WDW Daily News

I have been asked many questions about my travels to Walt Disney World.  They range from “got any tips” to “you are really going again”.  I always say I have lots of tips and we go back because there is so much to do and see there!  We haven’t seen and done it all yet!  Those replies really do not seem to answer the question in a sufficient manner.  I am not sure it is totally possible to answer it to my satisfaction let alone explain the draw Walt Disney World has for me and my husband.  Writing for WDW Daily News lets me try and put that answer into words every two weeks.

This attraction for all things Disney as well as the desire to live in Florida has led me and my husband to begin an incredible journey over the next few months.  We are retiring and relocating to central Florida.  This journey will require patience and hard work but should help us mark something off our bucket list.  Our entire reason for relocating isn’t just our love of Disney, that’s just one part.  We are escaping the cold of winter too.  Not just this last one, although it has been miserable, but all the winters ahead with the cold, ice and snow. 

We have found our dream house and can be at Disney in about 30 minutes. Sometimes we can hear fireworks from the Parks!  Central Florida has so much more to see as well.  The stars at night are amazingly bright when we sit by our pool in the lanai!  We have lots of questions too.  We wonder how many alligators we will see in the neighborhood and if it will be safe to get a dog.  How will we adjust to being away from family?   Will we get tired of Disney?  What other things are there to see and do in Florida?  Mostly it is an exciting time for us.

I am excited to share this experience with the readers of our newsletter.  I hope to share some of our experiences and plan on getting as much information as possible to share about all the events and happenings at Walt Disney World.  Hopefully I will get better at using those Magic Bands with practice!!!

I am looking forward to having more Disney magic to share as we become Disney neighbors.

A quick trip to the World is a great survival strategy when you don’t have the time for a longer visit. My family has been lucky enough to take several such trips, which have allowed us to enjoy time together in Disney World despite busy school and work schedules.

Although these 3-4 day trips go by fast, we have found ways to make the most of our time and even squeeze in a little relaxation. And so, here are some of our quick trip strategies:

Stay close to a park. On a shorter trip, we have found it makes a lot of sense to splurge on a resort that is close to a park. This tactic can save travel time during your visit as well as open up the option for a targeted stop in a nearby theme park to simply have dinner or ride a couple of rides.

Staying at one of the monorail resorts provides easy access to the Magic Kingdom. If you stay at the Contemporary, you can even walk there (anyone for a quick game of Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom?). At the Wilderness Lodge, you can take a boat ride to the Magic Kingdom. For my family, boat rides are just as much part of the Disney experience as the rides in the park, which is a wonderful benefit during a shorter Disney vacation.

If you want to be able to walk to Epcot or Hollywood Studios, the Beach Club and Boardwalk are good choices. You can hop over to Epcot for dinner at the Rose & Crown or take in some Streetmosphere at the Studios. These two resorts also offer the option of taking a boat ride to either of these parks.

Plan your time in and out of the parks carefully. On our longer trips, my family generally makes a lot of use of rope drop. Although we definitely aim for rope drop on a couple of mornings on our shorter trips, we have also found that a quick trip can be exhausting without some planned rest time.

One option is to do rope drop but then consider an early dinner and ending your day at your resort with a dip in the pool or enjoying the entertainment right at the resort. We have found that getting a good night’s sleep can make all the difference when we are ready for more fun in the parks the next day.

If you do plan a late evening, a good strategy is to plan a slow morning the next day—this could be the perfect time to take advantage of some of those later FastPass+ reservations. And, of course, an afternoon break at the pool is always a great way to recharge and to enjoy your resort even on a quick trip.

Prioritize—you can’t fit in everything. On shorter trips, it’s even more difficult to fit in everything than on longer trips to the World, and trying to do too much can make for a lot of stress. Prioritizing what you want to see and do is key! You may want to limit which parks you visit. Definitely go to the Magic Kingdom if you feel like a trip to the World is not complete without a walk down Main Street, but maybe save one of the other parks for next time.

And if you need to change your plans to avoid a meltdown, definitely don’t be upset. Slowing down may be just what is needed to enjoy a quieter moment relaxing in a resort lobby or having a cold drink while you “Disney people” watch.

Consider at most one table service meal per day. I love eating at Disney World! But when I am there for a short visit, I’d rather be wandering the parks and experiencing rides than sitting in a restaurant. In fact, this could be the time to try some of Disney World’s delicious counter service and snack offerings. I recommend the Greek salad at Cosmic Rays or a jalapeno cheese pretzel at the Animal Kingdom.

