Thrifty Thursday: Pleasantly Surprised at Epcot

The Land pavilion inside Future World at Epcot is a busy place. At any given time, there is a great deal of activity inside The Land which houses The Garden Grill Restaurant, Sunshine Seasons Food Court, the Circle of Life attraction, character meet n greets, and the wildly popular attraction, Soarin’. In the back, right corner of the first floor of the pavilion, there is a lesser-known, but very impressive, attraction called Living with the Land. Lines are usually of acceptable length and due to the high capacity of this attraction, they usually move quickly.

I am not a studious person, but more of a fun-loving one. I would not forego a fun ride for an intellectual tour. For years, my family and I avoided Living with the Land because we didn’t want to miss out on fun rides in order to watch an agricultural film about growing plants. Several years ago, we went ahead and tried it. We were so pleasantly surprised at how interesting and enjoyable this ride was. It was a very nice surprise that has become a must-do on every trip now. If you have avoided this ride for the same reason, I hope you will give it a try during your next visit.

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Thrifty Thursday: A Sentimental Disney Journey on a Beautiful Antique Horse

People often ask me, “Are you a Disney freak?” Surprisingly, the answer is no. I tell them that I am a Walt Disney and Walt Disney World freak. I am a student of Walt Disney. Like my dad, Walt was a man who loved spending time with his family. It was during one of his traditional Saturday outings with his daughters, in fact, that he first got the idea for Disneyland. He explained it this way:

“Well, it came about when my daughters were very young and Saturday was always Daddy’s day with the two daughters. So we’d start out and try to go someplace, you know, different things. I’d take them to the merry-go-round and I took them different places and I’d sit while they rode the merry-go-round. Sit on a bench, you know, eating peanuts. I felt that there should be something built where the parents and the children could have fun together.”

The merry-go-round Walt referred to was actually a carousel similar to the one found in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom (pictured above). No matter how many times I visit WDW, I feel the same gentle tug at my heartstrings as I walk toward Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, formerly Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel. I can’t help but reflect on Walt’s words as I stare at this antique treasure in motion. As all the little princes and princesses go around, I revel in the thought that he would have loved to have seen all that’s been created for families to spend magical moments together.

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Thrifty Thursday: Doing Our Part to Spread the Magic

On this Thrifty Thursday, I wanted to talk about something that is absolutely free and will enhance your trip to Walt Disney World exponentially. In a tribute to one of the most wonderful human beings in the world, in my opinion, I wanted to spend today just talking about a few nice ways we can help spread the magic while at Walt Disney World.

In my studies of Walt, I have read that he envisioned people coming to Disneyland (and I am sure Walt Disney World), finding happiness there, then going out and widening the circle of happiness around the world. I like to do my part with helping him in this very worthwhile endeavor, so I thought I would talk about some ways we have tried to help.

Through the years, there have been many things we have tried to do to help people feel the magic of Disney. I am not only talking about visitors with a “First Timer” button on their shirt, but all kinds of people – children, adults, cast members, everyone really. I hadn’t really sat down and thought of things we have done before, but when I sat down to write this blog and started remembering things we did, I was reminded of some of the best times we have ever had on our trips.

Playing Photographer

My husband is always offering to take pictures of families or groups whenever he notices someone being left out of the photo because they are behind the camera. He has been our primary photographer so he knows exactly what it is like to have many pictures of the rest of the family but only a few that include him. He has never met a stranger, so he will walk right up to someone and ask if they would like him to take their picture.

Thanking the Cast Members

We hand out cast member thank you cards (like this one). You can download them free here and give them to cast members who have made your trip special in some way.

This year we gave one of them to a very sweet young man named Scott who was working at the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. He was so surprised and appreciative, he looked like I had handed him a million dollars. To tell you the truth, if I had been carrying a million I would have given it to him.

Pay the toll

Whether at home or on vacation, it’s a nice gesture to pay for someone’s toll. When passing through the Florida Turnpike we just tell the person in the booth that we also want to pay for the car behind us. We say, get the magic started before they have even hit the park.

Giving up your spot

We usually take the Disney transportation to the parks but we have driven before when we knew we were going to be leaving during a very crowded time that would cause a long line at the bus stop. When we drive and park, now that our kids are older, we usually will give up a closer parking spot if we see a family with small children trying to park near the entrance. We remember what it was like having tired children to lug to the car when leaving the park and this is our small way of encouraging their plight, even though they never know why we did it.

The first shall be last

This title isn’t exactly what I mean. We don’t offer to get on the bus last if we are there first, but it is nice to let the family behind us get on first. It really doesn’t affect where we will sit, usually, but it gives them a little extra magic when someone does something nice for them.

