>A Ride on one of the Magic Kingdom’s Mountains

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Today’s Saturday Matinee offers some Unknown Disney World details. As we ride along on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, I try to get a shot of one of the often missed characters in the Magic Kingdom, The miner in the bathtub. Enjoy the ride, and the commentary my wife and I supply throughout.

Answers to Yesterday’s Where Am I?


1. These are windows on Hollywood Boulevard in Disney Hollywood Studios.
2. A lamppost on the Boardwalk.
3. This is the bottom of the sign behind the bar at The House of Blues.
4. The fountain in Great Britain in Epcot.
5. Part of the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros has this scene.
6. This is my son, many years ago, pointing out a Frank Sinatra Picture in Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
7. Wheezy is coming to Mickey’s Philharmagic in the Magic Kingdom.
8. This statuette is off the walkway on the grounds of the Polynesian Resort.

>Where Am I?

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A Few weeks ago I presented a Where is This? group of Pictures. I received many comments on that set of Friday Fotos. Because of that, I decided to give you another group to try and figure out where they were. Enjoy the Pictures. I will post the answers tomorrow.

1.

2.

3.

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5.

6.

7.

8.

>A Nice Drink and a Big Hat

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Last summer, I bought a Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Margarita Machine. It was a nice addition to our Tiki Bar. It is pretty nice. It is a three step machine that adds the ice automatically for you and mixes all your ingredients. The problem I have with it is that I’m not big into Margaritas. I use it to make other frozen drinks, mudslides, for example, and I can drink the Margaritas, but I’m not a big Tequila drinker. My wife likes a good Margarita though, so when we are in Disney, we visit the little stand outside the Mexico Pavilion and we grab a Margarita to wander with. Of course inside the Mexico Pavilion there is also a good place to get a Margarita. Once a few years back, when we were eating in the San Angel Inn, we had some pretty good Margaritas!  We enjoyed them very much!  It even gave our son the opportunity to buy a Sombrero that was huge, and a lot of silliness ensued, but that is another story. Today’s story is about Tequila and where you can find it in Disney World.

Most people don’t think of Disney World as a place to get a drink, but there are some specialty places in Disney that are all about the tequila. Our Big Hat adventure in Epcot took place quite a few years back. Now, the San Angel Inn is sharing the Mexico Pavilion with another bar. This isn’t any bar though, La Cava del Tequila, is a specialty shop that sells and tells about Tequila. They actually have a Tequila Ambassador, someone to help you learn about the history and process of Tequila making and about different types of Tequila. There are about 30 seats in the shop and they serve light Mexican fare, but they are mainly here to sell you Tequila. They offer a variety of Margaritas and they have 70 different types of Tequila ranging from stuff you may have heard of, too very rare $50 a glass specialty Tequila.

La Cava del Tequila is open from around noon until Epcot’s closing. If you want some Tequila and you don’t happen to be in Epcot, you can always head over to Downtown Disney. This is where you will find Paradiso 37. This is a newer restaurant/bar on the West Side that was being added before they decided to change Pleasure Island. It is still there and is a great place to get a Margarita.

Paradiso 37 is a “high-energy restaurant and bar that serves up unique cuisine inspired by the Taste of the Americas.” It not only offers an international Wine list, but a Tequila Tower and 37 different types of Tequila. They also offer 10 different types of Margaritas for your enjoyment. Paradiso 37 also offers live music and the menu is rather extensive. They open at 11 AM and offer specialty coffees and a lunch menu that is almost as big as the dinner menu. They both offer Appetizers, soups and salads, as well as a Main course and Desert. The restaurant is pretty large and is a non-smoking establishment.

So now you know, there are a couple of Unknown places in Disney World where you can get a Margarita, try some different Tequila and maybe some new food as well. Just remember too much Tequila and an eleven year old who wants a rather large sombrero may be a problem, when you try to figure out how to get that Big Hat home on the plane.

>Take a Load Off

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Sometimes, Finding THE spot to sit and relax, when you are in Walt Disney World  is an Unknown Magic. Some of the spots in Disney World are right there for you to enjoy while others are hidden and you need to search for them. Today is all about the seat, the bench, the chair, the rock wall, whatever you find that you can sit on and take a load off. There are some really great places throughout the Walt Disney World Resort to do this, so let’s find a few!

