All Ears® Guest Blog

An Introduction - Traveling with Little Ones - Our WDW trip 2007

It's "Little Ones Travel Time" at Walt Disney World so eleven of us are heading down to the World to introduce our little ones to the Magic. I'm Laura and my husband Steve and our two sons (ages 2 and 4) are making the trip with our friends Dawn and Joe and their son (age 1) and daughter (age 4) and our friends Diane and Ed and their son (7 months old).

Steve and I along with the other adults in our group are all Disney veterans, having been to Walt Disney World several times as well as Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. We're all close friends (plus Steve and Diane are bro and sis) and have traveled together in the past so it only made sense that once we had children, a group trip to Walt Disney World was in our future.

We began planning our trip in February - early enough to take advantage of good airline prices from the Northeast. As a true believer that planning the trip is half the fun, I promptly purchased the latest Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and Birnbaum's WDW for Kids by Kids for my DS(4). Even though he cannot read yet, he loves to look at the pictures and hear me tell him about all the things we are going to see.

We also went onto the official Disney planning website and ordered the free maps. (see pic) What excitement when we received them in the mail! They are beautifully done (they look like treasure maps) and we pour over them and point to all of our favorite attractions and things that we think would be of interest to our boys.

Basically my little guy is interested in anything that he is tall enough to ride that goes "superfast". During the last several months we have been introducing as many Disney movies as we can so that all the characters/attractions will be familiar and of interest to them. We also purchased matching shirts for all in our group from the Disney Store this summer so we can be "goofy" and wear them on the same day. Lastly we hung a calendar for our DS(4)s' bedroom and the countdown began. Now with only a few days left before our flight, the excitement has reached new heights.

I'll be blogging here throughout our trip mainly with information about how our traveling with such little ones is going. We have read many of the posted suggestions on this site and others, now it's time to put them to the test. We will no doubt have to adapt our plans to accommodate everyone's needs, so I hope to share what we've learned from our experience.

We have plans for a few special meals together - breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table (MK), lunch with the Little Einsteins at Hollywood & Vine (Studios), the Hoop De Doo Revue, & breakfast at Chef Mickeys at the Contemporary Resort, but are leaving a lot of room for spontaneity.

Some think that traveling with babies and toddlers to WDW is exhausting and a waste because they are not likely to remember it. We, however, think it's perfect. It's a place we all know well - it's comfortable. We know how to navigate and get around and get what we need. We've seen 95% of what's there so we don't have the "have to see it all" mentality. We're happy to watch the crowds go by as we talk and play and do everything or nothing together. That's the real point of our trip. Enjoying watching our children experience something special together will be in our memories for a very long time and what better time to do that than during The Year of a Million Dreams.

Check back to see how our first day went - see you real soon!

Laura Fox

Day 3

What we originally planned as a day of rest turned into a half day at Epcot. We arrived shortly after park opening and headed straight for Test Track. It was our hopes to have a short wait for this much anticipated ride for DS4. We walked up and informed the attendant that we wanted to do the baby swap. This worked out really well. Steve waited on the short line with DS4 and when they got off I used my baby swap pass with him which allowed us into the FastPass line. So he rode twice back to back.

What also worked out well was that while waiting for them to come off the ride, I took DS2 into the gift shop where there was a Kidcot Fun Spot. DS2 had fun coloring while we waited. He also enjoyed going in and out of all the GM cars they had on display. Best of all - we were in air conditioning! We used the baby swap again at Soarin' and it worked like a charm. The baby swap is our new favorite thing.

Dawn and Joe opted to stay at the hotel and spend the day at the pool with the kids. Their DD4 made quick friends with another princess and had hours of fun swimming. Diane and Ed and the baby hooked up with us at Epcot (thank goodness for cell phones) and we were able to spend a few hours together before heading back to the hotel to get ready for our 5pm reservations for the Hoop Dee Doo Revue.

For us the Hoop Dee Doo Revue is a must do and has been a part of our trips to WDW since our first trip - and is especially imperative if we are traveling with someone who hasn't been there before. Everyone really enjoyed themselves. DS4 had the best time with all the music and dancing. Best of all, he was picked to be the Texas Ranger in a part of the show.

I was surprised he agreed to do it since he is typically shy, but he did great. Dawn's DD4 said that he was "a star" to which he replied "no, I'm just a boy, I have a Mommy, I have shoes". We took the bus to the Magic Kingdom and then a boat over to Fort Wilderness and got there in a reasonable amount of time. I mention this because depending on where you are staying it can be a long trip to get to Pioneer Hall. We've found this to be the easiest way to get there.

Here's a picture of the Who's Shoes ID we had our boys wear just in case we were ever separated. We didn't plan on losing anybody, but I felt better knowing that in the event it ever happened we could be reunited quickly with a call to our cell phones. Handy little product.

Next up, Disney Studios and lunch with the Little Einsteins.

Day 4

We spent the day today at the Disney Studios. We arrived shortly after the park opened and were happy to find that crowds were low so wait times for rides were very short today. While coming off the Tower of Terror , Steve and DS4 were handed Dream Fast Passes! Even though we didn’t really need them because of the short wait times, it was still fun to be picked by the Dream Squad.

Subsequently Joe was picked to be in a street performance where his big line was “Vivian, I’ll save you!”. I think the kids all enjoyed him being a part of the show.

We had lunch at Hollywood & Vine with the Little Einsteins and Jo Jo and Goliath. This was a highlight for the kids as they all liked interacting with the characters they love. At the end of our meal we still hadn’t had Jo Jo and Goliath visit our table so I mentioned it to our waitress and she was very accommodating making sure they came relatively quickly while we were paying our bill. So my advice is, if you haven’t seen all the characters by the end of your meal, let your server know and they will make it happen for you.

The Times Guide they have available at the parks is a must read. We were able to know where all the character meet and greets were so that everyone could see their favorite ones.

My boys were most excited to see the “Herbie” car parked at the end of a street. While we were taking pictures on and around Herbie we heard engines revving and Lightning McQueen and Mater came down the street ready for a meet and greet. This pic is of my DS2 chasing after Mater. He was very excited!

Diane wanted me to share that she enjoyed the Baby Center at the Studios better than the Magic Kingdom. She reported that for breastfeeding Moms they have a room with cubbies which worked really well for her baby who is easily distracted by others whereas the Baby Center at MK was a room with chairs.

So far I think the word of the week has been Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate. We’ve all been on the lookout for wet diapers – a sign that our little ones are taking in enough fluids during the day. The weather has been beautiful but HOT so we’ve been going through a lot of bottles of Dasani. Dawn and I also purchased the squirt bottle with the fan to help the kids cool off. At $17 it was a little pricey but we thought well worth it in this kind of heat. Our boys made especially good use of it while waiting for the Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade this afternoon.

We had dinner outside at the Big River Grille on the Boardwalk and were able to watch the fireworks from Epcot again. This was a great way to have a meal because the comings and goings of the boats and the fireworks kept the kids occupied and made for a more relaxing meal.

That’s it for now. Next up – a morning at the pool and some more time at Epcot.

Laura Fox

Today we decided to sleep in and make this a pool day. We spent the entire morning at the pool and all our little ones loved it. It was a great way to start the day and it was refreshing in the hot weather. Plus my DS4 loved the water slide at the pool (another first for him).

After naps, we headed to Epcot in the late afternoon and walked around for a little while doing some rides before trying to find somewhere to get a bite to eat. We tried to make reservations earlier in the day but every restaurant was booked and could not accommodate a party of our size. We then decided to eat at the Cantina in Mexico . We hadn’t made a reservation far in advance because we weren’t too sure when we’d be in the park. Lesson learned - next time I will make a reservation regardless of firm plans so that we at least have an option. We can always call to cancel if plans change.

We stayed in Epcot until park closing and then worked our way through the crowds and out the International Gateway since we are staying at an Epcot Resort.

Here’s where I think bringing your own stroller really is helpful. We had quite a walk back to our room and with everyone being tired and low on energy, having the stroller outside the park worked to our advantage. We also debated on purchasing a two seater stroller for this trip but decided that DS4 would need it and he’s been using it a lot this trip. Sure beats carrying 40 pounds of child across World Showcase! Even Dawn’s DD4 used their stroller for part of the walk back while Joe held their DS1. At the end of the day, you’ll be happy you brought yours.

Also as a heads up for small children and fireworks - My DS2 loved watching Epcots’ fireworks from the Boardwalk but watching them in Epcot was way too intense because of how loud they are. As soon as they started, he shook and started crying so I ducked into a shop with him until they were over. For some little ones, having a viewing spot where you are not so close to the action is a must. At least it was for us.

That’s it for now. Next up – a day at Animal Kingdom.

We spent the day today at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This is my favorite of the four theme parks at WDW. I love that it is only open until 5pm so you are not tempted to overdue your stay at the park. Some of my favorite shows are here and some great rides too. This was a great park to appease all in our group. When you are traveling with little ones, their different personalities really show through by what they prefer to do. Thankfully Disney offers something that appeals to all in our group.

We were fortunate that all five of the children in our group enjoyed seeing the characters. None of them were freaked out by them. My DS2 loved seeing them. He went right up to Stitch and gave him a kiss on the nose (Can you hear the “Awww” that came from the queue line?) Dawn’s DD4 loved searching for characters and getting their autographs. She also enjoyed seeing the shows (especially the new Nemo show) but didn’t want anything to do with the rides.

On the flip side my DS4 only wanted to ride the rides. He wanted to go on anything that was “superfast”. He did everything he was tall enough for from Kilamanjaro Safari to Dinosaur to Kali River Rapids. DS2 just made the height requirement for Kali River Rapids (38 inches) and was given a wrist band that allowed him to ride in a special seat on the boat that had an additional safety bar. You should have seen his face when the big wave came over his head. Big smiles all over the place! Because of the different interests in our four year olds we split up most of the day so that the kids could see what they wanted and were comfortable with.

We did make room for the “Big Kids” of our group to get on Expedition Everest – a first for Diane, Ed, Steve and myself. We all agreed it lived up to our expectations – a big thumbs up. DS4 was disappointed he didn’t make the height requirement. Missed it by an inch. It'll be something to look forward to next trip.

Diane reported that while the Baby Center at Animal Kingdom was very nice, her favorite is still the one at Disney Studios. She said that the Studios BC is the smallest one but the way it was organized was more pleasing to her than any others. The Animal Kingdom BC did have private breastfeeding rooms with doors and that was a nice feature.

Dawn reported that while they were waiting to get on the train to go to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, her DD4 was picked to be a co-conductor and got to say “all aboard” to those entering the train. She was also presented with a certificate with her name on it for doing so. These little touches really add to the fun of the day.

We took the bus back to our hotel and had a very fun driver (Michael) who played a Disney Trivia game with us the entire ride back. He was a funny and loud guy and made for an enjoyable ride. Thanks Mike!!!

After dinner and getting kids in pajamas, Dawn and I spent a few hours at Downtown Disney shopping. It was nice to get a few hours to walk around and talk before heading back to the room. The guys have met up as well for some time at the ESPN restaurant on the Boardwalk. I feel refreshed and ready for our last full day at the parks. Tomorrow is round two at the Magic Kingdom . Send some nice thoughts for low crowds our way!

Today we had an additional day at Magic Kingdom planned. Each morning we have a target time where we all try to meet up in the lobby of our hotel to go to the parks together. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. At least it gives everyone something to shoot for. Today our family went solo with plans to meet up with the rest of our group at lunch if not before.

We had hopes to ride a few of the favorites from earlier in the week and then also try to take in a few of the attractions we missed. Very early in the day we were in the short line to ride The Magic Carpets of Aladin and we were selected by the Dream Squad once again for Dream Fastpasses. Wait times at the park were not prohibitive but we appreciated not having to wait 20 min for the Peter Pan or Winnie the Pooh ride. Thanks Dream Squad!

We met up in the afternoon for a really nice lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern. This time we made reservations ahead of time so we were sure to sit down to a relaxing meal together. Of course relaxing is relative when you have 5 children under the age of 5. After lunch we split again: Dawn and her family off to find the characters in Mickey’s Toontown, Diane and her family off to the Baby Care Center, and us off to the Tomorowland Speedway for a quick drive on our way to Stitch’s Great Escape.

We all found each other again for a little while at Pooh’s Playful Spot where all of our little ones (except the baby) got totally wet. This is a great spot to let your little one run around and play play play. Our little guys loved it. It’s an enclosed area so no one can go too far and although it’s a good size, it’s not too big where you feel like you will lose someone. Then there’s the water factor. Our kids loved playing in the water that shoots up from the ground. It was so much fun, we let them enjoy themselves with it but afterwards they were a sopping mess. So be forewarned. If you think your child would enjoy this type of thing – BRING A CHANGE OF CLOTHES AND WATERSHOES. Afterwards, I ducked into a gift shop to buy T-shirts and removed DS2 socks and sneakers which are still drying out.

