>The Flu Brings back a Few Memories.

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My son John my co-author for Tuesday’s Articles, is sick with the flu. He has the same flu symptoms as both his mother and I have had over the last week, but being a 15 year old guy he is “Dying”. I just chuckle at him and hand him the tissues and give him more orange juice. I also made him sit down and write today’s article with me, I know I’m a mean Dad.

So instead of asking my regular question, I thought we’d change it up today and discuss him being sick, because once a few years back, he was sick while we were in Walt Disney World.

Do you remember when you were sick in Disney World?

Not really I was young (he was 8). I remember a little, very vaguely.

I figured I’d try helping him remember,

Do you remember where we were staying?

We were at Wilderness (Lodge Resort).

Do you remember anything else?

Lying in the Hotel Bed, upset that we couldn’t do anything.

This is funny, because he slept for a solid 18 hours after we went out to breakfast one morning and then the next day he jumped out of bed and was ready to go- so lying in bed being upset probably never happened.

But we did do things. We went out to eat for breakfast, do you remember where?

No.

We went to ‘Ohana for breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. Do you remember any of it?

We were near a window. The food was good and we all wore matching shirts.

We did sit next to a window, the food at ‘Ohana is always good and we did wear matching shirts, we had them made up for our Christmas trip to Disney that year. John even stood in line to get Mickey’s autograph, he was there also,

but didn’t go around to the tables. It was soon after breakfast that he started running a fever and fell asleep on the boat on the way to the Magic Kingdom. This is when we decided that we would go back to the resort and he went to bed until the next day.

Do you remember anything else from that trip?

All the Decorations and the candy shop at the Magic Kingdom. While we were there, it was decorated for Christmas, we were there around Christmas time, and they had candy canes and all different types of candy.

We were down from the 26th until the 30th of December; the resort was still decorated for Christmas.

So, how bad was it being sick in Disney World?

It sucked, because I couldn’t do much.

But you did do things, we did all kinds of things after you slept that one day away. What else do you remember?

We went to breakfast at the Whispering Canyon Café?

This is the restaurant in the Wilderness Lodge.

What do you remember?

How obnoxious that place is. But it’s fun.

What does that mean?

There is always something going on when you are eating. They are always yelling about ketchup and other things.

What?

If you ask for ketchup, they start yelling and bells and then they get every bottle in the restaurant for you.

But when you were younger wasn’t that neat?

Yes, I found it very Hysterical,

What was the funniest part of it?

Every waiter and waitress would stop what they were doing to get you a ketchup. They take their ketchup seriously.

Is there anyway to not have this happen?

Yes, to steal the ketchup.

What happens then?

They pull out a fake jail iron bars and put it in front of you while you eat. Then everyone yells Ketchup thief. It is rather embarrassing; it’s not worth stealing the ketchup.

This is something very neat that happens at the Whispering Canyon Café. John explained it pretty well, if you ask for ketchup, they make a real fuss over bringing you every bottle of it in the place. If you try to not get all the attention drawn to you, and just take one form another table, they start yelling about you being a ketchup thief and put you in “jail”

So, even being sick, you still had a good time.

Yes, you can always find a way to have fun.

John doesn’t remember the rest of the trip, but we did go to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Animal Kingdom that trip as well as a quick trip to Sea World to meet up with his cousins and my sister and brother-in-law. We even went to the Very Merry Christmas Party one night, although with him not feeling well, we didn’t stay too long. I think this is from where he remembers the candy shop memories.

Thanks John, I hope you feel better.

Thank you, I will try my best.

Next week, we’ll get back to our regular question and something else that John thinks everyone should know about in Disney World. Stay tuned.

>Into the Wilderness

>This past week, a report came out that there were Disney engineers looking at land around Fort Wilderness Campground and that they may be thinking of using this area between Fort Wilderness and the Wilderness Lodge to build a new Disney Vacation Club Villa Resort. I don’t think they will do this just because of the other resorts in the area. I don’t think they would put another Vacation Club Resort this close to the Wilderness Lodge. The Wilderness Lodge is set back off a side road as you are going toward the Contemporary Resort. It is set back in the woods, and I think it is overlooked by many people. For this reason, I present to you today, the Unknown Magic of the Wilderness Lodge Resort.

The Wilderness Lodge Resort is a dual resort, by that I mean, it has a regular Resort Hotel and a Disney Vacation Club Villa section. The Lodge according to the Disney Website is “inspired by the Great American Northwest National Park lodges from the turn of the 20th century—is an architecturally grand Disney Deluxe Resort hotel honoring American craftsmanship and artistry, and celebrating the majesty of the unspoiled wilderness.” The Main part of the Resort is the Hotel, with a building set off to the one side where the Vacation Club Villas are. This Resort is truly an Unknown Magic because it is such a great place to stay. Walking into the lobby is a Magical Experience of its own. The Lobby  is seven stories high. The décor is all wood. The Lobby is framed out by two large totem poles and in the corner, there are rocking chairs set in front of a 82 foot high fireplace. The four chandeliers in the Lobby look like a Native American teepees and accentuate the feeling of the open land of the western movement.

The Wood and fireplace aren’t the only things that make you feel as if you are staying in a very special place, the stream that runs from underground, inside the back of the lobby, helps with this feeling also. If you follow this stream out the back of the building, you will see that its waters are used to fill the Silver Creek Springs pool. The pool may remind you of an old swimming hole, with its rocky mountain style slide and the landscaping around it. There is a Bar/snack shop out near the pool called Trout Pass, which looks like another small cabin in the woods.

