Underrated Attractions of Epcot

Following on from last week's post about underrated attractions. Today we visit Epcot where a lot of attractions have come and gone. Some have managed to withstand the force of time, but are just too educational for the likings of some people.

1. Living with the Land

Living with the Land is an educational boat ride in the Land Pavilion. The slow moving boat moves through a giant greenhouse that houses fruit and vegetables which are then used in the restaurants within Epcot. It very rarely has a wait, but I personally love it! I find it very interesting looking at all of their innovative techniques that I have never seen anyone else. The 9lb lemons are always a crowd pleaser.

2. Innoventions

Okay, so my favourite section of Innoventions has recently closed, however what still stands is still worth checking out. The most popular attraction there is The Sum of All Thrills, where guests build and then ride a simulation of their own rollercoaster. However, the 2 other attractions are often overlooked. The newest, Colortopia, is a virtual colour experience where guests can actually paint the walls with light. But the least noticed attraction is called StormStruck. This is a 4D experience that tells you about the best way to keep your house standing in a hurricane. It is also interactive as you have to answer questions on your opinions. Living in England, this is something I'd never really thought about before, and I learned a lot!

3. Impressions de France

Impressions de France is an 18-minute widescreen film shown in the France pavilion at Epcot and features the music of classical French composers. It is beautifully put together and shows a real insight into the country. It is often overlooked as it is out the way in the back of the French pavilion. It is worth seeing at least once.

4. O Canada!

Despite the fact that I love Martin Short, this 18-minute film is a must do at Epcot. It is a 360 degree cinema experience that shows Canada's cities and natural features. It puts Canada in a breathtaking light.

5. Reflections of China

Like the 2 above, Reflections of China is a cinematic film about the country it represents. You get to see everything from the Great Wall of China to the Forbidden City. The colours are divine! It is often overlooked as it is situated inside the temple.

Underrated Attractions of Magic Kingdom

Today, I am going to talk about the underrated attractions of Disney World. Some of my favourites can be put into this category. Everyone focuses on the rollercoasters, the water rides and the classic Disney magic; however Disney World hosts much more than that. And I am here to enlighten you with my own top 3!

Magic Kingdom

For this blog post we shall start with Magic Kingdom, the main hub for all of the Disney magic. But even in this spectacular park there are attractions that people often overlook.

1. Carousel of Progress

The Carousel of Progress is situated in Tomorrowland. It was originally created by Walt Disney himself for the 1964 New York World's Fair. This attraction takes you through different eras in a circular rotating theatre through the advancement of technologies and electricity. I personally love a good educational ride, and this one taught me a lot! The animatronics are fantastic and the facts are top notch. It is also a great place to stay cool for the 21 minutes in hot weather! The sign isn't very prominent and people seem to either miss it, or don't know what it is and walk past it. 

2. Monsters Inc Laugh Floor

Also in Tomorrowland is the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor. If you have seen the movie Monsters Inc you will know that monsters used to run their electricity by capturing the screams of children, but nowadays they have found that laughter is stronger. Mike Wazowski and friends need to collect laughter from you to power their city. It is basically a stand up comedy show on screen, it is extremely funny and has lots of audience participation. You can even text in your own jokes!

 

3. Tomorrowland Transit Authority

Again in Tomorrowland (starting to think Tomorrowland is a treasure trove for underrated attractions), is the Tomorrowland Transit Authority also known as the PeopleMover. A lot of guests don't realise that this is a ride and expect that it shuffles guests from one part of the park to another. This however is not the case. It actually goes round in one big circle. It is a blue coloured train like vehicle which allows you to see the whole of Tomorrowland from above. It points out featured attractions, shops and dining and can be quite helpful for first timers. It also goes inside Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin and Mickey's Star Traders shop. As well as this it shows some futuristic exhibits, including Walt's original concept art for Epcot.

Cinco De Mayo!

As it is Cinco de Mayo, I thought I would take the time to talk about my favourite pavilion in Epcot: Mexico!

