Adam TheWoo

Want a unique look at DisneyWorld or Universal Orlando? Have you ever wondered what happened to old attractions like River Country or maybe the Nickelodeon Studios? Were you able to capture your 24 hour marathon at the Magic Kingdom on February 29th,2012? Maybe you wish you could find locations that some classic movies were filmed? One such man is doing that this very moment and you can share in his  adventures. Adam TheWoo is the adventurer that does things most of us only dream of and Youtube is his current venue!

Wonder what Adam TheWoo is filming today...another amazing video

First let me warn you his videos are awesome, but what Adam does is not necessarily authorized and you probably should not try them on your own. It is also important to note that from his own bio on his webpage  he makes it very clear "I will NEVER break into a place, steal anything, spray paint walls or destroy anything. I am completely opposed to all these things!"

Adam has amassed over 11,000 Youtube followers and that number is climbing everyday! The adventures he embarks on gives some really cool perspectives on some great locations and abandoned places.

Adam TheWoo on Location at Universal Studios
taking time chat and pose for a picture with Me

I was fortunate enough to happen upon Adam's Youtube channel about a year and half ago and even more fortunate to run into him in September when he was preparing to make a new video at Universal Studios. Occasionally in his videos you can see him wearing one of our Matt's Firehouse Family Vacations t-shirts.:) It was great to meet him in person and see how he films his adventures. The day I was able to meet him, he was able to capture an experience with his camera that many people's pictures(including mine) can't do justice. You can check out that experience by clicking here, then check out some of these great videos. 

EPCOT 30th adventure

River Country

24 Hours at the Magic Kingdom

Nickelodeon Studios

Jurassic Park Triceratops Attraction

These are just a sampling of the videos that  Adam does and there are more to come. Adam is currently on road filming more amazing videos and could use your support. Follow him on twitter, and like him on Facebook to see where he is going next.

The View Has Changed.....2012

In 13 months the view from the Contemporary Resort Hotel's roof has changed once again 

This is how it looked in August of 2011

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This is the same view from September 2012. Slightly different angle and zoom.

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The New FantasyLand has grown and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Coaster has risen.

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The view is sure to be different in March of 2013. With the California Grill closing for an overhaul we hope we are able to get up there and get some more pictures.

Want to see this view  looked in 2003 click here

On our way to Celebrate EPCOT's 30th and some Halloween Fun!

Hey everyone! Our Fall Trip has arrived. This will be the first time in 17 years I will be In Orlando without children! It will be bittersweet but the wife and I are going to make it up to kids this Spring with a Spring Break Trip. That way they can experience the New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom. While we plan on having a blast down there, we are also going to take care of some business. We will be taking tons of pictures to share you and current/future clients!

We will be staying at the Pop Century Resort for our first time ever and be taking advantage of the FREE Dining plan(we upgraded from the quick-service to the standard dining plan).  While there we will  be sure to take the  jog across the lake to check out the new Arts of Animation Resort and see all that it has to offer!  If there is something you want to see or know about, let us know and we will try to get first hand info for you. Our schedule is not very tight but we do have some things planned and are more than willing to find out the best and most accurate information to share with you!

Here is what our Schedule looks like:

Day 1: We leave bright and early Wednesday Morning to hopefully be on the ground at Orlando International to hop the Disney's Magic Express by Noon. 

After we  hit the online check in counter, we plan on exploring the Pop Century Resort to get the lay of the land pick up our items we had the Disney World Personal Shopper grab for us.  From there hop a bus to spend the rest of the day at The Hollywood Studios and take in Fantasmic!

Day 2: Thursday will be a extremely fun long day. After an early morning Rental Car pick up. We are going to head over to Universal Orlando. We are going to spend a majority of the day at Island of Adventure, riding the newly re digitized Spiderman , filling up on ButterBeer, riding Dudley Do-Right Falls( one my favorite water rides), and going haywire buying souvenirs for the kiddos.  Then we are going to hop over to the Studios to take in a few rides and become Minions on Despicable Me before we take on Halloween Horror Nights. I am especially looking forward to the Walking Dead Maze and Penn&Teller's Las Vegas!

I am going to ride this over and over and over......

