I was invited to attend Disney’s first ever Social Media Moms Celebration in February of 2010 and since I love Disney, I jumped at the chance.  If you’ve been reading my blog within the last month, you have seen this badge proudly displayed:

Since our families were invited to join us at the Social Media Moms Celebration as well, I took my kids out of school for three days.  That was quite a hard decision for me, but besides our normal fun at Disney World, I knew that my family would experience special Disney magic on this trip and I didn’t want them to miss it.  Because my mother joined us on the trip as well, my husband was able to be an attendee like me and go to all the conference events; I was happy to share this with him and glad that he could join me.  There’s so much to tell about this fantastic event that you might have to read this blog post in stages, but do read it all because it’s an event worth hearing about.

The Social Media Moms (and Dads)

Quite awhile before the event at Disney World tweets were flying with the hashtag #DisneySMMoms and all the attendees were connecting via Twitter about what to wear, what to bring, and just general excitement about the event.   This is when I absolutely love Twitter because I “met” people that I hadn’t previously been following and developed a rapport even before we met in person.  Indeed most people knew each other’s Twitter name instead of real names and upon meeting each other it would go something like this: “Hi, I’m Sherrelle.”   I would get a pleasant smile and handshake.  Then I would say, “I’m Funkidivagirl on Twitter” and the smile would turn into a big grin and the handshake into a hug because we would realize that we “know” each other already.    A Facebook page was created with multiple discussion panels and one dad even created a Ning site for the dads to meet.  Yes, this was a social media event alright!   While at Disney World it was fun being with old friends that I know in real life or have met previously at other conferences while also meeting new friends.  There was never a dull moment or lack of somebody to talk to; everyone was friendly and engaging.  My husband, one of the few male attendees, remarked that at a predominately male conference there would never be so much chatter on an early morning bus to breakfast.  Hey, we talk a lot online and it doesn’t stop in person!

The Hotel

Our conference fee included three nights at the Polynesian resort and I was very excited because I had never stayed there before.  It is one of the few resorts on the monorail line and that was very convenient for our families to be able to travel around Disney World while we were in the conference sessions or at media events.  The hotel room was HUGE compared to the other resorts that I have stayed in (Animal Kingdom, Saratoga Springs and Riverside) and my family of 5 was very comfortable.  There was plenty of space for our clothes and enough room to lounge about or for my daughter to play.   We had a beach view and if it hadn’t been so cold, it would have been very nice to sit on the balcony.   We were able to watch the water parade from our balcony; my kids loved that.   Since we were there for a specific event (and it was very cold, I have to say that again, I mean freezing), we didn’t get to experience all the hotel amenities like the beach and volcano pool, but I have a feeling that we will return to the Polynesian on another visit.

The Conference

Our first conference event was a breakfast with Guy Kawasaki at Epcot’s American Adventure.  He was a fantastic speaker and talked to us about how he uses Twitter.  First of all, I loved how he–and all the speakers–assumed us to be social media savvy and talked to us like peers (as they should have).    His speech was both informative and engaging as he took us through the various ways to use Twitter: to sell, to search, for customer service and to gain more followers.   I learned many take-away points about how to take my Twitter game to the next level.

The big conference day on Friday was an all-day event at the Contemporary Resort and Conference Center.  I was not a fan of the Contemporary years ago, but lately I am loving it; the decor has changed from an out-dated 70s look to more of a hip, sleek W Hotel.   And you can’t beat the convenience of the monorail stopping right inside the hotel.

• The first speaker of the morning was Maxine Clark, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Bear of Build-A-Bear Workshop.   Her story of a “dream”–a dream that is now a gazillion dollar business–was perfect for the location and backdrop of the Cinderella castle behind her.  Our tables were decorated with Disney Princess Build-A-Bears and my daughter is still upset that I didn’t win the raffle for the bear at my table.

• Next up was Marissa Jaret Winokur, actress and Tony Award winner for her role as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray.  Marissa did her speech interview-style; it was funny and entertaining, but the audience mostly connected with her talking about how she juggles being the mother of a young child and her career.

• I think Kathy Ireland’s speech was the most surprising to us all.  We knew her as a once super-model and yes, knew that that she had an extremely successful lifestyle brand and business, but didn’t know just how inspiring she is as a woman, wife and mother.   This is a woman who has her priorities in order–faith, family and then business–and really tries to live her life accordingly.  She has been married 22 years to an ER doctor and commercial fisherman (who knew, right?) and together they have built a personal life and business that has not been free from trouble, but that is real and true.   I know that I became a fan and I would venture to say that the whole audience–including my husband and other men–did too.

• Chris Brogan followed Kathy Ireland and while he said it was a tough act to follow, most attendees were eagerly awaiting his moment on stage.  Known in social media circles as a “rock star,” he’s an entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author.  We all knew this as he has a constant presence on Twitter and well, everywhere.  What we didn’t know was just how funny he was!   While he talked to us about how to make our blog posts better, more engaging, and more community-oriented, he also had us rolling in the aisles.   I am breaking one of his rules now, “make blog posts shorter and more concise,” but at least I am following another rule “be helpful.”   Chris was around for most of the conference days and was very accessible for questions and conversation with all the attendees.

• The conference ended with a very funny comedian, Mary Ellen Hooper, who had everyone in stitches about her observations both in social media and real life.

The Press Events

Part of our time at the Social Media Moms Celebration included media press events with traditional media (print and television) as well.  Our first event was at ESPN Wide World of Sport’s Milkhouse (a very nice facility with posters of athletes wearing milk moustaches).  There at the Milkhouse we learned “What’s New, What’s Next” at Disney World.

• One exciting thing that I have to come back for is “Summer Nightastic,” which includes the return of the Main Street Electrical Parade.   Just watching the video clip brought tears to my eyes as it is my most favorite thing at Disney, and currently it is only shown at Disneyland in California.   Other fun events of “Summer Nightastic” include new drop sequences for Tower of Terror (I won’t be riding that–once is enough), a special fireworks show and the return of Sounds Like Summer concert series to Epcot.

• The Disney Cruise Line has some big things in store for the next few years; in 2010 the Disney Magic will sail to Europe for a 5-month season and in 2011 the Disney Wonder will sail for the first time to Alaska.  I’m not a fan of cruising, but I think that Disney can entice me to try one of their cruises because they look like so much fun as well as luxurious (I’m all about luxury on vacation).    However, I think that I will be the only one in my family to try the AquaDuck, a water roller coaster that goes out over the water, on the new Disney Dream.

• Disney World is about to undergo the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history–a three-year construction project to expand Fantasyland.  When it’s done, the expansion promises to make Fantasyland even more magical than it is now.  Each Disney princess will have her own village for an immersive encounter, there will be a new ride with Ariel and friends and the classic Dumbo’s Flying Circus will expand to twice it’s current size as a brand new circus-themed attraction.  Two new themed restaurants, Be Our Guest and Gaston’s Tavern will provide fun culinary experiences.  I’m really looking forward to the new Fantasyland!

The other media event we attended was a ceremony at Epcot’s World Showplace honoring volunteer families from around the world as part of Disney’s Give A Day, Get A Disney Day.  Just 6 weeks into the program 600,000 people have committed to or completed their volunteer activity–this is more than halfway to Disney’s goal of 1 million volunteers.

It was a thrill for me to see Kermit The Frog because I’m a big Sesame Street fan, but most of the audience loved Ty Pennington from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  He  urged the audience to shout with him “move those balloons!” to reveal the Guinness World Record-certified world’s largest canned food sculpture–more than 115,000 cans.   Later that day there was a volunteer event to dismantle the sculpture and pack the canned food into boxes for distribution to food shelters.

The Cast Members

I know from past Disney media events that I have attended that Laura Spencer, Social Media Manager and Leanne Jakubowski, Director of Social Media, do everything first class, so really I didn’t expect anything less than what was presented.   Disney as a company is impressive in their execution of excellence, but it’s the customer service that makes Disney stand apart from similar experiences.   From the bus drivers to the cast members who held the flashing light to always point us in the right direction, we were always taken care of.   When it was cold outside, we were given hand-warmers and heaters.  When it was dark, we were given flashlights.  When it was raining, we were given umbrellas.   Our comfort, safety and enjoyment were always the first priority of the cast members; I don’t think we could have asked for a better experience.

