A Dull Disney December

In Walt Disney World it is already the most wonderful time of the year and has been for a couple of weeks. The entire resort is decked out with boughs of holly, gingerbread houses, and millions of colored lights. There is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, the Candlelight Processional, and the Osborn Lights. The entire resort is in the middle of looking a lot like Christmas.

While Walt Disney World is only a day’s drive from where I live at this point it might as well be on another planet. With no plans or means to go back any time soon, I’ll only be visiting Orlando vicariously through Disney World podcasts and websites. For the first time in a long time I find myself with only a peripheral interest in Disney.

Now that The Muppets movie has been released there’s nothing of any interest coming to theaters from Disney the rest of this holiday season. Disney Pictures has a pair of December releases scheduled. The Adventures of Tin Tin: Secret of the Unicorn, a Steven Spielberg film, gets released on December 21 and War Horse opens on Christmas Day. I’m not very interested in either of them.

For the first time in a few years there will not be a major Disney or Pixar animated release in theaters this December. Disney is putting all its eggs in “The Muppets” basket.

Of course that should come as no surprise. The Muppets and their co-stars, Jason Segal and Amy Adams, have been all over the place for these past few months. I have already seen the movie but I plan on seeing it again before I review it.

But with no Disney animated feature this Christmas season, unless there’s another movie we really want to see, Paula and I will have to find something different to do on Christmas Eve.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that, for me, there’s nothing really very interesting going on in the world of Disney right now. Perhaps that’s because there are other things in my life that require more attention and are more exciting than anything I’m getting from Disney.

But then again, by focusing on those other things I’m following my dreams. That’s the number one Walt Disney’s philosophy. So I guess I really am still under the influence of Disney even though I’m pursuing “other dreams”.

I’ll be back again soon with my review of “The Muppets”

A Disney Dry Spell

In Walt Disney World it is already the most wonderful time of the year and has been for a couple of weeks. The entire resort is decked out with boughs of holly, gingerbread houses, and thousands of colored lights. There is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, the Candlelight Processional, and the Osborn Lights. The entire resort is in the middle of looking a lot like Christmas.

While Walt Disney World is only a day’s drive from where I live at this point it might as well be on another planet. With no plans or means to go back any time soon, I’ll only be visiting Orlando vicariously through Disney World podcasts and websites. For the first time in a long time I find myself with only a peripheral interest in Disney.

Now that The Muppets movie has been released there’s not anything else to look forward to from Disney this holiday season. Disney Pictures has a pair of December releases scheduled. The Adventures of Tin Tin: Secret of the Unicorn, a Steven Spielberg film, gets released on December 21 and War Horse opens on Christmas Day. I’m not very interested in either of them.

For the first in a few years there will not be a major Disney or Pixar animated release in theaters for the Holidays. Disney is putting all its eggs in “The Muppets” basket.

Of course that should come as no surprise. The Muppets and their co-stars, Jason Segal and Amy Adams, were all over the place for these past few months. I have already seen the movie but I plan on seeing it again before I review it.

But with no Disney animated feature this Christmas season, unless there’s another movie we really want to see, Paula and I will have to find something different to do on Christmas Eve.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that, for me, there’s nothing really very interesting going on in the world of Disney right now. Perhaps that’s because there are other things in my life that require more attention and are more exciting than anything I’m getting from Disney.

But then again, by focusing on those other things I’m following my dreams. That’s the number one Walt Disney’s philosophy. So I guess I really am still under the influence of Disney even though I’m pursuing “other dreams”.

I’ll be back again soon with my review of “The Muppets”

A Birthday & A Good-bye

Today is a significant day in the Disney universe. It is a day to both celebrate and lament.

The occasion for celebration is the 93^rd birthday of Mickey Mouse. The date of his “birth” is based on the release of his first cartoon short, on November 18, 1928; Steamboat Willie. I celebrated the day by wearing a new Mickey t-shirt to work.

I may be a “Goofy Guy” but I have to admit I have a real soft spot for “the mouse.” He represents all that is Disney. As I heard a Disney creative artist say in an interview recently, Mickey is Walt Disney. He’s an immortal extension of the man who started all that has become Disney, with just his dreams. While for the first two decades Walt was Mickey’s voice. Mickey continues to be Walt’s voice. Happy Birthday Mickey.

The lamenting I mentioned comes for those fans of the nationally syndicated morning talk show, Live with Regis and Kelly. A show that’s distributed by the ABC TV network, which, as you probably know, is a Disney owned company.

Today was the last appearance for co-host Regis Philbin. The 80 year old TV legend, who holds the world record for number of hours on television, over 17,000, is leaving the program. Philbin is emphatic about the fact that he’s not retiring, He insists that he’s just “moving on”.

During his last show, Regis was given a honor direct from Walt Disney Company, Bob Iger.The CEO appeared on the final minutes of the show to announce that a plaque commemorating Regis and his career at the ABC TV studios would be permanently displayed in the doorway of the building of ABC's building on Lincoln Square in New York City. 

I can’t say I’m really a fan of Regis but I have enjoyed the 15 minutes of “host talk” between co-host Kelly Ripa and him at the beginning of the each show. The chemistry between the two of them is so unique that in the past when I turned on the show and one of them was not there I didn’t’ watch. I don’t know how I’m going to feel about the show now that Regis is gone for good.

As I thought about these two cultural icons today I remembed that today isn't  the first time these two giants in the Disney in the universe have shared the spotlight together. For 17 years (1991-2008) Regis co-hosted the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade. And of course, no parade in Walt Disney World would be complete without an appearance by the head mouse. (see picture below) In addition of the "Live" program broadcast on location from the Magic Kingdom several times over the years. 

I personally have seen something rather unique that also brings Mickey and Regis together. I saw it during my first trip to Walt Disney World in 2004. Here’s a picture of it.

It’s a statue commemorating Mickey’s 75^th birthday customized by Kelly Ripa (notice the “Live” show logo on the mug Mickey’s holding). There were 75 of these statues made that year by each designed by a different celebrity or athlete or otherwise "famous" person. I took this picture along with shots of the others I saw outside the gates at the end of our wonderful first day ever in the Magic Kingdom. The lights around the top of the train station in the back ground really give this picture a special Disney World look to it. I'd like to say I staged this picture to be that way but it was just a "magical" coincidence.

It’s just an interesting thing that in 2004 Mickey & Regis were together on a statue and today, nearly 12 years later, they’re together again because of special occasions on the same day.

Once again, Happy 93^rd Mickey and many more.  Congratulations on a great run with “Live” Regis. Looking forward to seeing you again soon.

