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Disneyworld Planning 101 – Tips for Newbies

By
Chip
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Disneyworld Planning 101 – Tips for Newbies

Planning a Disney World vacation is hard work especially if you have never been before. There are so many books and websites out there devoted to planning a Disney Vacation it can be very overwhelming.

I created these Disneyworld Planning 101 articles to help you learn some of the many tips and tricks I have learned over the years to make each of my Disney vacations fun and enjoyable.

Today I wanted to talk directly to the Disney Newbies. This article goes out to those people who might have been 1 maybe 2 times or not at all. For you season pros who know maybe you will learn something new. Lets dive right in..

  1. Spreadsheets are your friends. Create a simple to use spreadsheet. Google Docs are free and available online. You can share them with friends and family or even look them up on your Droid or iPhone while your at WDW. They come in handy when your at the parks and need to find your ADR Reservation, or you dont want to carry a fireworks or parade schedule with you. If you want to get a glimpse of a sample spreadsheet check it out here.
  2. Make your ADR (Advanced Dining Reservations) ASAP! With the all new Disney Advanced Dining Reservation website you can now book your meals 180 days out. Do your research on WDW Info and find all the restaurants where you want to visit, then on that 180th day book your meals.
  3. Touring Plans Lines & Crowd Calendar. I live on these 2 tools while at the parks. When I start the day I am checking Crowd Calendar to make sure the park that I have planned for that day is still not as busy. Once I am at the parks I am using Lines to check wait times and reporting on them as well. Have I mentioned how much I love my Droid?
  4. Walk a mile in my shoes. Having the right shoes at the parks can make or break your vacation. I have done the research. I have walked around the parks all day in my Flip Flops only to be worn out at the end of the day. Next I tried some Teva sandals, while better than flip flops I wasn’t as tired as wearing the flip flops at the end of the day. For my wife and I we wear running shoes! You will be surprised how wearing the right shoes makes your day more enjoyable. My next choice goes hand and hand with a good pair of shoes.
  5. Drink plenty of water. Pack a nice water bottle. If you want to be really cool like me you will buy a water bottle with a filter built in or a nice Camelbak hydration system. We make it a point to consume as much water as possible while at the parks. Even with the dining plan we get free pop I try to go easy on the soft drinks and still drink water. With everyone from Gatorade to Crystal Light making flavor packs be sure to pack several boxes.
  6. Use a travel agent. Disney Travel Agents won’t cost you a cent. They get paid directly from Disney so no matter what package you choose you are out nothing. Most times those travel agents like my good friend and fellow writer Chris knows just about everything there is to know about Disney. She can answer questions, share with you her thoughts on different restaurants, and even recommend tips and tricks like visiting a certain website with Chip in the title 🙂 Click the banner at the top for Pixie Vacations to learn more. Be sure to tell them Chip sent ya!

I have a ton more tips for planning your Walt Disney World Vacation, stay tuned over the next couple months as I share those with you as I plan my own Disneyworld Vacation in September.

If you have any tips or tricks let us know in the comment section below.

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Disneyworld Planning 101 – Tips for Newbies

Orlando Stroller Rentals to the Rescue

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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Orlando Stroller Rentals to the Rescue

Renting a double stroller was hands down one of the best decisions I made when planning our recent Walt Disney World trip. My one-year old clearly needed a stroller but my four-year old hasn’t used one, well, since his brother was born and he was unceremoniously ousted. However, I knew from experience that we would be covering a lot of ground at Disney and even the most energetic preschooler would need a little help in the personal transport department.

Problem was, I don’t own a double stroller and buying one just for the trip wasn’t high up on my list of things to do. The next option was to bring two single strollers – our sturdy, everyday stroller and the umbrella stroller – but that solution didn’t make the cut. Having two strollers meant having to have two adults with the kids all the time and as much as I’m a champion of family togetherness, this isn’t really practical. How many times have I wanted to run into a shop while my husband was with the kids? How often does my husband take a short detour to pick up a snack while I forge ahead to Mickey’s Toontown Fair? A double stroller it would be and absent a large purchase, renting would have to be the answer.

