BEYOND THE THEME PARKS

ANITA ANSWER
Archives

8/24/09
--Anita's Mini Blog for 8/24/09
--Space Mountain's Seating Configuration: Has It changed?
--Which Direction Was the Wand Set?
--Booking Accommodations for Six Online?

8/17/09
--A Brief History of Castaway Cay
--Name That Restaurant!
--The Morse Code Message in Spaceship Earth
--Answer to the 8/10 Trivia Question

8/10/09
--What Castle Served as the Inspiration for Cinderella Castle?
--The "Hotel" in the Canada Pavilion
--What About the Original Back Lot Tour?
--Anita's Mini Blog for 8/10/09

8/3/09
-- Anita's 8/3/09 Mini Blog
--What Was This Old Ride?
--Backlot Tour Bet
--Base Tickets and Extra Magic Hours
--Answers to Trivia Questions and Doctor Who Challenge

7/27/09
--Anita's 7/27/09 Mini Blog
--What Was the Name of This Ice Cream Shop?
--Square Footage of the New Treehouses
--When Do the Holiday Decorations Come Down?

7/13/09
--2009 Dates for Epcot's Candlelight Processional
--Using Music's Bus Stops When Staying at Movies?
--How Old Is Too Old for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique?
--Answer to the June 29 Trivia Question

7/6/09
--A European Trip Blog
--The Difference Between B and C Tickets?
--A Lounge with Live Music?
--No Car, No Grocery Stop. Where to Get Alcohol?

6/1/09
--Where is the Randy Pausch Plaque Located?
--What Was This Old Store in the Studios?
--Rod Serling and the Tower of Terror Pre-Show
--Answer to the May 25 Trivia Question

5/25/09
--Is Christmas Really That Crowded?
--Adult or Child Ticket When Child Turns 10 in the Middle of the Trip?
--Which Was the First Disney Vacation Club Resort to Open?
--Answer to the May 18 Trivia Question

5/18/09
--Will Pirates and the Haunted Mansion Be Closed In June?
--Where Would Anita Stay and Dine?
--What Are Those Stone Things at Epcot's Entrance?
--Answer to the May 4 Trivia Question

5/11/09
5/4/09
--The Mural in the Contemporary
--Showers at Old Key West's Pool
--A Flashing Light above the Blue Bayou Restaurant
--The Wasps' "Sting" in Tough to Be a Bug
--Answer to the April 27 Trivia Question

More Anita Answer Columns

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Anita Answers

Hi! I'm Anita!

Got a question about Walt Disney World? I probably have the answer! Deb's Unofficial Walt Disney World Information Guide is the most comprehensive guide to the World on the Web, but if you still can't find the information you're looking for by using the Search Function, or the Anita Answer Archives, drop me a line and I'll do my best to find the answer for you. Since there are only 24 hours in a day, I can't answer every email I receive - however, I do read every one and try to answer as many as possible.

Check back weekly to see if your answer is waiting, check out my blog, Anita Talk, and be sure to subscribe to All Ears® to read my new Question of the Week featurette! Meanwhile, I'm All Ears!

April 6, 2009

Name of Film in the Wonders of Life Pavilion?
Canoeing around Tom Sawyer Island?
Statue in the Contemporary's Lobby
Ticket Prices for Characters in Flight Balloon Ride?
Christmas Show in the Galaxy Palace Theater
Camping Options at the World
Some Housekeeping Stuff
Answer to Last Week's Trivia Question

Paula writes:

There was a great movie in the Wonders of Life pavilion in Epcot that starred Martin Short. What was the name of the movie and is it available on DVD? I loved it and would love to show it to my daughters.

Hi Paula!

The name of the film at the former Wonders of Life pavilion was "The Making of Me." To my knowledge, it is not available on DVD. It used to be available on a video-sharing site that begins with "You," but a quick search no longer turns it up -- sorry.

Trivia:

Martin Short can be found in at least two other current Disney Parks attractions, and at least one other former Disney Park attraction. What parks does/did he appear in, and what are the attractions' names? Answers in next week's column.

A.A.

Irene writes:

I remember back in the '80s (maybe late '70s) an attraction where we paddled our way around Tom Sawyer Island in large canoes. I recall it being long, painful, but educational ("Paddle in a J"). On a recent trip to the World, while waiting in the queue at Haunted Mansion, I noticed a dock area below the level of the line. It looked as if it wasn't in use anymore. Could these be linked? Could this be the boarding area for the attraction I remember? Did we really paddle it around the island or were there hidden ropes underwater? Thanks for your weekly insight.

Hi Irene!

You're remembering Davy Crockett's [Explorer] Canoes. This is another of the "Brigadoon" attractions and restaurants at WDW (those things that are/were only open once every 100 years or so). They were open seasonally from 1971 until possibly as late as 1994, but the very last reference I can find is on a 1980 Magic Kingdom map. So rarely were they open, they're not even mentioned in official guide books. I only saw them open once, in the early 1970's. They were definitely guest-powered and steered, and I have the same memories you have of the experience -- long and painful.

The canoes' dock was actually located on the other side of the Rivers of America, to the north of the Tom Sawyer Island raft docks and approximately next to where the exit of Big Thunder Mountain is now, but on the shore of the Rivers of America. The dock you saw near the Haunted Mansion queue belonged to another lost "Brigadoon" attraction themed to Davy Crockett, the Mike Fink Keel Boats. Although there are those Disney park fans who will protest, in my opinion, some lost attractions should stay lost, and the canoes and keel boats are two of those attractions.

