Link to Article: 12 Overlooked Attractions at Walt Disney World

Railroad station - Magic Kingdom
Photo: wdwfacts.com

This article on disneyfanatic.com lists some great stuff that is usually overlooked:

Don't Miss It!

At one time or another I have enjoyed most of these, but I will say that I have not been on Magic Kingdom's PeopleMover or the Carousel of Progress (although I have them on my "to do" list for October).  I have also recently learned about the Animation Academy at Hollywood Studios - that is something I would find interesting, because I can't draw ANYTHING!

Animation Academy at Hollywood Studios
Photo: themeparkinsider.com

Some of my favorite missed items are at Epcot; every one of the eleven countries has so many hidden goodies, including shows, street performers, shops and museums, as well as some really great restaurants that are not crowded at all.  

Epcot has become my new favorite park for all-around entertainment.  Magic Kingdom is a close second - there is so much to see and do at both of them that I could spend days at each of them and not see or do everything in a single trip.

Voices of Liberty - Epcot's American Pavilion
Photo: landallears.net, Scott Thomas Photography

Look for the out-of-the-way stuff when you're there.  It's always worth the extra effort, and you'll be glad you did.

Magic Bands : What are they?

Magic Bands are a fairly new addition to Walt Disney World.  They have been in existence for about two years, and during the first year they were completely experimental and not given to everyone.  This allowed the Disney powers that be to see how well things worked and tweak some things before they rolled them out to everyone.

This is how they will be delivered to your home before your WDW trip.
Photo: wordpress.com

The Magic Band is worn like a bracelet, and comes in several different colors:  

Gray (the standard color if you don't choose one, or if wait until you get to your resort or the park to get it)
Yellow
Blue
Pink Red
Green
Orange

When you book your trip, go to the Walt Disney World website, pick a color you like for each person in your party and personalize a name on each of the bands.  The name isn't visible; it's under the band, but it helps identify whose is whose if you have several people in your party. The RFID chip inside is linked to each individual band, so once you link your Magic Band to you it is yours for life.  Your bands will be mailed to you approximately 30 days before your trip.  Be sure to put your Magic Bands on at the airport!  You will be using them to check in for your Magical Express bus at Orlando International Airport, and from then on you will be using them pretty much everywhere until you head back to the airport again.

Photo: passporterboards.com

The Magic Band replaces the former "Key To the World" card, which is a card that was basically used for everything Disney: room key, a credit card for charging to your resort room, accessing the Disney Dining Plan, and for obtaining Fast Passes for the parks.  Magic Bands are waterproof, so you don't have to worry about getting them wet on a water ride, at a water park, or just by sweating throughout the day.  Having a Magic Band on your wrist means you won't have to carry a room key, a credit card, or any other form of ID, so your hands are free and no purse or backpack is really necessary in the parks or when you go to dinner.  Unless you have small children.  Then all bets are off.

The top of each Magic Band has a Mickey head on it that contains an RFID chip, and this is the part that activates everything from your resort room door to credit card charges.  It can even be used for Photo Pass purchases and Fast Pass+ selections.

Photo: mouseonthemind.com

As a Room Key
When you check into your Disney resort, you will touch the Mickey head on your Magic Band to a small Mickey head on the resort desk and enter a PIN.  This will officially activate the credit card charging ability and give you some security.  Children under 10 years of age do not use a PIN, since they generally are not allowed to purchase anything without parental permission (or shouldn't be allowed - who knows how many Mickey ice cream bars they would buy when you're not looking).  When you get to your room, just touch Mickey's head against the Mickey head on your resort room door, and the light will turn green.

Photo: attractionsmagazine.com

As a Credit Card
If you didn't link a credit card to your Magic Band when you personalized them online, you can do so at your resort.  This will allow you to "charge" any purchases you make at the parks, restaurants, and Downtown Disney to your account by just touching your Magic Band to another Mickey head at the time of each purchase.  At the end of your stay, you will get a detailed report with all of your charges listed, and your credit card will list one charge for all of your purchases made via the Magic Bands.  If you have any questionable charges, you can visit the front desk to go over them in person before you leave.

Photo: militarydisneytips.com

For Park Entry
If you purchase your Magic Bands in advance, you can link your theme park tickets to them, as well.  When you get to your first theme park of the trip, you will touch your Magic Band to another Mickey head at the entrance but also use one finger (pick one you will remember) to "activate" the Magic Band at ALL of the parks from that moment on.  Like the PIN associated with the band for credit card charges, the finger you use will be linked to that Magic Band as long as you use it.

