Looking back at the past five years

It's hard to believe that just over five years ago, I decided somewhat on a whim to start the Disney Daddy blog.  At the time, I was an avid listener to two Disney podcasts, WDWRadio and InsideThe Magic.  I also was an active participant on a couple of Disney fan forum sites.  On the evening of Sept. 23, 2008, I was reading about the launch that day of the new "What Will You Celebrate" campaign, where Disney was giving free one-day, one-park admission to anyone on their actual birthday.  At that time, I had only been to Walt Disney World twice (not counting my first visit some 25 years prior), but I caught the Disney bug - big time (rest assured, I'm not cured and I have no intention of kicking this bug). Anyway, I had some thoughts to share and decided on the spot to create a Disney blog called Disney Daddy.  A few minutes later, I had my first post up on disneydaddy.blogspot.com.  Back then, I had no idea how the blog would transform my love for Disney and all the incredible friends I would make along the way.

Alright, let's skip forward in time to today where Disney is ironing out the bugs with the new My Disney Experience program, and is transforming the way guests experience Walt Disney World and, I suspect, other Disney parks in the future.

A lot has happened in the last five years, both personally and in the Disney company.  I thought we'd have some fun and take a brief look back at some of the highlights.

2008:

• Disney announces the What Will You Celebrate Campaign
• New DVC at the Contemporary Resort is announced - called Bay Lake Towers
• "Tip Tuesday" posts begin
• The final MouseFest event is held in December
• My first appearance on the WDW Radio Show with Lou Mongello (remember the pressed pennies episode?)
• Toy Story Mania! opens at Hollywood Studios
• The often-maligned "hand and wand" was removed from aside Spaceship Earth at Epcot.
• Number of WDW trips:  2

2009:

• Disney partners with Verizon to create mobile Disney parks site
• Launch of Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure at Epcot
• D23 is announced and the first D23 Expo takes place in September
• Disney announces massive expansion of Fantasyland at Walt Disney World
• American Idol Experience opens at Hollywood Studios
• Online resort check-in service begins
• Horrible late-night monorail accident results in the death of a cast member - begins massive changes in how the monorails are operated
• I am named "Disney's Biggest Fan" by Disney and United Vacations
• Multiple appearances on the WDW Radio Show
• Number of WDW trips:  2

2010:

• "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" is announced (and subsequently ends just 10 weeks later from overwhelming demand)
• I complete my first-ever half marathon at Walt Disney World
• Fantasyland expansion project begins
• Multiple appearances on the WDW Radio Show
• Honey I Shrunk the Audience at Epcot is replaced by the return of Captain EO
• Main Street Electrical Parade returns to the Magic Kingdom, replaces Spectromagic
• Disney's Wide World of Sports center is renamed and branded as the ESPN Wide World of Sports
• Number of WDW trips:  4

2011:

• Walt Disney World turns 40... and so do I
• Photo Friday posts begin
• George Lucas joins Bob Iger to officially open Star Tours:  The Adventures Continue at Hollywood Studios
• New Avatar-themed land is announced for Animal Kingdom
• I contribute to a summer 2011 article about the 40th anniversary of Walt Disney World in Southern Living Magazine
• Second D23 Expo takes place in California to mixed reviews
• Many more appearances on the WDW Radio Show
• Number of WDW trips:  2

2012:

• I complete my first-ever full marathon at Walt Disney World
• Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom card game begins
• Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure is rebranded to Agent P's World Showcase Adventure
• New double Dumbo opens in new Storybook circus area
• Snow White's Scary Adventures closes to make room for new princess meet and greet area
• Art of Animation Resort opens
• Construction begins on new DVC resort at the Grand Floridian Resort
• Several appearances on the WDW Radio Show
• Number of WDW trips:  2

2013:

• Most of the new Fantasyland opens (the Seven Dwarves Mine Coaster remains under construction)
• Newly reimagined Test Track opens at Epcot
• My Disney Experience begins testing
• New RFID-enhanced tickets are used, eliminating the need for traditional turnstiles
• My Magic Bands debut along with FastPass+
• Number of WDW trips: 1
• First ever trip to Disneyland/California Adventure

Photo Friday: Climbing the Matterhorn

 

Time again for another Photo Friday!

