Tag Archives: Disney World Travel Tips

Who Would Love Disney’s Winnie the Pooh Ride?

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IMG_0907Last time we were at Walt Disney World, Raymond and I took a break from the parks and went back to the Contemporary – he had a massage scheduled at the Olympiad Fitness Center (a birthday gift from ME!) and I, as usual, was starving.  So we had a few minutes before Raymond’s appointment to grab a bite at The Wave (excellent!) – then he went his way and I was, for the first time in my life, on my own at Disney World.

I walked straight to the Magic Kingdom.  The day (end of May) had been a bit rainy and, while the rain had stopped, it was kind of cool out.  I remember I was wearing my favorite Donald Duck sweatshirt (and received lots of random compliments on it from strangers) as I made my way toward the as yet mostly unfinished Fantasyland expansion.  The park was unusually un-crowded.

I was curious – nosy even (shocker that!) and wanted to see the new Circus area since I’d heard a IMG_0874LOT about the animal footprints and peanut shell marks in the concrete.  I wanted to check out what little I could see over the construction walls…I wanted to ride Goofy’s Barnstormer.

A strange thing happened on the way to the Circus – I, all alone at the Magic Kingdom, picked up (unknowingly) what would be one of the last paper fastpasses I would ever obtain.  For The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.  Don’t ask me what prompted that – I was on a mission to see the Storybook Circus.  There was just something about the look of Winnie the Pooh – I had never ever ridden it.  I was on my own and feeling like I could do anything I wanted…I wanted to ride Winnie the Pooh.  Go figure.

IMG_0902Walking on, fastpass in hand, I had time to see the ground in the Storybook Circus area with the footprints and peanut-marks in the cement.  I had time to ride Barnstormer – seriously?  TIME?  The ride lasts literally less than a minute! – Great first coaster for little ones, by the way.  You only need to be 35″ tall to ride.  Mission accomplished – time for Pooh!

At the time, I had no idea that the original queue for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was supposed to be much cooler than the final version.  I thought it looked pretty neat!  Rabbit’s garden, honey everywhere, interactive parts, highly detailed, well-themed.  I was pretty impressed.

No waiting – I played that fastpass – and suddenly, I found myself waiting to board my pot-o-IMG_0908honey!  I think that’s when it hit me that I was alone in Magic Kingdom, but didn’t feel weird or uncomfortable.  Heck!  I felt adventurous.  For many years, I’d been MAD at Pooh for booting Mr. Toad to the curb and was ready to let bygones be bygones and give it a try!

Annnnnd.  It was cute!  Sweet (ha! pun intended) and the characters were adorable.  For 3 whole minutes, I rode along solo in my little honey pot and remembered how much I used to love those Winnie the Pooh stories.  Piglet was always my favorite character – the IMG_1259blustery day story particularly.  Here it was!  All lovingly recreated by those clever Disney Imagineers – All the gang, even Heffalumps and Woozles were there.  It hit me when I saw the small tribute to Mr. Toad himself, that I shouldn’t have been mad at Pooh to begin with.  I’m normally the least-adverse-to-change person I know – why I’d been holding a grudge for years and years against the very existence of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh without even giving it a chance – I have no idea!

This ride is great for all ages, but particularly the very young.  As a beginner dark ride, it’s perfect.  If you grew up with Pooh IMG_1261and friends, you’ll enjoy the different scenes.  The little kiddos will like the queue, the ride vehicles, and the colorful characters along the journey.  Who would love Disney’s Winnie the Pooh Ride?  I would!  You will!  And so will your children.

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What Makes Disney’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad So Great?

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IMG_1263“Howdy, folks! Please keep your hands, arms, and legs inside the train, and
remain seated at all times. (Laugh) Now then, hang onto them hats and glasses,
’cause this here’s the wildest ride in the wilderness!” – Big Thunder Mountain’s Prospector

Frontierland in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is chock full of action-packed, fun-filled excitement.  So much to see and do packed into one place – Tom Sawyer Island, Country Bear Jamboree, Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade, Splash Mountain – and the attraction I want to talk about today….Big Thunder Mountain Railroad,  There is SO much to love about this ride – it’s an absolute “must do” for every Disney World visit.

