Hollywood Studios

To be honest this is my least favourite park at WDW.  I’m not a thrill ride person so I won’t go on Tower of Terror or Rock’n'Rollercoaster.    I don’t really care much for stunt shows.   Now having said that 2 of my favourite rides are in this park, and I still think it’s definitely worth the visit.

Hollywood Studios has a lot of … space.  Call it theming, decor, ambiance, there are a lot of areas where you can walk through the park and just look at stuff.    Parts of it are set up to resemble studio sets and backlots, so there are a lot of  things that are just meant to be background stuff.   This is particularly true in the “Streets of America” section.  As for the actual attractions that we saw:

• Star Tours - board a flight for Endor!  Although a new movie is going to be put in place both at Disney and WDW, and at the time of writing this the Disneyland ride was already closed for the switchover and the WDW one will be closing for it in a few weeks.  If that fact had actually sunk in when we were there I probably would have insisted on riding it more than once.  As it is I’m very glad that Adrian had a chance to ride the original version.
• Muppet*Vision 3D - I wasn’t entirely sure that we should see this, as Adrian has a bit of  visual impairment and I didn’t think that he’d get much out of a 3D movie.  But I was pleased to find that 3D technology has advanced enough that, with the new style glasses, you can still enjoy the movie even if you’re watching it with only one eye.  The attraction is very much like the Muppet tv shows, with a lot of stuff that will appeal to kids and some stuff that will likely go over their heads.   In some cases, literally.
• Studio Backlot Tour - This is interesting, although to me it’s a bit of a cheat because as far as I know nothing is actually filmed at the Disney parks in Orlando.  This is one area where I think the Universal Hollywood park has an advantage, because their backlot tour actually IS a backlot tour.    But at least with this one you do get to see some actual movie props, and it’s a good way to spend some time when you’re in the middle of a hot and tiring day.
• Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream -  A gallery of various photos and memorabilia about Walt Disney and the evolution of the Disney brand, culminating in a brief movie at the end of the attraction.  It’s interesting, and it’s air conditioned.
• Toy Story Mania! - this has become one of my favourite attractions.  It’s not really fair to call it a “ride” because although you do get in a vehicle and you do move through the attraction the moving part isn’t really the main feature of it.  The main attraction of this ride is the interactive 3D gameplay.  You’re stopped in front of a screen where you’re shown a carnival-type game – darts, ring toss, shooting gallery etc – and you and your companion seated beside you have to compete to see who can get the better score.  Once you’re finished your time at that screen, you move on to another screen and another carnival game.  It’s truly a lot of fun!

Dining options at the park on the one hand are pretty varied, but it depends on what you’re looking for.  If you’re wanting just a quick bite to eat then you’re not going to find much variety.  If you’re good with doing a sit down meal at an unusual restaurant then there are a number of very different, themed restaurants in the park.

Magic Kingdom

Okay, for most people when you say “Disney” this is what they think of.   And it’s also one of the best examples of how Disney does things right.  Not only is the amount of attention to detail absolutely fabulous, but the amount of space they dedicate to just areas for general enjoyment is amazing.  Some theme parks feel like they have to pack every bit of space with something for you to see, do, or spend money on.  Disney realizes that sometimes people just want to BE.  They want to sit, and relax, and take things in.   Or as I put it for New Orleans Square in Disneyland, I like to take the time to just sit there and absorb the ambiance.  Disney not only makes you feel you can do that, but encourages it.  As with every other park we didn’t get a chance to see everything, but we did get a lot done despite the almost July 4 crowds.   The Magic Kingdom is the park that’s most like the Disneyland park in California.  They share a number of common rides, some of which are pretty much the same and some which have big differences.  And there are a few things that are at WDW that are no longer at Disneyland (and some things, like Mr Toad’s Wild Ride, are at Disneyland but not at WDW).  Just to confuse you.

