WDW Recap: Part 1!
WDW Report: Mexico Pavilion’s own King Kong!
This week, we are at Walt Disney World! This is always a treat for us since we live on the west coast so we do not take a trip to these 4 parks lightly. Robert’s favorite park is EPCOT and they’re in the middle of their 20th year of the Food & Wine festival in the World Showcase area of the park. Unfortunately, EPCOT’s guests have a bad reputation for taking advantage of the libations at the park and proudly wear their drunkenness on their sleeves (or matching t-shirts.) This year is no different, it would seem, as Robert took this video Sunday night which has since gone viral!
The guy climbing had been bragging to his friends that he would climb the stairs and one in his group said she would join him. So up they went! Well, he did, but she was quickly pulled down by Disney security. As you can see in the video, he made it to the top without being apprehended. Many online have wondered what happened after the video cuts out here, and we’ll post that upon Robert’s return! Unfortunately, he was able to snake down the side and away from security. Robert even saw him later with his friends before park closing. We’re not sure that he was ever caught and are waiting for some official statement from Disney about it. The strange thing is this isn’t the first time this happened. When I went in 2012, someone had tried to climb up the temple and I got this response on twitter:
@remainseatedpls Done it and did it when I was 8 years old when park first opened. — ERRT (@OFFICIAL_ERRT) November 11, 2015
Since that video and story went viral, we’ve been lucky (depending on how you look at it when one is on vacation) to be cited on several major news outlets. Here’s a fun one:
And since then, the Mexico pavilion has gone from looking as it always has: 
To looking more like this:
They’ve added some plants which I actually don’t mind but they’ve also included a theme-less sign here. This is at least the temporary fix that Team Disney Orlando has come up with but it will be interesting to see how it evolves from here. Robert mentioned there’s a security guard standing by as well. EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival comes to a close for 2015 on Nov 16th.
Stay tuned to the blog as we will be posting Robert’s full video here as well as podcasting about it next week as we return from our hiatus. What do you think about actions like this at Disney parks and does it affect your experience? Or have you seen this happen before at this or another park? Let us know in the comment section below!
Behind the Velvet Ropes
Yesterday at Disney California Adventure, a unique opportunity arose. As I made my way over to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, I noticed it was down. I walked up to the front and I noticed they were letting a few people inside. As I approached the bellhop, she said “Come in”. Inside they let us explore the lobby and library. We could really get close to these wonderful details that you would never notice on a normal day. Besides the up close experience, the bellhops did a great job conducting their tours describing facts and secrets. For instance, did you know that the couch and two chairs represent the ghostly inhabitants of that fallen elevator? The following are some photos I took. Unfortunately, I only had my phone, so the quality of the photos aren’t as nice as I would have hoped. Enjoy!
Throwback Thursday — Walt Disney’s Final Interview
I have been using the app Dubsmash a lot lately with some other Disneyland fans. For those that don’t know, Dubsmash is an app full of movie and song quotes and you can lip sync to them and send them to your friends.
We noticed there were NO Walt Disney or Disneyland quotes so we started uploading them — a LOT of them. Maybe I’ll share them here one day, but while looking for famous Walt Disney quotes to add to the site, I came across this gem:
Walt Disney’s Last Interview 9-24-66 from jaime maas on Vimeo.
Not sure if this is well-known in the Disney community, but this is Walt’s last interview and it was in September of 1966 just as he was preparing production of “The Happiest Millionaire.” He sounds great here! It’s from a South African radio program and Walt’s interview starts after the musical introduction at 6:25.
They talk about Mary Poppins, The Sherman Brothers, and even a little about Disneyland in this short but fun interview. It’s terrible that this was his last interview and he would pass away not 3 months later. He was a legend of not only his day but into today and beyond.
Take a listen to this interview sometime and imagine a world where radio programs sounded like this, Walt Disney was still a living legend, and the Disney company, while a mega-giant in its time, was relatively new and still finding its place in the world.
What a guy!
