Walt Disney World: It's Not Just for Kids » Nostalgia

Magical Blogorail Green: Most Missed Attractions

Hedy — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 11:00:51 +0000

Welcome to those of you joining me from A Disney Mom’s Thoughts and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the final stop on our Magical Blogorail.

For my most missed attraction, I chose that Tomorrowland classic, Delta Dreamflight! I have to point out that this favorite is something that pegs me as being a “young adult” Disney fan-many of you might remember its predecessor, If You Had Wings, However, I never saw that version.

I loved Dreamflight! I am a big fan of travel and flying (looking back on it, I loved it on my first trip in 1993, when I had been on an airplane once-to get to WDW). I loved being able to ride through all the places of the world-seeing the people in France or Japan.

On my first trip, I really liked the orderly-ness of the conveyor belt rides, so I was find of it for that reason. I was also a big fan of Delta in 1996-both because our trip was through them and because this was back in the day when Delta had child-specific materials and I got a regular magazine from Delta.

In a way, I feel like the whole Delta sponsored thing was kind of a relic, both in terms of Delta having the dough to sponsor an attraction, and an attraction being so heavy-handedly advertising. Can you imagine the internet uproar if Southwest opened such a ride today?

However, all good things must come to an end, and by my trip in 2002, I found that Buzz Lightyear had replaced my dream flight. I love Buzz, but sometimes I wish I could re-live the days of flying through the world no TSA screening required.

Thank you for joining Magical Blogorail Green this month. We will be back September 23^rd with an all new theme. Keep checking in with our blogs in between loops to keep up to date with our Disney info, photos and stories. If you are looking for more Disney magic, you can make your way over to The Magical Blogorail website to see all our members and their blogs, as well as all our previous loops.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1st Stop ~ Your Highway in the Sky
2nd Stop ~ Magical Days with the Mouse
3rd Stop ~ Adventures of a Disney Princess
4th Stop ~ A Disney Mom’s Thoughts
Final Stop ~ Walt Disney World: Not Just for Kids

Wordless Wednesday: March 30, 2011

Hedy — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:58:00 +0000

Wonder of Life Pavilion-March 2006

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Wordless Wednesday: February 23, 2011

Hedy — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:01:05 +0000

Coupon at Minne's House at the late Toowntown Fair-Dec 2010

See, even Minnie clips coupons. See all Wordless Wednesday posts.

The Disney Club….

Hedy — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 22:21:27 +0000

I was doing some cleaning today (I was inspired by the Petermans). I came across a brochure for the Disney Club. No not the Disney Vacation Club, the Disney Club. My research seems to indicate this club took place in 2000 (as such, I have no clue why I have the brochure, I wasn’t 18 until 2002).

Now, I’d heard of its predecessor, the Magic Kingdom Club. I remember reading about it in the guidebooks I read before my first trip in 1993. With the Disney Club, you paid $39.99 a year. Apparently, they were connected to the Entertainment Book people. What did you get? According to what I gleaned from the pamphlet and the article in MousePlanet, you got:
* Special discounts on selected Disney books, CDs, home videos & DVDs (one could argue that the Disney Visa has this benefit as well)
* Discounts on merchandise from the Disney Store, some stores at Disneyland & Walt Disney World (one could argue that the Disney Visa, DVC owners and AP holders get various forms of this benefit as well)
* Access to a special Members Only website containing dining, hotel, leisure & retail discounts across the country. (Maybe Disney Visa?)
* Discounts on select theatrical performances (Once again, available to Disney Visa holders)
* A special “The Disney Club” inaugural Pen (ooh, shiny)
* Member-only Coupons (for what, I wasn’t told)
* Special package deals on Disneyland & Walt Disney World Resort vacations
* A preview of the new Disney’s California Adventure park (which opens in the Spring of 2001) (Ok, now this sounds cool).
* Discounts on selected Disneyland & Walt Disney World multi-day admission tickets and annual passes
* Annual subscription to Disney Magazine

I know that the Disney Visa pretty much took the place of it, but I wonder why Disney discontinued it. It seems like it would be an easy way to get $40 from people, and might be easier than a credit card in terms of mass appeal

Pressed pennies…

Hedy — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 10:57:51 +0000

I am a really big fan of collecting pressed pennies when I am at Walt Disney World. They are a fun collectible which is affordable. Case in point-on my trip in December 2007, I got an MGM Studios pressed penny for a mere $.51. As the park was being re-named Disney’s Hollywood Studios in literally days, it was a wicked easy way to pick up a bit of Disney nostalgia. If you are an adult who is traveling to Disney World and are feeling somewhat self-conscious about engaging in the more conspicuous hobbies of autograph hunting, or pin or Vinylmation trading, the limited interaction which comes with a pressed penny may be more your speed.

