Changes to the Haunted Mansion Queue

"March 2011, the Haunted Mansion soft opened a brand new interactive queue area. As you enter the courtyard, you can see, touch, hear and play with several new, interactive elements added into the queue experience. Right now the Imagineers are still tweeking things, so the new queue may or may not be open during your visit.

"When it officially opens, your experience will begin with a new story line with characters previously seen only inside the Mansion. And what really grabbed my attention was the new Decomposing Composer’s Crypt. The new tomb has interactive instruments that sound as weird as they look."

- AllEars.net

Lunch at Tusker House and Free Reserved Seating for Finding Nemo Show

If you are booking your Disney World dining reservations at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park, consider booking a lunch at Tusker House. This restaurant is always a popular choice for lunch at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Now, it is even better with a free perk! If you dine for lunch between 1:00-1:40 PM, you will receive a free voucher for a guaranteed seat at the Finding Nemo Show at 3:15 PM. If you dine from 1:40-2:45, you will receive a voucher for a guaranteed seat at the Finding Nemo Show at 4:45 PM. This free voucher allows you to enter the show about 15-20 minutes before showtime with a guaranteed seat for the Finding Nemo show. This will save you alot of time waiting for the popular Finding Nemo Show.

Have a Picnic At Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom, Disney News | Magical Mountain

For those who love the outdoors, especially dining in the outdoors, there is a new choice in dining options at Disney's Animal Kingdom. "Picnic in the Park" will be offered to guests who would like to enjoy a nice family picnic, Disney style.

Guests will place their orders for the picnic at Animal Kingdom's guest-relations office or at the Tusker House Restaurant and then pick up their food at their chosen time. Pick up will be located at the Kusafiri Coffee Shop & Bakery right next door to the Tusker House. After that, guests can take their picnic to any one of the 14 designated picnic areas that are available.

Prices start at $24.99 for a meal that includes sandwiches for three people and can go as high as $56.99 for a meal that includes a rotisserie meal for a family of 6. All picnics come packaged in a reusable bag, complete with plates and utensils. They also include a map marked with the picnic area locations.

What recession? Magic Kingdom hits capacity this week

On Tuesday, for instance, the park at one point had to stop letting any guests in at all because it was so full. Disney’s other three theme parks remained open, though he parking lot at Disney’s Hollywood Studios also filled up that day, forcing visitors there to park in the Epcot lot and ride a bus over to the Studios.

There have been several reports from parkgoers that the Magic Kingdom hit capacity again yesterday. Big crowds have also been reported at Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando.

Expect them to continue the rest of this week. The week of Easter is historically one of the busiest single weeks of the year for the parks.

Buying your Disney tickets may be the first thrill ride you experience!

Disney tickets are somewhat complicated because of the various options available. There are 3 ticket options based on age. If you are under 3 you get in free. If you are 3-9 there's a kids ticket that is slightly cheaper than the adult ticket which you'll need if you are 10 or over.

Next you get to choose the number of days. If you get less than 4 you'll be paying quite a bit more per day. Once you get over 4 it's negligible to add more days. If you want to see most of each park at Disney you'll need at least a 4 day ticket.

Then you need to decide if you need the Park Hopper option. This allows you to switch between parks on the same day. If you are going for less than 4 days you'll either have to skip a park or get the Park Hopper.

You're not done making decisions yet, though. You'll also have to decide whether to get the Never Expires option. If you think you'll be coming back to Disney World someday you can purchase a 10-day pass with the Never Expires and use the remaining days on your future trips. Otherwise this option is almost certainly not worth the money.

Think you're done? Guess again. There's also a Water Park and Fun ticket option. This allows you admission to either water park and Disney Quest. It used to also get you into Pleasure Island, but PI is gone now. I think you can play a round of golf or something instead now. Given the business of your schedule already, I doubt you'll want to get this...unless you get the never expires. In which case it's a really good deal because you can use the water parks, DQ, and golf on your next trip.

Whew! You made it! Now go have fun and don't second guess your decision!

