Category — w. Most Recent Stuff
Dining at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
(For the first page of this review of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, click here.)
DINING AT DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN
There’s no real dining inside the BoardWalk Inn, but you will find inside my favorite bar among the Epcot resorts, the Belle Vue Lounge. This bar also serves coffee and pastries in the morning.
Dining, instead, is outside along the BoardWalk…
…where you’ll also find various other fun entertainment, especially in the afternoons and evenings during busier periods.
There’s little in the way of counter service, and breakfast–except at Trattoria al Forno–is overly muffined.
Along the BoardWalk itself you’ll find the ESPN Club (review from our book, The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2019)
Trattoria al Forno (review from The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2019):
(Find another review of Trattoria al Forno here.)
The Flying Fish (review from The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2019):
…and Big River Grille (review from The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2019):
Also on the BoardWalk you’ll also find the Bakery, the Ample Hills Creamery, and some food stands with even more choices.
The full set of options is on Disney’s page about dining on the BoardWalk here.
PAGES IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S BOARDWALK INN
- Summary and overview of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
- Theming and Accommodations at the BoardWalk Inn
- A Photo-Tour of a Standard Room at the Boardwalk Inn
- Amenities at the BoardWalk Inn
- The Luna Park Pool at the BoardWalk Inn
- Dining at the Boardwalk Inn
OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD
- Where to stay–the Basics
- Where first-timers should stay
- Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 160+ stays in them
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October 6, 2015 No Comments
Disney World Crowds in 2017
2017 CROWDS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
The chart lower on the page shows my forecasts for 2017 crowds by week at Walt Disney World.
Dates in it are the beginning of the week, and the forecast covers the recommended Saturday-Sunday 9 day stays.
(For 2018 Disney World crowds, see this, and for 2019 crowds at Disney World, see this.) [Read more →]
October 4, 2015 185 Comments
The WDW Magazine Animal Kingdom Issue is Out
The latest edition of WDW Magazine is out. It’s hard to believe, but this endeavor is now three years old. All that time I’ve been the “first-timers corner” columnist.
This month, the mag focuses on Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.
Editor Carl Trent has this to say about this month’s edition:
“In our Features Section this month we take a look at the Evolution of Animal Kingdom. See how it’s grown and changed through the years. After that we take a look at What to Do, What to See, What to Eat and the Characters at Animal Kingdom.”
The magazine is available on iTunes, for Android, and on the web.
My first-timer column focuses on must-sees for first-timers at the Animal Kingdom, and on how to tour the park.
My contribution builds from both what you can find on this site and also what you’ll find in our book, The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit 2016.
Curious? Of course you are! Check WDW Magazine out.
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October 3, 2015 No Comments
A Friday Visit With Jim Korkis: Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
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.
PRINCE CHARMING REGAL CARROUSEL
By Jim Korkis
The Fantasyland carousel in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom was first built in 1917 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, which created some of the most beautiful horses of the era.
It was carved by German and Italian carvers to express the patriotism that was prevalent in the United States after the First World War. The carousel was named “Liberty”, and was one of the largest carousels ever built, being some sixty feet in diameter.
The first home of the Liberty Carousel was at the Detroit Palace Garden Park, where it stayed until it was rehabilitated in Philadelphia in 1928 and set up in Olympic Park in Maplewood, N.J., for the next 39 years.
The Liberty Carousel originally had 72 horses and also two chariots (not four, as is reported in some articles). The distinctly American horses were black, brown, gray, and white.
Their saddles included items that celebrated the American frontier. Carved figures of Lady Liberty holding shields that featured a red, white and blue flag emblem decorated the interior top circle.
The carousel included eighteen landscape paintings of American scenery. Just below them was a running board decorated with golden American eagles. Sadly, over the years, less skilled craftsmen would slop paint and lacquer over the horses, eventually obscuring the intricate and uniquely engraved features underneath.
The Philadelphia Toboggan Company built 89 carousels before 1929 and the Great Depression. The Liberty Carousel was No. 46, and is one of only a dozen or so of those classic originals from the company that still exist and operate today.
Olympic Park closed in 1965. By that point, the Liberty Carousel had fallen into a state of disrepair and was slated for almost-certain demolition. Antique carousel horses are in such demand that it was planned to sell them and the decorations off individually.
By 1967, Disney had located and acquired the antique masterpiece for the Magic Kingdom.
