Disney World PF Gathering and Tips for Disney Mania!

[ZapperZ]

I was just at DisneyLand this last Sunday. It was my first time going there, and I remember going to DisneyWorld when I was much younger. Which of the two would you say is the best?

EDIT: By the way, great photo

WDW is certainly bigger than DL resort. So for me, that's a plus for WDW.

However, I've noticed that for many people, the park they prefer tend to be the one that they went to first, and certainly the one they went to as a child. Since my first introduction to a Disney theme park was WDW, it has become my favorite.

I certainly like DL. After all, it is historic, and the only theme park that Walt walked on. However, after being introduced to the Magic Kingdom at WDW first, the park looks a bit cramped and small. People who like DL find that aspect of the park to be an advantage. They call it charming. Sleeping Beauty castle certainly looks a bit underwhelming when compared to the majestic size of Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom.

However, to me, the biggest problem I had with the DL resort when compared to WDW is the location and the neighborhood. At WDW, because of its size, there is a buffer between the theme park and "real world". If you are from off-site, it forces you to either drive, or take a form of transportation to get to the theme park. This gives the feeling that you are going somewhere, and somewhere different. If you are staying on-site and have to drive to get to the theme parks, it is the same. If you are at one of the resorts that are walking distance to one of the theme parks, then you are already being immersed in the Disney atmosphere. So by the time one gets to a WDW theme park, one has already, consciously or subconsciously, divorced oneself from the real world.

I couldn't do that at the DL resort. One could just cross S. Harbor Blvd., for example, and voila! One is already on Disney property. There isn't that buffer, and I couldn't get it out of my head that real life is just across the street from Disneyland. You get on, say, the old "sun wheel" at California Adventure, and you could see the surrounding neighborhood, which obviously ruins the "magic" and the theming that is so important in a Disney theme park. You don't get that at WDW.

So WDW is definitely my favorite Disney resort. Certainly, my familiarity with it is a big factor. Still, my biggest goal is to make a trip to Tokyo Disneyland resort (Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea) and then go to Shanghai when the new theme park opens there in a couple of years.

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

Here's another example of where Disney and Physics meet.

A group called the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective (I fully expect a Borg to pop out any moment now) has analyzed the Disney animated movie "Hercules", and came up with a few scenarios which they deemed to be "ridiculous". This is even allowing for the fact that (i) it is an animated movie, which tends to take more liberty with reality than live-action movies and (ii) Hercules has significantly stronger abilities than a normal person.

Some of these might be considered as nitpicking, but a few, especially the first one involving the donkey, certainly produced an absolutely ridiculous scenario.

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

I posted this photo online elsewhere that I took a while back. Then someone pointed out that it appears as if the Starship Enterprise landed right next to Spaceship Earth! Look at it and see if you notice the same thing.

I didn't notice it until it was brought to my attention! :)

What that really is is the lights from the Monorail ramp and station that is right outside of the main Epcot entrance. I suppose with the way other buildings and vegetation in front of it were blocking the lights, it definitely looks like the Enterprise!

Zz.

 

[Borg]

So, you think you're stronger than Gaston? Not a chance.

 

[nsaspook]

7 days until my WDW trip!
Have a family suite at Shades of Green for 6 days with overlapping bookings on the first day at Art of Animation in a standard room for the younger ones on the trip so we could use DME and get magic-bands.

How many push-ups can Donald do on the Buckeyes, he might give Gaston a run for the money?

 

[Borg]

7 days until my WDW trip!
Have a family suite at Shades of Green for 6 days with overlapping bookings on the first day at Art of Animation in a standard room for the younger ones on the trip so we could use DME and get magic-bands.

How many push-ups can Donald do on the Buckeyes, he might give Gaston a run for the money?

I don't know. I didn't see any one-handed pushups.

 

[nsaspook]

I don't know. I didn't see any one-handed pushups.

You don't want the Duck to get angry.

