December 2013 Walt Disney World Bits and Bites

Feature Article

This article appeared in the November 26, 2013 Issue #740 of ALL EARS® (ISSN: 1533-0753)

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STEP BACK IN TIME
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by Keith Gluck

Ever wonder what Walt Disney World was like way back when? Each month, we rummage around in the archives for this featurette, which indulges in a bit of nostalgia, taking you back in history for a glimpse of Walt Disney World and The Walt Disney Company through the ages. This month, we take a look back at… Walt Disney himself!

Thursday, December 5, 2013, marks the 112th anniversary of the date of Walt Disney's birth. Even though his story has been told time and again, we wanted to take this occasion to share some of his amazing life with you.

When Walt Disney was young, a fortune-teller told him he would pass away in December, but specified he wouldn't make it to the age of 35. Walt was not a superstitious man, however the prediction still affected him deeply, and he lived his entire life racing against the clock in order to accomplish everything he wanted to do. The reality is, Walt could have lived to be 100 and still wouldn't have had enough time to see all of his visions realized. When the clock did eventually catch up with him, 10 days after his 65th birthday, he was working on one heck of a vision.

After the success of Disneyland, Walt was initially opposed to the idea of building a second one. His position on the matter began to change, however, once he realized he had a chance to do more than just build another theme park. In the late '30s, he loved the ability to plan every little detail during the creation of the Burbank studio. Disneyland was also meticulously planned, however Walt was always bothered by the fact that less quality-focused businessmen had surrounded his Magic Kingdom with a "second-rate Las Vegas." Additionally, he was concerned by what he considered to be a decline in the quality of American life. Friend and author Ray Bradbury once remarked, "Walt was troubled by the diminution of the neighborhood." Walt saw cars, shopping malls, and crime on their way in, and the cordial confines of the community on its way out.

The evolution of Walt's ever-curious mind, combined with his propensity for "plussing" and his decades of experience in planning and creating functioning environments, led to what many folks consider to be his greatest dream: the creation of a model city.

To read the rest of Keith's reflection on Walt Disney and the Florida Project, visit the Guest Blog here:

http://land.allears.net/blogs/guestblog/2013/11/happy_birthday_walt_disney.html

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DIANE DISNEY MILLER
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by
Jim Korkis

Who was Diane Disney Miller?

Most Disney fans would immediately reply that she was the daughter of Walt Disney.

Some might know that she married former President and CEO of the Disney Company, Ron Miller, back in 1953 when he was considering becoming a professional football player and they were both 20-year-old students attending USC. Others might associate her with being the driving force behind the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco that opened in 2009.

Of course, she and her sister were the official inspiration for the creation of Disneyland, a place where a daddy and his two daughters could have fun together. It was Diane who, as a child, was so delighted at the adventures of Mary Poppins that her father became convinced to fight to make it a motion picture.

Then, people might struggle coming up with some information. She was the owner with her husband of the well-known Silverado Winery in Napa Valley that opened in 1980. She stepped forward after her mother's death to complete the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles in 1997. She had a younger adopted sister, Sharon, who passed away from cancer. In recent years, she appeared at Disney events.

Diane Marie Disney Miller, the only biological daughter of Walt Disney, passed away at the age of 79 on Tuesday, November 19, after severe complications of a fall she had several weeks ago. She had seven children, 13 grandchildren and recently welcomed her first great-grandchild to the world.

I knew Diane. She wrote the foreword for my first book about Disney history and one of her personal stories appears in my newly released book, "Vault of Walt: Volume 2." We corresponded through email and I was a guest speaker at the Walt Disney Family Museum, where at lunch I shared chili with Diane and her husband.

She was a remarkable, strong-willed, self-effacing, supportive woman who sacrificed her comfortable private life to step out into the spotlight during the last decade or so to protect her father and his reputation.

Her unexpected passing is still unbelievable to me and so many others as I write these words. She was a physically fit woman with a razor-sharp mind filled with dreams for the future. We all thought she would be around forever.