Disney rents strollers but frankly, it’s expensive (Single; $15/day, Double $31/day) and while some have extolled the virtues of the stroller’s maneuverability, the hard plastic and the inability to recline would be challenging for the baby. But there’s an even larger problem. Disney strollers must be rented at the park or Downtown Disney and returned to a rental location when you’re ready to leave for the day. There’s no taking the stroller back to your Disney resort or even to the resort transportation waiting areas. This is a problem for us. A major problem. Here are three of many instances where having a stroller to use throughout the entire Walt Disney World Resort made our trip that much easier.

Sleeping Children. After Illuminations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot, my oldest fell soundly asleep in the stroller. We were able to leisurely walk back to our resort in Disney’s Boardwalk area without taking him from the stroller. I shudder at the thought of having to make the ten minute walk carrying a sleeping child, who we all know seems to weigh double what he does when he’s awake. What if I was taking bus transportation to a resort? Well, there can be long waits for the bus after the park empties for the evening and oftentimes it is a long walk after a long day from the resort’s bus transportation location to your room at many of the Disney resorts.

Crowd Control. Getting to the parks when they first open can be a bit chaotic – there is sometimes a crush of people moving through security and the park entrance. Add to that opening up bags for a security check and juggling theme park tickets while trying to firmly hold the hand of a very excited four-year old and I can become a bit frazzled. Entering the park was much easier with the kids secure in the stroller.

Theme Park Commando. We definitely are not theme park commandos except perhaps during the first hour of every day where we are able to ride the majority of the day’s must-do attractions. The key is taking in the most popular rides before crowds build. The last thing I want to do is waste valuable touring time having to pick up a stroller after I’m in the park when I could be scoring a ride on Soarin’ or picking up FastPasses for Toy Story Mania!

So, what were the key characteristics I was looking for in a stroller? That would have to be maneuverability, comfort for a one-year old and a four-year old, a canopy, and easy folding of the stroller. But my criteria didn’t end there. I also needed the company I rented from to be reliable, to have clean, well-maintained strollers, to be reasonably priced, and to deliver and pick up the stroller from my Disney hotel. Orlando Stroller Rentals was the answer to my stroller dilemma. They delivered. Both literally and figuratively.

First the stroller. I chose the City Mini Double stroller and loved it. At first I was concerned by the “Mini” in the description. Would my four-year old who is tall be comfortable? Shannon Tanner, the owner of Orlando Stroller Rentals, assured me the older guy would be comfortable and she was right. Both kids were right at home and the baby even napped for long periods in the stroller. My two favorite features were maneuverability and the canopy. The maneuverability was awesome – with an extremely tight turning radius, it was a cinch to move through the large crowds of guests at the Disney World theme parks. Even better – pushing two kids was hardly any more effort than pushing the empty stroller. As a mom whose kids don’t leave the house without a hat and sunscreen, I was ecstatic about the canopy. It provided nearly full coverage and the kids loved the shade. Was there anything I would have changed about the stroller? Sure, because nothing is perfect. The stroller was a bit awkward to fold since two hands were required and the storage was a little limited. I would have loved drink holders but it makes perfect sense why a rented stroller wouldn’t have one – cleaning up sticky soda rings is a chore. These were extremely minor inconveniences, especially given the stroller’s comfort, maneuverability, and shade. We put the stroller through its paces and easily walked ten miles a day with it. You know you have a well designed stroller when you love it as much the last day as the first.

Would I recommend Orlando Stroller Rentals to my family and friends? Absolutely. The service was great from start to finish. Shannon was very helpful and responded quickly to my email with questions about the different stroller choices. Once I made my selection, I simply had to show up at my resort’s bell stand and ask for the stroller to be delivered to my room. The stroller was in mint condition and extremely clean. That’s a very big deal to me and I can’t emphasize enough how comfortable I felt using the rented stroller because of how clean and well-maintained it was. It even came with instructions on the basics of using the stroller which was very helpful. On the last day, we simply returned the stroller to bell services and boarded the Magical Express. Unfortunately, we had a small glitch returning the stroller as bell services misplaced it. Orlando Stroller Rentals was helpful, friendly, professional, and put me at ease when we communicated and tried to locate the stroller which was found later that same day.

A 4-7 night rental of the City Mini Double will run you $85. Compare that with $31 a day to rent a stroller at Walt Disney World and you can see how quickly the savings add up.

