Hello to everyone!
As I have promised, I am going to write about my experience
going to Walt Disney World (I will type either Walt Disney World, or Disney
World). I know it has been a really long time, but I had to put together what all had happened on each day – and let me tell you, there was a lot that
happened on each day.
Since Disney is all about different types of stories and
fairytales and they always have a happy ending, I am going to tell you about my
Disney experience in a story about a girl’s dream that has finally come true. I won’t mention the girl’s name, and I will
call the group’s name the girl was in: Disney Clan. I will also add additional
information for certain things, I will be using hyphens (-) to add information
about certain rides, shows etc. The story I am about to write will be what
happened from day to day. I will write about what it was like to be in another
country and write about the food and the services.
Here I go:
Once upon a time there was a girl who dreamt of going to Walt
Disney World. All her life, it has been her lifelong dream to go to Walt Disney
World and experience the Disney magic.
This year, the girl’s aunt and uncle gave her and her family
the opportunity of a lifetime: To go to Walt Disney World! The members that all
went with to Walt Disney World decided to call themselves the Disney Clan.
After many months of being anxious as well as getting
prepared for the Disney trip, the day finally came to go to the airport. The
girl was very excited to go on the plane as she has not yet travelled on a
plane for longer than 2 hours. She had to first go through luggage check-in,
going through customs, waiting in a queue to board the plane. The girl didn’t
mind, she was just full of excitement.
Once the plane was in the air, the girl looked around where
she was seated on the plane. The girl realized that every time she went on the
plane, the air hostess on the intercom explained the safety of being on the
plane, and a video was also shown to show how to be safe on the plane should
the plane fly out of control. The air hostess’s showed where the exits are to
the plane and where the safety life jackets are. Afterward, the air hostess’s
sprayed the plane to disinfect the plane.
The plane first arrived at Heathrow airport, the Disney Clan
were tired and they still had to take a bus to get to Gatwick airport. When the
Disney Clan waited for the bus, they were outside and it was cold, cold, COLD! The
Disney Clan were extremely cold, even with all their wintry clothes on, in the
freezing weather. When the bus eventually came, the Disney Clan spent just
under an hour travelling to Gatwick airport, all tired and weary. When the bus
arrived at Gatwick airport, the Disney Clan made their way on to the plane, but
as they were walking towards customs/security, the girl noticed there were big
round glass jars for any donations to charities inside the airport, and there
were various country money notes in the jars. After spending a little amount of
time in the airport, the Disney Clan made their way to the plane for the next
plane ride to Orlando, Florida.
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| Top left: The girl and her sister on the aeroplane. Bottom left: The terminal at Orlando Airport. Top right: Food from the aeroplane. Bottom right: At Walt Disney World's Wilderness Lodge. |
The plane arrived at Orlando Airport and the girl bought
herself a Harry Potter t-shirt and Bertie Botts every flavour Beans at the
Universal Studios shop in the Orlando Airport.
When the Disney Clan first arrived at Walt Disney World,
they went to the hotel by the name of Wilderness Lodge Resort. There is a face
of a bear on the Wilderness Lodge building, but the girl was told that people
have to look at the building at a certain angle in order to see the face of the
bear. The girl shared a room with her sister – and everyone received their
magic band package, which included coupons/vouches. An example would be a $10
Meal Voucher at Planet Hollywood. There was a Dining Plan on the group’s magic
bands, but that was only activated after the first 2 days. Once everyone was
settled in their own rooms, everyone went to the Roaring Fork – a counter
service (Roaring Fork is also a service option to the dining plan package) within
the Wilderness Lodge – to have supper and the group all headed back to their
hotel rooms, all getting well rested for the next day ahead.
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| Pictures from the Wilderness Lodge Resort, except top right and left picture: those pictures are taken at the Roaring Fork. |
Here is what happened on each day:
December 11: The Disney Clan first started off their Disney
adventure and went to a character breakfast at Cape May Cafe, which is situated
at the Boat and Yacht Club. Before the Disney Clan could go to their dining
reservation, they first looked at the merchandise shop inside the Boat and
Yacht Club. The girl saw one of the main merchandise’s she wanted to buy...and
that was Minnie Mouse ears in a form of a headband, and a red bow added to the
ears. The girl also bought herself a Disney autograph book so Disney characters
can sign in the book. The girl noticed that there was a carousal of horses, and the whole carousal plus the horses was all made of chocolate!
When it was time to go to Cape May Cafe, the characters came out and welcomed the Disney Clan, and they were Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy. The girl was so excited to meet her very first Disney characters for the first time in her life. She said to herself that she will hug every Disney character she meets. The girl was happy to meet Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy that she barely ate any food, but no matter, she managed to eat enough to keep herself on her toes for the day. Cape May Cafe had a buffet to choose food from. The food ranged from fruit to breakfast cereals to even Mickey waffles – Cape May Cafe caters for all food allergies; an example would be that the Mickey waffles are egg and gluten free. After the Cape May Cafe, the Disney Clan visited Downtown Disney, Disney's Animal Kingdom, and also went to various Disney resorts.The Disney Clan looked at the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel, and in this resort, there to was a Christmas themed display that was made entirely of chocolate. The Disney Clan also visited Disney's Hollywood Studios, but they only went as far as the entrance to this theme park.
When it was time to go to Cape May Cafe, the characters came out and welcomed the Disney Clan, and they were Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy. The girl was so excited to meet her very first Disney characters for the first time in her life. She said to herself that she will hug every Disney character she meets. The girl was happy to meet Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy that she barely ate any food, but no matter, she managed to eat enough to keep herself on her toes for the day. Cape May Cafe had a buffet to choose food from. The food ranged from fruit to breakfast cereals to even Mickey waffles – Cape May Cafe caters for all food allergies; an example would be that the Mickey waffles are egg and gluten free. After the Cape May Cafe, the Disney Clan visited Downtown Disney, Disney's Animal Kingdom, and also went to various Disney resorts.The Disney Clan looked at the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel, and in this resort, there to was a Christmas themed display that was made entirely of chocolate. The Disney Clan also visited Disney's Hollywood Studios, but they only went as far as the entrance to this theme park.
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| Top left: The food the girl ate at Cape May Cafe. Top right: The girl sitting on a really comfortable chair at the Boat and Yacht Club Resort.. Bottom left: The chocolate display at the Boat and Yacht Club Resort. Bottom right: A view just outside the Boat and Yacht Club. |
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| Top left: The girl, her sister and brother, meeting Minnie Mouse. Top right: The girl, her sister and brother, meeting Goofy. Bottom left: The girl and her sister meeting Donald Duck. Bottom right: The girl and Goofy. |
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| Top left: The girl meeting Minnie Mouse. Top right: The girl meeting Donald Duck. Bottom left: The girl hugging Goofy as he was so thrilled to see the drawing the girl drew of him. Bottom right: The girl with her newly purchased Minnie Mouse ears and autograph book. |
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| Pictures from looking at hotels, these pictures are taken from the Swan and Dolphin Hotel. |
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| Pictures from different hotels: Swan and Dolphin Hotel and Contemporary Resort. |
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| Top left: The Disney Clan by Hollywood Studios. Top right: A view of the Tower of Terror ride on the way to Hollywood Studios. Bottom left: By the entrance of Hollywood Studios. Bottom right: A view of Walt Disney World on the way to Hollywood Studios.. |
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| Pictures that are taken at Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney, except top left picture which is from the Contemporary Resort. |
December 12: The Disney Clan went to the Magic Kingdom. The
girl loved that the cast members called her “princess” whenever they greeted
her, or if she asked for directions in the parks. This did make the girl feel
special. The girl was called “princess” on most days for the rest of the trip.