Out behind the Resort, there are paths to wander around and explore. Some lead to the boat dock, where you can board a boat to Fort Wilderness, the Contemporary Resort or Magic Kingdom. They also have another path that leads down to Bay Lake, where you can rent personal watercraft, or bicycles. There is also a Beachfront area for you to sun yourself in the sand if you wish. They also offer Movies Under the Stars.

Another Unknown Magic at the Wilderness Lodge, which can create Magical Experiences for you and your little ones is Fire Rock Geyser which shoots water 120-feet in the air every hour on the hour, most of the day. This is something that is very impressive to see and the kids get a kick out of it. I’ve actually seen kids jump out of the pool to run over and watch it do its thing.

The Mercantile shop is the “general store” at the resort, where you can buy things you need and Disney Merchandise. There are three places to get food at the Wilderness Lodge. Roaring Fork is the Quick Serve dinning option, the food here is good and they have things for breakfast lunch and dinner. Artist Point is the signature Restaurant for the Resort and is a very elegant place to eat. (Just a note here they do have a dress code

for Artist Point). The last place to eat at the Wilderness Lodge is another Unknown Magic that I have written about before, Whispering Canyon Café. (http://tinyurl.com/umwdw-WCC) When we can, we try to eat at the Whispering Canyon Café, when in Disney.

All of these things make the Wilderness Lodge a great place to stay, and the rooms are wonderful too. Very nicely coordinated with the theme and cozy, but your room isn’t the only place to feel cozy in this Resort. There is a room set aside called the Golden Spike room that has a nice fireplace and comfortable chairs that you can go and sit and read or reflect on the day, catch up on messages or just relax.

So, now you know, there is a very nice Resort hidden in the woods, but very modern and full of great things to provide your family with Magical Experiences.

>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.

>A Not So Quiet Whisper

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In one of my very first Posts, I described the Unknown Magic of “Hotel Hopping”. As I stated in that post, my family and I like to see the other Resorts we aren’t staying in, to see what they offer and maybe if we’ll stay there in the future. On one of our Trips, we went into the Wilderness Lodge and Villas. This Resort is amazing. It is according

 to Disney’s website “inspired by the Great American Northwest National Park lodges from the turn of the 20th century—is an architecturally grand Disney Deluxe Resort hotel honoring American craftsmanship and artistry, and celebrating the majesty of the unspoiled wilderness.” As you walk into the Lobby, the craftsmanship on the Totem Poles that surround the room and the majesty of size is immediately evident.

 As you continue through the lobby, you see the bridge passing over the natural spring that fills the swimming pool, and then you can look at the back window of the lobby at the Beautiful landscape. This Resort is truly amazing. But there is an Unknown Magic within the Resort’s Lobby that goes unlooked by many, probably most, who do not stay at the Wilderness Lodge. This Magic is in the form of the Resort’s restaurant, The Whispering Canyon Café. This is a sit-down meal that serves everything Family Style, which means big plates for everyone to share.

The Whispering Canyon Café is Western themed and serves Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. The Breakfast fare is your normal breakfast type foods, Eggs, meats, Pancakes, Waffles, and such. Lunch offers Sandwiches, trout and appetizers. Dinner offers Beef, Chicken, Fish and Pork selections. At every meal however, there is an All You Care to Enjoy-Canyon Skillet. At Breakfast, the Skillet contains Scrambled Eggs, Oven-roasted Red Bliss Potatoes, Bacon, Sausage, Waffles, Buttermilk Biscuits, and Sausage Gravy. At lunch the offering is Smoked Pork Ribs, Oven-roasted Chicken, and Pork Sausage served with Cowboy Beans, Corn on the Cob, Creamy Coleslaw, Mashed Potatoes, and Fresh-baked Cornbread, While the Dinner Skillet has Smoked Pork Ribs, Pulled Pork, Oven-roasted Chicken, Beef Brisket, Mashed Potatoes, Cowboy Beans, and Corn on the Cob Mixed Greens Salad with Apple Vinaigrette, Coleslaw, and Fresh-baked Cornbread. The food is good, not over the top fantastic, but good. That is not what makes the Whispering Canyon Café the reason for a Magical Experience, No, the reason the Whispering Canyon Café creates Magical Experiences, is because of the staff and the atmosphere.

First of all, the name Whispering Canyon Café is a misnomer. This wonderful family oriented place is anything but quiet. That isn’t to say it is always loud or that you can’t have a conversation with those people sitting with you, it is a controlled noise. The staff has a sing-along or a shouting contest or every now and then and sometimes, they just need to make a racket. They also like to have fun with the guests. They are good about knowing who to have fun with, if you are the quiet shy type, they won’t embarrass you, but I’ll warn you now, if you are quiet or not, make sure you really need ketchup before you ask for it. And DON’T take it from another table on your own (actually, ignore that advice, ask for ketchup and when you don’t have any, have one of the kids get it from another table; you’ll see what I mean when you are there.)

This is a truly family dining area. They love the kids, they have them color, and sing and do silly things to either start their day off with a smile or just to make and afternoon or evening meal better. The Cast Members that work here really enjoy themselves with the guest, you can tell. We enjoyed the Whispering Canyon Café so much, that it is one of our favorite places to eat in Walt Disney World. I believe my son still has the hat they made him from his napkin, when we were there 5 years ago, when he was 8. I know he remembers it very fondly, as we do also.

So, now you know, for a Magical Experience, that the whole family will enjoy, go have a not so quiet meal, at the Whispering Canyon Café.