On your last day, go to the park closest to your resort. Some of the pain of knowing it is our last day in the parks can be alleviated by maximizing the time before we need to leave. Our tradition has been to schedule a later flight, go to rope drop at the park nearest to our resort, and let the Disney magic allow us to forget our return to reality in just a few hours. Perhaps we’ll have a longer trip next time …

I just returned from another whirlwind weekend at WDW and I could not believe how much was going on!  The Princess Half Marathon was the big “on property” happening, not to mention the Daytona 500 to the north and the huge Downtown Food and Wine Festival at Lake Eola. Had I known about the festival, I may have made plans to attend but my agenda was pretty full with my birthday celebrations and other commitments I had made around that with friends.  I did catch the highlights thanks to the local news coverage and will keep it in mind for next year.

But on the topic of food, this brings me to the subject of my article today.  I usually spend the bulk of my time at Epcot and World Showcase when I am in town.  They are both large in area and can accommodate crowds better.  And with me being a major “foodie” anyway, it’s just a natural fit for me to be there.

Monday morning I decided to spend the few hours I had before heading back to the airport at World Showcase.  I planned to have lunch, see some of the country specific entertainment and basically kill some time.

As I make my way around, I like to check out the menus from each restaurant and kiosk to see if there are new offerings, price changes, etc.  I stopped in Japan for a beverage and as I sat along the promenade I could smell the funnel cake stand from the American Adventure pavilion.  Not that I wanted one, but I thought I would make my way over there to see the preparations for the upcoming Flower and Garden Festival.

Toy Story’s Woody is back and situated outside the BBQ stand.  The craft beer location was stocking up for a busy day and the steam was billowing out of the funnel cake kiosk.  I made my way across the plaza and took a look at the Liberty Dining Hall menu.  It was at that moment I got the inspiration for this article.

The American Pavilion dictated the very landscape of World Showcase.  The elevation rises as you walk around the promenade on either side as you approach the show building just to accommodate the underground rail system for the American Adventure sets and props. The pavilion itself is the largest and houses one of the most technical and complex mechanical shows on Disney property.

Originally it was to be at the “entrance” to World Showcase in an elevated state that you walked under to gain access to the rest of the countries.  Fortunately it was moved to the opposite side of the lagoon to welcome all from across the water.  It really is a magnificent building with a ton of trivia attached to it but that’s for another article.

My reflection is this:  The host country, largest in scale and complexity, the American example, if you will and the menu is to say the least sad.  All of these other countries have these wonderful culinary offerings and we have hot dogs and hamburgers.  Sure, those are quintessential American offerings, but is that the message we want our millions of foreign visitors to take home with them?  Even if they were to repeat the menu at the Liberty Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom it would be a better example of some good old fashioned American fare.  How about some chicken rotisseries?  A show kitchen doing steaks and ribs might be nice.  But chicken fingers and fries?  Been there, done that!

I’m sure with the installation and maintenance of a very expensive production, food services were an afterthought back in the early 80’s.  But considering  the other many, many, many construction walls and changes across property, I would love to see a new, great restaurant be offered, a true, American Culinary Adventure.   Come on Coke, where’s that smile?

During this past week, a new parade, the Festival of Fantasy, debuted at Magic Kingdom, and I was lucky enough to see it!  This parade is a huge improvement over the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade that recently retired.  The music, costumes, and floats in the Festival of Fantasy parade show creativity as well as a strong attention to detail.  Each float tells a different story, and the floats also have many moving parts that contribute to the overall kinetic feeling of this entertainment offering.  For example, the Tangled float looks like a huge ship, and Flynn Rider swings back and forth on the float during the entire parade.  One of the most impressive sections of the parade is the giant steampunk dragon that breaths fire.  It is an artistic masterpiece, and the fact that it breathes fire is amazing and quite exciting. The Peter Pan float is also well done; it is very tall, and the cannons that are attached to the pirate ship actually fire every few minutes.

            Not only are the floats intricate, the costumes are also bright and colorful. Every float includes the major characters related to the movie or franchise represented, but between each section, there are various dancers to represent more minor characters or just background from these movies.  Every costume looks like it was made specifically to reflect as much sunlight as possible.  I enjoyed the dancing sections between the floats much more during this parade than I have during previous parades. 