Dawn’s DD4 got her face painted today like a princess. We saw lots of kids in the parks who had this done (as princesses or animals) and it looked like the kids had a lot of fun with it. Our princess certainly did.

A word on crocs – Crocs are sold everywhere at WDW along with the Disney Jibbits and lots of people were wearing them. Although we had them with us too, our kids wore socks and sneakers to the parks. DS4 had them on at the hotel one evening and was running around a lot and got a small blister on one of his feet. After that he only wore them to dinner or to the pool. Dawn’s DD4 wore them a lot and didn’t have a problem so I guess it depends on the person. Just don’t forget to pack the Neosporin and Band Aids just in case.

Next up – Breakfast with Mickey and our flight home.

Well, today was our last day at Walt Disney World. We decided to check out early and get our rental car before heading over to the Contemporary for a character breakfast at Chef Mickey’s.

First I feel the need to mention how wonderful the car rental service (National) is at the WDW Dolphin where we stayed. Steve went down to the desk and was given the car seats we needed and then the valet brought the car around for us. They loaded our luggage (Steve installed the car seats) and off we went. So smooth.

We had a great stay at the Dolphin in their Heavenly Beds and found their staff very friendly and accommodating. The location was just perfect for us. Only minor downside was that the loading dock for the boats to Epcot or the Studios was under repair so we had to walk to the Yacht & Beach Club dock to get to the Studios but it was a nice walk and we really didn’t mind.

Walking to and from Epcot from the International Gateway was awesome. While the droves of people were exiting through the front entrance after Illuminations, we were able to take a leisurely walk back. When we passed the Beach Club one night we saw a screen and beach chairs set up where you could catch a viewing of The Incredibles. Looked like a nice relaxing evening for those there. We also liked being a short walk away from the Boardwalk so we were able to catch the fireworks several nights without being too far away from the room.

Also one night we went over to the Garden Grove at the Swan for a character dinner buffet. Pluto and Goofy were there. The food was okay but the real draw was that it felt like we had the whole place almost to ourselves. The two characters spent a lot of time with the kids so it made for an enjoyable evening for everyone.

Now back to Chef Mickey’s. Characters there were Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and Donald. They were all very sweet and funny with the kids and all of them found something they liked to eat. Before you are seated they take a photo of the group for purchase during the meal. Personally I think there was a really good variety of breakfast foods there. Much more than one person could sample in a seating especially if you include the desert section.

After breakfast we went upstairs to take a round trip ride on the Monorail. We’ve been seeing it our entire trip and the kids were all excited that we were finally going to ride today. We asked to sit up front but we weren’t able to because there was one family standing in line in front of us and they had already asked. C’est la vie!

After riding the Monorail we spent a little time in the shops at the Contemporary. Before we left for our trip we got our boys Disney Dollars. They knew what they had in Disney Dollars was for anything they wanted to buy, but once they were gone, that was it. This worked well and allowed us to stay out of the shops for most of the trip. The most time I spent in shops was when wheeling around a sleeping toddler in his stroller to keep him cool.

I loaded up their Little Einstein Rocket backpacks with snacks and little surprises and we were off to the airport. The flight went really well. All the families on the same flight were really friendly. Especially the family in front of us who had to listen to my rendition of the Little Einstein theme song over and over to take my DS2’s mind off his ears hurting on the plane’s descent. All the kids did great on the flight home although I know all of us adults are exhausted.

We are home now and I believe that this trip was a total SUCCESS! Our boys had such a fun time and we really had a good time together as a family and with our friends. If anything, I think I underestimated how much fun my DS2 would have. He surprised me how he was really into everything we did. They both really enjoyed every experience from the airplane ride there, to the elevators at the hotel, to taking the buses and boats, to the theme parks themselves. I would do it with them again in a heartbeat.

To Dawn & Joe, and Diane & Ed, and the kids, thanks for being there! You enhanced this experience for us tenfold. Let me know when to start planning the next trip – but first I have a ton of laundry to do!

Thanks for letting me share our experiences. It’s been a blast! -- Laura Fox

Deb's Note: Thank you all for sharing your vacation with us!

Robyn Kaplan (accompanied by her mom) attended the 2007 Super Soap Weekend (SSW) at Disney's MGM Studios. This was Robyn's third Super Soap weekend. Her report is full of tips and information so you can enjoy a weekend with the stars!

Super Soap Weekend Day 1

We awoke at 5:30 am, put on last year's Super Soap shirts and headed down to make the trek (yes we walked) from the Dolphin over to the Studios. I like doing it this way, because the time you get to the park is in your control, not a cab, boat or bus, plus it is actually rather invigorating. And we made it to the park by about 6:30.

Once there, we saw that the line wasn't too bad. They started checking bags and moving the line forward at maybe just a bit after 7, so we got excited that we would see all the stars we wanted to see that day.

SUPER SOAP FASTPASS ROULETTE

Now, just a tip for anyone who wants to go to SSW in the future: Plan ahead!! You will be rewarded! The earlier you can make it to the park the better. Also keep your eyes and ears open all morning for any announcements, as the list of stars attending can change instantly (believe me, we found this out fast!).

Also, it is better to be nice to the cast members and state any concerns without shouting - they will try their best to be helpful. Keep in mind that some Disney cast members have been taken away from their actual responsibilities and many are performing tasks for the first time.
In fact its almost like you're at two different parks-the soap areas and the regular park.

We had a very nice time waiting in line with a friendly guy who told us stories from his past soap weekends (he's been almost every year the event has occurred) and a mother and daughter who were there for the first time.

As with last year and again they year, once we past the turnstiles, the cast members brought us into the park through the cast entrance for Fantasmic and Beauty & the Beast. But, since the lines were so short, they didn't have to weave the line around, but instead took us right onto Sunset Boulevard. They kept us in our lines and walked us all the way towards our respective kiosks.

Now, I was unsure how they would get the All My Children line (our line) to the FASTPASS kiosks, because last year, we went through Mickey Ave, which was closed this year due to Toy Story Mania. But, they found a way that worked, by walking us past the ABC Soap Commissary and down towards the Streets of America. We got to Lights, Motors, Action (that was where our kiosks were located) and at 8am on the dot, they started letting us through.

Bottom line: there is no easy solution to the FASTPASS and getting the stars you want.

20,000 people come to the park each day for the Super Soap weekend and there are only 8,000 passes available. Everyone has to remember the event is designed for all to see some, not some to see all. As you will read in the blog for Day 2 of the weekend, it is a tough pill for everyone to swallow, but it should not ruin the weekend or take away from the fun, because there are plenty of other ways to see the stars. If you are cool with not getting the chance to physically touch each and every star, you will have a much better time).

The soap stars we really wanted to meet were David Canary and Michael E. Knight, who play Adam Chandler and Tad Martin respectively. This is because these two are some of the greats of the show, both have been on for more than 20 years, and both are masters of their craft. Plus, both are sweethearts and just adore their fans.

When it was our turn, we walked up to David Canary's kiosk, where we were instantly handed standbys (it was maybe 8:15am, so yes, he was that popular!). We thanked the cast member for our passes and got in Michael E. Knight's line, walking away with 2 real passes for his second autograph session . He did 3 that day. Doing three autograph sessions is a new thing Disney has started doing-last year. They did 3 for Michael Easton in 2006 and it seemed to work. They must have seen how popular MEK was this year, so that is why they did 3 for him

We then got back in line to try for one more star. Here's where things got interesting:

First, we heard that Alicia Minshew, who plays Kendall Hart Slater, was sick and probably would not be attending the first day. Unfortunately, not everyone heard this announcement and several people got a FASTPASS for her, only to learn later that she would in fact be gone all day. Luckily for those people, the cast members said Alicia would honor any FASTPASS from Saturday on Sunday and not to feel down.

The other rumor we began hearing was that Cameron Mathison, who plays Ryan Lavery, but who is also on Dancing with the Stars (or was that weekend) was only going to be in the park on Saturday, as he had to take the red eye back to Hollywood for the show on Sunday. Well, there was never a cast member confirmation of this, but it did in fact turn out to be true, and since Cameron only did one autograph session, it made him even more popular.

My mom really wanted to meet him again and tell him she was hoping he'd win DWTS (we met him last year and he is super nice!), but announcements as to whether he was sold out were confusing, so we ended up getting standby passes for Jacob Young, who plays JR Chandler (and who has been rumored to be leaving the show for months now).

Fortunately, I knew we could go over to Cam's session once we finished with Jacob, so we were happy that we got everyone we wanted the first day. I knew we weren't going to get to meet Cam at his session, just watch him sign for others, since you need some type of FASTpass to meet the stars. I just figured we could stand by the railings, something lots of fans do throughout the day.

We left the kiosk area and got some breakfast at the ABC Commissary: cinnamon rolls because they no longer serve pancakes (boo!). After breakfast, we decided to check out Soapnet's I want to be a Soap Star Live. Previously it had been in the ABC Theatre and this year it moved to the theater over by Rock n Roller Coaster.

SOAPNET'S I WANT TO BE A SOAP STAR LIVE

Cam was hosting and also David Canary and Jacob Young were the two stars doing the show. And it was fun as always! 3 women were chosen (not us, but eh, it's all good) and the first one got to do a scene with Cam (lucky!). Then, the second lady did the same scene with Cam, but they brought David out as a surprise twist! Finally, the third lady, who ended up winning, did a monologue with Cam and David, but then did her final scene with Jacob! We (hopefully) got some great pictures of all 3 of them and as we headed out, we were handed large goody bags of Colgate Total products! (a full bottle of Softsoap, a full tube of toothpaste, a small bottle of body wash and a toothbrush!)

Since we still had some time before our first autograph session, I decided to finally check out Rock n Roller Coaster. I did the single rider line and it was awesome! The loops were great and the launch was just incredible!! Didn't have time to look at the picture (had to get back to mom) but the people I was in line with made the whole experience really fun!

DAVID CANARY AUTOGRAPH SESSION

Then we headed over to David Canary's autograph session. We were standbys 10 and 11, and, like last year, I decided to nicely get all of us standbys organized by number so that, when called, we would all be ready and it would go that much faster. Cast Members do not organize the standbys or even the regular pass holders, they just call you when it's your time or your number.

Now, David did his session right. He stayed seated, smiling for the fans by the railings, but focusing on the fans in the line that had gotten a FASTPASS (which is how it should be). The line went fairly fast, but because the stars are really only given one hour to sign, we began to get slightly nervous that he wouldn't have time to take any of the standbys (standby passes don't guarantee an autograph).

And, unlike last year, when the cast members left it up to the stars to decide if they could continue signing or not, this year, they controlled the sessions a lot more and cut off the sessions much sooner than last year. In their defense, a lot of the stars did run late, but there were some sessions that could have run longer than the cast members allowed them to, but more on that later.

Luckily, we had an ally on our side: David's lovely wife Maureen was there watching the proceedings and she ended up letting David stay and sign about 25 standbys! We thanked Maureen, and went to up to David, where he not only signed his headshot, but my copy of the AMC 25th Anniversary scrapbook! He was so nice and wished my mom a happy birthday and gave both of us hugs (well, okay, we gave him hugs, but still!). We left his booth feeling so happy and we knew the happiness would continue because we had real passes for Michael E. Knight, and he was next.

MICHAEL E. KNIGHT AUTOGRAPH SESSION

Now, we knew things would be good with Michael, because each star is required to take all the actual FASTPASS holders, so we were guaranteed time with our MEK (that's his initials). Last year, we weren't as lucky-we had standbys and only got quick photos with him because the cast members tried to cut the line, but we wouldn't let them.

MEK is such a swell guy that he signs for everyone - and I do mean everyone, including those on the railings. So this time, we knew we'd get face time with our guy. And again, such a sweetheart, giving my mom a hug and a kiss and giving me a hug as well and he too signed my book. Again, this was a great autograph session, which gave us positive vibes as we headed towards our last session with Jacob Young.

JACOB YOUNG AUTOGRAPH SESSION

Sadly, this session did not go so well. Again, we were standbys (11 and 12) and got everyone organized by number. But this session was a bit more chaotic, with people who just wanted photos standing in the standby area and everyone calling out for Jacob every second he wasn't with a FASTPASS fan.

However, all of us standbys had hope that he would get to us, because he didn't have any appointments until 5:30 and there wasn't anyone at the booth after him. So, at 4pm (his session started at 3:15) we still had hope that he would take all of us. Sadly, that didn't happen quite as planned.

