|
| ||||||||||||||
Other Disney Properties
This page documents all of the random information that I felt would be pertinent to a trip to Walt Disney World's Properties other than the parks. This includes Disney Resorts, Water Parks, and others.
All information has been gleaned off of the internet. The author cannot take responsibility for the accuracy of the statements made on this page.
See the Main Page for more information.
Resorts
- All Resorts
- On the bottom of the mattresses in the hotels, there is a picture of Mickey Mouse, and it says "The Walt Disney Company."
- Moderate or Deluxe Resorts
- If staying at a Disney Moderate or Deluxe Resort, you can request an in-room refrigerator for no extra fee.
- Polynesian Resort
- Around dusk, they have a whole routine for lighting the Tiki Torches along the outside walkway.
- Ladybug Release Program - every Thursday morning at 11:00am, each guest is given a matchbox containing some ladybugs. You then release the ladybugs onto the nearby plants. Ladybugs are attractive carnivorous insects that eat other bad insects.
- In the main volcano pool, you can hear Hawaiian music played under water.
- You will hear the sound of crickets. The cricket noises are coming from the speakers.
- Wilderness Lodge
- Ladybug Release Program - every Thursday morning at 10:00am, each guest is given a matchbox containing some ladybugs. You then release the ladybugs onto the nearby plants. Ladybugs are attractive carnivorous insects that eat other bad insects.
- When looking at Wilderness Lodge at night from the lake, the architecture intentionally makes the resort look like a bear's face.
- Each morning, one family is allowed to ascend to the roof and raise the five flags (US, Florida, WDW, and 2 Lodge flags) on the staffs on top of the main lobby building. The view up top is breathtaking. Afterwards, you receive a certificate as a memento of the occasion as "Flag Family." You sign up to be "Flag Family" at the Guest Services desk in the main lobby.
- As you are going from the bus area to the doors to the lodge on the right, you will hear the sound of crickets. The cricket sounds are being played through the speaker in the ceiling about 15 feet from the door.
- Ask at the Guest Services Desk about the "Legends of the Magic Kingdom Tour." They don't advertise it and will only tell you about it if you ask. The tour begins at 7:00am, leaving from the Wilderness Lodge by bus you go to the Magic Kingdom with a tour guide before the park is oopen to guests. The cast member guide takes the group on a tour all around the Magic Kingdom showing how things are built, forced perspective, traffic patterns and many other Disney secrets. After walking down Main Street you actually go back stage and into the tunnels for a short tour down there. You then walk around all the different worlds looking at the imagineer's details (including Hidden Mickeys!). The tour guide will answer any questions you have about anything Disney. The tour lasts about 2 hours and ends with the Rope Dropping ceremony as the less priviledged guests enter the park. The only bad part is that you have to leave the park and return to the Wilderness Lodge at the end of the tour. You have to be 16 or older to take the tour and it costs about $35
- Ask at the Guest Services Desk for the "Official" Wilderness Lodge Resort Hidden Mickey List.
- The massive 8-story-high stone fireplace was built using the same stone colorizations as the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon fireplace is in real geologic layers; you can even see some fossils.
- If you look down on the ground in the area near the pool, creek, etc., you will find pine needles (as if you were really in the mountains). There are no long-needle pine trees anywhere in the area. They bring bags of these pine needles and scatter them around the property to enhance the pine forest feeling.
- There are random animal tracks in the cement on the walkways: deer, raccoon, bison, etc., as if the wild animals wandered through the property when the cement was wet.
- Contemporary Resort
- One of the goats in the tile mosaic in the atrium has 5 legs. He is on the Monorail side of the mural at the very top of the mountain. He is reported to be blue.
- Grand Floridian
- The keys behind the desk are the original keys used by the Resort. When Disney switched to programmable magnetic card door keys, they decided to leave the key shelfs in place as part of the decor. If you are really nice and you speak to a Cast Memeber, they may give you one as a souveneir.
- The birds in the Grand Floridian Beach Resort lobby are picked to match the carpeting.
- If you want to see some extra large bass, go to the Narcoose's resturaunt at the Grand Floridian. If you look over the edge of the deck in the water you will see some HUGE fish. Ask the waitress/hostess for some bread and you will see how large they really are!
- Yacht & Beach Club
- The carpet in front of the elevators in the lobby area is the same design as on the Dreamfinder's compass in "Journey into Imagination."
- At Beaches and Cream, if you look at the back of the menu, you can see a "Kitchen Sink." It has every kind of ice cream, topping and whatever else they throw in there in this dessert. If you finish it within an hour (eating it all by yourself) you get it for free, receive a certificate stating that you are in the "Kitchen Sink Club" that is signed by Mickey himself.
- Port Orleans (French Quarter & Riverside)
- It isn't mentioned in the Disney Transportaion Guide, but those staying at the Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter, Old Key West and Disney Institute can get a water taxi to Downtown Disney.
- The musical staff notes across the registration desk at Disney's Port Orleans Resort -- French Quarter spell out the first verse of "When the Saints Go Marching In."
- All Stars
- The musical notes on the front of the front desk are the notes for "When You Wish Upon a Star." The music on the curtains in the rooms is the same tune, although it is an orchestral version.
- If you count the dalmations all over the All Star Movie Resort, there are exactley 101.
Monorail
- Front Seat View
- Ask a Cast Member to sit up in the front cabin with the Monorail driver. They usually will let you if the cabin is not already full. (The cabin can only sit 4-6 visitors at a time)
- Drive the Train
- Sometimes, while sitting up front with the driver, he will let you take the controls shortly if you ask.
- If you're looking for a longer driving experience, be the last person on the train. If it is just you and the driver, there's a good chance that he will let you stand next to him and drive the train.
- Magic Kingdom Fireworks
- If you are in the front seat with the driver as you are leaving the Magic Kingdom at the end of the night, you can ask him to stop to view the fireworks. It's said to be one of the best views for the fireworks.
Water Parks
Typhoon Lagoon
- The home port of the Miss Tilly, the boat on top of Typhoon Lagoon, is "Safen Sound FL"
- In the wavepool, there is a red big red line. Do not stand in this area. The red line is where the wave crashes down on you.
Blizzard Beach
- Meltaway Bay
- From the top of the highest slides, you can see all four parks (via their 'mark'). There's the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom, Cinderella's Castle at Magic Kingdom, Spaceship Earth at Epcot, and (I believe) both the Earful Tower and Tower of Terror at Disney-MGM Studios. Granted, you can't see them all at once, you must turn and you can see each one indvidually.
- There is a hidden ice alligator in the rocks between the center and right lifeguard chair.
- There is a manatee and an alligator on the rocks near Mt. Gushmore. These are very difficult to find. I advise a novice to ask the lifeguards and custodial Cast Member, as they are well aware of these.
Downtown Disney
Pleasure Island
Disney Quest
- There is a Binford Toolbox in DisneyQuest.
- Look for a variation of the "Whack-a-mole" game customized as "whack-an-alien" just as it was featured in Pizza Planet in "Toy Story."
- On the Pirates of the Caribbean game, look at the treasure. You might find little artifacts like Aladdin's lamp or magic carpet.