Animal Kingdom: The Best Themed Park of the Walt Disney World Resort

Walt Disney's Animal Kingdom is, in a way, the outcast of the four parks that make up the Walt Disney World Resort. It has the shortest hours, the least amount of attractions and is the newest of the four, thus giving it the most to prove. Being young, it's without that "legacy" the others can brag about.

But what it lacks in attractions, hours, and age, it makes up for in theming. The other three parks are okay when it comes to theming: Epcot with its World Showcase, Hollywood Studios with its Sunset Boulevard and the Magic Kingdom with just about ever land within its boundaries. But nothing can really compare to what imagineer Joe Rohde did with Walt Disney Worlds largest park, square-acreage-wise.

Being the newest park has its advantages, which is clearly seen in the detail of almost every square foot in the park. Walking up to the entrance gate, if you look down, you will notice the pattern of a tree. Walking through the gates and onto Discovery Island, you'll notice the hidden animal exhibits that hint to new guests at what they are about to experience. Then, once on Discovery Island, you'll notice the gigantic Tree of Life, which with its sheer size is impressive from a distance, but with its intricately detailed roots, is even more impressive from close up.

Go through the queues of Expedition Everest and Kali River Rapids in Asia, and you'll be wowed with the amazing features that surround you and set up the story you'll fully experience once on board the attraction.

Expedition Everest takes you through what feels like a classic Nepalise courtyard, then takes you through what  a small, home made-feeling museum dedicated to the Yeti you're about to encounter. With its sculptures, displays, artifacts and interactive features such as the bells that can be heard ringing throughout the queue, the whole experience perfectly frames the main feature of the roller coaster and almost outshines the brief ride you're about to experience.

Almost the same thing can be said about Kali River Rapids. The queue is amazing, with its different areas setting up the whole story behind the ride. With it's fallen, Asian themed statues at the forefront of the queue, accompanied by the sound of chainsaws roaring in the distance, the clash of history and destruction theme is set up. Then you walk through its gorgeously themed queue, with a big statue of an cat greeting you, looking to be thousands of years old. There are the Bollywood posters, the old plates, the colorful chandeliers, the cobra fountain and the carpeted ceilings.

The amazing theming of the Tree of Life

Walk around Asia and you'll see the roads, marked with bicycle tracks, the boats packed, ready to sail down the river to trade. The Quick Service food stations meant to look like authentic huts or mobile vendor and are splendid.

Head over to Africa and all the shops and restaurants are housed in what looks to be an authentic African village. And unlike Frontierland and Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom, that's all you can see. There's nothing to distract from the story the imagnineers created for you.

And of course there's the Tree of Life. With it's hundreds of animals cleverly carved into the roots and trunk of the enormous tree, it epitomizes amazing theming.

With all this, one of the aforementioned faults of Disney's Animal Kingdom is really one of its strengths: its young age. It was built in a more modern age, with more resources available, and thus it feels like a newer, better, more shiny thing.

Next time, when you're walking around Dinoland, Africa, Asia or Discovery island, take a couple of minutes to observe the excellent theming of Walt Disney's World's youngest parks, and appreciate the most well themed, and possibly most "Disney" of the parks at Disney World.

Boo! The new Haunted Mansion Queue

I've talked about my admiration of the classic Haunted Mansion attraction before, how I love it's mixture of campy fun, great storytelling and Disney magic.

Generally, when I talk about how I love just about anything Disney Parks, I'm talking about the Disneyland version. Well, lucky for me, Liberty Square's Haunted Mansion was built at just about the same time as New Orleans Square's, and the attractions are virtually the same. I may go as far as to say the World's version is slightly better, with it's haunted stair case scene. Now that it has the new hitchhiking ghosts and interactive queue, it's almost definitely the superior of the two manors.



Yesterday, I finally had some time off from my job at the Magic Kingdom, so what did I do? I went back to the Magic Kingdom. They've been getting quite the array of new features, so it made the most sense to go back to the place I spend 40+ hours a week.

First off, I went to visit Magician Mickey. More on that later.

Then, I went over to Liberty Square to visit the Haunted Mansion. Along with half the park.

One of the criticisms of the new interactive queue is that there's hardly anyone ever in the queue for the Mansion, seeing as it has an omnimover system, thus resulting in an extremely high rider capacity. Not the day I went. The stand-by wait time was posted at 50 minutes, which I ignored, because as the future often proves, it was a little exaggerated.