The Dinners, Parties and All-Out Fun

Oh, but it was not all work; we had time to play as well and let me tell you, when Disney throws a party, they know how to get down!  There was a DJ at every dinner and the kids were encouraged to dance and play.   The food was plentiful and tasty.  Here are some highlights from the different events:

Wednesday night was our first event at ESPN Wide World of Sports and WOW, it was fabulous.  The characters, dressed in sports gear, visited all the tables for photos.   The food was tail-gate fare (originally supposed to be served outside, but it was too cold) of burgers, hot dogs, make-your-own nachos, sausages and beer cheese soup.  Cracker Jacks and peanuts decorated the tables.  My daughter went wild for the display of cotton candy.   It was a really fun event and set the mood for all the fun yet to come.

Me & Laura Spencer

After a breakfast with Guy Kawasaki, we spent all day at Epcot with our families.  My family loves Japan in World Showcase; my daughter learned origami and we bought our favorite Japanese candy.  We also spent the day looking for hidden Mickeys; we found a really cool one in Epcot’s France.

Thursday night’s event was held outside at Epcot’s Future World and it was cold, but hand warmers and heaters kept us warm.  The food was prepared by–surprise!–Chef Robert Irvine from Food Network’s Dinner Impossible.   We had tasty little dishes inspired by the Disney Princesses; my favorites were the seafood shepherd’s pie (with lobster and scallops) and the cheesecake push-pops.   My daughter is a huge fan of this show and was so excited when Chef Irvine briefly took the stage to explain his dishes; we can’t wait to see the show when it airs on Food Network sometime in the spring.   After dinner we were treated to a concert by a new band, Allstar Weekend, winners of Disney’s Next Big Thing contest, before the big stars Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato took the stage.  The concert ended with fireworks.   It was a great ending to a fun day spent at Epcot.

Our last dinner party on Friday night was held after hours at Hollywood Studios.  Originally the event was supposed to be on the set of Lights! Motor! Action!, but  the rainy day forced the dinner inside.   Characters were present to dance with the kids while we dined on a buffet dinner.   But after dinner was when the fun really began because we had Toy Story Mania, one of the most popular rides at Disney World and easily a two hour wait in line, ALL TO OURSELVES!   Yes, that’s right, they opened up the ride just for our group!  My kids were so excited and even I entered the building screaming.  We ran in, grabbed our glasses and rode over and over again trying to beat our high scores, because guess what?–we could; there was no wait!  It was so much fun!   Across from the ride Buzz, Woody, Jessie and Bullseye were waiting just for us, to take photos and interact with the kids (and adults too–I was excited to see them!).  This was such a fun way to end the conference; as you can see from the photos, we had a blast.

Chris Brogan & my husband James

Chris & James battled; Chris won.

You can also check out this 12 second video of Chris and James on Toy Story Mania.

The Goodies

Ahh, the goodies; Disney gave freely and it was all good.  We got a big bag ‘o goodies when we checked-in: watches, a game kit, a blanket, a laptop bag and my favorite, a desktop box of post-it notes.   What can I say; I like post-it notes!    After the ESPN dinner we were given a really cute hat.  During the conference there were many raffles for gift baskets, purses, Build-A-Bears and the most coveted prize of all–an overnight stay in Cinderella’s Castle (insert copious oohs and aahs here).   Cinderella and Prince Charming themselves presented the golden key to the lucky winner, who, alas, wasn’t me.  What I wouldn’t give to stay in Cinderella’s suite!   During the conference we were given cute pink polar fleece jackets which really came in handy due to the cold weather, but also useful for identifying each other in the parks after the conference was over.   We also left the conference with a plush Mickey doll and a red sequined Mickey bag–both which my daughter took as her own.

Our conference fee included 7 day park hopper tickets, with add-ons like the water parks, miniature golf and Disney Quest.  While we didn’t use the water parks because it was too cold, my mom took my kids to Disney Quest on Friday while I was at the conference because it rained all day.   Having the park hopper tickets was fantastic and we did use them for the two days that we stayed after the conference as well; I wish that we would have been able to take advantage of the full seven days.

The park tickets were great.  The gifts were great.  But the ONE THING that made this trip over the top, the ONE GOODIE that was beyond fantastic, beyond fun and simply mind-blowing for my family was this baby right here:

Yes, it is unassuming, but I hope you understand the seriousness of this little white card: this media Fastpass allowed us to NOT WAIT IN LINE for any ride that had a Fastpass, which are all the most popular rides at Disney World.  Soarin‘, a 90 minute wait?  Not for us; we slipped in our card and bam! Fastpass tickets came out with times stamped for that very minute.   Expedition to Everest is out of Fastpasses for the day?  Not for us; we still get Fastpasses!  Because we never had to wait in line, I was able to talk my husband into riding all the roller coasters with me.  I usually ride by myself on family trips; he hasn’t ridden with me in over 10 years, but this time he rode them all.   I even talked my kids into riding Expedition to Everest (who normally don’t ride roller coasters);  my son loved it and my daughter still isn’t sure about how she feels.   Because of the Golden Ticket, as everyone at the conference took to calling it, my husband and I rode Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster for the first time together and loved it; we highly recommend it as a “must ride” attraction.

The Rest of My  Trip

My family stayed an extra two days after the Social Media Moms Celebration ended.  We moved out of the Polynesian resort to the Sheraton Safari; it was off-property but only a 10 minute drive into Disney World.  I was very nervous about staying off-property because I have never done it before and let me tell you, I will never do it again.   You would think a Sheraton would be nice, but the hotel was old, out-dated and the rooms were tiny;  it is not a place that I would recommend.  The only good thing about it was that we used my husband’s hotel points and we didn’t pay a dime.  I don’t think it was worth saving the money; although we had a car, we didn’t have the convenience of Disney transportation nor were we allowed Extra Magic Hours.  And I didn’t like being “out of the magic” and into the chaos of that section of Orlando.   My advice would be to stay on-property or if you elect to stay off-property, do your research.

Because we had the Golden Ticket, we were tired from the conference activities, we stayed off-property and it was freezing, we didn’t get up early and out to the parks like we normally do.   We were with the chaff, not the wheat as we prefer to be.  True, with the Golden Ticket we were King of the Chaff, but chaff nevertheless.   It was a busy week at Disney and lines were long for food and non-Fastpass rides.  My original mantra, “get to the park before it opens” still stands; it makes for a much less-crowded and more pleasant park-going experience.

Besides riding Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster for the first time and my family finally experiencing my favorite ride at Disney, Expedition to Everest, we used our limited time to experience our favorites.  Again, we didn’t see Indiana Jones at Hollywood Studios.  Next trip we have to do that, but it was just too cold this time.   We ate at Casey’s on Main Street in Magic Kingdom; eh, it was okay as is most of the food in that park.  We rode the ferry from Magic Kingdom’s Ticket & Transportation Center for the first time because the monorail was packed and we really liked it.    We were going to the park to see the Spectromagic Parade and caught the ferry just in time to view Wishes from the top deck; that was a nice vantage point to see the fireworks and highly recommended (although you do miss hearing the accompanied audio track).  As always Spectromagic was beautiful and magical; we were prepared for the cold with our new Disney blankets from the conference, but it wasn’t too bad that evening….not with all our layers: a short tee, long tee, hoodie, winter coat, hat and gloves.  I told you, it was freezing.

The Spectromagic Parade was a great way to end our magical 5 days at Disney World.  I am so happy that I was invited to attend the Social Media Moms Celebration and I hope that this is just the beginning of many other media opportunities for me at Disney World.   Me and The Mouse…we’re becoming tight.  :-)

*Full Disclosure: I was invited by Disney to attend the Social Media Moms Celebration.  While I did pay a fee for this opportunity, the total package of 3 nights hotel stay, meals and 7 day park tickets for my family of five was offered at a greatly reduced rate.  I paid for my own transportation to Disney World and all meals and accommodations after the end of the conference days.  All opinions expressed are my own.

I’ve just gotten back from the first ever Social Media Moms Celebration at Disney World and let me tell you that it was FABULOUS!  I’ll be writing about that later this week, but first I wanted to give you a few tips about planning your own vacation to Disney World—specifically how to save money.

My family has been to Disney World a few times and we plan to return often; it is one of our absolutely favorite vacation spots.  But as anyone who has been there knows, it is not an inexpensive vacation.   Fortunately, a little knowledge and research before your trip can help you save money.   I’ve taken a Disney vacation when money has not been a concern and I’ve been to Disney when I’m literally counting every penny that I spend.  In either case, I try to spend money on “the good stuff” and save money wherever I can.

