Dream It, Do It!

          We should move to Orlando.  My husband made this observation after we were both sad to leave Walt Disney World on one of our trips a few years ago.  At the time, we were heading down to Florida about once a month. We talked about how exciting it would be to move and how awesome it would be to go to the theme parks whenever we wanted to do so.  This conversation happened about three years ago, and as I am typing this article, I am sitting in my house in Orlando, Florida.

            When we first decided to move to Florida, we saw this goal as just a dream; it was far too difficult, and it felt like it would never happen.  We had to do lots of work on our house in Louisiana to get it in shape to sell.  We had an older home, so it needed some extra attention.   We worked on the yard, added a fence, gutted and re-did two bathrooms and the kitchen, installed new carpet, painted and pressure washed the outside of the house, painted the inside of the house, filled up a POD, and spent hours cleaning and arranging everything before we could put the house on the market.  Not only did we have to do physical work to our house, but we also had to make the personal decision to move to Florida.  I am a teacher, so it was really hard to leave the school at which I had been teaching and face moving to Florida without a job.  My husband is a software developer, so we are very lucky in that he can keep his job and work from home.  We had to decide to move despite leaving many friends and family in Louisiana.  This was not an easy process, but everyone was so supportive because they wanted to see us live out our dream.  Luckily, my brother does live in Florida, so we do have some family near to us.  Overall, this has been a painful process, but it has been worth all of the hard work.

            After we dealt with the house as well as making the final decision to move, we had to list our house for sale.  Once we put our house on the market, we felt like we had made a huge step; we were really going to do this thing.  However, our enthusiasm soon waned when we had many people come to look at our house, but no one wanted to buy it.  The market in Louisiana is still struggling, and there were so many houses for sale in our neighborhood, that we could tell that this was a buyers’ market.  So, we waited, prayed, and buried St. Joseph statues (four of them), but no one made an offer.  Then, we had one offer; but it fell through.  This was a huge blow to us, and it really made us question our decision to move.  Maybe, this wasn’t supposed to happen for us.  However, just when we thought that all hope was lost, we got an offer on our house, which at that point had been on the market for a year.  After some negotiating, we were able to get our house sold, and we also could begin the process of searching for a house in Florida.

            Now, we knew that we wanted to live as close to Disney as possible, and we really wanted to live in a neighborhood called Thornhill, which is right behind the Magic Kingdom.  You can hear the train whistle and the ferryboats from this neighborhood.  You can even see Wishes every night.  This is where we wanted to live!  When we were done with selling our house, we decided to take a trip down to Orlando in order look at some houses.  The week before our trip, we noticed that one house in Thornhill was for sale; we were so excited to see this house.  However, just a few days before our trip, the house was listed as under contract.  Again, we were so upset; we really wanted that neighborhood, and we kept seeing houses go up for sale, but it was never at a time when we could actually purchase the house.  Just when we had given up hope, the house in Thornhill came back on the market because the financing fell through on the other offer.  We visited the house with our real estate agent, and I knew that this was my house from the moment that we walked in.  We have a porch, and we can see Wishes every night, and we can hear all of the Magic Kingdom noises when the neighborhood is really quiet in the morning and at night.  After viewing the house twice, we put in an offer, and we were in competition with a few other families; however, our offer was selected, and we were able to move forward with the process of purchasing the house.

            We have worked so hard to get here, and I can truly say that we are blessed.  Without the support of our friends and family, we could have never done this.  My husband has also been so strong throughout this whole process, and our teamwork has made our dream come true.  So, if you want to move to Orlando because you cannot get enough of the Mouse, you can do it if you are ready to work really hard and keep moving forward despite the hardships that may get in your way.  Since we have moved here, we have been to one of the theme parks for a little while for the past few nights, and it has been surreal to leave my house and head to Hollywood Studios to watch Fantasmic just because we feel like seeing the show. 

            My next challenge will be to apply at Disney and become a cast member.  My current job is chief box unpacker, and when we are all moved in, I will apply!  Some people might think that we are crazy for moving to Orlando, but we are happy here, and that is all that matters.  So, “all of your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them,” are some Disney words of wisdom that come to mind in light of our current move.  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!