Thanks for the trip down Magic Kingdom Memory Lane!

A.A.

Ed writes:

Hey Anita, love your column. My family and I were at the parks in the summer of '07. My mom, who went with us, is giving me a hard time about a photo I took. We had an early breakfast at Chef Mickey's. Once we got to the Contemporary, we entered from the ground floor. I took a picture of my daughter in front of a statue there. The statue was of a conductor bending down to shake Mickey's hand. Is the statue still there? What can you tell me about the statue? And the most important question, am I correct that it was in the lobby of the Contemporary Resort? Thanks, Anita, for whatever help you can give.

Hi Ed!

You didn't dream it; the statue used to be in the lobby, just inside the front entrance of the Contemporary Resort. The conductor was Leopold Stokowski, who conducted Paul Dukas' "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" in the 1940 film, "Fantasia." It pays homage to the scene where Mickey Mouse shakes the great conductor's hand.

For an inanimate object, this statue has been doing some traveling over the last 18 months or so. When the Contemporary underwent a lobby refurbishment, the statue was moved to the Contemporary's convention center for a very brief period, according to people who saw it there. I can't find photographic evidence that it was there, but there are definitely accounts of it being there. Next, it went to the area near the end of the Magic of Disney Animation tour at the Studios, where it was on display until a Snow White anniversary exhibit was installed in the room. According to my good friends Mickey and Donald who went in search of the statue for me, it's now in a backstage area, and may or may not come back when the Snow White exhibit has ended, although current plans call for it to reappear. I hope so, as this lovely piece of art represents a very important piece of Disney history.

A.A.

Kay writes:

Any idea what the cost of the tethered hot air balloon in Downtown Disney will be? Length of the flight? We're going the end of May, and hoping it will be fully operational. On my bucket list is a hot air balloon ride, and I never specified that it couldn't be tethered, so this will be perfect, and hopefully more in my price range. Thanks.

Hi Kay!

Characters in Flight, tickets are $16 for adults 10 and above and $10 for children 3-9 for the 6-minute flight. All prices include tax. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Operating hours are Sun. - Thurs. 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Fri. and Sat. 10:30 a.m. to 12 a.m., weather permitting.

Have a great trip to the World!

A.A.

Janet writes:

I remember enjoying a live Christmas show with the Disney characters at the Galaxy Palace Theater in the Magic Kingdom. Does that show still exist somewhere in the Magic Kingdom since the theater is no longer there?

Hi Janet!

The show was called Mickey's 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, and was performed for many years at the Galaxy Palace Theater during the holiday season, as you mentioned. This year, the show's fate is still unknown, but the general feeling seems to be that it won't return. There is the possibility that it will be performed in another venue, but I'm not very optimistic that will happen. Since nothing official has been announced yet, we'll have to wait and see as more details about the 2009 holiday events become known.

A.A.

Patrick writes:

Hi Anita. I want to go camping at the World and I would like to know what are my options? I want to stay on property and I would like to sleep in my own tent. Thanks.

Hi Patrick!

You only have one option if you want to stay on Disney property. Luckily, that one option, Fort Wilderness, is a world-class campground and resort. There are pools, activities, a restaurant, transportation to the parks and Downtown Disney, and on and on. The rustic and woodsy resort sits on the south shore of Bay Lake, roughly between Port Orleans Riverside and the Wilderness Lodge. Partial hook-up campsites cost between $43 and $84 per night, depending on season (tax not included).

You can read more about Fort Wilderness and what it has to offer here. Have fun planning!

A.A.

Dear Readers:

First, thanks to those of you who wrote to let me know I had erroneously written that Tim Burton directed "Nightmare Before Christmas." Tim Burton was actually the producer.

Also, any Walt Disney World fan knows that the only thing that stays the same at the World is change. On that note, the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique has changed its tipping policy to be more in line with salons outside the World and tips are now gratefully accepted. Please feel free to tip your Fairy Godmothers in Training -- 15%- 20% would be appropriate. Thanks to everyone who wrote in about the policy change!

Last, a few readers wrote in to tell me that part of Saint Saens' Carnival of the Animals was indeed part of the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack.

Thanks, everyone!

Anita

Last week's trivia question:

Variations of Space Mountain can be found in the Magic Kingdom, Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland. What element is unique to the Magic Kingdom Space Mountain's track configuration?

Answer:

The element that is unique to the Magic Kingdom Space Mountain's track configuration is that it is the only one with two tracks-- Alpha, to the left as you approach the load area, and Omega to the right. Although the tracks more or less mirror each other, Alpha's track is approximately ten feet longer than Omega's.

The Disney Geeks of the Week are, in no particular order: Cheryl, Amanda M, SSG, Lynn, Keith, Tabitha, Jim Mc, Ken, Andrew, Mike, Brian, Amy, Peter, Annie, George (loved your Space Mountain story, George! Thanks for sharing!), Mary Beth, Michael H, Jim T, Kathy, Carter, Randy, Zachary (to answer your question, Space Mountain in Disneyland Paris is the only one with a catapult launch system), Kristin, Kimmy, another Michael H, Dan, and Amanda.

Thanks everyone! See you next week.

Anita

That's it for this edition!

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