This eatery recently switched from a quick-service location to a sit-down restaurant and offers a buffet for guests.

In its quick-service days Tusker House was very good and now it's even better.

If you love the food at Boma's at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge you will love Tusker House's offerrings.

Here are some pictures of the food area.

Notice the amount of space...it's huge.

This area offered breads, salads, and fruits.

This area offers hot foods like salmon and veggie dishes.

There is a generous amount of space devoted to the children's selections.

The carving station was very popular...beef and pork roasts were the offerrings on this night.

At the center of the food area was "dessert circle" and it was decadent. It had everything....except zebra domes.

Tusker House is most crowded for dinner during Disney Animal Kingdom's Extra Magic Hour Evenings...especially as the evening goes on.

On rainy nights, like the night we were there....thanks Tropical Storm Fay...the crowd as you can see by my photos...were down.

I may be going out on a limb here but Tusker House may be my favorite buffet offerring throughout the WDW resort. It may not have as many choices as the others on the resort but there are two factors that have made an impression upon me.

First of all the quality of the food is exceptional. It just seemed so much better than other places.

Secondly, and this is important to me...the food is fresh because the containers at the food stations are not very big...thus the food is replenished quite often and made fresh.

For instance, the bowl containing the Ceasar Salad...which is a salad to die for in Tusker House...was replenished three times while we were there.

Quality and freshness...two words to describe Tusker House.

On this day shopping was the priority and we shopped at several places, including Downtown Disney.

While in the World of Disney store a promotion caught my eye.

That made me think about a fantasy that has come to mind in the past.

I'm guessing that some of you may have had this fantasy too so come along and let's fantasize together.

So here it is.

Imagine that some day you would fly to Orlando with just a carryon piece of luggage and in that carryon is basically just toiletries. Your "mission" is to purchase all you would need for your vacation.

Shall we begin?

Okay, the first purchase would be this...

...to hold everything I would be purchasing.

Now that we've got that taken care of let's buy a few shirts. I'm here for a week so I'm buying seven shirts.

Here are my choices...

...and 2 shirts from here...probably one dark and one light one...

I need a few pairs of shorts...

Of course I need some of these...

...and of course these (blush)...

And of course I need something for those sunny days...

That's about it. Sure I could get some swimwear and flipflops for the pool but I usually don't hit the pool so no need to buy anything else.

One point to make is that everything I would purchase I would purchase at Downtown Disney at the World of Disney shop because if you are an Annual Passholder you receive a 10% discount.

Also, I would probably visit the Character Warehouse shops off property to look for a few bargains.

Anyway I always say to myself, "Hmmm, if I ever came down with just the clothes on my back, what would I get?"

It's a fantasy so who knows if it will ever happen.

For those who are visiting Walt Disney World during times of bad weather, the uncertainty can surely impact their vacation plans.

For instance, in a case whereby a tropical storm or huricane is to hit some folks may cancel plans to visit the theme parks that day, possiby cancel plans to also dine at a theme park restaurants, and even just decide to hunker down in their room and ride out the storm....

...and then there's me.

When it comes to bad weather I have a tendency to be more curious than safe. I remember one February day we were in the midst of a blizzard and I went outside to check on how the trees were holding up around the house. A 20 foot tree limb missed me by about 10 feet as it came crashing down behind me.

There are other stories I can tell but I don't want to tell you how careless I REALLY am in bad weather.

Anyway, I've been in WDW for such storms as Hurricane Charley and Hurricane Dennis and for a while it looked like TS Fay would be added to my list.

But Fay pretty much fizzled out....so far.

Our morning started off with a drive to Fort Wilderness and breakfast at Trail's End. I expected the restarant to be filled. Not so. Only about 25 patrons there while we ate.

We then went to Disney's Animal Kingdom and did a few things there. At 11 A.M. we walked onto Kilimanjaro Safaris as there were hardly any guests in the park. There seemed to me more animals on the Savannah than guests in the park.

BTW, I had never seen so many animals out...could it have been the weather?

Thanks to Fay we enjoyed a morning at DAK that had fewer than the normal number of guests.

Every attracton had a wait time of 10 minutes or less and at Finding Nemo: The Musical I'd say only about 120 or so guests watched the show with us.

Around Noon we decided to go to the Magic Kingdom because there was still the feeling that the storm would hit between 2 and 4 P.M. and I wanted to see what measures would be taken to secure the park.

Here are the umbrellas tied down at Casey's...

Take a look as to how dark it was around the castle...

Rumors were floating around all day that the parks would close in the late afternoon.
Signs were being tied down to protect from potentially dangerous wind conditions...like at Columbia Harbor House...

Cinderella's Round Table sign under the castle was secured...

Guests were notified that the resort was monitoring the storm and telling us that there was a possibility of a change in the operaring hours.

More signs tied down....Sir Mickey's...

...and the Yankee Trader.

We made our way to the Magic Kingdom and sometimes it rained and sometimes it didn't. It was breezy all day with temps in the 70's.

At Magic Kingdom we did about eight or so attractions...all were either walk-ons or ten minute waits.

At around 5 P.M. the winds DID pick up a bit but the rains still held off...steady rains that is.

It wasn't until around 7 or so that the sky began to transition into a hazy, grey chunk and the rain and wind picked up.

That's when we decided to leave the park.

But all in all thanks to Fay we were able to get a lot done.

Look at Haunted Mansion....10 minutes to get on...

I think this is a comment that when the weather is not so perfect during your stay at WDW that you should make the best of it.