Photo: allthingsd.com

For the Dining Plan
If you sign up for the Disney Dining Plan, you can use the Magic Band to track your meals and snacks used on a daily basis.  Depending on the type of Dining Plan you get for your party, you may have a lot of meal choices to keep track of, and you can get a printout from any restaurant or quick service counter to see how many meals and snacks you have left in your plan.

Fast Pass+
This is my absolute favorite benefit of the Magic Bands.  You can make Fast Pass+ reservations on line 60 days in advance, up to three per park (all in the same park), per day, in order to bypass the lines at the parks for some of the more popular rides.  Also, you can reserve Fast Pass+ times for everyone in your party at the same time, so that none of you are separated and can all ride or experience shows together.  At the parks, you can also select a fourth Fast Pass (and a fifth, if you plan it right) after you have used your first three for that particular day.  Not all rides have Fast Pass+ available, but most do.  Also, some rides cannot be chosen together.  (I will go into this in another article.)  Just go to the WDW website when your 'window' opens up at 60 days and start planning for your favorite rides.

Photo Pass
There are photographers everywhere in the parks, and you may want to have your family's picture taken everywhere you go, especially at Character meets and in front of Cinderella's castle (who wouldn't?).  Just ask an available photographer to take your photo, and they will scan your Magic Band and "link" your photos online so that you can view them for 30 days after your trip.  This will allow you to purchase any (or all) of the photos and personalize them with Disney borders and other special effects.  They also take special effects photos that add Tinkerbell and other characters to your photos magically, as you will see online when you view them.  These photographers will also take photos with your camera at no charge to you, so don't be afraid to ask.

Tinkerbell!  Hayley and I didn't see you when the photo was taken!

Other things you may want to be aware of:

Lost...and Found?
If anyone in your party loses their Magic Band, ask a Cast Member where you need to go to replace it as soon as possible.  They will make sure that the old one is deactivated and no one else will be allowed to use them to charge, enter your resort room, or use your passes.  If you find it again, you can reactivate it again, or you can just keep it as another souvenir.

Limited Editions
In addition to the Magic Bands you get for free online when you book your stay, you can also buy Limited Edition Magic Bands at the parks.  These have special designs or cover and include everything from Star Wars themes to Christmas and character designs.

Photo: wdpromedia.com

And this is the coolest marriage proposal idea EVER!

Oh. Em. Geeeeee!
Photo: howheasked.com

Bling it!
There are many, many ways to personalize your Magic Bands, from "skins" to something called "Magic Bandits", and they can be found in many shops throughout the parks.  They can be character pieces or just bright and shiny stuff.  Lots of options there.  You can also purchase some items online from the WDW online store before you go if you'd like:
Yourwdwstore.net

Photo: Pinterest.com

Get your Magic Band before you go!  You don't want to be stuck like this:

Photo: blog.ges.com

That photo seriously made me laugh out loud!

What are you waiting for?  Start planning!

Special Events at Walt Disney World (Magic Kingdom)

Photo: lebeauleblog

Depending on the time of year you travel to Walt Disney World, your trip may coincide with a "hard ticket" event, meaning you have to have an actual ticket specifically purchased for the event in order to get into the park, and you cannot use your Magic Bands, Park Hoppers, or Annual Passes to do so.

These "hard ticket" events are called Special Events on the WDW site.  You can purchase your tickets directly from the official WDW site: disneyworld.disney.go.com/tickets/events/, or even through one of several third party vendors if you're particularly adventurous.  

I would highly recommend going directly through the WDW site to ensure you are getting a "real" ticket, and not one that has been re-sold and may not be valid for you.  It would be a shame to get to the park on the day of the event and find out that either your tickets are not good for the event, or that the park is SOLD OUT because of the Special Event, and your family will not be able to attend.  That would be a real bummer, especially if there are little kids - or adults - in your party who were really looking forward to something.  

On these Special Event nights, the Magic Kingdom is actually closed to ALL other guests, even those staying at Disney Resorts.  If you are already in the Magic Kingdom prior to the Special Event, you will have to return to the front of the park prior to the Special Event in order to get a special wrHere's a list of the biggest Special Events that Disney World has every year that require a "hard ticket":

Night of Joy (September) - Christian bands performing on two nights, in the Magic Kingdom.  Cost: $65.00 + tax per person.

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, or MNSSHP (September-November 1) - 7 pm until midnight on select nights (check the WDW calendar).  Candy, special performances, the Disney villains, a special parade with a ghostly Halloween theme, and extreme fireworks are the benefits of having a ticket to this event.  Oh, and much shorter lines for the rides and attractions.  This year will mark the first time I've attended this event, and I am very excited! The closer you get to Halloween, the quicker the tickets may sell out.  Cost: $63.00 - $68.00 + tax per person.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (November-December) - As with MNSSHP above, these tickets are available for select nights only, and the closer you get to Christmas, the tickets will be harder to get.  Christmas is a very popular time for families to visit the parks.  There are special fireworks displays, and Elsa from Frozen lights Cinderella's castle each night.  That is sure to set the little girls off on a scream fest!  Cost: $69.00 - $74.00 + tax per person.

