Starling Travel

In honor of Halloween, I found these photos of the Haunted Mansion in Disneyworld with the lights on at Haunted Mansion Backstage. Here is their description:

Not exactly backstage, but here’s a cool lights-on peek near the end of the Graveyard scene after a ride stop and evacuation at the WDW Mansion. Every time I ride the Mansion I wish for this to happen to me! Ride stops, eventually lights come on and a CM has to escort us out. Please! 🙂

I’ve never once thought that I might be on the ride and they would have to turn it off, turn on the lights and escort me out. I have sat for five minutes while we have been “unexpectedly delayed by spirits,” but I had no idea that I might have a chance to walk through a fully lit Haunted Mansion to get out.

Via: WIL WHEATON dot TUMBLR, hauntedmansionbackstage: Not exactly backstage,…

Throughout Disneyland (and apparently Disney World) there are Kodak Picture Spot signs there to show you cool places to take a picture of yourself. I don’t quite think they meant them to be used like Wil Wheaton used them this last trip.

• another batch of pictures from disney worldWIL WHEATON dot NET | WIL WHEATON dot NET

Despite the lack of scenery, his collection of photos made me laugh and were interesting in their own right. Each land in Disney World has a different font for its Kodak Picture Spot sign. The fact that Wil and Anne just took a picture of the sign with Wil goofily smiling for the camera just makes me laugh!

Click on over to Wil’s website and check out his entire collection of photos!

• another batch of pictures from disney worldWIL WHEATON dot NET | WIL WHEATON dot NET

I want to go to Disney World. I’ve never been there and I really want to experience all Disney World has to offer. We live in Salt Lake City, Utah, however, so every time I bring it up, everyone in the family says that we should just go to Disneyland instead. It’s almost the same and it’s so much closer.

In order to convince them, I have to do RESEARCH. How inexpensively can we do this trip? Today, I did that research for a trip in February and what I found, surprised me. (Continue Reading…)

Found in Mom’s Basement has a ton of vintage travel posters from United Airlines, but I particularly like this one for Miami.

I love the bold lines and colors that represent a relaxing day in the sun. I hate flying, so the thought of getting on an airplane so I can relax in the sun seems counter-intuitive to me, but I’m sure I’d feel differently if I were suffering through the thick of winter right now.

It looks like work on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is well underway.

Construction photo via: PostSecret on Twitpic

It will be at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando Florida. According to Universal, it’s going to be a big deal:

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is not just a single attraction. This new themed environment will provide fans with a one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience the magical world of Harry Potter and his friends, and to see some of their favorite locations from the books and films such as the village of Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forrest, and even Hogwarts castle itself. The area will feature attractions, experiential shops and restaurants.

They have conceptual designs of the attractions on the Universal website. Here is what Hogwarts Castle will look like:

It looks nice, but will you be able to go in it?

The new land will be anchored by the most recognizable landmark in Harry Potter’s world: Hogwarts castle. Fans will get to experience some of their favorite locations both within Hogwarts and around the castle grounds.

Here is what Dervish and Banges “experiential” shop will look like:

Universal is going to have a huge surge of visitors just because of this single attraction. I hope they are ready for the crowds. You can find out more here:

• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Universal Orlando Resort

Here is a video of the construction underway:

Here is the official Universal Studios announcement:

Megan Wallent and her family recently went to Disney World in Florida and has come back with recommendations for eating there.

• Disney Food Experience « M( )

Yes, you can find reasonable food in the Disney parks (Reasonable: not all fried, some greens or at least fruit, not ultra fatty). Our usual “Don’t eat bad food” rule has to get suspended a bit (note, bad doesn’t mean expensive – it just means to make food part of the experience – trying to eat as local, or at least as well as possible given the locale).

One of the places where they were able to get rotisserie chicken and green beans was Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe. Here is a video of the entertainment at that Cafe in Tomorrowland:

Head on over to Megan’s blog to read about which places in Disney World she considered good food and which were bad.