Walt Disney World: 2018 Recap!
Minisode: Disney California Food and Wine Recap – Week 2!
Minisode: Food and Wine 2016 – The West-Coast Return!
WDW Recap: Part 1!
WDW Report: Mexico Pavilion’s own King Kong!
This week, we are at Walt Disney World! This is always a treat for us since we live on the west coast so we do not take a trip to these 4 parks lightly. Robert’s favorite park is EPCOT and they’re in the middle of their 20th year of the Food & Wine festival in the World Showcase area of the park. Unfortunately, EPCOT’s guests have a bad reputation for taking advantage of the libations at the park and proudly wear their drunkenness on their sleeves (or matching t-shirts.) This year is no different, it would seem, as Robert took this video Sunday night which has since gone viral!
The guy climbing had been bragging to his friends that he would climb the stairs and one in his group said she would join him. So up they went! Well, he did, but she was quickly pulled down by Disney security. As you can see in the video, he made it to the top without being apprehended. Many online have wondered what happened after the video cuts out here, and we’ll post that upon Robert’s return! Unfortunately, he was able to snake down the side and away from security. Robert even saw him later with his friends before park closing. We’re not sure that he was ever caught and are waiting for some official statement from Disney about it. The strange thing is this isn’t the first time this happened. When I went in 2012, someone had tried to climb up the temple and I got this response on twitter:
@remainseatedpls Done it and did it when I was 8 years old when park first opened. — ERRT (@OFFICIAL_ERRT) November 11, 2015
Since that video and story went viral, we’ve been lucky (depending on how you look at it when one is on vacation) to be cited on several major news outlets. Here’s a fun one:
And since then, the Mexico pavilion has gone from looking as it always has: 
To looking more like this:
They’ve added some plants which I actually don’t mind but they’ve also included a theme-less sign here. This is at least the temporary fix that Team Disney Orlando has come up with but it will be interesting to see how it evolves from here. Robert mentioned there’s a security guard standing by as well. EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival comes to a close for 2015 on Nov 16th.
Stay tuned to the blog as we will be posting Robert’s full video here as well as podcasting about it next week as we return from our hiatus. What do you think about actions like this at Disney parks and does it affect your experience? Or have you seen this happen before at this or another park? Let us know in the comment section below!
Behind the Velvet Ropes
Yesterday at Disney California Adventure, a unique opportunity arose. As I made my way over to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, I noticed it was down. I walked up to the front and I noticed they were letting a few people inside. As I approached the bellhop, she said “Come in”. Inside they let us explore the lobby and library. We could really get close to these wonderful details that you would never notice on a normal day. Besides the up close experience, the bellhops did a great job conducting their tours describing facts and secrets. For instance, did you know that the couch and two chairs represent the ghostly inhabitants of that fallen elevator? The following are some photos I took. Unfortunately, I only had my phone, so the quality of the photos aren’t as nice as I would have hoped. Enjoy!
Throwback Thursday – Cranium Command at EPCOT!
I only went to WDW for the first time in 2012 so my knowledge about most things there is very limited — especially when it comes to classic and now legacy attractions like EPCOT’s “Cranium Command.” Today I was randomly scouring blogs and Reddit and found out about this attraction which occupied the Wonders of Life pavilion in Future World.
If you don’t know what “Cranium Command” was or want a simple refresher, according to Wikipedia, “It premiered on October 19, 1989; as of January 4, 2004 it began to operate seasonally, closing permanently on January 1, 2007.” You can take a look at WDW News Today‘s terrific video of one of the last showings of this attraction in 2005.
What a FUN attraction! It’s everything I loved about EPCOT when I saw it in 2012 and full of things many fans feel EPCOT is moving away from.
Sadly, here’s a recent look at what the pavilion is like during most of the year thanks to a brave YouTube-er that snuck in during the off-season:
When we went to Epcot, the pavilion was full of life as it was during Food & Wine. During the festival, it houses the Chase Card Lounge (closest I have come to being inside one of those fancy corporate lounges) as well as serving as the Festival Center for Food & Wine demonstrations, classes, shops, and more. It’s really a beautiful pavilion.
The strange thing is that while “Body Wars” has been dismantled and “Making of Me” has been removed, the theatre which houses Buzzy and “Cranium Command” remains intact!
And Buzzy still has a loyal fan base and is a sought-after commodity! Just check out the recent merchandise that has come out with this cranium commander:
With all this popularity, it makes one think about what the future of this attraction might be. Why keep the attraction intact? If it closed what’s now 8 years ago – why keep him around?
Here’s a theory I saw on a few blogs: does this look familiar to any Cranium Command fans?
How about now?
I bring this up because if you look at the trailer and premise, it’s pretty much the same idea as Cranium Command: your emotions are personified by characters driven by those very emotions.
It’s a timeless and relatable premise that Disney believes in. Is it possible that this attraction closed while this film was in development and refreshing this closed attraction was not outside the realm of possibility? If this film is successful (as most Pixar films are), there’s no reason not to keep this attraction around while the rest of Future World awaits a refresh.
