Despicable Disney Tours

I'm going a little off political topic and on to the topic of Disney on this one. Came across this story on Drudge this week - there is a tour guide company that offers 'black-market' VIP tours of Disney led by a handicapped person.

Disney's Animal Kingdom at 15

On Earth Day, April 22nd, 15 years ago, the forth theme park opened at Walt Disney World – Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Inspired by Walt Disney’s longtime wish to have live animals in his theme parks, combined with the success in the 1990s of The Lion King, Animal Kingdom broke new ground in the theme park world, as well as in the zoological world.

The Epcot Candelight Processional

As we approach Christmas, one of the Holiest Days of the Christian calendar, I wanted to take a moment to share with you one of the most moving and uplifting presentations I had the pleasure of seeing at the Walt Disney World Resort: The Epcot Candlelight Processional!

Disney December

I previously predicted it and that prediction will come true, as I'm off the Most Magical Place on Earth this week!!!

December to be an Exciting Disney Month!

OK, it's been two tough weeks up here in the Northeast...first Sandy and its aftermath, then Obama winning re-election. As a result, I'm quite drained and ready for an escape, and my readers know that a visit to the land of Mickey Mouse may soon be in the cards.

Happy 30th Birthday Epcot!

October 1st is finally here! Before I touch on the first presidential debate, the unemployment figures to come out on Friday, the question of the fairness and accuracy of the media, as well as any possible October surprises that may occur, this October 1st signifies the birthday of one of my favorite places: (a place I hope to escape to once the election passes) Epcot!

America: the 236 Year Experiment

On this, the 236th celebration of American Independence, "The 'Right' Solutions" would like to take a moment to wish its readers a Happy 4th and to enjoy the time spent with family, at the beach, watching fireworks and enjoying the day off from work, but most importantly, remember those serving abroad, and go out of your way to thank them on this day, as its because of the men and women who wear the uniform that we are able to celebrate America's independence every July 4th!

Test Track "Plussing" to Take Place

It's the weekend, and with summer temperatures, the gut punch this country had during the week and the new reality future Republican presidents must stomach, I'm taking a bit of a break from politics and what else am I going to talk about, but Disney.

Time for a Disney Break: Epcot!

With the sad stories and rehash of upsetting news this week, I figure it's time to take a break from it all, and where else do I go?!? That's right: Disney!

California Adventure Re-Imagineering Complete

Some call it an escape, some call it crazy, but me; I just love it. That's right, friends, here comes another post on Disney, since we need a break from politics every now and then. Big things are happening out west as the Re-Imagineering of Disney California Adventure is complete.

The American Adventure

After a week of blogging on some intense topics, I need something a little lighter, and what better a topic on which to lighten up than Disney!

New Fantasyland, Part I

Allow me a moment to cover some news out of one of my favorite places: Walt Disney World!

Eric Bolling Exposes the Volt

As you may remember, last month, I had the pleasure of meeting Eric Bolling of Fox News's The Five. Last week on The Five, he told about his experiences with the Chevrolet Volt, the hybrid car that is being pushed hard by a Federal Government backed General Motors, yet did not sell well in 2011.

Obama "Coming to Life" at the Magic Kingdom

As my readers know, I love Disney! It's a great escape from the everyday, it's fun and there's so much to do there, you can tailor your own fun! If you want to see the President along with the other 42, you can see him speak in the Hall of Presidents, but now, the Obama Audio-Animatronic is coming to life, as Barack Obama is coming to Disney, using Cinderella Castle as a political prop, making a speech within the Magic Kingdom on tourism, visa issues and to support his re-election effort in the very important state of Florida.

