Party From Saturn

Mulan Night

2011-08-21T18:05:00.001-07:00

Last week we had a very fun time watching Mulan and eating Chinese.

We made a menu with suggestions from the Family Theme night thread on the Disboards, and also used a few ideas from the Chinese New Year page on Family Fun.

Decorated with lanterns, fish, take-out containers, and print-outs of Mulan characters.

Fortune cookies were dessert, but we also made the Chinese Food cupcakes that I've been wanting to try.

Although I didn't get a picture of them, we had three Chinese soft drinks, orange, lychee, and peach. The drinks were awesome and tasted really good too. They were in a can that I've never seen...it felt like a water bottle. It still had a normal can top that flipped open normally.

Learning a few new things about Chinese culture was fun. The movie was great too!

Lilo & Stitch night

2011-04-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

The menu:

Dancing?

Enjoying some Hawaiian fare.

Coloring some pics of Lilo & Stitch w/ Daddy.

2011-03-07T08:19:00.000-08:00

2011-02-27T19:13:00.000-08:00

Craft table.

Windmill craft from Family Fun magazine.

2011-02-27T19:10:00.000-08:00

Ladybug cupcakes for Tinkerbell Movie Night.

Volunteer and Get a Free Park Ticket

2009-10-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Disney is offering a deal where you volunteer one day and you can get a free park ticket in exchange. Too bad we won't be able to take advantage of this for our next trip.

The offer starts on Jan 1, 2010. You have to sign up through Disney. If you already are an annual pass holder they offer you a couple other options, like a special fast pass card for you and 5 guests.

Toontown Renovations

2009-09-30T18:34:00.001-07:00

Just read a post that Toontown may close for Renovations as early as January 2010?

I hope not, the first time Baby Valentine is in WDW.

2009-09-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

It's time to plan another Disney trip! I'm getting so excited for our trip in January. While surfing the Disboards the other day, www.disboards.com, I finally really researched Stroller Swaps. Looks like it will work for us!

This is like the stroller we will use while we're down there! http://www.babytrend.com/sit_n_stand_lx/

When we are done, we will just clean it up and hand it off to the next member of the swap! I love this idea!

Golden Tickets

2008-09-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

The Golden Ticket awards were announced today.

I don't understand how Illuminations beats out Fantasmic for best outdoor production?

And was the Electric Water Pageant even in the running?

Halloween costumes

2008-08-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

Baby Val won't even wear CLOTHES. I can't imagine trying to get her to wear this on her head.

Maybe Tinkerbell? It's only $30! And it doesn't have head gear of any sort. I couldn't even make it for less than that.

I'd rather make a homemade costume, but I'm sure it would take a long time and Baby Valentine is not really in the mood for numerous fittings these days. I do insist that she wear a diaper at all times, but she's really not into clothing at this point.

Online complaints?

2008-05-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

When Major Anderson arrived home for work yesterday, I was quick to inform him that the blog had gotten a comment from the HW's blogger. It even came through on my cell phone! (That was pretty much the highlight of the day, since I had stayed home with Baby Valentine while daycare was closed. She doesn't do much except repeatedly drop her ball, to watch me pick it up. Which I also told Maj. Anderson about...)

He said, "That reminds me! I forgot to tell you about a news story I heard." So he told me about the couple getting banned by Royal Caribbean cruise line for their message board comments. How strange! I'm not into cruising, and am not familar with these cruise boards, but if they're anything like the Dis Boards I go to, it sounds like the Morans would be decent posters! They might be griping, but they had all kinds of details about their trips. That's the stuff I like to read when I'm getting hyped up to go somewhere. Besides, it sounds like they got flamed when people thought that they were scamming the cruise line.

I really think it sounds kinda fishy for the cruiseline to ban them...as if they can't take the criticism. Couldn't they have just relied on loyal, satisfied customers to defend them on the boards?

Now I'll prolly get banned. Guess I'll take my first cruise on Norwegian with the Morans. I just hope I don't get banned from WDW or Holiday World!

Let's get this party started...

2008-05-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

Holiday World has come across the most exciting way to get some hype going! They are on Twitter. I signed up on Friday. All weekend long, I was getting texts about the water temperature in Splashin Safari (75 degrees) and the short lines for the rides! Check out Twitter, especially if you have unlimited texting.

We've been listening to Disney records today while working around the house. Maybe I should switch over to Christmas music in honor of the HW trip.

Holiday World

2008-05-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

No Disney trip this year!

So to get an amusement park fix...we are all heading to Holiday World! I am looking for a good way to describe it to everyone! Locke is concerned that it will stink like swamp water since the only park even close in size that we have been to is Indiana Beach. Bean thinks he's too cool for school, so he hates everything anyway. And Colonel Graff keeps pretending like she can't remember when we are going.

But I LOVE IT! So it's time for everyone to get DISNEY'D UP about HW. It's clean, fun, cheapish, and Mrs. Koch rented me a locker one time. That is AWESOME! She's on the COMMERCIALS for cryin' out loud.

So start the HW chatter...NOW!

