B-Rated Food & Wine?

So, there's an international food festival happening near me this weekend.... how do I turn it into B rated Epcot?

Pay twice as much for the food then listen to the Illuminations soundtrack on the way home?

Best Restaurants On Property

If you had to pick 3 restaurants for us to eat at during our trip in October, where would it be? 1 in a park, 1 in a resort, and 1 at Disney Springs.

Talk about a loaded question!

OK here goes...

For a resort restaurant, go with California Grill at the Contemporary. Fireworks views, great food, and a walk up bar for when reservations are tough to come by.

At Disney Springs, I give the nod to Chef Art Smith's Homecomin. Fun vibe but still upscale with to-die-for staples like fried chicken, biscuits, and house-made moonshine cocktails. Second choice would have to be Paddlefish. Great views, unique setting, rooftop bar, raw bar, and awesome seafood and steaks.

For theme park restaurants, the premiere option is Tiffins at Animal Kingdom without question. But the spot is known as much for it's lounge bar than anything else and with so many great "not just a burger and fries" quick service options throughout the park like Flame Tree BBQ and Satuli Canteen, it's hard to recommend devoting the time and money to Tiffins. Epcot restaurants are great but with Food and Wine going on, there's no reason to devote time to them either. For fine dining, that leaves us with Be Our Guest - an impossible dinner reservation that could be visited at lunch if Beauty and the Beast is important to you - or Hollywood Brown Derby at Hollywood Studios.

I would lean more towards the "fun" restaurants in the theme parks, since there's no need for anything "fancy" in between fireworks and roller coasters. Consider somewhere like Skipper's Canteen at Magic Kingdom and 50's Prime Time Cafe or Sci-Fi Dine In Theater at Hollywood Studios. For an in-park character meal, we always opt to meet Mickey and the gang at Garden Grill at Epcot's The Land pavilion.

And if you need to get reservations to these places at the last minute, use Touring Plans' reservation finder.

So About That Annual Pass...

https://touringplans.com/blog/2019/06/18/wdw-increases-annual-pass-prices-overnight/

 The price structure as of today, June 18, 2019 is: 

Disney Platinum Plus Pass (includes 4-Park Hopping, water parks, and more, with no blackout dates): $1,219Disney Platinum Pass (includes 4-Park Hopping, with no blackout dates): $1,119Gold Annual Pass (for DVC members and FL residents only): $699.00Silver Annual Pass (FL residents only): $529.00The most recent previous price (for non-Florida residents) for the Platinum Plus Pass was $994.00, with the new rate representing an increase of $225.00. The Florida Resident price increased to $999, up $150 from the previous $849.

So after a day of good press surrounding the announcement that AP previews for Walt Disney World's Galaxy's Edge are coming, Disney delivered this whopper overnight. Annual passes up around $200 a pop. It's a roughly 40% increase for a standard pass from 2007 when I got my first AP. Since 2012, the highest level of pass has increased a whopping 57%. Time to sell that kidney...

Farewell Illuminations Merch

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2019/06/17/farewell-illuminations-merchandise-arrives-in-epcot-see-the-full-line/?fbclid=IwAR3iJUgWsrIlGrmfx0c-ka5iCERu7pYJXbnLoyQxAXPhcVl7AS-BEnd0Jwo

While I appreciate that they actually made this stuff, it's infuriating and heartbreaking on so many levels. Not the least of which is the prominence of that newly designed abomination of a Mickey.

Ain't No Ride Worth That Kind of Wait

From Andy...

Holy Shit! Ain't no ride worth that kind of wait.

And THAT is why Disney did the reservation thing with Galaxy's Edge. They really need to do it in Orlando in August, I'm not really sure what they're thinking.

Though, speaking of not knowing what they're thinking, you really have to wonder what goes through the heads of the people that see the 590 minute wait and say "yeah, I think I'll get in line." 

Nei

Booking Walt Disney World Resorts Through Third-Party Websites

There are a few fairly obvious ways to book a room at a Walt Disney World resort. Their official website, their telephone reservation number, or your local travel agent are three of the more common ones. Another option that you may not have experience with is third-party hotel booking websites. Third-party websites are those that offer a list of hotels available for booking without dealing directly with the hotel chain’s own websites or reservation lines. These include “name your own price” services like Hotwire and Priceline as well as the more simple and transparent sites like Hotels.com, Orbitz, Expedia, and a host of others. You may have used one of these sites to book hotel rooms in the past but never realized that they also offer Walt Disney World Resort hotel booking.

Continue reading on Touring Plans...

