K Is For.....King Louie

I LOVE Disney's Jungle Book. I have since I was a tyke and my love has faded not one little bit as I've grown up. Baloo is a hero of mine and Kaa almost makes me not so horrified of snakes. Maybe it's the fact that he speaks with Winnie The Pooh's voice, I don't know. I love the jungle setting and the ruins where King Louie lives always seemed like the sort of place I wouldn't mind running off to if I got it in my mind to run off. One never knows, it's best to have a plan, right? Which brings us to King Louie. He's King of the Monkeys, and an orangutan himself I think. But its a Disney cartoon, taxonomy isn't all that important. What is important is that he steals his part of the movie completely. He's cool and happy and mischievous. He can dance and swing and sing. He sings the song "I Wanna Be Like You" which is all about how he wants the secret to fire so he can be just like Man. Well, this man would gladly give up civilization to be like HIM. Sometimes. To live in the jungle, singing and swinging through the ruins of some ancient civilization sometimes sounds pretty good. It especially sounds good when the stresses of life and work pile up this time of year.

So, with my love of Jungle Book in general, and King Louie in particular, imagine how happy I was when my friends' band, motherboy, played "I Wanna Be Like You." These people provide an escape for me when we go to see their shows, and hearing them sing this just melts my little heart. This video was taken after my very favorite ukelele songstress spent a week wrangling Munchkins in preparation for a stage production of The Wizard of Oz. Jen's voice is as a result extra sultry. Enjoy.

J Is For......Just Bought Our MNSSHP Tickets

Ok, maybe that's cheating with the letter thing a bit, but I'm really excited about this and wanted to share. Let me just say that Disney does not make it easy buying tickets for "special events" like Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party online. I understand from the various Disney message boards that calling up and ordering them is easy as pie, and I would have if not for the experience I had trying to make dining reservations over the phone at my house. We don't have long distance on our land line because we have cell phones on which a long distance call is really cheap. Problem is that sometime over the last few months something changed with our phones or with the cell company's coverage resulting in our house being a rare dead zone. We can call from here, but it's iffy at best and getting half way through a transaction (such as a week's worth of dining reservations. grrrr)  only to have the phone go dead is very frustrating. So, instead of driving down to a beach access to call like I did with our ADRs, I decided to try the online route. It wasn't easy.

There is no direct link to tickets for MNSSHP anywhere on the official Disney website. The trick was to find Special Events in the "Things To Do" drop down menu. Scrolling down there, I found MNSSHP. Clicking the "See Details" option at the bottom of the little blurb will take you to the MNSSHP page, where you would expect to be able to see a schedule and buy tickets, right? Nope. I had to go to a theme park ticket link, find special events under that pull down menu and then find the MNSSHP link. While this did bring up the schedule and order page, it also automatically put a 7-Day Magic Your Way with Park Hopper Option ticket in my cart. Removing that was no problem, but I can imagine being shocked if you didn't notice it being there.

Anyhow, all is well that ends well, and I see while going back through the steps to write this, that Disney has fixed the problem and put a link to the MNSSHP tickets right on the page about the MNSSHP, which is nice. Also, it appears they are no longer adding a park ticket to your cart automatically, so good for them. As a help to anyone actually reading this who wants to buy tickets (we are going September 18th), here is the link directly to the order page.

Now, I think the only reservations yet to be made are for the Wishes Fireworks Dessert Party, and I don't believe they will be available for a month or so. Maybe by then my phone will work....

I is For......Imagineering

Imagineer. It's a word Walt Disney made up to describe the people who combined imagination and engineering to make his theme parks a reality. A lot of the original Imagineers came from the movies, and they used movie tricks in the construction of Disneyland and Walt Disney World. They used forced perspective to make buildings, and castles, seem higher then they really are. They used façades and hidden areas that were "off camera" or "back stage" to make the visitor feel a part of a fantasy without being interrupted by the mundane things like trash pick-up and food delivery and mechanical infrastructure. As time and technology progressed, the Imagineers developed ever more impressive animatronics, piped smells into attractions to complete the sensory illusions and constructed ride vehicles and apparatus that made visitors fly and dive and take off into space. The Imagineers do more than create the rides though; they have a hand in all things at the Disney parks, from the restaurants to the hotels and even the human resources, oops, I mean "Casting," building. Everything at a Disney park is made possible by the Imagineers.