An Unexpected Goofy Discovery

When song writer and Disney Legend, Robert Sherman came up with the lyric “It’s a small world after all”, he was talking about all citizens of the world and common sharing of the human condition. But the phrase can also be used in a different context. It’s extremely applicable to the Disney merchandise marketing machine.

Almost anywhere you go in the country, where commercial products are available; you’re bound to find something that has a Disney character on it. I’m talking almost anywhere.

There’s also more than likely a significant presence of Disney merchandise in many “after market” venues, like flea markets, as well. But this past Friday I found something Disney in a place I never would have expected.

My sister-in-law invited Paula; our friends Patty & Mark; and me to go to dinner at the Porky Pig restaurant in Pig, Kentucky.  It's only a few miles away from our house. This is a very popular place for both locals and tourists visiting the Mammoth Cave National Park area to eat. The place specializes in pulled pork dinners with homemade side dishes such as coleslaw and baked beans. However this is not a restaurant review so enough about that.

As we sat down at a table I noticed a small room off the other side of the dining area with the lights off. Over the door way was hung a wooden sign.  Carved out of the wood and painted black were the words "Grandma's Store." 

I could see that it was set up like an indoor yard sale with a variety of items fanned out on several long tables. At first glance I caught a glimpse of something that made me determined to take the time to go over and check things out before we left. That’s just what I did.

That first thing I had seen turned out to be a Christmas decoration. It was just any decoration. It was a Disney Christmas decoration. It was a Goofy Christmas decoration. It was a moving Diseny Goofy Christmas decoration. Check out the picture below.

The thing plugged in and when it was switched on Goofy started rolling the snowball forward as though he was making it bigger. I was excited because it was very cute and very Goofy. It wasn’t in perfect condition and had some discoloration on the front of the base and on Goofy’s gloves but overall it was in decent shape.

Using the bargaining technics I’ve learned from watching the TV reality show “American Pickers” I asked the lady in charge of the “store” how much she wanted for the decoration. She said $5. I responded with a quick “I’ll take it”. I was ready to go as high as $10 but $5 was good enough for me.

So now I have a new addition to my Goofy collection and it’s a Christmas decoration I can display in our living room in a few weeks.

I really like my “Goofy making a snowball” decoration. I’m glad my sister in law took us out for dinner. It helped me realize that the merchandise “footprint” of Disney is a lot larger than I ever realized.  The night turned into a real “Goofy off world Disney” experience.

Direct From Walt Disney World

Hey there Goofy Guy blog readers. Sorry it's been so long since I've posted but I've been busy. My main writing focus for the last 3 weeks has been finally finishing my 50th Birthday Walt Disney World Trip Report that I've been working on for over a year.

Finally last week I put the 85 page report in a 3-ring binder with each page  protected by a clear plastic sheet. I really have a sense of accomplishment knowing that there'sIa 41,000 word "book" that preserves the most happy memories and details of the best vacation of my life. I may post portions of that report in the future.

Now on with this post:

As of yesterday, I'm a very proud to be the owner of my first "official" Disney Goofy t-shirt. The great thing about this one is that it's direct from Walt Disney World.

Here's how I got it. A couple of weeks ago I found out that my pastor was going to Florida with his family for fall break. Their plans included spending some time on Walt Disney World property doing things outside the theme parks.

Upon hearing this, of course, I saw it as a chance to ask him to bring me back the one thing I wished I'd gotten for myself the last time I was in "The World". I gave Pastor Tim some money and asked him to bring me back a t-shirt with Goofy on it. As a "thank you" in advance I put 90 minutes of Disney songs on a couple of CDs for his kids to listen to on their long drive to Orlando.

Tim and his extended family are frequent Disney visitors. They've been there quite a few more times than I have. The key element in their latest trip was their Disney Cruise Line vacation on the brand new Disney Dream.

They are veteran Walt Disney World guests. They have so much more overall experiences than I have had (yes, I'm a bit envious) especially as multi-member family with a wide age range. I'd love to get together with them an interview them for this blog. I'll have to see if that's possible. It would be a lot of fun. Now back to our story.

I'm wearing the shirt brought back for me in the picture above. I also took some pictures of me wearing the t-shirt and "talking" on my Goofy telephone. Although I'm not going to make it my profile picture for my blogs I will make it my Facebook profile picture. So if you're interested in seeing it find me on Facebook.

I wore my new Goofy shirt to work today. I got several "I like that shirt" remarks from my co-workers both in the call center and the warehouse. I felt especially "Goofy" all day.

I am very grateful to Pastor Tim for bringing back the first of what I hope will  be several Goofy themed shirts in my Disney collection.

A "Zippidy Doo Dah!" Present

I own over 80 Disney movies on DVD. This includes all the major releases from the Disney animation studios, all Pixar films, True Life adventure films, several life action movies, and a few that have both animation and live action combined. 

I'm anticipating adding Disney Nature's "African Cats" and Pixar's "Cars 2" and the latest "Winnie the Pooh" film, later this year.

But there is one Disney film, I've had to come to accept, might never be added to my collection. That film is "Song of the South."

Culturally questionable, since its initial release in 1946, for portraying allegedly misleading idyllic images of post Civil War race relations, the film remains locked up in the "Disney vault", hidden from generations of Disney fans. This in spite of the fact that there are several major attractions in Disney theme parks throughout the world based on the film and feature its animated characters.

Now I'm not going to go into the lengthy details of the nearly 65 years of controversy that surrounds "Song of the South". My favorite Disney historian and author, Jim Korkis, is a much better source of information and more qualified to write about the subject. Here's a link to an internet article about the movie along with some links to other articles he's written on the subject:  http://www.mouseplanet.com/9602/The_Sad_Song_of_the_South

The Disney Company's decision not to release the Oscar winning film ("Zippidy Do Dah" won the Academy Award for "Best Original Song") made it the one of the Walt Disney films that I would probably never own. 

Whenever the opportunity to discuss Disney movies and my personal collection would come up I always made sure I mention the one movie that's conspicuous by it's absence from my storage cabinet. Apparently my laminations (other than when you are referring to a book in the Old Testament when do you get a chance to use that word?) did not fall on deaf ears and was a lot more frequent than I had realized.

A couple of weeks ago a family member gave me a gift for my birthday that I never thought I'd ever get: an "unauthorized" DVD copy of "Song of the South." Through an exclusive path of channels and extensive efforts, with the help of some tech savvy friends (you know who you are) the family member was able to give me a rather decent copy for my collection.

As I sat in my living room relaxing on my recliner watching the DVD on my big screen TV I realized what a "home run" this birthday present was for me. It's just about the perfect gift for me at this point in my life. "Song of the South" is one of a group of films that defines who Walt Disney was as a film maker. It's part of the fabric and culture that is "Disney". Now I have my own copy of it in my Disney movie collection.

