------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walt Disney World - The Overlooked Attractions ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version 1.5 - January 5, 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Take the boat from Pleasure Island to Port Orleans on the Sassagoula River. Great view of the Treehouse Villas. If possible, do it on a chilly evening with your significant other (SO). Very romantic. Price: free to WDW resort guests. 2) Tea at the Rose and Crown Pub (in UK in Epcot). "It's usually at 3:30 or 4:00. There's only one seating, and it only seats 20 people or so, so you need to make advance reservations early." Price: Epcot admission required, plus price of refreshments. 3) For the kids: the petting zoo at Fort Wilderness (just south of Pioneer Hall). Take boat or bus to Fort Wilderness. Price: free to WDW resort guests. 4) Be sure to stop and see the Dancing Fountain shows at Epcot, at the Innoventions Fountain. There are four different shows: On the hour: music from "The Rescuers Down Under" On the quarter (11:15, 12:15, etc.): music from "The Rocketeer" On the half hour (11:30, 12:30, etc.): Mickey-related music On quarter to (11:45, 12:45, etc.): music from "Surprise in the Skies" Good place to watch the show: from the middle of the "Epcot" logo embedded in the cement to the south of the fountain (toward World Showcase). From there, the huge speakers installed for "Splashtacular!" give you the best sound. Also, Spaceship Earth makes a great backdrop for all the shows. At night, lighting effects change the shows dramatically - so make sure to check this out at night! After Illuminations, watch the show from the Fountain View Cafe. Price: Epcot admission required. 5A) Tour the WDW resorts/ride the monorails. Best to do this mid-day, as WDW transportation will probably be less crowded. Price: free to WDW resort guests (food items are extra, of course). Following resorts are recommended: Grand Floridian Resort: very nice white sand beach; listen to piano/jazz band/whatever in lobby (call in advance for musician schedule). Tea and miniature sandwiches (served on beautiful china) are served in the afternoon at the Garden View Lounge. Wilderness Lodge Resort: see Disney's version of Old Faithful (erupts on the hour); "check out the Pacific Northwest Indian art at the gift shop; the back pool area has to be seen to be believed. Sit in the rows of rocking chairs in front of a huge stone fireplace (where Chip and Dale often visit). At 8:00 PM, an animal handler from Discovery Island will be in the lobby with two animals. The handler will tell the kids (big and small) all about the animals, and may allow the kids to pet the animals. Recommend that you verify the time with the Wilderness Lodge front desk." Port Orleans Resort: try the beignets, a pastry dish available at the bakery. Dixie Landings Resort: "the food court of Dixie Landings is an enormous cotton mill. The barbecue sub wasn't bad." Also, check out Ol' Man Island, a combination playground/swimming area. The bakery is highly recommended. Yacht and Beach Club Resorts: get an ice-cream cone or a giant milkshake from Beaches and Cream stand; musicians in lobby at select times (call Disney Information Services for info). Also, check out the pool at the Beach Club Resort. Swimming in the pool is reserved for Yacht and Beach Club Resort guests. Looking, how- ever, is free. All-Star Resorts: bizarre, oversize theming (giant sports/music equip- ment); also character statues you can get photos with. Swan Resort: "Go at night. The inside of the Swan has an enormous balloon canopy ceiling you should see." Dolphin Resort: "You can watch the fireworks outside MGM while lying in the hammocks outside the Dolphin. Never crowded." 5B) A quick resort tour: "For the monorail hotels, try parking at the new Wilderness Lodge about 10-15 minutes before the hour, watch the geyser on the hour, then take the boat to the Magic Kingdom. Next, take the clock- wise monorail to each hotel in turn - but walk between the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian. Then monorail back to MK, and boat back to the car at Wilderness Lodge. It takes a couple of hours, but is great fun even in poorer weather, as once you get on the monorail everything is under cover (if you want it to be)." Price: free to WDW resort guests. 5C) An evening on Seven Seas Lagoon: "eat at the Whispering Canyon Cafe in Wilderness Lodge. If you time it right (get there for about 7:30 PM to 8:00 PM), you can have a nice meal and finish dessert just after 9 PM, at which time you can stroll down to the jetty area to watch the Water Pageant as it passes the Lodge. Then board the next boat toward the MK, (no earlier than 9:45 PM) and you will be half-way across the lake when the 10 PM fireworks start over Cinderalla Castle. This is a beautiful way to view the fireworks, and is really romantic as the boat captain will dim the onboard lights during the show, and may even pause before docking to allow you to see the show to the end. Sit in the front of the boat for the best view, it's really beautiful." There are fireworks in the MK only when it is open late, and the showtime for fireworks may vary. You will have to adjust the times accordingly. Price: dinner at Wilderness Lodge, transportation is free to all WDW resort guests. 