They have always fascinated me. I loved the word, "Imagineer" the first time I heard it. Making dreams into reality, what could be better than that? And I think I really was impressed because I have zero talent in that direction. I can't draw or paint or play or sing. I am an average mathematician at best. I mean, I have had to Google my son's 7th grade math homework. I don't think anyone wants to ride a roller coaster I designed, you know? I am chock full of imagination, but never had the skills or the talents to bring my imagining to the world, except maybe through writing. But you can't ride a book. No one ever walked into a park and gasped at the sight of a novel. You don't scream as you race around the turns of an article on a blog. I'm thankful for what I can do, but mindful of what I can't and admire those things in others, especially those others who built Disney World and keep improving and adding to it today. I still really look up to the Imagineers, with maybe a tinge of jealousy. I'm not afraid to admit it.

The Castle Iapalucci

But I had an epiphany this weekend. What is Imagineering if not making dreams, or wishes, come true? And who is less afraid to wish, to dream, than a child? Our friends the Iapaluccis have boy named Max who turned 7 just last Friday. Max's mom, Jen, is a stay-at-home mom and LOVES to put on a party. She has directed plays and musicals and holds a Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing, I believe. She can flat out plan a kid's party, and so when she asked Max what he wanted for a party, he wasn't the least bit hesitant to dream. Max wanted a
Renaissance Faire party. Now, as an aside, that alone made me a little proud, as we were the ones who invited the Iapalucci crew to their first Renaissance Faire last fall, and apparently Max was impressed. Anyhow, in true Jen fashion, she set about making it happen. She worked on this for a while, getting ideas and planning things and ordering supplies and such. Jen told us about her plans and we enjoyed following the progress, looking forward to the party because they are always fun for everyone, adults and children alike.

Castle Cake

Mom, Fairy Princess, script writer and Imagineer Jen

A couple weeks ago, Jen asked me if I knew anything about deep-frying turkeys. It seems Max was heart set on fried turkey at his party. I did, a little, and I had all the equipment, so I became officially a part of the party prep crew. Of course when you get me, you get the whole Stites family. Lisa and John were more than happy, excited even, to move from party goers to party makers with me. As party day approached I was trying to think of an "I" word to blog about on here, and came up with Imagineering. And I got to thinking that it isn't just the professionals in the employ of The Mouse who are Imagineers. Jen was turning her son's and her own vision into a reality. She was using what she could find, or invent or cobble together, to create a dream come true for Max on his birthday. And we, the Stites Family, were a part of it! I cooked the birds without injury or damage, helped erect a castle, raised Rapunzel's tower and pretty much followed whatever directions Jen gave me. Lisa iced a cake into an amazing fantasy castle with turrets and knights and even a dragon placed by King Max himself. She helped write scripts for a what turned out to be a wild, and wildly entertaining, scavenger hunt and she worked her little fingers off creating banners for the coming little knights and ladies to turn into their own personal heraldry. John was charged with keeping two-year-old Milo from deep frying himself, which he accomplished with patience and love. John, a 12 year old very boyish boy, also cut out all the locks of Rapunzel hair to be used in the pin the hair on Rapunzel game, with good cheer and serious effort. I think John got it. I think he appreciated what Lisa and I were joking (half-joking, if truth be told) about when we said how honored we were to get a glimpse behind the curtain of Iapalucci party prep.

Lisa was born a beautiful Princess, so this wasn't a stretch

I started calling them Iapalucci Imagineering on party day, as we all scrambled to get things just so before the guests arrived. And they are. Jen and Adrian do this sort of thing all the time, really. People go to their house for parties and events and get-togethers, and things are always special, somehow different and unique. I wonder how many of those guests understand the work, the thought, the dreaming, the IMAGINEERING that goes into those times. Well, we understand a little better now. And we are thankful for the chance to play at Imagineering ourselves.