Getting to be in Walt Disney World in September 2010 on my 50th tops the list of ultimate Disney themed birthday day presents. Of course it was given to me by my wife.  This year's gift, Uncle Remus, Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear and Brer Fox on DVD is worthy of second place on the list. The only intent of that statement is a big "thank you" to my family member and everyone involved in the process that put the DVD in my hands. I really appreciate it more than I can ever tell y'all.

Now anytime I need wan t to I can put the movie in my DVD player and make it a "Zippidy Do Dah" day.

When Life Happens; Disney Vacations Don't

The year 2012 was going to be a record year for me as far as Disney vacations were concerned. As of a couple of months ago I was planning on spending several days in Walt Disney World by myself (see the June 20 post). My wife and I had tentatively planned on celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary with a Bahamian cruise aboard the Disney Dream in December.

Of course both of these vacations come with a significant price. Back in April I began saving for them. I put away a small amount each day and a larger amount each Friday. I was well on my way to my goal of having saved a little over $3000 by the time we would leave for our cruise.  

But over the last couple of weeks it has become necessary to redirect my Disney fund toward other issues "closer to home".  A couple of things have happened in our lives that have taken and will take financial priority over Disney vacations.

But what could possibly be more important than a Disney vacation? Well here's my answers: the next generation and new transportation.

A couple of weeks ago James and Brandi, my son and daughter in law, informed us of the most exciting thing to happen in our family since Michael and Heather adopted Bo, their cat. They told us that this coming April we will become grandparents.

Since the baby will be our first grandchild both Paula and I are excited and plan to help our grand baby have everything that he or she needs while growing up. This might mean just helping with furnish the nursery and supply diapers and formula at first. However we're really looking forward to the time when we can spoil our grand baby rotten.

For a year or so now Paula and I have been praying that her car, a 1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, would last  a few more years until we could save up enough money for a good down payment on a new one. Up until Friday September 9 it did. That's when, because of the cost of needed repair and maintenance we had to say "good bye" to the to the vehicle my wife has own for more than 10 years.

When we found her a new car, a 2011 Chevrolet Impala, it came with a monthly payment. So our budget had to be adjusted to allow for the inclusion of that payment for the next 5 years.

Now of all the things I value in my life: God, my wife, and my family are without a doubt the 3 most important. There are other things that come after them. In the interest of brevity I won't venture to name them or give them a specific order. For the purpose of this post only the place where my passion for Disney places is important. And that place is somewhere after the three I've already mentioned. 

What does this mean? To paraphrase what Jesus said in 6th chapter of the book of Matthew. Where my heart is my "treasure" will be as well. That's why the funds I've saved and planned on saving for Disney trips will now and in the future be used to make sure my wife has a safe and reliable mode of transportation and to make our little "peanut" happy. (for an explanation of the use of the nickname "peanut" for our new grandchild see my "Found A Peanut" post on my RHFactors blog as listed above) 

Unfortunately that means that all those 2012 plans for Disney are off the table. They won't be happening. I have cancelled the reservation of our stateroom for the December 2012 cruise on the Disney Dream. It looks like I will continue to experience Walt Disney World through the many media resources I (books, magazines, podcasts and the internet) I subscribe to while being "off world", for the foreseeable future.

I'm not saying that our Disney vacations have gone the way of Mickey's Toontown Fair.  I fully intend to go back and visit "The World" again someday. Perhaps the next time I go it will be wilth my grandchild.

While Disney may be the best at giving the guests of their theme parks a special, fun-filled, memorable vacation there's something better. Serving God and taking care of the ones  you love is the "true magic" of life. And when the opportunity comes along it is life's ultimate blessing.

So although I'm a bit disappointed that my 2012 Disney vacations are not going to happen and it took me a couple of days to really process the reality of that. I feel much better knowing that my wife has a reliable vehicle now. And I can't wait to be able to enjoy being a part of the life of my grandchild.

My New Favorite Disney Thing

Before I start this post I want to let y'all know that in the 40 or so days since I've last posted on this blog (sorry it's been a busy and transitional time in my life) a lot of things have changed regarding the place of "Disney" in my life and my plans Disney plans for 2012.  More about that in future posts. Right now it's time to tell you about and show you my new favorite Disney collectible.

Back in the spring I was sent home from work in the early afternoon because business was slow. Before I went home I decided that I'd go to a local flea market to see if I could find any Disney stuff for sale; specifically Goofy stuff.

This was one of those places that had individual booths rented by vendors to sell their stuff. My wife, Paula had a booth there when the place first opened to sell her hand made jewelry.

I found quite a bit of Disney stuff including a wide variety of small character plush toys. I bought one of Goofy dressed as an astronaut and one of Flick the ant from "A Bug's Life". I also found several vinyl albums with vintage Disney music and movie soundtracks. 

I saw a couple Mickey Mouse phones. These were popular in the 80's. I saw a giant version of one of these on display at the Pop Century Resort during my 50th birthday trip to Disney World last year.

But the one Disney thing I found that really caught my interest was a Goofy phone. At the time I was just starting my exclusively Goofy collection. The phone would have been a wonderful addition giving some legitimacy to my fledgling collection.

It was at booth 37 about halfway down one of the corridors of the market. There were no prices on any of the items in the entire flea market. To find out how much something cost I had to go to the desk at the front of the building. I was told that the cost was $60. 

While that wasn't all that expensive for something as novel at the Goofy phone it was a bit much for me at that time. I had just bought myself a new notebook computer and planned on getting a new bike for the summer. Paying $60 for a collectible at that time was a bit over the top as far as spending was concerned. Reluctantly I left the Goofy phone on the shelf of booth 37.

About 2 months later after thinking about it a lot I decided that I would go back and see if the Goofy phone was still there. I thought if it was perhaps I could negotiate a lower price. My heart fell when I found out that it had been sold. I lamented letting the opportunity to buy such a cool Goofy item pass me by. I came to terms with the fact that it just wasn't to be.

Let's fast forward to last week. It was my birthday and I wanted to buy a gift for myself. I couldn't think of anything I wanted. Paula had already let me get a personal PA system to use with my ventriloquism.

One afternoon the thought of the Goofy phone popped back into my head. I thought about the possibility of the phone being for sale on Ebay. I got online and found an auction just starting. I placed a bid. Three days later I received an email telling me that I had won the auction for a price that was about half of what the phone would have cost at the flea market. "Happy Birthday" to me.

 A couple of days ago I received a package in the mail. The Goofy phone was inside. So now I have a Goofy phone in my Disney collection. It will only be a display piece but still it's battery operated animation is really cool. Here's a video of what a sleeping Goofy does when the phone "rings".

