The Magic of Disney World

I guess that Disney decided that Norway had too interesting of a heritage, and they just couldn’t pick only one architectural style. So they picked four. Seriously - there are four different architectural styles in the Norway pavilion, and they’re all from different parts of Norway. Which I think is cool - why only learn about one part of the country when you can learn about four?

As you enter the pavilion, look down and notice the cobblestone streets. It’s as if you’re in an ancient villiage. The wood stave church is modeled after a stave church built in 1250 AD. Some people don’t realize this, but you can actually go inside the church. (more…)

The Mexican pavilion at the World Showcase in Epcot is dominated by the Pre-Columbian pyramid that seems to rise from a jungle of tropical vegetation. The pyramid was patterned after the Aztec Temple of Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacan. If you look up at the entrance to the pyramid, you’ll see serpents: a representation of Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god of life.

The pavilion actually represents two regions of Mexico. The pyramid, surrounded by its exotic, lush flowers and shrubs, represents the Yucatan jungle, while the area around the Cantina de San Angel represents the dry, arid regions of Mexico. (more…)

Although World Showcase in Epcot isn’t exactly like a trip around the world, it’s probably as close as some of us will come to jetsetting across continents and seeing the sights! The folks at Disneyworld have created a place where we can experience the sights, sounds, cuisine and feel of Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, the United States, Japan, Morocco, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada without actually traveling there.

Walt Disney World has done it’s best to create an authenic look and feel to the country’s pavilions. You’ll board a Viking boat in Norway…experience a pyramid from Mexico…see the Eiffel Tower in France…walk among sprawling street vendors in Morrocco…in every country there is authentic food (you have to try the French pastries), shops, and people. Yes…people. (more…)

Located in the Wonders of Life Pavilion, Cranium Command has to be one of the cutest, most underrated attractions at Disneyworld. The pre-show starts out with an animated film where “General Knowledge”, a drill seargant, is recruiting pilots to operate brains. Yes, you read that right. Brains. Buzzy, the class goof up, finds himself assigned to the volatile brain of a twelve year old boy.

You then move inside the theatre. The theatre is set up to represent the inside of a brain. (more…)

The following was written by my 9 year old son:

Fantasmic! is a show that takes place at night because it has fireworks, lasers, special effects and fountains at places in the show. It starts with Mickey in a dream appearing on a mountain and, with sparks coming from his fingertips, conducts a series of dancing fountains. But then the Disney Villains take over and turn Mickey’s dreams into nightmares! Mickey battles with them until the final battle when he battles Malefecient the Dragon and finally prevails over all of them at last!

Fantasmic! is full of fun things to watch but be prepared to be waiting a long time to get out of the theater (unless you sit in the back of course!). (more…)

If you’re expecting a simple, normal water park in the midst of Disneyworld…think again! Everything Disney does revolves around a theme, and the water parks are no exception.

The legend of Blizzard Beach goes like this: (more…)

Anyone with small children eventually wonders about height restrictions. So here it is: A comprehensive list of all of the parks. Boring, but necessary. (more…)

Outside of Innoventions sits an igloo. I know - strange place for an igloo. It’s called Ice Station cool, and it’s actually a glorified Coke store, but it is so creatively put together that we’ll ignore the blatant commercialism and praise it’s many good points.

When you walk inside Ice Station Cool, you’ll find a Coke station with free samples of different flavors of Coke from around the world. No, standard American Coke isn’t one of them, but they do have some unique and interesting flavors. (more…)

The following was written by my 9 year old son.

The Rock-N-Roller Coster starts with a short movie about a band who took off for a concert before you could hop in the limosine. So you need to ride in another one taking off at a crazy 60 mph and get to that speed in 2.8 seconds.

Be sure to smile at the begining– They take your picture at the start of the ride and you have a chance to buy it at the end. (more…)

The following was written by my 13 year old son.

An easy to spot mirrored pyramid, Universe of energy is a 45 minute-long show/ride to give you a chance to give your feet a rest and cool off. Note the two acres of solar panels on top of universe of energy. Altogether, they create 15% of the power it takes to energize this attraction. That’s enough to power six houses!

The show begins with Ellen, who is watching “Jeopardy”. One of the contestants is Ellen’s annoying roommate, Judy. Ellen tries to keep up, but fails at the game miserably, espesially in the energy category. (more…)