UK Phone Booths at EPCOT

UK Phone Booths at EPCOT

            One of the not too well known extra bit of fun in EPCOT is the three red phone booths in the UK section of EPCOT. People often called these phones from home just to say hi to whatever random guest that answers.      Some people have been known to stand off to the side where they can see the phones and call them with their cell phones and play games with the people that happened answer. I myself the been known just a call and ask what the weather’s like their at WDW.

            As of March 13, 2013 All in WDW (http://allinwdw.com) reports that all three phones are down for refurbishment. The phones are still there as of that date but all you get is a busy signal when you try to call them or and out of order recording. I did try to call today, March 24, 2003 and found all three lines still down. I’m hoping that these phones will be working again soon as it is humorous to call and say hello.

            Here the phone numbers in case you wish to try to call them yourself:

1-407-827-9862 (phone on the left)
1-407-827-9863 (center)
1-407-827-9861 (right)

 

            I will keep trying these numbers and calling Guest relations at Epcot to see if and when these phones will be back in service. I hope they are as it is always been fun to call.

Disney Pictures

Disney Pictures

            I’m more than a little bit of a shutter bug. I been known to shoot as many as 200 pictures in 90 minutes while in a Disney park. I will sometimes shoot pictures of family and friends but more often than not I’m looking for something different. I’m often looking for pictures to share here on my blog to go along with a post I’m planning on writing. Sometimes I just take pictures randomly hoping they will spur thoughts for blog posts.

            What I often shoot pictures of is signage for rides and various other things. I love taking pictures of the “fake” ads around the parks. I also find it fun to take pictures of normal things that people often overlook, such as benches. You’ll find that the benches at Disney parks change from area to area so they fit into the theme. There is no standard “Disney” bench.

I have even more fun adding Disney characters to my pictures once I get home. I will sometimes put Mickey and Minnie sitting on the benches or maybe Tinker Bell flitting around a flower or sign. It’s always fun to see how I can make the characters fit into a shot I took.

When I do take pictures of people I know, I often try to think of how I can add a character in the picture with my friend or family. I might ask my friend to look at her shoulder. Knowing how much she enjoys Tinker Bell I might put Tinker Bell on her shoulder and make it look like she’s looking at her.

I will even take pictures outside of Disney and put Disney characters in them as I did with this shot I took for St. Patrick’s Day.

There are certain things at Disney parks that I never get tired of taking pictures of. The flower Mickey at the entry of Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom is always fun to take pictures of because it is constantly changing. They replant Mickey 7-9 times a year! They change the color of Mickey and the added special things around Mickey’s head to fit the seasons. In fact all the flower beds of the Parks are replanted often with different types of flowers to fit the seasons.

With the new addition of Facebook Cover Photos is a good thing to take some wide angle shots. You want a picture of the castle for your Facebook Cover Photo? Shoot a wide-angle so you can crop it to fit. If you don’t you will wind up with a close-up shot of maybe one of the windows of the castle or a spire. If you want more of the castle step back and go wide.

Disney Cruising? What to Carry onto the Ship

Disney Cruising? What to Carry onto the Ship

            Each person is allowed a reasonable amount of luggage when cruising. You can mail one box ahead to the ship per cabin. Each person in the cabin can have two standard sized suitcases that will be checked in either act the airport went Disney picks them up or when you get the ship and check them with the baggage handlers. You are allowed to carry one standard airline size carry-on bag, a computer bag and women can carry a purse when you board the ship. They are moderately strict on this.

            The bags you check-in you will not see Intel sometime in the evening. The majority of the bags make their way to the cabins before dinnertime first night. It is possible that your bag will not arrive in your cabin until after dinner. Occasionally bags be mislaid for a day or two. We all know things like this can happen when you’re traveling.

            Because of the possible delays recommend the following items they carried onto the ship with you placed in the checked bags.

·        Identification

·        Other boarding documentation needed

·        Medication (break in our original bottles with labels)

·        Medical Equipment (such as CPAP machine and one extension cord just in case)

·        Door decor (magnets to decorate your cabin door)

·        A change of clothing for dinner if you wish to change

·        Change of clothes the next day

·        A set of pajamas for each person

·        Camera(s) (batteries, extra memory chips)

·        Laptop Computer and any other Electronics

·        Unopened bottles of wine you may wish to bring

The most important thing to bring on the ship with you is your sense of fun. Leave your troubles on the dock and be ready to relax and enjoy!

What not to take on a Disney cruise.

·        Weapons and firearms (including ammunition, knives-swords, daggers or any other types of weapons) are not allowed onboard under any circumances.