The Captain

Once I got up to the new and exciting features I came to, I was surprised to find that it was an optional part of the line. You could either go through and experience the new features, or go straight into the foyer and then the stretching room. I obviously didn't do the former.

What I found in the interactive queue was great. The touch-and-play instruments, the misty organ, the bookcase and the interactive poetry were great. Also, Madam Leota's living tombstone was very creepy, and thus fantastic.

My only negatives words on the subject would be that it was really more of an area than a queue. It was nice seeing everything in one fell swoop, but it would have been nice to see it while I was actually waiting in line, like "Space Mountain's: and "Soarin's" games. There was a tone of boring, chain-linked queue as a predecessor to the interactive part that could have been livened up.

Then, there was the other part of the Haunted Mansion that I came for, at the exact opposite end of the attraction: the new hitchhiking ghosts. I'll get to the point: they're amazing. I've always pantomimed petting or elbowing the previous, static hitchhiking ghosts, and now they do the same (kind of) thing to me! I went on a tour of the mansion twice, and I was a little annoyed that both times I got the bearded ghost, who both times put his beard on my face. The other ghosts seem to switch the heads of the guests it sits in between, and I don't know what the third one did. But it was cool, whatever it did.

People were raving about both the queue and the new hitchhiking ghosts, both seeming to be a huge hit. I though the imagineers did a great job enhancing a classic without changing it too much and respecting its legacy.

Have you been in the new queue or been in the company of a new hitchhiking ghost? How was your experience?

Living in this (Walt Disney) World

I live at Walt Disney World, as in, Walt Disney World is my home. When I want to go to the parks, I can just go. I can get on a bus, and be there within 45 minutes, though it should only be 10-20 minutes, but the bus system is horrible. Nonetheless, it's a lot better than the 6-8 hours it took me to get to Disneyland from my home in northern California. Though, I may add the idiom: good things come to those who wait.

It's something I always wanted: complete and unbridled access to the Disney Parks. And it feels...weird. When there's not that sense of urgency, that sense of fleeting excitement, it's almost just another day.

Now don't get me wrong, it's not just another day when you can go on Rock N' Roller coaster or see the gorgeous golfball Spaceship Earth, or you get to see a castle transform into a rocket and then take off. Really, just seeing a castle kind of makes that day a wee-bit more special than a typical day.

I'm going to be honest though, that pressure of a vacation, that sense of urgency, it really makes you look at things differently. I'm not saying I'm bored, because I'm not. I love having a main gate pass to all the parks here at Walt Disney World, but it's a different type of love than when you've got a Key to the World, and you're here with your family. It's different, not different in a way that is better or worse (maybe a little better, but not in a "I'm so negative about my current situation" kind of way), just different.

It could just be the fact that I'm spending 9 months at the U.S.'s most popular vacation destination, and I'm neither on vacation, nor is it a destination. It's a reality, not a vacation built on fantasy. That doesn't mean it isn't fun, though.

Do You See This Every Night?

Yes. I see "Wishes," "The Magic, The Memories and You," "The Main Street Electrical Parade" and the "Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade" just about every day I work. Not all of them in the same day, but almost always at least one of them.

For many people, experiencing something in such a repetitive manner could cause complete disgust and disdain for whatever that reoccurring thing is.

The Main Street Electrical Parade

Often times, I am that person who is seriously annoyed by the same thing. Some examples of this might be: the horrible music they play in the Utilidoor. Apparently, Sirius XM's stations have a 12 song playlist they stick to religiously. Or maybe the music in Tomorrowland. Or maybe people asking me what I have at my wagon right after they walked by the menu. That stuff can get annoying. But that stuff doesn't blow up, glow, shimmer, or transform a castle into a number of fantastical things.

Sure, the shows aren't as spectacular to me the fifth time as they were the first time, but they still have that shimmer of magic that only Disney can provide.

Wishes

One of the more fun things of seeing the shows dozens of times is that you slowly start to memorize the entire thing. For instance, I can tell what part of the "Wishes" is happening from the Westclock bus stop, located behind where the fireworks go off, just from what particular firework is going on that that moment. Or I can wave an imaginary wand and turn off all the lights in the park at the beginning of the Main Street Electrical parade, or say along with Walt "To all who come to this happy place, welcome" at the end of "The Magic, The Memories, and You" without even looking at the castle.

