The Great Indoors

The following is from an on-line Disney discussion site in response to a question regarding Disney's Wilderness Lodge:

We have never stayed at WL, but we love to visit. The lobby is the best of any Disney Resort at WDW. The theming of course is of Wilderness and the resort is made to look like it is of Wood, though I suspect it is not.

This just tickles me.
The author is correct though; the Wilderness Lodge does have the best lobby of all the Disney resorts. And it's even better at Xmas.

The Lodge theming is that of an early-1900s Northwest National Park lodge, and is patterned after the one in Yellowstone NP.

The fireplace in the lobby is a recreation of the 2-billion year-old strata of the Grand Canyon with over 100 colors in hues of green, magenta, buff, red, black and brown, as well as fossilized remains of prehistoric plant and animal life.

There is also a HM in the fireplace!

H/T: WDW Info

And no, the lodge is not made of wood. It is constructed of molded, colored and hand-painted concrete.

The huge stone blocks which appear to form the lodge's foundation are also concrete, as are the 'stone' steps.

These rocks, and the ones that surround the geyser, are hand painted to look natural, right down to the lichens, mold and algae stains (some are now the real thing).

H/T: Eric & Jennifer

Disney's Wilderness Lodge: Official site
Trip Advisor: Reviews

The Bay Lake Monster

The Bay Lake Monster is one of Disney's latest creations.
It's officially known as the Bay Lake Tower and is the newest DVC resort.

By itself it probably would have been very striking.

But.

Disney is building it right next to the Contemporary Resort.

Photo: Disney/artist concept

There had been a rumor that the new DVC resort would be built to resemble the Contemporary, only slightly smaller. Now that would have worked very well, IMHO.

Building the very large, and architecturally different, Bay Lake Tower so close to the Contemporary Tower, makes for an overall unpleasant visual. It diminishes both, especially the Contemporary.

A Disney icon is lost to 'progress'.

MVMCP

I attended my first
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
this year.

The parade was fun; the hot chocolate was hot and plentiful; snow fell on Main Street; the dance parties were great fun to watch; the fireworks were spectacular (Tink flew right over our heads); and the castle was absolutely stunning.

And I loved the special Cast Member Mickey Mitts (red instead of white)!

We (sis & I) missed seeing 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, tho, because after the 1st show (which was so packed, there was not even standing room in the back), one of the performers became ill and the next show was canceled. Then we got busy with the rest of the festivities and didn't to check if the show was back on.

Maybe next year!

Photo: Deb Wills / Allears.net

Oh La La, La Nouba!

La Nouba ... "Live it up" ... "Where two worlds collide" ... is Cirque du Soleil's resident company at Disney World.

You can't miss the big white building at the very end of DownTown Disney's West Side.

After a couple of years saying 'we really gotta see it', we experienced La Nouba for the 1st time yesterday evening.

Yes, experienced, because that's what it is. An experience. It's more than a show. Much more.

Hubby's favorite character was the 'Green Bird' who appears throughout, mostly in the background (and who is not green).

My favorite character was 'Le Titan' (aka the Muscle Man) who also appears throughout and does his thing in the last act.

My favorite act was the Diabolos.
The Diabolo is a musical wooden spool on a string.

Little Chinese girls spun, twirled, and tossed them.
Then they spun, twirled and tumbled while spinning, twirling and tossing the diabolos.

And there was more. So much more.

Here's the Disney World website.

Here's the offical La Nouba website.

Confession # 8: I Wanna Be a Chipmunk!

I'd love to be a "Head" character at Disney World.

Not THE Head character tho.
I used to think Meg Crofton's
job would be the ultimate Cast Member role.

But that's way too much responsibility and
I would much rather have fun!

So, the "Head" character I wanna be is a chipmunk!
Chip, Dale, either one.

Yes, I DO know the difference.
(Nose, teeth, eyes)

The Three Broomsticks

The Three Broomsticks is coming to Universal Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

This will be a table service restaurant featuring regional Scottish and British-inspired cuisine.

Will there be butterbeer?

