Stitch wakes us up at 7.00am. We have both forgotten that this hour of the morning actually exists. It is near impossible to get Dave out of bed! I had booked a tour for us this morning, Mickeys Magical Milestones. But its not really a backstage tour so Dave is not overly interested. And to top everything off it is pouring, and there is thunder and lightening. So he really has no desire to get out of bed. Eventually he capitulates and rolls out of bed, but makes it well know that this is not his choice.
We have breakfast in Roaring Fork Snacks:
Breakfast Plate $5.59
Croissant $2.29
OJ $1.69
Tax .63
Total $10.20
We catch the ferry to the Magic Kingdom, and head to Guest Services to check in. However we are in the wrong building, they direct us next door. Pretty much everyone else is checking in for the Keys to the Kingdom Tour, and the guides are issuing backstage passes. Dave wants to know why we arent going on that tour. Because I didnt think I could get him to go on a half day tour, so I booked the one that was only 2 hours. I guess after 5 years of marriage and 8 years together we still have a lot to learn about each other. There are 6 people on our tour: BJ and Joyce a honeymoon couple, Brenda and Glenn from Texas and Dave and I. Our guide is Nicole, also from Texas.
We are all given a name tag, a green paper Mickey head with a piece of string, a safety pin and name written with a black sharpie. At the same time they give the KTTK participants a fancy name badge. How come we only get paper? As you can see the rain has us in wonderful moods.
We start outside the train station facing the flower Mickey. Plants are changed out daily, well not every single plant, but as soon as plants start to wilt they are replaced. The colours of the plants are changed seasonally.
Outside Exposition Hall we learn the history of Walts career and that the first Disney character was Oswald Rabbit, who was lost due to a contract clause along with all but one animator. Walt created Mortimer Mouse on the train home from New York. Walts wife Lillian didnt like Mortimer, said it wasnt a very friendly name, and she suggested Mickey Mouse. (Although there is some discussion, as many believe Ub Iwerks may have created Mickey).
Inside the Exposition Hall we meet Wendy, Alice and Aladdin. Dave is looking bored, I am not sure he knows who all these people are. (Just so there is no doubt: Wendy is from Peter Pan, Alice is from Alice in Wonderland and Aladdin is from Aladdin). At the mural we look for the mistakes Alice has one leg, Wendy has none, Captain Hooks hook is on the wrong hand, and Aladdin in not in the mural. In fact characters from films after 1982 have not been added. Although there is room for more characters there is not enough room to add all the animated characters since then, so rather than pick and choose, no new ones have been added.
We learn Mickey, Minnie and Pete were all created in 1928. Clarabelle cow was one of the original characters but she lost her fab 5ness.
Steamboat Willie (1928) was the first Mickey Mouse short released, but Plane Crazy (1928) was actually the first Mickey Mouse short made. Before either short was released Walt saw a movie with sound and wanted to add sound to his animation. Plane Crazy was already complete and Steamboat Willie was still in production, it is easier to add sound to a movie in production than afterwards, so sound was added to Steamboat Willie and it was released first. The Band Concert (1935) was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon released in colour, but Flowers and Trees (1922) was the first Disney cartoon released in colour.
We are going to ride the Steam Train to Toontown. No we are not; due to the downpour the steam trains are not operational at this time. Walt always liked trains and Mickey came to life on a train, so trains play an integral part of Disneyland and Disney World. There are 4 engines they are named Walter E Disney, Roy O Disney, Lilly Bell and Roger E Broggie. The first 3 are named for Walt, his brother Roy, and his wife Lillian, the fourth is named for Broggie who was an Imagineer and a train fanatic.
We walk, or rather wade to Toontown. Nicole points out the windows on Main Street, also that the Castle is blocked off as they get ready for Disneylands 50th birthday, and the 20,000 Leagues will not be reopened, she did not know what will be going in there, but the space is big enough for 3 attractions.
In Toontown we have Mickeys house to ourselves, as Toontown it not open for another ½ hour or so. Nicole points out some of the features of Mickeys house, and of the rivalry between Mickey and Donald Duck. Donald has been in more cartoons than Mickey but Mickey is the famous one. Mickey is an icon and a hero so Mickey cannot do anything that is bad, or may insult someone. Hence Donald is the one that always causes or gets into trouble. Donald starred in 128 Donald Duck cartoons, and several cartoons with other characters that were not specifically Donald Duck cartoons. In all Donald has been in over 200 shorts and Mickey has been in 125.
