Bob Sehlinger's Blog, page 1282

Visiting Walt Disney World During Thanksgiving

By Daisy Lauren

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Thanksgiving is fast approaching and those folks visiting Walt Disney World during the holiday will experience some of the highest attended days all year. As a local, I normally steer clear of the parks when they are at their busiest but I’ve certainly had my share of Thanksgiving Dinners in the parks! With that in mind I wanted to share the benefit of my experience with those brave souls that will be heading out to the parks this holiday season.

There will be lines

It’s important to go into the day with the understanding that the crowds will become unavoidable at some point. Though you can avoid most of the pain by following a Touring Plan, there unfortunately isn’t a FASTPASS for the restroom! It may sound unreal, but ladies should plan on up to a 30 minute wait for facilities during the busy afternoon and evening leading up to the fireworks. Another unexpected location for lines can be counter service restaurants. Even during the non-peak times of day, lines can snake outside the building. That might be understandable for a meal, but that is difficult when you might just be looking for a drink for a thirsty child. I recommend on these very crowded days to bring a water bottle and some snacks in a backpack. The last huge holiday we attended in the park was the Fourth of July. We were prepared with everything we needed to stay in the park, so the restroom was the only line we couldn’t avoid. Doing this made our day much more enjoyable!

See backstage!

During the busiest days of the year, most parks will open up backstage areas and cast walkways to help the swelling crowd move throughout the park. While this might not be something the average guest would even notice, it’s pretty exciting for Disney geeks like me! When else can you see behind the scenes at the most magical place on Earth without paying a tour fee?

Don’t settle for a burger

If you will be spending your holiday at Walt Disney World, then why not celebrate with a proper Thanksgiving feast with all the fixins? Several restaurants in the parks and resorts will have special menus for Thanksgiving. For full details you can call 407-WDW-DINE. My most recent Thanksgiving meal was at The Liberty Tree Tavern, and it was excellent! If you are planning to spend a full day in the parks, a sit down lunch can be a great break in the middle of the day, plus you can avoid the lines at counter service locations. Overall, a nice lunch in the middle of the day is certainly something to be thankful for this year!

Move away from Main Street

If you will be watching the fireworks inside the Magic Kingdom, consider watching them from a location other than Main Street. We love the view from inside New Fantasyland and along the river in Liberty Square. These locations offer an excellent view without standing in an elbow to elbow crowd. You might even consider watching from one of the resorts!

Tour resorts

Don’t lose heart if you decide after a few hours that staying in a packed park isn’t for you. Just outside the gates of the Magic Kingdom is the resort monorail which leads to lots of holiday fun! All of the resorts are decorated for Christmas, but they also have their own special features. At the Contemporary Resort you can find a huge Christmas tree made from gingerbread. Traditionally at this location they sell gingerbread cookies and molded chocolate lollipops. At the Grand Floridian a gingerbread house is constructed every year that is so large cast members sell gingerbread shingles from inside the house! Also for sale are pre-made gingerbread houses and molded chocolate figures of Disney characters. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen anything special at the Polynesian the past couple years, but the resort is beautifully decorated and always worth stopping by. If nothing else the line for a Dole Whip will be much shorter at their counter service restaurant, Captain Cook’s. If you decide to venture past the monorail loop, be sure to stop by the Epcot Resorts where you can see a life size carousel made entirely of chocolate!

Christmas décor and events

Remember that visiting during Thanksgiving means that you will be able to see all the Christmas décor and entertainment offered in the parks! This doesn’t just include Christmas decorations in the parks, but also the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights, Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade, Candlelight Processional, Festival of the Seasons, and the Osborne Family Lights! Of course, if you can visit the week after Thanksgiving, the crowds will be much more reasonable, but if you’ll be in town for the holiday, be sure to take advantage of these seasonal events.

Limited Time Magic?

While most limited time magic events have been forgettable, there is no telling what may be in store for Thanksgiving! I’m personally hoping for the return of a pardoned turkey, but only time will tell!

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

If you aren’t able to make it to Orlando this Thanksgiving weekend, remember you can always tune into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I can’t even remember a year that there wasn’t a Disney balloon featured!

Have you ever been to Walt Disney World for Thanksgiving? What was your best tip to avoid the crowds? Did I miss your favorite Christmas event? Please let us know in the comments below, and – as always – thanks for reading!

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Disney Magic First Impressions

By Laurel Stewart

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On Sunday, October 27, we were lucky enough to set sail on the Disney Magic’s first full-length cruise after a six-week refurbishment in Spain and journey across the Atlantic as the ship headed back to its home port of Miami. The ship’s first post-dry dock voyage was originally scheduled a week prior, but guests were given notice three days before its sailing date that the ship was not going to be ready and that cruise was cancelled. The first official sailing then became a two-night “cruise to nowhere” that left Miami on October 25. Disney Cruise Line was still putting the finishing touches on the ship as it headed out, and maintenance issues – particularly with plumbing – were evident. So far, on this second sailing open to the public, we have not experienced any problems, though the captain did mention in his greeting to guests that parts of the ship are still being finished.

