Off Kilter

Many people go to Walt Disney World without realizing how much it has to offer beyond theme park rides. I’ve known people who have gone to the Magic Kingdom, assuming that was all there was to Disney World! When I inquired about how they liked Animal Kingdom or Epcot, they looked at me like they didn’t have any idea what I was talking about. They didn’t realize Disney World is actually four theme parks in one, plus the shopping/entertainment complex of Downtown Disney, plus the Boardwalk, plus two water parks! So it’s not really surprising, I guess, that people are unaware of what Disney offers beyond theme park rides.

I’ve always been impressed with the free live entertainment options at Disney World. Once you’ve paid your park admission, you can go on any ride or see any show for no extra cost.  Don’t get me wrong; I love the rides here. But after rushing all over a park, and standing in lines for a few hours, I just want to slow down for a little while. Shows allow you to do that.

I find going to shows as a solo traveler to be a great way to meet other people, too. It doesn’t take much to turn to whoever is sitting or standing next to you and make a comment like “Great music, huh?” Plus as just one person, you can squeeze into a seat right up front, where a party of four might not be able to. (There are advantages to going solo!) Here are just a few (my favorites, naturally) of the great entertainment options you can enjoy on Disney property, listed by park:

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Probably the #1 entertainment show in this park for most people is Fantasmic! I feel like a bit of a Grinch saying I didn’t care for it all that much. I remember thinking it wasn’t really worth the long wait involved. Your mileage may vary. But I did love the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, which involves some thrilling stunts—gun fights, chase scenes, big explosions; it’s like watching a live action version of Raiders of the Lost Ark, minus Harrison Ford and Karen Allen. Good stuff.

Indiana Jones Stunt Show

Magic Kingdom

The Magic Kingdom is a classic park with some of my favorite rides, but the best live entertainment it provides is its parades, including the Main Street Electrical Parade, the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party, and the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade. There’s also the Dream Along with Mickey party. If you’re not a parade person, you’ll find better choices elsewhere.

Parade at Magic Kingdom

Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom has by far my favorite live entertainment in the Festival of the Lion King show. I’m not exaggerating when I say that if you visit Disney World and don’t go see the Lion King, what a tragedy that is. The show is extremely well-done and uplifting. I’ve seen it several times, and it never gets old. Featuring characters from Disney’s Lion King (Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa), along with some outstanding singers and acrobats, and giant animatronic jungle animals, it’s a feast for the senses.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Epcot

By far my favorite park for live entertainment is Epcot. It has so many great bands and other live entertainment options, I just can’t choose one. So here are all my favorites from Epcot:

Off Kilter is a celtic rock band, complete with bagpiper Jamie Holton (a founder of the group) and some badass drums and guitar from guys wearing kilts. Mark Weldon is co-founder, lead singer, and plays the bass guitar. Rounding out the “front men” is Randy Holbrook on lead guitar. People walking through Epcot can’t help but stop and watch and jam out to their music.

Off Kilter at Epcot

The British Revolution replaced the former Beatles tribute band in England, and I have say they’re a definite improvement. They play classic rock songs from a variety of British rock acts, including Elton John, the Beatles, the Police, Queen, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, the Who, and more. They’re talented musicians and singers, and a lot easier to look at than a bunch of middle-aged guys wearing bowl-cut wigs. (Shallow, but true.)

The British Revolution

Mo’Rockin is a—wait for it—Moroccan rock band with a distinctly Middle Eastern sound and a belly dancer. Technically, the kind of music they play is “world fusion”, so you’ll hear snippets of sounds from many different parts of the world. They play right outside the Tangierine Cafe, so you can grab a bite to eat and sit in the courtyard while chilling out to the sounds. I know, I had you at “belly dancer,” didn’t I?

Mo'Rockin

You can hear the Taiko Drummers (“Matsuriza”) in Japan several countries away (Epcot World Showcase countries, of course). I am a sucker for taiko drums (which may partially explain my mad love for the soundtrack of Battlestar Galactica, where they’re used liberally). I never get tired of watching them, but I bet they get tired. Taiko drumming looks like quite the arm workout. I’m betting they don’t have to worry about tricep jiggle.