The Mexican Pavilion at Epcot is the only pavilion that has an inside section that looks like the outside. It is truly breath-taking to see it for the first time. You feel like you have stepped right onto the streets of Mexico...at night! As you step into the Mesoamerican pyramid, you are first met by a traditional Mexican marketplace with stalls selling everything from piñatas to sombreros. The San Angel Inn restaurant is all aglow by candlelight, as the boat ride passes by a volcano. 

The best part, in my eyes, is the Gran Fiesta Tour ride. it features the Three Caballeros (a very underrated Disney classic movie.) The Three Caballeros are : Donald Duck, Jose Carioca and Panchito Pistoles. Jose and Panchito need your help to locate Donald, as he has wandered off somewhere in Mexico. The ride itself is a slow moving boat ride, which interacts with television screens which tell the story. It is a lovely relaxing ride and very rarely has a queue. The ride used to be named El Rio Del Tiempo, and though a similar concept, the Caballeros were not featured whatsoever. 

If you are lucky enough, you may get to meet Caballero Donald Duck outside of the pyramid! The Cantina de San Angel does amazing churros too! You should definitely stop by at the Mexico pavilion and take in the culture. If like me, you have never visited Mexico it is amazing to get even the smallest taste of what it may be like. 

EXCITING DISNEY TRIP ANNOUNCEMENTS!

Me and Lucy have 2 very exciting Disney trip announcements to make! We are heading to Disneyland Paris and Disney World this year! 

I adore Disney and love nothing more than spending time in the parks, this will also be the first time that I have been to two different Disney resorts in the same year. Me and Lucy are both extremely excited!

We will be in Disneyland Paris in September and Disney World in November. 

Check out the YouTube video below for more details!

The Disney Princess Tag

Hey guys, I found this tag online and since I spent the entire weekend being a Disney Princess, I thought it was appropriate.

1.Which Princes do you adore the most?

Belle is my favourite Princess as she is so wise yet gentle.

2. Which Princess do you like the least?

Sorry guys, has to be Mulan. I love that she's different and she's a fabulous role model for young girls, but I just don't personally relate to her.

3. Which Princess do you relate to most?

Rapunzel! I feel like I'm goofy, a huge dreamer and a little bit naive.

4. Which sidekick would you like to have?

Chip! He is so darn cute when he blows bubbles in the tea!

5. Which best friend would you like to hang out with?

Flounder, he's such a guppy!

6. Which Prince would love you?

Prince Philip he is courageous, sweet and loyal.

7. Which parents would raise you?

Jasmine's Father, he is really cute and awkward, but has a heart of gold and wants what's best for her.

8. Which castle do you want to live in?

Jasmine's Palace it's full of gold and jewels, plus it's in a warm climate.

9. Which town do you wish you lived in?

Rapunzel's hometown, everyone's always singing and dancing, and the whole lantern thing is beautiful. 

10. Which dress do you want to own?

The new 2015 Cinderella dress is my all-time favourite Disney dress! The swarovski crystals and the shade of violet/blue is divine!

11. Whose voice do you wish you had?

Ariel's voice, it's cute and perky and her singing voice is gorgeous! So good Ursula steals it!

12. Which two Princesses would be best friends?

Ariel and Rapunzel they are both fun loving and carefree! Could see them dancing and singing together,

13. Which two Princesses would hate each other?

Cinderella and Jasmine. Cinderella would probably see Jasmine as spoilt.

14. Which two sidekicks would make a good duo?

Merida's brothers (ok I'm cheating here but bare with me) and Pascal. They would be like the silent quadruplets. Up to lots of mischief and fun loving!

15. Which two Princes would be best buds?

Flynn Rider and Aladdin, both former thieves, they could trade stories.

16. What scene makes you cry?

Flynn's apparent death. "You were my new dream!"

17. What scene makes you cheer?

Anna punching Hans!

18. What scene makes you cringe?

When Giselle calls that guy Grumpy and he gets really angry!