The rides the Disney Clan did go on were the following:
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train; The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh; It’s a Small
World; Splash Mountain; Prince Charming Regal Carousel; Big Thunder Mountain
Railroad; Jungle Cruise; Haunted Mansion; Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin; The
Magic Carpets of Aladdin; Pirates of the Caribbean; The 3D Concert Movie: Mickey’s
PhilharMagic; Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor; Tomorrowland Transit Authority
PeopleMover. The group also went on the Disney Monorail that rode throughout
the Magic Kingdom. On some of the rides, there are pictures taken while people
are on the rides, and they can retrieve their photos using their Magic Band. As
for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride, once someone/group of people have
finished the ride, they can use their Magic Band to receive their photo of them
on the ride, as well as a video of the person/people on the ride.
The Haunted Mansion was one of the best rides the girl went
on. Firstly, you enter a room where they are gargoyle statues, and a ghoul’s
voice is spoken in a creepy tone. He speaks about how things are not what they
seem to be, and it appears as though either the floor is moving or the walls
are moving to reveal the four pictures on the wall are not what they seem to
be. At the end of this intro, the ghoul’s creepy voice says that there is no
way out this room as there are no doors, and then suddenly lightning is struck
at the roof of this room and you hear the ghoul laugh in a creepy tone. You then exit the room and you then climb on a Doom
Buggy ride. During the ride, the ghoul’s voice is back, but to guide you through the
ride and he also asks that no flash photography is to be used as this might
scare the spirits. You then take a ride down a hall which has canvases, but
they are not what they appear to be, then you go past a library with busters
watching you, and you see instruments being played, but there is no one there...only silhouettes,
and someone knocks on the doors that you see...but no one is there...you can
see though, shadows. During this ride, you see glowing eyes staring at you,
creepy music and disturbing voices. The ride then slows down and you see the
medium, Madame Leota, who speaks to the spirits and lets you know that spirits
are nearby. You then come across what looks like a haunted party in the grand
ballroom and you see ghosts dancing and having a feast by a large table. There
are two paintings here that show one ghost man in each painting turning to
their side and have a duel against each other. You then slowly ride into a
graveyard with overflowing specters and ghosts happily singing the haunting
anthem “Grim Grinning Ghosts” as a cemetery watchmen and his dog shiver in
fear. Lastly, before you exit, the ghoul’s voice is back and states that
hitchhiking ghosts have chosen you and will follow you home, but not before
they perform ghoulish pranks to keep you in good spirits.
The Pirates of the Caribbean ride takes you on an adventure
to find out where Captain Jack Sparrow is. You start off by climbing into a
boat, and then as you set sail to go and see the pirates, you come across a
deserted little beach with a mermaid skeleton, and then as you go along the
waters, you swoop down a rushing waterfall and yes, you get wet – the girl and
other members from the Disney Clan got wet and the girl found it funny that her
cousin, when it was total darkness, that he thinks he can see a waterfall
coming, and most of the Disney Clan all said “No!” and then they went down the
waterfall and got wet – and then your boat sets sail for you to see various
pirates, and you may just catch a glimpse of Captain Jack Sparrow from the
Pirates of the Caribbean film series as you ride along on your pirate journey.
You will also hear the classic pirate anthem “Yo Ho, Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for
Me)” while on the ride. You’ll come across a shadowy bay, where a fort and a
12-gun galleon – which is helmed by Captain Barbossa – are busy in battle. You
then ride past a crowded marketplace where scallywags are gleefully bidding an
auction for a bride. You then travel past looters and buccaneers who sing a
song as flames flood a seaside town. Lastly, you ride past a jail cell that
shows pirates trying to lure a dog who has keys in his mouth to the jail cell. At
the end of the ride, you see Captain Jack Sparrow sitting on a chair, gleefully
surrounding by jewels, and then the ride is finished.
One of the shows the girl also enjoyed a lot was the Monsters,
Inc. Laugh Floor show. As the Disney Clan entered this show, the camera
immediately focused on the girl’s mother, father and brother, who were in shock
as they did not expect that to happen. Throughout the show, the camera focused on
about 4 of the same people, and sometimes on other people as well. Mike from the Monsters Inc. film came to the stage and basically assigned 4 people as follows: Mike
(the girl’s uncle), “that guy” (A man that was in the crowd), Randall (a young
boy who was in the crowd) and the guy that just dances (the camera focused on
this guy and was told to dance, and he just got up and started dancing).
The Prince Charming Regal Carrousel ride was basically a
carrousel of royal horses from the Disney film Cinderella, and the carrousel
rode around in a circle that lasted a few minutes.
The Splash Mountain ride was the longest ride the girl has
ever been on, but she enjoyed every second of this ride. You start off by
climbing in a log-like ride and then you start off to a thrilling 5 story
splashdown. During the course of the ride, you follow the story of Br’er
Rabbit, and Br’er Bear and Br’er Fox are in hot pursuit of Br’er Rabbit and
they will do anything to catch him. The 5 story adventure is set in these 5
criteria’s: Critter Cave, the Fishing Place, the Old Swimming Hole, Br’er Fox’s
Lair and Br’er Rabbit’s home in the briar patch. Towards the end of this ride,
you go down a waterfall and get wet with what the cast members said was magic
water.
All the other rides the Disney Clan went on this day was a lot
of fun and full of excitement, the Haunted Mansion was just one of the best
rides the girl went on.
There was also a Festival of Fantasy Parade the Disney Clan
saw. The girl couldn’t believe how amazing the parade was. She saw her
favourite characters from various Disney movies such as Ariel, Cinderella, Rapunzel,
Elsa and Anna, Maleficent in her dragon form and Belle and Beast. After
watching the Festival of Fantasy Parade, the Disney Clan went on the ride
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover that went around the Tomorrowland section
of the Magic Kingdom Theme Park. Before leaving the Magic Kingdom, the girl,
her mother, father and her brother stayed behind as they all went to go meet
Buzz Lightyear. When a character signs in the autograph book, they usually
write their signature in the autograph book, but instead of signing in the
autograph book, Buzz Lightyear shows you that he stamps his name in the
autograph book.
Once back at the
Wilderness Lodge Resort, for dinner, the girl and some people from the Disney
Clan went to the Whispering Canyon Cafe, which is located within the Wilderness
Lodge Resort. The girl was not sure what to order as most of the food on the
menu had meat in the meals. The girl asked the cast member if she could order vegan
pasta instead, the cast member said that won’t be a problem. The girl noticed
that the cast member did not give her a confused look or argue with her about
her meal choice. At the Whispering Canyon Cafe, it is a bit different to most
Disney restaurants. Here are a few things the girl was told, and experienced
while at the Whispering Canyon Cafe:
No one is allowed on their cell phones/tablets/electronic
devices; if someone asks for ketchup, the cast member will shout “WE NEED
KETCHUP!” and the table who has all the ketchup bottles has to bring the
ketchup bottles to the table that wants ketchup and only one table has all the
ketchup bottles; The serviettes gets thrown on the table as people sit down at
their tables; if someone orders a milkshake/smoothie/any drink in a jar, it is
bottomless, but if the jar is nearly empty, the cast member will refill the jar
automatically; At a certain time in the restaurant, music is played and the
children ride on stick horses – that is provided by the cast members in the
restaurant – around the whole restaurant and the people sitting at their tables
take their serviettes and swing them in the air as the children pass them; If
someone asked for something that is not on the menu, the cast member may bring
something a little strange: An example would be the girl’s friend liked the
cream that was topped on his milkshake, so he asked the cast member if he could
have just the whipped cream for dessert. The cast member gave a strange look,
but he went off with everyone else’s dessert orders. When the cast member came
back, he asked the girl’s friend to open his hands, and as he put out his hands
the cast member took out a can of whipped cream and sprayed the cream on the
girl’s friend’s hands. The Disney Clan that all went to the Whispering Canyon
Cafe found this hilarious, even the girl’s friend laughed about the cream on
his hands.
