Tips and Tricks for your Disney Vacation

Posted in DISNEY ATTRACTIONS, DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM, DISNEY'S EPCOT, DISNEY'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS, DISNEY'S MAGIC KINGDOM with tags on September 7, 2012 by disneychronicles

Tips and Tricks for your Disney Vacation from a Disney Addict! Just a few things that may help your trip go smoothly! would love to hear any tips that you have also….

MAGIC KINGDOM

Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the busiest days at the Magic Kingdom. Try to come toward the middle of the week, because most families hit the Magic Kingdom early in their Disney visit.

Ride a star attraction while a parade is going on if you’re willing to miss it; lines ease considerably.

Book character meals early. Main Street, U.S.A.’s Crystal Palace Buffet has breakfast with Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, and Piglet 8–10:30 AM. Lunch at Cinderella’s Royal Table in Cinderella Castle is extremely popular—so much so that you should reserve your spot six months out.

EPCOT

Epcot is so vast and varied that you really need two days to explore everything. If you have just one day, be highly selective.

It’s best to go late in the week, when others are at Magic Kingdom.

The first thing you should do is grab a fast pass for Soarin’ or Test Track as the wait for these two rides can sometimes top 120 minutes.

All the countries serve pretty much the same kids meals, so if you have a picky eater don’t worry about picking a pavilion to dine in.

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

Visit late in the week, while most people are rushing through Magic and Animal kingdoms.

Check the tip board periodically for attractions with short wait times that you can visit between Fastpass appointments.

Be at the Fantasmic! amphitheater at least an hour before show time if you didn’t book the Fantasmic! dinner package.

Need a burst of energy? Snag a freshly baked chocolate-chip cookie or a pastry at Starring Rolls Cafe, at the corner of Hollywood and Sunset. Alternatively, Hollywood Scoops Ice Cream on Sunset might be just the thing on a hot day.

If you plan to have a fast-food lunch, eat before 11 am or after 2:30 pm. There are food stands along Sunset. You can get a burger (meat or veggie) or chicken strips at Rosie’s All-American Cafe, a slice of pizza from Catalina Eddie’s, or a chili dog at Toluca Legs Turkey Company.

Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror are the three most popular rides at Hollywood Studios. You may want to consider the single rider lines for these.

Don’t miss the parade if you can help it. The Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun parade is an interactive experience not to be missed.

ANIMAL KINGDOM

Try to visit during the week. Pedestrian areas are compact, and the park can feel horribly packed on weekends.

Arrive a half hour before the park opens as much to see the wild animals at their friskiest (morning is a good time to do the safari ride) as to get a jump on the crowds.

The two most popular attractions are the Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest. Make sure those are your first two stops of the day.

The best time to ride Kali River Rapids is between 1pm and 3pm, when the sun is at its hottest.

Make sure to see Festival of the Lion King. The show is great and has air conditioning!

and overall don’t forget to have a MAGICAL time! even you don’t get to see it all!

There’s always next year! 😀

September 2012 Newsletter

Posted in EVERYTHING DISNEY with tags on September 6, 2012 by disneychronicles

Families that travel together are not only making a lifetime of memories but sharing the unbelievable riches that come along with travel itself.

Imagine how your views of the world change once you are immersed in another culture firsthand. Sights and Sounds are one thing but the real education is in the cultures of the people you encounter along the way.  It doesn’t matter if you are 5 years old or 90 certain trips will stay with you for a lifetime!

For this reason I believe in always trying or traveling somewhere new. You never know what surprises the journey or destination hold!
So get out there!

 http://eepurl.com/n_rB5

Halloween in Central Florida!

Posted in DISNEY'S MAGIC KINGDOM, EVERYTHING DISNEY with tags , , , , on September 3, 2012 by disneychronicles

My favorite holiday! Absolutely LOVE it! when else do you have an excuse to dress up as whatever you want! I also love Fall,  the leaves changing ( I absolutely miss this from living up North) pumpkins, apple cider….must I go on! I am getting nostalgic here!

So Yes, Fall or their lack of the season entirely is a little different here in Florida. Although you better believe I will find ways to still celebrate it!

On a happy note though living so close to Disney I now get to partake in Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party!

It is loads of fun! So let’s start with that.

I decided to put together a list of haunting and scary Halloween adventures in the Orlando area! So please read on….

these are only a few and there is much more…..

Magic Kingdom

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party-Yes, I consider this the “Main Event” bought my tickets and reserved my room back in June! Well I KNEW I was going!

During Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Guests of all ages are encouraged to dress up in their favorite Halloween costumes. Even better, you can collect delicious candy as you trick-or-treat around Magic Kingdom theme park.