Steve Jayson, Universal Orlando's executive chef, who oversees all the resort's food operations:

"Pumpkin juice, butterbeer. All those great beverages, we are working on a lot of different things."

NOTE: In case you're not a Harry Potter fan, the Three Broomsticks, located in the wizards' village of Hogsmeade, is the favorite hangout of Hogwarts students.

If you don't know what Hogwarts and Hogsmeade are, Google will return 8,940,000 results for Hogwarts, and 1,010,000 results for Hogsmeade.

H/T: Theme Park Insider

Rip, Ride, Rockit

This is Universal's new interactive Outdoor roller coaster debuting in 2009.

It will be located near Jimmy Neutron and travel out and over the City Walk lagoon at a top speed of 65 mph.

Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit touts six near-miss moments and first-ever thrills including a record-breaking loop. Ride vehicles feature the brightest and most innovative color changing LEDs in the world. High-energy visual displays fill the queue line. With up to four ride vehicles on the tracks at any given time, and with concert lighting and special effects mixed in, 'Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit' will be a true high-intensity, multi-sensory experience that is unmatched.

Riders get to choose the song they will listen to while Riding the Rockit.

I took part in a Universal survey to determine which songs might be on the lists, and since I'm an old fogey and have no knowledge of _nor interest in_ what passes for Top 40 music these days, my list was rather lop-sided with Bryan Adams and Huey Lewis. So, HAH.

Let 'er Rip!

Rumor Alert: The Beastly Kingdom

The rumor about Disney's Beastly Kingdom (or Kingdomme) has been going around for quite a while, since as far back as 1998, and resurfaces from time to time.

Like now.

It goes something like this:

The Beastly Kingdom would be the 5th "land' at Disney's Animal Kingdom, joining Africa, Asia, Dinoland, and Camp Minnie-Mickey.

Or maybe Camp Minnie-Mickey would be absorbed since it was originally supposed to have been 'temporary'.

Dragons and unicorns would be a big feature.

Rumored rides/attractions were "The Dragon Tower", "Quest of the Unicorn" maze, "Fantasia Gardens" (boat ride). Another rumor has it that WDI is thinking up totally new things.

The entrance would be through the Camp Minnie-Mickey area. Since the Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends attraction closed in September, the rumor about new construction has picked up some steam.

And.

Disney-watchers like to point out that the AK logo does indeed have a dragon smack-dab in the middle.

And don't forget the Unicorn parking area.

The rock dragon fountain (looks more like a stegosaurus to me), a remnant from the early planning, is still there, although the dragon fire cave is not. Or at least not 'fired up'.

So it must be gonna happen, someday.

Oh, and another rumor, perhaps the most interesting, has it that Disney laid off the Imagineers who were planning the Beastly Kingdom and these guys were then hired by the place down the road to create "Dueling Dragons" and the "Flying Unicorn".

If it's not true, it does make a great rumor.

Confession # 7: I Bought a Dollywood Pin

As a collector and trader of Disney pins, I made an interesting discovery: Dollywood has some pretty neat pins, too.

No, I haven't made it to Dollywood, yet. That trip is still in the plotting stage.

But I did find some Dollywood pins for sale on eBay and I figured to get some to use as traders on our (future) visit.

But a couple of them won't make it to the trading lanyard.
I'll be keeping these:

Confession # 6: Things I've Seen

that aren't listed in any Orlando guide book ...

... Like the crowd gathered around the Lion King topiary at Epcot during the Flower and Garden Festival ... watching a squirrel! The furface, sitting on Rafiki's head, was as still as, er, a statue, and the (otherwise normal) people were confused as to its origins - was it real (biological) or Disney (botanical) ? Even when it scampered down the topiary figure and into the bushes (animatronic ?), some folks were unsure.
Too funny!

... Like the lady in an EVC (electric cart) loading onto a Disney watercraft. She revved that thing up and leaped the ramp. And was actually briefly airborne. We thought she just might keep going off the other side.
Too exciting!

... Like the 3 Japanese girls singing "It's a Small World" in Japanese while waiting for the boat at Port Orleans.
Too sweet!

