Bob Sehlinger's Blog, page 1263

January 4, 2014

Reminder: Walt Disney World Monorail Service Impacted Starting January 21

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As a reminder for those of you who will be traveling to Walt Disney World soon: service on the Walt Disney World Monorail will be severely impacted due to scheduled maintenance starting on Tuesday, January 21. The affected loops will included both the Magic Kingdom Resort Loop and the Express Loop. These will both be unavailable for guests during non-peak hours on weekdays, from 11:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. The weekends should see no closures.

During the monorail closures, additional buses, as well as watercraft, will be available for guests to use. The work on both Magic Kingdom monorail beams is expected to last until the end of March 2014 (weather permitting, of course).

For those who wish to travel to Epcot by monorail, the Epcot’s Monorail Loop will be unaffected and will have normal operating hours.

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Published on January 04, 2014 11:02

SATURDAY SIX: Six Things in Orlando We’re Looking Forward To Seeing in 2014

By Derek Burgan

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This week’s SATURDAY SIX looks at Six Things in Orlando We’re Looking Forward To Seeing in 2014. 2013 was a great year to be a theme park fan. Just in Orlando we got the opening of Transformers: The Ride 3D and a huge Simpsons expansion in Universal Studios Florida, Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin arrived at SeaWorld, while Disney introduced Princess Fairytale Hall and the incredible Tangled-themed bathrooms at the Magic Kingdom (along with starting a much needed overhaul on Downtown Disney.) But the good news is 2014 looks to be even better, yes, better. Here’s our list of the top six things we’re looking forward to the most over the next 12 months…

Will Breadbox be CityWalk’s answer to the ultra popular Earl of Sandwicht at Downtown Disney? (Photo Courtesy of Universal Orlando)

# 6 – Universal CityWalk’s Expansion (Universal Orlando Resort)

In late 2013 Universal unveiled a massive reimagining of its entertainment complex, CityWalk. In fact, the new and improved CityWalk had already started with the opening of Red Oven Pizza Bakery in November, but little did we know how much more would be coming.

By the summer of 2014, Coldstone Creamery (ice cream), Menchies (frozen yogurt), Bread Box (sandwiches), Antojitos (Mexican), Hotdog Hall of Fame, and The Cowfish (burgers/sushi) will be joining the list of eateries in CityWalk. Pastamore, which is shutting down this week, will also be reopening as yet-unamed Italian restaurant (rumored to be Pranzo) in which guests will be able to see their pasta made from scratch in front of them. Starbucks, currently on the second level of CityWalk, will also be moving downstairs and assume a more prominent position as guests make their way from the Universal parking garages to the theme parks. Lastly, the Universal Studios Store will undergo a major retheming.

CityWalk was already a great place to spend time in; with an AMC 20 movie theater (with full bar), several top notch restaurants (including the world’s largest Hard Rock Cafe), the Blue Man Group, and hands-down the best mini-golf course in Orlando with Hollywood Drive-In Golf, but these new restaurants are going to breath new life into the area. Judging by the quality of Red Oven (I visited last month), it’s hard not to get excited about the soon to open Antojitos and the possibilities of Bread Box. Universal needed a good sandwich place and, sorry, having a Dagwood at Blondie’s doesn’t count. (Expected Opening: Locations Opening Throughout Spring and Summer)

Photo courtesy of SeaWorld

# 5 – Ihu’s Breakaway Falls (Aquatica)

Fans of Summit Plummet at Disney’s Blizzard Beach are going to have another insane drop ride to be thrilled by as SeaWorld’s Aqauatica water park will be opening Ihu’s Breakaway Falls later this year. Similar to the ultra popular AquaDunk on the Disney Magic, Ihu’s Breakaway Falls will also have the guest having the floor pulled out from under them, adding to the thrill factor. SeaWorld promises that this will be steepest ride of its kind in Orlando, including using the hashtag #NothingTaller in its social media. Aquatica is an amazingly themed water park that can hold its head high compared to anyone – even Disney’s best – and Ihu’s Breakaway Falls looks to make Aquatica even better. (Expected Opening: Fall 2014)

Loews Cabana Bay Beach Resort (photo courtesy Loews Hotels)

# 4 – Loews Cabana Bay Beach Resort (Universal Orlando Resort)

When it comes to on-site hotels, no one does it better than Universal. While they may not have as many as Disney, the three they currently have (the Hard Rock, Portofino Bay, and Royal Pacific) can compete with Disney’s best when it comes to theming and offer amenities (such as free unlimited Express Pass) that Disney can’t match due to how many hotel guests they need to serve. While Universal has had family suites for a while (including the Jurassic Park kid’s suites at the Royal Pacific and the new Despicable Me themed rooms at Portofino Bay) Cabana Bay Beach Resort will be their first “value resort.” (Expected Opening: Spring 2014)

Cabana Bay is going to have a retro theme throughout, a lazy river, a bowling alley and a first-of-its-kind garden bridge allowing guests to walk from the hotel to the theme parks, which will be valuable considering guests will be able to take advantage of the one hour early admission to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (no Unlimited Express Passes though.) The suites themselves have been ingeniously designed and the price actually gets lower the longer you stay. We are blessed with some incredible hotels in Orlando, and Cabana Bay looks to be the next great one added to the list.

