Bob Sehlinger's Blog, page 1291

Free “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad” Screening for Disneyland Annual Passholders on 10/3/13

By Seth Kubersky

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Sleepy Hollow may be a hot new television series from FOX, but Disney told Washington Irving’s tale of the Headless Horseman long before Kurtzman & Orci got in on the act. If you are an Anaheim Annual Passholder, you can relive the 1949 animated anthology The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad this Thursday inside Disneyland’s Main Street Opera House.

Screenings are at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on October 3. A valid Disneyland AP is required, and space is limited, so you must register in person and retrieve a wristband beginning at noon. See here for full details on this “Limited Time Annual Passholder Magic” event.

 

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10 Ways to Save Money When Booking a Disney Cruise

By Tammy Whiting

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So Disney Cruises are expensive! There’s no two ways about it. I said in a recent blog post that it may not be as expensive as you think when you compare the cost of a similar vacation, but I realize that’s still a lot of money sometimes. So let me give you some advice on keeping the costs as low as you can. Here are 10 ways to save money on your Disney Cruise!

1. Book Early – As a general rule, the day prices come out for a Disney cruise is the cheapest they will get. There are exceptions and I’ll talk about those in #2 below, but this is still a good rule of thumb. If you are looking at peak times like summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter, I can almost guarantee you these prices aren’t going down, and in fact will go up and up over time. As soon as a particular sailing starts filling up, the prices go up. I’ve seen prices jump hundreds of dollars overnight. I have a cruise booked at Thanksgiving that has gone up over $1700 since I booked on opening day. If you know what you want, book it as soon as you can. Book it, sit back and watch the prices soar. Pat yourself on the back.

2. Book Late – Here are the exceptions. Unlike years past, Disney does have specials from time to time. Those specials are usually offered much closer to sailing time. They are more likely to be offered on the classic ships (the Wonder and Magic) and they’ll probably be during an off time like hurricane season or when school is in session. The last Kids Sail Free special was in the spring of 2013 and it applied to sailings on the Wonder out of Miami and the Magic out of Galveston. The Dream and Fantasy have never had a Kids Sail Free offer. One thing you can find, even on the Dream and Fantasy, however, are last-minute, highly restricted fares like IGT, OGT and VGT rates. An IGT means you are guaranteed an inside room or better, OGT means an ocean view room or better, and VGT means a verandah or better. Disney has started using these last minute rates to fill up any sailings that aren’t sold out. These rates enable you to pick a general category but not a specific category or room. They are non-refundable, payable in full when booked, and no changes can be made. If you’re flexible during the off season and will be okay not wedded to a particular sailing date or room location, wait until your timeframe gets close to book it.

3. Know What Discounts You Qualify For – Disney periodically offers discounts for Florida Residents, Military, and Canadians. Department of Defense civilian employees also qualify for military rates when they are available. Disney generally releases the Florida Resident and Military discounts on Monday mornings. Check the site every Monday morning to see what’s there! Right now there’s a special for Castaway Club Members (guests who have sailed with Disney before), and they’ve even had discounts for Disney Vacation Club members on occasion as well! Watch the specials or let your travel agent know what you qualify for so they can watch for you!

4. Book Two Rooms – This certainly sounds backwards! But it’s true. Sometimes booking two rooms is less expensive than booking one. On the classic ships especially, it’s almost always less for a family of five to book two inside rooms as opposed to one room for 5. On the Dream and Fantasy, Disney had the foresight to include some oceanview rooms that sleep 5, so they’re a good option. Sometimes it’s also cheaper for a family of four to get two inside rooms rather than a verandah. That’s because sometimes the cost for the third and fourth person in a verandah room is more than the cost for two people in an inside room. Look into it! You may value a second bathroom more than a verandah!

5 Time it Carefully – Timing is everything on a Disney cruise. Summer cruises are expensive. Holiday cruises are the same. If you have the flexibility to go during the school year, you can save a fortune. September is historically the least expensive month because of both hurricane season and the start of school. If you are tied down during the school year, try the week before you start school or the week after you get out. Schools all over the country are on different schedules and sometimes you can snag a deal because yours ends early or starts late. We were able to sail to Alaska and enjoyed big savings for our family of four because we went the first week after school ended and Kids Sail Free was offered that week.

6. Don’t Count Out the Classic Ships – The classic ships tend to have more specials, and, as I said in a previous blog post, they are still amazing! I wouldn’t, and don’t, hesitate to sail on either one. When the Magic comes out of its extensive overhaul in October, there are already some great prices. For what’s essentially a new ship! New to all of us anyway!

