A Pirate’s Adventure: Treasure of the Seven Seas – Secret Details Revealed!

Published April 10, 2013 by Disneyways.com

Ahoy mates! Coming this Summer, adventures await at Walt Disney World when Captain Jack Sparrow himself brings his swashbuckling antics to Magic Kingdom in a new interactive quest to the park this spring. It’s called “A Pirate’s Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas” and an adventure it will be! Join our new facebook group here to join in the fun from home!

The experience will have guests playing the role of a pirate in an attempt to save Adventureland. There will be five different pirate raids, each with a separate map, as well as a talisman, to guide you in your quest of collecting treasure.

pirate game

On the adventure, guests will interact with Captain Jack Sparrow’s famous compass and come in contact with things like a parrot, an oyster, a bobcat spirit, a cannon, and a treasure chest. “A Pirate’s Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas” will take us through five different “pirate raids” fighting off Captain Jack Sparrow’s many enemies including the Royal Navy and Captain Barbossa among others. We will of course – look for treasure along the way.

Guests will be equipped with a pirate map and a “magic” talisman looks to be placed inside a skull (photos to come!) where guests will begin the adventure. It looks as though the Royal Navy and captain Barbossa aren’t the only things we need to be on the look out for. Images of sharks circling in the water, cannons, talking shrunken heads, battles between ships in a bottle and other scoundrel activity will be just a few obstacles placed in your way to finding the treasure. Some of the “raids” might take place inside the shops near the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, maybe the Swiss Family Tree House, and near the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction entrance.

Guests who are successful in helping Captain Jack eliminate his foes and locate the Seven Seas treasures will be welcomed as part of his new crew. Those who do not are sentenced to “face the wrath of the cruel sea – alone.”

With the announcement of a 5th Pirates of the Caribbean movie set to hit theaters on July 10, 2015 we can’t help but wonder if “A Pirate’s Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas” will give us some hints as to what’s coming next for the mischievous Jack Sparrow and his scallywag adventures.

World Secrets! Beyond the Birthday Basics: Grown-ups Like to Celebrate at Disney too!

Published April 5, 2013 by Disneyways.com

Alicia is a Disneyways subscriber and avid reader who has a WONDERFUL “predicament”. She is celebrating her 27th birthday in Walt Disney World this year. This is her first time ever to blow out her candles in the most magical place on earth. Alicia was so sweet and persistent in asking me for some tips that might help her to make the day extra wonderful.

So…Alicia…this one’s for you…and everyone else reading this post who has wondered the same thing!

Thanks for your great question!

Can you tell Alicia is just a kid at heart?

This is definitely one of our longer posts, and I want to respect your time. If you are too busy to read all this – stop right here and call my friend Ramon from ThemeParkConcierges.com. (407-257-9973)

Ramon has been helping families and individuals create magical Disney birthday moments for years and he is VERY affordable for the amazing value he provides. Like some sort of Disney wish granter – Ramon has access to special meet and greet opportunities, VIP seating, holiday tours, and all sorts of things that he can customize just for you, and that are probably not even listed here. He can save you a ton of time and make your birthday celebrations a breeze!

Now let’s get the ball rolling and think out side the box for a little inspiration! We’ve got free, cheap and pricey ideas for grown-up birthdays!

Drinking or Snacking Around World Showcase

Planning is crucial here – so be sure to check out THIS LINK before you attempting this idea. Now take it a step further. Create something tangible before you leave for yourself or the person who is celebrating their birthday. Look up the drink and food menus at the World Showcase pavilions and think about the items you or they would most prefer. Print a map of Epcot and write your choices on each country to represent your plan of action. Create t-shirts with the countries and all the drinks or snacks listed. Bring a sharpie to mark each one off as you go! You can buy alcohol or non-alcoholic drinks, snacks and food at Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom if you like those parks better – or do a snack crawl around Magic Kingdom!

Wear a HAT!

