>Watch the TV and Learn Something

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So, I think John was thinking about the question “Tell me something that everyone should know about Disney World” this week, before I had asked him. Because as soon as the words came out of my mouth, he quickly answered,

The TV Channels.

What about them?

They are very informative. They have some pretty cool shows, when they’re on.

John uses the word show instead of channel. What he meant is that each channel plays the same show on a continuous loop all day long.

What kind of shows are they?

They are shows that show different attractions and they are almost like reviews of different things in the parks.

This show that he is talking about is on the channel that plays the Disney Must Do’s.

Are they only reviews of Attractions? Or are there specialized channels?

There are ones that show different show schedules and the park hours and stuff.

Each Resort has its own Channel that tells things going on in the Resort and they all play Walt Disney World Today, a channel that tells what is going on all over the entire Walt Disney World Resort.

Which is your favorite channel?

I don’t know. Probably the one shows the top ten of the parks.

The Must Do Channel

Why?

It’s always cool to see someone else do your favorite things in the parks and talk about them.

This is a pretty neat channel, not only does it show you different things you can do in Disney, but also gives you tips like getting FastPass and going to the Extra Magic Hours. I also like to see the scenes in teh parks.

So, do you spend much watching these channels?

Usually when I’m waiting for you guys before we go out for the day or at night.

My wife and I didn’t realize he watched the channels. I think that is kind of cool. I know I usually put the Resort channel or the Walt Disney World Today Channel on anytime I’m in the room, because it is great to have the Disney music playing. This is the same reason that I listen to Reedy Creek Radio, I love the Disney Theme Park Music.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever seen on one of these channels?

Probably the Must Do’s from a couple years ago, they were kinda funny and entertaining.

A few years ago they had the Top 7 Must Do’s, and the girl that was on the show was kind of goofy. I remember watching it with him and he would laugh at the goofiness.

Are there any channels that are geared towards teenagers?

They are really just to the general, they appeal to the general public.

Actually they have a channel called Company Clips that is aimed at teenage or pre-teen audiences; obviously he doesn’t watch that channel though.

What else should guests to Walt Disney World know about the Resort TV Stations?

That if you want to catch a show or parade you can find it there and not have to call the front desk or find a schedule somewhere.

Anything else?

When you are in your room, watch the TV and learn something about Disney.

>Don’t Go Anywhere

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There are people that say that when you are in Disney on Vacation, it doesn’t matter where you stay, because you “Don’t spend any time in the room, besides sleeping.” I don’t agree with that. I think it does matter where you stay, because of the size of the room and the amenities, being a Disney Vacation Club Member does have its perks. I just wrote an article about this for the WDW Fanzone. You can see that article here. At the same time, you can relax in any of the rooms in Disney, when you need a break from the parks. Today’s Hakuna Wednesday is about just that, relaxing in your room and enjoying the break.

No matter what size room you are staying in when you are in Disney World, there are some great ways to enjoy a break in your room. First, I would recommend viewing the Disney Channels on Television. I’m not talking about the Disney Channel you get at your house, in say Peoria, or Portland; I’m talking about the Disney Resort TV channels. There are a few different Disney Channels that are fun to watch when you are in your room. The “Must Do” channel, which offers some great things that Disney has to offer, the Walt

Disney World Today channel (It calls itself, “Your guide to park hours and more”) Resort Information channel (much like the Walt Disney world Today channel, but only about the resort) The Disney Vacation Club Channel (this is an infomercial for the DVC) and the Company Clips channel (which shows clips from movies, television and music videos owned by Disney). All of these channels are fun ways to pass some time, I especially like the Must do and the Disney Vacation Club channels, because they show different places and attractions in Walt Disney world.

