Each Park has them. Attractions that aren't thrill rides or may not be your sort of thing at all. You will end up going on them any way, because they get you out of the weather and most likely sitting down. There will be some entertainment and it won't be a total loss. All the same the main reason for the attraction is a well deserved break...and perhaps the urging of a toddler girl if you have one.
The Hall of Presidents. This is the definite go to ride in the Magic Kingdom when you want to sit down and rest. It does have some entertainment and educational value, but I'd never list it as an absolute must-see. However, it's indoors, cool and usually not very crowded. Some people also use the Haunted Mansion for this purpose, but that ride has such a following it can't be labeled as one of the so-so ones.
The Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Playhouse Disney Live. These are two that you might go to at the urge of a toddler. Although, Playhouse Disney Live requires that you sit on the floor. Both make a nice hide-away from the heat. The Voyage of the Little Mermaid gives you a tiny taste of the Nemo the Musical puppetry style, but it always disappoints me in that it's lip-synced to lines taken from the movie rather than being a real performance. Little kids love these though.
Spaceship Earth, Living With the Land, any 360 movie in the World Showcase. Spaceship Earth is usually a must-see due to it being inside the giant geosphere in Epcot. However, the ride inside really isn't worth waiting in a huge long line for and it's best avoided until later in the day. People tend to gravitate towards it immediately since it's at the entrance. The other attractions are interesting the first time around, but mostly they offer a break from the sun and walking. For the 360 movies, however, you will have to stand. But there are railings to lean on.
As for Animal Kingdom, the truth is, this one is the grueling to go through on a hot day. There are few attractions to break up being in the hot sun and the water fountains and rest spots just aren't as frequent as in the other Parks. However, it has improved a bit over the first time I went and Animal Kingdom is still a park in progress that is being refined and added to.
One of the best tips for going to the Parks and surviving is knowing when to take a break, get out of the sun and just relax rather than going all day full tilt. It will improve your mood and relieve your muscles immensely.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Websites
Writing about recommended websites is doomed to become an outdated article with broken links. However, in this case I would hope the websites I'm about to mention never disappear because that would be far too traumatic for me. Especially the first one.
www.disneyworld.com
This website is a given and probably safe to always recommend. It's a basic starting point for any trip. It's here that you can get price quotes, book your trip and an overview of attractions and resorts. The design on this page changes constantly. I preferred the generation before the current Year of a Million Dreams incarnation, but it's still better than some past versions. One of the features I like is that you can mark attractions as favorites here to keep track of them. You can also request some large specialized maps of each park for free! The maps are very nicely printed and will mark all of the attractions you like on it. You can also choose to add a certain theme to it, such as Magical Moments for toddlers and it will also mark several attractions toddler might enjoy on the map. It's a good way to become familiar with the park layout as well as build up some excitement for the upcoming trip.
www.allears.net
Allears.net has been around for as long as the World Wide Web has been able to display images and not just text. It's a very stable stalwart for the online community. Even ten years ago when I was planning my first trip the very first advice I was given was "Go check out Deb Wills' site." I give the same advice to everyone who requests information from me.
The site is a lot larger, more detailed and complex than when I first accessed it ten years ago. Although, it's also very simply designed in an old school web format making it extremely fast. It's fun to get lost in it. However, if you are a newbie to Disney World I suggest instead that at first you look for specific things you are interested in so that you don't get overwhelmed. One of the reasons I prefer this one over Disney's own site is that is that there are photos of the resorts. Always very useful when considering a new resort or just curious about what the one you've chosen will look like. Some old timers may refer to the website as WDWIG or "The Information Guide" out of habit, just like we still call Hollywood Studios "MGM."
www.wdwmagic.com
WDW Magic is also an old website, having been around for ten years. Trust me, that's ancient in world wide web years. It's very useful for return visitors, especially since it keeps up to date with what will be happening in the future not just what exists now. It also has a high traffic forum. The forum can be hit or miss depending on the poster, but if there's a specific question in mind, the chances are it'll have been expertly answered sometime in the past and easily found with the search feature. If not, feel free to ask. My post count there isn't very high due to always finding my answers in past posts. Many posters there work for Disney, so sometimes the information you get is especially enlightening.
Disney World fans are easy to find and a large presence online. Take advantage of others' experience and knowledge.
www.disneyworld.com
This website is a given and probably safe to always recommend. It's a basic starting point for any trip. It's here that you can get price quotes, book your trip and an overview of attractions and resorts. The design on this page changes constantly. I preferred the generation before the current Year of a Million Dreams incarnation, but it's still better than some past versions. One of the features I like is that you can mark attractions as favorites here to keep track of them. You can also request some large specialized maps of each park for free! The maps are very nicely printed and will mark all of the attractions you like on it. You can also choose to add a certain theme to it, such as Magical Moments for toddlers and it will also mark several attractions toddler might enjoy on the map. It's a good way to become familiar with the park layout as well as build up some excitement for the upcoming trip.
www.allears.net
Allears.net has been around for as long as the World Wide Web has been able to display images and not just text. It's a very stable stalwart for the online community. Even ten years ago when I was planning my first trip the very first advice I was given was "Go check out Deb Wills' site." I give the same advice to everyone who requests information from me.
The site is a lot larger, more detailed and complex than when I first accessed it ten years ago. Although, it's also very simply designed in an old school web format making it extremely fast. It's fun to get lost in it. However, if you are a newbie to Disney World I suggest instead that at first you look for specific things you are interested in so that you don't get overwhelmed. One of the reasons I prefer this one over Disney's own site is that is that there are photos of the resorts. Always very useful when considering a new resort or just curious about what the one you've chosen will look like. Some old timers may refer to the website as WDWIG or "The Information Guide" out of habit, just like we still call Hollywood Studios "MGM."
www.wdwmagic.com
WDW Magic is also an old website, having been around for ten years. Trust me, that's ancient in world wide web years. It's very useful for return visitors, especially since it keeps up to date with what will be happening in the future not just what exists now. It also has a high traffic forum. The forum can be hit or miss depending on the poster, but if there's a specific question in mind, the chances are it'll have been expertly answered sometime in the past and easily found with the search feature. If not, feel free to ask. My post count there isn't very high due to always finding my answers in past posts. Many posters there work for Disney, so sometimes the information you get is especially enlightening.
Disney World fans are easy to find and a large presence online. Take advantage of others' experience and knowledge.
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