...Disney in 2 Days...

** Before I start, I have 25 videos and 200 pictures of this trip. If you’d like a visual to look at while you’re reading, email me and I can share the videos with you and/or the pictures.**

Day 1: Friday, March 5

The day started out with Alison and I waking up and heading over to the Whispering Canyon Café at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. The Lodge is a great building, and we hadn’t been there since 2005 when we stayed there on our first Disney Vacation together. The breakfast there is fantastic, there is an all-you-can-eat skillet of eggs, bacon, potatoes, waffles and biscuits. It was fairly empty, which was a surprise, but I know we’ll go back there soon for eating, maybe dinner next time.

Our next stop on our Friday morning voyage was to the Princess 5K & ½ Marathon Expo. Disney was hosting a 5k on Saturday, and ½ Marathon on Sunday – we signed ourselves up for the 5k because we knew we’d be there, and figured it’d be fun to run through World Showcase and Future World at Epcot before Park opening. The expo was similar to the Marathon Weekend expo, much more female focused, but it was a good time. We picked up our race numbers and packet, and then started our day in the Park.

The reason we made this trip to Disney this weekend was because Disney was hosting a D23 First Anniversary Event. D23 is a Disney Fan Club, my sister bought me a Membership for 2010, and one of the perks of the membership is invitation to exclusive events. This particular event was based around the Fantasyland Expansion – in short, Fantasyland is going to double in size and an Imagineer, the Disney designers and park developers, was going to let us all know how the park was going to expand. The evening included a dinner, a day’s park pass, exclusive viewing of a 3D show that already exists in the park, and then a “party” in Fantasyland that night that was open to only guests of the D23 Party.

We checked in for the event in the morning and essentially had the whole day to ourselves with no real plans. We spent the remainder of the morning in the Magic Kingdom, we didn’t ride a ton of rides, but mostly hung out in the park, got some lunch, and enjoyed our day. We also had to run back to the parking lot for something and we decided to stop at the Grand Floridian to explore a few places.

For Disney fans out there, here were the rides we did during the day prior to the D23 Evening Party: Carousel of Progress, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion. Lunch at Pecos Bill.

Our D23 Dinner seating was at 4:30 pm, the first seating. We went over around 4:15 and got in the line, and entered the building. Dinner was at Diamond Horseshoe Saloon which is typically closed this time of year, it seems to open for large events and/or major crowd management times. The dinner started with a full buffet, comfort food, good food.

My review of this portion of the D23 party is pretty simple: very underwhelming. There was a short presentation from the Head of D23, as well as Introductions of other people who work for him. It was very self-congratulatory, and it was basically a short review of what D23 was up until this point.

After dinner, we had a few hours before the Presentation by the Imagineer. We managed to get in The Hall of Presidents, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Buzz Lightyear.
It was now time for what we thought would be the highlight of the evening, which was the D23 presentation by the Disney Imagineer around the new Fantasyland expansion.

The event fell flat.

The presenter/Imagineer presented material that was readily available for months. Any Disney fan who was a member of D23 or not could have seen all the images, read all the news. There was nothing new or groundbreaking. In fact, there is still a great deal of information in flux. It felt like we were White House Reporters watching a press briefing on a meaningless event – there was little prep, there was little excitement, and it wasn’t very exclusive.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a bad time, it wasn’t annoying or a waste, but it wasn’t magical, which is what I have grown to expect out of Disney. As soon as the show ended, we moved into the “party” phase of the evening. The night was set up to be an evening in which we’d have free reign of Fantasyland, which is one of the major sections of the Magic Kingdom.

The park itself closed at 8pm to the public. We were entering Fantasyland around 9:30pm, and had it until 11pm, which was great. There was also free dessert, which was a good bonus. Ice cream, hot chocolate, coffee, pies, cakes, chocolate things, it was pretty good stuff.

Let me take a second to explain how friggen freezing it was, again. We visited in January and it was beyond freezing. This trip was freezing too. I mean, winter hats, should have worn gloves, the whole deal. It really isn’t a place built for freezing cold, which isn’t their fault, but it does take away from the Magic, I swear.
Being in the park when it is nearly empty is a really great experience. I think I underestimate how unique it feels, knowing how many millions of people visit each year, and how few of those people get a chance to see what we saw. No lines for any of the open rides, literally no lines. That is a fun experience. The Cast Members are working overtime, but they are in a great mood, very welcoming, they understand we paid extra and we are part of the reason why the popularity of the parks doesn’t seem to fade at all.

To kick off the party, we grabbed some free ice cream, and went directly to Peter Pan, which is my favorite Fantasyland ride. I think I like it so much b/c, more than any other ride or experience in Disney World, it reminds me of my childhood. My mom loves it, my dad and sister love it, and it is a unique ride – flying over London, Neverland, etc…Very great, and still unique, experience, despite its 25+ years of age.

