Table Service Break Away at Walt Disney World: Episode 99 of The Disney Exchange

The Disney Exchange Podcast is Lisa, Dave, and me, Nick

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Dave thinks Christmas is starting too early, shares some interesting info on construction at the Magic Kingdom, and we all hope that PizzeRizzo at Disney's Hollywood Studios will be an improvement over Pizza Planet.

Back on Episode 80 we took a look at taking a break from the heat and crowds of the Theme parks at Walt Disney World to visit a resort to have a quick service meal.

This week we are talking about taking a break to visit table service restaurants.
For example, you're at the Magic Kingdom, and it's a busy time of year, and you just want to get away from the crowds. We suggest making an ADR at a Monorail Resort restaurant, like Citricos at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort.

The Wheel of Distiny: What is your favorite scene or joke on The Jungle Cruise?

Photo: Lisa

Next, our 100th Episode! We're going to be having a giveaway for our Numbered Listeners.
Back in the early shows we would joke about our low listener numbers, saying we had 12 whole listeners, and that included us and my wife! People started giving themselves numbers and it became a badge of honor for some!

You can request your Listener Number to be eligible for the giveaway up until 5pm on November 7th, and you can request it on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedisneyexchange, Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneyexchange  or email us at: info@thedisneyexchange 

And if you are so inclined, a 5 start review on iTunes would go a long way towards getting our show out to the masses!

Thank you for listening to The Disney Exchange!

Walt Disney World's Jungle Cruise

by Lisa Green 

“Only a true connoisseur of puns can appreciate the perfect execution, the art, the comic genius of the Jungle Cruise skipper.” – Lisa Green (yep, me!)

Puns are the most revered form of humor in my family.  I’m not sure what that says about us, but it’s true nonetheless.  Joseph has inherited the pun-appreciating gene and he and my sister, Sandy, are the undisputed family champions.  This love for all things pun-ny has a lot to do with our love for The Jungle Cruise in Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland!  If you consider the Skipper on every boat a comedic artist – The Pun is their medium of choice.  And that is, after all, what makes The Jungle Cruise special and unique – the quality of the entire experience depends solely on the talent of the Skipper and their ability to deliver their pun-intensive dialogue with just the right timing! 

Just a couple of weeks ago, we rode the Jungle Cruise at Walt Disney World and Skipper Jeff (who was excellent) reminded us once again why this ride is charming, classic, and SO darned funny (well, to this family anyway).  I love every single thing about it!

Here are my favorite things about the Jungle Cruise, an Adventureland classic!

1. While waiting in line, guests are treated to both sight gags (on the walls, overhead, on standing crates and cages) and sound gags.  As you get closer to the boarding area, you can watch the boats (they have cute names) come in and go out.

2. The design of the boats was based on the steamer in the movie African Queen (one of my all time favorites!).  While you wait, listen carefully to the announcements!  The dock manager’s notices over the P.A. set the tone for the rest of the experience.

“Any travelers who may need to exchange foreign currency during their voyage needn’t worry. There are banks all along our rivers.” – Jungle Cruise Dock Announcer

3. Once you board your boat, you’ll meet your skipper and set off on your journey around the world (along famous rivers).  Here’s where this attraction will capture your heart!  Yes, the jokes are cheesy!  Yes, the animals are fake!  Be ready to embrace the experience in the spirit it was intended – not to impress and delight, but to charm and entertain.  To truly appreciate all the Jungle Cruise has to offer, you must be willing to give both the skipper’s dialogue and your surroundings your complete and undivided attention!

4. The scenery is a masterpiece of real plants and totally fabricated situations.  In caves, floating along quiet pools, among ruins, viewing the backside of water!  The Disney details (like the puns) are plentiful!!!  Pay attention to the plane wreck – you’ll see only half the plane.  Why?  Because the other half (the front) is over in the Studios in the Great Movie Ride!  Do you know what scene it’s in?
“We’re in the Amazon in South America, where things grow larger than life, such as the butterflies on our left and on our right. Their wingspans grow from 12 inches to a whopping 1 foot!”  – Jungle Cruise Skipper

“See my jeep? I had a little trouble getting it started this morning, but I don’t know how they got it to turn over… oh well.”  – Jungle Cruise Skipper (The jeep has been turned upside down…get it?!?)

