Disney AnonyMouse

How to Cheer up After Leaving Disney World

2008-06-14T08:01:43Z

I found this on WikiHow. I am not sure I agree with #5. I don't see me ever getting tired of Disney!

3-D Disney

2008-06-07T08:28:46Z

I just re-installed Google Earth. (I installed it when it first came out but in changing computers just never got it back!) The latest version is soooo much better than the original. For example, you can run a flight simulator within Google Earth, view photos that users have uploaded and best of all, explore Walt Disney World in 3-D!

I will warn you that Google Earth is kinda memory intensive and there is a slight learning curve to make it do what you want it to do. But still worth every penny! (It's FREE!) So download it here and try it out.

Technology Rocks!

2008-05-28T17:25:40Z

I just found out today about the coolest website. It is www.twisney.com. This website marries Twitter (my newest favorite thing!) and Disney (my all-time favorite thing!). This site has people sending tweets (see Twitter in Plain English) about what they are doing at Walt Disney World. Twisney then maps those to Microsoft Virtual Earth maps to show you where the person is or where they wish they were. But be forewarned: it can be addicting!!

Disney Housing Project

2008-04-13T07:29:14Z

The Orlando Sentinel reported in March that Disney is seeking rezoning and de-annexing on what used to be the Osprey Ridge Golf Course. The plan is to build single-family homes, multi-family homes, condos and time-share units in this area. Read the story here.

New Movies Planned for 2011

2008-03-09T11:59:42Z

Just read that Disney has announced some new movies in the works for release in 2011. I know you are probably thinking "I don't plan that far ahead!" Well, it just gives us something to look forward to!

Here's the scoop: Cars 2 is a long shot (it wasn't that successful in the theaters). Pirate 4 is already in the works with a storyline focusing on everyone's favorite pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow. TRON may turn out to be a remake instead of a sequel. Guess we will have to wait and see on that one.

But here is the best news of all (at least for me!).... National Treasure 3! I loved the first 2 and can't wait to see where they go this time. Rumor is they may be searching for Atlantis and a lost power source that is pure and clean and will put an end to global warming. Wouldn't that be great?

I would love to see a ride based on National Treasure at Disney World. Maybe they could make that part of Disney's Night Kingdom. (oops! that's another blog post altogether!)

Innovative? Ya Think?

2008-03-09T11:47:51Z

Fast Company magazine has named the Disney Company as #14 in the world's 50 most innovative companies. Of course, we have known for years how innovative Disney is. Pixar cofounder Ed Catmull, now president of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, says Disney has brought back the interplay between art and technology that is the rich tradition of the company.

Disney World Video

2008-03-09T11:47:33Z

I was just over on YouTube and found this video. This guy has really captured the essence of Walt Disney World in a beautiful video...

See Your Name on the Disneyland Sign!

2008-03-09T11:47:19Z

A friend recently sent me this link. It is a fun little way to see your name (or anything else you care to type) on the sign at Disneyland.

You Can Do WHAT?! at Disney World?

2008-01-09T11:27:14Z

When you think of Walt Disney World, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Mickey Mouse? Space Mountain? Fun resorts? Parasailing?

WHAT?!? Parasailing? Yes, parasailing. I'll bet there are dozens of things you can do at the World that you never knew. Here are a few of my favorites.

Parasailing
You can book a parasailing adventure on Bay Lake leaving from the Contemporary Resort.

Horesback Riding
Enjoy a leisurely ride through lush pines at Fort Wilderness.

Segway Tour
There are now 2 locations to experience riding a Segway: Epcot and Fort Wilderness.

Miniature Golf
Now I know you are probably thinking, "I can do that at home." But Disney's 2 courses are like nothing you have seen at home!

Drive a Race Car
At the Richard Petty Driving Experience you can take a spin around the track in a real Nascar race car. Depending on how much you want to spend, you can ride with a professional driver or drive yourself.

I'm Back!

2008-03-09T11:46:14Z

Ok. New Year's Resolution: I am going to blog at least once a week!! Please, hold me to it! I guess I really haven't found my focus yet but will do so this year. There are so many great blogs and websites out there about Disney that I sometimes feel inadequate. I only know I love Walt Disney World. My favorite thing to do is plan Disney vacations so maybe I will just give you some of my favorite itenararies for various times of the year.

Anyway, I hope your Christmas was very blessed and your New Year prosperous!!

