Have you heard about the New Fantasyland expansion? Parts of it are now open to the public! The Barnstormer, which has been re-themed with "The Great Goofini" is open now. "Dumbo the Flying Elephant," with a new interactive queue and a second Dumbo ride will be opening this summer, and "Casey Jr.'s Splash 'N' Soak" is open now. All of this is part of the "Storybook Circus" area of the New Fantasyland.
Opening later this year, a new section called "Fantasyland Forest." "Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid" is being crafted to look like Erik's castle on the outside. Inside, the ride will operate with an omnimover system with clam cars like the ones at The Seas with Nemo and Friends. The ride will highlight scenes from The Little Mermaid.
Next, in "Belle's Village," there will be a quick service restaurant called "Gaston's Tavern," and "Enchanted Tales with Belle" in Beast's library. You will access the library through a magic mirror in Maurice's Workshop, just through Belle's Cottage. And the part I can't wait to see is the "Be Our Guest Restaurant" inside Beast's castle.
And as of May 31, 2012, "Snow White's Scary Adventures" is no more, making way for "Princess Fairytale Hall," where guests will have a chance to meet and greet the princesses. This is scheduled to open late 2013. The plan is for it to be castle-like, with stone walls and stained glass windows. I am sure it will be a must for all the parents of little princesses!
Coming in 2014, the "Seven Dwarfs Mine Train" coaster will be a highlight of the New Fantasyland. The plan is for an entrance through the dwarfs' cottage, moving along to a ride through the mines with the seven dwarfs. It sounds pretty interesting, with free-hanging cars that will move back and forth during the ride.
I am already planning my trip for 2014 to see this when it's all finished! It is going to be spectacular, no doubt! Are you excited about the New Fantasyland?
Until next time...
Disney Diva
Showing posts with label Magic Kingdom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Magic Kingdom. Show all posts
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
Top Ten Tips for Staying Cool at WDW
Since I am planning my first official "Summer" trip to WDW, I've also been thinking a lot about how to beat the heat. I know it is going to be positively sweltering, and I know that I need to have a plan for how to deal with the heat. Getting overheated can really take the magic away from the most magical place on Earth!
10 - This one is a no brainer - hydrate! Bring water bottles with you to the parks, pick up a free water from any dining location, just drink lots of water!
9 - Find a shady area to cool off. There are some nice areas scattered all around the parks where you can sit and "rest a spell" as my grandmother would put it. :) Take advantage of these locations. If you are hot and tired, you are not going to enjoy anything. It is worth it to stop and take a break!
8 - Head toward an air-conditioned attraction. There are lots of these all over the parks. Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom, American Adventure at Epcot, One Man's Dream at Hollywood Studios, It's Tough to Be a Bug at Animal Kingdom, and so many more!
7 - Or enjoy a nice sit-down, shaded attraction. Our personal favorite is the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover at Magic Kingdom. This ride takes you all over Tomorrowland, indoors and out, and you even get to view some of the attractions from the ride! It is a great way to sit and rest, and enjoy a nice breeze. Some other examples might be Kilimanjaro Safaris at Animal Kingdom, the Studio Backlot Tour at Hollywood Studios, or the boat ride around the lagoon at Epcot. Once, we rode back and forth for nearly an hour while my daughter napped!
6 - Head back to the hotel for a siesta. Parks are hottest and most crowded between about 1 and 6 pm. This is a great time to take a break and head back to the hotel. You can rest, nap, go for a swim, or just take a break. Then, come back out around dinnertime refreshed and ready to enjoy the parks again!
5 - Take a lunch break (or breakfast, or dinner, or hey, you're on vacation, you can eat whenever you want). I always think it is a nice break when we stop for a meal or snack. You get to sit down for a while, cool down, rest your legs, and get some energy to enjoy the rest of your day.
