Linda Mac's Orlando Adventures

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Hello from a very dreary and wet Walt Disney World. I am staying on the 4th floor in the 60's section at Pop Century for the week. I rented a camera lens for the AllEars Southwest Adventure By Disney and was hoping to practice with it this week. Since I checked in on Tuesday, there has been lots of rain. We had a storm come through on Tuesday afternoon that had some of the darkest storm clouds, yesterday it rained from about 4 pm till almost 11 pm and it has been raining for most of today. Although the rain has recently let up, the sky is still full of storm clouds. It's late in the afternoon and that's about the time the regular showers start. So I am not holding out too much hope for sunny skies today. I wanted to share some photos from the last few days, some are with the new lens and some with old one.

Pop Century afternoon storm coming in on Tuesday. The clouds were much darker then they appear in the pictures. Except for cropping, these are untouched photos. Talk about having a dark cloud over your head!

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Construction continues on the mystery project at The Contemporary Resort. I heard the rumors it will be a vacation club or a family suites hotel. I have also heard that the next DVC resort to be announced will be at Disneyland. Hmmmm......

On a side note: There has been no work started on future Tempo Grab and Go on the 4th floor that was set to temporarly replace the food court earlier this week. A source tells me that the change will not take place for at least another month. We will have to wait and see.

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The bus lanes at the All Star Movies Resort are currently being repaved. Temporary bus stops have been set-up in a section of the check-in parking lot for Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Guests traveling to other locations can now catch their buses to the left of the luggage assistance area.

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Happy Labor Day!

I am spending the next few days at the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas. Of all the new DVC units, I'm in a studio that is located right next door to where I stayed on opening day in July. Not that I am complaining but was just hoping for a different view to take photos from.

Today was Extra Magic Hour at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I decided to past on rushing over to the park once I walked out on the balcony around 7:15 am. Hope you enjoy the photos.

Note: The Sunset Savanna will be closed till mid September. I was told by an animal guide that the savanna will reopen when the animals learn to use the new barn. Each animal spends 2 hours a day in the barn for routine check-ups and supplements.

Breakfast time on Arusha Savanna. I would like to have that cast member's job.Reticulated Giraffes, Grant's Zebras, Ankile Cattle and an Eland were out this morning

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I spent a few days at All Star Sports earlier this week. The Surfboard Bay (feature pool) and Kiddie Pools are currently closed for refurbishment and are expected to open on October 5.

Buildings 1 and 6 in the Surf's Up section, where many rooms face the Surfboard Bay Pool are open but be warned there is alot of construction noise between the pool work and the rooms that are being rehabbed in Building 6. From what I was told, the guest rooms are being done in groups of 20 at a time instead of closing the entire building. Each building takes approximately a month to complete.

The room refurbishments will continue with Buildings 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, in that order. Buildings 8 and 9 in the Homerun Hotel section and Building 7 in the Touchdown! section are completed. And finally when the work reaches Building 10, many of those rooms are currently scheduled to be converted to family suites.

The Surfboard Bay Pool is expected to reopen on October 5th

Due to the close proximity of the pool work to the smoking area between Staduim Hall and the Laundry Room, it has been been moved while the pool work continues. The temporary spot is located between Building 6 and the Team Spirits Pool Bar

These signs were all over the resort. Seemed to work on Friday and Saturday night when the resort was full

The All Star Sports Resort began rehabing their rooms a couple of months ago. So far both Buildings #8 and #9 in the Homerun Hotel section are completed. And Building 7 in the Touchdown! section.

Two double beds with the newly designed bedspeads which are different from the new ones at All Star Music

Dresser and TV

Table and Chairs. The chairs are also different from the new ones at All Star Music. Nicer in my opinion. Unlike Pop Century, the high speed internet connection is still located across the room on the nightstand. If you stretch the cord as far as possible, it will reach the table area but you take the risk of tripping over the it.

Bathroom with the old Mickey soap

Newly designed curtains

Donald Duck artwork

All Star Sports is the only resort still using the Mickey Mouse Soap. They are expected to change to the new H2O blue bottles and round white soap in next few weeks when the current supply is exhausted.

Afternoon view of the Grand Slam Pool with the rain coming in

Parking for the Homerun Hotel section was very convenient. Notice it is raining to the left but the sun is out in the distance

The Gland Slam Pool at sunrise

Sunrise view of the Gland Slam Pool from room 8356

This was something new I notice throughout the resort. Using the chairs to show off your plush collection.

Building 7 in the Touchdown! section

I guess not everyone knows about the dryers in the laundry rooms. LOL

What an opening! People lined up at the ropes at Adventureland, the Liberty Square entrance near the hub and at Fantasyland. It was an Extra Magic Hour (EMH) day so guests waiting in Fantasyland were given priority. And there were plenty of them! Notice the first photo. I was coming from Liberty Square at rope drop. Had I known that EHM guests would get priority, I would have arrived earlier. Instead, I was lollygagging over at the Wilderness Lodge after I checked-in. By the time I reached the park at 8:45 am, they were not even checking for resort keys. So it truly wasn't an "hour" of Extra Magic for resort guests only.

