Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I wish all of you a safe and prosperous 2008 full of Disney magic. Thank you for your continued support of my humble blog, and I look forward to sharing more details with you in the coming year.

The Zip Award

When digging in Dinoland USA, you better make sure you find something or you will become the recipient of the Zip Award, given to those who find "zip." There is an entire room in Restaurantasaurus dedicated to this prestigious award.

Scientific Crate

This crate can be found in the preshow area for Muppet*Vision 3D, from the Scientific Doohicky Company based out of Newark, New Jersey. Its contents include thingamabobs, whatzits, doodads, widgets, and assorted folderal.

Merry Christmas!

No one decorates for the holidays like Disney, and every park and resort is decorated with its own particular theme. In honor of today, here's a sampling of some of the many beautiful trees scattered about property. Merry Christmas everyone!

BoardWalk

Beach Club

Magic Kingdom

Animal Kingdom

Epcot

Downtown Disney - Once Upon A Toy

Monorail-a-palooza

Nothing says Christmas like a monorail, and for a Disney detail-phile like myself, Christmas Eve means it is time once again for Monorail-a-palooza. Last year my friend Trish and I decided it would be amusing to try to ride all 12 monorails in a single day, and successfully completed the task in 3 hours. This year, my friends Melissa and Travis joined me in the second annual event, and were able to ride all 12 in a record-breaking 2 1/2 hours.

Merry Christmas everyone, from the Highway in the Sky!

The Best in the Business

Here's another great sign from the Studio One Company Store, praising the talents of the Muppets' accountants.

Let the Sun Shine In

One of the favorite mantras of any Disney detail-phile is "look up" and that definitely applies to the spacious lobby of the Grand Floridian. While most guests look down over the Victorian-themed area, make sure you take a moment to look above you or you might just miss the absolutely gorgeous stained glass skylights.

Portobello Road

After having a nice dinner at Portobello Yacht Club, I happened upon this sign on the building doorway:


As construction and new clubs continue to change the way Pleasure Island looks, it is a nice nostalgic look at the Pleasure Island of many years ago when the "delicious exploits of the Pleasure Family" were an integral part of the experience.

Heads Up

As a possible throwback to the now-gone Mile Long Bar, these dinosaur heads are mounted on the wall high above hungry patrons. I like the added McDonald's fry box and antlers on the left dinosaur.

Happy Birthday Walt Disney

Today, December 5th, would have been Walt Disney's 106th birthday. I thought long and hard about what I could possibly say about the man whose legacy has played such an intricate part in my life, but nothing seemed to be sufficient enough. So all I can say is thank you, Mr. Disney, and Happy Birthday.

Hooray for Hollywood

While the Chinese Theatre has unfortunately been overshadowed by the Sorcerer's Hat, it does not make it any less of a stunning piece of architecture. While many people pass through the entrance without a second thought, the amount of careful detail that the Imagineers placed into it warrants a pause.