MiceChat - Blogs http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/ MiceChat is a Disney theme parks news blog, and discussion forum. We love Disney, so visit MiceChat to see the latest Disney park information and news! en Thu, 17 May 2012 02:36:27 GMT vBulletin 60 http://micechat.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg MiceChat - Blogs http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/ Taking Tickets And Issuing Costumes with Christa! http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/mouth-of-the-mouse/3440-taking-tickets-issuing-costumes-christa.html Tue, 15 May 2012 11:54:44 GMT


Hello, and welcome to this week's 'From The Mouth Of The Mouse!'

Each week, we spotlight a different Cast Member story to give you more insight into some of your favorite attractions, resorts, and movies from all over the Walt Disney Company.

This week, we talk to Christa. Christa worked as a Ticket Taker at Disneyland for a few years before transferring over into Ops Costuming! Now, her fellow Cast Members are her 'guests,' and she tells us how she tries to make their day brighter.

Here's Christa!


JEFF: How did your love of Disney start to begin with?

CHRISTA: I'm not sure that I even realized that I was in love with Disney when I was a kid. The first movie I saw in a theater was Mary Poppins. Perhaps that was the beginning of the fascination. When I was old enough to hang around with my girlfriends, my mom would drop us off at Disneyland for the day. She felt that this was a safe place for us. Of course, this was way back in the days of ticket books. We paid to get in & then sparingly used our lettered tickets. I guess I started some of the "traditions" (that I still follow to the letter today) back then. I had to find Mickey & at least wave. I had to take my photo posing with the Indian figure on Main Street. I now consume a white chocolate chip cookie each visit because they no longer serve Fantasia ice cream. A grand tour aboard the DRR is an enjoyable must. I used the park to hang out in much like kids use the mall these days.

JEFF: I wish the mall I hung out in as a kid was as cool as Disneyland! Now, you told me you worked in the Disney Store in Oregon when you grew up and moved. Was working there your way of staying close to Disney, even though you were a few states away?

CHRISTA: In 1994, I was fortunate enough to be among the select Opening Cast for the Disney Store in Eugene, Oregon. It was the most amazing experience. We had a Traditions class in the store prior to opening. We competed against other stores to beat the standing record to unload & move in all the merchandise from the trucks & on to the floor. On opening day, Pixie Dust was freely sprinkled everywhere. Two characters (from Disneyland), came up to add to the opening festivities & spread true Disney magic.

Back then we were still owned by Disney, so everything was infused with the culture & history. The store definitely made Eugene the place to get a Disney fix if you couldn't get to the park. Because I was raised in the park (or at least it felt like it), I was one of the "go to" cast members who guests sought out to ask all their park-going questions. I loved being an ambassador of sorts. It was really a great feeling when they would stop in the store after their trip & tell me the highlights. I was there during the 10th anniversary of the Stores & still have the poster with each CMs name listed.



JEFF: After that, you moved back to California to follow your dream of working at Disney. I know you said it took awhile before you were hired. How did you feel when you were finally accepted into the role?

CHRISTA: I was floored when I got the email requesting I call to set up an interview appointment in July 2010. I applied the September before & just waited until the interview came. Thanks to my brothers, I was living above their garage in Atascadero, which is about 4 hours north. Commuting would be out of the question, obviously. For the interview, I chose to make a long weekend of it & play in the parks too, so I took the train down instead of driving. It was the best ride ever as I got more excited with each mile passing. At the end of the interview, I was offered the role of a Ticket Taker. WooHoo! It was rather like a balloon might feel when being inflated.

Then the recruiter went on to say that there wasn't a position in that role right then & I would be notified of a start date as soon as a position became available. It was rather like having the air escape out of the once inflated balloon. So close, and yet... It ended up being the longest 3 months of my life, waiting to get the next email telling me when my Traditions class would be held. I packed my car, zoomed down to a motel for the weekend during the classes. When I checked out on Monday, I had a role of a lifetime & nowhere to live. Definitely a leap of faith.

JEFF: How did this Disney Traditions differ from the Disney Store one?

CHRISTA: Disney is a culture. While you might not think about how it touches your life day to day, it does have an impact on you. As a huge company, because it is so diversified, one might think that a single person (employee) might get lost. For me, Traditions class is the life preserver that you can cling to so you don't ever feel lost or little. Everyone starts out in a role. However, there are no "small" roles. You're right that the two Traditions classes differed a bit. The one for the Stores covered the basics of the consumer culture & how the store would impact the community & our guests. We were given an overview of the business based upon the goods we were selling. The Traditions for the Resort was a more in depth view of the Disney Company, its roots, its growth & its many divisions that symbiotically exist today. The average guest has really high expectations for their park experience based upon other Disney interactions. We have a huge standard to uphold. I'm reminded every day how cool it is to be a Cast Member at the Happiest Place on Earth. There are lots of folks who would love to be able to spread the magic while continuing to deliver a fantastic consumer product.



JEFF: Tell me a little bit about working as a ticket taker. What was a typical day like? Any time you went out of your way to try to make a guests' time more magical?

CHRISTA: Being a Ticket Taker (the role is now called Park Greeter) was an amazing experience. True, it was often too hot, too cold, or both during the shift, but it was never boring. I loved being able to chat with the guests. For the most part, they are still pumped up & ready to attack their day. The first timers were so much fun as they usually had lots of questions & thankfully for me, I had lots of answers & tips to pass along.

There really isn't a typical day as each shift was unique & challenging. If you were a Ticket Taker for the shift, you were deployed to a gate in either Disneyland or Disney California Adventure to take tickets or stamp the hands of guests exiting. Sometimes you were in one park for an hour, only to be sent to the other one after your break & back to the other park after your lunch. There was a lot of walking across the Esplanade north or south to the Parks. If you were a Guest Screener (the ones who look in bags, purses, etc.), the same type of deployment would happen, only it was East to West to the green tents.

Sometimes the shift would be at the entrance from the Grand Californian hotel into Disney California Adventure or at the Monorail station in Downtown Disney. You stayed in that area the entire shift, however you rotated between bag screening, ticket taking & hand stamping. I liked working those satellite areas. A little quieter than the main gates of the Parks, so your time with the guests could be a bit longer & even more magical.

I tried to go out of my way to spread the magic every shift. It didn't always happen, but hey, it was a goal & I tried. Often a Birthday button customized with their name was enough to brighten their day. I was able to hook some Australian guests up with same day reservations at the Blue Bayou. For a group from England, I suggested stopping in the Golden Horseshoe to see the Billy Hill & the Hillbillies show. Those guests went out my exit later that night & thanked me for telling them about the show as it was the highlight of their day & they never would have known about it because it wasn't a "ride." I had a stash of my own trading pins that I handed out for excellent behavior, whether it be kids or adults behavior. Sometimes simply listening to them was enough magic to make their day enjoyable.

One of my favorite shifts was New Year's Eve. I was stationed in the middle of the Esplanade directing traffic. We had stanchions & ropes to create a corridor for guests wanting to walk east to west or park to park. We had to keep these open & clear of guests all night. The fireworks were spectacular as we were in the middle of three shows. The crowd literally spun around trying to see the main show in Disneyland & still see the shows being sent off in the Paradise Pier & Hollywood Backlot areas. To be surrounded by ultra-unique fireworks was the best perk of working that night.



JEFF: So after working as a Ticket Taker, you moved over to Ops Costuming. How did you transition over there? Did you have any sort of background in that kind of role?

CHRISTA: Going from an "on stage" role to a "backstage" one has been challenging. I miss interacting with the Park Guests. Now my guests are my fellow Cast Members. I have absolutely no background for issuing costumes. I do however have many years of sorting, hanging & generally getting the wrinkles out of my own clothing. My mantra is "it's a costume, not a fashion statement."

JEFF: What are your day to day responsibilities in Costuming?

CHRISTA: The sorting, hanging, etc. I just mentioned is my typical day. We rotate between positions such as: covering the checkout area to answer questions or be at the guest service desk to resolve any costuming issues; we check each item to make sure that it is ready for the show - enough buttons, zippers that work, seams & hems intact, etc. to stocking accessories like aprons, hats, belts, & spats. Besides processing the daily deliveries of freshly cleaned costumes from the two laundry services we use, there is the unending (okay, it just seems to be unending), sorting of the costumes that are returned after shifts. There's much more, but basically we're a large team who all do everything to make sure the CMs look their best while on stage.

JEFF: You mentioned to me that your guests are now the other Cast Members. Tell me a bit about how you try to make their day brighter!