The cast members let the first standby person go, but then they told the rest of us to line up. Jacob greeted all those by the railing and then they ushered him down to the end of the standby line. As we were no longer in numerical order, he just went down the row, signing and quickly snapping photos. I took one of him and my mom, and he did sign my book, but I didn't get a photo with him. At least I got to tell him how much we love him on AMC and we wished him all the best of luck in the future (since, like I said earlier, there is a good chance he is leaving the show).

CAMERON MATHISON AUTOGRAPH SESSION

We then headed over to catch the end of Cameron's session. Well, this one was even more chaotic than Jacob's. We weren't the only ones who wanted to get a quick pic or an autograph of our dancing heartthrob, so we asked a cast member (a Disney security guard) where we could stand to see Cam and try to meet him as he exited the session. We were told to stand along the back railing and that he would be brought right past us. And for the whole time that he finished signing, we had a good shot of him.

However, when it was time for him to go, a different security guard told us we had to move. We lost our plum spot, and had to hope that the handlers would still bring him by us. And they did, sort of. He signed my book, but couldn't take any photos with either of us, as the cast members continued to try and move him to the exit. And us fans don't take no for an answer as they continued to try and get him to pose for photos. I am not that desperate, so we decided to pass". We headed over to the 50s Prime Time Cafe.

PRIME TIME DINNER

This was not our best experience with Prime Time. Instead of a warm friendly "mom", we had Aunt Carole, who, while she could be nice, was also a stickler for cleaning your plate and elbows off the table. And the whole place was so crowded; we feared it would be impossible to watch the grand motorcade and the street jam following dinner. The only good thing was we told Aunt Carole we were in a hurry, so she got us our dessert fast and we were able to head out a bit after 6.

GRAND MOTORCADE AND STREETJAM

Unfortunately, we had lousy seats for the Grand Motorcade and Street Jam. The handicap section was closed when we got there. So, we were along the right side of the stage (the actor's right) and were lucky if we saw the screen, let alone the stage. But, we made do and were somewhat able to see each star on the motorcade and then watch them take their bows.

Luckily, the musical performances were good and even luckier for the AMC fans like us, only 4 of our stars were featured in the street jam. Bobbie Eakes, who plays Krystal Carey is also a singer and she sang two numbers (and she was introduced by David Canary). While not her own songs, they were still real pretty and nice to listen to.

Then, a bit later, girls from AMC and One Life to Live, including Bobbie Eakes and Melissa Claire Egan, who plays Annie Lavery, all came out and did the Cell Block Tango, a number my mom and I first saw in New York at the Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS event. It was just as good this time, with Bobbie (as Krystal) singing about her hatred of Adam and Melissa (as Annie) singing about her hatred of her brother Ritchie. Again, a fun number!

Finally, the moment everyone was waiting for: Cameron and Edyta came out and performed their 27-winning jive they had performed the previous week on DWTS. It was wonderful to see Cam and Edyta dance and gave all of us even more reason to vote for him (though I knew he would get voted off this week, what with all his fans still down in Florida and not home by their phones and computers...but eh. His Viennese waltz this week was beautiful so it was good we got to see him do that).

The night ended with a performance of "We're All in This Together" from the cast of High School Musical as a tribute to us soap fans, complete with fireworks. We left the park tired, but happy and crazy enough to get up and do it all again the next day!

Stay Tune for Part 2

Super Soap Weekend Day #2:

For the second day of Super Soap Weekend, I like to do things a bit different. As this was my third time to SSW, I am starting to understand the schedule and have developed my own little routine.

DRESSING FOR SUPER SOAP
Example: The first day of the weekend, we wear our most recent shirts from the event (so like, last year, we wore our shirts from 1998, the last time I had gone, and this year, we wore last year's shirts).

On the second day, because it is press day, I like to make up a shirt, to show the writers and execs just how I am currently feeling about the show. Last year, I made up blue shirts with black writing that said, on the front "Dr. Hayward's (a character on our show at the time) CURE for All My Children: Bring Back Vincent Irizarry (that was the actor who played him) and on the back it said "Fans for Quality Soap Writing, Supporting the Actors since 1970". It got a lot of buzz.

So, this year, I made a new shirt: it was pink and on the front, it said: "AMC Fan Jeopardy! Answer: Suspense, Veterans, Quality writing, classic characters, Love" and on the back it said, "AMC Fan Jeopardy! Question: Name five things currently missing on All My Children".

And again, it got some good feedback and everyone liked that I was speaking out about how dismal our beloved soap has become (I should tell you all, my mom has watched AMC since it began, January 5, 1970 and I have been following it for the past 16 years. I'm 24, so you can see it has been a huge part of my life!).

PARK ENTRANCE CHANGES

Anyway, back to the weekend. So, we wore our shirts that I made and headed out at about the same time as we did on Saturday. This time, however, we were in for a rude surprise. As I mentioned in the previous post, Disney is always looking for ways to solve the problem of the FASTPASSs and how to regulate the line.

While my mom and I thought they had done a good job on Saturday, it turned out that they had cut the line shortly after we got there and held those people back until 8am. This meant that the general public had the same advantage of getting FASTPASSs as those who woke up for them early. I guess some of them missed out on the stars they wanted (once you go through the line once, the cast members really don't have control if you go through again, so first timers to the line saw us repeaters as cheats, trying to cut in front of them).

Well, on Sunday, we became the unfortunate ones, as they cut the line probably minutes before we arrived. They told us we had to stand in the regular lines that contained both soap fans and regular visitors to the park. Well, I was not happy, and so I asked Disney cast member Jeff why he was doing this. He said this was a good solution, because it kept the main line shorter and led to a more positive response overall. Well, I knew it would end bad, and sure enough, when they opened up a few more turnstiles for us to stand behind, it became a free-for-all, with everone pushing and shoving and running to get close to the front (Jeff claimed this sort of thing didn't happen-poor guy, how'd he know we're all crazy soap fans).

Despite the cast members trying to brighten the mood by singing happy birthday to two people, we were all a bit ticked off as we watched the main lines go into the park and head towards the kiosks. Finally, at maybe 7:30, they began to let us in, but there was still some discontent as no one wanted to let me and my mom (in her wheelchair) through the turnstiles.

We got onto Hollywood Boulevard where the cast members used a rope to walk us down the street. Overall, people were staying in their respective lines. But, once we got to the Sorcerer's Hat stage, everyone started to walk in front of use. So, I found an area of open space, and wheeled my mom past some people until I was behind the people who we had originally been behind. But, thankfully for me, my mom and everyone in the park, everything worked out in the end (doesn't it always?)

FASTPASS ROULETTE DAY 2

We got over to Lights, Motors, Action again and it wasn't even 8am, so they hadn't started letting people through yet. We were able to join the regular line and I immediately began to relax.

Note to everyone: if you go in the future, take light of the situation and really take in everything that is done and said...if I had looked at my watch and seen that we were going in before 8, I probably would have been less upset. Also, I encourage you to look at all the cast members as your friends and not as your enemies...I can't imagine they really like this weekend, but they can and will be helpful and friendly if you are equally calm and courteous.

When we got up to the front of the line, all of the soap stars were still available with regular passes...Aiden Turner, who plays Aidan Devane was the only one who went on standby, but it was right when we were up there and so we got real passes for Bobbie Eakes and standbys 9 and 10 for Aiden.

We didn't get back in line or try for anyone else, because our other goal that day was to see the motorcades for AMC (all 3 of them) so we decided to grab a quick breakfast (we got muffins from the hotel both days, so we just got juice and milk at the commissary) and find a spot for the motorcade.

We also didn't get any other stars because Cameron was in fact gone already (we knew this because his name was not up by the kiosks) and we had met the other stars last year (not Melissa Egan, but we're not huge fans of her character on the show, so we just figured we'd go to her last session, wait by the railing and see if she would be able to give us a quick photo and autograph in my book.)

AMC STARS MOTORCADE

The first motorcade was great! We had a great spot and each star turned around for us-including Alicia who was there on Sunday and really looked great (either she was feeling better, or her makeup team is amazing because her color looked good, and normally you don't look so hot after being in the hospital). Thorsten Kaye, who plays her husband Zach, Bobbie Eakes and David Canary were also in the motorcade and each turned toward me for some wonderful photos (well, David not so much, but we got plenty others of him!).

Remember, during the motorcades and at any events these stars attend, please please learn their actual names. It will mean so much more to them that you took the time to learn their real name because they only play their character on tv-they are not actually their character (even Aiden! hehe). By using their real name, they will be more likely to turn toward you for a photo or be more likely to smile at you or even better, remember you in years to come (some of them really do remember and that is extra special!)

SOUPNET'S I WANT TO BE A SOAP STAR LIVE SHOW

After the motorcade, we wanted to do Soap Star Live again, not only to watch Michael E. Knight and Aiden, but to see who would replace Cam (Cam hosts the Soap Star show). Turns out, they got former Bachelor Bob Guiney to take over (Bob hosts all the talk shows throughout the weekend, while John Paul Lavosier of OLTL hosts the game show called Triple Play).

This made the show even funnier than usual because Bob is not an actor and boy it showed! He had to play Aiden, while each woman was Greenlee (this worked out real well since in real life Bob is married to former Greenlee Rebecca Budig!). Things got slightly hot and heavy when Michael was the surprise twist and it was revealed that "Greenlee" and "Tad" had an affair behind poor "Aiden's" back! The lucky lady got to smooch MEK and then the winner of that show got to make out with both MEK and Aiden!! (MEK didn't want Bob to feel left out, so he made out with him for a little while too, which made us all just crack up laughing!!) It was a great show and made me practically forget the events of the morning.

AIDEN TURNER AUTOGRAPH SESSION

After seeing Aiden onstage, it was time to finally meet him in person. We were hopeful that we'd be able to because we have been trying to meet him for 4 years (we did SSW in California back in 2003 and got cut off from meeting him with just 15 people in front of us!). So, we got in line, got all the standbys organized and waited, watching the regulars go up to meet him.

Luckily, there weren't a lot of people in his regular line (it was like 10 people in front of us constantly for about a half hour, so maybe only one or two kept trickling in at a time). There was never anyone in the holding pen, so we were all very excited that we would finally get to meet the British heart throb. And we did!! He gave us both hugs (small ones, as he is married) and signed headshots, took photos and signed my book (true, Jacob, Aiden and Bobbie aren't part of the actual book-it only goes up to 1994) but I found creative places for them to sign). He is quite soft spoken and that accent...well, you get my point :)

AMC MOTORCADES

After seeing Aiden, we grabbed some snacks and found spots again on Hollywood Blvd for the last two AMC motorcades, which took place back to back.

First up, the grande dame of daytime, Susan Lucci! Escorted by Mickey Mouse himself.

Susan made her way toward the Sorcerer's Hat stage, where she was interviewed by Sherri Sheperd of the View. Unfortunately, we were unable to hear most of her answers, because we kept our spots on the street for the next motorcade. Which turned out to be a good thing, because Susan came back in her car after her interview was done and we got a great picture of her!

Next came Jacob Young, Aiden and Melissa Claire Egan (Cam was part of this motorcade on Saturday and MEK was so busy that he wasn't scheduled for motorcades). We got good pictures of each of them and then decided to watch their interview on stage, which was also fun because I got a great picture of the 3 of them. We also were in a great spot as they headed back down Hollywood Blvd in their cars.

BOBBIE EAKES AUTOGRAPH SESSION

We then headed to see Bobbie Eakes, but not before we took in the Muppet 3-D show. I love this show and knew we could do it without missing Bobbie, and it was just as cute as I remember it 7 years ago!! I know people have said they need to update the movie, but I disagree-what's wrong with a little nostalgia? (Plus the jokes are still just as funny!)

Now, we had heard Bobbie was the best about signing for everyone and boy they weren't kidding!! When we got to her booth, for a 3:15 signing, she had already arrived and was signing for people at the railings.

The cast members were a bit thrown by this but we all got ourselves organized and they immediately were ushering us into the line (our time was for 3:25, and she took all the 3:15s and 3:20s right away!). And she didn't rush us along or anything, but took the time to wish my mom a happy birthday (my mom is a Bobbie too!) and she signed her headshots and my book (actually, she had to sign a headshot for me twice, because she spelled my name wrong, but was gracious enough to sign a new one for me-what a doll!). We also had her sign her CD for my uncle, who likes her country music. It was so great to meet her that all the issues of the morning were washed away!

MELISSA CLAIRE EGAN AUTOGRAPH SESSION

Our last stop before dinner was Melissa Claire Egan. We got a great spot at the railing and were able to watch her pose with all her fans. She even got to some of her standbys. However, she didn't sign our book, because again, those cast members all of a sudden quit the signings and started directing her to the exit, without any chance for her to sign much of anything. It was weird; because she had time, but I think it was because she was performing in the street jam and had to go rehearse. Still, it was nice to see her and we felt that overall, it was a successful weekend.

