May 2016 BOATRIDE Club Fleet-Up

by John Commentary, Community, Featured, Magic Kingdom, Uncategorized

In late June of 2013, the TouringPlans podcast network introduced me to a new (to me) Disney World-centric podcast, Mighty Men of Mouse. It featured three guys from Rhode Island, talking about Disney World, statistical analysis, and a little bit of Boston sports. I was hooked. I listened to the show’s entire back catalog and I declared it my favorite Disney Podcast. Since then, Elyssa and I have become friends with show hosts Russ, Kip, and Dutch, and even appeared on the show a couple of times. Through interactions Twitter and a series of Disney-related drafts , we’ve become part of a larger community that Russ, Kip, and Dutch have built, the BOATRIDE Club (hat tip to the Bullet Club.)

During Elyssa’s and my various trip to Disney World, we’ve met up with locals like Gosh and The Admiral (and their lovely wives, Carye and Kristi.) We’ve even run into fellow BOATRIDE Club members like Howie from Maryland while traveling to other parts of the country. But we’ve never had a situation where other BOATRIDE Club members planned specific trips to Disney World so we could all be together. That changed this past weekend.

In order to satisfy my “I have to go to Disney World every 4-5 months to stay alive” requirement, Elyssa agreed to a weekend trip during the heart of wedding season if I would be okay with her doing some photography work while on the trip. Around that same time, Wes was also planning a trip to Disney World and we suggested that we try to get those trips to align. It wasn’t much longer before Howie also committed to joining us. Throw in locals Eric and Josh, and we had the makings for a pretty nice BOATRIDE Club “fleet-up” (term credit to Eric.)

Elyssa’s and my first fleet-up event was saying hello to Eric on arrival night, followed by closing down the Magic Kingdom with Wes during the After Dark even. That was followed up by a safari with Howie and Wes on Friday morning, dinner at Via Napoli with Howie, Wes, and Josh on Friday night, and then drinks with Howie, Lite ‘Em and Brandon Glover at Jock Lindsey’s to close out the day. Saturday we got to see the child-like (?) excitement of Howie getting to see Captain Phasma in person, including epic “behind the scenes” periscopes of the event by Wes. The main event, however, was the epic Whispering Canyon dinner with Howie, Wes, Josh, Carye, Eric, and Kristi. We talked over beers and skillets. We joked about Josh’s punctuality (or lack there of), and truly converted friendships that developed online to friendships that existed “IRL”.

We followed up the skillet meal as only BOATRIDE club members could, with rides on Pirates and Splash. 8 friends, filling the 8 seats in one of Disney’s signature (boat)ride vehicles. All of us brought together because 3 guys in Rhode Island started talking about Disney World and putting it on the Internet.

The MMoM listener community is one of those things that’s good about the Internet. It consists of people who are friendly and supportive, even during tough times. Elyssa and I feel lucky to have found it, and even luckier to be included as such a part of it. I am sure we are not alone when we say a huge “Thank you” to Russ, Kip, and Dutch for what they have built.

NOTE: If you’re thinking your late October calendar looks suspiciously devoid of Disney World trips and that you need to correct that, drop Elyssa or me a line. Maybe we can try to do something like this again.

Thoughts from a Whirlwind Weekend Trip to Disney World

by John Animal Kingdom, Commentary, Dining, Disney Springs, Epcot, Featured, Magic Kingdom

If you were following along with either my or Elyssa’sTwitter accounts this past weekend, you know that we had a whirlwind trip down to Disney World. Here are some initial thoughts:

