Bob Sehlinger's Blog, page 1196
August 21, 2014
Changes Coming to “Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It” Street Party at the Magic Kingdom
©Disney
It appears that the rumors I’d been hearing were indeed true! The “Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It” Street Party, which takes place multiple times a day at the Magic Kingdom, will be getting a makeover.
The first change comes in the way of a new name; the street party will now be known as the “Move It, Shake It, Dance and Play It” Street Party. This new version will also feature some different characters, including Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy, as well as characters like Stitch and Phineas and Ferb. The street party will continue to feature stilt walkers, as well as dancers to keep the energy pumping.
The cavalcade will still make its way down Main Street, U.S.A., where it will end in the Central Plaza. Here’s where things really heat up and the dance party begins. The updated fun will feature a medley of remixed party song; however, a new twist will be that guests decide the final song to be played for the “Play It” portion by voting for one of three current hits.
The new version will debut sometime this fall.
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Five Simple Ways to Save over $500 on Your Next Disney World Vacation
Follow these simple tips to save some of these!
There are several ways to save money on a Disney World vacation. The most obvious are getting a great deal on your airfare, traveling during the off season, choosing to stay at a less expensive hotel, using the Disney Ticket Calculator to purchase your admissions and eating at economical restaurants. But what do you do if you’ve done all of this and you still need to cut your budget? Well, I’ve got you covered, my friends! Here are five simple and painless ways to save over $500 on your next Disney World vacation.
Before We Begin
For each of these five tips, let’s assume we are a family of four traveling to Disney World for a one week (seven night, six day) vacation. Our sample family includes Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith, little Susie (age 6) and little Tommy (age 3). We’ll first do the math for full price at Disney World and then compare it to the math with our tip in place. Prepare to be amazed!
Staying dry in a $1 rain poncho! ©www.disneyworldenthusiast.com
Tip 1: Bring your own rain ponchos.
Disney World is a rainy place and no matter what time of year I have visited, I have always needed a rain poncho at least once during the trip. By bringing your own rain ponchos with you instead of buying one at the parks, this is a super easy way to save some bucks.
The Math
Buy 2 adult ponchos at Disney World x $8.50 = $17
Buy 2 kids ponchos at Disney World x $7.50 = $16
Instead buy 4 ponchos at local Dollar Store = $4
Savings: ($17 + $16) - $4 = $29
Comfy in a stroller from home! ©www.disneyworldenthusiast.com
Tip 2: Bring your own stroller.
There are a lot of great reasons to bring your own stroller to Disney World. It’s so handy to have it not only in the parks, but for the airport and resort areas as well. This is also a simple way to save some money. For our sample family, we will definitely need a stroller for Tommy (age 3). Remember, there is no charge by the airlines to gate check your stroller and Babies R Us even sells cute Disney themed ones.
The Math
Rent 1 Single Stroller for Tommy x $13 per day (length of stay rate) x 6 days = $78
Instead buy 1 umbrella stroller at Babies R Us = $25
Savings: $78 – $25 = $53
Free Water
Tip 3: Drink free water.
All table service and counter service restaurants at Disney World will provide you with a cup of ice water for free. Instead of wasting money and calories on sugary drinks, this is a painless way to save some cash. For our sample family, let’s assume everyone wants something other than water to drink at breakfast and Tommy and Susie’s kid’s meals will include a drink at lunch and dinner. Only Mr. and Mrs. Smith will be drinking the free water at lunch and dinner.
The Math
Buy 1 Beverage x $3 x 2 adults x 2 meals x 6 days = $72
Instead Free Water x 2 adults x 2 meals x 6 days = $0
Savings: $72 – $0 = $72
Yummy snacks from home!
Tip 4: Bring your own snacks.
Snacks are a perfect place to save money on a Disney World vacation. Everyone needs a couple snacks each day in order to keep their energy up for a full day of touring. It’s amazing how much can be saved by bringing your own non-perishable snacks with you into the park and picking up a free water from the nearest counter service restaurant.
The Math
Buy 1 Beverage x $3 and Buy 1 Snack x $4 x 4 people x 2 times x 6 days = $336
Instead Free Water and Bring Own Snacks $35 (ziplock bags, cereal bars, granola bars, goldfish, raisins, crackers)
Savings: $336 – $35 = $301
Saving money with breakfast in the room! ©www.disneyworldenthusiast.com
Tip 5: Have breakfast in your room.
Not only does having breakfast in your room save time, it can save you a small fortune on your Disney World vacation. For our sample family, let’s assume they will only pack non-perishable food items. Let’s plan that Mr. Smith will go to his hotel’s food court each morning to pick up two coffees and two milks while Mrs. Smith gets the kids up and going, so we won’t include beverages on either cost.
The Math
Buy 1 Bounty Platter $9 + 1 Yogurt Parfait $6 + (2 Kids Mickey Waffle Meals x $5) x 6 days = $150
Instead Bring Your Own Breakfast $30 (paper bowls, napkins, plastic spoons, cereal, pop tarts, mini donuts, cereal bars)
Savings: $150 – $30 = $120
Let’s Add It All Up
Tip 1: Bring your own rain ponchos – Savings of $29
Tip 2: Bring your own stroller – Savings of $53
Tip 3: Drink free water – Savings of $72
Tip 4: Bring your own snacks – Savings of $301
Tip 5: Have breakfast in your room – Savings of $120
Grand Total – Savings of $575
So there you have it folks, five simple and painless ways to save over $500 on your next Disney World vacation!
