Disney World

All posts tagged Disney World

Happy Anniversary!!

Published March 28, 2013 by Disneyways.com

One year ago I sat down and decided to learn how to build a site in WordPress. I had never even READ a blog in my life. I knew nothing about Twitter, Pinterest, SEO, – let alone web design! I never thought of myself as a writer, although that hasn’t really changed.

Being born and raised in Orlando, I felt a little alone in my passion for Disney. I know it’s hard to believe, but some of us who live here take Disney World for granted.

My friends and family encouraged me to start this blog – perhaps because they were ready for me to share this enthusiasm with someone ELSE for a change! Now many of them subscribe to the blog and are constantly cheering me on. They are awesome!

One year ago with their support and encouragement, I embarked on an almost entirely self-taught crash course in web design.

Despite my fears and insecurities – you all are here.

Reading my stuff, interacting with me on social media, sharing a lot of laughs – and being more of an encouragement to me than you will ever know.

I have made precious and wonderful friends and I’ve joyfully reconnected with some from my past.

I’ve made hundreds, maybe thousands of connections to others on-line, some of whom I have never met in person (yet!)- but you certainly hold a place in my heart.

I wake up each day feeling like it’s Christmas morning. I had no idea what a wonderful thing this little Disneyways blog would become in my life.

Med180px (1)

I am so excited about what the future is bringing our way! I think I’m getting better at giving you the information you are looking for through the blog…and now…I’m learning a ton about podcasting, video production, e-book publishing and so much more! Year two is going to ROCK.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for sharing this journey with me. I look forward to many, many more anniversaries of sharing the Disney love with you.

In looking back…I wanted to share one of my posts from that first week. It still makes me laugh. I hope it does the same for you. Have a magical day!!

Click here to read about My Love for a 5 Legged Goat…

World Secrets – Best Burgers and More Near Raglan Road

Published March 17, 2013 by Disneyways.com

First – the food part of today’s World Secret. Raglan Road is THE place to go for Irish food and entertainment in the Downtown Disney area. The menu comes complete with Bangers and Mash (that’s a fancy Irish name for sausage and mashed potatoes) – but did you know you will also find some of the absolute BEST burgers on property here? It’s true.

burger

Photo credit: nutfreefam.blogspot.com

You can enjoy all that Raglan Road offers from a comfy table – or if you prefer – belly up to their 130 year old bar. It’s imported all the way from Ireland!

Cooke’s of Dublin is a quick service restaurant located right next to Raglan Road, and it offers a selection of the exact same food that Raglan Road serves – at a much lower price! The secret (inside the secret) of Cooke’s – is the “Doh-Bars” which are donut battered Snickers and Mars bars.

Yeah.

It’s enough to make me want to move to Ireland. But, don’t worry, one can cancel out the calories from your Doh-Bar with a healthy salad, because Cooke’s has those too.

Before you enter Raglan Road, look for a replica bronze statue of the famous Irish poet, Patrick Kavanagh, sitting on his bronze park bench.

Regarded as one of the foremost poets of the 20th century, Patrick Kavanagh’s best known works include the novel Tarry Flynn and of course the poem Raglan Road.

Folks in Dublin often saw Patrick relaxing alone on a park bench by the Grand canal. When he passed away in 1967 after a long struggle with lung cancer, he was commemorated with the original statue in Ireland. To this day, after every St. Patrick’s Day parade you’ll find his friends gathering at that bench.

irelandstatue

Here is the actual statue in Ireland. Photo credit Flickr.com

Raglan Road pub’s replica of this statue is the only one you will find outside of Ireland. This version has a shorter bench, so there is no room to sit next to poor old Patrick, and perhaps he would prefer it that way.  I think it is rather fitting, and symbolic of his original poem. I have added a copy here so you can decide for yourself.

Read carefully and you will see that he explains how, despite his best judgement, he fell for a girl that he knew would break his heart.

On Raglan Road

“On Raglan Road on an autumn day I met her first and knew

That her dark hair would weave a snare that I might one day rue;

I saw the danger, yet I walked along the enchanted way,

And I said, let grief be a fallen leaf at the dawning of the day.

On Grafton Street in November we tripped lightly along the ledge

Of the deep ravine where can be seen the worth of passion’s pledge,

The Queen of Hearts still making tarts and I not making hay –

O I loved too much and by such and such is happiness thrown away.

I gave her gifts of the mind I gave her the secret sign that’s known

To the artists who have known the true gods of sound and stone

And word and tint. I did not stint for I gave her poems to say.