Waiting in line is part of the fun, if you are a psychologist

I minored in psychology in grad school and the question "why do people do what they do" has always fascinated me. When I was a kid I would do psychological experiments on my siblings to see how far I could push them before they either beat me up or told on me. OK, maybe calling those psychological experiments is taking it a bit far, but you get the idea.

I came across this interesting article about Queuing Psychology. It shouldn't surprise anybody that there are people who study the psychology behind waiting in lines given that we wait in lines virtually every day. It makes three main points about what helps people accept waiting in lines.

Eliminating empty time is the first concept. You see this done very well, especially on the newer attractions, all over Disney. It's basically giving people something to do while they are in line. One of the examples used is the interactive group games in the Soarin' queue. Our kids actually wanted to stay in line longer so they could play the game! Another example is Expedition Everest. I actually wanted the line to go a little slower so I could spend more time reading.

The second tenant is fair play. This includes "first come, first served" but also includes the balance of greater service demands greater wait. Basically that's the idea behind "express checkout lines" for people purchasing 20 or less items or paying cash. One of the interesting points made about "first come, first served" is the move away from multiple lines when checking out to a single serpentine line where the next person always get served next. This removes the guessing game of which line will move faster. Of course, that removes the quasi-secret of always choosing the left most line at Disney.

Finally is information. Basically, people are less anxious in line if they have some idea of how long their wait will be. This is the logic behind Disney posting wait times. If the wait is less than the posted wait time you feel happy about your wait time, even if it was long. Of course the opposite is true, too. We once waited 1:20 for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad when the sign said 40 minutes. We were really ticked off by that, so this is a 2 edged sword.

Overall, Disney does a great job and is getting better all the time with their preshows. According to the article, they employ 75 industrial engineers who study queuing as part of their jobs. With new technology being deployed to provide more information I think it will get even better.

Disney real-time infomation on your cell phone

A while back I posted about the fact that Universal Studios gave their guests the ability to check wait times on their cell phones via web browsing. Well, Disney has come through with something similar. I haven't been able to find out a lot of details about the service, but it looks like it's mainly for Verizon customers. Also, parts of the service may only be available with certain packages. From what I've read, anybody with any cell service will be able to access some features.

Here's the full news story:

Marking a first in both the travel and mobile industries, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Verizon are teaming up for a multi-year relationship designed to enhance the guest experience – before, during and after guests arrive at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. This alignment allows guests to have a personal tour guide right in their wireless phones along with reliable new services at the parks. Early next year guests will also use Verizon Wireless’ technology when experiencing Disney’s Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure, an ultra-interactive attraction coming to Epcot in Walt Disney World Resort.

Source: Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
· View Multimedia Gallery

“With more than 90 percent of families bringing a mobile phone into our Parks, our objective was to enhance the magical Disney experience through innovative wireless technology,” said Jay Rasulo, Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “Imagine receiving up to the minute tips on special Park activities with just the touch of a button or receiving a call from Buzz Lightyear welcoming you to the Magic Kingdom.”

Beginning next year, guests will be able to access an array of features on their Verizon Wireless phones while at the Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort to help them make the most of their Disney experiences. Planned services include an exclusive mobile application that will give guests with Verizon Wireless service the ability to easily locate shows, restaurants and the Disney characters anywhere inside the Parks; get real-time attraction availability information; access mobile games; receive messages from characters and more. Verizon Wireless is also continuing to invest in its wireless network from coast to coast, and the relationship with Disney means the wireless users will benefit from further enhancements to the Verizon Wireless network in the Parks.

John Harrobin, senior vice president of digital media and marketing for Verizon, said, “All of our efforts focus on one goal: making the Disney experience even better for our customers. There are few life experiences that are more memorable than visiting a Disney Park, and now guests with Verizon Wireless service will unlock even more magic from their visit – by navigating the Parks easier and faster with instant access to key information such as ‘Where’s Mickey now?’ and other special features – even when they travel home and share their experiences with family and friends.”