Have you tried any of these tips before? Do you have any other easy ways to save money on a Disney World vacation? Please leave a comment!
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Daisy Lauren’s Best Week Ever: August 21, 2014
By Daisy Lauren
Hi, Everyone! Welcome to the Best Week Ever here at Walt Disney World! This week we’re stopping by Disney’s Hollywood Studios to say goodbye to The American Idol Experience and The American Film Institute Showcase. Next, we’ll stop in to see how things are going with the Polynesian Resort refurbishment, and then we’ll wrap up this week at the Magic Kingdom. Let’s get started by taking a look at American Idol. While I’m not surprised that this show is going the way of the dodo, I’m sad to see people lose their jobs. Hopefully there are better plans to utilize this space for all the talented actors who worked here. In the short term it seems pretty obvious that with the Frozen Sing-A-Long suddenly offering FastPass+ on September 2 that the show will be moving into this space. Does anyone want to see video of American Idol before it closes on August 30? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll be sure to include it next week.
Already closed as of August 17 is The American Film Institute Showcase. I stopped in this weekend to get a final look and video walk-through for you, but first, the gift shop:
Click to read more and more see video of the Showcase.
Below is my final walk through of the display. It’s sad that I’d never really paid attention to what was in here. There were amazing movie props, including a lifeboat from Titanic and the ax from The Shining. Is anyone interested in seeing a blog on the props? I took a ton of photos on all the displays. I wonder if these pieces will turn up somewhere else on property?
While I was at the Studios, I noticed that Halloween has arrived on the store shelves. Last week the merchandise was available at the Magic Kingdom, but as of Sunday the window displays are still decorated for the summer. I love fall at the Magic Kingdom, so I can’t wait for all the decorations to appear on Main Street. Remember, you can click on smaller photos below to see them larger.
A new, spooky merchandise find was this group of cute Nightmare Before Christmas dolls. They were pricey at $16.95, but when these hit the outlet, they are mine! (Speaking of the Outlet, it had great stuff this past weekend. I can’t wait for Derek’s next shopping blog!) Also, if you enlarge the photo on the below right, you can see what looks like some new merchandise for this year!
Below is something that is new for sure! Check out these Haunted Mansion Vinylmations! I had to really resist picking one of these up, but the $24.95 price tag helped. It’s funny: if these were more reasonably priced I’d have a big collection. They’re just plastic, so I can’t imagine Disney wouldn’t make a big profit even if they were half the price. Any Vinylmation experts out there? Am I totally wrong about that? As it is, I can only justify picking up an occasional blind box.
Despite Elsa’s magic, it was getting pretty hot in the park, so I decided to head over to Polynesian Resort. I’d heard that things were looking better with the construction and that Captain Cook’s head reopened, so I wanted to share that with you. Taking a look at the restaurant, it is much nicer than before, and Tonga Toast is still on the menu! Also, the electronic ordering panels are gone. They were a pain, so I’m not sad to see them go!
While I was wondering around, I noticed this sign. On all of my trips to Magic Kingdom in the last month the Express Monorail hasn’t been available before park opening. I never heard an official announcement that it’s opening at 9:30am these days, but that appears to unofficially be the case. Frankly, I prefer it. Before opening Disney provides air conditioned buses that are much more comfortable than the monorail, anyway!
While the Polynesian still looks rough with walls up everywhere, the resort has put forth some effort to make it more pleasant. The walls now have art renderings of what the resort will look like in the future. Even cooler, there are Disney characters all over the walls for family photos. This tactic looks like lipstick on a pig on the Magic Kingdom construction walls, but it’s actually pretty nice at the Polynesian.
I also stopped in BouTiki while I was there. More than any other Disney resort, I feel like Polynesian has lots of merchandise specific to the hotel. This shop is so richly detailed that it feels like a little, mini trip to Adventureland. I found myself lingering in the shop, just drinking in the tropical music and dreamy atmosphere.
Of course, I was also taking about a hundred photos! Here are just a couple of the unique items. Of course, they are outrageously priced (i.e., Disney-priced). But it’s fun to scout things out here and wait for them to come to an outlet! I lost track of time poking around the resort and realized I was going to be late for my FastPass+ reservations! I hopped aboard the Resort Monorail and was whisked away to Magic Kingdom.
I made it just in time for the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party. I knew it would make me a little late for my FastPass+, but who can walk past this? I was thankful that FastPass+ offers a 15 minute grace period for arriving late. I saw the parade coming and grabbed a prime spot in the hub before the music started and the crowd gathered.
I take this parade for granted because it rolls through three times a day. Most days I just walk right past it, but it’s really well done, and there’s never a need to wait for excellent viewing. If you’re heading to Magic Kingdom, be sure to make time for it. However, be advised that if you’re in the hub you’re pretty much stuck there. I waited until they announced that the parade floats were stopping for the dance party, then dashed across the street so that I wouldn’t miss my FastPass+. A cast member yelled at me for doing it. I didn’t mean to break the rules and was really shocked by her reaction.
So what ride was I running off to? Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid, of course! I know I’ve shared full ride through videos before, but I didn’t want to leave it out. So here’s my favorite part! Want more? You can check out the California version of this ride here.
