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Category Archives: Oldies but Goodies
Planning Your Visit Day By Day
When we, as Oldies, visit Walt Disney World we approach it a little bit differently from our younger friends. For example, after getting up at 4:00 AM and catching an early flight we then spend a good portion of the day getting to our happy place. After a long day of travel and getting to our resort hotel, I don’t know about the rest of my Senior friends but I’m ready to rest for a bit. For that reason our arrival day is always an easy one. We generally get checked in and have dinner after which we walk the resort. Occasionally, if we are staying at Port Orleans, we will take the boat to Downtown Disney and then take it right back again. It’s a great way to unwind so you can get to bed and sleep well to be ready for your first day. Many of our younger friends head for a park or go to one of the entertainment areas for some clubbing, not us!!!
In talking to other Oldies we have found that most of them spend 7-9 days on site not counting travel days. This calls for pre-planning your day to day park visits before you arrive. Pre-planning your park visits also allows you to make Advance Dining Reservations (ADR’s) based on where you will be each day (that’s a lot better than planning your park days based on which ADR’s you have). I always use one of the subscription websites that produce charts indicating what crowds will be like each day in each park for planning purposes. Both Touring Plans.com and Tour Guide Mike do a good job of this but my preference is and has been Tour Guide Mike. The accuracy at that sight is always spot on and I rely heavily on their recommendations.
Just a few quick hints, make sure you allow enough park time in your favorite park. Ours is Epcot and on a 9 day visit we spend at least 2 1/2 to 3 days there. We then divide the majority of the rest of the visit between the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios with just a short half day visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for our favorite attractions. The most important thing that we Oldies can do is to plan a rest day somewhere towards the middle of your stay. On this day you can sleep in, spend a bit of time by the pool, visit some other resorts (to plan for future visits), play some golf, do some shopping, etc. You should just do something that gets you away from the pace and intensity of the parks. As much as we all love the theme parks, they can be exhausting. Please don’t ignore this, it will make your entire visit much more fun!!!
This is nothing more than a few suggestions to make sure you get the most out of your visit without exhausting yourself and perhaps endangering your health. Nothing is worth making yourself sick trying to enjoy yourself too much. As always, enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!
Ken
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Christmas Gift Ideas For Your DCO (Disney Crazed Oldie)
Hi, my name is Ken and I’m a DCO (Disney Crazed Oldie). A lot of my life, even smack dab in the middle of my 60′s, revolves around everything Disney. When I was a kid (in my 40′s) a pair of Mickey Ears would have thrilled me but as we become Oldies, our tastes change. With that in mind, here is my top 5 list for Christmas gifts for us, the DCO’s in your life. You will forgive me if a lot of this stuff is colored by my personal taste. In no particular order the list is:
Oldies like to stay warm so a very nice robe like this makes a great gift. This one is plush and of course is genuine Disney Parks. You can find it at: Disney Parks Robe
My dear wife loves purses, so for the DCO in your life with the same fetish this Dooney and Bourke Champsac Bag would be a lovely addition to her collection. Even if she is not a total DCO it is subtle enough so as not to attract smart aleck comments from observers. You can find this item at:
Here is where my personal taste comes in. I have over 30 Disney Snowglobes and they make wonderful collectibles. I admire the clever subject presentation and the intricacy of the handiwork. They make a great gift!!! This one can be found at the following location along with many others: Disney Snowglobes.
What DCO would not love a Mickey Mouse Watch? That’s not really a question because we all love them!! This is a particularly nice one and not all that expensive. It can be found at:
Giclee’s are another wonderful collectible with one MAJOR drawback – they are very expensive. Although I would love to have a nice collection of them I find that putting money towards Walt Disney World vacations is a better use for our cash. But – if you have extra money lying around with no one to spend it on you can reach me through Chipandco.com and I’ll provide you with the information you need to send it to me (just kidding of course). These particular types of items that I dream about are at:
There you go! These are the types of items that appeal to your DCO’s (at least this DCO) and would all make great Christmas gifts. I hope you all enjoy the holidays with your families and as always, enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!
Ken
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Oldies But Goodies – Don’t Miss These Holiday Experiences
The holidays at Walt Disney World, as we all know, are extra special for everyone but there are some experiences that are especially appealing to us, the Oldies. There are four that I think we find especially pleasing and if any of you chronologically advanced folks out there haven’t seen them you might find it worth your while to schedule a Walt Disney World visit during the Christmas season. In reverse order they are:
4. – The Grand Floridian Lobby – This is truly a marvel and is best visited during the evening when not only the tree and other decorations will be in their glory but the life size gingerbread house will be on display and the Grand Floridian Orchestra will be there playing some fantastic holiday music.
3. – The Candlelight Processional – This is always a treat. High school choirs from many states but primarily Florida fill the American Garden Theater in Epcot’s World Showcase all carrying candles and wearing beautiful gold robes, singing as they enter. It is a very moving experience and is narrated by a different celebrity who changes every couple of evenings.
2. – The Lighting Of Cinderella Castle – Once you see this in person, you will never forget it. Hundreds of thousands of ice lights are turned on bit by bit as the narration progresses. Once it is complete you will see the castle as you have never seen it before. The first time I saw it I actually misted up a bit – it’s that beautiful!!
