Monthly Archives: March 2014

Walt Disney World’s Splash Mountain – 5 Great Things

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Splash Mountain Warning Sign“Everybody’s got a laughing place (high ho!).
   A laughing place to go-ho-ho! (high ho!).
    Take that frown, turn it upside down
    And you’ll find yours we say-hey-hey.
 And soon you’ll find you’re here to stay!” – Everybody has a Laughing Place – Splash Mountain

Whenever we visit the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, The Fam and I love the mountains!  Tomorrowland’s Space Mountain and the twin peaks of Frontierland – Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain.  A visit to the Magic Kingdom wouldn’t be complete without hitting these three rides at least one time.

The strategy for our mountain conquering expedition always involves arriving before the park opens and heading for Frontierland first – we’ll hit Splash and Big Thunder before the standby Walt Disney World's Splash Mountainlines grow too long (more than 30 minutes), then use a FastPass later in the day for Space Mountain (if necessary).  I’ve mentioned before our best-loved things about Big Thunder and I’ll save Space Mountain for another day – right now, I present to you….

FIVE Great things about Splash Mountain (Note: must be 40″ to ride):

1. It’s one of the most highly themed rides in the World!  So. Many. Details – This ride (based on the 1946 Disney movie Song of the South) tells the story of Br’er Fox’s attempts to capture Br’er Rabbit.  Of course, Br’er Fox is assisted by his bumbling side-kick, Br’er Bear.  Following along on their adventures adds an extra element of fun to this attraction – which lasts a whopping TEN minutes!

The 50-Foot Drop on Splash Mountain2. Dark ride, log flume!  It’s a dark ride, but unlike most (Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain) – this is not a scary ride!  It’s a bit like riding in a little log boat through a cartoon.  Br’er Frog starts the ride off with a little speculation about what he thinks will happen.  As you bob along, you’ll meet a great number of adorable musical creatures who add to the tale.  As you go, a couple of little dips and drops prepare you for the main event: The 50 foot plunge!  At 40 miles an hour!  Yes, you will get wet, but it’s totally worth it!

3. SO many animatronics.  In addition to the main Br’er characters, Mr. Bluebird and many other birds are singing and playing instruments, there are frogs, turtles (riding geysers), ‘possums, gophers – just bunches of creatures to see and hear….and that’s not all!

4. Little houses, little mailboxes, little clothes drying on the line – the animals aren’t the only fantastic details that make up this great ride.  Walt Disney World's Splash Mountain SceneryThere are honeybees, briar patches, even a huge paddle-wheeler-grand-finale!  This ride’s got everything and…

5. Catchy tunes!  Along with The Laughing Place song and other great tunes, who doesn’t love Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah?  There’s enough variety of happy music, it doesn’t get monotonous (I’m not pointing fingers *cough*smallworld*cough). And the songs add so much to the experience, you’ll find yourself toe-tapping and singing along.

Br'er Rabbit - Splash Mountain“Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-ay!
My oh my, what a wonderful day!
 Welcoming back Br’er Rabbit today.
We always knew that he’d get away.”

What do YOU love most about Splash Mountain?

 

 

What if Wednesday – An Evening With the Muppets

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What if Wednesday

Fellow Disney Fans!  It’s time once again for What-If Wednesday!  The game show where we use our imagination to answer Disney-specific “What-if” questions.  Contestants from Twitter and Facebook go head to head and compete to invent the most popular answers.  Get ready to let your imagination run wild!  And as Drew Carey would say, this is ”the show where everything’s made up and the points don’t matter.”

In honor of this week’s premier of Muppets Most Wanted, our weekly what-if became a bit of a Muppet mash-up.  The question of the week was:

WHAT IF you could have an evening out (drinks and dinner) with TWO of your favorite Muppet Guitar Disney PinMuppets?  Who would you choose and why?

I’m excited to say that contestants from both Twitter and Facebook jumped right on it!  No shortage of opinions or Muppets favorites – just the way I like it!  Here we go:

Starting with Twitter this week…

 

Sara (@CheshireCanuck) answered right away with ” Fozzie because he would tell lame jokes all night and that would be awesome AND Pepe cuz he’s just cool.”  Good answer, Sarah – Fozzie does tell lame jokes – unapologetically and with gusto – the fact that he clearly LOVES his own jokes is endearing indeed.  Now Pepe, the accent, the propensity for romantic gestures…well, he would just be an interesting dinner companion for sure!

