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Disney World Tips and Tricks

Apparently, each of the three screens Soarin' has a slightly different show.
 
Lines for the new Frozen ride are 3-5 hours so far. Looks like Soarin' lines aren't any longer than usual now.

Checked out the new Cobra's Curse ride at Busch Gardens. It's a great family coaster (42" height requirement). It's like three rides in one. It has an intricate queue area and preshow. Heading to SeaWorld today to ride Mako, the tallest coaster in Orlando.
 
I consider myself a patient person and I would not wait in that line if you paid me. I'm not spending $1,000+ per day on vacation to stand in line for hours at a time.
 
BiffTannen said:
I consider myself a patient person and I would not wait in that line if you paid me. I'm not spending $1,000+ per day on vacation to stand in line for hours at a time.
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May want to hook up a VIP tour.

Mako was awesome. My 7 year old surprised us Friday night measuring at 54" at Busch Gardens and he was brave enough to ride Mako with me and he loved it.
 
Epcot is adding yet another festival.
http://www.insidethemagic.net/2016/...tival-of-the-arts-coming-to-epcot-in-january/

Disney just announced an all-new event coming to Walt Disney World–the Epcot International Festival of the Arts. It is described as “a trifecta of global masterpieces” that combines visual, culinary and performing arts. The event is slated for six weekends, beginning January 13 and running through February 20.
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Most importantly...
As expected, food features at this new event. Known as the “Food Studios,” guests will be treated to culinary creations that look “too good to eat.” Nevertheless, we fully expect that we all will somehow overcome the challenge and fill our bellies with whatever these master chefs spotlight on their “stage.”
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Adding this event to 3 months of Flower and Garden and at least 2 months of Food and Wine means there will food kiosks up at Epcot for almost half of the year.
 
PhDeac said:
Adding this event to 3 months of Flower and Garden and at least 2 months of Food and Wine means there will food kiosks up at Epcot for almost half of the year.
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Oh no.
 
Epcot Food and Wine 2017 will run from August 31 to November 13, 2 weeks longer than this year.
 
Pandora: The World of Avatar will open at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on May 27, 2017. I'm interested to see it during our annual Memorial Day Weekend trip, but I can't say I'm hyped for this:

This new land will transport guests to the visually stunning world of Pandora. Here, guests will wonder at floating mountains and bioluminescent plants, and can join the Na’vi on two excursions that take adventure to the next level.
First, the family friendly Na’vi River Journey will send guests through a bioluminescent rainforest. Their journey will end in an unforgettable encounter with a Na’vi Shaman, a figure who has a deep connection to the life force of Pandora. And second, Avatar Flight of Passage will offer guests the jaw-dropping experience of exploring the world of Pandora atop a Banshee.
Guests will also be able to dine at Satu’li Canteen, grab a drink at Pongu Pongu or shop for Na’vi cultural items, toys, science kits, and more at Windtraders.
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So it's another boat ride and another Soarin'.

I'm more excited about this. Star Wars Land is slated for 2019. I'll go ahead and assume that means 2020, but that's still only 3 years from now which is short for Disney.


http://www.disneylists.com/2017/02/...medium=social&utm_campaign=bp_twoopeningdates
 
I've never seen pictures of people dressing up as Navi in cosplay or something. I'm sure they're out there but nobody cares about Avatar. It was a one time fascination. It has less staying power than most of Disney's catalogue. They could have chosen something more animal themed.

I'm hoping they speed up construction of Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land after Avatar inevitably disappoints. They're really hoping the sequels are huge but they will probably disappoint as well.
 
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PhDeac said:
I've never seen pictures of people dressing up as Navi in cosplay or something. I'm sure they're out there but nobody cares about Avatar. It was a one time fascination. It has less staying power than most of Disney's catalogue. They could have chosen something more animal themed.

I'm hoping they speed up construction of Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land after Avatar inevitably disappoints. They're really hoping the sequels are huge but they will probably disappoint as well.
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The originally planned mythical creatures land would have been so much better than Avatar.
 
SCDeac13 said:
The originally planned mythical creatures land would have been so much better than Avatar.
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YEP. You could have worked with other Disney characters and generally capitalized on HP, GoT, etc. excitement about dragons and such.
 