·        Realistic replicas of firearms and weapons

·        Highly flammable liquids and combustible substances

·        Non prescribed controlled substances, illegal drugs, medically prescribed and synthetic marijiuana

·        Hookah pipes

·        Power Tools and Tool boxes (except those tools of the trade utilized by vendors providing services)

·        Sporting equipment (i.e., basketball and cricket bats, hockey and lacrosse sticks, pool cues, ski poles, fishing gear and archery equipment.)

·        SCUBA equipment (i.e. tanks, spears guns/slings, dive knives, pry bar, and underwater scooter)

·        Kites, balloons, surfboards, wave boards, inflatable floats/pools (including pool noodles) and wagons

·        Bicycles, Segways, skateboards, inline & roller skates, any footwear with wheels, (i.e. Heely’s type shoes)

·        Electrical appliences such as rice cookers, hot plates, coffee makers, electric irons, bottle sterilizer and bottle warmers, electric blankets, electric blenders, etc. Please note: A limited number of approved bottle warmers and bottle sterilizers are available upon request through Guest Services. Also all ships offer laundry facilities with irons and ironing boards. Valet laundry service is also available for a nominal fee.

·        Candles & Incense

·        DVD, VCR, or Blu ray players or, Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo Wii gaming systems are not allowed because of compatibility issues with the stateroom TV’s

·        Musical instruments

·        Large Ice Coolers (Please Note: small, personal-sized coolers, no larger than 12”x12”x12” brought onboard for the purpose of housing medications are permitted as carry-on luggage.)

·        Homemade, pre-cooked or other perishable food items plus any open snack containers

·        Metal detectors are not allowed on the ship or on Castaway Cay, as any object found using these devices would need to be returned to the owner or donated to charity

·        Personal fireworks or pyrotechnics

·        Seasonal and celebratory lighting strings

·        Liquid oxygen

·        Extension cords (power bars are not allowed but standard extension cords can be brought for medical equipment) Call and make arraignments if you need an extension cord for use in your cabin for medical equipment.

Getting Ready for a Disney Cruise

Getting Ready for a Disney Cruise

            There’s a lot to consider when getting ready for any Disney trip. But there’s even more to think about for a Disney Cruise. A Disney Cruise is different than cruising on other cruise lines.

Let’s start with the general things you will need for any cruise, Disney or not the obvious things like appropriate clothing for the climate you are going to, formal clothing if there will be formal nights on the cruise, passport and personal necessities such as medication and suntan lotion will need to be readied. Passports should be ordered 6 months in advance so you don’t have to stress about it.

Once you’ve decided to go on a Disney Cruise you’ll need to decide if you’re going to join a Fish Extender group and if you’re going to decorate your cabin door. (Look at the bottom of this post for a link to my posts about Fish Extenders and Door Decor)

If you desire to join a Fish Extender group start early looking for a group and/or create one yourself. You’ll want to start early making your Fish Extender goodies so you’re not spending a lot of money to purchase things just before the cruise or finding yourself short on time to make things. If you start 8 to 10 months early (at least) you can make a few each month spreading out the cost and your time making things easier on yourself. If you wind up with extras it really doesn’t matter. You can take them along and give them out to new friends made on the cruise that are not in your Fish Extender group or save them for your next trip if they don’t have the cruise date on.

If you choose to decorate your door you are going to want to pick a theme. Will it be an eclectic collection of magnets, the likes of which you might find on a home refrigerator. Or will you take a theme such as an event(s) you’re celebrating on the cruise or maybe a pirate theme. You can have a collection of magnets that you can change out. We did this one cruise! We had a standard eclectic group of magnets but then on the days we celebrated our anniversary and my birthday we added magnets for those events. We also added several special items for the Pirates In the Caribbean deck party night.

Whatever you decide, Fish Extender/Door Decor you’re going to need a good amount of time to plan it and make or find someone to make it for you.

You can look in ESTY shops online for Fish Extenders and maybe even some goodies you may want to put in Fish Extenders. For Fish Extenders you can also go to local party stores, 99¢ Store or look in the party sections of department stores such as Walmart.

Sites such as WaltsBasement.yuku.com (PansTinkerBell is a person to ask on Walt’s Basement) and DISboards.com have members that are willing to make graphics that you can print yourself for ether Fish Extender goodies or Door Decor. All you need to do is purchase magnet sheets at the office supply store or online to run through your inkjet printer at home. Most of the people that make these graphics for you to print at home are doing it just for fun and do not charge. (Technically it is illegal for them to charge as the characters they are using are copyrighted by Disney.) They do have a right to ask you to pay for postage and materials if they printed for you.