The fact that in a small way, all this makes me feel cool, is a little questionable, but that's ok. I'm a Disney nerd, I mean, you are reading my blog about Disney right now, so what do you expect?

Day Two at the DCP

Then there were two...days of Disney College. Today was our day of rest, on a Thursday, instead of a Sunday, because Disney does what it wants to.

Well, most of it was about resting. We had to be at the Commons apartment complex down the street by 9:45 in the a.m., though here we just go by military time.

Getting pictures taken with Genie and Co.  

The meeting consisted of the housing people telling us what not to do if we want to stay the entire program. I’m going to be honest, I was a little scared throughout the whole thing. There were so many things listed that could get you “termed” or terminated, for. Luckily, most of it had to do with alcohol, which is not something I’m a huge fan of.

Then me and my roommates got to experience the bus ride to Walmart. It took about 15 minutes, depending on how long you stop in the Publix parking lot. We got all our food and such, and then we were on our way back, this time with an elongated stop at the Vista Way apartment complex. We finally got home, and just relaxed for a little bit. I even took a nap. Exciting stuff, and I’m sure you’re super excited to read about. Lucky lucky.

I decided to try out the pool later and do some laps. It was freezing, which was good for me, and bad for the people who wanted to play instead of work out in it. Sadly, it wasn’t cold enough detract them from getting in my way.

Throw yo hands up, the welcome party at Vista 

At 8:00, we headed over to Vista for the Arabian Nights welcome party, where we got precisely two free pieces of Dominoes pizza, a bag of chips and a soda. There was a DJ blasting music I’ve never heard because I live in the world of my iPod, and a huge line to take pictures with Aladdin, Abu and Jeanie. I didn’t partake in either, but instead watched girls hit on my roommate, fawning over him when he let it be known that he was going to be Goofy. You don’t get that kind of attention when you’re quick service food and beverage. But everyone’s got their job to do, and mine doesn’t involve heat exhaustion.

My roommate, Jacob, then took us over to his family’s timeshare, where they had authentic Gumbo waiting for us and freshly ironed shirts, so we would be prepared for Traditions. It was a great time, and the night ended with a group sing along of “Just Can’t Wait to be King” and “Hakuna Matata.”

Now it’s almost midnight, and I’ve got to get up at 5:30 to get on a bus no later than 6:45 to participate in Traditions, where I will get my job location assignment, name tag, and most importantly, my Disney ID, which can get me into all the Parks here, for FREE. Life will be good.

First Day at the Disney College Program

It’s over, finally. “It” being my Disney College program orientation. It’s a day I’ve been looking forward to since I was accepted to the program last year. Then the day finally came, throwing me into a nervous flurry, and a couple of weeks prior to the big day, I just wanted it to be over with. When I got to the Vista Way apartments, saw the line, and that feeling increased tenfold. Lucky for me, that was only one of many lines I would have to wait in during my near eight-hour day.

Patterson, where I live

First, I got to meet my room mate, Livingston Denegre-Vaught, who was kind enough to give me, and another DCP Cast member, Darius, whom I met in the lobby of my hotel a ride to Vista way. All three of us had packed as much as possible, and Livingston and his mother had rented a compact Kia. The luggage was packed so tight, seat belts would have been redundant.

Then we arrived at Vista, and got to wait in line and meet some more DCP members, all of which lived in either Texas or to the East of it. Not many people from the West coast here, I guess they all went with the familiar. Not me, I want to learn as much about the domestic Disney parks as possible.

Then we got to the front of the line, signed some papers, then signed some more papers, then some more. We got to choose where we lived, and Livingston and I chose the newest apartment complex, Patterson, in a three room apartment, so we have four other room mates. Well we should have four others, but one never got here, so the first person Livingston and I met, Jacob from Louisiana, gets to have the room to himself, for now. Lucky him.

It was back to the busses it was back to Vista at 12:30, so in between we ate lunch and unpacked, which consisted of putting our bags in our rooms and taking off.

We got on a bus and it was off to the casting building, where I learned that I will be working outdoor quick service food and beverage at the big kahuna, The Magic Kingdom. Our fingerprints were taken, we got instructions for the next couple of days, and finally got a PhotoPass picture taken to commemorate the busy, monumental day.

