The View from Scopa Towers

Well I've been here less than 24 hours and things are already happening.

A few of us, including Fred Block (MagicMeets), Louis Mongello (DisneyWorldTrivia), Mike Newell (WDWToday) , and myself have already started getting the main ballroom ready for Saturday's MagicMeets event.

I know you're thinking, "Mike, how about some pictures?"

We really want to "Wow" everyone when they first come into the ballroom so we are being careful about showing too much too soon. (Ah - I see Deb has included one of me from last year -- see below)

I can tell you that those who will be here will be amazed at the level of professionalism that Fred Block and his staff have achieved in putting on this event,

The ballroom is absolutely huge...15,000 sq. ft.

There is plenty of room for everyone.

There are colorful posters up on the walls, as well as all through the hotel complex.

Yesterday we were in the ballroom most of the afternoon and evening...I think I got to sleep about 1:30 A.M. this morning.

We spent yesterday setting up the PA system, which is awesome this year, and making sure all the audio/visual stuff is working.

We need to do some more testing today.

We are definitely ahead of last year and should not have to stay up until 2 A.M. doing last minute stuff.

A lot of my stuff is done so I should be able to help Deb and Linda set up and also the MEI/Mousefan Travel folks....yes Beci is here...she arrived at 12:04 A.M.

I'm hoping to do a dry run of my talk today with a small audience...we'll see.

Yesterday was truly a Mousefesterly atmosphere as seeing everyone really got me pumped.

Yesterday Carol and I left New Hampshire at 5:00 A.M. and drove 445 miles to Harrisburgh.

We kept going strong all day and it you would think we'd be tired today.

Nope...I was up at 5:30...put on my running gear...and did a few miles around the hotel....I came back and found Carol in the gym....we're animals.

MagicMeets, like Mousefest, will do that to you.

It's a weekend long adrenalin rush.

More later today.

Oh....on a personal note...my heartfelt thanks to the many, many emails, text messages, private messages, and phone calls wishing me a happy birthday yesterday.

Here's a photo of me from the 2006 MagicMeets event giving my Keynote Talk!

Well things are starting to crank up.

The ballroom is 95% ready...almost all the sponsors are here....the PA system and everything else is almost ready....and look who has arrived!!!!

That's right...it's Steve Barrett and some lovely lady we'll call "Venus" for now.

Seriously I am so excited I don't know if I will sleep tonight.

We've had an AWESOME day with everyone setting up and getting ready to give all the attendees an awesome day tomorrow.

I expect I'll be in the ballroom until 2 A.M. practicing my talk for tomorrow and just rubbing elbows with these wonderful people who want to make this event so wonderful for others.

I continue to be amazed at the level of detail and care Fred Block and his staff have gone through to make this a truly Magical Disney event...and I am so honored and privileged to be a part of it.

Stay tuned...

From now on when I hear the term “Block Party” I will forever think of Fred Block and MagicMeets 2007.

When attempting to recap all that happened last weekend I find myself groping for a starting point.

I need to start somewhere so let me try by recalling some memories that will stand out forever.

A lot of my memories involve the setting up and breaking down of the ballroom. This activity took place Thursday and Friday and of course Saturday evening.

A Surreal Moment

One of my most treasured times took place late Friday night and early Saturday morning.

Fred Block, Lou Mongello, and I had finally gotten to the point where we could concentrate on our presentations and we decided to do a dry run in one of the breakout sessions.

We had gone through a day of getting the ballroom up and ready and had put out little “fires” all day long. 99% of those problems were finally behind us which allowed us to sit back and make sure we were ready with our own words.

So we went through our talks and as expected we were filled with emotions and excitement. We finished up at 1:30 A.M.

We made our way over to the ballroom where we found Mike Newell from the WDWTODAY podcast team working on a problem, a problem he wanted to take care of before leaving for the night.

Mike had turned off all the ballroom perimeter lights and had dimmed the recessed lighting in the ceiling.