Taiko Drummer

Japan also features Miyuki, aka “the candy lady,” who creates the most detailed figurines–like dragons and flamingos–out of soft rice dough in less time than it takes me to toast bread. It’s riveting to watch. She will take requests, too. There’s not much space around her performance area, so get there early to get a good spot.

Miyuki, the "candy lady"

Mariachi Cobre is a 12-piece mariachi band that plays in Mexico. You’ll probably recognize some of their traditional music if you’ve heard any Mexican music at all in your life. For some reason, Mexico always feels like the hottest country in World Showcase, so I have to hand it to these guys standing out there in the sun wearing their suits. Whew.

Musicians in Epcot's Mexico

As you can see, regardless of your tastes in live entertainment, you should be able to find something on Disney property that appeals to you. For those of you who have been there before, what’s your favorite live entertainment?

Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining e-book can save you time and money while providing you with all the information and tools you need to make the most of your dining experience at “The World”. Read my review of the book here. Click on the image to the left to download your copy today.

Live Entertainment at Disney World is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

The Swan Hotel

During my first two trips to Walt Disney World, I became convinced that the ideal place to stay would be at one of the Boardwalk hotels, because of how close they are to my favorite park—Epcot–and how many dining and activity options are available there. I decided the Swan or Dolphin would be best for me, since they have a reputation as conference hotels, thus being a bit more “adult” than the family-focused Disney resorts. So when the opportunity came up last year to stay at the Swan, I jumped at it. Was it a great hotel? Yes. Was it everything I hoped it would be? No.

The Swan is a Westin hotel, and going by services, I’d have to say it lived up to the Westin reputation. The staff are very accommodating and efficient at their jobs, the public facilities and my room were clean and well-appointed, the beds are indeed “heavenly,” and yes, the location is terrific. But it wasn’t perfect, by any means.

View of Tower of Terror from room #959

I was mostly happy with my room (#959). It was large, with lots of drawer space and plenty of hangers. I had a sofa to lounge on, a desk area to work at, and a mini-fridge to store my water and perishable snacks. I was very pleased that there were three electrical outlets in lamps in the bedroom and more outlets in the bathroom, which made charging multiple electronics at once a breeze. I had a nice view of the river and Boardwalk on one side and the Studios (with Tower of Terror looming large in the foreground) on the other.

Housekeeping did a great job for the most part. The room always looked great when I returned at the end of the day. The carpet was very clean; it didn’t make my socks or feet dirty to walk on (a problem I’ve had at other hotels recently, so I noticed). However, I did find a frayed hole in one of the big, fluffy bath towels in the bathroom. That’s an oversight. But I forgave them when they made me a towel seashell out of a facecloth. :-)

Yes, the beds are "heavenly"

The location is perhaps the biggest selling point of the hotel, though. You can easily walk from the Swan to the Boardwalk and Epcot. I’m sure you can also walk to the Studios, though I never found the walking path for that. The buses come along pretty regularly for Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Downtown Disney. There are “Friendship” boats that you can take to Epcot or the Studios, too. I timed the trip of the Friendship boat to the Studios, and it was about 7 minutes. The Swan shares a bus with the other Boardwalk hotels, which isn’t bad unless you’re going to Downtown Disney. That ride takes 45 minutes—ugh.

One thing that annoyed me is that the Swan doesn’t have a taxi stand. Instead, it has a towncar stand. Guess what? Towncars are more expensive than taxis. They will call a taxi for you if you prefer one, but it will take some time for it to arrive. My guess is most people won’t wait. And somebody’s making out like a bandit, but it’s not you, the consumer.

Mini fridge in room

Because of its location, you have a plethora of dining choices when staying at the Swan, including the restaurants at the Dolphin (where you can charge to your room at the Swan). I recommend Il Mulino at the Swan and Todd English’s Bluezoo at the Dolphin, as well as the Garden Grove buffet at the Swan (which was a far better experience for me than the Fresh Mediterranean Market Buffet at the Dolphin). Room service breakfast was very good here; I had it on my last day and wished I’d done it every day of my stay.