Disney Facts

2008-04-13T15:17:00.000-07:00

The names of 2 of the approach procedures that all aircraft follow into their arrival at Orlando International Airport are named GOOFY TWO and MINEE TWO.

The price per mile of monorail track exceeds 5 million dollars.

Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain only move at 26 mph.

The same person does the monorail announcements at Disney World and Orlando International Airport.

The monorail system at WDW reaches maximum speed at 45mph, however, the monorail its-self can reach speeds upward of 100 mph.

In the event of a fire in mid-track on a monorail, the driver is supposed to get out of his cab, through the side door, climb onto the roof of the train, and go to each car to help people out. He then takes a rope, which goes over the nose of the monorail, and people climb down, then walk along the track to safety. It takes approximately 35-40 minutes to empty a full (365-body) train.

The monorail pilot will hold up a fist to tell the platforms that the front cab guests will not be getting off. This can only happen on the resort beam, because on Express and EPCOT the guests must get out.

Walt Disney World's Monorail line is 13 miles long and has 12 monorails each carrying 300 people per train.

One day while strolling through the park, Walt Disney saw a Frontierland cowboy walking through Tomorrowland. He then decided that for Disney World that some needs would have to be hidden. Trash, costume characters, etc. had to be out of sight. To do this, each area, section, or ride was first planned out in story boards. Then, the Imagineers constructed models, and viewed them in every angle. To hide the utilities, underground tunnels put in for Walt Disney World. Disney built a nine acre network of tunnels so Cast Members would be able to move around out of the public view.

If you have a Gold Walt Disney World football shaped parking sticker on your car you can enter into any backstage parking area with whomever you want in your car.

Cast Members have the opportunity to purchase all the lost and found goods not collected after a waiting period.

Every Thursday night is Cast Member Night at Pleasure Island. Cast Members are allowed free admission into Pleasure Island.

Go to the Magic Kingdom and ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (formerly the WEDWAY Peoplemover). You'll pass a model of a futuristic city. This is an original concept model for a then-future EPCOT Center.

If you're enjoying fresh vegetables at the Garden Grill, Sunshine Season Food Fair, or Coral Reef restaurants, chances are they were grown right in EPCOT. Last year, more than 30 tons of fruits and veggies were harvested from The Land pavilion's greenhouses.

EPCOT can stand for Employee Polyester Costume Of Torture, Every Person Comes Out Tired, Every Parent Caries Out a Toddler, and Every Pocketbook Comes Out Trashed.

For all those who have not been to Disney at least 50 times, (like me), EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow.

Dining With an Imagineer

2007-11-20T07:59:00.000-08:00

In Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you can dine with an Imagineer at the Brown Derby Restaurant.
When you first arrive at the restaurant, you are given name tags that resemble Disney employee’s name tags. You are then given a short tour of the restaurant. The manager explains everything about the restaurant that you could possibly imagine.
After the tour, you eat in the Bamboo Room. It is designed to resemble the cocktail room at the real Brown Derby Restaurant.
The first course is a soup. It varies on what kind. You choose your main course from menus with your name on them. The meal is very elaborate. The desert is usually grapefruit cake.
After the meal, the Imagineer signs souvenir plates for you to take home.
There are many interesting stories that the Imagineer tells during the meal.
I definitely suggest taking this great opportunity.

Christmas Party vs. Halloween Party

2007-08-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

Magic Kingdom hosts the Halloween Party and the Christmas Party. They are both good parties, but in their own way.

The Halloween Party is my favorite because it has free candy. Around the park, there are candy stations that are a waste of time. You have to wait in line to get a handful of candy. If you leave towards the end of the party, there are huge carts full of candy from witch you fill your candy bag.

At the Christmas Party, you can go to Tomorrowland’s Terrace Noodle Station to get free cookies and hot chocolate. They definitely taste good, but you can’t dress up like at the Halloween Party.

At both parties, you can watch a parade and fire works, as well as ride the rides. Both parties are lots of fun.

Churros

2007-07-08T15:04:00.000-07:00

I just discovered today that Taco Johns sells churros. I ordered one for 99 cents. It was the most delicious one I've ever had. It was better than the ones I get at the Mexican restaurant in Epcot. It was hot and covered in thick cinnamon and sugar. The topping was so thick that it turned to syrup in my mouth. Look for one in your neighborhood at www.tacojohns.com.

Restaraunts

2007-04-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

There are many good restaurants to eat at in Walt Disney World. Some have great food and others have meals that have great value.
At the Magic Kingdom is the Crystal Palace. The Crystal Palace is a character buffet. Tiger, Piglet, and Pooh come around while you eat. The food is good, and there is something for everyone. It also has many delicious deserts.

In MGM, some restaurants include the Prime Time Café, Sci-Fi Diner, and Hollywood and Vine. At the Prime Time Café, you can enjoy the Fabulous Fifties while dining on favorites such as meatloaf, milkshakes, and fried chicken. There, you encouraged to clean you plate before desert. At the Sci-Fi Diner, you go into a dark room full of tables made to look like cars. There is a large screen at the front of room. The restaurant’s interior is made to look like a drive in theater. Hollywood and Vine is a buffet. It is a great value. It, like the Crystal Palace, also has great deserts.

