The Snoozical Kingdom

In an on-line Disney discussion group, someone asked:
If they were staying off-site, where would be the best place to take a quick nap at WDW ?

Well, the group consensus was:
The Carousel of Progress.

My hubby once fell asleep sitting upright in the Enchanted Tiki Room.

His snoring was just a fraction of a decibel lower than the show's audio, which was ear-splitting.

We were gonna leave him there, but an observant Cast Member made us take him with us.

(Photo: allears.net)

Test Track

Test Track is one of my three favorite things at Epcot.

(The others being Soarin' and Off Kilter)

So imagine my dismay at this recent story in The Orlando Sentinel:

GM's Last Lap On Epcot's Test Track

Disney is not about to close Test Track, no matter what happens to GM.

But. Since the Mouse House IS a business after all and Disney does pay attention to the bottom line, something will have to happen to make up the difference.

And that's what worries me.

Experiencing the American Idol Experience

I attended the first Passholder Preview show of Disney's brand-new American Idol Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

I am not a fan of the television show, have watched it only two or three times, but I'll admit that I really enjoyed the Disney version. But then I do like Disney World's live shows ... The Festival of the Lion King is a MUST SEE ... and I still mourn the passing of Tarzan Rocks.

But I digress.

The 3 performers at my show varied in age as well as musical genre, which made it very entertaining, IMHO.

Yes, I'll be going again. Soon.

The NEW Tree House Villas

If you've ever taken the water taxi from Downtown Disney to Port Orleans, you've passed the Tree House Villas.


Well, the original, older ones (like above) have been torn down. They had been heavily damaged during the hurricanes of 2004.

The ones you see now are newly constructed ( FAQ ).

Today was the 1st time I had seen them in person (from the Sassagoula River).

They look remarkably like the older ones but have obviously new bases, which lessen their 'environmental footprint'.

I am so glad that Disney didn't just let these unique habitations just moulder away.

It almost (but not quite) makes up for the Bay Lake Monster.

The Great Indoors

The following is from an on-line Disney discussion site in response to a question regarding Disney's Wilderness Lodge:

We have never stayed at WL, but we love to visit. The lobby is the best of any Disney Resort at WDW. The theming of course is of Wilderness and the resort is made to look like it is of Wood, though I suspect it is not.

This just tickles me.
The author is correct though; the Wilderness Lodge does have the best lobby of all the Disney resorts. And it's even better at Xmas.

The Lodge theming is that of an early-1900s Northwest National Park lodge, and is patterned after the one in Yellowstone NP.

The fireplace in the lobby is a recreation of the 2-billion year-old strata of the Grand Canyon with over 100 colors in hues of green, magenta, buff, red, black and brown, as well as fossilized remains of prehistoric plant and animal life.

There is also a HM in the fireplace!

H/T: WDW Info

And no, the lodge is not made of wood. It is constructed of molded, colored and hand-painted concrete.

The huge stone blocks which appear to form the lodge's foundation are also concrete, as are the 'stone' steps.

These rocks, and the ones that surround the geyser, are hand painted to look natural, right down to the lichens, mold and algae stains (some are now the real thing).

H/T: Eric & Jennifer

Disney's Wilderness Lodge: Official site
Trip Advisor: Reviews

The Bay Lake Monster

The Bay Lake Monster is one of Disney's latest creations.
It's officially known as the Bay Lake Tower and is the newest DVC resort.

By itself it probably would have been very striking.

But.

Disney is building it right next to the Contemporary Resort.

Photo: Disney/artist concept

There had been a rumor that the new DVC resort would be built to resemble the Contemporary, only slightly smaller. Now that would have worked very well, IMHO.

Building the very large, and architecturally different, Bay Lake Tower so close to the Contemporary Tower, makes for an overall unpleasant visual. It diminishes both, especially the Contemporary.

A Disney icon is lost to 'progress'.

MVMCP

I attended my first
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
this year.

The parade was fun; the hot chocolate was hot and plentiful; snow fell on Main Street; the dance parties were great fun to watch; the fireworks were spectacular (Tink flew right over our heads); and the castle was absolutely stunning.

And I loved the special Cast Member Mickey Mitts (red instead of white)!

We (sis & I) missed seeing 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, tho, because after the 1st show (which was so packed, there was not even standing room in the back), one of the performers became ill and the next show was canceled. Then we got busy with the rest of the festivities and didn't to check if the show was back on.

Maybe next year!

Photo: Deb Wills / Allears.net

Oh La La, La Nouba!

La Nouba ... "Live it up" ... "Where two worlds collide" ... is Cirque du Soleil's resident company at Disney World.

You can't miss the big white building at the very end of DownTown Disney's West Side.

After a couple of years saying 'we really gotta see it', we experienced La Nouba for the 1st time yesterday evening.

Yes, experienced, because that's what it is. An experience. It's more than a show. Much more.

Hubby's favorite character was the 'Green Bird' who appears throughout, mostly in the background (and who is not green).

My favorite character was 'Le Titan' (aka the Muscle Man) who also appears throughout and does his thing in the last act.

My favorite act was the Diabolos.
The Diabolo is a musical wooden spool on a string.

Little Chinese girls spun, twirled, and tossed them.
Then they spun, twirled and tumbled while spinning, twirling and tossing the diabolos.

And there was more. So much more.

Here's the Disney World website.

Here's the offical La Nouba website.

Confession # 8: I Wanna Be a Chipmunk!

I'd love to be a "Head" character at Disney World.

Not THE Head character tho.
I used to think Meg Crofton's
job would be the ultimate Cast Member role.

But that's way too much responsibility and
I would much rather have fun!

So, the "Head" character I wanna be is a chipmunk!
Chip, Dale, either one.

Yes, I DO know the difference.
(Nose, teeth, eyes)

The Three Broomsticks

The Three Broomsticks is coming to Universal Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

This will be a table service restaurant featuring regional Scottish and British-inspired cuisine.

Will there be butterbeer?

Steve Jayson, Universal Orlando's executive chef, who oversees all the resort's food operations:

"Pumpkin juice, butterbeer. All those great beverages, we are working on a lot of different things."

NOTE: In case you're not a Harry Potter fan, the Three Broomsticks, located in the wizards' village of Hogsmeade, is the favorite hangout of Hogwarts students.

If you don't know what Hogwarts and Hogsmeade are, Google will return 8,940,000 results for Hogwarts, and 1,010,000 results for Hogsmeade.

H/T: Theme Park Insider