Category Archives: Walt Disney World

Disney World – Perry’s Big Adventure

Posted on by

DSCN2499If you’ve been here at all over the past three days, you read my thoughts and experience (so far) with Disney’s MyMagic+.  Well, all that serious blogging put me in the mood for some FUN!

So today’s post is simply about how having fun on a Disney vacation can take many different forms and sometimes, Disney surprises you by unexpectedly helping you take fun to a whole new level.

Cue Flashback Sequence….. IMG_0731

Back in May of 2012, my very good best friend Phyllis (as Forrest Gump would say) was wishing me a happy vacation the day before The Fam and I (and our friends Jason and Ashli) were headed to Disney World.  Phyllis’s last words to me were – “Bring me something”.  I knew she was just kidding, but Phyllis and I have been friends for more than 20 years…I would bring her something very special!  Hmmmm – what would Phyllis like?  A pin, maybe.  I could get her a tee-shirt or perhaps something Disney for her kitchen.  Suddenly, I had an idea!  Phyllis would be back at the office, working away over the old grindstone so to speak, while I was foot-loose and fancy-free at the Happiest Place on Earth.  I would indeed bring Phyllis a souvenir of our trip – if she couldn’t go to Disney, I would bring Disney to her.

IMG_0778As soon as we arrived at Disney World, I carefully made my choice – something or someone, I should say, that would be easy to carry – and by carry, I mean literally carry with me everywhere we went.  I chose Perry the Platypus as the co-conspirator for my plan (the whole espionage, Agent P angle was perfect).  Now the fun began.  It started slowly at first and grew.  I began texting Phyllis a few pictures of Perry enjoying his Disney World vacation along with commentary about Perry’s day at the parks.  Then Perry started meeting people, riding rides, enjoying great food and beverages.  Yes, Perry was having the time of his life and we texted every moment to Phyllis!

Once we got home, I gave Perry to Phyllis and told her that I’d had more fun than I could ever IMG_0732imagine involving a vacation souvenir.  Every member of our traveling party participated in the fun as did Cast Members, Characters, and even random strangers – like the nice folks from Texas in Epcot that were celebrating their recent graduation.  I thought I was being so clever and funny – but in that special, yes, magical way Disney World has – the whole idea turned into something bigger and better for me because of how everyone we met was so willing to play along. I’ll leave you with a few of Perry’s more memorable moments….

IMG_0824IMG_0743IMG_0786FotorPerry01.11.14 FotorPerryB01.11.14 FotorPerryC01.11.14FotorPerryD01.11.14

Disney’s MyMagic+ – Part 2 – The Box

Posted on by

Note:  This is part 2 in a 3 part series.  Part 1 is here.

IMG_2480Right now, when you make your first Disney World reservation under the My Disney Experience / MyMagic+ system (either on your own or through your favorite travel agent), you will receive a nifty package in the mail – a pretty big box for what it contains.  Inside the box you will find an Incredibles-themed multi-media extavaganza to help you adjust to the MyMagic+ vacation experience.  And every member of the Incredibles family is pictured wearing a Magic Band!

The box contains a flash-drive, information cards, and a booklet.  Of particular interest was the card that says, “As an upcoming Disney Resort hotel Guest, you can take part in a new dimension of magic at Walt Disney World Resort.  It’s called MyMagic+ and it makes the entire experience yours like never before.  This is an exciting time and we hope you’ll pardon our “pixie dust” as we make the adjustments that come with any new IMG_2528experience.  The enclosed booklet not only includes great information on your upcoming trip but details on how to make the very most of MyMagic+, too.”  Intentional on Disney’s part or not, this card gave me a bad feeling about what kinds of systems glitches may be going on out there.

The booklet again – just like the videos and website – explains MyMagic+, Magic Bands, FastPass+, and My Disney Experience.  Basically – however you’d like to learn about how you will now vacation at Disney World be it on paper, via video on your PC, at the website or on your smartphone the information is given to you in every possible form save billboard!  At the very back of the booklet there is even a removable magnet – Dumbo! (an elephant never forgets) – with reminders for your trip – the date you can begin making dining reservations, the date you can begin selecting Fast Pass+ attractions and the date to begin online check-in.  Darn you stainless steel refrigerator!

