Unplugged: Another Disney tradition comes to an end

Our last Electric Parade
March 2016

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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It's the end of an era at Walt Disney World in Orlando. The company has announced plans to pull the plug on the Main Street Electric Parade October 9. The fun heads west to Disneyland in California where the event originated more than 40 years ago. The lights go out permanently for the parade in early 2017.

In all the reports I've seen about this, the one tidbit missing is why the parade is coming to an end. Every time we've visited Disney's Magic Kingdom we stopped what we were doing and made our way to Main Street for the parade. During our visit this past March we caught just a portion of it and I snapped the picture of Pete's Dragon. Had I known it was going to be our last time seeing it, I would have taken more note of the parade.

Pooh rules

Through the years Disney has tweaked things at the park and removed attractions and rides that were losing popularity. One of my favorite rides as a child was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. In 1999 it was replaced with The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh. 

Last time with the Sorcerer's Hat

At Disney's Hollywood Studios the giant Mickey's Sorcerer's Hat has been torn down. We last posed in front of it two years ago. On our most recent trip nothing had replaced the attraction. One rumor was something from Frozen would replace the famous hat from Fantasia. But I haven't seen any other updates on the matter. 

Star Wars takes over

It's only natural that things change at the popular theme parks. As the company continues to produce movies and tv shows it's important to stay relevant and do what the paying customers want to see. Universal Studios has undergone several makeovers, most notably to appeal to fans of Harry Potter. Now that Star Wars has the licensing to Star Wars there will no doubt be a larger presence of that franchise at the parks. 

So if you haven't been to Disney World for the Electric Parade, time is ticking away. If you have a trip planned between now and October 9, I highly recommend checking it out. I still remember seeing it for the first time at age 6 and the last time days before I turned 43 (while at Disney World no less). Thanks for the memories.

Celebrating a birthday at Disney World

Toy Story Mania! 

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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I have loved Mickey Mouse and all things Disney for as long as I can remember.  My second birthday was Mickey Mouse themed.  Little did I imagine 41 years later I'd be celebrating my birthday at Mickey's house!  It worked out this year that my birthday fell during Spring Break and members of the Carterville High School performing arts programs would be performing at various Disney parks this year.

Disney's Animal Kingdom:
The Tree of Life

My wife, daughter and I made the trek to watch the performances, hang out on the beach and play at the Disney Parks.  We made plans to visit both Disney's Animal Kingdom and Disney's Hollywood Studios on my 43rd birthday.  My wife told a cast member it was my birthday and she promptly gave me a button proclaiming it was my day.  Lisa and Brooke received buttons too, letting people know they were in the park to celebrate. 

TV at the 50's Prime Time Cafe

We ate dinner at the 50's Prime Time Cafe at Hollywood Studios.  It's a step back in time, complete with a loud and cranky waitress named Janice.  She lectured everyone in our dining area about setting the table, keeping elbows off the table and leaving the "toys" (cell phones) unattended.  When our other son, who couldn't make the trip, called to wish me a happy birthday and I answered, Janice let me know I was breaking a rule.  She then stood by our table and directed the group to sing "Happy Birthday" to me.  

Chewie!

We wrapped up the meal with a great dessert and rode a handful of rides, including Toy Story Mania, Star Tours, The Rock 'n Roller Coaster and The Tower of Terror.  One of the "must dos" at Hollywood Studio was to meet Chewbacca.  My wife stood in the 20 minute line with me and my daughter and took a picture of us with the resident Wookiee.  We scored a few bonus pics of a Jawa and Storm Troopers as we checked out all the Star Wars paraphernalia on display.

We're not the Droids you're looking for...

I can't tell you how much fun it was spending my birthday at Disney World.  The cast members who greeted me with birthday well wishes, riding the rides and hanging out with most of my family were the greatest presents ever.  I try to be a big kid at heart and on that day I really left like it was a mission accomplished. 

Happy Birthday Walt Disney World

Selfie at Magic Kingdom
2014

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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October 1, 1971 the world changed for the better.  Walt Disney opened the Magic Kingdom providing families from around the world a theme park experience like no other.  It blows my mind to think Disney World is only a couple years older than me.  

I've been obsessed with Mickey Mouse for as long as I can remember.  My second birthday was nothing but Mickey.  My family made its first trek to Magic Kingdom when I was in kindergarten.  I don't remember much from that trip, but we did take a followup vacation there about four years later that I remember well.  

Honeymoon with Pooh

When I was a freshman in high school we spent Christmas break in Florida and an entire day at Epcot.  I got a Pluto t-shirt as a souvenier.  Other than that as a teenager I found the park boring.  Ten years later, my wife and I honeymooned at Disney. And as parents, my wife and I (along with my folks) have returned on three separate occasions.

The most recent trip was in October 2014.  Here's a highlight reel and blog about that trip.  

We are headed back in Spring 2016.  The high school marching band that my son is a member of will be marching at Magic Kingdom during spring break.  I can't wait to return, even if for a day or two.  Believe me when I tell you the Disney "magic" (although pricey) is a real thing.  