Not Your Everyday Park Hopper

Have you every wondered if you could make it to all four parks at Walt Disney World in one day?  Well, it is possible if you are ready to run and do a lot of park hopping.  Recently, the team at www.parkeology.com took the plunge with their epic WDW47 event where they rode every attraction in all four parks in one day.  This was amazing, and many others have also attempted similar challenges.  My brother, Brian Creel, who runs a site called www.modernerdom.com , decided to take it upon himself to attempt to experience 15 different attractions in all four theme parks last Saturday, and with a little help from yours truly, he was quite successful. 

Brian started his day by going to Epcot to ride one of the attractions with the longest wait times across property, Soarin’.  The decision to go to Epcot first had to be carefully thought out because there are also other rides with equally long wait times throughout the other three parks.  Brian arrived at Epcot well before rope drop, and he sprinted to Soarin’, entered the standby line, and didn’t actually have to wait that long.  After soaring over California, Brian’s next target was to head to Hollywood Studios in order to snag the coveted Toy Story Midway Mania fastpass.  Now, Brian is a local, so he just drove to all of the respective parks; he did not use Disney transportation.  Although Brian arrived at the Studios shortly after park opening, his fastpass for Toy Story was for well after 6 pm that evening. 

Next on the list was Magic Kingdom.  After arriving at this park, Brian went to Peter Pan and procured a fastpass for later that day.  While he was waiting for his time to come up, he rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as well as Splash Mountain.  The theme park gods were definitely smiling down on him because he didn’t really have to wait very long for these attractions.  Normally, Splash commands a pretty substantial wait time.  After these Frontierland favorites were accomplished, Brian rushed back to Fantasyland to take flight over London.  After his trip to the Magic Kingdom, Brian still had to go to Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and back to the Magic Kingdom to finish up a few rides there.

When he arrived at Animal Kingdom, Brian decided to head to Dinosaur to get a fastpass, and then he went to Kilimanjaro Safari to take in the sights.  After the safari, it was time for the single rider line on Everest, then on to Dinosaur.  And with that, Animal Kingdom was finished.  However, there was no time to dilly or dally because Brian had to go back to Epcot and tackle a few more attractions there. 

Back at Epcot, Brian went on the Maelstrom, Grand Fiesta Tour, and Spaceship Earth.  None of these attractions had too much of a wait, so he was able to knock them out fairly quickly.  Time was of the utmost importance because he still had to head back to the Studios to complete a few more attractions there as well as go back to the Magic Kingdom to finish up what he had left.  The entire time he was running around, I was helping long distance style from Louisiana.  I would have loved to be there with him, but alas, I could not.  However, I did have access to the My Disney Experience application on my iphone, so I was able to let him know wait times and fastpass windows that would work best for his target attractions.

After Epcot, the Studios came next, and Brian rode Star Tours, the Great Movie Ride as well as Toy Story.  At this point, he was exhausted, but he still had to make it back to the Magic Kingdom.  After a quick jaunt over to the Magic Kingdom, Brian rode Winnie the Pooh, Space Mountain, the Tiki Room, and he even had time to enjoy Wishes.  Needless to say, this was a very full day, but it seemed like so much fun!  Being a local and an annual passholder, Brian has the privilege of going to the parks whenever he wants.  Setting these types of challenges can make going to the theme parks fun and exciting even if you have already visited hundreds of times.  We are moving down to Florida at the end of the month, and my husband and I cannot wait to engage in this type of theme park challenge.  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!

Beating the Heat at Walt Disney World

After a brief trip to Walt Disney World a few weeks ago, I can definitely confirm that the weather in Orlando is hot!  If you are brave enough to visit the World during these warm months, then you need to have a plan to deal with the heat. Now for us, the heat is an old friend because we live in New Orleans, so it is just as hot here as it is in Orlando.  However, if you are from a cooler climate, the heat in Florida may be completely foreign to you.  This sort of heat is not a dry heat; when you walk outside, it feels like you cannot take a breath because the humidity is so high. When it is over 100 degrees with 100% humidity, it is not a good idea to remain out in the parks during the middle of the day.  You will be hot and miserable, and you will get cranky, and the unavoidable family feuding will commence.  In order to avoid this mid-day misery, we usually come up with a plan to leave the parks and return later in the day. 