6) Walk the carriage path from Port Orleans to Dixie Landings. Do this in the evening with your SO. Price: free to WDW resort guests. 7) For the nature lover: Discovery Island, a Disney zoological park located in the center of Bay Lake. "A wonderful nature park, accessible only by boat. There is a walking trail throughout the island, a bird aviary, and educational lectures/shows." Not for the non-outdoorsy type. This is not a "typical" Disney park - it is very low key. Price: requires separate admission or included as part of Park Hopper pass. 8) Take the boat ride from the Contemporary Resort to Fort Wilderness across Bay Lake. Will also stop at Discovery Island during the daytime. If possible, do this at night with your SO. Very romantic. Price: free to WDW resort guests. 9) Take a boat from the Yacht Club to Epcot for a viewing of Illuminations. "To make reservations, call the Beach Club at (407) 934-8000 and ask for extension 6112." The boat is named the Breathless, after Breathless Mahoney from Dick Tracy. Boat can accomodate up to 7 people. Boat departs at about 8:40 PM. You can also charter the "Breathless" throughout the day for half-hour daytime cruises. You may want to tip the captain, although there are no "hints" that this is expected. Price: $75 for evening cruise, $50 for afternoon cruise. Prices are per cruise, not per person. Cruises are free with the Food'N'Fun card. Pay ahead of time at the Yacht Club Marina. Make reservations as early as you can, because there is only one evening fireworks cruise. 10) "One very pleasant surprise that I did not know about was the little park in the Great Britain pavilion at Epcot. It's not very big, but I sure felt as if I was on Cherry Tree Lane. The Mary Poppins inspired topiary certainly helped. Just follow the lane that leads away from the water- front and the park is just around the corner." Price: Epcot admission required. 11) "On a steamy day (early in the morning), take a walk through the cool mists of the woods at Fort Wilderness." Price: free to WDW resort guests. 12) "Drink a glass of sweet wine at Germany (Epcot) and keep the glass." Price: Epcot admission required, plus the wine! 13) For the kids: "let him wear his/her swimming suit to the Disney Village Marketplace and s/he will love to play in the fountains that spray water." Great chance for Mom and Dad to catch a break. Price: free. 14) Visit the Disney Village Marketplace. BIG Disney store (The Disney Character Shop), glass stores, toy store, clothes stores. Closest decent restaurant is The Fireworks Factory, located outside Pleasure Island. Price: free (well, unless you actually buy something). 15) Go to Fort Wilderness for the campfire/sing-along. A Disney classic movie follows the sing-along. Chip and Dale usually make an appearance. Movie begins at sundown. The Fort Wilderness staff will provide a campfire; bring your marshmallows, hot dogs and sticks if you have them. If not, marshmallows and sticks are available for purchase. The movie shown is different each night of the week. You might be able to catch "Song of the South" here. Price: free to all WDW resort guests. Note: the campfire/sing-along is located in the middle of the Fort Wilderness campground (about a 15-minute walk from Pioneer Hall). If you do not wish to walk, you will have to catch a bus which is on the internal Fort Wilderness route (you can catch this bus at the Pioneer Hall busstop). Get off at the Meadowlands Trading Post stop. If the campground is crowded, the campfire/sing-along may also be crowded. :-( 16) Go to the theatre in the Contemporary for a free Disney classic movie. Note: you may be able to see "Song of the South" here. Theatre is located at the rear of the arcade behind the front desk. Price: free to all WDW resort guests. 17) See the Electrical Water Pageant Parade. This show can be seen at the Fort Wilderness Beach, behind the Contemporary Resort, from the Polynesian Resort Beach, and from the Grand Floridian Beach. The show lasts about ten minutes. A chain of parade floats will entertain you with lights and music from the water. Show time varies slightly from resort to resort (anywhere from 9:30 PM to 10:30 PM). Call the resort for schedule. Price: free to all WDW resort guests. 18) For the coffee afficianado: "try the little coffee bar in the lobby of the Wilderness Lodge. Stop by and ask what the current specialty is. Everything we tried was wonderful!" Hot chocolate at this bar is also recommended. 