Bob Sehlinger's Blog, page 1149
January 16, 2015
Relocating to Florida: Part Two – New Surroundings, Schools and The Disney Distance
Welcome to Part Two of my relocation series! If you missed the beginning of this series where I interview fellow TouringPlans bloggers, Julia Mascardo and Natalie Reinert about weather and finances, read Part One to hear more about relocating to Florida.
Today, we’re going to discuss housing and living within close proximity to Walt Disney World. Let’s begin!
Housing
Buying property is some serious business, so take your time finding your own fairytale castle. First, decide what type of home you want. Do you fancy a condo? Apartment? House?
Also, decide what to do with your old home. Will you wait until your house sells before moving, or will you keep both your old house and new Florida property? Finding a new home is a big deal, so do your research and enjoy the exciting experience!
Julia: If you’re only staying a few months out of the year, it is probably better to just rent a vacation home so you’re not paying condo fees year-round. The other really good option is to buy a vacation home and rent it out for the months you aren’t living there. (That’s if you can afford to own two houses, that is!)
One funny thing is that when you say you’re moving to Florida, everyone says that they will come down and visit – but in reality, people don’t come down here as often as you’d think. I guess people just feel weird about mooching a place to stay when they are on vacation and you have to work. 
Below are three popular websites to help you with your home search. We’ve even used these when finding a home here in Minnesota. Just be sure to do a walk through. As we’ve learned, pictures can sometimes be deceiving!
Finding the Right Community
Consider spending some extended time in Florida before making any decisions about relocating. It’s one thing to visit twice a year and quite another to reside full time. On vacation, you’re isolated from the day to day traffic, homelessness, crime, temperament of the locals, etc. Spend some time in the areas you’re considering and get comfortable. Go to the grocery store, check out the parks, eat at a few restaurants.
If you know Florida residents in the community, talk with them about the area. If you don’t know anyone, scour the internet. City-data.com is a great resource to find information such as population demographics, crime statistics and even hospitals and colleges nearby.
Did you know anyone in the area already?
Natalie: I grew up here, so my family is nearby and I have quite a few friends and colleagues here.
Julia: We had some friends in the area, which is very helpful for getting settled. Because so many people are transplants, the area is very accepting for new people coming in.
For a more in-depth research opportunity, you can attend a police academy citizens course. This is an eight week experience where you can do drive alongs (including at night) with different officers and get the chance to really learn about the neighborhoods and community. It’s a lesser known option, but is a sure way to discover which areas are safe and which to avoid.
Julia: I’ve never heard of the citizen’s course, but it sounds like a neat program. Down here, it is pretty clear what’s a good neighborhood and what is an area to avoid just by driving through, but the quirky thing is that the good neighborhood and the bad neighborhood are usually only a few blocks from each other. Everything is really mixed here.
What did you look for when finding a school for your children?
Natalie: I would say parents have to do the same thing in central Florida that they have to do in NYC – research the schools and buy/rent into the very best school district that they can. For some people this will be Lake Mary, or Windermere, or Bay Hill. We are going with Celebration.
Julia: My husband and I have a daughter (age 4), and part of the reason we left the DC area for Florida is because the schools in our area up north were one degree away from horrendous. The schools in Florida are incredibly hit or miss, and we did a lot of research on sites like GreatSchools and SchoolDigger before we moved.
Overall, Seminole County has the best average of schools. While there are some better and worse, it is hard to find a bad school in Seminole County, although the area with the most buzz is Lake Mary.
Orange County is a huge place, so you’ve got exceptional schools and you’ve got miserable schools. Like Natalie said, what you’ll hear most often is people suggesting Winter Park, Dr. Phillips, and Windermere as the better areas and everything else going from okay to bad.
Moving on to Osceola County, it can vary wildly. Celebration isn’t as awesome as it once was, but it still is good. When you get out towards areas like Poinciana, some of the schools decline in quality. Out towards Clermont, Lake County schools aren’t bad. The only area where I would avoid like the plague is Polk County. I have never heard anyone say anything positive about the schools down there, and their test scores show a certain….lack of quality.
There are a variety of magnet school programs in the counties, and private schools are available as well. One nice benefit down here that we found is that voluntary Pre-K is free. If it ends up that the public school in your area that offers Pre-K is full, you get a voucher to send your child to private school for that year. We had our daughter in private school up north, and it was a massive savings to move down here with that. So far, the quality of education has also been exceptional.
On the off chance that a brick-and-mortar school doesn’t work for our daughter as she gets older, Florida does a lot more with having good options for virtual education and online programs than is available up here at present.
Looking very long term, should our daughter decide to go to college, Florida has a greater number of really good in-state tuition options than Maryland, just because of the size of the state. If college is not where she wants to go, there are many more good options for trade schools in a variety of disciplines. There’s also good options for continuing education options for my husband and I. (And not just at Disney Institute, although….)
Natalie: While the overall rating of Florida schools is terrible (we all know this) and while the curriculum of the Florida schools is not as fast-paced as some northeastern schools, there are still plenty of excellent schools where students excel. I went to school for much of my education in Brevard County (the county to the east of Orlando) and had good experiences. I was even able to do dual enrollment starting in my junior year of high school and left high school with a year’s worth of college credits. No complaints here. And yes, Florida does have an excellent state university system.
Julia: In the end, it all comes down to doing some research. Because schools are desirable, expect to pay a bit more for housing to get into a community with a better school system.
The Disney Distance
Is there a higher density of homes the closer you get to Walt Disney World?
Julia: Like almost everything in Florida, it is a big ol’ it depends. On the north side of property (Winter Garden/Horizon West and Windermere, and even up into Dr. Phillips), there are some apartments and condos, but it is largely single-family homes.
If you head west out of property, once you get beyond the tourist bubble (Taking 192 out past 27), there is a lot of empty space with a few pop-up housing communities until you get back to civilization in Clermont.
Going south, you’ll run into places like Reunion and other vacation home areas, and then places like Celebration and eventually Davenport, which are mostly single-family homes.
The only place where you’ll see a lot of high-density apartment living near Disney is in the 192 Kissimmee corridor, and a lot of that is mixed in with hotels and tourist services. Now if you actually want rural land, you will have to go at least 15 minutes from Disney for that.
If you’re moving to be closer to Disney, how close should you live?
Natalie: When I lived five minutes away from the parks, I went constantly, and we loved it. When I moved to a rural area so that I could have horses at home, we lived 35 minutes away, we never went, and we were sad. However, we could still see the fireworks from the roof of my barn, in Polk City.
If people want to visit the parks for an hour after work here, a couple hours on Saturday there, they should really consider living in the western reaches of Orlando, as Julia is doing. There are options at every price point, including tons of apartments in Lake Buena Vista.
Julia: If you’re moving here because you really want to be close to Disney, you’d probably want to find a place about 15 or 20 minutes from any edge of property. Some people may live 30 minutes away, and some will live an hour or two away. There’s no magic location for where Disney folks live, but it does seem to be that the closer you are, the more likely you’ll pop into the parks for a few minutes here or there in the evenings.
We live about five minutes from the back entrance to the Magic Kingdom. From this distance, we can both see and hear the fireworks at night (and if the weather is right, we can hear IllumiNations and any fireworks shows over at Hollywood Studios). I know that people in Celebration can often hear fireworks from the Studios.
Natalie: We are spending some time along the beach now, but we’re in the process of settling permanently in the Celebration area. Then we’ll go from weekly visits for much more frequent ones — a few hours at a park here, an evening at the Boardwalk there.
Moving
When you finally take the leap and buy a home, you’ll need to start making moving arrangements. Moving is physically demanding, so make sure you have plenty of help! You can request assistance from friends and family or hire a moving company. How far you’re traveling might determine your mode of transportation. Will you drive a moving truck or fly and have your belongings shipped? If you have a lot of things, it may take multiple trips back and forth to get everything. Hey, no one said relocating was a cake walk!
We’ve wrapped up Part Two. Do you have any tips to consider when buying property in Florida? Let me know in the comments, and stay tuned for Part Three where we’ll delve into the Florida difference and touring the parks as a local!
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Relocating to Florida: Part Two – New Surroundings, Schools and The Disney Distance is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.
January 15, 2015
Disney World Planning Challenges: First-Time Touring at Crowd Level 10
Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland – December 30, 2014, 11:09 AM (Photo by Sarah Graffam)
We finally took the plunge this year. After multiple trips to Walt Disney World in assorted months, my family decided to take a trip during the absolute busiest time at the World, between Christmas and the first few days of January. As first-time Christmas time visitors at Disney World, we had certain expectations about how it would be to tour with the masses of people visiting during the holidays. This article tells how these expectations matched up with reality as well as how well our planning and previous trips prepared us for the trip. But first, here is some background on how we got to the point of braving Christmas time crowds at Disney World.
