Disney Archives • Page 6 of 6 • diy mama

by Shelly on May 8, 2014 6 Comments

Top Disney Attractions for Kids-EPCOT

We’re back again in EPCOT to go over our favorite attractions for kids!! EPCOT is pretty awesome because everything that’s awesome for adults is also awesome for kids (unless there’s a height requirement like Test Track or Soarin’…probably wouldn’t want to take your 6mo old on those anyways.)

First thing you ALWAYS do once you enter a park is take a picture. ALWAYS take a picture at the very entrance of the park with it’s icon (castle, hat, tree, ball) in the background…otherwise you’ll forget and they’re hard to photograph at night…especially if your kids are sleeping! By the second click of your camera, your kids will be sprinting to the giant geodesic sphere (new word for the day.) Why not start there first?! Spaceship Earth is a bit long for kids with short attention spans but it’s air conditioned and there’s an interactive screen that they’ll want to play with.

First Fastpass you’ll want to get is Soarin’. If you ever have one kid who’s wanting to go on a ride but the other doesn’t, you can do a Rider Switch. Living with the Land is also in The Land and is really cool for kids learning about growing plants. An area that ALL kids go bonkers over is Living with the Seas with Nemo and Friends! There’s opportunities to feed a manatee, learn about sharks, swim with Nemo, and talk to Crush at Turtle Talk!

We stop at Soarin’ before we head over to Test Track. Test Track is the only other ride that you’d really need to get a Fastpass for in EPCOT if you wanted to plan ahead. At this point I’d recommend to go to Mission: SPACE but I got motion sickness from it so I don’t go on it anymore. I know a lot of people that like it though! If your kids know what the moon walk is, you should probably take them to see Captain EO! Figment is also over by Captain EO but it’s right up there with Stitch’s Great Escape for me…terrible (which is sad because I liked it as a kid before it changed!) A TON of time can be spent at Innovations East and West. They’re designed for kids to learn more about technology, recycling, storm safety, fire safety, saving money and going green! There are also TONS of the newest Disney video games set up for play!

The second half of EPCOT is the World Showcase where they feature culture and cuisine from 11 countries. If your kids know Perry from Phineas & Ferb or just LOVE tasks and treasure hunts, you must get in on the Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure! Super cute and always changing! Really great activity to keep the kids interested throughout the entire showcase. There are also Kidcot Fun Stops in all of the countries which have little activities for the kids.

Every country has either a ride, gallery or act that you can watch. You will have to ask your kids what sounds most interesting to them because I think all of them are worth checking out. Especially the acts! If you don’t have a full day for the World Showcase, you won’t be able to get through every movie, gallery and act with children. Some of the acts kids enjoy most are the Jeweled Dragons in China,, Sergio the juggler in Italy, the Taiko drummers in Japan, Mo’Rockin and the belly dancer in Morocco, Brittish Revolution in the UK and OffKilter in Canada. Along the way if you want to ride the Maelstrom in Norway or eat at the Biergarten in Germany to watch the Oktoberfest Musikantan those are both very kid (and adult) worthy!

In addition to ALLLL of that, there are characters in the World Showcase that aren’t seen in some of the other parks. You can get showtimes for the acts and characters at your resort (or entrance to the park) to plan out who/what you want to see ahead of time..which I STRONGLY suggest. I always suggest to people (with or without kids) to go at the park’s opening, got to the hotel for a nap at lunch time and stay until closing. You will get a lot more accomplished with happy kids (and adults!) You also don’t want to miss the fireworks show at the end of the night. At EPCOT it’s called Illuminations: Reflections of earth and has fireworks, lasers and fire! Every kid’s dream! If they don’t like the loud noises of fireworks you could try bringing headphones or earplugs.

See anything I missed?? Did I not mention one of your kid’s all-time favorite attractions of EPCOT? Let me know because I don’t want to be missing out (or missing out on telling others!) Next week we’re headed to Hollywood Studios to check out the top attractions for adults! I hope everyone has a great Mother’s Day weekend! Mother’s day in Disney would be quite the gift (although it’s super busy right now…so maybe not!)

by Shelly on May 1, 2014 8 Comments

Disney Attractions for Adults-EPCOT

EPCOT is my second favorite place to hang out when we go to Disney. It’s the first place I recommend other people to go if they don’t have small children. It’s AMAZING and you can easily spend open to close there and still not see everything (especially if it’s busy season.) The main reason I recommend EPCOT is for the World Showcase but I’m going to go over my favorite attractions in all of EPCOT.