The Hogwarts Express is coming (photo courtesy of Universal Orlando)

# 3 – The Hogwarts Express (Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida)

You know it’s going to be a good year when The Hogwarts Express comes in #3 on this list. The first ever attraction to go from one theme park to another, The Hogwarts Express is going to fulfill the dreams of many a Potter fan who first saw this train after Harry went through platform 9 3/4.

While exactly what is going to happen during this attraction is being kept under wraps, many expect the windows of the train to project a simulated environment that will allow guests to have a thrilling adventure over the course of their ride. Universal is also building a Hogsmeade Village South Station as well as a huge North Station over in Universal Studios Florida that should also be a complete delight to walk through after seeing what they did for the queue for Forbidden Journey. (Expected Opening: Summer 2014)

Photo courtesy of ©Disney

# 2 – Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (Magic Kingdom)

It first started when Storybook Circus soft opened in early March of 2012 and New Fantasyland will finally be complete when the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train opens later this year. We’ve seen Disney outdo themselves on theming when it comes to the Be Our Guest restaurant, Gaston’s Tavern, and the Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid attraction, and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train looks to be their equal in theming along with adding an innovative coaster-style ride that should please every member of the family. Guests have been able to watch construction of the Mine Train from the very first day, and everyone’s looking forward to a ride which include music from the animated film, audio animatronics, and a ride vehicle that sits in a cradle-like pivot allowing even more thrill. The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train promises to be Walt Disney Imagineering at its best. (Expected Opening: Spring 2014)

Photo courtesy of Universal

# 1 – Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley (Universal Studios Florida)

I’ll be honest with you, I’m not even sure what I’m most excited about with Diagon Alley opening this summer. It would be easy to say the Gringott’s Bank coaster, as the recent overhead pictures taken by Attractions magaaine show the sheer size of the show building to be massive (it would fit the entirety of the rest of Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express inside it.) Over on Twitter, HateToFly has given a description of every single room inside the queue and it sounds to be even better than the queue for Forbidden Journey. To quote Vizzini, inconceivable!

However, one of the best parts of the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter in IOA is just the feeling of being immersed inside Hogsmeade Village. Everything feels right. The designs of the buildings, the small stores, the “magic” happening in store window facades… it all adds up to an experience a guest can completely fall in love with and Diagon Alley looks to take that experience up to the next level. People who have read the Potter series (or seen the films) are going to be able to eat at The Leaky Cauldron. We’re going to be able to go into Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, Madam Milkin’s Robes for All Occasions, and Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour, all ripped from the pages of J.K. Rowling’s books.

However, what I think I’m looking forward to the most is a detail that – till now – has gone under the radar of most theme park and Potter fans. Universal appears to be building a version of Knockturn Alley and there has been rumors of a Borgin and Burkes walkthrough experience. Universal is already the only theme park in Orlando with a section of its park dedicated to villains (Villain’s Alley in Marvel Superhero Island) and having a part of the Wizarding World dedicated to dark magic has me chomping at the bit. One thing I really loved about the Harry Potter book series is that the books seemed to “grow up” as you read them, introducing more and more “adult” themes and ratcheting up the intensity. If Universal can bring the Dark Magic experience to the theme parks, I’ll be the first one standing in line. Just think of the merchandising opportunities. besides Deatheater masks, you can sell Tom Riddle’s horcrux items as well as just creating “poisons” in evil looking containers. It’s a license to print money. (Expected Opening: Summer 2014)

Follow Seth Kubersky’s PotterWatch series of articles for constant updates on the Diagon Alley construction at Universal Studios Florida.

So there you have it: six things in Orlando we’re looking forward to seeing in 2014. See you next weekend for the latest edition of the Saturday Six. If you had fun, be sure to check out The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! articles or, for your listening pleasure, check out Pardon the Pixie Dust podcast.

Special thanks to Morgan Crutchfield and Universal NOW!’s Brandon Glover for their assistance with this article

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Published on January 04, 2014 10:26

January 3, 2014

In Case You Missed It: Disney News and Rumors – Week of January 3, 2014

By TouringPlans.com

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Frozen Meet and Greet Extended At Walt Disney World

By Rikki Niblett

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Are you a fan of the movie Frozen? Do your little ones want to meet Anna and Elsa? You are in luck, at least for a little while longer.

The meet and greet was originally supposed to end on January 4, but it has officially been extended to last until January 31. (Rumors indicate that this meet and greet opportunity may eventually be extended past that date, but there is obviously nothing official announced yet.)

This has been one of the most popular meet and greet opportunities in all of the parks, with lines that are extremely long all day. If you want to meet Anna and Elsa, try to do so first thing. Meeting times are scheduled for 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 4:50 p.m., 5:50 p.m., and 6:50 p.m. Be sure to check a Times Guide or the My Disney Experience app in case things change.

Guests may meet the sisters in the Norway Pavilion at World Showcase in Epcot inside Puffin’s Roost at the Prinsesse Plass.

