Orlando recommendations from ABS

  1. Adventurer's Club (at Pleasure Island)
    coolest place on the planet (closing 9/27/08 !?!)
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventurer%27s_Club

    {6/04/08}

  2. Disney Quest (at Downtown Disney)
    Virtual Reality (VR) theme park
    hisneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/entertainment/entertainmentDetail?id=DisneyQuestIndoorInteractiveThemeParkEntertainmentPage

    {6/05/08}

  3. Whispering Canyon Cafe (at The Wilderness Lodge)
    kid-friendly dining
    hotels.about.com/library/photos/wdw_wl/blwdwwildern04.htm

    {6/06/08}

  4. the bar at Narcossee's (at The Grand Floridian)
    a romantic place for mom and dad to have a late-night cocktail
    www.panoramio.com/photo/4899374

    {6/09/08}

  5. Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground (at Disney's Hollywood Studios)
    a great place to wear out the kids (and it has dog snot!)
    www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/guides/mgm/st-playground.htm

    {6/10/08}

  6. Sunset Ranch Market (at Disney's Hollywood Studios)
    stock up on snacks here (and it has dog footprints!)
    www.studioscentral.com/inspirationsunset2.html (scroll down to Sunset Ranch Market)

    {6/11/08}

  7. The Writers Stop bookstore (at Disney's Hollywood Studios)
    a nice place to order espresso and browse books
    www.disneyclubs.com/mgm/mgm_stores.htm (scroll down to The Writer's Stop)

    {6/12/08}

  8. Camp Jurassic (at Universal Islands of Adventure)
    another great place to wear out the kids (and it has dinosaur breath!)
    www.wdwinfo.com/universal/photos/jurassic-park/pages/07-Camp%20Jurassic.htm

    {6/13/08}

  9. Liberty Tree Tavern (at The Magic Kingdom)
    family-style dining with colonial characters
    www.guide-to-disney.com/magic-kingdom/liberty-square/liberty-tree-tavern.php
    (the character dining is scheduled to be ending January 2009)
    jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2008/07/07/monday-mouse-watch-the-winter-of-disney-s-discontent.aspx

    {6/16/08}

  10. the book and movie Johnny Tremain
    provide background to Liberty Square (at The Magic Kingdom)
    www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/002-5900955-0468821?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=johnny+tremain&x=0&y=0

    {6/17/08}

  11. the book and cartoon Ben & Me
    provide background to Liberty Square (at The Magic Kingdom)
    www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/002-5900955-0468821?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ben+and+me&x=0&y=0

    {6/18/08}

  12. the science fiction novel Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Corey Doctorow
    provides "background" (of a sort) to Liberty Square (at The Magic Kingdom)
    www.amazon.com/Down-Magic-Kingdom-Cory-Doctorow/dp/076530953X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213745013&sr=8-1

    {6/19/08}

  13. The American Adventure (at EPCOT)
    is a nice finale to a visit to Liberty Square (too bad it isn't actually there)
    disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/attractionDetail?id=USATheAmericanAdventureAttractionPage

    {6/20/08}

  14. be sure to get wide brimmed hats, found at:

    {6/23/08}

  15. recommended equipment:

  16. the song Mad Dogs and Englishmen by Noel Coward (1932)
    can be useful in convincing kids to wear hats
    lyrics: www.lyricsmania.com/lyrics/noel_coward_lyrics_31194/other_lyrics_61658/mad_dogs_and_englishmen_lyrics_615881.html
    video: youtube.com/watch?v=vdEnxNog56E

    {6/26/08}

  17. for staying amused in line:

    {6/30/08}

  18. walk around the Swan & Dolphin Hotels (1990; operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide)
    and enjoy the Michael Graves architecture, but don't eat there (the service is spotty)
    www.swandolphin.com

    the book Michael Graves Buildings and Projects 1982-1989 has details on his designs for the buildings, fabrics, carpets and dishes
    www.amazon.com/Michael-Graves-Buildings-Projects-1982-1989/dp/0910413177/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215014572&sr=1-1

    (you can also buy his designs at K-Mart and Amazon)
    www.amazon.com/Alessi-Michael-Graves-Kettle/dp/B000YZEMQY/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1215014058&sr=8-13
    www.amazon.com/DISNEY-MINNIE-MOUSE-ENAMEL-BOOKENDS/dp/B000XO4FWM/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&s=miscellaneous&qid=1215014408&sr=8-23

    {7/01/08}

  19. other architectural significa to drive around and see:

  20. you can also appreciate the architectural inspirations for buildings at Disney's Hollywood Studios:

    {7/02/08}

  21. visit Mouse Surplus (1000 Detour Rd., Haines, FL)
    to buy your own sky bucket
    www.mousesurplus.com

  22. if possible (I know it's a long shot) see the movie Finding Kraftland by Richard Kraft et. al.
    a heartwarming look at some Disneyana fanatics
    www.findingkraftland.com
    (coming to Indie Fest USA 9:30 PM Wed. Aug. 13th, at Downtown Disney Anaheim)
    www.indiefestusa.com
    (coming to the Feel Good Film Festival 3:00 PM Sat. Aug. 23rd, at the Egyptian Theater Hollywood)
    http://www.fgff.org

