No, I didn’t miss the big announcement last week. Interestingly enough, while we were at Walt Disney World there was no buzz about the coming Avatar Land. We had to read this news on the internet like everybody else! And another interesting tidbit, this news came on the very day that our family was in Animal Kingdom and had come to a decision: on our next WDW vacation, we would skip AK altogether. It’s our least favorite Disney Park, after all. And we have pretty much seen the Festival of the Lion King and Finding NEMO: The Musical enough times to recite the entire script or sing along with every melody. So, we just decided we’d concentrate on our favorite Parks next visit.

So that’s the filter through which we received news that Disney would add an entire section to Animal Kingdom, themed entirely on the James Cameron blockbuster movie Avatar. Honestly, I thought it was a joke when I first read it. It seems a bit out of left field to me–I mean, I realize Disney is trying to do something that could compare with the scale of Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter. But HP is a wildly popular book and movie series… Avatar is, thus far, one blockbuster movie. Honestly, if I had not seen it in 3D IMAX, I’m not sure I would have found the movie all that impressive. It’s visually stunning, but I did not enjoy the implied message that humans are selfish and destructive and only concerned with the almighty dollar. It was a bit over-the-top, in my humble opinion.

Still, the potential for both thrill rides (how about a ride on an Ikran?), character interaction (Na’vi meet-n-greets), and especially the possibility of adding evening value to a Park that goes to bed early (can’t you just see the technicolor, illuminating wonderland of Pandora?) is intriguing. Here are some of the questions posed on message boards, along with counter-arguments:

• Avatar was rated a not-so-family friendly PG-13. But one could argue that the Pirates of the Caribbean movies were also. Still, Pirates was an attraction first; the movies came later. This could be a sticking point for some families.
• The Na’vi aren’t exactly animals–they are aliens. Sure, there are many animals in the movie, but they are all fictional. The Disney answer seems to be that Animal Kingdom features all sorts of animals, both real and imaginary. This is a bit of a stretch for me. As far as I can tell, all of the other animals at AK are at least based in reality. For example, Nemo is a talking fish…but he is a fish, a real animal. And dinosaurs are extinct…but they did live on the earth at one time. The only exception I can come up with is Stitch, and he doesn’t have an overwhelming presence in AK.
• Will Avatar Land age well? It’s based on one movie…not an entire series, and not books which tend to have more staying power, even in our technologically advanced society. Could it be considered a classic? I don’t think anyone would try that argument. Truth be told, will anyone even remember this movie ten or twenty years from now? I guess if they build Avatar Land, then we will!
• In Avatar, the human race is presented as the enemy. How will Disney present this story without alienating guests? They’ll downplay it, of course. Sure, the movie was hard-hitting and shed an unflattering light on human greed and lack of ecological responsibility. But Disney will instead focus on the beauty of the planet Pandora and the animal inhabitants there. No messy social messages, please.

So, that’s the gist of things. Obviously, most of this is wild speculation at this point. And, yes, our family will definitely return to Animal Kingdom in a few years to see what Disney and James Cameron have come up with for Avatar Land–if merely for curiosity’s sake. Until then, I’ll be sure to provide details as they become available.

Truly, I have never been so sad to leave Walt Disney World as I was for this visit. I had a pretty fabulous 40th birthday extravaganza, and it was especially hard to leave our room at the Grand Floridian Resort. Still, I’m glad to  be back home, and I’m looking forward to sleeping in my own bed–although, the beds at the GF are a pretty good substitution for the Bowles Mattress I am accustomed to sleeping on (my dad worked for the company for many years until his retirement last year…I’m pretty spoiled when it comes to mattresses).

It’s nearly impossible for me to put our entire trip report into one post, so over the next few days, I will be posting on various aspects of the trip. Below, I offer a general outline of our schedule for the week, simply to put things into context. I hope to have a budget update up soon, as well as posts on food, resort comparisons, and the general ups and downs (yes, there were a few) of the trip. Right now, I am sooo tired, and all I can think about is rest.

Schedule

• Fri., 9/16, left Nashville for Atlanta, where we spent the night with family
• Sat.. 9/17, drove in to Lake Buena Vista, arriving around 3:00 p.m.; picked up our park tickets at Downtown Disney and met my cousin Camille there (she’s in the College Program at WDW); had dinner at Sweet Tomatoes, did a little shopping/prep, and then checked into the All-Star Sports Resort
• Sun., 9/18, spent the day at the Magic Kingdom; ate at Tortuga Tavern
• Mon., 9/19, spent the day at Epcot; ate at Sunshine Seasons and snacked in the World Showcase
• Tues., 9/20, Reagan and I spent the morning at Animal Kingdom (YES program) while Presley and Daddy went back to the MK; we met up at Flame Tree BBQ for lunch and stayed at AK until around 4, then headed to the Studios for the rest of the day
• Wed., 9/21, spent the day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and got to see my friend Claire perform in Disney Junior show; ate at ABC Commissary and Studio Catering Co., as well as snacks from the Writer’s Stop
• Thurs., 9/22, slept in a bit, packed up our room, and headed to the Grand Floridian; had brunch at Kona Cafe and tea at the Garden View Tea Lounge; had dinner off-site and did some shopping (including the Cast Connection store with my cousin); thoroughly enjoyed our first night at the Grand Floridian
• Fri., 9/23, my 40th birthday; spent the morning at MK and had lunch with my CM friend Conny at Casey’s Corner; Dapper Dans sang “Happy Birthday” to me; hopped to Epcot for afternoon/evening; celebrated b-day at Les Chefs de France, where the French waitstaff sang “Happy Birthday” to me in French; stayed for a bit of EMH and had to take a bus back to the GF–bummer
• Sat., 9/24, reluctantly packed up and left WDW for Georgia, arriving at our destination by around 5:30 p.m.
• Sun., 9/25, left our family as they departed for church, arriving back home in Nashville by 2:00 p.m.

