Friday, December 23, 2011

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report - EPCOT Wins Christmas!

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

EPCOT is the best park during the holidays. It is; they go all out in World Showcase. Every land has their own special decorations and... I am getting ahead of myself.

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

The giant tree in EPCOT is in the walkway near the center of the park, where Future World transitions into World Showcase. I took this photo from near the bottom so you get a sense of the scale.

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

The tree is decorated with greetings from all over the world.

"Christmas All Over the World" is the theme of EPCOT's holiday events, and each country has their "annual gift-person" equivalent do a brief performance and interact with the children. These presentations were worth going to the park on their own:

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

Papa Noel from Canada: best Santa equivalent or BEST Santa equivalent?

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

His foklore-cousin Pierre Noel explains the Christmas traditions of France.

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

We ran into the Daruma seller just as she was starting her show in Japan. (And incidentally, I didn't think of Darmanitan until the very end.)

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

LaBefana, the Italian Christmas witch, recounts her rather odd origin story.

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

And then, there's Sun Hou-Kong. He rocked the house. (If you're curious, All Ears has a great report on all of the storytellers.)

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

"Yo-Ho YEE-OH! HO, a Viking's Life for Me!"

11.29.11 - Epcot Center

But among the various lands of World Showcase, nobody goes as crazy for Christmas as Germany.

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

Handmade glass ornaments on display.

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

The glassblower creating a hook as the finishing touch.

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

Trees packed with handblown ornaments, and -yes!- peacocks and pickles!

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

And best of all, Gluhwein! I was informed of this wonderful mulled wine thanks to Party Through the Parks and it is amazing! I need to find some way to introduce it to my Christmas festivities at home.

11.29.11 - Epcot Center

But the signature EPCOT festivities begin at night with the famous Candlelight Processional. This show is beyond description; the picture above gives you a tiny idea of the scale. I'm glad we took the DisBoard forum's recommendation to spring for the dinner package. We got seats right near the stage...

11.29.11 - Epcot Center

As well as a fabulous view of Illuminations, which I am astonished my camera was able to capture even this one second of! For the holidays, you get the usual Illuminations show (not that this wouldn't be enough; it's my favorite fireworks in Disney). But at the end, Disney throws every firework they have in the sky to promote world peace. I love Disney. (Seriously, this is crap-your-pants amazing.)

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

It's a little hard to see here, but one of my favorite "little moments" was at the very end of the show, when they projected images onto Spaceship Earth for the first time in, like, forever.

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The Blog is going on Christmas vacation for a while so I'd like to wish everyone a very happy holiday season and good luck in the new year. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! Until I start posting again next year, here are some

Links of Interest: Special Festive Edition!

* For the curious, Touring Plans has a good post on Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and the kinds of things we missed.

* Take a look at this amazing memorabilia from the world premier of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves".

* From my other website, it's Nessie's Annual Gift Guide!

* Via Comics Alliance, a short story that combines two Christmas traditions from Catalonia that I kind of want to adopt somehow...

* Dinosaur Tracking would like to remind us that as you are ritualistically devouring your Christmas dinner of goose/turkey/husky theropod of choice, raise a pint to Thomas Henry Huxley.

* Scott Sampson, better known as Dr. Scott, reflects on the curriculum of Season Two of "Dinosaur Train".

* ToughPigs makes a case for the all-but-forgotten Henson Company Dr. Seuss collaboration.

* Enjoy the latest in a long line of "Venture Brothers" Christmas Songs. (As an aside, I have the Henchmen version of "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time" in place of the -uh- normal version in my holiday party mix and I strongly suggest you all do the same. It is worth it for the confused looks directed at your MP3 player.)

* The Orrs shared this adorable handmade felt Spinosaurus ornament. I suddenly want to make a bunch for next year's craft fairs.

* Hark! A Vagrant has a cute collection of festive mini-comics.

* And TetZoo has a festive card for all of us.

* There is also this thing you have probably already seen and this other thing you have probably already seen.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report - Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

Now according to Disney's official literature, the Magic Kingdom is essentially Christmas Central in all of Walt Disney World. I am going to argue against that, but that's tomorrow's post.

11.28.11 - Castle Dream Lights

Magic Kingdom does probably get the most decorations per square foot of all the parks. The Castle Dream Lights are the flagship. They really are gorgeous in person.

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

From this angle, you can see how thew color-changing is achieved. (See the lights in the lower-right?)

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

And you may be able to see the giant sheets of net lights from this shot of the "backside" of the castle.

11.28.11 - Partners

"See this? I did all this. Kinda. Okay, really, my brother did, but I came up with almost all of the ideas so there!"

11.28.11 - Main Street Toy Soldiers

Back at the beginning of Main Street, they had this adorable display with the toy soldiers from "Babes in Toyland". In the window, they had little animated picture windows showing scenes from "Mickey's Christmas Carol". I like how so much of the Magic Kingdom's Christmas iconography comes from films they hardly acknowledge now.

11.28.11 - Main Street Toy Soldiers and Garlands

Another look at the super-cute soldiers. I love his constantly astonished expression.

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

We got to watch the Main Street Electrical Parade again and this Tinkerbell float is brand new... maybe. I may have not noticed it the last time. Speaking of things I hadn't noticed until now...

