Tag Archives: WDW

Disney World! Always New Things to Try

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Walt Disney World – Trying new things and revisiting old favorites is what makes every visit different from the one before.  I’m committed to adding something new to every trip…our most recent Disney vacation was no exception.

Disney World! Always New Things to Try

Most of the items on this list rate their very own review in the future (please stand by).  Today I’m going for a quick rundown of what was new (to us) and what our initial impressions were.  Please feel free to weigh in on what you’re looking forward to trying for the first time on your next Walt Disney World visit.

  1. Mad Tea Party.  Yes, that’s right, Raymond and I have never, not once, taken a spin on this most iconic of Magic Kingdom attractions.  Now we can say we’ve done it. Aaaaaaand that’s pretty much all I have to say about that…for now.on-the-tea-cups
  2. Disney Springs’ new offerings.  We didn’t have a great deal of time to spare, but we did manage to grab lunch at Morimoto Street Food (new walk-up counter service at Morimoto Asia) and check out a few of the new stores in the new retail shopping section.  Lunch was great, the stores were okay.  In spite of all the fancy, new high-end offerings, I found myself pulled back to my old favorites like the Marketplace Co-Op and Disney’s Days of Christmas.  That’s where I spent my money.  schweitzer-falls-fanI was inordinately happy with my Schweitzer Falls t-shirt buy…can you blame me?tiffins-exterior
  3. Animal Kingdom’s Nomad Lounge and Tiffins – Guys!  We give these new places a resounding, unanimous vote of approval!  I promise more details later, but if you’re on the fence about trying one or both…get off the fence on the side of definitely going.via-napoli-pizza-slice
  4. Epcot’s Via Napoli – Raymond and I enjoyed a special dining experience here during the 2014 Food & Wine festival, but had never made a regular ADR for a meal here until this visit.  I’d been skeptical of reviews that said the pizza was fantastic (Disney pizza is typically anything but fantastic) and the food excellent overall, but I’m a believer now and cannot wait to go back!  We were very happy!sci-fi-dine-in-menu
  5. Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater – All I can say in my own defense was that I thought it would be unique and fun.  Yeahhhhh….not so much.  Didn’t hate it, but now that we’ve given it a try, there’s no need to go back.  For the price, service level, and menu, there are too many superior choices…we’ll put this in the “once and done” category.  I’ll go ahead and add that for us, the service was subpar and the seating less than ideal for a party of more than four.frozen-ever-after-figures
  6. Frozen Ever After – Raymond and I managed to score a FastPass for this and ride it on the first day of our vacation.  I hate that we couldn’t get FastPasses for the rest of our party!  This attraction is outstanding.  Let’s not debate its suitability for the Norway Pavilion in Epcot and just focus on the experience alone…wonderful!soarin-new
  7. Soarin’ – This was THE one thing I was most looking forward to.  I’ve always been a fan and could not wait to check out the new version.  I was both delighted and disappointed in equal measure.  Have you ridden it yet?  What did you think?

Okay, now it’s your turn.  Have you tried any/all of these yet?  Where do we agree and disagree?

Disney World October 2016 Hurricane Recap

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What a trip!  Food & Wine, Hurricane Matthew, old favorites, new restaurants and attractions – so much happened in just 8 days…here’s the rundown of the highs, lows, and unusual happenings.

Disney World October 2016 Hurricane Recap

We arrived in time to celebrate Magic Kingdom’s 45th Anniversary and we ran over to the insanely crowded park for a few minutes just so we could say we were there.  As we were grabbing Mickey pretzels in Tomorrowland, I spotted someone I knew instantly!  Jeanie Gallo from The Princess Papers!  jeanie-lisaI was so happy to finally meet her in person after being friends with her on Facebook for a long time.  Jeanie was every bit as sweet and lovely in person as one would expect from her blog and Facebook page!  We took a few minutes to chat and planned to meet up again later in the week…sadly, this would not happen.magic-kingdom-october-2016

We’d planned our week carefully, with lots of park touring, dining, and FastPass action.  We were seriously determined to pack in as much fun as possible and make the most of every day.  Saturday night at Epcot, Sunday at Magic Kingdom, Monday at the Studios and Epcot, Tuesday at Animal Kingdom, Wednesday back to the Studios and Epcot again, Thursday to Magic Kingdom and Epcot….*insert sound of squealing breaks here*  Hello Hurricane Matthew.wdw-hurricane-matthew-approaches

Up until Thursday afternoon, we were on a roll!  For a party of 7 adults, we were accomplishing a tremendous amount and nothing was slowing us down…not even some serious afternoon torrential downpours during the week.  As we hit Magic Kingdom on Thursday morning, it was clear that Matthew’s arrival was imminent and we knew some serious vacation interruption was highly likely.  We took our morning plans seriously and were making terrific progress when we decided we needed a snack from Gaston’s Tavern.  While looking for a table, I heard someone call my name and was delighted to come face to face with Judith – The Disney Exchange’s official listener #20!  judith-disney-exchange-listenerJudith and I visited while she waited on hold to change her resort reservations since her flight home had already been cancelled due to the impending storm.