... Like Fireman Mickey at the Oogie Boogie dance party at Mickey's-Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party. He was a little fellow of about 2 dressed up as a fireman, complete with a Mickey-eared helmet. He was dancing so earnestly, and his costume must've been very warm, so he barfs on himself, mom cleans him up, and he's back to dancing.
Too Oogie Boogie!

... Like the Disney Cast Member at the Whispering Canyon Cafe having the kids swear an oath: "I promise ... to stay up really late and get up really early ... and to ask for EVERYTHING I see ... and to NEVER, no matter what mom says, go to Universal Studios".
Too hilarious!

... Like the Scooby-Doo at Universal Studios whose costume was so tight that it was obvious it was a boy dog.
Too XXX!

... Like the little girl sitting behind us for lunch at the Crystal Palace trying to get the characters' attention. Instead of whistling (which I can't do either), she would go, "Wheee-uuu-whittt, Pooh Bear / Tigger / Piglet / Eeyore!!
Too funny and sweet!

BurgerQuest

Several years ago there was a discussion in a Disney newsgroup regarding where the best hamburger in WDW was to be found.

IMHO the best burger was (see note) to be found at FoodQuest (5th floor, DisneyQuest).

Photo:allears.net

The general consensus of the group was that Beaches and Cream at The Beach Club had the best burger.

Photo: wdwinfo.com

So we tried it. We were disappointed. Definitely not the best burger and the fries were not particularly good either. 

eithereither. We gave it another try just recently, and, I'm sorry to say, the burger & fries (and a cheese steak sandwich) were tasteless and blah.
We decided to try the Hard Rock Cafe over at Universal Studios.

We had bypassed HRC for years because they do not publish prices on the menus posted outside, which is usually an indication that you'll be paying lots.

The burgers were slightly more $$ than say, those at Le Cellier (Canada's restaurant at Epcot 's World Showcase), but they were very, very tasty and came with a plateful of crispy, spicy fries.

And yes, we will certainly go there again.

Note: Alas, FoodQuest is no longer run by the Cheesecake factory and we haven't been to DQ since the change.

The REAL Jungle Book

I was not an observer to the following event, but it was related to me by someone who knew someone who was.

The bird aviary along the Pangani Forest Trail at Disney's Animal Kingdom is full of various exotic birds (well, duuh) and the occasional local snake which is attracted by the assortment of feathered food possibilities.

It so happened that one particular little snake, browsing for breakfast, was driven out of the aviary by the birds which had been alerted by some sort of avian early warning system.

So the little guy slithered into the gorilla compound.

Now, gorillas are physically impressive; they weigh about 300-400-pounds each and have massive arms and powerful legs. All the better to stomp a little snake. Right? Wrong.


The gorillas spot the little snake and take off at a run for the door leading to the interior shelter, whereupon they began pounding on the door until a Cast member/Keeper opened up. The gorillas shot inside and refused to come back outside for the rest of the day.

The moral of the story: Size does not matter when you're ophidiophobic.

Photo: Allears.net

Sciuridae DisneyWorldified

I'm talking squirrels (sciuridae), specifically those who are fortunate enough to live at Disney World (DisneyWorldified); most of whom have absolutely no fear of anything two-legged, although they do remain wary of anything with wheels and most of the shorter two-legged things.

Some Sciuridae DisneyWorldified have developed a sort of rapport with some aforementioned two-legged things.

Like the little furface who has staked out the Funnel Cake kiosk at Epcot's American Adventure. He/she waits in the bushes until it opens, then once the cooking has started, positions him/herself out in front for optimum begging.*

And another furface cruises the area in front of Off-Kilter's stage in the Canada pavilion. He/she is not shy about approaching those in the front row for hand-outs. There is an Off-Kilter two-legged "regular" who brings a bag of snacks including walnuts and almonds for said furface, who eats the walnuts and takes the almonds into the nearest bushes and (presumably) buries them.

The music/noise bothers him/her not at all.

* I have a feeling this is the same scuiridae that we spotted hanging around a temporary food cart. This bold-as-brass fluffy loitered on the curb behind the cart while the Cast Members were busy getting set up; while they were occupied, furface checked out whatever was within grabbing reach, even foraging inside the cabinets. He/she managed to not get shut up in the cart or stepped on before scampering off.

