Another Change Of Plans

So we thought that we would be heading to Disney in the summer of 2015, well that plan has changed.  Due to life getting in the way, our plans have been put off for about 2.5 years.  It has most to do with the fact that we wont be living in North America at that time, and the commute isn't possible.  I'm not sure what's going to happen to this blog for the next little while, but I don't think I'll be posting weekly.  I'm certainly not finished with this blog since I want to wrap it up with our visit.  I'm going to think about it and wait till the new year to make any final decisions.

Chris

Disney Vacation Club Point Buying, is It a Sham?

As you would expect, there's been a change of plans with our hotel yet again. Since the price of the hotel is the biggest expense of a Disney trip, you can imagine that a lot of thought has to go into it.  This change however is less about which resort we want to stay at and more to do with how we want to stay at it.  I read an interesting article about buying points to use in Disney Vacation Club (DVC) properties.  In other words, for a lot less money, we can stay at a DVC room in the same resort.

I should mention that this isn't as simple as it sounds.  There are a few differences between a regular room at Disney and a DVC room.  The difficult part of this deal is setting up the room.  To do this we have to arrange the purchase of DVC points from a DVC member.  Fortunately there are travel agents who specialize in this and can arrange it for us, but it involves going through third parties.  The other disadvantage I can see is that you will get fewer visits from housekeeping (or as they call it “mousekeeping”).  Frankly we're not dirty people, and I think we'll be fine with just one or two visits throughout our stay.

The advantages of using the Disney villas are pretty good.  The rooms are a little bigger, and include a small kitchenette in the studio suits as well.  The rooms are located within the Disney resorts and seem to include all of the perks that come with staying in a regular room.  Finally, the price is much lower than the standard rooms, we stand to save about 100 bucks a night.

I imagine that most people don't go with this plan because of the inconvenience that comes with setting things up through a third party.  I'm just hoping that there isn't some detail that we've missed that's going to mess up our plans.  It's a bit of a risk, but if it works out we'll save a few bucks.

Travel Agents

I've been reading several websites that claim booking directly through the Disney website is the most expensive way to go.  It's a strange world we live in when buying something straight from the source is in fact the most expensive way to go.  The reasoning behind this, from what I can tell, is that Disney is setting the basic price and if they sold it at the cheapest price, no one else would want to sell their tickets.  So that means that Allison and I are going to have to search for a travel agent.

One of the options that seems to come up now and then is that of discount tickets for sale through third parties.  I've been warned by many websites that they are many of these third parities that sell tickets that are not legitimate.  In other words they either sell fake, or used tickets, instead of real discount tickets.  I'm having a really hard time figuring out which dealers are legitimate and which are not.  It would really help if Disney produced an official list somewhere that I could reference.

The other option is to find us a travel agent.  We actually already have a travel agent that we know and really like, the problem is that she's not really a Disney expert.  It's not to say that she doesn't know anything about Disney, it just seems like there are other agents that specialize almost exclusively on Disney.  I've decided that I'm going to send out a few e-mails this week and ask what kind of deals we can get.  Hopefully I'll soon be able to announce that we have a travel agent that can get us a great price, book all the restaurants we want, and make sure our tickets are all in order.

Blisters, and Other Injuries

One thing I've been thinking about a lot and researching a bit for this trip, but still haven't mentioned on this blog is health.  In particular what kind of preparations can I do to make sure my body doesn't give out while walking around the parks?  I've read several articles and even spoken to a physiotherapist about some of the common health problems people run into while taking on an epic trip of this nature.  Two issues in particular seem to come up again and again, foot damage (blisters and such) and general unhealthiness.

The foot damage comes from not having good footwear, and not having the proper medical supplies for blisters and sore feet.  Shoe wise I think I'm going to make sure I have a new, but broken in pair of sneakers for the trip.  I'm also going to bring comfortable sandals as well.  For the blisters I've read about several products that seem to work, such as Dr. Scholl's Moleskin Plus Padding and Blister Defence Anti-Friction Stick, but I've also had luck with duct tape too.

As for the physical fit part, I think the key is to prepare in advance.  So starting now, I'm going to start an exercise routine to get into shape.  I don't want to change my diet too much because I know that when I get to the park any kind of healthy eating will be lost.  It's not that Disney doesn't offer healthy food; I just know that I'll be tempted with those awesome Disney treats.  I'm also going to start stretching more, as I've been told for an epic trip with lots of walking that pulled muscles can be the most common type of injury you can get, and simply stretching can make a huge difference.

A Few Restaurants We Want To Try

Cape May Café - The one and only reason we're going to the cape may cafe is to experience a character breakfast.  I've read that this is the least busy character breakfast featuring Goofy.

Spirit of Aloha and Hoop-dee-doo Revue - Every single tour book says that the two shows you can't miss are the Hoop-dee-doo musical review and the Spirit of Aloha shows.  Both are said to have cheesy, yet fun, shows, and both are said to have some fine chow.

Biergarten - Over the last 10 years I've discovered that German food is one of my favourite cuisines.  Most people don't realize how tasty German food is, and I'm hoping that the Biergarten will give me some tasty nibbles.

House of Blues Gospel Brunch - Many of the big restaurants at Downtown Disney get a lot of slack for being disappointing.  The Earl of Sandwich and Raglan Road are two places that do fairly well, but I've been reading that a gospel brunch at the House of Blues is a must see event.

Flame Tree - I can't tell you how many times I've read that the best BBQ in Disney is found at the Flame Tree restaurant.  Since Allison is a BBQ fanatic, we pretty much can't avoid eating here.  I've also heard that Animal Kingdom doesn't have too many other tasty food options, so we may have to eat there more than once.

Boma - I can't say I've ever really experienced that much African food.  I've sampled a few things, but Boma looks like a great opportunity to sample even more.  I also think that they have a buffet, which will give me plenty of opportunity to sample new things that I may not have had the nerve to order.

Disney Blogs I'm Reading

Over the last few months I've started to regularly read a few Disney blogs.  These blogs are informative, detailed, and give some great tips on how to enjoy your Disney trip a little better.  Keep in mind that many of these blogs do offer spoilers, but for the most part they're just very helpful.

Disney Tourist Blog

The Disney tourist blog is your opportunity to follow Tom and Sarah, two Disney fanatics from Indiana. They've visited all of the parks all over the world, with Disney World being their favourite. This is a fairly unbiased blog, particularly in the early entries. The great thing about these two is they truly seem to have fun when they explore the parks. Tom will very often get into his photography on this blog, which can be good or bad depending on your interest on the subject. Frankly I find this blog to be one of the most entertaining blogs on the subject of Disney world, and Tom and Sarah are the two bloggers I'd most like to meet in person.

The World According To Jack

Jack is a details man. He examines every nook and cranny of Disney World with the greatest detail possible. Jack has written pages and pages about the various types of cement used in Disney World. Needless to say if you want to know everything about certain details of the parks, this is the blog for you. While Jack has every detail covered, he is a little dry to read. While he attempts to interject a little humour into his blogs, the amount of detail just makes it fairly dry anyways. Not that it's a bad blog; it's just very detailed and can often give you more information than you might need.