The posted wait time when I arrived was 13 minutes. Nice touch that took me a few moments to get. The sign was soon changed to a 30 minute wait and I was still trying to get in the line. The new queue starts out by going through the area where the old FastPass machines were.

Two single pins were released for the opening. Each sold for $12.95 and were limited to 2000 pins. A boxed set of 4 pins that represented the 4 new portraits at the beginning of the attraction were sold for $55 and were limited to 750 sets. These pins change images when you move them just like the portraits change on the attraction.

After several short twisting queues, we reached the main queue area which went up, down and back up to reach the graveyard and mansion entrance. The line moved quickly and we were inside in about 20 minutes.

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT AHEAD. DO NOT LOOK/READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED AT THE HAUNTED MANSION CHANGES. PHOTOS AND DETAILS OF THE INSIDE OF THE ATTRACTION ARE BELOW THIS WARNING.

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT AHEAD. DO NOT LOOK/READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED AT THE HAUNTED MANSION CHANGES. PHOTOS AND DETAILS OF THE INSIDE OF THE ATTRACTION ARE BELOW THIS WARNING.

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT AHEAD. DO NOT LOOK/READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED AT THE HAUNTED MANSION CHANGES. PHOTOS AND DETAILS OF THE INSIDE OF THE ATTRACTION ARE BELOW THIS WARNING.

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT AHEAD. DO NOT LOOK/READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED AT THE HAUNTED MANSION CHANGES. PHOTOS AND DETAILS OF THE INSIDE OF THE ATTRACTION ARE BELOW THIS WARNING.

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT AHEAD. DO NOT LOOK/READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED AT THE HAUNTED MANSION CHANGES. PHOTOS AND DETAILS OF THE INSIDE OF THE ATTRACTION ARE BELOW THIS WARNING.

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT AHEAD. DO NOT LOOK/READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED AT THE HAUNTED MANSION CHANGES. PHOTOS AND DETAILS OF THE INSIDE OF THE ATTRACTION ARE BELOW THIS WARNING.

The first change you will notice is the audio in the stretch room. The voice of our Ghost Host is crisp and the speakers that surround you will make it seem like he is moving around the room. As the room "stretches" you now hear creaking noises. And the best part, you can clearly see the Ghost Host at the top of the room when he says "there's always my way".

Next up, at the very beginning of the ride there are now windows on your left hand side. They give you the impression there is a terrible thunderstorm outside. On your other side, there are four pictures hanging on the wall. As the lightning strikes, the pictures change dramatically. On my second trip through the Mansion, I was so lucky because I rode with Andrea who is better known to most readers as Anita Answer. I had run into Andrea, Jack and CC from AllEars after the my first ride. Anita Answer told me that the same scene is in Disneyland's Haunted Mansion but it is in a walk-thru part of the attraction. One portrait of Master Gracey goes from his human form to a rotting corpse as the lightning strikes.

As we continue on, there are new stairways on both sides and above you as you travel through the Mansion. Footsteps mysteriously appear on the steps as you are passing them. Very cool and a great improvement over the old spiders.

Another scene that seems to new to me are the bats. The eyes of bats are watching you and as you pass them, they blend into the wallpaper.

And finally, the attic scene features a collection of wedding gifts, personal items, and wedding portraits. In each portrait, the bride is featured with a different groom (Ambrose, Frank, Reginald, The Marquis, and George), who’s heads disappear. Just before leaving the attic, the haunted bride is seen floating in the air. As she raises her arms, a hatchet appears in her hands. I did not see the hatchet but was told about it by a Cast Member.

I hope you enjoy your next ride in the Haunted Mansion!

If you're looking for more information on the Haunted Mansion, Jason Surrell has written a great book on this attraction. The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies fleshes out how the Mansion's 999 grim grinning ghosts were brought to life. Rare early sketches and story concepts, and stunning architectural drawings illustrate the Mansion's evolution as it was constructed at each Magic Kingdom Park around the globe.
The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies

The Tutto Italia Restaurant , (the former L'Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante), in Epcot's Italy reopened on Monday (9/17/07) after a few weeks of sprucing up. Disney Dining will begin accepting reservations on Sunday, September 23, the original date they were scheduled to open.

TIP: For folks trying to find a table service meal in the near future, the reservations will be wide open for booking on Sunday. Many restaurants are completely booked because of the Free Dining Plan promotion that is taking place this month. During this "soft opening," you can enjoy lunch and dinner at “Tutto Italia” on a first-come, first-served basis.

Today's weather was so wonderful (mid-80s) that I decided to head over to Epcot to check out Tutto Italia, as well as the progress on the work for the upcoming Food and Wine Festival. After waiting for the rope to drop at the International Gateway with about 15 other people, I slowly headed over to Italy, stopping to take a few photos along the way. I live for times that I am almost totally alone in any area of any theme park.