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| Top left: The girl and her friend at the Magic Kingdom. Top right: Some members of the Disney Clan on the Splash Mountain ride. Bottom left: Some members of the Disney Clan going down the water slide on Splash Mountain ride. Bottom right: Some members of the Disney Clan after going down the water slide from Splash Mountain. |
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| Top left: The girl just stopping for a picture on her way to the Haunted Mansion ride. Top right: Waiting in the queue for the Haunted Mansion ride. Bottom left: In the queue for the Haunted Mansion ride. Bottom right: The graveyard after going on the Haunted Mansion ride. |
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| Top left: Town Square Theater. Top right: Waiting in line for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Bottom left: A view of Rapunzel's tower. Bottom right: A grass cut out of Alice from Alice in Wonderland. 3rd Top left: The girl in front of the Magic Kingdom. 3rd Top right: The ride Prince Charming Regal Carousel. Bottom left: The Magic Kingdom. Bottom right: The Pecos Bill Tall Inn Cafe. |
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| Top left: A Cinderella statue on a fountain in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom theme park. Top right: Walking towards the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Bottom left: Going on the Jungle Cruise ride. Bottom right: The entrance to the The 3D Concert Movie: Mickey’s PhilharMagic. |
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| Top left: A view of Peter Pan's Flight ride. Top right: The girl bought herself a Mickey's ice cream sandwich. Bottom left: A picture of what the Mickey ice cream sandwich looks like. Bottom right: The girl with her very first Mickey ice cream sandwich. |
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| Pictures of the Disney's Festival of Fantasy Parade, except for the bottom left and right pictures. Bottom left: The entrance to Tomorrowland. Bottom right: The entrance to Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor in Tomorrowland. |
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| Top left: Picture taken from the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Top right & 2nd left picture: The girl meeting Buzz Lightyear. 2nd right picture: At Tomorrowland by the Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Bottom left: A vegan pasta at the Whispering Canyon Cafe. Bottom right: A bottomless milkshake at the Whispering Canyon Cafe. |
December 13: The next day, the Disney Clan went to Hollywood
Studios.
The rides the girl went on are the following: Toy Story
Midway Mania; The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror; Rock ‘n Roller Coaster
Starring Aerosmith; The Great Movie Ride. The girl also saw the following
shows: For the First time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-A-Long Celebration; Lights,
Motor, Action! Extreme Stunt Show; Fantasmic; Muppet Vision 3D; Voyage of the
Little Mermaid. When the Disney Clan arrived at Hollywood Studios, they all
first went to the Toy Story Midway Mania ride as this is one of the most
popular rides in this Theme Park. While in the queue, the girl met the Green
Army Soldier from the Toy Story movie series. On this ride, you sit with
another person in what looks like a carnival themed ride tram, put on 3D
glasses, and you also have a spring-action shooter which you shoot 3D objects
which move around, and you go up against the person sitting next to you to see
who shot the most objects after the ride. You shoot objects – plates, balloons
– and you are also guided on what to shoot or aim for mostly to get higher
points with the help of the cast of Toy Story from the Disney Pixar films.
The next ride the Disney Clan went to was The Twilight Zone
Tower of Terror ride. Some members of the Disney Clan did not want to go on The
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride, so some members stayed at a bench with a
table, while the rest of the Disney Clan went on The Twilight Zone Tower of
Terror ride. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride was one of the best rides
the girl had been on throughout Walt Disney World. The group of people who were
going on the same ride all went into a room where a TV show explains how a
family of 5 stepped through an elevator, and then once the elevator reached the
11th floor; they were struck by lightning and vanished. You are then
able to go on the ride itself. This ride however, is an elevator, and you do
not climb into anything.
While on the ride, the elevator ascends to various floors,
letting the riders witness the bizarre and unsettling nature of the hotel as
they travel the realm of the real world and further into what is called the “5th
Dimension”. The voice who speaks while on the ride is by Rod Serling. The
riders are told by Rod Serling what had happened to the 5 people all those
years ago, and then suddenly, the ride’s sequence begins and drops at such a
speed that the riders are nearly out of their seats – luckily everyone is
buckled in their seats. Once the ride is finished, like most rides, the people
are lead into a gift shop based on the ride they just went on. Much like the
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, people can retrieve the photo of them on The Twilight
Zone Tower of Terror ride, as well as a video of the people on the ride. The
Disney clan members, who went on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride, then
went on the Rock ‘n Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith ride. The Rock ‘n Roller
Coaster first rode off at such a fast speed, everyone who was on the ride had
to keep their heads back. There are rules though, for precautions of this very
speedy ride. The girl and some of the Disney Clan decided to go see For the
First time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-A-Long Celebration, while the rest of the
clan went to the ride Star Tours – The Adventure Continue ride.
All the other rides the Disney Clan went on was also just as
exciting as all the rides they have all already been on, but the one ride the
girl found the most exciting for this day was The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
ride.
The other characters the girl met were Jake from Jake & The Neverlands Pirates and Sofia from Sofia the First while the Disney Clan went
to go have lunch at the ABC Commissary. The food the girl ate at the ABC
Commissary was an Asian salad, but she excluded the meat in the salad. After
lunch, the Disney Clan decided to separate and meet at the Hollywood & Vine
restaurant as this was part of their dining plan. The girl’s sister wanted to
go and buy a Tower of Terror t-shirt. The girl went off with her two friends
and her sister, who all walked around Hollywood Studios first. Just before the
girl went to the Hollywood & Vine restaurant, she met Daisy Duck. After the dining reservation at the Hollywood & Vine, the Disney Clan went to the show Fantasmic – which is a must see show at Walt Disney World. The fireworks,
the stories, the lights, everything about the show Fantasmic is unbelievably
magical! What is amazing as well is all the glow wands and hats that have ears
on that glow, all changed colour according to the whole show of Fantasmic – the
Disney Clan walked around after Fantasmic and looked at The Osborne Family of Dancing Lights
presented by Siemens before heading back to the Wilderness Lodge Resort.
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| Top left: The Sorcerers Hat that was still up at Hollywood Studios . Top right: The entrance at Hollywood Studios. Bottom left: One of the lamp posts that was Christmas themed. Bottom right: The Carthay Circle store. |
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| Top left: Entrance to Animation Courtyard . Top right: The girl meeting the toy soldier from the Toy Story film series. Bottom left: Heading towards the Tower of Terror ride. Bottom right: The Hollywood Tower of Terror building. |
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| Top left: The girl meeting Jake from Jake & The Neverland Pirates . Top right: The girl meeting Sofia from Sofia the First. Bottom left: The girl meeting Daisy Duck. Bottom right: The Muppet fountain just next to the Muppets Vision 3D. |
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| Top left: At the Frozen Sing-A-Long Celebration. Top right: The entrance of the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show. Bottom left: Heading to The Great Movie Ride. Bottom right: Walking through the streets of Hollywood Studios and seeing the Osbourne Lights. |
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| Top left & right picture: Watching the Lights,
Motor, Action! Extreme Stunt Show. 2nd left and right picture: Going to watch Fantasmic show and then at the Fantasmic show. Bottom right & left picture: At the Hollywood & Vine restaurant. |
December 14: The Disney Clan woke up a bit later as they had
a breakfast reservation at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom Theme Park –
which is a character breakfast with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet
– which was on the dining plan. The girl was happy to meet these characters. The
first character that came to meet the Disney Clan was Eeyore, then Piglet, then
Tigger and lastly, the title character, Winnie the Pooh. When meeting Winnie
the Pooh, the girl thought the cast member who was with Winnie the Pooh was a
bit mean as the cast member rushed the Disney Clan for taking photos with
Winnie the Pooh that no one could really spend time with Winnie the Pooh. This
was the only time when the girl thought that this experience was not pleasant;
she thought maybe the cast member was just not having a good morning. Throughout
the character breakfast, the girl did find it really nice overall and had a
great time at Crystal Palace.
After the character breakfast, the Disney Clan went on the
Walt Disney World railroad ride next where it took them to the different stations
throughout the Magic Kingdom.
After the Magic Kingdom, the Disney Clan then went to play
mini golf at Winter’s Summerland and Miniature Golf. Two people from the Disney
Clan did not play, but the one person came along to play mini golf. The other
person was keeping an eye on the Disney Clan’s bags (which wasn’t so much fun).
The girl really did enjoy playing mini golf; it was fun to play with her team.
All their laughter and fun playing the different obstacles on each 18-hole mini
golf course.
