Love is in the Air!

Tweet

Travel tip ~ The month of May welcomes beautiful weather, The Flower and Garden Festival and those infamous pesky little flying Lovebugs around Disney World. Not our beloved Herbie the Love Bug but coupled insects lovin’ it up airborne everywhere in Florida. There’s not much a Guest can do but shoo them away and wipe them off the windshield. 

They’re annoying, weird and gross but most importantly (to me anyway) they don’t bite. Just be sure to shake out your shoes and bathing suits if you leave them on the balcony or patio of your resort.

Must Have Monday Review: New Trent PowerPak Xtreme and the Dual Port High Speed Wall Charger

Tweet

This week's magical merchandise is all about power…on the go!
Today I am happy to review the New Trent PowerPak Xtreme - (12000mAh) Rugged Series NT120R and the New Trent IMP90C, dual usb wall charger. The latest additions to my travel gear bag.

Need more power for the gadgets in your life?
Over the past year or so I have on many occasions run out of battery life on my iPhone. During hurricane Sandy, traveling, camping, conferences and while touring the parks. In airports the charging stations always seem to be filled and the seats next to them are at a premium.

Happy 84th Birthday Mickey Mouse!

Tweet

The Leader of the Gang and the mouse that started it all, Mickey Mouse, is celebrating his 84th birthday today. It was on November 18, 1928, that Mickey Mouse burst on to the cartoon scene with his official film debut in "Steamboat Willie". What a great cartoon! It's still one of my favorites. We've included it below. 

Holiday Dining Extended Hours in Walt Disney World

Tweet

The Walt Disney World Resort extended 2012 holiday season restaurant hours for select Walt Disney World starts today.

Still haven't made plans? You may want to try for a time during the extended hours.

Is there a location you can’t wait to try on the list?

Thanksgiving Extended Hours Nov. 17-25, 2012

Boma

• Offer dinner from 4:00pm (1⁄2 hour earlier)
• Thanksgiving Day (11/22) standard holiday hours

Cape May Café

• Offer breakfast until 11:30am (1⁄2 hour later)
• Offer dinner from 4:30pm (1⁄2 hour earlier)
• Thanksgiving day (11/22) standard holiday hours

Chef Mickey’s

• Offer dinner from 4:00pm (1 hour earlier)
• Thanksgiving day (11/22) standard holiday hours

‘Ohana

• Offer breakfast until 11:30am (1⁄2hour later)
• Offer dinner from 4:30pm (1⁄2 hour earlier)
• Thanksgiving day (11/22) standard holiday hours

Whispering Canyon

• Offer dinner from 4:30pm (1⁄2 hour earlier)
• Thanksgiving day (11/22) standard holiday hours

Mickey’s Backyard BBQ

• Additional Shows 11/20 and 11/27
• Thanksgiving day(11/22) standard 2 extra shows

1900 Park Fare

• Offer breakfast until 11:40am (1⁄2 hour later)
• Offer dinner from 4:00pm (1⁄2 hour earlier)

California Grill

• Offer dinner from 5:00pm (1⁄2 hour earlier)

Le Cellier

• Offer dinner until 9:30pm (1⁄2 hour later)

The Garden Grill

• Offer dinner from 3:00pm (1 hour earlier)

Rose & Crown

• Offer dinner until 9:30pm (1⁄2 hour later)

Christmas Extended Hours 

Dec. 16-31, 2012

Boma

• Offer dinner from 4:00pm (1⁄2 hour earlier)
• Christmas day (12/25) standard holiday hours

Cape May Café

• Offer breakfast until 11:30am (1⁄2 hour later)
• Offer dinner from 4:30pm (1⁄2 hour earlier)
• Christmas day (12/25) standard holiday hours

Chef Mickey’s

• Offer breakfast until 12:30pm (1 hour later)
• Offer dinner from 4:00pm (1 hour earlier)

‘Ohana

• Offer breakfast until 11:30am (1⁄2 hour later)
• Offer dinner from 4:30pm (1⁄2 hour earlier)

Whispering Canyon

• Offer dinner from 4:30pm (1⁄2 hour earlier)
• Christmas day (12/25) standard holiday hours

Mickey’s Backyard BBQ

• Additional Show 12/18 and Christmas day 12/25 (1 show)

1900 Park Fare

• Offer breakfast until 11:40am (1⁄2 hour later)
• Offer dinner from 4:00pm (1⁄2 hour earlier)

California Grill

• Offer dinner from 5:00pm (1⁄2 hour earlier)

Le Cellier

• Offer dinner until 9:30pm (1⁄2 hour later)

The Garden Grill

• Offer dinner from 3:00pm (1 hour earlier)

Rose & Crown

• Offer dinner until 9:30pm (1⁄2 hour later)

(Please keep in mind, hours and offerings are subject to change.)

******************************************************************************

Source: Disney Parks InsidEARS News
For more information, please visit the Disney Parks InsidEARS Program
Facebook ~ https://www.facebook.com/Disney-Parks-InsidEARS
Twitter ~ https://twitter.com/#!/DisneyInsidEARS

Have a Disney Day!  

Tuesday Trivia ~World Showcase

Tweet

Did you know? There's a reason why the Epcot Imagineers constructed the Canada Pavilion and Mexico Pavilion in World Showcase in their respective locations.

These two countries border the United States to the north and south. If you go left or right entering the World Showcase you will visit one of our neighbors first.

I found out that bit of trivia with Lou Mongello's WDW Disney World Trivia iPhone app. 