I’ve talked before about the little courtyard off of the side street from Main Street USA, but there are other places around the Magic Kingdom that are good places to get off your feet. One is the tables and chairs across from Casey’s Corner. Here the ducks and other birds congregate looking for food. Another great place in the magic Kingdom to set a spell is over in Frontierland. On the porch across from the entrance to the Country Bear Jamboree, there are rocking chairs. A rocking chair is always a great place to sit down and to do it in the Magic Kingdom is no exception.

In Epcot one of the best places to sit is off to the side of the World Showcase Promenade, between China and Germany. Right around the refreshment area out there, there is a set of tables with umbrellas, which you can sit at and enjoy some peace and quiet, as this area is rarely busy. Of course there are benches all around the World Showcase for you to sit on, but one of the nicest places to sit in Epcot is on the wall around the entrance

fountain. This is a neat place to sit and watch people pass by on their way into or out of the park. It is also very peaceful as the gurgling water is very relaxing.

In the Animal Kingdom, you can sit in the shadow of a Dinosaur outside of the attraction with the same name. They also have benches throughout Animal Kingdom and Disney Hollywood Studios also. Years ago when my family was in

Disney, my son John (whom helps me with my Tips From a Teenager Tuesday articles) was on a quest to sit on the perfect bench. He found the one in Animal Kingdom most enjoyable. He also liked the ones at the Winter Summerland miniature golf course.

But a bench is a bench is a bench. You can find other great places to sit throughout the parks too. For example, in Disney Hollywood Studios at the Streets of America there are stoops to sit on. If you aren’t from a city or have never had a chance, these are a great place to sit. Especially when the sun is just starting to go down; because the lights on the houses and the streetlamps come on and the sounds of the city fill the air.

So, now you know, there are places where you can sit and relax and take a breather when you need one. The places I talked about aren’t the only ones, there are many others. So, take the time to find the Unknown places to sit and take a load off.

>A Teenager Talks Character Meets

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So, John, How are you doing today?

Tired

How you feeling otherwise?

Good.
Is there something we haven’t talked about yet that the readers should know about in Walt Disney World?

I don’t remember.

Meaning he didn’t remember what Unknwon Disney World Magics we had already talked about. So I tried a different route,

What would you like to talk about in Disney?

I guess the Characters; like meeting the characters.

When he was younger Minnie was good- he didn’t look at the Princesses,but now…

So, at your age, which is 15, do you still enjoy meeting the characters?

Sometimes. The Princesses if they’re around. (Big smile)

Remember this is a family read blog-

I know, I kept it safe.

What is special about meeting the characters?

Little kids get to meet the people they see in the movies, in Disney.

Where does it take place?

Hotels, the Parks, little attractions, restaurants.

So, basically all over?

Yes.

Who was your favorite that you met?

Probably, Stitch.

Why?

Probably, my favorite movies.

How many times do you think you have met him?

A couple times. At different places.

What was your favorite time meeting him?

(Looking to mom for help. She rattled off a few- ‘Ohana, Animal Kingdom Tomorrowland)

Yes, Animal Kingdom (like it was a thought from another world.)

Who is the most unique character you think you have met?

Probably one of the Country Bears, No, the friar from Robin Hood.

Friar Tuck?

Yes.

Where is the obvious place to see the characters?

Character Breakfasts.

Which one is the best for that?

The one in the morning at the Magic Kingdom.

Remember he said he was tired. Then-

The Crystal Palace.

What is the most unique place you have seen a character?

When we saw Flik, the Ant, in a walkway in Animal Kingdom

Is there any character that you’d like to see that you haven’t?

We’ve seen the main ones. Not really.

You mentioned Flik, is there a good opportunity to see Pixar Characters.

At the Animation Studio. That’s where we saw the ‘Up’ Characters.

And when you meet the characters what do they do?

They pose for pictures and sign autographs. Kids can talk to them a little.

Do all of them sign?

Not all of them, but a good majority of them.

Is there any in particular that you know that doesn’t sign.

Buzz Lightyear Stamps.

Instead of actually signing his name, he uses a stamper and King Louis doesn’t sign because he really can’t control his arms.

What else should people know about with getting character autographs and pictures?

Find a schedule so you’re not waiting in the hot sun.

Character times are listed in the time guides that you can get with the park maps. You should also know that the characters will take a five to ten minute break from time to time. When you are in line and they do, stick it out. Most people walk away from the line at that point, but they are rarely gone for more than a few moments.