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Published on January 03, 2014 08:57

10 Things Not to Pack on Your Disney Cruise

By Tammy Whiting

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There have been a lot of great blog posts here on Touring Plans about packing for Disney vacations, and Scott wrote one recently on packing for your Disney cruise. Well, I’m here to help you with the opposite problem! Packing too much! We all could use some extra space in our suitcase, right? Or a little less weight? I can’t promise to help you stay under 50 pounds, mercy, I can’t even seem to do that, but maybe I can get you closer!

1. Too Many Clothes – It’s so easy to do. Just don’t do it. It can be overwhelming when you think about how many clothes you think you need on a Disney cruise. Swimsuits during the day, shorts when you’re not in your swimsuit, nice clothes for dinner, dress clothes for dress up nights, etc., etc. Well, there are washer and dryers onboard! They’re just a few dollars a load, and you’re good to go. Tip – the laundry rooms are least busy on port days! Disney has also changed the dress code for the main dining rooms. Most nights are cruise casual. Disney requests no swimwear or tank tops, but shorts are fine if you don’t feel like dressing up. That will save you some packing space! Also, if you really want to go all out on formal night but don’t want to pack a tux, you can rent one onboard. So lay out everything you want to bring and really look at it. Do you want 6 swimsuits? Yes. Do you need 6 swimsuits? Not so much!

2. Hanging Door Organizer – A hanging door organizer – think shoe holder that typically hangs on a closet door – used to be on my must pack list! It really helps de-clutter your room and bathroom when you can put small things in the clear pockets. I put sunglasses in it, sunscreen, Dramamine, lanyards at the end of the day, things you want to be able to locate quickly. Unfortunately, the metal hooks that these hang on were apparently scratching the top of the bathroom doors when guests used them, and Disney has asked that guests not use them. In fact, Disney has said guests will be charged $100 if they use them and the paint is scratched. If you’re like me and don’t want to give it up, I do have a suggestion. On my last two cruises, I wrapped both ends of the hooks that the door organizer hangs from in duct tape so that the metal did not come in contact with the door. No scratching at all! If you go this route, be prepared for your stateroom host to tell you not to use it.

3. Iron or Steamer – Disney will not permit guests to have irons or steamers in their staterooms. As tempting and convenient as it would be, they are fire hazards, so don’t bring them! There are irons available to use in the laundry rooms. Here’s a good tip for you, as well. Disney has a dry cleaning and laundry service onboard. The prices are in your stateroom. You can also have your clothes pressed onboard for half the price of cleaning! We like to gather up our really wrinkly clothes as we unpack and send them out to be pressed so we don’t have to deal with it. It usually runs us around $30 or so, but it’s so worth it to us!

4. Beach Towels – Do not waste space in your suitcase for towels! Towels are abundant onboard. Your stateroom host will leave as many towels as he can fit in your bathroom. There is always an abundance of towels up on the pool decks. On Castaway Cay there are towels waiting for you when you get off the ship. In other ports, if you are on an official Disney excursion, towels are usually at your meeting point, or they remind you to bring towels with you from the ship. You can pick them up on the pool deck. If you’re not on a Disney excursion, you can still bring towels off the ship with you. Just make sure you always bring your towels back onboard at the end of the day.

5. Power Strip – In this day and age of families with multiple devices with chargers, curling irons, flat irons, hair dryers, and more, it never seems like there are enough plugs in the house. Well, take two adults and two teenagers and cram them in a small cruise room, and that problem grows exponentially. Power strips do help, but unfortunately Disney restricts them as a fire hazard. If cast members see them, they will confiscate them and return them at the end of the cruise. The good news is that after operating the two classic ships for many years, Disney realized they needed more outlets, so more outlets were incorporated into the Dream and Fantasy as these new ships were being built. The newly reimagined Magic also has new outlets in the rooms, and the iHome clock can help out with recharging some models of iPhones. You can also bring a smaller outlet multiplier: just don’t bring a power strip, or you risk that just being wasted space in your suitcase!

6. Diapers – Anyone with a baby knows how much room diapers can take up! Sadly, even in the magical bubble that is a Disney cruise, you will still need them. But, you don’t have to bring them! Disney has partnered with Babies Travel Lite, and you can pre-order hundreds of different baby supplies and have them waiting for you in your stateroom. No need to lug them around anymore!

7. Snorkeling Gear – Snorkeling is one of our favorite activities on cruises, and I am not in any way shape or form saying don’t snorkel. I’m saying if you’re not crazy particular about your snorkeling gear, you can get it almost anywhere. You can rent equipment on Castaway Cay for $25 for adults and $10 for children under 10. Any official snorkeling excursion booked through the cruise line will include the equipment. If you book with an outside company, it often provides the equipment, as well. Many beaches you visit on your own will also have vendors renting gear. It will cost you a little more than bringing your own, and it’s not usually top of the line equipment, but it sure does save a lot of room (and sand?) in your suitcase!