In addition, guests visiting Epcot in Walt Disney World Resort in early 2009 will be among the first to experience Disney’s Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. An ultra-interactive attraction, Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure invites guests of all ages to team up with members of Team Possible to save the world from various comical villains and their mad inventions. Armed with an official Verizon Wireless “Kimmunicator,” guests will use these handheld devices to help maneuver through the mission. The interactive wireless theme park game was inspired by Disney Channel’s Emmy^® Award-winning animated series, “Kim Possible.”

While Verizon Wireless customers will have exclusive access to an array of enhanced features, Disney and Verizon are also working to ensure that some mobile information such as dining locations, show times and locations will be available to all Parks visitors, regardless of their wireless company.

Additional details will be available next year as the companies expect to add a suite of services and functionalities to help guests at Disney Parks have the most magical experience. For more information about Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, visit www.disney.com. For more information about Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

Disney Parks and Resorts – Taking Guests to New Frontiers

The agreement between Disney and Verizon is another step in a series of new initiatives that highlight the latest technologies from Disney Parks and Resorts with a continued focus on improving guest experience and providing immersive entertainment. Disney Parks and Resorts continue to exemplify how technologies can be used to build new connections and redefine how guests plan and enjoy their vacations. From the time guests begin planning their vacation using Walt Disney World Resort in 3D on Google Earth or tuning into Disney Travel on Demand, the experience is designed to make their lives easier. Guests can take their vacation experience to a new level with Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure, an interactive wireless theme park game for families, and by personalizing and sharing their Disney experiences when they return home, using DisneyLink, a desktop application.

http://biz.yahoo.com

My Favorite Things

I recently came across an article on MousePlanet listing the author's "Best of Disney". I figured I'd put together a list of my favorites, too. So here goes...

Restaurants
This is an easy one! My favorite table service restaurant is California Grill is without a doubt my favorite restaurant at Disney (maybe anywhere). My favorite counter service restaurant is the Columbia Harbor House. They have really nice, fresh salads.

Park
This is a hard one. There are things I like about each park. I think my favorite is the Magic Kingdom just because of the nostalgia factor. I would say it's a tie between Animal Kingdom and Epcot for second.

Resort
My favorite resort is actually staying off-site at a resort pool home. I'd probably have to go with Windsor Hills.

Ride(s)
This is a tough one. Do I go with a old favorite or one of the newer shinier options? At the Magic Kingdom, I think I'd have to go with Splash Mountain with honorable mentions to Pirates of the Carribean, Space Mountain, and The Haunted Mansion.

At Epcot, I'd have to go with Soarin' followed closely by The American Adventure. I love the American Adventure because it's like the Hall of Presidents used to be. I always get chills when Cheif Joseph speaks (unless I've fallen asleep - what is it with that place that makes me sleepy?)

At MGM, I love Rockin' Roller Coaster. My wife loves Tower of Terror, but I have slight fear of heights that makes that ride more terrifying than fun for me. My kids like Star Tours the most.

Finally, at Animal Kingdom I enjoy Kilimanjaro Safari and Kali River Rapids.

Location
OK, I had to make up a category because I have a favorite "spot" in the parks. It's right behind Cinderella Castle. It's a foundtain of Cinderella. It's often fairly quiet here and I love this fountain!

Photo Spot
Our family always gets a picture in front of the statue with Walt and Mickey. Another favorite picture spot is on the catwalk outside of California Grill. The Magic Kingdom makes an incredible backdrop for portraits here.s

Character Meetings

Amazingly, I've known quite a few "characters" at Disney World. It started back in 1977 when our family moved to Winter Garden, FL which is at Disney's back door. Many of the kids in our small high school worked at Disney in the "zoo". When we would visit the parks, which was very often, we would invariably get mugged by a character who sometime later would turn out to be somebody we knew.

Many years later, I took a part time job at the brand new Disney store that was opening in Greenville, SC. One of my co-workers had been in the zoo, too. She played Alice, Donald, Mickey and Minnie. In fact, for many years you could see her as Alice on a postcard that was sold at the parks.

