Article first appears within the Disney Theme Parks Examiner postings on Examiner.com, Aug 19, 2014

It is entirely acceptable to be a fan of Elvis and The Beatles, but we bet you have a favorite. The same applies to Disney. You may absolutely love Disneyland and Walt Disney World, though it's likely not equally. Recently we asked a group of Disney World Addicts to pick a side based upon one of the classic attractions: Pirates of the Caribbean.
Both Disneyland and Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom have their own version of this timeless favorite. They are touted by many to be the best ride in their respective parks. The rides are similar. Opinions vary, though sentiment invariably favors Disneyland.
Most respondents are familiar with both parks, which is helpful in gathering reliable results. Others just know what they like, and for the most part they like the original. Pirates of the Caribbean, Disneyland, opened in 1967, and was the final attraction Walt Disney designed and worked on personally. For that alone, if it were a bathtub in the parking lot, many would still vote for it. The Florida version opened in 1973, and while Walt's fingerprints are all over it, its dirt didn't get under Walt's nails, so it's just not the same.
Walt Disney World loyalists emphasize the quality of their ride's queue. Almost entirely inside, to protect guests from sun, rain and hurricane, the Magic Kingdom line winds through much more elaborate and adorned scenery. Once inside the attraction at Disneyland, the line moves so rapidly, there's little time and thus little at which to gaze.
Read the  FULL ARTICLE HERE

2015 Disneyland Half Marathon breaks stellar registration record

Article first appears within Disney Theme Parks Examiner postings on Examiner.com, Feb 10, 2015

Registration for the 2015 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend just opened, and the spectacular, but overwrought, runDisney website has quickly succumbed to the overuse. According to the runDisney twitter feed, every race is already half full. By the time this goes to print, the entire weekend of events will be sold out, as will many of the area hotels. The moral: don't sleep on runDisney. These events are extraordinary, and they've got the following to prove it.

Also, do not resent Disney for it. Many associated twitter rants already lament a multifaceted unfairness. Primary contention seems to surround getting shut out of a queue, or else waiting in same only to find out their desired race sold out in the interim.

See the FULL ARTICLE HERE

Luigi's Flying Tires closes at Disney California Aventure

  Article first appears within Disney Theme Parks Examiner postings on Examiner.com, Feb 6, 2015

News broke today that Luigi’s Flying Tires will be permanently closing, as of February 16, at Disney California Adventure. A positively charming attraction, it did not necessarily translate into a popular ride, and shall undergo a complete renovation, to open in its new guise early 2016. The thought of a new ride is thrilling. Though if Disney so much as puts in a drinking fountain it automatically becomes special, and Luigi's will be missed.
Anticipation will bloom, as will speculation as guests consider what will replace the short-lived attraction. The safe bet is to follow Disney Parks Blog, an excellent source for news, views and updates. Though it's surely fun to ruminate. Space is a little limited in the existing attraction area, though a new ride might go underground, a la Pirates of the Caribbean. As we understand the topography, though, there are a fair amount of cables, conduits and corridors underneath Cars Land. There's perhaps not a single endeavor so significant that Disney couldn't manage it (see Turning a Florida Swamp into Walt Disney World), though they're also fairly creative.

See the FULL ARTICLE HERE

 

Hidden Magic, Disneyland's Space Mountain

Article first appears within the Disney Theme Parks Examiner postings on Examiner.com, Sept 9, 2014

Hidden Magic examines lesser-known attractions, snacks, tactics and distraction to help you make the most of your Disney visit. Yes, everyone is thoroughly familiar with Space Mountain, but do you know the best time to ride it?
If you have ever been stranded on that convection oven of a patio in the Space Mountain STANDBY line, on an average afternoon, you know it is an experience you don't want to repeat. You don't have to. Ever. Space Mountain is the best ride, this side of Radiator Springs, for FastPassing.
While this is an eternally popular attraction, if the wait time is 40 minutes, or more, you should come back later. Anything more than 20 minutes, you run the risk of getting caught outside as Space Mountain Disneyland runs a particularly liberal FastPass line. Gatekeeper CM's will hold up several furlongs of standby riders for even a single FastPasser. This is not a criticism. Get a FastPass.

