Disney Park Starz Vinylmation Haunted Mansion Bride

By: Nick

A few years ago Barbie and I took a short trip to Walt Disney World with another couple, staying in a Fort Wilderness Cabin.

While visiting the Magic Kingdom’s Emporium, I showed my friends the new form of Vinylmation, the Park Starz line. I stated that before the trip was through, I would have to buy one, in the hopes of getting one of the few figures I was interested in.

That evening, they went to the Magic Kingdom for evening Extra Magic Hours, while we stayed at the cabin. Imagine my surprise when I awoke the next morning to find that they had bought me a Park Starz figure! I couldn’t wait till everyone woke up to open it, as I am like a kid on Christmas morning when it comes to opening gifts, so I took it out onto the deck to see what “Santa” had brought me.

The packaging is terrific. I love the graphics. The box itself is a work of art.






What can it be? Is it one I want?! It feels roundish, is it the Yeti. I wouldn’t mind the Yeti, but it isn’t my first choice. I hope it isn’t Big Al, as my wife really dislikes the Country Bears.



I open the foil to find the figure I actually wanted the most! The Haunted Mansion Bride!
She even comes with an ax!





They even thought to paint in her shoes on the bottom!



It gives me chills just looking at it.



Included is a little fold out pamphlet with a name of each figure, and the year of it’s creation at each of the parks it may be in or have been in.
For instance, the Robot Butler, Horizons, Epcot, 1983-1999.





A fantastic collectible. A big thank you to my friends!

A Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue...Review

By Lisa Green

 Editor's Note: Barbie and I had a NOT so great Hoop-Dee-Doo experience a couple of years back, but, as I want to be a fair and balanced blog, I thought I should share Lisa Green's much rosier view of this Disney classic. -Nick

If you are looking for a fun, family-friendly-dinner-and-entertainment all-in-one experience on your Walt Disney World vacation – you can’t beat the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue!
Described on Disney’s website as “A hilarious, high-spirited hootenanny the whole family will enjoy, accompanied by a finger-lickin’ countrified feast” – good food meets good fun at the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground’s Pioneer Hall.



The Fam and I have seen the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Review on more than one occasion and let me tell you – it is indeed hilarious and highly entertaining.  I put it to the true test for any type of entertainment and once brought along not one, but TWO 15-year-old boys.  If they gave it a “two thumbs up” rating (and they did), you know it’s absolutely fantastic!  They thought the show was corny – but in a really good way.  Added praise – They both asked to go again the next time we went to Disney World.

The Pioneer Players perform skits, sing, dance, and interact with the audience – it’s energetic, a little bit silly, and completely different from anything else at Walt Disney World.  The dinner lasts approximately 2 hours and while you’re eating, you’re bound to notice that the Pioneer Players clearly love what they do.  With colorful characters like Claire de Lune and Six Bits Slocum – children and adults alike are completely captivated!

 

If you’re using Disney transportation, you can catch a boat at the Magic Kingdom or at the Contemporary Resort and enjoy a tranquil and relaxing cruise across Bay Lake to the Campgrounds at Fort Wilderness.  Once the boat docks, it’s just a short walk to Pioneer Hall.  After checking in, you’ll be seated at your table and the all-you-care-to-eat, family-style dinner will begin.  Your server will bring cornbread, salad, baked beans, fried chicken, and BBQ pork ribs – all you want!  Soft drinks and, for adults 21 and over, beer, wine, and sangria are included.  Finally – the grand finale is Strawberry Shortcake – which is both a dessert and a musical production!



Pre-payment for the Hoop-Dee-Doo is required and prices are based on where you choose to sit.  Three seating areas are available:  Main Floor, Category 2, and Category 3.  The Main Floor puts you close to the stage on ground level.  Category 2 is either floor level (back and/or to the sides of Category 1) or balcony tables directly out from center-stage.  Category 3 is balcony seating to the right and left of the stage.

There’s a reason this show has been running continuously since 1974 – it is delightfully excellent entertainment – and the food’s good too.

Have you ever been to see the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Review?  What did you think?

This article was originally posted on the Living a Disney Life Blog

Hangin' Out With Chip 'n' Dale : Story Behind the Photo

By Nick

This photo was take January of 2011, when we were hangin' out with our buddies, Chip 'n' Dale at their Campfire Sing-A-Long at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort.