Disney had an ambitious schedule for the time the Magic was offline for improvements. The AquaDunk, a short, steep water slide, was added to the pool deck (the AquaDuck, found on the Dream and Fantasy, could not be added due to the smaller size of the Magic). The AquaLab splash area was also built in by the kids’ pool, though it is not as large or complex as the area of the same name on the larger ships. While we haven’t experienced the AquaDunk yet, our first of impression is that the ride is very brief. Lines did not seem to build up the way they do for the AquaDuck, though tomorrow’s sea day will be the true test of that.

Rainforest Room at Senses Spa

We were very much looking forward to Senses, the re-theming of the former Vista Spa. The lobby has been made over in a very attractive, subtle theme, but the treatment rooms, fitness room, and Rainforest spa area remain as they were in the Vista Spa. This is a disappointment to us as we are huge fans of the Rainforest area on the Dream and Fantasy.

Staterooms (we are in a category 5) are very much as they were previously though the new raised beds are very nice for storing baggage under. Bathrooms still show the wear evident of a 15 year old ship.

We are split on our opinions of the new After Hours adult lounge area versus its previous Beat Street incarnation. Laurel finds the area lacking any real theming, while Len thinks it’s a big improvement. There is a new drink menu in Keys (the former Sessions), which has some exclusive recipes and oddly higher drink prices than anywhere we’ve seen on DCL in the past, including a $15 Old Fashioned (this may have been a Manhattan; we don’t remember, as neither of us had it). Other cocktails are $10.75, higher than the $8-10 we’re used to seeing elsewhere on the ship. Fathoms doesn’t seem to improve much on Beat Street, though the folks playing bingo tonight were having a good time.

Fathoms Lounge

The atrium has gotten a new chandelier and carpeting, which are very nice. And Shutters now has the electronic kiosks for previewing your onboard photos. Oddly, the Promenade Lounge still has the unused Internet area with terminals for checking email while onboard. In several cruises, we have never seen a single guest using the area.

Cabanas, the restyled buffet on Deck 9, is also improved. New seating in the back has made the restaurant more open. The way you enter the buffet line is still the same, and the walkways are still too narrow to walk against traffic, but it’s better than it was.

The big surprise tonight was the new show, Walt Disney: The Dream Goes On. It’s no secret that we’re generally not fans of the evening entertainment, but this show at least tries to break new ground. It is a retrospective of the Walt Disney Company that is unlike any show we’ve seen on the Cruise Line. We definitely applaud the entertainment staff for not going the route of the typical live show, though it was definitely uneven. Hopefully Disney will continue to tweak the script, as the parts featuring the theme parks and lesser seen movies got the most enthusiastic audience reactions of the night.

Improved Traffic Flow at Cabanas

Our dinner rotation tonight brought us to Lumiere’s, the one restaurant that hasn’t been reimagined on the ship. We look forward to bringing you our reviews of Animator’s Palate and Carioca’s later this week.

Until then, let us know your questions about the Magic. We plan to blog about the ship every night we’re onboard as long as the ship’s Internet allows.

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Classic Disney Souvenir: The Cut Paper Silhouette

By Erin Foster

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One of favorite Disney souvenirs has absolutely nothing to do with Mickey, Minnie, or any other Disney character. It’s all about my kids and their beautiful faces (just one mom’s opinion ) captured in a moment of stillness. Of course I’m talking about the Cut Paper Silhouette. These miniature works of art are created on the spot, right at Walt Disney World. They’re a unique instant heirloom, and as an added bonus they’re sold at a very reasonable price point. Here’s what you need to know:

Having a silhouette portrait cut on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom.

What exactly is a Cut Paper Silhouette?

Pretty much what it sounds like. You pose for an artist who cuts a portrait of your profile from plain black paper, resulting in a shadow-like image.

Where can I have this done at Walt Disney World?

The silhouette artists are stationed in several locations. The one that most folks see first is a cart on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. It’s on the right as you’re facing the castle, about half way down the street. There’s another cart in Liberty Square in the Magic Kingdom, as well as a cart at Downtown Disney, an an easel in the France area at Epcot.

How much does it cost?

Prices can change, but currently (fall 2013) each silhouette cutting costs $8.00. This is the per person rate. For this fee, you typically get two mirror image silhouette portraits. The silhouette carts also sell frames suitable for displaying the silhouettes. The basic model costs about $8.00. The frames add to the presentation, but they’re by no means required. Pricing at the Downtown Disney cart may be slightly higher than the price in the parks.

Are there specific hours?

The carts have variable hours depending on the day/season. Stop by any guest relations office to inquire about the hours at the time of your visit. Also bear in mind that these are artists stationed outdoors, so they may curtail service during inclement weather.

What is the framing like?

They’re sturdy black plastic, with a painted gold detail on an interior rim. From a moderate distance they look quite substantial. If you’re looking for something more ornate or made of different materials, you’re certainly welcome to take your silhouettes home and have them framed at a local vendor.

