Truth be told, it’s been too long since I made it back to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Different than other Disney theme parks in that the theme of nature inspired the Imagineers to create one of the most beautiful theme parks anywhere. There are always myriad little changes making it difficult to remember when some of the more major changes were made.
I do my best in this latest photo update but first your moment of theme park zen, a mother and son White Rhinoceros play on Kilimanjaro Safari
Think back to your first trip: What do you wish you’d known? Was there a moment where you thought to yourself “I could have saved myself a lot of time (or money) if only I’d known that!” In my case, my first “real” trip came when I’d moved from Florida and was no longer taking quick day trips. There were so many things I didn’t think about when Disney World was just a few hours drive away. John was wondering that too, so he put out a question on the Facebook page and here are some of your answers. I hope you find something you can use –or even pass on to a Disney newbie:
This isn’t looking good, is it?
10. Suzanne G. is a girl after my own heart. She advises to take a jacket (or a sweater), even if it’s supposed to be warm. While you’re at it, bring a poncho too. It’s probably going to rain at least once on your trip.
9. Get to the Magic Kingdom at opening and make a beeline toward Fantasyland. Sometimes you buck conventional wisdom; this is not one of those times. If you have little kids, you want to knock out Pooh and Peter Pan first since these rides are some of the most popular in all of the parks. After that you can take on the mountains.
The New Rooms at the Polynesian are Gorgeous.
8. Stay on property. I’ve found it’s hard to sell someone on Disney property if he or she is looking at the bottom line. If you’re purely interested in saving money, you can usually stay cheaper off site, but if you think that time is money, you might find quite the opposite: That you actually save money by staying on property. So do the math, but always remember the convenience factor. It’s huge.
Disney’s Contemporary Resort was one of two hotels to open with the Magic Kingdom back in 1971. Disney partnered with US Steel to come up with what was seen as an innovative way of building the Contemporary with the goal of making it the resort’s… Read More »Retro Video: US Steel Builds The Contemporary
You have a new place to satisfy your sweet tooth in EPCOT. L’Artisan des Glaces is a new artisan ice cream and sorbet shop in the France pavilion. It features 16 yummy flavors, all made in-house with fresh ingredients. For grown-up tastes, you can even ask for a shot of liquor on top – served in a martini glass.
The entrance is on a ramp that leads into the old bakery door.
Disney Parks has released this really cute Monsters University “Entrance” Exam to help kick-off the Monstrous Summer and a nifty bit of synergistic cross-promotion for the movie.
Click to embiggen.
To pass the test, check out the doors above and then answer where the monsters would pop up in the Magic Kingdom if they stepped through the door for a scare.
Write down your answers starting at the top left and moving across. Hint: A couple attractions are repeated.
Disney’s Art of Animation Suites sleep six comfortably.
A family of five isn’t a “big” family by any means, but it is by Disney standards, where most rooms sleep four people. Because of this, many families mistakenly believe they won’t fit in a standard room, much less in a value room, when in reality there are some attractive options for “larger” families. Even better, these options don’t have to break the bank.
Value Resort Options:
Disney value resorts are the gold standard for guests looking to economize on vacation. The good news is that a value room gives you all the benefits of staying on property at a great price. The no-so-good news is that a standard room in a value resort can be a tight fit, with just two double beds and a small bathroom, and since these rooms only sleep four (plus one child under the age of three), they’re unsuitable for larger families. Fortunately, almost all Disney resort rooms connect, so you can book two rooms for up to eight people. Depending on the ages of the children, parents can have one room to themselves and the kids can share the other room, with the door open between them. This is by far the most economical option for most larger families. When you make your reservation, ask to book your rooms under one reservation number and one deposit.Read More »Best Resort Room Options for Families of Five or More.
Our fine furry friends at Imagineering are back to drop some knowledge on how they pulled together the various elements that make up the sound and music for Test Track TRON edition. Disney may not be able to get those RFID cars to actually sync… Read More »Designing Sound and Music for Test Track
One question I get a lot is “Should I rent a car when I visit Walt Disney World?” If you’re not staying on property, the answer is pretty simple: Yes. There are no resorts within convenient walking distance of Walt Disney World, even the Downtown Disney resorts, and most resort shuttles are so inconvenient they’ll wreak havoc on your schedule. If you’re staying on property however, the answer is a little bit trickier.Read More »Should I Rent a Car?