Bottom Line: A stroller is a must for kids, even as old as five or six, at Walt Disney World. If you are going to rent one, give Orlando Stroller Rentals a try – you won’t be disappointed. Visit them at www.orlandostrollerrentals.com or call 1-800-281-0884.

*Disclosure. Orlando Stroller Rentals provided a complimentary stroller for my family. This did not affect my review and the opinions expressed here are my own.
Lisa M. Battista is the author of Beyond the Attractions: A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers When she’s not chasing after her little ones, you can most likely find her at the beach or in the kitchen trying her hand at a new recipe. You call follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DisneyExplorer.

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Orlando Stroller Rentals to the Rescue

Best Things I Love About Disney – The ‘Friendship’ Boats

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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Best Things I Love About Disney – The ‘Friendship’ Boats

We have all taken advantage of the Disney bus system, ridden the Monorail, and most likely driven a car to get from one place to another at Walt Disney World. The entire Disney transportation system is extraordinarily efficient and well operated, and even though there have been a few very serious incidents, considering the number of people being transported it is very safe! The only issue I have with it comes from the feeling of rush-rush-rush that I get while being moved around. I like to take it easy when on vacation (after all I’m old) and it is difficult to relax on a crowded bus or Monorail.

There is a terrific alternative if you are traveling around the Epcot, Epcot Resort, Swan/Dolphin or Disney’s Hollywood Studios areas. There are boats that traverse the World Showcase Lagoon that will give you a different perspective on that area – try them, it’s a very calming experience. These boats are called ‘Friendships’. There is another ‘Friendship’ route being operated that goes from the Epcot International Gateway area to the Boardwalk Inn, Yacht Club, Swan/Dolphin, and then on to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It also operates in the reverse direction. What a marvelous way to get from one place to another in a relaxed, slow, and calm way. You may want to avoid sitting outside at the very back of the boat because of increased engine noise but it’s really not that bad.

Does using this service for transportation purposes really make sense? It does, and here is how we use it. Being Park Hopper fans, sometimes we will spend a partial day at Epcot and then wander the Boardwalk area or even spend the rest of the day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We get there on the Friendships.  More often we will spend a day at the Studios with an evening Advance Dining Reservation (ADR) at one of the wonderful Epcot restaurants and we use the Friendships to travel between the parks. The trip, with stops, takes 25 – 30 minutes so if you have an ADR plan accordingly.

There are so many ways to do so many things at Walt Disney World that it can quickly become mind boggling for newer travelers. We have friends who are frequent and regular travelers to Walt Disney World who knew that those boats were there but they had no idea where they went. They do now and they really enjoy them. Look around for alternatives, you might be surprised what you find! As always, Enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!

Ken

Best Things I Love About Disney – The ‘Friendship’ Boats

Disneyworld Planning 101 – Do Magic Kingdom Last..

By
Chip
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magickingdompark
magickingdompark

Disneyworld Planning 101 – Do Magic Kingdom Last..

What? That is blasphemy! How can you say that? Before you riot against me and boycott the Chip and Company website let me explain…

One thing I have learned over the years from being a parent and from having a very strong willed little 4 year old princess is how to keep the peace. We joke all the time and actually found a shirt that says “Irish Temper Italian Attitude”. That sums her up to the T. So when planning our Disney vacations I have learned one valuable lesson that if your a parent it would be wise to follow.

**Do the Magic Kingdom last**

Once you take your little one to the Magic Kingdom they will care less about the other parks. Mind you they will have a few things they like about each park, for example our little one loved Playhouse Disney Live at Hollywood Studios, Nemo the Musical at Animal Kingdom, and for some strange reason Space Ship Earth at Epcot. But she absolutely was in love with the Magic Kingdom. All the rides, the sights, the sounds, it is just magical to a little one.

Don’t get me wrong I love all the Disney Parks and there are tons of things to do at each park for kids, but once your kids get a glimpse of Cinderella’s Castle and experience the sights, sounds, and enchantment of the Magic Kingdom there is no going back.

Most people start their vacations on the weekend. We like to arrive on Saturday and if you track any park attendance websites like Easy WDW or Touring Plans they will tell you Magic Kingdom is the park to avoid on the weekends.

Quick tip – Avoid parks that have Extra Morning Magic Hours as they will be the most busiest park that day. Unless you can get there at Rope Drop I would avoid them.

