Walt Disney World's Pirate League info and Review

Pirates League Blog

As we all know Disney is known for it’s hidden gems from the Dole Whips (okay not so hidden), to hidden Mickey’s, Ohana character breakfast, or the prime parade viewing in Liberty Square across from Ye Christmas Shoppe .  They are the secret gems only the truest Disney fan knows about but they are experiences filled with every nugget of Disney Magic.  Well today I’m going to let you know about another Disney hidden gem that has become my family’s ‘treasured’ (p’aaaarrrrrdon the pun) experiences.  It’s Pirates League at the Magic Kingdom.

So much hype in the Disney community exists for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.  Yes this makeover venue is pixie dusted elegance and glamour at it’s best but there is another selection for those who want to be magically transformed. If ye dares……

Pirates League is located directly to the right of the queue line of Pirates of the Caribbean.  Once you enter you are given your choices

of becoming any number of scary rough tough pirates or the friendly Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates. For the ladies/girls in your party  you become a dazzling Pirate Empress or mesmerizing Mermaid.  There are ofcourse deluxe add-ons from costumes to t-shirts to make the transformation complete. 

Once your selection has been made you will be ushered by a buccaneer or pirate wench to a room to use a special book and tool to determine what your pirate name would be.  At the completion of the makeover you are given an authentic looking parchment with the pirate oath, declaring your given Pirate name, and signed by ‘Captain’ Jack Sparrow.
If you have selected an add-on you are shown a changing room in which you can change into your official pirate garb. 

You are then introduced to the official buccaneer or pirate wench, or as I lovingly call them your pirate guide, that will be completing your transformation. The room surrounding you has many mementos from the movies.  Ask your pirate guide about the décor and movie mementos and they will freely share the secret treasures Jack and his fellow crewmates have left behind including the chest of Davy Jones, to Elizabeth Turner’s dress, to artwork from the King’s Castle.


Your pirate guide may regal you with tales of ‘Captain’ Jack Sparrows adventures or there may be inquisitions into your new world tales of unfamiliar technology such as television, airplanes, or playstations. Pirates are unfamiliar with such crazy new world inventions and your child will be their informant educating the pirate guide of all the technological advances they are lacking being at sea.  The conversational discourse between Pirate guide and child is insightful and entertaining and you as a parent can delight in sitting back to observe this marvelous adventure.

When a makeover is complete a child’s name and title is announced to the room and a the room breaks out into a hearty cheer for the new pirate joining the ranks. 
Following this magical makeover the pirate guide then bestows on them the special tools of a pirate including a sash, bandana, and depending on the pirate guide your child may also receive the remaining palette of makeup and jeweled tattoos for the mermaid or empress makeovers.

The pirate is then taught the pirate oath and with raised hands and a hearty heart they pledge the oath and are thus officially assigned a prestigious new role as “pirate”. 
Now that they are a pirate they are given secret passage into a hidden room for more treasures.  For our adventure it was a pirate dubloon necklace in a treasure box my children had to discover in the hidden depths of this secret map room.  This is the final step of the makeover and one is then ushered to a Pirate cashier where a transfer of pirate coin (credit card or cash) is used to pay for ye’ transformation.

 There are often Photopass photographers near the sign for Pirates League to take pictures of your new scurvy mate to commemorate the magical moment.  And if you time it right you can walk the plank across the courtyard to the Captain Jacks Pirate Tutorial where frequently Captain Jack Sparrow himself plucks the newly transformed shipmates to join his crew and learn the ways of sword fighting, fleeing trouble, or pledging the pirate oath. 

For my girls this transformation allowed my glamorous fashionable 10 year old daughter to sparkle and shine with pixie dusted mermaid makeover and color changing jewelry (included in the makeover) and my tomboy 13 year old daughter to become a creepy pirate ghost (complete with skull makeup).  This venue truly has something for everyone and I saw whole families getting in on the transformation fun.  It is more budget friendly then Bibbidi Bobbidi with pricing starting at $39.95 and includes a swash buckling good time for the adventurer in all of us. 
The packages include the following components:
The First Mate Package
$39.95
•    Facial makeup and hair to become Ghosted Pirate, Zombie, Captain Hook, Blackbeard or Black Eyed Jack
•    Reversible bandana
•    Earring and eye patch
•    Sword and sheath
•    The Pirates League bag
•    Temporary tattoo
•    Unique pirate coin necklace
•    Official Pirate Name
•    Personalized pirate oath
The Captain Hook Deluxe Package
$99.95
•    Captain Hook Costume (youth sizes only)
•    Captain Hook facial makeup and hair
•    Sword and sheath
•    Bandana
•    Earring and eye patch
•    Pirate tattoo
•    Pirate bag
•    Unique coin necklace
•    Toy hook
The Empress Package
$39.95
•    Vibrant makeup, lip gloss, nail polish and face gem
•    Unique pirate coin necklace
•    Temporary tattoo
•    The Pirates League bag
•    Official Empress Name
•    Personalized pirate oath
The Mermaid Deluxe Package
$79.95
•    Mermaid costume (youth sizes only)
•    Luminous mermaid makeup and makeup palette
•    Mermaid hairstyle and color-changing hair clip
•    Distinctive mermaid necklace
•    Nail polish
•    Mermaid sash

For more information visit : contact your friendly Travel Time Agent today!!!

