It’s Been Awhile!

Well it certainly has been awhile since I have been able to post to the blog.  Life happens!

But so does Disney!  Disney never goes away, and I guess neither do I!

So where do we start?  There is so very much going on in the Wonderful World of Disney today.  In fact we recently got back from a short trip to Disney World and boy has it changed!  What used to be Downtown Disney is now Disney Springs and boy is it a change for the better!  The massive variety of new, and might I add better, shops is just awesome for those of us who love to shop.  Of course my favorite new shop is the Star Wars shop that was formerly called Trend-D.  The sheer amount of Star Wars love in that shop brought a tear to this old Jedi’s eye.  I could have bought the entire shop for sure.  The shops now longer all seem like they are selling the same thing either which is a huge improvement.

On the subject of food, oh my goodness is there a ton of new and awesome and fun new food options.  I have to tell you about Splitsville if we are going to talk about food.  Yes it is a bowling alley, and when you think bowling alley you do not think great food.  But you also don’t think sushi either when you think bowling, but Splitsville has some awesome sushi.  I cannot explain how much fun it is to grab your shoes and head to the lanes and have this amazingly huge table behind you, a massive big screen television in front of you and some of the best food you will eat at Disney all right there while you get to bowl!  This is a must do especially if you have children!

Speaking of sushi to die for, Food Network Iron Chef Morimoto has a new restaurant there called Morimoto’s and all I can say is if you like sushi in the least you owe it to yourself to have lunch there.

I could go on forever about the food, fun, and new shops but I will save it for individual posts that will have much more detail coming up.  Needless to say, Disney Springs is a welcome change for those of us who love to go there and were getting tired of the “same ol same ol”.

The parks also have so many new things going on in them and some of them will take you by surprise for sure.  My second favorite ride at the Magic Kingdom (behind Splash Mountain) is the Haunted Mansion and I’ll be darned if they did not slip in another surprise at the end of the ride.  After all of the great new additions on the outside of the ride like the courtyard “toys” you can play with while waiting in line, the Hitchhiking Ghosts at the end of the ride must have taken some technology courses because they now (thanks to your Magic Bands) say things like “See you at home in Indiana!”  They will also call you by name and sometimes tombstones appear with your name on them.  The Imagineers at Disney never sleep and I for one am grateful for things like this that personalize the trip and leave you with memories you never forget.

It’s a Small World uses this same technology at the end of the ride during the “Goodbye” section as it says your name and wishes you a fun voyage.  I think Disney has realized that in our world today we need to be entertained even when we are waiting for the rides so they are really using the Magic Band technology to truly personalize your Disney experience.  I for one love this and hope it continues for sure.  Look for other treats like this on Expedition Everest, Rockin Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, and a few other surprises which I will let you find for yourself.

Finally I have to mention that over at Epcot the Flower and Garden Festival was in full swing but to our awesome surprise they have now incorporated food into it as well by setting up the same style kiosks that they use for the Food and Wine Festival.  This is such a welcome addition.  The flowers and topiaries are beautiful, but the food from around the world just adds that something extra to make it a full day of walking through the countries.  The food styles is truly similar to the Food and Wine with a few changes, but as you have read here before, the food here is exceptional and it is really cheap compared to sit down restaurants at Epcot.

Well it is great to be back posting here!  The posts will not be daily for awhile but I hope to get back to that pace soon.  I realize the readership here has probably gone away and I will be starting fresh, but thats ok!  Disney is for everyone and one people find us again, the fun will kick up all over again.

Thanks for reading and visiting and remember to keep Disney with you 24/7!

Brad