After returning to the Wilderness Lodge Resort, the Disney
Clan rested for a bit, and then went out to EPCOT to see IllumiNations:
Reflection of Earth – a celebration of fireworks that show the past, present
and future of the Earth. Before the
fireworks started, the Disney Clan (some of the people from the team stayed at the
resort as they were not feeling well), went to the ride Spaceship Earth. The
ride was inside the giant golf ball at EPCOT. On the ride, there is an audio-animatronics
in the seat you listen to, who is voiced by Judi Dench. The ride starts off by
going up a slope, a camera then takes a photo of everyone in their seats. The
ride shows everyone about how communication has evolved over the years. Near to
the end of the ride, you and the person sitting next to you gets to create your
own future you want to live in, by touching the screen in front of you. You
answer some questions in order to create your own future.
After the Spaceship Earth ride, the team went to Club Cool
hosted by Coca-Cola, where you can taste beverages that are from different
countries. The girl loved the Fanta Pineapple from Greece and Inca-Kola from
Peru. The one beverage that did not taste so nice for the girl was the Beverly
from Italy. The girl was told that after the people in Italy eat food, they
drink the Beverly beverage to cleanse their body.
After Club Cool, the team went to see the fireworks at the
IllumiNations: Reflection of Earth. The girl found the IllumiNations fireworks unbelievably
amazing! The girl found the story of the past, present and future with the
combination of the fireworks was absolutely fantastic! The girl thought the
IllumiNations: Reflection of Earth is a definite must-see when people want to
visit Walt Disney World. After the IllumiNations show, the Disney Clan all went
back to the Wilderness Lodge Resort and all went to bed to store some more
energy for the next day.
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| Top left: The girl meeting Eeyore. Top right: The girl meeting Winnie the Pooh. Bottom left: The girl meeting Piglet. Bottom right: The girl meeting Tigger. |
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| Top left: The entrance to Crystal Palace. Top right: Inside Crystal Palace. Bottom left: Entering the Crystal Palace. Bottom right: A Tigger display as you enter Crystal Palace. |
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| Pictures of going on the railroad ride. |
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| Pictures taken at the Winter’s Summerland and Miniature Golf. |
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| Top left: A picture of the girl and her sister on the Spaceship Earth ride. Top right: The fireworks at the EPCOT's IllumiNations: Reflection of Earth. Bottom left: The girl and her sister by the EPCOT ball. Bottom right: At Club Cool in EPCOT. |
December 15: The Disney Clan went to Animal Kingdom. The
rides the Disney Clan went on were the following: DINOSAUR; TriceraTop Spin;
Kilimanjaro Safaris; Expedition Everest (rode the ride twice); Kali River
Rapids. The shows the Disney Clan went to see were the following: Festival of the Lion King;
Flights of Wonder and It’s Tough to be a Bug. The first show the Disney Clan
went to see is It’s Tough to be a Bug. The show made you believe that there were
actually bugs in the show, as you feel movements where the people are seated.
Another example would be when the ant, Flik, introduced the audience to a stink
bug, and the audience could actually smell the stink from the stink bug. The
next ride the Disney Clan went to was Expedition Everest. Some members from the
clan went on this ride twice. The ride starts out by going up a small roller coaster hill, and then the ride speeds up, but then suddenly you go up a
long hill that is high enough so you can see the other theme parks. As you go down
the slope, the ride speeds up, which then comes to a stop as you cannot go
further because the tracks are broken – it is due to the Yeti breaking the
tracks – the ride then goes backward until you see a silhouette of the Yeti breaking
the tracks. You then go through 2 tunnels and the last one you see the Yeti with
his arm out reaching for you. Another ride was the Kilimanjaro Safaris ride that
takes you on an adventure to see wild animals in their natural habitat – and
these animals really are in their natural environment and living in what looks like a sanctuary, the girl thought – and if you take a
list of all the animals in this sanctuary, you can tick off which animals you
see during the course of the ride. The girl was happy to see these animals as
she finds the animals in Animal Kingdom do be in, again, a sanctuary and not
imprisoned. One last ride to discuss was the DINOSAUR ride, but before this
ride, some members, including the girl, of the clan went on the TriceraTop
ride. A few members from the clan did not go on the DINOSAUR ride as the two
youngest members might have been frightened by the darkness and the dinosaurs
from the ride. Before going on the DINOSAUR time rover, you go into a room that
shows a video of Dr. Marsh telling the audience that they will board a time
rover, and then Dr. Seeker interrupts her and he informs the audience that he
plans to set the audience to a time towards the late Cretaceous so that Dr.
Seeker and the audience can save Aladar - from the Disney movie, Dinosaur. Dr. Marsh then argues that the mission
is too dangerous as this was the time where the meteor killed the dinosaurs. Dr.
Seeker then tells the audience that it’ll be alright and they will not be affected
by the meteor shower. The audience then go on the time rover and see a whole
lot of dinosaurs - which was a Styracosarus, Alioramus who is busy eating a Palaeosaniwa, a mother Parasaurolophus, a Velociraptor, Saltasaurus, flying Cearadactylus, Compsognathus and the one dinosaur that the audience needs to avoid...the Carnotaurus. After the DINOSAUR ride, some of the clan went on the Kali
River Rapids. After this ride, the clan went to do their own thing within the
Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and then all agreed to meet up at their dining reservation called
the Rainforest Cafe. The girl went on her own and went to meet the stars of
Walt Disney World and Disney itself – Mickey and Minnie Mouse! The girl was
super happy to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse – even though the girl did meet
Minnie before – they signed the girl’s Disney’s autograph book. The girl also
showed Mickey and Minnie the pictures she drew for them. Mickey happily signed
the picture the girl drew of him (Minnie signed the picture of her when the
girl went to Cape May Cafe. The girl told Minnie this, and Minnie did give an
indication that she forgot about Cape May Cafe).
The Rainforest Cafe the girl went to with the Disney Clan,
felt like an actual rainforest. There was thunder sounds, shooting stars and
animals that moved and made sounds after every 30 minutes. When the Disney Clan sat at their reserved seats, the girl quickly ran out of the restaurant and went all the way to Dinoland to go and buy a Minnie Mouse toy who was dressed as Sally from the Disney movie The Nightmare Before Christmas. The girl wanted a Sally toy, as well as a Minnie Mouse toy, but instead found the two combined. The girl looked at
the Rainforest Cafe menu once she came back to the restaurant, but didn’t seem to see any food dishes that had no
meat in them, so she asked for the chef to help her. The chef came out and was
very kind and helping towards the girl. The food the girl ordered was pasta
that was off the menu, but instead of the meat and cheese, it was vegan pasta
that excluded all animal products. There is, however, a natural burger off the
menu. The girl just did not realize that. When a dessert called a volcano is
ordered, the cast members shout “VOLCANO!”, so the girl decided to order the
volcano, which she shared with her father and cousin. As the Disney Clan exited the Rainforest Cafe, the girl realized that
there was no one in the park. She did though; realize that the park was closed.
The park was empty, and that is not something someone sees at Disney parks
regularly.
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| Top left: A picture of the girl at Animal Kingdom. Top right: At the entrance of Animal Kingdom. Bottom left: A picture of the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom. Bottom right: A picture of the ride Expedition Everest. |
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| Top left: At the Lion King show. Top right: On the Kilimanjaro Safaris ride. Bottom left: Walking by the Dinoland in Animal Kingdom theme park. Bottom right: The girl taking going on the DINOSAUR ride. |
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| Pictures of the girl meeting Mickey and Minnie Mouse at Animal Kingdom. |
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| Pictures taken at the Rainforest Cafe. Bottom right: The girl sitting by the frog just outside the Rainforest Cafe. |
December 16: The Disney Clan went to EPCOT the next day.