19. Which story do you wish was your life?

Enchanted <3

20. What movie do you love the most?

Beauty and the Beast. My favourite Disney movie ....at the moment <3

10 Quick Tips on How to Make the Most of your Disney World Vacation!

Hey guys, I thought I would give you 10 quick tips on how to make the most of your Disney World Vacation.

1. Plan an itinerary

Planning a brief itinerary can help you further down the line of planning your vacation. If you make a quick version of day to day events for example: Hollywood Studios on Day 1, Animal Kingdom on Day 2 etc, it can really help when it comes to fastpasses and meal reservations.

2. Book Fast Passes

I cannot stress this enough! If you are staying at a Disney World resort hotel you can book your fast passes 60 days in advance. You get 3 fast passes per day. If you are not staying at a Disney World Resort hotel you can book the up to 30 days in advance. Try and do it as early as possible to get the best selections. Attractions such as Peter Pan's Flight, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Toy Story Midway Mania will be among the first to go. As well as this, character meet and greets like Anna and Elsa disappear quickly too. Epcot and Hollywood Studios' fast pass system is tiered, which means you can only choose one (big style) attraction. This makes it harder for you to get all the attractions you may want. However, once you have used your 3 fast passes, you can find a fast pass kiosk in the parks and book another one, then once you've used that you can book another one and so on. 

3. Book Meal Reservations

This year, me and my friends have the Disney Dining Plan which we got for free with our booking and makes everything a lot cheaper. It also means we can visit restaurants we would have never dreamed about before. But even if you are not on the dining plan, you will want to consider booking dinner reservations. The majority of table service dining restaurants accept reservations in advance, and a lot of them you will need to book in advance to even get the option of dining there. Be Our Guest at dinner is a prime choice where you can meet the Beast after you eat, this gets booked up quickly.

4. Get to the parks early

If you book and stay at a Disney World resort hotel, you will get the use of Extra Magic Hours, which means on certain days you can go to a specific park either earlier than everyone else, or stay later than everyone else. Regardless of this, you should always arrive at the parks early. The first hour of opening is the time you are most likely to get on your favourite ride. Plus there are Welcome Shows, characters waiting to meet and greet you and a whole hoard of guests still in bed at this time. 

5. Make time for the shows

Lots of Disney World guests focus solely on the rides, the bigger the better they say. However, that is not the only thing Disney has to offer. Besides the obvious character meet and greets (which I will get onto in a minute), Disney has amazing shows, fireworks and parades that are not to be missed. If you are lagging a little in the afternoon and feeling like you need a sit down, instead of finding the nearest bench or coffee shop, head to one of the shows, there are lots to choose from. From musicals like Finding Nemo in Animal Kingdom to animatronic shows like The American Adventure in Epcot, there is something for everyone. And instead of leaving early in the evening, stay for one of the night time shows such as Wishes Fireworks in Magic Kingdom or Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios.

6. Be a kid!

What adult doesn't like to act like a kid again, and if you are still a kid, great! You will want to make time to meet all your favourite childhood characters, and there are lots to meet. Either grab a map and timesheet at the front of the park, or download the Disney World app to find where the characters are and when. There are plenty of characters to meet at each park, you've just got to be willing to look. Some characters have their own designated indoor area such as Tinker Bell or Mickey Mouse. But others stand in specific spots daily outdoors, or even just roam around randomly. You will definitely want a camera on hand for all the funny poses the characters will do, and also if you're into autographs, grab an autograph book and chunky pen for them. You won't be disappointed!

7. Buy Memory Maker

Memory Maker is a relatively new concept where you pay an overall price and can have all of your professional photos taken within the parks for free. We luckily got this deal for free in with our package like the meal plan. There are photographers all around the parks especially: in front of the main landmarks, at character meet and greets, on special occasions such as Christmas or Halloween parties. The more you can find and get photos taken, the more you get your money's worth. Also ride photos (and now video) will be added to your account too. The possibilities are endless for the amount of photos you could get. Also if you have a big group of you, you can all use the same Memory Maker pass and get lots of different photos of different members of your party.

