Tag Archives: WDW

Disney World’s Flights of Wonder

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Birds in Flights of WonderThere’s not much I don’t love about Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom!  Here lately, I’ve had a lot to say about this oh-so-much-more-than-a-half-day park.  Today’s no exception.  I want to talk about Flights of Wonder.  Over along the walkway between Africa and Asia, you pass right by the theater for this very special show.  Sometimes there’s a Cast Member outside the theater’s entrance with a bird – talking about what makes that bird special, how they live, what they eat and so on.  Sometimes there’s just a sign posting the daily show times.  It’s pretty easy to just keep waking, but then you’d miss out on something pretty special and unique.  Unless you’re afraid of birds…but we’ll get to that in a minute.

Flights of Wonder is worth a spot in your touring plan at Animal Kingdom.  If you took the kidsOwl / Animal Kingdom / Flights of Wonder out of school to visit Walt Disney World and they need something educational to make the teachers feel better about their absence – See Flights of Wonder.  If your feet are tired and you need a place to sit and relax for a few minutes –  See Flights of Wonder.  Do you love learning about animals or have a special fondness for birds?  See Flights of Wonder.  It’s a great show for the whole family!  Unless you’re afraid of birds…but we’ll get to that in a minute.

Animal Kingdom / Flights of Wonder / PerformersThe show, which lasts about 25 minutes, begins with a Cast Member speaking about birds – suddenly, they are interrupted by the amazing Guano Joe – tour guide extraordinaire!  Guano Joe is quite a character and as it happens…is afraid of birds!  The rest of the show involves the Cast Members teaching Guano Joe (and the audience) all about different types of birds.  Several different bird behaviors (I hate to say “tricks”) are demonstrated while Guano Joe learns how and why birds behave they way they do – once he begins to understand, he starts to overcome his fear (fake, hokey, cheesy – you name it… embrace the experience).  It’s cute, funny and straight forward.  Birds fly overhead (quite low above spectators’ heads) from trainer to trainer, but birds also perform on stage.  It’s engaging, entertaining, and, for 25 minutes out of your day, a nice break from the sun and crowds.

If you are afraid of birds:  This show may not be for you – In case I’ve not been perfectly clear:  birds frequently fly close to the audience.  If you’re feeling brave (please, try to set a good example for the children) – Animal Kingdom / Flights of Wonder / Bald Eaglesit mid-way between the first and last row to the very outside.  Based on my last visit, this will minimize close encounters of the bird kind.  (OMG!  I KILL me sometimes.  I’m laughing so hard I have to end here…..)

So?  Flights of Wonder – Yea or Nay?

If you’re really afraid, check out one of many YouTube videos of the show to get the gist.

 

Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Starring Rolls Cafe

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Baked Goods in Starring Rolls CafeOne of the most fun things to do while on vacation at Walt Disney World is eat!  There are so many choices, so many foods!  Snack food kiosks, counter service restaurants, sit-down table service dining, dinner shows…this list goes on and on!  If you visit Walt Disney World, it’s hard not to fall in love with certain foods and eateries that you’ll want to visit again and again.  One of those special places for our family is the Starring Rolls Café in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  I know!  You’re thinking – that’s just a little bakery, there are so many WAY better places to eat than that.  I’d have to disagree.Starring Rolls Bakery Goods

The reason we love Starring Rolls so much is that it fills a very specific niche in our dining lineup.  It’s the one place I can think of where we will eat two or three times in a single WDW vacation.  Here’s why:  We love to hit Hollywood Studios early in the morning and get right to our favorite rides and attractions.  I’ve mentioned before that we bring packaged breakfast foods from home so we don’t have to make time to eat while we get an early start on a busy park day.  We get up and GO!  So, at the Studios, once we’ve hit Toy Story Midway Mania, Tower of Terror, and Rock’n’ Roller Coaster, Bagels / Starring rols Cafewe can sort of slow down a bit before moving on.  We usually realize that our portable breakfast has long worn off by then and we need a little something to tide us over until lunch – THAT is what makes Starring Rolls perfect!  Centrally located at the beginning of Sunset Blvd., this little bakery/café offers us just exactly what we need – when and where we want it!

Bagels (and cream cheese), Danish, cinnamon rolls, sandwiches, sushi, fruit, cheese, yogurt, cupcakes – Starring Rolls is Darth Vader Cupcakes / Starring Rolls Cafelike a bakery and deli combined.  Big snack, small meal, breakfast, brunch, lunch, dessert – this place has got what you’re looking for and the food is very good!  Coffee, juice, water, tea, wine and soft drinks are all available to accompany your treat of choice.  The cafe’s outdoor seating area offers plenty of shade.  The cupcakes at Starring Rolls are a very popular treat for good reason.  One of the most popular is the Butterfinger Cupcake, but the Red Velvet is also excellent!  During the Studios’ Star Wars Weekends, the Yoda and Darth Vader cupcakes are a big hit!

To me, great counter service restaurants are not the Studios’ strong point.  Starring Rolls allows our family to catch a tasty and filling brunch Yoda Yum! / Starring Rolls Cafe(or Second Breakfast if you’re a Hobbit fan) while saving room for a more substantial dining experience later in the day.

Are you a Starring Rolls fan?  What’s your favorite thing to order there?

Starring Rolls Shaded Seating

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?