Disney World PF Gathering and Tips for Disney Mania!

[ZapperZ]

Hmm...I looked it up. It says Splash Mountain, and I've been on that ride, but don't recall Zip-a-dee-doo-dah or Brer Rabbit. I must have been focused on the big splash or keeping from sliding in my seat. Unless I didn't go on it last time, so it's not recent in my memory...I'm trying to remember if I was there on a cool day and might have opted out of getting wet.

Yes, it is Splash Mountain!

I don't know how you could miss it. The whole lead up to the big splash at the end was Brer Rabbit trying to get to his "Laughing Place", while Brer Fox was trying to catch him. It's right before the the big splash when Brer Fox catches Brer Rabbit while Brer Rabbit pleas with him by saying something like "Please Brer Fox, you can do anything to me, but please don't push me over the falls...". And then... SPLASH!

The Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah part comes in at the end when you get back under the mountain. It's more like a celebration for Brer Rabbit for escaping and coming back home.

[OK, so obviously I've been on it waaaaaay too many times]

Zz.

 

[SamuelGreen800]

You're in Knoxville? I was just there last June for the PAC conference at the Convention Center. We had a public day with "Einstein in the City" to celebrate the World Year of Physics 2005. I was looking for other PF'ers to meet up, but didn't get any response...:(

Hmm, I'm too new here (to PF) to have seen that. I didn't hear anything about the public day though. I really need to pay more attention to some of the stuff they put on around here.

You should go the week after Labor Day. It is the best time to go, and the crowds will be considerably smaller.

Zz.

Thanks, I'll remember that.

 

[Moonbear]

Success at last! Got the Disney stamps (3 sheets) and the LAST sheet they had of the "American Scientists" stamps that contain the Feynman stamps. This collection also contains the Barbara McClintock stamps, the Josiah Willard Gibbs stamps, and the John von Neumann stamps.

.. and now I go hunting for the Disney First Day covers...

Zz.

Guess what I found at the post office today? Do you still want/need/desire them?

 

[ZapperZ]

Guess what I found at the post office today? Do you still want/need/desire them?

Actually, no. I went onto the USPS website and ordered a whole bunch of Disney-related stuff. So as of now, I'm all "full". :)

Thanks for asking, though.

Zz.

 

[Moonbear]

Actually, no. I went onto the USPS website and ordered a whole bunch of Disney-related stuff. So as of now, I'm all "full". :)

Thanks for asking, though.

Zz.

Oh well. Though you are getting contagious. I had to buy a set for myself (got the set of stamps with the four first day covers...one for each stamp). They were too cute to pass up once I saw them.

 

[ZapperZ]

Oh well. Though you are getting contagious. I had to buy a set for myself (got the set of stamps with the four first day covers...one for each stamp). They were too cute to pass up once I saw them.

I'm not going to say "I told you so..." :)

But in all honesty, it is perfectly understandable. They are very cute, and I've used them to mail letters (horrors! I haven't written regular letters to friends and family in YEARS!). All those who received it liked the stamps - most didn't know they existed. So now THEY are trying to find them.

Like you said, it's contagious...

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

Those nasty people at Disney are trying to start a new addiction...

We all know how big baseball card collecting is, and that this has expanded into other areas too (animation character cards, etc). So why not disney characters? But would they do this without doing something special? Nooooooo! They are doing character cards that include surprise pins included with each card!

http://eventservices.disney.go.com/pintrading/pin?id=10721

This is like an addiction double-coupon! They're trying to entice those of us poor slobs who already can't resist the pins into another coma-inducing card collecting addiction!

Must resist the temptation... must resist the temptation...

Zz.

 

[Moonbear]

Those nasty people at Disney are trying to start a new addiction...

We all know how big baseball card collecting is, and that this has expanded into other areas too (animation character cards, etc). So why not disney characters? But would they do this without doing something special? Nooooooo! They are doing character cards that include surprise pins included with each card!

http://eventservices.disney.go.com/pintrading/pin?id=10721

This is like an addiction double-coupon! They're trying to entice those of us poor slobs who already can't resist the pins into another coma-inducing card collecting addiction!

Must resist the temptation... must resist the temptation...

Zz.

Zz, you need children! It's the only cure for card collecting, to have kids who get their sticky fingers on them and ruin them all.

 

[ZapperZ]

Zz, you need children! It's the only cure for card collecting, to have kids who get their sticky fingers on them and ruin them all.

WHAT?! And have them smash and run into my Disney and Tweety Collections? NEVER! And I suppose these creatures would want to go along with me when I go to Disney World too, eh? Well if they think they can simply cut in front of me in the Meet the Character line, they have another thing coming.