Disney Food Blog

As you might imagine the focus of this site is fairly specific. The thing is, on our trip we will have to eat, often I imagine, so this information can be useful. This blog covers food from all of the parks, and it covers them as if the food is as important as the attractions. The only fault I find in this blog is the inconsistency in the writing. Sometimes you read a post that is clear and full of detail, and then you'll read a post that just doesn't tell you anything. After following this blog for a little while I've started to edit what I read based on the subject and the authors.

Disney Parks Blog

Much like its accompanying YouTube channel, the Disney Parks Blog is a great source of accuracy, but doesn't give that much information. First of all you won't be reading anything speculative here at all, since anything released on this blog becomes official. You also don't tend to get any negative feedback from anything at the parks either. The blogs however are generally well written and any photos are high quality.

Disney Shawn

Shawn is a former Disney employee that worked as an Imagineer writing concepts for attractions. In many cases he has the inside scoop on the concepts proposed for attractions, and explains them in detail. He doesn't really focus on “news" as much as the stories depicted on the attractions. His writing is easy to read, and often doesn't give away secrets as much as enhances the story. The only fault I can really complain about this blog is that there isn't more.

Disney movies we plan to watch

The concepts that make up Disney world aren't pulled out of thin air. In fact almost every detail of the parks are inspired from Disney products, culture, or in some cases history. Disney world attaches a story to every aspect of the theme park, all inspired by various areas. To get the most of these references I thought it would be a good idea to catch up on some of our Disney content. To fully appreciate every single detail you probably have to watch every single thing Disney has ever produced, but that's just not realistic at all. Instead Allison and I decided to go through the list of Disney movies and cartoons and pick out which ones might be most relevant.

We're also going to ad a few episodes of the twilight zone to this list to better understand the tower of terror. Fortunately many of the websites I've been reading explain where many of the details of the park originated, so picking what to watch seems simple enough. We're also going to have to start keeping up with current Disney movies as well, since they often ad attractions based on current media.

Here's our list so far, many of these movies and shows we're fairly familiar with, but it doesn't hurt to update our memories. Some of this stuff is brand new to us and should be interesting to see.

Swiss Family Robinson
Lady and the Tramp
Cinderella
Snow White
Brave
Pinochio
Reluctant Dragon
Dumbo
The Three Caballeros
Song of the South
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Treasure Island
Alice in Wonderland
Peter Pan
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier
Sleeping Beauty
One Hundred and One Dalmatians
The Absent-Minded Professor
The Sword in the Stone
The Jungle Book
The Aristocats
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Robin Hood
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
The Rescuers
Pete's Dragon
The Fox and the Hound
The Black Cauldron
The Great Mouse Detective
Oliver & Company
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
The Little Mermaid
DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp
Beauty and the Beast
The Mighty Ducks
Aladdin
The Adventures of Huck Finn
The Lion King
A Goofy Movie
Pocahontas
Tom and Huck
James and the Giant Peach
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Hercules
Mulan
A Bug's Life
Tarzan
Monsters, Inc.
The Country Bears
Finding Nemo
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
The Haunted Mansion
Home on the Range
The Incredibles
Chicken Little
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Meet the Robinsons
Ratatouille
Bolt
The Princess and the Frog
Toy Story 3
Tangled
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Cars 2
Wreck-It Ralph
Monsters University
The Lone Ranger
Planes

The Hilton... A Lot Cheaper Than I Expected

It happened again, Allison was reading about accommodations in and around Disney World, and we came across another hotel that peaked our interest.  This time however is was a hotel that wasn't an official Disney hotel, but it had some perks of the classic Disney hotels, the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista.  We never really gave much thought to hotels outside of the Disney parks because we wanted to enjoy the benefits that come with staying on property.  The problem is, the Hilton is one of the only non-Disney hotels to enjoy some of the benefits of the Disney hotels, including extra magic hours.

The main advantage to the Hilton, the price.  The Hilton hotel can be almost half the price as many of the on site resorts, and from what I've read it's a pretty nice hotel to boot.  It also offers shuttle services to all of the parks, and is walking distance to Downtown Disney.  So it's pretty close to a Disney resort, for a lot less money.  It doesn't offer a few of the perks like free delivery of purchases back to your hotel room, and access to certain facilities, but it still seems pretty good.  Once again Allison and I had to try and figure out if we should change our hotel plans once again.  This time, Allison made a chart featuring the Hilton, the Yacht Club resort, and Port Orleans resort, comparing the advantages and the disadvantages.

Yacht Club	Port Orleans	Hilton
Likely $550/night (high season)	Likely $250/night (high season)	Likely $130/night; $209 comparable to Yacht Club (based on website)
Plus taxes	Plus taxes	Plus taxes
		Plus $22/night “daily resort charge plus taxes
Free parking	Free parking	Parking $13/night
Free wifi	Free wifi	Wifi – part of “Daily resort charge”
Free extended theme park hours	Free extended theme park hours	Extended theme park hours – part of “Daily resort charge”
Free transportation to all parks every 20 minutes or more	Free transportation to all parks every 20 minutes or more	Transportation to the four theme parks only – part of “Daily resort charge”. Schedule unknown.
Onsite movie screenings (+ movies on TV??)	Onsite movie screenings (+ movies on TV??)	Unlimited movie rentals – part of “Daily resort charge”
$15 for unlimited drinks (resort refillable mug) - optional	$15 for unlimited drinks (resort refillable mug) - optional	2 coffees or 2 bottles of water/day – part of “Daily resort charge”
Free parking at parks/water parks/etc.	Free parking at parks/water parks/etc.	$17 (?) to park at water parks or other theme parks
TOTAL: $565 + tax	TOTAL: $265 + tax	TOTAL: $182 + tax TOTAL: $262 + tax
Concierge service for Disney	Concierge service for Disney	Guest services at parks
Purchases delivered	Purchases delivered
“Best pool in park”	Pool with slide	Pool
Gym		Gym (extra $$??)
Coin laundry ($4)	Coin laundry ($4)	Only laundry valet (likely $100-250) or off-site
Near Epcot (monorail to MK), Hollywood Studios	Near Downtown Disney	Near Downtown Disney
Bracelets/card do everything	Bracelets/card do everything	Bracelets plus credit card plus hotel key to carry
Fridge in room	Fridge in room	NO fridge in room

After making this chart and talking it over, we eventually decided that the Hilton probably won't work for us.  While we do like the price, the location is really important to us.  So we've decided that the Yacht club is still our number one pick.  The thing is, after thinking about it some more, and reading a bit on Port Orleans, I'm starting to rethink which hotel we might stay at on the grounds.

Sweet Treats I Want To Try

There are several specific treats I want to sample on this epic Disney trip.  As you might imagine, if you're familiar with my other website candycritic.org, many of the must have foods I want to try are sweet. There are a few savoury snacks I'd like to sample as well, but I'll talk about those later on.

The first treat I want to try is the legendary Dole Whip.  Having said that I'm not even really sure what a Dole Whip is.  All I know about the Dole Whip is it's some kind of pineapple based ice cream dessert/drink.  If you research the Dole Whip online, you'll quickly realise that many people are obsessed with them.  In fact you may have a hard time finding any negative reviews for them at all.

