Top 5 Hollywood Studios Attractions

I thought Epcot was hard, but Hollywood Studios here really isn't much to do here, espeically if you aren't big into thrill rides. But I did it and made my Top 5 Hollywood Studios attractions.

1) Star Tours

I'm a fan of Star Wars, but that attraction is fun no matter what. The original was great and I do miss it, but it is great that the current one has different scenarios. Now, re-reading is even better. And I have been the rebel spy!

2) Toy Story Midway Mania

The ride is addictive like a lot of video games. I love that you get to do a bunch of different games. And it is a challenge so you always have something fun to work for.

3) Frozen Sing Along

You would think this is a random attraction put in to capitalize on the popularity of Frozen. Maybe it is but it's very well done. And I love the Royal Historians. They are hilarious and make the show.

4) Muppet Vision 3D

This attraction is a little dated, but it always makes me laugh. I love all the muppets and quote this show all the time.

5) Fantasmic

 

I know there are a lot of Fantasmic haters out there, but it's my favorite nighttime show. I like that it has a story that combines performers, pyro, and the water screens. I would definitely be sad if I didn't get to see this.

What are your top 5 Hollywood Studios attractions?

Thanks for reading!

Holly

Top 5 Epcot Attractions

Last week I talked about my five must do Magic Kingdom attractions. This week I want to talk about Epcot.

But Epcot is kind of hard. I like a lot of the attractions here, but I wouldn't say I love them. There's also a lot of changes going on so this list may change in the next few years.

I also haven't done the new Frozen or Soarin' attractions which iswhy they aren't on this list. But hopefully this October I will get to experience them both. 

So, here's my list in no particular order:

1) Test Track

I love Test Track. It's great to ride during the day and at night. The queue is a little boring, but I'm glad the old music is gone and I have fun making my car everytime.

2) Spaceship Earth

I am a fan of the Jeremy Irons narration, but Dame Judi Dench is good too. This is a nice relaxing ride that entertains me.

3) Living with the Land

I have no idea why, but I love this attraction. It's the best kind of "edutainment". And it always makes me want to start a garden when I get home.

4) IllumiNations

This may be weird, but the intro with the guy talking is my favorite part. I like the message and feeling of this show. And it isn't very hard to get a spot to see it.

5) Jourey into Imagination with Figment

I knew this isn't a perfect attraction and a lot of people have issues with it. But I LOVE Figment. He has a special place in my heart from my first trip in 1992. And even with it's flaws, I will always support the use of imagination.

So, those are my must do Epcot attractions. What are your's?

Thanks for reading!

Holly

Top 5 Magic Kingdom Attractions

The Magic Kingdom is full of fun attractions. It's probably the hardest park to pick just 5 must-do attractions. But I still narrowed down the list the best I could.

These are the attractions I love doing multiple times on every trip. They are in no particular order. And this doesn't mean I don't love and enjoy other attractions.

1) Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road

OK this is probably my favorite attraction. I would be devastated if I couldn't do this attraction during a trip. And you have to ride it during the day and at night. 

2) Space Mountain

I used to be terrified by this and refused to ride it. But I've been hooked since I first road it. It does scare me especially if I'm in the front seat but only in the best possible way.

3) Haunted Mansion

Now this si a classic. Do you hear Stacy in your head everytime you say that word? I do. But it really is. And it's one I really enjoy. Now, the first half gives me the creeps especially when I'm alone in my doombuggy. But I still have fun and it takes me back to my old Disney Sing-Along VHS tape days.

4) Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover

The TTA is very cool in the online Disney community and my family has always been a fan. It's relaxing and you get great views of Tomorrowland and the castle. And this is another one you have to ride at night. It's so beautiful with everything lit up.

5) Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin

So, this may be a little unorthodox, but I always have fun. The queue leaves a little to be desired, but I could ride this over and over again.

What are your must do attractions and Magic Kingdom?

Thanks for reading!

Holly

Fantasmic Dinner Package

Here is what is included in the dinner package:

Guaranteed Seating for Fantasmic

and

A meal at one of the three restaurants below:

The Hollywood Brown Derby

Hollywood & Vine

Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano

Current prices can be found on the Walt Disney World website (here).