4 - Go shopping! Nearly all the shopping areas in the parks are either shaded or air conditioned! This is a great time to spend some time looking around to find the perfect souvenir! If you don't want to carry it around the rest of the day, you can even have purchases delivered to your resort (if you're staying on-site)!
3 - Dress for the weather. Another no-brainer here. Wear light colors, and loose clothing. Hats are great, too for some relief from the bright Florida sun.
2 - Enjoy a frozen treat! This is a great time to enjoy a Mickey bar, Dole Whip, smoothie, ice cream, whatever your pleasure! Just make sure to eat it fast, because it's going to melt quickly!
1 - Play in the water! Take a ride on Splash Mountain (Magic Kingdom), Maelstrom (Epcot) or Kali River Rapids (Animal Kingdom). Find a water play area and splash around with your kids. In Adventureland at Magic Kingdom, you can get wet from the spray at the tiki statues, and the spitting camel. There is also the brand new Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station in the new Fantasyland expansion. At Epcot, you will find water play areas on the walkway from Future World to World Showcase, and you can sometimes get wet on the upper level outside the Imagination Pavilion. Or if you've purchased the Water Parks and More option, enjoy some time relaxing and cooling off in the water parks.
Well, those are my top 10 tips (in no particular order). Do you have any other ideas for keeping cool at WDW? I'd love to hear from you!
Until next time...
Disney Diva
10 - This one is a no brainer - hydrate! Bring water bottles with you to the parks, pick up a free water from any dining location, just drink lots of water!
9 - Find a shady area to cool off. There are some nice areas scattered all around the parks where you can sit and "rest a spell" as my grandmother would put it. :) Take advantage of these locations. If you are hot and tired, you are not going to enjoy anything. It is worth it to stop and take a break!
8 - Head toward an air-conditioned attraction. There are lots of these all over the parks. Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom, American Adventure at Epcot, One Man's Dream at Hollywood Studios, It's Tough to Be a Bug at Animal Kingdom, and so many more!
7 - Or enjoy a nice sit-down, shaded attraction. Our personal favorite is the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover at Magic Kingdom. This ride takes you all over Tomorrowland, indoors and out, and you even get to view some of the attractions from the ride! It is a great way to sit and rest, and enjoy a nice breeze. Some other examples might be Kilimanjaro Safaris at Animal Kingdom, the Studio Backlot Tour at Hollywood Studios, or the boat ride around the lagoon at Epcot. Once, we rode back and forth for nearly an hour while my daughter napped!
6 - Head back to the hotel for a siesta. Parks are hottest and most crowded between about 1 and 6 pm. This is a great time to take a break and head back to the hotel. You can rest, nap, go for a swim, or just take a break. Then, come back out around dinnertime refreshed and ready to enjoy the parks again!
5 - Take a lunch break (or breakfast, or dinner, or hey, you're on vacation, you can eat whenever you want). I always think it is a nice break when we stop for a meal or snack. You get to sit down for a while, cool down, rest your legs, and get some energy to enjoy the rest of your day.
4 - Go shopping! Nearly all the shopping areas in the parks are either shaded or air conditioned! This is a great time to spend some time looking around to find the perfect souvenir! If you don't want to carry it around the rest of the day, you can even have purchases delivered to your resort (if you're staying on-site)!
3 - Dress for the weather. Another no-brainer here. Wear light colors, and loose clothing. Hats are great, too for some relief from the bright Florida sun.
2 - Enjoy a frozen treat! This is a great time to enjoy a Mickey bar, Dole Whip, smoothie, ice cream, whatever your pleasure! Just make sure to eat it fast, because it's going to melt quickly!
1 - Play in the water! Take a ride on Splash Mountain (Magic Kingdom), Maelstrom (Epcot) or Kali River Rapids (Animal Kingdom). Find a water play area and splash around with your kids. In Adventureland at Magic Kingdom, you can get wet from the spray at the tiki statues, and the spitting camel. There is also the brand new Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station in the new Fantasyland expansion. At Epcot, you will find water play areas on the walkway from Future World to World Showcase, and you can sometimes get wet on the upper level outside the Imagination Pavilion. Or if you've purchased the Water Parks and More option, enjoy some time relaxing and cooling off in the water parks.
