SteamBoat Becky

The most photographed spot in Walt Disney World. Can you blame them? It’s beautiful. Ever wonder why there are those posters under the train station before you even walk out to main street? Or why the buildings on Main Street USA have such important names incorporated into the window and names of businesses? Or what about the fact that the bricks that you are walking on are red as you make your way to the Castle? Well for your information this is all to make the allusion of you walking into a movie of sorts from back when the park opened in 1971. Back then movies would play the previews for you to get you pumped for what is to come and then they would play the “End credits” prior to the film or main attraction. So think of it this way, those posters you see as you make your way to Main Street USA are the previews and then the names on the windows as your walking down the street are the “End Credits”, naming all the people who helped make Walt’s dream a reality. Then lastly the red bricks are the red carpet to the main attraction, Cinderella Castle.

The Construction of the castle took 18 months to build. It is 189 feet tall, just under 200 feet to keep it from requiring a red blinking light on top to warn low flying air crafts. The castle is tall enough though to be seen from outside the parks and from the monorail. 

The inner structure of Cinderella Castle is made of a 600 ton steel based frame and there is a 10 inch thick reinforced concrete wall that encircles the structure to the full height of the outermost stone like walls. All steel and concrete works are being supported by a concrete drilled caisson foundation. There is much less fiberglass used on the castle than is thought by most people. Most of the exterior is a very hard fiber reinforced gypsum plaster that is supported by light gauge metal studs. You will find that most of the fiberglass is reserved for the exterior walls of more ornate upper towers. Another thing is the roofs of the towers are shingled in the type of plastic that you would find on a computer monitor shell.

 It is a common misconception that the Castle in times of bad hurricanes can be taken apart and moved, well this is quite incorrect. It would for one take months to disassemble and also it would be far too dangerous to operate the 300 foot crane in the windy conditions that would be coming if a hurricane was to come. Also they would need a safe and quite large place that is stronger than the castle itself to keep it protected. It’s just a unrealistic thing to do.

As you walk through the archway of Cinderella Castle you will see 5 mosaic murals on the wall telling the story of Cinderella. This concept was designed by one Imagineer, Dorothea Redmond. These murals were crafted and set in place by a small team of 6. These murals take up 15 by 10 feet of space and are shaped in these Gothic arches.The murals took 22 months to complete and are made up of a little over 300,000 pieces of Italian glass and rough smalti. Smalti is glass made specifically for mosaics, it is typically used by Italian craftsmen. There are more than 500 colors that make up the murals and the pieces are hand cut and fused together with sterling silver and 14 karat gold. Make sure to take a look at this special piece of art and really take notice in the details and just appreciate the hard work that went into this. For example when you see the part of the mural where Cinderella is trying on the glass slipper you will notice the step sisters faces, one is red for her anger and the other is green with envy. Cool right?

Just this last trip that I took to Walt Disney World we had the privilege to take a tour called Caring for Giants. This was a hour long tour costing $30.00 per person, and they offered a ton of different tour times for your convenience.Because there are so many times throughout the day I feel like you got a more intimate experience, for us personally there were only 10 people on the tour including us. This tour takes place in Animal Kingdom and this is where you learn more about how the Elephants are taken care of and you learn a bit about their background from Africa and how Disney works with people to save African Elephants. 

You do go “Backstage” on this tour but there is not much to tell you only really see the backside of a restaurant as your walking to a bus that takes you behind the Elephant preserve. But on the drive to the preserve you do drive by a lets call it a large “garden” where they grow fruits and vegetables for the animals and also grow plants that they can place inside the preserve to make it feel more like home for the animals. Also you drive pass the housing unit for the elephants which is fully equipped with their favorite toys and plenty of room to roam around to keep them safe from storms and to also monitor and take care of any Elephant that may have become ill or pregnant or has some kind of injury. 

As you arrive to the backside of the Elephant preserve you are greeted by a Animal care Cast Member who would be there to tell you all about the Elephants and the preserve and about individual Elephants including their personalities and characteristics. It was a very interesting thing to learn about different Elephants quirks and personalities but ill leave that for you to find out when you hopefully take this tour. 

After about ten minutes talking with the animal care Cast member you were greeted by a Cultural representative Cast Member who spoke more about Elephants back in Africa and what they are doing to save those Elephants from African poachers.

From then you learn about what the Disney Conservation Fund is all about. You also are given information on what we can do as a society and how we can help by contributing to this important fund. 

After hearing both speakers you were given more time to watch and take as many photo’s as you would like. Then we headed back onto the bus and headed back to Animal Kingdom. 