At the Animal Kingdom lies the Flame Tree Barbeque. The Flame Tree Barbecue is not a regular restaurant. You walk up, order, receive your food, and walk to a seating area. Birds are always sitting around the seating area for the Flame Tree Barbeque.
Boma, in the Animal Kingdom Lodge is a very nice buffet. Boma has many traditional American foods and odd foods from other countries (mainly Africa).

Downtown Disney (no ticket needed) has many fine restaurants. Some of those include the Wolfgang Puck café, the House of Blues, and Bongos.

Walt Disney World Resort has many good restaurants to eat at.

Onsite vs. Offsite

2007-01-31T13:06:00.000-08:00

Many people think that there is not much of a difference between staying onsite (Disney hotel) and staying offsite (non-Disney hotel). There is a difference. Onsite is way better. The value resorts are better than staying off site because not only because of the Disney Atmosphere, but because of customer courtesy and buses.

The Disney Atmosphere is extremely exiting especially upon check-in. The rooms at Disney resorts have Mickey Mouse and other different characters everywhere. The pools are shaped in fun ways. A pool at Pop Century Resort is shaped like a bowling pin and has racks of bowling balls. There are giant yo-yos, pop cups, and magician’s hats in which stair cases run through at the end of buildings. Note: there are elevators. The offsite hotels are sometimes nice, but they are not all as clean. We once stayed at a hotel that was offsite and found a brownie on the floor and trash on the balcony.

The customer courtesy is much better at Disney because the employees are more energetic, polite, and helpful. The offsite hotels' employees aren’t as courteous.

The buses at Disney come every 20 minutes to every Disney location. They are almost ALWAYS on schedule. If not, another bus will come. The buses from the Disney resorts do NOT run to other Disney resorts. At some hotels, a Mears shuttle is supposed to come every 30 minutes, but is almost always off-schedule. It also has to go to all of the other hotels on its long route. It is not at all reliable.

Staying onsite is way better than offsite in my opinion. That is what we always do.

Everest Shortcut

2007-01-28T14:38:00.000-08:00

Everest, the newest ride at Animal Kingdom, still usually has a long line. There is an easy way to get there to get a Fastpass or get on the ride before everyone else. You need to get to Animal Kingdom a few minutes before it opens, have your Key to the World (key card/entrance card) ready, and head towards Dinoland, USA rather than the center of the park (check the park map).Then, head towards Everest. It’s a little bit faster.

Opening of Flame Tree Barbeque

2007-01-27T10:47:00.000-08:00

Right after the mad dash to Everest in Animal Kingdom, we all were hungry. Locke, Colonel Graff, and I went to Flame Tree Barbeque, and the rest of the family went to Pizzafari. When we got there, it wasn’t open yet. We stood around watching a band until they opened. We went up there and Colonel Graff got to lead that morning's opening ceremony of the restaurant! A cast member addressed each section of the restaurant, and Colonel Graff asked if they were ready. She also got a special certificate. We then headed of across the park to meet the rest of the family at Pizzafari. At Pizzafari the rest of the family got to open the restaurant. They got a cookie.

Our Information Line Is Up and Running

2006-09-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

So, you're in the middle of TomorrowLand debating whether or not you should ride space mountain again, but you don't want to miss a parade. If only you had picked up the time table at the entrance or looked at the tip board. Well now there's a way to know when that next parade is; you pull out your cell phone and call the Party From Saturn information hotline at: (360) 812-2920. That's right: a free (long distance charges will apply) information hotline for your favorite theme park. Feel free to give us a ring anytime!

How we always end up in Value Resorts

2006-08-17T07:52:00.000-07:00

It's that time again...the family has started gearing up for the October trip. We've started purchasing airplane tickets, and Colonel Graff has started sketching out the plan for hotel rooms. Ever since the second year, we've had a recurring debate over upgrading out of the value resorts, but we always settle it in favor of staying on the cheap.

It goes like this...I try to convince Colonel Graff that we should upgrade. It's not hard, because she has visited some of the other resorts so she knows how nice they are. Her personal favorite is actually the Contemporary, because that is her favorite style of design and she loves the modern furniture and art. Keep in mind that we've only been in the lobby. But we sat in the furniture. Good times...

The nice thing about her liking the Contemporary is that then Locke trifles with the idea. He considers it, because he likes the close proximity to the Magic Kingdom and the fact that a form of transportation runs right through the middle of it. So as soon as I get them both thinking, I try to switch it up. Nothing against the Contemporary, but I've got my eyes on something else.

I usually throw out a few that can be easily discarded...Caribbean Beach just seems like a beach resort, or Key West just seems like a Key West Resort. At least when you're trying to find excuses not to upgrade, you can tell yourself that. So then I try this, "What about Animal Kingdom. It's sooooo nice." We've eaten there and toured their gift shop. We've scammed peeks at their animals and snatched a minute in the rocking chairs out back by the fire. We've found their hidden Mickeys, even the really hard one in the ivy. I firmly believe that it's high time we stay there.

