I’m going to Orlando, FL for a couple days next week so I am going to Disney World. I have never been there before. Got any advice for me? I am an adult man in my mid 30’s, but a kid at heart. I won’t have any kids with me.
Be sure to STAY IN YOUR SEAT on all the rides!
Personally, I prefer EPCOT to the Magic Kingdom, tho I did enjoy MK with my kid when she was little…
The weather has been glorious - hope it holds for you!
Go to Pleasure Island, if you have the chance. It’s sort of “Disneyworld for adults.” Very cool theme bars/restaurants, good bands, etc. I especially remember the “Adventurer’s club” theme bar. It’s an Indiana-Jones type place, with animal heads and all sorts of cool stuff on the walls. Very much fun!
Disneyworld itself: Check out Space Mountain, if you like rollercoasters. Very much worth the long wait. You also might want to pick up one of the guide books for Disney World for adults - a search on Amazon for “Disney World Adults” brings up several books.
Also think about going to Epcot Center rather than Disney World, if you have to choose one or the other. I’d go to Epcot over Disney. Much more adult-oriented cool stuff.
Bring lots and lots of money, and avoid anybody offering free tickets or discount tickets - they’re trying to sell you a time share.
As a resident of the town the Mouse built up…
Definitely EPCOT, and definitely NOW! The Annual walk-around-pay-three-bucks-at-20-more-temporary-countries-and-stuff-yerself-on-little-tidbits-til-yer-too-full-to-walk-noshfest (formally known as the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival) is in progress until November 19 (IIRC - I’ll doublecheck this). The wines are wonderful, and I have the whole collection of recipe cards. They have guest speakers and seminars (I missed the day Bobby Flay was there).
If the Coca-cola pavilion is still up…
Near the main fountain (behind Spaceship Earth) find the large plastic iceberg - this has a free sample bar of Coca-cola products from around the world, including China (kind of a watermelon-y taste) and Mexico (can’t descibe it, but yummy). DO NOT drink the one from Italy (called ‘Beverly’, for some reason) unless you want this vile aftertaste coating the inside of your mouth for days. I am not kidding. I have seen normally common-sensed and polite people spit this on the floor immediately upon tastebud contact. Better yet, give it to someone you do not like. You have been warned.
Bring a video camera and make sure you stay for the Millenium parade. I am usually blase and jaded about special effects and glitter and hype, but even I have to admit this is one of Disney’s better efforts.
I agree with Athena on ‘Pleasure Island’ and the ‘Adventurer’s Club’. Also, get to the Comedy Warehouse [Improv Shows], especially for a later show, especially if Phillip Nolen is performing. Earlier shows tend to have more kids in the audience. The performers are great, and skits depend on the audience’s suggestions, but I have left there in pain from laughing so hard.
Listen to SouthernStyleand STAY IN YOUR FLIPPIN’ SEAT. I am waiting for more reports on the idiot who got out of his seat on Splash Mountain yesterday in the middle of the ride and was run over by another boat. Died this morning at Celebration Hospital. Details are sketchy at this time.
Contact me off the board so I do not take up all the available space. (I can warn you about road construction, ride closings, good/bad restaurants.) Also, if you’re in town that evening, November 21 is the South Central Florida Dopefest in Tampa (1 hour SW of Disney) - the thread is in MPSIMP somewhere under Cyndar’s name.
Thanks for the advice so far! Keep it coming. Epcot sounds better than Disney. Here is the fatal accident at Disney people are talking about:
http://www.channel3000.com/sh/news/stories/nat-news-20001105-163746.html
Man Dies On Disney World’s Splash Mountain
Victim Apparently Jumped Off Ride
ORLANDO, Fla., Updated 6:50 a.m. EST November 6, 2000 – A man died Sunday at a popular Walt Disney World attraction.
The link does not work.
Hmm…it works for me. Sorry screech.
http://www.channel3000.com/sh/news/stories/nat-news-20001105-163746.html
William Pollack, 37, was struck by a boat when he apparently tried to get out of his own boat on the Splash Mountain flume ride. The ride is in the Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland.
The accident happened around 2 p.m. Sunday in a calm part of the ride. Pollack was airlifted to Celebration Hospital, and pronounced dead just minutes later.
The Orange County sheriff’s office knows that the man got off the ride on his own, but they do not know why.
Disney spokesperson Rena Callahan said that Pollack had been visiting the park with friends for the day, and had not been staying at a Disney resort.
“Clearly this is a tragic event and our hearts do go out to the family and friends of this person,” she said.
Disney set up counseling services for guests and castmembers who witnessed the accident.
Pollack, who lived in St. Petersburg, Fla., was visiting Disney World with friends.
Splash Mountain reopened Monday after it was declared safe by ride engineers. They determined that the ride did not malfunction.
I’ll give another vote for Epcot. Yes, the Food and Wine Festival is going on right now and I think I’m going this coming Saturday night. I went to MGM Studios at Disney Saturday; don’t waste your money. Other than the Indiana Jones stunt show, there was nothing worth seeing; There is the haunted house and tower of terror, but Mr. Golf wouldn’t go on it (the elevator “drops” 13 floors).
And I also give another vote for Pleasure Island and Downtown Disney. The Adventurer’s Club in Pleasure Island is quite entertaining (a lot going on).
If you have any questions, please let me know and please feel free to e-mail me. I am lucky enough to have a Disney annual pass so I go almost every weekend and I also have an apartment in Celebration (which is a neighborhood on Disney property).
