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Are You The ‘Go To’ Advice Person For Your Friends’ Disney Trips?

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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Are You The ‘Go To’ Advice Person For Your Friends’ Disney Trips?

When your friends start thinking about or planning a trip to Walt Disney World do they say – Let’s ask (insert your name here) for some help. I know this happens to me a lot, and rather than considering it a burden, I look forward to it and consider it an honor that they would choose me for something this important. Presently I’m working with three groups of friends on their upcoming 2011 trips. As much fun as it is and as rewarding as it can be there are some pitfalls to be avoided, I’ll try to outline the major ones here:

  1. Resort Choice – The choice of a resort can have a very significant impact on any visit to Walt Disney World. It’s vital that you let your friends make the choice for themselves and that you not influence that choice based on your own preferences. Give them the facts about each category, including off site and provide them with  appropriate web sites (both fan sites and “official” sites). It would be unfortunate if you recommended a resort that you love and your friends found to be incompatible with their needs.
  2. Seasons – Make sure they understand Disney’s seasons and the differences in cost and crowd size at different times of the year. Recommend travel at the time of year that best matches their budget and availability needs but once again, they need to make the final choice based on the available options.
  3. Reservation Policies – It’s important that your friends understand the deposit, payment, and cancellation policies for their trip. Refer them to the appropriate web sites for this information rather than telling them from memory. They need the “official” information on these items.
  4. Packages – This one is huge! Some folks love package plans and some folks hate them. In recent years, Disney has improved their packages making them a bit more inclusive and economical. Personally, I almost never use a package because of other options available but in a lot of cases packages make sense, especially for first time travelers. Explain the differences, tell them about the available options, give them websites to visit, and let them make the choices.
  5. Admission Media – If your friends choose a package or buy separate admission media make sure they understand they should buy only what they will actually use for admission media. The most viable option is the Park Hopper Option and some may effectively use the Water Park and More option but the No Expiration option is very expensive and rarely taken advantage of even if it is purchased.
  6. Advance Dining Reservations – If your friends are traveling during a busy season or when free dining is offered, stress the importance of making ADR’s. If they enjoy at least one sit down meal a day (a great idea by the way) ADR’s are absolutely essential. This is a good place to recommend your absolute favorite restaurants because Disney restaurants seldom disappoint.
  7. Recommend Print Resources – I recommend two in particular – Passporter’s Walt Disney World and The Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World. They are both outstanding but for different reasons so I always recommend both. If the investment for both doesn’t appeal to your friends I lean towards the Passporter because they not only provide the print version but they publish updates on their website as things at Disney change (and we all know about changes at Disney).
  8. Discounts – Let your friends know that there are almost always discounts available of one kind or another. For this reason I always recommend, after you have presented them with the basics, that they get themselves a Disney Specialist Travel Agent (TA). After they make their basic decisions the TA can implement them and make sure that all of the available discounts can be applied to their vacation. One of the most important things you can relate to your friends is that TA’s do not charge for their services because they are paid by Disney.

You may have noticed a theme here, the old – You tell them the options and they must make the choices theme. There is nothing worse than having your friends thinking, well (insert your name here one more time) recommended this and it was terrible, it ruined our vacation. That is absolutely the most important rule in helping friends plan vacations. Remember – they must make the choices!! As always, enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!

Ken

Photo By Disney

Are You The ‘Go To’ Advice Person For Your Friends’ Disney Trips?

The Curse of the Disney Movie Sequel

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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The Curse of the Disney Movie Sequel

Do you like sequels? For many, direct-to-video has become a dirty compound word when it’s uttered by Disney! And I think we can at least agree that there have been some sequels that just shouldn’t have seen the light of a TV screen.

Anyone remember the Little Mermaid sequels? I try not too.

An interesting thing to note is when Disney started making sequels. We may think it is a relatively recent trend, but actually, Walt Disney himself is the one who started it! The earliest animated films by the Disney Studios were the Shorts of the 1930’s and 1940’s. While it didn’t happen often, once in a while a Short would be revisited and it’s characters reused. The worst thing that happened back then, though, was that the new Short was the same as the first. So it could be entertaining and good, just not new and fresh. The Three Little Pigs were subjected to this treatment a few times.