The casting building, where I spend a good portion of the day

We were wiped out, me having only gotten 5 hours of sleep due to my West Coast time zone state of mind and general excitement about the day. We had to go shopping at Walmart for some of the essentials, then came back to meet our other room mates, Cameron from Texas and Sean from Detroit. To celebrate the end of the day and the meeting of new friends, we headed over to Downtown Disney and had some grub at the House of Blues, where I polished off everyones’ plates that didn’t finish. Now it’s 12:51 a.m., I’m writing this and about to go to bed. Then I have to wake up in time to get to the 9:45 housing meeting.

It’s been busy, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been exciting, even with the monotony. The day after tomorrow, I get to participate in Traditions, where I will get my Disney ID and name tag. Then, on Saturday, training starts and the whole thing gets rolling!

So, Explain this Disney University Thing

Today is January the 4th, 2011. That means it’s 14 days, or exactly two weeks before I get on a plane at Sacramento International, and then 8 or so hours later, get off in Orlando (I get to stop in Denver first, just to feel what freezing is like before I head off to the tropics.) Then, one day later, or 15 days from today for those of you who are doing the math and are having trouble adding that 1 to 14, I start one of the most important experiences of my life: The Disney College Program.

The original plan for EPCOT: Want to hear about it?

I’ve talked a bit about my upcoming experience, but now that it’s so close, I’ve got a completely different perspective on it.

Having come back home, I encounter people almost on a daily basis who are curious about the program, making me a sort of ambassador for the program, which thus far I’ve only been accepted into, having not experienced a day of the actual thing.

My most bare-boned response to their inquiry: “It’s a work study program, emphasis on the work.” I feel like a chump explaining it to people, because I only know what I’ve read, so I’m sort of giving them a cocktail of plagiarism and summarization.

I’ve also found that people have a preconceived idea about the program, that it’s more exclusive than it is, that there’s more “college” involved in the College Program, that it’s in Disneyland, even after I’ve said “It’s at Walt Disney World” a dozen times, or that for some reason, I’m going to ditch the resort first thing and head over to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter as soon as I can, because allegiance means nothing.

Eventually I explain to my lucky listeners everything I know about what it entails, to which they usually exclaim “that sounds amazing!” or “that’s so you!” and I say “Yes it does/is,” because I’m a little literal and extremely sarcastic, but I try to sound sincere (I swear, I can turn it off for on the job customer service).

If my audience is fortunate, I then will go on to either explain the history of EPCOT, or discuss with myself how it’s a stepping stone on my career path with Disney.

What all this has helped me discovered about myself is that I’m tired of explaining the program from the perspective of a prospective cast member. I want to do this, and I want it bad.

As with every thing, the closer the day comes, the further away it seems. But it really isn’t that far away, and when I think about it, there’s quite a bit to do before the important day of the 18, like say, booking my hotel room for the night before.

Better get on that.

Retro Disney Creates Nostalgia, Even for the Young

I recently turned the ripe old age of 20, the anti-milestone of milestones: no longer a teen, not yet of drinking age. I'm still a young person, but for some reason I have nostalgia for Disney history that I haven't even been alive to witness, and I don't seem to be the only one.

Disney merchandise for rides that no longer exist

Retro, or vintage, Disney is extremely trendy right now. It could be because of the down economy, which some say causes people to look to the past for comfort. This is not the case for me because I have yet to join the workforce and fully realize what a hole we're in, but I still look with admiration towards the things of Disney past, and Disney seems to be quite aware of this. Or it's that Disney also has released some exclusive merchanidse to celebrate their 55th anniversary.

With their Disney gallery, one of the first things you stumble upon when walking under the Disneyland Rail Road's berm, models of the original Disneyland, sketches of past Disneyland attractions are displayed along with paintings of what made Disneyland iconic when it opened in 1955. In the store, you can buy the prints, take them home, put them on your wall, and be constantly reminded of Disneyland past.

Or you can buy the $75 vintage pin/lanyard combo, designed after all the original Disneyland merchandise. Head down to D-street and you can buy retro-Matterhorn, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, or Flying Saucer t-shirts.