How long does it take?

It’s amazingly quick, less than two minutes for each person posing. When I had this done, each of the five members of my family posed, we had the cuttings framed, and had everything paid for in about 15 minutes.

Are there age requirements for this?

No, they’ll cut portraits of anyone, even babies.

What if my child won’t sit still?

With little kids, the squirm factor may be an issue. While the pose time is short, you do have to remain fairly still during that time. If you have a preschooler or toddler, you may want to load up your phone/iPod/tablet/etc. with a favorite movie and hold it at eye level, just in front of the child. That’s usually enough to keep them still and engage their attention for a minute or two.

You can also have a child sit on mom or dad’s lap during the portrait cutting, if this makes them feel more secure.

Cart in Liberty Square.

Are all the artists good? Will this really look like my child?

Many of the silhouette artists have been there for years. I first had silhouettes cut of my family in 2007. When I was at Walt Disney World in September 2013, I saw the same artist at the Magic Kingdom, still cutting portraits. She’s wonderful at her job, getting every detail right, even down to the earrings and eyelashes.

If you have concerns, you’re welcome to watch the artists work with other guests to assess their skill, but for the most part they are extremely talented. And worst case scenario, you’re only out eight bucks.

Will there be a long wait to have this done?

There is rarely a line for this service. If several guests are interested at the same time, they’ll often make a “first come, first served” list and give you an estimate of when to come back.

Why do I see some frames holding one portrait and others with several portraits?

You can choose how you want the silhouettes to be presented. You can have each family member framed separately, or if you’re looking to economize (or just like the look better) you can have several silhouettes presented in the same frame. It often works best if these are children youngest/smallest to oldest or a couple together.

I’m nervous about carrying this around an having it ruined. What are my options?

The silhouettes are typically given to you protected by sturdy cardboard, or safely housed in a frame (if you’ve chosen that option). However, if you still don’t want to carry the art, you can arrange to pick it up at the cart later in the day or have it sent to your Disney resort.

Any other tips?

If you’re having your daughter styled at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, you can get a really fun silhouette cut with her presented in princess style.

You can scan the silhouettes at home and use the art in any way that you might use a photograph. Make it your Facebook profile picture (A profile for your profile, ha!). Use the art for your holiday cards. Embellish a tote bag for grandma’s birthday. Craft the perfect scrapbook page. Use the images of couple for an engagement or wedding party invitation. You get the idea – just have fun!

Have you had silhouettes made of your family? Is this something you’d like to do in the future? What have your experiences been? Let us know in the comments below.

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Increases In Legacy FASTPASS Distribution Rates

By Fred Hazelton

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According to reports from our staff in the parks and our collection of return times, Walt Disney World legacy FASTPASS (the paper tickets) distribution rates have drastically increased for some attractions.

Historically, on an average day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the rate of FASTPASS distribution will be around 3:1. That is, for every 1 minute of time that passes, the FASTPASS return time will increment by 3 minutes. On a busy day, that ratio will increase to about 6.5:1. Recently, we have seen distribution rates that far exceed those on even the busiest historical days. We are examining the distribution rates and considering alterations to our predictions of FASTPASS return rates in our optimizer. We hope to have some results to report soon.

In the meantime, when you are in the parks, make sure to click “Optimize” on your Touring Plan in the Lines app. During the day, if the rates are higher than predicted, the optimizer will adjust accordingly.

Incidentally, we have seen this before, way back in October 2010. Check out this blog post from the archives. As it was then, this may be a temporary phenomenon.

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38th Annual Festival of the Masters To Take Place At Downtown Disney in Walt Disney World

By Rikki Niblett

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©Disney

The Festival of the Masters, presented by Michaels, is an open-air fine arts festival that takes place throughout Downtown Disney in Florida. This year’s festival, which takes place from November 8-10, marks its 38th year.

This fantastic showcase of more than 300 talented artists will feature many different types of art pieces. These will include paintings, photography, sculpting pieces, chalk art, blown glass, jewelry, and more.

Guests will also want to take in the Disney Artist Village, which will see official Disney art for sale, as well as meet and greet opportunities with more than 25 of these talented visionaries. In addition, performances will take place at the Waterside Stage found on the Marketplace side, where artists will perform live shows, as well as hold interactive chats.

©Disney

For families, special activities will take place, including crafts, coloring Disney-inspired art, and the “Michaels Master Mural,” a place where guests can help create a mosaic-like mural. There will also be a Children’s Chalk Art display, where guests can draw their own art, as well as a giant LEGO mural and masterpiece where the kids in attendance are invited to help create a fantastic piece.

New for this year’s Festival will be the Mixers and Masters.Artistic combinations of specialty drinks will be created and sold at participating restaurants. Drinks include the Pinkberry Martini from Wolfgang Puck Café, Caveman Painters Punch from T-Rex Café, Blue Nile from Rainforest Café, Huckleberry Lemonade at Splitsville, Picasso Punch from Paradiso 37, sangria from Fulton’s Crab House a Strega-rita from Portobello, a pineapple mojito at Bongos Cuban Café, and a Planet Feature Presentation from Planet Hollywood.