With her own name there and her own dark hair like clouds over fields of May

On a quiet street where old ghosts meet I see her walking now

Away from me so hurriedly my reason must allow

That I had wooed not as I should a creature made of clay –

When the angel woos the clay he’d lose his wings at the dawn of day.”

~Patrick Kavanagh

World Secrets – The Blue Fairy Wish Book

Published March 16, 2013 by Disneyways.com

March 12th 2013 I was walking through Fantasyland in Walt Disney World. You might be familiar with Pinocchio’s Village Haus, it can be found near the “It’s a Small World” attraction. It is a lovely, newly refurbished counter service restaurant. Ever since the updates have been completed – I tend to walk by this place and stare. It is really, really cool. I like everything about it, including the rainy day activities they have there…but that’s a blog post for another day.

This particular evening though, it was already dark out, and as my friend and I walked by we noticed a strange glow coming from the inside. If you are familiar with the portals that you interact with while playing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom – this is the sort of glow we saw. In fact we thought maybe it WAS a new portal – but we just couldn’t tell from where we were standing.

good

We decided we HAD to make our way inside to investigate. Once inside…this is what we saw:

good3

If you have read the Disneyways post about The Blue Fairy – you are up to speed on my feelings about her. I am definitely a fan, so I was pretty thrilled to find this little hidden gem.

I know it’s a bit hard to tell from the photos, but this is a wish book. It appears to be available to all guests who would like to write down a wish for The Blue Fairy.

I hope to have more photos for you soon if you are interested in seeing them.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I guess because most families are probably in a hurry to eat their flat bread pizza and move on to the next ride, there wasn’t much written down, as you can see. When my friend and I flipped through the pages however, we doubled over laughing at this particular wish.

not alive

Look carefully and you will see that a child has written “I wish parents were not alive.”

Which in itself is awful, and not really funny.

Once the child wrote it however, you can see he or she changed his or her mind quickly – and did a pretty good job of scribbling it out!! That is what was funny to us, just picturing this probably over-tired, grumpy kid scratching that out so nobody would see it. I don’t think he or she really meant it. Perhaps the child took a look around and realized how such a terrible thought really didn’t belong in the middle of the happiest place on earth? Maybe.

I am just glad the child changed his or her mind about the whole thing! I’m a parent who is obviously alive and well – so I now have a renewed belief that scribbling out your Blue Fairy wish makes it null and void. No litigation is required.

Have you seen this book before? As this post goes to publish – there doesn’t seem to be information on The Blue Fairy wish book anywhere.

I don’t know if it’s new or if I just never noticed it before. Anyway – kind of a cool little secret – don’t you think?

World Secrets – The Lucky Combo!

Published March 15, 2013 by Disneyways.com

What comes to mind when you think of the gorgeous China Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase?

Sure, China has lots to offer. The pavilion is decorated with serene ponds, crossed by fantastic bridges, and is dominated by a replica of the Temple of Heaven. Here you will also find Reflections of China, a Circle-Vision 360° movie – and  there is a museum containing several ancient Chinese artifacts. You don’t see that every day.

China’s Nine Dragons is one of the most beautiful restaurants in all of World Showcase, and the Lotus Blossom Cafe has some of the best orange chicken in town. Shopping at Good Fortune Gifts and House of Good Fortune is a wonderful air-conditioned past time in the hot Florida summers.

Agent P World Showcase Adventure? Check. Dragon Legend Acrobats? Yep – China has those too – and what visit to China would be complete without actually meeting Mulan and Mushu? Speaking of Mulan, did you know Epcot’s China Pavilion served as a backdrop for the music video “Reflection,” performed by Christina Aguilera? You may recall that “Reflection” was from Mulan’s 1998 film – and nobody knew who Christina Aguilera was back then.

But what is China’s BEST kept secret?

To me, it is a wonderful little thing called the Lucky Combo – located right here at the Joy of Tea kiosk – only found at Epcot’s China pavilion.

joyoftea

It’s not new – it’s just that the The Lucky Combo has been hiding from me

(in plain sight).

For just $9.98, The Lucky Combo includes a Chinese BBQ Pork Bun, a Curry Chicken Pocket and an Egg Roll with your choice of a canned soft drink and a pretty generous serving of ice cream.

No…for real…this is an actual thing.

I had to take a picture because I couldn’t believe my own eyes. 

DSC04577

The extra ice cream you see pictured here belonged to my dining companion. We got one of each option – Strawberry Red Bean and Caramel Ginger.