5. The jokes just keep coming, the adorable animal animatronics surround you, the skipper guides the boat along the river until you’re back at the dock once more – Friends, this is Disney at its finest!  Some famous people got their start as Jungle Cruise skippers – Kevin Costner and John Lasseter among them. Yes!  Even Weird Al Yankovic sang a song about the Jungle Cruise called “Skipper Dan” – check it out on YouTube here.

 

The Boulder Side of the Jungle Cruise

We can’t be the only super-fans of the Jungle Cruise – shout out now and leave a comment if you love the Jungle Cruise like we do!

This article was originally posted on Lisa's Living a Disney Life Blog.
She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LivingaDisLife and on Twitter at @life_of_green

Please be sure to check out Lisa along with me and David Hodges on The Disney Exchange Podcast!

Walt Disney World Pop Up Book from Hallmark

A Fun Filled Visit to Walt Disney World with Mickey Mouse: A Hallmark Pop-Up Book.

..

By Nick

Like much of my collection, I cannot recall when and where I got this book. It’s copyright is 1972.

It isn’t in the best condition, with stains and tape marks, but the pop-ups all work pretty well.



Our first pop-up is the Ferry Boat to the Magic Kingdom. But that isn’t how we are getting to the park.



We’re taking the Monorail with Mickey. Lift the door tab, and Mickey gets on board.

Interestingly, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea has been reduced to just “Submarine Voyage” here. There is a rotating wheel that rotates and shows wreckage, treasure and sea life.





Next, the Country Bear Jamboree pop-up.



It’s a Small World. Pull the tab on the right, and the drummer drums while the camel nods in unison.

The Mad Tea Party. pull the tab to see Mickey “Spin”. On one side he’s smiling, on the other, he looks as if he may be ill, which is the same reaction I have as this ride goes on.



A Jungle Cruise pop-up.



The Mickey Mouse Revue, which was housed in the space that is now home to Mickey’s PhilharMagic. Pull the tabs and the whole gang rocks out while Mickey orchestrates.



The Swiss Family Tree House. Lift the flap and see the Jungle Cruise Ruins in the distance.
Not very exciting.

Maybe the creator of this book was lulling you into a false sense of security, and then, wham!
Pull the tab on the Haunted Mansion page, and a ghost pops up! Thrilling.



And to cap off a fun filled day at the park with Mickey, fireworks over Cinderella’s Castle.




I hope you enjoyed your time with Mickey Mouse.

My Kind of Disney Cruise

by Gaylin

The best cruise with Disney . . . The Jungle Cruise!!! I love the theming of the line-up area, the bad jokes, the great captains, the time on the water. It all works for me and I go on the cruise 2 or 3 times every trip. The first cruise I went on in May 2014 had Captain Lisa at the helm, she was wonderful. Great delivery of all those old jokes, told a few I hadn't heard before, had the whole boat laughing. A perfect cruise in the jungle.

If you have a few moments in a line-up there are a number of posters, barrels etc to read. Take the time and read them, some are pretty funny.

 Of course this big barrel of beer made me think of Nick . . . wonder why?

This temple hasn't fallen on anyone – yet!

Just with the safari at the Animal Kingdom, all those animals like to turn their backs on me.

It the area outside the entry to the cruise there are beautifully carved statues. I don't know what they represent but they make for great photos.

I guess this guy stayed on the cruise too long.

If you have a great captain and are sitting close to the front, you might have time to grab a quick selfie before disembarking. Captain Lisa said this was the first time a guest had asked for a photo, I was happy to take the photo for both of us, can you tell?

Is the Jungle Cruise a must-do for you and your family? Have a favourite captain? I had Captain Ashley on a previous trip and she was amazing as well.

All By Myself

by Gaylin

When I went on the Disney Cruise last summer, I took my first selfie . . . wasn't too impressed with it, my camera was a bit old and slow and standing with a fake smile waiting for the camera to click felt silly.

Before I left for WDW in May, I bought a new camera. Still a point & shoot, nothing fancy but much faster than my old one. Traveling on my own again, I decided to take a few selfies – just for the heck of it.