8. Hair Dryer – The Disney ships all have hair dryers onboard. On the Dream, Fantasy and Magic there are full size hair dryers (with diffusers for the curly haired among us) in the desk in your room. On the Wonder and the Magic there are dryers on the wall of the bathroom (yes, the new Magic has two hair dryers in each room!?!). They aren’t the most powerful dryers in the world, and they resemble a vacuum cleaner hose, but they do the trick if you want to save some room!

9. Shampoo and Conditioner – Disney has name brand (H2O) bath products in their staterooms. This is not generic hotel shampoo: it’s good stuff that they sell in the shops onboard and that you can find at other retailers on land (sadly, minus the Captain Mickey on the front). It’s good stuff! The concierge rooms often include one of my favorite new products, a solar relief gel. Trust me, it’s heaven if you did too much of #7 without sunscreen on your back!

10. Life Jackets or Inflatables – Don’t waste space in your suitcase with pool noodles, inflatable mattresses, etc. Disney won’t allow them, and there’s really not room for them in the pools. At Castaway Cay there are tubes and mattresses for rent. The Disney tubes are clear and don’t obstruct the lifeguards’ views of the swimmers like some would. Disney has life jackets available at no cost by the pools onboard and at Castaway Cay. In fact, if you are snorkeling at Castaway Cay, you are required to wear a provided life jacket. How much you inflate it is up to you. The life jackets at the pool are small and perfect for your little non-swimmers.

How about you? Were there things you bring on cruises and realized later you shouldn’t have?

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Published on January 03, 2014 03:00

January 2, 2014

New Year’s Eve 2014: A Tour of Epcot

By Daisy Lauren

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If you’d asked me a week ago what my plans were for New Year’s Eve, I would have told you that we’d decided to stay in for a quiet night on the couch. We’d been in the parks the last several years, and my hubby had asked for a year off. I’m sure you can imagine how thrilled I was when on December 30 he declared we were going to Epcot because we hadn’t been there to ring in the New Year in ages! I thought I would take you guys with me to see what it’s really like to celebrate at Disney!

For starters, we certainly didn’t follow my ultimate plan. We left our house at 6pm and did not hit a bit of traffic until we got through Epcot’s gates.

On a normal night this kind of traffic would cripple the Epcot parking lot. However, they had four cast members directing the lanes of traffic, and we were quickly in a parking spot in less than ten minutes despite the crowds. We started walking in, and to my surprise we’d made it in time to catch the 6:30pm fireworks from the parking lot.

We watched a lot of people running into the park trying to get a better view of the fireworks. I’m sure anyone reading here knows that’s a lost cause. But just in case, you physically can’t make it into Epcot quickly enough to get a better view, so it’s better to enjoy seeing it from the parking lot if you are in this situation. After the fireworks we headed to bag check. Again, the line was moving incredibly quickly because there were so many stations open.

The same was true at the park turnstiles. (Ok- they aren’t really turnstiles anymore but I don’t know what to call them? MagicBand thingies?) So far getting into the park had been remarkably smooth! I was beginning to think maybe the crowds weren’t going to be a rough as in years past.

But then… we found the crowd. Walking up to Spaceship Earth the posted wait time was 45 minutes. The more ridiculous thing was the line for the bathrooms found on the right. Believe it or not, the photo below is actually the ladies room line! Good news for the guys, though: my husband was able to get in and out in less than 5 minutes.

After this we continued on toward the first party of the night. This was a huge stage just past the Fountain of Nations. You have to understand that this one night a year Epcot turns into a huge rave party. To give you an idea of the atmosphere, I’ve added a series of short video clips from each of the parties. I have added these to my YouTube page, but remember for all the latest news you should definitely subscribe to the Touring Plans page!

The Fountain of Nations stage is widely considered to be the family dance party. There were tons of kids dancing here, and everyone was having a great time! We passed this party a few times throughout the night, and it never seemed as crowded as the others. The music was also our favorite. Just past this stage are the wide open grassy areas that you only see open to guests on New Year’s Eve.

There were also upgraded portable toilets this year! In the past I had only seen the typical stall kind that you would find on a construction site. These trailers seemed very nice, but like everywhere else, the ladies room line was a mile long! They also had a very nice handicapped stall with a ramp (not photographed here). If anyone needed these facilities, it would make sense to head for these!

As we strolled along, I was sure to get a photo of the globe in the World Showcase Lagoon. It displays a countdown to midnight all night long! It was fun to be able to just glance that way all night and figure out how much longer we had to go.

After this we headed over to check out the wait for Test Track and to use a backstage walkway beside the ride. The wait time was 200 minutes! Considering the wait got up to 300 minutes earlier in the day, I guess you can’t be surprised, but there was no way we were going to wait. We headed towards the World Showcase through this quiet walkway:

During New Year’s Eve the backstage walkways are always preferable to walking through the lands, where it’s just wall to wall people. Of course, we didn’t practice what we preach as we emerged in Mexico and walked through the countries to get to the next party in China. To give you an idea what it’s like walking through World Showcase on New Year’s Eve, check out this video:

But it really is worth it! We never got into the middle of any of the parties around the World Showcase, but we got close enough to really get a feel for them. If I had to only pick one it would have to be China. The Dragon is just amazing! But on the down side, the music is so, so loud. The bass will just make your heart rattle in your chest!