Guests may also take in “The Art of Mixology” at the Waterside Stage, with experts showing what goes into making an artfully delicious cocktail during each 10-minute demo. These showcases will happen three times a day.

©Disney

Other activities include special artist appearances at Hoypoloi and Pop Gallery, live performances from Cirque du Soleil La Nouba, the House of Blues 15th year celebration of its Folk Art Festival with more than 30 accomplished artists, and live entertainment at House of Blues, Splitsville, Raglan Road, and Bongos Cuban Café

The event will take place from 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. on Friday, November 8, and Saturday, November 9. On Sunday, November 10, the event will run from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Admission and self-parking are free for the event at Downtown Disney.  For more information, visit DisneyFestivaloftheMasters.com.

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This Week On TouringPlans YouTube Channel: Everest, Omnibuses, Seafood Crepes, and More!

By Guy Selga Jr.

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Every Friday on the TouringPlans Blog we bring you the week’s newest videos from our YouTube channel. Let’s get started!

Can’t be in Walt Disney World today? Take a ride, via video, on Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

On this week’s Ask Jim Hill, Jim Hill and Len Testa discuss the changes to Universal Orlando’s The Amazing Spider-Man attraction. Jim also answers a viewer question about Ryan’s Kilt from High School Musical.

More videos after the jump.

Enjoy this review of the delicious Seafood Herb Crepe ($18.49) from Cafe Orleans in Disneyland.

I’m proud to bring you a video ride through of the greatest Disney attraction ever built, the Main Street Omnibus!!

That’s all for this week. We add new videos to the channel several times a week. Be sure to head to http://youtube.com/touringplans and subscribe!

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Limited Time Magic For October 28 – November 3

By Rikki Niblett

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©Disney

With Halloween this week, it’s time to get in the ghostly spirit. This week’s Limited Time Magic does just that.

At Walt Disney World from October 28 – November 1, guests will be able to have an eerie time at The Happy Haunted Horseshoe in Frontierland at the Magic Kingdom. (Otherwise known throughout the rest of the year as The Diamond Horseshoe.) The hall has been redecorated for the holiday in a spooktacular manner.

From 11 am – 3 pm, guests are invited to join hostess Miss Betty Blue, as she presents some hauntingly good entertainment including the barbershop quartet, The Cadaver Dans, the piano playing Dearly Departed Stan, and magician Abner Cadaver. Guests will be able to grab a Halloween inspired treat, including a special cupcake.

Over at Disneyland, The Cadaver Dans will be sharing their terrorific tunes in front of The Haunted Mansion in New Orleans Square. Performances will take place from October 28 – November 3. Check a Times Guide for exact show times.

This will be a frightfully good experience. Just make sure that one of these ghouls doesn’t follow you home.

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Morning Menace: Halloween Horror Nights 23 Unmasking the Horror Review (La Llorona, The Walking Dead, and The Cabin in the Woods)

By Derek Burgan

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As a big fan of Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights event, I knew after going in 2012 that I wanted to take a lights on tour of the houses as part of the Unmasking the Horror VIP tours. This year Universal broke up their tours into two sessions. The Morning Menace tour started at 10:30AM while the Afternoon Abominations tour started at 2:00PM. Each tour cost $59.99 per person-per tour, or $99.99 if you did both tours. Myself, Brandon Glover from the Universal NOW! podcast, and friend of the show Zeus Navarro signed up for both sessions.

To start the day we were directed to check in “promptly” at 10:00AM at the VIP check in lobby located next to the guest services windows at the front of Universal Studios Florida (USF). We were checking out the Royal Pacific Resort that morning and ended up running a little late, arriving at about 10:20. There was an interesting directory outside the main door with some great tributes to the history of Universal including Lew Wasserman (who has a statue in the New York section of the park and was a key figure in getting USF built) and “Leonidas Chaney,” who we know better as Lon Chaney and one of the most iconic horror movie actors of all time.

Sign outside VIP check in at Universal Studios Florida

(Remember you can click on any picture to see the full size version of it.)

At the check in desk we received a Halloween Horror Nights 23 lanyard and our ticket. I held out on getting a lanyard for years, wondering what the point of them was but I now consider them to be an invaluable asset to touring theme parks. It is sooooooo much easier to let Universal scan the tickets (whether park admission, Express Passes, photo connect card, etc) by just holding up the lanyard than keep getting them out of your pocket.

We then went upstairs, where we walked past a couple of themed rooms. Nice little touch. I believe we were actually the last guests to enter the room where everyone was waiting.