It is always exciting to me when I can arrive first at anything new or updated in Disney so I can get photos from many different angles and hopefully come up with a few good ones. It was about 11:15 a.m. by the time I made my way back to Italy. The only exterior change I noticed was the name painted over the entrance to the restaurant. Even the sign that hangs over the doorway is the same but with the new name and logo inserted into it. A gentleman at the reception desk was very accommodating when I asked if I could take a few pictures of the dining room before the official 11:30 opening. Today however, the opening was closer to 11:45 a.m. and that is to be expected during any soft opening.

This was the first time I can remember being in this building when the room was not full of guests. Initially, I didn’t notice the changes that had been made over the past few weeks. It just looked cleaner and more open to me. The cast member from the front desk, whose name I truly wish I could remember because of his great guest service, pointed out some of the changes, which included: removing tables in the main dining area so it would not be so crowded, new carpeting, the colors in the wall artwork have been touched up, handsome partitions have been added to areas where servers enter the kitchen, and removal of the wall between the first group of tables you see when entering the dining room and the small room that looks out on the patio area. The removal of this wall was my favorite change because on a past visit, when the establishment was managed by Alfredo's, I was seated at the first table facing the wall and server's station. It was a real turn off for several reasons and I will leave it at that.

Another interesting change is where the pasta making room was just off the lobby. While it is still open for guests to enjoy watching chefs at work, now it is used for making appetizers and desserts instead of pasta. I was told, though, that the pasta is still homemade. There are bottles of wine and shelves with platters of towering lemons across the window, which makes viewing a little more difficult.

As I waited to be seated for lunch, I was taking pictures of the new menus while in the lobby. A woman approached me and somewhat shyly asked if all the pictures of the menus were for scrapbooking. In my travels, I do get a lot of odd looks for some of the photos I take, especially menus. As we chatted about Disney and cameras, I quietly explained that I was taking the pictures for an AllEars® update. It turned out Danielle and her husband Scott who were traveling with their two young children, are avid AllEars® readers. I believe I speak for every AllEars® Team Member in saying that we always enjoy meeting AllEars® readers. You may remember the review I did last year at my first food and wine pairing, which coincidentally was in Alfredo's, and it was AllEars® readers whom I had never met before who helped me get through it and then some. You guys are the best!

Time for lunch! I was seated at a table for two in the main dining room and next to a window so that I could just about wave at Danielle and Scott. Actually, I was peeking at choices they made for lunch since they were on the Dining Plan and their daughter was ordering from the child's menu. Luckily for them there was a window between us or I may have asked to take a photo of some of their food.

As soon as I was seated, my server Marco, who hails from Roma, Italy, was immediately at my table for my drink order. He was just wonderful throughout my time at Tutto Italia. The service I received was friendly, very attentive and professional. Kudos to Marco!

Lunch review and more to follow in Part 2.......

Tutto Italia's lunch menu offers 5 appetizers with prices starting at $8 for Pasta E Fagioli Soup to $24 for Antipasto Misto. The antipasto is large enough to share with your family. The salad choices are limited to the traditional Caesar Salad for $16 (you can add chicken or jumbo shrimp for an additional $3/$9) and Sicilian Tuna Confit Salad for $20. Only one sandwich is offered for lunch, the PLT Panino with Prosciutto ham, mozzarella, lettuce and tomato for $15.

I passed on the starters and went right for the main course, Lasagne "al forno", baked pasta with meat ragu, bechamel and parmesan $19. Entree prices begin at $19 with the most expensive, Tagliata di Manzo , a beef dish with fennel and arugula salad at $28. Side dishes are $8 and change daily; sauteed zucchini was offered during my visit. I did have to ask about the side dish/dishes of the day and was hoping for more of a selection.

The bread basket was served with several olives in a small dish topped with olive oil. Along side was an additional dish of olive oil. The three types of bread were: flatbread, sun-dried Italian bread and house bread. According to Davide, one the managers who stopped by my table several times, the house bread is flown in from a "famous bakery" in NY. It was the best of the 3. If you prefer butter instead of olive oil, just ask your server. Another nice touch - my water glass was filled with chilled water and no ice, a personal preference.

My lasagne (their spelling not mine) was tasty and full of meat in several layers. The portion was so large that I did not finish it. However, I was expecting the lasagne to be richer than it was since it included bechamel (a white sauce made with milk, flour and butter) in the menu description. The marinara sauce was light and tasty. I did request additional sauce which to me really improved the dish. The lasagne seemed to a popular choice with other dinners as well. Since many of us, myself included, are not experts in Italian cuisine I would like to see clearer descriptions of the menu items. For instance, I didn't realize Tagliata di Manzo was a beef dish until after I ordered the lasagne.

