Disney Countdown- 2 for 1!!

I'm a little behind on my countdowns to our next Disney World Trip.  Today I offer you two for the price of one.  One look back, and one look forward.

On our last trip to Disney World one of my required destinations was an extended stop over in Fantasyland. I was excited to see some of the new-to-me attractions like Mickey's Philharmagic (which was awesome!) and Winnie the Pooh (I do miss dear old Toady, but this was incredibly charming) as well as revisiting old favorites like It's a Small World, and the Mad Tea Party, but first on my list was a long time favorite of many Disney-goers.  Peter Pan's Flight!

Picture from  http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/magic-kingdom/attractions/peter-pans-flight/ 

Peter Pan's Flight is always a must for me, and is probably my favorite ride in Fantasyland.  I have always loved the story and think I sill know all the lyrics to the songs in Disney's 1953 animated film.  No trip to Disney World would be complete without flying through the Darling's window and going on an adventure with Peter, dodging pirates.

Now, looking forward, We're at the 15 week mark, it doesn't see so far away anymore!

Those who are Disney planners out there know that by this time our dining reservations have long since been made, and I'm so excited that we're trying all new places this time!  All new places except for one restaurant that we just had to go to again--Tusker House!  Tusker House was our favorite restaurant when we were there last time.  A great buffet with lots and lots of vegetarian options as well as enough to fulfill Nathan's desire for some meat, we both were excited to dig right in.  I know there are those out there that are not fans of Tusker House, and it's gotten some unfavorable reviews, and I'm always surprised to hear that because our experience was so good and we both left feeling it was one of the best meals of our trip!  Can't wait!

What about you, what are your thoughts about Tusker House?  Do you and your family have a favorite restaurant you always go back to?

Thanks for joining me on my 2 for 1 countdown today! 

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Disney Countdown: 17 Weeks, 17 Memories

It's time for another installment of my Disney Countdown.  17 weeks to go.

Today I have another confession for you all.  I have been to Disney World many times in my life (Thanks for those all those nights where you drove all night 30 hours straight from Connecticut so we could wake up in Disney World, Dad!)  But, as I realized when I was planning our last trip, even when I went as a teenager, I had never been on The Haunted Mansion!

When I realized this fact, I was actually really surprised.  How could I never have been on the ride that is so loved by Disney-goers that it has its own outside website?  I was an easily scared child (seriously- the Disney version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow used to give me nightmares....for months) so I can only imagine that my parents avoided this ride when I was little because they imagined hauling their traumatized daughter out of the park wailing and refusing to ride even Living with the Land or Dumbo the Flying Elephant ever again for fear of ghosts coming out of somewhere. I don't know if they've ever ridden it either, it seems like a risk they just weren't willing to take.

And later, planning a trip as an adult, I realized that Haunted Mansion was the lowest on my list of priorities, and then that made me a little sad; like I was missing out on some great Disney history.  So, I made it one of our first priorities of the day, and I was glad we did.  Sure it's campy, and sure the "special effects" are not as advanced as, say, a  certain wizard ride at Universal Studios, but it was still a ride we had a great time riding.  And a ride I would certainly make a point of lining up to ride again.

And I didn't have a single nightmare after riding it.  Not one.


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Disney Countdown. 18 weeks, 18 memories

Welcome to this week's installment of my Disney countdown, just 18 weeks to go!

So many of my favorite memories from our last trip to Disney are connected to the experience my boyfriend, Nathan, had while we were there.  Nathan hadn't been to Disney World in 19 years--so there was a LOT of "new" things for him to see and do, and there's a special kind of enjoyment when you get to watch someone experience your favorite things about Disney for the first time. We were headed to Hollywood Studios the last day of our trip, and, while Hollywood Studios hasn't changed too much in the last few years, Nathan had never experienced The Tower of Terror! 

He said he remembered it being built when he was there last time, but it was in the very early stages so he knew nothing about it.  We were at the park for rope drop (of course!) and, since Tower of Terror is one of my all time favorite rides, we headed there first.  We were among the first on the ride that day, so he didn't even get a chance to see the doors open and hear the screams.  He told me later that he thought it was going to be some sort of roller coaster, and when the doors opened and the car moved forward, he was sure he was right.  Then, as the lights went out for that split second before you fall, I knew he was confused...and then....

down 

we

 went.