Isn't that cool? I love this phone. It's now my favorite Disney thing in my collection. While my red Yago feather from the Enchanted Tiki Room is the most unique item I have; my Goofy phone is the one Disney thing I like that most.

If you ever come to my house I'll give you an in person demonstration of my new favorite Disney thing.

July Wrap Up

While the month of July was a hot and busy one at "Mickey's House" in Orlando, Florida, here in Kentucky there were several significant Disney related events. Here is an account of each of the "off world" Disney events that happened in July.

A Solo Trip To Another "World"

In the summer of 2003 as a test run for our January 2004 trip to Walt Disney World Paula, the boys, and I spent a day at King's Island amusement park in Ohio. It helped us learn something about the dynamics and logistics of traveling together as a family

With the possibility that I may be able to have my own 2-3 day getaway to Walt Disney World during a vacation to Florida early next summer I thought it was time for my own personal "test run".

On Monday, July 18, I went by myself to Holiday World and Splashin Safari. It's an amusement and water park in Santa Claus, Indiana. I figured I'd try my hand at "touring" solo to see what I would be drawn to and how I needed to pace myself. I did this looking forward to next year. Should I get the opportunity to go to Walt Disney World as a party of one.

You can read the detailed report about my day on my other blog, RH Factors. You can find it at: http://www.rhfactors.blogspot.com/.

Some of the useful things I learned were that I need to take frequent breaks, stay hydrated, and remember to eat close to my normal daily meal times. I also realized that I need to teach myself to take my time and enjoy the entire park, not just the rides.

That's something that most Disney vacation guides and planning books suggest and my favorite Podcaster, Lou Mongello, continuously advocates. In my 2 visits to Orlando I haven't learned how to do that yet. With my 3rd visit coming up and the slight possibility of a 4th at the end of 2012, I am beginning accept the idea of trying to enjoy the parks in a more relaxing way.

The mindset of "this may be my last chance to do this or that in Walt Disney World" is starting to fade. The theme parks are now a vacation fixture in my life. There will always be the possibility of going back. There will never be a "last time" just a "next time".

Now back to my solo trip to Holiday World. I spent about 9 hours there. For the most part, with the exception of 20 minute and 30 minute breaks for lunch and supper, respectively, I went all day without stopping. By the time 7PM came I was ready to head home. That just enforces the importance of taking an afternoon break away from the parks while at "The World". So you can take advantage of early morning and evening "extra magic" hours.  

The last thing I did before I left Holiday World was have someone take my picture with the park's main icon, Santa. Although it's only a statue (I saw no costumed characters walking around at any time during my visit) it's proof that I was there. I guess it's the equivalent to getting your picture taken in front of "Partners" statue at Walt Disney World.

So for 2 reasons, the desire to finally experience it for myself and lay the logistical and mental ground for my solo trip to Disney World next spring, I enjoyed my trip to Holiday World. But I think next time I'll go with family or friends. It will be more fun.

Reserving A Cabin

As first mentioned in my April 6 post, a vacation on one of Disney Cruise Line's two new ships is something Paula and I are contemplating as a way of celebrating our 10th  anniversary. One of the most unique things about planning Disney Cruise vacation is that as the availability of cabins gets lower the price goes up. 

While our decision to cruise or not to cruise won't be made until over a year from now, a concern about waiting to book until then was primary in my mind. Throughout the first half of July I debated over whether or not to put down the deposit on our cabin package or not. It was no small investment but the comparative cost increase if I wait to book the trip a year from now may be more than the current required down payment.

Finally about the 2nd week of the July I contacted, Stephanie Hudson, my Disney vacation planner at Mouse Fan Travel, and asked her to send me the specific informaiton and paperwork I needed to decide about reserving our cabin.

It was only after I got answers to questions regarding the ability to get our full deposit back should we change our minds, did I give Stephanie the "okay" to charge our Disney Visa card for our deposit. This will allow me to pay the deposit off over the next 6 months. On Friday July 22, I went to Office Depot faxed my completed  and signed contract to her, sealing the deal.

We now have cabin 5046 on deck 5 reserved for the Bahamian cruise on the Disney Dream on December 9-13, 2012.

Now I have to do some more research about Disney Cruises. I will start by reading a couple of travel guides. I will also go back and listen to some podcasts about cruising as well. Then in about a year we'll have to make a decision about going. We have until September 20, 2012 to cancel ouir resrvations and still get our full deposit back.

Mouse Guest Weekly Signs Off

About 3 years ago I started listening to podcasts about Walt Disney World. At the beginning of July these included: WDW Radio Show, WDW Today, Magical Definition, Inside the Magic, The Muppetcast, the Orlando Attractions Magazine show, and Mouse Guest Weekly.  As of Saturday July 23 I will no longer be listening to that last one on that list. 

Back in the middle of June, the hosts of the Mouse Guest Weekly podcast, Eric, Cathy and Dan,  announced that due to scheduling conflicts and their personal commitments the podcast would be coming to an end.

The last one was a live call-in Internet event that started at 2PM eastern time on July 23. It ended over 4 hours later. I didn't get to hear it live but did listen to the recording posted on I-Tunes.

I will miss the weekly conversation between the 3 hosts. I will also miss hearing the rather lengthy emails I'd write to them read on "the air".

I am grateful to Eric for sending me a Mouse Guest t-shirt. Now I can remember the podcast every time I wear it.

The way they left it there just might be an occasional Mouse Guest podcast posted on I-Tunes in the future. In addition a future get together of MGW fans in some central location has been mentioned as well. I'm hoping for both; but only the future will tell.

A Treasured Memory

This last story is what I'm going to call "Collateral Magic". It's about an event that has nothing directly to do with Disney but happened because of my passion for Disney.

Let me start by mentioning that as means of making it a bit more fun to save for our cruise I am saving golden dollar coins (the ones with US Presidents on them) in a plastic cup. I add to the savings every day. Its a daily visual reminder of my current Disney dream. Recently this currency collection came into play in a way I never thought it would.

The last week of July my sisters, brothers in law, nephew and niece, from Pennsylvania came to Kentucky to visit with us. All the members of my Kentucky family, including my sons, daughters in law, and sister in law enjoyed spending time with them.

One afternoon my sisters, niece, and I went swimming in their hotel pool. Having gone swimming with them in the same pool during previous visits I knew they liked to throw coins in to the water and then see who could retrieve them first. Knowing this I decided to take some of my golden Disney dollars with me. I figured they'd be a lot easier to find under water.