Don’t pay for water.   Bring in your own water bottle.  This is by far one of the easiest ways to save money at Disney World.   A bottle of water in the parks can cost a few dollars, but if you bring in your own empty bottle and refill it throughout the day, you could save $12-$16 per day just in water alone.   Refilling a water bottle also cuts down on the consumption of soda.   The Florida sun is brutal and you need to keep hydrated, but it shouldn’t cost you money to do that.

Limit snacks.   Pack your own snacks such as pretzels or crackers to stave off hunger or boredom in line, but allow each person one Disney snack a day.   You’re on vacation after all and Disney World does have some fantastic snacks.  My family never leaves Magic Kingdom without having a Dole Whip.

In another park it might be the Mickey-shaped ice cream bar.  Epcot’s World Showcase is a great place to have a churro from Mexico, crepe from France or red bean ice cream from China and we always make sure to get a mango pie at Animal Kingdom.  We enjoy Disney snacks, but each person is only allowed one special snack per day.   By limiting my family to only one purchased snack a day, we can save $20 per day.  This tip not only saves us money, but it is healthier for our bodies as well.

Eat breakfast in your hotel room.   My family does take advantage of a few Disney breakfast buffets or character meals during our vacation, but most of our breakfast is consumed in the hotel room.  Either I bring food from home (we drive to Disney World) or go to the grocery store when we arrive.  Most Disney hotel rooms have a small refrigerator big enough for yogurt, juice and milk.  Add some cold cereal, fruit and bagels or muffins and that’s a complete breakfast.   Breakfast groceries for a week would cost about $50, while eating breakfast out every morning would be $200 or more for the week–and that’s just a quick counter meal breakfast.   A character breakfast or buffet costs my family $70 per meal, not including tax or tip.   Eating breakfast in our hotel room saves my family tons of money, but it also saves us time because we can eat and get dressed in shifts; we like getting to the parks early to beat the lines and heat.

Share a meal.   Disney World serves huge portions, especially at the table restaurants, so if you aren’t on the Dining Plan, share a meal.  Most of the time the meals are too much food for one person to eat anyway.  By sharing a meal, even just one meal a day, my family can save $175 over the course of a week’s vacation.

Check for special offers.   The official Disney World website is the place to find special offers for Disney World resorts and packages; the button is located on the upper right corner of the home page.  All of Disney’s officially advertised deals are here and depending on the time of the year, there can be some great deals to be had.   Last spring break vacation my family took advantage of the “Buy 4, Get 3 Free” offer and our hotel at Saratoga Springs, the Dining Plan and park tickets for 7 nights cost the same as 4 nights.  This saved us about $1,650.00 and because of the savings we were also able to stay in much nicer hotel than we had on a previous trip.

Let kids use their own money for souvenirs.   My kids often get money from relatives for Christmas and birthday presents, but really have nothing to spend it on at home.  Disney World is the perfect place to spend some Grandma Money.   What parent likes to deny their child–especially at Disney World?  But saying “yes” to every desire can really add up.  Kids are usually better consumers when they spend their own money and really think about their purchases instead of asking for everything that they see.

Buy souvenirs wisely.   Disney World is full of wonderful things to buy and your kids are going to want everything, but you should save your souvenir money for the good stuff.   Anything that you can buy in the mall at the Disney Store or Target back at home, don’t buy it at Disney World.   Instead, take advantage of the special items that only Disney sells.   Personalized mouse ears are always fun to buy.  My daughter loves going to Once Upon A Toy in Downtown Disney to buy new parts for her Mr. Potato.

Many of the gift shops outside of popular attractions have souvenirs related to that attraction.  For instance Tower of Terror has really neat hotel-related souvenirs and the gift shop at Star Tours is a perfect place for Star Wars fans.    Epcot’s World Showcase is a fun place to buy souvenirs from around the world.  My family’s favorite store is in Epcot’s Japan; we love Japanese candy and wind-up toys so this is where we spend our money.  It’s different, fun and not something that we can buy anywhere.

I hope that I’ve given you some tips about saving money on your next vacation to Disney World.  For a more detailed review of my trips to Disney World please read my 3 part series, How To Do Disney World Like Funkidivagirl.  You can read about all my Disney World experiences, including media events that I’ve been invited to, in the catergory T as in Tango: Disney World.   If you have any questions about Disney World, please leave me a comment and I will try to answer.

And come back later this week to read about my FABULOUS time at Disney’s Social Media Moms Celebration!

I’ve been VIP many times before in different arenas.  My uncle, being a bishop, gives me VIP status in certain church circles.  My husband, working most of his career in the music business, included me in many VIP events in that world.  Being backstage at a Will Smith concert is nice–don’t get me wrong–but I think that I’ve been spoiled forever by Disney VIP (sorry Will, but Mickey is The Man).   I’ve done Disney World the easy way (off-season and short lines) and the hard way (during Spring Break when the park was at such capacity that they shut it down and lines were 2 hours long), but I’ve never done Disney World VIP-style until now.  And I must say, it’s going to be very hard to go back to being a normal park-goer after the experience I just had!

My pass to VIP-dom.  I’m officially press!

Believe me, I was working; we were gone from about 7:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. everyday and moving fast the entire time, but there was plenty of fun and Disney magic in everything we did.

Let’s start with the people that I was so fortunate to be with during this fabulous experience.  Taking us on this whirlwind journey was Laura Spencer, Social Media Manager for Disney World.  She was our fearless (and hilarious) leader.  I met Laura at Blogalicious ‘09, but didn’t know just how wonderfully kooky she was until now.  Laura ran a tight ship, but provided plenty of laughter along the way; she loves her job and it shows.  Heather Murry and Darcie Maranich, both on the 2008 Disney World Moms Panel, were also on hand to share their wealth of Disney World knowledge.

Heather, Laura & Darcie

Besides myself, there were 7 other bloggers invited to Disney World (pictured below from left to right):

Lucinda Anderson Hughs, FrugalSocialite.com

Deveter Brown, Blackplanet.com

Angela Cooper, Hangingwithmrsacooper.blogspot.com

Onica Cupido, Blasianbabynotes.blogspot.com

Me: Sherrelle Kirkland-Andrews, Funkidivagirl.com

Lorraine Robertson, Askwifey.com

Tara Jefferson, Theyoungmommylife.com

Lashanda Henry, Blackparenting.blogspot.com

Lorraine is the only person that I knew before the trip, but by the end, I had made new friends.  We were the social media bunch; there was traditional media represented as well and we spent much of our time as one big group.   Here’s a group shot of almost everyone:

The magic started upon entering Animal Kingdom Lodge; I had been there before, but didn’t get to spend much time in the lobby.  The decor is incredible, the art work authentic and the animals outside were so fun to look at (I love animals).  African drummers can be found at numerous times of the day providing further ambience to the whole African safari-like experience.  We ate breakfast one day at one of the restaurants on site, Boma, and it was just as incredible as the dinner that I had there before.

And talking about meals…we had some incredible working lunches and dinners.  Well, we had to eat right?–And Disney made sure that we experienced some of the best they had to offer.  Our first dinner at Contemporary’s California Grill, one of Disney’s signature restaurants, set the tone for our VIP treatment.  Delicious food, special pumpkin cocktails and an incredible view of the sunset over Cinderella’s castle–well I can see why people come to this restaurant to celebrate anniversaries and other special occasions.

Lunch at Contemporary’s The Wave was so delicious, especially the appetizers that just kept streaming out: Five-Spice Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Lump Crab Cake, Pear and Midnight Moon Cheese Salad, Black Bean Chili with a Jalapeno Corn Muffin, Pepper-seared Tuna and Chicken-filled Summer Rolls; we barely had room for our entrees!  My Organic Beer Flight was a nice way to sample all 3 beers on the menu.  The staff was so attentive and gracious at The Wave; my parting gift of a Tinker Bell cup (with a green glowing Tink) made the experience that much more magical.

Breakfast at Pizzafari was one of my favorite meal because of the french toast served; cinnamon and sugar-coated deep-fried goodness with sliced bananas and syrup….OH MY!  It was so good that I only had one piece; I was afraid of eating anymore or else I wouldn’t ever stop.  I know some of the Disney World restaurant recipes are online and I have to find this one in order to make it at home; my family will love it.

Dinner at Cat Cora’s new restaurant Kouzzina very was good (I had a delicious appetizer of goat cheese grilled in a grape leaf) and the drinks were good too.  Laura had one of the fancy glowing martinis while everyone else yelled “Opa!” and slammed down ouzo (not me; I was too chicken).  Lorraine didn’t exactly like the taste of ouzo.

