Dream a little dream -- or ten -- then make them come true at Walt Disney World Resort in 2007. Whether guests seek to learn new things, get in shape or take time for personal pampering, the 40-square-mile Vacation Kingdom has the amenities and activities that make sticking to dreamy New Year's resolutions easy. From the dazzling to the daring, here are ten favorite Disney dreams to resolve to do. Ever wanted to... •Become a Pirate or a Princess: At Captain Jack Sparrow's Pirate Tutorial in the Magic Kingdom's Adventureland area, Sparrow and his mate Mack lead guests through a series of pirate skill tests in a hunt for new recruits. Faster than you can say "Yo, Ho, Yo, Ho, the Pirate's Life for Me," the big moment arrives: getting officially sworn in with the Pirate's Oath to become honorary buccaneers of Captain Jack's famous Pirate Crew (included with Magic Kingdom admission). At Downtown Disney's Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, Fairy-Godmothers-in-Training are on hand to transform girls ages three and up into their favorite Disney princesses. Packages include everything from hair styling and shimmering makeup to princess costumes with all the royal accessories. •Learn to Surf: Adventurous guests can catch a wave and feel like they're sitting on top of the world with surfing lessons at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon. On select mornings, surfer wannabes receive 2½ hours of land and water training with certified instructors from Craig Carroll's Cocoa Beach Surfing School. Guests can then test their skills in a 2.75-million-gallon wave pool that provides consistent waves up to six feet high every 90 seconds. •Shape Up: At Walt Disney World Resort, there's no excuse not to fight the flab when more than 10 fitness centers and a gaggle of recreational activities await. Many Disney deluxe and moderate resorts feature traditional gyms with weights and state-of-the-art aerobics equipment, and many offer amenities such as water skiing, tennis, boating and volleyball. •Be in a Parade: For the very first time, guests are able to parade down Main Street, U.S.A. alongside favorite Disney characters in the "Main Street Family Fun Day Parade." It's a pennant-waving, drum-beating rush as Magic Kingdom guests march beside parade floats, a marching band and fire truck to a flag-waving patriotic finale in the center of Town Square. •Drive a Race Car: The Richard Petty Driving Experience offers race fans and adventure-seekers the ultimate thrill of riding in, or driving, a race car around a one-mile tri-oval speedway. Several ride and drive programs are offered including the "Rookie Experience," a 3-hour course that includes eight laps of driving thrills. •Meet the Royals: Families can embark on a quest for colorful beads, chocolate doubloons and fun throughout Magic Kingdom in Disney's new Pirate & Princess Party (launching Jan. 22, 2007, and offered on a total of 13 select nights through March 8). Pirate coves and princess courts brim with specially themed entertainment including meet-and-greets with favorite Disney princesses Cinderella, Belle, Aurora, Ariel and Jasmine. •Ride a Segway: The "Around the World at Epcot" guided tour allows guests to operate the two-wheeled, one-person transportation device throughout World Showcase before the area opens for other park guests. The Simply Segway experience gives guests indoor riding time at Epcot's Innoventions area. •Make Time For Yourself: Guests can select from a wide variety of spa services at either The Spa at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort or Disney's Grand Floridian Spa & Health Club. Tiny tots will love Disney's My First Manicure and My First Facial packages ($30 and up), whereas adults will love the maple sugar body polish (Saratoga Springs) or citrus zest massage (Grand Floridian). ; •Scale a Mountain: On Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom, guests find themselves aboard a runaway train through the Himalayan Mountains, pushing deep into the lair of the feared yeti, guardian of the forbidden mountain. En route, they encounter torn tracks, spiral backwards through fog into an ice cavern and dart into and out of the mountain in a high-speed adventure. •See a Broadway Show: Can't make it to The Great White Way? The magic of Walt Disney World Resort brings Broadway style to Florida with "Finding Nemo-The Musical," a dazzling stage production that combines puppets, dancers, aerialists and animated backdrops in a spectacle of musical magic. The new 30-minute show at Disney's Animal Kingdom represents the first time Disney has taken a non-musical animated feature and transformed it into an original musical production.
