Happy 25th Anniversary Disney Store

   Today marked the 25th Anniversary of the Disney Store.  The first Disney Store opened in Glendale, California on March 28th 1987.   The store has gone through a lot in 25 years including format changes and being sold to the Children's Place in 2004 just to be purchased back in 2008.   I can remember our first Disney store that featured moving characters and great merchandise.   


As the store celebrated this over the past month there were many activities including Trivia Games, Dance Parties, and Stickermania all leading up to today and the 25th Celebration.   At each of the stores today 250 Silver Mickey Ears (pictured) were given away.   


  Many other 25th Anniversary items were also available to purchase and can be found on the Disney Store site.  The 25th Vinylmation is also included in my picture.   Thanks goes to my wife who stood in line today and surprised me with these items.   Her experience is captured in the picture and video below.   

Be Our Guest Restaurant - Sneak Peek

   The Disney Parks Blog today took us deep inside the construction of the new Be Our Guest Restaurant.  I can't express how excited we are to see a new dinner table service option for the Magic Kingdom.

   The huge medieval windows extend floor to ceiling and offer an amazing view over the countryside.   From early discussions there will be three separate dining rooms in the restaurant and overall capacity will be about 550 guests.   The dining rooms will be the Library, West Wing, and the two-story ball room shown in the video below.   Where would you like to sit?

    The restaurant will be counter service during the day and convert to table service for dinner similar to La Hacienda at Epcot.   Will this restaurant be a character dining experience?   Stay tuned...

Tip: Water costs what? What can I bring in the parks?

As you stroll around the park, hot and thirsty you spot a Disney drink cart. You’re exhausted feet stumble around visitors until dehydrated and depleted, you finally reach that Oasis. But wait…certainly it must be a mirage, $2.50 for a single bottle of water?  What if I have a family of 4, you say?  That’s $10 just to get something to drink!

Yes, Disney is pricey, but there are ways to save a couple bucks without going too far out of the way. Bring some snacks and drinks to the park with you.

We always bring a backpack full of a few random snacks and definitely a bottle of water for the three of us each day we go to the park. You may also want to invest in some kool-aid or other type of flavor additive. Refilling your water bottle can be done at any drinking fountain, but be sure you have flavoring as the Disney water can have an interesting taste. If water is to heavy for you to carry around all day, you can also go into any counter service restaurant and request a free cup of water.

Book bags and coolers are allowed as long as they don’t have wheels on them and are not any larger than 24 inches long: 15 inches wide, and 18 inches high. Coolers that are required for any type of medication can conveniently be stored at Guest Relations, just ask as you come into the park.

But of course there are restrictions. Here is a simple list of items that cannot be brought into the park:

•  Alcoholic beverages
• Weapons (really do I need to say it)
• Glass Containers (baby food jars are ok). Even glass drinks purchased at Disney can’t reenter the park. We learned this from experience when we bought a couple glass bottles of soda in Japan, Epcot. When we tried to bring them to the park the next day, security wouldn't let them in.
•  Folding chairs – there are benches everywhere, Walt made sure of that.
•  Animals (service animals are obviously welcome)
• Wheeled items
• Shoes with built in wheels
• Inline Skates, scooters, skateboards, etc.
• Wagons
•  Animal Kingdom (due to the animals they have other restrictions)
• Balloons
• Straws (you will notice that all straws in the park are paper)

Snow White's Scary Adventure to Close

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Fastpass: No

Ride Duration: 2 mins 50 seconds

Year Introduced: October 1971 (Updated to be less scary in 1994)

Closing Date:  May 31, 2012

   Today Disney announced that Snow White's Scary Adventure will be closing at the Magic Kingdom (Disney World) on May 31, 2012.   This will make way for a new Princess Fairytale Hall, a meet and greet for Disney Princesses.    


      This iconic ride took the guest through the 1937 classic animated movie Snow White.   Though the ride itself was dated, it was an original from the opening of the park and was on our family’s ride list each trip. 


   After May 31st, those of you still wanting your Snow White fix will have to wait until this porition of the new Fantasyland area opens sometime in 2013. Here you will get to experience the Dwarf’s cottage and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. 