That’s all I have-

Well, Thanks, then John,

Anytime.

>A View into the Life of a Dreamer

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One of my favorite Attractions in all of Walt Disney World, started on Main Street USA back in 1973. Originally, it was called “The Walt Disney Story” and the 23 minute  movie that was shown was narrated by none other than Walt Disney himself. This attraction closed down in October of 1992. Then in 2001 as part of the 100 Years of Magic Celebration, a different version of this attraction opened under the name One Man’s Dream.

One Man’s Dream is an often overlooked Attraction in Disney Hollywood Studios, which is why it is today’s Unknown Magic. The Attraction itself is actually two different attractions. The first is a mini-museum to the life and accomplishments of Walt Disney and the Walt Disney Company (mostly brother Roy). The second is a movie shown in the Walt Disney Theater at the back of the building.
As you walk through the museum part of the building, you pass by memorabilia that goes back as far as Walt Disney Brother’s Studios in the 1920’s. Actually the walking tour starts before that, with Walt’s early life in Kansas City and Marceline, Missouri. There are pictures of the early days of Walt’s professional life; things like Oswald the Rabbit movie posters and scenes from the “Alice” movies.
The walking tour is arranged in chronological order and you follow the progression of the studio through the decades; the movies of the Forties, lead you into the Disneyland years of the Fifties, which carry you into the years of the sixties when Walt and the Imagineers were preparing for the World’s Fair and then Disney World.

There aren’t just pictures in One Man’s Dream, though. There are displays of Disney Studio props and there are models of the different Disney parks. There is a model of the original Main Street USA from Disneyland, and there is a scene set up as Walt explaining the Florida Project in front of a television camera (incidentally, this was one of Walt’s last appearances in front of a camera). To see this you need to look through an old television camera that they have in front of the display. They also show some Audio Animatronics figures in construction. One of the neatest things they show is a Dancing Man figure that Walt made after filming actor Buddy Ebsen dancing. This was one of the first animated dimensional figures that Walt had made.

Some of my favorite things in the walking tour through One Man’s Dream besides the Florida Project film are the models of the four Disney World Theme Parks. They are very neat to see. One of the parts that gives me goose-bumps every time is the picture of the crying Mickey-world when they talk about Walt’s Death.
The other part of this attraction is the film shown in the Walt Disney Theater. This movie is about 15 minutes long and is narrated by Julie Andrews. She starts the movie with a line, “They say that Hollywood is a town built on dreams and one of its greatest Dreamers was Walt Disney.” She then says that no one can tell the story of Walt better than Walt himself. Here the Imagineers start using clips from interviews with Walt to tell his story. He talks about his parents, his childhood, going off to war and then his early failures in business and movie making. Then the story of the Disney Brothers Studio and the Walt Disney Studios is told. The Film takes you right up to Walt’s death but shows scenes of Disney World. It is a very informative and interesting film.
Everyone should see this movie at least once, as it is a great piece of Americana. This is one of the attractions though that many people overlook even if they haven’t been through it, as they think it is as the Hollywood Studios guide map says just a “walking tour of Walt’s life.” But it is so much more than that. It is a view into the life of one of the World’s Greatest Dreamers.

>ONE YEAR and Counting…

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Dear Readers,

April 23, 2010 was a day like any other in most lives, it was in mine also. Until the sun went down. It was then that I started the Unknown Magic within Walt Disney World. I hadn’t really planned on it, but it just kind of happened. I read a lot that day about blogging. I was thinking about it, because I had been reading the Relocated Tourist; a great website by two very courageous people, who are living their dream, by moving to Florida to be closer to the Mouse. I thought how great that would be and then I thought I have some knowledge about Disney World I could share. So, I read and looked into a few different formats and then I started. By the time I had figured out the name of the site, (which for those of you that do not have a website, is much tougher than it seems) and bought the domain name, it was actually the next day. I posted my first article that day; on April 24th. It was a Saturday and all it really said was hi, I’m new. Actually this is the original post:

First of all,

Hello! I hope you had a Magical Day.

I am starting this blog after talking with friends about an upcoming trip to Walt Disney World. As we talked I realized that we (my family and I) Do Disney our own special way. I’m not saying our way is best or even original, but it is relaxing, enjoying and memorable.

I’ve read books, magazine articles, websites, even APPS on how to plan your visit, how to maximize your trip and even how to go cheaply. These materials are out there. They all offer great advice for the first time visitor.