 

[nsaspook]

 

[ZapperZ]

I have often wondered if any of the "science" stuff they tried to do at Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland and Epcot's Future World has any effect on the guests. Turns out, it certainly did! I didn't know, until recently, that biologist and popular columnist on Science, Adam Ruben, got into biology because of a trip to "The Land" at Epcot. You can read his hilarious account of his "scientists origin" here.

Zz.

 

[nsaspook]

I was reading this and found something about the original lightning protection study for Disneyworld.

http://ethw.org/Archives:Transformers_at_Pittsfield,_part_2

Lightning Protection at Disneyworld
When Walt E. Disney Enterprises ("WED") was planning the new Disneyworld theme park near Orlando; Florida in the late 1960's, they were wise enough to be concerned about lightning protection there. Primarily, it was the safety of passengers on aerial rides in the event of a rapidly developing electrical storm which was of concern. However, protection of elaborate computer-driven animation displays and other electronic equipment was also a consideration. Thus, the High Voltage Laboratory was contracted to perform a lightning protection study for Disneyworld.

WED did not have to worry too much about lightning protection at the existing Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California because that region has the lowest level of lightning activity in the United States; Florida, on the other hand, has the highest! Thus, it was to their credit that they recognized the potential problem beforehand.

This lightning protection contract included guidance in the placement of lightning rods and grounding conductors for the various structures at Disneyworld. It also involved specifications for placement of lightning arrester types of devices to protect sensitive electronic equipment from high voltage lightning surges. The preparation involved in producing these guidelines and specifications meant visitations to Disneyland in order to study the particular types of equipment and structures which would have to be protected in Florida. This required riding every attraction at Disneyland so as to achieve a clear understanding of the situations which passengers would be placed in. This was a tough job, but someone had to do it!

 

[ZapperZ]

This poor family had an unfortunate photo that has become the butt of people's jokes. :)

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

Cinderella Castle, just with different colors. :)

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

I may be a Disney fanatic, but even *I* won't torture my pet dog like this, if I have a dog. This is just wrong! :)



There must be a law to prevent this type of animal cruelty! :)

Zz.

 

[Silicon Waffle]

...
...

Zz.

His feet are short but he is so quick, so when he runs, he looks so funny.

 

[ZapperZ]

The one advantage of being an admitted Disney fanatic is that your friends often become your enablers. :)

A while back, Greg found this "deranged" Mickey and thought of me (hum, I wonder what he's trying to tell me?). So he graciously mailed this to me, which I currently have it proudly on display.

Then about a couple of weeks ago, dlgoff contacted me asking if I'd be interested in receiving this plaque. I said yes very quickly.

I had to do some background search because I wasn't aware of the existence of "Magic Kingdom Club", so it was quite educational to me. It disbanded in around 2000.

dlgoff mailed the plaque to me, and it arrived last week. I have it mounted on a wall already.

It's good to have enablers! :)

Zz.

 

[dlgoff]

I had to do some background search because I wasn't aware of the existence of "Magic Kingdom Club", so it was quite educational to me.

Your search has educated me too. Thanks for the link. Now we need to find an old membership card.

 

[nsaspook]

It was so expensive to go then. Guess how many people.
We could get Club cards on base in San Diego when I went to school there in 76.

 

[ZapperZ]

This is an example of some of the intricate details at a Disney theme park that many guests will miss.

You see this head stoke in the queue line for the Haunted Mansion attraction at WDW's Magic Kingdom. Most of the time, her eyes are closed. But if you look at it long enough, it sometime will open and looks straight at you, and even moves here eyes quickly become closing them back. But this character isn't just confined to this. She was the "Ghost Host" before being replaced by a male ghost voice in the attraction. But she still holds court in the seance room scene in the attraction where her head is floating around in the crystal ball. It is such a neat effect that various Disney fans website have done careful analysis of this visual spectacle.

The Haunted Mansion, being one of the classic attraction at a Disney theme park, is one of the most thoughtfully-designed attraction that is full of side-stores. It is Disney theming at its best, and a clear illustration on how Disney doesn't make rides, they make attractions that tell stories.

