Unnamed Post or Suggestions About Food and Photography at WDW...

I write this with no clear direction except to say it is about Disney. I might name it differently after I am finished but as of now the working title is "unnamed post".

As I scrolled down my Facebook feed today (Saturday, September 2, 2017) it didn't take long to find an advertisement for something Disney related and in my notifications I had one from Disney FANatics, a group I belong to. This is usually an everyday occurrence  for me. I am usually inundated with Disney posts and that is not limited to my Facebook, my YouTube feed, my podcast list all have typical themes either they are on my faith, photography, sports bloopers, and/or old reruns of Hogans Heroes (YouTube only on the last couple) plus Walt Disney World. So it is easy to realize, as I sit here watching my youngest play with his cars, why I don't have Disney on my mind.
I would love to be munching on a Sleepy Hollow Nutella and Fruit Waffle while watching people rush to their first FastPass of the day. A relaxing day at any of the parks would be the ticket to a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Even though that is not going to happen a man can have a fantasy or two can he not?

I am not a "foodie" so I am never going to do a dining review except to tell you what I enjoy, I don't want you to rely on my taste buds to guide you around the parks. However, with that said I can begin to  see some resemblance to a pathway for this post and that is FOOD. For as many guests enter the parks at Disney there are just as many reasons why and one of those reasons has to be food. As I have said before in one or possibly more posts the difference between "theme park" food and "Disney theme park" food is like comparing school cafeteria food to grandma's cooking. Maybe not that drastic but you get the idea. All theme parks (Disney included) charge more for their food than do places outside the gates so cost is not a comparison here. Where the difference lies is in the quality.

The big question you must ask yourself when thinking about WDW is did you come to eat or did you come to experience the attractions and every once in awhile have to "refuel". Unless you are on some kind of a fast you need to eat. If you choose to go and sit down (Table Service) for a meal at one of the many nice restaurants in anyone of the WDW parks plan on staying a minimum of one hour at that establishment. Compare that to a "Quick Service" meal where you order at a window and pick it up and either sit down at a nearby table and eat or stroll and eat (depending what you are eating). The time commitment for "Quick Service" meals is not as restraining to other plans you may have.

My family and I went to WDW this past June and did something that we never did before for a vacation lasting more than two days which was go sans dining plan. We ate mainly "Quick Service" except one time at the ESPN club on the Boardwalk. I don't have the receipts with me but I can say I suggest a dining plan of some sort even if it is the Quick Service plan. I say this not because of the savings of dollars but because of the ease of mind of not worrying about paying for food while on vacation. Disney has now added a feature on the My Disney Experience app for your phone and or tablet which keeps track of your dining plan credits.

Okay now I go off my food path and into photography. I have written ad nauseum about this before but hey, it is my blog so there. I am one of those guys who feels naked at the parks without my camera (and no I don't mean an app on my phone). There are some etiquette lessons to observe when photographing the parks. One is don't hog the area, there are others trying to get the same shot and although you paid a lot of money to be at WDW so did everyone else there. Two is stake your parade or parade spot early if planning to photograph. Allow the Disney Photo-Pass photographers to do their job. When the attraction says NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY don't use your flash or any other artificial light except the light of the attraction. Your tablet should not be held over your head (and in front of the faces of people behind you to use as a video camera of attractions such as the fireworks or parades. As I mentioned that please be considerate to those behind you, I have no problem of putting kids on your shoulders but make sure by doing that you are not blocking the view of those who are in wheelchairs or other people behind you.  Limit your gear to camera, and a  few lenses (I have a 24-105 plus a nifty-fifty for low light shots plus my 70-200 for parades and Animal Kingdom safari shots)  and maybe a portable tripod. (I only have one for fireworks which I don't take in with me to the park except MK where I put in a locker until I am ready to set up my gear) All my gear (minus my tripod fits comfortably in my only bag I bring into the park which also stores pull-ups and wipes for my son and fits on the back of his wheelchair. I should also point out I don't always take a flash with me except for those days I would need it for fill to take away the harsh shadows. Also make sure you have extra memory cards and batteries. Nothing is worse than having to miss photo opportunities. With that said always have a place (ie laptop or the Cloud) to unload your pics to. I usually unload them onto my laptop when I get settled in my room and then charge my batteries as I sleep.

In conclusion, I will leave you with the knowledge that I just added to my post title and I probably will have a few more like this in the near or not so near future. Remember it is 114 days until Christmas and to have a Magical Day...

Disney News...

The D23 Expo was recently held in California. During the event there were multiple WOW announcements made that will have mixed reactions from the fans of Walt Disney World. There are major changes coming to Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios.