This week, we're staying with the string of Disneyland-related photos from my trip this past June.  One fine clear day, I happened to catch the mountain climbers atop the Matterhorn in Fantasyland.  This is a fun sight to see as this group of cast members take turns climbing up and down the side of the Matterhorn mountain.  The only hitch, as you can see, is that their presence disturbs the forced perspective built into the summit of the mountain.

But it's still a neat shot and a fun thing to see in person if you get the chance!

DisneyDaddy returns to the WDW Radio Show

Once again, I had the distinct pleasure to appear again on the WDW Radio Show with Lou Mongello.  In this show, we discuss the hidden treasures of Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Be sure to give the show a listen, and my great thanks to Lou for having me on the show again!

http://www.wdwradio.com/2013/09/show-336-hidden-treasures-disneys-hollywood-studios-september-15-2013/

An entire Walt Disney World vacation without the parks

Welcome back for another Tip Tuesday!

This week, I want to expand upon a comment my good friend Lou Mongello made during a recent show we recorded in July about how you could have an entire Walt Disney World vacation and not even set foot in the theme parks.

Well, I thought I'd actually map out a four-day vacation and not have one minute in any of the four theme parks or the two water parks, so let's get started!!  First, we are staying at the Beach Club.

Day 1:
Our opening day begins with a drive to the Polynesian Resort for a nice breakfast at one of my favorite restaurants - 'Ohana.  Here we get to meet a few characters, so we do get to experience a little bit of the Disney characters (hey, you've got to meet the mouse while you're at WDW).  Since we're not in a hurry, we can take our time enjoying the Polynesian resort after breakfast and saunter along the Walkway around the World running along the western shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon, taking in the late morning sights of the Contemporary across the water.  As we enter the Grand Floridian, we will visit some of the shops in the main lobby building before we hop on the monorail to return to the Polynesian and to our car where we then drive to the Walt Disney World Speedway for a few laps at the Richard Petty Driving Experience!

Following our adventure on the track, we return to our resort for a relaxing afternoon at Stormalong Bay, enjoying the pool and/or a few chapters of a book before returning to our room to change for the evening's activities, which include dinner at Fulton's Crab House before heading over to catch a performance of La Nouba.  Following this outstanding show, we enjoy a few drinks (with a designated driver, of course) at the House of Blues before returning to the resort for the night.

Day 2:

Day 2 begins with a morning tee time at one of Disney's PGA quality golf courses for an 18-hole round of golf.  By the time we come off the course, it will be early afternoon, so we'll catch lunch at the ESPN Club at the Boardwalk.  After lunch, we'll return to the Beach Club for a couple hours of downtime and to change for the evening's activities including another round of golf, this time the ever-challenging Fairways course at Fantasia Gardens.  After a successful round of mini-golf, we'll hop over to dinner at BlueZoo at the Dolphin.  We'll wrap up the day watching Illuminations from the bridge between the Boardwalk and Yacht Club resorts.

Day 3:
It's an early rise for day 3 as we arrive at the Polynesian Resort before dawn for a half-day of fishing on the Seven Seas Lagoon.  By the time we return to the shore, we'll have enough time for a small lunch at Captain Cook's before returning to the Beach Club for a bit of pool time and clean up.  Then it's off to Fort Wilderness for an evening of fun at the Hoop-De-Do Revue (the 6pm show).  Depending on how long Hoop-De-Do runs, we might have time for a nighttime carriage ride before heading over to the Port Orleans Resort for an evening of hilarity with that ever-amazing entertainer Yee Haw Bob!

