Entertainment at Disney World

by Donna Quinn

While we all know that Disney World Resort is a great place to take kids but, something that many vacationers often forget is that there's plenty to do there as an adult, too. After all, while the resort's littlest visitors may be overwhelmed by meeting Mickey Mouse in person, the Disney company knows that parents often need something a little more extravagant to keep them entertained. And since entertainment is what Disney does best, they've created a number of exciting ways to bring out the kid in every adult.

Disney World has a number of fabulous live shows in their theme parks every day and night, and most of them are included in the cost of the park passes. Many of these shows are incredible spectacles, easily on par with anything you could see at the best theaters in the world. Most are family friendly, too. All shows have handicapped/wheelchair seating available.

For instance, there's Finding Nemo: The Musical, a wonderful production in the Animal Kingdom, which is an amazing combination of puppetry and musical theater. There's also The Festival of the Lion King, which combines elements of a parade with the flavor of a tribal celebration, and the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, which mixes live action with animation. There's usually no trouble getting seating, and they even allow photographs! During certain times of the year the shows do fill up quickly so it is best to arrive early so you won’t miss out.

Disney also has something they call "4-D" movies, which takes the 3-D concept a little farther. They use a combination of effects to make the experience a little more immersive. Sometimes, it will be something fairly simple, like having things will actually drop down from the ceiling. But, in the It's Tough to be a Bug! feature, it goes even farther. They'll announce that "the cockroaches are leaving the room," and while you're watching as they're scampering across the screen, you'll suddenly feel something brushing against the back of your legs. It's really amazing, no matter what your age.

Some of the shows are so extravagant that they almost defy description. At Disney-MGM Studios, for example, they have a unbelievable show called Fantasmic! It combines live performance, lasers, animatronics, fireworks and "dancing" water to show Mickey (in his Sorcerer's Apprentice gear) tackling the forces of darkness. The whole production is set to the music of various Disney films, and it's a very nice experience. It can be a little loud, so I wouldn't recommend it for little kids.

Although most of the shows I've mentioned are free to attend with your park pass, there's one excellent show that requires its own ticket. Cirque du Soleil is famous for their spellbinding performances, and they've managed to create a uniquely captivating performance at Downtown Disney. Their show, La Nouba, combines everything the troupe is known for -- opulent sets, brilliant choreography, theatrical lighting and provocative music -- with traditional circus acts like the high wire, the flying trapeze and acrobatics. I've seen the show twice, and it's amazing. If you want to catch it, however, you must book your tickets in advance, as it tends to sell out. It's not inexpensive, but it's absolutely worth it.

And that's just the start. There is no shortage of entertainment attractions at Disney World, and they make a real effort to keep the shows fresh and exciting. In fact, if you haven't been to
Disney World in a few years, there's a good chance that there will be an entirely new lineup of shows to catch.

One attraction that everyone loves are the parades. One of the best parades is the Electric Light Parade that is scheduled twice each day in the Magic Kingdom. There are parades at all parks and are scheduled at various times during the day.

With so many options for entertainment, it can be a little bewildering to know exactly where to start. That's where having an experienced travel agent can help. Since I'm an expert on the Disney Resorts, I can help you decide which shows you want to see, and even arrange reservations. It's one of the best parts of my job.

In my next blog, I'll be talking about some smart and easy ways to get the most out of your Disney World experience.

An Introduction to the Disney vacation experience

Donna Quinn

I love Disney. Their resorts and theme parks are great places to have a family-oriented vacation, combining plenty of high-quality entertainment with clean facilities and excellent service. Not only do they have plenty of ways for small children to enjoy themselves, but they've also remembered to include things for older children and adults. For a true vacation from everyday life, you'll have a hard time finding anything better than what
Disney offers.

That said, the Disney experience isn't exactly a budget product. While Disney has tried in recent years to give visitors more options and flexibility, it's still a somewhat high-end product, and you pay for what you get. But, with an experienced travel agent to guide you through the variety of options available, it's possible to get the most out of your Disney vacation.

