The Disney Exchange- Episode 33- Photography at Walt Disney World

By Nick 

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-The Disney Exchange is David Hodges, Lisa Green, and me, Nicholas Maglio  

-Main Topic: Photography at Walt Disney World

 The Tower of Terror from in front of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster

-Dave talks about his most recent trip to Walt Disney World, where he visited all 4 parks in one day. We discuss some changes at the Magic Kingdom concerning traffic management and flow.

-Welcome to the iPhone Podcast.
We hear Siri explain zero divided by zero, and Lisa asks Siri if those jeans make her look fat. Go ahead and ask Siri.

-There was a brawl between 3 women in the line at Test Track last weekend.

-On to our main topic. We start our discussion with a favorite place for photos off the beaten path at each of the parks.

Some examples; I discovered a few months back that some wonderful shots of Epcot's World Showcase can be gotten from the Friendship Boats which go across the Lagoon.

-Dave loves the Streets of America at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Photos: David Hodges

Lisa likes fun photo ops in the Magic Kingdom, such as the beanstalk at Sir Mickey's...

... Bruce the Shark from Nemo at the Seas in Epcot...

...and the Snowman back by Mama Melrose in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Photos: Lisa Green

We go on to talk about our best character photo tips, such as character meals!

Drizella and me at 1900 Park Fare

-Next up, we talk about best Memory Maker tips, such as not just standing there, mix up your poses.

Me, Barbie, Donald, Jill, Nicole and Josh in Mexico

-Last, we talk favorite phone apps we use to edit pics. I like InstaCollage because, really, who can have too many photos of me?

Barbie, our friend Jazz, and me with some characters you may recognize.

Wheel of Distiny: Favorite Marvel Cinematic character. Dave is not a fan of the Marvel movies.
If you are interested in being a permanent replacement host for Dave, please email Lisa and me a resume at info@thedisneyexchange 
Yes, I'm kidding. Who else would edit the show?!


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Great Disney Characters - Lady Tremaine and the Steps

By Lisa Green

If you’re taking little ones to Walt Disney World, you will, of course, want to take them to see their favorite characters.  The Fab Five, Princesses, Winnie the Pooh and Piglet too!  Character autographs, character meals, character meet and greets – opportunities abound.

Again – I want to point out (I’m not trying to make you sad, I promise) – your kiddos won’t stay little forever.  The importance of character interaction will wane a bit as you find yourself with tweens, teens and young adults.  This may surprise you, but meeting characters becomes a whole lot more interesting when your children get a little older!

Enter the more “sophisticated” characters.  Characters that can be intimidating or downright terrifying to small children are absolutely wonderful for interacting with older kids and adults.   Examples include the likes of Captain Hook, Jafar, and – to me, truly the very best characters for older children, Lady Tremaine and the Step Sisters.

 

We first ran into Lady Tremaine and the Steps unexpectedly near Cinderella’s Wishing Well in the Magic Kingdom – we laughed hysterically at their antics.  Lady Tremaine is dead serious in her unflappable adoration of her beloved offspring.   Anastasia and Drizella are pretty amazing in the level of selfishness and conceit they display!  At that time, Megan and Joseph could appreciate the humor, but weren’t quite ready to be a part of the “show."

We next ran into Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella during our magical VIP parade seating.  Joseph was old enough to really interact with the Steps and knew just what to do.  He showed them some attention and, as expected, that was all it took before one of the girls, Drizella, screamed, “MOTHER!  I want this ONE!”

Later that night during the Main Street Electrical Parade, Joseph saw Drizella and Anastasia again on a parade float and blew a kiss – Drizella immediately focused all her attention on Joseph as the float went by.  As it moved along the route, Joseph stood with one arm longingly (and dramatically!) outstretched towards his now favorite character as she reached towards him with equally passionate dismay.  C’mon – that’s hilarious!  Priceless Disney magic….character interaction for big kids is every bit as fantastic as it was with little ones.

 
  
Need to tell them apart?  Drizella is the oldest and wears blue / green.  Anastasia is the younger sister in Pink.

It’s your turn:  Who do you think are the best characters for older children?  Who are your favorite characters to interact with?

Portions of this article was originally posted on Lisa's Living a Disney Life Blog.

December '14 Walt Disney World Trip Report: Part 2

by Nick

Sunday, December 7th

After such a jam packed first day, we all slept in. We had made an ADR for breakfast at Whispering Canyon Cafe, the sit down restaurant located off of the main lobby of the Wilderness Lodge, the previous day.

Barbie and I were giving this restaurant another shot after a not so great experience on our last stay at the Lodge in 2011. Whispering Canyon has a reputation of being fun, along the lines of 50s Prime Time at Disney's Hollywood Studios, but on that first visit our service was very lackluster, with zero energy from our server.