Trust me – you need to try them BOTH.

But wait – there’s more!

Tea here comes in all forms – hot, iced, spiked or slushie –  and it is the only location in Epcot that carries real brewed tea instead of pre-made tea beverages. 

Not a fan of hot tea? Here’s another little secret:

The extremely friendly cast members that staff this location will gladly provide you a cup of ice to make your own iced version. They will also offer you a tasting of any (non-spiked) beverage, if you want to try before you buy.

Even though it’s hard for me to look past the Lucky Combo, here are more details on the menu, in case you want to plan ahead:

Sweetened Iced Teas: Peach Oolong and Mango Green (both $4.25 or one snack credit)
Hot Teas: Ginseng Oolong, Jasmine, Dragon Well, Green (all $3.19 or one snack credit)
Soft Drinks: Soda ($1.59 or one snack credit); Bottled Water ($2.50 or one snack credit)
Alcoholic Beverages: Mango Gingerita w/vodka and rum ($7.50); Canto Loopy w/vodka and cantaloupe juice ($7.50); Peach Snap w/Schnapps ($7.50); Green Tea Plum Slush w/plum wine ($7.50); Tsing Tao Beer and Tsing Tao Pure Draft Beer (both $5.75); Plum Wine ($4.99); Tipsy Ducks in Love ($8.50 or non-alcoholic $5.50)
Ice Cream: Strawberry Red Bean or Caramel Ginger (both $3.25 or one snack credit)
Snacks: Chinese BBQ Pork Buns ($4.50); Curry Chicken Pockets ($3.99 or one snack credit); Pork and Vegetable Egg Rolls ($3.99 or one snack credit)

So what are your thoughts? Do you agree that the Lucky Combo might be one of Epcot’s best kept secrets?

Solving the Mystery Surrounding the Rapunzel Tower in New Fantasyland: March 2013 Grand Opening Video Edition

Published March 9, 2013 by Disneyways.com

The day we have all been anticipating – finally arrived!

March 8th 2013 – the Rapunzel area walls finally came down! Here is what we saw…

Related articles

World Secrets: Jellyrolls Dueling piano bar near Disney’s Boardwalk Resort

Published March 1, 2013 by Disneyways.com

Our latest edition to our World Secrets Series is taking us to Jellyrolls! This adult-oriented facility provides a noisy – yet very FUN retreat for the 21 and up crowd.   Jellyrolls  is named after Jelly Roll Morton, a legendary jazz pianist, not a desssert. His real name was Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe – but that probably wouldn’t fit on the marquee quite as well.

jelly

Depending on where you start out on Disney property,  you can get to Jellyrolls Piano Bar by boat, a bus, or even on foot. More on that later.

So what’s Jellyrolls like?  Well, it reminded me of Howl at the Moon, which is a similar piano bar located here in Orlando, and in 15 other locations across the country. What makes this different is it is at Disney, perhaps the only place in the world where you will hear a gritty-voiced piano man sing a song like “You ain’t never had a friend like me.” from the movie Aladdin. Just write your song request on a little piece of paper, add a tip, and *poof* your wish for nearly any song is magically granted.

They’ve got all the typical sing-alongs too like Sweet Caroline, Livin’ on a Prayer, even some Justin Beiber songs can be thrown in for good measure.When my friends and I approached the bar we heard an Elvis song playing, and a singing voice that sounded much like Billy Joel’s. I am a big fan of both – so I was thrilled.  The place was packed and everyone was having a great time. Our piano players for the evening were amazingly talented and even managed to entertain us with jokes without missing a note on the ivories. Guests who love music, cocktails, and people watching – will really enjoy this place. I sure did, and judging by this photo, my friends had fun too.

Here’s what you need to know before you go:

  • Jellyrolls has a $12 cover – and they only take cash at the door.
  • This is a fairly intimate establishment with somewhat limited seating. Doors open at 7pm and you may want to arrive early to guarantee yourself a seat.
  • This is a great place to go solo because the music is so loud. Got a blind date the maybe isn’t going so well? Great place to go for that too. You can also take that friend that talks too much, or the friend that wants you to carry on the whole conversation – just don’t take someone you want to get to know better. Talking to each other is nearly impossible without screaming. At one point I typed words into my iPhone’s notepad app – so my friend could read them. 
  • Most live bands take a break between sets; that doesn’t happen at Jellyrolls.  They have two duos who take turns working in shifts, so that there is music playing up until closing at 2am! I think this helps ensure they get to every single requested song that comes in. Pretty awesome if you ask me!
  • Don’t arrive too hungry. There is no appetizer menu. They do offer complimentary buttered popcorn, however.
  • Bring extra dollar bills and even $5 bills to hand to the pianists when you turn in your song requests. These guys are worth every penny!
  • The servers and bartenders will accept credit cards and key to the world cards for your drink orders.
  • Photos are allowed but they won’t allow you to take video.
  • Dress is completely casual, but you could certainly dress up a bit if you wanted to. It is not uncommon to see patrons wearing their Mickey ears and tiaras!