But at the Swan, you’re also a short walk from the restaurants on the Boardwalk, such as Kouzzina, Flying Fish Cafe, Big River Grille, and the ESPN Zone (not to mention the restaurants at the other Boardwalk hotels). It’s also not hard to get to Epcot or the Studios to eat at their restaurants. I stopped at the Boardwalk Bakery one night to buy a banana and yogurt for breakfast the next day and a pastry for my bedtime snack. I recommend buying snacks for your room at the General Store on the Boardwalk. It’s not cheap, but there’s variety.

Il Mulino Italian restaurant at the Swan

By now, you may be wondering how the Swan did not live up to my expectations. It has to with the “adult reputation” of the hotel. Let’s just say that wasn’t my experience at all. Because the Swan is a conference hotel, I hoped that would mean I’d be surrounded by quiet adults during my stay. I even asked for a quiet room specifically. Unfortunately, I wound up in a room that had a connecting door to my neighbor (these are never quiet rooms). Two families stayed next to me during my stay and both were noisy. The first family had 2-3 adults and at least 1 teenager in the room, and they were loud very late at night. The second family had at least 1 small child who was very loud early in the morning. Even with earplugs in and my pillow over my head, I could still hear them. Despite how comfortable the beds were, I did not get a single good night’s sleep while I was here. Of course, I didn’t realize how noisy the room would be until I’d already unpacked and gotten ready to go to bed the first night, at which point I wasn’t about to ask for a new room.

This only serves to reinforce my belief that Disney needs to dedicate one of its many hotels as an adults-only hotel—or at least create some adults-only or “quiet” floors in each hotel. Something really needs to be done to accommodate adults traveling to Disney World without children—and there are many of us—who would like a little peace and quiet when we’re on vacation.

The dining and entertainment options of Disney's Boardwalk are just a short walk away

Other things you should know about the Swan:

• By staying at the Swan, you’ll have room charging privileges at the Dolphin as well (and vice versa). However, you can’t use your room key to charge items around Disney property the way you can if staying at a Disney-owned hotel.
• The resort fee covers Internet plus 2 bottles of water a day: Be forewarned, though, if you put out your “Do Not Disturb” sign in order to keep housekeeping out, the water people also will not be able to deliver your water–even if you call and ask them to bring it up. I learned that the hard way.
• The A/C is cranked way too high in the public areas of this hotel. I was constantly freezing as I darted between the outside world and my room. (It was so noticeable, I mentioned it 3 different times in my notes in my journal.)

Do you have any questions about staying at the Swan as a solo adult? I’d be happy to answer whatever I can. Feel free to ask in the comments below!

Staying at the Walt Disney World Swan is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

Citywalk

Ask almost any regular Orlando visitor which has the best nightlife options–Universal Orlando’s CityWalk or Disney World’s Downtown Disney–and the majority will say: CityWalk. I would have also said this, even before I visited CityWalk for the first time (mainly because I’m still bitter about Disney shutting down the Adventurer’s Club). And yet if you look at it purely from the numbers, CityWalk offers almost nothing that Downtown Disney doesn’t:

Disclaimer: Numbers are approximate; I may have missed some things.

Is this a case of “perception is reality”? Maybe it’s less about categories and more about specific offerings? Or perhaps it has more to do with the customer demographics at each place? For me, and for other adults traveling without children, CityWalk may be more appealing because it seems to offer a more adult-oriented experience at night than Downtown Disney does. That’s not to say you won’t see children in strollers at CityWalk or that there are no bars in Downtown Disney, but there seems to be a more adult atmosphere at CityWalk.

Nightlife at CityWalk

There is certainly nothing obvious about the retail experiences at each to suggest that one would appeal more to an adult crowd than the other. However, CityWalk does have more chain restaurants that may appeal to the masses (Hard Rock Cafe, Margaritaville, Bubba Gump, etc.) and nightlife options that project more of a “party” atmosphere (Hard Rock Live, Pat O’Briens, Fat Tuesdays, the groove, etc.). This explains why young adults looking for a club scene gravitate to CityWalk, not Disney World.

