>
Category: Disney’s Polynesian Resort
>
The Fireworks in Walt Disney World are the best hands down anywhere. The Best! There is no comparison, Disney does it well and they do it every night, sometimes more than once, in two different parks. Estimates for how much it
costs them a night range from $10,000-$35,000. They know how to do Fireworks. And everyone knows that you need to see the Fireworks in The Magic Kingdom, and in Epcot. And if you are able to get to see Fantasmic at Disney Hollywood Studios that is a neat Experience as well. These Experiences are Magical in themselves, watching the Fireworks explode above Cinderella Castle, as you stand at the end of Main Street USA, or looking across the World Show Case Lagoon at The American Experience and watch Illuminations, will give you goose-bumps.
So, how am I going to tell you new and Unknown Magic about the Fireworks? Well how about how to watch them with little or no crowd or in a different place so that you can experience them as few do. This post will not be all inclusive, but will be the first of a three part series of weekly posts on the Firework experience at Walt Disney World, so make sure you come back to find more Unknown places to view the Fireworks for a Magical Experience.
We’re going to start with the Magic Kingdom. The Firework show right now is called Wishes Nighttime Spectacular and as the Disney website says “Wishes Nighttime Spectacular is an amazing, high-tech fireworks show at Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World Resort.” In Early June, they are changing the show to Summer Nightastic! Fireworks Spectacular, this will be part of their Summer Nightastic Celebration.
If you are in Walt Disney World for the first time, and have already caught the Fireworks from Main Street USA (the best is from above the Train Station if you have the time to sit and wait), there are other places to see the fireworks from that can be Magical. One place that we happened upon by accident one trip was next to Dumbo the Flying Elephant. The Fireworks actually come from right behind that area. It is very different to actually see them flying up to the sky basically right past you. I Do Not Recommend watching the Fireworks from this area if you do not like loud noises or have small children with you.
There is another place in the park that we enjoyed other than just for the Fireworks themselves. As part of the Wishes program, Tinkerbell Floats, from Cinderella Castle across the sky. If you set yourself up on the rocks along the walkway from Main Street USA to Tomorrowland, as you go past the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station, (you make the right immediately after the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street) Tinkerbell will actually fly right past you, which we all found very cool.
Another great place to catch the Magic Kingdom Fireworks is on the top of the Contemporary Resort. The top floor of the Contemporary Resort is home to the California Grill Restaurant. If you are lucky enough to have a reservation later in the evening and ask for a view of the Magic Kingdom, you will be able to watch the Fireworks while you are dining on an award winning meal. If the California Grill is not your cup of tea, you can still take the
elevator to the 15th floor of the Contemporary and then walk right past the entrance to the restaurant, and walk out on the observation deck. From here you can see the Fireworks with a few other people and get a different view of them, as this viewing angle does not look right at Cinderella Castle. After the Fireworks are over, you can catch an elevator to the Grand Canyon Concourse Monorail Station and go where you need to go without the hassle of fighting the crowd to get out of the park.
As mentioned in a previous post, The Beach behind the Polynesian Resort is one of my favorite places to watch the Magic Kingdom Fireworks. It is so nice to sit on a beach chair in the sand and watch the Sky above Cinderella Castle light up with excitement. Another great thing about this location, besides the lack of crowd, is that the kids can run around and play in the sand and just be kids. This is important after a long day in the parks. When you wait in the
Magic Kingdom for the Fireworks to begin, you will notice people start to set themselves up for viewing anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour before they are shot off. Here you don’t have to do that without having to worry if your spot is going to be taken, before the fireworks even begin. I do recommend if you want a chair or a hammock to get there a little while before they begin, but you don’t have to stop your enjoyment an hour before hand.
Another really neat Magical Experience if you plan it right, which does take some doing, is riding the Monorail during the Fireworks show. It is very neat to see. This one however is difficult to do, because of the timing aspect, and it is also not a great way to see all of the Fireworks, because you keep stopping in the stations.
So, now you know, Some Magical places to Experience the Magic Kingdom Fireworks, without being on Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom. After you see them once from Main Street, check them out these other places for A Magical Experience you won’t forget.
For an overview of the Wishes Nightime Spectacular check out the Disney site.
>
So, What Do You Do?
Do you jump on the bus and head back to your Resort?
By the time you get there, you probably won’t want to go back to the park. Then the whole plan of seeing the fireworks would be ruined.
Do you push on and just keep going?
NO!
For the sake of the day, and for family sanity, you need to take a break.
