Most heavily traveled

Most heavily traveled
Ryan P. Wilson

In the past decade, Disney, and more specifically Walt Disney World, has realized that small collectibles are a great way to engage guests. Not only was this seen as a way for guests to interact with one another, but also with Cast Members in the parks and around property. One such method that was used to foster these interactions were the Official Walt Disney World Transportation Collector Cards.

Numbering eighteen total cards, each card represented one of the various forms of transportation: buses, watercraft, or monorail. Buses and watercraft each were given three cards, leaving transports like the Friendships out, and the monorail had twelve cards, one for each color monorail. On the front of each card there was an illustration of each transportation method along with a character mascot. The mascots ran the gamut from classic characters (Mickey, Minnie), animation stars (Cinderella, Simba), Pixar headliners (Woody, Sulley), and even a theme park character (Figment). The flip side of the cards were jam packed with information. Each card included a question about the character mascot, a Walt Disney World Hidden Mickey clue, a Hidden Mickey in the card’s illustration, and trivia on the specific vehicle pictured.

Now that we’ve discussed the way the cards looked, lets actually take a peak at them, shall we?

Pub Grub

Pub Grub
Tony Caggiano

On every trip I make to Walt Disney World, I do my best to try something new, especially when it comes to food. I enjoy the journey and exploration of new culinary experiences almost as much as I enjoy the attractions themselves. And while there is a certain excitement attached to each new restaurant and menu sampling, there is also a side of me which craves nothing more than what I know and love, that something tried and true which I look forward to returning for trip after trip, time and time again.

One such comfort zone for me is Epcot’s Rose and Crown Dining Room. Located in the United Kingdom pavilion of World Showcase, the Rose and Crown has been around as long as Epcot itself. I remember coming here for dinner as a boy, a tradition that has continued nearly every year since. In fact, it is a rare trip that does not find us dining here at some point.On this particular trip we had made an ADR for lunch on the day of our arrival. A quick flight and smooth sailing through the Magical Express lines brought us to the door of the pub slightly ahead of schedule and we were seated in no time. During these meals, I find a certain satisfaction in knowing that just a few hours ago I was back home, in this case in the snow, and that now I am I sitting pretty with my vacation laid out before me… but I digress.

The menu at Rose and Crown is a mixture of tradition British fare, nothing terrible exotic, but more or less good old comfort food. Menu selections include, but are not limited to, the delicious English-style Rose and Crown Meat and Cheese selection, an incredible Shepard’s Pie, which I have enjoyed on far more than one occasion, and their number one crowd pleaser, Harry Ramsden’s Fish and Chips.

This day, my wife Charlene and I were in agreement on all of our selections, which is a rare thing indeed. For an appetizer we chose the Scotch Eggs, which are hard boiled eggs, coated in a very tasty sausage mixture and then fried. They are served with a Frisee, green bean salad and toasts. The key to this delicious appetizer, at least in my opinion, lies in the Mustard Sauce that accompanies the dish. The creamy hard cooked eggs covered in the slightly spicy sausage come together with well-balanced flavors. The mustard sauce, with just a hint of sinus clearing spice, brings it all together perfectly.

For our entrée, my wife and I were once again on the same page, so to speak, and we both ordered the Bangers and Mash. The dish consists of traditional English sausages, served with braised Napa cabbage and bacon, along with mashed potatoes and shallot gravy. While the bangers are technically the star of this dish, I think the cabbage and bacon stole the show. The tender, yet slightly firm, preparation combined with the salty smoke of the bacon made for a side which I could eat as the entrée itself. This delectable and rich plate was just what the doctor ordered on a cooler than average day at Epcot.

While I suppose I am letting some of you down when I tell you that we did not have dessert this day, as we were just about full from the two courses topped with the obligatory pint of Guinness, Charlene thought it best to stop early so as to not leave ourselves sluggish with a day of park going ahead of us. I myself felt it was best to leave just a bit of room for later, as you never know what will tickle your palate’s fancy as you wander World Showcase on day one of your holiday, as they say across the pond.

Disney Host Interactive

Disney Host Interactive
Ryan P. Wilson

Growing up, long before I knew the carefully crafted stories of the attractions, I dreamed up stories of other adventures the characters had when guests weren’t around. In those days, I would have given anything for a set of stories that actually brought this world of ideas to life. I may have had to wait a few extra years into adulthood for stories like this, but Ridley Pearson’s Kingdom Keepers has been well worth the wait.

