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Annual Pass unsolicited opinions Vegetarian SAVE MONEY!!!!! Holy tonga toast Batman! MNSSHP magical express not for kids final arrangements DISNEYLAND PARIS road trip! bright ideas easily entertained planning Entries/2008/7/1_Annual_Pass.htmlEntries/2008/7/3_Unsolicited_Opinions.htmlEntries/2008/6/19_Vegetarian_at_WDW.htmlEntries/2008/6/1_Save_Money.htmlEntries/2008/5/30_Lagoon_View_Club_Level_-_For_the_Weekend.htmlEntries/2008/8/24_Mickeys_Not_So_Scary_Halloween_Party.htmlEntries/2008/4/8_Top_Ten_Transportation_Tips.htmlEntries/2008/7/1_Not_For_Kids.htmlEntries/2008/4/16_When_I_die_I_want_to_be_Flushed_Down_the_Toilet_at_Disneys_Polynesian_Resort.htmlEntries/2008/8/24_Disneyland_Paris.htmlEntries/2008/3/8_All_Roads_Lead_to_Disney.htmlEntries/2008/7/3_Bright_Ideas.htmlEntries/2008/8/24_Easily_Entertained.htmlEntries/2008/7/18_planning.htmlEntries/2008/10/3_.htmlshapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2shapeimage_3_link_3shapeimage_3_link_4shapeimage_3_link_5shapeimage_3_link_6shapeimage_3_link_7shapeimage_3_link_8shapeimage_3_link_9shapeimage_3_link_10shapeimage_3_link_11shapeimage_3_link_12shapeimage_3_link_13
photo of the day check out our October 11, 2008 Tightening the Belt I was reading a message on one of the forums written by someone who was asking for advice for paying for her trip. She said that she was $40 short and needed to pay the balance - she wondered if WDW would give her an extension until she got her paycheck. I have some advice for her. (read more) October 9, 2008 Tables in Wonderland Do you ever wonder, as do I, what goes on in the mind of marketing people? I guess somebody got paid a whole bunch of money to rename what used to be called “Disney’s Dining Experience” to “Tables in Wonderland”. I guess it doesn’t matter much to me, so long as they don’t change the actual benefits of it. (read more) October 3, 2008 Vegetarian WDW - The Wave The relatively new restaurant, “The Wave” at WDW’s Contemporary Resort seems like just one more bland thing that Disney has done to that resort. First they make the lobby look like a Marriott Hotel lobby, then they relocate and scale down the best arcade (my favorite, anyway) on the property, then they get rid of one of my favorite lounges at WDW (The “Outer Rim”, with it’s nice view of the lake and the monorail zipping overhead). And finally they open a new, disappointing restaurant. (read more) October 2, 2008 No More Very Merry Un-Birthdays For You! In its effort to create magical moments for guests, WDW, as usual, created a monster. People with birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations could expect special treatment while at the parks. My nephew, for example, got little birthday cakes, free desserts and other treats, and restaurant staffs made a big fuss over him when we were there on his birthday. I’ve heard of people that expect all kinds of perks if they declare that it is their special day - fast passes, room upgrades, generally royal treatment from everyone. Like they say, no good deed goes unpunished. (read more) September 30, 2008 A Good Time To Go Turns out Fall might be my favorite time at WDW. There’s a Halloween party 9 different nights in September and 15 in October, and EPCOT’s International Food and Wine Festival goes from the end of September until early November and so there really is double the fun-o-rama. (read more) September 28, 2008 Just Go To Bed Lauren and I just got back from our stay at the Beach Club and - one word - “Fun-o-rama”. I’ll be blathering on about this trip for weeks, which was about 99.99% great. We’d never stayed at the Beach Club before but have now added it to the list of approved resorts that are safe for trips with Brian (he won’t hate it - it’s nice.) The service and the atmosphere compare favorably to that of non-WDW hotels in the same price range and its proximity to EPCOT (5 min walk) makes it a keeper. I have just the one complaint. (read more) September 11, 2008 The UK’s WDW Website is More Fun I’ve always wondered why you can’t do more at disneyworld.com. It’s often a monster of a website that is not as easy to maneuver as it should be - which surprises me given the money and resources Disney has and how creative they can be. (read more) September 10, 2008 Everybody Loves Free Stuff Since Disney loves to price gouge and take advantage of the fact that we who love WDW will obviously accept any ridiculous park ticket price