Star Wars Weekends Take Over Disney World May 18 - June 10, 2012
Star Wars fan don't have to wait much longer for their favorite Disney World Event of the year: Star Wars Weekends! This is when Disney's Hollywood Studios is transformed for four weekends into a world of good vs evil, Jedi vs the Sith, and it is up to you to choose which side of the Force you will follow.
The Star Wars Weekends event happens from Friday through Sunday during each weekend and all events are included in the price of your Disney's Hollywood Studios admission. You will get to see a multitude of Star Wars Characters from all 6 of the live action movies, as well as, from the Star Wars Clone Wars Movie and animated series.
2012 Star Wars Weekends Dates
- May 18-20
- May 25-27
- June 1 - 3
- June 8-10
You will also see celebrities that were part of the movies each weekend as part of question and answer sessions, parades, and autograph opportunities.
This is a fun event for the whole family. You don't have to be a huge Star Wars fan to enjoy the event, as all of the normal Hollywood Studios attractions are open to enjoy during the event in addition to the special Star Wars related additions.
Stay tuned to Only WDWorld for a full run down on all of the events and the special celebrity guests for 2012 when they are announced.
Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival Returns For 19th Year At Disney World
The normally spectacular Epcot landscaping gets even better as the Disney World horticultural staff does an amazing job each year.
Here is the Disney Press Release with details of the 2012 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival:
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – A little gardening magic will go a long way when an eight-foot-tall floral Sorcerer Mickey topiary holds court at the entrance to the 19th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival March 7-May 20 at Walt Disney World Resort. Standing atop a 12-foot-tall floral mountain cliff and towering above the park’s front-entrance topiary bed, the commanding Sorcerer Mickey will direct a riot of color in the manicured shapes of dancing broomsticks, buckets, mushrooms, hippos, alligators and elephants straight from the classic Disney film, “Fantasia.”
Disney topiary specialists worked to create the striking new design with innovative materials and recycled elements from years past, says festival horticulture manager Eric Darden. An earlier version of Sorcerer Mickey stood less than five feet tall; a larger frame was built, Darden says, to more accurately reflect the character in the front-entrance Fantasia scene. The new Fantasia “mountain” grew from a 2003 topiary piece that once held a “Steamboat Willie” Mickey Mouse display.
“The challenge is to use our resources, repurpose them, and keep them fresh every year,” Darden says. “These are some of our most popular characters from a topiary standpoint, and ‘Fantasia’ was a groundbreaking film for its music and animation techniques.”
The front-entrance floral spectacle will welcome guests to a festival packed with new displays, featured speakers and hands-on fun for all ages.
Don’t Miss!
For 75 festival days, Epcot guests can explore topiaries and gardens, learn planting, style and design techniques and rock to the tunes of popular Flower Power concerts:
•Bambi’s Butterfly House, three times the size of the festival’s original, will be a-flutter with multiple species of brilliant butterflies. At Imagination Walkway by Innoventions West.
•Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden - Fabulous Disney fairy topiaries alight to greet young fans who enter this whimsical garden designed with play structures for children ages 2-5. At the Test Track Walkway.
•The HGTV Designers Stage will present HGTV celebrities each Friday through Sunday and nationally recognized garden personalities Monday through Thursday. At the Festival Center.
•The Flower Power concert series will welcome back 20th century pop favorites this year when Jose Feliciano, Chubby Checker and The Wildcats, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Davy Jones and seven other bands rock the America Gardens Theatre with their timeless tunes. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Performers and appearance dates subject to change.
Petal Power
Thirty million blooms, 240 floating mini-gardens on two ponds, 700 container gardens of flowers, herbs, plants and vegetables, dozens of Disney character topiaries, 30 “flower towers” of impatiens and sweeping beds of floral designs will create a tapestry of brilliant color across the 260-acre Epcot landscape. It takes more than one full year and 400 Walt Disney World horticulturists to plan and prepare for the 75-day festival. One of the most interesting challenges is finding just the right plant materials to bring the park’s topiaries to life.
The front-entrance “Fantasia” rock cliff topiary will be carpeted with a “blackish-purple Ajuga,” says Disney plant specialist Heather Will-Browne. White and blue flowers will represent streams of water tumbling down the rock face, she adds, and the “Fantasia” theme will be carried out with masses of hot pink geraniums, blue delphiniums, white poppies, violet petunias and blue pansies, among others. Other show-stopping character topiaries: Lightning McQueen and Mater from “Cars 2″ at the Japan showcase; Buzz, Woody and Lotso the teddy bear from “Toy Story 3;” and the Fab Five – Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto and Goofy — outside the Festival Center.