How to get there:

black monorail good camera

If you begin your journey in…

Magic Kingdom Park: Guests can take a bus directly to the Magic Kingdom Park or walk to Epcot, take the monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center and transfer to the Magic Kingdom Park monorail.

Epcot: Guests can walk to the rear entrance of Epcot, the International Gateway in less than 10 minutes. Besides walking, the Friendship water launches can provide you with a leisurely, air-conditioned shuttle to Epcot. Leisurely, in that it could take up to 20 minutes, as the launch stops at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts as well as the Swan and Dolphin hotels.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios: The Friendship launches transport guests to Disney’s Hollywood Studios with stops at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts dock and the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resorts dock as well.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park: Take the Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park bus

Downtown Disney Marketplace, Downtown Disney West Side: Take the Downtown Disney bus

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park: Take the Downtown Disney bus

Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park: Take the Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park bus

Jellyrolls has a great fan-based site, an official Disney site, and even a facebook page that will keep you updated with their latest information and coming events.

Check out more posts in our World Secrets series!

So what are you thoughts? Have you been to Jellyrolls?

“MagicBands” in colors and characters – an awesome photo tour

Published January 31, 2013 by Disneyways.com

First posted on January 31, 2013

It looks as though you will not only be able to choose an armband in your favorite color – but you will get to customize it even further with your favorite character or design.

I heard from a reliable source today that Star Wars characters will also be an option, but I couldn’t find any photos to show you as an example.

All photos below are from DizFanatic.com unless otherwise noted.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

UPDATE! 

For the first time, Disney released two limited edition, retail MagicBands with pre-printed images (edition size 2,500 each) during Star Wars weekends 2014. A green retail MagicBand with Yoda’s image and a red retail MagicBand with Darth Vader’s image (colors were selected to match their light saber colors). Each retail MagicBand was packaged in a decorative Star Wars Weekends box (you could even use the free Aurasma app on your mobile device to make the box image come to life).

Photo Credit Disney

Photo Credit Disney

To see our post on Modeling a MagicBand click here
To get all of you RFID questions answered check out this post

2013 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival “Flower Power” Concert line-up

Published January 29, 2013 by Disneyways.com

Garden fest

Featuring music from the 60’s and 70’s (America Gardens Theatre):
Show times 5:15 pm, 6:30 pm & 7:45 pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Schedule of Performers: 

March 8-10: Micky Dolenz, formerly of The Monkees (I’m a Believer)
March 15-17: Chubby Checker and The Wildcats (The Twist)
March 22-24: The Guess Who (American Woman)
March 29-31: Nelson (Can’t Live Without Your Love and Affection)
April 5-7: The Turtles feat. Flo and Eddie (Happy Together)
April 12-14: Paul Revere and The Raiders (Good Thing)
April 19-21: The Village People (YMCA)
April 26-28: The Orchestra, Featuring Former Members of ELO and ELO II
May 3-5: Tommy Roe (Dizzy)
May 10-12: Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone (I’m Henry VIII, I Am)
May 17-19: Starship Starring Mickey Thomas (We Built This City)

 

Epcot admission is required. Disney always reserves the right to change the schedule without notice – so feel free to check with me for the latest info!

Here’s some footage of Micky Dolenz performing last year.

Thanks to Shelley of Disneymanners.com for taking the footage!

Related articles

Getting Schooled on Epcot’s Norwegian School Bread (Skolebrød)

Published January 19, 2013 by Disneyways.com

Talk to any person who loves Epcot food long enough – and you might hear them mention School Bread. It has become a favorite of many Disney fans, almost as famous as some other portable snacks such as the turkey leg, or maybe even the Dole Whip. You can find the Disney World version of this baked good inside the Norway Pavilion at Epcot, or the Kringla Bakeri og Kafe to be exact. Here is what it will look like:

Epcot’s version of School Bread. Photo source: melsquietthoughts.com

I mentioned School Bread on facebook and really sparked some questions. That is what inspired this post today. Not ever having eaten School Bread myself, I wondered, what is it really, and why is it such a big deal to those of us who love Disney? To give you an idea of how popular it is – Amanda of MigotoChou (her store on etsy) has sold out of her “School Bread Scented Polymer Clay Epcot Walt Disney World Snack Miniature.” I just think these little things are adorable, so I had to include a picture of them too. Check it out!

