Trip Planning Part IV - Making Dining Reservations
In the earlier parts of this Trip Planning series, we talked about: Choosing When to Visit, How Long to Visit, Where to Stay, and now it is time to plan Where to Eat.
Believe it or not, there are many Walt Disney World restaurants that you need to make reservations nearly 6 months in advance in order to get to eat there. So, instead of complaining about that fact, let’s just incorporate deciding where we want to eat into our planning process.
Where to Start
The first decision to make is whether or not you will be purchasing the Disney Dining Plan. The Dining Plan has many features that make it great for some, but not worth while for others. The simple rule of thumb to determine if the Disney Dining Plan is right for you is this: Will you eat at one sit down restaurant each day of your trip? If the answer is yes, then it is in your best interest to investigate further. If not, then the Disney Dining Plan may not be for you.
Even if you are not using the Dining plan, I would strongly recommend eating at least a couple meals during your stay at one of the Disney sit-down restaurants. Why, you may ask? The reason is that these restaurants are part of the Disney experience and skipping them means that you will be passing up memorable opportunities.
So the first task is to choose how many sit down restaurants you will visit during your trip. If this is your first visit I would recommend not choosing more than one per day. The reason is that you can end up turning your trip into an over scheduled mess where you feel that you are always rushing to get to your next dining reservation. One per day gives you one definite time that you need to be somewhere, but doesn’t over do it.
Next, you need to determine your basic plan of which park you will visit on which day. If you do this before choosing your restaurants, it can help by narrowing down your restaurant selection for each day. It will also help minimize travel time and stress levels.
Then you can choose restaurants based upon where you will be spending the bulk of your day. These steps are very important, especially if you are trying to save money and purchase the tickets that only allow you to visit one park per day.
Where Should I Eat?
The list of choices, of where to eat, are plentiful, so choosing can be a difficult task. The ages of your group can help you decide which restaurants will work best.
If you have younger children, you will definitely want to choose at least one Character Dining Experience. Not only will the children be impressed with the characters, these restaurants are typically either buffets or limited menu family style places which keeps the waiting down to a minimum.
If your group is a little bit older, you can branch out to the more upscale sit down restaurants. Each of the parks have sit down restaurants, as well, as most of the resorts, Disney’s Boardwalk, and Downtown Disney. You can get to any of these locations using the free Disney Transportation system.
There are websites available, such as: http://www.allears.net/ where you can see the complete list of Disney World restaurants and up to date menus with prices for each one. I will often use one of these sites to determine a new restaurant to try for my next trip.
How Do I Make Reservations?
Once you have decided where you would like to eat each day, make your list with alternates and call Disney World at 1-407-WDW-DINE to make your reservations. You may make them up to 180 days in advance. The closer you make them to that 180 day mark, the more likely you will get your first choices. Remember to write the information along with your confirmation numbers down since they will not send you anything through the mail to confirm.
Summary
Planning your sit down restaurant dining well in advance is an important part of your Disney Vacation planning process. Remember to not to over do it. One per day is typically enough for most groups. Stick to that level until you have visited a few times and decide if you really want to schedule more than that. The ability to be flexible and spontaneous is part of the fun at Walt Disney World and if you are too fully scheduled that disappears.
The Disney World restaurants definitely add to the overall vacation experience and should not be missed. A goal should be to try at least one new restaurant per trip and revisit some old favorites.
Believe it or not, there are many Walt Disney World restaurants that you need to make reservations nearly 6 months in advance in order to get to eat there. So, instead of complaining about that fact, let’s just incorporate deciding where we want to eat into our planning process.
Where to Start
The first decision to make is whether or not you will be purchasing the Disney Dining Plan. The Dining Plan has many features that make it great for some, but not worth while for others. The simple rule of thumb to determine if the Disney Dining Plan is right for you is this: Will you eat at one sit down restaurant each day of your trip? If the answer is yes, then it is in your best interest to investigate further. If not, then the Disney Dining Plan may not be for you.
Even if you are not using the Dining plan, I would strongly recommend eating at least a couple meals during your stay at one of the Disney sit-down restaurants. Why, you may ask? The reason is that these restaurants are part of the Disney experience and skipping them means that you will be passing up memorable opportunities.
So the first task is to choose how many sit down restaurants you will visit during your trip. If this is your first visit I would recommend not choosing more than one per day. The reason is that you can end up turning your trip into an over scheduled mess where you feel that you are always rushing to get to your next dining reservation. One per day gives you one definite time that you need to be somewhere, but doesn’t over do it.
Next, you need to determine your basic plan of which park you will visit on which day. If you do this before choosing your restaurants, it can help by narrowing down your restaurant selection for each day. It will also help minimize travel time and stress levels.
Then you can choose restaurants based upon where you will be spending the bulk of your day. These steps are very important, especially if you are trying to save money and purchase the tickets that only allow you to visit one park per day.
Where Should I Eat?
The list of choices, of where to eat, are plentiful, so choosing can be a difficult task. The ages of your group can help you decide which restaurants will work best.
If you have younger children, you will definitely want to choose at least one Character Dining Experience. Not only will the children be impressed with the characters, these restaurants are typically either buffets or limited menu family style places which keeps the waiting down to a minimum.
If your group is a little bit older, you can branch out to the more upscale sit down restaurants. Each of the parks have sit down restaurants, as well, as most of the resorts, Disney’s Boardwalk, and Downtown Disney. You can get to any of these locations using the free Disney Transportation system.
There are websites available, such as: http://www.allears.net/ where you can see the complete list of Disney World restaurants and up to date menus with prices for each one. I will often use one of these sites to determine a new restaurant to try for my next trip.
How Do I Make Reservations?
Once you have decided where you would like to eat each day, make your list with alternates and call Disney World at 1-407-WDW-DINE to make your reservations. You may make them up to 180 days in advance. The closer you make them to that 180 day mark, the more likely you will get your first choices. Remember to write the information along with your confirmation numbers down since they will not send you anything through the mail to confirm.
Summary
Planning your sit down restaurant dining well in advance is an important part of your Disney Vacation planning process. Remember to not to over do it. One per day is typically enough for most groups. Stick to that level until you have visited a few times and decide if you really want to schedule more than that. The ability to be flexible and spontaneous is part of the fun at Walt Disney World and if you are too fully scheduled that disappears.
The Disney World restaurants definitely add to the overall vacation experience and should not be missed. A goal should be to try at least one new restaurant per trip and revisit some old favorites.
