A Few Good Links

Today I saw some really interesting and/or fun articles and blog posts concerning the Dis, so I thought I'd share.

What's On Walt's Bookshelves?

 I have something in common with this author. I too love to look at the bookshelves in homes of people I visit. It gives me a window into the person who owns the books and, as the author says, it may show me a book I want to find for myself. I'm sure anyone old enough to remember the Wonderful World of Disney shows on television can remember seeing Walt Disney standing in front of a huge wall of books. This article delves into the story behind that bookshelf and shares some of the books found on it. It's not what I was hoping for, but extremely interesting anyhow.

How To Get And Use A Pin Code

This is an installment in Everything Walt Disney World's series of how-to's. I have heard of pin codes, special discounts Disney sends out to people it considers good potential customers, but I've never gotten one myself. I'm going to try some of the tricks in this blog post and see what happens.

Disney Monorail Stuff

Our new decal. Thanks Iapaluccis!

I have always LOVED Disney's monorails. Riding the monorail was, and still is, an attraction in itself. I love the retro-modern styling, the way they are different colors so you can try to ride them all, the cement rails that look exactly the same way today as they did when I was 5, I love it all. Apparently they no longer let people ride up front with the driver, which is a bummer, but at least my son got that experience before they quit. This article from MousePlanet has some awesome pictures of monorail toys and models.

The Coming of the XPass?

All the hub bub about enforcing Fastpass rules may be just a prelude to the introduction of a new XPass system. XPass would reportedly allow visitors to some deluxe resorts the option of paying more to schedule ride times weeks or even months in advance. I'm not sure what I think about this idea, and I want to know more than just rumors about it before I give it a post of its own, but this article is at the very least food for thought.

Getting the Ball Rolling

A Disney vacation is a big deal. No matter if it's your first or your twentieth, a trip to Walt Disney World is an experience that you want to be as perfect as possible. It is a very expensive proposition and expectations are high. So you don't want to just book any old room at the first price the web site or the booking agent on the phone quotes you. But exactly how do you best start the planning process?


A trip to the Walt Disney World web site (http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/) is a great place to start.  Not only is there plenty of information available there, it can start to save you some money, possibly. After creating an account with Disney online, the first thing you want to do is to scroll down to the bottom of the page and look for the FREE Vacation Planning DVD link. Order one. Even if you aren't planning to go this year, order one. Not only is the DVD hours of fun to watch (really, it is), but you will be giving Disney your contact info and this apparently puts Disney on notice that you plan to vacation there. Disney is the king of targeted marketing. The more info about you they have, the more specific info they will get to you, including notice of discounts and special offers.

Another good idea (Thanks Jen!) is to try out the "Price Your Vacation" section of the site, conveniently located at the top left of the page. Again, even if you aren't planning to go this year, try planning something for about the same time this year. Go all the way through the process up until actually booking the trip, then save the trip. Do this a few times, maybe shifting the dates around or using different combinations of resorts and ticket packages. This will put Disney on notice that you are an even better target for their marketing. I used this several times to look at the differences between several combos of resorts and dining packages and this week Disney sent me an email announcing a 10% discount on rooms in September of 2012 (the first I'd heard of that) and suggesting some seasonal things to do that we weren't even aware were running at that time,such as Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. By keeping up with the "fake" planning, you are likely to get Disney more and more anxious to attract you to the resort. There are plenty of sites to find Disney discounts, but it's a lot more fun to have Disney emailing them to you as soon as they announce them.

Two Cool Videos

Disney posted two very cool videos today, and I thought I'd share. One features the newest Disney Cruise Line ship, the Disney Fantasy, leaving dry dock.   And the other is a pretty good introduction to the newest Walt Disney World hotel, The Art of Animation Resort. 

Enjoy!