Themed rooms at VIP check in area

In the room we were then separated into groups of about 10-12 people, each assigned to a VIP tour guide. Meg would be our guide for the day and she was amazing. Throughout the entire day she talked about the individual houses, the USF park itself, Halloween Horror Nights history, and even the individual intellectual properties themselves (like Walking Dead,  The Cabin in the Woods.) If you take a VIP tour at Universal, Unmasking the Horror or otherwise, ask for Meg.

We walked through USF over to our first house of the tour, La Llorona, but along the way we stopped at some of the scare zones including what every Walking Dead fan knows as “Dale’s camper” in the campground section outside of Animal Actors on Location. On top of the camper, Meg pointed out the crows and told us to keep an eye out for them throughout the entire HHN experience as they can be considered an Easter Egg that Universal Creative hid throughout the houses and park.

Meg talked to us about the various type of agreements Universal has with each of its licenses. For example, in last year’s Walking Dead there absolutely ZERO references to any actual characters on the show. This was very noticeable and one of the (several) reasons I felt the experience in HHN 22 was lacking. This year, thanks in part to Walking Dead executive producer Greg Niotero, Universal could use characters who have been “turned” but not any characters who were still alive. This is why we got to see Michonne’s walkers, the Bicycle Girl, Merle, and the Governor’s daughter Penny (among others) in HHN 23. The addition of actual recognizable characters to the event increased my enjoyment by at least a factor of 10. They could also have a little fun by making allusions to other characters, such as this marking on the iconic camper.

For plausible deniability, this could be “Dave” and not “Dale”…

We walked backstage (no photos allowed in this area of the tour) and approached the La Llorona house. Unlike last year, where this location had the Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare house, there was a full facade set up that really added to the experience. I loved it.

The biggest difference between this representation of a Mexican church and a real one? No wrestling masks for sale outside.

The first “scene” you walk into for La Llorona is a funeral service for dead children. One of the creepiest things I have ever seen at a theme park. The bodies were actually a bit bloated to show the effects of drowning. Great detail.

Not even Master Pai Mei would be able to help the kid get out of this coffin

In all the houses, Meg would explain to us where the scare actors would be in scenes and how they would interact with guests. For this particular scene, “grieving” women would rise to shock the people walking through.

Patiently waiting for the long rumored reunion of Menudo…

Child skeleton

At night this area is filled with water and is incredibly creepy

Meg explained that the first half of La Llorona was inspired by the Universal Hollywood version of La Llorona, as they have used the Mexican legend as a haunted house for several of their Halloween Horror Nights. The second half of the house was completely original by Universal Creative in Orlando.

During the day this room seems innocuous. At night it is one of the best walk through parts of any of the HHN houses. Chilling and eery.

Meg talked about the areas that Scareactors hid in and how they could move around to scare guests multiple times, including using the fabled Pepper’s Ghost effect. She also showed how Universal subtly guides guests throughout the experience, keeping them out of areas they shouldn’t be in and away from scare actors. Fascinating stuff.

Zeus shows us one of the tricks Universal uses to throw people off. The person in front of you is actually about 20 feet to your left.

After leaving La Llorona, we continued our walk backstage into the parade building that housed Walking Dead: No Safe Haven. This was a fun walk as we got to have a peek along the way at the infrastructure Universal has behind the scenes to the keep the entire park (and HHN) running. I liked seeing the Mardi Gras floats lying in wait for Feb 8th, 2014 to roll around.

Meg talked to us about the entrance to Walking Dead being the only HHN house that had scare actors at the front before you even enter. She also explained some of the tricks Universal uses to scare the guests, such as the cage on the right hand side seemingly being complete and guests feeling confident that they can taunt the “walker” inside, only to find out one of the walls is missing. The facade itself was representing The Arena from the town of Woodbury.

Entrance to The Walking Dead: No Safe Haven

The first room we got to see was the interrogation area, which was followed by a room that had a great homage to the scene from Season 3 in which Glenn was trapped in a room with a walker and killed it with a piece of  wood from a chair.

Have a seat Andrea. We just have a few questions to ask…

I can’t remember if this was a shot from the tour or my accommodations at Disney’s All Star Sports Resort

Walking through HHN at night we got to see the AWESOME effect of the Governor’s collections of heads in the fish tanks. Meg explained how Universal got to have the heads floating in water, but also so that the faces actually looked out at the guests instead of moving all around. They used little suction cups.

Head from one of the Governor’s collection. If you look at bottom left you’ll see the suction cup that keeps it floating in the correct position.

The prison area of the Walking Dead house was a lot of fun. Throughout the tour Meg explained to us the social dynamics of HHN and how guests just love to touch stuff. Most items need to be nailed down, but one prop is actually used to trigger an effect. While in almost all cases the scare actor themselves have hidden cues they use to set up effects, one room has the rotary phone that Rick used in the Walking Dead. When a guest picks up the receiver of the phone, it sets off an audio cue of Lori talking to you.

 

LOST fans should recognize the Dharma Initiative logo.

While finishing up the house in the cell block of the prison, Meg explained that the Walking Dead house needed to be able to get 2000 people per hour through the experience and what the Universal team members do – again, in subtle ways – to keep guests moving throughout the experience. We got a lot of great intel on the work it takes to keep guests constantly moving but not making them feel like they are being rushed through.

