We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.
Walt Disney
OK. I admit it. I am really really crap at this consistency thing.
My last blog was a few months ago, and one of the main reasons (sorry… here come the excuses) is that I have become involved in not one, but TWO amazing new Disney-related things. Two…. so greedy.
The Podcast
The first started around May this year with an unknown man sliding into my DMs. Not in the usual sense of the phrase at all as I will explain!
The “Dibbcast” team (after a very successful and long run) had hung up their microphones for the very last time, and there were a few fans/friends of the show who were contemplating the opportunity of creating a new UK-based Disney podcast, with a new team. Ben contacted me knowing that I had previously recorded a segment for the Dibbcast in late 2018 about the Wonders of Life pavilion in EPCOT, to see if I was interested in joining in the discussion.
I really had to think hard about whether I wanted to be part of something like this – let’s face it, nobody likes hearing their voice… and there were people in the initially group chatting about it who decided it wasn’t for them. My anxiety was because the Dibbcast team had done such a fab job, this needed to be something new, with a different name, different dynamic and purpose. We started a group chat to get to know each other, and after many many skype calls to throw ideas into the mix, we agreed a recording date for the first episode and The Great British Mickey Waffle was born!
Anyone who is a Disney fan will know that the market of Podcasts, vlogs, social media accounts is completely saturated with professionals whom are brilliant and make a living from this stuff, so we knew we weren’t trying to compete with them. We decided that a friendly chat with regional British accents about what we love or hate about all things Disney was a good place to start. I am really proud that episode 9 is just about to drop and I have 7 new friends in the shape of Sammie, Lloyd, John, Ben, Becca, Gill and Peter – my fellow “Wafflers”. There’s some healthy banter, some interesting discussions and plenty of laughter. If you fancy a listen – you can find it on itunes, stitcher, youtube etc all under “The Great British Mickey Waffle”
I’m a Dreamer
I am not referring to the amazing 1994 club classic by Livin’ Joy.
In October this year, Disneyland Paris put a shout-out on Twitter to recruit some uber-fans to be part of the first ever UK Disneyland Paris Dream Team. After a couple of rounds of fairly lengthy questions, I was one of the lucky few to be selected. We call each other “Dreamers”.
As a member of the UK Dream Team, I am one of the people behind the little annoying pop-up on the UK Disneyland Paris website offering live chat to answer general questions about the parks, resorts, dining, transport etc. It’s been about 12 weeks so far, and it’s certainly been a rapid learning curve! Shoehorning moments here and there in evenings and weekends to help other guests has been fun, although time consuming. Having visited so many times, I suppose I take my level of knowledge of the resort for granted and it has been very satisfying to help others to make the most of their upcoming trips by sharing some of my tips. I have the honour of the role until the end of 2020, so there will be plenty more chats to come I’m sure.
Meeting friends old and new…
I’ve also been able to take another cheeky trip to DLP in October with one of my BFFs.
Just adults…..!
It’s the first DLP trip I have taken sans enfants since 2003 when the biggest small person was born. It was a great weekend and we were able to enjoy all the Halloween fun – the one season that I had not previously had the chance to experience at DLP. Loved the Villains stage show, loved the parade, loved the decorations all around the park, especially the Coco section in Frontierland. We had so much fun and could wait in queues without being nagged, and stopped for cocktails when we wanted as well as drank Prosecco on the Eurostar at 6.30am.
Classy.
I love going to any Disney park with my family, I really do. I wouldn’t want to change that for the world. I now know I also like a girls’ weekend away too!
In November I took a speedy train journey to London to meet up with some like-minded people when Lou Mongello made his first trip to the UK. Meeting him again (having met him briefly in EPCOT 2 years ago) and meeting Beci Mahnken in person for the first time was lots of fun. A smallish group of online friends met in a pub to introduce Lou to the wonders of UK pub snacks (yes – including Pork scratchings), cockney rhyming slang and the basic joy of a doner kebab after a heavy sesh. I got to chat with my old friend Jez, and meet the wonderful Martyn from the WDW Box people group – one of the nicest blokes and a real “diamond geezer”.
So here we are, on the edge of a new decade and 2020 is shaping up to be an interesting year. New challenges, new opportunities. More transatlantic trips are planned as well as a new puppy, more blog posts (I promise), more podcasts, and something commonly known as… work.
Happy New Year and I hope you celebrate the hell out of the 31st December.
Being brave doesn’t mean going looking for trouble.
Mufasa, The Lion King
Lots has been going on in my place – some new adventures have been started and somewhere along the line I managed to squeeze in a little trip to DLP with my 2 smalls.
One of the main reasons for visiting was to experience the new Lion King & Jungle Book festival which is running until 22nd September this year. As we were there for just a short time, and I had heard that the new show etc had been very busy, I decided to treat us to the Lion King Signature package. That included – reserved VIP seating for the Rhythm of the Pride Lands Show, the option to reserve a slot for the Djembe drumming class, a pre-bookable meet & greet with Minnie (in her special Safari outfit), lunch at Hakuna Matata with Rafiki and Mickey M&G, a special souvenir Tiki cup each and a 15E gift card per person – was that because it was overpriced to begin with I wonder??
With my AP discount, the signature package cost an additional £208 for all 3 of us.
The new Jungle Jive Parade is great! Chaos, but great.
It’s bright, shiny and very very loud indeed. Drummers, dancers, characters, singers. You name it – it’s all thrown in there, including the long-anticipated “daytime fireworks”.
Jungle Jive Parade
The new festival is really fun, bright, vibrant and loud! 4 times a day (in the same way as the Princess & Pirate parade, and Christmas parade run) the Jungle Jive parade travels in a pincer movement from IASW and the bottom of Main street and meet at the main hub, where characters and dancers perform a show on the raised plinths. The difference for this show is that Goofy (in a ridiculously large turban!) emerges from the castle followed by a band of traditional Indian Dhol Drummers, classical Indian dancers, Chip & Dale, Clarice, and an array of punkawallas with large peacock feather fans! They add to the festivities with drumming, dancing, shouting and general flamboyance. I have to say, all the CMs involved in this bit really looked to genuinely be having a lot of fun! Then to add a bit more vibrance into the mix, arrives a float with Baloo, King Louis and a pile of slightly strangely dressed dancers who finish off the 20 minute show with lots of close up guest interactions – I saw some of them posing for selfies and being generally silly with anyone with a camera or phone.
The whole thing was a wonderful mix of noise and chaos, which was actually a refreshing change from the immaculately choreographed usual Disney shows/parades that we see.
After watching once from in the hub, we worked out that one of the best places to stand was at the edge of the ropes on the left side of the castle entrance slope. Not only do you get an amazing view of Goofy and the drummers emerging to join in, when they have all passed, the CMs will move the ropes and you can spread out along the bottom of the castle slope and have a brilliant view without being crushed! Top Tip from the GBMW!!
The Rhythm of the Pridelands show was something we had really been looking forwards to – it had had a lot of hype online, but I had avoided watching any full videos before going so I could experience it for the first time when I was there. First of all – the new Frontierland Theatre – HURRAH!!! THE BIG POSTS HAVE BEEN REMOVED! This means everyone can actually see the stage now! The queue for us was small, only 6 people in front of us due to the signature package, but there is no shade in the queue, so the 3000 people waiting for 60 mins + in 28 degree heat must have been melting. The show isn’t anything like the Festival of the Lion King in WDW – that was my concern that I had paid extra for a complete copy of something I had seen many many times, but badly translated into French. A huge relief to find it really wasn’t – the acrobatics in the show are almost worthy of Cirque du Soleil, with ropes, springs, and bendy poles all being used. The actors playing the main roles are good – particularly Rafiki and Simba. The actor singing Nala for me was the weakest link and she battled with the epic anthem Shadowlands from the West End Musical which may just have been a bit too big for her voice.
The show was on the whole amazing, and received a well-deserved standing ovation which I expect is a fairly common occurrence.
The Djembe experience and Minnie M&G were not so successful, thanks to the wonderful Lineberty app which any regular DLP visitors will know is not the most reliable – we were unable to pair our tickets to the app meaning when we eventually reached the locations to book, they had been filled for the day annoyingly.
Lunch at Hakuna Matata appears to have come in for the most criticism online but actually, we thought the food was good – although became cold a bit quicker than we would like, partly due to the character interaction. Yasai chicken, Spiced meatballs, Large shrimp, fried plantains (my favourite) and rice. Followed by a sightly odd bright green instagram-worthy soft-serve ice cream with sugar flowers and butterflies (and disembodied Simba head!). We think it was Pineapple/coconut flavour, but the consistency and look was similar to toothpaste which was a little off-putting, But it wasn’t horrible!
Character interactions were outstanding though – Rafiki asked my son to look after his ceremonial stick, followed up by anointing him with berry juice, which means he is presumably now in line to be the next King? It wasn’t rushed and both characters came back 2 or 3 times, which is the benefit of the small location.
So, overall, was the Signature package worth the money…? The lunch if we had paid for it separately would have set us back around £100 for the 3 of us.. Which is steep for what is essentially a counter-service meal. The show was ace, and if you deduct the 45E in Gift Cards off the total price, actually, we only paid about £60 for the drinks cups, and reserved seating. So I think that was ok, and would pay it again. I’m not sure I would do it without the AP 20% discount though.
What do you do when things go wrong? Oh! You sing a song!
Snow White
Five days ago I had the heart-stopping moment that all well-travelled Disnerds fear.
After almost a year of intensive trip planning to WDW, and only a few weeks until we depart, I had a very unwelcome email drop into my inbox around 6.30pm.
This year we are renting a villa, booked via http://www.homeaway.com as we have done many times before. However, this year, the owner of our chosen property has informed me that they are in fact selling this house prior to our arrival.
Cue: stress.
We had spent literally hours, no.. days with multiple internet-enabled devices looking at more than 1000 rental properties in the WDW area. For the first time in a very long time, my brother and his family are also coming to Orlando at the same time as us, so we chose to share a larger-than-usual villa, needing 7 bedrooms (or more) which were suitable for our extended family group.
The villa we had finally agreed to book, after lots of discussion about location and cost was a big 7 bed in Emerald Island area. Not a gated community we have staying in before, but close enough to the Formosa Gardens area on the US192 to suit us. It had the right room mix of king and single beds, pool with hot tub, BBQ and shaded patio area etc etc. I had also recently paid off the balance to the owner via Homeaway and had email confirmation that the payment had been received and I should receive further access details about 2 weeks prior to arrival.
Absolutely no mention of the property being up for sale.
Now, all good renters know there are certain background checks you should do on a rental – local sheriff’s office records etc to ensure there aren’t warrants or bailiffs due to go to the property, and checking that it’s not UP FOR SALE. I diligently did all of this before we booked which is why I was, and still am, very annoyed.
Anyway – back to the email.
It was very pleasant and kindly offering to cancel my booking so I receive a full refund. Or to try to transfer it to the new owners. The sale is due to complete on 19th July however, and nothing could be confirmed before then.
I asked a few questions – is there anything wrong with the property?
Can I have the contact details for the new owners (assuming they exist) so I can check details etc?
I asked for confirmation that there would still be a management company, pool maintenance, cleaning, fresh laundry, etc etc at the property on our arrival.
Due to the change in ownership, and the fact it is all in the hands of the real estate team, then no assurance for any of these facts could be given.
So.. what to do? Like Pooh Bear staring into an empty honey-pot, I had a small internal panic. We had nowhere to stay. And our money had been paid to the current owner. Maybe this was a scam. The sudden realisation that I could have been caught by the very scam that I advise people about all the time was sickening. And that it wasn’t just us that was affected – my brother’s family and my cousins too. Their money had been paid too.
