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MAGIC KINGDOM DAY 3: SECOND SATURDAY AGENDA

Today you will complete your visit to the Magic Kingdom, with Adventureland and Frontierland in the afternoon, and the nighttime shows in the evening. You will also pick up today anything you missed on your earlier visits, or want to see again.  You can arrive earlier if you wish to fit more in–if you want to revisit high-wait rides, then arrive before park open.

You should have FastPass+ for Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean.  The other fixed points in your schedule are dinner at the Crystal Palace and the times of the evening shows.

(Note: this is from the Disney World Lower Crowd Itinerary.)

FIRST THINGS

Be at the park by noon (or earlier, as noted above).

AT THE PARK

• Head to Big Thunder Mountain. Ride it using FastPass+
• See the Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• See Pirates of the Caribbean (FP+)
• See Splash Mountain (FP+)
• Re-visit any rides you want to do again or missed earlier in your visit, booking additional FastPass+
• Have dinner at the Crystal Palace
• Re-check the time of the fireworks tonight, then if you have time re-visit any rides you want to do again, booking additional FastPass+
• Move to a spot between the end of Main Street and the castle and watch Happily Ever After
• Watch Once Upon a Time
• Head back to your hotel

PREVIEW OF TOMORROW

Tomorrow you finish the Animal Kingdom, and then return home

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ANIMAL KINGDOM DAY 2: SECOND SUNDAY AGENDA

Today you spend the morning completing your visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and then depart for home. You have no scheduled meals.

You should have FastPass+ for Avatar: Flight of Passage and Festival of the Lion King,

(Note: this is from the Disney World Lower Crowd Itinerary.)

MORNING

• Check out and note your instructions for Disney’s Magical Express if you are using it.  If you aren’t, for many domestic airlines you’ll be able to check bags and print boarding passes near the front desk.  This is a tip-based service.  You can also store your bags at the bell stand
• Arrive at Animal Kingdom by 45 minutes before open

AT THE PARK

• Arrive 40 minutes before open
• At open, head to and ride Expedition Everest
• Ride DINOSAUR
• Ride Primeval Whirl
• Ride (if desired) Triceratops Spin
• See Maharajah Jungle Trails
• Ride Avatar Flight of Passage (FastPass+)
• See the 11a Festival of the Lion King (FastPass+)
• Fit more exploring of Avatar: World of Pandora and additional FastPass+ for re-rides into whatever time you have still available

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Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians and author of Jim’s Gems in The easy Guide, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

THE AMPHICARS AT THE BOATHOUSE

By Jim Korkis

An Amphicar combines the two words “amphibious” (able to operate on both land and water) and “car”. The Amphicar is still the most successfully mass produced amphibious car for the general public and was made from 1961 to the beginning of 1968 when a change in safety and emission standards prevented its continued sale in the United States.

The Amphicar Corporation in Germany produced 3,878 of the amphibious passenger automobiles total and less than 400 still exist today. Advertisements proclaimed, “The car of the future is here today. The sportscar that swims.”

The BOATHOUSE at Disney Springs is the only place in the world that offers people an opportunity to ride in these unique examples from automotive history unless they personally own one.

(c) Disney

The convertibles were offered in only four colors: Beach White, Regatta Red, Lagoon Blue and Fjord Green (Aqua). Disney Springs has two of each color car that cruise on the lake.

Steven Schussler is the creator of WDW restaurants Rainforest Café, T-Rex, and DAK’s Yak and Yeti. He is also responsible for The BOATHOUSE as well that opened April 13, 2015. Schussler has owned three Amphicars since 2005.

Offering the Amphicar tours around the perimeter of the lake was meant to be a way of preserving some of the cars remaining, as well as introducing the quirky creation to a new generation of fans and attracting attention to the restaurant.

Some of the cars were not in great shape and Schussler had modifications done on all of them including positioning the rear seat back further to offer an additional three inches of legroom as well as some mechanical changes to the bilge pump system and all new fuel injection and exhaust systems.

In an interview, Schussler did admit that some 3,200 components (generally unseen by the naked eye) were engineered specifically for the Amphicars in use at The BOATHOUSE to guarantee reliability and safety and that each car required $65,000 to $75,000 worth of upgrades, on top of its purchase price which could run as much as a hundred thousand dollars.

The BOATHOUSE has its own shop dedicated to repairing and maintaining the cars daily. Disney Springs has a small towboat anchored to the shore in case one of the BOATHOUSE Amphicars stalls out and the drivers all have hand held radios to communicate that situation.

The two front doors have a double seal with rubber strips like those used on a refrigerator. The car is not made of fiberglass but steel (which can make it prone to rusting without proper care). The steel is thicker than on a regular car and much better assembled with continuous welds and lead filling around the joints to make it watertight.