increase or room rate they dream up (and thank them for the privilege of paying it), it is especially important not just to look for the deals, but also for the free stuff. (read more) September 8, 2008 House of Blues Orlando Lauren says that I have the same taste in music as 14 year old skateboarders and maybe she’s right. A couple of years ago I made her go with me to the House of Blues at Downtown Disney to see Yellowcard. (I like them - what’s it to you?) We went to dinner at Cinderella’s Castle at the Magic Kingdom and then we went to the concert. It was a super magical evening with a whole lot of young teenage boys...and their moms. Hey, I’m not embarrassed. I like who I like. (read more) August 28, 2008 Making Friends At WDW While it’s fun to chat with strangers when I’m on vacation, I don’t form any real friendships. I might tell a mom that her kids are cute or exchange idle chatter on the monorail, but I guess I’m not exactly the friendliest person at the happiest place on earth. I’m spending time with Lauren and want to use the time to catch up with her - and I never really gave it any thought. Until my Mother-in-law came with us to WDW. (read more) Bring Home A Little Magic When I get back from WDW at the end of September I will bring up the Halloween decorations from the basement and start decorating. I love all my Halloween stuff but without a doubt the best thing I have is my “life sized” hitchhiking ghost from the haunted mansion. Plug him in and he lights up with a very sickly green glow - I wish I had all three of them. Putting him out in the front lawn gives me a kind of pleasure that should, I admit, be reserved for more important things, but what do you want me to say? I love him! (read more) August 24, 2008 Countdown to MNSSHP For us, MNSSHP (Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party) is coming up soon, the end of September. We got lazy and bought boxed costumes for the party but at least this year people will know who we are supposed to be, as opposed to last year when we were these kind of nondescript fairies. This year I’m the evil queen from Snow White   and Lauren will be Ariel, the Little Mermaid. (read more) August 22, 2008 Walt Disney World Moms Panel Are you al least 18 years old and have access to the internet? Love WDW, speak English, want to go to WDW in December? You might as well apply for the Moms Panel! (read more) August 20, 2008 Fear of Flying Someone on one of the message boards asked for advice about air travel for people who are afraid to fly and 90% of those who responded had the same solution - drugs. “Call your doctor and ask for a prescription for ________.” (The most popular seems to be Xanax.) I had no idea so many people were medicated on their flight to Orlando International Airport. (read more) August 18, 2008 Final Thoughts - Disneyland Paris I need to give Disneyland Paris another chance someday - the very next time I am in Paris I will do just that. (read more) August 17, 2008 Party of Two at Pirates of the Caribbean You know how they take pictures of you on some of the rides? They do it on Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland Paris. I don’t know why I bought one - I guess because it says “Disneyland Resort Paris” on it. And Brian always said that this was his favorite ride when he was little. (read more) August 16, 2008 Just Another One of the Clueless Masses at Disneyland Paris I now realize how I take for granted how well I know WDW in Florida and underestimate how uncomfortable it can be when you don’t know what you are doing at a busy theme park. Honestly, going to Disney without doing any planning or research in advance is not the experience it should be. (read more) August 15, 2008 Phantom Manor The Haunted Mansion in Disneyland Paris is called Phantom Manor and the differences between it and WDW’s Haunted Mansion do not end with the name. It’s really cool! (read more) August 14, 2008 When You Know Better You Do Better Isn’t that what Maya Angelou always says? Maybe she didn’t mean this in a vacation context, but it applies. Because this time at Disney I was one of those people - the kind I feel sorry for at WDW. One who shows up not having done any research and had wanders around looking perplexed and annoyed. (read more) August 13, 2008 It Was Disney - Just a Little Less Perky We just got back from Sicily, Amsterdam, and Paris, yes, Paris, the city with the Disney Park. Seriously, I wasn’t even going to mention it