If you need some music to get you in the mood, here ya go! 47 minutes of the wonderful sounds of EPCOT! Just a warning…it gets pretty…interesting at minute 20.

Now I’m ready to sprint through the gates! I don’t know about you, but I always feel like running once I get through the gates of the parks. No? Ok, just me then. First stop, once we get to EPCOT, is Spaceship Earth! I like it more since they did the update a few years back. It’s a classic that sets the tone and gets us excited to be in this park!

Next, we head to The Land to get a Fastpass for Soarin’. They can sell out and we don’t want to be forced into waiting in that line but it’s so worth it to smell those orange groves! I always have to go on Living with the Land. It’s different every time we go because they’re always growing a variety of fruits and vegetables. I’d love to go on the behind the scenes tour of their facility someday. After getting inspired to grow a garden, we head to chat it up with Crush at Turtle Talk in The Seas with Nemo and Friends. We also always stop there to learn about sharks with Bruce and feed the manatees. Now is a good time to remind you that I never go with kids. This is fun as an adult!

We stop at Soarin’ before we head over to Test Track. Test Track is the only other ride that you’d really need to get a Fastpass for in EPCOT if you wanted to plan ahead. At this point I’d recommend to go to Mission: SPACE but I got motion sickness from it so I don’t go on it anymore. I know a lot of people that like it though! We usually walk through one of the Innovations buildings just to see if anything is new but it’s mostly for kids. Every few years we’ll go to the Smart Home that they have to show the latest technology for your home. If you’re a Michael Jackson fan or had gone to Disney growing up, you have to stop at Captain EO!

NOW for my second favorite part of Disney World (after the Castle). World Showcase!!! I can, and do, spend an entire day just at the showcase. Every single country has something interesting to do, see or eat and it’s nice to take it slow to take it all in. We usually start in Mexico and work our way around the world watching shows and eating…everything. 😉 I’ll save the food suggestions for another post. This area is also where you can meet some of the Prince and Princesses who aren’t in Magic Kingdom.

The Gran Fiesta Tour in Mexico is pretty cute but I’d recommend just going into the pyramid. It’s set up like a bazaar and they often have a mariachi band playing inside. Norway is next where you HAVE to go on the Maelstrom. It still scares me and I don’t think it’s supposed to be scary. China is next where we always watch the Jeweled Dragon Acrobats.

The Biergarten restaurant in Germany has a very fun Oktoberfest Musikantan but you have to eat in the restaurant to see the show (which we do every time we go). Italy has a super awesome juggler named Sergio who is super talented and funny! Italy also has some great shopping. If you like a cappella singing, you should definitely stop in America to see Voices of Liberty. The acoustics in the room they sing in are amazing.

Japan has super huge, loud Taiko drummers that are a must see! They also have a fun store where you can choose a clam and buy the pearl to be put into jewelry! My favorite part of Japan is Miyuki who molds liquid candy into animals. We dance into Morocco to see MoRockin and the belly dancer. She actually encouraged me to take two belly dancing courses in town because I loved watching her dance and I wanted to get a skirt like hers (as well as her stomach). 😉 We head over to France for some fragrance and jewelry shopping.

I really enjoy the UK and Canada, which is why I leave them for last. I’ve always loved the bands in the UK. Brittish Invasion first and now Brittish Revolution. The music is always so happy and I usually know all the songs. They encourage singing and dancing and it’s always a good time. This last time we were there it started pouring so we stepped into the Rose & Crown for a drink. The Hat Lady was performing and was hilarious. Unfortunately, she stopped performing there last year and I’m not sure what is there now. Off Kilter is in Canada and they’re my very favorite thing to see in the World Showcase. I even have their CDs. They’ve been performing there since I worked there in 06′ and are super nice guys and great performers.