Let's start with the basics. The two main options for most travelers in this region are Disney World and Disney Cruise. We sell some of the other options, such as the Disneyland packages, but most people in this area would rather go to Disney World, because it's closer. I'll be talking about Disney Cruise in another blog, but in this post I thought I'd talk a little about how I can help you get the best out of a visit to Disney World.

Walt Disney World Resort is located in Orlando, Florida, and it's a huge complex with four theme parks (The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom), two water parks, six golf courses, a sports complex, a race track, several resort hotels and plenty of places to shop, eat and watch live entertainment. Because of the staggering number of options available, our clients generally purchase a resort and theme park package for the trip.

One thing that many people might not know is that Disney has changed the way it sells its vacation packages. While this may seems like a small change, its impact on visitors and their budgets is substantial. Not that long ago, when you called Disney to arrange a visit, they only had a limited number of packages available. You would give them the number of nights you were planning on staying, they would tell you exactly what parks and other locations within the resort you could go to based on that. Some people found it a little limiting, so they changed it.

Now, the packages available from Disney are much more flexible. Instead of getting what Disney thinks you should have, they now try to make sure that you get what you want. For instance, the number of nights you spend at the resort no longer has to match the number of park passes that you get. In other words, you can go stay where you want, go where you want, and do what you want. It's a much better program, and I think that it's also a little better for people who are more budget-conscious.

The biggest change is how they handle the park passes. You can have a "base ticket," which is where you have a pass for one park per day, or you can have a "hopping ticket," where you can hop from park to park each day. The "base ticket" is good for people who want to visit a particular park, like The Magic Kingdom, but aren't really interested in the water park or the golf courses, for instance.

Another big thing that has changed dramatically is the meal plan. The vast majority of my clients purchase the meal plan, which is more reasonably priced than it ever has been before. It's a very flexible plan that gives you one table service meal, one counter service meal and one snack per day. The meal plan works out to be much cheaper than if you ate the same meals without it, and it also simplifies the resort experience. And, since you can mix them up any way you'd like during your stay, it's also a great way to check out the dozens of excellent places to eat at Disney World.

In my next blog post, I'll be talking a little about the entertainment options available at Disney World, both for kids and adults, and getting into a little more detail about how I can help you plan your visit.

Walt Disney From An Adult's View

As everyone knows Walt Disney is for kids right. Well in our small little group we were all adults. I decided to do an independent Fam so I could try saving a little money. I guess it would be better to say so I would have more money to spend. We decided to fly instead of driving so we could enjoy ourselves more. We stayed at the Sheraton Four Points which is moderate property. The room had the standard amenities along with a half size refrigerator. For the small amount of time we actually spent in the room it adequately met are needs. The hotel did provide a free shuttle to the parks, but we decided to use a rental car so we would have more freedom over our schedule.

We bought 5 day hopper passes before we left. Hopper passes allow you to hop between the 4 parks unlimited. Unused days don’t expire remember to get a hand stamp when leaving a park though. With your Iatan card you can get your pass for half price. We went at a really great time of year where nothing was too crowded except on the weekends. When we went was also great because that’s when everyone starts there Christmas Programs. On many of the attractions you can do a fast pass, there is a limit you can only have 1 in 2 hour period or until your current fast pass is over. What is a fast pass? You take your park admission ticket and put in to a fast pass machine which gives you a voucher to come back to the ride in an hour or so. This is good because you don’t have to stand in line and the wait is minimal. You can be enjoying something else until it is your designated return time.

Of the 4 parks Magic Kingdom was our least favorite. There are a few things I did enjoy Splash Mountain was great. It’s not just a typical wet ride it has some cute characters and surprises. Tomorrowland was interesting as well. MGM was ok there is so much more they could do. The ride at MGM that lives up to its name is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. This is not your typical drop ride. You go up and down in and out of darkness in an elevator. Put it this way the kid in front of us with his dad said his prayers before going in. At Christmastime MGM also has the Osbourne Family lights. It is only lit at dusk and quite a sight.