So my suggestion would be to get the other 3 parks out of the way first. Figure out what your children like the best in each park and visit those rides or attractions several times. If you plan it right you can visit the Magic Kingdom in the evening on the 3rd night and take in one of the night time parades or firework shows.

Quick tip – If you can wait, breakfast at Crystal Palace before rope drop on the fourth day will land you in the park before everyone else for some excellent photo opportunities. We have lucked out many times by getting a picture of the castle without anyone in it!

Our plan off attack for the parks usually goes like this:

Day 1 – Hollywood Studios

Day 2 – Epcot

Day 3 – Animal Kingdom till 5pm, dinner at one of the monorail resorts, then Fireworks at MK

Day 4 – Magic Kingdom

Day 5 – Magic Kingdom

Day 6 – Magic Kingdom

Day 7 – Magic Kingdom

Just kidding about the last 4 days 🙂

This is just one of the tricks I have learned from my countless visits to the park. It’s a great way to see the other parks when they are less crowded, and to allow your children to experience the Magic Kingdom for the rest of their visit which you know they will want to.

Hope this helps you keep the peace too.

>>Chip

Disney Droid Apps? I Don’t Need ‘Em!

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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Disney Droid Apps? I Don’t Need ‘Em!

Before we left for our trip (just finished our 2nd day in the parks), I downloaded all the top apps for my fancy new Droid phone and planned to compare and contrast. I planned to use Gowalla every once in a while to check in when I could, use Lines, the app created by Touring Plans, to check wait times, and also learn about parts of the parks with Notescast Disney World – discovering hidden secrets and hidden Mickeys, left to us by the Imagineers.

But, after completing my second day, I have realized that if I actually pay attention to these apps to “enhance” my trip, I’m missing out on something – MY TRIP! The apps only take a few seconds here and there, but each time I look down at my phone to check-in, I’m missing my 13 month old son discover something new. When I try to check wait times, I zone out and miss something my husband says to me.

I thought these apps would help our trip – no need to walk from place to place in search of fast passes or short lines. But, I like walking around the parks. I’m okay being exhausted at the end of the day if I hoofed it across the parks. And, a few of the times I checked, the wait times weren’t close (usually about 20 minutes off in either direction). We’re here for a relaxing trip, so we’re okay winging it this trip. Lines has been incredibly useful for knowing Park times, parade times, and knowing about extra magic hours. And, they’ve been dead on with the crowd calendar. But, that’s really all I need/want
these apps for.

For me, that’s all I need. I’m putting my phone away and looking for hidden Mickeys on my own!
Jenn lives in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. with her husband and 1 year old son. She has been a regular to Walt Disney World her entire life and recently finished her first ever half marathon at Walt Disney World. Jenn can also be found at her own blog, the Disney Babies Blog, that she created while planning to take her 6 month old son to WDW. In her non-Disney life, you can find her playing the clarinet in a D.C. military band, or running and practicing yoga.

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Disney Droid Apps? I Don’t Need ‘Em!

Review: Walt Disney World Secrets Gold! 1.5

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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Review: Walt Disney World Secrets Gold! 1.5Last week, I reviewed TimeStream Software’s app Walt Disney World Notescast Guide 3.0.  This week, I’m moving on to their recently updated app revealing some 250 of the Secrets of Walt Disney World, and another 200 fun facts!

This Notescast is laid out in much the same format as the previous one.  Tapping on a section will take you to the next screen, which often has more choices for you to select from.  As a result, navigating through the vast amounts of data is really quite easy!

One thing that I should point out is that the folks at TimeStream went to great lengths to ensure that a lot of the secrets that you would like to know about were included.  However, as they told me when we were talking about the app, the one thing that they didn’t want to do was to reveal a secret that would remove some of the “Disney Magic” from Walt Disney World.  As a result, not all of the secrets that Disney has have been revealed!  As a parent of a nine year old, this is something that I really appreciate.

As always, the photography in the Notescast is top notch, and some of the secrets that they reveal to us, the Readers, are how to get some of those same great shots ourselves!  For example, take a look at some of these great pictures.  For the first picture, pay particular interest in the perspective of where the picture was taken from!