Next we decided to grab a ton of dessert and bite the bullet and ride Dumbo. Neither of has gone on Dumbo in years, literally dozens of years. It was freezing cold, but it was fun. Part of the Fantasyland expansion is doubling the size of Dumbo and most likely relocating it to another area of the park.

Next we went back to Peter Pan to ride again, because Small World was not open. And we finished off the night with a photograph with Belle & Gaston, who was hilarious. Line of the night, in typical Gaston fashion, was a woman who told him, “its my birthday!” and his response was, “Who Cares!?”

We closed the night off with riding Snow White one last time, which is the scariest kids “Dark Ride” In the whole park, maybe too scary for Kids. It still is a very great old-fashioned Fantasyland ride.

Our walk out of the Magic Kingdom was great – very unique again in the sense that the park was empty. Main Street is a place where thousands occupy a small strip of space – probably one of the most unique Theme Park experiences in the whole world happens on that street when you are entering or exiting the park, preparing for memories or starting to process them. To have that street essentially to ourselves was a really great experience.

We got to our car, and went straight back to our hotel for a very early wake-up call for our 5k the next morning.

Day 2: Saturday, March 6

Our first priority was our 5k. The stress level on this race is low, you can show up minutes before the race if you choose to do so. We heard the emcee of the event from our hotel parking lot at Old Key West, a Disney Vacation Club resort which has become our “go to” for last minute trips to Disney. We arrived at the event around 6:00am or so, for a 7:00am start. It was cold, not freezing, but cold enough. I had many layers on, and was cold most of the morning, until about 2 miles into the race.

The race was Princess & the Frog themed – the Prince and Tiana were at the race and helped kick it off. Alison and I started up front, and the race led us through the parking lot of Epcot for a bit – then into Epcot between Mexico in World Showcase & Test Track in Future World. It was a cool unique view of the park. Entering in Mexico in World Showcase, we ran about ¾ of the way around World Showcase past Norway, China, the African Outpost, Germany, American Adventure, Japan, Morocco & France. From France, we went back towards the Boardwalk but quickly went backstage again behind The United Kingdom, and entered World Showcase in front of The Rose & Crown.

The remainder of the course took is down towards the front gates of Epcot, back up near Spaceship Earth and ultimately back into the Parking lot. Alison and I ran a pretty good clip, sub 7:58 miles for 3.16 miles and got our cheap plastic medals.
We ended the race and immediately got back to our car around 7:30am. Our plan was to get showered and changed, and head to another exclusive Disney Vacation Club (Disney Timeshare) Member Only event at Disney’s newest Orlando based Vacation club resort, Bay Lake Towers at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

The purpose of this was an upsell – they wanted existing members to add more points to their current contracts, and they were using their newest Resort as the selling tool. Alison and I had signed up for this event, free of charge, on a whim. We arrived at Bay Lake Tower and were able to explore the resort. It is a fantastic crowning achievement of a hotel – the view of the Magic Kingdom is unparalleled, the quality of the design of the rooms is outstanding, and we really were blown over by the overall aesthetic of the place.

Spending about 2 hours at the resort overall, we passed on the sales opportunity, but had a great time exploring and taking pictures of the Tower.

After exhausting all of our time there, we got back into our car and drove straight over to the Animal Kingdom Theme Park to get in a few rides we were hoping to ride.

We first went to It’s Tough to Be a Bug 3D show inside the Tree of Life. The highlight here was exploring behind the tree and seeing the Galapagos Tortoise, which was the size of a large human, and the crazy rodent Porcupines that were in the middle of being fed.

We had a 1pm lunch at the Yak & Yeti, which disappointed us again. The theme and location are actually fantastic – but the food is glorified food court Asian fare. The fried Green Beans were great, and we decided we’d stop there at the bar to get a drink and some of that Green Bean dish, but probably never eat a full meal there again.

Our first stop after lunch was a ride on Kilimanjaro Safari, a fan favorite. We were lucky enough to sit with some Cast Members who were off duty, and they gave us some Everest Fastpasses which they weren’t going to use. Some highlights of the Safari was a glimpse of the Cheetah, which was unique, and an entertaining driver – she was very brave with how fast she got that truck moving. I think the cooler weather was something that the animals really enjoyed and made them more comfortable sitting out in the open.

From there we went back to Everest – a great ride and definitely the crowning jewel of Disney’s thrill rides.
We left the park in the early afternoon, maybe 2:30 or 3:00pm to head over to Epcot for the remainder of the evening. Our first stop inside the park was Spaceship Earth, “a grand and miraculous spaceship,” that we are always happy to ride. It is in my top 5 in overall Disney Parks, and I could live on it if someone asked me to. I’d need cushions, but I could live on that ride.