But How? Where will you go? What will you do?
Once you get to any of these Resorts, you can enjoy a good meal, do some shopping or just find a great place to sit with a refreshment. One of my favorite places to do this is the lobby of the Grand Floridian Resort. The lobby of this turn of the century Victorian styled Resort is a great place to sit, because there is a piano player that plays some very relaxing music. At the Grand Floridian, you can grab a snack at Gasparilla Grill & Games and sit outside. You can enjoy your rest while still being able to see Cinderella Castle and watch the Monorail, as it heads toward the Magic Kingdom Station.
Another one of my favorite places to take a break is on the beach at the Polynesian Resort. There are hammocks, beach chairs and even some cabanas. The kids can head in to Captain Cook’s for a frozen treat and you can all just relax for awhile. From here you can also see the Magic Kingdom and if you decide to stick around, you can watch the fireworks without leaving the beach.
The beach at the Contemporary Resort also has chairs, places to relax and volleyball courts. If your family is up to it, you can also participate in some water activities. The Contemporary Resort is home
So, if you are getting to that point in your Magic Kingdom Day when you are starting to need a break, but you don’t want to leave the Magic Kingdom Area, because of the fireworks, a late parade or just because you want to finish your day there, you can take a break from the park and enjoy the Magic Kingdom Resorts. You can re-energize yourselves, by resting in some great places, enjoying a snack and even partaking in some water activities. After you are all ready for more, you can head back to the Magic Kingdom to end your day, in a Magical Way.
>
Welcome to Tips from a Teenager Tuesday. My co-author on Tuesdays is my son John. For those of you that have a 15 year old, you will understand some of the answers, those of you that don’t; I will say these are his real answers.
The question I pose every week is this “Tell me something you like about Disney World that everyone needs to know about.” This is today’s conversation. Enjoy.
“Tell me something you like about Disney World that everyone needs to know about.”
“The Pools, the Different Pools.”
“Why should they know about them?”
“Because there are a great variety of different themes and they are enjoyable.”
“At every resort there are different pools?”
At this point he answered yes, no, yes and then told me I confused him, so I asked the question a different way.
“At each resort the pools are different?”
“Yes, wait, yes.”
“And they have different themes?”
“Yes,”
“What do you mean?”
“They have small pools and the main pools, they have slides and more kids and there is a place to eat and they have a bar.”
Let me interject here about the Resort Pools in Walt Disney World. All the Resorts have a main pool that is themed to match the Resort. Then there is usually at least one other pool that is located at a different place around the resort and this is considered the “Quiet” pool. The quiet pools don’t have slides or lifeguards and mostly have less people at them. The Main pool has the slide, a snack bar/bar, a children’s play area and a toddler pool, a hot tub, and are guarded by more than one life guard. When I asked the question about the different pools, I was asking him if the pools in one resort were themed, they are not.
“So, they really don’t have different themes,”
“More so they have different atmospheres.”
Meaning the quiet pool is quiet and the main pool has a lot of activity
“Do all the resorts have the same kind of pools?”
“I would say. They all have a slide.”
“You said before they all have themes, which one is your favorite, theme?”
“The Sand pool at the Beach Club.”
The Pool at the Yacht Club Resort is shared with the Beach Club Resort. It is called Storm-along Bay and is a little water park of its own. There is a lazy river, with water jets that push you along, and the bottom of the pool is sand. This is one of the pools on the Disney property that you must be a guest at the resort to use.
“What are your favorite 3 pools in Walt Disney World?”
“1. Beach/Yacht Club 2. Boardwalk 3. Polynesian.”
“We haven’t yet stayed at the Polynesian yet, why do you like the pool?”
“There were a lot of people there, but it seemed relaxed, I guess because of the Resort.”
I thought he was going to say because it is cool looking. They actually have a Volcano that erupts every so often and a water fall that dumps water right into the pool from a rock over hang.
“What are the best 3 things about the pools in Walt Disney World?”
“1. Slides, the kids always love the slides, (his exact words) 2.Usually the snack place is good. 3. All the pools are within walking distance.”
“Do you have any suggestions for people using the Disney pools?”
“Don’t go in the middle of the day, that’s when everyone is there.”
“Anything else?”
“Be prepared to have some good family fun.” Once again his exact words
“Would you like to add anything else that people need to know about the Disney pools?”
“There’s other things to do besides swimming, there are active activities that you can do, like tennis courts, volleyball, sometimes basketball, and near some you can rent bikes. You can buy things at them also.”