Magic Kingdom After Dark was Awesome: Even though Elyssa and I walked in a couple of minutes after 11, we had a fantastic time at this event. We rode Winnie the Pooh, Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Splash, Big Thunder (Elyssa rode BOTH Splash and Thunder!), Haunted Mansion, Pan, Mine Train, Under the Sea, Mad Tea Party (all 3 of us in 1 cup), Buzz, and met Mickey. We walked onto everything but Mickey (where we waited for about 10 minutes.) My only regret is that we didn’t eat more free ice cream. Overall, this event was well worth the $75 per person we spent, and I would love to do it again. (And, yes, I know that’s not the real name for the event.)
Mickey is adorable in his safari gear
Tusker House is always Great (Even after only 3 Hours of Sleep): Elyssa and I love breakfast at Disney World, and one of our favorite places is Tusker House. As we’ve said before, it seems to have higher quality food than other Disney World breakfast buffets, and the character interactions have almost always been fantastic. Even Kilimanjaro Safaris being down with “technical difficulties” when we finished didn’t damper our enjoyment of the morning. (Thankfully, Safaris opened right around the time of our Fastpass+ window.)
The Boardwalk is Pretty Great if You Like Ice Cream: If you remember the famous easyWDW YOU WILL LOSE MEMBERS!! post, you know there was some outrage when they closed Seashore Sweets (including the thought there was no ice cream in the Boardwalk area anymore.) Well, as major fans of Beaches & Cream, Elyssa and I were always fine with grabbing a No Way Jose as our ice cream item of choice (we did that on this trip, too), but Ample Hills Creamery now provides another option. The ice cream at Ample Hills is fantastic, with some unique flavor choices (I went with the coffee toffee coffee / chocolate milk and cookies combo), but you do pay for the quality. The 2 cups of ice cream that Elyssa and I got cost more than a No Way Jose (combined, obviously).
Joy & Sadness!!

There is a Stark Contrast between the crowds at the booths at Flower & Garden compared to Food & Wine: (Feel free to make your “Stark” / Game of Thrones joke here.) When you go to Food & Wine, you have to get there right when they open at 11:00am if you want to “guarantee” that you won’t have super long waits. At Flower & Garden, it was rare to even see a line at the booths (even on a Friday night.) Though I had done some research into what was being offered, I ended up deciding that I would rather just spend my money other ways than on the “outdoor kitchens.” I know people say Flower & Garden has become a “mini-Food & Wine”, but I just didn’t get that vibe. (EPCOT AISDE: The Joy & Sadness meet-and-greet is pretty awesome. Highly recommended.)

Just like I get in my mall food court
Disney Springs is a Really Nice Place to Visit and It Keeps Improving: The “it’s just mall” take is weak and tired. We get it, there’s an Under Armour store at Disney Springs and there’s one at your favorite mall. Cool. Now leave so I can enjoy the ambiance, great places to eat, and the Disney-specific shopping that is also at Disney Springs without you taking up space. I’m fine with people saying Disney Springs is “not for them”, but you’re doing a disservice to people who are planning their Disney World tip if you just dismiss it out of hand. Places like the BOATHOUSE and Jock Lindsey’s offer a chance to relax, have a drink, or get a pretty decent meal in a nice setting that doesn’t require theme park admission (The BOATHOUSE filet sliders are still a great value, and I keep waiting for them to raise the price by like $5 one night), and the construction isn’t even done yet. I think when construction is finally completed, Disney Springs really is going to be a place a majority of people are going to want to visit on their vacations. (DISNEY SPRINGS ASIDE: The 3 Little Pigs Sampler at B.B. Wolf’s was fantastic.)

There was one other big part of the trip for Elyssa and me: The BOATRIDE Club “fleet up” (term credit to friend of the site Eric Laycock). That, however, deserves its own write-up (which I’ll hopefully get to later this week.)

Meanwhile, at Disney World

by John Epcot, The Studios

We’re trying to a little something different and posting some trip photos on the site during the trip. These are different than the ones Elyssa and I have been posting on social media, so enjoy!

Tons of New Announcements, but we’re at Disney World!

by John Epcot, Meta, Walt Disney World

There were a bunch of new announcements today, including that from May 27 through June 17, you’ll be able to see classic Soarin’ at Epcot and that Frozen Ever After will open June 21 (comments on the post seem to indicate that Anna & Elsa will be stand-by only ?!?!?). Though I would love to write things up in more detail, Elyssa and I are currently at Disney World, so I’ll point you to this post over at easyWDW with a summary of all the new stuff taking place this summer at Disney World.

Oh, and in case you were worried, we’re having an okay time down here:

News Nuggets from Around Disney World

by John Disney Springs, Epcot, Events, Holidays, Magic Kingdom, The Studios, Walt Disney World

It may seem like you just had a large helping of News Nuggets, but the Disney World news has been coming hot and heavy for the past week or so. Sounds like it’s time for another order!