For those of you who are wondering, here is proof that it is, in fact, legal to press pennies. Additionally, if you’d like a small coincidence in your day-pressed pennies debuted at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, IL. Walt Disney’s father, Elias Disney, worked on construction of the fair. For more information on the Exposition, I cannot recommend Erik Larsen’s book Devil in the White City highly enough.

I keep my pressed pennies in a pressed penny book. These are easily gotten at most shops in Disney World. This is a fairly slim book (about the size of an autograph book), easily slipped into your park bag. I always get at least one pressed penny to place on my dad’s grave when I get home. You can either pick out a theme to go with (if you are really hardcore, Allears.net has a list of all pressed penny locations, and PennyCollector.com has one which includes Universal Orlando)or just collect them wily-nilly. I usually go with the theme of “ooh, that looks cute.”

Much like trading Disney pins, the quest for pressed pennies require some at home preparation. The first step is to save up your pennies and quarters. I dump all of my change into an old Magic Kingdom popcorn bucket. A couple of weeks before my trip, I pick out the quarters and pennies. Quarters are good to go as is, but pennies usually need to be polished. Personally, I prefer to put my effort into cleaning my pennies as opposed to looking for pre-1982 pennies. Hands down, the best stuff out there for penny cleaning is Barkeeper’s Friend, which is easily available at most grocery stores for under $4. Just rub the pennies with the paste and they will quickly get shiny. Next, you need to get a mini m&m’s tube (it needs to be empty, so you should probably eat the candy. Oh, the sacrifices you make for a Disney vacation ;) ). Fill the tube quarter, quarter, penny; quarter, quarter, penny. When you see a pressed penny machine, you just pull out your tube, and bam! You’re all set to make a pressed penny.

Are you a pressed penny fan?

Five Weird Things You’ll find in my Park Bag

Friday Favorites: Downtown Disney!

Hedy — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:41:22 +0000

I’ve been a fan of Downtown Disney (DTD) since it was Disney Village Marketplace. Being that our customary hotel was Dixie Landings, a boat ride down the Sassagoula to eat and shop was always a part of my Disney vacations.

I love the food opportunities at Downtown Disney. Not only do they feature an immense number of my favorite restaurants, but the options are more diverse than in many other areas and feature a great deal of money-saving options if you are paying out of pocket for food. My picks are Planet Hollywood (where you can use the $15 voucher you got in your package) and Earl of Sandwich (where you can get a big sandwich for only $5.95). However, there are also several restaurants which are popular such as Rainforest Cafe, Raglan Road, and House of Blues.

Shopping at Downtown Disney is great. I love the World of Disney, Goofy’s Candy Kitchen, and Basin.

Friday Favorites: Figment!

Hedy — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:48:18 +0000

Because, with F-I-G-M-E-N-T, you can see things differently! I cannot think of a Disney character whom I fell more in love with at first sight in the character up to that point in my Disney lifestyle. On my very first trip in April of 1993, my parents and I went on what was then the Journey into Imagination ride. When I came off, I asked my mother if the cat who had disappeared before we left* didn’t come home, if we could get a Figment. I remember being so enthralled by Figment that I did not want to see Captain EO. I ended up getting a small stuffed Figment at the Grand Floridian later that trip.

I love Figment-he’s purple, fun and cute. We went on Journey into Imagination again in 1996, and I still loved him. Then, on our trip in 2002, a terrible thing happened. We went to the Imagination! pavilion, and there was no Figment! I suppose it was a blessing in disguise, as it saved me from ever having to experience the Millenium Journey into Imagination.

Truth be told, I think on my trip in 2006 I was as excited about the Journey into Imagination as I was Philharmagic or Expedition Everest. While there was no Dream Finder, my Figment was back!

Truth be told, I think Figment is a perfect example of what can happen when Disney does everything right. In 1983, they created a character who was unique to the theme parks. This led into merchandising for this character. In 1998, they tried a new version of the ride sans Figment. When they had negative responses, they brought Figment back. As such, Figment manages to bridge a gap between nostalgia for the Epcot Center days, and being novel enough to keep people coming back. Figment and Dean Finder (I mean Dream Finder) keep on popping up on Epcot merchandise, which means to me that Disney does have an interest in revering its olden days.

*Megan appeared about a day after we got home from that trip, and lived for another decade after that.

