Chilling out at the Harambe Market food court while we wait for our safari fast pass time.

About to get onto Everest.

Chilling out at the DVC lounge.

Eating our way through the F&W festival at Epcot.

Starbucks at Epcot is a zoo!

Starting the day at Epcot. It is a gorgeous day!

We are off the ship and waiting for the Avis shuttle.

We just arrived at Port Canaveral. Our cruise is about to over! 😞

Up on deck 13 in the fore section waiting for the ship to pull out of port.

Goodbye, Jamaica!

Zz.

At port before embarking onto ship.

We are done with our excursion on Mystic Mountain. Had a great time. We are now heading back to the ship.

Getting ready to do the zip line. Wheeeeeee!

Just finished the bobsled in POURING RAIN! But it was a lot of fun.

Good morning from Jamaica. We have a full day of zip lining and bobsledding.

On the tender boat heading back to the Fantasy. Goodbye Grand Cayman!

Having a great time at a turtle farm. One of us got to pick up a baby turtle. Too bad we.didnt get to eat any.

We are now heading back to the ship.

Zz.

Shopping? Of course we found places to shop!

We are taking a break on Grand Cayman. Found a nice cafe with smoothies and a great view.

Greetings from the Grand Cayman

On the bus for our excursion to the ruins.

Zz.

Greetings from Cozumel!

We are about to dock after a later arrival. We will be doing the ruins this afternoon and then shopping.

The sky is clear, it is breezy, and 85 degrees.

Zz.

Greetings from Miami m. Making an unscheduled stop to medvac a sick passenger, then off to Cozumel.

We are all checked in and ready to go! See you in a week!

Donald is happy that he has arrived at Port Canaveral.

Zz.

Webcam

Hey, you may view our ship sailing off from a live webcam near Port Canaveral.

http://www.portcanaveralwebcam.com/

I expect the Disney Fantasy to sail off around 5:00 pm.

Zz.

Sunrise

One last look at Cocoa Beach near our hotel. Can't see the sunrise today due to the clouds.

Cruise Day!

It has finally arrived. Our Disney cruise day is here at last!

Donald is all set and ready to swim.... or sail.

We leave for Port Canaveral in a few hours after breakfast and meeting up the rest of our party.

Adult Daycare, here we come!

Zz.

At the Saturn Rocket building at KSC.

At the Kennedy space center.

A few mins before sunrise on Cocoa Beach.

Good morning from Cocoa Beach!

I'm in the lobby having breakfast. It is still dark outside, but I'm going to wait for sunrise and get some photos on the beach.

We will be heading off the the Kennedy Space Center today. It will be fun. But tomorrow will be the start of our cruise on The Disney Fantasy. Hooray!

Zz.

At guest relations at Disney Springs to pick up our annual pass renewal.

Zz.

We have arrived at MCO! Hooray!

Our upcoming Halloween cruise! 

We are at the gate at the airport. Everything is on time. My next transmission will be from Orlando.

Zz.

We are off to Orlando! Doing Space Center, 7-night cruise on the Disney Fantasy, and then a few days at WDW. 

Donald just can't wait to fly again!

Zz.

Queen of Katwe

If you have at least half a brain and half a heart (although with what is going on in this year's  US Presidential election, I am questioning even that assumption), go see "Queen of Katwe"! I really, go now!

This movie, which is based on a true story, follows the struggle of a 10-year old Phiona Mutesi in abject poverty in Uganda to become a chess master. But even that doesn't quite give you the whole story. It is a struggle out of a situation where you see no way out, it is how you changed but still trying to connect with who you are, and not lose those who come along with you.

This is the movie you've complained that Hollywood doesn't make. It has a heart, an intelligence, and a sincerity that are lacking in those blockbuster movies. You'll leave the movie theater uplifted and optimistic about the human spirit and what can be accomplished.

It is the perfect antithesis of the nastiness that you see in the news lately.

JUST GO SEE IT!

Zz.

WDW closing due to Hurricane Matthew

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that WDW will be closed all day Friday, October 7 due to the hurricane.  Closing WDW is fairly rare, the last time probably being on 9/11.   Predictions of high winds and heavy rain prompted the closing.

Disney Cruise Line, as well as other lines, are obviously being affected.  Cruises to the Bahamas are being cancelled, and other cruises leaving from Port Canaveral in the near term will depend on the condition of the port. This hurricane might do an unusual loop back around, according to some of the models, and possibly stall out offshore.  This would at least make for some rough sailing or possibly disruption to cruise line itineraries.