We've seen a pattern of this selfish narcissism develop, as recently as the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting and choosing the most visited theme park in the world located in one of the top tourist destinations in the United States continues on this streak. The expert I am on Disney, I can tell you this place runs like a machine! With the president's visit, "Cast Members" have to be inconvenienced with re-arranged schedules and guests will be limited into the park that day, as a result of the security issues surrounding a presidential visit. This continues outside the borders of the park, as the visit will limit access to areas of Disney's Contemporary Resort, located adjacent to the Magic Kingdom, and will slow down bus and monorail transportation into the Magic Kingdom. This visit will have just as huge an effect at Orlando International Airport, as just about the time the President is arriving, many first or second flights of families heading to Disney are arriving at MCO. Because Air Force One receives first priority, this is going to cause major headaches for the gateway to this region, the second busiest airport in Florida, and will delay many a vacation. Probably would have been a better idea to use Orlando-Sanford Airport and use a hotel ballroom at the Grand Floridian, or even at the Orlando Convention Center; away from Disney.

The President is very likely to lose Florida, and while this visit will show he will fight for Florida, the drawbacks will likely outweigh the perceived benefits.

The Disney Centennial: 100 Years of Magic

It should be noted that this week celebrates the 100th birthday (had he lived) of Walt Disney. As you, the reader, well knows, I am a Disney FANATIC, therefore, "The 'Right' Solutions" would like to honor the spirit of Disney on this day by thanking him for his creativity, his ingenuity, his positive impact on American culture and the many smiles his work has not only brought me, but the billions who have watched a Disney film (Lion King and Snow White being my favorites) or set foot in a Disney theme park! Having been to Disney World and Disneyland many, many times and being an Annual Passholder to Walt Disney World, I know firsthand of the magic of these places that bring happiness and allow for an escape from the everyday issues that I write about on "The 'Right' Solutions."

40 Years

October 1, 1971, was a revolutionary day in the theme park and tourism industry not only in the United States, but in the world! On this day, the Walt Disney World resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL, opened to the public! Only a few years after opening Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, Walt Disney wanted a park on the east coast, but not just a park, a vacation destination. He saw the hotels that popped up on the borders of Disneyland, the lack of growth potential of the Disneyland Resort in the area and he wanted another shot at this. Walt wanted to immerse his guests, making them feel they are in another world. He would build hotels, along with the Disneyland style theme park. In search of a new Disney home, Walt decided on swampland about 25 miles south of Orlando, Florida, an area prime for growth and far enough away from the coastlines which are prone to hurricanes. Under the guise of dummy companies, Walt Disney began buying up this land and got to work on building the "Most Magical Place on Earth." He would never live to see his dream, but this project has brought happiness and smiles to people from all over the world who have converged on the Orlando Metro area for some time in Disney.

I have expressed my love of Disney many times and every trip I take there makes me love Disney World more, and once I return home, I already begin to plan the next trip back. The Annual Pass makes it that much easier!

Forty years later and with the addition of 3 more theme parks (one with its own built-in drinking game), 2 water parks, 2 nightlife areas, a multitude of resort hotels, countless recreation areas and a shopping area, Walt Disney World continues to dominate and has made the Orlando Metro Area one of Florida's fastest growing regions.

Walt Disney, you were a great American who has left a positive mark on our culture, and I know you're looking down on this wonderful world that has and will continue to be a great escape from the everyday patterns of life, where memories are made to last a lifetime!

Avatar Coming to Disney

Those of you regular readers know that I am a really, really big fan of Disney and an entry, from time to time, will appear on "The 'Right' Solutions," as it's the perfect escape from everything I write about, as well as everything we see going on in this country and this world.

That being said, there was some big news today coming out of Lake Buena Vista. It turns out that Disney has brought James Cameron on board and together they will be creating an Avatar/Pandora themed land at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

As Disney's Number One fan, I have mixed feelings about this. I sat through the first Avatar film and I couldn't stand it! Yeah, the special effects were cool, but the plot wasn't as deep for a movie of its caliber...more of James Cameron's political message, along with his distaste of the military, and nearly three hours of that is about as torturous as watching one evening of the Democrat National Convention! This will likely fill the void that "Beastly Kingdomme" was supposed to create, which also saddens me, as BK would have been an incredible land and followed along closely with the early theme of Animal Kingdom. Furthermore, the theme of Pandora is kind of a stretch in Animal Kingdom (may work better in Disney's Hollywood Studios, which could also use some work), but the "natural settings" of Pandora sort of make it work.

