Monthly Archives: April 2014

FastPass+ Changes and Information

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FastPass+ has recently changed and the changes are going to change how we get on attractions at Walt Disney World. If you are new to FastPass+ it is a feature of MyMagic+ where you can make 3 reservations to get in a quicker line for certain attractions.

Currently Walt Disney World Resort guests can make these reservations 60 days prior to arrival. If you are staying off property you can make these reservations 30 days prior to arrival. To make these you must have a valid ticket attached to your My Disney Experience account. If you have booked a package with tickets it will automatically be linked, if not then you will have to manually input your ticket numbers.

The new changes mean that once you use your 3 choices you can then go to one of the FastPass+ kiosks and make a new reservation. Once you have used that one you can go again and make another. This is a huge improvement to the 3 and done system.

Also Disney is currently working to get changes made so that people with the Park Hopper Ticket option will be able to make FastPass+ reservations in more than one park.

With FastPass+ you can split up your party. If you all want to do the same attractions that makes it simple to do. If you want to split up your party it takes a bit more work but it is still fairly easy. If you all want to do something different that is also an option too! This is particularly helpful if you are traveling with a large group.

Disney is still testing the MyMagic+ system so they are going to keep making changes. In addition they are always listening to guest feedback so there are undoubtedly going to be to changes made in the future.

Also I recently completely a mini-series on the best use for your FastPass+ reservations and you can find them all here on the blog.

Magic Kingdom
Animal Kingdom
Hollywood Studios
Epcot

Disney World Special Dole Whipped VIP Promotion

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Great news…if you are a Dole Whipped fan and want to travel to Disney in October – you may be eligible for a great value on room and tickets!

This offer is exclusive to Dole Whipped clients and fans ONLY!

Special Rates are available with savings up to 35% off Disney’s rack rate. Up to 10% off theme park tickets with a free bonus visit to a Disney water park or Disney Quest…discounted tickets??? Yes, Disney purchased discounted tickets.

Also stay tuned for an extra exciting type announcement coming soon. Hint: BRRR it is still cold outside!

So if you want more info, including dates and resorts, email dolewhipped@gmail.com and let’s put for the subject line: Frozen.

 

‘Ohana’s Best Friends Character Breakfast

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Quick Facts
Location: Disney’s Polynesian Resort, Magic Kingdom Resort Area
Hours: 7:30-11:00 am
Characters: Lilo, Stitch, Mickey, Pluto (characters are always subject to change)
Dining Plan: 1 credit
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‘Ohana is one of my absolute favorite restaurants on Walt Disney World property. Food here is served family style, a reference to the memorable line from the movie “Lilo & Stitch,” “‘Ohana means family.”

Menu
(items are subject to change)

  • Island-style potatoes
  • Breakfast Breads
  • Seasonal fresh fruit
  • Scrambled Eggs
  • Biscuits
  • Mickey waffles
  • Pork sausage and bacon

As you are walking to your table your server will bring you a basket of warm breads and a plate of fresh fruit with a dip.
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Once seated your server will immediately offer you some P.O.G. juice, which is a pineapple, orange, guava juice. Other juices, coffee, tea and soft drinks are available as well. IMG_5067

 

Once you have enjoyed your fruit and breads, a skillet is brought to the table and your server will bring fresh Mickey waffles as well.
IMG_9639I have Celiac’s disease and cannot eat gluten. For those with allergies, the chef will bring out a skillet with allergy-safe food. The gluten-free skillet came with eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes and Mickey waffles and was delivered to the table from the chef after he or she had consulted with me. The gluten-free Mickey waffles here are always well cooked and taste great.
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Characters
At this meal you will meet Mickey, Pluto, Lilo, and Stitch. We have always had fabulous interaction here. Stitch is always a blast and during one visit Lilo and Mickey both played with Anthony’s car with him.

In addition to the characters coming to your table, there is also a parade all around the restaurant to the song Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride. All of the kids are given musical instruments and are invited to join in on the parade with the characters.
IMG_9721 IMG_5072In Conclusion
We have come to ‘Ohana each and every trip ever since my son was born. The food is always incredible and the character interaction unforgettable. If you haven’t discovered this hidden gem yet, please give it a try on your next visit!

