Category — w. Most Recent Stuff

As I write this, I have 2,999 followers of my Pinterest account–about three times as many as this time last year. The three thousandth follower could be you!

The increase is entirely due to Linda Stevens-Jones, who has been my Pinterest account manager over that period.

I first got to know Linda several years ago because she was pinning so much stuff from my site to her Great Walt Disney World Tips boards. The image is us at Magic Kingdom in 2013. We then counseled each other on multiple topics from our individual areas of expertise, and formalized our Pinterest relationship last summer.

As an expert on both Disney World and Pinterest, Linda has been a great resource, transforming my board portfolio, what’s on my boards, and the descriptions of the pins!

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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.

PECOS BILL AT THE MAGIC KINGDOM

By Jim Korkis

The Mile Long Bar was originally in Frontierland from October 1971 to January 1998 at the exit of the Country Bear Jamboree.

The eatery was named for its use of mirrors that created the illusion of visually extending the actual length of the bar.  Next door, the Pecos Bill Cafe had been part of the Magic Kingdom landscape since 1971. A much-needed expansion effort in 1998 incorporated the adjacent Mile Long Bar into the café and added indoor seating.

(c) Disney

The location was re-dubbed the Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Café, with a framed picture of Disney’s animated cartoon version of Pecos Bill just above the fireplace. The newly designed quick serve area was meant to invoke restaurants like Planet Hollywood (which opened at Disney in 1994) and Hard Rock Café (Hard Rock Live opened in 1999 in Orlando next to the Hard Rock Café) where authentic celebrity memorabilia decorated the walls.

To help explain the concept, the Imagineers posted the back story on a piece of faux stretched rawhide near the entrance:

Considered by many as the meanest, toughest, roughest cowboy of them all, Pecos Bill has been credited for inventing all things western, from rodeos to cowboy dancing, to spurs, hats and lassos. He can draw faster, shoot straighter and ride a horse harder than any man alive. Unfortunately, we don’t know when and where he was born, just that he was raised by coyotes and that his name comes from the river in Texas.

Over the years, Pecos Bill along with his trusty horse, Widowmaker, have made quite a name for themselves forging new trails and taming others. Legend tells us several tall tales, like the time Pecos Bill jumped on a powerful twister and road it like a bucking bronco. Then there was the time when Pecos Bill dug out a path to create the Rio Grande river during a severe drought that hit his beloved Texas. And then there was the day Pecos Bill was so bored he took his handy six-shooter and shot out all of the stars in the sky except for one. That’s why they call Texas the “Lone Star State.”

In 1878, with the encouragement of his friends, Pecos Bill decided to open his own watering hole, a restaurant whose motto very much reflects its one-of-a-kind owner. “The tastiest eats and treats this side of the Rio Grande.”

Pecos Bill called it the Tall Tale Inn and Café and it quickly became a popular hangout for some of his legendary friends. As time went by, it became a tradition when each friend paid a visit they would leave something behind for Pecos Bill to remember them by. As you can see from the articles and artifacts that don the walls, many of which carry inscriptions, Pecos Bill had some mighty impressive friends. Seems that every trail eventually led to the Tall Tale Inn and Café.

Scattered throughout the location are Buffalo Bill’s boots, a giant axe belonging to Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed’s tin pot-hat, Kit Carson’s scouting tools, Davy Crockett’s satchel and powder horn, John Henry’s hammer, Jim Bowie’s famous knife and Slue Foot Sue’s spurs and gloves.

Davy Crockett’s fictional companion from the Disney television series, Georgie Russel left behind a hand-written version of Davy’s encounter with Big Foot Mason.

One item that sometimes puzzles guest is a display of a black mask and a silver bullet but no identification plaque leading people to ask the famous question, “Who was that Masked Man?” Obviously, the answer is the Lone Ranger and at the time of its installation, Disney did not have the rights to the character.

There was a Disney connection with the character. Jack Wrather who owned the Disneyland Hotel also owned the rights to the Lone Ranger and in the early years of Disneyland allowed actor Clayton Moore garbed in his full television costume to visit Disneyland for publicity purposes including riding the Mark Twain steamboat with children.

The western end of the building shifts into the more realistic Spanish-influenced settings of the Southwestern United States to create a smooth transition into Adventureland’s Caribbean Plaza, with its adobe walls and Spanish tile roofs.

*  *  *  *  *

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

In the meantime, check out his books, including Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, and The Vault of Walt: Volume 4, and his contributions to The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: AUGUST 13 TO AUGUST 21, 2016

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

Note that typos happen, and schedules change! If something seems odd, or if you want to double check, use the calendar links near the bottom to get the latest official Disney World scoop.

