Conquer the Heat – The ‘Coolest’ Attractions Around

Guess what? Florida is hot. And that’s not going to change anytime soon. So until it does, here are some places for cooling off + relaxing in the parks.

Ellen’s Energy Adventure
Alright so maybe the jokes are a little corny, and maybe the effects are a tad outdated. But still this is the ultimate place to get refreshed.

Including the pre-show, it lasts an astonishing 45 minutes – giving you plenty of time to rest the weary leg muscles and soak up as much air conditioning as you can.

Spaceship Earth
Another long one here. Lasting about 25 minutes from start to finish, Spaceship Earth is a great relaxer. This ride also stops fairly frequently for handicapped guests, etc. so that might get you even more time to cool off.

If you’re bored one day, do what I do: just change the language and listen to the spiel in French, Spanish, or Portuguese. Very entertaining.

Club Cool
While not necessarily an “attraction”, Club Cool is located near the Fountain of Nations at Epcot.

Not only is it an indoor area where you can cool off for as long as you want, but also they have fountains of soft drinks from around the world – for free and with unlimited refills. It’s really one of the hidden gems at Epcot.

3D/4D Films
That’s right – Mickey’s PhilharMagic, It’s Tough to be a Bug, MuppetVision, & Honey I Shrunk the Audience Captain EO all last fairly long and are very cool. If you get my draft…er drift. Plus the wonderful smell of apple pie doesn’t hurt either!

Where do you go? Of course there are many more attractions and other places that are great for cooling off – what are your favorites?

Photo by janoimagine

Are You Ready to Resume? Here’s What We Missed

Thanks for sticking with me through the temporary hiatus on WDW Central. I appreciate your support and so you know, everything is back to normal!

In case WDW Central is your only source for Disney news (which would make me feel great, but is highly unlikely) – here’s a list of major news items that were skipped over due to our hiatus:

• EO is Back – In a not-so-surprising move by Disney, ‘Captain EO’ is returning to Epcot. No official word yet on where it will be located, but some speculate that it will replace ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!’. The return date is July 2.




• Toy Story Mania! Update – In late May the popular ‘Toy Story Mania!’ attraction at DHS will be getting its first update. The update will replace Bo Peep’s Baloon Pop with ‘Rex & Trixie’s Dino Darts’ featuring the new character Trixie from Toy Story 3.




• Disney’s Newest Resort Announced – With construction beginning this summer, Disney’s newest resort, ‘Art of Animation’ will be open by 2012. It will be located across the lake from Pop Century and will feature themes of movies like The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Finding Nemo and Cars. It’s planned to be a value resort due to the economic situation.




• This Changes Everything – A post by Van on Netcot a while back showed the incredible progress Disney is making in technology. In Disneyland they have been testing a Mickey Mouse character that actually blinks, talks, and completely interacts with the guests. I posted one of three videos below – for the other two, click here.

I think that about sums up all the news and exciting events missed during our hiatus! Thanks again for your patience, our tour is resuming immediately.

Photo by Joe Penniston

Disney’s Awesome Things #12: The Bilingual Ride Safety Spiels

#12 I think it’s fair to say that I’m completely obsessed with the Disney ride safety spiels – it’s always one of the main things I look forward to hearing when I arrive. When I hear it, I know I’m in Disney.

The Spanish parts are always my favorite, mainly because I find Spanish very interesting and actually know what they are saying. Look below for some Spanish spiels – as you might have not known what the words look like written out.

I find it amazing and extremely interesting that Disney somehow finds a way to take a generic safety spiel in English and Spanish and transform it – making it fit the theme of the current attraction. How clever is that?

Here’s some examples:

And now, a carriage approaches – taking you into the boundless realm of the supernatural. Once on board, remain safely seated with your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside. And, watch your children…please.

Un carruaje que se a se. Y ahora: permanezca sentado y mantengo las manos, brazos, pies, y piernas dentro de vehiculo. Y cuida los pequeñitos. ¡Y ahora – preparase!

Or maybe this one:

Ahoy, mateys! For your safety, remain seated with yer hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the boat. And no flash pictures. Prepare to make sail!

Para su seguridad, permanezca sentado con las manos, brazos, pies, y piernas dentro el barco. Y cuida sus niños. ¡Muchas gracias!

Or my personal favorite:

Attention, Expedition Everest team members, once on board, secure all gear in the cargo pouch in front of you – then, pull down on the restraint. For your safety, remain seated and keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the train – and watch your children.

¡Atención los miembros del equipo de Expedición Everest! Una vez a bordo, asegurar todas las artes en la sección de carga frente a usted. Entonces, baje el cinturón de seguridad. Para su seguridad, permanezca sentado con las manos, brazos, pies, y piernas dentro el tren. Y cuida los ninos. Gracias.

Am I weird for liking the safety spiels? Which one is your favorite? Should this even make the Awesome Things list? Let me know!

You should follow me on Twitter.

Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster Valleyed This Morning, in an Effort to “Keep up with Competition”

Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs purposefully allowed the popular Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster attraction in Disney’s Hollywood Studios to valley this morning.

In case you didn’t hear the news, Universal Orlando’s Rip, Ride, Rockit coaster valleyed yesterday and was forced to be shut down temporarily.

“In an effort to keep up with our toughest competition“, the chairman announced, “we had no other choice than to force Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster to valley as well.”

(When a coaster valleys, it can’t make it up a hill and rolls backwards back down).

Read more about this decision right here.

Photo by Scott9432