EPCOT stands for: Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. The rides the
Disney Clan went on at EPCOT were the following: Soarin’; Test Track Presented
by Chevrolet; Journey into Imagination with Figment; The Seas with Nemo & Friends; Living with the Land. The Soarin’ ride is when you are strapped in a
seat which is in a row of about 7 – 9 seats. The Soarin’ ride takes you on a
journey through different areas of California, and it makes it look like you
are actually soaring through the sky – you can also meet up with a hang glider
– it also feels like you are snow skiing down a mountain, being in a hot air
balloon and even soaring over a golf course. The ride ends off with the
audience soaring over Walt Disney World. The next ride the Disney Clan went to
was Test Track Presented by Chevrolet. On this ride, you first go into a room
where you, amongst other people, design your very own car. You can design how
much power, capability, efficiency and responsiveness you would like your car
to be. Once you have completed designing your car, you then go on the Test
Track ride. You go on the Test Track ride with you, your partner – if you want
to – and another one or two people who also designed their own car. The ride
then tests your car compared to the other person’s car on how they compare with
efficiency, power, capability and responsiveness. Finally, the ride’s speed
increases to test how fast your car is. At the end of the ride, you are told
which car was the best for the ride. There is a shop located at the exit of the
ride. The next ride the Disney Clan went on was the Living with the Land ride. This
ride focuses on greenhouse gases and technology that can make agriculture more
efficient and environmentally friendly. You go on a boat ride and there is a
narrator speaking, who is talking about how agriculture is done. You also go
through 5 distinct areas in the “Living Laboratory”, and they are: Tropics
Greenhouse, Aquacell, Production Greenhouse, String Greenhouse and Creative
Greenhouse. In these distinct areas, you can see plants that are growing from
trees, how some animals can help agriculture and how we can make agriculture
more productive. The plants have been grown in sand, coconut, rockwool and
perlite. This is a slow ride as you do see many different types of agriculture
and how agriculture will be more efficient in the future. The Disney Clan then
went to the Journey into Imagination with Figment ride. On this ride, you learn
about the 5 senses – sight, sound, smell, touch and taste – when you go on the
ride. You also go on a journey with Figment who causes mischief with Dr. Nigel
Channing’s Lab. Dr. Nigel Channing’s stops the tour right outside the Touch and
Taste Lab, and abandons the tour. Figment then takes over and takes the people
on the ride to his own open house, which Figment turns upside down. Dr. Nigel
Channing then learns from Figment that imagination should be free and says “If
you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”. You then finally go into a room that shows
numerous Figments in different situations while a song – “One Little Spark” –
is playing in the background as the ride ends. The people who were on the ride
can then go to the ImageWorks where people can do interactive activates and can create their own music, and even create their own Figment. The
Disney Clan then went to The Seas with Nemo & Friends ride. On this ride,
you go on what is called a “Clamobile”. On this Clamobile, you discover that Marlin
cannot find Nemo, and again, he needs to find Nemo. You first take a journey
through the Coral Reef where you see Marlin searching for Nemo. Along the reef,
you then meet up with Mr. Ray and his students who are also looking for Nemo.
Dory soon then joins Marlin to find Nemo, but they come across jellyfish. Suddenly,
an anglerfish comes out of the darkness and begins to chase Dory and Marlin. You
then dive deeper upon the wreck of a submarine that is in the center of mine
fields. Peeking from the wreck is Bruce, a great-white shark, and Chum, a mako
shark, who try to persuade Nemo from coming out of his hiding place. The
Clamobile is then shifted into the East Australian Current with the sea
turtles, Crush and Squirt. The current then leads you to a massive aquarium
where Nemo is with his friends, Marline and Dory, and they all sing “In the Big
Blue World”. This is the end of the ride for The Seas with Nemo & Friends.
After The Seas with Nemo & Friends ride, the clan then
went to do their own thing and agreed to meet up at the Rose & Crown Pub & Dining
Room for lunch. The girl went off, on her own, again, to go meet characters. The girl first met Chip
‘n Dale, she then met Belle from Beauty and the Beast. The girl asked Belle
where Beast was, and Belle said that Beast was busy taking a bath. After
meeting Belle, the girl went to see the one world showcase she really wanted to
see, and that was the Mitsukoshi Department at the Japan Pavilion. At the Mitsukoshi
Department, they sold Pokémon merchandise, as well as other anime merchandise.
The girl bought herself a Pikachu soft toy, she does not care how old she is, and
she still loves Pokémon and has always wanted to buy a Pokémon toy. After
visiting some other World Showcase stores, the girl found out on her own, how
to get to the Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room. The dining reservation
was located in the UK Pavilion. The girl ordered the vegetable cottage pie and
for dessert, she ordered red velvet cake. The girl saw that you could meet Alice from
Alice in Wonderland, but unfortunately Alice was leaving. Luckily, Mary Poppins
arrived to meet everyone, so the girl went to go meet Mary Poppins and decided
to meet Alice another day. When the Disney Clan went back to the Wilderness
Lodge hotel, the girl and her mom, dad and brother all went to the laundry section
of the hotel and did some laundry. While they were waiting, the girl decided to
buy a coin collection book and she shared it with her brother as they both had
many coins amongst each other - and the girl found one coin when she left EPCOT 2 nights ago. The sweets the girl bought from the vending
machine on the floor she was staying in, was a packet of Sour Patch Kids – a
packet of sweets that she cannot get in her own country, so she tried them out
for the very first time, and she loved them, they were chewy and she couldn’t
get enough of them.
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| Top left: A Thumper grass cut out at EPCOT. Top right: At the TestTrack ride. Bottom left: The girl in front of the EPCOT ball. Bottom right: Walking through EPCOT. |
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| Top left: The girl meeting Chip & Dale. Top right: The girl meeting Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Bottom left: The girl meeting Mary Poppins. Bottom right: The spot where you can meet Snow White at the Germany Pavilion. |
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| Top left & right picture: At the Japanese Pavilion at EPCOT World Showcase. Bottom left: At the Journey into Imagination with Figment ride. Bottom right: The girl's Pikachu toy with her vegetarian cottage pie. |
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| Top & bottom left picture: The girl's Pikachu toy she purchased and inside the Mitsukoshi Department at the Japan Pavilion. Top right: At the Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room. Bottom right: The view of the EPCOT ball from the World Showcase side. |
December 17: The Disney Clan decided to go to Florida Mall
as one person in the Disney Clan needed to go do work at one of his offices. The
rest of the Disney Clan spent the day at Florida Mall. The Disney Clan arrived
a bit early as Florida Mall’s shops were still opening. The mall was big and
had so many shops. The Disney Clan visited the Disney Store first. There were
quite a lot of specials inside the Disney Store, an example would be $5 for a Disney
character toy. The girl bought herself a Jack Skellington mug as well as a
Mickey Mouse toy at the Disney Store. The Disney Clan went into a shop the girl
could not believe actually exists as in her country, they do not have this
shop, the store is an M&M’s World shop. This M&M’s World shop was
packed with a lot of merchandise for M&M’s, such as t-shirts, M&M’s sweets,
blankets and toys. After a visit to the M&M’s World shop, the Disney Clan split
up and walked around in different shops. The girl went with her mother, father,
brother and sister. They went to J.C .Penny and Sears to look for jackets as
most of the shopping clothing items were all on specials (50% - 80% off). The Disney
Clan decided to all meet up at Build-A-Bear Workshop at a certain time, the
girl’s brother and cousin both got a Toothless – from How to Train your Dragon
film– toy at the Build-A-Bear Workshop. They stuffed their dragon toy with
stuffing, named their dragon toy, and received a certificate for their dragon
toy. After this visit, the Disney Clan went to the food court and had lunch
before they went back to Disney World. The girl and her sister went to SubWay. While
the Disney Clan was eating their food, the girl went to Hot Topic, a shop she did
not want to leave after stepping through the doorway. There was mostly everything she
loved, may it be clothes, bracelets, badges etc. The girl bought herself
another Harry Potter t-shirt, a couple of badges as they were on a special and
two bands – Pikachu from Pokémon and a Jack Skellington one from The Nightmare Before Christmas film. One member from
the Disney Clan who had to go work at one of his offices in Florida arrived at
Florida mall and lifted some of the Disney Clan, including the girl, back to
Disney World, but first stopped by Krispy Kreme and bought some doughnuts. The
rest of the Disney Clan that did not go to Disney World yet, went to Best Buy.
