>What’s the Story

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I have mentioned before that everything in Walt Disney World revolves around a theme. The Resorts are themed and everything there stays with that theme, from the costumes the Cast members wear to the look of the lighting, everything in the Resorts stay in theme. It is the same way in the Parks. Everything in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom is specific to Tomorrowland and everything in Asia in the Animal Kingdom makes you think that you are in Asia. This of course is true for not only the areas of the park, but for the attractions themselves. Each attraction is based on a specific idea. There aren’t any attractions that are just rides in Walt Disney World, each of them tells a story. This is the Magic that Walt Disney World Imagineering takes very seriously. Every detail in any of the attractions is considered part of the story. This is the Unknown Magic of the Back Story of the Attractions.

Every attraction in Walt Disney World not only tells a story, but it has a Back Story. Some of them are simple stories or based on Disney movies. Things like the Snow White’s Scary Adventures, takes you through the Snow White movie. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh does the same, taking you through many of the scenes from different Pooh Stories. Even the Magic Carpets of Aladdin let’s you be part of the story, by having you ride on the Carpet as if you were Aladdin or Jasmine.

Then there are the attractions where the Back Story is amazing and could be written as a book (and maybe should be) ones like the Tower of Terror and Expedition Everest. The story of the Tower of Terror starts in 1939. On Halloween that year the Hollywood Tower Hotel was struck by lightning. At that time, five hotel guests that were in the elevator, just disappeared. Everyone else that was in the hotel just ran out and left the hotel as it was on that fateful day. As you make your way onto the ride vehicle, you are taken through the Lobby and get to see it as it was that night, so long ago.

The Back Story of Expedition Everest is even more elaborate. The attraction takes you through Serka Zong, a village that was home to the railroad that once transported people to Anandapur (the next village over in the Animal Kingdom). Now that the railroad is closed, two business men have come in and have established Himalayan Escapes a business that is supposed to transport people to the base of Mount Everest, by using the old railroad tracks, so that people can climb the summit. To get onto this “train” you need to walk through the villages of Anandapur and Serka Zong and then

through the booking offices of the business. You also will walk through the pagoda like shrines that the villagers have built to the Yeti, the Asian version of the Abominable Snowman. Finally, the walk takes you through the Yeti museum, where there are many objects that show that the Yeti may be a real creature. Then you board your train to the base of Everest for your climb. What a great story. And although this line is usually long, this back story helps to make the wait a little better.

Another great Back Story in Animal Kingdom is the Kilimanjaro Safaris. The Safari, Harambe Wildlife Reserve, actually used to be a game-hunting reserve, but in the 1970’s the townspeople decided they wanted to change the use of the land and made it into what it is today. The story takes place with this in mind and presents the thought that there are poachers who have invaded the reserve to illegally get animals for trade. A very neat story that is central to the idea of the Animal Kingdom and its presentation of environmentalism.

My favorite Back Story though comes from the Magic Kingdom. It is found in the Haunted Mansion. The back story for this attraction is that Master Gracey the owner of the Gracey Manor and your “Ghost Host” committed suicide after his bride to be was killed in the mansion (He is the one hanging from the ceiling in the stretching room). You can see his bride to be in the attic when you ride through in your Doombuggy. Knowing this story adds a little bit more to the Magical Experience that is the Haunted Mansion.

So, now you know, there are Back Stories for every attraction in Walt Disney World, some very simple that continue from the movies and some that are complex and novel worthy, but all of them are there to add Magical Experiences to your days in Walt Disney World. So the next time you go to the parks, don’t worry if you have to wait in a line, see if you can get the story before the ride begins.

>Hungry, Cousin?

>This past week I wrote about the Polynesian Pearl, the Kona Café. The Kona Café isn’t the only great place to eat in the Polynesian Resort. Right around the corner from the Kona Café is the better known restaurant in the Polynesian Resort, ‘Ohana. I consider ‘Ohana an Unknown Magic, because even though it is usually very busy, it is still not one of the top known restaurants in Walt Disney World. But it is one of those places that when you eat there, you make sure you go back.

‘Ohana is decorated with a typical Polynesian Flair with tikis and palms and is very warm and inviting. As many people know from Lilo and Stitch, “‘Ohana means Family.” And this wonderful place celebrates family, throughout your meal. First of all, the servers all call everyone cousin (as is the custom in Hawaii) and they have games throughout the night for kids to play. Things like coconut broom races (where they push a coconut around the cent of the restaurant with a broom) and hula-hoop challenges. The décor here is wonderful, but the reason you go to any restaurant is the food. This past week we were in Disney World with some friends that had never been to ‘Ohana and afterward they said that this was the best meal we had all week. Keep in Mind we ate at the Nine Dragons and Le Cellier Steakhouse in Epcot as well as the Turf Club at Saratoga Springs and they still said this was the best meal we had. We have eaten there many times and this time the meal was as great as usual.

Before the main course comes, they give you ‘Ohana welcome bread, a salad with honey-lime dressing, pork dumplings and barbeque chicken wings that are awesome. They provide you with three dipping sauces for the meal, a peanut sauce, a sweet and sour sauce and a spicy mustard sauce. For the main course, they serve Chicken, Steak, Shrimp and Pork, that is all prepared on or actually in their 18-foot oak fire pit. They also serve stir-fried vegetables and lo mein noodles as part of the main course. This is all topped off with a bread pudding ala mode for dessert. The entire meal is served Family Style, which means everything is put in bowls on the table for everyone to share everything that is except the meat and shrimp. The Meat and Shrimp are brought to your table by the servers hot from the grill on the long skewers they cook it on. They ask you if you would like some more and then give you as many pieces from the skewer as you want. Our cousin, Pedro had a counting problem because every time you’d tell him one piece you’d get two and if you told him two you’d get three. This made the night even more fun for our party which led to a Magical Experience.