I took 7 of them. Three pair with the same president on it (Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, and Ulysses S. Grant) and one Abraham Lincoln. At first we played a game where you accumulated points depending on how many coins you could retrieve. The second game we played involved diving and picking up and "throwing back" coins until you found a pair. Both of the games were a lot of fun. We laughed and swam and had a great time.

In the middle of our swim I stepped back and realized something. This was the first time in our lives that both my sisters and I had ever played a game like this in a pool together. My youngest sister and I probably had done it before (since we were together a lot as kids but my older sister was married with a family by the time I was 11) but never had all 3 of us played together this way.

I realized that this as something special. It wasn't a Disney moment at a Disney theme park but it was a "Magical Moment". And while it was separated by a couple of "degrees" I do have Disney to "thank" for it.

 If I hadn't been saving golden dollars for our annversary cruise I never would have had one of the key elements in what very well may prove to be one of my favorite memories of this entire year. Now every morning when I look at my Mickey Mouse cup full of golden dollars I will not only look forward to our cruise I can look back on a special time with my sisters.

So there you have the Disney stories for the month of July.

Cars 2 Review

I just saw Cars 2 in 3D and I’d like to express my opinion on this most recent Pixar sequel.

Let me just start off by saying that the 3D effects in the movie are not that impressive. The only scene in which 3D makes a difference is where Mater and McQueen fly. It’s such a small part of the film (less than 20 seconds) that it’s not worth the premium for the privilege of wearing dark glasses in a movie theater.

But the “Lion King” 3D preview is worth the surcharge. You get to see the entire opening “Circle of Life” scene. Based on this preview, the 3D conversion of this Disney classic is going to be awesome. 

Before I start writing about Cars 2 let me give you some of my personal history with Cars.  The first time I saw it I didn’t like it at all. My main problem with the movie was way the animators decided to move the cars' pupils when looking from from side to side. They stayed together going to the far left when looking left and the far right when looking right. To me they looked very awkward and it was very distracting. Enough so that I didn't like the moive. But my opinion also changed over time.  

After seeing Cars a few more times on DVD I grew to look beyond it's visual issues and appreciate it. I liked the new and novel world of living cars that John Lasseter and his animators created. Its parody to the real world, the setting, its nostalgia, the characters and their relationships are all part of what eventually earned my admiration.  

Mater was the most unique supporting character that Pixar had come up with since, my all-time favorite supporting character, Dory from Finding Nemo.

The story in Cars taught the importance of relationships and loyalty over achievement and materialism.

In the many “behind the scenes” interviews and documentaries that Pixar employees and executives have done over the last 25 years their mantra has been that “Story is King.”  

While Pixar’s characters are always very strong, the story is what has always driven their films. The plots have been unique and different. The story in Cars 2 leaves a lot to be desired.  

The main plot and subplots are something we’ve seen in other movies many times. I thought the expansion of the Cars universe to make it global was a great idea. The elements of other “Cars” countries were as clever and funny as those that made up North America featured in the first film.

The sequel’s story is filled with clichés and recycled plots. If you’ve seen any James Bond film you’ve seen the Cars 2 story before.

Now the recycling of a plot using espionage to stop a conspiratorial plan to dominate the world as a means of gaining money and power is not new. Mike Meyers used it to create the Austin Powers franchise. But he did it with a tongue-in-cheek comedic attitude. Austin Powers didn’t take himself or the spy world too seriously. Cars 2 doesn’t do a good enough job of making light of the espionage aspect of the story. There was so much potential for gags about spies and the sophisticated equipment and gadgets. Spy gags were limited to Mater.   

Even the “unsuspecting innocent bystander being drawn into the spy world” subplot of Cars 2 has been used before. The 1978 Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase film “Foul Play and Bill Murray’s film “The Man Who Knew Too Little” from 1997 are the examples that come to my mind. You may not be familiar with these movies but the premise was used in both of them. I’m sure there are better examples you can think of yourself.

Back to Cars 2: Everything that happens is so recycled that whenever anything happened I found myself trying to remember the movie where I’d seen it before.

When I saw the revelation of the identity of the mastermind behind the conspiracy to sabotage the World Grand Prix races and kill McQueen I knew exactly where I’d seen that before. It’s the ending to every Scooby Doo cartoon ever made. I’m surprised the villain didn’t use the line: “I would have gotten away with it too if it hadn’t been for that meddling tow truck’”.

In the world of animation today where computer animated movies are plentiful Pixar features set the industry standard. Their animation and visual effects set them above anything Dreamworks or any other animation studio releases. This is still true in Cars 2. While nothing outstanding or groundbreaking visually happens in this film it’s still a visual pleasure to watch. The animation is cutting edges, and visually fun.  

Also, unfortunately, there are several of the main supporting characters that are little more than just cardboard cutouts with speaking parts. 

Although Michael Cain is an outstanding actor his character of Fin McMissle is not much more than a vehicle (no pun intended) to advance the plot. He’s the dullest most uninteresting spy I’ve ever seen on the big screen. In the scenes where he was in danger I really didn’t care whether he escaped or not.

Holly Shiftwell (whose name is Pixar’s “family friendly” attempt to parody the double entendre names given to Bond girls) starts out as a promising character and potential girlfriend for Mater but just doesn’t develop into a character I cared about. At the end of the film (spoiler alert here) when she shows up in Radiator Springs and announces to everyone she’s Mater’s girlfriend, you have to wonder who she’s trying to convince. The cars she’s talking to? The audience? Herself? Or “all of the above?”

The open wheeled race car character, Francesco Bernoulli, is a total mystery to me. Other than giving McQueen a rival to beat in the 3 races why is he in this picture? Although there’s an attempt to do it; he’s never really a rival to McQueen when it comes romancing Sally. His insults and remarks to McQueen are lame and not the least bit funny. If he was supposed to be McQueen’s rival he needed to be more of a bad guy. He needed to be viewed as a serious rival to help make the viewer want to see McQueen beat him.   

Also the main villain needed to more of; an EVIL villain. The thing that makes a great hero is a diabolical enemy; a ying to the yang. The weaker the enemy is the less amazing is hero’s defeats of him. That’s the problem with the villain in Cars 2. He’s not the least bit diabolical.

The last ineffective character in Cars 2 I need to mention is Lightening McQueen. He just seems to sleep walk through this movie. In “Cars” he is a character with many many layers to his personality. He had depth. In “Cars 2” he’s as shallow as the baby pool at a Walt Disney World value resort. (I don’t care who you are that’s funny). I never really sympathized or connected with McQueen the way I did in the first film. He was boring.

Even in the action packed final scenes where he’s teamed up with Mater, he’s literally just along for the ride. Bring back the Lightening McQueen from  “Cars”. He was greatly missed in “Cars 2”.

