Christmas at Walt Disney World

I know, I know...we are right in the middle of sticky, hot summertime, and no one is even remotely thinking about Christmas right now, but it just occurred to me that I never blogged about our Christmas trip to Disney World this past Christmas!  So enjoy, and think cool thoughts!

The first thing you need to know about going to WDW in December is that the weather is unpredictable.  The first day we were there, it was beautiful...sunny day, high temperatures near 80 degrees, perfection.  The next day was a completely different story.  It was cold, windy, and we were very uncomfortable.  Be sure to wear layers and pay attention to the weather forecast.  During December in Florida, you never know what you might get!

There are some incredible special events that happen in the parks at Christmas.  Of course, there's Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom, Candlelight Processional at Epcot, and Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Hollywood Studios.  Those are the biggies, and they are spectacular.  But there are other events to look forward to when visiting the parks at Christmas that you won't see any other time of year.  Even if you don't have tickets for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (You actually have to purchase tickets for this event, separate from your park admission.), you can still stick around until dusk to see the castle lighting ceremony.  At Epcot, you can enjoy Holidays Around the World at World Showcase, with each country sharing the Christmas story as it is told in their culture.  You can even get a picture with Santa right beside the American Adventure in World Showcase!  There is also a special holiday addition to Illuminations, the nightly fireworks show at Epcot.  If you're visiting Animal Kingdom, you won't want to miss Mickey's Jingle Jungle Jammin' Parade!

Everything at Disney World is decked out for Christmas.  Even the resorts are beautifully decorated with Christmas trees, gingerbread houses, and much more.  Don't forget that you are welcome to tour all the resorts, not just the one you're staying in.  So take the time to enjoy the beautiful decorations at the resorts.  Grand Floridian has an incredible life-sized gingerbread house, and it is just a monorail ride away from Magic Kingdom!    The Wilderness Lodge offers sleigh rides, or you can just sit in the lobby by the fire and enjoy the decorations and Christmas music!  At the Yacht Club Resort, you can see a Christmas village with a train set, and the Beach Club Resort has a really cool gingerbread carousel! 

Besides all of that, absolutely everything in the parks is decorated at Christmas.  Every lamppost has greenery and ribbons.  Main Street USA is adorned with wreaths, candles and greenery overhead.  Oversized toy soldiers stand guard in various locations.  Even the parades and firework shows have a special Christmas theme!  

Any trip to Disney World is magical, but Christmas at Disney World is extra magical!  I highly recommend it!

Until next time...
Disney Diva

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things (Animal Kingdom Edition)

My personal favorite at Animal Kingdom is the Kilimanjaro Safari.  On our first Disney World vacation, we tried this one, and our vehicle actually had to stop because there was a rhino in the road!  How cool is that?  What an incredible experience this attraction is.  I highly recommend it.

Another favorite at AK is Expedition Everest.  I haven't been on this ride personally, but I have watched it on YouTube!  It sure looks exciting!  How scary that you're moving along and the track just runs out!  And Yeti even makes an appearance!

I personally enjoyed It's Tough to be a Bug, but let me tell you, my 4 year old daughter DID NOT.  I should have listened to the warnings that this could be scary for little kids.  This 3-D show lets kids experience A Bug's Life through experiences like being sprayed, poked by stingers in the back, and more.  My daughter was hysterical by the time we left.  I think it's a great attraction, but save it for your older kids.

One experience I haven't had at AK and hope to is Kali River Rapids.  This ride looks like so much fun!  I hope to try that one next time we visit AK.

Well, this one's a short list because after It's Tough to be a Bug, we hightailed it out of there.  We didn't particularly want to win the bad parent of the day award.  And our daughter was scarred for life and never wants to go back to Animal Kingdom.  Maybe one day...