During dinner, cast member Brad talked to us about Disney’s new promotion for 2010: “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day.” Starting January 1st Disney is giving away 1 million park tickets to anyone who signs up to do community service through Hands on Network.  It’s a great way for a family (ages 6 & up) to give back to the community and earn a Disney park ticket as a reward.

As wonderful as our meals were at Disney World, that’s all the sitting we did because the rest of the time we were in and out of the parks (via the backstage secret VIP entrance…shhh!) experiencing so much of the World.  Vinnie, our wonderful driver, made sure we made it to each destination on time and in total comfort.

We toured several of Disney World’s properties to have a look at different accommodation choices: the new Bay Lake Tower at Contemporary Resort (very hip and modern, like a W Hotel), Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom Villas, All Star Music Resort Family Suites and Saratoga Springs Treehouse Villas.  The Treehouse Villas were my favorite because they were just so different; the 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and full kitchen would be perfect for a large family or an extended family enjoying a vacation together.

We had a special VIP experience in each Disney World theme park.  Our first stop was Disney’s Hollywood Studios where after viewing the show, we took a behind-the-scenes tour of The American Idol Experience.  Michael, our cast member guide, explained the whole audition process and showed us the Coke Lounge and producer offices.  Here I am, ready to make someone’s dreams come true:

Our time at Magic Kingdom began in newly updated Hall of Presidents; Disney imagineer Diego Parras talked to us about the incredible work that goes into making the Disney magic.  Disney has a patent on the audio-animatronic system and Hall of Presidents is a good place to see that magic in action; while the whole show was impressive, the figure and gestures of newly added President Obama was so very life-like.  Diego confirmed that it was the most technologically advanced of all the presidents represented.

Speaking about the whole imagineer experience, Diego explained how it is the mission of the Disney to create stories for guests to immerse themselves; therefore, imagineers have to immerse themselves as well.   For example, while creating Expedition Everest they went to Nepal and while creating Mission to Space they worked with Nasa.  Most of all, he said to be an imagineer you have to think outside the box and act like a kid.  Sounds like a ideal job description to me!

We were also in Magic Kingdom to enjoy Mickey’s Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party, a ticketed event independent of regular admission.  Guests were dressed in costumes, trick-or-treating was available at various candy stops and Halloween decorations were everywhere.

We took a quick ride on Pirates of the Caribbean–a perfect ride for a Halloween party–and then enjoyed the highlights of the night: Happy HalloWishes Fireworks and Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade, which we got to experience VIP-style on the top of the train station.   Hot chocolate and dessert buffet selections in hand, we saw 2 awesome shows from the perfect vantage point.  The parade starts with a run by a headless horseman–truly magical, but hard to catch on film.

Our dessert party at the train station.

The castle was as beautiful as ever all lit up and made for perfect photo-opps.  That’s me in the first photo and Laura and Jawn Murray in the next photo.

So, how about this for VIP treatment at Epcot: being whisked right off our private bus and ushered into fantastic seats at a Boyz II Men concert.  Seats so good that it was an easy catch of the roses tossed our way.

Boyz II Men looked and sounded great, but our interaction didn’t stop there at the concert; we met up with them later at a VIP dessert reception.  That’s Lucinda eating fruit like a good girl, while I ate cheesecake.

Me & Lorraine

Animal Kingdom wasn’t left out of our tour of Disney World; we had a private Kilimanjaro Safari aided by the commentary of cast member Ric.  Before the safari we saw where many of the animals lived backstage and learned about the conservation efforts of Animal Kingdom such as how the safari trucks run on propane and cast members park their cars to ride bikes throughout the grounds.  As we viewed the animals Ric was a wealth of knowledge and answered all of our questions; we were so fortunate to have his expertise at our disposal.  First thing in the morning is the best time to catch the animals awake and they didn’t disappoint; they posed for photos graciously.  I think the lioness was waiting for a movie deal, she was so picturesque, and the rhino got so close to our truck that I’m not sure if that was a welcoming sign or a scare tactic.

Disney World made sure that we had many different wonderful and magical experiences, but the main reason we were there was for the debut of Princess Tiana, Disney’s newest and first African American princess and star of The Princess and the Frog.  The excitement started with this bag left in our rooms the night before the big media event:

Princess Tiana made her debut in Magic Kingdom with a processional and official welcoming ceremony.  Besides our crew, there were several media outlets present to cover this exciting event.

I was professionally taking photos and video of the ceremony, but I was positively giddy with excitement (maybe that’s why the camera is so shaky)!

I have more photos (of when I got to meet Princess Tiana!) and video, but that will be my next post.

I truly enjoyed doing Disney World VIP-style!  Not only did I get to be present for a historical Disney event with the debut of Princess Tiana, I got to have many other amazing Disney experiences and met some wonderful new friends as well.  Two more things made this trip fabulous.  First, when I asked Laura if we could stop our fast moving train for a refreshing Dole Whip, not only did she oblige, but she treated the whole crew!  I love her for that!  It’s my favorite snack in all of Disney World and no trip is complete to me without indulging.

And lastly, I left Disney World on a very high note.  Lorraine and I managed to squeeze in a ride on Expedition Everest right before we left for the airport (no VIP this time, but luckily there were no lines because we were really pushing our luck).

It was her first time riding and as you will see, she loved it.

And that’s how you say good-bye to Disney World, with screams of joy and lots of laughter!  Woo-hoo!

*Continue reading about my trip to Disney World in the blog post Princess Tiana Has Arrived.

*Full Disclosure: I was invited to Disney World as “media” for the debut of Princess Tiana.  My entire trip was paid for by Disney (hotel accommodations, flight, transfers and meals).

*As anyone who has traveled through the nation’s busiest airport knows, “T is For Tango” refers to the Concourse T stop on the airport train.

*If you missed our road trip entertainment on the way to Disney World, you can see it here.

After a fun-filled week at Walt Disney World we are back home and I’m very grumpy.  It was a hard re-entry for me both physically (the exhaustion finally settled in) and mentally (back to reality).  This morning my husband told me to go find my Mickey ears and put them on because I needed to get out of my funky mood.  

 

I experienced my first Disney theme park (Disneyland) when I was five years old and have very vivid memories of having a great time.   But living in the Midwest for most of my childhood, I didn’t go back to Disneyland until I went to college on the West Coast and then I would go several times a year.  Often I went to Disneyland on a whim if I was having a bad day and it never failed to cheer me up.

 

But as much as I loved Disneyland and as many times as I had been, I had never been to Walt Disney World and I was just dying to go.  I figured, if I had so much fun in the “land”, well the “world” had to be even more fun!  When we moved to Atlanta in 2003 and I found out that Disney World was only a 7 hour drive away, I began plotting and planning.   My daughter’s 5^th birthday in October of 2006 was the perfect excuse.

 

So we went on a four day vacation for her birthday and had such a blast that we couldn’t wait to go again.  It took a few years, but finally we made it back to Disney World for the entire spring break vacation last week.  This time we were able to experience more and move around easier without a stroller and mandatory naptimes. 

 

Disney World can be tons of fun or a nightmare vacation, depending on how well you plan both in the logical sense and mentally as well.   If you don’t like Disney as a brand or the Disney characters, really don’t even bother going.   It will be a very expensive waste of time for you; Disney World is not for cynics.  The people who enjoy Disney World the most are the ones who can suspend belief and get into the spirit of the place.  Even if you don’t ride a single ride at Disney World you can have a great time just being “in the magic”.

 

Trust me when I say that Disney World is not a place that you roll up to without a plan!  Your plan can be loose or it can be airtight, but you need some sort of plan because Disney World can be overwhelming.   Besides the books and websites that I will recommend, you have me, Funkidivagirl, to help you!

Our touring of Disney World was based on my kids’ ages, our interests, likes and dislikes (or fears) and my many trips to Disneyland.  We haven’t ridden every ride or seen every attraction; sometimes we didn’t have time or it just wasn’t of interest to us.  My husband doesn’t like birds, so we didn’t see anything related to birds and I’m the only one in my family who rides fast roller coasters.  Despite our quirks, I hope that reading about our experience will help make your Disney vacation fun, (relatively) stress-free and most of all, magical.

