Disney World PF Gathering and Tips for Disney Mania!

  • Thread starter ZapperZ
  • Start date
In summary: This couscous and tagine restaurant is quite popular and usually has a long wait. Try coming at night when it’s less crowded.9. Yacht Club at the Epcot resort – This club has a beautiful view of the fireworks show at Epcot. However, this is a “resort” so it’s quite pricey. You may be able to get in if you call the club in advance and ask if there are any openings.10. The Living Seas – Usually there are long lines for this aquarium, but it’s worth the wait. You get to see all kinds of neat fish and amphibians.
  • #2,626
Excellent idea!
We hope to "borrow" a ouple of younger children for our next visit, which will make the whole Disney experience more magical for us all.

The main drawback on the horizon is the bedroom arrangements at OKW.
It's sad to say that these days sharing a bedroom with kids other than you're own is not deemed suitable.
 
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  • #2,627
Cybersteve: so you didn't get to see the Osborne lights. Did you get to do or see any of the other Christmas festivities there?

Zz.
 
  • #2,628
Not really, you're starting to make me feel a bit guilty now!
Our whole "Disney" experience this year was limited by many factors.
At the risk of boring the readers of this thread perhaps i should explain some of the reasons why?

5 days before we left I was involved in a potentially serious car accident where the van I was in flipped over on the motorway. I was completely unharmed but it was a lucky escape.
2 days before we left my sister-in-law and her husband were involved in a multi-car pile-up. They too were completely unharmed but apparently there were cars flying everywhere and 2 occupants of one of the cars were killed.
The upshot of this was that (apart from nearly cancelling the holiday) none of us felt confident enough to drive in the US. This would have meant all the driving would have been left to my nephew and as this wasn't fair we decided to cancel the hire car and use taxis.

This, as well as not being at OKW, limited the amount of freedom of movement we had. It also meant that when we got to MGM my sister-in-law didn't want to go anywhere near the stunt car show, which is near the ex-Millionaire show.

So all in all, as a contribution to a Disney Mania thread, I suppose this year has been a bit of a washout - nevertheless after the first few days it was a great holiday and has just made us more eager to return and perhaps will allow us to appreciate Disney more next year!
 
  • #2,629
OK, now it is *I* who feel guilty for pumping you for all of this info. I am so glad you and your family are not hurt by those accidents. They sounded nasty!

I was truly hoping for a trip report, but putting things in perspective, it is nowhere near as important and yours and your family well-being. I am happy to hear that you still had a good vacation. It is understandable that since you were staying off site and not having a rented vehicle, you couldn't get around much.

Hopefully, next time you come up here, there won't be so much drama preceeding the trip.

Now tell me that you made it to one of Finding Nemo - The Musical preview at Animal Kingdom!

:)

Zz.
 
  • #2,630
Now that we did see!
Apparently we were lucky because it's not on every day. My sister-in-law is the one who likes shows most (she used to be a singer) and she usually has to drag us in in return for looking after our belongings whilst we're on the rides.
This show however was thoroughly enjoyed by all of us, despite the fact that it was late in the day and we were all longing to get to Rainforest Cafe for our evening meal!
She said that there were still a few imperfections that needed ironing out but we didn't notice.
We also went on the Finding Nemo ride at Epcot which was enjoyable though really aimed at a younger audience.
 
  • #2,631
Ah, finally! I'm glad you got to see both Nemo-related attractions. Again, too bad you don't have pictures and/or videos. Many Disney fans are clamoring to see more these things, even when there are already videos and pictures of these attractions.

These will be the two things that are high on my agenda when we get there next. So far, I've heard nothing but very good reviews of the musical. I wouldn't be surprised of Disney goes ahead and turn it into a full-blown Broadway musical. The new Nemo ride is also something I am highly anticipating.

Glad to see that you got to be among the first to view these. Now, what about the Monsters Inc Laughing Floor at the old Timekeeper in Tomorrowland? If you also got to see the preview that, I'll die with envy!

:)

Zz.
 
  • #2,632
No I didn't see that nor any mention of it on the map or in the weekly guide.
Where abouts in Tomorrowland is it?
We spenyt most of our time there on Buzz Lightyear, my wife finally got the hang of it and once she beat my score she couldn't get enough!
The queues were very strange this year. We queued for about 30 minutes for our first go at Buzz but when we came out there ws no queue at all and we just walked straight back in.
I think the parks were generally fairly quiet and the longer queues were probably just around the main eating areas and times.

At Epcot we got Fastpasses for Soarin' with about a 2 hour wait yet 20 minutes later there was no standby queue.
When we did a Fastpass for Test Track the machine gave us a free immediate Fastpass for the Space Mission ride. We've never had those before.
 
  • #2,633
Cybersteve said:
No I didn't see that nor any mention of it on the map or in the weekly guide.
Where abouts in Tomorrowland is it?

