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Monorail vs. Ferryboat

Posted on July 20th, 2006 by wdwguy.
Categories: General posts.

Got to thinking today about which way I prefer to get to the Magic Kingdom from the Transportation and Ticket Center — the Monorail or the Ferryboat. For me, I would have to say the Monorail. It was the first way I got there as a kid, and it just somehow seems right to hustle up the ramp, bound through the turnstiles and onto the “highway in the sky.”

I’ve ridden the Ferryboat a few times, and it’s actually not a bad trip, especially at the end of the day, when you are tired and need some peace. But there is just something about the Monorail that makes it special. Maybe it’s going through the Contemporary Resort. Maybe its the cool air conditioning. Maybe it’s just the uniqueness of it. I don’t know.

What does everyone else think?

Biergarten

Posted on July 19th, 2006 by wdwguy.
Categories: Epcot, General posts.

Once a week or so I’m going to try to give some dining suggestions for the Walt Disney World Resort. I’m going to try to do a mix — not just the more expensive sit-down restaurants, but the counter-service, food stands and specialty shops that I’ve had a chance to try out as well.

My first recommendation is going to be Biergarten in Germany at Epcot. Now, I’ve been to Epcot many times, but it wasn’t until my trip in 2000 that I actually tried this restaurtant, and then it was at the insistance of another couple that was with my wife and myself on the trip. My one experience with a German restaurant in the past had not been great, so I was reluctant to “waste” a meal in Germany when there were so many other perfectly good dining options in World Showcase.

Boy, was I wrong. Biergarten is a reasonably (for Disney) priced buffet (about $25 for dinner), with surprisingly good food. Brats and weinkraut, German salads and such. Some American staples like chicken nuggets and mac and cheese for the kids. An oompah band for entertainment. I’ve been twice now and it’s been a hoot both times.

Vacation Planning Kit

Posted on July 19th, 2006 by wdwguy.
Categories: General posts.

Got my copy of this year’s Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Kit in the mail the other day, and this one is pretty cool. If you don’t know what this is, if you go to the Walt Disney World website, and click on the Vacation Planning kit (or just click on this link), you can sign up for a free copy of the kit. Included is a DVD, a CD-ROM for the computer, and several brochures.

I’ve been getting these things for a decade now, and each one gets better and better. The DVDs are especially good, because they have interactive menus and tons of information. This year’s has a unique and informative cast to host it, with one person dealing with the relaxation aspects of the resort, one with the family entertainment, one with thrills, and one who … well, she’s just really cute and perky. Definitely worth it if you aren’t familiar with the resort, or if you just need a fix and can’t afford to go right now (which is the situation I am in this year).

A new look

Posted on July 18th, 2006 by wdwguy.
Categories: General posts.

If you’ve dropped by the site in our first week or so of existance and have come back now, you’ll see that I’ve changed the look. I liked the colors of the original, but it was a bit busy, and it didn’t give me a lot of flexibility in terms of what I might want to do in the future. So I’ve switched themes, at least for the time being.

I thought this one was pretty good, because it will allow me (or you) to change the look of the site at any time. The little boxes under the title are links to different Walt Disney World wallpapers that i’ve uploaded, and you can change them anytime you want just by clicking on the box. Right now I just have three of them, but I plan on adding more as I can. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Vote in our poll

Posted on July 18th, 2006 by wdwguy.
Categories: General posts.

Look over to the right and you will see that I’ve added a poll to the blog. I don’t know how often I’ll change it out, we’ll see how that goes. But right now, the question is pretty simple: Which of the four Disney parks is your favorite? I’ve started the voting off with the Magic Kingdom. Which one is yours?

MouseWorld Radio and Sorcerer Radio

Posted on July 18th, 2006 by wdwguy.
Categories: General posts.

Just added two more links to the list at the left, and both are pretty cool. I’m really into Walt Disney World Sounds, namely, music and sound effects from the parks. I’ve got a pretty good collection and have managed to find a lot of stuff on the internet. I’ve got probably a couple hundred sounds and songs from the parks.