Wesley Snyder (@365DaysOfDisney) was a bit of a maverick!  Wesley voted for “Animal and Sweetums at a Vegas buffet. It would be glorious. :-D”  Some thought went into that answer, Wesley!  Two things occurred to me:  No way could you out-eat someone of Sweetum’s stature and Animal probably has terrible table manners.  By comparison, Wesley, the rest of us would look like incredibly polite diners with bird-like appetites.  Brilliant!  100 bonus points for you!  Wesley also added, “Sweetums is underrated. I love him and I like his walk-through character at the Muppets 3-D too.”  100 MORE Bonus points for appreciating Sweetums’ best work!

Rowlf Disney PinDisneyPrincess83 (@OzGoofyPrincess) also wanted to spend the evening with Fozzie, but chose Rowlf as her other companion for the evening – she said, “They are my absolute favourites! They are both so funny – in very different ways.”  This idea has balance!  Fozzie’s eager to please, bold humor offset by Rowlf’s more laid back, easy going dry wit.  Good choices for an enjoyable evening!

***I’m throwing in a NON-Twitter, NON-Facebook entry – Raymond (from the other end of the couch) also voted for Fozzie and Rowlf – most likely for the exact same reasons as the DisneyPrincess83 but, being a man of few words, Raymond did not elaborate on his answer.*** (Thanks for playing, though, Honey.  You’re the best!)   ‏

Safari Mike (@JamboEveryone) First, I gotta say that I’m a teeny bit flattered and somewhat Statler and Waldorfstar-struck that Mike played this week – I love the Radio Harambe podcast!  AND Mike chose the very same two Muppets I would have chosen myself!  In answer to the What-if Wednesday query, Mike said, “easy Waldorf and Statler for the comedy” – YES!  Those two are perfect.  They’re hilarious, irreverent, and PUNNY!  Best hecklers EVER!!!  Plus, I bet they have some amazing stories to share,

Andrew Carrieri (@AndrewCfran) chose the same – “Statler and Waldorf, so I can make lame jokes with them :D” – I disagree with one thing in that answer – those jokes are not lame.  They are brilliant!!!  And so are YOU, Andrew for choosing those two for your answer.

Kermit PinJordan Duncan (@JordanGhastly) “I’d go w/ Kermit b/c he’s the iconic Muppet and Dr. Teeth b/c he’s the band leader (and modeled after Dr. John).”  Now, Jordan has thought about this – I commented about how Kermit would probably be willing to answer questions as long as they weren’t too personal (I also mentioned that I LOVE Dr. Teeth’s voice) and Jordan added “Kermit always gives good advice through a narrative of his life it seems. He’s one to learn from. I’d jam with Dr. Teeth!”  Feature that for an evening on the town and YES, Jordan – good times would be in store!  Excellent answer and very original!

Miss PiggyDisney Dream Girls (@DisDreamGirls) Now when the Dream Girls join in the fun, you never know what surprises to expect – this time was no different when the What-if question was answered like this:  “Pepe and Miss Piggy… I’d take them to ‘Ohana for the fire pit grilled prawns n pork #mmmm”  Whoa!  Ladies!  I posed a question begging for thoughts on an evening’s entertainment and you did not disappoint!  Thinking outside the box in a big way – 1000 bonus points to you!  Just imagine Piggy and Pepe when the ‘Ohana server explains the menu!  Hahahahahahha!!!!

Now, here’s what our Facebook contestants had to say:

Niki answered, “Beaker because he’s simply amazing and Kermit of course for his gentle soul!”  I Beakeragree, Nick – Beaker is certainly something unusual – a man of few (or absolutely no) words, his perpetual aura of shocked surprise would liven up a night on the town to be sure.  Kermit is a gentle soul and would guarantee a lovely evening.  Excellent (and unique) answer! – 150 bonus points for picking Beaker!  Glad you played again this week.

Christina played along this time and wished her night out to be with “Miss Piggy and Gonzo.  She would get the conversation going (about herself) and Gonzo would be interesting (or we could blow him out of a cannon :)”  So TRUE – you could just kick back, cocktail in hand – launch Miss Piggy into a lengthy monolog with a fashion/QVC question and while she’s sharing her latest news, let Gonzo….well…..be GONZO!  Yep – that would be fun.  Maybe he could explain the chicken fetish.

Sharon, a brand new follower on Facebook – jumped into the fray in a big way!  Sharon’s answer was “Sweetums just because I have always loved him, and the duo of Mert the LaChoy salesman and the dragon. I can’t remember his name.”  Seriously?  A person who both remembers Delbert the Dragon AND Mert the LaChoy salesman – both very VERY early Muppets (mid-1960’s) and admits to knowing them!!!!  Sharon, I think I love you.  Way to GO!  2000 bonus points for Muppet knowledge! (and not being afraid to show your age!)