CHRISTA: We're all in the same boat & understanding that is paramount. We are told that when we walk "on stage" we are to be happy & spread the magic while leaving our real world issues backstage. Since I work "backstage," sometimes the CMs aren't in the best of moods. Late shuttle, no parking spots, too much traffic in general; whatever the real world has caused them to be late, stressed or simply tired. I try to lighten their mood with humor. Recently we've made some major changes to the Ops Costuming set up. Costume pieces that have been in one place for years are now somewhere else. This has the potential to make any CM a bit cranky. So I've been afforded the opportunity of making their time in Ops Costuming an enjoyable one. I figure if I get a smile on their face, just maybe it will still be there when they get on stage.



JEFF: Any other fun stories that you'd like to share, I'd love to hear them!

CHRISTA: I can't imagine any better way to set, attain & enjoy a life goal than to work in the Disneyland Resort. Sure, it's just another big corporation that one could feel like a drone. However, if you truly have the desire to spread magic, create memories & make dreams come true... this is where you want to be. Smack in the center of it all.

My first fun memory was the day Mickey Mouse handed me my name tag & gave me a huge hug. I still get teary eyed about it. When I started on this grand adventure, I had two goals - to work at the Parks and to earn my one year pin. Last October, Mickey was there to award me the one year pin. This presentation happened a few days after I started working in Ops Costuming. Since most of my time was in Main Gate, those managers were the ones to hand me the pin. The looks on their faces were truly memorable as I was in the "wrong" costume. Well, for them I was in the wrong one, but for me, Ops Costuming is awesome!

Thank you, Christa, for sharing with us!

Don't forget come back each week to hear more of the magic directly From the Mouth of the Mouse.


Tickets are now on sale for the

COMMUNICORE WEEKLY 38TH WEEKAVERSARY
&
EPCOT 30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!



Come celebrate EPCOT's 30th Anniversary in style with a live taping of MiceChat's Communicore Weekly! Join co-hosts Jeff Heimbuch & George Taylor, along with MiceChat's Dusty Sage, Kevin Yee, and the Communicore Weekly Orchestra, for a fun-filled night of fandom and frivolity as they tape a special hour long episode of the hit show, Communicore Weekly.

Join us on the evening of Saturday, September 29th 2912 in the Norway Pavilion Special Events Lounge in EPCOT's World Showcase for this one of a kind event!

Your ticket includes:

  • Admission into the live taping of CW in the Norway Pavilion of EPCOT (note: admission into the park is NOT included)!
  • Meet special guest, Ron Schneider, the original Dreamfinder!
  • Decadent dessert reception!
  • Short scavenger hunt hosted by Kevin Yee before the show will be available to those who would like to participate (prizes will be awarded)!
  • Prizes, giveaways and more!
  • The chance to be a part of EPCOT and Communicore Weekly history!
  • Endless Five Legged Goats and perhaps even a real life Bathroom Break!
  • Exclusive late night ride after park closing on a selected EPCOT attraction to cap off the evening!


For more tickets and more information, be sure to visit MiceChat.com/store!


By Jeff Heimbuch

If you are, or know, a Cast Member who would like to share some of their stories and possibly be featured right here on MiceChat, please email me at jeff@bamferproductions.com. I'd love to hear from you!

Jeff also writes a MiceChat column titled The 626. We invite you to check it out!

Jeff also co-hosts the VidCast Communicore Weekly on MiceTube.

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/ftmotm
SUBSCRIBE TO US ON ITUNES: iTunes - Podcasts - From The Mouth Of The Mouse by Jeff Heimbuch
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: www.twitter.com/jeffheimbuch
FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/jeffheimb ]]> Mouth of the Mouse http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/mouth-of-the-mouse/3440-taking-tickets-issuing-costumes-christa.html Avengers Merch in CityWalk, Despicable Me Store Open, Win Gatorland Tickets, More http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/orlando-parkhopper/3441-avengers-merch-citywalk-despicable-me-store-open-win-gatorland-tickets-more.html Tue, 15 May 2012 05:19:34 GMT

Are you ready for the most parkhoppy update ever from Disney World, Universal Studios Orlando, Gatorland, SeaWorld, and more? After two weeks of blockbuster numbers, you'd expect to see Avengers Merchandise popping up in the parks, but what about at CityWalk? Speaking of Universal, the brand new Despicable Me attraction is getting ready to open to guests and the first activities related to the ride are beginning to open. Next up, we take a look at the latest in the Magic Kingdom expansion and explore other little tid bits in the park. Finally we round things out with a way for you to take part in a live taping of Communicore Weekly on September 29th. And did we mention free tickets to Gatorland! You won't want to miss out on your chance to win!



SUMMER CONCERT SERIES:
Rock out this summer at Universal Studios! Select nights June 9-July 14, you can catch 7 OF MUSIC'S BIGGEST STARS performing live in the Summer Concert Series, right next to Orlando's most exciting, cutting-edge rides and attractions.

The Summer Concert Series performances are included with your admission to Universal Studios Florida.

Artists confirmed so far:
June 9: The Cast of Nickelodeon's "Victorious"
June 16: ZZ Top and 3 Doors Down
June 23: Josh Turner
June 30: Al Green
July 7: Lupe Fiasco

For more information, please visit:
http://www.universalorlando.com/Even...er/Lineup.aspx

AVENGERS IN CITYWALK:
The Avengers have invaded Universal's CityWalk.

Sadly, it's just a merchandise cart ;)

NICK STORE:
Near ET, the old Sponge Bob store is being rethemed.






DESPICABLE ME:
More walls have come down, and more signs have gone up! And Universal has been hosting a Despicable Me dance party in front of Gru's house. The characters are already meeting guest! We can't wait to see more.


The walls came down around the queue giving us a peak into the "minion training."











































Store:
Universal has already opened up the gift shop that guests pass through as they exit the attraction. It is full of great new merchandise all themed to Despicable Me.












































GATORLAND GIVEAWAY:
Our friends at Gatorland want YOU to see their unique brand of WILD Orlando fun. They've given the Orlando Parkhopper two tickets to give away. Just answer the question below in the comments section. If you answer correctly, you will be entered to win one set of TWO TICKETS into Gatorland!

Q. WHO FOUNDED GATORLAND, and IN WHAT YEAR?

Here's a hint... GATORLAND WEBSITE:


GATORLAND SLASHES PRICES FOR LOCALS:

Summer Florida Resident Special
Adults - $9.99 per Person
Children (3-12) - $9.99 per Person
Seniors (55 yrs. and older) - $9.99 per person
Offer Valid: May 5 -June 30, 2012

Proof of Residency Required, Per Adult. All rates are plus tax.

Florida residents will also be allowed to apply the cost of their admission towards the purchase of an annual pass with extended benefits that include 30% admission discounts for accompanying guests, 50% off the Adventure Hour, 20% off Rookie Wrestling Experience & in-park photography stations, 20% off Gift Shop purchases and 10% off food & beverages within the park.

At these prices, a family of four can visit Gatorland for about half the cost of ONE adult ticket at any of the larger area theme parks!

Gatorland is a 110-acre theme park and wildlife preserve, combining “Old Florida” charm with exciting new exhibits and entertainment. The park opened as a roadside attraction in 1949. Today, it provides affordable-priced family fun with thousands of alligators, crocodiles, an aviary, breeding marsh with observation tower, petting zoo, nature walk, educational wildlife programs, Gatorland award-winning gift shop, Florida’s best train-ride, restaurant, Gator Gully Splash Park and one-of-a-kind reptilian shows including the Gator Wrestlin’ Show, Gator Jumparoo and the Up-close Encounters Show. And, don’t miss the world’s largest collection of giant white alligators in the new White Gator Swamp and the all new Screamin’ Gator Zip Line featuring over 1,200 feet of high flying thrills, five intense zip lines and a massive 150 ft. suspension bridge.

To find out more about “Orlando’s only Theme Park with Bite and Attitude”, visit Gatorland online HERE or call 1-800-393-JAWS.



Summer Nights June 23 through August 12!
Summer Nights at SeaWorld is a nighttime spectacular and the best place to be when the sun sets. Celebrate summer with exciting, nighttime shows, including a high-energy, rock ‘n roll Shamu Rocks, the hysterical duo of Clyde and Seamore in Sea Lions Tonite, and Reflections, a spectacular fireworks and fountains finale. Enjoy Summer Nights at SeaWorld every evening June 23-August 12.

For more information, visit:
Summer Nights | SeaWorld Orlando



FANTASYLAND CONSTRUCTION:
The progress on the Fantasyland construction is moving along.






You can see here that they merely skinned the existing temporary structure for the circus tents.