Whether you make your graphics yourself or as somebody else to make them you will need time! If you have someone else make them you need to give them a chance to do it sometimes they are busy helping others or just dealing with day-to-day life. It does take time to manipulate graphics to create something that is fun and unique.

Another thing that some people do that takes extra time when preparing for a Disney Cruise is similar to what some people do when they go to the parks. Some people will make special T-shirts or other clothing for the trip. Once again doing this takes time. Don’t wait to for the last minute start early make it easy on yourself.

I do play with graphics, I am PansTinkerBell on Walt’s Basement I’ve had people ask me for graphics for Cruise Door Decor and had to work very quickly to get it done as they only had a couple of weeks before their cruise! I was more than happy to help them, and even more happy knowing that their cabin door will not be plain when they cruise!

Fish Extender?? What the Heck is a Fish Extender?!?!

http://pixiepranks-panstinkerbell.blogspot.com/2011/05/fish-extender-what-heck-is-fish.html

Cruise Door Decor

http://pixiepranks-panstinkerbell.blogspot.com/2012/03/disney-cruise-line-door-decor.html

The Storytellers

The Storytellers

I’ve been looking at my pictures of Disneyland. I noticed I seem to take a lot of pictures of the various statues at the parks.

Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom have their Partners Statue, and I love how it represents Walt looking back with Mickey Mouse at all they have accomplished together. For year’s Partners was one of the focal points of my camera lens. Last year, with the reopening of the reimagined DCA (Disney California Adventure) I found another beautiful statue to take pictures of.

The Storytellers Statue at DCA is beautiful and inspirational. Storytellers shows Walt as he was in 1923 when he came to California. Walt was 22 years old and was broke for the third time in his life. Yet, he was still hopeful and excited about what the future could hold him. Next to Walt, standing on Walt suitcase is the yet to be designed Mickey Mouse. This Mickey is a mix of the classic, original pie-eyed Mickey with touches of the more modern Mickey. Together these two bring such hope and joy.

Walt as depicted in the Partners Statue is the Walt of my youth. It is Walt as I remember seeing him on TV introducing that week’s edition of Wonderful World of Color. It is Walt as I remember seeing him a couple of times from a distance while growing up in Burbank, California. He is reveling in his achievements yet by no means resting on his laurels. He is saying, “Look Mickey, this is what we created!”

Storytellers Statue reminds me were Walt came from and the work it took for him to build is entertainment empire. Storytellers reminds me to hold onto hope, look to the future and find the blue sky even in the dark times. The Storyteller Walt is standing there thinking, “How exciting, there are so many things to do, so much fun to create and there’s nothing that can stop me!” In short Storytellers reminds me to never give up into just keep trying.

My Disney Cruise Obsession

My Disney Cruise Obsession

            Several months ago I stumbled upon a fun Facebook page. This crazy Facebook page actually had a list of all the cruise ships pulling out of Port Canaveral! Of course listed among the ships are ships of the Disney Cruise Line.

            Along with the list of the cruise ship sail awat times was a link. This link was to the Port Canaveral WebCam website! When I saw that Disney Dream listed as sailing away one day I decided to sit down and click that link. Much to my surprise and pleasure I was taken to their very good WebCam live feed was able to watch the Dream sail out of port. It was lots of fun watching the ship and seeing the happy travelers waiting ship sailed out of port.

            When I first started watching the Port Canaveral WebCam it had no audio. I longed to hear the fog horns of the Disney Cruise ships play. At first I did not watch the WebCam very often because it was no audio. Then audio was added to the feed! Not only can you watch the ships you can hear the mighty horns blow!

            Now I try my best to watch the Disney Cruise Ships pull out of Port Canaveral every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. The Dream sails out of Port Canaveral every Thursday and Sunday at 5 PM EST. The Fantasy pulls out of Port Canaveral every Saturday at 5 PM EST. You should always turn the WebCam on early as sometimes they to pull out as much as 20 minutes early.

            Sadly, these great ships do not blow their mighty horns every time they sail past the WebCam. When they do it is a special treat! Listening to the Disney Cruise Ships fog horns play any of their selections of songs is mesmerizing. It is fun to go in early and watch one of the Carnival Ships pull out just before the Disney Ship. It is humorous to hear the difference between the two ships fog horns.

            In general the bigger the ship the deeper and louder the foghorn. Most of the other ships sailing out of Port Canaveral are bigger than the Disney Ships. When the standard foghorn sounds off it sounds like a great flatulent beast. When the Disney Ships sail out and blow their foghorn a place in memorable music that we all know and love.