Note: I'm not in any way suggesting that anyone feed these squirrels (or any others); they are wild critters and do have teeth and just might bite.

Wishful Thinking # 3: Disney's Hollywood Studios

Wishful Thinking:

* Scrap the Indiana Jones stunt show (boring),

and replace it with ...

an Indiana Jones ride like Disneyland's

Indiana Jones Adventure

Roughing It at Walt Disney World

Well, sorta.

I'm talking about WDW's Fort Wilderness which is not exactly 'roughing it' (unless you pitch a tent in the Creekside Meadow area).

Fort Wilderness is a glorified RV park that also offers cabins for rent and the afore-mentioned tent-pitching place.

Disney is now making improvements such as larger camper/RV pads to accommodate the larger vehicles. You know the ones - those rolling homes on wheels, some over 40' long, and many with the slide-out extensions.

Premium Campsites will include: the much larger paved pads, upgraded grills and picnic tables. And will cost more, too. These sites will cost $66-$116 per night, depending on season (peak, value, holiday) and day of the week.

I joke that 'roughing it' to me is a 3-star hotel. I may have to upgrade that assessment.

Photo: Allears.net

Mickey -vs- (Bloody) Mary

Halloween Horror Nights are Universal Studios' annual paean to scary things.

And I do mean scary.

This year's theme is
Reflections of Fear

Featuring Bloody Mary and a host of scarifying Urban Legends.

Nope. Not for wussy me. Nuh-uh.

Although .... I would love to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show Tribute. Maybe Time Warp with Frank 'n Friends.

And Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure sounds like fun.

But. You have to go through the Scare Zones to see the shows.

So. Nope.

I'll be over at Mickey's place, front row at the Boo To You Parade.

Photo: Jack Spence / Allears.net

Epcot's Food & Wine (and Baileys) Festival

Epcot's annual Food and Wine Festival is not for anyone
   1) on a diet and
   2) on a budget.

And I'm not even talking about the special events like the Gala Dinner following the Bocuse D'Or (tickets are $450).

I'm talking about the kiosks located all around the World Showcase that offer samples of entrees, desserts, wine, beer, etc.

The hubby and I went yesterday for the 'soft opening'.
We stopped at 5 of the 26-or so kiosks; we shared goodies and spent $30.
Just about 1/4 of that was for the Baileys frozen coffee at the Cork (Ireland) kiosk. Which, BTW, was worth it.

When my sis comes down in a couple of weeks. I get to do it all again.
And sis, we're each getting our own Baileys.

Confession # 5: I Read "Team Rodent: How Disney Devours the World"

... and loved it.

It's just a bit dated now, having been published in 1998.

Mr. Hiassen, a fellow Floridian, has written an eighty-three page zinger about the Walt Disney Company and Walt Disney World.

Chapter titles include:

Insane Clown Michael (Eisner)
Republic of Walt
Fantasy Fantasy Island
Whistle While We Work

The back cover of the book states that Mr Hiassen's "dream is to be banned forever from Disney World" ...

I'm surprised that he wasn't.
The Disney High Muckey-mucks (Mickey-micks?) don't often have a sense of humor when someone takes potshots at the Mouse House, or in this case tosses grenades.

Several years ago the book was being discussed in an on-line Disney World newsgroup and some of the readers were positively aghast that some writer would write unflattering things about anything Disney.

The Walt Disney Company is a business after all, and what is the main concern of most businesses?

Right, the Bottom Line. $$$.

"Team Rodent: How Disney Devours the World" can be found for sale at Amazon.com but not at the World of Disney store.

Wishful Thinking # 2 : Animal Kingdom

Wishful Thinking:

* Add a new area.

The logical addition to Africa and Asia would be ... AUSTRALIA!