The next treat worth mentioning is something called Skool Bread.  Similar to the Dole Whip it's very popular amongst Disney fans, and also similarly I have no idea what it really is.  I know that it's a popular Danish dessert, but that's obvious because the only place it's available is at the Danish pavilion at EPCOT.  It seems to be some kind of cream filled pastry, and that can't be bad.

Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwiches are another treat I don't want to miss.  Other than the shape there doesn't seem to be anything special about these, but I give high marks for treat themes.

Other than these specific treats there are a few general treat categories I plan to explore.  I hear that Disney makes some pretty tasty cupcakes all over the parks, so I'm sure I'll sample at least one of those.  I'm also interested in trying a few of the many ice cream snacks available, in particular I'd be interested in the Kitchen Sink sundae.

I think I have little to worry about when it comes to finding sweet treats at Disney World; I do have to worry about how I'm going to manage to sample them all.

Anniversary

The main point of making this trip to Disney World is to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.  Normally for our anniversary we like to buy ourselves one shared gift that lines up with the appropriate material for that anniversary.  For example, for our eighth anniversary we bought copper pans, because the eighth anniversary is copper.  The 10th anniversary material is emerald, and frankly we can't think of anything either one of us would want containing an emerald.  So Disney was the perfect second option.

I've been doing some research on celebrating anniversaries at Disney World, and there are plenty of options.  The first and most important thing to do is make sure you tell someone at your hotel, or guest relations, that it's your anniversary.  Apparently they'll give you a pin that will tell the world you're celebrating an event.  While we're not really interested in cashing this in for freebies, we are curious about the kind of attention we might get.

If you're even more committed to celebrating you can order special room decorations for when you arrive.  I've checked them out online and most of the anniversary set ups are kind of tacky, and very over priced.  A few of the other event gifts look interesting, but they're still horribly over priced.

Disney also keeps suggesting that we do something grown up, like dinning with candlelight or visiting a spa.  I think we might consider one of these options since a little romance is always nice.  Our main goal however is to have a character breakfast on our anniversary morning with Goofy.

Restaurant Reservations

The one aspect of this trip that worries me most is the Advanced Dinning Reservation (ADR) program at Disney World.  The program is designed to make it easier for people to make dinning reservations at popular restaurants, and up to 180 days before your trip.  While I don't mind planning out a few things before our trip, I really feel like the ADR program doesn't work with our style of traveling.

First of all we're not really sure which parks we're going to visit on which days.  There are lots of factors that go into choosing your parks, weather, extended hours, and tiredness.  Many of these factors you won't know until much closer to the date.  I don’t want to be running from one park to another just to eat, and that means if I make a reservation I have to choose that day to be at a particular park.  How am I supposed to know where I want to eat 180 days before I leave, let alone the day before?

My second problem with this plan is the fact that it's really geared towards those that travel to Disney World regularly and are familiar with the menus at the park.  I'm not really sure which restaurant is great and which aren't.  Sure there are lots of reviews to read, but so many of them are very personal, and I want to know if a restaurant is up my alley.  Most reviews I read compare these restaurants to other restaurants in Disney World, and since I'm unfamiliar with any of these restaurants these reviews are not really that useful.  This system of reservation really caters to those who travel to Disney World often, because they know more about these restaurants than I do.

I keep hearing stories of many of the restaurants filling up with reservations well in advance, and I don't want to be stuck eating just fast food.  I want a few nice dinning experiences, but I'm worried that when we get there, anything that's nice will be full.

Greatest Or Worst Piece Of Disney Merchandise?

I came across this new addition to Disney's merchandise line.  Just in case you've ever wanted to look like Uncle Walt, you can make sure your facial hair is up to par.  I'm also fairly partial to the Sulley Fu-Man-Chu as well.  I'd like to tell you that this is a joke, or at the very least unofficial, but it's real and it's from Disney.

Youtube Channels of Note - Part 5 - Disney World Documentaries

Various Disney Documentaries – This isn’t really a YouTube channel, it's more of a good search term in order to find videos online.  There are dozens of documentaries on the Internet all about Walt Disney World.  There are high production shows that show you all the ins and outs of some of the attractions, and there are people who set up a camera on a ride and let you experience it at home... sort of.  I'm sure many of the high production documentaries that appear to have at one time been on TV, are not posted with the permission of the creators, so you may see them come and go.

You also have to keep in mind that many of these documentaries may spoil the magic for you.  Before you sit down to a documentary about the park, keep in mind that they're goal may be to give away a few secrets.  You may be getting backstage tours, thus teaching you how "the magic" works, or you may be seeing things from the ride that are meant to surprise you (but now they wont since you know they're coming).

I'm a big fan of knowing how things work, so these documentaries are right up my alley.  I've shown a few of them to Allison (who's not so keen on learning about the magic) but most I probably won't.

Youtube Channels of Note - Part 4 - Disney Vacation Planning DVD

The Disney DVD's online - I've been trying to order the official Disney travel DVD's for about a year now.  I love watching high quality production DVDs all about planning my trip.  Unfortunately it appears that Disney can't send these DVDs to my address (my mailing address is very complicated), so I decided to see if anybody had posted them on YouTube.

Fortunately for me, someone has, and best of all there are many to choose from.  You don't just have to watch the latest incarnation of the travel DVD's, I've found some as old as 1996.  You may be wondering why you'd want to watch old Disney DVDs, and it's simple, the new DVDs focus on the new attractions.  The old DVDs will cover in more detail attractions that were new at that particular time.  I’m very interested in learning about the updated Star Tours ride, but since it's old news, the latest DVD glosses over it.  However the older DVDs cover it in much better detail.

The problem I've found with looking for Disney travel DVDs on YouTube is the quality can vary greatly.  Often it's random clips that people have filmed with a video camera off of their TV.  I'm also fairly certain that Disney has not given anybody permission to post these DVDs, so they may get pulled off now and again.  It's a shame, I wish Disney would just post these in an organized fashion for all to enjoy.  After all it's promotion for their parks, and it's something they're giving away anyways.

Youtube Channels of Note - Part 3 - WDW Radio

WDW Radio - WDW Radio is a YouTube channel where you follow Lou Mongello, an exceptional Disney World fan, on his fact finding missions about the Disney World.  Lou has two themes to his posts on YouTube.  One of themes we see Lou wandering around the parks checking out new attractions or pointing out some tips.  In the other theme he's sitting behind a microphone talking about the latest Disney World news.

WDW Radio is a pretty positive look at the Disney parks, Lou Mongello doesn't often have anything bad to say about the parks, and when he does, he often glides over it with little detail.  The segments where he walks around the parks are by far my favourites, however the news segments are very informative.  The only real fault to this YouTube channel is the constant reminding that he has other websites, books and merchandise available for sale.  Thought I can't fault him considering the amount of free information he provides.

Youtube Channels of Note - Part 2 - Disney Parks

Disney Parks - Disney's official theme park YouTube channel is obviously the least neutral channel, but it's still very informative.  Often this is the place where you learn true information about what's going on at the parks.  There is 0 speculation going on here, because everything you see is official.  You also have to do a bit of sorting since the channel covers all of their parks and not just Disney World.

If you follow other blogs and YouTube channels you'll get more information, however this is the channel to confirm all speculation. This channel is also very well produced, and many of the videos are fairly entertaining.