• “it’s a small world” – notice that’s all in lowercase by the way.  Similar ride to the one at Disneyland, but in my opinion nowhere near as good.  Plus doesn’t have the big huge facade outside and the many topiary trees surrounding it.   And the ride itself will drive you insane if you spend too long on it, mostly because of that song that will firmly implant itself into your brain.  If you’ve been on the ride then you probably already have it going ’round and ’round in your head just from reading the name of it.    Overall it’s a good ride, not exactly technically brilliant anymore but it is fun and happy.
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin - a predecessor to the Toy Story Mania ride previously mentioned.  Same general idea except it’s not 3D and instead of going from screen to screen you move through the attraction trying to hit targets, some of which are stationary and some are moving.  Oh and you can spin your vehicle around a bit, which can get interesting because like Toy Story Mania you’re seated beside your friend/companion, battling to see who can get the higher score and both of you can reach the spin control, so just as you’re trying to hit that target your friend might turn the ride car and make you miss.
• Country Bear Jamboree - this is a wonderful gem that’s no longer at the Disneyland park so I always make a point of going to it at WDW.    I’ll be quite frank and admit that I don’t like country music.  But you don’t have to like country music to like this show, in fact half the time it pokes fun at country music.  But I like seeing all the singing bears.  Plus it’s a sit-down show, and it’s air conditioned.
• Jungle Cruise - another ride that’s also at Disneyland and is slightly different at each park.   And yes it’s just as silly and corny at each park.   You get onto your tour boat and head off down the river for a little jungle safari cruise, where you come across the elephant bathing pool (but it’s okay, they’re all decent – they have their trunks on), the lions and rhinos and attacking warriors.  For some reason at WDW you also get to go through a river in India as well.
• Liberty Square Riverboat - if you’re looking for a quiet break in the middle of the day, this is a good bet.  It’s not air conditioned, but you get to board the boat and take a leisurely half-mile cruise down the Rivers of America.    Note the difference between WDW and Disneyland – WDW has Liberty Square, Disneyland has New Orleans Square.
• Pirates of the Caribbean - definitely one of my favourites and definitely better at Disneyland than WDW.  Although I have to say that the queue area is much, much better at WDW than it is at Disneyland.  But the ride itself is much shorter.   The first time I went on it I got through the first drop (not as intense as Disneyland’s first drop) and then thought okay here’s the second…. but there was no second drop!  And of course a few years ago they redid both the WDW and Disneyland attractions to incorporate characters from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
• The Enchanted Tiki Room – Under New Management - another one that’s also at Disneyland but decidedly different at WDW.  The Disneyland version is closer to the original version (although I believe it’s been shortened down a bit from the original), the WDW version starts out the same and then gets taken over by the “new management” – Zazu from The Lion King and Iago from Aladdin.  Still has lots of singing and talking birds and tikis, and is a good break in the middle of the day.
• The Haunted Mansion - another one of my favourites.  Again, I prefer the version at Disneyland, although the expanded graveyard and crypts here are great to look at.  There are some pretty significant differences in the rides, which is evident just from the design of the buildings – the Disneyland version is an antebellum mansion which fits in with the New Orleans theme of the area it’s in, the WDW version is a Dutch Gothic Revival style and features trees and moss that are native to Florida.  I love the work and detail that have been put into this ride, and of course it’s always interesting to see which of the hitch-hiking ghosts you’ll be bringing home with you.
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover - another attraction no longer at Disneyland.  Board this continually loading “futuristic” version of mass transit and take a tour of the Tomorrowland section of the park.  Another ride that’s fantastic in the middle of the day when you need a bit of a break.
• Walt Disney World Railroad - Both a ride and a way of getting around the park.  You can take either the full 20 minute tour, or you can get off at any of the other stops along the way.
• Main Street Electrical Parade - I have always loved this parade, from the moment that I first saw it at Disneyland.  All the lights, the movement, the absolutely infectious Baroque Hoedown.  People battle for good viewing spots along the parade route, and will line up quite early to try and lay claim to the best ones.  We staked out our spots almost an hour before the parade, and it was absolutely worth it.
  