Maybe you're not at the parks. You could go to the Disney store, where their bags are modeled after the classic versions of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, or pop in one of the Walt Disney Treasures DVD's.  If you've got a Wii, you could play the new Epic Mickey video game, where Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Mickey's predecessor, is a main character involved in the gameplay. The creator of the game, Warren Spector, laboriously went though the Disney archives while researching the game.

New merchandise, old look

Or you could just wait for the Jon Favreau directed "Magic Kingdom" film, about a family trapped in Disneyland over night that discovers the rides come to life when the sun goes down. In a recent interview with Geek Time Radio, Favereau discussed how he looked to Walt's original Disneyland and vision for inspiration:

"I've got to watch every Disney property. I started with 'Steamboat Willy' working my way all the way up. I really want to focus on the classic stuff like 'Dumbo,' 'Steamboat Willy,' all the early black and white Mickey Mouse cartoons -- all the Fantasyland stuff. I think there was something timeless about what Walt [Disney] did, and I want to explore, not just Disneyland, but Walt’s vision of Disneyland. If you look at his concept art it diverges a little bit from what the park turned into over time; but if you look at his original concept art and really explore what that world is, I think there is something really fun and magical to be done there," Favereau said.

Or you could watch one of Walt's ultimate pet projects: "Fantasia"on BluRay, a format on which it was recently released, or watch the Sherman brother's documentary, "The Boys," also having been recently released for home viewing.

I've never been on the Flying Saucers, nor was I around for Oswald, or the opening of Disneyland. With Disney's new marketing scheme subtlety focusing on the Disneyland of the past, it's left me longing for the old days. Those old days, that for a young person like me, would be completely new.

Tired of Pavement? Try Walking on Ropes: The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail

Let's face it, we all get into a routine when it comes to the Disney parks. Even people who are visiting for the first time have a sort of pre-fab routine planned out for them: do all the big attractions. For more frequent visitors, it's the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" routine, where you visit your favorite attractions, and forget about all the others. Well, at least I have a routine.

The Redwood Creek Challenge trail original sketch

This routine had made it so I only see certain parts of the park every time I visit, and since I like to see myself as well rounded when it comes to all things Disney, on my last visit, I decided the monotony had to end: I was going to do every attraction on the map. I know, I've talked about it before (and thanks for reading more than one of my posts), but it was an instrumental part of the trip, and opened my eyes to many new things.

One of those new things was the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail in the Golden State area of California Adventure. I'd been to it once before, when the park opened, but I skimmed it more than I embraced it.

This last trip, I took some time and really explored the whole Disney's-version-of-a-jungle-gym in full, and guess what? It was great. I've always loved gigantic play structures, probably because that's the only size that has ever been able to accomodate me.

Realistically, anytime anyone thinks about a jungle gym, they think small children and ball pits with hidden surprises. A fair assumption that is...generally. At the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, there are none of those pesky height, age, or weight limits (unless you want to ride the tire-ziplines, then you're out of luck).

The course

The huge towers with webs or rope connection them and rickety bridges were almost more fun for me than they were for little kids. Running up and down them at top speed (probably a little dangerous), I whisked by many youngsters creeping up the webs with a look of extreme caution on their faces.

It was great being able to let my inner kid out again, having a playground that was big enough for anyone to play on again. And to think, I skipped the area because I thought it was geared towards younger people!

Next time you're in California Adventure, you've got some free time, and you want to experience what it's like to be a kid again in a more first hand point of view, then take a hike down Highway 49, and pull over at The Redwood Creek Challenge trail. Because you know you miss that good ol' playground.

Innoventions: A Waste of Tomorrowland Space

Tomorrowland is a place, that at one point, represented the future. It's the land that is made over the most often, the last time in 1998. Since then, not a whole lot has changed. The Rocket Rods came and went rather quickly, "Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlasters" has moved in, "Space Mountain" got a new track, and that's about it.

Innoventions: A big building with a tiny, tiny punch

The land hardly represents any type of "Tomorrow." From the dated "Astro Orbiter," which takes its design from "Dumbo The Flying Elephant," a 1955 original ride, to "Autopia," itself an original ride, Tomorrowland's name is becoming almost ironic: Captain E.O. has just moved in, an attraction that was most popular in the 1980's. "Star Tours," which will reopen next year, is based on a movie where the first words of the introduction read "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far way."

Which brings us to Innoventions. Sheesh. I haven't checked it out in a while, but had to last time as the group was on a mission to experience every attraction on the map. I'll probably never check it out again.