MGM is also fun. Tower of terror, Rock -n - rollercoaster.
Gee, I seem to be in the minority. EPCOT just wasn’t all that great for me. Mr. Sunshine and I were mostly bored. (Although the Coca-Cola thing was really nifty, and we had some kick-ass snow cones in Japan, and the ride in Norway was pretty fun) I think the problem was that we’d both already been to all the countries represented at EPCOT, and well, once you’ve seen the real thing…doesn’t compare.
And, my HUGE gripe about EPCOT was the ride that is inside that big ball, Spaceship Earth, I believe it’s called. I’ve wanted to ride this thing my WHOLE life, even though I never knew what the ride was really “about”. Well, guess what? It’s an advertisement for MCI. The ridiculous thing is one of those interminably slow-moving rides that goes so slow it doesn’t even have to stop to let you on…anyway, it’s all about the “History of Communication” and they start off showing you cavemen writing on the wall, invention of the printing press, telephone, t.v…etc, etc. Then you get to the present and they tell you all about the wonderful things MCI is doing for you right now! Why, there’s no reason you wouldn’t want to sign up with MCI as soon as you get off this insipid “ride”! And then you get to see the FUTURE of communication, all of which, naturally, will be brought to you by the lovely people at MCI. Look what you will be able to buy just as soon as we can get it on the shelf! See how great we are?
Grrr. I was so disappointed with that thing. And now I hate MCI for ruining my childhood dream. In fact, a lot of the big “rides” are “sponsored” by major corporations and I felt they were all just advertisements.
However, grudgingly, I will tell you that if you have a spare day, go check it out. Same with Animal Kingdom. That’s basically a big zoo, and the “Safari” attraction is not the kind of thing where you drive around and look at wild animals in their natural habitat–it’s like the “Jungle Ride” where your truck is on a track and there’s a “story” where you’re looking for poachers, etc…and you might actually see some live animals laying in the shade but it’s doubtful.
Now, as for the Magic Kingdom, LOVE IT! I recommend that you stick around at night for the Main Street Electric Light Parade. It was a little hokey but really neat. We watched it both times it was on the two nights we were there. Anyway, just me and the Mr. went and it was great fun for adults with no kids.
One last thing: The Tower of Terror at MGM was without doubt, by far the most fun, coolest, scary, excellent ride I have EVER been on, and that includes the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. Don’t miss it! And while you’re there, watch the water & light show they do every night. That was really awesome.
Minor quibble here: “Walt Disney World” is the name for the entire complex. Since the Magic Kingdom is the oldest park, people got into the habit of calling IT “Disney World” and referring to the rest of the parks (Epcot, Disney/MGM and Animal Kingdom) as if they were someplace else. (There are also three water parks, but I think only one is open at this time of year.)
The story of the man who died, as it appeard in the Orlando Sentinel, included this interesting tidbit:
It doesn’t mean, of course, that the rides are death traps and, like the most recent one, it’s usually the riders’ fault. Still, it doesn’t do much for their image to be so secretive.
Me Too! Me Too! We’re going this weekend, it’s my son’s first time. Take it from someone who has gone to WDW every year since 1977. Don’t follow the herd, get there early and walk to the left! Remember… please gather all packages, take small children by the hand and watch your head and step.
Use Fastpass every chance you get.
Feel free to email me. Since my wie worked there for 2 years I know all sorts of stuff. Let me know if you want to know the stuff that helps tourists or if you want to know all of the deep, dark secret things.
Okay, I guess living just down the street from the parks, I take them for granted.
Animal Kingdom was pretty cool - except the day we went most of the animals were hiding, except for an elephant that was pushing over a tree. Now THAT was COOL!! The ‘Lion King’ and ‘Pocahantos’ shows are pretty good, and don’t miss the bird show. The safari ride is educational - there is a field guide on the back of the seat in front of you with the word “LION” and a picture of a …“LION”!
‘Natural things do happen…’ story
We were walking by the Galapagos Tortoise enclosure and heard this weird noise:
‘uuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnhhhhhhhhhhhhh’
<pause>
‘uuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnhhhhhhhhhhhhh’
<pause>
‘uuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnhhhhhhhhhhhhh’
<pause>
‘uuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnhhhhhhhhhhhhh’
<pause>
‘uuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnhhhhhhhhhhhhh’
<pause>
“Must be a problem with the PA system”
Couldn’t find the tortoises anywhere, but there were some really big rocks in the enclosure.
“That’s a big rock.”
“No, that’s two rocks next to each other.”
“No, that’s a turtle climbing the over the rock.”
Then the rock on the bottom grunted.
“No, that’s a turtle climbing on the other turtle.”
“But why…”
<*>
“Oh, they’re mating.”
Happens a lot at the park.
It was just like watching Dicovery Channel.
As a resident here in Mouseland you definently have to Listen to THE DREW GARABO SHOW on Real Radio 104.1
He is friggin Hilarious and he is always telling people where the happening clubs are every night of the week
He in on Mon- Fri 7-11pm, and its the best to listen to.
And I am not one for talk radio but this show has me cracking up laughing.
Kinda like the Howard Stern show,but better and with prank phone calls.
LOL, the exact same thing happened to me at the D.C. Zoo many years ago, when I was about 10 years old (old enough to know what was going on.) Except we didn’t have get to the turtle enclosure to hear it, you could hear it about 3 blocks away 
Mandi, you live in Celebration too?