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Don’t forget to head over to our Facebook page and post your photos and share your experiences at ‘Ohana! We’d love to hear about it! Dole Whipped on Facebook

FastPass+ for Magic Kingdom-Part 4 of 4

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This is part 4 in a 4 part series from Jillian on best uses of FastPass+. Don’t forget to check out Part 1 (Epcot) here, Part 2 (Hollywood Studios) here and Part 3 (Animal Kingdom) here! Did you find this series helpful? Feel free to share with your friends on Facebook!

Here is the final installment of the best FastPass+ use for the Magic Kingdom. Once again here there are no tiers just choices across the board. I have included Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train though at the time of this publishing it has not yet opened but it will be soon.
Princess Fairytale Hall
Magic Kingdom (Choose any 3)
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Meet Anna & Elsa
• It’s a small world
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Enchanted Tales with Belle
• Haunted Mansion
• Jungle Cruise
• Mad Tea Party
• Main Street Electrical Parade
• Meet Ariel at her Grotto
• Meet Cinderella and Rapunzel
• Meet Mickey Mouse
• Mickey’s Philharmagic
• Monsters Inc Laugh Floor
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Space Mountain
• Splash Mountain
• The Barnstormer
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
• Wishes
Peter Pan's Flight

The best use for children under the 40 inch mark I will give more than 3 choices because there will be those people who have a little girl who love to meet Princesses and those who want a good mix of meets and attractions. Without further ado here are my suggestions: Meet and Greet with Anna & Elsa from Frozen, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Meet and Greet with Rapunzel and Cinderella, Meet Ariel at her Grotto, Peter Pan’s Flight, Enchanted Tales with Belle, and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.
Enchanted Tales with Belle

For those who are a little taller and more adventurous children I would suggest all those listed above and add Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and The Barnstormer. When the Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train opens this attraction will be one of your top priorities.
Splash Mountain
Of course there is a lot for thrill seekers to enjoy too, the mountains being the uppermost. Splash Mountain, Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
This list is harder to make because during the busy time you will have to wait for sometimes no matter what, but the ones I did list will most likely have the longest lines.

But if the ones listed aren’t available then there are some great second string picks: Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Wishes, and Jungle Cruise.
Haunted Mansion

FastPass+ for Animal Kingdom-Part 3 of 4

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This is part three of a 4 part series in which Jillian discusses best uses of the FastPass+ system. Find Part 1 on Epcot here and Part 2 on Hollywood Studios here. Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for the final piece in the series!

Welcome to our third installment on FastPass+ selection. This article we are going to focus on Animal Kingdom!
Safari vehicle
FastPass+ (Choose any 3)
• Dinosaur
• Expedition Everest
• Finding Nemo the Musical (for great seating)
• It’s Tough to Be a Bug
• Kali River Rapids (if you want to get wet)
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Meet Mickey and Minnie
• Primeval Whirl

Children under 40 inches will love to take in the Kilimanjaro Safari, Finding Nemo the Musical and meeting Mickey and Minnie. For children who are taller than 40 inches once again Kilimanjaro Safari, Finding Nemo the Musical, and Kali River Rapids.
Thrill seekers will love Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids and the Safari, or Primeval Whirl if you can handle some spinning.
Exprdition Everest

Of course these are just my suggestions for the best use of your FastPass+ reservations but hopefully this can help you make an informed decision on your choices. The final installment will be for the Magic Kingdom.

FastPass+ for Hollywood Studios-Part 2 of 4

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In Part 2 of this 4 part series Jillian discusses best uses of the FastPass+ system at Hollywood Studios. You can find part 1, on Epcot, here. Stay tuned for the rest of the series!

Here is the next installment on choosing FastPass+ attractions, this time in Hollywood Studios. Like Epcot, the FastPass are tiered. Once again I will make suggestions for children under 40 inches, children taller than that, and thrill seekers.
Toy Story

Group A (choose 1)
• Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage
• Fantasmic!
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
• The Great Movie Ride
• Toy Story Midway Mania!
 