Christmas at Disney World - Osborne Family Lights
Christmas time at Walt Disney World is special. One of the most special yearly events is the Osborne Family Lights at Disney's Hollywood Studios. This year the lights will run from November 28th, 2008 until January 4th, 2009.Each evening the Streets of America section of Disney's Hollywood Studios is transformed into a walk down an unbelievable display of dazzling Christmas lights. The lights started as a display from the Osborne family in Arkansas that just outgrew their neighborhood. Disney World gave the display a new home at the Hollywood Studios and has grown it even more each year.
Last year they added the effect of making the lights dance in harmony with music from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This added to an already amazing display of holiday lighting magic.
The display is truly awe inspiring. Even though the weather may still be Florida warm, they create snow flakes to fall on you as you walk the streets to admire the incredible lights. This helps complete the illusion that you are strolling through light snow flurries taking in all of this incredible winter splendor.
This is definitely a must see attraction if you are visiting during the Holiday season. The pictures don't do the multi-million light display justice. This is something you really need to be there to experience first hand.
Enjoy the pictures and book that trip!
Tags:
Hollywood Studios
Exploring the Disney World Boardwalk
The Walt Disney World Boardwalk is one of the attractions that won't show up on your initial list of places that you must visit, but maybe it should.
The Boardwalk can be difficult to get to. You can either get to it by exiting the at the International Gateway for Epcot and walking 5 minutes to the Boardwalk, or you can go to any park or Downtown Disney and take a bus to the Boardwalk Resort to get to it.
Once you have figured out how to get there you will see a glimpse of the early 1900's Eastern Seaboard captured by Disney. This boardwalk creates a relaxing stroll along a boardwalk with a variety of shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues to explore.
The restaurants include: Spoodles - which offers excellent Mediterranean Fare, the Big River Brewing Company - which offers micro-brewed beer and a full menu restaurant, and the Flying Fish Cafe - which is a very nice restaurant for that romantic or special evening with gourmet fare, specializing in seafood.
There are several shops offering a variety of products from artwork to Disney souvenirs. This is a fun way to pass the time by strolling along the Boardwalk as browsing though the shops.
If it is entertainment you are looking for, you can visit: the ESPN club to catch the game and have dinner or a couple of drinks, the Atlantic Dance Club, where you can fulfill that urge to dance the night away, and Jellyrolls - a lively dueling piano bar.
Evenings are when the Boardwalk really heats up. You will find typical games of skill to participate in, as well as, live entertainment. This entertainment may include magicians, jugglers, singers, etc.
Things are never boring on the Boardwalk at night. So if you are looking to add something new to your Disney World visit, don't forget to check out Disney's Boardwalk area, I'm sure that you will enjoy it.
Tags:
Miscellaneous Magic
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Trip Planning
Disney Dining Dilemma - Maximizing the Snack Credits
One of the age old dilemmas for those of you like myself that have used or are thinking of using the Disney Dining Plan is getting the most value for your money.
Today I will give some helpful hints in maximizing the use of those snack credits. Often the snack credits are overlooked in the list of Dining Plan features, but successful use of the snack credits can make the difference between a getting a “good” deal with the Dining Plan to getting a “great” deal.
There are a couple of different strategies that can be taken to maximize value:
1. The first strategy is to use the snack credits to help eliminate any OOP (out of pocket) food expenditures during your trip.
2. The second strategy is to buy the best snack options the each park has to offer that can be obtained with a snack credit. Best can be defined as highest quality or quantity as the case may be.
Strategy 1 – Minimize Food Expenses
Strategy 1 is pretty straight forward. Any time that you were going to purchase a food item OOP you would see if you could use a Snack Credit for it (like a bottle of water or Diet Coke). This method allows you to avoid overeating and keep you expenses down by using the prepaid credits instead of spending additional money. With this method you are maximizing the value by reducing the total amount of expenditures for food on your trip. This strategy also prevents those who pile up unused snack credits at the end of their trip because they were afraid to use the snack credits on something that wasn’t worth it and end up buying the first items that they see in order to use them up.
This strategy also suggests that you look for breakfast items that you can use snack credits towards instead of paying OOP. All in all this can be a very effective use of the snack credits and reduce your total food expense.
Strategy 2 – Maximize Snack Value
While the first strategy is pretty strait forward and just takes the discipline to buy what you would normally buy, but pay with snack credits where ever possible. The second strategy takes some research and planning to accomplish successfully. Here the idea is to absolutely get the maximum value out of each and every snack credit.
Here are some of my favorite “maximum snack” uses for each of the parks:
Animal Kingdom: Dino Bite Snacks in Dinoland: Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich – these are 6” + diameter fresh baked cookies with 3 scoops of ice cream smashed in between. This is my ultimate snack credit item!
Magic Kingdom: Aloha Isle – Adventureland: The Famous Dole Whip or the Dole Whip Float. These are both excellent snacks for a hot day and a favorite use of the snack credit. Auntie Gravity’s – Tomorrowland: Fruit Smoothies with non-fat yogurt. Main Street Bakery – Main Street: Numerous desserts and bakery items.
Epcot: Boulangerie Patisserie – France: There are a number of Pastry Items in this French bakery that make wonderful dessert and or breakfast items. You can’t go wrong, just make sure that the item you choose has the snack symbol. Also in France you will find the Crepes des Chefs de France where you can get Chocolate or Strawberry Crepes with your snack credit. On the other side of the World Showcase is the Norwegian Bakery: Kringla Bakeri og café- which also has many great fresh baked items that can be obtained with your snack credits.
Hollywood Studios: KRNR – Near Rock-n-Roller Coaster: A variety of smoothies made with non-fat yogurt can be had here.
Disney Resorts: you will also find that in the General Store section of each resort gift shop there are a number of items price at $4.00 and under that can be obtained with your snack credits.
Summary:
So whether you choose Strategy 1 or 2 or a combination of both, have fun using your snack credits. There is no excuse to have a bunch of them left over at the end of your trip. Go out, use them, and enjoy!
Leave a comment and let me know what your favorite snack “find” is.
Tags:
Dining
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Disney Dining Plan
Disney World Dining - Epcot
With the start of the Food and Wine Festival Today at Epcot, I thought I would take the time to write about all of the eating opportunities that exist there year round.
Epcot is certainly my favorite Walt Disney World place to eat. The variety and quality of the food that you can get throughout the World Showcase keep me coming back again and again.
Instead of talking about all of the options that exist at Epcot (which would be a very long list), I will mentioned some of my favorites in both the Counter Service (CS) and Table Service (TS) categories.
Counter Service Locations:
Tangierine Café – Morocco: This is certainly my wife’s favorite CS location in Epcot. If you are on the Disney Dining plan, it is one of your best values. We enjoy the lamb and chicken Shawarma platter, and my children like the Mediterranean Specialty Meatball platter.
