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Hi! I'm Anita!
 Got
a question about Walt Disney World? I probably have the answer! Deb's
Unofficial Walt Disney World Information Guide is the most comprehensive
guide to the World on the Web, but if you still can't find the information
you're looking for by using the Site Map,
the Search
Function, or the Anita Answer Archives, drop
me a line and I'll do my best to find the answer for you. Since
there are only 24 hours in a day, I can't answer every email I receive
- however, I do read every one and try to answer as many as possible.
Check back weekly and see if your answer is waiting! Meanwhile, I'm All
Ears!
Tami
writes:
Quick question:
Does the SpectroMagic Parade always start by the Fire Station? I swear
I remember it starting by Splash Mountain at least once. Thanks!
Hi Tami!
SpectroMagic
has only very rarely run from Frontierland
in the back of the park to Town Square at the end of Main
Street USA in the front. This was done while taping the parade
for a televised event in order to have Cinderella
Castle behind it, or under other very special circumstances.
Otherwise, you can count on it to step off by the Fire Station, and
go backstage at Splash Mountain
for every performance. This is, of course, exactly the opposite of the
afternoon Dreams Come True Parade.
(What time is the 3:00 parade, anyway?)
"So,
why is this, Anita?" I hear you ask. Well, I'm told that it's actually
due to guest traffic flow more than anything else. Dreams Come True
is performed during the afternoon, when Disney wants guests to remain
inside of the park. By having the parade go from Frontierland to Town
Square, guests can remain behind the flow of traffic and easily stay
in the back of the park, experiencing the attractions and hopefully,
spending money.
SpectroMagic,
on the other hand, is performed at night. By starting at Town Square,
the guests behind the parade can easily get to the park's exit as the
parade makes its way up Main Street and deeper into the park. It also
allows those guests who viewed the parade on Main Street to stay for
Wishes, and then be near
the park's exit when the fireworks are over.
Yes, yes,
I know...clock, works, built, etc. etc...
A.A.
Rachelle
writes:
Does the
Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue have characters or just a cast of normal actors?
Hi
Rachelle!
The Hoop-Dee-Doo
Revue is performed by a cast of six talented singers, dancers
and comedians. Although they are certainly "characters," they
aren't of the animated type, and "normal" would have to be
left up to the individual audience member. In addition to the wacky
cast, a few audience members are chosen to participate in the show as
well.
The HDD
opened in September of 1974, so would you believe I only recently attended
the show for the first time? My friends Mickey, Donald and Flo wanted
me to experience it, so we went in December. I wasn't quite sure what
to expect, but I ended up enjoying every minute of it. The frontier-themed
show was funny, fast-paced and entertaining, the singing was excellent,
and the food was great, too. It was a most enjoyable evening!
Advance
Dining Reservations are required, and can be made by calling
1-407-WDW-DINE. Guests can make reservations up to six months in advance.
A.A.
Anthony
writes:
I'm a Disney
Vacation Club (DVC) member since '93; a true Disney nut I am! I have
heard that the organ from the film 20,000 Leaques under the Sea is at
the Haunted Mansion at the World. I must have ridden that ride 100 times
and I don't think I ever saw it. Is this story true?
Hi
Anthony!
You're
right. You've never seen it in the Magic
Kingdom because the actual 20,000 Leagues prop organ is in the
Great Hall (also known as the Ballroom) of Disneyland's
Haunted Mansion.
The organ
in the ballroom scene in the Florida park is a reproduction of the original.
The next time you ride the Magic Kingdom's
Haunted Mansion, when you get to the ballroom scene, look at
the wall to your left. There you'll see the pipe organ with its ghostly
musician at the keys.
A.A.
Gena
writes:
I love
this website and this column! I was wondering if there was bus transportation
from inside Walt Disney World to outside attractions, and if so how
to go about it? I want to visit SeaWorld and will probably be staying
at the Boardwalk.
I would
also like to know if planning a trip the first or second week of June
as opposed to the last week of June makes a difference in the crowd
levels. Would the first week or two of June be comparable to the last
two weeks of August (which is when I have gone the last two years)?
Thank you for answering!
Hi Gena!