More work is going on near the carousel


HAUNTED MANSION:
Magic Kingdom park has been conducting a test of a new Disney's Fastpass System for the past two weeks (May 1-15). Guests have been randomly selected to participate prior to their arrival at the Magic Kingdom. Participants were asked to select a FastPass itinerary based on their preferences of attractions and time of day.

Participants were given an RFID FastPass keycard that could be used based on their itinerary at the following Magic Kingdom Park attractions:


  • Buzz Lightyearís Space Ranger Spin
  • Haunted Mansion
  • Jungle Cruise
  • Mickeyís PhilharMagic
  • Peter Pan's Flight
  • Space Mountain
  • Splash Mountain
  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
  • Town Square Theater


Guests could only use the card on the date, times and attractions listed on their itinerary.

When the Guest arrives at the attraction at their predetermined time, the FastPass keycard would be scanned on the Mickey Head at the Fastpass entrance.


IT'S THE BEACON!

If the card is currently valid, the Mickey Head will light up green and the guest will be admitted. If there was an issue (wrong date/time, invalid) the Mickey Head will turn blue. The Cast Member at the entrance would then check their Tablet computer and will be able to see the issue at hand.

Also available to the Cast Member on the tablet is the Guest Name, and other minor information (if it is their Birthday/anniversary, First Visit Etc).

If the Guest needs to review their itinerary, they may check their email confirmation or visit a Fastpass Kiosk located at Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain, Mickey's PhilharMagic, Stitch's Great Escape! or Guest Relations at City Hall.










The same process would be repeated at the
merge location as well.

Do you think that this new FastPass system is a good thing? Is there too much planning already involved or would this simply add to the magic once you had arrived. What does this mean for the local, day guests?


MAIN STREET U.S.A.:
We Close with a night time look at Main Street and the refurbishments there:






The Bakery really seems to stick out with the work going on.

We LOVE Star Wars Weekends. Such a fun change of pace for the Studios park. The annual event takes place each Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 18-June 10, 2012.Here’s the scheduled celebrity lineup for Star Wars Weekends 2012 (subject to change):

Weekend 1 (May 18 – 20)
• Ray Park – (Darth Maul – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
• Jerome Blake (Rune Haako/Mas Amedda – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
• Dee Bradley Baker (voice of Clone Captain Rex and Clone Commander Cody – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Weekend 2 (May 25- 27)
• Andy Secombe (Watto – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
• Ray Park (Darth Maul – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
• Tom Kane (voice of Yoda – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Weekend 3 (June 1 -3)
• Jake Lloyd (Anakin Skywalker – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
• Silas Carson (Nute Gunray/Ki-Adi-Mundi – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
• (Star Wars: The Clone Wars voice talent – currently TBD)

Weekend 4 (June 8- 10)
• Michonne Bourriague (Aurra Sing – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
• Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett – Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi)
• Daniel Logan (Boba Fett – Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones)
• Nika Futterman (voice of Asajj Ventress – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)Activities & entertainment (subject to change)
• “Hyperspace Hoopla”: This high-energy, one-of-a-kind show is a chance to see some of the famed Star Wars characters performing like never before. It will take place on a stage in front of the Sorcerer Mickey hat on Hollywood Blvd., and is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. each event evening.
• Autograph Opportunities: As always, there is no additional charge for the celebrity autograph sessions at Star Wars Weekends.

The autograph lines will once again be handled via a FASTPASS-type system. The meet-and-greet session/autograph opportunities are extremely limited, so guests need to arrive early to receive a FASTPASS. Please refer to this link, which will take you to the official Star Wars Weekends event page on DisneyWorld.com. There, you’ll find more detailed information under “Celebrity Autographs.”

• Star-Studded Event: Keep in mind, autograph opportunities are not the only place to see the celebrities. Star Wars stars take part in fun throughout the day in Star Wars-themed talk shows, behind-the-scenes presentations, the gala “Legends of the Force” parade and more.That is all that we have so far. The weekend events and appearances can change at any time so please check back for more updated info as the events get closer.




GRAND FLORIDIAN:
We see that the vertical construction on the DVC units has begun here.














Summer Nights Returns June 9th!
Stay for an explosive encore as Busch Gardens lights up the sky every night this summer!

At Summer Nights, Cheetah Hunt after dark gives the graceful predator a new twist, and Kinetix returns for a rock-fueled blast of music and acrobatics every night on the Gwazi Park stage.

NEW this year, it’s the perfect end to the perfect evening with an amazing fireworks finale every night, right after the show.

Summer Nights runs from June 9 through August 12, 2012.

For more information, visit:
Summer Nights | Busch Gardens Tampa Bay


Epcot will be turning 30 years old this fall and MiceChat will be holding a gala event in World Showcase on September 29th. Proudly announcing . . .

EPCOT 30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!



Come celebrate EPCOT's 30th Anniversary in style with a live taping of MiceChat's Communicore Weekly! Join co-hosts Jeff Heimbuch & George Taylor, along with Kevin Yee, Dusty Sage and the Communicore Weekly Orchestra, for a fun-filled night of fandom and frivolity as they tape a special hour long episode of the hit show, Communicore Weekly. The show will be filled with Epcot history, trivia, and special guests.

Join us on the evening of Saturday, September 29th 2012 in the Norway Pavilion Special Events Lounge in EPCOT's World Showcase for this one of a kind event!

Your ticket includes:


  • Admission into the live taping of CW in the Norway Pavilion of EPCOT (note: admission into the park is NOT included)
  • Meet special guest, Ron Schneider, the original Dreamfinder
  • Decadent dessert reception
  • Short scavenger hunt event hosted by Kevin Yee before the show will be available to those who would like to participate (prizes will be awarded)
  • Prizes, giveaways and more
  • The chance to be a part of EPCOT and Communicore Weekly history
  • Endless Five Legged Goat stories and perhaps even a real life Bathroom Break
  • Illuminations viewing
  • Exclusive late night ride after park closing on a selected EPCOT attraction to cap off the evening


Fun, games, Epcot history, celebrities, and live performances of the catchy Communicore Weekly theme songs. This is an event you won't want to miss, but you'll want to act fast, there are a maximum 75 seats available.

For assistance planning your travel to this event, please contact MiceChat@FairyGodmotherTravel.com. You'll receive one free admission to this event with every room you book (minimum 3 night stay) through Fairy Godmother Travel (purchase your event ticket now and you will receive a gift card from Fairy Godmother Travel for for any free event tickets you earn).

Come early and stay late. We are also planning an early Halloween event for Friday, September 28th and a Sip and Nibble around Epcot's World Showcase for Food and Wine festival on Sunday, September 30th. More information about these two additional events will be available soon.

For more tickets and more information, be sure to visit MiceChat.com/store

Congratulations go to BrianFuchs for guessing last week's Hidden Parkhopper by posting..."Parkhopper is the costume of the baby chick character from Hop float."




Good job! Let's try this again. Look into the magnifying glass below and see if you can figure out where the park hoppers are this week. Post your guess in the comments area below. If you are the first to answer correctly, you will be featured in next week's update. GOOD LUCK!



Want to meet up with other Disney fans while at Disney World?

Several of the Orlando Parkhopper team members are part of a group that meets every weekend. Find out more about the weekly meets (often hosted by Kevin Yee) on Facebook HERE
Please join us in thanking the fantastic and talented crew of writers, photographers and news contributors who worked so hard this week to bring you the latest information from the parks.

This week's update was brought to you by Eric M. Davis (King Eric), Spark In The Dark, Aimster, Fishbulb & Dustysage

SEND US YOUR PHOTOS AND NEWS FROM THE ORLANDO PARKS - Contact Dustysage@MiceChat.com

Thank you for reading, we hope you have a wonderful week and are inspired to explore the amazing variety of attractions on your next visit to central Florida. We'd love to hear your comments below.



If you appreciate this column, share this page with your friends and don't forget to click that Facebook thumbs up button at the top of the page (it give us the encouragement to bring you even bigger and better updates)!
]]> Orlando Parkhopper http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/orlando-parkhopper/3441-avengers-merch-citywalk-despicable-me-store-open-win-gatorland-tickets-more.html <![CDATA[Carthay Circle reservations, Commercial Cars, Alice's new window, Matterhorn +MORE!]]> http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/dateline-disneyland/3436-carthay-circle-reservations-commercial-cars-alices-new-window-matterhorn-more.html Mon, 14 May 2012 08:49:07 GMT The *Disneyland Resort* is entering the final stretch of its huge five-year expansion of *Disney California Adventure* and various remodeling and... The Disneyland Resort is entering the final stretch of its huge five-year expansion of Disney California Adventure and various remodeling and expansion projects in both theme parks and in Downtown Disney. At Disneyland, the finishing touches are being applied to the Matterhorn Bobsleds as that project gets ready to emerge from a major five-month refurbishment project. Nearby, the former Carnation Plaza Gardens is undergoing demolition as it begins its conversion into the new Fantasy Faire princess meet-and-greet area. At Disney California Adventure, the park's new signature dining location, the Carthay Circle Restaurant on Buena Vista Street is now taking reservations as additional finishing touches continue to be applied throughout the new entrance plaza. In Cars Land, Disney has unveiled new restaurant menus along with the first TV commercial for the all-new 12-acre land. Meanwhile, work continues on various Downtown Disney projects, including construction on the new WonderGround Gallery next to the popular D-Street store.