However, I stumbled across these two sites, MouseWorld Radio and Sorcerer Radio, which make me look like an amateur. Both are part of the Live365 network, and “broadcast” Walt Disney World sounds and songs 24 hours a day. It’s amazing. You do have to download a proprietary player to your browser, but if you’ve got high-speed internet, you can get Walt Disney World ambiance on your computer pretty much anytime you want it.

Enjoy.

Re-Imagineering Blog

Posted on July 17th, 2006 by wdwguy.
Categories: General posts.

Just added a new link to the list over on the left side, and if you follow Disney very much at all, then you’ve probably already seen it.

When Disney acquired Pixar earlier this year, John Lasseter, head of Pixar’s creative team and one of the founders of the company, became head of Walt Disney Imagineering. Now Lasseter is a huge Disney geek, and like the rest of us geeks, has been pretty ticked off about some of the things that Disney has done with the parks in the last 20 years. So in order to get a feel for what the Imagineers would have done, had they been given the money and/or permission, he invited them to start a blog to share their feeling. Here’s how the subtitle to the Re-Imagineering blog puts it:

A forum for Pixar and Disney professionals passionate about the Disney Theme Parks to catalog past Imagineering missteps and offer tenable practical solutions in hopes that a new wave of creative management at Imagineering can restore some of the wonder and magic that’s been missing from the parks for decades.

I don’t think it was ever meant for the general public, but something that juicy is going to get out. The insights that it has provided have been extremely interesting, and even though it’s updated infrequently (an average of around once a week), the posts are usually great.

However, the posters can tend to get a pit preachy in their feelings toward Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Take this post for example. The writer is bemoaning the fact that Disney has taken to putting a themed shop at the exit of virtually every ride in the parks. A “Buzz Lightyear” shop at the end of “Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin” is once instance. There are tons of others. Somehow, the writer seems to think that since Walt Disney had a “disdain for the hard sell” that he wouldn’t approve. Frankly, to me it doesn’t matter whether Walt would approve or not. Those stores are there for one reason — the stuff in them sells. Real estate in the parks are at a premium and always will be. If a particular area doesn’t generate revenue (or in the case of an attraction, visitors), it gets changed. Period.

But that’s my only real criticism of the site. Otherwise, it’s a must for the bookmarks of any serious Disney fan.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Posted on July 17th, 2006 by wdwguy.
Categories: General posts.

Is it just me, or does there seem to be a lack of WDW news out there right now? Looked around several Disney websites this morning, and about the only thing I can find is that one of the lakes at Epcot (near The Land) is being drained. Not much to say about that.

Great rate at Value Resorts

Posted on July 14th, 2006 by wdwguy.
Categories: General posts.

Got an email from Disney yesterday that they have a great promotion going on right now. If you book right now for nights between Aug. 25 and Sept. 30 (excluding Sept. 1-2), you can get into a Value Resort for $59 per night. Now I tried to go through the website and book this, but you get the standard rate going that route. To get the better rate, you have to call 407-939-7739 and give the operator the PIN number 06149 03514 93208.

To give you an idea of how great this rate can be, a family of three (which is what mine is right now) can get a six-night stay at Pop Century, Magic Your Way tickets (with no add-ons) and the Disney meal plan for somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,300. That’s a pretty fabulous price.

Now if I could just get the time off…

WDW Magic

Posted on July 14th, 2006 by wdwguy.
Categories: General posts.

Posted a link to WDW Magic the other day, which I think is one of the best all-around unofficial Disney sites out there. Lots of information on the parks, news, rumors, a great discussion board, Orlando weather … you name it, it’s there. If anything, there may be too much information; it can be a little overwhelming at times. But if you need to know something about the parks, chances are it will be on this site.

Jim Hill Media

Posted on July 13th, 2006 by wdwguy.
Categories: General posts.

