Category — w. Most Recent Stuff

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!

“SUMMER MAGIC” ON MAIN STREET USA

By Jim Korkis

While most Disney fans know that Main Street U.S.A. is set during the time period of 1890-1910, only a few know that Walt Disney World’s Main Street also pays special tribute to one of Walt Disney’s favorite live action movies, Summer Magic, first released on July 1963.

In Summer Magic, after the death of her husband, Boston widow Margaret Carey moves her family of two young sons and an exhuberant teenage daughter to a house in Beulah, Maine. Daughter Nancy Carey (played by Hayley Mills) has written to Osh Popham (played by Burl Ives), the caretaker of an absent millionaire’s abandoned big yellow house.

The headstrong and imaginative daughter writes such an exaggerated tale of heartbreaking white lies that Osh lets the family rent the house for a pittance and contributes labor and material to refurbish it.

While the family is happily adapting that summer to their new life in a rural East Coast community, their snobbish cousin Julia (who loves all things that are French) shows up to stay and causes some anxiety for Nancy. Eventually, Julia learns the error of her snooty ways.

The film is a sentimental snapshot of a time period and a rural lifestyle that Walt Disney remembered fondly.

While no Burl Ives Streetmosphere performer sits rocking away on a nearby porch, strumming his guitar, his character in the film has a prominent location on Main Street.

In the lower part of one of the front windows, at the southwest corner entrance to the Emporium facing toward the Roy Disney statue at the flagpole, is the name “Osh Popham” listed as the proprietor of the merchandise store.

Osh was the shopkeeper, constable, carpenter, postmaster and good-natured storyteller of the small town of Beulah, Maine.

The Chapeau, the hat shop in Town Square, is supposedly owned and operated by the two Carey girls. The sign outside lists its street address as “No. 63” which was the year the film was first released.

According to the official back story for The Chapeau created by WDW Imagineers

“Nancy (Carey) moved to Main Street after spending many happy years with her family in the “yellow house” in beautiful Beulah. She had set out to seek her fortune, but she wanted to do something artistic, something that would bring happiness to people.

“And at the height of ragtime and hometown Easter parades, nothing could compare to fine headwear! So Nancy enlisted her notoriously fashion-conscious cousin, Julia Carey, and opened a small millinery and hat shop, where together they would design, make and sell hats of all sorts for the ladies and gentlemen of Main Street. They dubbed their new venture The Chapeau, a suitably highbrow name reflecting the time Julia spent in the fashion capital of the world, Paris.”

From 1992-2012, the background music loop for WDW’s Main Street featured three instrumental versions of songs written by the legendary Sherman Brothers for the film: “Flitterin’”, “Beautiful Beulah”, and the title tune “Summer Magic”.

I suspect most guests never realized that these sprightly tunes were not authentic turn-of-the-century songs, just as most guests are completely unaware of these two tributes in the park to a classic Walt Disney live action film.

*  *  *  *  *

Come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis! 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.

MORE DISNEY WORLD HISTORY POSTS FROM JIM KORKIS

• “Summer Magic” on Main Street
• Muppets and Mama Melrose
• Peter Dominick and the Wilderness Lodge
• Dixie Landing and Port Orleans Riverside
• The History of Splash Mountain
• The First Disney World Hotel
• The “Sharing the Magic” Statue
• The First Disney World Monorails
• The Water Park River Country
• The Epcot Fountain
• The Fireplace at the Wilderness Lodge
• Sid Cahuenga at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Spaceship Earth
• Downtown Disney
• The Missing Resort Hotels
• Echo Park and Echo Lake
• Typhoon Lagoon

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

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: MARCH 14 TO MARCH 22, 2015

The material below details 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 March 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 3/14/-3/22/2015

The Magic Kingdom will be open 8a-12MN 3/14 through 3/20, 8a-1a 3/21, and 9a-12MN 3/22

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

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-911p 3/14, 8a-9.30p 3/15, and 9a-9.30p 3/16 through 3/22

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 8a-7p 3/14;  9a-8p 3/15; 8a-7p 3/16 and 3/17; 9a-8p 3/18 through 3/20; 8a-8p 3/21; and 9a-7p 3/22

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/14/-3/22/2015

Saturday 3/14 Morning:  Hollywood Studios  Evening: Magic Kingdom

Sunday 3/15 Morning:  Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Monday 3/16 Morning: none  Evening: Hollywood Studios

Tuesday 3/17 Morning: Epcot Evening:  none

Wednesday 3/18 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening:  none

Thursday 3/19 Morning: Magic Kingdom  Evening: none

Friday 3/20 Morning: none Evening: Epcot

Saturday 3/21 Morning:  Hollywood Studios Evening: Magic Kingdom

Sunday 3/22  Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/14/-3/22/2015

The Magic Kingdom:

• Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p 3/14; noon and 3p 3/15 through 3/21; 3p 3/22
• Evening Main Street Electrical Parade: 9 and 11p every day

FIREWORKS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/14/-3/22/2015

Wishes at the Magic Kingdom: 1op every night

Illuminations at Epcot: 9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8.30 and 10p every night

