WDW Daily News

Let’s face it, summer in Orlando is hot, very hot. Just to make it more interesting, Mother Nature adds a hair curling dose of humidity. But for families with school age children, summer may be the only time of year they can make a visit to Walt Disney World. While it is definitely going to be hot, I have some tips and tricks to make it more manageable.

#1 – Schedule your day to avoid the heat. Try to do your park touring during the cooler hours of the day. By getting up early and arriving before park opening, not only do you beat the crowds, but you get to enjoy the park before it heats up for the day. You can accomplish a lot in those first few hours, and your melting will be at a minimum. Ideally, return to your hotel for an afternoon break during the heat of the day, then return to the park around dinner time when the summer sun and temperature are starting to go down. If you are going to be in the parks during the midday, plan your attraction times care¬fully. Plan to enjoy indoor (hint: air-conditioned) attractions or queues between the hours of noon and 4pm. Good examples include: the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor and Mickey’s Philharmagic at Magic Kingdom, The American Adventure in Epcot, The Voyage of the Little Mermaid or Star Tours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Finding Nemo – The Musical at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

#2 – Hit the pool! All Walt Disney World Resort hotels have beautiful pools for Guests. Return to your hotel in the afternoon to cool off in your resort pool. A nice swim and a rest will renew and fresh you and you’ll be ready to head back into the parks in the evening for more Disney magic.

#3 – Stay hydrated with FREE ice water. Any quick service location at Walt Disney World will give you a free glass of ice water on request. It is easy to get dehydrated in the Orlando heat, and things like soda not only can be costly, but they don’t rehydrated you very well. I often bring a reusable water bottle and fill it with my free ice water. If you don’t like the taste of water, bring some powdered drink mix to add to your bottle!

#4 – Keep cool with a misting fan! These fans can be purchased throughout the parks, but save yourself some money and purchase one at home. They can easily be found at places like Target and Walmart for less than $10. We let our kids decorate theirs with sharpie markers and stickers so they had that fun Disney theme to them. Be sure to pack extra batteries because you’ll be surprised how much little kids can use them. They are really good for just keeping little people entertained too.

#5 – Cooling towels are amazing and feel great. After the Tinker Bell Half Marathon, Disney handed out these small cooling cloths, and now I pack one for all of my races. You may have seen them on television or in sporting goods stores. You get them wet, then snap them open to make them cool. They do feel quite cool and on your face and the back of your neck and really are very refreshing. You can also find them on Amazon for less than $10

So while it will be hot, a little advance planning can make your summer Walt Disney World Vacation more enjoyable. Use one or all of these tips and you are sure to keep your cool!

I am admittedly not a Star Wars fan. I’ve seen all the movies but they never moved me in the way they have many of the fans and rather than insult the fandom I just sort of stayed away from all things Star Wars. I had my first Star Wars Disney experience a couple of years ago when May the 4th was a limited time magic event and lets just say the experience was less than magical for me. It left a nasty taste in my mouth with anything Star Wars related in the theme parks and from then on I swore off Star Wars…until this past weekend. I decided to try out Star Wars Weekends. I’d never been and I kept seeing my friends posting pictures on facebook of their experiences and it looked like fun so I decided I’d give it a whirl. I  only had one day off that week so I was only going to be able to go that one day but I figured one day would be enough to accomplish a lot. And boy did I accomplish a lot.

When I arrived I grabbed my map and I headed towards the back of Hollywood Studios. I knew most of the characters were meeting there and character meets are my favorite so I decided to see how many I could get. Can I mention that it felt like Tattooine and it was stupidly hot that day?! I hopped in line for Eowk Chip and Dale and I had a fun time with them, but in the 20 minutes I waited for them I think I sweated over two gallons so I headed over to One Man’s Dream to cool down. One Man’s Dream is admittedly my favorite thing in Hollywood Studios. I love all the models and the film is so moving. I’ve recently really gotten into learning about Disney history so it was the perfect place to spend about 30 minutes in the air conditioning.

After that I ventured out again and decided to wander around Pixar Place. I saw Mase Windu- his line was very long so I decided to skip it. I saw Darth Vader- his long was insanely long so I skipped it. I saw Boba Fett—his line was crazy long so I decided to skip it. All the lines were insane and admittedly I was getting discouraged. This wasn’t fun. As I headed towards the streets of New York I saw Cinderella’s Carriage was still there. I’d seen the film 4 times so of course I stood in line to get my photo with that. And then I skipped over to see Mr. Gold’s Pawn Shop window. I know this is about my Star Wars Weekend Experience but I spent a good 15 minutes looking in that window. As a fan of Once Upon A Time that display made my heart happy. I headed back up to Hollywood Blvd where I met up with a friend and we headed into the Great Movie Ride.