The wheels are set low, so that the vehicle stands well above ground level when on dry land. Its water propulsion is provided by twin propellers mounted under the rear bumper. The engine is mounted at the rear of the craft. In water as well as on land, the Amphicar is steered with the front wheels.

The car is driven straight into the water in first gear until it floats off the bottom and the propellers take over. First gear is then disengaged. A special two-part land-and-water transmission built by Hermes (makers of the Porsche transmission) allows the wheels and propellers to be operated either independently or simultaneously.

The car was more of a novelty than anything else and did not revolutionize the automotive industry as predicted. The iconic car still generates smiles, waves from those on the shore, a sense of wonder and more important, a sense of fun.

*  *  *  *  *

Thanks, Jim! And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his latest, Gremlin Trouble! The Cursed Roald Dahl Film Disney Never Made, Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, and his contributions to The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.

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OVERVIEW: NOVEMBER 2017 AT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews November 2017 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, and operating hours; adds a few other notes; and ends with week by week summaries.

Very early, mid and late November are some of the best times of the year to visit Disney World, with cooler weather, low crowds, low prices, and fun special events.

Other parts of the month are not so good. Jersey Week see moderate crowds. Thanksgiving week, with high crowds and higher prices than the rest of the month, should be avoided.

[Read more →]

THANKSGIVING 2017 AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Thanksgiving week at Walt Disney World is busy–particularly Wednesday through Saturday.

While not as crowded as some other holiday weeks–Easter and Christmas, for example–it can be very challenging, and the material below gives some hints on how to deal with it.

WALT DISNEY WORLD 2017 THANKSGIVING WEEK ITINERARY AND DINING

Park schedules indicate that this site’s Higher Crowd Itinerary mostly works for Thanksgiving Week, with one change and one however.

• The change is that you will be best off if you swap Thursday and Monday in both the itinerary and its To-Do List.
• The however is that the parks–especially the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom–may open an hour earlier than it indicates many days Thanksgiving week, and may also have morning Extra Magic Hours added as well–making the day start two hours earlier than indicated on the itineraries.

So you’ll need to stay in touch with schedules–even on the night before–to make sure when you need to arrive to beat park openings.  

Moreover, a couple of other things are worth noting.

• First, making the suggested change has you off mid-day on Thanksgiving, and at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Thanksgiving morning and evening, with counter service meals
• Believe me–that’s a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving.  Hollywood Studios  likely will be the least crowded park (in the past, it would have been Animal Kingdom, but with the openings of Avatar and Rivers of Light and other evening options, I don’t expect it to be so in 2017), and you’ll need an afternoon break by this point in your vacation anyway.
• However, if you are looking for something both more formal and fun in your Thanksgiving meal, then consider skipping 50’s Prime Time and booking a mid-day table service meal elsewhere.

Note that to get a sit-down meal on Thanksgiving it’s critical that you make your dining reservations well in advance. See this for more.

SEEING EPCOT’S CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

Starting the day after Thanksgiving, Epcot is open thirty minutes later, and a special Christmas version of Illuminations is shown nightly at 9.30p rather than 9p. Moreover, the Candlelight Processional also begins the Friday after Thanksgiving.

UPDATED PARK SCHEDULES

You can get updated park operating hours when you arrive at Walt Disney World. If you want to know what’s up before then, check the park calendars a day or so before you depart for Florida on the My Disney Experience website. and while you are there as well.

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: APRIL 29 TO MAY 7, 2017

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

For more on May 2017 at Disney World, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 4/29/-5/7/17

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 9a-11p 4/29, 9a-10p 4/30 through 5/4, 9a-11p 5/5 and 5/6, and 9a-10p 5/7

Epcot will be open from 9a-9p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-9p  4/29 and 9a-9.30p 4/30 through 5/7

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 9a-9.30p every day

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 4/29-5/7/17

Saturday 4/29 Morning:  Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 4/30  Morning:  Hollywood Studios  Evening: none

Monday 5/1 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Tuesday 5/2 Morning: none Evening:  Epcot

Wednesday 5/3 Morning: none  Evening:  Magic Kingdom

Thursday 5/4 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 5/5 Morning:  Magic Kingdom Evening: none

Saturday 5/6 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 5/7  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 4/29-5/7/2017

The Magic Kingdom: Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p every day

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 4/29-5/7/17

Wishes at the Magic Kingdom: 9p every night

IllumiNations at Epcot: 9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8.30p 4/29; 9p 4/30 through 5/7

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9p 4/29; 9.30p 4/30 through 5/7

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom 8.45p and 10p 4/29; 9.15p 4/30 through 5/7

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 4/29-5/7/17

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

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