So Colonel Graff and Locke consider it each year. Even though the first time I mentioned it, the discussion did not go my way at all. Locke was interested enough that we ran to the computer and priced it online. We needed two or three rooms and were staying a pretty long time. The price quote was several thousand dollars. Locke screamed, "We could go on a REAL SAFARI to Africa for this price!!" Which was technically true, but I stumped him by saying, "Yes, but do you WANT to do that?" Either way, the upgrade was definitely out of our price range.

After that little attempt, we booked our value resort and upon check in, one of them threw a book on the pillow for me as a little surprise. It was titled "African Safari on a Budget." One of them had picked it up on a discount rack, of course.

So we just had the debate again. It was just Colonel Graff and me on the phone, and she mentioned discount codes. I said, "Oh, that would be so great to upgrade." And she said, "Oh, it would! But you know I'll never do it, right?"

Vacation Other Than Disney World? Why?

2006-05-06T03:10:00.000-07:00

Party From Saturn
I've been trying for about six months to plan a "regular" vacation for our family. We all thought that we should vacation someplace other than WDW to see how we like it. (Not that we are giving up our annual trip to WDW.....we will still be going.) This vacation is in addition to going to the House of Mouse. It's hard. It's very hard. When I am online and looking at pictures of hotels and their amenities I think to myself "There's no theme, no cute characters". When I read about a hotel's restaurant, my thought is "It might have some mighty good food cooked by a well-known chef, but does it have Cinderella"? When I check out pictures of the tropical decorations in the rooms, I think "Nice, but it's not mouse ears".

The hardest part of all is that when I am planning the details of our Disney trip, I always email the other family members with the details as they are worked out. This always seems to generate a flurry of emails back and forth about the excitement and anticipation of the trip. Some of the emails get positively giddy and we work ourselves into what we like to call A Disney Frenzy. That doesn't seem to be happening with our non-disney trip. When I email questions or comments to the family, their answering email is usually along the lines of "Whatever you think is best is ok with us" or "Yeah, that sounds fine". I'm thinking that next year if I'm still the planner, I might just plan a trip to WDW and not tell anyone. I'll just let them think that we are going on a quiet beach vacation and surprise them at the last minute. I bet I'd see some Disney frenzy then.

Mouse World Radio

2006-04-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

On my quest to find a good WDW specific podcast I came
across, www.mouseworldradio.com, and have to say that
it's a little closer to what I was looking. First, the
annoying parts. The site trys to get you to download
their software; the site looks like it was made in
1995 and never updated; and it's still not just
ambient park noise which I think is really what I'm
looking for. On the good side it does give me some
feelings of actually being there because most of what
I listened to sounded like it was recorded off of the
"help" channel they show in the Disney resorts. So,
listening to it made me feel a little like I was on
vacation. While we're at WDW we tend to keep the TV
tuned to this "help" channel so that we can get the
park hours, and any other general WDW info we might
need. This podcast didn't make me feel like I was in
the park, but it did remind me of a Disney resort. I
think it's the best of the lot that I've reviewd thus far.

Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto

2006-04-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

The best store ever is the Japanese store at Epcot.

I'm sure it's obvious that all the stores in Epcot are overpriced. Not only could you buy the stuff cheaper in the country it's imported from, but you can usually even buy it cheaper elsewhere in the United States. But when all the stuff you love is right there together, neatly organized by kind Japanese cast members, you can't help but get lost in here. When I fell back in love with Monchichis here several years ago, Locke researched them on the Internet and ended up saving a couple of bucks and buying me one online for a gift.

We have purchased a great deal of stuff in this store, and have spent hours window shopping in this store alone. I have spent several years agonizing over the origami fish on a butcher block. I think it's around $8. Seems expensive for fish that you have to cut out and assemble, to just look at. Every year, I do buy some of the dinnerware and have it boxed up to lug back home. Locke buys whatever toy robots he can find. Most everyone else in our group buys purses, clothes, slippers, chopsticks and lucky cats here too.

This is also where we happened to be when we were singing "Mr. Roboto" (I'm sure they get that a lot) and Colonal Graff piped up with, "That's that one electronic song that they released in the 80s!" She somehow missed the whole rest of the electronic music movement, I guess.

I really can't wait to get back to this store again. I like most of them, but this is a must see for anyone who is in Epcot. And even if you don't like the stuff in the store, at least it's air conditioned.

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride Car FORSALE!

2006-04-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

This guy always has some cool disney stuff for sale. If you've read this blog then you know my obsession with Mr. Toad's Wild ride and the Car. Well this guy has one for sale right now on ebay. If I had the money, I'd buy it.

Starring Roles

2006-04-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

The little corner bakery behind the Tip Board at MGM is not exactly a hidden jewel. Most people probably behave normally at MGM and take a chance to look around once in a while. However, in my family, we normally head straight to either the Tower of Terror or Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, fastpass one, ride the other, fastpass one, ride the other, fastpass one, take a bathroom break, peel Colonal Graff off the window of the ice cream shop, and continue the rotation until someone convinces us to head to Star Tours.

So imagine my surprise recently when Locke and I took a minute to look around MGM. I thought this place was really cute. Strange crowd management, but that happens sometimes. Locke got something banana that looked delicious and I chose a little Key Lime Pie. We sat on a bench outside the Villians store to eat our snacks and drink some coffee.

