Do Ride Closures Affect Your Trip Planning?

Visiting WDW when a major attraction is closed is kind of a bummer. Yes, rides need to be refurbished and improved, and I'm glad that those measures are taken (except when they completely ruin a ride *coughImaginationcough*). But shutting down a major attraction means diverting the flow of traffic elsewhere, creating bottlenecks in other areas, plus there's that aww-man-I-was-really-looking-forward-to-that factor.

 I visited WDW in 2009 when Space Mountain was being spruced up, and it just wasn't the same. Tomorrowland turned into a ghost town (which, on the plus side, meant you could ride Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin as many times as you wanted without a FastPass), but Frontierland became completely overcrowded because everyone looking for a ride with a height restriction flooded those queues.

My family is currently in planning mode, and WDW is making things difficult. We were hoping to go in May, but now with Big Thunder Mountain Railroad being closed for refurbishment and Test Track being closed to incorporate Chevrolet as the new sponsor, we may need to rethink our plans. Between two of our favorite attractions being down and nothing of interest really being open in New Fantasyland yet, it feels like we're going to be getting a diluted experience. Last year, we skipped a trip to WDW because of all the construction and went to Iceland instead. It was one of the best travel decisions we ever made.

Granted, there will be things that will be new to us since the last time we visited, like Via Napoli, La Hacienda de San Angel, and the new Star Tours. But it still feels like we're being shortchanged somehow, even though I'm sure we'll still have plenty of fun. I'd love your feedback - is the Magic Kingdom still overwhelmed by construction walls? And how much does the open/closed status of an attraction affect your overall enjoyment of the parks?

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Related Links:
* Why I'm Not Going to WDW This Year
* Hell to the No
* The Sob Heard Round the World

WDW Trip Resolutions, 2012 Edition

Welcome to those of you joining me from The Disney Point and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the fourth stop on our Magical Blogorail.

Disney resolutions are something that's been on my mind a lot lately, because my family and I are currently in the throes of planning our next trip. This isn't our first time at the rodeo, but we have made several Disney resolutions to help make this trip extra memorable:

Stay somewhere new. We're DVC members, and so for the past four or five years, we've always stayed at our home base of Saratoga Springs or Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. Both resorts are great, for entirely different reasons, but this year we're hoping to try Bay Lake Tower, or if that doesn't work out, the Wilderness Lodge. (I'd love any advice/recommendations you have - comment away!)

Try a different Signature Dining Experience. I've mentioned my love for The California Grill, oh, a zillion times on this blog already, so I won't bore you with any more fawning. And of course, we're going there. But we're also going to make reservations for a different Signature Dining experience (on the last trip we tried Narcoossee's and it was great). This year? My sights are set on the Yachtsman Steakhouse. 

Make up for lost time. Our last trip was juuuuust before La Hacienda de San Angel and Via Napoli opened.  I'm already hungry. 

Drink Around the World Showcase. I haven't told my family that we're doing this yet. And I'm probably too old for it to be socially acceptable. But I really, really want to try it. If anyone has any tips on which side of the Showcase is a better starting point, let me know. I'm thinking the liquor-before-beer rule means Mexico should be the start, right? Or does that mean you just end up quitting/making really bad decisions  two pavilions in?

Do a tour. Over the past few trips, I've become a big aficionado of the WDW tours. And while I prefer my tours on a Segway, this time my sights are set on the Wild Africa Trek. Have you tried it? Is it worth the money? Advice, once again, is very welcome.

Get there for a rope drop. As strange as it sounds, especially since we are morning people, I've never actually seen one happen. It's long overdue, I know. 

Tweet! Last time around, I imposed a no-cellphones-in-the-parks rule and ended up going crazy trying to remember all the things I wanted to tweet. This time, I'm embracing Twitter and hopefully sharing lots of fun stories (and let's face it, probably some nonsense) with all of you!

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Manda's Disney Blog.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1st Stop ~ Mommy Mouseketeer

2nd Stop ~ The Magical Mouse Pad

3rd Stop ~ The Disney Point

4th Stop ~ The Disney Chick

Final Stop ~ Manda’s Disney Blog

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Related Links:
* WDW Trip Diary: The Lost Tweets
* Finding Zen in WDW
* Two Hotels, Five Rooms

What I Would Do with One More Disney Day

Oh, hey, remember me? I blog here, or at least I used to, before holidays and festivities and office re-entry happened. Anyway, I’m back in action now – so let’s talk about the Big News That Was So Big It Could Not Be Contained By 2011.

