Mouse Extra

There was a rumor making the rounds in the last few weeks that WDI was considering changing the theme of Tom Sawyer Island at Disneyland to a Pirates of the Caribbean theme. Judging from the nearly unanimous response it received from the Disney community, I think I may be the only one who likes the idea. Oh well, I’m good with that. I mean, after all, what would be the point of reading this if it wasn’t a little different. Read the rest of this entry »

Earlier this month, the folks at WDW released some information about the upcoming addition to Tomorrowland called “Monsters, Inc. The Laugh Floor Comedy Club” which is slated to open January 2007. Here’s the description from Disney… Read the rest of this entry »

by Dave

Podcasting the Mouse is going to be a recurring column about the army of Disney-related podcasts that are now available. I listen to many of them regularly, and when something sparks my interested I will post it here. Check back, and feel free to add your views on these shows as well.

The first one I would like to discuss and I will probably discuss often because I really like it, is Mouseguest Weekly. The hosts, Dan and Eric, have a unique format to their show. They don’t really fill the program with news, rumors, or interviews like many others, nor do they just babble endlessly about their opinions. There is a nice structure to the show, and no one else really does what they do. They also happen to have the single nicest website, hands down, of any of their peers, and they have plans to make it much, much better with a beta version that will offer virtual tours of the Disney parks.

Currently they are holding the WDW Attractions Tournament. What they have done is group the attractions into a bracket like the NCAA basketball tournament, pairing attraction into one-on-one match-ups, and allowing the listeners a weeks to vote on which they like better. They have a few weeks to go, so go and vote. Let me tell you, this is one of the great addiction feeders I know of.

This week attractions are going for a place in the Sweet 16. There are four pairings per week right now, and two are very interesting.

The first has Mickey’s Philharmagic, a #4 seed, against the #5 seed Jungle Cruise. Now besides the fact that I would have seeded them the other way around, I think this one should be very close. Jungle Cruise is an all-time favorite of the purists and still maintains some appeal to the younger generation, though limited appeal in my opinion. Mickey’s Philharmagic has been wildly popular and is brilliant. Will the new favorite beat out the old?

The second one that is tough to call has the Tower of Terror against the Monorail. (Yes, the Monorail is an attraction by any standard). To me, the Tower of Terror is one of WDI’s crown jewels. The ride is great fun, the building is amazing, and the themeing is terrific. It really is an e-ticket through and through. But this is the Monorail we are talking about, an icon of WDW to all who come there.

Go and vote. You can find them at mouseguest.com

While floating around the various Disney related forums yesterday, I found a couple of folks pointing out a really interesting new feature to the Disney World website, at least it is new to me. I know what you are thinking already; the phrase “really cool new feature” is seldom used in association with the Disney World website. For the most part, that is the case, but now it is offering free customized park maps shipped to your door. Yes, you don’t need to rub your eyes, that says “free”. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dave

The one rumor that never seems to die is the “What DVC Resort is next?” rumor. We had all kinds of possibilities floating around, but it seems to me that the DVC folks have hit the target. The new property will be Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas.

It is hard to argue with this one. Almost every other rumor that floated around the internet had flaws. The Eagle Pines, which really wasn’t a rumor, didn’t have the “wow” factor that myself and other DVC members would like. It seemed much like Old Key West or Saratoga Springs, but with a golf course. If you aren’t a golfer, it wasn’t anymore exciting then anything currently available.

The STOL rumor, made popular by Lou Mongello from disneyworldtrivia.com and the Mousetunes podcast, was the most exciting to me. It was a new mega resort to be built on the grounds of the old STOL port (short take-off and landing for those who aren’t yet addicts) and was to be connected via the Epcot monorail line. Imagine, a DVC Resort that was on a monorail that went to Epcot and the TTC! This one seemed just too good to be true. If Lou got this one out of thin air, the DVC folks should listen. It is an amazing idea.

The Contemporary Resort rumor, which may yet pop up, had the Disney purists in a tizzy over such unknowns as sight lines, monorail crowding, and the old “messin with something Walt liked” complaint. There were plans and pictures that were passed around and most thought this was the next to be built. This rumor still has legs, so don’t be putting this one away. We all know a DVC resort on the monorail line will sell extremely well, even if the purists complain that Walt wouldn’t like it…how they know that is never really explained!?!?

Then on October 11 the DVC made the announcement. The new property will be the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas. Here are some highlights from the press release…

By Dave

I must admit that I was less than excited about Disney’s new “Year of a Million Dreams” promotion when I first heard that it would be the replacement to last years 50th Anniversary celebration. I am a WDW fan, and this is the 25th anniversary of Epcot. Instead of using that as a focus to improving this great park with new attractions, maybe a fancy new World Showcase Promenade parade, a new country, heck I would even settle for a new version of Illumination, Disney decided to ignore it and hold a giant sweepstakes. Oh great, another contest I won’t win! I wasn’t thrilled, to say the least.

Truth be told, I am still not thrilled. But let’s give credit where credit is due. This could be a lot worse, and a lot less genuine. When the rumors started circulating the various Disney websites, I assumed this would be about 12 really marketable prizes and 999,988 t-shirts. However, Disney did a much better job at putting these prizes together than many of us fans expected.

Yes, there over 700,000 silly prizes that include Mickey ears, photos, and pins and can hardly be considered “dreams come true”. But the rest of the prizes, totaling well over 500,000 items, are all terrific and even rather creative. The grand prize, to be awarded to 3 people, is a 220 point DVC membership that includes all fees and taxes. At the risk of overstating this prize, this is essentially like winning a lifetime of vacations to The Mouse, or at least a lifetime of rooms on the house. If you know nothing about how DVC points translate into the real world, basically you can get anywhere from a week to ten days at a Deluxe Resort like the Boardwalk in the most crowded times like Christmas or the summer to just short of three weeks at Old Key West during the slow times…every year until 2054..free of charge!

Ok, I know what you are saying, “that’s only 3 people” and you’re right. Let’s not get hung up on that. Here’s a list of a few others in that 500,000+…

18 various trips aboard the Disney Cruise Line
15 trips to Disneyland
3 fifteen day trips to every Disney Park in the world
307 one-night stays in Cinderella Castle
130 shopping sprees
30 VIP tours of Walt Disney’s apartment in Disneyland
28,600 special one-hour after-hours opening of various theme parks and water parks
24 Star Wars Meet and Greet prizes
130 Dinners at a winner selected restaurant
And roughly 500,000 Dream Fastpasses

This is just scratching the surface. They have put together and impressive list that really excites you as you read further and further. The variety is amazing and the prizes are a lot more creative than I thought they would be.

But in the end, it is what it is; a contest. The overwhelming majority of those who read this list, and get as excited as I just did about the possibilities, will come out with nothing but disappointment. Is that what we really want out of a Disney promotion? Personally, the 50th Anniversary was better because the money spent delivered things like Soarin, Lights Motors Action, and Expedition Everest. These are things that everyone visiting The Mouse can enjoy. With a sweepstakes, only the lucky few get to enjoy something new and exciting. The rest get nothing…literally.