When we last left I was retelling the Sip and Snack Around the world challenge that was taken on by Annette Owens, Len Testa, Mike Newell, and myself.

We had just finished Germany and were now on our way to China.

China: Joy of Tea Stand

Ah the Joy of Tea Stand was finally opened. At this point everyone was thinking about something to drink. This stand offered some interesting choices and the day before Annette had convinced me to try the Peach Oolong Tea Schnapps Slush. It was good the day before, but then again I wasn’t eating my way around World Showcase.

Everyone had tea except me. I opted for the green tea ice cream simply because it was one fourth the size of any drink offered at the cart.

Poor Len, he DID NOT like his tea and ended up nursing it for a considerable long time…you’ll see.

Italy: Arcata D’Ariga

Remember, we had a deadline of 2:30 so we had to keep moving. We were just about a third through the pavilions and we needed to maintain a pace of eating every 15 to 20 minutes.

Now obviously Tutto Italia was out…unless of course a stomach pump came with the Pasta e Fagioli (pronounced “Pasta Fa-ZOO”). Len and I had the same idea. We walked into Arcata D’Ariga, the store that has wine and candy and pastries.

Len, Annette, and Mike opted for biscotti which is an Italian cookie, often made with almonds. I wasn’t too sure about that so I went to the area in the middle of the store where they had candy. I was able to find a small package that had one kind of jelly bean candy…and it was only thirty cents. SOLD!

Oh yeah…with the help of the biscotti Len was able to get a bit more of his tea down…as they say, he would have given all the tea in China to not have to drink that stuff.

At this point we started to seriously wonder about the insane task we had charted ourselves to do.

However, once again…we were in EPCOT…with friends…and having a good time…and that pretty much cancelled out any second thoughts of quitting…heck, we were having too much fun and laughing too much to stop now.

We could almost feel the spirit of Walt Disney putting his arm around our shoulders and saying, “Hey gang, I love this idea.”

American Adventure: Liberty Inn

This could have been a challenge. Remember we were limited to only those items unique to that pavilion and the Liberty Inn did not have many choices.

Two of us, Len and Annette opted for the Kids chicken nuggets meal. However they had to take two sides with the meal AND a small bottle of water.

Len opted for grapes and carrot sticks and Annette went with carrots sticks and the fruit punch gelatin. Yes when they each sat down they both had a “What was I thinking?” look on their faces.

Mike and I scanned the menu and decided to have a Sam Adams beer. As much as I thought this was the right choice it did take an effort on my part to finish it.

At one point Len had excused himself to visit the rest room. Upon his return he announced to everyone that he was a failure. He was trying to convince his stomach to, let’s say, “return” what he had eaten to that point so he would have an empty stomach to finish this challenge.

Alas…he just couldn’t get his stomach to comply…oh yeah…he still had the tea.

I challenged Len to guzzle the tea and I would guzzle my bear. He held his nose and tried to guzzle his drink…we let him stop once he got to the virtual 75% mark.

Annette could not eat the gelatin…so she took it with her…to finish off somewhere along the way.

We all started laughing…at ourselves…it was great.

Japan: Mitsukoshi Department Store

From here on out we were all on the same page. Our objective from this point on was to find the smallest item in each pavilion and also one that would go down easy. We checked the menu for the Yakitori House. Most of us had the same idea…Miso soup.

However, the thought of consuming green onions and seaweed at this point convinced us otherwise. Everything else looked to either have large portions, including the Kirin Beer, Hot Sake, and Plum Wine.

Oh if only Masayo was here to help us.

The Mitsukoshi Department Store sort of wraps around the pavilion and in the back is an area with food and most importantly, small packages of food.

Of course someone found a package of dried fish….no thanks…although Annette still had her Jell-O so at least she could dunk the fish….sorry…that the mind plays tricks on you and I had this image.

Actually Annette made a great choice. She purchased what looked to be a package of three chocolate lollipops. Each “pop” was the size of a dime…good choice.

Mike Newell chose this small package of grape cotton candy with pop rocks, and Len grabbed something best described as Japanese Gummi Bears.

I had a small candy bar in my hand and was in line to pay when I spotted a much better choice. It was a small energy drink. The bottle could not have held more than 6 oz. It tasted like flat Diet Sprite. It went down smooth and no after taste. This was my best choice of the day as it really had no impact on me.

Morocco: Tangierine Café

We sauntered in to the Tangierine Café and checked out the menu. I had eaten here in December and I recalled that the portions were somewhat HUGE and I cautioned everyone to “choose wisely.”

We all agreed that it was too risky to order even something like a kid’s meal. We had three countries left after this one and we were running out of time on the clock and space in our tummies.

Then almost at the same time we all said “Baklava” and we went to the pastry counter.

At this point Annette looked at the cast member behind the counter and quipped, “I never thought I’d hear myself say this but please give me the smallest piece you have.”

She was speaking for all of us.

I’m not sure how to explain how we all enjoyed the Baklava. Mike Newell felt there was too much filling in his and I felt mine did not have enough and was dry.

Annette seemed to have a challenge getting hers down…and at this point she could have
washed it down with her melting Jell-O.

Len, still reeling from his cursed tea after taste, welcomed anything that would mask that lingering flavor in his palate.

Tick-Tock, time was marching…I looked at my watch…we had just about an hour left to do France, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

France: Boulangerie Patisserie

Imagine you are standing in front of a French pastry and there are many, many, too many wonderful combinations of sugar, flour, and fillings waiting for you…and you are stuffed.

What to do.

When we started this little adventure I had thought all along that I would look forward to France and enjoy a nice Napoleon.

No…not this little guy…

…this guy.....

...believe me...he looked much bigger in the display.

However, as we made our way around World Showcase the issue of size and portion very much influenced our choices and the Napoleons were sort of outside my portion range at this point.

I opted for a lemon tart…less pastry and more gel and I washed that down with light lemonade.

Mike Newell could not resist the cream puff. When he picked it up the weight kind of made him nervous. It was made with heavy cream. We let Mike knock off about 75% of that baby and call it a done deal.

Call it “portion pity.”

The best choice in France was made by Annette and Len who both opted for a Croissant. Also, Annette was able to consume 75% of her Jell-O while at the same time getting down the Croissant.

But I have to tell you…by now we’re all thinking we’re not going to eat for at least a decade or two…but before then what lies ahead was the United Kingdom and Canada.

United Kingdom: The Tea Caddy

Ahh… the Tea Caddy.

Annette and I wandered in to check out the offerring in there. It was, what we felt, our only option.

We all steered clear of the fish and Chips counter service area.

Len and Mike made a “pit stop” and returned to find Annette and myself munching on something I remember being called a “Flakey” or something like that. It was recommended to us by the CMs in the shop because it was “flaky and light”

Well...sort of…it was flaky alright but when you put layers of flakes together and fused them together with chocolate…the word “light” does not come to mind.

Len opted to try one too…but Mike Newell’s dry throat drew him to the Rose and Crown and Bass Ale…which did not go down as smoothly as he had hoped.

Okay, here we were, we had about 25 minutes before our deadline and we had just Canada left in our sights.

We were all praying the same thing…”Please let there be small bear claws” as we all assumed those pastries would probably be our choice.

Canada: Northwest Mercantile

There was good news and bad news waiting for us in Canada.

The good news was that there were no bear claws to be found.

The bad news was that there were no bear claws to be found.

On the one hand we were relieved. It was going to be a challenge to get those babies down…but then again…NOW WHAT?

We went into the Northwest Mercantile and checked it out.

Lots of stuff but hoo boy…not easy to make a choice. There were packages of Maple candy and cookies and biscuits and stuff like that.

We looked for a LONG time before finally succumbing to yet another candy bar.

Len, of course, always thinking, came up to me and said, “I need a ruling”

“What?” I said.

“Is this legal?” and he held up…

wait for it….

wait for it…

a small bottle of maple syrup.

“You’re kidding!” I said.

“Hey it’s small…should go down easy…and I’m done”

I chuckled and said, “Go for it.” Thinking that I was about to witness a sugar high that would be unequaled in history.

So while Mike, Annette, and I forced down the last of our World Showcase buffet, Len guzzled, yes guzzled, his bottle of maple syrup.

Well, we all looked at each other and said, “Okay, that was crazy!”

We looked at our watches…2:20 P.M.

We had come within 10 minutes of our target time.

On average, each of us had spent about $35 as we weaved our way around World Showcase.

As we were walking out of World Showcase we were joking and remarked. “Well, that’s been done.”

A curious smile came over my face and Mike Newell looked over at me and he said, “Oh no! He’s thinking again.”

He was right!

When the next opportunity arises I’ve got some new wrinkles to throw into this little challenge…and it’s going to be different, challenging, and most of all…fun.

So next time everyone may be a bit more prepared.

What am I talking about?

Well on my recent trip to Walt Disney World while walking around World Showcase with Annette Owens of MEI and Mouse Fan Travel we found ourselves discussing interesting things to do in Walt Disney World that the usual guest would probably either never think of nor have the time to do.

We had just finished the third leg or our four Parks in One Day Adventure and before heading off to dinner we were obviously thinking of this challenge and what other interesting challenges we could come up with that would make for an interesting day at one of the parks.

Of course what is World Showcase known for but its diversified cuisines and the offerings of food from around the world?

So we began to wonder out loud what it would be like to try and get a little taste of what World Showcase pavilions have to offer…all 11 of them.

Now unless you are either Takeru Kobayashi (world famous Japanese competitive eater) or a 350 lb. National Football League interior lineman you probably don’t have the intestinal fortitude to sit down in every pavilion and eat a meal in one day.

So the problem was to throw in enough wrinkles so that the average person could in fact stand a chance at doing this.

That night over dinner I threw out some ideas to some friends and after some discussion we came up with the following challenge that we were going to attempt the very next day.
We called it….”Sip and Snack Around the World.”