Review: Walt Disney World Secrets Gold! 1.5

Review: Walt Disney World Secrets Gold! 1.5

Review: Walt Disney World Secrets Gold! 1.5

One thing that is really neat with the Notescast series, both with the Secrets app and the Guide app, is that as TimeStream updates the app, I get notified with the update through the App Store on my Touch.  That’s great because it means that I always have the most current information at my disposal.  Additionally, like the Guide app from last week, this app doesn’t rely on network connectivity at all.  This is particularly important at WDW, where my iPod Touch won’t find a Wi-Fi connection.

However, there is one thing that I would change.  When you are exploring the different secrets, they are laid out by park and then by land, so as an example, when you are looking at the Magic Kingdom, there are several sections for the various lands.  For example, there is one on Main Street, U.S.A.  After you finish looking at Main Street, U.S.A., the guide directs you to continue your tour with the Adventureland secrets.  You have to tap the “Back” button, then tap on the next section.  I would have liked to have a link, much like the Walt Disney World Guide, that would take me straight to the next section.

This app is priced at $2.99, which is a fair price for all the information you get.  While I appreciate the Guide app more because of all of the planning I do for our trips, my wife appreciates the Secrets app more because she is into those sorts of secrets.  So for those that aren’t sure which app to get, get them both!

Mike is a new member of the Chip & Company team, and has a passion for technology, Disney, and taking his family on trips to Disney!  He is currently in the process of finalizing plans for his family vacation to Disney World in June!  When he isn’t writing here, you can also find his writings at My Dreams of Disney!

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Review: Walt Disney World Secrets Gold! 1.5

Are You The ‘Go To’ Advice Person For Your Friends’ Disney Trips?

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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Are You The ‘Go To’ Advice Person For Your Friends’ Disney Trips?

When your friends start thinking about or planning a trip to Walt Disney World do they say – Let’s ask (insert your name here) for some help. I know this happens to me a lot, and rather than considering it a burden, I look forward to it and consider it an honor that they would choose me for something this important. Presently I’m working with three groups of friends on their upcoming 2011 trips. As much fun as it is and as rewarding as it can be there are some pitfalls to be avoided, I’ll try to outline the major ones here:

  1. Resort Choice – The choice of a resort can have a very significant impact on any visit to Walt Disney World. It’s vital that you let your friends make the choice for themselves and that you not influence that choice based on your own preferences. Give them the facts about each category, including off site and provide them with  appropriate web sites (both fan sites and “official” sites). It would be unfortunate if you recommended a resort that you love and your friends found to be incompatible with their needs.
  2. Seasons – Make sure they understand Disney’s seasons and the differences in cost and crowd size at different times of the year. Recommend travel at the time of year that best matches their budget and availability needs but once again, they need to make the final choice based on the available options.
  3. Reservation Policies – It’s important that your friends understand the deposit, payment, and cancellation policies for their trip. Refer them to the appropriate web sites for this information rather than telling them from memory. They need the “official” information on these items.
  4. Packages – This one is huge! Some folks love package plans and some folks hate them. In recent years, Disney has improved their packages making them a bit more inclusive and economical. Personally, I almost never use a package because of other options available but in a lot of cases packages make sense, especially for first time travelers. Explain the differences, tell them about the available options, give them websites to visit, and let them make the choices.
  5. Admission Media – If your friends choose a package or buy separate admission media make sure they understand they should buy only what they will actually use for admission media. The most viable option is the Park Hopper Option and some may effectively use the Water Park and More option but the No Expiration option is very expensive and rarely taken advantage of even if it is purchased.
  6. Advance Dining Reservations – If your friends are traveling during a busy season or when free dining is offered, stress the importance of making ADR’s. If they enjoy at least one sit down meal a day (a great idea by the way) ADR’s are absolutely essential. This is a good place to recommend your absolute favorite restaurants because Disney restaurants seldom disappoint.
  7. Recommend Print Resources – I recommend two in particular – Passporter’s Walt Disney World and The Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World. They are both outstanding but for different reasons so I always recommend both. If the investment for both doesn’t appeal to your friends I lean towards the Passporter because they not only provide the print version but they publish updates on their website as things at Disney change (and we all know about changes at Disney).
  8. Discounts – Let your friends know that there are almost always discounts available of one kind or another. For this reason I always recommend, after you have presented them with the basics, that they get themselves a Disney Specialist Travel Agent (TA). After they make their basic decisions the TA can implement them and make sure that all of the available discounts can be applied to their vacation. One of the most important things you can relate to your friends is that TA’s do not charge for their services because they are paid by Disney.