  23. to see rabid Disneyana fans up close visit the N.F.F.C. Show
    on July 20, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel one mile south of Disneyland
    www.nffc.org (select "California Show and Sale Flyer with Coupon")

    {7/03/08}

  24. where to get maps:

    {7/07/08}

  25. if possible, only go to major theme parks every other day
    -- what to do on the alternate days? you can:

  26. if you want to see the underground steam tunnels, you can take a Backstage Tour
    www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/tours.htm

  27. if the Magic Kingdom monorail lines are packed at the end of the day you can walk to the Contemporary Resort Hotel
    by pretty much staying under the monorail tracks (past the little tiles people have paid to have placed) http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Florida+32830&ie=UTF8&ll=28.416305,-81.578722&spn=0.005888,0.010525&t=h&z=17

    (you can also walk from the Transportation Center to the Polynesian Resort if transports are mobbed; it's a nice place to explore; look for the "NEWS FROM CIVILIZATION" newsstand) maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Florida+32830&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=28.405217,-81.581136&spn=0.007606,0.008497&z=17&iwloc=addr

  28. Chef Mickey's (at The Contemporary Resort)
    a great place for a dessert buffet, with characters
    disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/dining/diningDetail?id=ChefMickeysDiningPage&bhcp=1

    {7/09/08}

  29. head east on the Beeline Expressway to get to:

  30. be sure to stay aware of Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico hurricanes
    (which, though rare in Orlando, have struck as recently as 2004)
    www.orlandohurricane.net/History/History.html

    by checking the NOAA web site
    www.nhc.noaa.gov

    if one threatens, be prepared
    orlando.about.com/od/weather/a/hurricanetips.htm

    {7/11/08}

  31. in cars and restaurants, reward kids for each half hour of non-squabbling with a surprise for each of them from the Fun Bag (a brightly-patterned bag with a zipper close) having stuff like:

    {7/14/08}

  32. my remaining faves at the Magic Kingdom (moving from "oasis to oasis"):

  33. my remaining faves at EPCOT:

    {7/16/08}

  34. my remaining faves at Disney's Hollywood Studios:

    {7/17/08}

  35. my remaining faves around Walt Disney World (ouside the parks):

    {7/18/08}

  36. my remaining faves at Islands of Adventure

    {7/21/08}

  37. my faves at CityWalk

    {7/22/08}

  38. stay one night in a Disney resort just to use their pool:

    {7/23/08}

  39. have some dinners at Disney hotels
    (call for reservations unless you're going to a food court)
    www.mousepal.com/disney_resort_pictures.asp

    whether driving or taking a bus, know the Resort Group a hotel is in:
    ( www.intercot.com/infocentral/images/map.jpg)

    • Magic Kingdom Resorts
    • EPCOT Resorts
    • Downtown Disney Resorts
    • Animal Kingdom Resorts

    here are the resorts by category:

    {7/24/08}

  40. rent boats, bikes, four wheeeled pedal surreys, or horses
    (at various Disney resorts)
    disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/moreMagic/moreMagicOtherRecLanding?id=OtherRecreationLandingPage

    {7/25/08}

  41. if you look at the Walt Disney World ad at the beginning of the Cinderella VHS tape, you can detect a subtle assault on your confidence as a parent
    www.amazon.com/Cinderella-Disney-Ilene-Woods/dp/0788802194/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=video&qid=1217264604&sr=1-1

    as Richard Shickel explains in The Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art and Commerce of Walt Disney:

      "Disney placed his not inconsiderable talent in the service of ... the search for 'an infallible program to invoke automatic reactions.' By the time he died, he and his associates had found this formula and managed to adapt it to every medium of communication known to man. They had even invented a new and unique medium of their very own -- Disneyland. What was even better about Disney's machine, what made it superior to all of its competitors, was that it had the power to compel one's attention to a product it particularly treasured. All its parts -- movies, television, book and song publishing, merchandising, Disneyland -- interlock and are mutually reciprocating. And all of them are aimed at the most vulnerable portion of the adult's psyche -- his feelings for his children."

    www.amazon.com/Disney-Version-Life-Times-Commerce/dp/1566631580/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217265086&sr=8-1

    clearly a healthy dose of cynicism is needed besides the unavoidable pixie dust -- but how to get it? these books can help:

    {7/28/08}

  42. footnotes: where I get my information:

    {7/29/08}

  43. if time permits expore the attraction theme shops in the Orlando Airport
    www.orlandoairports.net/concessions/shops.htm

    including:

    • Disney
    • Kennedy Space Center
    • Sea World
    • Universal Studios

    (also listen for the familiar "Voice of Disneyland" of Jack Wagner)
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Wagner_(announcer)

    {7/30/08}

  44. some good self-help books for Disney vacation reading are:

    {7/31/08}

  45. always remember, like Walt liked to say, "it all started with a mouse"
    www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA1L2rtVr5o
    so if the kids want to watch cartoons in the lobby of the hotel, let them
    picasaweb.google.com/travis.frazier/DisneySeptember2007/photo#5112485825103449410

    "LESS IS MORE"

    also, remember that the scarcest resource is not money or time, or things to do, but human energy -- when that runs out, the fun stops

    {8/01/08} 

Last update 01-Aug-2008 by ABS.