H Is For.....Hollywood Studios

Our last trip to Disney World was a quick weekend jaunt to celebrate our son John's birthday, so we let him pick which park we would visit. I will admit to being a bit surprised when he picked Hollywood Studios. Hollywood Studios is the one I'd skip if I had to miss one park while at Disney World. It's not that I don't enjoy it, because I do, but it doesn't have the magic of the Magic Kingdom, it isn't as unique as Animal Kingdom and it doesn't have the wide range of offerings available at Epcot. But visiting just that one park made me realize all that it really does have to offer, and we had a great day.

We were there in mid-October, so the crowds were really light. We never needed a fast pass and rode Rockin' Roller Coaster twice and Tower of Terror once before the first line formed. Tower of Terror really impressed me. It wasn't just the ride, which is really fun and exciting, but I was really taken with the themeing and attention to detail. I almost wished there had been a long line so I would have had time to take in all the details in the queue area. It was really nice being able to take out time walking around the park without much in the way of crowds. We loved the back lot tour, rode the Great Movie Ride for the first time and tried out the relatively new Toy Story Mania. We had lunch at pizza Planet, one of John's favs, and dinner at the Sci-fi Drive-In. We missed the Indiana Jones show due to time conflicts with other things, Star Tours was closed for remodeling and the Fantasmic show wasn't going on, but we really enjoyed our day and felt all full of the magic.

Instead of a blow-by-blow of our tour, here are some pictures along with my always-pithy commentary.

It's not the Cinderella Castle, but still pretty cool. I like hats :-)

Love this building, and that it's pink

Hanes is the sponsor? Hmmmmmm ;-)

  

The birthday Boy and his Birthday Button

We never did get back to see this sign at night. Something for the next trip :-)

where'd all those monkeys come from?

Oh, I see, someone left the barrel o' monkeys open :-)

A real prop from the real Muppet Movie. How cool!

The first movie I saw in a theater was Herbie

Can these count as "Hidden Mickeys"?

John loves aircraft, and this plane belonged to Walt himself

Davey Jones' organ from Pirates of the Caribbean

We love us some Muppet Fountain!

The Kermit Balloon!!!!!

I must have taken 100 pictures of this

The Hollywood Studios parade features Pixar characters.

Had to take my best girl to the drive-in!

I wasn't excited about the American Idol Experience, but ended up really enjoying it

The Disney parks are extra magical at night, and Hollywood Studios is no exception

G Is For....Goofy

Donal Duck has always been my favorite Disney character, but I have a really soft spot in my heart for Goofy as well. He's such a good guy, always trying to do right, to help, to impress his son with his skills or knowledge, trying to be "cool" as he sees it. And it never works. He bungles things. Goofy is always too loud, too clumsy, too clueless or too enthusiastic. He keeps trying, though, often too hard, but he keeps at it. And Goofy's friends get caught up in his bungled attempts at cool and helpful, but they never hold it against him in the end. Rather, they always laugh it off and realize his heart is in the right place. Maybe that's why I like Goofy so much, I can totally relate.

Three or four years ago there was a little email  game going around. You were supposed to come up with one word to describe the person that sent the email to you and they would do the same for you. Two of the people that knew me best, a really close friend and the cousin I grew up with, came up with the same word. It wasn't a simple, trite word like "nice" or something either. Out of all the words in the English language, and these were very smart people with large vocabularies, they both came up with "goofy." I guess I might as well own it. There are worse things to be, right?

F Is For....Fort Wilderness

This year's Disney trip was originally planned as a week of camping at Fort Wilderness. I started having second thoughts about spending a week, 7 nights and 8 days, in tents as my wife's first camping experience. I had visions of hurricane season rearing her head, flooded tents, collapsed tents, bug-filled tents and hot nights with no A/C. When the free dining offer came along, I decided it was a sign. We'd be able to stay in a moderate resort with the free dining for a few hundred less than we planned to spend on our camping trip paying for the dining plan. So this isn't the year I get to introduce our son to the joys of a Fort Wilderness Disney vacation. I'm glad we are staying where we are (Caribbean Beach resort) and will worry much less about having the most perfect trip possible, but I've not lost the desire to go back to The Fort.