Of course in any weather you need to be aware of potential conditions. ALWAYS BE SAFE!!.

I always see rainy days as the best days to go to EPCOT and Animal Kingdom. Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom offer more hiding places from the rain and thus guests tend to go to those parks on rainy days...not to mention Disney Quest.

So thanks Fay for an interesting day. ...and it may continue to be an interesting week as Fay seems to want to hang around.

And of course it would not be any fun unless from time to time I place a photo in this blog and ask you to guess as to from where I snapped this photo.

Here's one...and a hint...it's from an attraction.

Any guesses?

Now on to other things.

One observation that I need to share with you is best shown in the following picture. I had just enjoyed a performance of the Festival of the Lion King and when Carol and I exited the theater she pointed out this group of strollers.

Notice anything?

It sure seems that there is a larger percentage of personal strollers in the theme parks than in the past..at least on this particular morning.

Here's something new for all of you who are planning to visit Walt Disney World in the next few months and are on one of the Disney Dining Plans.

Le Cellier in Epcot is currently running a "pilot" as it was described to me, which offers guests a special menu.

This menu has a yellow box at the top and in this yellow box are appetizers, entrees, and desserts.

Here's the deal. If for instance you are on the basic Disney Dining Plan you know that appetizers are outside the plan.

However, if you choose your appetizer, entree, and dessert from those offerrings in this yellow box then Le Cellier will honor all three, yes that includes the appetizer, on the Dining Plan.

Is there a catch? Well, I will tell you that the entrees offerred in the yellow box are certainly not their signature entrees so that's something to consider.

For the record, I did order an appetizer and paid for it and then ordered a signature entree and dessert.

The entrees and desserts in that yellow box just did not appeal to me.

Anyway, if you are lucky enough to have an Advanced Dining Reservation at Le Cellier be aware of the yellow box pilot.

Here's another observation and that is if you are using Disney transportation while in Orlando be sure to always, always, always double-check the bus routes whenever possible.

Some of them are very specific.

For instance, as of the date of this blog entry if you are staying in Pop Century and want to go to Blizzard Beach you would take the bus that goes to Disney's Animal Kingdom from Pop Century. From DAK that bus will continue to BB.

However to get from Pop Century to Typhoon Lagoon you would take a bus that goes to Downtown Disney which will then continue to TL.

Those two routes may change without notice so just be sure you ask before assuming that a particular bus will be going to a particular destination.

That's it for now....

....except for one more photo for you to ry and figure out just where it came from.

Are you ready?

Here it is...and a hint....this cannot be found in a theme park.

Any ideas?

Watch for more from me as I make more Orlando Observations in the days to come.

So I’m here at Walt Disney World…it’s 12:47 A.M. and I have news. I made a pact with myself long ago that holds that I would not share any news with you unless it meets certain criteria.

One piece is to make sure I do a check on the facts. Only after double and/or triple-checking the facts will I feel comfortable posting.

Well…I’ve been checking facts on this news for almost three months and everything seems to be in order….yep….looks like this is a solid piece of news.

Secondly, I usually check with my sources to make sure I can post this information. Sometimes I need to wait before posting. I’ve been given the “go ahead” by my sources to post this exclusive information.

I knew that there would be a possibility of me being able to post this information during my trip to Walt Disney World but thought it would be no sooner than next week to do so.

I was wrong.

The phone call came today after I had enjoyed a performance of The Festival of the Lion King at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

This most trusted source on the other end of the conversation was giving me all the details and said that everything seemed to be a done deal.

Also, although this information had obviously been kept under wraps until now, I was given the green light to post this information.

It’s always gratifying when I am given the opportunity to post information I have heard knowing full well that the information is accurate.

I can guarantee that the information I am about to give you is EXCLUSIVE and will be posted here on AllEarsNet before any other site.

So what is all this about? Obviously it is linked to the date listed at the top of this blog.

Yes on March 2nd, 2009 things will change forever.

This is bigger than the closing or opening of any attraction.

This is bigger than the closing or the opening of any theme park.

I’m not sure how much this will change your perspective on Walt Disney World. In fact, it might not.

However, I’m pretty sure it will change my perspective on Walt Disney World big time.

On March 2nd, 2009 my perspective will change.

On March 2nd, 2009 I’ve been told to expect a change.

On March 2nd, 2009 I will be meeting someone special.

On March 2nd, 2009 I am expecting to be in a hospital to meet…

…my first grandchild.

So let me chat about this for a while.

First, for those who don’t know, the Candlelight Processional is a holiday tradition held at the American Gardens Theater across from the American Adventure Pavilion.

The show tells the story of Christmas with the help of a celebrity narrator, a huge choir which I’m going to say of at least three hundred voices and a 50-piece orchestra give or take a few pieces.

There are three shows a night and seating is limited so it’s VERY HARD to plan to see this show…well you could wait in the standby line but that may not work for you.

Then there’s the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package.

What this package offers guests is the opportunity to be guaranteed not only a seat at one of the shows but also the option of deciding which show you’d like to see…you can’t do that in the standby line.

Of course there is a catch…you have to pay for this convenience…that’s where the Candlelight Processional Dinner package comes in.

For all the details on how the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package works visit our Candlelight Processional Page.

I’m talking about this today because I’ve been getting some mail that says, “Hey Mike, I haven’t been to the Candlelight Processional in so long that I have no idea how hard it is to see the show. I’ve been wondering if I should do the Candlelight Processional Dinner package.
Whaddya think?”

Well I may have come full circle on my thoughts regarding the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package.
I have used it in the past and I think it’s paid off for me. The last several years I have not made use of the package because of the changes. I liked the old package.