to Brian because, well, you know, it wouldn’t be his first priority. But he brought it up - actually he pretty much insisted we go! (What a prince!) I have so much to tell you about a) the mistakes I made getting to Disneyland Paris on the train from Paris, b) the mistakes I made getting the park tickets, c) the mistakes I made touring the park, and d) the mistake I made thinking it was a good idea to bring Brian to DLP. I’ll also be telling you/whining to you about the mistakes I think Paris makes with their Disney park, so “Please stand clear of the doors - Por favor mantengan se alejado de las puertas.” I’ll be writing a lot for awhile! Starting tomorrow. I have a couple of thousand loads of laundry to do today and friends coming over for dinner. July 20, 2008 Just One Day In The Parks Pretend for whatever reason you only have one day at WDW from the opening of the turnstyles in the morning to the end of an after hours, specially ticketed event at night. (We’ll also pretend that this wouldn’t be one big and potentially overwhelming day.) I’ll tell you what I’d do. (read more) July 18, 2008 The Final Word on the Refillable Mug Walt Disney World’s refillable mug, the source of bitter controversy throughout the Disney faithful worldwide, is a plastic mug like the one above that can be purchased at your WDW resort for about $12.00. On that we can all agree. (read more) July 15, 2008 The Family of Five We are a family of three but we’ve traveled to WDW with groups of extended family and friends and know that most of the resort rooms are made for four people. What’s a family of five (or more) supposed to do to when they want to go to WDW and they don’t want to break the bank? (read more) July 14, 2008 Come Play With Us Danny. Join us. Like any really rabid fan of anything, Deadheads, Yankees fans, Obama supporters, we who love Disney can seem a little scary. Ours is a world of fantasy run amuck, and we don’t like letting go of the feeling we get from Disney parks, movies, or music. Is there some kind of arrestment of emotional or mental development that has caused us to want to retreat to this Fantasyland? (read more) July 13, 2008 Easily Entertained - The Dragon Legend Acrobats I remember one day years ago telling a friend how interesting World Showcase was - she told me that she’d rather just take her kids to the real countries. Only she never did. (read more) July 11, 2008 It’s Not The Heat - It’s The Humidity It had been an extremely hot day at the Magic Kingdom and it wasn’t cooling off A family of five were leaving about 6:00 PM when Lauren and I were coming back in for the evening. They looked miserable, not the way people should look when they are exiting the happiest place on earth. The mom and dad looked shell shocked and the kids beet red, sweaty, and beside themselves with raw emotion. The littlest girl, about 5 years old, was screaming. “I’m hot! I’m thirsty! I don’t want to go back to the hotel! I want a Tinkerbell costume! I want it! I want it!” (read more) July 9, 2008 The Kiss Goodnight About seven or eight years ago I was having some time to myself at WDW and decided to stay late at the Magic Kingdom and witness what I wasn’t even really sure actually existed - the “Kiss Goodnight.” (read more) July 7, 2008 Tailor Made Disney - The Reluctant Visitor When we are taking someone with us to WDW that isn’t all that into it, like Brian, we have a policy - tailor the trip to the person who is most likely to complain. It’s really easy because WDW has something for everyone, and so we just plan the activities accordingly. (read more) July 6, 2008 Disney’s Dining Experience I love mail from Disney. Sometimes it’s the free planning video, and sometimes it’s the Pirates and Princess party tickets - but today it was my DDE card . That’s right, I am now a card carrying member of the Disney Dining Experience. (read more) July 4, 2008 Vegetarian WDW - Victoria & Albert’s In the ongoing struggle to convince Brian that he should love WDW as much as Lauren and I do, I tailor trips to his tastes when he joins us there. Brian has never had a meal at Chef Mickey’s and he never will. But I love showing him the really wonderful restaurants that WDW has to offer, and the mack daddy of them all is Victoria and Albert’s. (read more) July 3, 2008 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Tickets for “Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party” are on sale and and I already have mine. (read more) July 