Tag Archives: WDW

Busiest Time to Visit Walt Disney World – Into the Fray!

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IMG_0059Ask any good source of Disney travel advice and they will all tell you NOT to visit Walt Disney World during certain weeks of the year – if you want to have a great visit, avoid Spring Break, Easter week, Thanksgiving week, and the week between Christmas and the New Year.  We’re ignoring this most important cardinal rule of Disney vacationing and bucking the system!  Raymond and I are headed to Walt Disney World on December 26th!

Busiest Time to Visit Walt Disney World – Into the Fray!IMG_0988

Why?  Why would we do this?  Glad you asked!  We could both get off work!  It’s as simple as that.  I get more flexible vacation days than Raymond does, but he’s always off (his work shuts down) from Christmas Eve through New Years Day.  We’re going to Walt Disney World because those days were available for us to be off at the same time and we couldn’t think of a better way to spend them together than at our favorite vacation spot!

We know this will not be without challenges!  We know we’ll need to keep a few things in mind to make this trip fun, relaxing, and worth the effort – oh, and it will take some effort to navigate the insanely crowded conditions we’ll be facing.  Here are the top five strategies we plan to employ:IMG_0971

  1. Patience – Lines will be long, pathways congested, attraction wait times ridiculous!  Knowing this going in will help us have realistic expectations and make it easier to practice patience – Raymond has always been much better at going with the flow than I have – it’ll be time to show that, after 26 years of marriage, he’s finally taught me a thing or two.  Maybe.  I hope.IMG_0970
  2. Flexibility – This is something we’re normally very good at in our day-to-day lives.  At Disney World during the Christmas season, it’s going to be imperative that we embrace spontaneity and be willing to abandon FastPasses in favor of not being late for our dining reservations (see #4).CoP-Christmas1
  3. Fewer “must-do’s” and More “off-the-beaten-path” Plans – The only must-do we’re counting on is seeing the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights one last time.  We have booked 3 FastPasses per day, but know that it may not be possible to actually reach them all during the allotted time period.  I promise to try not to be disappointed.  I’ll gladly resort-hop to see all the wonderful holiday decorations if the park crowds become unbearable.
  4. Plenty of Time for Dining (outside the parks) – We are booked solid dining-wise.  After we booked all our dinner reservations, we went back and added a couple of lunches.  The only in-park dining we have planned is at 50’s Prime Time Café in the Studios – all other restaurant reservations are in the resorts or at Disney Springs.IMG_1135
  5. Finding the Magic – We’ll focus on being in the moment, soaking up those awesome Disney details, appreciating the Cast Members and the challenges they face when the crowds are über crazy, enjoying being together and ending the year in a place that holds such incredible memories for us!

Stay tuned to Facebook, Twitter, and Periscope – We’ll keep you posted on how we do with The Plan!  Do you have any words of wisdom for us?

 

Commemorating Walt Disney World’s 25th Anniversary

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Happy Saturday, Disney Friends!  Sometimes when I’m pouring over articles at the Disney Musings Blog, looking for one to share with you, happy memories are triggered – today is one of those times.  This item from Nick’s Disneyana collection (and doesn’t he have the most amazing collection?) reminded me of the first time Raymond and I took our children to Walt Disney World.  It was in 1996!  Megan was five and Joseph just 13 months – it was July.  And we had such a magical time!  In a magical place!  I’m betting you’ll also have some happy memories when you read about this particular treasure, too.  Have a great weekend!

Commemorating Walt Disney World’s 25th Anniversary

By: Nick

I bought this great ceramic commemorative figure of Genie, Simba, Mickey Mouse, and Goofy back in 1996 during Walt Disney World’s 25th Anniversary.

A Magical Time in a Magical Place. This figure measures 7 inches tall.

An interesting collection of characters. It works for me though.

It’s time to remember the magic!  Made in Thailand.
Original price: $45.

This is reminiscent of the “group hug” scene in Aladdin, after Al has made his third and final wish, freeing Genie. I love that scene, and actually have a sericel of the “Group Hug” that I’ll share in a future post.

For more Disney awesomeness, be sure to follow Nick, his wife Barbie, and friends:  Disney Musings Blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, On Instagram, On Pinterest.  You can listen to Nick, our friend Dave and me on The Disney Exchange Podcast where we talk about…well, you can probably guess.

Headed to Walt Disney World in 2016?  The Disney Exchange Podcast will be having a meet-up in February during the Princess Half Marathon Weekend!  Details will be available on The Disney Exchange’s Facebook Page and also on Twitter.  We’d love to see you there!!!

At WDW? Short on Time? Ride This OR That!

