Mike, Author at Chip and Co

My favorite Disney World Roller Coasters

December 26, 2010 by Mike 10 Comments

As a roller coaster fan, I’ll admit that I grew up a self-proclaimed roller coaster CHICKEN! In fact, it wasn’t until I went to a theme park in Virginia that I became a fan. But that’s another story for another time.

Over the years, I have become a huge fan of the roller coaster genre, and Walt Disney World, in my opinion, has some of the best roller coasters on the planet. A lot of my friends will disagree with me, saying that this roller coaster, or that roller coaster is better, but to me, there is a whole lot more than how many loops a roller coaster can do, or how far the drop is. To me, what sets the roller coasters at Walt Disney World apart from all of the others is the theming that the Disney Imagineers put into planning the attraction. I believe that Disney spends more time on the theme of an attraction than any other “theme” park in the world, and it is the theme of their lands, attractions, shows, and other things that really sets the parks apart from all of the others. Now, after all of that build-up, I am going to give you my rankings for my favorite roller coaster rides at Walt Disney World.

6) The Barnstormer at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm

I know what you are thinking. I am absolutely insane by including The Barnstormer in my listing of my favorite coasters. I have now lost the two readers that come to Chip & Company to read my material. I can’t be serious.

However, my friends, I am serious. The Barnstormer was the very first roller coaster that my daughter Sophie ever rode, and the moment she got on that coaster, she was addicted. There is not a single roller coaster that my daughter will NOT ride. My wife and I enjoyed it too! It was a quick ride, certainly, but when we went that first year, the park wasn’t very busy, and Sophie wanted to ride it again, and again, and again, and again, so we ended up riding that thing probably eight times in a row. You know why we did? Because there was no line. We walked off, turned around, and walked right back on. It was fun. It was quick. It provided excitement for us. It was great.

Today, we don’t ride The Barnstormer as much, simply because Sophie has moved on to many other fun and challenging rides, but I have a soft spot in my heart for those days when Sophie was excited beyond compare by the simple joys of that roller coaster. With the closing of Mickey’s Toontown Fair, I’m not certain what the future holds for The Barnstormer. I hope it stays to be enjoyed for generations to come.

5) Primeval Whirl

When we first wanted to ride Primeval Whirl, it continually amazed us that you had to be 48” tall in order to ride this roller coaster. For the first two years, Sophie wasn’t tall enough to ride it, but in year three, she was. The Whirl is not your typical roller coaster, in fact, I’m not sure if it should be classified as a roller coaster at all. But for our discussion, that’s what I’m calling it.

The Whirl is a fun ride because it takes you fast through some turns, dips, climbs, all sorts of things that spin you around and almost make it seem like you are going to fall right off the edge of the structure. In fact, in some ways Primeval Whirl may have more thrills than some of the other coasters because it is a completely different experience. The circular car really makes a difference, especially when it is turning you around this way and that as you make one of the 90 degree turns on the track.

The Primeval Whirl is located in Animal Kingdom at DinoLand U.S.A.

4) Space Mountain

Space Mountain is a ride that I enjoy, but I haven’t ridden it for a few years. The first time I rode it I kept trying to anticipate which way the coaster was going to turn, and since night vision isn’t my thing, I was anticipating completely wrong! By the end of the ride I had a headache from the jarring. However, I did ride Space Mountain again after that, and when I decided that the key was to just go with the flow, I really enjoyed the ride.

Sophie isn’t a big fan of it because it is in the dark, but she has told us that she is going to try it again when we go in June. However, while the appeal to Space Mountain is that it is in the dark, I feel like it takes away something from the ride. We haven’t ridden it since it was renovated, so I’m looking forward to reacquainting myself with the ride. Space Mountain is the signature attraction in Tomorrowland, located in the Magic Kingdom.

3) Expedition Everest

Expedition Everest is one of those rides that I, for whatever reason, never seemed to ride – until this past June. Then we all rode it, and I liked it! For me the most gut-wrenching part (I say that literally) was when we rode backwards down the track. I did feel like the speed of the coaster was a little slower than I would have liked. But I liked the coaster, and will ride it again. Last time I was in the very back of the train, so this year I’ll see what it’s like at a different location!

For me, I really like the mountain. Additionally, the Disney Imagineers have done a great job in theming this attraction. In so many ways, the theming of an attraction also helps to make the wait in line seem shorter because you can look around and see all the little details of the ride.

Expedition Everest is located in Animal Kingdom, not far from the Kali River Rapids.

2) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

I absolutely LOVE Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It is one of my favorite roller coasters anywhere, not just at Disney World. There is so much to experience with BTMR that it is easy to ride it over and over again just to pick out the things you missed before.