And getting back to the point about how there are things around the park that are just for relaxing and enjoying, the Magic Kingdom has devoted a fair amount of space to a rose garden.  Yep, a rose garden, in the middle of the park.  No shop, no restaurant, nothing for sale, not the queue for a ride, just a rose garden to enjoy.   And the castle has an incredible amount of detail work on it, and instead of just shining some lights on it at night they use different colours of lights and slowly morph from one to another, giving it a very interesting look.  And I love watching the changes on main street in the evening as the shop lights start to come on.  And of course the fireworks are always absolutely fantastic!!

Interview with Adrian

I know you’ve been waiting for it, so here’s the little interview we did with Adrian.  Now you might be asking yourself, why did we do an interview with Adrian?  It’s pretty simple really.  Adrian is a senior who had never been to a Disney park before.  We were taking a trip there with no children, just adults.  I know he was enthusiastic about the trip because it was a nice little family adventure together, but I also know that he’d had people saying things to him like “what are you going to Disney for, it’s just for kids!”.  So I think he was also a little nervous about what he’d find at the parks.  So I wanted to get his impressions of the trip after we’d been back for a while and he’d had a bit of a chance to recover from the trip.

What were you expecting from WDW, before the visit and how did the visit compare/differ?
Adrian: I thought it would be more for children, but found that I was completely wrong and there was something there for every age.

What did you think of the food at Disney – both in terms of quality and type? A lot of people think that the only food there is hot dogs and hamburgers and kid’s stuff.
Adrian: I thought there was a good selection and even people who had diet restrictions could find something they could eat.  I thought the quality was excellent.  There were wonderful places to eat in all areas, like the restaurant at Epcot and the resorts.

What did you think about the hotel and the experience of staying on site?
I thought the hotel and the parking lot were both excellent, especially in terms of handicap access.  The grounds were well kept and much more beautiful that I had expected.

What would he say to someone that thought they were too old to go to Disney?
Adrian: Even if you are old, you are never too old to be a child again in Walt Disney.  And if you have a problem getting around, they are very good with handicapped people.
He then added: When you go to Disney, your dreams will come  true.  Don’t expect miracles, but even then, miracles will come true when you go there.

There were a few factors that affected our trip overall.  It rained pretty much every single day we were at WDW.  Not all day, but usually for several hours.  I’m used to the little afternoon showers one can get there, but this time Orlando was apparently receiving the fringe of Alex (not sure if it was just a tropical storm at that point) so it was a lot wetter than normal.  If you go to the photo gallery you’ll see  lots of pictures with wet, rainy conditions and people in rain gear.   We also had a mobility issue to deal with, as my mother had a double knee replacement less than a year ago and while her improvement has just been remarkable there are limits to what she can do.  I’ll deal with the mobility aspect more fully in another post, along with transportation at the parks and resort, so for now I’ll just say that Disney does extremely well dealing with these kinds of things most of the time.

Epcot

Epcot is huge.  And I think part of the reason it seems that way is because it’s split into 2 different areas, and one of those areas is curved around a big lake so to get from one side to the other you can’t just cut across the middle, you have to walk all the way from one end to the other.  Epcot is divided between “Future World” and “World Showcase”.  Now to be honest  think they’re going to have to rename “Future World” pretty soon, because there’s not a lot there that’s horribly futuristic about it.    Disney’s writeup on Future World says  it has a “focus on technological advancements, innovation and wonder” and yes most of the things there do indeed explore those things.  We did not see ALL of Epcot while we were there.  I don’t think we saw ALL of any of the parks while there.  But hey you have to leave something to do on the next visit right?  In Future World we saw:

• Mission: Space – board a simulator and experience what it’s like to blast off to Mars.  Apparently very close to what it actually feels like, if you do the “intense” version of the ride.  We rode this twice, doing the less intense version the first time and the intense one the second.  You definitely feel a lot more motion with the intense version but it is so worth it!
  