Next I had a little shopping to do. I’d heard that some new Frozen merchandise had arrived, and I had to see it to believe it. I love the new shirt on the left. On the right, well, do you want to wear a snowman? That’s right, it’s a hat! Olaf basically straddles your noggin! This one is just too weird for me, but it would be fun to wear on my upcoming trip to Tokyo Disneyland!
This next video I’m sharing as a public service announcement. The below video is an example of tourists behaving badly. I’ve filmed The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh many times trying to get it just right for you. I’m a perfectionist about these things, so I’ve changed lenses, frame rates, and exposure trying to get it just right. I finally figured out the optimal settings and have just been waiting for kismet to put me in the front row. It finally did this weekend! Then the family behind me proceeded to pretty much yell during the entire ride in another language. Can anyone understand what they’re saying?
Of course, I’m joking. How could anyone complain on such a breathtakingly beautiful day in the most magical place on Earth? It’s even started to cool down a bit. I’m certainly not suggesting that the low 90′s are cool by any stretch, but I’ll take it over the high 90′s! In the afternoons the skies fill up with clouds, and it really isn’t too bad.
I also managed to catch Space Mountain with the lights on this weekend. While the ride itself just looks like a tangled ball of metal in the light, the below scene looks pretty nice! I never seem to notice it when I’m rolling by in white-knuckled terror on the actual roller coaster!
I have one last very lucky photo to share from this weekend. Check out the hitchhiking ghosts below! The ride actually broke down, leaving us directly in front of this scene. I think I filled half my memory card taking advantage of this extremely rare opportunity!
That’s all for this week. If you’re heading to Disney World next week, here’s a look at what you can expect:
Crowd Calendar: With local schools starting back up it seems the worst of the summer rush is officially over. Enjoy these lighter crowds before the holidays!
Weather: While the crowds are decreasing, so is the temperature. It’s still warm out there, but it isn’t as hot as we’ve seen the past couple months. It also isn’t raining everyday. Overall, this is a great time to visit!
Remember: There are only a precious few more weeks of late summer nights at the parks and water parks. Enjoy them before they are gone!
Here’s my top tip for this week: Tired in the parks? Head over to a Disney Resort and explore. You’re always free to stroll around one of the hotels or enjoy a meal. The theme of each hotel is beautiful and immersive. Try to check out at least one on your next trip!
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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Exploring Walt Disney World with a Narrative Clip Camera
By Erin Foster
During a recent round of retail therapy (don’t judge), I bought myself a new tech toy: the Narrative Clip camera. (Currently about $230 on Amazon, but if you were in bargain hunter mode you could probably find it for a bit less elsewhere.)
As you can see, the Narrative Clip is a very tiny, passive camera that you clip (thus the name) onto your person, or anywhere else you like. The camera is roughly the size, shape, and weight of a Triscuit cracker. The camera has no buttons, dials, or controls of any sort, just a lens, the clip, and a little port on the bottom with which to connect a USB charge/download cable.
The only thing this camera does is automatically take one photo every 30 seconds of whatever it happens to see, as long as it senses the presence of light. The premise is that the Narrative is an unobtrusive way to document your day. You don’t have to think about taking photos of events or take notes about where you’ve been, the Narrative does this for you.
I could think of no better place to test this out than Walt Disney World.
Over the course of an 8-day trip, I wore the clip nearly non-stop, experimenting with different placements to see if it made a difference in the type of shots I’d get. One day I wore it clipped to a baseball cap; sometimes it was clipped to my purse; sometimes it was clipped to my shirt collar; and on a few strangely meta occasions, I wore it clipped to the strap of my large digital SLR camera. Other than choosing a location to wear the clip, I didn’t fiddle with it at all, mostly because there’s nothing to fiddle with. You can’t aim or focus, so what it sees is what you get. And it truly is small and light enough so that much of the time I forgot I was using it.
So now you’re wondering what the camera captured. Honestly, most of what it got was crap: shots of tree limbs, three dozen shots the back of the guy I was waiting behind at rope drop, a stranger’s foot, etc. Hundreds and hundreds of meaningless images. Beyond that, some of the photos it took were lovely, but fairly useless to me. For example, I randomly took several well-composed candid shots of a woman and her children waiting for a show to start. Their faces perfectly captured both the joy and exhaustion of a Disney vacation, but I’ll never share them because I don’t know who those people are, I don’t have their permission, they didn’t know I was photographing them, and it just plain seems creepy.
There were however, a few handfuls of photos that made me look at Disney World in a new way, seeing shape, color, pattern, or texture from a new perspective. Here are a few of my favorites (completely unedited other than cropping to make them fit tighter in this post).
I particularly liked these three photos which show Mulan’s bun, the Beach Club facade, and a chair at Epcot’s France pavilion, all with heart shaped elements.
Beyond the just vaguely interesting shots, were a few that I thought were legitimately nice.
I like the inadvertent juxtaposition of the “Star is Born” signage with the “Show Times” in the Times Guide.
This is the fake sky at the Studios Backlot Tour melding into the real sky above.
I was filming the Voices of Liberty at Epcot and got a Narrative still shot of my DSLR camera screen. I liked the image of an image concept.
This was perhaps my favorite shot. Cast member Katelynn at Bay Lake Tower helped me resolve a MagicBand issue. Here she looks so lovely and earnest.
Of course, you’re asking, “Is this thing worth it?” To which I shrug my shoulders and say, “Meh.”