She told me many interesting stories about being a character. It's amazing how many adults are either inconsiderate, rude, or crude. I thought some of her stories might be fiction until she showed me a picture album where she and her fellow characters had "switched heads". This is strictly forbidden, but they pulled it off by doing it in an elevator. It was weird to see Donald's head on Mickey's body. It was also a bit disturbing to see Minnie's head on Mickey's body.

One of her worst stories was about an incident that happened during a parade. She was Donald for this particular parade. Well, she fell on the float during the parade and broke her leg, but was forced to finish the parade since it would scar too many kids to see Donald being hauled off in an ambulance.

Knowing so many people who had played characters gave me the boldness to contact the zoo keeper when it came time to propose. My girlfriend, Mary, suspected I would pop the question while we were at Disney but she didn't know how or when. I had a glass slipper made and engraved with a special message at Downtown Disney. I then contacted the zoo manager and asked if there was any way I could enlist Cinderella in my scheme. She was more than happy to help out.

The next day, we made reservations for King Stefan's Banquet Hall. The fact that we were able to make same day reservations and that it was still called King Stefan's instead of Cinderella's Royal Table should give you some clue as to how long ago this was! We were in the waiting room for dinner when Cinderella showed up. A number of small girls got her autograph and a picture. Once everybody else was done, Cindy came over to my very surprised girlfriend and said, "My fairy godmother asked me to give this to you." She handed my girlfriend the slipper which read, "A perfect fit". I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. Needless to say, we are now living happily ever after.

Our two girls, when they were still little girls, were convinced that Mommy had been Cinderella when she was young since she had a glass slipper. We didn't dissuade them from their romantic notion.

Now it turns out, Disney World has commercialized my idea. You can setup a proposal dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table including a glass slipper.

If you would like some ideas for interacting with characters at Disney, here are some suggestions based on ideas submitted by members at Disboards:

Minnie & Mickey:
Ask Minnie if she got a wedding ring yet.
Minnie loves it when you wear a shirt with her on it! (So does Mickey :D )
Wear Minnie Mouse costume to Chef Mickey's (or bring a Minnie Mouse doll).
Ask Minnie how many dresses she has. Try to ask her in front of Mickey, or when a CM is around.
Tell Minnie she's the real princess.

Chip & Dale:
Ask Chip and Dale if they are squirrels (or gophers)
Call Chip...Dale and Dale...Chip....
Call Chip or Dale Alvin or Theodore
Ask Chip and Dale how to tell them apart.
Tell Chip and Dale you have nuts in your backpack.

Donald, Goofy, Pluto:
Ask Donald Duck where Mickey Mouse is.
Call Donald "Daffy" or wear a Daffy shirt around him.
If you have the talent, speak to Donald Duck in a duck's voice.
Wear your Pal Mickey or a Mickey shirt/hat around Donald
Call Goofy or Pluto "Snoopy"
Give dog biscuits/treats to Pluto
Scratch Pluto behind the ear
Tell Pluto he's a good dog.

Peter Pan, Wendy & Captain Hook:
Tell Captain Hook....TICK TOCK!!
Crow at Peter Pan.
Ask Peter Pan where he's from in front of Wendy.
Tell Hook he's a codfish.
Have a stuffed croc around Hook.
Where a kelly green shirt around Wendy.
Tell pirate jokes to Peter Pan - Like...What kind of movies do pirates like? One rates Arrrr And...Why are they rated R? Because of all the Pirate Booty in them.
If you say the words "How Rude" in the same tone Little Michelle uses on Full House to Captain Hook, he will give you more attitude than you might think it's worth. Although his reaction is hilarious!
Have on pirate paraphernalia around Peter Pan lol.

Cruella:
When you see Cruella.... BARK!!!!
Cruella gave extra negative attention in response to a hat that had a Disney feline on it! She also notices jewels!
Curella LOVES compliments!
Wear stripes around her.

Princesses:
The gist I've gotten is, they all LOVE to talk and have background stories, and they don't need much prompting.
Princesses oohh and awe over jewelry and clothing with images of them on it.
Ask Pocahontas how she says Hello.
Bow to a princess, and call them your highness ... they love that.
Speak French to Belle.
Ask Belle what her favorite book is.
Ask Snow White how the Dwarves are doing.
Ask Mulan if she's found her true love. When says no, tell her you'll put in a good word with the matchmaker.
Princesses LOVE little boys!
They also love hand drawn/colored pictures and CAN accept them!

