Disney Summer Movie Merchandise at the Disney Store

There are several movies we are really excited about coming from Disney in the next few months, and the Disney Store has some great merchandise to help build interest and our excitement!

Monsters University, the sequel to Monsters, Inc. is due out June 21st.

They have a virtual cornucopia of items including plush, clothing, backpacks, figurines,  and books!

The neatest thing however is the Monsters Assembly, where you get to build your own monster

You get to pick everything from body style to eyes, horns, arms and legs!

 The Lone Ranger comes out July 3rd, staring Armie Hammer, Helena Bonham Carter, and some guy named Johhny Depp.

There are a few items for this film including this Lone Ranger hat being worn by my lovely wife.

Last, we have the Cars spin off, Planes coming out on August 9th.
Lot's of action figures and play sets, as well as some nice clothing options.

 

Will you be seeing any or all of these this Summer?

Epcot's China Pavilion

Guest Writer Wednesday

Epcot's China Pavilion
By: Gaylin

I love going to the China Pavilion. The pathway into it, the bridge over the pond to this amazing building. The intricate details, the gold leaf, the colours, it is truly beautiful.

And then if you are a Disney geek like me, you lay down on the floor in this wonderful building so you can get this photo! I had the whole room to myself when I laid down on the floor but a family walked in just as I took the photo and their teenage daughter looked at me as if I was insane. Snicker . . . just a bit insane!

I love the replica of the Terracotta Army, I wander around looking at the individual faces, I find it fascinating.

 

And the other artwork in the display room is also lovely, the pavilion is generally quite quiet and peaceful, a lovely place to stop during a busy vacation.

I don't love the film at the pavilion and am hoping it gets updated sometime soon. Even though I skip the film, I do love to wander through the rest of it, the shop has a myriad of small things to look at. Even the packaged chopsticks are amazingly ornate. While I doubt I ever will go to China the country, going to the pavilion is always a highlight for me.

Also, in front of the pavilion you may catch sight of Mulan and get a photo with her, she is lovely to behold and quite polite as well.

Bowling at Walt Disney World at Splitsville Luxury Lanes

It looks like Orlando is in for a stretch of rainy weather, so I thought I'd suggest a great rainy day activity.

There is a new bowling facility, or, some may say- a new restaurant- in town. Splitsville Luxury Lanes, recently opened in Walt Disney World's Downtown Disney West Side.

With 2 floors, 30 bowling lanes, several bars, pool tables, live music, and plenty of seating, Splitsville offers Walt Disney World guests entertainment from 10 a.m. until 2 a.m., 7 days a week.

On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, adults can party kid-free on the second floor, reserved for guests 21 and up from 10:30 p.m. until closing.

My wife and I decided to check out the food and fun on a damp and chilly afternoon during our trip in January.

I haven't gone bowling in years. We have a few lanes within a 10 mile radius, but they are usually crowded, noisy, and smelly.

This was not like any bowling alley I've ever been to. In fact, if I was a local, this would be a regular hang out.

The equipment is state of the art. I am used to having to wait for what seems like an eternity to get my ball back, and have the pins reset. No issues here. I would turn around, and the ball would be back! 

And then there is the food!

Throughout the day, there is a full menu, and you can be served at booths, the second floor balcony, or at tables at your bowling lane. There is a wide variety of food, including standard bar fare such as nachos, pizza, and sushi. Yep, sushi.

My wife and I ordered a Spicy Tuna Roll.

Now, I won't say it was the best roll I ever had. I have to confess, I'm not a fan of the sushi I've had in Walt Disney World. There are several excellent sushi restaurants within 5-10 minutes of where I live in New Jersey, so I never see a point in getting it in Disney World.

But I would absolutely get sushi at this bowling alley again!

 
But the real standout was the pizza! We got the Margherita, which is Mozzarella cheese, Roma tomatoes, basil, and tomato sauce on a honey wheat crust.

This was the best pizza we've had in Disney World.

Yes, better than Via Napoli!
On a side note, we also ate at Via Napoli on this trip, and feel the quality has slipped. The pizza was not nearly as good as on previous visits.

