DNF not and option..our 2014 disney world marathon pre trip report!

Woohoo!

A few months back dh and I took the plunge and signed up for the WDW Marathon! This is a first for both of us. We will be completing the Disneyland half in Sept (I'm doing DDD) which will be my 4th half marathon, but dh's first. I am also signed up to complete two more half marathons (Oct and Nov) as part of my 2013 - "13 in 13" challenge.

We are still sorting out the details, but are at the 180 mark so I booked ADRs this morning (in the shadow of my Philly color run finish nonetheless).

Here are the basic details.

Travelers:
DH - aka Jon. 29
Me- aka Hannah, will be 29 in dec
MiL- aka Cathy, dh's mom who keeps forgetting there are now four parks at wdw. 62
FiL- aka randy, dh's dad Whois along for the ride, but excited to see us run! Will be 65 in Oct.
SiL- aka Jenny, dh's sister. 33
BiL- aka Tony who may not be able to make it on the trip, but will be a first time visitor if he does! 38?
Niece- aka Angela, 1 yr 3 months and a first timer (of course!). We are curious how she will be with characters. The plan was to take her down closer to age three but the opportunity came up to go now!
Mom- aka Lisa who accompanied me for the princess half as my personal cheerleader and inspired invitations for the whole family for this race-- still on the fence if attending.
Dad- aka Darrell who doesn't like to fly which complicates getting to/from Florida from Pennsylvania. still on the fence if attending
Bro- aka Zachary who doesn't like disney (or any park, for that matter) and probably won't come down.
SiL2 aka Heidi who has never been and is dying to come, but likely wont be able to make this trip.

We have some extended family and friends who may come along as well. I'll mention them as they confirm down the road.


Where:
DH and I are currently booked at all, but will likely drop to a moderate resort to free up funds for other things.
MiL, FiL, SiL, BiL, and Niece will be staying in their RV at fort wilderness.
Mom and Dad, bro and SiL2 are not booked anywhere yet since they are still on the fence.


Adrs( for now,haha):
Fri1/10 dinner at Boma (DH & I)
Sat 1/11 dinner at Trails End (Everyone)
Sun 1/12 dinner at Via Napoli (Everyone)
Mon 1/13 lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern (DH, me and DH's Family) and dinner at Be Our Guest (DH, Me and my folks)
Tues 1/14 breakfast at Tusker House (DH, Me and My folks)
We'd 1/15 lunch at Hollywood Brown Derby (DH & I)
Thurs 1/16 dinner at Biergarten (DH, Me and DH's folks)
Fri 1/17 Universal Studios day (eek! I know...)
Sat 1/18 dinner at Be Our Guest (DH & I)


That's it for now!
H

 

[Hannah1284]

"DNR not an option"?

In terms of a marathon, I'll gladly admit that whether or not a "Do Not Resuscitate" order might be necessary would certainly be a consideration for me... I'm guessing that's not what you're referring to?

Oops! Is there a way to edit that? So excited and typing on my iPad, must've auto-corrected without me noticing.

Title should read "DNF not an option ..."

 

[wdwmagic]

You can ask a Moderator... @The Mom or @wdwmagic can edit titles I think.

Done

 

[Hannah1284]

Done

Thanks!

 

[Hannah1284]

ADR change

Swapped Via Napoli for Coral Reef. I think our Niece will enjoy the fishies!

 

[Hannah1284]

The Plan:

I did a lot of looking at when our families would be at WDW and touring plans, as well as considering their personal interests. I came up with a plan for where I recommend everyone visiting each day (one park per day).

Fri 1/10:
Everyone - DHS (DH & I will arrive early Fri or late Thurs so we'll have a full day at DH's favorite park. DH's family will prob not like this park as much. MiL has extreme motion sickness issues so she'll be very limited for riding rides. I think they will enjoy the shows, must mostly I'm thinking its a good arrival park for them. My family has my mom who loves DHS and my dad who doesn't ride much (same combo for Bro and SiL2, if they come). They'll be able to hit up the rides and have an easy first day.

Sat 1/11:
DH & I - No park -- Expo, DTD and relaxing
Everyone Else - AK (The park has an early close usually so I figured it would be a good 2nd day park. Keeping things easy! Then they will be able to join us for dinner relatively early so we can get back and rest before the marathon)

Sun 1/12:
DH & I - Marathon in the morning, lunch @ Epcot, relax early afternoon, then evening at Epcot & Dinner
Everyone Else - Marathon cheering in the morning, Epcot for afternoon and evening.
I decided on Epcot b/c Touring plans says MK is best to avoid. MiL has been talking non-stop about Epcot and how she'll like Epcot Best, blah blah blah, so I thought this gets them in there fairly early in the trip and gives us a good meet up spot for dinner.

