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This, to me, is the Happiest Sight On Earth. It means that I just arrived have several days to look forward to at the Most Magical Place On Earth!

Zz.

Disney Stocks Soar, and Iger Wants To Buy More

I suppose timing is everything. After a tremendous Tuesday rally on Wall Street, Disney released its 3rd quarter earnings after the market closed with better than expected earnings.

Net income rose 11 percent to $1.48 billion, or 77 cents a share, from $1.33 billion, or 67 cents, a year ago, Burbank, California-based Disney said yesterday in a statement. Profit excluding some items was 78 cents, beating the 73-cent average of 22 analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Cable-network earnings rose 10 percent, with ESPN enjoying gains in fees from pay-TV systems. Theme-park profit advanced 8.8 percent, fueled by higher admission prices at U.S. resorts and this year’s later Easter break. The consumer products unit boosted profit with sales of “Cars” and Marvel merchandise.

But what was more interesting during the conference call with Disney CEO Bob Iger was plan to buy more companies to acquire more characters and stories.

“We don’t have what I’d call a strategic hole,” Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger said yesterday on a conference call after the company’s third-quarter earnings release. “But we’ve looked expansively at opportunities across the world to buy either new characters or businesses that are capable of creating great characters and great stories.”

Iger didn’t specify any targets. He cited international as an area of interest, and India as “another example of a high- growth market. We think investing in it, at least in today’s world, is a smart move,” Iger said. 

It's hard to argue with that strategy considering the fact that he knows what he's doing so far and it has seems to work.

Zz.

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The voice (and teeth) of Liberty at the World Showcase's America Pavilion, Epcot.

Zz.

Disney Reports Its 3rd Quarter Earnings Tomorrow

Oh, what a week to report your earnings after the brutal day for stocks today. With the Dow plunging more than 500 points today, The Walt Disney Company is expected to report its 3rd Quarter earnings tomorrow after the market closes.

One would hope that a strong earning by the company would spur some sort of a recovery from this irrational reaction that has been very common with Wall Street.

Zz.

Random WDW Picture

Dusk at the Hub in front of Cindy's Castle, looking back at Main Street USA from behind the Partners statue. People are waiting for Wishes, and most of them sitting here don't know that they are sitting too close to the castle that part of the fireworks will be blocked by the castle itself.

Zz.

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You would have not seen this if you never had lunch or dinner at Marrakesh in the Morocco pavilion.

Zz.

2011 Passholder 40 Anniversary Sweepstakes

OK, here we go again with a very flimsy hope of winning a night's stay at Cinderella Castle. As part of the 40th Anniversary celebration, they are having a sweepstakes for WDW passholder to win a stay at Cindy's castle!

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort, Passholders can enter for a chance to win a prize package fit for royalty. One lucky Passholder will win a trip for four to Walt Disney World Resort—including a stay at Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom Park!


Prize package includes:

• A one-night stay in Cinderella Castle Suite, a rare and privileged Resort experience
• Breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table
• A $250 Disney Gift Card
• One-day Magic Your Way tickets
• Transportation to and from Walt Disney World Resort (if winner lives more than 250 miles from the Resort)

No purchase necessary. For complete details, please see Official Rules

Enter between September 1, 2011 and October 1, 2011. To enter, complete the entry form and submit it at Uptown Jewelers merchandise location in Magic Kingdom Park or mail it to:

Disney Destinations, LLC
2011 Passholder 40th Anniversary Sweepstakes
P.O. Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830.

There ya go! Since we will be there for the Sept. pin celebration event at WDW, I think I'll print out a few of these and try to submit one per day while I'm there ("Only one Entry per Member per Day regardless of method of Entry ...").

Zz.

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The finale for HalloWishes during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

Zz.

Darth Vader Goes To Disneyland

OK, this is just plain hysterical.

This appears to be part of a series of videos on "Darth Vader Goes to Disneyland". This one is his "strut" in front of the Castle.



There are more rather hilarious videos in this series, including his attempt at the Sword in the Stone.



He should come to Walt Disney World, and see if he can get a reservation at Le Cellier. :)

Zz.

Walt Disney's Former Home For Sale

If you have $3.65 million, you can own a piece of history in the form of a former home occupied by Walt Disney and his family.

Disney's gated home in Los Feliz was home to the cartoonist, his wife, Lillian, and two daughters Diane and Sharon until 1945, when he moved into another home in Holmby Hills. The home features a Mediterranean-style entry in a circular rotunda and painted ceilings in the foyer and dining room as well as vaulted beamed ceilings throughout the rest of the house. According to a listing photo, the Disney home was featured in the January 1940 issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

 I'm guessing that this isn't a short sale. :)

Zz.

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Sometime, having fun can be awfully tiring.

Zz.

Original Tiki Room Show Opens Aug. 15

The "New Management" is out. The Tiki Room at the Magic Kingdom will have the original show back starting Aug. 15.

Now the “new management” has been let go and the future of the Adventureland landmark is in the wings and wit of José, Fritz, Michael and Pierre – four crooning parrot hosts who have been entertaining guests at California’s Disneyland since 1963 in The Enchanted Tiki Room. Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, as the Magic Kingdom attraction now will be called, is being prepared for the premiere (tentatively on Aug. 15, 2011) of a show that will pay tribute to the Disneyland original - notable in theme park history for ushering in sophisticated Audio-Animatronics technology.