7. Look for Onboard Credits – One way to help save you some money is onboard credits. Disney doesn’t allow anyone to discount their cruises and now that they don’t have group bookings (which allowed big travel companies to hold large blocks of rooms and lock in lower prices), there’s really a level playing field for prices. To gain a competitive advantage, several travel agencies offer onboard credits as an incentive to book with them. (BTW, as a side note, if you see someone advertising a lower price than you can find elsewhere, look closer.) Onboard credits are applied to your account onboard and can generally be used for anything you spend money on once you get on the ship. Things like excursions, tips, alcohol, souvenirs. So with all prices being equal, onboard credits are a way to get a little extra spending money. On the other hand, Costco offers a cash card to use after you return from your cruise. Take my advice and don’t sacrifice good service for the biggest onboard credit, though!

8. Pay With a Disney Visa – No, I do not get a commission from Chase, and no, credit cards are not for everyone. But if you do have a Disney Visa, or were thinking about getting one, you may want to book your cruise with it. In addition to the 6 months free financing they offer for Disney cruises, they also offer a $50 onboard credit for anyone who uses their Disney Visa to pay for the entire cruise. You can throw some Disney gift cards in there too, if you have them, but otherwise, you must use your Disney Visa. 50 bucks is 50 bucks. And, the good news is that you can usually combine any travel agency onboard credits with the Disney Visa credit as well.

9. Book Your Next Cruise Onboard – Of course this one is hard to do if you’re looking at your first cruise, but once you get on that cruise, book your next one! No, seriously! If you think there is any chance under heaven that you will EVER get on another cruise, book one onboard. You will only pay a 10% deposit as opposed to the normal 20%, you’ll get an onboard credit on that future cruise and you will save 10%. Don’t see anything you’re interested in? No problem. Book a “dummy” cruise. Book the furthest, cheapest date out you can, and move it once the next year’s itineraries come out. You can move it as many times as you like and as long as you’re not booking concierge, that deposit is fully refundable if it never works out. It’s a win-win! Do it!

10. Use a Travel Agent – I know you’re shocked that I would recommend this, but using a travel agent on a cruise isn’t just for convenience sake and possible onboard credits. In addition to all the knowledge they bring to the table, a travel agent can save you money. Good travel agents know all of the points above. They can guide you to the best prices. They can steer you towards things like “Secret Porthole Rooms” which are oceanview staterooms with an inside stateroom price. They can put something on hold for you the second a Kids Sale Free special is announced and before the staterooms disappear. You don’t have to pay any more to use a travel agent, and odds are you may pay less or get more value for your money.

So do you have any other tips for saving money when booking a Disney cruise? Help us all out! Next time we’ll talk about ways to save money once you’re onboard!

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The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! September 2013 Photo Report of the Disney Outlet Store

By Derek Burgan

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We all have our favorite stores in the Walt Disney World parks and resorts to get our fill of merchandise. Whether it’s World of Disney in Downtown Disney Marketplace, Villains in Vogue at DHS,  or the Everything Pops! at the Pop Century Resort , it’s not that hard finding a gift shop filled to the brim with the latest Disney vinylmation, t-shirts, and plushes. But did you know that there is a place where all the merchandise Disney has a hard time selling ends up? Amagical store filled with discount prices and Disney-related items that even Scarlett Linton wouldn’t take a selfie with? Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you The Disney Outlet Store.

There are actually two Disney outlet stores in Orlando. Both are in Orlando Premium Outlet shopping complexes, and they are called Disney’s Character Warehouse, presumably because The Land Of Misfit Toys was already trademarked. There is one Character Warehouse located on International Drive close to Universal Studios (4951 International Dr, Orlando, FL 3281), and the other is on Vineland Avenue, right across I-4 near the exits to Disney World (8200 Vineland Ave, Orlando, FL 3282). Today we are going to look at the location near Disney.

Where wishes are granted, dreams are fulfilled, and prices are slashed.

Our first item is a wicked queen bag that’s half off at $24.95. Not sure if this is bag is Vera Wang, Dooney  & Bourke or Made In China, but I have my suspicions.

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These 9 inch sparkly Vinylmation things actually light up ($9.99).

This Lone Ranger shirt is $9.99. I asked and can confirm it does not come with a silver bullet to shoot yourself with if you consider wearing it in public.

Speaking of shirts that need to be buried in the landfill that has all those Atari E.T. cartridges, here’s a Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom t-shirt that promises to give a “power boost.” I asked Anthony of the SOTMK blog, a world renowned expert in the field of card games, on what exactly is boosted and he said, “feelings of shame, embarrassment, and lack of self respect.” Sounds right.

This shirt is from the Oz the Great and Powerful movie and is down to $14.99 from it’s original $32.95 price.

Here’s another shirt you can get for $14.95.

Want to tell your friends you were on the Inaugural Cruise of the Disney Dream in 2011? For only $5.99 you can pretend you were there. When they ask how the AquaDuck was just tell them, “the line was too long.”

This Mickey varsity jacket is only $51.99, a steep discount from its original price of $129.95.

While this Mickey college sweater is $19.95. There’s actually patches on the side. Both this and the jacket are pretty high quality items all things considered.

It didn’t say it anywhere on the cup, but I’m assuming the “GF” on this is for the Grand Floridan. They are $7.95.