Disney deal may not be so tweet

This article at MarketWatch.com discusses the rumor that Disney might buy Twitter.  Analyst Richard Tullo thinks the deal is not a good fit and Twitter is too expensive.  Disney investors apparently don't like the potential deal much either.

Disney's stock slumped 1.7% in afternoon trade, with losses accelerating after the report of interest in Twitter.

Various sources mention that Google might be a potential buyer.

WDW Passholders get extra benefits

The Orlando Sentinel reports that Disney World passholders will get expanded benefits at restaurants and shops.  This is connected to the 45th anniversary of Magic Kingdom.

Savings will be found at 45 select restaurants, merchandise outlets and with the addition of an extra month tacked onto annual-pass purchases made this year.
Among the new benefits: 

+ Passholders will be able to save 20 percent on food and nonalcoholic beverages at restaurants in the theme parks, hotels, at Disney Springs and at dinner shows.

People who buy an annual pass between October and January will get the additional month before expiration. The discount also applies to the food trucks at Disney Springs.

Building WDW's Magic Kingdom

Oh my! This is quite a find!

A grand daughter recently discovered a treasure trove of pictures belonging to her grandparents who helped build and worked at the Magic Kingdom till their retirements. The pictures being shown here are all the various construction scenes during the building of the Magic Kingdom.

Her grandfather, Chester "Chet" Wise, helped build the Disney park starting in 1969 and continued to work there until he retired in the late 1980s. Her grandmother, Elizabeth Wise, also worked at the park. They lived right by it until Chet Wise died in 2002, so Valdes visited often. 

 

After her grandmother died in 2012, Valdes was given a box of pictures that she didn't examine until she was packing to move last March. 

 

What she found was a treasure trove: her grandfather had taken dozens of pictures of the Magic Kingdom under construction, often from high above.

I found it rather fun to play the game "Where In the Magic Kingdom Is This?" when I was looking through the various photos.

But not only that, but her grandparents also got to live full time on a Disney property!

My grandparents were one of 10 families that actually lived on Disney property, because Disney needed a handful of residents in order to incorporate Lake Buena Vista as an actual city back in the early 1970s. 

 

These employees were handpicked, and my grandparents lived on Disney property until my grandfather passed away. It was so close to the Magic Kingdom that I could see fireworks from their front yard when I was a kid.

 

Wow. That must have been quite magical! 

I'm hoping that she will do something to have these pictures exhibited. I'm sure the Disney archive people would love to get their hands on these.

Zz.

Live-Action "Lion King" In The Works

Disney will be making another live-action movie of a beloved animated film - The Lion King.

Jon Favreau, who brilliantly did the live-action version of "The Jungle Book" will be at the helm directing this new version.

The new take won’t be live-action per se but will definitely look it. Favreau will build on what he accomplished with Jungle Book — using a real child actor and bringing to life the jungle and its animals via cutting edge technology and a green-screen set in a Los Angeles studio.

If this is anywhere near The Jungle Book, it should be a good one!

Zz.

iOS10 Has A Feature That Disney Pin Traders Might Like

This might be of interest to you if you have an iPhone or iPad that can be upgraded to the new iOS 10.

A new feature that has appeared in iOS 10 is something called the Magnifier. It is basically a magnifying glass! This is handy for pin traders because we often need to read the print on the back of pins, and these things appear to be getting smaller and more difficult to read, or maybe I'm just getting older and my eyesight is getting poorer.

In any case, it is easy to activate this feature.

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap on General
3. Choose Magnifier
4. Click on the Magnifier slider and voila! You have it on. You may also want to activate Auto-Brightness if you wish.

To pull up the Magnifier, press the Home button three times quickly. The Magnifier will come up. Use the sliding scale to increase or decrease the magnification. There are also other features available in the Magnifier, such as turning on the light if you need to illuminate what you are magnifying.

It is a very handy feature, and definitely handy to a pin collector/trader.

Zz.

No "Healty Gumbo"

Disney now learns that there is no such thing as a "healthy gumbo".

While the intention is noble, the execution is left to be desired. In an attempt to make gumbo more healthy, Disney foolishly make a video recipe for this iconic dish but changed it so much that it caused a brouhaha among fans of this Cajun staple.

The family-entertainment juggernaut posted a video recipe for "Tiana's Healthy Gumbo" to the official Facebook page for "The Princess and the Frog," the 2009 animated movie that featured a New Orleanian culinary princess. The nearly two-minute-long video, which has since been taken off the Facebook page and Disney's other social media accounts, was charming enough with a jazzy tune playing in the background. However, it quickly drew the ire of Louisiana foodies for its use of kale, quinoa and its lack of a roux.