This trip we had the good fortune of having Jeff as a server. He was a lot of fun, and spent a lot of time joking with us as well as having a real conversation.

 Jill and Jeff

The food was great, with everything being delicious. The bacon was not the standard flimsy bacon found at other establishments on Disney property.

We'd all chosen the "All You Care to Eat Breakfast Skillet" pictured above, and we all did eat all we cared to, and then some.
After this stuffing, we all retired to our rooms for naps!

Barbie and I got up a couple of hours later, and dressed and made our way down to the main lobby to enjoy the decorations and get photos while we waited for our friend Nicole, who stayed for 3 nights with Josh and Jill, to arrive.

After Nicole arrived, we departed for Disney's Hollwood Studios.

Left to Right: Josh, Jill, Nicole, Barbie and me

We had reservations for the Frozen Holiday Premium Package, which I wrote about in greater detail here.

We checked in, got our lanyard and pass for the party, and headed to Rock n' Roller Coaster.

We then headed to For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. If you are a fan of Frozen, this is a must do.

Afterwards we visited Wandering Oaken's Trading Post, the Frozen themed gift shop located in the back of the park, off Streets of America.

Just as The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights began, we happened to be right next to the area where Santa Goofy comes out for photos with guests, and lucked out, as the line can be extremely long.

The Frozen themed dessert party took place at the end of Streets of America, with a terrific view of the Osborne Lights.

We stayed until the end of the party, at 830pm, and then meandered our way back to the front of the park, stopping for PhotoPass pics along the way.

Part 1 of the trip report can be found here.

A Few Tips For Meeting Disney Characters

By Lisa Green

Almost five-year-old Megan gets autographs from her favorite characters

When you have a Disney vacation planned, one of the things you immediately imagine is how your children (or you) will be when you see those famous Disney characters for the first time! If you have very small children, you may worry about whether or not your little sweeties will be scared or how to properly make that initial introduction.  I have a little experience with this and here’s my best advice:

Babies and Toddlers:  They won’t remember it, so it’s YOU who will be most disappointed if the character meeting doesn’t go well.

Not crying (yet) a cautious Joseph meets Genie for the first time.

Everyone wants pictures, so my best advice is easy does it.  Small doses work best.  Let your toddler look at the characters from far away first before getting them up close and personal.  It helps if there’s an older sibling to lead the way, but if that’s not the case – let them see other children having fun with the characters so they know it’s a good thing. 

• Worse case – take pictures of your little one with the character in the background if face-to-face is a no-go. 
• Unless there are older siblings to consider, don’t waste your money on a character meal just yet.  It’s worth every penny, though, when the time is right. 

Which brings me to…. Children between four and ten: 

• Now’s the time to dish out some dough.  Character meals, character meet-and-greets, autograph books, and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.  I promise – you’ll spend less money when they’re tweens and teens at Disney World than you will during this stage.  Why spend the money (and the time waiting in line)?  They’re only this age for a very little while – the age where they still believe in magic, still get a kick out of playing dress-up, and still think those characters are royal-celebrity-rock-stars!
• Character Dining – you have several choices at all four theme parks and many different resorts.  Our favorite has always been Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary Resort because of the classic characters (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy).  There is character dining available with a wide variety of characters in every park and many resorts.  For more details and information on selecting the right dining experience for you (or your child), check out this article at The Disney Food Blog. 
• Character Meet and Greets + Autograph Collecting:  ALL character interaction opportunities are covered here by a great source of Disney World info, Intercot.com.  Sudden opportunities do present themselves and should be taken advantage of whenever possible (saves time).  Bring along an autograph book, a tee shirt, a wide picture mat, or pillowcase for the characters to sign – these make great souvenirs!  Bring large markers in different colors that are easy for the characters to grip and hand them open and ready to write to each character when the time comes.
• Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique – Warning:  You may experience sticker shock!  This magical salon turns your little princess into her favorite Disney princess (or character).  Why you should do it:  After their transformation is complete, just take them to see an afternoon parade in the Magic Kingdom.  The parade characters salute, bow, blow kisses, bestow royal waves – you name it- especially for the Disney princesses among the parades’ spectators.  I must confess – I purposely find a place near one of these princesses in the crowd so I can watch her reaction (and her parents’) as the parade goes by and all those very priceless interactions take place – makes me misty-eyed every time.
•  If your child is shy:  Our own Megan was very timid as a little girl and didn’t want to speak to strangers – even Disney characters.  We found that the silent, happy (no villains), non-speaking characters were her favorites since there was no chance they would ask her a question or require her to speak to them at any time.

Mickey autographs a tee shirt

Donald!

