WDW Daily News

There’s a song that says “music is the universal language if you know what I mean”.  Well, I have found its first cousin.

I am in sales and marketing and therefore have folks from all sorts of backgrounds coming through my office.  One never knows what type of personality you will be working with until you sit down and begin that discovery process.  But no matter what “type” they may be…one thing can be a common denominator for sure.

Everyone has their own way of finding “common ground” with prospective clients to develop a rapport and ease into discussions relating to the actual sales process.  What is my winning ice breaker? Disney, of course!

I have only two Disney items in my office.  A Walt Disney World coffee mug and a large candy dish resembling Mickey’s red shorts and shoes, not to mention Sorcerer Radio is always playing on my desktop.

It never fails that my visitors notice these items and it affords me the opportunity to share a recent experience or personal anecdote.  They in turn do the same or if they have never been to the “World” they tend to ask a lot of questions!  Maybe I’m marketing for the wrong company!

I could very easily get sidetracked and talk Disney all day, but I have learned to weave my Disney experiences and community offerings throughout the conversation that not only builds a great relationship with my family clients, but can make a difficult decision process less intimidating and more entertaining.

They always take an interest in what I share with them, which in turn lends to them having greater interest in what I’m here to educate them about and ultimately win their trust, their business.

We are all about making a personal connection with our guests, family members and residents here and by me using the universal language of Disney, it’s always a breeze!  So, put a Mickey on your mantle, a castle on your credenza or a Dumbo on your desk.  See what a little Disney commonality can do for you. The results can be magical!

In life, change is inevitable, and the same is true at Walt Disney World. Lately, there has been a great deal of change at the World, so I thought I would reflect back on some of those big changes and how they have impacted my touring. First, paper fastpasses are no longer offered at the parks, and I really do miss them. I enjoyed collecting them, and it was fun to run to a particular attraction at rope drop and snag a coveted fastpass. Yes, I know that the new system is probably more efficient, and it wastes far less paper. However, I really miss the strategy sessions during which we planned out fastpasses to get during the day.

Whenever we stay at a WDW hotel, we always take advantage of Extra Magic Hours. Long ago, castmembers used to hand out bracelets that said “extra magic hours”. Again, I used to collect those bracelets during our trip just to see how many I could end up wearing by the end of the week. It has been years since the bracelets were issued, but I still have some in my Disney collection. I also miss the WDW specific napkins that used to be offered in the parks. They often referenced whichever celebration was occurring for the year, and there were even holiday napkins. I have a few napkins from various restaurants too, like the Sci-Fi Dine In. Disney World still has cups and popcorn containers that are decorated for the seasons though, so I am glad that this type of paper ephemera still exists.

With regard to attractions, I really miss Snow White’s Scary Adventures. I know that I can go to Disneyland and ride it, but I always enjoyed journeying into the scary forest and facing the Evil Queen. Although it has been gone for a long time, I do miss 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea too. This was one of my favorite rides as a child, and it just gave such a mysterious look to that corner of Fantasyland. I also enjoyed the music, and the sense that you were really journeying deep into the ocean in order to go exploring. Now, New Fantasyland is beautiful, but I will always be nostalgic
for 20K. Not only are some attractions a thing of the past, but there are also parades that no longer exist. I really miss Spectromagic, and again, this might just be because I grew up with this parade. I loved the music and the whole look of the parade. I recently purchased the limited edition pin that contains a piece of the parade. The alarm sound on my iphone is actually Spectromagic!

As far as merchandise goes, WDW has done a great job bringing back some retro designs. However, I do miss the build your own Mouse-ear hat that was introduced at the Chapeau in the past few years. I built two different hats, and I covered them with patches. I also purchased these patches to sew onto other bags and hats. Patches must not be popular because they are impossible to find on property. In addition to these items, we used to collect small glass figurines that depicted Mickey Mouse and the current year. Sometimes, he was sitting on a suitcase with the year on the suitcase, and sometimes he was standing with a banner labeled with the year. We had several of the figurines from our yearly visits, but then they were no longer produced.

Even though I miss many things that are no longer present at WDW, I am definitely hopeful for the future. I am sure that the Imagineers are hard at work coming up with what the next big thing will be. New Fantasyland will soon be in full swing, and who knows what will happen next at Hollywood Studios or with Futureworld at Epcot? The new Festival of Fantasy parade at Magic Kingdom debuts very soon as well. Since I am a local, I have the chance to be at the center of the action, and that is so exciting! Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!

I have seen numerous pressed penny machines in and around Walt Disney World. You know the machines that consist of steel rollers that press against each other forcefully to deform a coin. One of the rollers has a design engraved on it which imprints on the coin as it passes through. The finished product is actually called an elongated coin. The customer inserts a coin, plus a nominal fee, and is rewarded with a coin that has the imprinted design on one side and usually is smooth on the other side. While some machines are automatic, some require Guest intervention…..there is a crank to turn! These machines offer another type of souvenir to make and collect while visiting numerous tourist hubs and Walt Disney World is no exception.

What about the legality? Weren’t we always told not to deface or mutilate our currency, that it was against the law as a matter of fact? Well I checked on that as well and it seems that it is acceptable if the mutilated coins are not used fraudulently, with the intent of counterfeit or other profit from the base metal. If the coins are pressed as souvenirs this mutilation is legal as long as the location of the press has a permit from the Mint. I am sure the Disney Corporation has such a permit since both Disneyland and Disney World have embraced this as another way to create a memory.
I was surprise to see so much information about this phenomena on the web. I suppose nothing on the web should surprise me but there are entire pages devoted to pressed pennies and not just any pressed coins, Disney Pressed Coins! There are sites that offer tips, sites that offer maps of where the machines are, sites for collectors and sites with accessories for your coins. I found it all very interesting. I have a couple of my own but with this new information I may need to make a few new ones!

Here is some of the information I found to be most useful:

1. Use pre 1982 pennies, if you want to avoid zinc streaking. Pennies made after 1982 are made with zinc and it is softer and sometimes doesn’t press as well.
2. Those M&M minis tubes once emptied, are a good holder for pennies to be pressed.
3. There are many characters available to ‘press’ if you are willing to look. http://www.presscoins.com/ as an extensive listing.
4. There are many suggestions on how to clean your pennies after pressing, best advice…..use a SHINY penny!!!
5. Pennies are actually auctioned on EBAY!
6. http://www.parkpennies.com/ is a great site for serious collecting information with articles and history as well.
7. Pick a theme and press on!
8. Press heads up!
9. Quarters and dimes can also be pressed, be sure to check!
10. Maps with machine locations can be found on line!
11. Remember that you are pressing one coin but it may cost additional coins to do the pressing.

I hope you find this information useful and enjoy creating magical memories to share! Next time….what can we do with our coins…..