Last, but certainly not least, you must stay for Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. It’s an awesome nighttime show with fireworks, great music and lasers! You can see it from any country but will want to get a spot against the lake early if you’ve never seen it. Everything at EPCOT is worth seeing if you have enough time. The things I’ve mentioned are my favorite things to see and do! What’s your favorite attraction at EPCOT? Anything you love that I left out? Have you seen the show that’s replaced The Hat Lady? I’m going to go watch Illuminations on YouTube now… who’s with me?!

by Shelly on April 23, 2014 6 Comments

Magic Kingdom Attractions for Kids

This is the second post of my Disney Attractions series and it is going to be all about the top Disney attractions for kids at the Magic Kingdom (in my opinion.) I’ll go through the attractions according to how I go through the park, again, rather than my favorites. These attractions are geared towards young kids but can still be fun for the adults riding with them. 🙂 Again, if you have any questions regarding anything Disney, don’t be shy, ask away!

When we go to the Magic Kingdom we always take the same route (the same one described here.) If you are a kid, there’s nothing better than feeling like you’re the center of attention. Disney is GREAT for making kids feel special! The Harmony Barber Shop is a great first stop in making your kids feel like the main attraction! You can also check out The Pirates League or the Bippidi Bobbidi Boutique for an even more unique experience (but with more attention comes a bigger price tag.)

I’m not going to mention any character meet and greets in this section. All of them are awesome! The characters and princesses are very attentive and give kids plenty of time to talk. First stop–Adventureland! The Magic Carpets of Aladdin are essentially the Dumbo ride but you can ride with 4 people rather than 2. The Jungle Cruise is a great ride for kids to explore nature from a boat and spot their favorite animals. The tour guides say ‘punny’ jokes throughout the ride to keep the adults engaged and the kids laughing. Pirates of the Caribbean is a classic that kids will recognize from the movies. It is dark though, so beware if you have children who are not fond of dark rides.

‘Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho. Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me…’ sorry…that song ALWAYS gets stuck in my head! After Pirates we head to Frontierland where we get a Fastpass for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and go ride Splash Mountain while we wait. There’s a high chance that your kids will get wet on this ride, along with any cell phones or cameras that are not in a ziplock bag. We always ride this ride early so we have time to dry off throughout the hot day. If you don’t want to get wet you can always wear a poncho. 😉 I also think Tom Sawyer Island is really fun for kids to run around and explore. There is no longer a hidden paint brush, but if you mention that you looked for it to the raft captain, they’ll likely give you fastpasses for your family. 😉

*Tip: Remember to measure your kids’ height and check the requirements before waiting in line to take them on rides. Nothing worse than a disappointed child who had their hopes up to ride a certain ride. Also, if you have a smart phone, be sure to get the Disney Experience Mobile App. This mobile app tells you the wait times for attractions throughout the parks as well as allows you to make dining reservations.

The next must-do attraction is the only attraction we like in Liberty Square- Haunted Mansion. Going through the ‘fun que’ will actually put you behind by a couple people but we always go through it anyway! The Haunted Mansion is a scary ride for children who are afraid of the dark, however, most children think it’s a ‘funny scary.’ Congratulations b/c by this time you’ve survived taking your kids through almost half of the park!

Now is where the REAL fun for your kiddies begins! 😉 Since the Haunted Mansion is right next to Fantasyland, we head on over to Peter Pan’s Flight to get a Fastpass and go ride It’s a Small World while we wait. It’s a Small World is KEY in a successful break for your kids b/c it has air conditioning, has small lines, is full of glitter and lets you rest your feet!! All great things in my book. Once we wave adios at Small World we hit up Peter Pan (ALWAYS get a Fastpass for this ride or you WILL be let down. The line is deceptive because it swirls all over the place.) After Pan we go watch Mickey’s PhilharMagic which is one of my FAVORITE attractions in all of Magic Kingdom. Please do not overlook this attraction. Your kids will love it!