 

PLANNING

Walt Disney World, while tons of fun and really one of my favorite places to vacation, is quite a beast to plan.  I don’t go anywhere without some sort of research and planning and Disney World was no exception.  I read books, surfed websites, lurked on forum boards and read endless reviews.  Now, I admit that I am kind of crazy about it because I like to always be well informed, but even I was overwhelmed with all the information.   Finally I was able to put together a good plan for our 2006 trip, test it in the field, take notes and use that knowledge for our latest trip. 

A good book to read is The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and the accompanying website, touringplans.com.    The official Walt Disney World website, disneyworld.com, is good for general planning or booking your vacation, but it doesn’t give detailed information on each ride, attraction, hotel and restaurant like allears.net, which is my go-to website for all Disney World information.  Mousesavers.com is a great website dedicated to saving money at Disney World.

 

When planning what parks to see on what days, look at the Crowd Calendar in The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World or on touringplans.com.  On the off-season it really doesn’t make a difference, but during the busy season it can.  Also, the book recommends that if this is your first time at Disney World (and you are traveling with kids) to see Epcot before Magic Kingdom.  I agree with this because Magic Kingdom is the best and the most magical and my opinion, Epcot is the least; if your kids see Magic Kingdom first then they will expect every park to be like that and they aren’t.   But of course some kids are just dying to go to Magic Kingdom and won’t rest until they do, so you may not have a choice but to see it first.

Next, if you are staying on Disney property, see what parks have Extra Magic Hours on which days.  If you are willing to get up that early or stay that late for the Magic Hours, plan your park days accordingly.  You can find out the Extra Magic Hours on disneyworld.com or allears.net.

 

By now you should have a rough itinerary of your days at the park and you can make reservations for table service restaurants.   If you plan on eating at quick-service restaurants for your whole vacation, then you don’t have to bother with this step, but I would encourage you to have at least a few restaurant meals.  For the most part Disney World has the normal quick service food—burgers, fries, chicken strips—and it can get old very fast and quite frankly it isn’t very good.   But the restaurants at Disney World have very good food and we’ve had fantastic food experiences at several places.   During the off-season you may be able to walk up to a restaurant and get a last-minute reservation, but during a busy season the reservations fill up very quickly.  I made our reservations about a week before leaving home and I had a hard time getting the places and times that I wanted; it is best to call for reservations as soon as possible (up to 90 days before your vacation), especially for the more popular restaurants.

 

Right now is good place to say a word about the Disney Dining Plan:  On our first trip we didn’t have the Dining Plan, but we did on our last trip as part of a vacation package along with the hotel and park tickets.   Comparing the two trips, I think we saved money with the Dining Plan, which is $39.99 per adult (anyone over age 10, so that’s 3 adults for us) and $10.00 per child per day.  Each day included a quick service meal (drink, entrée and dessert), a table service meal (drink, entrée and dessert) and a snack (drink, ice cream, pretzel, popcorn, etc).  Considering that an entrée or buffet at a table service restaurant can easily run $26 for adults or $10 for a kids’ meal, it’s a good deal if you like to eat in restaurants (and we do).   Since we paid for the Dining Plan up front before leaving home, it made our vacation feel all-inclusive and we didn’t have to think about how much we were spending on food.

 

However, there are a few drawbacks to the Dining Plan.  First of all, it’s a lot of food!  Some days, especially if we had a big table service lunch, we didn’t even feel like eating dinner, but we did anyway.  Also, it is way too much dessert (two a day!) and since we had already paid for it, we felt compelled to eat it (most desserts were excellent, but still that’s too much).   And having a snack everyday was too much as well, although you can use it for water (we didn’t; we had snacks).   

 

All in all, if you are foodies like we are and enjoy eating at least one good meal everyday in a restaurant, then the Disney Dining Plan is a good option.  Right now Disney is offering the Dining Plan for free if you book a vacation package for select travel dates so it’s a perfect time to try it; check out disneyworld.com for details.

 

WHAT TO PACK

Depending on what time of year you go, it can be very hot in Florida.  When we went in October, it was much hotter than I had anticipated and I should have packed tank tops for us.    Conversely, one of the days during our April vacation was freezing cold and we didn’t have the proper clothes at all.  If you are going in the fall or spring, I would be ready for any kind of weather and pack shorts, jeans, tank tops, short-sleeve tees, a long-sleeved tee and a few hoodies.   A couple of umbrellas and rain ponchos will come in handy if it rains (and it often does).   I bought a small Coach purse for our first Disney World trip that I used to hold my phone, Flip camcorder, camera, driver’s license, lipgloss and Key to the Kingdom card (hotel key, park admission and Dining Plan all in one).  I saw that many people had the same purse as well and it was perfect for touring the parks all day.  It’s an older version of this purse:

Of course the smaller your children, the more stuff you have to carry into the park with you.  In contrast to our first trip when my daughter was younger, we didn’t have much to take in the parks this time at all.  And it was soooo nice not having to deal with a stroller!  But since I didn’t have one, I was really annoyed with the people who did; they slowed me down, man!

 

SURVIVING IN THE PARKS

I hate to put it like that, “surviving”, but walking around all day in the parks can wreck havoc on your feet, your legs and really your whole body.  This is the first tip: wear athletic shoes.  These are the shoes I wore:

I know, I know, so unfashionable!   I just made sure that all photos taken of me were from the ankles up!  You will never see me in athletic shoes unless I am exercising; otherwise I will wear Converse, Vans or Ed Hardy gym shoes–all very fashionable, but not a good choice for walking around Disney World.   It was really hard for me to sacrifice fashion for comfort, but it was more than comfort, it was survival.   Flip-flops are not even an option (although we saw plenty of people torturing their feet this way).  I actually saw a mother reprimand her daughter for climbing on a rock because she could slip while wearing her flip-flops.   My kids mostly wear Converse at home, but I bought them cushioned sole Nikes for the trip. I wish we would have thought to buy gel inserts for our shoes; I would recommend those for sure.

Stretching in the morning, while waiting in line at the parks and again at night will go a long way to help keep your muscles limber; a little yoga  also would be great.  And we should have used the hot tub more to un-kink our body at the end of the day; if you have a hot tub where you are staying, use it.

And finally you need a sense of humor.  All that excitement, the crowds, the heat, different hunger times, energy levels and bathroom stops–someone is bound to break down at some point during the day and it can either be funny or disastrous.  We did have a breakdown or two, but for the most part we used humor to keep the stress level down.

 

TOURING TIPS

*My tips are assuming that you want to experience the attractions (movies, live shows and rides) at Disney World.  If you are there to soak up the atmosphere—and that could be a very nice vacation—then you don’t really need touring tips; just wake up, pick a park and go at it.  But if you want to experience the attractions and get as much Disney fun out of your vacation as possible, then these tips should help you have a more enjoyable time.

Our first trip in 2006 was off-season in October; by using the touring plan that I made and getting to the parks early, our average wait for a ride was 5 minutes and the longest we waited was 15 minutes.  It was heavenly and made for a very relaxing trip, but we didn’t know how good it was until this last trip when the average wait for a ride was at least 70 minutes and stretched even to 200 minutes for the most popular rides.   Disney World was at full capacity and several times they quit admitting guests to Magic Kingdom by late afternoon; it was the busiest time EVER to go to Disney World.

 

My first piece of advice would be to not go during the busy season, which is around any school holiday and in the summer.   If that is not an option or you want to go anyway (like we did this spring break, knowing that it would be crowded), then the next piece of advice is to get to the park as early as you can—before it opens–and use the Extra Magic Hours if you qualify.  The days that we got to the park 30 minutes before it opened and rode the most popular rides first, it was a more enjoyable day.  The days that we slept in and got to the park in the afternoon, the lines for the rides were crazy long and in some cases there weren’t even any FastPasses left.  

 

I don’t want to scare you or make it seem like an exercise in military boot-camp, it is a vacation after all!  It’s okay to have late arrival days—we did a few times because getting up early and staying up late burned us out after a few days—just know that you will be with the crowds.  Or as my family said, getting there early “separated the wheat from the chaff.”  Honestly the days that we were “wheat” were the best because we experienced all the attractions that we wanted without a long wait or crowds (or the hot Florida sun!) and by early afternoon we were just cruising around or soaking up the atmosphere.   The days that we were “chaff” we had to really adjust our attitude to embrace the huge crowds, the hot sun and be willing to stand in long lines.  After being both “wheat” and “chaff”, my family much prefers to be “wheaties.”