1, 2008 Dis-Pleasure at Pleasure Island Read all about it: The party’s over. Three months from now the lights will go out in WDW Pleasure Island’s 6 night clubs in an apparent attempt to add restaurants and make the area more family friendly. Personally, it’s no skin off my nose. I wasn’t a huge fan of the clubs anyway. The last time I was there Lauren, Nicole (Brian’s 28 year old sister) and I went to Mannequin’s. I basically sat there watching the purses, nursing a way too expensive drink while the girls danced, and people watching - I think I got a clue that night of what was to come at PI. (read more) June 28, 2008 The New York Times is Just Now Figuring This Out I know I seem good natured when people tease me about liking WDW. After all, I know why people don’t like it - they either have preconceived notions and haven’t been there for awhile or they’ve gone and experienced it all wrong. That, or their hearts are hardened into shriveled, cynical, and ironic little balls and they don’t have the capacity to find real pleasure in anything. I’m not the one to judge. (read more) June 27, 2008 If You Are Missing WDW... So when I first started staying at WDW resorts I used to really look forward to the wake up call. I would dive over whoever else was sleeping in the room to get the phone so that I could hear this: //www.wdisneyw.co.uk/photos/wakeup.wav I loved starting the day off that way! But a couple of years ago I was rudely awakened - by Stitch. They’d changed the wake up call to include him just him and I guess if you are a big Stitch fan you’ll love this - you can make it your ring tone! //www.myxer.com/get/item/iPhone/171857/ http://www.myxer.com/ringtone:171857/ I am old school and miss the original classic Mickey wake up call, but for those of you who accept change a little better, enjoy! June 25, 2008 Now Where Did I Put My Autograph Book? More importantly, do I even own an autograph book? Better buy one, because we’re staying at the Beach Club in September and word is that’s where all the movie stars stay! (read more) June 23, 2008 WDW Solo I can’t help it - I like being at WDW by myself once in awhile. It seems selfish, childish, and even a little pathetic, but I can’t help loving it. (read more) June 20, 2008 Top Ten Things to do on a Rainy Day at WDW First thing you should know - I don’t do ponchos. You know, those ugly yellow or white things that get to be like 150 degrees inside and feel like you are wearing a painter’s drop cloth. I am aware that some people love them and actually pray for rain so that they take advantage of low crowd levels at the parks but that’s just not me. If I were at WDW today, let’s say staying at the Polynesian and it was one of those “not-letting-up-all-day” kind of rains as opposed to a “ it’s-Florida-it’s just-a-brief-cloudburst-it’ll-be-over-quick” kind of rains I would do one or more of ten things. (read more) June 18, 2008 The Top Ten Worst Jobs at WDW Did you know that if a CM - cast member (all WDW employees are called “cast members because they are all considered “on stage”) is observed being not-so-Disney-friendly with a guest he is sent away to be “pixie dusted”? God only knows what that’s all about. (read more) June 14, 2008 The “S” Word OK so I know that when I’ve just spent all that money on airfare and lodging at WDW the last thing I should be doing is Shopping, but shopping is fun at WDW. It didn’t used to be. Ten years ago it seemed like all of WDW was one big souvenir shop, even at World Showcase. It seemed like the countries represented were just gathering up all the shit that no one was buying at home and packing it off to WDW where apparently the tourists would buy anything. This has changed. (read more) June 12, 2008 Vegetarian at WDW - Tokyo Dining I hadn’t had a meal in the Japan Pavilion at WDW since Lauren was six years old and I got terrible food poisoning at the hibachi restaurant. I guess I hold a grudge. (read more) June 7, 2008 Pinch Those Pennies So I have no business planning a trip to WDW but I am anyway. For me, seeing how low I can go, planning the cheapest trip possible is almost as fun as the trip itself. (read more) June 5, 2008 Moneysaving Tips for the Unscrupulous I love saving money at WDW and get lots of tips on the Disney message boards. There are tips, and then there are TIPS ON ACID. I’m not sure if there is anything some of those folks won’t do to save a few bucks, and in fact, the main thing I’ve learned from them is that if