If you ever wanted to be ensconced in velour like George Costanza, the Character Warehouse has a pair of pants for you. $19.99.

If you’d like your young one to dress up as Tonto from The Lone Ranger film, you can buy this outfit for $24.95, but keep in mind that the people working the register are legally required to report anyone who buys this to Child Protective Services.

About to head into my favorite section…

 

Calling all John Carter fans. Or should I say, calling the John Carter fan…

Whatever this Vinylmation is (I couldn’t figure it out and the box didn’t say), it cost $74.95 originally. Down to $21.99. Someone has to explain to me why people buy these. I’m looking in your direction Tom Corless.

This has something to do with Alice in Wonderland, but I don’t get it. I see the Mad Hatter’s hat in the top left ear of the Vinylmation. Is it supposed to be the Mad Hatter?! This one’s also $21.99 and now I have to watch Alice in Wonderland again.

This may be the ugliest Dumbo I’ve ever seen, but at least I can tell it’s Dumbo. This one was originally $99.95 and marked down to “only” $69.99. “Inconcievable!” – Vizzini, The Princess Bride

Presented without commentary.

Oakland Raider and NY Giants Vinylmation.

A selection of some more sports themed Vinylmations.

This particular Vinylmation set was “limited to two per customer.” If you need more than two of these you need to evaluate some decisions you have made in life.

This C3-PO Mr. Potato Head is branded with the Star Tours logo. I guess running into “C3-Potato” is the super rare 55th variation on what you can see in the ride. ($9.99)

Disney luggage runs $49.95 for the smaller bags and $67.95 for the larger ones.

 

Okay, these are Christmas tree ornaments except they are Halloween themed. Please don’t tell me that Halloween trees are becoming a “thing.” If so I may scream.

Mater and a bizarre C3-p0. I wish I could have been at the marketing meeting where after months of design and probably 10 layers of management signing off of this someone said, “Yes! This is it. We nailed it.”

 

This one is for the Evil Queen from Snow White. All of these weird Mickey ear ornaments are limited to two per guest but if you buy even one you should be subjected to an immediate drug test.

While the Character Warehouse closer to Universal has a ton of various name tags, this location has just about every Disney Band you could want for $0.99 including this one with the park icons.

Dumbo’s Ring Around the Nosy game. This looks like a game you would have seen Tom Cruise playing in Eyes Wide Shut.

Cinderella’s Castle vase for $24.95

Let’s go out with a bang shall we?

Hate You 4 Never. That’s it for this month’s trip to the Disney Outlet. See ya soon on the next edition of The Magic, The Memories and Merch!

For previous editions of MMM check out our visits to the Disney Outlet Store in July and August.

If you liked what you read here, you may enjoy THE SATURDAY SIX  articles every week on the TouringPlans.com blog, as well as Pardon the Pixie Dust and Universal NOW! on the TouringPlans.com Podcast Network.

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MyMagic+ and MagicBand Roll-Out Dates for Walt Disney World Resorts

By Scarlett Litton

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Beginning today MyMagic+ is officially rolling out in waves across Walt Disney World Resorts. All guests checking in to resorts on or after the dates listed below will receive MagicBands and have access to the FASTPASS+ System. Every Monday for the next 4 weeks new resorts will be added. Then when Grand Floridian Villas open on October 23, 2013 all resorts will be fully online with the program. The program will still be considered “testing” for now, think of it as a sort of “soft opening.” The official start date for MyMagic+ is December 1, 2013.

 

For arrivals on or after:

September 30, 2013: Bay Lake Tower, Kidani Village, Port Orleans French Quarter, Grand Floridian, and All Star Movies.

October 7, 2013: All Star Sports, Boardwalk Inn, Boardwalk Villas, and Caribbean Beach Resort.

October 14, 2013: All Star Music, Coronado Springs, Old Key West, Wilderness Lodge, and Villas at Wilderness Lodge.

October 21, 2013: Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground and Saratoga Springs.

October 23, 2013: Grand Floridan Villas.

 

For more information on MyMagic+. Erin Foster has posts with initial observations and her personal experiences. Brian McNichols also wrote about his experience.

 

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Show Your Disney Side

By Rikki Niblett

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©Disney

Each year, Disney has a new “celebration,” as I like to call them.  For 2013, the celebration that we have seen in action has been Limited Time Magic.  Now, we have a small glimpse into what next year’s is going to be.

Show Your Disney Side invites guests to show off the side of them that really lets them let loose and play.  It taps into that happy glow you feel whenever you see and experience something relating to Disney.

This new celebrations invites guests to show off the side of them that comes out the minute you step through the gates where you get all giddy, start acting like a kid again and you simply delight in the joy of the parks.  Disney is wanting guests to bring out the fun in your family.

To get a better glimpse into what Show Your Disney Side is, here is a first look at what it means:

 

During this celebration, guests will be invited to show off their own Disney Side with the world by using the hashtag #DisneySide in an effort to share the excitement they have during their Disney vacations.  This hashtag will work in a variety of social media channels, including Twitter, Vine, Instagram, Google+ and Facebook.

