Top 10 Ways to Save Money at Disney World in 2013

If possible, plan your Walt Disney World Resort trip during the off-season and you will usually discover significantly lower airfares and hotel/resort rates.

Check out some of the free things to do at Disney World such as strolling around Disney’s Boardwalk and Downtown Disney Area, or hiking through the Disney Wilderness Preserve.

Take the family to one of the all-you-can-eat buffets that lie just outside Disney World property such as Sweet Tomatoes, Boston Lobster Feast, Golden Corral, Ponderosa or Sizzler.

Look for free publications such as I Love Orlando magazine, which contain a multitude of discount coupons to Disney area attractions, restaurants and specialty shops.

Check out comprehensive online guides to Disney World such as orlando-florida.net for in-depth information on finding the best deals on Disney World tickets, accommodations and vacation packages.

For larger families, reunions or any other get-together at Disney World, it may make better financial sense to look into renting a spacious villa.

If you are visiting one of the Disney World theme parks with young children, don’t forget to bring along a backpack with some snacks or juice boxes.

Instead of spending a fortune at a Disney character breakfast, take your kids to Town Square at Main Street, U.S.A. in Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park for autograph and photo opportunities with Disney characters.

Choose the appropriate Disney World ticket deal based on your family’s length of stay in Orlando and remember not to overdo things – you will want to schedule time for rest and relaxation during your trip.

Purchase such necessities as film and sunscreen before you arrive at Disney World, since prices at the theme parks are more expensive for such items.

 

 

 

Top 10 Pirates of the Caribbean Trivia

Originally envisioned as a walk-through wax museum attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean was the last ride that Walt Disney (1901-66) was involved in designing and opened in New Orleans Square at Disneyland in the spring of 1967.

Written in 1967 by George Bruns & Xavier Atencio, “Yo Ho” (“A Pirate’s Life for Me”) is the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song. Atencio also provided the voice for the classic line, “Dead men tell no tales.”

One of the original “E” ticket attractions, Pirates of the Caribbean opened in Adventureland at Disney’s Magic Kingdom on December 15, 1973.

Pirates of the Caribbean is eight minutes, 30 seconds long and features 125 Audio-Animatronics figures. Running 15 minutes and 30 seconds, Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean is nearly twice as long as the Disney World version.

The waterfall near the beginning of Pirates of the Caribbean is 52 feet long and features a 14-foot drop.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was Disney’s first PG-13 rated movie.

Audio-Animatronics characters from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and his nemesis Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), as well as new special effects, were added to this classic attraction in 2006 to coincide with the release of the sequel, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men’s Chest.

In a dungeon cell that can be observed in the Pirates of the Caribbean queue line, two pirate skeletons engage in an endless game of chess.

The fort at the entrance of Pirates of the Caribbean – El Castillo del Morro – is based on the 16th-century fort, El Castillo de San Felipe del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Pirates of the Caribbean was reportedly the first Disney attraction to exit directly into a gift shop.

Top 10 Disney World Trivia

Did you know . . .

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus captured the first championship at the inaugural 1971 Walt Disney World Open Invitational?

At 199.5 feet tall, Expedition Everest is the tallest artificial mountain at Walt Disney World Resort?

Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel was originally built in 1917 and once stood at Olympic Park in Maplewood, New Jersey?

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster – Starring Aerosmith at Disney’s Hollywood Studios launches you at a speed of 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds?

President Richard Nixon gave his famous “I am not a crook” speech during at convention at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in 1973?

Despite an intense “Save the Toad” campaign, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride was replaced by The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in 1998?

Completed in July 1971, Cinderella Castle is 189 feet tall—more than twice the size of Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland?

Walt Disney’s parents, Elias and Flora, were married on New Year’s Day, 1888 in Kismet, Florida (now a ghost town)?

Each space capsule at Mission: Space is equipped with motion sickness bags?

Approximately 10,000 guests attended the grand opening of Disney’s Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971?