It was my first time riding it since the update and while there were some things I really enjoyed (the new end film) I missed the old ride a fair bit. I’m not overly fond of the new audio spiel but the Mary Poppins bit in the very beginning was still there and that is my favorite part of the whole attraction so I was happy. At this point we headed into Darth Maul and I met…a Jawa. I didn’t actually know what a Jawa was (it’s a trader) but the Jawa I met was amazing. She traded really fun items with my friend and it took  a selfie with me. On a side note for my friends that SnapChat Jawa’s have the power to sign your snapchats which is pretty awesome!

I got to see the creator of Her Universe, though I didn’t get to meet her, seeing Ashley Eckstein was pretty amazing! I love her clothing line and I had no idea she came to Star Wars weekends every year. Fashion and Star Wars- this is something I can get into. My spirits were up. I headed off to my Hollywood and Vine dining for the what I thought was going to be the highlight of my day. On Star Wars day 2 years ago I REALLY wanted to meet Jedi Mickey but I didn’t get to. Fast forward two years and he was the first character I met in my dining experience. He was the perfect gentleman I might add and I had a blast. It was my first time eating at Hollywood and Vine and I really enjoyed the experience. It is buffet style dining and for the Star Wars events the food is themed with fun star wars names. My favorite was the dessert bar. I had a Yoda, Darth Vader, and Jabba the hut cupcake. All three were delicious. I had real food too, but why go with real food when you can stuff your face with as many desserts as you can handle?! In the dining experience you get to meet all the Disney Star Wars Characters- Leia Minne, Darth Goofy, Storm Trooper Donald, Ewok Chip and Dale and Jedi Mickey. To me the experience is well worth it because you are guaranteed all those characters and its in the AC. I loved the experience and I will definitely do that again next year!

After my dinner I met up with my friends again. They had gone to the Frank Oz lecture and told me they cried their eyes out at how amazing it was. I didn’t realize you could go to shows like that at star wars weekends but now I know and I’ll be trying for those next year. We wandered for a little bit before heading over for fireworks. I experienced some true Disney Magic and I got to watch from the VIP section. The view was amazing! While we were waiting for the show to start we noticed a few more people walking in. We looked over and Ray Park was there! Ray Park aka…DARTH MAUL! He was lovely. He took photos with me and my friends and wished us a great night! It got even better. We stood feet away from Frank Oz aka YODA AND ALL THE MUPPETS! I didn’t get to meet him but I was five feet away and that was more than enough for me! Then to top it all off I got to meet John Arnold Taylor the voice of Obi Wan Kenobi in the Clone Wars! What a way to end my Star Wars Weekends Experience!

So needless to say though it started off a little rocky my star wars weekends was PERFECT! I can not wait to go again next year and do all the things I didn’t get to do this year! So thank you Disney…you made a Star Wars fan out of this girl

Yes, I know this is a silly topic, but it’s exactly what happens every time I start to pack for a trip to Disney World. For my husband, this is no big deal. He grabs whatever and throws it into the bag and he’s done. I, on the other hand, over think and over pack every single time. Maybe you can help me out. Let’s talk about how to dress for the parks.

First and most importantly you want to dress for comfort. That’s different for everybody, and I haven’t quite mastered it. My first thought is shorts and a top. This is my basic outfit unless we visit in the winter months, and for the most part it’s comfortable… until I get on a water ride. Then, it’s hello chaffing town (TMI?) Then, there are the shoes. I used to wear flip flops with no problem, but have recently started having nerve problems in my feet. But that’s not too difficult a problem to fix. I now make sure to pack a good pair of sneakers. All of this seems really logical right? You want comfortable clothes that aren’t too hot and reliable footwear. But that’s not good enough for my mind… I don’t want to just be comfortable. I want to look good!

After I’ve gathered my most comfortable clothes into a mountain on my bed, I start weeding through them trying to find things I feel confident in. Being self conscious isn’t a problem for everyone, but it really is for me. So feeling confident in what I’m wearing plays a big part in my packing process. I’m not saying I’m wearing my Sunday best and doing my hair and makeup every day, but I do want to look back at our pictures and enjoy the memories, not remember how much I dislike myself. By the end of this process, I usually have 3 more outfits than necessary and they’re all very similar, Disney or skulls.