Walt Disney’s newest park is Animal Kingdom and it is right up there next to Epcot for me. Bug’s life is a 3d movie adventure that helps you understand a Bug’s life it has a few surprises. There is a river raft ride that will soak you but the blowers will dry you off. You also can go a safari ride through Africa. Plenty of opportunities to see wild animals in close simulations of their environment. They have guides all over the park to give you information about the animals and the environment.

Epcot of course is my favorite and it has the 2 parks in one. To me Epcot is more geared towards the adult kid than to just the kids. The attractions are there for you to actually learn something. In the world showcase you of course have the opportunity to learn about the different cultures. You can sample authentic cuisine and the staff are from that country to add to authenticity. I recommend Norway, Mexico and China their exhibits and attractions are very nice. Japan however is a big disappointment don’t expect to see kimono’s.

In addition Walt Disney World we also went to Sea World. The park was open limited hours and the luau took place after the park closed. There are only 2 rides at Sea World we decided not to go on either. The shows are great but be prepared to walk great distance back and forth due to show times. There is also a possibility to get wet at times. Dolphin Stadium was closed when we were there but Dolphin Cove was open. Dolphin Cove gives you the opportunity to feed and pet the Dolphins. Since I love dolphins and collect anything with dolphins this was the best part of my trip. The Luau was very nice and the entertainment was terrific they kept the crowd involved.

One night we also went to Capon’s dinner show. This was based on the time of Al Capone all of the staff was involved in this production. To get in you had to knock and give a password and then have your mugshot taken. It was a full show and everyone in the audience was part of it. Normally the price is $40 but you can get half price coupons anywhere.

Shopping can be found in Old Towne. Souvenirs and collectibles at great prices. They probably have anything you can imagine buying when in Orlando. It also has a county fair atmosphere with haunted houses, games and rides.

All in all we had a great time but we were ready to come home and get some rest.

Walt Disney World

I have recently returned from a
Walt Disney World vacation.

I stayed in the new All-Star Movies Resort which is one of the three value priced resorts on property (the others are Music and Sports). The All-Star resorts offer a large food court, two swimming pools, playgrounds, and arcades at each resort. They cost approximately the
same as the Comfort Inn and the Grovesnor Resort, but they are part of the Disney property. There are two other All-Stars in the planing stages of being built-Comedy and Theater. Each property is decorated with larger than life images representing each theme.

For the first day I went to Animal Kingdom. This is a park where it is best to go in the morning. It does open at 8:00am which is the earliest of any of the parks. Upon arrival you notice the Tree of Life. This remarkable tree is in the center of the park, inlaid with carved animals, and the home to the show "Its Tough To Be A Bug." The park is devoted to conservation. Each of the rides or attractions is intended to educate. For example, the safari which takes you through the arces of land with free roaming animals also tells the story of the poachers in Africa. Countdown to Extinction is the only "roller coaster" in the park. The River Rapids ride is sure to get you wet, but is very short. The park also offers "archaeological" sites for kids to dig up "dinosaur bones." The Festival of the Lion King is a must see show of songs and acrobatics. Unless you have children who want to play in all of the playgrounds, you can see and do everything in the Animal Kingdom in a few hours (8am-2pm) if you go in the morning to avoid the longer
lines of the afternoon.

After Animal Kingdom I headed over to MGM-Studios Theme Park. Because of the great transporation system you can get from any one park to another by buses. MGM is home to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. In true Twilight Zone fashion, this is the scariest ride in WDW.
Originally, the Tower was an elevator that went to the top and the dropped for a free fall. It now goes to the top, opens to ghosts beckoning you to join them. And these ghosts are not the same as the 999 happy spirits in the haunted mansion; these could have come from "The Shining." The elevator then drops, stops, and rises again. This is done several times with windows opening so you can look over all of MGM at some of the stops. In the end, I don't know how many time you drop because I could not always tell when I was going up or down. I was told that the next time I go, to put a quarter on my knee and watch it. If anyone goes and tries it, let me know.
MGM is scheduled to open the Rock 'N' Roller Coaster this summer, but it was still being tested while I was there. It is going to be the first coaster in WDW to flip you upside-down. The other rides include Star Tours, which is a simulated ride, the Studio Backlot Tour, and the Great Movie Ride.