Stand up

I was born and raised in Texas, so southern ways are all I have ever known and that goes for my husband and my two strong boys and my healthy girl as well. Most times, we are happy to stand up and give our seats to someone who clearly needs one on the bus – especially a child, pregnant woman, grandmother, or grandfather. There are some nights we have started very early and stayed very late and we are wiped – those nights we might not give up the seat. But, we are happy to when we can bear it.

Special Greetings

We wore these “Happy Thanksgiving” shirts this year in order to wish others a Happy Thanksgiving, but we received so many kind wishes that we were clearly the ones that received the blessing. Sometimes trying to do something nice pays you back two-, three, and four-fold.

Just a gesture

Both years we have had the free dining plan, we have ended up with snack credits at the end of our trip. A very nice older woman working in the gift shop really helped me to find a nice gift for my loved one back home, so I used one snack credit to buy a sweet treat for her and took it back to the gift shop. I told her it was a sweet for a sweet.

Smile

It is so funny how everyone faces everyone else on the busses. You end up with people looking right at you, where else can they look when they are sitting right in front of you. Even when you are in line, you make eye contact with people all day long. We share our smiles generously. We are so happy to be at Walt Disney World we can’t contain it anyway, so why not share it and brighten someone else’s day.

Thank the bus driver

I do not like driving at all. My husband jokes that I keep him around for chauffer duties and lawn maintenance. Truth is I keep him around for the entertainment value  – just kiddingJ I must say that I cannot imagine driving a bus at Walt Disney World with crowds of people standing behind me, kids screaming, babies crying, I could never do it; I would be a nervous wreck. That is not to mention all the traffic on Disney property and people not obeying the street lights. I am so thankful for the kind, calm individual getting me safely to my destination; I always thank the bus drivers at WDW and tell them to have a great day. They are not allowed to take gifts, but I do give them cast member thank you cards (like above).

Don’t waste a fast pass

If we have fast passes left when we decide to leave the park, we always find someone to give them to, especially since we have 5 or more people in our party every year. We have been blessed a few times to actually hear a parent say they just don’t have an hour to wait on the ride while their child is begging to be able to go on it. We love to be able to offer up our fast passes for this. If we had time, we would offer them even if we had planned on using them and just wait out the line ourselves.

We feel very blessed to be able to enjoy our annual trips to Walt Disney World. Someday, we might not have this chance but while we can we will use it the best we can. It is our pleasure entirely to try to make someone’s day a little more special – whether it is a guest or an employee. These are just some of the things I could think of; I would just love to hear about your experiences with kindness – given or received – while at Disney. I think Walt would be happy to know we got the message.

Brenda is a native Texan born and raised on the Gulf Coast. She visited Disney World twice as a teenager and always dreamed of growing her family Disney. She took her first-timer husband and their three children to Disney World in 2000 and they now spend every Thanksgiving there. Brenda writes with a comedic twist on various Disney topics. She will be sharing tips she has learned during her travels and also hopes to enlighten people on little-known freebies that Disney has to offer. She wishes she could have met Walt Disney and considers herself to be a student of Walt. In parallel to his dream it is her wish that everyone would take at least one trip to Disney World in order to share in its magic with their families.

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Thrifty Thursday: My All-Time Favorite Disney Ride: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

I am a Disney thrill-seeker, no doubt about it. I love the Rock N Rollercoaster, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Expedition Everest, Space Mountain; all the great rides. But the ride that gives me the biggest thrill at Walt Disney World, and is thus my hands-down favorite, is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

The first thing I do upon entering Disney’s Hollywood Studios is walk straight ahead to Sunset Boulevard and make a sharp right turn heading to a 13-story structure known as the Tower of Terror. I check the wait clock to see whether I am going to get a fast pass or just wait in line. In most cases, I will get a fast pass for The Rock N Rollercoaster and just wait in the Tower of Terror line.

The line twists and turns through an ungroomed, misty, eerie courtyard. While winding through the landscape, I love listening to people around me nervously discussing how apprehensive they are about the ride, and even whether or not they should be in line at all. All is calm for a few minutes but then, without warning, the doors several stories up open and all I can hear is screaming before the riders take their next drop! It sounds like the riders are terrified, adding to the sinister chuckle I get listening to the unsuspecting new riders around me. I would guess, though, that if someone interviewed these newbies on their way out of the ride, they would say that they thought it was awesome!

As I get closer and closer to going inside the “hotel,” I get more and more excited. After queuing through the dusty lobby of the old Hollywood Tower Hotel, I am directed into the library for the pre-show, which is a short film hosted by Rod Serling, creator of the old Twilight Zone television series. In the momentary darkness, I start to feel the adrenalin pumping while I am then guided into the Hotel’s boiler room.