The only true downfall of this channel is the complete lack of neutrality.  Everything on this channel is about getting you to a Disney park to spend your money.

Youtube Channels of Note - Part 1 - The DIS

All this week I'm going to highlight some of the YouTube channels that I've started to watch on the subject of Walt Disney World. As I've mentioned before, I've decided to open my brain up on the subject and try to take in as much as I possibly can. While I've also been reading a lot (come back later for my list of great blogs on the subject), there's something really great about being able to watch videos on Walt Disney World as well.



The DIS - The DIS is probably one of the driest podcasts on the subject of something so fun.  This recorded podcast (which is then posted on YouTube) is a group of Disney fans that get together and talk about what's new at Disney World that week.  There are a few regulars throughout but there are also some people that rotate in and out.  One thing to note is that the host is part owner of the main sponsor, and many of the sub-hosts work for the sponsor, so you're often subjected to advertising.  It's also worth noting that several of the regulars used to work at Disney World, so their information can be on the inside track.

The great thing about this show is you get many different opinions on the same subject.  They're also on regularly so the news is up to date.  This is a great source of up to the minute Disney World information, but isn’t as exciting as some other YouTube channels.

I Want a Vinylmation

Both Allison and myself aren't really big souvenir people.  When we travel we take home memories, and a million photographs.  I also like to keep little stubs of paper and fliers that we get (for free) and put them into a scrapbook.  Yes I'm admitting it, I like to scrapbook.  My only defense against this is the fact that I don't really decorate my scrapbook, as much as I just stick the various pieces of paper to it rather randomly.

Back to the souvenirs.  When we travel we tend to only buy one or two things to commemorate any given trip. If the trip is only a day or two we've been known to come home with nothing (other than the photos and random bits of paper).  We also often buy souvenirs that are useful as well.  We would buy a spaghetti strainer with the London skyline on it way before we'd buy a miniature Big Ben.  We figure that this allows us to not only collect a few things, but we don't have to worry about it taking up space, since it's useful.

For this Disney trip, Allison has her heart set on a new pair of Disney pajamas.  She had a pair a while back, they lasted forever, and she thinks another pair would be great.  Me, I'm thinking of breaking our regular routine and buying something that doesn't really serve any function, I want a Disney Vinylmation.  For those of you unfamiliar with Vinylmations, they're little Mickey Mouse shaped toys that are painted in various ways.  The basic shape is always the same, but the painting is always a little different.  The concept comes from a series of Japanese toys that have been coming out for the last 10 years or so.

To be allowed to have this new toy, Allison has set one stipulation.  I must first get rid of one of the toys I already have.  Fortunately, one of my current toys seems to have gone bad.  It's looking pretty rough, and I think it's time that it goes.  I'm not going to say which toy it was, since it was a gift, but I'm not worried about opening up a new spot for my Vinylmation.

Our First Day

Allison asked me on one of our "talk about Disney walks", what the first thing I want to do when we get into Disney World. She's not asking me to plan our first day out, she wants to know what I plan to do in the first hour right after we check in. This is a difficult question to answer for two reasons, first of all we're showing up before check-in, and secondly because there's so many options when it comes to things to do.

Our plan is to spend the night before our first day about an hour or two away from the park. This way we get an extra day at the parks and we don't have to pay for the more expensive Disney hotel. So our plan is to drive into the parks around 10 am and get the ball rolling, the problem is check in time for the hotel isn't until mid afternoon. This means that we might have to give our bags to the front desk and head out on our adventure before unpacking and settling in our room.

The second problem, of there being too much to do, doesn't seem like such a big deal now, but I imagine the minute we get through the Disney gates we're going to be like really excited puppies. We'll have no attention span, and we're going to have a hard time focusing on anything. So everything is going to look shiny and fun, and picking that first thing might be overwhelming. This might be a reason that thinking about our first thing before we get there is a good idea.

So here's my answer, Allison feel free to comment: If we get our room right off the bat, then I think we should take our bags to our room, get into our bathing suits, and jump into the hotel pool. Our hotel of choice (currently the Yacht and Beach Club) has an awesome pool, with an awesome slide. This will allow us to literally dip our toes in the waters of Disney fun a little slower. If the hotel room is not ready yet, and we have to lock our bags up until the room is ready, I think some kind of sweet treat is in order. Maybe a walk to the Boardwalk and a funnel cake would be tasty, or maybe just an ice cream cone. This will again get us going before visiting our first park.

We've decided that most likely our first park will be Disney Studios, but that'll happen more than an hour after we get there.

The Trip Plans Update

Since we started this blog, we've been constantly changing our minds as to which hotel we want to stay at.  Every time we do a little research we figure there's someplace better and we change our minds.  Over the last few months we've been constantly changing from Port Orleans French Quarter to the Disney Yacht and Beach Club.  At this point right now we're leaning heavily towards the Yacht and Beach Club.  The primary reason for this choice is location, it's close to two parks, plenty of restaurants (including the Disney Boardwalk), and it has an awesome pool too.  We're approaching day 500, when we can make our first reservation, and it looks like the Yacht and Beach Club is going to be our pick.

We've also made a small change in our travel plans.  Originally we had planned to make a fairly long stop in Washington DC to check out all of the cool monuments and stuff, but I think we're going to skip that.  If we want to visit both Philadelphia and Washington it's going to make our day very rushed.  So we decided that we don't really have time to visit both... sort of.  We can either visit Washington and skip Philadelphia all together, or visit Philly with only a quick (dinner) stop in Washington.  We've decided to spend the time in Philadelphia with only a quick dinner in Washington.  The choice is for two reasons, first of all there is so much to see in Washington that it makes more sense to make that a trip on it's own at a later date.  Secondly we really don't want to miss the Liberty Bell because of its close association with Disney World.  We will be stopping in Washington, but only for a quick dinner with friends who live there.

Other than that our plans are still pretty much good to go.  Many of our travel plans are still pretty tentative, and may remains so until we leave.  I can tell you that we are looking for a good BBQ place either on the way there or back, but other than that it's fairly open.

Disney's Latest Technologies

Since we stated to plan this epic vacation, I've decided to keep abreast of all of the latest news out of Disney about Disney World.  One of the key things that Disney seems to be focusing on is interaction.  Most notably they seem to be attempting to incorporate modern technology towards making planning your trip easier.  While a few of these new ideas sound great, many of them are making me a little worried.

Most notably are the restaurant reservations and fast pass reservations.  As I understand it Disney is looking to make it possible to make reservations online for both restaurants and fast pass rides.  This will allow people to plan out their trip to the minute, before even leaving home.  You might even be able to order your food and pick a table long before you leave for Florida.  How about knowing that at 3:30 pm on the third day of your trip, you'll be able to ride the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror?  While the technology of this is interesting to me, the actual idea of planning my trip that far in advance sounds terrible.

I'm very worried that the Disney technology is going to take all of the spontaneity out of our epic adventure.  It seems like they're designing the parks for those people that come again and again, and not for those of us that only want an occasional visit at most.  It seems like you'll have to be in the know if you want to see something cool.