Now we jump back up to the present.

Sequels tend to be inferior to their predecessors. I’m sure that there are many reasons for this, and one essay would not yield enough space to list them all. But here are a few reasons that I feel about why sequels don’t succeed today:

1. The original Director is never used.

2. They rarely reuse the original voice cast.

3. The animation switches from the Feature division to the TV division.

4. They are made in less time.

5. The story is not given enough attention.

But in all fairness, it is hard to catch lightning in a bottle twice! Does any studio manage to pull off the dreaded sequel? Not many (see Open Season 2.) But is it impossible to do a sequel well? For Disney, it seems so. But Dreamworks did manage to pull it off with Madagascar 2 (although I’m on the fence about the Shrek franchise.)

Pixar, however, has been able to maintain a very high standard no matter what they are doing. Including the sequel. Toy Story 2 and 3 are widely considered to be better than the original Toy Story movie. No small feat.

As you know, Pixar is now owned by Disney. This has moved John Lasseter into the role of supervising all Disney animation, including its sequels. This should be good. But in turn, Pixar is being pushed into making more sequels. Such as Cars 2. Will Pixar be able to remain fresh if its forced to produce endless sequels? Will Disney drag Pixar down into Sequel Hell, or will Pixar lift Disney up to Box Office Heaven? Only time will tell.

But when I find out, I’ll write a follow-up essay. But it may be a sequel that you won’t want to read!

Lee Beatens has two sides as a Writer/Artist. His writing side is showcased at the Blog called Disleelandia, and his artistic side is showcased at the Blog called The CANADIAN Kingdom. His improbable third side is showcased here.

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The Curse of the Disney Movie Sequel

Disneyworld Planning 101 – How soon is to soon when planning your Vacation?

By
Chip
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Disneyworld Planning 101 – How soon is to soon when planning your Vacation?

Planning a Disney vacation is hard work! Trust me I know I have been doing it since the 90’s. Trying to plan the Advanced Dining Reservations, scheduling Parades & Fireworks, and even what park to visit at certain times of the day. It can get exhausting but in the end it is worth it.

Even though Disney has not released any dates for our September vacation that doesn’t stop me from planning our trip. Here is what I have so far.

Disneyworld Planning 101 – How soon is to soon when planning your Vacation?

Since this year we have another couple coming with us I made my spreadsheet in Google Docs instead of an actual Open Office Spreadsheet. I figured this would be easier to share with our friends, and then it is still accessible on our Droid Phones.

As you can see we are going with the Disney Plus Dining Plan opposed to the Deluxe. For us it is better to pay for a few meals out of pocket instead of 3 Huge meals per day. One Dining Option I wish Disney had available was a 2 sit down meal a day instead of a Quick Service and Table Service Meal.

I like the dinners at WDW better than Breakfast as I am not a huge Breakfast person. Give me a protein bar and a cup of coffee and I am good to go. My wife really loved 2 Character Breakfast so we will have to pay for those out of pocket. Also I am still undecided on Tusker House for dinner one night.

One thing we do for dinner is we get out of the parks. It gives us an opportunity to unplug for a little bit and a chance to walk around the resorts(That is where I got the idea for the Resort Hopping articles I wrote in previous months) I can’t find one last meal outside of the park I really like. I will keep looking till I find something.

As soon as Disney releases the dates for Park Hours, Parades, Fireworks, and Extra Magic Hours I will be all over this spreadsheet.  WDWInfo has one of the best Reservation Calculators on the net in my opinion, which is the 2nd most important planning tool in my opinion. First being a spreadsheet like above.

So as you can see it’s never to soon to plan your Disneyworld vacation. You may not have all the times but it is still fun to read reviews and get a general idea on where you want to go and what you want to do.

Do you have any planning tips? Let us know in the comment section below!

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Disneyworld Planning 101 – How soon is to soon when planning your Vacation?