Then the pragmatic brain kicked in… we had nowhere to stay. I quickly employed all family to start searching the options available and within about 15 hours had found a shortlist of 3 properties that would be OK, so I duly contacted the owners and asked the usual questions, along with the important “is the property up for sale”?
One owner just refused to answer the question, in fact I asked 3 separate times! So that one was swiftly removed from the list.
Eventually, within 24 (ish) hours we had found a property on http://www.debbiesvillas.co.uk which was going to work for us. Some slight drawbacks – it was only 6 bedrooms (but we will make it work) and it was about £800 more expensive than the one we had booked. BUT… this company has already done all the background checks and could give transparent assurances that we would arrive after our long flight to a property which is well-kitted out, safe and most importantly…. was not up for sale.
I’m not being rewarded in any way for saying how good this company was at the booking stage, but I think credit where credit is due – the website’s a dream, the ability to reserve a property for 24hrs was super-helpful in our situation, and the contact from them after booking so far has been fab. I’m now looking forward to seeing if the property lives up to it’s promise.
So.. after a small blip on the trip schedule we are back on track, and actually, will be a little closer to WDW in this new villa, which is an added bonus. However, it has made me certainly more cautious in booking a direct rental for the future.
And no, to date, I have not received a refund for our first booking.
Would you like an adventure now, or shall we have our tea first?
Peter Pan
I know I tend to drone on about dining at WDW, but in case you hadn’t worked out by now, it’s a fairly integral part of our experience, and we really enjoy the fun of planning and visiting different places.
What we don’t enjoy is boring, greasy, standard theme-pare fare. Burgers, chicken nuggets (although, there is a place in my heart for a good chicken tender), hot-dogs, extensive portions of fries just don’t do it for us.
And being British, the whole Corn-dog thing I simply don’t understand.
So, I thought it would be fun for me to give a little run-down of the counter service restaurants on WDW property that I think are fab. They all offer something a little different, and therefore are places we like to visit. If you want burgers/hot-dogs etc, you can find them relatively easily, but we will usually keep walking to get to one of these locations.
Number 10 – Captain Cook’s (Polynesian Village Resort)
This had been on our list of places to try since hearing Lou Mongello doing a live food review with his family a couple of years ago. We managed to test it out whilst waiting for a late reservation at ‘Ohana last year (the smalls were hangry).
The menu has some amazing options – pulled pork nachos, all the flatbreads (and they are huge), the Aloha Pork Sandwich, and my shout is for the Asian Chicken salad. The kid’s selections are varied too, alongside the usual offenders (nuggs, hot dog etc) which makes a nice change. One of the best things about this location is the ability to sit outside by the waterfall and enjoy an adult beverage from Trader Sam’s at the same time. If you were feeling determined, it would be a good mono-rail hop for lunch during an Magic Kingdom day.
Magic Kingdom has lots of options for counter-service dining, but honestly, not many that I would go to voluntarily. Pecos Bill’s in Frontierland (just near Splash Mountain) is one of the handful I that I like. In my opinion, the old menu was better – the taco salad was incredible, but the new menu is growing on me.
There is certainly plenty of choice – and yes, you can get a burger if that’s your thing. We have tried most of the menu between us – the Southwest Salad is really refreshing, the nachos are good (and generous), but my go-to dish here is the taco trio. You can choose which combo of 3 you would like, so depending on your preferences you can make it your own. The queso dip is a necessary side order for anyone as it can be combined with pretty much everything else on offer. The other amazing thing here is the “fixin’s bar” – not for the super-neurotic food cross-contamination crazy ones – let them grab a seat and send someone else to do the deed. There are extra dishes over by the bar and you can stock up on unlimited salad, salsa, cheese, sour cream, burger-additions, sauces etc. The saddest thing is the removal of the hot plastic cheese which I adored. The queso is a reasonable substitute.
Seating can be crazy here, but if you head up the little slope inside the main dining area, you find a quieter room which often has hidden capacity. The other great thing about Pecos Bill’s is the very clever theming, and also the mobile ordering – I would whole heartedly recommend using the app to order ahead as the main queues to order can get very large indeed at peak times.
The upstairs are in CHH is one of the best-kept secrets in Magic Kingdom. Most guests are so desperate to sit down they just find the nearest table.
Hint – go upstairs.
The views over Fantasyland and Liberty Square are great, the loos are quiet and you are almost guaranteed to get a table. In fact, I have never NOT got a table upstairs.
The menu here is different again – I’m a big fan of the Harbour Salad with Chicken, the Tuna Sandwich (which is HUGE), or the Lobster Roll. The chicken nuggets here are the standard WDW nuggets, but that’s not a bad thing sometimes. You can also grab a Clam Chowder or Vegetarian Chilli as a side order – or just have that as your lunch, the portion is probably big enough. Try to make sure someone in your party also gets the Peach Cobbler desert too – and enough spoons for everyone to dig in.
Number 7 – Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie (EPCOT)
The sheer scale of choice available at this quick service location is enough to give it a mention on its own. Hidden away in the back of the France pavilion, is a gem, which if you are trying to avoid stodgy, fried food (for whatever reason) will be a hit with most appetites. In the heat of the summer months it can be just too hot to eat anything significant during the day, so Les Halles offers plenty of alternatives to burgers, fries, chicken nuggets and average brown food.
A selection of baguette sandwiches is on offer, all freshly prepared on site that day. My favourite is the Brie aux Pommes (brie and apples for non-french speakers) which also has a smattering of cranberries for sweetness. The sides they offer (many for a Dining Plan snack credit!) are excellent – the traditional Croque Monsieur will satisfy many, and would be a good lunch for kids. Don’t be fooled into thinking this is an American Grilled cheese or even a traditional Welsh Rarebit. This is so much more.
After all is said and done, let’s face it; the main reason for going to Les Halles is the cake. Cakes, tarts, flans, mousse, macarons, and parfait. They are so pretty in the chiller, almost too beautiful to eat. The Napoleon has gathered a little fame for itself over the last few years – being stunningly instagrammable (is that even a word?), whereas my heart lies with the frangipane.
What an amazing addition to Disney Springs. The value for money at this location is incredible, and the food is pretty darn special too.
You choose your pizza or build your own by choosing toppings to be added. You can have pretty much as much as you want added, and there is a vast selection of sauces, cheeses, meats, vegetables, toppings, even pineapple. Your pizza gets fast fired in an oven at about a million degrees whilst you choose your drink from the great Aqua Frescas and lemonades (all self-serve refillable) and you find a seat. When you collect your pizza (you will have a buzzer), don’t forget you can ask the chef to add additional sauce at the end – chilli, sour cream, BBQ etc.
The pizza are enough for 2 to share unless you haven’t eaten for a week, but there are boxes by the counter if you want to take the remains with you to enjoy as a little late night snack. We don’t really have anything like this in the UK and the choice blows my mind. Because of that, there may be a small line for service, but that is because everything is prepared to your specifications in front of you. It’s so definitely worth the wait.
Also – if you are staying on property and have a dining plan, any pizza/drink combo is a QS credit, and as it easily feeds 2 it’s one of the best uses for your meal credit.
If you have ever dreamed of assuming the identity of a Marvel superhero, then you can live out that dream in the Morocco pavilion in EPCOT. Shwarma is most definitely on the menu and it is really really (REALLY) good.
Did I mention the Shwarma is good?
Admittedly, in the height of summer, this location can get a bit on the sweaty side as there isn’t really an inside eating area. The covered area where you are served does have ceiling fans, but all they really do is push the sweaty air from your neighbours table in your direction and vice versa. The chicken and lamb shwarma platter is more than enough to satisfy even the hungriest Thor or Hulk, and at $16 in my opinion is a bit of a steal. Some people may be apprehensive about trying the Moroccan cuisine, but this stuff is designed to be refreshing without making you feel unbearably full in the heat of Morocco – perfect for the Orlando climate. And did I mention the Shwarma is really good?
Number 4 – Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes (Animal Kingdom)
Overshadowed by perhaps it’s big brother (the full table service Yak & Yeti), or the current on-trend favourite Satu’li Canteen in Pandora, I feel the Y&Y is a bit of a gem.
It is slightly hidden in Asia, just before you rush either round to the left to get drenched on Kali River Rapids, or to the right to be scared by the disco Yeti on Everest. The seating again is not undercover and the chairs are foolishly made from metal, which can feel a little like a branding iron on the backs of shorts-clad legs, the food here however is delicious. Probably most akin to a UK chinese takeaway, the chicken fried rice and portion of egg rolls (both as snack credits) are definitely enough for a hearty lunch. The honey sesame chicken and teriyaki beef bowls are both full of flavour, and often we will get both to share because we simply can’t choose. New to the menu this year for us are the Korean Rib tips – we are looking forward to testing them out. When taking your food from the collection windows, in your rush to find an empty chair and table, don’t miss the condiment section along the wall of the building – soy sauce, hot sauce etc are all there to enhance your meal. The only downside here is the poor selection for kids – I would buy the chicken fried rice for our small one, cheaper and probably more desirable.
Variety is the spice of life, or so they say. This is where Sunshine Seasons really corners the market. With 5 or more separate serving areas, all with their own selection of cuisine, this really will offer something for everyone. Vegans and vegetarians are well catered for here which may not always be the case for some of the other locations on property.
Our favourite meal choice is the slow roasted pork, with mash, corn and BBQ sauce from the grill counter – but blimey, you had better be Hank Marvin to do this justice. The smalls are extremely well catered for here, with chicken wraps, salmon and pasta options which is a welcome relief from the fries and nuggs available most places.
Desert are not to be missed here either. We have popped in for a mid-morning sugar rush before embarking on a trek around World Showcase, with red velvet whoopie pies and cheesecakes on offer for snack credits.
The other thing that Sunshine seasons does rather well is breakfast… but that’s another blog post. Here is the menu :
WPE has long been a mecca for guests wanting to get the best “bang for their buck” when it comes to counter-service locations, and understandably so in my opinion. The set-up is a hybrid style where you order from the menu on the way in, then you choose your table and a server will bring your silverware and food when it is ready.
The restaurant itself is not particularly inspiring, and there are no toilets (restrooms) in the location itself – they are outside near the Christmas shop. But, all being said, the food is reason enough to keep returning here.
Top menu choices.. it’s really really hard because there is so many items I could mention, but the Chinois Chicken Salad is my “usual”. Real vegetables can be a little hard to locate in WDW (other than the obligatory broccoli which gets rolled out here and there), so actual salad, with bean sprouts, carrots, and raw cabbage can taste like heaven when you have reached your brown food tolerance levels. Mix in cashews, crisy wontons and a sesame-ginger dressing, it makes a mountain of salad that you can’t finish, but just don’t want to stop eating. Other family members here go for the truly enormous Rotisserie turkey Club, served with fries, is enough to feed a small army for a week. And the Mac & Cheese pasta is one of the best you can find on property. The meatloaf is also good (if you like meatloaf), but I substitute the mash for fries as I’m not a big fan of mash. Kids also have lots of choice, and we all drool when we see the freshly baked pizzas coming out.
You may wish to leave a small gratuity for the server bringing the food here which makes it slightly different to other counter-service locations, but I’m not getting into tipping etiquette, it’s a minefield.