Mon 1/13:
Everyone - MK
Woohoo! Finally getting my butt to MK! We'll do lunch with DH's fam and dinner with mine (Be our Guest!!)
I wanted to make sure my SiL and Niece got to each park during their stay. I think they'll only be there Fri-Tues (4 days) so I wanted to get them in each park at least once.

Tues 1/14:
SiL and Niece will be gone (BiL too if he comes)
DH & I -AK
Mom and Dad - AK
MiL and FiL - Recommend Epcot again so they can browse and wander, or no park for the day.
I have breakfast reservations at Tusker House for DH, Mom, Dad and I before park opening (woohoo!)

Wed 1/15:
Mom and Dad may leave, otherwise they'll stick with the plan DH and I are doing.
DH & I - DHS
MiL and FiL - AK or no park(Epcot was not recommended for this day or I would have kept them with us in AK on Tues and then put them in Epcot today)

Thurs 1/16:
Everyone - Epcot
Dinner at Biergarten with the in-laws.

Fri 1/17:
DH & I - Universal
MiL and FiL - leave?? They are taking a RV trip to the Keys.

Sat 1/18:
DH & I - MK (yay!) Dinner at BoG!!

Sun 1/19:
DH & I leave



DH and I are booked 1/10-1/18, but i will likely extend that to 1/19 and possibly push it back to 1/9 depending on flights.
SiL and Niece (and BiL if he comes) will likely only be there Fri-Mon/Tues morning. SiL is taking classes to get her bachelor's degree (she's an RN now) and has class Tues evening that she will need to be back for.
MiL and FiL will be driving their RV down and then heading off to the keys afterwards. They are currently booked at Fort Wilderness until the 18th, but I think they will likely end up not staying there the whole time.
Mom and Dad are still on the fence, but Mom wants to go to Universal so I may look at moving that earlier in the week so they could go with us if they only want to stay part of the week. Mom has a conference for work the following week and wants to be back to prep for that.
Bro and SiL2 likely will not come. I might try to convince them to do the Fri-Mon/Tues morning thing with SiL and Niece. SiL2 has never been to Disney and I think Bro would like it if he comes down as an adult. We'll see... If they come, I'll put them on the same schedule as SiL so they'll get to see each park at least once.

I am firm on the fact that although we will be in the same park, we WILL NOT be walking around as a giant group. DH and I go hard in the parks and are not going to be held back for a WDW trip by slow-pokes oP). My in-laws are wanderers and at their age and pace, I think they will enjoy spending time alone in the parks, likely taking Neice with them. SiL may catch up with us for some of the bigger rides since the in-laws don't really ride much.

 

[Hannah1284]

I do have a quick question -- maybe I'll ask in another forum.

With a big group like this, I was hoping to purchase photopass+ in advance. Can I purchase it and get multiple cards so everyone would be able to use the photopass? I know I can get extra cards from the photographers and add them to my account, but I am more curious about the ride and character meal photos that are included with photopass+?

 

[TheMouseFan]

I do have a quick question -- maybe I'll ask in another forum.

With a big group like this, I was hoping to purchase photopass+ in advance. Can I purchase it and get multiple cards so everyone would be able to use the photopass? I know I can get extra cards from the photographers and add them to my account, but I am more curious about the ride and character meal photos that are included with photopass+?

Unfortunately, I don't know the answer to this question, but I am curious to hear the answer as we will be going with a group of 11 in June and I know we will not always stay together! Sounds like you have a great trip planned. Have fun!!

 

[farrellbarrel]

Lovely itinerary, cannot wait to hear about your trip!

 

[Hannah1284]

Unfortunately, I don't know the answer to this question, but I am curious to hear the answer as we will be going with a group of 11 in June and I know we will not always stay together! Sounds like you have a great trip planned. Have fun!!

It's looking like the ride and dining photos are the issue (which is what I figured). You can apparently add ride photos later if you know the ride number and can add, but I haven't confirmed that yet.

 

[Hannah1284]

It looks like our plans may be changing a bit...

