A Little More Magic

THANK YOU and Welcome Aboard to Gary Swindler, my newest Follower.  I appreciate you giving your time to read my blog about our RV life and adventures.  I hope it will entertain you.

"Have a magical day!" is what you hear at Disney World from the cast members.  They really want you to enjoy yourself and have a magical day....and while you're at it, don't forget to spend those "magical dollars" please.   Just kidding about that.  Sort of. 

We've spent a portion of several days at the Magic Kingdom park.  It is the park with the most attractions and rides.  When we were here last June with the "Grands" we hit all the rides in Fantasyland and went to Toon Town.  This time we are here with our "big kid" and his girlfriend and we've still hit all the rides in Fantasyland.  Minus Dumbo and the carousel.  None of us wanted to ride those.  We are still "kids" that want to experience fun stuff.

I thought I'd post a few final comments about the Magic Kingdom and some photos I have left over.  The Cinderella Castle is the focal point of this whole park.  Through a passway to Fantasyland you can see a couple of mural panels made of glass mosiac tiles.  They are really beautiful.

Over in Frontierland you can find my favorite ride, the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  It is a mining-themed roller coaster that does not have any upside down loops or anything like that.  It is just super fast, and a lot of fun.  You are supposedly on a runaway mine train.  It is most likely considered tame by today's standards, and I guess that is why I like it.

Here is a street in Frontierland.            You are always waiting in a line for the Thunder Mountain ride.

Disney's manufactured mountain.          Here is one of the runaway trains.

Over in Adventureland you can find the Pirates of the Caribbean cruise.  This is fun and Disney has added the Jack Sparrow character from the recent movie starring Johnny Depp.

Tonight we are going over to the Magic Kingdom for dinner.  Bruce and I are booked at the Liberty Tree Tavern and Dennis and Cyndi are booked for dinner at the castle for Cinderella's Royal Table.  Bruce and I bought all 4 of us reserved seating for the Fireworks Show and Dessert Buffet at 9:00 pm.  We splurged on this pricey ticket as a special treat.  Last June when we were here with the "Grands" we splurged on them by buying them a beauty treatment at the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique. and they got made up to look like a princess.  Dennis wasn't interested in being fixed up like a princess, so we bought the Fireworks/Dessert Buffet this time.  It should be fun if the thunderstorms don't arrive to spoil it.

We bought this Goofy hat for Zoey and Bruce tried it on for a photo.  He is Goofy.

Until next time.....so long for now!

Romance and Intrigue of Morocco

The real Morocco may have that feeling of intrigue, but not at the Morocco here at Disney World, and  if you are thinking of a quiet and romantic dinner, a restaurant in Epcot is not the place.  We love all of the restaurants here but they are anything but quiet or romantic.  However, this pavilion representing the nation of Morocco is an interesting and exciting place to visit.

It is one of eleven countries represented in the World Showcase.  Morocco is sort of tucked back past France and before you get to Japan.  I think some folks used to walk by without stopping many years ago, but Disney has been smart in bringing each pavilion out and across the Showcase walkway.  Essentially you walk "through" each pavilion now and not "by them" so they can really get your attention.  There is an outdoor cafe for a quick service meal up front, or you can find the full-service restaurant in the back.  (click on photos for a larger view)

There are a few shops to browse through, and like the other pavilions they have imported items from craftsmen in their country.  You can find beautiful jewelry, clothing, carpets, brass items, woven goods and even a fez!  There is also a small museum room with Moorish art.

 

Last night we had reservations at the Restaurant Marrakesh.  We have never missed eating a meal here since we began coming to WDW back in the early 1980's.  Even our kids liked it back then.  This is one of the least busy restaurants at Epcot, but it would still be wise to make a reservation.  At this restuarant you sit at tables and not on the floor as you probably would in Marrakesh itself.  Restaurant Marrakesh recreates a Moroccan palace.  They have beautiful tile work and brass fixtures.  They also have inlaid-wood ceilings that are interesting.

 

You can get great food here.  They have couscous, roast lamb, shesh ka-bob, beef and chicken.  There is really quite a variety to offer.  We all had sampler plates since we couldn't decide which entree to order.  Every half hour musicians enter a center stage area and within a few minutes after they begin playing a belly dancer comes out to entertain the diners.  The music is loud, as it is in all the Disney restaurants that have entertainment, but it is a lot of fun.

Ali was our waiter for the evening and he was very helpful.  He patiently described any of the dishes we ordered that needed an explanation.  The people that work in each of the World Showcase pavilions are actually from the country being represented.  They come to the U.S. on a cultural exchange program that may be for 6 months or for 1 year.  They are always eager to talk and are friendly toward the guests. 

Here in Morocco there is no film to see or ride to experience.  We feel that it is a shame that every pavilion does not have something like the great films shown in Canada, China and France for the visitors to see.  It would really enhance the experience of being in these "foreign nations."  Even without a film showing, we think it is a must-see pavilion.

Until next time....so long for now!

Questions...And Then Disney Hollywood Studios

Welcome to my blog, Kerry.  You are my newest Follower and I THANK YOU very much for being interested in reading about our adventures as fulltime RVer's.  I appreciate it and hope you will be entertained.

I got a couple of questions about Walt Disney World over the past couple of days, so before starting a regular post I thought I'd give a bit of information.  Disney World consists of 4 major theme parks and 2 water parks.  There are a lot of other smaller venues that can be entertaining (miniature golf, boat rentals, Downtown Disney shopping, etc) but the 6 "big ticket" parks are the features.

