Category — w. Most Recent Stuff

Disney World currently has two deals out covering most arrival dates from January 2 through early March 2013.

These deals need be booked by December 31, so if you are interested, book them soon!

For more on the deals, see this.

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: DECEMBER 22 TO DECEMBER 30, 2012

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.

(For more on December 2012, see this.)

[Read more →]

FINALLY, A FACEBOOK PAGE FOR YOURFIRSTVISIT.NET

So on Saturday, about four and a half years late, I finally put up a page for this site on Facebook. (The image is the page’s profile photo–me and Ariel in New Fantasyland.)

Now, no one has ever called me an early adopter of technology or tools, or even a fast follower.  If I’m in on a trend, it’s usually by chance, or by mistake.

It’s not that I’m against technology or trends; rather, my poor attention span means I don’t usually notice what’s going on, and if I do notice what’s going on, my poor memory often means I forget to do something about it…

But these flaws of character and capability aren’t why it’s taken me so long to take the site to Facebook.  I’ve known about Facebook forever, as a buddy of mine joined the Facebook team right after they opened up beyond college students, and signed me up a personal account for it way back then

Rather, I’ve been afraid of creating a Facebook page for yourfirstvisit.net because I’ve worried about providing lousy service, for two reasons.

• First it’s hard sometimes for me to keep up with just the comments on this site (so far, almost 5,000 questions and observations from you, and almost 5,000 responses from me), so I’ve worried that having a second venue to keep track of and be responsive to would mean that I wouldn’t do a good job in either place.
• Second, a surprising number of people read through the comment streams on a page before asking their own question.  That is, the questions and answers here help a lot of people get their issues resolved.  I’ve worried that dividing such material across two places means fewer will get fully helped in either place.

My friends and counselors have reacted to these concerns as though I’m nuts, noting that the site is losing traffic and Google cred by not being on Facebook.  This has not been compelling, as I’m worried much more about providing good service than I am about traffic.

But the other week, someone put the situation in terms that got through even my thick head.  “This site exists to help people.  You can’t help them if they can’t find you.  More people will find you if you are on Facebook.  And then you will help more people. Just deal with it”

OK, I get it, so almost five years after launching this site, it’s now on Facebook! Like the page if you think that this site could possibly help other people.

And if you have a moment, let me know if you think the site should jump on that other hot new trend that’s just emerged this past week (or perhaps earlier)…I forget what it’s called—“twoodle”?–you know, the one that uses what I think are called “mushtags”?

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook!

OVERVIEW: JULY 2013 AT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews July 2013 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, operating hours, adds a few other notes, and ends with week by week summaries.

[Read more →]

THE NEW TEST TRACK AT EPCOT

Test Track re-opened in early December 2012 after months spent fundamentally re-doing the ride.

The track and vehicles are essentially the same as before, including the great finale which is the best part of the ride, but the interior, pre-show and story have all changed.

The changes are mostly, but not entirely, for the better, and the ride remains a must-see! [Read more →]

(This is an entry in a series on personal favorites)

FAVORITE DISNEY WORLD HOTELS

Welcome to those coming from Capturing Magical Memories!  Enjoy the ride as this month Magical Blogorail Teal discusses our favorite Walt Disney World resorts!

PERSONAL FAVORITES DIFFERENT THAN RECOMMENDED RESORTS

One of the earliest notes about this site elsewhere on the internet was from an appalled blogger.

In the summer of 2008 she wrote (I can’t find the link, but hey, I didn’t try very hard!) that she was stunned by what to her seemed the lack of logic in my notes on rides that might be skipped.

What made her head explode was that I noted that some rides that could be skipped by first time family visitors, like Carousel of Progress, were also among my personal favorites.

Well, I have no trouble holding two contradictory ideas in my mind at the same time! [Read more →]