The fantastic times our family has on our Disney World vacations plus our increasingly challenging schedules as the kids have gotten older have led us to progressively plan trips at more crowded times of the year. When the kids were young in the mid-to-late 2000s, we took a yearly trip with the below-average crowds of early May. By 2012, we were taking trips with the summer crowds in July and August. A couple of trips during the days just before Thanksgiving followed as well as trips in April during busy school vacation weeks. In May 2014, we experienced the crowds at Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ Star Wars Weekends.
TouringPlans Crowd Levels TouringPlans defines a “crowd” as the average posted wait time for the key attractions between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest level. The reasons TouringPlans selected this definition and more detailed information on our crowd levels can be found here.The Crowd Calendar on TouringPlans.com has been a major component in our day-to-day planning of each trip, allowing us to decide on which parks to visit on which days and to maximize our fun by minimizing our time in line. (See sidebar for a brief explanation of TouringPlans crowd levels and a link to more details.) In addition, for many of these trips, we were armed with knowledge from The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and the tools on TouringPlans.com, including the Crowd Calendar, touring plans specific to each park, dining and resort hotel information, and now a FastPass+ availability tool. Even so, each time we upped the crowd level ante, we wondered if we would have as good a time as on past trips. This was never more true than when planning our trip from December 27 to December 30, 2014. We thought we were prepared, but were we really? Could we have fun with the sustained level 10 crowds predicted for our entire trip?
Following is my family’s itinerary, the day-by-day crowd levels we faced, and observations on our expectations for our trip versus reality. In addition to its 1 to 10 crowd level scale, TouringPlans acknowledges that crowd levels can be perceived subjectively in terms of how crowded a park feels to people as they walk around, a factor also considered in my comments.
December 27
We landed on time at Orlando International Airport at 11:25 AM and picked up our rental car. We had wondered if traffic would be heavier than usual, but it was a breeze driving to check in at Disney’s Port Orleans – Riverside. We stuck with our general rule of thumb that we can check into our resort, drop our luggage in our room if it is ready, and be in a park by 3 hours after we land. True to form, using Disney’s bus transportation with an approximately 10-minute wait, we were inside the gates at Disney’s Hollywood Studios just before 2:30 PM.
TouringPlans had predicted a 10 out of 10 crowd level for Hollywood Studios that day. This is the one day during our trip when we lucked out in terms of crowd levels, with TouringPlans later posting the actual level as an 8. With our three FastPass+ reservations plus an advanced dining reservation at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, we felt we had a full experience at the park when we exited around 8:15 PM to beat the crowds leaving after the 8:00 PM Fantasmic performance.
Hollywood Studios’ Osborne Lights looks crowded but was manageable – December 27, 2014, 7:45 PM (Photo by Sarah Graffam)
The park did feel very crowded in specific spots, particularly on Sunset Boulevard and around the Streets of America when people were lining up for the next For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. In fact, the Frozen Sing-Along is the only attraction that posed any challenge for us. We attempted to see the 6:00 PM performance by lining up at 5:30 PM but decided to wait when we found the line extending well into the Streets of America. Instead, we walked right onto Muppet*Vision 3D and then later waited in line for about 15 minutes for the 7:05 PM performance of Sing-Along.
The surprise of the night was that after we saw Sing-Along, the crowd at the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights wasn’t all that bad. There were a lot of people, but we walked around enjoying the lights easily. I had feared it would be a shoulder-to-shoulder shuffle through the lights. Bonus: Just before 7:00 PM, we were able to obtain a fourth FastPass+ for The Great Movie Ride at 8:00 PM, but we decided to head back to the resort instead. After all, our next day would start with a 7:00 AM rope drop at Magic Kingdom.
December 28
Our second day found us taking advantage of the 7:00-8:00 AM Extra Magic Hours (EMHs) at Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom crowds were predicted to be 9 out of 10; the actual was 10 out of 10. I had expected there to be a lot more people arriving early like us but was pleasantly surprised to be the second group in line at the tap stiles when we arrived at approximately 6:30 AM. Rope drop really works! The rewards: Multiple line-free rides on Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin for my boys and husband and a leisurely stroll down an uncrowded Main Street, U.S.A. with coffee in hand for me.
Navigating Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland was a challenge – December 28, 2014, 12:45 PM (Photo by Sarah Graffam)
Although we have taken advantage of rope drop for years, the value of rope drop and EMHs was never more clear than on that day, with crowd levels warranting a solid 10. Space Mountain, which my family had walked onto at rope drop, had an average wait of 109 minutes for the day.
We also took advantage of the fact that there is a “second” rope drop on days with EMHs because Frontierland and Adventureland don’t open until the start of regular park hours. So after blasting through Tomorrowland, we joined the crowd waiting at the Liberty Square bridge to be one of the first on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Although it took a few minutes to actually get to the attraction queue because of the rope drop crowd, once we reached it we didn’t stop walking again until we were next to board the train. After 9:00 AM, the park started to feel busier, and it was time for us to take advantage of our three FastPass+ reservations.
We then followed our usual strategy of taking a mid-day break from the park. The value of this break (and our general feeling of crowd overload) was definitely magnified at a crowd level 10. We had expected that a planned break to tour the holiday decorations at some of the Magic Kingdom resorts would be enough of a rest, but instead we changed our plans and returned to Port Orleans for some much-needed down time at the pool and pool bar before returning to Magic Kingdom that night. We used a fourth FastPass obtained before our break, saw Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season, and experienced a few non-headliner attractions while much of the crowd exited the park.
December 29
Next, we headed to World Showcase at Epcot to take in some of the most lavish and abundant holiday decorations in all of Disney World as well as the Candlelight Processional. Crowds were predicted to be 10 out of 10 at Epcot that day, and the actual was 10 out of 10. After the hustle and bustle of Magic Kingdom the day before, we knew we would want a slower pace, and so we made FastPass+ reservations starting an hour after park opening and arrived inside of the window for the first one.
View from Epcot’s Land Pavilion toward Innoventions West – December 29, 2014, 11:16 AM (Photo by Sarah Graffam)
After making quick work of Future World using FastPass+ with enough extra time to spend 45 minutes experiencing Ellen’s Energy Adventure, we headed to World Showcase to see some of the holiday storytellers who take part in Epcot’s Holidays Around the World, take a break by enjoying a Candlelight Processional dining package for lunch at Restaurant Marrakesh, and see the 5:00 PM show of Candlelight Processional. By taking advantage of the dining package, we were able to get good seats for the Candlelight Processional 1/2 hour before the show. Again, we were easily able to see all the attractions on our touring plan, including a showing of the American Adventure and a performance of the Voices of Liberty Dickens Carolers.
Epcot is known for handling crowds well by virtue of its size and abundance of open spaces. Still, I had expected it to feel uncomfortably crowded at least some of the time at a level 10. Surprisingly, it did not.
December 30
On our last day, we had until about noon to be in a park before heading to the airport, and we decided to wrap up with Magic Kingdom. Crowds were predicted to be 10 out of 10 at Magic Kingdom that day, and the actual was 10 out of 10. To maximize our time, we decided to drive so that we could leave directly from the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). However, in our travels on Disney buses the previous days, we had seen some very big traffic backups due to the holiday season, particularly around Magic Kingdom. We knew the trick would be the same as usual … be early!
Gaston’s Tavern before the crowds hit Magic Kingdom – December 30, 2014, 7:16 AM (Photo by Sarah Graffam)
With a 6:15 AM departure from our resort for the park’s 7:00 AM opening for EMHs, we encountered no traffic and scored one of the front parking spots at the TTC. We walked to the monorail (no need to take a TTC tram!) and arrived in plenty of time to catch the Magic Kingdom Welcome Show.
Two times on Space Mountain, three times on Buzz, Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Jungle Cruise … all knocked out before our first FastPass+ for Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train at 9:05 AM.
Lessons Learned
Touring at a crowd level 10 was more manageable than I thought it would be. Mainly, it showed how well my family’s (and TouringPlans’) usual strategies can work under very crowded conditions: we plan before we go (including dining and FastPass+), arrive early to the parks, take a mid-day break, use a touring plan as a basis for our day, and know that we probably won’t be able to do everything.
But would I like to tour with high crowd levels all the time? Definitely not! The importance of our strategies was magnified so that we operated at an overall accelerated pace and did not have as much downtime as usual. There were moments when the crowds were unpleasant, particularly around Holiday Wishes, A Frozen Holiday Wish castle lighting ceremony, in Fantasyland when we were there during the late morning, and in Tomorrowland, which was extremely congested between Stitch’s Great Escape! and Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. The buses were almost always standing room only. And a 7:00 AM rope drop is so early! I much prefer one at 9:00 AM. Definitely on the next trip.