So how will my blog be different? I honestly don’t know, but I will share what I do know about Walt Disney World. How if you look at things from a different point of view, you can enjoy the little things most first timers (and even Disney Die-hards) miss. I hope I can help a few people enjoy their first trip to Walt Disney World, and maybe even show some people who have been there quite a few times some things they may have missed.

I hope you enjoy the Blog. I have a feeling I am going to, just because it will be about one of my favorite things in the world.

So, looking back I guess it is different enough from other websites out there; I still try to share the things that people miss when they go to Disney World. I still talk about the Unknown Magics that Disney has to offer. Over the past year, the look of the website has changed and I hope it has gotten better. I think I have grown as a writer and as a Disney community member. But that’s easy, because there are so many people that accept you into the Disney On-line Community and share your passion. One of my first contacts was JL Knopp of the Disney Driven Life. I commented on an article on her website and she responded. She was (and still is) very kind and gracious and was

very welcoming to the Disney neighborhood. With her encouragement, I knew I could write about Disney World and people would accept it.

Over the next few months I found others that I connected with. And although I haven’t actually met most of these people in person, I feel like we are friends and linked in a common purpose. I was approached to contribute an article to another site; wdwfacts. (If you don’t have this site on your daily read, you are missing out on some great stuff). That was how I met Tom Cahill, who runs the site. Tom is a very generous man who doesn’t think you should have to pay to share in the love of Disney, Disney history or Disney fun. Through this site I also met Bill Iadonisi. If you haven’t had the opportunity to talk with or interact with Bill, you should know that, although he was never a Disney cast member, he is the epitome of the Disney Spirit. He not only spends as much time as he can taking pictures in the parks and contributing to four different websites, but he is willing to share information, pictures and even a meal with the rest of us Disney people. On more than one occasion, he has given me a picture or even gone to the parks or Downtown Disney to take a picture for me (and I still haven’t met him in person; Bill I owe you a meal).

It wasn’t long after meeting these two men, that I joined Twitter and met a few other friends, who would change my writing. I was lucky enough to become friends with the writers of Growing up Disney (who also will celebrate their one year anniversary in a few days). They were kind enough to allow me to share an article about the Greatest Thing I ever saw in Walt Disney World (my son on our first trip there together). Since then, we have become close friends and they have allowed me to contribute a few more articles to their great site. Another person I met around the same time is Janine Pipe, who doesn’t have a website of her own, but contributes too many others. Just like Amy and Ridge at Growing up Disney, she is one of the people who have continued to be a supporter and a friend.

Soon after, I was approached by two different websites for contributions. I am honored to have met Stuart Sternberg (actually in person) and Lisa Battista of the wdwfanzone. I also met Bob McLain of the Disney Dispatch, who is not only a very creative person, but very driven. He has given me an outlet for some of my more creative Disney writings, which I appreciate.

I also have had the opportunity to meet some very great Disney people that read my writings and share my passion; my friend Chad and his partners write the Days in the Park website. When I first found it, I thought I could write with them, they sound like me (Which I hope they don’t take as an insult). They are a fun group that enjoys the park and the Magic that Disney has to offer, much the way my family and I do, although not in the same way, because they don’t go to Disney World, they go to Disneyland.

Which brings me to my biggest fans, my family; my wife Heather and my son John not only put up with my writing, but encourage it. They understand that I spend hours of my free time sitting at the computer writing, because I not only need to, I want to. They offer suggestions and criticisms and they also participate. John is now my co-author on Tuesdays, for those of you that don’t regularly read, and Heather proof-reads just about every article I write whether it is for my website or any of the others I am lucky enough to be contributing to. They are the unsung heroes of the website and I am very lucky to have them.

So, I think I mentioned everyone, I think I talked about everyone that have helped me throughout this past year. Everyone that is except You the reader. I need to thank you all also. My friend Chad and I have had many conversations over the last few months talking about our readership and why we do this every day. It comes down to enjoying what I do. I enjoy sharing my knowledge about Walt Disney World. I hope I am helping you to learn something about Disney World that maybe you didn’t know. Or at the least reminding you of some Magical Experience you had in Disney. Either way, Thank You for coming by the Unknown Magic Within Walt Disney World. I hope I have informed, entertained and enlightened you over the last 12 months and I hope to continue to do it in the months and maybe years to come.

Thank you,
Bruce.

https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

P.S.