SiL and Niece may be staying for the whole week (1/10-1/17 or 18) with the in-laws. AND! Mom and Dad might be able to stay. My mom has an annual conference for her work that is normally scheduled for the week we are planning to be in Disney. However, this year it was pushed back, allowing them to come with us. Since my mom does a lot of the prep for the meeting and also handles the finances that would need to be done in advance of the meeting (since she will be out of the office for the meeting) she would need to be back the week before the conference for at least one or two days to be able to get everything in order. This past week she got news that it will be pushed back another week! That means they may be able to spend the whole week with us. Now we just need to convince my dad to fly...

Working on Bro and SiL2, but that's a long shot.

Got word from our extended family that they will be unable to join us. They are planning a Disney trip, but are likely pushing it back to fall 2014 because of their vacation time.

Over the next few months I will be prepping and sending emails to our families about each of the individual parks. I am thinking I will copy paste my emails (with some edits) here as part of my PTR since they are part of my planning!

WDW is now on hold for the next few weeks as we plan and head to DLR for the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend!

See ya real soon!
~H

 

[Hannah1284]

Weekly Emails Week #1

I was incredibly bored and cold in a CLE last week so I put together a week-by-week list of emails to send out to our family who will be joining us in January for the 2014 Disney World Marathon. Aside from DH and my mom, none of the our guests have been to Disney in a LOOOONG time so everything is "new" to them.

I will gladly accept corrections or suggestions and add them to the next week's email if anyone has anything to contribute!

Here's my first email: transportation!

Hello Family!This is the first of MANY emails I have prepped to send. I am trying to break things down into smaller chunks as there is a lot to absorb. Feel free to ignore any and all emails or let me know if you don't want to receive them anymore. Or, just save them until closer to the trip itself to read.

I've broken down each month into a larger category and am planning to send a short email each week with details about something more specific. The plan is this: August - Transportation, Downtown Disney, and Universal Orland (and other non-disney Orlando attractions); September - Magic Kingdom; October - Animal Kingdom, November - Hollywood Studios; December - Epcot; December/January - packing and final prep tips.

So...to start off your first email is Transportation.

Flying in:There are two airports that are close to Disney - Orlando International and Orlando Sanford. This is important to note as only Orlando International provides transportation to Disney World. If you fly into Orlando Sanford you will need to make arrangements to get to Disney World (there are taxis and van companies that run). Orlando International is much larger than Sanford.

Orlando Arrival:If you fly into Orlando International, everything is super easy. Just follow the signs to Disney's Magical Express (DME). Your checked luggage will be transported to your resort by the end of the day so you only need to worry about your carry on luggage (you will receive tags from Disney for checking luggage). There are lines for each resort and you just get in your resorts line and wait for your bus to arrive -- super easy!If you fly into Orlando Sanford, as mentioned above, you will need to make arrangements for transportation to Disney World. I HIGHLY suggest doing this a few days before your trip, rather than trying to do it the day of, or worse, once you already land. There are not a lot of transportation options and most travelers have already made arrangements so you can, and likely will, get stuck there without a way and waste precious Disney time! If you decide to go this route, check out the Orlando Sanford Airport web site for information on ground transportation companies.

Inside the World:Once you arrive at Disney, transportation is all taken care of. If you are staying at a Disney resort, there will be designated bus stops. Just wait at the stop for you bus to arrive. Each bus will have lights on the front and side to let you know the bus's destination. Buses run between resorts and parks, as well as to Downtown Disney. If you want to travel from one resort to another, you will need to work out a transfer (ride to a park or DTD and then hop a bus to the other resort). Its pretty simple and you'll get the hang of it by mid-way through day one.
Disney also has monorail and boat transportation.
The monorail runs between The Contemporary Resort, The Polynesian Resort, The Grand Floridian Resort, Magic Kingdom and Epcot. The Disney boats run as follows:
Magic Kingdom and Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Fort Wilderness, or Wilderness Lodge.Epcot and Boardwalk, Beach Club, Yacht Club, Swan, or DauphinDowntown Disney and Port Orleans, Old Key West, or Saratoga Springs


Driving:
You also have the option of driving to/from the airport or around Disney World, but honestly... why would you? Disney transportation is easy and free, might as well take advantage!If you want to leave "The World" you will need to provide your own transportation or contact a taxi service (MEARS is the most well known).
That pretty much wraps it up for Transportation! Next week: Downtown Disney/Disney Springs

 

[farrellbarrel]

I love that idea!! Keep everyone up to date and remind them! I cannot wait for your TR! I want to run the marathon eventually!