Sunshine Seasons – The Land: The menu is a wonderful departure from typical theme park food. This cafeteria style CS is located in The Land (Soarin’) building. Several podlike stations exist from which to choose from. Personal favorites include: Half Rotisserie Chicken and the Grilled Salmon.
Yorkshire County Fish Shop – Great Britain: My daughter loves to get the traditional English Fish & Chips. Nothing fancy, but never a complaint.
Others that we eat at depending upon our mood for different types of food include: Cantina de San Angel – Mexico, Yakitori House – Japan, and the Liberty Inn – America.
Table Service Locations:
Le Cellier Steakhouse – Canada: This is definitely our favorite restaurant. We have enjoyed the ambiance, service, and definitely the food. Word has gotten out on this place and reservations are definitely difficult to come by. During busy seasons you need to make reservations as close to 180 days out as you can, in order to get the day and time that you want.
Coral Reef – Living Seas: We have had some excellent meals here. The service has been more hit or miss here - one night wonderful, another not so good. We have had excellent food and have not been disappointed on that end. This restaurant sometimes gets poor reviews, but I enjoy it and will continue to go back. The views of the sea life swimming by make for a unique dining experience.
Chefs de France – France: The service and food is excellent here. The ambiance is also very nice as you get the feeling that you are in a fine French café. The only drawback is that the menu is somewhat limited and picky eaters may have few options.
Biergarten – Germany: This is the only buffet on the Walt Disney World property that my family consistently enjoys. We all can find plenty of food that we like and the atmosphere and entertainment make it a fun evening.
Others we have tried include: Restaurant Marrakesh – Morocco, Tepan Edo – Japan, we used to enjoy the old restaurant (Alfredo’s ) in Italy, but have not tried the new one Tutto Italia yet.
Summary:
Our Disney World Vacations would not be complete without the Epcot Dining experiences. Often we will plan these meals months in advance and make reservations at 180 days out, so that we can eat at our favorites. This is certainly a part of our trips that we look forward to.
Trip Planning Part III - Choosing a Disney World Resort
In earlier posts we talked about choosing When you will visit Walt Disney World and How Long you will stay during your trip. Now it is time to look at Choosing the resort you will stay at.
The Walt Disney World Resort has certainly added a variety of options over the years to help find an on site option that can fit almost everyone’s tastes and budget. Each resort offers unique theming and special touches that makes it different from the others. By understanding what each offers, you can make the best choice for you and your family.
The Value Resorts
This group includes: Pop Century, All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, & All-Star Movies. These resorts offer an attractive price point and can get down to as low as $59/night with seasonal specials. The rooms are the size of standard hotel rooms, but they have special decorations and theming to fit the resort. Food Courts are available in the main building to get reasonable priced meals. Full Disney World transportation privileges are available to take you to all of the Parks and Downtown Disney. I think that these resorts work best if you are spending a lot of time in the parks and not a lot in the rooms. The smaller room sizes also work best if you have younger children.
The Moderate Resorts
Here we have Port Orleans Riverside, Port Orleans French Quarter, Coronado Springs, & Caribbean Beach Resorts. These resorts offer larger rooms and increased resort theming. These resorts are the type that you could spend days without going to the parks if you were so inclined. My favorite from this group is the Port Orleans Riverside at which I have stayed several times. There is a peaceful quality as you walk through the wonderful landscaping of the Alligator Bayou section that really makes you feel that you are on vacation. The resorts are spread out and are huge. Expect to do a fair amount of walking, but the several bus stops keep it reasonable. Each resort has a themed main pool area with water slide and separate quiet pools.
The Deluxe Resorts
This group includes the Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge, The Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Yacht Club, & Boardwalk Inn. As you would expect with the increase in price you add larger room sizes, more theming, and increase in resort amenities. Each of these resorts can be considered a vacation destination unto themselves. Each also has excellent dining options located within or adjacent to the resort. Themed Pools with slides are also part of these resorts. A stay at any of these resorts will add many special moments to your vacation, but if you only visit your room to sleep, then the added expense of these resorts may not be the best option.
The Deluxe Villas (DVC resorts)
The DVC (Disney vacation Club) resorts currently include: Old Key West, Beach Club, Boardwalk, Saratoga Springs, Wilderness Lodge, & Animal Kingdom Villas (with more beings added). These Disney Timeshares can also be reserved for cash reservations on a limited basis. They provide larger rooms with kitchens and room for 4 – 12 people depending upon the room category. These resorts also have wonderful theming and large themed pools with slides. They are excellent for longer trips, since you have the option to cook some meals in your room. They also have extra space to unwind and relax.
As you can see there are lots of choices to choose from. I have found a lot of fun over the years in trying different resorts to see what you like and to experience the different themes and atmospheres. It is hard to go wrong choosing any of them. They all give you the same Disney Resort Guest Privileges: Magic Express Service, Access to Free Disney Transportation to all of the Parks, and special Extra Magic Hours in the parks.
The Walt Disney World Resort has certainly added a variety of options over the years to help find an on site option that can fit almost everyone’s tastes and budget. Each resort offers unique theming and special touches that makes it different from the others. By understanding what each offers, you can make the best choice for you and your family.
The Value Resorts
This group includes: Pop Century, All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, & All-Star Movies. These resorts offer an attractive price point and can get down to as low as $59/night with seasonal specials. The rooms are the size of standard hotel rooms, but they have special decorations and theming to fit the resort. Food Courts are available in the main building to get reasonable priced meals. Full Disney World transportation privileges are available to take you to all of the Parks and Downtown Disney. I think that these resorts work best if you are spending a lot of time in the parks and not a lot in the rooms. The smaller room sizes also work best if you have younger children.
The Moderate Resorts
Here we have Port Orleans Riverside, Port Orleans French Quarter, Coronado Springs, & Caribbean Beach Resorts. These resorts offer larger rooms and increased resort theming. These resorts are the type that you could spend days without going to the parks if you were so inclined. My favorite from this group is the Port Orleans Riverside at which I have stayed several times. There is a peaceful quality as you walk through the wonderful landscaping of the Alligator Bayou section that really makes you feel that you are on vacation. The resorts are spread out and are huge. Expect to do a fair amount of walking, but the several bus stops keep it reasonable. Each resort has a themed main pool area with water slide and separate quiet pools.
The Deluxe Resorts
This group includes the Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge, The Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Yacht Club, & Boardwalk Inn. As you would expect with the increase in price you add larger room sizes, more theming, and increase in resort amenities. Each of these resorts can be considered a vacation destination unto themselves. Each also has excellent dining options located within or adjacent to the resort. Themed Pools with slides are also part of these resorts. A stay at any of these resorts will add many special moments to your vacation, but if you only visit your room to sleep, then the added expense of these resorts may not be the best option.