you have no shame, you can do just that in a myriad of ways at WDW. I’ve compiled the best *cough* unorthodox ways that I’ve uncovered to stay on that budget, and here they are. I like to call them Moneysaving H.E.L.P.S. for WDW (read more) June 3, 2008 Spend a day at the resorts and save money Here’s a tip worth mentioning: Don’t buy park passes for every single day of your WDW vacation. Reserve at least one of those days for a huge and sometimes overlooked “attraction” - the free stuff at the resorts. For your next seven day vacation. buy a six day hopper pass and spend the seventh day taking advantage of all kinds of stuff. (read more) May 31, 2008 Top Ten Ways to Whip Your Kids Into a Pre-Trip Frenzy Ten or so years ago we were planning a trip with my sisters and their families. My sisters and I had gone to Walt Disney World many times with our parents but my nephews had never been there and I was excited for them to see it. I imagine that they were looking forward to a vacation with us, but I didn’t think there was any way they could imagine the grandeur of WDW. In any case, I was more excited about the trip than they were and was looking for fun things to do so I spent my time planning all kinds of pre-trip surprises for them. (read more) May 30. 2008 Lagoon View Club Level - Weekend Rates I don’t usually like to admit even to myself how much I’ve spent on a room at WDW. It’s always about getting the best rate possible, but lots of time the best rate is still pretty expensive. Especially when you want to stay at the Polynesian Resort. And it’s not value season. And if it’s over a weekend. And you want a view of the lagoon. And you want club level. (read more) May 16, 2008 Vegetarian at WDW - The California Grill When we first started going to WDW often a dozen years ago or so, they were not so vegetarian friendly, and we’d go to restaurants for their cute theme and not the food. But times have changed, and continue to change, as Disney makes an effort to feed “we who do not eat meat” and not bore us to tears in the process. A vegan might have a harder time, but those of us who are lacto-ovo vegetarians can stuff ourselves silly all over Disney World. (read more) May 14, 2008 Do The Math So I renewed the APs (annual passes). Brian said to me, “For Mother’s Day, why don’t you renew your passes (and I had already done it! Oops!). I just think it’s silly to think that I won’t be going enough this year to make it worth my while. It’s a clear money saver; isn’t it? Let’s do the math. (read more) May 13, 2008 Dance Party! I know that lots of people think that WDW’s increasing trend to offer after hours, separately ticketed parties is a blatant scam and not fair to those that have already purchases park passes. They see it as just one more way for Disney to price gouge, forcing people to shell out extra cash in order to stay in the Magic Kingdom until midnight. As much as I love to save money at WDW, this is just not something that I get upset about. In fact - Hey Disney Corporation, here’s my wallet! Empty it out, because I love these parties! I’ve decided that one man’s scam is another’s dance party. (read more) May 7, 2008 Throw Away Your Garden Tools The trouble with WDW is that it does things so well it ruins other things for me forever. I could go to botanical gardens. I could go to my park. I can plant my own garden. Or I can just go to the annual EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival. (read more) May 6, 2008 Just Back From the Boardwalk - Best Trip Ever! Hold on to your hats for this big news - we didn’t stay at the Polynesian last weekend. Lauren I just got back from a little getaway to the Boardwalk Villas... (read more) April 21, 2008 Good Girls Went Wild at Chef Mickey’s The character breakfast at Chef Mickey’s is kind of like an elementary school rave - hundreds of little kids dancing, singing, yelling, and all of them seem either medicated or in need of their meds, I can never tell which. It really is quite the spectacle. (read more) April 19, 2008 Commencing Countdown, Engines On Like any other self respecting WDW fanatic I keep a countdown clock running on my mac’s dashboard, and a countdown calendar on any posts that I make on the message boards like this to make it easier for anyone who wants to break in my house and steal all my stuff while we are gone. About that, Brian is staying home this time, with lots of weapons and that horrible disposition of his, so all you robbers