Forum Fading… is it an illness?

No, in fact I believe it’s rather healthy. To get away from the internet and computer for a while. To just get outside and enjoy nature’s bandwidth of sunshine and fresh air. However, that theory kind of goes out the window when you’re still attached to said internet and computer. I haven’t been posting in the forums I used to. Or this blog for that matter. I still spend way too much time on the internet however. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and just general web surfing mostly. Every once in a while I’ll go and read a bit on the forums I used to frequent. More of a lurker than a regular poster.

I still go to the Disney parks, although not nearly as frequently as I did when The World for One podcast was still going. I’ve sort of been just wasting my days by sleeping through them, then waking up at night not able to fall back asleep. Living in a motel room is a really easy way to get extremely bored. And with my nocturnal sleeping habits, there is even less to do at night while I’m wide awake. What I need is a job, a car, and some money for college. I still am not entirely sure as to what I want to be when I “grow up”. I don’t think I’ll ever really grow up, nor do I wish to.

However, I do need to have more responsibilities than I do for my age. I’m 19, and though I dropped out of school way too early, I have gone back and received my High School Diploma. That should make getting a job easier, right? Well apparently not. Not during this funk called the economy. I live on Highway 192 which is like International Drive 2.0, it connects to I-Drive in fact. I would have thought there would be plenty of job opportunities out here. In actuality, not really. I mean I might be able to get a job flipping burgers for minimum wage but I REALLY don’t want to do that and I don’t believe I need to.

Being as young as I am means that I have plenty of opportunities ahead of me. Opportunities for success. True, everyone has to start somewhere, but I don’t think it has to be with doing something you’d rather not be doing. Yes, plenty of extremely successful and happy folks did start by doing jobs they’ve hated. But the way I look at it is this: If you have a goal in mind and are working your way to that goal, if you enjoy the work you’re doing, the more likely you are to stick to chasing down that goal.

That’s not to say that I’m going to have to overcome obstacles and tough things on my journey, but again, it shouldn’t be something I hate, but rather something that motivates me to beat it and gain knowledge and experience in the process. Knowledge and experience which I can use to my advantage in my future endeavors. So anyway, this is a Disney blog. Not my personal journal to express my life’s frustrations. But I just feel like expressing why I haven’t been adding my input on Disney topics on this blog and Disney fan message boards and things.

So to turn this post around back in to Disney related material, check out this cool patch I found while going through some old boxes this morning. It’s Mickey Mouse in the Spirit of America Fife & Drum Corps outfit (from The American Adventure pavilion at Epcot).

Disney & Me @ Sea? Maybe. We’ll See. Tee-Hee.

Anyone who listens to Disney fan podcasts is probably aware of the Mouse Guest Weekly podcast, created by the gang over at mouseguest.com, where they claim you can ‘get your fix’.  This is most certainly true. Not just with the awesome virtual tours of the happiest place… in Orlando, but with the warm and welcoming community in the forums.  Another little thing Disney fans may be aware of are the fan gatherings in the parks. The two that first come to mind are of course Mousefest (FL) and WestFest (CA).

However, there are a few smaller gatherings from communities all over the interwebs, yet they all share the passion for the magic Disney’s famous for.  Last year, mouseguest.com and the Mouse Guest Weekly podcast started their own little gathering. Known as ‘The Mouse Guest Experience’, or MGE, this fan gathering kicked off it’s inaugural festivities in October of 2008. A much smaller, and more personal group of Disney fans made for a very, quite fun and easy going event. Unlike the magical mayhem, often overwhelming, Mousefest.

That’s not to say that Mousefest is inferior in anyway to the MGE.  It’s just that with big gatherings like Mousefest, first timers to such events may find themselves not having the best times as they know not what to expect. First timers at smaller events like the MGE can relax and just take it slow. The fan gathering event regulars also have more time to help out with the first timers. So if someone has pondered with the idea of attending a larger event, I’d suggest going to a smaller one first.

This year’s MGE will also be taking place at Walt Disney World during the second week of October. The 10th through the 15th to be exact. You can register for the event, though it’s not mandatory, over at mouseguest.com/experience. There is even a free registration option, even though the highest registration level isn’t expensive at all. I’m pretty excited for this year’s festivities. But the real point of this post is about 2010’s MGE which will be taking place on The Disney Cruise Line. I’ve never been on a cruise before, and I’ve always wanted to go on the Disney cruise.

There are pretty decent rates for the cruise when you book with the group space. The cheapest rate for a double occupancy standard inside stateroom is just a little under $2,000 (including tax). That’s for both passengers! Since it’s still over a year away, there’s plenty of time to save up for it. However, there is a limited time half off price on deposits. Usually $250, you only have to pay $125 per person. Which is again, not a bad deal at all, but it’s not going to last long. So be sure to book now!

As I said, I’m very excited for this year’s Walt Disney World MGE, but next year’s cruise will be just amazing and I really hope I can make it. I’m totally going to start saving my doubloons for this here adventarrrrghhhh!