You see the DOAMD gang walking through the parks with their tote bags. ; I forget which colour means what, but their shirt colour indicates whether they've already given out their goodies for the day, or they still have more (I think "blue" shirts indicate they're still giving out, "white" shirts mean they're done for the day and just spreading sunshine). ; No good to stalk them when you see them, though (and they stand out when you realize who they are - they all carry shoulder strap briefcase-looking vinyl bags, with regular CM name tags). ; Hubby chatted up enough of them in our September trip - seems they have very little discretion about what they give out when. ; They'll be told to give something to the first person who crosses this line at 10:07 - stuff like that. ; We saw folks with dream fast passes, and one family who'd been given night in castle earlier that day. ; We saw them give out ; free pins, etc. ; We didn't get anything> (-.
Always wanted to see some of the behind the scenes magic. The Keys to the Kingdom tours sound great. http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/tours.htm#KeysKingdom
I've done the Keys to the Kingdom tour; it's great. It didn't however, teach me much that I didn't already know (or had seen, as I had been in the tunnels of MK before), but it still was great, especially to see my husband's reaction to things!
I am going to have a dream fulfilled this Jan/08. Going to have lunch with an Imagineer. I will report back with a full report on this after.
We have done the Backstage Safari at AK and the Segway Tour. Backstage Safari was great! ; It is a half day tour that takes you through the backstage at AK, seeing the animals, how they prepare their food (yuck, but very very interesting), seeing the elephants up close and personal, the vet clinic etc. ; Also, a private Kilamanjaro Safari ride without all the antics. ; We loved it and would do it again. Segway Tour, very very cool! ; DH fell though and broke his arm (very long story). ; He still had a great time, the CM's really didn't check him out very well and he said he was fine....lol! ; Ya, fine with a broken arm!...lol!!! ; ; I don't think I would do it again although it was cool, would just worry about hurting myself like DH. ; I would like to do Keys to the Kingdom tour, perhaps that will be next on my list.
Seeing the quoted post by Sorcerer Mickey made me think that we should start a lexicon of Disney terms with definitions. Imagineer: A portmanteau of Engineer & Imagine. One who imagineers attractions Theming: Disney's details creating a mood or environment YOAMD: Year of a million dreams IPWTMFTTS. I paid way too much for this T shirt. What do you folks think? I bet one of you sassy folks will provide a link to a place that already has all of this. Some guy with his doodles
I personally think a sticky with all the acronyms in it would be great. Sean what can we do about this......
I only have a handful of dreams left for Disneyland U.S.A... I call them my "unfinished business" ^_^ I've already ridden in the Lilly Belle DLRR salon car, seen some of the backstage areas of the Haunted Mansion and ridden in the Monorail cockpit... I've taken the Walk in Walt's Footsteps Tour and therefore seen the lobby of Club 33, but I've yet to eat there. We came awfully close on my last trip, but sadly the pulling of strings butted up against no vacancies. I imagine that a tour of Walt's Apartment is so beyond the pale that I shouldn't hope for it, but I would almost consider the Disneyland tour by Adventures by Disney for the opportunity to see it, as well as Walt Disney Studios and Imagineering. Staying in the Disneyland Dreams Suite is pure chance, so I wouldn't set my heart on it, but I do intend to ask to ride in the pilot's cabin of the Mark Twain Riverboat. After I accomplish those things, I guess I'd pretty much be done with Disneyland ^_~
I would like to take the Keys to the Kingdom Tour. I've read for years about the system of underground tunnels at Disney and would like to see it for myself. Also on my Disney to do list are The Seas with Nemo and Friends Spaceship Earth Also a Segway Tour. Hopefully with no broken bones.
Ha!!!!! ; I do think a sticky of acronyms would be good. I still run into some that leave me scratching my head.
Well bill as a mod you can sticky posts..... So if someone wants to start the post... Go ahead and sticky it You are empowered