We finished the night with a lovely dinner at the Brown Derby, where my mom got a special birthday dessert and she was sung Happy Birthday to (her birthday, if you're all wondering was Monday the 12th).

STREET JAM

We then did things a bit differently for the street jam. Since they do pretty much the same show each night, we weren't too concerned if we could see it or not. It was still very crowded by the stage, so we found seats by Echo Lake, by the picnic tables. This turned out to be a blessing. We could actually see the stage better than on Saturday and I was able to sit down next to my mom (on Saturday I stood the whole time and was so tired by the end it was amazing I could walk!).

The people around us were much friendlier too (Saturday we kept trying to get people to not block my mom, who had a regular wheelchair with nothing to make her taller, but I think she missed a lot of it because people wouldn't move). The fireworks made for a great ending to the weekend and a great launch into my mom's birthday.

GENERAL SUPER SOAP TIPS

Don't get me wrong, this is a really fun event. You just need a thick skin, some planning and some understanding. If you must meet the stars and are not satisfied with seeing them from afar, you have to get up early.

Disney transportation does not run until 7am, so walk, take a cab, or rent a car and drive there. People this year spent the night camped out in front of the turnstiles. I don't recommend this and I doubt Disney will do it again, but any time from 2-6:30am should be good.

Bring a book, put on a sweater, and wear a happy face. Everyone is in the same boat all weekend long and you will get farther with friends than enemies.

Also, I stress the importance of planning ahead.

Get the schedule of who will be there and what they are doing the week before (it is available...Soaps in Depth has the full schedule and it goes on sale that Tuesday).

Have a few different options because you have to remember that the FASTPASS system is just like how it is for the rides. If you are counting on a star's second session, you may be there early enough for their first and the cast members will only honor your pass at the time it lists.

Standbys are the exception: you can use them at either autograph time for the star listed, but only on the day you get it.

Once all the FASTPASSs are gone, relax and have fun! If you are waiting for a motorcade, don't hog a whole bench, let people in-everyone wants the same thing-a chance to see their stars. Bond over your love of the show-make friends-you will see these people throughout the weekend and again. It's better to be polite and friendly than rude. This can get you better seats for a motorcade, a better position during the street jam and just makes for a better weekend overall.

Bottom line, Super Soap Weekend is a huge event and it can be tiring and frustrating, but only if you let it get that way. If you go in with a relaxed attitude and are just happy to be there, it can be a lot of fun and give you plenty of memorable experiences to share with others for years to come.

by AllEars Guest Blogger: Michelle Scribner-MacLean

MouseFest 2007 is over and I am left with one question: How can it be possible to pack so much into a few days?

As I waited at the airport, ready to leave the cold New Hampshire weather, I ran into my AllEars® buddy, Mike Scopa, who, of course, was also off to MouseFest.

We spent the day visiting EPCOT and listening to storytellers from around the world. One of the things I really enjoyed about this was watching the way many of the performers really tried to make special connections with the children in the audience by asking them questions, involving them in the skits, and by displaying artifacts from their lands.

Illuminations at EPCOT is one of my “can’t miss” experiences when I visit, but I’d never seen the “holiday tag” before. At the end of the regular Illuminations during the holiday season there about seven minutes of additional show featuring narration by Walter Cronkite and music by the Harlem Boys’ Choir. The ending is a blend of spectacular fireworks, lasers, and holiday music….The only thing I can say is that I was speechless. So I had to see it again two nights later….

Being a MouseFest veteran, Mike was able to make suggestions about how to get the most of out my experience. The next day Mike and his co-presenter, Mark Goldhaber, later shared many of his suggestions with a crowd of nearly 300 at the highly-successful MouseFest 101.

During the meet, I also got to meet Masayo and her husband, Marumu, from Japan. We were surprised with Scopa Towers sweatshirts – Masayo for coming the furthest to MouseFest, and me for helping out a teeny bit with the development of MouseFest 101.

The view from my balcony at the Boardwalk on Saturday morning provided a terrific view of the site of the Mega Mouse Meet on Saturday – The Dolphin.

What a thrilling experience to be surrounded by so many webmasters, podcasters, writers, photographers, and fans who all love the mouse! In addition to meeting many of the other AllEars team members, I had the opportunity to meet dozens and dozens of AllEars readers from all over the country.

On Saturday night I attended the Fantasmic Dessert meet hosted by Matt Hotchberg of StudiosCentral.com. As we waited in the courtyard to go backstage to join the party, I got a nighttime glimpse of my favorite ride at MGM – but with a 70 minute wait, I opted to forgo a ride until my next trip. During this meet with had the opportunity to chat and visit with friends as we ate dessert and watched Fantasmic. Very fun!

Although this isn’t really MouseFest news, I just have to mention that I was lucky enough to get a chance to ride SpaceShip Earth during one of the infrequent soft-openings. I didn’t get to hear the entire audio program because it broke down toward the end (which, of course, is probably the point of a soft-opening – to fix those things). However, with Dame Judi Dench narrating a new script, several difference scenes, and personalized touch-screens (which very much reminded me of the ending of the extinct Horizons), it is significantly different than the last version.

So….now I’ve participated in two MouseFests….

I met so many interesting people from all over the country and around the world. There were families with children, people traveling on their own, senior citizens, and grade school kids. I’m not sure I would call myself a MouseFest veteran (I made “rookie” mistakes like forgetting to eat…and sleep), but I do know that I’m thrilled to be part of the Disney committee and can’t wait until next year.

************

Michelle Scribner-MacLean is a college professor by day and a Disney fanatic in every other bit of free time. She first visited WDW when she was a teenager and now is a DVC owner who visits Walt Disney World two or three times per year. Michelle lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two boys and loves roller coasters, the fantastic food at Disney, and always cries when she sees IllumiNations. She is also a Disney podcast addict and adores WDW Today.

Michelle is a guest columnist for the AllEars® newsletter. Here are links to other articles by MIchelle:

MouseFest Primer: http://allearsnet.com/btp/issue421.htm

Tune In to a Disney Podcast (or Podcasts 101): http://allearsnet.com/ae/issue417.htm

Vero Beach with Kids: http://allearsnet.com/ae/issue403.htm

Navigating WDW with a Picky Eater: http://allearsnet.com/ae/issue395.htm

Science in the Parks: http://allearsnet.com/ae/issue390.htm

All Ears reader Kim Howe had the "dream of a lifetime" in December, when the Walt Disney World Dream Team awarded her a night's stay in Cinderella's Castle. She shares her magical story with All Ears.

I look back now to my every step and action of the morning that put me in the right place at the right time for the Year of a Million Dreams Dream Squad to find me.

There are many “what ifs” that came to mind:

If I didn’t take a few extra minutes to look at Marge and Paul’s Disney cruise pictures before I left their house that morning.

If my annual pass had worked in the turnstile and I hadn’t had to wait for a CM to get me a new one.

If I hadn’t taken the time to sit down and write the number of my new AP down so if I lost it, it could be reprinted.

If Lisa and I had waited to ride Soarin’ with the MouseFest meet instead of going ahead so not to miss the Walk in Cards Footsteps meet at 10 a.m.

If the three FastPass guests had gone down the Concourse 2 like they were suppose to instead of going down Concourse 1.

If I tried to sit in a better seat instead of deciding to sit where I was suppose to while thinking to myself this is the worst seat on this ride. Little did I know it would turn out to be the BEST seat that morning!

If any of those things when differently, I wouldn’t have this story to tell because I wouldn’t have been the one on Soarin’, concourse 2, hang glider C, row 3, in seat 1 at around 9:50 a.m. on Saturday, December 8 where Dream Squad members Elton, Jackie and Kathryn greeted me after the ride.

Thinking back I was aware there were people outside the exit door “as I gathered my belongings” but it didn’t hit me until I walked through the door that they were Dream Squad members.

I thought that we were going to get FastPasses. I was calm. Lisa told me later, she wasn’t. They asked me if I was familiar with the Year of a Million Dreams and told me I was a “potential” winner of a great prize. They asked me if I’d like come with them and Lisa too. They started asking me a battery of questions: Where are you from? Do you know any cast members? Who are they? Are you related? Do you live with them? There were probably others I don’t recall now. We walked along the exit hallway as we talked. They kept telling me I could be the “potential” winner of a great prize every time stressing “potential.”

When we came to an area where the standby line and exit line meet and there were lots of other guest around to witness what was going to happen next, we stopped. A portable DVD player was placed on the railing and it began to play a commercial for the Year of a Million Dreams and the prizes offered.

The sound didn’t work very well at first but it was fixed. I playfully said that I’d take the cruise as a picture of one of the ships appeared on the screen. Next thing I know the words “Cinderella Castle Suite” are on the screen. Still, feeling calm I recall thinking that it would probably be good to act surprised and happy, so I did. The Dream Squad certainly made a big fuss over it! It hadn't really sunk in yet what had happened.

We walked together out the rest of the Soarin’ exit and past the FastPass distribution area where the Dream Squad continued to make a big fuss which brought attention to us by other guests. I told them that they must LOVE their jobs making people happy all day and they said they did. As we walked out of the Land and to the Imagination Pavilion, they explained that I could invite five guests to join me. Lisa was a given since she was with me.

Let me back up a bit.....
Lisa and I met at MouseFest 2005 and again in 2006. The first year we communicated via e-mail a few times after MouseFest but in the last year we really didn’t keep in touch at all. I didn’t even know if she was attending MouseFest this year. I met Mark Goldhaber from MousePlanet at the airport and while we were boarding the plane to FL for MouseFest, he asked me if Lisa was attending. My answer was that I didn’t know because we didn’t keep in touch at all in the last year. He found that hard to believe since during MouseFest we attend many of the same meets together and even toured together between meets. As in the past two years, sure enough, I was at my first meet, MouseFest 101 and I looked to my right and there she was in her Pooh Santa hat.

Ok, back to the day of dreams!

I had four more people to invite!!

As we were walking I called my friend Paula to invite her and her 16 year old son, Dylan. I lost my calm feeling as I spoke with her and started to cry.

To Be Continued....

All Ears reader Kim Howe had the "dream of a lifetime" in December, when the Walt Disney World Dream Team awarded her a night's stay in Cinderella's Castle.

Part 1 - Stepping off of Soarin

This is Part 2 - Who Shall Join Me?

I had four more people to invite. As we were walking I called my friend Paula to invite her and her 16 year old son, Dylan. I lost my calm feeling as I spoke with her and started to cry.

A few weeks before MouseFest, I applied to Allears.net to attend the VIP IllumiNations Dessert Party and was selected. When I invited Paula to join me, her reply was that I was the luckiest person she knew when it came to winning things. My reply was that, no, the REALLY lucky people get to stay in Cinderella Castle. We had lunch together earlier in the week and we talked about that conversation again. I told that I was going to call her if I won, never really thinking it would.

Now I’ve actually won and I’m on the phone to tell her that we were also going to be Grand Marshals in the Share a Dream Come True Parade and have dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table so pack her bags and be at the Epcot Guest Relations by 12 noon.

I started by saying as best I could through tears, “Remember when you told me I was lucky and I said that the lucky people get to stay in the castle? Well, I’m going to stay in the castle tonight and I want you and Dylan to come!”

Then things got a little crazy with Elton asking me how old her son was and him telling me that minors, 16 and under, could not participate unless they were my children. I had to tell Paula that Dylan couldn’t come and ask her if she still wanted to. She paused and said yes but needed to find a place for him to go for the night since her husband was out of town. I gave her the instructions to bring an overnight bag, her ID and to be at Epcot by 12 noon to fill out release forms and hung up.

Elton made a call and worked some “magic” and got approval for Dylan to be able to go. I called Paula back to tell her and we were both very happy about that. I asked if anybody had any tissues. Luckily, somebody did and handed me one.

Next I just had to call the couple who I was staying with, Marge and Paul. Marge answered right away like Paula did. I was SO lucky I was able to reach both of them right away because the clock was ticking.

Later when I was telling Marge how calm I felt, she told me that I did not sound calm to her when I called. She said I said her name very loudly into the phone, “Marge, Marge! I won a night in Cinderella Castle and want you and Paul to come too!” I did that because it was hard to hear her when she answered and I wanted to make sure…well, okay, so I wasn’t so calm anymore.

I filled her in on what was going on and gave her the same instructions I gave Paula and also asked her to zip up my two suitcases and bring my toiletry bag too. I was so glad I kept all my clothes in my suitcases. I couldn’t think what to tell her to bring so I just said to bring it all. Oh, and I told her to call Paul and let him know too.