I would have been happy had the story ended there. It was a rich dessert, so I offered a bite. As I held it up to offer it to him, a breeze kicked up and a nasty ball of zebra hair from Animal Kingdom flew right into my pie. Who ever thought that clumps of loose hair fly randomly through the air, especially at Disney? But of course, that wasn't the fault of Starring Roles. I would definitely go back next time I can break the thrill ride cycle.

Planes, Trains, and...Buses?

2006-04-05T17:55:00.000-07:00

Using the on property transportation and getting around from park to park at WDW can be a bit daunting for someone new to disney. If you're going to hop from park to park during the day then sooner or later you'll have to figure it out. First, you have to determine how you want to use transportation. Are you looking to minimize your time traveling between the parks in order to maximize your time at the park? The alternative is to use the transportation as your downtime, to relax and recuperate. Since we tend to minimize time in an effort to keep up a frenetic pace, the bias here will be towards the former. If you're looking to relax on the transportation just do the opposite.

We'll start with the basic fact that you should envison the parks as being in a line starting at Animal Kingdom, next to it is MGM, then Epcot, and ending at the Magic Kingdom. This will help in choosing which parks are close enough to each other to make hopping worthwhile.

The monorail is the most visible form of transportation in WDW, and it's probably the most entertaining. If you're the first one to the station ask a cast member if your party can ride up front. It's simple to use because it only runs from MK to Epcot. However, you do have to stop at the transportation center. If you're staying at a monorail hotel, it's even that more convenient.

Boats are a suckers bet. Boats are slow and the waves tend to rock the riders to sleep. There's a boat between MGM and Epcot, but I advise against it. It does however stop a few hotels (making the ride even longer), if you're staying at one of these hotels it might be worth it to take the boat.

Now, I've saved the most common and most useful for last. The buses. There are buses all over Disney swarming between parks. Figuring out when the next bus will be at your stop is hard, because Disney doesn't publish bus schedules. The trick is to remember that an empty bus stop means you just missed a bus, a full bus stop means a bus will be there shortly, and an over crowded bus stop means there will probably be two buses coming shortly.

Nothing is more sickening than seeing the last person file out of a queue onto the bus, and seeing it close its doors. A fact I learned living in Boston is that bus drivers have a lot heart. If they see you trying to make a bus they'll normally stop. So, the trick here is to make a show of yourself. I suggest running towards the bus, with one hand in the air, and yelling for the bus driver. The great thing about this is only one person in your party has to do this, the rest can just kind of jog behind and have the designated runner stand in the entry of the bus until the rest of the party catches up.

Getting from any park to Downtown Disney can be an issue. You have to take a bus to hotel then take another bus from the hotel to Downtown Disney. The trick here is that not all bus stops were created equal. We made the mistake once of taking a bus to a high end hotel on the theory that since they're paying more the bus service would be better. That was a mistake. We sat at a bus stop for at least 40 minutes if not longer. Take a bus to the busy hotels, like the All-Stars or Pop-Century, since they have so many more people, they also have more buses running. It shortens the amount of time it takes to get Downtown.

WDW podcasts?

2006-04-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

I've decided to start looking for a pod cast dedicated to Walt Disney World. In the hopes of providing info to our readers, I'm documenting this process here.

Alright, I started with The Meandering Mouse. The podcast starts out really really bad. He opens the show with a skit that sounds like it's being performed by an elderly Elmo. In the one I listened to, the character (geriatric Elmo) was gunned down, so this podcast is not for children. The meat of the show though follows. He records the sounds of the park while he's visiting. This has the potential to be wonderful; I thought, "Oh good, I'll close my eyes, sit back, and pretend I'm in the park. However, the illusion is spoiled by him talking over the recording. It's so annoying that it's not worth it, if I were in the park next to this guy I'd have to walk away. His comments like "...this sucks..." and "Hey, you're short," really make the recording unbearable. In fact, I couldn't make it all the way through the podcast. I only recommend this podcast if you're absoultely desperate for a disney fix. While this podcast is at least dedicated to parks, it's split between both DisneyLand and WDW.

I didn't know what to expect from the Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Pod podcast. I had hopes it would be podcast dedicated to WDW. I chose the most recent episode (#9) for my review sample. He starts with some listener comments and general chatter about podcasts, previous shows, and a disney find at a local book sale. He specifically says that it's not a park podcast, my interest fades a bit, but this episode would be a Magic Kingdom show. The show is purely talk about the Magic Kingdom and whether or not certain rides fit into the theme. He's got a pretty good voice, but the show is really rather boring. In general he's trying to cover all things Disney, so this podcast doesn't fit my needs. I can't really recommend this one either.

Well just listening to these two podcasts have bored me to the point where, I'm thinking of calling off the search. We'll see how it goes, I'll try to provide a review of a few more later this week.

