Cliff's 100 Years of Magic

The "Once Upon a Time" aspect of Walt Disney's imagination has never been more fancifully realized than in the Share a Dream Come True Parade, in which classic Disney moments are captured in larger-than-life snow globes. I caught this parade on the corner of Main Street in front of Casey's Corner. [Great place to have a hot dog and a Coke while waiting for the parade.] Beginning with Mickey and ending with a fairy-tale finish, this spectacular new parade of giant Disney snow globes is a tribute to all those stories and characters that have touched our hearts down through the years. Vignettes are captured in giant snow globes with live Disney characters inside. Each of the parade’s eight floats features an acrylic snow globe that is 8½ feet in diameter. From start to finish it's a flurry of classic Disney moments frozen in time. This fantastic new parade includes more than a hundred Disney characters, brought to life through music, magic, and special effects (each of the floats features special effects from strobe lights to fog to special “snow”). Guests can enhance their experience with Disney’s Magical Moments pins, which react at certain times during the parade and other special moments. Since the parade takes place at 3pm in broad daylight, I didn't see or notice exactly "what" the pins actually "do" during the parade.

The parade opens with a spectacular float representing Mickey Mouse throughout his career. It Was All Started By A Mouse features Mickey Mouse waving inside his snow globe atop a “Mouse-ument” with 11 sculpted statuettes of Mickey from films throughout his career including “Steamboat Willie,” “The Brave Little Tailor,” “Plane Crazy,” “Mickey and the Beanstalk,” “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” and Sorcerer Mickey from “Fantasia.” The parade stops momentarily along the route to invite guests into the street to celebrate with the characters. Out stop involves the "animated brooms" and buckets of "water" from Fantasia.

The next float features Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio. Wish Upon A Star celebrates the early years of Walt Disney with Pinocchio inside the snow globe and other famous Disney characters surrounding him including Gepetto, the Blue Fairy, Figaro, Cleo and Jiminy Cricket from “Pinocchio,” and Snow White, Doc, Grumpy and Happy from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Foulfellow, Gideon and the Donkey Boys from “Pinocchio” interact with guests between floats. Next you'll see a tribute to flying characters. A Thousand Dreams To See focuses on Disney’s Adventures in Flight. The float features Aladdin inside his snow globe, riding on his magic carpet, whose friend Genie has become a hot air balloon. Surrounding Aladdin are other high-flying Disney characters such as Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh and his balloon from “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day” and Mary Poppins with her umbrella.

The villains follow, Face The Darkest Fears! This float features many of the fabulous Disney villains. The Evil Queen from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” rides inside her globe, as an 18-foot-tall inflatable Chernabog (from the Night on Bald Mountain sequence of Disney’s “Fantasia”) hovers over her head. Other nasties that surround the float include Jafar from “Aladdin,” Malificent from “Sleeping Beauty,” Captain Hook from "Peter Pan," Cruella De Vil from “101 Dalmatians” and Ursula from “The Little Mermaid.”

The parade finale is As Long as There is Imagination Left in the World. This float was designed after the Crystal Castle located in the Crystal Arts Shop on Main Street, U.S.A. It features a two-tiered snow globe and ½-inch thick, molded acrylic “crystal” turrets and towers, ("The Castle in the Clouds"). Peter Pan is surrounded by some of his friends including Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy. A host of Disney characters such as the Cheshire Cat from “Alice in Wonderland,” Young Simba, Zazu and Timon from “The Lion King,” and Thumper and Flower from “Bambi” ride atop the float, while Baloo, Brer Bear and Brer Fox from “Song of the South,” Esmerelda from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and Chip 'n' Dale, among others, walk beside. The ultimate finale is the magnificent castle floating on clouds, with Tinker Bell’s magic wand revealing a crystal character carousel magically rising from the clouds inside the final snow globe. The parade is a tribute to Walt the Dreamer and the fabulous heritage of the Disney animated characters.

