Monday, December 31, 2007

Introducing Disney's Hollywood Studios!

Since it opened on May 1, 1989 as the third major theme park at Walt Disney World® Resort, Disney-MGM Studios has celebrated the golden age of Hollywood with such attractions as The Great Movie Ride, Magic of Disney Animation and the fascinating Backlot Tour. However, starting in January 2008, Disney plans to change the theme park's name to "Disney's Hollywood Studios . . . more info

Friday, December 28, 2007

Dream Along With Mickey

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If you want to see a great little show full of your favorite Disney characters, I suggest you check out "Dream Along With Mickey," which takes place several times daily in front of Cinderella Castle at Disney's Magic Kingdom. Check the daily schedule for times and arrive 15-20 minutes early to stake out a good spot to view the show.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Man Dies After Riding Expedition Everest

Another tragedy at Disney World, in this case a man died Tuesday after riding Expedition Everest in Disney's Animal Kingdom. Here are the details: Man Dies After Disney Roller Coaster Ride.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Disney World Trivia

Did you know . . . Golf legend Jack Nicklaus captured the first championship at the inaugural 1971 Walt Disney World Open Invitational?

At 199.5 feet tall, Expedition Everest is the tallest artificial mountain at Walt Disney World Resort?

Cinderella's Golden Carrousel was originally built in 1917 and once stood at Olympic Park in Maplewood, New Jersey?

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster - Starring Aerosmith at Disney's Hollywood Studios launches you at a speed of 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds?

President Richard Nixon gave his famous "I am not a crook" speech during at convention at Disney's Contemporary Resort in 1973?

I've created a Disney World Trivia Page that will include fascinating facts about Disney World, including Disney's Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney. If you have any additions or corrections, just let me know . . .

Monday, December 17, 2007

Chilling Out in Liberty Square

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I always enjoy wandering around Liberty Square for several reasons: It's often uncrowded, it hasn't changed much since 1971 and it's the only one of the "enchanted lands" that features some actual history. First, I hopped aboard the Liberty Square Riverboat for a leisurely cruise along the "Rivers of America," one of those great attractions where you can just relax and forget about all the long lines and frantic tourists swirling around you. Then I decided to check out Hall of Presidents since I did Haunted Mansion during my last visit. The brief film was excellent, followed by the appearance of the animatronic presidents. However, I do believe they gave George W. Bush too many lines - he speaks longer than Abraham Lincoln! Hopefully, when Bush leaves office, he will be relegated to his rightful position in the lineup - hopefully right next to James Buchanan, Warren G. Harding or Millard Fillmore. After the Hall of Presidents I checked out the replica of the Liberty Bell in the center of Liberty Square, as well as the adjacent Liberty Tree. Finally I strolled through some of the cool gift shops in Liberty Square before calling it a day at Disney's Magic Kingdom . . .

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Friday, December 14, 2007

Christmas at Disney World

Below are some photos of Christmas decorations, etc. I took during my most recent trip to Disney's Magic Kingdom last Tuesday. More Disney World holiday photos will be on the way shortly.

goofystatueGoofy Statue in front of Cinderella Castle

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Christmas Display, Main Street, U.S.A.

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Mickey Mouse Decoration, Main Street, U.S.A.

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Main Street, U.S.A. Christmas Decorations

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Magic Kingdom Christmas Tree

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Donald Duck Christmas Tree Lot

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Cinderella Castle

Monday, December 10, 2007

Disney World Timeline

I'm working on a Disney World Timeline that I believe is already the most comprehensive Disney World timeline on the Internet. Check it out and let me know if I have any factual errors or have left out any significant events. I've also added Disney movies that were released during this time period that may be helpful for Disney movie buffs. Tomorrow I head to Disney's Magic Kingdom and hope to get some photos of all the Christmas decorations out there . . .

Friday, December 7, 2007

Haunted Mansion Review

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The Haunted Mansion at Disney World was closed from June 7, 2007, to September 13, 2007, for major refurbishments. Just like Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney managed to make some cool renovations to Haunted Mansion without ruining the essence of the attraction. The new staircase scene at the beginning was awesome - sort of like a haunted M.C. Escher painting. Another big change was the Disney World Attic with the changing portraits and the "Haunted Bride" with the ax. Very cool! I also enjoyed the "floating" Madame Leota. Only negative about the ride is that it stopped about three times - each of the times was about a minute long and really annoying. All in all, a great experience though!

Monday, December 3, 2007

A New, Improved Spaceship Earth?

I read in the Orlando Sentinel the other day that Spaceship Earth at Epcot is scheduled to reopen in mid-December "for sneak previews with a new story overlay, new technology and a whole new soundtrack." Great! I always thought Spaceship Earth needed to be completely updated. Also, there will be a new narrator, Academy Award winner Judi Dench (replacing Jeremy Irons who replaced Walter Cronkite). I will get out there when it reopens and provide a full review of the new, improved Spaceship Earth. In the meantime, enjoy some video footage of the current version of this classic Epcot ride . . .