Nestled away atop the water gardens in the Japan Pavilion sits a zen oasis of perfection. You could easily walk past Katsura Grill without even realising it exists, and it would be so very very sad (although, theoretically in tune with Zen thinking as it’s the journey not the result that matters..? too deep for a blog? highly likely).
The small but pretty little restaurant serves some of the tastiest, make-you-feel-all-fuzzy-inside food in all of WDW. The sushi platters are great, the teriyaki chicken and beef is delicious and plentiful, and the chicken cutlet curry is similar to a Katsu curry if you have ever had one in another restaurant. Edamame beans in their pods are on the snack menu which keeps my small very happy indeed, and there are different noodle dishes for those who prefer white wormy udon. Small people can choose from teriyaki and rice – chicken, beef or shrimp, without a portion of fries in sight – Hooray (or Furei perhaps I should say in badly formed Japanese). Adults can wash their meals down with a well-earned Sapporo or Kirin beer. Happy days.
Outside the restaurant are tables and chairs in a quiet, sheltered garden area which is one of the most peaceful and tranquil spots in all of WDW. Even when EPCOT is at capacity, this little corner of Japan just encourages you to stop, breathe and enjoy the moment.
There are a few other locations that if I was wandering past, I may feel compelled to pop in- Kringla Bakeri og Cafe in Norway has some amazing sandwiches and of course, sweet snacks to keep you going (School Bread…. Lefse…… Sweet Pretzels…..Troll horns….). If you are craving some “proper British fish & chips” then the Yorkshire County Fish Shop in the UK Pavilion can offer the nearest you will probably find in Orlando. It’s not perfect, but the chips are decent. On the other side of World Showcase Lagoon, the Cantina de San Angel (not to be confused with the San Angel Inn which is inside the pyramid) gives a good account of itself in terms of the Tacos de Barbacoa, the Nachos and also the Empanadas. We tend to buy a selection of a few dishes and share them, washed down with one of their excellent drinks (blood orange margarita anyone?). Outside EPCOT, by nipping out of the International Gateway, the Boardwalk Bakery will do you an amazing sandwich or salad, with some fab cakes and treats for desert. However seating is very limited, so worth considering where you might sit to eat your meal if you head here, but it will give a lovely break from the parks and sitting on a bench along the boardwalk watching the boats go by can be truly blissful.
Then there are the places we haven’t yet made it to….
It’s just around 8 weeks til we head back to WDW, and this year on our list are Chicken Guy – the array of sauces is positively mind-boggling; The Polite Pig, and maybe Wine Bar George. Disney Springs continues to impress with increasingly tempting and capable restaurants to suit any budget or taste.
This is just a taste of what’s on offer – but it reinforces the point that just because you are visiting a theme park, doesn’t mean you have to eat poor quality, dodgy, brown, fried theme-park food. Quite the opposite.
I’m now really hungry.
And thirsty.
Perhaps next blog should be be top 10 “adult” beverages in WDW – anyone fancy a research trip?
It’s been a while since my last blog. I know [Insert eye rolling and suitable tutting].
Honestly, two things happened – one, work blah blah blah. This thing I do here is just for fun, so sometimes needs to take a back seat in the priority-bus. The other issue was that I had about 4 or 5 ideas for the next subject, and I have struggled with which to go with first.
I actually have another post about a third completed, but over the last couple of weeks the hot topic in our house has been about fast passes. Or, if I am going to use their “full-Sunday-Best” name- Fast Pass +. Because I am not *that* person who is so pedantic, and to save the impending likelihood of
a) RSI from typing it so many times or
b) wearing out the infrequently favoured “+” key on my favourite QWERTY
I shall simply refer to them henceforth as “FPs”. I hope you will forgive my brevity.
The best thing about FPs at WDW is of course – they are free. Gratis, Libre, Gratuito. (Unlike the dark place up the other end of International Drive that we simply do not speak of). With every park ticket, regardless of whether it’s a single park 1-day, or the UK-only purchased Ultimate ticket, your FPs are bookable 30 days ahead of your park visit via the My Disney Experience site/app (assuming that is the 20min period that day it is choosing to work). If you happen to be staying onsite at one of the Disney Hotels, or at one of the approved Disney Springs partner hotels) you will have the added benefit of being able to book them at 60 days ahead of your park visit.
Booking ahead a maximum of 3 per guest per day means that you need to think carefully about your selections. And times. You get more FPs when you have used your original 3, or more accurately, when the latest time period of the original 3 has expired – regardless of whether you actually rode the attractions. Therefore, if you book one of them to watch Fantasmic at 8pm, you will be hard pressed to use another after the end of that show. However, if your last FP is at 11.30am, you have the rest of the day to acquire more and reap the benefits of waving to the minions waiting in the stand-by lines.
So, just a reminder that if you haven’t booked your trip as a package deal with tickets included, in order to make the most of the FP situation, you need to buy your tickets at least 30 days before travel, or 60 if you are in one the onsite/sponsored hotels. You don’t really get deals on park tickets – there isn’t really any need. Most people are going to buy them, so no big discounts are generally given, although some of the big sellers may offer special deals – we recently got a $20 Disney gift card for each ticket we purchased via http://www.attraction-tickets-direct.co.uk which was a fab bonus, and I look forward to spending them at the 2019 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival!
Let’s get into detail.
Which WDW attractions are the Holy Grail of FPs? They are the ones you may expect, but I’ll be explicit in case you haven’t ever visited, or things have changed since your last trip. *NB I am writing this before Star Wards Galaxy’s Edge opens at WDW.
Number 1 – Flight of Passage, Pandora, AK
Despite having been open for more than 2 years, this attraction still routinely sees a standby line of more than 3 hours. Even heading there are rope-drop will result in a 90-120 minute wait.
Why?
Because this attraction is freaking awesome. It completely blows all other motion simulators out of the water, and even if you wait 3 or 4 hours you will still come out thinking that was time well spent. But there is an easier way – FPs are sometimes tricky to get, even at 60 days before travel, but it does happen. Be persistent and don’t forget to check the day before because sometimes plans change last minute and you will get lucky.
Number 2 – 7 Dwarfs Mine Train
This charming family-friendly coaster opened back in 2014, but still sees huge waits in peak times. It’s family friendly to the point that it’s not too long, the drops aren’t big enough to scare you, and the entire thing it totally charming. The mine-cart design of the ride vehicle is fun, although the seating arrangement with the knee-locks may be a challenge for the extremely long-of-leg or the widest of guests. The stand-by queue does have some fun interactive areas, but not enough to entice me into foregoing a FP. If a FP is not forthcoming, then get to the park for rope drop (or during Extra Magic Hours if staying in a hotel that offers that privilege) and suck up the relatively short wait – I promise it will only get longer the later you leave it.
Number 3 – Slinky Dog Dash
Last year when visiting WDW, we were all so excited to experience the new fun coaster, but absolutely couldn’t get a FP. We had even persuaded the smallest small to ride, which based on the experience that she finds Dumbo exhilarating, this was quite the achievement. However, no FP meant we would need to stand in a queue line for 3 hours plus. One of the issues with Toy Story Land in WDW is the lack of shade, and the long external line for Slinky is uncovered and unprotected from the elements. Whilst this may be fine in December-March, we were there in August and although we really wanted to ride, we were not willing to physically desiccate to do it.
It’s really a FP or die situation to be honest.
Number 4 – The (world famous) Jungle Cruise
I love, love, love the Jungle Cruise, especially if your skipper is having a good day. What I don’t love about this attraction is the stand-by line. It’s a shed. A hot shed without any Air conditioning. Yes, it may be in keeping with the theme of a sweaty jungle, but the constant switch-back line means you get to experience the sweaty jungle of other guest’s body odour without escape. The line also never looks that bad either, and I have been persuaded to suck up the heat and smell for what looked like a relatively short wait on numerous occasions, only to find myself standing in the stagnant sweat-soup for 60 minutes or more. This attraction is also quite slow loading due to the time need to load/unload boats safely which adds to the time. Don’t do it to yourself – get a FP and enjoy the internal mirth when you see the standby guests faces of exasperation (and nausea) when they board.
Number 5 – Dinosaur
I like this attraction, and the bumpiness of it all, although it has felt like I have suffered minor-whiplash afterwards on some occasions. The queue experience is really rather dull. Just exposition halls with “real” Dino artifacts (Disney “real” that is) and yes, I suppose it works with the theming of the Dino Institute, but unless you have a dino-obsessed 5 year old with you, 5 minutes is frankly enough. The FP queue will cut most of it out and just take you to the pre-show area which sets the scene and story sufficiently to get the most from the attraction. There are some fun quirky areas of the line after the pre-show – look out for the famous ketchup, mustard, and mayo pipes (Disnerds will know what I am talking about – if you don’t, look it up or ask a CM). The one good thing about a long standby here if you don’t have a FP is that the line is 90% air conditioned, which in Animal Kingdom can only be a bonus.
Number 6 – Peter Pan’s Flight
I’m sorry. I just don’t get it.
I don’t understand why anyone would spend more than 30 minutes waiting in stand-by to ride this attraction? I get that it’s quirky and you hang from the ceiling (although the evacuation procedure frankly terrifies me!), but it is essentially a children’s dark ride in the same vain as Winnie the Pooh (although people queue too long for that too), Blanche-Neige in DLP and the classic Mr Toad’s Wild Ride (RIP). The queue line had some new interactive bits added about 2 years ago, but still isn’t worth your time – just get the FP.
Number 7- Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster
Aerosmith may not be a hugely popular band in 2019, but this attraction still sees long wait times stacking up, especially in the middle of the day. Also, it’s position at the bottom of Sunset Boulevard means that other than Tower of Terror and some restrooms, there isn’t much else down their to absorb crowds, so if you make it all the way down there, you might as well stand in the line, right? One benefit of RNR is that it has a single-rider line, but as the vehicles are pairs of seats, this line tends to go very slowly. It also means you may not ride together, and my biggest small did not enjoy that fact when he rode this attraction for his first time, not being a coaster or 360 inversion fan. The pre-show is also now wildly outdated, so anytime you can make your arrival at the stomach-lurching acceleration moment a bit quicker is definitely a bonus.
Now for the attractions where you should suck up the queue, for lots of reasons.
Number 1 – Expedition Everest
Everyone riding this mountain should experience the wonder of the Everest standby line at least once (there is a single-rider line that moves quickly for repeat riders). The imagineers went to town on the theming for this attraction – supported in this no doubt by infamous Joe Rhode. The whole line explains the story of the Yeti, the expeditions that have been travelling up Everest to try to find him, and the influence this has had on the local landscape and community. The artifacts, pictures and setting of the ride is imagineering at its best, and the coaster delivers too – probably the best in WDW.
Number 2 – Dumbo
When Dumbo was reinvented in the New Fantasyland expansion, they not only added an entire duplicate attraction, but they created a “sandbox queue area”. Nothing to do with buckets and spades, more that guests waiting to ride Dumbo can now enter an indoor play area with a pager issued to you which will buzz when it’s your turn to head aboard the little elephant. The play area is aimed at toddlers – 8 years (ish), but there are some welcome seats for the grown ups too, and probably Wifi for the teens.
I would not only suggest you don’t FP this ride, I would aim to schedule it mid-afternoon just before melt-down-o’clock, and allow the little cherubs space to play and some much needed air conditioning for you. You could even swing by Pete’s Silly Sideshow and pick up some delish snacks on the way – sounds *almost* appealing.