For more information about the celebration, find it out here:  http://disneyside.disneyparks.disney.go.com/show-your-disney-side.  Also, stay tuned to the blog here as more details get released.

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The Disney’s in the Details: Fantasyland Part 1

By Daisy Lauren

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Today is the first installment of the epic Fantasyland.  With the expansion this section of the park is now enormous so I decided it was better to break it up into parts rather than limit what I could share.  To begin – has anyone actually seen a Fantasyland sign?  I hunted today and even the one that used to hang when you enter from Liberty Square is missing.  It would seem Cinderella’s Castle is the signal that you are entering this magical land.  Everyone has seen the castle, but have you seen the details?

For starters there are some very royal looking speakers that come in handy for those shows in front of the Castle!

These beautiful lights line the walkway as you head towards the entrance.  They have a romantic stained glass look to them.  Just perfect for the walkway to a castle!

The walls that line the walkways also have a lovely design:

Above the main entrance to Cinderella’s Castle is a beautiful working clock.  Unfortunately, at the moment looking at the details means looking at the thousands of lights that make up the Castle Dream Lights.  These will be worth it this winter but right now they are an eye sore.  The application of these lights also means that the wishing well (not pictured here) is not accessible.

As you enter the castle make sure you look to both sides of the entrance.  You will see heavy doors and very unique lights.  Keep in mind you may not be able to see these later in the day when shows are going on in front of the castle.

Once you are inside the castle you will see one of my favorite things in the entire universe!  The mosaics that tell the story of Cinderella are breathtaking!  I can remember being a little girl and wanting to run my hand along them every morning we visited the Magic Kingdom.  It’s a tradition I still keep to this day!  It’s amazing these works of art can handle the millions on hands that come in contact with them!  Here are the five scenes you will see:

Just past the mosaics on your right is Cinderellas’s Royal Table.  It is also worth looking at the ceiling in the photo below.  This grand ceiling is throughout the walkway through the castle!

While checking in at Cinderella’s Royal Table you might notice that the columns around you are home to some of Cinderella’s friends!

If you continue through the castle you will notice this very cool sign on your left.  I’ve always wondered what this sign is for because it claims it’s an exit but I’ve never seen anyone exit here!  Maybe this is a cast exit… or maybe it is the Castle Suite exit?  If anyone knows please leave a comment below!

The next thing you will see continuing along this way is Castle Couture.  This shop is beautiful and has even more details that I’ve omitted.  Be sure to look inside to see the dress behind the counter that changes from pink to blue.  There is also a throne inside which is great for photos!  Here is what the signs look like:

You’ll also know you’re in the right place by this beautiful fountain outside.  You can spy a Sorcerers portal in the back left if you look closely.

These two detailed signs also mark the entrance of Castle Couture:

Just across the way from Castle Couture is Sir Mickey’s.  Though it sells the same generic stuff as all the other Disney shops it has a very unique sign:

Continuing along past this shop you will the The Sword In The Stone.  For a while this sat dormant but now with the new Castle area streetmosphere performers the sword is back in use.  If you’ve never noticed it here is a closer look:

And here is a better look at that beautiful plaque on the front:

If you step to the left from this spot you will see Mickey’s Philharmagic.  This is also the spot where you can collect fastpasses for Winnie the Pooh and Ariel’s Undersea Adventure.

If you take a closer look you’ll notice crowns on the top of each column on this building!

If you keep walking this way you will come upon what is likely the most popular ride in the Magic Kingdom – Peter Pan’s Flight!  Right in front before you get to the fastpass machines is this barrel.  I honestly just noticed this today.  Does anyone know the deeper meaning on this one?

Next up is the Fastpass sign for Peter Pan’s flight.  I hope these don’t go away when Magic Bands get into full swing!  I love the confusion on people’s face when they ask where to get fastpasses and the Cast Member tells them, “under the crocodile.”   I also just noticed the weather vane in the background today.  If you look at the larger image it is a pirate ship!

Continuing past this are these really beautiful shields.  There are many more of these but I like these two the best.

And even though I know everyone has seen this one – it just isn’t Fantasyland without getting a look at this sign!!

Next let’s head around the corner towards Liberty Square.  I noticed today that the light fixtures are all different but somehow all go together!

And just one more look at this amazing Columbia Harbour House sign before we finish for the day:

And with that I will end the first installment of Fantasyland on a cliffhanger that we will be starting with the Tangled Toilets in the next installment!  Now if that isn’t worth tuning back in I don’t know what could be!  I hope everyone enjoyed these details!  Did we include your favorite?  Do you know of one we missed?  Please let us know in the comments below and as always thanks for reading!

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My Experiences with MyMagic+

By Brian McNichols

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A few weeks ago I wrote an article about optimizing your FastPass+ experience using a Touring Plan. Well, I made it there and back again, and I have a mixture of advice, information, and opinions that I’m going to soak you with as if you were in a raft on the Kali River.