19) "Ride up front with the driver on the monorails. As long as no one else is waiting, and they aren't too busy, if you ask the Cast Members, they will usually let you do it. It's a great view, especially at sunset." If you decide to do this, it is best to try for an off-peak time. The Cast Members will usually be more accomodating when things are quieter (try to avoid morning and evening rush periods). If you are a WDW resort guest, schedule this for a day when you are not going to the parks. Price: free. 20) For the beer lover: "At the Contemporary Resort they have Monorail Ale! I make it a point on any trip to Disney to stop at the Contemporary Resort's Outer Rim Lounge and enjoy this fine honey wheat ale that is brewed in Orlando. The view of Bay Lake is also quite nice." At Epcot's World Showcase: Guinness, Harp, and Bass on tap at the Rose and Crown in the UK pavillion. Becks and Becks Dark in Germany. Other countries also have other country-specific brews in bottles: Mexico (Dos Equis), Japan (Sapporo), Italy and France. Others: Port Orleans/Dixie Landings: Blackened Voodoo Lager Wilderness Lodge Resort: Lodgehouse Ale Disney/MGM Studios: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (at most restaurants) 21) "Try sitting in the Top of the World lounge at the Contemporary Resort during the Magic Kingdom fireworks (they pipe in the music and the view is great) and then stroll outside on one of the balconies and watch the Electrical Water Pageant." Price: free to all WDW resort guests. 22) "There is a nice, self-guided nature walk in the woods near Fort Wilderness. The trail begins at the far east end of the beach on Bay Lake (the end farthest from River Country). This trail is normally VERY private and can be nice for a romantic walk in the woods. Best seen during daytime as there are no lights and some of the trail passes through swampy areas, making misstepping off the trail somewhat unpleasant." Price: free to all WDW resort guests and to River Country guests. 23) "The best stop in Epcot: the Matsu-No-Ma Lounge. At the very back end of the park, you've walked a long way to get to Japan. On the first floor is a department store. Now ascend the steps to the second floor, and enter the Matsu-No-Ma Lounge. Here you can sit in front of large picture windows and watch the crowds hurry by on the pavement below. You can look out over the lagoon, watching the workers prepare for that night's showing of Illuminations. Meanwhile, you can relax, sipping hot sake." Price: Epcot admission required, plus food items. 24) "Eat/Drink/Shop around the world. Pick something you like to do, and then try to do it in every country of Epcot. For example, buy a t-shirt, drink a beer, or find a water fountain. You should be able to complete this in one day's visit. If you succeed, try to repeat the task in every Land of the Magic Kingdom, or in every hotel in WDW." Price: admission to theme park, plus food/gift items. OK, if you're going to "shop around the world", this could get a little pricey. But think of the collection you'll have! You could get a whole new wardrobe this way. :-) And if you manage to do something in every WDW hotel, you'll have really accomplished something (like blistered feet). A cheaper alternative: take a camera and a friend, and have your picture taken in every hotel in WDW (or every land in Epcot or Magic Kingdom). When you get your pictures developed, try to convince your friends that you went around the world in 8 days. 25) Watch Illuminations after a rain. "For some reason, everybody seems to leave the parks if a little rain appears, especially late in the day. If you just stick it out, you can secure a great spot to watch Illumina- tions with no waiting required." Price: Epcot admission required. 26) Take the long way out of Epcot/Magic Kingdom. "At Epcot: after Illuminations ends, as everyone scurries to the exits, wait to let the crowds die down, and then take a leisurely stroll around the lagoon. You'll have a nice quiet time with minimal people, and a chance to look at the skies above. The Disney buses or your car will be there whenever you get out, and security won't start asking you to leave for about a half hour." "In the Magic Kingdom: Main Street doesn't close for a half hour after the rest of the park. So while other folks fight the crowds in the parking lot, stop off for ice cream or a pastry. You can even sit while you eat." Price: theme park admission required. 27) See Christmas at the hotels. "During the holidays (from Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve), you'll find interesting decorations in every hotel lobby. Plus they may have free entertainment, or free refresh- ments, if you hit the right time of day." Some free Christmas attractions: pictures with Santa (Swan), cookies and hot chocolate (Contemporary), gingerbread decorating contests (Port Orleans, Wilderness Lodge, Dixie Landings). Price: free to all WDW resort guests. 28) "Rent one of the boats (pontoon, etc.) from Dixie Landings or Port Orleans and cruise the canals to the shopping village. Or go to one of the resorts by the Magic Kingdom and rent a boat there to cruise Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon. Very relaxing and enjoyable." Price: varies, depending on which boat you rent. Boat rentals are free with the Food'N'Fun card. WDW/public transportation between all the WDW resorts is free to all WDW resort guests. 29) "Find the secret garden at World Showcase/Epcot. Take the path running down the side of the Rose & Crown Pub on the French side that screams 'Just Ignore Me.' There's a nice little sitting area there right by the lagoon. This area will sometimes be reserved in the evenings for private parties." Price: Epcot admission required. 30) "Thursday evenings at the Fireworks Factory bar are fun because that is cast night, which makes for a more lively than usual time. And be *sure* to check out the men's room there. It has a fascinating little surprise to it. Price: admission to the Fireworks Factory is possible _without_ paying admission to Pleasure Island." 