Pooh & Friends:
Ask Eeyore if he's lost his tail.
To Pooh: "Where's the hunny? I have a rumbly in my tumbly"
Ask Tigger for bouncing lessons.

Alice & Wonderland cast:
Ask the Mad Hatter for his "autograph". He may draw a picture of a car and a graph.
Tell the Mad Hatter it's your Unbirthday.
Ask the white rabbit for the time.
Mention that you have a cat to Alice.

Dwarves:
Call one of the 7 Dwarfs by the wrong name, very funny, especially if all 7 are present.
Ask Dopey what 1 + 1 is.

Mary Poppins:
Say "Supercalafragilisticexpealidocious" to Mary Poppins.
Ask her to say it backwards.
Ask her how your kids "Measure Up!"

Toy Story:
To Buzz: Point behind him and yell "It's Zurg!!! Oh No!!!"
To Buzz: Ask him exactly where "Beyond" is.
To Woody: "There's a snake in your boot!!!"
To Woody: "Somebody's poisoned the water hole!!!"

General or other:
Give the villains a hug.
Wear a Universal shirt.
Have a stuffed Simba when you see Rafiki.
Offer Stitch a cookie.
Wear something with Stitch on it that he can take, like a backpack.
Stitch and Meeko are known to rummage through purses and backpacks for "food."
Ask Meeko if he is a badger.
Try calling Mushu a lizard.
Prince John - Tell him he's the rightful king, and he'll agree!
Sing Bear/Bare Necessities to Baloo.
Salute the green army man in MGM.
Wait in line to see Capt Jack, but when you get to the front act like you were in line to see Davy Jones.
After a picture op, tell a fur character they blinked or their eyes were closed lol.

Disney is adding a new interactive experience at Epcot (see press release below). There seems to be some controversy over the introduction of Kim Possible into the World Showcase. As long as it doesn't dominate the pavilions, I think this is something that my kids would really enjoy. The idea of a high-tech scavenger hunt that includes the ability to visibly make things happen is very appealing. I'm wondering, though, why they didn't do it in the Innoventions area instead or in addition to the World Showcase. What's your opinion? Is the addition of these types of activities a good thing or not?

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Epcot guests at Walt Disney World Resort will be treated to a brand new, highly interactive attraction inspired by Disney Channel’s Emmy Award-winning animated series, Disney’s Kim Possible. The new experience is slated to premiere in late 2008.

Using the latest technology, Disney’s Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure invites guests of all ages to become secret agents, teaming up with members of Team Possible to save the world from various comical villains and their mad inventions.

As guests embark on this international adventure, they will receive an official “Kimmunicator,” at kiosks throughout Epcot. The interactive, handheld device is designed to help them maneuver through the mission. Using state-of-the-art technology, the interactive device connects guests with a variety of Kim Possible characters who provide clues to stop villains from taking over the world. The highly interactive devices also allow guests to control top-secret equipment hidden inside the World Showcase pavilions, creating an ultra-interactive adventure jam-packed with mystery and excitement.

Guests can play Disney’s Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure in seven of the World Showcase pavilions: Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Japan, France and United Kingdom. Each pavilion features a unique mission including distinctive visual events and a different super villain from the animated series.

"Disney’s Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure is an exciting new experience that offers fun and excitement for the entire family," said Jim MacPhee, Epcot vice president. "We are constantly exploring new ways to provide immersive experiences to Epcot guests, and this new offering will add to our dynamic portfolio."

“Today’s emerging generation expects more immersive, personal and interactive experiences in every facet of their lives, including their entertainment choices,” added Bruce Vaughn, chief creative executive of Walt Disney Imagineering. “As leaders in family entertainment, Disney theme parks push the envelope by combining state-of-the-art technology with creative storytelling to enhance the overall Disney vacation experience.”