WDWorld Traveler Podcast July 2018 Episode 1 - Dogs

WDWorld Traveler Podcast July 2018 Episode 1 - Dogs

On this edition of the WDWorld Traveler podcast, Neil talks Toy Story Land, Minnie Vans, and the over-reactions of DISTWITTER as it relates to dogs, "do not disturb" signs, and more - plus why this is both funny AND a really bad thing for true Disney fans.

Hollywood Studios Toy Story Land Opening Details

This weekend Walt Disney World opens the first new attractions in their complete overhaul of the Hollywood Studios theme park. Toy Story Land is set to debut with two new rides – Slinky Dog Dash and Alien Swirling Saucers – along with a Woody’s Lunchbox counter service restaurant. The land will also include the existing Toy Story Midway Mania attraction, reopening after a short rehab that moved the entrance from its former spot in Pixar Place to the new land.

So what are these new rides?

Continue reading on P2B Nation...

Disney Princesses Reimagined as Careerwomen

https://www.buzzfeed.com/sydrobinson1/the-disney-princesses-as-career-women?utm_source=dynamic&utm_campaign=bffbbuzzfeed&ref=bffbbuzzfeed&utm_term=.ovZXp6EMV#.dmYg381nl

OK, I got a good chuckle out of Anna and Elsa as climatologists. I think they could have got away with changing hairstyles on few of them but otherwise this is some cool work.

And in fairness to Tiana, she actually WAS a businesswoman. A small business owner nonetheless!

X Atencio Dies

https://ohmy.disney.com/news/2017/09/11/legendary-disney-animator-and-imagineer-francis-xavier-x-atencio-passes-away-at-age-98/?cmp=smc%7C1068969644

Lost in all of the Hurricane Irma buildup and news, Disney Legend X Atencio passed away this week. He was one of the masterminds behind Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion (writing both rides' iconic theme songs) as well as Spaceship Earth, World of Motion, and others. Before working in Imagineering, Atencio was an animator on Pinocchio and numerous shorts.

Francis Xavier Atencio was 98.

Hurricane Irma

By now I think everyone knows that Hurricane Irma, the one-time category 5 storm that decimated a number of islands in the Caribbean and Florida keys, ended up directly hitting Orlando, with the eye passing over Walt Disney World.

Surprisingly, despite such fear of widespread destruction, the parks survived relatively unscathed. Attractions Magazine has some photos from around the internet of the damage that, when contrasted with this Buzzfeed post of satellite imagery from the Caribbean, shows just how easily central Florida got off.

Many many people are still without power and on boil advisories but Disney theme parks reopened today and everything should be business-as-usual shortly. If you are currently planning a Walt Disney World vacation for the near future, you don't have to change your plans.

6 Ways We'll Remember Ellen's Energy Adventure & The Great Movie Ride

Two iconic and "old school" Walt Disney World attractions shut down over the weekend. Ellen's Energy Adventure played it's final Jeopardy at Epcot on Sunday while the Great Movie Ride took it's last curtain call over at Hollywood Studios. Here at WDWorld Traveler, we remember these two legendary attractions as only we can.

1. Stupid Judy
Ellen's Energy Adventure's absurd Jeopardy dream sequence and preposterous premise in general was a thing of beauty. Something that could have only been cooked up in the 90's, Ellen's neighbor Bill Nye the Science Guy chastises her for not caring about energy while watching her old rival Judy (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) appear on the Jeopardy game show. The wackiness of it all is encapsulated in the moment when Ellen declares her nickname for Judy: "Stupid Judy." You can relive this moment forever thanks to this TeePublic shirt.

2. Ellen's Epic Nap Adventure
Ellen's Energy Adventure clocked in at a remarkable 45 minutes. This fact alone makes it no shock that the ride is being replaced to suit our current low-attention-span society. What will be missed by many Walt Disney World faithful was the long nap afforded by 45 minutes of air conditioned darkness and, on particularly uncrowded days, long bench seating. (Appropriate for a ride that's entirely a dream sequence during a nap.) So yes, Epcot's most comfortable nap is now gone. It's probably all for the better as equally long naps can be had at the American Adventure and Mark Twain is less likely to cause mid-nap nightmares than an Allosaurus. Slightly less.

3. Wacky Celebrity Crossovers
If you are looking for a reason beyond shortening attention spans to blame for the closure of these two classic attractions, blame Disney's new love of profitable IP synergy. And I'm not talking about the simple Eisner-era synergy of opening an ABC Commissary restaurant. No, Disney's new mantra is to not invest any money in any kind of new rides, shows, or attractions without having an already-proven profitable piece of intellectual property behind it. It makes good business sense. Why have two attractions in prominent positions in your parks headlined by a bunch of properties that don't make your company any money? Bill Nye the Science Guy isn't starring in any action movies and the Wizard of Oz and most of the movies featured in the Great Movie Ride aren't even Disney pictures. And yes, I know Ellen stars in a very profitable Pixar franchise but this was ELLEN'S Energy Adventure, not DORY'S Energy Adventure. Putting Mickey and the Guardians of the Galaxy into their spots is a smart business move. All that having been said, I will certainly miss seeing audio-animatronics recreations of the likes of John Wayne and Alien. I will also greatly miss Alex Trebek, the unsung hero of Ellen's Energy Adventure, as long as the wild and wacky Willard Scott and Michael Richards cameos.

