Are there any signs at the Disney parks that have drawn you into the attraction?
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While I would like to think I will offer the best and most up to date information that is out there about Disney, it simply cannot be true. There are too many amazing blogs out there that already do that. And to be honest, I just don't have the time! However, I will offer my honest opinions and experiences as frequently as possible. This blog is simply a way to document my experiences and collect my thoughts while talking about the love of my life, Walt Disney World and Disney in general. Thanks for reading!
This week we are beginning the “signage” theme with the promise of many more signs to come because well, let’s face it, there are just so many of them! So let's start with one of my favorite signs at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The Fantasmic! sign that sits outside the entrance to the outdoor theatre looms right in front of the eerie Tower of Terror and in my opinion there is no better place for it. Fantasmic! itself can be rather eerie leading up to Mickey’s famous battle with Malificent in dragon form. What makes this such a wonderful sign is that each and every trip I find myself taking a picture of it, even though I have several pictures exactly like it at home. Seeing it as I walk down Sunset Boulevard gets me excited to view the show that evening and experience Mickey’s dream all over again. This sign definitely does its job of drawing in guests for the show and also making them wonder just what might happen in Mickey’s dream as night falls. It’s another classic example of the detail shown by Disney throughout all of the resorts and theme parks.
Are there any signs at the Disney parks that have drawn you into the attraction?
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A lot of you folks in the Disney Blogosphere have been posting "Never Have I Ever" reads in reference to Walt Disney World. This really got me thinking about the attractions at Walt Disney World that I have never been on even though I call myself a "super duper fan." Now we are only talking attractions here people, and I'm going to limit it to the four main parks as the water parks have too many to count for me. A couple of these I definitely want to get to in the near future, and a couple...not so much. The list is as follows:
So there you have it. I don't think that I have done too badly as far as Walt Disney World attractions go. Once December hits, I expect this list to have shrunk by at least one or two. We shall see. Thanks for reading "Never Have I Ever...at Walt Disney World!" Ugh...so I missed last week. We had such a busy weekend, had company over. I found it impossible to steal away for a few minutes to post the Weekly Blog Features. I promise to be much more on top of it from now on! I have to give credit to these awesome Disney blogs this week. If only I were as creative (and as interesting) as these guys!
***I especially liked Modern Mouse's Top 5 Announcements NOT made at the D23 Expo! To be honest, it made me not quite as jealous that I wasn't able to go the expo. OK...I am still jealous! ***Nerds in Wonderland (who I am also jealous of) just returned from their Walt Disney World vacation and has begun to post a lovely trip report even though they had some challenges along the way. ***Sarah from Chip & Company is talking about two of my favorite things, drinking and drinking in the World Showcase. Hell, it's possible that I'm drunk right now. I'm surprised that the American Adventure pavilion is somewhat lacking in the alcoholic beverages category but glad to have read this blog to know I can easily get two drinks in Italy next time and keep walking! ***Mary Poppins is celebrating its 50th Anniversary and Nicole from Sparkly Ever After is paying her tribute. I never knew about the special horse on King Arthur's Carousel at Disneyland that also pays tribute to the film. ***Melissa Sue of the Affordable Mouse takes us to her favorite cool down locations at Walt Disney World. I'd have to say mine are Captain EO or Impressions de France. ***I just had to include The Disney Tourist in my list of awesome blog reads for this week. Not just for the reading, but for the absolutely stunning photos all in reference to the best Fantasmic viewing spots at several of the different Disney parks. ***Eating WDW reviews the Antipasto Salad found at Pizza Planet in DHS. I was intrigued to read their review because Pizza Planet is one counter service that I have yet to try. I am thinking of going for this salad on our next trip. Thanks for taking the time to check out my blog as well as the awesome blogs featured here today. Have a wonderful weekend! Mel Blanc who is best known for voicing the popular Warner Brothers characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, and many others was originally cast to voice the character of Gideon in Pinocchio. After recording much of the dialogue for this character, Walt Disney decided that the character of Gideon should be mute. The recordings of Blanc's dialogue were all cut except for one small hiccup while Gideon and J. Worthington Foulfellow are inside the Red Lobster Tavern. This would be the only time that Mel Blanc worked on a Disney film until 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit where he would reprise his role as some of the popular Warner Brothers characters. Sadly he passed away a year after this film was released. If you are anything like me, Walt Disney World vacations can sometimes be few and far between. I just have to face the harsh reality that I can’t always afford to visit several times a year. Not to mention that staying in a deluxe resort would result in my family being forced to eat ramen noodles for the next fifteen years. Ok, so it’s not that bad…but I am sure you catch my drift. It can be expensive! It is because of this fact that while at Walt Disney World I like to indulge in a little activity called resort hopping. Resort hopping is especially fun when making dining reservations. Our family usually tries to make our dining reservations at as many different resorts as possible so that we have the time to look around and enjoy all of the different resorts on Walt Disney World property. For example, the gorgeous Wilderness Lodge pictured above is one resort I have never had the pleasure of staying at. However, on our last trip when we took advantage of the free dining offer, we decided to reserve a sit down meal at The Whispering Canyon Cafe. We went early that day and walked around the grounds, looked in the shops, had a drink by the pool, and then made our way into dinner. I sometimes find that these times spent just relaxing and taking in the sights are more enjoyable then the time spent rushing around to get from ride to ride. There is so much more to Walt Disney World then just the parks and guests who may not have experienced a Walt Disney World resort are truly missing out on a part of the magic. Now I am not saying you should crash the resort and spend every waking minute there. The resort after all is for the guests staying there. However, taking a leisurely stroll before dinner or making a trip to the shops is more then ok and a wonderful way to pass the time.