• Soarin’ – The same version that’s at Disneyland where it’s called Soarin’ Over California.  Why it’s not called that at WDW I don’t know, unless they’re planning on making a different version of the movie.  This is absolutely a fantastic experience, you feel like you’re gently hang gliding over California.   You can feel the breeze in your hair, when you’re over the orange groves you and smell the scent of the oranges, and smell the pine trees when you’re over the forest.  I hate heights and yet I love this ride!
• Spaceship Earth – They’ve tweaked this one since the last time I rode it a few years ago, when most of the “future” things had already come true.  Now you sit back and have a look at the various technical innovations that have brought us to this point, and then at the end there’s an interactive portion done through a touchscreen right at your seat where you answer some questions about your likes and habits and then it shows you a little cartoon – featuring a picture of you that it took at the beginning of the ride – showing you what your life would be like in the future.  My  mother really enjoyed this part and said that if they let you purchase your little cartoon at the end she would have done that.  And for those of you that aren’t familiar with Spaceship Earth, yes it’s that “golf ball thing” at Epcot.
• Living with the Land – Not quite what one typically expects from Disney, and I’m sure some think this is the most boring thing at the parks, but I really like it.  It’s a “boat ride” that goes through a little spiel on why agriculture is important and how we have to learn to live with the land (hence the title) and then  – and this is my favourite part – takes you through some of the experimental growing areas of the building.  Here you get to see the Disney agricultural team’s attempts at growing larger food items and using different ways of growing produce, so that they can supply many of the Disney restaurants with fresh self-grown fruits and vegetables.
  
• The Seas (with Nemo and Friends) – This is I think was the most “kiddie” attraction that we did in all of the parks.  Basically you sit in a little clamshell car and slowly move past a big aquarium where you get a mixture of the actual aquarium and some animated characters projected into it that mingle in with the fish.  To be honest the only reason we did this was to get through to the Seas Pavilion itself.
• The Seas Pavilion – To me this is one of the hidden gems at Disney.  Huge aquarium with sharks and dolphins, those lovable manatees, I could just sit for hours and watch them all.
  

And of course we walked through many of the countries in the World Showcase, where I had to buy myself another of those great shirts they sell at the Mexican pavilion.

Animal Kingdom

The newest park at WDW, and possibly my favourite.  I absolutely love the Kilimanjaro Safari and more than once said if they could just strap me onto the front bumper I’d be more than happy to just ride through it all day.   For those that haven’t been to WDW’s Animal Kingdom, it’s really quite different from Disney’s other parks.  Centered around nature and the environment, the focus here is not so much on action packed rides (although there are some of those) as on taking in the world around you.  We didn’t do all the rides in any of the parks this trip, so I’m just commenting on the attractions we did.  We were at Animal Kingdom on July 4, which you would have thought would be an incredibly busy day at the park.  It wasn’t.  And that leads me to one great little tip – if you’re going to be at WDW during a big event like July 4th, have a look to see what all the parks are planning and then head to the one that’s got the LEAST going on if you want to avoid the crowds.  The other parks all had big celebrations and special events planned for Independence Day, whereas Animal Kingdom didn’t have anything special planned at all and I think that helped keep the attendance in check.

• Expedition Everest - Mom and Adrian didn’t do this ride as they thought it would be a little too much for them.  This is the “big” ride in Animal Kingdom, and although it surprises me to say it, I really enjoy it.  I’m surprised because I’m really not much for big roller coasters, but despite going backwards and having quite a drop at one point this one is actually pretty straight forward.  No going upside down, no corkscrews, no feeling like I’m about to be flung out of my seat.
• It’s Tough to be a Bug - 3D cartoon based on the Disney animated Feature “A Bug’s Life”.  There are a few “interesting” moments to it, as like many other 3D attractions in theme parks this one has a bit more going on than just what’s on the screen.
• Kilimanjaro Safaris - Absolutely excellent.   Disney has a 100 acre Savanna set up where the animals roam about freely.  Well mostly freely – there are safety measures in place to make sure that the more predatory ones, like the lions, can’t get to the guests.    As you travel along on your safari jeep you’ll see numerous animals about, some of which will come right up to (and onto) the road.  Just a fabulous experience.
  