:)

Zz.

 

[arildno]

I'm sorry; just a misstep, won't happen again..

 

[ZapperZ]

Even MORE Disney trivia...

Which Disney World attraction includes a pre-show music "Beauty and the Bees"?

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

In the category of "now they're just making it up as the go along...", yesterday was "Friendship Day", at least according to the Disney Pin Central. So to celebrate that day (what, you didn't have a cookout?), we have a commemorative pin depicting the two popular characters from Finding Nemo - Dory and Marlin.

I will NOT be in a hurry to get this one...

Zz.

 

[Moonbear]

In the category of "now they're just making it up as the go along...", yesterday was "Friendship Day", at least according to the Disney Pin Central. So to celebrate that day (what, you didn't have a cookout?), we have a commemorative pin depicting the two popular characters from Finding Nemo - Dory and Marlin.

I will NOT be in a hurry to get this one...

Zz.

Now they're trying to hook the little kids! Who else would buy a Finding Nemo pin for Friendship Day?

 

[ZapperZ]

Now they're trying to hook the little kids! Who else would buy a Finding Nemo pin for Friendship Day?

But Moonbie, that is how we indoctrinate new disciples into the Way of the Mouse. We get them young, and they'll follow the Disney mantra all through their lives.

:)

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

Even MORE Disney trivia...

Which Disney World attraction includes a pre-show music "Beauty and the Bees"?

Zz.

Answer: It's Tough To Be A Bug.

This is the attraction right inside the Tree of Life at the Animal Kingdom park. It's a 3D "interactive" show with Flik from "It's a Bug's Life". You get to become honorary bugs and understand the importance of insects. But watch out for the angry grasshoppers!

Zz.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Hey Zapper, did you know that Disney once sponsored an internet site that claimed that ET has landed? They were in fact teaching kids that ET is here! I kept looking and thinking this must be some kind of joke or mistake, but it seemed to be on the level. It was a site for kids, I think called Disney for Kids, or something like that. I sent a link to a business associate who at the time ran the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, and suggested that they need to follow Disney's lead if they want to keep up.

 

[ZapperZ]

Hey Zapper, did you know that Disney once sponsored an internet site that claimed that ET has landed? They were in fact teaching kids that ET is here! I kept looking and thinking this must be some kind of joke or mistake, but it seemed to be on the level. It was a site for kids, I think called Disney for Kids, or something like that. I sent a link to a business associate who at the time ran the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, and suggested that they need to follow Disney's lead if they want to keep up.

Humm... that must be during the period of BZ... Before ZapperZ. :)

I must admit that I didn't hear of such thing. Of course, now, we all know that Stitch is an alien, but I didn't know there was already one before. :)

Zz.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Humm... that must be during the period of BZ... Before ZapperZ. :)

I must admit that I didn't hear of such thing. Of course, now, we all know that Stitch is an alien, but I didn't know there was already one before. :)

Zz.

This was about ten [edit: make that five] years ago now. It seemed to be a legitimate Disney site, but I suspect that they had a renegade webmaster on the loose and/or cooperate had failed to monitor the site properly. After about six months the link went dead. The site was still there but that page was gone.

 

[ZapperZ]

This was about ten [edit: make that five] years ago now.

That would be about right. I was fully indoctrinated into the Disney Collective in 2001. I went down the slippery slope of getting addicted to Disney Pins in 2003. So if it is anything 4 years or older, I would have missed it.

If I had seen that site in my current state, I'm sure I would have let the Disney people know about it. :)

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

More followup on the tragedies during Disney's Happiest Celebration.

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/news/nation/12322727.htm

Dispite all this, I'm still looking forward to the next trip [26 days and counting].

Zz.

 

[JamesU]

how often do you go there?

 

[ZapperZ]

Opening in 2006, Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

It promises to be a thrilling ride. The synopsis of the attraction so far involves a roller coaster, a Yeti, going forward and backwards inside the mountain, etc.

I can't wait!

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

A rosey outlook for the Disney Company after a rocky few years? Just ahead of the release of the financial report for the 3rd quarter from the company comes this outlook:

http://yahoo.smartmoney.com/stockwatch/index.cfm?story=20050808&afl=yahoo

I laughed when I read

Noto adds that theme parks, both on increased revenue and improved margins, make Disney a stronger performer than its rivals. An improving travel market has helped to attract more visitors to California's Disneyland and Florida's Walt Disney World.

At the rate that I've been spending my money there, they'd BETTER be having an "increased revenue"! :)

Zz.