Insert flash drive now.  Remember yesterday in Part 1 I mentioned that at the My Disney IMG_2484Experience website you could watch a movie starring Edna Mode that helps explain how to use the MDE resources?  Well, the flash drive shows you a different movie (also starring Edna) that focuses more on Magic Bands and how all of the MyMagic+ elements will work together once you arrive at Disney World.  The initial screen says there’s a “special message” parts one and two.  I could never get to part two and after watching the first video – it would not let me see it a second time.  Raymond used the flash drive first and never saw either “message” – it just took him straight to the website.  Not sure what the deal is with that.

Other than the video, the purpose of the flash drive is to show you how to use the web site.  If IMG_2482you’re like us and you’ve already found the site and app, the flash drive is unnecessary, but still a pretty cool prize to receive in the mail since it gets you excited about your trip.

If you’re still with me after parts 1 and 2, tomorrow we’ll talk Magic Bands!

Disney World’s MyMagic+ An Overview

Posted on by

Note:  Today’s Post is Part 1 in a Three-Part Series discussing various aspects of MyMagic+

IMG_2534One of, if not THE hottest topic among Disney World fans in 2013 (and still going strong) has been MyMagic+.  Technologically advanced and seemingly complicated (at first glance) – MyMagic+ is the way the Walt Disney Company expects guests to vacation at Disney World.  MyMagic+ includes a website and smart phone app called My Disney Experience, RFID-equipped wrist-wear called Magic Bands, and the new, paperless Fast Pass Plus (FP+) system for rides and attractions.  All these components work together to create a new vacation experience that, for some, may seem anything but magical.  Change is difficult and scary for most people and if the change in question seemingly involves negatively impacting your vacation to the Happiest Place on Earth then it may seem like a very poor move for Disney indeed (there are a lot of haters and nay-sayers out there).  I’m keeping an open mind and hope you will too.  I love Disney World and this is not going to change my feelings,

Maybe I’m being ridiculously ambitious, but I’m going to try my best to give you a good overview of MyMagic+ – there’s a LOT to cover.  If you, like many of my friends, are planning a Disney World trip during the next 12 months and will either be going for the first time or haven’t been there in quite a while, this post is for you.  I’ll include some links to articles and information I found helpful, and offer suggestions on ways you can make MyMagic+ and all its components work best on your Disney World vacation.  Let’s face it, you cannot just show up at Disney World with no prior planning and expect to have the best experience!

Today in Part 1:  My Disney Experience – the Site and Smartphone App

The My Disney Experience site is the place to start planning your vacation.  Begin by registering as a user and navigate through the options – it’s very user friendly!  Ultimately, all your plans for a Disney World vacation go into My Disney Experience.  Edna Mode is there to give an instructional video that sums it all up nicely.  The website and the smart phone app work together.  Think resort reservations, dining plans/reservations, park tickets, daily plans, Fast Pass+ selections, etc.  Carrying your smartphone around on vacation goes against the grain for a lot of folks who want to vacation stress- and intrusion-free, but having all your reservation and Fast Pass+ info handy in case of a system glitch is probably a good idea.  Also – if you want to make changes to dining reservations or add/change Fast Passes – much easier to do it on your phone than wait to use a computer at one of the parks’ kiosks (installed just for this IMG_2532purpose).

The free My Disney Experience app opens to an interactive guide map of Disney World – touch the map to zoom in on a particular park or area – Mickey icons allow you to quickly find park hours and extra magic hours (if available).  Touch an arrow on the park hours info and you’ll go to the Attractions section for that park – the best feature on this page is “Wait Times” (more on that in a minute).  Newbies will appreciate the “Location” tab for quick and easy reference.