    The fans of Snow White's Scary Adventure seem to be more disappointed about what the replacement is rather than seeing the ride close.   In a discussion today on twitter there seemed to be some disgust in the replacement as meet and greets seems to be eating up more space in the parks.   Remember the good old days when characters just roamed the park and you could walk right up to them without waiting in a line?

 

So, goodbye Snow White’s Scary Adventure you will be missed and welcome to Princess Fairytale Hall.  Let us know what you think!   Are meet and greets eating up too much park real estate?   What will you miss about Snow White's Scary Adventure?    

Wordless Wednesday

Rate a Ride: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Fastpass: Yes

Ride Duration: 3 minutes and 30 seconds

Year Introduced: July 1994

Height Restriction:  40 inches

"You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension, a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone.” Or, you have at least crossed into the DisneyDayByDay review area of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

As you enter Hollywood Studios, you’ll be treated to the typical innocent and fun theme park music, but there…in the background…you’ll hear something else…almost sounds like screaming, people in fear for their lives, people falling from the sky.  Hmmm, maybe we shouldn’t even travel down Sunset Boulevard.  How can such an iconic street name end in fear?  Well that’s just what we will find out.

Muster your courage if you dare and head to the end of the street. That’s when you’ll see it… a 199 feet tall tower.  In fact, this attraction is the second tallest attraction at the Walt Disney World Resort. What’s first, you may ask?   Stay tuned and you just may find out.   Why 199 feet?  I mean come on, 200 feet would probably have made for easier measurements. Well, FAA regulations require any building at 200 feet or higher to have a red light beacon on top and how scary would a tower of terror be with a blinking light on top of it?

When you step into the queue willingly, or not, be sure to take some time and look around. This is one of the most interesting queues on property. You will walk through the gardens of the hotel, in their decaying state. Background music plays melodies from the past launching you into the 1930’s/40’s era of the hotel.

Onto the ride, you board an elevator with 20 other people and choose your seat.  As the elevator doors close you ascend quickly and the doors to the elevator open where you’re treated to a ghostly encounter.  Just when you think it’s safe, the lights go out and the real fun begins!  You’ll be pulled up and down through a variety of drop sequences.   Just when you think it’s over you will rise and fall again.   The Imagineers who designed the ride had cables attached to the bottom of the elevator and it’s actually pulled down at a speed slightly faster than free-fall.  In other words, as you fall you lift from your seat slightly.  The motors used can generate torque equal to that of 275 Corvette engines and reach their top speed in 1.5 seconds. Yes, that’s fast and yes that’s fun.

Be sure to take a look at your picture as you exit the ride as this is proof that you were there and you have survived a great ride at Walt Disney World.  Now you have permission to yell at your kids or friends who forced you on the ride and get in line to do it again. 

Rating: 4.5 / 5 


Rating Comment:   Our seven year old son who will go on anything is slightly afraid of this one.   And if you do have any type of motion sickness the up and down motion of this ride will affect your experience.  

And as promised, the tallest attraction at WDW is now Expedition Everest at 199.5 ft.  We will make this our next DisneyDayByDay Rate A Ride post.   

Good Bye Little Red....Hello Zebras???

The official Disney Parks Blog has announced that this fall there will be a new Kilimanjaro Safaris savannah featuring zebras.    To accommodate the zebras the final scene of the Safari including the saving of Little Red will be removed and thus more of the ride dialog will have to be updated.    


Work is expected to begin on the zebra area soon, but no closures of the ride have been reported at this time.   

FastPass Return Window

 
    Well looks like it is official as official can get and Disney will begin enforcing the FastPass Return Window.   Rather disappointing and will definitely mean more walking for us as we criss cross the park to use our passes.

So what does this mean to you?  Basically the time window on your fastpass will now be the only time you can enter the fastpass line.    Cast Members do have the ability to make exceptions if there is extreme circumstances such as an attraction being down, but not because you were at Space Mountain and had to walk to Splash Mountain.   So, plan accordingly.

When does this start?  March 7th 2012.  

