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Alright so maybe the jokes are a little corny, and maybe the effects are a tad outdated.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

Disney’s Awesome Things #17: Zipping Along the People Mover

#17Many argue that it’s the intense rides that make Disney. I beg to differ. While those are fun, it’s definitely the peaceful relaxing attractions that you’ll enjoy most. For instance, the TTA.

Say whatever you want about how awesome Tower of Terror or Space Mountain is – but I’ll be completely satisfied on the zippy Tomorrowland Transit Authority, aka the People Mover.

It’s almost as if all your cares go down the drain as you are zipping along the twisty magnetic track observing the crowds, lines, and rides. And the fact that it’s half air-conditioned doesn’t hurt either.

It’s a blast through the future and an awesome attraction that should never be missed.

“Paging Mr. Morrow – Mr. Tom Morrow. Your party from Saturn has arrived. Please give them a ring.”

Photo by Joe

In Depth: The Complexity and Technical Genius Behind Theme Park Music

I love Disney theme park music. In fact it’s most definitely the “genre” of music that fills the most space in my iPod. And the sad part is, it plays constantly all day with little to no recognition.

So here’s a little info about the music geniuses behind it all and a quick showcase of the awesome music itself.

Bruce Broughton

Bruce Broughton is one of the creative minds behind the music heard in the theme parks. More specifically, he was the composer for the following:

• O Canada! Film – 2007 Arrangement (World Showcase, Epcot)
• Spaceship Earth (Future World, Epcot)
• One Man’s Dream (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
• Ellen’s Energy Adventure (Future World, Epcot)
• Honey, I Shrunk the Audience! (Future World, Epcot)
• The Timekeeper (Extinct – Tomorrowland, Magic Kingdom)
• The Making of Me (Extinct – Future World, Epcot)

These are arguably some of the best themes in the parks. Spaceship Earth, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience are some of my all-time favorites.

Sherman Brothers

Another theme park legend (among other things) here, Robert and Richard Sherman are responsible for so many catchy themes of the theme parks. There include:

• “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” (Carousel of Progress, MK)
• “It’s a Small World” (it’s a small world, Magic Kingdom)
• “One Little Spark” (Journey Into Imagination, Epcot)
• “Chim Chim Cher-ee” (Great Movie Ride, DHS)
• “The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room” (Enchanted Tiki Room, Magic Kingdom)
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (All Songs)

As a matter of fact it was “One Little Spark” that made me realize the complexity of the theme park music. I posted this on #ConfessFriday on Twitter one day. I got back a couple of responses, but one that stood out to me was by @ThemeParkDaily who said this:

“Not nerdy at all, lots of Disney Park music is technically brilliant.”

Very true, I think. Now let’s take a look at our final composers.

Xavier Atencio + Buddy Baker

More commonly known as “X” Atencio, he and Baker composed one of my favorite tunes and rides – “Grim, Grinning Ghosts” in The Haunted Mansion. X also wrote the lyrics to “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me)”, while Baker arranged the music for Impressions de France.

Your thoughts?

It’s sometimes hard to recognize and appreciate the Disney theme park music because it is always so well integrated and themed that we don’t consciously notice it. But that’s what makes it work so well, and that’s why it’s so complex.

What are your thoughts? What is your favorite music in the parks? Share your thoughts on all this in the comments.

The Ultimate Way to Have Awesome Vacations

I’m about to tell you a secret. If you’ve been in a “vacation rut” it’s almost guaranteed to make your vacations more fun + memorable. It’s simple & easy to do. Here it is -

Do something brand new each time you go

It almost sounds too simple, right? But it’s a time-tested idea (by me) that is proven (by me) to be very effective. It can be hard at first, but trust me it’s well worth it.

If you don’t know where to get started, just pick one thing you’ve never done. This could be anything from an attraction, a parade, fireworks show, restaurant, event, or anything in between.

For example, a couple trips ago my family and I did something totally new – we took a break from Epcot, headed over to Wilderness Lodge for an awesome lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe, and then took the boat from there to the Magic Kingdom.

It’s simple, but it works.

Once you do one different thing, it will put some life back into your vacation. Then for the next trip you’ll want to try something else new – and before you know it, not only will you have had a blast on many trips, but you will also have discovered and explored tons of things at Disney you never thought about before.

So what are you waiting for? Go try something new and see what extra magic you will discover.

Photo by Joe P.