Well, those are my top 10 tips (in no particular order). Do you have any other ideas for keeping cool at WDW? I'd love to hear from you!
Until next time...
Disney Diva
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things (Magic Kingdom Edition)
I just thought I'd share some of my family's favorite things from each of the parks. And since Disney World wouldn't be Disney World without Magic Kingdom, I'm starting at the top!
When we enter Magic Kingdom, we head straight to Fantasyland. Most people head to the right (Tomorrowland) or the left (Adventureland). But I think if you go to Fantasyland first, you can at least beat (some of) the crowd. Head to Dumbo first if you plan to ride. This line gets long quickly, and most of it is out in the sun. Next, head over to Peter Pan's Flight, Winnie the Pooh and Snow White's Scary Adventures. Then you might try the Mad Tea Party (teacups), and Prince Charming Regal Carousel. We usually save Philharmagic and It's a Small World for later because you don't usually have to wait that long, and we'll want to do those when it gets a little hotter because they are indoors and air-conditioned!
Then, you choose! You can head toward Tomorrowland or Liberty Square. We usually do Magic Kingdom in 2 days and we start with Fantasyland for both. We go toward Tomorrowland on the first day, and Liberty Square, Frontierland, and Adventureland on the second day.
Of course the three "mountains" are favorites: Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain. All of these are great rides, but can be a little scary for young ones.
If I had to pick my favorites for Magic Kingdom, I'd say It's a Small World, Peter Pan's Flight, Philharmagic, Space Mountain, and Jungle Cruise. It's a Small World because, though some might say it's annoying, is a Disney classic, Peter Pan's Flight because it is so cool to fly through the air over scenes from Peter Pan (I was so shocked the first time that little "boat" left the track!!), Philharmagic (a 3-D movie) because it is AMAZING, Space Mountain, because it is a bit scary and exciting, and Jungle Cruise because it is just a nice little boat ride, but with a hilarious commentator. :)
You can find out more about Magic Kingdom attractions at http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/magic-kingdom/
Until next time...
Disney Diva
When we enter Magic Kingdom, we head straight to Fantasyland. Most people head to the right (Tomorrowland) or the left (Adventureland). But I think if you go to Fantasyland first, you can at least beat (some of) the crowd. Head to Dumbo first if you plan to ride. This line gets long quickly, and most of it is out in the sun. Next, head over to Peter Pan's Flight, Winnie the Pooh and Snow White's Scary Adventures. Then you might try the Mad Tea Party (teacups), and Prince Charming Regal Carousel. We usually save Philharmagic and It's a Small World for later because you don't usually have to wait that long, and we'll want to do those when it gets a little hotter because they are indoors and air-conditioned!
Then, you choose! You can head toward Tomorrowland or Liberty Square. We usually do Magic Kingdom in 2 days and we start with Fantasyland for both. We go toward Tomorrowland on the first day, and Liberty Square, Frontierland, and Adventureland on the second day.
Of course the three "mountains" are favorites: Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain. All of these are great rides, but can be a little scary for young ones.
If I had to pick my favorites for Magic Kingdom, I'd say It's a Small World, Peter Pan's Flight, Philharmagic, Space Mountain, and Jungle Cruise. It's a Small World because, though some might say it's annoying, is a Disney classic, Peter Pan's Flight because it is so cool to fly through the air over scenes from Peter Pan (I was so shocked the first time that little "boat" left the track!!), Philharmagic (a 3-D movie) because it is AMAZING, Space Mountain, because it is a bit scary and exciting, and Jungle Cruise because it is just a nice little boat ride, but with a hilarious commentator. :)
You can find out more about Magic Kingdom attractions at http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/magic-kingdom/
Until next time...
Disney Diva
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