Once the doors open to the boiler room, the butterflies start flying. I have been on this ride probably 50 times or more, but every time I ride it the butterflies show up. I think that is part of the fun!

The cast member, dressed in a vintage bellhop costume, taunts everyone by thanking us for “dropping in.” I am then directed to my appropriate row and seat number which is painted on the floor in front of the place where the elevator will pick me up. Finally, our “freight elevator” arrives and I find my appropriate spot just as it was on the floor diagram and get into my seat and put on my seatbelt. Note: there used to be a bar and only one special seat had a seatbelt, but Disney added to the excitement by changing the safety mechanism for all seats to seatbelts only. I am ALL smiles at this point; high-fiving my kids and getting ready to go. I can’t wait until the doors close and we are off on what is my all-time favorite ride.

We take off and as the elevator rises up, I am ready for the visual. The doors open again as the “freight elevator” glides through mysterious hotel passageways showing us ghostly images of former guests. Then, the elevator enters the shaft. It is pitch black and chilly. Then I feel it…our elevator is locked into place. Here we go!

There is a 130-foot free-fall drop and then it shoots quickly up, then down, then up; plummeting again and again in random drop sequences. When the doors open, I smile and get ready for the camera flash, look out over the park, then laugh at all the people with me as we are all screaming our lungs out but thoroughly enjoying the experience. Once we are back on the ground and the ride is over, I think to myself, this is what I have been waiting for all year and I am grateful to be back! I hope you will drop in on this baby during your next trip!

Brenda is a native Texan born and raised on the Gulf Coast. She visited Disney World twice as a teenager and always dreamed of growing her family Disney. She took her first-timer husband and their three children to Disney World in 2000 and they now spend every Thanksgiving there. Brenda writes with a comedic twist on various Disney topics. She will be sharing tips she has learned during her travels and also hopes to enlighten people on little-known freebies that Disney has to offer. She wishes she could have met Walt Disney and considers herself to be a student of Walt. In parallel to his dream it is her wish that everyone would take at least one trip to Disney World in order to share in its magic with their families.

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Thrifty Thursday: Inside Cinderella’s Castle

I hope the title of this article didn’t get you excited about the thought that I actually got a tour of Cinderella’s Suite in the castle. I did, in fact, speak to Disney Guest Relations about the possibility of taking a tour of the castle suite and they told me they absolutely do not give tours and that the only way to stay in the suite is to win a night in a contest or sweepstakes. So, start filling out those entry forms.

What I am actually excited to share with you is the inside of Cinderella’s Castle that connects Main Street to Fantasyland. Each time I walk through it and look at the ornate artwork on the walls, I feel like I am in a beautiful museum. As you can see from the pictures, the artistry is just beautiful and I happen to know that there is real gold in the tiles on those walls.

This marvelously detailed mosaic mural contains a million pieces of glass in approximately 500 vivid colors. Some of the tiles are even made from 14-karat gold. There are many scenes represented from Cinderella . My clearest pictures show these 3 scenes:

The first shows Lady Tremaine reading the invitation to the ball, while her pesky daughters, Drizella and Anastasia, stand in the wings. Cinderella is slaving away, as usual, on the right side.

The second shows Cinderella trying on the glass slipper. I read that special care was given to the stepsisters’ faces in this scene, making the colors more vivid. Anastasia is colored red to signify anger and Drizella is green with envy.

The third picture here shows Prince Charming taking Cinderella away from her miserable existence to live happily ever after with him.

Each one tells the story beautifully and it is just delightful to behold. I did a little research on the mosaics and discovered a few interesting facts for you:

  • The five mosaics were designed by Imagineer Dorothea Redmond and crafted and set in place by a team of six artists led by mosaicist Hanns-Joachim Scharff.
  • The murals took 22 months to complete.
  • Each mural is a gothic arch measuring 15 feet high and 10 feet wide.
  • Many of the hand-cut tiles are fused with sterling silver and 14-karat (58 percent) gold, and some are as small as the head of a tack.

The next time you are in the Magic Kingdom, I hope you will take a few quiet moments to enjoy these lovely works of art. You will be glad you did!

Brenda is a native Texan born and raised on the Gulf Coast. She visited Disney World twice as a teenager and always dreamed of growing her family Disney. She took her first-timer husband and their three children to Disney World in 2000 and they now spend every Thanksgiving there. Brenda writes with a comedic twist on various Disney topics. She will be sharing tips she has learned during her travels and also hopes to enlighten people on little-known freebies that Disney has to offer. She wishes she could have met Walt Disney and considers herself to be a student of Walt. In parallel to his dream it is her wish that everyone would take at least one trip to Disney World in order to share in its magic with their families.

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