Next up we get a private audience with Mickey himself. There is lots of time for handshakes, photos, hugs and a chat. Its amazing how involved you can get in a very one sided conversation.
Out in Mickeys tool shed Nicole pointed out some hidden Mickeys, the craftmouse tools and the Last Aid kit, so names as it is the first aid kit furthest from the park entrance.
We visit Minnies house, but Minnie is not home. Next we stop at the Wish Fountain; all money thrown into the fountain goes to Disney Hands which supports several childrens charities.
At Sir Mickeys we learn the history of merchandise at the Minnie Mouse figure. Oops sorry, its not called merchandise, but tangible memories. Either way we all spend a lot of money of them. The first tangible memory was a notepad. Mead paper paid $300.00 for the right to put Mickey Mouse on paper. That still stands today. Walt soon learnt to protect his interests, and nowadays Mead still has the right to Mickey for that initial $300.00, however for any other characters they pay the going rate.
One of the earliest tangible memories is a Mickey Mouse Watch by Ingersoll, manufactured in 1933. Ingersoll was a company going out of business until Walt approached them. They are now one of biggest watch manufacturers in the world, but we probably know them better at Timex.
Outside Nicole tells us there are 5 hidden Mickeys in PhilharMagic one in Little Mermaid scene, one in the Lion King scene, two in the Aladdin scene and one on the side of the stage. Now that we have all committed this information to memory so we can try and look for them next time, Nicole takes us into watch the movie. Normally the tour would go in through the fast pass line up. However its raining so much today, there are only 10 other people in the park and there are no lineups anywhere.
We are escorted into a roped off area opposite the Christmas shop, and Donald and Daisy Duck both appear with gifts for all of us. We are each given Mickey Mouse ears with our names written on the ears in gold pen (What, they couldnt have had our names stitched on them?). We have our photos taken with Donald and Daisy and then we all go our separate ways.
So what did we think of the tour? Dave was bored. He would have preferred a tour that explained howd they do that? I didnt mind it; I love trivia that will serve me absolutely no purpose in real life. But ..if you have spent time in One Mans Dream at MGM, been on a Keys to the Kingdom or Backstage Magic tour, or have been on the Disboards for sometime none of the information will be new to you. If you are new to Disney and/or Mickey then this would be a great tour. It is a fairly new tour, and still evolving.
We are both cold and very, very wet so we decide to head back to the Lodge. Dave is so miserable he doesnt even want to ride Buzz Lightyear. We stop at the bakery on Main street to grab a snack:
Apple Turnover $1.89
Rocky Road Brownie $2.79
Tax .31
Total $4.99
As we walk up from the ferry we watch the geyser erupt and notice that the hot tubs and slide are now open, but its too cold and wet to enjoy them. After we dry off and change we have lunch in Roaring Fork Snacks using a Q&C Voucher and splitting the meal:
Philly Cheesesteak $6.69
Magic Cookie Bar $2.29
Coke $1.99
Tax .72
Total $11.69
Savings .19c
We relax, watch TV, nap and people watch from the balcony. Dave has decided that he is not going anywhere in the rain. He is on vacation, so he is going to stay in the room and do nothing. Great, I am going to Downtown Disney to shop without my bank balance monitoring every move I make. I take my time and wander through each and every shop. I start in World of Disney, followed by Once Upon a Toy, Team Disney, Pooh, pets, $10.00, Christmas shop, candy store, arriba bros, scrapbook, Art of Disney 2 postcards, bath and back to World of Disney to shop there with my 10% annual pass discount. Its only valid for another 4 days, so I had better take advantage of it now. I buy Mickey pasta, a Mickey alarm clock, a photo frame, and a stitch antenna head. Even without Mr. How much is that, I dont spend up big. It must be rubbing off.
Dave is awake when I get back to the Lodge, watching I dont know what, but he is enthralled by it. We have to wait for it to finish before we make our way to Epcot for dinner. Not wanting to break our pattern we use a Q&C voucher and split a meal at the Cantina in Mexico:
Combo Plate $7.49
Guacamole $2.29
Coke $1.99
Bunuelos $2.50
Tax .93
Total $15.20
Savings $3.70
We havent explored France before, so we wander the shops and watch the movie. It brings back memories for both of us. Dave was in Paris with his Mum and remembers riding a boat on the Seine. I spent many weekends in France when I lived in London. It was almost like I was there again.
The shop in Japan is calling our names, we watch a family pick some pearls and have them set (Dave is actually quite taken by the setting process sometimes I never know what will entertain him), buy dessert, one of those cups with chocolate dip and bread sticks for dipping, and a bag of Wasabi Peas. We watch IllumiNations as we make our way to the exit and the car park.
