Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide To Walt Disney World’s Best Kept Secrets, the best-selling book by Steven M. Barrett, now has its very own “official” app for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch.
The new app builds on the successful formula of the book. It contains all of the Hidden Mickeys from the new fourth edition of the book -- with over a hundred added, the total is now up to more than 800 – but it takes things to a whole new level of interactivity.
Using the scavenger hunt structure that made the book so popular, the new app offers cryptic “clues” for searchers to puzzle over and “hints” for if they get stuck. But asking for hints before you find a Hidden Mickey lowers your score. Separate user profiles allow family members to compete on the hunts.
But the app is not just the book in digital form. It also includes completely new features only possible with Apple’s iPhone technology. For example, users can upload their scavenger hunt scores directly to their Facebook pages without having to exit the application. This means that for the first time Hidden Mickeys hunters from around the globe can compare their scores instantaneously.
The application also uses a GPS location tracking feature that identifies the user’s location in the resort and automatically displays the nearest Hidden Mickeys up to 500 meters away. Hunters in a hurry can thus save time without skipping Mickeys.
Users of the new app are enthusiastic. “This is awesome,” raved LightningMcQueen1983 in the iTunes Store. “I have already gone through and selected all the Hidden Mickeys I knew, but there are soooooo many more to find.”
The application is available for $5.99 under the “Travel” category in Apple’s App Store via this link http://bit.ly/4E3phY.
The Hidden Mickeys app was created by Campbell/Gambill Designs of Orlando, FL, with the assistance of author Steve Barrett. Barrett’s book, Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide To Walt Disney World’s Best Kept Secrets ($12.95), is published by The Intrepid Traveler. It is available in the Disney parks, in bookstores, and online.
WDW Magic.com has photos of monorail teal in action today. The newest monorail, which is a compilation of the undamaged portions of monorails pink and purple that were involved in that fatal crash over the summer, began running this morning on the Magic Kingdom express loop. As was previously reported, the pink and purple colors have been retired and will no longer be seen at Walt Disney World.
If you look at the photos, monorail teal looks very similar to monorail blue -- so similar, in fact, that Disney has added a white "delta" to the teal stripe to help cast members quickly distinguish between teal and blue. These white deltas are located under the center window of each train car.
For those of you new to the DisneyDaddy blog, each Tuesday, I offer a tip I've either developed or heard of. You can always go back and read past Tip Tuesday posts by clicking on the "Tip Tuesday" link on the right side of this page.
Now for this week's tip:
In last week's post, I talked about some information you needed to keep with you while at Walt Disney World. This information included dining reservations, park hours and Extra Magic Hours (EMH). One reason why you want to have this information handy is so you can develop your own touring plans.
I use the term "touring plans" only because it's the most common term used among Disney fans describing a plan for how to go about spending time in the parks. There is a site (http://www.touringplans.com/) that offers (for a fee) more than 100 different touring plans designed for all sorts of scenarios. For those who feel they need some advice from some Disney experts, TouringPlans.com might be a resource to check out.
The best kind of touring plan, in my opinion, however, is the plan that does what you want to do. If you're a "gotta-do-it-all-and-see-it-all" kind of person, than you'll want to think about the best ways to mix the use of FastPasses, single rider lines, and standby lines to get in as much as possible (it also helps to go on a night with late EMH hours so that the park is open much later, giving you more time, assuming you're staying on-property).
Most guests, aren't quite so commando in their time at the parks. That's why I suggest making a list of the top 3-10 attractions you want to experience in each parks (top 3 for shorter visits, top 10 for longer trips). Once you have that list, try to map out where you want to go, keeping in mind some basic tips:
If Dumbo's (MK) on the list - get there early and first (best on an EMH early day). That's one attraction that always has a long line - and there's no FastPass.
If Toy Story Mania's (DHS) on the list - get there early and get FastPasses. They tend to run out by the afternoon, if not sooner. If you're at rope drop, you can get a FastPass and then go right into the standby line - you might just get two rides in a few hours.
Peter Pan's Flight (MK) generally has a longer queue, especially in the afternoon. This is another good one to FastPass, if it's on your list.