• Maharajah Jungle Trek - Kind of like a cross between a zoo experience and a nature trail.  You’ll get to see a number of animals including a Komodo Dragon and some very large bats, and then walk through an aviary with exotic birds.
  
• The Tree of Life - I think many people don’t stop to actually look at this wonderful piece of art and see it for what it truly is.  It’s hard to miss it, it’s a great big tree in the middle of the park.  But many don’t realize that it’s a man-made tree, 145 feet tall with 325 animals painstakingly carved into the bark.  At the base of the tree is the Tough to be a Bug show.
  
• Festival of the Lion King - Kind of a mini version of the Broadway show.  Live singing and acrobatics, with some Disney floats and animatronics.    Lasts for 30 minutes and you’ll feel like that time has just flown by.
  

In the next installment – The Magic Kingdom Park, Hollywood Studios, and a brief interview with Adrian!

As part of the conference we were treated to a partial day at Universal Studios Orlando, which provided an interesting comparison for our later visit to WDW.    Because we only had a few hours there, in peak tourist season, and experienced some mobility issues while there we didn’t really get to do much at the park.  We did have a look around, and got a quick bit to eat.  The new Harry Potter themed area looks wonderful, but was extremely crowded.  I thought about looking at the wands but the lineup to even get to the cart was incredibly long.    I’ll be doing up a separate post on the mobility issues we experienced later.

And then after the conference it was on to WDW!   We did and saw far too much to try and cover it all here, and in fact I think I’m going to have to split this into more than one post as it is, but here are some of the highlights:

The Hotel

There’s a wide variety of accommodation options at Walt Disney World.  There are dozens, probably hundreds, of hotels in the surrounding area ranging from little tiny ultra-budget motels to big luxury resorts.  If your really want the Disney experience then you can’t beat staying on-site.

Disney accommodations are divided into 4 main categories:  Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and their newer Villas.  The categories are pretty self-descriptive – Value resorts are pretty basic and the least expensive, Moderate resorts have more amenities and services are a little more expensive, Deluxe resorts are more luxurious (and more expensive), and the Villas provide more of a home-away-from-home feel with multi-bedroom units with kitchenettes.

We chose to stay at the Port Orleans French Quarter hotel, which is one of the Moderate hotels.  Originally there were 2 separate resorts side by side, Riverside and Port Orleans, but it was decided to just combine them into the one resort and have 2 distinct halves to it.  Port Orleans French Quarter is one of my favourite resorts at WDW.  I find the architecture and the slow and easy atmosphere to be absolutely charming.   Strolling through the “streets” at the resort in the mornings or evenings is just wonderfully calm and relaxing.  The resort offered a few different dining options including a regular table-service restaurant and a counter-service food court.  While we didn’t try out the restaurant we did get items from the food court from time to time, including the always delicious mini Mickey Mouse waffles for breakfast one day.

The rooms were very comfortable and well appointed.  One thing I really like about the rooms is the layout of the bathroom/sink/dressing areas, although I noticed that this time one of the rooms was actually different from the other and from past visits.  Normally the rooms have a bathroom with the toilet and shower, and then 2 pedestal sinks in a separate area off to the side of the bathroom with a curtain that can be drawn across it so that you can be in there and not disturb anyone else in the room.

One of the rooms this time had a wall and doorway instead of the curtain, and no doorway (that I recall) separating the sinks from the tub area.  I think I prefer it with the curtain, it makes the area more functional and also makes the room look larger.

One of the benefits to staying on-site is use of the Disney Transportation System around the resorts and parks, which we actually did make use of from time to time during our stay despite having a rental car.

Dining at WDW

Just like there are many hotel options at Walt Disney World, there are also many different dining options.  Dining can be as simple as getting food from a cart in one of parks or from a food court, or as elaborate as a 6-course meal at a 5 diamond restaurant.   One thing that a surprising number of people don’t realize is that you can dine at a resort’s restaurant even if you’re not staying at that resort.   Also, unless you’ve booked a character meal then you’re not going to have costumed characters walking around during your dinner.  I know the commercials make it look like it’s all characters, all the time but it’s really not.