Top 3 Ways to Avoid a Crowd at Disney World

2008-03-09T11:45:38Z

There are many ways to avoid the crowds at the World. I am going to give you my top 3 in a countdown.

#3. Don't Go! Of course this is not even an option! So my real #3 way to avoid crowds is to use the FastPass system. FastPass is Disney's way of jumping to the head of the line. Insert your admission ticket into one of the FastPass machines at any of the rides that have them and you will receive a FastPass with a time window on it. Come back during that time window and go straight to the FastPass line. The FastPass riders are given priority for getting on the ride. The wait time for returning FastPass riders is usually 5-10 minutes.

There are a few restrictions when using a FastPass. They must be used within the time frame printed on the ticket and on the same day you received the FastPass. You are only allowed to hold a limited number of FastPass tickets at one time. For example, if you get a FastPass for Mission:Space, you must wait until the time printed on the Mission:Space FastPass ticket before you can get your FastPass for Test Track.

#2. Visit the theme parks on their "off" days. Certain parks are historically busier on certain days of the week. The Magic Kingdom is busiest on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Epcot's busy days are Wednesday and Friday. For MGM Studios, avoid Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. And Animal Kingdom is most crowded on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. I have always planned my visits accordingly and never run into huge crowds.

#1. The very best way to avoid crowds at Disney World is to go in what Disney refers to as Value Season. The absolute least crowded times at Disney are September and January. Although the park hours are shortened somewhat at these times, the lack of crowds mean you are able to see just about everything you want without any wait times. The next best times to go are the first of October up til the week before Thanksgiving and the first couple of weeks in December. December is a really great time to go since all the Christmas decorations are up and of course on selected dates the Magic Kingdom hosts Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!

The most crowded time at Disney World is the week between Christmas and New Year's. So if you love being in a crowd, by all means go then! It is a very festive time and a great Christmas present!

Babysitting with Disney

2008-03-09T11:44:10Z

Ok, so I'm a terrible blogger. But sometimes life just jumps right in front of you and you can't get around it, under it, or over it -- you just have to go through it.

Last weekend, my granddaughter Kaylee spent the night. At 3 years old, she is more than a handful! The one time I was able to get her to sit still was when we watched my DVR'ed shows about Disney from the Travel Channel. She sat in my lap and was mesmerized! "I wanna do that, Mamaw!" "I wanna go there." "I wanna be a princess." And when I asked which princess, she said "Yes". "Do you want to be Ariel?" "Yes" "Do you want to be Cinderella?" "Yes" "Do you want to be Belle?" "Yes"

I guess when we take her to Disney, she can be a different princess everyday! I feel like she is still a little too young to really enjoy it (and Mamaw is still a little to out of shape to keep up with her!), so we plan to take her October, 2008. She will be 4 1/2 by then and thanks to Jenny Craig, I should be about 60 pounds lighter!

Dreamfinder Lives Again!

2008-03-09T11:43:22Z

One of my best memories of my first trip to the World back in 1994 was Journey Into Imagination. This was the one everyone longs for: Dreamfinder and Figment. (And yes, I have a stuffed Figment. My granddaughter and I fight over it every time she comes over. I always win!)

To get to the point, the good folks over at Magical Mountain have released a new DVD in honor of Epcot's 25th anniversary. It is Epcot's Journey Into Imagination - 25th Anniversary Collectors Edition. It is a 2-disc set that is chock full of Disney goodness.

Hop on over there and check it out!

Animal Kingdom

2008-03-09T11:42:49Z

I recently picked up The Imagineering Field Guide to Disney's Animal Kingdom. This is a book written by the Imagineers who designed and built Disney's Animal Kingdom. I was there in September, 2006 and I gotta tell you - it was hot! And I don't mean in a Paris Hilton sort of hot. I mean the temps were in the 90's and the humidity was horrible and we only stayed for about 5 hours. The foliage denied any breeze that attempted to cool things down and I was miserable.

HOWEVER - after reading just the first 50 pages or so of this little book, I can't WAIT to get back there in a cooler season. The attention to detail is amazing! I didn't even notice when I was there that the various retail outlets are themed to a specific type of animal. For example, Creature Comforts features animals and insects with spots or stripes. Zebras, tigers, ladybugs, bumblebees and cheetahs can all be found in or around this shop.