I heard about the dinner package for years, but never thought it provided something I needed. I never had an issue getting a good seat/view for the Fantasmic show. 

Then, for our 2015 trip, we were doing Fantasmic and Mama Melrose's on the same day so we decided to give it a chance.

I have reviewed the meal and this is more about the package.

You get a lot of food. It's more than I normally get, but I was still able to enjoy myself. It's a pretty good view for Fantasmic. The seating used to be in the center but now you are off to one side.

These are some pictures from where I was sitting:

This dinner package isn't a must do, but it's a good value if you want to do it. You shouldn't have an issue getting a seat for Fantasmic, but if you're concerned or this will be your only chance to see this is a great solution.

Thanks for reading!

Holly

So You Want to Go to Disney World Part III

Tickets

Now, it's time to talk tickets. It can be a pretty dry topic, but I'll do my best to make it interesting.

Disney has changed their ticketing structure a lot of the years. I think it's become simpler. When it comes to buying tickets you need to ask yourself two questions:

1) How many days do you plan to visit the Disney World theme parks in the next 12 months?

and

2) Do you see yourself going to more than one theme park a day?

The answers to these two questions will help you determine what type of ticket to buy.

For domestic visitors, a ten-day ticket is the longest ticket you can buy. If you'll be going longer than that (even just in the next 12 months) consider going to an annual pass. It may be a bigger investment up front, but can save you money in the long run. An annual pass also often brings hotel, merchandise, and food discounts.

The Disney World tickets are called Magic Your Way and the base tickets includes admission to 1 of the main Disney World parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, or Animal Kingdom) each day.

The per day price is a little high until you get to day 5. Then, it's a very small increase. This is because Disney wants you to stay there as long as possible and spend money on other things.

So, if you go with the regular ticket there are some add-on options. The big one is the Park Hopper.

The park hopper allows you to visit more than one of Disney's four theme parks each day.

Personally, I always get the park hopper because I like the flexibility it provides. But a lot of people say you shouldn't get it especially for your first trip because it can be intimidating. 

If you're unsure than don't add the park hopper before you go. Just go to the World and see how your trip goes. You can upgrade your ticket when you get there. 

Another thing to remember about the Magic Your Way tickets is that they expire 14 days after first use. So, you can't get a 10-day ticket then use 5 days in February and 5 days in October.

If you want more information about tickets including current prices I suggest checking out the Disney World website our Touring Plans. The Touring Plans website actually has a ticket locator you might find helpful.

Disney Podcasts I Listen To

I love listening to podcasts. It's typically what I'm listening to when I'm driving or cleaning. I listen to a few types/genres of podcasts and Disney-related ones are one of them.

Some of these I listen to religiously and others I listen to more casually. I'm going to go through each one I subscribe to and give some information on them.

1) The Dis Unplugged

This is the flagship itunes feed for the Dis Network. Typically, there will be two episodes a week-the Roundtable and the Best and Worst. This is one I listen to consistently every week.

*edit: the Best and Worst now has it's own feed

2) Dis Pop

This is hosted by Ryno from the Dis. It isn't focused only on Disney. It's more pop culture with Disney ties on occassion. And he'll do movie reviews most weeks. I listen to this whenever the topic catches my attention.

3) Connecting with Walt

I don't even know how to describe this. It's more of a historical Disney podcast. They release 4 episodes quarterly. I only recently subscribed so I've been slowly making my way through the 30+ long episodes they have.

4) The Daily Fix

Every Monday-Friday, the Dis posts a short podcast talking about recent news in the Disney universe and on their webise. I don't listen each day, but I usually get caught up by the end of the week.

5) Mousechat

Everyone on this podcast is a travel agent or connected to a particular travel agency so they talk about that a lot. They often discuss news and give reviews. It isn't my favorite becasue they will often go on tangents. But I usually get caught up every month or two.

6) The Disney Dish with Jim Hill

This is with Jim Hill and Len Testa. I mostly listen for Len. Jim has a lot of knowledge but there's a lot of conjecture. I really only listen to the one when I have nothing else to listen to.

7) WDW Today

I stopped listening to WDW today when it changed hands. I tried, but don't like the new guys. I've stayed subscribed to make it easier to listen to the old shows.