The theme park that perhaps most exemplifies Walt Disney's delight in making the impossible possible is Epcot. Epcot’s magical parade, Tapestry of Dreams, celebrates children, dreams and the legacy of Walt Disney. The street festival begins with Dream Seekers dancing alongside the Dream Catcher (an enormous “float” that interacts with guests). The parade is a “visible dream,” in which ideas, images and emotions are evoked through a series of extraordinary puppets and music. Walt loved dreaming about the future and the sense of discovery. Tapestry of Dreams is an innovative interpretation of both these elements.

Components of the phenomenally popular Tapestry of Nations procession have been enhanced with new "Dream Seeker" characters and floats. The Dream Seekers include Elfen, who is fun and imaginative, representing things that are organic; Cosmos, who reflects on the galaxy and exploration; and Leonardo Columbus, the Renaissance character who reflects both the wisdom of the past and looks toward the future. This parade surrounds World Showcase with enormous drums, fanciful puppets and spectacular pageantry. It celebrates the dreamer in all of us. The parade explodes with rhythm, color and music. It’s a brand new experience.

The parade is divided into the Procession and the Celebration. As the nightly Procession begins, it blends music with children’s voices, each telling their own dream, interspersed with a narrator revealing the power of dreams. Children are key players in the Tapestry of Dreams Parade. At Kidcot Fun Stops throughout World Showcase, kids are given "dream" stars to decorate and get stamped at each World Showcase pavilion. Kids peel out the center of these medallions that represent their dreams. When the parade comes by, they can put the dream discs in the nets carried by Elfen and Cosmos, who will put the discs in the Dream Seeker float. There are three Dream Seekers. Elfin (representing nature, magic and emotion) and Cosmo (representing space, the universe and infinity) dance the parade route, interact with guests and “harvest” dreams. During the parade, young guests can make a wish as they toss their “coins” into a dream catcher that passes by in the procession. Hopefully, their dream for the future will come true. The third Dream Seeker, Leonardo Columbus (representing discovery, invention and genius), rides the Dream Catcher float, operates its gigantic “wings” and manipulates the float so that chimes and bells ring magically. The Celebration is a spectacular street festival combining color, music and larger-than-life puppetry that weaves its way through World Showcase. During this joyous celebration, whimsical puppets dance together with guests. The dream spinners call upon guests to imagine a vision of the future where all of our best dreams come true. The dreams are woven into a tapestry of vibrant sights and sounds as the parade, with brilliant puppets that conjure up sprites, angels, birds and other ethereal creations, encircling World Showcase. Each puppet’s specific movements emphasize its distinct character. Soaring up to 20 feet high, the colorfully costumed performers join in with percussion units. The drum units contribute to the show's tribal, earthy feel.

Tapestry of Dreams, is a not-to-be-missed Epcot event appearing twice every evening. It is as big and colorful as your dreams. Staged on the promenade of World Showcase Lagoon, this symphony of motion, color, sculpture and rhythm swells into a moving street festival of larger-than-life puppets daring you to dance, to hum, to reach out and touch the dreams that are coming to life before you. It looks enthusiastically toward the future, celebrates the joy of childhood and kids' dreams for the future.

In the shadow of a shimmering blue, 12-story tall Sorcerer Mickey hat that has been created as a visual centerpiece for the celebration, all the resident stars at Disney-MGM Studios participate in a celebrity cavalcade worthy of a red-carpet event, the Disney Stars and Motor Cars parade. Every afternoon, a star-studded line-up of whimsical limos packed with your favorite Disney characters and other favorites parade down through the park honoring Walt Disney’s 43-year career in motion pictures. Celebrities from television and the silver screen take over the streets of the Disney-MGM Studios. More than a dozen stars ride in customized cars, many of them vintage models. You see Mickey Mouse, Jasmine and Aladdin, Luke Skywalker, Miss Piggy, Rolie Polie Olie, and many more characters.