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Rate Dining: Tusker House Character Breakfast

Location: Animal Kingdom (Africa)

Type:  Table Service

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Cuisine:  American with a touch of African (likely more African at Lunch and Dinner)

Reservations:   Yes (recommended)

Characters:  Currently only for Breakfast, Lunch added later this year

 The Tusker House, previously a counter service location, currently offers a buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.   One of the more popular meals is the character breakfast, “Donald’s Safari Breakfast”.   The breakfast includes characters meets with Donald, Goofy, Mickey, and Daisy (subject to change of course) along with a buffet of Mickey waffles, scrambled eggs, ham and flavorful dishes with an African influence.

Mark your calendars; Tusker House will soon be adding Donald’s Safari Lunch (December 4, 2011) which will be a new character dining experience for Animal Kingdom. No changes will be made in the buffet at this time.     

Our review will concentrate on the Safari Breakfast, the only meal we have experienced at the Tusker House.

  

Welcome to Tusker House!   Smile for your picture.   Now shove that food down your throat and get out.

  

Atmosphere

  Once your name is called you will be ushered into a line where you’ll wait to get your family’s picture with Donald.   After you get your picture you’ll be seated.   TIP:  Be sure to ask to have a cast member take a picture with your camera as the pictures offered while you eat will cost over $30.

   
   Similar to other character style buffets,  this buffet is a bit loud and feels incredibly rushed.   The building is not as unique as other buildings on property but does have some cultural flair to help you feel as though you are in an African Village.    Be sure to look up at the ceiling as you grab your food from the buffet.

   

The buffet is free flowing, meaning there is supposedly no line.   This seems to cause confusion even though cast members mention it over and over.   So if you go, remember, don’t line up, just get the food you want and smile at the people giving you dirty looks.   

Food

 Food is average buffet food, nothing spectacular and, not as good as some of the other breakfast buffets on property including the Supercalifragilistics Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare.   But if you like Mickey Waffles, scrambled eggs, and sausage you’ll do fine.   Be sure to try the Jungle Juice as it’s one of the best parts of the meal. As you sit, you’ll be visited by Mickey, Goofy and Daisy who will quickly sign your book, take a picture and be on their way. There’s also a parade in which children can line up behind their favorite characters and dance along to African music.   

 Tip:  If the park opens at 9 be sure to make an early reservation to the Tusker House.   This will allow you to get into the park a little early and snap some great photo’s with few people on your way to the restaurant.   You are not allowed to roam the park, but you do have a view of the tree of life and other nice spots on your way.  

Our Rating is 2.5/5

Rating Reason:  There is a certain aura of anxiety when dining with characters at Disney restaurants. Even when the servers are as kind as can be, you know they want you out as soon as possible so they can get the next gazillion people in to eat. It’s usually not a problem, but at no other restaurant have we felt more rushed than Tusker House. Maybe it’s because we schedule an early breakfast, so they are just trying to get all guests in and the process flowing, but it often leads to an aggravating meal.    Donald no longer comes to the tables, so getting his autograph can be a problem. And of course there’s always the pressure of buying that expensive photo.    

Overall, the food is decent and it provides a good fill up at the park before your day begins.    Also, if you get in before park opens you are right at the entrance to the Safari to begin your tour of Animal Kingdom and eating with characters is always easier than standing in character lines in the hot Florida sun.  But because of the frantic pace, you might end up feeling overly rushed.   

     

Wordless Wednesday

Video of Fantasyland Under Construction

Fun new time-lapse video of Fantasyland under construction.    Thanks goes to Disney Parks Blog for posting.   Enjoy!!

Fantasyland Construction Update @ Disney World

 Happy Birthday Walt Disney World!   

To keep up with the Joneses I need to post my own set of construction picture updates taken at the Magic Kingdom.  As we all know, Fantasyland is almost doubling in size with the new expansion.    The DisneyDayByDay family visited the parks just last week and stretched their arms up as high as they could on the Dumbo ride to bring you these exclusive shots.  Oh, and at the very end we threw in a few Swiss Family Robinson Tree House construction pictures as there hasn’t been enough coverage of that.  

When When When

            I know most of you have been wondering when all the new attractions will open.   As you can imagine Disney is not putting firm dates out there yet as weather and construction delays make scheduling a bit difficult. So bear with them and enjoy the progress.   Here is a rough idea of what they are proposing.  