You may have noticed a theme here, the old – You tell them the options and they must make the choices theme. There is nothing worse than having your friends thinking, well (insert your name here one more time) recommended this and it was terrible, it ruined our vacation. That is absolutely the most important rule in helping friends plan vacations. Remember – they must make the choices!! As always, enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!

Ken

Photo By Disney

Are You The ‘Go To’ Advice Person For Your Friends’ Disney Trips?

The Curse of the Disney Movie Sequel

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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The Curse of the Disney Movie Sequel

Do you like sequels? For many, direct-to-video has become a dirty compound word when it’s uttered by Disney! And I think we can at least agree that there have been some sequels that just shouldn’t have seen the light of a TV screen.

Anyone remember the Little Mermaid sequels? I try not too.

An interesting thing to note is when Disney started making sequels. We may think it is a relatively recent trend, but actually, Walt Disney himself is the one who started it! The earliest animated films by the Disney Studios were the Shorts of the 1930’s and 1940’s. While it didn’t happen often, once in a while a Short would be revisited and it’s characters reused. The worst thing that happened back then, though, was that the new Short was the same as the first. So it could be entertaining and good, just not new and fresh. The Three Little Pigs were subjected to this treatment a few times.

Now we jump back up to the present.

Sequels tend to be inferior to their predecessors. I’m sure that there are many reasons for this, and one essay would not yield enough space to list them all. But here are a few reasons that I feel about why sequels don’t succeed today:

1. The original Director is never used.

2. They rarely reuse the original voice cast.

3. The animation switches from the Feature division to the TV division.

4. They are made in less time.

5. The story is not given enough attention.

But in all fairness, it is hard to catch lightning in a bottle twice! Does any studio manage to pull off the dreaded sequel? Not many (see Open Season 2.) But is it impossible to do a sequel well? For Disney, it seems so. But Dreamworks did manage to pull it off with Madagascar 2 (although I’m on the fence about the Shrek franchise.)

Pixar, however, has been able to maintain a very high standard no matter what they are doing. Including the sequel. Toy Story 2 and 3 are widely considered to be better than the original Toy Story movie. No small feat.

As you know, Pixar is now owned by Disney. This has moved John Lasseter into the role of supervising all Disney animation, including its sequels. This should be good. But in turn, Pixar is being pushed into making more sequels. Such as Cars 2. Will Pixar be able to remain fresh if its forced to produce endless sequels? Will Disney drag Pixar down into Sequel Hell, or will Pixar lift Disney up to Box Office Heaven? Only time will tell.

But when I find out, I’ll write a follow-up essay. But it may be a sequel that you won’t want to read!

Lee Beatens has two sides as a Writer/Artist. His writing side is showcased at the Blog called Disleelandia, and his artistic side is showcased at the Blog called The CANADIAN Kingdom. His improbable third side is showcased here.

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The Curse of the Disney Movie Sequel

Disneyworld Planning 101 – How soon is to soon when planning your Vacation?

By
Chip
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Disneyworld Planning 101 – How soon is to soon when planning your Vacation?

Planning a Disney vacation is hard work! Trust me I know I have been doing it since the 90’s. Trying to plan the Advanced Dining Reservations, scheduling Parades & Fireworks, and even what park to visit at certain times of the day. It can get exhausting but in the end it is worth it.

Even though Disney has not released any dates for our September vacation that doesn’t stop me from planning our trip. Here is what I have so far.

Disneyworld Planning 101 – How soon is to soon when planning your Vacation?

Since this year we have another couple coming with us I made my spreadsheet in Google Docs instead of an actual Open Office Spreadsheet. I figured this would be easier to share with our friends, and then it is still accessible on our Droid Phones.

As you can see we are going with the Disney Plus Dining Plan opposed to the Deluxe. For us it is better to pay for a few meals out of pocket instead of 3 Huge meals per day. One Dining Option I wish Disney had available was a 2 sit down meal a day instead of a Quick Service and Table Service Meal.

I like the dinners at WDW better than Breakfast as I am not a huge Breakfast person. Give me a protein bar and a cup of coffee and I am good to go. My wife really loved 2 Character Breakfast so we will have to pay for those out of pocket. Also I am still undecided on Tusker House for dinner one night.