out there, I wouldn’t try anything this time. (read more) April 16, 2008 When I Die I Want To Be Flushed Down The Toilet At WDW’s Polynesian Resort I read somewhere that Disney World recycles their water and that water that goes down the drain gets reused to water the gardens. My theory is that if my ashes are flushed, I will be “reborn” in the Fantasia topiaries - or something like that. (read more)  April 14, 2008 The Early Bird Special at the California Grill We have 5:30 Advanced Dining Reservations at the California Grill in May. (They call them ADRs and not reservations because they aren’t really holding a table for you - just the chance for a table. Just part of the Disney “magic”, I suppose, and if you believe and you wish hard enough you’ll get to eat.) I didn’t want to have dinner at 5:30, I wanted 7:30 or 8:00, but that was all that was available, and I was calling a month in advance. With those popular dining plans at WDW, the restaurants are becoming so busy that only a crazy person would show up without any ADRs. (read more) April 10, 2008 Disney Without Children (By Design) I am a parent. My child is grown now, but I did the whole kid thing and it was super freaking rewarding, I assure you. However at this point in my life, sometimes I just want to do things without kids around. (read more) April 8, 2008  Top Ten Transportation Tips Walt Disney World is expensive and one thing you can do to save money is us their massive transportation system. It has its drawbacks but the more you know about it the better off you’ll be. (read more) April 6, 2008 What Were They Thinking? So this is old news to Disney World apostles - WDW has apparently raised the price of double strollers by $13.00 (single ones by $5.00 ) making the double ones now $31.00 a day to rent. Is this a declaration of war, as parents seem to think it is? And have they hired on the extra manpower they undoubtably need to handle the flood of complaints? They’d better have. (read more) April 4, 2008 Take Time to Smell the Baked Goods I’m well aware that many people find it odd that I go to Walt Disney World as often as I do and wonder how in the world I’m not tired of going to an amusement park all the time. My answer? Walt Disney World is not an amusement park. (read more) April 1, 2008 A Little Cheese With That Whine? Ever wake up in the morning and just feel like picking a fight with someone? One guaranteed way to do that is to go on a Walt Disney World message board and say that you had a terrible experience at one of the resorts - it doesn’t matter which one. (read more) March 28, 2008 You Look Like You Need A Drink It’s hot. Florida hot. It’s peak season at Walt Disney World and you are in the middle of a sea of strollers, all of which are clipping at your heals. There is a half hour wait for It’s a Small World, that’s how crowded it is at the Magic Kingdom. You look like you need a drink. (read more) March 25, 2008 Helpful Money Spending Tips Enough with the money saving tips - everybody has those. I’m something of a self-taught money spending expert and have some ideas about how throwing around a little cash here and there can make your WDW vacation more fun and less stressful. My Top Ten Money Spending Tips: (read more) March 24, 2008 More Code Mania Another thing about codes - it does seem like Disney tries to mess with us a little bit when it comes to them. Sometimes getting one can be like playing that carnival game where you try to hit the heads of gophers with a mallet as they pop up of the board and they are just kind of one step ahead of you. And you never win. (read more) March 24, 2008 Code Mania Please - just slap me if I ever become one of those Disney people who thinks that because I love Walt Disney World it should love me back by giving me special codes for discounts that ordinary guests can’t have. I admit I long for a frequent guest program, like any rewards program letting me earn credits for future stays, but I hope I never succumb to “code mania”, like so many others have. And I don’t think Walt is rolling over in his grave because his company likes making money or that it is unfair that WDW sends postcards seemingly randomly with extra special codes only good for the person who receives it. I’ve never gotten one of these, I would like one of these, but I don’t think it’s some kind of a conspiracy that I’ve not been sent one. (read more) March 21, 2008 Everything Was Going Just Fine Until The Maid Stole His Toothbrush Some families wear matching t-shirts. They plan what Disney calls a Grand Gathering, a WDW vacation with extended family and friends. They order a WDW planning DVD for everyone, and then their t-shirts from “Zazzle” , matching ones for everyone that say things like “Becky’s first WDW trip”, or “The Anderson’s Family Reunion”. (read more) March 20, 2008 Special Presentations As if Walt Disney World weren’t amazing enough, there is a woman who made it even more so for my family and me.  