Number 3 – Haunted Mansion
This is one of the attractions where the standby line is actually not too tedious. A good selection of things to see, do, interact with and the imposing building next to you will add to the anticipation of the whole attraction. The line never really gets that long either, 45 minutes tends to be a maximum, unless it’s raining (the standby is mostly undercover) or Halloween, in which case it does get busy. Adults and kids alike will enjoy touching the musical moments in homage to Madame Leota, just make sure you have your alcohol hand gel with you for afterwards – I hate to think what would grow in a petri dish if you were to take a swab.
Number 4 – Toy Story Mania
This is an attraction where the standby line moves pretty quickly, and the ability to open up the 2nd ride track when the capacity/demand denotes means that it never really gets unmanageable. The whole line for both standby and FP is inside and air conditioned – hooray. After baking your way around Toy Story Land that is a welcome relief! The little details around this queue are also very cool indeed. Lots of references to different elements of the Toy Story films and fun nods to toys you may have played with as a child. The Mr Potato-head animatronic is also fun, and if you miss this area out if you FP the attraction.
Number 5 – Pirates of the Caribbean
Last summer, we rode POTC many many times – it’s one of our favourite attractions and it is definitely family-friendly, despite the rather gruesome subject-matter. The standby line here isn’t the most exciting, but the bottom line is that it adds to the atmosphere hugely. It’s inside, dark, a bit sweaty, with the fantastic George Burns composed theme tune of “Yo-Ho a Pirates Life for Me” meandering in and out in a variety of guises. Honestly, last year we used some of the queue time to pre-order our lunch from Pecos Bills, but that’s a whole other blog post! If you skip the queue and head straight into the boat, you don’t get the same sense of excitement and the adrenaline levels of the small people that may be with you don’t reach the fever pitch you want to fully make the most of this classic experience. Plus, at Halloween (during MNSSHP) there were live actors in the queue line which made it all the more interesting.
Number 6 – Star Tours
This is one for the Star Wars geeks. This queue line is loaded with amazing nuggets of brilliance from the Star Wars universe. From the departure board to the dialogue that happens between C3-PO and R2, just enjoy the whole thing. The ride vehicles seat around 40 guests per “journey” and therefore it loads surprisingly quickly. The queue itself is a snake back and forth, but with so many things to see around you (and the air con) it makes it a fan’s dream. The FP line runs alongside the standby, but the speed at which you skip along means you miss most of the clever imagineering.
Number 7 – Tower of Terror
Frankly, I think the queue and pre-show to this attraction are far scarier than the actual stomach-dropping money moment in the lift. The design is exquisite – from the straight-faced Cast Members, to the cleverly distributed cobwebs, this is the set up story to end all stories. The historical bits, placing you right back in the 1930’s and the musical and sound effects you are exposed to subtly add to your anticipation without you even realising it’s happening. Yes, if you FP you get to see most of it, but the way you are whipped through, similarly to Pirates, means that you miss the detail, you miss the build up and you therefore probably miss the entire point. Wait in line, enjoy the intellect behind the theming and allow yourself to be immersed in this fantastic attraction.
It hopefully would go without saying that you don’t really need to use an FP on the shows or parades – there is generally plenty of seating/space for both of those types of attractions, but if you are struggling to decide and you have FPs going spare, then you could do worse than to pick one up for Festival of the Lion King, or For the First Time in Forever – a Frozen singalong. Being near the front for both of those shows certainly enhances your experience and you are able to engage with the performers far more than if you are hanging out at the back of a huge theatre.
The one thing that I should say is that the FP system can make a busy day more bearable and a quiet day even better. Even if you are a seasoned guest and going off-peak, it’s worth making selections to enhance your visit. But do think about the order in which you book them – 9am at Buzz Lighyear, 10am at splash mountain then 11am at Space mountain may look good on paper, but you will rack up 20,000 steps just walking back and forth across the Magic Kingdom. Think about the flow of your visit and try to book sequential times as you would walk around the park- just like you do with a supermarket shopping list. Or is that just me? There are websites that will do the planning bit for you – touringplans.com is just one of them. I like to be in control though (in case you hadn’t guessed) and so I spend time jiggling FPs on booking day to minimise unnecessary walking time between attractions – that way we really do get the most out of the day.
The things that make me different are the things that make me ‘me’
Winnie the Pooh
As a “regular” visitor to DLP, and over 30 trips under my belt with more planned for this year, I feel reasonably qualified to write this little run-down of the attractions in my “local” park. It’s also worth noting that when I mention specific experiences, I may well make some comparisons with other Disney parks around the world, for illustration purposes, which brings me to a really common question that my friends and acquaintances ask.
Which is better- Disneyland Paris or Walt Disney World?
So, I’m going to put this to bed right now, at the beginning. You cannot compare the two parks. There are individual attractions which differ, and some are better than their counterparts across the world, but on the whole, if you try to rank the 2 places against it just gets miserable.
I can’t say which is better. Even after a total of nearly 50 Disney parks visits in my lifetime. I love them all, for different reasons. So I shall focus on the amazing things you can do if you are visiting Disneyland Paris, and then you can make your own judgements.
Number 10 – Skull Rock and Adventure Isle.
So this is a bit of a wild card at the beginning of this countdown. It is unique to DLP, and the closest thing to it at WDW is probably Tom Sawyer’s Island. I love Adventure Isle – and after so many trips I still don’t think I have found all the bits you can discover. I have a relatively good sense of direction and I get completely lost here – in and out of caves, up and down steps. I never come out where I think I should! And then there is the rope bridge, or “Pont Suspension” to traverse. I hate heights, so tend not to go across there though. The old floating bridge between the caves and the area near Indiana Jones has sadly been closed, but when you get near to it and have a look at the state of it, I can see why! The caves here can be really dark if you are heading in there from bright sunshine, so small (and not so small) children may be a little apprehensive, but generally that adds to the fun. It’s a fabulous place to spend half an hour exploring and getting lost.
Number 9 – Space Mountain
Space Mountain in DLP is the epitome of steam punk-inspired vintage engineering and it looks completely different to the original attraction in Disneyland, or in WDW. The theming in DLP must be commended and admired, but it also holds it’s appeal because of the mechanism used to launch the ride vehicle. Quite literally, launched. The cars are brought to a standstill on the incline external to the building and the side of the “tube” that you are sitting in opens up to the elements. From there you are propelled using a pinball-style rocket propulsion into the dark interior, immediately travelling into a 360 inversion. It’s quite a ride, and the whilst I’m a bit of a purist and not 100% on board with the current Hyperspace Mountain overlay, it is still a great experience. It’s Space Mountain, but altogether a different beast.
Number 8 – Alice’s Curious Labyrinth
To be truthful, until last year I always found this attraction a bit… well… meh. However, it would appear that my smallest small has added this into her top 3 things to do, so we have re- visited this maze many many times over the last year. I think for adults, once may well be enough, but for children, perhaps not yet big enough to see over the hedges of the maze, it is an exciting playground of interest. From the small doorways that you can walk through (and some you can’t) to Queen of Heart’s Castle, there are multiple unique photo opportunities on your way round and the castle battlements give an amazing view across the park. There are a few maintenance issues with this attraction – the knaves and the queen don’t “pop up” around the maze quite as often as perhaps they should, but I suppose you could say this adds to the surprise? Another attraction that only exists in DLP, it’s a good call on a busy park day as the queue is often relatively short and you can spend as long as you want exploring.
Number 7 – Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant.
The Chateau (Sleeping Beauty’s in case your French isn’t quite up to it)in DLP is quite frankly a stunning building. The design is beautiful and the decision to paint it pink has proven to be one of genius. For anyone who isn’t aware of the reason for the slightly lurid tone of the castle body- it’s all to do with photography and colour palettes. In northern France (similarly to here in the UK), the sky is often .. well… grey. Grey, dull, cloudy and frequently home to a smattering of rain. By painting the castle pink, it means it “pops” against the somewhat drab backdrop on even the bleakest of European weather days, and will always look pretty. If the castle could sing, it would forever be humming “I feel Pretty” from West Side Story. I can personally vouch for the fact that it’s almost impossible to take a bad photo of the damn thing. Whether it’s a quick phone snap or an impeccably set up digital SLR performance, that beautiful building will never let you down.
Let’s also talk about what’s inside the castle building, and also – what’s underneath it. Inside the Castle itself are two shops- one is the perennial Christmas boutique and the other is a place which houses a selection of glass-arts, and a glass-blower is often found creating magic close up for guests to watch from the safety of behind a screen. Check out the theming in this shop, there is an area you could easily walk past which is amazing – think about Briar Rose’s life with the 3 fairies and you will see a cute area which pays homage to their cottage in the woods (take a trip to my instagram page to see photos of this area – @clairesdisneylife). Upstairs in the Castle there is a story board walk through of the story of Sleeping Beauty, made from elaborate tapestries and incredible stained glass windows. You can also walk out on the balcony for a great view across Fantasyland.
Underneath the castle you will find the Taniere du Dragon – the dungeon which houses one of the largest animatronics ever made – representing Maleficent in her dragon form. She breaths, puffs smoke, roars and is generally fairly bad tempered. The details in this area of her toes, tail and movement is astounding, although she may be a little frightening for some children – my smallest small point blank refuses to set foot in there.
Number 6 – Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
This really is one of the attractions that I can repeat-ride probably all day. It’s my favourite place to head during EMH in the mornings, and *may* have been known to ride 7 times in a row whilst it remains a walk-on in the early part of the day. The good thing about this version of the interactive-shooting game is that in an improvement to the WDW ride vehicles, here in DLP you can remove the Laser blaster from it’s mounting and move it around to your heart’s content. This gives better control of direction and accuracy in contact with the targets. Or so I have been led to believe. I’m not sure that everyone’s experience quite gets to the Galactic Hero level, but with a bit of practice you can certainly achieve several levels up the score chart – my top score in DLP is 892,000 – so as Ross Geller would say in Friends – challenge extended. I managed to score the holy grail of scores – 999,999 last year in WDW on the evening of the halloween party, so can be completely smug around my personal achievements on this ride – however, obviously now if I score less that than, I take it as a failure.
There are a few tricks to get those big point bonuses here – the backside of the robot’s spinning saw hand in the first room, underneath the “Z” on Zurg’s chest inbetween his armour breastplate (will give you 100,000 points), and also just keep shooting.
Number 5 – Phantom Manor
Recently closed for an extensive refurb, the DLP interpretation of this attraction is due to re-open on May 3rd 2019, and I am very excited. Or maybe I am just fed up waiting – it’s been closed for what feels like 18 months.
Just like Buzz and Space, the French version of this attraction is slightly different to the US domestic parks versions. Phantom Manor’s story is interwoven into Thunder Mesa – the mining town in which it is situated which provides the backstory to DLP’s Frontierland. Love, mystery, intreague, weddings, funerals and murder surround the desperate bride waiting for her fiance who never arrives. It’s worth reading the backstory before riding, or reading it and then re-riding to truly understand what is going on. The ballroom scene is outstanding is always, and the when you know the intention of the scenes the whole attraction takes on an altogether more chilling feeling.
The new queue line is yet to be seen, and I’m really hoping they make the currently very boring, even if it’s a bit creepy, line a bit more interactive- which will be needed on reopening, as I’m expecting the wait times to be big. I have a trip planned in July, so look forward to re-visiting the attraction to see what has changed. The other bit that’s a fun little walk-around is the Boot-Hill Cemetery, which you can find as you exit the ride and hang a left, rather than right down towards the rest of Frontierland. Lots of comedy inscriptions on the tombstones can be found here, and if you listen closely to the large fenced grave – is that a heartbeat you can hear???