This was truly an amazing experience. I went into this tour thinking I would just get better photo’s of the elephants and learn a few cool facts but I learned a lot and really grew a greater respect for cast members that work with the animals and of those that work with the Disney Conservation Fund.

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/environment/

http://www.conservationfund.org/what-we-do/business-partnerships/our-partners/disney 

This is a sit down meal in Liberty Square at the Magic Kingdom. I had never eaten there before up until my trip last week and I have to say it was a pleasant surprise!

This restaurant is a family style restaurant that you need to show up hungry to! The Food was Delicious! You start off with a nice salad. The dinner consisted of Beef brisket, pulled pork, sausages, turkey, corn on the cob, mac and cheese, baked beans and of course corn bread. You could have as much or as little of whatever you wanted and they brought it directly to your table so you do not have to stress over it. I find these types of meals to be better off for families with young kids, the fact that you dont have to round them up to go get the food and make your way back to a table just makes it easier.

Now for dessert. This was one of our favorite desserts this trip and to be honest one of the most simple or less extravagant. It was a campfire brownie, and might I say it was to die for ha. A big gooey brownie with a graham cracker layer on the bottom and melted marshmallows on top. Thats it. But it was amazing. And if your nice.. they will bring you seconds of that too ha.

As for the atmosphere it was not anything too special, it was cute in the way it was in the liberty square style and it held true to the liberty square theme when it comes to bathrooms. Thats right there are no bathrooms in liberty square so you have to leave the restaurant to go and do your business ha. And for entertainment, this used to be a live music and dancing show but they did away with that I believe when Hoop Dee Doo Revue came about so now they just have a self playing piano. I myself do love piano music so this was a nice treat for me. But again nothing too fancy, it was just an all around good experience with good filling food!

This 2 point (in regards to dining plan) dinner show is one of my all time favorites. I believe i have done this dinner show at least 5 times, and for me it never gets old. 

This is a fun filled, interactive, comedic show meant for all ages. If you are looking for a show to keep the kids entertained while you wind down a bit with a pitcher of beer and some filling BBQ food, this is the place to be. 

Kids will stay fully entertained with the audience participation of sing a longs, clapping, stomping, wash board playing and even possibly have the opportunity to participate in the finale. But don’t think this is just a kid show, they will call you up on stage as well and give you your time to shine. There are two different levels to the restaurant and you are of course more likely to be asked to participate if you are on the ground floor, just keep that in mind if you have younger ones that want a decent shot to be picked.

Now for the food! Make sure you come with your stretchy pants, and come hungry! This is a all you can eat affair and trust me you wont want to stop. First they start you off with a bucket of salad which you are more than welcome to ask for seconds on the salad but don’t fill up there.Then for your entree they bring you buckets of fried chicken, ribs, beans, corn, mashed potatoes and corn bread. Finish one thing? no problem they bring you another bucket right out. As for drinks soft drinks and beer are included and as much of it as you want. Lets not forget about dessert though, a nice big bucket of strawberry shortcake! A nice refreshing way to end the meal, if you can fit it!

This is the main question for all my trips, and there is a lot that goes into my decision. Is it worth it? Am I really going to eat that much? Is it enough food? Are the restaurants I want to eat at included in the dining plan? Which level of the dining plan will work for me and my guests? 

These all are taken into account on my decision. Most importantly I would say is it worth it? What I mean by this is, Is my trip long enough to actually get the “proper” use out of it? If I am staying in Disney for any more than 3 days then I suggest getting the meal plan. 

There are 3 Different kinds of meal plans you can get:

(Side note: all meal plans come with a re-usable mug that you can use in the resorts for all fountain drinks or coffee and hot chocolate)

First there is the Quick service dining plan. Which includes two quick service meals and two snacks. Quick service meals are walk up meals not where you go and sit down at a restaurant and have a waiter or waitress come to your table and take your order. Snacks can be used on a large number of items. Snacks can range from a bottle of water to Sushi over in Japan at Epcot. This would actually be a good meal plan for someone that is going for about 3 days, where you don’t need anything too fancy or where your just looking to spend as much time as possible in the park with no distractions.

Second, there is the Regular Disney Dining plan. This consists of one quick service, one sit down, and two snacks. This is the meal plan that is I believe most popular. I usually use this meal plan because I feel like it is the perfect amount of food. In all seriousness walking around in the intense heat usually keeps me from thinking about food throughout the day. Also there is just so much to do that I would prefer to not waste so much time inside of restaurants. Most of the time my party will usually wake up bright and early grab a cup of coffee and a bagel and head out to the parks. Right there that meal was free, a bagel is considered a snack and you can use your re-usable mug for the coffee. Then you basically stay decently full until around lunch time and then use your quick service, which definitely keeps you full for some time. Then lastly we will have a Sit down meal planned for later in the night usually around 7 pm. It is definitely more than enough food for an average day. 