During the course of a week the Narrative took thousands of photos, perhaps 75 of which I thought were somewhat interesting, and perhaps 5 or 6 that I might actually use for something other than this article. It’s not a great ratio.
If you’ve already photographed everything at Disney World a billion times and are looking for new perspectives, this might help. Or if you like tech playthings in general, you might have a bit of fun with a passive camera such as the Narrative. Otherwise, I’m not so sure.
If you do end up splurging, here are some tips and thoughts:
The camera has no on/off switch, to turn it off you have to cover the lens or put it in a dark place like your pocket or purse. If it has light, it’s taking pictures. This could lead to some awkward moments in restrooms if you’re not diligent about covering the camera. I usually forget I had it and did take lots of restroom shots, luckily nothing more troublesome than my own sweaty image in the mirror, but still, be careful.
The quality of images in bright outdoor light is fine. Almost everything indoors is washed out or grainy. Don’t expect that you’ll capture anything on indoor rides. The Narrative read the ambient lighting level on many rides as “dark” and turned itself off. You’re not going to get pictures of Pirates of the Caribbean or Peter Pan. Even the relatively bright Small World didn’t produce much that was usable.
There is no screen on the camera. You won’t have any way to check your work until you download your images.
There are two ways to store the photos: on your computer, which takes up a killer amount of memory, or in the Narrative cloud accessible only via a phone/tablet app, which may make some folks nervous.
In eight days of wearing the camera in very public areas, 8-12 hours per day, not one person noticed or mentioned the Narrative. It’s that unobtrusive. This may bring to mind ethical “Big Brother is watching you” issues. As I mentioned earlier, I ended up with many pictures of strangers who didn’t know they were being photographed. Among these pictures were shots of other people’s children, which I am now deleting. When I’m at a theme park, I generally assume that I will be the background of someone else’s family photo, but not everyone is that aware. I’m still struggling with the voyeuristic aspect of this. For example, I used Katelynn’s photo above because she was a cast member doing her job, thus “on stage.” But I’m sure she was not aware that she was being photographed at the time, so I waffled about posting.
Is a micro camera like this something you would buy? Would you use it at a theme park? How do you feel about the ethical element of constant photography? Let us know in the comments below.
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August 20, 2014
Walt Disney World’s Festival of the Masters Canceled for 2014
©Disney
The Festival of the Masters, a popular fine-arts festival that features creative works of art from award-winning artists, has been canceled for 2014l. This festival, which typically takes place yearly at Walt Disney World’s Downtown Disney, will not occur due to the massive amount of construction taking place in the shopping and dining district. According to Disney, much of the area that traditionally houses the Festival of the Masters is unavailable due to this expansion work. (And if you’ve been to Downtown Disney recently, you’ll quickly understand.)
This would have been the 39th annual Festival, which is known for showcasing artisans who are skilled in things like jewelry, painting, sculpting, chalk, glass work, photography, and much more. The Festival also often featured family-friendly events, craft activities, live music, specialty food dishes, and more. The Festival seemed to be growing larger and larger each year, and I was curious to see what this year’s event would offer.
This year’s open-air festival was originally supposed to take place November 7-9. Disney has already removed the Festival of the Masters page from its website.
I guess we’ll have to see if the event will return for 2015 or if Downtown Disney/Disney Springs construction will make it prohibitive for the festival to run next year, too. The first section of Disney Springs is expected to debut in Spring 2015, with the opening of The Landing. Disney Springs won’t fully be finished until sometime in 2016.
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Walt Disney World Newsworthy Notes – 8/20/14
I’ve got some interesting news notes for today, including new animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, MagicBand info, and Downtown Disney news. Let’s dive right in to the fun.
For those who will be attending the Frozen Summer Fun Live event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, beginning September 2 guests have the option to choose the “For The First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration” as a tier 2 FastPass+ option. I have no clue if this means that the paper tickets that were being handed out will still be issued; however, I would guess not with the addition of guests being able to make FastPass+ reservations ahead of time.
One of the things I’ve heard people mention is how they would like to buy additional MagicBands, especially as gifts for family and friends, but were unable to. Well, that has now changed; MagicBands can now be purchased without being linked with tickets at the time of the sale. Guests can purchase the solid color MagicBands at the four theme parks, Downtown Disney, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and Port Orleans Resorts without linking tickets to the bands. Guests will be limited to only purchasing 5 MagicBands at a time. More purchase locations may potentially be added in the future. The only caveat is that guests cannot purchase the specialty bands; those must still be linked with tickets at the time of purchase. (For example, guests must link the special Frozen MagicBands with park tickets at time of purchase.)
The Sunrise Safari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which was available to DVC members, will be ending on December 28.
Disney released new renderings of the upcoming Disney Springs via video recently. What was fascinating was to see the 3D walk-through of what we can expect to see when the transformation to Disney Springs is complete. The video talked heavily about the story of the re-imagined district, which is that Disney Springs was an early waterfront town built around a natural spring. Over time, the area slowly grew into a full-size town, much like how many Florida towns sprouted up. When all is said and done, Disney Springs will have double the shopping, dining, and entertainment options than there are now, and there will be four different districts: Town Center, The Landing, The Marketplace, and The West Side. The existing timetable currently stands: the first parking garage is slated to open in Fall 2014, The first section of Disney Springs will open in Spring 2015 with the debut of The Landing, and the rest will open in 2016. Things are happening all the time at Downtown Disney in relation to this re-imagination of the area. As a matter of fact, just yesterday the new Marketplace Boat Dock and Saratoga Bridge opened, giving people easier access to the district.
