Hey there, Disney Vacation Club families! We know you love your vacations and your home resort, and we know you love to stay where you can be a part of the magic. As we have said “Welcome Home” to guests at Disney Vacation Club properties at Walt Disney World Resort and Vero Beach, Florida and Hilton Head, South Carolina, we thought it would be fun to create a quiz for a friendly trivia night with your family to recreate some of the magic in your own home. We’re calling it “Disney Vacation Club Trivia Night.”
You can test each other on your knowledge of fun facts, and come up with some fun prizes such as the winner picks the next dessert (for inspiration check out some of the Disney classic recipes we recently shared on the Disney Parks Blog).
Now, get two teams together and find out who knows more about Disney Vacation Club!
Follow these simple instructions: Print out a copy of the trivia sheet here. Pick a moderator. The moderator in your home will ask each team member a question, alternating between the two teams.
Each time you get an answer right, your team gains a point. At the end of the series of questions, the team with the most points wins.
This week’s SATURDAY SIX Presents – Plastic in the Parks at Disney Springs! Last year we introduced Plastic in the Parks, a series in which photographer Michael Carelli takes LEGO to the theme park world to create fun pictures. We’ve been waiting for the right time to bring the concept back when some great news happened recently. Our friend Banks Lee – formerly of Attractions Magazine – started a new job at one of our favorite parks, LEGOLAND Florida! It was time to go back into the toy chest, grab some LEGO and hit Disney Springs to get some photos…
# 6 – T-REX Cafe
No one is going to be handing out Michelin stars to T-REX Cafe any time soon, but you can’t deny that it is a Must Do experience for families. With gigantic fish tanks, over the top dinosaur theming, and one of the most fun desserts at WDW with the Chocolate Extinction, T-REX is always a big hit.
Indiana Jones outside Jock Lindsey’s Hanger Bar. (photo by Michael Carelli)
# 4 – Once Upon a Toy
Located in the Marketplace section of Disney Springs, Once Upon A Toy has two great photo-ops outside for guests with Toy Story‘s own Mr. Potato Head and Buzz Lightyear.
To infinity and beyond! (photo by Michael Carelli)
# 3 – Marvel Super Hero Headquarters
Meanwhile, over on the West Side of Disney Springs there is another store which features toys (and more.) This is one of the only places at Walt Disney World where you will see the Marvel brand advertised, as Universal has the theme park rights to many Marvel superheroes. The “Marvel Contract” is a much debated topic in the theme park world, and something which picked up a lot of steam once Disney bought Marvel back in 2009. Universal has the exclusive theme park rights to many Marvel characters, “East of the Mississippi.” That’s why Disneyland can have an upcoming ride based on Spider-Man, but WDW can’t. Instead, WDW has to find the characters who aren’t included in the contract to base attractions and meet and greets around. So instead of Captain America and Spidey, the Florida parks got a Dr. Strange meet and greet at DHS and the Awesome Mix Live! show at EPCOT featuring the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Iron Man. (photo by Michael Carelli)
Just a couple doors down from Super Hero Headquarters is the Star Wars Galactic Outpost. Think about how crazy it is that between the years of 2009 and 2012 Disney bought both Marvel AND Star Wars! We may never see anything like that again, because how often will you find brands that made an unbelievable cultural impact worldwide spanning movies, tv shows, comic books, toys and more.
A stormtrooper guards the Star Wars Galactic Outpost. (photo by Michael Carelli)
# 2 – Characters in Flight
Everyone knows that Disney Springs is a shopping and dining district, but it’s also a place that has several attractions. Aside from a carousel and train ride for the kiddos, there is the Characters in Flight helium balloon experience that takes guests high up into the sky. Outside of staying at Gran Destino Tower, there are very few places at WDW which offer guests a bird’s eye view of the entire property (and while you’re up there, say hi to @bioreconstruct for us!)
“Now, think of the happiest things. It’s the same as having wings!” – Peter Pan (photo by Michael Carelli)
# 1 – Cookes of Dublin
Like the rest of Walt Disney World, Disney Springs was closed to guests at the end of March because of the coronavirus. And similar to the WDW theme parks which welcomed guests back this pas week, the reopening of Disney Springs came with some new rules for guests. Face coverings were required and social distancing measures were put into place. However, with all the new safety procedures, Disney forget to mention that bringing your own grill to cook hot dogs was not allowed. Gonna have to take a Mulligan on that one, because much to the chagrin of Disney security, some guests brought their own bbq. To be fair, in a year which a Jungle Cruise boat sank, guests swam in a SeaWorld lagoon, and Katy Perry dressed herself (and her dog) as Dumbo, is grilling your hot dogs at Disney Springs really that weird? Actually, yes it is, but we’ll get to all of that and more later in the annual Theme Park Turkey of the Year Awards.
Disney Springs is many things to many people, but if you’re looking to grill your own hot dogs over an open flame, maybe go to one of Florida’s many pavilions available at rest stops throughout the state instead. (photo by Michael Carelli)
So there you have it: The SATURDAY SIX Presents -Plastic in the Parks at Disney Springs!See you next weekend for the latest installment of the SATURDAY SIX, where we’ll look at something fun from the world of Disney and Universal. If you enjoyed yourself, be sure to check out The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! articles covering the latest from the Disney Outlet Stores. You can also follow Your Humble Author on Twitter (@derekburgan).
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As we commemorate 65 years of magic at Disneyland, let’s rewind the clock to 1955 and test your knowledge with a round of nostalgic trivia. Here we go!