I mentioned Elton’s name and she asked me if Elton was there now. I told her he was and asked if she knew him. She did so I handed him my phone. I could not believe it. HE couldn’t believe it. Marge’s husband, Paul, had trained Elton on the Epcot front gate. Elton was very happy, as were Jackie and Kathryn, that I was inviting three cast members but when he realized he knew two of them, he was ecstatic. I told him Paul was working at the gate that very moment. Elton was concerned that Paul wouldn’t be off work in time but I was sure he’d be done in time because I knew he went in around 5 a.m. this morning to open.

In fact this feeling was shared by all the CMs we ran into who learned that Marge, Paul and Paula were CMs. They were all very excited to hear fellow CMs were getting a chance to stay in the castle. The chances of CMs being able to do so are slim since they can’t win themselves, someone they live with or who are related to them also cannot win. Pretty much, the only way they could go is if a friend won and invited them.

By now we were standing outside a door at the Imagination Pavilion and the five of us went inside to take care of the necessary paperwork. Until that was completed, I was still a “potential” winner. It was an office area that consisted of a large room with lots of cubicles along the two walls. There were only a couple people working but it was a Saturday. I said to Lisa, “Hey, we are backstage.” We were taken into a conference room and Elton was in and out, I guess, getting the paperwork together and making phone calls.

I finally called my husband, Bill. I started to cry again. My poor tissue was soaked. Jackie or Kathryn brought us cups of water which I was grateful for. Bill was afraid that something bad had happened until I could explain what was happening. Bill was very happy for me and wished he was with me. He doesn’t always go with me when I visit WDW. As he says, he “gets it” but also gets enough of it quicker than I do. So, my trips to MouseFest are solo that way I have the freedom to open and close parks everyday and not worry about his happiness. I told him to call everybody and he replied that nobody would “get it,” meaning understand the significance of it all. He did say he would call my mother, though. He also called his mother.

Elton gave us big blue, white and gray buttons with the castle on them that said:

WHERE MY DREAM CAME TRUE
The Year of a
Million Dreams
Walt Disney World

He told us to put them on as they signified that we’d won a tier 1 or 2 prize, which were the highest ones.

The castle stay was considered a tier 2 and winning a trip around the world visiting all the Disney parks or a DVC membership was the Tier 1 level.

He gave me four more for Paula, Dylan, Marge and Paul. Then he started going over 10 pages of forms with me giving me clear and thorough instructions to insure it would be done correctly and completely explaining what they were for and what areas I had to fill out so I wouldn’t be disqualified.

The forms were to accept the prize, an affidavit/declaration of my eligibility/liability and a publicity release. I said let’s get started filling them out! I also had to provide my driver’s license for a background check. Elton, Kathryn and Jackie had to witness the forms.

Lisa had to just fill out a guest liability/publicity release and show her ID. Elton asked me to write down all my guests’ names with their ages. He arranged with the concierge at the Grand Floridian for all of our cars to be parked there. He also told Lisa and I to be at the Grand Floridian by 1:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. at the latest.

Kathryn wanted to give us a FastPass in compensation for taking up so much our park time. We really weren’t planning on riding anything and didn’t accept her offer. When she suggested ice creams, however, we changed our minds! She filled out a little form on a pad and gave it to us to redeem for an ice cream from a cart. With all the formalities aside, we took pictures with Elton, Jackie and Kathryn.

To be continued....

All Ears reader Kim Howe had the "dream of a lifetime" in December, when the Walt Disney World Dream Team awarded her a night's stay in Cinderella's Castle.

Part 1 - Steppin Off Soarin'

Part 2 - Who Will Join Me?

This is Part 3 - Logistics, Epcot, Dream Squads, and MouseFest, oh my!

We left the conference room and the CMs in the office area congratulated us. Then Elton, Jackie and Kathryn walked with us out into the park and spotted another Dream Squad handing out dreams and encouraged us to go to them. We felt that would be greedy but they really encouraged us. We did and got FastPasses for Epcot only and for that day only. Kathryn waved to us and asked what we got.

Later I learned that at this point Elton when right to Paul to tell him and have him fill out his paperwork. He was still so excited.

At this point, I could barely think straight and, I think, Lisa felt the same way.

It was 11 a.m. and we’d missed the 10 a.m. MouseFest meet, Stroll in Card’s Footsteps. We were disappointed but a stay in Cindy’s castle was worth it. It seemed we had a lot of time before 1:30 p.m. when we needed to be at the Grand Floridian. I’d planned on attending the Pin Trading meet at 11 a.m. but now we had the FastPasses. We decided to use them and went to Test Track.

As we walked, I checked my phone messages and my mother had called so I called her back. She had also left a message which I didn’t listen to until the next day. She was crying with joy for my good fortune. As a girl she watched the Mickey Mouse show and sang the Mousekateer songs so she “gets it” too. Bill’s mom also left a message saying that this couldn’t have happed to a bigger Disney fan.

I also called Marge and left a message for her to also bring my camera and phone chargers. I thought she didn’t answer because she was busy packing. Later she said that she’d probably already left the house. At the time I called the first time, she was ironing and had laundry in the washer and drying. She pulled the plug on the iron and stopped both machines. She ran around like a crazy woman and threw all of her and Paul’s clothes in my suitcases and was glad there was enough room because their suitcases were in their attic.

Between our walk to Test Track and the time we spent in the FastPass line, Lisa and I had an opportunity to think and determined that we really did not have has much time as we thought especially since we still wanted to go to the Mega Mouse Meet.

We were glad we pre-registered and had the extra magic hour to get in at noon instead of 1 p.m. During our ride on Test Track my mind was wandering, going a million miles an hour, forget 65MPH, trying to sort things out and put together the afternoon’s plan. We agreed we could not use the FastPasses and we should just give them away since they were only good that day. On our way off Test Track there were two young girls, probably sisters, in front of us and we gave the FastPasses to them. They thanked us as did their mother who was waiting for them and saw the exchange. It made us feel really, really good to do that and it gave me goosebumps.

Next we had to finish thinking about our afternoon logistics. Lisa had to get her overnight bag ready and get to the Grand Floridian by 1:30 p.m. Luckily, she was staying at the Boardwalk. We decided the most efficient use of our time was for her to go to her room after the Mega Mouse Meet then wait for me to pick her up with my car out front at the Boardwalk. While she was getting her bag together, I would continue on to Epcot through the International Gateway and out the front entrance, get in my car and drive around to pick her up.

The day was quite warm. We were making our way from Future World to World Showcase and remembered our ice cream voucher. We couldn’t recall any carts in World Showcase so we turned around and headed to the cart outside of the Imagination Pavilion.

On our way we saw another Dream Squad handing out the blue and white with silver Mickey ear hats. Boy were we on a roll so we went over and each got one. Jackie was one of the Dream Squad members and we told her we gave away the FastPasses. She said that she and Kathryn agreed that we were so nice that that was probably what we would do with them.

Next we got two Mickey Premium bars. Yum! I was hungry and it was quite warm out. Marge had called and left me a message. She said that she had filled out and signed her paperwork and wanted to know what to do next. I assumed the CM who went over her release form would give her instructions but he didn’t.

As I was walking, eating a melting chocolate ice cream pop with a white shirt on, I was also calling and talking to Marge. No time to waste. I told her we had to be at the Grand Floridian by 1:30 p.m. and to meet us there. Later she told me she then went to get a sandwich for lunch to share with Paul. She was finally able to reach Paul to tell him what was going on but learned that Elton had already found him at the front gate and told him.

After learning that Marge was given no further instructions after filling out her paperwork, I wondered if someone would tell Paula or not and was waiting to hear from her asking me the same as Marge did.

Lisa and I continued our fast pace out the International Gateway and decided that walking to the Dolphin and the Mega Mouse Meet would be quicker than the Friendships. We also figured that walking on the Boardwalk side might be quicker than the Yacht and Beach Club side since the sidewalk at the Dolphin snakes in and out close to the building and is not very direct. Besides, the Boardwalk side was currently in the shade. Have I mentioned is was considerably warn out (at least 85 degrees) and we were power walking.

We couldn’t believe we waited for MouseFest and especially the Mega Mouse Meet for a year, and now we were going to miss the day’s meets (especially Disney Music with Greg Ehrbar, Hidden Mickey’s at Epcot with Steve Barrett, Turtle Talk, Magic in the Pixels…) and blow through the Mega Mouse Meet. But there were no questions which we chose over the other--the castle won.

Once at the Dolphin, we were glad to find the ballroom was right off the lobby and not through the labyrinth of hallways like the last two years. We put on our wristbands with our raffle number as we walked. I don’t know why we even put them on. In order to win any of the prizes you needed to be present and we wouldn’t be present. We obviously just weren’t thinking clearly. We were handed “swag bags” as we approached the registration area. Since we pre-registered and had our lanyards on, we didn’t even need to stop and just got on the escalator down to the ballroom.

The tables near the entrance were busy with people. It was just after 12 p.m. and there were already lots of MouseFesters there. We both thought walking across the room and beginning at empty tables was a good strategy. We only had less than half an hour before we had to leave in order to give us an hour to get to the Grand Floridian. We quickly made our way, individually for the most part, around the room keeping our eye on one another as we went along so as not to lose each other. We picked up literature and swag and talked briefly with “personalities behind the tables” (to quote Mike Scopa). We’d have to visit the websites of the personalities at home—no time now.

At the Allears.net table we told everyone our “news” to a reply of shrieks and congratulations. It’s so nice to be among fellow Disney fans who “get it” and appreciate the significance of it all. That’s why we attend MouseFest. We continued to share our news and received congratulations as we continued around the room. Mark Goldhaber and Brian Bennett of MousePlanet gave us big hugs. By 12:40 p.m. we’d made a complete circle.

There were snacks available during this extra magic hour and that was a good thing. I picked up a water and granola bar which turned out to be my lunch for the day…besides the Mickey ice cream bar.

Soon it was time to leave.

To be continued....

AllEars® reader JeanineY is part of the NFFC trip to Tokyo Disneyland. She will be filing reports along the way. Here is the Introduction:

Ohayo Mickey! - The Departure

Many people plan out trips years in advance, carefully checking for bargains and making upgrade requests in a timely fashion so that every value is maximized, and no time is wasted. I am not any of those people. On the other hand, have you ever seen people run shrieking down the airport as the gate is paging them and saying the door is closing? I'm sorry I was too busy to wave hello to you.

My advance planning for this trip consisted of making a hotel reservation about 2 years ago, when the NFFC announced they were going to have a group program at Tokyo Disneyland for its 25th anniversary celebration.

The hotels around the Tokyo Disneyland resort are, as a rule, fairly expensive, and the rate they had found at that time was pretty good and didn't require a credit card deposit to hold it. As the date approached, the airfare dipped down enough to justify it, so we (my Mother and I) were off.

Of course, conveniently enough, the week before we were to leave turned out to be the airline equivalent of Chernobyl, as 4 carriers went out of business, and the week we actually were to leave, American canceled hundreds of flights due to mechanical inspections.

You know a trip is auspicious when your main hope is to just get off the ground in the first place. Nevertheless, in defiance of probability we had no problems with our flights that an upgrade wouldn't have cured. On a 12+ hour flight in coach, the evolution of attitude goes like this:

Hour 1: Well this isn't bad! We left on time and everything! The grand adventure has begun!
Hour 2: There isn't much space in these seats, is there? Well at least the meal was...included.
Hour 6: If this guy in back of me shakes my chair one more time, I am turning my vent full blast towards him. Also, I can't feel my feet anymore.
Hour 10: We will grow old and die on this plane.

Unfortunately, despite scheduling a flight that was supposed to land 1.5 hrs before the last bus to the hotel left the airport, we were foiled by the plane landing 40 minutes late, and then by getting stuck in the disembarkation line for around 45 more minutes. After some initial panic, we got tickets for the next bus to the next closest stop and then took a cab the rest of the way.

The Tokyo Bay Hilton is probably the nicest Hilton I've stayed at, and definitely the cutest. The level of service is always astounding and the decor is wonderful. Not only do they have a small area for children to play in while adults register for their room, but they also have a lego area and a small mock up of the hotel counter, along with a rack of tiny hotel uniforms so kids can create their own photo ops.

We are given a room on one of their refurbished rooms, the Happy Magic Rooms! It is so cute, it makes Sanrio stores blush. There is a Happy Magic mirror that plays music and shows a strange girl's picture when you push a button, and an enormous Happy Magic key that causes music and lights to issue out of a large Happy Magic lock.

Some in the NFFC party decide to monorail over to the Ikspiari to do some shopping. IKSPIARI is made up of nine themed zones containing a total of 120 shops and restaurants, as well as the 16-screen "AMC Ikspiari 16" cinema complex and Camp Nepos, a children's play and care center.

We are tired enough so we satisfied ourselves by buying our park tickets for the week and some shrimp pitas from the Starbucks in the lobby.

Tomorrow: DisneySeas.