Rules of the Game

Here they are:

• The goal is to consume either food or drink from every pavilion in World Showcase.
  
• Since this was a bit of a competition we said that it was every man (and woman) for him/herself. That meant no sharing.
  
• Each participant was responsible for purchasing his or her own “stuff.”
  
• Whatever is consumed had to be unique to that pavilion and not available anywhere else.
  
• Whatever the choice, be it food or drink, at least 75% had to be consumed for that pavilion’s offering to count.
  

There were four of us who took up this challenge, the aforementioned Annette Owens, Len Testa Co-Author of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and one of the co-hosts of the WDWTODAY podcast, his fellow WDWTODAY co-host Mike Newell, also of MouseWorldRadio, and yours truly.

We decided to do it the next day.

Now keep in mind that this is an unusual way to spend your day at Walt Disney World. On a normal vacation day in Orlando you would not find yourself spending an entire day doing this…well after reading this you might.

Good Morning

When I got up the next morning I made sure I had nothing for breakfast…well maybe some juice…but no food.

We all arrived at EPCOT just about opening time and knew that World Showcase would not open until 11 so we strolled around and checked out Future World before our “Feast.”

We visited The EPCOT Legacy Museum...

and Mission Space and Test Track...

...and Club Cool before heading over to World Showcase.

I was a little hungry but held off eating anything but a small granola bar.

I cannot say the same for Len. About 10:30 or so Len decided he needed something so he decided to grab a cherry Danish and coffee at the pastry cart in Canada.

Hmmmm….would this impair his gastronomical ability for the day?

We decided to help Len out so we walked from Canada to Mexico where our challenge would begin. This would give him some time to walk off the Danish and prepare for the challenge.

Just before we got started Len dropped a bomb…”Uh guys I have to be somewhere by mid afternoon so we need to do this by 2:30.”

“What?!?!?!

Hoo boy!

I had expected that we would be looking at an eight to nine hour ordeal. Not now.

Len’s schedule meant we had to covering 11 pavilions in 3 ½ hours…do the math…that means we had to consume something every…drum roll please…20 minutes. Yikes.

Now I was REALLY glad I had not eaten breakfast.

Mexico: La Cantina de San Angel

First stop was Mexico. Now think of the strategy one could go with on such a challenge. You could go one of several ways. We all had our own ideas as to how best to approach this challenge.

My plan was sort of a two plans in one kind of an approach. My primary objective was to think small. I was going to look for the smallest item in every pavilion.

I was also thinking that I would also need to space out any liquids I would have. I knew that during the challenge I would need to wash down any food I consumed so I needed to constantly monitor myself for dry throat.

Well for Mexico at La Cantina de San Angel three of us decided to start off light. Len, Annette, and yours truly opted for the child’s meal…a few nachos and a small beef burrito…and a small bottle of water.

Then there was Mike Newell. Mike has also not eaten breakfast so he assumed that having a regular sized meal to start off the challenge would be fine.

Well, take a look at the following picture and you will see how much of a difference the child’s meal was from a regular meal. It would be a choice Mike would regret.

Remember, we all had to eat 75% of whatever we chose at each pavilion so size was a consideration.

Norway: Kringla Bakeri og Cafe

I can tell you that one of the reasons I was excited about this challenge was that I knew that it would be a fun day. After all, I was in Walt Disney World with some friends and I knew…I just knew that we would laugh during this whole ordeal.

Well, you can imagine how much we laughed when Mike Newell, after eating his Mexican dish, turned around and decided to get the chocolate mousse. Now ordinarily, I’m sure many of you would leap at the opportunity of enjoying a chocolate mousse. However, would you really want one after eating a huge plate of nachos? I guess we all knew, especially Mike that his choice was let’s say questionable when he took his first swallow.

The rest of us were on this small food kick and opted for the smallest thing we could get…like the Lefse or the cloudberry horn.

We were two pavilions in and already we knew we were in for quite a day.

We skipped past China because our target, the Tea Wagon, was not open for business just yet.

Germany: Sussigkeiten (Sweets and Treats)

In Germany we thought that Sommerfest would have some good options. Right off the bat we all agreed that a German beer is definitely the wrong shoice so we looked at other options.

We were thinking Strudel. Sure, a little treat and some sugar to give us energy.

Well the problem was that the apple strudel offered at Sommerfest was more like dessert for three and none of us was brave enough to attack it. In fact all the desserts offered…including the Black Forest Cake and Cheesecake, although delicious, was looking just a bit too much to have on this day.

What about the pretzel? Well, that too looked huge, and in Len’s words by then his stomach had convinced him that the pretzel was about the size of a piece of fence.

So we went into the store called Sussigkeiten. It did not get any easier.

Think of it this way. If any of us bought a small package of cookies we’d have to eat 75% of the package. That WASN’T going to happen.

This pavilion was about to be the first pavilion in which we were looking at candy bars. Most of us looked around for a candy bar that appealed to us and that meant not just ingredients but size.

I was adventurous and tried this one candy bar that looked innocent.

Of course when we all got different items we would ask one another how they tasted.

So when Annette said, “Hey Mike, how is it?” I went into my Rod Serling impression and said calmly, “Imagine if you will…chocolate covered Play-Doh!”

Well you can imagine that we knew right then and there that we were risking getting sick from either eating too much food that day or laughing with each other. It was great.

Next Time: Part II: Tea, Nuggets, and Dried Fish, Oh My!

Park #3: Epcot

Everyone knew this park would be a challenge. It was early afternoon and we figured the crowds were peaking. We arrived at 2:00 P.M. and decided to do Spaceship Earth first. This was a toss-up… we had been thinking all along to do Spaceship Earth either first or last but decided to get it over with as soon as we got into the park.

The line was fairly long but we managed to exit that attraction by 2:30.

We then needed to make a decision regarding which attraction to do next. It came down to either Soarin’ or Test Track. The time board near the fountain told us that Soarin’s wait was 10 minutes less than Test Track. We had to do Standby… as FastPass distribution times were looking like early evening, 6 P.M. and later.

We entered the Soarin’ queue at 2:40…

…and waited for 75 minutes before getting on our glider.

It was to that point the longest wait of any attraction.

We left Soarin’ and The Land about 4:10 and headed over to Mexico to ride the Gran Fiesta Tour.

Unfortunately even though there was a short queue we had some problems. The CM overloaded our boat and we got stuck for a few moments.

Eventually we got the boat moving again…

We had finished our third park and it was only 4:35 P.M. It had taken us two hours to do DAK, two hours to do the Studios, and two and a half hours to do Epcot.

We had one park to go… Magic Kingdom… and that had EMH evening hours so we were looking pretty good… we had seven-and-a-half hours to do three attractions.

A number of us wanted to rest while others stayed at Epcot… staying at Epcot was dangerous because we came up with another challenge… I’ll tell you about that later.

While walking around World Showcase we stopped and enjoyed Jamie and the boys from Off Kilter.

We all met up at Saratoga Springs for dinner at 6:30 and took our time and talked about our day and our prospects for MK.

Park #4: The Magic Kingdom

Now up to that point we all had some challenges to meet. My colleagues on the WDWTODAY podcast and I were challenged to do attractions we are not too crazy about.

Matt Hochberg was dragged onto Dinosaur, an attraction he really has no love for and actually dislikes; Mike Newell sucked it up and went on the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and Mike is not a big fan of what the Tower does… but he went on; and Len Testa who gets dizzy on Star Tours gutted it out and just closed his eyes and covered his ears.

So everyone then turned their attention to me and I opened my big mouth and mentioned the dreaded Tea Cups.

“We’re doing that first!” shouted my “friends.”

That was followed by, “Whose favorite ride is the Tea Cups?”

Annette Owens of MEI-Travel and Mouse Fan Travel shouted, “I love it and love to spin!”

So it was decided that Annette would accompany yours truly on the Tea Cups.

We all got in line and I was thinking, “Me and my big mouth!” But I had a plan… and hoped it would work.

When we got into the Tea Cups Annette let out a sinister chuckle.

Just as the attraction started I said to Annette, “I guess we’ll see who the stronger of the two of us is!” She started to spin the tea cup and I countered her actions by spinning the cup the other way. Basically it was a standstill until my hands started to slip and Annette put everything into it.

I then noticed something… I did not get dizzy or sick… for some reason this ride did not find me light-headed and nauseous. It had been at least 14 years since I had been on this attraction.

Guess I had finally grown out of getting sick from spinning.

Not sure if everyone was happy for me or not... I know I was.

We then headed off to do either Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain.

Those who did not want to get wet went to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and those who were still reeling from the mid-90 temps of that day went to Splash Mountain.

There was an approximate wait time of 15-20 minutes for all the attractions that evening.

Our 12th and last attraction of the day was Pirates of the Caribbean. There was an interesting queue going on for Pirates. All the guests were going to the left queue and Mike Newell and I decided to go to the right queue and we had a boat all to ourselves.

To celebrate our accomplishment Len treated everyone to a Dole Whip.

We finished just before 11 P.M. and we were tired.

I think we lucked out in Hollywood Studios. Had we not been able to do that park so quickly we would not have had the luxury of waiting a few hours between Epcot and MK.

It was also proven that you need either an Extra Magic Hour morning or evening to help with extending the operating hours of your first or last park of the day.

Another important factor is the time of year you try this challenge. Early May seems a lot more accommodating than Easter Week, the 4th of July, and Christmas Day.

When we started the day there were at least a dozen of us… throughout the day some dropped off and others came on.

The four of us Len, Matt, Mike, and yours truly made it through the entire day.

Only two others were with us for the entire day so a tip of the Mickey Ears goes out to Danielle DeCerbo and Marissa Daurio for putting up with our shenanigans and keeping us company for all four parks. Special kudos go out to everyone else who at one time or another joined us and energized us along the way.

