Fantasmic! to Add Seating

If you've ever seen Fantasmic!, you understand why I'm really excited about the 1000 seats that are being added to the amphitheatre at Disney's Hollywood Studios. With limited showings in most seasons (it used to show nightly, sometimes twice nightly), it is becoming harder--meaning, you must get there earlier--to secure a seat for this ever-popular nighttime spectacular. Still, it's not all good news--these extra seats will actually occupy the area that is now "Standing Room Only," which means that to get 1000 actual seats, Disney will eliminate standing room that holds approximately 3000 standing guests. Essentially, this lowers the capacity of the venue from 9900 (6900 seated; 3000 standing) to less than 8000 (assuming the "SRO" area is eliminated altogether). Good decision? Only time will tell. As for me, I still plan to arrive early and sit on the cold, hard bleachers that extra hour to make sure I get a seat for the show!

New Fantasyland Gets a Web Page

There is now a "teaser" page up for the new Fantasyland expansion. Not much to it at the moment, but you can enter your email for updates. Check it out here.

Friday Photo

One week! Just one week until we pack up the SUV and head south to Florida! I am SOOOOO far behind where I usually am on the organization/packing path. Here's a glimpse of what I'll be up to this weekend:

Thursday's Tip

As I am finally beginning to gather a few things and at least think about packing for our trip in just over a week, I was reminded of the single most important Disney vacation planning tip: be prepared for anything and everything! And, particularly, I feel it is important to be prepared for illness when you're away from home. So, as part of today's Thursday's Tip, I now share a list of walk-in clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, and discount stores (many that we have personally used) near Walt Disney World. Print the list and take it on your next trip, so that you won't be scrambling if the unexpected happens:

Miscellaneous items or Over the Counter Medications

• Wal-Mart Supercenter, 4444 West Vine Street, Kissimmee


• SuperTarget, 2155 Towne  Center Blvd., Orlando


• Publix, 2925 International Drive, Kissimmee

Walk-In Clinic/Pharmacy

• Walgreens Take Care Clinic, 12100 S. Apopka Vineland Rd, Orlando. (We had a great experience at the clinic when our youngest ran a fever the day we arrived. They are able to handle most minor illnesses, including bloodwork, cultures, etc.)

Hospital (in a true emergency, call 911 for an ambulance)

• Celebration Health Hospital,  400 Celebration Place, Kissimmee (small, but sufficient for minor emergencies)


• Osceola Regional Medical Center, 700 West Oak Street, Kissimmee

Also, it's good to note that Turner Drugs (407-828-8125) will deliver to Walt Disney World Resorts for a small fee. (Of course, you will need to see a doctor to get a prescription for any new illness, so this is really only for refilling prescriptions or for OTC meds.)

 

New Fairy Friend Coming to the Magic Kingdom

The next Disney Fairies movie, Secret of the Wings, is coming to DVD/Blu-ray on October 23, but if you're lucky enough to be heading to Walt Disney World in the next few weeks, you can meet the filmsbefore the movie is even available. Beginning September 9, guests can meet Periwinkle at the Magic Kingdom at Tinkerbell's Magic Nook (Adventureland). We're very excited, as we've met all the other fairies on previous trips, with the exception of Terence.

Refurbishment Update

Since I was checking schedules for our trip in a couple of weeks, I thought I'd share a list of upcoming attraction closures and refurbishments around Walt Disney World.

Magic Kingdom

• The Magic, The Memories, & You ended yesterday, but another castle projection show will be making its debut in November.


• Enchanted Tales with Belle isn't scheduled to open to the public until December 6, but they are already testing the experience with a select few guests. (Here's hoping we get selected in September!)


• The big crane will be making its appearance for the Christmas "Dreamlights" installation on Cinderella Castle, beginning September 16. (Boo, that's the day after we arrive...for once, I'd love to see the castle without anything obscuring the view. That's one of the downsides of a fall trip.)


• Country Bear Jamboree remains closed for refurbishment, re-opening October 17.


• A one-day refurb will close Pirates of the Caribbean on October 9, with it reopening October 10.


• Aladdin's Magic Carpets close October 18 through 25, reopening October 26.

Epcot

• Test Track remains closed until December 1.

Disney's Hollywood Studios

• Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure will undergo a brief refurbishment, closing on September 10 and reopening on September 15. (It is unclear whether this is in place of, or in addition to, the previously-scheduled refurbishment for October 8 through November 17.)

Animal Kingdom

• Other than the changes being implimented in Kilimanjaro Safaris, which are not expected to close the attraction at this point, there are no scheduled refurbishments in AK at this time.

Happy Labor Day!

So, it's Labor Day...the day my mother labored to bring my older brother into the world, and the day that so many of us take the day off from labor (but not the parents...there are no days off for parents). But I digress. We decided to spend the holiday at the local botanical gardens taking in the final day of an exhibit of treehouses. They were all very unique and had connections with literature too (making this the perfect homeschool field trip!), and we were especially excited to see the pirate-themed "Jolly Roger" treehouse that borrows from J.M. Barie's Peter and Wendy for its theming--a round-about Disney connection. What we didn't expect to find was a truly magical Disney connection in "The Rainbow Fish" treehouse.





You may not be able to tell from this photo, but the house is basically a shell of chicken wire with various CDs attached with wire ties. My youngest daughter spotted this on the fish's chin area:



Why, yes, that IS a 2009 Disney Vacation Planning DVD. I'd recognize that anywhere...and apparently so would my children.  Now that's a great Hidden Mickey find!