What I have always liked is the idea that I can choose the night and time of the performance and know full well that I am guaranteed a seat.

The last time I used the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package I attended the 5 P.M. show, had a 6:30 P.M. reservation at Le Cellier for Dinner, left dinner, and had plenty of time to look for my favorite spot for Illuminations.

Then things changed a bit.

One big change was that now it is required for guests to eat their meal BEFORE seeing the show. That still doesn’t sit right with me but those are the rules.

For those who have asked…and for those of you who are wondering…I still DO think that the Candlelight Processional Dinner package is a good option…especially if you are on a trip to WDW and you don’t have much time to spare.

That’s the key…time and again picking the show you want to see.

If time is a premium during your stay and you are really interested in seeing the Candlelight Processional on a certain night at a certain time then take advantage of the dinner package.

If I were to make use of the package this year….and I might…here’s what I would do….first I would look at all the restaurants involved, and there are three tiers to choose from.

Then I would pick my top three favorite restaurants…and for the record they would be Le Cellier, Garden Grill, and probably Biergarten.

I would then estimate what I would eat at each restaurant and how much lunch or dinner would cost.

I would then go to the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package pricing structure and see which restaurant’s pricing comes as close as possible to my virtual meal. The one closest to the actual price would probably be my choice.

Of course the other option is to just go with the least expensive restaurant…which would be the Biergarten.

There is a price differential between lunch and dinner so I may just settle for the latest lunch I could get.

Depending upon when I eat my meal I’d watch either the first or second performance of the night. That gives me time to catch a snack before Illuminations…I may be hungry if I have a late lunch.

Everyone has to understand that you are paying for the privilege of being guaranteed a seat for the performance you want to see and if you are okay with that then by all means go for it.

It all comes down to how much you value your time at WDW and there will always be instances in which money and time becomes the decision makers.

Remember, as time goes by and crowds continue to build each year in WDW we all need to realize that since our time becomes a premium to us that we may have to pay a premium to make best use of our time.

So all things considered if you have never attended the Candlelight Processional and are thinking about it, you should seriously consider taking advantage of the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package.

By the way, in Tuesday's edition of the AllEars newsletter, I have written a feature article on how the Candlelight Processional evolved to where it is today.

This is a special mailbag edition of “The View from Scopa Towers” in which Michelle Scribner-MacLean I answer some of the many emails we received regarding our “No Kidding Around” blogs.

To refresh your memory, here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2.

Following each letter you’ll first find Michelle’s comments, followed by my comments.

Many readers supported the idea of having a trip to WDW enhance their educational experiences.

Karen’s daughter integrated her study of Germany with her trip:

“We ate lunch at the Biergarten and interviewed cast members about their home country and gathered info from the menus, shops any anything else we could find. She also needed audio-visual aids, so we bought a t-shirt with the German flag on it and some cookies made in Germany. (She wore the t-shirt and passed out cookies to the class) We also picked up an EPCOT guide map (written) in German to use in her presentation.”

Michelle’s comments:

While the idea of turning your vacation into an extended field trip may not appeal to everyone, Karen and her family clearly sought out the details that make each of the countries at EPCOT so interesting. The food and the ambiance were designed to entertain, but also to teach visitors about the countries. Karen made the most of her child’s out-of-school experience by doing some preplanning.

Mike’s comments:

I think that regardless of where you travel it will and should result in somewhat of an educational experience. WDW is no exception. The term “edutainment” was coined to describe what EPCOT has to offer…but I think it is also suitable for all the theme parks. There are some things you just cannot teach in the classroom.

Several teachers jumped on-board and had their say. Larry, who is from a family of teachers, speaks for many educators wrote:

“…we suggest a temporary tutor or relative who can catch up the child. If they do take the work with them, and complete it and come back with a question, that’s great--we'll help. But many, many vacationing kids who take the work with them do NOT even start it, much less complete it. We gladly work with kids after school that have been out due to illness or other legitimate (approved/excused) reason. Even though we are tremendous Disney fans, we don't approve of leaving school for a trip.”

Michelle’s comments:

Larry makes an important point. If you’re planning on taking your children out of school, it is a good idea to contact the teacher to find out what work needs to be completed or made-up, but parents need to follow through. Missing school to go to WDW doesn’t mean that the work missed disappears. Making up the work might be considered “part of the deal” – and parents should hold up their part of the bargain by ensuring work that their child missed is turned in.

Mike’s comment:

Let’s face it, life is a partnership and early on our partners are our parents. If these partners don’t pull their weight then there will be consequences. I think the most discouraging aspect of this is that these parents miss out on teaching their kids a lesson on responsibility and also unfortunately are making a comment to their children that perhaps school is not that important.

A cadre of parents wrote to express their appreciation for teachers who were supportive and accommodating teachers. They felt that many educators supported their decision to take their children out school to go to WDW.

Reader Stacey agreed, saying, “Many teachers are more than willing to work with you so that you can take a nice family vacation and also make it a learning experience.”

Michelle’s comments:

Trying to find quality family time is something with which many parents struggle. Some parents supported the idea of taking children out of school because they have work schedules that do not mesh with school vacations, while others believe that taking their kids out of school to go to WDW only enhanced their family experience.

Mike’s comments:

It’s that partnership thing again….the child-parent-teacher partnership can make this a wonderful experience and in today’s society everyone’s schedule is just plain nuts. I know when my children were young there were piano lessons, singing lessons, dance lessons, baseball, soccer, basketball, and oh yes I was playing softball and coaching so rarely were those family days. When we went to WDW it was for two weeks at a time…the best two weeks of the year because we did everything together….priceless….but those two weeks were during the summer when our schedules were open.