Finding Mickey

A Hidden Mickey you have to create

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

One of the other genius ideas by the folks at Walt Disney World is the concept of the "Hidden Mickeys" around the theme parks, resorts, and other Disney owned areas.  I don't know the whole back story behind the Mickeys, but in the book (written by Steven M. Barrett) there are more than 1,200 icons of the famous mouse around the properties.  I also have to credit my friend Devin Kidd for giving me the book.  He is the biggest Disney fan I've ever met and probably reading this from a Disney park right now.  

Do you see him?

The idea behind the Hidden Mickeys (at least I think) is to help pass the time while waiting in line at the parks.  I'll be honest, I forgot to bring the book to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, but I had it in hand at Epcot and Hollywood Studios.  I also cruised around the Art of Animation Resort with it too.  Another confession, I had no luck finding the Hidden Mickeys by just reading the Scavenger Hunt portion of the book, so I skipped ahead to the "hints" chapters of each park.

How about this one?

It became quite an adventure and my kids helped in the search. When park cast members saw me with the book, they'd keep the secrets alive.  Only one helped me out and I needed it on The Great Movie Ride at Hollywood Studios.  When I searched around the restaurant at our resort, other patrons asked me to let them know when I found the Mickey because they couldn't.  Neither could I.

Not always a picture

Each Mickey has a point value assigned, and you can tally up your score at each park, resort, or restaurant.  We didn't keep score though.  Also, they're not all just the iconic Mickey ears.  Sometimes it's the word "Mickey Mouse", a body shot of him, or a Mickey you have to create yourself.  Like I said, it's fun and it really kills the time when you're in the Standby Line waiting for a ride.

This one was pretty easy

The Magic of the Band

Magic Bands when they arrive

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I wrote in a previous blog about my recent family vacation to Walt Disney World.  The experience was magical, and part of that comes in the form of the Magic Band.  Again, I know it all comes at a cost, but there's something to be said about the packaging and hospitality that Disney delivers.

Getting into the park

The Magic Band replaces your room key, credit card, and park tickets.  When planning our trip, each member of my family got to pick the color bracelet they wanted.  I chose yellow.  More personalized options are available for a fee, but ours were included in our package deal. Each band is coded with your information.   You can add your credit card details and charge things at the parks and resorts that way.  You chose your own pin so there's no need to worry about being hacked (at least not at this point)

Green means go!

The band has a Mickey Mouse icon on it, and you touch your Mouse to the Mouse at the park or store and when the green light comes on, you're good to go.  We used them to make various purchases and track our FastPasses.  You have to scan it before getting in the FastPass line and then again before getting on the ride.  The bands are water proof, so you can shower in them or hit the pool or water parks.  

The concept is really convenient as you don't ever have to worry about bringing your wallet and losing it on a ride or dropping your room key or park passes.  If you do the Memory Maker photo package, the pictures are wirelessly transmitted to your band and available online for downloading.  I would suspect that eventually theme parks around the country will pick up and develop this concept in some form.

Band bling

I know there will be cynical thoughts about the company tracking your every move, but honestly, I'm fine with that.  For I have tasted the Disney Koolaid, and I do enjoy it.  There were a couple of small quirks, but they were quickly resolved and the company even credited us for the inconvenience.  Oh, and there are different things you can add to the bands to personalize them as well, although we did not go that route.

Boo: Disney Magic

The Hunsperger's invade Disney World

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

If you've never been to Disney World before, I would highly recommend the trip.  Aside from the times I went as a kid, my wife and I honeymooned there and we've been back twice with our kids.  We're planning a return trip in 2014.

When we last visited "the Most Magical Place in the World" it was October 2010.  The weather was perfect, as it didn't rain one time while we there.  We also got to take part in the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.  If you have young children this is definitely well worth the extra cost of the ticket.  The Magic Kingdom gets transformed into a family friendly haunted house and the park stays open later than usual.  There are places to trick or treat with plenty of delicious candy and other goodies.

The Little Mermaid got tired

The park encourages families to dress up for the night.  Of course, the Hunsperger's were ready to do just that.  Since there were eight of us going (my mom and dad, my niece, my wife, and our three kids), we decided to partner up and do Disney duos.  My daughter, who was five at the time, was obsessed with the Little Mermaid.  So she was Ariel and I invested in one of those fake muscle suits, a long white beard, and a can of white spray paint and became King Triton.  My wife was Jessie from Toy Story, complete with a costume that my mom made for her.  Her partner was our middle child, who went as Slinky Dog.  Our oldest son, became Pinnochio (again in another homemade costume by my mom) and my dad was Gepetto.  Finally, my mom was the evil witch and my niece was Snow White. I think we looked pretty darn good.

It was fun running around the park in costume and seeing everyone else dressed up too.  Even the costumed characters are in costume.  It just adds to the already magical atmosphere the folks at Disney create.  But of course you don't have to be at Disney World in October to enjoy a taste of Halloween...

Inside Tower of Terror
Photo by mickeytravels.com

There are several rides that can give you a nice scare.  I remember the first time I rode the Haunted Mansion ride and freaking out as a five year old when I saw a ghost riding along with us toward the end of the ride.  I think it spooked all the kids the first time they saw that too.   Then there's the Tower of Terror.  This is one of those rides that the anticipation is much worse than the actual ride.  You know you're going to plunge, but it's that long wait before it actually happens.  Our daughter freaked out after it was all over.  And like a good father, I caught her reaction on video.  Click the link below and enjoy.