Although
there is public bus service between the Ticket and Transportation Center
(TTC) and those "Other" parks, I don't recommend that you
use it. A one-way trip could take up to 2.5 hours, and could include
a couple of transfers. If you don't know the Orlando area well, you
could get impossibly lost. Instead, here are a couple of other options:
Take a
taxi from your resort. This is efficient, but expensive. Also, you'll
have to find a taxi at the "Other" park to get you back to
your resort. Bell Services at the resort can hail a taxi for you.
Rent a
car on property for a day or two. This could be expensive and time consuming
since you have to pick up the car at a hotel or at the Car Care Center
and drop it off again. Still, this gives you flexibility to come and
go as you please for 24 hours. The closest car rental desk to the Boardwalk
is at the Dolphin hotel, which is a short walk away.
Hire a
car service for the day, and tell them when and where you would like
to be picked up at the beginning and end of the day. This is probably
the most expensive option, but also the most dependable after a rental
car. All Ears Net recommends either Quicksilver or Happy Limo.
Take a
Mears shuttle. This costs the least, but don't expect stellar personal
service.
For phone
numbers and links to websites, please read the Ground
Transportation page.
--
The crowds
in early June, particularly the second week, will be higher than the
next-to-last week in August. This is due to special events in June such
as Star Wars Weekends. The
last week of August should be the least crowded of the weeks you mention,
as kids begin to head back to school for the year.
That said,
this summer promises to be one of the most crowded ever, as Walt Disney
World has been busily marketing itself all over the world. This, coupled
with a weak dollar overseas, has been packing people in already this
year during traditionally slow weeks. Be prepared! This summer will
be at the Nutz level!
A.A.
Margaret
writes:
We are
staying offsite and we don't drive, so we'll be taking taxis to and
from the theme parks. When we go to the Magic Kingdom, will the taxi
drop us off at the front gate, the way a Disney bus would, or will it
drop us at the TTC? Do we have a choice?
Hi Margaret!
If you
ask the driver to drop you off at the Magic
Kingdom, you'll be taken to the TTC. You do have a choice, though.
Have the taxi drop you off at the Contemporary
Resort and walk to the Magic Kingdom from there. The walk should
take you ten minutes or less, depending on your pace. When you want
to leave the park, go back to the Contemporary and catch a cab back
home.
Have a
wonderful trip!
A.A.
KW
writes:
I was
wondering if you've heard the rumor about Disney's next theme park,
Disney's Night Kingdom. I guess it's supposed to be their response to
Sea World's Discovery Cove. I think it sounds interesting but not exactly
the greatest idea. What do you think?
Hi
KW!
Yes, I've
heard the rumors, and here's what I think about the subject. Remember,
this is purely my opinion and entirely based on speculation. It should
not be taken as gospel, since nobody but Imagineering knows the real
story. This is just what my instincts are telling me, and nothing concrete.
CAUTION!
Extreme speculation and rumors ahead!
I have
heard that there are plans to attract more people into Animal
Kingdom at night to be able to keep it open later every night
instead of just for Extra Magic Hour
evenings. Some of those plans include a new parade tentatively called
"Rivers of Light."
My opinion
is that what the Rumor Mill is currently calling "Disney's Night
Kingdom" is probably another component of those plans. To me, it
sounds more like a special VIP tour or perhaps a really expensive hard
ticket event, and I wouldn't call it a new theme park. It sounds like
an expansion on existing premium attractions at Animal Kingdom like
Sunrise Safari, or backstage tours, only on a much more elaborate (and
expensive!) scale. I also think that a lot of the ideas for the "Night
Kingdom" that the Rumor Mill is putting forth are purely Blue Sky
and will never see the light of day (or dark of the Night Kingdom, if
you will). "Blue Sky" is a term the Imagineers use to describe
any and all ideas that are tossed around Imagineering for discussion.
Many never come to fruition, or at least not in the form in which they
were originally proposed.
So, it
is my opinion that we may see something special happening at Animal
Kingdom at night, but we won't be seeing a fifth gate being built any
time soon. I have to agree that the rumors we're hearing are not the
greatest of ideas, but these may just be test balloons to see what people
think. Now, if it were up to me, I'd spend that money adding more great
attractions to Animal Kingdom, and bring in the crowds at night that
way. In any case, nothing has been announced yet by the Walt Disney
Company, although stranger rumors have turned out to be true of late.
American Idol at Disney's Hollywood
Studios, anyone?
A.A.
That's
it for this edition!
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