Any silly or customized hat can also be a great way to celebrate your birthday trip around the world, or any occasion really. Check out this photo my hubby took of Mike from MikeandTheMouse.com (and me!) from our last Disneyways meetup. Nothing beats a fashionable set of Mickey ears.

By the way…if you weren’t at the meetup these are the sort of shenanigans you missed. You need to come to the next one. The details will be revealed soon! 🙂

mike

Watch the Fireworks during Dinner

Again, some planning ahead is important here. You’re going to need a list of restaurants where this is possible. Stay tuned to Disneyways for those. Better yet subscribe to get updates by email so you’ll never miss a post! Advanced dining reservations are also crucial! The good news is – fireworks viewing won’t cost you any extra if you are lucky enough to be seated for dinner in a good spot.

Take a Specialty Cruise

Check out the options for specialty cruises at Walt Disney World here. Check out this page for the phone numbers to call. Don’t want to sit on hold? Hire Ramon to do this for you.

Pick the Plan

Here’s one that won’t add any expense at all. You or the person celebrating their birthday gets to pick the general schedule for the day and maybe even invite a surprise guest. The attraction and show choices are endless, and giving or having this kind of power is fuel for some wonderful birthday memories.

Set up a Small Private Event

There are a couple of ways to set up a small private event at Walt Disney World.

One is to call Private Dining at the Grand Floridian (407-824-2474) and arrange to have dinner somewhere in the hotel or at the marina during the Wishes fireworks. If you are staying in some other Disney resort – then the way to do a small private event at Walt Disney World is to work with Disney Catered Events (321-939-7278). My recommendation? Use a travel agent or hire Ramon to do all of this for you.

Beyond Birthday Cake

Sure you can get cake at Disney, if you prefer. But I hope you will go to Norway for School Bread. Get Zebra Domes from Boma or Mara in Animal Kingdom Lodge. Order Crepes from Chefs de France, ‘Smores from the ’50s Prime Time Diner, or the Tonga Toast at Kona Cafe. Bring your own birthday candle and your server will bring it out singing. Try to conquer the Kitchen Sink at Beaches & Cream. Have Dole Whip or Mickey Bar at breakfast, lunch AND dinner. Sample every kind of fudge at the Main Street Confectionery. The more off-the-wall your sweet treat is, the more you or your special someone will remember the celebration.

Book some Extra Birthday Fun

Take the Characters in Flight balloon ride at Downtown Disney. Spend a day at the Saratoga Springs Resort spa or the new Senses Spa at the Grand Floridian. Take a backstage tour at the Magic Kingdom. Book a suite or stay in a different or nicer resort than usual. Plan a shopping spree. Stay at the park until it closes. Go parasailing or waterskiing at the Contemporary. Get tickets to Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba at Downtown Disney.

Decorate Your Room

A great way to add oomph to your celebration is to decorate your hotel room. You can do this with streamers and balloons brought from home. Don’t want to do it yourself? Enlist the help of the Disney Floral and Gift Basket team. Find them online or give them a call at 407-WDW-GIFT. They have a bunch of room decorating packages available. They can also customize a basket for you. If you have something very specific in mind, get on the phone and speak to someone directly. OR save time and money by…you guessed it…hiring Ramon to do it all for you. Do I sound like a broken record yet?

Another Freebie

Grab a blanket or extra towels and watch the Wishes fireworks presentation from the beach at the Polynesian.

Do the “Usual” but still Pretty Fantastic Disney Celebration Stuff

Of course Disney has their own official ways to make birthdays a little more magical in the World. Click here for more on that. Just don’t forget to come back to this page to reference all the cool extra stuff we’ve mentioned already.

I hope one or more of these ideas will help you get started. Let’s face it, you actually may not need to jump through any magical hoops to make a Disney celebration special. A trip to Walt Disney World is pretty special all by itself. Life really can’t get much better than feeling the wind in your hair on Test Track – or getting a hug from Mickey Mouse. I promise, you aren’t the only one who gets sentimental at Disney.

Please send me your ideas, dreams and memories of your favorite Disney birthdays! We would LOVE to hear from you!