What do you think? Is this an example of a film property layover you might enjoy? Maelstrom’s closure at EPCOT cause a bit of an uproar from the Disney Parks fans. However, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland was initially met with praise from fans of the old attraction because it was being resurrected.
It’s all speculation for now, but if you know any better than we do, let us know in the comments below!
featured image source: yesterland.com
Indiana Jones Adventure Turns 20!
Last week, Disneyland held two Annual Passholder event nights celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Indiana Jones Adventure. We were fortunate enough to attend the second night and it did not disappoint.
The check-in process was way swift and hassle-free. At the end of getting passes scanned and getting a wrist band, cast members were handing out great commemorative fliers with decoder cards. You can still get these cards by asking Cast Members at the attraction, FYI.
Walking in, the park had already closed for the regular operating day with Main St. remaining open for guests, so it was straight to Adventureland. For this event, Adventureland, Frontierland, and New Orleans Square were accessible to attendees. All of the attractions between them were operational as well.
The Rivers of America played Indy queue music and had an 11:30pm showing of Fantasmic. It was really nice seeing it all lit up in blue, purple and green lighting playing 1920-1940’s music through an “old radio”. From there, a majority of the Indy related events took place directly in front of the attraction with an awesome Tony Baxter hosted panel over in Frontierland.
In Adventureland, an awesome live band played. Poking around, I found out they all had the last name “Jones” and they wore fez hats! Unfortunately, I only heard them playing “Putting on the Ritz” while Indy had a ball around them (pun intended) but never got a chance to watch them play. Indy could be found conquering the infamous rolling boulder and interacted with guests. Mostly thorough pun. Walking around the area was a gypsy woman named Mara who tested our ability to avoid the eye of Mara. She was awesome.
Tarzan’s treehouse was used as a backdrop for “spontaneous” stunt shows which we missed every time. Heard it, ran over and missed it. Thank you internet for filling in that blank!
Towards the end of the night, we caught the awesome Tony Baxter panel. Tons of opening day footage, concept art, and unused media for the attraction were shown and talked about. Tony really conveys enthusiasm and love for this attraction and it was pretty awesome hearing him speak. We found out that they do not call the transports “Jeeps” and the writings on the walls are called Maraglyphis. The obelisk room has the initials of the all the imagineers that worked on the attraction with the last pair belonging to the Frank Wells, Disneyland president who died shortly before the attraction was completed.
After the panel, Fantasmic! started and I found myself alone as my group went to see the showing. So I walked around Adventureland. I found CMs handing out Safari style hats and grabbed one for myself. I then spent the rest of my night taking in the sights and sounds of one of my favorite spots in the parks. This is also where I ran into Mara. I had a blast talking to her.
I enjoyed this AP event so much! It was perfect and I have to agree with some twitter chat that it adds a little more value to being an AP holder.
Did you attend? If so, tell us about your experience! Would you like to see more events like this? I know I would.
Cheers!
*i
Photo Gallery: Club 33 (2010)
For “Throwback Thursday” this week, we decided to go WAY back to 2010!
In 2010, we got to visit Club 33 — FINALLY! We are so glad we did, looking back, because we were able to see the game room and the original entry way from when it opened. Both are now gone with last year’s refurbishment.
Take a look at our photos from that trip here. Do you have some favorite photos? Let’s seem them below!
Looking Back: Tower of Terror opens!
Yesterday, we reported on the 10 year anniversary of the DCA version of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Many could hardly believe that it had been 10 years, including us! But to sell just how long ago it was or to show just how far Disney California Adventure park has come in a relatively short amount of time, depending on how you look at it, I’ve compiled a list (thanks to the folks at yesterland, MiceChat and davelandweb) of 20 things available to guests about to ride the brand new E-ticket attraction!
1. The Timon and Pumbaa parking area was an option for guests
2. You could visit the golden dreams theatre
Check out the Golden Dreams film here:
Golden Dreams at DCA from Martins Videos on Vimeo.
3. Ride an orange stinger
4. Take a trip down Mulholland Dr.
5. Shoot up the MaliBoomer
6. Walk up to a shuttered “Hollywood and Dine”
7. Have a private entrance if you were staying at the Paradise Pier Hotel
8. Have McDonald’s at Burger Invasion Restaurant
9. Have a free tortilla
10. Watch “Seasons of the Vine”
Check out the “Seasons of the Vine” video here:
11. Play “Who Wants to be a Millionaire – Play It!”
12. Take a photo inside a real life postcard
Also visit:
DCA Mural Golden Gate Bridge Sunshine Plaza13. Shop at a California Zephyr
14. Eat some fish and chips on Paradise Pier
15. Take a photo at a location of your choice at Pacific Ocean Photo.
16. Take the kids to see the Playhouse Disney show
17. Stay late to see the Electrical Parade
18. Visit the bountiful valley farm
19. Check out Mulan’s Chinese New Year.
20. Shop at Greetings from California