Another great thing to do in your room is to enjoy your view. We have had some wonderful views while in Walt Disney world, even if we didn’t have a water or preferred view. For many of our family trips to Disney world over the last few years, we have had first floor rooms. A lot of people don’t like first floor rooms, but we have enjoyed them, because of the view out the door. On our first family trip to Disney World, we had a first floor room where we could see the pool. This was wonderful, because our then nine year old could

Out our door looking at the pool

go to the pool and we could keep an eye on him, before we got there. Another time, we were staying at the Old Key West Resort and our first floor room had a small patio/balcony that overlooked a water way. There were ducks that must have been nesting around this area, because we were treated to the ducklings playing out our door the entire stay. If you stay in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, you have the opportunity to enjoy the view of the Savannah, while at the Contemporary, Polynesian or Grand Floridian Resorts; you have views of the Magic Kingdom. My favorite view from any of the rooms we have stayed in was when we stayed in the Boardwalk Resort and could see the lights on the Boardwalk and from Epcot all night long.

Of course one of the other relaxing and fun things you can do in your room is to look over the park maps and plan out your day. We usually do this the night before. We look at the maps, decide where we want to go the next day and then, each of us decide what our must do’s are for the day. It is fun to sit down as a family and decide where we will go and what we want to do (Of course most of the time, our plans don’t consist of anything more than “Where should we go to breakfast and what park should we go to?”).

So, you see, you don’t really even need to leave your room, to find a place to relax and take a break. The Disney Resort Rooms provide plenty of relaxing and enjoyable things to do. All you have to do is want to take a break.

>Must DO

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Today’s Unknown Magic came about because I was looking over the list of things I wanted to write about in the past week. One of them was going to be a countdown for New Year’s Eve. I just wrote it down as MUST DO. I didn’t write that article last week, I’ll get to it eventually. But as I was looking at that list, I thought about an Unknown Magic that people who have been to Disney World have seen, might not have cared about or just found it annoying, but for first time visitors and people like me who love to see the parks and the attractions, this can create a true Magical Experience. What I am talking about is a program that can be seen on Disney Resort Television channel 18. It is called Must Do Disney.

Must Do Disney used to be called the 7 Must Sees in Walt Disney World. It has a young woman as a hostess and she goes around with a camera to show different attractions and other things you might want to see throughout Walt Disney World. The show is broken up into segments each one covering a park, Downtown Disney and other things you can do in Disney, Water Parks, golfing and such. Between each segment, they talk about the Park Hopper Tickets, PhotoPass and FastPass and things that a Disney guest would need to know to make their visit a little more enjoyable. This program is really geared to the first time visitor, because most of the “Must Do’s” are things that everyone wants to do, but there is some neat information presented throughout the show.

Of course they cover the attractions that you Must Do, In the Magic Kingdom they talk Splash Mountain and It’s a Small World, In Animal Kingdom they show, Expedition Everest. When they show Epcot, they discuss, Mission Space, Test Track and Soarin’. They also show scenes from The Seas with Nemo and Friends. The part in the show about the Disney Hollywood Studios is about adventure. Tower of Terror, Rock n Roller Coaster and the American Idol Experience.

The Extras that they go over in the show are the rides at the Water Parks like Summit Plummet, and Places to see and eat in Downtown Disney. They even show Cirque du Soleil which is in Downtown Disney. They also briefly show Golfing, Disney Quest and the Wide World of Sports Complex.

As I stated above, this show is more for the Disney Novice, but if you haven’t been to Walt Disney World in a year or two, seeing some of the changes they have made to the different parks and maybe some new additions is something that everyone can benefit from by watching this show, especially now when there is so much refurbishment and construction going on. And if you have been to Disney in the recent past, you could be like me and just put the channel on to enjoy the views of the parks and the attractions.

So, now you know, there is an Unknown Magic on Disney Resort Television Channel 18 in your room. It’s the Must Do show that runs throughout the day and night. This show gives you views and information about the different attractions and places that you “Must Do” while you are in Walt Disney World. It also gives you information on tickets and PhotoPass and Fast Pass and explains what these things are. So the next time you’re in Disney World, put on the TV, Channel 18 will help you realize what there is to Do.

**All Pictures today were taken off the Must Do progarm on Disney Resort TV channel 18 in August of 2009.