            The Port Canaveral WebCam is housed at the Fishlips Waterfront Bar and Grill. While you are waiting for the ships to sail you can listen to the music and the customers chatting in Fishlips. As the ship passes Fishlips you can hear the Sail Away Party on the deck of the Disney Ship. That is how close Fishlips is to the water.

Watch for Fishlips Waterfront Bar & Grill
when sailing out of Port Canaveral! Wave at them!

            Another fun thing about this particular WebCam is that it is not a static WebCam. It actually follows the ships as they sail in and out of the port. They will even focus in on people waving at the camera and holding signs. There even more apt to do this if you contact them and let them know you will be sailing out of port that day. They will also focus in on other interesting things in the port such as wildlife and any interesting boats happening to sail by. One evening they were chasing lightning over the ocean! What a beautiful sight it was.

            So no matter what cruise line you are sailing on out of Port Canaveral you can tell your friends to go to the Port Canaveral WebCam and watch you sail away. All you need to do is stand on the port side of the ship and wave at Fishlips as you sail by. You can even purchase a downloadable copy of the video of your sail away from Fishlips.

            You can check the links on the Port Canaveral WebCam website for links to other ports WebCams. They have New York Harbor and Key West Florida as well just to name two. I will say that the Port Canaveral WebCam is the best of them because it follows the ships and has audio unlike most of the others.

            So I must say thank you to the Port Canaveral WebCam and to Fishlips Waterfront Bar and Grill for providing me with such fun entertainment for a few minutes three times a week.

Here are links to the Port Canaveral WebCam Facebook page and website:

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Port.Canaveral.Webcam?fref=ts

Port Canaveral WebCam:

http://portcanaveralwebcam.com/

Disneyland's New Entrance Policy

Disneyland’s New Entrance Policy

            For many years local parents would bring their kids to Disneyland and drop them off to play for a few hours or the day. Some kids as young as 10 to 12 years old would be handed their Annual Pass and maybe a little bit of money and dropped off at the entrance to Disneyland. Disneyland’s newest admittance policy will change that.

            Disney just announced that from now on children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by someone 14 years of age or older. I see both sides of this situation.

There are some very responsible 10-year-olds that can handle being left alone at Disneyland for a few hours or even a day. They most likely have been to the park often with their parents and know the rules and are well able to follow them. Leaving these children at the Park alone is actually very good for them as it recognizes their maturity level and rewards their good behavior. It can also help boost their self-esteem and confidence.

There are some very immature and irresponsible 10-year-olds they cannot handle being left alone anywhere for any length of time. Put into a stimulating environment such as Disneyland these children can be even worse. These children left alone at Disneyland can be a big problem. These children could cause problems for other guests, be injured not following safety rules and even cause general mayhem and mischief such as theft and property damage. Sadly some parents of children like this will drop them off just to give themselves a break.

While I do think it is good to reward responsible young children with freedom and extra responsibility beyond their years I do not think it is fair or good to reward the problem child with the extra freedom to be irresponsible and cause more problems. When parents will not use the wisdom when dropping off their children businesses like Disney have to make policies to control the situation.

I know of people that treat Disneyland as a low-cost babysitter. I’m speaking of people that live local to Disneyland. They buy their child an Annual Pass and their child has a place to go when the parent is busy. Even at $650 a year this is cheaper than a babysitter. During winter/spring breaks and summer vacation when the child is not in school some parents will drop the kids off at the park on their way to work and pick them up after. I can see how Disney would not be happy with this. Disney and their cast members are not babysitters.

I will be honest, when my daughter was younger if we had lived closer to Disneyland I too would’ve dropped her off every so often. I know that when she was 10 years old my daughter would’ve been one of the responsible ones that would’ve enjoyed the rides and shows offered and most likely even helped new guests to the park find their way around. I would’ve called in often to check on her. If I thought for one moment she would be a problem I would not have left her. As it was, when our daughter was 10 we would take her and a friend to the park and let them go off on their own for a while. We would check in on them frequently by cell phone and prearranged meetings.

I do not know exactly what happened to prompt Disneyland to make this policy change. I can only hazard a guess as to why. It can be assumed that several children or groups of children have been dropped off frequently and have been causing problems. The problems could have been anything from theft and property damage (such as tagging) to just not following safety rules and listening to cast member directions. No matter what the problem was I’m going to assume that it would cause problems for other guests along with causing safety concerns. Disney and their cast members are not babysitters. While I’m saddened by this decision for the responsible youth who self-esteem could be built up and responsibility rewarded I understand the decision. Once again a few abusers ruined it for others.