The first makes you feel as if you were moving, but in reality you have just been bounced around. The other two are like moving shows about the movie business. There are some really good shows such as the Indiana Jones Stunt Show and Muppet Vision 3D. One of the best things though was dinner. It is best to make a reservation early since waits can get up to 2hrs long. I ate at the 50's Prime-Time Cafe. Each table is decorated like a fifties kitchen, television show the Mickey Mouse Club and Dennis the Mennis, and the waiters are all your aunt, uncle, brother, or sister, and treat you as such. And you better keep your elbows off the table, or they make you stand in a corner. The absolute best part of MGM is the laser-light show Fantasmic Based on Fantasia, this show is about Mickey vs. The Disney Villians. Movie clips and laser displays shown on sprays of water are accompanied by live characters and puppets. I would suggest arriving at the amphitheater about 90 minutes early for the first show for the best seats (center midway up).

The next day was devoted to the Magic Kingdom. My group decided to go on a day that the park opened early to on property guests. The day started with a character breakfast in the Crystal Palace. There are several different choices for character meals, but this one involved Winnie the Pooh and friends (my roommate is obsessed). During the breakfast, characters come up to your table for autographs and pictures. And yes, I got autographs.

The good reason for going early is to avoid lines in places such as Space Mountain. During the rest of the day the line can be an hour or so long, but at that time not many people are there. Also only part of the park opens early and you can go ahead and get those rides out of the way. New to Tommorrowland is the Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. In this ride you spin your craft to different targets and try to score points by shooting a laser beam. Or you can just spin around and shoot people in front or behind you. Fantasyland also has a new ride, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. This takes the place of Mister Toads Wild Ride. Little kids really like this ride. The Haunted Mansion in Liberty Square is always a favorite. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a great coaster especially if you are not a fan of the darkness of Space Mountain. The only line that was horribly long was the 90 minute wait for Splash Mountain, but it is a great ride and worth the wait. A great way to shorten the lines is to miss the parades.
There are three parades right now at the Magic Kingdom. In the afternoon there is a parade of the classic Disney Characters. In the evening they have two showings of the Main Steet Electric Light Parade (the original from Disneyland).

The last day I went to EPCOT. Normally, I really like EPCOT, but right now half of the park is closed for preparations for the Centorium celebration, this includes Journey Into Imagination, Horizons, and areas blocked off by construction. But a great addition has opened, Test Track. This coaster takes you through different car tests including the reason for anti-lock brakes, heat and cold, suspension, and turns. The World Showcase has so far been left untouched by the construction, though they are planning the addition of new countries. You definitely can not get a better choice of dinning than in the countries. Depending on how much is open, EPCOT can be a half day to a more than full day, but make sure you are there for dinner.

The other part of WDW I visited was Downtown Disney. This area is full of restuarants, shops, and nightclubs. Downtown Disney is split into three parts: West Side, Marketplace, and Pleasure Island. The first two are free, but Pleasure Island cost $20.00 to be in after 7pm. Luckily if you get the one day complimentary travel agent park hopper pass, it includes one night in Pleasure Island free. The area offers nightclubs for everyone; there is a techno dance club, seventies club, rock n roll club, hip-hop music club, country music club, big-band club, and a comedy club.
There is also live music on the street for their "New Years Eve Party" everynight. While the rest of WDW closes by midnight, Pleasure Island is open until 2am.

There are a few things one needs to remember about Walt Disney World. One is that it is in Florida. That means is you go during the summer you will get rain on almost every afternoon. The showers don't always last long, but they do happen most days. Disney is ready for this and people selling ponchos are about as common as the people selling drinks and icecream to cool you down from the 90+degree days. Also, there are lines everywhere. My roommates and I were excited when we saw line signs that said the wait was 30 minutes. Another thing is not everyone will want to do the same things, don't make them. I saw several groups who kept in touch be cell phone or walkie-talkie and they seemed much happier than those fighting about what to do next.

But most important, Walt Disney World was designed for kids, so act like one.