>A Ride on one of the Magic Kingdom’s Mountains

>

Today’s Saturday Matinee offers some Unknown Disney World details. As we ride along on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, I try to get a shot of one of the often missed characters in the Magic Kingdom, The miner in the bathtub. Enjoy the ride, and the commentary my wife and I supply throughout.

Answers to Yesterday’s Where Am I?


1. These are windows on Hollywood Boulevard in Disney Hollywood Studios.
2. A lamppost on the Boardwalk.
3. This is the bottom of the sign behind the bar at The House of Blues.
4. The fountain in Great Britain in Epcot.
5. Part of the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros has this scene.
6. This is my son, many years ago, pointing out a Frank Sinatra Picture in Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
7. Wheezy is coming to Mickey’s Philharmagic in the Magic Kingdom.
8. This statuette is off the walkway on the grounds of the Polynesian Resort.

>118 Days

>

Labor Day Weekend is fast approaching, it’s one of those holidays that you don’t want to see coming. It means it’s the end of summer, which means school starts soon. I know other places have already started, down south you all start well before our kids do. And I know deep down most kids don’t mind going back, they want to see their friends. But my problem with the Labor Day holiday is that it means the merchandise in all stores will be changing over. Not to school supplies, they have been out since July first, now that the kids are back in school and Labor Day is here, we have unofficially entered the Christmas Shopping Season! Think I’m kidding? After September first go to any store and see if they aren’t starting to put Christmas things around. I mean as of today, August 29, there are only 118 days until Christmas. You better get your shopping done soon, don’t forget you have to bake cookies and decorate in that time also! If you were in Walt Disney World though some of this worry could be avoided. The reason you wouldn’t have to worry is the subject of today’s Unknown Magic; Disney’s Days of Christmas.

Disney’s Days of Christmas is a shop in Downtown Disney. It is located in the Marketplace of Downtown Disney, back near the Rainforest Café and the Art of Disney store. This store sells exactly what the name implies, Christmas items. And when I say Christmas items, I mean many different Christmas items. Of course most of them are Disney related items. We go into Disney’s Days of Christmas during every trip to Downtown Disney, because the things we find there give us Magical Experiences as we are celebrating our holidays at home.

The merchandise we’re talking about here aren’t your normal Hallmark ornaments, the items they have here are things you can’t really find anywhere else. Some of them are available on specialized Disney Shopping sites, but not all of them. Things like box sets of Ornaments that are themed from the Disney Parks, or Disney Movies. They have mouse head Christmas balls in any color you would like and in different sizes. They also sell specialized ornaments, like baby’s first Christmas and First year together, which have Disney Characters on them and can be personalized. They just don’t sell Christmas things they sell some Fourth of July merchandise, Halloween items and Hanukkah also.

The Merchandise sold here is not the only thing that can cause a Magical Experience, The Shop itself is a pretty neat place to be and can give you a Magical Experience as you are shopping. The decorations for the store actually start outside of the building and help to make you excited about going in. Throughout the inside of the store, there are plaques with different versions of the 12 Days of Christmas on them, featuring Disney Characters. Next to these plaques, they have pictures and murals that go along with the plaque. If you take the time to go around to all of them, it makes a neat little 12 Days of Christmas song.

Attached to the back of the Days of Christmas, there is a little shop that offers embroidery and engraving of  everything from Mouse Ears and Santa Hats to shirts and towels to picture frames and jewelry . This little area also has a section dedicated to the Nightmare Before Christmas and they sell Jim Shore and Precious Moments figurines.

So, now you know, when you are in Walt Disney World you can shop for Christmas and enjoy a Magical Experience by shopping at Disney’s Days of Christmas, even if you have more than 118 days until Christmas.

>The Highway in the Sky*

>

Por favor manténgase alejado de las puertas. In my mind, these words are the Most Magical Words in Walt Disney World. They are the words that make me smile no matter where I am. My ring tone on my phone is actually this set of words by Jack Wagner, the Original voice of the Walt Disney World Monorail. This leads me to present today’s Unknown Magic, The Walt Disney World Monorail.

