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<< Introduction >>

The month of May is sandwiched by two important days, May Day kicks-off the month and Memorial Day closes it out. Appropriately, this special themed edition showcases a day’s worth of awesome activities at the Walt Disney World resort. Morning, Noon or Night there is always Magic to be discovered all around Walt Disney World. While the theme parks offer a circadian showcase of fun during regular park hours, traveling a bit off the beaten path offers a multitude of magical opportunities. A morning on the Serengeti, a lunch in an exotic locale or an enchanted evening in a kingdom of pirates and princess can all experienced. Let’s take a look!


<< Morning on the Savanna >>

From As an added bonus for Animal Kingdom Lodge Concierge Guests, the resort offers a Sunrise Safari Breakfast Adventure exclusively for them. The 45 minute-long morning safari features multiple stops (so that you can stand up and take pictures) and each of the animals along the way is described in great detail. The safari is followed by a scrumptious breakfast. The morning is a magnificent time to view the savanna and this exclusive safari is the best way to do it.

Let’s hear what a few INTERCOTees have had to say about this special program:

“The safari vehicle really takes its time and stops to let you take great pictures. Also the Cast Member was so knowledgeable and we learned alot about Disney's animal program. If you have kids they will love this. The breakfast after was also one of the best we have ever had.” – Tinkerfreak

“We have done it a couple times, the safari and the breakfast are terrific. I highly recommend it, if you get the chance to do it.” – ThanxForNoticin

“The interaction with the guides was great and it was really cool being able to see the animals without having to rush through. The breakfast at the end was also very good. My only real tip is make sure to have both a camcorder and a camera. The animals are fairly active so it will be hard to catch all of the action with just a still camera.” – raff626

Sunrise & Sunset Safari Adventures


<< Lunch Away From the Theme Parks >>
Presented by The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World Resort

Although many of Disney’s best resort restaurants are open only for dinner, don’t overlook the great lunchtime options away from the theme parks!

Kona Café at the Polynesian Resort, just a monorail or boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom, for Pan Asian food overlooking the lobby’s tropical profusion. Try the open faced salmon BLT or the brothy Asian noodle bowl.

Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge, a boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom, for wood-smoked skillets of ribs, chicken, and sausage or perhaps a pulled pork sandwich. At lunchtime the hootin’ and hollerin’ is at a minimum.

Fresh Mediterranean Market at the Dolphin, only a fifteen-minute walk or boat ride from Epcot’s International Gateway. This is Disney’s best buffet (a la carte items are also available) with food served from chef stations, the result being everything freshly prepared and absolutely delicious.

Grand Floridian Café, a boat or monorail ride from the Magic Kingdom for super salads and oversized sandwiches, not to mention a chance to check out Disney’s flagship resort. If your not dieting try the Grand Sandwich, an open-faced, hot turkey and ham wonder topped with rich Boursin cheese sauce and fried onion straws.

Fulton’s Crab House at Downtown Disney, where fresh seafood is served in a docked Mississippi riverboat. Good choices include a lump crab club sandwich or a cold seafood platter with half a lobster, King crab legs, shrimp in the rough and blackened sea scallops served with cocktail and remoulade sauces.

The Luxury guide to Walt Disney World
 

<< A Pirate & Princess Evening  >>

The Returning for select nights this August, the Pirate & Princess Party transforms the Magic Kingdom into a cavalcade of adventurous coves and royal courts. INTERCOT’s own faline attended the event during its first run this past winter and filed the following report.

- faline’s Pirate & Princess Party Adventure-
Our party adventure began on the second evening this event was offered (Friday, January 26th, 2007). My husband and I donned pirate costumes and set off to find out what this party was all about.

We arrived at the Magic Kingdom around 4:30 p.m. though the party was not scheduled to begin until 7:30 p.m. The right hand side of the turn-styles was set up to accept Pirate & Princess party-goers. As we passed through, we were each fitted with wristbands.

Once inside the gates, we picked up our Pirate & Princess Party Adventure Map. While dining at Tony’s Town Square, we perused the map. Adventureland is listed as New Tortuga. Liberty Square has been renamed Riverboat Riviera for the evening and Tomorrowland has become Solaris’ System. Various locations are marked with an “X” which indicates a Treasure Spot. There are also a couple of Dance Party locations noted as well as several Character Meet & Greet locations.

While Disney has billed this event as both a Pirate & Princess Party, the emphasis is really on Pirates. As you wander around the park, various pirate scenes are projected on sidewalks – a treasure map here; a skull and crossbones there; a pirate ship in another location. Visions of skulls and crossbones race up and down the buildings along Main Street.

If you attend, this party, I would highly recommend dressing up as either a pirate or princess. Both my husband and I dressed. He went as Captain Hook and I was a generic female pirate. While we would have enjoyed the party had we not dressed, our costumes greatly enhanced the experience for us. My husband got to practice his “Arrrr’s” quite often! Almost every cast member we saw commented on our costumes. A great many guests did as well. From the guests who approached us with questions, it was apparent that some mistook us for cast members! A highlight of the evening was when Captain Hook spied my husband’s costume and came nose to nose with him!

This party night was sparsely attended. I would imagine that attendance will increase as the busy spring break season descends upon Disney World. Our party was so uncrowded that we were able to obtain a front row spot for the first of the two evening Disney’s Enchanted Adventures Parades about ½ hour before it began. We remained for the second parade which we viewed from in front of Tony’s. There were so few people there for this parade that the cast members didn’t even bother to erect ropes in this area! The parade was quite fun! Even Tinker Bell (in person) appears in this parade! Parades were at 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

The day before we attended the party, we had a long conversation with a cast member in the fire station. She told us that the fireworks for this party rivaled those of New Year’s Eve – 1999/2000. While I never got to see those fireworks, I will say that the Magic, Music & Mayhem Fireworks Spectacular presented this evening was incredible! Keep an eye out for Tinker Bell’s flight! The fireworks were shown at 9:45 p.m.

Many rides were open during the party. Every ride we went on was a walk-on though we did see longer lines at some attractions later in the evening. As we entered Pirates of the Caribbean, we came across a young princess “fencing” with the cast member. All the other cast members we encountered this night were in equally good spirits and seemed to be really enjoying the festivities as much as the guests were!

As we entered the park, we were each given a little black, treasure bag. We were able to stop at Treasure Spots throughout the park. At each spot, we were provided with various “treasures” to fill our pouch. Treasures included candy, small bags of raisins, and “strings of pearls”.

We did not attend any of the characters meets. Captain Jack Sparrow was on hand in Adventureland. Initially, we got on line for this but a cast member explained that the wait would be at least an hour. He also indicated that the line would not be any shorter during the course of the evening. We never got a chance to go back to check out the truth of this. We also missed some of the other entertainment listed on the schedule throughout the parks. We did watch children enjoying Sebastian’s Under the Sea Dance Party for a bit. The one thing I really wanted to explore but didn’t get a chance to do was to take a sail on The Legend of the Jolly Roger Haunted Riverboat which, in daylight hours, is the Liberty Belle. We also passed on the Dream Along with Mickey Show on the Castle Forecourt as the same show is available during regular park hours.

Given the opportunity, I would certainly attend this event again!

Disney's Pirate & Princess Party

<< Conclusion >>

These exciting opportunities are just a dash of what’s available at the Walt Disney World resort. We’ll be back next month to bring you even more exciting events and great tips to help you plan an awesome Disney vacation. See ya real soon!

 
<< INTERCOT Would Like To Thank>>