Tag Archives: Disney World

Disney World – The Christmas Touch

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IMG_0988Disney World – The Christmas Touch

As I’ve mentioned many times, Disney’s all about details.  That’s what makes a Disney vacation so amazing and keeps bringing people (like US!) back time after time.  No matter how often you visit a Disney park or resort, you will always notice new details, big and small.

The Christmas season brings on a whole new level of Disney detail magic.  It gives those Disney magicians the opportunity to go all out and delight you with their imagination, style, humor, and flair for presenting guests with unexpected surprises.   If you’ve neverIMG_0971 been to the World during the holidays, you’ve been missing out on some wonderful experiences guaranteed to fill you with holiday spirit.

We’ve had the privilege of visiting Disney World twice during the holiday season – and yes, because we went during the school break, the crowds were huge!  Except for trying to get out of Epcot once after dinner on New Year’s Eve, the throngs of visitors did not detract from our enjoyment of all the special Disney touches we found.  I’m sorry we aren’t able to visit this year – I hate to miss out on the Jingle Cruise – a new Disney magical surprise this year at Disney World that gives the Jungle Cruise a holiday IMG_0968overlay and seasonal Skipper dialogue!

I’ve put together a list of five of the special Disney holiday surprises we experienced once upon a time:

Chocolate sculpture at the Contemporary – this was an amazingly extravagant scene from Pinocchio entirely made of chocolate.  I’m sure this was a one-time-only bit of magic and I felt very lucky to have been there to see it! IMG_0970

Main Street USA and the streets of Disney’s Hollywood Studios all decked out in their holiday best.

Christmas Trees!  Everywhere and each one had its own design and special ornaments; themed for each tree’s particular location.  I was especially taken by the ornaments on the large tree outside the entrance to Animal Kingdom – fantastic!

IMG_1135Santa hats – on everyone!  Even the Spitting Stitch at Downtown Disney and the gigantic Dinosaur at Dinoland in Animal Kingdom.

Best of all – Cinderella Castle.  Pictures (mine, at least) cannot do justice to the beauty that is the castle covered in 200,000 lights.  Some people say it looks dipped in sugar – I think it looks like Elsa from Frozen covered it in ICE!  Stunningly gorgeous and completely breathtaking – for me, this is the very best holiday touch at Disney World.

IMG_1244If you’re been to Disney World at Christmastime, what was your favorite bit of Disney holiday magic?

Disney Mickey Bars – How We Love You!

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IMG_1237I read lots of Disney blogs.  Disney snacks are a hot topic!  Disney bloggers and their readers are very opinionated about their favorite, must-have Disney vacation snack.  You know, that one food item that calls to you and when you bite into it, you know you’re at Disney?  Having no shortage of my own opinions, I’m wading into the fray.

I know there are big-time Disney churro lovers, and soft Mickey pretzel fans, folks that dig those frozen lemonades, and those who consider the chocolate croissant or a Mickey shaped ice cream sandwich a must.

As for me, even born without a sweet tooth, it’s the Mickey ice cream bar – all the way!  I must have one at some point on my Disney vacation.  IMG_5182Personally, I think they taste the best when eaten under a blue, sunny Florida sky while walking in Future World at Epcot.  While I wait in line to make my purchase, I can just imagine how the chocolate will feel when I take the first bite – the muffled crunch it will make as that smooth delicious exterior gives way.  Then I’ve got to eat pretty quickly or wear drips of ice cream on my shirt for the rest of the day!  I know – it’s just a plain old chocolate covered vanilla ice cream bar.  But this one’s special.  It’s sweet, cold, just the right size and shaped like Mickey’s head!  How could any vacation food be better than that?

IMG_2370Last time I went to Disney World, I brought a Mickey Bar home with me.  I saw a package of souvenir Disney snack magnets and couldn’t wait to buy them.  Reminded gently by Raymond that we have a stainless steel refrigerator – where would those magnets go?  Not to worry!  I turned them into Christmas ornaments!!!

So, what about you?  Dole whip, turkey leg, school bread, citrus swirl, a funnel cake perhaps?  Which snack makes your Disney visits special?DSCN2572

Tweet Disney Wisdom

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IMG_5229“Do all you can to take in all the subtle details and anticipate unexpected surprises on your Walt Disney World trips.” –  Tweeted by Curtis Stone @GeekinOnWDW,  12/11/13

No truer words were ever tweeted!  Right after I re-tweeted and favorited Curtis’s sentiment, I thought about the number of times I have been awed, surprised, amazed, astounded (get the idea?) by the very special and sometimes extremely tiny (yet no less amazing) details that one can find literally everywhere at Disney World!

As an illustration, I’ll list just ten incredible Disney details here (in no particular order) – Go to Disney World and find some of your own! – there are thousands of breathtaking, magical pixie-dusted surprises waiting for you.

1.  Hidden Mickeys – you’ve heard me mention them before, but you will find them in the mostIMG_3022 unexpected places – woven into the design in carpets, on bedspreads, in bathrooms – seek and you shall find!