Imagineering Dream

Ever since I started studying animation, I've always thought about the idea of working for Disney.  I never wanted to be a Disney animator, or any end of the television and film production. Strangely enough that's the one area I have had a little experience.  The area I've always wanted to work would be the Imagineers.  I've even stated to every employer that I've ever had, if the Imagineers wanted to hire me, I'd quite my current job in a second. I've never actually tried to get a job with the Imagineers, but I have thought about applying.

The Imagineers are the people at Disney that design the theme parks.  They're the people that hide all of the treasures, and work on every little detail.  They not only think about the grand scheme of the park, but also the parts that you don't realize you're looking at.  If I was to ever work for the Imagineers, I think I would enjoy working on the little details more than the big picture. These are the elements that I look at when I visit any Disney Park.  Sometimes I even look in the wrong place (like backwards) on a Disney ride just to see if they thought about every detail.  I have on a few occasions seen a dark square or fire exit, but I've also been surprised a few times too.

When I lose myself in the Disney parks, it's not always in the story; sometimes I lose myself in the magic and the magicians as well.

Do You Love A Parade?

I'm of mixed opinions when it comes to Disney parades.  I want to participate in the fun times, dance with characters, listen to music, and see cool floats.  However I know that the parades are also the best time to visit popular rides because so many people watch the parades.  When I've visited Disney in the past I've always gone for the idea of not seeing the parades and going on the rides when the crowds are thinned out, but maybe this trip I might want to try something a little different.

I want this visit to be more than just a re-hash of my past visits, and I think watching a parade and getting into the parade spirit might be a great way to mix it up a bit.  I do find the idea of lining up for the parade up to an hour before it starts a little daunting.  But we're planning 8 days at the park, and I think it might be worth the wait to see at least one parade.  The next question is which parades are worth seeing and which ones are worth a miss.

I'm thinking that the Magic Kingdom probably has the best line-up of parades.  Most of all I want to see the Spectral Magic parade at night if it's still running.  I might also be up for something filled with characters and street dancing during the day.  Animal Kingdom is probably the place I'm least likely to want to see the parade.  It's a jungle themed parade with the main Disney characters, and it just doesn't float my boat.

More Than Disney, The Stops We’ll Make Along the Way – Cleveland

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this in the past, but Allison and I are planning to drive to Florida and back as part of our Epic Disney Adventure.  We figure that getting to Disney and back has to be as epic as the visit to Disney itself.  For the next few post I’m going to talk about some of the stops we plan on making on our way to and from Walt Disney World.  Most of these “plans” are works in progress, and we’re constantly changing our minds as we go.  Some stops will be long, others only a few hours, but we want to taste a little bit of the USA before we go visit the House of Mouse.

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Cleveland will be our last stop on our Epic adventure in the USA.  I think it's a very appropriate place to end this journey because it has one of the greatest museums in the entire country, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  I've been to Cleveland a few times, and I've always had an OK time.  There really isn't much to do downtown, other than the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but there are a few nice restaurants.  I figure at this point we'll probably be a little burnt out anyways, and happy that we only have one "thing to see".

We'll also take the time in Cleveland to buy any last minute USA products that we couldn't find in Indiana.  Then it's off back to our home and native land.

More Than Disney, The Stops We’ll Make Along the Way – Indianapolis

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this in the past, but Allison and I are planning to drive to Florida and back as part of our Epic Disney Adventure.  We figure that getting to Disney and back has to be as epic as the visit to Disney itself.  For the next few post I’m going to talk about some of the stops we plan on making on our way to and from Walt Disney World.  Most of these “plans” are works in progress, and we’re constantly changing our minds as we go.  Some stops will be long, others only a few hours, but we want to taste a little bit of the USA before we go visit the House of Mouse.

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I've been to Indianapolis many times, mostly because it's where my father lives.  Allison has also been to Indianapolis before, so it could prove to be difficult to find something new to do.  Our first priority is to visit with family, but after that I was thinking of trying to get tickets to the local AAA baseball team.  The Indianapolis Indians are one of the most successful baseball teams ever.  They have held the record for winning more games than any other baseball franchise.

Our stop in Indianapolis will probably also be a great spot to buy some American stuff.  In Canada there are a few products and stores that we just don't have.  Allison and I want to pick up a few "American" things before we head back over the border.

More Than Disney, The Stops We’ll Make Along the Way – Chattanooga

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this in the past, but Allison and I are planning to drive to Florida and back as part of our Epic Disney Adventure.  We figure that getting to Disney and back has to be as epic as the visit to Disney itself.  For the next few post I’m going to talk about some of the stops we plan on making on our way to and from Walt Disney World.  Most of these “plans” are works in progress, and we’re constantly changing our minds as we go.  Some stops will be long, others only a few hours, but we want to taste a little bit of the USA before we go visit the House of Mouse.

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I have to be honest, the main reason we chose Chattanooga as a stop on this trip is the song.  I desperately want a photograph of me standing next to some kind of train in Chattanooga.  After a little research on the subject, I've learned that Chattanooga has a few other claims to fame that might be worth exploring as well.  Most recently they've become the first city to have their own font.  Now that might not seem to interesting to most of you, but I'm a graphic designer, and a nerd, so it's pretty darn fascinating.

I've also learned that Chattanooga is the birthplace of the pickup truck.  I've never owned, or even driven a pickup truck, but apparently there's a museum dedicated to this form of transportation.  Why not broaden my horizons a little and learn about a truck that can in fact pick stuff up.

More Than Disney, The Stops We’ll Make Along the Way – St Augustine

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this in the past, but Allison and I are planning to drive to Florida and back as part of our Epic Disney Adventure.  We figure that getting to Disney and back has to be as epic as the visit to Disney itself.  For the next few post I’m going to talk about some of the stops we plan on making on our way to and from Walt Disney World.  Most of these “plans” are works in progress, and we’re constantly changing our minds as we go.  Some stops will be long, others only a few hours, but we want to taste a little bit of the USA before we go visit the House of Mouse.

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St Augustine is very close to Disney World, you may be asking yourself, why don't you just head straight to the park instead of stopping just short.  There are two reasons we chose St Augustine as a stop right before our trip, and here they are:  First of all we want to have our first day at the park be a full day.  We're planning on staying at St Augustine the night before we're supposed to check in.  Then we're going to head over to our resort first thing in the morning, check our bags, and get ourselves started on the theme parks.

The second reason we want to stop at St Augustine is the city itself.  This is the oldest continuously inhabited city (by Europeans) in the USA, and it shows it.  The architecture in this city looks fantastic, and I think considering our epic adventure it only makes sense to visit a city with such a history.  I also think that this city will give us a little of the Florida vibe before we walk into the Mickey Mouse utopia.

More Than Disney, The Stops We’ll Make Along the Way – Rhode Island

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this in the past, but Allison and I are planning to drive to Florida and back as part of our Epic Disney Adventure.  We figure that getting to Disney and back has to be as epic as the visit to Disney itself.  For the next few post I’m going to talk about some of the stops we plan on making on our way to and from Walt Disney World.  Most of these “plans” are works in progress, and we’re constantly changing our minds as we go.  Some stops will be long, others only a few hours, but we want to taste a little bit of the USA before we go visit the House of Mouse.