The Deluxe Villas (DVC resorts)
The DVC (Disney vacation Club) resorts currently include: Old Key West, Beach Club, Boardwalk, Saratoga Springs, Wilderness Lodge, & Animal Kingdom Villas (with more beings added). These Disney Timeshares can also be reserved for cash reservations on a limited basis. They provide larger rooms with kitchens and room for 4 – 12 people depending upon the room category. These resorts also have wonderful theming and large themed pools with slides. They are excellent for longer trips, since you have the option to cook some meals in your room. They also have extra space to unwind and relax.
As you can see there are lots of choices to choose from. I have found a lot of fun over the years in trying different resorts to see what you like and to experience the different themes and atmospheres. It is hard to go wrong choosing any of them. They all give you the same Disney Resort Guest Privileges: Magic Express Service, Access to Free Disney Transportation to all of the Parks, and special Extra Magic Hours in the parks.
Tomorrowland Transit Authority is the Magic Kingdom's Unsung Hero
The Tomorrowland Transit Authority first opened in Disney World's Magic Kingdom in July of 1975. Back then it was called the WEDway PeopleMover and it was a tireless version of the Disneyland attraction, instead operating with linear synchronous motors to propel the vehicles around the track.
This ride has never gotten the fanfare of the other rides. Even when it was renamed the Tomorrowland Transit Authority in June of 1994 as part of the transformation of Tomorrowland into the "Tomorrow that Never Was".
You may even notice that in the picture I chose you can barely make out part of the TTA attraction. This is because of the 1,000 or so pictures of Walt Disney World that I have taken there isn't one that is solely of the TTA. No respect for this worthy attraction.
TTA is not a thrill ride by any means, but it is as much a part of my visits to the Magic Kingdom as any others in the park. I ALWAYS make a point of riding it at least once if not more.
Why, you may ask? An excellent question. The answer is that I really enjoy it.
- It gives me a break from the brief, but frequent Florida rain showers.
- It allows me to visit an attraction with a guaranteed little to no wait.
- It gives me a chance to rest from the miles of walking.
- It is a shady break from the sun.
- It is a time away from the crowds.
- It gives excellent views of the castle and park.
- It's just plain fun.
This top speed of 7 mph ride is enjoyable for all of those reasons and plenty more. Don't worry that the state of the art propulsion system designed to be the people moving technology of the future never fully caught on.
Don't worry about what this ride is not. Enjoy this under appreciated ride for what it is: a 10 minute break to sit back and enjoy the magic of Walt Disney World.
Tags:
Magic Kingdom
Planning Your Trip To Walt Disney World - Part II
Once you have chosen approximately when you will be travelling to Walt Disney World, you need to decide how many days you will stay during your vacation. The answer many people would say is: “Stay until the money runs out!”, but that isn’t very practical.
If you read my previous blog entitled: Sorting Out Magic Your Way Ticket Options (if you haven’t click now and read it, don’t worry I’ll wait until you come back ), then you are aware that in order to get the most for your money you probably want to visit the parks in the neighborhood of 6 – 8 days.
That means you would take a full week’s vacation, travel to Disney World on Friday night or Saturday, and leave the following Saturday or Sunday.
Since there are four parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, & Animal Kingdom), you can spend at least one full day in each park and then you have options for your remaining days:
- You can return and spend another day at your favorite parks.
- You can have a pool day at your resort pool.
- You can go to either Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon water parks.
- You can go shopping in Downtown Disney.
- You can rent a boat from a number of locations and go boating.You can go on a fishing excursion.
- You can take one of the many Disney Tours.
- You can go Horseback Riding at the Fort Wilderness resort.
- You can go golfing.
The list goes on and on…..the great part is that there is almost a limitless supply of activities that you can take part in. After over 20 trips I still find new activities to experience on each visit.
My recommendation is to plan all, but one day of your trip at the parks and have one day that you take to explore some of the other things that Disney World has to offer.
So now that you are starting to rough out a plan for your trip, let’s finalize the dates and pencil in the main activity for each day.. This will help for the next step in planning – Choosing a Resort and Making Reservations.
Tags:
Trip Planning
Walt Disney World Announces Free Admission on Your Birthday in 2009
In 2009, visit Disney World for free on your birthday. In a new promotion announced today, Disney parks will provide free admission for people on their birthdays.
“Birthdays are the one occasion that we all share every year,” said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, at an announcement event today in New York. “We thought a free birthday ticket would be the icing on the cake as we extend this new ‘celebration vacation’ trend to Disney Parks.”
Disney is taking advantage of a trend called “celebration vacations”, where people take vacations to celebrate a particular event, whether it be a birthday, anniversary, new job, or recovery from an illness.
“We see our parks as the ideal setting for a personal celebration,” Rasulo said. “Guests can immerse themselves in their favorite stories and their favorite characters, creating a visit they’ll never forget.
“And when our cast members get involved, it feels as if the entire park is celebrating along with you.”
For the upcoming year Disney is adding a number of new options in order to customize your personal celebration “Disney Style”. Opportunities may include:
· Custom Bakery Cakes and Signature Desserts
· Sweetheart dinners for two in which couples can clink “Celebrate Today!” champagne flutes.
· Family Portrait sessions with Walt Disney World photographers. Personalized Mouse ears, character T-shirts and collectible pins.
· Resort Rooms decorated to fit your celebration theme with confetti, banners, surprises and more.
· Pirate-themed rooms at Walt Disney World Resort.
· Romantic cruises on a yacht or set your party afloat on a shared magical fireworks voyage.
· Behind-the-scenes tours take you inside the storytelling, adventure and history of Disney Parks.
Free theme park admission details: To receive free admission to one of the Walt Disney theme parks on your birthday in 2009, guests must bring valid ID including proof of birth date. Guests who already hold a valid multi-day ticket they will use on their birthday may choose from other birthday treats instead, however, no cash refunds or credits will be given. To register your birthday and find out more details, visit http://www.disneyparks.com/.
“Birthdays are the one occasion that we all share every year,” said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, at an announcement event today in New York. “We thought a free birthday ticket would be the icing on the cake as we extend this new ‘celebration vacation’ trend to Disney Parks.”
Disney is taking advantage of a trend called “celebration vacations”, where people take vacations to celebrate a particular event, whether it be a birthday, anniversary, new job, or recovery from an illness.
“We see our parks as the ideal setting for a personal celebration,” Rasulo said. “Guests can immerse themselves in their favorite stories and their favorite characters, creating a visit they’ll never forget.
“And when our cast members get involved, it feels as if the entire park is celebrating along with you.”