After singing along with Jasmine we go to my VERY favorite spot of Disney– THE Castle! It’s a great time to get up close and personal with the castle for a picture break! Disney has PhotoPass cast members that will take your picture with their DSLR cameras and you can buy them online once you get home. You can also ask them to use your camera to take a picture to make sure Mom AND Dad get in the shot as well! Don’t forget to bring change for the wishing well. 😉

Once we get all of the pictures of ~~our home~~ the Castle, we ride Prince Charming Regal Carousel because there’s never a line, I like running around until I find the perfect horse and I love the music. Every kid[at heart] loves the carousel. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a MUST, not only because I worked that ride, but because it’s SO DARN CUTE! The line is really fun too! After eating cake with Pooh and his friends we always take a spin in Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups! Be sure to plan your meals accordingly so you’re not full when you go on this ride. This is not a suggestion…I’m telling you this as a friend. 😉

NEW FANTASYLAAAAAAND! THIS is a whole new section of the park that they’ve expanded over the past few years. New Fantasyland has taken the place of Toontown and is completely new, other than The Barnstormer (which I recommend b/c it’s a gateway roller coaster…not quite as big as Thunder or Space but bigger than the normal kiddie coasters.) If you get a Fastpass in this area, get it for Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid or (if it’s open) Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Journey of the Little Mermaid is a very similar ride to Winnie the Pooh so if you’re short on time, choose your kid’s favorite character.

The top attraction that I would recommend for kids to see in New Fantasyland is Enchanted Tales with Belle. SO CUTE! Parents, if your kids like Beauty and the Beast in the slightest, you won’t regret this. The classic ride– Dumbo the Flying Elephant is now back in this area and is twice as big with two sets of flying elephants. The ‘line’ is also a fun place to let your kids run around at the circus playground while you wait. Another place to let your kids burn off some energy or cool off is Casey Jr. Splash N’ Soak Station.

Honestly, everything in Tomorrowland is awesome! 😉 I’m such a fan! If there’s one I wouldn’t do (have never and will never do) it’s Stitch’s Great Escape. I’m not a fan of Stitch and I’ve heard he burps at one point and it smells like coney dogs. 🙁 Sorry if that just grossed you out…I just wanted to prepare you! Astro Orbiter is the same concept as Dumbo and Aladdin but up reeeeally high. Kinda cool to do at night but not worth the wait if your kids didn’t like one of the other two rides. I am a fan of all the other rides in Tomorrowland but if you’re running low on time I would recommend three above the rest. Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor, Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Monster’s is a comedy show put on my Mike and will have both you and your kids belly laughing! Space is a classic but is dark, fast and usually has a long line so make sure it’s the right choice for your family before getting in line (or getting a Fastpass.) Buzz is dark but very fun for little kids because they get to be in control of a laser gun to shoot Zorg! Buzz is always very crowded so if you’re to get a Fastpass for anywhere in Tomorrowland, this is where you should get one.

I had to check back at the list of Magic Kingdom attractions because I felt like I just named every single one of them! I didn’t…but I came close! They’re all so good and I wanted to mention all of the rides above b/c you’ll better be able to decide what your kids like and weed out the rides that are too big for them right now. Also, if you don’t think Disney World is worth the money or vacation time…you’re very wrong. It’s a place filled with magic and wonder for people of ALL ages. Seriously, it makes me tear up just thinking about how many people have felt special at the Happiest Place on Earth!

I won’t be doing a post on character meet n’ greets so if that is something you’re interested in, send me a message. 🙂 Next week’s series post will cover Attractions for Adults at EPCOT! What are your kid’s favorite rides? Any they love that I missed? Anyone else feel like a kid when they go to Magic Kingdom? *Tip: wearing Mickey ears WILL make you happier while at Disney. 😉

by Shelly on April 16, 2014 54 Comments

Magic Kingdom Attractions for Adults

Sorry if the title was misleading, this is not a risque version of Disney attractions. You can stop reading now if that’s what you were looking for. This is the first post of my 8 week Disney Attractions series! Each series I’ll discuss one of my most asked about topics regarding Disney World. The first 8 weeks I’m going to go over the top adult and kid attractions at each park in Disney World. If you’d like to know more about a topic or have different questions to ask, please don’t be shy!

I feel that I’m able to give my two cents regarding Disney World because I went there as a child, worked there in college and have been back nearly every year since. Some people may call it a problem but I call it a ~~obsession~~ passion. I am extremely passionate about very few things and Disney is one of my top 3. Everything about Disney makes me get butterflies in my stomach. Writing this series will never seem complete to me because Disney is always changing and there’s always so much to discover, but I will do my best!