 As a kid, Fort Wilderness was "our" place at Disney. We stayed at the Polynesian once, and it was spectacular, but mostly a trip to Disney meant staying at Fort Wilderness. We camped in tents, in a pop-up trailer, in one of the old Disney rental trailers, in a borrowed Winnebago motor home and in the newer Wilderness Cabins that replaced the old trailers. I loved them all but they were all secondary to just being at Fort Wilderness. It's a destination in itself, a park within a park almost. It's got the pools that all the resorts have, and a beach front on Bay Lake like the monorail resorts from which you can enjoy the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom and the Electrical Water Pageant. It also features many things no other Disney resort offers. There is a petting zoo and the stables where some of the horses that work in the Magic Kingdom live. There are trails for walking and canals for fishing and canoeing. You can take a carriage ride through the campgrounds over 700 acres. Fort Wilderness hosts the Hoop De Doo Revue, the longest running dinner show at Walt Disney World. There is a campfire and movie almost every night outside in the middle of the campground. We loved just walking around after dark looking for armadillos in the bushes. Fort Wilderness is way more than just a place to sleep.

So, we didn't make it there for this trip, but my non-camping wife is determined that we will go soon. She's great like that. Maybe next spring, maybe next fall, but we will get there. I can't wait to show her and my son around. And hunt some armadillos.

I'm finding it hard to explain all that I love about this place, so instead here are some pictures, old and newer, that will show you maybe why I am in love with Disney's campground. If you want a great place to start checking out all the details about the Fort, try All Ears Fort Wilderness page.

This truck used to come around in the morning with all sorts of goodies and camping supplies on it.

This is one of the original campers that Disney rented out before the Wilderness Cabins

That's me on the left and my buddy Matt on the right. We got to sit in the breakfast truck. We were cool like that

Canoes for rent circa 1976

I believe this is what would become the site of River Country.

I love this. My friend Matt and I used to play checkers right here, in this store, on that barrel. To play my son 33 years later? That is magic.

The ranch and petting zoo

A Disney pony, and Hidden Mickey

The Hoop Dee Doo Revue!!!!

John at the Hoop Dee Doo on his 11th birthday. Playing the washboard, of course :-)

E Is For.....Electrical Parade

This one is at the suggestion of my Mom, a huge Disney fan in her own right. I was planning an E Is For....Epcot post, but this is much better. My mom reminded me that one of the things I am most looking forward to on this Disney trip is the triumphant return of the Main Street Electrical Parade!

Yes, that's Elliot from Pete's Dragon, one of the most under-rated characters from one of the most under-rated movies in the Disney canon.

They fired Elliot for THIS?

It's been forever since we've seen the Electrical Parade, and John never has seen it at all. It was replaced some time back by a monstrosity called "SpectroMagic." I remember the first time we saw SpectroMagic. It was on the trip with my parents and sister and future wife to celebrate our graduation from college in 1993. We got our places on Main Street, looking forward to the Electrical parade. The music started and the lights of the parade approached and we were greeted not by Disney characters all festooned in lights, but by odd, and more than a little disturbing, well, things I guess. They were dressed all in white. Some had red hair, some just had big ping pong ball heads. They were playing instruments, and the music was good, but it was just so weird. Disney is great because it shows us the best of our culture and traditions. Disney should not try to do "avant guarde," it doesn't work.

What the heck ARE those things?

Captain Hook knows he looks silly

The Disney Characters did feature in the parade eventually, but they were all dressed in these shiny white suits. It looked fine on the princesses and Mickey and Minnie even, but who would put Captain Hook in a shiny white suit? It looked like a nightmare prom night from a David Lynch movie. I don't want to wish ill on anyone, but I hope the people who designed SpectroMagic have found employment elsewhere. Seriously.

But now the Electrical Parade is back, in all it's glory, newly refurbished and ready to go. We've scheduled it for our arrival day. We figure that and the fireworks will serve as the perfect welcome to a week at Disney World. And I'll get to see Elliot :-)