 

[Hannah1284]

I love that idea!! Keep everyone up to date and remind them! I cannot wait for your TR! I want to run the marathon eventually!

I'm trying to get everyone pumped up and excited! SiL is excited, but MiL and FiL are like..."wow, you really like Disney, huh?" and just "don't get it." P

 

[Hannah1284]

Disney Weekly Email #2

Again - tips, suggestions and corrections are welcome!

This week's email is all about "The World" outside the parks. It will include information on different resorts and Downtown Disney/Disney Springs. As an addition to last week's email, I wanted to add a little more transporation information that I've been looking into -- renting a car. To rent a car for the entire trip, you can rent one at the airport and drive to Disney World with your rental. There are tons of options and it works just like it would renting a car anywhere else so I won't waste time on that. However, if you are interested in renting a car on-site or for a limited time (one day, two day, etc), then there are some options to be aware of. Downtown Disney Hotels -- there are rental car companies available at some of the Downtown Disney Hotels. If that's the route you want to go, check them out directly. On-site: Alamo and National offer rental locations within Disney World itself at the Walt Disney World Car Care Center. This service offers pick up and drop off at your disney world hotel before and after your rental period. You can arrange the pick up/drop off by calling within 24 hours or stopping at your resort front desk approximatly 30 minutes before your pick up time.
Both Alamo and National are also available at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort. The top tips are to reserve your rental car in advance and to do research before hand in order to get a good price.
Now onto this week's topic -- Resorts and Downtown Disney:Resorts:I've already sent a lot of information on the Disney Resorts for the purpose of choosing your resort stay. This email is more focused on visit the resorts as a part of your recreation. The Value resorts really do not offer a lot of "sight seeing" or dining options that would attract non-guests to visit. The only one I would suggest checking out is the Art of Animation. It is Disney's newest resort and has lots of large-scale disney characters. The cafeteria also offers a large variety of food items. It is worth stopping by if you are looking for something a little more low-key to do part of the day.
Moderate resorts once again do not offer a ton of sight-seeing or dining options that would attract non-guests. That's not to say they are not beautiful resorts or that they do not have good dining options. But they are not going to draw in guests who are not staying there.
The exception to this is Fort Wilderness which offers the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review Dinner show and Mickey's Backyard BBQ (seasonal). While all of the moderates offer entertainment and recreation, Fort Wilderness offers additional experiences such as archery, pony rides, wagon rides, tri-circle D ranch, and fishing. Deluxe and Deluxe Villas are where its at when it comes to entertainment and dining. They all offer some sort of fine dining experience as well as other well-known dining options. Wilderness Lodge offers Artist Point (fine dining with dress code) and Whispering Canyon Cafe (family style with entertainment) for dining. Animal Kingdom Lodge offers Jiko- The Cooking Place (fine dining african cuisine with dress code), Boma (african buffet - amazing!!), and Sanaa (african with indian flavors overlooking animals).At the Polynesian, you can dine at Ohana (breakfast with characters or lunch/dinner family style with entertainment), or the Kona Cafe (casual polynesian well known for delicious french-press coffee). Poly also offers the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show. Capt Cook's is a grab and go that offers the famous Tonga Toast (also available at Kona Cafe, a stuffed french toast) and Dole Whip (pineapple soft serve, also available at Magic Kingdom Park).You can Ride the Monorail right INSIDE the Contemporary Resort and dine at the newly renovated California Grill (fine dining), Chef Mickey's (character dining), or The Wave (themed dining). The Beach Club and Yacht Club, offer 5 dining options that are well-known -- Yachtsman Steakhouse (fine dining), Cape May Cafe (Character Dining), Beaches and Cream Soda Shop (casual dining -- well known for their ice cream sundaes), Cape May Cafe (casual dining), and Captain's Grille (casual dining). There is also a miniature golf course and pirate adventure cruise available at this resort. At the Boardwalk Inn, you can dine at Flying Fish Cafe (steak and seafood, fine dining), Big River Grill and Brewing Works (themed dining), Kouzinna by Cat Cora (themed dining by Chef Cat Cora), the Boardwalk Bakery (sweet treats!). Finally, The Grand Floridian offers the famous Victoria and Albert's (fine fine dining with a dress code), Citrico's (seafood fine dining with a dress code), Narcoossee's (mediterranean fine dining with a dress code), and 1900 Park Fare (character dining).Ah...I'm getting hungry just writing about all these places. I highly recommend checking out some resort dining or just taking an afternoon to browse one or two of the deluxe resorts. They are highly themed and worth the time!Downtown Disney/Disney Springs. Downtown Disney is the resort shopping area (formerly Pleasure Island, etc). In 2013, Disney announced significant changes would occur to this area and as part of that, the whole area would be re-named "Disney Springs." It is currently still called Downtown Disney, but construction has already begun so I am not sure if it will be renamed before we arrive in January or after. Just know that they are both the same thing. There are three main areas to DTD, Marketplace, Pleasure Island and West Side. Because of the construction, many places are closing in order to make way for new shops, dining and entertainment. Once the entire construction is done, the number of shopping and dining options will be almost double what it currently is. The different areas will also be renamed (though it looks like Pleasure Island will be renamed, Marketplace and West Side will remain and a 4th area will be added). Parking garages will be constructed. At the Marketplaces you will find primarily shopping with a few dining options. Some of the best known are Lego imagination, Disney Kitchen store, Disney Christmas Store, Disney Art Store and World of Disney (basically anything you can think of Disney). The dining options are T-Rex Cafe and Rainforest Cafe. For quick-service, try Earl of Sandwich, Wolfgang Puck Express and Ghiradelli Chocolate Fountain (yum!).
Pleasure Island (will be renamed "The Landing") is getting cleaned out in preparation for some new options. Remaining are Cook's of Dublin (quick service), Raglan Road (irish fare), Planet Hollywood, Portobello, Fulton's Crab House, and Paradiso 37.
Finally, the West Side offers several non-disney shopping options. For dining, check out Wolfgang puck grand cafe, Bongo's Cuban Cafe, House of Blues and Wetzel's Pretzels.