The Wonderful, Amazing Monorail System also known as the “Highway in the Sky,” has been running non-stop since October 1, 1971-opening day for the Walt Disney World Resort. There are 12 different Monorail trains; each has a different color stripe as an identifier. There are three different routes. The Epcot Route, the Resort Route, and the Express Service Route from the Ticket Transportation Center to the Magic Kingdom.

The reason the Monorails are on the top of my Magical Experience list is because, they are different than any other form of transportation I’ve ever taken. And the Only place I’ve ever ridden one was Disney World. It is a Magical Experience to be whisked from a Resort or from the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC), to the Magic Kingdom. It is even more Magical to arrive at the Magic Kingdom. The Feeling inside as they announce “Welcome to the Magic Kingdom” is truly unforgettable.

The Monorail trip to Epcot from the TTC is a great trip. It is about a 12 minute ride and you are actually above the roadways leading into the Magic Kingdom area of Disney World. During most of the trips either to Epcot, or around the Resort Loop there is commentary about what you are seeing and what station you are entering. If you ride the Monorail more than once, you will always remember the following :

Please Stand Clear of the Doors My favorite Words in the Magic Kingdom.
So, now you Know, you can take the Monorail and have a Magical Experience!

The Sounds used in this post are from the webpage: Sounds From Disney World

**This is a repost of one of my favorite Unknown Magic posts.

>Hungry? Let’s go to the Market Place

>Tacos are one of my favorite foods. We probably eat them once every ten days or so. I also like Chicken Fajitas, although I won’t do Taco Bell, or any other fast food Mexican restaurant. We make our own Mexican Dishes, neither my wife nor I is of Mexican or Spanish heritage, but my wife and I are pretty good at making these dishes. A friend of ours is from Sonora, Mexico and has commented on some of our Mexican Food. We use fresh peppers and things like that,but the funny thing is, for our dirty rice, which he really likes, we use a pre-packaged mix.

When we go to Walt Disney World, we still get our Mexican food fix, but not where you would think. Yes, The San Angel Inn restaurant in the Mexican Pavilion has wonderful food. Great Margaritas, and the atmosphere is awesome, but it is also a heavy meal. You could do La Cantina De San Angel, which at the moment is being refurbished, and that food is good, but it is a quick serve meal. You order at the counter pick up your food and move along. The place we get alot of our Mexican food while in Disney World at the Unknown Magic that is the Pepper Market.

The Pepper Market is the faux open air Food Court at the Coronado Springs Resort. It is set up like an open air outdoor market and the ceiling is so high that you think it is outside. It is different than the other food court areas in the other Walt Disney World Resorts, because instead of going through the order line and then paying for your food, this restaurant is kind of a self serve buffet. When you first enter, you are escorted to a seat then given what looks like a bingo ticket. You are then invited to wander around the “Market Place” to get your food. As you choose a food item, the server will stamp you ticket and when you leave after your meal, you stop and pay on your way of the market.

The Pepper Market is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and they serve a variety of foods. Each different station is set up like a booth in the Market Place. There are nine different Stations to choose from: Mexican, Stir-Fry, American Grill, Pasta, Bakery, Pizza, Espresso, Beverage, and the Kids’ Station. At Breakfast the market places regular booths are converted over to serve Breakfast fare; omelets, waffles, fruit, breakfast burritos, breakfast meats, bakery items, fruits and waffles. At lunch the Stations are in full swing, serving things like Calzones, Quesadillas, Rotisserie Chicken, Pasta Primavera, Stir Fry Beef and peanut butter and jelly. They also serve side dishes, eggrolls, veggies and fruit plates. At dinner it is basically the same, but the meals are a little bigger.

My family loves the Pepper Market for lunch, because it is the best of all worlds. Instead of going to a country in Epcot, where everyone has to be in the mood for the same kind of food, you can get whatever you want. This in itself can be a Magical Experience, especially if you have a finicky eater in the family, but the Pepper
Market’s design, color and décor make it a wonderful place for a Magical Experience too. It is a very cheerful place with brightly colored umbrellas and painted chairs, that are warm and inviting like you would imagine a Mexican Market Place would be.