The Magic Kingdom is the original park and it opened in 1971.  It is the east coast version of Disneyland in Anaheim, California.  Although we totally enjoy WDW's Magic Kingdom, if just comparing those 2 parks, we do prefer Disneyland.

Epcot was the second park to open and that was in 1982.  Here at WDW this is our favorite park.  It is where we spend a lot of time because we almost always come back here in the evenings to eat dinner at a restaurant along the World Showcase.

The Disney Hollywood Studios opened in 1989.  Originally it was the MGM-Disney Studios but that changed several years after it's opening.  This is a nice park to visit but probably the one we spend the least amount of time in.

The newest park to open is the Animal Kingdom, which opened in 1998.  We like it a lot because of the interesting exhibits and the animals that can be viewed here.  It also has some fun rides.

Parades?   The Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and the Animal Kingdom all have parades daily....sometimes a few times a day.  During this trip we have not seen a parade at Epcot, although they have a lot of free entertainment to enjoy throughout the entire place.  The question was raised as to whether or not the Main Street Electrical Parade was still going?  Sorry, it has been discontinued.  They have a parade at the Magic Kingdom at night that has lit up "floats" and people singing (aren't they always?) but it isn't the Electrical Parade that was so popular.  Most of the parades at all the parks are held in the daylight hours and it can be very hot waiting for them to start and then standing through them. 

So...what did we do today?   We went over to the Hollywood Studios for about 5 hours.  This is a beautiful park and you enter onto Hollywood Boulevard, which is designed to look like the Hollywood of the 1930's and 1940's.  There are a lot of shops along Hollywood Blvd. and also down Sunset Boulevard to the right.

There are also some nice restaurants here at the movie studios.   A couple of them are on the left of this photo.  Play 'N Dine at Hollywood & Vine and the 50's Prime Time Cafe are our favorites.  We are only eating a quick service meal for lunch, so we will skip these restaurants this time.

Bruce, Cyndi and Dennis wanted to go on the Aerosmth Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.  No thanks...not for me.  I looked around in some of the nearby shops to kill some time while they did that ride.  Bruce loves this ride and he doesn't mind going 90 mph in the dark and doing a loop or a corkscrew.  Good for him!  They told me it was awesome and so much better than Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom.   While I waited, I spyed this man waiting for his family.  He was wearing his Mickey Ears and had the Mickey tatoo on his arm.  A real believer it seems.

We went over to the newest attraction in this park, Toy Story Mania.  We saw this last June when we were here and it was fun.  This is a 3-D ride through an indoor shooting gallery.  On the way over there we saw this green man.  He is supposed to be one of the toy soldiers from the Toy Story movies.  He was all too pleased to pose for a photo.

There is a pre-show line area where Disney keeps you entertained as you wait in line for your turn to ride in a moving "car" passing through the different shooting gallery rooms.   Mr. Potato Head holds court among all the larger-than-life toys around the room.  He was funny and sort of like a stand-up comedian.   Bruce was wearing his 3-D glasses for us to see.

This is a very popular ride and getting there early in your touring day is a must.  You can also pick up a Fast Pass for a later entry that will save you about an hour in line around 3:00.  We're going to go back to the Hollywood Studios again tomorrow for a final visit to that park.  It is early entry for hotel/campground guests so you can get a jump on the crowds with the popular rides.   Tonight we are going to Epcot for another dinner....this one in Morocco.  They have belly dancers and music sometimes.  Maybe we can be there for showtime.  I'll let you know.

Until next time.....so long for now!

Viva la France !!!

Hello, and Welcome to another new Follower.   THANK YOU very much Linda Johnston for joining my group and for giving my blog your attention.  I appreciate it.

We are going over to Epcot for dinner tonight.  They have the best restaurants if you like ethnic foods or foods from other countries.  We will eat at Les Chefs de France.  This restaurant has a nice dining room in a sunroom-type atmosphere which gives you a nice view of the folks passing by on the pathway around the World Showcase.  There is also another, more formal looking, dining room but it is all the same restaurant.  It is all casual dining, so shorts and t-shirts are OK. 

This is Les Chefs de France.

As you walk along the showcase pathway past Canada and the United Kingdom you cross a small bridge before getting to France.  The view from the bridge is wonderful.

As in the real Paris, this pavilion features a tall Eiffel Tower as its central feature. 

In the typical Disney fashion, great attention to detail was the focus in planning this pavilion.  The time period represented is from around 1870 to 1910.  There are beautiful looking shops featuring fine perfumes, cosmetics and wine.  Plus, the usual inexpensive items like T-shirts and Eiffel Tower keepsakes.

There is a wonderful bakery in France.  You can buy buttery croissants, sweet pasteries and quick sandwich meals here.  Somewhere along the line during our WDW trips we manage to work our way to this bakery and pick up a sweet treat.  The courtyard just outside the bakery has tables to sit at to enjoy your pastry or sandwich.

There is also a small but beautiful formal garden to see at the front of the pavilion.  At the far back of France you can enter a theater for the presentation of Impressions de France.  This is a travel film showcasing the French people and the countryside.  It is an exceedingly beautiful film that lasts about 18 minutes.  We never miss it when touring Epcot.

We'll never get to the "real France," so this will have to do for us.  It works and the best part is we can drive the motorhome to Epcot anytime we feel like it.  No airplanes need be involved!

Until next time.....so long for now!