Dumbo will be closed in early 2012 to prepare for the move.  The ride system will be moved to its new home next to the other Dumbo in Storybook Circus.   The double Dumbo will open later in 2012.   The Great Goofini, because it’s just a re-theme, will open in early 2012 along with the new Fantasyland train station.   

 Take a peek at the new attractions: 

·         Under the Sea: Journey of The Little Mermaid – This ride will feature attractions from our favorite characters and music from The Little Mermaid movie.   Here is a nice preview of the recently opened Disney Land attraction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JM1XCgfnS8&feature=relmfu

·         Be Our Guest Restaurant – If you’ve been to the park recently you might have noticed the Beauty and the Beast castle rising in the distance.   The castle will be the home of a restaurant, holding about 500 guests.  This new restaurant  will offer counter service throughout the day but will switch to a table service in the evening for Dinner.   No official word yet if this will be character dining.   Around the castle you’ll also find Belle’s Village; including Gaston’s Tavern and Bonjour! Village Gifts.

·         Belle’s Cottage – A story telling area for Belle and other characters from Beauty and the Beast.  

·         Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – One of the most anticipated pieces of the expansion will likely be the last to open.   This rollercoaster will feature an entirely new ride system in which the ride vehicles will actually swing back and forth as they take corners along the track.   Take a look at the computer ride here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C03pM_9ukY

·         Princess Fairytale Hall – Say goodbye to the current Snow White’s Scary Adventures.   This attraction is being replaced with a meet and greet for Aurora, Cinderella and other Disney princesses, such as Tiana and Rapunzel.   Sorry to see Snow White go, but glad to hear the princesses will have a home.    

·         Storybook Circus – The replacement for Toon Town will feature: 

o    Dumbo the Flying Elephant – Get ready for double the Dumbo!   Will this lessen the wait?  We can only hope.    Dumbo will be moving from its current location and will feature a second ride system doubling the capacity.   The attraction will also feature an interactive ride queue giving you the chance to join the circus and step inside the Big Top for fun-filled interactive experiences for kids of all ages.

o    Goofy as The Great Goofini – If you rode the Barnstormer then you might find this ride to be somewhat similar as it will be the exact same ride system with a new paint job giving you the feeling that you are taking a flight high above the new circus fun.   

 

And now for the moment you have all been waiting for…….The Swiss Family Tree House is currently closed for refurbishment until mid November 2011.   No changes have been announced so this is most likely standard cleanup and maintenance.       

 

 

Surprise Trip

Our son had a week off school last week so we surprised him with a trip to Disney World.   As always we had an awesome time and returned with many memories and pictures to share with all of you.

This was a trips of firsts for us as we tried things either we hadn't tried before or have been skipping on our most recent trips.  We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in a savanna view room as one of our firsts.   To our surprise we were upgraded to club level at check in which was really nice.   Watch for a review of this hotel soon.  

So, for now enjoy the picture to the left and stay tuned to the blog as we share all our stories and pictures of the most magical place on earth!

Have a Magical Day!

Wordless Wednesday

Welcome to Disney Day by Day

Welcome to “Disney Day by Day!”

   

Why, you might be wondering, would I take the time to write a blog about Disney World? 

I was raised a Disney fan from the time I could walk, a Walt Disney World fan to be specific. From a very early age every summer we’d head to the most magical place on earth. My parents would rent the largest Winnebago we could find, pack in the entire family (I’m talking aunts, uncles, and grandparents) and start the long trip from Indiana to Florida for our only vacation. 

A couple days later, exhausted and anxious, we would cheer as we crossed the entrance into the Fort Wilderness Campground. That week-long vacation would be spent exploring the one and only park at the time, the Magic Kingdom. Those wonderful memories have stayed with me into adulthood. 

As Disney World has grown up, I have too.  Now my wife and I take our son to Disney World and he loves it just as much as I always have. The parks might have changed, but one thing hasn’t, the thrill I receive every time I head to Walt Disney World. 

In this blog, I’m not only paying homage to Disney World, but I’ll also being sharing information and news, best of all I’ll have tips and ratings of rides and restaurants. Be sure to check for surveys and polls where you can express your thoughts and ideas on the parks as well. The more we all share, the better our trips will be.   

To quote Walt Disney himself “To all that come to this happy place: welcome.”  I hope you enjoy the blog. Welcome to Disney Day by Day!