The horticulture team also will plant new landscape looks outside the Italy and Norway pavilions, Will-Browne says. In Italy, gardeners will display a mix of containers overflowing with bright flowers and pots of fragrant herbs used in Italian cuisine. Around Norway, “we’ll do a white show of geraniums, violas, snap dragons, poppies and alyssum,” she says. A small Norway meadow will feature “a mass of brilliant, wild mixed color.” Each of the park’s other nine World Showcase countries will feature special festival landscape elements.
More Festival Fun
•The Festival Center- Guests can shop for festival merchandise, attend demonstrations and get ideas and tips from master gardeners. In Future World between Universe of Energy and Mission:SPACE.
•Disney Gardening at Home presentations - Disney horticulturists will share gardening tips and lead guests in a hands-on, take-home activity at the Festival Center.
•Special Festival Weekend Celebrations - An Art in the Garden celebration of plein air artists is scheduled March 23-25; a Florida Federation of Garden Clubs gathering will be April 27-29; and a Fresh from Florida Farmer’s Market salute is slated for May 4-6.
More information about the 19th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is available by calling 407/W-DISNEY (934-7639) or by visiting disneyworld.com/flower when festival time approaches. The festival, including all gardening programs and exhibits, is included in regular Epcot admission.
Disney World Teen Reviews: Sci-Fi Dine In Theater
Disney World is known for amazing shows, outstanding quality, and delicious food. All of these key elements come together to create Disney’s Sci-Fi Dine In Theater Restaurant in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Located near the sign-ups for American Idol and the back of Star Tours is the Sci-Fi Dine In Theater. This amazing restaurant has one of the best restaurant themes in Walt Disney World. You are taken back to the 50’s and are in a giant outdoor theater watching classic sci-fi’s from the 50’s on a giant projector in your family’s own classic car.
To your right and to your left are the sparkling city lights. Even the most serious adults will laugh at the somewhat corny movies.
As you head inside the waiting room for this fabulous restaurant, the Disney Host at the check-in will give you two choices of seating: the flying saucer, a picnic table with a “saucer” as an umbrella, or a car. I highly suggest the car, although the wait might be slightly longer.
The car is separated into 3 rows so the kids can sit in the back and the adults in the front (or vice versa), but don’t worry you can still easily see and talk to each other while enjoying the movie fun!
Every now and then if you look back you may be surprised to find a hitchhiker in your car! Don’t be worried though, it’s just another person who’s come to enjoy the sci-fi fun.
Kids will love the amazing milkshakes, that if I may say so myself, are “out of this world!” If you have trouble deciding on a flavor, I suggest the cookies and cream.
With all of the funny movies you may not even find time for eating! If you do though, you should try the Rueben. It’s amazing! Make sure that you get some fries and load up on the ketchup and enjoy the movie magic.
One thing that you won’t find at this movie is popcorn, but that is all right because the food is so good you don’t need it.
I highly recommend this fun, tasty, and downright amazing restaurant. It is an excellent place for family and kids, our two adults ready for dinner and a movie! So the next time you’re at Hollywood Studios make sure that you stop by the Sci-Fi Dine In Theater!
Disney Dining Plan Guide For Families With Young Children
Disney Dining Plan Value
It is important to recognize that although there are over 100 different dining locations where you can use the Disney Dining Plan, not all of them provide a good value. It only makes sense to redeem your Disney Dining Plan credits at locations that maximize the enjoyment for your family and get the most for your dollar. This guide will help provide dining suggestions to help you meet both of these goals.
Variety Is The Spice Of Life
One of your goals during your Disney World Vacation should be to enjoy a wide variety of experiences, especially ones that you cannot achieve in your home town. At Disney World this would include Character Dining, themed restaurants, and enjoying different cuisines. There are a number of choices in each of these categories for your family to choose from. Fortunately almost all Disney Restaurants will have menu items that will please even the picky and/or unadventurous eaters.
Table Service Dining For Dinner
Although you may use your Table Service credits at any meal of the day, we would highly recommend that you use them for Dinner. The main reason is that during breakfast and lunch you typically will not receive full value for your dining credit. This means that you may actually be paying more than listed menu prices to eat at these restaurants. (The adult cost of Disney Dining Plan is $51.54 (including taxes) each day. You can figure the Table Service portion of that cost is around $32-$35. If you go to a $20 meal, you are trading in a credit you paid $35 for in exchange for a $20 meal.)