I had fully intended to take a few every day, turns out that once I am tired and worn out from the heat, I forgot to take them. Oops. Here are the ones I did take!

Me and a tiki, outside of the Jungle Cruise.

Ariel and I, she called this a 'shell-fie'. I call this a bad photo that gives me a big double chin . . .

Next up are Elsa and Anna from Frozen, turns out they are not supposed to take photos with only one sister at a time, guess I was charming and fast enough with the camera to get separate photos! They called them 'snow-fies'.

The lovely Aurora and I.

This is a very nice young lady, Alicia, at the Canada Pavilion, turns out she is from my hometown, that seemed to be a good reason to take a selfie as well.

Of course, there needs to be a photo wearing 'bug-eyes' at It's Tough to be a Bug.

I think this is the Lego version of Princess Sofia but not really sure, whoever she is, I only got half her head in the photo!

And finally that plastic Cinderella with the slightly creepy blank facial expression.

Selfies, when you are traveling alone, they are a great way to be in a photo. Not saying they will all be good photos – mostly good for a laugh.

Disneyland's 50th Anniversary Pin Map

By: Nick

In April of 2005, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Disneyland, the Disney Catalog reprinted a 1956 Disneyland map, and produced pins of certain attractions and other elements into six pins representing the original Disneyland lands, limited to 1500 sets. A certificate of authenticity is on the back, but it doesn’t give a specific number.



Main Street USA: The Main Street Station and Train.





Tomorrowland: The Moonliner Rocket.



Fantasyland: Sleeping Beauty Castle.



Frontierland: Sternwheeler Mark Twain.



Adventureland: Jungle Cruise Boat.

 

Happy 59th Anniversary Disneyland!

Disney Cast Members: Tell Them "Thank You"

by Gaylin

I have met many a wonderful Cast Member (CM) in my travels to Walt Disney World, as well as Disneyland and one Disney cruise. While I have always thanked them in person, if I have received extra help or extraordinary service from a cast member, I like to send a thank you to them, through Disney itself.

I found out on the Backstage Tour a few years ago that if a CM gets a reprimand on their employment record, it is removed after 6 months with no further reprimands acquired. If a thank you or commendation is received, that stays on their record permanently! If you go to the Walt Disney World main webpage and scroll to the bottom, there is a contact us link. On that link it tells you how to contact them by phone, there is another link where you can go to an email page to contact them.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/help/email/

This is where I go when I want to send a thank you to a CM. The first time I did this, I received a phone call from a representative from Disney personnel, letting me know how much they appreciated my email and that they had contacted each of the CMs I had wanted to thank and commended them in person! I do keep a trip journal where I write their names down as well as take a photo where the interaction happened so I don't forget.

On my recent trip, I had more than a few nice transactions with CMs and wanted to send my appreciation out to 3 of them. When I got home, I sent the following email:

"This is not a question, this is a thank-you to Cast Members.

I was at WDW in May 2014 and on Sunday, May 11, I went to the Animal Kingdom. My mother had

passed away 5 weeks previously and I had forgotten entirely that it was Mother's Day. When I walked into AK and was given a carnation and told Happy Mother's Day, I was startled and sad. It was nice to think of my mom but it was a difficult, emotional day as well.

I stopped for lunch at Tamu Tamu, I was hot and tired and forgot to tell the CM that I had food allergies and could I please have potato chips instead of pita bread so I put the pita bread to the side. A custodial CM, Deborah (college program with UCLA), stopped to chat for a moment, she asked if I was a mother and when I told her about my mom, I nearly started crying. She spent some time with me, talked about mom's, Disney and life in general. It was the human contact I so badly needed that day. She noticed that I had put the pita bread aside and went out of her way to get some of the fresh made potato chips for me. Well, that nearly had me crying again. The time she spent with me changed the whole tone of the day for me, I know that CMs deal with and talk to a lot of people in a day and they need to know that their time and care is wonderful. Thanks so much to Deborah, wherever she is now. Also - thanks for the pin!

