“It’s a world of laughter, a world of tears…” It’s the one song guaranteed to stick in your mind for hours, if not days, after experiencing It’s a Small World. Small World was built for the World Fair in New York in 1964-1965. Despite it’s age and lack of high tech thrills, It’s a Small World remains a favorite of Disneyworld guests young and old.
As you enter It’s a Small World, you’ll board a boat that moves at about the pace of a slug. Which is good, in a way, because (more…)
As you enter the China pavilion at Epcot, you truly feel as if you have been transported into another land. In front of you lies a half size replica of Beijing’s Temple of Heaven. If you time your entrance right, you will hear live flute, zither, or dulcimer music. You may see Chinese acrobats, usually children, performing outside the Temple of Heaven. Take a minute and look at the vegetation around you. In respect to Chinese culture, where age is respected, Disney gardeners have planted trees with corkscrew trunks or weeping branches. The rosebushes are a variety native to China.
Much of the architecture of the China pavilion pays tribute to Chinese culture, although those of us not as familiar with the traditions of this great land won’t readily see it. (more…)
My 9 year old son wrote the following:
Splash Mountain is from the Adventures of Disney’s Brer Rabbit. For those of you who have not heard of Brer Rabbit, he is a fun loving and mischiefmaking Rabbit (of course) that lives on the ‘Ole plantation. At the end, if you pay attention you will find that you are in the last part of one of the Brer Rabbit storys “The tar baby”. Where you are thrown into a brier patch! Not really but you will see brier spines in front of you during the Five story drop that WILL get you soaked especially if you are sitting in the front. Why I liked this ride was because (more…)
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…)