Number 4 – Pirates of the Caribbean
Is this getting boring? It’s another classic ride… but better in DLP (spoiler alert – there is more to come). Pirates are hidden right at the back of Adventureland, cosying up close to Peter Pan who is just under the dissecting bridge/archway into Fantasyland. There isn’t a direct route to the front of the ride entrance, you have meander through some of Adventureland to get there, which I think is completely deliberate by the imagineers to set the scene.
The queue, and boats are the same, but these pirates must be somewhere in the area of Martinique or Guadeloupe, as they are all French-speaking which might make it slightly harder to follow the story. Also, the order in which some of the scenes appear in the DLP version has been reversed in comparison to WDW. If you aren’t familiar, it kind of goes: stormy night, pirate ship, crashing into a battle, waterboarding Carlos, singing, fire yadda yadda yadda. You get the picture.
But, it is an improvement on the original in my opinion and it’s a great family friendly attraction because there is no height restriction. Minus the waterboarding, pillaging and overall destruction of an affluent town. Yo-Ho!
Number 3 – Crush’s Coaster
OK. Heads up parental units.
This is an incredible attraction. Unique and amazing, but this is not, I repeat NOT a kiddy-coaster. Please do not make the same mistake as I did (and actually many others that I talk to) and assume that because of the Finding Nemo theming, this makes this a sedate little coaster that your small offspring will find acceptable, or even cute. This is one of the most turbulent and exciting attractions in the whole of DLP, but please be warned. I took my biggest small on this when it first opened back in 2007 when he was 5. I’m not sure that 12 years later he has actually forgiven me. I made that classic parent at Disney mistake that assuming because he met the height requirement, the ride was appropriate. It really does not always work like that – the height requirements are there for safety, not to tell you whether you should board that shell.
The show building for Crush is a bit of a catastrophe in design – effectively it looks like a large blue warehouse, although when you do eventually reach the inside section of the queue line (if you haven’t lost the will to live by then), you will see that it is meant to be a dockside warehouse. This isn’t really clear at the outset though. You can stand outside the ride and watch a small section of track where the guests pass you, travelling at what seems to be a good, reasonably rapid speed. This is not what the rest of the track is like. This bit is designed to fool you. Don’t be fooled. But you can see the ride vehicle- a 2×2 design sat back to back in a turtle shell – cute huh? again – designed to fool you.
The first 20-30 seconds of the ride sets the picture of the Nemo story, introduces Crush, Squirt and is generally lovely. You then whoosh outside along the short section of track you can see from the exterior and move onto the lift hill inside when you return. So far the shell has been stable and the ride has been well lit – at the top of the lift hill your world will change. The stabilisers are removed from the shell allowing it to rotate independently on the track and the ride is effectively in a very dark environment. You don’t actually travel upside down, but due to the shell spinning, you can feel very close to it indeed. Scooping and swirling around you ride the EAC (the “Eastern Australian Current”) until the end of your journey.
There is a clear recommendation at the beginning of the ride when you take to your shell to keep you head against the back of your seat. This is good advice. Unless you are a mother panicking you have scarred your screaming 5 year-old child for life and are trying to hold his hand and console him until the spinning hell stops. I believe. Just saying.
Number 2 – Ratatouille L’Attraction.
This “L’attraction” has a very very long-winded full title – L’aventure totalement Toquee de Remy, but nobody ever calls it that, so Ratatouille will suffice. It is the blueprint for the new attraction under construction currently in the France Pavilion in EPCOT in WDW, but currently is unique to DLP.
It uses the trackless system first employed in Mystic Manor – the Hong Kong Disney version of the Haunted Mansion. I still remember riding Ratatouille for the first time a few years ago when it opened – it’s a pretty impressive feat of imagineering. The cute 6-person ride vehicles (rats) almost glide across the floor, a bit like they are hovering. No jolts, jumps, bumps or knocking – they just float around as smoothly as a swan on a mill-pond. Each vehicle takes it’s own unique path through the attraction, and because of this, unless you are a repeat rider you may miss some cool details like the smell from the oranges in the fridge section.
The good thing about Ratatouille is that it has a single ride line – the only attraction at DLP that has one, but hopefully not the last with the upcoming Marvel expansion. Once on board, you have to believe you are the size of a rat and accompanying Remy through various scenes from the 2007 film. Using 4D simulator tech (yes – smells and spray are a thing) mixed with movement through physical “sets” the whole experience is pretty thrilling. Great for kids, although my smallest small doesn’t particularly like the fire moment, but overall it’s a fun family attraction.
As you disembark from your rat, you exit past the large windows in the side of the restaurant – Bistrot Chez Remy, which has great theming using champagne corks for seats etc. The whole of the Place de Remy in the studios is a step up in theming compared to the rest of the park. Parisien flair has been used in the design and it has some of the nicer toilet facilities to tucked away behind the fast pass machines for Ratatouille too.
Number 1 – Big Thunder Mountain
I really struggled with which attraction deserved to be my number 1 in DLP, but genuinely, I think this interpretation of Big Thunder Mountain (or “big chunder fountain” as our family always seems to have nicknamed it) is unmissable. If you travel to DLP and don’t ride it then I guess I would feel a bit sorry for you. Another attraction that the design was carefully considered and for me, improved, at my local park – it sits in the middle of the Frontierland mining town of Thunder Mesa. The town that was owned by the Ravenscourt family who lived in that big house on the hill – you know, the deserted one with all the ghosts?
Big Thunder was closed for refurb about 2 years ago and they updated not only some of the queue line to make it interactive, but also upped the tech within certain parts of the physical ride. The coolest thing is that the majority of the coaster takes place on an island in the middle of the Rivers of the Far West which you can cruise around on the paddle-steamer. So how do you get from vehicle loading to the island? Through a cold, windy, pitch-black tunnel at high speed of course! The rest of the coaster ride wrapping around the mountain, through tunnels, across rattly bridges etc is pretty par for the course, but the thing you will remember most is the dark tunnel at the beginning and end of the ride.
There is one thing that makes Big Thunder even better – ride it at night. It really takes on a whole new atmosphere, and feels like you are going even faster. The queue is often a bit shorter too. It seems like an obvious choice and I am a bit annoyed with myself for not being more imaginative with my top choice, but I can re-ride this attraction multiple times and never get bored or complacent, which means for me it’s a winner.
The others
As I am a fanfriend of the excellent Lou Mongello of WDW Radio (www.wdwradio.com) then it is only appropriate for me to include my “honorable mentions” at the end of my list.
The Mickey and the Magician show which is performed in the Animagique Theatre in the studios park is a great performance, I talked about this in previous blog entries. If you haven’t read them, then just keep on scrolling and reading!
My other favourite thing is the parade – ingeniously named “Stars on Parade”. Debuting in 2017 for the 25th Anniversary of DLP, the floats continue the great steampunk theme that is found throughout Discoveryland and include the fire-breathing Maleficent dragon which is the same as the one in the Festival of Fantasy Parade in the Magic Kingdom, WDW. Whilst the soundtrack is not quite as good as the previous Magic on Parade earworm, it is a funky Charleston-inspired tune that gets you dancing on the pavement with the characters and whilst you wait for their arrival.
So, those are my top things to see, experience and look out for when you visit Disneyland Paris. There is so much more to come with the Studios park developments over the next few years – it’s really exciting, especially with it on my doorstep. If you have been and have a different favourite attraction – let me know. Share, comment and tell me what you love, maybe it’s something I have missed?
What could be more important than a little something to eat?
Winnie the Pooh
I was having a conversation with a good friend over the last week about places they ate when they were last on holiday in Walt Disney World. Like us this year, they stayed offsite in a privately rented villa/holiday home with a pool which allowed maximum freedom in terms of daily activity and where they had their family meals.
I was actually a bit shocked and felt really sad for her when she told me where they had been eating. There are some really great restaurants in the areas surrounding WDW (and Universal Orlando) but somehow it seems that they had gravitated to the places I don’t think I would go. I’m not being snobby, more that I would like my food to be fresh, flavourful, and I’m not sure there is ever reasonable justification for a chocolate-fountain at breakfast (whether you are on holiday or not).
She explained that they were on a tight budget, and other people had told her these were the best places to go, so that’s where they went. Occasionally they were able to make use of coupons to reduce the price more, and due to this they ate at the same places repeatedly and possibly didn’t really experience the incredible variety of restaurants on offer away from the attractions.
I think the saying is “they didn’t know what they didn’t know”. If you aren’t aware of the varied options and choices, then you aren’t able to make best use of your freedom away from Disney dining plans etc.
I thought it would be fun for me to make a little countdown of my favourite offsite eateries, with a few “honourable mentions” at the end, to quote the infamous Lou Mongello.
Warning – don’t read this hungry.
Number 10 – Perkins
Perkins can be spotted all over the USA – always marked by the side of the road by an enormous US Flag. I have eaten in this chain all over Florida and have not yet been disappointed. Saying that, I have only eaten here at breakfast, so I am completely unqualified to rate their lunch or dinner offerings. The branch on the US192 just outside of WDW property is our “local” when we stay near WDW and we have been here on every trip for the last 5 years. Breakfast for kids is great with Perky Bear choc-chip pancakes in the shape of a “bear” (or Mouse-head without having to pay the copyright royalties) being on the menu, but my thumbs up goes to the pancake dippers which is a rasher of crispy bacon cooked into a strip of pancake served with maple syrup. The potato-hash skillets, and freshly made omelettes are great, and just once my other half tried the “southern fried chicken biscuit breakfast” which even at 7.30am was surprisingly good! But – as a general rule, it’s all huge. Every plate is enormous. Coffee is great and non-stop refills certainly help to get your caffeination up to the required levels in the early starts. We also signed up online to their “Perks” club and received a couple of emails with vouchers to use when we visited. If you do this about 5 days before you travel, you will get the best use from them as they tend to have a 2-week usage window.
Perkins also has a bakery section by the cash register – muffins, pies, cookies are all freshly baked and very tasty. We have bought a couple of cookies to stash for hungry children in attraction queues later in the day, which can only be considered a resounding parenting-win.
Number 9 – Yard House
Yard House was a new location for us last year, having been introduced to it in New York when visiting family. The restaurant at the base of the Orlando Eye in Icon Park (International Drive) is pretty huge and when we visited on a midweek lunch time it was quiet. The menu us also huge and it took us ages to decide what we were ordering, although that gave the non-drivers in the party the chance to try out some of the 40+ beer offerings they have on draft. If you are a beer connoisseur, this is the place to visit.
The kids menu here is a little more varied that other nearby places, with teriyaki chicken and fish options joining the usual suspects of burgers, Mac’n’cheese and chicken tenders. I chose the street taco combo and was able to mix and match my personal choices as well as removing any trace of avocado from the dish. Rice and beans were great accompaniments and I would happily eat here again just for them.
If you are down in the WDW area, this may be a bit of a pain to trek to after a long day riding attractions, but it is close enough to Universal, the outlet shopping areas and some of the I-drive hotels to make it a justifiable recommendation.
Number 8 – Longhorn Steakhouse
Longhorn has long been one of our favourites, but over the last year or two, we have noticed the queue to get a table for dinner anytime between 6-8pm just getting longer and longer. Clearly that means a lot of other people have also worked out that the quality and price point make it worth a punt.
