Flea Market Finds: Walt Disney World Postcards

By Nick 

While I love a good Disney Postcard, my favorites are those that have been mailed. It's like looking into the past, and experiencing the parks through a strangers eyes.

Let’s start with 2 postcards featuring Cinderella Castle, mailed 20 years apart.

The caption on the card:

“Cinderella Castle-Fantasyland”

“Evening sets on Cinderella Castle, gate-way to “the happiest land of them all”… Fantasyland. High inside the castle, guests dine in royal splendor in King Stefan’s Banquet Hall.”

Wait a minute! King Stefan was Aurora’s, a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty’s, father! Of course, King Stefan’s has been Cinderella’s Royal Table since 1997, but why did it take so many years to fix this error?

One thing for sure, in 1976, when this card was sent, Bob and Fran felt that the Magic Kingdom was much more than just a Fantasyland, and that it still is today.

This next card was mailed in 1995.

“Fairy-Tale Castle”

“With its golden spires and fairy-tale turrets reaching towards the clouds, Cinderella Castle marks the entrance to Fantasyland.”

This last card features an attraction I never saw, but it was a classic.

“The Mickey Mouse Revue“

“Appearing on stage “in person”, Mickey Mouse tunes up with some of the spectacular cast of 85 famous Walt Disney characters that sing and perform during the Mickey Mouse Revue.”

David spent a whole day at the park in 1976.

All the postcards were from different sellers, and all cost $1 each.

Drawing in the Streets

by Gaylin

I know I have done an article previously about the custodial staff doing water drawings on the sidewalks at either Magic Kingdom or Epcot but on my latest trip (May 2014) I saw something I have not seen before.

Lots and lots of cast members in one area doing water art. There had to be 7 or 8 CM's who were drawing, I know one them was learning how to draw with the water broom. And lots of us visitors were trying their hand at drawing as well. It was a very, very hot afternoon and the drawings were evaporating quickly and then just as quick, getting drawn again.

I had walked through the Tomorrowland Terrace area and towards the Plaza Ice Cream area and this is what I found.

As you can see, these folks had "drawn" a crowd.

Even the littlest of visitors can draw! While the art may be temporary, the memories live on.

Favorite Food Friday: Mickey's Premium Ice Cream Bar

by Nick

Mickey's Premium Ice Cream Bar, aka a Mickey Head or Mickey Bar. Like the popcorn, this frozen treat is somehow the tastiest ice cream bar ever! Sure, there are some that come close, in fact, I personally think that Dove's Dark Chocolate bar is very similar. But, well, the ambiance of the parks make the Mickey Bar the clear winner. They are available all over WDW and Disneyland, but for some reason, we often get one right after riding Dinosaur at Disney's Animal Kingdom in WDW. Maybe it's to calm our nerves?

My Disney Birthday Celebration

By: Beverly Beardsley  

First off, true confession: we arrived at Disney eleven days after my actual birthday. Circumstances prevented us being there on the actual day, however, the trip was a gift and a celebration. 

It wasn’t until our second day in the parks, while at “Lords and Ladies” in the UK at Epcot, that my SLSO (spouse-like significant other) mentioned something to the Cast Member about my birthday. She’d just searched long and hard to find a shirt for me. “It’s your birthday? Would you like a badge?," she asked in her lovely English accent. She had a girl in the shop across the way letter my name on a birthday badge, and then the fun began.

Over the next few days, just about EVERY Disney CM, from maintenance to entertainers, wished me a happy birthday. I received birthday cards from waiters, and also one from Belle and the Beast. I got a cookie, a sample of the “grey stuff” at Be Our Guest, and a cool chef’s hat at Mama Melrose’s. But best of all, as we were passing through Mexico, we stopped to listen to the Mariachi band. They called me up and serenaded me with a lovely Mexican birthday song “Las Mañanitas”. It was gorgeous!

 
So my advice to you is, if it’s any time NEAR your birthday, or if you are celebrating any special occasion, GET THE BADGE! It will make your stay even more special!

Wordless Wednesday: Disney Details, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Photos by Barbie and Nick

It is Tough to be a Bug!

by Gaylin

It's Tough to be a Bug is by far my favourite 3D show at Walt Disney World. I go to see it once or even twice every trip. I love watching it myself, but I also love listening or peeking around at the reactions of other people in the theatre. Nothing like the first squeals that happen when those special effects start.

Parents take heed, when they warn that the show will be dark and loud and may be difficult for toddlers to sit through, they are not fooling. I have noticed someone sneak out to the exit doors on the left with a freaking out toddler at least half of the times I have been to this show.

I like the waiting area as well, dark, fairly cool and then there is the scenery! I love the posters of the stars of the show, well worth walking around to read them all.

And the final touch of fun, since it is a 3D movie, you have to become an honorary bug by wearing your bug eyes glasses.

Choosing Your Walt Disney World Resort by Room Picture!

by Shendl

I was browsing through the resort room pictures on the Walt Disney World Website and it got me thinking…..If money was not an object and you had to choose your resort based on a room picture without knowing anything else about the resort besides the name, which would you choose?
I will be quite interested to see the answers. I was quite surprised by my choice!

Can you guess which room belongs to which resort? Answers at the bottom, no peeking!

 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

  

7.

8.

 

9.

10.

 

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

1. All Star Movies
2. All Star Music
3. Yacht Club
4. Wilderness Lodge
5. Animal Kingdom Lodge
6. Port Orleans Riverside
7. Beach Club 
8. Port Orleans French Quarter
9. Boardwalk Inn
10. Pop Century
11. Caribbean Beach
12. Grand Floridian
13. Contemporary Resort
14. Coronado Springs
15. Polynesian 
16. All Start Sports
17. Art of Animation Little Mermaid Standard Room

My favourite room by just looking at the pictures was the Boardwalk Inn Resort.  That choice surprised me! I have always wanted to stay at the Wilderness Lodge because of the other things the resort has to offer and because of how it looks, I never gave the rooms much thought!

Which Resort Room appeals to you?

(All room Photographs are from https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/ except for the Caribbean Beach Room Picture which is from http://www.disneycaribbeanbeach.com/)

Flea Market Find: An Unusual Disney(?) Find

By: Nick

I bought this at our local flea market several years ago and was just flummoxed.
Looking at it, a multitude of questions popped into my head:

• What is it?
• Who’s the blond? A different princess? Is this an untold chapter of Cinderella’s life?
• Where did the figures come from?
• Were the 7 dwarf’s bought with purple noses?
• How do you spell the plural possessive of dwarf?
• What was the person who made it thinking?
• How much work went into it?
• What does something like this cost?

I commented to Barbie that I would pay a dollar just to have it to blog about. I asked how much it was. The woman said “A dollar”. I think she overheard me discussing it.
Sold!



Did the creator use those fancy pattern cutting scissors on the tape, or did the tape come that way?



Why is the back a mirror?

.

The figures are really glued down well.






Was it a school project? How old is it?
So many questions I’ll never know the answers to, but one thing I do know, this is absolutely the oddest piece of my collection.