A few animals have been added to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. A new baby gorilla was born at the beginning of the month. Currently he has no name but can potentially be seen at the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. Also, a Sumatran tiger was added to the Maharajah Jungle Trek. Previously there was only one species of tiger on the trail.
That’s it for this edition! What are your thoughts?
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10 Things to Consider When Booking Excursions Through Disney Cruise Line
So you’re going on a Disney Cruise! That’s awesome. As I’ve referenced before, most things on a Disney Cruise are included. Most. One biggie not included is port excursions, however. And let’s be honest, port excursions can play a pretty big role in your cruise. Excursions are a terrific way to see the exciting ports you are visiting, and planning them is not something that should be taken lightly. There are a lot of factors to consider! And here are 10 of them.
1. Do You Need to Book Anything? – Maybe! But maybe not! Excursions shouldn’t make or break your ability to cruise. My family has done cruises where we didn’t book a single excursion, and we’ve done cruises where we’ve spent a small fortune on excursions. Think about your vacation. Is your goal to relax and not be tied to a schedule? Does the idea of a quiet ship with empty pools while others are rushing around in ports sound like heaven to you? Maybe passing on excursions this time is for you. Or, is the ship primarily floating transportation taking you to new countries and experiences? In that case you’ll want to either plan some excursions on your own if you’re comfortable, or book excursions through Disney.
2. Cost – For most of us, when considering whether we want to book an excursion, the first thing we ask is, “How much?” And then, even if the price doesn’t scare us too much, we remember the question we should have asked, “How much times four?” (or however many members are in your cruising party). When you’re budgeting for your cruise, the cost of excursions has to be factored in. Excursions can range from $12 for the Butterfly Garden in St. Thomas to $649 for a 4 hour Alaska Hummer Excursion and everything in between. Some of them are worth every single penny. Some of them are not.
3. Booking On Your Own – You can almost always save money by booking port adventures on your own as opposed to booking through Disney. Sometimes a lot of money! Does that mean you always should? Definitely not. While money is a big factor, consider other things as well. Are you comfortable traveling in a foreign country on your own? We’ve toured Rome on our own twice now, and we’ve become comfortable using public transportation and dealing with the language barriers there. If the thought of walking through Rome with a street and bus map doesn’t appeal to you, however, booking through Disney may be worth the cost. Are you going to be so worried about missing the ship that you won’t be able to relax? That’s a valid concern and it won’t happen on a Disney excursion because the ship will wait for you (it won’t wait for you if you are touring on your own and are running late). It’s also possible you just don’t want to deal with the stress involved in planning and researching port adventures you book on your own (you are going on vacation after all!). If this describes you (and I have dear family members who care very much about these real concerns), then booking your port excursions through Disney is for you. So, get off your wallet and book through Disney.
4. Reviews – You don’t usually have to guess whether you will enjoy an excursion. In this marvelous age of the internet, you can let previous guests’ experiences guide you. There are excursion reviews right here on Touring Plans in our cruise section, and on several internet forums! Guide books are a great resource as well. A good travel agent can also help. Many have experienced the excursions themselves, and if not they often have client reviews. Find reviews! Make sure you know what you’re getting into!
5. Activity Level – On the Disney Cruise website, there’s an activity level of active, moderate or mild listed with each excursion. Take it seriously. If you are not comfortable walking long distances, climbing mountains, etc., don’t sign up for High activity levels. On the other hand, if you’re looking for high-energy excursions, don’t sign up for Moderate activity levels. On an Alaska cruise, I made the mistake of taking three teenagers on the Mendenhall Glacier Float Trip which is listed as moderate activity level. Unfortunately, they had seen the summary which mentions class II and III whitewater rapids. Well, there was one rather iffy class III. It was, as the title implies, a float trip. After we sailed away from the glacier (which was beautiful), we then had some rather bored teenagers.
6. Time Involved – Note the time involved in your desired activity (again, you can find this on the DCL website). You may find out you are headed for a beach trip with only an hour at the beach. Or you may realize the transportation time to your destination is a lot longer than you’d like. XCaret Echo Archaeological Park is one of the most well reviewed excursions in Cancun, but you’ll spend about 3 hours roundtrip getting there and back. Conversely, if you’re thinking of going out on your own for an excursion, definitely look at the travel time to get to your intended destination since sticking with an official Disney excursion is safest when you’re traveling long distances. If your taxi or rental car breaks down an hour from the ship, you’re going to be in a world of hurt. If your Disney bus breaks down, you’re annoyed but not scared because the ship is sending someone to get you.
7. Age Limits – What are the age limits, if any, on your excursion? Is there a minimum age that your kids don’t meet? Is there no minimum age and you are suddenly filled with terror imagining a bus full of screaming children (I kid #notreally)? If so, look for an excursion with a higher minimum age (again, use the handy-dandy DCL website). Or maybe an adult-only excursion is just what you are looking for. There are lots of options; you can probably find one that works. Here’s a tip—sometimes Disney has a higher age restriction than the actual tour providers do. We were able to book a Segway tour directly with the Segway company on Malta with our 15-year-old that we wouldn’t have been able to book through Disney. Disney wouldn’t permit guests under 16 to book, and bonus (!), we saved about $100 per person by booking directly. We had a similar minimum age and money saving experience swimming with dolphins in Tortola.