Hollywood Scoops

2006-04-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

Our family loves The Tower of Terror and Aerosmith's RocknRoller Coaster!
One of the perks of loving these two rides is that there is a wonderful little ice cream shop (Hollywood Scoops) located conveniently between the two rides. The family can fast-pass the ride with the longest wait and then run to the other ride and stand in line. By the time we have enjoyed the ride, it's almost time for our fast-pass to be used. We like to stop at the ice cream shop between dashes between rides but we sometimes have a bit of a problem. Hollywood Scoops has the oddest operating hours in MGM. This little ice cream shop does not open until noon!! It doesn't matter that a person can order and munch on turkey legs or french fries at 10:00am; they aren't going to be licking an ice cream cone. The shop will never cave in and open early even if an entire family stands outside the window with their tongues hanging out. So if you happen to be in the mood for ice cream and it's after noon, be sure to stop in at Hollywood Scoops.

A train I don't hate

2006-04-02T11:50:00.000-07:00

The Tommorow Land Transit Authority (TTA) is one train that I don't hate. It departs from the Rockettower Plaza in Tommowland at Magic Kingdom. I recently found out that some people don't ride it when they are in Tommorowland. I can't imagine why.

My family spends a lot of time in Tommowland, bouncing between Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear. And we often climb up that weird slanted escalator behind the Lunching Pad to take a ride or two on the TTA. Although I've heard that there is sometimes a 5 minute wait during busy seasons, we have always been there when we can walk right into one of the little blue train cars. There is a good photo op of the castle soon after you depart, but you have to be ready for it. We have even asked a castmember if we could stay on the ride and take another turn for another chance at snapping that shot.

The TTA actually takes you inside the bigger rides in the area, giving you a chance for a whiff of air conditioning if you need it, and a cool breeze during the speedy parts. It's really a good way to take a load off, especially if you're getting into a black hole of despair from not eating, for those of us who don't like popcorn and turkey legs, which seem to be the only two food offerings in the retro-future.

This is a good time to find a hidden Mickey, if you're into that...there is one on the alien lady who is getting her hair done in one scene. The best thing I figured out lately about the TTA is that riding it at night gives you a whole new look at some of the things, particularly Space Mountain. Since your eyes don't have to take time to adjust at night, you get a really good view of the tracks of the coaster. If you like to punish your fellow TTA riders, snap a flash photo as you're going through some of the darkened tunnels. You'll end up with some delightful memories.

All Aboard

2006-03-29T17:47:00.000-08:00

Okay, so my family is pretty split on trains. One half loves trains, and the other half are train haters. On my last trip I may have converted from a hater to a train fan. This mainly came from the Main Street Train Station, to be honest I like the train station much more than I like the actual train. I'm a fan of all things coin operated and the Main St. Station has a ton of cool antique arcade items. They have mutoscopes (old flicker movies), penny games (we played soccer), and a nickelodian (that plays great music). I did not get to spend as much time there as I would have liked, so I can't give a full review of everything in the station yet. Next trip I plan on picking up a lot more info.

Well back to the actual trains: they're useful and restful. The stops in order are Main St., Frontierland, and Mickey's Toon Town fair. Round trip takes 20 minutes. I found a website with a load of Disney train information (sadly, nothing on the train station).

If you walk into the park and want to hop over to Frontierland quickly then the train is the way to go.

Saving on Souveniers

2006-03-28T06:05:00.000-08:00

A great way to keep the Disney magic at it's peak and save money at the same time is to always be on the lookout for Disney merchandise. Check out second-hand stores and Goodwill stores to find things like Disney tshirts, purses and bags, and knick/knacks. I once managed to outfit our entire family in Disney tshirts that were purchased for a fraction of the original price just because someone bought Disney stuff in the spur of the vacation moment and later donated it to be resold. One family member has a great Mickey jacket, another has a Mickey travel bag, and all of us have tshirts that were gently worn and broken in before we got them. I also have Mickey Mouse picture frames. Having souvenirs and memorabilia before the trip is a good way to get into the Disney frenzy. You already have Mickey clothing that can be worn while meat shopping for the trip or for just sitting around reading Disney message boards. If you board the airplane wearing a Mickey Mouse tshirt along with matching sweatpants, carrying a Mickey travel bag and wearing Mickey earrings, someone is going to notice and comment, giving you the perfect chance to gab about Walt Disney World!

The Cart from Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

2006-03-27T18:06:00.000-08:00

My obsession with Walt Disney World really began in the Fall of 2001, so I unfortunately never got the chance to see Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. I'm a big fan for dark rides, so I feel that I missed a lot. I read somewhere that after they tore down the ride the put one of the little cars from this ride on display "Town Square Exposition Hall " (p 57).

However, when my sister and I were looking for it we could not find it anywhere. We had a variety of problems. The first was that I couldn't remember exactly where it said we could find it. The second was that, having never been on the ride, we had no idea what the ride car would look like. We bounced from store to store up and down Main St, and asked a hand full of cast members. Each cast member gave us a look of bewilderment and claimed that they had no idea where a car from Mr. Toad's wild ride would be. I can only assume that they moved it out of Exposition Hall, but I plan to look again next time I'm there. In the mean time, you can still ride the original at Disneyland, read a detailed description of the WDW ride here, hit up Toad Hall in Paris, and even take a virtual wild ride.