Day3: Friday we are going to be up bright and early  to take in a Character Breakfast at the Magic Kingdom 's Crystal Palace then spend of the rest of morning hours hitting up our favorite attractions and playing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.   Midday we are going head over to the ESPN Wide World of Sports to check out the Health and Fitness expo and to get our stuff for the Happy Haunted  5k Trail Run. We will cruise back to the hotel for some pool time and rest before heading back the Magic Kingdom to enjoy Mickey' Not So Scary Halloween Party!!!! I really am looking forward to seeing HallowWishes.

Day 4: Saturday's plan is to get up early and arrive at ESPN for the 5k. We are in corral A with bibs #2224 and #2230, if your in the area be sure to stop on out cheer us on! After the race and we have picked up our medal  the rest of the night is up in the air, we are still debating about going to the Twilight 10 Miler party at the Hollywood Studios, we shall see how we feel. 

Days 5 :  Sunday will be fairly loose go with the flow day. We will be sure to hit the Animal Kingdom, partake in the EPCOT Wine &Harvest fest, and enjoy dinner at Fulton's Crab House in Downtown Disney!

Day 6: Monday will be a day entirely devoted to EPCOT to celebrate the 30th Anniversary. We will kick of the day grabbing fast passes for Soarin and trying to grab some of the special merchandise. Then take part in some of the scheduled events Closing the night out with a concert by the 90's group Sugar Ray and Illuminations with the 30th Anniversary tag!

Day 7: Tueday morning will be spent shipping various souvenirs home, packing, and maybe a quick whirl on the monorails before we hop the Magic Express back to Orlando International.

Be sure to watch our facebook page for updates about our trip! Stay tuned for exciting announcements and giveaways also upon our return.
Thank you all for Supporting Matt's Firehouse Family Vacations. Exciting things are just around the corner!!!!!

Before there was NextGen there was and is Pal Mickey

NextGen is the new buzzword around the Disneysphere and Disney is sinking major amounts of money into this project. The entire scope of the project is only known to those  directly involved in the research and implementation,  but pieces of information have found their way into blogs and guesses have been made to what it will entail.We have begun to see some testing of some of the features the NextGen project will have like  FastPass+ and the new phone App My Disney Experience but there really hasn't been a time table set for a complete roll out of the project yet. There are rumors and some facts presented that NextGen will run on the newly installed WIFI in the parks & resorts and that it will also use RFID technology. RFID technology is in full use at the new Arts of Animation Resort and RFID locks are starting to make their way into other resorts. The NextGen project has been heralded as something that will make guest experiences much more entertaining and save them time; increasing their satisfaction and overall experience at the Walt Disney Resort.While this project has been in the works for a number of years, I would argue the first piece of NextGen was tested and still can be found in use today at Walt Disney World in the form of Pal Mickey.

Pal Mickey 1.0 We have the first version. He is a small guy.

So what is this Pal Mickey? It was a neat little souvenir I picked up for my daughter back on one of trips in 2003…. It is a small plush Mickey Mouse that contains a microprocessor, a speaker, is powered by three AA batteries, and has an infrared receiver in its nose. This infrared receiver would allow it to communicate with a few hundred infrared transmitters around the parks and resorts on the Disney Property. When certain transmitters were in range Mickey would start to laugh and vibrate. You would then have to press his belly or squeeze his hand  so he could tell you  information about the immediate area, a parade, showtime reminders, tips on what costumed walkaround characters may be nearby, and attractions with short queue times. Kind of like a phone app without the phone.

 Pal Mickey was discontinued in October of 2008 and can still be found on eBay for purchase. Why is that important? There were three version released of Pal Mickey, all are said to still be able to work in the parks to this day. So in theory, if you bring a Pal Mickey into any of the Disney World Parks in Orlando, he should still work. Once you leave the park and are at home, Pal Mickey doesn’t become a mute useless souvenir. If you squeeze his hand or push his belly, he will tell jokes and play a few programmed games. He is supposed to have several hundred pre-recorded phrases, ours just keeps telling the same joke over and over.

His clip was just like a Cell phone belt clip, just with a Mouse hanging from it. 