4. Gratuitous Movie Placement
You know that rant I just went on about Disney putting their own IP into attractions? It came off as just plain gratuitous in the Great Movie Ride and I love how everyone just kind of nods and goes along with it because "cool! Mary Poppins!" You've got scenes and references to the Wizard of Oz, The Godfather, Singing in the Rain, and Casablanca alongside...Mary Poppins and Fantasia. Because, of course you do. I also love when the narrator calls Mickey Mouse one of the greatest film stars of all time. Mickey. Big star of exactly zero actual films. Shorts, made for TV specials, and 1/6th of Fantasia don't count. It all just reeks of Disney refusing to make the ride without including two of its own movies. Not saying that I blame them either. It was just so glaringly and eyerollingly obvious.

5. The Fact That TCM Isn't Even Carried By Disney Resorts
The TCM sponsorship of the Great Movie Ride is one of the strangest things that Disney has done in recent years. Yes, it makes perfect sense. But it is also just strange since Disney is all about not promoting other companies' crap anymore. Yet here we had a non-Disney-owned cable network getting a prominent role in a headline attraction. Then the coup de grace comes when you get back to your Disney resort at night, turn on the TV, and find out TCM isn't even carried. It would be like walking out of Club Cool and finding out that they only sold Pepsi. Just for laughs, here's Disney photography aficionado Tom Bricker's overly optimistic view of the TCM sponsorship from 2015, complete with this sentence: "I’m really enthusiastic for the future of Great Movie Ride." Oh and speaking of ironies...

6. The Last Ever Ellen's Energy Adventure Ride Broke Down
I'm not making this up. On the last ever ride taken through Ellen's Energy Adventure, the ride system broke down and people had to be evacuated. The CM's, taking to heart the last day policy of "screw it," just let people wander around the dinosaur diorama for awhile taking videos and selfies with the animatronics. I'm not wholly convinced that this wasn't done on purpose (it's a little bit convenient that the ride happened to break down with all 6 cars in the dinosaur room) but I'm also not going to let some logic get in the way of a great story. It was a fitting ending to a ride that never really fit in. And speaking of breaking down, here's a video of some grown men breaking down (in tears) on their last ride ever on the Great Movie Ride.

Faith In Humanity Is Lost; Dumbest Animal Kingdom Review Ever

https://www.reddit.com/r/WaltDisneyWorld/comments/6h67af/faith_in_humanity_is_lost_dumbest_animal_kingdom/

This entire Reddit thread will make your day.
- Brian

Yes, this is indeed epic. Of course the comments are even funnier than the actual review. "I definitely think this person needs to avoid the Great Movie Ride" and "we were promised tickets to an Aerosmith concert but all the limo took us to was a shop where they sell t-shirts" both made my day for sure.

Review - Happily Ever After

Backstory: Happily Ever After replaced the beloved Wishes, ending it's over-a-decade run in the spring of 2017. It is likely not the last new addition to Magic Kingdom's nighttime lineup as the park still remains without an evening parade.

Touring Strategy: This show makes ample use of projections onto Cinderella Castle and thus is best viewed with the entirety of the castle in sight. Makes way more sense now why they opened up all of that extra viewing space around the hub. You should probably watch it from somewhere facing the castle head-on. My old spot of watching from near the carrousel in Fantasyland will probably still be good for the fireworks views, but I have no idea how much, if any, of the projections are displayed on the back of the castle.

The Show: A rousing orchestral piece opens the show and the voice of a new fireworks show narrator (no more Jiminy Cricket) begins with the words that so often close fairy tales: "and they all lived happily ever after." This will be the theme of the show, that all of our dreams and all of our "hearts desires" can be realized, just like they always are for the heroes and heroines of our favorite Disney fantasies.

The castle begins to come alive with changing colors and some projections of fireworks until the fireworks appear to explode out of the castle and fill the sky around it. The castle turns blue as one final firework flies through the sky. Tiana appears in projection form on the base of the castle and sings leading to more fireworks among a blending melody of Disney classics including Part of Your World from Little Mermaid and Out There from Hunchback of Notre Dame (an unusual choice for a featured song, in a show filled with them.) Quasimodo disappears amongst a flurry of fireworks as we switch over to the next section of the show.

