Category Archives: Attraction Reviews

Finding Tangled in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

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RM-Festival-Of-Fantasy-Mime-From-TangledHappy Saturday, Tangled Fans!  Today’s post is for you!!!  It might be tempting to despair over the cold, but true, fact that Tangled is seriously under-represented at Walt Disney World.  Sure, the Snuggly Duckling float in the Festival of Fantasy Parade (most days, Magic Kingdom, 3 o’clock) is perfectly amazing.  Rapunzel, Flynn, and all the expected details are there.  But it’s fleeting…rolling right on by within seconds.  Thrilling!  And then gone.  Tangled has no dedicated rides or attractions on its own…or does it?  Perhaps we need to take a closer look at what IS devoted to this popular Disney movie, and so I give you this week’s installment of Saturdays With Nick…enjoy!

Finding Tangled in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

By Nick

Today on Disney Musings I thought we would talk about a serious topic. Bathrooms.

They are pretty important. And who wouldn’t enjoy a nicely themed area to visit when necessary?

The Tangled themed rest area in Fantasyland is a lovely stop.

Rapunzel’s tower catches your attention from a distance.

The theme is carried throughout with wanted posters.

The popular weapon, the frying pan outside…

…and in the men’s room.

Lanterns are hung throughout, and look especially lovely as evening approaches.

Portions of this article originally appeared on the Disney Musings Blog.  Follow all the Disney adventures of Nick, his wife, Barbie, and friends in the following locations:

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Please listen to Nick, our friend Dave, and I on The Disney Exchange Podcast where we discuss our love of all things Disney and offer travel tips, restaurant and resort reviews, planning advice, and other Disney-related nonsense…while we argue and laugh a LOT.  Follow the Disney Exchange on Facebook and weigh in on our many opinion-solicitations.

Y’all have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Still Loving Expedition Everest

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RM-Expedition-EverestStill Loving Expedition Everest

In the early days of this blog, I waxed poetic about my favorite Disney World attraction, Expedition Everest.  Now, a couple of years later, I’m reevaluating my attraction rankings.  I’ve changed my mind about the Country Bears over time (I love them now!), I’m still anti-Stitch’s Great Escape, and my favorite Walt Disney World attraction is….still Expedition Everest.

So many to choose from, so many fantastic, amazing experiences…EE (as I like to call it) edges out all competition in my mind for a few simple reasons:

  1.  The Location!  Biggest and bad-est thrill ride in Animal Kingdom.  EE’s got a great lead-up going for it.  Like walking down Sunset Boulevard towards the Tower of Terror in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the approach to Everest is full of interesting and amazing, well-themed atmosphere.  There’s a tendency to rush to this attraction.  You’ll see folks bookin’ it and you’ll want to get swept up in the excitement.  Resist it, friend, take your time on the approach.  It’s worth it.  Especially if you’ll be heading for the stand-by line.RM-Expedition-Everest-Sign
  2. The Queue!  There are some absolutely amazing waits in the World, but nothing beats the queue for Expedition Everest.  It’s interesting, mood-setting, and so heavily detailed you would swear you’re in both a yeti museum and a Yeti-hunting outfitters.  If you see me in this line, please don’t rush me.  I like to take my time.RM-Expedition-Everest-Queue-Statue
  3. The Anticipation!  You’ll weave your way in and out of all the amazing displays while you wait in line.  During this time, you’ll see and hear the tea-trains heading up (and down) the Forbidden Mountain.  Excitement builds.  By the time you board the train yourself, you are SO excited, you can hardly believe it!  (Or maybe it’s just me.  Holler at me in the comments if you are completely unmoved by the build up to this ride!)RM-Expedition-Everest-Yeti-Museum
  4. The Broken Yeti!  Oh, sure, the whiners and haters are gonna hate.  The Yeti used to be both more visible and more active.  His/her dreadlocks were spectacularly displayed as a gigantic simian arm took a swipe at you as you passed by.  Now we have Disco Yeti and I don’t care.  I may fondly recall the early days when the original Yeti was visible, but now?  Disco Yeti has grown a cult following of epic proportions.  Fix it now and I predict much protesting will ensue.RM-Expedition-Everest-Tea-Train
  5. The (I can’t believe I’m going to say this) Gift Shop!  It’s one of the best.  The unique merchandise and fun atmosphere make this one hard to pass through without browsing at least a little bit.  I especially like the tee-shirts here and find a great selection for tweens and teens looking for the perfect souvenir.

EE fans!!!  Who’s with me?  What do you love most about the best Walt Disney World attraction?!?!?!?!

Disney Attractions I Love (More Than I Should)

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RM-Country-Bears-HenryYou know I love a Friday Five and today’s no different.  I have, at any given time, about 27 blog post ideas running around in my head vying for attention, but this one was completely off the radar and sprung up out of nowhere!  In my Disney geek-ery, I usually shout from the mountain tops (like Expedition Everest, Space, Splash and Big Thunder Mountains) about those E-Ticket attractions that (most of) you and I find irresistible.  But what about the less popular stuff?  What makes my little heart pitter-patter among the non-headliners?  You KNOW you’ve got at least a couple of favorite rides that you have to fight for – nobody understands the passion, it’s yours and yours alone.