If you want to learn more about Animal Kingdom attractions, visit
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/animal-kingdom/

Until next time...
Disney Diva

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things (Hollywood Studios Edition)

For those of you who haven't been to Disney World in a while, Hollywood Studios is what you used to know as MGM.  Hollywood Studios has lots of great attractions and a fantastic fireworks show called Fantasmic.  Fantasmic takes place in an outdoor amphitheater, so seating is limited, and weather can cause the show to be cancelled.  The show is amazing, with fireworks, images projected on water sprays, and Mickey's defeat of some favorite Disney villains.  However, you usually have to get in line for this attraction rather early (unless you take part in the Fantasmic Dining Package), and again, it can be cancelled because of bad weather.  This happened to us the first time we tried Fantasmic.  We waited for over 2 hours for the show to start, then about 10 minutes into the show, it started to rain and they cancelled the rest.  Talk about a bummer.  But the show is amazing, and I'd encourage you to see it, but check the weather forecast first!  And make plans to wait for quite a while.

On to other Hollywood Studios Attractions!  One of the most favorites is Toy Story Mania.  This ride almost always has a LONG wait time, and FASTPASSES run out quickly, so head there first thing.  Also, opening in May 2011 will be the new Star Tours attraction, and you can count on about the same thing there also.

I LOVE the Animation Courtyard area for our young daughter.  She gets to see some of her favorite Disney Junior characters at Disney Junior LIVE!  Plus, some of them appear outside periodically for autographs!  Across the way is Voyage of the Little Mermaid, which is a really cool live show. 

The Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure is also a fun place for kids.  They get to run around and play in a giant bugs eye view playground.  It's also a great place to take pictures!

For big kids, there's Tower of Terror and Aerosmith's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.  These are really fun rides, but not at all for the little ones.

Well, these are a few of my favorite things at Hollywood Studios, but that's definitely not all!  You can see more Hollywood Studios attractions at  http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/hollywood-studios/

Until next time...
Disney Diva

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things (Epcot Edition)

There are two main parts of Epcot, and they are very different:  Future World, and World Showcase.  We thought for sure when we took my daughter (age 4 at the time) and niece (age 9 at the time) to Epcot, they wouldn't be all that excited with it.  Boy, were we surprised.  Really, our girls have a hard time choosing whether they'd rather go to Epcot or Magic Kingdom! 

When you enter Epcot, of course, the first thing you see is "the big golf ball."  Our girls LOVE this ride!  It is actually an omnimover ride through history (including things like Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and on up through the late 20th century).  They ride it again and again.  This is one of our Epcot favorites.

But, the first thing we do when we head into Epcot is go straight for Soarin'.  This ride is AMAZING!  Soarin' is a simulated ride on an IMAX screen as if you're hang gliding over Southern California.  The coolest thing is that you can even smell each place!  The ocean smells salty, the vineyards smell grapey...so cool!

Of course since we have a young child, we have to ride The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and visit the aquariums.  There is also a really cool show called Turtle Talk with Crush, where Crush from Finding Nemo actually interacts with the audience!

Test Track is another really cool ride.  I was terrified the first time I rode it and took my 5 year old daughter on it, but my husband LOVED it!  On this ride, you get to be the crash test dummy and go through all sorts of automotive tests. 

And that's about it for us in Future World, then we head over to World Showcase.  One cool thing to do is to find all the Kidcot Fun Stops.  The kids can make these little masks and decorate them.  Then in each country they get a little stamp and attachment for their mask.  It is totally FREE and makes a cool souvenir.   We love walking through each of the "countries."  It really feels like you've entered another world!  One of our favorite World Showcase rides is Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros in Mexico.  This is a boat ride similar to It's a Small World, but Donald Duck just cracks my daughter up when we ride this.  It is a must do on our Epcot list.

I could go on and on.  Most people will tell you that you should schedule 2 days for Magic Kingdom, but we also schedule 2 for Epcot!  There is so much to do here!  We love it!

You can find out about even more attractions at Epcot at
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/

Until next time...
Disney Diva
 

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