Clicking on the menu (upper left corner) will reveal a list all the app’s bells and whistles.  The MDE App has many features – not all features will be used (or appeal) to everyone.  I’ve just started using the app myself in preparation for a couple of upcoming trips and so far have my resort reservations, advanced dining reservations, and links to each member of my party entered into the appropriate sections.  Info can be entered into either the website or app and will update both places.

IMG_2473Once a ticket or pass as been purchased, it can be added to the app by either scanning the ticket’s barcode or manually entering the ticket’s ID number.

60 Days in advance of a park visit, guests will be allowed to choose Fast Passes (Fast Pass+) for rides and attractions.  For newbies – Fast Passes allow you to bypass an attraction’s stand-by line and, basically, go straight to the front with little or no waiting.  Singularly, this is currently the most controversial part of the new system.  Until all testing (still underway) is completed and the final form of the next gen Fast Pass program is completely understood, taking a wait-and-see stance is probably advisable (take a deep breath and keep calm – the final results of testing are still unknown).

Podcasts, blogs, Disney discussion boards – everyone is discussing this particular aspect of the My Disney Experience as potentially having the biggest (possibly negative) impact on how vacationers will tour parks and enjoy attractions.  Those of us who have visited many times have become used to the paper fast pass system giving us the ability to ride headline “e-ticket” attractions (in more than one park per day) without spending a huge chunk of valuable vacation time waiting in line.  Current testing has a three per day, same park limit on Fast Passes – Disney World is also testing a tiered Fast Pass system that allows guests to select only one major attraction per day – believe me when I tell you that this is VERY upsetting for many people (myself included).  I’m optimistic that Disney will not continue this practice in FP+’s final structure.  I believe the amount of negative feedback Disney is receiving over this will be impossible for them to ignore.  IMG_2476Personally (yes, I’ll eat my words if necessary) – I don’t think they intended the tiered system or the FP+’s one-park-per-day restriction to be permanent – but that’s strictly my own opinion.

Back to the App’s wait times.  At each park, rides, shows and attractions are grouped like this: No Waiting, Short Wait Times, Moderate Wait Times, Long Wait Times, Open Throughout the Day, and Closed.  This will make selecting plans in the absence of a Fast Pass much easier!

FAQ’s From the Disney World web site has a lot of good “official” information.

Come back for Part 2 and find out what happens after you book the trip!

Why Watch the Parade at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom?

Posted on by

IMG_51972014 is bringing about lots of changes at Disney World.  One of these changes is to the afternoon parade at the Magic Kingdom – it’s out with the old and in with the new!  I, for one, am totally stoked about this.  I liked the old parade well enough – Celebrate a Dream Come True (final performance was January 4th) – we managed to catch it several times during its almost-5-year run.  Once, in 2012 we were even pixie dusted into VIP seating.  Okay – I probably could have lived without the parade’s theme song which, like the tune in It’s a Small World,  wormed its way into my brain for the rest of the day (or longer), but I love a good parade nonetheless and Magic Kingdom’s has never IMG_5216disappointed.  It’s a great way to see many different characters – some you don’t usually get to meet & greet – at one time.

Now it’s time to make way for the Festival of Fantasy Parade which will debut this spring.  This means, unfortunately, no afternoon parade for guests to enjoy between now and then, but the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! street party will still go on (3 times a day right now) as will the Main Street Electrical Parade in the evenings.  The most exciting part is that the theme of the new parade is so appropriate –  It will incorporate the characters and stories from the new Fantasyland and include completely new floats and costumes.  Rolling to both a new theme song (oh, thank goodness) and well-known songs from our favorite Disney movies, the Festival of Fantasy Parade is sure to be a spectacular addition to the 2014 excitement at Disney World.

IMG_5219TIP:  If you happen to watch the parade in the vicinity of a newly minted little princess who has visited the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.  You’ll see the parade characters, princes, and other princesses acknowledge the “royalty” in the audience in many special ways – bowing, winking, waving, blowing kisses – just another way Disney makes memories for guests that last a lifetime.