I guess they had good reasons to do this after the Tiki Room had a minor fire. So that was a good excuse to rethink the attraction.

Zz.

Cast Canoe Race

A while back, there was a video of a cast canoe race around the Rivers of America at Disneyland. Well, it is not just the Disneyland cast members that get to do this fun thing. There's a video now of the Disney World cast members having their own canoe race at The Magic Kingdom.



Nice to see them having such fun, and all before the rest of us guests show up! :)

Zz.

"Cars" Lawsuit Dismissed

A UK screenwriter who filed a lawsuit against Disney claiming "Cars" and Cars 2" were copies of his original work will not get anything out of it. A judge has thrown out the lawsuit.

In March, Jake Mandeville-Anthony sued claiming the Pixar films infringed the copyright on a three-part screenplay titled "Cookie & Co.," about the true-life adventure race-car driver Michael Owen Perkins, who won a 1988 race, and a second work titled "Cars," which included a treatment, sample screenplay, 46 animated car character descriptions, 10 cars character sketches, and a marketing and merchandising plan.

But in a short summary judgment issued on Thursday, California federal judge Valerie Baker Fairbank found the works were dissimilar and the claims were barred because the statute of limitations had expired.

Considering how bad "Cars 2" were, I wouldn't want to claim ownership of the screenplay. :)

Zz.

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"Welcome, welcome, welcome...."

Dancing to the "Trolley" song on Main Street, USA, Magic Kingdom.

Zz.

Hidden Mickey Author Steven Barrett

Here's a short article on one of the ultimate Disney fans, and author of the definitive book on Hidden Mickeys, Steven Barrett.

Emergency medicine has long been one of Barrett’s passions, but out of his growing love of Disney came a second career as an author. During his many visits to Disney World, Barrett kept track when he spotted Hidden Mickeys — partial or complete images of Mickey Mouse that have been hidden by Disney’s Imagineers and artists in the designs of attractions, hotels and restaurants. And when the folks at The Intrepid Traveler, the publisher of Barrett’s “The Hassle Free Walt Disney World Vacation,” found out, they suggested the Hidden Mickeys guidebooks.

I try to spot at least one hidden Mickey on each trip. It just adds a extra, small dimension to that trip. Of course, if you followed the trip report on my last trip, I found more than just one! :)

Zz.

We're In For "Room For One More"!!

Holy cow! We got tickets for "Room For One More" event! How lucky is that?

So now we are definitely planning on going. And not only that, they have updated the merchandise list for this event, and boy oh boy! I'm going to be poor after this one. There are some really amazing stuff they've put up for sale at this event. But towards the end of the catalog, it looks like they are including some generic WDW 40th Anniversary merchandise! I mean, Main Street Electrical Parade? The Shooting Arcade? What do those have anything to do with Haunted Mansion?

Looking at the itinerary, I'm a bit disappointed that there is no provision to give attendees a special ride-through of the Haunted Mansion itself during the event. Maybe they'll update the activities as the event gets closer, but if this is it, I'll be a bit disappointed.

Zz.

Where in Walt Disney World

OK, this one should be utterly easy that, if you don't know this, your Disney fan card should be revoked! :)

Where in Walt Disney World can you find these lovable "creatures"?

Zz.

Select DCL Merchandise Available Off Ships

Certain Disney Cruise Line merchandise will be available for sale off Disney ships, starting on Aug. 1. It appears that some are already being carried by the online Disney Stores.

Beginning Monday, Aug. 1 — the official launch date of the program — customers will be able to search disneycruise.com/store to find a variety of goods, a DCL spokesperson confirmed. The current line includes T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and mouse ears for children and adults; a photo album, frames and a scrapbooking kit; a tote bags and a compact umbrella; a Christmas ornament; a couple of plush characters; and more.

Previously, only discontinued DCL merchandise could be found off the ships at Walt Disney World’s two outlet stores, Disney ’s Character Warehouse and Disney’s Character Warehouse.

Oh well, I will just have to search for stuff they don't sell elsewhere but the ships when I go on the cruise in December.

Zz.

Slow Changes At Pleasure Island

I reported a while back about changes to Pleasure Island being stalled while they "rethink" some of the plans. This news article expanded that a little bit more and described some of the changes that was done, those that were planned, and those that might no longer come through.

To me, there still isn't a flow between Marketplace into Pleasure Island. It doesn't feel as if it is one continuous walking area that you just want to stroll along. There is almost an abrupt transition, and it makes me want to stop and turn around. In Marketplace, as you walk from one end to the next, there's always something just ahead of you that always makes you want to move forward to see more. There's hardly any area where you don't quite see what's ahead of you that makes you want to continue to walk forward. This isn't the case with the transition from Marketplace and Pleasure Island. While this transition is necessary when Pleasure Island was either charging admission, or when it was completely an adult entertainment area, this abrupt discontinuity is a flaw if they want to increase foot traffic from either Marketplace or West Side.

Zz.