Think of the possibilities:

_an Outback area featuring kangaroos, emus, koalas, platypuses (platypi?), kookaburras, Tasmanian Devils, etc;

_a Shrimp-on-the-Barbie snack stop;

_a Soarin'-type ride over the Outback, the Great Barrier Reef, the Snowy Mountains;

_Characters: Bernard and Miss Bianca

(remember The Rescuers Down Under ?);

Maybe even Crocodile Dundee and Mad Max (well, maybe they would be more suitable at say, Universal)

Disney Dining: Restaurant Akershus

The Norwegian restaurant in Epcot's NORWAY pavilion used to be a quiet place to have an interesting, different meal.
Now it's the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall with
Princess Dining - Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Even if you decide to brave the onslaught of adorable, but noisy, princesses (and their entourages), just try to get an ADR.
WDW site:

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

Allears:

Princess Storybook Breakfast
Princess Storybook Lunch
Princess Storybook Dinner

Survivor: Walt Disney World

OUTEAT ~ OUTSPEND ~ OUTRIDE

TRIBES:

Theme Park Commandos

Stroller Storm Troopers

Brazilian Brigade

CHALLENGES:

_Decipher this sentence: The CM in a blue costume came onstage at DAK and pointed out a HM to the Guests.

_Eat Dinner at 'Ohana's and be able to stand up afterwards.

_Ride Toy Story Mania the same day as you get in line.

_Traverse the entire World of Disney store and have money left.

_Go to Club Cool (Epcot). Drink all the samples except the nasty, bitter one.

_Drive from DTD to the Magic Kingdom using only the WDW signs as a guide.
(penalty point for each wrong turn, double penalty points for every car you 'cut off')

_Find your hotel room at any resort without making any wrong turns.

_Walk through Animal Kingdom without getting whacked in the ankles by at least one stroller.

_Figure out the serving line at Boma's. (Left? Right? Center?)

_Walk through Minnie's Country House in ToonTown Fair without touching anything.

_Go to the beach at Fort Wilderness, pull a snack out of your pocket, open it and count the number of birds that suddenly surround you.

_Figure out the fastest way to get from any park to DTD.
(Hint: there are NO direct bus routes from WDW parks to DTD)

_Meet and Greet every character in all 4 parks.

_Have a smile on your face by 4 pm in any park.

NOTE: In case of ties, the survivors will ride It's A Small World until one leaps off screaming.

Keys to the Kingdom

This Magic Kingdom tour is a must do for any Walt Disney World fanatic.

Tour Basics:

* Tours are offered daily: 8:30, 9:00 & 9:30am.
They start at City Hall just inside the Magic Kingdom Main Entrance.

* It is a 4 1/2 - 5 hour walking tour of the Magic Kingdom.
There are scheduled sit-down and bathroom breaks.

* There is an age limit: 16 and older.
You'll appreciate that.

* The cost is $60 + Magic Kingdom admission.
Yet another reason to have an annual pass.
Ask about AP, DVC, Disney Visa discounts.

* The group takes a couple of rides during which the guide offers up new trivia.
I won't mention which ones, let it be a surprise.

* Yes, you go backstage (Disneyspeak for behind the scenes), including a venture into the Utilidors. This is obviously the highlight of the tour!

* Lunch at the Columbia Harbour House is included.
You choose your meal from the menu at check-in.
It was ready, waiting and yummy ... and we didn't have to stand in line!

* Reservations are required. Call: 1-407-WDW-TOUR (1-407-939-8687) between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays. You will need to reserve your tour with a credit card. There is a 48-hour cancellation policy for a full refund.

I must add, that our tour guide, Matthew (the Matthew from Indiana), was exceptional!
He was experienced, knowledgeable and had a wonderfully wicked sense of humor.
When we do the tour again (and we will!), I will absolutely request Matthew's tour group.

If you still need convincing, Read other Reviews HERE.

Mouse Hunting

In case you're new to the World of all Things Mickey Mouse, a Hidden Mickey (aka HM) is a silhouette of Mickey's head and ears:

They are placed just about everywhere: rides, resorts, restaurants.

Just to keep things interesting, HMs may also take the form of a side profile of Mickey’s face and head, or sometimes just his ears, gloves or shoes.

Here's a classic HM at the Wilderness Lodge -->

HMs are not to be confused with decorative Mickeys, which are not hidden.