            With regard to the performers in the Festival of Fantasy, all I can say is, “Wow!” These folks looked excited and happy from the moment the parade started until the moment the parade ended.  No one ever looked tired or miserable or uncomfortable.  Everyone performed in a way that can only be described as magical.  This is important, because even though all of the floats are beautiful and interactive, the characters and performers really drive the action of this parade.  I truly enjoyed the high energy of every part of the entire spectacle.  I have only seen the parade once, but I want to see it many more times so that I can really examine all of the details.  This new entertainment option is such an excellent addition to the Magic Kingdom, and it really helps to celebrate the focus on New Fantasyland as it nears its completion.  This parade also matches the grand scope and scale of the Magic Kingdom in Florida.  If you are at Walt Disney World in the near future, make sure to see the Festival of Fantasy; you will not be disappointed.  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!

My last article was about Pressed or Elongated Coins.  The topic came up because I was searching for things to do with the few pressed coins I have collected over the years.  They represent memories that I want to hold on to and I just did not know how I wanted to do that….short of carrying them in my change purse as a lucky memento.   So I did an internet search and I found so much more, I think I have even become a pressed coin fan!

Did you know you can purchase Pressed Coin holders at many of the Gift Shops around the World?  Look for one that compliments your vacation memories.  I found many craft and storage ideas for Pressed Coins.  Pinterest had pictures of earrings, necklaces and bracelets all made with a little craftiness and cherished Pressed Coins.  Some were complicated and required a hole to be put in the coin.  It could be seen that one’s imagination would be the only requirement.  I did find one very interesting option that would not require very much creativity or skill on my part but was quite a creative invention.  Pennybandz!

Pennybandz hold the pressed coins in either a bracelet or necklace to shine for all to see!  The necklaces come in various colors, the bracelets in various colors and sizes.  The sopping site is http://pennybandz.com where the various colors and options can be seen.

The site explains the reason we all need a Pennybandz, we all have a pressed penny we want to show off and use to keep memories alive or just to use as a conversation started!  It explains their mission, they even give a portion of each sale to charity!  Gotta love that!  The colors are fun and the prices are reasonable with free shipping on purchases over $10.  Once I received my bracelet and necklace and cleaned my pennies, I found it very easy to insert the coins in the Pennybandz pendant and bracelet.  I cannot wait to wear them!  Please check the Pennybandz site and see if you can share some magic by pressing a penny and wearing it in a Pennybandz!

On a Disney World vacation, it is incredibly easy to get caught up in a “let’s hurry up and get to the next attraction” mindset, and that approach can be crucial if you want to experience some of the most popular attractions without long waits. However, I have found that an excellent way to enhance my enjoyment of the headliners is to take a few moments to experience a walk through attraction. By their very nature, these attractions invite you to slow down, take a break, and appreciate the details that make Disney World such a special place.

In our previous issue, I focused on walk through attractions in the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. This time, we turn to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom parks and my favorite attractions there that will leave you refreshed and ready for some more Disney excitement.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

To me, Hollywood Studios always feels like a busy park, second to the Magic Kingdom only because there are fewer major attractions. There is the heart-pounding thrill of the Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster as well as the vibrant colors and energetic games of Toy Story Midway Mania. Like the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios does not have a lot of walk through attractions. So, where is my favorite place to find some respite after my family’s traditional multiple rides on Star Tours?

That answer is easy — Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream. Talk about slowing down to appreciate the details of Disney! In addition to all sorts of Disney artifacts, photos, art, and displays about Walt’s history and family life, the gallery has models of Main Street in Disneyland, the Jungle Cruise, and Spaceship Earth. It also features a replica of Sleeping Beauty Castle and the original Audio-Animatronic Abraham Lincoln.

You can end your tour relaxing in a nice dark theater watching an inspirational film tribute to Walt. Every time I go into One Man’s Dream, I am newly energized from learning about Walt Disney the man and his parks!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

It is no accident that I have saved the Animal Kingdom for last when considering the joy of walk through attractions. Indeed, much of this park can be seen as one great big walk through attraction, with its winding pathways, animal exhibits, and hidden quiet spots. Taking a slower pace can be a bit of a conscious effort during a Disney World vacation, but the Animal Kingdom is the park where I feel most invited to do so.

