Disney and the Grand Floridian on our “relax” day.