There were reports today that Disneyland has begun taking photos of guests entering the theme park and associating those images with their admission media. The need to combat fraud inspired the move. Un-authorized ticket resellers have been building multi-day tickets and then renting out smaller… Read More »Disneyland starts photographing multi-day ticket holders
Disney ABC has fired a shot across the bow of other late night talk show hosts moving Jimmy Kimmel to an earlier starting time. It may be a bit earlier, but Kimmel is still up to his old tricks. I liked this bit where Jimmy… Read More »Jimmy Kimmel Moves to New Slot on ABC
A divorce lawyer gets murdered the same week that Castle’s ex comes to town. Actually, I expected a bit more of a cross over between the two theme wise, but the show was still quite fun with a good mystery to boot. And I have to give my roommate credit for figuring out the big twist half way through.
The episode opens with our victim in a parked car. The back door of her car suddenly opens, she gets a horrified and shocked look on her face, and she is stabbed.Read More »Castle 5-10: Significant Others
In the past we’ve done our share of speculation for how Disney World could fix its transportation woes. What if I told you there was a solution that would cost the resort less than $50 million to build. That’s about half the cost of the… Read More »Proposal: A Solution to Walt Disney World’s Transportation Problems
Pixar provided the Wall Street Journal with a new still from The Blue Umbrella. I like the photo realism in this rendering. A post on the Walt Disney Studios blog also revealed the official plot synopsis: It is just another evening commute until the rain… Read More »New Still from The Blue Umbrella
If you missed the news, Thomas Staggs has made Disney’s most clear statement to date on exactly what NextGen will bring to the parks. The guest will encounter it via the MyMagic+ program. There’s a fairly good write up on the program by Brooks Barnes in the New York Times.
There was also this bit officially released by Disney:
With MyMagic+ Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is taking another step forward to evolve “how” guests experience Disney Parks and is using technology to make it easier than ever before for guests to make the most of their Walt Disney World visit. Many of these efforts fall under the umbrella of MyMagic+, which has the ability to connect nearly all aspects of the guest experience and make it better for everyone, at no additional charge.
A new website and mobile app called My Disney Experience provides a one-stop shop for all things Walt Disney World throughout every phase of a guest’s vacation. It will enable guests to:Read More »MyMagic+ – NextGen Rollout Questions, Answer, and more Questions
No cameras in this parking lot
The first and last moment of many a guest’s day at the vacation kingdom is an encounter with a huge asphalt parking lot. There, they are parked like sheet metal sardines, seemingly always at the farthest point possible from the tram. At the end of the night, there is the long (and sometimes windy, wet, and/or cold) tram ride back to the car, which hopefully is where they remember it being and not in some other whimsically named section.
So imagine the anguish of a family who returns to their vehicle after a long day of Disney fun only to find someone has stolen pretty much everything from your car. It happens all the time including this story on WESH. Later when security & police arrive, the family learns that this is a regular problem at Walt Disney World with thieves driving the parking lots with special devices that attempt to unlock car doors remotely.
The nature of a family vacation makes these parking lots a target rich environment for thieves. Many a family checks out of their hotel on the last day, but still spends time in the parks before heading back home. For most families there is little choice but to leave your luggage in your car during this process.
Read More »Parking Lot Security & Safety Troubles at Walt Disney World
Editor: Please welcome Chris Wood who will be sharing some of her valuable travel planning experience with us as a new guest author.
If you’re staying on property, one of the first decisions you’ll need to make is whether or not you should purchase the dining plan. While it’s certainly convenient to pre-pay for your meals, the dining plan, touted as a money-saving option, doesn’t work for everyone. Here are some things to consider before you add the plan to your vacation package.
The most popular plan is the base dining plan, which includes one table-service credit, one quick-service credit, one snack, and one refillable mug per person for each night of your stay. This means that a family of three staying four nights will have twelve quick and table-service credits and twelve snacks. There’s no order in which you have to use your credits; you just have to finish using them by midnight the day of check-out or you lose them. Credits aren’t even assigned directly to individuals on the reservation, just by age. This year, guests 10 years of age and up will pay $55.59 per night for the plan; those in the 3 – 9 age group will pay $17.16.