Disney for Seniors Archives - Page 9 of 13

Oldies But Goodies – Don’t Pass Up Epcot’s United States Pavilion

January 15, 2011 by Ken 2 Comments

The United States Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase is one of the most under appreciated attractions there. Because most of Walt Disney World’s visitors are Americans, most of their World Showcase time is spent in the pavilions that are a bit more exotic. Because of the way we Oldies are; nostalgic, patriotic, unapologetic for our country it makes an ideal place for us to spend some time. There are several attractions within the majestic pavilion area:

Before you even enter you will be treated to a sort of pre, pre show by the Fife and Drum Corps. They always put on a stirring demonstration that gets your blood pumping for the pre show.

When they have finished, head on in to the pavilion for a performance from the Voices of Liberty a very gifted a capella group of chorale singers. These folks are incredibly talented and sing some wonderfully pleasant songs. It’s worth the effort to see them. When their performance is finished, you will be led to the theater for The American Adventure production, an approximately 30 minute presentation that is considered to be Disney‘s best historic and patriotic attraction. It is audio animatronic and narrated by who else, Mark Twain and Ben Franklin. Some folks seem to think the patriotic nature of the show is a bit over the top but my Oldie friends really seem to enjoy it and since I am one of those Oldies, I like it too and never miss it when at Walt Disney World.

If after the performance you still haven’t had enough of the good old(ie) USA take a walk through the lobby and enjoy the art work on the wall. When you have finished that, stroll over to the mini historical museum called National Treasures to see quite a group of very important and historic articles from our country’s earlier years:

There are lots of very interesting artifacts in that area.

If you are still not USA’d out and are a bit hungry, head over to the Liberty Inn for a good old fashioned (???) All American fast food meal. Really, the food is pretty darn good!!

I hope I’ve convinced you to spend some time at the United States Pavilion rather than just staying with the more exotics, it will definitely be a rewarding experience. As always, enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!

Ken

Oldies But Goodies – Don’t Pass Up Epcot’s United States Pavilion

Filed Under: Disney for Seniors, Oldies but Goodies, Original Articles, Tips &Tricks Tagged With: Ben Franklin, disney, Epcot, Liberty Inn, Mark Twain, Voices of Liberty, Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney World Resort, World Showcase

Oldies But Goodies – Dining Events For Seniors

January 2, 2011 by Ken 3 Comments

There are quite a few “special” dining experiences at Walt Disney World many of which are especially suitable for us – the Oldies!! We have experienced quite a few of them and I thought, this week, I would highlight some of our favorites focusing on those that we seniors would be most likely to enjoy. I’ll do them in reverse order of preference finishing up with our personal favorite. All of these “special” experiences require reservations and all but one can be reserved online.

5. Spirit of Aloha Show – This show is one of those that you either love or “not so much”. We found it very relaxing and the music and dance numbers were excellent if you are tropically oriented. Judging from the popularity of the Polynesian Resort (where it is held) there are a lot of you out there. The food is really good, very fresh and well prepared. There is a pre payment requirement and a reservation cancellation policy which will be explained when the reservation is made. Details on the show can be found on the Spirit of Aloha web page.

4. Fantasmic Dining Package – This package gets mixed reviews depending upon who you talk to. We have used it a couple of times and wouldn’t attend Fantasmic without using it. I think it’s especially appropriate for Oldies because most of us are not fond of standing in line for an hour or more. You can choose from 3 restaurants – The Hollywood Brown Derby (yum!!), Mama Melrose’s, or Hollywood & Vine (buffet). The non buffet restaurants permit you to order a la carte. You will be given a voucher at your meal that allows you access to the special entrance next to Beauty and the Beast – Live On Stage so you can walk directly to the reserved seating section on the right hand side facing the stage. Details on this package can be found on the Fantasmic web page.

3. Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party - For you Oldies with a sweet tooth this allows you to satisfy that craving and enjoy an excellent view of Wishes at the same time. There is no need to discuss the food because Disney’s Pastry Chefs are as good as they come and their creativity is abundantly on display here for your enjoyment. This event is extremely popular so making reservations as soon as you can is imperative. All of the details are available on the Dessert Party web page.