Nice nod to a character who had to have his leg cut off in Season 3 of The Walking Dead.

After Walking Dead, we walked back to the front of the park to visit our last house of the morning tour, The Cabin in the Woods. This was the house I was looking forward to seeing the most because it was my favorite movie of the ones used for the event (secret shame: I have yet to watch An American Werewolf in London) and it was my favorite house walking through the actual HHN experience at night. For wrestling fans, this was one of the houses used in Soundstage 21, the former (and future?) home to TNA’s Impact Zone.

A crow welcomes us to The Cabin in the Woods house

Even before you enter the house the body count starts. And we all know who had to go first…

The first room of the house is a recreation of the main room and kitchen of the cabin in which the kids spent time in. Meg talked to us about Universal taping up screen shots from the films licensed for HHN and tape them up all over the house to try to get as close to movie-acurate as they can.

One of my absolute FAVORITE things that I only knew about because of the tour was Universal Creative making 20 Penny Circus beer bottles as set decoration. 20 Penny Circus was an act that played at HHN 22 in 2012, and one that I really enjoyed.

Some people loved the werewolf puppets, but this was my favorite prop in HHN 23

This is why we can’t have nice stuff. We ruin things for no reason. Right, painting of Tony Baxter?

We were led through several rooms of the cabin, but down in the basement is where business really picked up. This was the room which had all the items in the which the characters in the movie would use to trigger a particular horror archetype to come kill them.

An interactive queue as designed by Rob Zombie

While not said in the movie, a film strip from these reels would have triggered Kevin, the normal looking Best Buy employee who dismembers people

The Conch which would have called The Merman

Patience Buckner’s diary, whose Latin passage unleashes the Zombie Redneck Torture Family. Also pictured, the totem which would have triggered Len Testa and the rest of the Vampiric Analytical Team

We eventually made our way to the elevator scene, which was pound for pound my favorite scene of any house in HHN 23 when I toured the event at night. An awesome experience. The elevator room is pretty damn creepy during the day as well.

Most houses at HHN use about 7 gallons of blood. The Cabin in the Woods used 15!

The Big Board. So many shout outs to classic horror movies.

Merman in action. “Oh come on!”

The carnage continues for several more rooms with some great looks at characters including Jack Schmidt, one of the iconic Halloween Horror Nights characters created by Universal.

During HHN nights a scare actor is among this gang

Repurposed character from The Thing house that was a part of HHN 21 in 2011

That was it for the first half of our tour. It lasted about  2 hours and 15 min. We were allowed to take as many pictures as we wanted but no video was allowed. An absolutely insanely awesome experience and I already knew I’d be doing Unmasking the Horror tours every year from this point on. The group split up for lunch and would meet back by the Barnyard Hot Dog food station by the Twister attraction at 2:00PM to continue with Afternoon Abominations where we would tour Resident Evil: Escape From Raccoon City, Evil Dead, and most people’s favorite HHN house of all time, An American Werewolf in London. To Be Continued….

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Morning Menace: Halloween Horror Nights 23 Unmasking the Horror Review (La Llorona, The Walking Dead, and The Cabin in the Woods) is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

Disney Cruise Line Coverage Now On TouringPlans.com

By Len Testa

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Today we’re launching coverage of the Disney Cruise Line!

It’s more than 300 pages and 400 photos – the largest expansion ever to TouringPlans.com. You’ll find detailed reviews of every ship, port, show, restaurant, bar, and activity on-board, plus itinerary, port, and Port Adventure details.

Our Coverage Includes

A new Fare Tracker shows you the daily price of every cruise on every ship for every stateroom category. See whether you’ll save money by booking now or waiting, and see how Disney priced the same cruise last year.


Details and photos of the Magic, Wonder, Dream, and Fantasy, including stateroom types and descriptions, children’s clubs and activities, restaurant and bar reviews, family activities, how to meet characters, on-board seminars, and shopping. We’ll even tell you which theater shows to skip for more time at Senses Spa.


Specific advice on the best itineraries for first-time cruisers: which deck to choose, best ports of call, and which Port Adventure shore excursions are worth your money.


Complete coverage of Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island, including reviews of every Port Adventure activity, what to pack for your day, food and bar reviews, and more.


Packing tips, passport and ID requirements, advice for families with special needs or dietary restrictions, guides to tipping and gratuities, transportation and parking tips for each port, where to spend the night before your cruise, the check-in and boarding process, the daily Personal Navigator hand-out, and how to prepare for coming home.

If this is your first-ever cruise, or your first Disney cruise, we’ve got all the information you need to have a better trip. And if this ain’t your first lifeboat drill, we think we have some tips and secrets for you, too.

This weekend we’re headed out on the newly-renovated Disney Magic. We’ll update the site with reviews and photos while we’re on board.

Our Disney Cruise Line content will be available as a free preview at least through October 31, 2013. It’ll be available via subscription after that.