Oldies But Goodies – Don’t Pass Up Epcot’s United States Pavilion

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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Oldies But Goodies – Don’t Pass Up Epcot’s United States Pavilion

The United States Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase is one of the most under appreciated attractions there. Because most of Walt Disney World’s visitors are Americans, most of their World Showcase time is spent in the pavilions that are a bit more exotic. Because of the way we Oldies are; nostalgic, patriotic, unapologetic for our country it makes an ideal place for us to spend some time. There are several attractions within the majestic pavilion area:

Oldies But Goodies – Don’t Pass Up Epcot’s United States Pavilion

Before you even enter you will be treated to a sort of pre, pre show by the Fife and Drum Corps. They always put on a stirring demonstration that gets your blood pumping for the pre show.

Oldies But Goodies – Don’t Pass Up Epcot’s United States Pavilion

When they have finished, head on in to the pavilion for a performance from the Voices of Liberty a very gifted a capella group of chorale singers. These folks are incredibly talented and sing some wonderfully pleasant songs. It’s worth the effort to see them. When their performance is finished, you will be led to the theater for The American Adventure production, an approximately 30 minute presentation that is considered to be Disney‘s best historic and patriotic attraction. It is audio animatronic and narrated by who else, Mark Twain and Ben Franklin. Some folks seem to think the patriotic nature of the show is a bit over the top but my Oldie friends really seem to enjoy it and since I am one of those Oldies, I like it too and never miss it when at Walt Disney World.

If after the performance you still haven’t had enough of the good old(ie) USA take a walk through the lobby and enjoy the art work on the wall. When you have finished that, stroll over to the mini historical museum called National Treasures to see quite a group of very important and historic articles from our country’s earlier years:

Oldies But Goodies – Don’t Pass Up Epcot’s United States Pavilion

There are lots of very interesting artifacts in that area.

If you are still not USA’d out and are a bit hungry, head over to the Liberty Inn for a good old fashioned (???) All American fast food meal. Really, the food is pretty darn good!!

I hope I’ve convinced you to spend some time at the United States Pavilion rather than just staying with the more exotics, it will definitely be a rewarding experience. As always, enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!

Ken

Oldies But Goodies – Don’t Pass Up Epcot’s United States Pavilion

Surprise! New Experiences on our Disney World Vacation

By
Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends
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Surprise! New Experiences on our Disney World VacationWe have returned from a wonderful vacation at Walt Disney World over the New Year’s holiday. We had a great time ringing in 2011 at the best possible place! Was it crowded? At times, sure it was, but having gone at this week before, we knew what to expect. There were also times when it wasn’t crowded at all too! And one of the neat things about this trip was that, despite our many past Disney trips, we were still able to learn and experience new things. That is, of course, one of the great things about Disney parks: the ability for guests to feel that each trip is magical, no matter how often you go. 

With that in mind, here are five things that were new…and yes, magical….for us this time: 

  1. We deliberately looked for “non-obvious” places for fireworks and parades. I have heard this recommended before but somehow we never actually did it. On this trip we did. We watched the Christmas parade over in Frontierland, right in front of Pecos Bill’s (having just finished lunch there) and had no problem finding a front row space to watch…even on the day before New Year’s Eve. Likewise, we watched Holiday Wishes on one of the pathways that lead to the Tomorrowland bridge….it winds down below The Plaza Restaurant and there was literally no one there. We had a great view, and Tinkerbell flew right over us.
  2. We went to Epcot for New Year’s Eve prepared to stay the entire day…which we did. While we might have been able to leave for a break and then return, based on the perfect weather and corresponding crowds, we decided not to chance it. We knew what to expect and took it very easy, keeping things low key and relaxed. It was the perfect time to experience some things that we are normally too “busy” to try, so our daughter decided to try out the Kim Possible Adventure phones and had a blast! This was a fun activity for all of us, as we explored some of the countries in World Showcase in more detail, and we all learned more than a few things that we never knew before. We understand that Disney plans to expand this experiential technology in other parks as well, and I think when they do, it will be a big hit.
  3. We started New Year’s Day with a late breakfast at Cape May buffet and then DD and I enjoyed a VERY special belated Christmas present from Santa: we went to the Grand Floridian spa. If you ever have the chance to splurge on one thing for yourself….do this. You deserve it and I promise that you won’t regret it at all…except when it’s over. 🙂
  4. Planning for this trip entailed a lot of changes along the way, and even while there, I ended up changing an ADR again….literally at the last minute! We spent Sunday afternoon at the ESPN Zone cheering on our Steelers, and I could see that we were going to be time-challenged getting back to Hollywood Studios for the Osborne Lights in the evening. So I decided to change dinner to the Captain’s Grill at Yacht Club since it was nearby, and I’m so glad that I did….it was amazing, in fact probably my favorite dinner! So being spontaneous….not something we planners do a lot of…..ended up being a good thing. Who knew?
  5. On our last day, we returned to our favorite park, Epcot, and took the “Undiscovered Future World” tour. I cannot recommend this tour enough! Interesting, and fun, we were able to see some “behind the scenes” places, and ride Soarin’ again…with some background commentary which was pretty cool. And we learned a lot of fascinating details, not the least of which was to always “remember to look up and look down” because there are a lot of cool things to see that most of us normally miss because we’re so busy running to the next ride/attraction.  