8. Passports – While it may not be the wisest choice, and passport laws do change, currently you do not need a passport on every Disney cruise. If it’s a closed-loop cruise, basically a cruise starting and ending in the same US city (yes, each and every element of that preceding statement must be satisfied!), you do not need a passport. You can board the ship with an official birth certificate for everyone, and government issued photo ID for adults. Once you’re onboard a closed-loop cruise, you do not need a passport to get on and off the ship, you’re good! Interestingly enough, though, there are a few excursions that require passports even if the sailing did not. On Alaska cruises, for example, if your excursion is driving or taking the train into Canada from the U.S., adults must have a passport (but children under 16 do not need a passport to cross the border). Additionally, some of the helicopter tours on the Alaska cruise require passports because you are crossing the border by air. There aren’t many excursions like this, but it’s just something to consider if you plan to cruise without a passport.
9. Availability – While you can book excursions once you board, some excursions do fill up. The popular ones fill up very quickly. Renting a cabana on Castaway Cay for the day fills up so quickly that they’re very difficult to get without sailing concierge or having the Platinum Castaway Club booking advantage (for guests who have sailed Disney more than 10 times). Dolphin swims and helicopter tours also tend to fill up. There are others that fill up as well, so if you know you want something specific, book it sooner rather than later. Excursions are charged to your onboard account, so you do not need to pay until you’re on the ship. Sometimes they add more availability online, or even while you’re onboard, so if you don’t get something you want, keep checking. You may also be able to find availability direct with the operator to book on your own. We’ve had good luck with that in the past as well.
10. You Can Change Excursions – The good news is if you change your mind about a planned excursion, you aren’t financially committed to it until 3 days beforehand. If you aren’t sure whether you are 100% committed to a specific excursion, book it anyways, because you can change or cancel until 3 days before you sail. Although you usually can’t cancel outright onboard within 3 days, you can still change things around. Disney usually has no problem with you changing to an excursion with a similar or higher price onboard. Not surprisingly, if you are going down in price, that’s usually where you’ll have problems.
What do you think? Are there any other things you consider when planning excursions?
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The Disney College Program
For over 30 years, Disney has had a college internship program (currently called the Disney College Program). Active college students who have taken at least one semester of college courses are eligible to apply for the 5 to 7 month internship (international students with no restrictions for working in the U.S. can also apply). I spoke with two College Program alumni (Courtney and Ethan) about their experiences in the program at Disney World three years ago.
First, a little history. In 1981, Disney began an internship program. At its inception, there were 200 positions available at Magic Kingdom for these interns. Of course, the program grew along with the resort, and today there are internships available at both Disneyland and Disney World, across all theme parks and resorts. About 8,000 students participate each year.
The College Program is a paid internship. In addition to providing affordable housing and free transportation (Disney World only), participants receive a full-time working position as part of the internship. They receive an hourly wage dependent upon their role.
Some of Courtney’s costumes while working at different Quick Service locations. Do you recognize any of them?
There are 19 different roles in which to be placed. Some of the positions available include custodial, merchandise, food & beverage, PhotoPass photography, character performer and attraction operator. Courtney and Ethan were placed in quick service food & beverage based on their previous experience working in restaurants. They held positions at Studio Catering Company in Hollywood Studios, where they rotated between positions (food prep, drink servers, cashiers, etc.) They were also deployed to other counter service restaurants and food carts as needed, and they were able to pick up extra shifts if they wanted as well.
Whichever role a student receives, “participants will have the opportunity to develop their communication skills, problem-solving skills and work on their confidence and self-reliance,” according to the College Program website.
Disney takes customer service seriously. Ethan and Courtney both walked away from the experience with great training to help every guest have a positive experience, which is a goal of the Disney corporation. All employees are responsible to help keep the parks clean for the guests. They are trained to help answer guests’ questions, or if unable to answer the question to find the answer for them. College Program participants greet guests with a smile, always use two fingers when pointing to direct a guest (one finger is rude), comment on guest’s special occasion pins, and adhere to the Disney Look in their appearance. Employees are empowered to find “magical moments” for guests, such as giving away a free dessert for a birthday or allowing guests to open a park or open an attraction. Courtney says, “we were all responsible for helping to ‘create the story’ for guests, because we were more than an amusement park filled with attractions. We provided an experience of a lifetime.”
There are college courses, seminars and special experiences available to College Program participants. The American Council on Education recommends awarding 3 to 9 credits for the internship experience itself, but availability varies by college or university.
College Program participants also have a variety of on-site college course options, many of which are designed to teach transferable skills such as professionalism and communication. These courses are as rigorous as a typical college course, and college credit may be granted at the discretion of the student’s college or university. Courses are free to College Program Members, but materials fees may be required.
Disney College Program graduation ceremony.
Many seminars are available for free as well, such as a resume writing course or “Exploring Leadership.” Courtney and Ethan both recommend “Exploring Disney Heritage” for a fascinating look at the history of the Disney corporation.
The College Program comes with non-educational perks, too. Disney offers special experiences to its College Program participants. There are mixers and dances for the participants to get to know each other. There are networking opportunities with Disney employees, where students can ask questions about pursuing their careers. There are also behind-the-scenes opportunities. Ethan and Courtney were able to experience Space Mountain with the lights on, and take behind the scenes tours of The Haunted Mansion, Fantasmic! and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
Park admissions, discounts for friends and family, and on-property dining and merchandise discounts are a few more of the benefits of being a College Program participant.