Get a closer look at today's update! You can now click on any photo in today's column for a large, high-resolution version of the image.

We've got another big update this week, so let's get started!

Inside Dateline Disneyland
Sponsored by TouringPlans.com | Do More. Wait Less.




WELCOME TO DISNEYLAND!
Our friends at Touring Plans have their crowd level forecast.


It'll be another moderate crowd week at the Disneyland Resort as we entire the final month before Disney California Adenture officially relaunches on June 15. TouringPlans.com can help you navigate the parks with our per-park Crowd Calendar, Lines - Mobile Wait Times App that gives access to current and estimated wait times for attractions, and Touring Plans detailing the best plan of attack for hitting the attractions. With the big summer opening of Cars Land on the horizon, it's a good time to subscribe to TouringPlans.com to plan your strategy to avoid the crowds!

Below are the predicted resort-wide crowd numbers for select days generated by the TouringPlans professional statisticians as measured for the upcoming week. For the access to the full year and per-park crowd level predictions, visit our Crowd Calendar.

— Fred Hazelton Statistician, TouringPlans.com

RESORT-WIDE
Crowd Calendar Prediction
Crowd Tips
Tues., May 15
3/10
Here are some quick-hit notes that we hope you'll find helpful as you prepare your visits for the week:
  • Full block outs this Saturday.
  • Grad Nights continue this week.
  • Disney California Adventure's lowest day this week is Monday, when it's a 2.0 on the Crowd Calendar.
Wed., May 16
3/10
Thu., May 17
3/10
Fri., May 18
5/10
Crowd levels are based on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the least crowded conditions and 10 being most crowded.
See Disneyland crowds for the next 365 days.
Get Disneyland wait times on your iPhone, Android, or Smartphone.

Do more. Wait less.



AWARDING ALICE
A small ceremony early Thursday morning finally honored Disney Legend and Imagineer Alice Davis with her own window on Main Street, U.S.A. Alice is best known for her costuming work on classic Disneyland attractions including Pirates of the Caribbean and "it's a small world." Her new window that makes reference to her as the "Seamstress to the Stars" is located next to window dedicated to her late husband and fellow Imagineer Marc Davis. Congratulations, Alice!






More on Thursday's ceremony from the OC Register's Around Disney blog:
Disney costume designer gets Disneyland window
Every time she visited the park, Disney designer Alice Davis looked up at the Disneyland window dedicated her late husband, Marc, and noticed that the window next to it was empty.

She wanted it for herself.

On Thursday morning, Alice Davis, 83, got her wish when Disney unveiled a window in her honor, right next to that of her husband that sits above the Disneyana shop along Main Street, U.S.A. Marc Davis’ window was added in 1992.

“It’s something I will enjoy forever and ever,” Alice Davis said.

With the window, Davis received one of the highest honors bestowed to individuals by the Disneyland Resort. Roughly 75 windows are part of the five-decade tradition started by Walt Disney to honor those who have made an impact on Disneyland.

The windows dovetail into the Anytown, U.S.A feel. Davis’ window, for example, says:
“Small World costumer Alice Davis
“Seamstress to the Stars.”

Davis designed many park costumes, including many of the 150 or so dolls in the “it’s a small world” ride and those of the animatronic characters in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.

She was married to Marc Davis, an animator of movie characters, including Maleficent in “Sleeping Beauty” and Tinker Bell in “Peter Pan.” He later moved on to drawing concepts for park attractions. Marc Davis recruited Alice to design a costume for character Briar Rose that he could draw for “Sleeping Beauty.”

“That costume was exactly what he was looking for — and so was Alice,” said Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, in a speech at Thursday’s dedication ceremony.
Alice Davis’ favorite costume is that of the Pirates of the Caribbean’s redhead. She had to mold the costume to create the torso with corsets and tough plastic that would stay put as the animatronic figure moved.
[ FULL STORY ]


Video highlights of the ceremony from Disney:







MAGIC KINGDOM MAKEOVERS
Across the street from Alice Davis' new window on Main Street, work progresses at the Carnation Cafe remodel and expansion project.


The Cafe's greeter podium has returned behind construction walls.


Views from the Omnibus:


A new structure along the side of the cafe patio has gone up. Perhaps a shade structure for the outdoor queue that often forms for guests waiting to be seated?







At the end of Main Street, the Carnation Plaza Gardens continues the early stages of its transformation into the new Fantasy Faire princess meet-and-greet area.




Views of construction from the upper deck of the Omnibus





On the other side of Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Matterhorn continues to finish up its major refurbishment project. All of the mountain's waterfalls are now running again and the entire mountain looks fantastic.


Good news for Matterhorn fans, last week Disney announced the return of the Matterhorn mountain climbers starting June 15.






Disney also recently gave a look behind-the-scenes at the Matterhorn's major repainting project that was recently completed. Take a look:











In Frontierland, the Shootin' Exposition's refurbishment continues...





CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION
A look at the on-going $1 billion remodel and expansion efforts at Disney California Adventure
BUENA VISTA STREET
A look at Buena Vista Street's continued progress...




Looks like another painted sign is going up


Oswald's Filling Station




Oswald's neon












The hand-painted Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Cafe sign is up







The Carthay Circle Restaurant, DCA's new premiere dining location, is now taking reservations
Reservations Open for Carthay Circle Restaurant at Disney California Adventure Park
The exciting new Carthay Circle Restaurant opens Friday, June 15, at Disney California Adventure park, with reservations [now] open.

Recalling the grandeur of the original Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles, where “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” premiered in 1937, the Spanish Colonia Revival-style restaurant is a warm setting to showcase contemporary Southern California cuisine – seasonal, artisanal ingredients; locally sourced produce, seafood and meats; hand-crafted cocktails, and California craft beers and wines.

Award-winning Executive Chef Andrew Sutton of Napa Rose brings his second concept to the Disneyland Resort, this time focusing on seasonal products and the diverse flavors found in Southern California. His protégé, Gloria Tae, also from Napa Rose, will be at the helm of the kitchen, while Chef Andrew will split his time as executive chef between Napa Rose and Carthay Circle Restaurant. “The culinary team is a group of true artists with passion and confidence for creating delicious food,” says Sutton.

Southern California’s cultural diversity is the foundation for the global flavors. For lunch, there are delectable tastes such as crispy firecracker duck wings finished with soy, lime and Sriracha chili sauce; sautéed northern halibut with roasted red bell pepper, caperberry and orange relish; and Angus flank steak cobb salad with Mine Shaft Blue Cheese, bacon, avocado and arugula with Cabernet essence.

The dinner menu showcases entrées like Colorado rack of lamb with fried zucchini blossoms, fennel puree and summer succotash; grilled Jamaican jerked kingfish with a tropical salsa of pineapple, mango, black beans and lime; and strawberry-lemon roasted organic chicken salad with jicama, haricot verts, upland cress (greens) and buttermilk-lemon vinaigrette.

You’ll want to save room for seasonal desserts, including toasted lemon pound cake with fresh marinated blueberries, lemon curd cream and Tahitian vanilla chantilly, and “Peaches In All Their Glory” with peach and white chocolate cannolis with fresh grilled peaches and peach sorbet. (But we think the best-seller just might be the fried banana split Monte Cristo sundae with raspberry and chocolate fudge ice creams, toffee nuts and warm caramel rum bananas.)
The 256-seat restaurant (200 inside, 56 on a terrace) on the second floor of the building is open daily for lunch and dinner. Diners at Carthay Circle Restaurant can also enjoy reserved center stage viewing at the World of Color nighttime spectacular. To request reservations, call 714-781-DINE, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., or email reservation requests to dine@disneyland.com.
[ FULL STORY ]


The food at the new Carthay Circle Restaurant sounds (and looks) incredible! Firecracker Duck Wings:


Halibut Ceviche


Lobster Pad Thai Imperial Roll


Carthay Circle Restaurant's Angus flank steak cobb salad


Grilled Jamaican jerked kingfish


More on the new dining options coming to the remodeled and expanded Disney California Adventure:
New Menus, Favorite Eats At Expanded Disney California Adventure Park
“If Main Street, U.S.A., is the romanticized version of Walt Disney’s hometown, Buena Vista Street is the next chapter of Walt’s life when he came to California,” says Ray Spencer of Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI). “It’s an extension of where we started at Disneyland park . . . and now our guests can step across the plaza and get the rest of the story.”