There were, of course, many other great aspects to our trip and you will be hearing about some of them in the coming weeks. But these were a few of the highlights…and some of them were surprises. I think one of the things I will remember the most about this trip is those surprises, the things that I didn’t plan for, and how the most unexpected things are sometimes the most magical of all. 

Of course, that doesn’t mean I have given up planning our Disney trips. Planning is, of course, half the fun! So the big question then is: 

“When are we going back?” 🙂

Nancy, her husband and college-age daughter live in the Baltimore MD area, but consider Walt Disney World their second “home”. She started her site, The Affordable Mouse, as a way to share ideas about how to plan affordable Disney vacations. Her favorite things at Disney World (in no particular order) are Soarin’, most of the food in World Showcase, Illuminations…and that special brand of Disney magic that you can’t find anywhere else.

Move over Tron 2 here comes Tron 3

By
Chip
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Original sequel logo, from the test footage pr...

Don’t get me wrong I love Disney as much as the next guy, but really? Tron Legacy is still in the theaters and still making decent box office dollars and the news on the street is Disney is working on a Tron 3 Movie.

Do we really new another sequel?

Screen Rant had this to say about the sequel:

TRON creator/producer Steven Lisberger revealed recently that development of storylines for TRON 3 has already begun and the story broke in mid-2010 that TRON: Legacy screenwriters/executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz had already been commissioned to write the threequel for Disney. As our Vic Holtreman pointed out in his TRON: Legacy review, the film is effective in its use of 3D and contains some stunning visuals, but ultimately “[it] is all about the eye candy, and not much else.” There’s little reason to suspect that TRON 3 won’t be more of the same, especially if it involves the same individuals that worked on Legacy.

Now I am a big computer nerd, anyone who knows me can tell you I live and breathe technology. But in all honesty I am getting tired of all these movie sequels from Hollywood. Where are the new ideas? It seems the only thing coming out of Hollywood is 3 things:

  • Franchise Reboots
  • Sequels
  • Taking objects from my youth and turning them into movies. (I am still waiting to see more details on Battleship the Movie)

I know I might be going against the grain here and if you love reboots, sequels, and unoriginal ideas more power to ya. I for one would like to see more movies that are original, creative, and artistic.

For more details on Tron 3 click here.

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Video: ‘Secretariat’ Coming Soon to Blu-ray, DVD and Movie Download

By
Chip
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Video: 'Secretariat' Coming Soon to Blu-ray, DVD and Movie Download

Secretariat will be available in stores nationwide as a 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Movie Download on January 25, 2011.

To find out more about Secretariat, become a fan on Facebook: http://facebook.com/secretariat or visit: http://www.disney.go.com/disneypictur…

“This is one of the year’s best films,” states Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times.

This powerful and thrilling journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner and its owner Penny Chenery, played by Academy Award® and Golden Globe nominee Diane Lane, brings hope, heart and courage to audiences of all ages making SECRETARIAT a perfect film to add to the home library.