We relax back in our room with a nightcap and watch some TV before traveling off to dreamland in our king bed.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
We have breakfast in Roaring Fork Snacks:
Breakfast Plate $5.59
Croissant $2.29
OJ $1.69
Tax .63
Total $10.20
We catch the ferry to the Magic Kingdom, and head to Guest Services to check in. However we are in the wrong building, they direct us next door. Pretty much everyone else is checking in for the Keys to the Kingdom Tour, and the guides are issuing backstage passes. Dave wants to know why we arent going on that tour. Because I didnt think I could get him to go on a half day tour, so I booked the one that was only 2 hours. I guess after 5 years of marriage and 8 years together we still have a lot to learn about each other. There are 6 people on our tour: BJ and Joyce a honeymoon couple, Brenda and Glenn from Texas and Dave and I. Our guide is Nicole, also from Texas.
We are all given a name tag, a green paper Mickey head with a piece of string, a safety pin and name written with a black sharpie. At the same time they give the KTTK participants a fancy name badge. How come we only get paper? As you can see the rain has us in wonderful moods.
We start outside the train station facing the flower Mickey. Plants are changed out daily, well not every single plant, but as soon as plants start to wilt they are replaced. The colours of the plants are changed seasonally.
Outside Exposition Hall we learn the history of Walts career and that the first Disney character was Oswald Rabbit, who was lost due to a contract clause along with all but one animator. Walt created Mortimer Mouse on the train home from New York. Walts wife Lillian didnt like Mortimer, said it wasnt a very friendly name, and she suggested Mickey Mouse. (Although there is some discussion, as many believe Ub Iwerks may have created Mickey).
Inside the Exposition Hall we meet Wendy, Alice and Aladdin. Dave is looking bored, I am not sure he knows who all these people are. (Just so there is no doubt: Wendy is from Peter Pan, Alice is from Alice in Wonderland and Aladdin is from Aladdin). At the mural we look for the mistakes Alice has one leg, Wendy has none, Captain Hooks hook is on the wrong hand, and Aladdin in not in the mural. In fact characters from films after 1982 have not been added. Although there is room for more characters there is not enough room to add all the animated characters since then, so rather than pick and choose, no new ones have been added.
We learn Mickey, Minnie and Pete were all created in 1928. Clarabelle cow was one of the original characters but she lost her fab 5ness.
Steamboat Willie (1928) was the first Mickey Mouse short released, but Plane Crazy (1928) was actually the first Mickey Mouse short made. Before either short was released Walt saw a movie with sound and wanted to add sound to his animation. Plane Crazy was already complete and Steamboat Willie was still in production, it is easier to add sound to a movie in production than afterwards, so sound was added to Steamboat Willie and it was released first. The Band Concert (1935) was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon released in colour, but Flowers and Trees (1922) was the first Disney cartoon released in colour.
We are going to ride the Steam Train to Toontown. No we are not; due to the downpour the steam trains are not operational at this time. Walt always liked trains and Mickey came to life on a train, so trains play an integral part of Disneyland and Disney World. There are 4 engines they are named Walter E Disney, Roy O Disney, Lilly Bell and Roger E Broggie. The first 3 are named for Walt, his brother Roy, and his wife Lillian, the fourth is named for Broggie who was an Imagineer and a train fanatic.
We walk, or rather wade to Toontown. Nicole points out the windows on Main Street, also that the Castle is blocked off as they get ready for Disneylands 50th birthday, and the 20,000 Leagues will not be reopened, she did not know what will be going in there, but the space is big enough for 3 attractions.
In Toontown we have Mickeys house to ourselves, as Toontown it not open for another ½ hour or so. Nicole points out some of the features of Mickeys house, and of the rivalry between Mickey and Donald Duck. Donald has been in more cartoons than Mickey but Mickey is the famous one. Mickey is an icon and a hero so Mickey cannot do anything that is bad, or may insult someone. Hence Donald is the one that always causes or gets into trouble. Donald starred in 128 Donald Duck cartoons, and several cartoons with other characters that were not specifically Donald Duck cartoons. In all Donald has been in over 200 shorts and Mickey has been in 125.
Next up we get a private audience with Mickey himself. There is lots of time for handshakes, photos, hugs and a chat. Its amazing how involved you can get in a very one sided conversation.
Out in Mickeys tool shed Nicole pointed out some hidden Mickeys, the craftmouse tools and the Last Aid kit, so names as it is the first aid kit furthest from the park entrance.
