Top spots that will give you song chills…Disney World

Song Chills

I read somewhere that about 50% of people experience song chills (aka goose bumps) when they listen to music. This phenomenon is something that happens to me frequently, and most often when listening to music from Disney World or Disneyland. (I have Disney radio stations going for the rest of the year when I’m not actually there.) As sure as the sun rises in the East, I will without fail sense that shiver of excitement and awe down my spine for these Walt Disney World experiences.

See what a little wishing can do

Wishes
If you read my Best Firework viewing locations, you know that I am a pretty big fan of Wishes. While some folks may be getting tired of this show (I’m sure I would love whatever firework show they eventually decide to replace it with) Wishes has been around over a decade. That means I have looked up into the sky and dreamed as dreamers do throughout high school, college, and part of my adult life. I have watched it with my mom, friends, and now husband. While the show stays the same, I know I have grown and changed, making it meaningful and song chill worthy.

Watch World Showcase light up

IllumiNations
For anyone interested, the pre IllumiNations and IllumiNations soundtrack are great songs to run to if you like to run to Disney music as I do. The finale always pumps me up and pushes me a little more. Plus it’s a long song, so by the time you ran to it, another mile should have gone by. Going off what I said about Wishes, I am a total sucker for Fireworks and anything that lights up and looks cool. When you are standing around World Showcase Lagoon at Epcot and the IllumiNations song is coming to its climax and all the countries light up as fireworks are sparkling overhead, it enough to make my hairs stand on edge for sure. While I could take or leave the giant globe (can never really see it anyways) the 360 view of world showcase lit up paired with an awesome song is just that…awesome.

Sing it girl!

Festival of the Lion King
Take one of the best soundtracks from a Disney movie and pair it with with super talented singers, acrobats, dancers, and fire handlers and you have a recipe for success. This show is just so visually stimulating, there is always something going on in front of you or above you. While the Tumble Monkeys are super impressive, and I can not figure out for the life of me how the dancing spinning birds (Can You Feel the Love Tonight sequence) don’t immediately fall over or throw up, the big beautiful woman who belts The Circle of Life is sure to give you well deserving chills.

Who doesn’t love this guy?

Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Disney again uses the soundtrack of the Lion King (If it aint broke) and other chart topping favorites, Be Our Guest, Part of your World, The Second Star to the Right, A Whole New World, to serenade you into a Disney Magic soundtrack coma. While it’s a 3D attraction (never wait in line for it), a “4th dimension” of in your face smells, pops, drips, and wind immerses you in the movie and gives the songs a refreshed feel. Without fail, the Little Mermaid sequence (did the blog title give it away? ) into the Lion King gives me song chills, and then I pretty much have them for the rest of the show with all that cool swirling wind. I feel like they packed so much classic Disney soundtrack magic into this movie, it’s impossible not to get a goose bump or two.

God Bless America, Voices of Liberty are awesome

Voices of Liberty
Check you park entertainment times for catch the Voices of Liberty in the American pavilion of World Showcase at Epcot. This group of a cappella singers will serenade you will both Americana, Patriotic, and occasionally a Disney classic. Did I ever mention I love all things patriotic as well? They are so in sync and their sound is so powerful, which is amplified in the beautiful round rotunda room. Interested in more? They have a website: http://www.libertyvoices.com/, where you can even have them perform at your next event. That seems like a surefire way to have the coolest 4th of July party on the planet. Anyways, their voices are spectacular and the combination of their powerful sound and the very impressive sopranos cause immediate song chills all over my body.

I hope those in the (better) 50%, enjoy every last chill when experiencing these spots around the parks. Even if these spots don’t do it for you, there is bound to be a place in Disney World where you find the magic and let the emotions run wild. Disney is real great at immersing you in sights, sounds, and smells and this keep me coming back for more time and time again.

Rides with Virtually No Lines…Disney’s Hollywood Studios

With the recent addition of Fastpass+ only allowing you 3 fastpass selections per day (apparently this might be changing soon!) it’s important to save that treasured pass for rides that really need it. Many of the rides and attractions at Disney can be virtually wait-less with a couple tips and proper timing. My hope is to get you on so many rides that you won’t even notice your 3 Fastpass maximum. These are some rides at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with virtually no lines.