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

SOOOOooooooo many drug references...

On that note, let's go shopping in Downtown Disney!

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

To be fair, there aren't many references to more recent/more famous Disney holiday films either. The "Prep and Landing" series gets a brief nod here and at the Osbourne Lights (you have to listen for it though) and they still have a full room of "Nightmare Before Christmas" stuff in the Christmas All Year Long store here at DTD.

The centerpiece of Downtown Disney's decorations is Santa's house, pictured above. It's a cute touch.

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

I learned that Florida loves decorating with poinsettias. Nearly every part of Disney World had some variation on these poinsettia trees.

11.29.11 - Epcot Center

Dear Walt Disney World,

Hey, how's stuff? Listen, I'm not sure how to break the news to you but, you see, America is
not in love with Duffy the Disney Bear. Like, at all. I know Mickey's little stuffed animal friend that he hugs tightly on lonely nights in his ship in the middle of the ocean (seriously) was a huge hit when he was introduced in Tokyo Disneyland. But when brought to America in 2011, he was greeted with many delighted cries of, "Who the hell is that?" and "Why is he everywhere?" And I'm not just quoting TV Tropes here to be cheap; they have him listed as The Scrappy for cryin' out loud! Please chill the heck out already. Thanks.

Love Always, Trish.


Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

On the other hand, Raglan Road for the waffles! All of the waffles! ALL of them!

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

Eh... maybe minus one waffle.

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

Just keep walking fellow ArtEvolved guys. Don't look directly at it.

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

Holy crap, a "Runaway Brain" pin?!? I am mad at myself for not buying this.

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

Disney: "Oh, wait... some people don't celebrate Christmas do they? Let's acknowledge them once or twice ever."


Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

See, I really wanted to get my cousin an Ariel tree ornament, but what you see is all they had. Who wants Ariel wearing a generic Princess dress and in her lousy human form?

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

On a positive note. I'd heard of these new LEGO sculptures outside the big LEGO store but I didn't realize they'd be this awesome!

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

And yes, YES! Disney Dollars are still a Thing! As a weird aside, you have to get these at Guest Services, and that was the most tedious line I stood in the entire trip.

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In our final post, we visit EPCOT center, which turns out to win at Christmas! On to the Grand Finale!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report - Studios and Animal Kingdom

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

It probably won't come to any genuine surprise that Animal Kingdom, the red-haired, red-feathered, red-scaled, red-etc. stepchild of Walt Disney World parks, gets a little shafted as far as decorations go. Only one "land" is decorated at all and the one special event is... the normal daytime parade, except they chucked a bunch of Christmas stuff onto the floats.

Animal Kingdom does, however, get my favorite giant tree of all the parks. Here are some details:

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

*Squeeeeee* at those adorable lion lanterns! That's it; for Christmas I'd like courses in metalwork..

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

I can't wait until we get to see an Ikran festooned with garland.

By thew way, it's time to be honest: would a bunch of alien animals designed by Wayne Barlowe and Neville Page really be any more out of place in Animal Kingdom than a bunch of mythical animals like dragons and unicorns and whatnot?


Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

The land named Camp Minniemickey (often sighted as AK fans' second choice after Dinoland as to where Pandora should go) is the only extensively decorated part of the park. The idea is that a bunch of favorite Disney characters have their own trees. That's Simba's tree.

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

And here is the Christmas tree decorated by Nemo and Marlin (don't worry about the logistics).

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

And every child's favorite, Pocahontas! (Well, she used to have a stage show here. Ah, park artifacts.)

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

Funny story about the aforementioned parade (called -*sigh*- Mickey's JINGLE Jungle Parade): We wanted to ride Everest (which is terrific) and see the baby Okapi, whom I assumed would be on exhibit in the park along with the other Okapi. We wound up following the end of the parade into the Pangani Forest trail -- to learn the baby was back at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Who knew they even had Okapi there?

11.30.11 - Disney's Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios, in contrast, has a lot of stuff going on during the holidays. I love the decorations on the lampposts they use; my town had very similar decorations.

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

Nostalgia for a campy Christmas seems to be the theme of the Studio decorations. Their giant tree has all kinds of strange old ornaments on it.

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

I think my family used to have one of those giant freaky Santa faces!

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report

Taking a cue from the aforementioned WDW Today podcast: Gosh, Disney, close "Sounds Dangerous" for good or don't already. (Edit: Turns out they finally did close it for good. Bets are now on whether Stitch's Great Escape or Ellen's Energy Adventure are on the chopping block next.)

11.30.11 - Disney's Hollywood Studios

The crazy Christmas decorations reach their peak with the famous Osbourne Spectacle of Dancing Lights. These pictures don't really express what it's like to walk among them; they are mind-blowing on several levels.

11.30.11 - Disney's Hollywood Studios

The single all-white snow angel is in posthumous tribute to the creator of the Dancing Lights, Jennings Osbourne.

11.30.11 - Disney's Hollywood Studios

One of the few times where the Lights weren't pure hell for those of us who hate crowds.

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Next Time: We head over to the Magic Kingdom and poke into some stores. Happy Solstice everyone! On to Part Nine!