Hmmm, I wonder if this could be done if the challenge was four attractions per park.

Oh, I almost forgot. Remember when I said Annette Owens and I walked around Epcot and thought of another challenge? Well, we proposed this idea to the gang and a few days later we all tried it and we ended up more wiped out from that challenge than doing the four parks in one day.

Curious?

I’ll have to tell you about it sometime... like maybe next time.

Then I decided to toss the challenge your way and give you some rules and regulations and guidelines as to how to make each park visit viable on that day.

Many of you, including Anita Answer, wrote to me and said you are accepting the challenge and even some of you told me of your escapades trying to do so.

Then I gave you my thoughts on how I would do this little challenge and some of you pointed out a mistake in my plans. I did not check to see if Kali River Rapids was open during Extra Magic Morning Hours at the Animal Kingdom and it is not so you would not be able to do that attraction until later in the morning… some have said it doesn’t open until 9:30.

The solution is to switch and do Kali River Rapids as your third attraction.

Anyway, all this talk about doing four parks in one day got us to thinking about doing it and just over a week ago about 14 of us started out to do just that… visit all four parks and do at least three attractions in each park.

This is how it went:

Park #1: Disney’s Animal Kingdom

We got to DAK 15 minutes before the gates opened. When the turnstiles opened we immediately headed to just in front of Discovery Island and waited for the rope to drop.

We immediately headed to Expedition Everest and got FastPasses for that attraction. We then went to Dinosaur to open that ride.

Oh no… problems. While waiting in the queue we noticed the attraction seemed to be having troubles starting up… tick tock.

We finally boarded our Time Rover sometime around 9:25. Our trek had started. There was one point during the attraction in which the ride slowed down for about a minute... but it quickly started up again.

Here we are.

From there we went to Kilimanjaro Safaris…no FastPass but it didn’t really matter as the crowd level was not too bad.

We loaded onto our vehicle about 10:00. Then everything seemed to slow down. This attraction seemed to take forever to finish. We did not get off our vehicle until 10:30 and it was off to Everest.

Our FastPasses came in handy here and there was a little excitement too. As we waited to board we noticed several members of the Dream Squad mulling around the dock where guests get off the train. Was someone about to win a dream? Was it someone from our train? Was it to be one of us?

Uhhhhh.....no!

We got off our train at 10:30 and saw that the Dream Squad had awarded some dreams (FastPasses) to a family on the train ahead of us. Well, if one of us HAD received a dream in the form of DAK FastPasses for that day we couldn’t use them because we were done with that park and headed off to park number two -- Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

It was 11:00 A.M.

Park #2: Disney’s Hollywood Studios

We headed straight for Sunset Blvd. and noticed that the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was virtually empty. The wait time said “13 minutes” but that really means no wait at all.
We managed to all get on the same elevator. It was 11:30.

We needed to do the Tower before considering lunch.

Lunch was quick… a bite to eat on Sunset Blvd. and then it was off to either the Great Movie Ride or Star Tours. We took a chance and did The Great Movie Ride first.

We were on our vehicle at around 12:30 P.M. This park had been kind to us to this point. We think that the reason for the short lines was that a lot of people, at least Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members, were at the Toy Story Mania preview.

After TGMR we rushed over to Star Tours… again we walked right on. The time was 1:00 P.M.
After that attraction we headed for the exit and jumped on the tram to the parking lot. I got into my rental car around 1:30 P.M.

We had completed half of the challenge in about 4 ½ hours and things were looking good.

Part II will talk about the second half of this challenge.

Promise?

Okay…(Mike looks over both shoulders.)

I’m in Walt Disney World.

Yep.

I flew in on Thursday afternoon.

I decided to surprise my partners in crime on the WDWTODAY podcast. They decided to come down for the Annual Passholder’s Preview for Toy Story Mania.
For a long time I really wasn’t sure if I could come down…for many reasons.

Then for many more reasons I decided ON MONDAY to fly down.

So on Thursday afternoon I found myself lining up ate gate 15 to fly to Orlando

On Friday I surprised everyone and we all went over to Toy Story Mania for the Annual Passholder’s Preview.

When you first enter this renovated area of Mickey Avenue you immediately see the huge Pixar sign.

There was also the sign announcing the sneak preview.

The FastPass machines looked like something right out of the film.

The Green Soldiers were working hard across the street.

The queue for many people will be a stroll down Memory Lane with images of Candy Land…

…Viewmaster…

…Chutes and Ladders on the ceiling…

…Barrelfull of monkeys…

…and Tinkertoys.

There are some other old time favorites but I'll let you discover them for yourself.

The star of the show was Mr. Potato Head. This audioanimatron was amazing and via the use of soundboard technology, interacted with the guests.

He can produce many expressions.

However, this is what is truly amazing...I asked him to remove his ear...AND HE DID!

Mr. Potato Head was illuminated by the Pixar Lamp.

I found a Hidden Mickey

I also found the 3-D glasses needed for the attraction.

Here’s a glimpse of the ride vehicles.

That’s about as far as I could go with the photos. Once in the ride vehicle guests must put on their 3-D glasses and secure the lap bar.

The vehicles begin to spin and from time to time stop in front of a video wall and guests will try their luck at some arcade games.

I won’t spoil it for you but suffice to say this attraction goes by faster than any attraction I have ever seen at Walt Disney World.

Each guest has this cannon and on the back of the cannon is a cord with a knob on the end of it. For each arcade game guests must pull on the cord to go after some targets presented to them.

It is very fast paced and the music and action is non-stop.

You will find yourself a bit tired after riding this attraction.

The Annual Passholder’s Preview saw many people go through this attraction and I noticed that as each day came and gone the scores improved.

On Saturday the highest score was around 160,000…then on Sunday 300,000 was reached and on Monday the highest score I saw was around 560,000 so everyone is learning how to play this game.

There is a single rider line but I really do not recommend using this line as I know of people who waited almost an hour in that line. Besides if you use that line you'll miss all the neat stuff in the queue.

Toy Story Mania is a lot of fun and I would say pretty contagious. Some may argue this point but I think it’s the first real video game like attraction ever to show up in Walt Disney World

I feel badly for Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom…he just won’t feel the same after riding this.

Next Time

Remember the four parks in one day challenge? Oh yes, I know all about Kali River Rapids…no big deal…you can adjust that to attraction number three for that park.

Anyway, a dozen of my friends attempted four parks in one day this past Sunday.

How did we go about attempting g this challenge?

Were we successful?

I’ll tell you next time.

It takes some thought; some planning; and probably a little luck.

I’ve put some thought into this and I’m ready to share my thoughts with you.

Here is what I came up with:

• First, if possible, I would try and pull this stunt off on a day that offers both an Extra Magic Hour Evening Hour Morning in one park and an Extra Magic Hour Evening in another park. If both occur on the same day then potentially I am looking at an extra four hours of touring time to complete my park touring requirements. Every minute counts so the strategy here is to look for a way to get more time.
• If there are no days with this combination of both an EMH Morning and EMH Evening then I would look for a day in which either EPCOT or Magic Kingdom has an Extra Magic Hour Evening and focus on that day. The preference here would be the Magic Kingdom because Spectromagic and Wishes would play a big part of my plan but either park will work.
• My thoughts are that it would be wise to use a combination of both a rental car and Disney Transportation to go from one park to another…you’ll understand how when you read my plan later on.
• The more in your travel party the slower you move so my plan says try this with no more than three other friends. If I go beyond four in my travel party then there is a greater chance that there may be times when the party will need to wait to get on certain attractions…not to mention getting around in a car. So to maximize my potential for success, I’m doing this solo or with just one other person.
• I plan to stretch out my eating plans. I’m thinking that I will eat at my resort before going to my first park. This breakfast has to hold me for a long time. I want a lot behind me before I stop to eat lunch. Preferably I want to eat lunch towards the end of my time in park number two but realize that due to attraction queues lunch may happen in park number three and dinner in park number four.

My Attraction Strategy

Before I go into my detailed plan let me discuss my thoughts on how to attack the attraction touring portion of this plan:

• For the attractions I will focus on will be those which I feel move guests in and out of the attraction as quickly as possible. So, I will be looking to ride any attraction that is a constant loading attraction, that is, one with continuous moving ride vehicles thatnever stop.
• The proximity of certain attractions to each other will also play a key role in making the most of my time in the parks. Travel time between parks is important but so is travel time between attractions.
• Now here’s an interesting thought. FastPass may be more of an enemy in this challenge than an ally. Sure early in the morning it may help but come afternoon the FP distribution times usually run from four to as many as six hours out. So it may be better to wait 40 minutes in stand-by as opposed to waiting four hours to make use of a FastPass.
• Diversions. I will make good use of diversions. By diversions I mean parades or fireworks, or anything that draws crowds away from attractions. You’d be surprised as to how much you can do in a theme park during a diversion.

The Plan

I'm not sure if there is any type of barometer that can be used to determine what is the best way to do this little challenge. We all have our favorite parks and favorite attractions so we all have different takes on what would work well for an approach to accomplish this feat.

For me, my thought is to try not to necessarily do this as fast as I can and do so in some commando mode but to try and do it without running from park to park and attraction to attraction.

So after much thought, here is what I came up with for doing four parks in one day:

• The day I've chosen to do this challenge is Thursday, July 3, 2008 because on that day Disney's Animal Kingdom, my first park of the day, will be offerring Extra Magic Morning Hours and that evening The Magic Kingdom will be hosting Extra Magic Evening Hours. So this means that the turnstiles at Disney's Animal Kingdom will be open for me at 8:00 A.M. and later that night Magic Kingdom will be open to me until 1:00 A.M. Sure it may be hot and may be crowded but this 17 hour window offers me the best chance to do this challenge.
• I will get up as early as possible so I can be at the Animal Kingdom turnstiles around 7:30 or so. This means either eating an early and quick meal at one of my resort's eateries or having something in my room. My preference is to have a little breakfast snack in the room...either way I'm pulling into the DAK parking lot no later than 7:00 A.M.

