Ask Magically Speaking

In each issue we like to answer questions from you. What are your questions? Are you wondering about a certain attraction? Are you curious about a resort or cruise? Do you have some nagging little trivia question that you are just dying to know the answer to? If so, please send them to us. We have a great team of Disney experts and sleuths that would love to answer your questions! If you have a question, send it to us at magicallyspeaking@themouseforless.com.

Ask Magically Speaking is a regular feature in the Magically Speaking newsletter. The following Ask Magically Speaking was published in the May 7, 2007 issue
of Magically Speaking ISSN: 1556-3863

Q. We plan to spend a day or so at Universal. Would it be best to stay at a Universal hotel or go ahead and check in at our Disney resort and drive back and forth? We have heard horror stories about that traffic in between. (Submitted by Melinda C.)

A. Honestly, traffic shouldn't be that big of an issue. Anticipate no more than 45 minutes on the very conservative side. Parking at Universal is $11 for the day. If you give yourself an hour to get from door to door, you should be more than fine.

Should you decide not to drive, other viable transportation options include a scheduled shuttle service provided by Mears at the rate of $16 per person round trip or a private car or taxi which can run you about $50-$70 roundtrip.

A bigger issue is how many days do you really need at the Universal Studios Resort? With two parks - Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure - there's enough to keep you going for at least two days if you want to see it all. If you're going for only thrill rides or only for small children, it's a safe bet that you will be able to cover both parks in a day, but any more than that and you may want to consider two days - one at each park.

Staying on site at one of Universal's three resorts does provide one enticing perk however - front of the line access. Not to be confused with Disney's FASTPASS, FOTL access often offers much quicker access to the attraction and you're free to take advantage of it at any attraction that offers it any time you wish, as much as you wish. It comes with a hefty price tag for the room, but your FOTL benefit starts on your day of check-in and continues through the day you check-out. That means with just a one night stay you are granted two days worth of FOTL access. A strong argument to giving Universal two days of your attention if this is something you wish to consider.

If you opt not to stay on site at Universal and find the commute to your Disney resort to be too expensive in terms of time and/or cost, there are many hotels right around the Universal Resort, most notably on International Drive. You can stay close to the action at many 2-star (and higher) hotels for much less than staying on site would cost. Of course you don't get the FOTL access, but if you feel it's necessary, you can purchase Universal Express Plus passes. Ranging from $15 - $40 per person (price based on season), these passes will grant you FOTL access to each attraction once. The benefit here is you can buy them at any time as needed, so no need to spend more money than necessary. The Universal Studios Orlando resort used to have a free option akin to Disney's FASTPASS, but that system was retired in 2005, so the Express Plus or staying on site are the only ways to jump to the front of the line at this time. Many of the headliner attractions do have single rider lines however.

Q. Could you suggest something special for our boys, to add to our upcoming trip? They are 6 and 10. This is their third visit to Disney World. Thanks for your help. (Submitted by Deb B.)

A. Hi, Deb. There's plenty Walt Disney World has to offer from free to not-so-free and from planned to spontaneous and luck of the draw, especially during the Year of a Million Dreams. Some of the things you can plan for include children-only themed cruises at a handful of resorts such as the Pirate Adventure, the Albatross Treasure Cruise and the Sassagoula River Adventure Cruise. All can be booked starting 180 days out through Disney Dining and are for ages 4-10. The Grand Floridian also offers Grand Adventures in Cooking.

On the free side, there's plenty going on inside the parks. At the Magic Kingdom, you can all march down Main Street as part of the Family Fun Day parade which takes place several times daily. While braving the waters of the Jungle Cruise, a lucky child may be chosen to help drive the boat during part of the trip (and if your children are more adventurous, the Tower of Terror at Disney-MGM Studios randomly selects children to be a junior bellhop). There are also other new, more interactive forms of entertainment such as Woody's Cowboy Camp with Toy Story's Woody, Jessie and Bullseye that runs several times daily. Be sure to check your Times Guide for more information.

Of course just waiting in lines for attractions can be special too, especially for older children who can start to develop an appreciation for what really goes into designing the parks. Several books on the market offer all sorts of inside knowledge including pointing out hidden Mickeys all over the place. Hidden Mickeys are a way for the imagineers to sign their work and you'll be surprised at just how many there are and how well they're hidden - some can be right in front of your eyes and you'd never see them!

And it's not just Mickey that's hidden around the parks. At Epcot, one often overlooked offering is the Nestle Jr Chef program, offered several times a day, tucked away in the Land Pavilion where children can magically bake fresh chocolate-chip cookies to take home with them. They can design and virtually race their own robots at the Fantastic Plastic Works exhibit in Innoventions East and even build their own free plastic robot toy afterwards. Also completely free, but requires a bit of luck, is a free candy sculpture from Miyuki who appears at the Japan pavilion in the World Showcase. Japan also houses a fantastic tin toy museum which is where the kidcot station is located. If you're not familiar with the kidcot program, each country offers a station where a child can put together and color a mask for free. After obtaining the mask, each country stamps it and attaches a token representing the country to it. For the older set, another option is the Epcot passport for around $10 which gives a space for a CM from each country to write a special message. Future World has its own version of the kidcot project too.

Along the lines of the kidcot program, but with more of a hands-on educational slant, Disney's Animal Kingdom offers the Kids' Discovery Club Guide. With six spots around the park, all indicated on the park map as a white K in a red square, children can engage in activities to help them learn more about the world around them.

Not too far away from the Animal Kingdom, the Animal Kingdom Lodge offers activities all day long for children, most of them completely free. Medallion rubbings are offered during the day and a nightly noisy parade at the resort's gift shop are just a couple of the offerings. At night, you can even venture outside the comforts of the lodge and engage in some night-time viewing of the animals, complete with night-vision goggles. The resort also offer a hidden Mickey hunt that rewards them for finding all of them. The AKL also offers a three hour program on the weekends called the Bush Camp which will introduce them to the African experience.

Fort Wilderness has campfire movies each night that are open to all. See the "Spotlight" section below for more information and this month's movie line-up.

Downtown Disney is also a great place to spend some time (and money). You can watch free performances at the magic shop on the West Side. Once Upon A Toy now offers a build-your-own light saber station for Star Wars fans as well.

I hope that gives you a jumping off point, Deb, to plan some extra magic for your boys.