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/14/-3/22/2015

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

LONG RANGE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 3/14/-3/22/2015

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:

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

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

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is in two different areas of Universal Orlando. Diagon Alley is in Universal Studios, and Hogsmeade is in Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

This page is an overview of Hogsmeade. Attractions here include

• The Flight of the Hippogriff
• Dragon Challenge
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
• Ollivanders
• The Hogwarts Express

REVIEW: HOGSMEADE AT THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER

Hogsmeade includes

•  A delightful but small built environment meant to bring the village of Hogsmeade (and a few imports from Diagon Alley) to life
• A replica of Hogwarts Castle, and
• Four rides (one shared with Diagon Alley) and another attraction

The four rides are the Flight of the Hippogriff, a minor roller coaster in the open air, Dragon Challenge, a world-class, very intense roller coaster (both slightly re-decorated versions of older rides), the all-new Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, the all-new Hogwarts Express. Also worth special note is the charming attraction Ollivanders, where the wand chooses the wizard (there’s another version of Ollivanders in Diagon Alley.)

• The Flight of the Hippogriff will be uninteresting to most.
• Dragon Challenge will appeal to fans of top-level roller coasters, but be far too intense for anyone else.
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey has a stunning queue, and a pretty amazing ride, but will be off-limits to those with even moderate motion sickness.
• The Hogwarts Express requires that you have a “park to park” ticket (extra $) but is an easy way to get back and forth between the two Wizarding Worlds, and is moderately fun in itself. True Harry Potter fans need to ride it.
• The village of Hogsmeade is well-done and charming, but quite small.
• Butterbeer rocks.

The upshot: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Hogsmeade is absolutely worth a visit if you are going to Universal Orlando anyway, and/or are huge Harry Potter fans.  If you are, the best way to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is to stay at a Universal resort hotel.  This will allow you to take advantage of its resort hotel early entry program, saving you hours of waiting in line.

If, however, you are a first time visitor to Walt Disney World, and following one of this site’s Disney World itineraries, I can’t recommend taking time out of already over-packed days to see the Wizarding World, unless your children simply will give you no peace otherwise. (If you must fit Harry Potter into a Disney World visit, see the links at the bottom of the page for hints on fitting Harry Potter in.)

Instead, save the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for another trip.

MORE ON HOGSMEADE AT THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER

Because of the way Islands of Adventure is laid out, there are two ways to get to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter–clockwise or counterclockwise around the park.

If Islands of Adventure is open to early arrival (some days both parks are, and some one or the other is), Universal hotel guests may be sent one way, and everyone else another.  If you have a choice, go counter-clockwise.

Once you are in Hogsmeade, you end up in a charming area about the size of Disney World’s Liberty Square.  Hogsmeade and Hogwarts Castle are both stunningly well done.  The small number of things you can do in Hogsmeade–for example, see the wand pick the wizard at Ollivanders, or buy butterbeer– are mobbed.

If you are a Universal hotel guest, and have a park-to-park pass, here’s the way to work both parts of the Wizarding World:

1. Be at the turnstiles for whichever park has early open by 45 minutes before early open is expected to start (if both are open early, which will be uncommon my recommended weeks, then pick Universal Studios/Diagon Alley.)
2. At open, get back to the Wizarding World and ride (depending on which park you are in) Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey or Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.
3. See the Wand choosing the Wizard at the Ollivanders in either Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade
4. Get in line for the Hogwarts Express, and ride it to the other park. You’ll get there just about when day guests do. See whichever of Forbidden Journey or Gringotts you missed first thing
5. Relax, and see all the other rides and wonderful detailing in both Wizarding Worlds.

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

HARRY POTTER AND THE ESCAPE FROM GRINGOTTS

The headliner ride at the second Wizarding World area to open at Universal Orlando, Diagon Alley in Universal Studios, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts re-tells the story of Harry, Ron and Hermione and the horcrux in the goblin bank Gringotts.

No one in your party knows what a horcrux is?

No worries, so long as you like thrills. The ride combines moving vehicles, motion simulators, elaborate sets, and 3D films into an elaborate adventure that may not always make sense but is always thrilling.

Without giving away any spoilers, the fear factor on the ride (and some of the effects) are midway between the scariest bits of Fantasmic and those of Tower of Terror. This will make it inappropriate for many younger kids, but much fun for older ones—especially if they are Harry Potter fans.

Unlike the headliner Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey in the other area of the Wizarding World, Hogsmeade at Islands of Adventure, few will suffer from motion sickness on Escape from Gringotts, and the pacing of Gringotts is much better—not suffering from the overly slow and overly fast sections of Forbidden Journey.

Gringotts is deep in Diagon Alley, in the bank guarded by a dragon—a “Ukrainian Ironbelly” that you might see again on the ride, and that might just this moment be better utilized in combat in eastern Ukraine.