Tweens, Teens, and Adults:

• Best to look for those sudden moments that pop up when the characters are available and the line is short or non-existent.  These are some of my most favorite vacation pictures EVER!  Mostly because running into the characters was a surprise (in an out-of-the way place) and the characters are more inclined to be playful or tease in unexpected ways.  Villains are perfect for older children and adults.  
• Character meals can still be fun.  Breakfast at Chef Mickey’s is still one of our favorite things to do.  Also, 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian offers a character dinner that features Cinderella and Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine and the Stepsisters, Drizella and Anastasia…they are perfect for character interaction with teens and adults as they are extremely funny (and the sisters may be a bit much for little ones). 

• Disney Cruise Line – Characters abound on the high seas!  With older children especially, watch for those unexpected opportunities.  In port, there are usually characters waiting on the pier to welcome you back to the ship – depending on the time of day, the line for pictures is usually very short (or nonexistent).

Jason and Joseph returning from Castaway Cay

Goofy has some smooth moves at sea

Hopefully, some of these tips will come in handy on your next (or first) Disney vacation.  If you have character pictures you’d like to share, I’d love to see them.

Surprise meeting with Lilo and Stitch

 
This article was originally posted by Lisa on her Living a Disney Life-Empty Nesting with Pixie Dust Blog.

Grab that Character!

by Gaylin

Getting your photo taken with a character while at Walt Disney World can be a fun and sometimes frustrating thing. Now that you can use FP+ you can book character meet and greets but you are not able to book times with all the characters.

One way I have found to get a photo with a character is to know what time they will be arriving at a meet and greet spot. And follow them!

At Epcot, there is a meet and greet spot for Duffy the Disney Bear. I was in the area when he was coming out for a scheduled meet up time and yep, I followed him and was first in line!

Love the not so hidden Mickey on his bottom.

 

I have used this strategy on more than one occasion and it is a sweet way to get a quick visit and photo with a character! 

Do you have any character meet and greet strategies?

Face to Face With Disney Characters

Face to Face...

 

By: Heather Kaminski

 

After weeks and months of planning and saving, you have finally arrived. You are home!

 

You hit the parks hard, ready to let loose and act like a kid again. You're ready for a trip filled with magical moments with food, family, friends and some your favorite characters. And then you see them...

 

FACE CHARACTERS

 

We have all been there. You're so ready to dive in and act like a kid again, but as soon as a Princess (who is clearly, like, a sophomore at FSU) asks you if your husband slayed a dragon for you or asks about this far off land you call "Pittsburgh", you freeze.

 

For the record, "Uhhhh, yeaaaahhh" really was the best thing I could come up with.

 

If you are childless, like myself, these experiences can be awkward if you let them. Without an elated toddler to focus on, it's sometimes hard to get caught up in the magic as quickly as you would like.

 

Here are some tips for to make the most of these opportunities, so you can migle with the characters and have a little fun.

 

Know their backstory:

 

Ask Jasmine if she gets "Carpet Sick" or Ariel if she has a spare Dinglehopper you could borrow. Tell Alice that it's your Unbirthday too, and ask her where the party is! I wonder if Snow White will tell you her favorite Dwarf if you ask her nicely?

 

Ask them to teach you something:

 

Ask Peter Pan for a swordfighting lesson, or challenge Hook to a thumb war! I know from personal experience that Mulan is always up for a martial arts lesson.

 

Greet them in their native tongue:

 

Whether it be a hearty "Bonjour" for Belle, an "Ahoy Matey!" for Captain Jack, or a dainty "How do you do" with Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty, it's always fun to get into character and pretend you're part of the story.

 

 

Speaking of getting into character....

 

Strike a Pose:

 

Even if you can't dress in full costume most days, you can always strike a pose to be like your favorite characters. Grab onto your "skirt" and curtsey with the Princesses. Make a "fishie face" with Ariel, salute with the Green Army Men, or show off your guns and make a muscle with Gaston. 

 

 

Whatever you decide to do, just let go of your inhibitions and have a blast! You're on vacation! Live it up. And if you're still uncomfortable, you can always stick with the far less intimidating "Fab 5" pictures. There's totally no one inside of those costumes, they are 100% the real deal.

 

 

Enjoy!

Meeting Mickey and Minnie Mouse at The Adventurers Outpost

By: Nick

The Adventurers Outpost located at Disney's Animal Kingdom's Discovery Island in Walt Disney World is not only the place to get a photo with Mickey and Minnie, it's also the place to see some of their travel photos and souvenirs from their vacations around the world!

The Outpost is located by the bridge to/from Asia.

While the queue area has photos of Mickey and Minnie in front of many of the the spectacles of the world, the wait can be long and rather boring. I found this a great time to catch up on Facebook and email.

Once through the long queue, you come to a door! Where you wait in a slightly shorter queue.

At least there are some entertaining props once you get into the room with Mickey and Minnie.

Once we were inside, however, and saw the joy on the faces of the children with the family in front of us, it was well worth it. Mickey and Minnie spend plenty of time with the children of all ages.

And of course, we got to get our photos with the main Mice as well!