What I think he was trying to say here is that besides just swimming there are other activities that you can participate in if you want to. Some of the Resorts have tennis courts, some have Basketball courts and others still may have a volleyball court. Some of the resorts also have bicycles you can rent. The reason I think he added this in, was because some of these activities are located near the pool at some of the resorts. The pool at Old Key West for example has basketball and tennis courts adjacent to the pool area. There are sand volleyball courts across from the pool at the Beach Club, so I think this is where he added this from. As for the bikes I’m sure he tied in the bike rentals with a pool somewhere. And as for buying things, I’m sure he was talking about swim gear and drinks and stuff that the snack/pool bars sell.
(As I said before the mind of a 15 year old.)
“Well, thank you John,”
“You’re Welcome.”
>
The question I will pose every week is,“Tell me something you like about Disney World that everyone needs to know about.”
The answer this week was, “Food, Food, and Food!”
“What exactly do you like about the food?”
“It’s amazing. What more can I say?”
(At this point I tried a different tactic knowing it wasn’t going to get much better)
“What are your favorite places to eat in Disney World?”
“Le Cellier, ‘Ohana, and the Pepper Market.”
Le Cellier is the steak house in the Canada Pavilion in Epcot, ‘Ohana is in the Polynesian Resort and the Pepper Market is a quick serve/sit down place in the Coronado Springs Resort.
“What makes them your favorite?”
“The quality of the food and the atmosphere.”
“Of the three of them which would you choose if you could only go to one?”
“Le Cellier.”
“Why?”
“I love a good steak every now and then.”
“It had nothing to do with the fact the waitress we had knew Marc Andre Fleury?”
“Yes, that does have something to do with it.”
Let me fill in some background John’s favorite hockey team is the Pittsburgh Penguins and he really likes Sidney Crosby. The one time we ate at Le Cellier, the Waitress mentioned she was from Nova Scotia, which is where Sidney Crosby is from. When John made a comment about him, she asked if John only liked Crosby of did he also like the Penguins, when he told her the Penguins too, she told him about knowing Marc Andre Fluery, the goaltender for the Penguins. She told us all about how she was a friend and how when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup earlier that year she and her mom were in tears for “Marky”. I think it is still one of John’s favorite Disney memories.
“Favorite thing about Ohana?”
“All you can eat. There is a Lot to choose from- chicken, steak, veggies, and Polynesian noodles.”
‘Ohana is a family style restaurant, where they bring out long skewers with beef, chicken, shrimp and pork, which are cooked over an 18 foot oak fire pit. (‘Ohana is also home of the Best Friends Breakfast with Lilo & Stitch, a character breakfast.)
“What is it about the Pepper Market that you like?”
“The many different cultures represented there.”
The Pepper Market is a food court kind of eatery, where when you first walk in, you get a ticket. You walk around to the different areas, and choose your food. The servers then stamp your ticket and you pay for all of them as you are leaving. The food choices range from Mexican, to American with Pasta, Pizza and Stir-Fry as options. There is also a Bakery and Beverage area. It is a place where the whole family can aget something they like.
“What else would you like to tell anyone about the food in Disney World?”
“That there is a place for everyone and any taste; it’s nice to know that you will always find what you are craving no matter what. Since there is so much, there is always something new to try and experience.”
“What was your favorite new experience with food in Disney?”
“The Japanese place.”
The “Japanese Place” is Teppan Edo the Japanese restaurant in the Japan Pavilion, in Epcot. At this restaurant, the food is prepared for you on a stovetop table that you sit at. It is a really neat dining experience and I think this is where John tried Sushi for the first time.
So, what else would a 15 year old boy say everyone needs to know about in Walt Disney World, FOOD! Next week, I’ll try to feed him before I ask the question, and maybe we’ll hear about something that won’t add to our waistlines. We hope you enjoyed today’s tips.
“Thank you, John.”
“Sure Dad.”
>Sorry, the music is a little loud on this one, Enjoy.
>
Last week, I saw an episode of Penn and Tellers, B***S*** on Showtime. The episode dealt with Area 51. There was a group that went out into the Nevada Desert to spy on the “Secret” Air Force base that is supposed to house aliens and alien technology. Some people don’t believe in aliens and if they do, most don’t believe in them they way these people do. I think that some of the things that are in the world could be easier explained by there being other life forms out there, but I’m not sure if I believe or not. Sometimes, I just think it is improbable, other times I know they do exist, because they can be seen in Walt Disney World. By way of explanation, I bring to you the Unknown Magic of Aliens in Disney World.