Huge arena with great views everywhere

Let me Tell You a Time
Disney’s Hollywood Studios centers around movies, theater, and entertainment. They offer a variety of shows scheduled at multiple times per day, and they tell you exactly what times these shows start. For example, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, and Fantasmic! have specific start times that can be found on your My Disney Experience App as well as the Entertainment Guides you can pick up at the park entrance. Never get a fastpass for any of these shows. If you’re not a super die hard fan of any of these, you can walk in when the show starts and they will still seat you.

Notice the bleachers that are available for late comers

Granted you may be off to the side or a bit higher, but Disney designs theaters and arenas so “Bad” spots don’t really exist. Even if you want to arrive a bit before the show starts to sit a little closer, I would never go more than 10-15 minutes early for a couple reasons. If it’s not the first show of the day, they might not let you into the theater and then you are wasting time standing in line. And even with 10-15 minutes left, you should be able to squeeze into a good spot or will be directed to a pretty decent location.

I’m always very late to Fantasmic but have always had a good seat

Many people show up to Fantasmic an hour or so before hand and I simply can not understand this for the life of me. You will be seated in a ginormous theater and will be able to see the show from any seat, top to bottom, left to right. The only downside to showing up last minute like I typically do is you will be one of the last people out, however you also didn’t waste an hour sitting on a concrete slab, so I’d say it about evens out.

Waiting for the next Muppet Vision show to begin

Moving Right Along
Much like the “show rides” I mentioned in the similar blog about Magic Kingdom rides, Muppet Vision 3D and Voyage of the Little Mermaid follow the same rules. Again I would not recommend getting a Fastpass for these two attractions. For Muppet Vision, ask a cast member when the next show starts and head in a couple minutes before. The theater is huge and never fills completely up so you will definitely make it into the show. This particular attraction has an entertaining pre show.

If your a fan of the Muppets, check out the pre show

And if you are a fan of the Muppets like me, it might actually be worth it to head in and watch it. Voyage of the Little Mermaid is not as easy to navigate. While they display what time the next show starts, the outside line can be long followed by a cattle call into the holding area. (Side note, I have seen many a kid throw some serious tantrums in this tightly packed room. If you sense your kid or husband might be getting rowdy, I would come back later). Getting in without a wait is all about timing. If the line outside looks completely packed, skip it and try again later. If not, hop in line when you see the doors open and the holding area is starting to fill up. Being towards the back of the holding area is fine, as the people in the front will be asked to move all the way to the end of the row anyways and every seat in the theater gives you a different view, none of them bad.

For the Walt lovers out there, this is a must

Walk This Way
For anyone that is a fan of the man, Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream is not to be missed. This is not really an attraction, but a display of Walt’s life and career and history of the Disney parks. Since it’s a walk through attraction, you can stay as long as you’d like. People will be continuously filing in and out so it will never be super crowded. It might be something fun to do after you walk by Toy Story Midway Mania and the wait time is over two hours.

To recap, make sure to check the times of the shows so you can schedule meal and snack times in between the entertainment and still show up right on time. Never be afraid to ask when the next show is, and take advantage of walk through attractions.

Rides with Virtually no Lines…Magic Kingdom

Over the past decade or so, die-hard Disney fans probably agree that the “down season” which used to occupy the weeks without major holidays has become a thing of the past. Frequent visitors might also agree that now there are only two real seasons, very crowded, and somewhat less crowded. Disney has really worked hard to get to this point. They have added special events to fill up that down season. This might scare some people away thinking big crowds equal big wait times, but no need to fret. My idea of a vacation is NOT waiting 180 minutes in a crowded line, and by following these tips, you won’t have to either. This blog shares some of my favorite attractions at the Magic Kingdom where you will encounter virtually no lines.

