Category — w. Most Recent Stuff

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: AUGUST 24, 2013 TO SEPTEMBER 1, 2013

The material below details operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

The same stuff is in the table, but organized by park, not by topic.

(And for more on August 2103 at Walt Disney World, see this.)

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So today’s my birthday, and I’m requesting a birthday present from you!

It’ll take less than five seconds, but would be a really neat birthday present to me, and might help millions of other people.

Here’s the task:

1. Click here to get to the site’s home page
2. Scroll down until you see the Facebook button on the lower left—circled in the image.
3. Click it, and say something sorta nice—could be as simple as “helpful site”

WHY I AM ASKING FOR THIS BIRTHDAY PRESENT

I’m asking for this for a simple reason: more Facebook home page “likes” matters to Google and other search engines, and more will mean that this site will be more findable to the people looking for help in planning their Walt Disney World vacations.

There’s lots of great sites out there, that I look at almost every day, and learn a ton from.

But there’s only one site–this one—that Lee Cockerell called “astonishingly helpful for both first time and repeat visitors to Walt Disney World alike.”

And that matters—because Lee Cockerell, as Executive Vice President of Operations at Walt Disney World, used to run the Disney World theme parks and resort hotels (under Al Weiss). And thus he should recognize good help with Disney World when he sees it…

So this site can really help people…but only if they can find it!

And if it’s helped you, then you can help it to help others—by going to the home page, scrolling down,  clicking the Facebook “like” button, and saying something nice!

…and thanks…what you all do could be the nicest birthday present ever.

(See also What You Need to Know Now About Fastpass+.)

ON JANUARY 23, 2014, TRADITIONAL FASTPASS DISAPPEARED, AND FASTPASS+ BECAME THE ONLY OPTION

On January 23, all the Disney World theme parks became be FastPass+ only.  The old “legacy” Fastpasses are gone.

As of now,

• Guests in Disney owned hotels and in the Swan and Dolphin can book FastPass+ beginning  60 days before their arrival date.
• Everyone else with a linked ticket can book FastPass+ beginning 30 days before their visit.

YOU NEED TO HAVE SIGNED INTO “MY DISNEY EXPERIENCE” TO RESERVE FASTPASS+ AHEAD OF TIME

You can’t do anything for Fastpass+ ahead of time unless you’ve signed in to My Disney Experience.  Go to MyDisneyExperience.com to sign up and sign in.

YOU NEED YOUR HOTEL RESERVATION LINKED TO GET FASTPASS+ 60 DAYS AHEAD OF TIME

When you are in MyDisneyExperience (henceforth “MDE”), check “My Reservations” to see if your hotel reservation is there.  If not, you’ll need your reservation number.  With it in hand, find the button that says “Link a Resort Reservation.”

YOU CAN ONLY MAKE FASTPASS+ RESERVATIONS IF YOU HAVE LINKED TICKETS

Your tickets need to be linked to your MDE account for you to be able to use it to pre-book FastPass+.

NOT ALL OFFERINGS ARE THE SAME ALL DATES FOR ALL USERS

FastPass+ parades and fireworks seem to be released much closer to arrival date than 60 days. So far, they seem to be showing up for the next month near the end of the current month .

“BE OUR GUEST” WORKS COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY THAN FASTPASS+

The chance to reserve Be Our Guest for counter-service lunch is actually unrelated to the Fastpass+ test.  As near as I can figure out, anyone with a Disney hotel reservation can try for such a reservation.  You need your 12 digit numeric reservation number.  See this for more on how to get this.

CRASHES, FRUSTRATION, INCOMPLETE STUFF ARE STILL ALL TOO COMMON

Reports suggest this is going fine for most people, and gets better every week, but that crashes, incomplete data, mystified cast members etc., are still all too common…

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WHAT FIRST TIME VISITORS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DISNEY WORLD’S FASTPASS+ PROGRAM

(See also Frequently Asked Questions about FastPass+.)

I’m gonna focus here on prioritizing your FastPass+ at each park.

(Note that if you are using one of my itineraries, this prioritization is already done for you.)

I’m assuming that you will still arrive at the parks early in the morning, well before opening.