Disney Attractions I Love (More Than I Should)

The Seas With Nemo and Friends (Epcot) – I have no explanation other than I’m crazy about pretty much any and all omnimovers.  Combine that with how much I have always loved Finding Nemo and I’m dragging my family aboard a clam-mobile on every single visit!  There I ride, sitting on the edge of my…what…mollusk-innards?  Soaking up the tiny details and listening to the comments by my favorite Nemo characters as we glide along.  I love this thing!  Don’t try to talk me out of it.  Just get in the clam or get out of my way.RM-The-Seas-Mr-Ray

Primeval Whirl (Animal Kingdom, Dinoland U.S.A.) – About the most ridiculous attraction in all the World, right?  Wrong!  For me, it’s not too fast, not too spin-ny, not too jerky – just a big bunch of weird fun.  The vehicle is like something the Jetsons would own, the queue is akin to waiting in a cartoon.  If I could explain this ride’s magnetic draw, I’d break the spell and avoid the ridicule.  I. Cannot. Resist.RM-Primeval-Whirl-Sign

Country Bear Jamboree (Magic Kingdom, Frontierland)- I blame Curtis Stone (Geekin’ on WDW Podcast) for my semi-newfound addiction to the Bears.  I wouldn’t have made a visit to this ride ever-for-the-rest-of-my-life but for Curt waxing poetic about its allure.  If you avoid over-analysis of certain song lyrics and just enjoy the Wild-West-Saloon style of entertainment, you’re bound to notice the genius of this particular brand of Disney magic.  Seriously, I love the bears…baby Oscar in particular.RM-Country-Bears-Baby-Oscar

Jungle Cruise (Magic Kingdom, Adventureland) – Cheesy, eye-rolling, sheer perfection in pun-delivery.  What’s not to love?  From the queue’s announcements to the names of the boats to the unbelievably adorable animatronics, this attraction’s got a lot going for it.  Add comic artistry in the form of boat captain commentary and this ride is hard to beat!  No, really!  Where else on earth can you experience the backside of water?  Classic Disney fun!RM-Jungle-Cruise-Backside-of-Water

Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros – I’m stealthy about this one.  I act all nonchalant about going into the Mexico pavilion in Epcot.  It’s not a family favorite, but I’m getting on this ride if I can manipulate the situation properly.  I love Donald Duck!  He’s my favorite character (in case you hadn’t heard) and I’m going to check times for possible Fiesta Donald meet-and-greets when we’re in Epcot.  Once we’ve paused at the Mexico pavilion for my moment with Donald, I’ll just casually suggest we take a small detour and hit the Gran Fiesta Tour.  Works every time.  The chances of my family reading this today are slim, so shhhhhh.  Don’t ruin this by telling them.RM-Gran-Fiesta-Tour

Now you go.  Which not-so-popular attractions are your own personal favorites?

When Dinosaur used to be Countdown to Extinction

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Welcome to Saturdays With Nick!  This week we’re taking a look back in time at an attraction that looks back in time!  Whether you love it or hate it, Dinosaur in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is full of interesting details and has a history all its own.

When Dinosaur used to be Countdown to Extinction

By Nick

One of my favorite rides at Walt Disney World is Dinosaur, located at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Dinosaur is a dark ride that takes us back to the Cretaceous Period, aboard a Time Rover, to bring back a live dinosaur, dangerously close to when a large asteroid is going to hit the earth. Along the way we encounter many species of dinos, and come very close to getting hit by meteorites.

Did you know, however, that the ride was initially called Countdown to Extinction? It was changed to Dinosaur to promote the film of the same name, released in 2000. At that time, there were several changes made to the ride, including toning down some of the more frightening effect elements, and making the ride itself less intense.

I was not fortunate enough to ride the original, but do have a few items from that period, including this button.
The button is lenticular, starting with the Carnotaurus in the distance…

…and, suddenly, he is upon Mickey!

I also have a book, “Countdown to Extinction, A Hologram Adventure to the Age of the Dinosaurs”,
from Disney Press, by A. J. Wood, illustrated by Chris Forsey.

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From the back cover:

Catch the mistakes in the Dino Institutes Files on a holographic adventure through the prehistoric past. The Dino Institutes Files have been corrupted by a computer error and there’s only one way to find the mistakes. Climb aboard the Time Rover and explore the age of the dinosaurs, but be careful: the past is filled with a hungry Carnotaurus, meteor showers, and erupting volcanoes. With vivid illustrations and holograms on every page, this exciting book ties into the knew Countdown to Extinction attraction at DinoLand U.S.A., part of Disney’s Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort, and brings the dinosaurs back to life.

Throughout the book, we are asked to find the mistakes in the Time Rover Files.

For instance, we are asked to look at the picture and find 2 mistakes. The files state that these tiny chicken sized dinosaurs, Compsognathus, were 98 feet big. That would be a big chicken! So, error number 1. The file states that the Compsognathus has five fingered hands. Clearly the picture shows they have three, so we have mistake number 2! I feel so smart!

Can you tell which is the T-Rex and which is the Triceratops?  YOU are smart too!  We are getting the Time Rover files all straightened out!

Speaking of Time Rover, I’ll be featuring MY very own Time Rover in a future post, so please stop back.

For more Disney adventures with Nick and his wife, Barbie, follow Disney Musings on your favorite social media:  Disney Musings Blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, On Instagram, On Pinterest.