Tag Archive for 'Tips'

Disney To-Do List

Published by Andy, on August 5, 2010 in misc. 0 Comments Tags: .

When it comes to Disney, it’s a good idea to have a Bucket List.

What is a bucket list? It’s essentially a list of things that you would like to do before you die. The items that typically make a list like this are things that you dream of doing – perhaps a trip to Australia, or volunteering some time.

But in this case, this list is composed of Disney Theme Park related items.

I call my bucket list my “Disney To-Do List”. It has so many items on it that I’m not even sure what number I’m at and it started when KP and I were on the WDWICP. If you have never been to Walt Disney World then you won’t realise how many things there are to do and see there. Living there for three months I still wasn’t able to do all the things I would have liked to.

And thus, my bucket list.

Currently my list is an ongoing Facebook note between KP and our friend Cee. Each time we find something we would like to do on a future trip to either Walt Disney World or Disneyland, we reply to the note.

The items could be something simple – like eat a carrot cake cookie from the Writer’s Stop at Disney Hollywood Studios – or it could be something that will require some money saving on our part.

Kitchen Sink - Now scratched off my To-Do list.

Things that I’ve managed to cross of my To-Do list include eating the Kitchen Sink and going to all four WDW parks in one day.

Here are few of the items on my Disney To-Do List:

KP about to enjoy a fruit tart from Norway.

* Dessert Around the World
Late one night while vedging out on the couch in our Florida apartment, KP and I were surprised when Cee came home from her shift at Epcot with a little white box. Inside the box were delicious pastries from the France Pavilion! At one in the morning the three of us huddled over the box of goodies, stuffing our faces with these yummy treats. And thus we spawned the idea of Dessert Around the World.

The Epcot World Showcase is known for it’s culinary delights, as each world pavilion presents its regional dishes. On one Disney trip, KP, Cee, and I would like to make a stop at each pavilion and try a dessert!

* Iluminations Cruise
This is something that I didn’t know about until working at Epcot, but you can rent a boat for up to ten people and watch Illuminations: Reflections of Earth from a boat anchored in the World Showcase Lagoon. How fun is that?!

* Mickey’s Not So Scary Hallowe’en Party
I’ve been to Disney around Christmas time before, and nobody does a celebration like it. But I always thought it would be fun to go during Hallowe’en, be able to dress up in a costume, and go trick or treating in a Disney park!

* Le Cellier
I’m a Canadian. I have to eat at the Canadian pavilion’s restaurant at least once!

* Watch Wishes from the top of the Contemporary / California Grill
I have seen Wishes from many different locations (even going past Main Street on the monorail as the fireworks go off), and KP has seen the show more times than I have… but never have we seen them from here!

One of the many possible views of Wishes.

So, what’s on your Disney Bucket List? We’d love to hear from you!

You May Get Wet!

Published by Andy, on July 15, 2010 in Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World. 1 Comment Tags: .

Edit by Andy, July 20: I went back and added the Fahrenheit temperatures for our American readers! :-)

When traveling for any sort of holiday, the one thing that takes priority in the trip planning features is: planning for the weather. Yes yes, I can hear the obvious alarm sounding in saying that if you plan a trip to Disneyland and (especially) Disney World, you need to make sure you research the temperatures so you pack appropriately and make sure you follow the forecast leading up to the trip. It’s common sense, after all: why would you pack a bikini if you were going to Antarctica?

Despite taking a plan, flexibility is key when matching wits with Mother Nature in the weather department.

Andy and Cee hiding under a poncho to keep dry.

Andy and Cee hiding under a poncho to keep dry.

Most people assume when they plan trips to Sunny California or Tropical Florida that the weather will be sunny and warm for the duration of they holiday. Espescially if you’re like me, who grew up on the prairies in -40 degree Celsius winters – the sunshine is an additional thing to look forward to on a Disney vacation.

Perhaps in a perfect world, we could get the weather we wanted on all of our holidays. Unfortunately, Mother Nature doesn’t always like to work that way so the main thing to do is plan ahead! I’ve done the legwork for you, so here is what the weather specialists say one “should” expect when visiting your favourite Disney Park:

CALIFORNIA
Ah, beautiful California, the Golden State. The assumption here is that the Govenator’s domain would be goregous everyday, just like in the commercials. And while on three of the four trips the temperatures were just like that. Unfortunately there was one trip to Disneyland that Mother Nature hated me.

Winter: December, January, & February
Average High: 21*C / 70*F
Average Low: 8*C / 46*F
Precipitation: 53 mm

Spring: March, April, & May
Average High: 22*C / 72*F
Average Low: 10*C / 50*F
Precipitation: 64 mm

Summer: June, July, & August
Average High: 29*C / 82*F
Average Low: 17*C / 63*F
Precipitation: 1 mm

Fall: September, October, & November
Average High: 26*C / 79*F
Average Low: 13*C / 55*F
Precipitation: 10 mm

FLORIDA
Ahhh Florida, my home away from home. The temperature in the Sunshine State can often be unpredictable (at least that’s what I found when I lived there).

Winter: December, January, & February
Average High: 23*C / 73*F
Average Low: 11*C / 52*F
Precipitation: 59 mm

Spring: March, April, & May
Average High: 28*C / 82*F
Average Low: 16*C / 61*F
Precipitation: 81 mm

Summer: June, July, & August
Average High: 33*C / 91*F
Average Low: 23*C / 73*F
Precipitation: 178 mm

Fall: September, October, & November
Average High: 29*C / 84*F
Average Low: 18*C / 64*F
Precipitation: 94 mm

The Summary
Obviously if you want better odds at having a warmer holiday, Orlando would be your best bet. But if you want better chances at having a dry holiday with no rain, then Anaheim would be safe.

Expect the Unexpected
Now just because these are the average, does not mean this is what you should expect to get. Weather can be a tricky thing, and unless you’ve lived there and experienced a full year of the local weather, it’s hard to find any of the nuances in the weather.

Soaked from a Florida downpour.

Soaked from a Florida downpour.

For example, my above summary easily tells you that Florida gets a crazy amount of rain in the summertime. This is largely true. However, the rain that Orlando gets isn’t an all day long dreary rain (like I get back home). Instead, you will have a nice, hot, sunshiney day – and then all of a sudden about three in the afternoon, a torrential down pour will occur. And when I say torrential, I mean it. Unless you’re covered by something you will get soaked. Then after about 15 minutes, things go back to normal, and the sunshiney day resumes.

The same can be said of Anaheim. On one of my trips during February, my parents had assumed the weather was going to be miserable (due to being winter). My family had all packed pants and sweaters, expected it to be more than a little chilly. Being the optimistic person I am, I packed one pair of shorts. Of course, the weather was definitely hot most of the time, and I was grateful for my optimism.

Another time however, KP and I went to Anaheim in April. Expecting it to be warm and sunny, we both packed shorts and summer weather. Mother Nature was mean, and the entire time we were there we shivered away until we turned blue.

So when you’re packing your suitcase, make sure you’re prepared enough for the right kind of temperature – but flexible enough that if the weather does change unexpectedly on you, you’re going to be prepared! Learn from my mistakes and experience: Pack an umbrella in your day bag when hitting up the parks in Orlando, and make sure you bring a sweater in your suitcase for Anaheim!

Happy travels!

Sources:
Anaheim Weather: Weather.com – Average Weather for Anaheim California
Orlando Weather: Weather.com – Monthly Weather Averages and Records for Orlando, FL

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