Thinking harder than I needed to

The first stop on Innoventions is a cheesy ABC programming commercial disguised as a game show. I was lucky enough to get picked as a contestant, but alas, the show was rigged, and  ended in a tie. Funny enough, I already watch "Modern Family" and "The Middle," so the commercial was wasted on me. The third show, "Wipeout," I will never watch, because I have that thing called taste.

Then it drops you off in the new "House of Tomorrow," which itself is a disguise for a Microsoft ad. In every room, a Zune, a product available today that sales show will probably not have a tomorrow.  In other rooms, computers running Windows. Embedded in a table, a large touch screen whose controls were less then functional. And in the kitchen, well, I don't know what was in the kitchen because it was broken. Apparently, technology is still sporadically functional in the future.

Up to the second floor, and I can see what my face will look like when I'm 60, or what it would look like if my face was wax and it was a hot day. Such cool technology. That was sarcasm. I can buy the FatBooth app and do virtually the same thing.

If that's not your thing, you can maybe play some dated Disney video games, or check out the new Honda CRZ's, which a Honda spokesperson will happily try to sell to you.

If you're lucky, you might get to see Honda's ASIMO show, you know, that robot that was cool like 5 years ago?

This pin may be less vintage than you think

It's not that I'm anti-product placement. Disneyland was built on the concept and I appreciate what it can bring to me, the guest. But when it feels like the attraction you're on is a commercial, that is overstepping the boundaries.

The whole concept for Innoventions is a hard thing to keep current. Technology becomes dated so quickly, that to keep up something boasting it has "the technology of tomorrow" and live up to that claim, the thing would have to be updated monthly, which is not something that can realistically happen.

Really, Innoventions is just the tip of the ironic iceberg. Tomorrowland is anything but a land about the future. It's in dire need of a makeover. a makeover that will hopefully replace Innoventions with something a tad bit more exciting, put something fun on the empty PeopleMove/Rocket Rod's track (Light Cycles!), update the engines of Autopia's vehicles to some sort of hybrid or Hydrogen model, and make the land more about "tomorrow."

At the very least, make it something we will even remember tomorrow.

Disneyland's Disney Gallery: Fascinating and Educational

"Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln" was Mr. Disney's personal favorite, and for that reason, I always save a visit to the Opera House for last when I visit Walt's Magic Kingdom.

Since 2005, when "Great Moments" was temporarily replaced by "Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years" for Disneyland's 50th and "Great Moment's" refurbishment, the lobby of the opera house has transformed into the Disney Gallery, with fantastic models and a wealth of information about the park's inception, opening day, and everything else that's happened in its 55 year existence. The Disney gallery has been around for a while though, its old space having been taken over by the Dream Suite.

It's the little things that make the gallery great

I have to say, none of the models are quite as great as the "Disneyland of Walt's Imagination" at the Walt Disney Family Museum, but the smaller models, this time of Sleeping Beauty's castle and Splash Mountain were great, as well as the model of Disneyland on opening day. I love seeing the intricacies of the attractions and land marks, and models have always caught my attention. Someday I hope to get into trains like Walt, and at an early age, my father did.

Then there are the artifacts, like the early sketches for attractions around the parks, pictures of forgotten attractions, and one of the coolest pieces of Disney history, the bench from the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round where Walt first imagined building the Happiest Place on Earth.

Then there's the gift shop, where you can buy special edition Marty Sklar autographed books, apparel unique to that shop, and prints of some of the great artwork the gallery has on display. Oh how I wanted to get a couple of those prints, but adding more junk to my nomad-esque lifestyle would do me no good. Maybe later, when I have an actual income.

Walt's Bench

It's a great thing that Disney sees value in recognizing its past finally, something I feel it forgot in the 90's under Eisner and his inflated ego. Of course, I would love to see the Disney Family Museum and the Disney Company get along, but the company did some terrible things to Ronald Miller, wounding his wife and Walt's only biological child Diane in ways that will never heal.

But the company has a vast amount of artifacts from walt, and it's great they found some places to display them. An attendant told me of two display cases from "20,0000 Leagues Under the Sea" that the company had taken out of storage, refurbished, and used in the gallery. It's great that they still have the Steve Martin/Donald Duck hosted film playing in the gallery, giving vistors to the opera house the best of both worlds.

