OUR VISIT TO CELEBRATION, FL - "The Town that Disney built"

   During our 2009 visit to Walt Disney World we took a "day off", grabbed a rental car, and headed out for a visit to the town of Celebration.

   It's a short drive from WDW property to the downtown area of Celebration.  The pastel colors of the buildings in the downtown area are soothing.  The lakeside setting says "C'mon and relax!".

We stepped into the Market Street Cafe on Front St. for breakfast.  It was a family restaurant with kind of a diner atmosphere.  We had a booth by the window, and could see out to the lake.  We were very entertained by a couple of birds that would swoop down out of the nearby trees, and grab packets of Sugar & Equal, and strut around the tables with them in their beaks as if to show off their prizes.  It was kind of an unscripted Flights of Wonder show.  The WDW part of the trip was something that I had really planned out, but the visit to Celebration was something of a pleasant surprise to us.

   We strolled the streets, walked the path around the lake, and walked the boardwalk that leads between different phases of Celebration's residential areas. It was quiet and peaceful, something that this old Grandpa-to-be (at the time) appreciated.  Plenty of critters to watch, and with the signs around, we were very watchful for Alligators.

    Lots of green grass and shade trees makes for a nice way to spend your off day(s) while visiting Walt Disney World.  Some very interesting architectural styled buildings too.  Even though this town has only existed since the mid 1990's, it has a  very historical feel to it.  It's a clean town, lots of civic pride is felt as you walk through the different parts of town.

   Even though this town was actually built by the Disney Corp.  It has since broken away from Disney to become it's own entity, and has taken it's own identity as a Florida town rather than a  Disney Creation.  It is a fun place to visit for anyone, but for someone who has actually read several books on this town, it was a highlight of our 2009 WDW trip for me.  I was impressed.  I look forward to showing off my new discovery to friends and family on future WDW trips.

   No rides.  No tours.  No admission price.  Just a nice town with a very gentle feel to it.  A place that makes you say "I wonder if we could move here?". It's just that nice.

   But as DVC members we've already moved to Florida.  A couple of weeks a year anyway.  In Celebration, I've found another well, filled with water from the Disney Fountain of Youth.



Celebration Town Center Website

DIVA FOR A DAY

   On our last trip to WDW in Feb. I wanted to plan a really special meal for  "Mrs. Disney Dan".  We booked an ADR for lunch at The Hollywood Brown Derby in Disney's Hollywood Studios.  

   We did not really know what to expect.  The only thing we knew for sure was that we wanted to try the famous Cobb Salad, and end the meal with their famous Grapefruit Cake.

   After a short wait in the lobby, we were called to be seated, and we were greeted by "The Paparazzi"!  They were taking pictures of "Mrs. Disney Dan" and fussing over her.  It was a fun way to start the special meal.  Later towards the end of the meal, they brought her a souvenir document which told the story of this "famous star" having lunch at the Brown Derby.  It was one of those memorable, magical Disney touches.

   It was so easy to let our imaginations go, and imagine that we were in Hollywood, California.  In our roomy curved booth with the framed caricature drawings all over the walls.  We had fun spotting pictures of famous actors and stars.  The dark coloring of the place adds a feeling of formality, but in such a fun way.

   It was a great meal, a fascinating place to dine.  The staff really went beyond the call of duty to make it an enjoyable time.  There are so many interesting places to eat at Walt Disney World.  I can't really name just one favorite eatery, but Hollywood Brown Derby joined Le Cellier and 'Ohana towards the top of our list.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE -Coffee in the Value room

 Disney "Nuts" (like me) are always looking for tricks and gadgets to use for making the most of each trip.  We tried out a new gadget on our last visit.  It was our first time staying at a Disney value resort, so we knew we would not enjoy the luxury of having a coffee maker in our room.  Our plan was to bring individual packets of instant coffee and instant oatmeal and use this wonderful little gadget called an "Instant immersion heater".

 It's a metal coil that you plug into a wall socket.  It heats up the water in your coffee cup very fast, and voila!... Coffee is ready!  You can heat up a cup of water and use it for instant Oatmeal too.  It didn't take any space in our luggage and really worked great.  Yes, we had to bring our coffee mugs, but we just wrapped them good in bubble wrap, placed them between clothes in the suitcase, and they made the trip without breaking.  We brought plenty of coffee packets and creamers which, again, didn't take much space.  The instant oatmeal didn't take much room either.  It all worked out great.  Gotta have that coffee in the morning to get energized and head out to the parks.

