Here at Disney Dork Tom, we aim to be practical. “How can I prepare for a Disney trip” is by far one of the most frequent questions that I get via e-mail and social media. So, we gave that question some thought within the context of “what if visiting Disney was like the Olympics”. What would the events be and how would we train for them to get the gold? We put together this list of practical (albeit unconventional) ways that you can train like an Olympian before your visit to Disney.
I recently gave you Five cool facts about Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion and it was a great success. So, I’ve decided to follow it up with another post that has five more cool facts! Without further ado…
Continue reading “Five (more) cool facts about Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion”
The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland is a classic attraction that is loved by millions. It’s acquired quite a fan base since it originally opened on August 9th, 1969. Many people don’t know just how rich the Mansion’s history and backstory are, so I thought I’d share five cool facts about it.
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I probably should have done this around Halloween but I had the idea a little too late. Recently I was watching Walking Dead (great show!) and I thought… if I happened to be at Walt Disney World when the zombie apocalypse kicked off, where would be the best places to wait it out? It was an interesting idea and I decided to put my thoughts down on paper. These are actually in no particular order so I’d love for my readers to vote (via the comments) on which one they’d pick!
#1 – Living with the Land
The first thing that came to mind was food and water – something you’ll definitely need if you want to wait out the apocalypse successfully. For that reason, Living with the Land is a great selection since it houses a ton of fruits and vegetables that grow there. It even has some fish farms for much needed protein. All in all, from a food and water perspective, this is THE place to be in EPCOT.
But, Living with the Land is not without its drawbacks, too. The one that comes to mind immediately is its vulnerability to infiltration by zombies. It has a lot of entrances and exits connected to it, that means you’d need a pretty big group to defend it which could be difficult. There’s also lots of nooks and crannies where zombies could hide out if they got in.
Continue reading “Top Five locations in EPCOT to wait out a Zombie Apocalypse!”
Disney World is expensive and we all know it (not that it stops any of us from going). There are some obvious ways to cut costs during a Disney World trip like staying at a value resort or eating exclusively at quick service restaurants. But, I wanted to share some other cool ways to save money that may not have occurred to people.
#1 – Instead of renting a room, rent DVC points instead
For those of you not familiar with DVC, it stands for Disney Vacation Club and it’s their time share program. Many of the resorts at Disney World have a DVC component. Even better for you, it’s not that hard to rent points from existing DVC members using any number of services. I have never done this before personally, so instead of supporting any particular service, click here to see the best results from Google.
Continue reading “Five great tips to saving money at Disney World”
As you all know, dining and snacking is one of my favorite parts of any Disney World vacation. But, snacking is often over looked among st the rush to get as many ADRs as possible 180 days before your trip. So, I wanted to put together this article for five tips that will help you snack throughout your trip!
Tip #5 – Sample free sodas at EPCOT
If you’re feeling a little warm over at EPCOT there’s an easy way to avoid shelling out a few beans for a soda. Stroll over to EPCOT’s Club Cool where you can sample – for free – Coca Cola sodas from around the globe. To be fair, though, some of the beverage options may be a little exotic, but you should be able to find at least one that’ll whet your whistle and give you the cool boost you need.
Continue reading “Five Delicious Snacking Tips for Walt Disney World”
Disney World is always an amazing experience and the most crucial part of that are the attractions (yes, even if you’re a huge Disney Dining fan like myself). We all have our own favorite rides and shows, the rides we run to when the rope drops, and even the stuff we tend to avoid. I’m always a fan of trying to make things even better than they already are, so here are five tips I’ve come up with enhance some of my favorite Disney World rides.
Tip #5 – Incorporate fireworks into the rides
Ok, I admit, this one is a bit tricky and to be honest it’s always a bit of a dice roll. But, there have been a few times where I’ve timed Jungle Cruise perfectly during the fireworks display. Can you see the entire fireworks display for the entire ride? No. But, when you can see the fireworks up in the sky while you sail around on the Jungle Cruise, it’s pretty cool, and gives the attraction kind of a whole new feel.
Continue reading “Five ways to enhance the experience on your favorite Disney World attractions”
I’ve come to believe that Animal Kingdom is one of those parks that’s a little misunderstood at Walt Disney World. Often labeled as a “half day park”, mostly due to it’s typically earlier closing time (than other parks) but also sometimes due to the perception that it lacks enough rides to keep you entertained for a full day. While it’s true the park will usually close earlier, it’s completely untrue that there is not enough to keep you busy there all day. I’ve put together these five mistakes that I find are common for people to make at Animal Kingdom (some of which I even made myself). Avoiding these could be the difference between a good half day at Animal Kingdom and a fantastic full day.
Mistake #1 – Arriving Late
Animal Kingdom’s biggest difference is that we’re talking about real life animals here. They have legitimate routines that dictate when they’re active and when they’re ready for a little snooze. The morning, by and large, is when these animals are most active. Thus, it’s important to arrive as soon as you can, usually 9AM on normal days. But, if you’re staying at a Disney Resort, then you are entitled to Extra Magic Hours, which means on certain days you can get in at 8AM. Which actual days this occurs for Animal Kingdom varies a bit, but if you want to synch up your trip, there is a good reference here at wdwinfo.com.
Disney Dork Tom 
Three Earth-shattering things I would do right now if I was Disney CEO Bob Iger
When people ask me where I want to be late in my career, I tell them I want to be the CEO of Disney (shocker, right?). The big kahuna. Nothing would be more satisfying than to lead a company I love into the future even if it was a short tenure. I’m not quite Disney CEO material yet, and Bob Iger is doing a great job, but that doesn’t mean I can’t ruminate on what I’d do today if I was. And, if Mr. Iger happens to stumble on this and likes any of my ideas he can certainly give me a buzz and start grooming me now. Without further ado, here are three (non-obvious) things I’d do if I was the CEO of Disney right now. Continue reading “Three Earth-shattering things I would do right now if I was Disney CEO Bob Iger” →