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

The end of an era?

If any of you longtime members followed and remember the memorable WDW trip that Moonbear and I took and that we blogged on here, you would have remembered the Osborne Spectacle of Lights (now called the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights). That was back in early 2006! Oh how a lot of things have changed since.

Moonbear no longer participates in this forum anymore, the huge Sorcerer Hat is gone at Disney's Hollywood Studios (it was removed early this year), and now, Disney has just announced that the extremely popular, and what had become for many people a yearly tradition, the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights will end after this year's holiday season. That area, called the Street of America, will straddle the new Star Wars land and Toy Story Land at the Studios, and so, it will be swallowed by probably the new Star Wars land that will break ground next year.

This show is wildly popular and draws huge crowd every single night to that theme park during the holidays. It will feel odd going to WDW during the holidays and not go to the Osborne lights.

I'm glad that I've already scheduled a trip there this December. I managed to say goodbye to The Hat last December when we knew that they were going to remove it in January this year, and looks like I'll be savoring every last second of the Osborne Lights this December before they go away.

For those of you who haven't seen it, here are a few videos of the show that I took:






Zz.

 

[gfd43tg]

I went to Disneyland twice this summer at the Anaheim location. My friend works there and he showed me the fire station and how there is a light in the front window on the second story that is always lit, in memory of Walt Disney. I was impressed and I can't imagine how many Easter eggs are hiding in these parks

 

[jtbell]

OK, Zz, are you going to London for the premiere of the rediscovered film featuring Mickey's predecessor, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit?

Disney 'holy grail' film 'Sleigh Bells' rediscovered (CNN.com)

 

[ZapperZ]

OK, Zz, are you going to London for the premiere of the rediscovered film featuring Mickey's predecessor, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit?

Disney 'holy grail' film 'Sleigh Bells' rediscovered (CNN.com)

Probably not. :)

I read about this news this morning. Not really surprising considering that there's still a lot of missing early Walt's work that have yet to be found. Most of those are thought to be permanently lost.

Besides, I find Oswald stuff to be more of a curiosity than anything. I don't find the character to be that endearing.

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

Just got back from WDW this past Sunday. The Star Wars madness has taken over with the looming opening of the new Star Wars movie.

Disney's Hollywood Studios (DHS) is practically a Star Wars theme park already. In case you haven't heard, this theme park will be remodeled to add two new "themed land": Star Wars Land, and Toy Story Land. But these won't be completed till probably 2017 or later. In the mean time, they have already closed down several places, and about to close down even more after the first of the year. So DHS is lacking in attraction.

To counter that, Disney has introduced a lot of temporary Star Wars attractions at this park. If you are not familiar with this place, there is already a Star Wars area here that surrounds the Star Tours attraction, and this theme park already hosts the annual Star Wars Weekend, which is extremely popular. What they have done now, in conjunction with the upcoming movie, is to push it even more. There are now FOUR different parts of DHS that focuses on Star Wars theme. There is the Star Tours attraction and area, there is an old theater which has become almost like a Jedi training camp for kids, an area that was once part of the Backlot tour that has become a huge Star Wars merchandise store, and the former Disney Animation area that has been renamed as Star Wars Launch Bay, which was opened about a week when I got there.

The Star Tours attraction has already incorporated scenes, characters, and other stuff from the new movie. I was on this at least 4 times, and saw several variations based on the new movie. The Launch Bay area is actually quite interesting. It has a short movie on new Star Wars movie (I didn't see that), an area that is like a museum displaying stuff from the movie, and then a meet-and-greet area. I got pictures with Chewbacca and the Dark Lord himself, Darth Vader. It actually is a fun place, but I have a feeling that this is simply a temporary location until the Star Wars land is completed. Otherwise, all this Star Wars stuff a fragmented all over DHS.

Here are a few pictures that I took:

There were a lot of Storm troopers patrolling the Launch Bay area. We had to watch out what we say or they think we were with the Rebels.