Group B (choose 2)
• Disney Junior – Live on Stage!
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!
• Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show
• Muppet Vision 3D
• Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
• The American Idol Experience
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• Voyage of the Little Mermaid
 
In Group A for children who don’t make the 40 inch mark, Toy Story Midway Mania is going to be your priority. This line can get very long so it is worth it to get the FastPass for this. The two for Group B I suggest are, Disney Junior-Live on Stage and Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Those two are stage shows sure to make any child happy.
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster

For children over 40 inches tall in Group A I would still get Toy Story Midway Mania for reasons above and in Group B I would choose Star Tours and Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Though if they are brave I would suggest the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror for them.
Star Tours

Thrill seekers should take bit of a different route, in Group A choose Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and make sure that the first ride you do is Toy Story Midway Mania. For Group B you will want to choose Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Star Tours.Tower of Terror

One little tip I do have is if you are planning to do a meal in Hollywood Studios for lunch or dinner book the Fantasmic! Dinner Package. This will get you preferred seating and then you won’t have to use a FastPass+ to get a great seat at Fantasmic.

And don’t forget I’ll be there to walk you through FastPass+ selections in Animal Kingdom in our next installment.

FastPass+ for Epcot- Part 1 of 4

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In Part 1 of this 4 part series Jillian discusses the most effective use of FastPass+ in Epcot. Stay tuned for other entries in this series, being published throughout the week!

Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the FastPass+ options? I have been there too but I have a handy guide for you on some of the best uses for FastPass+ for Epcot. In this article I will focus on how to choose when you have children in your party those under the 40 inch height mark and those over but still under the age of 13.
Mission: Space
Group A (Choose 1)
• IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
• Soarin’
• Living with the Land
• Test Track

Group B (Choose 2)
• Captain EO
• Epcot Character Spot
• Journey Into Imagination With Figment
• Maelstrom at Norway
• Mission: SPACE Green
• Mission: SPACE Orange
• Spaceship Earth
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends
• Turtle Talk with Crush

For Group A with children under 40 inches the best choices are Living with the Land or Illuminations if your kids can last until 9pm. From Group B, Turtle Talk with Crush and The Seas with Nemo and Friends are a good choice especially if you are going during the busy season.

Children over 40 inches will not want to miss Soarin’ or Test Track. The best advice I have is to FastPass one and then ride the other right away. I would get the FastPass for Test Track in the late morning and then ride Soarin’ first thing. In Group B my suggestion is Mission: Space Green and The Seas with Nemo and Friends.  Thrill seekers will enjoy Test Track and Mission: Space Orange.

Many of the attractions in Group B will not have long lines so a FastPass isn’t necessary but if it is a busy time of the year it doesn’t hurt to have one.
Soarin'
Stay tuned for the next installment on FastPass for Hollywood Studios.

Win a $100 Disney Gift Card and some Disneyland Goodies from the DoleWhipped Team

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“Do you wanna win a gift card?

And some swag from Disneyland?!

We really want to see you more,

Knock on our door,

You really need to play….”

Who does not want to win some Disney money and some fun little baubles from Disneyland? DoleWhipped is having a contest giveaway to help kick off the Spring and Summer Disney season and you could win a $100 Disney gift card and some Disneyland special swag ! So easy to enter, you know the drill, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/lwseh6c and enter to win!

 

Register NOW for 2015 Walt Disney World Marathon

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Thanks to WESH for the picture!

Thanks to WESH for the picture!

For all you runners or aspiring runners…registration has started today at noon for the 2015 Walt Disney World Marathon.

Better hurry quick because registration is already starting to fill up on some of the different races. runDisney has all your information on how to register and what the different fees are and if you need any travel advice, we would love to help!

So find a friend (or three) and get a trip together that promises to bring lots of running, character interactions and fun all in one weekend (plus after the race go eat around the World!)

Check runDisney for more info and to register by clicking HERE.