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Lesser Known Magical Experiences
- Thread starter dreamscometrue
- Start date
We have never been to FW, but it keeps popping up in this thread. It sounds like a great place to visit to experience some wooded relaxation (walks, horses, etc.).
sweetpee_1993
Well-Known Member
OMG! Y'all are soooo getting me jazzed for our upcoming trip! I can't wait!!!!!
Can you believe we've never seen Off Kilter? Never seen the Japanese candy-maker? Never walked around the Beach Club, Yacht Club, or Boardwalk resorts? Never just sat on a bench for the sake of listening to background music? There's so much we've never done because we always had our kiddos with us and felt we needed to keep moving or maybe that slowing them down wasn't the thing to do. I hope to do some of the little-known relaxing stuff with just my honey. Then when we bring the kids back we'll have that much more to slow them down for, to show them that they've not experienced yet.
Great thread! Thanks!
Can you believe we've never seen Off Kilter? Never seen the Japanese candy-maker? Never walked around the Beach Club, Yacht Club, or Boardwalk resorts? Never just sat on a bench for the sake of listening to background music? There's so much we've never done because we always had our kiddos with us and felt we needed to keep moving or maybe that slowing them down wasn't the thing to do. I hope to do some of the little-known relaxing stuff with just my honey. Then when we bring the kids back we'll have that much more to slow them down for, to show them that they've not experienced yet.
Great thread! Thanks!
OMG! Y'all are soooo getting me jazzed for our upcoming trip! I can't wait!!!!!
Can you believe we've never seen Off Kilter? Never seen the Japanese candy-maker? Never walked around the Beach Club, Yacht Club, or Boardwalk resorts? Never just sat on a bench for the sake of listening to background music? There's so much we've never done because we always had our kiddos with us and felt we needed to keep moving or maybe that slowing them down wasn't the thing to do. I hope to do some of the little-known relaxing stuff with just my honey. Then when we bring the kids back we'll have that much more to slow them down for, to show them that they've not experienced yet.
Great thread! Thanks!
Yes, I CAN believe that you haven't done those things, because it took us several trips to move away from mostly FP attractions and really start discovering the magic in everything else. Now, the 'everything else' accounts for half of our time during each vacation. It provides us with special moments and helps make our vacation much more relaxing than the days when a visit to WDW was mostly 'e-ticket' ride hopping.
I'm making a list of the 'lesser knowns' from this thread and from reading other threads, talking to other veterans, etc. The list is getting quite long. I know there are many more 'secrets' out there, so I hope this thread continues to get more wonderful responses.
Last August was our first trip in years (anywhere) without other family members. We got to discover a lot of subtle things during that trip, mostly because of the slower pace and our willingness to search out new experiences. Enjoy your trip!
ChrisQ
Member
Oh, I highly recommend it. It was the only resort we stayed at all through the 80's, so there's more than a little nostalgia for my family, but it's a beautiful, mostly peaceful place.
brisem
Well-Known Member
Definitely worth catching. It's amazing watching them create the candy into the animals.
I've never seen it? Does anyone know how long it's been around? Is it a classic attraction that's worth catching?
wvdisneyfamily
Well-Known Member
According to PassPorter's...
You can also catch it at the WL at about 9:35; the Poly at 9:00; the GF at 9:15; and the Contemporary at 10:00.
Captain Hank
Well-Known Member
The original version debuted back in the 70s--it pre-dates the original Main Street Electrical parade. It's gone through some changes since then, but it's still good, old-school Disney.
Sounds fun. I like to check out the 'old school' stuff since I never experienced WDW as a kid. I'm looking forward to seeing it from the beach at the Poly with 'Dole Whip' soft serve. :_)
daringstoic
Active Member
Does the pageant still visit FW? I remember watching it there as a kid, but I haven't stayed there in a while.
One of our favorite things to do before we started buying APs was to check in to the campground, set up our camper, and take the boat to the MK to get on the monorail. Then we'd get the connection to Epcot, and ride that loop a few times. It was like being inside the park without wasting a day of our tickets for a few hours in the evening.
Also, I went down for my senior spring break with a Disney virgin. I had an AP, but she could only afford a 5-day Park Hopper for our 6-day vacation. So, on our extra day, we spent the entire day Resort hopping. We visited every hotel but All-Star Music and Movies (and that was only due to the fact that the bus we caught that was supposed to take us there from Sports was full and decided to head straight to the MK). It turned out to be a really fun day and we have all kinds of great pictures. I thought it really gave her a taste for the WDW experience.
One of our favorite things to do before we started buying APs was to check in to the campground, set up our camper, and take the boat to the MK to get on the monorail. Then we'd get the connection to Epcot, and ride that loop a few times. It was like being inside the park without wasting a day of our tickets for a few hours in the evening.