Read my Trip Report to Tokyo Disneyland.

Hey my name is Caitlin Burns!

I am a senior at John Glenn high school in lovely Westland Michigan! If you like unpredictable weather and freezing temperatures during spring you should visit sometime lol.

I am 17 years old and I have been in love with everything Disney for as long as I can remember.
My first trip to Disney World was when I was two and I have been going back ever since. Every time I go there is always something new to look forward to and enjoy.

Now I have been told by some of my friends “Oh isn’t Disney World for little kids?” I am here to prove this wrong. There are so many things at Disney that a lot of little kids can’t enjoy like teenagers and adults can! I feel that every year I go back I see Disney from a different view. This year I am seeing it from the “I am about to graduate and step into the real world” point of view.

I am going with my parents for my graduation present and this will be my sixth trip to the “World”. My family and I are all Disney addicts and each of us love something different at Disney. This time around we are staying at Port Orleans Riverside. We are also going to be going to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure which is something we have never done before!

Not only are we celebrating my graduation we are also celebrating my mom and dad’s 20th wedding anniversary and my 18th birthday!

My itinerary for the week is:

April 15th- Magic Kingdom
April 16th- Magic Kingdom and the Pirate and Princess Party
April 17th- Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure
April 18th- Disney’s Hollywood Studios
April 19th- Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Grad Night
April 20th- Epcot (Where we will be seeing the All Ears gang!)
April 21st- Surfing lessons at Typhoon Lagoon and wherever we feel like going back to then going home 

So stay tuned and I hope I can help you parents of teenagers plan an exciting Disney adventure for them.

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Hello from very warm (for us Michigan folk) Florida!

I"m Caitlin Burns blogging live from Walt Disney World!

In case you missed yesterday's post, here's my intro!

I really don’t think that there is a better sound than that of your pilot saying,” We are touching down in Orlando Florida!” It’s then that you realize, wow I am awake and I am actually going to Disney World!

My parents and I rode the Disney Magical Express to Port Orleans Riverside. I highly recommend taking the Magical Express no matter how old you are because they show a video of Disney World on the way to your hotel and it gets you really pumped for how much fun you are going to be having, plus driving through the Walt Disney World welcome sign is very cool!

When we got to our hotel, check in was easy and our room was ready even though we showed up earlier than we were scheduled. Our room is awesome! It’s in Oak Manor and having never stayed in the mansions at Port Orleans it’s very cool! We even have a fridge and outside of the mansions you have to ask for one. We are also right near one of the relaxing pools. I am looking forward to getting some sun out there!

After we got settled in we left to have lunch at the Crystal Palace. My parents went to the restaurant to check in while I went to Philharmagic to get Fast Passes. The last time we went I bought a My Pal Mickey, I recommend it because all of his corny jokes and singing will have you rolling with laughter, and he has some very interesting facts about the park so listening to his take on Fantasyland was fun.

I always love character dining! You get to sit down enjoy your food and let the characters come to you! Plus you get to watch all the little kids interacting with the characters. I am an only child so it was nice watching the younger kids meet the characters

My parents had on their happy anniversary buttons and the Crystal Palace cast members noticed it right away. They had us wait a few minutes while they made a heart made out of confetti on the table. Later they also got a certificate signed by Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger! I didn’t really enjoy the food at the Crystal Palace this time around though, unless you like more exotic foods (the broccoli had lime sauce on it!) then I wouldn’t recommend it but it’s nice to meet the characters.

On our way to Philharmagic we ran into Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters! They were so much fun! I love getting my pictures taken with the characters and I think villains are more fun for teens.

They started singing “Do the Bustle” which would go right over little kids heads but for us older people it’s funny. The stepsisters improvise a lot (they started screaming when my family walked up because Mickey was hooked on my purse and they don’t like mice), and as I said, the villains are more fun.

Then we went over to Philharmagic which is one of my absolute favorite attractions! It’s funny, has your favorite Disney songs in it and is 3D! I don’t think you could do any better than that lol.

When we walked out of Philharmagic the parade was just starting.

Caitlin tip: Get in line right behind the taped walkway and stand there until the parade starts, once it starts and the walkway is closed you can be right on the curb!

I always love the parade and no matter how many times you see it, it’s still amazing!

I got a couple more pictures with characters and then we left to get our rental car. I recommend getting a rental car because I am not a fan of having to wait for buses if you leave one of the parks late at night. That and a rental car gives you a little more freedom if you feel like going out to explore.

My family and I decided to go to Downtown Disney’s Market Place. I love shopping so this is one of the places I have to go to whenever we visit! Downtown Disney is really made for older people because they have a movie theater, Disney Quest and of course shopping. This is somewhere your family can split up for a while and do their own thing then meet back up later.

I tried a caramel apple at Goofy’s Candy Co. “WOW” is the best word to describe how good it tasted lol.

I can’t wait for tomorrow! Ttyl!

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Nothing says “Disney” like the Magic Kingdom!

Today was so much fun! We got there early to see the rope drop and then went straight to Fantasyland, where we basically walked onto to every ride! We also got to see Ariel in her grotto which is something I have never been able to do because it’s usually so busy.

The Haunted Mansions updates are so cool! You have to be a huge fan of the ride to know that it has been changed because only little bits and pieces have been added. Let’s just say the woman of the house is not very friendly!

The only ride at Magic Kingdom I didn’t really enjoy was the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. We ended up getting stuck on it at three different points and on the third one the ride got officially closed! I mean the free fast passes for any ride was an added bonus but getting stuck made me very claustrophobic!

I really enjoyed the train ride which is something I don’t remember doing. It’s cool just sitting back and relaxing and seeing the Magic Kingdom from a different point of view.

The longest line today was Splash Mountain and we had fast passes. I love that ride and usually when it’s as warm as it is today you can expect long lines.

I loved Casey’s Corner though. The food was soooo good! I loved their French fries!

I can’t wait until the Pirate and Princess Party tonight! Until then I will be lounging by the pool! Ttyl!

Ok so the Pirate and Princess party was amazing!

The highlight of my night had to be meeting Captain Jack Sparrow though! Wow just looking at him is worth the price of admission! I seriously almost fainted!

The parade was spectacular! The pirates float was probably my favorite because it was full of excitement and got your blood pumping. The cannons on the boat actually worked too! Of course it didn’t explode with a cannonball but the light and smoke coming out of it was cool!

The fireworks are probably the best set of fireworks I have ever seen at the Magic Kingdom, which is actually saying a lot since Wishes is so amazing. I would explain more but it’s something you have to see for yourself and my words wouldn’t do the show justice.

Caitlin Tip: You should be in front of the castle if you want to have the best seat in the house for the fireworks.

For teens I would recommend skipping the treasure hunt, all you get are some bead necklaces and since there are so many rides to go on and characters to see you won’t regret missing it.

It was also cool walking around with my Happy Birthday pin on. I was told happy birthday countless time and the River Roulette band sang me happy birthday!

I definitely recommend the Pirate and Princess party to anyone who has a chance to go!

Today was pretty fun! I went to Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando Resort and it was my first time!

My family and I usually just take the Disney transports back and forth to the parks so we don’t have a way to get to Universal and we usually don’t have enough time to anyway.

I loved the character breakfast. It has normal breakfast foods but their muffins are amazing! I got to meet Thing 1, Thing 2, Cat in the Hat and my personal favorite Spiderman! The characters were all great and a lot of fun to meet. The restaurant was deserted so the characters would go back to tables and say hi again.

The roller coasters are amazing and a must do for any teen!

My personal favorite was the Spiderman ride because you never knew what was going to happen next!

The Dr. Seuss part was mostly for little kids but you can meet the Grinch there which was pretty cool.

I would also recommend Poseidon’s Fury, it may seem cheesy at the beginning but by the end your jaw is disconnected from your body and on the floor.

I didn’t get a lot of time at the Studios but I saw Shrek 4D and got to meet Shrek, Fiona and Donkey all which was very cool.

For dinner we went to Fulton’s Crab house at Downtown Disney, definitely somewhere you have to eat at if you get the chance! I had on my birthday pin and we had been talking to our waitress about me graduating high school this year.

Well when we were done with our meal she came out with a slice of chocolate cake and around the rim of the plate written in chocolate was “Happy Birthday” and “Congrats 2008”. It was yummy and very sweet of our waitress to do.

We will see what tomorrow brings ttyl!

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Wow Grad Night was a blast!

I don’t recommend going on Space Mountain when you get there because everyone wants to go on it and it ends up being really crowded!

Big Thunder Mountain was the shortest wait I had all night so I recommend going on that plus the view of the park at night is beautiful!

Be sure to go and dance a little bit the music is great and it gets you pumped for graduation!

The Haunted Mansion had a long wait but it’s worth it to see everything at night.

I ended up near the front of the concert stage and the fireworks show was amazing! Not as good as the ones at the Pirate and Princess party but close! These were set to the biggest songs of this year and everyone was singing along it was really cool.

I watched The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus; they were ok but had really good stage presence that got everyone else in the crowd pumped!

I loved seeing all of the Disney characters in their caps and gowns and my picture with Grad Mickey is going to be the picture on my graduation party invites!

I totally recommend Grad Night so if you are a high school senior or going to be one talk your class into going!

Now I need some sleep ttyl!

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Ah nothing like relaxing!

Instead of going to Epcot today we went yesterday and decided today should be a day to relax. I recommend everyone having a relaxing day on their vacation. The only downside was we didn’t get to meet Deb and the All Ears gang.

We hung out at the pool at Port Orleans French Quarter which is very nice and right out in the sun perfect for tanning!

After we were done resting up from grad night my family and I went to Disney Hollywood Studios.

Now I want to clear something up for all of the people out there: SINGLE RIDER LINES ARE NOT FASTER THAN FAST PASS LINES!

I went on Rockin’ Roller Coaster with three different fast passes all in a row and saw people getting into the single rider line which looked like you could just walk onto the ride, wrong. They only use the single rider people when they need you so you end up waiting A LOT longer than you would in the fast pass line.

One kid who had gotten into the single rider line when I was first waiting in the fast pass line ended up filling my seat on my second time around!

Also a tip about any ride that has a movie in a separate room before it: watch the movie once then if you ever go on it again just try to get as close to the doors that open as you can that way you can be the first one out and get to skip the long line of people who were in the movie with you!

We had dinner at the Brown Derby and the food there is fantastic! The Cobb Salad is delicious!

We went to see Fantasmic which is my favorite night show. I recommend sitting higher up and not near the front because you get a better view, plus you get out faster when it’s over.

Tomorrow is my last day ttyl.

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Man, am I sore!

I had my surfing lesson this morning which was amazing! The instructors are very helpful and friendly and by the end you are actually surfing! The instructors were from the Cocoa Beach surfing school and they come to Typhoon Lagoon a couple days a week.

The nice thing about learning to surf in a wave pool is you can pick what kind of wave you want. They have the big wave and the small wave for beginners. The class size is small and everyone gets about 10 waves.

I would recommend it to anyone who has ever wanted to surf!

Afterwards we went to Animal Kingdom and it was packed!

I couldn’t go on much since we were leaving early but I managed to go on Dinosaur and Kali River Rapids.

On the River Rapids you really don’t get that wet after the initial plunge at the beginning. The scene in the middle is supposed to look like loggers cutting down the rainforest, a girl in our boat thought it was supposed to be ancient Asia so I just wanted to clear things up.

I have always loved Dinosaur ever since my grandma freaked out on it because she couldn’t get the seatbelt out, ah fond memories. It’s a fun ride and I was very proud of myself when I found a Hidden Mickey on it!

We had lunch at the Restaurantosaurus in Dinoland, it was soooo good! I would recommend it for any picky eaters or someone who would just like an ol’ cheeseburger and fries for once. The set up is really cool and you should take your time looking around the restaurant.

I would like to take some time out to say thank you to a few people:

Deb- for letting me write this awesome blog and help all of you out there

My parents- for giving me another awesome vacation

My grandparents and my boyfriend Dustin- for taking care of our dogs and our house.

And you guys for reading this!

Ttyl!

Editor's Note: Thank you Caitlin for sharing your vacation with us! It was great fun to read! Deb

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Last December, my husband and I went on the most magical Walt Disney World trip, yet! We celebrated our anniversary, Christmas and New Year's all at one of our favorite places, Walt Disney World. It was absolutely amazing, and before we left, we had already begun talking about when we'd be back. For quite a while, we thought another trip in the near future wouldn’t be possible.

Fast forward to this December, and we’re packing to go back again for our anniversary (which is during the week of Christmas), Christmas and New Year's again!!!! I know. We still can't believe it ourselves.

My husband and I absolutely love Disney World, and we can’t believe our trip is here. We really look forward to returning for our favorite time of the year!

