Photo Friday: "To honor America"

 

Welcome to another Photo Friday!  With Memorial Day just a few days ago, I thought I'd post a photo from the Main Street Electrical Parade to honor our and remember our veterans who have sacrificed for our country. 

To our veterans - thank you!

Tip Tuesday: My new favorite spot for evening events at the MK

 

Welcome to a belated Tip Tuesday (yet again, sigh).

This week, I wanted to share a brief tip about my new favorite spot to watch the Main Street Electrical Parade which also puts you in a great spot to watch Wishes! and the new "Celebrate the Magic" show coming later this fall about which Disney released some conceptual images earlier today.  Disney also announced they are expanding the seating area for Fantasmic! at the Studios.

Anyway, back to the MSEP.  Many people like to stand in the inner portion of the hub facing Cinderella Castle as the Electrical Parade goes by.  I'm a fan of the opposite view.  Stand in the hub looking back down Main Street U.S.A.  You get a great head-on view of the parade and about halfway through, the lights in Town Square will turn back on so you have a wonderful backdrop for the parade.

Once the parade is done, simply turn around and you're ready for Celebrate the Magic and Wishes.  If you want, you can try to move a bit closer to the Partners statue so that it's in the foreground for any pictures you take.

See for yourself - here's video from when I provided a live stream of MSEP and Wishes! back in June.  It's in parts, due to the feed getting bounced a few times.

Enjoy!

Main Street Electrical Parade

Part 1:  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/23521667

Part 2:  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/23521758

Part 3:  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/23521801

Part 4:  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/23521808

The Magic, the Memories and You & Wishes!

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/23522379

Photo Friday: By the light of the moon

It's Friday, and you know what that means...

Photo Friday time!!

This shot was taken last summer minutes before Wishes began - a sight I plan to see shortly!

Have a great weekend!

Photo Friday: On this magic night...

Welcome to another Photo Friday!

With my post earlier today talking about Spectromagic, I thought I'd dip into the wayback files and post a photo of Spectromagic from Spring 2008.

"On this magic night...."

My Take: Nighttime parades at the Magic Kingdom

Sometimes a thought occurs and I just have to take a moment to share it.  Actually, I've been having this thought for some time.  While it may seem sacrilegious to some, I just have to say it. 

I miss Spectromagic.

There.  Pandora's box is now open.

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the Main Street Electrical Parade, but I've now seen this parade, time and time again for the past two years. 

And I was one of the ones saying, two years ago, that I was tired of seeing Spectromagic time and time again, wishing for the return of the Main Street Electrical Parade.

The problem, I think, is the lack of variety.  With the exception of special events, the nighttime offerings at the Magic Kingdom are the same, night after night after night.  Same story at Epcot, but I'll keep the focus on the Magic Kingdom for this post.

While we don't know this officially, the general consensus is that Disney is hesitant to change things up because guests are coming to Walt Disney World expecting to see certain things.  The vast majority of guests are first- or few-time visitors.  This is why Disney doesn't want to do holiday overlays at Walt Disney World.

OK, fine.  I guess I can see the logic in some of that.  At the same time, what draws a guest to come back to the Magic Kingdom for a second or third night?  Not everyone wants to see Wishes or the Main Street Electrical Parade again and again and again.  Sure, we Disney geeks could do so every night for the rest of our lives, but even we have to admit we're not like the normal guest.

The British poet William Cowper said "variety is the spice of life."  I have to agree.

So what's my point?  I want both.

Bring back Spectromagic AND keep the Main Street Electrical Parade.  Why can't we have two nighttime parades running?  They could be set on a rotating schedule -- Spectromagic on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays and the MSEP on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

I'm sure there are some technical issues that might have to be worked out, but I'm sure Disney could figure it out and it would give guests all that more reason to return to the Magic Kingdom for a second (or third) night.  Also, having additional options would give more reason for annual passholders (like me) to visit the parks more often and spend money on food, merchandise, etc.

What do you think?  Which Magic Kingdom nighttime parade do you want to see?  Or maybe both?

Take our poll and post a comment!

Photo Friday: A high-up view of MK fireworks

Welcome to another Photo Friday!

As we get set to celebrate New Year's Eve (if you'are at the parks right now, I feel your pain for all the lines!), I thought I'd share a fireworks photo from a unique perspective -- near the top of the Contemporary Resort.

I happened to book a Magic Kingdom view room back in January 2011 and was astounded at the jaw-dropping view of the Magic Kingdom.  Imagine having this view outside your window day and night.  It was well worth the extra cost.

One of the best perks was what you see here -- an incredible view of the fireworks! 

Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Tip Tuesday: Boardwalk at night

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

Recently, I've been talking about all the fantastic things to do at the different Disney parks at night. However, there's also lots happening at Walt Disney World outside the parks as well. Best of all, some of it is free!

Along the boardwalk outside the Boardwalk Resort at night, street performers come out several times during the evening to give impromptu performances. While we were at the Boardwalk in December 2010, one cast member was performing several magic tricks, working with cards or doing memory tricks. Another was doing some small acrobatic acts. Of course each performer will pull various audience members to help with the magic acts or acrobatic stunts.

There doesn't appear to be any set time for when performances take place. Cast members just show up, set up shop and start interacting with guests as the pass by. Within a few minutes a small crowd gathers and soon gets much larger. Most of the time, they set up on the boardwalk near the entrance to the Boardwalk resort itself. I happened to catch both performers a few times. They will do their show, which is around 15 minutes, and then pack up. About 15-30 minutes later, they set up again in a new location along the boardwalk. This happens during the evening hours between sunset and the start of Illuminations.

Watch for yourself on Blip.tv. (I tried to embed the video, but it keeps coming as an "unplayable" error. Very odd.)

I happened to meet the magician as he was setting up and we had a few moments to talk about the mechanics of some simple hand magic. The cast member was very helpful and as other people started to watch, he moved right into his performance.

Beyond the boardwalk performers, the Boardwalk offers a great deal of nightlife options including Jellyrolls, which is a dueling piano bar (there usually is a cover charge and this is a 21 and older only bar) and the Atlantic Dance Hall, where you can dance the night away.

Then there's the ESPN Club, where you can sit back and watch a game (or two, or three) on multiple big screen TV's. The ESPN Club doesn't take reservations, so if you want to dine there, be ready to stand in line for a while.

The boardwalk also has a game center where you can try your hand a some traditional boardwalk games of chance to possibly win prizes. These are your typical midway games including basketball shooting, softball toss, water gun horse races and more. The games can get expensive (at least $5 to play), but it's a fun way to experience the boardwalk atmosphere.

Of course the boardwalk is lit up in lights all year round and is beautiful to see and walk around. It's a beautiful sight from the Yacht and Beach Club across Crescent Lake and makes a pretty evening picture.

Make time to visit the boardwalk during your next trip to Walt Disney World, it's a great way to get away from the parks for a bit and enjoy some different parks of Disney!