I purposely saved room for dessert but it was very hard to pick just one. At Davide's suggestion, I ordered the house specialty, Bugie/Chiacchere which is described as "Our signature Anis and Sambucca-flavored Crisp Pastry with Chocolate or Apricot Sauces" $10. To be honest, I wasn't sure what exactly I had ordered. Let me tell you, I thought it was mistake when the plate arrived since it was huge - enough for a small group! The selection was a perfect choice to enjoy with coffee or espresso especially if you don't want something so rich that you feel like you need a nap after lunch. The taste of the rich dark chocolate sauce on the sugar covered pastry took me back to my younger days when I frequented New York City's, Little Italy.

The most enjoyable parts of my dining experience included the attentive service and relaxing atmosphere. Sometimes small touches can make a meal special. For example, Marco served me a second soda with my Lasagne before I was finished with the first one and without waiting for me to request a refill. Very nice.

I like to take my time especially over dessert and coffee. This was not a problem at Tutto Italia. It is unbelievable how many times servers at other restaurants will plop down the check at the same time your dessert is served. Hopefully this great service will not change when word gets out that Tutto Italia is open and begins to book up. As a final touch, after Marco had picked up my signed credit card slip and thanked me, he returned a second time, a few minutes later, to say thank you again. That rarely, if ever happens.

After lunch, I stopped by to talk to AllEars® readers, Danielle and Scott. They were allowed to order the Antipasto (cost $24) as a single appetizer on the dining plan. Perhaps that will change but for now that is what I call really getting the most bang for your buck. The Antipasto was so large that I had noticed it from across the room on server’s tray! In addition to the Antipasto, they had the Pasta E Fagioli Soup ($8), Lasagne "al Forno" ($19) and Penne Caprese ($18). From the children’s menu their daughter had Mozzarella Sticks - fresh circular slices of Mozzarella that was lightly breaded and fried ($6) and Spaghetti ($9) as her entree. Everything on the children's menu is ala carte including the beverage. They gave a big thumbs up for the entire meal.

Tutto Italia is only a temporary restaurant. From what I have been told, a yet un-named quick service restaurant will be built across the courtyard in Italy. When that is completed, Tutto Italia will close for an extensive rehab and reopen with an entire new name, look and menu. Work is expected to be completed sometime in late 2008.

Overall, the food was good but pricey for lunch. The dessert was outstanding and that could be attributed to the fact that the only member of the Aldredo's kitchen team to continue working in the new restaurant is the pastry chef. I do look forward to giving Tutto Italia another try.

Finally, to answer a question that I have received a ton of emails about -- Sorry, Fettuccine Alfredo was not offered as of the day I visited.

You can read part one of my report on Tutto Italia, including photos on my previous blog.

Beginning at 1 pm today, the Epcot Food and Wine Festival Food Booths will open for a Cast Member preview. If it is set-up like last year, it should be open to everyone. I’ll find out in a little while.

Here are some pictures I took yesterday. Remy and Emile from the Disney-Pixar film Ratatouille are the featured characters in the signage. It’s very cute.

Here's a sampling of Disney's Halloween Merchandise that can be found around the parks and resorts.

Pirate and Princess costumes starting at $45 and accessories from $6

"Give Us Candy....... Or Else!" Merchandise

Mickey and Minnie Mouse Mini Globe $18.00

Picture Frame $18

Scrapbook $28 and Halloween Themed Scrapbooking Kit $15

Pumpkin Toppers $4.95

Mickey Ghost Topper $4.95

Clothing

Tinkerbell as a Witch - Knit Shirt $28. There is also a Tink Plush for $18

Pirates of the "Scare-ribbean T-shirt $19.95

Haunted Mansion Ghosts and Grave Stones are already marked down by 50%. Both light-up but the large one is very, very heavy.

Grim Grinning Ghost Grave Stone $29.95

Hitch Hitchiking Ghost $89.95

The T-Rex Cafe - A Prehistoric Family Restaurant is finally getting started at Downtown Disney. The Cafe was announced way back in February of 2006. To be honest, I had forgotten about it till I recently noticed a fence had been erected in the parking area near the Portobello Yacht Club and Fulton's Crab House. The T-Rex Cafe is owned and will be operated by Landry's Restaurants, Inc. Landry's also owns and runs the Rainforest Cafes at Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney's Marketplace. The new restaurant will be home to life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, a dig site and much more. The table service restaurant will feature waterfalls and geysers, and, as the name indicates, there will also be a retail shop.

The sidewalk along the parking lot between McDonald's and the Pleasure Island ticket booths is currently close. You can easily travel from the Marketplace by crossing the bridge near Fulton's and using the boardwalk along side of Cookes of Dublin and Raglan Road.

Wilderness Back Trail Adventure is the newest Segway tour offered by Disney. As a first time Segway rider I was nervous that I wouldn't be coordinated enough to keep up the rest of our group. I put that negative thought aside since this is Disney and headed over to the day parking area at Fort Wilderness to meet my fellow "Segwayers," Deb Wills, two very special new friends, Masayo and Nozomi from Japan, and Mike Newell from MouseWorldRadio.com and WDWToday Podcast.