As the elevator started to break and go back up, I heard him laughing....giggling almost (although he wouldn't want me to say that, so let's just keep it between us).  We got off the ride and I said "do you want to go again?" And got an enthusiastic "Yes!".  I think we rode Tower of Terror the most that day- maybe three or four times more.  He said he enjoyed it more the second time, because he knew what it was going to do (he's the kind of guy who wants to know how the movie ends halfway through it), but for me, nothing could compare to hearing him giggle in the darkness the first time he experienced it.

He was also really loved the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster that day, and we rode that until I couldn't ride it again (it was the only ride we fastpassed all week).  But that's a post for another day.

Thanks for joining me as I count down to the next time we get to enter.....the Twilight Zone.

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Disney Countdown! 19 weeks/19 memories- confession

Welcome to the second installment of my Disney Countdown.   Each week until out next Disney trip I'll be counting down my favorite memories from out last trip and the things we're the most excited to do when we arrive again in January.  Today I have a confession for you all.... ready?  It's a big one....


We did not think Soarin' was worth the hype.There, I said it.



I mean, it was a cool concept, and it was enjoyable enough, but it didn't light that fire for us.


Now maybe it was because we foolishly chose to ride Soarin' the first evening we arrived and having been on a real plane pretty much all day made us tired of flying.  Or maybe we really needed something a little more exciting after a long day, but we both agreed that the ride wouldn't be worth the monumental wait times it garners. Our first night in Disney on our last trip we were there when Epcot had evening EMH.  We rode Soarin' much earlier in the evening (when there was no line) and as we sat eating a late dinner at Sunshine Seasons, we thought about giving it another try, but we were amazed to see the people flooding in after Illuminations to get on Soarin' and we just looked at each other in confusion. I guess we just didn't get it.

That said, we'll try Soarin' again on our next trip.  We did only give it the one chance, and we might enjoy it more if we don't ride it first thing. Maybe I'll be a Soarin' convert soon!

What do you think about Soarin'?  Do you think it lives up to the hype? Follow @DWDelights

Disney Countdown! 20 weeks, 20 memories

Hi everyone and welcome to my Disney countdown.  Each week for the next 20 weeks I'll be posting about Disney memories and the exciting things we're planning to do when we go again this January (I can't wait!).  First up today- the iconic weenie in Epcot- Spaceship Earth!

Picture from the seriously fantastic Disney Tourist Blog.  Every picture on this blog is breathtaking.  I wish I had those photo skills!

This memory requires a little bit of a back story, so stay with me for a minute. When we were in WDW back in January 2011, there was a pretty intense cold snap happening in the south. Our flight was also delayed out of Boston because of a massive snow storm, which meant we would miss our connecting flight in Atlanta. Normally this wouldn't be much of a problem, since flights leave from Atlanta to Orlando all the time, but Atlanta had been hit by an ice storm (yes, an ice storm, in Atlanta) the day before that basically cancelled everything and stranded Atlanta passengers had first priority for flights on day we were flying in. The best they could offer us was a flight in at 9pm (we landed in Atlanta around 1pm - so that was a looong wait). As we all know, Disney closes pretty early in the winter, and an arrival that late meant we would miss everything we had planned at the parks that day.  We even called the vacation insurance people to see what we would be eligible for in terms of refund.

Thankfully, with some luck and a little last minute ingenuity, it all worked out. We managed to get single seats on a flight that was taking off 10 minutes after we landed in Atlanta, and we made it to Epcot  for a few hours that night.  Things were extra special because the park was almost completely empty, almost like it was open just for us (50 degrees when the sun goes down is cold in Florida, but coming from like 2 degrees in New Hampshire, it was a heat wave!)  This was one of the first rides we went on that evening; we were tired and had had a long day, but it didn't matter.  The ride itself was as good as it ever was (even with the changes since the last time I was there) but when we chose our future and I saw our goofy, sleepy, oblivious faces (when, mine was oblivious-my boyfriend thought ahead and made a silly face) we dissolved into the kind of giggles only Disney can produce.  Those overstimulated but still having a great time in the happiest place on earth kind of giggles.  It didn't matter that we had to change our dining reservation at the last minute, or that the wait for the magical express took almost two hours--we were in Disney, and it was time for the good times to roll.

So, thank you, you crafty Phoenicians, for everything you've done!



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