Ah, then you should have read my blog before you left! :)

http://mydisneymania.blogspot.com/2006/11/monsters-inc-comedy-club.html

The previews are unannounced. If you happen to be around when they opened the doors, you get to go in and preview it.

We spenyt most of our time there on Buzz Lightyear, my wife finally got the hang of it and once she beat my score she couldn't get enough!
The queues were very strange this year. We queued for about 30 minutes for our first go at Buzz but when we came out there ws no queue at all and we just walked straight back in.
I think the parks were generally fairly quiet and the longer queues were probably just around the main eating areas and times.

At Epcot we got Fastpasses for Soarin' with about a 2 hour wait yet 20 minutes later there was no standby queue.
When we did a Fastpass for Test Track the machine gave us a free immediate Fastpass for the Space Mission ride. We've never had those before.

I've had that happened at Tower of Terror fast pass where I got an immediate pass for Rock 'N Roller Coaster.

Zz.
 
  • #2,634
It would have been hard for me to have read your blog before we left.
The date of your blog and the story in the Orlando Sentinel, is November 20th and we left on November 7th!:wink:

One point I would like to raise is the staff at the Disney parks.
It seemed to us this year that there was not quite as many cast members around as there usually is.
The restrooms started to get slightly untidy, particularly around meal times, although they were quickly brought back to standard.
Has Disney cutback on staff overall, or do they use this time of year to reduce the numbers?
I suppose your Thanksgiving holiday may have played a part.

I have to say that even with the apparently reduced staff Disney easily out-performed Busch Gardens. At BG the levels were so low that there was nobody to organise the queues for the major rides.
The visitors themselves were asking the size of groups in order to prevent some of the coasters having too many empty seats.
 
  • #2,635
Cybersteve said:
It would have been hard for me to have read your blog before we left.
The date of your blog and the story in the Orlando Sentinel, is November 20th and we left on November 7th!:wink:

Ooops! :smile:

One point I would like to raise is the staff at the Disney parks.
It seemed to us this year that there was not quite as many cast members around as there usually is.
The restrooms started to get slightly untidy, particularly around meal times, although they were quickly brought back to standard.
Has Disney cutback on staff overall, or do they use this time of year to reduce the numbers?
I suppose your Thanksgiving holiday may have played a part.

I have to say that even with the apparently reduced staff Disney easily out-performed Busch Gardens. At BG the levels were so low that there was nobody to organise the queues for the major rides.
The visitors themselves were asking the size of groups in order to prevent some of the coasters having too many empty seats.

Disney is usually stretched very thin during short, peak holidays. They still do not have the full number of manpower for the theme parks and continue to try and recruit employees, both at WDW and Disneyland. So during very busy stretches, you'll start noticing problems that you usually don't see on normal days. There is also a generally acceptable view that due to their need for employees, they had to lower the "quality" of the people they hire and not have them trained, especially on the Disney Traditions, as much as before.

Zz.
 
  • #2,636
BTW, Cybersteve, the DVD of Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest has just become the http://uk.news.yahoo.com/27112006/344/deep-film-breaks-disney-dvd-record.html" in the UK. Have you gotten your copy yet? :)

I didn't know they have released it there already. The DVD isn't scheduled to be released here in the States till Dec. 5th. I'm betting it'll have monster sales as well over here.

Zz.
 
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  • #2,637
I've ordered a copy from Amazon for my son for Christmas.
We've also bought him a "Pirates of the Caribbean" tee-shirt from one of the Disney stores (can't remember which one, I think we went in all of them!).
I suspect my wife will be first to watch the DVD - she has a thing for Johnny Depp - I think he reminds her of me!
 
  • #2,638
Cybersteve said:
I suspect my wife will be first to watch the DVD - she has a thing for Johnny Depp - I think he reminds her of me!

Oh, is that what SHE tells you?

<ZapperZ runs and hides>

:biggrin:

Zz.
 
  • #2,639
Disney has been releasing a stream of Holiday/Christmas pins. There have been many terrific-looking ones, but this one certainly has got to be one of the best. It's from Disneyland.

http://eventservices.disney.go.com/files/11310776.jpg

Zz.
 
  • #2,640
Wow I've been neglecting this thread, not good! I've heard that many people in the U.S. thought that the Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest was a stupid movie. Althought i have to see for myself first.
 
  • #2,641
Stevedye56 said:
Wow I've been neglecting this thread, not good!

Yes, why have you been ignoring this thread? :biggrin:

I've heard that many people in the U.S. thought that the Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest was a stupid movie. Althought i have to see for myself first.

I don't know about them, but it was a FUN movie!