Like Toy Story Mania, fastpasses for Soarin' (Epcot) and Expedition Everest (AK) go quick. If it's on your list, get a FastPass early. Be sure to check the standby lines, however - if it's 20 minutes or less, you might want to just go right in.
When Space Mountain (MK) reopens in a few weeks, it's going to be slammed, so if it's on your list, plan on using FastPasses, at least for the next few months.
Remember that World Showcase at Epcot opens later than World Showcase. Lately, WS has been opening at 9 a.m. instead of 11. If you have Malestrom on your list, keep an eye on the opening time and you might be able to catch a walk-on at Malestrom before the crowds come.
You can only hold one FastPass at a time, with some exceptions (see this previous post).
Always pick up a times guide. This will help you better plan when certain shows and character meet-and-greets are available.
So before your next trip, take a few moments and plan what you want to do at each park. Then plan your route to make your day go a little bit easier.
A first-of-its kind water coaster that sends guests racing above the upper decks of the ship. An animated turtle that engages children in conversation about life in the ocean. A sophisticated lounge where the sun sets over the skyline of a different world-famous city each night. When the Disney Dream debuts in early 2011, the newest ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet will bring to life these innovations and more.
The Disney Dream will take family cruising to all-new heights, embracing the spirit of innovation, magical family entertainment and immersive experiences that have made Disney Cruise Line the preeminent cruise of choice for families since 1998.
Disney Cruise Line revolutionized the cruise industry with purpose-built ships designed just for families. With the Disney Dream setting sail on Jan. 26, 2011, preparations are underway to expand the one-of-a-kind family experience, utilizing technology to enhance the world-class entertainment and legendary guest services onboard. From stem to stern, the Disney Dream will offer a cruise experience that caters to the preferences of the whole family.
“For more than a decade, passengers have filled their passports with memories sailing around the world with Disney Cruise Line,” said Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo. “With the Disney Dream joining our fleet, we’ll be able to take families to even more places they never imagined they could visit – in true Disney style.”
The Disney Dream features a remarkable interior design which provides guests with a warm and welcoming feel throughout. The ship’s design offers guests a perfect blend of elegant Art Deco style and fun-filled Disney whimsy to create one of the most spectacular ships afloat. Distinctly Disney guest features aboard the Disney Dream include:
AquaDuck Water Coaster. . .
Disney Cruise Line debuts a cruise-industry first: a shipboard water coaster … AquaDuck! Guests aboard the Disney Dream will get swept away on an exhilarating high-speed flume ride featuring twists, turns, drops, uphill acceleration and river rapids – all while traversing the upper decks of the ship.
AquaDuck stretches 765 feet in length - more than two and a half times the length of a football field - and spans four decks in height.
Guests slide 13 feet over the side of the ship in a translucent "swing out" loop allowing them to look down on the ocean 150 feet below.
Guests experience coaster-like thrills as high-powered water jets push them upwards and forwards at 20 feet per second.
AquaDuck continues through the forward funnel, encounters a 335 foot stretch of river rapids and splashes down to an end on Deck 12.
A Virtual Porthole for Inside Staterooms. . .
Disney Cruise Line introduces another stateroom innovation with all inside staterooms on the Disney Dream featuring a Virtual Porthole that provides guests with a real-time view outside the ship. High-definition cameras placed on the exterior of the ship feed live video to each Virtual Porthole.
As guests observe the impressive outside views, they may glimpse a magical surprise: animated characters such as Peach the starfish from the Disney•Pixar hit film “Finding Nemo,” or Mickey Mouse may pop by the Virtual Porthole.
A Magical Oasis for Children. . .
Only on a Disney Cruise Line ship can children become immersed in their favorite Disney stories with the help of caring counselors, beloved Disney characters and a sprinkling of pixie dust. The celebration of children’s creativity rises to a new level on the Disney Dream with nearly an entire deck of youth spaces designed to inspire, entertain and unlock the imagination of children. There are two main spaces for children ages three to 10:
At Disney’s Oceaneer Club, children can:
Play among larger-than-life characters from Disney•Pixar's "Toy Story" in Andy's Room Explore the Laugh Floor with loveable monsters Mike and Sully from "Monsters, Inc." Dive under the sea with Nemo and friends or visit Tinker Bell's fairy forest
At Disney’s Oceaneer Lab, children feel as though they are embarking on a great seafaring adventure in a room filled with maps, maritime instruments and swashbuckling artifacts. Here, children can try their hand at animation, become a pop star or navigate ships through digital seas.
