Walt Disney World debuts Summer Nightastic! Fireworks Spectacular

by Leigh Caldwell on

Walt Disney World‘s newest fireworks show, the Summer Nightastic! Fireworks Spectacular, opened this weekend at the Magic Kingdom.

The show replaces the popular “Wishes” nighttime entertainment at Walt Disney World for a limited summer run.

When I went to see the show on its opening night, I was worried. I’m a sucker for fireworks, but I was such a big fan of the “Wishes” show and soundtrack that I was afraid the evening would end in disappointment.

The score includes classic Disney tunes, as well as newer music from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie soundtracks. The show is hosted by the Fairy Godmother and other “famous fairies” in the Disney stable.

There’s a recurring fight between Fauna and Merryweather over the color that the fireworks should be (“Pink,” “Blue,” “Pink,” “Blue…”), just like the magical fight they had over the color of Aurora’s birthday dress in “Sleeping Beauty.”
Capt. Hook and his pirates arrive to lay siege to Cinderella Castle until a familiar fairy — Tinkerbell — shows up to save the day.

Disney promised “dazzling effects” for this new fireworks show, and they delivered. The cannon battle for the castle is particularly impressive, with smoke that obscures it and the reflection of a skull-and-crossbones flag denoting that the pirates have taken over Walt Disney World’s most famous landmark.

Disney’s typical fireworks show happens over and behind Cinderella Castle, which means you really need to be in front of the castle to get the full effect. And you know what else that means: The areas of the park in front of the castle get crowded with what seems like the entire global population in the 30 minutes before the show begins.

Bigger displays that happen around the park — dubbed “perimeter fireworks” — were reserved for special events, such as the Fourth of July and Halloween. But the Summer Nightastic! fireworks will have perimeter fireworks every night.

They are cooler, of course, because at certain points in the show you have fireworks exploding in a circle surrounding. And they give you a chance to be cooler, too, because you can see them from just about anywhere in the Magic Kingdom and there’s no need for the larger summer crowds to all pack in one spot in the Florida heat.

The Summer Nightastic! Fireworks Spectacular runs nightly through Aug. 14 at Walt Disney World.

Hundreds stranded by malfunctioning monorail at Disney World

by Katie Hammel on

Disney World is supposed to be the “happiest place on earth”, but for about 300 people who were trapped on the monorail when three trains broke down early Sunday morning, it was probably anything but.

The system suffered a power outage brought on by a failed hard drive around 1am on Sunday. The Magic Kingdom had been open late, and the trains were carrying the last of the park’s visitors back to parking lots and other resorts. Three of the trains were not in stations at the time of the outage, so passengers had to wait for almost three hours in hot train cars until help arrived.

Firefighters used ladders to get the stranded riders down. While a spokeswoman for Disney World apologized to the guests who got stuck, it seems the incident was a minor one. No injuries were reported in the shut down and trains were back up and running by the time the park opened on Sunday morning.

I’m sure sitting in a hot monorail car for three hours is no fun, but there are worse places to get stranded in Disney World. Who hasn’t had a nightmare about breaking down on the Small World ride and being force to listen to that song over…and over…and over again? At least the stranded passengers can be thankful that wasn’t their fate.

[via Chicago Tribune]

Where Disney and real nature meet

by Jamie Rhein on

There’s the Enchanted Tiki Room version of the bird world found in the Magic Kingdom of Walt Disney World. This is a place where mechanical birds talk and sing. Then there is Disney World’s real bird world. These are not the birds put here on purpose as part of an exhibit, but birds that just show up. These birds don’t talk, at least not in human speak, but they do sing.

When I was at Disney World winter before last, I wasn’t paying attention to the real bird kingdom while I was hoofing it between attractions in the Magic Kingdom. According to this article in the Dallas Morning News, the lakes in Disney World’s parks attract migrating birds. They stop here for a rest during their journey between South and Central America and points north. Some birds like Florida so much, they use Disney World’s parks as nesting grounds. As the article points out, 45 square miles of Disney World are protected for wildlife.

The best place to bird-watch is at Seven Seas Lagoon, Bay Lake and on the Maharajah Jungle Trek in the Animal Kingdom. It’s not uncommon to see exotic birds hanging out with the other wild life. The photo by Conspiracy of Happiness is of a pair of white ibis at Bay Lake.

Here are some other birds to look for: Sarus cranes, mallard ducks, egrets, and herons. When you’re packing for your Disneyland experience, tuck in a bird guide and binoculars. While you’re waiting in line, birdwatching might be something to do. It’s also free. For the tiki tiki tiki tiki tiki room song, click here, although something funky is going on at the end of it.

Disney World Insider Tips

by Jamie Rhein on

A month ago, when gaddling blogger Dave Luna mentioned he was going to Disney World, he received some terrific advice. Now that Spring Break season is here, I’m adding tips from a friend of mine who lives in Orlando. Last Christmas Day when I headed to the Magic Kingdom with my two children (a 14 year-old and a 5 year-old) and my father to see what we could in 10 hours, we tried his recommendations. They seemed to work.

Tip #1. Go Left. When there are two lines, go left. He said most people go right. Our longest wait? 35 minutes for Space Mountain.

Tip # 2. Start at the back of the park and work your way to the entrance. Most people start at the entrance and work towards the back. Space Mountain was our last ride. It’s at the front. My dad and son actually went on next door’s Buzz Light Year again while my daughter and I were on Space Mountain. That line was 20 minutes.

Other tips: Rent a stroller before the entrance gate to avoid a long line once inside. Just show your receipt at the strollers and you’re off. If it’s going to rain, buy rain ponchos early. You might be wearing one for five hours. We did and they lasted. If it’s raining lightly, go on Aladdin’s Carpet ride. The line will be non-existent and since you’ll be wearing your poncho, you’ll stay dry.

Also, get FAST PASS tickets to cut down wait times. These passes are free and reserve ride times. Each ride has a FAST PASS dispenser at the ride’s entrance. We did this for Splash Mountain and it worked great. We sped to the front when it was our turn. Plan a strategy though. We never made it on the Peter Pan ride. By the end of the day, the line was 80 minutes (it’s at the back of the park) and the FAST Pass ticket when we thought about getting one was for three hours later. We were in our car by then.

Last tips: Be prepared to say “NO.” Every themed ride ends in a gift shop. Our meltdown came at Pirates of the Caribbean. Also, don’t let anyone talk you into leaving before the fireworks. They are spectacular, even if they fill the park with smoke. For more tips courtesy of the Magic Kingdom, click Read.