Mouse Extra

Bob Iger announced today that the Disney Cruise Line will double its fleet by adding two new ships, in 2011 and 2012.  Check out the Orlando Sentinel piece the covers this story rather extensively…

The company said it signed a letter of intent with German shipyard Meyer Werft to build new 122,000-ton liners that will be two decks taller than the two original ships known as the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder. Disney would not say how much the ships are expected to cost, but dropped the Italian builder it used in the past.

The Wonder and the Magic were both built in Italy, so these new ones are probably not going to be just a larger version of the existing vessels.  I would expect some significant difference, but that is only speculation. 

More speculation surrounds where the new ships will call home.  Everyone assumed it would be the west coast, serving Alaska in the summer and the Mexican Riviera in the winter.  But Europe is also a very good possibility…

Rasulo (chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts) said the European cruises have sold well and said the company would consider bundling cruise packages with stays at Disneyland Paris if they position a ship in Barcelona full time.

So one in Europe and one on the west coast?  That seems to make sense.  Don’t be shocked, however, if one stays on the east coast.  Cruise out of New York City have become very popular recently, and Disney would certainly make a splash there.

I often hear people asking about what books they can read to learn more about Walt Disney World, Imagineering, the company and Walt himself.  I have a decent sized collection of books about the Mouse, so I thought it would be helpful to people looking to learn more if I review some of the older books that are still in print.  I hope you find these useful…

How close was Walt Disney World from being located in St. Louis?  Did Walt Disney ever really intend to build an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow with permanent residents?  Have you ever wondered how the Mouse seemingly took over central Florida?  These are just the very beginning of all the fascinating questions that are answered in Richard E. Fogelsong’s book “Married to the Mouse; Walt Disney World and Orlando”.

From the outset, the book is a Disney World addicts dream.  It offers amazing detail on how Disney was able to acquire all their land, set up shop, and become a world onto itself.  You go inside both the Disney offices and those of the local politicians and businessman who help facilitate the partnership.  But like all good books, things don’t stay rosy for too long, and in the volume it turns quickly to a story of backroom wrangling, secret plans, and all out publicity war.  Although Fogelsong tends to write occasionally in a clinical manner, the plot seems to always thicken.

“Married to the Mouse” chronicles the major bumps in the road that seems to have brought Disney and Orlando from happy newlyweds to a divorced couple sorting out a mess.  It covers the development and operations of the mysterious Reedy Creek Improvement District, the name casual Disney World guests may recognize from the firehouse they pass within the “Disney bubble”.  The amount of leverage and benefits Disney received from the deal to build in Central Florida is sometimes mind-blowing, and the author opens our eyes to things we might never have noticed.  But this about more than just the marriage, it’s about the relationship as well.

As Michael Eisner took over, things changed.  Tax battles, road improvement debates, and everything in between separated these once happy partners, as Disney seemed more openly interested in growing the bubble, rather then being a partner in developing the future of the area.  With the introduction of Celebration, Disney’s planned community, and Downtown Disney, the Mouse opened a competition war with the town that gave them so much.

Fogelsong uses the idea of marriage to layout this story in a concise way, though sometimes with a slight “text book” feel.  But he never lets the nuts and bolts get in the way of the story.  “Married to the Mouse” is required reading for every Disney World fan who is interested in learning how the Mouse became so big.

There are many things that Disney purists have moaned about in the last decade, but none more so than the subject of attraction placement.   When rumors hit that a new ride is coming to Disney World a chorus of complaints goes up.  More often than not, the complaint is that the new attraction does not “fit the theme” of the surrounding area.  Disney fans take pride in this, is it is what set Disney apart from other theme parks.  The most glaring examples can be found at Future World and Tomorrowland, where multiple attractions have set the “theme police” into action. Read the rest of this entry »