1. “Show Rides” are your friend

Country Bear Jamboree Clock
courtesy of mouseplanet

So I might have just made up the term show ride, but I thought it explained really nicely the rides and attractions that come in a show format. The Magic Kingdom has many of these show rides: The Enchanted Tiki Room, Country Bear Jamboree, Hall of Presidents, Mickey’s Philharmagic, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Stitch’s Great Escape, and the Carousel of Progress. There is no getting in and out of any fancy boat, space ship, or hollowed out log. For these rides, you simply wait until the doors open, go find a seat, prepare to be amazed, be amazed, then head to the exit for the next exciting part of your day. Many of these attractions have clocks  outside of them that tell you when the next show will start. If you don’t see one, I would ask a nearby friendly cast member. A courteous, “Excuse me sir, can you tell me when the next show starts?” should do the trick. If it’s anything more than 5 minutes, I wouldn’t go in yet. The hall of presidents show is about 23 minutes long. If you just missed going into the last show, don’t waste your time waiting around a room. Go outside, go to the bathroom, drink some water, buy a delicious pretzel, check out the nearby souvenir shop, take a selfie, you get the idea. Then when it’s about 5 minutes to showtime, you can head in. For some of these show rides, you can actually see the queue lines before you decide to get into the line. As you’re walking around Adventureland, walk closely behind the Enchanted Tiki Room. If you can’t hear the pre show birds doing their bit yet, don’t go get it line. If the Carousel of Progress is still spinning, see if you can go get your picture taken with Buzz Lightyear which is located right next door, or watch some of the entertainment on the Tomorrowland stage. Once you see the carousel stop, then you will have enough time to go walk in. My advice would be to not use any of your Fastpass selections on these show rides. There is no real benefit of getting into the waiting area long before you have to. Disney theaters can hold a lot of people, and just about any seat is a good seat. (This is especially true with all 3D shows. The magic of 3D is the action comes to you, the seat you sit in is irrelevant.) I like to think of these show rides as great options to fill some time before I can return for my Fastpass attraction.

2. An attraction that requires physical work

My husband at the top of Swiss Family Robinson Tree House at night. Check out the castle!

Another attraction that if you time it right you will be met with virtually no line is The Swiss Family Robinson Tree house. This is something I often skip when I go with my mom, but try to do when I’m there with my husband because he gets easily distracted and likes to climb on things. This is also something I will avoid doing on a very hot and humid day, or immediately following a run Disney event. I would make an educated decision on the spot whether this is something you really want to do. Those are 100% real life stairs that not only do you have the pleasure of walking up, but walking back down again. Anyone with foot, knee, or hip problems, people with fear of heights, and people with a fear of doing too much exercise on their vacation should probably pass on this. If you do decide to go exploring up the tree, DON’t go when it looks crowded. Since there is only one way up and one way down, you might feel pressure to walk faster, or perhaps you can only move at a snail’s pace because of the people in front of you taking their sweet ol time. Come back to this attraction when you can physically see the line it short. A great time to climb is at night. The lines will be shorter because most people will be tired at this point. You can also get some really cool views from the top.

3. Attractions that let you stop and smell the roses, or at least the sugar glazed almonds and popcorn

View of Cinderella Castle from the TTA

These three attractions allow you to experience the Magic Kingdom’s beauty from a relaxed position, always something nice on a long, hot day. The Walt Disney World Railroad, Liberty Square Riverboat and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (TTA aka peoplemover) are definitely hidden gems in the park. The railroad is great because there are 3 stops, Mainstreet, Frontierland, and Fantasyland. You can decide where to get off, or just keep going around and around, taking in the sights. If one particular train stop looks busy, I would keep wandering on my merry way until I stumble upon the next one. The train also falls into the category of being able to see the queue before you go. Use your judgement. If you think you might not make it on to the next train, hop out of line and do something else. You could always wander over to the Liberty Square Riverboat. The boat boards every half an hour, on the half and full hour. This makes it easy to decide if you can just hop on and go, or do something else and come back. If you’re in the mood for something more futuristic, the TTA is one of my favorite rides to relax on. Not only do you get a beautiful view of Tomorrowland, you will get a peek at Cinderella castle. This queue line moves very fast. What might look like a 20 min line will probably be 5 minutes. The ride vehicles move continuously so unlike waiting for a train or a boat, these cars are always there ready for you to hop into.

While at Disney World, you might be a family that has everything planned out to the minute, or you might be the family that is totally winging it. A successful vacation allows for flexibility. I always enjoy the feeling of getting my money’s worth out of my park ticket. I think it would be impossible to do that if I spent the majority of my day waiting in a line. These parks are beautiful places to explore, and the time you will have being out line will allow you to do just that. Stay tuned for Rides with Virtually No Lines at Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.