By now, you’ve all heard that the Magic Kingdom will be open for a full 24 hours on Leap Day, starting at 6 AM on February 29^th and ending at 6 AM on March 1^st. It’s “One More Disney Day,” for those lucky enough to live near WDW or who happen to be there already. And of course, per the fine print, only select attractions, entertainment and services will be available and are subject to capacity restrictions. So basically, you can forget the egg roll cart.

But it made me wonder – what would you do with yourself for 24 hours in the Magic Kingdom? Go on every attraction several times, sure. Bankrupt yourself spending more and more money in the shops, definitely. Eat turkey legs until you melt into a puddle of grease and meat, check. But is there really enough to do in the Magic Kingdom to sustain someone’s interest for 24 hours? I’m not so sure.

Now, if this promotion applied to all of WDW, and not just Magic Kingdom, then we’d have a party going. Assuming all four parks are open and operational for 24 hours, this is how I would spend One More Disney Day:

6:00 AM: Arrive at Magic Kingdom. Grab breakfast at Main Street Bakery and proceed to castle.

6:30 AM: Spend the next hour trying to take that perfect photo in front of the castle – the one where everyone is smiling, the picture is in focus, and there are no other people in the frame.

7:30 AM: Give up. Proceed to Tomorrowland. Go on Space Mountain 15 consecutive times. Puke.

9:00 AM: Eat churro (second breakfast, y’all) and ride every ride in Fantasyland twice.

10:00 AM: Proceed to Frontierland. Get soaked on Splash Mountain. Get whiplash on Big Thunder Mountain. Repeat.

11:00 AM: Ride Pirates of the Caribbean. Consume Dole Whip for brunch. Realize there is nothing left of interest in Adventureland.

11:30 AM: Ride bus to Animal Kingdom.

12:00 PM: Proceed to Expedition Everest. Encounter Yeti.

12:30 PM: Visit Dinoland. Ride Dinosaur. Realize there is no one else remotely near the attraction and ride it two more times.

1:00 PM: Lunch at Yak n Yeti. Imbibe cocktails.

3:00 PM: Animals animals animals safari Little Red animals poach-ahs animals Rafiki talking trash can animals

4:00 PM: Ride bus to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

4:30 PM: Inform Cast Member that I’ve got nothing but time and plan to ride Star Tours until I see every possible version.

5:00 PM: Give up. Proceed to Toy Story Mania. Notice that the next available FastPasses are for two days from now. Give up.

5:30 PM: Visit Backlot Tour. Ask Cast Member where the Golden Girls set went. Receive blank stare. Give up.

6:00 PM: Ride Rock n Roller Coaster six times.

7:00 PM: Depart for Epcot. Proceed to World Showcase.

8:00 PM: Enjoy dinner at La Cava de Tequila. Dinner = chips and salsa and three grande margaritas.

11:00 PM: Attempt to join Off Kilter performance. Am rebuked. Wonder how I made it all the way to the Canadian pavilion, and why I am holding so many shopping bags.

12:00 AM: IT’S MARCH!!!!!!! WHY ISN’T ANYONE ELSE AS EXCITED AS I AM?!!!

12:15 AM: Asked by Cast Member to stop trying to start a March Madness parade. Ditch World Showcase for Future World.

12:30 AM: Ride Spaceship Earth. Scream "THANK THE PHOENICIANS, YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARDS" during the papyrus-making scene. Nap.

1:00 AM: Get kicked off Living with the Land after trying to steal the nine pound lemon (to make sangria with, duh). Apologize without really meaning it.

1:30 AM: Visit Imagination Pavilion. Stand up during ride to shout OHHH DREEEEEAMFIIIINDER ……. WHERE ARRRREEE YOUUUUUU? Spend the next hour conducting music with my mind at the ImageWorks post-show.

2:30 AM: Return to the Mexico pavilion for two additional margaritas.

3:30 AM: Challenge Segway-riding Cast Member to a race. The machine wins.