The next party around the World Showcase is Italy. This party is known for the laser show that goes along with the DJ. At this point in the night I had to switch over to my GoPro as it had started raining. The sound quality on this video isn’t the best, but the rain made the lasers look extra brilliant! Again, this isn’t somewhere that we could have hung out for very long, but it was amazing to see!

From here we kept moving with a skip in our step because the next party was in America! Now, ironically the party in America is all Latin music. However, it was one of the better parties around the World Showcase as it wasn’t so terribly loud. It also looked like guests were being allowed to salsa dance on the America Gardens Theatre stage. It was roughly 9pm by this time, so we grabbed a snack and a seat to watch them perform for a while.

After this there was only one party left that we hadn’t visited yet; it was in the United Kingdom, so we headed that way. It seemed like one side of World Showcase is set aside for partying, and the other side is a little more quiet. As we started walking, we noticed that Japan was remarkably slow for how crowded the park was at that time!

The walk was unremarkable as the crowd didn’t really get thick again until we reached the United Kingdom. The party here was small and probably our least favorite. There wasn’t really a draw to make it special like the others had. We only spent a few minutes here before deciding to head back to Future World for a break.

As I expected, the crowd was pretty thin in Future World. The wait for Soarin’ had even dropped to a somewhat reasonable 100 minutes. It was a nice escape from the crowds in World Showcase.

We decided to visit The Seas with Nemo and Friends. We experienced both attractions in the pavilion with just a 10 minute wait each. Then we spent some time exploring while it was quiet. As the clock got close to 11pm, we decided to head back towards World Showcase to find a spot for midnight. When we faced the crowds heading back past Canada, we decided to camp out closer to the entrance!

We settled near the large planter at the entrance of World Showcase. Considering we had seen people camping out for spots since we arrived, we didn’t do too bad swinging this view. We only arrived about 20 minutes before the fireworks, but a crowd very quickly formed behind us! Check this out!!

As we settled and the show started, we realized we’d positioned ourselves behind an annoying tourist. The lady in front of us busted out her tablet to hold over her head and film the show. I thought that our view was ruined! Luckily, all the people around me rioted, and after the first few minutes she put it away. I don’t know if anyone really goes home and watches these low res videos.. but if you ever think about doing this take a look at the photo below and realize that you’re ruining the show for LOTS of people!!

For this very reason I chose not to film most of the show. The fireworks at Epcot start with regular IllumiNations and then lead into a celebration for each of the countries in the order they rang in the New Year around the world. (You can find the full show on YouTube.). This leads up to midnight and an amazing celebration, which I did film for you:

(My apologies for the focusing issues.) After this we turned around and bolted out of there as fast as we could. From this vantage point it honestly was no worse than fighting the crowd out on any other night. We darted out to our car (in the next to last row) and made it out of there in record time! If you can believe it, I was home on the couch by 12:45am! This was thanks to the fact that Disney closes down many, many road exits this time of night in an effort to streamline traffic. This meant that you couldn’t get into Epcot at 12:30am, but it sure made it easy to get out!

So what do you think? Did this post make you decide you might try a New Year’s Eve at Disney? Or did it make you very, very sure you never will? It had been a lot of years since we’d celebrated at Epcot, and I much prefer the Magic Kingdom! In any case, I hope this made you feel like you were there. Happy New Year from everyone at Touring Plans! (Especially me )

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Published on January 02, 2014 05:13

January 1, 2014

A Few Shops Closing at Walt Disney World

By Rikki Niblett

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With the New Year, a few shops within the Walt Disney World resort are closing their doors.

First off, at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, the Wyland Galleries officially closed it’s doors on December 31. The Galleries sold paintings, sculptures, and other pieces of art. The gallery at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort will remain open.

Over at the Magic Kingdom, two gift shops will be closing on January 4. Heritage House, the gift shop for The Hall of Presidents sells patriotic items and will be closing it’s doors. There is no word on what will happen in that space.

The other shop closing will be the Seven Dwarfs Mine Shop in Fantasyland. The shop was the former gift shop for Snow White’s Scary Adventures. (Princess Fairytale Hall has since replaced that attraction.) No word on if the space will be redone for the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or maybe for the Princess Fairytale Hall, or if it will be redone at all.

The merchandise that was found in these shops will be able to be found in other locations around the park.

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Published on January 01, 2014 17:05

Should My Child Miss School for a Disney World Vacation?

By Erin Foster

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The value season at Disney World has much that appeals, notably low crowds and low hotel prices. That’s great if you’re an adult looking to visit Disney with a minimum of fuss; you can plan your trip to take advantage of value pricing and promotions. But the sticky wicket for parents is that those oh-so-attractive value rates typically occur during times like October and January, smack in the middle of the school year.

Though not always true, typically the younger the child, the fewer repercussions you’ll face if they miss school.