Disney World Character Dining
There are several great Disney Character Dining options that are recommended for Families using the Disney Dining Plan. Not only are they great fun, they are a great fiscal use of your Disney Dining Plan Table Service credits. (Prices shown are for comparison purposes if you do not have the Disney Dining Plan and are subject to change.)
- Chef Mickey's - This fun buffet at Disney's Contemporary Resort is where you can get a chance to interact with Mickey Mouse and his friends! At $40.46+tax for adult buffet it is also a great use of the DDP.
- Princess Storybook Character Dining At Akershus Royal Banquet Hall - This under appreciated Character Dining Experience in the Norway Pavilion of Epcot is a great way to meet all of the Disney Princesses (except Cinderella) and get your picture taken with each. Also a great value with Adult meals costing $46.85.
- Crystal Palace - Here is your chance to eat within the Magic Kingdom and enjoy a marvelous buffet and see Winnie The Pooh and the characters from the Hundred Acre Wood. Adult meal costs $40.99.
- Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner at 1900 Park Fare - Dining at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort is a wonderful experience and this is a great Character Meal as well. Meet all of the characters from Cinderella and enjoy a great buffet. Adult cost is $42.59
There are a few themed restaurants that are great to check out for the delicious food and the wonderfully dining experience that the entire family will enjoy.
- 'Ohana - This is a great restaurant to take the entire family. The Polynesian Resort is a great place to visit and you are made to feel at home in this friendly atmosphere. There is entertainment for the kids and the family style dining insures quick service and plenty of great tasting food. A must do for many families on each Disney World Vacation.
- Coral Reef - This unique Epcot restaurant actually shares a wall with the giant tank from the Living Seas attraction. This allows you to watch a vast array of sea life swim by while you dine. The atmosphere is a little more quiet and upscale, but the views are amazing. The restaurant has a full menu, but specializes in seafood and steak. Cap off your meal with The Chocolate Wave, which is one of our favorite Disney World desserts. Remember desserts are included in the Disney Dining Plan!
There are lots of different choices to experience cuisine that you may not always get in your home town. Here is your chance to try it. If you have any allergies or food restriction concerns, Disney is the best anywhere at making accommodations without a hassle.
- Boma - This buffet at Disney's Animal Kingdom allows you to enjoy the flavors of Africa. There is a wide variety of options and kid friendly choices as well. This restaurant has some of the most incredible soups to try on the buffet. Don't forget to try the famous Zebra Domes on the dessert bar. Adult meals cost $39.40.
- Biergarten - This fun buffet in Epcot Germany fits the bill for Themed Restaurant and Great Cuisine. Enjoy a vast German Buffet and be entertained with traditional German Music while you eat. There is even a chance to get up and polka if you are so inclined. Always a family favorite! Adult meals cost $39.40.
- Chefs de France - Be transported to Paris, France to enjoy a great meal in Epcot France. All of the waitstaff is from France and are the food is excellent. The restaurant has a little more upscale feel to it and you order off of a menu here.
- Restaurant Marrakesh - If you are feeling exotic you can try visiting Restaurant Marrakesh in Epcot Morocco. The meal includes authentic Moroccan music and a belly dancer! This is your chance to try Moroccan cuisine in a fun atmosphere.
Take full advantage of the Disney Dining Plan during your Walt Disney World Resort Vacation. We would highly recommend trying restaurants in each of the categories for a great vacation. By following this advice you will not only experience some great restaurants with great food and entertainment, but you will also be getting the most benefit out of your Disney Dining Plan Option purchase.
If you would like personalized assistance in selecting restaurants for you family and making Dining Reservations contact Only WDWorld Travel (phone: 336-899-7943 or email: info@OnlyWDWorldTravel.com ). This advice and service is FREE for all customers who book a Disney World Vacation.
Epcot 2012 Flower Power Concert Series Line-Up
Date Performer Known For
March 9 to 11 Jose Feliciano Light My Fire
March 16 to 18 Starship Starring Mickey Thomas We Built This City
March 23 to 25 The Guess Who American Woman
March 30 to April 1 The Spinners Cupid
April 6 to 8 Chubby Checker The Twist
April 13 to 15 Paul Revere & The Raiders Good Thing
April 20 to 22 The Turtles Happy Together
April 27 to 29 Chuck Negron Formerly of Three Dog Night Black & White
May 4 to 6 The Orchestra Starring Former Members of ELO Don't Bring Me Down
May 11 to 13 Herman's Hermits Starring Peter Noone I'm Henry VIII, I Am
May 18 to 20 Davy Jones I'm A Believer
Disney World Salutes Hollywood Classic Movies With Min & Bill's Dockside Diner
Min and Bill
For those of you not familiar with the 1930 film, Min and Bill, it revolves around Min Divot, who owns a dockside inn and her fisherman husband Bill. The movie starred Marie Dressler and Walter Beery. It also led to Dressler winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1931 for her performance.
