The Internet is a Disney Fan's Friend: Planning

Deb Wills’s site All Ears Net is a great place to start your planning. This site covers everything. I mostly use it for news from the parks and for their updated menus. What better way to choose a restaurant than by reading it’s menu? Pricing is included. Deb also has a large staff of writers, and bloggers.

This is in my opinion the perfect counterpart to the All Ears Net site. This is the Dis web site. They have constant updates and a large amount of photos. They have their own podcast and forum. I mention the forum, found at Disboards.com, because if you cannot find out something on any of the sites you find listed in this post, you will at the Disboards.

Intercot is another massive sight on the WDW parks and hotels. This information is updated often. Intercot also has a very good forum to help you find answers not found on the web sites. This site also has an extensive amount of pictures and attraction videos.

TouringPlans.com is the Web site from the guys who put together the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World tour book. The site is run by Len Testa from the WDWTODAY.com Podcast. If you are going to the parks during a crowded time, use Len’s touring plans. I have heard and read many good things about these touring plans. The parks, except for one day, were to empty to use the plans, but for the one day in Animal Kingdom that was crowded, it worked great. Also, just as valuable in your planning, is the Crowd Calendar. It was eerily correct for our last trip in Dec ’06.

This is a very detailed set of schedules for all forms of Walt Disney World Entertainment. Steve, with his contacts, has times for everything. And I mean everything. Need to find out when the Moroccan music group MoRockin starts a set in Epcot’s World Showcase or the times for Mor Thaim, the African drummers over at Animal Kingdom, this site will help you out. I have found many things listed on Steve’s site that I have never heard of before which also makes it a great source of things to do.

Guide to the Magic Tim Foster is the author of a number of Guide to the Magic tour books. His web site is great. I would say this would be the site to start your Disney park planning if this is to be your first trip. Tim’s site is very informative in a friendly colorful way. There are guides and tips and maps and plenty of pictures.

Enjoy all of these Disney Planning Sites. Next is Walt Disney History Sites.

Wacky Quacky Pass

I was confirming ressies for our next trip and I found this new thing to do over at the Official Disney Web site, if you can believe it. It's called the Wacky Quacky Pass game. In it you are helping a very forgetfull Donald Duck try to remember where he left his Wacky Packy Pass in his travels over the Walt Disney World property. It's pretty much simple trivia about the parks. And using maps to get around. It is simple, but very cool. Can't wait to let the kids in on this one. It's the perfect level for them. This game has been around a while, so check out the archive at the bottom of the main screen. As a reward, you get a different high res picture from around the WDW property to be used as a Wallpaper.

Gaining an Education about Walt

As you can see from this site, I have some interest in Walt Disney and the company he has created. The Parks, the movies, the characters have brought years of fun. However, other than a report I did in 4th grade I had not looked in depth as to who Walt Disney was and how he created his company. That has been a quest that I had started about 6 months ago and the information seems endless. However, the issue I have run into is what to believe. For example, I saw a post on Michael Barrier’s (author of the Animated Man) web site where he was basically pointing out how some of the other authors of Disney Biographies were not always correct in their stories. So who’s right? That is the sub-goal, use the various biographies that are available and multiple, creditable Blogs found on the internet and any other form of media to determine a true idea of what working for Walt Disney would have been like and what contributed to his successes and failures. Today I came across a post on the Blue Sky Disney blog. It was a very simple post but it carried valuable information. This post had Walt’s “nine old men”, with a paragraph about each one. A very nice quick summary of each man and his contributions. The Disney History Blog is another very good Walt Disney historical blog, as the name suggests. There is not a day that goes by when there is not a post about anything related to Walt Disney in multiple ways. There were cartoon set-up sheets posted a little while ago and a Macaroni & Cheese recipe from Walt himself from 1936. This site is also very liberal with links to pertinent articles on other websites. I will write more in a Websites to Check-out post coming up soon. The Disney and More blog is great source of information along with the Disney Family website. I am sure there are more out there and I look forward to finding them. So, Thank You authors and bloggers for accelerating my education. I would hope to be able to participate in the same manner some day.

O' Canada Circle-Vision Re-Opens

The newly re-furbished O Canada Circle-vision movie just re-opened the other day and I have heard and seen this new Martin Short, hosted version. Before I go into my thoughts about the new movie, let me point out that in the first sentnece of this post I have touched on two constantly talked about topics in the Disney online community. The first is that I listened and saw the new movie without going to Epcot. Some would argue that it ruins the attraction if you do this ahead of time. My thinking is that I get there once every year or two. I might get on a new ride once or twice depending on crowds and such so I don't want to waste time with a lot of the big flashy effects of the ride that you see on your first ride. I want that newness of the attraction to be past, so I can concentrate on the real details that might be hidden and make it a little more memorable. The second highly talked about topic is that a Disney Attraction was modified at all. This is no issue in my eyes for the most part. All attractions will eventually need to be either fully re-habbed and modernized or retired. There are attractions that I'll always miss because of the attachement I had from seeing them as a kid, but if they don't make sense in today's world, fix it or yank it.
Which leads me to the O Canada update that just re-opened. I first listened it on Earl's Trapped on Vacation podcast and then saw the video posted on Youtub by Ricky Brigante's new venture, Orlando Attractions Magazine.

I really liked this update. I have watched Martin Short from the SCTV days of old. I think that the bits of humor that he adds is a great addition. A couple quick obersvations, The Blue Nose song has been removed, which is fine with me. The Canadian mounties are still in. The theme song is still in and the only negative about the entire upgrade is with the music to 'You're a Lifetime Journey'. The singing is first rate, the music is a little too techno. I'll need to listen again. Anyway. Total thumbs up here as to this Epcot Attraction upgrade. Looking forward to the seeing this in person and can't wait to see the new Haunted Mansion.

Podcamp Philly Sept. 7, 8 & 9

My first non-Disney related post, hmmmm.
If you are in the Philly area and have an interest in Pod/Vidcasting, Blogging, or any other form of New Media, then you might want to check out the first PodCamp Philly Unconference, Sept. 7, 8 & 9. In a nut shell this is a weekend long sharing of ideas to be held mostly at Drexel University. A unconference, from what I have been told, is a conference where the attendees are the presenters. Check out all of the details at the PodCamp Philly web site and check out what is going on. As for my connection, my compadre Bill is the co-owner of the Philly Food Guys Podcast. Bill had attended this conference in NY and was so impressed, got himself on the committee organizing this event. I plan on being there on Saturday.