Have a Tiggerific Day!

Related articles

• Tuesday Trivia ~ Spaceship Earth
• Must Do's at Epcot's Food & Wine Festival
• The Magic Skyway, NY World's Fair

Tigger-ific Disney Tip Tuesday ~ Touring with Teens

Tweet

As a mom who's toured Walt Disney World with teens in tow and vice versa I have learned that teens prefer all things Disney World a lot better at night.

It's cooler, they've enjoyed a meal or two and they're nocturnal brains are fully awake.

If you're staying on property at a Disney Resort all the better, because without exception they will really enjoy night time Extra Magic Hours (EMH).

I'm not suggesting we plan our trips around our teens but let's face it, if the teens in your group are full of Disney magic .. it will spread to the rest of your group!

With a little pre-trip planning you'll have a memorable and magical trip.

The combination of EMH and their top attractions makes for some very magical moments. Here are the top EMH attractions by park and a brief rundown on how EMH work in case you've missed it.

Each day, one of the 4 Walt Disney World Theme Parks opens one hour early or remains open up to 3 hours after regular Park closing time for guests of any Walt Disney World Resort hotel. These extended hours are known as Extra Magic Hours (EMH).

How It Works:

Morning Hours-Arrive up to an hour before the designated Theme Park is scheduled to open and show your valid, Magic Band or Theme Park ticket and Resort I.D. at the Theme Park turnstiles.

Evening Hours - Valid theme park ticket (magic band) and Resort I.D. are required. Each member of your party will need to present their Resort I.D. for accessing evening Extra Magic Hours attractions.



Here's a list of all the attractions and must do's that are my teen faves (and may become your teens too) open during night time EMH.

Magic Kingdom
Wishes
Tomorrowland
Buzz Lightyear
Space Mountain
Tomorrowland Speedway
Liberty Square
Haunted Mansion

Snack at Columbia House or Pinocchio's Village Haus

Frontierland
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Splash Mountain
Frontierland Shootin' Arcade

Adventureland
Dole Whip
Pirates of the Caribbean

Epcot
Illuminations
Soarin'
Spaceship Earth
Test Track
Living Seas
Mission: SPACE
Off Kilter
Gran Fiesta Tour
Fountainview ice cream and watch the fountains

Disney Hollywood Studios
Mulch, Sweat and Shears
Toy Story Mania
MuppetVision 3-D
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
Star Tours
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Animal Kingdom
Dinosaur
Expedition Everest
Kali River Rapids (seasonally)
Kilimanjaro Safaris (seasonally)



I hope these teen touring tips help make your next trip a memorable and magical one!

Have a Disney Day!  

More Mouscellaneous articles

• A World of Disney Dining: Food Fun Facts from Walt Disney World Resort (focusedonthemagic.com)
• 5 Delectable Disney Desserts & Snacks (focusedonthemagic.com)

Capturing Wishes in The Magic Kingdom ~ Tips and Tricks

Tweet

Wishes is one of the most exciting fireworks shows at Walt Disney World, the other being Illuminations at Epcot. Capturing photos of Wishes and sharing them over and over when I get home is a family tradition of ours. It’s a bit of a challenge to take pictures of Wishes but with a little planning and practice you’ll be comfortable capturing great memories.

5 things you'll need:

• A camera with the ability to manually set the controls such as F-stop and ISO and Shutter Speed. 
• Fresh batteries. Memory enough to take 100 shots. Later you want to try out an ND filter but for now leave it home.
• A stable surface such as a tripod, gorilla pod or the Disney Quadpod (trash can) which are conveniently located every 20 feet in the parks. I’m touting tripods but I really don’t like them. For years I wouldn’t bring one to the parks. Mine was just too cumbersome to carry on rides and if I stored it in a locker I didn’t enjoy going back for it before Wishes started. I would shoot handheld (with pretty good results) or place a small beanbag on a Disney Quadpod. My favorite Disney Quadpod is located in front of Casey’s Corner. You’ll need to get there early to claim it as it’s become quite popular over time. The Velbron UltraMax IF tripod changed my mind about tripods. Whereas my other tripods were heavy and big, the UltraMax is incredibly compact (14”) extends to 60”, weighs about 2lbs and it can hold 5lbs which does push the limit on my camera with a lens. Oh and it was reasonably priced too! I believe it’s been discontinued but I’m sure there’s a current model that’s far superior.
• A shutter release (cable or remote) or self-timer on the camera. I use a basic cable release. Nothing fancy with a short cable. You can do without it but why not have the extra stability for long exposures?
• A small flashlight on a lanyard that’s easy to turn on with one hand. Your other hand may be holding your camera, tripod or shutter release. Bright but compact as you don’t want to disturb guests during the show.

√ a large dose of ºoº patience and pixie dust!

Next you’ll need a good location. You might want to scope this out earlier in the day. My favorite is on Main Street, USA. I like to be far enough back that I have a clear view of the front of the castle and a large expanse of sky framed by Main Street. Another great spot is the train station platform before they put up the Christmas tree, when the flagpole is removed. Even with the flagpole in place the view of the skyline is tremendous.

Which lens to use? I’ve shot Wishes with a Nikkor 18-200mm set at 18mm and also 35mm from Casey’s on Main Street with good results. I find my Nikon 50mm to be too tight until halfway down Main Street. The Sigma 30mm lens is my favorite leaving plenty of room to crop later if need be. Most kit lenses or primes will do the job.