Anyone can just walk into Disney Hollywood Studios and realize "change is a coming" and the expo shed some more light on the changes. The much anticipated Star Wars land will be named Star Wars Galaxy's Edge at DHS. There was a scaled model of the land at D23 and a tentative date was given for the opening. Disneyland's version of the Star Wars area will be opening sometime in 2019 before WDW's (how much before is not known). Another change coming to DHS will be the closing of the Great Movie Ride and the opening of an immersive Mickey and Minnie attraction. The attraction will be a train ride into a Mickey Mouse cartoon. For those of you Great Movie Ride fans (myself included) the attraction will close for good on August 13, 2017 in order to begin work on the Mickey Minnie's Runaway Railway. This will leave DHS pretty bare for the time being BUT, Toy Story Land is scheduled to open in the summer of 2018.

As we leave DHS we head to EPCOT where the Guardians of the Galaxy will take up shop where Ellen's Energy Adventure was/is housed. There will also be a new Ratatouille ride (like the one in Disneyland Paris) coming in the area between the French and Morocco pavilions. Opening soon will be a milder level of the Mission Space attraction. There will also be some cosmetic changes coming to the entrance area of EPCOT.  It is anticipated that the changes to EPCOT will be complete by 2021 in time for the 50th anniversary. Two rumored announcement that didn't come to fruition were changes to the Imagination with Figment attraction  as well as the expected addition to at least one more World Showcase pavilion (Brazil...).

Two big changes will be coming to the Magic Kingdom. There will be a live entertainment theatre modeled after the historic Willis Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. Another thrill ride will be making its way to MK as TRON Light Cycles will squeeze into the park apparently in Tomorrowland.

Along with these changes in the parks there will be two new resorts built (one being an interactive Star Wars themed and the other a new Disney Vacation Club) plus a new restaurant in EPCOT that will be space themed. On the transportation side of things two big announcements were made one being a Sky-Line connecting EPCOT, DHS, Caribbean Beach Resort, Art of Animation and the two new resorts. The other is a UBER like service for WDW which will utilize a "Minnie" Van (a van with Minnie Mouse polka dots and a bow).

With the announcements made at the D23 Expo it only intensifies my desire to return to WDW. Here is hoping you a Magical Day today and everyday...

Walt Disney World 2017

It is the Fifth of July and I am two weeks back from our family's annual trip to WDW. The trip was awesome as always. We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort in the midst of a major renovation. Despite the construction (which is a common thread at Disney) we enjoyed the resort. The two things we look for in a resort are the ability to house the five of us and proximity to our van because our Magical Express is our own transportation. Our resort took care of those two things, not a whole lot more but then again we were there to put our head on a pillow at night and not a whole lot more.

Because of the construction and disrepair of the resort it offered a gift card of $75 a night as an incentive. This was not known to us at the time of our booking but was discovered by our travel agent, Nicole. This gave us an extra $375 that helped us out. It was used basically on souvenirs and clothing.  We went sans dining plan this trip and we ate a LOT of quick service meals, which was the plan from the time we began our planning. I can truthfully say no dining plan has its benefits in the up front cost savings BUT, for me and my family we will go back to the dining plan for our next trip. Yes, Virginia there will be other trips (when has not been planned yet BUT there will be more...)

We visited all four parks in five days (two days at EPCOT) and visited the new Pandora at Animal Kingdom (more on that in another blog post) as well as viewing the new Happily Ever After (which I will talk about later on). Highlights of the trip for me had to be some of the photos I got this trip.

When you go to Walt Disney World you never expect to see people you know but on three separate occasions we had the fortune of running into friends from North Carolina this trip. On Sunday June 18 we saw friends from church and spent some time talking at Sleepy Hollow before we were to get on our first Fast Pass of the day the Haunted Mansion. We also came upon them later in the day as we were coming out of the Tiki Room. On the next day as we were in the World of Disney Store in Disney Springs we came across friends from my work. I can say those three instances were also highlights.