 

[loseyourname]

Hey Zapper, did you ever go into Innoventions at Disneyland in CA during the years 2001-2002? If so, you may have seen me. I was a performer there. I worked the Disneyanna convention both years, too, as a talker (the person that talks to you while you wait for the goods you put a successful bid on). I don't know if you're enough of a fanatic to have been to one of those.

 

[Moonbear]

Hey Zapper, did you ever go into Innoventions at Disneyland in CA during the years 2001-2002? If so, you may have seen me. I was a performer there. I worked the Disneyanna convention both years, too, as a talker (the person that talks to you while you wait for the goods you put a successful bid on). I don't know if you're enough of a fanatic to have been to one of those.

Does that mean you got paid to make idle chit-chat with people standing around waiting for stuff? That sounds like it would be fun...for about a day!

 

[ZapperZ]

Hey Zapper, did you ever go into Innoventions at Disneyland in CA during the years 2001-2002? If so, you may have seen me. I was a performer there. I worked the Disneyanna convention both years, too, as a talker (the person that talks to you while you wait for the goods you put a successful bid on). I don't know if you're enough of a fanatic to have been to one of those.

Whoa! A real-life Disney Cast Member!

<bows> I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!

:)

No. This may be surprising to everyone, but I've never been to the one in California at all. But I certainly intend to some time this next couple of years.

I've read and seen pictures of the Disneyana convention (I think one was just held right before the 50th Disneyland Birthday). I'm just a stinky amateur compare to those freaks... er... collectors. :) I don't think there's one being held at Disney World, at least I've never heard of one being held there regularly.

Do you still work there? I'm guessing not. How much of your experience working for Disney can you talk about? I have 2 friends who are still Disney cast members at Disney World (one working at the Animal Kingdom Lodge handling customer reservations, the other is suffering through the heat at the Disney Pin Central at Epcot). So I have a bit of an idea of the behind-the-scene training and Traditions classes one has to go through. And since you have a speaking part, does that mean you are also part of an actors equity?

So many questions, so little time... :)

Zz.

 

[loseyourname]

I've read and seen pictures of the Disneyana convention (I think one was just held right before the 50th Disneyland Birthday). I'm just a stinky amateur compare to those freaks... er... collectors. :) I don't think there's one being held at Disney World, at least I've never heard of one being held there regularly.

They hold a convention every year at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. I remember one year I worked it a couple bid $10,000 for the doors to Fantasy Land. They said they were going to use them to enter their Disney paraphernelia room.

You wouldn't believe the freaks there.

Do you still work there? I'm guessing not.

It's been a couple years.

How much of your experience working for Disney can you talk about? I have 2 friends who are still Disney cast members at Disney World (one working at the Animal Kingdom Lodge handling customer reservations, the other is suffering through the heat at the Disney Pin Central at Epcot). So I have a bit of an idea of the behind-the-scene training and Traditions classes one has to go through. And since you have a speaking part, does that mean you are also part of an actors equity?

Oh, I can talk about any of it. I'm not in possession of any company secrets. I can tell you that the cast at Innoventions goes through a good deal more of that training than most cast members, though. In addition to Disney University and the whole history training, we also have to undergo an additional week of early-morning training on Innoventions standards, which are even higher than the rest of the park's, due to our being partially financed by outside companies (jeez, I still say "our").

I don't know what you mean by an actor's equity, but I was part of the entertainers section of the Teamsters Local that represents all of the cast, and we did make significantly more than costumed characters and non-entertainment cast.

 

[ZapperZ]

I don't know what you mean by an actor's equity, but I was part of the entertainers section of the Teamsters Local that represents all of the cast, and we did make significantly more than costumed characters and non-entertainment cast.

I took the "Keys to the Magic Kingdom" tour last time I was at the Magic Kingdom. It was sort of a backstage tour and we get to ask all kinds of questions to our tour guide. She indicated that if one has a speaking part in any of the shows, one can actually become part of an actors equity since one is doing a live "stage" show. If that's the case, then one is actually on a contractual basis with Disney, even though one is earning a bit more than regular cast members.

So, got any pictures? :)

Zz.

 

[loseyourname]

I took the "Keys to the Magic Kingdom" tour last time I was at the Magic Kingdom. It was sort of a backstage tour and we get to ask all kinds of questions to our tour guide. She indicated that if one has a speaking part in any of the shows, one can actually become part of an actors equity since one is doing a live "stage" show. If that's the case, then one is actually on a contractual basis with Disney, even though one is earning a bit more than regular cast members.

What kind of a contractual basis did she mean? All of the cast have contracts. They don't specify length of employment, if that's what you mean. If we could have gotten that, that's news to me.