Pal Mickey is a really cool idea and pricey souvenir. He looked stylish on your belt or hanging form a lanyard but the clip that allowed you to do this was not the most comfortable  He  provided some nice entertainment in the lines and through out the resorts. In my opinion, Pal Mickey could easily be considered NextGen 1.0. Why do you ask? Pal Mickey has been rumored to be able to track each individual device so it wouldn't play the same phrases over and over again also in theory tracking where you were in the park. This tracking is something that some people are  worried about the with use of RFID technology by Disney, because they could be able to track where you are on the resort and see what your spending your vacation dollars on. Practice for NextGen? Probably not, but a cool feature.If Disney is tracking me on property, more power to them. Maybe it could be used to track lost child? I am cool with that type of use.
Our Pal Mickey won't be joining us on our Adult trip this fall but may become a stowaway in one of our kids' suitcases for our spring break trip. Do you have a Pal Mickey? Have you brought him back to the park recently?

The Magic Kingdom will no longer be dry......

More information has been announced about the Be Our Guest Restaurant and is sure to cause some controversy. For the first time in its history, alcohol will be served at the Magic Kingdom theme park. It will only be served at this one location and only offered with dinner. The alcohol will be part of the theming and consist of  wine that will complement the French-inspired cuisine. There will also be  French beer and Belgian beers. The complete adult beverage menu can be found here!

What are you thoughts to this addition to the new FantasyLand?

The View has changed: The Magic Kingdom

Over the years, camera skills increase, technology gets better in cameras, and views change.

 Can you spot the differences from over the years in these two pictures taken from the same spot on top of The Contemporary Resort.

Click on the pictures for larger versions.

The Magic Kingdom Circa 2003 with a cheap camera.

New technology and better camera quality allowing more picture options for the novice picture taker developed into this panoramic view below.

The Magic kingdom from the same place Circa 201l, better Camera

This view of the Magic Kingdom is much different in 2012 thanks to the new Fantasyland.(Hopefully we can snap some shots this fall)

The view and cast of characters has also changed at Cinderella's Royal Table over the years.

Cinderella's Royal Table circa 2001 you were greeted by Aurora, Cinderella, and Prince Charming

Cinderella's Royal Table Circa 2003 you were greeted by Snow White and The Prince

 

Cinderella's Royal Table Circa 2011 The Throne has disappeared and so has the rest of the cast of Characters except good Ol' Cindy. PhotoPass Photogs  allows for better quality pictures as well.

How has the view changed for you and your family over the years?

How to choose your tickets at DisneyWorld. It can be confusing

********* A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE WHEN CHOOSING TICKETS: If you are looking to experience to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™, This is at Universal Orlando's Island of Adventure and NOT at Walt Disney World. Many people have mistakenly thought this is at Disney's Hollywood Studios(we encountered several people asking cast members at Disney's Hollywood Studios where it was in that park)and end up angry when they find out that it is not there.********

Choosing how you want to enjoy the magic at DisneyWorld includes determining what type of ticket is the best value for your family. Disney gives you plenty of options when it comes choosing tickets, but some people unknowingly purchase something they don't want, need, or don't get the right ticket for what they want to do.  Choosing the wrong ticket easily raises the cost of your vacation and can even put it out of your budget; it may even leave you feeling disgruntled during your stay at Disney World. Here I will try to explain the current(2012/2013) theme park, add ons, and annual passes that can be purchased without going into pricing just to give a general overview.  This broad overview will serve as a guide to help you understand the options you can choose, so you can experience most of what Disney has to offer based on specific ticket types.(There are other admissions, special tours, experiences, shows, events, and programs that are offered that are not part of  normally purchased tickets or vacation packages.)

The tickets have evolved and changed over the years, but make great souvenirs after your visit.

Theme Park Tickets

For 2012/2013  Tickets for Walt DisneyWorld are being called Magic Your Way Tickets.

Basic Ticket

The most basic form of these tickets are called the Magic Your Way Base Ticket.

Disney tickets use to be paper like this one.

Each Magic Your Way Base Tickets gives one person entry to one Theme Park per day for each day you have purchased for your ticket. Once you enter that park, your "stuck" in that park. You can enter and leave that same park as many times as you like during the regular operational hours of that park. This is a ticket that I would only recommend to someone that has no problem staying in one park for each day their ticket is valid. It is important to note the more days on a ticket you buy, the cost per day goes down.