In general I was happy about my experience with MyMagic+. The MagicBands themselves were comfortable and easy to wear, although it took me about 4 days to stop looking at my wrist for the time. I haven’t worn a watch regularly in a few years, but you apparently don’t lose that reflex. One thing that surprised me was that both of my kids wore their Bands all week without complaint, even the two year old. Of course, my two year old didn’t actually need a MagicBand since he didn’t have a park ticket, but when I ordered my Bands prior to my trip I called, and Disney agreed to send him his very own accessory to avoid the inevitable screaming. 

The actual use of the bands was easy for what we used it for. I loved using it as a room key, especially when going swimming, where I didn’t need to bring another key. We also had no issues using the Band as a park ticket or for using our FastPass+ reservations. I only used the Band to pay for items once or twice, just to see if it worked (it did). As a person who carries a wallet almost all the time, I found the process of swiping my credit card to be easier than scanning the band and typing in my PIN.

Cinderella in the new Princess Fairytale Hall

We only had one small issue with the Bands, and that was because we stayed at three different resorts. The Magic Bands were pre-linked to our room at Animal Kingdom Lodge because that was the resort that was part of the test. The other two resorts had to be linked by Guest Services, which took about 5-10 minutes each time. As I said, a minor issue, but one that seems like it shouldn’t be a problem at all. Of course, once all resorts participate this will not be an issue at all.

General FastPass+ Notes

As many of you know, the current paper FASTPASS has a one hour return window. There is a little leeway, however, as you are generally allowed to enter the FASTPASS queue up to 5 minutes prior to the start of your window or up to 15 minutes after the expiration of your window. This leeway has remained in place for FastPass+, which is good news.

A major reason that this is good is because you are not allowed to overlap FastPass+ times. For instance, you may schedule a Big Thunder Mountain Railroad FastPass+ for 3pm-4pm and a Splash Mountain FastPass+ for 4pm-5pm, but they cannot run concurrently. The added 15 minutes helps allow you to ride Big Thunder later in the window and ride Splash right after rather than do extra walking.

One thing that happened constantly with FastPass+ was making changes. Adjusting my FastpPass+ times became so common that I kept forgetting what FastPass+ reservations I had. Since I found myself a bit forgetful about times, I often checked the My Disney Experience app to remind myself. Of course, once I realized that the My Disney Experience app moved about as fast as the family of 12 in the middle of Main Street checking their map, I began using a notes program on my phone to log the times. But I’m not here to rag on Disney’s technology (because I don’t have enough words to do that properly), so let’s talk a little about some of the individual attractions.

Attractions, FastPass+, and You

Main Street Electrical Parade from the FastPass+ viewing area

I used FastPass+ for quite a few attractions, but one of the great things about this test phase is that I could use both FastPass+ and the paper, legacy FASTPASS system. Therefore, I focused my FastPass+ reservations mostly on attractions for which there were no paper FASTPASSes available. Such attractions are the ones that I’m going to give my notes on…right now!

- Main Street Electrical Parade: I’m starting with this one because this was the FastPass+ I found most valuable. The viewing area was in the Hub directly across from the castle, and we waltzed into it about 8 minutes before the parade arrived. I can envision problems with this, however, depending on the types of people in the crowd. What I mean is that there were too many people in the FastPass+ area for everyone to be front row. Luckily, most people in the area were seated, and remained seated throughout the parade, which allowed us to see the parade unobstructed. If people had decided to stand in the front, we would have been three deep and holding up our children, just like we would have if we had walked over to Frontierland.

- Wishes: Directly after our viewing of the Main Street Electrical Parade we headed over to the viewing area for the Magic Kingdom’s fireworks show: Wishes. I was not particularly happy with this FastPass+ use, mostly because of the viewing area. While it seemed like there were fewer people in this area, it was in the Rose Garden, which is between the Hub and Tomorrowland. The problem with that is that it is not only an off-center view, but Cinderella Castle is partially obstructed by trees. As you can see in the photo, this was not a great view. I think we would have been better off in the crowd on Main Street, and I won’t be using this FastPass+ again.

Wishes from the FastPass+ viewing area

- Fantasmic: This was the last nighttime spectacular that we used FastPass+ for (I couldn’t get one for Illuminations). I was excited about this one because I don’t see Fantasmic often, mostly because I refuse to show up hours early. We walked into the amphitheater about 15 minutes before showtime and were led to the FastPass+ seating section. They use the Pocahontas area for Fastpass+, which is just left of center, so good seats. Now, there wasn’t a ton of seating  left at that time, but we did manage to find seats for four.

- Meet and Greets: We used the FastPass+ for several meet and greets, including mermaid Ariel in New Fantasyland, the Character Spot in Epcot, and the new Princess Fairytale Hall. I find these to be quite valuable if meeting these characters is important to you. We had to wait no more than 5 minutes for any of these meets.