One thing we do for dinner is we get out of the parks. It gives us an opportunity to unplug for a little bit and a chance to walk around the resorts(That is where I got the idea for the Resort Hopping articles I wrote in previous months) I can’t find one last meal outside of the park I really like. I will keep looking till I find something.

As soon as Disney releases the dates for Park Hours, Parades, Fireworks, and Extra Magic Hours I will be all over this spreadsheet.  WDWInfo has one of the best Reservation Calculators on the net in my opinion, which is the 2nd most important planning tool in my opinion. First being a spreadsheet like above.

So as you can see it’s never to soon to plan your Disneyworld vacation. You may not have all the times but it is still fun to read reviews and get a general idea on where you want to go and what you want to do.

Do you have any planning tips? Let us know in the comment section below!

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Disneyworld Planning 101 – How soon is to soon when planning your Vacation?

Oldies But Goodies – Don’t Pass Up Epcot’s United States Pavilion

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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Oldies But Goodies – Don’t Pass Up Epcot’s United States Pavilion

The United States Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase is one of the most under appreciated attractions there. Because most of Walt Disney World’s visitors are Americans, most of their World Showcase time is spent in the pavilions that are a bit more exotic. Because of the way we Oldies are; nostalgic, patriotic, unapologetic for our country it makes an ideal place for us to spend some time. There are several attractions within the majestic pavilion area:

Oldies But Goodies – Don’t Pass Up Epcot’s United States Pavilion

Before you even enter you will be treated to a sort of pre, pre show by the Fife and Drum Corps. They always put on a stirring demonstration that gets your blood pumping for the pre show.

Oldies But Goodies – Don’t Pass Up Epcot’s United States Pavilion

When they have finished, head on in to the pavilion for a performance from the Voices of Liberty a very gifted a capella group of chorale singers. These folks are incredibly talented and sing some wonderfully pleasant songs. It’s worth the effort to see them. When their performance is finished, you will be led to the theater for The American Adventure production, an approximately 30 minute presentation that is considered to be Disney‘s best historic and patriotic attraction. It is audio animatronic and narrated by who else, Mark Twain and Ben Franklin. Some folks seem to think the patriotic nature of the show is a bit over the top but my Oldie friends really seem to enjoy it and since I am one of those Oldies, I like it too and never miss it when at Walt Disney World.

If after the performance you still haven’t had enough of the good old(ie) USA take a walk through the lobby and enjoy the art work on the wall. When you have finished that, stroll over to the mini historical museum called National Treasures to see quite a group of very important and historic articles from our country’s earlier years:

Oldies But Goodies – Don’t Pass Up Epcot’s United States Pavilion

There are lots of very interesting artifacts in that area.

If you are still not USA’d out and are a bit hungry, head over to the Liberty Inn for a good old fashioned (???) All American fast food meal. Really, the food is pretty darn good!!

I hope I’ve convinced you to spend some time at the United States Pavilion rather than just staying with the more exotics, it will definitely be a rewarding experience. As always, enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!

Ken

Oldies But Goodies – Don’t Pass Up Epcot’s United States Pavilion

Surprise! New Experiences on our Disney World Vacation

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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Surprise! New Experiences on our Disney World VacationWe have returned from a wonderful vacation at Walt Disney World over the New Year’s holiday. We had a great time ringing in 2011 at the best possible place! Was it crowded? At times, sure it was, but having gone at this week before, we knew what to expect. There were also times when it wasn’t crowded at all too! And one of the neat things about this trip was that, despite our many past Disney trips, we were still able to learn and experience new things. That is, of course, one of the great things about Disney parks: the ability for guests to feel that each trip is magical, no matter how often you go. 

