Tag Archives: Walt Disney World Travel Tips

Walt Disney World’s Memory Maker Reviewed

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Character Meet-and-Greet with SullyPlease note: The advance purchase price for Memory Maker has increased to $169 (from $149) since this post was originally published.

We (I should really say I ) decided to fork over the $149 advance-purchase price for the Memory Maker photo package for our recent trip to Walt Disney World.  (You can check here for what really prompted the purchase.)  I believed we would absolutely get $149-worth of happy vacation photos and would have plenty of time to take advantage of those awesome Disney photographers situated throughout the parks.  Well, as it turned out, not so much.  What went wrong?  I’ll tell you – it wasn’t Disney’s fault!  We didn’tMemory Maker Photo in Disney's Hollywood Studios make the most of a great opportunity and I wouldn’t want you to make the same mistakes we did.  Here’s a complete recap of our experience, where we went wrong, and how you (and we) can make Memory Maker a good investment in the future.

Click here for details about what is included in the price of Memory Maker.

Okay – about OUR Memory Maker experience:

We started having pictures snapped on our arrival day.  We were at WDW for a full 5-and-a-half days, so you’d think we would have ended up with a huge bunch of pictures, right?  No.  Here’s where we went wrong – we passed up great opportunities early in the day when we Test Track Ride Photostill looked pretty fresh and well-rested.  Why did we not stop for pictures?  We would have had to wait in line behind at least one, but usually two or three other families.  I had never noticed much of a wait for pictures before, but as with many things in life, as soon as you want something, it’s not as readily available as you thought it would be.  See, we didn’t want to wait – we wanted to make the most of those early morning Extra Magic Hours, so we passed up loads of photo ops.  That was mistake #1 in a series of poor Memory Maker decisions that resulted in a less-that-optimal use of our vacation dollars.The Fam on Rock'n' Roller Coaster

Here’s what we ended up with and our Do’s and Don’ts for the future.  I hope this helps you avoid making the same errors we made and end up with a lot more great pictures.

Our Memory Maker efforts netted us a total of 43 pictures.  Of those 43, 11 were ride photos.  So, there were 32 “other” pictures to choose from in 7 different settings.  Of those, about 18 were likeable enough to possibly want to have them printed.  Ride photos are tricky!  If Memory Maker Photo at 1900 Park Farewe weren’t all in the same vehicle, we’d end up with only two of us in the picture with complete strangers.  We did not get all of our ride photos – even after a call to the PhotoPass people for help.  They did manage to recover some of them and Disney’s rumored use of the MagicBands’ RFID capabilities for linking on-ride photos to My Disney Experience may help with that in the future.  Details here.

Tips for Using Memory Maker:

1.  Get photos early and often.  If we had just stopped two times each day, we’d have ended up with 12 different settings with pictures to choose from (instead of our measly 7, not including ride photos).

2. Break up the group – yes, it’s nice to have all of you together, but we should have had just the kids in some pictures and just Raymond and I in others – or even father/daughter, father/son, and so forth – which we did not do!Family Picture in front of Sorerer's Hat in Disney's Hollywood Studios

3. Check your clothing!  My shirt rode up on one side from carrying a backpack and nobody told me to pull it down – made me HATE a bunch of pictures.  Don’t let this happen to you!

4. Wait in line when necessary or go off the beaten path if you want a good many pictures to choose from.  There are photographers available in more places than just Main Street U.S.A, Hollywood Blvd., in front of Space Ship Earth, etc.  They’ll be on hand for most character meet-and-greets as well.

5. Ask if any “magic” pictures are available.  The addition of Tinker Bell or Baby Simba (among other magical add-ons) to your group (or solo) shots may make you happy!  In our case, we think the Animal Kingdom Magic Picture with Tinker Bellphotographer may have thought our children were a couple (not sister and brother) and added Baby Simba in Megan’s arms – we found this awkward.

6.  The photographers will be happy to take pictures with your camera!  Be sure to have them do this!!!  That way you’ll have different photo types/quality to choose from.  Also – you can post those all that much sooner to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram if you’re so inclined.  We should have done this at 1900 Park Fare – every one of those pictures came out too saturated with color in a weird way.

7. Make it fun.  Be silly – take the time to shake it up a bit.  We were too boring and in a hurry to make the most of our chances for some fun pictures – don’t make the same mistakes we did!

8.  Be sure everyone is linked in My Disney Experience – that way if your group splits up, you’ll get all the pictures taken of everyone, even if you weren’t there.  After the pictures are taken, the photographer just needs to scan one person’s MagicBand – that’s it!Family Picture in Fantasyland

There you go – that’s the best advice I can give you.  If you part with $149 for Memory Maker, hopefully this review and tips will help you get the most from your investment.  Got pics?  I’d love to see pictures from your Disney vacation!  Please hop on over to Living a Disney Life on Facebook and share a picture with us there.