What is your favorite Walt Disney World resort to visit? Many times when I am trying to decide on which resort at Walt Disney World I'd like to stay at, I search the internet for info and pictures. You usually can find really great in depth information on many different sites, but not always a variety of pictures. So I made the decision to do a photo review (more photos, less info) on one of my favorite resorts in Walt Disney World, the beautiful Coronado Springs resort. But this is part two of the review. We've already covered El Centro and the Dig Site on Part One of the photo review posted last week. Make sure to check it out if you missed it. This week we are going to take a look at the three themed sections of the resort as well as the room offerings. Coronado Springs is made up of three themed sections representing the American Southwest and Northern Mexico. These sections are the Casitas, the Cabanas, and the Ranchos. Casitas: So the Casitas are what I think of when I envision an all inclusive type resort in one of Mexico's popular vacation destinations. And actually it looks very similar to one we stayed at in Riviera Maya for our honeymoon. The buildings are the tallest at the resort (three and four stories) and look and feel a bit richer (for lack of a better term) then the other sections of the resort. Now I don't think this necessarily means better, they just have a bit more of a sophisticated feel. There are lovely fountains throughout with quiet courtyards and manicured topiaries. The Casitas definitely make up a large portion of the resort and with good reason as they house many of the convention guests and are located near the convention center. Most of the Casitas are close to El Centro, however Casitas building 4 & 5 are farther away from El Centro but they have their advantages being close to the Dig Site and a bus stop. Cabanas: The Cabanas are in my opinion the most desirable area of the resort. Made to represent the coastal regions of Mexico, the Cabanas have the nice sandy beaches with hammocks, the lake views, and an overall more relaxed setting. This section has two story buildings and appear much smaller then the towering Casitas. The smallness however is a huge draw for me. They are simply beautiful and I immediately wanted to stay there when we finally experienced the resort (we were placed in the Ranchos however). Most of the Cabanas are extremely close to El Centro. Even the farthest building from El Centro (8A) is still not a bad walk and it is also the closest to the Cabanas bus stop and the Dig Site. The Cabanas also house the business class (concierge level) rooms. These rooms have just slight improvements over the standard rooms but the biggest draw is access to the lounge that offers free breakfast, snacks, beer, wine, etc. Actually we will be staying there this December, so expect a review on the club level experience and my opinions on whether or not it's worth the price increase. Ranchos: The Ranchos are more of my area of expertise as this is where we actually stayed. As you may have read above I wanted to stay in the Cabanas. I was a little disappointed when we were put the in Ranchos but realized all of the rooms were most likely just as nice. And I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with the Ranchos during and after our stay. It possibly could have been due to the location of our room. We were placed in building 7A and not only was this literally right across the sidewalk from the Dig Site, it was extremely close to the Ranchos/Cabanas bus stop. Luckily for us as well, our room was facing the inside of the resort (meaning it was not facing the parking lot and way in the back like so many of them can be). The Ranchos are two and three story buildings so they are in between the Casitas and the Cabanas in terms of size. The theming here is probably my second favorite (first being the Cabanas, third being the Casitas) as they are pueblo styled villas reflecting a more desert like rural region. As funny as it sounds they just seem sort of dry. You really do get the feeling you are in a desert like setting, especially with cactus (cacti?) and the great rock work. Even though that doesn't seem very enticing, they really did a great job with this section of the resort. The Rooms: I only have experience in one room so far at this resort and that room was in the Ranchos. After our next trip staying in the club level Cabanas, I will report back with any differences I might have noticed with the room. However I fully enjoyed the room we were placed in. I right away noticed the difference in queen bed size from the other moderates we have stayed at in the past which had full sized beds (Port Orleans Riverside and Caribbean Beach). One bonus that I really loved in the rooms were the sliding wooden doors separating the bathroom area from the bedroom area rather then a curtain. This really helped on early mornings my husband was trying to sleep while I was getting ready (or vice versa which is probably the true story!) The lovely blue colors on the beds with the dark wood headboards was simply lovely. It was actually much prettier then the pictures display. But I am not an expert photographer and depending on the lighting I don't always do so well. And so our rather lengthy photo review comes to an end. I really cannot express how much I enjoyed my stay at Coronado Springs. We all know that I love me some Port Orleans, but Coronado was just a delightful experience. I feel this resort gets overlooked so much more then it should. The convention aspect and the size of the resort seem to push people away. The complaint I hear the most regarding Coronado Springs is that it is too large. Maybe we got really lucky with our room positioning but I never once felt that the resort was too large. As you can see I walked around the entire grounds in order to get enough pictures of each aspect and I found it to be quite pleasant. Isn't walking all that you do in Walt Disney World? I don't know though, perhaps I would have felt differently if I was in Casitas 5 which is all the way across the lake from El Centro. The resort does a great job by having four bus stops and I think most rooms are convenient to at least one of them. The convention center is a plus for me because it makes the rest of the resort seem so quiet and the bus system is less crowded during the daytime hours. It was for sure my best bus experience at any resort I've stayed at. I hope that this photo review makes you want to give Coronado Springs Resort a chance on your next Walt Disney World vacation. Also I hope to hear from those of you who have stayed or will be staying there. Please feel free to comment below. Missed part one of the photo review? Check it out here Interested in staying at Coronado Springs or any Disney resort?