Because Disney loves to categorize things they’ve divided their dining into a few different types:

• Carts – These are mobile stands or carts throughout the parks that serve a variety of mostly snack items, from the ever-popular churros and popcorn to things like pickles and egg rolls, and of course roasted turkey legs.
• Counter Service – Any place where you go up to a counter and place an order, get your food and then find your own table.
• Table Service – your traditional type of restaurant where you’re seated, a server takes your order and brings your meal to you.
• Character Meals – Can be either table service or buffet style, these are the only meals where you’re going to have costumed characters coming around and interacting with you.

For table service and character meals reservations are highly, highly recommended, especially if it’s something you really want to do on your trip and not just a “yeah okay we might as well eat here” kind of thing.   Reservations are even more critical if you’re going during a peak tourism season, like summer or over Christmas.  I have seen people walk into a WDW restaurant at 7 without reservations, expecting maybe a bit of a wait, only to be told that the next available opening for dining is at 10:30.  You can make reservations well in advance, and you can actually also call Disney Dining for free from any of the payphones in the parks.  In addition, if you’re lucky you can take advantage of the pre-paid Disney Dining Plan on your trip, which can save a lot of money!  Unfortunately our circumstances didn’t allow us to do that.  Also note that you don’t need to be a kid to order a kid’s meal at a counter service location.  I know they say they’re for guests under 10 but really if you’re not that hungry or can’t eat that much then go ahead and order the kid’s meal.

For our trip we left our lunch venues up to chance and picked a good variety of restaurants for dinners.  On our trip we ate at:

• Epcot – Lotus Blossom Cafe (China).  Counter service restaurant featuring popular westernized Chinese dishes.   This was our first meal at Disney and it was pretty good.  Pretty much like your standard mall Chinese food.
• Epcot – Rose & Crown (UK).  Table service restaurant with “English Pub” favourites.   We sampled the fish & chips, vegetarian shepherd’s pie and the chicken and mushroom pie, with the sticky toffee pudding and chocolate scotch cake for dessert.  All of them were absolutely wonderful!
  
• Epcot – Electric Umbrella.  Counter service restaurant, and what I think is what the typical idea of what food at Disney is like.  Burgers, chicken nuggets etc.   Not fantastic, but not bad.
• Magic Kingdom – Columbia Harbour House.  Counter service restaurant located in Liberty Square.  Slightly larger than normal selection for a counter service restaurant, though much of it is seafood based.  No burgers but you can get fish & chips, chicken nuggets, salad, clam chowder etc.   As with Electric Umbrella the food isn’t wonderful, but it isn’t bad either.
• Magic Kingdom – Crystal Palace.  What they call “A Dinner with Character”, and our only character meal of the trip.  The restaurant is a buffet, and the food was actually pretty good.  Yes it is a little pricier than you’d normally pay for a buffet but that’s because you get the experience of having characters come over to your table.   If you’ve got kids, or are really into the characters, then it’s definitely worth it.  It’s an interesting experience.
  