So, got any pictures? :)

Nothing from backstage, sorry. I'm not much of a picture taker at my workplaces. I've got plenty of my vacations, but none of those were at a Disney theme park.

 

[ZapperZ]

What kind of a contractual basis did she mean? All of the cast have contracts. They don't specify length of employment, if that's what you mean. If we could have gotten that, that's news to me.

I think her contract when she was a performer was renewed each year, and from what I understand, that is different than other cast members.

Nothing from backstage, sorry. I'm not much of a picture taker at my workplaces. I've got plenty of my vacations, but none of those were at a Disney theme park.

Oh, I can understand the no backstage picture part. When I went on the Keys... tour, we had to leave our cameras behind in a locker.

Zz.

 

[loseyourname]

I think her contract when she was a performer was renewed each year, and from what I understand, that is different than other cast members.

Well, we were evaluated and re-auditioned every year. Really, I'm not sure what she's talking about, though.

Oh, I can understand the no backstage picture part. When I went on the Keys... tour, we had to leave our cameras behind in a locker.

Zz.

Well, it never even occurred to me to bring a camera to work in the first place. Don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to play down Disneyland. I still love the place even though I know it inside and out. But we worked in a building and almost never even got to go outside (although it was quite fun the times I was outside and the Fab Four were playing at Club Buzz - those were the days). Plus, the backstage area near us was mostly custodial supply sheds, nothing all that exciting.

 

[ZapperZ]

It appears that one of the ugliest episodes in the Disney corporate history is over.

http://www.forbes.com/facesinthenews/2005/08/09/disney-eisner-ovitz-cx_pk_0809autofacescan13.html

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

Who'd knew that the Mouse has Desperate Housewives to be thankful to...

http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/09/news/fortune500/disney_3Q/index.htm?cnn=yes

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

A large collection of initial pictures from the about-to-open Hong Kong Disneyland.

http://www.laughingplace.com/Lotion-View-112.asp

The South China Morning Post have reported that the new MTR Disneyland Resort Line is taking over 10,000 people per day to the main gates at Hong Kong Disneyland to experience the new Mickey-themed trains, the new Disneyland station and to visit the esplanade in front of the park. This peaked at 22,000 on Sunday alone

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

Pal Mickey

OK, so picture this one. A cuddly looking Mickey about... oh, 10 inches tall. It has a belt clip on its back, so you can clip him either to your belt, belt loop, or even on a lanyard that hangs around your neck. He doesn't weigh that much. Sounds fun, no?

But wait, there's more!

He actually has a switch on his back! You turn him on before you walk through the turnstile in a Disney World theme park. And then, watch out! It turns out that his NOSE is an IR receptor! As you walk around the park he will vibrate when he wants to say something. That's right, he talks! To hear what he wants to say, you either press his hand, or his tummy. But what does he say? He says a number of things:

(i) if you are passing by an attraction, he will tell you what that attraction is. For example, if you're in line to get onto the Tower of Terror, he will tell you to put him securely in a bag because he's afraid of heights and the dark.

(ii) he will tell you if there's a parade coming up soon. For example, half an hour before the start of Illuminations at Epcot, he will remind you that it is a good time to start looking for a place to view it. He even will recommend a good spot if you happen to be walking past certain areas.

(iii) he will tell you if there's a special even that either is about to go on, or if it is going on, such as character greetings. He'll say something like "I hear my sweetheart Minnie likes to hang around here".

(iv) he will, at random, tell you silly jokes. (How do you stop a rhino from charging? Why, take away his credit card!)

Disney world theme parks have many IR transmitters that triggers Pal Mickey to convey a huge number of info. It downloads new instructions (supposedly) when it passes through the turnstile at each park - that's why you have to have it on. Or you just bring it to the store where it is sold and they'll download it to your Pal Mickey.

Of course, away from the theme park (like when you go back to the mundane reality of life), he's not going to vibrate and tells you what is the best seat in the house to view your 56" plasma screen HDTV. However, you can still turn him on and press his hand. He will continue telling you the silly jokes - and he has a huge collection of them too so it will be a while till you hear the same one again (he randomizes them).

Do I have a Pal Mickey? You bet your Mickey Ears hat I do! It started almost 2 years ago, and it has become quite a hit, especially with kids (and we all know, what's a hit with the kids, would be a hit with ZapperZ). I bring my Pal Mickey back to Disney World each time I go back so that it can call into the Mother Ship and download all the latest stuff.

Now if only he can tell me where I put my car keys...

Zz.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/special/specialindex?id=PalMickeyPage