by Sean | Apr 21, 2014 | Hidden Mickey
Our Hidden Mickey this week comes from Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. As you enter the lodge’s amazing lobby one thing that will quickly draw your attention is the 82 foot tall fireplace. The rock work in the fireplace mimics the layers of rock that make up the Grand Canyon but also contains a few images of our favorite pal. Be sure to walk all the way around it and see if you can spot any Hidden Mickey‘s, here is a few hints for one of them. Pay close attention to the area where our arrow is pointing below.
Here we zoom in for you and circle the area you should pay attention to. Can you see him. The next picture highlights the area to you can compare the two.
Hi Mickey!! He was hiding pretty good in this one. There might be a couple more around the fireplace so be sure to keep looking.
We love Hidden Mickey‘s. Where else have you spotted one at the Wilderness Lodge?
by Sean | Apr 15, 2014 | Tips and Tricks
“We don’t make movies to make money, we make money to make more movies.” – Walt Disney
“Disneyland is a work of love. We didn’t go into Disneyland just with the idea of making money.” – Walt Disney
One of the reasons that I fell in love with Disney was their commitment to quality and how they never compromise on it. This commitment was all started with Walt. I love hearing the story of when Walt wanted the Sleeping Beauty Castle spires to sparkle. No, this could not be done with paint or anything else in Walt’s eyes; this had to be 22 karat gold. But his brother Roy, the money thinking side of Disney, wanted no part in the cost of real gold on the castle. Since Walt was not willing to compromise he sent Roy away on business and while he was gone went ahead and had real 22 karat gold applied to the castle spires. Gold still adorns the castle today. This commitment to quality made Disney what it is today.
After Walt’s death, Roy picked up the Disney World project with many of the directions already set in place by Walt. There were a few things that could have been changed early in the project to save money, but Roy now understood Walt’s quality commitment and went along with his brothers previous plans. One of these was the location of the Magic Kingdom. The accountants at Disney were arguing that the location should be at the intersection of two highways at the front of the property. This would save the Disney company time and millions of dollars. Walt’s plan called for the Magic Kingdom to be at the back of the property bringing the guests slowly through the property. You know the decision Roy made.
Another of these decisions came with the location of the parks services. They could go with backstage buildings or put many of the services under the park similar to what Walt had proposed for EPCOT. Meetings were held and again the accountants wanted to save money. $5 million is what it would cost and that was a big chunk of change at that time. Again, you know the decision that was made.
Which brings us to our trivia question this week….
How high was the land raised so that the utilities/services for the Magic Kingdom could be “underground”
A. 4 feet
B. 8 feet
C. 16 feet
D. 20 feet
Overtime many companies fall victim to sacrificing quality to make more money which is always only a short term win. I hope the Disney company continues to learn from the man who started it all and keep their quality standards high.
The answer this week is C – the ground had to be raised 16 feet so that the utilities/services could exist under the ground at the Magic Kingdom. Over 8 million cubic yards of dirt had to be moved forming a 200 acre lagoon.
“Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it they will want to come back and see you do it again and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.” – Walt
by Sean | Apr 11, 2014 | Lodging, Walt Disney World
The Disney Vacation Club (DVC) construction continues at the Polynesian Resort and the new Ferry Docks look to be complete at both the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC) and the Magic Kingdom. The new Ferry Docks will allow for 2 Ferry’s to be docked at the same time increasing overall capacity. This will definitely help when the Monorail is down as has happened more often lately. On our last visit we didn’t have time to visit the Poly but I grabbed a few shots from the Admiral Joe Fowler.
We could still see the volcano so nothing has changed there, but we are hearing that this will go under construction from July 2014 to March 2015. You can see how large the bungalows are now and that they will be blocking the castle view for anyone staying in the first floor of what used to be theme park view rooms. Those in the second floor should still be able to see the castle, but the bungalows will now be in the line of sight for sure making the 3rd floor now the best views.
New Ferry Dock at the TTC
New Ferry Dock at the Magic Kingdom
New Ferry Dock at the Magic Kingdom
New Ferry Dock with Poly construction in the background
New Ferry Dock with Poly Construction in the background
New Ferry Dock at the TTC with Poly in the background.
Dock for the bungalows in place, construction on them yet to begin at this end.
by Sean | Mar 27, 2014 | Favorite Food Friday
Our Favorite Food This Week: Fried Shrimp Platter
Location: Columbia Harbour House – Magic Kingdom / Liberty Square
Price: $9.99
Welcome to this week’s Favorite Food Friday where we share our favorite foods with our friends. This week we head back to the Magic Kingdom and Liberty Square to enjoy a fried shrimp platter.
This large platter is served with cole slaw and steamed fresh broccoli, or French Fries as you can see we didn’t go the healthy route on this day. There are around 9 medium sized shrimp in the platter and they are pretty good. If you are snacking throughout the day this meal is perfect to share with a friend. My wife and I also like to order this and a chicken meal and share if you don’t want an all shrimp meal. What is your favorite meal at Columbia Harbour House?
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by Sean | Mar 27, 2014 | History
The Dawn of a New Disney Era…..
The Dawn of a New Disney Era is the title of our Commemorative Pre-Opening Guide to Epcot Center we received in early 1982. “On October 1, 1982, Walt Disney’s greatest dream Epcot Center – – becomes a reality. An $800 million entertainment kingdom, Epcot Center is located on 6 hundred acres approximately two and a half miles south of the Magic Kingdom. Beyond its colossal gateway, you’ll see wonders beyond your imagination.”
To this day I can remember the excitement I had for a new park. As the park neared construction completion they opened the monorail so you could go on the grand circle tour and then back to the TTC. I think I rode it 20 times trying to take it all in.
But Walt’s true dream was a bit different than what was constructed. EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, not Every Person Comes Out Tired or as Cast Members like to say Every Paycheck Comes On Thursday. Walt’s vision was a true community in which one would work, live, and play. In his words, “EPCOT will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are emerging from the forefront of American industry. It will be a community of tomorrow that will never be completed. It will always be showcasing and testing and demonstrating new materials and new systems.”
EPCOT was to have around 20,000 residents living in the spherical city. Similar to the weenie in the parks, the city would feature a large hotel and convention center which would tower over the city at 30 stories. Surrounding the hotel would be businesses and commerce along with high density apartments. Many theaters and restaurants were proposed along with shopping districts that would be modeled off of streets from around the world (hmmm). More residential/suburb type living would be around the outside of the sphere.
As for transportation, the monorail and PeopleMover would be the main transportation with the center of the sphere serving as the Grand Central Station / Hub. Car and truck traffic would be located on streets underground and away from pedestrian traffic. As you can see from the model there were only two roads heading into the city, so vehicles would likely only be used for vacations away from the city. If you are at the Magic Kingdom, be sure to take a trip on the PeopleMover for a peek at a portion of the city model.
After Walt Disney died in 1966, most of his ideas for this planned city were abandoned, and Walt Disney World Resort opened in 1971 with only the Magic Kingdom and a few hotels. If EPCOT was created exactly as Walt had planned I do not think we would have the same vacation destination that we have today. What do you think, let us know in the comments below.
DREAMERS AND DOERS : “If we can bring together the technical know-how of American Industry and the creative imagination of the Disney organization, I believe we can build a community that more people will talk about and come to look at than any other area of the world” Walt Disney