On the plus side, this has the potential to be a big money-maker for Disney, it will look cool, the kids could pose for pics with the Na'vi, and it will give Animal Kingdom a reason to stay open late. It's a very well designed park with good attractions, but it's really only a half day park. Pandora could change this.

So here is some advice from the Number One Disney fan, and Annual Passholder, for the Imagineers:

- Keep the politics out of it! I go to Disney to be entertained and not preached to. As a result, I usually refrain from watching news or checking news updates on my BlackBerry while I'm there. Including the disgusting politics of this movie will turn off many Disney loyalists, who just so happen to come from red states.

- Pandora looked pretty cool on screen...this needs to really come out at night, considering Animal Kingdom now has a reason to be open at night.

- Assuming this is going to be located where Beastly Kingdomme was to be (to the left of the Tree of Life, when facing it from the Oasis bridge), there is no reason why there shouldn't be a nighttime spectacular included...can we say World of Color-Florida? Including that show alone would put me down there on opening day!

- Look at your competition 10 miles up I-4 and what they did with Harry Potter related attractions, food, scenery and shopping. Animal Kingdom guests need to live Pandora, like they do Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure.

This has the potential to be very big for Disney, if they follow these guidelines and the next Avatar movies aren't as bad as the first.

Tokyo Disneyland Resort: The Japan Earthquake

In surfing YouTube this week, I came across someone's footage of last week's 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan. This person was at the Tokyo Disney Resort's Tokyo DisneySea at the time of the first earthquake, its aftermath and subsequent aftershocks. Note: Strong language in the video



While the tsunami did not hit Tokyo Disneyland, (the resort is located on the northwestern shore of Tokyo Bay on reclaimed land) there was some damage; cracked sidewalks and liquefaction of the soil, which caused a flood in the parking area. The resort has been closed since the earthquake and will likely be closed up to 10 days after.

In the embedded video there are some screams heard and the cameraman seemed pretty scared, but the "guests," overall, were pretty calm and followed the directions of the Cast Members, who, with no surprise, acted professionally, as Disney trains them in this fashion, whether in Japan, France, Hong Kong, Florida or California. And having visited Japan in the past and observing the mannerisms and interactions of the Japanese, I am not one bit surprised by the reserved and patient reactions of not only those at Disney, but throughout the country. The Japanese are a very kind people and in times of tragedy, they are showing the world who they are.

"The 'Right' Solutions" continues to offer its prayers and well-wishes to those in Japan.

Still in Christmas Mode and Still Snowed In

Roads still haven't improved and I still have Christmas and Disney on the brain, therefore, here is a clip of Epcot's nighttime spectacular, Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. I had the pleasure of seeing this twice while I was in Florida earlier this month and I am embedding the show for my readers' enjoyment. I did not make this video, but it is one of the most well done currently on YouTube and includes the "Holiday Ending."

I am aware that much has gone on since my time away from "The 'Right' Solutions," but in due time, I will return to my coverage and commentary. Until then, enjoy Illuminations: Reflections of Earth!

A Disney Diversion

I need a break from time to time, as we all do, and what better a break than Disney! Below is the entire show of Fantasmic, shown nightly during the summer, and whenever the park is open late, at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. I saw this show for the first time over there and it is amazingly done: fireworks, fountains, live actors, props; the show has it all! Since I saw it in 2009 and since this video was made in 2009 (I didn't make the video), Fantasmic was slightly refurbished in that they have a new dragon in the Maleficent scene. Fantasmic is also shown at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida, but I believe the CA version is better. Enjoy!