My To-Do List
Sometimes, and I am sure many of you go through this exercise, I return from a trip to Walt Disney World and either on the plane or when I get home I think to myself, “Rats, I forgot to….” and I come up with one or several things I meant to do, eat, drink, experience, or whatever.
In some cases it’s stuff I’ve done in the past but haven’t done in years and usually try to revisit because it’s either a bit of nostalgia for me or it’s just plain cool.
I figured if I put these down in a Substack I’ll remember them and at the same time perhaps give you a few ideas for your next trip. You may or may not have done some of these things but I will definitely make a point to check off these boxes for my next trip.
Okay, let’s look at a few of these:
Whispering Gargoyles - How many of us rush out of the stretching room in the Haunted Mansion to jump into our doom buggies and fight the crowd along the way? Answer: All of us! Next time I visit the 999 ghosts I plan to be one of the last guests to leave the stretching room so I can hear the gargoyles whisper one of these phrases, “Get out…” “No turning back now…” “Go… away…” “Beware…”
“Leave now…” Try it.
Kiss Goodnight - Many of you may know what this is…it is The Disney Company’s way of saying thank you for coming and for Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom it’s really special. It usually takes place about 20-40 minutes after either the nighttime fireworks or after the second performance of the nighttime parade. You’ll know it’s happening when the entire Main Street USA area is filled with music from “When You Wish Upon a Star” and we hear a voice thanking us for coming. But the real cool part is at the end when we hear Tinkerbell and see the special effect on the castle…whereby it looks like a veil is draped over it signifying the castle is going to sleep. If it is your last night then it becomes a melancholy moment and definitely something special, especially if you have young children with you.
The Deed Passing - For you longtime Walt Disney World visitors you know that the old Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride attraction was replaced by The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction. You may also know that right at the beginning of the ride if you look on the wall of Owl’s house during the Very Blustery Day scene, you’ll see a framed picture of Mr Toad handing over the deed to Owl in Owl’s house.” It’s one of those nice touches not all guests are aware of.
The EPCOT Optical Illusion - The imagineers have always done whatever they could to keep guest interest inside the parks. For that matter they do not consciously allow things outside the parks to be seen inside the parks. There has always been an ongoing discussion that when the decision came to build the Twilight Tower of Terror in then Disney/MGM Studios, that it could not exceed a certain height because it could be seen from EPCOT. So here is the thing. If you stand at a certain spot in the front of World Showcase and I believe it is just before you get to Mexico your line of sight will notice that the Moroccan Pavilion lines up with the Twighlight Tower of Terror in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The Tower’s colors look suspiciously close to the reddish brown of that of the Moroccan Pavilion….hmmm….coincidence? Probably not. The argument is that the “runes” on The Tower were designed to look like those on the Moroccan pavilion so that it looks like the Tower is part of the Moroccan Pavilion and not outside EPCOT…try it next time you are in EPCOT. I want you to try it so no picture.
EWOK Chatter - This is another one of those things to do just before the park closes. I am talking about just outside Star Tours in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If you walk around that area of the park about 30 minutes before closing you’ll notice the appearance of a possible campfire high in the trees and you can hear EWOK chatter. This is a great thing to show your kids and it adds to the magic.
Indy Rope Gag - You may know this one. I hesitate to mention it because it is not always working but you never know. To the left of the entrance to the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular show in Disney’s Hollywood Studios there is a themed mock excavation well with a sign reading “Warning! Do
NotPull Rope.” The "Not" is humorously crossed out, i.e. inviting you to tug instead of warning you off. Give the rope a pull, and you’ll hear a comedic voice of a man seemingly stuck at the bottom of the well. Depending on how many times you pull, he'll say lines like:“Oh, no. Oh no. Oh blimey!”
“Careful! Deciphering an artifact down here!”
“Blast it all. Don’t pull the rope! You don’t want to break the (crash sound) Oh dear.”
The Five Legged Goat - This is a good one for your kids. The next time you are in The Contemporary Resort ask your kids to look on the huge mural and find the drawing of the five legged goat. this is an oldy but goody. Here’s a hint.
Liberty Square’s Storytelling Window - After dusk if you are in The Magic Kindom’s Liberty Square, head towards Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe. Look up at the window on right on the second floor. Is that a silhouetted projection of Ichabod Crane? Yes it is and from time to time a 90-second scene is shown. There are four different scenes in which Ichabod is lighting or extinguishing a candle, reading a book, drinking tea, snacking on a turkey leg or perhaps something else.
Those are just a few of the things I have on my list of things to do on my next visit…oh I forgot about things to eat or drink…I’ll get to that down the road.
See you next time.