Let us make your vacation even easier!  We'll help you plan from the start and can advise you and handle your arrangements, including dining, fast passes, room requests, discount application, and celebrations.  We are the same price or less than if you book on your own, and you get us for FREE!  Have an expert on your side at zero cost to you and contact one of our agents today!

Coral Reef Restaurant at EPCOT 101

I had the pleasure of eating at The Coral Reef Restaurant on my recent trip to Orlando. This restaurant is located in the Land and Seas portion of Epcot.  Here is the ENTIRE breakdown of this awesome dining facility.  

Theme:

What I call “under the sea”. From the lighting to the color choices, you immediately feel like you are about to go into a scuba diving adventure from the minute you walk into the restaurant. The hostess desk has octopus lighting fixtures on it and a glass desk top that resembles sea glass. The dining room is the BEST part, and also the biggest part of the restaurant. You will get to dine right next to sting rays and sharks! There are also over 80 different types of fish in the tank, just in case sting rays and sharks aren’t enough!!! There are 3 small levels, for prime viewing experience no matter where you are sat.  There are scuba divers that come in the tanks and they wave to you as they swim by! It has a very elegant, yet casual feel to it.

  

Food:

The menu is very simple. There are plenty of seafood choices, as well as some land choices as well. To start, the calamari was AMAZING! The best calamari I have had in a long time. It was so flavorful and well cooked.  We also enjoyed the crab-spinach fondue which was also awesome! For dinner, we had the pleasure of eating the NY Strip Steak and the Shrimp and Grits. Both entrees were very tasty, and well prepared. All of the food came out in a timely fashion; we didn’t have to wait for a long time between our appetizers and entrees. For desert, we enjoyed the Chocolate Wave. It was a chocolate cake, with a warm fudge center that pours out when you cut it in half! I have nothing bad to say about the food we ate that day. And from what the other customers in the dining room shared, they had the same opinion.

Price:

For the food we ate, and the experience we had the prices are very reasonable. They also accept the dining plan! It is 1 dining plan credit. They also give an Annual Pass discount, as well as Tables in wonderland discount.

Hours and Reservations:

They open at 12:00pm EST for lunch and run that menu until 3:00pm EST. Dinner begins at 4:00pm.  Reservations were relatively easy to obtain. I changed my time twice, one being a week before our arrival to Epcot.

Overall:

I think that this is a great place to dine. It has more of an adult ambiance if you want a place to eat without the kids, but also is a great place to bring the kids! There really isn’t any “Disney” to this dining experience, which could be a nice break from the park craziness! There are a lot of food choices in Epcot, but I think that this is the best choice! Its off the grid, and quiet in the park. Overall, I can’t say anything bad about this place. It was a great experience and I am looking forward to eating here again!!

                                   

 

Let us make your vacation even easier!  We'll help you plan from the start and can advise you and handle your arrangements, including dining, fast passes, room requests, discount application, and celebrations.  We are the same price or less than if you book on your own, and you get us for FREE!  Have an expert on your side at zero cost to you and contact one of our agents today!

Disneyland Tours

After numerous trips to Disneyland and thinking I have seen almost everything there is to see within the parks, I decided to do something different this past trip. I took the time to enjoy two tours offered at the Disneyland Parks. I was lucky enough to get to experience the California Story Tour prior to the ending of this amazing tour as well as experiencing the Walk In Walt's 

 Both tours offered a unique opportunity to see many aspects of the parks through a different lens then the average park visitor would see the parks through. I am sad to see that they took away the California Story Tour as this was an excellent way to learn about all of the small details and thought that went into creating a park that focussed on shaping a story of Walt's life and journey leading up to his success and the opening of Disneyland. This tour gave me a new appreciation for a park that I had previously not been overly impressed with. Details such as the number choices for addresses of buildings along Buena Vista Street, the Walt Disney's Studios Silly Symphony sign found across from the Hyperion Theatre, and the secrets inside of the Carthay Circle Restaurant Building.

Though the California Story Tour is no longer offered the Walk In Walt’s Footsteps Tour is another amazing opportunity and available just steps away in Disneyland Park. This tour shows the original Disneyland park through the eyes of Walt Disney. This tour takes you through the park walking through the parts of the park that Walt Disney himself had the opportunity to see. This includes seeing Mainstream and Walt’s original apartment in the park, the location that was planned to be a larger second apartment for Walt, and some of the most classic attractions including Its a Small World and the Haunted Mansion while learning the story behind there creation

 

Let us make your vacation even easier!  We'll help you plan from the start and can advise you and handle your arrangements, including dining, fast passes, room requests, discount application, and celebrations.  We are the same price or less than if you book on your own, and you get us for FREE!  Have an expert on your side at zero cost to you and contact one of our agents today!