31) "Around twilight, take a walk through the rose garden outside King Stefans (between the castle and TomorrowLand). It is off the beaten path but offers a beautiful view of the castle and the smell of roses is everywhere. My wife thinks it is the most romantic spot. Another garden area is the one next to the waterfall in Canada." Price: MK admission required to visit rose garden outside King Stefans, Epcot admission required to visit garden next to Canada pavillion. 32) For the nature lover: in the Land pavillion in Epcot, there is a walking tour of the "Living With the Land" boat ride. The tour is about thirty minutes, and you get to walk through the area in a VERY small group of about 15 people. You may have seen these groups while on the boat ride. You are guided through by a Disney horticulturalist. Disney has a program where graduate students will come to do research, and part of their "job" is to do about two tours per week. The guide will explain the growing methods in much greater detail, answer any questions, and show you the plants in much more detail. Price: Epcot admission required, plus $5 for adults, $3 for children. Although few people have ever heard of this, you must sign up first thing in the morning. There are only a few tours per day, and they fill up quickly. When you go into Epcot, go straight to the Land pavillion and in a corner on the ground floor there is a stand where you can sign up. Ask a Cast Member to direct you to the stand. There are two tours per hour. You cannot make phone reservations for this tour. 33) "Check out the Discovery Center in Epcot's Future World. The first floor is a shop; walk upstairs and there are several information packets avail- able for free. These include: Animation of the WDW resort - ten pages of info on Disney Animation and a listing of all the Disney animated features Disney History - a bio on Walt himself, philosophy of Walt Disney, history of the resort (with various facts and figures) Hydroponics Packet - from the Land pavillion Quotes from the American Pavillion" Price: Epcot admission required. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPECIAL RESTAURANT ATTRACTIONS 1) Restaurant: Roaring Fork at the Wilderness Lodge Menu: burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches What's special: get take-out, and eat your food in front of the hotel. The view of the lake at night is beautiful and very peaceful. Good idea for a meal with your SO on a budget. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A note on the WDW transportation system: if you are registered as a guest at a WDW resort, you are entitled to unlimited free use of the WDW resort transportation system for the duration of your stay. Cast members may or may not check your resort ID. However, they are checking to see if you are a WDW resort guest, NOT to see which resort you are staying at. A guest at Fort Wilderness may ride the Port Orleans boat, and vice-versa. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Many thanks to all the fine people from rec.arts.disney.*, and specifically the following people who contributed to this list (in no particular order): ?, camelot@isscorp.com Andre Willey, andre@cix.compulink.co.uk Ben Wern, bwern@jax.jaxnet.com Bill Ellett, bill@dra.com Bozena, sakowsk@hsdvxa.hsd.utc.com BZall, bzall@aol.com Charles P. Buchanan, dems181@uabdpo.dpo.uab.edu Chris Loris, cloris.33.2FD5E93E@harris.com Cosmik, cosmik@aol.com Dan Roman, danno@intac.com David C. Barber, dbarber@crash.cts.com DebWills@aol.com DisneyPors@aol.com DocWombat, docwombat@aol.com Ethan Solomita, ethan@news.cs.columbia.edu Georgia Jones, gt3579b@prism.gatech.edu John Donat, johnd@zephyr.Central.Sun.COM Lori L Fowler, llfowl@ccmail.monsanto.com Michele Petrey Mike Stailey, mstailey@aiegserv.corp.mot.com Patti Gallagher, GXVW75A@prodigy.co Phil Wright, paw@tdis.icpsr.umich.edu Randy Berbaum, rberbaum@prairienet.org Rich Pearl, richpearl@aol.com Robert A. Yetman, boby@pixi.com Sue Nurczyk, nurczyk@lds.loral.com Suzy Davenport, suzyd@subpop.com Ron Lancaster, rlancaster@cs.bgsu.edu STramp, coker@pic.net Todd Masters, masterst@pilot.msu.edu Werner W. Weiss, werner@mcs.com Xris Albers, xris@magicnet.net Special thanks to Don Bertino, for graciously providing an ftp location for this document! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This list is available via e-mail from me at: E.Simon@hqs.mid.gmeds.com (this is not a server, so it may take me a while to reply). This list is available via ftp from: ftp.netcom.com /pub/be/bertino/docs/WDW.overlooked.attractions Please e-mail corrections/additions to: E.Simon@hqs.mid.gmeds.com Eric T. Simon (810) 492-3297 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Resort and attraction names are trademarks of The Walt Disney Company, all rights reserved by The Walt Disney Company. This listing is presented for informational purposes only. This listing is not endorsed by nor provided by the Walt Disney Company, and does not imply any obligation (contractual or otherwise) of the Walt Disney Company. This listing is subject to change without notice. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------