Limited Time Magic Rumors!! Another All Night Party?!

Published March 29, 2013 by Disneyways.com

Just a rumor for now – but I heard Friday May 24th there will be an all night party into Saturday morning in WDW’s Magic Kingdom Park.

Visions of Leap Day are dancing in my head!

How about you?

Another rumor – Magic Kingdom is considering a Limited Time Magic event that will involve Tinker Bell and her friends for a week. Word is that we will get to meet them all together and they will give out autograph cards similar to the ones we saw earlier this year from the characters during Limited Time Magic.

If the rumor is true – this event would take place in April or early May.

tink

Later today there will be an announcement from Disney about the ACTUAL Limited Time Magic coming for this week. Follow me on facebook and twitter for the latest on that! Have a magical day!

Exclusive Video from Day one! Limited Time Magic: Dapper Dans – the “Original Boy Band” (disneyways.com)

Photo and Video Tour – Switching our Annual Passes to RFID Cards – MagicBands and More

Published March 26, 2013 by Disneyways.com

March 20, 2013 Walt Disney World began MyMagic+ upgrade for annual passholders with hard plastic cards, RFID, and a MagicBand preview.

Now through May 19, Walt Disney World annual passholders can take existing paper passes to the Odyssey Center at Epcot, located between Test Track and the Mexico pavilion, and update them to hard plastic cards embedded with technology that allows access to the newest features.

My husband and I headed to change our passes over on the evening of March 21st.

rfidchriskrista

I was amazed at how easy it was. It really just took place almost instantly after presenting our existing pass and photo ID. We got to choose from four character designs: Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, or Donald.

Once converted, passholders have access to the new turnstile-free entry areas at the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Mickey-head adorned posts replace turnstiles presenting guests a chance to simply touch their passes against the glowing circle and place a finger on the security reader to gain access, as demonstrated in the video below.

Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests can also currently use the touch-to-enter system as the “Key to the World” cards also have the necessary MyMagic+ RFID technology already built in.

In addition to touch-to-enter, these new hard plastic cards work with the existing FastPass system and will ultimately work with the FastPass+ system, once it officially begins. These cards will also soon be able to used for PhotoPass+, allowing passholders to simply touch their cards against PhotoPass readers instead of having them scanned.

But according to the cast members in the upgrade center, passholders looking to use the touch-to-pay feature that’s now available at most registers across Walt Disney World will have to use MagicBands.

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These lightweight, flexible wristbands will effortlessly connect you to all the vacation plans you make using the My Disney Experience app or from your PC. MagicBands can be used to enter Walt Disney World parks, access FastPass+ attractions and more. Wearing a MagicBand helps make everything super easy, so you can relax and enjoy the fun.

MagicBands will be provided to Passholders whose passes provide admission to Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We’ll let you know more about MagicBands in the coming months. Linking a credit card to an annual pass for touch-to-pay access will not be possible. Each passholder will receive one in the mail some time within the next few months, though Disney isn’t saying when just yet.

The MagicBand is on display at the Odyssey, packaged in multiple colors, arriving to guests in the mail with names assigned:

In addition to the MagicBands, we also got to take a look at a few bonus pieces of theme park history in the Odyssey, including Figment and Kitchen Kabaret figures, Tom Morrow 2.0, an “it’s a small world” doll, a remote control jungle cruise boat (that you will no longer find in the Magic Kingdom), and more:

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The Odyssey Center is currently the only location where existing annual passholders can receive the new cards, open during regular park hours. Those who need new passes or renewals will be able to get the new pass at any ticket window. After May 19, other ways will be made available to exchange passes as well.

Click here to read our frequently asked questions on the subject of these RFID cards and MagicBands.

Limited Time Magic for March 25th – March 31st (and more embarrassing ear hat photos.)

Published March 23, 2013 by Disneyways.com

The first embarrassing ear hat photo can be found on my facebook page…but just like Limited Time Magic…that photo won’t last long.

I accept all facebook friend requests.