8) WDW Radio

This is Lou Mongello. His podcasts tend to be very long so I only listen once and awhile. He also can be very rose-colored glasses when it comes to Disney. I love Disney, too but it can become a little too much.

9) Resort Loop

 

My dad recommended this one. These guys mostly talk about whatever's current in the Disney world. I'm still trying to figure them out and fit them in my schedule. They do have a good dynamic which I really like.

So, those are the podcasts I listen to. Let me know your thoughts and if you have any recommendations.

Thanks for reading!

Holly

So You Want to Go to Disney World Part II

Where to Stay

The first part of this series can be found here.

Where to stay when you go to Disney World can be an intimdating decision. There are a ton of options.

First, you have to decide if your going to stay onsite or offsite. I've only ever stayed onsite so that's all I can speak to. But I know a lot of people stay offisite at hotels or vacation homes and love it.

Before I go into the Disney hotel options, I want to explain why I like to stay onsite.

1) You can make FastPass+ reservations at 60 days (versus 30 for offiste)

2) Free transfers to the hotel from MCO with Magical Express

3) Extra time in the parks with morning and evening Extra Magic Hours

4) You don't have to leave the Disney bubble 

5) You don't have to drive if you don't want to

If you decide to stay at a Disney hotel you then have to decide which one. There are 32 resorts (according to Disney) and they are divided into four categories. I haven't stayed at every hotel, but I have stayed at all the different levels.

The two main deciding factors are budget and style. Design and style are very personal. So, I highly suggest checking out the Disboards/WDWInfo, Touring Plans, AllEars, and YouTube videos for detailed descriptions, pictures, and reviews.

The first tier is Value. These are the least expensive resorts. You can find current pricing on the Disney World website. these hotels are the ones with the smallest rooms. The rooms are also the most plain-generally. The overall themes also tend to be really dramatic and over-the-top.

These are the value hotels:

Pop Century

 

All-Star Music

 

All-Star Movies

All-Star Sports

Art of Animation

Fort Wilderness Campsites

The second tier is moderate. My family often stayed in these resorts when I was younger. But we are a family of five so we eventually grew out of them. The moderate resorts have bigger beds than the values and slightly larger rooms. The resorts also tend to be more spread out than a lot of the others. While my favorite resort is a Deluxe, I owuld love to stay at Port Orleans Riverside every visit. You can find current pricing on the Disney website.

These are the moderate hotels:

Caribbean Beach

Port Orleans Riverside

Port Orleans French Quarter

Coronado Springs

Fort Wilderness Cabins

Next, are the Deluxe resorts. These are the most expensive and lavish resorts. They have the biggest room size for a stard room and will typically sleep a family of five instead of four. All the Disney hotels are well-themed, but there's something particularly refined about these ones. A lot of the Deluxe resorts also have transportation options that aren't busses like the monorail and boats. They also have some of the best pools and kids'splash areas. You can find current pricing on the Disney website.

These are the Deluxe hotels:

Animal Kingdom Lodge

Polynesian

Grand Floridian

Wilderness Lodge

Beach Club

Contemporary 

Yacht Club

Boardwalk

The last set of hotels are the Villas/DVC/Home away from Home. So, being a Disney Vacation Club member is a completely different thing. These resorts come in studios, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom grand villas. The studios are similar to a traditional hotel room, but have a kitchenette. The other room options have a full kitchen and laundry. For the most part, these "hotels" are attached to the existing Deluxe resorts. 

You can pay cash for these rooms direct from Disney. You can find prices on the Disney World website. But you can also rent DVC points form existing vacation club members. This will often save you money but you have to rely on the person you are renting from. We have never rented points since my parents are DVC members, but people seems to like it. I would just suggesting doing a ton of researching before committing.

These are the DVC resorts:

Saratoga Springs

Old Key West

Polynesian Villas and Bungalows

Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary

Grand Floridian Villas

Animal Kingdom Villas-Kidani and Jambo House

Boardwalk Villas

Beach Club Villas

Wilderness Lodge Villas-Copper Creek and Boulder Creek

So, those are your hotel options if you want to stay onsite. You really can't go wrong. Lately, I've been staying at the All-Stars because that's what I can afford and I'm happy with that.

If you have any hotel recommendations let me know.

Thanks for reading!

Holly