The fourth area will be brand new. The "Town Center" will offer sophisticated dining and shopping as well as a promenade area to relax.
Entertainment at DTD includes: AMC theatres 24 and dine-in, DisneyQuest (interactive theme park), La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil, and Splitsville (bowling alley). There is also Characters in Flight (tethered hot air balloon), fishing and motorized boat rentals.
DTD is a great place for a relaxing evening or for a first/last day trip when you don't want to do another park.

All construction will be completed by 2016.

 

[Hannah1284]

Catching up after Vacation @ Disneyland!

Weekly Email#3
This week's theme is life outside the World and will focus on the non-disney attractions in and around Orlando.
Big names:
Universal Orlando -- see below
Discovery Cove -- 30 acre tropical retreat with beaches, snorkeling, etc.
SeaWorld Adventure Park and Aquatica - 200 acre marine themed park
Celebration -- Disney owned and operated community
Kissimmee - suburb of Orlando
Winter Haven - 30 miles out, but home to Lego Land
Cocoa Beach - world renowned surfing
Cape Canaveral - home to Kennedy Space center and visitors center
Daytona Beach - home to the Daytona 500
Canaveral National Seashore - undeveloped shoreline -- home to america's only nudist beach (as well as hiking, horseback riding, and biking -- probably should wear clothes for those!)
Lesser knowns:Arboretum at University of Central Florida (400 Central Florida Boulevard) -- more than 80 acres of botanical goodness. Harry P. Leu Gardens (1920 N. Forest Ave) -- nearly 50 acres of landscaped gardens including the largest rose garden in Florida.Bok Sanctuary/Historica Bok Sanctuary (1151 Tower Blvd, Lake Wales) - landscaped gardens with a large bell tower (bok tower)World of Orchids (2501 Old Lake Wilson Road, Kissimme) - enclosed tropical rain forestCharles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art - world's most comprehensive collection of Tiffany
Cornell Fine Arts MuseumOrlando Museum of ArtOrlando Science CenterInternational Trolley and Train MuseumHoly Land - Biblical themed amusement park. Gatorland - reptile themed parkWet 'n Wild -- water park (now owned by Universal)Florida Eco Safaris @ Forever Florida (zipline safaris)Golf -- too many courses to name them all!Orlando Premium Outlets @ Vineland Ave and International Drive -- great place for discount disney merchandise!
Univeral Orlando Resort-- Probably the second best-known Florida amusement park, Universal consists of two theme parks (Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure) a nighttime entertainment complex (Universal CityWalk) and three Loew's hotels.
Opened in 1990, Universal Studios Florida allows visitors to "ride the movies." The park consists of 6 themed areas -- Hollywood, Production Central, New York, San Francisco, World Expo and Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone. Some of the movies/rides include: Despicable Me, Transformers, Shrek, Twister, Men in Black, The Simpsons, etc.
Islands of Adventure opened in 1999 and consists of seven islands themed for various adventures -- Marvel Superhero Island, Toon Lagoon, Jurassic Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, The Lost Continent, and Seuss Landing. The areas are pretty self-explanatory, but worthy of noting are: The Incredible Hulk rollar coaster, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Dragon Challenge, and Poseidon's Fury (indoor special effects show).
CityWalk also opened in 1999 and was built over the old entrance to Universal. Now, visitors park in one of two parking structures and walk through city walk to enter the parks. The CityWalk area features shopping, nightclubs, dining and an AMC theatre. There is also a Blue Man Group show. In comparison to Downtown Disney, this area has a lot more chain restaurants such as Bubba Gump Shrimp, Moe's Southwest Grill, Hard Rock Cafe, Jimmy Buffet's Magaritaville, etc.
Universal is much more concentrated with "extreme" rides than Disney. A lot more roller coasters and stuff of that sort.