That invitation starts with the shaded paths of the Oasis Exhibits as you enter the park and continues through the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, through the Discovery Island Trails, and in the intricate carvings on the Tree of Life.

My personal favorite is the Maharajah Jungle Trek, especially when walked in the quieter hours at twilight. The sights and smells of lush tropical plants, exotic animals including gibbons, flying foxes, and majestic tigers, waterfalls, the sounds of bird singing, and the mystique of ancient ruins all transport me to another world. Sitting on a quiet bench absorbing this place is exactly what I need while I look forward to another exciting day in the parks.

There’s a song that says “music is the universal language if you know what I mean”.  Well, I have found its first cousin.

I am in sales and marketing and therefore have folks from all sorts of backgrounds coming through my office.  One never knows what type of personality you will be working with until you sit down and begin that discovery process.  But no matter what “type” they may be…one thing can be a common denominator for sure.

Everyone has their own way of finding “common ground” with prospective clients to develop a rapport and ease into discussions relating to the actual sales process.  What is my winning ice breaker? Disney, of course!

I have only two Disney items in my office.  A Walt Disney World coffee mug and a large candy dish resembling Mickey’s red shorts and shoes, not to mention Sorcerer Radio is always playing on my desktop.

It never fails that my visitors notice these items and it affords me the opportunity to share a recent experience or personal anecdote.  They in turn do the same or if they have never been to the “World” they tend to ask a lot of questions!  Maybe I’m marketing for the wrong company!

I could very easily get sidetracked and talk Disney all day, but I have learned to weave my Disney experiences and community offerings throughout the conversation that not only builds a great relationship with my family clients, but can make a difficult decision process less intimidating and more entertaining.

They always take an interest in what I share with them, which in turn lends to them having greater interest in what I’m here to educate them about and ultimately win their trust, their business.

We are all about making a personal connection with our guests, family members and residents here and by me using the universal language of Disney, it’s always a breeze!  So, put a Mickey on your mantle, a castle on your credenza or a Dumbo on your desk.  See what a little Disney commonality can do for you. The results can be magical!

In life, change is inevitable, and the same is true at Walt Disney World. Lately, there has been a great deal of change at the World, so I thought I would reflect back on some of those big changes and how they have impacted my touring. First, paper fastpasses are no longer offered at the parks, and I really do miss them. I enjoyed collecting them, and it was fun to run to a particular attraction at rope drop and snag a coveted fastpass. Yes, I know that the new system is probably more efficient, and it wastes far less paper. However, I really miss the strategy sessions during which we planned out fastpasses to get during the day.

Whenever we stay at a WDW hotel, we always take advantage of Extra Magic Hours. Long ago, castmembers used to hand out bracelets that said “extra magic hours”. Again, I used to collect those bracelets during our trip just to see how many I could end up wearing by the end of the week. It has been years since the bracelets were issued, but I still have some in my Disney collection. I also miss the WDW specific napkins that used to be offered in the parks. They often referenced whichever celebration was occurring for the year, and there were even holiday napkins. I have a few napkins from various restaurants too, like the Sci-Fi Dine In. Disney World still has cups and popcorn containers that are decorated for the seasons though, so I am glad that this type of paper ephemera still exists.

With regard to attractions, I really miss Snow White’s Scary Adventures. I know that I can go to Disneyland and ride it, but I always enjoyed journeying into the scary forest and facing the Evil Queen. Although it has been gone for a long time, I do miss 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea too. This was one of my favorite rides as a child, and it just gave such a mysterious look to that corner of Fantasyland. I also enjoyed the music, and the sense that you were really journeying deep into the ocean in order to go exploring. Now, New Fantasyland is beautiful, but I will always be nostalgic
for 20K. Not only are some attractions a thing of the past, but there are also parades that no longer exist. I really miss Spectromagic, and again, this might just be because I grew up with this parade. I loved the music and the whole look of the parade. I recently purchased the limited edition pin that contains a piece of the parade. The alarm sound on my iphone is actually Spectromagic!

As far as merchandise goes, WDW has done a great job bringing back some retro designs. However, I do miss the build your own Mouse-ear hat that was introduced at the Chapeau in the past few years. I built two different hats, and I covered them with patches. I also purchased these patches to sew onto other bags and hats. Patches must not be popular because they are impossible to find on property. In addition to these items, we used to collect small glass figurines that depicted Mickey Mouse and the current year. Sometimes, he was sitting on a suitcase with the year on the suitcase, and sometimes he was standing with a banner labeled with the year. We had several of the figurines from our yearly visits, but then they were no longer produced.

