>Say Cheese….

>

Suntan lotion?: Got it.

Water Bottle? : Yes.

Money?: Yup.

 

Room Keys?: I got mine.

Park Tickets?: I have them.

Taking the Camera?: Yes.

Extra Batteries?: Where are They?

Memory Card?: There’s no more room!?!?

Should we just leave it?: I guess.

My wife and I have had this conversation on more than one occasion over the years. It usually happens before a long outing to the parks, or when we know we’re going to a park that isn’t close to the Resort where we are staying. As you can see, it usually goes well until the camera question. Taking the camera to the parks is always a tough decision for us. I like to take the pictures of the Parks and the Family, but carrying the bag around gets to be a pain. Most of the time, we’ll take the camera in the morning, and not in the afternoon or evening. We travel lighter after lunch it seems. Before that though, we take the video camera and the still camera and the bag with extra batteries, an extra memory card and all the other paraphernalia. Sometimes we actually only carry the Camera Bag to carry the sun tan lotion and other small items we may need during the day, while I carry the camera around separately I know that seems odd, but I’m sure (hope) there are many other people that do it also.

There are times when you want to take the camera with you for a specific reason. Maybe you want to take a picture of something you had seen the day before and wanted to remember it, so taking the camera makes sense, other times you are thinking of nothing but going through the Park and going

through every Attraction you missed earlier in your trip, you don’t want to take the camera, but you never know what character you may meet or if when you get to the Magic Kingdom, You decide you want a picture of the kids in front of the Castle, because Main Street USA seems empty that day. So, What Do you DO?

On days like this, you leave the camera behind. If you want that Picture of the kids in front of the castle, you can still get it. Disney has this wonderful Unknown Magic that will make it easier on you. It’s called Disney’s PhotoPass. Visitors to the Parks may have noticed these people before, I’m sure, and if you’ve been to other amusement parks, they have similar programs. For first Time Disney Visitors let me explain it to you, when you first enter any of the parks, as you see the Park’s Focal Point (the Castle, Sorcerers Hat, Tree of Life, Spaceship Earth) there are cast members walking about. These cast members are part of Disney’s Photography Corps. Known as the PhotoPass Photographers, these cast members are professional photographers, there to take pictures of you and your family while framing you with a Magical Background. They also add extra little Disney touches to your Photos.They are in all Four Theme Parks and not just at the entrance. A lot of times these cast members are at character meet and greets and just roaming around the Parks.

I know some cynical people reading this will say, “But this is just another way for Disney to take my money”. If that is your attitude, you probably shouldn’t be reading this blog anyway, but for a cast member to take your picture, it is free. Not only that, but you don’t have to purchase anything at the Park. Now, that is a Magical thing, because that means there is no pressure from Disney or from your kids to get a picture.

What happens is this; when they take your picture, they record information from a little card onto the memory card of the camera. This saves the pictures under your card number (make sure you have your card handy throughout the day, that way if any other PhotoPass people take your picture you can have all the pictures on the same account). Then you can look at the pictures later, either at the park (there are areas in each park that you can go and view your pictures, with help from cast members, or at home at your own convenience. This service is available on line for quite awhile after your vacation ends, so you can take your time putting together your scrape books or even finding that perfect picture for your Christmas cards.

PhotoPass may not seem like a big thing, but if your family is in Disney World for the first time, it is great to have a Family Picture where no one is left out because they are taking the picture and the picture is professionally done. These Pictures of your Magical Experience will be treasured for years to come. At this moment, I’m looking at a picture of my Parents with the Grandchildren standing in front of Cinderella Castle that was taken three years ago, it is making me smile to remember that trip.

So, now you know, you can leave the camera behind and still get a great family picture in any of the parks that will let you remember your Magical Experiences for years to come.

>The Magic in the Details Part III: Animal Kingdom

>

A while back I wrote The Magic in the Details, it was all about how the details in Epcot add to the Magic. The Magical is in the Details II was about the Details of Disney Hollywood Studios. The Animal Kingdom probably has some of the neatest details of all of the Theme Parks in Walt Disney World. So, today I continue with the Magical Details of Walt Disney World and present the Details of the Animal Kingdom that are Magical.

The story is told that when the Disney Imagineers took the idea of an animal based park to then company President Michael Eisner, to prove the point that people were fascinated with animals, one of the Imagineers walked into the meeting with a tiger on a leash. This goes to show that the Imagineers were very interested in building this park. When they started building it, they took not only care with the animals and their surroundings, but with the guest areas of the park.



The “tree’ in the background is a feeder.