Later when the Disney Clan were all at the Wilderness Lodge
hotel, everyone went to the Magic Kingdom to see the Magic Kingdom’s Celebrate
the Magic – where the Magic Kingdom’s castle is lit up with classic Disney
movies and fireworks – but before the Magic Kingdom castle lights and
fireworks, there was a Main Street Electrical Parade which features Disney
characters from classic Disney movies and music was playing in the
background. Once the Main Street Electrical Parade was finished, the Magic
Kingdom’s castle then lit up with scenes from different Disney movies and there
was also music from the Disney movies that were playing.
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| Top left: The girl with her very first Starbucks Peppermint hot beverage. Top right: The girl's name on the Starbucks cup. Bottom left: The M&M's World shop. Bottom right: The holiday spirit at the M&M's World shop. |
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| Top left: At the Disney Electrical Parade. Top right: The Magic Kingdom's castle lit up. Bottom left: The fireworks at the Magic Kingdom’s Celebrate the Magic. Bottom right: More fireworks at the Magic Kingdom’s Celebrate the Magic. |
December 18: The next morning, the Disney Clan decided to go
the Magic Kingdom as it opens an hour earlier if you are staying at any Walt Disney
World Resort. The rides the Disney Clan all went on were the following: Dumbo
the Flying Elephant; The Barnstormer; Peter Pan’s Flight; Under the Sea ~
Journey of the Little Mermaid.
The Peter Pan’s Flight ride starts off by going on a
colourful galleon, and with the help of Pixie dust, the galleon then soars in
the sky, which takes you on a journey through all the unforgettable scenes from
the Disney movie, Peter Pan.
The Barnstormer ride is a roller coaster that looks like you
are riding in a biplane and then you take to the skies above Fantasyland.
The Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid ride shows
scenes from The Little Mermaid movie. You first climb into a clamshell and you
are introduced to Scuttle the seagull who begins to tell you the story about
the little mermaid, who is Ariel. You then become of the sea world where you
see fishes, mermaids and crabs as well as other sea animals dancing to the
music, especially the crab Sebastian’s “Under the Sea” song. You will also
encounter the sea witch, Ursula – who is approximately 7.5 feet tall and 12
feet wide – as you see her trying to take Ariel’s voice. At the end of the
ride, you see Ariel and Prince Eric as they just got married and you see
Scuttle, ending off The Little Mermaid story, and then the ride is finished.
The Dumbo the Flying Elephant is suitable for all ages, and
this is a definite “must do” ride where it be your first time or your 30th
time at Disney World. You first hop onto the Dumbo themed gondola and as the
rides takes off, you can direct your own Dumbo themes gondola to either fly
downward or upward throughout the ride. As you soar high in the sky, you can
catch the view of Storybook Circus below this ride.
The girl met quite a few characters on this day. The girl
first saw Pluto at the entrance of Magic Kingdom, the girl then went to go meet
Anna and Elsa from the Disney movie Frozen at the Princess Fairytale hall. The
other characters, Cinderella and Rapunzel, were also in the Princess Fairytale
hall, which the girl also went to go meet after meeting Anna and Elsa. The girl
braided her hair to the side to look similar to Elsa’s side braid. After
meeting Anna and Elsa, the girl went to go meet Cinderella and Rapunzel.
Rapunzel asked the girl if she braids her hair – the girl she just took out her
braid she just made – but no matter, Rapunzel asked the girl if she would help out the
children around Rapunzel’s kingdom to help braid the entire girl’s hair. The
girl then went off to meet Ariel at her Grotto. Surprisingly, there were not
much people meeting Ariel at the time – the girl guessed she came at the right
time as she would have liked to avoid crowds of people – so the girl didn’t
spend too much time waiting to meet Ariel. After meeting these 5 Disney
characters, the girl then met up with the Disney Clan and went into Pete’s
Sillyshow, and met Daisy and Minnie. After the Disney Clan rode the Dumbo the
Flying Elephant ride, the Disney Clan split up, again, and the girl went off to
meet more characters, again. The Disney Clan decided to go to Casey’s Corner,
so everyone had time to go where they wanted. The girl went to go and meet
Princess Aurora from the Sleeping Beauty film. The girls showed Princess Aurora that her jacket had the
“Maleficent” word on her jacket, and Princess Aurora asked if they girl was
going to turn into a dragon, the girl replied saying she wishes, but she
doesn’t have that kind of power. After the girl spoke to Princess Aurora, the
girl then went to go meet Merida from the Brave film. The girls asked Merida where her
brothers were, and Merida answered saying her brothers are off on their own
mischievous mission, and that they could be little bears. After meeting Merida,
the girl was a bit late meeting the rest of the Disney Clan at Casey’s Corner.
The food the girl ordered was Ball Park Nachos with cheese sauce – that is what
the food actually was, nacho chips and spread with cheese sauce. There was not
much option for vegetarians/vegans. The girl left Casey’s Corner shortly after
she arrived at Casey’s Corner to go and meet Tinkerbell. As the girl entered
the room where Tinkerbell was, the cast member first told everyone in the room
to have faith, trust and to believe in fairies. Tinkerbell came in and was
super happy to see everyone, and when the girl went to meet Tinkerbell,
Tinkerbell complimented the girl for her hair and was happy to sign the girl’s
autograph book and take a photo.
After the girl met Tinkerbell, the Disney Clan decided to go
to Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park. Now one of the main attractions at the
Blizzard Beach Water Park is the Summit Plummet, a 120-foot (36.6m) long slope
– The third tallest and fastest slide in the world. Some members from the
Disney Clan did go down the Summit Plummet – twice. The other rides the Disney
Clan went on at Blizzard Beach Water Park were the following: Chairlift to get
to the Summit Plummet; Downhill Double Dipper; Slush Gusher; Snow Stormers; Teamboat
Springs; Runoff Rapids; Toboggan Racers.
Some members of the Disney Clan also went in the Melt-Away
Wave pool – The Melt- Away Wave pool creates short waves for leisurely floating
in the pool.
Basically all the rides mentioned above was either going in
a water tube and you go down a long water slide, and end up landing in a pool
of water, and of cause, you get wet. The girl loved going on every single water
park ride, and some rides she did twice as they were so much fun! After the
Disney Clan had fun within the water park, they all sat down and had funnel
cake – a must dessert to try at Disney World. For the rest of the day, the
Disney Clan went back to the Wilderness Lodge hotel.
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| Top left & right picture: Walking toward Cinderella's Castle and viewing the castle up close and personal. Bottom left: The girl meeting Pluto. Bottom right: Cinderella's glass slipper at the Fairytale Hall. |
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| Top left: The girl sitting in a Dumbo ride. Top right: The girl posing for a photo in front of the Magic Kingdom. Bottom left: The girl meeting Elsa from the Disney movie Frozen. Bottom right: The girl meeting Anna from the Disney movie Frozen. |
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| Pictures of the girl meeting the following characters: Rapunzel (From the Disney movie Tangled); Princess Aurora (From the Disney movie Sleeping Beauty); Cinderella (From the Disney movie Cinderella); Ariel (From the Disney movie The Little Mermaid); Merida (From the Disney movie Tangled) and Tinkerbell (From the Disney movie Tangled) |
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| Top left: At Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park. Top right: Walking around Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park. Bottom left: A snowman and his son at Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park. Bottom right: Walking toward the water rides at Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park. |
December 19: This was the last day for this trip the Disney
Clan went to visit EPCOT. The cast member that first greeted the girl at the
entrance of EPCOT told the girl that she is wearing the wrong t-shirt in the
wrong park – a Harry Potter t-shirt the girl bought from Hot Topic – but the girl said she feels like being a
wizard for this day. Some members,
including the girl, went to EPCOT first while the rest of the Disney Clan came
later. The members of the Disney Clan that went to EPCOT earlier split up, four
members went to go on the Soarin’ ride and the other two members – the girl was
one of the two members – went to Starbucks, and then walked around until it was
time for the World Showcase Lagoon to open – The EPCOT World Showcase Lagoon
has 11 themed countries to show people a little about each country.