Have you ever ridden it at night? If you haven’t you absolutely must experience that at least once. It introduces a totally different dynamic into the ride.

Have you seen the dancers dancing above the saloon? If you haven’t, look for it. BTMR is one of those attractions that delivers – over and over again!

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is located in Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom.

1) Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

I wonder where I have been all my life – six years in a row we have gone to Disney for at least one day, and in the previous five years, I never rode the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. How stupid have I been?!

Last June I made the distinct decision that I was going to ride this roller coaster, and when we were at Disney’s Hollywood Studios we did just that. We had a Fastpass for it, so we walked right on. In fact, we walked in the queue so quickly that I didn’t even pay attention to the limo leaving with the previous group of riders. You know what? That was better, because I had NO IDEA how quickly that limo was going to take off!

The initial start is from 0-60 in 2.8 seconds, immediately propelled into the dark with the music of Aerosmith blasting in your ears! The ride contains a corkscrew, a loop-de-loop, and several high speed turns, all with the music playing. The ride is in the dark, but there are several neon signs to look at, so it really is cool! The Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster immediately became my favorite roller coaster anywhere, not just at Disney World!

Mike is a Disney Fan from North Carolina. When he isn’t writing for Chip & Company, he also writes for his own blog at My Dreams of Disney. You can follow My Dreams of Disney at it’s Facebook page or follow Mike at his Twitter account.

Filed Under: Best things I love.., Original Articles, Tips &Tricks Tagged With: Disney Parks, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Mike, North Carolina, ride, Twitter, Walt Disney World

Attitude is everything…or “A Spoonful of Sugar”

December 17, 2010 by Mike 4 Comments

Much has been made of the negotiations between Disney and the services union, so I’m not going to get into that discussion very much. However, I would like to add my own perspective to how I approach things that I don’t like but need to do for my job.

The other day I was driving to pick up my daughter from school, listening to one of my favorite Disney related playlists on my iPod – the music of the Sherman Brothers. I was thinking at the time about how things are kind of crazy for a lot of people in their job environments. Some people have jobs, but don’t like them; some people don’t have jobs at all, and would love to have one; some people want to improve their job but can’t because of the economy. As for me, I like my job, and am not looking for another, but there are still things about it that I don’t like to do. For example, I don’t like getting caught up in the political battles that erupt at my place of work; unfortunately, I have been caught up in them a little too much lately. Anyway, I was thinking of my most recent battle that I have been working on when the following song came up on my playlist:

“A Spoonful of Sugar”, as sung by Julie Andrews during the movie “Mary Poppins”.

As it started playing, I was immediately drawn to the opening words of the song:

“In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. Find the fun, and SNAP—the job’s a game!”

It instantly hit me how right Julie Andrews (and by extension, Disney) is in this assessment. No job is fun 100% of the time; in fact, for most people, it probably isn’t even close. However, that isn’t the point. The prospect of work is that it is a necessary evil for us to be able to move on in our lives, to be able to support our families, and to be able to allow us to enjoy the time off that we get to do the things we love to do. The quicker we find the fun in a task, even if it is just the simple satisfaction of being able to look at the end of the task to know that it is done, the more we will be able to move past it.

It continually amazes me how much in the way of life lessons Walt Disney and his creative genius have given to the world. Now, when work isn’t going as well as it should, I immediately take five minutes to sort through my thoughts, think of a favorite Disney song, play it, and immediately my mindset is adjusted to make the task I’m working on manageable so that I can complete it. If only all of us were able to find something to take our mind off of that difficult task we need to perform.

Thank you, Walt Disney, for the leadership you showed your team as you created the Disney empire for all of us to enjoy.

DVD Review: The Boys, The Sherman Brothers’ Story (imaginerding.com)
Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream Re-Opens With New Magic, Fond Memories at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (chipandco.com)

Attitude is everything…or “A Spoonful of Sugar”

Filed Under: Original Articles, Tips &Tricks Tagged With: A Spoonful of Sugar, disney, iPod, Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins, Sherman Brothers, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Company

A Hidden Treasure: Disney Customized Maps

December 12, 2010 by Mike 5 Comments

For someone that hasn’t been to Walt Disney World very often, there can be a lot of things to decide upon when you are planning your trip. One of the biggest things that people overlook is how to tell your child, wife, or other significant person that you are taking them to Disney World on a vacation! If you are taking your children, one of the greatest things that I have found to “spill the beans” are the Disney Customized Maps. These are special maps that you can order free of charge from the Disney World website once every six months. They are printed with all of your favorites listed for each of the parks, and they come on oversize, durable paper so that you can keep them as a souvenir for years to come. My wife and I gave them to our daughter as a means of telling her we were going when we stayed at Coronado Springs in 2007, and she loved taking the dots and star stickers that came with the maps and putting them on to mark her favorite things that she wanted to try and the resort we were staying at.

