I just got back from what (I think) is my 13th visit to Disney World. This was the first time in two decades that my wife and I went alone. (One of the problems of introducing friends to Disney World is that you end up always going with others, which is fun, but sometimes it's fun to go as a couple.)
Geri and I had the chance to visit the Adventurer's Club one last time in its final week. The AC has a special place in our hearts--we've had many great times there, and we spent the evening of our 10th anniversary at the Adventurer's Club enjoying the company of Samantha Sterling and Madam Zarkov.
We ate at Tutto Italia (in the Italian pavilion) for the first time and loved it. The Sacchetti (which is related to ravioli) was marvelous.
We also enjoyed our first experience on Toy Story Mania, the new 3D ride/game in Hollywood Studios. Being new, the wait was quite long--70 minutes--but it was worth the wait. Even my wife, who never plays video games, enjoyed the competitive experience of Toy Story Mania.
We noticed that the Haunted Mansion had a couple of new updates, and we thought they were great. It's always a tricky thing when Disney updates on of the old favorites, and these updates were perfectly integrated into the old, familiar experience. For example, gone was the rather lame giant day-glo spider and in its place were some interesting Escher-like staircases.
We also enjoyed the updates to Spaceship Earth. That's always been a favorite but it was in need of updating. It was pretty cool when it showed people doing video chats back in the 80s, but that wasn't so cutting edge after 2000. The customized experience through the touchscreen monitor was fun and engaging, and the photo-capture technology worked perfectly. We were surprised after the ride when we walked to a kiosk and it presented us with our photo without us having to do anything--the kiosk has a camera and must identify you via facial-recognition software. Very cool!
Anyway, to see the live updates go to twitpic.com and then add "/photos/augieray". (Sorry for the instructions, but DisBoards won't let me post links yet.) The most recent two photos--as of 9/29--are from Oktoberfest back in Milwaukee, but the two dozen before that include shots of our ride on the Breathless 2, visit to the Adventurer's Club, a rainy visit to Hollywood Studios, and some nice shots in the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.
You can also see some better shots taken with my camera in my Flickr photostream. Go to Flickr.com and add "/photos/35259092@N00/". (Sorry for the instructions, but DisBoards won't let me post links yet.)
Geri and I had a great visit, and we're considering an investment in the Disney Vacation Club.
Hope you enjoy the pix.
Geri and I had the chance to visit the Adventurer's Club one last time in its final week. The AC has a special place in our hearts--we've had many great times there, and we spent the evening of our 10th anniversary at the Adventurer's Club enjoying the company of Samantha Sterling and Madam Zarkov.
We ate at Tutto Italia (in the Italian pavilion) for the first time and loved it. The Sacchetti (which is related to ravioli) was marvelous.
We also enjoyed our first experience on Toy Story Mania, the new 3D ride/game in Hollywood Studios. Being new, the wait was quite long--70 minutes--but it was worth the wait. Even my wife, who never plays video games, enjoyed the competitive experience of Toy Story Mania.
We noticed that the Haunted Mansion had a couple of new updates, and we thought they were great. It's always a tricky thing when Disney updates on of the old favorites, and these updates were perfectly integrated into the old, familiar experience. For example, gone was the rather lame giant day-glo spider and in its place were some interesting Escher-like staircases.
We also enjoyed the updates to Spaceship Earth. That's always been a favorite but it was in need of updating. It was pretty cool when it showed people doing video chats back in the 80s, but that wasn't so cutting edge after 2000. The customized experience through the touchscreen monitor was fun and engaging, and the photo-capture technology worked perfectly. We were surprised after the ride when we walked to a kiosk and it presented us with our photo without us having to do anything--the kiosk has a camera and must identify you via facial-recognition software. Very cool!
Anyway, to see the live updates go to twitpic.com and then add "/photos/augieray". (Sorry for the instructions, but DisBoards won't let me post links yet.) The most recent two photos--as of 9/29--are from Oktoberfest back in Milwaukee, but the two dozen before that include shots of our ride on the Breathless 2, visit to the Adventurer's Club, a rainy visit to Hollywood Studios, and some nice shots in the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.
You can also see some better shots taken with my camera in my Flickr photostream. Go to Flickr.com and add "/photos/35259092@N00/". (Sorry for the instructions, but DisBoards won't let me post links yet.)
Geri and I had a great visit, and we're considering an investment in the Disney Vacation Club.
Hope you enjoy the pix.