If you are planning a 2015 trip to Disney World and want an idea of the crowd level to expect, see Fred Hazelton’s excellent 2015 month-by-month summary.
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Disney World Planning Challenges: First-Time Touring at Crowd Level 10 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.
Daisy Lauren’s Best Week Ever: January 15, 2015
By Daisy Lauren
Hi, Everyone! Welcome to the Best Week Ever here at Walt Disney World. This week we’ll be visiting the Disney Marathon at Epcot, stopping by Disney’s Hollywood Studios to check on the hat, and finishing up
at Magic Kingdom. Ready for some fun? Let’s go!
So why would I include a photo of the Walt Disney World maingate entrance? You might recall that last week I recommended getting to the parks extra early this weekend because of the Disney Marathon. I’ve always enjoyed getting in extra early and getting ahead of the crowds during race weekends, but it had been years since I showed up at 11am. Well, showing up that late meant that traffic stopped right where I took this photo! I decided to tough it out this year so I could share what it looks like with you guys. Click to read more if you’d like to see why you should get there early!
Unless you’ve visited (and driven!) on a race weekend you might not understand why there is such a delay getting into the park. Well, traffic has to go down to just one lane to allow room for all the runners. I have so much respect for these folks, it was raining and cold but here they were at mile 22! While it did take me a whopping 40 minutes to inch my way to the Epcot main entrance, at least I was in a warm car.
Despite getting to the park at almost noon, the race was still in full swing. Cheering could be heard all over the park and runners had a clear path through roughly half the park. You might be at home wondering why on Earth someone would visit with all this commotion in the park. Well, at noon Test Track had a 20 minute wait! Soarin’ was a little longer at 45 minutes, but the line was still shorter than you’d expect. Everything else in the park was walk on! Marathon weekend is always the best for visiting Magic Kingdom and Epcot.
One thing to be aware of is that you will have to wait to cross the running path. They never let the lines get too long, though. It’s pretty easy to get around the park and absolutely worth the slight delay to take advantage of those short lines! Pictured below are about 100 people waiting at the crosswalk.
In addition to the short lines, check out the views in World Showcase! Even before 11am you sometimes can’t get such wide open views on a normal day. These are also great, wide open spots to watch the race and cheer for the runners. At this spot you’re on the last mile and runners are starting to have fun. I saw lots of people stopping for a beer to carry over the finish line. I even saw one guy with a beer in one hand and a margarita in the other! 
Speaking of margaritas, when is the last time you’ve seen no wait at all outside of La Cava del Tequila? This photo was taken at 12:30pm and this might be the only time I’ve been by that I haven’t seen a wait! This is a stark contrast to just a few weeks ago at Christmas when the lines for Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros stretched all the way out into the streets!
Now, I normally don’t feature photos of strangers because I think it’s just creepy. However, just this once I hope these two will forgive me. I couldn’t resist featuring Dreamfinder and Figment! I saw lots of great costumes but this was my favorite. Plus, major kudos to these two for keeping up their costumes even through the rain. If these two ever read this you were awesome sauce! Have you ever visited during the marathon? What did you think? Did you see any great costumes?
Next let’s hop over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios to check on the progress at Starbucks. It looks like it’s so close to opening. As you can see from the photo on the left, it looks like they’re ready to open up the gates. The photo on the right was taken through a tiny slit in the paper on the window. As you can see, there’s a lot setup in there. Remember, you can click on any image to see it larger.
And now for the real reason for our visit, the hat! While it has been further dismantled since my visit on Sunday, here is our last view of the hat intact. I was so excited when I heard the hat was going to be removed, but seeing it behind walls was bittersweet. It wasn’t until I saw it that I realized I never hated the hat, I just missed the Chinese Theater! Part of me wishes they could just relocate the hat somewhere else. What do you think? Am I alone?
The construction walls notably feature the Earful Tower and attraction posters of the few things left to do in the park. I thought the below photo was a good one to share for history. This is the last time these three icons will be seen in one photo. I’m very excited to see what the future will bring for the Studios and I’ll be sure to keep you updated at the hat comes down one piece at a time.
Back on the Streets of America things are much slower these days. It doesn’t look like they’ve started taking down the Osborne Lights just yet, but with them going dark it’s empty back here. Hopefully the changes coming will bring something more popular to the area. Rumors are flying that this was the last year for Osborne Lights at the Studios, but time will tell. Where do you think they should put the lights next year if this isn’t an option?
Below is the empty space that once housed Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post and Frozen Snowground. Was I the only one blindsided that it closed on January 4th? I didn’t realize that this was a temporary spot and it was always packed despite the crummy location. I’m very hopeful that this is a sign of construction coming to improve the park very soon!
On my way back to the front of the park I noticed a billboard for Inside Out. So far the limited previews haven’t sold me on seeing this one, but I’m sure I will when it comes out in June. Have you heard anything about this film? Are you excited about it? Maybe I’m just getting old! 
Back at the front of the park, the American Idol theater is now sitting vacant again. The large screen out front is just being used to list showtimes around the park. Does anyone else remember Superstar Television? I really wish they would bring back a modern version of this classic in this space.
So what do we do on a light news week? What else? Shopping! Heading into the studios I noticed a new 2015 Sorcerer Mickey. Below right are some really fun Muppets hats, they aren’t new but can be hard to find so I wanted to show them off. Everything pictured below retails for $24.95. Which is your favorite?
Below are tons are new Magicbands that are now available for sale. Ironically, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the best place to find all the new Magicband designs. The large emporium style store and the photography store both have all the latest and greatest. Maybe they just haven’t come out with the right character yet, but I have no interest in buying a Magicband. What do you guys think? Who is buying these?
These sweatshirts win the weirdest new item of the week. The fabric felt high end but what do you think of the design? They almost looked screen printed with photos of Mickey and Minnie plush. At $49.95 I expect these will be at the outlets soon. (As I’m sure Derek will report, all the Christmas clothing that was in the parks a few weeks ago is already at the outlets!)
Of course, the next big holiday is Valentine’s Day. So far the only merchandise I’ve found are the items you see below. Minnie and Mickey are each $16.95 and Duffy is $20.00. While the Mickey and Minnie look recycled from previous years, I don’t remember the Duffy. All of the sudden they seem to be releasing a Duffy with every holiday. Did he get popular while I wasn’t looking?
Now let’s hop over to the Magic Kingdom where half of Uptown Jewelers is hiding behind a wall. This is one of my favorite shops and I almost never visit the park without stopping by. While I don’t like circulating rumors, I’ve heard from more than one person that this will be a retail Pandora store. I’m a big fan of the brand so I’m hopeful this is what’s moving into the space. Fingers crossed and I’ll report back when it opens.
Also in this space are gobs of Haunted Mansion Dooney & Bourke purses. It seems that Disney has finally kept up with the demand of these bags. Or maybe they’ve finally priced them so high that they aren’t flying off the shelves? In any case, if you were hoping to get one of these on your next trip they are still here.
Over at Memento Mori (the new gift shop by the Haunted Mansion) this new figurine is available and retailing for $95. I can’t be trusted with breakable things or I might be tempted by this, especially since it lends itself to being the first in a set. I would think they’d release figurines of the other three stretching posters. Memento Mori is still a gorgeous gift shop and much easier to get into these days. I haven’t seen a wait to enter since Christmas.
I wanted to finish up this week with a little dark ride photography. I know I’ve included photos similar to the one below in the past, but I think I finally got this one right. This Ariel in particular tends to have crazy eyes! After multiple attempts I think I might have caught her only good angle. Does anyone have requests? I tend to hop on my favorite rides over and over but I’m always happy to take requests of anything you guys would like to see. Are you homesick for your favorite ride? Let me help!
Lastly, we haven’t visited it’s a small world in a while so I thought I’d share a few photos from our ride on Friday night. We had a boat almost entirely to ourselves so I didn’t have to worry about my shutter snap bothering people. I know it isn’t the “latest news”, but who can resist smiling when you look at these?
That’s everything for this week. Now let’s see what you can expect if you’re visiting next week.
Crowd Calendar: Crowds will be pretty tame this week but expect a little jump for Martin Luther King Junior Day and the weekend prior.
Weather: Highs in the low 70s and lows in the 50s? It’s another week in paradise!
Remember: Have you made your dining reservations for July 3rd and 4th? Magic Kingdom will present their holiday fireworks on both nights so be sure to plan ahead. There’s still lots of availability if you’ll be in the area over those dates.