I did not have a camera with me, otherwise I could have captured or at least tried to capture the surreal atmosphere…the posters on the walls…all the sponsor tables set up and ready to greet the attendees, all 52 tables carefully arranged with tablecloths, Mickey confetti, statues, ornaments, and balloons, and of course the Dream Team Silent Auction tables…beautifully set up…everything looked pristine…everything looking magical.

I’ll remember that moment for a long time.

Of course more memories would be made later that day. It was Saturday already and MagicMeets was only a few hours away.

Saturday Arrives

Fred Block opened the festivities and reviewed how the day would go. After a few words, some acknowledgements and other important announcements we were off.

I was honored and privileged to begin the day by addressing the 520 people in that wonderfully decorated ballroom.

My talk was entitled, “Why We Do What We Do” and it focused on the roots of Disney Magic.

I had employed the services of Joe and Cassie Hummel of Staten Island, NY to help me during my talk and they were the perfect Dad and Daughter combo I needed to make some points and perform a little Disney Magic.

The audience was wonderful and gracious and I will always remember one part of my talk in which the entire ballroom seemed frozen and focused on my words.

During my talk I saw smiles, heard laughter, and noticed tears. These were all signs that we were all in the midst of a very special time…a time of Disney Magic.

During the course of the day the attendees got to meet and greet with the sponsors and spend time talking Disney. It’s a very special time for everyone and a chance to “visit” with friends.

The WDWTODAY podcast crew was podcasting live most of the day, had a live chat going, and even had a webcam setup so even our friend Masayo from Japan could see and hear what was going on in the ballroom.

There were times when we got silly and when you think of how serious our lives can get you wonder why we don’t give ourselves even more opportunities for silliness. There is a lesson to be learned here.

Another highlight for me was a breakout session led by Becky King, a former WDW cast member who discussed what it’s like to be a cast member and who talked about many jobs and “roles” she experienced while at WDW. At the end of her presentation her father Dennis, showing much pride, was wiping some very salty tears from his eyes. Pretty cool.

Another moment I will never forget is going back into the ballroom after Becky King’s presentation. I walked over to the Silent Auction area as Fred was doing more prize giveaways.

I saw the total money raised…$9K and grabbed Pat and started crying. Amidst all that was given the attendees during this special day they had turned around and had given back. I was so moved.

Special People

I was also moved by so many people who came to this event, to share with friends their celebration of fantasy, magic, and especially Disney.

For me, the weekend was more than that. It was a time to celebrate friendship, to celebrate a special bond with those people who love putting on these events.

Without these people I would not be there. Without those people I would not be inspired to emulate their approach to life and their need to help others.

I’m talking about three special people who will forever represent all that is good, kind, and generous and who will always serve me as a model for what a human being should be and how one should lead their life.

First and foremost is my paisan Lou Mongello, author of the wdwtriva book and host of the wdwradio show. His drive with his dream team project is amazing. His energy towards doing whatever he can to help people is limitless. His heart is boundless. I am so honored to be associated with him in any endeavor.

For those who are fortunate to know this man and even call him a friend, consider yourself blessed.

Of course there are no words to describe the perfect humanitarian but if a picture is worth a thousand words maybe a picture of the incomparable Deb Wills will serve as that definition. When I think of Deb my mind overflows with words such as kind, gentle, generous, helpful, caring, but most of all love. There is a reason why she is so loved. She treats everyone so special and just always seems to be doing something to help someone. Along the way inspires the rest of us to emulate her wonderful philosophy.

There is a lot to say as to how one person can impact the lives of others. Be it AllEars, breast cancer awareness, Mousefest, or MagicMeets, her involvement seems to bring magic to these and anything else she touches. It’s a gift for sure and I’ve always said that God made a mistake…he let an angel slip through the cracks and fall to Earth. This weekend I was reminded once again that I am blessed with a friend who is an Angel and inspires me so much. Thanks Deb.

Finally I can wrap this up by tying it back to the person I mentioned from the outset. When you think about how many people went to the very first MagicMeets (then called DisMeets) just four years ago, and then realizes that number grew more than tenfold you begin to realize that someone is doing something right.

That someone is Fred Block.

He is the glue, the catalyst, the inspiration, call it anything you want but without him and his strong beliefs this event would not be what it has become today.