The pizza at Splitsville was reasonably priced, and easily (along with the tuna roll) filled us up.

There is even a little shop inside, called "Memory Lanes".

Now, you might ask, is bowling something you should do on an expensive vacation?

Good question. 

And I see your point. 

But, if you need a break from the parks, want to get out of the rain or extreme heat, or if you want a good meal while visiting Downtown Disney, I absolutely recommend stopping by Splitsville Luxury Lanes!

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

1970's Walt Disney World Metal Lunch Box

I love metal lunch boxes. Not the reproductions they have now, with anything and everything represented, but the original article. They can be very expensive, especially in mint condition; but you can get some at a reasonable price, if you don't mind a little rust, maybe some writing, and a dent or 3. Thermoses are another matter. Sometimes you can get them with the lunch box, but the older, metal ones can run as much as the boxes themselves.

This one is of Walt Disney World from the 1970s.

 I just love the graphics. The top features the Walt Disney World Railroad.

On one side, graphics representing the Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise, and Swiss Family Treehouse...

...while the other shows what appears to be a Main Street Vehicle, Mickey Mouse in front of Cinderella Castle, and, again, The Jungle Cruise.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the Monorail  gliding through the Contemporary Resort share the bottom.

Most of my lunchboxes, I will turn around to display both sides periodically. But for this box, I display this side only, for a very good reason. My wife does NOT like the Country Bears! She was frightened by them as a child, or as she says "I was attacked by Big Al".

 I have several lunch boxes, and will share them right here on Disney Musings.

Walt Disney World's Ticket Prices, Then and Now

Today Walt Disney World and Disneyland ticket prices are increasing. This prompted a lot of discussion on various Facebook groups about the exorbitant prices that a family must spend for a Disney vacation. It also made people ask "Do you remember when it was only _____ to get into the park?"

Caution, if you are faint of heart, and seeing what a vacation to Disney World used to cost will bring you pain, look no further!

These items were sent to me by my wife's Aunt Sandy, Uncle Roger, and cousin Jill from their trip to Walt Disney World in July of 1982, just a couple of months prior to EPCOT Center's opening.

From their park tickets, we can see what days they visited, June 30th and July 2nd, 1982.

This was Jill's child's ticket.

 

$17 for a 2 day passport!  Adjusting for inflation, that is approximately $41 in 2013.
A 2 day pass for kids 3-9 as of today is $172.

Aunt Sandy and Uncle Roger's Tickets.
Their tickets were $21, which adjusts to just under $51 in 2013!

Today a 2 day ticket for ages 10 and up is $184!

Adjusted for inflation, $1 is under $3 today. Parking at the time I originally wrote this article in 2012 was $14.

I'm no sure if the parking lot is still broken down into the same characters, as we don't rent a car when we fly in. On this day, they were parked in Pluto, space 21.

There is obviously more to do at a Disney Park today than 31 years ago. And operating costs I'm sure have increased dramatically. But what is the point when families stop going to the Parks because they simply can't afford it anymore?

Animal Kingdom's Wild Africa Trek

Back in 2011, Barbie, our friends Kandi and John, and I did a tour at Disney's Animal Kingdom that had made it's debut just 2 days previously called Wild Africa Trek. Even though some things have changed, I thought I'd share our experience. This was originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Diva Blog, where I'm a contributing writer. -Nick

Please note, there will be SPOILERS, as I'm going to go over the whole awesome experience that is The Wild Africa Trek. So if you want to be surprised, read no further! Also, as this is a review of the experience in it's early stages, things are likely to have been modified, added or "plussed".

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011:

The morning started off cool and overcast. We were picked up at the Wilderness Lodge by our friends Kandi and John. We had the 10AM Trek scheduled. They recommended we arrive about 15 minutes early and that you use a rest room before the trek begins, as it will be 2 hours before your next break. Check in for the Wild Africa Trek was behind the Dawa Bar, next to Tusker House. Lockers are provided for personnel items.