Traveling With Meat

2006-03-27T08:53:00.000-08:00

How to Save Enough Money for an Extra Day at Disney

It's my feeling that every cent that can be saved can be spent on more Disney time. That's why I purchase and transport my own meat to the motel when my family visits Walt Disney World.
This is a fun and simple process with just a couple of creavats. The meat is best purchased the day before traveling so it's at it's freshest. Stay away from organ meats and fish and concentrate on buying turkey, ham, roast beef, and chicken. After getting your meat home, wrap it tightly in saran wrap and then place it in zip-lock baggies and be certain all excess air is forced out of the baggie. Then place it in the fridge until you are ready to walk out the door to go to the airport. If you have a Goodwill suitcase,use it for packing the meat. Remember to avoid the drug dogs at the airport as the scent of a meat-packed suitcase tends to excite them a bit. Upon arrival at the motel, take a fresh trash can liner, place it into one of the motel trashcans, and layer the meat with ice in the trashcan. Cover the trashcan with a motel towel to keep everything cool and you're good to go!! Of course I am assuming that you have packed plenty of bread and buns and chips in the meat suitcase.

Pre-tripping

2006-03-26T17:05:00.000-08:00

We all know that when you are stuck at work on that last day before leaving on a trip to Walt Disney World, you’re not going to get anything done. So why not just spend eight hours or so reading some great stories about the Happiest Place on Earth.

The Disboards are one of the best places to find these little missives. Beware: there is a lot of junk in here from those of us obsessed with all things Disney, and hundreds of people are writing reports of their experiences, so skip straight to the best. Do a search on “Vettechick99” and read her Grubbin’ and Boozin Reports. Not only is she very funny, but she’s one of the few authors who really knows how to organize her reports so that you can read them all with the least hassle.

Once you’re done with Vettechick99, you might find that you enjoy meeting Tommy, Calvin and Beth. Search for the “happyhaunt” on the Disboards. Prepare to be frustrated by the timer on the board’s search feature. In part 4 of her report, (which is still Day 1 of the trip…we’ve got some detailed writing here) Happyhaunt Mel writes about her family being trapped in Frontierland going back and forth between rides. I thought my family was the only one crazy enough to do that. We go from Tower of Terror to Rock 'n' Roller Coaster over and over until someone finally screams, “Stop this madness! We’ve got to get out of here sometime today!”

Finally, you’ve got to read Delswife’s reports. Might as well start with 2004 and work forward. She is simply hilarious. By the time you finish these, hopefully it might finally be time to head to the airport.

Electrical Water Pageant

2006-03-26T17:04:00.000-08:00

Our recent article on camping reminded me of just how much I loved the Electrical Water Pageant. A couple of quick google searchs on it didn't turn up a whole lot of info on the EWP, and in fact I didn't find a single picture (although I have admit the search was very quick). I buy one pin per visit to WDW and my last trip was the first time I saw the EWP. It impressed me so much that I made it that trip's pin We caught the EWP from two different places on that trip.

The first was from the dock right outside the Magic Kingdom. We were standing in line for our boat back to Fort Wilderness and got to watch the whole pageant while standing in line. It made the wait for the boat enjoyable, which is a great accomplishment since after a day of running ourselves ragged we really wanted to get back to the campsite for some rest.

The second time we got to witness this floaty glowing goodness was from the shore of the seven seas lagoon over at Ft. Wilderness on the last day of our trip. It was windy and cold out that night, but a small crowd gathered around to bask in the water reflected light of a glowing dinosaur. Speaking of the dinsaur...was the tune playing during the dinsaur's apperance turned into an 80s song...open the door, get on the floor, everyone do the dinosaur...

Mickey's Philharmagic

2006-03-26T17:03:00.000-08:00

This movie is one of the neatest 3D movies anywhere at WDW. Pay careful attention to the movie posters as you wind through the queue, the jokes here are one of my favorite details. The wait outside the theater is a little boring; it doesn't have a cool pre-show like MuppetVision 3D does.

As with all the 3D shows, the best seats are in the middle of the theater. Check the recent article on getting a prime seat. If you look at the French horn decoration on the right of the stage you'll see a hidden Mickey there. It's the only one I've been able to find inside the theater or during the show.

Oddly, the first five or six times that I went to Mickey's Philharmagic, I missed the cool gift shop that is just to the right when you're exiting. This gift shop is definitely the place to stop for any Donald Duck fan (like my dad). Also, there are a lot of hidden Mickeys in the shop itself (like the music holders).
Official link to the show.

Good write up with SPOILERS:
http://www.wdwmagic.com/philharmagic.htm

Getting good seats at any 3D movie

2006-03-26T17:01:00.000-08:00

There is a 3D movie in every park at WDW, but how do you get a prime seat? Don't get me wrong, the movies are neat no matter where you sit, but there are a few seats that are a little better than the rest. They're in the dead center of the theater. If I'm too close or too far away from the screen I get a little cross eyed, and a touch of a headache. So, it's best if I sit in the very center of the theater and the effects have less of a ghost effect if you sit in the middle of the theater.

