Posted by on Mar 1, 2013 in Disney Tips & Tricks | 29 comments

Tower of Terror 10-Miler RunDisney Race Review

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This is a review of the inaugural Tower of Terror 10-miler race. This runDisney review is written from the perspective of two individuals having run their first race, so it’s our initial impressions without the benefit (or hindrance) of comparison to other events.

The Tower of Terror 10-miler race occurred on September 29, 2012 and was (big shock) a 10 mile race. A few miles shorter than a half marathon. We registered for this race months in advance with the intent of training vigorously for it, and for a couple of weeks back in May 2012, we did exactly that. Between May and September, we did pretty much nothing to train for it. On the day of the race, we had Tonga Toast from Captain Cook’s and followed that up with a preview of Food & Wine Festival. To our credit, we didn’t have any wine, but the point is that we didn’t really take pre-race preparations seriously. Neither of us had ever run any sort of marathon or competitive race, so we were a little worried about being swept…but not so worried that it caused us to actually train. (more…)

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Posted by on Feb 2, 2013 in Disney Dining, Disney Tips & Tricks, Top Posts | 10 comments

Disney Dining Reviews Index

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Walt Disney World and Disneyland have hundreds of restaurant and dining options, which can be overwhelming for some people. To assist, we’re highlighting reviews of some fan-favorite Disney restaurants here. Click each restaurant name to read our full review of the restaurant, and see some photos of different items that each restaurant serves!

Walt Disney World Resort Dining:

Resorts

Epcot

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Magic Kingdom

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Other Walt Disney World Dining Resources

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Posted by on Jan 16, 2013 in Disney Tips & Tricks, Top Posts | 30 comments

Star Wars Weekends 2013 Tips

Star Wars Weekends 2013 are the first time Star Wars is a Disney franchise, so we’re expecting this special event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World to be bigger and better than ever this year! Star Wars Weekends are geared towards all things Star Wars (including the animated TV show, Star Wars: The Clone Wars). Celebrities are in attendance, there’s a special parade, shows, and every day ends with some Hyperspace Hoopla! It’s a lot of fun whether you’re a hardcore Star Wars fan or just a fan of fun (we fall into the latter camp).

If you’ve been to Walt Disney World countless times (and it’s probably not a bad assumption that you have if you’re reading this blog), you might be looking for ways to see the place a-new. One way to to find new experiences is to visit during a seasonal festival or weekend event. One such weekend event is Star Wars Weekends, held in May and June at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The Star Wars Weekends 2013 dates are May 17, 2013 through June 9, 2013 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday each weekend.  (more…)

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Posted by on Dec 18, 2012 in Disney Tips & Tricks | 11 comments

Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights Tips & Review

Just a guess, but I don't think I put up quite as many lights on my house as Disney puts up on the Streets of America for the Osborne Lights! View my photo gallery: http://tombricker.smugmug.com/Learn more about the Osborne Lights: http://www.disneytouristblog.com/osborne-family-spectacle-of-dancing-lights-tips-review/

The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is a Christmas light display at Walt Disney World, in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Actually, “light display” is severely under-selling it. More like, amazing, light-up-the-entire park epic dancing light extravaganza! That’s right, the lights dance to awesome Christmas songs by the likes of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (if you’re going to have a dancing light show, you better include music from TSO!) and many other legendary Christmas artists. The lights are so vibrant and plentiful that even Clark Griswold would be proud. The display runs from November 9, 2012 until January 6, 2013.

Approximately every 10 minutes, the lights dim and then begin their “show” as they start rocking out (dancing) to holiday music. The songs include:

  • “A Mad Russian’s Christmas” – Trans-Siberian Orchestra
  • “Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12-24)” – Trans-Siberian Orchestra
  • “Feliz Navidad” – José Feliciano
  • “Jingle Bells” – Barbra Streisand
  • “Christmas is Starting Now” – Phineas and Ferb (more…)
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Posted by on Aug 9, 2012 in Disney Trip Reports | 14 comments

Disney World May 2012 Trip Report Pt 2

“I was up early the next morning.” I feel like a lot of trip report installments that I’ve written start with almost that exact sentence. I don’t know if that makes me dedicated or crazy, or a little bit of both. Probably mostly crazy. Whatever the case may be, after getting to sleep around 2:30 am, I was awakened by the sound of ducks the next morning at 6 am. Not real ducks, but the ducks that live in my phone and make noise on its alarm.

I almost didn’t get up. (See, I’m human!) Initially, I turned off the alarm and started to drift back to sleep, but for whatever reason, I jolted back up and started fumbling for my camera gear. Eventually, my inability to see in the dark caused me to run into enough things in the room over about a ten minute stretech to wake up Sarah. Once she was awake, I turned on the lights, grabbed my things in a matter of seconds, and headed out the door to photograph the sunrise.

Although I like photographing sunrises, I wouldn’t have been up that early but for an upcoming TouringPlans project. The goal was to collect night photos and sunrise photos over the course of the two nights and mornings we were there.

I was hoping for a big, glorious sunrise with radiating light and all sorts of other rad stuff. Unfortunately, it was a bit hazy on this particular morning, and there wasn’t a ton of color in the sky or very good light. I took tons of photos anyway, and some turned out pretty well. Here are a few that I can share. (more…)

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