Starting without a roux and not adding file as part of the recipe disqualifies it from being called a gumbo to many people. Disney would have been fine if they simply called it a New Orleans-inspired stew, or something like that, rather than a gumbo.

Moral of the story: Just don't mess around with something so iconic.

Zz.

Goodbye, Sum of all Thrills

Sum of All Thrills and StormStruck have closed at Epcot's Innoventions.

The Sum of All Thrills and StormStruck, two exhibits within the Innoventions area of Epcot, closed for good on Tuesday, a Walt Disney World spokeswoman confirmed.

Their exit leaves Innoventions East with Colortopia as its one remaining occupant.

The exhibits of Innoventions West closed this spring, although some character meet-and-greets are still inside the structure. Walt Disney World has not announced future plans for the space.

Disney, of course, will remain mum on the future plans for Innoventions. Rumors swirling around the 'net indicates everything from remodeling of the interiors of both Innoventions, to outright bulldozing the area to build new attractions. Who knows. But they must be up to something, because Sum of All Thrills have been they most popular attraction in Innoventions. In fact, it was the only reason (other than to use the bathroom or to cool down from the outside heat) that I go into Innoventions East.

I'll miss Sum of all Thrills. As a physicist and a physics instructor, I thought it was a neat way to illustrates mechanics, especially the conservation of energy principles. Of course, the whole thing is done way too fast for one to pay attention to these principles, especially when one is at the design stage in front of the large touch screen.

I don't know if Disney is going to mothball the ride, or dismantle it, or worse, discard it. But wouldn't it be nice if they donate them to a science museum? Being in the Chicago area, this will be perfect for the Museum of Science and Industry here where exhibits on basic physics are still not as prominent as they should be. They don't even have to do that much modification other than extending the time it takes to design the ride and to explain a bit more of the physics involved.

I can only hope this right will resurface elsewhere.

Zz.

Ready for Halloween?

Found this at Lowes today.

Disney Buses From Parks To Disney Springs After 4:00 pm

For the first time in forever (see what I did?), you can now travel from a WDW Theme park to Disney Springs.

Disney just announced that after 4:00 pm, there will be Disney bus transport from the 4 WDW theme parks to Disney Springs. This will allow guests from the theme parks to go to Disney Springs for shopping, dining, etc.

Notice that I said the transportation is FROM the theme parks to Disney Springs. This is a one-way service. You still can't go to the theme parks FROM Disney Springs.

Zz.

New Pin Quest at Magic Kingdom

OK, so this came out of nowhere (at least, for me).

There is a new Pin Quest/scavenger pin hunt at the Magic Kingdom.

The game works like this: You purchase an Adventure Starter kit ($14.99) from one of six participating shops -- Fantasy Faire in Fantasyland, Big Top Souvenirs at Storybook Circus in Fantasyland, Briar Patch in Frontierland, Frontier Trading Post in Frontierland, Curtain Call Collectibles on Main Street U.S.A. and Tomorrowland Light & Power Co.

Each starter kit includes a lanyard, the decoder medal and a pouch for clue cards.

There are six total clue cards, one for each participating shop. Each card is sold separately ($9.99 each) and contains a question with the answer somewhere in the participating store.

Once solved, the ticket on the bottom of each clue card can be traded in for a limited-edition PinQuest pin.

It's good to see them back to doing something special with pins. Many years ago, they had this type of pin scavenger hunt almost once a year. We've collected at least 2 or 3 sets of such hunt, and even had a laugh because we had to go hunt for pins at the old ABC Wide World of Sport, and got us to go to where we don't normally go at the WDW property.

Whether this is the beginning of a renewed effort to revive pin trading at WDW is still in question. Pins and pin collecting are dying, no thanks to Disney's lack of effort and support.

Zz.

"Wreck-It Ralph" Getting A Sequel

It's official. "Wreck-It Ralph" will be getting a sequel, to be released on March 19, 2018.

In Wreck-It Ralph 2, Reilly will once more return to voice video game villain Wreck-It Ralph, who in the first film had to reconcile his archetype of arcade boss with his real desire to become a hero. Concept art released during the announcement on Facebook Live shows Ralph going digital, standing with sidekick Vanellope over billboards parodying Google and Amazon.

Zz.

Happy Birthday, Shanghai Disney Resort!

Today, Disney gives birth to Shanghai Disney Resort. So Happy Birthday!

Video of the Opening Ceremony:


Video of the evening Gala Performance:


Zz.

DVC Lounge at Epcot

The first photo from our group of friends from inside the DVC Lounge at the Imagination Pavilion at Epcot (thanks Jan and Wally!).

Zz.