That's all for this email! Stay tuned for the next one which FINALLY takes us inside the Disney parks!

 

[Hannah1284]

Weekly Email #4

Onto the parks! These emails will be a bit shorter, or at least have more bullet points and therefore should be easier to read. For September I will be focusing the emails on Magic Kingdom. To start us off I'll explain a little bit about the history of the Magic Kingdom and offer some information on Main Street USA. I highly recommend checking out a map of Magic Kingdom to help orient you to the park's wagon-wheel layout. Here is a link for your convenience:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/activities/magic-kingdom/map/The History of the Magic Kingdom:
After Disneyland opened in 1955, Walt Disney begin plans for another park east of the Mississippi River. After viewing several options, he settled on Orlando, Florida for its prime location near the planned Interstate 4, Florida's turnpike, a well-developed network of roads and the McCoy Airforce Base (now Orlando International Airport). Walt used a a variety of dummy corporations to purchase land in the area in order to avoid speculation of the new park. In 1965, after a leak, Walt's plans for the land were revealed in a press conference. Unfortunately, Walt Disney died of lung cancer complications in December1966 before ground was broken on the project. Walt's brother, Roy O. Disney, postponed his own retirement in order to see that Walt's plans were put into place.
In order to preserve the experience, Walt planned to build the Magic Kingdom park on top of a series of underground tunnels for transport between different areas of the park. Because of Florida's high water table the tunnels could not actually be built underground. Instead, the tunnels were built and the park was built on top of them, meaning the Magic Kingdom is actually the second story. (Future World at Epcot and Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney, both have similar tunnel structures).
On October 1, 1971 the Magic Kingdom opened its gates to visitors. The opening was concurrent with the opening of the Contemporary Resort and the Polynesian Resort. Magic Kingdom's original blueprint held six themed lands at the ends of a spoke-wheel design. Five of these lands were copies of Disneyland Resort (Main Street USA, Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Frontierland, and Fantasyland) while the sixth (Liberty Square) was unique to the Florida property. The park held 23 attractions (3 original and 20 replicas of Disneyland attractions). In 1988, the first and only additional land, ToonTown was opened to commemorate Mickey Mouse's 60th Birthday. This land was closed in February 2011 to make way for an expanded Fantasyland. Where ToonTown once existed is now part of Fantasyland called Storybook Circus and holds the newly moved and renovated Dumbo the Flying Elephant attraction.
In 2012, Magic Kingdom 17.54 million guests, making it the most visited park in the world for 2012.
Main Street USA
Main Street USA, was inspired by Walt's hometown of Marceline, Missouri and is designed to resemble the center square of a turn-of the century American town. If you look closely, each of the four corner buildings in the square evokes a different architectural style.
If you stand looking down main street to Cinderella's castle, you will view what is called "forced perspective." The castle itself stands only 189 feet tall. However, the buildings on Mainstreet are constructed so that the second floor is shorter than the first and the third floor is shorter than the second. On the castle itself, the top windows are much smaller than they appear. This creates the illusion that the buildings are larger and taller than they appear.
To enter Main Street, you must first pass through the gates and under the railroad station. Before opening each day Disney hosts an opening ceremony that can be viewed from the gate-side of the railroad station. I must-see at least once during your trip!
Main Street itself is lined with shops selling merchandise and food. The main square hosts both Plaza Restaurant and Tony's Town Square restaurants. Down the street are Casey's Corner (hot dogs and ballpark fare), Plaza Ice Cream Parlor, Crystal Palace, and Main Street Bakery (a Starbucks as of 2013).
While Main Street is often overlooked as a passageway there are some very neat architectural notes that are worth taking a slow stroll. Specifically, the windows on Main Street feature fake business and names of individuals associated with the Disney company.
Main street is a great place to catch a street show or a good view of the parades. You can hop on the railroad at the main street station and loop around for a full view of the park. There is also the Town Square Theater, City Hall, and the Harmony Barber Shop for visiting. Finally, most mornings Main Street hosts the Main Street vehicles which offer rides to guests.
As a side note, this is where you will find other guest amenities. It's also one of the few places where you can buy some items, such as medication, baby food, etc. While other areas offer these items, this is a guaranteed place to find what you need. Guest services is also located outside the gates if you encounter problems before entering the park (ticket problems, etc).
See you next week (friday actually) when we dive into the different lands of Magic Kingdom!