8. Make the use of Disney World transportation

If you are staying at a Disney World resort hotel, then great, you will use the transportation without even thinking about it. Disney World buses are waiting outside the resort to take you all over, and at some resort hotels, there are boats to take you to the parks too. But if you're not staying at a Disney World resort hotel don't worry. Once you arrive on Disney World property you can use the transportation for free. From the ticket and transportation centre you can take the buses to Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom, or you can take the monorail to Epcot, or the monorail or ferry boat to the Magic Kingdom. If you're into collecting things, don't forget to ask the bus drivers, boat drivers, monorail drivers etc if they have any transportation cards. These are fun little collectables which tell you facts about the transport you're using. 

9. Ask Cast Members

Cast Members is Disney's phrase for their employees. Cast members are very noticeable due to their uniforms and badges. If you are stuck with ANYTHING, always ask a cast member. Cast members are specifically trained to be extremely helpful and friendly. They know tips that even the biggest Disney World fans may not know, they will be able to rhyme off show times, directions and which characters will be out and when. They love to interact with guests and make your time truly magical. 

10. Always mention a special occasion

If you are celebrating anything from a birthday to a family reunion then always mention it to a cast member. If you are checking in at a Disney World resort hotel then mention it at the desk. If not, then mention it at customer services area in the parks. They will give you a badge/button for you to wear throughout your trip. Cast members and Disney characters will go out of their way to make your trip special if they notice the button. They may sing Happy Birthday to you, bring out a cupcake or a birthday card in restaurants, it' their prerogative of whether they decide to make a fuss of you or not. But it's worth it to make the trip special.

Well these are just 10 quick tips on how to make the most of your Disney World vacation. Be sure to read the rest of my blog for other Disney themed posts.

Hope this helped!

See ya real soon!

Another Disney Tag

I love answering Disney related questions because it is literally all I talk about, so here's another tag for you guys to enjoy. Please feel free to answer it too :)

1. Which Disney character do you relate to most?

I feel like I relate to Rapunzel the most. I love a good adventure even though I am usually worried about what may happen along the way. I adore my long blonde hair, and just want to go and have fun. Plus I used to really want a pet chameleon!

2. What is your favourite Disney Villain song?

Poor Unfortunate Souls, hands down.. Ursula is so damn sassy. I always catch myself singing it!

3. Who is your favourite Disney sidekick?

Hate this question...I can't pick just one. I adore Chip from Beauty and the Beast purely for his cuteness and innocence. But I feel like Tinker Bell is a classic sidekick who has morphed into being a heroine herself and deserves some credit.

4. What is your favourite Disney Renaissance movie?

Beauty and the Beast, it's also my favourite Disney movie ever!

5. What’s is your favourite live-action Disney movie?

Enchanted, it's like an animation, but not. The music is fantastic and Amy Adams is the PERFECT Disney Princess!

6. Do you prefer Elsa or Anna?

Tough one, I used to prefer Elsa and decided she'd be my favourite before I watched it, but now I feel Like I relate more to Anna with the quirky sense of humour and awkwardness.

7. If you were a fairy in Pixie Hollow what kind of fairy talent would you have?

I feel like I'd probably be a fast flying fairy as I am never doing one thing at a time, I like to be in a whirlwind of activities.

8. Which Disney movie castle or place would you like to live in?

Jasmine's palace is very extravagant with all of it's gold and jewels so I think I'd like to live there, plus Agrabah is warm.

9. If you were the star of a Disney movie, what would your Disney sidekick be like?

I'd have a sloth. Ok I just have an obsession with sloths, but how cute would a Disney sloth be. He may be slow but he'd be loyal.

10. If you could own one Disney character outfit, whose outfit would it be?

Cinderella's dress from the 2015 movie version. I am in love!

11. What Disney quote do you feel best represents you?

Just Keep Swimming. I live by this, when things get tough, you've just gotta keep on swimming!