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Here's a quick video of the new Characters In Flight ride at Downtown Disney. The tethered balloon ride goes as high as 400 feet and can hold up to 20 people.
The weather plays a HUGE role on this ride. If it's raining or too windy, the ride will not be in operation.
Also, the queue line works differently than any other queue at Disney. You can only buy a ticket to ride the balloon (yes, another opportunity for Disney to charge you more money -- $16/adult and $10/child) when there are available slots to be "on deck." You see, the capacity of the balloon ride varies with the weather -- sometimes, you can only get 10 people on-board, due to the weather.
So, imagine the ride will only hold 10 people -- you will have 10 people in the ride, up to 10 "on deck" standing on the dock that have purchased a ticket, and everyone else standing in the line waiting to buy a ticket.
On our most recent attempt to ride, there were less than 10 people in line to buy tickets, 10 people on deck, and the balloon in the middle of the ride. We waited over 30 minutes to buy a ticket, when they shut down the ride due to wind and stopped selling tickets. The ten people "on deck" -- after waiting nearly an hour -- had to leave and come back when and if the ride began normal operation and those of us in line for tickets were out of luck and could only hope to be among the first ten back in line when the ride resumed.
As I mentioned in another post about the ride, I cannot imagine how this ride can be a long-term success for Disney or Aerophile -- the company operating the ride. We live locally and have made several attempts to ride, without success. How do they expect guests with very limited schedule to get on-board? You obviously need a huge amount of luck on your side.
I would not suggest that you add this ride into your Disney vacation plans, rather ride it if you get the chance. Otherwise, if you put this ride on your vacation schedule, be prepared to waste a lot of time for the possibility of a tethered balloon ride.
When you travel to Disney, you will buy souvenirs. That's just a fact. Even the most disciplined traveler will buy something from the parks, resorts, or Downtown Disney.
Ultimately, this means you will take home more than you brought to Orlando. Act like the Boy Scouts and "Be Prepared!" Bring an extra suitcase to Disney.
With expanded carry-on and checked luggage restrictions, you may consider using packing cubes as your additional bag, since these will flatten and fold inside your current luggage. This way, you may only need to pay an extra bag fee for the return trip.
Have you heard of Twitter? If not, head on over to the site and check it out!
It's gained in popularity, recently, with Oprah jumping on, as well as many newspeople and other celebrities. Twitter gives you the opportunity to follow people that share similar interests (and they can follow you back) and you can see their 140 character updates in nearly real-time. You can attach photos and video to your "tweets" (the nickname for your 140 character updates).
While Twitter can be fun just for everyday activities and updates, you should also use Twitter on your next Disney vacation! You can easily set up a separate "vacation" Twitter account, lock it (Twitter gives you the option to prevent everyone from following you, this way you can choose who sees your updates), and have your family and friends do the same. Now, you have a small network of people that get to see your Twitter updates, in nearly real-time, directly from your vacation!
You can send a picture to the grandparents, through a service called TwitPic, the minute their grandchildren get a picture with Mickey. You could "divide and conquer" with half the family going to one park, half to another and use Twitter to send updates from each park, share photos, and decide on a meeting time and place. Friends and family feel like they're participating and joining in for your vacation, as you send updates from each ride or show. They can send you advice and tips, helping you to get the most from your vacation.
When you do sign up for Twitter, be sure to follow our favorite tweeter, @wdwfan, for the lastest news, tips and tricks from Disney World!
Many Disney guests do not realize that Alamo car rental provides a rental location right at the Walt Disney World Resort. Many times, guests do not want to rent a car for their entire vacation. If you rent one from one of the other major car rental companies at the airport, though, you will have to pick it up when you arrive and drop it off when you return home. You could also take the Disney airport shuttle on the day you want to use the car and pick it up, but this could waste tons of valuable time, during your vacation (that always seems too short, anyway).
From your resort, all you have to do is press the "Car Rental" button on your room phone and they'll come pick you up!
This gives you the opportunity to rent a car for just a single day of your vacation to visit other Orlando area attractions, experience other parts of Orlando and central Florida, maybe take a day trip to the beach, and so on.
Starting on May 1, several Orlando area restaurants are participating in a yummy week called Orlando Restaurant Week. For one week (May 1- 7), you can dine at some incredible restaurants for some very inexpensive prices. Starting at $10 per person, you can choose a 3 course meal at this incredible price. Imagine an appetizer, entree, and dessert for $10! You can spend more at McDonalds in Orlando.
The prices run $10, $15, $25, and $35 depending on your restaurant choice. Some of the very popular restaurants for tourists include Hard Rock Cafe at Universal Studios, The Capitol Grille, Omaha Steakhouse, Morton's Steakhouse, Ruth's Chris Steak House, and Cuba Libre.
The restaurants that amaze me the most are Morton's Steakhouse and Ruth's Chris Steak House for $35 per person for an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Incredible prices!
If you are visiting Disney World next week, check out this website for more information about an elegant dinner at a cheap price!
Many people are wondering if Disney has issued any travel warnings or advisories regarding travel with Adventures By Disney or Disney Cruise.
Currently, Disney has not released any advisories or travel warnings. Their western Caribbean cruise does stop in eastern Mexico. So far, the swine flu in Mexico has not spread to this region, however, that's not to say that it couldn't in the next few days/weeks.
The Adventures by Disney itineraries for 2009 do not travel to the Mexico area.
As with all situations of this nature, Disney will likely be overly cautious and avoid the Mexico stop, should the disease move into that region. Until then, make sure if you're traveling anywhere internationally to keep an eye on all CDC travel recommendations. Currently, the CDC recommends against any non-essential travel to Mexico.