With that in mind, here are five things that were new…and yes, magical….for us this time: 

  1. We deliberately looked for “non-obvious” places for fireworks and parades. I have heard this recommended before but somehow we never actually did it. On this trip we did. We watched the Christmas parade over in Frontierland, right in front of Pecos Bill’s (having just finished lunch there) and had no problem finding a front row space to watch…even on the day before New Year’s Eve. Likewise, we watched Holiday Wishes on one of the pathways that lead to the Tomorrowland bridge….it winds down below The Plaza Restaurant and there was literally no one there. We had a great view, and Tinkerbell flew right over us.
  2. We went to Epcot for New Year’s Eve prepared to stay the entire day…which we did. While we might have been able to leave for a break and then return, based on the perfect weather and corresponding crowds, we decided not to chance it. We knew what to expect and took it very easy, keeping things low key and relaxed. It was the perfect time to experience some things that we are normally too “busy” to try, so our daughter decided to try out the Kim Possible Adventure phones and had a blast! This was a fun activity for all of us, as we explored some of the countries in World Showcase in more detail, and we all learned more than a few things that we never knew before. We understand that Disney plans to expand this experiential technology in other parks as well, and I think when they do, it will be a big hit.
  3. We started New Year’s Day with a late breakfast at Cape May buffet and then DD and I enjoyed a VERY special belated Christmas present from Santa: we went to the Grand Floridian spa. If you ever have the chance to splurge on one thing for yourself….do this. You deserve it and I promise that you won’t regret it at all…except when it’s over. 🙂
  4. Planning for this trip entailed a lot of changes along the way, and even while there, I ended up changing an ADR again….literally at the last minute! We spent Sunday afternoon at the ESPN Zone cheering on our Steelers, and I could see that we were going to be time-challenged getting back to Hollywood Studios for the Osborne Lights in the evening. So I decided to change dinner to the Captain’s Grill at Yacht Club since it was nearby, and I’m so glad that I did….it was amazing, in fact probably my favorite dinner! So being spontaneous….not something we planners do a lot of…..ended up being a good thing. Who knew?
  5. On our last day, we returned to our favorite park, Epcot, and took the “Undiscovered Future World” tour. I cannot recommend this tour enough! Interesting, and fun, we were able to see some “behind the scenes” places, and ride Soarin’ again…with some background commentary which was pretty cool. And we learned a lot of fascinating details, not the least of which was to always “remember to look up and look down” because there are a lot of cool things to see that most of us normally miss because we’re so busy running to the next ride/attraction.  

There were, of course, many other great aspects to our trip and you will be hearing about some of them in the coming weeks. But these were a few of the highlights…and some of them were surprises. I think one of the things I will remember the most about this trip is those surprises, the things that I didn’t plan for, and how the most unexpected things are sometimes the most magical of all. 

Of course, that doesn’t mean I have given up planning our Disney trips. Planning is, of course, half the fun! So the big question then is: 

“When are we going back?” 🙂

Nancy, her husband and college-age daughter live in the Baltimore MD area, but consider Walt Disney World their second “home”. She started her site, The Affordable Mouse, as a way to share ideas about how to plan affordable Disney vacations. Her favorite things at Disney World (in no particular order) are Soarin’, most of the food in World Showcase, Illuminations…and that special brand of Disney magic that you can’t find anywhere else.

Move over Tron 2 here comes Tron 3

By
Chip
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Original sequel logo, from the test footage pr...

Don’t get me wrong I love Disney as much as the next guy, but really? Tron Legacy is still in the theaters and still making decent box office dollars and the news on the street is Disney is working on a Tron 3 Movie.

Do we really new another sequel?

Screen Rant had this to say about the sequel:

TRON creator/producer Steven Lisberger revealed recently that development of storylines for TRON 3 has already begun and the story broke in mid-2010 that TRON: Legacy screenwriters/executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz had already been commissioned to write the threequel for Disney. As our Vic Holtreman pointed out in his TRON: Legacy review, the film is effective in its use of 3D and contains some stunning visuals, but ultimately “[it] is all about the eye candy, and not much else.” There’s little reason to suspect that TRON 3 won’t be more of the same, especially if it involves the same individuals that worked on Legacy.

Now I am a big computer nerd, anyone who knows me can tell you I live and breathe technology. But in all honesty I am getting tired of all these movie sequels from Hollywood. Where are the new ideas? It seems the only thing coming out of Hollywood is 3 things:

  • Franchise Reboots
  • Sequels
  • Taking objects from my youth and turning them into movies. (I am still waiting to see more details on Battleship the Movie)

I know I might be going against the grain here and if you love reboots, sequels, and unoriginal ideas more power to ya. I for one would like to see more movies that are original, creative, and artistic.

For more details on Tron 3 click here.

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