This is us, from this last December’s trip, in front of Grand Floridian’s lobby Christmas tree:

We’ll be staying at POP Century this year, a resort where we’ve stayed before, and we plan to experience all the holiday magic Walt Disney World has to offer! Stay tuned, since we’ll be sending live updates throughout our trip.

My husband and I are back from celebrating the holidays at the happiest place on earth, Walt Disney World.

You may recall I began blogging prior to our trip in December. I had hoped to give live updates throughout the trip, but I ran into some technical difficulties. Now that I’m home, I’m ready to give you the full scoop.

Walt Disney World has so much to offer their guests for the holidays! As you can imagine, we had an absolutely amazing time. Disney, at Christmas, takes magical moments to a whole new level. I’ll start with the resorts and then get into the parks. There’s just so much to share.

Usually when people think about enjoying the holidays at Walt Disney World, they want to know all about the special events the parks have, during this time of the year. However, even if you’re not staying at one of Disney’s resorts, you should definitely take some time to visit them, and see how they get all decked out.

Each place has its very own major Christmas tree, specially decorated for that resort. In addition, some add a variety of other smaller Christmas trees, wreaths, garland, gingerbread houses. . .the list goes on and on.

Here’s the tree in the main lobby of our resort, POP Century:

You may notice that it has more traditional types of ornaments on it. Here are some of the parts, up close:

Then, there’s Grand Floridian, with its enormous tree that captures your attention right away, as you enter the main lobby:

As you can see, though the Grand Floridian is a huge resort, with many floors, the tree still manages to be the tallest object in the place. Then, as if that isn’t enough, they have a humongous Gingerbread House that is large enough to double as a store to sell, you guessed it, gingerbread and other holiday sweets and goodies:

Whenever we go to the Grand Floridian, I feel like I’m in the world’s largest and most gorgeous doll house, so it’s no wonder they also have this exquisite Gingerbread House.

Now, on to the Beach Club Resort! We didn’t make it over there this year, but they are known for their chocolate carousel. It looks like a full-size carousel, but is so beautiful that I couldn’t imagine eating any part of it. Here’s a shot of it:

On the floor of the carousel are miniature versions of Disney characters, with Mickey heads all around the base:

Next blog the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge and Polynesian Resort!

Rachel Basden

Now, on to the Wilderness Lodge.

Their tree has more wilderness and American-Indian inspired ornaments, like tee-pees:

They also have the added bonus of visits with Santa at this resort!

Over at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, designed by the same person who created the Wilderness Lodge, they’re decorations are just as beautiful. At this resort, the theme revolves more around Africa and animals:

Here are some of the close-up shots:

At the Polynesian Resort, there is a lovely tree that is decorated with beautiful Hawaiian flowers and shells:

These are some of the details up close:

This resort also had something we didn’t notice anywhere else. They had edible Polynesian themed houses and buildings. They were made by the different staff members, some individually and some made them within departments. Here are some examples of their amazingly talented staff’s work:

Each resort has its own way of decorating for the holidays. It’s great to take a break from the parks and take your own tour of each one. As unique as each resort is, so are the ways they express their holiday cheer. They are seriously worth checking out!

Next up, the Theme Parks

Rachel Basden

As soon as you reach the Animal Kingdom entrance, you see a huge Christmas tree decorated with what else? Animals! It’s simply beautiful, and in some ways, it resembles the one in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, though any similar ornaments are remarkably bigger.

Within the park itself, you won’t see much changed for the holidays, except for the parade and the Camp Minnie Mickey area. During their daily parade time, you will see essentially the same parade as you will see during the rest of the year, with a definite holiday twist. For example, the alligator that leads one of the floats is transformed to a reindeer of sorts. Minnie’s bathtub float emits delicious scents of hot chocolate to those who are watching the parade. It really puts everyone in the spirits of the holidays. Mickey's Jingle Jangle Parade:

Then, over at Camp Minnie Mickey, you will still find your Disney pals for picture taking time. However, each gazebo area is decorated for the holidays with lights, garland and in some spots, a tree. The characters are each dressed for the holidays, making for some very festive looking pictures.

If you head over to the Winnie the Pooh and Friends picture taking location, you will see them wearing scarves and hats, no matter how warm it might be, reminding everyone that it is still the holiday season.

It’s a great time of year to visit the Animal Kingdom, because of the cooler temperatures. The added holiday cheer just makes it that much more enjoyable!

Rachel Basden

During the holiday season, the Studios is transformed to a Winter Wonderland. Before the entrance way, you will see their huge Christmas tree, decorated with scenes from Disney’s animations. Not only is this tree decorated with familiar faces, but all around the base are figures and even enlarged movie reels showing scenes from some of your favorite Disney moments.

Inside, the streets are lined with sparkling red and white stars. However, the real holiday fun begins once the sun goes down. That’s when the New York portion of the park becomes a dazzling display of lights and music! It’s called the “Osbourne Spectacle of Lights”.

The entire area is covered in lights, from the buildings to the objects found on the streets and sidewalks. There are lit up displays everywhere!!! While you walk through, you are entertained with holiday tunes. Then, every fifteen minutes, the lights literally dance to the music. It’s the most amazing holiday light show we’ve ever seen and it’s definitely worth going to at least once in your lifetime. As if that isn’t enough, as the lights dance all around you, snow falls from above. Words cannot do it justice, but it’s truly another magical Disney moment.

Walt Disney World doesn’t just celebrate the holidays at the parks and resorts, but also in Downtown Disney. You can pose with a Christmas display with some Disney characters.

There is also a very tall Christmas tree full of toy related items all over it and along its base.

Rachel Basden

Like the other parks, Epcot has its own unique large Christmas tree. However, when you enter the park, you don’t notice anything holiday related, until you reach the World Showcase. Then, hold on to your Mickey Santa hat, because there are Santas everywhere! Each country has at least one special live presentation, done throughout the day, to share with guests how that country celebrates the holiday season. It’s fun to go from one country to another, learning what they do around the world during this time of the year, and when allowed, getting involved in the story telling.

Then, each night, there is a beautiful “Candlelight Processional”. The America Gardens Theater is transformed into a church-like scene, with suspended gorgeous stained glass windows on both sides of the theater and one of the largest choirs, accompanied by an orchestra and trumpeters, sharing beautiful Christmas songs, along with a celebrity that shares the traditional Bible story of Christmas. It’s hard not to tear up if you are fortunate enough to get a seat.

The Magic Kingdom, for many, is the focal point of Walt Disney World. However, this is where my blog ends on how the parks celebrate the holidays.

Before you even step within the Magic Kingdom, you will see the front area decorated, and giving a taste of what’s inside. Having gone last year, it seems they change the look from one year to the next. These are a couple of shots of what we saw:

As soon as you catch a glimpse of Main Street USA, you notice the amazing amount of decorations hanging everywhere. Of course, they have a HUGE Christmas tree, along with some Christmas displays, like soldiers.

More characters are available to get pictures with, like Clarabelle the cow, Scrooge McDuck and Jiminy Cricket. If you are fortunate, you can pay to attend “Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party” which occurs on select nights. We attended last year, and they had a special parade, snow on Main St., holiday shows, special fireworks and free hot cocoa and cookies throughout the park. You can also get your picture taken with Santa himself! It’s truly an amazing experience. For those who can’t make it to the party, they do have all of the above for the general public, after all the party nights are over, with the exception of the free cocoa and cookies.

However, the best part for us, is after nightfall, when they light up Cinderella’s castle with millions of tiny white lights, making it look like it’s covered in frost. It’s absolutely breathtaking! Last year was the first year they did this, and we were happy to see them do it again.

If you want to see the Magic Kingdom at its most magical peak, it’s completely worth the trip!

Going to Walt Disney World, during the holidays, is a great idea, if you are prepared for the large crowds. During this time, busses can get very crowded before parks open, after special events like parades and fireworks, and at closing. This means there is usually many left standing on the bus rides.

Most days, we went to a park during Extra Magic Hour mornings. You can get through many main attractions this way, before the park officially opens. However, if you plan to go to Disney's Hollywood Studios' new attraction, Toy Story Mania, expect to get on during the Extra Magic Hours once or twice and after that, only if you don't mind waiting 2 or 3 hours. We actually experienced seeing a line from Toy Story Mania to the steps by the Little Mermaid show just to get Fastpasses for Toy Story, fairly locking it up for most of the day. However, getting on other attractions at all four parks isn't bad if you anticipate the longer waits and utuilize Fastpass well.

Whether you're shopping at the parks or Downtown, shop early or during typical meal times. Also, don't forget about the stores at the resorts. They have great merchandise, and the sales we saw at the parks and in Downtown, were also at the resort stores. With this advice, you'll save yourself some time on lines for the register, too!

Overall, the Disney feel we are all used to, combined with the general good will most people feel during the holidays, makes for a pleasant trip. When the crowds get to be a bit much, enjoy the holiday decorations, take some extra photos or enjoy time at your resort and rest up. We've gone two years in a row, and I know it won't be our last time at Disney World for the holidays!

Rachel Basden

by Guest Blogger Gary K.

If you grow up in Indiana as I did, you always wonder what it would be like to drive in the Indianapolis 500. I recently had the opportunity to find out. You can now drive an actual Indy car as fast as you dare on a real, full-size race track at Disney World. Indy Racing Experience has been offering this breathtaking experience at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 2001. In November, 2008 they opened a sister operation at the Walt Disney World Speedway, right next to the Magic Kingdom.

This is the real thing. I got to drive Juan Montoya’s (Indy car champ and winner of The Indianapolis 500 in 2000) back up car. It is the same car -- no changes except the engine is a little (and I emphasize a little) smaller. Mike Horvath, Marco Andretti’s chief mechanic at Andretti Green Racing and winner of the 2005 Mechanic of the Year Award, helped me get into and get comfortable in the car. And Davy Hamilton, current Indy car driver and veteran of 50 Indy car races, put me through my paces on the track.

I arrived at the track approximately an hour before my schedule track time. It was quite exciting from the very beginning. I had the first Indy ride time of the day. As I walked out next to the track pit wall, I heard a roar and three Indy cars pulled up next to me – ready to go.

The track is really awesome. It was built in 1995 and hosted five Indy car races from 1996 to 2000. (I was lucky enough to attend all five.) It is a banked one mile tri-oval, with each of the three turns having a different radius and a different banking angle. Hamilton told me the track is very, very challenging to drive.

The process of going from track side to on track is fairly simple and quick. The first step is the obligatory paperwork. Bottom line, you have to sign forms that say you understand driving a race car is dangerous and if you hurt yourself you are responsible.

Second, they help you find the right size driving suit and boots and you’re off to the pit side “air conditioned” changing rooms. (See the blue curtains to the right of the picture? Those are the dressing rooms.)

Next, you sit down in a mock up of the driving seat and pedal lay out. (The cockpit is small and you drive in a reclining position. Thus, you cannot see the pedals in the car once you are actually seated in the car. Therefore, you need to get a “feel” for them.) While you are in the mock-up, you receive your instructions. The instructor covers safety and car problems, of course. But, bottom line, you are instructed to simply stay about five car lengths behind Davy in the lead car and he would lead you around the track as fast as you feel comfortable going.

Then you put on racing gloves, a balaclava and a racing helmet and it’s over the pit wall and into the car.

You have to stand up in the cockpit and gradually lower yourself vertically, disappearing into the race car, with only the top three-quarters of you head above the cockpit. The mechanics get you comfortable in the seat, tighten all the seat belts, fit the rear neck surround to the car and install the steering wheel. Initially, the feeling is a bit claustrophobic but that disappeared instantly when I heard Hamilton’s car start.

The mechanical procedures are incredibly simple. (The car has a five speed transmission but the first four gears are only used to get you up to top speed quickly. Since this is not a race you just keep the car in fifth.) You depress the clutch, push the start button and the engine comes to life. (The engine has already been warmed up so there is no delay. But revving the engine a few times seemed appropriate to me.) Hamilton took off. I gave it some gas, let out the clutch and away we went for eight thrilling laps.

The actual driving experience was easier than I imagined. With Hamilton showing you the racing line, the car seems like it is glued to the track. Your comfort level grows and so does your speed. You start to get a real feel for the g-forces in the corners and how each corner feels different. How the different banking angles and corner radiuses all impact the car. Hamilton lead me down to the apex of each corner and then up right next to the wall. Hamilton’s car kicked-up all kinds of dirt as I followed him next to those walls. (The Richard Petty Driving Experience stock cars, that share the same track earlier each day, must not use all the track the way and Indy car does. We were exploring some new terrain.) The eight laps go quickly but you get a real feel of what driving one of these cars is like. You also get an appreciation that Indy car drivers are athletes in the true sense of the word. In addition, you begin to realize you are simply following a car on the racing line. What must it be like to be surrounded by 20 cars – passing and being passed at racing speed for a couple of hundred miles?