Here’s my top tip for this week: While I always share the weather, it’s worth noting that you just can’t trust the forecast here. Earlier this week we left for Universal dressed for the high to be 65 degrees with sunny skies, but by the time we got there (not even an hour later) the forecast had updated to a high of 57 degrees with rain! We weren’t prepared for the swing in weather so we had to skip our visit. Be sure you come prepared for anything this time of year!
Do you have any news I missed or any requests for coverage next week? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below, and thanks so much for reading! I’m wishing all of you the Best Week Ever, until next time!
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Daisy Lauren’s Best Week Ever: January 15, 2015 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.
January 14, 2015
New Details About Frozen Addition for Epcot’s Norway Pavilion
©Disney
Good news, Frozen fans! Reports say that documents have been filed with the South Florida Water Management District and the Reedy Creek Improvement District that share some new details about what we can expect with the updated Norway Pavilion at Epcot.
The paperwork indicates that a brand new 13,000 square foot building will be added in what is currently a backstage area that is situated between the Mexico Pavilion and the Norway Pavilion. This new section will house the previously announced Frozen meet and greet, women’s restrooms, and more.
For a map overlay of how the project may fit in Epcot, check out Theme Park Insider.
Officially the work indicated will include:
A 13,000 building that will house a Disney guest attraction and a women’s restroom
A 2,000 sf modular type building to replace a similar building demolished for the project
Two small parking lots that have a total of 18 parking spaces
relocation of piping and mechanical equipment associated with a beverage dispensing kiosk
Modification and addition of sidewalks and planters
New underground utilities
Modification of the existing restroom in the Norway attraction building
While the full details of the what is in store for the entire area have yet to be announced, Disney has said that the Frozen attraction, which is being built in the former location of Maelstrom, is slated to take guests to Arendelle, where they will be included in their favorite scenes from the movie.
Disney announced in September that the new Frozen attraction and meet and greet would debut sometime in 2016. We’ll keep you updated as more information is released about these new updates to the park.
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The Walt Disney World Road Trip: Tips, Tricks and What Not to Do
Recently, my family decided to make a last minute trip to Disney World the week of New Year’s. Before everyone faints at the heresy of going during the busiest week of the year, my brother’s school was playing in a bowl game in Tampa, so my family decided to kill two birds with one stone. Quickly putting aside the loud warnings in the back of my head about the massive crowds, I couldn’t turn down a pseudo surprise Disney trip. The resort reservation was all set (we would be staying at a Finding Nemo Suite in Disney’s Art of Animation Resort), and I already had my annual pass, but the flight fares were absolutely insane from Baltimore, which is the closest airport to me. Being a more intelligent person than I, my girlfriend suggested a simple alternative. Why don’t we just drive down? So we did. I hope everyone who is considering the possibility of driving instead of flying finds this useful.
Our faithful travel companion.
Before getting on the road, make sure to fill up your car, get snacks and do all those obvious road trip things. Then grab something Disney and display it prominently on your dashboard as a constant reminder of why you’re driving. Trust me. It helps after you’ve been driving for six hours then realize you’re not even half way there yet. Also, music is important for any road trip but this is a Disney road trip so of course that should be Disney too. You could do songs from your favorite Disney movies but my girlfriend loves watching Stacey, so we listened to three different Stacey videos for hours on end. Her endless enthusiasm helps driving motivation exponentially. Alternatively, I suggest a loop of park music like Main Street or Future World in Epcot.
As for tips for the actual drive, it definitely helps to have multiple drivers. As exciting as Disney World is, driving along the same highway for what seems like forever is draining. Switching to the passenger seat and catching a quick nap has amazing rejuvenating effects. Also, this next part is absolutely critical if you are going to be driving through North Carolina and South Carolina on Interstate 95: do not stop at South of the Border. I repeat. DO. NOT. STOP. AT. SOUTH. OF. THE. BORDER. Pedro is like a Siren of Greek Mythology except what awaits you is an awful tourist trap. Moving on…
With our resort reservation beginning on Tuesday night, we left early Monday morning for our thirteen hour drive. We figured that we could do the bulk of the driving on Monday, stay somewhere along the way, then do the rest Tuesday morning before checking in and starting our trip properly at one of the parks. I figured we would stop somewhere in Georgia at a Holiday Inn Express or something like that. The Problem was that the anticipation got to us. It was late, but we just kept going. Seeing that first Disney World billboard ignited a fire in us that told us to keep driving. The further we got, the less we’d have to drive the next day was our thinking. Normally, I’d say this is a good idea, but not during New Year’s week. Remember how I said it was the busiest week of the year? That goes for the greater Orlando area, as well. It was 2 am, and we got to Orlando before deciding to find a hotel. The problem was that most places were sold out. It wasn’t until after checking eight hotels that one finally had an opening. I distinctly remember the hotel employee’s face of pity after taking one look at me and seeing how haggard I appeared. I know this is a minor point to harp on, but trust me. The last thing you want to do after driving twelve hours is get turned down by a hotel because it’s filled up. Consider making prior reservations if necessary.
We made it!
After a much needed night of rest, we made our way from Orlando to Disney World, which brings me to my last and most important tip for road tripping to Disney. Take a photo of the Walt Disney World gate as you pass under it. Trust me. It’s like crossing the finish line at a marathon. I think. I’ve never run a marathon. Happy driving!
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Observations From Downtown Disney for January 14, 2015 (Exposition Park, Something Silver, Merchandise, and More)
By Derek Burgan
Who is ready for a photo report from Downtown Disney? Today we are going to look at all the recent changes in the area, including the opening of the West Side parking garage and Exposition Park (formerly known as Food Truck Park,) as well as heading into some of our favorite stores and restaurants, including Cookes of Dublin, Raglan Road, World of Disney, Art of Disney, D-Street, Once Upon A Toy, Disney’s Days of Christmas, and much more.
Dalkey Duo at Raglan Road. More on this later in the article. (photo by Brandon Glover)
The long needed parking garage is finally open. Although not 100% completed, it is huge help to the overall parking experience. Be warned that coming during busier times can still be a hassle, as once the garage opened Downtown Disney shut down other lots in preparation of the second garage being built by the Marketplace. If coming to the AMC movie theaters I would advise giving yourself at least an hour to arrive, just in case. Guests can also still park in the regular lots next to Cirque du Soleil.
One of the things the new parking garage has is a light system which will tell guests if there are open spots available. There are lights above which will be red when there is no availability and green when a spot is open. Apparently these were all turned off when I was there though, as I documented a vehicle leaving a spot and absolutely nothing changed with the light above the space. Seems like a neat idea though.
Exhibit A: Vehicle parked on far left.
Exhibit B: Vehicle pulling out of parking spot.
Exhibit C: Vehicle has completely left parking space.
Exhibit D: Parking space is empty. No change in light at any point.
Here is the view from the parking garage looking out to what will presumably be connecting the garage to a dedicated ramp coming off of I-4.
The inside levels have escalators, as well as stairwells located at either end.
One thing the pictures do not get across is how long the parking garage is. It stretches pretty much all the way from Planet Hollywood to DisneyQuest. There is an exit to enter Downtown Disney at each end. Right now guests are funneled through walkways on the ground, but eventually you will exit through themed areas, such as this one being built near Planet Hollywood.
This is that area from the ground level.
Here is the view of a similar themed exit on the other side, one which eventually have guests exiting in-between Splitsville and the AMC Theaters.
I took the exit to the West Side.
There are still some nice holiday decorations in the areas, including this one in front of Cirque.
These deer in front of DisneyQuest have lights on them, to stand out at night.
In front of Fit2Run there is a table outside with a artist offering hand painted Toms shoes. For those that do not know, the company Toms has a promise that for each item purchased, they will donate one to charity.
Fit2Run.
Hand painted Toms shoes. This Tree of Life-inspired pair made me think of the guys at Radio Harambe.
Time to continue our spotlight on Downtown Disney stores. We have been going store by store through the West Side, and today we will look at Something Silver, which is located directly across from Bongo’s Cuban Cafe. I have been to Downtown Disney approximately 3,000 times and have never stepped into this store.
Something Silver on DTD’s West Side.
Something Silver, with Bongo’s Cuban Cafe to the left and Characters In Flight in the background.
As expected, Something Silver offers a wide variety of jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings.
Something Silver.
Something Silver.
Something Silver.
Something Silver.
I thought these recycled license plate cuffs were a neat idea.
Something Silver.
I was definitely surprised to see items related to Marvel, DC, and Transformers. I need to get a YouTube video of my girlfriend opening up a Something Silver box, only to reveal a Captain America shield necklace inside. Maybe I can start a new viral trend of disappointing women worldwide. Already have the catchy jingle, “It can only be Derek.”