When the other members of the Disney Clan arrived at EPCOT,
the two members – while they waited for EPCOT’s World Showcase Lagoon to open
at 11am – went with the rest of the Disney Clan on the ride Soarin’. This was
the longest wait to go on a ride in Disney World throughout the whole trip.
Although, while the Disney Clan was waiting in the queue for the Soarin’ ride,
there were three big screens which changed to a bird in each screen. The game
can be played if people stand facing the screen and the people must move from
side to side to guide the bird.
The World Showcase opened and the two members went to all 11
pavilions at EPCOT’s World Showcase, to stamp their EPCOT’s Passports which
they received when they first arrived at EPCOT. The two members split up as the
girl went to meet Disney characters and her friend went to look at the World
Showcase’s various shops. The girl first met Mulan, then Snow White. Snow White
noticed that the girl was wearing a top that had three wizards on her shirt,
and Snow White asked the girl about the wizards, and the girl said that they
are powerful wizards who are heroes. The girl then went to meet Aladdin and
Jasmine, the girl asked Aladdin where Abu was, and Aladdin said Abu was out and
about in Animal Kingdom where all the other animals are. Lastly, the girl went
to meet Alice from Alice in Wonderland. After visiting the World Showcase, the
girl went to meet up again with the rest of the Disney Clan, while her friend
went back to the Wilderness Lodge. When the girl joined the Disney Clan, they
went back on the Spaceship Earth ride. After the Spaceship Earth ride, three
members – the girl, her father and her sister – went on the ride MISSION:
Space. It was the tame ride, there are two different rides called MISSION:
Space.
The girl, her father and her sister went to the green team
for MISSION: Space, they did not want to go on the orange team as this MISSION:
Space ride was more intense. The ride starts off by people going into a room
and you watch an introductory video featuring the actor Gary Sinise, who
starred in the movie Missions to Mars. Before boarding the simulators, there
are three seats, and the actor Gary Sinise assigned these three people to an
on-board role, which is: a pilot, navigator and a commander. Each role is given
two tasks to perform during the mission. After explaining what each role
performs during the mission and which buttons each role must press on the ride,
the people then are assigned to a certain MISSION: Space ship, you are told
however, that if you do get nausea or motion sickness, then you can leave the
ride. Once settled in the ride, you start off by blasting off in a rocket
heading into space, and then you travel between planets until you land on Mars
planet, and during the flight, the role that you are acting as – a commander,
pilot or navigator – is asked to press the buttons on the ride. Once you have
landed on Mars, your mission is complete, and you can then exit the ride.
After visiting EPCOT, the Disney Clan had a dining
reservation at Planet Hollywood at Downtown Disney. Once at Downtown Disney,
the Disney Clan split up, and the girl went on her own to the shop
“Design-A-Tee”, and designed a “FROZEN” t-shirt. The girl went into the Disney’s
Days of Christmas shop, where the other members of the Disney Clan were. After
this, the Disney Clan made their way to Planet Hollywood. Planet Hollywood is a
restaurant that has many movie memorabilia all over the entire restaurant, from
the movie Godzilla, to the jackets from the movie Wild Hogs, A very big Woody
from Toy Story toy which is hanging right at the top of the restaurant and many
more movie memorabilia. You could also request to play a song at Planet
Hollywood as there is a DJ there and will be happy to play the song you
requested. There are many big screens – plus a big round screen that is at the center of the restaurant – which play the music videos from the songs that are
played. One thing the girl happy to hear was that you can ask the DJ to mention
your name so the whole restaurant will know you requested the song, so even
though the girl couldn’t choose the songs she wanted, so she went with the song
“Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus, a song she doesn’t mind listening to. There is
also a Planet Hollywood merchandise shop just as you enter the restaurant. This
shop is packed with t-shirts, badges and many more merchandise that you can buy
exclusively from Planet Hollywood. The Disney Clan all received 2 vouchers each
from their Disney package when they first arrive at Disney World, which allows
them to purchase a Planet Hollywood souvenir cup and a Planet Hollywood key chain.
Before leaving Planet Hollywood, some members from the Disney Clan went back to
the Wilderness Lodge hotel, while the other members from the Disney Clan went
to look around more at Downtown Disney.
After leaving Planet Hollywood and walking around at Downtown
Disney, the Disney Clan went to the T-Rex Cafe to take a look inside. The girl
went into the restaurant though to see how the restaurant was set out, and she
thought that this restaurant looked similar to the Rainforest Cafe as both
restaurants have animals that look lifelike and move around once every 30
minutes or so, and the animals make sounds as well. The Disney Clan then went
to the shop that is the largest Disney store with 12 rooms in the shop. This
shop is called World of Disney. At this shop, the girl bought herself a Walt
Disney World villains t-shirt.
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| Top left: Outside Starbucks coffeehouse at EPCOT. Top right: A picture of the girl and the grass cut out of Thumper from the Disney film Bambi. Bottom left: the game played during the wait in the queue for the ride Soarin'. Bottom right: A take taken from the Spaceship Earth ride. |
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| Top left: The girl meeting Mulan from the Disney film Mulan. Top right:The girl meeting Alice from the Disney's movie Alice in Wonderland. Bottom left: The girl meeting Snow White from the Disney's movie Snow White & The Seven Dwarfes. Bottom right: Heading toward the MISSION: Space ride. |
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| Top left: Outside the Planet Hollywood restaurant. Top right: The big ship in Planet Hollywood restaurant. Bottom left: Some members of the Disney Clan at Planet Hollywood restaurant. Bottom right: The screens in the Planet Hollywood restaurant. |
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| Top left: A T-Rex at the T-Rex Cafe. Top right: The Triceratop at the T-Rex Cafe. Bottom left: A T-Rex skeleton at the T-Rex Cafe. Bottom right: A baby Mammoth at the T-Rec Cafe. |
December 20: This was the last day being spent at a Disney
theme park. The last theme park was Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The last ride
the Disney Clan went on was Toy Story Midway Mania, again. The girl realized
when the theme park opened, everyone who visited the park all went straight to
the Toy Story Midway Mania ride. After the ride, the Disney Clan all went to
meet Woody and Buzz Lightyear that was right opposite the Toy Story Midway Mania
Ride. The girl has not met Woody yet, so she asked the Disney Clan if she could
go meet Woody and Buzz Lightyear (again), so the Disney Clan decided that
everyone could go meet Woody and Buzz Lightyear after they all went on the Toy
Story Midway Mania ride. The Disney Clan then went to the multimedia gallery
exhibit “Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream” and as they walked through the gallery,
they saw all the achievements Walt Disney accomplished from when he first
started out with the idea of a theme park. They also saw models of characters
created by Walt Disney, the places where Walt Disney worked, all the different
Walt Disney World theme parks around the world and the timeline of Walt Disney
himself. The girl really found this multimedia gallery very inspiring and she
felt that she could really accomplish her girls if she put her mind to it, like
Walt Disney did. The Disney Clan then went to watch the film tribute in Walt
Disney’s own words – the film was about how Walt Disney World, Disneyland and
the other Disney theme parks were created. The film is hosted by none other
than Julie Andrews who played Mary Poppins in the Disney film, Mary Poppins.
You see Walt Disney recount his story over the historic film footage and home
movie that is exclusive as this film tribute was never made available to
public. You also see how Walt Disney was a hardworking dreamer and how he would
go the extra mile to achieve his goal, which was to create a theme park, and
also his creation of Mickey Mouse. After Walt Disney opened Disneyland, he
planned on building another theme park called Walt Disney World. Unfortunately
after Walt Disney’s death, he was not there when Walt Disney World officially
opened, but after Walt Disney’s death, his brother took over and was the one to
complete Walt Disney’s creation. One of Walt Disney’s quotes is: “I only hope
that we don’t lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse”.