We were booked for the 8:30 a.m. tour. It should be noted that you will need your own transportation to Fort Wilderness day parking area for this tour. Allow an additional 20 minute to take the internal bus from the day parking lot to the settlement area. If you book the 11:00 a.m. tour, Disney transportation is available.

We made our way back to Mickey's Backyard BBQ Pavilion and received a friendly Disney welcome from a our Adventure Guides, Ron and Frank. After signing waivers, picking out helmets, a short but informative safety video and some verbal instructions from Ron, it was time to get started. Frank and Ron were amazingly patient, helping each of us individually to get on to the Segways. It was very simple, but it did take a few minutes to get used to being on top of two wheels totally controlled by your body's movement.

There were 10 people in our tour (the maximum) and 2 guides, so the one-on-one time was excellent when it came time actually stepping on to the Segway X2 Personal Transporters. These particular Segways are equipped with heavy duty tires to handle the terrain at Fort Wilderness where we were going "off roading". We practiced for 15 minutes making turns, going in between plastic cones and down a small incline.

The second hour of the 2 hour tour was spent exploring the trails around Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge. Cameras are allowed on this tour but can not be used when you are on the Segway. There are a few photo opportunities so do bring a small camera with you. I really don't want to tell you exactly where we went because I think that would spoil a great part of the adventure. Sorry! I will tell that on one of the trails we encountered 2 or 3 deer only 15 feet away. That alone was worth the price of admission!!!!

I will give this tour an A+ for overall value, time on the Segway and the helpfulness of the our Adventure Guides, Ron and Frank, who really made the tour so enjoyable by sharing their knowledge of the resort and putting us all at ease riding the Segways.

Enjoy the photo gallery. At the bottom of the page you will find some facts about the tour to help you decide if it is for you and your family.

Photo Gallery of our Wilderness Back Trail Adventure on Saturday, October 27, 2007

Let the adventure begin as we made our way to Mickey's Backyard BBQ Pavilion

The special Segways were ready to go when we arrived.

Nozomi, Masayo and Deb Wills sign their waivers

Deb is showing off Masayo's Japanese Bear. This special little bear turns up in a lot of pictures I took this weekend.

Our fantastic adventure guides, Ron and Frank with Deb in the middle

Ron giving some final advice about riding our Segways. The pavilion where the safety lesson took place is right next to River Country.

Learning to Park. Trust me when I tell that dismounting properly is just as important as getting on the Segways the correct and safe way.

Ron giving us information about Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground

Nozomi during one of the photo opportunities

Halloween Decorations in the campground

How would you like to see this gang coming at you on Segways?

Cruising along the Trail.

Cinderella's Ponies

Deb Wills signing a copy of Open Mouse for Nozomi and Masayo after our Adventure

Happy Trails

Here are a few facts about the tour to help you decide if it is for you and your family. The Adventures tours may be booked for 8:30 a.m. or 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday and last 2 hours. Segway Adventure Tours can consist of up to 10 people and meet at Mickey's Backyard BBQ Pavilion in Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. The cost is $85 per person. 15% discounts are currently being offered to Passholders, DVC Members and Disney Visa Cardholders.

Guests wishing to participate in the tour must be at least 16 years of age and be accompanied by an adult if under the age of 18. You must weigh between 100 and 250 pounds to ride the Segways. Expectant mothers and guests with special needs may not participate due to safety reasons. Payment in full by credit card is required at time of booking. If you need to cancel your tour, you must do so at least 48 hours prior to the start of the tour to receive a full refund. Tours can be booked by calling 407-WDW-TOUR.

Magical Moments can and do happen when you least expect them. Last Sunday Deb Wills, Masayo and Nozomi ( from Japan) and myself were wandering around World Showcase when Masayo spotted Goofy near the seating area for the Liberty Inn.

When we all took a closer look not only was Goofy making a special surprise appearance but so was Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck, Pluto, Stitch, Baloo and Rakifi. WOW! Masayo and Nozomi’s enthusiasm for everything Disney is contagious! The three of us just turned into little kids and pretty much left Deb in the dust. Sorry about the Deb. She laughed at us and said "Go for it". What a good sport!

We were some of the first people to spot the characters just hanging around and took many wonderful photos. As more people realized what was going on, the character handlers started organizing lines. I tried to find out if this would be regular character meet and greet but really couldn't get any firm information. The cast member told me it was a one time event to surprise guests. Well, it was a magical surprise for us.

The last photos I posted of the T-Rex Cafe's construction site were basically fences and signs.

There is now a temporary walkway between Pleasure Island's Raglan Road and McDonald's on the parking lot side of the site.

Here are a few photos that will make you wonder if I was wearing a hard hat at the time I took them. (For the record, I was only in areas I was allowed to be in - cameras do magic these days, don't they?)