Personally, I think the food is pretty good. I usually get something Mexican when I’m there, and I also add something from  the other stations also. My son’s favorite is the Taco Salad, and we have tried many of the different pastas and sandwiches. The desserts are also very good and the beverage station offers a variety of choices from juices and soda to wines and Margaritas. They even offer Smoothies for the kids.

So, now you know, if you want some Mexican food, but the rest of the family doesn’t or  if you all just want something different, for a Magical Experience you can go to the Pepper Market.

>A Free Disney Collectible

>

We were talking to a friend of ours this afternoon that got back from Disney about a week and a half ago. She asked if we got caught up in the Vinylmation craze. For those of you that don’t know about it, Vinylmation is a new Disney collectible. They feature original designs from Disney Theme Park Merchandise and are only sold at Disney Theme Park Merchandise locations. They basically are 3 inch (or 9inch) vinyl/rubber Mickey Mouse shapes, that have designs on them representing other Disney characters, park attractions, or other Disney related materials. This is a very big thing right now in Disney.

 It is kind of like the Pin Collecting, except in Pin Collecting, you know what

you are getting. With this, most of the boxes are sealed in what they call a blind box. Meaning you don’t know which figurine you are getting until after you have bought it and opened it. They have rules that go with these also. You cannot get your money back, after you’ve opened it and you cannot return it for another one. You may trade it, but even then you aren’t sure what you are going to get. It’s Disney’s version of Let’s Make a Deal. Vinylmation Collecting, like Disney World Pin Collecting can get costly. But there is something else you can collect when you are in Walt Disney World that is absolutely free. This Unknown Magic is something that you really don’t think about before you go to Disney for the first time, but once you get there, you need to get the materials and be prepared every time you go to a Park. At this point you’re Thinking, “What is he talking about?” I’m talking about the Unknown Magic of Character Autographs.

Every merchandise area in Walt Disney World, sells autograph books and pens. There are different kinds of books and book and pen sets that they sell, aimed at either your little Princess or the little man with you. These are very nice keepsakes from the Magical Experiences of meeting the characters.

One of our first Trips down to Disney World years ago, we got a gold autograph book. On every double page, there is a spot for a picture and a spot for the character to sign. It is neat to still look at this book and see my son standing with the character and have their autographs next to the picture.

Some of the characters make appearances all over the Parks. We have a few autographs of Chip and Dale, Goofy, and of course Mickey and Minnie. They are usually available somewhere in the parks throughout the day. Then there are some characters that are only seen at certain places. We’ve only seen Mary Poppins in England in the World Showcase in Epcot and we only have seen Jiminy Cricket at the Conservation Station in Animal Kingdom.

Sometimes you get autographs from characters from movies or shows that you don’t normally see or that are from attractions in the Parks. We have an autograph of Liver Lips from the Country Bear Jamboree; Br’er Bear and Br’er Rabbit from Song of the South, and Prince John form Robin Hood.

Not only is it neat to get the character’s autograph when you are getting a picture with them, but it’s neat to see how they sign the books. Pluto actually has to sign in a very unusual way, because of the size of his nose. Buzz Lightyear doesn’t sign, but Stamps his signature. Some add extra little things to their names such as flowers or hearts. But no matter how they sign, all of the characters take time with each kid they sign for or take a picture with. Some of them will hug them or high five them, but every time, they will give the kids and the adults who are there, a Magical Experience.

For those of you just going to Disney World for the first time, it may seem daunting when you first get to the Magic Kingdom and see the lines that the characters have around them. And outside the Magic Kingdom and at the beginning of Main Street as the park opens in the morning, there are quite a lot of people that will be in line for autographs. Most of these characters will be around later in the day, or someplace else during your trip, so that you can get their picture and autograph, But just remember, the interaction you will have with the character will make a more of a Magical Experience than being the first one on a specific attraction.