I said I would talk about Happily Ever After later, well it is later. For those of you wondering what I am talking about Happily Ever After is the new Magic Kingdom fireworks/castle projection show. Let me tell you it is a MUST SEE. The show is combined where the projections on the castle and music are synced with the fireworks. This is really cool and no matter how many words I use I cannot explain it so I won't try to spoil it. As awesome as the show is there are drawbacks in my opinion. To get the whole effect it seems to me that you must have a good view of not only the skies but the castle as well, and not only that you must be positioned to see the front of the castle. This was not the case with the previous fireworks show. So, you have thousands of people trying to watch the new show all bunched up trying to get the best view. This was a small problem with Wishes but with Happily Ever After it becomes a HUGE problem. There are no Fast Pass options and you find yourself crammed into an area that should have been roped off for limited seating with little help from Cast Members. Another problem is that there are inconsiderate people who visit WDW and feel that they are entitled to get a good spot despite showing up ten minutes before the show where others had their spots at least an hour before the show began. These people also seemed to be amateur videographers with their iPads held high in the air as they stood up once the show started with no regard for the people behind them sitting. My oldest and I stood up next to a railing making sure no one was being blocked by us. Of course the problem did not cease once the show was over as the mass of humanity that had been crammed from the castle all the way down Main Street USA decided to leave the park as the ah from the last firework was still floating down to the ground. My wife and I agree that there could be a major problem if this continues with a trample incident waiting to happen. We ducked into the Emporium gift shop to wait out the mass exit.

Despite the crowd however, our vacation was great. Here are a few of the shots I mentioned earlier.

Disney With a Child With Disabilities...

For those loyal readers of mine you may already know I have a child with disabilities. We have visited WDW seven times with him since December 2008 (and in a few weeks will make that number eight). How does Disney accommodate people with disabilities? This question I have been asked numerous times. My answer to this question is "outstanding!"

While, it has taken a hit in recent years because some policy changes it is in my opinion still light years ahead of other theme parks or other public/private attractions in their ability to keep it an immersive experience for ALL of their guests. One of the reasons for the change was the abuse of the former policy by those who were not disabled but just wanted to bully themselves to the front of lines. Disney has what is a Disability Access Service Card (DAS Card) that you obtain at Guests Relations of any of the theme parks. The card is for anyone who cannot wait in conventional queue lines due to a disability (including non-apparent disabilities i.e. autism...). It will give you a time to return to the attraction based on the current stand-by time in order to enter the attraction with no waiting in a long queue line. There are some attractions that allow those in wheelchairs access from a different entrance with less wait.

Wait times are not the only things Disney tries to alleviate for people with disabilities. Special seating areas for parades and fireworks and other performances are also available.

Now I am not saying you won't come across some glitches in the process but I will say WDW does its best to accommodate all of their guests. We have had to convince people at guest relations that Wyatt's wheelchair is NOT a stroller but in the end it all works out.

If you are planning a vacation to Walt Disney World and have a special needs child inform your travel agent or if you are booking it yourself to inform the resort for accessible rooms if needed and also to inform any restaurant you make reservations at of any dietary needs and see if they can accommodate them, they usually can. But most of all do NOT use a special needs child as an excuse to not go to Walt Disney World. We are going to embark on our eighth family trip to WDW in a little over a week (that sounds good to me) and each time we have taken two special needs children one who is autistic and the other who has epilepsy and Cerebral Palsy and has a very limited vocabulary but knows the term Disney and is ready to go...

Outside the Four Parks...

 What comes to mind when someone mentions Walt Disney World? For me and many others I am pretty sure it has to do with something in either Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney Hollywood Studios, or Disney's Animal Kingdom. Well this post is not about that. It is about the things you can do without ever setting foot in one of those parks.

Walt Disney World is around the size of San Francisco, California. I'll let that sink in for a minute before I go on... Okay, now that you have wrapped your head around that I will progress. Walt Disney World has three golf courses which have held PGA tournaments as recently as 2012. They also have another which is run by Arnold Palmer Golf Management. I know you may not be a duffer (me neither) so maybe you like water sports? Walt Disney World sits on Bay Lake (a natural lake) and Seven Seas Lagoon both are stocked with largemouth bass and other fish that would make any angler happy. My oldest and I went out with a guide one morning and within five minutes of launch time we were reeling in 2-3 pounders on a regular basis. We also saw people parasailing that day under a big Mickey Mouse para sail. You can rent water craft of all kinds and travel the waters and even there are water crafts that take you to non-park destinations.

While we are on the subject of transportation there are buses,  the aforementioned water crafts, and the monorail that can transport you to your resort and/or Disney Springs.

Resort hopping is another thing to do. You can visit any WDW resort and explore the resorts except swim at the pools. This is especially fun during the holidays when each of the resorts are decorated. Along with exploring the resorts you can dine at any of the restaurants on property. There are over twenty-five Walt Disney Resorts in four levels (Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villas) each themed. Along with all of the resorts there are dining options to fit any palette from the "foodie" to the snacker.  Almost all of the resorts offer opportunities for entertainment for families to enjoy. Some offer movies and Fort Wilderness Campground and Cabins offers a movie plus  a sing along with Chip and Dale plus all the fixin's for Smores.