There are two designs that you can choose from, the classic design (pictured above) and the character design (shown below). Personally, I prefer the classic design; even though you can’t tell from the image above, the paper reminds me of the type of parchment paper that you would see the location of buried treasure marked on. However, this time around we ordered the character design, which shows a different character for each of the parks. For Magic Kingdom, the character that is shown is Dumbo, for Epcot, Nemo, for Hollywood Studios, Woody, and for Animal Kingdom, Simba. In addition to the style of map you want, you can also select your own favorite locations, or you can choose favorites based on an age range.

In order to order the maps, you do have to have an account at Disneyworld.com. In addition, you need to provide your address so that they can be mailed to you. I’m sorry, but the maps can only be sent to addresses in the United States. However, one thing that you can do if you live outside the US is to print out the maps yourself! This isn’t quite the same feel as getting them in the mailbox, but it’s the next best thing. You can also print them out at home at any time if you are waiting out your six-month window between ordering for home delivery.

If you are looking for a neat, free Disney keepsake, keep the Customized Maps in mind and order a set, even if you don’t have a trip planned yet!

Mike is a Disney Fan from North Carolina. His current project is planning his families trip to Disney World next June. You can also read about Mike’s Disney experiences at My Dreams of Disney.

A Hidden Treasure: Disney Customized Maps

Filed Under: Planning, Walt Disney World Tagged With: Disney Hollywood Studios, Dumbo, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, North Carolina, United States, Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Park Maps, Walt Disney World Resort

Planning the Multi-Generational Family Vacation

December 4, 2010 by Mike 10 Comments

There is nothing quite like taking a family vacation to Walt Disney World. The excitement that comes with planning the trip is almost half the fun. How long do I stay? Where do we want to eat? Should we do the Disney Dining Plan? These are some of the questions that need answering.

However, there is a whole other dimension that gets introduced when you start planning a trip involving multiple families, and even multiple generations of people going. Just like planning your own family vacation, the excitement that builds as you plan it with another family is perhaps even greater! Here is a real life example involving myself, my wife and daughter, my niece and her boyfriend, my sister-in-law and her husband and daughter, AND my sister-in-law’s Mother.

Last year when my wife and I took our daughter to Disney World for her birthday, we also invited and brought along my niece. That was an incredible trip, in part because our daughter didn’t know that my niece was coming until she showed up the day before our trip, and also because Steph hadn’t been to Disney in about thirteen years! The trip was phenomenal, and while we were there, we took the plunge – we purchased our Disney Vacation Club at the Villas at the Grand Californian Resort & Spa! Part of what made that purchase phenomenal was that we received double points, meaning the 220 we purchased were doubled, we banked them, and we have 440 to spend this year! We already knew what we were going to do with those points!

Last year we tried to convince my sister-in-law’s family to take a trip with us, but with the economy the way it was, they declined. This past September, we had a little get together with them and convinced them that they needed to come with us next year! How could they say no when we would be able to book a two bedroom suite at Bay Lake Towers with our points? That day in September, we decided that our vacation dates would be June 17^th – 24^th, 2011.

Planning Tip #1: Select a date that works for all of you in the party.

We selected those dates because my daughter’s 10^th birthday falls in that window. There is nothing quite like being at Walt Disney World when it is your birthday!

Now that we had a firm “Yes” that they would be coming, and a date that worked for all of us, I had to wait a little bit because I couldn’t make the reservation at BLT until it was 7 months out from our check-in date. That was about two months away.

November 17^th finally arrived, and with it, my telephone call to the Disney Vacation Club. 9:00 AM arrived, I dialed the phone, got an agent almost immediately…then was told that they couldn’t book my reservation because of the computer upgrades they were performing to the system. I would be able to call back and make my reservation at 1:00 PM that afternoon.

At this point, my nerves started getting to me a little. Would we be able to get the room we wanted? Would we have to go to a different resort? Would we have to change our dates? I resolved to try and put it out of my head for the morning, and worry about it when I called back. Unfortunately, I had a dentist appointment at 1:00 PM, so I wasn’t able to call right then – I had to call after that was over, about 2:30 PM.

When I called back, I spoke with a nice lady named Flo who walked me through the whole process. They had a two bedroom available – Lake View – so I snatched it right up! I gave her the names of all the adults, then all the children and their ages, and our reservation for nine people was set! This brings me to my next tip.

Planning Tip #2: After your reservations are set, get together with all concerned to iron out additional details.