I’ve known this mountain of a man for only a year but already he has become one of my dearest friends. His family values, his love for Disney, and his love for his fellow man are unparalleled.

I’ll leave you with a story that will hopefully give you an idea of what this man is all about. It was at last year’s Mousefest in WDW that Fred walked up to a small boy and handed the child one of the many pins one could find at Mousefest.

The boy’s face lit up and he thanked Fred for the pin.

That little boy came to the MagicMeets 2007 and sought out Fred to thank him again.

Perhaps…just perhaps…that gesture of kindness from Fred Block may inspire this child to do the same one day.

That’s what it’s all about.

That’s why Fred Block spends almost one year in planning this event.

That’s why he has so much support from his sponsors, guest speakers, and staff.

Like all of us he believes is family, fantasy, magic, and making people happy.

Mission accomplished…again.

Well, the good news is that I woke up early enough on Friday to go out and run. The bad news is that I said to myself, “Let me close my eyes for just another 15 minutes.”

We call that a “mistake.”

Next thing I know its 6:47 and we have an 8:10 ADR at the Grand Floridian Café.

Arrrghhh, another morning without a run.

When we got to the Café they told us that our ADR was for the day before! Huh? First at Hollywood & Vine the night before they had us down for two ADRs at the same time now this!

They honored our time and we had a very nice breakfast. We did not eat everything as we turned down the final course which was Mickey waffles.

We had visits from Tigger, Pooh, Mary Poppins, the Mad Hatter, and Alice.

1900 Park Fare will soon reopen. Our server said that they are hoping that the new 1900 Park Fare will open in late September and it will be able to serve even more guests as the restaurant will be bigger.

We left the Grand Floridian and headed back to Pop Century to do our final packing as we were moving to Port Orleans French Quarter.

We didn’t think our room was going to be ready but surprise, surprise it was.

We tossed our bags onto the bed, stashed our water in the frig, and headed over to the Magic Kingdom.

As we entered the town square I scooted over to City Hall to ask for a birthday button for Carol and also a brochure for the Pirate & Princess Party.

We are not going until Tuesday evening but it’s never too early to plan how best to navigate the park for this party.

There are some general guidelines I suggest to families going to any of the MK parties, be it Pirate and Princess, Mickey’s not So Scary, or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

Here they are:

• First and foremost grab a party brochure a day or two before going to the party.

• Review the brochure and put together a plan as to how you will navigate the park during the party.

• Get your MK attraction fix the day before the party because you don’t want to put attraction touring at the top of your list…remember, you are paying extra to get into the park at this time for the special events…not the attractions.

• If possible do the Extra Magic Hour Evening the night before the party. Stay out late because you really should think about sleeping in on the morning of the party.

• Take it easy in the morning, perhaps go to DisneyQuest for a few hours, and then have an early dinner, say no later than 5 P.M.

• Wear a watch with a lighted dial so you can keep track of the time.

• Try to arrive at the Magic Kingdom at least 30 minutes before the start of the party.

• If you can, do the later scheduled events such as a show or a parade because it will be less crowded than the earlier ones.

• Plan any attraction touring around the special events. That is, if you can fit in Big Thunder Mountain or Pirates of the Caribbean around your schedule then go for it. Remember that you are paying for these special events so make sure you get the most of the party.

The last few days have been somewhat hot and we have felt the need to hydrate as often as possible. We grabbed light lemonade at Casey’s.

We then made our way over to Adventureland to finally ride Pirates. The wait time was about 75 minutes. No thanks.

We rode Aladdin’s Magic Carpet and then took in the Tiki Room.

There was a guest sitting next to us who had what looked like baby who was no more than a few weeks old.

Not only was the baby probably the youngest person to se the Tiki room, he/she may have been one of the few chosen to be nursed by his mom too….yes…but discreetly.

Homework Assignment: next time you're in The Magic Kingdom look for this sight.

Pirates was still full so we visited the Country Bears.

We then watched the “Disney Dreams Come True” parade.

It was getting close to our Crystal Palace ADR time so we strolled over to Main Street and looked in the shops.