There are two things that make this movie palatable and I mean that in a “dry popcorn with no butter and no coke to wash it down” way. They are the “spoonful of sugar” that helps Cars 2 “go down”.

First are the characters from Radiator Springs. When they are given the chance, they enhance the film by just being themselves, being loyal to their friends, and doing what they have to do to help. But there’s way too little of them.

Mater, of course is the star of this film. He’s funny, innocent, naive, and lovable all at the same time. He goes on a journey that helps him learn who he is and where he fits into the world.

Cars 2 is basically a 90 minute version of one of Mater’s Tall Tales. But if you go into the theater knowing that’s what you’re going to see you’ll enjoy “Cars 2” as much as it is possible to enjoy it.  

Let’s hope that with their next release “Brave” Pixar gets back to the thing that makes their films instant classics and story becomes king once again.

New 2012 Disney Vacation Possibility

On June 12, 2010 my wife, Paula, changed the way I would celebrate my 50th birthday by proposing our going to Walt Disney World to celebrate. The trip was one of the best weeks of the year.

This past Saturday, just a little over a year since her "game changing" suggestion, she surprised me again. Here's how it all came about.

First of all, because of things I've heard discussed on several of the Disney podcasts lately I've been thinking a lot about how I would like to one day take a solo trip to Walt Disney World. I've paid attention to the podcasters' suggestions on websites to to go and bid for a relatively inexpensive hotel room in the Lake Buena Vista area. Also the topic of conversation on some podcasts revolved around how to enjoy yourself when on your own in "The World".

These got me thinking even more about a solo trip. I understood that given last year's trip and our plans to go on a Disney Cruise in December 2012  I really had no right to even mention it for a few years. I reasoned that not until my 55th birthday (September 2015) would I stand a chance of getting Paula "buy in" to the idea. So that's what I'd come to accept over the past couple of weeks.

Now here's what Paula was thinking. The last full week of May we went on vacation in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We spent 5 days walking, exploring and, enjoying the many tourist attractions. It was fun but rather exhausting. 

That same week a few of Paula's family members (her brother, his wife, her cousin and her cousin's daughter) went on vacation to Seacrest beach in the panhandle of Florida. Several times during our time in Chattanooga Paula mentioned how she wished she'd gone to the beach with them.

On the drive both to and from vacation when we talked about future trips to Florida my wife asked "can we have a beach day?" A couple of days after we were back home She told me that next year when the family goes to the beach in Florida she wants to go with them.
Now back to this past Saturday. While Paula was working in the kitchen our conversation turned to plans to go to the beach in Florida next year. She told me that after Chattanooga she's finished with vacations "where we kill ourselves". She said how she wants to go to the beach and do nothing but relax. Then she added that she knew that I would probably go nuts if all there was to do on vacation was just sit on the beach.

She followed that point with a suggestion that caused me to think that my wife is psychic. While we were at the beach in Florida if I wanted to I could go off to Disney World for a couple of days. That's right she didn't just "buy into" a solo trip to Disney for me she introduced the idea. (cue the "Twilight Zone" music). I kissed my wife and told her she never stops amazing me. Later I put a post on Facebook stating that she makes my dreams come true before I even tell her about them.

I tried my best not to go off the deep end and start obsessively planning my trip like I did the last time my wife suggested a Disney vacation. I did find go out exactly where in Florida the family spends their vacation; Seacrest Beach. I used Google Maps to calculate the travel time and distance. It's a 6 hour drive to Orlando. After I finished finding that bit of information I decided that I needed to just take a breath and step back.

I have plenty of time, almost a year, to research and gather information, decide on the specifics and make my plans. But as it stands now if we go to the beach in Florida on vacation next May I will get the opportunity to make my solo trip to Disney World a lot sooner than I ever dreamed.

Thanks Paula, You are the Love Of My Life.

Goodbye Wally Boag



Wally Boag With Miss Piggy on The Muppet Show

 They shared a stage at Disneyland five days a week for nearly three decades and died within a day of each other. Betty Taylor who played Slufoot Sue and Wally Boag who played a traveling salesman and Pecos Bill in Disneyland's long running Golden Horseshoe Revue show passed away last weekend.

 Ms. Taylor died this past Saturday at the age of 91. Mr. Boag passed away the day before at the age of 90.

I never heard of Wally Boag until a few years ago when I was watching video from an old "Disneyland" TV show that featured the Golden Horseshoe Revue show.

Boag's performance as the traveling salesman with his rapid fire one liners and making of balloon animals inspired me from the first time I saw it. I aspire to one day be as quick witted and smooth as he was. I really felt bad would never have the chance to see his act in person. He performed from 1955 through 1982 when he retired. The Golden Horseshoe Revue was replaced by a new show in 1986.

Although it's been nearly 30 years since he retired, the talent of Wally Boag is a recent discovery for me. When I read Steve Martin's book about his days of stand up comedy a few years ago I found out that he was greatly influenced by Wally Boag.

Although I was always interested in him I never really looked for anything else about Wally Boag after I found out he retired. Since I hadn't ever heard anything about him in any of the newsletters or podcasts I subscribe to I just assumed he was no longer around.

With the announcement of his death I find out after the fact that he was still around but out of the public spotlight. So now I'll have to do some research to see if I can find any post retirement interviews with him. The result of the searches I've done over the last few days has been the discovery of an episod of The Muppet Show with Boag as the guest star. He performs a lot of his "Golden Horseshoe" act on the show.

Even if I can't find anything more than what I already have seen that will be enough. As a matter of fact even though Mr. Boag's act contained a "suitcase full" of punchlines the one that will always resonate with me and preserve his memory in Disney section of my heart will be:

"When they operated on father; the opened mother's male"

RIP Wally Boag, You'll be missed.

Cruise Concerns & Commitment

Now that our longest vacation of the year is over it's time to start thinking about our making decision about our December 2012 anniversary cruise on the Disney Dream. Even though it's a year and a half away in order to take advantage of the cheapest (very relative term) rates we have to make a deposit soon.

I'm not yet 2 months into my 20 month systematic savings plan but I'm only a couple of weeks away from having enough to make that deposit.

However in the last few weeks I've seen and heard some things that have caused some concerns about whether a Disney Cruise is right for us.

First of all I'm not too happy about the "threat" of increased rates for staterooms as the dates to the cruise gets closer. I mean availability and or lack of it is a natural occurrence in travel; even Disney travel. But the "penalty" of having to pay more because I book one of the last cabins available is bogus.