Hard Rock Cafe CityWalk

CityWalk wins hands-down in terms of ease in getting to it from anywhere else on Universal’s property and then getting around it. Because of how spread out Disney World is, it can take as long as 45 minutes to get to Downtown Disney from certain resorts and parks. Whereas Universal is so compact that CityWalk is a quick walk or boat ride away from any of the furthest points on property. CityWalk is also shaped like a ring, which makes getting around quicker and easier than getting from the far end of Disney’s West Side to the far end of Disney’s Marketplace.

Retail, dining and entertainment at CityWalk

If I thought Disney World executives actually gave a damn about its childless adult guests, I would suggest they made a strategic error by splitting the property’s nightlife options between two distinctly different areas–Downtown Disney and the Boardwalk–which are nowhere near each other.  For guests stuck on site without a car, you have to make a choice about where you plan to spend the evening, either/or. It’s more difficult to move from say, a movie at Downtown Disney’s cineplex to dueling pianos at Jellyrolls on the Boardwalk; whereas it’s quite easy to go from CityWalk’s movie theater to Pat O’Brien’s dueling pianos–which is just up a set of stairs. But ultimately, I don’t think Disney execs care about offering adult-oriented nightlife.

Citywalk is a short (and pretty) walk or boat ride from the resorts

Does this mean I’m going to switch my allegiance from Disney World to Universal? Er, no. What it means is that I can appreciate that each park does some things better than the other, which makes them both equally worth a visit. What Universal does very well is nightlife, and that’s mostly because of CityWalk. Now, your mileage may vary; if you’re a major Disney fan, you may prefer to be surrounded by everything Disney, all the time. But if you’re visiting Orlando and nightlife is very important to you, do yourself a favor and check out CityWalk.

Margaritaville's Porch of Indecision

Have you visited both CityWalk and Downtown Disney? Which did you prefer, and why?

Universal’s CityWalk vs. Downtown Disney is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

I get a lot of weird looks from people when I tell them I’m going to Disney World. . .alone.  They can’t imagine what could possibly appeal to me about this vacation destination for families. Many things, actually–the variety of activities available on Disney property, the fact that I get to be a kid again, and the opportunity to enjoy Disney World without having to put someone else’s needs first. The thing that perhaps surprises people the most, though, is when I tell them some of the best food I’ve ever eaten was on Disney property. Yeah, it surprised me, too. Who would expect exceptional dining experiences at a theme park? Believe it or not, Disney World has become a foodie mecca. And now, there is a new resource out there for those of you wanting to maximize your Disney dining experience.

The Disney Food Blog has published an e-book called the DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining. I was one of the first to purchase a copy of this food guide, because I know the author, AJ Wolfe: She’s a passionate Disney foodie, a thorough researcher, and knows more than any other human being (who doesn’t work for Disney) about Walt Disney World Dining. Therefore, I knew this book would be full of useful information even for someone like me who has researched the heck out of  Disney World’s dining options for my previous trips. Boy, was I right.

Maple Tamarind Chicken at Yak & Yeti

I was a little intimidated when I opened up the ebook for the first time and saw that it was 256 pages long. Gulp. But don’t worry, it’s also very well organized. If you don’t want to read the whole thing, you can easily skip to the sections that are of interest to you.  Literally, everything you could possibly want to know about dining at Disney World is in this book. I can’t think of anything that was overlooked (and believe me, I tried).

The book is jam-packed with useful information for Disney World newbies as well as experienced visitors, including:

• information about every eatery on Disney property;
• a glossary of Disney dining terminology (do you know what an ADR is?);
• advice for those with dietary restrictions and allergies;
• tips for eating healthy on property (no small feat when surrounded by such tempting goodies all day!);
• a section for families who plan to cook for themselves during their Disney vacation;
• and numerous tips for maximizing the dining experience.

