disney parks

DSC 1562 300x200 Rides at Disney World:  Rock n Roller Coaster Staring Aerosmith at Hollywood StudiosA highlight ride of Disney World’s Hollywood Studios is the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. This high-speed, high-action roller coaster is a favorite among coaster enthusiasts as well as Disney fans. Separating itself from the traditional roller coaster, the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith combines the speed and thrills of a coaster with a Disney-style light show and a driving soundtrack provided by Aerosmith. In keeping with the rock ‘n roll theme of the ride, the rider starts out in a ‘studio’ where he or she gets to meet the band, then is quickly ushered to a waiting limo for a high-speed ride through Los Angeles to the back stage of Aerosmith’s concert. The limousine-shaped cars of the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster are then launched from a dead stop to 60mph in less than three seconds. Once in motion, the thrills are non-stop as the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster goes through a series of twists, turns and corkscrews while Aerosmith tunes add the perfect background to your experience. As quickly as it started, the ride comes to a halt just in time for the Aerosmith show.

Disney World’s Hollywood Studios created the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith in classic Disney style, by seemingly making the impossible, possible. The entire roller coaster is contained indoors, with the track twisting and turning around itself. While the majority of the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster ride takes place in near total darkness, well-placed lighting highlight signs and visual effects along the route of travel, perfectly adding to the overall action of the ride. The Aerosmith soundtrack is delivered to the rider through perfectly-tuned speakers placed in the headrests of the individual seats and throughout each individual ‘limousine’. This provides a constant level of music for the rider to enjoy, while keeping it synchronized perfectly with the action of the coaster. Don’t be surprised if you don’t notice the quality of music the first time though, as the ride itself is very good at stealing your total attention.

DSC 1558 300x200 Rides at Disney World:  Rock n Roller Coaster Staring Aerosmith at Hollywood StudiosThe Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is billed as an action ride at Disney World’s Hollywood Studios, so there are certain precautions that should be taken before experiencing it. The Rock ‘n’ roller Coaster isn’t recommended for expectant mothers, very young children or people with heart, back or neck problems. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, make sure to check with a Disney World Hollywood Studios cast member before getting in line for the ride. Fastpass is available for this ride, and it’s located close to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, so thrill-seekers can enjoy both rides back to back.

Bringing it all together, the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith brings together the jolt of an aircraft carrier-style takeoff, the non-stop motion of a world class roller coaster and the music of Aerosmith to provide a total Disney World experience that will have you taking the ride over and over again.




Halloween in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

by DisneyWorld Fan Girl on October 28, 2008

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Most theme parks these days are extending their traditional summer time high times with holiday specials.  While parks in the northern states close for regular business by October, and only open for Halloween & Christmas on the weekends, Disney World of course is open year round, thanks to the beautiful sunny & warm weather Florida has to offer.

Disney’s Magic Kingdom does celebrate Halloween though!  Not with frightful ghouls and goblins, meant to scare visitors, like some theme parks have catered to.  Instead Disney allows visitors to purchase exclusive tickets for Halloween at the Magic Kingdom, where the younger guests won’t be so scared, and can trick or treat around the Magic Kingdom in their costumes with Mom & Dad.

On certain days during the months of September and October Disney’s Magic Kingdom shuts down to the general public at 7 p.m.  Once the gates shut, then the Halloween fun begins! Children are given special trick or treat bags, and the shops within the Magic Kingdom, along with characters and the staff all get into the spirit of Halloween with the children.  Disney’s “Not So Scary Halloween Party” is definitely a treat for the kids.
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From about mid-September until the end of October, the park is decorated in Halloween attire, too.  From the pumpkin statues that greet you as you enter the gates, to the staff’s very “Halloween Themed” uniforms, it’s easy to see that the Magic Kingdom goes all out for this fun holiday.  There’s even special character statues around the center garden area in front of Cinderella’s castle.  From Donald Duck, to Mickey & Minnie Mouse, each has it’s own bronze looking Halloween statue.

For the special Halloween entrance to Disney’s Magic Kingdom for Trick or Treating, check out the Disney World’s event page.




What Makes Up Disney World (Part 3)

by DisneyWorld Fan Girl on October 27, 2008

For the more active side of a family vacation, Walt Disney World can offer a lot!  From golf to baseball, hiking to racing a stock car, believe it or not, there’s a lot more to Walt Disney World than Flying Dumbo, Buzz Lightyear and Mickey Mouse.  In this 3rd and final part of “What Makes Up Walt Disney World“, we’ll take a look at the more “active” side of a vacation at the different attractions that make up Disney World.

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Disney’s Wide World of Sports:

Want to get your game on?  Well Disney’s Wild World of Sports is just the place to do it.  with over 220 acres of state of the art competition and training areas you can’t miss.  Disney’s Wild World of Sports includes a 9,500 seat baseball park, a field house, areas dedicated for softball, tennis, track & field, beach volleyball, baseball and a slew of other sports.  In the late winter and early spring, Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex is home to the Atlanta Braves as they go through training camp.  The only thing about Wide World of Sports to keep in mind is, unless you are coming to see a competition, the only way to use the facilities (paying of course) is scheduling  organized competition.