Lastly, the deluxe dining plan. This one is intense. With this option you get THREE sit downs and 2 snacks per day. That’s a lot of sit downs.Now if your looking to experience all different types of foods and or restaurants then hey why not go with this plan. You will definitely get a lot out of it, just make sure to bring your stretchy pants haha! But now here is another reason to get this meal plan, maybe you have a higher quality taste and your looking to spend your evenings at Le Cellar in Canada, or maybe California Grill on top of the contemporary. Now these restaurants alongside others are considered two meal points. In that case I would say this is the best meal plan for you, you can get the most for your buck doing it this way. 

Now this is really a choice your gonna have to think about, really figure out what your looking for. Figure out what restaurants your looking to eat at so you can see maybe which direction you should go in. There is a lot that comes into play when it comes to dinning but one thing is for sure, make sure you order the most expensive item on the menu!

This Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs inspired roller coaster opened up back in may of 2014. If you have had the privilege of riding this coaster then you know how beautifully made this ride is. But first lets talk about the ride itself. Now I am not one to go on anything “scary” or super fast with big drops and such. This roller coaster is definitely on the slower side. The carts themselves do rock a bit back and forth. There is a lot of winding but only really one decent size drop and that comes after going inside the mining cave. The carts that you sit in are single lap bars, so this is good and bad. Good because most kids can ride this ride since it will harness them in tightly. Bad because for people who are more lets say Pooh sized like myself the bars that you pull down are extremely tight on your legs/ knees which makes the ride uncomfortable. But i do have to say if you can bare the pain the ride is worth it solely for the mining scene. The Animatronics on this ride are just so life like, it really puts you in the scene of the movie. Dopey looking through the diamonds, Sleepy taking a nap and the rest of the gang chipping away to find more diamonds. It is amazing what the Imagineers were able to pull off. Even as your heading up that last hill on your way out of the mines you see the shadow of the 7 dwarfs heading on out to make it back home. Then getting to the end of the ride and seeing the dancing scene from the movie it is just a magical feeling but don’t be at complete ease, standing outside their door is The evil queen lurking inside. 

“Be surrounded in the artistry, enchantment and magic of Walt Disney and Disney•Pixar movies. Stay at a Disney Resort hotel that invites you to explore the storybook landscapes seen in such classics as Finding Nemo, Cars, The Lion King and The Little Mermaid. From delightfully themed family suites to wondrously detailed courtyards, Disney’s Art of Animation “draws” you and your family in to become a part of some of your animated favorites.”

I have had the pleasure of staying at this resort 5 times in the past I would say 5 years. This is definitely one of my favorite resorts because it really puts you in the scene of the movie.

I mean you ride up to the front of the building and boom your hit with these amazing portraits of Disney character’s such as Nemo and Simba. You get out of the Car or come out of the Magical Express and go through the main entrance and you see drawings on top of drawings all through out the main lobby. All original art work by various different artists and you see the Cast members who are waiting to assist you and even their costumes are filled with original sketches.

Once your done checking in you move further into the lobby and you look up and see this beautiful chandelier like item hanging from the ceiling with original sketches all through out it. just a really beautiful piece and it really makes you appreciate the art. It basically shows you all the details and all the hard work that goes into even one frame of a movie. The details are incredible and at least for myself I have really begun to have such a respect for the people that do all the art work throughout the movies and through the parks and resorts. Its really just makes me step back and appreciate the little things. But that’s not even it! 

Walk outside go out to the big pool and there they are. These massive statues of the characters that are being highlighted in the resort. First thing you see is the huge Finding Nemo pool and you can see a huge statue of Crush. Or keep going along the pool and you see Nemo and Dory. Even the plants that you find in the ocean just huge life like statues that relate to the movie. It makes you feel like your apart of it all. 

Throughout all the parts of the resort there are these statues that just make you stop and appreciate the art and put you in awe. Whether your staying over at the Cars suites, where you can find the whole gang including Lightning Mcqueen hanging out over by the Cozy Cone Motel. Or if your staying at the Lion king suites and you see Pumba, Simba and Timone walking along the tree branch like in the movie singing Hakuna Matata. Or lastly your in the regular rooms over in the Little Mermaid and you have a huge Ursula outside your main doors. Its just a really cool feeling seeing all these characters you love and you haven't even made it to the park yet! I cant say in enough your basically walking through the scenes of the movie.