Have a question, observation or condemnation for Hidden Magic? Please comment here, or reach out to us on Facebook and twitter.
See FULL ARTICLE HERE

The Legendary Dole Whip

Article originally appears within the Disney Theme Parks Examiner postings on Examiner.com on Jan 22, 2015.

Of course, the Dole Whip is no big secret. It's not even a little one. But do you know how to get one without standing in a prohibitive line? And no, we don't mean getting a fake one at Friendly's or making a hallow substitute at home. Hidden Magic has your solution to getting your hands on the Park's genuine, most coveted treat without sacrificing precious Disney moments, energy and enthusiasm.
The Dole Whip, for the six of you who don't know, is a seemingly simple, yet extraordinary pineapple soft-serve frozen dessert. They are vegan, gluten free and just excellent. For many they are an indispensable element of the Disney experience. Which why the line for one commonly rivals Big Thunder Mountain.
Within the Disneyland Park you will find this delicious concoction in Adventureland, at the Tiki Juice Bar adjacent to the Enchanted Tiki Room attraction. Inside the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom, you will also find them in Adventureland, at Aloha Isle. Droves will forgo Space Mountain for a first-thing-in-the-morning Dole Whip, even when it's cold. There is essentially no good time to grab one. None of the typical Disney crowd-avoidance tricks apply here. During a parade, in the dead of night, beneath a downpour; guests will cancel lunch reservations and forfeit FastPasses for a whip.

So what's the hidden-magic secret? See the FULL ARTICLE HERE

runDisney Costume Characters you should be able to beat..

Article originally appears within the Disney Theme Parks Examiner postings on Examiner.com, Aug 28, 2013.

For the fortuitous enthusiasts who managed to secure an entry into the 2013 Disneyland Half Marathon before it sold out in 25 hours, perhaps you were also keen enough to train for it. Disney races are renowned for being delightful and accommodating, but if you aren't in the proper shape you are going to finish behind someone in a Buzz Lightyear costume. Think you can live with that?
One of the truly charming elements that help define a Disney race is the indelible throng of wholly passionate participants. Yes, twenty-thousands of them are willing to sign up for each half marathon the day registration opens. Yes, most of these same thousands are prepared to get out of bed at 4 in the morning to reach their assigned starting corral as instructed. But, more specifically we speak of the fervor which drives those who will pay for, plan for and participate in the whole thirteen-mile spectacle dressed like a Disney cartoon character.
The experience of seeing thousands of fanatics wearing their ears, Mickey hands and Team Sparkle skirts is nigh indescribable. Those that go the extra mile (intentional) and don an actual costume deserve special recognition. Getting passed by Tweedledum and Tweedledee at the halfway point, though, is as infuriating as it is unavoidable, and you'd better just prepare for it.
There are a great many runners out there simply bristling with Disney spirit. Watching powerless as one of them plods past you in Mike Wazowski regalia is a real kick to your own enthusiasm. To aptly compete with a Disney-costumed runner, it boils down to this: awareness. First, understand that many of these individuals are not mere fanatics. Most are well conditioned, well adjusted athletes who for reasons all their own possess the will and training to run a ten-minute mile dressed as Eeyore. Know that it is possible for someone to have more endurance than you no matter how impractically they are outfitted. The compulsion that drives one to wear a bolt of felt all through a thirteen-mile race often accompanies a determination that you cannot match, most certainly not if you are still being paced by The Little Mermaid at mile 11.
Any costumed character you don't put away early is probably going to beat you. If one, or all of the Three Little Pigs are still with you on the homestretch, you are going to finish behind them . If your combined ability and psychosis did not enable you to distance yourself from Winnie the Pooh, his closing kick is going to be stronger than yours and you will forever be immortalized in his finish-line photo.
See the FULL ARTICLE HERE