To me, there is nothing more fascinating than the history of the Walt Disney company and Disneyland, and being able to learn new things about it while in Disneyland is a great treat, and something more people should take advantage of.

Who thought this was a good idea?

One thing that seemed a little out of place though: a section of the wall devoted to the great musicians of our time: Elvis, The Beach Boys, Michael Jackson...and Miley Cyrus. C'mon Disney, we get she's your brainchild, but that's insulting to the artists who share that wall space. Maybe now there's that incriminating video of her on TMZ, Disney might try to distance itself from the troublemaker's new 18-year-old image. Overall, Disney doesn't seem to have the best track record when it comes to turning young girls into celebrities. Better stick with the gender making pu the majority of the photos that aren't of Hannah Montana.

Duffy the Disney Bear: Here to Stay

In the past few months, Disney has been introducing Duffy the Disney Bear to visitors in their domestic parks. The bear was originally created at Tokyo DisneySea where he has been a huge hit, and it looks like he's catching on over here in the states.

Duffy's logo

The legend goes that Minnie Mouse created Duffy for Mickey as he was packing for a long voyage at sea. As far as Disney characters goes, he's not the most creative creation of the bunch, being a typical teddy bear dressed up like Donald Duck. It's as if Pooh and Daisy Duck had a bland, inimaginative lovechild.

So, during my recent trip to California Adventure, I decided to wait in the short line to meet Duffy the Disney Bear, just to get a picture with the new character. I thought it'd be a good momento to have, considering the bear's existence might be fleeting.

I got something I totally did not expect. Duffy was hilarious, trying to steal my lanyard, along with my fastpasses and Steam Boat Willie emblem, which I think is the thing that caught his/her eye. (Duffy's gender is also something that is a bit of a mystery, just throwing it out there. There was definitely some flirting going on, considering Duffy greeted me with a kiss, so I'm going to say it's a girl sailor teddy bear.)

Even Duffy's character attendants were laughing as Duffy tried to walk away from his meet and greet area, reminding Duffy, "There are other people, too."

In all, Duffy and I spent about three minutes together, much longer than I would have gotten with Mickey or Minnie, and I felt it was a great experience. I was a little iffy on Duffy before, but because of our interaction, I've grown fond of the little guy.

I'm not the only one. While shopping on my last day at the parks, I talked to a cashier at California Adventure, and she told me that Duffy merchandise was selling extremely well. She told me of one customer who buys Duffy swag in bulk, by the fifties to be precise. I've heard of this happening, as the American Duffy is popular to the Japanese.

Apparently, he's very hard to get a hold of at the Tokyo Disney Resort, where guests are limited to only three Duffy's a piece. The New York Times had a great article about the new bear, which you can read here.

So, do I think Duffy's transition from Japan to the US while be a lasting one? I hope so, but that's probably just because we are now totally BFF's.

Gowalla and Enhancing the Disney Experience

Gowalla's eye-popping logo

Gowalla has been popping up all over in my Google News alerts recently, as the Disney parks have paired up with the location based social network app for smart phones. Disney officially submitted "spots" to Gowalla, meaning when you're at either Disneyland or Walt Disney World, you can "check in" to whatever ride, restaurant, parade or show you're at, and an official digital badge will be yours on your Gowalla account. Through Gowalla, you can announce where you are via Twitter, or through Facebook's new places app, which syncs to Gowalla. There are certain "trips" you can complete on Gowalla, like the "Season's Greetings" trip at Disneyland, which includes the Holiday fireworks show and "it's a small world holiday."

On my recent trip, I checked in as often as I possibly could, completed every "trip" and used the Disney/Gowalla integration to its full potential. I thought it was great how the different rides had their own specific badges that I could collect on my trip.

It was also very fun letting my Twitter followers know exactly what I was doing during my trip at Disneyland, though some may have thought the constant updating was a little much. Overall, it was a great way to integrate my trip with my social media outlets.

The location-based badges from Disney

At each destination, Disney has supplied descriptions with the badges, so you read up on each ride when you're there. Also, if you have a lot of friends on Gowalla, you can see what they're doing at the parks if they're there at the same time.

I had a great time accomplishing all the trips Disney provided, like "Thrill Seekers Unite," for the more intense rides like "Indiana Jones" and "Space Mountain" and the "Entertainment Park Hopper" which included different entertainment options in both parks. With each trip I completed, I received a specific badge for that trip.