**Biggest tip I have for getting to see the attractions you are most interested in: get the Disney Mobile App to check on wait times for rides as well as make reservations for ANYTHING!**

I will break this down by park and REALLY try not to get too wordy! The first park we’ll visit is Magic Kingdom because that’s where I worked and feel most sentimental about. 😉 I worked in Fantasyland as a ride operator (best job in my opinion) for Snow White’s Scary Adventure (no longer there), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups. *Proof that I wore that ridiculous costume (they call them costumes instead of uniforms because we’re ‘on stage’ when we’re in front of guests.)

On to the rides! I’m going to go through them as if I was going through the park, rather than in order of my favorites, because there are different categories of ‘favorites.’ Whenever we go to the park we stroll straight up Main Street, get a few pictures with ~~my home~~ the castle and turn left to knock out Adventureland and Frontierland. Those are my least favorite lands because there are only a couple of attractions and good food places (in my opinion.) First, we get a Fastpass for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and get in line for Splash Mountain so we can air dry through the day. We only visit the parks in September and October when it’s still warm and the longest wait time is 20 minutes. I understand they have an MagicBand system now that you can get your Fastpass times before you arrive at the park but I haven’t been there since they started using it (earlier this year.) After Thunder Mountain we head for Pirates of the Caribbean where we usually end up getting a little wet.

The next must-do attraction is the only attraction we like in Liberty Square- Haunted Mansion. Going through the ‘fun que’ will actually put you behind by a couple people but we always go through it anyway! By this time we’ve already technically seen almost half of the park! Every few years we go back to see some of the attractions we skipped like Tom Sawyer Island, Jungle Cruise and Swiss Family Treehouse but we never stop to see them until we’ve been through the entire park and enjoyed our favorite attractions. By the way, I still get scared during the Haunted Mansion and have to close my eyes at certain parts. Some day I’ll grow up.

Since the Haunted Mansion is right next to Fantasyland, we head on over to Peter Pan’s Flight to get a Fastpass and go ride It’s a Small World while we wait. I know. NO ONE likes Small World but it has air conditioning, has small lines, is full of glitter and lets you rest your feet!! All great things in my book. Once we wave adios at Small World we hit up Peter Pan (ALWAYS get a Fastpass for this ride or you WILL be let down. The line is deceptive because it swirls all over the place.) After Pan we go watch Mickey’s PhilharMagic which is one of my FAVORITE attractions in all of Magic Kingdom. I just really love singing, seeing all my favorite characters and smelling that apple pie!

After the fun at Philhar we go see THE Castle. *sigh* It’s just so wonderful! There’s really not a ton to do other than look at the mosaic, take pictures and make a wish at the wishing well but it’s really my favorite part of the entire park. Actually, I’m going to go ahead and say of the entire World. These are pictures from the past few times we visited. First picture was our first time together, second picture was our engagement, third picture was a surprise trip and fourth was our anniversary.

Once I’m done daydreaming that the Castle is my home, we ride Prince Charming Regal Carousel because there’s never a line, I like running around until I find the perfect horse and I love the music. We always take a ride in Pooh’s honey pot and the Tea Cups because I worked there, but they’re not rides I usually suggest to people until they’ve been on their favorite rides. Don’t get me wrong, they’re AWESOME rides, I just know it’s hard to fit everything in during busy season.

New Fantasyland is REALLY cool and has some awesome attractions but most of them are for younger kids. The Seven Dwarfs Mine ride will be open sometime in the next few months though, so I’d add that to the list once it’s open. Tomorrowland is our final land before taking it easy and leisurely seeing the remaining attractions we skipped over. First off we get a Fastpass for Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin and head over to Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. After major laughs with Mike, we go ride Space Mountain. My favorite seat is in the front row. Never be afraid to ask for a certain seat. The grouper will put you to the side until the next car but it’s totally worth it once you get to sit where you want. On some rides it makes all the difference!

We’ve now experienced the BEST of the BEST in the way of attractions for adults at the most Magic(al) Kingdom. Once we go through this order of attractions we go back and visit whichever ones we missed…or just people watch…or eat a lot of food. 😉 Did I miss any? Any that you detest or can’t get enough of, even as an adult?! Can you believe I was going to put all 4 parks together for this post?! WHEW. That would have been outrageous. Man I’m feeling homesick.

Top Disney Attractions for Kids-EPCOT

Disney Attractions for Adults-EPCOT

Magic Kingdom Attractions for Kids

Magic Kingdom Attractions for Adults

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