BEYOND THE THEME PARKS

ANITA ANSWER
Archives

8/24/09
--Anita's Mini Blog for 8/24/09
--Space Mountain's Seating Configuration: Has It changed?
--Which Direction Was the Wand Set?
--Booking Accommodations for Six Online?

8/17/09
--A Brief History of Castaway Cay
--Name That Restaurant!
--The Morse Code Message in Spaceship Earth
--Answer to the 8/10 Trivia Question

8/10/09
--What Castle Served as the Inspiration for Cinderella Castle?
--The "Hotel" in the Canada Pavilion
--What About the Original Back Lot Tour?
--Anita's Mini Blog for 8/10/09

8/3/09
-- Anita's 8/3/09 Mini Blog
--What Was This Old Ride?
--Backlot Tour Bet
--Base Tickets and Extra Magic Hours
--Answers to Trivia Questions and Doctor Who Challenge

7/27/09
--Anita's 7/27/09 Mini Blog
--What Was the Name of This Ice Cream Shop?
--Square Footage of the New Treehouses
--When Do the Holiday Decorations Come Down?

7/13/09
--2009 Dates for Epcot's Candlelight Processional
--Using Music's Bus Stops When Staying at Movies?
--How Old Is Too Old for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique?
--Answer to the June 29 Trivia Question

7/6/09
--A European Trip Blog
--The Difference Between B and C Tickets?
--A Lounge with Live Music?
--No Car, No Grocery Stop. Where to Get Alcohol?

6/1/09
--Where is the Randy Pausch Plaque Located?
--What Was This Old Store in the Studios?
--Rod Serling and the Tower of Terror Pre-Show
--Answer to the May 25 Trivia Question

5/25/09
--Is Christmas Really That Crowded?
--Adult or Child Ticket When Child Turns 10 in the Middle of the Trip?
--Which Was the First Disney Vacation Club Resort to Open?
--Answer to the May 18 Trivia Question

5/18/09
--Will Pirates and the Haunted Mansion Be Closed In June?
--Where Would Anita Stay and Dine?
--What Are Those Stone Things at Epcot's Entrance?
--Answer to the May 4 Trivia Question

5/11/09
5/4/09
--The Mural in the Contemporary
--Showers at Old Key West's Pool
--A Flashing Light above the Blue Bayou Restaurant
--The Wasps' "Sting" in Tough to Be a Bug
--Answer to the April 27 Trivia Question

More Anita Answer Columns

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Anita Answers

Hi! I'm Anita!

Got a question about Walt Disney World? I probably have the answer! Deb's Unofficial Walt Disney World Information Guide is the most comprehensive guide to the World on the Web, but if you still can't find the information you're looking for by using the Search Function, or the Anita Answer Archives, drop me a line and I'll do my best to find the answer for you. Since there are only 24 hours in a day, I can't answer every email I receive - however, I do read every one and try to answer as many as possible.

Check back weekly to see if your answer is waiting! Meanwhile, I'm All Ears!

May 18, 2009

Will Pirates and the Haunted Mansion Be Closed In June?
Where Would Anita Stay and Dine?
What Are Those Stone Things at Epcot's Entrance?
Answer to the May 4 Trivia Question

Teresa writes:

Hi Anita. Can you tell me if it's true that Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion will both be closed in June '09? I will be there then and it's a shame for Disney to shut down two of the most popular rides at the same time. Hope I read wrong! Thanks.

Hi Teresa!

I think perhaps you've been reading some outdated information. Both Pirates and the Mansion have already recently undergone lengthy refurbishments, and currently Space Mountain, Hall of Presidents and the Tomorrow Transit Authority are down. It's unlikely that Magic Kingdom management would also take another two major attractions down during the busy summer season, unless there was some sort of unforeseen safety or maintenance issue. Pirates and the Mansion should be operational during your trip. You can keep track of ride closures and rehab schedules here.

Have a wonderful trip to the World!

A.A.