If you get there early and experience the popular rides first, in theory you can take a long afternoon break back at your hotel for a swim or nap and then come back out to the parks in the late afternoon/evening.   Every book that you will read will recommend this and it is a good idea.  I say “in theory” because my kids didn’t want to do that on this trip.  When we went in 2006 we built in late afternoon naps for my daughter (and husband).  Here they are passed out in Magic Kingdom:

But in the last couple of years my daughter has stopped taking naps and refused to even stop and rest.    If you have kids like mine, bring along a few distractions like a coloring book and crayons (my son had his iPhone to play with), so when YOU have to take a rest at the parks for an hour, they have something to do.  Also, if you are on vacation for more than four days, build in a non-park day midway through to just hang around the hotel, swim or visit Downtown Disney; even high energy kids like mine hit a wall about on day three and needed a break from the parks. 

 

And my last piece of advice—and I can’t stress this enough—is to have a plan. Having experienced both extremes, I can say that while it is nice to have a plan during the off-season, it is absolutely mandatory during the busy season.  Research what the most popular attractions are, what appeals to you and plan accordingly.  In general, if you get there before the park opens, get in line or FastPass the most popular attractions first, then by late morning you can see the least popular/crowded attractions at a leisurely pace and in any order that you please.

 

Let me give you two examples where the plan saved us: 

On our first trip in 2006, I knew through research that Tower of Terror was one of the most popular rides at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  Remember, this was my first time in Disney World, so even though I had done my research, it was still all theory to me.   But I heeded advice and we were at the park early and standing at the end of main street 15 minutes prior to the rest of the park opening.   Of course there was a large crowd with us as well and we could feel the pulsing energy and instinctively knew that we had better be ready.  Since only my son and I were riding, we took our place and as soon as the park announcer gave the word, we were off!  I had never seen anything like it; people would have ran if they could have, but there were Disney employees in front of us and they made us walk behind them all the way to the ride.   As crazy as that was, it was also fun and we literally walked right onto that ride; we were the first people to ride that day.  What a thrilling way to start the day!

 

On this last trip there was a new attraction, Toy Story Mania, that while I hadn’t heard too much about, I knew enough to go there first.  Once again we were there before the park opened—this time in freezing weather—but since it was so crowded we didn’t go to the Toy Story Mania line, but to the FastPass line instead.  Even with getting there so early, our FastPass wasn’t until hours later!  The people who came to the park late in the day couldn’t even get a FastPass and had a stand-by wait of 200 minutes.

 

And here’s an example of when we didn’t follow the plan:

This last trip was our first time going to Epcot, so I had no point of reference other than research, but I knew that both Soarin’ and Test Track were popular rides.  The plan was to send the rest of the family to Test Track to get in line while I got FastPasses for Soarin’.  Well, I had no idea how big Epcot was (so much bigger than the other parks), how popular Soarin’ was or that it was located inside a pavilion on the bottom level.  I sped-walked to the pavilion (along with a huge crowd), got inside and just became overwhelmed when I saw the rush of people going down the escalator to Soarin’.  So I left without getting the FastPasses and walked way on the other side of the park to find my family at Test Track.  I later found out that I had made a big mistake.  As we eventually found our way back to the pavilion and got FastPasses for much later in the evening, we had to re-route our whole day to accommodate the late time.  In other parks it’s not such of a big deal because there is less distance between attractions, but at Epcot criss-crossing the park or doubling-back can be a long endeavor.

 

Your touring plan can be as detailed or simple as you want, just have one (of course allowing for flexibility in park crowd conditions, weather and the temperament of your crew).   Touringplans.com has several touring plans already for different situations or you can make your own on their website (for a small fee; that’s what I did).  You can also just type up what you want to do in a Word doc or circle what you want to see on a park map.  Just being familiar with the park layout, reading up on some of the attractions and knowing what’s popular (and potentially crowded) can go a long way towards being prepared.  

 

Are you planning your Walt Disney World vacation yet or did I scare you?  In parts 2 and 3 I talk about our experience at the different Disney World Parks: the attractions, food, what we liked and what we didn’t.   But if you have a specific question, leave a comment and I’ll put on my “ears” and answer you back!

*As anyone who has traveled through the nation’s busiest airport knows, “T is For Tango” refers to the Concourse T stop on the airport train.

 

You’re back!  That means that I didn’t scare you off in my last blog post about Disney World and you are ready to learn even more!  This is all the fun stuff: what to ride, what to see and what to eat.

Before I begin telling you about our experiences at the different Disney World parks, a note about MEEETING CHARACTERS.

If you have a child between the ages of 3-6, meeting the Disney characters may be high on their list of priorities.   Since our first trip to Disney World was for my daughter’s 5^th birthday, we tailored much of the trip around her wishes and hunting down characters was a good part of each day.  I’m not going to lie; it’s a huge time-suck.  The characters are very gracious and talk to, take photos with and sign each child’s autograph book.  As charming as this is, as you can imagine, it takes forever.

To cut down on standing in line as much as possible, research where the characters congregate in each park and get there early (although many characters roam around, each park does have a specific character meet-and-greet place).   Another good way to hit a bunch of characters at once is to attend a character meal.  At any one meal there could be 4-6 characters.  Allears.net has a list of all the character meals and it is recommended that reservations be made early.   I’ll write more about the character meals that we attended in my next blog post.

Since we exhausted meeting many of the Disney characters on our first trip (and have the autographs and photos to prove it), my daughter didn’t express interest in talking to them again; she was happy to wave at them from afar.  As for me, as long as I saw Mickey at least once, I was good–and he blew me a kiss during a parade.   He knows I’m a fan!

DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM

This was our first trip to Animal Kingdom and our first day at Disney World, so we were anxious to explore.  It’s not a terribly large park and is easily explored in one day, although we did return another day for a couple of hours.  It was very crowded and like most of the Disney parks, the beauty is in the details—which is hard to see with so many people.  Our second time there it was not as crowded and we were able to appreciate all the small details that made everything seem so authentic in “Africa” and “Asia.”

 

RIDES & ATTRACTIONS

Kilimanjaro Safaris: This was the first thing on our touring plan of Animal Kingdom as it is one of the more popular attractions.  The whole family really enjoyed the safari ride!  The (real) animals are right there outside the vehicle and several times the jeep was stopped because an animal was crossing the road.  On the second safari my family said that a giraffe was right next to the jeep!  I really liked seeing the lions.  This is a must-see attraction.

These animals are about 10 feet away from our jeep.

It’s Tough to be a Bug!: Disney does 3-D movies very well and this one didn’t disappoint; we all liked it.  I won’t give too many details so as not to ruin it, but be sure to see it.  We practically walked right into the movie and all day whenever I passed by, I didn’t see more than a 15 minute wait.  But even if you have to wait a bit, looking at the carvings in the Tree of Life is fascinating. 

 This is the Tree of Life far away:

This is a close-up:

Dinosaur: This was our first ride in DinoLand U.S.A. and I think after that my daughter was done with dinosaurs.  While not really scary, the ride is mostly in the dark with roaring dinosaurs popping out here and there.  It’s not something that we would ride again as my daughter didn’t like it and it wasn’t exciting or charming enough for the rest of us.  But it’s worth riding at least once.

 

Primeval Whirl: We all got in line to ride this and my daughter barely made the height requirement.  However when we got ready to ride, she refused to get on and waited with my husband while The Boy and I rode.  It was okay; a small carnival type roller coaster with spinning as the main source of excitement. 

 

Tricera Top Spin: A dinosaur version of the Dumbo ride at Magic Kingdom and completely harmless.  My family rode while I went to check out Expedition Everest (Which was so packed that I turned around and didn’t even get a FastPass. It was another big mistake I made of not following the plan; I wouldn’t be able to ride that day).

 

The Boneyard: This is a playground/climbing structure in DinoLand U.S.A. and my daughter wasn’t even remotely interested so we left without exploring.  It looked fun though and gives parents a chance to rest.

 

Kali River Rapids: I had read that this ride gets you really soaked, so we brought our rain ponchos (I am not a fan of walking around soaking wet for the rest of the day).  We were not the only ones in line with ponchos on either; most veteran riders had on some kind of protection.  I even bought small trash bags to put over my shoes because wearing wet socks is one of my biggest pet peeves.  And yes, if we hadn’t had on our ponchos, we would have gotten soaked!   At first my daughter was afraid, but it isn’t scary at all and she had fun; any kid can ride. 

 *A tip: the “dry” compartment that is used to store your personal belongings so that they don’t get wet is in fact full of water and not at all water-tight.  It would be a good idea to put your phone, camera, etc in a Ziploc bag first.

