Search

Disney Dork Tom

Disney Tips & Tricks, Planning, News, and History!

Open Search
Category

Walt Disney World

When is the best time to visit Disneyland or Disney World?

Every Disney vacation starts with that fundamental question: when is the best time to visit Disneyland or Disney World? Now, there are many variables to this question, things like:

  • What kind of weather do you do best in?
  • What kinds of prices do you want to pay for resorts?
  • Do you want to be there during a festival or special event?
  • How crowded or empty do you like the parks to be?
  • Do you like visiting with decorations up?

These are all absolutely crucial questions to ask and sometimes its really hard to find the answer. But, if you do some digging, you’ll find that a few people have put together some pretty helpful resources that help you answer these questions so I’ve decided to try and aggregate a few of them here for you.

Continue reading “When is the best time to visit Disneyland or Disney World?” →

1

Le Cellier Steakhouse at EPCOT: A Review

EPCOT in Walt Disney World is a veritable power house of Disney Dining. A dream come true for those of us (myself included) who enjoy the food at Disney World as much as they do anything else. But, all those choices come with a price: which special few should I pick to visit? Well, I’m here to help as I try to review all the places in Disney World that I’ve eaten at. Last week I reviewed Liberty Tree Tavern in Magic Kingdom and this week we’ll talk about Le Cellier Steakhouse in EPCOT.

Note: if you’re looking for an overview of all the Disney reviews I’ve done (which can help provide context for scoring) give my review index a quick glimpse.

Continue reading “Le Cellier Steakhouse at EPCOT: A Review” →

2

Five Delicious Snacking Tips for Walt 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” →

1

Five ways to enhance the experience on your favorite Disney World attractions

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” →

5

Five Mistakes to Avoid at Animal Kingdom

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.

Continue reading “Five Mistakes to Avoid at Animal Kingdom” →

8

Farewell, Studio Backlot Tour at Hollywood Studios

This summer there has been a lot of announcements about things closing (and opening) at Walt Disney World in Orlando. The Maelstrom / Frozen announcement probably got the most press (and biggest opinions). American Idol Experience closing didn’t get too much buzz and I am actually still confused if Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular is actually closing or not [readers?]. Another ride on the chopping block, and in fact, set to close it’s doors forever tomorrow (Saturday, Sep 27th) is the Studio Backlot Tour at Hollywood Studios.

Continue reading “Farewell, Studio Backlot Tour at Hollywood Studios” →

1

Liberty Tree Tavern at Magic Kingdom: A Review

Let’s admit it: one of the best parts of every Disney trip is the restaurants and the eating! I full-heartedly (and full-stomachly) agree with this. But, with so many places to pick from it’s always great to get some perspective online before you make those ever-so-valuable advance dining reservations (ADRs). For my first restaurant review, we’ll be talking about Liberty Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom.

Note: if you’re looking for an overview of all the Disney reviews I’ve done (which can help provide context for scoring) give my review index a quick glimpse.

Continue reading “Liberty Tree Tavern at Magic Kingdom: A Review” →

8

Five Fun Food Tips for Your Trip to Walt Disney World

Believe it or not, I think the food at Walt Disney World is probably my favorite part of any trip. Yes, the attractions are fun and the theming is immersive, but deep down food is my most tightly held vice. I have a hunch that I’m not the only glutton who visits Walt Disney World, so here are five food tips that I’ve learned over the years that I believe will be handy for any Disney fan.

Continue reading “Five Fun Food Tips for Your Trip to Walt Disney World” →

8

Rip and Replace Maelstrom for Frozen?

Update: As of October 6th, 2014, Maelstrom is officially closed until it re-opens as the Frozen ride in 2016.

No doubt you’ve heard the news today that Maelstrom is going to be replaced with a Frozen ride. The potentially good news is that Disney used the word “replace” instead of something like “enhance” and the ride will not reopen for at least another 18 months. That means that hopefully we’ll get a major overhaul to house Frozen, instead of the pretty lame enhancement to Pirates, for example, where they just stuck Captain Jack Sparrow in a few random places. At least the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad refurbishment in Disneyland had a lot of pizazz, so hopefully this will the minimum bar set for Maelstrom.

Continue reading “Rip and Replace Maelstrom for Frozen?” →

2

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