Trivia Question:

Which of the Disney parks worldwide calls the Haunted Mansion by a different name, what is the name it's called, and in which land is it located? Answers in the May 25th column.

Diane writes:

If money was no object where would you stay in WDW? Also what would be your top dining choices? Thank you!

Hi Diane!

Everyone you ask will have different answers for you, depending on personal tastes (hotel room vs. suite, personal food choices, etc.). However, since you asked, here are my choices:

I would stay at Old Key West in a three-bedroom Grand Villa. Why? Because OKW is my favorite resort, and the Grand Villas are spectacularly huge and homelike.

My favorite restaurant list changes frequently, mostly because of menu changes (and they're hardly ever for the better, by the way!). Currently, here are my top three dining choices:

1. Sanaa at Kidani Village/Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Flo, Mickey and I ate there last week and it was spectacular. The menu is diverse and unusual, and the food is spicy and flavorful.

2. Tokyo Dining at Epcot.
Flo and I ate there last week as well. I try to eat there every time I'm at the World, and it never disappoints. The food is always fresh and flavorful, and the service is wonderful there.

3. Citricos at the Grand Floridian.
The menu is interesting, though not as interesting as the two restaurants above. The food is delicious and fresh, the service is excellent, and I love the decor. What's not to like?

You didn't ask, but I just have to add my current Hall of Restaurant Shame list:

1. The Wave at the Contemporary.
Flo, Mickey and I ate there last week. The concept sounded good, but wasn't. The menu was limited and boring. The service was awful. There was sand in my salad, rendering it inedible. I could go on, but I won't. Just say no.

2. Spoodles at the Boardwalk.
Spoodles was once at the top of my "must do" list, when it had interesting Mediterranean choices on the menu. The current choices sound interesting, but in execution it's ho-hum at best, with extremely slow service to top it off. I'm actually glad it's closing and being reinvented.

3. Olivia's Cafe at Old Key West.
As much as I love Old Key West, I dislike Olivia's. The menu features the same old boring Dining Plan-inspired choices of 1 beef, 1 chicken, 1 pasta, 1 fish; with boring pre-prepared side dishes and even more boring desserts. Its twin-separated-at-birth, the Turf Club at Saratoga Springs, is equally boring. Yawn... if I wanted to eat boring stuff, I could cook it myself at home (or in my Grand Villa!).

So, there you have it -- the good, the bad, and the very ugly. Your mileage may vary, etc. etc. Have fun planning your next trip!

A.A.

Jeannine writes:

Hello Anita! I must say I enjoy your column. I read it all the time and this one time I thought I'd actually ask a question, so here it is:

What exactly are those giant pieces of marble with pictures of people on them when you first walk into Epcot and how exactly do you get on it? Thank you!

Hi Jeannine!

Those are what was once called the "Leave a Legacy" program, which was developed for the Millennium Celebration. Guests could have their picture taken and it was placed on the stones. The Walk Around the World (personalized bricks) program ended in July 2000, to be replaced with the far less successful (and now defunct) Leave a Legacy program at Epcot. The purpose of Leave a Legacy was the same as the bricks: guests could leave a little bit of themselves at their favorite place. The Leave a Legacy program ended in June 2007, so it's no longer possible to participate. Meanwhile, the granite monuments sit there almost empty. There have been rumors since 2007 that the stones will be moved elsewhere on property, but so far nothing has happened.

A.A.

May 4 Trivia Question:

What very odd animal is pictured in the Grand Concourse mural in the Contemporary Resort?

OK, so this week I must have erred on the side of "way too easy" I guess, since I got almost 150 correct answers. That's way too many names to print here, so I'll just give you all a "Well done, Disney Geeks!" this week, and leave it at that.

And the answer was... a five-legged goat. The CM story goes that Mary Blair felt that nothing man-made should be perfect, so she created a goat with an extra leg in the Grand Canyon Concourse mural. I can't vouch for the veracity of that story, but it sounds plausible to me.

See you all next week!
Anita

That's it for this edition!

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