You can follow us on twitter @umwdw.

You can check us out on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Unknown-Magic-Within-Walt-Disney-World/132851053415652?ref=ts

And we now have a You Tube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/umwdw?feature=mhum

The websites Bills Iadonisi contributes to: wdwfacts, The Disney Driven Life, The Disney Food Blog and Mickeynews.com.

Lisa Batista is also author of Beyond the Attractions: A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers and her own website Beyond The Attractions

Background Picture courtesy of Growing Up Disney.

Disney Animated Gifs by Disney’s World of Wonders.

>Celebrating with a Saturday Matinee Special Event!

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  This Saturday Matinee is to help  Celebrate our First Year Anniversary; it was a special event brought back to the Magic Kingdom in the summer of 2010, as part of Disney World’s Summer Nightastic! We were lucky enough to see it. Here is the beginning of this Unknown DisneyWorld Magic, Enjoy!

>Let The Celebration Begin…

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Sunday is the 1 year anniversary of the Unknown Magic Within Walt Disney World. I was told that a year is a long time for a blog to be up and running, especially one that is written every day. To celebrate this weekend, there will be a special article on Sunday and Tomorrow’s Saturday Matinee will feature a Special video. I figured I’d start the Weekend off with a group of Pictures that are some of my favorite pictures of my family, whom I love and thank very much for helping in this endeavor (of course they are from Walt Disney World). I hope you like them too.



Me and my wonderful Wife.




This is my all time favorite picture of Heather.




What a Goofy Kid!



AHHHHH…..

How about that Smile?

Oh, how they grow.

Good Meal, Good Times!

Relaxing in Wilderness Lodge

>I’m Still Thirsty*

>*I originally wrote this article while I was in Disney World last summer. I still think it is an Unknown Magic Within Walt Disney World, because many people think it is just a Coke stand, but it isn’t.

So, here in Walt Disney World yesterday, we were told it was 98 degrees and with heat index it felt like it was 105. As I am writing this, the Weather Channel is saying it is 93, but real feel is 99. It’s a little warm. We spent the day in Epcot today. Started the day on Mission Space then did Test Track. Had a twelve noon lunch reservation at the Nine Dragons, in China, then walked around the World Showcase. It was warm walking about this afternoon. It gets this way when you are in Disney World. So what do you do? You find ways to stay cool, I wrote about them back on June 8th. Today, I started to get warm, but my problem was that I was thirsty, so not only did I need to get cool, but I needed a drink. So, what do you do about that when you are in Epcot? Well, you can buy yourself a drink; bottled water or soda. You might even be able to find frozen lemonade, but all this can run into some money when you are really thirsty. Of course there are water fountains around the park, but I’ll tell you, today they seemed to be warmer than normal. It could have been the fact that most of them seemed to be in the sun, so they weren’t very refreshing.

So, what do you do? You go to today’s Unknown Magic Club Cool. Club Cool sounds like a kids’ area or a teenage hang-out or something, but it isn’t. It is a neat refreshment stand that’s like no other. Club Cool is presented by Coca-Cola. To the right of the Fountains of Nations, as you are walking toward World Showcase, next to Fountain View Ice Cream, there is a set of doors at the end of the building; this Club Cool. As you walk through the doors and down the steps you, your senses are suddenly on overload. There is music playing, lights flashing and quite a few people roaming around.

You will notice as you are walking in, that there are tasting stations throughout the shop. These tasting stations have four sides to them and each side has about eight different fountains to get the soda from. There are two things that make this refreshment stand very different. The first is that the sodas around the tasting stations are Free. The other is that the Coca-Cola products offered here are all from around the world. You can try sodas from places like Costa Rica, Germany and Japan and all of them are free; which is a good thing, because some of them you might not like. Others you might really enjoy which can lead you to a Magical tasting Experience.

There is more to this refreshment area than just the tasting stations. There are tables to stand at and taste or drink your new favorite flavors. There is a Build a Cup station where you can buy a large container and have a cast member mix different flavors of soda and slushies to make your own refreshment. The shop also has Coke and Disney merchandise for sale. Overall this is a really neat place in Epcot. Where else can you get free drinks and get to drink Krest Ginger Ale like they do in Mozambique?

So, now that you know, the next time you are in Epcot and need some liquid refreshment, head over to Club Cool, get yourself some Free Soda, and create your own Magical Experience, by trying something new and different.