            For example, when the heat is too much to handle, you could return to your hotel room if it is on property or if you have a car.  You can relax at the pool or take a much-needed nap or even explore your resort.  After a mid-day re-charge, you will be ready to go back to the parks at night so you can enjoy fireworks, attractions, and even extra magic hours.  The parks are less crowded, and the temperatures will have dropped significantly.  Also, you will probably miss the mid-afternoon rain showers that are so common in Orlando.

            If going back to your hotel room is not convenient, you could experience attractions that offer some much needed air conditioning.  In the Magic Kingdom, you could ride the Carousel of Progress, Mickey’s Philharmagic, the Country Bear Jamboree, the Tiki Room, or the Hall of the Presidents.  All of these attractions offer seats and air conditioning.  None of them are limited by height or age, so anyone can ride.  In Hollywood Studios, there are several shows and attractions that will also help you escape the heat.  For example, you could see the Little Mermaid, take the Great Movie Ride, visit the Animation Academy, or view the Disney Junior show.  You could also visit One Man’s Dream in order to learn about Walt Disney’s life or hang out at the Writer’s Stop, which is a small coffee shop. Many of the shows at the Studios are in outdoor amphitheaters, so you should keep this in mind when planning your day.  At Epcot, you can explore the pavilions in the World Showcase and enjoy all of the Circlevision 360 movies that are present in some of the countries.   The Animal Kingdom does not have too many indoor attractions; you will be outside most of the day.  In addition, the foliage at this park always makes it feel hotter to me.  There are some offerings including the Finding Nemo show and the Lion King show, but other than that, everything is outdoors.  Another great option to beat the heat is to visit one of the waterparks on property.  We have been to Typhoon Lagoon, and we had a great time.  Blizzard Beach is another waterpark on property, and I am sure it is also a fun way to cool off. 

Regardless of where you go during the hottest part of the day, it is important to stay hydrated and be aware of how you are feeling.  Once you have been in the heat all day and your head starts to hurt, it is too late to start drinking water and expect to feel better immediately.  You are already going to feel zapped and unwell at that point.  I know that a trip to Disney is very expensive, and you want to get the most for your money, but take it easy during the hottest parts of the day.  In the long run, you will feel better, have fewer family meltdowns, and you will still get to enjoy the parks during the extra magic hours.  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!

                               We are braving the heat at the Magic Kingdom.

Armchair Imagineering: Journey Into Imagination with Figment

 There have been many rumors circulating through the mill that Journey into Imagination is not long for this world in its current state.  Various sites on the internet have been ablaze with this information for the past week.  I have no idea if this rumor is true or simply just a rumor, but I definitely have some ideas for this pavilion if it is re-developed at some point in the near future.  When this attraction first opened, it offered a journey into imagination with Figment and Dreamfinder, who took guests through a colorful world of fancy.  This ride was a tribute to childlike wonder and imagination; it was a true success.  After Dreamfinder and Figment took a hiatus from this pavilion, the attraction became Journey into Your Imagination, which did not feature Figment at all.  However, the plot of this attraction has changed to reflect Dr. Nigel Channing’s Institute where inventors are honored for their work.  In order to give us a tour of his institute, we embark on the attraction with Dr. Channing and Figment.  Dr. Channing seems to think that Figment is a little of a nuisance, but eventually, he comes to see Figment as a friend.  After thinking about different incarnations of the attraction, I much preferred the original attraction to the current incarnation of the ride. 

Now for some Armchair Imagineering!  If it were up to me, I would give this attraction a new overlay that truly celebrates creation and imagination.  In order to do this, I would incorporate Phineas and Ferb into the storyline.  The attraction could be a tour through some of their creations as well as another storyline that involves Perry and Dr. Doofenshmirtz.  The ride could be dynamic, and we could be a part of Phineas and Ferb’s adventures.  We do not need to re-live one of their episodes; there could be an entirely new adventure for them to embark on that could take us through their world while enjoying the attraction. As for Figment, I think that he could be an agent of O.W.C.A., and he could work with Major Monogram in his pursuit to fight crime.  Maybe Dr. Doof has created a de-imaginator that sucks creativity from the world, and Agent F can come in to help.  Perhaps, even Dreamfinder could make an appearance as Agent F’s version of Major Monogram.  Regardless of the storyline, this would be great fun!  The bright colors and humor that characterize this show would fit so well into the Imagination Pavilion.  In addition, Captain EO could be replaced by another 3-D movie that could be a continuation or an introduction to the ride-through attraction.  The pavilion could have a cohesive feel. 

