The Disney Exchange- Episode 12 Show Notes: runDisney

By Nick 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download  

-Main Topic- Run Disney  

 Photo: Dave Hodges

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

I'll apologize in advance (seems I do a lot of apologizing for the show in these notes every week, and probably for good reason), but this show is about runDisney, and fitness, and health, and I am barely in it. So, for my 2 fans out there, I'm sorry. It's still a wonderful, and, though I hate to admit it, funny show.

-Dave and Lisa discuss their experiences with Disney Marathons, starting with Lisa telling of her completing her first runDisney events, The Glass Slipper Challenge, which consists of Enchanted 10K and The Princess Half Marathon, as well as the 5K (Impressive right?! I'm out of breath just typing it!) in February. Go Lisa!

 
 photos: Lisa Green

- Lisa thought the experience was wonderful.
Not surprisingly, Dave doesn't exactly agree, and they discuss logistics, such as how early one needs to be up to participate in these events, corrals, and the fireworks.

-Dave talks about the Tower of Terror 10 miler which is night event, and the impact that different timed races have on plans.

 
Photos: Dave

-Sweep times, medal types and how heavy they are, medal and clothing etiquette are discussed.

-I tell of my jealousy and desire to participate in at least a 5K or 10K and we talk about running and walking the marathons.

-I ask about costs and what is included in the price. It isn't cheap. Merchandise, the expo, the post run food boxes and the after parties are talked about.

   
Photos: Dave

-The logistics of putting on the races, aid stations, medical, water, the Cast Members, appropriate clothing and the fact Disney donates discarded clothing to charity are discussed.


 Photo: Dave

-Dave and Lisa telling of the euphoria of running up Main Street towards Cinderella Castle as well as crossing the finish line make me commit to doing a 10k with them next February! It will be a Disney Exchange Event!
Registration is in July, so look for updates on our Facebook and Twitter accounts (links below).


 Photo: Dave

Wheel of Distiny : Movies we are most looking forward to this year.

Lisa- Inside Out coming out June 19th
Nick- Avengers: Age of Ultron, May 1st
Dave- Tomorrowland, May 22nd

Thank you for listening, and we look forward to talking to you again soon!

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Fantasmic: What to do While You Wait

 

By Lisa Green

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is an incredible evening show.  We think it’s a “must do” attraction and so do thousands of other people.  This show is very popular.  For good reason!  Characters galore, very special effects – lights, water, music, villains – it’s just super.  Might be a tad scary for little ones, but it’s unlike anything else at Walt Disney World and is worth the wait.  And wait you will!  The only real options now to avoid the 60 – 90 minutes usually required to arrive early enough to secure a seat are:

• Book a Fantasmic Dinner Package – eat at select table service restaurant (Mama Melrose, Hollywood Brown Derby or the buffet at Hollywood and Vine) for lunch or dinner and receive a VIP pass for reserved seating at Fantasmic.  We’ve done this at Mama Melrose and were offered food choices from a special (abbreviated) menu.  You still need to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to show time.
• Book a FastPass for Fantasmic.  A FastPass will get you into reserved seating like the dinner package will, but you’ll be using not just one of your three FastPasses of the day, but you’ll be using one of the “Tier 1″ FastPasses.  Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot have tiered FastPass systems which allow you to choose only ONE headline attraction with your FastPass choices at that park for the day.  At the Studios, if you burn your Tier 1 FastPass on Fantasmic, you will be giving up a FastPass for one of these:  Toy Story Midway Mania, Rock’n’ Roller Coaster, or Beauty and the Beast – Live On Stage.  No WAY would we forfeit either Toy Story or Rock’n’ Roller Coaster for Fantasmic when we don’t much mind waiting in the theater for the show to start.

Can’t decide what to do?  Here are FIVE things to do while waiting for Fantasmic to start:
1.  Snack – Pick up some treats on your way to the theater (best choice) or hit the concession stand near the back of the theater (long lines).  I’ve read posts on message boards about people who make a festive picnic out of their wait-time in the Fantasmic Theater.  Our favorite counter service places in the Studios are not far from the theater down Sunset Blvd.

2.  Play games, look at pictures – Bring some small puzzle books or coloring books and a few crayons.  Play some games on your smartphone.  Review the pictures you took on your digital camera that day and share with the group.