After our snacks, we headed for our last Magic Kingdom attraction, Space Mountain, where we ran into Judith and her husband and we all rode together.  That afternoon, we lunched at Whispering Canyon (always a pleasure) and hopped to Epcot.  By this time, we were being told of the planned 5:00 pm park closure.  Determined to tough it out until the very end, we donned our ponchos and made our way to World Showcase to meet up with Nick, Barbie and their friends Jill and Zach.  meetup-in-epcotI took a few minutes to see if I could cancel our Shula’s Steakhouse reservation for that evening and book something at our resort.  Unbelievably, I scored a 9:10 pm ADR at The California Grill.

Time flew as fast as the wind was picking up!  Before long, we headed to MouseGear to stock up on some hurricane supplies and souvenirs (just in case).  mousegear-shopping-spreeBy 5:00 sharp, we were on the monorail headed to the Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower.  Because of the somewhat tricky logistics of getting all resort guests situated, the trip took about an hour.

Once in our rooms at Bay Lake Tower, we had time to clean up before heading over to the Contemporary for dinner.  Already short-staffed, the restaurant was turning away all walkups (except for one extreme jerk who, after insulting Cast Members and demanding to speak to a manager – who he also insulted for not looking like a manager – and insisting his “kid” would not eat the food anywhere else, was allowed up to the restaurant…much to our disappointment.)  While Matthew gained in intensity outside, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and excellent service.  It was strange to see Magic Kingdom so dark from inside California Grill.

I’ll save the rest of the Disney World during a hurricane details for another post, but we ended up spending nearly all of Friday in our resort rooms.  We had plenty of food (picked up at the Contemporary’s Fantasia Market on Thursday) and Disney movies played on TV all day.  We never lost electricity and never felt in any danger from the storm.  Housekeeping stopped by to check on us and drop off towels and soap/shampoo.wdw-hurricane-supplies

By early afternoon, everyone except Raymond and I decided the storm had let up enough to get out and walk around.  By late afternoon, we were certain we could make our dinner reservation at The Swan’s Il Mulino.  We heard Disney Springs would be opening after 4:00 pm.  Lots of folks were out and about by this time – Raymond, Joseph, and I even arranged a meetup with Dave Tupper (Disney fan from Hawaii who’s been my friend on social media for years and has been a guest on The Disney Exchange) and his beautiful daughter.  Thanks for the Aulani gifts, Dave!meeting-disney-friends

Once we were all ready to leave for dinner, we called Uber since no Disney transportation was operating and, even though we arrived quite early, were welcomed at Il Mulino with open arms.  The menu was limited due to the storm, but the service was wonderful and, for our last night at Walt Disney World, we had a great evening.il-mulino-selfie

Saturday (departure day) would not normally have been a park day, but after missing out on Friday and with an 8:00 am opening at all the parks (7:00 am at Animal Kingdom), we knew we had to squeeze in a bit more Disney magic.  We arrived at Magic Kingdom in time to meet Nick and Barbie for the opening show.  nick-lisaOnce in the park, the early crowds were low and we were on a mission!  In 90 minutes we’d hit Space Mountain, it’s a small world, Haunted Mansion, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and Pirates of the Caribbean.  I also had time to meet the Dapper Dans (and pose for a picture!) and enjoy a Citrus Swirl.

We rushed back to Bay Lake Tower, grabbed our suitcases, and waited for Disney’s Magical Express to take us to the airport where, surprisingly, our flight home was on time!  I’ve got tons more details to share with you about dining and new (to us) attractions over the next couple of weeks, so please check back for more about this trip.

I want to extend a special great big thank you to those of you who reached out to me while we were at Walt Disney World during Hurricane Matthew – your concern was deeply appreciated!!!

 

Magical Memory Monday – Disney Touring ’til We Drop!

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It was Spring, 2005.  Megan was 14 and Joseph nearly 10 – Our Disney World touring plans were simple: Do as much as possible everyday for the five days we’d be there.  We’d hit the ground running and go, go, go for 15 or more hours straight.IMG_2021

Magical Memory Monday – Disney Touring ’til We Drop!