Let the MouseFest Magic begin. Having just returned from my first Disney MouseFest Cruise, I was sad to see that part of the "'adventure" come to an end since I was able to spend time with many old friends and made so many more new ones. This was my first Disney Cruise and many people have asked me if I enjoyed it. The answer is YES, YES, and YES! I wish I hadn't waited so long to give it a try. Let's just say there is already a reservation made for next year and I will be counting down the days. One thing great about cruising is you can relax and do absolutely nothing or you can keep going and going like the Energizer Bunny. I tried my best to do everything including Parasailing on Castaway Cay. I have a well desired nap penciled in for next Tuesday. There may be no crying in baseball but there is definitely no sleeping at MouseFest, at least for me.

I would like to share some photos from the first few Magic Kingdom meets. While I was too late to attend MouseFest 101 which I understand had over 200 MouseFesters, I did make it to Mike Scopa's 4th Annual Dole Whip Meet in AdventureLand and was shocked at the number of people who turned out for this annual event. My guess, there were 60-80 people gathered next to the Swiss Family Robinson Tree and some were tasting Dr. Scopa's Magical Elixir for the very first time.

Next up, Hidden Mickeys - Pirates of the Caribbean Meet. A group of 70 MouseFesters joined Steve Barrett, author of the Hidden Mickeys books and website. Steve was as well prepared as usual with information and photo hand outs for everyone so we could see what we would be searching for. Some of the Hidden Mickeys were to say the very least, very Hidden Mickeys.

The Castmembers at Pirates were very accommodating to our group by allowing us to have the left side queue all to ourselves so we could take our time checking out the Mickeys. As luck would have it, I ended up at the end of the line with Steve and just as we boarded our boat, everything came to a stop. I know that normally isn't a good thing but in this case it was for the 6 of us seated with the king of the hidden Mickeys. We passed the time by chatting and getting Steve's insight on Disney. When the attraction came back on line we felt like we were only people in Pirates of the Caribbean since there were no boats in front of us and the ones behind us were sent through without guests. PLUS the group received a FastPass to use on any Magic Kingdom attraction. Chatting with Steve Barrett in such an unexpected spot will always remain one of my best memories of MouseFest.

It is not too often I have to set my alarm for 4:15 am. The only time I get up that early is for an Adventure involving travel. Well, Saturday morning turned out to be an adventure in its own way. I was out the door by 5:15 am as planned. Not being a morning person, the first hour of my day was a big adventure. First stop was Deb Wills' resort to pick her up and head over to the Transportation and Ticket Center. Actually, I stopped for coffee at the local Hess Station before heading over to Walt Disney World.

The first sign of the marathon that I noticed was SR 536, which connects to Epcot Center Drive, was completely closed to inbound traffic right after the first exit on Disney property. Lucky for me that was my exit but I was starting to have second thoughts about my plans to drive to the Magic Kingdom parking lot instead of Epcot. It all worked out and we were at the TTC when the first runners came though. I should tell you that this was the first time Deb or I have been to the WDW Half Marathon so we were learning as we went along. For example, when we first arrived at the TTC it turned out we were on the wrong side of the road --- we wondered why we found such a great location that wasn't crowded. Anyway, had we not figured it out before the first runners came through we would have been unable to reach the monorail for Magic Kingdom. Since our 2nd viewing spot at the TTC was not very good, Deb and I decided to head over to Magic Kingdom, a great place to cheer on the runners.

There were a only few people on our monorail but the crowds were heavy once we arrived on Main Street. This whole adventure began to feel somewhat surreal to me for two reasons. The first was being on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom at 6:45 am. It was still dark but instead of being night, the sun would be coming up soon. I guess what I mean is watching Cinderella's Castle and Main Street go from night to day instead of the other way around was surreal. And the second thing that made the experience surreal was that it was FREE to enter the park. Yes, I said free to go into the Magic Kingdom. I stuck my ticket into the machine out of habit even as I was looking at the cast members waiving me in. My brain was still back in bed, I guess.

The sight of the castle and the sounds of the cheering crowds left me speechless. I wandered up Main Street and found that we were only allowed as far as the hub. Then it hit me, no one was staying in the park for free today. I didn't stay until the last runner came through but I am guessing it was timed so Disney could clear the park before it officially opened to the public.

At first, I was couldn't find a good spot to take pictures so I went to the Emporium and found I was the only person in the entire store. As time passed, the crowds started to thin out by moving over Epcot for the finish of the race. That allowed us the opportunity to get right by the rope and see the runners easily.

On a personal note to Michelle from MouseFanTravel.com, I did know it was you!!!

I hope everybody enjoys the photos and I will be posting more photos from the Finish Line in the next day or so.

NOTE: The Half Marathon route began at Epcot, went up World Drive, through the Transportation and Ticket Center, passed the Contemporary Resort, entering Magic Kingdom next to Tony's Town Square, up Main Street, into Tomorrowland, then Fantasyland and through Cinderella's Castle, into Frontierland, out by the Grand Floridian, back down World Drive, into Epcot's Future World and then to the Finish Line in the parking lot. Wow, I am tired just thinking it.