Here are some other comments:

Pat mentioned that she and her family decided that taking kids out of school worked better when they were younger, but not as they grew older. She goes on to say, “…family time is an extremely rare commodity these days. The times we spent at Disney World are great memories for our family just spending together. We now have two college graduates, so I guess our Disney Trips did nothing to hurt their academic progress.”

Deb believed that her experience with her granddaughter was worth the missed school time:
“Her wonderful experience with us, at Disney, far outweighed any loss from being in school during that week. She still talks about her experiences every single time we get together. Life is about the memories we create with our loved ones.”

Finally, reader Marguerite broke Mike’s heart by asking…
“What exactly is a "Dole Whip?”

Michelle’s final thoughts on the topic (for now):

Regardless of whether or not parents decide to take their students out of school, planning a trip to WDW should be a team effort. Parents, children, and teachers should discuss the pros and cons of missing school, how feasible it will be to make up work, and weigh the benefits of a trip to WDW against the potential difficulties of making up school work. There’s no right or wrong here – every family has to make the decision that is best for them.

Mike’s final thoughts on the topic (for now):

The only right answer here is what is most appropriate for the individual child. Some children will thrive with an opportunity to enhance his/her education outside the classroom. A WDW vacation will do so. Others may struggle and face “catch up” on the return.

What is important here is that any decision should not be made in a vacuum but after some discussion among parent, teacher, and child. Remember, the focus should be on the child and a WDW vacation that requires taking the child out of school, if done right, will return many dividends.

We have received so many emails on this topic that it became very difficult to determine which ones to include in the mailbag; each and every email was worthy. We felt it best to include those which most exemplify the majority of opinions expressed.

We thank those of you who took the time to write and send your thoughts on this subject.

Michelle & Mike

Are you one of the lucky ones who was able to scoff up one of those rare MagicMeets tickets?

If so then you are probably a bit excited this week because MagicMeets is practically here.

By the time you get to read this I am probably already in Harrisburg (or almost there) and preparing for a wonderful weekend of Disney Magic with many of my friends.

I'm even more excited this year because for the first time we are presenting MagicTunes.

What is MagicTunes?

MagicTunes is new to MagicMeets 2008 and offers MagicMeets guests the opportunity to display their knowledge of Disney sound bites.

When we talk of Disney sound bites we refer to the sounds of Disney heard on television, film, and in the theme parks.

MagicTunes is fun, competitive, entertaining, and sure to be a staple for every MagicMeets.
Based on the long running television game show “Name that Tune” MagicTunes is played almost the same way.

Everyone who attends MagicTunes will have a chance to play.

In fact 12 lucky guests will be chosen as MagicTunes contestants for the Saturday session of MagicTunes.

If you are one of the lucky 12 guests to be chosen to play MagicTunes come to the front of the room and take a seat in the first row. The sooner our contestants are seated the sooner we can get started with MagicTunes.

How do you play MagicTunes?

MagicTunes involves several rounds of play.

The first round will see the 12 contestants (3 sets of 4) vying to reach the next or Playoff Round and here’s how it’s done:

Four (4) players will take their positions around the MagicTunes-Omatic. The MagicTunes-Omatic is a special device that has four (4) buttons. Each contestant will have his/her own button which they need to press/hit ahead of their competition to be able to first give an answer to the MagicTunes question. The answer we are looking for is the identification of the Disney sound bite just played.

The answer must be the name of an attraction, movie, or television show....although if it's the title of a song...that counts too.

There will be a preliminary round, Playoff Round, Semi-Final Round, and Championship Round.

Are You Ready for MAGICTUNES?!?!?!?!?!?

On Friday night we will have a special edition of MagicTunes. Our celebs will actually be doing us all a favor.

Besides testing their Disney sound bite knowledge, our celebrities, Annette Owens, Deb Wills, Lou Mongello, and Steve Barrett will also be helping everyone to see how MagicTunes is played.

Celebrity MagicTunes is open to all MagicMeets attendees.

There is a $5 minimum donation at the door. All proceeds will be donated to both Deb Wills' Avon Walk Against Breast Cancer and Lou Mongello's Dream Team.

Yours truly will be the Master of Ceremony for both MagicTunes sessions.

Oh Yeah...before I forget.

On Sunday morning I'll be presenting everything I know about the three parties held at WDW's Magic Kingdom. If you have never been to any of the three...Mickey's Pirate and Princess Party, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party...then you may want to sit in and listen to our discussion.

Don'tt forget to check in with Blog Central all weekend as we'll be blogging from MagicMeets.

Harrisburg here I come...uhhh...here I am!

Okay, July 4th has come and gone.

For those of you who are training for either your first Walt Disney World full or half-marathon…how are you doing? You should be in full swing training by now.

Hopefully by now you are somewhere in the 3-5 mile range and are at a comfortable pace. Remember, as your conditioning improves your pace may improve as well. Don’t push yourself too much…just “nudge” yourself a little more each time out.

By “nudge” I mean add a minute or two to your workout each day. You want to gradually build your stamina and ease your body into a longer workout rather than rush it.

If you’ve never participated in a race before now is the time to think about trying out a local short 5K race. It will be good experience for you to get a few races under your belt before the big one.

Good luck.

Check out my entire series on Running With Mickey!

I have received some emails lately asking me about the Disney Dining Plan.

Specifically, you want to know what is better the Basic Dining Plan or the Deluxe Dining Plan.