So now that I’ve tried on all my clothes, narrowed down my clothes, and probably cried at least once I start think accessories… yes I accessorize on vacation! Now, I don’t mean matching necklaces and earrings.  I’m talking about all my awesome Disney swag that I get weird looks for wearing back in Tennessee. My three favorite park accessories are my Maleficent light up horns, Minnie Mouse ears, and Mickey ear top hat. At this point, I reevaluate what I’m packing to make sure that one of these will match.  (How many people are shaking their head at me right now? )

I know this is a ridiculous article. What you wear is not where near as important as where you are. Sometimes I struggle with this concept with my body image issues. Being in Disney makes me forget those problems, but looking at our pictures sure do bring them back. So yeah, I probably do spend more time picking out an outfit than I really should, but I’m just trying to create the most magical experience I can by dressing comfortable and confidently.

How about you? What’s your perfect park outfit? Let’s talk on Twitter @hoodie_life.

After many trips to the World, I can’t help but think about the places inside the Magic Kingdom that would make lovely homes for those of us who just can’t get enough of the magic. After a brief conversation with my husband, we came up with a few potential locations for our future dream home as long as Disney doesn’t mind us moving in.

1. Fort Langhorn on Tom Sawyer Island: This location would be ideal because it is off the beaten path, and you could have some privacy here from the many crowds that populate the Magic Kingdom. The areas on the upper level of the fort could be converted into living quarters, and the audio animatronics in the various barn spaces would have to find a new home. The bedrooms could occupy these barn spaces, and you could expand the bathrooms that already exist. I would leave the guns in the rifle roost, but I would make sure that they each make the satisfying shooting noise that they are each supposed to make when you “shoot” them. You would have to have your own boat transportation for getting to and from this island, or you could create a secret tunnel under the Rivers of America, so you could escape at any time if necessary. If you set up a viewing area, you could even enjoy the Wishes fireworks from high atop the fort. Clearly, the fort would be a wonderful place to live as well as offer a unique view of the Magic Kingdom.

2. An apartment on top of the Plaza Restaurant/Ice Cream Parlor: My husband would love to live in this area because he cannot get enough of that waffle cone smell that emanates from the ice cream parlor. This would also be a prime location for fireworks as well as parade viewing. Who wouldn’t want to live on Main Street? You could pop into the Plaza for a daily ice cream treat or a tasty hamburger. After all of those calories, you will have to do some serious exercise, but you could just keep walking around the park because you would already be home!

3. The second floor of the Columbia Harbour House: If you have eaten at the Harbour House, you have probably noticed the spacious area on the second level of this restaurant. This area could easily be converted into a home. You would have excellent views of Fantasyland as well as Liberty Square. The second floor is huge, so you could have many rooms. I would keep the nautical theme and the background music. I love to listen to the sea shanties because they remind me of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride. If you get hungry during the day, you could go downstairs for a hummus sandwich and an apple dessert treat. In addition, you could easily visit the Haunted Mansion for a quick ride or the Hall of the Presidents. This would be quite a centrally located home.

4. Swiss Family Robinson Tree House: Now, this is an obvious choice because it is already set up to be a home, a primitive home, but a home nonetheless. This house would offer excellent views and photo opportunities as well as an endless supply of Swiss Polka music. Yes, I would leave the Swiss Polka playing, all day, all the time. It is just that awesome! Some of the rooms would need to be closed in and modernized for our comfort, but this would not require too much work. Plus, who wouldn’t want to live in Adventureland with an amazing view of the Magic Kingdom? With regard to the prime location of this home in Adventureland, you would also be able to frequent Aloha Isle so that you could purchase daily Dole Whips.

5. The Formerly Burning Settler’s Cabin: Now, this is definitely a fixer upper, but it is already set up as a house, and it has a lovely forest surrounding it. Back in the olden days of Disney history, this cabin used to perpetually burn, but now the fire has been extinguished. As a result, we could move right into this cabin. It is a little small, but we could do some additions. Like the fort, we would need to have a secret tunnel in order to reach the cabin, and we would also have an excellent view of the fireworks at night. As the riverboat passes on the Rivers of America, we could stand out in front of our homestead and wave at all of the passersby. We could become castmembers and dress as residents of our pioneer cabin. This would definitely be fun. We would have a place where we could live, work, and play! It’s our own version of EPCOT.

I hope you have enjoyed my look at potential Magic Kingdom homes. Where would you choose to live? Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!