Archive for Scott

How Well Do You Pay Attention? by David Dunkle

As readers know I am always going on and on about the details. I have seen many postings on social media and other informative sites that do the “Where am I?” game. I thought I would offer my own version of that challenge. You may find mine to be a little more…difficult. I actually use these photos to try and stump my friends that work IN the parks, and usually do. I’d be happy to hear your responses, too. Send them to my e mail: rtc30306@live.com I may even offer up a nice little prize! Good luck!!

Can you?? 1) Name the park, 2) Name the specific location

game

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Disney Announces New ‘Frozen’ Short Film Coming in 2015

‘Frozen Fever’ is the name of the upcoming short film that will be released in Spring 2015.  The announcement was made during the ABC broadcast of ‘The Story of Frozen: Making a Disney Animated Classic’.

elsa-disneys-frozen

Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck will be directing the film, and stars Idina Mezel, Kristen Bell, and Jonathan Groff will all return.

‘Frozen Fun’ is set to be another hit similar to the past shorts featuring ‘Cars’ and ‘Toy Story’ characters.

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Recycling Initiative at Disney Benefits Local Nonprofit Group

Walt Disney World Resort recently started donating mattresses and box springs to The Mustard Seed of Central Florida, which will recycle the materials, creating jobs for clients they serve.

Starting with 50 mattresses and box springs from Disney’s All-Star Resort in August, the project will expand to other Disney resort hotels later this year. When complete, Mustard Seed is expected to receive more 5,000 mattresses and box spring sets.

“Since receiving these donations from Walt Disney World Resort, we have been able to hire more employees and provide job training services to help those less skilled,” said Kathy Baldwin, executive director of The Mustard Seed of Central Florida. ”

The Mustard Seed of Central Florida hopes to rebuild the lives of families by providing furniture and clothing while also being environmentally responsible. For more than 25 years, the nonprofit has helped families climb out of crisis situations by collecting donated furniture and household items and granting them to pre-qualified families to help them reestablish a home.

The Mustard Seed of Central Florida’s Mattress Recycling Center provides a sustainable alternative to disposing of unneeded mattresses and box springs. Because these materials do not decompose, they place a burden on landfills. For every mattress or box spring deconstructed at The Mustard Seed, 23 cubic feet of landfill is saved and about 85 percent of the material is recycled.

With a strong commitment to minimizing its overall impact on the environment, Walt Disney World Resort encourages and inspires environmentally responsible behavior from its Cast Members, guests and business partners. Recycling is a big part of waste management at Walt Disney World Resort. In 2013, more than 125,000 tons of materials were recycled.

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The Edgy Cameo Disney Refused To Let Stan Lee Film

James Gunn’s Guardians Of The Galaxy is Marvel’s weirdest, most outrageous film yet. It is also the first film of their’s that has really pushed the edges of what can and cannot be gotten away with in terms of a Marvel/Disney films’ sense of humor.

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Top 10 Theme Parks: Disney Dominates and Is About to Get Even Better

New PictureWhat’s the best theme park in the world? If you are taking your family on a vacation, many sites will offer a list of the most popular theme parks in the world, rated by user reviews, personal experiences, and best attractions.

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Disney Out of Blockbusters for 2014

The summer movie season ended on Labor Day, and we’ve now entered the fall season, which runs through the Thursday November 6. The summer champion was crowned over the final weekend: “Guardians of the Galaxy”…

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Boo to You by Jenn Romano

Happy Hallowishes! Boo-to-You!

It’s hard to believe, but Halloween decorations have already started to show up at Walt Disney World. The Magic Kingdom is already decked out with pumpkins and all manner of Halloween decorations. Last year, we attended Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, and we had a great time, so this year, we are definitely going to visit again this year!

With regard to costumes, we love to get dressed up for the party. We haven’t quite decided on costumes yet for this year, but we still have some time to come up with ideas. However, this past year, we decided to go with a Disney theme for our costumes. After much thought, we came up with the idea to go as the husband and wife from the Carousel of Progress. I purchased a vintage paint smock, and used a scarf to tie back my hair in order to re-create the scene where Sara is painting the rumpus room. My husband went as John from the scene that takes place during the summer in the 1920s. For his costume, we needed to find a blue shirt with a white color, and I made the Niagara Falls fan that John holds during this scene. Overall, these costumes were pretty inexpensive to create, and when we walked through the Magic Kingdom, most people knew who we were, especially when we went to visit our “home” in Tomorrowland. The cast members at the Carousel of Progress got a kick out of our costumes, and we received much praise for our efforts!

New PictureAfter taking a few photos and walking around for a little while, we decided to start making our way through the candy trails and trick-or-treat locations. When it neared time for the first parade of the evening, we made our way to Liberty Square to snag a spot. I highly recommend attending the second parade of the evening. The first parade was very crowded, and it was difficult to get a clear view of the floats and characters. After the parade, we experienced a few attractions, and then we walked over to the hub to watch the Villains Mix and Mingle. We missed this show last year, so we definitely wanted to see it. All of the villains were really great dancers, and the show was funny, but it was a little short. After the show, we decided to stay in the hub to catch Happy Hallowishes. This show is a must-see because the fireworks are truly spectacular. There are perimeter fireworks during this show, and the best place to feel truly enveloped in the action is the hub or Main Street.