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Video: Disneyland Resort Salutes Medal of Honor Recipient

By
Chip
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Video: Disneyland Resort Salutes Medal of Honor Recipient

Yesterday was a proud day for the Disneyland Resort. During the daily flag retreat ceremony at Disneyland park we had the privilege of honoring United States Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta who was recently presented the Medal of Honor by President Obama for his heroic actions in Afghanistan.

Read more at the Disney Parks Blog: http://bit.ly/hUDyTb

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Video: Disneyland Resort Salutes Medal of Honor Recipient

Follow Up: Dates set for Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ the Musical

By
Chip
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Follow Up: Dates set for Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ the Musical

Just a quick follow up of the article I posted earlier this week about Disney’s Aladdin the Stage Musical. This news comes to us from The Seattle Times.

The stage version of the Disney animated musical “Aladdin” will have its world-premiere run at the 5th Avenue Theatre July 7-31 in Seattle.

The show will feature the hit 1992 film’s Academy Award-honored musical score by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a cast and creative team drawn from Seattle and Broadway.

Set to direct and choreograph is Casey Nicholaw, the director-choreographer of the Broadway musicals “The Drowsy Chaperone” and the recent “Elf: The Broadway Musical.” Nicholaw has also choreographed “My Fair Lady” and “The Prince and the Pauper” at 5th Avenue.

The 5th Avenue describes “Aladdin” as “a loving homage to the Hope-Crosby road pictures with a score invoking the jazz sound of stars like Cab Calloway and Fats Waller.” Some songs from the original score that did not wind up in the movie will be included in the stage production.

Other Broadway veterans set to participate in the show are set designer Anna Louizos, costume designer Gregg Barnes and lighting designer Natasha Katz.

Click here to keep reading.

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Disney Detectives is on the look out for Disney News!

By
Chip
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Disney Detectives is on the look out for Disney News!

There is an interesting little site called Disney Detectives coming up on my link list. It seems they go out and search the internet for Disney News from all the big names and feed it into their site for our viewing pleasure. Nothing is hosted there and most times its a just a few sentences of an article, just enough to see if its worth clicking on and reading.

Very interesting idea, like the site says you can just leave it up and it will refresh it seems to be about every hour with new content. Our articles are on there as an added BONUS! Also be sure to add them as a friend on Facebook.

Check it out for yourselves, and let us know what you think in the comment section below!

Photo credit disneydetectives.com

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Free Shipping plus up to 60% off at Disney Store!

By
Chip
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Free Shipping plus up to 60% off at Disney Store!Some great deals at the Disney Store right now. Here is a few of the current offers.

Don’t forget about the Twice Upon a Year Sale at Disney Store. Shop Now for up to 60% Off!Free Shipping plus up to 60% off at Disney Store!

Just click the links above to learn more.

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Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2: Extra Long Sneak Peek and Papi Parenting Tips

By
Chip
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Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2: Extra Long Sneak Peek and Papi Parenting Tips

In anticipation of the Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 DVD and Blu-ray release. We have some fun parenting tips from Papi to share with you!  Below are a few tips from Papi along with a extra long sneak peek of the movie.

PAPI’S PARENTING TIPS

Papi faces fatherhood in Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 – and it’s his toughest challenge yet! How does the doggy dad handle life with his pups? Well, he follows his very own set of parenting tips…

TIP ONE: ASK AWAY…

Papi says: “This dad business is harder than I thought. I should’ve read the manual – or at least some books! Don’t be scared to ask your friends and family for help or advice. After all, that’s what they’re here for. Oh, and invest in some parenting books. Every snippet of advice helps.”

TIP TWO: FOLLOW YOUR HEART…

Papi says: “Any mutt can have puppies, but it takes a real dog to be a father and that’s why my top piece of advice is simple: follow your heart. Fatherhood is more nerve-wracking than a trip to the vet, but you learn as you go along. Keep your chin up and your ears open – and embrace parenthood with an open heart.”

Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 on Blu-ray and DVD February 1, 2011

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