Jim Hill Media has been at the forefront of reporting on the upcoming Muppet Mobile Lab that Imagineering has been working on. According to Mr. Hill’s site this morning, the new “living character initiative” is close to completion and may debut at Disney’s California Adventure in the coming weeks. He also has obtained a great photograph of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his sidekick Beaker at work. Read the rest of this entry »
I received my AllEarsNet.com weekly newsletter in my email’s inbox this morning, and needless to say…the news is not good. Epcot’s Vice President Brad Rex, the same guy whose MouseStation interview we commented on earlier this week, is the source behind this little tidbit… Read the rest of this entry »
Day 1
We had yet another uneventful and speedy trip to the Car Care Center to return our trusty rental car and take a shuttle to the Beach Club. We were there around 1pm, and our room was already available in the Villas section of the resort. This was my first stay at the Beach Club, and you can expect a full and positive review in the coming days.
The plan was to go to the Magic Kingdom. We wanted something quick to eat, but not counter service, so we decided to give the popular Beaches n’ Cream a try (review coming on this as well). This was a good choice, because by the time we got to the park, it was around 2pm, and the crowds were bulging. Fighting crowds in the counter service spots at the Magic Kingdom is one of my least favorite things to do.
My goal was to get some photos of a few things I thought I may need for this site, so attractions and the like were not the priority. I did, however, want to ride Pirates of the Caribbean, but the line at 4pm was 40 minutes long. It looks as though we don’t need to wonder if adding Jack Sparrow would bring the crowds. I can’t remember ever waiting 40 minutes for Pirates during the off-season.
So we hit a couple of attractions, took lots of photos, and relaxed on the Walt Disney World Railroad and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority before we hopped the monorail over to Epcot for a dinner reservation at Alfredo’s in the Italy Pavilion. (stay tuned for the review)
Day 2
We walked over to the MGM-Studios and made it there for rope-drop. Again, the idea here was for some information gathering and photograph taking, but I needed to get my Tower of Terror and Muppet Vision 3D fix in. Luckily, the crowds in the morning were low.
This was the first time in a long time that I have been able to really walk through the Muppets gift shop outside the exit. As it exists now, this little shop is terrific. There are some wonderful details surrounding you, and even some nice little items to buy. But the shop is itself a microcosm of what’s gone wrong with the Disney/Muppets relationship. It could be so much bigger and so much better, and Disney can actually do something to promote it.
After leaving the Studios in the afternoon, we took the Friendship boat to the World Showcase, for one of my absolute favorite Disney World activities; drinks at the Rose and Crown in between sets of the British Invasion. But first, I wanted to see the Circlevision film in Canada. We know now the current addition is on its last legs, so one more for old time’s sake.
It was chilly, but we stayed after the last set for Illuminations. The crowds were very thin at the World Showcase, so getting a nice spot by the United Kingdom Pavilion was easy. To finish the night off, my wife and I had dinner at the ESPN club over on the Boardwalk, and a drink at the Crew’s Cup pub next to the Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht Club.
Day 3
Our last day was a short one, as the Magical Express was picking us up just after noon. So we walked to Epcot for rope-drop and hit as many Futureworld attractions as we could. First we it was Soarin, and then Test Track followed by a ride on the Seas with Nemo and Friends. No photos this time, just rides and shopping, as Futureworld has my favorite store and pin location.
Being such lovers of the World Showcase, we decided to walk the long way around the lagoon, stopping at the Maelstrom on the way. This is a tradition of mine, ending each trip with the same walk. Nothing is more depressing, but having this amazing place as my lasting memory is a wonderful way to begin the journey home.
To review the Sci-Fi Dine In Theater at the Disney MGM-Studios is perhaps the most difficult of all the dining reviews we will write. Unless you read the final paragraph below, you will think this place is terrible and not even worth consideration. Read the rest of this entry »
Eric and Cathy of Mouse Guest Weekly have just returned from Disney World and this week’s show is a full trip report lasting around an hour. It has the normal trip report stuff, but the timing of this trip includes a couple of items that are new and very noteworthy.
First, there is a rather extensive and positive report on the debut of the Pirate and Princess Party, with different details from Kevin Yee’s we talked about earlier this week. But Mouse Guest Weekly seems to agree that this party is a good one. They go into much detail about the fireworks show, and I believe it was Cathy who said that the fireworks are worth the price of admission on their own. The description of the pirate attack on the castle sounds better than I thought.
Also, we hear a lengthy report on the changes made to the Rock n’ Rollercoaster over at the MGM Studios. The recent rehab was certainly more than just a dusting and some Windex. There have been some major changes to the queue that go beyond just adding a single rider line. It is strange to make changes like this. I never considered this queue to have any need for a change.
But regardless of all the new things Mouse Guest Weekly discussed this week, they succeeded at what all good trip reports should do…make the rest of unbelievably jealous that we didn’t go. What’s more, these new things all happened the day the arrived…and the day I left…
Mark Goldhaber of MousePlanet, and the new MouseStation podcast, is reporting information he received from Epcot Vice President Brad Rex, during an interview conducted recently, concerning some changes to the park. Much of this information has been rumored, but it is nice to confirm it nonetheless. Let’s take a couple of subjects and discuss them a bit more… Read the rest of this entry »
