Tag Archives: Magic Kingdom

Walt Disney World – Baby’s First Haircut

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Happy Saturday, Disney Friends!  Today’s post, crafted by Nick (from Disney Musings) and selected just for you by yours truly is about one of the very best memories you can create at Walt Disney World.  It often seems that there’s an overabundance of special activities for little girls and few for the little gentlemen in our lives.  If you’re planning a visit to Walt Disney World and would like your child (or grandchild) to have their first haircut in Magic Kingdom, here’s what you need to know…

Walt Disney World – Baby’s First Haircut

By Nick

On our trip to Walt Disney World last month, we were fortunate enough to bear witness to our friends Kandi and John’s son’s first haircut at the Harmony Barber Shop on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom.

For those unaware, this is a fully functioning barber shop located between the Car Barn  and The Emporium just as you enter the Magic Kingdom.

The prices are very reasonable, in my opinion.

Grayson’s first haircut was only $18, and included the “My 1st Haircut” Mickey ears hat seen in the first photo.

Kandi and John even asked if they could have a PhotoPass photographer on hand to capture this momentous occasion, and one was free. I’d assumed he would come, take a couple of quick shots and be gone, but he stayed through the entire haircut!

Grayson was handed a Lightning McQueen toy to keep him occupied during the haircut, and he was very good the entire time.

Have you ever gotten a haircut at the Harmony Barber Shop?

 

Follow Nick, his wife Barbie, and friends for more Disney adventures:  Disney Musings Blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, On Instagram, On Pinterest.

Please listen to Nick, our friend Dave, and me 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.

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:

Disney Musings Blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, On Instagram, On Pinterest.

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!

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?

Magic Kingdom – Wait Here Not There

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IMG_3279The opinions expressed here are my own (as if you didn’t already know that).  I’m crazy about Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and it’s probably my favorite park, followed closely by Animal Kingdom.  Don’t get me wrong – there’s plenty of fun to be had in Epcot and what’s currently left of the Studios, but Magic Kingdom holds the most happy memories and has so much entertainment to offer me when I’m there.  When I daydream about being at Walt Disney World, I’m almost always in Magic Kingdom.

It won’t be long before we’ll be selecting FastPasses for our next visit to the World and that got me thinking about how I’ll be weighing the pros and cons of different attractions – including the entertainment value of specific ride queues.  This is just me now, but I’m much more willing to wait in some queues than I am in others solely based on the quality of the wait.  If we start in Adventureland and work our way around the park, land by land, here are my recommendations for:

Magic Kingdom – Wait Here Not There

RM-Adventureland-Magic-KingdomAdventureland – Wait for Pirates of the Caribbean not Jungle Cruise.  Yes, if we are strictly speaking Adventureland attractions, I’d much rather FastPass Jungle Cruise and wait for Pirates.  The queue for Pirates is cool and dark with excellent mood-setting elements – it’s actually an excellent place to cool off on a hot day and let your face rest from the pressure of your sunglasses on your nose.  WDW Jungle CruiseThe wait for Jungle Cruise is hot and has less to enjoy.  Personally, I find it somewhat frustrating although I do enjoy the announcements.

Frontierland – Wait for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad not Splash Mountain.  Big Thunder’s queue is interesting with loads of interactive elements to enjoy – in fact, I enjoy it so much, I sometimes wish the line were moving a tiny bit slower.Interactive Queue for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Interactive elements for Big Thunder Mountain QueueSplash Mountain’s queue, while possessing some cute features (like the adorable bird houses) is not nearly as interesting.

Liberty Square – Save your FastPasses!  Haunted Mansion is the only attraction that will ever have a significant wait and the queue (unless the day is super hot and humid) is great! Check out all the interactive components, search for the Bride’s Ring on the ground (embedded in the pavement) as you move along.  RM-Liberty-Belle-Haunted-Mansion-ViewPay attention to the excellent (and plentiful) Disney details.  If heat and humidity are factors – cool off in the Hall of Presidents during the day and save Haunted Mansion for after the sun goes down.

Fantasyland – Hmmmm…This is the toughest one!  Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is going to have the longest wait – maybe for the entire park.  Seven Dwarfs Mine Train SignThat being said, it also has an excellent, highly entertaining and interactive queue.  Peter Pan’s queue has just been “plussed” and is worth waiting for.IMG_2542If you have little ones, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh has a very kid-pleasing wait.  IMG_0899Personally, I’d burn a FastPass on Dumbo if it’s a must-ride attraction.  I hate the wait for Dumbo so much, I’ve never made it to the ride.  (You can read the story here.)  Based solely on time-savings, excluding Dumbo, the FastPass would have to go to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

Tomorrowland – Remember that FastPass I told you NOT to use in Liberty Square?  I’d use it here for Space Mountain.  While the queue is dark and cool, it’s also a snooze-fest.  Even though it was one of the first attractions I can remember that got a few interactive parts added to the queue, they’re not all that interesting.  RM-Space-Mountain-SignOnce you reach the top of the upward climb to the boarding area, the queue reverts to old school back and forth, metal-partitioned, waiting.  And waiting….and….you get the idea.

Your turn to weigh in!  Where would you select FastPasses in Magic Kingdom – and where would you stand in line?