What most people felt was that there wasn't that element of "surprise" anymore, because we all know how swishy Jack Sparrow was, how "exciting" the action sequence can get, etc. So there is a lot of very high expectations for the 2nd one, which no movie in hell can fulfill. So some people were disappointed with it not reaching such lofty status. Of course, with the ending the way it is, people were left hanging.

I wouldn't be surprise if a few years from now, people will look at this 2nd movie as fondly as Empire Strikes Back, which also had the unenviable task of following a huge blockbuster AND having a hanging ending. When it first came out, almost everyone complained about it. Now, many fans and critics alike hail it as the best movie out of the whole Star Wars series.

I'd say view it as a movie fun movie, and give it some time. People might just change their minds.

Zz.
 
  • #2,642
There's a battle brewing for EuroDisney, the operator of Disneyland Paris. A swiss company has announced a http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-eurodiz3006nov30,0,4654549.story?coll=orl-business-headlines-tourism" of EuroDisney by trying to secure 50.1% share in the company.

http://www.thedisneyblog.com/tdb/2006/11/euro_disney_tak.html" to this is that, due to the nature of EuroDisney itself as a partnership of several entities (Disney being one of them), such a bid may not be as easy to execute.

Those of you in the UK/Europe, if you've been to Disneyland Paris, what do you think of the possibility of such a change? They have been losing money for a long time. Maybe a drastic change is necessary? Or is this throwing out the baby with the bath water?

Zz.
 
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  • #2,644
Decorating Tips From Disney Pro

So you haven't done your holiday decorations yet. Or worse still, your attempt at decorating your tree ended up looking like tree in drag.

You may want to get http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/homegarden/2003456985_moretreedecoratingtips02.html?syndication=rss" on holiday decorations from a pro who does this for Disney. It certainly can't hurt.

:biggrin:

Zz.
 
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  • #2,645
The Monorail at Walt Disney World

I haven't come across something like this on the 'net, so I created one. :)

I look forward to riding the monorail each time I'm at WDW. Since we had a lot of monorail footage throughout the years from all our trips, I decided to make a video dedicated to just the monorail (I know, exciting subject!). So this is the product after collecting all our monorail footage and editing them into a somewhat coherent video. Hope you like it.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5008148320876934763"

Play it LOUD if you can, especially in the beginning. :)

Zz.
 
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  • #2,646
OK... a bunch of things are going to be released tomorrow. First of course, is the highly-anticipated DVD of Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest. Note that there are two different DVDs being released. The first is a single DVD of the movie and a few extra. The 2nd is the 2-DVD collectors set with interviews, behind the scenes, etc.. etc. i.e. TONS of extras.

The 2nd DVD set that will be released is a series of documentary that hasn't seen the light of day since forever. It is the Disney's award-winning True Live Adventures. This series has been lovingly restored under the watchful eye of Roy E. Disney, who worked in a few of the series back when he was working his way up the company.

Last, but not least, is the release of a FUNNY set of pins, all with the "Wanna Trade" theme for Pin Trading. It is funny because these pins somehow capture an aspect of the characters that we know pretty well. The pin designers really hit a home run with this set because I snicker when I first saw it. Here are the pins:

This first one is on Donald. He always had a "friendly animosity" towards Mickey, especially with the Mickey Mouse Club ["Mickey Mouse! (donald duck!) Mickey Mouse! (donald duck!)"]. This pin captures exactly the annoyance Donald have towards all the fame that Mickey got.
http://eventservices.disney.go.com/files/10905385.jpg

With Goofy, he's just happy to trade anything.
http://eventservices.disney.go.com/files/10905384.jpg

The Mickey pin, for a change, also shows Mickey being slightly annoyed with the Chernobog, one of the villains in Fantasia, and so he's trying to get rid of that pin. This is just precious!
http://eventservices.disney.go.com/files/10905382.jpg

Finally, the one with Tink is just glorious! She is just plain bored, and can't wait to trade away the Captain Hook pin!
http://eventservices.disney.go.com/files/10905383.jpg

This is just an amazing set of pins!

Zz.
 
  • #2,647
I've had incredible amounts of homework. The Group 4 IB HL Chem project is due before spring break. The group i got stuck with is not all that smart. Therefore i got stuck by doing the whole project by myslef. It was a Mass Spec. experiment and its going to be even harder analyzing data because it didnt come out as expected.

Theres also an Englsih and History Term paper due before Christmas. Luckily we are able to turn in the same one for both. To top it all off HL Chem and Honors Physics Unit test. The Next Chem test is 3 problems for a 90 minute class. I can't wait...
 
  • #2,648
the chinese food at epcot is good.
 
  • #2,649
courtrigrad said:
the chinese food at epcot is good.

Which one? The counter service, or the sit-down restaurant?

Zz.
 
  • #2,650
There is a noticeable drop in the number of http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-british0306dec03,0,7879564.story?coll=orl-home-headlines" visiting Orlando so far, and that is cause for major concern to that area, especially to WDW. Tourists from the UK account for a significant number of visitors to Central Florida.