Now on with the serious stuff. Like dancing hippos. More on that later.

Limited Time Magic happenings and events have been announced for March 25th – 31st.

Disney is calling it Spring Fling!

Magic Kingdom Park will host Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny. Guests can hop on over to Town Square on Main Street to get a picture taken with the power couple.

The Mr. and Mrs. will share the spotlight with butterflies, other bunnies, flowers and dancing hippos in a special springtime procession that will happen before the daily performances of the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade.

Because….what’s a day at the Magic Kingdom without dancing hippos?!

It’s a good thing bunnies have energy because Mr. and Mrs. Bunny will also be at Epcot to host activities in the United Kingdom pavilion. Kids can meet them, pose for photos, hunt Easter eggs and participate in relay races.

This week will also bring Easter egg hunts in Future World. Yahoo! Stay tuned to Disneyways for what I am guessing will be some pretty awesome video footage of that.

Oswald The Lucky Rabbit ear hats will be available at Mouse Gear in Epcot while supplies last. Everyone knows Oswald ears are the hottest thing in fashion right now.

My buddy Mike from MikeandtheMouse.com looks pretty fly in his –

don’t you think?

My husband Chris took this picture of us at the first ever Disneyways meetup. If you couldn’t make it that night, these are the sort of shenanigans you missed.

*Spring Fling experiences and offerings are subject to change without notice. Valid Theme Park admission is requiered for events taking place at Magic Kingdom park and Epcot. No Oswalds were harmed during the capturing of this photo.

2013 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival- an overview (disneyways.com)
Epcot Flower and Garden Festival 2013 – A sneak peek at the Land of Oz Garden in photos (disneyways.com)

“SAWT-EM-KAY” and Contest Winner Announcement

Published March 21, 2013 by Disneyways.com

I was sitting at a little table near Gaston’s Tavern in New Fantasyland with my friend. She began talking about something called “SAWT-EM-KAY.”

I listened in amazement as she told me more and more about “SAWT-EM-KAY” and how it is a super cool interactive game that has grown very popular in the last year or so.

I quickly realized that she was using the special insider lingo for (what I know by it’s long drawn out name) – “Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.” (SOTMK)

Honestly I hadn’t paid much attention before now. I don’t know about you, but wow…I had a LOT of misconceptions about this game. I was really missing out!

We aren’t going to miss out any more.

Beginning very soon, we will be starting a new series on this amazing interactive game that has taken the Magic Kingdom by storm. Come along with Disneyways as we take this magical journey into the world of the Master Sorcerers. Even if you can’t be here to play along in person, you will be able to amaze your friends with what you know!

Get equipped with the knowledge to be a part of this seemingly “underground” movement – if you choose!

“What is SOTMK ?”

“How do I get started with the game?”

“Is SOTMK really for me ?” and

“What are some cool insider tips for advanced players?”

All of these questions and more will be covered in the series.

You won’t want to miss a single post!

Yesterday we had a facebook sweepstakes of sorts. I want to thank everyone who participated! The winner of the random drawing is Katrina Marie!

Katrina – please send me your address and I will mail you your unopened pack of 5 Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom cards that came direct from Walt Disney World.

Congratulations!

We will be giving away more SOTMK prizes on facebook, twitter, and here on the blog! Who will be our next winner? Why not you?

Leave your burning SOTMK questions in the comments below and if your question is chosen – YOU will win a pack of 5 unopened SOTMK cards!

cards

Are you as excited as we are about the upcoming series?

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.

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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?

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…

Solving the Mystery around Rapunzel’s tower rising up out of new fantasyland – latest rumors (disneyways.com)

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?

Limited Time Magic: Photos from Day Two of True Love Week

Published February 16, 2013 by Disneyways.com

February 11 to February 17, 2013 is True Love Week as part of Disney’s Limited Time Magic Promotion.

True love was in the air on day one at Walt Disney World Resort – as fairytale princesses united with their princes, Cinderella Castle got a romantic nighttime makeover and “happily ever after” became reality.