Also, I went down for my senior spring break with a Disney virgin. I had an AP, but she could only afford a 5-day Park Hopper for our 6-day vacation. So, on our extra day, we spent the entire day Resort hopping. We visited every hotel but All-Star Music and Movies (and that was only due to the fact that the bus we caught that was supposed to take us there from Sports was full and decided to head straight to the MK). It turned out to be a really fun day and we have all kinds of great pictures. I thought it really gave her a taste for the WDW experience.
That sounds so fun and is a great activity to truly experience the magic. What were some of your favourite sights or sounds during your resort tour?
Captain Hank
Well-Known Member
Here's the standard schedule for the Electrical Water Pageant. However, it does vary sometimes, so check with the lobby concierge at any of these resorts, or at Guest Relations at the Magic Kingdom.
Polynesian Resort: 9 p.m.
Grand Floridian: 9:15 p.m.
Wilderness Lodge: 9:35 p.m.
Fort Wilderness: 9:45 p.m.
Contemporary Resort: 10:05 p.m.
Magic Kingdom: 10:20 p.m. (only during extended MK park hours)
takeleus
New Member
We love to take the buses to all the resorts and look around. We also love the boat ride from EPCOT to MGM, take time to stop and walk around the Boardwalk area, it is great at night. I also love the ElectroLight Parade when we are down we go to the campground to eat and then watch the parade.
What are some of the magical experiences that you must do, or are unique to, each resort?
Whenever we stay at Coronado, I like to go for an early or night jog around the property...I find the grounds there just beautiful. I also have to get the gelato at the Rix Cafe.
What do you like to do at your favourite resort?
Whenever we stay at Coronado, I like to go for an early or night jog around the property...I find the grounds there just beautiful. I also have to get the gelato at the Rix Cafe.
What do you like to do at your favourite resort?
daringstoic
Active Member
Mostly we just enjoyed the laid-back pace of the day and fantasizing about staying in one of the Deluxe Resorts (I have 4 siblings, so we could only ever stay at FW). I love listening to the different background music loops in each hotel. It's so cool to be transported into a different world each time you step into a different hotel. That's every bit as magical as the parks. Also, I got to play tour guide and recite random facts about and memories of all of the hotels until I'd driven her crazy.
We especially liked looking at the neat pools at each hotel (again, fascinating for me, since FW just has plain ones) and I spent a good deal of time reminiscing about when you were allowed to pool hop. We did the animal viewing at the Animal Kingdom lodge, and had a great talk with a South African CM whose hometown I happened to have visited the summer before. We visited the WL and looked at the geysers and ate at the quick-service place there (when it was still good...) We walked around the Boardwalk for a while and grabbed ice cream at Beaches'n'Cream at the Beach Club. We went and hung out in the hammocks on the beach by the Poly. We walked around All Star Sports and found the pennants for our favorite teams. We probably had the most fun at Pop Century (it was my first time there, too) taking pictures with all of the statues (for anyone who has never taken a silly picture posing with a statue while imitating it, you're missing out on a lot of fun. It's one of our favorite Disney activities). We discussed which resort we'd want to stay in on our respective Honeymoons and made extravagant hypothetical plans for future trips.
All in all, it was probably one of the best days of our trip. At the end of the day, we just returned to our hotel (Port Orleans-French Quarter) and relaxed by our pool and were able to watch the Red Wings playoff game that was on TV that night (I swear I didn't purposely plan our "off-day" around that...).
takeleus
New Member
I love the story and singing time at the Campground, sitting around the fire and drinking hot chocolate and eating cookies. The wife and I have tried to visit every resort and eat at the counter service resturant. We love the Mara the best at Animal Kingdom Lodge (Africian Beef Stew), our favorite table service is Whispering Canyons at the campground. We have family that lives in Celebration so we do not get to stay in the resorts so we have to be content just visiting. I am very new to Disney so I read here to find interstering things to do.
ClemsonTigger
Naturally Grumpy
I love the music, particularly Off Kilter and Mulch, Sweat and Shears. Concert series during Flower and Garden and Food and Wine.
All the extra free events during the Christmas season are amazing
All the extra free events during the Christmas season are amazing
EPCOT Explorer
New Member
I've done the same.It's really cool at night.On my last trip to WDW I got the privilege to ride up front with the monorail driver. Many people know that you can ride up front, but it was a first for me.
Good point about the magic of the resorts 'redwingchik'.
We've stayed at 3 different resorts during our last 3 trips, and although I'd love to stay at each one again, we've decided to keep trying new ones. We are new DVC members, so our next 3 stays will be at Saratoga, Beach Club Villas and Animal Kingdom Lodge. I agree with you that the resorts are magical just like the parks. Each resort has a special feeling and unique activities which really adds to the vacation experience.
We've stayed at 3 different resorts during our last 3 trips, and although I'd love to stay at each one again, we've decided to keep trying new ones. We are new DVC members, so our next 3 stays will be at Saratoga, Beach Club Villas and Animal Kingdom Lodge. I agree with you that the resorts are magical just like the parks. Each resort has a special feeling and unique activities which really adds to the vacation experience.