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios – ABC Commissary.  Counter service.  Probaby the most disappointing meal of the trip.   Limited menu and the food was “okay” but not great.   If I had it to do over again we’d probably have gone over to Pizza Planet.
• Animal Kingdom – Restaurantosaurus.  Counter service.    Again, a pretty typical hot dogs & burgers place, something that is probably what most people think of when they think about theme park dining.  Normally at Animal Kingdom I’d head over to Flame Tree BBQ for lunch but we had a big dinner planned and didn’t want anything too heavy for lunch.
• Wilderness Lodge Resort – Whispering Canyon Cafe.  Don’t be fooled, there’s nothing quiet about Whispering Canyon.  This is a great table service restaurant as long as you’re prepared for the noise and shenanigans going on.  Great variety on the menu but by far the most popular item is the “all you care to enjoy” canyon skillet, with all kinds of barbecued meats and corn and other sides.  Very, very tasty and filling.  But again, the place can be quite loud.  The servers do their best to engage the kids and that often means having them running from one end of the restaurant to the other.  If you’re looking for a peaceful, quiet dinner then this isn’t the place.  If you can deal with the antics, then enjoy the free show it provides and the great food.
• Polynesian – ‘Ohana.  Please note, it’s not spelled “O’Hana”, it’s not an Irish restaurant.  This is Disney’s take on a Brazilian steakhouse, presented in a Polynesian theme.  It’s kind of like a buffet that comes to your table.  You start out with the appetizers, and then they bring the side dishes and servers make the rounds with skewers of freshly barbecued meats, going from table to table.  You basically just keep saying “yes” until you’ve had enough.  Included in the price is coffee, tea or soft drinks.  We got the restaurant’s signature drink, to be honest I have no idea what it is we just said “we want the thing that comes in the pineapple”.    Dinner ends with their bread pudding (with caramel banana sauce on the side), although because we were celebrating a few things our server also brought us some cupcakes.   Food was wonderful, and if you time your meal right you can see the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom.  As an added perk the restaurant pipes in the music from the fireworks as well.
  
• Downtown Disney – House of Blues.  Our last dinner of the trip.  We tried a variety of things, I had the Cajun meatloaf and though it was a little spicy it wasn’t overly so and definitely something that I think I could have again and possibly try making at home.    We were so stuffed from dinner that we didn’t really have room for dessert but decided we had to try their famous white chocolate banana bread pudding and oh my it was wonderful!  Definitely something that I’ll have to try and make.

So as you can tell, you can pretty much find something for everyone at WDW unless you have extremely specific tastes or are very limited to what you can eat.

In my next posting – impressions and highlights from each of the parks, and Adrian shares his thoughts as a first time, senior guest at WDW.  And if you’d like to see more pictures from my trips to WDW and other places, you can view them on our photo gallery.

The answer for that lies with the founder of our company, my grandmother Dorothy.  She was a remarkable woman.   In many ways the character of Mame reminds me a lot of her (the Rosalind Russel version, not the Lucille Ball one).    Another character that reminds me of her, oddly enough, is the Pink Panther.  If you could combine the two of them together that would, well it would be pretty bizarre.   But my grandmother possessed many of the qualities of both of them – intelligent, crafty, personable, headstrong.   She was fond of loungers and pantsuits and occasionally of those long thin cigarette holders.  She loved to travel.  And she loved animals, her house was always home to various spoiled dogs and cats.

Now it came to happen that we decided we needed a new logo for the company.  I’m sure I’ll be corrected if I’m remembering this wrong, but my grandmother founded our company in 1981 as Canada Tours.  Shortly thereafter she discovered there was another company somewhere in the country called Canada Tours, so the company was renamed to Canada Tours of Manitoba.  Several years later, in light of a competing company with a similar name, we renamed the company again to “Dorothy Easton’s Canada Tours” so it would be even easier to differentiate our company from the other one.  Then a strange thing happened.  We found that when listening to our clients talk about tours they were booked on they’d say things like “Oh I’m booked with Easton’s”, not “I’m booked with Canada Tours”.   So when we made the decision to expand from strictly a tour operation to a full service travel agency it made sense to make the change over to Easton Tour & Travel.   And with the new name we thought we needed a new logo, preferably one that paid homage to my grandmother.

Around this same time I was involved with an online community of Disney fans.  Among the regulars there was a talented artist by the name of Shelly Pleger.   We gave Shelley some basic information on my grandmother, and she was kind enough to put together some samples for us to pick from.   We absolutely loved one of the samples, and decided to take the suggestion to “mix & match elements” by add in the fluffy cheeks from one of the other samples and voila, we had our mascot.

So that’s why we have a cat for our logo/mascot instead of a majestic palm tree or tropical sunset.

I learned that the Iceland people are a very warm, hospitable and welcoming people that would absolutely love tourists to come and visit.  They also seem to have quite an interest in visiting Winnipeg and the Canadian Prairies, with over 700 people already signed up for tours in 2011.