 

[Hannah1284]

Weekly Email #5

On to the real bulk of Magic Kingdom! This week's email will focus on Fantasyland which has been recently renovated and expanded!
Fantasyland is one of the original Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom themed lands. While most of Disney is fairly tame when it comes to rides, Fantasyland is known for its mild/kid friendly rides. The new expansion of fantasyland swarms over what used to be ToonTown. The area now encompasses the traditional Fantasyland attractions (think Princess stories), but also includes the Storybook Circus area (opened Oct 2012). The final piece to the Fantasyland expansion is the Seven Dwarves Mine Train. It is currently still under construction and set to be open sometime in 2014 (hoping it will be open when we go!). The ride features mine carts that swing individually as you go throughout the roller coaster.
Storybook Circus:
In storybook Circus, check out Pete's Silly Sideshow for character meet and greats. Disney theming is really cool in this area so take some time to wander and look at signs. As always at Disney, take the time to "look up" and "look down" to see some special features and fun things that are often overlooked.
This is where you will find: Dumbo's flying circus (classic ride now expanded to two rotating wheels!), The Barnstormer (rethemed with the Fantasyland expansion), Casey Jr Splash 'n' Soak Station (cute, but it might be cold of us in Jan!). There are some cute shops and food stops in Storybook circus that are worth a look. This is also where you'll find the Fantasyland Railroad Station!
Fantasyland Expansion Area:This is all the new stuff! I highly recommend taking the time to visit Enchanted Tales with Belle. The work done on this, often overlooked, attraction is just amazing. Such detail and neat technology! Behind Enchanted Tales is the much talked about new addition to the restaurant world, Be Our Guest. Be Our Guest features counter service lunch and table service dinner (Reservations are a MUST). The menu is french inspired and a little more upscale than traditional park food. It's also the first, and only, location to purchase alcohol in the Magic Kingdom. If the line's too long, head to Gaston's Tavern next door for some quick snacks or a turkey leg! The final area is Little Mermaid themed with Ariel's Grotto (meet and greet), Ariel's Undersea Adventure (dark ride) and Prince Eric's Village House (food). The theming in new Fantasyland is incredible. Just take a stroll through to check out all the amazing details! Just a little tip -- I hear the new bathrooms are even pretty neat!Old Fantasyland Area:The old fantasyland area starts after you walk through Cinderella's Castle (neat in its own right and definitely a must-do!). Straight ahead is Prince Charming Regal Carousel. To the right you'll find the NEW Princess Fairytale Hall (meet and greet location), along with a few shops (Sir Mickey's, Seven Dwarfs' Mine and Hundred Acre Goods) and food (Friar's Nook and Storybook Treats) before finding The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (a kids ride with an interactive queue) and The Mad Tea Party (the famous tea cups!). Around the corner is the Chesire Cafe and several meet and greet areas (alice, merida, etc).
If you head left out of the Castle, you'll find more shops (Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, Castle Couture, and Fantasy Faire), a little food (Pinnochio's Village Haus -- with a few of It's a Small World), and several classic rides. Be sure to check out all of these: Mickey's Philharmagic (3d show), Peter Pan's Flight (a really neat dark ride -- not just for kids!), It's a Small World (classic!). At the end of the street you will find the new Tangled themed restroom area that is supposedly really detailed!
That's about it for Fantasyland. Be sure to spend some time on the front side of the Castle to grab the "must do" castle photo of everyone!The area gets crowded because of all the new attractions so visiting early or late will help with crowds. There are fastpasses for several of the attractions which may also be of help if lines are long.
See ya real soon (to chat about the left side of Magic Kingdom -- adventureland, frontierland, and liberty square).