When it comes to the animals and their surroundings, the Imagineers took not only the animals’ safety and well being into account, but also how to make them available for guests to view them. They built special items into the savannah that as guests you don’t notice, but they make the viewing of the animals nicer and more fun. Some of these details that are not obvious are the huge rocks that surround the animal viewing areas are temperature controlled. In the summer months, they make them cooler and in the winter, they make them warm. This way the animal will lie on these rocks and be visible to the guests. Other things the Imagineers have built into the savannah are special feeding areas. They didn’t want to put troughs that wouldn’t seem natural in the area, so they built feeders that look like old tree stumps. These details make your viewing of the savannah a Magical Experience by making it seem as if you are viewing a savannah in Africa.

Another place where they took the time to put details that enhance your enjoyment of an area is at Expedition Everest. When you are in the queue, and walking through the Expedition Museum, if you will, there are some very neat “artifacts”. My favorites are castings of the Yeti footprints. They look as if they were cast right from a sight were the prints were made.

The train to the Conservation Station is another place where the details make you feel as if you are actually in another place. When you take the Wildlife Express Train, it’s as if you are

The top of the Wildlife Express

on an old train traveling through Africa, from the signs that ask you not to cook on the train to the items that are piled on the top of it, you are almost convinced that you have left Florida and are traveling in a whole different continent.

Of course the most impressive Details in the Animal Kingdom are the carvings in Tree of Life. The tree itself is 145 feet high and there are 325 different creatures that have been carved into the “bark” of the tree. These animal carvings cover every kind of animal from a sloth to a rhinoceros. This amazing tree is a work of art that can provide a Magical Experience for your family as you look for your favorite animals.

So, now you know, the Disney Imagineers used their talents to create Magical Experiences for you in Animal Kingdom, by giving extra attention to the details. So, when you are there, look for the Unknown Magics that make the park wonderful.

>Animal Kingdom Weenie

>

When Walt Disney was creating Disneyland, and even planning the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, he had the idea, that as you enter the park he would give you a focal point to move toward. The name he gave this focal point was the “Weenie”. All the Walt Disney World Parks still follow this philosophy and have a “Weenie”. This makes all the Park entrances in Walt Disney world the same, even though they are very unique. In Yesterday’s post, I mentioned “The entrances to the parks are different, but still the same. The Entrances themselves can be very magical and very exciting,” With that in mind today’s Unknown Magic is the Animal Kingdom Park Entrance.

After disembarking from the tram car or from the buses, there is a very wide, area for you to walk toward the park. As you walk forward, off to your left is one of the two Rainforest Cafés that are located in the Walt Disney World Complex (The other is in Downtown Disney). If you have never been to one, the Rainforest Café is a neat restaurant that bills itself as “A Wild Place to Eat”. For kids, this can be a very exciting place to get a bite before you go into the park or as you are coming out.

Off to the left of this walk-in area, there are usually characters waiting for you to stop and say hello. We always seem to run into Chip and Dale here. This walk-in area is also the place where you might run into a Wes Palm, the talking Palm Tree. Like Pipa, the talking Recycle bin in Rafiki’s Planet Watch, (also in Animal Kingdom) the Wes Palm interacts with people passing by and can make Magical Experiences for your family as the little ones will be enthralled with a talking, moving tree. Right in the middle of this large walk-in area, there is a great spot to get a family picture, with the Tree of Life in the background. Of course the Disney PhotoPass people will be available to help you get the perfect picture. In this area you can also find Garden Gate Gifts and the Outpost, two small shopping places that can provide you with camera equipment, snacks, hats and other assorted items.

As stated above, every park has a “Weenie” for you to go toward. In the Animal Kingdom it is the Tree of Life. The Tree of life can be seen from the Park Entrance and after you pass the actual entrance gates (the Turnstiles and security checks) you have to walk through the Oasis and across a bridge to get to it. This is another one of the things that makes the Entrance to the Animal Kingdom an Unknown Magic that can lead to a Magical Experience. The Oasis itself is a Unknown Magical Experience, because of the beauty and peacefulness that surrounds you. Many guests just walk right through the Oasis to get to the attractions on the other side. If you take the time and look at your surroundings, you may discover some very interesting things. Look to the treetops and look at the ground. You will see different species of birds and animals that you might have missed if you just rush through. Another neat thing is that there is not just one path leading through the Oasis. There are many. Some of these paths have exhibits that present different animals and species that you may never have seen, things like: Parma wallaby, tree-kangaroo, and the giant anteater. There are also many Species of exotic birds that call this area home.

At this point, although you are already in the Animal Kingdom Park, and may have enjoyed a Magical Experience, you still haven’t even gotten to what many people would consider the actual park. To get to Discovery Island which is basically the hub of the park, you still have to walk across a small foot bridge. Form this bridge you can see many things, Expedition Everest, parts of DinoLand U.S.A., and some of Camp Minnie Mickey, and from the Bridge you can also get some  very good pictures of the Tree of Life.