Every meal starts with some great warm bread and if you have any sense, you will order the “Texas Tonion” petals to enjoy whilst you consider the variety of meat cuts and preparation options available. Unfortunately, the offerings for small people here are really rather naff. It’s not exciting or inventive in any way, so don’t expect your kids to be enthralled by their menu options. For the big ones though, the cuts of meat are varied and there is something for everyone – in my eyes the Outlaw Ribeye (bone-in) is the super-steak on the menu. Paired with the most perfectly prepared baked sweet potato with butter and cinnamon sugar (yes, I know that sounds weird, but trust me on this one) it’s a meal that may bring on the meat sweats as well as a big smile. The price tag won’t hurt too much here, and the food is generally reliable and fresh.
Number 7 – Miller’s Ale House
Miller’s is a place that we had been to outside of Orlando until last summer and honestly, we thought it was a bit seedy and grim (sorry Naples, Fl). We took a chance last year on the new(ish) location on the US192 and we were very pleasantly surprised. I am 100% certain we will return there later this year, and have another great meal. A bit like Yard House, they have a cracking selection of beers, with several special offers and this means more beer for your buck! The kids menu is a bit on the “meh” side, same as many places – mac, chicken fingers, hot dog etc, definitely not the best. Adults get to choose from another enormous variety of dishes – the chicken Zingers are not to be missed on the appetiser menu. We chose 3 different sauces and they were all very very tasty. The meals here are as giant as the menu, so absolutely suitable for sharing between 2. This makes this restaurant quite budget-friendly too. The atmosphere is definitely good for the sports fans among you – for me watching the pre-season college “football” (and I don’t mean actual football, I mean American football) was a bit confusing, but there was an abundance of activity and a buzz of excitement throughout. Lots of different seating is available at this location – booths, tables and also an outdoor patio area, although in Florida summer heat, the inside A/C may be preferable to the sweaty outside.
Number 6 – Red Lobster
Ah, the family favourite. This is one of the first restaurants I recall visiting when we first arrived in Orlando all those years ago – it has remained one of our go-to places ever since. Possibly for the sentimentality rather than the food?
The one thing everyone knows about Red Lobster (or “The Lobbo” as our family affectionately know it) is the biscuits. Cheddar Bay Biscuits – food from heaven.
Excuse me whilst I dream and drool for a moment.
So these little balls of cheesy, garlicky deliciousness are probably the best thing available, so we always ask for a refill which invariably ends up getting boxed up to take home with the remainder of the food we can’t possibly eat. The kids meals are a little different – good seafood options if your small person likes fish. My smallest small likes the wood grilled Tilapia, and it’s a really healthy option with broccoli to counteract the fries, mac and chicken tenders that she ingests non-stop for 2 weeks. My favourite item on this menu is the Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut Shrimp with Pina Colada dipping sauce.. I always order them, sometimes as part of a combo main course. The good news is that they reheat the following day brilliantly, and if you ask your server they will give you extra sauce to take home too! My brother always, always, always chooses the Admiral’s feast, but only manages about half of it, so again – plenty of opportunity to split a meal between 2 if you are someone who is OK with sharing.
There are loads and loads of Lobbos around, but we do like the one at Formosa Gardens, and have always had good service there.
Number 5 – Cracker Barrel
Another breakfast winner for our family – and I know lots of other people who swear by this place. There is just one thing I need to say right at the very beginning though – don’t be in a rush. Especially on a Sunday morning. Wow – we have been in here in excess of an hour just for breakfast, which is not ideal if you have fast passes burning a hole in your theoretical pocket. The menu at Cracker Barrel never changes, although they do occasionally add some seasonal specials. The “Old Timers Special” or the “Sunrise Sampler” are favourites for the hungry in our house. I prefer a combo of the traditional oatmeal or Fresh Start Sampler (I don’t really like pancakes), but with a side added.
And this is the most important thing about Cracker Barrel… The buttermilk Biscuits.
There is no question in my mind, these are the best biscuits anywhere. Hot, soft, doughy with a little crispy base from the oven.. paired with the fried apples I am in my happy place. Other restaurants try with the biscuits, but they just don’t succeed in hitting the mark in the same way Cracker Barrel do. If you haven’t tried them, or are a little suspicious of these strange, savoury scone things, then go here and order a side of them with everything. One will not be enough, and as they are freshly baked, they can take a few minutes to prepare.
The other thing about Cracker Barrel is the shop. “Exit through the gift shop” has never been so aptly applied. Except in this shop you will find traditional American candy and sweets which make amazing, low cost, gifts for those back home – many times my work colleagues have found themselves testing out Saltwater Taffy, Tootsie Rolls (my favourite), Charleston Chews, Laffy Taffy, and Smarties – which believe me are nothing like the classic UK candy-shelled chocolate beans. The rest of the shop is seasonal and in August we will often pick up a couple of nice Christmas tree decorations.
Yes, in August.
I can only imagine they pair their seasons with the Haute Couture community and display and sell everything around 6-9 months in advance of when it may be considered appropriate. But, get your credit card at the ready because you will come out of there brandishing a traditional brown paper bag full of stuff you didn’t know you needed or wanted. It’s a ritual.
Number 4 – Olive Garden
There are those who think that Olive Garden is a bit of a boring choice for number 4, but sometimes you want reliable, predictable, tasty food that will just hit the carb-needing spot after a long day at the attractions. If that’s how you are feeling, then this is place for you.
They have a good wine and beverage menu, and every main course is accompanied by freshly baked breadsticks (similar approach to the Lobbo biscuits here – over order and take them with you for the next day), and the house salad which is incredible. Filled with leaves, olives, tomatoes, onion and croutons tossed in a light italian dressing, it’s really refreshing and nice to have actual real fresh veg (sometimes meals get rather “brown”). The kids menu is mainly pasta, but there are lots of variations, and they will also make a smaller version of the adult menu if there is something your little person really wants. Main courses are carby, saucy and well seasoned, with the ability to build your own choice of pasta dish to suit your own taste. After a pile of breadsticks and salad however, you may find that there is more left on the plate than eaten. We like Olive Garden – it’s comfortable, friendly and easy-going. No need to make any effort other than choosing from the menu and enjoying the food – exactly as an Italian restaurant should be.
Number 3 – Cheesecake Factory
For fans of the hit sit-com The Big Bang Theory, this restaurant is the Mecca of cult-eating. Penny doesn’t work here anymore, but you can pretend that she does, regardless of which branch of this highly successful chain you visit. Sadly, in Orlando, there aren’t many and I’m surprised one hasn’t popped up towards the I-Drive/ US192 area yet, but fingers crossed it will soon. The nearest location is up at the Mall at Millenia, with another a bit further north at Winter Park. The question is- is it worth the drive to get there? In my opinion, yes it absolutely is. Quite apart from the actual cheesecake offerings, which have to be seen to be believed, the rest of the menu is insanely good. There really is something for everyone, and regardless of what we have chosen in any branch in the US (and one in Dubai!) it has been unequivocally good.
For a restaurant menu of this scale, the kids menu is a little duller that one might expect, but the appetisers would also be a good call for a child meal – they are pretty generous and my small one has certainly had the calimari as her meal then stolen fries/rice etc from others around the table. The one thing to say about Cheesecake Factory is go hungry. Main courses come in 2 sizes – lunch and dinner, and honestly, the lunch size is enough for a standard family of 4, so unless you are planning to box 75% up and take it home to have for the rest of the week, don’t pick the dinner size. I love the salad selection here, with lots of great flavours you don’t find in other restaurants. I particularly like the chicken, mango (and avocado, but I have that removed) salad, and the asian chicken salad. Do not be fooled though – these are not the healthy options you may think at first glance – take a look at the calorie count on them.. wowsers! For this reason alone, I think one of the best things at Cheesecake Factory is their Skinnylicious menu – lower calorie, lower fat and lots of flavour. Lots of their standard menu items are available with a healthier nod, and so this is great if you feel the need to be conscious of what you are ingesting.
The cheesecake is just another level of craziness, with over 30 flavours to choose from. Hint here – buy some to share, but get it boxed up and take it away for later (or breakfast tomorrow) because you simply won’t do it justice after a full meal there. My top choices are the Key Lime, Caramel Pecan Turtle, or the Ghiardelli Very Cherry. I can usually manage to eat about 3 mouthfuls then put it back in the fridge again.
Number 2 – Ruth’s Chris
OK, so every other location on this list is reasonably priced for the majority of visitors to the Orlando area.
Spoiler warning – Ruth’s Chris is not.
Ruth’s Chris is high-end priced and a little bit up-itself because of it. But believe me, the food is incredible.
I’ve dined here a few times and the atmosphere is definitely not like many of the other restaurants around. This is a place to dress smartly (smart/casual), collared shirt, no flip-flops and expect to pay at least the full 20% in gratuity. But, for that you will get starched white table linen, fantastically attentive service, a wonderful wine list and pretty much anything you want- for a price. We have taken my smallest one here when she was a baby, and again when she was around 2, and whilst we weren’t turned away, we were certainly viewed with a slightly unusual look. Most diners are adult, perhaps tables of 2, or intense business dinners looking to impress. Don’t let that put you off – the effort is worth it if you appreciate good steak, and can tell the difference between a prime USDA cut and the great steak you will be served in the Longhorn, Outback or similar chains. If you can’t, then don’t waste your hard earned cash – you will come away wondering what the fuss was about any why you need to re-mortgage your house to pay for dinner.
They don’t have a kid’s menu unsurprisingly, but they will do whatever they can to cater to the tastes and choices of small people – mac and cheese is a winner and their sides can be added to create a meal. For the grown ups, my favourite is the Cowboy Ribeye or the Tomahawk Ribeye if you fancy a bit of drama on your plate. Others in my family swear by the filet (I prefer the flavour of a ribeye). They will cook your steak perfectly and serve it on a dish festering around the same temperature as the sun, so don’t touch it, and be aware that your meat may continue to cook slightly. I know that this is the one restaurant that will manage my frankly rediculous and slightly pretentious request to have my meat cooked “Pittsburgh” (Blackened on the outside and very rare in the middle) correctly. In order to manage this, the chef needs to be experienced, skilled and have balls of steel to raise the grill temperature to the heat needed to achieve this effect – in other locations many have tried and failed. It seems that Ruth’s Chris employ some of the best chefs around who know how to handle prime steak cuts. But the pricetag for this – steaks running to around $60+ each. But paired with the shoestring fries and roasted brussels sprouts – that is truly a magnificent meal.
Number 1 – Chuy’s
In a complete change to number 2, Chuy’s is a very budget-friendly location and is probably one of the places we will repeat visit during a 2 week holiday. It can be found on the US 192 west-bound from WDW, just after the Formosa Gardens area near Miller’s Ale House.
Great Tex-Mex food with a tag line of “Burritos as Big as Yo’ Face” gives this restaurant chain a bit of a personality, as well as offering incredible food. The walls in the bar area (with some booth seating for diners) are adorned by donated photos of guest’s own pet dogs. It’s certainly quirky, but is a great talking point and fun to look at whilst you peruse the menu. The main dining area is brightly clad in colour and fun with a ceiling display of car hub caps and wheels, and happy hour on Friday and Saturday evenings will involve free freshly made tortilla chips and salsa available in the open bonnet of a Cadillac in the bar.
Flour tortillas are cooked fresh to order in an open kitchen area, and the menu is so varied it’s almost impossible to choose. Because of this, some of the best items are the combo platters, with the Comida Deluxe proving popular, and the artery-killing Elvis Presley Memorial Combo being a favourite. You will be served never-ending warm tortilla chips and salsa as you decide but do yourself a favour and order the Chile con Queso to go with it too, you will not regret it. Kids can choose enchiladas tortillas, quesedillas or standard chicken fingers and fries – all are tasty and fresh.
