Image belongs to Blake's family.
Finishing our countdown the most magical experiences of the most magical place on Earth.
By Blake
Originally posted January 24, 2012.
Walt Disney World Resort celebrated its 40th anniversary on October 1, 2011, and now it's time to finish off counting down my top 40 personal favorite Disney experiences. I realize that there’s just so much going on that it’s nearly impossible to have experienced EVERYTHING. However, of the many things I have had the privilege of enjoying, this is what I attest to be (wait for it)…the best of Walt Disney World.
What’s included in this list: attractions, rides, shows, atmospheres, and restaurants
What’s not included in this list: Resort rooms, seasonal events, special programs/tours, and closed attractions
What’s your favorite?
10. Main Street, U.S.A.
Magic Kingdom
You know you’re “really here” when you make that first walk under the Magic Kingdom’s railroad station and step onto Main Street, with Cinderella Castle beckoning in the distance. It’s an emotional rush that can be described in no other way than Disney magic in its most genuine form.
Video by Undercover Tourist.
Main Street, U.S.A. is based on Walt Disney’s romanticized memories of his hometown on Marceline, Missouri, so such a place as depicted here probably never really existed verbatim. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be beautifully brought to life here in the Magic Kingdom. Everything about Main Street makes you want to settle down and live here. The turn-of-the-century ragtime melodies softly playing are some of the best instances of background music in any Disney park. The musical entertainment (including the trolley show, marching band, and Dapper Dans, to name a few) are so simplistically brilliant. The citizens who roam the area (such as the mayor and the fire chief) are wonderful for a humorous little chat. And, to top it all off, the pumped smell of chocolate chip cookies coming from the bakery is icing on the cake. It’s the perfect welcome to a magical day ahead.
9. Festival of the Lion King
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
This show is in a class all its own. There are great Walt Disney World shows…and then there’s Festival of the Lion King. The clever approach of this production is not to retell The Lion King’s film story on stage, but to rather celebrate the spirit of The Lion King through a spectacle of music, parade floats, acrobatics, fire, characters, stilt-walkers, and more, all in a theater-in-the-round production that never fails to be a highlight of a visit to Animal Kingdom.
Image by Blake.
8. Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
I had heard that this 1970’s-era dinner show was fun. But, upon seeing it recently, I was definitely not expecting just how much I would thoroughly enjoy it. I was swept up by its simplicity of its six-person troupe of cun-tree performers and small accompanying orchestra (of the piano and banjo variety). It was fantastic, and perhaps what makes it so enthralling it how its old-school, countrified humor is still just as entertaining today as it was in the early days of the Walt Disney World Resort. Not to mention that it’s just plain funny to have a tin bucket of ribs delivered to your table in tune to the music.
Image by Blake.
7. Space Mountain
Magic Kingdom
Here’s the king dog daddy of Disney thrills. Smooth and exhilarating but not too extreme, Space Mountain is the ultimate E-Ticket. “Yzma, put your hands in the air!”
Image by Blake.
6. 3 o’clock Parade
Magic Kingdom
What time does it start again? I love me a good Disney parade. And, despite the fact that the current iteration of the Magic Kingdom’s afternoon parade is a bit stale, the 3 o’clock parade is such a legendary and infamous figure in Disney lore that it can’t be left out of the top WDW attractions. The Magic Kingdom’s parade is historically the one to include the most classic characters in Disney’s vast library of animated personalities, meaning every float is a who’s-who, blink-and-you-miss-them lineup of childhood heroes and superstars. If you feel so inclined and want a fun memory, watch the parade on Main Street and then sprint through Adventureland in time to catch the parade again as it makes its way through Frontierland.
Enjoy for yourself the splendor and magic of the 3:00 parade. Video by KnightOwl2006.
5. Splash Mountain
Magic Kingdom
The Imagineers really outdid themselves with this one. Not since Pirates of the Caribbean had an Audio-Animatronics attraction had such detail, intrigue, personality, and—to our benefit—length! Clocking in at over ten minutes, Splash Mountain is definitely worth its often long wait. It retells a condensed version of Song of the South in a ride that is perhaps best described as a log flum-ized Fantasyland dark ride.
Image by Blake.
Not only is the ride itself fun, but the detail is extraordinary. From the intricate story unfolding to the visual details of the props to the stellar theming of the surrounding area, particularly the rustic and inviting quality of the entrance courtyard and subsequent queue…it’s impossible not to exit with a smile on your face.
4. Fantasmic!
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Question: Just what is this? A show? Parade? Film? Fireworks?
Answer: Yes.
Video by aquany1.
3. Jim Henson’s Muppet*Vision 3D
Disney's Hollywood Studios
This is the last major production that Jim Henson worked on before his untimely death in 1990, and it is truly one of his finest hours. It’s downright hysterical; every Muppet character (and therefore every Muppet performer) is in their element and has never put on a better show. Among the highlights are Statler and Waldorf’s comments to the audience from their balcony seats, the we-know-they’re-cheesy-but-we’re-using-them-anyway 3D effects, and, of course, Sam the Eagle’s “Salute to All Nations, But Mostly America.”
Image by Blake.
The queue for Muppet*Vision is one of the Imagineers’ most detailed environments ever. Guests are meant to feel as if they’re inside the actual Muppet Theater, so while waiting in line they pass zany offices and are surrounded by amusing props with puns (like “a net full of jello,” meant to recall Mouseketeer Annette Funicello). The accompanying gift shop continues the details with more hilarious findings and quirky theming treats.
2. Character Encounters
There’s just something magical about meeting your favorite Disney character in person. The characters know how much they mean to Guests, and what they represent to many people, and as such treat each personal encounter with Guests as something special. They’re always in character (Goofy is particularly clumsy and Stitch is 100% mischievous) and they never fail to be the best at what they do.
Video by simplyjas.
1. Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Magic Kingdom
What makes Mickey’s PhilharMagic so wonderful is that it completely and wholeheartedly embodies everything that the Walt Disney Company stands for. It culminates together exactly what it is that gives Disney such a nostalgic connotation. As Donald Duck whizzes through scenes from classic animated films to the tunes of some of the best songs in cinematic history, we’re reminded of each of these films and characters and the special memories we associate with each of those entities, as well as the special memories we associate with anything Disney, whether that relates to the parks or something else. Mickey’s PhilharMagic is always the last attraction my family experiences at the Magic Kingdom, to serve as a reminder of what being a family is all about.
Video by danwisbey85.
Did your favorite make the list?
Catch the rest of the list:
And catch readers sharing their favorite Disney memories to celebrate 40 years of magic.
By Blake; posted January 24, 2012.
1 comments:
Wow! I was waiting on the TOP 10! What a hard decision, but I agree with your picks. Thanks for your take on the entire Top 40 picks.
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