Park #1 - Disney's Animal Kingdom

Here's how I will attack my first park of the day:

1. It's 7:30 and I am already at the turnstiles. When I get into the park I walk over to Expedition Everest and grab a FastPass. I then go to Kali River Rapids. Why? Well everyone else is doing the Safari or Everest so I can get my first attraction (KRR) out of the way real fast. My guess is that I can be out of Kali River Rapids by 8:30. One attraction down.
2. Time to use my Expedition Everest FastPass. Most likely my FastPass distribution time is probably for sometime between 9:00 and 10:00. No problem. If I go on Everest somewhere between 9:00 and 9:30 I will be off the attraction no later than 9:45. Two attractions down.
3. At this point my guess is that my best choice would be Dinosaur. It is one of those attractions which some people do not like because it's loud, rough, and downright scary. That translates into a short queue. It's also not that long of a walk from Everest to Dinosaur.If I can get into Dinosaur somewhere in the vicinity of 10:00 to 10:15 then I could very well find myself leaving Disney's Animal Kingdom around 11:00, if not sooner. One park down.
4. Since I got to the park early I may not need to wait for the traim to take me to the parking lot and my rental car. I may be parked close enough to the park entrance to walk to the car...another reason why I arrived to the park so early.

My next park in this challenge is Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Park #2 - Disney's Hollywood Studios

I chose as my second park of the day because this park is really suited only for being park number two. It cannot serve as my first park because the attractions aren't open until mid morning. It cannot be my third park because that would mean I would be in the smallest of the four theme parks in mid to late afternoon, and of course it cannot replace Magic Kingdom on this day because Magic Kingdom offers Extra Magic Hours in the evening and two diversions which will lower the queues for my targeted attractions.

Here we go:

1. Let's assume that worse case scenario, I am going through the Studios turnstiles at 11 A.M. My first stop is the SuperGreeter Board at the the corner of Hollywood Bvd. and Sunset Blvd. to check out the waiting times. The first bit of information is to determine which of the two attractions, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror or Rock 'N' Roller Coaster, have less than an hour wait. The second important piece of information is to find out what the FastPass distribution times are for both of them.
2. I will grab a FastPass for the attraction with the longest queue and get in line for the other attraction. My guess is that the Fast Pass Distribution time will be somwhere between two and three hours out. So that tells me that in that time I should focus on doing two other attractions and try to eat lunch. The one flaw in this plan is that I really cannot risk eating lunch too soon before doing either the Tower or RnRC.
3. Let's assume RnRC has the longer line. I will then grab a FastPass for that attraction and get in line for the Tower. Now I'm guessing that if it's around 11:30 or so that my FastPass will have a distribution time of somewhere between 1:30 and 2:30. Let's say it's a 45 minute wait for the Tower. I emerge from that attraction somewhere around 12:30-12:45. I should be able to squeeze in attraction #2 before my RnRC FastPass time arrives.
4. I check the board again...what has shorter lines...Toy Story Mania, Star Tours, or The Great Movie Ride? My guess is that it's Star Tours...Toy Story Mania is new and will be crowded...TGMR is always packed in the afternoon during the summer...and compared to TGMR and TSM, Star Tours will almost always have the shorter queue line.
5. The assumption is that I arrive at Star Tours around 1:00 and get on the attraction no less than 45 minutes later. I thus emerge from the attraction around 2:00 and head over to use my RnRC FP. To be fair I must assume that it will still be at least a 15-20 minute wait even with my FP. I thus assume I'm walking out of the attraction sometime around 3 P.M.
6. I need to eat lunch so I stop off at Cantina Eddie's for some pizza and a drink to fulfill the lunch requirement before heading out the turnstiles sometime around 3:45 or so.

Park #2 is complete. I drive to EPCOT.

Park #3 - EPCOT

With luck I'm walking through the EPCOT turnstiles no later than 4:30.

I'm glad I stopped for a quick linch at the Studios. It's all attractions for this park.

For EPCOT there are some options I have to consider. To save time I will do eithe the tandem of Test Track and the Gran Fiesta Tour or Oh Canada and Soarin' as ther first two and the last two are relatively close in distance. The other attraction I will focus on is Spaceship Earth because it is a constnat loading attraction.

1. Once again, first stop is the Supergreeter Board to get information on wait times.. Now here is where it gets tricky. It's late afternoon and probably not a good idea to look at FastPasses as they may have distribution times that go into early evening. I will still check but remember it's summer time with lots of crowds. The question that I know I must answer is whether I do Soarin' or Test Track. That decision will determine my World Showcase attraction.
2. I will assume Test Track will have the shorter wait...plus there's always the possibility of getting on quickly via the single passenger line. before getting in line I check the FP distribution times. If it's less than two hours I may go for it, head to Mexico, and possibly try to squeeze in Spaceship Earth too, although I prefer not to backtrack.
3. Let's assume I get into the Test Track standby queue and am out of there by 6 P.M.
4. I head over to Mexico and party with the three Caballeros and step off that attraction by 6:45.
5. With luck I'm entering my Spaceship Earth ride vehicle sometime around 7 P.M.,
6. I should be walking out of the EPCOT turnstiles around 7:30.
7. I need to save time so I head to the monorail and go to the Ticket and Transportation Center and switch to the Magic Kingdom Express Monorail.

Next and final stop is The Magic Kingdom.

Park #4 - The Magic Kingdom

If I can get to the Magic Kingdom before 8 P.M. I'll be estatic but realistically I will probably go through the turnstiles around 8:30.

1. The first thing I do is get my wristband for Extra Magic hours.
2. Time to eat. Where. Columbia Harbor House because it's centrally located in the park.
3. My guess is that everyone is lining up for Spectromagic, one of the diversions I had mentioned earlier. So after I emerge from a quick supper I head over to Haunted Mansion. Hopefully I'm out of the Haunted Mansion no later than 10 P.M.
4. Wishes may be just about to start so while everyone heads to the front of the park to watch Wishes I make my way over to Splash Mountain.
5. I should be able to gauge which of the two, Splash Mountain, or Big Thunder Mountain has the shorter queue. Whoever does have the shorter line will have me as a guest that night.
6. My guess is that it's now about 10:30 to 10:45 and I have one more attraction to do...and it's Prirates of the Caribbean.

And I'm done.

Reader's Comments

The response to this challenge has been overwhleming and I thank everyone for sending me their comments and their experiences. I am trying to read and respond to all the email I have received. Please be patient as I will get to your email. I plan to post a "Mike's Mailbag" edition with my favorite emails.

You know you’ve thought of it.

You know you’ve dreamed about it.

You know you would love to try it….it’s out there just screaming at you…can you hear the words?

“Try me…c’mon…try me.”

What am I talking about?

I’m talking about the idea of visiting all four Walt Disney World theme parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom) in just one day.

Oh if you are saying, “Yo Mike it’s a piece of cake!” then belly up to the table and put on your napkin because I welcome you to bite into this challenge…but under my conditions.

Before we put on our walking shoes and head for the parks let‘s talk a bit as to the required parameters you should follow in order to, at least in my own mind, “officially” claim this accomplishment.

Let’s first define this challenge and be crystal clear as to all the requirements.

Four Parks in less than a Day

Let’s all agree as to what we will define as a “day” in regards to this particular challenge. Sometimes the definition of “day” is quite different from person to person. Before we start looking at anything else we need to all be on the same page with a definition of a day for this challenge. So here is the deal.

Required Number of Attractions

It would be pretty simple and easy to do this challenge by just running into a theme park, visiting the least crowded attractions and then move on to the next theme park… but that’s way too easy and boring.

Well…we here at AllEars Challenge Central are not in the boring business so let’s go over the exciting requirements regarding attraction touring for this most interesting challenge.

Of the three attractions that you experience at least one of those attractions must be a Headliner attraction. A Headliner attraction is an attraction that is recognized as a “staple” for that theme park. It is recognized as one of the more popular attractions in that park. The following bullets describe the attractions eligible for this challenge and I have placed (H) next to those attractions I consider to be Headliner attractions. Remember, you must choose three attractions from those listed for each theme park.

• Magic Kingdom – Space Mountain (H), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (H), Splash Mountain (H), Haunted Mansion (H), and Pirates of the Caribbean (H). Because of their recent upgrading in the last two years both Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean have been granted Headliner status.


• EPCOT – Spaceship Earth, Soarin’ (H), Test Track (H), Mission:Space (H) and any World Showcase attraction. Keep in mind you cannot use more than one World Showcase attraction for your visit to EPCOT.


• Hollywood Studios – Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (H), Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (H), The Great Movie Ride (H), Star Tours, and Toy Story Mania (Opening this spring).


• Animal Kingdom – Expedition Everest (H), Dinosaur; Kilimanjaro Safaris (H), It’s Tough to Be a Bug, and Kali River Rapids.

So there you have the list of attractions. You have to experience a total of one dozen attractions in less than a day.

You’ll need energy to accomplish this task and eating is also included in the list of requirements for this challenge.

Read on.

Challenge Chowing

Taking on this challenge requires fuel to get you through quite a long day. Again, as with attractions, you have a choice regarding food. See? I’m easy. You must eat at least two (2) meals during this adventurous day. It’s up to you as to when and where you eat. You may choose a sit-down restaurant or quick-service for any meal. There is a stipulation that you cannot have more than one meal in any one park. No limit on snacks.

The question is what works best for you.

Also, keep in mind that three meals and as many snacks as you require are fine too…as long as you have at least two meals during the day

Non-Goals

If you were wondering about some other requirements for this challenge there aren’t any. You are free to figure out transportation schemes and again, you may do the parks in any order that works for you.

