>The Numbers of Disney World

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Numbers. People worry about them all the time. How are that baseball player’s numbers so much higher than everyone else’s, there weren’t as many numbers in my Christmas bonus as I was hoping, there wasn’t the right number of candles on her birthday cake, she’s much older than that. But in Walt Disney World, numbers represent other things. They represent Magical Experiences and hidden meanings. Today’s Unknown Magic is like an economics professor, it’s going to explain what the numbers mean. So let’s get started:

71 This is the Number found on the Main Street Firehouse. Engine Co. 71 as it is known is a tip of the hat to the year that the Magic Kingdom and therefore, the Walt Disney World Resort opened.

82 This is the Number on the mailbox at the farmhouse in Living with the Land. The Name on the box is B. Jones. The 82 is representative of the year Epcot opened.

28 or 1928 These Numbers represent the origin of Mickey Mouse. This number can be seen on the contractor stamps in the sidewalk on Sunset Boulevard, in the Disney Hollywood Studios. It is also used on the billboards for Sunset Hills Estate, also found in the Studios.

626 This is the number experiment that is featured in the Tomorrowland attraction Stitch’s Great Escape. If you remember from the movie, Lilo and Stitch, Stitch was originally called 626 when he was made.

407 This is the area code for any of the phones that you pick up around the Walt Disney World Resort, including the two phone booths that are in the United Kingdom area of Epcot. (If you ever hear these phones ringing, pick it up, you never know who might be calling.)

360 Actually this should be 360 degrees; as in circle vision 360. There are two of these movies playing in Epcot; one in the China Pavilion and the other in Canada. These movies were made using a camera invented by the Disney Imagineers for just such an attraction. There are actually nine cameras in use to “circle” you and immerse you into the film.

9-11 that is 9:00 AM-11:00 AM This is the time that Epcot’s Future world is open by itself, without the World Showcase being open. (Until recently, the World Showcase was also open from 7:00 PM until 9:30 PM by itself. This has since changed and Future World is open until the close of the park now also.)

So, there you have it a rundown of some numbers that are presented and are associated with Walt Disney World. I hope we have explained some of these Unknown Magics, so that when you see them, you will understand what they mean.

>Don’t be afraid of the Dark.

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There are some attractions in Walt Disney World that Cast Members refer to as “Dark Rides”. That doesn’t mean that the ride is scary, but that it takes place in the dark. Many of these “Dark Rides” are in the Magic Kingdom, a few are in Epcot, and some in Disney Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. My earliest Magical Experience on a Dark Ride was with my brother when we went in 1979. He was all excited about his socks. Yes, his socks. He loved the fact that as we lifted off on Peter Pan’s Flight the black light turned his socks purple. So, with the same excitement my brother had about his socks being purple, I present to you the Unknown Magic of the Disney Dark Ride.

While many of the “Dark Rides” are considered Thrill Rides, some are very tame and even aimed at the younger audience. Peter pan’s Flight for instance is a very nice “flight” through the movie Peter Pan. You start outside the Darling house with Nanny barking at you and “fly” your way through until Captain Hook and the Crocodile are floating out of sight. Another great Dark Ride for kids is Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. In this ride, it is only dark for a very short time, during the Blustery Day

scene, the rest is brighter. One of the other Dark Rides in the Magic kingdom aimed at kids, but much darker, is Snow White’s Scary Adventures. This ride is very dark and some of it is scary, maybe a little too scary for very young riders.

Another Dark Ride that can be scary for younger riders is the Haunted Mansion. Although it may make Magical Experiences, there are some places during the ride that

 your youngster may be grabbing for your hand as you drive by in your Doom Buggy. Another one that you need to be careful of is Sounds Dangerous in the Disney Hollywood Studios. Almost the entire show is done in the dark. So is Stitch’s Great Escape in the Magic Kingdom. If you don’t like total Darkness these two should be avoided. Another one that is a little scary for older children even is Dinosaur in Animal Kingdom. As you travel back in time to get DNA from a dinosaur, you encounter darkness and some scares along the way.

Over in Epcot the only scary part of the Dark Rides come in Norway when riding the Maelstrom. Between the Trolls coming to get you and the waterfall, you might be a little worried. But please don’t be worried, neither the trolls nor the waterfall hurt you and it is a great ride. In the Mexico Pavilion, the Dark Ride is a wonderful romp through Mexico looking for Donald Duck. Another Dark Ride where you are looking for a

Disney character is only half dark. It is Splash Mountain. While on this ride, you are looking for Brer Rabbit and end up going all around the bayou to see where he could be. Of course this ride ends with a 52 ½ foot drop, which is the part that is no longer in the dark. Another ride that is in the Dark, on a boat in water is Pirates of the Caribbean, which is one of the all time great Disney Attractions.

Probably the most famous Dark Ride in all of Walt Disney World is Space Mountain. It was opened in 1975 and underwent a refurbishment in 2009 and as of this writing is undergoing new musical enhancements. If you have ridden Space Mountain, you know that it is a thrill ride/roller coaster that is completely in the dark. Over in Disney Hollywood Studios, the Rock n Roller Coaster is also a Dark Thrill Ride Roller Coaster. Both are awesome rides and have the thrill of Darkness to add to the ride, but the attraction that uses the dark to its advantage more than any other is the Tower of Terror. The Official name to this attraction is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Taking place in the Hollywood Tower Hotel, this attraction leads you through the lobby of the hotel and then onto an elevator. The ride from there is one that either thrills you or scares you. Not because of the darkness, but because of the ride itself.

So, now you know, there are Dark Rides throughout the Walt Disney World Resort, to give everyone a Magical Experience. Some aimed at the youngsters, some at the thrill seekers, and some for everyone. So, When in Disney, Don’t be afraid of the Dark.