4:30 AM: Limp into The Seas with Nemo and Friends. Get into an argument with a manatee.

5:00 AM: Lose argument and proceed to Universe of Energy. Pass out in waiting area.

6:00 AM: Awakened by Cast Member and told to leave park. Have breakfast at hotel before 8 AM rope drop.

What would happen in your ideal Disney day? 

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Related Links:
* And Now I Am Three
* 10 Signs You Are a Disney Dork
* The Five People You Meet in Line at WDW

The Wishes Dessert Party - Worth the Money?

I'm a big fan of Wishes and dessert, so when I finally talked the rest of my family into trying the Wishes Dessert Party at the Magic Kingdom, my expectations were high.

As far as the WDW "extra adventures" go, the Wishes Dessert Party is the most basic. You show up an hour before the fireworks, indulge in a dessert buffet, then sit back and watch the show. Sounds perfect and relaxing, right? But the truth is, there are some big problems with this event.

For starters, the pricing starts at $15 and goes up to $35.99 per person, depending on how close you want to be to the front of the terrace. We wanted the best view possible, so we shelled out for the choice seats (so the total was over $100, which is expensive, considering everyone else sees the same 15 minute fireworks show for free). Fine. While the dessert party officially starts an hour before Wishes, they ask you to get there in advance of that time to "line up," which is dumb, because you just paid all this money for a reserved seat. So fine, we wait.

Smoking! Ick!

The thing is, I hate waiting. And I don't mean that in the obnoxious, 21st Century way of "I must be doing something at all times." And I don't mind waiting in a ride queue either. But waiting just to wait when you made a reservation and are paying money not to wait? And when you've paid a lot more money for park tickets that you're not really using because you are standing in line waiting outside the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station for something that, by definition, is supposed to be wait-free? No sir.

So we wait, and then we are allowed in and we find our table, which I suppose was in the "front" because there wasn't another table in front of us. Now, the main draw of the Wishes Dessert Party is that you can relax and watch Wishes, right? But the roof of the Tomorrowland Terrace hangs out past the floor, so actually, you can't see the fireworks if you are sitting down. Even when you've paid $35 a person, you still have an obstructed view. And those who pay $15 might as well be sitting in the bathroom - those seats can't see squat. Also annoying: people began "saving" spots along the rail, which meant that we too had to "save" a spot for our tripod, and then we always had to keep one eye on it, to make sure it didn't disappear. Not particularly relaxing.

Plate 1 of 4

As for the food, I wish it could say it was amazing, but it was just .... meh. The food wasn't ready when we sat down, so we had to wait (again! gah!) while they set everything up, and then we had to take turns going to the dessert bar so someone could always stay and watch the cursed tripod. The desserts are a medley of little treats and delights - brownie bites, mini cream pies, tiramisu, cookies, mousse, fresh fruit, plus lemonade and tea and coffee. I sampled a little of everything, and it was all decent, nothing special. There was nothing wrong with the dessert buffet per se, except that there's no way in Hades it even came close to being worth $35 (or $15, for that matter).

One more thing about the view - everyone who goes to WDW has an opinion as to where the best place to watch the fireworks is. (Personally, I'm a fan of parking it right in front of the Crystal Palace.) The vantage point from the Tomorrowland Terrace is nice, but it's far off center so you lose a lot of the symmetry in the show. I definitely wouldn't recommend this for a Wishes first-timer, but we did get some cool pictures:

Just before the show.

WISHES!

Post-glow

All in all, I'm glad we tried it, but it wasn't worth the money. There are far better vantage points to watch the fireworks for free, and the food wasn't really at the level it needed to be to justify the cost. And there are no extras with this experience - no character greetings or little souvenirs, which was also kind of a bummer. Plus, you're in the Magic Kingdom - who wants to wait around for two hours waiting for the fireworks to start when you could be riding Space Mountain?

Have you participated in the Wishes Dessert Party? What did you think?

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Related Links:
* The World Just Became a Little More Terrifying
* Segway Tours: This is How I Roll
* Overheard in WDW: Sunset Blvd Edition

Right Down the Middle of Main Street USA

Welcome to those of you joining me from The Magical Mouse Pad and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the second stop on our Magical Blogorail.