2.  Look at the windows on Main Street – look UP!  The names etched on those windows are tributes to some of the most amazing and creative people that have ever lived – imagineers responsible for all the amazing details Curtis was tweeting about.

3.  If I had a nickel for every special moment we’ve experienced with a Disney character, I could retire early!  Not just after waiting in line, either – my story about Donald is one example, IMG_4880but there have been so many times – even during parades when a character singles you out for one special moment of interaction – magical, surprising, SO precious – what Disney is all about!

4. The license plates on the limos in Rock’n’ Roller Coaster – a tiny detail we would never miss if those plates weren’t there, but WOW!  Cool, clever, and funny!  Check them out when you go.

5. Sound effects!  I’ll give one example – the outdoor sounds on the grounds at the Port Orleans Riverside resort.  You hear crickets and frogs while you walk among the landscaping between the resort’s buildings – those are sound effects!

6.  The smell on Main Street (baking cookies!) and other smells manufactured for your IMG_2069enjoyment – want to know more?  Go here.

7.  DON’T PULL THE ROPE!  Look for it near the Indiana Jones area in Disney’s Hollywood Studios – then PULL THE ROPE!  See what happens – fantastic!

8.  The Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom.  Just LOOK at it.  Artificial 145 foot-tall tree – looks amazingly real from a distance – then upon closer inspection, the details of every single artistic image depicted on the tree’s trunk and roots will amaze you.  I could look at its 325 carved figures all day.  Oh, and Disney’s ability to add magical touches to photographs is a nice bit of magic too.

9.  Look Down!  Details on the ground are everywhere.  One example is the imprints in the cement walkways in the Storybook Circus area of IMG_0874Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom (circus animal footprints and peanut shells) but there are lots of surprises like this all over Disney World – great fun for little ones to find!

10.  This one you might not be able to duplicate, but I experienced this bit of Disney magic once upon a time as I entered the queue for the Tower of Terror.  The solemn, gray-uniformed bellhop welcoming me, called me “Miss” and as if that wasn’t magical enough, I commented on how nobody had called me “miss” in many a year – he held out his hand to me and, on that oh-so-hot-and-humid summer day in Florida, when I placed my hand in his – his grip was ICE COLD!

What Disney details and surprises make your vacation magical?  

Follow Curtis on Twitter:  @GeekinOnWDW, follow his blog here.

You can find me on Twitter @life_of_green.

 

Disney World’s Toy Story Midway Mania – Love it but…

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DSCN2524There’s a reason Toy Story Midway Mania (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) is wildly popular.  It is (in The Fam’s opinion) one of the most action-packed, fun-filled experiences you can have at Disney World – even for people like me with no eye-hand coordination and poor aim!  As the name suggests, this ride simulates carnival midway games.  In 3D!  And the games include all your favorite Toy Story characters.  So what’s the “but…” for in this post’s title?  I’ll tell you, but first the good news… 

The GOOD News – About the Ride:

Once you make it to the front of the line, you board an adorable little ride vehicle – seats for two onDSCN2527 the front and on the back, everyone facing outward.  In front of you is a little toy cannon-looking thing with a pull-string on the back.  This is your “weapon” – a launcher of virtual items you will “throw” during the various midway games you’ll visit during the ride.  3D glasses on, you’re vehicle spins you into position in front of the first game – you get a little practice first – and then?  Game ON!  Pull that string on the back of your cannon as fast and as often as you possibly can and hit as many things as you can before time runs out – rack up points as you move from game to game (breaking plates, popping balloons, shooting ducks, etc.).  I just laugh hysterically while this is all going on – it’s that much fun!  Probably, the laughing hurts my score as much as the poor coordination and aim, but hey – I just love this ride.  You may have a seriously sore arm later from pulling the string to fire that cannon aIMG_3072 gajillion times.

The BAD News – About the Queue:

The fastpasses for TSMWM go fast – like all gone for the entire day by midmorning!  If you don’t get to this ride first thing, you either have to wait in what is usually a very long line (60 minutes or more) or pass altogether.  Lets say you choose to wait in the standby line – let the rest of this post serve as a strong warning against doing that!  The queue for this ride is almost indescribably horrible.  At first you’re like all “wow!” and “cool!” and “this is great!” – but those feelings fade away all too quickly.  Here’s the dealIMG_3071 – yes, there are giant toys and games and a giant talking Mr. Potato Head – but somehow after just a few moments of nostalgia and feeling toy-sized yourself, it gets annoying – really REALLY annoying.  The colors are too bright, Mr. Potato Head won’t be quiet and you are winding back and forth and back and forth for an eternity before you finally get to the 3D glasses.  Surely this means you’re almost to the ride boarding area, right?  HA!  Joke’s on you – still more waiting in line to go!  As much as I love the actual ride, I just cannot endure waiting in line for it – seriously, it could be used as a form of torture to extract top-secret information from international spies or something.  Please!  No more!  I’ll tell you anything!  Cannot take moreIMG_3081 giant toys!  Make Mr. Potato Head stop talking!

Consider this my last official public service announcement for 2013.  DO NOT wait in the standby line for Toy Story Midway Mania.  You’re welcome.

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