HMs sprang into existence during the building of Epcot when the Imagineers wanted to have some fun.

Cast Members and Guests began spotting them and voila, the sport of spotting Hidden Mickeys began.

Every time a new ride, attraction, resort, etc opens, there is much anticipation of new HMs to find.

BTW, other characters are hidden as well: Hidden Minnies, Donalds, Goofys, Plutos, Baloos and Winnie the Poohs, have been reported.

I have personally seen a Hidden Donald.
Well, okay, our Keys to the Kingdom tour guide gave us a great big hint of where to look.
Well, okay, he told us exactly where to look otherwise we never would have seen it.



Some HMs are easy to spot.

<-- Here's an easy one in Epcot's World Showcase. Others are much more subtle.





Like this one -->

A Cast Member-Server at the Garden Grill told us about a HM on the wall and even went and got a pointer when we couldn't spot it.

See it?

Steven Barrett not only has a website devoted to Hidden Mickeys, he has written a Field Guide to finding the darn things.

Note to the WDW Powers-That-Be:

How about a Hidden Mickey Tour?

Shortchanged

'Four for a Dollar', the great a cappella group who perform the Beauty and the Beast preshow at Disney's Hollywood Studios, will join Kristos, Imaginum, and Andy Mation in the realm of former Disney performers after their last performance on September 20th.

Photo: Steve Soares

Confession # 4: I Am a Reformed Obssessed Pin Trader

Yes, I admit it. I am a pin trader. But. I am no longer obsessed with it.

It all began with a Disney pin that my brother gave me way back in 2001.

What fun it was to trade pins with Cast Members.
Then I discovered on-line trading.
Our trips to WDW became pin quests.
Forget the rides, there's a Cast Member with a Lanyard!

About a year and a half later, I realized in a moment of clarity that I was not having fun anymore.
I was becoming a pin shark.

A fun hobby had become an obsession.

We dismantled the collection, keeping only our very favorite pins and those with special meaning.

I still trade now and then. Just for fun.

Pin Photos from PinPics.com

Basic No-Frill Dreams: $75

Walt Disney World just raised ticket prices, again.


A one-day, no extras, adult ticket will now cost $75.
A one-day, no extras, kid's (age 3-9) ticket will now cost $63.

The "Magic Your Way" multiday-ticket packages price went up also.
According to the local news, Disney said the price increases were due to the cost of printing the park time schedules.

Well, here's a thought: Instead of printing the weekly park time schedules, put up electronic bulletin boards -like the ones at Epcot- in each park.

Think of the savings - cost of paper, cost of printing the paper, cost of emptying the paper out of the trash, not to mention the environmental issues.

MNSSHP

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

This annual event occurs on select nights September through October at WDW's Magic Kingdom and is one of the funnest things ever!

The biggest question is NOT whether to Go or Not Go - But whether or not to dress up.

This will be the 4th year in a row that my sis and I have been.

We love seeing all of the innovative costumes ...
my last year's favorite was Larry the Cable Guy & Son (who was about 2) with matching shirts, hats, and sideburns.

We love watching the dance parties ...
Oogie Boogie on down!

We love the trick or treating ...
which usually turns out to be a competition to see who can get the most chocolate goodies. (some sisterly things never change)

We love the 'Happy Hallowishes' fireworks and the Villains!

We love the 'Boo to You' parade ...
this is absolutely the best parade at WDW
and my personal favorite thing about MNSSHP.

The parade is preceded by the Headless Horseman galloping through the park - a must see!

2008 Dates:

September 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 28, 30
October 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13, 16, 19, 21, 23, 24, 26, 28, 30, & 31

Official MNSSHP Info Here

Photo: AllEars.net

Theme Park Karma

If there is such a thing as karma, the hubby and I are loaded with it - at least as far as theme park going goes.

Over the years, the Hubby and I have been:
*the "Disney Family of the Day" at the All-Star Sports Resort,
*guest conductors on the Magic Kingdom train,
*the Prince & Princess of Pleasure Island,
*Grand Marshals of the 'Share A Dream' parade at the Magic Kingdom.