Old Key West is a pioneer in Disney vacationing. It was the first resort dedicated solely to that growing community of Disney Vacation clubbers. Since then, Disney has constructed the sprawl of Saratoga Springs and added vacation club areas to the Beach Club, the Wilderness Lodge, and coming soon, the Animal Kingdom Lodge. But before you non-DVCers move on to a different article, be advised that even nonmembers can book a room at Old Key West especially during the off-season.

photo courtesy of Mouse Planet.  Click on the photo for Mouse Planet’s photo tour of Old Key Wesy

The resort is supposed to elicit the feeling that you are in the Keys. The place is surrounded by vegetation. The buildings are relatively low and of the clapboard style. Everything is laid back. A waterway snakes through the complex ending at the main public area with waterside restaurants and the gift shop. The shop itself is typical of DVC resorts in that kitchen fillers are alongside the typical t-shirts. The food choices, however, are not typical. One big problem for the resort is that there is no food court. Many of the larger resorts have them, but here, you only have a small dockside counter service with a limited selection. There is also Olivia’s Cafe, a sit down place with a Southern and Caribbean cuisine with items like crab cakes, jerk chicken, and conch chowder. As you can guess, there are key lime dessert items available.

As with any resort, there are good things and bad. On the plus side, the rooms are spacious allowing for large families to stay together. We comfortably fit 7 adults and a toddler. The kitchen allows you to eat home to save a few extra bucks for souvenirs. At the dock, a water taxi provides transportation to Downtown Disney. Its a peaceful, pleasant trip. The bus service to the parks is fair and you don’t share with any other resort (a big plus to me).

photo courtesy of Mouse Planet.  Click on the photo for Mouse Planet’s photo tour of Old Key Wesy

Besides the aforementioned food court problem, there are a few other drawbacks. Some people would enjoy the quieter aspect of the resort, but others will be looking for something to do. There isn’t much. Like I said, there is a pleasant boat trip to the Downtown area, but it takes some time including a stop at Saratoga Springs. The place is huge so try to stay near the Hospitality House so you can walk over to the shop, the boat rentals, and the food.

All in all, Old Key West is a nice play to stay especially if you’re the kind of person who wants peace and quiet after a long day at the theme parks. If you want to continue the action or plan to eat a lot at the resort, I would suggest you go elsewhere

today’s resort review is by Mike, contributing writer to Mouse Extra

Al Lutz from MiceAge.com is reporting that Pirates of the Caribbean 3; At World’s End may not be the final film in the franchise.  That’s nothing new.  We’ve heard that before.  But what Mr. Lutz suggests is that Disney may now be planning an additional trilogy beyond this one. Read the rest of this entry »

Beaches and Cream is one of those few well publicized resort dining locations. Ever since the Travel Channel featured the “Kitchen Sink”, a sundae so enormous words can’t describe it, this ice cream parlor located at the Beach Club Resort is often recommended by guides and websites. If a place like this can actually have “hype” Beaches and Cream does, and it lives up to it.

Upon my first trip to Beaches and Cream, I was stunned by how small it was. After hearing about it so many times, I was expecting a larger facility, but this place is tiny. Only a handful of seats at the counter and just a few tables is all there is. It serves a very limited selection of “burger joint” type food, basically lunch stuff. You have burgers, roast beef, chicken sandwiches, and your deep-fryer fare, and it’s all good. But this is a 50’s-esque soda fountain, so the food is only a prelude to the sweets. There are terrific sundaes, floats, cakes, and everything else.

The theme here is very well done. The atmosphere is apparent, but not overbearing at all. It gives you a somewhat immersive experience, but keeps from pushing the theme down your throat. The counter has some wonderful 50’s details, plus there’s a nice jukebox in the corner and furniture is just right. My only complaint is that you can see the arcade next door. As far as I can remember, Fonzi never played video games.

Placed just steps from Stormalong Bay, one of Disney World’s best pools, Beaches and Cream makes for a great place to stop for lunch or an afternoon snack. If it’s hot enough, and your appetite is large enough, you can really stuff yourself with some wonderful food here.