Ready for a 24-hour party at the Magic Kingdom?

Are you ready to rock your Disney side with 75,000 or so of your best friends for 24 hours straight on May 23? We are, and we’re giving a little preview and a few tips on the Magic Kingdom’s 24-hour bash. Learn what you can expect, as well as ways to make the most of the event.

Dino Institute regal dinosaur compared to the corny cartoon ad for Dino-Rama.

What’s your least favorite land in all of Walt Disney World? If you’re like a lot of people, it’s Chester and Hester’s Dinorama in Dinoland USA at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. However, you might not know the story that helps explain all of Dinoland USA’s cheesy carnie rides and midway games. We’ll tell you a little about Dinoland USA that might make you rethink your opinion on poor ol’ Chester and Hester.

As always… tell us what you think. How do you feel about the Dinorama at Animal Kingdom? Email us at mousemountaineersatgmail.com or follow us on twitter at mousemtn. If you’d like to see some of the great details in Dinoland USA and elsewhere in Animal Kingdom, look us up on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/mousemountain.

 

 

What does Ursula think of how we rated Under the Sea, Journey of the Little Mermaid?

On this episode of Mouse Mountaineers, we continue our “What’s Your Number” series, where we rate the WDW attractions on a scale of 1-10, then talk about how the Mouse House could make them better and what their ratings would be if they received our fantasy improvements. In Episode 7, we discussed the rides in the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland, Frontierland, and Liberty Square. This time we’re tackling Magic Kingdom ride ratings for Adventureland and Fantasyland. What are the Fantasyland rides that terrified us as kids? Listen and find out!

How would you rate Pirates of the Caribbean? Which is better, Peter Pan’s Flight or It’s a Small World? Let us know what you think in the comments below, email us at mousemountaineers at gmail.com, or connect with us on Twitter @mousemtn.

 

Welcome to our 10th episode!

“Howdy! Welcome to Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival!”

Springtime is here at Disney World: admission prices are rising, college kids are filling the parks, and the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival 2014 takes a bow. How is it “international,” you ask? Well… it’s… it’s… in the World Showcase! And maybe some of the people doing the topiaries aren’t from the U.S.? Ummm… I don’t know, I’m grasping at straws here.

Whether it’s truly “international” or not, we hit the festival a couple of  weeks ago and, in this episode, we offer a rundown of what to see and do when you go. Should you go? Definitely. This year’s festival is bigger than ever, with more than 100 topiary displays and  10 “outdoor kitchens” that offer you Food and Wine-esque culinary choices with an organic or healthy (Well, healthier) twist. Throw in the Flower Power concert series, weekend concerts from acts straight out of the Wayback Machine, and you have a festival that’s truly become a springtime tentpole for Disney.  If you’re a gardener, appreciate beautiful topiaries, or simply want to sample some good food and drink, this year’s Flower and Garden Festival is a must-see.

Now, to actually hear what you should check out, just push play below.

Have you been to Flower and Garden? Drop us a line and let us know what you think!

 

Now that the Winter Olympics have wrapped up, we thought we’d hold our own form of the Games and hand out our prestigious Mouse Mountaineers medals to our favorite Disney World counter service restaurants. Does Cosmic Ray’s make the cut? What about early gold-medal favorite Sunshine Seasons? Can it stand up to the pressure? Listen to Episode 9 and find out!

Then let us know your favorite counter service places in the comments below, or drop us a line at mousemountaineers at gmail.com.

Here’s the newest Disney scavenger hunt: find all the Fastpass+ kiosks! Don’t worry, there aren’t many.

February marked the first month that all Disney World parks were Fastpass+ exclusive.

We went to three of the parks in the past few weeks (sorry, Animal Kingdom!), and on this episode we discuss our Fastpass+ (or Fastpass Plus if you’re not into the whole brevity thing) experiences.

Cliff’s notes version? We weren’t thrilled, and Tai’s still begging Disney for the return of old Fastpass.

So settle in and see what we liked, and didn’t like about Disney’s sea-change to the way we tour the parks.

On this episode of Mouse Mountaineers, we continue the series we started in Episode 4, called “What’s Your Number?” where we rate attractions on a scale of 1-10. Then we give our opinions on how they could improve, and, since, realistically it’s impossible for every (or any) attraction to be a 10, we give our idea of each attraction’s numerical ceiling.

In episode 4, we took on Disney’s Hollywood Studios in one fell swoop. In this episode, we turn our attention to the Magic Kingdom. But, because there are so many attractions there, we break the park up a little bit and discuss only the rides in Tomorrowland, Frontierland, and Liberty Square.  We’ll save the rides in Adventureland and Fantasyland, and the park’s shows, for future episodes.

How about you? What’s your number for MK’s three mountains? How high is the ceiling for Tomorrowland Speedway?  Let us know by emailing us at mousemountaineers at gmail.com, or find us on Twitter @mousemtn. Thanks for listening!

Happy New Year!  Each year brings fresh changes to Walt Disney World, and on this episode of Mouse Mountaineers we thought we’d discuss a few that are certain to occur this year (including some that already have), as well as talk about a few rumored changes to the parks in 2014.

Our slate for the show includes:

* Fastpass+.

* The Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade.

* The opening of The Spice Road Table in Epcot’s Morocco.

* The closure of Camp Minnie Mickey.

* The addition of the Frozen princesses throughout the parks… and a bunch of random stuff that gets us sidetracked!

What are you looking forward to this year at the parks?

 

The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

Happy holidays! Of all the holiday decorations and finery to see at the Disney parks, the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is perhaps the most audacious. With more than five million lights, sparkling toy soldiers, spinning angels, twinkling manger scenes, and even an illuminated purple cat spread out along the Streets of America at Hollywood Studios, the combination is one of the most outlandish light displays you can imagine. Learn a little more about this jaw-dropping display, including its humble origins and what you can expect to see if you go this year.

Where does Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster rank at Disney Hollywood Studios?

On today’s episode of Mouse Mountaineers, we’re beginning a series called “What’s Your Number?” where we rate park attractions on a scale of 1 -10, discuss how they can improve, and talk a little about where we think each ride’s realistic ceiling is. After all, Dumbo will never rate a 10, will it? Well, not unless Disney uses real flying elephants, but again, we’re talking realistic ceilings.

In this episode, “What’s Your Number?” turns its critical gaze to Hollywood Studios.  Does Tower of Terror rate as highly as Fantasmic?  Listen and find out.

At Hollywood Studios, we discussed and rated:

* Tower of Terror.

* Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.

* Star Tours.

* Toy Story Midway Mania.

* The Great Movie Ride.

* Lights, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show.

* Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!

* and… Fantasmic! (which we… well, listen for yourselves in the podcast).