Epcot is a place of innovation, imagination, human achievement and endless possibilities. The park encompasses two “lands” of discovery: Future World, a showcase of new ideas and technology, and World Showcase, a kaleidoscope of nations celebrating cultural heritage, arts and entertainment. For more information, guests may call 407/824-4321 or visit disneyworld.com.

Disney’s Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure will open at Walt Disney World Resort during “The Year of a Million Dreams” celebration.

A worldwide hit for kids and families, Disney's "Kim Possible" is an Emmy Award-winning animated series from creators/executive producers Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle and Walt Disney Television Animation. It tells the story of an average high school cheerleader, Kim Possible, who, in her spare time, happens to save the world from super villains. With the aid of her enthusiastic pals, this contemporary heroine is capable in ways few high school students ever imagine. On the flipside, she realizes that defeating the bad guys comes easier than coping with the typical teen pressures of schooling and socializing. Viewers' connection to "Kim Possible" led to a successful off-TV franchise for The Walt Disney Company including Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable characters at Disney Parks & Resorts, DVDs, books, video games and Disney Consumer Product's line of "Kim Possible" branded products available at mass retailers nationwide.

What will the crowds be like?

This question is asked over-and-over online. "Will there be lots of people at Disney World when I go?" or "Will there be long lines at Disney World when I go?" It seems like there aren't any real slow times like there used to be because of all the special deals Disney offers during the traditionally slow time.

However, there are better times than others to go. The general rule of thumb is that when students are out of school the parks will be busy. When kids are in school, the parks will be less busy. So how do you know if the time you are interested is a good time or not?

Fortunately, there are a couple of web sites that can help you out.

For a quick overview that's free, go to Disney World - Avoid the Lines

For more detailed information you may want to check out The Unofficial Guide's Crowd Calendar. You can view the next month for free, or view more by joining. Joining, which only costs $7.95 also gives you access to their touring plans.

Where is the coffee?

I just read the news that Disney has added a coffee and pastry stand at the ticket and transportation center. This is very welcome news. It reminded me just how much Disney could use more coffe/pastry stands. In this day-and-age when you there is a Starbucks on every other street corner it's amazing how hard it is to get a cup of coffee at Disney World (not that I'm a fan of Starbucks or their coffee). It's even harder to find a good cup of coffee. The coffee at the resorts that I've had has been terrible. Disney World is definitely a soft drink driven world. I suspect it has something to do with price - doesn't it always?

Anyway, back to my point. We always like to get to the parks first thing in the morning. That being the case, it's nice to get a cup of coffee. As it turns out, you can get popcorn, ice cream and Coke first thing in the morning, but finding coffee takes some doing. So, I'm glad to see them adding this coffee and pastry stand. Plus adding it outside the park means we can save even more time inside the park. Thank you Mickey Mouse!

Disney attendance sources: flying vs driving

Something that I've wondered about for sometime is how many people drive to Disney World vs how many people fly. I came across these figure in an article in the Orlando Business Journal. It actually breaks it down even more.

Walt Disney World's travel mix

Drive attendance

• Florida residents: 15 percent
• Out-of-state: 30 percent

Fly-In attendance

• Domestic: 35 percent
• International: 20 percent

If you can't pinch pennies, you can at least squish them

I discovered the joy of collecting pressed pennies on our last trip. Actually, I used it to mollify my 4 year old son. No matter where we went he wanted to stay there there forever! It didn't matter if we went to one of the parks, a water park or a resort for dinner, he was sold. I began using the penny "squishers" as he called them to convince him that there were other places to go and see. I told him he could get one "squished" penny each day. He looked forward to getting his squished penny each day and would dream about where we were going tomorrow so he could think about where he would get his penny. At the end of the week, the pennies served as reminders to him where he had been and how much fun he had been. They were a fairly inexpensive treasure to him.

I've put together a checklist of locations of penny squishers. I'm not positive if it's completely up-to-date or not, but it's a good starting point. If you have any updates, let me know.