The Orlando weather was so picture perfect last weekend that I decided to visit the Caribbean Beach Resort to look for new updates (and get some exercise too). It is one of the prettiest resorts at Walt Disney World. But, as anyone who has stayed there will tell you, it is a large and spread out property.

So, with camera in hand, I set out to walk the entire property beginning at Old Port Royale. Unlike other Disney resorts where the check-in and luggage services are housed in the same building as the shops and restaurants, Caribbean Beach has them in two separate locations. Old Port Royale houses the gift shop, lobby concierge, counter service and full service dining. The Customs House is where you check-in, have lobby concierge, and luggage service.

My December blog has some photos of the renovations.

The last time I visited the resort in mid January, a new boardwalk had been completed and the rehab of the Old Port Royale feature pool had just started.

The new boardwalk begins near the Banana Cabana pool bar and winds around the pool area toward Trinidad North. Caribbean Beach is made up of several "villages", each named for a place in the Caribbean.

You can also access the bridge to Caribbean Cay (originally called Parrot Cay), a lush, tropical island which leads you to the Villages of Jamaica and Aruba as well as the promenade around the Barefoot Bay.

When the resort first opened, Caribbean Cay was bird sanctuary. Now, besides being the most direct route from Jamaica and Aruba to Old Port Royale, it's mainly used for recreational events like outdoor movie nights. It is also a great place to have an afternoon picnic or just relax in a hammock. I figured this was a good spot to start my resort trek.

Here are a few photos of Caribbean Cay.

It's time to leave Caribbean Cay and start my walk around the Barefoot Bay Promenade.

I headed into Jamaica to check on the temporary slide that was suppose to be at the village's leisure pool. Some folks still refer to these pools as quiet pools but they actually now called "leisure pools" by Disney.

Jamaica's slide still has not been installed. Currently, the only village pool that has a slide is Barbados. The first photo shows Building 45 in Jamaica and then a shot of Caribbean Cay from Jamaica's beach.

Next up, I'l make a brief stop for photos at Barbados and then on to the Old Port Royale Pool construction and the new boardwalk.

The rededication ceremony to honor the transformation of Spaceship Earth and the official reopening of the attraction took place at 8:45a.m. today in front of the Fountains of Nations. Epcot’s Spaceship Earth made a stunning background for the event.

A special area directly in front of the stage was roped off for approximately 75 Siemens executives and their guests. The crowds were very light so everyone had a great view.

2008 Ambassador, TC Newman spoke briefly.

She then introduced Billy Flanigan, the emcee and former Cast Member who worked at the attraction. You may remember Billy from the cast of Tarzan Rocks.

Next up, The Voices of Liberty performed "One Voice".

Jim Hunt, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts gave the dedication speech by talking about the upgrade including Project Tomorrow and the role Siemens will play in the world of tomorrow. "We're always looking at our attractions and determining how we can take them to the next level to our guests. How can we do what only Disney can do?" said Jim Hunt.

He went on to say "Today we celebrate Siemens and the long-term strategic alliance which brought two global brands, Siemens and Disney, together," Jim said. "All of us at Disney are thrilled that Siemens chose to have a major presence at Epcot, both at World Showcase, with IllumiNations, and here in this one of a kind Future World Spaceship Earth. Many of us have experienced Spaceship Earth before, but the alliance with Siemens, and the creative energy with our Walt Disney Imagineers have simply brought it to new heights."

He then introduced the President of Siemens One, Ken Cornelius. "A lot of what we do is so impactful to people's lives in industry, energy and healthcare. We thought it was important for people to know the company behind it," said Ken Cornelius. "On behalf of the 70,000 employees of Siemens in the U.S.A., and the 400,000 employees around the world, it's my distinct honor to represent Siemens at this wonderful dedication ceremony,"

Cornelius said. "Siemens' solutions for the future mix with Disney magic in a way that's truly cutting edge. Here, you see not just what the future can look like but directly interact with the attraction so you can see yourself squarely in that vision. This attraction is truly one of a kind." Mr.Cornelius also quoted Walt Disney "that is all started with a mouse".

20 Cast Members arrived on stage carrying the attraction flags and were followed by special guests Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck and Pluto.

Mr. Cornelius had the privilege of pushing the button for a small fireworks show to end the dedication of Spaceship Earth on this beautiful but somewhat overcast day at EPCOT.

California here I come!

What do California and the pool at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort have in common? Absolutely nothing. But I wanted to share a little info about my upcoming adventure. Think of the old expression about two birds and a stone. What a terrible expression when you think about it...