‘Ohana isn’t just open for dinner though. No, in the mornings ‘Ohana is one of the best character breakfasts in Walt Disney World. Since this is the Polynesian Resort, Lilo and Stitch host this breakfast. Mickey and Pluto have been there in the past with Lilo and Stitch, but they aren’t there at this time. Breakfast consists of Hua Paka (Scrambled Eggs), Uala Kahiki (Fried Potatoes), Pua’a (Pork), Mickey Shaped Waffles and other breakfast goodies. This meal is every bit as dinner.

Besides the food and décor ‘Ohana is a really great place to eat, because of the view. From the back windows of the restaurant, you can see Cinderella Castle, and the Seven Seas Lagoon. The other night while we were eating, we got to watch the Electrical Water Pageant that is shown on the Seven Seas Lagoon nightly. (For more about the Electrical Water Pageant, see my post on 5/13 Magic on the Water)What a Magical Experience that was for our friends as we were eating this great meal in a place they had never been to see the Water Pageant which they had never seen. It was truly a special night.

So, now you know, For Magical Experiences at both Breakfast and Dinner in a very fun and Magical atmosphere remember Lilo and Stitch and try ‘Ohana cousin.

>Blue Roofs against the White Stone Building

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We leave for Walt Disney World in less than three days. Not that I’m excited or counting down or anything. Actually from what I have recently read on thedisneydrivenlife.com “As soon as the reservations are made, a Disney vacation countdown of some sort is required.” This is principle number five of DISNEY DRIVEN LIFE PRINCIPLES. There is a list of 25 Principles for the Disney Driven Life. The Blog itself is a pretty neat site.

Anyway, I’m excited for many reasons, one because I will be able to find more Unknown Magics to share, so that you can have more Magical Experiences, but the other is that, I’m Going to Disney World! I still get excited every time we go. I get excited about the fact that we’re going to be there, I get excited when I think about the Parks and the Attractions that I love, and I think about the things we’ve down in the past. I also look forward to new things that we haven’t done or seen. But the one thing I get goose bumps about every time I go, is today’s Unknown Magic.

This Unknown Magic is not the first thing I have to do when I get to Walt Disney World. It doesn’t matter to me when I experience this. I just have to within the first couple of days. It doesn’t have to be in the Daylight or at Night specifically. Some people say they have to do this to know they are in Disney World, I don’t. It doesn’t represent my arrival at the Happiest Place on Earth and it doesn’t really represent anything for me. It just leaves me with a feeling of Awe and Wonder, and Magic. Today’s Unknown Magic is The first view of Cinderella Castle.

Many of you might not understand. But some of you might, you may have dreamed of going to Walt Disney World as a child and you just weren’t able to and now as an adult, you are finally getting there. So, maybe you are all ready excited about seeing the Castle, and the Magic Kingdom for the first time. But you don’t know the feeling yet. You’ll feel it. A lot of people do.(Some of us still get the feeling every time we enter the Magic Kingdom). Sometimes people miss it though, because of the commotion of Main Street or the crowds. Or they are just in a rush to get to one of the attractions. But if it is your first time going to Disney World, you need to follow the advice I have given many times, look around, take your time and Don’t be a Disney Commando. I don’t believe Disney Commandos have the chance to experience today’s Unknown Magic, because to understand it, you have to let it overtake you, not run over it.

Everyone has seen pictures of Cinderella Castle. If you go to Google Images, and type in Cinderella Castle you will get 505,000 results (if you spell it Cinderella’s Castle you will get 522,000). But looking at a picture isn’t the same. As you get to the Magic Kingdom, the anticipation grows. You leave the Monorail, the Boat or Bus behind and you walk through the turnstiles. You walk under the Main Street Railroad Station, and come out onto Main Street USA. Here is where you need to go slowly. As you walk out of the train Station, you will see the Castle in its entirety for the first time (You can see the castle from the outside of the park and even from the Polynesian Resort, but not fully). From the ground up you can see everything. It is perfectly framed by the buildings on Main Street, so that this is where you have to look. With it being Florida, many times the Sky above the Castle is Blue, and perfect. It is a beautiful sight.

 If you look at the Castle as the symbol of Walt Disney World you can feel the Magic of where you are. If you’re like me as you see Cinderella Castle, you are over taken with the feeling of amazement; with a feeling that Walt Disney had his people build this Castle, as a monument to Magic and to Love and Childhood and Family and all that is good in the world. And it over takes you. It’s like the feeling you get on Christmas morning when you give the Perfect Present. The feeling you get when someone says they Love You for the first time.

It is a very Magical Experience, but one that can only be had if you don’t rush it. You can only feel this way, if you take your time and see Cinderella Castle, not just look at it, but see the beauty of it, the Blue Roofs against the White Stone Building. The Golden Spire rising high into the air. The Arched Entrance that leads into Fantasyland.

 The Magic that comes from the view from the Top of the Main Street Train Station, looking down the street at the Castle is awe inspiring; and to see Cinderella Castle at night is even more amazing. The Castle changes colors every few minutes. And it is really a spectacle to behold. And of course when the fireworks are going off above it, it’s Magical. They light up the Castle on special occasions in neat ways also. For example, around Christmas there are Snowflakes coloring it. In the night the Castle is amazing, it is really something to see.

So, now you know, one of the Unknown Magics in Walt Disney World is one that is looked at all the time, but you need to take the time to See It, to have the Magical Experience. So, slow down and take a look at Cinderella Castle.