Here are the latest Rope Drop [dot] Net News Nuggets:

Name and Possible Theme Revealed for New Vacation Club Resort at Wilderness Lodge – There have been rumors for awhile that this would be a new Wilderness Lodge condo association, and this adds more fuel to that fire. I wonder how long before they are on sale.
Amorette’s Patisserie Opens May 15 at Disney Springs – The Goofy cake looks amazing.
Disney Now Offering Weddings in Front of Cinderella Castle – These weddings start at $75,000. That’s quite a bit of cash. Here’s a video preview from the DIS if you’re interested. – AT THE END!!!!
Goodbye Earffel Tower – The Earful tower at Hollywood Studios is officially no more. The park, it is a changin’.
Authentic Details Bring to Life Pandora — The World of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – The touches Disney is bringing to Pandora are pretty impressive. I do fear, however, that all these new features might result in even more time delays. (SIDENOTE: It’s super confusing that Avatarland is called “Pandora” while Pandora, the jewelry company, sponsors so much at the Magic Kingdom.)
runDisney Virtual Race Series – I know it’s probably a little silly, but I’ve already signed up for or this.
Disney After Hours Event Now Discounted for Annual Passholders and DVC Members – At $75 a person, this was pretty much a no-brainier purchase for Elyssa and me. We’ll have our thoughts on the actual event in another couple of weeks.
Disney World Early Morning Magic – Fantasyland Review – IS IT WORTH IT? – Speaking of “things that are worth it”, Josh at easyWDW has an excellent write up about the value of the Extra Morning Magic event.
Visit Olaf ‘In Summer’ at the All-New Celebrity Spotlight at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Putting Olaf in a different park than Anna & Elsa is a brilliant move to spread people out. That said, this will be a good test to see how much people still have Frozen “fever”.
Tutto Italia at Epcot Offering Prix-Fie Lunch this Summer – This is kind of “meh” for me. It looks like an okay deal for the price, but I’m not usually eating lunch at Epcot at all. I guess I’ll wait until I see some actual (paying for the meal) reviews before I make a final decision.
“Frozen” Games Coming to Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park – This is nice if you’re going to Blizzard Beach anyway, but is it really going to draw people there?
“Star Wars Celebration” event heading back to Orlando in 2017 – Cool news. Unfortunately, this timing (in between Wrestlemania & Star Wars: Dark Side) means that it’s unlikely that Elyssa and I will be going (unless we just decide to spend the whole month in Orlando).
“Whoopie Pies” a sweet new selection at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – I don’t know what these are, but these are not whoopie pies. I’m from Maine, the official home of the whoopie pie.
New Hollywood Minnie Mouse & Sorcerer Mickey Meet & Greet at The Studios – The space looks pretty cool. I especially like Mickey’s “castle” set.
Sneak Peek Inside Ample Hills Creamery on Disney World’s BoardWalk. – A nice photo preview of the soon-to-be opened ice cream shop from the Disney Food Blog. They also predict a May 15 opening.
Tiered pricing for Mickey’s Not So Scary and Very Merry Christmas. – The lower-priority parties didn’t change that much, but some of the more sought after dates went up significantly (and don’t allow AP or DVC discounts.) Unfortunately, if you’ve already planned your vacation (as a lot of people have, since it’s less than 6 months out), you’re kind of just stuck with that pricing.
Valet parking lot at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge to be relocated – This makes sense. The valet lot at this resort always seemed fairly empty.
Happy HalloWishes Premium Package Being Offered for 2016 Halloween Parties at Magic Kingdom – A $70 dessert party along with a $105 special event ticket is pretty steep.
Morimoto Street Food reopens this weekend. – It’s supposed to have a new, expanded menu, and covered seating. It might end up being quite the nice spot to relax.
Get a free cupcake when Sprinkles at Disney Springs opens on May 15 – Sign-up for Sprinkles member perks program, get a free cupcake. Seems pretty simple.
A Bundle of New Tastes Debut May 15, at Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort – I am really excited to try D-Luxe Burger and B.B. Wolf Sausage. They seem right up my alley as Disney Springs additions.
New Stage Show for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party – They added the Hocus Pocus show to Mickey’s Not So Scary last year, so it makes sense they’d update Mickey’s Very Merry this year.

Even though it’s not really our beat, we’ll end with a couple of videos from Shanghai Disney. First the TRON coaster:

And this one of Shanghai’s version of Pirates of the Carribbean:

Rumors are that this is the BOATRIDE system that will be used in the new Pandora BOATRIDE. Hopefully, that ride will be as impressive as this version of Pirates is.