A big part of that story was the premier of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937 at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles, and that landmark building is the inspiration for the spectacular Carthay Circle Theatre that anchors Buena Vista Street. This new landmark for Disney California Adventure park becomes one of the premier dining locations at Disneyland Resort, the Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge.

The upstairs Carthay Circle Restaurant and downstairs Carthay Circle Lounge recall the grandeur of the original theater’s 1920s Spanish Revival architecture with custom tiles, plaster arches, custom woodwork and other historic touches. The cuisine is the star of this production with artisan ingredients, locally sourced produce and seafood and meats from throughout Southern California. Executive Chef Andrew Sutton from Napa Rose at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa created the restaurant’s seasonal menu, and Chef Gloria Tae, also from Napa Rose, is at the helm in the kitchen.

“The culinary team is a group of true artists with passion and confidence for creating delicious food,” says Sutton.

Located on the second floor, the 256-seat restaurant (200 inside, 56 on the terrace) is open daily for lunch and dinner.

On the ground floor, the 68-seat Carthay Circle Lounge features cocktails from the 1920s with tableside service for signature beverages including martinis and classic punches. “The focus in the lounge is appetizers and tapas – international tastes that celebrate the diversity and heritage of Los Angeles in the 1920s and ’30s,” says restaurant manager and sommelier Joy Cushing.
Hours for both the restaurant and lounge are 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.


More Eats on Buena Vista Street
Buena Vista Street also offers three spots for quick bites: Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe; Mortimer’s Market and Clarabelle’s Hand-Scooped Ice Cream.

The 178-seat Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe (134 inside, 44 outside) offers Starbucks coffee drinks; signature sandwiches such as a turkey Rueben, paneer and roasted vegetable and salami with olive tapenade, and roast beef and cheddar, as well as savory soups including vegetarian cream spinach, chicken tortilla, classic chicken noodle and cheesy enchilada. Sweet rolls, pastries and breakfast sandwiches are on the morning menu along with specialty coffees.

Mortimer’s Market will offer whole and cut fruits, bottled water, juices and soft drinks. (According to Disney legend, Mortimer Mouse is the name Walt Disney gave his new creation in 1928. He later changed it to Mickey.)

Clarabelle’s Hand-Scooped Ice Cream features Dreyer’s ice cream, including bars dipped in milk or dark chocolate that guests can finish with sprinkles, pop rocks and other fun toppings. Hot fudge and strawberry sundaes and other frozen delights round out the sweet offerings.


A Culinary Journey Through Cars Land
With a nod to landmark diners along America’s historic Route 66, guests will feel as if they have stepped into the town of Radiator Springs at Cars Land, with a contemporary spin on classic tastes from the 1950s.

“We started working nearly four years ago on the concepts,” says Disneyland Chef Chris Maggetti. “For Cars Land, we’ve developed fast-casual restaurants with lots of fun tastes, from dill pickle popcorn to chili and cheese – we call it chili cone queso – in an edible bread cone.”
Cars Land has three spots for guest to fuel up: Flo’s V8 Cafe, Cozy Cone Motel and Fillmore’s Taste-In. Each location has a story, of course.

Flo’s V8 Cafe is inspired by timeless roadside diners and boasts “the finest fuel in the 50 states.” To cater to the growing number of Route 66 visitors and race fans coming to Radiator Springs, Flo expanded her place by adding a “showroom” dining area, the story goes.

“The showroom is part of the 300-seat dining room that looks out directly over the Radiator Springs Racers attraction,” says Chef Sean Layne, area chef for Cars Land. Layne developed the restaurant’s signature vegetarian dish, a veggie-tater casserole that’s sure to be a hit with guests.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the menu for Flo’s will change often, with the centerpiece of the restaurant an on-stage rotisserie where guests will see meats grilling, such as New York strip loin, citrus-marinated turkey breast and pork loin flavored with Coca-Cola barbecue sauce. Breakfast specials include brioche French toast with salted caramel and bananas and chicken tamales with scrambled eggs. Craft beers from Bear Republic Brewing Co. in Healdsburg, Calif., and California wines also are on the menu.

House-made pies are the recipes of Disneyland Pastry Chef Jean-Marc Viallet. The single-serving pies come in strawberry-rhubarb, Apple-Cheddar, chocolate mud, cherry and blueberry-peach, to name a few.

Cozy Cone Motel is inspired by the quirky “wigwam” motels along Route 66 with each of five teepees offering tasty cone-themed treats. Cone Number 1 offers churro bites with cinnamon-chocolate sauce, cinnamon-spiced hot cocoa and Ramone’s Pear of Dice Soda made with dessert pear syrup, mojito syrup and Sprite. Cone Number 2 features soft-serve ice cream and “route” beer floats. Cone Number 3 offers savory bites all served in edible bread cones, such as a bacon-scrambled egg cone for breakfast, chicken verde or chili “cone” queso for lunch and dinner. Cone Number 4 is pretzel bites with cheesy sauce and Red’s Apple Freeze, a fat-free, frozen concoction with apple juice, toasted marshmallow syrup and passion fruit-mango foam. Cone Number 5 features two flavored popcorns daily, such as dill pickle and sweet & spicy.

Fillmore’s Taste-In is home to resident hippie, Fillmore, where “natural fuels” are on the shelves in his tie-dyed geodesic dome, including whole and cut fruits, bottled water and juices, and soft drinks. [ FULL PRESS RELEASE ]




New umbrellas have been placed on restaurant's upper dining terrace








The former Sunshine Plaza Candy Shoppe facade is behind tarps. It'll be the entrance to the Elias and Co. Department Store's jewelry shop.




Views of North Buena Vista Street from the Monorail:






Hand-painted signage on buildings as you face toward South Buena Vista Street about the Monorail







CONDOR FLATS

Tarps have gone up on the facade of Taste Pilot's Grill following the recent removal of the jet that was the centerpiece of the front of the building.





HOLLYWOOD LAND
Tarps have gone up around the pedestals that once featured the "Intolerance" elephants that marked the entrance to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot.






More of the extensive Mad T Party set-up continues to appear throughout Hollywood Land's "Hollywood Studios" back area


The Mad T Party's "rabbit hole" entrance portal...












New props on the stage for the Mad T Party band


Disney shared more information on Mad T Party's entertainment offerings:
Sharing the Splendiful Sounds of the Mad T Party at Disney California Adventure Park
Ladies and gentlemen, moms and dads, boys and girls, and Hatters of all ages! T-Time is coming soon to Disney California Adventure park! The party is almost ready – the decorations are going up and, the invitations have been sent and, of course, we are preparing the most wondiferous music your ears have ever heard! It’s almost time to let the Futterwacken begin!

But first, let me share with you a little about the music …

Our Mad T Party band will rock out each night, their playlist overfizzing with a multitude of party favorites, both old and new. In fact, the Mad Hatter has put together a list of songs – from Bruno Mars to the Beatles … from Maroon 5 to Prince … and from Gwen Stefani to Lady Gaga! These are songs that invite you to “Just Dance“… “Raise Your Glass”…“Go Crazy”…and show off your “Moves Like Jagger!”

You won’t want to miss the fantabulous Mad T Party band as they invite everyone to join in for the most fuminous T-Time ever!!

But that’s not all! Whenever the band is offstage, some of the most popular DJs around will kick up the party with their own special brand of musical magic!

Throughout the summer, taking on the role of the “White Rabbit DJ” will be Jason Jass, Michael Paul, Adam Auburn, Mi$$y B, David Bullock and Wendy Walker!!

These talented DJs will serve up the maddest mixes of muchness … the most popular tunes … the latest dance hits … and the best beamish beats that will make you bonkers … but, I’ll tell you a secret: all the best people are!
[ FULL STORY ]






Drink Me Bar:
















House of Cards bar and Mad Arcade

















Over at the Hyperion Theater, the stairs have finished their repainting


PACIFIC WHARF
Finally, some progress can be seen at the upcoming Ghirardelli Soda Fountain.


The new brick facade is now partially revealed.









CARS LAND
A quick look at Cars Land...