 

[Hannah1284]

Email #6 -- The Left Side of Magic Kingdom:

Adventureland, Frontierland, and Liberty Square (the left side of the park)I'm back! After a long delay...Anyway, this email is about the "left side" of Magic Kingdom.
To get to this area you will walk down Main Street USA and turn left. You can enter either through Adventureland (turn at Casey's Corner/The Crystal Palace) or Liberty Square (turn at Main Street Circle) and both will lead to the other, or to Frontierland. All three areas are FILLED with character meet and greets. Check the daily schedule for who is available where and when!
In Adventureland you will find a lot of the "classic" Disney attractions-- Pirates of the Caribbean (rethemed after the movies premiered and now include Captain Jack Sparrow), Jungle Cruise, The Enchanted Tiki Room (a nice place for a break), The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (similar to Dumbo), Swiss Family Treehouse (a walk-through), and Country Bear Jamboree (a must-do!). New to this area is A Pirate's Adventure - Treasures of the Seven Seas, an interactive game where you are tasked with five (5) missions (each about 20 mins to complete) and upon completion are officially a member of Captain Jack Sparrow's crew! For food, check out Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe (delicious food here!), Westward Ho, Golden Oak Outpost, Tortuga Tavern (tacos), Sunshine Tree Terrace (try the frozen soft serve orange juice!), or Aloha Isle (home of the infamous Dole Whip and Dole Whip Float -- pineapple soft serve ice cream).

In Frontierland you will find two big rides and one of the stops for the Railroad. Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain are located right beside each other and make up most of Frontierland. You can also hop a ride on the boats over to Tom Sawyer Island to do some explorin' in the caves!
Liberty Square houses two of my favorite attractions in Disney -- The Hall of Presidents (updated in 2009) and Haunted Mansion (who doesn't love a doom buggie!). You can also jump on the Liberty Square Riverboat for a loop around Tom Sawyer Island.
For food, check out Liberty Tree Tavern (good, classic american foods), The Diamond Horseshoe, Columbia Harbour House (get come seafood -- lobster roll is delicious!) or Sleepy Hollow (waffle sandwiches are famous at this easily missed spot!).
These areas offer great little "hideaway" spots where you can grab a seat and people watch. If you are interested in crowds, check the daily times information for when the Pirate shows are and STEER CLEAR! They get swamped with kiddos who are dying to "argh!" it u

 

[Hannah1284]

Email #7 - Tomorrowland!

Tomorrowland! (the right side of the park)If you head down Main Street and turn right, you will run smack into Tomorrowland. Rumor has it changes are being made and you may be able to bypass Main Street and take a back route. However, I am not sure if that will be completed before our trip.
Two often overlooked attractions are right at the entrance to Tomorrowland -- Stitch's Great Escape! and Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor. Neither are rough or even "rides." They are more shows than anything but definitely check them out! The nice thing is that since they are often overlooked, the lines are usually short! Stitch follows Stitch (from Lilo and Stitch) on an adventure. You walk through a portion of the show and then are seated for the remainder. The room does get dark and the seats "move" but do not actually go anywhere. Monsters is a seated, interactive show. The characters are attempted to get enough juice from laughter to fill a tank. It is incredibly entertaining, and much like the movie includes some "adult" entertainment that goes over the kids' heads.
Moving on... to the right you will find Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin where you can shoot lazers at targets and compete with your fellow riders for a high score. Next you'll find the classic, Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress. Although its a bit dated, its worth checking out at least once during your visit. In the center of Tomorrowland sits The People Mover and Astro Orbiter. Astro is a spinning ride around a central axis that is seated on top of the people mover platform. The People mover is a "train" car that takes you all through tomorrowland. This is definitely a must-do! Venture on and you will find the ever famous "space mountain" If the line is long, grab a fast pass and come back later! But definitely check it out (motion sickness warning on this...). And finally, there is the Tomorrowland Speedway. THese are just race cars on a track. A fun ride, but difficult to steer and like other car attractions at various other parks (Hershey included).
If you're hungry, Tomorrowland has some options. Although none are known for being "great" they do offer some simple favorites (burgers, fries, etc). Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant (right off of Main Street) offers great variety. You can also stop at Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies, The Lunching Pad and Cool Ship. Finally, if you swing by Cosmic Rays, you may be able to catch a show! I recommend heading around one corner to the new foods in Fantasyland or hitting up a classic on Main Street -- or even across Main Street to Liberty Square for some better grub, but that's just my opinion.