I <3 Tomorrowland

Claustrophobics Need Not Apply

Many have been speculating about Disney’s financial acrobatics during the current state of the economy lately. With quite a few number of unfortunate cut backs throughout the parks, as well as the incredible deals and vacation packages Disney has been offering recently, a lot of folks have been thinking that Disney wasn’t economically bullet proof. While that may be true, Disney is most certainly not taking as hard a hit as we once where lead to believe. Pictured below is an example at how well Disney is in fact doing with having people in their parks. This photo was taken a week ago on April 6th, 2009. It was a little after 12pm. The crowd you see is a mix between the dump out of the 11:30am performance of Finding Nemo – The Musical and the queue line for the 1pm performance. As you may know, this is my favorite show at any of the parks, and actually my favorite attraction at Animal Kingdom. So bare with me while I divulge for you some numbers about the show.

During normal seasons at WDW, they’ll show 5 performances at the following show times: 10am, 11:30am, 1:45pm, 3:15pm, and 4:45pm. During peak seasons, which with Spring Break and Easter, is no doubt is in full swing now, they’ll show 6 performances. These show times are slightly different however, since the park is open later. (also due to peak season). The peak show times are as follows: 11:30am, 1pm, 3:15pm, 4:45pm, 6pm and 7:15pm.

On that same day the photo above was taken, Disney did something for the first time that I had never heard of before. They actually had an Extra Magic Hours performance of the show at 10pm! Extra Magic Hours have been benefiting resort guests for a few years now. As far as I know, they’ve only kept attractions, shops, and restaurants open for guests during EMH evenings. With the popularity of Finding Nemo – The Musical, it doesn’t really surprise me that it would be the first stage show to be included in the EMH repertoire.

The Theatre in the Wild has a capacity of 1,700 people. The total count of people who where lucky enough to see the best show on property last week was a bit over 10,000! That means the theatre was filled to capacity for nearly every performance. I have so much love and respect to everyone at the show. From the ushers, to managers, cast and crew, everybody does such a spectacular job at pulling off such an amazing show every time.

ParkTunes.com

From the creative team behind the Inside the Magic Podcast, and Orlando Attractions Magazine, comes this awesome site dedicated to all the wonderful music heard around the various Disney parks & resorts. ParkTunes.com is a brand new website created by Ricky Brigante, host of Inside the Magic. The purpose of the site is to help share the magic of music heard around the parks and hotels, legally. Instead of venturing into the sometimes shady, and always risky realm of illegal peer to peer file sharing, Park Tunes is a way for people to actually purchase their own copy of the great music we all love. Either from Amazon.com or the iTunes store, ParkTunes.com acts as a directory for all the Disney park and resort music that can be purchased on the net. Instead of tirelessly searching, often with no avail, yourself, Park Tunes has done all the searching for you, and has gathered quite a bit of music for the short time the site has been open. You can even listen to 30 second sample clips (Quicktime plug in required), as well as help form what the most popular batch of albums are just by purchasing your favorites. I highly recommend this great new site to any Disney fan, music fan, and especially the Disney music fan.

Joining the Big Blue World

As most of you know, I'm a huge fan of Finding Nemo: The Musical at Disney's Animal Kingdom. So much so in fact, that I have been thinking about applying for a job at the parks, so I can later audition for a part in the show. I have no real acting experience, other than one year of drama class in middle school. Also, me working for Disney would require me to end the podcast. I've always wanted to work at the parks, in one position or another, yet I was never really sure of where or when I would want to work. The first position I really wanted to fill was that of a Bellhop at The Hollywood Tower Hotel (Tower of Terror) at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Then I really wanted to be Mugsy, the gangster hijacker, in The Great Movie Ride, also at The Studios.

So as you can see, I've always wanted to be more than a regular attractions host. I want to be a part of the attraction or show. Being a Jungle Cruise Skipper is another one that involves some sort of performance. It has always fascinated me. But Finding Nemo: The Musical is something else completely. That show is just so unbelievable, and a big part of that is most certainly the cast. They are all so amazingly talented. I know that some of them where just regular cast members who loved the show and wanted to be in it, but most of them are actors. Finding Nemo is just work, it's their career.

With Disney Park Entertainment, for actors and performers on the street, or in shows, the contracts are slightly different. I'm not entirely sure about all the details of it, but I do know that if I where to actually get cast a part in the show, I wouldn't be able to stay in the show for the whole time the show is there. I'd have to re-audition every so often, which is one of the things about the contracts for actors. But I think it would be worth it. I absolutely love that show, and it looks like a lot of fun to be a part of. A lot of work, but a lot of fun. So like I said, as of right now, this is just a blue sky thought for the future. Or should I say a blue world thought?

Well at least if I don't audition for the show, I'll be ready with bad puns for the Jungle Cruise!

9/20/08 Super Mega Fireworks?

I've heard a rumor that at around 9:30pm on Saturday, the 20th, The Magic Kingdom will be showing the biggest baddest fireworks show in Walt Disney World history. Apparently, this is part of a pyrotechnics convention of sorts. They did this a few years ago, and ended up setting some woods on fire. Now with a sprinkler system installed in the wooded area, they are going to do it again this weekend. As with most rumors, take this with a grain of salt, and as Matt "Collar" Hochberg would say, "seeing is believing". Fortunately, I can go up to the 5th floor of my building and see fireworks at the parks. I will try to remember to do this on Saturday, and report back what, if anything, I could see.