A lot of things have changed over the years in the
A lot of people don’t realize that The Magic Kingdom had an arcade on Main Street USA. Back in the 80’s the
In the back of the arcade you had your usual arcade games that you can find in any normal arcade. They kind of stuck out like a sore thumb. In fact the arcade at exit of
The only drawback of closing the arcades was the loss of those penny cartoons. They were an awesome piece of Disney history. Try and explain to kids that original arcades only had cartoons and oddball, non electronic games and see what happens. Honestly I never knew anything like that existed.
It makes me wonder where the old cartoon machine and antique games are now. There is no way Disney threw them out. If they did that would be a crime. Maybe we’ll see them pop up sometime in the future so everyone can gawk over them. They really were something else.
As you may or may not know I pull a lot of my ideas from the Disney community. I’ve done posts on the gang at the DIS, Ricky Brigante, Lou Mongello, Nathan Rose, Jim Hill, Deb Wills, and Van at Netcot. However no one has been abuse more than the gang at the WDW Today Podcast.
I’ve done so many posts about WDW Today I couldn’t keep track of them. That’s why I organized everything I’ve written into the WDW Today Chronicles. Below is an organized brake down…or record of abuse depending on how you look at it.
The Hochberg Conspiracy: This was the post that started it all. An epic death match between Van at Netcot and Matt Hochberg which landed on of them in the hospital for more than a month.
Matt Hochberg Isn’t Afraid of Dinosaur: I reveal the why Matt claims to be afraid of Dinosaur including his secret encounter with Barney.
Len Testa – Tequila – The Shocking Connection: The first full post on Len Testa turned out to be a shocker. So many questions were answered in this post. Why Len acts like he does, why people drink Moxie, why Len loves Tequila, and who actually likes Stich’s Great Escape.
Len Testa Hates Donald Duck: I expose a huge, brutal feud between Len and Donald Duck in this post. From duck eating to alien abuse, it’s all here.
Massive Fire in NC Linked to Podcast Personality: I explain why it’s not a good idea to abuse an iPhone in this post about Len’s addiction to Mouse World Radio.
Disney Worlds Unofficial Marathons: Not a full post about Len but I did name a unofficial marathon after him.
Authorities Track Maple Syrup Abuse to Disney Podcast: And you thought it was funny when Len drank maple syrup. He started a crisis with far reaching consequences.
Mike Scopa’s Dark Secret: Possibly the most demented post I’ve ever done about another human being. Did you know how old Mike Scopa really is? I expose it in this story.
Awful Weather Predicted for the First Week of March: What happens when Mike Scopa goes to Disney World? It rains, freezes, or some other weather nightmare. It’s so bad the weatherman have started basing predictions on his trips.
Don’t Mess With Mike Newell: It’s always the quiet ones. You’d never guess Mike Newell was an evil mastermind would you?
Epcot Runs Out of Nachos: Did you know Mike Newell started an epidemic?
Annette Owens: Butt Kicker: You think Annette is a nice southern belle don’t you? HA! I expose the truth in this shocking story. Beware of Annette’s Army.
General
WDW Today Starts Their Fifth Season Without a Fatality: Yes there is a reason why no fatalities is surprising.
Facebook is Evil but Everyone Is On It: Guess who is quick draw McGraw on Facebook.
WDW Today Does the Oregon Trail: What would happen if the gang from the WDW Today Podcast were forced to do the
One Big Dysfunctional Family: Ever been on a live show? You don’t know what you are missing.
Recently it came to light that there is a recommendation in the “Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World” that is inaccurate.
As you may know if you follow the blog I ate at Yack and Yeti on my last trip to Walt Disney World. I ordered the duck and it was horrifyingly bad (see Yak Yack and Yeti).
I emailed the gang at the WDW Today Podcast to relay my experience. They answered the email in episode 633. When responding Len asked “Who orders the duck?!?” despite the fact that the duck is recommend in the book he co-authors.
I found it odd that Len would make that statement despite the fact that at least one person has claimed (emphasis on “claimed”) he writes every review, experience, reader feedback, and comment in the Unofficial Guide. That made me do what I do. I looked into it.
I discovered a dark secret and a massive feud that has been raging for years.
Back in 1998 Len was in WDW for a research trip. He was in line for
Len got over this in time but another event broke the flood gates open.
In 1999 Donald Duck convinced the Disney big wigs to shut down the Alien Encounter in
Things calmed down a little when Len’s distant cousin Stich was announced as the star of the new attraction. However, things really hit the fan when the ride opened. Donald ensured that the ride was AWFUL! He ensured that it was a slap in the face to all aliens.
This was the last straw. Len pulled some strings and made sure that duck became a recommended dish in the Unofficial Guide.
Donald didn’t realize the effect of the recommendation until six of his cousins disappeared without a trace. When Donald looked into it he discovered an explosion in the number of ducks being eaten through out Disney World.
In response Donald pulled strings and ensured that the duck was one of the most overcooked, tasteless dishes in Disney World. He also convinced the powers that be to force Stich into another awful attraction. In fact Stich’s Super Sonic Celebration turned out so bad it was shut down after less than a month of shows.