For the upcoming year Disney is adding a number of new options in order to customize your personal celebration “Disney Style”. Opportunities may include:
· Custom Bakery Cakes and Signature Desserts
· Sweetheart dinners for two in which couples can clink “Celebrate Today!” champagne flutes.
· Family Portrait sessions with Walt Disney World photographers. Personalized Mouse ears, character T-shirts and collectible pins.
· Resort Rooms decorated to fit your celebration theme with confetti, banners, surprises and more.
· Pirate-themed rooms at Walt Disney World Resort.
· Romantic cruises on a yacht or set your party afloat on a shared magical fireworks voyage.
· Behind-the-scenes tours take you inside the storytelling, adventure and history of Disney Parks.
Free theme park admission details: To receive free admission to one of the Walt Disney theme parks on your birthday in 2009, guests must bring valid ID including proof of birth date. Guests who already hold a valid multi-day ticket they will use on their birthday may choose from other birthday treats instead, however, no cash refunds or credits will be given. To register your birthday and find out more details, visit http://www.disneyparks.com/.
Tags:
News and Announcements
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Trip Planning
Stormalong Bay - Disney World's 3rd Water Park
Does your family enjoy spending part of your Disney World Vacation by the resort pool? Then do I have the place for you!
Stormalong Bay, the resort pool shared by Disney’s Yacht Club and Beach Club resorts almost qualifies to be a separate admission water park. This is certainly no ordinary pool.
The theming of the pool complex is based upon the legend of the gigantic sailor named Stormalong who ran his ship ashore where Stormalong Bay now stands. His s
hip plowed into the shoreline creating the pools and waterways that exist today. The ship still exists today with its mast projecting 150 feet into the sky.The ship now is home to the complex’s twisty and thrilling water slide. There are three acres of pools in all, including a snorkeling lagoon, an area with a whirlpool current, and a relaxing lagoon.
One unique feature is that the pool has a sand bottom. This helps complete the theming that you are off on some shipwrecked island.
The excellent cast members who work there host a variety of recreational activities each day.
Stormalong Bay is certainly an attraction all to itself and a great reason to book a stay at either the Yacht Club or Beach Club Resort.
Planning Your Trip to Walt Disney World - Part I
Since the Walt Disney World resort is not your ordinary theme park, you need to take a different approach when planning to visit. Even if you are not a planner by nature, you can greatly enhance your visit by planning some key elements of your trip.
A trip to WDW is not cheap by any means, so you want to make sure that you invest some time up front in order to help make your vacation more enjoyable and relaxing. So let me take you through a few of the key steps to get you well on your way.
When to Travel?
Let me start off by saying that you can have a very successful, enjoyable, visit to Disney World at any time of the year. The key is being informed in order to plan your trip appropriately for the times that you visit.
If you don’t care for crowds then choosing the time of year to travel will greatly impact your trip. WDW can be very crowded during the summer months and during major holidays (Easter/Spring Break, Christmas, & Thanksgiving). If those are the times that you are planning to visit, please be aware that you will have to share the World with other people. These are also some of the times that have the most impressive decorations and events, so don’t just rule them out because of the crowds.My favorite slower times are September, October, and the first part of November. The weather is still very pleasant and crowds are lower because most of the children have returned to school. Usually some of the best rates are available during these times as well.
Special Events
There are a number of special events that occur during the year that may also influence the timing of your trip:
Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival – Mid April – Beginning of June
Star Wars Weekends – Weekends in June at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival – End of September – Mid November.
MNSSHP – Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom – Select evenings in September and October.
MVMCP – Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom– Select evenings in November and December
Resort Rate Seasons
The Walt Disney World resorts divide the year up into 5 different rate seasons (dates shown are 2008 for Value and Moderate resorts):
Value: 1/3- 2/13, 8/3 – 10/1,11/30-12/18)
Regular: 3/30-5/21,10/2-11/29
Summer: 5/22-8/2
Peak: 2/14-3/29
Holiday: 12/19-12/31
The other Disney Resorts have similar dates for their rate seasons. Christmas time is the most expensive, followed by Spring Break, and then Summer.
Plan Ahead
You should make your decision about your upcoming trip as far ahead of time as possible. I would recommend making your travel reservations at least 6 months in advance if you are able. This will give you the opportunity to take full advantage of reserving other activities for your stay before they fill up.
Make Your Decision
So make your decision and choose the time of year for your trip. As I mentioned earlier a great vacation can be had during any time of the year at Disney World. Once this decision has been made you can move on to the next step: How Long Should I Stay?
Tags:
Trip Planning
Think about trying the Disney Dining Plan
Planning your next trip to the Walt Disney World Resort involves a lot of different choices and decisions. There are decisions concerning when you are going, how you are going to get there, where are you staying, what kind of tickets do you need, and where are you going to eat.
Today I am going to focus on helping you understand the benefits of a feature called the “Disney Dining Plan”. I’ll give you some keys to determine if it is a good idea for you and your family on your next trip and how to take full advantage of the plan if you decide to purchase it.
What is the Disney Dining Plan?
This is a prepaid meal plan that Disney World offers as an option for many packages it offers or a stand alone option available to DVC members staying on points during their vacation.
The Basics
In simple terms the Dining Plan provides each person per day:
One table service meal including entrée, desert, and non-alcoholic beverage. (Gratuity not included)
One counter service meal including entrée or combo meal, desert, and non-alcoholic beverage
One snack item – typically food items under $4.00 such as single service beverages, ice cream, and other snack items found throughout the parks with a special designation on the menu to show that they are a snack item.
The plan is for the length of the resort stay and everyone staying in the room must participate in the plan. You may consume the allotted credits in any fashion that you wish (you do not have to use only one item in each category per person each day), but once they’re gone, they are gone. At the table service meals children must order off of the children’s menu.
The fee for 2008 is:
Adult (10+): $37.99 per day
Child (3-9): $9.99 per day
Why Do It?
The plan takes the worry out of watching the prices closely on the menu. You generally may choose any entrée and any desert on the menu. This allows you to try items that you may not normally feel comfortable trying if you had to pay the menu price for them. It is also a nice feeling to know ahead of time what your food cost will be for your trip, so you can just relax and enjoy.
Is it a Good Deal?
Unfortunately this is the typical “It depends” answer. It depends upon whether you would typically eat at a sit down restaurant each day. It depends upon if you would ever order desert. It depends if you like the more expensive items on the menus.
I have found that the best deal is the price for the Children. If you have children, especially in the 7-9 year old range, this can be a great deal. The table service meal alone is often more than their daily rate, so the counter service meal and their snack are free.
If you don’t have children then you really have to look at the types of restaurants that you will be dining in and the types of entrees that you will choose to decide if you come out ahead. As a pure stress reliever it is often worth it.