It has never happened before: Disneyland is closed on its anniversary date of July 17. It feels very strange that Disney fans aren’t able to honor the theme park that changed the world by being in its presence, especially with the younger sibling, Magic Kingdom, being open.
Disneyland Train Station
If you are visiting Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom anytime soon and wish to pay homage to Disneyland, the Happiest Place on Earth, here are 10 ways to honor Disneyland’s anniversary while visiting the Magic Kingdom.
1. Appreciate the Roy O. Disney statue at Town Square – This statue is a special sight that does not exist in any other Disney theme park. So if this is something that is exclusive to Magic Kingdom, what does it have to do with Disneyland? It is said Disneyland is Walt Disney’s park, and Magic Kingdom is Roy’s. Walt did not live long enough to see any other theme park besides Disneyland. And it was Roy O. Disney, his older brother, who came out of retirement to make sure Walt’s dream of Disney World came true, and it was Roy who made sure it was named Walt Disney World.
2. Admire the Main Street USA windows – The tradition of honoring personnel who had a positive impact on Disneyland started with Walt Disney himself. This tradition has been carried on for decades in Disney parks across the globe. Admiring these windows is a great way to reflect on where it all started and how many people have contributed to the Disney legacy.
Main Street Before Walt Disney World March 2020 Closure
3. Hop Aboard Prince Charming Regal Carrousel – The story goes that the idea for Disneyland came to Walt as he sat on a bench while his daughters rode a carousel in Griffith Park in California. He wanted “an amusement enterprise where families could laugh and play together.” There is something so charming about a regal carousel spinning in the shadow of a grand castle.
4. Lift Your Spirits at Haunted Mansion – The original Haunted Mansion at Disneyland went through one of the longest developments of any attraction at a Disney park. It began development while Walt was alive, but he passed away in 1966, and Haunted Mansion did not open until 1969. While Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion has lots of differences from the West Coast original, a visit to the Mansion is still a great way to pay homage to the original.
5. Pirates of the Caribbean – Around the same time as Haunted Mansion was in development, so too did Pirates of the Caribbean. It is considered to be the final attraction that Walt personally oversaw. Like the Mansion, there are quite a few differences in Magic Kingdom’s Pirates of the Caribbean compared to the longer and more elaborate original in Disneyland. But, there is no doubt the classic Disney imagineering magic can felt when sailing on the high seas here.
6. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – It seems like a weird way to pay tribute to Disneyland, but in my mind a trip to 100 Acre Wood aboard The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is fitting. This is purely because of a moment in which you pass a picture of Thaddeus Toad shaking hands with Owl. This picture is on the left side as soon as you enter Owl’s House near the beginning of the ride. And, it is a tribute because Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride closed to make way for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I love that Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride still exists at Disneyland.
7. Sail Toward Adventure on the Jungle Cruise – It’s fun to think about the history of the Jungle Cruise. How Harper Goff drew the pathway of the ride with sticks in the dirt. Or, how there really weren’t all that many animal animatronics to be seen during the first few years of the ride. It’s such a charming attraction that gives me 1950s nostalgia feels, yet is still funny and relevant in this modern age.
Elephant Pool at The Jungle Cruise
8. Hear the Birds Sing Words in Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room – The history of the tiki room at Magic Kingdom is a little patchy. In the 1990s this classic, albeit long-in-the-beak, attraction was revamped to include new music, and Zazu from The Lion King and Iago from Aladdin. Most Disney fans did not like the idea of this classic attraction’s takeover. After all, Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room was the first Disneyland attraction to use a true audio-animatronic system. A fire caused the attraction to temporarily shut down a few years ago and when it reopened the Tiki Gods celebrated because it was returned to its original state.
9. Take a Cruise Aboard it’s a small world – The attraction that is home to everyone’s favorite song was not part of Disneyland’s opening day line up. But, it’s a small world represents an era in Disney history in which the financial future of the company was essentially saved thanks to its involvement in the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. The team at Disney created several exhibits and attractions through important corporate sponsorships. These deals gave Disney much needed cash flow and new attractions to bring back and install at Disneyland to create renewed interest in the park.
10. Admire the Welcome Plaque at the entrance to Main Street Station – The best way to cap off a visit to Magic Kingdom filled with homages to Disneyland, is to take a moment and admire the welcome plaque. As you enter the archways on either side of the Main Street Station, you’ll notice a circular plaque hanging above. It reads: “Here You Leave Today And Enter The World Of Yesterday, Tomorrow And Fantasy.” This plague is rectangular shaped at its original location at Disneyland. Seeing at Magic Kingdom brings warmth to my heart as I think about the spirit of these two magical parks.
How are you marking this special Disneyland anniversary?
Happy birthday Disneyland! As a surprise present, shopDisney has released special Wishables. These are sure to sell out, so act fast!
Disney Parks Wishables Mystery Plush – Disneyland 65th Anniversary Series – Limited Release
The set contains four known plush in blind bags, a mystery plush, and one completer plush. Each is sold separately. You could get Mr. Toad, a Skyway Bucket, a Tiki Barker Bird, an Alice in Wonderland attraction ride vehicle, or a mystery plush. A Monstro Wishable is sold separately to complete the set. Each Wishable is $9.99.
Disney Parks Wishables Mystery Plush – Disneyland 65th Anniversary Series – Limited ReleaseDisney Parks Wishables Mystery Plush – Disneyland 65th Anniversary Series – Limited ReleaseDisney Parks Wishables Monstro Plush – Disneyland 65th Anniversary Series – Limited Release
Will you make a beeline for shopDisney to hopefully pick up one of these special Wishables?