Disney takes work ethic seriously. College Program participants have a strict code of conduct to follow, which closely aligns with Disney’s family-friendly atmosphere. Underage drinking is not tolerated, in fact there are certain housing complexes that are no-alcohol zones (even 21 year olds who drink in these areas can be terminated from their positions). Disney uses a point system to measure less serious infractions, such as attendance problems, having an appearance that goes against the Disney Look, and safety violations. Too many points could result in disciplinary action or even termination from the program. The program is set up to encourage good work ethic in its participants.
Courtney created this well-worn “cheat sheet” so she could speak with international Cast Members and guests.
What did Courtney and Ethan take away from the experience? Both feel it was worth taking a semester away from college to complete the internship. Ethan began the internship undecided about his career path, and he came away with a new college major – marketing (he was fascinated with how Disney does such a good job with all of the details, and how good they are at creating their brand). Courtney was in the middle of her elementary education degree, but being a life-long lover of Disney World knew that she would not regret the experience of the internship. Courtney enjoyed meeting so many new friends through the program, and her love of children was only fueled by daily interaction with the pint-sized guests. She feels lucky to have interacted with so many international Cast Members and guests, in fact she learned how to say “I love you” in several different languages by speaking with her new international friends.
Any advice from Ethan and Courtney to potential College Program participants? When you are applying, be sure to be energetic and enthusiastic. If you are chosen to participate, take advantage of all the benefits that you can, especially the seminars and special behind-the-scenes perks. This is a once in a lifetime experience (although many Cast Members and Disney corporate employees began their Disney experience in the College Program). Keep an open mind to the experience and really take time to get to know other people. You never know – you might just meet your future spouse.
Next time you are at Disneyland or Disney World, take note of the nametags of the smiling Cast Members you see. If you notice a college or university listed, they are interns in the Disney College Program.
Ethan and Courtney met as participants in the College Program and are engaged to be married in 2015. Where did Ethan propose? In the “scream room” of The Haunted Mansion, a favorite attraction of theirs, while on a magical Disney World vacation.
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Wearable Character Autograph Project: Sign My Shoes
By Erin Foster
For years, I’ve been telling guests that the Disney Parks characters will sign almost anything G-rated. An item doesn’t have to be an autograph book, or even paper to be signature worthy. I’ve seen other guests sign fun objects before but, shhhh don’t tell, I had never actually done this myself.
During a recent home closet purge, I ran across a pair of unworn white canvas Tom’s brand shoes that had been purchased for a Halloween costume that never happened. With a trip days just a few days away, it occurred to me to bring the shoes with me to Walt Disney World and see if the characters would sign them.
I wasn’t in the mood to head out to a craft store to look for fabric-specific markers, so I decided to wing it with some regular Sharpies that I happened to have in the house.
As it worked out, one of my first stops at Disney was a FastPass+ visit with the Frozen princesses Anna and Elsa. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised, but the ice queen and her sis seemed genuinely excited to sign my shoes. My guess is that they see a lot of autograph books each day and they’re happy to have anything different to break up the monotony.
I didn’t initially have a plan for which characters I wanted to have sign the shoes, but after seeing how much space Anna and Elsa required when writing, I knew I would have to devise an autograph collection strategy. In order to have a consistent theme with what I had started, I decided to have only princesses and powerful female characters sign. Obviously you could go with any theme you want (Mickey and classic characters, villains, Pooh characters, etc.), or no theme at all, but I did discover that you’re only going to be able to fit a maximum of about seven or eight signatures on each shoe. Given that there may be dozens of characters on site during your vacation, you’ll have to make choices somewhere.
Once I had a plan, it was really just a matter of keeping half an eye on the Times Guide as I toured the parks. When I was near a princess greeting location, I looked to see if she’s be appearing soon and if the line was not too bad. In about three days of fairly easy touring, I was able to get signatures from: Anna, Elsa, Tinker Bell, Snow White, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Tiana, Jasmine, Pocahantas, Mulan, Rapunzel, Merida, Alice, Belle, Rafiki, Minnie, Daisy, Ariel, and of course, Cinderella.
It turned out to be very interesting to see the characters’ reactions to signing a unique item. Many characters remarked that it was a fun idea that they had never seen before. I also got lots of attention from character handlers and other guests when they saw what I was doing.
I had assumed that Cinderella would have been the most excited to help with a shoe project, but she was sort of prissy about the whole thing. (I guess canvas shoes are too bourgeois for her crystal tastes.) Pocahantas and Ariel were positively giddy about the project. Pocahantas liked the whole Tom’s philosophy of service and giving, while Ariel worked out a whole riff on the “what’s that word again, feet” concept.
I’m pretty happy with the final outcome.
When I got home, I did some research about how to protect my custom souvenir from the elements. The shoes are white canvas, so of course they are eventually going to get dirty, but I wanted to find some way to stave off the inevitable as long as possible. I read about various waterproofing sprays and varnishes, which I’m sure would work, but I was somewhat lazy and opted for the melted bees wax method shown in this video because I happened to have some wax on hand. I did not find that wax discolored the shoes at all, but with any method you’ll want to do a small test on the inside of the shoe, just to make sure.