This is especially a great deal with larger groups with multiple families eating together. You don’t have to worry about who is picking up the check, you can just relax and enjoy your meal.
As you can imagine the nicer table service restaurants are a better value than the buffets.
Should I do it?
I have used it with my family and I would definitely recommend it for families. It is a great way to be able to enjoy the many great restaurants that Walt Disney World has to offer. It is certainly worthy of further consideration to determine if it makes sense for your next trip. If this plan sounds interesting, but not quite right for you, there are other Dining Plans offered in addition to the standard plan.
Special Tip
If you do decide to use the Disney Dining Plan, make sure that you make your dinner reservations far ahead of time (up to 180 days) in order to guarantee that you get to eat in the restaurant of your choice on the day of your choice.
Today I am going to focus on helping you understand the benefits of a feature called the “Disney Dining Plan”. I’ll give you some keys to determine if it is a good idea for you and your family on your next trip and how to take full advantage of the plan if you decide to purchase it.
What is the Disney Dining Plan?
This is a prepaid meal plan that Disney World offers as an option for many packages it offers or a stand alone option available to DVC members staying on points during their vacation.
The Basics
In simple terms the Dining Plan provides each person per day:
One table service meal including entrée, desert, and non-alcoholic beverage. (Gratuity not included)
One counter service meal including entrée or combo meal, desert, and non-alcoholic beverage
One snack item – typically food items under $4.00 such as single service beverages, ice cream, and other snack items found throughout the parks with a special designation on the menu to show that they are a snack item.
The plan is for the length of the resort stay and everyone staying in the room must participate in the plan. You may consume the allotted credits in any fashion that you wish (you do not have to use only one item in each category per person each day), but once they’re gone, they are gone. At the table service meals children must order off of the children’s menu.
The fee for 2008 is:
Adult (10+): $37.99 per day
Child (3-9): $9.99 per day
Why Do It?
The plan takes the worry out of watching the prices closely on the menu. You generally may choose any entrée and any desert on the menu. This allows you to try items that you may not normally feel comfortable trying if you had to pay the menu price for them. It is also a nice feeling to know ahead of time what your food cost will be for your trip, so you can just relax and enjoy.
Is it a Good Deal?
Unfortunately this is the typical “It depends” answer. It depends upon whether you would typically eat at a sit down restaurant each day. It depends upon if you would ever order desert. It depends if you like the more expensive items on the menus.
I have found that the best deal is the price for the Children. If you have children, especially in the 7-9 year old range, this can be a great deal. The table service meal alone is often more than their daily rate, so the counter service meal and their snack are free.
If you don’t have children then you really have to look at the types of restaurants that you will be dining in and the types of entrees that you will choose to decide if you come out ahead. As a pure stress reliever it is often worth it.
This is especially a great deal with larger groups with multiple families eating together. You don’t have to worry about who is picking up the check, you can just relax and enjoy your meal.
As you can imagine the nicer table service restaurants are a better value than the buffets.
Should I do it?
I have used it with my family and I would definitely recommend it for families. It is a great way to be able to enjoy the many great restaurants that Walt Disney World has to offer. It is certainly worthy of further consideration to determine if it makes sense for your next trip. If this plan sounds interesting, but not quite right for you, there are other Dining Plans offered in addition to the standard plan.
Special Tip
If you do decide to use the Disney Dining Plan, make sure that you make your dinner reservations far ahead of time (up to 180 days) in order to guarantee that you get to eat in the restaurant of your choice on the day of your choice.
Tags:
Disney Dining Plan
,
Trip Planning
Disney Vacation Club Announces 7th DVC Resort at Walt Disney World
Today the Disney Vacation Club announced that Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort will open in the fall of 2009 as DVC's latest resort.
Speculation had been going on for some time as to whether the 15 story building connected to the original Contemporary resort by a skyway would indeed be an addition to the growing list of DVC resorts.
The Disney Vacation Club also announced that sales for Bay Lake Tower would begin on September 21st, starting with existing DVC members first.
The new tower will contain approximately 300 units made up of studios, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, & 3 bedroom villas. It will also have a new pool area with waterslide.
The views will be mainly of either the Bay Lake and Pool or the Magic Kingdom. Nearly floor to ceiling windows will be included in most of the units to take advantage of the wonderful views.
Besides being the first DVC resort where you can either board a monorail or walk to the Magic Kingdom, it will also have spectacular views of the park and a rooftop fireworks observation deck.
The new resort is expected to be one of the most popular when it opens due to its views and proximity to the Magic Kingdom.
For additional information follow this link to Disney's official press release
or this link to official Disney video: Deevy See's Video of Bay Lake Tower
Speculation had been going on for some time as to whether the 15 story building connected to the original Contemporary resort by a skyway would indeed be an addition to the growing list of DVC resorts.
The Disney Vacation Club also announced that sales for Bay Lake Tower would begin on September 21st, starting with existing DVC members first.
The new tower will contain approximately 300 units made up of studios, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, & 3 bedroom villas. It will also have a new pool area with waterslide.
The views will be mainly of either the Bay Lake and Pool or the Magic Kingdom. Nearly floor to ceiling windows will be included in most of the units to take advantage of the wonderful views.
Besides being the first DVC resort where you can either board a monorail or walk to the Magic Kingdom, it will also have spectacular views of the park and a rooftop fireworks observation deck.
The new resort is expected to be one of the most popular when it opens due to its views and proximity to the Magic Kingdom.
For additional information follow this link to Disney's official press release
or this link to official Disney video: Deevy See's Video of Bay Lake Tower
Tags:
DVC
,
Miscellaneous Magic
Disney's Hollywood Studios
The Walt Disney World park that is currently known as Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened on May 1st, 1989. It has combined a Hollywood, Disney Movie, and Working Studio theme with partnerships with Pixar, George Lucas’ Stars Wars & Indiana Jones franchises to create an action packed theme park.
The park contains three of the most popular attractions in Disney World:
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – A visit to the Twilight Zone takes you to the Hollywood Tower Hotel where you encounter a 13 story elevator ride that randomly changes every time you ride it.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith – A high speed limo ride looping through Los Angeles to an Aerosmith soundtrack.
and the recently opened
Toy Story Mania – The characters from the Toy Story Movies take you through a series of 3-D Midway style games as you attempt to rack up points using your on-board spring-action shooter and set the high score.
There are also two different live action stunt shows:
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular – A live action stunt show that recreates many of the favorite scenes from the original Raiders of the Lost Ark movie.
Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show – Amazing vehicle stunts performed live, including jumps and fantastic chase scenes. A few behind the scenes looks at how it is all done also.
Live Performance Shows:
Beauty and the Beast – Live, Broadway style musical telling the story of Belle, the Beast, and the other wonderful characters from this animated classic.