All cruise ships, including Disney's, have taken extreme precautions to ward off any diseases. These precautions have proven to be effective in mitigating all diseases aboard ship. In fact, all cruise ships that visit U.S. ports are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program.
Also, don't expect to be able to buy travel insurance for a Mexico vacation, at this time.
Chris Harvey, CEO of Squaremouth, America's fastest growing comparison web site for travel insurance advises travelers it's too late to buy travel insurance if you are concerned about swine flu. Think about it like hurricane insurance, Harvey explained. If you don't buy travel insurance before a storm receives its official name, you aren't covered for losses relating to that storm.
At this point, you need to follow CDC recommendations for safe travel, including washing your hands frequently, coughing into your sleeve or forearm, using a tissue when you sneeze (not a handkerchief), and avoiding people that appear symptomatic. Also, keep in touch with your travel agent, cruise line, or vacation destination to ensure that all precautions are taken and that no changes were made, due to the swine flu outbreak.
Yesterday, we talked about the new Treehouse Villas at Saratogas Springs Resort in Walt Disney World. These villas are part of Disney's Vacation Club.
Before the Treehouse Villas open, another new Vacation Club property will beat it to the punch by a month; the new Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Kidani Village, the second phase of Disney Vacation Club villas at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, scheduled to open May 1, 2009, features "intricate African-inspired details and home-like amenities, and most offer sweeping views of an expanded savannah inhabited by a variety of African animals."
We had the chance to visit the new villas, last week and they look amazing!
You can begin booking the new Treehouse Villas at Walt Disney World right now. The Villas will not be available for a vacation until June 1, 2009, but you can book your stay in the Villas, now.
Last week, we had the opportunity to see the Villas from the shuttle to Port Orleans-Riverside.
The 60 Treehouse Villas were constructed in a unique, 3-D puzzle fashion (leave it to Disney to find an innovative way to build a treehouse). This method of construction leaves a smaller footprint on the forest floor, lessening the environmental impact. The Villas sit 10 feet off the ground and accommodate 9 people in the 3 bedroom, 2 bath "house" with cathedral ceilings, granite countertops, and flat screen TVs.
If you're interested in booking these unique villas (even if you're not a member of Disney Vacation Club), they will be booking up very quickly. Contact our travel partner, Destinations In Florida, for more information.
Last week, we attempted to ride Disney World's newest attraction, the Characters In Flight balloon ride at Downtown Disney - Westside. The ride takes you up in a tethered hot air balloon to as high as 400 feet above Downtown Disney!
Unfortunately, due to Florida's spring storms, the testing phase had not been completed and the ride had not yet opened. One of the pilot's said he expected it to open sometime this week, however the storms and wind have continued this week.
The ride will cost $10 per child and $16 per adult and the number of passengers and height will depend on the wind speed, as you can see in the photo, below.
The "weather permitting" portion of the sign really says a lot about this ride. I would expect availability of the ride to vary GREATLY. With Florida's finicky weather patterns, this ride will likely experience sudden and frequent down times, as demonstrated in the testing phase, already.
The ride looks like a lot of fun and probably provides some amazing views of Downtown Disney, as well as the nearby resorts and probably the parks, at it's apex.
Once the ride opens, we will report back with some video and photos from the top!
Last Friday, Downtown Disney's newest store, Tren D, had their grand opening. The store has trendy fashions for women, all with that slight Disney touch.
As you walk in, you notice the amazing chandeliers hanging from the central ceiling that seem to go on, forever!
There are 85 of these beauties hanging from the ceiling!
I also noticed a LOT of hidden Mickey's in the store. I was only able to make a quick search, so I'm sure there's more to be found, but here's just a small sampling.
One of my favorite desserts of all time, anywhere is the chocolate souffle from the Palo restaraunt aboard the Disney Cruise.
I'm not even a big dessert fan and I find this souffle absolutely unreal. It just melts in your mouth. Just the right amount of rich flavor without being "too rich."
Now, it looks like I can try to make it at home! I love to cook, anyway, so why not? Here's the recipe, straight from the Disney Cruise News site:
Palo Chocolate Soufflé
(6 Servings)
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing the soufflé cups
6 tablespoons sugar, plus more for dusting the soufflé cups
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa
2 ounces (2/3 cups) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted
4 eggs, separated
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350. Set a full kettle of water on to boil.
Butter six 4-ounce soufflé cups and coat with sugar, set aside.
Bring milk to boil in a small saucepan. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cocoa to the butter and beat with a whisk until it has a smooth, paste-like consistency. Reduce heat and cook for 1 minute.
Slowly add hot milk, whisking until smooth, then blend in melted chocolate. Let cool for 5 minutes, then stir egg yolks.
Beat egg whites in separate bowl until frothy. Slowly add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time until glossy peaks form. Stir a heaping spoonful of egg whites into the chocolate, then fold in the remaining whites just until combined.
Pour the batter into prepared soufflé cups. Place cups in a large baking dish and add enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the soufflé cups.
Bake for 20 minutes. Serve immediately with warm vanilla sauce.
Palo Vanilla Sauce for Soufflé
Bring 1 1/4 cups heavy cream and 1/4 vanilla bean (split lengthwise) to a low boil in saucepan over medium heat.
Combine 3 tablespoons sugar and 2 small egg yolks.
Add 2 spoonfuls of boiling cream to egg mixture and stir well, then pour back into the remaining cream and continue to cook over low heat, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes.