Something Silver.
Something Silver.
I ended up buying one of of these “Loving Family” necklaces as a birthday present for a woman in my family who has one child. Something Silver does give a Disney Annual Passholder discount.
Something Silver.
I’m not exactly sure if they work, but I also bought one of these polishing cloths.
Something Silver.
A couple stores down from Something Silver is Candy Cauldron, who have added the popular Baymax into their rotation of gourmet apples. $9.99 each.
Across from Candy Cauldron is the new Exposition Park. Not sure why it’s called Exposition Park other than it’s going to take a lot of explaining on why it took so long to open. It is a nice area though. While I was there it had the Disney food trucks based on Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and “Magic Kingdoms around the world.” The Disney Hollywood Studios truck was parked next to World of Disney in the Marketplace.
We decided to check out the Fantasy Fare food truck, and you can read the full review by CLICKING HERE.
Here is a sample of the experience, the Sticky Chicken and Waffles, which are inspired by the waffle sandwiches offered at Sleepy Hollow in WDW’s very own Magic Kingdom. This was absolutely fantastic.
A quick stop in D-Street shows us some limited edition Vinylmation, including this $1,800 one from artist Casey Jones. Was considering buying it, but decided to save more money so I could rent one night at Poly bungalows.
Here’s a better Vinylmation value, a $1,000 one by the artist Shag.
At just $700 a pop, they are all but giving these Casey Jones Vinylmations away.
And for those of you looking for a true steal, here are the $500 Vinylmations by artist Thomas Scott.
I now understand I am in the wrong business and you will see the $100 Derek Burgan Vinylmations hitting the market soon. Check CraigsList and Tinder for updates, and trust me, these will be Vinylmations you want to SWIPE RIGHT on.
The walkway to Pleasure Island was open, as before guests were shuttled around the back of the area. To the right of this photo is a kiosk operated by a person taking reservations for Planet Hollywood. I asked him how long this walkway had been open. He said, “at least five months.” I’m pretty sure it has to be less than five weeks though.
Here is the bridge leading to Pleasure Island. The Planet Hollywood globe would be to your right at this point.
At the top of the hill there is a lot of concept art for what will be coming to the area.
The walkway down leads to Paradiso 37 on the left and Raglan Road on the right.
Now, before this walkway was open, guests were forced to bypass Paradiso 37, so that restaurant had a reservation cart on the walkway to remind people that they were there. That has been replaced by a Raglan Road kiosk, as guests are now guided to areas away from that venue.
Both Cookes of Dublin and Raglan Road are surrounded by construction walls, and you need to go out of your way to get to both. Here is the new temporary seating area outside of Cookes of Dublin.
Here’s a shot inside Cookes of Dublin in a pinch me, I’m dreaming moment. I have never seen it this empty
The outside bar area in between Cookes and Raglan was also empty.
I ordered a kid’s chicken tender platter, which comes with fries. Everything at Cookes of Dublin is made to order, so this took about 10 minutes to arrive. Tasted great. Chicken plate was $6.95, while water was $3.50.
Just a reminder, Cookes of Dublin is home to the Doh-Bar, which is a snickers bar deep fried in donut batter and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. This may be the absolute #1 reason to come to Downtown Disney on every family vacation.
Doh Bar at Cookes of Dublin.
Circling back to the area next to Paradiso 37, here is the current status of the dining venue that will be based off the concept of an airplane hanger. I believe the working name of the restaurant will be The Hanger. It seems much smaller than I originally thought it would be. And considering it will be smack dab in the middle of three other full service restaurants (Paradiso 37, Raglan Road, and The Boathouse,) maybe it will be more of an ultra themed grab-and-go type of dining option.
Next to The Hanger is this new open space, allowing guests to relax.
Here you can look out and see Saratoga Springs across the way.
This is the side view of The Hanger dining venue.
To the right of the little park is what will become The Boathouse. Very intrigued about this one, especially the amphibious cars that it promises will give a tour of Disney Springs while you wait for a table.
On the opposite side of The Boathouse is a new structure which will eventually house some Disney Springs shops.
Let’s work our way over to the Marketplace. At the back of World of Disney there are construction walls as the huge building will be expanding even more. Love the cute concept art on the walls.
This is EXACTLY how I feel about bike riding in Florida.
2015 Minnie Mouse plush. $24.95.
2015 Mickey, which combines Sorcerer’s Mickey with “hip” Mickey. $24.95.
2015 Duffy the Disney Bear.
This is the first time I have seen a Disney version of these “big eyed” plush. This style of doll is certainly popular with the kids in my family. Simba is $16.95. Imagine I’ll be seeing more of this style in the coming months. I like it.
Bride and Groom Mickey and Minnie come as a set. $27.95.
Valentine’s Day Mickey. $16.95.
Sorry Mick, Universal already stole my heart.
Tons of 2015 branded merchandise is now available, including this photo album featuring Mickey taking a selfie. If I ever see a item featuring Mickey Mouse holding a selfie stick I vow to stop covering Disney merchandise.
Here is a Minnie Mouse keychain which seems to fit the spirit of Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort more than anything.
These Star Wars mini-lightsabers are a neat idea. I could not get any of the pink or blue ones to work, and the green ones (Yoda) would only flash, never stay on a solid color.
Disney golf club covers. If I was playing against someone with one of these I would immediately raise the stakes an extra $10 a hole. They are $27.95 each.
I’m not sure if these Donald Duck hats have been around for a while, but they definitely remind me of Disney hats I grew up with. $21.95.
Also available, Pluto and Goofy. This is the hat that Genie was wearing at the end of Aladdin, right? Maybe they have been selling them the whole time and I’m just oblivious.
I still don’t understand this style of shirt. $21.95 each (most of the shirts to follow are also $21.95 as well)
Here is a shirt that looks like a smart phone filled with Disney apps.
Disney “app” shirt.
Which caused me to design my own t-shirt, giving my experience with the My Disney Experience app.
I enjoyed this Donald shirt.
And this Chip & Dale one.
Here are some #DisneySide shirts.
I like the 8Bit Mickey style of this youth shirt.
One of the exits of World of Disney has changed again. This was the area that used to be very elaborately themed to Pirates of the Caribbean. It was changed a few months ago to some generic gift boxes, and now it has been converted over to something equally as bland. Hopefully this is all temporary as they are working on expanding the overall store, otherwise I don’t get it at all.
Over at Once Upon A Toy, Tsum Tsums were in stock, which was the first time I had actually seen them available and not sold out.
Maybe Muppet fans should look away for a minute, as this area used to be dedicated to them but now is focusing on the Avengers. Where are the Muppets you ask?
You don’t want to know.
Over at Art of Disney there are some vintage attraction prints way up high. Jim Hill and Len Testa keep mentioning the Mickey Mouse Musical Revue on the Disney Dish podcast, but I have never seen the show. I can say that after hundreds of hours spent listening to Disney podcasts that I’m almost 100% positive this show took place in the venue that currently houses Mickey’s Philharmagic. If that is not true, I can officially say that I have wasted my life.
Here is an attraction poster for the Country Bears Jamboree.
Love this Up painting. $4,500 by artist Will Gay. Have to pass as I could almost get 3 Vinylmations at that price. I’m always thinking about VALUE.
Huge fan of this EPCOT charm bracelet, whose very packaging is a postcard you can then mail.
A trip over to Disney’s Days of Christmas store brought along an audible laugh from me. At the back of the store there used to be an entire area dedicated to Nightmare Before Christmas and the Haunted Mansion, but that area has been converted over to Anna & Elsa. Despite Frozen taking over a lot on WDW property, I was not expecting this one. All I could picture was someone who loved Nightmare Before Christmas, always had one shop they could go to, and opened the doors to find this.
Inside the main Days of Christmas store you will find some very interesting ornaments featuring characters that you don’t find in many other places, such as Pete’s Dragon.
Here are some of the 2015 Disney Christmas ornaments.
I’m a HUGE fan of this Cookies and Milk for Santa set. $24.95.
Across the way at Goofy’s Candy Co. we have the Baymax apples and this Monsters Inc cake pops. The cake pops are $4.19. This is a not a good deal for me as I would need at least 10 to feel like I’ve eaten a real snack.
Okay, let’s end our day going back to Raglan Road. This new uninviting area is now the only way to pass by one of our favorite venues at Downtown Disney.
The Patrick Kavanagh statue has been moved across the way and now faces the entrance to Raglan Road.
We stopped in for the famous Dalkey Duo (Dalkey-battered sausages served with Dalkey mustard.) You can’t beat the presentation. $12.00
Also got a pint of Kilkenny.