- Enchanted Tales with Belle: Despite the Cast Member in front of this attraction telling me that there was no FastPass+ for Enchanted Tales (they’re still training as well), we used one anyway. Basically, this allows you to be let straight into the mirror room ahead of those in the general queue. Definitely a valuable FastPass+ for an attraction that often has a long wait.

- Disney Junior – Live on Stage: I ended up not using a FastPass+ reservation for this show, but I did make sure to find out how it works. A secondary queue pen is set up right near the door for those with FastPass+ so they can enter the theater first. Additionally they now fill the theater one section at a time: center first, then right, then left. Any FastPass+ users that arrive after the theater begins to fill are directed to the front of one of the unfilled sections. That way the FastPassers are always towards the front. The problem with this is that the front is not the best spot for Disney Junior. Because of the need to hide the “mechanics” of the puppets, being in front means that it is hard to see the whole stage.

One last thing to mention before I open it up to questions is the Be Our Guest Restaurant lunch FastPass+. This is a special FastPass+ that is not tied to the rest of your FastPass+ reservations (meaning it doesn’t count against your 3). You are allowed  two options for a quick Be Our Guest lunch. Option 1 is to simply bypass the line and go straight to the ordering stations. Option 2 is to pre-order your food and go directly to your table.

We were meeting some other fabulous Touring Plans team members there for lunch, so we went with Option 1. Said team members were also not on our FastPass+ reservation, so we decided to test if we were allowed to enter with more people than we had reserved (known lovingly as Testa-bombing after my liege, Len Testa). There was no problem entering, ordering, or receiving our food, and being able to eat lunch at Be Our Guest with practically no wait was extremely valuable. If you can deal with the stares of promised pain that those waiting in that long line give you as you trot on past them, I strongly suggest taking advantage of this one.

Those are all of the notes, recommendations, and experiences I can think of for now. Please ask any questions you have and I will do my best to answer them. Thanks for reading!

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SATURDAY SIX: Top Six Reasons We Loved Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights 23

By Derek Burgan

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The Saturday Six is a weekly look at the most interesting, most fun, and sometimes even the most outrageous things within the theme park world that we all love so much. Whether it’s checking out Hollywood Drive-In Golf in CityWalk, a look a the Loews Royal Pacific Resort, or even eating the craziest food items at Universal, the Saturday Six is your personal guide to experiencing the very best Orlando has to offer.

This week’s Saturday Six looks at the Top Six Reasons We Loved Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights 23.

“Comedy is simply tragedy happening to somebody else.” (photo courtesy of Gregory Ryan)

# 6 – The Scareactors

The bread and butter of any Halloween Horror Nights experience is walking around the park and interacting with the various scareactors roaming the parks. The enjoyment factor can be even better watching them scare the living daylights out of others. I am really impressed by some of the make-up and costuming effects that the walk around characters have this year. Some really creepy looking zombies make the event feel immersive and frightening. Last year Universal debuted the “zombie horde” concept, and it worked to some degree, but this year just feels scarier.

Pole Dancing, HHN style (photo courtesy of Seth Kubersky)

During my visit, there were several times during the night when a “walker” turned what looked to be a normal guest into a zombie by attacking him. Just fantastic stuff! And at other times the zombies were captured or taken out by citizens of Woodbury (from AMC’s The Walking Dead television show)! I did not see any of this type of storytelling in last year’s HHN event, and this year I loved every second of it.

Among my favorite types of scareactors are the ones who have items stuck in them. Whether it is a sword or a huge steel rod, these zombies have a visual effect that is stunning to behold and truly creepy.

(Photo courtesy of Seth Kubersky)

The “less is more” philosophy can pay off in a big way when it comes to walk around characters. While some do wear masks and/or elaborate costumes (to varying degrees of success), the guys and girls just going around with bits of flesh ripped off their faces or bodies can be the most terrifying. There are also several of the iconic “walkers” from the Walking Dead television show, including the Bicycle Girl from season 1. These are a great touch for fans of the hit TV show and horrifying enough to be more than acceptable to guests who have never heard of The Walking Dead.

# 5 – The Overall “Feel” of the Universal Orlando Resort

While I’m as a big of a fan of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party as anyone can be, other than the incredible decorating on Main Street, U.S.A., there isn’t all that much going on throughout the rest of the Magic Kingdom (or WDW for that matter). Meanwhile, at Universal it seems that every part of the resort is affected by during the haunt season. The entire Universal Studios Florida park is completely decked out with nods and touches to HHN. There is the usual (and always great) “Mel’s DIE-in” effect for Mel’s Drive-In restaurant, and I absolutely love the huge sheets put up outside the front gates saying “Dead Inside” and “Save Us.” Call it story, call it atmosphere, call it whatever you want but the theme park experience is better off for it.

(Photo courtesy of Seth Kubersky)

Horror themed desserts brought straight to your hotel room

The iconic entrance to Universal Studios Florida has been overtaken by two humongous tree roots, highlighting one of the themes of this year’s event: “What evil has taken root?” These  roots spiral up the archways and frame huge posters that spotlight the various haunted houses inside the park this year. These type of flourishes really set a great mood for the night.