There you have it–the skeleton of our trip. I’ll “flesh it out” in future posts. Goodnight for now!

I haven’t had much time for posting thus far throughout our trip (and the media/technology gods have not aligned for me either–internet access on the iPad but photo storage on the laptop is making things a bit inconvenient), but I wanted to make a point to get something up mid-way through our trip.

For starters, things are going pretty well, with a few exceptions. We had a great drive with minimal traffic. Check-in was a breeze. Park crowds are pretty light. There have, however, been a few bumps in the road. My youngest got sick in the middle of the night before our first day of touring. We were cautiously optimistic that it was a fluke–not a virus that would wreck our entire trip–and, fortunately, that turned out to be the case. We’ve also had a few disappointments with Disney that I’ll address more completely in another post–things like smaller food portions for higher prices, ridiculous bus lines, and a serious lake of towel/washcloth creations in our resort room. I’m not trying to take down the Mouse, but it seems like we’re being offered less and less, yet expected to pay more for it these days.

But let’s stick with the happy stuff for now. Here are a few highlights thus far:

• Meeting Rapunzel first thing on our first day in the Parks!
• My 5-year-old daughter screaming (in a happy way) on any thrill ride.
• Eating through my Top 5 favorite sweet treats in the first 3 days.
• Hanging out with our cousin Camille who is in the College Program at Disney. (We’re learning some fun behind-the-scenes trivia from her.)
• Getting 2 of the more than 50 scenarios from Star Tours under my belt!
• My husband being the Rebel Spy on our first ride of the new version.

That’s just a start. You may not hear from me much this week, but I assure you I’ll have several rounds of trip updates next week. Thanks for reading!

While we are a budget-conscious family who often takes our own snacks and treats into the Disney Parks, there are a few items that we absolutely MUST purchase and consume on each visit to the World. In most cases, we choose items that are pretty budget-friendly–even if they’re not waistline-friendly.

If all is going according to our plan, this is day 3in the Parks for us. We’ve probably already consumed the number 1 item on this top-5 list, and possibly number 5. Yesterday, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios , I’m sure I had item number 2, and we might have even hopped over to Epcot to have numbers 3 and 4. Yep, we’ve probably already tackled most or all of the list. But I digress… here are my top 5 favorite sweet treats to eat at Walt Disney World:

5. The Dole Whip at Aloha Isle (Magic Kingdom) or Captain Cook’s (Polynesian). This one is a little polarizing in my family–not everyone enjoys pineapple. But I do, and this creamy concoction makes me happy. It’s a great cool treat on a hot Florida day. It will set you back around $3.50 for a cup (they also have orange and vanilla, or you can swirl any of the three) and around $4.50 for a pineapple float.

4. School Bread from Kringla Bakeri og Cafe (Norway, Epcot). If you’re not a coconut fan, you can skip this one. But if you’re like me and you love a good piece of coconut cream pie, try this as a tasty alternative. You won’t be disappointed. You can get this yummy pastry for around $2.50.

3. Chocolate Mousse from Boulangerie Patisserie (France, Epcot). It’s so good that I almost feel guilty putting it at number 3. At one time, this probably topped my list. It hasn’t changed–it’s still fabulous. But one new item has caught my attention, and an old favorite tops the list. All that to say, at under $4, this is still a never-miss treat for our crew.

2. Carrot Cake Cookie from the Writer’s Stop (Disney’s Hollywood Studios). After reading raving reviews, I had this for the first time last year–and it did not disappoint. The cake is soft and fluffy but still sturdy enough to hold together. And the cream cheese icing is light and not so rich that it overpowers the cake. Just like Mary Poppins, it’s “practically perfect in every way.” Seriously. Around $3, and it’s huge!

1. Mickey Ice Cream Bar, found in every Park at various carts. You really can’t go wrong here. It’s a classic. And who doesn’t like vanilla ice cream encased in chocolate. So creamy…so yummy. At around $3.50, it has to be #1.

We knew how popular it would be, so we headed straight to the Rapunzel meet-n-greet on our first day. (I hopped over to Peter Pan and picked up Fastpasses for the family while the others waited in line.) We got to be in the first group of 35 that is allowed in the area, so we were finished meeting Rapunzel by 9:30 and on our way to Fantasyland. We accomplished everything we really needed to see in the Magic Kingdom–and we rode several favorites 2 or 3 times!

We saw Mickey & Minnie and the Disney Princesses with minimal wait times. We also lucked into nearly no wait for the Fairies (went during the fireworks, after seeing Tink “fly”).

Having a great trip!

If rumors are to be trusted, Test Track may be seeing some significant changes in 2012. GM is in talks to extend their current sponsorship through 2022, and part of the deal includes a major overhaul of the attraction. In the proposed scenario, the basic track of the ride would remain, but pretty much everything else would change. And here’s a really interesting tidbit: the ride vehicles are to be designed by GM’s design, research, and development group–not by Disney Imagineers.

The attraction would still have the same basic theme–a look inside the world of vehicle design, development, production, and testing–but the new version would include some of the original ideas and history that were a part of the original World of Motion attraction.

As far as when the attraction will actually close to begin this grand refurbishment, expect to see it happening soemtime in the first half of 2012.