Thus comes the eternal conundrum, “Should I pull my child out of school to go to Disney World?” I’m not here to answer the question for you (without knowing your family situation, that would be akin to travel blogger malpractice), but there a number of variables you may want to consider as you ponder whether it makes sense for you to have your child miss school for a family vacation.

How old is my child?

Back in the day, I once stressed about pulling my daughter out of preschool for a family trip. When I mentioned my anxiety to her teacher, she looked at me like I was insane and said, “It’s letter G week. I’m pretty sure that eventually she’ll figure out the letter G.” Her comment highlights that it is often easy to recover from some missed early lessons. Fast forward several years and this same daughter (who now has full grasp of G) is now in an advanced calculus class in high school. She came home recently and said, “I went to the bathroom for five minutes and was completely lost for the next two days.”

The older the child, the higher the stakes will be for missing school for any reason.

Does my child have any academic challenges?

While an academically advanced child may be able to recover quickly from missed lessons, a child with academic challenges may face a long struggle to regain mastery in the classroom. Consider whether you want to put the child, and his teacher, in this position.

Does my child have any medical or emotional challenges?

Some children with medical or emotional challenges will find it particularly difficult to cope with a change in routine. Will breaking from the child’s schedule trigger a setback in treatment progress or educational stability?

On the other hand, a child with sensory processing issues may be able to cope with visiting Disney World during the slow season, but be completely overwhelmed during peak seasons. For a family looking for a relaxing vacation, this may outweigh some of the school-related issues.

Are there legitimate academic benefits to your vacation?

What are my school district’s policies on this matter?

Some states and regional municipalities have clear policies against any non-medical absence. Depending your district, you may face actual legal penalties if you remove your child from school for vacation. Be sure to research this topic before making any plans.

How does my child’s teacher feel about this?

As noted earlier, my daughter’s preschool teacher had no problem with me pulling her out of class for a Disney vacation. Through unscientific observation of Disney guests, I’ve seen that this is a typical reaction of many teachers up until about third grade. After that, a significantly higher percentage of teachers have problems with non-medical absences. You may or may not care what the teacher thinks, but if you want assistance with make-up lessons or additional assignments, then you’ll have more of a challenge on your hands.

Bear in mind that in older grades a teacher might have to construct an entirely new test or lab assignment for an absent child, possibly incurring hours of extra work.

Is there anything academic that would be particularly difficult to miss?

It may be relatively easy for a child to read a novel and write a reflection while on the road, but there are many other academic activities which can only be done in the classroom. Is this the one week a year where your school does frog dissection? Would that be a problem for your biology obsessed son? Is this the week that the famous author comes to do a reading? Would your future novelist be outraged to miss this? Is this the month that your school puts on the Colonial Fair, or goes on a field trip to Washington, or does stock market simulations? Is this testing week? Do some research before committing.

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Jiminy says, “Can you live with your conscience if you miss it?”

Is there anything non-academic at school (or elsewhere) that would be difficult to miss?

When my oldest was in middle school, we planned a mommy/daughter bonding trip to WDW to participate in a RunDisney race together. I thought I was savvy to the pitfalls of missing school and arranged our trip so that she would only miss half a day of class. This turned out to be the half a day in which her school took the photo of the entire 8th grade. You know, the one that would hang in the school lobby forever. After much discussion and hand-wringing, we were able to switch to flight a few hours later so that she could be in the picture.

Again, before committing to a mid-year vacation, ask around to see what pitfalls your might encounter. Is this the week of the school play? Will the soccer coach cut kids who exceed an absence limit? Will you be traveling during your child’s optimal SAT test date? Is this audition time for the ballet/choir/violin group? When is the school carnival? You get the idea.

Does my child have an opinion about this topic?

Some kids are thrilled to have any excuse to miss school. Others will feel guilt/sadness/fear about missing class time. You are obviously the adult making the final call, but it may be worth checking in with your child on the topic.

If you’re planning to surprise your child with a trip, you may want to think about how he has reacted to school absences for medical reasons.

Would any part of my plan involve a lie?

Some folks will take their children out of class for vacation but tell the school administration that there are medical issues (or some other fabrication). I’m not here to judge, but I will note that young children are particularly poor at secret keeping. You can expect that if you go to Disney World, your child’s teacher will know about it.

Is there really no other travel time that makes sense?

The veeeery cheapest travel times may be during the school year, but your district’s calendar may allow travel during an almost cheapest time without the need to miss school. Take a look at stealth holidays (Patriot’s Day, Teacher Conference Week, Yom Kippur, etc.) that may allow travel during the school year.

Will your child be missing any particularly unique experiences at school?

Is there any true academic benefit to the trip?

Some folks will claim that a Disney vacation educational. That may be true, but then again it may not. If you’re trying to “sell” your teacher or administration on the absence, try to provide some tangible academic benefit such as participation in a Disney Youth Education program.

Is there any uncommon family benefit to the trip?

There are some unique family experiences that trump nearly all academic issues. For example, if a military parent is home for only a brief leave, a vacation together might be well worth some missed classes. Other possible examples include a wedding or a grandparent’s significant birthday.

What’s the general zeitgeist on this topic in my community? Do I care?

