Park Maps & New Attractions

The best thing about Disney is that they perfect so many details, you just can't help but be consumed by the magic. No other place or people do things like they do.

Online (visit the Disney travel link), you can create customized maps for each park and select all YOUR favorites, and they send you large color maps of each park with your favorites highlighted. And it's free! Mine came in the mail on Saturday. It's so exciting to open your mailbox and see something from Disney. Two weeks before that, I received the planning DVD (also free). I remember the last time we went to Disney, we got luggage tags in the mail a few weeks before our arrival. It really added to the anticipation.

So if you need a little magic in your mailbox, check out the free dvd and maps. They also have kid-friendly maps (see link on the right). You don't get to choose your favorites on this one, but it's a fun colorful map that you can print out yourself and let the kids look at.

The travel channel usually has specials on various pieces of Disney. It looks like we'll get to try out a brand new ride this year (not being released until summer) called Toy Story Mania. I believe it's going to be in Hollywood Studios. It looks like you're one of the toys and you're playing arcade games with them, shooting at things and earning points (and wearing 3D glasses). There's also a Woody's Roundup show in Frontierland during the day that's sort of a parade/music/interactive show. (With all the new Toy Story promotions, I wonder if they're working on a third movie! Hmmmm.)

Other new(er) attractions include Turtle Talk with Crush in Epcot and The Seas with Nemo and friends. Turtle Talk is an animated but live interactive show with the audience. They seem to have worked this idea twice with the Laugh Floor Comedy Club in Tomorrowland. They refurbished the Haunted Mansion and added some new things. Also the Nemo Musical (in Animal Kingdom) is a huge hit. Sounds like the show's right up there in quality with Beauty and the Beast.

Epcot has some live shows worth checking out in the World Showcase: Chinese acrobats - these are professional kids who are trained in China; a group called "Bristish Invasion" which is a Beatles cover band (can't wait to hear them) and some other musical acts and entertainers. I've never been to Epcot, so I've been trying to find out all about it, and I'm really excited to take the kids there this time.

Who's next...?