There is one place in the Tree of Life Gardens that you can peep through the holes that were "bored" by bugs (at least that is the story) and each hole you peep through focuses on a specific animal on the Tree of Life.

After reading through just a part of this book, I really want to get back there and spend alot more time. Oh, and I'm definitely taking this book with me!

Walt Disney World to Go -------->

2008-03-09T11:38:00Z

One of the coolest things I have found for Walt Disney World planning is the applications that are available for you if you have a cellphone that can access the web or a PDA.

PocketDisney has several things that are very useful including a countdown clock for you desktop, maps and park info for download to your PDA, and a toolbar for your browser.

eGuides to Go has a condensed guide to WDW, a live entertainment guide, and menus for iSilo (for Palm, PocketPC, Windows CE and Handheld PC OS), and Plucker format for Palm OS devices. They also have a version for iPods that have the Notes function.

And finally, for those using TouringPlans.com, you can download those plans to your PDA or SmartPhone using GnoMobile.com.

More Great Websites

2008-02-24T18:58:02Z

A great website for planning what to do at Walt Disey World is Steve Soares Entertainment site. Steve keeps an updated listing of all the showtimes for all the shows at the World, including the street entertainment. You may find shows you didn't even know existed!

Looking for something to do while standing in line? Check out Steve Barrett's Hidden Mickey Guide. He has documented hundreds of hidden Mickeys throughout WDW.

Another great planning guide is Jennifer and Dave Marx's place over at PassPorter. I took a PassPorter with me on my last trip. And my Mom was able to decide ahead of time what to ride using the PassPorter's Walt Disney World For Your Special Needs.

And the best way to plan all your dining reservations is at PSCalculator.net.

As a side note, this blog has nothing to do with Disney but the guy is funny with a capital F!

Some Great Websites...

2008-03-09T11:38:46Z

Today, I wanted to share a few of my favorite Disney websites with you. One of the best is AllEarsNet. Here you will find photos of all the resorts, including each category of room. There are also photos of all the different rides and the cars that you ride in. The site also includes menus from each of the dining locations in Walt Disney World including the prices. For trip planning, you can't find a more informative spot!

Another great site is The Dis. This site always has the latest news about what is happening at the World. There are some great weekly features and one of the best discussion forums you will ever find.

For money-saving ideas, head over to Mousesavers. They have discount codes as well as tips on keeping your costs down while vacationing.

Tomorrow I will tell you about some of my other favorite websites - these are my top picks for planning what to do at the World!

What Are Your Magic Stories?

2008-03-09T11:41:50Z

One of my favorite weekly articles about Disney is called Mouse Matters. It is written by a pediatrician over on The Dis. Last week (indulge me, I'm a little behind on my reading), Dr. Mike Patrick was asking for stories about the magic of Disney. His premise is that some of the cast members are slightly less magic-makers than they were before 9/11. So he is looking for stories that contradict that thought. If you have a magical story you would like to share with him, you can send it to 101magicalmoments@gmail.com.

One of his other points is that we can share the magic wherever we are: at home, on the job, in our communities. I am with him 100%! I vow to share that Disney magic with everyone (whether they want it or not!).

Pirates.... Argh!

2008-03-09T11:41:14Z

Ok! I know the critics hated it. But I loved the latest Pirates movie - Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End. Johnny Depp will go down in history as Captain Jack Sparrow, even though he has done dozens of other movies and characters. I guess only the oldest of us will even remember 21 Jump Street!

Keith Richards as Jack's dad was a perfect bit of casting. And if you haven't seen the movie yet, I won't spoil the ending, but we are wide open for more adventures.

You know, Disney didn't quite hit the mark with the Haunted Mansion movie, but they really nailed it with the Pirates movies. I was thinking of other rides they could make into a movie. Don't hit me, but I think the next obvious choice is it's a small world.

What do you think?

Great Hotels

2008-03-09T11:40:22Z

I just love the Travel Channel. And when you include WDW, it's just over the top. There are several shows coming up that I thought you might like to know about. Great Hotels with Samantha Brown has 3 shows about Disney resorts: 5/29 - Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, 5/31 - Animal Kingdom Lodge, and 6/8 - Yacht and Beach Club Resorts. All of these shows are on at noon eastern time. I already have my DVR set to record all three!

Travel Channel has several other shows that will give you a sneak peek at WDW. Click here to see a listing along with lots of other stuff on their website about the World.