Changes to the Haunted Mansion Queue

"March 2011, the Haunted Mansion soft opened a brand new interactive queue area. As you enter the courtyard, you can see, touch, hear and play with several new, interactive elements added into the queue experience. Right now the Imagineers are still tweeking things, so the new queue may or may not be open during your visit.

"When it officially opens, your experience will begin with a new story line with characters previously seen only inside the Mansion. And what really grabbed my attention was the new Decomposing Composer’s Crypt. The new tomb has interactive instruments that sound as weird as they look."

- AllEars.net

Balloon set to drift over Downtown Disney by

The new balloon ride at Downtown Disney is nearing completion. Orlando Sentinel has some pictures of the baloon that will be used to carry guests 400 feet in the air.

My Favorite Things

I recently came across an article on MousePlanet listing the author's "Best of Disney". I figured I'd put together a list of my favorites, too. So here goes...

Restaurants
This is an easy one! My favorite table service restaurant is California Grill is without a doubt my favorite restaurant at Disney (maybe anywhere). My favorite counter service restaurant is the Columbia Harbor House. They have really nice, fresh salads.

Park
This is a hard one. There are things I like about each park. I think my favorite is the Magic Kingdom just because of the nostalgia factor. I would say it's a tie between Animal Kingdom and Epcot for second.

Resort
My favorite resort is actually staying off-site at a resort pool home. I'd probably have to go with Windsor Hills.

Ride(s)
This is a tough one. Do I go with a old favorite or one of the newer shinier options? At the Magic Kingdom, I think I'd have to go with Splash Mountain with honorable mentions to Pirates of the Carribean, Space Mountain, and The Haunted Mansion.

At Epcot, I'd have to go with Soarin' followed closely by The American Adventure. I love the American Adventure because it's like the Hall of Presidents used to be. I always get chills when Cheif Joseph speaks (unless I've fallen asleep - what is it with that place that makes me sleepy?)

At MGM, I love Rockin' Roller Coaster. My wife loves Tower of Terror, but I have slight fear of heights that makes that ride more terrifying than fun for me. My kids like Star Tours the most.

Finally, at Animal Kingdom I enjoy Kilimanjaro Safari and Kali River Rapids.

Location
OK, I had to make up a category because I have a favorite "spot" in the parks. It's right behind Cinderella Castle. It's a foundtain of Cinderella. It's often fairly quiet here and I love this fountain!

Photo Spot
Our family always gets a picture in front of the statue with Walt and Mickey. Another favorite picture spot is on the catwalk outside of California Grill. The Magic Kingdom makes an incredible backdrop for portraits here.s

Hacking Buzz Lightyear

I've never scored high when riding the Buzz Lightyear ride at Walt Disney World. I always chalked it up to poor marksmanship. Still, I've always wondered how in the world anybody could amass the point totals that were displayed. Well, I came across this article that explains the tricks behind getting those points. One main tip is that not all targets are worth the same. Here's the basic break down:

Round Target: 100 points
Square Target: 1000 points
Diamond Target: 5000 points
Triangle Target: 10,000 points

Of course, it would also probably help if I didn't let my 4 year old son pilot our space craft. His main objective is to see how many times we can spin around, not how many points we can get!