Some communities have a “It’s my kid and I’ll do what I want” attitude about missing school, while others have a “Oh Em Gee, did you hear that the Smith’s took little Susie out of school for a trip to Disney World, they’re so irresponsible” attitude. You may or may not care about this, but if you’re in community #2, you may want to consider whether your child might overhear any negative chatter about your family and how you’ll react if he does.

At what point in the school year will the absence occur?

Disney rates are quite low in September, but in many parts of the country the school year is just beginning then. Will an absence early in the year impede your child’s bonding with new friends or a new teacher? Conversely, might it be easier to recover from missed lessons during the review-from-last-year season?

How many days of school will the child miss?

There’s a difference between having your child miss one or two days of school vs. having him miss a week or more. Something to consider.

Will the after effects of the trip impact additional school days?

If you’re traveling from another time zone or if your flight will arrive home late at night, your child may experience exhaustion that carries forward for several days after you return home. You may want to consider those “lost days” in your planning process.

Is this absence something that’s likely to be repeated?

Missing school days for one vacation during a year, or set of years, is one type of issue. Missing school days for several vacations per year is a mouse of a different color. Think about all the issues above, but magnified, if you’re a family of frequent school year travelers.

Do you have any other things to think about for guests considering taking their child out of school for a Disney vacation? Would these questions apply to any vacation or just a Disney vacation? Let us know in the comments below.

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Published on January 01, 2014 03:00

December 31, 2013

PotterWatch: Christmas Week Diagon Alley Update and Gringotts Queue Rumors

By Seth Kubersky

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Did Santa bring you everything you wanted from Universal Orlando this year? If your Wizarding World of Harry Potter wish list included a Christmas week Diagon Alley update — complete with PotterWatch’s first look at parts of the London Waterfront’s color scheme — then we are here to deliver your post-Xmas presents.

Diagon Alley Construction Update

While progress slowed somewhat over the holiday week, here is a complete overview at the Diagon Alley project, taken on December 26th, 2013. For variety’s sake, this time we’ll start from the World Expo end of the construction:

Day after Christmas Diagon Alley update (photos by Seth Kubersky)

A close-up look at the Grimmauld Place facade detail:

Peeking around the corner to the backstage/expansion area (which should eventually be concealed):

A panoramic picture of the Diagon Alley project from the northern end.

Please pay no attention to the transdimensional aliens walking past…

Wyndham theater facade:

A coat of reddish paint is being applied to the building between Wyndham and Kings Cross:

At the end, Kings Cross train station is coming along:

One last panorama, captured from the south end.

News and Rumors

Shortly before Christmas, our friends at Orlando Attractions Magazine took a helicopter ride over the Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Diagon Alley construction site, and came back with some stunning shots of what’s behind the construction walls.

The key image they came back with was this look down Diagon Alley, revealing the buildings that will hold the new larger Ollivanders Wand Shop:

Photo courtesy Orlando Attractions Magazine

Universal recently released two brief “teaser trailers” for Diagon Alley via social media in hopes they’ll go viral:

Then, on Christmas Day, HateToFly leaked the following hints on Twitter, purporting to detail rooms in the Gringotts ride queue:

Scene 1: Entry Vestibule, this circular room will divide stand bye Express singles and be the break off point for the extended queue

Scene 2: Marble Hall, a full recreation of the Gringotts Bank Hall. With AA’s, 3 Chandeliers, 40-50ft ceilings and lots of marble

Scene 3: Vault Showroom, this room displays 4 massive vaults to its visitors on the right side as they pass through.

Scene 4: Security Office, this scene will feature projected effects as well as live actors to “capture” a unique opportunity.

Scene 5: The Goblins Hall: This long hall will feature faux rooms, goblins, and a number of trinkets…

Scene 6: Bill Weasleys Office, this large room with multiple switchbacks contains a large musion effect and a few falling surprises

Scene 7A: Lift Vestibules, this is a sorting area for the two lifts that will take you down to the depths of Gringotts.

Scene 7B: The Lifts, your divided between 2 highly themed yet motionless lifts that transport u from “offices” to rock engulfed vaults

Scene 8: Cart Station, after exiting the lifts you walk down a highly themed underground hallway and finish at the 3Dglasses station

Final: After the cart station and you grab your glasses you walk up a circular staircase to the center of the load platform.

Look for our multi-part series on preparing for the Harry Potter expansion after the New Year. And standby for the next Wizarding World information dump from Universal Orlando at January 23rd’s media event.

Subscribe to our Universal Orlando Crowd Calendar to get the best Universal Orlando wait-time data and touring plans, and check back soon for the next Wizarding World of Harry Potter construction update!

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Published on December 31, 2013 03:00

December 30, 2013

Walt Disney World Crowd Report – December 22 to 28, 2013

By Fred Hazelton

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Our predictions did very well again this week with no park-level predictions missing by more than two index levels and no resort-wide predictions missing by more than 1. Before we pat ourselves on the back too quickly, we remind ourselves that predicting high wait times during Christmas doesn’t take a lot of science. However, we were pleased to see that our new wait time models did a great job predicting the nuances between each day. We correctly called which parks would have lower wait times and our prediction that The Studios and Animal Kingdom would trail behind Magic Kingdom and Epcot until December 27 proved correct.