Even though I miss many things that are no longer present at WDW, I am definitely hopeful for the future. I am sure that the Imagineers are hard at work coming up with what the next big thing will be. New Fantasyland will soon be in full swing, and who knows what will happen next at Hollywood Studios or with Futureworld at Epcot? The new Festival of Fantasy parade at Magic Kingdom debuts very soon as well. Since I am a local, I have the chance to be at the center of the action, and that is so exciting! Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!

I have seen numerous pressed penny machines in and around Walt Disney World. You know the machines that consist of steel rollers that press against each other forcefully to deform a coin. One of the rollers has a design engraved on it which imprints on the coin as it passes through. The finished product is actually called an elongated coin. The customer inserts a coin, plus a nominal fee, and is rewarded with a coin that has the imprinted design on one side and usually is smooth on the other side. While some machines are automatic, some require Guest intervention…..there is a crank to turn! These machines offer another type of souvenir to make and collect while visiting numerous tourist hubs and Walt Disney World is no exception.

What about the legality? Weren’t we always told not to deface or mutilate our currency, that it was against the law as a matter of fact? Well I checked on that as well and it seems that it is acceptable if the mutilated coins are not used fraudulently, with the intent of counterfeit or other profit from the base metal. If the coins are pressed as souvenirs this mutilation is legal as long as the location of the press has a permit from the Mint. I am sure the Disney Corporation has such a permit since both Disneyland and Disney World have embraced this as another way to create a memory.
I was surprise to see so much information about this phenomena on the web. I suppose nothing on the web should surprise me but there are entire pages devoted to pressed pennies and not just any pressed coins, Disney Pressed Coins! There are sites that offer tips, sites that offer maps of where the machines are, sites for collectors and sites with accessories for your coins. I found it all very interesting. I have a couple of my own but with this new information I may need to make a few new ones!

Here is some of the information I found to be most useful:

1. Use pre 1982 pennies, if you want to avoid zinc streaking. Pennies made after 1982 are made with zinc and it is softer and sometimes doesn’t press as well.
2. Those M&M minis tubes once emptied, are a good holder for pennies to be pressed.
3. There are many characters available to ‘press’ if you are willing to look. http://www.presscoins.com/ as an extensive listing.
4. There are many suggestions on how to clean your pennies after pressing, best advice…..use a SHINY penny!!!
5. Pennies are actually auctioned on EBAY!
6. http://www.parkpennies.com/ is a great site for serious collecting information with articles and history as well.
7. Pick a theme and press on!
8. Press heads up!
9. Quarters and dimes can also be pressed, be sure to check!
10. Maps with machine locations can be found on line!
11. Remember that you are pressing one coin but it may cost additional coins to do the pressing.

I hope you find this information useful and enjoy creating magical memories to share! Next time….what can we do with our coins…..

There are so many hidden treasures and experiences at Disney it is hard to know where to begin. We have ventured to Disney numerous times and always seem to come away with an experience we never knew existed – most recently in Epcot. More on that in a future article.

This time I would like to concentrate a bit on our upcoming trip in June. We are planning our arrival by car – just over 20 hours from Iowa to the Boardwalk Villas. I am excited about what discoveries we will find along the way as well as discover if any of us will still be talking to each other upon arrival at the Happiest Place on Earth. Have any of you experienced a 20 hour drive with teens/preteens and a spouse? I would be interested to hear about your journey! disneydad1972@gmail.com
I imagine we will be arriving in time for lunch and a bit of magic before our villa will be ready. We were excited to receive this package in the mail shortly before Christmas:

Edna told us all about our upcoming vacation. Disney’s app ‘My Disney Experience’ and all it can do. We are excited to discover and work with this new technology – My Magic+, Fastpass+, dining reservations, Magic Bands, parade reservations….the list goes on and on. Now, there may come a point when you could get too bogged down in the planning and forget about the enjoyment of relaxing on vacation. Not to worry, our basic ‘plan’ will stay in place – we let everyone pick one thing they absolutely would love to do each day and make sure that happens – the rest of the day becomes a bonus for all of us!

This experience, and all we will discover, will be an amazing journey and I am glad you will be sharing it with us…..’Do you trust me?’