Disney Packing Tips: Got Room in There for the Bourbon?

My packing regimen for Disney trips is minimalistic. I limit myself to one suitcase, a laptop bag, and a backpack. In the suitcase I 'freeze dry' clothes in vacuum bags and then stuff everything else in the backpack which gets emptied upon arrival and re-purposed as a daily tote.

Shannon Sullivan lives in a whole different packing universe. In her recent article, What to Pack, on her new site, MeltdownFreeDisney.com, she shares a list of what she typically packs for Disney trips. (She omits 'lots of money', however.) I tell you she lives in a 'whole different packing universe' than me because, well, she has a list.

Packing, of course, is personal, and you may not need the 'three kinds of shoes' that Sharon suggests. I make due with a single pair of fisherman's sandals - for fine dining, I wear a pair of dark socks under the sandals to create the illusion of shoes. Classy guy, huh?

Sharon also packs three bathing suits, an exercise outfit, and rain gear. I pack three candy bars, a zombie novel, and a small bottle of bourbon.

It's probably a good thing I don't vacation with Sharon and her family.

But Sharon's packing list is quite useful as a foundation upon which to build your own list. I'm sure Todd Perlmutter over at TouringPlans has some nifty software or a website that will plan your packing for you, but for best results, nothing beats a list on paper - as long as you remember to make it.

And then not forget the bourbon.

MORE: MeltdownFreeDisney (Shannon Sullivan)

Progress City: Epcot's Proud (But Forgotten) Pop

Robert Rowe makes dreams come true and he has the blog (MakingDreamsComeTrue) to prove it. Rowe is a 'professional theme park designer', among other cool things, and his articles provide a rare insider's perspective not only on Disney theme park design but on the subject in general.

Today, for example, he talks Progress City, one of Walt's many attempts to design (and market) the 'city of the future'. As Rowe observes, Walt "hadn't planned on dying when he did", and the unfortunate timing of that event left Progress City without its media-savvy mayor.

This article is the fourth in a series about Progress City. Read as a whole, they give insight into many of the core concepts that Disney later used when developing Epcot.

Rowe's other articles are equally fascinating and cover topics as diverse as Cinderella, dark rides, and an architectural overview of the Brady Bunch house.

If you're designing your own theme park, Robert Rowe is your guy: really! His website includes a resume of the work he's done for Disney, Universal, and others.

Just when I thought I had a dream job writing the Disney Dispatch, here comes Robert Rowe with his 'theme park designer' creds. Robert, Bob dear friend... wanna trade?

MORE: Art of Robert Rowe (Robert Rowe)

The Guardian: Mulan Will Burn Your Cottage to the Ground

Writing for British newspaper the Guardian, Alex von Tunzelmann (who looks seriously ticked off in her picture) takes a hammer to the historical accuracy found - or rather not found - in Disney's 1998 animated film, Mulan.

The film Mulan is based on the sixth century Chinese poem The Ballad of Mulan, which I haven't read and I bet you haven't read, either. I'm waiting for the Chang's Notes.

Alex has read the poem and lost patience with Disney's (wise) decision to deviate from the precise specifics of the ballad so as to appeal to a young audience blissfully unfamiliar with the culure of ancient China.

Alex does make a valid point that, in the film, Hun-like warriors invade China and that the actual Huns likely couldn't find China (or Cathay, back then) on a map let alone launch an invasion. But they make great bad guys. Thus, they're in the movie. Ditto the talking dragon. If modern America can have a talking gecko, ancient China can have a talking dragon.

By the end of her article, Alex begins to show a bit of welcome feminism and a definite bit of warmth toward Mulan, whom she considers a 'clear improvement on the standard-issue drippy princess' mostly because Mulan would burn the Seven Dwarves' cottage to the ground rather than tidy it up.

Now I understand why Alex von Tunzelmann looks seriously ticked off. Someone at the Guardian must have asked her to tidy up the place a bit.

MORE: Guardian (Alex von Tunzelmann)

Doing Things at Disney in the Dark

My favorite time at Disney is the morning. In fact, my favorite time, period, is the morning: options are open, possibilities are plentiful, and the fish are bitin'.

Others, like vampires and Carl Trent of DadsGuideToWDW, prefer the dark. To help his fellow Disney denizens of the dusk, Carl compiled today a short list of the things at Disney you'll most enjoy doing in the dark (no, he didn't go there) or watching others do in the dark (no, he didn't go there, either).

Having stayed at the Polynesian many times, I'm embarrassed to say that I never noticed the cast member "dressed in native garb" who dashes through the resort at dusk lighting the tiki torches. But Carl noticed him. It's one of the things he likes to watch as it gets dark.

Another thing is the changing color of Epcot's Spaceship Earth. And, of course, the fireworks, especially Fantasmic, perhaps followed by a stroll down the suddenly frantic BoardWalk. For dark-dwellers, the 'day' has just begun.

By that point, however, my day is down to its dregs, though courtesy of Carl the Disney darkness seems not so deep and his article is a good launching pad for those who want to plan the after-hours of their next Disney vacation.

MORE: Dads Guide to WDW (Carl Trent)

A Kitchen Full of Disney Collectibles (But Where's Dinner?)

Some mornings, you don't want a heavy historical essay about Disney past or a snarkily sensational headline of Disney present. You just want to look at pretty things.

Scott Nadeau's CollectTheMouse has lots of pretty things, all of them Disney collectibles, and all of them neatly arranged in categories. You'll find not only park souvenirs but clothing, watches, toys, snowglobes, and more.

My favorite category is called My Disney Room and it is what it suggests: pictures of rooms loaded with Disney knick-knacks sent in by Scott's readers. A reader named 'Barbara N.' shows off her kitchen but instead of pots and pans all I could see were hundreds of Mickey-themed collectibles. If those were cats instead of collectibles, somebody would be calling animal control right now.

CollectTheMouse is a community site: most of the pictures come not from the owner but from people like Barbara N. It's easy to share your shots, if you want, and I hope Scott gets lots more pictures of Disney rooms to satisfy the voyeurs in all of us.

MORE: Collect the Mouse (Scott Nadeau)