Photo source: etsy.com/shop/MigotoChou

To find out more about the real, edible school bread, I did a little research.

Moose and L-Jay from MyLittleNorway.com are a fantastic source for all things Norwegian. According to the couple – School Bread (Skolebrødis) all about the “bread” which they don’t really even consider bread, but more like a bun. Before we go any further I should explain that “Skole” means school. Why do they use the word school to describe this treat? Well, because it is filled with rich vanilla cream or vanilla pudding, Norwegian School Bread is a special treat to include in your children’s lunches or to prepare for a special school gathering. Bolle is the word to describe one bun and Boller refers to two or more. For whatever reason – it seems we are all calling them school bread or “skolebrød”- when actually they are more of a School BUN – or a “skoleboller”.

When I contacted Moose and L-Jay through facebook and asked why I couldn’t find Skolebrød in my search of their site they told me this:

“They are also known as skoleboller (as they are typically made from boller dough not bread as such.)”

So if you search skoleboller on their site – what you see if the actual food that has inspired Epcot’s famous school bread. My next question – what is boller dough and how is it different then bread?

To quote mylittlenorway.com: “To me, a bolle just seems like a hot-cross bun without the hot-cross and eaten everyday rather than just Easter. But to a Norwegian the bolle is a way of life.”

Skoleboller (school buns) are boller with a custard center and an iced coconut topping. They are VERY common in Norway. Every supermarket stocks a fresh batch in the bakery section. When a Norwegian has a choice between plain boller and skoleboller, the latter always wins. No wonder they made their way to the Norway Pavilion in Epcot.

To find out more about Epcot’s version of School Bread I went to the Disney Food Blog. They are quoted as saying this little slice of heaven is absolutely delicious. It is stuffed with vanilla custard, surrounded by a light sweet pastry, and sprinkled with coconut. They described it as magnificent and adding to the delight is the fact that the custard is chilled, making School Bread the perfect compliment to a hot Epcot afternoon. Believe it or not, according to DFB, School Bread actually isn’t too sweet! Which is possibly why so many people love it. Regarding taste and texture, the bread is a cross between a cinnamon roll and a dinner roll. It’s not super moist — more springy. But the sweet vanilla custard is extremely smooth and abundant. They go on to say the basic icing and coconut on top give it just enough extra sweetness.

Have you tried School Bread? What did you think of it?

Epcot’s UK and Canada Paviion Phone Booths are Ringing in the Magic!

Published January 5, 2013 by Disneyways.com

Do you remember seeing these on your last visit to Epcot’s World Showcase? Perhaps you or your family members have climbed inside and posed for photos?

Even if you’ve never been to Epcot at all, you may have heard about the phone booths. So where exactly are they? You will find them in the United Kingdom pavilion located close to the restrooms. These restrooms are on the right as you come into the pavilion from the Canadian side. There is also a lesser-known Canadian phone booth.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Here’s how to find that one:

On the way up the stairs at the Canada pavilion, you can see the coat of arms of the “Canadian National Hotels.” Just a few more steps and you’ll see that elusive Canadian phone booth. It looks very similar to the ones in the UK.

Did you know they are working phone booths? They really are! Some sources say you can make outbound calls from them and some say you can not. One thing is for sure…you can make an inbound call to the phone booths when ever you’d like.

Are you missing Disney and need to add a little magic to your day? Give the phone booths a call! Sometimes you will hear a busy signal or a fax machine. Other times a Disney guest will pick up and be so shocked to hear your voice on the other end that they just hang up. However, there are lots of great stories about Epcot visitors who will talk to you about everything from the Florida weather, the restaurants, crazy drivers, and maybe even local places to find great frozen yogurt. If you reach ME – I promise to talk your ear off.

Locals and other guests taking a day trip to Epcot sometimes enjoy using their cell phones to play jokes on their friends. Tales abound about calling other members of their own party to surprise them with their best Goofy or Donald impression! Give it a try! You know you want to.

I just met you, and this is crazy, but here‘s the numbers – call them maybe?

(Sorry — I couldn’t resist! Here’s the video if you don’t get the joke.)

Have you called before? How did it go? Do you plan on calling?

Please share your story!