Min and Bill was a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) production and it makes sense that you may see it included at Disney's Hollywood Studios since the theme park was originally called Disney-MGM Studios due to the licensing agreement that Disney had with MGM.
Min & Bill's Dockside Diner
At Disney's Hollywood Studios, Min & Bill's Dockside Diner can be found along the shores of Echo Lake in the shape of Bill's fishing trawler, tying in to the theme of the movie. Although the Diner does not float, it appears to be a complete boat from all angles. The boat is given the clever name "S.S. Down The Hatch" using the nautical references to tie to the fact that you can purchase food here.
Secret Tribute To Hollywood Classic Movies
Besides the obvious tribute to the classic film Min and Bill, Disney also decided to "hide" references to several other Hollywood Classic Movies in this area. If you notice the crates that appear at first glance to just be dockside props, they each have special addresses on them that are worth noticing.
The above crate is addressed to George Bailey of Bedford Falls, New York and was sent from Wainwright Enterprises. Jimmy Stewart fans will quickly recognize this reference to "It's A Wonderful Life."
This crate is addressed to none other than Scarlet O'Hara at the Tara Plantation. Certainly you recognize this reference to "Gone With The Wind."
This classic film may be harder for some, but Orson Welles fans will recognize that Charles Foster Kane receiving a package from the "Rosebud Sled Company" refers to "Citizen Kane."
Max Bialystock is the intended recipient of this crate. Musical fans will instantly recognize this a crate that pays homage to "The Producers."
The last crate is addressed to Rick's American Cafe in Casablanca, Morocco that is gives away the title of this well known Humphrey Bogart classic "Casablanca" that is also referenced with an entire scene in "The Great Movie Ride."
Hollywood References Abound
Throughout Disney's Hollywood Studios there is a tremendous amount of references to Hollywood for those with a sharp eye. Min & Bill's Dockside Diner is a great example of how a Disney theme park snack stand can be so much more than a place to get a bite to eat.
Disney World Hotel Room Discount Offer Up To 30% Off For Feb - Jun 2012
No need to wait any longer to book your Walt Disney World Resort Vacation for the first half of 2012. There is now a discount available where you can receive up to 30% off on Disney World Resort Hotel Rooms without needing to purchase a package!
Disney World Resort Hotel Discount Details
The offers are broken down into two different time frames with differing % of discounts.
Offer #1
You must book by January 22, 2012 for stays most nights from Feb 21 - March 8, 2012, and you must book by Feb 28, 2012 for stays most nights from April 13 - May 24 and May 28 - June 14, 2012.
Here are the discounts for these dates:
Disney Value Resorts
- Disney's All-Star Sports Resort 20%
- Disney's All-Star Music Resort 20%
- Disney's Pop Century Resort 20%
- Disney's Corona Springs Resort 25%
- Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort 25%
- Disney's Fort Wilderness Cabins 20%
- Disney's Port Orleans Riverside 20%
- Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resorts 30%
- Disney's Boardwalk Inn 30%
- Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort 30%
- Disney's Polynesian Resort 20%
- Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa 20%
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge - Std View 20%
- Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort 30%
- Disney''s Old Key West Resort 30%
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo 25%
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani 25%
- Disney's Boardwalk Villas 25%
You must book by January 22, 2012 for stays most nights from March 9-31, 2012, and you must book by Feb 28, 2012 for stays most nights from May 25 - 27, 2012.