Walt Disney, who got his start in motion pictures, is honored in a pre-show that pays homage to his pioneering creativity. Commentators along the parade route share Walt wisdom as the parade makes its way through the park. Our commentator during the parade was Stone Granite. The first playful car featured Buzz Lightyear and Woody atop Andy’s bed. Other favorite characters included Bo Peep, Jessie, Mr. Potato Head and the Green Army Men. Next, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy traveled in style inside a “floating” car. A giant balloon balanced over this vehicle as the Muppets travel to Hollywood. They are followed by Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, who “fly” through the parade aboard their land cruiser. Nearby guests can discover Darth Vadar and R2D2. You won’t miss Mulan inside this next colorful vehicle. A giant Chinese umbrella dangles over this car. Mushu and the Chinese warriors walk side-by-side escorting the courageous victor down Hollywood Boulevard. Then it's Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc. A striking vehicle comes next, featuring Jasmine and Stitch sitting right “on top” of the Genie. Aladdin follows behind, just like in the promos for the Lilo & Stitch movie. Guests also interact with the Harem Girls as they dance down the parade route.

The animated feature film Hercules comes to life on the streets as Hercules rides in his car splashed with thunderbolts. Phil, Pain and Panic join in the fun. The characters you love to hate are all riding together on this next ‘wicked’ car. From Cruella De Vil to Jafar, the Wicked Queen to Frollo, these scoundrels keep company with Hades riding atop a stretch limo (painted black with flames, of course). Then celebrate the sea with Ariel and Sebastian. From seashells to seahorses, favorite under-the-sea attendants “swim” through the streets of the Disney-MGM Studios. Playhouse Disney friends including Bear, Stanley, Treelo, and P and J Otter gather for fun inside a big blue house. Snow White and Dopey appear in a tribute to Walt Disney’s first Oscar. The finale vehicle celebrates the glamour of tinseltown with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Donald. They wrap up the parade with style sitting inside a 1929 Cadillac decked out with film strips in classic Disney style. Other characters interacting with guests included Alice, White Rabbit, Pinocchio and Geppetto.

Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park is a living tribute to Walt's love of animals, both real and imaginary. By giving the animals in his animated films distinct personalities, Walt was able to create heartwarming characters that enhanced his masterful storytelling. Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade (a new, high-energy parade) pays tribute to both worlds.

This is the first true Disney character parade created for the newest park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It's an outrageous traveling, interactive island street party with Mickey and friends on a safari expedition. They're joined by new 'party animal' characters, and many of the guests are invited to participate. During each parade, nearly two dozen guests get in on the action in customized rickshaw taxis that accompany the Disney characters in their own safari jeeps. Party Animals and energetic Party Patrols coax the audience into a sing-a-long as the parade winds throughout the park. The parade also includes wild, whimsical, larger-than-life animal puppets and drum sculptures in bursts of living color against Animal Kingdom’s dense jungle greenery. In addition to the myriad of characters participating in Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle parade, guests can see other Disney characters including Pluto, Baloo, Louie, Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear, Timon, Terk and Chip 'n' Dale.

What would the Disney characters take with them on safari? Disney’s Animal Kingdom created comical expedition vehicles that look like handcrafted toys. The opening rover is a brightly colored red, orange and yellow safari vehicle. It carries the beloved Disney character Rafiki, from the Disney animated film “The Lion King". Rafiki rides with a guest family, who is selected daily to participate in the parade. In Minnie Mouse's vehicle, she's taking everything she can possibly think of on safari! Her make-up mirror, her steamer trunks, hat boxes, bath tub (with bubbles continuously floating out), wardrobe cases, and crates upon crates containing all the comforts of home! Minnie’s jeep and float are painted with her signature red and white polka dots adorned with a big red and white, polka dot bow. Goofy's also taking everything. Goofy’s jeep and float feature a hodgepodge of items, ranging from oversized snowshoes to a pair of pajamas, including his kitchen sink. He's hauling a big grill that smells like roasted hot dogs. Donald Duck’s jeep pulls a float painted in various hues of blue with a sports and nautical theme. Donald's expedition vehicle has an inflatable dinghy on the top filled with water, so he's able to kick water onto people as he goes by! (A nice relief in the hot, afternoon sun) The head explorer himself, Mickey Mouse, is in a super deluxe, brightly colored jeep vehicle. This jeep pulls a float consisting of several different safari-themed segments. The float carries Mickey and a guest family, who is also selected daily to participate in the parade. He has every piece of communication equipment you can imagine; from radios to even a satellite dish.

