World of Dreams Pin of the Fortnight!

Hello and welcome to the first World of Dreams Pin of the Fortnight! This article, published every second Sunday, puts the spotlight on a different Disney Pin in my collection, providing descriptions and details of availability for each pin as well as the story of when I bought it.

Before I kick off this awesome new feature of the World of Dreams Blog, I would like to start by quickly telling the story of how I came to be the avid collector of Disney Pins I am today...
I first discovered Disney Pins back in 2005, when I was on my first ever Disney Trip, to the stunning Disneyland Paris. I vividly remember beginning to walk down Main Street from the Central Plaza with my family, on our way to leave the park for the day. Much like the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Disneyland Park in Paris has little kiosks at each end of Main Street selling awesome Disney merchandise. Just as we were entering Main Street, I spotted one adorned with the colourful pins, which are ubiquitous at Disney Parks around the world.

Intrigued, I asked my parents if we could go take a look, and they agreed. I remember being fascinated by the beauty and detail of every pin, and made up my mind immediately that I was going to buy one. But which one? There were so many! However, as I got out my wallet, I realised that I had spent all my money on buying a Mickey Mouse notebook and pen the previous evening at our resort. Just as I was about to walk away, my Dad kindly offered to buy me a pin of my choice, as something for me to remember the trip by- a truly magical moment. Excited, I carefully selected a beautiful pin depicting Mickey and Minnie Mouse walking together, which is one of my favourite pins to this day.

And the rest is history! On our first trip to Walt Disney World, in 2011, I specifically saved money to be able to buy more pins. I bought a pin for each park, amongst others, and also purchased my first lanyard. On our trip last year I bought several more pins and pin accessories- it would be fair to say that I have become somewhat obsessed with Disney Pins- but in a good way, of course!

However, no matter how much my collection grows, the first pin I bought will always have a special place in my heart, simply for being my first pin, the one that started my collection. Not only that, it also brings back the memories of the very first time I visited a Disney Park- something I will never forget as long as I live. And for these reasons, that pin is the one I am focusing on in this post. Whilst it's not from Walt Disney World, it's incredibly significant, and is the only pin I can imagine starting this series of articles with.

Like I mentioned, the pin features Mickey and Minnie Mouse walking along together. I can't remember exactly why I chose it, only that I loved it the moment I set my eyes on it, and still do today. It's a perfect example of how the 'Disney Difference' is even evident in the merchandise, with the detail it boasts being unrivalled by the offerings of any other company. I apologise, but I have no idea whatsoever if this pin is still available to purchase. My advice to anyone wishing to buy one for themselves is to check out eBay. If it helps, I bought it at the Pin Kiosk on the right at the end of Main Street nearest the Castle, when facing towards the Castle. I have no idea if this is still there either!

That's it for the first World of Dreams Pin of the Fortnight! I hope that you enjoyed reading about my pin collecting story, and the first pin in my collection. Don't miss the next Pin of the Fortnight, when I will be looking at a pin from Walt Disney World, and don't forget to check out my latest Attraction Review, where I looked at Downhill Double Dipper at Blizzard Beach!
I would love to hear your take on Disney Pins! If you have a pin collecting story like me, have a special pin, or anything else for that matter, please share in the comments below or on the Blog's Facebook Page- I love hearing from my readers!


Apologies for the lateness of this post- we've had a power cut, which was only just fixed!
I hope you have had a magical weekend, and I wish you a successful week! Thanks for reading!

'World of Dreams Pin of the Fortnight' Starting Next Sunday!

I am pleased to announce that the World of Dreams Pin of the Fortnight article, which I promised last month, with be debuting next Sunday! I have changed the name from the original 'Pin Focus', but will be writing the same thing as previously promised. I know that there are many blogs which focus on the amazing Disney Pins, and I in no way intend to copy them, merely share my love of the awesome Disney Pins, my favourite merchandise at Walt Disney World, with the readers of the World of Dreams Blog!

I hope you have had a magical weekend, and thank you for reading the World of Dreams Blog!

Attraction Review- Living With The Land

For this Friday's Attraction Review, we head over to The Land Pavilion in Epcot's Future World. The focus this week is the oldest of the Pavilion's Attractions, appropriately named 'Living With The Land', which is a 14 minute boat ride which educates guests about agriculture, with a specific focus on how groundbreaking technologies can be utilised to enhance it.