Friday, November 30, 2007

Capt. Jack at Pirates of the Caribbean

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"Dead men tell no tales . . ." When I first heard that Disney World was going to modify the classic Magic Kingdom ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, by adding Captain Jack Sparrow, I really thought they would ruin one of my favorite Disney attractions. However, last week I checked out the "new, improved" Pirates of the Caribbean for the first time and the latest additions weren't too intrusive or damaging to the original spirit of the ride. I viewed Jack Sparrow just three times during the ride (I might have missed something). He seems to be trying to avoid capture in the first instance, he's hiding in a barrel during the second and in the final scene he's chilling out surrounded by a ton of treasure. In addition, Davy Jones himself can be seen in an awesome apparition near the beginning of the ride and Barbossa shows up during the sea battle scene. I believe I read where Disney also made some changes to the sound and lighting but I never really notice those types of subtle changes anyway. All in all, Pirates of the Caribbean remains one of the best attractions at Disney's Magic Kingdom. Don't miss it!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Sunday Mornings at Disney's Magic Kingdom

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Nothing beats a trip to Disney's Magic Kingdom on a Sunday morning, even the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We took the bus over from Disney's Old Key West Resort and arrived at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom a little after 8:30 AM. There was already a load of people milling around. Some cast member in Victorian garb comes out and welcomes everybody. And then the train pulls up with a group of singers, some Disney characters such as Stitch and the Mad Hatter, and some dopey looking family that got handpicked to help open the park for the day.

After the brief show, the crowd files in to Main Street, U.S.A. We head to the left and up the stairs to catch the first train to Frontierland. This is a good way to beat the crowds and hit some of the most popular rides before the rest of humanity shows up and you end up waiting over an hour for a 3-minute ride. Sure enough, when we depart the Frontierland train station, we immediately head to Splash Mountain and walk right on. Then we head over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - no wait there either. Then we head to Pirates of the Caribbean and walk right on. Then we cut through Adventureland and head right to Haunted Mansion and walk right in. At 10 AM, we had experienced four of the best rides at the Magic Kingdom without waiting in any lines.

From there it was on to it's a small world and we hopped right on to one of the boats. As we exited, I did notice that the crowds were getting larger. However, we headed over to Mickey's PhilharMagic and the place was half empty. Then we went over to Pinocchio Village Haus in Fantasyland for an early lunch to beat the crowds. We ate a decent but expensive lunch that came to over $40 just for a couple sandwiches and individual-size pizzas. Then it was on to Mickey's Toontown Fair because the kids wanted to ride The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm (about a 15-minute wait). By 1 PM we had seen enough and headed home. That's the great thing about a seasonal pass, you don't feel like you have to cram too much into one day.

I found the Magic Kingdom opening ceremony video below that somebody had posted on YouTube. It's slightly different than the opening ceremony I experienced the other day but it gives you a decent idea of what to expect . . .

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Thanksgiving at Old Key West Resort

I was fortunate to spend Thanksgiving at Old Key West Resort with the entire family - we had a great Thanksgiving dinner at Olivia's Cafe with a party of 35 friends and family! Well, okay, it was really a late lunch (2:50 PM sitting) but the service and food were excellent (the only drawback being that we had no leftovers!). My family of four stayed in one of the one-bedroom suites at Old Key West Resort - very spacious with a full kitchen and within just a short walk of the bus stop and a small pool.

We had some quality, if somewhat overpriced, breakfasts at Olivia's Cafe (my personal recommendation is the poached eggs and hash, served over sweet potato and ham hash with a buttermilk biscuit - absolutely delicious). For a quick lunch, we ate at Goods to Go, which offers counter service, outdoor picnic tables and a menu that includes burgers, hot dogs, chicken strips, fries and ice cream. Next door to Goods to Go lies a tiny bar called The Gurgling Suitcase, where my brother and I ran up a huge tab on drinks. It's the perfect place to unwind after a day of dealing with immense Thanksgiving crowds at the Disney theme parks. Nearby, the kids enjoyed the Community Hall, which offers an air hockey table, foosball, board games, toys and DVDs for rent. The large pool at Old Key West Resort features a great waterslide and the water is heated - perfect for a relaxing swim even when the weather was a little chilly.

In addition to taking advantage of the onsite amenities, we took the free boat over to Downtown Disney - it runs about every 20-25 minutes in both directions. We also took advantage of the bus transportation to Disney's Magic Kingdom and only had to wait about 10 minutes from the bus stop at both Old Key West and the Magic Kingdom. The bus takes you right up to the Magic Kingdom entrance, so you don't have to wait for a monorail or bus. Very convenient!

I found the Old Key West Resort video below on YouTube. I took a bunch of photos and I will post them once I get motivated to upload them to my computer . . .

Welcome to Deconstructing Disney World!

I've been to Disney World dozens of times since my first visit in 1971 at the age of 6 (my family attended the "official" grand opening on October 23 even though Disney World actually opened on October 1, 1971) and now I want to share some of the insider tips I've learned on this blog, whether you are seeking advice on not-to-be-missed Disney attractions, best places to eat and sleep, and how to save time and money at Disney theme parks.

To start off, below is a creepy 1971 Disney World commercial (actually a promotion for Eastern Airlines). Whoever came up with this thing must have been dropping acid. It sounds like Orson Welles doing the narration - who can blame him, he needed the money! I guess it beat doing those moronic Paul Masson wine commercials. For more classic Disney videos, check out Disney World Retro.