Ten Things I Learned at Walt Disney World Resort® ~ Summer 2014 Edition

Well, here we go again! There is so much to see, do and learn at the Walt Disney World Resort®, am I right? So far I’m up to three editions of “Ten Things”(check out the other “Ten Things”) and counting. And I’ve got some new ideas in the works, so let me know if you have ideas for the next edition. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s get this one on the books first! Drum roll…and once again, let’s follow Walt’s footsteps “because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

For this trip, I was fortunate enough to travel with friends and their teenage daughter and it was a hoot! I got to have fun with a teenager who wasn’t related to me and who didn’t worry (well, she did worry a little) about me embarrassing her because she didn’t have to admit we came from the same gene pool. Along with having an awesome time we learned some little tidbits that we (or at least I) didn’t know before!

1. I’ll admit that when planning a Walt Disney World vacation I try to avoid crowds, which is hard to do these days. But during this trip, I didn’t really have a choice in the matter (and I’m not complaining since I was a guest of my friends!). So I was thrilled to see that during peak times, there are extra bag check stations set up at the Park entrances. Disney bus transportation was also offered from the Transportation and Ticket Center since the line for the Ferry and Monorail were crazy long. I’m not sure it was any faster, but it was cool and quiet! This was good news for a crowd averse Mousketeer like me!

2. Back in 2009 when the Walt Disney World Resort® and Disneyland Resort® in California began the “What Will You Celebrate?” campaign (for a refresher, check out this: wdwmagic.com news), everyone was gaga over those buttons.  You know the ones? Of course you do because you have a few of them hanging around your house right now that remind you of a magical birthday, anniversary, or perhaps first visit celebrated at Walt Disney World.  Well, now you can simply stroll right up to a pixie dusted cart and take your pick of about 6 or 8 special pins that commemorate your special occasion.

To see how that campaign is implemented now, check out the Celebrations page at DisneyWorld.com and party on!

3. Don’t you love walking right down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A. and running into Chief Smokey Miller in his fire truck? I sure do! He told me that he is celebrating twenty-five years as Fire Chief of Main Street, U.S.A.  And yes, I did offer him an anniversary celebration pin!

4. Now this one I can’t deny or verify, but this is what I was told on good authority. The yellow color of the life boats on the Disney Cruise Line ships are the same Pantone color as the 3D glasses at Mickey’s PhilharMagic®, a color which was specially formulated for the Disney Company.

5. It seems like I learn something new every time I hop aboard the Kilamanjaro Safaris®  in Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park! This time, the giraffes were more interested in us than usual and they didn’t want to move to allow our vehicle to pass by safely. After a few minutes of this little standoff, a dark green ranger truck came out of nowhere and lured the giraffes away with some yummy grass. I’m not a certified animal behaviorist, but I’m pretty sure the giraffes have trained the humans.

6. You know I’m a girl who likes her Pixie Dust and on this trip I struck the mother lode! After departing Cinderella Castle where we had an amazing lunch at Cinderella’s Royal Table we popped our heads into  Sir Mickey’s just around the corner and my fantasy came true! Well, almost. Don’t tell anyone, but I didn’t really fly. Maybe it wasn’t the Pixie Dust though. Maybe it was that whole faith and trust thing. But I digress. A Sir Mickey’s cast member greeted us with what looked like a magic wand filled with – you guessed it – Pixie Dust! We got a full dusting. So full, in fact, that I think I’m still tempted to take to the sky.

7. Let’s talk sea horses. The sea horses in Epcot’s® SeaBase are seven years old.  That’s two years older than a sea horse would live in the wild. Just one more example of how spending time at Walt Disney World keeps you young.

8. I’m usually not one to reveal all my secrets, especially when it involves waiting in line for a bathroom, but here goes.  If you find yourself in The Land Pavilion in Epcot after riding Soarin’® or maybe eating at yummy Sunshine Seasons, go upstairs to use the facilities. Not only is there rarely a line, but that bathroom is huge! And after all these years, I just realized that there is a whole extra row of stalls beyond the ones you will see when you walk in. See the lady in the green? Thank goodness she was there or I would have never known! It’s the little things that make the magic, my friends.

9. Having never waited in line before to experience  The Legend of Jack Sparrow in Disney’s Hollywood Studios®, I was surprised to find that now (or at least during peak times) you must first secure a pass, but not actually a FastPass+, in order to receive a return time. Just stop by the attraction early in the day and you should be able to catch a glimpse of Captain Jack later in the day.

10. I may have saved the best for last. It was about 11:15 in the morning and I was hanging out in France (in Epcot® World Showcase, of course) and I was really craving some sparkling water.  And that is très French, no?  Apparently, no. I couldn’t find sparkling water at any of the kiosks I tried. So I was forced to resort to a French sparkling beverage of another sort, after all it was after 5:00 p.m. in “the real” France.  And I highly recommend it. And with that, I’ll bid you adieu until next time!

Note: photos property of Shannon Dill, Purveyor of Pixie Dust