For fun, here’s one of our Dubsmash clips:
Pardon the audio quality, it’s the best version of the clip I could find.
Featured image source: jaimemaas.com
Monorail Mondays!
In addition to Matterhorn and Mansion Monday pics, I love seeing the Monorail Monday pics on Instagram! Just like last week’s post, I created a “one stop shop” for you to see these right on your desktop in a rotating gallery that self-updates!
Now, when you search for Monorail Mondays on our site, Google, or just by bookmarking this page, you’ll have this nifty gallery below!
Happy posting!
Gallery provided by the good people at http://www.instush.com. Gallery refreshes ever 10-30 minutes. Some photos may not be of Disney’s Alweg Monorail or any other Disney park rides.
Throwback Thursday – Cranium Command at EPCOT!
I only went to WDW for the first time in 2012 so my knowledge about most things there is very limited — especially when it comes to classic and now legacy attractions like EPCOT’s “Cranium Command.” Today I was randomly scouring blogs and Reddit and found out about this attraction which occupied the Wonders of Life pavilion in Future World.
If you don’t know what “Cranium Command” was or want a simple refresher, according to Wikipedia, “It premiered on October 19, 1989; as of January 4, 2004 it began to operate seasonally, closing permanently on January 1, 2007.” You can take a look at WDW News Today‘s terrific video of one of the last showings of this attraction in 2005.
What a FUN attraction! It’s everything I loved about EPCOT when I saw it in 2012 and full of things many fans feel EPCOT is moving away from.
Sadly, here’s a recent look at what the pavilion is like during most of the year thanks to a brave YouTube-er that snuck in during the off-season:
When we went to Epcot, the pavilion was full of life as it was during Food & Wine. During the festival, it houses the Chase Card Lounge (closest I have come to being inside one of those fancy corporate lounges) as well as serving as the Festival Center for Food & Wine demonstrations, classes, shops, and more. It’s really a beautiful pavilion.
The strange thing is that while “Body Wars” has been dismantled and “Making of Me” has been removed, the theatre which houses Buzzy and “Cranium Command” remains intact!
And Buzzy still has a loyal fan base and is a sought-after commodity! Just check out the recent merchandise that has come out with this cranium commander:
With all this popularity, it makes one think about what the future of this attraction might be. Why keep the attraction intact? If it closed what’s now 8 years ago – why keep him around?
Here’s a theory I saw on a few blogs: does this look familiar to any Cranium Command fans?
How about now?
I bring this up because if you look at the trailer and premise, it’s pretty much the same idea as Cranium Command: your emotions are personified by characters driven by those very emotions.
It’s a timeless and relatable premise that Disney believes in. Is it possible that this attraction closed while this film was in development and refreshing this closed attraction was not outside the realm of possibility? If this film is successful (as most Pixar films are), there’s no reason not to keep this attraction around while the rest of Future World awaits a refresh.
What do you think? Is this an example of a film property layover you might enjoy? Maelstrom’s closure at EPCOT cause a bit of an uproar from the Disney Parks fans. However, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland was initially met with praise from fans of the old attraction because it was being resurrected.
It’s all speculation for now, but if you know any better than we do, let us know in the comments below!
featured image source: yesterland.com
Indiana Jones Adventure Turns 20!
Last week, Disneyland held two Annual Passholder event nights celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Indiana Jones Adventure. We were fortunate enough to attend the second night and it did not disappoint.
The check-in process was way swift and hassle-free. At the end of getting passes scanned and getting a wrist band, cast members were handing out great commemorative fliers with decoder cards. You can still get these cards by asking Cast Members at the attraction, FYI.
Walking in, the park had already closed for the regular operating day with Main St. remaining open for guests, so it was straight to Adventureland. For this event, Adventureland, Frontierland, and New Orleans Square were accessible to attendees. All of the attractions between them were operational as well.