At the Magic Kingdom on May 7th, I had a lovely wee interaction with a CM named Sherley, I bought a Mickey Premium from her at the Popping Machine, near Gaston's Tavern. She was bright and cheerful, I sat at a table near the kiosk and watched her interact with guests, impressive. Again, since my mom's name was Shirley - meeting this lovely young lady who was so happy and vivacious, made my day. I asked for a photo and we had a good laugh taking a selfie together.

One last kudo - in the morning of May 7th, I went on the Jungle Cruise with Captain Lisa, she was so fun, it was one of the best cruises I have been on. At the end of the cruise I asked if I could take a selfie with her, it was the first time a guest had asked her to be in a photo and she was happy to do it.

Thanks to all the CMs that do their best to help guests have a magical vacation and if anyone asks if you can have fun at WDW while on a solo trip - the answer is a resounding yes!

Gaylin"

You can't send photos in your email to Disney but I can post them here! Here is the photo of Captain Lisa and me.

And later the same day, the lovely Sherley!

About a week after I sent my email to the help centre, I received this email reply:

"Dear Gaylin,

Thank you for writing to us about your visit to the Walt Disney World® Resort.

I am very glad you had such an enjoyable experience and truly appreciate the time you took to share your compliments for Deborah, Sherley and Lisa. Your email reinforces how our Cast Members can make a tremendous difference with each Guest. It is heartwarming to know that Cast Members such as Deborah, Sherley and Lisa exemplified Walt Disney's dream to create happy and memorable experiences for all of our Guests. Please be assured your comments will be shared with the appropriate leadership so they can be commended for the great service they provided you.

Thank you again for writing to us. We look forward to future opportunities to entertain you.

Best Regards,

Janet F.

Guest Experience Services

Walt Disney World Resort"

If you have a wonderful CM experience, remember you can share your thank-you's when you get home, send some magic back to Disney!

Morning Magic at the Magic Kingdom

by Gaylin

My first day of vacation, I decided to head to Magic Kingdom. When I got to the bus queue I almost changed my mind, the line-up for Magic Kingdom was quite long. And then, this baby pulled up! A double length articulated bus, this is the size of bus I catch a ride with to work at home in Vancouver. It was fun watching a good portion of this long line of people fill up this bus. As you can barely see, behind this bus is another one, also going to Magic Kingdom. I think they were prepared for this busy morning!

While I did get to the Magic Kingdom in time for the opening show, it didn't happen, but all these people did! As soon as rope drop happened, this crowd dispersed into the park quite quickly.

Since I was on my on and not frantic to get to any particular ride, I meandered over to Adventureland. One thing I do try to do when I am at the parks is take a photo of some part of the beginning of an attraction just before I go onto it. That way, when I am trying to remember what I did during the day, I can go back through my photos and have a timeline of the day. I did go on the Swiss Family Robinson tree house. There were very few people paying attention to it and it is a nice quiet way to start the day and get a view around the park from the top of the tree.

Then it was time for a cruise, a Jungle Cruise to be exact! As everyone knows, your cruise captain can make or break a cruise. I got Captain Lisa and she was awesome, great timing for all those bad puns and when we had a couple minutes wait before disembarking – she just kept the jokes rolling.

Time to go visit some pirates. As with the cruise, I pretty much walked onto this ride. I don't know where all those people from the crowd at the front of the park went but it wasn't to Adventureland.

Can you guess where I went next? Haunted Mansion! Again, I just walked on, it was shaping up to be a very hot day, getting to do so many things so quickly was really nice. I had decided to take some selfies this trip, I think this guy was happy to have his photo taken with me.

 

Next up, time for a bathroom break!

Headed over to the new Fantasyland, this area wasn't open on my last trip and while it would have been nice to have a ride or show to go with Tangled, I guess a bathroom area is better than nothing.

I took a peek in Gaston's tavern but didn't buy anything, I did love the decor . . . Gaston wasn't out and about or I would have gotten a photo with him!

And my last photo of my morning so far, me and King Triton. It is never difficult to find someone to take a picture if you are on your own and since I couldn't figure out a way to take a selfie with the King, a very nice woman took my picture and then I took a photo for her and her son.

All this fun and it wasn't even lunch time yet! One morning, lots of magic.