As well as using dark ride elements, this water attraction involves a tour of the Land Pavilion's Greenhouses, where much of the food served in Epcot's many restaurants is grown. Notable plants in the Greenhouses which I would recommend looking out for include the World's Hottest Pepper and Mickey Pumpkins, amongst others. Perhaps the most exciting part of the attraction is the segment when the boat passes through a short tunnel, home to Alligators and Fish, which the boat provides an excellent view of. Unfortunately, these animals are housed in pretty small enclosures, but they always seem to look happy!

Living With The Land (LWTL) has been somewhat overshadowed in recent years by the addition of Soarin' right next door to it in The Land Pavilion, which is now arguably Epcot's most popular attraction. This can have numerous different effects on the line for LWTL, depending on the time of day and how busy the park is, but the line is generally tolerable, especially for the return you get (on an average Epcot day usually a 15 minute wait for a 14 minute ride for LWTL, as opposed to a 90 minute wait for a 3 minute ride for Soarin').
LWTL also offers FastPass on a seasonal basis, but most of the time you're better off getting FastPass for one of Epcot's bigger attractions, such as Test Track or Soarin', which will more often than not have waits of more than 3 times that of LWTL's.
Due to its proximity to Soarin', which sucks up huge crowds of Epcot guests, as well as its less exciting, more educational theme, LWTL is probably the only attraction in Epcot which always guarantees reasonable waits.

Here's how I would rate LWTL in the following areas, and why:

Thrill~ 1/10
LWTL is no Thrill Ride by anybody's standards! There are no drops, and nothing which is particularly thrilling at all.

Scariness~ 3/10
Although the attraction features no elements which are designed to scare you, it does feature a scene in which a mild thunderstorm is simulated in fairly dark conditions, as well as a scene which features Alligators. Neither are designed to scare anybody, but they both have the potential to be scary.

Theming~ 7/10
LWTL is pretty much the only attraction at WDW without an obvious storyline, yet the theming and the execution of this attraction is exquisite. For me, it's easily one of the most immersive attractions in WDW, and one of the handful of attractions left in Epcot which really promote the philosophy of the park.

Educational~ 10/10
LWTL is a competitor for WDW's most educational attraction- and for good reason. I find it truly fascinating to learn about how Epcot's Resident Scientists are constantly endeavouring to find better, more efficient ways to grow sufficient food for the growing population of our Planet. And it's not just that, LWTL also offers opportunities to learn about the plants themselves- I guarantee that the first time you experience LWTL, you'll say "I didn't know that grew like that" at least once! I also find it extremely interesting to learn how growing plants in different ways can improve the quality and yield of the crops they produce. If you really want to get the full experience, you should consider the 'Behind the Seeds Tour', which takes you even deeper into the inner workings of the Greenhouses, giving you experiences the ride itself simply cannot offer. The tour is at an additional cost, and is a great way to supplement your experience on the attraction. I would recommend doing both the ride and the tour if you want to get the full experience! Full details can be found on the WDW Website.

Fun~ 7/10
Also this attraction doesn't necessarily fit into most people's definition of 'fun', it has plenty of cool Disney touches to keep everyone entertained. There are some classic Hidden Mickey's cleverly integrated into this ride, which are great fun to spot, and it can also be enjoyable to spot the amazing plants which inhabit the Greenhouses.

Repeatability~ 8/10
There is so much going on in LWTL that you could ride it all day and learn something new every time! In addition to this, the Greenhouse/Fishery segment of the attraction is sometimes updated, as new agricultural technologies and methods are created. New plants are also added every once in a while.

And finally, My Overall Rating of Living With The Land~ 8/10
Whilst I accept that what has been called 'a glorified biology lesson on water' isn't every Theme Park Guest's cup of tea, I think that Living With The Land is a very strong attraction, and, as I previously mentioned, admire it for being one of the few remaining Epcot attractions which truly represent the ideals on which the park was created. Although it may not generally represent innovation in attractions, I think that LWTL is a very charming Disney Ride, especially the dark ride section, and can see it staying an integral part of the Epcot attraction lineup for years to come.

Now it's your turn! I would love to hear your opinions on Living With The Land! Do you agree or disagree with my observations? Please feel free to share your opinions on the Blog's Facebook Page, Twitter, Email, or, best of all, the comments section.

Thanks for reading, and have a magical weekend!