Read the rest of Jim Korkis's tribute to Diane Disney Miller in the AllEars® Guest Blog here:

http://land.allears.net/blogs/guestblog/2013/11/who_was_diane_disney_miller.html

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HIDDEN MICKEYS ALERT
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Steve Barrett, author of the Hidden Mickeys books and webmaster of www.HiddenMickeyGuy.com, brings you a few Hidden Mickeys from Epcot's Future World. Be sure to check out these images, and Happy Hunting!

1. At Test Track, on the right wall along the Standby queue, look for an interactive screen with design criteria (efficiency, etc.) listed above a car. Touch the area along the top of the car and circles will appear. You can arrange these circles with your finger to form a classic Mickey.

http://allears.net/btp/images/hidden-mickey-417.jpg

2. Ask a Cast Member at the entrance to Soarin' if the interactive games are playing along the Standby entrance queue. If they aren't, the Cast Member can call to activate the games. As you walk along the entrance queue, you'll see five screens on the right wall that show changing artistic landscapes. These landscapes are not the interactive games; the games appear every few minutes on these same screens. Watch for the game with the snowy scene. A snowman appears at the left side of the screen, and his head is a side profile of Mickey Mouse. (Thanks to Jason Gall, Walt Prindle, Roni Thomas-Patterson, and The McCully Family.)

http://allears.net/btp/images/hidden-mickey-418.jpg

3. In the display area of The Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavilion, search the room upstairs directly above Turtle Talk with Crush. In the far left window (as you enter the room), classic Hidden Mickeys in bubbles are in the upper right corner of the second panel from the right side of the large window, in the lower row of panels. (Thanks to Rick Simard.)

http://allears.net/btp/images/hidden-mickey-419.jpg

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You can find a selection of past Hidden Mickey Alerts here:
http://allears.net/btp/hiddenm2.htm

And check out our Searching Disney with Steve blog:
http://land.allears.net/blogs/stevebarrett/

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RATE & REVIEW SPOTLIGHT
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Compiled by AllEars® Team Member Cathy Bock

In this monthly featurette, we take a look at recent comments made in the AllEars.Net Rate & Review section about a particular restaurant, resort, event, etc. This month, we examine what AllEars® readers are saying about breakfast at Via Napoli, which is located in the Italy pavilion at Epcot.

Via Napoli is a table service restaurant serving lunch and dinner. AllEars® reviewers give it an average rating of 7.9 and it is recommended by 85% of reviewers.

From recent reviews:

Food (general): "Everything was delicious"; "food was cold"; "food was very good"; "Food was outstanding"; "it is expensive, but if you get a metro mezzo for your whole table, it's really not too bad"; "portions were very large".

Entrees: "pizzas are amazing as well as the family salad"; "One of the individual pizzas wasn't even sliced"; "Paccheri dish with Pancetta and Chicken…portion was a bit small…but otherwise it was very good"; "pizza was DELICIOUS!"; "husband ordered a dish similar to lasagna… delicious… but it was the size of an appetizer."; "one of the best pizzas we have ever had"; "ugly dessert was fantastic"; "gelato was out of this world good"; "pizza was fantastic".

Service: "lovely sever who was friendly and helpful"; "wait staff that we had both times were very friendly"; "waiter was unfriendly"; "dirty salad and bread dishes were never cleared from the table"; "felt very rushed"; "server was attentive"; "had two issues here that were handled very well".

Atmosphere: "reservation time was at the opening, so it was a bit crowded and crazy at check-in"; "Incredibly loud"; "Lovely place to dine".

Overall: "nice place to relax and enjoy a leisurely lunch"; "were very disappointed"; "would go back, but I'll definitely give it some time before I return"; "will go back again"; "our new must-do restaurant"; "very expensive for lunch".