For more Disney World trivia, visit the Walt Disney World Trivia Page.

Top 10 Ways to Save Time at Disney World

1. Arrive at Disney World early – at least a half hour before it officially opens – so you can get a jump on the crowds.

2. Use Disney World theme park maps and tip boards to develop a plan in order to visit as many attractions as possible.

3. Don’t follow the crowd – Many people will go to the right and move clockwise throughout Disney World’s theme park, so try going left and moving counterclockwise.

4. At Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park, beat the crowds by hopping aboard the Walt Disney World Railroad, which has train stations in Main Street, U.S.A., Frontierland and Fantasyland.

5. If you want to experience such immensely popular rides as Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Splash Mountain at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Toy Story Mania! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios or Soarin’ at Epcot, make them your first stop since they tend to draw some of the longest lines at Disney World.

6. If you love a parade, stake out your spot early since they usually draw crowds. Also, by picking a spot toward the beginning of the parade, you will get a jump on everyone else. You will have finished the parade and made it to the most popular rides while most of the crowd is still watching the parade.

7. Take advantage of Disney’s FASTPASS, a free reservation system that helps you to avoid crowds at the most popular rides and attractions.

8. Avoid driving to or from Disney World on Interstate 4 during rush hour, which usually runs from 7 to 9 AM and 4 to 7 PM.

9. Eat a good breakfast before you get to Disney World. Once there, try to eat lunch a little earlier or later than usual to avoid crowds (before 12 PM or after 2 PM). Eat while the restaurants are empty and everyone else is on the rides or watching a parade.

10. If you are planning to dine at one of Disney World’s themed restaurants, make reservations well in advance if possible. Just call (407) WDW-DINE (939-3463).

Top 10 Defunct Disney World Attractions

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
One of the original attractions at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, 20,000 Leagues closed in 1994 and has been partially replaced by a Winnie the Pooh playground and Disney character meet & greet area (which have since been replaced by construction for the expanded Fantasyland).

ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter
This thrilling attraction opened at the site of the former Mission to Mars in Tomorrowland in 1995. ExtraTERRORestrial gained a cult following but has since been replaced by Stitch’s Great Escape.

Flight to the Moon
Hosted by Mr. Tom Morrow, this “state-of-the-art” Tomorrowland attraction opened on Christmas Eve 1971 and became hopelessly outdated by 1975 when it was replaced by Mission to Mars. Stitch’s Great Escape now occupies the site.

Horizons
This Epcot ride made its debut in 1983 and closed in 1999 to make way for Mission: SPACE. It has developed somewhat of a cult following over the years, although I remember it as a mediocre Future World attraction that dated very quickly.

If You Had Wings
Sponsored by Eastern Airlines, If You Had Wings was one of the few rides at Disney’s Magic Kingdom that rarely drew a line. It was replaced by If You Could Fly in 1987 and now Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin stands on the site.

Mickey Mouse Revue
One of the Magic Kingdom’s original attractions, Mickey Mouse Revue opened in Fantasyland in 1971 and featured an audio-animatronic orchestra of popular Disney characters singing such classics as “When You Wish Upon a Star” and “Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee.” The Mickey Mouse Revue closed in 1980 and was shipped to Tokyo Disneyland. Mickey’s PhilharMagic now occupies the site.

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
Despite an extensive “Save the Toad” campaign, Disney’s Magic Kingdom replaced Mr. Toad with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in 1998.

Plaza Swan Boats
Opened in 1973, the D-ticket Plaza Swan Boats embarked from two Magic Kingdom loading docks: one near the entrance to Tomorrowland and the other near the Plaza Restaurant. The Plaza Swan Boats stopped running in 1983.

Who Wants to be a Millionaire – Play It!
Based on the hit ABC TV show, this Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) attraction closed in 2006 along Mickey Avenue.

World of Motion
Sponsored by General Motors, World of Motion was one of Epcot’s original attractions. The ride offered a humorous look at the history of transportation and closed in 1996 to make way for Test Track.