There are two water parks at Walt Disney World, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. Each are themed and offer guests fun water activities such as wave pools, water slides, and lazy tube rides. Another area off the theme park path is ESPN Wide World of Sports which hosts tournaments for all different types of sports as well as the Spring Training home of the Atlanta Braves.

The last two areas I will talk about are Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney)  and the Boardwalk. Both offer shops and restaurants. Disney Springs is also home to a AMC Cinema as well as Splitsville a bowling alley.

There are many more opportunities for Disney fun outside of the parks  and the best way to find out is to plan a Disney vacation today. I am NOT affiliated with any travel agency so whoever you use make sure they specialize in Disney vacations including Walt Disney World and any of the other Disney destinations.

Hodge Podge...

This post is a FAQ type of post. I am going to answer many questions and or misconceptions about Walt Disney World in this post. While I am not an "expert" I do have a plethora of knowledge and common sense to answer the "Qs"... So here it goes...

Walt Disney World is in FLORIDA, Disneyland is in CALIFORNIA. Do not make this mistake around some WDW or DL junkies.

Toy Story characters do not drop to the ground whenever someone yells "Andy's coming..." It is a misconception and a safety issue.

Cast Members are not there to provide you with your every whim. Although there have been times where a CM has gone above and beyond their duty and do something "magical" for a guest it is not always going to happen.

Free Dining doesn't always happen every fall and it is a incentive to get people to the parks in historically low times and even if it is available it may not be unless you stay at a specific resort or are staying a certain length. It may also ONLY include the Quick Service Dining Plan (depending on which style of resort you stay at).

Value Resorts may not always be your cheapest alternative. If you have five people in your party it is actually cheaper to stay at Port Orleans Riverside than it does to stay at an Art of Animation Suite.

Children are charged adult prices once they reach ten at WDW.

You can make Advanced Dining Reservations 180 days out. This is important info if you want to dine at one of the more popular restaurants...

It does not cost you anymore to use a travel agent to help book your trip (they get their commission from WDW)...

Annual Passes (Disney Platinum and Disney Platinum Plus Passes) cost $779 and $869 respectively...

A one day ticket to Magic Kingdom is $113.96 however a ten day ticket costs $440. (ADULT price)

Extra Magic Hours are only available to guests staying onsite. As are the Dining Plans...

There are three levels of Disney Dining Plans. They each are based on how many nights you stay...

You can eat at any Disney Resort restaurant (even if you are not staying at the resort). You can also visit other resorts (you cannot swim at the pools though)... One of my favorite things to do is explore the other resorts...

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and Not So Scary Halloween Party cost extra (hard ticket item) and are not open to non-ticket holders...

Ask for the ketchup at Whispering Canyon... (I'll leave it at that)

Pins can be traded with anyone even Cast Members...

When you book a trip and a discount occurs after you booked you may be able to receive the discount. This is where an agent helps because they hear about discounts before the general public.
(Our agent has actually saved us $400 dollars since our booking for our June trip because of a discount announced in March, we booked in January)

If staying onsite you can make Fast Pass + selections 60 days out, 30 days for people staying offsite...

You get 3 Fast Pass + selections but can make more at the park after your 3 are used so make your selections for early times... EPCOT, DHS, and AK have a tier system where you can choose only one of the tier one selections such as Soarin' or Frozen Forever at EPCOT...

I hope these answers help you. If you have any that were not answered post them in the comments and I'll TRY to answer them.

Have a MAGICAL day...

ABCs of Walt Disney World...

When I began teaching Social Studies I used to assign a project that used the alphabet to explore historical periods or different regions of the world. You would have to come up with something that began with each letter of the alphabet. For example A is for Africa a continent bordered by the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, B is for Berber a tribal language in parts of Africa, C is for Cairo the capital of Egypt and so on. Well, today I am going to begin exploring Walt Disney World throughout the alphabet.

A= Ariel: The Little Mermaid...

B= Brer Rabbit: Splash Mountain

C= Cinderella's Castle

D= Donald and Daisy

E= EPCOT: Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow

F= Flower and Garden Festival

G= Goofy

H= Haunted Mansion

I= It's a Small World...

J= Jungle Cruise (Jingle Cruise during Christmas)

K= Kylo Ren

L=Lighthouse at  The Beach Club Resort

M= Mickey and Minnie

N= Norway Pavilion EPCOT

O= Olaf

P=Pluto

Q= Quick Service Meal

R= Resorts

S= Storm Troopers (Yes Disney owns Star Wars)

T= Tangled

U= Up...

V= Vacation Hot Spot...

W= Walt

X= eXcitement








                                

Y= Yeti (Expedition Everest)      

Z= Zippedee Doo Dah