There are no parade or fireworks requirements and no need to take a photo with any character. You do not need to see any shows, nor shop in any store.

You have enough to do.

Sound like fun?

It could be if you plan it right.

So think about how you’d tackle this little assignment.

Next time I’ll tell you my plan and how I arrived at it.

]]> http://land.allears.net/blogs/mikescopa/2008/04/not_for_the_faint_of_heart_1.html http://land.allears.net/blogs/mikescopa/2008/04/not_for_the_faint_of_heart_1.html Planning Theme Parks Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:00:55 -0500 This is a continuation of the discussion regarding the issue of taking children out of school for a Walt Disney World vacation.

I've asked fellow AllEars Staffer Michelle Scribner-MacLean to join me in discussion.

Let's move on to another angle in the discussion.

The Question of Educational Priorities

I (it’s Mike again) am the first one to recognize that life is one big educational journey and that we get life lessons from outside the classroom as well as inside those four walls.

Walt Disney World, especially EPCOT, has coined the phrase “Edutainment” which is defined as a process by which guests are simultaneously entertained and educated.

Of course I’m not sure how much education one receives while riding Soarin’ but for sure there is some merit to Ellen’s Energy and the American Adventure…no denying that.

What must also be said is that there is some education taking place regarding the fine art of traveling…security checks, safety, preparedness, yadda yadda ya.

However, let me present the argument can be made that there may not be enough “education” waiting for the children as to offset what they would be missing in the classroom.

Also, the argument can also be made to say, “This education they are receiving in March could also be realized during school vacation times.”

So this is another debate that takes place; “Are we sending a mixed message to children when we take them out of school to have fun?”

Something to ponder.

Michelle makes the following great points:

” No one is arguing the value of having students stay in school, but travel has a lot of educational value, as well. Students can learn about what is involved in travel planning, mapping routes, and seeing what different climates are like. In addition, parents can enhance the educational experience by having the students take digital photos and do scrap booking or journaling or by having them turn digital movies into a narrated trip report – each of which could be shared back at school as a class presentation. Also, while parents don’t tend think of WDW as a substitute for school, there are a lot of places at WDW that make learning come alive. Perhaps the student is studying predators and prey in science – Animal Kingdom can provide a chance for students to do some animal observations in the park. Maybe they are studying European culture in social studies – at EPCOT they can interview natives of many countries.”

General Considerations

If you do decide to take your child out of school to visit WDW, here are some general questions and thoughts to consider:

Will it be difficult for your child to make up the work?

Consider how well your child is doing in school. Is every week a struggle for your child to keep up with the work?

In this case, parents should think about whether their child can make up the work upon their return from vacation. If your child keeps up with schoolwork with no problems, then leaving for a vacation and doing subsequent make-up work will probably not be a problem.

Length of time students will be away from school:

Parents should consider the amount of schoolwork the student is able to make up. Depending upon the student and the workload, missing a few days to a week’s worth of work might be “do-able.” There are definitely “busy” weeks in school, just as there are “slower” weeks. Parents should check with the teachers to find out if there are any large projects being introduced, if the school will be doing standardized testing that week, or if there are any scheduled school events that would be difficult for their child to make up.

What do you expect from the teacher?

Teachers have a lot to do and, for many, pulling together a week’s worth of work ahead of time for your student can be tricky. In fact, it is more and more prevalent in school districts that teachers are not required to provide work for students who are going on vacation while school is in session. Many teachers, however, encourage students keep a travel journal and share their experiences upon a student’s return.

See…now you know why I bribed Michelle (besides the Dole Whip I had to toss in a picture of Bill Nye the Science Guy) to help me with this issue. …I knew she had put a lot of thought into this issue.

Age of the Child

I need to once again credit Michelle with a very important point when she says, “When this issue does come up, regardless of what side of the debate people fall on, there is almost total agreement that any impact from missing class time is felt more in the upper grade levels than the lower levels.

School work at all grades is important. Preschool and elementary work is equally as important as middle and high school – but at the upper grades, where students have multiple teachers, extended lab periods, and where block scheduling is prevalent, it can be more difficult to make up work for a student. For this reason, careful consideration of how feasible it is to make up work at the upper grades needs to be considered.

At the upper grades, parents might consider including their son or daughter in the decision-making process. Perhaps they are involved in a sport and don’t want to miss a week or maybe added work upon their return will stress them out. It might be, however, that they feel that they can take on the added responsibility of making up work.”

I echo Michelle’s points.

It’s not just age of the student that must be considered when making this decision but also the type of student your child has become. Some children can rebound and catch up better than others. Parents hopefully know what type of students their children are.

The Answer

Well there is no easy answer, at least not from me.

There is however, what I had said at the outset of this discussion and that is that no one can make this decision for the parent or the child EXCEPT the parent and the child…not just the parent.

Obviously no one knows children better than their parents and for the most part parents make the right choices for their families.

I think the parents need to discuss this issue with the children and make sure their children understand what may be expected of them upon their return from Walt Disney World.

Walt Disney World is an amazing place to bring children and no doubt that all guests young and old find their trips to be both entertaining and educational….consciously or subconsciously.
It’s important that we don’t allow others to influence what we feel is best for our own children.
For some of us we prefer not to interrupt the traditional educational process and take our children out of school but for others the decision is quite the opposite.

My advice is to do what’s best for you and your family…but I would also go as far as to say if some time other than the rational school vacation time is the only time you can bring your family to Walt Disney World then my gut feeling is to go for it...after all…remember…life lessons occur both outside as well as inside the classroom.

Remember, do what’s best for you and yours.

Now if you excuse me I have to catch a plane to WDW and somehow get a Dole Whip and get it to Michelle before it melts…there are such things as refrigerated planes right?

I know one person who would know…Bill Nye the Science Guy.

]]> http://land.allears.net/blogs/mikescopa/2008/04/test_no_kidding_around_part_2.html http://land.allears.net/blogs/mikescopa/2008/04/test_no_kidding_around_part_2.html Planning Walt Disney World Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:59:36 -0500 When folks plan their WDW vacation and drop me an email I am often asked for advice on one or more aspects of their upcoming tripp.

While I usually enjoy offering suggestions, I must admit that sometimes when someone asks for certain advice on an upcoming Walt Disney World trip I get a bit nervous..

The demographics for Walt Disney World’s guests are all over the map…young, old, wealthy, not so wealthy, Dole Whip fans, non Dole Whip fans, yadda yadda ya.

So due to this demographic diversification (I love alliteration) it’s obvious that one size does not fit all and what may work for me and my family may not work for Mr. John Traveler and his family.

It comes down to the basic rule of thumb that says each one of us knows what works best for us and our family and we should use that knowledge to craft the best possible trip…for us. No one should make that decision for us…except us.

This philosophy really comes into play when I’m asked the dreaded school question.

Hide your children, lock your doors and windows and draw the shades…better light a candle too…this is BIG….are you ready for the question?

“Mike, do you think it would be okay if I took my children out of school for a few days for a trip to Walt Disney World?”

(Shudder)

I’ve been able to handle this question better in recent years…there is no longer need to secure a smelling salt tablet to my forehead for my friends to revive me after fainting from being asked this question.

Having a background in education and training, as well as a deep love and appreciation for all things Disney, I have always had mixed feelings about this issue.

It really depends upon the child…and a few other things.

For the sake of this blog entry I will take the “Nevermore!” position and suggest some reasons for not taking the child out of school. I don’t think I will be successful. I sense I will end up walking the fence, so to speak.

Remember, this is for entertainment purposes only and please keep in mind that no harm should come to this author in the aftermath of the posting of this blog entry.

Since I didn’t want to go down this road alone I‘ve invited (actually pleaded on bended knee) fellow AllEars Staffer Michelle Scribner-MacLean to help me sort out some of the issues here and also hopefully provide some counterpoint opinions to help make for a healthy discussion. I tempted her with a Dole Whip.

Okay, here we go.

Best Time of Year

The argument can be made that parents don’t like to limit themselves to school vacations for trips to Walt Disney World…especially if they would like to bring their family down during the less crowded times of year or for a special event like the International Food and Wine Festival.
Okay…I understand the point.

I had a choice and elected to stick with summer family trips. I actually gave my children a choice.

“Okay Holly and Mike, let’s see what’s behind Door #1. Oh wow, it’s a five to seven day trip to Walt Disney World during the school year. That’s nothing to sneeze at right kids? But there’s another door.”

Then I show them Door #2.

“Okay Kids let’s look at what’s waiting for us behind door #2. Holy Mickey Mouse, it’s a 10 day to 2-week trip to Walt Disney World during summer vacation. Wow…the choice is yours….sorta.”

Here is what they said.

They told me that they did not relish the idea of doing homework while on vacation or trying to catch up when they returned. There was also the feeling that not all their teachers would warm up to the notion that they were out of school on vacation and not because of illness.

They also argued that they knew that the summer months meant more things were open and for longer hours.

So their argument was…less stress and more quality fun in the summer then let’s say November or March.

Again, those were the words of my children who at the time were 12 and 10 years of age when this discussion took place.

I felt the same way. It’s easy as a parent to say, “Oh well the kids can make up the work.” Sure…parents don’t have to deal with the teacher(s) and make up work waiting for the children after the trip.

I actually believed it was more enjoyable for my children to have an extended trip in the summer than any other time of the year.

Also, there was more to miss than just school. My children were involved in school athletics and other school activities, plus dance, piano lessons, and so on.

Sure, the argument is that it’s only for a few days or just a week; but think of what’s waiting for the kids when they return.

Again, just my opinion…and it pertains to my family.

Now let’s hear Michelle’s take on this issue:

” Although there is always plenty to do while you’re there, there are many special events that happen only during specific times of the year at WDW. If you limit your visits only to school vacations times, you might miss out on some really fun events such as the Flower and Garden Show (May), the Food and Wine Festival (October and November), and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (October). For example, during the past several years we’ve visited in May and the entire family looks forward to seeing the spectacular topiaries, the butterfly garden, the ladybug release, and seeing the dozens of different types of roses during the Flower and Garden Show.

