The “World” According to Jack

While at the Contemporary Resort yesterday, I came upon some new merchandise. First a Mickey Mouse Frame that features the traditional three circles (one big and two small). The price was $20. Also, a new vase ($14) and bowl ($14). These are white with small embossed Mickeys covering the surface.

For there Spanish speaking guests, Disney is offering a baseball cap that says:

Where suenos come true.

The day after Halloween, Disney went to work decorating for Christmas. The transformation takes weeks as Santa’s Helpers move from park to park and resort to resort, stringing garland and decorating trees. I visited the Magic Kingdom and Main Street is all decked out. Once again, the big Christmas tree is temporarily located in the Hub. If tradition holds, after the annual Christmas Day television show is filmed (several weeks before Christmas), the tree will be moved to Town Square.

Haunted Mansion Tip:
I had read this on another Disney webpage, but wanted to check it out for myself before I wrote about it. As you may have read, the Haunted Mansion underwent a wonderful refurbishment. Enhancements were made throughout the attraction. One small, almost completely unnoticeable enhancement is in the stretch room. If you linger behind the crowd as they are exiting this room, pay attention to the gargoyles. They speak and chatter and laugh. It’s difficult to hear, you need to pay attention, but they are definitely making noise. This is a VERY minor effect. Only a true Disneyphile would even care. But if you’re like me and want to experience everything, then don’t rush out of the Stretch Room. Linger.

For the past several years, Disney has offered for sale miniature Magic Kingdom buildings so that guests can create their own Christmas Village back home. Past years included several Main Street buildings and Cinderella Castle. This year the Haunted Mansion was introduced. The piece measures 10” x 8” x 6” and sells for $60. Currently, I have only seen this item for sale at the Christmas Shops in the Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney.

When the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique opened in Cinderella Castle, the Art of Disney shop was displaced. Currently, the Main Street Cinema is being refurbished. When it reopens on November 21st, it will be the new home of the

As construction continues on the rumored DVC north of the Contemporary Resort, a second floor is clearly visible. In addition, the foundation for the bridge/walkway between the fourth floor (Grand Canyon Concourse) of the Contemporary and the new DVC is noticeable.

New drinking fountains have started appearing in and around the TTC.

Those of you who choose not to use Disney to ship your packages home need to know that the Lake Buena Vista Post Office has moved. It is now located in the Shoppes at Vista Center. The address is: 8536 Palm Parkway, Orlando, FL. Phone: 407-248-1153. Hours: M-F 9:00am – 4:00pm, Sat 9:00am – 12:00pm, Closed Sundays and Holidays.

For those of you old enough to remember the VCR’s introduction, you may also remember the battle between VHS and Beta. These were two, non-compatible formats vying for dominance in the VCR world. Today, a similar battle is raging for high-def DVD supremacy – this time between HD DVD and Blu-ray. Paramount, DreamWorks, and Universal have opted for HD DVD while Sony, 20th Century Fox, and Disney have chosen Blu-ray.

To help promote their product, Disney has set up a high-def TV in the “Once Upon A Toy” store in Downtown Disney. Here, movie clips are shown, giving guests the opportunity to see crystal clear pictures and the advantages of Blu-ray. In addition, Disney Blu-ray DVD’s are sold.

The Art of Disney, or as I like to call it, the “good” store, has opened in the Main Street Cinema building in the Magic Kingdom.

This store sells upscale merchandise. Lenox, Armani, the Disney Classic Collection, and original and limited edition paintings by featured artist can be found here.

Compared to its sister stores in Epcot, Downtown Disney, and the Disney/MGM Studios, this store is small. So small in fact that some of its merchandise spills over into the adjoining store, the Uptown Jewelers.

The redesign is nice and I’m glad Disney has found a new home for this store as it seems to have bounced around from one location to the next over the past several years.

One sad note… For many years, a ticket booth sat just inside the entrance of the Main Street Cinema – back when old Mickey Mouse cartoons were actually shown here. Inside the ticket booth was a mannequin of a young lady, the ticket seller. She wore a Disney name tag and if memory serves, her name was Jennifer from Marceline (Walt’s home town). A couple of years ago the ticket booth disappeared. I asked a cast member what had happened to it and I was told that it was being refurbished and would return soon. Alas, it never did.

I realize that in the scheme of things, the disappearance of Jennifer is insignificant. But her demise scares me. Every time the powers-that-be removes one of the little details that make Disney parks so special, I have to ask myself “Where will it end?” For that matter, I miss the “old” Main Street Cinema (when it showed movies), the Magic Shop, and the Penny Arcade. These were special locations. Now these spots sell the same merchandise you can find everywhere else on property. Sigh.

Note to my readers: I've got company coming for a couple weeks so will be taking a break from blogging. I will return the week of December 10th.

The new Fantasia Shop on the fourth floor (Grand Canyon Concourse) of the Contemporary Resort has opened!

The Fantasia shop fills the center floor space between Bay View Gifts and the Arcade. The shop has a modern yet whimsical look. It’s very attractive and fits well with the new décor Disney is using throughout the resort. The Fantasia Shop sells toys and other children’s items. For the most part, it’s the same merchandise that used to line the shelves when shops were located under the monorail tracks – the new home of the Arcade.