Day 4:

Our final day at Walt Disney World begins with a leisurely breakfast at the Cape May Cafe followed by a morning photo session at the Beach Club with a PhotoPass photographer.  Afterward, we'll return to Downtown Disney for some serious shopping at the World of Disney and many more stores before enjoying the almost obligatory lunch at Earl of Sandwich followed by a frozen drink from Goofy's Candy Company.  We'll return to the Beach Club for a brief bit before heading over to the Grand Floridian for a late afternoon spa session and then an early dinner at Narcoossee's.  After dinner, it's time for the grand finale as we board the Grand 1 yacht and spend a few hours motoring around Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon, watching Wishes and enjoying a close-up view of the Electrical Water Pageant.  We'll wrap up our trip by returning to the Beach Club and then strolling over to JellyRolls for a few drinks and a bit of dueling pianos.

So there you go - an entire four-day trip to Walt Disney World and not one second in a theme park - and I didn't even get in all the other things to do!!

Proof positive that there really is so much more to Walt Disney World than just the parks. 

DVC resort coming to the Polynesian

 

DVC fans are rejoicing as Disney as officially confirmed that a DVC resort is coming to the Polynesian Resort in the Magic Kingdom area at Walt Disney World.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, construction is set to begin shortly (some initial construction may already have begun) with completion expected sometime in 2015.  This is the 13th DVC resort and is the final Magic Kingdom-area resort to have a DVC connection.  This new DVC resort area will be located where the stage for the Spirit of Aloha show was originally located.

Disney also announced they would be renovating other parts of the Polynesian Resort, though the company did not give any further details.

So with the completion of the Polynesian DVC, which DVC resort would you most like to stay at? What is the most important factor in deciding where you'd like to stay?  Post a comment!

Photo Friday: Zoom into Flo's V8 Cafe

 

It's time for another Photo Friday!

Here's one of the thousands of photos I took back in July during my inaugural visit to Disneyland.  This is from the new Cars Land at Disney California Adventure.  The neon signs all through Cars Land is simply fantastic.  I thought I'd try a bit of show shutter photography to create the neat zoom trails with the neon.

Enjoy!

Tip Tuesday: PhotoPass+

 

Can you believe it?!?!?  I'm back with another Tip Tuesday post and it's been WAAAYYY too long!

Ok, straight on to this week's post.  As you may know from previous posts, I'm a big fan of Disney's PhotoPass service.  It provides families a great opportunity to get professional quality photos that you simply won't get with a point-and-shoot camera.

With some planning and effort, photopass can also become a great value, especially if you plan ahead.

More than a year ago, Disney launched PhotoPass Plus, which is an expanded version of the original PhotoPass concept.  With PhotoPass+, guests receive the opportunity to have Disney photographers take photos at the many, many locations across Walt Disney World, but also will automatically receive a CD with all those photos, including all those that guests enhance using the online photo editor at www.disneyphotopass.com.

But wait, there's more.

With PhotoPass+, guests can also get any attraction photo at no extra charge.  I've often enjoyed seeing those on-ride attraction photos, but I wouldn't spend the money to buy a print.  With PhotoPass+, I can get those photos after each and every ride.

But wait, there's even more!

PhotoPass+ also comes with a stock photo CD filled with incredible imagery from each of the parks.  Many of these images, like the one shown above, are from viewpoints that regular guests couldn't possibly reach and could never take a shots like these.  Each of these stock photos is in high resolution, suitable for high-quality printing.  Seriously, these shots are amazing!

Now PhotoPass+ does require guests to purchase the service before it can be used.  To purchase PhotoPass+, the cost currently is $199.95 and can be done at any PhotoPass center located in any of the parks.  However, Disney does offer a pre-purchase option at the PhotoPass website at http://www.disneyphotopass.com/specialoffers/wdwppp.htm.  If you purchase the voucher online (it still must be turned in at a PhotoPass kiosk at a park), the cost is $149 - a $50 savings.