Arriving plenty early means you can experience at least one more headliner with a low wait beyond what you can get on FastPass+.  Since you will be limited to 3 pre-booked FastPass+, this is a big deal. (You can add fourth and following FastPass+ one at a time in the parks once your first three are used.)

Picking your early morning target is tricky.  There’s two good ways to pick:

1. A ride with a really distinctive queue that you will largely miss if you go through the FastPass+ return line—for example, Test Track and Expedition Everest.
2. A ride you know you will want to see again, since you can only pre-book one FastPass+ per ride per day—more relevant to returning visitors who know what they want to repeat than for first timers.

So based on this, and on what’s being offered right now for FastPass+, here’s my suggestions by park:

FASTPASS+ AT EPCOT

Epcot: Plan to arrive early and see Test Track.  Target for FastPass+ first Soarin, then Mission: Space, and then Spaceship Earth.

FASTPASS+ AT DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Plan to arrive early and see Rock N’ Roller Coaster. Have Toy Story Mania be your headliner FastPass+, and your next priorities Tower of Terror and the Frozen Sing-along.

FASTPASS+ AT DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM

Disney’s Animal Kingdom:  Plan to arrive early and see Expedition Everest.  Prioritize Kilimanjaro Safaris as your first FastPass+ selection, then Kali River Rapids and DINOSAUR.

FASTPASS+ AT THE MAGIC KINGDOM

Magic Kingdom: Much tougher, as there are many rides that build long lines quickly.

The ones to target are Anna and Elsa Meet n Greet, Big Thunder Mountain, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Peter Pan, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

There’s enough there for two or three days’ worth of FastPass+ at the Magic Kingdom.

So here’s the thought for now:

• FastPass+ Priority Targets:  Anna and Elsa (lines can be too long even at open), the Mine Train Ride (same reason), Splash Mountain (you don’t want to get wet at open)
• Park opening first ride (without FastPass+) targets: Space Mountain, Peter Pan, Big Thunder Mountain
• Other possible priorities: Buzz Lightyear, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Haunted Mansion

There’s many ways to do this. Here’s one approach:

• Day 1 at the Magic Kingdom: Plan Peter Pan at open, then FastPass+ Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain
• Day 2 at the Magic Kingdom: Plan to repeat the favorite from Day 1 at open, then FastPass+ Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, and Enchanted Tales with Belle
• If you have a third day at Magic Kingdom with a morning, then plan to save the first ride for a repeat of a favorite, then book as FastPass+ repeat visits to Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Peter Pan—almost everyone’s list of Magic Kingdom favorites includes at least two of these three…

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For the first page of this review of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, see this.

THE LION KING FAMILY SUITES AT DISNEY’S ART OF ANIMATION RESORT

(Note: this photo-tour of a Lion King Family Suite at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is a supplement to the full photo tour of a Finding Nemo Family Suites that’s here. At that link you’ll find a floor plan, and also much more detail on such items as bed dimensions, actual storage space, etc.)

The three types of Family Suites at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort–Lion King, viewed here, Finding Nemo, and Cars–have almost identical floor plans, varying only here and there in minor furnishings.

A refurb currently in process is shifting the floors to wood laminate, and the queen bed in the separate bedroom to a platform bed–which adds storage underneath. I’ll have updated images later in 2020.

When you enter the Lion King suite, as in the other Art of Animation Family Suites, you’ll be in the dining room, with a bath on either side. Further in the room on one side behind a door is the master bedroom and bath, and on the other side you’ll find the living room and mini kitchen.

The table and chairs are a distinctive feature in themselves…

…and even more so because a bed folds down from the wall, “disappearing” the table.

Note the darling sleepy lion at the head of the bed–a larger image is at the top of the page..

Beyond the dining area through a door you’ll find the master bedroom, with a queen bed on one side…

…and a TV, dresser, iron and ironing board, safe, and one of the two hanging spaces in the suite on the other.

One of the two baths in the suite is accessible only from the master bedroom. This bath has a large shower, but no tub (there is a tub/shower combo in the second bath).

The shower has lovely sun detailing on the shower wall. When I stayed in this room, it was 97 degrees outside, and I still liked this artwork!

On the other side of the suite there’s another bath–this one divided, with a sink in one space…

…and a toilet and tub/shower in the other, with a reprise of the lovely sun art.

The shower curtain is very cute.