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Two of our stops on this trip are to visit family that live in the USA.  One of the stops with famliy will be in Rhode Island.  I've visited Rhode Island in the past and I visited the Lizzy Borden house.  Other than family, this was the only things I could really think that I'd wanted to visit in this state.  Sure it has nice stores, and it has a nice coast line, but are there any other attractions that one can't miss in Rhode Island?

I decided to look up a few tourist attractions in Rhode Island, and this is what I found:

Apparently Rhode Island is home to the first Synagogue and the first Baptist church in the USA.  While I'm not a huge fan of religion, this might be interesting.

I came across the "Culinary Archives & Museum At Johnson & Wales University", which apparently is a museum dedicated to restauranteuring and the hospitality industry.  It sounds strange enough that it might be worth a visit.

Finally, there's a place called "Benefit Street", that is of some kind of historical value.  I'm not really clear what's there, but Trip Advisor highly recommends it.

I'm not really sad that there doesn't appear to be too much to do in Rhode Island because that will give me more excuse to visit family.

More Than Disney, The Stops We’ll Make Along the Way – Washington DC

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this in the past, but Allison and I are planning to drive to Florida and back as part of our Epic Disney Adventure.  We figure that getting to Disney and back has to be as epic as the visit to Disney itself.  For the next few post I’m going to talk about some of the stops we plan on making on our way to and from Walt Disney World.  Most of these “plans” are works in progress, and we’re constantly changing our minds as we go.  Some stops will be long, others only a few hours, but we want to taste a little bit of the USA before we go visit the House of Mouse.

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I've been to many capital cities in my life, all over the world, but I have yet to visit the capital of the United States of America.  I also know very little about this city.  I know what I've seen on television shows and movies, so my expectations are pretty much monuments and museums.  Since we have a limited time here, I'm probably going to stick to my expectations as well.  Our time here is so "limited" that I still don't really know how long we'll have here.  It could be an over night, it could be a meal and one quick visit to one or two monuments.

My advantage, monument wise, is I don't have any connection to any particular monument.  The presidents represented were never my president, and the war monuments are to a country that is not mine.  I'm not putting down their importance by any stretch, I'm just saying that I have no particular monument I need to see.  My choice of monument is more based on what films it's appeared in, and artistic merit.  That's why, if I could only choose one monument to visit in Washington DC, I think it would be the Lincoln Monument.  It looks cool, and it's been in many TV shows and movies.

More Than Disney, The Stops We’ll Make Along the Way – Philadelphia

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this in the past, but Allison and I are planning to drive to Florida and back as part of our Epic Disney Adventure.  We figure that getting to Disney and back has to be as epic as the visit to Disney itself.  For the next few post I’m going to talk about some of the stops we plan on making on our way to and from Walt Disney World.  Most of these “plans” are works in progress, and we’re constantly changing our minds as we go.  Some stops will be long, others only a few hours, but we want to taste a little bit of the USA before we go visit the House of Mouse.

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Our plans for Philadelphia at this point are very quick.  We have a friend in Philly that might help us out because we don't have more than a quick afternoon, and we want to do three things:  We want to eat a Philly cheese steak, we want to climb the stairs from Rocky, and we want to see the Liberty Bell.  The Philly cheese steak seems like the best thing one could eat if you only have one meal in Philadelphia, at least from a nostalgia stand point.  I'm sure there's better restaurants, and maybe we're missing something really tasty, but it just seems wrong to miss this sandwich.  The stairs from Rocky are really just a photo op, actually I haven't seen the movie Rocky in so long, I think you could probably show me any stairs in Philadelphia and I'd believe that they were the stairs from Rocky.

The Liberty Bell on the other hand actually has some connection to our trip.  While reading about Disney, I learned an interesting little fact about Liberty Square in the Magic Kingdom.  In the center of Liberty Square is a copy of the Liberty Bell, in fact, this copy is one of the best copies every made.  At one point they made 50 copies of the Liberty Bell to be distributed to every state, cast directly off of the original.  The thing is, Pennsylvanian already had a Liberty Bell, the real one, so they didn't need a copy.  Walt Disney decided that this copy would be perfect for his all American theme park and bought it for Disney World.  So I'd like to see the original Liberty Bell, and see the copy, to see how similar they actually are.

Buses, Monorails, or Car?

One of the biggest problems Allison and I are having when planning our epic Disney World trip is deciding which hotel we should stay at.  We keep saying that we’ve made up our mind, but at least once a week we investigate another option.  Right now we’re in a really big debate about Port Orleans French Quarter and the Yacht and Beach Club resorts.  There are two factors that are really making this decision difficult, price and location.

While price is a fairly easy term to figure out, paying less money is always better, location is really much more complicated.  The biggest problem we have with location is wondering if the location of our hotel can really make a difference towards improving our visit.  Disney has many different transportation options to choose from, from buses, to monorails, to highways.  You can pretty much get anywhere you’ll need to go from any hotel.  The problem is how convenient are al of these transportation methods.

The Monorails seem like they’re pretty efficient, they run on time, they’re fast, and they seem like they’re big enough to handle some big loads.  The problem with the monorails is the limited places that it goes.  Park wise you basically have Epcot and the Magic Kingdom, hotel wise there’s only 3 directly on the Monorail line.  The buses go everywhere, but I’m told that they can be very crowded.  They also don’t go from one resort to another, only from the resorts to the parks.  So if you want to travel to a resort for a meal, you’ll be transferring.

The other option is our car.  Since we’re driving all the way down from Canada, we’ll have our car with us.  Each of the parks offers free parking for all guests staying on site.  The resorts all offer free parking as well.  With the car we’ll have the flexibility to travel where we want, when we want.  The problem is gas prices, having to walk through crowded parking lots, and the general inconvenience of having a car.

This is why we’re having such a hard time picking a hotel.  Is it worth getting a hotel that’s a little closer to the action, and relying on Disney transportation?  Or is it better to stay in a cheaper hotel and just drive to the parks and resorts.  Just because we’re staying closer to the action, does that mean we won’t be driving at all, or are there still a few things we’ll want to drive to?

Visiting Every Attraction

When you first start planning an "epic" Disney vacation, the thought that goes through your mind is how to arrange visiting every single attraction in all of the parks.  Then you start to go through the list of attractions and find some that just aren't your cup of tea. In my case the Teacups because they make me barf.  At this point, with about 80% of the rides on your mind, you start to think about strategies, what routes to take, what fast passes to pick up when, and how busy it might be.  Then doubt starts to sink in, like what to do if it rains one day, or what happens if a particular ride is closed for repairs while you're there.  This spirals into panic, and all of a sudden your fun Disney World vacation is just nerve wracking.

I've consulted a few websites and guidebooks on this subject, and you really start to get mixed messages.  Most sites and guidebooks recommend highly against trying to do everything in every park.  They all recommend taking it easy, and taking breaks at some point every day.  They call running non-stop "going commando", a poor term considering its other meaning.  Then, these same books and websites will give you a list of attractions you "can't miss".  This list is long, and often the rides listed are the most popular.  So what I get from these guidebooks and websites is, take it easy, it's your vacation, but you'd be a fool to miss (insert the name of just about half of the attractions in all of the parks).