We love visiting Chuy’s in August for the Green Chile Festival where a variety of green chile sauces are offered – we usually order all of them and share them round depending on our ability to cope with the strength and heat. But they are all made fresh, and you really can tell the difference between them and something out of a can or a jar- there really is no comparison.
You will be full. You may have enjoyed a few of their amazing margaritas or other adult beverages (they are good).. but leave room to share a piece of the Tres Leches dessert. Once eaten, never forgotten and always desired, this is the dessert to end all desserts. A 3-4″ high slab of cake soaked in 3 different sweetened milks and served with a humourously ironic fresh strawberry on the top. It’s one to share, and you can spend the rest of the evening discussing it.
On your way out after paying your rather reasonably priced bill (a meal for 3 adults, 1 child with 2 beers, mains and a dessert cost us $72 incl. tax) take a moment to admire their array of ingenious t-shirts and merchandise. Often with sale items, 2 for $20 offers and slogans such as “Hakuna MaTaco” on a Lion King Backdrop, you may find yourself coming away with a new favourite restaurant and a shirt that will tell everyone else about it.
Honourable mentions-
There are a few other places we probably should mention in case none of these options float your boat.
Bahama Breeze – Tropical, Caribbean style food and drinks, I have experienced good meals and really rather dire meals, which is why it didn’t make the Top 10. We have found the location at Lake Buena Vista to be the best, with a nice covered patio area for drinks if it’s not too hot.
Denny’s – who doesn’t love Eggs over My Hammy for breakfast? Denny’s have branches everywhere, in fact you can’t drive for more than about 800metres without seeing another one. There is a reason they are so successful – hot, tasty, low priced food which is served relatively quickly. You can get some great discounts if you sign up online before you travel and you will see that it’s always busy at Denny’s. My advice- go early. If you leave it past 8am you will be there much longer than you really want to be.
IHOP – the classic. I am a bit dismissive of IHOP, mainly because I have been to a few that are a bit dirty and the food hasn’t been very hot by the time it was served. It’s cheap, quick and there are lots of them around, so perhaps try one and see what you think.
I could go on and on with restaurants that we like, but don’t love. There are infinite places to grab food in the Orlando area, and if you have a car, the world is your oyster, quite literally.
One of the key questions I asked myself is “would I travel off site (drive or Uber etc) to go to any of these restaurants if I was staying on Disney (or Universal) property?”. The answer is yes – yes to Chuy’s, yes to Cracker Barrel, and yes to the Cheesecake Factory.
Did I miss your favourite location? Have I been missing the best restaurant in the Orlando area for years? Please let me know in the comments for this blog.
In the mean time, I’m counting down the days until I can have another Burrito as big as my face.
So for those astute ones among you, the title quote will be familiar. Han Solo.
If someone had told me yesterday that by “LATE fall opening” for Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at WDW, what was meant was 29th August, I would have laughed. The odds would have been 100-1. But it would appear that that is exactly what the Disney Company meant.
Seriously? Since when did Disney ever open anything early? It took 4 years to build a bloody ugly parking garage.
So as much as I enjoy the galactic universe and it’s fabulous cast of the weird and wonderful (that does not include you Jar Jar), I’m not sure that I am overly happy with them gatecrashing my meticulously planned summer holiday.
As mentioned in previous blog posts, I’m a planner. I like to use the ADR option and will book my Fast passes at the earliest possible opportunity. I had a plan. I thought I knew what the trip would look like. Now with Galaxies Edge thrown in I have to decide whether to re-think. All of a sudden the nice quiet week before Labor Day has exploded to a 10/10 rating in predicted park attendance, and I’m not sure that even really describes quite how busy Hollywood Studios is likely to be.
I’ve seen the memes… It’s called Galaxies Edge because that’s where the end of the line to get in will be….. it’s funny, but I expect not too far from the truth. When you think about the queue lengths of recent years- The Arandelle Sisters had a 5/6 hour line; , Flight of Passage still routinely sees 3-4 hours even after being open for 2 years; Toy Story land saw lines of 5 hours + just to access the land….. this does not bode well if you catch my drift. The whole park will be rammed. There will be overspill into other parks…
So herein lies the dilemma. We can embrace the line and head to opening day and we can tell everyone that “we were there”, or we can avoid it like the plague, enjoy a day elsewhere somewhat quieter (I’m thinking a water park may be a good call!) and feel smug we didn’t stand still in a crowd of sweaty geeks for 10hours…
What would you do?
And don’t even think of uttering the words “soft opening”… so because of this well known phenomenon when very occasionally, if the sun and moon coincide and the wind blows in the right direction for the first 11minutes of the hour, a small number of carefully chosen guests may get to experience the attraction before opening day, it means that the preceding 3 days are also predictably likely to be rammed.
Do I sound grumpy about this? I don’t mean to. I just hadn’t planned on having to deal with this. I had hoped that all things Jedi would give us a reason to return over the next 12 months..
So what to do? Join the Rebel Alliance and pack my patience, or steer clear and wish that “the force be with” those embarking on their journey to the Black Spire Outpost?
We didn’t even realise we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.
Winnie the Pooh
Whilst doing a bit of spring cleaning on Sunday, I came across some old photos from my first visits to WDW as a teenager in the early/mid 1990s. There I was hugging Eeyore, Pooh and Tigger proudly wearing my comedy “Kermit Klein” t-shirt and denim dungaree shorts which had been purchased especially for our American journey.
(If you follow me on instagram – @clairesdisneylife – you can see those photos in their full glory!)
Those trips were incredible. Just venturing somewhere completely unknown and the joy it gave me has never gone away. I’m not an expeditioner… I’m not a trekker or a back-packer. And I most certainly am not a camper, glamper, yurter or any other accommodation that only has canvas to protect me from the elements.
Growing up, we were lucky- we had foreign holidays every year and now looking back I absolutely did not appreciate that. We went to Portugal every summer to a large villa which was owned by a family friend. Sometimes we went twice a year. Occasionally three times. The Algarve of the 80’s was all I knew – the beaches, fishing boats, fabulous doughy bread that was baked in the morning and stale by lunchtime. I remember going to the fish market one day whilst I wore espadrilles – I recall the smell reeking from them by the following morning where the fish “juice” had soaked into the rope soles.. Schoolboy error.
I’m not trying to sound hard-done-by, not at all. More that I didn’t realise that there was a holiday world outside Portugal. We always flew to Faro, often with a relatively low-budget and frankly, terrifying, airline. I recall British Island Airways being one of the most alarming. Caledonian, Britannia and the like were usuals – long before the Easy Jets and Ryan Airs of now. Those were in the days of actual food, metal cutlery and taking as much fluid through security as you cared to carry.
One fateful year, my parents decided it would be good idea to drive to the Algarve via Bordeaux and Seville.
It was not a good idea at all.
I can still hear the heated “where are we?” conversation from the front two seats of the car as my mum struggled to articulate our precise location (to the nearest millimetre) on a map that folded out to the size roughly equivalent to the surface of the moon. Meanwhile, my dad continued to drive straight along the current road about ninety-billion miles per hour, all the time refusing to stop for a moment to check we were in fact going the right way. We did arrive in the identified overnight stops, but it was an interesting journey that involved a 2 night stop at EXPO ’92 in Seville. If you have ever been to Seville in August you will know that it is around the same temperature as the fires of Hell, so sitting above a reflective lake in a cable car that had stopped due to the heat (approx 120 deg. F) when you are scared of heights is not something you forget in a hurry. Nearly 30 years later I am still a little scarred.
So where is all of this leading?
It seems with the recent announcements of new experiences at WDW and other Disney parks around the world, there has been a flurry of outpourings of love for some long-extinct attractions so I thought I would shamelessly jump on the bandwagon after finding the photos at the weekend.
Back to the Future
No, not the fabulous movie trilogy with the equally brilliant Micheal J. Fox… I am actually talking about EPCOT, or “EPCOT Center” as it was. I recall the rather ingeniously named “EPCOT ’94” too. I wonder how long the debate about the renaming took…?
EPCOT was always our family’s favourite park and still remains that way today. I think the diversity of this place makes it incredibly unique. It relates to anyone and everyone in different ways, and it really stands alone in what it delivers to the guest experience. It clearly needs an update, but that is in progress with the Future World and France Pavilion developments underway.
The first thing I remember about EPCOT back then was Communicore, which has subsequently had a life as Innoventions and now .. well.. I’m not really certain how to describe what it has become. It’s a shame that this area hasn’t been reinvented as having a showcase for exciting future technological developments would really fit in well to Future World. Think like the expo in the movie Big Hero 6.
The Land Pavilion had a better song. George Wilkins’ “Listen to the Land” ear-worm was just one of the cheery musical memories that stick with me from those early visits. The greenhouses, enormous melons and ground-breaking irrigation systems can still be seen, but nowadays are not accompanied by that cheery tune. After disembarking the little boats, you could venture into Kitchen Kabaret, which is something I recall extremely well. The delectable hostess with mostess – Bonnie Appetite MC’d great moments such as Hamm & Eggz comedy and the Fiesta Fruit Cha Cha Cha section singing Veggie Veggie Fruit Fruit whilst Bonnie paraded as a mini-Carmen Miranda onstage.
The Imagination Pavilion was so far removed from the current excuse for fun that it is somewhat hard to know where to start without getting upset. I was lucky enough to meet the walkabout Dreamfinder character with his Figment appendage on my first trip, and the original ride was a million miles away from the sad and basic level attraction we have now. Magic Journeys, Makin’ Memories (both with excellent songs by the infamous Sherman Brothers) are both attractions that come to mind, along with the ImageWorks, specifically the rainbow light tunnel. Captain EO was part of that pavilion for a while, but best we don’t mention MJ in light of recent allegations. The villain of EO was incredibly scary for a child I thought, but the costumes and makeup were truly amazing.
Looking over to Future World East (yes, I know, they always feel back to front to me too) it was a somewhat different view to the current situation. World of Motion not Test Track, Universe of Energy – even before Ellen jumped on board the fossil fuelled bus. I miss the dinosaurs and the strange bubblegum-esque smell that permeated from the dry ice in the first room you travelled into whilst weaving between the enormous animatronics. I’m not saying I don’t love Star Lord (just a little bit), but I’m hoping the new Guardians coaster is going to be accompanied by an Awesome Mix soundtrack and that they do manage to hide that blooming big show building as planned!
Wonders of Life. Now that was a special place. I had the pleasure of discussing it on a podcast with a good friend last year – the link is here if you want to listen to our cringworthy moments (scoot forwards to 42 minutes in if you want the Wonders of Life bit) : https://dibbcast.com/DIBBcast-196-1st-November-2018-We-Three-Meet-Again-e-201.html
Horizons has long since been demolished in favour of Mission Space. I think that perhaps Horizons could have done with an “orange- more intense” version at the time. The whole experience I recall was a little on the dull side, even if it had good intentions to pulling the Future world themes together.
You’re not Jammin’ anymore.
No, not a football terraces chant, but a nod to probably one of my favourite parades that has sadly departed. The Jammin’ Jungle Parade in Animal Kingdom. I loved the floats and the music genuinely made me boogie in the street. I still play it now and again and love the uplifting feel. It’s a real shame that AK no longer has a parade – it may help to absorb some of the crowds in peak times, rather than the line for Flight of Passage just growing and growing… and growing…..