Since September of 1980, Frontierland guests at Magic Kingdom have been hopping aboardIMG_1206_4 this runaway mine train in the Wild Western landscape (based on Monument Valley in Arizona) for a super-fun, thrill-filled ride.

What’s so great?  That’s easy:

The music!  The setting is the gold rush era of the late 1800’s and the music fits the times.  Personally, I love the song “Big Rock Candy Mountain”.  Listen carefully and you’ll also hear “Buffalo Gals”, “Pecos Bill” and more!

The Prospector!  Isn’t it always the little details that make Disney attractions so fantastic?  The announcer on this ride is every bit as loveable as Haunted Mansion’s “Ghost Host” or Dame Judy Dench in Spaceship Earth (Epcot).  Voiced by the late Dallas McKennon, the prospector (and his safety warning) is an essential part of the experience we’ve grown to love at Big Thunder Mountain.

IMG_0803The dips and curves, the drops and tunnels!  It’s not just any old mine, but a haunted one in the American Southwest.  This ride’s got a lot of thrills, but in a middle-of-the-road way.  Not as tame as Barnstormer (Magic Kingdom, Storybrook Circus) nor as extreme as Expedition Everest (Animal Kingdom, Asia) – Big Thunder’s perfect (and not too jerky) for most thrill ride fans.  Yes, that’s my opinion – your actual experience may differ.

The length of the ride!  For riders (over 40″ tall) there’s a LOT to enjoy during the very impressive nearly-4-minutes it takes to ride this attraction.  That’s a long time!  Even then, it’ll leave you wanting more because…

There’s so much to see!  The scenes, the scenery, the characters – all so cleverly crafted!  RideIMG_1207_4 again and again – you’ll have a hard time taking it all in during just one or two times around.  Personally, I love the mountain goat, the dinosaur bones, the guy in the bathtub, and the mule!

The Fam and I have not ridden BTMRR since before it’s 2012 rehab and are rarin’ to go on our next visit to the World later this spring.

When’s the last time you rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?  Is it one of your “must-do’s”?

Disney Cupcake Cravings

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DSCN2521For many of us (okay, probably mostly me) this is always the time of year when we feel the need to…well….work on lightening up, you could say.  Don’t know about you, but I’m fluffy.  I’m well-insulated for the winter and paying the price for eating, drinking and making merry during the holiday season.  You’d think by now at the ripe old age of…uhmmmm.  Lets just say I should know better.  I’m down to three pairs of pants, two skirts and a dress that still fit from my work wardrobe.  I refuse to buy bigger clothes.  So I started this 21-day quick start diet thing.  This is not a post about dieting.  I’m just going to say that after four days of eating according to the “plan”, I do feel lighter.  I’ve also taken to chewing on my sleeves a little at my desk when no one is looking.  Yesterday I may or may not have eaten a sticky note.  And, if anyone asks, you have no idea what may be wrong with the bamboo plant on my desk.

I am a little hungrier than usual.  I’m sure I’ll get used to this – I’m consuming a big bunch of fruits and veggies and that’s good, right?  It’s only 21 days, right?  All I can say is that It’s a super good thing I’m not at Disney World right now.  You may have heard – I don’t have a sweet tooth – and it’s really true.  I don’t ordinarily crave sweets – if I have a craving, it’s for pasta, rice, or potatoes.  Until this week.  Must be the new “pDSCN2520rogram” – suddenly I NEED (with a soul wrenching desire) a Disney Butterfinger Cupcake.

