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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, and be sure to check
out my blog, Anita Talk. Meanwhile,
I'm All Ears!
Pam
writes:
Hi Anita,
I tried to find an answer all over All Ears but couldn't find one. My;
daughter's birthday is in late summer and we will be at Walt Disney
World at the time. She wants to go to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique;
however, we're African American, so our hair is a different texture
than the majority of the clients who visit the boutique. And since I
feel my daughter's too young to have a relaxer in her hair to straighten
it (she'll be 6), does the boutique have godmothers who are familiar
with styling African American hair?
Hi Pam!
Not to
worry! The Fairy Godmothers-in-Training are professionals who can style
any type of hair. I made a quick stop in there the other night during
the Pirate and Princess Party
and there were princesses of every color, shape and size getting the
royal treatment from a team of busy FGiT's.
There are
three hairstyles available, and are part of three levels of princess
packages that range from $44.95 plus tax to $229.95 plus tax. In addition,
there is now a Hannah Montana package for $109.95 (prices subject to
change).
There are
currently two Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique locations: One is in the World
of Disney at Downtown Disney and the other is inside Cinderella Castle
at the Magic Kingdom (park admission required for this location). To
make an appointment, call 407-WDW-STYLE as early as 180 days in advance.
For more
information and pictures, click here.
A.A.
Sharyn
writes:
We are
staying at the Polynesian this winter. We are having dinner at Victoria
and Albert's. Is there a dry cleaner service at the resorts so we can
get my husband's suit pressed?
Hi Sharyn!
All Disney
resorts feature laundry and dry cleaning services. In the closet
of your room, you'll find a multi-part form to fill out with your request,
and a bag to put the clothing in. Follow the instructions on the form.
Warning: These services can be pricey! It is supposed to be same-day
service, but don't wait until the last minute, or your husband may find
himself under-dressed at V&A's if his suit doesn't come back in
time. Better safe than sorry!
Have a
lovely time at Victoria and Albert's!
A.A.
Katherine
writes:
First of
all, my daughter and I absolutely love your site and particularly your
column. We look forward to reading it every week.
A restaurant was mentioned in the blog section of the site called the
Garden Town Cafe. The writer said it was in Epcot and it seemed not
to be well known, so I thought I would like to visit it the next time
we are in the World.
I looked for the restaurant in the dining section of the site but I
don't see the restaurant anywhere. Did I miss it? Is the menu posted
somewhere on your fantastic site? Thanks for all of the information
and hours of entertainment!
Hi
Katherine!
No, you
didn't miss it. The Garden Town Cafe is a temporary counter service
restaurant located in the Flower and Garden Festival Center (the former
Wonders of Life Pavilion) which is also called "Garden Town."
When the Flower and Garden Festival ends
on June 1, the Garden Town Cafe will close with it.
Flo and I actually ate lunch there last week, and we weren't terribly
impressed. She had some sort of chicken "wrap" sandwich in
a green tortilla with a side of grapes, and I had a very cold, soggy
turkey sandwich on a stale, spongy "Tuscan Baguette." The
menu is very limited, and also includes a salad or two. Nothing is made
fresh on-site -- it's all made elsewhere and brought in and refrigerated.
I think my sandwich may have been left over from the 2007 Flower and
Garden Festival. In my opinion, the grapes were the best item on the
menu.
A.A.
Pati
writes:
Wilson
World -- Anyone know what happened to it? In 1984 and 1985 Wilson World
advertised in the Tampa Tribune for $19.84 per night and $19.85 the
next year. They had an atrium style building with a restaurant next
to the indoor pool. Breakfast was included in their price. It wasn't
a glamorous hotel but to newlyweds on a budget it was a deal. Each room
had a big Mickey Mouse telephone.
There was
some info about the hotel's originator having been with Holiday Inn
and leaving them to begin his own chain. We moved away from Florida
in 1989 and can't seem to find the old Wilson World Resort to show our
son where his Disney travels started before the Disney Vacation Club.
Did the hotel just fade away?
Hi
Pati!
Kemmons
Wilson was the founder of the Holiday Inn chain of hotels, and Wilson
World was his venture into the Walt Disney World resort area. In 1998,
the resort became part of Red Roof Inns, and later became the Ramada
Maingate West, its current incarnation. The address for the hotel is:
7491 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway (AKA 192)
Kissimmee, FL 34747
Phone: 407-396-6000
A room at the hotel now costs between $99 for a double occupancy room
to $225 a night for a 2-bedroom suite.
I remember
wanting to stay there in the 1980s and being envious that it had an
indoor pool! Thanks for the memories.
A.A.
Jennifer
writes:
I heard
a rumor that the World Showcase in Epcot may be closing, as it has not
been as financially successful as Disney had hoped. Any truth to this
rumor?
Hi Jennifer!
Wow! Where
did you hear that? There is no truth whatsoever to that rumor -- in
fact, closing World Showcase would effectively close the majority of
Epcot's restaurants, not to mention several popular attractions.
Most likely, whoever told you that either heard that Epcot's
World Showcase has shorter hours than Future World does (which is true,)
or that Future World's Wonders of Life
Pavilion has closed for good and is now only used as a special
events center. Either way, the person misunderstood what they heard.
Fear not, World Showcase is in no danger of closing.
A.A.
Shelley
writes:
Hi Anita.
I love your column! I would like to know if the new Toy Story Midway
Mania ride is "officially" open to the guests. We will be
leaving for Disney soon and we are hoping to ride it.
Hi Shelley!
Toy
Story Midway Mania officially opens on May 31, 2008. It is currently
in a "soft open" phase, which means it may or may not be open
at any given time before that date while the Imagineers fine tune operations.
Flo and I were lucky enough to ride it several times during the Annual
Passholder and Disney Vacation Club member preview last week, and really
enjoyed it. It's a lot of fun for every member of the family and should
be very popular, so get there first thing in the morning to avoid long
lines.
Have a great vacation!
A.A.
Hi
Everyone!
Since there
was no new column last week, I thought I'd take the opportunity to drive
Ditto mad with a couple of extra entries. (Just kidding...)
First,
I received a few feedback emails about my explanation of how Year of
a Million Dreams prizes are awarded. One reader said that she overheard
a Dream Squad cast member say they needed to find a family, and that
proves that they only award prizes to families. I'm sorry, but this
is not true. What the reader probably overheard is the cast member repeating
the randomly generated instructions s/he had just been given, which
do sometimes specify a family or group. They also sometimes specify
a single guest in a particular location, or one wearing a certain color
shirt. There are hundreds of variables, and the cast member has to follow
the instructions s/he has just been given. If the chosen recipient refuses
the prize for whatever reason, the cast member then receives an entirely
new set of instructions for awarding the prize. In addition, I received
a few responses from single travelers who had won prizes, and solo-traveler
Carol wrote to say she had won a night in the Cinderella Suite. That's
two single people I personally know of who have won that major prize,
and there are surely many more out there. I stand by my original answer.
Now, on
to the Tower of Terror drop
shaft question and answer. My friend Rob and another reader wrote a
couple of weeks ago (sorry about the delay, guys!) because they wanted
to remind me that all of the other Towers in Disney parks around the
world feature three drop shafts, while the original in Florida only
has two. They're sure this is how the story started about the Florida
Studios' Tower having three, and I suspect that's true. Thanks guys!
That's
it for this week!
A.A.
That's
it for this edition!
Gotta
question?
Then you need an answer!
Anita Answer, that is.
Check
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and be sure to visit Anita's blog, Anita Talk,
on AllEars.net's Blog Central!
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