That’s a tough question to answer because it depends upon things like your eating habits and where you prefer to eat. There is about a $30 difference between the two as well as a different daily assortment of credits.

The Basic Plan is about $38/day for adults and offers one table credit, one quick-service credit and one snack per day per person whereas the Deluxe Plan costs about $67 a day and that gives each adult three table-services credits and two snacks per day.

Here are the two issues I have with the Deluxe Plan…first…I rarely find myself sitting down for three meals during the day. For the most part I may have two sit down meals every other day and maybe a snack here and there but I like the one table-service, one quick-service and one snack plan. I think the concern here is that I really don’t want to spend a lot of time sitting in a restaurant while I’m enjoying my WDW vacation. Time is a premium so I want to make the best of that time and that does not mean spending anywhere from three to five hours sitting in restaurants every day.

I can always find a SNACK...

The other important issue here is that I get concerned when I read an email from someone who is less than six months from a potential vacation and is in the process of booking said vacation and says, “Hey Mike, do you think I should get the Dining Plan?”

Yikes. My philosophy is to first secure the ADRS in your favorite restaurant and then and only then can you really judge whether or not the DDP is for you. Why commit to the Dining Plan when you cannot take advantage of it?

I’ve used the Dining Plan in the past and usually I wait until I have all my ADRs in before deciding if it’s worth it.

Why get the Dining Plan if you cannot get ADRs for those restaurants in which you would use it?

Once you get within six months of your trip your ADR possibilities start to dwindle.

Also, you may not want to use your dining credits everywhere. For instance, I really enjoy eating at such places at Trail’s End at Fort Wilderness, the Plaza Restaurant at The Magic Kingdom, as well as other restaurants which are very reasonably priced.

Well, if I have breakfast at Trail’s End why would I use one of my table credits when the cost is only $11.99 per person? I just happen to be an Annual Passholder and have my Disney Dining Experience Card so that means that $11.99 turns into $9.60.

That frees up a table service credit which I may want to use at a higher priced restaurant like Le Cellier, or even a signature restaurant like California Grill or Yachtsman Steakhouse where two table service credits are required.

Also, in general if I have a sit down breakfast at WDW I don’t use my Dining Plan.

So think very carefully about your dining habits before you commit to any Disney Dining Plan.

Here are some additional AllEars Resources on the Disney Dining Plan:

*** Rate and Review - Feedback from AllEars Readers!

General Information

Well, MagicMeets is approaching and things are happening. I’m sure that Fred Block and crew are busy putting together what will no doubt be yet another magical weekend for those lucky enough to attend the 5th Annual MagicMeets.

I will be there hosting two special sessions we’re calling “MagicTunes” in which participants will be given an opportunity to show off their Disney sound bite knowledge.

I’m working hard with Mike Newell of MouseWorldRadio and Trent Schwartz of DISfriends in putting together a list of “bites” and clues.

We will be doing a special "Celebrity MagicTunes" session on Friday night and then a regular session on Saturday afternoon.

This should be a fun time for all who attend and participate. So how is your Disney sound bite knowledge?

Also happening this year at MagicMeets is an “Experts Panel” made up of people who are there to answer any questions people may have.

If you happen to be at MagicMeets you can ask the panel your question there. This is a great opportunity to get that special question answered by some Disney knowledgeable folks.

Who will be on that panel?

AllEars.Net’s own Deb Wills and yours truly as well as PassPorter.com’s Dave Marx, the Unofficial Guide’s Len Testa, WDWRADIO's Lou Mongello, and Mouse Fan Travel’s Beci Mahnken. The discussion will be broadcast live on MouseWorld Radio!

Of course the WDWTODAY Podcast team will be there and we are planning to do a LIVE podcast during Saturday's events, including this panel discussion as well as interviews, and a few surprises. If you were listening last year you may have heard Beci Mahnken surprise a guest with a special "dream" so you never know what will happen during a live podcast.

During the WDWToday Show live podcast we'll be encouraging our listeners to make a donation to Lou Mongello's Disney World Trivia Dream Team Ptoject at the Disney World Trivia Dream Team Site.

All donations made between 9:15 A.M. and 2:30 P.M. on July 19th will be counted towards the auction total! So please help out - giving will bring Disney smiles to you and a little Disney magic to the lives of the children who need it most.

Thank you so very much for your support.

On Sunday morning at MagicMeets Weekend I will be holding a breakout session that talks about the special parties at The Magic Kingdom. In this session I will talk about the preparation and planning required to fully enjoy the parties and will talk specifically on how to tour each party. You do Mickey’s Pirate and Princess Party somewhat differently than you do Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party.

I hope to help all those who have never attended any of these parties. These are separated ticketed events and everyone should be as best prepared to get the best out of their time and money on those evenings.

So it will be an exciting weekend and oh yes I plan to be blogging that weekend as well.

MagicMeets is always one of the highlights of my year and I KNOW there will be some smiling and happy faces that weekend and that’s what it’s all about.

Here is my report from the 2007 Magic Meets!

We are now under the 180 day mark for Mousefest and I know there are plenty of you out there who are making plans and thinking about meets and making ADRS.

As the Mousefest Executive and Organizational Committees put Mousefest Plans together there are many t’s to cross and i’s to dot and I want to point out that as Mousefest grows every year that with that growth comes the fact that we all face the prospect of making more and more decisions each year.

As much as many of us would love to do every meet at Mousefest it is neither practical nor humanly possible to do that.