The castle appears covered in Polynesian jungle foliage as Moana joins us for a medly. Projections keep changing through a flurry of Disney characters and iconic moments including Lightening McQueen, the balloons from Up, and characters from Finding Nemo as the song changes to the now famous How Far I'll Go. Aladdin's lamp appears at the center of the castle, leading to a Friend In Me inspired medley of songs and projections from Aladdin, Tarzan, Lion King, Toy Story, Jungle Book, Wreck It Ralph, Big Hero 6, Inside Out, and Monsters Inc. It culminates in, of all things, the conclusion of That's What Friends Are For, the vultures' song from the Jungle Book, and particularly with a large mouth appearing out of the castle to sing the baritone Sher Khan's closing line.

The castle then turns to ice but we are redirected from the expected Let It Go scene with Olaf saying that "some people are worth melting for" and then a version of Love Is An Open Door. A large heart firework leads to more fireworks amongst scenes of tender loving Disney moments set to You'll Be In My Heart. Included are clips of the family from Inside Out, Simba and Nala from Lion King, baby Dory and her parents, and Dumbo and his mom. Next the castle is filled with the lanterns from Tangled, which take off into the night sky.

These tender moments are replaced with a medley of Disney's epic battle scenes from movies like Mulan, Little Mermaid, Lion King, and Sleeping Beauty, ending in an epic and awesome crescendo with music from the live-action Pirates of the Caribbean and including my all time favorite Disney fireworks show effect: a projection making it appear as if cannon fire has blown holes into Cinderella Castle (originally from the old Pirate and Princess Party.)

Things calm down and the castle is filled with rain, putting out the fires of battle, as Mufasa appears in the clouds to tell us to "remember who you are" and leads into a section featuring Go The Distance from Hercules, another great but relatively obscure Disney song. The castle is wiped to a more familiar state only with gold gilding on it's spires. The rest of the castle morphs into stained glass windows displaying a litany of Disney characters, including a few who hadn't appeared elsewhere in the show including Pinocchio, Cinderella, and Peter Pan. As the narrator tells us that the show has come to an end and reminds us that our story continues long after we leave the park, a final crescendo of the show's theme song, a full-sky explosion of colored fireworks, and Tinkerbell's famous fly from the castle makes for an epic conclusion to the show.

Thoughts: So this is an interesting show to review. Foremost, practically, it's really hard because there are all kinds of things happening at the same time. Fireworks going off, songs changing, things projected on both the castle and the walls to either side of it. And this is just what I could see from the YouTube video I used to write the recap. Being in the park live for this show has to be an absolutely breathtaking experience and one that you can have multiple times and see new things to appreciate each time. Hardcore Disney fans have to be thrilled with the music choices, which shy away from the commonplace stuff and opt for some rarities, all of which match the show so beautifully that if someone is unfamiliar with the songs and the movie they come from that they will likely just think the songs were written for the show itself. The projections look awesome. It is hard to believe that they are actually images projected on a real structure. The fireworks themselves are not much better than the ones that came along with Wishes but as a total package, the show is nearly perfect.

One thing I found off was the glaring omission of Beauty and the Beast in any form in the show. I could have missed them but I've watched a few times, especially looking out for it, and didn't see one. So if it is there, it is fleeting. My thinking is that perhaps there will be an inclusion of something from the live-action version since it is so recent and a huge commercial and critical hit. And you have to assume that Disney can change up the projections at will, like they do with scenes in California's World of Color. Frozen is also downplayed, which is fine since it is more than plentiful elsewhere in the resort. And I also noticed the lack of anything Star Wars related in the show. Star Wars scenes would have fit the story of the show so I'm thinking that it must be a conscious effort by Disney to keep Star Wars contained to Hollywood Studios, which might as well just go the whole nine yards and change it's name to Star Wars Kingdom once the new rides come out.

In closing, I was almost moved to tears multiple times by this show. It doesn't come out and tell you how to feel like Jiminy Cricket did as the voice of Wishes, and no show will ever hold a place in my heart the way Wishes did, but this show does a spectacular job pulling on the heartstrings. If you are even remotely predisposed to having strong personal feelings of love, sadness, loss, hope, or reminiscing, this show will bring out the emotions as none as done before.

Disney did a great job replacing an extremely beloved show. I don't know if the time was right to make the switch but the new show is an excellent addition to the Disney Parks nighttime entertainment lineup. I don't know if it quite has the story cohesion from beginning to end to beat out Fantasmic for best nighttime show at Walt Disney World but it is technically (the projections) superior and certainly superior in that it actually has fireworks throughout.

Overall Rating: ****3/4