Tag Archives: family vacation

Rides and Attractions

3 Reasons Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Rocks

When you visit The Magic Kingdom, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a ride not to be missed.

It sits in Frontierland at the back, left of the park and is most quickly found by hanging a left at the park hub and walking through Adventureland.

Considered a roller coaster or thrill ride the kids need to be 40″ to ride, but the coaster has no inversions or super steep drops.

There are three things that make this a great ride and an absolutely must-do attraction.

Continue reading 3 Reasons Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Rocks →

Rides and Attractions

4 Things to Love About Test Track

One of the most popular rides at Epcot is Test Track.

It is a ride-through simulation sponsored by Chevrolet that highlights the features of modern automobile design – and is a mash up of Tron and NASCAR.

Test Track is meant to simulate the testing procedures for new GM vehicles.  It begins with a ride through the various testing portions with some fast turns and swerves.  The landscape looks like something from Tron and is good eye candy. Continue reading 4 Things to Love About Test Track →

Parks

6 1/2 Reasons to Love Mickey’s Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party

Walt Disney World has really embraced the idea of the hard ticket event as of late.  One of the first forays into this type of special event was Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

This event is a fun Halloween party for the whole family that embraces the lighter side of the holiday.  You will find special parades, fireworks, candy, snacks, and merchandise all meant to embrace the whimsical side of Halloween.  As a first tip, don’t skip the Haunted Mansion on this visit – it is definitely even a little more spooky than normal during this event.

This year the event runs on select dates from August 25 – November 1 and the times for each night are 7 pm – midnight.

Image courtesy Disney Photopass

Continue reading 6 1/2 Reasons to Love Mickey’s Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party →

Entertainment, Parks, Resorts

5 Things to Do on your 1st or Last Day at Disney

There isn’t much more exciting than arriving at Walt Disney World on your first day.

There really isn’t anything much sadder than having to leave Disney on your last day.

That said, there are some fun ways to get started and end your vacation on a high note.

Let’s start with a bonus tip:  If you can swing it, arrive as early as you can on your first day and depart as late as you can on your last day.  That may allow you to get value out of a park ticket.  You can always leave your bag with Bell Services if your room isn’t ready or if you are staying past check out time.

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Dining

Review of The Wave. . . of American Flavor

It is easy to fixate on the restaurants in the parks, but there are some top notch restaurants in the resorts as well.

Why mention that?  Because this is a great way to spend your last day at Disney.

When traveling in and out of Walt Disney World, I often end up with the dilemma of what to do on the shoulder days – the first and last day of the trip, that is.  You don’t necessarily want to waste the money on park tickets if you are departing at 12 or 1 for the airport, but you also don’t want to just sit in your hotel room counting down the minutes to departure.

So that brings us full circle back to dining – and in this case, The Wave….of American Flavors.

Continue reading Review of The Wave. . . of American Flavor →

Dining

Kaltxi! Let’s Talk Honestly About Pandora

KALTXI! as the Na’vi say.

Or Hello for those of you not fluent in the language of Pandora.

The Welcome sign into Pandora.

In May, 2017 Disney opened Pandora- The World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom.  It is clear from the amount of time, effort, and money they spent to bring this area to life that they were serious about this being a huge success. Continue reading Kaltxi! Let’s Talk Honestly About Pandora →

Dining

4 Best Places to Grab a Drink at Epcot

Epcot is a great place to spend a relaxing day.  It isn’t just all about rides and shows here.

There is definitely not only a great food scene (arguably the best food on properly lives here), but also a good assortment of watering holes and places to find libations of all kinds.

We will be taking a much deeper look at getting your drink on at Epcot in future articles, but for now, we are focusing on the  best full service or spirit-equipped bars.  You can pick up beer and wine throughout the park, but if you prefer something more complex, you need to know where to stop to find the best adult beverages. Continue reading 4 Best Places to Grab a Drink at Epcot →

Parks

9 Reasons to Take Your Time on Main Street

Most people are so excited to reach the Magic Kingdom that they don’t take nearly enough time to appreciate Main Street USA. This is the walkway leading you from the park entrance to the hub and spoke system right in front of Cinderella Castle.

Now it’s certainly understandable to be excited to be at the Magic Kingdom. There always seems to be so much to do and so little time that getting right to the rides, attractions, and shows is on the top of everyone’s mind.

Continue reading 9 Reasons to Take Your Time on Main Street →