Yup, I LOVE IT when a plan comes together!

Disney Magic on Main Street!

   While there are so many exciting and thrilling attractions in each theme park at Walt Disney World, sometimes it's a totally unexpected surprise that just takes your entire trip up a notch.

   On our last visit, just my Wife and I, we were treated to such a moment, and will never forget it.

  As we were walking down Main Street on our way to lunch at Tony's Town Square, we passed by the world famous Dapper Dans as they were serenading a young man in a wheel chair.  We stopped to enjoy the moment, and I thought how lucky that gentleman was as he was just sitting there taking it all in with his family and others gathered around enjoying the delightful harmonies of this group.

   I gave a wink to one of the Dans as they were singing, and nodded my head towards my Wife who was wearing her Happy Birthday button.  I didn't think he got the "telepathic" message that I was hinting at, so we just clapped and walked away talking about how great the Dapper Dan's are.

   We walked into Tony's about 10 minutes early for our ADR (Reservation), and were sitting in a little waiting area when in walked the Dapper Dan's.  They walked right over to us and introduced themselves to us...

                                 AND THIS HAPPENED!



   It is now one of the top ten classic moments of our Walt Disney World experience list.

   I 'owed' her, because many years ago, we went out to the Olive Garden to celebrate my birthday, and she told someone there that it was my birthday.  After the meal, the wait staff came over and placed what looked like some kind of hat made out of Balloons and a Coffee Filter on my head and sang "Happy Birthday" to me!  I vowed that  some day she would pay for this dastardly (but fun!) deed.

The moral of the story is...  Revenge is a dish best served up cold, and...
                                     ALWAYS WEAR YOUR CELEBRATION BUTTONS AT WDW!  (or get others to)!

OUR POP CENTURY TRIP

   Just finished another visit to WDW, and although we've been there enough times in the last few years to really feel like "Disney Experts", we experienced a lot of "firsts" on this trip.  Some eateries, some things in the parks, even exploring some resorts.  One of the biggies was where we stayed.  After passing through to drop people off on the magical express bus while heading to Animal Kingdom Lodge's Kidani Village, and always saying "Some day we're going to stay at Pop Century!"... we finally did it!

The Resort:

 POP CENTURY

We wanted to save our DVC points for another trip this year, and booked 6 nights at Pop Century with an Annual Pass discount.  We always wanted to stay there, and the price was right for a budget trip.

It is a colorful place.  All about fun.  Kids will love the color of it all, and adults (like us) will just eat up the nostalgia that is around every corner there.  The food court gets a little "crazy" but there are lots of offerings, and we enjoyed getting a whole pizza there, then taking it back to our room for a relaxing evening "in".  They offer in room pizza delivery service, but we saved a few bucks on the delivery fee, and just ordered and walked back to the room.  I'm sure the smell of pepperoni pizza trailing us was making folks hungry as we strolled by!

 

It is a pretty large complex.  If you've stayed there before, you probably have your favorite "section" (or decade) you prefer to stay in.  We agreed that we didn't know exactly what we wanted, so we just checked in and let them put us wherever they wanted.  We ended up on the 3rd floor of the "90's" building.  It turned out to be a great location for us.  Not facing a pool which meant a little less noise.  Close to the bus stops and Classic Hall (where the food court and shops are).  And the building had an elevator!

even the elevators are fun at Pop!

 There is no doubt that we loved the Pop Century!  Once we were settled in our room, we felt like we were "home" each afternoon or evening when returning from the parks or Downtown Disney.  We even watched the Superbowl in our room while enjoying our tradition of having sandwiches on Superbowl Sunday... The Earl of Sandwich can't be beat!  Pop is a great base of operations while touring WDW.  The pools are great, the food court offers lots of choices, the shop has a lot to offer, a game room, well marked bus stops, it has everything you need. ...and A LAKE!

I'm sure we'll be returning there again.  And when the Art of Animation resort is finished, it will be a short walk across Hour Glass Lake via the "Generation Gap" Bridge to even more fun and exploration.