Both venues offer magical interactions with the animated characters such as Crush, the sea turtle from the Disney•Pixar motion picture “Finding Nemo” and Stitch, the mischievous alien from “Lilo and Stitch.” The characters chat, play and joke with children in live, unrehearsed conversations from their digital undersea and intergalactic environments via 103-inch plasma screens.
Chill-Out Zones for Tweens and Teens. . .
Located inside the forward funnel is Edge – the lounge just for tweens (ages 11 to 13). This tween pad is filled with a multitude of hi-tech entertainment including the ability to create and star in photo postcards and video karaoke using green-screen technology.
Teens have their own exclusive club aboard the Disney Dream with Vibe – a trendy and inviting indoor/outdoor space created especially for guests ages 14 to 17. A “teen-only” swipe card provides access to the nearly 9,000-square-foot club.
Teens can create and edit videos, play computer games, access the onboard social media application or try their hand at spinning and mixing dance tracks. Teens have their own private outdoor deck area with chaise lounges for sunbathing, two wading pools, misters and pop jets for cooling off, and deck games such as ping-pong and foosball.
Personal Touches with Rotational Dining. . .
Disney Cruise Line continues its innovative rotational dining concept onboard the Disney Dream with elaborately themed restaurants, distinctly Disney touches, and world-class cuisine to create a magical dining experience. Throughout the cruise, guests “rotate” through three different restaurants for dinner – with their servers accompanying them, providing guests with friendly, familiar, personalized service each night. The rotational dining restaurants include:
Animator's Palate, a signature Disney Cruise Line restaurant that brings the magic of Disney animation into the dining room for a unique experience that will captivate the entire family. Royal Palace, an elegant restaurant inspired by the classic Disney films "Cinderella," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," " Beauty and the Beast" and "Sleeping Beauty." Enchanged Garden, a whimsical casual restaurant inspired by the gardens of Versailles and featuring a dining environment that magically transforms from day to night.
Just for Adults. . .
On the Disney Dream, while children are having the time of their lives in the elaborately themed youth areas, adults can look forward to incomparable indulgences and relaxation with exclusive areas and offerings designed exclusively for them.
Adults can escape in to The District, a nighttime entertainment area on the Disney Dream with five unique venues. This playground for grownups features sophisticated lounges, each with its own unique design, look, feel and palate-pleaseing delights. Senses Spa & Salon offers adult tranquility with 17 private treatment rooms, lavish spa villas with indoor treatment rooms and private outdoor verandahs, and Rainforest, a special section of the spa offering the benefits of steam, heat and hydrotherapy to relax the mind and body. At Palo, adult guests find epicurean excellence and an unforgettable dinner experience at sea. Every seat offers beautiful ocean vistas while a pianist softly serenades guests in an intimate restaurant setting.
The Disney Dream is scheduled to depart on its maiden voyage Jan. 26, 2011, and will sail alternating three- and four-night cruises to the Bahamas and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. During summer months, the ship will alternate four- and five-night itineraries with two stops at Castaway Cay. Guests can book their Disney Dream cruise beginning Nov. 9, 2009.
Terrence, the keeper of the pixie dust, has joined his friends Tinker Bell and other fairies at the character meet-and-greet at Pixie Hollow in the Magic Kingdom. Various "lost" items have been added to the meet-and-greet area as well.
4pm UPDATE: The online system is up and running again.
In my apparent never ending attempt to book some ADR's for an upcoming WDW trip, I happened to check to see if the online ADR system up and running again. What I found was something a little surprising. I got the following message:
"We are currently rolling out a *NEW* online dining application to make your reservation process even easier. Please come back and try our new system when it is available. To make a dining reservation at this time, please call (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463."
Hmm... I have to wonder if the timing of this new announcement is a coincidence, was intentionally planned or a reaction to yesterday's onslaught of bookings that apparently shut down the online system and totally overwhelmed Disney's ADR phone lines.
Unfortunately, the message didn't give any indication as to when the online ADR system would be live again. As more information becomes available, I'll pass it along.