 

Expedition Everest–Legend of the Forbidden Mountain: Like I said, I missed out the first time we were in Animal Kingdom, but we went back on our last day specifically so that I could ride this roller coaster (I rode alone; the rest of the family road the Safari again).  I had to stand in line for 60 minutes because there wasn’t enough time to get a FastPass, but it was worth it.   A good part of the line is outside, which would be brutal on a really hot day (they have fans, so that should tell you something), but once the line moved inside it was really quite interesting to look at all the props in the “yeti museum”.   I was nervous because you can see from the outside that the roller coaster has a big hill to climb, but I was also excited.  What a blast!  The roller coaster is thrilling, like all roller coasters, but in an unexpected way.  And it is just so well done that I enjoyed just looking around at all the details (when I wasn’t screaming or laughing).  This is one of my new favorite rides and I will be riding again for sure!  As for kids, if they are tall enough and brave, then give it a shot.   There were definitely young kids on the ride, but my kids would have lost their minds on the climb up the hill (you can see the whole park).

*If this is your kids’—or your–first time riding roller coasters, try this: ride Big Thunder Mountain at Magic Kingdom.  Was it okay?  Then ride Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom.  Still okay?  Then ride Expedition Everest.   If that didn’t break a sweat then maybe they could even ride Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Holllywood Studios (the biggest roller coaster at Disney World; I haven’t ridden it yet).

 

Finding Nemo—The Musical: In general, the shows at Disney World are great and we try to see as many as we can.   We weren’t stressed to see this show, but we walked by when there was little wait and also we were hot and tired by now and could use a sit-down.  Many of Disney’s theaters are built so that you will have a good view from any angle, but this was not the case here and we were in the very back of the theater.  I don’t know if it was because we couldn’t see very well or because we’ve seen Finding Nemo a million times (although I really like the movie), but most of us thought that this was just okay and actually boring.   And it’s really too long.  My son fell asleep and my husband tried to.   My daughter didn’t seem to like it or dislike it.  Maybe I didn’t like it because it’s very similar to Voyage of The Little Mermaid at Hollywood Studios–which I liked a lot–but really how many of these things can you see before they all blend together?  My recommendation is to see it if you really like Nemo or just want to sit down (and get there early for a seat up front), but skip it if you are pressed for time.

 

Festival of The Lion King:  This show, in contrast to Nemo, is very high energy and really spectacular; there was no falling asleep in this show!  We did have a bit of a wait (15 minutes), but there really isn’t a bad seat, so you can even slide in at the last minute if there’s availability.   Really this show is Disney at it’s best and in my opinion one the best things in the park, so don’t miss it.

 

Pangani Forest Exploration Trail and Maharaja Jungle Trek:  These are “zoo walks” and basically you look at animals like you would in any zoo.  Honestly this part of Animal Kingdom was not that appealing to us because we go to the zoo all the time in Atlanta and saw many of the same animals; we breezed through.   We only stopped for a time to look at the bats because I thought that they were fascinating and had never seen a bat so close (we were really close; there were only wooden slats keeping the bats in, no glass).   My family did not share my fascination.  And the tigers were cool; the ones in Atlanta are always hiding.

 

 

We did not see: Flights of Wonder (my husband doesn’t do birds), anything in Rafiki’s Planet Watch or the characters in Camp Minnie-Mickey (my daughter wasn’t interested).

 

PARADES

Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: I am not a big fan of parades, but on our way out the park I happened to find a shady space for us to enjoy our ice cream and it was the perfect spot to view the parade starting in five minutes.  I’m glad that we stayed because this was a really good parade with African masks and good music; it’s worth seeing.

 

FOOD

Flame Tree Barbeque: This was the most recommended counter service restaurant in Animal Kingdom.  My son had the ribs and I had the chicken; both were very good, very flavorful, but my husband didn’t care for the pulled pork sandwich.  I liked that the kids’ menu had baked chicken instead of the usual chicken nuggets. 

Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes: For a snack we had chicken fried rice and egg rolls and both were great, but the best thing there is the mango pie.  Yum!  It has the consistency of key lime pie, but with a mango flavor.  It was so good that my son was scheming to get back there all week for more mango pies.   When we finally made it back, the joke was on us when we read the package and saw that the pies are made here in Smyrna, Georgia at Kenny’s Great Pies!

 

SHOPPING

The gift shops in Asia and Africa have great souvenirs from those countries.  I liked (and bought) cute leopard print mouse ears for myself. 

In general I have found that while shopping in Disney World, if you see something in one place, don’t expect to see it elsewhere; get it when and where you see it because you might not see it again.   For instance, many of the rides exit out into a gift shop and sell souvenirs specific that ride, like pirate gear, Star Wars toys or Muppet tee shirts; it will be hard to find that merchandise anywhere else.

 

TOURING TIPS

Get there early; the Disney characters welcome you into the park when it opens and it’s cute.  Pick either Kilimanjaro Safaris or Expedition Everest to see first and go straight there as these are the most popular rides.  Or FastPass one and see the other.  It’s a good idea to ride Kali River Rapids early also or use  FastPass.  Other than those 3 rides, seeing the rest of the park is pretty chill.

 

OTHER THINGS WE LIKED/DISLIKED AND FINAL THOUGHTS

Don’t miss the monkeys on an island in Asia.  If you are walking by quickly you might not think that they are real, but they are and really funny to watch.

Animal Kingdom was cool; not our favorite park, but worth visiting again if only to ride Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest and see Festival of The Lion King.  Dinoland U.S.A., in my opinion, should have been left out and instead another “country” should have been put in its place with real animals (not extinct ones).   As you can see, we did a lot; we were there at 8:00 a.m. and left about 4:30 p.m., so this in an easy park to do in one day.  Animal Kingdom is a nice park to just roam around leisurely.  It’s very well done and very beautiful, but since we already visit the zoo so much, it wasn’t that exciting overall for us.   On future trips I’m sure that we will make it a half-day tour and just hit the highlights.

 

DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

This was our second time at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (it was called MGM Studios the first time we visited) and we were excited to go back.  We all really enjoy this park because the theme of old Hollywood is so well done.  Besides the great attractions, this is just a fun park to walk around.  It’s easy to navigate and not very big at all; you can tour this park in one day.  Also, since many of the attractions are shows, you’re often sitting down and exerting less energy; Hollywood Studios won’t leave you exhausted.

Check out the shirts! We made these on Zazzle.com.

 

RIDES & ATTRACTIONS

The Great Movie Ride:  Set inside a replica of Grauman’s Chinese Theater, it’s not really a “ride” as much as a tour of classic movie scenes.   We all like this ride and it’s a must-do for us at Hollywood Studios. 

 

The American Idol Experience:  This is a new show at Hollywood Studios and our first time experiencing it.  The stage looks just like the real Idol set and the audience votes for real park guests who have signed up to compete.  It was fun watching the singers and voting; we would do that again.

Sounds Dangerous: We happened upon this “movie” right before the park was closing and ducked in because we had nothing better to do—and it looked intriguing.  I put “movie” in quotes because really I don’t know what to call this attraction.   I know; I’ll call it stupid.  We all agreed that attraction is a waste of space and needs to be dismantled; it was our one disappointment with Hollywood Studios.  Please, do not waste your time seeing this.

 

Star Tours:  A favorite ride from Disneyland, this is a must-do for us.  This flight simulation is just fun enough for the thrill-seekers, but not too scary for the timid riders. 

 

Muppet Vision 3D:  I’m a big fan of The Muppets and they are just as hilarious in this 3D movie as they are on the old TV show.

 

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure: This is a fun playground filled with very large items (to make your kids seem small).  My kids had fun in 2006 playing while the parents took a rest.  We skipped it on the last trip because it was freezing the day we visited.

 

 

Lights, Motors, Action! Exteme Stunt Show:  In 2006 my husband and son saw this while I sat with my daughter who napping in her stroller; they both loved it so much that they couldn’t wait to share it with Girly and me on this last trip.   It’s a great car stunt show for the whole family and a must-see attraction.

*Tip: The show is outside and 33 minutes long; the front part of the audience sits in the sun while those in the back sit in the shade—plan according to your tolerance for heat.

After the show don’t miss walking around Streets of America; tell me this doesn’t look just like New York City.  (Except maybe the sidewalk is too clean.)     