So check the website for these events, and book your tickets early to make sure you get your first choice.

Link to article: 12 Things You Might Not Know You Can Do At Disney

A recent article on Disneyfanatic.com - some things that most people don't realize you can do at Disney World:

12 Things

We discovered # 2 on our last trip to Disney - we had no idea you could send packages back to your Disney resort so you don't have to carry everything around all day, and we used it.  We picked up our packages the next morning so we didn't have to carry a Haunted Mansion throw and Disney trading pins from one ride to the next.  You juts fill out a package pick up ticket at the time of purchase and take your copy back to your resort.  The Cast Member making the sale should let you know where to pick up your items at that time, but if they don't know the exact location just ask any Cast Member back at your resort.

The only caveat here is that you can't be checking out the next day.  Otherwise, you can also ask to have your packages delivered to a location at the front of the park (with a reasonable amount of time before you are leaving for the day - more than 3 hours), and they will be available to pick up.  Each park has a couple of locations for package pick up near the entrance.

I also didn't know about the free water.  Bottled water costs $2.50 each time you buy it, but a cup of cold ice water for anyone - or everyone - in your party is available at all quick service and counter locations.  Plus you can pour it into your own container once you get it if you have a refillable water bottle or some other container you are reusing.

Link to article: And they lived happily ever after

I can only imagine a Disney themed wedding in the Happiest Place on Earth.

When I saw this article on the World of Walt blog, I found that the prices aren't quite as steep as I thought they'd be.

Happily Ever After

It's something little girls dream about, especially if they were raised on the classic Disney movies.  And, according to the website, you can have any theme you want, or no theme at all.  What an invitation!

Photo from Pinterest

Disney's Magical Express - the best way to get to Walt Disney World

If you're traveling to Walt Disney World by plane, the best way to get to and from your Disney resort is Disney's Magical Express.

This is a free service offered by Disney World when you stay at a Disney resort, and you can book it along with your airline tickets, vacation package, OR directly through the Walt Disney World website if you book your resort hotel separately.

The Magical Express is a truly magical way to travel.  

Approximately 3-4 weeks before your trip, you will receive a packet with Mickey Mouse luggage tags and special yellow luggage strips that have all of your Disney resort information that allow the magic to happen.  

Your name and address go on the back - cute keepsake!

Luggage tags with your resort and flight information.

Put your tags on your luggage, and when you get to the airport and deposit your bags with your airline carrier, you won't have to worry about them again.  It will arrive at your Disney resort and be delivered directly to your room.  This will allow you to go to one of the parks, to Downtown Disney, or just explore your resort - or any of the Disney resorts, for that matter.  You won't have to worry about a thing.  The next time you have to mess with your luggage is when you leave your resort to head for the hotel, and then you'll just have to take it to the designated checkin station at your resort. THEN you won't have to mess with it again until you're back at your home airport.

A nice way to travel!

Orlando International Airport is very, very big.  Coming from a smaller airport like San Antonio, it can be very overwhelming if you're not used to large airports.  Knowing that I just have to take a couple of escalators and a tram to get on a bus that will take me to my hotel is much better than thinking about renting a car, or catching a shuttle, dealing with toll roads (which there are a LOT of in Central Florida) or anything like that.  This is, after all, your vacation, and you should enjoy every single minute of it.

The Magical Express allows you to take a Disney bus - and watch a little Disney video - while you take the 20-30 minute trip from Orlando International Airport to your Disney resort, depending on where you're staying and how many stops your particular bus has to make and where your resort is on the drop off list.  You get to relax, kick back, and take in the scenery, and you are deposited directly to your hotel lobby where you can just check in and go about your business and not WORRY about anything, because they will take your bags directly to your room and you don't have to be there waiting for them.

When you arrive in Orlando, you will follow the directions you receive in your Disney packet (depending on the airline you are using) and head down to the bottom level to catch the Magical Express to your resort.  You will check in with the Mouse helpers and board your bus.

At the end of your trip, it's the same thing in reverse: you check in your luggage at the time requested by your resort, then board your Magical Express bus back to the airport approximately 3 hours before your scheduled domestic flight (if you are flying overseas, you may have to head to the airport a little earlier than that in order to clear Customs, etc.).  The 3 hour window allows travel time to the airport and you get time to relax and recover from your Disney World vacation before you get back to reality!