It's not like they didn't just release a remake of a movie about a dragon or anything.

Jungle Book land with some sweet Indian restaurants. Or Lion King land.
 
PhDeac said:
It's not like they didn't just release a remake of a movie about a dragon or anything.

Jungle Book land with some sweet Indian restaurants. Or Lion King land.
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I think there are ways to weave that theming into AK as is.
 
PhDeac said:
Disney reached out to James Cameron in early 2011, months after Harry Potter opened up at Universal. Disney panicked looking for top tier properties to theme around in the parks. Disney has been playing catch up and they jumped the gun. After they made the deal with Cameron, they acquired Lucasfilm in 2012. Frozen premiered in 2013. Star Wars and Frozen can directly compete with Harry Potter.

This year, they already have two animal themed hits in Zootopia and The Jungle Book that would be much better fits for Animal Kingdom.

I'm sure the Avatar Land rides will be cool, but Disney doesn't normally risk so much on new properties. They need Avatar 2, 3, and 4 to be huge.
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PhDeac said:
Pandora: The World of Avatar will open at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on May 27, 2017. I'm interested to see it during our annual Memorial Day Weekend trip, but I can't say I'm hyped for this:



So it's another boat ride and another Soarin'.

I'm more excited about this. Star Wars Land is slated for 2019. I'll go ahead and assume that means 2020, but that's still only 3 years from now which is short for Disney.


http://www.disneylists.com/2017/02/...medium=social&utm_campaign=bp_twoopeningdates
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PhDeac said:
I've never seen pictures of people dressing up as Navi in cosplay or something. I'm sure they're out there but nobody cares about Avatar. It was a one time fascination. It has less staying power than most of Disney's catalogue. They could have chosen something more animal themed.

I'm hoping they speed up construction of Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land after Avatar inevitably disappoints. They're really hoping the sequels are huge but they will probably disappoint as well.
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#defeated

Pandora at Animal Kingdom may have single-handedly resurrected the Avatar franchise. We went to Animal Kingdom today as part of our annual Memorial Day week trip. Wow. First of all, Disney did an excellent job with it. Everything is beautifully detailed. The plant life, real and "alien," look great. The bioluminescent effect is simple (neon paint and blacklight) but well done. The floating mountains standout.

Both rides are excellent.

Flight of Passage is the next level of Soarin' and Star Tours. We talked to a family from Milwaukee at Hollywood Studios who had ridden it opening day. They had a Fastpass+ but agreed it was worth the four hour wait. I didn't think it could live up to that hype and it did.

Na'vi River Journey is a Disney boat ride. It is next level in terms of use of projections and again the detail. Far better than the new Frozen boat ride at Epcot in my opinion.

The crowds were huge, but died down during the day. There was a persistent line for the one store, however. It was strange, but I understood when I went in. They're selling little remote controlled baby banshees at the "Banshee Rookery" for $49.99 a pop. Seemed like every kid had one. You can also create your own avatar by getting your face scanned to create a Na'vi doll printed in your likeness. Lots of new gear. The food is good too.

I don't think I've heard a single person mention this film in the last 6 years, but you wouldn't know it from the crowds and merch today. You'd think this movie had a huge following.

My oldest was 6 months old when it came out. They were so into it that they peppered me with questions about the film the whole day. I broke down and showed them the trailer on YouTube. Now I have to say this didn't encourage me to want to go back and see the film. I saw it once and that was fine. But I'll be coming back to Pandora every time I come to Animal Kingdom. It's the best new addition in the parks in the last several years. Much better than New Fantasyland. Better than the Frozen Ride and the new Soarin' at Epcot.

If Disney can do that great of a job based on one movie that a lot of people saw once or twice and didn't care about anymore, they're going to kill it with Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios. I don't even want to imagine what those crowds will be like. A security guard said there were people camped out at 1:30 am before opening day on Saturday. There will be people camped out for weeks for Star Wars Land.

Speaking of the Studios, they added a projection show that celebrates live action Disney films that takes place before the Star Wars fireworks at the end of the night. Both were really well done and are a good reason to stay until the park closes. Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom are better nighttime destinations than they were a year ago. Well done.
 
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