In addition to the ride and the movie, the Imageworks could be returned to its former glory with fun attractions and truly state of the art technology that would engage old and young visitors alike.  Now, I don’t know what Disney has in store for the Imagination Pavilion, but I hope that they do something new and inventive that helps to cultivate the joy of creation and celebrate all that one’s imagination can achieve.  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!

What is The Optimist?

What or who is The Optimist?  Well, if you have been looking at various Disney websites lately, you will know that this is a new alternative reality game (ARG) that Disney has launched as we get closer to the D23 Expo in August.  This ARG began with a young woman named Amelia, who has found some of her grandfather, Carlos’, documents as she was going through some of his belongings after his death.  Among these documents are lots of letters, photos, and other correspondence that link Carlos to the 1964-1965 World’s Fair, especially the It’s a Small World attraction.  Amelia knows that Carlos was a writer and that Disney was interesting one of his works called “Orbit’s Story.”  We do not have a clue as to the plot of this story yet. There have been other links to the fair as well.  In particular, there is a website for a Michael T. Lott, who also “worked” at the fair.  You can actually correspond with the websites and call the phone numbers to hear from the people involved in the various projects upon which Carlos was supposed to have worked.  There are many nods to Disney history past and present, and it has been great fun to discover what the next step in the game will be.  There is a mystery surrounding the game because there are different codes and secret project names that we do not know yet.  Once we know the secret codes, then more information will be learned, and we will be closer to figuring out what Carlos’ link to Disney and the Fair was. 

This game is fun because all of the players are just fellow Disney history nerds like myself who enjoy researching the potential leads that will help to discover what Carlos was up to.  It is fun to stay in character and really play along.  For example, the reference to M.T. Lott is actually not a real company; it was a dummy corporation that Walt Disney set up in order to buy the land that was needed for the Florida Project.  There are lots of anachronisms in the game too, but it is more fun to play the game and solve the mystery than point out the flaws.  All in all, I think that this game is leading up to marketing for the new Brad Bird Tomorrowland movie that will hit theaters in 2014.  If that is the case, this is a great advertising strategy because it lets people get excited and have fun researching Disney’s past.  I can’t wait to see what new twists are thrown at us as the game continues.  So, if you are interested, you can go to http://storyorbit.com/ in order to check out the game so far.  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!

From Walt Disney Imagineering:

The worlds of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy were only the beginning...

Walter Elias Disney was an optimist who believed in creating a living blueprint for the future. He and his Imagineers - those creative and skilled professional wizards who combine imagination and engineering - made fantasy into reality and built the magic of the Disney Theme Parks.

But, what if that was just the beginning?  Amelia, a young filmmaker, has stumbled upon a revolutionary secret...and she needs your help. Collaborate with other curious individuals around the globe to solve a mystery that traverses the web, Disneyland® Park, and beyond before culminating at the D23 Expo.

Join Amelia and explore Walt Disney’s secrets of Tomorrow…

Splashing Around at Typhoon Lagoon

On our recent trip to Walt Disney World, we decided to try something new and completely different.  After forty plus trips to the World, this might sound impossible, but indeed, there are still experiences that we have not had at WDW.  On this particular trip, we decided to visit one of the Disney water parks.  After some research, we decided to give Typhoon Lagoon a try, and we were not disappointed at all! 

            In order to give ourselves enough time, we decided to get to the park before it opened in the morning, and this turned out to be an excellent idea.  We queued up at the entrance along with several other families.  We did not know this at the time, but you can bring in ice chests with drinks and food as long as you do not bring in anything that is glass.  We had a plan for entering the park.  I would go and scout out a coveted shady seat, and my husband, Mark, was going to seek out a locker to rent.  We wanted to put our dry clothes in a locker so that they would not get sandy or wet during our time at the park.  When we entered the park, Mark went to retrieve the locker, and I headed over to the rope that was blocking the entrance to the lounge chair area.  After a few minutes, the rope was dropped, and then everyone dashed for the chairs.  We were lucky to find two chairs in the shade, and we set up our stuff, which included some extra towels and water.  Then, we were off to ride some of the rides before the lines became too long later in the day.  I am not a thrill ride kind of person, so we stuck to the raft rides and the family raft rides.  These were fun, and I highly recommend that you ride them early before the line is too long.  I would not have waited in a long line in the blazing sun on the hot wooden stairs for a one-minute raft ride.  Don’t get me wrong; the ride was fun, but it would not have been worth a thirty-minute or longer wait. 