Here’s another consideration, school vacation times tend to be more crowded than other times of the year. Families may find that they are able to see more attractions, obtain Advanced Dining Reservations, and not spend their vacation standing in lines if they take their students out of school to visit WDW. Cost can also be an issue for families. School vacations are considered “peak season” at WDW, which translates to higher room charges, airfare, etc. For some families, this is a “deal-breaker.” Families traveling during the school year can often find “non-peak” prices, making a trip to WDW more feasible.”

Remember those points…Special Events….crowds….cost…all part of the equation.

Stay tuned...there's more...Part II is right around the corner!

]]> http://land.allears.net/blogs/mikescopa/2008/04/no_kidding_around_part_i.html http://land.allears.net/blogs/mikescopa/2008/04/no_kidding_around_part_i.html Planning Walt Disney World Sun, 13 Apr 2008 05:00:54 -0500 I recently had an opportunity to talk with Thomas Tryon who serves as a Show Producer for Special Events and Projects at Walt Disney World.

Tryon was given the task of bringing the Block Party Bash Parade from Disneyland’s California Adventure Theme Park to Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios Theme Park.

The parade debuted in California on April 5th, 2005 and just three years later it is ready to take the East Coast by storm.

Of course moving a parade of this magnitude from California to Florida involved looking into the logistics of such a move.

The first order of business was to decide where the parade should land.

Right from the start there was no question that the Block Party Bash Parade’s new address would be the Hollywood Studios. After all it is a Pixar-based parade and don’t we find most Disney/Pixar characters in the studios theme park? I don’t expect that Disney’s Animal Kingdom or EPCOT or The Magic Kingdom had a shot at hosting this parade.

From a parade organizer’s viewpoint however, there’s much more to consider.

Once the Studios was deemed the appropriate new home for the parade, the next order of business involved the parade route itself.

Actually a complete assessment of the theme park’s parade readiness for the parade was necessary.

When you think of a Disney themed parade you think of the floats, the characters, the music, the dancing, the fanfare, and everything else that you see and hear during the course of the parade.

Keep in mind that when the Disney creative forces designed this parade they did so with Disney’s California Adventure theme park in mind, Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios theme park was not on their radar.

We’re talking two completely different animals here.

Everyone involved realized that they just couldn’t say, “Okay let’s just pack up everything and move to Orlando.”

There were so many things to consider.

The primary concern was the parade route.

The parade route for the Block Party Bash Parade had to have two important features. The first is that the parade route had to be able to accommodate the parade floats. Size and width was a consideration and with that comes the importance of maneuverability. The Hollywood Studios was far from being ready for this particular parade’s floats.

Some adjustments in the area of concrete had to be made along the parade route.

For those of you who have been visiting Hollywood Studios over the last year and a half you may have noticed some changes along Hollywood Blvd. and other portions of the Studios parade route. Changes have been somewhat subtle but importantly they have been parade-friendly.

It was important to alter the route so that the sides of the route would allow the floats to move through the route with ease with special considerations for turning corners.

The next time you are in the Studios stroll along the parade route and see if you notice where these changes were made, especially in front of Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat.

Now this is just for the parade route. There were other issues that had to be resolved.

Are there adequate spots along such a route in which the floats could stop and entertain guests?

Because of the nature and personality of this parade, specifically the highly specialized floats and their interactivity with the guests, the parade route had to offer some very convenient parade stops in which both the parade performers and the guests would be able to safely enjoy the “party” portion of the parade.

Stop points had to be focused on for safety concerns as well and adjustments in the concrete topography had to be made along the route where these stops would best take place.

So are you with me so far?

There are two more major concerns that had to be addressed.

The first concern was in regards to the garaging of the parade floats. Was there ample space to house these huge floats?

In a word, no!

Tryon noted that expansion of the current parade building was needed so that there was a proper storage facility for the parade vehicles. So that piece of business was added into the overall project for moving the parade east.

There was yet another consideration that I had not thought of.

Think of this, a parade is made up of floats and performers.

A storage facility for the floats was needed and how many of us would ever think that along with the floats there is the matter of parade costumes?

Parade performers wear parade costumes specifically designed for that parade and it appeared that the Studios did not have an adequate or as Tryon put it “proper” costuming facility to handle the additional costumes that came with this parade.

A decision was made to build a new costuming facility that would be able to handle all the anticipated costuming needs once the parade arrived.

Now think about all this stuff….changes in the parade route…expansion of the parade building…construction of a new costuming facility…all these issues had to be addressed just because a parade was moving from one theme park to another.

Because of these issues the actual original planned move was delayed one year.

So the obvious question that came to mind was “Why?”

I asked Thomas if there was ever any consideration to just altering the parade instead of going through all the trouble and expense of altering the route, expanding current buildings, and putting up a new building.

It was his answer that reminded me as to why Disney is Disney.

In so many words Thomas said that we all have to remember that what sets a Disney theme park aside from all the rest is that Disney has cornered the market on storytelling.

Be it attractions, fireworks, or parades, the important thing is the storytelling and most noteworthy, the creative process.

He mentioned how Disney values the creative process and once the creative process has generated something worthy of Disney quality it’s basically “hands off.”

When he mentioned this to me I was reminded as to why the name Disney always seems to be synonymous with quality.

Why change something that has already been proven as being something loved by the guests?

Why tamper with success?

It says quite a lot when a company is more concerned with the quality of its products than the bottom line. And when you think of it, aren’t the returns greater when you put a premium on quality?

It also makes sense to make the venue fit the product rather than the product fit the venue.
Thus the original creative content for the parade was meticulously maintained.

Oh, and about the actual physical move from the west coast to the east coast….

…it took 15 semi-tractor trailers to haul the parade from California to Florida.

So the next time you are in Hollywood Studios and you get a chance to enjoy this parade with the other guests you can relish in the fact that now you know…

…the rest of the story.

For more Block Party Bash Photos, check out our Photo Gallery!

]]> http://land.allears.net/blogs/mikescopa/2008/03/block_party_bash_parade_moving_1.html http://land.allears.net/blogs/mikescopa/2008/03/block_party_bash_parade_moving_1.html Block Party Bash Disney's Hollywood Studios (was Disney's MGM Studios) Theme Parks Walt Disney World Block Party Bash DIsney's Hollywood Studios Thomas Tryon Mon, 31 Mar 2008 05:00:26 -0500 Mike's Mailbag

Before they get lost in the shuffle let me share some recently received emails.

Most of them touch upon my recent discussion on Disney Withdrawal and Disney Saturation:

First up, Heidi Potenza:

It has been 1 whole month since we got back from our trip to Disney. Mike's blog brought a smile to my face because we too have had this very discussion about "too much of a good thing." We started out visiting WDW every couple years when we could afford to. We have now made it an annual pilgrimage with our kids who truly look forward to it as much as we do!

I agree with Mike's observations about how your appreciation changes for different things the more you visit. We just spent 8 days park hopping, as well as the Pirates & Princesses Party one night. The last night of our vacation, we stayed until 10 p.m. even though we had to be at the Orlando airport for a 6 a.m. flight just to get every last little bit of Disney magic in until next time!

I will know that I have had enough Disney when I walk into the Magic Kingdom, and stand there gazing down Main Street at that beautiful castle, and not have tears streaming down my face.

Then perhaps we will have a serious discussion about saturation!!

Heidi

Thanks for the email Heidi. My tears usually appear on the last night of a trip when I’m leaving Magic Kingdom. Once I hit the Emporium area I cannot turn back to look at the castle.

From Jon Simon:

I fully comprehend what Mike refers to as saturation. I would rather use a different term, because I think saturation equals a lack of appreciation.

More appropriate is commonplace. He is used to going and lacks the excitement the vast majority of people face going and the withdrawal he describes.

Two members of my family recently went to WDW and I felt a form of withdrawal every day they were there. It was the first time I was unable to accompany them.

Every time I hear the Year of a Million Dreams theme I get chills. My wife who just returned does not share this feeling.

My withdrawal was made a little easier while they were away because Mr. Scopa made me feel wonderful by calling me while he met up with my son while at Epcot.

Jon

Thanks for the note Jon. I had a great time chatting with your son Ben. The only thing better would have been if you were there to take part in the conversation.

We called you from the top of the hill in the picture below...right near International Gateway.

From Philip DeLuccia (who I happen to know just celebrated a birthday…Happy Birthday Phil)

Mike, I just finished reading your blog about Saturation Point. My family and I have been down there every other year since 1994, but recently my wife and I are trying to go once a year. We find ourselves visiting the newest attractions (or recently upgraded), then we take in our favorites as time permits. We've also tried out of the ordinary outings like renting a boat from Old Key West and traveling along the waterways to The Marketplace, Port Orleans, and back. We've also tried Para-sailing behind The Contemporary and are planning on going to Discovery Cove this coming January 2009 (weather permitting).

I have to say that just being in the parks gives me a feeling of fulfillment and pleasure, whether I get on an attraction or not. Evelyn (my wife) is looking forward to upcoming races and I look forward just to be in The World. We experienced Mickey's Not so Scary this past October as well as the Tower of Terror 13K (if you remember, Evelyn and I chatted with you while waiting for the beginning of the race). I'm going to pick up Annual Passes for the two of us, since we'll be going down this coming October for 5 days, 10 days in January, and another 5 days in October 2009. I figured Oct 2009 would be at the beginning of the month, so Evelyn can run the Race for the Taste. I enjoyed talking to you this past October, and, after reading your blogs and listening to your opinions on the podcasts, I find that we have much in common. I totally agree with you regarding not letting my children roam around a Theme park by themselves. I don't care if it's WDW or not, I trust my children, but I don't trust everyone else. Our children are our most valuable possessions and I know I'd die if anything happened to mine. Hopefully we'll get to chat again while in Florida (maybe Jan 2009). Until then, I'll keep reading your blogs and listening to your podcast.