If you're been reading this blog, you know I'm a big fan of pre-trip planning. While I'm not one to rigidly follow a touring plan, it is a good idea to have as much information as possible on-hand while in the parks.
Here are some of the things you need to be able to quickly pull out, should the situation arise:
ADR dates/time and confirmation numbers - Even though I've never personally had an issue with an ADR, that doesn't mean problems sometimes arise. There's a reason you are given a confirmation number when you make an ADR.
Park Hours - It's tough to enjoy a park when it's closed. Knowing when parks open can help you make it to some of those important rope-drops.
Extra Magic Hours (for guests staying on-property). Yes, you can find out this information once you get to the resort, but it's more helpful to have this information already recorded in some fashion.
Rehabs/closings - some attractions may be down for refurbishment or maintenance. If you know ahead of time, it will help make your touring a bit smoother.
Before the days of Blackberries and iPhones, I used to make a business-sized card with all this information (usually heavily condensed with a lot of acronyms). This would go into my wallet so I could refer to it at any time.
Now, I just make a calendar entry in my Blackberry for each day during my trip called "Park Hours," listing the hours for each park, including EMH. I make additional entries for any ADR's and a third for key refurbs and other notes. Yes, there are "apps for that," but I think it's better to go through the exercise of adding this information yourself. It helps you to begin some of your plans for touring the parks. I'll talk about touring plans in a future Tip Tuesday post.
Where can you get some of this information? All park hours and Extra Magic Hours are listed on the Walt Disney World Web site.
This does not include some safety measures when it comes to your children. I'll talk about that in an upcoming post.
I know to some of you seasoned WDW vets, this will sound like a no-brainer. But for many who are experiencing Walt Disney World for the first (or even second, third or fourth) time, these little bits of handy information can make a huge difference in ensuring a smooth vacation.
If you're planning a Walt Disney World trip in the next 180 days, you need to get on the phone or online right away. Today, Disney extended the ADR booking window back to 180 days. The ADR reservation system is going to be quite busy today, so be patient. In fact, I was trying to get some ADR's at 6 a.m. this morning and the online system was overloaded.
If you're unable to get into the online system, call 407-WDW-DINE.
Good luck!
UPDATE (5pm):
Disney apparently has experiences such a high volume of requests that the online system has shut down. I've been checking all day and it's appears to have been down since around 6 a.m. and still isn't up (as of 5 p.m.). Likewise, the phone lines have been overwhelmed all day. I've tried calling dozens of times throughout the day and can't get through.
Disney probably should have considered some staggered system for switching to a 180-day ADR window. Having 90 days worth of bookings all become available on the same day has been an apparent recipe for disaster.
What have your experiences been like? Have you been able to book ADR's today? Post a comment!
While we all think of Oct. 1, 1971 as the opening date for the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World (and this date is correct - the park opened to the public on Oct. 1), it wasn't until this day 38 years ago that the Magic Kingdom celebrated it's grand opening weekend.
The Orlando Sentinel was there (see for yourself), and has posted the original story from the Oct. 24, 1971 edition. I'll post a brief excerpt -- you can read the entire article at the Orlando Sentinel's new "Daily Disney" page.
Nearly 40,000 visits – the biggest crowd yet – jammed Walt Disney World turnstiles Saturday as the $400 million “Magic Kingdom” kicked off its three-day formal opening celebration with the arrival of a plane-load of Hollywood notables.
The celebrities – including Rock Hudson, Robert Stack, Walter Brennan and Fred MacMurray – arrived aboard a chartered jet to take part in the festivities, starting with a performance of the World Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arthur Fiedler.
And they were greeted at Orlando Jetport at McCoy by a huge crowd of spectators who oohed and aahed as the stars, many accompanied by their families, stepped from the plane.
The applauded Brennan and MacMurray, squealed at Stack and Hudson and whistled at Annette Funicello, one of the original Mouseketeers.
The stars were quickly ushered aboard buses for the trip to Disney World and the theme park, the product of the imagination and dreams of the late Walt Disney.
Inside the park, there were long lines at almost every attraction, every ride. But there was little of the gripping which normally goes with long lines.
Instead, the fathers, mothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles and, of course, youngsters by the thousands waited patiently, smiling, laughing and talking. It was a good day to be there ...