One of the things that I am going to try to do is add more websites to the Links area, and when I do, I’m going to try to do a short post about why I’ve added it. The first link I put up was obvious — a link to the Disney website. The second was to Jim Hill Media, which I consider to be one of the best “insider” Disney websites out there.

Jim Hill has been writing about Disney for decades and has an extensive network of sources inside and outside the company. His best info seems to come from imagineers and animators, which means that his best stories tend to be either about coming or past attractions at the parks and coming or past animated features. His predictions are generally right on the money. If I have a complaint, it’s that as his site has gained popularity the last few years, he has pulled back and is writing less. The last few months, he’s averaged a couple, maybe three stories a week. He has several writers who have joined his site, and the content is updated every day. But Jim is the best and it would nice to read more from him.

Anway, if you really want to know what’s on inside the Walt Disney Company, Jim Hill Media is the place to go.

No one gets to see “Millionaire”

Posted on July 12th, 2006 by wdwguy.
Categories: Disney Studios, General posts.

I listen to a lot of Disney podcats and look at a lot of Disney sites, and I’ve seen a TON of wailing and moaning about the fact that “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Play It” is closing at Disney-MGM Studios. Personally, I’m not that upset about it.

I only saw the attraction once, several years ago. We were on a trip to WDW with another couple that we were good friends with, not too long after the attraction opened. The “set” was almost full and the competition was pretty fierce, since “Millionaire” was still pretty popular. As it happened, our friend Bill won the fastest finger and got to sit in the hot seat. At the time, the ultimate prize was a trip to New York to see a taping of the real “Millionaire.” I think he made it to maybe $4,000 or $8,000 before he lost, which put him back to $1,000. He won a hat and several “Millionaire” pins. All in all, pretty cool.

But not that cool. I mean, if you are really into Millionaire, then you are probably pretty upset about it closing. Actually, I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did. I’m certainly looking forward to what’s going to replace it, which is rumored to be a “Toy Story”-themed attraction called “Midway Mania”. Given the choice, I’ll take Buzz and Woody over “Regis” any day.

Is Mission:Space cursed?

Posted on July 12th, 2006 by wdwguy.
Categories: Epcot, General posts.

OK, maybe that’s a bit over the top, but you have to start asking yourself if something weird isn’t going on when you keep seeing stories like these:

Orlando Sentinel - A 35-year-old woman fell and lost consciousness after getting off Mission: Space at Epcot on Monday night, authorities said.

The woman, who was described only as a “local,” was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center about 8:30 p.m. by the hospital’s helicopter in “serious, improving condition” authorities said.

By 11:30 p.m., Disney World officials said the woman was being “treated and released.”

The woman had been getting off Epcot’s 3-year-old spaceflight-simulator ride and talking to bystanders when she “fell from a standing position,” hit her head and was briefly unconscious, said Deputy Chief Bo Jones of the Reedy Creek Fire Department. It’s unclear why she fell, Jones said.

Two people, a 49-year-old woman and a 4-year-old boy, have died in the last year or so on the ride. Every day there are complaints of dizziness and “protein spills.” It has gotten so bad that Disney has created a “non-thrill” line for the ride, in which you still sit in the capsule and see the movie, but don’t go through the centrafuge and feel the “in space” effects.

My feelings about this attraction are mixed. I rode it on the my last trip and loved it. But then, again, I’m a thrill guy. I’ll ride just about anything. But I can see where it would leave some people discombobulated and might even be dangerous. However, Disney does such a good job of warning people — at least seven times from entrance to the start of the ride — of the element of danger involved that I have a hard time feeling sorry for anyone who has a rough time. Now obviously any death is a tragedy, and if the ride had really caused a death, then I would say shut it down. But that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Bottom line: people need to understand that Mission:Space is a thrill ride and there is an element of danger involved. I would hate to see the life of this attraction cut short beause some bull-headed people can’t heed warnings.

What “Pirates” may mean for WDW’s future

Posted on July 11th, 2006 by wdwguy.
Categories: Magic Kingdom, General posts.