I was selected by a cast member to participate in the flag lowering ceremony. Unfortunately I am not a veteran so I had to turn them down.

Dinner was at Crystal Palace.

After dinner we watched the castle show…twice.

We then took in the Hall of Presidents. It’s a favorite of Carol’s because it was one of the first attractions we ever saw. Back in the mid-70’s when the HoP opened it was FREE. Back then you used tickets A thru E and HoP was free for a whole year.

From the presidents we went to Mickey’s Philharmagic.

Then we got our wristbands for EMH and then took in Small World.

Are you as tired as we were becoming?

We grabbed lemonade and made our way to Tomorrowland. We rode the TTA and when we got into the Space Mountain potion of the ride all of a sudden the lights in Space Mountain came on…pretty spooky.

We asked to stay on the ride and we rode it again and once again got to see the insides of Space Mountain.

Then the TTA broke down for about 10 minutes…seemed it was not the night to be in Tomorowland.

We headed to Main Street to watch “Wishes.” About 4 minutes into the show someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to move because his girl friend could not see.

Huh?

I was stunned at first but decided to hold my tongue and I stood behind Carol instead of next to her.

As I stood there watching:”Wishes” I thought, “Okay, now what do I do if I’m blocking someone else’s view?

Gee, do I ask the dad in front of me to take his son of his shoulders because I can’t see?

Carol had a good point. No one is tall enough to block the fireworks; she wanted to see the castle.

I’m such a softie.

After the fireworks we headed to a special spot to watch Spectromagic, the late parade.

It’s been some months since I’ve seen Spectro but I noticed the Spectro Men are gone, and I could have sworn the three fairy godmothers used to be on one float not three separate floats and finally Chernobog’s horses used to be all one color…blur, right? Now they are different colors.

Wow, it was late. My day was already 18 hours long and it wasn’t over. Also, my aching ankle, yes the one I broke during the 2006 WDW half-Marathon was talking to me and saying, “Mike, I thought we had an agreement. I would give you no problem while running if you refrained from walking on me in excess of 12 hours a day!”

He had me there.

We went over to Pirates. There was no line….because the attraction was down.

So we decided it was time to call it a day.

We got back to our room around 1:15 A.M. and found this waiting for us.

It is a very thoughtful birthday gift to Carol from some very dear friends and I thought I'd just post a picture before we "made use" of this wonderful gift.

Thank you dear friends. You know who you are!

So now you know why this blog entry is a little late.

More tomorrow.

Happy 5th Anniversary MagicMeets.

Last week MagicMeets sold out in 38 hours which is a tribute to the efforts of MagicMeets Founder Fred Block and his amazing army of volunteers.

Fred’s event has grown from around 40 attendees back in 2004 to a current ceiling of 550 attendees and along the way he has figured out the formula for changing venues without sacrificing quality.

In fact he has managed to elevate the quality of the event every year and that has contributed to the ever growing popularity of this event.

Unfortunately not everyone who registers for the event manages to secure tickets. Almost twice as many register as there are available seats.

As much as this may disappoint a lot of folks it pales in comparison to the disappointment for Fred himself.

Fred does all he can to give everyone an even chance of getting a ticket. He opens up the registration system early, he offers those who register the opportunity to get placed on the MagicMeets newsletter, and not only does he frequently send out newsletters to keep everyone informed as to how close payment time is approaching, he also makes himself available on several Disney community forums and appears on a few Disney oriented podcasts to get the word out.

If you were not able to secure a ticket for this year’s MagicMeets there is always next year.

To give yourself the best chance of getting a ticket for MagicMeets 2009 register early, get on the newsletter distribution list, visit and perhaps join a Disney community forum where Fred is also a member and keep your eyes and ears open.

I am looking forward to my third MagicMeets and I hope to see some new and old faces there. The last two years have been nothing short of incredible as I have found the event to be the ONLY time, other than actually being in a Disney theme park, where I can truly feel Disney Magic.

You never know who you may run into at MagicMeets.

Oh yea, and me! (Deb put this photo in.)

If you are interested in learning more about MagicMeets visit the MagicMeets website.

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!