Opening of Shanghai Disneyland To Be Shown On TV

The grand opening of Shanghai Disneyland will be shown on TV next week.

Fans can catch the event at 8 p.m. June 16 in a simulcast on Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD. The half-hour program repeats at 10 p.m. June 17 on Freeform.

I wonder if they'll also show the guests trampling all over the grounds, littering, or pooping in the flower beds? :)

Zz.

Disney collection at Vancouver airport

Found this collection of Mickey and other Disney characters at Vancouver airport.

Sneak Peak At "Soarin' Around The World"

This is a sneak peak at "Soarin's Around the World". This is something I am very much looking forward to on my next visit, more than "Frozen Ever After".

Zz.

Tokyo Disneyland Resort 2

More photos from Tokyo Disneyland Resort.

The castle, which is almost identical to Cinderella Castle at WDW's Magic Kingdom.

This is from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction.

Zz.

Tokyo Disneyland Resort 1

Thanks to Ralph for the series of photos from Tokyo as he toured the area right at this moment.

A few of these photos didn't have captions, while others only had minimal description of what they represent.

 This is the ticket into the Tokyo Disneyland Resort.

 View outside the window. My guess is that this is overlooking Tokyo DisneySea.

 Nail clipper!

 A ship. I don't know much more.

Monorail doors!

Zz.

Disney garden stuff at Lowe's

Found these at Lowe's.

Are Mickey And Minnie Getting A Makeover?

Photos showing Mickey and Minnie for Shanghai Disneyland revealed subtle but noticeable differences between the current version of these two characters.

Over the weekend, a picture was posted to Twitter of a newly redesigned Mickey and Minnie. They’re undeniably Mickey and Minnie, yeah, but their faces are different. Their mouse skin tone is a little bit darker, their eyes are closer together, and a little bit more oval-y. The smile on their faces is also a little bit more defined, with big pinchable-cheeks, and Minnie has lost her blue eye shadow. The tweet declares that this is their “new look.”

Of course, as the article stated, this might mean a universal change in all Mickey and Minnie throughout the Disney empire.

While picture of these mice in question comes from Shanghai,  it can be assumed that these will be the new-look for the characters you can meet in the park.  Buuuuuttttt, if these characters debut in Shanghai, that means that soon ALL the Disney Parks ALL around the world — including Disneyland and Walt Disney World — are going to get these newly redesigned faces, too. Disney follows strict “character integrity” rules, so if an alteration is made to one character in Disney World, it has to be done to that same character all around the world — you know, because there’s only ONE Mickey Mouse (wink wink wink nudge wink, that’s what small children are told, obviously, but you as an adult know the real Disney Truth).

We'll see if this is another iteration in the long history of the look of the legendary Mickey Mouse and the other Disney characters.

Zz.

A Bar Inside Hollywood Tower of Terror?

Yes, and no, as much as many of us would like to have it on the 13th floor, the bar is going to be located at the ride exit near where you pick up your photos.

Fans of the ride may be disheartened to learn that the bar won’t be called the Tip Top Club—a nod to the ride’s famous and frightening storyline—and it won’t be located on the 13th floor of the hotel. The venue will be located near the ride’s exit, just across from the area where you pick up your spooky souvenir photo.

I haven't seen any confirmation yet on this, and when it will open. So stay tuned.

Zz.

DVC Resale Owners Will Lose All DVC Perks

It looks like it will be less attractive to buy DVC units not from Disney anymore. Disney is finally removing all DVC perks for members who bought via the resale market.

Starting today, "members who do not purchase an ownership interest directly from Disney Vacation Development Inc. will not have access to Membership Extras," the company says on its website.

The change only applies to new owners starting today. Current owners are grandfathered in.

The only drawback to this is that current DVC owners will not be able to draw higher prices if they wish to sell their DVC ownerships. It makes it less attractive to buy DVC points with anyone else other than Disney.

Zz.

Tom Staggs To Leave Disney

In a development that blindsided many people, including me, COO Tom Staggs will be stepping down from the COO position at Disney on May 6, and will leave Disney completely by September.

A source said Staggs, 55, made the decision to leave after pressing for a formal commitment from the Disney board about his future ascent to the throne. When that didn’t come, the executive came to the decision that he did not want to wait another two years and that it was time to move on.

This is definitely a shocker, since Staggs was highly regarded as the apparent successor to Bob Iger when Iger steps down at CEO in 2018.

Zz.

2017 D23 Expo

Disney has announced the date for 2017 D23 Expo.

Set for July 14-16 at the Anaheim Convention Center, the biennial Disney fan event brings together the media giant’s theme park, music, gaming, television and movie properties — including “Star Wars,” Pixar and Marvel — under one roof.

