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 World Delights on Twitter

Hi Folks-

Just a quick note to say that I twitter-fied my blog this afternoon!  If you are so inclined, you can follow me @DWDelights or click the follow link.   I'll see ya real soon!




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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

Wordless Wednesday- Almost

It's time for another edition of Wordless Wednesday over at Focused on the Magic and I'm really excited for this week's theme- Disney Friends!!  You see, I visited my mother this weekend (both our birthdays are in August, so I made the three hour drive to celebrate with her).  When I arrived, she told me about a huge box of pictures she had discovered behind the couch (huge- like Rubbermaid storage container huge) and we sat and looked through all. of. them.  I found so many Disney pictures from when I was young, and it really brought back the memories of what it was like to get to Disney World and visit with Disney friends.   Here are a few of the ones I discovered:

I'm not sure what Goofy is wearing on his head

The little peanut in both of these pictures is me, by the way.

yes, that's Winnie the Pooh sitting on someone.....but no, it is not me.

Sorry this wasn't very wordless, but I did my best!  For more Disney Friends fun, check out

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Destination Disney- Disney in Color

The color for Heidi's Destination Disney Meme at Heidi's Head this week is PURPLE.  It may not be the most original picture (I suspect a lot of folks have a picture like this) but as he is one of the most beloved of all Epcot characters, he's my pick for this week.  My purple picture today has

Two tiny wings, 

eyes big and yellow, 

horns of a steer, 

but a lovable fellow. 

From head to tail, 

he's royal purple pigment, 

and there, voila, you've got a....

Figment!

Here's adorable Figment sporting a beret in Journey into Imagination (somehow I thankfully managed to miss the referb that created Journey into YOUR Imagination- which removed him completely).  We did see the newish referb that brought both him back on our last trip (the referb happened in 2002), and while I was happy to see him, and thought parts of this new ride were charming-- Dr. Nigel Channing doesn't really have warmth of Dreamfinder (maybe the lack of the big beard has something to do with that?) and the ride itself can't hold a candle to the charm of the original.  Oh Dreamfinder, if only I could imagine you back into Epcot!  Maybe if I concentrate hard enough......

For more purple fun- go check out Heidi's Head 

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Wordless Wednesday!

Hi Everyone, I'm running a little behind this week, but welcome to another installment of Almost Wordless Wednesday hosted by awesome Focused on the Magic.  This week's theme is Night Time Magic, and without further ado, I give you Snow White and Grumpy from the Main Street Electrical Parade.  If you squint, I think that might be Doc in the background on the right hand side.

I feel like I've posted a lot of Main Street Electrical Parade pictures lately, but that's because this parade has always been a vacation staple for my family. I've been known to re-plan whole evenings to be sure that we stake out a good spot for this fun parade.  It's 100% magic to me.

For more Night Time Magic (and some awesome firework shots) check out Focused on the Magic.

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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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Destination Disney- Disney in Color

Yesterday there was another fun hop over at Heidi's Head (another fun Disney site that I discovered and really like!)  The theme of her Destination Disney Meme right now is colors.  Yesterday's color was green.  Here are some of my favorite green pictures from Disney:

The iconic Mary Poppins shrub is green:

And one of my favorite characters from Disney's movie canon, and a highlight of the Main Street Electrical Parade, is green:

Elliot!  The fun loving (and invisible) dragon sidekick to Pete. According to the song, he has the head of a camel, the neck of a crocodile and the ears of a cow, but he looks like a plain old dragon to me!

For more fun green pictures, go check out Heidi's Head!

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Wordless Wednesday (almost)

So, it's about time I get my act together and actually start posting on this thing. After all, our next Disney trip is only 149 days away! Today I'm posting a " Wordless Wednesday" photo and joining in with the very awesome Focused on the Magic blog (seriously, check it out, she does great work!). Away, this is supposed to be wordless, so I should cut to the chase. The theme today is parades! This picture is from the 25th anniversary celebration at Walt Disney World (you know, the one with the pink Cinderella Castle cake?).  The bears  here have been making their own cake, but they seem to have made it upside down!

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