Photo Flashback! Hall of Presidents

Every four years we have a national competition to select the next person we want to enshrine on the stage of The Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World.  There is an addition every four or eight years. With this election year we will see a new addition to the cast on the stage.  It's been on TV a lot just in case you have missed it.  Once again it's an interesting competition to see who is added next.

George Washington

Abraham Lincoln

Andrew Jackson

George Washing delivering his inaugural address

Great Seal of the United States

The Hall of Presidents is one of the original attractions which opened in 1971.  It was the further growth of the 1964 Worlds Fair show Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln to include all 43 of the people to have served as president.  (Yes, President Obama is the 44th President.  Grover Cleveland served 2 non-consecutive terms as 22nd and 24th President.)

The pre-show atrium contains portraits of presidents as well as memorabilia from presidents and their wives.  The history on display is worth the few minutes it takes to look around.   I have taken lots of pictures here over the years.  These photo were taken in October, 2015.

--DisneyDad

BIG Hidden Mickey

Any one half-way familiar with Walt Disney World knows that the Imagineers have put Hidden Mickeys everywhere. Usually in the familiar three circle icon shape, you can find them hiding out everywhere.  There are books devoted to help you find Hidden Mickeys as well as websites to record where they are found.  We find them all the time at home like when three onion rings end up on a plate in just the right layout.

Mickey Mouse Onion rings??

 Or when Tink was playing with buttons and accidentally(?) laid them on the table, one large with two small buttons.  Hidden Mickey!

Mickey Mouse Buttons??

Well this week I found a Hidden Mickey I had never seen or heard of before.

I was looking at a map of Clermont, FL on www.city-data.com.  Clermont is a town near Walt Disney World.  US Hwy 27 runs down the middle of Clermont and just south of town is Lake Louisa State Park.  We drive to WDW on most of our trips and I have been through there many times and watched the area go from being mostly orange groves to a large residential town.  While I've never been to the Lake Louisa State Park, I know exactly where it is.

Well this week, I was looking at the map and happened to zoom in just far enough... and what should catch my eye but a clear Mickey Mouse icon staring back at me just east of the State Park.  I had to research further to find out why this was there.

City-Data.com

I went to Google and searched for Clermont.  Once there I opened maps I found Lake Louisa State Park.  There was not a Hidden Mickey showing on the map.  So I opened the satelite view and this is what I found:

Google Maps

So I had to zoom in closer to see what this Mickey Mouse was and you could see the trees.

Mickey Mouse Forest

WOW!! A HIDDEN MICKEY!!!

So back to Google and search for Mickey Mouse Forest.

The Mickey Mouse Forest was planted as a conservation effort on property that once held a orange grove killed by a frost.   Disney had bought the property and in 1992 in consultation with the Orange County Agent for the Florida Division of Forestry planted 50-60 acres of a frozen out citrus grove with 50,000 long-leaf pine seedlings.  Disney put out a call to its cast members to volunteer in this effort and the forest took shape. Now almost 24 years later the seedlings are now a forest, The Mickey Mouse Forest.

I've driven down Hwy 27 many times and seen the pine trees in this area but from ground level all you see are trees.  But from the air... or from Google Maps... its a different picture.  If you fly to Walt Disney World, when you leave, if you depart MCO to the west, the departure route called Epcot Two goes past the Mickey Mouse Forest.  Be sure to sit on the right side of the plane.

If you have a hard time finding this on the map, paste in 28°27'10.8"N 81°42'10.8"W into Google and it should take you right to the Mickey Mouse Forest.

--DisneyDad 

Did you know about the Mickey Mouse Forest?

Photo Flashback! Pal Mickey

In 2003 Disney introduced an interactive stuffed Mickey Mouse called Pal Mickey.  Pal Mickey was interactive with the Walt Disney World parks.  He would play games and tell you about park attractions.  Amy had one and we took Pal Mickey on a tour of Walt Disney World taking its picture as we traveled.

Today I thought I'd share a few of Pal Mickey's pictures.  We took a lot more pictures around the parks with Pal Mickey than what is posted here.

Pal Mickey with Jamie Holton of Off Kilter and Amy

Pal Mickey outside of the Animation Studio 

Pal Mickey and Meeko

Pal Mickey and Partners

Pal Mickey at the Enchanted Tiki Room

Pal Mickey with Minnie Mouse and Amy

Pal Mickey was introduced in 2003 and by 2008 was discontinued after undergoing different versions.  In 2003 Pal Mickey sold for $50 and for a while was available for rent at the parks.  As I write this, there are several available on ebay for $25 to $115.

Did you have a Pal Mickey?  Amy still has hers.

--DisneyDad

Trip Planning for 25 and Beyond Bash

Trip Planning for Vacation Club Members

It's been a while since I've had to plan a trip to Walt Disney World.  Mom and I have been going since we first were married.  We have done a lot of family trips over the years.  When we do a family trip Amy does the planning for the group.