From this bridge one year, we had a Magical Experience, that is only usually only available to Florida Residents, but we were lucky enough to be able to see. We actually got to see the Space Shuttle take off. It was the first one after they had the second accident where the shuttle exploded over Texas. So, it was a very exciting, not just because it was a shuttle launch, but because it was the first one again. You could see it all very clearly and for quite a bit of time. It was a very exciting Magical Experience that we are very lucky to have had.

After this bridge you are no longer in the “entrance“ of the Animal Kingdom, but this entrance is an Unknown Magic that can help you have a Magical Experience, as long as you take your time to explore.

So, now you Know, Slow Down on your way into the Animal Kingdom, talk to a tree, say hello to a character or get a bite to eat then enjoy the Oasis. Create a Magical Experience by not rushing to the “Weenie”.

>Say Cheese….

>Suntan lotion?: Got it.

Water Bottle? : Yes.

Money?: Yup.

Room Keys?: I got mine.

Park Tickets?: I have them.

Taking the Camera?: Yes.

Extra Batteries?: Where are They?

Memory Card?: There’s no more room!?!?

Should we just leave it?: I guess.

My wife and I have had this conversation on more than one occasion over the years. It usually happens before a long outing to the parks, or when we know we’re going to a park that isn’t close to the Resort where we are staying. As you can see, it usually goes well until the camera question. Taking the camera to the parks is always a tough decision for us. I like to take the pictures of the Parks and the Family, but carrying the bag around gets to be a pain. Most of the time, we’ll take the camera in the morning, and not in the afternoon or evening. We travel lighter after lunch it seems. Before that though, we take the video camera and the still camera and the bag with extra batteries, an extra memory card and all the other paraphernalia. Sometimes we actually only carry the Camera Bag to carry the sun tan lotion and other small items we may need during the day, while I carry the camera around separately I know that seems odd, but I’m sure (hope) there are many other people that do it also.

There are times when you want to take the camera with you for a specific reason. Maybe you want to take a picture of something you had seen the day before and wanted to remember it, so taking the camera makes sense, other times you are thinking of nothing but going through the Park and going through every Attraction you missed earlier in your trip, you don’t want to take the camera, but you never know what character you may meet or if when you get to the Magic Kingdom, You decide you want a picture of the kids in front of the Castle, because Main Street USA seems empty that day. So, What Do you DO?

On days like this, you leave the camera behind. If you want that Picture of the kids in front of the castle, you can still get it. Disney has this wonderful Unknown Magic that will make it easier on you. It’s called Disney’s PhotoPass. Visitors to the Parks may have noticed these people before, I’m sure, and if you’ve been to other amusement parks, they have similar programs. For first Time Disney Visitors let me explain it to you, when you first enter any of the parks, as you see the Park’s Focal Point (the Castle, Sorcerers Hat, Tree of Life, Spaceship Earth) there are cast members walking about. These cast members are part of Disney’s Photography Corps. Known as the PhotoPass Photographers, these cast members are professional photographers, there to take pictures of you and your family while framing you with a Magical Background. They also add extra little Disney touches to your Photos.They are in all Four Theme Parks and not just at the entrance. A lot of times these cast members are at character meet and greets and just roaming around the Parks.

I know some cynical people reading this will say, “But this is just another way for Disney to take my money”. If that is your attitude, you probably shouldn’t be reading this blog anyway, but for a cast member to take your picture, it is free. Not only that, but you don’t have to purchase anything at the Park. Now, that is a Magical thing, because that means there is no pressure from Disney or from your kids to get a picture.

What happens is this; when they take your picture, they record information from a little card onto the memory card of the camera. This saves the pictures under your card number (make sure you have your card handy throughout the day, that way if any other PhotoPass people take your picture you can have all the pictures on the same account). Then you can look at the pictures later, either at the park (there are areas in each park that you can go and view your pictures, with help from cast members, or at home at your own convenience. This service is available on line for quite awhile after your vacation ends, so you can take your time putting together your scrape books or even finding that perfect picture for your Christmas cards.

PhotoPass may not seem like a big thing, but if your family is in Disney World for the first time, it is great to have a Family Picture where no one is left out because they are taking the picture and the picture is professionally done. These Pictures of your Magical Experience will be treasured for years to come. At this moment, I’m looking at a picture of my Parents with the Grandchildren standing in front of Cinderella Castle that was taken three years ago, it is making me smile to remember that trip.

So, now you know, you can leave the camera behind and still get a great family picture in any of the parks that will let you remember your Magical Experiences for years to come.