If I call Disney reservations today and ask about room availability and rates at a Walt Disney World hotel for  the week after Labor Day in September, they'll tell me if which rooms area open and what the price would be. Then if I call back two months from now. There may be fewer rooms but the price will be the same. I mean, unless there was a discount special that was running when I first called (like the "free dinning" offer that's going on right now).  The cast member won't tell me, "I'm sorry sir there's only 100 rooms left for those dates and the rates are now $25 more per night". The room rack rates stay the same.

That's not so for the Disney Cruise Line. The faster the ship fills up the higher the prices go. Who does Disney think they are? The airlines? The pressure of having to make such a decision so early or it'll cost you leaves a bad taste in my mouth and isn't the best beginning to our DCL experience.

Next, are some concerns that came up as I watched the segments of ABC's America's Funniest Videos season finale a couple of weeks ago.

Some of the "lead in" portions of the show were taped on the Disney Dream. In one segment Tom Burgeron was standing on a walk way over looking the family pool area of the ship. It seemed like the place was "wall to wall" people. It was crowded. If I wanted to deal with that type of crowd I would go to Walt Disney World and spend a day at one of their water parks or a resort pool during the summer. Better yet, I would stay here in my home town area and go to a public pool or water park on a 100 degree day. Either would cost me a fraction of a Disney Cruise.

I'm a big fan of and subscriber to the website, "touring plans.com". It is the Internet companion to the Unofficial Guide to Disney World book. One of its best features and most useful planning tools is the crowd calendar. It shows a 365 day calendar and ranks the projected  size of the theme park crowds (based on extensive date research) on a scale of 1-10. The higher the number the larger the crowd. The site suggests that if the crowd calendar shows anything over a "6" you avoid that park that day. 

I would like to know what crowd calendar rating a full Disney Cruise ship would get taking into consideration the availability of common areas, activities and on-board "attractions". I may have to ask Len Testa, co-author of "the unofficial guide" and "touring plans" website contributor, that question. He's frequently a co-host on the WDW radio podcast. I may  have to call in on one of their upcoming monthly live show to ask him.

I don't want to have to deal with large crowds on a cruise ship and not be able to get away. Again, I can go to Disney World during Christmas, Easter, or Spring break when the crowds are a their peak if I want to do that.

The next concern is this. Are there places to go on a Disney Cruise to get away from the kids ? I  know there's an "adults only" quiet pool  But what if you don't want to go swimming? My wife and I are not "party" people. We don't drink or dance. Is there anything for adults to do other than go to the clubs?

I love children and most of the time enjoy being around them. My wife likes kids too but her bar of tolerance limit is quite lower than mine. Don't get me wrong she loves kids but only to a certain degree. Now I realize that anything that has do with Disney involves families. Being around kids is inherent with going to a Disney resort. But there needs to be places that we would enjoy going and things we would enjoy doing where there will be no children. I need to know that there is before I commit to a Disney Cruise.

Until recently  another concern had to do with my wife's susceptibility to motion sickness. But on our recent vacation to Chattanooga she discovered that some anti-nausea pills helped her rather effectively. Since this "entry level" of medication helped her on land she could always turn to stronger meds (such as the patch or shots) to go on the ocean. So that's no longer an issue.

Speaking of our trip to Chattanooga, there's another issue that came up as a result to the things we did there. The beauty we saw at Rock City and Ruby Falls got me to thinking. Perhaps I might enjoy going to see some of this country's natural wonders more than I would a Disney Cruise. I'm thinking specifically of the two places my wife wants to go: Nigeria Falls and the Grand Canyon.

The amazement and awe of the pair of relatively small waterfalls we saw on Lookout Mountain has me more anxious to go see Niagara Falls. A vacation there next spring or summer would I think would be amazing. But I would have to choose that trip over the Disney Cruise.

Since that is now a possibility, finding out how my ability to change my mind and get our cruise deposit back will be a factor in how soon I actually commit to that December 2012 voyage.

Well, I've gone on long enough about my concerns and reservations about committing to a Disney Cruise. Now you know what I'm up against. I have some time to address them and get some answers to my questions. I will consult my resources by writing to my travel consultant, Stephanie from Mouse World Travel and contacting some of the hosts of the many podcasts I listen to. Their input, just as it has in the past, is sure to help me. If you have any input for me please feel free to write me at the email address listed in my profile.

Disney Trip Planning Is An Education

It's been over 10 months since I began planning my 50th birthday trip to Walt Disney World in 2010. I started in July and we went on the trip in September. It was 2 months of intense and extensive planning.

Luckily there are more resources to help plan a visit to Disney World than there are for any other vacation destination. These resources include guide books, Disney specific travel agents. websites, and podcasts.

The most valuable book I found was the "Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World." But it was just one of the many resources I used for help coordinate my days at Disney. The reason you need a plan for visiting Disney World is to maximum the quality of your experience.

You see the expense involved in taking a Disney World vacation is high. With such a high price point, to be considered a worth the price, a visit to see Mickey & his friends needs to be a vacation experience unlike any other. One that makes the financial investment worth it. The word for this is  is "value."

Now the management and operators of Walt Disney World do their best to set things up to make your experience a true value. Cast Members are given the mission to make a daily effort to make the guest experience as exceptional as possible.  But there's only so much they can do in a general way to help the guest have a good time. It's up to the individual to make their own personal effort and plan to do what maximizes their fun and accomplish what they want to do while in "The World."

I did this for my trip last summer. I made a spreadsheet of the attractions and shows I wanted to see as well as things I wanted to do in each park. I used the website, Touring Plans.com, to prioritize which attractions to go to first to keep my waiting time and walking distance to a minimum. I also noted and organized the restaurants and snack places I wanted go to as well.

Now the fact that I have an obsessive compulsive personality and "have" to be overly organized helped me in planning my 50th birthday Disney trip. But also having all the resources available gave me an education on just exactly how to plan and organize a trip. This made the 5 days we were in Orlando the memorable experience that I wanted it to be.

Now I've written all of that to write about this. This past week my wife, Paula, and I went to Chattanooga, Tennessee for a 4 day vacation. This was the first part of Paula's 50th birthday trip. (yes, her birthday trip gets to be a 2-parter. I mean she gave me a trip to Disney World for my 50th birthday. She deserves any type of trip she wants this year.)

For a few years now she has been saying that she wanted to go to Chattanooga to visit the aquarium and see Rock City. She did some research on the tourist attractions and things to do in the city. She discovered that there was enough to do there to keep us busy for 4 or 5 days.

Once we agreed that the last week in May was the when we would take our vacation we began to plan what we were going to do. We found one website that listed all the trip planning resources for Chattanooga:www.chattanoogafun.com.  This was convenient but it was just one website. Although we did get some planning guides from AAA the resources for information about Chattanooga were not as readily available those for Walt Disney World. I had to really search for information.