Her name is Jane Cartelli and she has a website called giftsofalifetime.com .She provides all kinds of surprises for all kinds of occasions that one might celebrate while on vacation at WDW.  I’ve used her services twice and can’t wait to use them again. (read more) March 17, 2008 Refillable Mugs and Crock Pots and Poolhoppers - Oh my! Some of the best sources of current information about Walt Disney World are the message boards, the Internet forums created for Disney nerds to talk to other Disney nerds about Disney and a full range of other topics. The whole site is a wealth of information (prices, hours, maps, restaurants etc), but the boards are even more so. The people on these boards are among the first to know about room discounts, events that will affect crowd levels, new attractions, and other things that really can change a vacation for the better. (Without them, you could easily plan your trip for one week before huge discounts were available, or a great new ride opens). (read more) March 15, 2008 “We’re here! We’re here! We’re here!” We have a little dance that we do when we get to our favorite of the WDW resorts, Disney’s Polynesian. You heard me, a dance. And it’s nothing to be ashamed of, dancing when you are that happy about something, so shut up. It reminds me of what we used to call in the 60s, “the pony”, and we say, “We’re here! We’re here! We’re here!” as we do it around the room. Actually, my husband never does it, and my daughter might just watch me and laugh more than actually do it herself very much, so OK maybe I should say - I have a little dance that I do when I arrive. Whatever. (read more) March 10, 2008 Pirates and Princesses Battle for (Disney) World Dominance There’s a great NY times article about Disney’s “Princess” brand and the reservations a feminist mom has watching her daughter buy into it. I remember my own (now 24 year old) feminist daughter practically hyperventilating as she picked out a big pointy pink princess hat on her first trip to WDW and she says that if they’d had the princess outfits that they do now when she was little she’d have “killed another little girl for one of them.” (read more) March 8, 2008 All Roads Lead to Disney My dad, king of the road trips, used to drive us to Florida every year from Pennsylvania and when Walt Disney opened in 1971 that was our destination. We’d make it to Florida in two legs, stopping for the night at a mom and pop motel somewhere around the Carolinas’ border. My sisters and I always wanted to stay at Pedro’s South of the Border because we loved his billboards (“Pedro’s weather forecast - Chili today, hot tamale”) but we never did. It was probably too expensive. (read more) March 6, 2008 Throw Out Your Camera One of my favorite (relatively) new ways that Disney has come up with to part me from my money at Walt Disney World is Disney’s PhotoPass. I kind of hate carrying a camera around the parks anyway, so this is the greatest thing. I mean, I see those people who photograph and videotape every little thing (including entire rides and put them on youtube.com ) and God bless them (and by the way thank you, you people who put those videos on youtube because I love watching them) but I am not one of those people. ( read more) March 4, 2008 The Ying and the Yang We just got back from Walt Disney World a few days ago (the annual pass is good until May 3) and we had a kind of epiphany about it. Maybe not a very original one, but an epiphany for us just the same. Walt Disney World is the everyman vacation. And it is anything that the everyman wants it to be. It’s a camping vacation for a family on a budget and it’s a wildly extravagant honeymoon destination. It’s wholesome family fun and it’s spring break. It’s Mickey ice cream bars and character breakfasts and it’s Jell-O shots and clubs. It’s Audrey Hepburn meets the Brady Bunch and Peewee Herman, classy and kitschy all rolled up into one. (read more) 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