There is a suspension of disbelief to these stories, as there are not actually any DHIs wandering around the parks (that we are aware of), but isn’t that the point of Walt Disney World? To use our imaginations to uncover what could be possible?

The release of the third installment in the chronicles of the Kingdom Keepers, entitled Disney In Shadow, is happening today, with a signing taking place at Downtown Disney’s Once Upon A Toy. I was lucky enough recently to talk briefly with Ridley about the world of the Kingdom Keepers and the road ahead. For the Gazette’s readers out there, this is required reading before you rush out and pick up your copy today, which I wholeheartedly believe you should.

MSG: Which park have you most enjoyed researching and writing about?
RP: Each park has its own personality. It's a thrill to get backstage and meet Cast Members at each site. Lately I've been hyper-focused on Epcot and Hollywood Studios, so they are both high on my list right now. But ask me again in another year (another book!).

MSG: What one attraction did you look at and immediately know there was a story to be written there?
RP: It would actually be hard to name one that did not strike me that way. But I must say, when I was in Small World, alone (with must my Imagineer guide) with the lights and music shut off, and I saw a doll move (the Imagineer says "that can't happen," but what does he know?) it immediately struck me as a scene in the first book.

MSG: Is there an Imagineer or Cast Member that you have met that you based Wayne upon?
RP: Wayne is a Cast Member who works on Splash Mountain. People who ride that attraction meet him and can't believe it's actually him. But that's where he's hiding from the Overtakers.

MSG: We have met a plethora of Overtakers in the first two books, any chance of the Keepers getting some help from the 'good characters' in Disney in Shadow?
RP: The good characters are on the rise! Stay tuned!

MSG: We've met two Fairlies now in Jez and Amanda. As the series continues are we bound to find more in the parks?
RP: The Fairlies are a story, and a possible series, of their own. Jez (or Jess, as she's sometimes called) and Amanda play increasingly important roles as the series goes on.

MSG: If you had to pick one spot in any park in Walt Disney World to hide the black plastic fob, where would you hide it and why?
RP: First, you have to hide the fob, because it has to be there for you to Return. The Keepers hide it in the park in which they want to return the next time they cross over. In KKIII a mistake is made with the fob that grows costly. A tip: KKIV is centered around the importance of the fob (spoiler alert: for BOTH sides!)

Thank you so much to Ridley Pearson for taking the time to share some of his insights (and hints!) into the world of the Keepers! We can’t wait to see what happens next!

For more information on the Kingdom Keepers and all of Ridley’s other endeavors, be sure to check out The Official Website of Ridley Pearson. As for today’s signing, keep your eyes to the horizon for a report of the event.

The World of Yesterday

The World of Yesterday
Tony Caggiano

While digging through the crates, as I so often do, I happened to stumble upon some vacation photos from long, long ago. These photos, dated 1975, were all taken along everyone’s favorite thoroughfare, our beloved Main Street USA. I am lucky enough to have a lot of photos from my Walt Disney World visits of the past. However, the thing that caught my attention in these particular pics is that even though Main Street U.S.A. has been there since 1971, there have been a few changes made and a few favorites lost.In our first photo, we are being treated to a performance of the Walt Disney World marching band. While the costumes have changes a bit over the years, the real extinct attraction that caught my eye was the Hallmark Card Shop in the background. The shop was closed in 1985, to make room for the Disney Clothiers. The photograph also has a view of West Center Street, which became a victim of progress when it was built over in the 2001 Emporium expansion.In our second photo, we are treated to the big cheese himself, Mickey Mouse, visiting with parade watchers as he strolls down Main Street during the afternoon parade. While it is always fun to see vintage Mickey roaming the park, a look toward the far sidewalk shows us a long lost view of the sign for the Tobacconist shop as well as Casey’s Corner, then know as Refreshment Corner. While I would have to agree that the Tobacconist shop had worn out its welcome, I am a happy that the Refreshment Corner has had a second life as Casey’s Corner, a Magic Kingdom landmark!The final picture is far and away my favorite. This long lost view is one that nearly brings a tear to my eye every time I walk down Main Street USA. As a little boy, and continuing up through my early twenties, The House of Magic was always a personal favorite of mine. I can remember as though it were yesterday, walking into the shop, admiring the masks on the wall behind the counter and sifting through the many silly tricks and treats the store had to offer. This was always a treat for boys and girls of all ages.