We had arrived early for this terrific event, and were surprised to find these 2 scampering about. They were very excited to see us, and we had our own private photo session.

If you've never been, I can't recommend it highly enough!

You can bring your own marshmallows and sticks, or buy a S’mores kit from the Chuckwagon Snack Bar.

Then, sing along to old-time favorites led by a guitar-playing cowboy, who is joined by the chipmunk duo!

Afterwards, you can watch Disney movies at the Campground Cinema, which we didn't do that evening, but plan on during a future visit.

A Not Very Hoop Dee Doo Revue

by Nick 
Note: 
I originally wrote this for the Tips From the Disney Diva and Devos Blog, for which I'm a contributing writer, back in 2012. I haven't shared it previously because it's not a very positive review of one of Disney's most beloved shows. But I recently was reminded just how much good or bad  service can affect our experiences at Disney Parks when my friend Lisa posted an excellent article on her blog, Living a Disney Life: Empty Nesting with Pixie Dust, discussing how poor service ruined her experience at our favorite restaurant, The Hollywood Brown Derby.
 

Since I first started going to Walt Disney World in 1992, I have been told that I absolutely must see the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Review. “It’s the best show on Disney property”, “A trip wouldn’t be complete without an evening at Hoop-Dee-Doo”, and “I’ve seen it every year since I started coming to Disney World” are just a few of the comments I’ve heard when I’ve talked about this show with others. How could this show stand up to this level of hype?
Sadly, for me, my wife, and friends, it didn’t.
Now, before you post negative comments asking “how could you criticize our favorite thing at Disney”, let me give you a review of my experience.
The evening I saw “the Hoop” (I just made that nickname up, feel free to use it.) was towards the end of an absolutely wonderful trip, filled with more than a couple of outstanding cast member interactions and magical moments! After hearing about 20 years of praise for this show, my expectations were obviously high.

Here I am, on the right, with our friends, excited and hungry.
Just look at the eager “Show me a good time face.” I have on!

The Show is at Pioneer Hall, at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. You’ll have to take a boat or a bus to Ft. Wilderness from Magic Kingdom or another park in order to get there as there are no buses that run between resorts.

Inside the hall:

To make my anticipation even greater, we had gotten 3rd tier seats, but because the show wasn’t even half booked, we were seated on the floor, not to far from the stage!! This, I thought, was great, a magical start to the evening!

Sadly, the evening didn’t turn out so magical. To start, our server didn’t come around to take a drink order for several minutes. Then, certain things made me feel perhaps he wasn’t in the best of moods. I just got a slightly surly vibe. Throughout the meal, for drinks we had to flag him down. Our food came out last, some tables were already well into their buckets of fried chicken before we even started eating.

And, I’m not sure if it was because we were served our food later, but, while we were in the middle of eating, the lights went down, and the show resumed, so we were essentially eating in the dark.

Then there was dessert. Strawberry Shortcake. The cast literally stages a big song and dance number about this Strawberry Shortcake. With the wait-staff participating in it, even!
Our server is actually in this photo holding a tray of Shortcake.

We never got ours! Our server danced off the stage, dropped off cake to our surrounding tables, and we never saw him again! Not once. No “would you like some coffee?” or “and how is your cake?”.
I even tried to flag down another staff person, but they didn’t see me, and then they were gone.
I was so annoyed, I couldn’t enjoy the last portion of the show, which is why there are no more pictures to share with you!

Our friend, John, who had made the reservations, spoke to a manager afterwards, and we got half of our admission back, plus 2 Strawberry Shortcakes to go. Still, it was a bummer and proof that sometimes having a bad customer service encounter changes the entire dynamic of the experience.

Now, I don’t want to give the impression it’s all bad. The food is terrific, but the exact same food plus more can be found next door at Trail’s End Buffet for much less, and I’ve never had poor service.

Aaaaand in my opinion, the show is just okay.
It’s a little outdated, and not just in a classic Disney kind of way.
Could my judgement be tainted by the over hype and poor service?
Absolutely, and I would not try to discourage anyone from seeing the show, it just wasn't for me.

Have you ever had a bad Cast Member experience?

Trail's End at Walt Disney World

One of my favorite buffets in Walt Disney World doesn't have any characters. But I feel this entire area has plenty of character.

Fort Wilderness is a great destination in and of itself, as is Trail's End.
Located next to the Hoop De Doo Musical Revue at Pioneer Hall, the food at the Revue actually uses the same kitchen.