This is the entrance to the Launch Bay attraction:

We skipped the movie and went straight to the display area.

We also saw the a couple of Jawas trying to make a deal.

We had lots and lots of photos with Chewy and Darth Vader. The best part is that everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, was in character at this meet-and-greet, from the cast members that direct you to the photo area, to even the photographers. So when we were about to meet with Darth Vader, there was an ominous, foreboding atmosphere with all the cast members that were there. It was so cool!

DHS is definitely in transition, and will not have much to offer for the next couple of years during the construction period. But this Star Wars addition, even the temporary ones, should bring in the crowds, especially if the movie is a monster hit, which everyone is predicting it to be.

Zz.

 

[Silicon Waffle]

I had a chance to go to Disney Land (non-US) but I refused because it was expensive. The images you post clarify my doubt that Disney World was visited mostly by kids.

 

[ZapperZ]

I had a chance to go to Disney Land (non-US) but I refused because it was expensive. The images you post clarify my doubt that Disney World was visited mostly by kids.

Not sure how you got that. I looked at my photos, and the adults in those photos outnumbered the kids.

There were 6 of us who left from the Chicago-area on this trip, and we met up with 3 more friends who live down there. None of us were under the age of 50.

Zz.

 

[Silicon Waffle]

[...]None of us were under the age of 50.

Zz.

Oh my I think I like Disney Land more now.

 

[ZapperZ]

Oh my I think I like Disney Land more now.

Just to be sure, I was at Walt Disney World in Florida. This is the Disney resort with the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom theme parks.

DisneyLAND is in Anaheim, CA, and consists of Disneyland theme park and Disney's California Adventure.

Zz.

 

[Silicon Waffle]

Just to be sure, I was at Walt Disney World in Florida. This is the Disney resort with the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom theme parks.

DisneyLAND is in Anaheim, CA, and consists of Disneyland theme park and Disney's California Adventure.

Zz.

Which one do you think is better for me then ?

 

[rbelli1]

They are on opposite ends of the country so location is an important aspect. DW is the bigger park and has more amusement park type stuff. If you want the full Disney experience then that is where you want to go. Also you are right near the gulf which is great for its beaches.

DL on the other hand is near Hollywood and fairly close to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. More bang for you're buck if you have a long way to go to get there and want to do non Disney things too.

BoB

 

[jtbell]

DL on the other hand is [...] fairly close to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

By that standard, DW is fairly close to Miami, the Everglades and Key West. And Cuba, after regularly scheduled commercial airline service from the US starts sometime next year.

 

[rbelli1]

True. I guess you would have to look around and see what points of interest you were most interested in in the areas if the choice of Disney park was not the most important.

I was just listing some interesting places near the smaller park. If the everglades sparks interest then that would be even more reason to go to DW rather than DL.

BoB

 

[nsaspook]

By that standard, DW is fairly close to Miami, the Everglades and Key West. And Cuba, after regularly scheduled commercial airline service from the US starts sometime next year.

I was in the Keys for a week after a week in DW. I would have loved to have taken a boat to Cuba from Key West.

 

[ZapperZ]

If you haven't seen Zootopia, drop everything and go see it. In my humble opinion, this is THE best movie that has come out of the Disney Animation unit since The Lion King. Just the scene with the sloth alone is worth the money! Oh my god, they stole the movie!

And the topic can't be any more perfect than what is happening right now socially here in the US and in many parts of the world. Not often one can say that about an animated movie.

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

Another movie plug. If you haven't done so, go see "Queen of Katwe", produced by Disney and ESPN film. It is an amazing, feel-good movie, and it is based on a true story! If you don't believe me, read the reviews so far. This is the movie you complained that Hollywood doesn't make.

It is too bad that Disney did not promote this movie even more.

But if this is the type of movie that Disney makes with all the money from Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm, then I will gladly see "Finding Dory" again.

Zz.

 

[jtbell]

At a stamp show near Atlanta today, I saw a nice exhibit of early Mickey Mouse material.