There were some other firsts on this trip, but your first time at any Walt Disney World Resort is always memorable. 

I USED TO BE A DISNEY "LOCAL"!

 It's really strange to think back to the days when I was a kid growing up in the Southeast Los Angeles area of Southern California.  Relatives visiting from out of town always meant a trip to Disneyland (and the beach).  It was just something you do.  And it seems to me that my thinking was always - YOU ONLY GO TO DISNEYLAND WHEN YOU HAVE COMPANY!  I don't know how I got that way, but that's pretty much the way I thought back then.

 I packed up the family and moved away from Los Angeles to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1988.  And now nearly a quarter century later, it is so strange to read web sites or blog posts that talk about "locals" at Walt Disney World, or Disneyland.  I was "a local" and never even realized it!  I never really thought of it in those terms.  Tourists and Locals ...what a concept!

 I wonder what it would be like now that I'm a "Disney Nut" - to be living just miles from Disneyland and California Adventure?  Would I be dragging my Wife (don't worry - she's a "Disney Nut" too!) with me to DCA and Disneyland every other weekend, and on days off with annual passes in hand?  Hanging out at Downtown Disney?  I mean, I can't imagine what it would be like!

Would it be great?  YES!  But, it's also great to be 1,000 miles away from Disneyland (give or take a few hundred miles), and 2,000 miles away from WDW.  Why?  Because, even though it costs an arm and a leg to fly there once, twice, or even three times a year, It's a big adventure!  I don't think I would be planning trips and doing touring plans etc. like I do, if we lived just 15 miles from the Disneyland Resort's parking garage.  And for me, the planning is half of the fun (OK, maybe 1/3 of the fun, but it's still fun!).

 Would we be DVC members?  Probably NOT.  I mean, how could I ever hope to talk my better half into buying 200 points for WDW trips when Disneyland is just "around the corner"!  I can't imagine a world without trips to The Animal Kingdom Lodge, Bay Lake Tower, Old Key West or any of the other fantastic DVC villas where we stay now.  We could still do "cash trips" to the Value or Moderate resorts at WDW  and that would be great fun, but how would we be able to take friends, and family with us like we've done the last few years?

 I don't know if I would have become such a Disney theme park fan if it weren't for 2 things.  1. Moving Far Away, and 2. The Internet.

 Moving away gave me that feeling of longing for Disneyland, and that feeling of nostalgia for a place that was always fun, and never let me down.  And the Internet gave birth to the great Disney websites, groups, blogs, and podcasts that feed my insatiable thirst for that refreshing water that comes from the deep Disney wells.


It's hard to imagine a world where Disneyland or Walt Disney World are just around the corner.  But I guess if I lived there, it would be hard to imagine living so far away from the place that I love!

It's all "relative".  But now it's not all "relatives".

THE AVATAR EFFECT

   Disney has announced the creation of a new "land" at Disney's Animal Kingdom which will be based on the movie Avatar.  The Disney fan community has gone bonkers trying to figure out what it all means and how it will all work out.  So far, everyone is asking the question - "How will Avatarland affect The Animal Kingdom?".  But my question is... "How will being connected to a Disney theme park affect the next Avatar movie?".

  Could there be a "reverse effect" which helps boost the fan base of the Avatar movie series? (there are 2 more already in the works).  I still have not seen the movie.  Now that they are going to create a whole "land" at Walt Disney World based on this movie, I want to see it!

   I realize that the Disney "Kook Base" isn't that large compared to the overall population of the world (the real world), but I'm wondering if someone, somewhere felt that this move could create an increased interest in the coming sequel.

   As far as the more immediate question being posed by Disney fans - "How will this work out at Walt Disney World?"...  I welcome it.  I don't think I've ever seen many of the movies that the Disney attractions are based on, yet I love the attractions, and I have to admit... I've never watched an entire Star Wars movie, yet I love Star Tours.  I mean, there weren't even movies for Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, or Space Mountain when these attractions were created, yet those are 3 of my 5 favorite rides!  I don't know of an Expedition Everest movie (and there may be one, but if so, I've never seen it) yet EE is one of my favorite attractions EVER!  So my answer to the question is... I don't know, but I look forward to what the Disney imagineers create!