The first TV spot for Cars Land has hit the air. Take a look below:


Along with the new TV spot, Disney also launched a new interactive Cars Land website:


The site, CarsLand.com, takes you on a virtual drive down Route 66 where you can make stops along the way and learn about the various offerings in Cars Land.




Dedicated pages for attractions and restaurants offer sneak peeks at the new attractions and restaurants with fantastic photos.









Luigi's Flying Tires:







Mater's Junkyard Jamboree:







Flo's V8 Cafe:



The lines on the street have been painted




Disney recently shared a video showing car designer Chip Foose and his team applying the finishing touches at Ramone's House of Body Art in Cars Land:




Note the fences at the Cozy Cone Motel





DOWNTOWN CHANGES
Work continues on the La Brea Bakery remodel in Downtown Disney:







Catal's Uva Bar is still behind walls while it get refurbished.







With the temporary LEGO Store vacated, work is underway on the new WonderGround Gallery:







THIS AND THAT
Back at Disneyland, a new wheelchair/ECV entrance has been testing for a couple weeks now at the gate next to the stroller/wheelchair rental building.





Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree continues to settle in as the new home of Disney Performing Arts with character meet-and-greets and other activities to help draw crowds (which seem to have trouble materializing)


Country Bears!




Quilt-making demonstrations







Rumor has it that Monorail Orange will get a Cars Land wrap this summer. The back window is currently being tested for it.





Dateline Disneyland is sponsored by our good friends at the
Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel & Water Playground.
A short walk from the park, HoJo Anaheim is conveniently located next to Matterhorn Mountain at Disneyland with nearby dining, freeway access, FREE parking and FREE Wi-Fi. For more information on HoJo Anaheim, room rates, or to book your stay today, visit HoJoAnaheim.com/MiceChat.


MiceChat.com and Annual Passholder Discounts Available Every Day!
The HoJo Anaheim is now offering deeper discounts for Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders! On select nights, Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders can get rooms for as low as $59 per night, plus tax. For more information visit the HoJo Anaheim Innsider Boards which features an up-to-date listing of available nights, or call (714) 776-6120 and ask for In-House Reservations to book. If your date isn't listed, the HoJo Anaheim still offers rooms for 20% off their best available rate if you call (714) 776-6120.



WEEKLY NEWS AND INFORMATION ROUND-UP
Weekly Theme Park Hours
May 14 — 20, 2012

Disneyland Park
Disney California Adventure
Monday-Thursday: 9 am - 10 pm
Friday: 8 am - 11 pm
Saturday-Sunday:
8 am - 12 midnight
Monday-Thursday:
10 am - 8 pm
Friday-Sunday: 10 am - 10 pm
For a complete listing of theme park hours, visit the Disneyland.com Theme Park Calendar

Expected Crowd Levels presented by TouringPlans.com
Disneyland Park
Disney California Adventure
LOW-MEDIUM 2.2—5.5 out of 10
LOW-MEDIUM 2.0—6.3 out of 10
Crowd levels are based on a scale from 1 to 10,
with 1 being the least crowded conditions and 10 being most crowded.

For daily crowd predictions for the next 365 days, visit
Closures and Refurbishment Schedule
Disneyland Park

  • Matterhorn Bobsleds: Closed for major refurbishment including the addition of new ride vehicles through June 14.
  • Carnation Cafe, Blue Ribbon Bakery: Food service locations are closed for major restaurant.

Disney California Adventure
  • ElecTRONica: Tron-themed nighttime dance parties ended April 16. The new Mad T Party evening dance party will begin June 15.
  • Ghirardelli Chocolate Company and Soda Fountain: New Ghirardelli chocolate shop and soda fountain will open in the space formerly occupied by the Mission Tortilla Factory. New dining location opens late-spring 2012.
  • Buena Vista Street: Re-themed main entrance including new Red Car Trolley attraction are under construction through summer 2012.
  • Cars Land: New 12-acre land opens summer 2012.
  • Disney California Adventure: Entire park will be closed to the public to apply finishing touches and for a media event on June 14, 2012.

Downtown Disney & Hotels of the Disneyland Resort

  • La Brea Bakery & Cafe: Quick-service cafe portion closed. Reopens spring 2012 with significant modifications.
  • Island Charters: Downtown Disney retail location closed permanently. It will reopen as WonderGround Gallery on June 9, 2012.
  • Compass Books and Cafe: Book store and cafe closed permanently March 31. Earl of Sandwich dining location to open in space late-spring 2012.




New Disneyland tour explores the gardens of Disneyland
An interesting new tour option takes guests behind-the-seeds of Disneyland's plants, trees and gardens.
Disneyland Resort Guided Tours: Cultivating the Magic
With the Cultivating the Magic Guided Tour, you will learn about the landscapes and gardens that have transformed 260 acres of orange groves into Disneyland park. It’s not just pointing out plants – you discover how horticulture is used to tell a story and how it helped achieve Walt Disney’s vision for his original Magic Kingdom.

On your tour, you will also experience select Disneyland park attractions in a whole new way and learn about the historical significance of trees that you may have walked past dozens of times in past visits to the park.

Here are some things you should know about the Cultivating the Magic Guided Tour:
  • The tour is approximately approximately two hours long.
  • Theme park admission for Disneyland park is required to attend the tour.
  • The tour leaves from Disneyland park Tour Gardens (left of City Hall) on Saturdays and Sundays at 9 a.m. and Mondays at 10 a.m.
  • All guests who participate receive a collectable souvenir pin and exclusive seed packet.
  • Attractions and entertainment are subject to change without notice.


For pricing and booking information (and to find out about a special discount for Disney Rewards Visa and AAA card holders, Disney Vacation Club members and Disneyland Resort Annual Passport holders) call 714-781-TOUR (8687). Also, be sure to check out the other Disneyland Resort Guided Tours at Disneyland.com/Tours.
Full Story: Disneyland Resort Guided Tours: Cultivating the Magic


Disneyland breaks attendance records in early 2012
The popular 24-hour Leap Day event and spring break crowds helped break Disneyland attendance records. From the OC Register:
Disneyland marks attendance record in early 2012
Disneyland broke an attendance record for the first three months of the year, with boosts from the popular 24-hour Leap Day party and spring break, Disney reported today.

Jay Rasulo, Walt Disney Co.’s chief financial officer, made the announcement during a conference call with investors about the company’s earnings.

Overall, U.S. Disney parks experienced a 7 percent jump in attendance in the second fiscal quarter, which ran from Jan. 1 to March 31. That included record attendance at Disneyland for that calendar period, Rasulo said. He did not elaborate on specific figures.

The quarter included a rare 24-hour party at Disneyland on Leap Day. The Disneyland party was so popular that freeways and streets clogged for miles as fans headed to the park. Disneyland closed gates for new entrants for part of the night. See pictures of Leap Day by clicking on the photo. Also, some of the bustling spring break season fell during March.

U.S. Disney hotels saw a spurt in business, too: Overnight stays increased by 2 percent, resulting in 82 percent of rooms filled. Hotel visitors spent 7 percent more than in previous years as Disney hiked prices and cut back on discounts.

Disneyland Resort in Anaheim is seeing an increase in international travel, while domestic visitors stayed flat, Rasulo said.

Bob Iger, Disney’s chief executive officer, noted that upcoming events will help with attendance in Anaheim: Cars Land and other features open in Disney California Adventure on June 15. A years-long makeover, coming to completion, is widely reported as costing $1 billion.

California Adventure’s expansion means that the park can “stand on its own,” Iger said. Together with Disneyland, it will “finally enable them to become the destination resort we envisioned. …

“We’ve not announced any plans to increase our hotel inventory there, but we do have the ability to do so by expanding existing hotels and building a new hotel,” Iger said. “If we have an opportunity, we certainly will take advantage of it.”

Disney is “ramping up” efforts to add Marvel elements in its parks, including in California, Iger said. Currently, Disney parks have strong sales of Marvel products, especially with the recent popularity of “The Avengers” movie.
Full Story: Disneyland marks attendance record in early 2012


Cast Members raise money for charity with rubber duck race
Disneyland's fourth annual "Rubber Duck Derby" sent 500 rubber ducks through "it's a small world" for charity. More from the OC Register:
Rubber ducks race through Disneyland
The rubber ducks were off on a race around the world – around the canal of Disneyland’s It’s a Small World, anyway.

It was the fourth annual Rubber Duck Derby, an employee fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“A couple of years ago, the Fantasyland management team thought that it would be fun for the cast members and (it) would be a good fundraiser,” said Tamarah Robb, a guest-services manager who organized this year’s derby.