Deeper into the space you’ll find the living room, with a mini-kitchen, small couch, and two little tables that can also serve as seats (including at the dining table) on one side…

…and on the other, a charming wart-hoggy seat, and a TV/dresser/hanging space similar to what you find in the master bedroom, but with one more drawer.

The couch pulls out into a bed.

The mini-kitchen includes a coffee maker and supplies, a microwave, sink, and some basic utensils.

Here’s a close-up of the fridge with a scaling object.

And the mini-kitchen also illustrates the only complaint one could have about these rooms–the clash of colors and textures.

Note the multi-colored rug on the right, the multi-colored brown wood on the left of the lower cabinet, and the multicolored green trim around the microwave.

To my eyes–and to some others–this is at least one too many different color/texture schemes.  But others–like my younger son–just love the “jungle” feel and reminiscences of the movie itself that these colors and textures inspire!

PHOTO TOUR OF A CARS FAMILY SUITE AT DISNEY’S ART OF ANIMATION RESORT

This review continues here.

MATERIAL IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S ART OF ANIMATION RESORT

• Overview of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• The Little Mermaid Area and Rooms
• Photo Tour of a Little Mermaid Room
• Overview of the Family Suites Areas
• Accommodations in the Family Suites
• Photo Tour of a Finding Nemo Family Suite (plus bed dimensions, storage, etc)
• Photo Tour of a Lion King Family Suite
• Photo Tour of a Cars Family Suite
• Amenities at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• The Pools at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

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 150+ stays in them

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While this site is known for lots of positive things, there’s also some negatives–among others, leaden prose and out-of-focus images come to mind.

The leaden prose we are kinda stuck with. While I have tried to spark things up (my bus work is highly respected in the right circles), lead seems to run in my veins…

The weaker images, though, are subject to improvement.  While the biggest issue with my photos is the fool behind the view-finder, better tools do help here.

Up until now, 99% all the images on this site have been from my iPhone.  But while the phone is always with me and great for well-lit outdoor shots, it has (or I have, while using it) major issues with control over dynamic range, depth of field, and point of focus.

This has been particularly a problem for my photo-reviews of the rooms in the Walt Disney World resort, which too often turn out with only a narrow part of the room in focus, and real light problems.

So since I’d be shooting five rooms in six nights as part of the resort hop of early August, I went looking for a new camera.  It had to be fully controllable (especially f-stops) while fitting in my pocket.

After doing tons of research (that is, I read two pages on Tom Bricker‘s site–this and  this) I picked the Sony DSC-RX100–the best camera ever made that can sit, barely noticed, in your pocket.

I can now take rooms shots with much better depth of field.

Compare the photo above, taken with my phone in a standard room in Samoa in May for my updated review of Disney’s Polynesian Resort, with the photo below of a larger room in Tokelau from last week. (For additional punishment, click any photos to enlarge them.)

The second photo is more in focus across the full length of the room, and also, with the RX100’s better dynamic range and heightened control, the room lights aren’t blowing out the sensor–I could even include sunlight!

A common problem I’ve had in baths with the phone is having it pick a mirror or shower reflection to focus on.

This has led to comically bad shots like the above, of the master bath in the Finding Nemo suites from my review of the Family Suites at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort after my visit last summer.

Above is a shot of a similar space from the new camera from my visit last week to the Cars Family Suites. Focus at last!

The better level of and control over dynamic range also means better evening and dark ride shots.

The iPhone was pretty flummoxed by fireworks shots–see the image of Illuminations above–the best of hundreds of lousy such shots from my phone.

With the Sony, I’ll be able to get great night shots.  See the Illuminations shot from it above–not a great composition, but a hint at what I’ll be able to get eventually. See also the Cars shot at the top of the page for more of what I can now do in the evening.

Now, all evidence on this site to the contrary, I’m not the worst photographer in the world.  For years I had a darkroom, developed my own film, and printed my own photos–some of which have been published (though not recently enough for me to be able to link to them).

I also can tell a great composition when it slaps me in the eye. The shot of Tigger and a child on the right (from the RX100) would have been wonderful if I’d had 6 more inches of the kid on the right side to balance out Tigger on the left.

So with those core skills and a great new tool, my hope is that the photographs on this site improve sharply, from the third to the second-rate!

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