Free Things at Disney World

1. "Co-pilot" the monorail - Just ask the cast member if you can ride up front. If nobody else has asked, they will usually let you ride. It's limited to 4 people. No strollers. They will give you an official monorail co-pilot's license at the end of your trip. Update: Since the Monorail crash in 2009, Disney is no longer allowing guests in the pilot's cabin.
2. Have Your Picture Taken - There are "Passport Photographers" throughout the parks who will take your picture and give you an id tag which you can use to retrieve your pictures on-line later. Even if you don't want to purchase the pictures from Disney the photographers are great because they are happy to take a picture with your camera, too. So just let them take your picture and ask them to take shot with your camera, too. That way you can get great shots with your entire family in them for free!
   
3. "Co-pilot" the paddle boat in the Magic Kingdom. I've never tried this personally, but I've been told it works just the monorail.
   
4. Transportation trading cards (ask Monorail workers, bus drivers, and boat workers) We found about these on our last trip. It sure made waiting a lot more fun. We usually didn't bother bus drivers during busy times. We were able to collect all the bus cards. We lacked only a couple of the monorail cards.
   
5. Club Cool - Sample free Coke from around the world in Epcot near Test Track. I've heard Beverly is especially good, hehe!
   
6. Ice water at restaurants - This is a real money saver! You can get free ice water at any restaurant. It's a lot better than getting it from the water fountains which are often not cold.
   
7. Waking up Tinkerbell - I had never heard of this one before but I'm looking forward to trying it on our next trip. In Tinkerbell's Treasures, located behind Cinderella Castle, you can request to wake up Tinkerbell if you are the first one there in the morning. If you arrive and Tinkerbell is not flying around the shop, just ask one of the CM's if you can wake her up. [Note: With the refurbishment of this shop, this has changed substantially and is now done several times during the day. The "drawer" where Tink used to "sleep" is gone, but the concept is essentially the same.]
   
8. Paintbrushes on Tom Sawyer's Island - This is one of those things that I've been told about but never been able to find. At the beginning of the day, Cast Members hide a number of paint brushes on Tom Sawyer's Island. They look like they've been used for white washing. If you find one and take to a CM, they will give you a reward.
   
9. Build a robot - In Epcot you can build your own robot. Update: When Sum of All Thrills went in, the build a robot area was removed.
   
10. Segway experience - In Epcot there is a free Segway experience where you can ride a Segway.
    
11. Charm Lanyard at Epcot - In Epcot Sharpie sponsors a free charm lanyard where kids can collect various charms at the Future World pavilions.
    
12. Mask with Charms at World Showcase - Similarly, in World Showcase they can collect charms in country and add them to a mask. Our kids really enjoyed this since it gave them something to look for in each country and a way to interact with somebody from that country.
    
13. Campfire sing-a-long and movie at Fort Wilderness - Outside the parks, you can still have fun. The campfire sing-a-long at Fort Wilderness is one of the neatest things that Disney offers. The outdoor movie is just a great way to watch a Disney classic. It makes you miss drive-ins.
    
14. Lobby tour at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge - We often take days off from the parks while on vacation. Sometimes we have gone and visited some of the other resorts on these days. I didn't realize there were official tours available, but now that I do, I'll be checking into these.
    

Can my child handle Expedition Everest?

I came across this question on a forum and thought I'd share my experience. I have 3 kids - 2 girls and a boy. My girls are 15 months apart followed by my son who is 3 years younger. On our first trip where the girls were tall enough to ride nearly all the rides, I wanted to encourage them to ride as many rides as possible but I didn't want to force them to ride anything. Neither of them were what I would call "thrill seekers." Neither of them had ever ridden a roller coaster before and they were both nervous about the thrill rides. My wife and I both love thrill rides and played them up.

I adopted a strategy of working from least adventurous rides to more adventurous as the trip progressed. The first "roller coaster" we did was Goofy's barn stormer. Once they realized they could live through that, we did Pirates of the Carribean. Then we did Big Thunder Mountain followed by Splash Mountain. By then end of the two weeks they were brave enough to ride Rockin' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror.