One of the issues cited in the news report is the "treatment" tourists received at entry points such as airports. Cybersteve, when you came for a visit a month ago, how did they treat you at the airport?

Zz.
 
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  • #2,651
Happy Birthday, Walt!

Today is Walt's 105th Birthday. So Happy Birthday, Walt Disney! Thanks for your dreams and your legacy.

WDW is releasing a special commemorative pin today.

http://eventservices.disney.go.com/files/10905478.jpg

Zz.
 
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  • #2,652
I'm assuming you're into the whole pins collecting deal, correct? When I went a few years ago it was crazy so many people were completely covering there hats in pins and necklaces and other things like that. Some looked cool, although some people looked wickedly overdone. I never really got into the whole pin thing but I guess if you are a die-hard Disney fan it would be a cool thing to do.
 
  • #2,653
Stevedye56 said:
I'm assuming you're into the whole pins collecting deal, correct?

Me? Collecting Disney pins? Whatever gave you THAT idea?

<covers Moonbie's mouth so she can't speak>

Yes, I would say I am a Disney pin collector, although I'm not fanatical about it. I collect pins for the memories that go along with it, which means that I only get them when I'm at a Disney park, or via trading. So I look at the pins to remind me of the wonderful time associated with them.

When I went a few years ago it was crazy so many people were completely covering there hats in pins and necklaces and other things like that.

Those "necklaces" are called lanyards. I have one that I some time wear if I have pins that I don't mind trading. Usually, if I am wearing one of those, if a kid stops me to trade, I will always give him/her what she wants, even if I'm getting a "crappy" pin in return. I don't mind giving a kid something he/she wants off my lanyard. Now, in my pin book is something completely different. I keep some of the more valued pins in there and will trade with other pin collectors for pins that I am looking for.

Some looked cool, although some people looked wickedly overdone. I never really got into the whole pin thing but I guess if you are a die-hard Disney fan it would be a cool thing to do.

You haven't seen what I saw at a few of the big pin event. People were hauling luggages and suitcases full of pins. It was scary!

Zz.
 
  • #2,654
My Disney Tree

So of course, for the holidays, we put up our trees. We have 2 trees, one in the sitting room and is our "formal" tree, the other in the TV room that has become our Disney tree. The Disney tree is loaded with even more Disney ornaments this year than it was last year, as you can see for yourself.

The first one is the wide view of almost the whole tree.
IMG_6025.jpg


This is the same side of the tree, but from a low angle shot.
IMG_6023.jpg


This is from the top of the tree.
IMG_6026.jpg


This is from the other side of the tree.
IMG_6040.jpg


And finally, the close-up shot of the same side of the tree.
IMG_6038.jpg


We're getting more ornaments next year, so this tree will be loaded up even more! :biggrin:

Zz.
 
  • #2,655
ZapperZ said:
Me? Collecting Disney pins? Whatever gave you THAT idea?

<covers Moonbie's mouth so she can't speak>

Mmmmmpphhh mmphmph phmmmmph! :biggrin:
 
  • #2,656
We knew that the Pirates DVD was going to be big, and it was!

The Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest DVD http://yahoo.reuters.com/news/artic...-06_22-49-08_N06479816&type=comktNews&rpc=44" on the first day alone. It is poised to be the biggest selling DVD of all time, unseating the first Pirates movie, which sold 16 million copies. Disney is also set to have produced the top 3 best selling DVD of the year, with Cars and Narnia so far holding the Top 2.

Zz.
 
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  • #2,657
Im dumbfounded by the amount of orniments you have that are Disney related. We're getting the biggest treee we've gotten yet and I can't wait! Its somewhere on the order of around 11 or 12 feet. We have boxes and boxes of orniments and we finally are getting a tree big enough. Although this year i had no say because i had to work the day they got the tree :-(.
 
  • #2,658
You should see my other tree!

The other one is also loaded, but with no Disney ornaments. We still have plenty left that did not get onto any tree. We have also even donated quite a few to a trift store this year simply because we needed to make room for storage, especially since we plan on buying a few more Disney ornaments during our upcoming trip.

I'm just dreading when we have to pack them back into storage.

Zz.
 
  • #2,659
We had the same problem coming back we weren't sure if we had enough room to put everything in. We ended up taking large carry on baggage to care home some of the souviners that we bought. Last year we didnt get to put all the ornaments on becasue our tree was to small :-(. The worst part of decorating the tree has to be putting up the lights though. What a drag...
 
  • #2,660
We used to have trees like that!
Unfortunately last year my wife decided we needed a black tree (for which I blame you Americans)

I hated it but she's determined to have it up again this year.
I have almost persuaded her to have two trees but that means more work for me and more lights to go wrong.:frown:
 

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