If you look closely, you can see the face of a little three and a half year old boy, the same age my own son is now, gazing skyward at a glorious and magical collection of original Mickey shaped balloons. That is, of course, yours truly, as I was setting off down the path to Disney World geekdom, a path which I travel to this day. Unfortunately, my own little guys will never have the pleasure of visiting the House of Magic, but with every loss we gain something new. That means it is my job to make sure that years from now, they look upon the photos of their own Walt Disney World vacations of the past with the same longing and nostalgia that I do when I look upon these pictures.

Disney This Week - 4 April 2010

Disney This Week - 4 April 2010
Ryan P. Wilson

I don’t have a fear of snakes, but plenty of people do, including Indiana Jones. Princess Fee takes us to Disneyland Paris this week on DF’82 and asks the question, “Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?”

Sticking with his history of the Swiss Family Treehouse, Kevin Kidney offers up some delightful tales from the Moreton Bay Fig Tree and the film set treehouse built in Tobago Treehouse.

Tim Weston began a hefty chore this week when he began compiling a list of the power outlets in Walt Disney World for the readers of The Daily Mickey.

Concept art has been released for the refurbished Cantina De San Angel, and it is unsurprising that our good friend AJ, of the Disney Food Blog, has the scoop.

Always one to make dreams come true, Lou Mongello and The Dream Team Project, announced this week that they are now sponsors of Make-A-Wish Foundation of America.

Photographer Gene Duncan showcased a marvelous photograph of Morocco’s cabbage patch and Aladdin topiary over at the Disney Parks Blog.

Glitz and the glitter

Glitz and the glitter
Ryan P. Wilson

Main Street U.S.A. was plucked from the memories of Walt Disney and his life in a small town Midwestern town. Meanwhile, across property, the boulevards of Disney’s Hollywood Studio exemplify a golden era of Hollywood that may, or may not, have existed. Even as this golden age is in flux, there is truth and stories to be found in the architecture presented along these roads. One fine example can be observed at the end of Sunset Boulevard. The shop may be known as Once Upon A Time, but the building is the Carthay Circle Theater.

Built as a silent picture movie house in 1926, Carthay Circle Theater had fifteen hundred and eighteen seats, and rivaled Grauman’s Chinese Theater in opulence. From the tile work to the top of the tower, fountains, reliefs, busts, chandeliers, and paintings filled this single screen theater. This monument to Spanish Baroque architecture was the work of A. Dwight Gibbs, who also designed the Mesa Theatre and helped design the Pasadena Playhouse. You can see the Carthay Circle Theater in all of its splendor below in a photograph from the Los Angeles Times photographic archive, the film being shown in the photograph is Life of Emile Zola.Eventually sound, and other technological advancements in the field of film, forced the Carthay Circle Theater to evolve, but there was one film advancement he could not compete with, the multiplex. In 1968, the theater shuttered its doors and drew the curtains down for the last time. The grand theater was torn down and two office buildings, divided by a park, were built in the space in the 1970s.

So, where does Carthay Circle Theater fit into the Disney story? As it turns out, the theater was the venue chosen to host the premiere of Walt Disney’s first animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The premiere was such a success that there were, reportedly, thirty thousand people on the streets outside who could not get in to attend the premiere. Bringing the story of Disney and the theater full circle, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ premiere at the Carthay Circle Theater is immortalized in a series of three photographs found behind one of the registers in Once Upon A Time.

Life and art in miniature

Life and art in miniature
Tony Caggiano

Every year I do my best to schedule a trip down to Walt Disney World sometime in the spring so that I can be sure to catch a glimpse of the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. As a homeowner, I am an avid gardener and, while I enjoy the manicured grounds and gardens of Walt Disney World every trip, the festival always seems to bring that little something extra for those with a green thumb to enjoy.

As I wandered through World Showcase during the opening weekend of the festival this year, I was stopped in my tracks by one particular display. Along World Showcase Lagoon, actually over the water, in the Japan pavilion, I discover the most beautiful display of Japanese Bonsai. Always a fan of this art form, I found myself completely enamored with this year’s display.

When I returned home from my trip, I spent several hours looking up information on bonsai, hoping to learn more about these amazing little creations. More than giving a lesson on bonsai, I wanted to show some photos of these trees here so that others could admire this beauty in miniature. These particular trees were on loan from members of The Bonsai Societies of Florida.For me, spending some time, contemplating their beauty and admiring the effort and ingenuity that goes into their creation, was a welcomed respite from a hectic day of attraction hopping at the parks.