In addition, the Loews on-site hotels are also in on the action this year through offering HHN-themed desserts that you can have delivered to your room. My favorite is a trio of ghost strawberries, although the elaborate Cupcake Slaughter sampler is also pretty amazing. These selections join some of the in-park snacks, which are also gruesome but tasty. Over in CityWalk the Hard Rock Café encourages guests to come in for a pre-fright cocktail while the PiQ  novelty store offers some interesting takes on horror merchandise.

The original finger foods (photo courtesy of Seth Kubersky)

 

 

 

 

 

HHN 23 merchandise

# 4 – The Merchandise

Well, of course someone who does a recurring article entitled The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! is going to be interested in exclusive HHN merchandise, and this year there is a ton. Plenty of t-shirts are available, including ones dedicated to HHN and each of the individual houses. I was pleasantly surprised to see a Resident Evil shirt in the park and hope one day soon that video game properties, in general, will have a larger presence at Universal.

There are several pins for the event, including a limited edition one dedicated to Jack the Clown, a character who has appeared (and been a focal point of) Halloween Horror Nights events in years past. While as of this writing it has yet to appear on the shelves, a Uni-Mini themed to Jack the Clown will also be sold inside the park. This will probably sell out pretty fast since Jack is beloved by many HHN fans.

Shot glasses, flasks, lanyards with flashing skulls, keychains, and cups are all adorned with the HHN logo. Universal has several items using lenticular technology, which gives a 3D appearance to an object and is used to provide a decent looking zombie effect on posters and tumblers. There are large size pilsner-style glasses that I expected to be made out of cheap plastic but had a great amount of weight to them and must have been ceramic or glass. And there are many very elaborate Halloween masks for sale, none of which you can actually wear in the park, so you have to pick them up on your way out of USF.

While not exclusive to HHN, there is enough Walking Dead merchandise to fill up an entire room of your house. T-shirts, hats, graphic novels and even a board game are part of the selections available. For those into Walking Dead cosplay there is even a shirt and sheriff’s hat available for you to play the role of “Rick,” the lead character from The Walking Dead.

 

Let’s Do The Time Warp Again (photo courtesy of Seth Kubersky)

# 3 – The Rocky Horror Picture Show – A Tribute/Bill & Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure

Returning after a multi-year absence, The Rocky Horror Picture Show – A Tribute returns to the Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue stage and is a condensed version of the cult classic 1975 movie starring Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon. Running at nearly 40 minutes, this version contains most of the well known songs and features some incredible on-stage performances. I do not consider myself a big fan of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but I do enjoy several of the songs, and the actors and actresses really made this presentation enjoyable. That said, I also enjoyed the 20 Penny Circus show that played in this venue last year and wouldn’t mind seeing it return in the future.

A rare peek inside Bill & Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure. Guard it carefully. Many Bothans died to bring us this picture. (photo courtesy of Seth Kubersky)

I’m a huge fan of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure, and that is undoubtedly influenced by my fondness of the original Bill & Ted movies that the show is based off of. Bill & Ted takes place on the Fear Factor Live stage and is filled with pop culture references. Like The Simpsons Ride over in Springfield USA, this year’s edition of Bill & Ted takes a bunch of hilarious shots at the theme park world; that was the highlight of the show for me. It seems every year the overall reaction to Bill & Ted is that it is “hit or miss,” but for me it is always a highlight of HHN. I find myself laughing throughout, and it’s nice just to sit down for an extended time after being on your feet all day.

Game of Thrones references? D’Jango Unchained? Taylor Swift as a villain? I’m in. What? References to Sharknando, Avatarland, and a version of Les Mis with Jan Valjean having Wolverine’s claws? I’m all in.

# 2 – The Streetmosphere

This year Universal goes in a new direction with its “scare zones” having a park wide association with The Walking Dead brand. The different areas are themed to: The Fall of Atlanta (found in the New York and San Francisco areas), The Farm (across from Transformers: The Ride 3D and Cafe La Bamba), Woodlands (the walkway between the Hollywood backlot area and Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone), Survivor’s Camp (in front of Animal Actors on Location), and “Clear” (the main area of the Hollywood backlot ). Here is where you are going to see a lot of iconic elements from The Walking Dead television show, including a tank, Dale’s RV, and the car in which the main group left a note for Sophia.

(Photo courtesy of Seth Kubersky)

As a fan of The Walking Dead show and comic book, this was incredible – so many classic moments fully realized. I have to say my favorite section was the Fall of Atlanta area, as it had the larger than life elements such as the tank and also more of the street scenes with the walkers I wrote about above. I’m not sure what they use to make the decomposing smell that seems to permeate the air in this area, but it definitely adds to the overall feel.