Mom & DisneyDad December 1973

Amy will check the crowd calendars and plan which park we are to go.  She will make FastPass+ reservations for us.  She will make dining reservations.  All which are based around what my granddaughters, Tink and Minnie would like to do, see, and eat.  The rest of us are happy for her to do this for us and watching the girls have fun at Walt Disney World is the best payoff for the trip.  And if one of the FastPass+ just happens to take us to see Mickey, I don't mind getting my picture taken with him either.

Tink, Minnie and DisneyDad with Mickey

Well, in February, Mom and I are going to Walt Disney World for the first event for the 25th Anniversary celebration for The Disney Vacation Club, the 25 and Beyond Bash.  The first resort in the Disney Vacation Club family was The Disney Vacation Club Resort, now called Disney's Old Key West Resort, opening in October, 1991.  We became DVC Members in April 1993 after first visiting and touring OKW in 1992.

Disney's Old Key West Resort

We've lost count of how many trips we have made to Walt Disney World over the years.  Mom and I have been a lot of time by ourselves.  Gone are the days where you can just walk into the parks and experience all the attractions you have on your list to see.  We would get up with only a vague plan of what we were going to do based on where we wanted to eat that day.  Now, if you don't have a FastPass+ for an attraction you can stand in line for a long time just to see one ride.  And if you  don't have a dining reservation you may not be able to eat where you want.

As a Vacation Club member I use to call Member Services for all reservations but for this trip I have been on line to make our reservations on the member pages on www.disneyvacationclub.com.  I booked our room on the DVC Member site, our FastPass+ were all booked using My Disney Experience both on my iPhone and computer and dining reservations were made on line at www.disneyworld.com.  I did have to call DVC Member Services to book our reservation for the 25 and Beyond Bash at the Magic Kingdom.

After making reservations for our stay at OKW, I started by checking crowd calendars just as Amy has done for us in the past.  I followed her lead and started a spreadsheet to map out our trip by first mapping out crowd levels for each day for each park.  Thursday, February 25th. is the 25 and Beyond Bash so we are planning to be at the Magic Kingdom Thursday.  So, planning around Thursday I picked what days to visit the Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot.  Our first day at WDW we will forgo a park and go check out all the changes to Disney Springs.  So after planning out a Park for each day, I could book FastPass+ and dining reservations.  Most days we booked lunch, but on Epcot day, we have dinner reservations at Le Cellier Steakhouse.

Once Parks were selected for each day I used My Disney Experience app on my iPhone to pick FastPass+ reservations for each day.  Then once Mom and I decided we wanted to do a table service lunch each day, it was back to the computer and onto www.disneyworld.com to check restaurant availability and book dining reservations.  Then it was back to My Disney Experience and adjust the FastPass+ times to work around the dining reservations.

When all plans were made it was back to the computer to create another spreadsheet for Mom to use.  My Disney Experience has all my plans, including what park, FastPass+ and dining reservations for each day on my iPhone.  Mom believes pencil and paper are the best thing ever so I make a printed schedule for her.

So now we just wait until it is time to travel to Old Key West.  Check-in has already been done on line for the resort.   DisneyFloral has my order for Valentine's Day flowers to be delivered to our room.  Now for the hard part, we just wait until it's time to go.

--DisneyDad
Thanks for stopping by Growing Up Disney.

How do you plan for your trips to WDW?  Have you ever put together a spreadsheet to keep everything organized?  Do you do your own planning or do you use the service of an authorized Disney Travel planner?  Do you make dining reservations or do you try to find some place to eat where ever you are in the park when you get hungry?  Do you make FastPass+ reservations in advance of  your trip?

Mom & DisneyDad October 2015

Photo Flashback! View from the Liberty Belle

A view of the Magic Kingdom from the Liberty Belle.

Liberty Belle

October 2015 Mom and I took a ride on the Liberty Belle riverboat on the Rivers of America in the Magic Kingdom.  If you haven't been on the riverboat in a while you have missed some views of the Magic Kingdom you don't see from any other vantage point.  This is a few of the pictures I took riding the river around Tom Sawyer Island.  See if you can catch where Tom and Huck were white washing a fence.

Haunted Mansion

Harper's Mill

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Train Car on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Alligator Swamp

The "original" Animal Kingdom

Keel Boat

Liberty Square Landing

Riding on the Liberty Belle is a nice escape from all the crowds of people at the Magic Kingdom.  The Liberty Belle carries about 450 passengers on 3 decks.  The views  as you transit around Tom Sawyer Island are beautiful and unmatched anywhere in the Magic Kingdom.

--DisneyDad

Oh! By the Way.  Tom and Huck were here.

The fence.