Keep Well,

Phil DeLuccia

Phil is referring to a recent discussion on the WDWTODAY podcast in which the panelists debated on whether or not they would allow a thirteen year old and his eight year old brother to roam in the Magic Kingdom while the parents enjoyed a quiet meal at California Grill.

By the way Phil, my wife and I and two of our cast member friends spent one afternoon on a boat and went to see Old Key West. Here is what it looked like as we arrived at OKW.

From Jenny:

I found your blog on saturation to be extremely true. Walt Disney World definitely means many different things to everyone. Like your early years, we can only manage family trips every other year and are working towards our biggest one yet and the anticipation and planning are only part of the fun. We have celebrated all (honeymoon, birthdays, Christmas, New Years, & soon anniversary) at the World and the saturation has not yet set in and I hope that it never does. For us, it truly is THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH!

Your Blog is great, keep it up!!

Thank you for the kind words Jenny. I think annual trips work well for most folks because of the excitement of planning and anticipation of every trip and more importantly, annual trips keep everything fresh and that saturation point well off the radar.

Here’s a note from a fellow AllEars colleague

From Glo
Mike,

Just wanted to say that I loved your blog segment about withdrawal/saturation.

Like you, when we had family, living in Michigan, our trips were about every 18 months. Once the kids were gone, just Gary and I went every year in January ...same awful withdrawal!
Then we moved to Miami in 1998 and went about once a month. In 2001 we bought a small home in Kissimmee just so we could go more often and stay longer.

Guess what! Saturation ;-) We still love WDW and always look forward to going, but, just as you said, now it's the atmosphere, it's the people-watching, it's the beauty of the landscaping and architecture. It's simply strolling down the rose walk and photographing particularly beautiful blossoms.

...and virtually the only time we do attractions is when we have friends, family or the grandkids visit.

Now about those fireworks! You may skip them sometimes, but that's one thing I can't do without LOL

Glo

Glo, your note triggered a thought. I have another friend who moved from Michigan to Florida and he lives about an hour from WDW. I’m not sure where he is on the saturation scale but one of the things he said his family misses is the resort atmosphere. There is no need for them to stay at the resorts and that, he said, is part of the whole WDW experience....

...and I'm with you all the way on the fireworks! Have you ever watched Wishes from the California Grill?

From a fellow Red Sox fan

From Kathleen:
Dear Mike:

I just returned from the World and at your advice, I checked out Spaceship Earth. I can offer a mixed review. I enjoyed the new narrative, but was underwhelmed by even the computer room.

I prefer by far the recent Pirates and Haunted Mansion rehabs! My kids (10, 8, and 8) LOVED the quiz at the end. As I think Deb may have mentioned in an All Ears review, I concur that a memorable song like "Tomorrow's Child" would enhance the experience. Nice but not a "must see."

I will be able to return April 17-23 (I NEVER get 2 trips a year--this is HUGE) and can't wait!!!
Thanks for asking my opinion. Wishing you and your family many trips to the World full of moments in the "zone."

Good luck to your knees and the Red Sox this spring!!

Kathleen

Thanks Kathleen. Everyone needs to see the new Spaceship Earth for themselves. There have been some amazing improvements to this attraction. I somehow get the feeling however that there is still more to do.

Go Sox!

Here’s one from a New England neighbor Virginia Pierce

Being a fellow New Englander from RI, I must start off by saying "Go Sox!"

Reading your article in All Ears Newsletter made me think those are the special things about Disney that cause us to make the trek several times a year, the thing that most people don't understand. I want to add one to your list.

Last October while I was waiting for Spectromagic to begin, I was eating a snack on a side street off Main Street. I heard a terrible sounding piano, then a women yelling. Then I heard tap dancing. It took me a minute to figure it out. Across the street, a window read something out Piano Lessons and/or Tap Dance Lessons, and that was the commotion I heard.

Those are the details that make Disney special to me; most people are too busy running to the next attraction to take the time to appreciate the small things.

Thanks for reliving the magic,
Virginia Pierce

Virginia I am so glad you sent me that email because it points out how rushing around a theme park prevents some guests from noticing the details that go into the design and development of each area of the theme parks. Once you noticed these details you develop a deeper appreciation for what Walt Disney World offers its guests. I’m always discovering these subtle touches.

I discovered something last Summer while riding the steamboat at Magic Kingdom. Have you ever noticed this dog watching this fish jump out of the water?

From Jennifer

Awesome blog post! What great observations! I love your point that although you don't take in as many attractions, you enjoy the atmosphere and just being there without the stress!

A short but very insightful email from Jennifer. I hope everyone sees Jennifer’s point here. A trip to WDW is supposed to relieve stress not add to it and sometimes you have to relax and not worry about making every attraction you can on every day of your trip.

From Nikki

Mike,

I totally loved your article "Disney Withdrawal vs. Disney Saturation." It spoke directly to my husband and me. We recently returned from our latest Disney vacation in Feb of 08. We had the discussion about how Disney is changing for us. We no longer have the same excitement about the same things as we once had! The examples in your article directly described us! We no longer get the excitement out of being at a park for the rope drop. We would rather sleep in and take it easy. We have found other "attractions" at Disney World that appeal to us!

Keep up the great writing!

Nikki

Very interesting comments Nikki…although the theme park excitement isn’t there for you anymore there is still something that keeps bringing you back to WDW. This is yet another testimony that there is something for everyone at Walt Disney World....like...

From Shea:

Mike I could not agree with you more. My wife and I go to Disney about 1 X a month. We live in West Palm Beach. Since the new dog has arrived we have not been there since December. We go at the end of March for the day.

However some of our best attractions are now people watching. It’s really great and we try to spend a little time doing just that. When we go back for the day it will be just for a few hours with lunch at our favorite restaurant Le Cellier.

Keep up the great work,

Shea

Shea, I love people watching. I could sit on a bench all day and watch guests walk by. I play a game and try to identify those guests who I feel are first time visitors and for those who are WDW veterans. I mostly enjoy watching the children. For those who know me you obviously realize that I can never get enough of Le Cellier.

Finally, from George, a note regarding the WDW Marathon weekend:

Mike,

The Marathoning with Mickey post was fantastic! I always enjoy your trip reports and reading how your trip is going. The pictures of an almost empty Epcot were jaw-dropping!

I had another question for you. I tore my meniscus and my ACL in a mixed-martial arts class in 2004. I would love to participate in something like the half-marathon, but I am afraid the damage I would do to my knee would be unbearable. I do focus on working out my quads and hamstrings (along with all of the other muscles in the legs) so I don't hurt my knee further.

I know this is rather ambiguous, but do you have any thoughts on how someone like me could participate? Are there volunteer positions along the race? I would love to be part of it!

Thanks!

George

Well George, obviously the best thing to do is to consult with your doctor before deciding whether or not you could participate in the half-marathon.

Everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for another.

Consult with your doctor to discuss what your limitations are rather than risk more damage to your knee. You never know, there could be some therapy available to help you.

There are quite a few people who love volunterring for Marathon Weekend. You should find information on how to volunteer by going to the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Home Page as we get closer to the event.

Thanks to everyone for sending their thoughts along and sharing them with me and everyone else.

]]> http://land.allears.net/blogs/mikescopa/2008/03/ms_are_wild_mikes_mailbag.html http://land.allears.net/blogs/mikescopa/2008/03/ms_are_wild_mikes_mailbag.html Mike's Mailbag Mike Scopa Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:00:42 -0500 Happy 5th Anniversary MagicMeets.

Last week MagicMeets sold out in 38 hours which is a tribute to the efforts of MagicMeets Founder Fred Block and his amazing army of volunteers.

Fred’s event has grown from around 40 attendees back in 2004 to a current ceiling of 550 attendees and along the way he has figured out the formula for changing venues without sacrificing quality.

In fact he has managed to elevate the quality of the event every year and that has contributed to the ever growing popularity of this event.

Unfortunately not everyone who registers for the event manages to secure tickets. Almost twice as many register as there are available seats.

As much as this may disappoint a lot of folks it pales in comparison to the disappointment for Fred himself.

Fred does all he can to give everyone an even chance of getting a ticket. He opens up the registration system early, he offers those who register the opportunity to get placed on the MagicMeets newsletter, and not only does he frequently send out newsletters to keep everyone informed as to how close payment time is approaching, he also makes himself available on several Disney community forums and appears on a few Disney oriented podcasts to get the word out.

If you were not able to secure a ticket for this year’s MagicMeets there is always next year.

To give yourself the best chance of getting a ticket for MagicMeets 2009 register early, get on the newsletter distribution list, visit and perhaps join a Disney community forum where Fred is also a member and keep your eyes and ears open.

I am looking forward to my third MagicMeets and I hope to see some new and old faces there. The last two years have been nothing short of incredible as I have found the event to be the ONLY time, other than actually being in a Disney theme park, where I can truly feel Disney Magic.

You never know who you may run into at MagicMeets.

Oh yea, and me! (Deb put this photo in.)

If you are interested in learning more about MagicMeets visit the MagicMeets website.

]]> http://land.allears.net/blogs/mikescopa/2008/03/ms_are_wild_magic_meets.html http://land.allears.net/blogs/mikescopa/2008/03/ms_are_wild_magic_meets.html MagicMeets Special Disney Events MagicMeets Sun, 16 Mar 2008 05:00:52 -0500 The other day I was asked what I do to combat withdrawal I suffer when returning from a trip to Walt Disney World.

That question raised another question in my mind and that was when does Disney saturation come into play to prevent Disney withdrawal?