Animal Kingdom didn’t exist when I first visited WDW in the early 90’s and so when I did manage to experience it, I loved it. When Camp Minnie-Mickey closed to make space for Pandora I wasn’t really that bothered, and what has replaced it is significantly superior. I have a feeling that we will see more changes coming to AK in the not too distant future – perhaps along the lines of the Zootropolis expansion that is in progress in Shanghai currently?
More or less magical?
The Magic Kingdom back in the 90s was rather different to now, and I’m not even referring to the 25th anniversary Castle Cake monstrosity that I had the unfortunate pleasure of witnessing. Captain Nemo was a ride that I absolutely believed was diving down to the depths of the sea. The very non-health and safety compliant (these days) ride vehicle just added to the atmosphere of being squashed into a submarine.
Splash Mountain wasn’t built the first couple of trips I took, and the Pirates still “wanted the Red head”. The People Mover will always be the WEDWAY People Mover to me, and I certainly miss Alien Encounter and Mission to Mars more than I will ever miss Stitch’s Great Escape.
The 3pm parade was the Mickey Mania Parade which had strange disembodied bits of mouse-gear dancing up Main Street and seemed to go on forever. I can only imagine how tricky those costumes were to balance in and how hard it would have been to be spatially aware of the size! There was the amazing Spectromagic parade at night which was fantastic and had a brilliant soundtrack too. It’s such a shame that there is not evening parade at WDW at the moment… an opportunity missed I think.
Bullet holes and vibrating beds?
I don’t think we ever went to a water park in Orlando. There may only have been Wet & Wild at that time and I recall it seemed a bit too “concrete” for us. International Drive was where all the restaurants and action took place away from the parks, and we didn’t have the experience of staying on site in WDW.
The first visit we stayed in a Days Inn.
That was quite the welcome experience to the USA.
It was miles away in Altemonte Springs- my dad’s choice to bring the cost down I expect. I shared a room with my older brother that had a leaking AC unit under the window and coin slots by the bed to make it vibrate. Very strange. I do remember getting my first ever taste of Mountain Dew from a vending machine at the hotel though. Our second trip we went upmarket, staying at the Catalina Inn at the top end of I-Drive near to what was then the Belz Factory Outlet- the Mecca for all British people who wanted cut-price Levi 501s and shiny white trainers. The hotel was a bit closer than the previous visit, but it wasn’t in the nicest area and we had a couple of bullet holes in our window. At the time, it didn’t really bother me, but looking back now I am surprised my parents actually stayed there!
We ate out in funky chain restaurants every night- the likes of which you simply didn’t get in the UK and still don’t really. Steak & Ale, Bennigan’s, Tony Roma’s and the Red Lobster which is still a favourite if only for the cheddar bay biscuits and a large Lobsterita! Breakfast was Dunkin Donuts, Shoney’s or IHOP, and I recall my brother proudly demolishing a whole stack of banana-nut pancakes and then regurgitating them almost as quickly as they had been ingested. The roadsides were littered with people dressed as a pancake or a bacon rasher enticing you to have an all you can eat breakfast experience for just $2.99.
It was all a weird wonderland for us, and perhaps in some ways it still is a bit. Those things I remember will alway make me laugh, other than perhaps the Skyway- that reminds me too much of that fateful cable-car ride in Seville. In 25 years I will be recalling the time before Tron, the Space restaurant and Galaxies Edge and thinking how small and quaint WDW was in the 2010’s.
For now however, it’s fab.
And I can wait to get back there to make more memories.
Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.
Walt Disney
I am currently on a train.
A “fast” train.
Not a Eurostar fast train, or a Japanese bullet train fast train. A Southeastern High Speed train to London for a meeting that I have today. I think the words high speed are slightly ironic. Perhaps a better description would be “slightly quicker than the other train”. The journey takes just under an hour, but that’s possibly because it only stops at 3 places! That has to shave a bit of time off? I’m not sure I agree with the name or branding but it does allow me to blog.
I am also in a formal period of PDD.
Post-Disney Depression.
Anyone who has ever been on a trip, however long or short, to a Disney park or resort will know this sinking feeling that sweeps across you as you exit through the turnstiles for the last time. It literally feels like someone has replaced several bags of house bricks on my back and shoulders – the same ones that I shrugged off as I arrived just a few hours ago. The release of no heaving tote bag, no time pressures, being able to go where I want and do what I want with the people that I love, that’s a special thing.
Disneyland Paris last week was amazing. The weather was utterly perfect. Blue skies, warm sunshine, sparking stars at night. The crowd levels were not too high, especially on the weekdays- Saturday was busier, but as it’s only 20mins from Paris, the weekend local visitor population is always much higher.
We drove down after crossing the channel via the Eurotunnel early on Wednesday. They driving conditions were awful. Fog so thick and soupy that I couldn’t really see very much, which meant I couldn’t drive too fast. This did not amuse me much. But we arrived by 11.15 and after checking in popped for a walk to grab some lunch on our way to the parks.
It was slightly annoying to discover that the pathway around Lake Disney between Newport Bay Club and the Disney Village is being renovated… just that bit.
That small section of about 10 metres.
The bit that would have prevented us from walking all the way around the whole lake to access the parks.
At least it was dry and sunny. It the weather had been bad it would have been so much worse. But we embraced the trek past Sequoia and past the fenced off New York as it undergoes it’s “Marvelisation”. We looked at the art work on the hoardings and the thing that we mulled over was whether the Marvel images that will be used are the comic book drawings or the movie franchise images? It wasn’t clear from the hoardings.
Lunch for us was Earl of Sandwich. Every bit as good in DLP as it is in Disney Springs. I still can’t eat a whole sandwich, but luckily I had a hungry teen with me who was apparently lacking in nutrition (as always) and obliged with finishing my Hawaiian BBQ (minus the pineapple which I had already picked out and eaten first).
We headed into the Disneyland Park first and I had a meeting planned shortly after arrival with a friend from an amazingly friendly website where I am a member- http://www.theDibb.co.uk – It was a great chance to catch up with a likeminded Disney friend, but we had a plan. She was going to sponsor me to buy my first DLP Annual Pass. This is something I have coveted for years… this time I found myself in a position to make it happen. What some people don’t know is that if an existing AP holder sponsors you, you get a 10% discount.
Boom.
As an AP holder, after you sponsor 3 people, you get a 6 month free extension to your own AP. So it has mutual benefits.
Whilst I was signing my life (and wallet) away in the AP office, the rest of the family enjoyed a couple of attractions in fantasyland. I emerged triumphantly 15 minutes later parading my new Black Infinity Pass. A full 365 days of uninterrupted access to one of my very favourite places on this planet. It cost me the same as a small island in the Caribbean, and they didn’t even give me a free lanyard to put it on! But, after buying one and using my new discount on my purchase I was so happy to wear my new appendage. It felt a bit strange, but it became normal very quickly to wave it at people when paying for anything, in the hope to receive some cash off the total price.
To be fair, over 4 days we probably recouped about half the cost of the pass just in restaurant and merchandise discounts.
We haven’t visited at this time for many years, and it felt great to see some stuff other than Christmas festivities.
Let’s get this out of the way- The Festival of Princesses and Pirates is totally amazing.
Choose your team- there is NO choice. No possible way you cannot choose to be #TeamPirate. The princesses look lovely, glittery, flouncy and a bit saccharine.
The pirates are fierce. Not in a scary way- in a strong and inspiring way. Even my smallest small who is hardcore on the pink and purple spectrum- she chose Team Pirate. The Pirate CMs are so high energy, engaging and fun that we after watching them for the first time, the princesses did not get a look in. The show with a trampoline (which takes place 4 times a day) was brilliant.
It even gave Peter Pan a personality.
I tend to find him a bit on the bland side to be honest (sorry Peter), but having him as an acrobatic character interacting with the pirate team- just great. The other pirate acrobats were also fantastic, and the interaction with the guests watching was excellent every time we watched the show.
I must make a special mention of the CM who plays Jimmy Ocean- Pirate MC and leader of the ocean-going fun-lovers. This chap is a great showman. He can sing, he can rap (in French!), he can deliver comedy lines to perfection, he can whip up the excitement in the crowd and he may be ever so slightly easy-on-the-eye. Guyliner is worn to the extreme, and in the same way that the Hook character makes watching the Netflix series Once Upon a Time a lot more enjoyable- it’s worth catching the Team Pirate show. Every time.
I’m not even joking.
We also watched some of the Star Wars “Saison de la Force” activities, but they didn’t really hold up. The March of the first order or rebellion were exact copies of the parade effort in Hollywood Studios in WDW, so perhaps had we not experienced that we may have been more enamoured with it. The stage show with Rey, Chewie, Darth Maul, C3PO and others was fine, and it was nice to see some clips of the original episodes, but it didn’t add much. I can’t help but think this is designed to fill a hole in the studios park as there are yet more closures currently with both Art of Animation and Cars rally being behind hoardings.
The reintroduction of the Mickey and the Magician show into the Animagique theatre is a welcome addition (I still sing the original Animagique song every time I sit in there) and the performers in the cast this year are great. The best thing in the show for me was the CM playing the Genie- his accent in the French spoken portions of his dialogue are reason to see the show in itself. Think 12-year old French lesson, reading from “Tricolore” about train trips to La Rochelle. The way he says “specialité” made us chuckle for hours. He can sing and dance brilliantly, but a native French speaker he is not.
We were pleased to see the mini Food and wine festival area is still in place in the Place de Remy, and the smalls enjoyed fresh Nutella crêpes again. Amusingly, as I was waiting for the aforementioned crêpes to be made, the lovely Lady in the queue behind me was delivered a glass of champagne by an equally lovely chap- (I would assume he was her husband, but perhaps he wasn’t….!?) so that meant I also needed to purchase some bubbles. At €10 a glass, it was not cheap, but when in France…
We also discovered an area in the Disneyland Park that I perhaps have missed before that I can recommend in the sunny weather. At the top of Main Street on the right near Plaza Gardens, Victoria’s restaurant has an outdoor patio area- we sat here with a beer, glass of wine and ice cream in the late afternoon sun whilst waiting for the parade to start- I have found a new happy place! By all means use it, but leave a table for me!
We ate at Cafe Mickey- always previously avoided. So honestly, the food was slightly above average. Not great. But, the character interaction was outstanding. Mickey noticed I was wearing a 90th anniversary too and pointed it out- so we congratulated him on his celebration. Cue Mickey miming himself with a walking stick, a Zimmer frame and finally a wheelchair. It was hysterical. He was on dazzling form as we discussed with him Donald’s inferiority complex and how he still has some great dance moves. Tigger was happy to bounce with the smalls and this meant that for the first time ever, my smallest small was happy to hug Tigger in over 10 meetings. Bravo CMs at Cafe Mickey. They totally made up for the overpriced and frankly mediocre meal.
We finished our trip on Friday with an evening at Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. It’s the first time in about 10 years we have been, and it didn’t disappoint. The food was good (especially the corn bread) and the entertainment was great. Lots of noise, fun and audience participation. We all had a great time and I won’t leave it another 10 years before I go back again.
I think the overwhelming thing we took away from our trip last week is that the more you give to the experience, the more you get out of it. Interaction is better when it’s a two-way thing, so we had fun with the pirate show, trying to get the parade performers to dance and react (great fun and very successful), we didn’t hold back at Buffalo Bills and we engaged with the characters in Cafe Mickey. It meant something different happened- our interactions and experiences were unique to us, and we will remember them for that reason.
If you are passive with the CMs, only pose for a photo, never make a fool of yourself, you may not be having your best experience.
Put in some effort, and the result will be truly magical.
Claire's Disney Life 