By starting with the easy rides it not only gave them the confidence they needed to try something a little scarier it helped my judge whether they could handle something a little harder. For instance, on our last trip down my son, who was 4 at the time went on Splash Mountain. He was basically petrified after the drop. I could tell that was his limit. Two day later he was begging me to let him go on ToT, but I could tell from the way he had stopped breathing for about a minute and half on Splash Mountain that ToT was going to be a bad experience for him at this point. So we decided to wait for a while.

Would you like to see what Disney World looked like in 1971?

Thanks to the wonder of YouTube you can. I came across this promo that Disney did for the park when it first opened. My first trip wasn't until 1974 and I was only 7 years old then so my memories of it are mainly centered around being terrified by Space Mountain!

So if you don't remember the swan boats (like me) or if you miss the old Tiki Room or you pine away for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Mickey Mouse Revue or the Hall of Presidents (before they ruined it) then enjoy this trip down memory lane...

Why doesn't Disney publish live wait times like Universal Studios?

Universal Studios provides real-time updated wait times for all their rides via the web at http://66.77.171.132/MobileWeb/. This allows guests to use their cell phones with web access to check wait times while in the park. In addition, it would allow some nifty data collection/prediction of crowd levels for all those ultra-planners out there. I can't think this would be all that difficult to pull off from a technical standpoint since Pal Mickey seems to know this information. So either they haven't thought of it, they don't see the value in it, or they don't want to give that data away. Seems like a cheap way to vastly improve customer service to me, much easier than the the Nintento DS solution they have been reportedly testing, anyway.

How to take pictures of yourself

Are you the designated photographer in your family? Do you feel like you view your entire trip through the view finder of your camera? When you look through your vacation album do you notice a distinct lack of you? If so, then you need to know about Disney's PhotoPass service.

With PhotoPass, Disney photographers will take your picture. They will give you a id card with a 16 digit number on it that allow you to retrieve your photos later on. The id's are small dog-tag like and come on a slikeyesque braclet so they are easy to keep with you even in the water parks. The photographers are stationed all over the parks especially in the "Kodak spots." You will rarely have to wait for a photographer. The nice thing is you can get your whole party in the picture. They will even take a picture with your personal camera! Sometimes they will even add some special magic like putting Tinkerbell, Stictch or Tigger in your picture with you.

When you are all done, you get all the images on a CD. And you own the pictures. This is very important. Unlike wedding pictures or many school pictures taken by professional photographers, you can make copies, put them on web sites or do what ever you want. These are just like you took them yourself.

Most of the people I've asked have said they get well over 100 pictures and that the photographs were so much better than anything they could take. Many said they got over 300 pictures using this service. Only a couple felt like they didn't get enough pictures to make it worth the cost. So what is the cost? Well, it currently is $129.00 but, if you pre-purchase the CD it's only $99.00. So if get 100-300 pictures it's not a bad deal. If you only get 25-50 pictures then it's not such a great deal.

Here are some tips if you use PhotoPass:

• Write down your PhotoPass id(s) or take a picture of them
• Write your initals on your PhotoPass id so you know the photographer gives you back your id
• If you pre-order the CD, save the e-mail. You'll need it when you get back.
• Your photos are only kept for 30 days, so order your CD as soon as you get back from your trip!
• Pictures from rides such as Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, etc. are not available on PhotoPass (the only exception that I know of to this is Test Track)

For more information and to pre-order your PhotoPass CD to to http://www.disneyphotopass.com/

Disney looking at using Nintendo DS systems as an interactive guide map?

In January Disney ran a trial test using Nintendo DS systems as interactive guide maps for the Magic Kingdom. Some of the features of the system were getting current wait times for all attractions; current fast pass distribution for rides; shortest paths from your current location (yes, it has GPS built in) to attractions , bathrooms, restaurants, characters, etc.; restaurant menus; and games. Evidently the various games can only be unlocked while standing outside of the attraction related to the game. Thus, it gives you something to pass the time while standing in line. Pretty clever.

For more information and a first hand account see the following links:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2687886&postcount=95
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2687890&postcount=96
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2687910&postcount=98