Voyage of the Little Mermaid – Live musical with fantastic puppetry and special effects to make you believe you are underwater as Ariel relives the events from the movie.
Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage! Interactive show featuring some of Playhouse Disney’s current stars. This is a great opportunity for your youngster to see these characters perform live and up close.
The park has also incorporated the popular High School Musical phenomena into a High Energy Live Performance that occurs several times per day.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios has an excellent blend of thrill rides and live actions shows and performances that help differentiate it from the other Disney parks. There are also several other attractions that pay homage to the classic movies (Great Movie Ride) & how movies are made (Studio Backlot Tour, The Magic of Disney Animation, Sounds Dangerous – Starring Drew Carey).
Lastly each night wraps up with a performance of Fantasmic!: a spectacular show starring Mickey Mouse featuring live action, lasers, lights, dancing fountains and special effects.
Tags:
Hollywood Studios
It's Time for MNSSHP at Disney World!
For 25 nights during September and October Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party (MNSSHP) takes over the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World from 7:00 pm until midnight.
This hard ticket event (meaning that the Magic Kingdom closes and you must purchase a special ticket for just this event) is a fun filled evening of trick-or-treating, characters in special Halloween costumes, a special “Boo-to-You Halloween parade, and capped off with a “Happy HalloWishes” fireworks presentation.
This is the only time that all guests, young and old, are encouraged to wear costumes to the park. Keep in mind the Florida weather can still be quite warm when choosing your costume. You should also wear something that is easy to move around in and safe while enjoying the rides. Costumes are optional, but they help you get into the Halloween spirit.
These special evenings have a limited number of tickets available for each night guaranteeing that the park will not be crowded and lines for rides will be very reasonable.
All guests (not just children) are encouraged to trick-or-treat at the 13 stations set up around the park. You will collect a variety of candy treats in miniature sizes typical of what is handed out for your local treat-or-treaters.
If you are a person that can’t get enough of the Disney villains then this is the event for you. They have their own special area in front of Cinderella’s Castle where they perform what is called the “Villains’ Mix & Mingle” 4 times nightly and are available for autographs and photo opportunities.
The Boo-to-You parade is well done and can only be seen by attending one of these events. It is performed twice nightly at 8:15 pm and 10:30 pm.
The 2nd parade is usually less crowded, because those attending with young children will often go home before the 2nd parade. Seeing all of the characters in their Halloween costumes is quite enjoyable.
Parties which run from 7:00 pm until midnight are slated for Sept. 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 28, 30 and Oct. 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13, 16, 19, 21, 23, 24, 26, 28, 30, 31.
To purchase advance tickets, guests can call 407/W-DISNEY
Also check out the special Disney World website to promote the event:
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
Personally, I think this is a fun event that everyone should try at least once. I would also recommend going in costume to put your self in the proper spirit.
Tags:
Magic Kingdom
Great Disney World Resort Rates for October Available Now!
For once it pays off to procrastinate!
A discount code is available for great resort rates for Walt Disney World for early October.
Right now through September 24th, you may book a discounted Room Only rate for the Walt Disney World Resort using booking code: MXK
For select Disney Value resorts you can stay Sunday – Thursday for only $59 per night plus tax in a standard view room. This is 40% off the normal rate of $99/night!
This rate applies for Stays from September 28th through October 9th, 2008.
The number of rooms available at this rate is limited. Additional adult per room charges may apply if there are more than two adults.
This booking code will also provide discounts for other Disney Resort classifications during the same timeframe.
You may make reservations either directly with Disney (on-line or by phone (407-939-7821) or with your travel agent using this booking code. Please ask about any other conditions or restrictions that may apply to this offer.
A discount code is available for great resort rates for Walt Disney World for early October.
Right now through September 24th, you may book a discounted Room Only rate for the Walt Disney World Resort using booking code: MXK
For select Disney Value resorts you can stay Sunday – Thursday for only $59 per night plus tax in a standard view room. This is 40% off the normal rate of $99/night!
This rate applies for Stays from September 28th through October 9th, 2008.
The number of rooms available at this rate is limited. Additional adult per room charges may apply if there are more than two adults.
This booking code will also provide discounts for other Disney Resort classifications during the same timeframe.
You may make reservations either directly with Disney (on-line or by phone (407-939-7821) or with your travel agent using this booking code. Please ask about any other conditions or restrictions that may apply to this offer.
Tags:
Trip Planning
Transportation Trading Cards - Unadvertised Magic from Walt Disney World!
Are you someone that has taken your family to Walt Disney World a few times and are looking for something different to do on your next visit? Or perhaps you are looking for a souvenir that doesn’t break the bank.
Well, I have four words for you: Disney Transportation Trading Cards.
Disney World has created a set of 18 trading cards that are based upon the various modes of transportation at the Walt Disney World Resort.
There are three bus related cards, three watercraft (Ferryboat, Motor Cruiser, & Motor Launch) related cards, and twelve monorail based cards. The best thing about them is that they are FREE! They are not for sale (eBay aside), they have to be collected, usually one at a time.
Collecting an entire set is not easy, but what worthwhile challenges ever are? The cards are given out the by cast members operating the various forms of transportation.
To obtain a card, you need to politely ask the driver/operator if they have any Transportation Trading Cards. They are given limited numbers to distribute, so they may not have any on hand at all times. The key is to be polite and remember to thank them if you do receive cards.
The bus drivers will only have the bus related cards, and the monorail operators will only have monorail related cards, etc. So you will have the fun of exploring the various transportation modes if you wish to collect all 18.
The cards themselves depict the mode of transportation on the front and have interesting facts about it on the reverse side. These are nice trading cards and make fine items to keep and collect.
Don’t expect to be able to collect the entire set during one trip, unless you plan to spend a large portion of your vacation riding the Disney Transportation System(although some of you may really enjoy it.).
I would recommend that if you want to collect all of them to expect that it will take more than one visit and try to pick up the missing cards during future vacations.
This is yet another form of unadvertised Magic that can be found at Walt Disney World!
Tags:
Miscellaneous Magic
,
Trip Planning
Animal Kingdom - Not a Zoo!
The newest of the four Walt Disney World parks is Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This park adds an element that is not seen in the other three parks, the inclusion of live animals – lots of them.
This park is not a zoo, although some elements are similar, it goes way beyond any zoo, as it incorporates the Disney storytelling, attractions, and shows that you would expect at a Disney theme park.
The park is laid out like many of the others with an entry path (Oasis) leading to a central iconic landmark, followed by a series of lands that branch off from there.
The lands of the park are: Discovery Island, Camp Minnie Mickey, Africa, Asia, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, & Dinoland USA.