We’ll see you soon on our next trip to Downtown Disney/Disney Springs. Any requests? Please put them in the comments below. If you had fun, be sure to check out The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! articles, or, for your listening pleasure, check out the Pardon the Pixie Dust podcast. Your humble author can also be seen producing typos at an inhuman rate on Twitter: @derekburgan
If you enjoyed this walk around Downtown Disney, you may also enjoy:
Top Six Iconic Snacks of the Magic Kingdom
Six Reasons We’ll Never Forget 2014 (No Matter How Hard We Try)
Six Reasons To Go On a Disney Cruise
Six Ways To Get Your Disney Fix Outside of the Theme Parks
Special thanks to crack staff photographer Brandon Glover for his invaluable assistance with this article. Be sure to also check out Brandon on The Park Blogger podcast with co-hosts Aengus Mackenzie and Brian Carey.
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Observations From Downtown Disney for January 14, 2015 (Exposition Park, Something Silver, Merchandise, and More) is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.
How to Enjoy Universal Orlando’s Harry Potter Celebration 2015 without a Special Package)
By Dani
TouringPlans is happy to welcome Dani Dennison-Perez to the blog. Dani also writes for Orlando Informer and ThisFloridaLife.
A Celebration of Harry Potter 2015 is on the horizon. Potterheads, Muggles, and everyone else are anxiously awaiting its arrival much like young little witches and wizards waiting their turn to cross onto platform 9 ¾ for the Hogwarts Express on their first trip to Hogwarts. This event officially debuted last year and seems to be a new annual tradition (we hope). This year’s A Celebration of Harry Potter will take place January 30 – February 1, 2015.
Much in the same vein as Disney’s Star Wars Weekends, A Celebration of Harry Potter brings together celebrities from the movies, special shows and Q&A sessions, and exclusive exhibits. What’s more, it brings in a nice hefty revenue stream for Universal Orlando and Loews Hotels as vacation packages with special benefits are sold at a mind baffling rate. But what if you weren’t able to snatch up one of those enticing packages? You can still find ways to revel in the celebration.
Last year I decided not to purchase any of the packages and went about the whole thing very casually. No planning, no forethought, just showed up…. And I got nothing accomplished (though I still had fun). Here now are my tips, just keep in mind, this is based on my experience last year. Some things may be changing this year, but I am confident the same tips will apply.
Photo credit: Universal Orlando
Get there early
Last year I was fighting a cold and opted to sleep longer. Sure, I panicked a little when I saw photos on Twitter of the hundreds of people there bright and early and the long stand-by line that stretched well into Marvel Super Hero Island for the 10am session. My friends got to Universal Orlando about 45 minutes before opening on both days. They were able to experience the Harry Potter Expo, including being sorted by the Sorting Hat, in fact, they made it through all the experiences at the Expo once and had plenty of time to go back through a second time.
Photo courtesy of Universal Orlando
Without the extra perks that come with the pricey packages your best friend is time. But, getting to the parks early is only half the battle. You’ll need to get to any shows or Q&A Sessions at least an hour and a half to two hours ahead of time. Last year we headed over to the Toon Lagoon Theater to check on the wait for the 2:00 PM session. When we arrived to the theater it was 12:00 PM and there were already 100 or more people waiting…. two hours before show time. We could have elected to wait and secure a seat for the 2:00 PM show, but we didn’t. Returning an hour later we found that we were now out of the luck and the 2:00 PM show was already full; one hour before show time the theater was at capacity.
Choose only 1-2 experiences per day
The above example is just one reason I believe it is pretty much impossible to experience all of the Harry Potter Celebration festivities without purchasing a special package. It is about as impossible as trying to resist the tantalizing scent of the Amortentia potion (the most powerful love potion in the Wizarding World). So set a realistic expectation that you will only be able to get into 1-2 shows and decide ahead of time which ones that will be. Additionally, you will have to commit to getting to the show or session of your choice very far in advance, without any guarantee that you will indeed make it in before it reaches capacity.
While a complete detailed schedule has not been published, you can check out an overview of the event here. Take a look ahead of time and plan out which 1-2 experiences are on your must-do list. There are full descriptions of each offering here. With the hope of not sounding pessimistic, it will be next to impossible to get into more than 1-2 shows or sessions. Once you select your must-do activities visit the Universal Orlando section of TouringPlans to make sure you know all the ins and outs of both parks.
Make new friends
I know I am starting to sound like Professor Flitwick repeating “swish and flick” over and over again when I continually say you have to get to the shows and sessions well in advance, like an hour and a half to two hours ahead of time. It’s just the truth of the matter. This means you will be sitting in line for a good long time. But there are plenty of ways to pass the time. One of the many fun aspects of attending a fan celebration like Star Wars Weekends or A Celebration of Harry Potter is being among like-minded individuals. So when you’re stuck waiting in line, introduce yourself and make friends with a few fellow Potterheads. Not only will it pass the time, but you may learn some tips for enjoying the rest of the Celebration.
Photo courtesy of Universal Orlando
Dress the part
Another common practice during fan celebrations like this is to dress in costume. This is certainly true for Star Wars Weekends and became part of the fabric during last year’s Celebration. The good news is the world of Harry Potter doesn’t require costumes that are completely outlandish. So if you’re a little timid then a simple scarf, necktie, headband, or lanyard representing your Hogwarts House (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw) will do the trick.
Make time to people watch
Now of course with dressing up for the celebration comes checking out what other people are wearing. Celebrations like this just beg for some good old fashion people watching. Like a nerdy red carpet, the theme parks become a showcase of fun and creative costumes and clothing. Last year, we secured a spot just outside Hog’s Head pub and watched. It was simply delightful to watch the streets of Hogsmeade Village practically filled to the brim with guests in Hogwarts robes, scarves of their houses, handmade costumes, and other fanware.
Photo courtesy of Universal Orlando
Attend at least 2 days
The Harry Potter Celebration takes place over three days: January 30 to February 1, 2015. If you want to experience as much of the celebration as possible, especially without one of the special packages, you’re going to need to plan it out across multiple days.
I recommend going to one of the first sessions one morning and then heading to the Expo the second morning. Last year I thought maybe people would be clearing out towards the end of the day (which is typically the behavior at Unviersal Orlando) however I ended up waiting an hour just to get into the Expo only to be told they would not be allowing any more people in since it was an hour before closing time.
Be patient
Last year’s Harry Potter Celebration was a big hit, and that was without the fascinating Muggle London and Diagon Alley areas being open. It stands to reason that this year’s celebration will be bigger and busier. So as one final piece of advice be ready for crowds, take a deep breath, grab a Butterbeer (or maybe something a little stronger) and enjoy the excitement.
The boy wizard has cast quite the enchantment over Orlando visitors. It is exciting to see the return of A Celebration of Harry Potter. As busy as it will get, it really is magical spending the day in Orlando’s two most exciting theme parks with the air tingling with excitement and jubilation as Harry Potter fans fills the streets celebrating the epic story they love.
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How to Enjoy Universal Orlando’s Harry Potter Celebration 2015 without a Special Package) is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.
January 13, 2015
Adventures by Disney: Peru
By Erin Foster
Hola!
Traditional textile demonstration, weaving and dying.
I’m back from my 7th Adventures by Disney (AbD) vacation, a family trip to Peru over Christmas. As with all our AbD trips, we had a blast. Here are some tips and things to consider if you’re considering taking this particular trip.
What was the itinerary like?
Like all Adventures by Disney trips, this one had a mix of physical activity, cultural events, animal interaction, culinary experiences, shopping, and relaxation.
Some of the highlights were a visit to a llama and alpaca farm, a trip to some “salt pans” where they harvest salt, a lesson on how to make the perfect Pisco Sour, a traditional weaving demonstration, white water rafting, and lots and lots of hiking. The hiking venues included the ancient steps at Ollantaytambo, the ruins at Moray, the stones of Sacsayhuaman. And of course we spent the better part of day hiking at Machu Picchu.
Feeding alfalfa to an alpaca.
The trip sounds pretty active. Was that an issue for anyone?
All the AbD trips are action-packed, but I did feel that this one was more physically strenuous than most. During the trips I’ve been on in Europe, there was plenty of walking, but generally on flat surfaces. The walking/hiking on this trip was primarily on uneven stone surfaces, up steep inclines, and at high altitude. There were also a few times where we had somewhat strenuous activities both in the morning and afternoon. For example, on day three of the trip, we spent the morning rafting (on what turned out to be class four rapids) and then in the afternoon we hiked at Ollantaytambo. We slept well that night.