2. Hoop De Doo Musical Review – This one has been around forever and deservedly so. You might be surprised that I recommend it this high on my list but we old folks like to have fun too. That’s exactly what this event is, pure fun!! The food is very tasty, fresh, and hearty (but not particularly heart healthy) and served by the performers. This one also requires pre payment and has policies that will be explained when the reservation is made. You can find all the pertinent details on the Hoop De Doo web page and please make your reservations as soon as you can.

1. Garden View Tea Room – This one is an Oldies special!! What a relaxing way to spend an afternoon break with a traditional afternoon tea. There are lots of choices and the presentation is very elegant. See the place setting below:

The food selections range in size from a snack to a meal and are priced accordingly. The food is outstanding and I found the Eros blend of tea to be particularly tasty. I can’t recommend this enough, particularly for my Oldie pals, it’s a great break from all of the other Disney insanity!! Reservations for this event must still be done by phone. The room also hosts (at different times) the My Disney Girl’s Perfectly Princess Tea Party. I’ve been assured that this is beautifully done and an amazing experience for your little Princess. But, it can put a dent in the King and Queen’s wallets. Details on both are available on the Tea Room web page.

That’s the list for now folks but we are going to try to hit the Dining With An Imagineer event in October and if we do I’ll post a review for you. As always, enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!

Ken

Oldies But Goodies – Dining Events For Seniors

Filed Under: Disney for Seniors, Oldies but Goodies, Original Articles, Tips &Tricks Tagged With: Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, disney, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Fantasmic, Garden View Tea Room, Hoop De Doo Musical Review, Spirit of Aloha, Tomorrowland Terrace, Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort

Oldies But Goodies – The Ride Designed With Us In Mind!!

January 1, 2011 by Ken 2 Comments

Sure, there aren’t any loops, no 60 mph takeoffs, and no 13 story drops but The Great Movie Ride is still one of my favorites. A lot of Oldies feel the same way for lots of reasons. A lot of the films represented in the attraction were released in the thirties, forties, and early fifties making Oldies the only group of people who saw them in an actual theater the first time around. My fellow Oldies may not relish loops and drops but they love to reminisce about their younger days and this attraction allows them to do just that. Another advantage is that it is a pretty mellow attraction allowing those Seniors who are really SENIOR to fully participate.

The Oldies get to pass through scenes from films like Busby Berkeley‘s 1933 film, Footlight Parade, and visit John Wayne and Edward G. Robinson in scenes from their movies. It gets more contemporary (but there are no scenes from Saw or Harry Potter) bringing in films from the Indiana Jones and Alien era. The attraction covers a large time frame with a primary focus pre 1980. It’s fun for everyone but extra fun for those of us in our 60′s, 70′s, and 80′s.

There is an awful lot of “hidden” stuff (not just Mickey’s) in this attraction from the license plate on the gangster car, 021-429, which is the actual date of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (February 14, 1929) to hieroglyphs of Donald Duck serving cheese to Pharaoh Mickey in the Well of Souls scene. These are just a couple but if you want to read more I might suggest The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World by Susan Veness, an excellent book.

As I mentioned to my fellow Oldies in the article’s title, it seems as though this attraction was designed “With Us In Mind” but it doesn’t take an Oldie to appreciate what truly superior film making was before computer graphics took over (sorry Deeks), eliminating the need to imagine. I hope that you will take some time on your next trip to experience this under appreciated attraction. As always, enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!
Ken

Oldies But Goodies – The Ride Designed With Us In Mind!!

Filed Under: Disney for Seniors, Oldies but Goodies, Original Articles, Tips &Tricks Tagged With: Donald Duck, Great Movie Ride, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Oldies, seniors, Walt Disney World Resort

Do Seniors Really Use Online Social Media?

December 18, 2010 by Ken 12 Comments

This isn’t really a Disney article but the inspiration for it came from an article about Lee Cockerell, retired Executive Vice President of Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts. He is 66 years old and an avid user of Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter. He is not alone in that respect, as the article states social network usage by those of us 65 years and older went from 13% in April 2009 to 26% in May of 2010. That is the time frame during which I started using both Facebook and Twitter.