The Epcot Flower & Garden Festival was going on around this time, and the old “Wonders of Life” pavilion which is inexplicably empty nearly all year long, is used for this festival. It is a highlight for people who are interested, but it isn’t anything that we were interested in. There was a butterfly garden and a unique topiary display, but aside from a few interesting sculptures, Flower & Garden Festival is something I can do without.

Our next ride stop was Imagination, which I filmed on our Flip video, and had a good time doing it. Interesting note is that I heard there is a chance that the original Figment ride may return at some point in the future, which would be not only incredible, but hilarious. If that was brought back and if Honey I Shrunk the Audience was replaced with Captain EO, which is highly likely, that’d be pretty eerie. It’d be like time travel back to ’85.

We had some time before our 7:00pm dinner at Restaurant Marrakesh in Morocco. Alison said she has never seen the France show, but despite its age, the film is really great. A 180 degree screen that occupies your entire field of vision shows us great French Landscapes and very relaxing music that we all recognize. It may be the best World Showcase movie, but it probably doesn’t eclipse Canada.

From France, we managed to squeeze in the Forty minute American Adventure show, which is Disney’s best use and most creative execution of Audio-Animatronics on property. Very compelling, albeit simplified version, of America and how we got to where we are. I think it’s a bit odd how they truncate the last 50 years so heavily, but it would require a complete overhaul to add on more vignettes to the show.
That does bring me a point that I don’t need to bore you with, but I can understand how The Animal Kingdom can evolve and live for 50 more years. I can understand how the Magic Kingdom is timeless, and I can see how Pixar can keep the Disney Hollywood Studios alive and vibrant, but Epcot is a place I’m a bit worried about. Here is my quick analysis, read it if you want:

FUTURE WORLD:

Spaceship Earth – timeless, no worries about this and they have shown the ability to update well

Seas With Nemo & Friends – A fantastic update executed very well. Should be the template for updates.

The Land Pavilion – the Soarin’ addition saves this place, and the food court is great. I can see a long life here.

Imagination Pavilion – multiple attempts to save Figment here have failed – they need to go back to the drawing board, and the 3D Honey I Shrunk the Audience simply has to change or go.

Test Track – passing off as a Thrill Ride, I can see a major update in 10 years or so updating the ride vehicles, test procedures, pre-show, etc. Maybe an overall theming change to align with Pixar’s “Cars” is in the future, but it has some longevity.
…this is where it gets ugly…

Mission Space – Literally responsible for Deaths, this ride is the Gary Condit of Epcot. It came in like a blaze, faded very fast, and has put a few people to the grave. An E-Ticket attraction with no wait, it cannot stand in its current form. To think Horizons was sacrificed, it is so painful.

The Wonders of Life Pavilion (closed) – This is an unparalleled move. Empty/abandon a ride in the mid 90’s, and not open it up again. Waste the sape
Ellen’s Energy Adventure – I have had people laugh in my face when I told them I was staying at the “Animal Kingdom Lodge”. Imagine what happens when I say I am going to ride “Ellen’s Energy Adventure”. Please. I haven’t been on it in years, and I can’t imagine being compelled to ride it now. It was a marvel, a masterpiece of engineering in 1982 – overwhelming in scale. Now it’s just flat out weird.

You have 3 rides in Future World that need a 100% update. One of which is less than 10 years old, another had an update about 10 years ago, and the 3rd is sitting empty. It is weird. This place needs a major update. I don’t know what will provoke that.

WORLD SHOWCASE:

I won’t go into country by country detail, but there are pretty big problems here as well. The dining is doing a great job keeping updated and fresh. France, Japan & Italy have both had unique experiences or updates, Canada remains great. But the shows are again. American Adventure I already addressed, China’s 360 show is good, but not on par with Canada’s update. Overall, I cannot think of a way this place doesn’t 100% change in the next 20 years. I don’t know what keeps it alive. There must be a way to update this amazing and groundbreaking park.

Back to our adventures in the parks this past weekend…after we watched American Adventure and enjoyed that, we had a dinner at Morocco. I had always been skeptical of this restaurant, but my taste buds have evolved a bit and I enjoy more food now. We saw a really great live band outside of the restaurant and watched them for a bit before heading in.

Restaurant Marrakesh is alive – it is vibrant and exciting and full of life. It was crowded, but not too crowded and we had a great dinner. I was so full from all the other food, but managed to enjoy it.

At this point it was about 8:15, we had been up since 5:15 or so, and we were flat out exhausted. We decided to skip the nightly Illuminations, and head over to Test Track to use our Fastpasses. Unfortunately, the ride was down and we didn’t get to take a ride, but there’s always next time.

We went back to our hotel, did some last minute shopping for a few gifts we wanted to buy, and packed up for or 4:15am wake up call.

Overall, we another amazing Disney weekend in the books. The D23 party was a bit of a bust, but the Bay Lake Tower tour was exciting and the Magic of the parks continues to keep Alison & I very happy and relaxed.