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Unless you’re staying for an extended period of time, it’s nearly impossible to do it ALL at Walt Disney World in a single visit.  That’s part of what keeps our family coming back for more, again and again.  The choices among rides and attractions can be pretty overwhelming!  It’s easy to find the thrill rides, if that’s your thing, and knock those off the to-do list.  But what about the less thrilling rides?  The movies and live shows?  If you can’t do it all, which should you choose and which should you leave off for a later visit?  For today’s Friday Five, I’d like to offer a few suggestions…

At WDW? Short on Time? Ride This OR That!RM-Dumbo-Queue

  1. Spinners-  In Magic Kingdom, ride Dumbo or Magic Carpets of Aladdin or Astro Orbiter.  Love Dinosaurs? Skip those two and ride Triceratops Spin in Animal Kingdom’s Dinoland U.S.A.  My Opinion: Dumbo’s a classic but the wait can be long (and loud!).  Magic Carpets of Aladdin is cute and our kids have always loved it.RM-The-Seas-Mr-Ray
  2. Under Sea Adventure-  Both of these attractions have Clamobiles as ride vehicles, both take you back through popular Disney movies – Ride Under The Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid in Magic Kingdom (Fantasyland) OR The Seas With Nemo and Friends in Epcot (Future World).  My favorite is the Nemo and Friends version, but my friend Heather and her family love the Little Mermaid best.  Both are cute!RM-Mickey's-PhilharMagic
  3. 3D Movies-  You have three choices: Mickey’s PhilharMagic (Magic Kingdom), It’s Tough to Be a Bug (Disney’s Animal Kingdom) or MuppetVision 3D (Disney’s Hollywood Studios).  My opinion:  I don’t dislike any of them, but Mickey’s PhilharMagic is my favorite.  Keep in mind: It’s Tough to Be a Bug can be very scary for little ones and people of all ages who are afraid of bugs.RM-7DMT-Train2
  4. Kiddie Coaster-  Barnstormer and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, both in Magic Kingdom, have low height requirements at 35″ and 38″ respectively.  Barnstormer is great for very young, apprehensive riders (entire ride lasts about a minute).  For brave first-timers (or Barnstormer graduates), Seven Dwarfs Mine Train lasts twice as long and has more to see.RM-Voyage-of-the-Little-Mermaid
  5. Live Stage Shows- Great choices abound:  Festival of the Lion King (Animal Kingdom), Finding Nemo-The Musical (Disney’s Animal Kingdom), Beauty and The Beast Live on Stage (Disney’s Hollywood Studios), Disney Junior Live on Stage (Studios), and Voyage of the Little Mermaid (Studios).  You’ll know best which of these will appeal most to your own Disney fans, but if you can’t decide, Festival of the Lion King is a crowd pleaser across all ages.

Which rides or attractions would you pick from the list?

So Long Star Wars Weekends

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Yoda Yum! / Starring Rolls CafeI’ll admit I’ve got an emotional attachment to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  I first visited as a newlywed when the park was new – how exciting and completely different the attractions and atmosphere were way back then!  The changes to the park over the years caused mixed reactions in our family – some of them very welcome, some not so much.  It’s been difficult here lately to watch this once very unique and interesting park lose much of its luster…and the losses keep on coming.

So Long Star Wars WeekendsRM-SWW-Parade

Yesterday, in this article from the Orlando Sentinel, it was confirmed that Star Wars Weekends have officially been discontinued.  I get that Star Wars will, at some future time, have a much greater presence in the Studios.  And that the additional Star Wars real estate will be made up of enough rides, attractions, shows, shops, restaurants, etc. to satisfy even the most avid Star Wars fan and make special weekends in the early summer unnecessary.  I’m still disappointed.Wookie in Star Wars Parade

Star Wars Weekends were fantastic!  The end of May has always been one of our favorite times of the year to visit Walt Disney World and the undeniably fantastic extra addition of Star Wars Weekend activities made our vacations that much more fun!  In 2014, we enjoyed what we now know was our last Star Wars Weekend – we made time to rope-drop the park one morning to soak up the fun – there was always extra excitement in the air as Star Wars fans showed their love for the franchise in a wide variety of ways.RM-SWW-Parade2

The motorcade was the highlight for us.  There’s normally no parade at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so this event was very special indeed.  Star Wars characters and celebrities made up this popular spectacle and it was worth finding a place along the route well in advance (and waiting in the hot Florida sun).  RM-Star-Wars-Motorcade-John-RatzenbergerIn 2014, John Ratzenberger was in the parade and I could not have been more thrilled to see him!  I suppose that’s the biggest disappointment about the demise of Star Wars Weekends – the end of the gathering of stars from across the Star Wars universe and the excitement of the crowds who gathered to see them.RM-SWW-Stormtrooper

“I do not like to repeat successes, I like to go on to other things.” – Walt Disney

Progress marches on, I suppose.  I know additions to the Studios as opposed to closures will be a most welcome change.  I’ll have to trust that the presence of Star Wars in the future will be better (or at least as good) as the Star Wars events and festivities of the past.  Let’s get going!

What are your thoughts on the loss of Star Wars Weekends?  Will more of an everyday Star Wars presence make up for it?