The Rivers of America played Indy queue music and had an 11:30pm showing of Fantasmic. It was really nice seeing it all lit up in blue, purple and green lighting playing 1920-1940’s music through an “old radio”. From there, a majority of the Indy related events took place directly in front of the attraction with an awesome Tony Baxter hosted panel over in Frontierland.
In Adventureland, an awesome live band played. Poking around, I found out they all had the last name “Jones” and they wore fez hats! Unfortunately, I only heard them playing “Putting on the Ritz” while Indy had a ball around them (pun intended) but never got a chance to watch them play. Indy could be found conquering the infamous rolling boulder and interacted with guests. Mostly thorough pun. Walking around the area was a gypsy woman named Mara who tested our ability to avoid the eye of Mara. She was awesome.
Tarzan’s treehouse was used as a backdrop for “spontaneous” stunt shows which we missed every time. Heard it, ran over and missed it. Thank you internet for filling in that blank!
Towards the end of the night, we caught the awesome Tony Baxter panel. Tons of opening day footage, concept art, and unused media for the attraction were shown and talked about. Tony really conveys enthusiasm and love for this attraction and it was pretty awesome hearing him speak. We found out that they do not call the transports “Jeeps” and the writings on the walls are called Maraglyphis. The obelisk room has the initials of the all the imagineers that worked on the attraction with the last pair belonging to the Frank Wells, Disneyland president who died shortly before the attraction was completed.
After the panel, Fantasmic! started and I found myself alone as my group went to see the showing. So I walked around Adventureland. I found CMs handing out Safari style hats and grabbed one for myself. I then spent the rest of my night taking in the sights and sounds of one of my favorite spots in the parks. This is also where I ran into Mara. I had a blast talking to her.
I enjoyed this AP event so much! It was perfect and I have to agree with some twitter chat that it adds a little more value to being an AP holder.
Did you attend? If so, tell us about your experience! Would you like to see more events like this? I know I would.
Cheers!
*i
Mansion Mondays!
In addition to Matterhorn Monday pics, I love seeing the Mansion Monday pics on Instagram! Just like last week’s post, I created a “one stop shop” for you to see these right on your desktop in a rotating gallery that self-updates!
Now, when you search for Mansion Mondays on our site, Google, or just by bookmarking this page, you’ll have this nifty gallery below!
Happy posting!
Gallery provided by the good people at http://www.instush.com. Gallery refreshes ever 10-30 minutes. Some photos may not be of the Haunted Mansion or any other Disney park rides.
Photo Gallery: Club 33 (2010)
For “Throwback Thursday” this week, we decided to go WAY back to 2010!
In 2010, we got to visit Club 33 — FINALLY! We are so glad we did, looking back, because we were able to see the game room and the original entry way from when it opened. Both are now gone with last year’s refurbishment.
Take a look at our photos from that trip here. Do you have some favorite photos? Let’s seem them below!
The Story of Disneyland Auction
This is a re-blog written by our friend Inthia over at This Little Disney Life about the recent (and, unfortunately, now closed) “Story of Disneyland” exhibition and sale at the Van Eaton gallery in Sherman Oaks, CA. Here’s a slide show of the photos we took when we went to visit the gallery last week:
Can you believe this stuff all went for just under $2 Million!? Did you get over to see the exhibit? Let us know in the comments below!
Click here to see the original post
Today is the last day to set your eyes on one of the most amazing Disneyland memorabilia collections that is completely up for auction at Van Eaton Gallery in Sherman Oaks, Ca. If you’re out of the area, they have a wonderful online catalog for your viewing pleasure.
We made the short drive over to check out the exhibit last week and it did not disappoint. Well, only in that I can’t afford a thing there. Well, I could but then I wouldn’t be able to pay rent or eat or anything trivial like that.
The galley is held in two room but it packed wall to wall with all sorts of artifacts. Costumes, signs, furniture, concession containers, souvenirs, models and more! All of them amazingly displayed for my up-close and personal viewing.
I picked out a few awesome favorites to share here but there is soooo much. I know I’ll be hitting up some flea markets and eBay this summer.
Cheers!
*i