The Apple Crepe at Chefs de France

The layout of this book is very visually appealing.  I got hungry just looking at the photos. (Damn you, AJ!) If you’re a natural born planner, you’ll be thrilled with the checklists and downloadable planning worksheets, and for the truly lazy (er, time-challenged), there are sample dining itineraries. I would recommend this book even for those of you who prefer to “wing it”. Just download the guide onto your smartphone or an iPad and bring it with you to Disney World. If you have any on-the-spot dining questions, you can easily consult the guide. For instance, if you find that every restaurant you try is booked solid, you can consult the guide, where AJ outlines which Disney restaurants are easiest to get into as a “walk-in.”

Early on in the book, AJ offers her 5 Step Guide to Stress-Free Dining Planning. What makes planning your dining at Disney World so stressful, you might ask?  Given how spread out the Disney property is (it covers 40 square miles), and how busy the parks can get, the logistics of eating a meal can be, well, challenging.  First you have to figure out whether or not the Disney Dining Plan makes financial sense for you. Then you have to figure out where you want to eat (there are hundreds of restaurants and dining locations on property), if it’s in your budget, and if it’s anywhere near where you plan to be in the parks at a given time. If it’s a very popular restaurant, you certainly need to make a reservation (ADR), and if it’s peak season, you may have to make that reservation 6 months in advance. Without making reservations ahead of time, you could wind up eating a lot of fast food on Disney property, and that would be a shame, because so many of the table service restaurants are terrific.

Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant

There are a few sections in particular that I would like to draw to your attention, my fellow solo travelers:

• Solo Dining in Disney World (yay!), page 84. This section includes tips for making your solo dining experience more enjoyable.
• Spots to Enjoy a Show, page 75. When dining solo, it’s always nice to have something to watch since I don’t have a dining companion to talk to.
• Drinking Around the World, page 78 (and the accompanying Index to Bars and Lounges beginning on page 230). One of the perks of traveling as a solo adult to Disney World is being able to indulge in an adult beverage or two every day without worrying about the message it’s sending to Junior.

Is there anything about this book I would change? Not really. Obviously, as a solo traveler, I’d love it if the solo dining tips were expanded more, but that’s rather biased on my part. In summary, I found this guide to be extremely thorough and informative, full of tips and strategies to help Disney visitors save time and money while getting the most out of their Disney dining experience. Given how much money visitors spend on a Disney vacation in the first place, who wouldn’t want to get the most out of the experience? This guide can help you do that.

If you decide to purchase the DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining, you can do so via the link below. It normally costs $18.95. SoloFriendly readers can get 20% off (for a total cost of $14.95) by using the code “Solo” during the checkout process. If for any reason it doesn’t live up to your expectations, it has a 30-day, 100% money-back guarantee, so you really can’t lose by giving it a try.

Click here to buy your Disney Food Blog Guide to Walt Disney World Dining.

The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining: A Review is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

For the past 3 months, my friends and family, coworkers, people I know on Facebook and Twitter and total strangers on the street have been asking me “Where are you traveling this year, Gray?” and “What’s your next trip?” I’ve been playing it coy, building suspense, saying “it’s a secret.” Truth is, until last week, I had no idea where I was going.

As I wrote earlier this year, after the revolution in Egypt, I was experiencing some regret about not focusing on my travel priorities. In the past decade, I’ve traveled to destinations that were lower on my priority list because they were often easier and cheaper to get to.  This year, I decided to refocus on the places I most want to visit before I die. At the same time, I had some limitations because of my job, where we are understaffed and quite busy, and I have to coordinate vacation time so we’re not left shorthanded at a critical time. Also I’m not made of money, so there are budget considerations. What have I decided on?

Puerta del Sol, Madrid

Spring in Spain

First up is a trip to Spain in late May/early June. I wanted to go back to Europe again this year, but after experiencing how bone-chillingly cold it can be in the late fall, wanted to do it during a warmer time of year. I also wanted to avoid peak tourist season during the summer. So it had to be spring.