In addition to many favorite Disney attractions, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is filled with special entertainment, including:

  • Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade—including Disney Characters and the stars of the Haunted Mansion attraction. The parade begins with a spook-tacular ride by the Headless Horseman.
  • Happy HalloWishes—a spectacular fireworks show where the Disney Villains go trick-or-treating in the sky.
  • Many favorite Disney Characters and Disney Villains in special Halloween costumes.
  • Special lighting, music and theming effects transforms special areas of Magic Kingdom theme park into happy haunted hollows.

The tone of the event is, well, “Not-So-Scary”, and is appropriate for children of all ages.

Check out 2012 ticket info and 2011 pics here…

https://disneychronicles.com/mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party/

Legoland

This October, the park is debuting “Brick-or-Treat,” Legoland’s first kid-friendly Halloween celebration.

“During Brick-or-Treat, presented by Wells Fargo, Miniland USA will transform into a fun, haunted scavenger hunt for the whole family with the invasion of LEGO Monster Fighters and their enemies.”

“This thrilling family event also features trick-or-treating along the brick-or-treat trail, a kids’ four category costume contest with brick-tastic prizes and a build your own Halloween themed LEGO pumpkin model activity station. Only found at LEGOLAND Florida, families can also check out the world’s largest LEGO Jack-O-Lantern made of 26,500 LEGO bricks and capture a great photo memory.”

Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights

This is not for the WEAK!

ok, not gonna lie…absolutely petrified of doing this! Although EVERY year I say I will ….I don’t…maybe if I got a whole big group of people to go…hmmmm maybe next year! 😀

Face your deepest fears in the flesh, or what’s left of it when Halloween Horror Nights 22 invades Universal Orlando.

Can you survive a nightmarish horde of zombies from AMC’s The Walking Dead? How about the demented mind of Alice Cooper, a magic trick by Penn & Teller gone horrifically wrong, or the next dimension of terror in Silent Hill? There’s only one way to find out! Experience all-new haunted houses, scare zones, live shows and more!
Plan your escape, select nights September 21 – October 31

and then there’s…I may have to leave this one for next year also 😀

Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream

 

Zombies will overtake Busch Gardens this year. Jill M. Revelle, Marketing Director, promises that, “Even the streets themselves aren’t safe…for zombies live here, and insatiable hordes pour forth from every shadow, hungry to show fans the most horrifying Howl-O-Scream yet.”

Have you checked out Disney Quest?

Posted in DISNEY ATTRACTIONS with tags , on September 1, 2012 by disneychronicles

Whether vacationing at Disney or if your locals like us, Disney Quest is a great change of pace from the parks and a great option if the weather turns bad. This does seem to be the case quite often this summer.

It is housed in a five-story, windowless building. Guests enter the first-floor lobby and are transported via a magic elevator to the third floor atrium at the start of their visit.

The five floors of gaming will keep everyone in the family busy for hours as they have many rides, attractions, and varieties of games that everyone can enjoy.  My children are 9 and 7 and there was plenty for them to do!

Myself not being much of a “gamer” feel that I cannot possibly give too much detail on the actual games but I did enjoy the Pirate’s of the Caribbean.  I especially enjoyed that you play this with the whole family.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold: Man a pirate ship and destroy other ships, sea monsters, and fortresses to collect gold. One player captains the ship by steering and controlling the throttle, while up to four gunners control the cannons to destroy other ships.

I also went to the Virtual Jungle Cruise: Paddle an inflatable raft (with real paddles) as you make your way down a prehistoric river, avoiding dinosaurs and occasionally getting sprayed with water. It is based on, Jungle Cruise. This was just….ok.

Animation Academy – Be a Disney animator! An instructor takes you through the process of drawing a Disney character step by step.  This was fun and great for any aspiring artist or not!

On the 4th floor you will find the Wonderland Cafe, which features some absolutely incredible desserts and specialty coffees. You know those huge cupcakes you see throughout some of Disney’s dining venues….yup you can get one here!  I did like it here because you do get to sit back and relax.

On the 5th floor is Food Quest where salads, pizza, sandwiches, and other counter service items are offered.

Regular hours of operation are as follows:
Sunday – Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Friday – Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Visitors under age 10 must be accompanied by a responsible person age 16 or older. Certain games offering prize incentives require purchase of tokens to play. There are not many of these, my boys didn’t even ask to play these with all the other options they had.

Strollers are not allowed but it is handicapped accessible.

There are so many games here, I merely mentioned a few and other attractions that it is worth a visit!