It gets dangerous when I start thinking this way but bear with me and hear me out.

While thinking about something like Disney withdrawal, I realized that unlike most people, my withdrawal symptoms are kind of, well, they are somewhat strange.

For a long time my trips to WDW were either once a year or even (shudder) once every two years.

There is a good reason for this particular frequency of trips...F A M I L Y.

The expense of bringing a family down several times a year just didn’t make fiscal sense to me so when we would go as a family we would go during the summer and usually spend about two weeks in Orlando. One trip…go crazy…then save and come back in two years.

Yup…sounds pretty cool erh? But remember that we would go either once a year or once every other year. There were just so many things going on in our lives as we were growing up as a family that we had to pay attention to priorities and as much as we loved Walt Disney World we needed to keep everything in perspective.

However, you can well imagine that going either once a year or every other year would generate withdrawal symptoms like you would never believe.

On top of that since we drove down we were on a rollercoaster of emotions…as we drove from New Hampshire and past specific areas like D.C. and of course South of the Border in Dillon, S.C. we would get excited.

Nothing got us more excited than crossing the Florida State line and stopping at the Welcome Center.

So the excitement would build and build as we neared Orlando.

Of course the drive back was no fun at all….that’s when the withdrawal symptoms would REALLY begin.

So how did I combat the withdrawal symptoms?

Well, knowing what the frequency of our trips would be we decided we would do our best to capture our memories as best as possible.

Back in the pre Digital Camera days we would take tons of film down with us and Carol would do the picture taking while I carried around the huge VHS camera to capture video. On average I would tape 36 to 40 hours of video and this included parades, fireworks, and shows.

There was always an opportunity to have a family photo and we never hesitated. Here’s one from the Scopa family archives….I’m guessing 1990.

For two weeks I lived with my camera on my shoulder.

I almost fell into the trap of never videotaping the family but I was careful and got everyone on tape as best as possible…especially when interacting with characters and Streetmosphere.
We would also buy videos and musical CDs…anything involving the sights and sounds of Walt Disney World…stuff that would tie us over for the next trip.

Once back from our trip we would sit down and watch all the videos with friends and family and
relive the trip.

I myself would take it another step and write a trip report that would account for everything we did.

The report would be written from some notes I took every day of our trip.

Writing a trip report is the best way to slowly ease off the withdrawal symptoms because as you write the account of your trip you get to relive each moment and you will find yourself leaning back, closing your eyes and recalling what you experienced.

I have approximately 1000 hours on video tape of all my trips and from time to time I will pull out an old tape and enjoy some memories…and chuckle at my sense of fashion.

What’s nice about watching these videos and that you can see old favs like Horizons, Tapestry of Dreams, Fantasy in the Sky, and also take note how things have changed…like Main Street USA, the castle forecourt, and other areas in all the parks.

For those of you who are not able to visit WDW as frequently as you would like you may want to think about doing as much as you can to capture your trip memories to help bridge the gap between previous and upcoming trips.

Okay, so you’re thinking, “So Mike, what does all this have to do with the word “Saturation” at the top of this blog?

Well, first I wanted to mention about how I dealt with withdrawal back in the day.

Now that I visit WDW more frequently I really don’t have withdrawal symptoms.

Actually, I’m lying. I DO find myself going through withdrawal but I’m sure not in a way that you would expect.

My withdrawal symptoms do not appear until I’m within about three or four days of returning to WDW.

How’s that for weird?

I guess all along I expect to return and thus don’t think about missing the place but when it gets close I start to get antsy and want to get there ASAP…mostly because I know that beyond talking mice and ducks waiting for me will also be my friends.

I know…I know…you keep saying, “Mike!!!! Saturation!!! What is Saturation?”

Okay, NOW I can talk about what I mean by Saturation.

Have you ever heard of the phrase, “Too much of a good thing…yadda yadda ya?”

Well this can be said of WDW.

I see you shaking your head and thinking, “I can never get enough of WDW!”

Uhhhh…yes! Yes you can.

I think that the lack of withdrawal symptoms is directly related to the number or the frequency of one’s trips.

But it goes deeper than that.

If you constantly visit a certain restaurant near your home many times because it’s your favorite restaurant after a while you may not appreciate the food, the service, the atmosphere, or whatever it is that draws to you to the establishment.

Same for Walt Disney World.

It’s called the saturation point….or the level at which your appreciation for whatever we are talking about is no longer at the level of appreciation it should be for your individual taste.

Once you hit that saturation point your level of appreciation drops because, very simply you are not attaching the same value to the place that you normally would…basically in a subliminal manner you may also become desensitized to the wonder that is Walt Disney World. Yup, it’s true.

Obviously the more you go the less you will miss it when you are not there.

Also, and this may be a subtle thing that you may not realize…without knowing it you will find yourself appreciating less and less what is waiting for you in Orlando.

That’s my explanation.

Do you want some signs which may indicate you are approaching the saturation point?

• You don’t go out of your way to do as many attractions as you did during your first several trips to WDW and possibly you are saying to yourself, “I’ll do them next time.” There is no sense of urgency to do Haunted Mansion, Soarin’, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, or Expedition Everest.

• You don’t find yourself as disappointed in not being able to get an ADR for one of your favorite restaurants. In this case you may find yourself settling for someplace else…hoo…bad sign.

• You find yourself avoiding character meals…big sign.

• You find yourself cutting an evening short and not bothering to watch fireworks at whatever park you are in. Are you nuts? Does anyone do this? Yes. Even your humble author.

• You find yourself not bothering to make it into a park by rope drop. In fact, you may find yourself sleeping in at times rather than waking up with the chickens and being at the park turnstiles some 30 minutes before park opening.

• You do not take advantage of Extra Magic Hours at least half the time during your visit. Oh the humanity…but it’s true.

Now there is really nothing wrong with this as it may very well mean that you are comfortable with your frequency of visits and you are there for the purpose of relaxing and taking in the atmosphere.

I understand.

I myself, on my solo trips, have no problems if I’m not in an attraction queue at least once every hour…in fact over my last three trips I averaged something like 1.3 attractions per day.

Hmmmm.

I would hate to think that I have fallen into the saturation trap and no longer appreciate what is waiting for me at Orlando.

I hope not.

I do realize that my trip frequency has a lot to do with it as well as my trip objectives, be it Mousefest, a race, or a special event.

Every person is different.

Every person has different thresholds of saturation and thus has different withdrawal points.

For eight year old Jimmy it’s a chance once more to help Buzz Lightyear fight Zurg; for nine year old Samantha it’s to see Tinkerbell fly from the castle as the beginning of Wishes, and for 17 year old Jake it’s to once more come face to face with the Yeti on Expedition Everest.

For others, like myself, the appreciation of the attractions may in fact have leveled off but in their place a new appreciation has emerged.

There is a pronounced appreciation for the atmosphere and environment that has been established these last 30 plus years.

I find myself sitting down on a park bench and watching children interacting with characters…to me that’s an attraction.

I find myself leaning up against a fence and watching a young family, wide-eyed, enjoying their first WDW family vacation…to me that’s an attraction.

I smile as I see cast members enjoying the fact that they are making a guest feel extra special and making a special gesture to perhaps create a memory in that guest’s mind as to how enjoyable their visit was to this particular park.

No…my withdrawal symptoms or lack thereof…or even what I thought was a possible saturation point for me is not that at all.

It’s a shift….a shift of appreciation for what Walt Disney World now represents to me.

As the years and the trip go by you may find yourself that there is a shift occurring in you as to what you look forward to when you next visit Mickey and friends.

What matters most is that you realize that saturation will never settle in….but instead a shift in appreciation for what brings you back to what you as an individual considers as the happiest Place on Earth.

For those of us who keep coming back we may also find that withdrawal symptoms may never surface because quite simply we take a little part of Walt Disney World home with us.

]]> http://land.allears.net/blogs/mikescopa/2008/03/disney_withdrawal_vs_disney_sa.html http://land.allears.net/blogs/mikescopa/2008/03/disney_withdrawal_vs_disney_sa.html Walt Disney World Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:00:30 -0500 It seems that Walt Disney World has very much adopted the idea of hosting races year round.
Unfortunately not everyone lives is Central Florida and can make every one so we have to make choices.

Of course we need information to make these choices and my purpose today is to provide you with some information on all the planned WDW sponsored races for 2008, as well as info on the 2009 WDW Marathon Weekend.

I have done most of these races myself and hopefully can shed enough light on each so that you can get an idea as to what each race is all about.

So let’s see how the 2008 WDW Race Calendar stacks up.

________________________________________________

Date: March 8, 2008
Name: National Kidney Foundation 5K
Location: Epcot
Distance: 5K (3.1 miles)
Comments: This is a new race for 2008. The course is pretty familiar. It starts in the EPCOT parking lot (I’m guessing the Wonder parking lot) and eventually enters the park and makes its way to World Showcase. The course continues counter-clockwise around World Showcase and finishes in the parking lot. It looks like all participants will be required to maintain a 15 minute per mile pace.

For more info on this race like go to the National Kidney Foundation 5K Event Page.

________________________________________________

Date: May 2-4, 2008
Name: Minnie Marathon Weekend (2 Races)
Location: EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s World of Sports, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Distance: 5K (3.1 miles) on Saturday and 15K (9.3 miles) on Sunday
Comments: If I had to choose one weekend to go to WDW to run this would be the one. I have done this duo of a 5K and 15K race on two consecutive days and I think it’s the best deal of all the WDW sponsored races. I have heard some rumors regarding this as being the last year for the Minnie Marathon Weekend. I hope not.

On Saturday the Go Red for Women 5K is held and the course for that race is located in EPCOT, specifically World Showcase. This is a great warm-up race for the 15K race on Sunday.

All participants must maintain a 15-minute per mile pace.

For more information on this race go to the Go Red for Women 5K Event Page .