When I found out this month’s topic, my immediate first thought was, “MouseGear! Yes!” because as strange as it sounds, I love that store. It’s like a beloved family member – there to comfort you during stormy times, but still always getting in the way (if you know how to get from one end of Future World to the other without going through MouseGear, please let me know).

But as much as I love MouseGear, and many of the shops in the World Showcase, my favorite WDW shopping experience is good ol’ Main Street USA … but only at a very specific time of day.

Let me back up. While my family appreciates many of the things the parks have to offer, parades are generally not one of them. I like the idea of them, and I particularly like the music and general vibe of the SpectroMagic Parade, but I can’t handle the crowding and the corralling and the space-saving. But at night, while everyone is jockeying for position curbside, it’s actually a great time to explore the shops. And because all the shops on Main Street are connected, you can browse and take your time without having to leave the air-conditioning or face the crowds outside.

I'll have one of everything.

Another option is to hang out after all the nighttime spectacular-ness has ended, and while everyone is rushing to the buses, explore Main Street. It’s a cool time to be in the Magic Kingdom, because everything is lit up and pretty, but it’s also a rare treat to see the place semi-deserted. The shops stay open for a bit, and this is a great time to pick up some pastries at Main Street Bakery for the next day’s breakfast.

As for the actual items on sale, there’s not really much to find in these shops that you can’t find elsewhere in the parks – except for the freshly made Rice Krispie balls in the Confectionary, which are far and above any other sweet treat in WDW. But shopping on Main Street USA isn’t really about buying anything, it’s about experiencing the Magic Kingdom in a special way: quiet, bright, and call me corny - magical. And before I leave, I always take one last look around and let my gaze drift up to Walt’s window, and I give a silent salute.

Not Walt's window. But still, I'd live here.

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Manda's Disney Blog.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1st Stop ~ The Magical Mouse Pad
2nd Stop ~ The Disney Chick
3rd Stop ~ Manda’s Disney Blog
4th Stop ~ Mommy Mouseketeer
Final Stop ~ Unknown Magic Within Walt Disney World
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Related Links:
* Wordless Wednesday: Main Street USA
* Finding Zen in WDW
* WDW Things That Never Cease to Amaze Me

Wordless Wednesday: Time for Action

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Related Links:
* Wordless Wednesday: Take Cover!
* Wordless Wednesday Going Green
* Wordless Wednesday: Main Street USA

Give the Gift of Disney

Welcome to those of you joining me from Magik Mouse and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the third stop on our Magical Blogorail.

The perfect Disney gift? A trip to WDW, duh. The second most-perfect Disney gift? Something special to take with you when you finally take that trip to WDW.

It sounds strange, but Disney fans are tough people to buy for, mostly because they already know the contents of The Disney Store pretty well. For me, I look for two things when choosing a gift – the gift must be personable and surprising (in a good way). And oftentimes, I get discouraged by mass-produced things and so I look for opportunities to create my own gifts. For example, if you are looking to buy something for the recipient to take to the parks, The Disney Store offers customization on some of their apparel. I used this feature to hilarious effect for my sister’s college graduation, which also happened to coincide with our WDW trip. I created this:

Go Wildcats!

And so, my sister wore this on our trip, much to the delight of Cast Members and fellow guests. It was a neat way to get her something she would never get for herself, and it helped commemorate that trip. You can customize pretty much anything these days - tote bags, shirts, hats, even Mickey ears, and personalized presents are guaranteed to make the recipient smile.

If you’re not sure what you’re looking for, I highly recommend browsing on Etsy, which is not only the world’s biggest time-suck but is also my #1 choice for finding the perfect present, Disney or otherwise. You can find a large assortment of vintage Disney products, or great Disney-inspired handmade items. Prices are usually affordable, and the options are wonderfully unique.

What’s your perfect Disney gift?

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Delightfully Disney.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1st Stop ~ Return to Disney
2nd Stop ~ Magik Mouse
3rd Stop ~ The Disney Chick
4th Stop ~ Delightfully Disney
Final Stop ~ Magical Mouse Schoolhouse

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Related Links:
* Finding Zen in WDW
* The World Just Became a Little More Terrifying
* Disney Dining: Restaurants to Avoid