Allison and I are then left with a decision, do we go breakneck or go slow.  The leaning is to slow down, since it's our vacation, but use the time wisely.  In other words, check out as many cool attractions as possible, but know that we won't do everything.  Plan enough to know where everything can be found, but don't plan a route till the day comes.  Know that we're going to visit each and every park, but don't choose which days we're going until we get there.  Enjoy more than just the attractions; enjoy the environment, the people around us, and the whole Disney vibe.

Kids and Bully Parents

I'm about to explain the one part of Disney World where I'm going to come off as a jerk.  I'm going to explain to you the part of this epic trip that I'm pretty sure I'm not going to like.  There's no guarantee that this is going to happen, but I'm pretty sure it will.  I'm talking about parents and their children.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that all kids and parents get on my nerves, I'm just saying that I'm expecting many kids and parents on this trip to get on my nerves.

Here's my problem, I know that you and your children have been planning your trip to Disney World for a long while, I know that it's not a cheap place to visit, and I know that you're trying to bond as a family.  The thing is, so are we, the only difference is, we don't feel that we have any entitlement over you.  Allison and I love having fun at theme parks, we like riding kiddie rides, and we love to get involved in the story.  We'll happily wait in line to ride It's a Small World, and you better believe we're going to be singing along.

I just don't think that because you have children that you deserve anything extra.  You don't deserve not to wait in line; your kids don't deserve to meet Mickey first because they're kids.  We're all here to have fun, and parents should know this.  This is our trip too; so don't go bullying your way around because your kid wants to shake Goofy's hand.

Basically I hate parents that have this sense that their kid deserves more than me because they're a kid.  Guess what?  We all paid to be in here, and we all want a good time, just because your kid has no patience doesn't mean my trip should suffer.  I don't really hate kids, I just hate parents that let their kids go crazy at places like Disney World and expect us to be OK with it.

I'll be honest, if the kids aren't related to me, or related to friends of mine, I'm not that interested in them.  To me they’re just little adults, and therefore deserve nothing extra.  There, I’ve said it, and I might be a jerk for saying it.

Animal Kingdom - Allison's View

OK, so, let me get this straight.  This is a Disney theme park, and it has real animals too?  This is waaay too good to be true!  Chris is the biggest zoo nerd I know (he's the most fun animal enyclopaedia you'll ever encounter) - add that to how much we both love Disney parks, plus Disney's ability to do things right, and this just might add up to the best Disney day ever.

We are definitely going to take one of the special tours here. I was torn between the "Sunrise Safari" and "Wild Africa Trek".  Early morning is the best time to see animals in action, but the behind-the-scenes look you get on the "Trek" seems really cool.  I mean, who wouldn't want to cross a rope bridge over a wild animal enclosure!  I know I'm totally game for that!  However, Disney has made the decision for us, since the Sunrise Safari is only available to Kilimanjaro Club Level guests.  We're having a hard enough time hemming and hawing over Port Orleans vs. Yacht Club - we don't need that in the mix!

And then, if I may turn to one of my favourite subjects - meat.  I have seen pictures of the pulled pork and the BBQed chicken and ribs at Flame Tree, and I'm wondering just how much I can eat, since I totally want to try all three!  Ever since my sister lived in Alabama, I have been addicted to southern BBQ.  My mouth is watering already... Chris can have his Zebra Cupcake at Kusafiri Bakery; I'll be at Flame Tree gnawing on a rib!

Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom, the newest park in Walt Disney World, is more than just a bunch of rides with cool themes.  Animal Kingdom is also a zoo.  Disney themselves have been trying to encourage people not to refer to it as a zoo, but I think it's because people somehow associate zoos with boredom.  Personally the idea of Disney building a zoo sounds fantastic.  Since it is Disney you can only assume that it's not just going to be a traditional zoo.  You know it's going to be something pretty awesome.

I think I'm most interested in seeing how they deal with the animals at Animal Kingdom.  I've been told that it has some of the best animal enclosures in the world, and I can't imagine that they don't theme everything perfectly.  After the animals I think I'm most looking forward to Expedition Everest.  This ride is getting a lot of hype right now, and everything I've seen about it looks great.  I'm a little worried about getting woozy on it, but Disney's pretty good about making smooth rides that even I can generally handle.

Of the research I've been doing, it doesn't really seem like Animal Kingdom has the greatest food.  The only exception seems to be the Flame Tree Barbecue that serves up some awesome sounding meals that I think will make a perfect choice for lunch.  The Yak and Yeti might be an OK choice for dinner, or we may take this opportunity to leave the park and head over to Jiko at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

The only show that I think is a must see at this point is It's Tough to Be a Bug, located in a theatre below the giant Tree of Life.  I've read that it's the only Disney show ever to have been released the same time as the movie.  If time permits, I may also be interested in seeing the Finding Nemo show as well, since it's a puppet show and puppet shows can be really fun.

Of all the parks in Disney World, Animal Kingdom is the only one that I've never visited before.  My last visit happened about year before the doors opened, so there was lots of speculation, but I couldn't see much. I do however remember visiting Blizzard Beach on my last visit and climbing to the top of Summit Plummet.  From that vantage point you could see them working on the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom.  It's been a few years since I've visited Disney World, so I'm looking forward to seeing this newest addition.

Hollywood Studios - Allison's View

Hollywood Studios is one of the two parks that I have barely an inkling about.  I've been to EPCOT before, and Tokyo Disneyland, which I imagine at least to be similar to the Magic Kingdom.  Also, of course, Tokyo Disney Sea.  I have no idea what to expect at Hollywood Studios - I hope it's kitschy-fun movie-star-themed almost ridiculousness!  I imagine cast members strutting about with feather boas and cigarette holders, with a lot of shiny things around.

I have to say I am very excited about the Rock'n'Roller Coaster!  I love thrill rides - the faster and twistier the better!  (My all-time favourite roller coaster is the head-first, flat-on-your-stomach Tomb Raider at Canada's Wonderland - am I allowed to say that here?)  My only fear on this roller coaster is that Chris might barf on me.  Do you think he'd be mad if I wanted to ride in separate cars?

I'm also really looking forward to the Tower of Terror.  We rode it at Tokyo Disney Sea in 2009 and it was terrifically terrifying.  I heard the one at Walt Disney World has even more tricks up its sleeve!  We rode it twice at Disney Sea, and if Hollywood Studios is indeed one of the least popular/smallest parks, perhaps we'll have a chance to do it twice, or even three times, here!

Hollywood Studios

I get the idea that among Disney purists, Hollywood Studios is the least favourite park.  Its creation is often described as a reaction to Universal Studios, and many say that it's really not well organized with any real theme.  When Epcot and Animal Kingdom were opened there was an instant sense of what was going on at these parks; Hollywood Studios has had to evolve a little bit, and it continues to do so.  Other parks seem to add attractions, while HS seems to change them.  It seems however that this park is starting to make a niche for itself as the thrill ride hub for the Disney parks.  I'm not sure how I feel about Hollywood Studios, but I am really excited to see how it's changed since my first visit.

The two attractions that I'm looking forward to most of all on this whole epic adventure are found at Hollywood Studios.  The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and Star Tours are rides that I just don't want to miss.  The Tower of Terror I'm fairly familiar with, but Star Tours has recently updated itself and apparently it's a totally new ride.  Also at this park is one of the rides that I'm most undecided about, the Rockin' Roller Coaster.  It looks like a really great fun ride, but it also looks really intense, and I'm not sure how my stomach will take it.