Let’s look at how the crowd levels stacked up day-to-day.

The Crowd Report

The Walt Disney World Crowd Report

December 22 to 28, 2013

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Epcot was the busiest park on Sunday as predicted. Spaceship Earth and Mission: SPACE both reached the highest levels on our scale while the other Epcot attractions were all near the top. Soarin’ averaged 84 minutes and Test Track, 81. Magic Kingdom, the Studios and Animal Kingdom were all better choices Sunday as suggested by the Crowd Calendar although they still experienced above average crowds. The level ’6′ observed at the Magic Kingdom was surprising given that the park was open from 8:00 am until 1:00 am, plus Extra Magic Hours in both the morning and evening.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Predictions for Monday were remarkably accurate with only one prediction missing the mark. Epcot reached a level ’9′ again while the other parks were close behind with ’8′ at Magic Kingdom, ’7′ at The Studios and ’7′ at Animal Kingdom. Monday is the first day where we start to see increasing wait times at the major attractions while super headliners remain relatively stable. This is a phenomenon that we see often during peak times where guests forego the long lines at super headliners in favor of secondary attractions like Great Movie Ride, Spaceship Earth and Primeval Whirl.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Christmas Eve crowds were slightly higher than normal this year with both Magic Kingdom and Epcot reaching a level ’10′. At the attraction level, the only attraction to dip below a level ’9′ at these two parks was Winnie the Pooh. The Studios and Animal Kingdom remained better choices as expected with wait times at a level ’8′ and ’7′ respectively on our scale. If you want to feel the Christmas spirit at the parks but don’t want the massive crowds, these two parks will almost always be a better choice. For example, on Tuesday at the Animal Kingdom no attraction had an average posted time higher than 40 minutes.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

The ’10′s continued at Magic Kingdom and Epcot on Christmas day as predicted but the lower levels at The Studios and Animal Kingdom kept the resort wide level at ’9′. Our only missed prediction was an under-prediction by one level at Animal Kingdom which came in at a level ’7′, thanks mostly to the popularity of Dinosaur. Nothing says Christmas Day like a good old fashioned Dino-hunt. If you want to know what a level ’10′ looks like, the average posted wait times at Space Mountain and Soarin’ were 103 minutes and 106 minutes.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

As crowded as it is leading up to Christmas Day, the real impact of Christmas week does not usually hit the parks until after the 25th. Many guests arrive on the 24th and 25th then hit the parks after celebrating Christmas Day. Magic Kingdom and Epcot remained at a level ’10′ on Thursday while The Studios and Animal Kingdom were held to levels ’7′ and ’8′ respectively. Still crowded, but better choices than the other two parks. Space Mountain stayed at an average posted time of 90 minutes, slightly less than Christmas Day but attractions like Jungle Cruise, Buzz Lightyear and Pirates of the Caribbean were jam-packed with average posted waits in the range of 60 to 88 minutes. Again, evidence of the increased popularity of secondary attractions during peak season. However, compare that to the 16 minute average wait at The Studios’ Great Movie Ride on Thursday.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Epcot dipped to a level ’9′ for the first time since December 23rd while Magic Kingdom remained at a level ’10′. On Friday, crowds at The Studios and Animal Kingdom started to increase to match the high numbers at the other parks earlier in the week. The Studios hit a level ’9′ as predicted and our Animal Kingdom prediction of ’9′ proved to be one level too high. By Friday, it becomes difficult to say that any park is a better choice than another. Each park experienced extreme wait times at most attractions (with the only exception being water rides, which depend greatly on the weather).

Saturday, December 28, 2013

We had predicted a level ’8′ for Animal Kingdom on Saturday which brought our resort-wide number to ’9′. As it turned out, Animal Kingdom reached a level ’9′ which pushed the resort-wide crowd to a level ’10′. All parks were extremely busy with average wait times of 103 minutes at Space Mountain, 102 at Test Track, 126 at Toy Story Mania and 57 at Expedition Everest. It is important to remember that these figures represent the average posted times between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm. At mid-day many of these headliners saw posted wait times in the 160 to 220 minute range. Yikes!

What to Expect This Week

December 29, 2013 to January 4, 2014

Simply put, the most extreme wait times of the year. Still, with some planning you can minimize the impact on your touring group. Here are some of our favorite tips for touring the parks during the most crowded week of the year.

The fireworks show at Magic Kingdom on December 30 is a dress rehearsal for the next night. See it and skip it on New Year’s Eve.
If you must do a park on New Year’s Eve, try Hollywood Studios. It is a great show with less mayhem.
Visit the Magic Kingdom early on New Year’s Day. Most guests are recovering from the night before and won’t make it to the park until 11:00 am.
Arrive early, use our holiday touring plans and expect extreme crowds.

To see Walt Disney World Crowd predictions for the days of your vacation, check the Crowd Calendar. Crowd Calendar Example

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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Walt Disney World Crowd Report – December 22 to 28, 2013 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.