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Walt Disney World Speedway:

Got a need for speed?  Even when you are on vacation?  Well if you are itching to test out one of those NASCAR vehicles you see on Sunday’s, the Walt Disney World Speedway might be a great place to check out.  Here you’ll find the Richard Petty Driving Experience, where you can ride as a passenger in a 2 seater stock car, or if you’re up to the challenge you can drive a stock car for 8, 18, or 30 laps.  Course are by reservation only at this part of Disney, and you have to be 18 with a valid driver’s liscense to sign up.  Oh, and you better learn to drive a stick shift, too, otherwise, you’ll be in the passenger’s seat!

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Walt Disney World Golf:

Over the past few years, Walt Disney World Golf has been going under some changes.  At one time Disney had 6 golf course, now there’s 5.  Even more intriguing and old golf course will be replaced by a new one come 2010.  For now though the Magnolia, the Oak Trail, Lake Buena Vista Golf Course and the Palm are all unaffected.  Where visitors will see some major changes is over at Bonnet Creek Golf Club. Osprey Ridge is slated to close in 2010 to make way for a new course.  One thing visitors know is that all of these courses are expertly designed and meticulously maintained.  These course play host to the PGA Tour and the Children’s Miracle Network Classic.
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Disney Wilderness Preserve:

The only part of Disney World that isn’t exactly in Disney World, is the Disney Wilderness Preserve.  This real wetlands-conservatory is operated by The Nature Conservancy in conjunction with Disney.  The Disney Wilderness Preserve is about a 60 minute drive south of Walt Disney World, and has 12,000 acres dedicated to wet-lands.  For a step away from the theme parks, the Disney Wilderness Preserve offers hiking trails,  guided weekend outings and an interpretive center.




What Makes Up Disney World (Part 1)?

by DisneyWorld Fan Girl on October 11, 2008

The first time I went to Disney World, like most first time visitors, I constantly had to be correcting myself. I would refer to Disney’s Magic Kingdom as Disneyworld, when in fact Magic Kingdom, is just one of many parks that make up Disney World. Little did I realize just how huge Disney World really is! I wonder if Walt Disney really fathomed everything his dreams would become?

Disney’s Magic Kingdom

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This park is of course, Walt Disney’s original theme park in Florida. Based off of his original Disneyland (which opened in 1955) in California, Walt Disney scoured all of Florida to find the perfect spot for Disney World, long before it would open, and unfortunately something Walt never got to see. The oldest of all the Florida attractions, it opened in 1971, and has been the main place people think of when they talk about Disney World. Magic Kingdom features 5 areas, Fantasyland, Liberty Square, Tomorrowland, Mickey’s Toon Town, Frontierland and Main Street USA. Of course right in the middle of it all is the iconic and ever familiar Cinderella’s castle.

Disney’s Epcot

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Disney World’s Epcot theme park first opened 27 years ago in 1982, to a bevvy of buzz. EPCOT was something Walt Disney had dreamed of creating long before his death in 1966, but people wonder what does Epcot really mean?  Well it stands for “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow”.  The next question people usually ask is “What is that huge round silver ball at the entrance?”

The attraction that was the centerpiece of Epcot soon became the theme park’s icon. Spaceship Earth is one of the many attractions in the Futureworld section of Epcot that gives visitors a glimpse into what tomorrow might bring us. This section of Epcot is divided into “Innovations East” and “Innovations West”. For those who’d rather keep their feet on the ground, and yet feel like they are traveling a bit, Epcot features World Showcase which surrounds World Showcase Lagoon. The space of this section is 1.2 miles and features food and entertainment, along with attractions featuring such countries as Mexico, France, Italy, Germany, America and a lot more.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

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Originally opened in 1989 as Disney-MGM Grand Studios, this park invites visitors to step into the world of movie making and entertainment. From Narnia to ToyStory, Indiana Jones to Star Wars, and even fan of those old black and white movies, most visitor’s are likely to find a favorite section of Disney’s Hollywood Studios to make them feel like they can escape and enjoy for a while. At the center of it all is a giant replica of Mickey’s Magical Sorcerer’s Hat, but other sections of this theme park include: Hollywood Boulevard, Streets of America, Pixar Place and Sunset Boulevard.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

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The newest of the 4 major theme parks that are part of Disney World, opening in 1998, Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park is for those visitors that would love to have the experience of a safari, without the 10+ hour plane ride to get to Africa to do it. In size, Animal Kingdom is 5 times the size of Magic Kingdom. But don’t worry, most of the space in Animal Kingdom is reserved for our animal friends. When entering this theme park visitors are greeted with the Oasis area, but can then move on to Camp Minnie-Mickey, Discovery Island, Africa, Asia and last but not least Dinoland.

With four parks, you need more than a day to get to them all, but wait, those are just the theme parks, there’s even more to Disneyworld! Disney World includes water parks, sports complexes, shopping areas and a lot more. In part 2 of our series of “What Makes Up Disney World” we’ll be covering such other attractions as Typhoon Lagoo, Blizzard Beach, Downtown Disney, Disney’s Wide World of Sports and a bit more!