There was a senior citizen couple on the trip, there with other family members. While not prohibited from any of the activities, they did choose to sit out a few of the planned events and to modify a few others. For example, at Machu Picchu they chose to only to hike to one of the lower viewing areas during the free time hour, which other guests chose longer and steep paths for different vantage points.
Private bungalows at Sol & Luna.
The youngest guests on the trip were two five-year-olds from different families. They didn’t seem to have any problem with the activity level – it was mostly the grown-ups (like me) who were huffing and puffing during various climbs.
How were the hotels?
I’m always impressed with the hotels AbD choses.
Four nights of this trip were spent at the Sol & Luna resort in Urubamba in the Sacred Valley. This resort is a collection of private bungalows nestled in a lushly landscaped pocket at the base of the mountains. Families with small children were placed in one bunglow. Families with teens were given two bungalows. My husband and I shared our own cabin and our older teen daughters were about 20 feet away in their own building. We all enjoyed this bit of private luxury.
At one of our many gorgeous buffet meals.
Sol & Luna had no televisions in the rooms and somewhat limited WiFi. While these might seem to be negatives, they actually ended up to be great positives, forcing the teens in the group to unplug a bit and find more old fashioned ways to entertain themselves. Card games were the order of the day!
Two nights of the trip were spent at the Liberator Palacio del Inka Hotel, a five-star resort in the heart of Cusco. The Palacio del Inka had all the amenities you would expect from a luxury resort, including many international TV stations, stunning decor, and a very attentive staff. Pro tip: this hotel is part of the Starwood family of hotels. If you’re a member of any Starwood affinity programs, you may be entitled to perks here on top of your AbD program. For example, my family’s Starwood American Express card allowed us free WiFi which was otherwise available for a fee.
The first and last nights of the trip were spent at the Casa Andina Lima – Miraflores. The Casa Andina was in a terrific location and was a perfectly serviceable place to stay, but it had neither the charm of Sol & Luna nor the luxury of Palacio del Inka.
Minor traffic jam on the way to Moray.
Any issues with the food?
Not for me. I felt like the food on this trip was generally more healthful than on some of the other AbD trips I’ve experienced. For example, my Germany trip was all about the breaded pork and spaetzle. In Peru we were served a wide variety of fresh fish, fruits, and veggies, as well as grains such as quinoa and wheat berries. Most meals were served buffet-style and in some cases dishes could be modified for tender palates. Chicken fingers and plain pasta were available at many of the venues for fussy kids (or adults). Some of the MANY types of Peruvian potatoes were served at nearly every meal, the variations were far more complex and wide ranging that you’ll find in nearly any US market.
I tasted two completely new foods during the trip. The first was alpaca, which appeared on many of the menus in stews, grilled, or as carpaccio. To me, the taste was virtually indistinguishable from beef, not at all gamey like some venison or elk is. My second new food was guinea pig, which we learned is a common treat in Peru. This did not particularly appeal to my tastebuds, and the fact that I tried it at all horrified my 15-year-old daughter, but I’m glad I gave it a shot.
Ancient terraced farming site at Moray.
What about beverages?
Bottled water was included and readily supplied. A few guests on the trip did have brief bouts of “Pizzaro’s Revenge,” perhaps from using non-bottled water for tooth brushing, or perhaps from general travel upheaval. As with any vacation, it makes sense to pack a few doses of Immodium, just in case.
Coke, Coke Zero, and Orange Fanta were served or available for purchase everywhere. There was no Diet Coke and no Pepsi products anywhere. The soft drink Inca Cola was ubiquitous, even more prevalent than Coca Cola. If you want to try this bubble gum sweet libation, head over to the Cool Spot next time you’re at Epcot. Inca Cola is one of the samples available from the free dispensers. We were also offered Chicha Morada, a drink made from purple corn and spices, at several meals. One of the teens on the trip said that it reminded her of drinking a candle, to which I’ll add, “but in a good way.”
The most common adult beverage we encountered was the Pisco Sour, a cocktail made from Pisco (a grape based brandy), lime juice, simple syrup, egg whites, and a dash of bitters. To me, the taste was quite close to a margarita, and also quite yummy. We were also offered Peruvian and Argentinian wines and beers at several locations.
Learning about salt harvesting at the Salt Pans of Maras.
Were there any language issues?
Not really. Both of our AbD guides spoke fluent Spanish, the local tongue. Many of the staff at the hotels and the larger site visits (like Machu Picchu) spoke English. Also, several of the guests on the trip, including one of my teen daughters, had at least a moderate proficiency with Spanish. Given all that, it was quite easy to get by. This is not the case with all AbD trips. During my trips in Germany and China, we were fine when we were with our guides, but had much less confidence with the language when we were on our own.
How did you get along with other the families on the trip?
Great. In addition to my three teen girls, there were six other teens on the trip, which meant that they had lots of companionship. They’re all Facebook and Instagram buddies now and the adults have shared emails and swapped trip photos.
I’ve said it before, the group travel concept was my biggest fear prior to my first AbD trip, and now I consider it to be one of the greatest benefits, and I say this as a pretty hard-core introvert. We’ve met some terrific people and have stayed in touch with many over the years.
Meeting some of the painters at the studio of ceramics artist Pablo Seminario.
I will say that it took perhaps a day longer for this group to bond than it did on some of my other trips. Some idiosyncrasies of this particular itinerary meant that we didn’t have the official welcome and getting-to-know-you meal until about 36 hours into the trip – later than most. But once we got fully acquainted, it all clicked. Bear this in mind if you’re new to AbD and this is your first Adventure.
Were you impacted by jet lag?
Not at all. The entire trip took place in the same time zone as my home in New York. The no time-zone change was actually one of key reasons why we chose this trip.
During summer 2013, we went on the AbD trip to China, which is a 12 hour time difference from home. It took me nearly two full weeks to get back to something approximating a normal sleep schedule after that Adventure. This was not a huge problem, because the kids had time over the summer to recover before having to be a regular school schedule. With a trip over the much shorter December break, they wouldn’t have the luxury of a long recovery time. Keeping to our regular hours made the trip less physically taxing in some respects.
Rafting on the Urubamba River.
Were you impacted by the altitude?
Yes, several of the guests on the trip did experience moderate altitude issues, particularly during the two days near the end in Cusco, which is at about 11.200 feet. If you’re planning to go on this trip, you may want to speak to your physician about getting a prescription medication which helps with altitude issues. The activity schedule is Cusco is fairly light, which is helpful, but even so several of the guests on the trip, including two of my daughters, needed to have a bit of oxygen supplementation.
Much like a hotel in rainy London would keep a supply of umbrellas behind the desk for guest use, we learned that most of the hotels at the higher elevations in Peru keep oxygen tanks behind their desks to assist guests with their unique environment. It became a somewhat regular to site to cross the ornate formal lobby of the Palacio del Inka and see tourists resting with oxygen masks on.
Machu Picchu – the highlight of the trip.
There seemed to be no particular pattern of who adjusted to the altitude more quickly, some of those affected were healthy, athletic teens. Again, speak with your own medical professionals at home about their recommendations for preparation for high altitude travel.
How were the medical issues handled?
On the ground, both the AbD guides and the hotel staff took the altitude issues seriously. They were quick to administer oxygen to those who needed it. Everyone who took oxygen and rested did recover their strength within a few hours, but they were monitored in case more drastic intervention became necessary.
In a completely unrelated incident, one of the dads on the trip cut his foot quite badly when disembarking a train. The guides had basic first aid supplies immediately ready: antiseptic, bandages, over-the-counter pain reliever, etc. When it was determined that a greater level of care was needed (stitches), the guides took him to a clinic immediately adjacent to one of our next tour spots. At the clinic, he received the same level of care he would in the US including antiseptic, antibiotics, stitches, and pain relief, all for the price of 30 Peruvian soles – about $10. He missed just one event, got terrific care, and paid a tiny fraction of what he might have had he been injured in the US. You never want to need medical attention on vacation, but overall the outcome was as positive as possible.
Christmas Eve market in Cusco.
What were the prices like?
There’s always a chance that exchange rates could change and that you might experience something different, but we found the prices in Peru to be very reasonable, with none of the “sticker shock” that I have sometimes had in Europe. In most shops, a standard 12oz bottle of Coke was the equivalent of about $1-2. Churros were available from stands on the street for about $.50. My husband purchased a beautiful alpaca sweater at the alpaca farm for about $125, less than what he felt he would pay in a US department store. Some of the smaller stalls and markets were open to bargaining, while brick and mortar shops generally had fixed prices.
What was it like being on an Adventures by Disney trip for Christmas?
My family’s holiday travel tradition – silly PJs in a central spot. Here we’re in the lobby of the hotel Palacio del Inka.
