Transportation Station

After listening to myself prattle on about Disney transportation, I began to wonder what it is about Disney's transport system that is magical to me.

First, it's the choice. Want to take a boat somewhere? You can do that. Futuristic monorail? Yep. FREEZING COLD bus? Check.

Second, it's the cleanliness. Smells in Disney are one thing, but it's the lack of smell on Disney transportation that gets me. That piped in fresh air smell on the Disney boats? That's FRESH air! The overly clean/air conditioned smell on the buses? That's what clean smells like. And lastly, that smell on the Magical Express bus? Well, that's just magic.

Third, it's the audio. That's why I chose it for so many of my top five narrations! The bus narration still has that wrapping-on-the-Christmas-present feel to me. It's still new enough to be unique, and you know it will lead to something great. The monorail's audio is magic all its own, because most of your senses are being treated to something great.

Lastly, and I know that it's been a hot topic this past year, but it's the safety. I never feel like I'm in danger on a Disney monorail or bus. Once I'm in my seat, I close my eyes and relax. I'm either going to be having fun soon, or I'm going to collapse into my room soon. They promise to take care of me - and they deliver.

Alice, revisited & Stacey Wins

I saw Alice this weekend with my mom. I was not completely convinced that this one would be a winner. I'm not too into nonsense. I like sense.

But Alice's muchness won me over. I was impressed by the different scenes and the plot that eventually found its way through Underland. The thing about this movie is - it borders on becoming a movie that's not like we know it. It's a bit of abstract art; things don't have to make sense (and don't) for you to enjoy them. I didn't love every scene, but I was interested in every scene.

Mom loved it.

Part II

I don't read many blogs. I actually don't read any, except for this one and "Confessions of a Disney Nerd." Its writer, Stacey, posts pre- and post- trip reports in great detail, and she really sums up what a Disney World nerd loves about the entire planning process.

This week, Stacey won a 7 night trip to Disney World courtesy of Orbitz. All she had to do was tweet! I think it's cool that a real Disney fan won this one - and I can't wait to read all about it. Congrats, Stacey!

I Can't Wait for a Very Important Date

I can barely contain just how excited I am about this Friday's release of Alice in Wonderland. It is the culmination of all my favorite movie elements; Disney, Tim Burton, Johnny Depp and, of course the story itself, Alice in Wonderland. The Disney animated cartoon is one of my favorites of all time, I can't wait to see it in all of its live-action splendor! 
 
I'm not usually the advance-ticket-buying type, but I have my tickets ordered to see this on Friday, 3-D Imax style. I am anticipating all things wonderful and while I know this will be drastically different from the cartoon, I hope a few elements are still retained. These elements include but are not limited to: mome raths, the talking door knob (who is the only character that did not originate from the Lewis Carroll books), and Bill the lizard with a ladder. The mome raths, in particular, are such a minute part of the cartoon, but nevertheless I would love to see them in their 3-D glory, pointing the way for Alice. I would also like to see the Jabberwocky included, even though he does not appear in the animated classic from 1951.

Every time I get excited about this film, the naysayers remind me of 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Everyone hated it, and I didn't care for it much either. Can't we just put that movie behind us all? Sure, it wasn't as brilliant as the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory original with Gene Wilder; but what could be? I have faith that the Tim Burton and Johnny Depp one two punch can pull this one off.

Top 5 - Help Needed

Hi all -

As you know, we released our first ever Top 5 episode. We need help to make it have a unique spin (like we feel our typical review podcast has). What do you guys think? We need something that would be relatively quick (5 - 10 minutes), include 2 - 3 people, and yes - a top five list.

Any thoughts?

Hotel, Motel, Pop Century Inn

I'm usually a value resort kind of girl. Let's face it, I'm not a baller and a Disney World vacation in general pretty much drains my budget, especially since I now have a four-times-per-year-habit. I opt for the Pop because it is the best of the best as far as the value resorts are concerned. The biggest difference is that the other three, All Star Sports, All Star Music and All Star Movies all share busses. This can really add a chunk of time onto your trip to a park if you are the first stop and have to sit through a trip to two other resort hotels. Granted, the three All Stars are very close to one another, but if I have the choice of stopping at at least one other resort or stopping at none, you bet I will put my money on the Pop. I like the theming of Pop Century too, though I do wish that they would have continued to build up the other side of the Generation Gap bridge and let us see what the '20s, '30s and '40s would have looked like, Disneyfied.