In any case, I will be heading to Disneyland in a few hours so I am currently running around like a crazy person taking care of last-minute details. My adventure will last about one week and I'm hoping to do some blogging from Anaheim. You can at least expect some photo galleries. After a few days of exploring the Disney parks and the surrounding area, I will be meeting Deb Wills and some of the Panama Canal cruisers when they arrive in California on Sunday. Laura Gilbreath, AllEars.Net Team Member and Disneyland expert will be joining us on Monday. A big THANK YOU to Laura for all the invaluable advice she has provided me for my trip planning. I am so excited about this adventure that I can hardly concentrate on anything else. This will be my first visit to Disneyland and Southern California since I was a teenager -- many moons ago!

OK, back to Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. Posting these photos of the Old Port Royale Pool construction has been on my to-do list, so here's another task that I can cross off. I have made several trips to the resort in the past few months so I could share some photos of the new pool as the work progresses.

Artist's Rendering of the Old Port Royale Feature Pool set to open in the fall of 2008.

December 2007 - The original Pool

January 2008 - Demolition Begins

February 2008 - Preparing the Area

February 2008 - Preparing the Area

May 2008 - The new structures start taking shape

May 2008

May 2008

May 2008

A new boardwalk was installed prior to the original Old Port Royale Pool closing in January 2008. The boardwalk stretches from the patio area behind the Banana Cabana Pool Bar to Trinidad North.

The Caribbean Beach Resort's marina has been left intact.

On another note, I have been hearing rumors that the hotel rooms are scheduled to be remodeled/updated in the next few months. The rehab will be done building by building so I am not expecting the resort to fully close when the work finally starts.

The construction of the main pool at Caribbean Beach is progressing nicely.

Here's a photo taken today:

Linda Mac, Michelle Scribner-Maclean, Mike Scopa and special mystery guest Steve Barrett were in the Magic Kingdom today to meet with fellow Disney fans.

LindaMac sends these photos from her Iphone:

More Photos Later.......

Swimmer Michael Phelps, who took home a record-breaking eight gold medals from the Beijing Games, celebrated his incredible accomplishments today at Disney's Magic Kingdom. The parade took place at 10:30 am and Main Street, USA was as busy as I have ever seen it for a parade. Disney handed out small American flags for guests to waive as Michael Phelps passed by. I felt an extra jolt of American pride running through my veins.

Michael Phelps has recently announced he will author a book about his road to Olympic history. Look for him to appear as the host of the season premiere of Saturday Night Live and as a presenter at the 2008 Video Music Awards in September.

I had planned to scoop out this spot but the media beat me to it. Look how happy the guys from Local 6 News (right side) were to be in front of camera.

Mickey Mouse along with two marching bands arrived in front of the castle to pick-up Michael Phelps.

Here's comes Michael on the arm of Minnie Mouse.

Michael and Minnie Mouse

The parade continued around the hub and in front of the castle -- as you can see the crowds are unbelievable.

A close up shot.

The parade made it all the way to end of the Main Street by the time I could find an opening to take a photo.

The parade passes by City Hall.

After the parade, a media event took place in the Rose Garden. I had a great location picked out with castle in the background but as the invited media began to set up I realized all I would get was photos of the back of their heads. Time for plan B. I moved to the back side of the Rose Garden and did the best I could. Hope you enjoy the photos of Michael Phelps being interviewed.

The Olympic Champion was also given the Key to the Kingdom by a local swim team, the South West Stars. He returned the favor by presenting each team member with a signed copy of Sports Illustrated featuring his image.

On September 16, 2008, Disney Vacation Club finally announced plans for the long-rumored Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort.

Bay Lake Tower Information Sheet and Photographs

The Bay Lake Tower Model is open at the DVC office at Saratoga Springs.

Here are photos of the Studio Model:

The layout of the studio (bedroom/living room) is a standard DVC floor plan except the kitchen has a twist to it. The kitchen area is no longer out in the open where you pass through it on the way to the living room. It is now set up like a butler's pantry or galley kitchen, long and narrow. The design is sleek and modern. The handle on far left of the photo is used to pull out the storage shelves. You will find the same thing in the 1-bedroom units only larger.

Here's the real twist to the newly designed kitchen area -- When looking in from the hallway, on the wall on your right is the kitchen (as shown above) but on the wall to your left is the bathroom vanity. It's in the same "room" as the kitchen. I could put an English Muffin in the toaster with one hand and brush my teeth with the other hand, all at the same. It is a little too close for me. Would it stop me from staying at the new resort. No way!

Let me just say, that most of my DVC stays are in studio units. So I am familar with many of the studio layouts at Walt Disney World. I have never found it odd that bathroom vanities are across from the studio kitchens because there is a walkway in between.

The shower/tub and toilet is in a seperate room when you first enter the studio.

On Friday September 26th, approximately 40 All Ears fans gathered to enjoy the Haunted Mansion and lunch at Columbia Harbor Place. The event was hosted by All Ears Team Members Deb Wills, Jack Spence, Barrie Brewer, Lisa Berton and myself, LindaMac.

Thanks to everyone who joined us and those who came by to say hello!!!