Another great aspect of the Disney/Gowalla integration is that I can look back on my trip and have it completely documented. Gowalla lets me view my history, and since I so thoroughly documented my trip with the app, I can look back and see what Idid within every hour of everyday. There are also user-submitted pictures at each destination, so I can take a look at those to refresh my memory.


Overall, I thought it was great that Disney is taking advantage of social networking, and in turn giving their smart-phone clad guests a special thing to do in the parks. Using the Gowalla app enhanced my trip, connecting me closer to the parks by offering me an official way to document my trip.

Goodbye, Disneyland

I sit now at Gate 1 in John Wayne Airport, waiting for my flight back to Phoenix, and back to real life. It's a total bummer, but it's also a relief of some sort. I do Disneyland hard, like self-administered-sleep-torture-famine-hard.

The first, rainy night at the park

When I go to Disneyland, there is nothing more important to me than Disneyland. I throw my basic human needs aside. I literally forget I'm hungry until it becomes too blatantly obvious that I need to eat that I am forced to stop a moment and acknowledge I'm not a humanoid. I do Magic Mornings after staying in the park until midnight, and if I shop, until 1 or 2.

This trip, I got off the plane at 9:30, my mom parked the car at the hotel, and we ran to Disneyland for the remaining two hours it was open. We got so much done, for mother nature was on our side in kind of a backwards way: it was raining. I saw it as the elements separating the diehards from the tourists, shortening the lines for my obsession's delight. We got Autopia, Small World, Casey Jr., Dumbo, Indiana Jones, Thunder Mountain and Haunted Mansion Holiday in in just two hours. Then we shopped and got back to the room somewhere around 2:00 am.

It was extremely satisfying getting so much done in so little time, especially since I had nothing to do that entire day, as my late class was canceled, and I skipped my other one, and got at the airport at 4 for my 8:50 flight If I had known earlier how free my day would have been, I would have gotten a flight that arrived somewhere around 2 pm instead of 9:05.

So now the whole trip is over, and the blogging about the trip and resting my body will begin. I would have gotten some blogging done if my hotel hadn't charged for WiFi, but alas, it did. I now return to a normal life, a life of full night's rests, free of fastpasses and running around gigantic parks, and, sadly, free of Disneyland's magic. It's a relief to be able to rest, but after I get a good night's sleep, I'll be wishing I was waking up in Anaheim again.

In only a couple of hours...DISNEYLAND!

I'll see you guys in a couple of hours!

The flight leaves at 8:50 and gets there at 9:20, an hour long trip cut in half. My trip to Disneyland starts out with magic! Or, if you're picky, a flight from Mountain time into Pacific time.

We've got 5 day passes that start today: it was only slightly more moola for five days than it was for three, so we'll also be hanging out at the park on the day of our departure: Saturday.

I'm not going to lie, I couldn't sleep, and then when I finally dozed off, I woke up early because I was so excited! Just like the classic (to me) Disneyland commercial! I feel just like a little kid every time I go to Disneyland, and just about every time I talk about it. It makes me seem a bit nuts every now and then, but that's ok, everyone's a little nuts!

Right now, to get psyched up for the trip, I've got Disneyland 50,  Happiest Homecoming On Earth, The Official Album of the Disneyland Resort playing, and it's almost making the time go by slower!

This time, my family, girlfriend and me have a plan of attack: to partake in every attraction listed on the map, in both parks. I'm excited for this because I love setting goals and accomplishing them, and there are many attraction in both of the parks that I haven't experienced in a long while.

What am I most excited for? WORLD OF COLOR! I have yet to see it, and we have picnic reservations to see the show, so we're guaranteed a good view. The holiday overlays and fireworks show look to be pretty spectacular as well!

Tonight we'll probably check out  ElecTRONica, since it's open so late, and hopefully take a stroll down Main Street! There's so much to do, and we've got 3 and-a-half days to get it all in, leaving us a perfect amount of time.

It's been almost 2 years since I've been to the park, a long period for someone as obsessed as I. It'll be great, and our hotel is right across the street from the park entrance, next to the McDonald's!

We'll be there on Thanksgiving, which I think is perfect. If there's anything I'm thankful for, it's Walt's vision being brought to life at Disneyland!