So how do you get in the middle of the theater, when cast members are constantly telling you to move all the way to the end? Simple, start in the middle. That's it, that's the big secret. Each of the Disney 3D movies has a pre-show area, get in the middle of this area and you'll naturally wind up pretty much in the middle of the theater.

Each pre-show area is slightly off from the theater, for example for MuppetVision 3D (at MGM) you'll want to be a little "lower" in the pre-show area than the middle to get into the middle of the theater, but dead middle left to right. Speaking of MuppetVision 3D it's a good time to point out that this has my favorite pre-show. It's great! Arrive 20 minutes early to enjoy the whole thing.

Mickey's Philharmagic (at the Magic Kingdom) is a little harder to set up, I always seem to wind up way closer to the doors in the pre-show area than I would like to be, which means I wind up too far to the right in theater. Stay back from the doors, and let whole familys walk through the door before you if you're too close. Going though the doors is always confusing and it's a good time to relax and let people file past you. When you feel the theater is about half full grab your party, hold on to each other, and pile through the middle door.

The Bug's Life show (at Animal Kingdom) gives me the same problem I have with Philharmagic. I wind up too far down the slope, so that I'm too close to the screen, if you get pushed down too far just meander back up "reading" the posters on the side of the ant hill.

Finally, Honey I Shrunk the Audience (at EPCOT) has a cheesy Kodak sponsered pre-show area. I've never had a problem with getting in the middle of this crowd, because it's becoming a less popular attraction. Everytime I've been to this show, I've pretty much sat right in the middle of the theater.

Again, the shows are great no matter where you sit, but aiming for the middle will really make it better for your whole group. Remember to hold to each other when going through the doors from the pre-show area to the show, and arrive early for the pre-show at MuppetVision 3D.

Egg rolls at WDW

2006-03-26T17:00:00.000-08:00

Ever since I used an egg roll delay* (ERD) to cause my sister to miss the Indiana Jones Stunt Show, I've had a soft spot for them. However, the little stand where I pulled this infamous ERD outside the Chinese Theater at MGM no longer sells egg rolls. I know you can get egg rolls in the Asian sections of Animal Kingdom and EPCOT, but other than that I really have no idea where to snag one. This is a call for help, so that we can map out the egg roll stands. If you know where to get an egg roll in WDW please post it in the comments below.

* An "egg roll delay" is when you stop to grab a tasty egg roll in order to slow everyone down

Camping at Fort Wilderness

2006-03-26T16:59:00.000-08:00

Until recently, I didn’t think camping and Disney World really went together. But when my brother and I got desperate enough for a trip in February, we decided to see how cheaply we could vacation in Disney. We considered various ideas, including sleeping in a rental car or in the airport, and decided on a $44 (tax included) a night site at Fort Wilderness Campground.

This place is awesome, but in a very Disney way. The actual campsite was immaculate, and it was raised and level, with finely crushed seashells as a groundcover. I’ve done mostly backcountry camping, where it’s common to pay about $12 a night to camp, so it seemed luxurious to have a water faucet and an electrical outlet right at our site. But if you are looking for a true nature experience, this is not it. Take a photo tour of the campground here.

Friendly campers discuss all related topics on the Trip Planning Forum at www.disboards.com. Our neighboring campers all found it odd that we had hauled in a tent, but had come without a car. On the DisBoards, you’ll find that this approach is possible, but highly unusual.

The real highlight of any Fort Wilderness experience is probably the Hoop Dee Do Revue, but since we were on a tight budget we settled for the lesser known experience. The Electrical Water Pageant comes by the Settlement Dock at 9:45pm each night, weather permitting. This kitschy event draws a small, excited crowd, but if you expect to be under-whelmed by the display, you’ll have a great time.

Expedition Everest

2006-03-26T16:48:00.000-08:00

I’m proud to call myself a five ride veteran of Walt Disney World’s newest attraction. Just a few years ago, a couple of hours in Animal Kingdom might have killed my family with boredom, but the recent changes have made this park one of the best places to go.

It was the knowledge of a soft opening at Expedition Everest that called us to Animal Kingdom early into our trip. We arrived after opening, and the coaster wasn’t even running at first. An hour later, they opened it up, so the wait was long, but we were able to utilize the Fast Pass system and get a ride. It was a fantastic combination of theming and thrill ride, and it left us wanting another chance.

So later on in the week, we made the unprecedented move (for us) of returning to Animal Kingdom for the second time in one trip. This time we strategized and arrived right around opening on a non-early opening day. We rushed to the back of the park, skipped a much needed bathroom stop, and walked straight onto the ride. Since there was no one waiting, we asked a CM if we could wait for the front. The front seats were fantastic, and after the ride, we ran straight back through the line again, stopping only to grab a Fast Pass in case it got crowded. This time we waited for the very back seat.

By the third time on the ride (this time in the front car again) we were talking and snapping pictures while the ride was in progress. We rode one last time, using our Fast Passes, and waiting for the back seats. By our last ride, the line was starting to grow, so we ended our craze and headed outside to take some pictures of our Tibetan-themed surroundings.

Between the opening of this new attraction and Dinosaur, I’m happy to say that AK’s just not as boring as it used to be.