I realized that I had been a bit spoiled because of the saturation of trip planning help available for Disney World compared to other destinations. Luckily the Disney trip planning I've done in the past has honed my skills for looking for information on the Internet and taught how to plan a vacation.

I gathered as much information about the Chattanooga area as I could. I then composed a couple of spread sheets with information about the tourist attractions and places to eat. I set up a daily calendar listing what we wanted to do each day. I prioritized the attractions and historic sites into "must see" and "just interested" rankings. I also scouted the locations, prices, and menus of the area restaurants. All of these were things I learned to do while planning for my two Walt Disney World trips.

So thanks to my love, passion, and obsession for Disney World I've gained a general education in trip planning. I'm no travel agent or money saving travel genius by any means. However the plans and information I gathered for my 2004 & 2010 Disney vacations helped me know what to do to make the 5 days of our Chattanooga vacation enjoyable ones.

Thanks Disney World.

My Disney Dentist

Most people who are Disney World fanatics tie the start of their passion to their first trip to Walt Disney World or Disneyland Park when they were young. This isn't true in my case.

I didn't really become interested in going to Disney World until I was in my late 30's. How my interest in Disney began is a long and involved story that I won't go into in this post. Let's just say that in 1997, when I began thinking about taking my first trip to "The Happiest Place On Earth"; it came out of wanting to surprise and impress someone important to me at the time.

My interest in Disney was sidetrack by a more intense desire to buy my first PC. For 6 months I put aside my plans to save for a Disney trip to finance the purchase of my first home computer. After I had my new portal to the Internet set up in my living room, I planned on getting back to my Disney planning. But before I could do that a series of drastic changes in my life brought me to Kentucky. Once I was here my reason for wanting to go to Disney World was no longer important or relevant.

Just let me pause to say that even though I wasn't determined to go to Disney World above everything else it was still on my radar. I kept it in the back of my mind. Disney World had caught my attention and a degree of fascination about going to "see the mouse" stayed with me even though it wasn't a top priority.

In 2001 with Paula's encouragement I decided to go to a dentist and get my teeth fixed. Nearly 1/3 of them were missing including my two front teeth. In addition the teeth that I still had were loaded with cavities. Getting my teeth fixed or replace was going to be a major long term proposition.

Because I was new to the area and did not have a dentist of my own, Paula sent me to hers. His name was Dr. Timothy Whitaker. Over the next 8 months he would give me back my smile. While his professional work would make a drastic improvement in the quality of my life, his personal interests would have a life changing effect on me as well.

At that very first appointment while sitting in the waiting room I decided to read a magazine. The only one I was even vaguely interested in was a copy of Disney Magazine. It was a quarterly publication that featured articles about Disney World. An example of one of the Disney Magazine covers is at the top of this post.

I paged through the magazine and skimmed some of the articles. They focused on the most recently released Disney movies or spotlighted a popular Disney World resort, restaurant, or attraction. I read some of the letters to the editor. They were written by Disney fans who shared their magical experiences they had in the Florida parks or with something Disney at home. Reading these things sparked something deep inside of me that I had forgotten about. It reignited my Disney flame.

Soon I learned that the reason the copies of Disney Magazine were in the waiting room was because Dr. Whitaker was a big Disney fan. Almost as soon as I sat down in the examination chair we started talking about Walt Disney World and for the last 10 years we haven't stopped.

Although I'd had a peripheral on going interest in Disney ever since August 1997 I can pinpoint the start of my current period interest (you could very easily call it a "period of obsession") in my life to the day I picked up that copy of Disney Magazine and met my new dentist.

Over the last decade everytime I go to see Dr. Whitaker, usually about 3 or 4 times a year, we share something about Disney. It could be a conversation about the latest Disney World news, plans for an up coming trip to Orlando, a book, magazine article, a referal to a newly discovered Disney website, or podcast. Whether my interest in Disney was "hot" or "cold" (there was a time around 2007/2008 that I was upset with Disney World for it's wedding policy but I'll save that for a different post) my dentist and I always connected through our common bond. 

So there you have it some of the backstory about how I came to be as crazy about Disney as I am. Since that day in 2001 in the dentist's office I have visited Disney World twice and spend countless hours studying and learning about it's history, magic and more. Whenever I come across something I think Dr. Whitaker would be interested I make a note of it or put it aside to make sure the next time I go to get my teeth cleaned I'll be able to share it with my Disney Dentist.

September Temptations

My Favorite View From The Fifties Building

One of the things about being a fan of Walt Disney World is that very soon after a vacation there you begin to think about going back. This can happen at any time after you leave South Florida; perhaps as early as when you're driving away. 

It's been 8 months since my last trip to Disney and I've been thinking about going back ever since.

I've written about our plans for our next Disney vacation; an anniversary cruise on "The Dream". But I'd also love to go back to the parks as well. 

In a perfect world I'd vacation in WDW every year. But of course the cost to go makes that almost impossible. Unless you want to put yourself into debt and charge the trip on a credit card (making the cost of your trip even more because you pay interest); you have to plan and save to pay for the vacation up front.

The main reason we went last September was because of special hotel discounts and free dining plan that was offered by Disney on dates that included my birthday.   

Yesterday I heard the news that Disney is offering the dining plan free between August 24 and September 24. Again, those dates include my birthday. I couldn't help myself. My heart started beating a little bit faster and the Disney fanatic in me immediately asked, Is it possible I could find myself looking out over the bowling pin pool at the Pop Century resort on my 51st birthday like I did on my 50th (see picture above)? "Could this discount be enough to get the wife to agree to go to Walt Disney World again this year?"

Sadly the answer is "no." The only way she would go again this year is if the entire trip was free and included airfare. She wouldn't pass that up. This is why I enter every Disney vacation giveaway sweepstakes that I see or hear about. But like they say on commercials aimed at kids on Saturday mornings: "Millions enter, few win." But I digress.

Take my reaction to the news of the free dining offer at Walt Disney World and multiply it by millions of Disney fans all over the country and throughout the world. This discount is going to result in thousands of families deciding to come to Disney World because it "saves them money". This is the motive behind the promotion and it will work.  

Like I said, I could never convince my wife to spend our vacation money on going to Disney World again this year. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't be willing to, at least, plead my case with her if there the cost  was the same or less than going somewhere else. The late summer "free dining" promotion pushes the cost in that direction...but not anywhere near enough.

So thanks for the momentary rush of excitement, Disney Travel Company. You got me thinking about coming back to "Mickey's house" much sooner than realistically possible. But you've also got me doubting the "across the board" validity of one of Walt's most infamous quotes: "If you can dream it, you can do it." Well, in some cases that's not true; especially when you did it last year.