The next thing was to figure out some of the details that we needed to cover. I had a list of four things to cover with Nancy:

How many days of park tickets do we want to do? We decided on six days, with park hopper, no water park option. When planning, I went to the detail of documenting how much the tickets would cost for various days so that they would have as much information as possible.
What sort of dining reservations do we want to make? I outlined to them what it would cost if we elected to do the Disney Dining Plan or the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan. In the end, we decided on one Princess Character Dining meal at Akershus, one non-Character meal at ‘50s Prime Time Café, and a third meal (location TBD) just for adults.
We also mentioned a special surprise that Cindy and I are going to do for the girls: a certain treat that has the initials BBB – I’ll let you figure out the surprise!
Lastly, we made the decision that we will drive down from NC in one day – it is about a ten hour drive.

In addition to those decisions, Nancy decided that she would get the tickets now. There are some good reasons for this. For starters, getting the tickets now will lock them in at the price that they currently are, which is good in case the price goes up. Secondly, getting the tickets now will lock them in for the trip. Thirdly, getting the tickets now will help them to have some things to include in the “gift” that they are giving their daughter at Christmas to tell her that they are going to Disney World! And lastly, the tickets don’t activate the two-week window before they expire until the first day that they are used.

At this point, we are all caught up on what we need to do right now. Later on next month, we’ll need to book our reservations for dining, and call to schedule the secret surprise. Additionally, I’m going to read some of my friend Ken’s posts on things that Nancy’s Mom might like to do as an older Disney visitor!

Planning Tip #3: Communication, Communication, Communication

What it all comes down to when planning a family vacation involving multiple families is communication, communication, communication! The more planning you do together, the greater your chances of everyone having a great trip, and enjoying every moment of it!

Planning Tip #4: Adding in the extra touches that make planning fun

One of the things that I really enjoy getting as a way of increasing the excitement of our upcoming trip is the Customized Maps that Disney offers. These maps are an incredible reference, and a free keepsake that you can enjoy before and after the vacation. Some other things to look into include getting your music together, looking at trivia books and other books on what to do at the parks, and researching the various changes that are occurring at the parks to see if any of the attractions are going to be closed when you are visiting. What things do you like to do to get ready for your Disney vacations, and when do you like to do them?

Mike is a Disney Fanatic that loves to write about his experiences. He is humbled to be included in Chip & Company, and can also be read at “Mike Dreams of Disney”.

Planning the Multi Generational Family Vacation

Filed Under: Original Articles, Planning, Tips, Tips &Tricks Tagged With: Akershus, BLT, Disney Vacation Club, Nancy, Orlando vacations, Planning, Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort

Date Night Disney: The search for the perfect Date Restaurant

December 3, 2010 by Mike 10 Comments

My sister-in-law Nancy and I are collaborating on a project. In June, we’ll be taking our families to Disney’s Bay Lake Tower resort for a family vacation – as documented in “Planning the Multi-Generational Family Vacation”. Since we have nine people in our reservation party, part of the conspiring that Nancy and I are doing is to take our spouses out for an adult dinner – sans children.

We do have some prerequisites that we need to take in consideration. For starters, neither one of us want to take our spouses to a place that the kids would love, and leave us thinking all night about what fun they would be having. Second, both of us want to enjoy dinner, as well as some after dinner entertainment. The entertainment doesn’t have to be a show, necessarily, nor does it even have to cost us anything, we just want to do something else after we eat. And third, we want to choose a location that we will remember for a long time, because it will likely be a while before this opportunity presents itself again!

Nancy and I have been looking at many restaurants around the Disney World complex, everything from Le Cellier in Canada’s Pavilion, to Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge, even The Wave at the Contemporary Resort and Coral Reef over at The Seas at Epcot. I have never eaten at any of these restaurants, so I don’t have any idea how good the food is. In our discussion, we appear to have narrowed it down to two choices, Boma and Le Cellier.

We have heard that Boma, with it’s location at Animal Kingdom Lodge, allows the visitors if they plan it correctly to view animal feedings, and to see the sunset from the terrace. Is this true? I have never been to Animal Kingdom Lodge before.

Additionally, I was thinking that if we ate at Le Cellier, we could then go through the International Gateway and walk or taxi over to the Boardwalk for some after dinner entertainment.

In the end, we haven’t come to the decision yet on where to take our spouses to dinner, but one thing that we have agreed on is this: No matter where we take them, we are certain that we will all have a wonderful time together, and the food – no matter what the cuisine – will taste fabulous.

Do any of you have suggestions as to where you would go, or if you like, feel free to post your own stories on the forums about memorable dining experiences you have had at Walt Disney World!

Mike is a Disney Fanatic that enjoys writing for Chip & Company and his own blog “My Dreams of Disney”. You can follow Chip and Company on Facebook and Twitter!