The stories of alien abductions go back many many years and UFO sightings go back just as long. Probably the biggest decade for the UFO hysteria was in the 1950’s. Hollywood capitalized on this fear and made many UFO/Space invader movies.
Everything from Flying Saucer, and The Man from Planet X to Invaders from Mars were shown in movie houses and on drive in movie screens all across the United States. In Disney Hollywood Studios, you can relive this experience in the Sci-Fi Dine in Theater. This wonderfully themed restaurant is one of the Must Do’s on my list for new Disney visitors. It is a place where the seating area of the restaurant is set up as a drive-in movie theater and the tables are “cars”. You actually feel like you are back in the 1950’s, watching old movies at the Drive-in. Movies about Giant Mutant insects and Aliens. Most of the Clips they show on the Big Screen at the Sci-Fi Dine in Theater are from space/alien movies. It is a great way to get your Alien on. Also in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you can see Sigourney Weaver at her alien butt kickin’ best by taking a ride through the Great Movie ride. One of the scenes portrayed in the attraction is from the movie Alien, which is probably one of the scariest movies I saw as a teenager.
In the Magic Kingdom, you can also encounter an Alien of a different sort. The Alien is known as Experiment 626. He was originally created by Dr. Jumba Jookiba, to basically destroy everything around him. But don’t worry he won’t hurt you. You can find him in the Magic Kingdom at Stitch’s Great Escape, a “dark Ride” that has 626, also known as Stitch, “escaping” and wrecking havoc, when he is sent to a United Galactic Federation holding facility. As you are in this attraction you will be annoyed, tussled, teased and even grossed out by Stitch, before they recapture him and send him to another facility.
Stitch can also be seen in the Animal Kingdom, roaming around with his earthling “owner” Lilo. They will pose for pictures with you and sign your autograph book. When we were there a few years back, my son was wearing a stitch shirt (Stitch is his favorite character) and when he showed Stitch, Stitch made a big deal out of posing with John and really did create a Magical Experience for him.
Lilo and Stitch are also the hosts of the Character meal at the Polynesian Resort’s ‘Ohana’s Best Friends Breakfast with Lilo & Stitch. We have eaten here a few times also. The food during breakfast at ‘Ohana isn’t as unbelievable or as plentiful as dinner, but it is a great meal, that is very enjoyable with the characters making their way around the restaurant.
There are other Aliens to be found in Walt Disney World
So, now you know, you can enjoy the best Disney aliens in fun and Magical ways. And some of these ways have to do with food, which is always a plus. So, when you go to Disney World, don’t be afraid of the Unknown, remember, “The truth is out there,” well down there, in Walt Disney World.
Picture of Penn And Teller DVD from Amazon.com
>Walt Disney World history is amazing!
In my “Getting Goofy” post back at the end of June, I gave you this little tidbit:
In 1973, at the Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World, President Nixon made his famous speech, “People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook.”
Very Cool- but how about this tidbit from the Tikiman Pages *:
“…in December of 1974 John Lennon was at the Polynesian Village when he signed the paperwork to break up the Beatles on December 29th.”
In past posts I’ve talked about the Kona cafe and ‘Ohana both in the Polynesian. I’ve also talked about the Hoop-de Doo Revue, one of the dinner shows presented at Disney World. Today’s Unknown Magic combines the laid back atmosphere of the Polynesian Resort with the food and enjoyment of Kona and ‘Ohana and the Excitement and fun of the Hoop-de Doo. Today’s Unknown Magic is the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show.
The show itself is really enjoyable also. It starts under the auspices of being a going away party for one of the young ladies of the village. The actors all enjoy getting into
the show and it is fun to watch and hear the banter and singing. There are a few hula
dancers and they have the audience participate. All this goes on while you are eating your meal.
As the dishes are being cleared from the table, the show takes a new path. It is now geared toward presenting the dances of the Tropical Pacific Islands. This is the portion
of the show that gets really neat, because they bring out all the different dancers in traditional dress from each of the islands from where they are presenting the dances. It is a very beautiful even exciting, to see these traditional island dances.
So, now you know, for the Magical Experience of a traditional Luau, while still in Walt Disney World, make sure you book early and get to enjoy the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show. The Food is Great and the Show is Better!
The Tikiman Pages are a great site all about the Poylnesian Resort.
>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.
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.