Not like home, but not bad. We had traveled before during the holidays, so my kids were used to encountering the unfamiliar during Christmas. They enjoyed learning about the traditions of another culture, seemed grateful for the bits of our tradition I brought from home, and appreciated the holiday touches arranged by the AbD guides.
In the “learning about new traditions” column, we experienced the pop-up Christmas Eve market next to the Cathedral in Cusco. This mass of humanity included hundreds of stalls selling everything from alpaca scarves to Roman candle fireworks, mid-street building of model mangers, beggars in Native garb asking tourists to pose for photos of them with baby llamas, cotton candy vendors, and a couple of costumed Santas. During Christmas morning, we watched several small parades of carolers pass by our hotel window. Although we are not Catholic, we almost went to midnight mass at the Cathedral, but ended up deciding to stay in and rest after feeling some of the effects of the altitude.
As for “traditions from home,” my girls decorated tiny wooden trees I brought from home. These folded and only took up luggage space equivalent to a hardcover novel. We read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” together on Christmas Eve. And we happily wore our brand new holiday PJs into the hotel courtyard for a photo, which made the staff giggle, but added to our collection of goofy Christmas morning PJ snapshots.
Small Christmas morning street parade in Cusco.
The AbD guides planned a somewhat light itinerary for Christmas Day, with only one main daytime excursion. We were allowed to sleep in, which was one of the best presents my teens could have gotten. In the afternoon, the entire group participated in a “white llama” (aka white elephant) gift exchange. The previous day they had given each guest a 10 sol note (about $3.00) and an hour purchase a gift to be shared in a sort of grab bag exchange and trade game. This ended up being a real hoot with a set of finger puppets and a mask being among the more coveted items. The menu for Christmas dinner had nods to both American and Peruvian cuisine with options including turkey with stuffing or alpaca carpaccio. Dessert was individual Buche de Noel.
I’ve heard that some other holiday AbD trips and guides practice variations on this theme, or they may have entirely different methods of celebrating. Overall, I was very pleased with the way our holiday unfolded.
Would you consider and AbD holiday trip? Where does Peru fall on your list of possible destinations? What questions do you have? Let us know in the comments below.
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Adventures by Disney: Peru is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.
Universal Orlando Crowd Calendar Report – January 4 to 10, 2015
Universal Orlando crowd levels continue to come in lower than in years past. We saw average wait times 5 to 10 minutes lower than the same period last year. Christmas crowds left the resort more abruptly than usual, with crowds reaching offseason levels by Monday, January 5.
Let’s look at how the crowd levels stacked up each day last week on the TouringPlans.com Universal Orlando Crowd Calendar Report:
Universal Orlando Resort Crowd Levels – Daily Breakdown
(Click to view overall details for this day)
WHAT WE
THOUGHT
WHAT WE
SAW
ANALYSIS
Universal Studios
8
7
Our estimates did very well on Sunday. Average wait times came in within a few minutes of what we predicted at most attractions, including the 83 minutes at Despicable Me where we predicted 84.
Islands of Adventure
7
7
(Click to view overall details for this day)
WHAT WE
THOUGHT
WHAT WE
SAW
ANALYSIS
Universal Studios
9
6
Monday’s crowds did not hit the levels we predicted at either park. We saw average waits like 14 minutes at E.T. Adventure (predicted 23) and 22 at Simpsons Ride (predicted 24).
Islands of Adventure
7
5
(Click to view overall details for this day)
WHAT WE
THOUGHT
WHAT WE
SAW
ANALYSIS
Universal Studios
8
6
Our prediction for Islands of Adventure did much better on Tuesday but at Universal Studios it was still a little high.
Islands of Adventure
5
5
(Click to view overall details for this day)
WHAT WE
THOUGHT
WHAT WE
SAW
ANALYSIS
Universal Studios
6
6
Our predictions recovered nicely on Wednesday matching the observed levels at both parks and resort-wide.
Islands of Adventure
4
4
(Click to view overall details for this day)
WHAT WE
THOUGHT
WHAT WE
SAW
ANALYSIS
Universal Studios
6
6
Thursday saw a slight dip at Islands of Adventure but for the most part, attraction wait times were within a few minutes of what we predicted.
Islands of Adventure
4
3
(Click to view overall details for this day)
WHAT WE
THOUGHT
WHAT WE
SAW
ANALYSIS
Universal Studios
6
5
Friday’s crowd levels were the lowest of the week, partially due to the cold weather passing through Central Florida. We saw some single digit average waits at rides like Shrek 4-D and Twirl ‘n’ Hurl
Islands of Adventure
5
3
(Click to view overall details for this day)
WHAT WE
THOUGHT
WHAT WE
SAW
ANALYSIS
Universal Studios
4
5
Saturday fittingly capped off a week of average wait times with level ‘5’s at both parks. For the first time all week, both our predictions were lower than what we observed.
Islands of Adventure
3
5
What to Expect This Week
January 11 to 17, 2015
How Crowded is Universal Orlando?
Mid-January is a slow time of the year for most Central Florida attractions and Universal is no exception. If prepared for the cooler weather, guests can enjoy some of the shortest lines of the year.
To see Universal Orlando Resort Crowd predictions for the days of your vacation, check the Crowd Calendar.
To get details about our predictions of future crowds or details about crowds in the past check out the Crowd Calendar and select “Jump to Date” on the left margin.
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Universal Orlando Crowd Calendar Report – January 4 to 10, 2015 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.
Disneyland Resort Crowd Calendar Report – January 4 to 10, 2015
Our wait times models seemed to predict that Christmas crowds would fade by Tuesday but it appears that may have been a day too soon. We saw crowd levels stay in the upper levels of our scale until Wednesday, January 7.
Let’s look at how the crowd levels stacked up each day last week on the TouringPlans.com Disneyland Resort Crowd Calendar Report:
Disneyland Resort Crowd Levels – Daily Breakdown
(Click to view overall details for this day)
WHAT WE
THOUGHT
WHAT WE
SAW
ANALYSIS
Disneyland Park
8
8
Both parks stayed relatively busy through the beginning of last week including wait times like 52 minutes at Space Mountain and 51 at Toy Story Midway Mania on Sunday.
Disney California Adventure
8
7
(Click to view overall details for this day)
WHAT WE
THOUGHT
WHAT WE
SAW
ANALYSIS
Disneyland Park
8
8
Crowd level ‘8’s at both parks as predicted on Monday. No real surprises at either park.
Disney California Adventure
8
8
(Click to view overall details for this day)
WHAT WE
THOUGHT
WHAT WE
SAW
ANALYSIS
Disneyland Park
6
8
Tuesday brought the closure of Soarin’ Over California as Condor Flats prepares for its transformation into Grizzly Peak Airfield. Wait times were likely higher as a result of the closure.
Disney California Adventure
6
7
(Click to view overall details for this day)
WHAT WE
THOUGHT
WHAT WE
SAW
ANALYSIS
Disneyland Park
5
5
Disney California Adventure saw another slight bump in wait times on Wednesday, including averages like 20 minutes at Mike & Sully to the Rescue! (predicted 9).
Disney California Adventure
5
7
(Click to view overall details for this day)
WHAT WE
THOUGHT
WHAT WE
SAW
ANALYSIS
Disneyland Park
4
6
Thursday’s wait times were representative of the typical post New Years lull – not insignificant but not super high like the week before.
Disney California Adventure
5
5
(Click to view overall details for this day)
WHAT WE
THOUGHT
WHAT WE
SAW
ANALYSIS
Disneyland Park
5
5
Friday’s wait times were in line with predictions. We saw an average wait of 17 minutes at Astro Orbitor (predicted 15), 24 at Dumbo (24), and 34 at Peter Pan’s Flight (predicted 35).
Disney California Adventure
5
6
(Click to view overall details for this day)
WHAT WE
THOUGHT
WHAT WE
SAW
ANALYSIS
Disneyland Park
5
7
Saturday’s wait times were higher than expected at both parks. We saw averages like 36 minutes at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (predicted 16) and 59 minutes at Tower of Terror (predicted 23).
Disney California Adventure
4
6
What to Expect This Week
January 11 to 17, 2015
How Crowded is Disneyland Resort?
Guests of Disneyland Resort in mid-January will experience some of the lightest crowds of the winter season. Wait times will stay low to moderate through most of the month with larger crowds on weekends.
To see Disneyland Resort Crowd predictions for the days of your vacation, check the Crowd Calendar.
To get details about our predictions of future crowds or details about crowds in the past check out the Crowd Calendar and select “Jump to Date” on the left margin.
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Disneyland Resort Crowd Calendar Report – January 4 to 10, 2015 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.
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