I have stayed at a few moderate resorts in my day including Port Orleans Riverside and Caribbean Beach (before the pirate makeover). I definitely prefer Port Orleans Riverside to Caribbean Beach as far as theming and proximity to the parks go. Port Orleans Riverside has the looks and theming of a deluxe resort, and would be my pick for a moderate. I liked Caribbean Beach, don't get me wrong. I especially liked the manmade beach, sporting hammocks as far as the eye can see. It did not have the same charm as Port Orleans Riverside does, it's true I have not been back since the pirate overhaul, but I can't see how that could add a good dose of charm, maybe just a lot of fun and eye patches. Money is still key, though. For the time that I spend in my hotel while on a Disney vacation, I would rather skimp on the hotel and stay at Pop Century than splurge for even a moderate resort. Laugh if you will, but when you add it up, it becomes the difference between dining at counter service for most of my trip instead of sit-down restaurants, or taking a later, cheaper flight because I blew my budget on a hotel that I will only use to sleep (and maybe to build a little fort).

Finally, the big guns, the deluxe resorts. I know what you're thinking, no way this cheap-o has even breathed the same air as a deluxe resort. But you, my friend, are wrong. With someone else footing the bill, I have stayed at all three monorail resorts and The Yacht Club. I can definitely see why people lay out the dough to stay at these resort hotels, not only are they beautifully themed, but the convenience can really be worth the money (maybe in the low season). Of the three monorail hotels, I enjoyed the Polynesian the best. I did not stay in the main building, but in one of the offshoots and it felt like home. I could walk to the beach (hammocks again!), see the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom and both the Magic Kingdom and Epcot were only a short monorail ride away. Also, there were torches donning the footpaths at night and you know what I always say, you can't go wrong with torches. As for second place for the monorail resorts? I have to say it is a tie. I really loved the Grand Floridian but it felt, at times, like the guests were putting on airs because they were in a fancy Victorian Era-esque hotel. Give me a break, you're not in the real Victorian Era, you're in Disney World! I do have to say, though, I really enjoyed being able to walk to the Magic Kingdom, my favorite of the parks, and at times, I did enjoy the fanciness of it all. You can also easily walk to the Magic Kingdom from The Contemporary, which really comes in handy at park closing when thousands of people are exiting the park. After staying in both the main tower and one of the smaller buildings, I enjoyed the main tower more. It was always bustling and made you feel like you were really in the Contemporary. Heck, the monorail was stopped just a few floors below where I was sleeping, how cool is that?

The Yacht Club is up there with the Polynesian for being a really, really awesome deluxe resort. You can walk to two parks! Are you kidding me? Walk to two parks? That's right, I said you can walk to two parks! Holy moly, now that is awesome. Staying at the Epcot Resorts also allows you to use the World Showcase entrance to Epcot. This is extra convenient because the lines are so much shorter and you don't have to wait with all the rif raff from the Pop (just kidding, love you Pop! Call me!). It also blew my mind that you could so easily board a boat to Hollywood Studios if you didn't feel like taking that ten minute walk. You could walk to the boardwalk and visit all of the shops and see the street performers at night, too. There was not a moment of rest at The Yacht Club, there was always something new to do, that was really close by. This is definitely one of the more convenient hotels. Sure, it had the feeling of uppityness (especially that key-card-only-fifth-floor) but I could easily look past that for all it had to offer.

Someday, when money is not an issue, I would be happy to try out the other Epcot Resort hotels and give them a whirl. They are just so convenient and are removed from the hustle and bustle of the Magic Kingdom resort hotels. Don't get me wrong, I'll gladly stay at the Polynesian, Contemporary of the Grand Floridian again; I'm not picky but unless you're willing to pay for room and board, I'll stick with Pop Century for now.

Mr. Bluebird's on my Shoulder

Did you guys know that we have a Twitter account? If not, we don't blame you, it has been dormant for a little while. Anyhow, you can find us at www.twitter.com/fiveminutemagic and don't be afraid to follow us either. We have a lot of fun things to say.

Summer Nightastic!

I'm a little excited about Summer Nightastic. If you haven't heard, this is a new summer celebration of sorts occurring mostly in the Magic Kingdom.

Here are three of the main enhancements coming to the World:

- The Main Street Electrical Parade
- A new fireworks show (probably from Pirate and Princess Party)
- New effects/drop sequences on Tower of Terror

I like these because they are a little nod to Disney World fans who come down frequently. They are a change-up that everyone will be able to enjoy without worrying about being shut out or incredibly long lines. I think all three will make a trip a little special without removing any of the current magic.

I really hope these will be coupled with extended hours at the parks - some of my favorite memories are of the parks during evening Extra Magic Hours. Every ride is more fun after midnight (even Barnstormer!).

Summer Nightastic will work because it is not trying to do too much. It's not a lottery that will include some guests and not others (Year of a Million Dreams) and it isn't going to saturate the parks with "special" to the point where no one feels it (What Will You Celebrate?). It's just going to add a little pixie dust to the parks, and who can argue with that?