Old Port Royale evokes images of an island market. Stone walls, pirates' cannons, and tropical birds and flowers add to the atmosphere that includes a pool with waterfalls, whirlpool and a slide. The area also houses the resort's food court, restuarant, arcade, and gift shop. Parrot Cay Island in the middle of the lake features a playground and paths for exploring. Mousekeeping was fun during my stay. One night I returned to discover a Mickey Mouse Celebration towel arrangement (You have to see it to believe it! and I took pictures) with a nice "Welcome Home. We Hope You Enjoyed Your Day!" note. Another evening, I returned to find "towel bunnies" in the bathroom! This resort was centrally located: close to Epcot, the Disney-MGM Studios, Typhoon Lagoon, and Downtown Disney; and a short drive over to the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Blizzard Beach. Go and stay there if you can!

The building that towers over all the others at Downtown Disney West Side is actually a tent, a circus tent. An everyday circus this is not. And there is no life experience that could possibly prepare you for what you are about to feel. It’s the home of a most extraordinary entertainment experience: Cirque du Soleil. This original show, titled La Nouba, is a Walt Disney World exclusive. A masterfully scored evening of entertainment, Cirque du Soleil blends the daring with the endearing, and makes the impossible seem quite possible indeed. It will dazzle you with its surreal sets, outrageous costumes, high-energy choreography and outlandish acts. Featuring high-wire and flying trapeze, stunning acro-gymnastic performances, and other dynamic displays of strength and coordination, the La Nouba show weaves an unforgettable tapestry of art, life, surprises, and high drama. An avant-garde blend of circus art and theatre, Broadway spectacle and absolute whimsy!

"Explore the unknown, discover the impossible" states the credo posted at the entrance. The place is modeled after the paneled libraries and elegant salons of similar clubs of the 1930s. An eccentric cast of characters greets visitors to the Adventurers Club. The two-story club is littered with “stuff”, so stroll around and snoop all you like. The walls are loaded with trophy heads, photographs, and odd memorabilia, from the ridiculous to the sublime. Many of the intriguing objects were gathered in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, while others were flea market finds. They create the perfect balance for this zany gathering. You’re right in the middle of the fun as the show happens all around you. Chat with a talking mask, wonder at the floating Genie head, or maybe see one of the shows in the Library (complete with a haunted piano). Each evening, the Library opens and resident adventurers spin hilarious tales of their far-flung exploits. If you have a seat at the bar, ask the bartender to work some magic; your stool may slowly sink toward the floor. There’s always something different happening. Kungaloosh!

On a moonlit Christmas Eve, Santa Claus discovered the perfect vacation spot for himself, Mrs. Claus and the elves. Everything was perfect. From towering palms and sandy beaches to majestic sandcastles and powdery snow...SNOW! In Florida?

Yes, the myth about Blizzard Beach was real, and that gave Santa a wonderful idea. Snow and sun! What a great combination for a vacation!

In no time at all, Santa and Mrs. Claus moved their trailer down and built a barn for the reindeer and a toyshop. The elves, somewhat split over whether to build a snow or sand miniature golf course, built both. The Snow course was just like being at home. And the Sand course was...er...well, it was Florida. They built the best of both worlds and called it their Winter Summerland.

Near Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park, Disney's Winter Summerland is a wacky, elf-sized golf course with two 18-hole experiences boasting a delightfully festive atmosphere, complete with Christmas carol and surfer-beach music soundtracks. A study in bizarre contrasts, one course sports a zany, snow-clad Florida look, while the other takes a more tropical, holiday theme, complete with ornaments hanging from palm trees. I'm not much of a golfer, but I did play a round of miniature golf here on the sand course. I'm told that the sandy-surface is slightly more challenging than its snowy-surface counterpart. My total was 44 for 18 holes (the par was 56). It was fun for about an hour. So if you wanted to, you could make a day of it at both Blizzard Beach and Winter Summerland (spending more time at the water park). I have been to Blizzard Beach twice before, but this year I went to Typhoon Lagoon (as noted above).