For more on August 2016 at Walt Disney World, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 8/13-8/21/2016

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 8a-12MN 8/13, 9a-12MN 8/14, 8a-1a 8/15, 9a-1a 8/16, 8a-12MN 8/17, 9a-11p 8/18, 9a-12MN 8/19, 8a-12MN 8/20 and 9a-11p 8/21

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

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-9.30p every day

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 9a-11p every day

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 8/13-8/21/2016

Saturday 8/13 Morning:  Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Sunday 8/14 Morning:  Hollywood Studios  Evening: none

Monday 8/15 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Tuesday 8/16 Morning: none Evening:  Epcot

Wednesday 8/17 Morning: none  Evening:  Magic Kingdom

Thursday 8/18 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 8/19 Morning:  Magic Kingdom Evening: Hollywood Studios

Saturday 8/20 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Sunday 8/21  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 8/13-8/21/2016

The Magic Kingdom:

• Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p  every day
• Evening Main Street Electrical Parade: 9p 8/13 through 8/17; 9a and 11p 8/18; 9p 8/19 and 8/20; 9 and 11p 8/21

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 8/13-8/21/2016

Wishes at the Magic Kingdom: 10p every night

IllumiNations at Epcot: 9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9p every night

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9.30p every night

Jungle Book Evening Show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 9 and 10.30p every night

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 8/13-8/21/2016

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

LONG RANGE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 8/13-8/21/2016

See this for forecasts.

DISCLAIMER

Everything is subject to change and typos! Check the Disney Calendars for updates and official schedules. These calendars can be found by clicking the following links:

• Magic Kingdom Calendar
• Hollywood Studios Calendar
• Animal Kingdom Calendar
• Epcot Calendar

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Today Disney World came out with room only discount for many nights in November and December.

Except at the deluxes, these savings are available for stays November 6th to November 10, November 16 to November 22, and November 26 to December 23. At the deluxes, savings appear to exclude November 6th through November 10.

These deals must be booked by October 8th, but availability will be narrower with each passing day.

To get these savings, contact Kelly B at KellyB@DestinationsInFlorida.com or 980-429-4499.

Value resort discounts:

• 10% off: All-Star Movies, Music and Sports; Pop Century; Art of Animation family suites
• Excluded: Art of Animation standard Little Mermaid rooms

Moderate resort discounts

• 15% off: Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans Riverside, Cabins at Fort Wilderness
• Apparently excluded: Port Orleans French Quarter (not listed by Disney as excluded, but not on its discount list, either)

Deluxe resort discounts (11/16 to 11/22 and 11/26 to 12/23):

• 10% off: Beach Club, Contemporary and Polynesian Village
• 20% off: Animal Kingdom Lodge, BoardWalk Inn, Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge, Yacht Club

DVC resort discounts:

• 10% off: Beach Club Villas, Studios at Polynesian Village
• 20% off: Jambo House and Kidani Village villas at Animal Kingdom Lodge; BoardWalk Villas; Old Key West; Saratoga Springs; Villas at the Wilderness Lodge
• Excluded: Bay Lake Tower; Villas at the Grand Floridian; Bungalows at the Polynesian

To get these savings, contact Kelly B at KellyB@DestinationsInFlorida.com or 980-429-4499.

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The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2017, the latest installment in the best-reviewed Disney World guide book series, ever, became available on Amazon on August 4th.

Particularly useful for first-timers, those who haven’t visited recently, and for recent visitors looking for help with all the new attractions, restaurants and hotel refurbs of the last year or so, The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2017 helps you with all the key decisions you need to make to have a great Disney World visit.

In The easy Guide, my co-author Josh of easyWDW.com and I take you by the hand through each major planning topic.

We give specific advice on which choices to make, and for those who can’t or won’t follow our advice, we give all the additional details to help you make your own plans.

A few examples:

• In Chapter 6, besides giving multiple detailed step by step itineraries, we also review all the Disney World attractions, including all the new or re-imagined ones that opened this summer, advising you on what they are, how appropriate they are for your group, when to ride them, and even where to sit!
• In Chapter 5, besides recommending specific hotels by price level, we also give detailed reviews and floor plans of all the Disney-owned hotels and the key non-Disney ones, including the recently-opened hotels and all the latest refurbs
• In Chapter 4, besides recommending specific periods of the year to go to Disney World, we also lay out all the details of 2017 with specific month by month overviews
• In Chapter 7 we recommend specific restaurants, but also review them all, including the astonishing set that has opened in Disney Springs, the Animal Kingdom, and Magic Kingdom over the last year or so

Disney World has profoundly changed in the past few years.

First came its Fantasyland expansion, then the all-new FastPass+ program that has transformed how and when to plan for Disney World, then all the new attractions and restaurants that have come on line, then all kinds of price increases and changes in price seasons.

As a result, a good Disney World plan has never paid off more, and the failure to plan has never hurt more.

Josh and I have unparalleled experience with Disney World—he’s in the parks several times a week, and I just stayed in my 129th different Disney World-owned room, studio, villa, suite, campsite or cabin–and we bring tested judgement from helping tens of millions of people plan their Disney World visits, on this site and on easyWDW.com.

We apply this experience and judgment together to The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2017 to make your Disney World planning straightforward, sensible… and easy!

The easy Guide is available as a paperback on Amazon.com here. A Kindle version will come out soon, as will a PDF version.

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This morning, the paperback version of the 2017 edition of The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit became available on Amazon. (Kindle and PDF versions will be available soon.)

Totally updated to reflect all the new rides and restaurants and hotel refurbs, it’s your best place to start planning for a 2017 visit to Disney World!

And for those going in 2016, it’s a better choice than our 2016 edition, particularly because all the park plans have been heavily updated.

To learn more about it, click here or click anywhere on the cover!

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