You enter the bank lobby…

…are weighed in the balance by Goblins…

…pass through an area with newspapers with moving images, just like in the books…

…then pass by a series of closed doors that will either ominously raise the hair on the back of your neck, or remind you to make a note to requisition more staples when you get back to the office…

…see a pre-show with Bill Weasley and a goblin banker…

…and enter an elevator that takes you down down down to the vaults themselves. (The effect here is great, and is best experienced away from the walls.)

You are now in the loading area…

…where you will board mine vehicles that will take you on a really fun ride!

As noted at the beginning, I’m not gonna give away the details of the ride, but Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (while not suffering the motion sickness or pacing issues of the Wizarding World’s other headliner, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey) is a real thrill, and thus may just scare the bejeezus out of younger kids.

Older folk who enjoy thrill rides will just love it—especially if they are also Harry Potter fans.

Immensely popular, the best way to see Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts is at the very beginning or very end of the day.

If you are following my advice and staying at a Universal hotel, take advantage of early entry to see it. Be at the turnstiles well before early entry begins, and head straight to Gringotts.

If the only Universal park on early entry your days is Islands of Adventure, arrive at the turnstiles well before open, start there, see Forbidden Journey and Ollivanders in Hogsmeade, and then get in line for the Hogwarts Express (requires extra-cost park to park ticket). The first run of the Hogwarts Express should get you to Diagon Alley ahead of most of the crowds.

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

A branch of Ollivanders has been open at Hogsmeade in Universal’s Islands of Adventure for years now.

With the opening of the second half of the Wizarding World, Diagon Alley in Universal Studios, there’s even more chances to see the wand choosing the wizard.

Lines at the Hogsmeade branch have been quite long, as the show has little capacity and is drop-dead cute. The Diagon Alley Ollivanders offer has three show spaces, so lines should be shorter.

The best way to see the show in either locale is to be one of the first to ride the headliner (Forbidden Journey or Gringotts) at either spot, and then to go immediately to Ollivanders!

For more on this darling show–including the importance of being Sarah, but even worse photos–see this.

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

THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS AT THE WIZARDING WORLDS OF HARRY POTTER

The Hogwarts Express is a train between the two parts of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley in Universal Orlando’s Universal Studios theme park and Hogsmeade in its Island of Adventure theme park.

Being eligible to ride it requires a more-expensive “Park-to-Park” ticket. The Hogwarts Express has its charms but there’s not a lot to it—except for Harry Potter nuts (you know who you are), who kinda must ride it.

But you can use it and a room in a Universal hotel, which I wildly recommend, to get a somewhat easy day at the Wizarding World’s Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. More on this below.

The Hogwarts Express combines transport between the two Wizarding Worlds at Universal Orlando—Hogsmeade in the back right of Islands of Adventure, and Diagon Alley in the back right of Universal Studios (otherwise a really long walk) with some moderately cool visual and aural effects.

Plus with great visual authenticity it mimics Harry’s journeys from London to Hogsmeade and back, causing true Harry Potter fans to swoon.

There’s stations at each of the Wizarding Worlds.

In Universal Studios, King’s Cross station is just outside Diagon Alley, in the “regular” London area.

After your tickets are checked to make sure you have park-to-park privileges, you enter a queue, and are greeted by Hedwig to the platform.

The Hogwarts Express really looks like that in the films…

…both outside…

…and inside.

Your compartment will seat eight. Most—but not all!!—of the action is at the window. The seats closest to and furthest from the window have the worst views, and those in the middle of the compartment the best.

Stuff happens in the window…and also elsewhere, so don’t focus solely on the window. No more spoilers—just enjoy the journey!

The Hogsmeade station is darker than King’s Cross…

…and of course different outside.

There’s not a lot of capacity to the Hogwarts Express, so lines can quickly get long. On busy days, you may get a “return later” ticket, or may even be allowed only to take it one way.

My suggestions:

• Don’t go on a busy day.
• Stay (even for just a night) in a Universal hotel, so that you get early entry privileges
• Get in line for the Hogwarts Express as soon as you’ve seen one of the headliners rides and done Ollivander’s.

Here’s the details:

BUILDING HOGWARTS EXPRESS INTO A TOURING PLAN OF THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER

If you go to Universal one of the weeks I recommend, and stay at a Universal hotel, then your day can flow like this:

1. Be at the turnstiles for whichever park has early open by 45 minutes before early open is expected to start (if both are open early, which will be uncommon my recommended weeks, then pick Universal Studios/Diagon Alley.)
2. At open, get back to the Wizarding World and ride (depending on which park you are in) Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey or Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.
3. See the Wand choosing the Wizard at Ollivanders
4. Get in line for the Hogwarts Express, and ride it to the other park. You’ll get there just about when day guests do. See whichever of Forbidden Journey or Gringotts you missed first thing

Relax, and see all the other wonderful detailing in both Wizarding Worlds.

Note that this assumes only one park is open to Universal hotel guests, and that the Hogwarts Express starts on time.

If both parks are open, divide the two headliners over two early mornings (you get early entry on both the day of check-in and day of check-out, and can check in at 7a) but still get in line for the Hogwarts Express as soon as you are out of Ollivanders.

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