We began in Magic Kingdom, I remember that well because we wanted Space Mountain to be our first and last ride of  the trip.  We were staying at the Contemporary for the first time and were in a garden wing which was a huge splurge for us.  We felt like the luckiest family in the World.IMG_2011

Looking back, I can still recall exactly the excitement of the attractions and the fun we had trying new restaurants and other experiences.  We’d mastered the art of taking turns at being  the runner for getting paper FastPasses and we all felt like the amount of things we saw and did each day was tremendous.  As was, and still is, a much beloved vacation tradition, we paused every evening long enough to enjoy a nice dinner in a table service restaurant where we’d talk about the wonders we’d enjoyed that day and what we were looking forward to for the next.IMG_2069

For the very last day of the trip, we’d made a reservation at the California Grill.  We spent the day at Magic Kingdom and before we walked back to our room to change for dinner, we grabbed some FastPasses for Space Mountain.  The timing couldn’t have been better.  We’d be able to enjoy our nice dinner and have plenty of time to go back to Magic Kingdom and finish our vacation exactly the way we’d planned.RM-Space-Mountain-Sign

California Grill was great!  We were seated near the window and had a wonderful time enjoying the delicious food and wonderful view.  About halfway through our entrees, I noticed our little group had gotten very quiet.  I glanced around the table.  Raymond and Megan were happily eating, but Joseph, who’d leaned his head back onto the window, was sound asleep.  I called to him softly by the nickname I’d given him when he was born, “Sonny?”  Without opening his eyes, he replied, “Ma’am?”  I asked, “We’ve still got our FastPasses for Space Mountain, are you going to be up for that?”  His eyes were still closed, but his answer was firm, “Yes, ma’am.”RM-California-Grill-View

And when dinner was over, he perked right up and we did indeed make our way back to Space Mountain.  Five days of non-stop park touring had certainly worn us out, but we wouldn’t have changed a single moment.  Our family vacation motto was born…We’ll rest when we’re dead.

What’s your favorite Walt Disney World park touring memory?

 

 

Nighttime Animal Kingdom Speculation

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Animal Kingdom Animal CarvingsWe are days away from our next Walt Disney World vacation and all the speculation about what’s happening with the Animal Kingdom at Night is making me crazy!  I’m on a roller coaster of excitement followed by crushing disappointment…then hope…then despair…then excitement again.  What’s the deal?

Nighttime Animal Kingdom Speculation

There are many unofficial Disney websites along with news and social media outlets that broadcast doom and gloom.  They started announcing that Disney will be discontinuing the new nighttime offerings at Animal Kingdom after one summer of late night fun.  According to these sources, until Rivers of Light launches, Animal Kingdom’s nighttime activities and attractions will be no more.  Then suddenly, these same sites have had to walk back those statements when the reduced October park hours once again expanded into the evening.

While I’m not ready to shun social media for confusing me with all these somewhat sketchy prognostications, I’m going with what I do know – officially.  And I’m cautiously optimistic!

We are (and have always been) planning a day-and-a-half at Animal Kingdom…because it is more than a full-day park to us (and should be for you too!).  We started our planning by booking our ADRs (Advance Dining Reservations) 180 days pre-trip for an 8;30 am breakfast at Tusker House and a 4:30 pm early dinner at Tiffins – both new experiences for us – on our full day, open-to-close Animal Kingdom visit (with our half-day visit scheduled for a few days later). mde-nighttime-animal-kingdom

Shortly after we selected our dining options, we learned Rivers of Light was delayed, but all the rest of the nighttime activities like the Tree of Life Awakens, Kilimanjaro Safari at Night, and the street parties (Harambe Wildlife Parti and Discovery Island Carnivale) were in full swing (and we expected them to continue).  Jungle Book: Alive With Magic (the temporary replacement for the delayed Rivers of Light) was not enticing to us, so we had planned on riding Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safari after Tiffins before hitting one of the street parties.mde-animal-kingdom-at-night

Then the park hours changed.  I started paying attention and saw Animal Kingdom suddenly closing at 7:30 pm during the week of our visit.  While some social media chatter had the park closing in October at 6:30 pm, I faithfully checked the My Disney Experience app and never saw closures earlier than 7:30 pm for our trip.  While this was a little disappointing, I still believed we’d have time between dinner at Tiffins and park closing to squeeze in some attractions and thought maybe the Tree of Life would still “awaken”.

Then the hours suddenly extended again to an 8:30 pm closing time, Facebook ads by Disney continue to promote Nighttime at Animal Kingdom, and rumors started up about Rivers of Light suddenly being much closer to a launch date.  Last week, we received our fall edition of the Mickey Monitor (pass holder newsletter) and it contained a section promoting Animal Kingdom at night.mickey-monitor-fall-2016-animal-kingdom-at-night mickey-monitor-fall-2016-animal-kingdom-parti

I’m stepping off the roller coaster of speculation and believe we will get to experience at least some of the new nighttime offerings at Animal Kingdom on our visit.  I’d be crazy to hope that Rivers of Light would somehow be ready for a soft opening (at least) 10 days from now, but with 9:00 am – 8:30 pm hours on our full day at Animal Kingdom, I’m sure we will not leave disappointed!

What about you?  Are you looking forward to Animal Kingdom at Night on your next visit?