Menu: http://allears.net/menu/menu_vianap.htm

If you have recently eaten at Via Napoli, we'd love to have your review!
http://land.allears.net/reviewpost/showproduct.php?product=582&title=via-napoli-ristorante-e-pizzeria&cat=34

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MONTHLY REMIND-EARS
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EVENTS

Read about all the December Holiday Happenings at Walt Disney World HERE.

Magic Kingdom

Epcot

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Animal Kingdom

ESPN Wide World of Sports

New Year's Eve and Day

A number of Walt Disney World restaurants have announced special New Year's Eve and Day dining events:

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Don't forget to check our Events page for current updates: http://allears.net/pl/events.htm

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REHABS AND CLOSINGS

Magic Kingdom

Epcot

All-Star Sports Resort

Downtown Disney

Osprey Ridge golf course, its pro shop and the Sand Trap restaurant are now closed. When Osprey Ridge reopens in 2014, it will be under Four Seasons ownership. To date, there is no indication whether play will be limited to Four Seasons Orlando guests and Golden Oak residents, or if Walt Disney World guests and/or the general public will have access. This closure leaves Walt Disney World with three 18-hole courses, Palm, Magnolia and Lake Buena Vista, as well as the Oak Trail 9-hole course. (Thanks to wdwgolf.com for the update.)

The reopening of the Palm golf course has been delayed until December 15 as a result of the heavy rains over the past few months. Thanks to Marc Schwartz at wdwgolf.com for the tip!
http://www.wdwgolf.com/2013/10/21/palm-golf-course-reopening-delayed-december-15-2013/

Typhoon Lagoon will be closed through December 22 for its annual refurbishment.

Blizzard Beach will close December 22 for its annual refurbishment.

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A complete list of rehabs can be found here: http://allears.net/tp/rehabs.htm

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MAGICAL MOMENTS
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Wendy Barbieri: My 6-year-old daughter has a favorite toy bunny named Lola who accompanies us on all of our vacations. While preparing for a trip, my daughter was unable to find Lola. During the first three days, she would stop at every fountain and during the fireworks to make a wish for Lola to return. Turns out Lola had been left behind at Grandma's house so she packed her up and sent her to our hotel. The package was delivered to our room the same day we were to go to Cinderella Castle for lunch so I put Lola in my bag and off we went. I explained the situation to the Cast Member at the reception desk. Once we went in to meet Cinderella, she said "Is your name Soleil? Fairy Godmother told me that you have lost your friend Lola." My daughter sadly said, "Yes, but I have been wishing very hard to find her again." Then Cinderella said "Well, I think Fairy Godmother found your friend. Is this Lola?" and she turned to present my daughter with the little stuffed bunny. Her face lit up like I have never seen before and she jumped up and gave Cinderella a great big hug. I had tears in my eyes and so did the handler and the photographer. It was a truly magical moment that my daughter still talks about. I can not thank all the Cast Members involved enough for giving us this very special memory.

Tina Robichaud: My husband and I take our daughter, Calli, to Disney as often as we can. She is 20 and is in a wheelchair with several health issues. We had a Cinderella dress made for her from a local seamstress with Velcro up the back so it's easy to put on top of her clothes. We went to 1900 Park Fare for dinner and Drizella fell in love with our daughter. When Drizella came and talked with her, she interacted with her so much. When they announced that Cinderella and Prince Charming were going to have the first dance in the grand ballroom, Drizella came running across the restaurant hollering, "Calli, could I please have this dance?" She took Calli's hands and was dancing with her while she was in her wheelchair and she was just smiling. I looked at my husband and we both had tears running down our cheeks. That was the best moment on the entire trip.

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We just bet you have a story to tell about an unforgettable moment during your Disney vacation! Please send your favorite memory for inclusion in a future AllEars® to: [email protected]

This month we also have a collection of magical "Character Fun" moments captured in photographs. See them in our photo feature, "Wandering the World":

http://allears.net/tp/wander/wander.htm

Thank you all for sharing!

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Editor's Note: This story/information was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all current rates, information and other details before planning your trip.