We visit Minnies house, but Minnie is not home. Next we stop at the Wish Fountain; all money thrown into the fountain goes to Disney Hands which supports several childrens charities.
At Sir Mickeys we learn the history of merchandise at the Minnie Mouse figure. Oops sorry, its not called merchandise, but tangible memories. Either way we all spend a lot of money of them. The first tangible memory was a notepad. Mead paper paid $300.00 for the right to put Mickey Mouse on paper. That still stands today. Walt soon learnt to protect his interests, and nowadays Mead still has the right to Mickey for that initial $300.00, however for any other characters they pay the going rate.
One of the earliest tangible memories is a Mickey Mouse Watch by Ingersoll, manufactured in 1933. Ingersoll was a company going out of business until Walt approached them. They are now one of biggest watch manufacturers in the world, but we probably know them better at Timex.
Outside Nicole tells us there are 5 hidden Mickeys in PhilharMagic one in Little Mermaid scene, one in the Lion King scene, two in the Aladdin scene and one on the side of the stage. Now that we have all committed this information to memory so we can try and look for them next time, Nicole takes us into watch the movie. Normally the tour would go in through the fast pass line up. However its raining so much today, there are only 10 other people in the park and there are no lineups anywhere.
We are escorted into a roped off area opposite the Christmas shop, and Donald and Daisy Duck both appear with gifts for all of us. We are each given Mickey Mouse ears with our names written on the ears in gold pen (What, they couldnt have had our names stitched on them?). We have our photos taken with Donald and Daisy and then we all go our separate ways.
So what did we think of the tour? Dave was bored. He would have preferred a tour that explained howd they do that? I didnt mind it; I love trivia that will serve me absolutely no purpose in real life. But ..if you have spent time in One Mans Dream at MGM, been on a Keys to the Kingdom or Backstage Magic tour, or have been on the Disboards for sometime none of the information will be new to you. If you are new to Disney and/or Mickey then this would be a great tour. It is a fairly new tour, and still evolving.
We are both cold and very, very wet so we decide to head back to the Lodge. Dave is so miserable he doesnt even want to ride Buzz Lightyear. We stop at the bakery on Main street to grab a snack:
Apple Turnover $1.89
Rocky Road Brownie $2.79
Tax .31
Total $4.99
As we walk up from the ferry we watch the geyser erupt and notice that the hot tubs and slide are now open, but its too cold and wet to enjoy them. After we dry off and change we have lunch in Roaring Fork Snacks using a Q&C Voucher and splitting the meal:
Philly Cheesesteak $6.69
Magic Cookie Bar $2.29
Coke $1.99
Tax .72
Total $11.69
Savings .19c
We relax, watch TV, nap and people watch from the balcony. Dave has decided that he is not going anywhere in the rain. He is on vacation, so he is going to stay in the room and do nothing. Great, I am going to Downtown Disney to shop without my bank balance monitoring every move I make. I take my time and wander through each and every shop. I start in World of Disney, followed by Once Upon a Toy, Team Disney, Pooh, pets, $10.00, Christmas shop, candy store, arriba bros, scrapbook, Art of Disney 2 postcards, bath and back to World of Disney to shop there with my 10% annual pass discount. Its only valid for another 4 days, so I had better take advantage of it now. I buy Mickey pasta, a Mickey alarm clock, a photo frame, and a stitch antenna head. Even without Mr. How much is that, I dont spend up big. It must be rubbing off.
Dave is awake when I get back to the Lodge, watching I dont know what, but he is enthralled by it. We have to wait for it to finish before we make our way to Epcot for dinner. Not wanting to break our pattern we use a Q&C voucher and split a meal at the Cantina in Mexico:
Combo Plate $7.49
Guacamole $2.29
Coke $1.99
Bunuelos $2.50
Tax .93
Total $15.20
Savings $3.70
We havent explored France before, so we wander the shops and watch the movie. It brings back memories for both of us. Dave was in Paris with his Mum and remembers riding a boat on the Seine. I spent many weekends in France when I lived in London. It was almost like I was there again.
The shop in Japan is calling our names, we watch a family pick some pearls and have them set (Dave is actually quite taken by the setting process sometimes I never know what will entertain him), buy dessert, one of those cups with chocolate dip and bread sticks for dipping, and a bag of Wasabi Peas. We watch IllumiNations as we make our way to the exit and the car park.
We relax back in our room with a nightcap and watch some TV before traveling off to dreamland in our king bed.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