Discovery Island
The island is the central hub, dominated by the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life stands tall as the central landmark of the park. It’s massive size, combined with the detailed animal carvings worked into the tree’s design, make it a site to behold.
The primary attraction is “It’s Tough to be a Bug!”, which combines Animatronics, a 3-D movie and extra special features. A great attraction, allow it can be scary for younger children.
Camp Minnie Mickey
This area is home to one of Walt Disney World’s best live shows – “Festival of the Lion King”. This is a must see attraction that involves audience participation, wonderful costumes, acrobatics, and some of the great songs from this Disney Classic.
This is also the best area in the Animal Kingdom to meet Mickey and Minnie for pictures and autographs.
Africa
The recreated African Village makes you feel as if you’ve been transported across the globe. Peruse the shops and check out the talented street performers.
The Kilimanjaro Safari is a must see simulation of a two week safari to an African savannah. All of the animals are real and roam their natural habitats. Enjoyable for the entire family.
Also, take the time to walk the Pangani Exploration trail. Too often this trail is missed by the park commandos and it really is a shame. This is a great opportunity to see the animals up close and learn about them from the cast members.
Rafiki’s Planet Watch
This is another under explored area of the park. You take a train from Africa to get to this backstage area that includes a veterinary clinic and a petting zoo. This area is best suited for the youngest visitors and the animal lovers.
Asia
This area recently added the best roller coaster (in my opinion) in Walt Disney World – Expedition Everest. In building the attraction they created the tallest mountain in Florida and built an entire village for the back story and cue line. Truly a fantastic ride and reason enough to come to Animal Kingdom.
The Kali River Rapids are another thrill seeking favorite, especially on those hot Florida summer days.
Dinoland U.S.A.
This last features the creatures of the distant past. The Dinosaur attraction takes you on a thrilling time machine journey back to the times of the dinosaurs, hoping to escape before the meteors reach earth.
The newest attraction here is Finding Nemo – The Musical which is a wonder live action/puppet stage presentation with songs adapted for the award winning animated classic. This is a great show and the theater is enclosed and air conditioned.
Summary
Although some people rank the Animal Kingdom as their least favorite WDW park, it has thrill rides, incredible shows, fun attractions, and many live animals. The theming here is just incredible. This park is definitely a must see on each visit to Walt Disney World.
Tags:
Animal Kingdom
Magic on Tom Sawyer's Island
The magic of Walt Disney World is in the details, many of which are unadvertised. These little touches are what differentiates the World from other “theme parks”.
One such unadvertised touch of magic is the hunt for paint brushes on Tom Sawyer’s Island in the Magic Kingdom.
Each morning, three to five paint brushes are hidden on Tom Sawyer’s Island by the cast members. Lucky explorers that find one of the paint brushes get a special Fast Pass for the entire family for either Thunder Mountain Railroad or Splash Mountain.
Once my children found about this, it became part of the plan for our trip. We would get to the Magic Kingdom for the rope drop and then make sure that we were on the first raft of the day to Tom Sawyer’s Island in order to have the best chance of finding one of those elusive paint brushes.
This June, we got our chance to participate in this special treasure hunt. We followed our plan to perfection and travelled to the island on the first raft of the day. We agreed to separate in order to cover more ground. We also overheard another family discussing their plans to look for the paint brushes. That meant we definitely had competition, which only added to the excitement.
Once we reached land, we started searchin
g. I headed for the caves and the kids went towards Fort Langhorn.
I was the first person to enter the caves, but I could tell that people were close behind me. I searched quickly, but was not finding anything. With about 10 feet to go, I took a wrong turn into a dead end. I heard the people behind me, pass by and then exclaim “I found a paint brush!” Just my luck, I was so close, but came up empty handed.
It was time to check on the kids to see if they had any better luck. When I caught up with them they had scoured the Fort, but had also come up empty handed. I was starting to think that we were not going to find a paint brush today. As we walked back towards the raft dock, a boy offered my son an “extra” paint brush since his family had already found two. He gladly accepted. This was great, but not quite the same as finding one ourselves.
We settled on a deck with rocking chairs facing towards Splash Mountain, when my kids looked up and discovered a PAINT BRUSH! They found one of their very own. Just when we were about to give up, things improve dramatically.
We quickly went to the dock to show a cast member our find. After taking the raft back across the river, he took us aside a got a special Fast Pass and presented it to my kids. That truly made our day.
The prize in this case didn’t really matter (although avoiding the long line later in the day for Splash Mountain was nice.). It was the thrill of the hunt and the ability to do something new at a place we had visited so many times before.
The magic is in the details.
One such unadvertised touch of magic is the hunt for paint brushes on Tom Sawyer’s Island in the Magic Kingdom.
Each morning, three to five paint brushes are hidden on Tom Sawyer’s Island by the cast members. Lucky explorers that find one of the paint brushes get a special Fast Pass for the entire family for either Thunder Mountain Railroad or Splash Mountain.
Once my children found about this, it became part of the plan for our trip. We would get to the Magic Kingdom for the rope drop and then make sure that we were on the first raft of the day to Tom Sawyer’s Island in order to have the best chance of finding one of those elusive paint brushes.
This June, we got our chance to participate in this special treasure hunt. We followed our plan to perfection and travelled to the island on the first raft of the day. We agreed to separate in order to cover more ground. We also overheard another family discussing their plans to look for the paint brushes. That meant we definitely had competition, which only added to the excitement.
Once we reached land, we started searchin
g. I headed for the caves and the kids went towards Fort Langhorn.I was the first person to enter the caves, but I could tell that people were close behind me. I searched quickly, but was not finding anything. With about 10 feet to go, I took a wrong turn into a dead end. I heard the people behind me, pass by and then exclaim “I found a paint brush!” Just my luck, I was so close, but came up empty handed.
It was time to check on the kids to see if they had any better luck. When I caught up with them they had scoured the Fort, but had also come up empty handed. I was starting to think that we were not going to find a paint brush today. As we walked back towards the raft dock, a boy offered my son an “extra” paint brush since his family had already found two. He gladly accepted. This was great, but not quite the same as finding one ourselves.
We settled on a deck with rocking chairs facing towards Splash Mountain, when my kids looked up and discovered a PAINT BRUSH! They found one of their very own. Just when we were about to give up, things improve dramatically.
We quickly went to the dock to show a cast member our find. After taking the raft back across the river, he took us aside a got a special Fast Pass and presented it to my kids. That truly made our day.
The prize in this case didn’t really matter (although avoiding the long line later in the day for Splash Mountain was nice.). It was the thrill of the hunt and the ability to do something new at a place we had visited so many times before.
The magic is in the details.
Tags:
Magic Kingdom
,
Miscellaneous Magic