1. – The Osborne Family Spectacle Of Dancing Lights – O.K this is number one. It takes place in the Streets of America area at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and there are literally MILLIONS of Christmas lights that are all turned on at the same time .You can hear the gasps from those in attendance when the switch is thrown. The lights are then choreographed to Christmas music for the rest of the evening in a spectacle that that will stay with you forever. If that is not enough it actually snows – an amazing evening.
If my Oldie friends visit Walt Disney World during the holiday season and do nothing but experience these four events, the visit will be well worth it. But – we all know that there is so much to do there that you will have a wonderful time no matter what. As always, enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!
Ken of Disney for Seniors
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Oldies But Goodies – Becoming A Kid Again At Walt Disney World
This Classic Oldies article goes out to our writer Ken who is home dealing with some major health issues. Get Well Soon Ken we miss you!
Oldies deserve to have as much fun as everyone else at Walt Disney World, maybe even a little more. The folks in my generation and older generations are a group of people who have spent their entire lives being mature and as we got older, more conservative and serious about their own behavior. Maybe it was Korea, Vietnam, and the Cold War that did it but just plain silly fun was not a part of our adult lives. I’m not saying that today’s adults aren’t serious and mature, it’s just that us Oldies have been that way for many more years (given our ages). It’s not that we didn’t enjoy doing the things that we love to do but we haven’t spent a lot of time doing just plain ‘goofy’ things (notice the appropriate picture).
Enter Walt Disney World into our lives!! We can go there and behave exactly like a ten year old; skipping and singing, smiling and laughing, and just plain being silly. We can do this without fear of criticism or absorbing any inappropriate comments because everybody else is doing the same thing. It doesn’t matter if you were a high powered executive or someone like me who just worked hard his whole life, people don’t know who you are and they are just happy to see you enjoying yourself. So – join me in having fun and feeling like a kid again!!
If you spot me at Walt Disney World, you will see an old guy with a big smile on his face, a sparkle in his eyes, and a song in his heart (most likely ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’) because I am in the place I enjoy the most . Hopefully, Walt Disney World has the same effect on you. If it doesn’t, just give it a chance and let go a little bit, the magic will happen.
It doesn’t matter if you are traveling alone, as a couple, or as part of a multi generational group do something you have always wanted to do. Have a snack that everyone has told you was not good for you ever since you were a kid but be aware of your own medical restrictions. Ride the Prince Charming Regal Carousel or take a drive on the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway with all the other kids (you can even drive). Sing while you watch Wishes or Illuminations and when you are watching a parade, make sure you wave to all of the characters.
Hopefully I’ve convinced you that whether you are fifty, sixty, seventy or more that you too can be ten years old again if you give Walt Disney World a chance. I know it works for me. As always, enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!
Ken
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Oldies But Goodies – What Brings Us Back, The Intangibles
In another article I covered the Tangible things; those you can see, feel touch, and do, but here I will look at the more subtle things that go to make up all that is Walt Disney World. Intangibles are those things that are there, you know they are there, you experience them but they are not something you can physically touch. Let’s just take a look at a few of the intangibles that bring us Oldies back again and again!!
- CHEERFUL ATMOSPHERE - I guess us old folks are supposed to be grumpy by nature and perhaps some of us are. There is just something about being at Walt Disney World that brings out the best in us Oldies, makes us feel like kids again. I think a lot of it has to do with the tens of thousands (around 65,000) of Cast Members who seem to be terminally cheerful!! It’s difficult to be cranky when you are surrounded by that much good cheer and that many smiling faces. The photo above really demonstrates this well.
- EXEMPLARY SERVICE – Most folks think service might be a Tangible as opposed to an Intangible but I’m not just referring to the Cast Members who earn a living through service such as restaurant servers, Bell staff etc. The service I’m talking about is the Cast Member who has an assigned task and will interrupt that task to assist guests with something unrelated to what they do and do it like that is their only assigned task. You might notice I didn’t use the word job but rather said assigned task, I think all the Cast Members feel that their job is Exemplary Service and everything else is just an assigned task.
- AMBIANCE - Ambiance, as opposed to a cheerful atmosphere , is that which makes you feel comfortable in your surroundings because you are immersed in your situation and everything about it is just plain right!! Proper ambiance is achieved by intense attention to every detail to make sure it is appropriate for the situation you are in without you realizing it. This attention is obvious everywhere at Walt Disney World from the parks, to the resorts, to the restaurants etc, etc, etc. Thank you Imagineers!!
- NEEDS ARE MET – Many places that you might visit plan for guests without special needs and then make do for those guests who have needs over and above the ordinary. Let’s face it my more chronologically advanced pals, we make up a large portion of the special needs folks. Walt Disney World has made advanced preparations for those folks with virtually any type of requirement. All you need to do is inform a Cast Member of your needs and they will be met.
Intangibles are a bit difficult to describe just because they are the things that make a Walt Disney World experience what it is without being in your face. I try not to spend a lot of time searching them out on our visits, I just let them be there and provide that little extra that keeps this Senior coming back again and again. As always, enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!
Ken
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