>A Classical Course

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Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 were just released on Blu-ray and DVD. Walt Disney once said Fantasia represents our most exciting adventure.” The concept for Fantasia was that Walt wanted his artists to create an animated feature based on what they felt form a piece of music. Some of the scenes of the movie portray this concept better than others, but they all do convey the idea that the music was the important aspect of the film. Although the animators were supposed to let their thoughts just flow with the music, the film ended up with many memorable scenes where the music is now connected with these parts. The Film is truly a Disney Classic. Fantasia 2000, on the other hand hasn’t been given the same status by movie audiences. I personally like the film, I think the musical choices were very diverse and the animation was fun, and sometimes awe-inspiring. The movement with the Humpback Whales are wonderfully done, and the yo-yo playing flamingo is just fun. It is a part of the film which reminds me of the Dancing Hippos and the Alligator from the original. Anytime I think of the Dancing Hippos, I think of playing miniature golf. I know that sounds weird, but almost directly across from the Swan and Dolphin Resort Hotels there is a miniature Golf course. This Course is an Unknown Magic in Walt Disney World that is based on Fantasia and one that is a great place to take a break from the noise and rush of the parks. This Unknown Magic is called the Disney’s Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course.

The Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course is actually two different courses in one; Fantasia Gardens and Fantasia Fairways. Fantasia Gardens is more of the mini-golf course that many people are used to. This course includes many characters from Fantasia, including the dancing hippos and marching broomsticks. Some of the holes include water (watch for these, they sneak up on you) and some reward you with musical tones. The Musical ones are kind of neat; the music plays after you sink your putt.

Fantasia Fairways is more of a practice course for real golfers. This one is set up as a miniaturized version of an 18 hole golf course. This course is set alongside the Fantasia Gardens course and it also has great views of the Swan and Dolphin and also The Hollywood Tower Hotel (which is also known as the Tower of terror).

Both of these courses are fun to play in their own way. We enjoyed the Fantasia Gardens course, as we considered the other one putting practice and since we don’t play golf, we thought it might be a little boring to us. Both courses are open from 10am-11pm, cost below $15, for an adult round.

We enjoy playing miniature golf when we are in Walt Disney World either at Fantasia Gardens or Winter Summerland. We usually use take an afternoon or sometimes an early evening break from the parks to play some golf. Usually my wife wins (we think she cheats) but it is always a Magical experience for the whole family.

So, now you know, you can not only get Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 on Blu-ray and DVD and when you are I Walt Disney World, you can enjoy the fun and music of Fantasia by going to Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course. It is a great way to take a break from the parks and enjoy some Magical Family Experiences.

*This is Bruce’s wife, I do not cheat, at least it hasn’t been proven yet!*

>Go to the Beach

>When I was young, my parents didn’t like the beach. I don’t think they liked the sand. As a teenager, I couldn’t get enough of it. My Friends and I would drive the hour and a half to get  there, spend the day in the surf and sun and still be in work by 5 o’clock. When I was 18 we probably averaged twice a week, driving back and forth. As an adult, every couple of years we’ll take a non-Disney vacation to Ocean City Maryland,

 and there are times that I can lay on the beach read a book and enjoy the sun for a little while, but I don’t do it like I did when I was younger. Back then, we’d take our “Boom Box” and enough money between us to share a coke. We’d either be in the water, watching girls or catching some rays. Now I take a good book, sun tan lotion and a nice drink, I  mostly watch my wife and don’t enjoy catching the rays anymore. But some people are die hard Tanners. They sit out in their yards, or on their balconies and they live for that weekend run for the sun at the beach.

For those people I present today’s Unknown Magic. Not many people know that Walt Disney World has many wonderful Beaches. These are basically tanning and playing in the sand beaches. You cannot swim at any of the Beaches in Walt Disney World. Disney has signs up stating that this is not allowed, because of a strain of amoeba that lives in lakes in Florida. With that said, the beaches are still a wonderful Unknown Magic, for sun tanners and beach walkers alike, because without the swimming aspect, there are a lot fewer people trying to find a place to sit and still fewer loud families and kids, to interrupt your reading and tanning.

Not all of the Resorts have Beach front, but many of them do. For example, each

village at the Caribbean Beach Resort has its own beach front, wonderful for lying in the sand and tanning. The Beach Club Resort has a great Beach. There are chairs, volleyball net and a swing. On certain nights they even set up a huge blowup movie screen and show Disney Movies. The Contemporary Resort has a nice Beach Area also. It is just behind the Pool and out past the boat dock, to the right. The Wilderness Lodge Resort even has a very nice beach, although it is kind of out of the way, a true Unknown Magic. To get there you need to walk past the bike rental area.

Other Resorts have Beaches also, but the nicest two beach areas in my mind are the Swan and Dolphin Beach and the Beach at the Polynesian Resort. The Swan and Dolphin Beach is actually a semi-circled beach that goes around the water between the two resorts. There is a volleyball net and a neat play area for the kids. It was a very inviting area to walk on and hang out at. My all time favorite though is the beach at the
 Polynesian Resort. How can you not enjoy sitting on a lounge chair, catching some rays, reading a good book, enjoying your drink, all while looking across at Cinderella Castle. If this doesn’t make for a Magical Experience, I don’t know what does!

So, know you know, if you just want to catch some rays and enjoy a good book, a cold drink and maybe a view of a castle, without the noise and crowds of the pool, Go to the Beach, and still enjoy all the Magical Experiences that Walt Disney World has to Offer.