Here are the discounts for these dates:
Disney Value Resorts
- Disney's All-Star Sports Resort 15%
- Disney's All-Star Music Resort 15%
- Disney's Pop Century Resort 15%
Disney's Moderate Resorts
- Disney's Corona Springs Resort 20%
- Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort 20%
- Disney's Fort Wilderness Cabins 15%
- Disney's Port Orleans Riverside 15%
Disney's Deluxe Resorts
- Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resorts 25%
- Disney's Boardwalk Inn 25%
- Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort 25%
- Disney's Polynesian Resort 15%
- Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa 15%
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge - Std View 15%
Disney's Deluxe Villas
- Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort 25%
- Disney''s Old Key West Resort 25%
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo 20%
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani 20%
- Disney's Boardwalk Villas 20%
To book your Disney World Vacation or to get more information contact Only WDWorld Travel at:
- Call: 336-899-7943
- Email: info@OnlyWDWorldTravel.com
- Web: http://www.onlywdworldtravel.com/
Disney World Character Dining: Magic Kingdom's Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace At The Magic Kingdom
One of the most popular Disney Character Dining venues is the Crystal Palace, which is located within the Magic Kingdom Theme Park. Not only will you be treated to a marvelous buffet meal, but you will also encounter Winnie The Pooh and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood.
The Crystal Palace is a beautiful Victorian Styled building with a multitude of windows that makes it very bright and airy during the day and an almost magical feeling at night. The Victorian choice of architecture fits in well with the English roots of its star inhabitant Winnie The Pooh.
The Crystal Palace sits at the juncture of Main Street U.S.A. and the entrance to Adventureland. The Disney Imagineers took this into consideration during the design of this restaurants using elements of the San Fransisco Conservatory Of Flowers, Kew Gardens of England, and the Crystal Palace in New York. These elements were all combined to create a gateway to the Colonial Inspired Visions of Asia and Africa that form the basis of the design of Adventureland.
Disney Character Dining - The Characters
The Disney Characters, in this case Winnie The Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore, play an important role in the Dining Experience for children and adults (children at heart) alike.
During the meal each of the characters makes their way around the restaurant stopping at each table to interact with the guests, signing autograph books, and posing for pictures.
Each character has his/her own personality and it comes out during their interactions with the guests.
You can't help but smile when the life-sized lovable Winnie The Pooh comes to your table.
Piglet is so cute that you want to hug him, and here you can!
Even the adults can't wait to pose for pictures with Tigger. Make sure that you bring your camera, because there will be plenty of photo opportunities during the meal.
Disney Vacation Tip: Don't be afraid to ask a Disney Cast Member to take a family group shot on your own camera. Even Disney PhotoPass Photographers will take a picture on your camera if you ask.
Disney Character Dining: The Meal
The Crystal Palace serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with characters appearing at all three. The buffet style meal works well for families as the large variety offering allow even the pickiest of eaters to find something that they like. It also makes it easier to time your trips to the buffet with the appearances of the characters at your table.
The Crystal Palace Buffet for breakfast includes traditional items such as: omelets, cereals, freshly baked pastries, fresh fruit, breakfast pizza and cheddar cheese potatoes.
The Lunch and Dinner Buffets include a variety of salads, vegetables, and American favorite entrees like: carved flank steak for lunch and sirloin for dinner, rotisserie chicken and Atlantic salmon. Many of the along dishes have a delicious hint of curry, cinnamon, mango and papaya to give the menu a touch of uniqueness.
The Crystal Palace also features a show kitchen where you can watch the dishes being prepared and have the chefs served the freshly carved meats.
The dessert stations are also a treat including bread pudding, a variety of tarts, pies, cakes, and pastries.
For children there is even a special buffet station with their favorites like: fried chicken nuggets, macaroni & cheese, pizza, and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. Adults may also get food from this area and children may choose any of the other dishes. These are just provided so that the more selective eaters have something that they may enjoy.
Summary Review of The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace is a great place to enjoy a Character Dining Experience at Disney World. Advance Reservations are highly recommended and are a must during most of the year. The buffet is wonderful and the quality of the food is much better than any typical buffet you will find. the food is fresh, hot, and very tasty.
The interaction with Winnie the Pooh and his friends was delightful and was something that everyone enjoyed, even the grumpy adults. Who can resist the playful charm of Pooh or Tigger? If you only have one Character Dining Experience to try, you will not be disappointed with trying the Crystal Palace. Even with the large number of families and the Disney Characters the environment was much quieter than expected and the surrounding are beautiful.
Use Disney's FastPass To See More Attractions And Spend Less Time Waiting In Line
It is hard to find a time to visit the Walt Disney World Resort when there are no crowds and short wait times for the most popular attractions, but there is a way to reduce stress and your time spend waiting in lines. It is called Disney’s FastPass. This FREE, yes I said FREE, tool is available to all Disney World Theme Park Guests, but many either choose not to use it or wrongly think it costs extra and avoid it.