Heather dreams BIG with this answer:  “Miss Piggy and Rowlf. They’re my two favorites. Plus, Rowlf could play the piano while Piggy and I did a big song-and-dance number.”  Of all the imaginary Muppet dates this week, Heather’s the one I want an invite for.  I would keep Rowlf company on his piano bench (Squeeeee!) and enjoy what would certainly be the amazingly entertaining spectacle of watching Heather and Miss Piggy’s epic dance performance!  Yipee!  More bonus points (a gajillion) for participation and wicked imagination go to Heather.  Can I get a “WooHoo”?

My Goodness!  You guys killed me this week!  What GREAT participation!!!  I loved everyone’s passion and thoughtfulness.  I have the BEST followers, readers, “like”-ers in the world and appreciate your playing….What-if Wednesday!!! (big voice, echo, echo, echo)  Please watch for the next “What-if” question and hop on board for another round.

 

Cruising Disney’s Magic in the Mediterranean – At Sea

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The Coast of Italy as Seen from the Disney MagicThis is part 9 of a series.  Links to the rest of the trip report may be found at the very bottom of this post.

The last day of our cruise (Friday, August 16th) was a very special day…Megan’s 23rd birthday!  It was particularly great that this was an at-sea day – we could take it easy and help Megan celebrate; quite a change from the previous four super-busy days.  We had the opportunity to sleep in a little later before getting ready for our Palo Brunch.

I’d brought along a Disney princess birthday banner to decorate with and a sparkly tiara for Megan to wear on her special day.  Raymond and I had also stopped by one of the gift shops and picked up a Belle scepter and some pins for our princess.  The gift shop Celebrating a Birthday on a Disney CruiseCast Member put everything in a nice gift bag for us, which we dropped off at Palo mid-morning (so our server could bring it to our table later as a surprise).   At 11:00, we all met for brunch.  I carefully put Megan’s tiara on her head and wished her a happy birthday – her reaction was everything I’d hoped for.  She did not take off her tiara all day!

Once again, Sylvester was our server (as requested) and, in honor of her birthday, Sly helped Megan select a bottle of sparkling wine to celebrate – Megan decided on the Banfi Rosa Regale – a sparkling rose with hints of strawberry and raspberry – which was so delicious, we had Birthday Celebration on the Disney Magicto find it again once we got home!  Sylvester also presented Megan with a plate containing a birthday message written in chocolate!  Brunch at Palo is nothing like dinner.  There are several buffet stations and also a full menu of made-to-order dishes.  The atmosphere is lighter and the diners seem much more focused on the food (and the experience of tasting and enjoying many different things) at brunch than at dinner.  And oh, what food!  Caviar, seafood, salads, cold vegetables, breads, cheeses, Danish, sweet rolls, and all manner of desserts make up the buffet.  The menu offers delicious flatbreads (a Palo specialty) and several entrees, many featuring eggs/breakfast-like items.  As we ate, the ship was passing between Sardinia and Corsica, which made for stunning views from Palo’s plentiful windows.  This time, our meal did not, thankfully, last three hours.  We were finished a little before one and Raymond and I went our way and Megan, Grant, Joseph, and Jason went theirs.Relaxing at Sea on the Disney Magic

Knowing the Magic was about to go into dry dock for some major changes, Raymond and I had wanted to take a tour to see the ship one last time in her original form.  Checking our Navigator for the day, we found a tour was scheduled at 4:15 – we could tell the original Magic good-bye and take some pictures to remember her by.

Between brunch and the ship tour, we spent a leisurely afternoon, sadly beginning to pack our suitcases.  We would find out later that the birthday girl and her entourage made the most of their time with shopping, character meetings, and enjoying the special attention that accompanies onboard celebrations.

Original Chandelier on the Disney MagicAt the appointed time, we met for our Art of the Theme Show Tour with a very small group – one group member left our guide scrambling for a minute to find a Spanish-speaking Cast Member to go along with us and translate.  Mission accomplished and we were off.  We knew some of the facts and figures about the magic simply from having sailed on her before, but the guide was interesting and told us quite a few new things about the history of the Magic and her sister ship, the Wonder.

The highlight of the tour for me was seeing the seam where the Magic, constructed in two halves, had finally been assembled into one vessel.  I had no idea that, in order for the Magic and Wonder to be twins, the Wonder has a tattoo of sorts – a pretend seam painted on her in the exact same place as on the Magic.  The Wonder had not been made in two separate pieces and was missing that small detail.  This The Disney Magic's Seam - two halves joinedone small thing, that honestly NO one would notice or care about, is a perfect example of what makes Disney Cruise Line the absolute best cruise experience for guests of all ages.