Earth Day Turns 40 on April 22, 2010

Hedy — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 23:38:49 +0000

Happy Earth Day, everyone! Earth Day is 40 years old today(And Animal Kingdom is twelve years old), and I thought it would be topical to discuss some of Disney’s environmental practices. I do think there are of a greater interest to adults than to children, as these practices may affect how people spend money at Disney.

The first thing that springs to my mind when discussing Disney and the environment is the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF). The DWCF turns fifteen this Earth Day. Even if you have not heard of them, you most likely have seen the ubiquitous buttons around Disney World. An impressive and diverse number of projects are funded by the DWCF every year.

It seems to be that the hospitality industry is taking the “green” movement by storm, and Walt Disney World hotels are no exception. In fact, all 23 of the Walt Disney World resort hotels, as well as the Vero Beach resort, are “green” under the Florida Green Lodging Program . Energy efficient appliances and light bulbs, reusing towels and linens are all part of this program. (As an aside, I’m bemused that leaving your towel on the floor inadvertently leads to a green certification.) I’m also forced to smirkingly ponder if the “official line” on not bringing back refillable mugs could be flexed to be more enviromentally friendly. (I buy new mugs, but you have to admit that using one refillable mug over three trips is more environmentally sound than using three mugs over three trips.)

Boy oh, boy, Disney World sure is all green and eco-friendly, right? I think Disney’s going with “Green” because it brings in money, and I do think they care about their animals. However, some parts of Disney World look like what Disney World would look like if tourists went the way of the Roanoke Colonists. I’m hesitant to link to some blogs regarding these, as I don’t like to promote people acting like irresponsible idiots. Discovery Island was closed shortly after Animal Kingdom opened. It is now abandoned, and still has some things intact. Another creepily abandoned area at Disney World is River Country. Check out the “green” recycle sign on the ground. While I never went to River Country, I do have nostalgia for it, as my parents and brothers went there on the Disney trip they took before I was born. The easiest source of creepy Disney is Pop Century’s Legendary Years. When you’re staying at the Classic Years, you can see across to a very depressing hotel.

So there you go. I’m not sure if I believe Walt Disney World is wholly green, but that’s just me.

Wordless Wednesday April 14, 2010

Hedy — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 05:14:33 +0000

Once again, this week’s Wordless Wednesday features a piece of WDW Past-Ariel’s Grotto, which closed on Monday.

Ariel's Grotto October 2009

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WDW Not Just for Kids Review: “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World”

Hedy — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 23:25:42 +0000

I got out to the “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World” exhibit at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, MA today. I loved it, and highly recommend you go if you’re in the area. after all, it’s free. Even if you’re not a hard core Muppet fan, seeing Kermit, Ernie, Rowlf, and Mahna in person is wicked cool.

Kermit the Frog-from open.salon.com/blog/shiral/top_rated

You start off seeing a timeline of Jim Henson’s life. While a lot of the dates were not that interesting, two things stood out to me. Muppet Vision 3-D was the last project worked on by Jim Henson-cool, huh? Also, Henson passing away in 1990-I still remember being six years old when it happened and being devastated by his death.

The first puppet you see is Kermit the frog. The pictures and journal pages which surround it are fascinating. They show some characters that Jim Henson had pitched for Chrysler at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City. It didn’t happen, and I can’t be the only person wondering what would have happened if he had met Walt Disney there.

From there, you went into the room with some 1970′s Muppet Show stuff. Having had the good fortune to big-kid sit a kid who loved the Muppets, I was familiar with Hey Cinderella. The monster who takes Cinderella to the ball, was in pictures, and you could see the King puppet.

From there, there was a Rowlf with a piano. A poster discussed how Kermit and Rowlf puppets by Ideal Toys were marketed with Kermit and Rowlf selling themselves in puppet form. Apparently Henson then strongly opposed this practice, and was certain to avoid it with Sesame Street Marketing later on.

There were then some more Muppet Show pictures and stuff. You then got into Sesame Street. Bert and Ernie were there-did you know that Bert and Ernie were based on Jim Henson and Frank Oz? The concept art for The King of Eight was included.

The exhibit ended discussing the Dark Crystal and Fraggle Rock. It also discussed Muppet Vision 3-D accompaniment, The Muppets at Walt Disney World and Muppet Vision 3-D being the last project worked on by Jim Henson.

On the whole, I loved the exhibit. I highly recommend it for all ages. The multimedia parts were well-done. While I know this was “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World,” I would have liked it if they’d touched on some stuff that happened after he died. I think information about The Muppet Christmas Carol and other films by Brian Henson would have fascinated the viewers. Also, some information about how the Muppets ended up as the faces of “Give a Day, Get a Day” could be interesting.