Before I start, let me say that everything you see in this post is mere speculation. I have no inside sources at Disney and I am not privy to any corporate information. That being said, with more than 10 years of following the Walt Disney Company pretty closely from afar, I feel like I have about as much insight into the company’s direction as a lay-person can.

And I believe that the success of “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” is going to have a profound impact on Walt Disney World in both the near and distant future. Here’s just a few of the things that I believe will (and won’t) happen, short term:

– There will be yet another update of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride within the next year. I don’t think this has been officially announced yet, but the rumors are flying.

– Look for a “Pirates”-themed restaurant at one of the resorts in the near future. The obvious choice would be the Caribbean Beach Resort. The only drawback is that it’s a DVC resort and not open to the general public.

– Typhoon Lagoon will get some sort of “Pirates” attraction.

– You’ll see rumblings that Discovery Island, aka Treasure Island, will reopen soon. But trust me, it won’t happen. Discovery Island is closed, permanently.

Long-term, the impact will be even more profound. In the past, Disney has always looked at theme parks as extensions of the movies. In other words, the timeline should progress something like:

1. Disney comes out with a movie.

2. Movie becomes a big hit.

3. Imagineers spend three years (or more) figuring out a way for the movie to have a permanent presence in the parks.

Take “Toy Story,” for example. That movie was out for at least five years before “Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin” Made its debut at the Magic Kingdom. Same for “Finding Nemo.” And how long was the Magic Kingdom without any kind of Winnie the Pooh attraction.

I believe that you are going to see Disney trying to create synergy between its various production companies and the Imagineers to try to decrease the amoung of time between a moive hitting the theaters and an attraction hitting the parks. Sure it’s a huge risk. For every “Pirates” you have a dozen “Treasure Planets” or a “Haunted Mansion.” But when you can hit a home run, like they have done with “Pirates”, they tend to go a long, long way. I think the temptation to swing for the fences will be too great to pass up.

Party all the time

Posted on July 11th, 2006 by wdwguy.
Categories: General posts.

Last month Disney announced its “Year of a Million Dreams Celebration,” which will start when the “Happiest Celebration on Earth” ends later this year. Instead, Disney should simply have called it “The Millionth Celebration,” because that’s what it seems like.

Look, I’m not against marketing and advertising campaigns. Disney has every right to pub the parks and attempt to get people to come. But another party/celebration? Come on, guys, we can come up with something a little better than that, can’t we?

Anyway, here’s a portion of Disney’s press release;

BURBANK, Calif. (June. 7, 2006) — From an overnight stay inside Cinderella Castle to a Golden FASTPASS, dreams big and small will come true at Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts during Disney’s “Year of a Million Dreams,” a first-of-its-kind celebration of the individual dreams of Disney Parks guests.
The year-long celebration, beginning Oct. 1, 2006, at Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, will feature the debut of an incredible lineup of new attractions and entertainment at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts, plus new technologies that allow guests to customize their Disney park experience.
And, for the first time, during the “Year of a Million Dreams” celebration, Disney cast members will award a million dreams — both large and small, including many “money-can’t-buy” experiences — to guests selected through a random process as part of a unique “Disney Dreams Giveaway” promotion.

I like the concept of having the chance to get your vacation “plussed.” And the ultimate prize for Walt Disney Worldis pretty awesome:

A day of royal treatment will end with a night of enchantment inside Cinderella Castle for a different lucky guest each night. Cinderella’s royal bedchamber, now under construction at Magic Kingdom, will allow Disney guests to stay overnight inside the park and enjoy a view shared only by Tinker Bell. The lavishly decorated bedroom will be located in a space originally planned as an in-park apartment for the use of the Disney family.

Awesomely cool. Whoever had that idea within the company ought to get a big, fat raise, because I can imagine at least a few people planning trips to WDW during this promotion just to have the chance to spend the night in Cinderella’s castle.