Dinner that evening was pretty sad.  We were in Lumiere’s – parting company with our servers and trying not to think about the long plane trip ahead of us.  That night’s show was Disney Dreams – one of our favorites!  Due to the time of our flight (very early), we would not be leaving our luggage outside our rooms, but would carry it off with us in the morning to save time in the port terminal.  This made our last evening a lot less frantic without the usual mad packing to get our luggage out in the hall while keeping everything we would need to get ready the next morning.  While Raymond and I were drifting off to sleep, Megan, Grant, Joseph and Jason were squeezing every last drop of fun out of our trip that they possibly could by attending the “Til We Meet Again” 'Til We Meet Again on the Disney Magicfarewell party in the Lobby Atrium and having a wonderful time!

I’ll do one final post in this report to sum it all up, consolidate links, and give some tips you may find helpful.  If you have any questions, please ask away!

 

 

Links to all the other parts of the trip report:Princesses on Disney Cruise Line

 

Disney Cruise Line Character Interactions Meeting Princesses on a Disney Cruise

Collecting Disney Character Autographs

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Aladdin and Jasmine at Walt Disney WorldFor Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Disney Cruise Line guests, one of the best, most fun things about meeting Disney characters is getting their autographs!  A great, inexpensive souvenir to treasure forever – what could be better than obtaining the actual signature of your favorite Disney superstar?  Whether you wait in line to meet your favorite character or run into them on the spur of the moment, having that special, face-to-face meeting is one of the most magical experiences of a Disney vacation.

What you need to bring:  Large, easy to hold markers or pens (several colors) and a stable  Disney Character Autographs - Mickeysurface for characters to sign.

A basic, easy to carry and use means of autograph collecting is the autograph book.  Advantages:  Autographs are all in one place, great for showing friends and family the different characters’ signatures, children can easily carry these small books and present a blank page for signing, characters can easily sign (or in some cases, stamp) their names.  Downside is that the signatures are inside a book – viewers have to take the time to see them.

Disney Character Autographs - Aladdin and JasmineAnother alternative, is having characters sign a tee shirt or pillowcase.  This takes a little bit more effort than a book because the fabric must be positioned strategically for each signature and something solid must be placed under the area to be signed to make it as easy as possible for those superstars to make their marks (an empty DVD case works well and is light and easy to carry along).  The pros of obtaining autographs on a tee or pillowcase – you (or your pillow) can wear the final product!  A great way to show off all those unique signatures at one time. Cons are, your autograph collection wears out over time (or is outgrown).

Photo mats are another great place to collect autographs.  Photos of character meet-and-greets can be showcased alongside those characters’ signatures!  I particularly love this option.  Pros:  a fantastic option for all ages, lasts Disney Character Autographs on Photo Matsmany years, displays your pictures and the autographs!  Cons:  Harder to carry around, may be more difficult for certain characters to sign/fit their names within a somewhat narrow area.

Finally, another great idea I recently read about (and one we will be using on our next WDW vacation) is to bring along some Christmas ornaments (I recommend shatterproof!) for characters to autograph.  Now, this probably won’t work with characters who stamp instead of sign their names (like Kermit and Miss Piggy, if I recall correctly), but prince and princess autographs would be beautiful on ornaments.  The ornaments I’ve chosen, are medium-sized, clear plastic and they come in two pieces – trinkets/souvenirs can actually be placed inside before the ornaments are assembled.  This Clear Ornament for Disney Character Autographsallows for some fantastic, creative options.  (These ornaments were less than $2 each at my favorite craft store.)

A couple of examples: if I manage to get Ariel’s autograph, I could put sand and shells inside the ornament.  A Belle ornament could hold little books, a rose, some yellow lace, etc.  Any of the Fab Five’s ornaments could contain actual character figures, Elsa’s could have snowflakes, Winnie the Pooh’s could hold toy honey bees – the possibilities are endless!   I’m planning to carry two each day, tucked securely in a small backpack – I’ll let you know how it goes.  I’m also considering more fancy pen options (rather than our usual colored Sharpie fine-point markers) – like metallic paint pens?  If you’ve tried this or have thoughts to share, please comment away!

You should know:  On a Disney cruise, items needing autographs may be left at guest services – the Characters will sign the shirt, pillowcase, or photo matte, etc. and the final collection of Pillowcase for Disney Character Autographs autographs will be conveniently left in your stateroom when finished.  If you’re planning a Disney cruise, take advantage of this wonderful service!

Other tips for character interactions can be found here.

What are your favorite character autograph gathering methods?  Do you have any tips I haven’t mentioned?