September 7, 2010
I don't know Brad Moon. I like him, though. I like him primarily because one of his ten Disney World observations is about beer. He enjoys beer, and he especially enjoys crossing the border from Canada into the United States where beer is cheaper. But he sobered up fast when faced with the sticker price of $120 for a case of Corona at Disney World. (Plus $10 for a Mickey bottle opener.)
Brad Moon, otherwise known as GeekDad, put his trenchant wit to work today on Wired, sharing his Top 10 Disney World observations with the site's 5.5 million monthly visitors (just a few more than the ol' Disney Dispatch).
We've already covered his observations about beer. To go along with the beer, he writes about smoked turkey legs, high humidity, the park hopper pass scam, and motion sickness. He had a great time and has a picture of him and his family standing in the rain in Fantasyland to prove it.
Seriously, though, Brad's article is high-brow funny and his observations are generally correct. For example, when were you last able to find a clock at Disney World? Brad finally found one near the hot tub at his resort. Time does not exist at Disney, except when you're late for a dinner reservation.
What about the beer? Did Brad binge? Maybe. All he tells us, though, is that he bought his brew off-site. And I betcha they were twist-offs...
MORE: Wired (Brad Moon)
Who goes to Disney World for peace and quiet? You're not supposed to have any peace or quiet there. In fact, if security suspects you of indulging in even a moment's peace and quiet, you'll be asked to leave.
Carl Peters of TheRelocatedTourist doesn't care about Disney security. (Well, no, I'm sure he does, but I'm building him into a badass here.) When Carl goes to Disney, he sometimes wants to be left alone, to find a relaxing spot to read or to simply sit on a bench and contemplate the sight of a small child being dragged screaming down Main Street.
Carl has found such places. In his recent article, "Finding the Peace in Walt Disney World", he shares a few of them and hopes Disney security hasn't set up surveillance.
For example, board the Magic Kingdom train and sit at the very back, where typically you'll have few people around you. Or enjoy the serenity of Living with the Land at Epcot. Elsewhere, just stroll, slowly stroll, with no particular place to go and no particular time by which you must get there.
One of my favorite spots at the Magic Kingdom (though it's not very quiet) is the rocking chair outside Frontier Mercantile in Frontierland. I always find time to rock there while others in my group are enjoying themselves on Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Railroad. When I get drowsy, I imagine myself rocking there forever, white beard billowing, children walking past then returning with their children, sparrow nests in my hair...
Then I wake up screaming and run as fast as I can to Big Thunder Railroad.
MORE: The Relocated Tourist (Carl Peters)
After griping about the lines and the prices and the weather, the first thing most people talk about when they return from Disney World is the magic they experienced from a cast member.
Even if they didn't experience any real magic, they'll usually stretch a cast member's errant smile or passive nod into a heart-warming story that primes others to do the same upon their return.
The folks at GrowingUpDisney have no need to embellish because they've each experienced real magic, and in a post published today they share their memories. Chris Ridgeway, for example, once had a long talk with a park security manager about how Disney secures its parks, keeps unwanted folks out, works with local police, etc. All this possibly in preparation for his parachute jump onto the turrets of Cinderella Castle.
Amy Eastman, meanwhile, can't pick a single cast member and so thanks them all, pointing out that she used to be a cast member herself. If GrowingUpDisney were a metaphysical Disney blog, she could have written about her own magical experience delivered to herself by herself. It's a good thing there are no metaphysical Disney blogs. (No, that's not a challenge to create one.)
My children have often been the recipient of cast member kindness. When my son was much younger, he started collecting pins but lost his favorite (Pirate Mickey) in the park. He saw one just like it on the lanyard of a lady working the register at the Pirates of the Caribbean store. He stared at it for a moment, then said to me: "Dad, that looks like the pin I lost". The lady paused, smiled, and gave it to him: "I wondered who lost this pin", she said. To this day, he believes she really did find his pin. That's magic!
MORE: Growing Up Disney (Amy Eastman)
Anyone interested in the Disneyland Hotel must check in to Don Ballard's MagicalHotel, a blog devoted to that hotel's history during the so-called Wrather Years.
Wrather, as in Jack Wrather, made a fortune in the oil business, went on to produce TV shows like Lassie, and in 1955 built the Disneyland Hotel for Walt Disney because Walt had run out of money building the theme park. When Walt made enough new money to buy the hotel, Wrather refused to sell. Disney had to wait until 1988, several years after Wrather's death, to finally acquire ownership.
I find these stories fascinating and so does Don Ballard, whose most recent post deals with Wrather's construction of the Bonita Tower, the third tower in the complex, named after Mrs. Wrather, movie actress Bonita Granville. Ballard has vintage photographs, including a reproduction of the rate card from 1978, newspaper articles, and a letter from Jack Wrather to his shareholders describing the 'beautiful new high rise' and how it would benefit their stake in the company.
In addition to writing a Disneyland Hotel blog, Ballard also wrote the definitive book on the subject entitled Disneyland Hotel: The Early Years - 1954-1988. Read the reviews on Amazon, then buy it directly from the author - who will sell it to you for much less than Amazon's marketplace sellers and might even autograph your copy if you ask.
Ballard's blog has over 200 posts (and counting). Who knew there was so much to say about the Disneyland Hotel? As with another famous California hotel, it seems - if you're Don Ballard - you can check out any time you like but you can never leave.
MORE: MagicalHotel (Don Ballard)
6:58 AM
Disney Photography
If there's such a thing as a grizzled Disney web surfer, I'm it. I've been to hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Disney web sites and blogs, and I'm no longer an easy click.
Pure and simple, Daveland blew me away. This huge site, built over the course of many years by Dave DeCaro, is a visual history of Disneyland, from its inception to the present day, with new photos posted daily at Dave's blog.
Every nook and cranny of Disneyland is on display. I went at random to the Adventureland section, selected the Enchanted Tiki Room, and found both a short history of the attraction and hundreds of photos: everything from a smiling tour guide circa 1967 to a shot of the tiki gods from last Christmas.
Dave also devotes a section of his site to Disney World's Magic Kingdom: it's equally impressive as his Disneyland gala though not quite as expansive (which means it still has tons more photos than you'll find anywhere else).
Visiting Daveland is like opening someone's photo album and then realizing you're in the Twilight Zone because no matter how many pages you turn, you still haven't reached the end.
MORE: Daveland (Dave DeCaro)
Site News: Disney Dispatch Adds Games and Puzzles!
Years ago, before I had my mountaintop moment that led to Disney Dispatch (actually, I was mowing the lawn when I thought of it), I planned to develop a site with nothing but interactive Disney games and puzzles.
I finished the lawn and then had a new idea, which took replaced the old, and then ... cycle repeats.
Last week, as coincidence would have it, I was mowing the lawn again and the notion of Disney games and puzzles came back to me. This time, however, I had a ready-made place to put them: Disney Dispatch!
For now, there's just a single word search puzzle available (with each hidden word the name of a Disney blog or site!) but I'll be adding more puzzles throughout the week barring a barrage of e-mail from readers with technical difficulties. As long as you've got Flash, you should be fine. If not, tell me.
To get to the action, click the new Games tab at the top of the page or save yourself a scroll and click right here.
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