So if you have an opportunity to make an ADR at a restaurant and have a group of friends join you by all means MAKE the ADR now and see how things work out. Don’t wait long as those open slots will be scooped up ASAP. IF the Mousefest Schedule, when announced, shows a conflict with your ADR and a meet then you may have to make a decision. But remember that it’s easy to cancel an ADR a month a few months before MF than it is to make one a month before you go.

For those of you who have never been to MF or who have not been in a while be advised that Mark Goldhaber of Mouseplanet and I are planning on delivering “Mousefest 101” again this year although the exact time and venue has not been established.

Last year we conducted MF 101 in Magic Kingdom’s Noodle Station at around 1 P.M.
We were fortunate in that the Noodle Station was closed and thank goodness for that as we had over 300 people there.

Stay tuned for more of that.

I also plan to hold yet another Dole Whip Meet and maybe we should warn Aloha Isle as to when we are coming because I’m sure on that day they will need plenty of Dole Whip and plenty of CM’s on hand to handle the crowd.

So as much as you have not heard much as far as Mousefest news please understand that the wheels are turning and that plans are being put together as you read my words and I’m sure that fairly soon you will begin to hear some news about MF…just remember that things cannot be announced until they are set in stone.

Here are my 2007 MouseFest Blogs!

When we last left I was retelling the Sip and Snack Around the world challenge that was taken on by Annette Owens, Len Testa, Mike Newell, and myself.

We had just finished Germany and were now on our way to China.

China: Joy of Tea Stand

Ah the Joy of Tea Stand was finally opened. At this point everyone was thinking about something to drink. This stand offered some interesting choices and the day before Annette had convinced me to try the Peach Oolong Tea Schnapps Slush. It was good the day before, but then again I wasn’t eating my way around World Showcase.

Everyone had tea except me. I opted for the green tea ice cream simply because it was one fourth the size of any drink offered at the cart.

Poor Len, he DID NOT like his tea and ended up nursing it for a considerable long time…you’ll see.

Italy: Arcata D’Ariga

Remember, we had a deadline of 2:30 so we had to keep moving. We were just about a third through the pavilions and we needed to maintain a pace of eating every 15 to 20 minutes.

Now obviously Tutto Italia was out…unless of course a stomach pump came with the Pasta e Fagioli (pronounced “Pasta Fa-ZOO”). Len and I had the same idea. We walked into Arcata D’Ariga, the store that has wine and candy and pastries.

Len, Annette, and Mike opted for biscotti which is an Italian cookie, often made with almonds. I wasn’t too sure about that so I went to the area in the middle of the store where they had candy. I was able to find a small package that had one kind of jelly bean candy…and it was only thirty cents. SOLD!

Oh yeah…with the help of the biscotti Len was able to get a bit more of his tea down…as they say, he would have given all the tea in China to not have to drink that stuff.

At this point we started to seriously wonder about the insane task we had charted ourselves to do.

However, once again…we were in EPCOT…with friends…and having a good time…and that pretty much cancelled out any second thoughts of quitting…heck, we were having too much fun and laughing too much to stop now.

We could almost feel the spirit of Walt Disney putting his arm around our shoulders and saying, “Hey gang, I love this idea.”

American Adventure: Liberty Inn

This could have been a challenge. Remember we were limited to only those items unique to that pavilion and the Liberty Inn did not have many choices.

Two of us, Len and Annette opted for the Kids chicken nuggets meal. However they had to take two sides with the meal AND a small bottle of water.

Len opted for grapes and carrot sticks and Annette went with carrots sticks and the fruit punch gelatin. Yes when they each sat down they both had a “What was I thinking?” look on their faces.

Mike and I scanned the menu and decided to have a Sam Adams beer. As much as I thought this was the right choice it did take an effort on my part to finish it.

At one point Len had excused himself to visit the rest room. Upon his return he announced to everyone that he was a failure. He was trying to convince his stomach to, let’s say, “return” what he had eaten to that point so he would have an empty stomach to finish this challenge.

Alas…he just couldn’t get his stomach to comply…oh yeah…he still had the tea.

I challenged Len to guzzle the tea and I would guzzle my bear. He held his nose and tried to guzzle his drink…we let him stop once he got to the virtual 75% mark.

Annette could not eat the gelatin…so she took it with her…to finish off somewhere along the way.

We all started laughing…at ourselves…it was great.

Japan: Mitsukoshi Department Store

From here on out we were all on the same page. Our objective from this point on was to find the smallest item in each pavilion and also one that would go down easy. We checked the menu for the Yakitori House. Most of us had the same idea…Miso soup.

However, the thought of consuming green onions and seaweed at this point convinced us otherwise. Everything else looked to either have large portions, including the Kirin Beer, Hot Sake, and Plum Wine.

Oh if only Masayo was here to help us.

The Mitsukoshi Department Store sort of wraps around the pavilion and in the back is an area with food and most importantly, small packages of food.

Of course someone found a package of dried fish….no thanks…although Annette still had her Jell-O so at least she could dunk the fish….sorry…that the mind plays tricks on you and I had this image.

Actually Annette made a great choice. She purchased what looked to be a package of three chocolate lollipops. Each “pop” was the size of a dime…good choice.

Mike Newell chose this small package of grape cotton candy with pop rocks, and Len grabbed something best described as Japanese Gummi Bears.

I had a small candy bar in my hand and was in line to pay when I spotted a much better choice. It was a small energy drink. The bottle could not have held more than 6 oz. It tasted like flat Diet Sprite. It went down smooth and no after taste. This was my best choice of the day as it really had no impact on me.