Supposedly, this is also around the same time that ComicCon in San Diego is normally held, although the exact date for 2017 hasn't been announced. This is a rather curious development.

Zz.

Magic Kingdom after hours ticket

The Orlando Sentinel posted this article about Disney selling a special ticket for the privilege of being in select areas of Magic Kingdom for three hours after regular closing on certain dates.  This is being portrayed as a special event. 

The Disney After Hours price is $149 per person.

The park will close to regular day guests at 10 p.m. on April 28 and May 5, and it will close at 11 p.m. on April 14, April 21, May 8, May 12 and May 19. Folks who have purchased the After Hours option will be allowed to stay in select areas of the Magic Kingdom for three additional hours.

Check-in for the event takes place at Magic Kingdom's main entrance beginning at 7 p.m.  The $149 ticket allows entry into the theme park at that time.

The article states that a grand total of 5 attractions will be open during the extra 3 hours, but that might be just a partial list.  Also it appears that no regular restaurants will be open.  So it seems that the only imagineering being done at Disney these days is by the accountants.

What Remains of "River Country"

A photographer was able to snap photos of the remains of "River Country", Disney's first water park at Walt Disney World.

I too am a bit surprised that Disney decided to simply abandon this site rather than clean it up and re-purpose it into something else. There must be more to this than what we already know.

Zz.

Costumes For "Rivers Of Light"

Orlando Sentinel is showing the costumes for the two main characters in the highly-anticipated Disney's Animal Kingdom's "Rivers of Light".

The two main storytellers of the show are Aseema and Aditya. Disney says the characters transcend time and location, thus their costumes reflect multiple time periods and cultures, from Native Americans to Far Eastern cultures.

Aditya is described as the "embodiment of fire and light" while Aseema is the "human embodiment of water." Their costumes reflect this, with mixes of warm and cool colors and patterns and beading representing fire and water. Each storyteller has an acolyte, or student -- Ambu and Ketu -- which wear costumes "more conducive to that of an apprentice with pants and sashes."

This will be high on our list of things to see when we finally go to WDW in October, which is our earliest trip there.

Zz.

BB-8 Visits JPL

The adorable BB-8 visited NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, and hanging out with his "buddies". He looks like he belongs there.

Zz.

Disney thinking of charging resort fees at WDW?

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that some people have received a survey from Disney asking their opinion of being charged an extra $15 per night fee to cover Magic Bands, Magical Express and other services at WDW.  So, for a 7-night stay this amounts to an extra $105.  The article wasn't specific about who might have received the survey, or about a wider range of reaction than the two responses quoted (both negative). Of course this comes across as another attempt to nickel and dime people.  If there is any hint of adding this fee to DVC members, it's easy to predict what their reaction will be.  As usual, time will tell if this will actually materialize, but it does seem to paint Disney in a negative light. Maybe Disney thinks the airlines and banks have done this so it should be no problem for us. 

How To Draw Flash From Zootopia

Here's a video on how to draw Flash from Zootopia.



I think there's something terribly wrong here. It should be drawn veeeeeerrrrrrryyyyyy ssssssloooowwwwwlllllyyyyyy.......

:)

Zz.

Carrot Recorder Pen

First of all, if you haven't seen Zootopia, GO! It is a drag-down romp of a good time with plenty of social commentaries that come just in time during this nasty US presidential election. Besides, you don't to miss the sloths stealing a movie, do you? When was the last time you heard that?

In any case, you can now own one of those carrot recorder pen that Judy Hopps owned in the movie. Heck, I might just get one so that I can record incriminating evidence! :)

Zz.

No More Turkey Legs At Animal Kingdom?

I read this news report that Disney has removed turkey legs from Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park, but I don't find anywhere on the reason why they did that.

The removal of the legs from Animal Kingdom was tied to a regular review of menu offerings, she said. The park recently added a full rack of ribs and more side items at its recently renovated Flame Tree Barbecue restaurant. A new restaurant called Tiffins is expected to open at Animal Kingdom this year.

Oh well. At least this is still available at the other 3 parks.

Zz.

Disney To Add 2 More Ships

Just got this news today.

Disney entered into a memorandum of agreement with the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany. The schedule calls for the new ships to be completed in 2021 and 2023.
Each new ship will be roughly 135,000 gross tons — slightly larger than the newest Disney Cruise Line ships — and each is currently planned to include about 1,250 guest staterooms. While design plans, ship names and itineraries are still in development, the Walt Disney Imagineering team already is dreaming up exciting new ways to create the world's most magical oceangoing adventures.

Can't wait!

Zz.