 

 

 

 

 

Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Maharajah Jungle Trek

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Details along the Maharajah Jungle TrekA visit to Animal Kingdom just wouldn’t be complete for me without a walk along both of the two fantastic animal trails there.  These trails boast a wide array of exhibits that allow guests unforgettable opportunities for some close-up animal viewing in gorgeous, highly detailed settings.  The trail in Animal Kingdom’s Africa section is the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail.  The trail in Asia is called the Maharajah Jungle Trek – that’s the one I want to talk about today.

The trail’s backstory sets the mood and an impressive (spectacular, unbelievable, insert favorite-adjective-of-wonder here) number of amazing Disney details make a visit to the Maharajah’s jungle into a mysterious, magical experience.  As I tend to like to do, allow me to give you…Komodo Dragon at Animal Kingdom

Five Great Things about the Maharajah Jungle Trek

From  the Walt Disney World web site, “Venture into the mystical Anandapur Royal Forest, a tropical paradise of trees, ruins and wild animals. Legend has it the area was at one time the hunting ground of wealthy maharajahs; today, it exists as a preserve that you can explore.”

1.  Komodo Dragon – Yep, a giant lizard!  What else do you need?  Seeing this guy is like looking at a living dinosaur and Komodo Dragons are the Animal Kingdom - Bats on the Maharajah Jungle Treklargest living lizards on earth.  As he sits there with his tongue darting in and out to “smell” the air while basking in the sun, it’s incredible to think about the fact that Komodo Dragons are venomous and capable of taking down large prey.  An adult Komodo Dragon can consume up to 80% of its own body weight in a single meal!  Go here for some other cool Komodo Dragon fun facts.

2. Rodrigues Fruit Bats and Malayan Flying Foxes – The way this section of the trail is designed is genius!  The bats are on display (sleepily hanging around) in a wide-open viewing area – which makes it seem as if there is absolutely nothing separating you from the bats!  Those Flying Foxes are enormous and so cool!  (Read all about them here.) I like to Asian Tiger - Maharajah Jungle Trekimagine what it would be like if the sun set and they got to go free all night – Those huge bats with their leathery wings flying overhead would be quite a scary sight!  Hands down, this is one of my all time favorite exhibits.

3. Asian Tigers – Usually we get here too late to see the tigers doing anything besides napping, but they’re huge and beautiful to see – even if they are asleep.  Because windows are used in this area instead of bars, it seems as if you could practically reach out and pet one of these big cats!  Even snoozing, they’re amazing.

4. The Aviary and Birdhouses – I never know which gets more of my attention in the aviary – tBird in Animal Kingdomhe colorful and unusual birds- or the equally beautiful bird houses.  Spotting guides help visitors identify a variety of different bird species and the Asian bird houses located every few feet throughout the aviary are as beautiful as the  Birds House in the Aviary in Asia / Animal Kingdom Animal Kingdom Asian Aviary Bird Spotting Guidebirds!  If you’re afraid of birds, this probably isn’t the best place for you…especially since they’re kind of friendly and will walk right up to you sometimes when you’re not paying attention and make you jump.  Not that I’d know from personal experience or anything.  I’m not afraid of birds at all.

5.  The Ruins – I know, weird that I’m such an animal lover and I’ve named decaying walls as one of the five best things about the Maharajah’s jungle, but it’s true.  And I make it a point to be honest with you here at the Living a Disney Life blog.  So….in all honesty – you won’t find a better example of the wonder and genius, the unique artestry of Disney imagineering than among the ruins of Anandapur.

Because of the location of the Maharajah Jungle Trek, this trail is almost always less crowded than the Pangani Forest trail.  There are also plenty of Hidden Mickey’s to find along the way!  We try to hit this trail in the morning before the day heats up too much.  Our touring plan at Animal Kingdom usually starts with Expedition Everest, then Kilimanjaro Safari, then the Pangani Forest Nature Trail, and finally the Maharajah Jungle Trek.

Do you enjoy the trails at Animal Kingdom?  Which is your favorite?  What animals do you find the most fascinating?

Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Pangani Forest Trail

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Animal Kingdom GorillaI’m a little perplexed about something.  (If you can clear up my confusion, please do!)  Why do so many people skip the exploration trails at Disney’s Animal Kingdom?  Is it because they think it’ll be too much like a typical zoo experience and they want more “Disney” things to do?  Maybe some folks are afraid there will be unpleasant animal smells? (There aren’t)  Is it because there are so many other things at Animal Kingdom to see and do they think they don’t have time? (That one I could sort of understand)  I have a theory about it…I think people skip the trails because they don’t think they’ll be exciting or that there’s nothing new or different to see.  Of course, if that’s the case, they’d be WRONG!  Perhaps I could dispel that nasty rumor once and for all…Naked Mole Rats at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give to you, FIVE great things about The Pangani Forest Exploration Trail:  (Don’t worry, I will devote an entire future post to the Maharajah Jungle Trek).