As you'd expect, the interior is rustic, and has a different feel to it than other restaurants. You feel like you are in the mountains perhaps, having a meal in a cabin.

 

But enough of the atmosphere, you're here for the food!

The All-You-Can-Eat Buffet includes:

Soup of the day. I'm not a soup guy, but friends that are love the soup here.
Chili. Pretty good.
Salad Bar

Peel-and-eat shrimp
Smoked Pork Ribs. Very good.
Fresh Catch of the day. On my last visit, the salmon was excellent!
Fried Chicken. My favorite fried chicken. Anywhere. Really, I dream about it!

Selection of Vegetables

Hand-Carved Roasted Meats, very tasty.

Housemade Fruit Cobbler, ice cream, cookies, etc., all delicious.

So if you want some of the great Hoop De Doo food, without the show, stop by Trail's End!

Portions of this article were originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Diva Blog, where Nick is a contributing writer.

The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort

The Wilderness Lodge 

and  

Fort Wilderness Resort and Camp Ground

Part 3 of 3 : Fort Wilderness Resort and Camp Ground

The Cabins at Fort Wilderness occupy a huge area. To get an idea of the size, I've included a map:

We were in cabin 2768, which is very close to the main road, and one of the many bus stops throughout the grounds. It is also a fairly short walk to the Outpost Depot, which is where you get a bus to Downtown Disney and all the parks except the Magic Kingdom, which is reached by boat.

Our cabin.

You walk into the kitchen area straight ahead.

To the right is the living room. There is a Murphy bed, which is where my wife and I slept.
This is very comfortable, perhaps more comfortable than other resorts beds. It is a double however, so some may find it a little small.

The hallway.

The bathroom. I felt the water pressure was also better than some resorts.

The bedroom.

A couple of things of note. I think this may have been one of the cleanest and most well kept of the rooms we've stayed in! Mouse Keeping was exceptional.

I did a lot of research and asked many questions on various forums before we stayed here.
One of the things I got the most feedback about was the bus service. Many suggested we rent a car, but our friends decided that wasn't necessary. The bus service was the best of any other resort we've stayed at, with the exception of one late evening, after returning via boat from the Magic Kingdom, when we had to wait about 20 minutes for a bus. Even the internal bus service was often arriving just as we would approach both our local bus stop or the main Outpost stop. On only a couple of occasions was a bus not at the ready, and we opted to simply walk either to the main depot, or our cabin.

The pools, we did not try, but our friends enjoyed the heated quiet pool and hot tub.

We would absolutely stay at the cabins again.
This article originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos Blog, where Nick is a contributing writer.

Disney's Wilderness Lodge

The Wilderness Lodge 
and 
Fort Wilderness Resort and Camp Ground

Part 1 of 3: The Wilderness Lodge

The Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness are two great resorts that I think complement each other wonderfully, offering many things to see and do, and some great places to eat. My wife and I have stayed at both resorts. We stayed at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge, a Disney Vacation Club property, and in the Wilderness Lodge main building in January of 2011. We also stayed in a cabin at Ft. Wilderness with another couple in November, 2011.

In part one of this series, I thought I'd share a few pictures of the Wilderness Lodge.

The front of the Lodge is impressive.



The Lobby is even more spectacular. I spent a lot of time just sitting in the lobby, enjoying the surroundings, and people watching.











The indoor hot spring starts in the rear of the lobby...

 ...where the water flows down into the waterfall, and continues....



...into the pool.


Here's a glimpse of our our room.







The view from the balcony is terrific.



In the evening, the balcony is a great place to enjoy a cocktail, a snack, and....



...watch the Electrical Water Pageant.



The view to the left of our room.



The lodge from the ferry to the Magic Kingdom.
This is a great bonus to staying at the Wilderness Lodge. You may not have the monorail, but the boat provides at least one additional form of transportation "home" after fireworks.



The Lodge is amazing, and one of my favorite resorts. It's a short boat ride to the Magic Kingdom, and a short bus ride to Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios, so you don't feel like you're too far away from everything.

The area is beautiful, it's easy to forget you are in Florida. It is also in close proximity to Fort Wilderness, and all its great activities. (More on them coming later in the series!)

Next up: The Villas at Wilderness Lodge.

This article originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos Blog, where Nick is a contributing writer.