Disney Fun From Around the World: Week of February 14, 2011

Nancy Disney Fun From Around the "World" , , , 1 Comment

Greetings Disney Friends and Happy Weekend to you! Did you get a touch of Spring this week where you live? Could it be that the Groundhog was right? Probably too much to hope for, but Disney folk like to Dream and Wish, don’t they? 🙂 No matter the weather where you live today, I have as usual, some great blog posts that will warm your heart. Sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Let’s start off with our friends from Chip and Company. Ken had a couple great articles this week. In his Oldies But Goodies he provided Six Important Reasons For Seniors To Stay Onsite. He also had an article that I really liked: Disney World Quick Tips – Please Take Your Time, It’s Not Going Anywhere. It’s hard not to rush through everything when maybe you don’t get to Disney World very often…you want to make the most of your trip! But there are some great things you miss when you do….Lastly, Chip has some news, especially for those of you who love the movie cars: ANNOUNCEMENT: DisneyToon Studios Announces Planes!

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Disney’s All Star Movies: Lights, Camera, Action!

Debbie Affordable Disney Vacations, Disney Vacation Planning, Saving Money at Disney World, Saving Money on Accommodations , , , , , 2 Comments

Traveling down West Buena Vista Drive, past the giant basketball hoops and the larger than life musical instruments, you will find a collection of favorite Disney film icons at the All-Star Movies.  Typical of the other All-Star hotels there are five sets of buildings; 101 Dalmatians, Mighty Ducks, Fantasia, Love Bug and Toy Story.  Each building has 2-story, larger than imaginable, characters that distinguish the theme of the building.   The four 101 Dalmatian and Toy Story buildings are in prime proximity to the main building and the bus stops.

As with all the All-Star hotels, the bus stops are in front of the main building. This tends to be the most common issue with the All-Stars, but I have not had too many delays in getting a bus to our destination.  Anytime the line has seemed impossibly long, along comes another bus.  I know some people will differ with me, but I guess luck has been on my side.

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Thrifty Thursday: Cast Your Vote at the American Idol Experience

Brenda Thrifty Thursday, What to Do at Disney World , , , , 0 Comment

As avid followers of the ABC talent show, American Idol, my family has really enjoyed participating in The American Idol Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We have had lots of fun being part of the audience and have been lucky enough to see some very talented contestants as well. We love having the opportunity to vote for that talented someone who could actually end up with a dream ticket to try out at a real American Idol audition.

The show is put together just like a real American Idol taping. While you are waiting in line, they fire up the audience and do some preliminary taping of the crowd. Once the doors open, you enter the auditorium and take your seat in the audience. Since this is an indoor attraction, it is especially appealing during the hottest part of a Summer day or on the coldest Winter day.

During the 25-minute show, three park guests who have auditioned for judges earlier in the day, take to the stage and sing their hearts out. Then, you vote for your favorite and once the audience scores are tallied, they announce the winner for that show.

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Wordless Wednesday: Looking Up at Disney World

Nancy Wordless Wednesday , , , 1 Comment

One of the things that I learned on our recent trip to Walt Disney World was to always remember to “look down and look up”….because you will see the most interesting things that you never knew were there when you do! Wandering around World Showcase, I remembered to do this…and discovered a lovely orange tree in Morocco…with oranges! What a fun surprise. 🙂

Tuesday Disney Tips: Voluntouring on Your Next Disney World Vacation

Brenda Tuesday Disney Tips, What to Do at Disney World , , , , 0 Comment

My children have grown up Disney and it has been a wonderful ride. Now that they are grown, I am sometimes slammed with the reality of how my life has changed. As you might guess, there have been many adjustments made when planning our annual trips to Walt Disney World as they have continued to get older. I sometimes get a little melancholy when I think of all the things we used to look forward to that they won’t do again for a while, such as my youngest son’s previous obsession with Tomorrowland Speedway. Somehow when you start driving, the novelty wears off – go figure! There are a lot of things that have changed in the way we visit “The World.”

When I plan our trips now, I look for things to incorporate that we weren’t able to do when they were small. This year I happened upon a gem! One of the things we enjoy doing as a family is volunteering. Volunteering while you are on vacation is called voluntourism. Some people refer to it as “vacationing with a purpose.” Did you know that there are great opportunities for voluntourism while on vacation in Central Florida? Well, there are, and one such opportunity is at Give Kids The World.

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