Now take a walk outside and check out the LARGEST swimming pool in all of Disney. That’s right, the Finding Nemo swimming pool is the largest pool so far in Walt Disney World. BUT not only is it the largest pool they also have a splash area for the little ones, and ya know what go ahead and go under water maybe you’ll hear a familiar tune while your down there. That’s right, they have music playing under the water. How awesome is that?

But maybe your looking to kinda just leisurely swim around maybe not have every kid in your general area. Well then I suggest heading on over to the Cozy Cone pool over in the Car’s Suite area. Get there early if you want a cone to yourself but then take a nice swim in a less crowded pool and cool off. 

OR lastly probably the most secluded pool of them all, go under the sea with Ariel. Since the rooms for the Little Mermaid are a great distance from the main building I could only imagine that the pool is mainly used by those staying in this part of the resort if they have not headed over to the main pool. 

Not saying that any pool is more special than the other, it is all based off of your preference and I would say which part of the resort your calling home.

The cafeteria, I wouldn’t say it is anything special. It does have a like salad section, a pizza section, a burger station and a few others. They do advertise this sandwich that is pulled pork in between two Belgium waffles. Me personally, I did try it and it was not necessarily something I would get again but that could just be me! But like I said there is nothing special really at this resort food wise. You can basically find all the same quick service meals at other resorts.

There is only one bar and it is located at the Finding Nemo pool. If your staying in the Little Mermaid rooms it is a bit of a walk if your looking to get a few drinks and head to the room and relax, but the distance from obviously the Finding Nemo, Cars and the Lion King is not really that bad. You can also just hang back and sit at some of the designated tables for the bar and maybe catch a tan!

Another thing you should know about this resort is that it is a BUS ONLY resort. No monorail, or boat ride. So look for those good opportunities when the lines are maybe not SO packed.

“Walter Elias Disney. Born on December 5th 1901 in Chicago Illinois. He was an American entrepreneur, animator, voice actor and film producer. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film producer, Disney holds the record for most Academy Awards earned by an individual, having won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations. He was presented with two Golden Globe Special Achievement Awards and an Emmy Award, among other honors.

As a young boy Walt developed an early interest in drawing.  He took art classes as a boy and got a job as a commercial illustrator at the age of 18. He moved to California in the early 1920s and set up the Disney Brothers Studio with his brother Roy. With Ub Iwerks, Walt developed the character Mickey Mouse in 1928, his first highly popular success; he also provided the voice for his creation in the early years. As the studio grew, Disney became more adventurous, introducing synchronized sound, full-color three-strip Technicolor, feature-length cartoons and technical developments in cameras.The results, seen in features such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Fantasia, Pinocchio (both 1940), Dumbo (1941) and Bambi (1942), furthered the development of animated film. New animated and live-action films followed after World War II, including the critically successful Cinderella (1950) and Mary Poppins (1964), the latter of which received five Academy Awards.In the 1950s, Disney expanded into the amusement park industry, and in 1955 he opened Disneyland. To fund the project he diversified into television programs, such as Walt Disney's Disneyland and The Mickey Mouse Club; he was also involved in planning the 1959 Moscow Fair, the 1960 Winter Olympics, and the 1964 New York World's Fair. In 1965, he began development of another theme park, Disney World, the heart of which was to be a new type of city, the "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow" (EPCOT). Disney was a heavy smoker throughout his life, and died of lung cancer in December 1966 before either the park or the EPCOT project were completed.”

My favorite thing that Disney does is story telling. When I say Storytelling I mean that there are never any loose strings there is always a story behind everything Disney does. 

For example have you ever walked through magic kingdom and made your way over to fantasy land where Rapunzel's tower is? Have you looked at the ground? On the ground as your walking up to where her tower is you see horse shoe imprints along with apples and apple cores embedded in the ground. Of course we all know that the horse shoes belong to Maximus, and during the movie we did learn that apples are one of his favorite treats. Now to finish off the so called storytelling when you get up to the waterfall under Rapunzel’s tower you see a bucket full of apples. Cool huh? 

Another spot where we see something similar would be in Hollywood Studios. In the middle of the park there is a man made lake and inside of that lake you see a big green Dinosaur. Well you could just be like oh cool a dinosaur, or you could be like me and wonder why or how. if you walk over toward the Indiana Jones show and start walking toward the Dinosaur you will see the Foot prints of the Dinosaur making its way into the water. These little attention to details are my favorite things about Disney. It just shows that they never half do something, they always finish the story. 

If you ever do see something that you would consider out of the ordinary or something that maybe doesn't belong, ask a cast member! I bet you there is definitely a story behind it.