It is rumored that to get back at Donald, Len has recently taken up the sport of duck hunting and convinced the vets over at the Animal Kingdom to castrate all mallard ducks they catch on property.
No one knows how this feud will end but be warned. If you find your self in Disney World and see Len and Donald at the same time, take cover! It won’t be pretty.
DISCLAIMER: The above story is mostly fiction with accurate facts worked in. It’s never been proven that Len is an alien (it’s just common knowledge). Len claims he did not write the review for Yak and Yeti (see episode 668 of the WDW Today Podcast). Donald did not cut Len in line in 1998 (I think he was in front of him to begin with). There is no proof that Donald was involved with the decision to shut down EAC, open Stich’s Great Escape, or involved with the Super Sucky Celebration.
My next WDW trip is less than 90 days away. Most of the planning is done. On my last trip I nearly killed my wife my by going commando and on most nights we left the parks early to go to dinner. This time my plan is much different. I’ve learned from my mistakes. Instead of hitting the parks early we will be hitting them late and closing them out. This way we get to enjoy the last hour the parks are open when most of the people have left.
No matter what your plan is, it is very difficult to do everything. Some stuff normally ends up getting dropped. So what am I going to drop this time?
1 –
2 – Magic Carpets of Aladdin – I’ve never done this ride and I don’t plan on ever doing it. It’s a cheap carnival ride.
3 – Dumbo – I’m not a kid so Dumbo isn’t really a draw.
4 – Astro Orbiter – The view is nice but the line is huge. Plus it’s hard to take pictures at night on this because it’s moving so much.
5 – Stich’s Great Escape – I almost cried when I went on this. Creating this out of EAC was one of the worst things Disney ever did.
6 –
7 – Ellen’s Energy Adventure – This one is on the fence. No matter how much I love the dinosaurs I can’t stand the show. It’s so loud it hurts.
8 – Imagination with Figment – I don’t want to rape my childhood again. My heart still aches when I see what “Journey Into Imagination” turned into.
9 – Kali River Rapids – It’s too short and it’s too wet.
10 – It’s a Small World – I’m not a sadist so why would I subject myself to this?
11 – The Tea Cups – The only reason this is on the list is because my wife can’t spin and going on this alone is just sad.
12 – Back Lot Tour – There is just no reason to do this every time you go. Last time I got picked to do the boat scene and I saw the canyon.
13 – PW in
14 –
There are some others too but I don’t need to name them. If you can’t see two adults with no kids doing it, we’re not doing it.
One of the best things about the California Grill is its open kitchen. By default they have to keep it very clean it is part of the show.After reading about my experience on NCL I left some people wondering if I was just an embittered person trying to make up for the fact that I had a bad vacation. That’s not true. My goal is to explain what I experienced so you can judge for yourself. That’s why in this post I’m going to explain what NCL does that is good.
1 – Deposit on a Future Cruise: If simply put down $250 towards a future cruise NCL gives you $100 in on board credit. This isn’t your average program. First you do not need to pick a cruise. It’s good towards any cruise in the future. Second you don’t need to use an NCL travel agent when you find a cruise you want. You’re travel agent can book it for you. The $250 reserves the cruise. Normally if cost at least $500 to reserve a cruise. You have a year and a half to cruise so you have plenty of time.
2 – Tasters: NCL does multiple tasters throughout the week. For $15 you get four drinks. That’s a great deal. They do one for martinis, beer, whiskey / scotch, and more. How many they have depends on the length of the cruise.
3 – Customer Supplied FAQ on Their Website: NCL has a part of their website where you can ask questions. That’s not a big deal. However, users can answer other people’s questions. This allows for some information to be shared that NCL normally wouldn’t share.
4 – Serve Yourself Soft Serve Ice Cream: The only way this would be better is if it was available 24hrs a day.
5 – Hand Sanitizer Stations: They have these at every restaurant and when you get on and off the boat. They also make you use them. If only the airlines did that.
Ok that’s about it. Are those enough to make you go on a cruise with NCL? I doubt it but keep in mind that there are a lot of people out there who like NCL. My parents like NCL. That blows my mind. I think it is because they are older. Old people seem to like NCL.
What a surprise Disney added a new level of membership to D23. I wonder where they could have gotten a novel idea like that? (see my post "How to Fix D23"). The new level is called silver and is $40 cheaper than the traditional "gold" membership. The only difference between the two levels is only gold members get the magazine. At least that's the only difference that has been revealed. I wouldn't be surprised if Disney makes some of the special events open only to gold members.
Is the magazine worth $40? For some people it might be. It's not your typical magazine. It's a monster. It's about 50% larger. It's about the size of a normal art book. For others the idea of paying that much for any magazine is insane and I tend to agree with them.
In my opinion D23 is still broken and could be greatly improved (greatly improving profits in the process) but until Disney hires me to fix it I don't think we're going to see a really good D23 anytime soon.