            After the raft rides, we settled into Castaway Creek, which is a lazy river that winds around the entire park. This was the highlight of the water park for me. It was so relaxing just to kick back and float around in the tube. There was so much shade and vegetation that you did not even feel too warm.  As we floated around the park, we could catch a glimpse of some of the rides, and we could listen to the 1930s and 40s music that was being piped in.  All in all, this attraction was my favorite! 

            Now, if you are adventurous, there are many more slides to ride, and we watched a few people splash down from them.  There is also a Shark Reef where you can swim across a very cold 30-foot span of water to catch a glimpse of various fish.  When you get in line, the cast members give you a snorkel and a pair of goggles that you can use as you slowly swim across the pool.  This experience was not for me, so we did not try our luck with the fish. However, we did visit the underwater viewing tank where you could catch a glimpse of the fish as they swam along.  That was close enough for me!

            Before returning to the lazy river, we took a spin in the wave pool.  I have never been in a wave pool before, and I was not adequately prepared for the strength of the waves that came at us.  Even though I braced myself, I was sent careening over the concrete bottom of the pool, and I sustained some minor scrapes and cuts as a result.  Word of warning: if you have little ones, stay in the very shallow section of this wave pool!  Those waves are very strong, and they could easily pull a grown person several feet while under water.  I can only imagine how that might scare a small child.  
          All in all, Typhoon Lagoon was fun and relaxing.  I am not a thrill seeker, so I enjoyed floating around in the inner tube on Castaway Creek.  If you would like to experience more slides and excitement, then Blizzard Beach might be for you.  If you have time, give Typhoon Lagoon a try; it was a refreshing way to spend part of our last two days at WDW.  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!

May the Force Be with You!

If you head to Disney’s Hollywood Studios during the last few weekends in May or the first few weekends in June, you will be able to experience Star Wars Weekends.  During these four weekends, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is transformed into a battleground between the Dark Side and the Rebel Alliance.  There are character encounter opportunities as well as a chance to meet various Star Wars celebrities from the six feature films as well as the Clone Wars animated series.  If you arrive at the park very, very early in the morning, you might be able to snag a coveted wristband to get an autograph from one of these celebrities.  These wristbands are hard to acquire because die-hard fans queue up the night before in order to have some quality time with their favorite actors from the Star Wars universe.

            We have been attending Star Wars weekends since 2006, and this year we were able to visit the Studios during the fourth and final weekend.   We are actually still in Walt Disney World as I am writing this article in the lobby of the Pop Century Resort!  This year, Star Wars Weekends did not disappoint.  We were able to attend all of the various shows that allow you to get a glimpse into the world of voice acting as well as meet the celebrities that attended this weekend.  We saw Billy Dee Williams, Peter Mayhew, James Arnold Taylor, and Ashley Eckstein.  We watched the Star Wars parade, attended the Behind the Force Show, the Talk Show, the James Arnold Taylor show, and finally, the crown jewel, the Hyperspace Hoopla.  All of the shows were well put together, and James Arnold Taylor was a very gracious host.  He is a voice actor known for many characters, and he plays Obi Wan on the Clone Wars Animated Series.  At the end of the day, we camped out to wait for the Hyperspace Hoopla, which is basically a dance party or a dance off between the good guys and the bad guys of the Star Wars universe.  Have you ever wanted to see Darth Maul break dance or Chewy bust a move?  Well, here is your opportunity to see the Star Wars characters as you have never seen them before.  The best part of the whole event included the Harlem Shake led by C3PO.  Words cannot do this event justice; you have to see it to believe it, and there are many videos online to aid you in this pursuit!  Well, we still have a few more days at the Vacation Kingdom of the World, and reservations at Sanaa await us this evening, so have a magical day, and keep moving forward!