My first choice for this trip was Italy (my #1 destination following Egypt). But within a week of asking for the time off, airfares had climbed to ridiculously high levels, and it would have cost me between $1500-1800 to fly to Italy from Burlington. As I sought itinerary advice from Italy experts Jessica Spiegel and Robin Locker Lacey, even Robin advised me to wait; the price was too high.

Unfortunately, the prices were high everywhere else on my Europe list, too.  I checked airfare every single day to multiple cities, promising myself that as soon as one of them dropped below $800, I’d jump on it–no matter where it was. Last Friday, it happened. Round trip flights between Burlington and Madrid, Spain fell below $800.

The cynic in me was immediately suspicious. What’s wrong with Madrid? I thought. Surely there had to be a reason flights there were so much lower. Indeed, I quickly learned that airline workers in Spain had voted to strike for a number of days between April and September of this year. They kindly posted their strike dates online, though, and none of them coincided with my trip. So I booked it. (Now it appears there may not be a strike after all.) As a happy coincidence, Spain was #2 on my Europe hit list after Italy, so I’m very pleased to be going there.  Madrid (and Toledo and possibly Barcelona), here I come!

Unfortunately, because of the Europe trip, I had to cancel my plans to attend TBEX (the travel bloggers’ conference) this year in Vancouver. I just couldn’t manage two trips back-to-back like that. I will miss seeing all my travel blogger friends (and meeting new ones). I’ll probably be reading #TBEX tweets on Twitter obsessively and crying in my beer every night during the conference with regret that I didn’t go. But I’m going to try like hell to meet up with travel bloggers everywhere I go this year to make up for it. Anyone want to come visit me in Vermont?

Mirage Pool

Summer and Early Fall

After this, I plan to enjoy my favorite season in Vermont, summer, though I may take some weekend getaways during that time.  In September, I’m headed back to Las Vegas. Now that I have a Las Vegas website, I can’t even consider skipping a year of going there. Vegas changes very quickly, and I need to stay on top of those changes. And to be honest, though I had fun in Vegas at Christmas, I prefer to go during pool season. To mix things up a bit, I’m hoping to split my week between Vegas and San Diego, another US city that’s high on my list.

Beach at Disney's Boardwalk

Late Fall

In November, I’m headed to Disney World’s Food & Wine Festival. I blame this trip on my friend AJ at the Disney Food Blog, whose posts about the Festival last year had me salivating every single day. I plan to stay at least four nights at either the Swan or Dolphin hotel on Disney’s Boardwalk because as it so happens, last fall I won four nights at a Westin hotel in North America or the Caribbean in the Travel and Be Well with Westin Sweepstakes, which promoted the idea that Americans need to take more of their vacation time every year (a philosophy I wholeheartedly embrace in theory, though it’s sometimes hard to put into practice).

Right now, the plan is to take one day to visit Universal’s new Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park and spend the rest of the time eating and drinking my way around Epcot, sampling treats from different cultures around the world. I know, it’s not as cool as eating your way around the real world, but until I’m prepared to quit my job, eating my way around the real world is going to have to wait. I figure this is the next best thing. That said, I’d skip it if something more intriguing (in either North America or the Caribbean) came along between now and then. I’m fickle that way.

Sunset at Waikiki

Holidays

Finally, if I get the week off between Christmas and New Year’s as holiday time as I have for the past few years, I will probably take the opportunity to go to Honolulu.  I know that’s a horribly expensive time to go, but it’s also a great time to get out of Vermont and go somewhere tropical and warm. Then again, I might just go to Egypt after all.

So there you have it, my 2011 travel plans in a nutshell. Of course, as I mentioned recently, the best way to make God laugh is to tell him your plans. We’ll see at the end of the year if everything–or anything–worked out the way I intended. Do you have suggestions of things I shouldn’t miss during any of these trips? I’m open to them. Please share in the comments below.

Photo credit: Puerta del Sol by Tomas Fano and Sunset at Waikiki by hitachiota.

2011: Where Am I Going? is a post from: SoloFriendly.com