1.  Naked (Nekkid!) Mole Rats.  Somewhat (okay, VERY) disgusting, always fascinating!  Along the trail you’ll come to a research building full of fascinating exhibits – none more interesting than those mole rats!  They’re like some sort of horrible oddity – you know what I’m talking about – the kind of thing you can’t look away from but you’re freaked out by.  Want to know more?  See these Fun Facts at the Smithsonian’s site.

Meerkat at Animal Kingdom2.  Meerkats – These little guys (and girls, I suppose) are so fun to watch!  Popping up and down, playing sentry for their mob.  They are cute and funny and wonderful to see.  Why would anyone pass up this opportunity?  Need more convincing?  Check out National Geographic’s Meerkat facts for kids here.

3. Hippos!  There’s an underwater viewing area.  You can see hippos in the water on Kilimanjaro Safari, but seeing them from below the water’s surface is just spectacular!  Really!Hippos at Disney's Animal Kingdom

4. The Aviary – Birds take so many different shapes and sizes!  They’re also smaller than some of the other animals on the trail, so the stroller set may find them more interesting.  Of course, if you’re scared of birds you should avoid this area at all costs!  Me?  I think they’re just ducky.  (See what I did there?)

5.  THE very best part of this experience – Western Lowland Gorillas.  Incredible.  Fascinating.  Also so fun to watch as they go about their day – and seem to be interested in watching you go about yours.  If you’ve ever Disney's Animal Kingdom Gorillabeen to a stinky primate house at a zoo, forget about it!  These amazing creatures are right there in front of you – with no bars or glass obscuring your view.  See the gorilla in the picture?  He had a metal dish/bowl for drinking water, but he stopped drinking to stare at me…while I looked at him.  I think we really connected there for a while.

So, those are my reasons for visiting Animal Kingdom’s Pangani Forest Exploration Trail on every visit.  You should give it a try!  Especially if you’re looking for any sort of educational opportunities on vacation (if you took the kids out of school to visit Walt Disney World, these trails are the stuff research reports are made of!)

Have you explored the Pangani Forest trail?  What was your favorite animal along the way? 

 

Western Lowland Gorilla at Animal Kingdom Disney's Animal Kingdom - Naked Mole Rat Sign

 

Disney For Five+ – Vacations With a Large Family

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Please welcome today’s guest, Heather Brainerd from Disney For Five+.

I’d been to Disney World many times as a child, but didn’t visit as an adult until my husband and I took our three boys in 2009. It was a wonderful whirlwind of a trip! Although I loved every minute of the vacation, it left me feeling like Disney World is geared toward families of four. From resort rooms to ride vehicles, everything seemed to work better for four. I knew there had to be a way around this and, once home, took to the Internet to research strategies for touring Photo306-murphy bed open-pWDW with a big family. Surprisingly, there wasn’t much out there on that specific topic. So I started blogging about it. Thus was born Disney for Five+ (http://disneyforfive.wordpress.com).

The biggest challenge facing big families: where to stay. If you want to stay on property (trust me, you do!), but want to stretch your vacation dollar, my top two recommendations are Port Orleans Riverside and All-Star Music.

Port Orleans Riverside (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/port-orleans-resort-riverside/) The Alligator Bayou section of this charming, lushly landscaped Moderate resort boasts rooms that sleep five. This is the only resort at either the Moderate or Value level that has *rooms* (we’ll get to suites later) that can accommodate more than four people. This is accomplished with two queen beds plus a Murphy-type bed (bench by day, small bed by night). The pull-down bed is only about 65” long, and our boys maxed it out around age 12. Until then, this was our resort of choice. We’ve since moved on to…

All-Star Music(https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/all-star-music-resort/) The Calypso and Jazz sections of this Value resort feature family suites that sleep up to six. Art of Animation also has family suites, but we prefer All-Star Music for two reasons: it’s cheaper, and it has three sleeping ASM Sleepingspaces in the living room. My husband and I get the master bedroom, each of the boys gets his own pullout (a couch, a chair, and an ottoman), and family harmony is ensured. Bonus: you get a small kitchen and TWO bathrooms! This makes getting ready in the morning so much more efficient.

There are plenty of other options for big families at Disney World resorts; these just happen to be my personal favorites. For a more extensive list, check out this post: http://disneyforfive.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/rooms-for-five/

To learn more about Heather and read more of her work, you can find her in these places: ASM Boys