Park Hopper Option 

The Park Hopper option is an up charge add on to your Magic Your Way Base Ticket. With this add on you are not stuck in the same park each day  your ticket is valid.  You have the flexibility to enter and leave  the Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom on the same day for the entire length of your ticket. The Magic Your Way Base Ticket with Park Hopper is the ticket I recommend to everyone. It opens Walt Disney World up in so many ways allowing freedom to choose where you want to go based on crowds and where you would like to dine. Even with the best touring plans and itineraries, you may feel the need to deviate from the plan and just go where you feel like going. This ticket gives you that option.

Water Park Fun & More Option

This use to be the Water Park Fun& More option and had less restrictions

This up charge to the base ticket can be a great value or a tremendous waste of money; plus there is a lot of small print with this up charge. One would really have to consider how often they would like to visit the water parks or other offerings that this up charge offers.  It may prove cheaper to just purchase tickets individually to each offering than to add this up charge to your entire ticket, it just really all depends on your length of stay and an important side note to this up charge is  the Number of visits depends on number of days purchased on a Magic Your Way Ticket. This is where a travel agent like myself really comes in handy to help with the price break down and comparisons. This option includes includes entrance to Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park ,Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park, Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Disney's Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course or Disney's Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course. All of these extras for this up charge do have a significant amount of fine print and restrictions.

No Expiration Option

If this ticket had not expired. Disney would have had to honor it.
This ticket is from 2003 and no longer offered.

In theory, if you purchase this option, your unused Theme Park days that you have purchased and Water Park Fun & More option that have been added on to those days never expire. Your Magic Your Way Tickets will expire 14 days after first use otherwise. As I said in theory because Disney can change their policies at anytime and laugh all the way to the bank with your money in hand. Back in the day, when a park ticket was bought, the ticket never expired. Someone decided along the way that this notion was a bad idea. So now Disney makes you pay to have that option. Honestly, unless under special circumstances, this option is a waste of money.  Why? Well when you book a package or buy your tickets you can choose the number of days you have on the ticket, so in theory you only pay for the days you are going to use in the theme parks, there is no need to buy more days than that. Unless you intend to spend single days at different times of the year at the park, even then if you go more than 10 days a year, it maybe worth purchasing an annual pass...See below. This is another place where a Travel agent, such as myself, comes in handy to help you figure this out.

******Warning Scam Alert***** Some agents may suggest you buy the no expiration option on your ticket and suggest you sell your remaining days on your ticket to a business that re-sells tickets or is a discount ticket seller. DO NOT DO THIS YOU WILL END UP IN JAIL AND FINED HEAVILY. If you buy a ticket from one these sellers, Disney will not honor it. You are out the money, you may even end up in jail for purchasing these tickets and fined also. ONLY BUY TICKETS FROM A DISNEY AUTHORIZED TICKET AGENT.
 

Let The Memories Begin tickets

Annual Passes

Basic Annual Pass

For really Lengthy stays, if you make several trips a year, or are a local(ish) type person; a Basic Annual Pass may be the best deal for you. The Basic Annual Pass provides a full year access to Disney World theme park with park hopping, "free" theme park parking, discounts on Resort Hotels, dining, and merchandise. Also occasionally there will be exclusive Passholder special events and privileges.
In the past there have been blackout dates with this Basic Annual Pass when you wouldn't be able to enter the parks. Currently there are no blackout dates listed but as always the fine print says "Pass types, entitlements and prices subject to change without notice." So yea Disney covers their butt on that one if they should again decide to implement black out dates.

Premium Annual Passes

The Premium Annual Pass is a great option if you plan on spending great lengths of time not only at the theme parks but at the water parks and golf courses etc.  What you get with this besides a large price tag is 365 days of access to all of the Disney World theme parks on the same day,"free" theme park parking, Access to Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park, Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course, and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. You also get discounts on Resort Hotels, dining, and merchandise. Also occasionally there will be exclusive Passholder special events and privileges. Again though, there is the nice small print "Pass types, entitlements and prices subject to change without notice."  Greens fees for one round of golf; tee times are required and are subject to availability and some events require an additional admission charge."



There are other tickets  like the Water Park Single Day Tickets and DisneyQuest Single Day Tickets, both of these tickets have there pluses and minus, but then again it all depends on what your looking for out of your vacation.

When it comes to Universal Orlando ticket options, it becomes a whole different ball game. So stay tuned as we explore those options in a future blog posting.

 How many of you save your Tickets as a Souvenir from your trips?