Book your vacation with me and receive up to a $100 Disney gift card. Email [email protected] for free non obligation quote today! One of my favorite means of transportation while in Walt Disney World is by boat. That’s why this week we’ve chosen to feature the Friendship boats that can be found along the waterways between Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot. Even if you are not a guest staying at one of the resorts along the way (Boardwalk, Yacht & Beach Club, or Swan & Dolphin), you can still experience this pleasant ride by catching a boat at any of the docks either near the parks or at the resorts themselves. It is especially fun to choose the Studios or Epcot as your morning park and hopping on a boat to one of the resorts for a dinner reservation later that evening. The photo opportunities alone are worth the trip as you get to see several aspects of each resort from the water. There’s nothing quite like being in Walt Disney World and feeling the breeze as you glide past some of the gorgeous deluxe resorts. If you’ve never experienced a ride on the Friendship boats, it is an absolute must do for your next vacation!
Which mode of transportation at Walt Disney World is your favorite? Welcome to Fridays at Fulton's General Store, your weekly connection to all the great reads out there in the Disney "blogosphere." I'm fairly new to blogging and yet so many great sites have already given me a shout out on their blogs as well as Twitter. I just had to return the favor! Plus, while most of these people are at the D23 Expo as I type this, I'm at home blogging and tweeting about how cool they are! I'm only a little jealous... Here is what is happening in the world of Disney blogs this week:
So these are just a few of the great blogs I have been reading this week. There are so many more, but in the event of keeping this semi short and sweet I can only include so many. Thanks to all of my Disney friends for keeping the Disney magic and spirit alive through their hard work and dedication to their sites each and every week.
Have a wonderful weekend! The area that most recently was Mickey's Toontown Fair and now has been removed to make way for the Dumbo themed area of new Fantasyland has had a few different names throughout the years. It was originally known as Mickey's Birthdayland and coincided with Mickey's 60th birthday in 1988. It was the first new land to be added to the Magic Kingdom since its beginnings in 1971. However we won't be talking about much about Mickey's Birthdayland as I never actually experienced it. Today's Fastpass to History features photos and memories from Mickey's Starland which was what Mickey's Birthdayland became. The birthday bash had to end at some point right? On April 22, 1990 they closed Birthdayland for good (nearly two years after his birthday) and on May 26th, 1990 Mickey's Starland opened at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. I briefly remember Mickey’s Starland from our very first family vacation in 1995. The buildings that were once temporary were made to be more permanent. The surprise birthday party for Mickey was re-themed to become a show called “Mickey’s Magical TV World” which starred the popular characters from television such as Ducktales and Gummi Bears. One of my favorite memories was entering one of the tents to find lifesize comic book covers. You could walk on to the cover and stand in front of or behind the characters already pictured there. It made for a great photo opportunity as it looked as if you were really a part of the comic book. The store fronts of Duckburg were pint sized and made children feel as if they were really in a town inhabited by toons. This has been Fastpass to History. I hope you enjoyed my brief look back at the area that was once Mickey's Starland and its transformations throughout the years. So I know that my blog was inspired by the beautiful and wonderful Port Orleans Riverside resort, but that doesn't mean I don't like to stay at other WDW resorts from time to time. Not only did I love this resort the first time we stayed there, I've booked my second stay there coming up this December. So in order to relive some great memories and to get all the more excited for my next stay, I wanted to put up my review mainly in the form of photos. In fact there are so many of them, I thought it best to break it up in to two parts. Thus begins part one of my photo review of the lovely Coronado Springs Resort.
Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World falls into the moderate category, and while we all know that my favorite moderate is Port Orleans Riverside, this resort is a very very very close second. Coronado Springs is themed to the American Southwest and Northern Mexico. El Centro (the lobby/main building) along with the three room categories surround a lovely lake called Lago Dorado. This resort is also home to a large convention center and a good majority of the guests staying there are involved in some type of convention. Some people think this is a drawback but I actually find it to be a bonus. The resort itself seems very quiet most of the time and almost empty. You don't get the amount of crowds during the day on the bus system due to the fact that a good chunk of the resort guests are involved in meetings or presentations throughout the day. The only time I might say the resort would seem busy would be in the evening at the couple of bar options and in the dining locations for dinner. El Centro: |
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