We’re fortunate to have authors Erin Foster and Laurel Stewart, both Disney cruise and theme park veterans, along with dozens of talented photographers contributing to the DCL site.

If you have any suggestions or feedback, please post it to our new support site. Issues that require immediate attention should be emailed to dcl@touringplans.com.

Note: We’re still loading fare data and shore excursions into the site. That should be finished shortly.

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Observations from Downtown Disney for October 20, 2013 (House of Blues, World of Disney, Precious Moments, and BabyCakes NYC)

By Derek Burgan

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While Morgan Crutchfield was getting a private tour of the Cinderella Castle Suite at the Magic Kingdom, I was ripping every last single hair out of my head trying to find a parking spot at Downtown Disney, the soon to be renamed Hyperion Wharf Disney Springs. In a stroke of mad genius, I decided to stop by both the Orlando Premium Outlet mall and Downtown Disney on a Sunday afternoon, which is apparently the equivalent of trying to ride Soarin’ on New Year’s Eve.

After pulling into the parking lot in front of T-REX and fruitlessly searching for a parking spot, I ended up driving all the way down to the lot that is in front of Cirque du Soleil – La Nouba. I still had to search for a spot in this lot, and thankfully someone was leaving during one of my trips going back and forth. I can’t even fathom how bad trying to find a parking spot will be when the Christmas shopping season comes.

Down by La Nouba they had a huge photo op set outside. There was a similar one over in the Marketplace section in front of Earl of Sandwich.

One of Downtown Disney’s “weenies”

Because I had just driven over from the Premium Outlets and was operating on Stress Level: Midnight, the first thing I needed to do was have a drink, and since the first place that offers alcohol on the West Side is Crossroads at House of Blues, that made the decision easy. I have heard a lot of positive feedback over the years from people who have gone to House of Blues, but mostly from those who have gone to the concerts that they hold at the venue. It was time to see how the food was inside. You might have noticed that I’ve been referring to the restaurant as Crossroads at House of Blues. That is the apparently the actual name of the restaurant, but I’m going to just refer to it from this point on as simply “House of Blues” like every other sane person on the planet.

One thing that was interesting walking into the restaurant was the amount of artwork covering the walls. Very unique pieces by a whole bunch of different artists. I wasn’t sure of what the overall theme was, but it was neat seeing everything. On the ceiling were some great looking portraits of famous blues musicians. The bar area was humongous and impressive, but I ended up sitting at a table nearby. There is a large TV above the center of the bar that they had playing NFL games, so they definitely get points for that.

After checking out the menu, I ended up going with a House of Blues salad (I asked for avocado as a substitution for feta cheese. $6.99 plus $1.49 for the avocado), the cornbread with maple butter ($7.99), the pulled pork sliders ($9.99), and a side of french fries ($3.99). The salad was very good. The cornbread was served in a skillet, which I always love. I wasn’t a big of a fan of the jalapeño flakes that were inside the cornbread, but the maple butter more than made up for that. The pulled pork sliders were very tasty, but extremely pricey at almost $10 for two small ones. You can buy a third slider for $3 more. When I realized the sliders didn’t come with fries (I think I just assumed they did given the price), I ordered some on the side. The fries were very good but were a really small portion for the price tag. The smoky tomato BBQ sauce and homemade slaw on the sliders was excellent.

The House of Blues Salad ($6.99) with avocado

Pulled Pork Sliders ($9.99)

Cornbread with Maple Butter ($7.99)

The main bar area at House of Blues

One of the many pieces of original art throughout the restaurant

House of Blues gets a thumbs up, and I am looking forward to returning in the future to try a couple more items on the menu that caught my eye, including the Triple Chocolate Cheesecake. A very unique atmosphere throughout the entire building, both inside and out, and that combined with good food overcome any concerns I have with the pricing. If I wasn’t forced into parking in this section of Downtown Disney, it might have been months or years before I actually tried the restaurant, so my Falling Down-like driving experience earlier in the day was actually worth it in the end.

Next up was a walk over through the West Side, and I ran into construction for an upcoming Starbucks that will be taking the place of Wetzel’s Pretzels. The concept art for the new Starbucks doesn’t seem to go with the atmosphere that Disney unveiled for Disney Springs but what do I know? #story

Concept art for the Starbucks coming to Downtown Disney

Next up was a walk through the former Pleasure Island, where more construction was taking place.

I love that the “You Are Here” part of this Downtown Disney map has you floating in Village Lake.

I believe this spot is where the Build-A-Duffy store is going to go.

Time to head over to World of Disney, one of my favorite stores in all of Orlando, and check things out. Plenty of Halloween themed merchandise throughout the store, including these two “toothpick holders” ($9.95 for Haunted Mansion one, $7.95 for Wicked Queen).