Studio Backlot Tour: This is a walking and riding tour about how things work in the movies (like making it rain or having a set catch on fire).   Eh, it was so-so; we saw it 2006 and did not feel the need to see it again on this last trip.  But if this is your first trip to Hollywood Studios, then you should experience this attraction.

 

Toy Store Midway Mania!: This is a new attraction and one of the most popular rides in the park.  This was our first time riding it and now we know why it’s so popular—it’s so much fun!   Even though we had a FastPass, we had a small wait and got to experience some of the waiting area, which is very fun and filled with Toy Store toys.  We really wanted to ride this again, but the FastPasses were gone early and the stand-by line was incredibly long.  We are riding this for sure on our next trip!

 

Journey Into Narnia: Prince Caspian:  My family blamed me for this one because I talked them into seeing this attraction.  It’s sort of a movie trailer and sort of an exhibit, but none of it is worth seeing; do not waste your time.

 

Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream:  In 2006 my husband enjoyed this short film and self-guided tour of Walt’s life, but the rest of us were just trying to get out the sun.  He tried to convince us to see it again on this last trip, but to no avail.  It’s worth seeing if you need shade, want a quiet activity or interested in learning about the man behind the dream.

 

Voyage of The Little Mermaid:  My daughter and I really liked this show, but my husband and son can’t comment because they fell asleep.  In their defense, it takes place in a cool, dark “cave” and it was a welcome respite from the heat.   But it’s a good show, very popular and worth seeing.

 

The Magic of Disney Animation:  We sat through this in 2006 because The Incredibles characters were waiting to be seen afterwards.  It was interesting, but I wouldn’t have chosen to see it if not for The Incredibles and we won’t be seeing it again.

 

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror:  Besides Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, this ride is the most intense ride at Disney World.  Disney describes it as “dropping 13 stories at random, into another dimension.” 

In How To Do Disney World Like Funkidivagirl: Part 1, you read how my son and I were in the first group of people to ride Tower of Terror that day.   Did I mention that my son doesn’t ride scary or intense rides?   He sort of got bamboozled because we literally walked on the ride and he didn’t have time to freak out.  He will tell you now, if he knew what he was getting into, he would have run the other way!  He was literally speechless when we exited the ride while he pulled himself back together.  I agree; it was the most intense ride that I have ever ridden and I ride practically anything.   It’s not like, “Whee!  This is thrilling, but I’m having so much fun!”  It’s more like, “What have I done?!?  Lord, I promise to be good if you get me off here alive!”   And just when you think that you can’t take anymore, the ride drops again—and again!  But it was not just terrifying; it was so well done and I was really impressed!  Even though we breezed through the line in the “hotel”, I could see how incredible it was.  Wow!—Disney outdid themselves with this ride!  If you can stand it, I encourage you to experience Tower of Terror because it’s unlike anything else.   Once was good enough for me; I didn’t ride it again on this last trip and I’m not sure if I ever will.

We did not see: Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectaular! (we tried three times unsuccessfully to get a seat),  Playhouse Disney—Live on Stage (it  is for younger children),  Beauty and the Beast—Live on Stage (no one was interested), Block Party Bash, HSM3 (we weren’t nearby) or  Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith  (no one will ride with me and I need a buddy to brave this ultra-fast loop de loop roller coaster).  

NIGHTTIME ENTERTAINMENT

Fantasmic:  I love how Disney makes up words!  Fantasmic is a nighttime show that is also shown in Disneyland, but it is much more dynamic at Disney World.   Live actors, Disney characters, special effects and lasers make this one of the best things to see in all of Disney World and a definite must-see for us again and again.  Truly spectacular!

 

FOOD

Hollywood Studios has the normal, predictable counter-service food, but for the second time we ate at 50’s Prime Time Café and for the second time we loved it.  The décor is reason enough to eat there because you’re eating in “Mom’s” 1950’s kitchen complete with black & white televisions. 

To make it even more fun the wait-staff are in character as well; our waitress made a man at another table stand in the corner because he kept putting his elbows on the table.  The food is delicious—just like Mom’s.  The meatloaf and chicken pot-pie were very good, but the pot roast is what you need to order—fantastic!  Milkshakes to wash it all down and s’mores for dessert make this a yummy and very filling meal.

SHOPPING

The shops on Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards are great; some of them are dedicated to movie paraphernalia  and there’s a fun “villain” shop as well.  If you ride Tower of Terror you have to get a souvenir from the the gift shop as a reminder of your survival; they have really cool “hotel” items like soap and robes.

 

TOURING TIPS

Because Hollywood Studios is a small park, if it is crowded you feel it and lines form quickly.   Therefore, during the busy season it’s best to have a plan if you want to see the popular attractions.  Get there early and head straight for either Toy Story Midway Mania! or Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster if you are brave (FastPass one and ride the other; they are right next to each other).   Star Tours, The Great Movie Ride and Voyage of The Little Mermaid are popular too.  You shouldn’t have too much of a wait for other attractions; FastPass the ones that you can and come back later to the crowded ones.   Since the park isn’t that big, it’s not hard to double-back to attractions. 

The rest of your touring depends on the shows that you want to see; pick up a Times Guide when you enter and plan your day according to show times.   Most shows fill quickly so on a crowed day it may be a good idea to grab a snack and be in line 20-30 minutes before the show begins.   However Fantasmic is a different story; during the busy season you must be at the theater 45-60 minutes before the show begins if you want a seat (there is standing room way in the back, but you don’t want to do that).   There are bathrooms and food (snacks, burgers, chicken strips) in the theater, so get your seat first, settle in and then get food to keep your family distracted until the show starts.  I got Girly a bag of cotton candy and didn’t hear a peep.  It sounds daunting, but the time goes quickly and it’s worth the wait.

DOWNTOWN DISNEY

Downtown Disney is a fun place to go on your first night at Disney World or anytime you want a break from the parks, but still want some action.  There are shops, restaurants, movie theaters and tons of other entertainment—too much for me to list.   You can read all that Downtown Disney has to offer at allears.net.  This is what we experienced:

FOOD

Earl of Sandwich: This is a counter-service restaurant with really good sandwiches and excellent baked goods.  Try the Earl Grey Lemonade.

 

Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop: The best sundaes at Disney World are at Ghirardelli!   And they are huge—two sundaes were plenty enough for us to share.

 

SHOPPING

World of Disney:  This is a HUGE store full of all kinds of Disney merchandise: clothes, jewelry, household items, toys, Mickey ears and just about anything that you can think of.  My daughter had fun customizing a princess crown, but be careful; those little do-dads add up and that $10 crown can easily morph into a $30 crown before you’re done. 

 

TrenD: This is a new store in Downtown Disney and it is so cute!  This is the place to buy your fashionable Mickey gear.  I was really tempted to buy a tee emblazoned with a peace sign composed of Mickey heads.

 

Disney Days of Christmas: I always buy a Christmas ornament every time we travel to someplace new and this store has the most beautiful ornaments and a huge selection.  Each member of the family got their own ornament and we picked out a special family ornament as well.

 

Once Upon A Toy: On our first trip to Disney World my daughter and I spent at least an hour in this fantastic toy store.  I assume that it’s full of great toys, but we never made it past the Mr. Potato Head parts at the front of the store.  For one price you can fill a box full of parts and we had a ball picking out all the different “outfits” for Mr. Potato Head; we left with two full boxes.  On this last trip there new potato parts to buy and soon we were filling up one box, and then two boxes, until we saw a new bigger container available to fill—a giant Mr. Potato Head.

*Tips: The store employees are very good at stuffing the parts to full capacity; ask them to help you or show you what to do—there is a science to it.   We didn’t find out this next tip until we had three parts that wouldn’t fit in the container, but you can actually buy the parts separately for $2 each; obviously pick the biggest pieces.  For more fun I hear that there are places in the store to customize a lightsaber or My Little Pony, but we never made it past Mr. Potato Head.

DISNEYQUEST

While my daughter and I were forging for Mr. Potato Head parts, my husband and son were at DisneyQuest playing video games.  This is not your normal arcade, but a multi-level gamer’s dream.  For one price you can play unlimited games the entire day; my boys played games for about five hours and had a great time.  Their favorite “game” was CyberSpace Mountain where they got to create a roller coaster and then experience it in a simulator.   My husband made his a little too real because he was queasy for the rest of the day.

 

Part 3 is all about Epcot and Magic Kingdom.  If you have a specific question about Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios or Downtown Disney that I didn’t touch on before, just leave me a comment and I’ll try to answer.