Now to get an idea of how this can be a good deal -- consider the cost of purchasing the regular PhotoPass CD -- $170 regular price or $120 if pre-purchased.  So for only $30 more, you get all on-ride photos, all restaurant photos (like those taken at Akershus, Cinderella's Royal Table, Ohana and more), the stock photo disc, AND the photo CD. 

So as you can see, PhotoPass+ actually is a good deal when you consider just how much you're spending.  Also, because you're committed, you will be much more likely to seek out photo opportunities, especially if you're with younger guests who are eager for character meet and greets.

Before your next trip - consider PhotoPass+ -- it might just be the answer to getting great family photos without having to worry about the camera.

Tip Tuesday: Single rider line

Welcome back for another Tip Tuesday!

This week, I want to begin sharing a few tips I picked up from my trip out west to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure over the July 4 weekend -- and I'm starting with the biggest tip of all - the single rider line (which is much more used in DL/DCA than at WDW).

Theme park experts know about the benefits of the single rider line, but for those of you who might not be aware, several (not all) Disney attractions offer a special line for single riders.  Often this line will move much faster than the regular standby line, though, of course, not as fast as a FastPass line (if available).

The purpose of the single rider line is to fill up ride vehicles when a group doesn't have enough people to fill the ride vehicle, particularly those with higher capacities.  So, for instance, a group of four comes up to Radiator Springs Racers.  The ride vehicle can hold six, so the group of four boards the vehicle, then (assuming a party of two isn't readily available), two single riders are sent to fill up the remaining seats.

Most people like to ride with their party and that's the major drawback of the single rider line.  As the name implies, you're riding on your own, most likely without your party.  On the (big) plus side, the wait times can be a mere fraction of the standby line time.  Case in point:  during the busy July 4 weekend at Disney California Adventure, I took the single rider line while the standby line was at a whopping 150 minutes (Fastpasses were long gone).  My total wait?  Somewhere around 35 minutes, and that was with a 5-8 minute complete ride stoppage.

Sometimes the single rider line can be hard to find.  For a couple of attractions at Disneyland, the single rider entrance actually was the exit, so if you're not sure if an attraction has a single rider line, just ask a cast member.

I wouldn't recommend the single rider line for young children because of some of the obvious safety concerns, but for teens and older, the single rider line can be a great way to quickly experience your favorite attractions again and again.  I was able to ride Radiator Springs Racers three times - all on a busy day where the standby wait was at least 60 minutes and sometimes much longer and Fastpasses were already gone.

So if you're ok with splitting up - go single rider!!  You'll get to do a lot more that you think!

Photo Friday (makeup): Pipe humor

 

I'm back!

After a month of traveling, including visiting BOTH Walt Disney World and (for the first time ever) Disneyland and California Adventure, boy have I got a LOT of photos and tips to share.  Of course, many of you also know, I'm still working on a master's program at USC (fight on!), so there may still be some times where posts are lacking.

But I'm going to try to do some makeup work, which leads me to today's Photo Friday makeup post!

This is from the well-known (and often ridiculed) skunk scene in Epcot's Journey into Imagination with Figment.  Don't know what the skunk scene is?  Go ride it and you'll find out - just hold your nose.

While most guests are devoting their attention to the three large screens (you can see a bit of the right screen at the top left of the photo above), there are some fun little details and gags that you can catch.  Take a close look at the pipe labels above.  One reads "fume and far between" while another says "scent out."  These are fun play on words phrases Imagineers added to punch up the gags.  There are some other funny pipe labels on the left side of this scene as well.

So I hope you enjoy this little bit of Disney detail and remember -- your nose is "how you tell a skunk's not a rose..."

Photo Friday: Disneyland for the Fourth

Welcome to another Photo Friday!

Well today's photo is literally hot off the camera.  I took this photo about 3 hours ago at Disneyland during the annual 4th of July fireworks spectacular!

I was all the way at the back of Main Street USA, but at least I had a good angle!

Happy Birthday America!