Morocco: Tangierine Café

We sauntered in to the Tangierine Café and checked out the menu. I had eaten here in December and I recalled that the portions were somewhat HUGE and I cautioned everyone to “choose wisely.”

We all agreed that it was too risky to order even something like a kid’s meal. We had three countries left after this one and we were running out of time on the clock and space in our tummies.

Then almost at the same time we all said “Baklava” and we went to the pastry counter.

At this point Annette looked at the cast member behind the counter and quipped, “I never thought I’d hear myself say this but please give me the smallest piece you have.”

She was speaking for all of us.

I’m not sure how to explain how we all enjoyed the Baklava. Mike Newell felt there was too much filling in his and I felt mine did not have enough and was dry.

Annette seemed to have a challenge getting hers down…and at this point she could have
washed it down with her melting Jell-O.

Len, still reeling from his cursed tea after taste, welcomed anything that would mask that lingering flavor in his palate.

Tick-Tock, time was marching…I looked at my watch…we had just about an hour left to do France, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

France: Boulangerie Patisserie

Imagine you are standing in front of a French pastry and there are many, many, too many wonderful combinations of sugar, flour, and fillings waiting for you…and you are stuffed.

What to do.

When we started this little adventure I had thought all along that I would look forward to France and enjoy a nice Napoleon.

No…not this little guy…

…this guy.....

...believe me...he looked much bigger in the display.

However, as we made our way around World Showcase the issue of size and portion very much influenced our choices and the Napoleons were sort of outside my portion range at this point.

I opted for a lemon tart…less pastry and more gel and I washed that down with light lemonade.

Mike Newell could not resist the cream puff. When he picked it up the weight kind of made him nervous. It was made with heavy cream. We let Mike knock off about 75% of that baby and call it a done deal.

Call it “portion pity.”

The best choice in France was made by Annette and Len who both opted for a Croissant. Also, Annette was able to consume 75% of her Jell-O while at the same time getting down the Croissant.

But I have to tell you…by now we’re all thinking we’re not going to eat for at least a decade or two…but before then what lies ahead was the United Kingdom and Canada.

United Kingdom: The Tea Caddy

Ahh… the Tea Caddy.

Annette and I wandered in to check out the offerring in there. It was, what we felt, our only option.

We all steered clear of the fish and Chips counter service area.

Len and Mike made a “pit stop” and returned to find Annette and myself munching on something I remember being called a “Flakey” or something like that. It was recommended to us by the CMs in the shop because it was “flaky and light”

Well...sort of…it was flaky alright but when you put layers of flakes together and fused them together with chocolate…the word “light” does not come to mind.

Len opted to try one too…but Mike Newell’s dry throat drew him to the Rose and Crown and Bass Ale…which did not go down as smoothly as he had hoped.

Okay, here we were, we had about 25 minutes before our deadline and we had just Canada left in our sights.

We were all praying the same thing…”Please let there be small bear claws” as we all assumed those pastries would probably be our choice.

Canada: Northwest Mercantile

There was good news and bad news waiting for us in Canada.

The good news was that there were no bear claws to be found.

The bad news was that there were no bear claws to be found.

On the one hand we were relieved. It was going to be a challenge to get those babies down…but then again…NOW WHAT?

We went into the Northwest Mercantile and checked it out.

Lots of stuff but hoo boy…not easy to make a choice. There were packages of Maple candy and cookies and biscuits and stuff like that.

We looked for a LONG time before finally succumbing to yet another candy bar.

Len, of course, always thinking, came up to me and said, “I need a ruling”

“What?” I said.

“Is this legal?” and he held up…

wait for it….

wait for it…

a small bottle of maple syrup.

“You’re kidding!” I said.

“Hey it’s small…should go down easy…and I’m done”

I chuckled and said, “Go for it.” Thinking that I was about to witness a sugar high that would be unequaled in history.

So while Mike, Annette, and I forced down the last of our World Showcase buffet, Len guzzled, yes guzzled, his bottle of maple syrup.

Well, we all looked at each other and said, “Okay, that was crazy!”

We looked at our watches…2:20 P.M.

We had come within 10 minutes of our target time.

On average, each of us had spent about $35 as we weaved our way around World Showcase.

As we were walking out of World Showcase we were joking and remarked. “Well, that’s been done.”

A curious smile came over my face and Mike Newell looked over at me and he said, “Oh no! He’s thinking again.”

He was right!

When the next opportunity arises I’ve got some new wrinkles to throw into this little challenge…and it’s going to be different, challenging, and most of all…fun.

So next time everyone may be a bit more prepared.

What am I talking about?

Well on my recent trip to Walt Disney World while walking around World Showcase with Annette Owens of MEI and Mouse Fan Travel we found ourselves discussing interesting things to do in Walt Disney World that the usual guest would probably either never think of nor have the time to do.

We had just finished the third leg or our four Parks in One Day Adventure and before heading off to dinner we were obviously thinking of this challenge and what other interesting challenges we could come up with that would make for an interesting day at one of the parks.

Of course what is World Showcase known for but its diversified cuisines and the offerings of food from around the world?

So we began to wonder out loud what it would be like to try and get a little taste of what World Showcase pavilions have to offer…all 11 of them.

Now unless you are either Takeru Kobayashi (world famous Japanese competitive eater) or a 350 lb. National Football League interior lineman you probably don’t have the intestinal fortitude to sit down in every pavilion and eat a meal in one day.

So the problem was to throw in enough wrinkles so that the average person could in fact stand a chance at doing this.