After the final lap, I followed Hamilton into the pits, depressed the clutch, stopped the car, killing the engine and grinned.

It was very cool day in Florida the day of my drive and it was on a weekday. So, there was no one waiting to take my place. Hamilton was very willing to talk to me about driving these cars on this track and about Indy car racing in general. It was fun and enlightening. I ask him how fast we were going. He said we got up to about 100 mph average on our fastest lap. He told me that most people don’t go much faster unless they have had some prior experience. (I am sure he was being simply gracious.)

My wife decided she wanted to see what the experience was like but did not want to actually drive a car. Fortunately, they have lengthened an Indy car chassis and created a two-seater. So, Hamilton took her for a ride. (Everything is exactly the same, except you ride along instead of drive. See below.)

Because in was near dusk on a cool day, Hamilton was “only” able to get up to about 120 mph average on his fastest lap with her. So, I went home feeling pretty good about my speed. Unfortunately, I then got on the web to see what the Indy car lap recorded is for the Disney Speedway. The fastest lap was set by Buddy Lazier at over 180 mph. I have a hard time imaging what that must have been like, but now I have a much better idea than I did before. If you are interested in Indy car racing, you have to give this a try. It is well worth the money.

As I got ready to go over the pit wall and rejoin the regular world, Hamilton told me about a young man who had such a great experience driving the prior week that he bought three back–to-back eight lap runs. He was able to get up to a 120 mph lap. As I left the track, I was reminded of that old racing adage “Speed costs money. How fast do you want to go?”
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Gloria chimes in (Doesn’t she always!)

As Gary told you, once he was finished, they asked me if I wanted to drive. Nope, no way! I’d be a menace to both myself, the car and everyone else …but I could go for a ride! Why not? So, I went inside to sign the release forms and then outside to the changing room to get suited up. Now for those of you who know me personally, I barely reach five feet tall. Well, fire suits come in various widths, but only one length …l-o-n-g! I managed to get everything zipped, Velcroed and closed, but it was an interesting endeavor to say the least.

Once suited up, it was time for the balaclava (head sock), the helmet and the gloves. The balaclava was the worst! I have the kind of hair that does not take well to being disturbed once it has been tamed into place in the morning. Head socks and helmets really do a number on hairdos! Trust me on this one. Even Gary said, “She must really want to ride if she’s willing to risk getting her hair messed up!”

Helmet on! Gloves on! Now I must get down into the car which sits about 4 inches off the ground. This alone is a challenge, but I managed, only to find out that I was sitting so low in the car that I couldn’t see out of the cockpit. This is not good, so they tell me to get out and they’ll put a cushion in to raise me up a bit.

That’s when I learned that getting out of the car is even more difficult than getting in. For a minute I thought maybe they’d need a crane, but it wasn’t necessary. I was able to pull myself up and out more easily than I thought. I think the adrenalin must have kicked in, giving me superhuman strength.

They put in the cushion and I again lowered myself down into the car. Much better! I could see! The guys snapped all the restrains in place, locked in the neck support and in just a few seconds we were off.

For those of you who have never heard the roar of an Indy car engine, it is spectacularly loud! There is also a rumble that goes with it and when you’re in the car, that rumble travels right up through your body …an awesomely powerful feeling.

According to Gary who was chatting with the “pit crew” while I was riding, the car was “pushing” (Whatever that means.) and wasn’t handling as well as the driver wanted. Consequently we never got up to the 180 mph the car might reach if all was working perfectly. Consequently, they threw in an extra lap or two to try to get the tires warmed up before trying to attain top speed down the straightaway. We probably reached 150 to 160 top speed for a few seconds. That was plenty fast for me!

But all too soon the ride was over and it was back to our Toyota van for an exciting (not!) ride over to the MK where we spent the rest of the day.

Indy Racing Experience is priced competitively with the Richard Petty (stock car) Racing Experience. They are certainly worth the money for anyone who is a fan of open-wheel racing. Gary is the racing fan in our family; I have little interest and had no intention of even taking a “ride” when we got there. But there’s something about the roar of those engines that just draws you in. It’s probably not something I’d want to do again, but it was definitely great fun and a terrific experience.

RELATED INFO:

Walt Disney World Racing Experiences can be booked by calling 1-888-357.5002. Ask to speak with Shonda Kennedy at extension 106 or e-mail her at skennedy@indyracingexperience.com. You can read more on their official website at http://www.indyracingexperience.com. Prices as of January 2009 are $399 for 8 driving laps and $109 for the 3-lap ride-along experience.

by Alice McNutt Miller

My husband, two pre-teen and teenage daughters and I recently planned to travel to New York City for the weekend to see one of my nieces play basketball for her college team. As with many of our vacations, we tried to work a little Disney magic into our itinerary. With three Disney musicals currently playing on Broadway, the question was not whether to go see one of the amazing Disney theatrical productions, but which one to choose. The Lion King, Mary Poppins or The Little Mermaid? We had seen The Lion King on stage in London last year during a spring break visit, so the decision came down to what the best deal would be for tickets for either Mary Poppins or The Little Mermaid.

Plan Ahead . . .

Seeing live theater in New York, particularly Broadway blockbusters, can be an expensive proposition. Securing discounted tickets for Broadway shows is where good planning (or not) comes into play. If you have only one date or time that you will be able to see a show, you should plan as far in advance as possible, and buy tickets ahead of time. The Disney website http://disney.go.com/theatre/index.html#/home has information on all of the shows, and links to purchase tickets. These links will take you to the Ticketmaster website, and to full-price tickets for each show. However, there may be discounts available, and with a bit of work, you may be able to find them.

As Disney Vacation Club members, we had been offered a special discount for certain shows, but unfortunately, I waited too long to act once our dates were set, and all of the seats with this discount were sold out. I did a web search for “Disney on Broadway discounts,” and was able to find a code for discounts that were being offered for Mary Poppins, playing at the New Amsterdam Theatre, for the day and time that we wanted to see a show. By using that code on the Ticketmaster website, I was able to get a $35 discount on each of our tickets, allowing me to purchase tickets that were normally $86.50 for $51.50 (plus various surcharges, tax, etc.). Tickets are normally $121.50, $86.50, $61.50 and $31.50. Mary Poppins it was!

Or Don’t!

If you cannot plan ahead because your dates are not certain, you can always try the TKTS Discount Booth in New York on the day of the show. TKTS Discount Booths (run by the non-profit Theatre Development Fund) offer tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals and plays at up to 50% off of the box office prices. The Broadway location is located near Times Square in Father Duffy Square on Broadway and 47th Street. You can look at the TKTS information on the Theatre Development Fund websitewww.tdf.org ahead of time to see what was on sale last week, in order to get an idea of what might be available for your planned date. A number of Broadway shows have closed recently, which makes getting discount tickets a bit more difficult. According to the website, same-day discounted tickets are “never” available for The Lion King, and are “sometimes” available for The Little Mermaid and Mary Poppins. Hours for the Times Square ticket booth are Monday through Saturday from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sundays from 3:00 p.m. until one-half hour before the latest curtain time being sold for evening performances. For matinee performances the hours are Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Plan to line up well in advance of showtime, particularly on weekends and holidays.

The Theater

The New Amsterdam Theatre (214 West 42nd Street), along with the New Victory, Lyceum and Hudson theaters, is one of the oldest surviving legitimate theaters on Broadway. The theatre opened in 1903 with a production of Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights’ Dream. Florenz Ziegfeld staged his Follies at the New Amsterdam from 1913 through 1927 (there are stories that the theater is still haunted by one of the Ziegfield dancers). In 1937 the New Amsterdam was converted to a movie house, and then it fell into disuse. The theater was purchased by the Nederlander Organization 1982, which planned to reconvert it back to its original use, piggybacking on the proposed redevelopment of the Times Square area. However, major structural problems, combined with the uncertainty of the City's economic health repeatedly delayed the reconstruction. New York State purchased the New Amsterdam in 1992 and subsequently resold it to the Walt Disney Co. for $29 million when Michael Eisner saw the theater’s potential. The complete reconstruction of the theater between 1995 and 1997 signaled Disney's confidence in Times Square and anchored the further redevelopment of the area.

The Show!

We arrived at the New Amsterdam Theatre at 1:00 p.m., half an hour prior to show time. There was quite a crowd queued up on the cold winter day, with lots of excited kids and adults waiting to get in for the show. Once the doors opened, we found our way into the theater and up the stairs to our seats in the center of the left portion of the mezzanine level. The theater is absolutely gorgeous. The 42nd Street Beaux-Arts entrance opens into one of the finest Art Nouveau theater interiors in New York. Carved and painted plaster, carved stone, carved wood, murals and tiles—all combine to evoke what it was like going to the theater at the turn of the century. We promptly sent the kids to the snack bar in the rear of the mezzanine for candy and bottles of water. A few moments later, the lights dimmed, the music began, and it was time for the show!

Mary Poppins is a collaboration between Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, the producer of The Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Les Miserables. This production (the book for the play was written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes) is based both on the Mary Poppins books by P.L. Travers and the classic 1964 Walt Disney film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. As a result, the play is quite different from what Disney fans might remember from the film, although there are some tributes to the movie hidden in plain sight (like penguins riding in baby carriages in a park scene in the play—remember the penguins from the sidewalk chalk scene in the film?).

A review in The New Yorker magazine called the musical: “. . . a strange and beautiful thing, containing an astonishing variety of moods and distinguished by a faithful rendering of the books’ brisk and sophisticated comic sensibility.” Indeed, the production has maintained many of the elements of the film version, including beloved songs by Robert and Richard Sherman, like “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” and “Feed the Birds.” New songs by Anthony Drewe and George Stiles blend seamlessly with the classic songs, and bring additional depth to the stage version. “Practically Perfect” was an amazingly catchy tune that my girls sang over and over on the drive home. I thought that the “new” Mary Poppins was a bit more prickly and distant than Julie Andrews played her, but I also thought that Mr. and Mrs. Banks characters were more developed and more sympathetic. There is a wonderful touching scene where Mrs. Banks is preparing for a dinner party ("A Spoon Full of Sugar”), but the event is a disaster because no guests arrive. In addition, there is a fantastic and whimsical scene set in Mrs. Corry’s shop, where people can buy words as well as gingerbread ("Supercalifragilisticexpialadocious”). There is also a new character, the evil Miss Andrew, Mr. Banks’ old nanny, who he calls upon to step in when Mary Poppins leaves. Miss Andrew is a very harsh nanny, and believes that children should be subjected on a regular basis to a horrible medicine that tastes like cod liver oil (“Brimstone and Treacle”). The sets were gorgeous, the costumes lush, and the voice talents of the actors superb. Mary Poppins is currently played by Scarlett Strallen, who played the role in London’s West End production (it is no longer playing there), and Bert is played by Adam Fiorentino.

The Side Trip

Disney fans who happen to be in New York for a show, or for any other reason, should not overlook the World of Disney Store on 5th Avenue at 55th Street. The store is huge, with three floors of Disney merchandise, including pins (you can do pin trading with cast members and there are monthly pin-trading events), a make-your-own crown station, Disney candy, Mr. Potato Head and an Art of Disney Gallery. We were lucky enough to happen onto the store a few minutes before a scheduled character meet and greet with Chip and Dale and Donald Duck. A Disney’s Photopass photographer was on hand to capture the magic on film. Not to miss merchandise included a very cute (but, unfortunately, not available in my size) “I (Mickey Ears) NY” t-shirt.

Disney Theatrical Productions Coming to your Town

If you would like to see one of Disney’s fantastic theatrical productions but won’t be making it to New York any time soon, don’t despair, several of the shows will be touring nationwide and may be coming to a theater near you. Mary Poppins' North American tour is scheduled to begin performances at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre March 11, 2009. The tour will continue with performances in Cleveland, St. Louis, Dallas, Los Angeles and Minneapolis.

The Lion King will be opening at the Mandalay Bay Theatre in Las Vegas, with previews beginning on May 5, 2009, and a touring version of the show will be going to East Lansing Michigan, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Sacramento, California, Edmonton, Alberta, Calgary, Alberta, Anchorage, Alaska and San Diego, California in 2009. Check HEREhttp://disney.go.com/theatre/aroundtheworld/#/home/ for schedules.

If you live outside of North America, or are planning a trip any time soon, you can also check the website for international venues for Mary Poppins (the United Kingdom), The Lion King (Hamburg, London, Tokyo and other Japan locations, Paris), Tarzan (Hamburg, the Netherlands), Beauty and the Beast (Moscow, South Africa, Barcelona) and High School Musical on Tour (Italy, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom).

Select merchandise from the Disney on Broadway productions can be found on Disneyshopping.com.