Food wise I wouldn't be upset if I made another visit to the Sci-Fi Dine in Theatre Restaurant.  I went the last time I visit the Studios, and it was a really fun time with some great food.  I'd also be interested in trying the Cobb Salad at the Brown Derby as well, since it's a classic dish in the culinary world.  Other than that, the food at Hollywood Studios seems fine, but nothing really sticks out as a must try.

When it comes to the shows, a visit to the Muppet's Theatre is an absolute must.  I've seen the show before and it was one of my favourite shows in the whole park.  There are a few other shows at the park that I wouldn't mind seeing, like the Indiana Jones Stunt Show, and the Lights, Motors, Action show.

When I visited Hollywood Studios in the past, I remember it as being full of fun rides, but also full of empty spaces.  I always thought of this park as being very big with small attractions.  I also remember the general theme of the place to be a little scattered, but it didn't really bother me that much.  Some people call this a half-day park, but I think it deserves a full day, maybe even two.

EPCOT - Allison's View

Ah, EPCOT, the one DisneyWorld park I actually experienced!  It was the day after my sister's Disney-rific wedding, and so she gave her "Slave of Honour" a half day off to enjoy some Disney good times!  I went with one of my sister's friends, and my cousin.  We rode rides, we danced with Moroccan dancers, we learned about the insides of our bodies, and we ate Mexican food.  That's all I remember.

So now, I'm totally looking forward to a long, leisurely day (or two, even!) at EPCOT!  There's so much more there than I got to see before.  And it will be nice to do it without the jet lag (I'd come straight from living in Japan only five days or so beforehand).

Secretly, the nerd in me is really excited about the "Behind the Seeds" special tour.  I'm not much of a gardener, which is why I think the science of gardening is so fascinating for me.  It's like this mysterious world that I catch a glimpse into once in a while, and now it'll be time to take a Disney-style glimpse!

Chris is right about me not wanting to go to EPCOT first.  I have this travel philosophy that I don't like to go back to places I've been before, as there are so many other places I could be visiting that I've never seen!  The rule is not set in stone - I've been some places multiple times, especially some do-overs with Chris - but the least I can do is give the philosophy a nod by not running straight to the only WDW park I've already experienced.  It's nice to do something - anything - else first!

Food-wise, I'm looking forward to the Norwegian bakery, the Japanese teppan-yaki place, and the French restaurant.  I have a feeling we're going to be visiting EPCOT for food a lot. :-)

Epcot

Epcot (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) is often referred to as the "educational theme park" of Disney World.  While it has a few fun rides, it does move at a much slower pace than the other parks.  It also does offer more in the area of learning than the other parks.  I wouldn't say that it forces education down your throat, but there's a good chance you might learn something while visiting Epcot.

Attraction wise I think Soarin' is something I really don't want to miss.  It's a hang gliding simulator that flies you over California with just about all of your senses being assaulted (in a good way). I'm a big fan of the flume ride at the Norway pavilion as well.  I'm also interested in seeing what they did to the Living Seas pavilion since I last visited.

Of all of the parks in Disney World, Epcot is the park I'm most looking forward to eating in.  With the world showcase we should be able to sample some foods from many different countries.  I'm most interested in the Moroccan pavilion since I can't honestly say that I've eaten Moroccan before.  Many of the other pavilions might be fun as well, particularly if it's a place we've visited.  We can compare and enjoy the memories of our visit to these countries.

The shows in Epcot aren't really the same as the shows at other parks.  They don't seem to really have any Broadway style theatrical performances, just small shows all over the park.  I like the idea of just walking around and bumping into entertainment, rather than having to wait in line to go into a theater.  I'm not sure if this counts as a "show" per se, but in the Japan pavilion they have a girl named Miyuki that makes awesome candy art that I'm really keen to watch her work.

I think this might be the park I've visited most of all.  This is also the only park that Allison has visited in Florida.  Because it's the only park she's been to, she's informed me that in no way are we visiting this park first.  Not that she doesn't like it; she just wants to be sure to see at least one other park on this adventure.  I seem to remember this park having a really nice relaxing vibe about it, so I think on a day where we want to walk around and not rush around too much, Epcot will be perfect.

The Magic Kingdom - Allison's View

Unlike Chris, the Magic Kingdom will not be an adventure in nostalgia for me... I've seen it, I've been close to it, but I've never actually been inside.  The closest I ever came was Tokyo Disneyland - with my friends Yuriko, Mikiko, Tsuyako, and Mami-chan.  What an amazing day of fun that was!  Perhaps the Magic Kingdom will stir up some fond memories of that day.

Without the nostalgia factor, I'm a total Magic Kingdom blank slate!  There are so many elements of it I'm familiar with, but it's still this exciting unknown to me.  I've been on Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain and even Splash Mountain in Tokyo, but the idea of experiencing these at Walt Disney World is so cool!

 I want to try all of the rides (except the teacups - without Chris, what's the fun in riding a ride that's meant for spinning your friends around?) - everything from Space Mountain to the Carousel of Progress.  The best part, though, I think will just be the experience of it all - the parades, the atmosphere, Cinderella's castle, the other people there to have fun, and a whole bunch of Cast Members who are there to help us have fun.  And they speak English!  That is going to be a real treat!

Speaking of treats, that turkey leg sounds unbelievable.  In my imagination, it has become gigantic.  I can't wait to finally try one!

The Magic Kingdom

The magic kingdom is really the flagship park in the Disney World complex. It was the first park to open, and it contains the most pure Disney character based attractions. If you can only visit one park in all of Disney World, this is the one. But you wouldn't be alone, because according to many statistics I’ve read, the Magic Kingdom is the busiest theme park in the world.

The attractions at the magic kingdom are the classic Disney rides you know and love. When I visit the Magic Kingdom I'm interested in nostalgic rides more than thrills. I'm also interested in some of the updates that have happened since I last visited. Since I've been there the Haunted Mansion and Fantasyland have both had some major upgrades (the Fantasyland upgrades aren't even finished yet). I'm also looking forward to some of the classic rides, like the three Disney mountains (Big Thunder, Space, and Splash), and my childhood favourite it's a small world.

Much like the rides at the magic kingdom, the food options I'm most looking forward to are the ones that give me a sense of nostalgia. I'm certainly not looking for fine dining at the Magic Kingdom; instead I'm more focused on a Mickey Mouse ice cream treat. Allison's focus at the magic kingdom food wise is their famous turkey drumsticks, something I'm probably going to sample (from hers) but I don't think I can handle one on my own.

As far as shows go at the Magic Kingdom, I'm not really too excited about anything in particular. The only exception is probably the classic Electro Land  light Parade, mostly because it is a classic piece of nostalgia. I'm also looking forward to the light and fireworks shows in the evenings, only because the innovation they put into these shows is always legendary.

The magic kingdom holds a certain place in my heart because it was the first Disney park I'd ever visited. I was about 8 years old, and it followed my first ever plane ride. I have only a few memories of this visit, some good, like meeting characters, others not so good, like riding the tea cups. I've been back a few times since, and each time I've come home with a smile on my face.