Disney’s FastPass
The FastPass is a way for Disney World Theme Park Guests to get a special pass to enter a shorter line at a specific time later in the day for a particular attraction. The benefit is that you can go and do something else while you are waiting for your allowed time, including riding other attractions.
The reason that you must use your theme park ticket to be issued a FastPass is that Disney regulates how many FastPasses you can have active at one time. The FastPass that you receive will designate when you are eligible to get another FastPass from this attraction or any other within the theme park. Since there are only a limited number of FastPasses available each day for each attraction, this keeps the system fair for all to use.
Use FastPass Wisely
By using the FastPass system wisely, you can greatly reduce the amount of time that you spend waiting in line during the day. This in turn will make for a much more enjoyable day at Disney World, no matter how crowded it may be.
One of the best strategies for using Disney’s FastPass is to obtain them for the most popular rides as soon as you enter the Park in the morning. For example if you are visiting Epcot, the two most popular attractions are Test Track and Soarin’. If you get a FastPass for Soarin’ as soon as you enter the park and then go ride Test Track while the lines are still short early in the morning you will be able to hit both attractions with minimal wait, while others may have to wait over an hour for each later in the day.
You will notice that the FastPass gives you a range of time where you can return to the attraction to ride. Although you cannot return before the start time listed, you usually can still use the FastPass after the end time as long it is still for that particular day.
Key Attractions To Use FastPass
Here are the best attractions to use the FastPass feature on in each Park at Disney World:
Magic Kingdom:
· Space Mountain
· Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
· Splash Mountain
· Peter Pan’s Flight
· The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh
Epcot:
· Soarin’
· Test Track
Disney’s Hollywood Studios:
· Toy Story Mania!
· Rock ‘n Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
· The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror
Disney’s Animal Kingdom:
· Expedition Everest
· Kilimanjaro Safaris
· Kali River Rapids
Don’t Miss Out On This FREE Benefit
Many guests don’t take advantage of Disney’s FastPass because they have visited other theme parks that charge extra money for their front of the line systems. Don’t make the mistake of skipping this valuable Disney World benefit that is free and available to all who choose to use it.
By using the FastPass system you can save a significant amount of time each day and increase the amount of time spent experiencing the attractions instead of waiting in lines.
Not Just Waiting In Line At Disney World: Test Track
Test Track
General Motors (soon to be represented by only their flagship Chevrolet Brand) brings you into the world of automotive design and testing in their attraction aptly named Test Track.
No matter which line you take to experience Test Track (Single Rider, FastPass, or Stand-By) you will get a chance to experience the world of automotive testing while you make your way to the featured thrill ride.
Once you enter the building you quickly see that this is not your typical theme park line for a ride. Disney and General Motors literally spent millions of dollars to create this immersive environment to entertain and educate (in that order) you while you wait.
The Disney Imagineers use real testing equipment and cars as the props in the testing area. As guests you get a chance to see some of the actual testing that is conducted on cars during their development phase.
Track Test may be one of the most impressive of all of the attraction queues in Disney World.
There is no shortage of visual stimulation here. Believe it or you may actually be disappointed if there isn't a line because you will be rushed through this area and not get a chance to check out everything that is here!
There are a number of Crash Test Dummies to be found here. If you read the "Kingdom Keepers" books by Ridley Pearson you may get a little scared, but don't worry they are not audio-animatronic.
The array of tools and equipment here is amazing. At each new testing area there are descriptive panels so that you can understand the type of testing that is conducted.
A close-up look at the tools is provided. You will also notice that Disney uses the area to show off their preferred tool "sponsor" here. It recently shifted from Snap-On to MAC Tools, so all of the tools and tool chests in this area had to be exchanged to reflect the new sponsor.
After your time in the testing area is complete, you proceed to the Briefing Room. Here you will watch a short video that ties together the Automotive Testing Ground Story and introduces you to the car that you will test drive and what to expect on your upcoming Test Drive.
The last pre-ride area is where you finally get to see the amazing ride vehicle that has more computing power than the space shuttle (at least that is what they say!). The excitement builds in this short wait before you get strapped in.
Finally you are in your ride vehicle and ready to go!
Not Your Typical Ride Queue
After you visit the Walt Disney World Resort, we believe that you will agree that Disney does a better job than anyone at creating a complete story around their attraction and make the absolute best ride queues. Don't be ashamed if you feel you are getting rushed too fast through the queue and you did get enough time to take it all in. That is just a good excuse to experience the attraction again!