All of the horses were shipped to Disney shops, where craftsmen were surprised by the detail and artistic grace uncovered when all the years of paint and grime was removed down to the gleaming maple of the horses. Months of Disney artistry went into the rehabilitation.
The chariots were removed, and the carousel was filled out to 90 horses when Disney purchased some antique horses that were made by two other well-known producers of carousels: the Dentzel Company and the Parker Company.
The horses were sanded down carefully to the original wood so that no detail was lost. Sanding down to the actual wood could have resulted in damage and loss of detail, so, today, they are only sanded down to roughly the level of primer and no further. Then the horses were primed and painted white.
The horses are white for two reasons. First, since it was Cinderella’s carousel, the white horses allude to the white horses that pulled Cinderella’s pumpkin coach. Second, one of the things Disney discovered with the King Arthur’s Carrousel at Disneyland (the two “r”s in the title of the ride is correct) was that when people rode a carousel, they first tried to get on a white horse because it was considered the “hero” horse.
For its first decade or so of operation, the Disneyland carousel featured horses of different colors until Imagineer John Hench made the decision to make them all Arctic white. Every guest no matter what their size gets a chance to ride a “hero” horse.
In 1997, one of the original Liberty Carousel chariots was located in a Disney warehouse, and was rehabbed and reinstalled on the ride. For decades, the attraction was named Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel, but was renamed Prince Charming Regal Carrousel in 2010.
* * * * *
Thanks, Jim. And come back next Friday for even more from Jim Korkis!
And in case you are wondering, yes, it’s “Carrousel” in Fantasyland and “Carousel” in Tomorrowland!
In the meantime, check out his books, including The Vault of Walt
, Who’s Afraid of the Song of the South?, and The Book of Mouse
, and his contributions to The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.
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October 2, 2015 No Comments
Next Week (October 3 Through October 11, 2015) at Walt Disney World
DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: OCTOBER 3 TO OCTOBER 11, 2015
The material below details next week’s operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.
The same stuff is in the image, but organized by park, not by topic. For more on October 2015 at Walt Disney World, click here.
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.
OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 10/3/-10/11/2015
The Magic Kingdom will be open 9a-12MN 10/3, 9a-7p 10/4, 9a-12MN 10/5, 9a-7p 10/6, 9a-11p 10/7, 9a-7p 10/8 and 10/9, 8a-12MN 10/10, and 9a-11p 10/11.
Epcot will be open from 9a-10p 10/3, 9a-9p 10/4 through 10/8, 9a-10p 10/9 and 10/10, and 9a-9p 10/11
Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-7.30p 10/3, 9a-9p 10/4, 9a-7.30p 10/5 through 10/8, 9a-9p 10/9, 9a-9.30p 10/10, and 9a-9p 10/11
Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 9a-6p 10/3, 9a-7p 10/4, 9a-6p 10/5 through 10/8, 9a-6.30p 10/9, 8a-8p 10/10, and 9a-8p 10/11
EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 10/3/-10/11/2015
Saturday 10/3 Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: Magic Kingdom
Sunday 10/4 Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none
Monday 10/5 Morning: Magic Kingdom Evening: none
Tuesday 10/6 Morning: Epcot Evening: none
Wednesday 10/7 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: Magic Kingdom
Thursday 10/8 Morning: none Evening: Epcot
Friday 10/9 Morning: Animal Kingom Evening: none
Saturday 10/10 Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none
Sunday 10/11 Morning: none Evening: Hollywood Studios
PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 10/3/-10/11/2015
The Magic Kingdom:
- Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p every day
- Evening Main Street Electrical Parade: 8 and 10p 9/26; 8p 9/28 through 9/30; 9 and 11p 10/3
FIREWORKS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 10/3-10/11/2015
Wishes at the Magic Kingdom: 10p 10/3, 10/5, 10/7 10/10 and 10/11
Illuminations at Epcot: 10p 10/3; 9p 10/4 through 10/8; 10p 10/9 and 10/10; 9p 10/11
Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8p 10/3; 8 and 9.30p 10/4; 8p 10/5 through 10/8; 8 and 9.30p 10/9 and 10/10; 7.30 and 9p 10/12
SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 10/3/-10/11/2015
See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.
LONG RANGE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 10/3/-10/11/2015
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:
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October 1, 2015 No Comments
Announcing the 2016 Edition of The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit
I’ll post more about this later (you bet I will!) but I wanted to let everybody know that the 2016 edition of the best-reviewed Disney World guide book series, EVER, The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit, is now available on Amazon!
Click the link to learn more!
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September 30, 2015 4 Comments