A close second for me would have to be Herschel’s barn in the Farm area. This barn played a major role in both the show and the graphic novels, and to see it in person was great. The effects Universal uses to make it appear the barn was burning are great, and it was a nice walk through experience, especially with the zombie in the well nearby. Overall I consider the street experiences to be the biggest upgrade from last year’s HHN event.

An American Werewolf in London (photo courtesy of Seth Kubersky)

# 1 – The Houses (but especially American Werewolf in London!!)

Here comes the main event! Universal has 8 haunted houses (Evil Dead, the Cabin in the Woods, La Llorona, the Walking Dead, After Life: Death’s Vengeance, Havoc Derailed, Resident Evil: Escape from Raccoon City, and An American Werewolf in London), several of which have dedicated audiences. Evil Dead was based off the recent remake of Sam Raimi’s cult classic. The Cabin in the Woods came in part from Hollywood’s current It Boy, Joss Whedon. Havoc Derailed is a sequel to an original house Universal created for HHN 20. But for our money the best experience was in An American Werewolf in London, based off the legendary 1981 film by John Landis.

In the world of Hollywood special effects for horror films, AWIL changed the game, something you can find out in greater detail in USF’s under-appreciated Horror Make-up Show. The level of detail that Universal put into this house is off the charts. Everything you loved about the movie is here, with the unbelievable werewolf puppetry being a true standout. This actually may be the best house Universal has ever built; it’s that good.

The Governor’s floating head collection (photo courtesy of Seth Kubersky)

There are no slouches on the list, though, and several others have some very strong elements. I absolutely loved the Cabin in the Woods movie, and the maze does the movies insane last act justice by including a whole bunch of creative takes on the horror archetypes. Hell breaks loose, and you are in the middle of it. Evil Dead has some very interesting “how did they do that?” visual effects, while the 3D maze of After Life: Death’s Vengeances was a huge improvement over last year’s 3D house, Penn & Teller’s New(kd) Las Vegas (and I say that as a gigantic fan of Penn & Teller).

Another huge improvement this year was the house for The Walking Dead. Last year the maze took place in the queue area of Disaster, while this year it gets its own stand alone building at the front of the park. The experience lasts a lot longer and overall is much better. There are a lot of great nods to the show here, with sets based around the town of Woodbury, the prison, and little bits of detail such as the old school telephone that showed us that Rick was starting to lose his mind. A much needed influx of recognizable characters really helps this year’s Walking Dead entry into HHN as that part was definitely lacking in 2012.

So there you have it. The top six reasons we loved Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights 2013. HHN takes place on selected nights through November 2. Keep in mind this event is not for young children. However, for adults it’s as if someone mixed Fangoria with the Epcot Food & Wine Festival (there are a ton of extra food and drink locations throughout the park). With this year’s event having 8 houses compared to the 7 of 2012, Transformers being open, and much more immersive and detailed “scare zones,” we found the waits for each house to be down this year since the crowds are much more evenly distributed around the park.

If you’d like to read more about HHN 23, check out Seth Kubersky’s article in Orlando Weekly that covers the event.

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 head on over to the TouringPlans.com Podcast Network and check out Universal NOW! and Pardon the Pixie Dust.

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This Week On TouringPlans YouTube Channel: Happy HalloWishes, Snorkeling With Len Testa, 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!

Enjoy an HD ride through of Walt Disney World’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Watch Happy HalloWishes fireworks from the beautiful Polynesian Resort beach.

More videos after the jump.

Room tour of a DVC Studio at Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village

Len Testa finds out that it’s better down where it’s wetter as he snorkels in Disney’s Castaway Cay. There is also a long version available of this video.

On this episode of Ask Jim Hill, Jim and Len answer a viewer question about when, if, and where Disney is planning to build a 4th hotel at Disneyland Resort.

More Disney Cruise Line content! Here’s the instruction video seen when players start the Midship Detective Agency attraction.

 

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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This Week On TouringPlans YouTube Channel: Happy HalloWishes, Snorkeling With Len Testa, and More! is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

Limited Time Magic for October 4 – 6

By Rikki Niblett

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©Disney

For this week’s Limited Time Magic event, during the weekend of October 4-6, guests should head to Downtown Disney at Disneyland or Walt Disney World to experience the color and whimsy of the Downtown Disney Chalk Art Festival.

Talented artists will take to the pavement as their canvas, where guests are able to watch in delight as these talented artists transform the gray concrete into beautiful, vivid art made from chalk.

In addition, at Walt Disney World, guests can stop by the Art of Disney Gallery and meet artist Greg McCullough as he appears for signings. He’ll be at the shop from October 2-6 from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

At Disneyland guests can meet artist Miss Mindy on Friday and Saturday, October 4 and 5, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at WonderGround Gallery in celebration of the release of some new pieces in her collection. In this same location there will also be a special artist showcase of “Haunted Memories” on Saturday and Sunday, October 5 and 6, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

It will be interesting to see what these artists come up with during this exciting weekend!

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Limited Time Magic for October 4 – 6 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.