If you'd like to see the construction progress, here are links to previous blogs with photo updates:

From Fellow Blogger, Linda Mac - November 11, 2007

October 19, 2007

September 13, 1007

August 22, 2007

Earlier this year (or maybe even last year), the Bakery on Main Street needed to expand its seating area. To do this, Disney displaced the Arribas Brothers glass shop that shared this area.

Shortly after the expansion was complete, the Market House next door was closed and remodeled. It reopened several months later and was renamed Crystal Arts. Arribas Brothers has moved into this location and the shop is substantially bigger than their previous home. But more changes were on the way.

Adjacent to the Crystal Arts store, facing onto Center Street, were two other shops. These formally sold children’s items and other Disney merchandise. These two shops have also been closed for a number of months. Last week, they reopened and are now a part of the Crystal Arts shop. This has almost tripled the amount of merchandise Arribas Brothers sells. In essence, all of their goods that were once sold in Cinderella Castle (now Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique) and their former shop next to the Bakery have been rolled into one.

In the back of the store is a special area featuring a new highlight. Although not quite complete, soon an artisan will be stationed here. Like the glass-blowing area in the front of the shop, here another artist will fashion larger pieces of art while guests look on. Three large kilns are clearly visible in this area and it should be interesting to see the items before and after their baking.

A cast member told me that the new creations would be similar to the vases pictured here.

My only regret… There once was an old-fashioned telephone in the Market House. You could pick up the receiver and hear a mock 1890’s party-line conversation between a mother and daughter. It was very amusing and always brought a smile to my face. Sadly, this phone was removed during the remodel – another Disney detail has died. I know this was a very small attraction – very few people were even aware it was here. But it’s these small details that make Disney parks so special. Luckily, you can still find these old phones in the Market House store at Disneyland in California. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that they aren’t removed too.

I do not speak Spanish, but I have ridden the monorails at Disney World so many times that I’ve memorized the saying “Por favor manténgase alejado de las puertas.” (Please stand clear of the doors.)

Disney is now selling a T-shirt sporting this saying along with a picture of a monorail and castle and the words “Walt Disney World.” However, if you look closely, it’s a picture of Disneyland’s castle, not Disney World’s. Oops!

My latest blog about the monorail T-shirt has generated a lot of interest. Many of you have written to ask where I purchased it. In my case, I bought it at the Boutiki shop in the Polynesian Resort. However, I suspect it’s also available at the other Disney resorts, especially the monorail resorts (Contemporary and Grand Floridian).

To my knowledge, it is not available from Disney’s website. However, you can call Disney and purchase almost anything that can be bought in the parks and resorts and have it mailed to your home.

Phone: 407-363-6200
Fax: 407-352-6369
e-mail: wdw.mail.order@disneyworld.com

Something I have learned since I moved to Orlando and started visiting Disney World on a regular basis is, if I see something I like, I better buy it NOW. If I wait, it won’t be available later.

I have received a number of emails telling me that the “Por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas! T-shirt cannot be found anywhere at Disney World, so I decided that I better check this out for myself. I spoke with a cast member at the World of Disney Store at Downtown Disney and was told that the shirts were briefly available in December but they sold out almost immediately. I asked if they would be receiving a new shipment anytime soon. The cast member just shook her head and said, “I wish I knew.”

Sorry folks if I got your hopes up for nothing. However, I did find the following monorail T-shirt during my search. I admit it’s not nearly as exciting as the Spanish language shirt, but at least it has a monorail on it.

Did you know that you can have a custom-made baseball bat made at Disney World? Well you can. Tucked in a corner inside the Team Mickey Store at the Marketplace section of Downtown Disney, you’ll find a Rawlings shop. Here, a craftsman will create your one-of-a-kind bat while you watch.

Opened last September, this shop is divided into two sections, a sales area and an enclosed room where the bats are actually turned on a lathe. Two large windows look into this enclosed space affording a great view of the bat-making process. The craftsman wears a microphone and he describes each step of the process as he turns a piece of dowel into a bat.

After your bat has been created, you can have your name, signature, and/or your amateur team’s logo laser-engraved or embroidered into the wood. Other items are also for sale like a bat display case, a baseball and display case, and various helmets. Some of these items can also be engraved.

Disney has introduced a new “green” product line. Starting this week, environmentally friendly merchandise will start appearing on shelves across property.

Last year, Disney developed guidelines for what “green” meant. They wanted to make sure if a product said “green” it actually meant something. Their efforts gave birth to some surprisingly innovative merchandise.

Here is a list of the new “green” products:

Stationery, notebooks, and pencils made out of recycled materials including rubber tires, denim, and currency.

T-shirts made from organic cotton. Organic cotton is grown without the use of pesticides, chemicals, or synthetic fertilizers.

Purses made from misprinted Disney candy bar wrappers.

Mickey and Minnie plush toys made from organic cotton and earth-friendly inks.

Jewelry made from bamboo and coconuts.

Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund pins that come on a paper-card embedded with wildflower seeds. The card can be planted in the soil to grow flowers.

Displays like these (below) can be found in shops designating where green products are for sale. And before you ask me, the purses sell from the mid-twenties to the mid-fifties, depending on size.