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Hi! I'm Anita!
 Got
a question about Walt Disney World? I probably have the answer! Deb's
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Function, or the Anita Answer Archives, drop
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- however, I do read every one and try to answer as many as possible.
Check back weekly and see if your answer is waiting, and be sure to check
out my blog, Anita Talk. Meanwhile,
I'm All Ears!
This
Week, It's All about the Parks!
Summer's
almost here and school is mostly out, so it's time to think about some
fun stuff. This week's column is all about the parks. Enjoy!
Claire
writes:
My friend
just got back from a short trip to Orlando. She did not visit WDW herself,
but was told by someone else that alcohol was now being served at the
Magic Kingdom. She was told that a vending cart was selling beer and
that the cast member working on the cart had refused to sell beer to
a member of the public who was a little worse for wear! I really hope
that this is not true. Have you heard whether alcohol is now available
at Magic Kingdom?
Hi Claire!
No alcohol
of any type is sold to guests in the Magic
Kingdom Park. Whoever told your friend that it was had to have
been in another park. Visitors who are not familiar with Walt Disney
World often become confused over what is or is not in each park and
what the parks' names really are. Furthermore, many people assume "Magic
Kingdom" when they hear "Disney World" so that's probably
where this story got a bit muddled. Bottom line, what your friend heard
was incorrect.
TIP: Alcoholic
beverages are also not allowed to be brought in to any park from outside,
nor is any beverage in a glass container. Leave it at your resort, or
expect it to be confiscated at the security checkpoint.
A.A.
Eliza
writes:
Hi, Anita!
I really like the new Toy Story Mania ride at The Park Formerly Known
as MGM Studios. However, I am curious as to why it is called Toy Story
Mania in Florida, and Toy Story Midway Mania in California, if it is
the same ride. Was this done on purpose or is it a fluke?
Hi Eliza!
It's actually
called "Toy Story Midway Mania" in Florida. The sign
outside of the ride says so, as do the Studios' maps and the
tip board.
I could
be wrong here, but I don't think "Toy Story Mania" was ever
really intended to be the name -- I think it just got shortened somehow
during the construction phase and it kept being repeated that way. If
you think about it, it doesn't really make sense without the "Midway"
part, since that's what the ride is all about. Either way, it's definitely
Toy Story Midway Mania now!
A.A.
David
writes:
Hi, Anita!
Our last trip to Walt Disney World was a year ago, but skimming through
the website, I just thought of a couple of things.
As a young
boy, I remember riding the teacups with my grandpa out in the sun. Imagine
my surprise to discover it under a tent last summer. Am I remembering
incorrectly, or has the ride been covered over "recently?"
Also, reading
through the site archives, I see an entry for the old "Extra TERRORestrial
Alien Encounter" in Tomorrowland, but I remember an even older
attraction called "Mission to Mars" in that space. Whatever
became of that ride?
Still reading
your column, and beginning advance planning for a return in 2011 for
Walt Disney World's 40th birthday!
Hi
David!
You have
a great memory! The Mad Tea Party
did not originally have a canopy over it. Check out my good friend Jack's
pictures from 1972 on his AllEars.net
blog.
The cover
was added sometime in 1974, when the Imagineers finally figured out
that the hot and rainy Florida climate made a cover necessary, unlike
the original ride at Disneyland,
where the weather is usually more cool and dry. Kinda makes you wonder
why they built Animal Kingdom in
1998 with virtually no air conditioning, but I, as usual, digress. Back
to the Magic Kingdom, Mission to
Mars wasn't the first attraction in that show building, either. The
original was Flight to the Moon, which opened in late 1971 and closed
in early 1975. It was revamped into Mission to Mars, which opened in
mid-1975. MTM closed in the fall of 1993 and was replaced by ExtraTERRORestrial
Alien Encounter in 1995. It actually opened for a very brief
preview period in 1994, but Michael Eisner ordered more show changes,
so the official opening was in 1995. It, in turn, closed in 2003, and
was replaced by my least favorite attraction of all time, Stitch's
Great Escape, which opened in late 2004. I can still smell that
chili dog... Yuck!
Have a
great time planning, because 2011 will be here before you know it!
A.A.
Sharon
writes:
Hi, Anita!
I read somewhere that the Haunted Mansion gets a Christmas revamp and
becomes Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas. Is this true? I'm hoping
it isn't because I'd hate to see such a classic attraction become something
less than it is. Thanks!
Hi Sharon!
Actually
it is true -- in the Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland
California Haunted Mansions. Every year before Halloween, these
two mansions get a Nightmare Before Christmas overlay and soundtrack,
which in my opinion really enhances the ride rather than detracts from
it. It really is very well done. So far, the Florida
mansion has not gotten the overlay, and from what I've heard,
it probably never will, so no worries!
A.A.
Lori
writes:
I know
that Test Track at Epcot has a single rider line that cuts down on the
wait time in line. Are there rides in other parks that have the same
set up?
Hi Lori!
There are
currently only four attractions at the major theme parks at Walt Disney
World that have a Single Rider Line: Test
Track at Epcot; Expedition EVEREST
at Animal Kingdom; and Rock 'n'
Roller Coaster and Toy Story Midway
Mania at the Studios.
That said,
you need to be aware that the Single Rider Line is not always the fastest
way onto a ride, and that some attractions suspend the Single Rider
Line entirely when the Stand-By and Fastpass
lines back up. This is particularly true at Toy Story Midway Mania.
In fact, I overheard an Imagineer expressing displeasure at the way
the single rider line was working or not working, actually. I wouldn't
be at all surprised to see the single rider line there disappear entirely
very soon. In my experience, the single rider line at Expedition EVEREST
works the most efficiently of all single rider lines.
A.A.
Kyle
writes:
Hello!
My question concerns everyone's favorite flying elephant ride! My wife
has plans of riding with her mom on Dumbo on our next trip to Walt Disney
World, but I was curious. Is there a restriction on riding this attraction
without a child? Without naming any names, when we tried to ride a "kiddie"
ride at another park we were told that a child must accompany you on
the ride; adults only were not allowed. (Okay, it was the Pterandon
Flyers at Islands of Adventure -- we're big kids at heart!) My wife
remembers riding Dumbo with her mom at Disneyland when she was a kid,
and she would like to share this moment again when her mom visits Walt
Disney World for the first time. (Mom didn't even let her go up and
down on Dumbo last time - she was just a little nervous!) Please help!
Thanks!
Hi Kyle!
Fear not,
there is no such restriction on any ride at WDW that I can think of.
"Kids" of all ages are welcome to ride Dumbo as often as they
like. Flo and I always make it a point to ride Dumbo
the Flying Elephant during "party" nights when the
lines are shorter.
I hope
your wife and her mother have a wonderful time reliving old memories
on Dumbo, and that Mom allows your wife to make the flying elephant
go "up and down and up and down" as much as she wants to this
time!
A.A.
That's
it for this edition!
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question?
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