So, now you that know make sure when you first get to Walt Disney World, you buy an autograph book (or two) and prepare yourself for a few minutes of waiting, while you and your kids enjoy a Magical Experience that you can relive at home when you look through the Autograph Book.

For more information on the Vinylmation craze check out: VinylNation.net
Picture of vinalmation from Vinylmation.net

>Talking about the Computer Mouse

>

Unknown Magic Within Walt Disney World has changed since I first started posting. First of all, I have gotten better at understanding what to do and how to do it. I also got better at figuring out what I wanted to talk about, which in turn has helped the blog to be better. Looking back at some of my earliest posts, I see how much I’ve grown as a blogger and how much I needed to. I started blogging way back on April 24th, which really isn’t that long ago, but seems like forever ago. When I first started, I was still a little embarrassed to be doing it, and didn’t tell anyone that I knew and also didn’t have my wife read over the posts. Now she is my proofreader (Thank You, Dear) and she actually posts my writing after she gets done reading them.

 

Not only has the Blog gotten better, but I have joined Twitter (UMWDW) so that people can follow the blog, I started a group on face book (http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=109037099139197) and now the blog even has its own Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Unknown-Magic-Within-Walt-Disney-World/132851053415652?ref=ts) and I am also on some other social media sites. So, we have grown. I want

 to thank all of you for following us; I hope that I am providing you with some information that is helpful. With the fact that I started the Facebook page to help you follow along more easily, and the twitter account, for the same reason, I thought I should go back and rework this blog about being “On–line in Disney”, So here is the information again, it was presented back in early May, So if you go back and read that post and compare them, I hope you see my growth. Come find us on Facebook and Twitter and follow along.

With all this talk about technology I’ve been doing, I thought about an Unknown Magic that is available in Walt Disney World, that not many people know about. The Unknown Magic of internet service in the Resort Hotels. Disney offers Internet service at their Resorts. In most of the Resorts it is a High Speed connection for a small daily fee.(for Disney Vacation Club Members this fee is waived). In the lobbies there is WiFi and it is free. This is a nice thing if you have an I-pod touch or your laptop with you. I know some of you are asking, “Why in the world would I want to take my computer with me on Vacation.” Well, let’s look at your daily life. How often do you Facebook, E-mail, Tweet, picture share or watch You Tube? It’s unbelievable, how often people use these programs in their everyday lives. Now, let’s think about your Disney Vacation.

Let’s say, your little one got to meet Mickey or Minnie. When you get back to the Resort, you look through your camera and find these pictures are adorable. You want to share them with everyone you know. Since Disney has internet connections for you, You can! You can jump on-line right there in your room and post your pictures on Facebook or twitter or Flickr for everyone to see. Or you can e-mail them to the Grandparents so they can see the precious darlings having a Magical Experience. Now let’s say you’re like us and you get up in the morning, and decide you are going to Disney Hollywood Studios for the day. You may decide that since you are spending the day there, you would like to eat at Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano. Before you leave the Resort, you can jump on-line and check for availability for Advanced Seating Reservations. And if they have your time open, you can actually book your reservation right then.

If you have an I-pod touch or I phone, You check the weather (which you can do on-line also), or find out other Park related information. Such as the wait times for attractions, meal choices and prices at different restaurants and even find maps to help you find your way around. There are many different apps for the I-pod touch or I-phone that are specifically for Disney World. There are also apps for the Droid and Blackberry for Walt Disney World.

And What if you have a friend in the Orlando area for a seminar or maybe they are in Disney on vacation the same time you are. You may want to see them while you are in a certain park, so you can e-mail them as you are leaving from your room or from the lobby, then you can see them when you want to. You might also need to check on someone or something at home and e-mailing is a great way to do it. You don’t want to call and spend a lot of your Vacation time talking to people back home, because, you know if you call, you’re going to have to tell them about everything right now, even though you could just tell them when you get back.

So, now that you know, you might want to take your laptop on your family’s first trip, or any other trip to Disney for that matter, Because the Unknown Magic of being on-line, can lead to Magical Experiences as you save time and share pictures.