It’s time to say Good Bye

So, my last post was nearly 3 years ago. A lot has changed in that three years, for us personally and for Walt Disney World.

We’ll skip the personal stuff, because this isn’t a blog about us (really), it’s a blog about Extra Magic (for Adults) at Walt Disney World.

Over time, this blog became more about food and festivals than about behind the scenes tours etc…

Over time, Walt Disney World has lost a lot of what we considered “magical”…

Over time, the heat and humidity has become a real PITA…

Over time, we can no longer deny or ignore the impact that terrorism and violence has had on accessibility and freedom at Walt Disney World (or indeed the impacts on the world at large)…

We’ve decided to not renew our Annual Passes, because we RARELY go to the theme parks anymore. Also, we rarely go to the resorts to have a nice long walk and wander. We used to go to Disney Springs at least twice a week, now it’s more like once every two months and that’s nearly always when we have friends/family visiting the area.

Also, we’ve been looking at HOME more. HOME being where we grew up and where FAMILY is. In fact, during Hurricane Irma, we bought a condo back home.

We’re leaving Lake Buena Vista/Orlando and going HOME. At least for a while, we’ll continue to travel (a lot) and we plan to be snow-birds coming back to Florida for an extended period in the winter (we still aren’t fans of true cold weather).

So, this is it for Extra Walt Disney World Magic,

Good bye,

Nora

P.S. Maybe someday, the extra magic will return for us, but I’m thinking we’re going to find magic in other places, away from Walt Disney World

 

Hiatus or Stoppage

It’s been a few months since we’ve put up any new posts here. Various reasons, most of them are common explanations from bloggers – non-blogging life taking up time and energy, just plain tired of it, etc…

We also found ourselves becoming VERY food oriented. There are loads of Disney Food Bloggers out there and does the world really need another? It’s relatively easy to get material for writing about food at Walt Disney World – but at some point, making notes and taking photos all the time kinda takes the joy out of it all.

So, for now, we’re on hiatus from writing blog posts. If some sudden inspiration hits, we’ll put something up here.

I remain somewhat active on Twitter (@extrawdwmagic) and I continue to curate a number of magazines on FlipBoard (Adults Exploring Disney World):

  • Adults Extra Walt Disney World Magic
  • Food at Walt Disney World
  • Epcot Flower and Garden Festival from Adults Extra WDW Magic
  • Spice Road Table!!
  • Food & Drink Swan & Dolphin Resort Walt Disney World

Thank you for reading,

Nora

Changes to Backstage Tour at Animal Kingdom?

I saw this earlier today… (Thank you to The Adult Side of Disney blog … here)

Walt Disney World Resort recently announced that the Backstage Safaritour at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be discontinued as of February 27. A new, enhanced version of the tour will begin March 1, known as Backstage Tales. During this in-depth program, Guests will get an insider’s look at the innovative ways Disney is meeting challenges in areas such as conservation, animal nutrition and medicine, animal care and behavioral studies.
Guests enjoying the new Backstage Tales tour will be able to enjoy the following activities:
  • Visit the Animal Nutrition Center and see how more than 3 tons of food are prepared each day.
  • Go behind the scenes and explore a backstage animal-housing area.
  • Tour the state-of-the-art veterinary hospital, where they may witness animals being treated.
  • Stop by the Animal Programs Administration building and learn how Disney promotes global wildlife conservation and animal well-being.

Backstage Tales, which joins Wild Africa Trek as a premium experience at the park, will be offered to Guests ages 12 years and older daily, 7:30-11:15 a.m. Guests can book the Backstage Tales tour now. Guests can also continue to book Backstage Safari by contacting 407-WDW-TOUR (407-939-8687) for tours through Febeuary 27, 2015. Backstage Safari is offered every Monday and Wednesday through Friday, 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 1-4 p.m.

Regular readers may know that we’ve done this tour twice: first with Asta and Mrs Asta in October 2012 (here) and more recently with our niece Nevie in September 2014 (here).

To the best of my recollection… this “new” tour is simply a renaming of the previous “Backstage Safari”… the only difference I can detect (quickly) is that the Safari isn’t mentioned on the “Backstage Tales” description. (also, I tried to find the original announcement from WDW but couldn’t on their parks blog)

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Kilimanjaro Safari view from Nevie’s first visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom 2002

something new and something not new at Splitsville

This dining experience took place on October 26, 2014

We stopped in the other day at Splitsville and were hungry (walking 3+ miles will do that to you). We both wanted to avoid carbs (after our recent visits where we were a little less pleased with the french fries and the sandwiches). Even

continue reading something new and something not new at Splitsville

FlipBoard Followers

In the last 18+ months, we’ve attracted a lot of followers on FlipBoard… Thank You!

Christmas ornament from Old Key West 2013

I’d like to point those following “Adults Exploring Disney World” to some of our other FlipBoard magazines… Two reasons (1) this magazine isn’t “active”… I haven’t added new content to it

continue reading FlipBoard Followers

Fish & Chips at Splitsville

This dining experience took place on October 24, 2014

Adrienne had mentioned to Nick that the Fish & Chips at Splitsville have some real devotees. We’d never tried them, and one day we gave into our craving for fried carbs and ordered them to share.

Mahi Mahi tempura battered,

continue reading Fish & Chips at Splitsville

Photo Blog – Sashimi at Splitsville

A very simple post using photos taken on October 11, 2014…

Excellent Sashimi at Splitsville…

We continue to be very pleased by the quality and the beauty of the sashimi at Splitsville Orlando

continue reading Photo Blog – Sashimi at Splitsville

Raglan Road Brunch

This dining experience took place on October 5, 2014

We had friends visiting in October, we were up and about earlier than they were on a Sunday morning and since we’d just seen the brunch menu for Raglan Road – we decided to go for a walk and have brunch at Raglan Road.

Nick ordered

continue reading Raglan Road Brunch

Sunday Morning with Alex Guarnaschelli – Epcot International Food & Wine Festival 2014

This Food & Wine Event took place on November 9, 2014

Our last event for this year’s Epcot Food and Wine Festival, again we’re with Lisa and Andy (our partners in food & wine). We did “Sweet Sundays” with them a while back (Sweet Sunday with Warren Brown). We expected some particular differences

continue reading Sunday Morning with Alex Guarnaschelli – Epcot International Food & Wine Festival 2014

lunch at Splitsville

This dining experience took place on October 19, 2014

We often stop in at Splitsville for a bite to eat and a leisurely drink. On this day, we ordered the Alfredo Roll (which we’ve had before) and Sashimi (which we’ve had numerous times, remember? Splitsville won our sashimi challenge earlier this

continue reading lunch at Splitsville

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