I learned that Icelandic lamb is quite different from New Zealand lamb, both in texture and taste.  I’m not awfully fond of lamb but thought I should give this a try and to be honest I’d never have thought it was lamb.  They put out quite an elaborate spread for this event, and in fact not only brought food along with them from Iceland but the top chef from the Grand Hotel as well to prepare the food.   They also brought a kind of a yogurt/dairy product called Skyr, which has almost zero fat, is low in calories, but has roughly 30% of the recommended daily allowance of protein.

I also found out about an interesting program for people of Icelandic ancestry designed to allow them the opportunity experience Iceland for six weeks.   The Snorri program, for adults up to age 28, provides a rare opportunity to travel through Iceland, learning about the culture and the country and staying with relatives you might not even have known you had.  For those over 28 the Snorri Plus program is designed for you.

In addition to the nonstop flights Iceland Express is also doing direct flights between London and Winnipeg, which include a quick refuelling stop in Reykjavík.  But really, if you’re going to be flying through Reykjavík anyway, then why not make that stop a stopover and spend a few days there?

• Get a FREE Disney Dining Plan** when you purchase a 5-night/6-day non-discounted vacation package that includes accommodations at select Moderate resorts and Theme Park Tickets.
• Get a FREE Disney Quick Service Dining Plan when you purchase a 5-night/6-day non-discounted vacation package that includes accommodation at select Value resorts and Theme Park Tickets.

Book from May 3 – August 14, 2010 for travel from August 15 – October 2, 2010.

** Excludes gratuities and alcoholic beverages.  Children 3-9 must order from the children’s menu if available.  Some table-service restaurants may have limited or no availability at time of package purchase.

Police in Florida are warning travellers of a new scam to separate tourists from their money, and more.   Scammers are distributing fliers for fake pizzarias and telling unsuspecting tourists who call that they require a credit card number with the order.  Then instead of receiving the pizza they think they’ve ordered they get something else – hundreds of dollars in charges on their credit cards and a possible stolen identity.

If you’re at  hotel and really feel like ordering in, look at the information the hotel has provided – most often it will include some information from local restaurants.  If there’s nothing like that in the room then ask someone at the front desk where they would recommend ordering from, or just pick someplace out of the phone book.  And toss those unsolicited fliers into the garbage, your bank account will thank you.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/content/news/local/polk/story/Ordering-pizza-could-cost-you-hundreds/HluISybkIUW1ngH_Di1s3g.cspx

According to the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies, there have already been reports of some airlines refusing to board Canadians without a valid passort despite the official entry requirement not yet being in place.   As such it would be advisable for Canadians travelling to Mexico before March 1, 2010 to ensure that they have a valid passport for their trip.

Passengers are now allowed to bring one carry-on, and one personal item.  “carry-on baggage is limited to a size of 55 cm x 40 cm x 23 cm (22 in x 16 in x 9 in), which is equivalent to the size of a small gym bag”.   Carrying cases for laptops must be limited to holding the laptop and accessories only, cases with expandable pockets, wheels, backpack style cases will count as your carry-on bag.
More information on the new regulations can be found on the CATSA website:

http://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/Page.aspx?ID=78&pname=carryonbaggage_bagagedecabine&lang=en

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/mediaroom/infosheets-menu-5811.htm

U.S.A. bound passengers are permitted zero carry-on bags effective immediately and lasting for several days. Passengers travelling within Canada are still permitted two carry-on bags (although to make the screening process most efficient, fewer carry-on items is preferred).

Carry-on bag means items to which a passenger has access to during a flight, but does NOT include personal items such as small purses, cameras, coats, items for care of infants, laptop computers, diplomatic or consular bags, crutches, canes, walkers, containers carrying life sustaining items, medication or medical devices, musical instruments, or any special needs items.

For more information please consult the CATSA website.

Expect delays as passengers who have no complied with the new regulations will have to go back to the airline checkin counter to check their carryon bags, resulting in longer security lines.  Some airlines are currently waiving their additional baggage fees in an effort to accommodate the new security restriction.  Please check with your airline for their policy.