After visiting Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream, the Disney Clan
went to the following shows: Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage show; Indiana
Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! and Comedy Warehouse: Holiday Special. Three
members – the girl’s mother, father and brother – went to the Disney Junior –
Live on Stage show instead of going to the Comedy Warehouse: Holiday Special
show.
The Beauty and the Beast show was a live on stage show that
shows the tale of Belle and the Beast and how they fell in love. This stage act
is based on the Walt Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast. Some history behind
the stage performance is that this attraction premiered on the same day as the
movie, Beauty and the Beast, opened in theatres, which was on the date 22
November 1991.
The Indiana Jones: Epic Stunt Spectacular! is a stunt show
that shows you how important it is to have stunts in movies. The show also
demonstrates the movie-making magic that goes on behind the scenes when filming
a movie. Before starting this stunt show, the director of the stunt show comes
out and “cast calls” for any adult volunteers who would like to be a part of
the stunt show. If you are chosen, you will appear to be a costume extra in
different scenes of the show. The girl put her hand high up in the air and
really would have loved to have been picked as an extra, but unfortunately the
director did not look her way when casting for volunteers. After choosing
volunteers for the stunt show, you then see a backdrop of temple ruins, and
Indiana Jones makes a grand entrance by getting across dangerous spikes, false
floors and ancient booby traps as he attempts to make a gateway with the golden
idol. During the stunt show, Indiana Jones and his companion Marion battle
dangerous bad guys, leap and also jump off high buildings and make daring
escapes as there are fake bullets flying in the air, as well as moving vehicles
bursting into flames. After each scene is “shot for film”, the director
explains to the audience how each scene is filmed and you also learn the difference
between stunt actors and stunt doubles who plat stunts in movies. You also
learn how basic fight routines are made – how to safely punch another person,
fall from high buildings and wield whips in the complex action sequences. After this show, the Disney Clan then went to The Comedy Warehouse: Holiday Special.
The Comedy Warehouse: Holiday Special presents the best
improvisational comedy, in which comedians come on stage and introduce
themselves, and improvise with the audience – the comedians ask for suggestions
from the audience and add their own kind of humour right there on the spot, examples
would be by inventing holiday songs, stories and scenarios. They make you laugh
so much and ask the audience if anyone has any hidden talents know one knows
about. They do not really pick people from the audience; they instead ask who
is brave enough to go on stage.
After visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Disney Clan
made their way to their second last dining reservation, which was Trail’s End
Restaurant. Trail’s End restaurant is based at the Disney Resort, Disney’s Fort
Wilderness. Disney’s Fort Wilderness is mainly a campsite resort where people
could bring their own tents or caravans. After Trail’s End Restaurant, the
Disney Clan walked around Disney’s Fort Wilderness to see how everyone at the
campsites set up their Christmas decorations.
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| Top left: The girl meeting Woody and Buzz Lightyear at Hollywood Studios. Top right: Outside view of the exhibit show One Man's Dream. Bottom left: Entrance to the exhibit show One Man's Dream. Bottom right: One of the exhibits in the One Man's Dream building. |
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| Top left: The times that the show Fantasmic is going to play. Top right: At the Beauty and the Beast show. Bottom left: At the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! Bottom right: Walking through the Academy of Television Arts & Science Hall of Fame, and here is the man himself: Walt Disney! |
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| Top left: At the Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. Top right: At the Trail’s End Restaurant at the Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. Bottom left: The food the girl ate at the Trail’s End Restaurant. Bottom right: The horses and carnage the girl saw at Trail’s End Restaurant. |
December 21: The last and final day of the trip. The girl
was really sad, as was all the members from the Disney Clan. After the Disney
Clan was finished with their packing and putting their bags in storage, the
Disney Clan went to the Whispering Canyon Cafe – their last dining reservation.
The Disney Clan sat at two tables. The people that sat with the girl was her
mother, father, brother, cousins and sister. The girl ordered a skillet – which consists of two
silver bowls that has sausage, buttermilk biscuits, scrambled eggs, western
home fries, bacon, sausage gravy and Disney’s famous Mickey Waffles. Everyone
that sat at the table the girl was at, all ordered one skillet as they could
refill their food. The skillet was enough to feed up to 8 people.
After the Whispering Canyon Cafe, and retrieving their
luggage bags, the Disney Clan split up into two groups – the girl’s aunt,
uncle, grandmother and cousin that were going to Key West to meet up with the
girl’s uncle’s family – while the rest of the Disney Clan went to Orlando
Airport.
At Orlando Airport, even though the girl spent all of her
money on such great Disney merchandise, and she still had enough money to buy a
Harry Potter key ring at Orlando Airport.
The Disney Clan arrived at Gatwick Airport and once again,
the Disney Clan separated as the girl’s mother, father and brother spent 6 days
in London. It was now down to the girl, her sister, cousins and aunt, and their
four friends. The clan arrived at Heathrow Airport; they had some time to spare
before they could board their plane. While waiting at the Airport, the girl
bought herself a Starbucks beverage and a yummy biscuit.
After time went by, the clan made their way on the plane for
their final ride back to their country.
And they all had a magical time at the happiest place in the
world...Walt Disney World!
So the girl finally received the dream she wanted to do,
which was to go to Walt Disney World!
Here are some more pictures from Walt Disney World:
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| Top left: The skillet (now called the All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Breakfast Platter) the girl had at the Whispering Canyon Cafe. Top right: The view the girl had outside her room at the Wilderness Lodge Resort. Bottom left: The food the girl was eating at the Whispering Canyon Cafe (She did not eat the meat, she mostly ate Mickey Waffles, western home fries and scrambled eggs). Bottom right: The desk inside the Wilderness Lodge Resort room. |
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| Top left: At the Orlando Airport by Universal Studios shop. Top right: The girl going into the Universal Studios shop. Bottom left: The girl by the Universal Studios shop. Bottom right: The girl enjoying her Starbucks iced coffee at the Heathrow Airport. |
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| Photos taken at the Arcade at the Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort. |
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| The Walt Disney World's pressed coin collection souvenir. |
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| The picture's the girl drew: Pluto and Goofy. The other picture is Minnie's bake shop character cookies. |
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| Top left: Mickey Mouse drawing the girl drew. He happily signed the drawing for the girl. Top right: Minnie Mouse drawing the girl drew. She happily signed the drawing for the girl. Bottom left: Daisy Duck drawing the girl drew. She happily signed the drawing for the girl. Bottom right: Donald Duck drawing the girl drew. He happily signed the drawing for the girl. |
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| The girl's drawing of the following characters: Else and Anna from Frozen; Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. All 6 characters signed by their drawing. |
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| Top picture: All the badges the girl received. Bottom left: A Frozen bag the girl's aunt bought for her. Bottom right: All the badges and the Frozen bag the girl received while on her Walt Disney World. |
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| Left picture: The Pikachu and Minnie mouse toy the girl bought. Right picture: The Maleficent dragon the girl bought. |
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| Top left: The girl meeting Jasmine and Aladdin from the Disney movie Aladdin. Top right: The girl hugging Minnie Mouse. Bottom left: The girl meeting Daisy Duck. Bottom right: Alice from the Disney movie Alice in Wonderland hugging the girl. |
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| Top left: Some of the Disney Clan members on the DINOSAUR ride.. Top right: Some of the Disney Clan members on the ride: Splash Mountain. Bottom left: The ride: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Bottom right: On the Tower of Terror ride. |
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| Top left: The Disney Clan at Hollywood Studios. Top right: The Disney Clan at the Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort. Bottom left: The Disney Clan at EPCOT. Bottom right: The Disney Clan at the Expedition Everest ride. |
Most of the information I write about, explaining what each
attraction is like, is mostly explained on Wikipedia or on the Walt Disney
World website, and also what I experienced through my own eyes.
You are welcome to ask me questions about Walt Disney World
if you’d like, where it be the attractions, shows, rides etc. You are more than
welcome to ask me if you wish to.
My Twitter name is on the blog, on the left hand side.
Thanks everyone for reading my blog!
I highly appreciate it!
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