What a hoot that was!
We not only got to ride in Walt's electric car, we were given our own personalized Mouse Ears!

About a year later we were asked a 2nd time, but declined so that someone else would have that wonderful experience.

(You may wonder how the Grand Marshals are chosen. I don't know what the exact criteria might be except for one thing: don't ask.)

Then, when our son and his bride came for a delayed honeymoon, we visited Disney Studios on the 1st day. We all received special Fast Passes from the Disney Dream Team.

While waiting in line for a photo op with Mike and Sully, my hubby got a phone call from Disney - the kids received a surprise resort upgrade from a Value Resort (All-Star Sports) to a Deluxe resort (Contemporary).

On the Magic Kingdom day, we received another round of Dream Team Fast Passes.

And apparently the karma isn't only at the Mouse House.

I have been chosen by the man, err, thing-him-it-self, to dance with Beetlejuice at Universal's Graveyard Rock 'n Roll Review. (Yo, B.J., you never called like you said you would)

And then during the same afore-mentioned honeymoon trip, the four of us happened to be at Universal Orlando the day "Disaster" opened. Guess who was asked to help open the new ride?


Not only did we get to stand on the same stage with Bill Davis, the President of Universal Orlando, and The Rock, Dwayne Johnson (a mighty fine-lookin' young fella!), we got golden ride passes for the day.

I can't wait to find out what's next!

Wishful Thinking # 1: Epcot

Wishful Thinking:

* Add a new country to the World Showcase!

Australia would be great, except I have another thought for Australia.

How about Greece?
Yummm the food!
And the characters Hercules and Megara have already appeared in a Disney movie!

* I would also Update and upgrade the American Adventure show. It's looking tired and dated and could be SO much better.

A 'Soarin'-type adventure over America's National Parks would be too cool.

In Hog(warts) Heaven

How exciting is THIS:

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is coming to the Islands of Adventure in late 2009-or early 2010.

For a theme park junkie and a Harry Potter fan this is no less than heaven on earth.

Hogwarts Castle

Hogwarts Castle, the village of Hogsmeade, and the Forbidden Forest have been announced as featured attractions.

Universal recently closed the Flying Unicorn ride, the Enchanted Oak Tavern, the Dragon's Keep store and the Alchemy Bar (all in the Lost Continent area). They will be re-themed for Harry and friends.

Hogsmeade Village

I can just imagine, as part of Hogsmeade: the Three Broomsticks, Madame Puddifoots, Zonko's Joke Shop, Honeyduke's, Gladrag's Wizardwear, maybe even the Shrieking Shack!

One rumor is that a flight through the Forbidden Forest in the Weasley's flying Ford Anglia will be one of the ride experiences!

Another rumor is that one of the big rides will involve a Quidditch match theme.

Hopefully the place will be filled with Blibbering Humdingers and a crumpled-horn snorkack or two.

Confession # 3: I Miss Marineland

I've just never had much interest in SeaWorld.

Perhaps that's because I grew up going to Marineland
... the first aquarium for 'monsters of the deep', a place my family loved and visited often.

The original Oceanarium opened in 1938, south of St Augustine, FL and was called Marine Studios ...

and featured:

the circular tank where the bottlenose dolphins would leap clear out of the water to pluck a fish from the feeder's hand;

the rectangular tank with sharks, sawfish, barracuda and sting rays, swimming right in front of your face;

divers, like something out of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea',
walking on the floor of the tanks, feeding the sharks by hand;

and ... the educated porpoises - Splash and Algae who performed in the original dolphin Stadium.


This was great entertainment back in the 1950s.

There was no place else on Earth like it.


Marineland still exists today, though greatly changed.

The rectangular and circular tanks have been demolished, as have the Dolphin Restaurant, the Periwinkle Cafe and the Marineland Motor Lodge.

Dolphin Restaurant - THEN

Dolphin Restaurant - NOW

Rectangular Tank- demolished

Circular tank-demolished

Now it is all about dolphins and offers a variety of educational programs, including a dolphin trainer camp, as well as 3 summer camps.



More photos and history may be found here.