After enjoying the fireworks, we stopped at the last few trick or treat locations that we had missed, and then we decided to call it a night. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is great fun, and we left with a serious haul of candy for the evening. The fireworks and parade were topnotch, and we love getting dressed up as well as seeing the creativity in other people’s costumes. If you have the opportunity to attend this event, it is definitely worth the money. Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!

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Disney Vacation Club – Part 3 – by Kim Lawton

We have been discussing Disney Vacation Club membership over the last few articles. I want to share some of the terms I find most useful while using my points and planning vacations.
• Home Resort– Disney Vacation Club members actually own a portion of a Disney resort hotel. That owned resort is called a Home resort.
• Booking window – Owners can begin booking a Home resort ELEVEN (11) months from the desired arrival date. However, reservations at non-Home resorts cannot be made until SEVEN (7) months from the arrival date. What this effectively does is give the owner a four month head start booking the resort at which he/she owns. In periods where demand is particularly high or certain room classes are in short supply, having that four month booking advantage is critical, for example during holidays.
• Annual Dues – Dues paid by each member are based upon one’s Home resort. It doesn’t matter where that member chooses to use his points. An owner can elect to book most or all of his trips at other resorts, but he will continue to pay the published dues amount for his Home Resort.
• Contract end date – Ownership at each resort has a stated ending date. After this date the DVC ownership is effectively over and points will no longer be issued. The ending dates vary greatly from one resort to another and can (should) impact purchase prices. My ownership ends in 2042 at the Boardwalk.
• ANNUAL DUES- Fees paid each year to cover things like operating expenses, refurbishment and real estate taxes.
• Points- the key to Membership and the basis of the Disney Vacation Club reservation system. With the purchase of a real estate interest in a Disney Vacation Club Resort, members are given an annual allotment of a certain number of Vacation Points. Each reservation requires a certain number of points depending on resort chosen, time of year and number of days.
• USE YEAR- determined at the time you purchase your Ownership Interest and marks the time each year when you receive a new allotment of Vacation Points. It affects when you can bank and borrow Vacation Points, and sets the deadline for certain vacation decisions.
• BANKING POINTS- the term for moving Vacation Points from the current Use Year to the next Use Year
• BORROWING POINTS- the term for using Vacation Points from your next Use Year in the current Use Year
• PERKS – Discounts and benefits only available for DVC Members. Definitely look for those!

I hope with the information I have given you over the last few articles, you can decide if DVC is right for you and your family. Have a magical day!!!

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10 Marvel Universe Artifacts More Powerful Than The Tesseract

The way the Marvel Cinematic Universe carries on, you’d think the Tessaract is the most powerful item in existence. But as the comics reveal, the Tessaract may be impressive, but it’s small potatoes compared to some other magical and alien relics. Here are 10 things from the comics that dwarf the Tessaract’s power.

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Disney Chefs VoluntEAR at new Homeless Facility

Chefs from Walt Disney World Resort whipped up some delicious meals and were among the first to pepper their culinary expertise with the residents of the new Men’s Service Center at the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida.

The Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida is the largest provider of homeless services in Central Florida and the largest residential facility for children. The Coalition provides a broad range of services to help deal with the root causes of homelessness, including job training and educational programs to over 600 men, women and children. The new Men’s Service Center offers community meals every night and provides supportive services for up to 250 men.

With 100 pounds of meat balls, 1,000 dinner rolls, 300 pounds of tortellini, 1500 corn dogs, 200 pounds of bread pudding and 750 cupcakes, the Disney chefs prepared enough food to feed 1,000 people during their latest bi-weekly visit to the nonprofit.

Disney’s involvement was not limited to the kitchen. Earlier this summer, other representatives from Disney volunteered time to unload trailers full of furniture, move them into the building and assemble the unfinished pieces. In addition, Disney has supported the Coalition through Disney Grants. As a top recipient of the grants, the Coalition receives ongoing comprehensive support from Disney, through volunteer board service, assistance in the maintenance and improvement of Coalition facilities and through the donations of more than 18,000 meals annually and warm clothing in the winter.

“Walt Disney World has been a long-time supporter of the work and mission of Coalition for the Homeless,” said Brent A. Trotter, president and CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless. “Because of their generous support of our children’s programs, the donations of in-kind goods and services, and the hundreds of VoluntEAR hours given by so many Disney Cast Members on countless projects, we are able to provide crucial services to those experiencing the crisis of homelessness.”

In addition to supporting the Coalition for the Homeless, Disney is actively involved in helping address homelessness in Central Florida by working with community programs and partnerships to reduce the number of homeless people in the community and prevent more people from being at risk.

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