3.  Bring along some glow accessories to share.  You know, like those glow sticks, necklaces, and bracelets you can buy at the dollar store?  Buy up a few packages specifically for this purpose.  While waiting for the show to start, break those babies out, tell the people around you that you brought the glow-jewelry just for this purpose and start passing them out all around.  Makes your little corner of the World a little brighter AND you’re sharing and making new friends.  What could possibly be a better use for some spare time than that? (We’ve also done this with bubbles on our Disney Cruises for the Sail Away party – small party bubbles are really easy to pack and SO much fun to share!).  For $25 you can purchase a “Glow With the Show” earhat to wear, but that won’t give you anything to share with your new friends.

4.  People watch – check out the cool Disney shirts and pin-filled lanyards on your fellow Fantasmic Theater-mates.  You can also watch the people who DID spend $25 on a Glow With the Show earhat and see what all the hubbub’s about. 

5.  Our favorite…..Take the SAME picture of your family every time you’re waiting for Fantasmic to start!  Yep – we are the weird family with the strange Disney traditions (like the hat tradition in Epcot’s Norway Pavilion) and this one is just another in a long list.  So, why not.  You too can pick a pose and get busy with the photography – just repeat for every visit.
What’s your favorite way to kill time waiting for Fantasmic to start?

This article was originally posted on Lisa's Living a Disney Life Blog

Editor's Note: Lisa can also be found co-hosting The Disney Exchange Podcast along with Dave Hodges and myself! - Nick

Chef Mickey's in Walt Disney World's Contemporary Resort

By: Nick

I've eaten at Chef Mickey's twice in the last several years. Once with our Godson, Flynn, back in 2009, and just a couple of months ago with our friends Kandi and John and their kids Jazzlyn and Grayson.

 Me, Jazzlyn, Barbie, Kandi, Grayson, and John

I'm going to just come out and say it. It's my least favorite buffet in Walt Disney World.

It's not bad, but I have some issues.

Let's look at the good first. The Fab Five, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald and Goofy, are here, and that is truly awesome!

 None of our Minnie Pics came out well!

They come around often and spend quality time with each table. Periodically, there is even an opportunity for kids and adults to cut loose with the characters!

The not so great?
The layout of the restaurant, which is located in the Contemporary Resort, is just odd.

Somehow, both times we've eaten here, we have been put up in an upper corner. This past time, it was a very dark corner.

There really shouldn't be any dark corners in a character buffet, in my opinion.

Then, there is the food. It's not bad, I just don't feel it's on par with other Disney buffets, with the exception of the desserts.

There are a variety of salads and a soup du jour, as well as sushi and pick and peel shrimp.

There is Mac and Cheese, Chicken nuggets, pasta and meatballs.

Some of the better items were the small individual dishes, such as the Braised Beef. The Lemon Pepper Chicken was pretty good also.

There are a few other seafood selections as well as BBQ ribs.

The carving station included turkey and beef.

The desserts include a variety of cakes, cream puffs, and cookies, as well as ice cream.

I can see why this would be a top priority for kids with the Fab Five, but I don't recommend this buffet when there are so many other better character dining options, such as Crystal Palace and Chip 'n' Dale's Harvest Feast at the Garden Grill.

Sunset on Italy

by Gaylin

Time of day can make a huge difference in what I see when I am at Walt Disney World, especially at Epcot in the World Showcase.

Here are a couple of lovely photos of the Italian pavilion when the sun was just starting to set. Whenever you go on a tour at WDW, the guide always reminds everyone to look up, the details are amazing.

Disney POP Rocketeer

By: Nick

As I've shared in the past, I love the Rocketeer. I have several items associated with this film, but still have not rediscovered where they are hiding!
So, when I saw this Disney POP figure, I had to have it!

Discovering German with Walt Disney

By Nick 

My wife spotted this at "The World's Largest Garage Sale" at the Allentown Fairgrounds in Allentown, Pennsylvania recently for $3. It was published in 1992 by Harrap.

It takes classic Disney comic illustrations, and identifies specific images in German and English.

As a bonus, it includes the actual strip the highlighted image is taken from, and presents it in German and English as well.

Auf Wiedersehen!

A Disney Vacation with Lots of Character

By Gaylin

In November 2012 I went on a Disney World vacation on my own.

Being solo meant I could take time to do things I haven't done before, like go back to the resort in the afternoon for a nap! It also meant that I could go line up for character photos without someone pulling on my arm to go on a ride or to see a show.