This Mickey-as-Jack Skellington plush is actually pretty creepy ($17.95)

When synergy goes wrong

Now onto some shirts. First the Good… This “My Walt Disney World Adventure!” shirt for kids is great. ($19.95)

My Walt Disney World Adventure shirt

This sweatshirt looks like it would be really neat to see at night when it glows in the dark.

LOVE this 8 bit Mickey one. Would love to see like a montage of characters in this style.

8 bit Mickey

This “tape Mickey” shirt gets points for originality ($24.95)

I like this Oswald shirt. I was looking for a normal size Oswald plush but all they were selling were really bad looking giant ones (will include picture after shirt). Shirt :$27.95. Doll: $29.95.

 

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit doll

This shirt reminded me of the cool “This Area Is Being Refurbished For Your Enjoyment” shirts Disney was selling during the construction of New Fantasyland.

Here are a couple shirts where I wonder exactly who exactly is the target audience they are designed for? First one up is $31.95! I have a feeling I’ll be seeing it at the Character Warehouse shortly.

Am I too old or too young to not understand this one?

This “swaggy” shirt may legitimately be the dumbest piece of Disney merchandise I have ever seen, and keep in mind I have seen the Turkey Leg hats and air fresheners. ($24.95)

Incomprehensible

Time for a quick run over to Once Upon a Toy…

 

The biggest surprise here was this table of “Precious Moments Collection” Disney dolls. At first I was bewildered why anyone would buy this just looking at the orange princesses they had up front, but all around the display were some really neat takes on classic Disney characters. Pretty pricey to collect, though.

 

Disney Princesses meets Children of the Corn III

Wendy, Peter Pan, and Captain Hook

Tinker Bell

Mary Poppins

Brave’s Merida and her three brothers. Seeing this set sold me on the line. Pretty cool.

Snow White and the 7 Dwarves

Next up was a bunch of “it’s a small world” dolls done in the new style of dolls that Disney is pushing with its Animator’s Collection. ($34.95 each)

It’s a Small World dolls

I liked this panda toy and seeing it suddenly made a scene in The Simpsons Ride make a lot more sense…

Panda from It’s a Small World collection

Enjoyed this Muppet shirt. I don’t think it’s that new, but it stood out to me on this trip. ($24.95)

Yes, the picture with my finger in it was actually the best shot I took of this shirt. Shockingly enough, Annie Leibovitz isn’t returning my calls.

I have to imagine boys would want this Gaston Archery Set ($22.95) as much as I desperately wanted my parents to buy me a Pirates of the Caribbean pistol back in the day.

 

Couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this one. ($3.95)

 

The ‘stache craze continues with this Disney Mouse-stache set that includes Sully, a Hitchiking Ghost, Captain Hook, Gepetto, Cheshire Cat and Jafar. As much as I want to hate it, I can’t. Too cute. ($6.95)

Mouse-staches

Last stop, as always, was getting an order from BabyCakes NYC to take home with me. First a bunch of cupcakes (6 for $20)

Cupcakes from the best bakery in Orlando, Babycakes NYC

And then a couple pieces of their bread (Pumpkin Slice, Apple Strawberry Toastie, and Pumpkin Chip Slice). As you can see, I couldn’t even wait before the first picture before eating a bite. All were good, but the Apple Strawberry Toastie was great. ($3.65)

Now came for the long walk back to the car. There are huge construction walls all along the way. This walk became almost unbearable about half way through. The petty cab company that Universal uses to transport guests from the hotels to CityWalk and the parks would make a killing here. I legitimately considered paying a cab driver to take me from one part of the parking lot to the other side.

In 3-5 years there just might be a parking garage behind these walls…

Before we go, one last shot of my finger completely ruining a shot. Camera donations can be sent to TouringPlans

Overall, it was a fun day. There is a lot of construction going on, which makes it frustrating as a day guest. I think it would be a good idea to put up some theming or signs or ANYTHING to give guests an idea of what is coming. Universal has a combination of movie posters and Harry Potter themed signs for their multitude of construction walls. The only glimpse of the upcoming Disney Springs that I saw was the concept art for yet another Starbucks. The parking situation somehow made the worst parking lot in Orlando even worse. Three times worse. At some point Disney had to bite the bullet and build these parking garages, but it is going to be a long couple years, and I can’t wait to read reactions from people coming after Thanksgiving.

QUICK NOTES: The food at House of Blues was very good, and I’m looking forward to a return visit to try some more items. Walked right in and there were plenty of tables available. I have to think this is all about location, location, location. If this restaurant were on the Marketplace side of Downtown Disney, I think it would be packed. It’s one of the few places you can eat and watch sports in a Disney restaurant. The lines for any outside food cart that was selling drinks were always 10 people or more deep, and this includes the Wetzel’s Pretzels that sits outside of World of Disney selling frozen lemonade and the Margarita Bar that is located waterside. The bread “cone” sandwiches that were for some reason brought over from DCA have already vanished from the cart selling them. Goodbye and good riddance!

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Observations from Downtown Disney for October 20, 2013 (House of Blues, World of Disney, Precious Moments, and BabyCakes NYC) is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.