Here they are after the wax application:
To make it your own, this project could easily be done on another light color shoe like pink or yellow, or be done with less expensive canvas footwear such as a Keds-type sneaker. I’ve seen a Vans-style slip on at Walmart.com for about $6.00 that seems to have more useable writing space than my Toms did and would make the project super affordable. You could also experiment with different types or colors of pens or paint for the signatures.
Overall this was an easy, fun project that enhanced my interaction with the characters and resulted in a one-of-a-kind Disney parks souvenir. I’m excited to wear them next time I’m at Disney World.
Have you ever had Disney characters sign something wearable? What was your experience like? Is this something you would do? How would you modify the project? Let us know in the comments below.
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August 19, 2014
After the Touring Plan
By Claire Nat
As many TouringPlans.com subscribers do, we buy the most recent Unofficial Guide, download the Lines app, read the blog posts, plan our days in Walt Disney World, and have our trip in order well before we depart our homes. This advanced planning helps us make the most out of our vacations in the Happiest Place on Earth.
However, there are times on our trip where our advanced planning works too well. For example: you have decided to spend the morning in Magic Kingdom park, utilizing the morning Extra Magic Hours that are in place. When you show up, you are some of the first people at the tunnel, and you go on to conquer your entire morning Touring Plan…in two hours.
I’m being a bit unrealistic in my example, but there can be points in your trip where things work out so well that you are blessed with that glorious object we Disney fans all crave: extra time.
So what is there to do if this happens? Plenty, my friend. Plenty.
Shop!
If you have a young member in your Disney group, sometimes they might ask to stop at one of the shops because they glimpsed an Olaf plush in the window. But maybe you deny the request, stating, “We need to get to Splash Mountain before our Fastpass+ reservation expires!”
Now is the time to browse the shops. Maybe you allow one small souvenir as a “Thanks for sticking with the touring plan” memento, or maybe you allow them (and yourself) to go a little crazy. However your shopping excursion may go, you don’t have to feel rushed. You have all the time in the world!
The eating area of Flame Tree BBQ. The birds are great, but there are so many snakes painted on the ceiling! This is one of my favorite decorative locations in Walt Disney World.
Be that professional photographer you always wanted to be!
The gift of time allows people to take their time. One hobby that requires patience and time is the art of photography. How many of your pictures have a rushed quality about them, because you grabbed that shot as your children were randomly passing by Mary Poppins and you had to squeeze it in?
Walt Disney World is one of the most photographed sites on the planet. Many photos are obvious (Cinderella Castle, Spaceship Earth, the Star Wars AT-AT, etc.). But take the time to find those perfect shots that aren’t all over the Google results page. How about Flame Tree BBQ at Disney’s Animal Kingdom? I hope you’ve had the chance to sample their incredible food, but have you ever really looked at that area? It’s wonderfully artistic. Take your photographic trigger finger and go to town!
Eat at a table-service restaurant!
That personalized Epcot morning Future World Touring Plan worked so well that it’s complete by 11am. Perfect timing: now you can head to World Showcase for a delicious meal.
When rushing through the parks, you may think that the counter-service locations are the only logical way to eat in Walt Disney World. Wait, pay, eat, go!
Not so fast. Put up your feet. I’ve managed to get a seat in Via Napoli right when it opened up, without a reservation. You could probably do this in many of World Showcase’s table-service restaurants (except maybe Le Cellier).
Just sit and people watch!
It’s amazing how many benches there are in Walt Disney World. It’s even more amazing to see so many of them unused and empty, due to the crowds of people rushing to the next attraction.
Why not give these benches a little bit of love? Did you know that the benches are slightly different in each land you enter? Why not test them all out! Try to sit next to a speaker, and enjoy that AtMousePhere that the background music provides.
One of my favorite things to do on a solo trip is people watch. Count how many families have matching t-shirts. Guess when the next cast member will come by sweeping garbage. Listen for a magic word, like “Mickey.” Check off how many children have a balloon. Or simply close your eyes and let the noises envelop you.
Take an actual nap!
Sometimes all we can afford is a quick doze on The Universe of Energy because we have so much stuff to fit in. But if there is time to spare, it wouldn’t hurt to return to the hotel for a respite in a cool, comfortable bed. Not only will it relax you more than the hard seats of an attraction ride, it will energize you for the evening activities you have planned.
Goofy’s Candy Company confection. This took me days to finish!
Find that undiscovered area!
So much of a trip is consumed with attractions and restaurants that we know and love, and sometimes that means the little treats get pushed out of the way. Have you ever seen Yehaa Bob at Port Orleans: Riverside? Have you ever created your own candy creation at Goofy’s Candy Company? Have you ever toured Tom Sawyer’s Island? Have you ever followed the end of a parade? Have you ever stopped at the KidCot stations? There are so many little magical moments just waiting for you to find them. Pick one and have fun!
Check out the resort hotels!
I have been to many of Walt Disney World’s resorts, and each one has a unique flavor. The Contemporary has a sleek design with the monorail going through it, Beach Club takes you back in time with its bright colors and chic decor, and the Animal Kingdom Lodge is full of amazing African styles. All the resorts are worth checking out – especially because many of them offer free things to do!
At Christmastime, this suggestion gets upgraded to a “must-do.”
Re-ride your favorite attractions!
Let’s face it: once is never enough.
What are your favorite things to do after a Touring Plan is complete? Have you found an undiscovered area that you love to visit every time you go to Walt Disney World? Do you have a favorite bench? Comment below!
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