These networks are a wonderful resource for keeping in touch with family and friends and an outstanding way to renew old friendships. They are also a way to meet people with common interests and do professional networking as well. One thing I have found on Facebook is that people of different age groups who don’t normally “hang out” together on a face to face social level do so with ease in an online social networking situation. It is also surprising just how many of us old folks are out there doing the Facebook and Twitter thing. My Facebook “friends” list is a rather modest 91 people but in counting heads I found that 38 of them are my age or older. They also range in age from 19 to 78, a pretty broad spectrum. The life experience range goes from college students to metal workers to middle managers to retired business owners to teachers to upper managers to maintenance workers etc. etc. etc. We certainly can’t forget the young (mostly), wonderful blogging geeks I write with at Chip and Company. Yes it is a varied group and I won’t delve deeply into the very varied political leanings of all my Facebook friends except to say that there as many on the far right as there are on the far left with a good sized group in the middle (and we don’t hate each other).

There are other things that come from these networking sites as well. A friend of mine and I have put together a list of high school classmates with names, addresses, phones, and e-mails with a huge amount of help from Facebook and other sites like it. There are 105 people on the list out of a class of 328 – remember, we graduated 46 years ago. I send out updates every month to everyone on the list so we can all stay in touch. One more benefit, because of social networking sites I was able to get together with 2 high school classmates and a 3rd grade girlfriend on our last visit to Walt Disney World. I had not seen any of them in 40+ years; it was a wonderful experience.

The answer to the original question – yes, we do use Facebook and other social networking site for lots of varied reasons. They are fun and informative as well as useful if approached properly. There are always dangers but by limiting the information you put on the sites, major issues can be avoided. As always, when you go to Walt Disney World, enjoy your visit!!

Ken

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Do Seniors Really Use Online Social Media?

Filed Under: Disney for Seniors, Original Articles, Tips &Tricks Tagged With: disney, facebook, Linkedin, Social network, Twitter, Vice president, Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, Walt Disney World Resort

Oldies But Goodies…Date Night For Oldies

November 27, 2010 by Ken 4 Comments

If you visit Walt Disney World as an Oldies couple, then every night is date night. More often than not though, we as Oldies, travel with an extended family group. One thing you can almost bet on is that your children will ask you to watch their children (your grandchildren of course) while they take a break and have a date night. Let them go and have fun because you understand how tired you were all the time taking care of them when they were kids and things have not changed over time. But – in doing this you have earned a Date Night For Oldies!!!

There are literally thousands of date night options you can choose from so I’ll just outline what I think is perfect for us and let you pick what is perfect for the two of you (yes – just the two of you).

If you are touring in the morning, break away from the family group when they stop for lunch. You can either then catch a very light snack and head over to the Grand Floridian for a walk around. I can recommend Afternoon Tea at the Garden View Lounge (wonderful experience) for a light lunch or skip the snack and head to the Grand Floridian Cafe for lunch. Either way make sure you have an Advance Dining Reservation (ADR) for the one you choose.
After lunch, head back to your resort hotel for a quick swim and a nap before the big night. Choose one of the more romantic restaurants at Epcot for dinner (again, an ADR is imperative). I might suggest Tutto Italia, the Bistro de Paris, or even the San Angel Inn (authentic Mexican food) as all are very quiet and romantic even when they are at capacity.
After dinner go on outside to view Illuminations at 9:00. A couple of precautions for Illuminations, make sure you are not downwind because the smoke is unbelievable and do not try to view Illuminations from the area between Future World and the World Showcase because that’s where the crowd will be standing in an attempt to avoid the crowd!! Try the area around the Italy Pavilion where the crowds are generally very light and after the show take a leisurely stroll around the World Showcase while everyone fights to catch the first bus. When you get to the buses, most of the other folks will be gone!! Make sure you pick a viewing spot that does not have an island in the way that may obscure your view.

It’s not just the youngsters who go on dates, we do too! Even if you have been married for 30-40-50 years or more it’s always a delight to spend some alone time with the one you love. Take the opportunity to enjoy each other in an amazingly romantic setting, Walt Disney World. As always, enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!

Ken

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