Nearly 500 rubber ducks were purchased for $5 and, after expenses, more than $1,700 was raised.

On Wednesday morning, before Disneyland opened up for the day, the boats were taken from the attraction’s canal for the 15-minute race. About 200 Disney employees stopped by for the contest.

The first-place finisher received a trophy with a rubber duck. So did the winners of other categories such as most creative, the duck that best resembled a Disney character, and best villain.

The winning duck was “Brenda,” owned by Vanessa Valdavia, who works on the attractions in Fantasyland.
Full Story: Rubber ducks race through Disneyland



Alright, that wraps up this week's update. Thanks, as always, for reading! Just a quick publishing note: Dateline Disneyland will be taking next week off for a short vacation before we enter this year's huge summer season at Disneyland.

Don't forget to visit our great sponsors over at Touring Plans when planning your next visit to Disneyland!

You can help us by buying yourself something through one of our Amazon.com product links! All you need to do is click on any Amazon link you see in today's column. It doesn't cost you anything, but your purchases will help support Dateline Disneyland so we can keep the updates coming to you every week! To start shopping on Amazon using our referral code, click any Amazon item in today's update or click here.

We're only here because of your continued support. If you've enjoy Dateline Disneyland over the last four years, please consider helping us out by donating a buck or two so we can pay the bills and keep the updates coming! You can donate with a click of a button via PayPal — click here!

Don't forget that MiceChat has lots of new content throughout the week! For even more Disneyland news, photos and information check out the In the Parks column on Fridays. And MiceChat's Weekend Update, tours the world of Disney theme parks and other worldly sights and landmarks!

See you at Disneyland!
- Andy


Interested in sponsorship or advertising opportunities
with Dateline Disneyland? Contact us!
Please support our sponsors




Keep the updates coming!
Please support us



FTC-Mandated Disclosure:
Promotional consideration for the May 14, 2012 edition of Dateline Disneyland was provided by
TouringPlans.com | Do More. Wait Less.
]]> Dateline Disneyland http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/dateline-disneyland/3436-carthay-circle-reservations-commercial-cars-alices-new-window-matterhorn-more.html This Animatronic Life http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/this-animatronic-life/3439-animatronic-life.html Mon, 14 May 2012 04:13:02 GMT


Howdy everyone and welcome to “This Animatronic Life.” My name is Garner Holt and I’m the founder and president of Garner Holt Productions, Inc. (GHP) located in San Bernardino, CA. Some readers may recognize our name from various theme park and other projects we’ve been part of over the years.

Last year at the D-23 Expo event in Anaheim, a MiceChat moderator floated the idea of a brief column for the website based on some of my experiences working for theme parks and the creation of animatronics in general. I’m glad to share some of the stories and wonderful projects I’ve had the opportunity to be part of in 35 years of professional work in animatronics and other creations. In that time, I’ve met and worked with amazing people and even some Disney Legends, had a hand in creating some really incredible attractions, and spent lots of time agonizing over how to make something that seemed impossible come to life. Because a lot of our work is for clients like Disney and Universal, there will be a bit of editing in the secrets they’ve entrusted me with for projects over the past decade.

Since this is primarily a Disney fan oriented website, I think a little confession is in order: my company would not exist today if I weren’t a major, mega, huge Disney fan. In fact, the entire reason I began fiddling with animatronics in the first place was because as a pre-teen I fell in love with the technology at Disneyland—in Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, and especially Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln—and wanted to create the things I saw there for myself. I clearly remember the day as a 12-year-old I told my parents on the trip back home from Disneyland that I didn’t want to grow up to be a veterinarian as they wished (my dad trained race horses), but instead wanted to build things like I saw at Disneyland as a career. I was about twelve at the time, but the idea stuck. I founded Garner Holt Productions (I named it that because it sounded like Walt Disney Productions) in 1977, when I was 16 and still in high school.


I’ll talk more about the foundations of GHP in a future column. Today, I wanted to share a little bit about the first time my work with animatronics brought me in touch with Disney. After that fateful day at Disneyland, a type of obsession with animatronics had taken over my imagination and I was hooked on learning everything I could about them. During the next few years, I built a series of haunted houses in my backyard that I filled with very simple animated props I built in the garage. I opened the haunted houses to the public—to my parents’ horror—and got a huge bit of publicity in the local newspaper. Hundreds of people traipsed through our house and backyard. I loved the haunted house, but my dream was to build my own Disney-style animatronic figure. In 1975, I decided to create an animatronic Uncle Sam figure to celebrate the Bicentennial the following year.

I was in ninth grade at the time, and convinced my teachers to let me work on Uncle Sam as an official school project. So I wrote the script in English class, drew the mechanical frame in drafting class, and worked on the electronics in shop class. My dad had some old angle iron in his barn and a welder, so I learned to weld some door hinges to the metal to make a very rudimentary frame. I’m sure a lot of you Disney fans have seen or have a copy of the August, 1963 issue of National Geographic Magazine. I found a dog-eared copy in my English class and was astounded to find the article about the Mr. Lincoln figure being built for the World’s Fair. Up to that point, I had never seen what the inside of an animatronic figure looked like.

I knew from pestering a Disneyland blue shirt maintenance employee what made the animatronics move: air or hydraulic “cylinders.” Knowing this felt like being in on a major industrial secret. In the advertisements of some old Machine Design magazines in the back of my drafting class, I noticed an ad for air cylinders from the Roger Howell Company in Burbank. I called them up and told them I was looking for air cylinders to build an animatronic figure with. The saleslady told me that they supplied the ones for Disneyland, too—which was a pretty encouraging fact! That year, I asked for an air compressor for Christmas. When all the other kids in the neighborhood wanted a new bike or a basketball hoop, I got an air compressor from Sears so I could run these air cylinders for the Uncle Sam I was building.


Through lots of trial and dead-ends, I finally got a real, working animatronic figure built in time for July 4, 1976. My Uncle Sam debuted at a local shopping mall and was a hit with guests. He even received coverage on the Channel 4 news. At that time, my youth gave me a lot of mileage with the very prototypical nature of the animatronic! He showed at the mall for a few weeks, until mid-summer 1976—I doubt he would have held up much longer! I knew I needed to keep pushing and plussing the figure to make it really move and look like a Disneyland animatronic. I did some more tinkering through that summer and fall, and into the next year, balancing the time spent in my garage workshop with my obligations at school. I started on “Uncle Sam II” on summer break 1977 and had him almost entirely designed later in the year—I had incorporated GHP a few months earlier, in July. I was 16 at the time.


Uncle Sam II had a number of design and functional improvements over the original. In fact, he turned out so well that I decided to film him and some friends talked me into sending the film to WED Enterprises (today’s Walt Disney Imagineering). I borrowed a camera from the A/V class at school and took the bedspread off my bed and hung it up in the garage behind Uncle Sam and filmed him going through his show. I mailed the tape in to WED with a letter (from 17-year-old me, “President of Garner Holt Productions, Inc.”!) asking someone there to take a look.

A couple of weeks later, I was out in the backyard feeding some goats we had when my grandmother yelled out the window that I had a phone call from a secretary at Disney. She said it was the secretary of someone with some ridiculous name and figured it was one of my friends razzing me. The name was Wathel Rogers!

The fans of Disney animatronics history will know the name Wathel Rogers. He is considered the father of the Audio-Animatronics technology Disney pioneered in the early 1960s. Along with a small group of other hugely talented and totally un-sung Imagineers, Wathel helped create a technology that has changed the landscape of themed entertainment in a way few others have. I first came across Wathel’s name in the Mr. Lincoln article in that old copy of National Geographic. To hear that he was interested in my Uncle Sam was a huge shock.

I ran into the house and caught my breath to steady myself before taking the call. Wathel’s secretary said he wanted to see my Uncle Sam in person and asked if he could make an appointment stop by my house the following week. I just about fainted!


The next week, Wathel and another legendary Audio-Animatronics Imagineer named Wayne Jackson drove out from Glendale to my family’s house near the old Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino. My mom and grandmother met them at the front door and plied him with cookies in the living room. I was readying Uncle Sam in my “workshop” out in the garage. They called me in and I had an almost surreal introduction to one of my heroes, Wathel Rogers, right there in my living room! I would never have believed the man in the pictures with Mr. Lincoln and Walt would be eating cookies and talking about an animatronic I had built in my own house. Talk about strange!