My first afternoon I went over to Epcot and voila, no line-up for Belle. If the Beast is with her the line up can get long quite quickly. For some reason she was all on her own so I even got to chat with
her for a moment.

 

Walking through the World Showcase all the way around the other side, I came across Duffy the Disney Bear. While I am not a big fan of the bear, a friend of mine is so I got in the short line and got this shot. I like the "Canada" in the background!

A couple of days later I was back at Epcot and decided to go into the Character Spot for a few photos. The original location of the Spot was under renovation so there was a temporary location set up with a great backdrop of Epcot. Here I got 3 photos, me with Mickey, Pluto and Minnie. Also while I was in the not very long line-up I got to chat with a great family and help them get their daughter to look up when it was her turn to get her photo taken.

 

Notice I even did the toe pointing like Minnie, I am so darn cool . . .

The Magic Kingdom was my next stop and this photo with Stitch. While there was a bit of a line-up, Stitch was being very entertaining and made it worth the wait.

And this is what happens when Stitch takes over your camera!!! The hand you see on my shoulder is Stitch’s attendant, she was laughing really hard at his antics. I sort of wish she showed up in the photo, oh well.

Then it was on to the new photo area in Fantasyland called Storybook Circus. As you can see from the very pink lighting, the lights are set for the Photopass cameras, not my point & shoot camera. I did the toe point for my photo with Daisy, she didn’t.

It looks like both Minnie and I are having pink hot flashes, we weren’t, honest.

And the Great Goofini! I complimented him on the revamp of his roller coaster, he was pleased. Thumbs Up!

I am not sure what kind of magician Donald is supposed to be, he was number 1 and I was thumbs up.

And over at the Animal Kingdom, you can now get your photo with Russell and Doug. This photo is a little blurry but I still love it.

At the Animal Kingdom when you are leaving Discovery Island and heading to Dinoland there is the Character Landing, the characters are always from Winnie the Pooh and this day they had on their Christmas garb. I was once told to always get my photo taken with Pooh because he makes everyone look skinny! At the Character Landing they rotate characters in and out for breaks so there is always characters there, waiting just for you.

Eeyore is so very huggable.

Tigger couldn’t make up his mind if we were dancing or posing so we ended up with a bit of both.

And there are my character tales for November 2012. I always get a few character photos and highly recommend that other people do as well, there has been a few times I have paid the big bucks for a Photopass picture just because it was so darn good. Usually I am happy enough with the photo that shows up on my camera, after all, I am on vacation and looking happy is what counts.

The Disney Exchange- Episode 11 Show Notes: Things To Do On Walt Disney World Property, Outside The Parks

By Nick

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

-Main Topic- Things to Do On Walt Disney World Property, Outside the Parks
-The Disney Exchange is Lisa Green, David Hodges, and me, Nicholas Maglio
-I'd like to apologize to one of our biggest fans, allegedly, the lovely and talented Fran Drescher.
-Lisa tells of her unplanned extended vacation as well as that souvenir that keeps on giving.
-I start us off on our main topic, and go right to Fort Wilderness, where I have trouble just picking one awesome thing to do, as there are many, but settle on riding on a large mammal, also known as horseback riding.



And even though I am supposed to limit it to one thing, I sneak in carriage rides as well.
-Lisa keeps us at Fort Wilderness, and describes the 2 hour Wilderness Back Trail Adventure Segway Tour she took on her recent trip.

 
 Photo: Lisa Green

We show off our math skills.
-Dave cools things down by taking us for a swim and relaxation in the resort's pools, his favorite being at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House. We discuss other pools and the intricacies of pool hopping.

 
Photo: David Hodges

-I decide it's time to head to Downtown Disney to bowl and have a bite to eat at Splitsville.
Please stop back to The Disney Exchange Blog later this week for a more in depth article on Splitsville.



-Lisa follows me to Downtown Disney, and goes shopping while I bowl. David and Lisa discuss recent acquisitions and the shops they most enjoy.

-Dave talks about the free Disney Boardwalk tour, and I mention The Wilderness Lodge's free tour.



-The Wheel of Distiny topic this week: Our favorite movie released prior to the year of our birth. Yes, they made talkies before Lisa and I were born.
-Dave : Escape From Witch Mountain
-Me: Bambi. This causes an argument. Yes. An argument about BAMBI.
-Lisa: Mary Poppins

Thank you as always for listening to The Disney Exchange! (Especially you, Fran.)

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