Just goes to show what can happen when you get bombarded by life. If you have been checking to see where I have been these last few months, I apologize for being AWOL. New jobs for both my wife and myself, along with surgeries for both of us, have made it difficult to find the time to provide updates.

But now I am back and ready to start posting again. In the time since I’ve been gone, there have been a lot of developments at Walt Disney World, most of which I have gotten to see up close, since we took at trip there in May. That’s right! I and my family were at WDW just a few months ago. I’ll try to post some pictures and musings over the next few days, as time allows, and try to get into a more regular pattern of posting as well.

If you’ve stuck with me, thanks. If this is your first time here, welcome. Hopefully you will like it enough to come back.

Mouse Radio is an internet radio station on the Live365 network. I’ve talked about a couple of the stations before, and this is in the top tier. They play a great mix of stuff from the Walt Disney World parks, and it’s clear-as-a-bell audio. Listen to it on good equipment, and it’s almost like you are there. There are links to the Live365 website where you can get the station, and it’s available in both free and VIP format.

There’s also a forum that is mostly dedicated to Walt Disney World photos, but where you can also make comments on the stations’ format and content. All-in-all a good site if you are interested in park music or photos.

I’ve been a couple of times in early May and it’s a fabulous time. It’s warm but not hot, and the crowds are only moderate. The parks are open to a reasonable hour and all the parades and fireworks shows are shown virtually every night. My last trip was in the second week of May and it was a perfect time to take our then-3-year-old. He really enjoyed it and we didn’t have any problems at all from a logistical standpoint.

While I personally have never been in early December, from what I understand, it’s also a pretty good time. The parks are decorated for Christmas and crowds are among their lowest of the year. Parks are not open very late and scheduling for fireworks and parades are sporadic, but that’s a tradeoff that’s worth it to be able to walk onto almost every ride.

So that’s my picks. Anyone agree or disagree?

In my opinion, this is the best counter service restaurant in the Magic Kingdom, and maybe the best in the entire resort. I have eaten here many times, at least once per trip for the last decade. As the name suggests, the fare is not fancy — burgers and hot dogs are the staples. You can also get a pretty good chicken sandwich, and salads and fruit are available for those who don’t want\can’t eat fast food. But what Pecos Bill’s lacks in the “fanciness” of its food, it more than makes up for in quality. The burgers are excellent, especially for theme park fare, and the hot dogs are just as tasty. Portions are big, bordering on huge and prices are just overpriced and not ridiculous.

But the best part of the restaurant is the fixin’ bar, where you can dress your sandwich any way that you like. Standard condiments — catsup, mustard, mayonaise — are available, as well as tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and onions, both raw and sauteed. You can also get cheese sauce and sauteed mushrooms as well. The arrangement is good for both Disney and patrons — Disney restaurant staff can be more efficient in preparing sandwiches if it doesn’t have to specialize create each one to order, and people who can create the sandwich they want are much more likely to be satisfied with their meal.

The eating area is pretty big, with tables both inside and outside, but does tend to get crowded at lunch and dinner, even on sparse days, as this is one of the most popular eateries in the park. And the fixin bar can be a traffic nightmare any time of the day.

Still, the plusses outweigh the minuses at Pecos Bill’s. It’s definitely worth a stop if you want good fast food in the park.

Why? Several reasons. First, this was one of Robin Williams’ most hysterical “family” roles. Granted, the guy is funny in almost anything that he does, but a lot of his work is not for general consumption. As the Timekeeper, he was both funny and clean and at his manic best. Second, it was also one of the few places where you could still get a dose of Robin Williams at Disney World. There’s not an Aladdin show anymore. The Animation Courtyard movie that he did with Walter Cronkite has been replaced. The Timekeeper was it, and the loss of Williams at Disney World is a loss for everyone as far as I’m concerned.

But finally, this was one of the few Circlevision movies that I could get my wife to go see. For some reason, they play havoc with her equilibrium, give her a headache and make her extremely queezy. Inexplicably, these problems didn’t seem to affect her on “Timekeeper.” Guess if I want to see the China or Canada movie now, I’ll be seeing them by myself.

Here’s one example. Let’s say you wanted a five-day ticket with Park Hopping priviledges. Before the increase, it would have been $239 for an adult (including taxes) and $202 for kids. Now it’s $251 for adults and $214 for kids. Basically a $12 increase, or just over $2 a day.

I certainly don’t begrudge a company getting what it can get for it’s product, and Disney certainly doesn’t believe that this increase is going to make any kind of dent in theme park attendance, or they wouldn’t have done it. But I just don’t think it’s good PR to raise prices more than once a year, unless you’ve got a pretty compelling reason. And a chance to grab more of people’s money is NOT a compelling reason.

If you are interested in looking at a chart with all the new prices, go to this page on the WDW Magic website.

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?

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.

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).