That night over dinner I threw out some ideas to some friends and after some discussion we came up with the following challenge that we were going to attempt the very next day.
We called it….”Sip and Snack Around the World.”

Rules of the Game

Here they are:

• The goal is to consume either food or drink from every pavilion in World Showcase.
  
• Since this was a bit of a competition we said that it was every man (and woman) for him/herself. That meant no sharing.
  
• Each participant was responsible for purchasing his or her own “stuff.”
  
• Whatever is consumed had to be unique to that pavilion and not available anywhere else.
  
• Whatever the choice, be it food or drink, at least 75% had to be consumed for that pavilion’s offering to count.
  

There were four of us who took up this challenge, the aforementioned Annette Owens, Len Testa Co-Author of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and one of the co-hosts of the WDWTODAY podcast, his fellow WDWTODAY co-host Mike Newell, also of MouseWorldRadio, and yours truly.

We decided to do it the next day.

Now keep in mind that this is an unusual way to spend your day at Walt Disney World. On a normal vacation day in Orlando you would not find yourself spending an entire day doing this…well after reading this you might.

Good Morning

When I got up the next morning I made sure I had nothing for breakfast…well maybe some juice…but no food.

We all arrived at EPCOT just about opening time and knew that World Showcase would not open until 11 so we strolled around and checked out Future World before our “Feast.”

We visited The EPCOT Legacy Museum...

and Mission Space and Test Track...

...and Club Cool before heading over to World Showcase.

I was a little hungry but held off eating anything but a small granola bar.

I cannot say the same for Len. About 10:30 or so Len decided he needed something so he decided to grab a cherry Danish and coffee at the pastry cart in Canada.

Hmmmm….would this impair his gastronomical ability for the day?

We decided to help Len out so we walked from Canada to Mexico where our challenge would begin. This would give him some time to walk off the Danish and prepare for the challenge.

Just before we got started Len dropped a bomb…”Uh guys I have to be somewhere by mid afternoon so we need to do this by 2:30.”

“What?!?!?!

Hoo boy!

I had expected that we would be looking at an eight to nine hour ordeal. Not now.

Len’s schedule meant we had to covering 11 pavilions in 3 ½ hours…do the math…that means we had to consume something every…drum roll please…20 minutes. Yikes.

Now I was REALLY glad I had not eaten breakfast.

Mexico: La Cantina de San Angel

First stop was Mexico. Now think of the strategy one could go with on such a challenge. You could go one of several ways. We all had our own ideas as to how best to approach this challenge.

My plan was sort of a two plans in one kind of an approach. My primary objective was to think small. I was going to look for the smallest item in every pavilion.

I was also thinking that I would also need to space out any liquids I would have. I knew that during the challenge I would need to wash down any food I consumed so I needed to constantly monitor myself for dry throat.

Well for Mexico at La Cantina de San Angel three of us decided to start off light. Len, Annette, and yours truly opted for the child’s meal…a few nachos and a small beef burrito…and a small bottle of water.

Then there was Mike Newell. Mike has also not eaten breakfast so he assumed that having a regular sized meal to start off the challenge would be fine.

Well, take a look at the following picture and you will see how much of a difference the child’s meal was from a regular meal. It would be a choice Mike would regret.

Remember, we all had to eat 75% of whatever we chose at each pavilion so size was a consideration.

Norway: Kringla Bakeri og Cafe

I can tell you that one of the reasons I was excited about this challenge was that I knew that it would be a fun day. After all, I was in Walt Disney World with some friends and I knew…I just knew that we would laugh during this whole ordeal.

Well, you can imagine how much we laughed when Mike Newell, after eating his Mexican dish, turned around and decided to get the chocolate mousse. Now ordinarily, I’m sure many of you would leap at the opportunity of enjoying a chocolate mousse. However, would you really want one after eating a huge plate of nachos? I guess we all knew, especially Mike that his choice was let’s say questionable when he took his first swallow.

The rest of us were on this small food kick and opted for the smallest thing we could get…like the Lefse or the cloudberry horn.

We were two pavilions in and already we knew we were in for quite a day.

We skipped past China because our target, the Tea Wagon, was not open for business just yet.

Germany: Sussigkeiten (Sweets and Treats)

In Germany we thought that Sommerfest would have some good options. Right off the bat we all agreed that a German beer is definitely the wrong shoice so we looked at other options.

We were thinking Strudel. Sure, a little treat and some sugar to give us energy.

Well the problem was that the apple strudel offered at Sommerfest was more like dessert for three and none of us was brave enough to attack it. In fact all the desserts offered…including the Black Forest Cake and Cheesecake, although delicious, was looking just a bit too much to have on this day.

What about the pretzel? Well, that too looked huge, and in Len’s words by then his stomach had convinced him that the pretzel was about the size of a piece of fence.

So we went into the store called Sussigkeiten. It did not get any easier.

Think of it this way. If any of us bought a small package of cookies we’d have to eat 75% of the package. That WASN’T going to happen.

This pavilion was about to be the first pavilion in which we were looking at candy bars. Most of us looked around for a candy bar that appealed to us and that meant not just ingredients but size.

I was adventurous and tried this one candy bar that looked innocent.

Of course when we all got different items we would ask one another how they tasted.

So when Annette said, “Hey Mike, how is it?” I went into my Rod Serling impression and said calmly, “Imagine if you will…chocolate covered Play-Doh!”

Well you can imagine that we knew right then and there that we were risking getting sick from either eating too much food that day or laughing with each other. It was great.

Next Time: Part II: Tea, Nuggets, and Dried Fish, Oh My!