Category — s. FAQ and Glossary

SPECULATIONS ON DISNEY’S “NEXTGEN” PROJECT

Disney’s “next generation experience,” or “NextGen,” project is reportedly a billion dollar plus technology project meant, according to the Orlando Sentinel (see this) to “radically transform the theme-park experience.”

Or maybe not…as the Sentinel also reports, this project has had an unprecedented level of “strict silence.”

Based on

• Patent filings, 
• Recent Disney tests, and what I view as
• Components of NextGen hiding in plain sight,

in what follows I speculate on what NextGen will be, and what this might mean for first time visitors.

Note that in February 2011, Disney provided a little more information–see this.

[Read more →]

DISNEY WORLD’S FANTASYLAND EXPANSION

(See this for an update on the material below, which is now out of date!)

Walt Disney World is expanding Fantasyland in two phases, scheduled for opening in 2012 and 2013.

Most notably in the first phase, a new major attraction, themed around The Little Mermaid, is expected to open in 2012. 

The highlight of the 2013 expansion will be Pixie Hollow, an opportunity to have fun with Tinker Bell and her friends.

[Read more →]

DISNEY WORLD’S SPECIAL CHRISTMAS PARTY

While Christmas itself is December 25 of course, Walt Disney World provides a special Christmas celebration at the Magic Kingdom many nights in November and December.

This celebration is called “Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.”

At the party, many of the Magic Kingdom’s rides are open, and cookies and hot chocolate, special events, and slightly different Christmas parades and fireworks, and even snow (!) are offered.

The official Disney World page for this event can be found here.

MORE ON MICKEY’S VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS PARTY

[Read more →]

(This page is one of a series explicating Walt Disney World lingo, abbreviations, and FAQ for first time family visitors to Walt Disney World.)

JERSEY WEEK AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

“Jersey Week” is a partly mythical, partly real crowding phenomenon in early November at Walt Disney World.

[Read more →]

REVIEWS OF DISNEY WORLD HOTELS

There are dozens of hotel reviews on this site, based on my 170 stays in Disney-owned spaces, and two dozen stays in other on-property hotels that also offer early access to pre-booking Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass rides, and/or access to its Early Entry program. This page brings to one place links to all of these reviews.

The hotels are grouped first by Disney owned and then those owned by others, and within groups by price category. See this for details on the features of the various resort price categories.

Within price categories, they are in order of how well they suit typical first time family visitors. See this for more on where to stay.

[Read more →]

WHAT YOUR KID CAN RIDE AT WALT DISNEY WORLD AT VARIOUS HEIGHTS

Some of  the best-loved rides at Walt Disney World have height requirements. These exist for a combination of safety and “age-appropriate” reasons.

Of the rides that have height minimums–most don’t, but most of the best do-the least is 32 inches, and the highest is 48 inches.

The graphic below contains all the key Walt Disney World rides with height requirements. It groups rides by minimum height.

That means that you can quickly see what your kids might miss at various heights.

(Click it to enlarge it.)

LINKS FOR HOW OLD/TALL YOUR KIDS SHOULD BE

• How Old/Tall Your Children Should Be
• What if They’re Too Short/Young?
• Taking Your Too Short/Young Kids Anyway,&*#$@!!
• Ride Height Requirements
• The Comprehensive Guide to Rides
• Rides That Might be Skipped

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!