Close your eyes (figuratively or you won’t be able to read this) and imagine the texture, the sweetness, the dessert nirvana of that perfect combination of cupcake and candy bar.  Whoever invented this food-for-the-gods should be anointed with top baker honors!  Back in the Unfair and Unbalanced review of counter service restaurants at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I mentioned Starring Rolls Café and the Butterfinger Cupcake, but I did not have the opportunity in that post to wax poetic about its virtues.  Probably because I was still eating macaroni and cheese back then.  Today I’m here to tell you that you have got to try one of these culinary miracles.

I’m begging you…if you are at Disney World right now and you purchase a Butterfinger Cupcake…please, oh, please send me a shout out!  If I have to be here at home subsisting on spinach, kale and broccoli, at least I could live vicariously through your snack choice of the day and, come to think of it, still be sticking to the “plan”…unless you send me a picture and I eat it.

Disney’s Mission: SPACE – Which Color’s for You?

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IMG_0969Way back in 2005, I rode Mission: SPACE in Epcot.  It was, to me, the Disney equivalent of a double-dog dare.  I had to do it.  I had to prove to myself and The Fam that I had the right stuff, so to speak.  No backing down, no backing out – I stood in line, reading the dire and serious health warnings, and reminded myself that I was one tough cookie who had never, in her adult life, tossed a single cookie due to motion sickness.  There was only one version of the ride (now called Orange) and I was getting in that cockpit and performing my crew-member duties perfectly, regardless of any challenges I faced as we blasted off to Mars.

Mission SPACE

Photo Credit: Christina Lawrence

Front of the line.  The time came for The Fam and I to take our seats – the four of us became a crew of astronauts (pilot, navigator, commander, and engineer).  There was no way to ignore how small a space we were climbing into – four seats, side-by-side, facing control panels, seats separated by partitions.  I knew what not to do – I would heed the warnings.  Do NOT move your head.  Do not look to the side. Do not close your eyes.  Stare straight ahead at the control panel’s screen and wait for your turn to perform your duties.  I’m not going to lie – I was scared!  I remember chanting in my head – do not move, do not look away, do not move, do not look away.  The g-force was strong enough that I had a hard time reaching out to the control panel to do whatever it was I was responsible for, but I did it.

The ride ended and we crawled out of our vehicle.  Megan and Joseph were pretty stoked!  They were feeling proud and I heard them discuss riding Mission: SPACE again.  Raymond turned and looked at me – at the exact same time we both said, “I’m good.”  As in good for life – never need to ride it again.  We proved we were tough enough to ride Mission: SPACE and emerge unscathed, but Raymond and I each felt we had taken a terrible risk – what if?  What if we had gotten sick?  At the least – what if we’d gotten queasy and felt horrible for the rest of the day?  That would have been tragic!  To be at our most favorite vacation place in the whole wide world and waste even part of a day with self-imposed nausea!

I don’t care if you are passionate about Rock’n’ Roller Coaster, The Mad Tea Party, or the IMG_2338Primeval Whirl – Mission: SPACE Orange is fraught with PERIL, I tell you – BEWARE!  Seriously, people, ride at your own risk.  There are extremely valid reasons this ride comes with a dozen posted health warnings and a handy barf bag when you find your seat (nope, not kidding).  If you have even the slightest case of claustrophobia, you’ll be miserable even before the chance of illness and health issues strikes.

Here’s the deal:  This ride is an excellent example of a simulated rocket launch – actual NASA scientists and astronauts were involved in creating Mission: SPACE.  It’s good.  It’s very realistic.  To achieve that perfect reproduction of how it feels to blast off into space, your ride vehicle must create g-force by spinning in a giant circle – imagine you are attached to the outside of a wheel as it spins.  Add other simulator effects that bounce you around – bouncing, spinning, very tiny space – you get the idea.  Green, the milder version of the ride, is reportedly very realistic without the spinning.  Choose wisely, my friends.

There’s a great article here at Touring Plans.com with tips for mitigating the risks of riding Mission: SPACE Orange.

So?  Which color’s for you?