We waited for about 5 minutes, and were escorted "backstage". We met our guides, Meghan and Lani. Lani would be giving most of the information, and leading the group, Meghan taking up the rear, acting as photographer.

Then it's time to be weighed and outfitted (You must weigh between 45-310 lbs).

My wife and I in our trek gear.

We were also given tin water bottles, which attached to our vests, and a headset, so we could hear our guide, even if we were in the back of the line. After getting geared up, we were brought over to a practice rope bridge, shown how to use our lanyard, and took a practice walk.

We were provided with "Jungle Juice" afterwards, but it was suggested we not drink much, again, because it would be 2 hours before a break. I wanted to drink more, it was so good!

We were then brought back "onstage", and given some info and instruction on our upcoming adventure. We then walked through Harambe Village, our guide Lani telling us info about the village. It was very funny to see all the guests looking at our group in puzzlement. My wife commented that she may have preferred to do an even earlier tour, to have the park to ourselves, but I thought it was more authentic, almost. We were in a busy African village, after all!

We were brought by the gorillas, and meerkats, Lani talking about them, and answering any questions. The whole time, Meghan was taking photos of the group and animals.
Then, we went backstage.

We followed a trail, and it was actually very narrow at times, very authentic, stepping over and through trees, moving branches, etc. I'm assuming that a different trail would be used if it was raining, as it would probably be pretty muddy otherwise.

We would come across skulls every now and again, and Lani would talk about the animal it came from.

Then, we came upon the hippo pool. We clipped our lanyards onto a railing, and walked out, overlooking the pool, and watched as a cast-member fed a hungry hungry hippo (sorry, I couldn't resist.

We then moved on, and were told the "good" bridge had been flooded out by the rains, (wink), (actually, this was made more realistic by the fact the previous day had seen some torrential rains) and we would be taking the more dangerous route.

More walking, and we came to the bridge. We were attached to a guy-wire over the rope bridge, and sent across 3 at a time. This took us directly above the hippo pool. The hippos were actually pretty active, as it was cool, and the sun had come out.

You then go across to another bridge, taking you over the crocodiles.

On the other side, after coming down from the bridge, you once again latch in, and go directly over the crocs. This was awesome. We even got to see one croc come out of the pool and wedge himself onto the shore between his fellow reptiles.

After this, it was time to hit the savanna. We boarded a truck and more or less followed the Kilimanjaro Safari route, pulling off for Lani to tell us about the animals, and to take pics.

Then, it was time for our snack. We pulled up to a beautifully constructed structure, overlooking the savanna. There were much needed rest rooms. Binoculars were provided to view animals. The tables were all under cover, but we were told we were free to move them wherever we wanted.

It was an absolutely beautiful day, so we pulled our table out into the sun. The food was beautifully presented, in round, stackable lunch boxes. There was yogurt with dried fruit, brie cheese, an edible orchid, and fruit in a mint syrup, prosciutto, round breads, a smoked salmon pinwheel with dill cream cheese, and fig cake. And all the jungle juice we could drink!!

Everything was amazing. Delicious.

We re-boarded the truck, and drove, once again, along the safari road. Unfortunately the big cats were all sleeping.

Then, sadly, our Trek was over. When we returned to "base", we were told that the water bottles were ours to keep, and that a portion of the cost of our Trek would be going to an animal fund, and we had the opportunity to vote as to which animal we would like to fund.

We were also given a photopass card and password, to go online and get a CD of all the photos taken on the tour.

Would I do it again? Absolutely! Every trek is bound to have some variations, and, at that time, they are already planning to add a rope bridge overlooking the big cats which may be in place.

Is it worth the price? I would actually say yes, if you are up for a totally unique experience, are an animal lover, or are an adventurous soul, Wild Africa Trek is for you.

And the Winner of the Mickey Mouse Pin is...

At exactly 8am we had 317 LIKERS on our Facebook page! Thank you all very much!
I entered this number into the True Random Number Generator and got 51.
I counted down that number , and the name at the position was Beth Verret.
Congratulations Beth!
Thank you all for the Likes, and please keep stopping by, we have many more Disney Musings to share, along with the occasional giveaway as well!