I invited Wathel and Wayne out to the garage to see my setup and to watch Uncle Sam go through his paces. I was probably never more nervous during a performance than I was then, not even with an audience of hundreds of people at the mall. Everything went fine, and Wathel seemed impressed that a long-haired kid could pull off a pretty convincing animatronic. We “talked shop” a little bit, and then he said something every Disney fan wishes to hear: “Well, you’ve shown me your shop. How would you like to see ours?” An invitation to WED from the father of Audio-Animatronics himself!

Of course, that was like getting invited to Oz. At the time, WED and MAPO were into production on EPCOT Center, so I was able to see a number of those great Audio-Animatronics attractions in their early forms. As Wathel walked me through WED, I met John Hench, Herb Ryman, and Marc Davis, and was led through MAPO by Dave Schweninger, another legendary name in animatronics. Needless to say, the visit to WED cemented my love for animatronics and convinced me even more that creating them was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. This year, GHP turns 35 and Disney is now my biggest client.

Through the years, I kept in touch with Wathel and would show him the latest things I was working on. I graduated early from high school so I could focus my energies on animatronics and kept making new improvements, new characters, and increasingly complex figures. During another trip to WED when I was about 19, I showed Wathel a new expressive animatronic human head I’d built. I set the head up in the old “Illusioneering” room and was running it when suddenly the door burst open and a whirlwind of a man being followed by a big cadre of underlings breezed into the room.


It was Orlando Ferrante, Disney Legend and former head of all engineering and production for WED/MAPO and one of the most important figures in the history of Disney theme park production and installation. He walked right up to my animatronic head and got in real close. After a couple of tense moments of silent inspection, he turned to Wathel and said, “This looks just like one of ours!” I exhaled and squeaked a quick thank-you. He continued, “Why are you reinventing the wheel? Why don’t you work for us?” Wathel told him it was in the works, and just as quick as he’d come in, Mr. Ferrante disappeared again. Even so, to this day I have never been an employee of Disney in any capacity, only a vendor, although at the time it was certainly my major goal in life.

Starting as a 16-year-old kid in awe of Disney animatronics and the Imagineers who created them, and having the opportunity to work on great Disney attractions is literally a dream come true. And a big part of convincing me to follow my dream was the encouragement I got from Wathel Rogers that day in my garage workshop way back in 1977 and in subsequent years. To this day, I keep the page from the National Geographic he signed for me way back then in my office, right behind my desk.

I hope to continue writing about my experiences in the animatronics and themed entertainment industry in this column in the future, if you folks are interested. I’ve been asked a number of times to speak at Disney fan events in Southern California, and I always love to hear what other fans have to say about animatronics and to answer, when I can, their questions about this wonderful technology. If you have questions you’d like to see answered in future installments, please let me know!


Garner Holt is the founder and president of Garner Holt Productions, Inc. (GHP) Located in San Bernardino, CA, GHP is the world’s largest designer and fabricator of animatronics, show action systems, special effects, and other creations for theme parks, museums, retail and dining experiences, and other attractions. Inspired by a childhood trip to Disneyland and a lifelong love of Disney theme parks, Garner founded his company when he was only 16 years old. Since 1977, GHP has created nearly 3,000 individual animatronics and hundreds of other items for clients like the Disney Theme Parks, Universal Studios, Chuck E. Cheese Restaurants, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, NASA, Lockheed-Martin, and hundreds of other clients. Find out more about Garner and GHP at www.garnerholt.com ]]> This Animatronic Life http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/this-animatronic-life/3439-animatronic-life.html Vintage Walt Disney World Guide Photos http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/imaginerding/3438-vintage-walt-disney-world-guide-photos.html Mon, 14 May 2012 01:22:45 GMT


I've talked about my love of souvenir guides before and I constantly find myself pulling those books off my shelves and taking a trip back to vintage Walt Disney World. 1970s and 1980s Walt Disney World was a vastly different vacation than you can have today. It's not only fun to see the strange fashions, but also to see the attractions and areas that are gone.

I started sharing photos from the guides on Instagram (which you can also see on Twitter) and realized that it would be a fun column for my Mice Chat readers. I took the images from four different sources and I'll tell you about them as we go. Are you ready for a trip down memory lane?



The first source is a magazine-style guide that was published in 1978. It was quite obvious that is was geared towards businessmen that would hold conventions and meetings at Walt Disney World. Doesn't the cover make you think about the Vacation Kingdom of the World as an outdoor and activities lover's paradise?



I have seen this image used in a few publications. I assume that everyone is lined up for the afternoon parade, including the guests on the Omnibus. Can you imagine watching the parade from the top of the double decker bus? Check out the colors of the balloons, too.



Who doesn't love tikis? The section on the hotels spends time describing the amnities and the resort grounds.



I found another Bob-A-Round! If you want to learn more about the short-lived watercraft, check out my article on it.



I love maps of Walt Disney World. The included map has a caricature of the Magic Kingdom that is fantastic. Check out the ornamentation on the Haunted Mansion. Tom Sawyer's Island and Pirates of the Caribbean got squished together. Notice the 20,000 Leagues sub?



Wait, you mean these people aren't at the Magic Kingdom? Apparently, this is what you do at the Golf Resort. You dress up and drink wine.



We zip on over to the Village Marketplace. What caught my attention was that you could drive up to the Empress Lilly.



The advice offered is that it will take at least three days to enjoy all of Walt Disney World's activities.



Goofy did a lot of water skiing in the 1970s.



The last image was to advertise the convention facilities. Is it a New Orleans party? Are those flappers? We might never know!



The next book is a 1991 souvenir guide about the Magic Kingdom. Minnie has some nice blue eye shadow.



Goofy spent the 1970s skiing and moved on to weightlifting in the 1980s. Dig those Disney made Chuck Taylor's.



This was the former West Center Street at the Magic Kingdom before the 2001 expansion of the Emporium (we lost the Harmony Barber Shop original location and the Livery Stable, Champion Cyclery and Chinese Hand Laundry facades). It corresponds to Flower Street at Disneyland.



A shot of the quaint, tree-lined Main Street, USA.



A sneak tiki!



The Haunted Mansion before the addition of the canopy. You can see that the entrance is through the family crypt and that the lamposts really make a difference in the lighting of the spooky house.



I love this shot because of the planter/bench in front of the Carrousel. And the skybucket!



An image from the exit of Space Mountain. The future is full of exploding stars, right?



Another guidebook from 1991, this one is called EPCOT Center: a Treasurebook of Memories.



Are you a SMRT-1? Check out the guy in the back on the corded phone. I am assuming it was a way to listen to the exhibit.



The Exxon oil rig. Some of the Future World Pavilions didn't have promotional space and the companies were afforded space in Communicore.



Horizons. 'Nuff said.



The banner says: EPCOT Center World Fest, a Ten Nation Celebration. This might need to be a future column!



Fezzes are cool! Mickey hangs out in Morocco.



The double decker World Showcase bus in France! The World Showcase buses operated like the Friendships (also pictured) and only stopped at a few pavilions around World Showcase.



This photo is spectacular because of the popcorn container. I just wish the kid would move his left hand so I could see the logo.



The back cover of the book features Pluto, Mickey and Minnie decked out in their Future World finest. I can remember the days when rainbows equaled the future! It also looks like they just landed from the Mother (Space) Ship (Earth). Get it?



The 1991 souvenir guide to the Disney-MGM Studios features some great shots, too. Mickey has made some interesting fashion choices over the years. I wonder if he was directing or producing?



Goofy is not to scale. Or he is having a Godzilla-inspired fantasy.



Real traffic and fog during the construction of the New York Street backdrop.



I love it when it is obvious that Disney used castmembers and their families in promotional shots. They look too polished to be sweaty and tired vacationers. Check out the guy in red in the middle; great expression.



Herbie the Love Bug in the Residential Street of the Backlot Studio Tour.



The Dipmobile!



This is the best shot from the whole post. it is an ultra-rare photo of the Catwalk Bar which was located above the Soundstage Restaurant. From what I can find, the Catwalk Bar closed permanently in 2000.

Do you have any specific memories to share about these photos or other long-gone attractions? Do you have a favorite time period of Walt Disney World history?

Even better: any photos of the Catwalk Bar?


ImagiNERDing is written and edited by George Taylor

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at george@micechat.com

Be sure to visit Imaginerding.com for Disney book reviews and more! (I just celebrated five years!)

You can follow me on Twitter @imaginerding
Or like Imaginerding on Facebook.

I also write at Everything Walt Disney World.

I am one half of the incredibly talented, handsome, charming, sanguine, lucent, refulgent, beguiling, hilarious and intelligent duo behind Communicore Weekly. You can find them on the Mice Chat Youtube Channel.

]]> ImagiNERDing http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/imaginerding/3438-vintage-walt-disney-world-guide-photos.html