MouseStation 242 – Collected short subjects
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Run time 0:40:02
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Send in your suggestions, comments or tips via our email feedback form or via voicemail on our toll-free feedback line (1-866-939-2278).
We’ve put together a new listener survey to help us learn more about you and what you like most about this podcast. This one is much more targeted than the old Podtrac survey. Please take a few minutes to fill it out and let us know what you think.
If you want to contribute a story for our Tuesday Magical Moment segment (and possible inclusion in the Cast Place column here on MousePlanet), you can either use our email Magical Moment story form or the toll-free feedback line. (We love it when you use the voice mail system, because then we can play your call on the show!)
Thanks to our sponsor
Today’s show is sponsored by Owner’s Locker, a great service that gives you a place to leave your vacation-only stuff until your next trip to visit the Mouse.
The cost of an Owner’s Locker isn’t quite as high when you think about the per-bag fees that many airlines are now charging. It’s a risk-free trial, so why not give it a try?
Mark made great use of his locker on his recent trip, and by the end even his wife was convinced of how useful it was, complaining that he hadn’t packed up some of her stuff in the locker.
Also, if you have any great ideas for how to use an Owner’s Locker, if you’ve signed up and are anticipating using your locker, or if you have already used your locker, send us an email or call our voicemail and let us know what you think!
Tip of the Week
Mark provided this week’s Tip of the Week, talking about how renting a scooter (ECV) had helped his family vacation tremendously because his wife had hurt her foot before the trip and would not have been able to walk around the parks. They made use of a scooter from MousePlanet sponsor Scooter Vacations, which provides a 10 percent discount to all MousePlanet readers and MouseStation listeners. (Remember to use code MP10 to get your discount.)
The scooter that they used (the Diplomat model – Scooter Vacations has five different models) did a great job of carrying Mark’s wife (plus backpacks and other stuff) around the parks, and it broke down easily to fit in their car. It took Mark about two and a half minutes for both breaking down and setting up the scooter. (If you rent one, make sure to view the video a couple of times before you rent one so that you’re familiar with the process before you get the scooter.)
Thanks to the scooter, Mark’s wife was able to enjoy the parks without being in pain from her ankle and without having to move very slowly to avoid causing more damage to her ankle.
If you rent a scooter and you’re using a car, you can tell the parking lot attendants that you’ve got a scooter in the trunk and ask them to let you park in “medical overflow” parking. This will put you close enough that it won’t be a problem for those accompanying the person on the scooter to walk into the park while the scooter user drives in.
Featured Attraction
This week we look at Toy Story Midway Mania at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s California Adventure.
While the attraction is the same in both parks, the queues are very different. The Disney’s Hollywood Studios version has you enter a building that resembles Pixar’s Emeryville headquarters to find yourself shrunken down to the size of a toy and under Andy’s bedroom, then you exit the ride right out a walkway. The Disney’s California Adventure version has you queue up outside and enter more or less straight onto the ride from the DCA Midway, but then you exit the attraction past a scene from Andy’s house where the game that.you just rode through appears to sit on the floor of a living room.
The firing mechanism is an improved version of the one used in the Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold attraction at DisneyQuest, as discussed in our interview of Imagineer Kevin Rafferty. It’s a great attraction and a very addictive game. While he was only able to ride once this trip due to the length of the lines and the speed at which Fastpasses disappeared, Mark beat his record with a score of 180,800. Mark’s family gives the attraction three thumbs up.
Review System Spotlight
This week we look at the Hollywood Brown Derby Restaurant at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Our MousePlanet readers like the Brown Derby, rating it 4.0 out of five planets. Our featured review this week is by Svitavsky of San Leandro, CA.
Svitavsky and her husband had a great meal at the Brown Derby, taking advantage of the Fantasmic Dining Package. They were seated in a timely fashion and really enjoyed their food.
Mark’s family also had a great meal at the Brown Derby while using the Fantasmic Dining Package, though by Mark’s calculations they paid more than they would have by dining a la carte. While Mark’s meal totaled more than the package’s cost, his wife’s meal and his son’s meal came out to less. If he had used his Disney Dining Experience discount on the menu prices, he would have saved a significant amount of money; however, they did take advantage of the late Fantasmic entry, it was an OK deal. The food was fabulous and their desserts were a work of art. They were seated in the Bamboo Room, which is a semi-private room in the back near the Starring Rolls Bakery.
Mark’s flourless chocolate cake dessert was a work of art, as well as delicious. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
Mark’s wife’s pistachio cheesecake was also both great to look at and yummy to eat. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
You can also find the Hollywood Brown Derby Restaurant in our Park Guide.
CHOC Walk/Team MousePlanet
For more information on supporting Team MousePlanet at this year’s CHOC Walk, go to the Team MousePlanet page or get information on the MousePad discussion forums.
Magical Moment
Mark continued his hijacking of the show to talk some more about his family trip. His Magical Moment came from having his son (who is normally very much against any shows of affection in public) doing a lot of hugging and walking with his arms around Mark and his wife. Mark enjoyed it more than any attraction on the trip.
Last Week on MousePlanet
Once again, Andrew Rich, down at MousePlanet Global Headquarters, told you what you may have missed on the MousePlanet site last week if you’re not visiting regularly. Let us know what you think about this segment!
Listener Feedback
This week’s listener feedback all relates to inclement weather in response to our hurricane preparedness episode.
John Papas sent in a fun poem about Tropical Storm Fay called “Memories of Fay.” It seems that, unfortunately, he got the worst of the rain from the storm during his trip.
Ann Bertke related a story of how, when her family needed to return home in order to beat a major snowstorm that would bury their home, the front desk cast members credited them back for the last night of their stay that they were going to miss. Mike said that, when he was working at Pop Century’s front desk, they would always try to work with guests who had to leave early; however, don’t call the front desk from your room phone and try to work something out from there. Calls to the front desk first get routed to a call center, where the resort that you’re calling from shows up on a screen so that they know what to answer the phone with. Call center staff don’t have the ability to do anything for you related to your hotel bill. Go down to the front desk and talk to them in person.
Brandon Carter wrote in to tell some experiences with severe weather that he had while working at Walt Disney World as both a College Program participant and a Seasonal cast member.
Brandon worked Magic Kingdom parking operations, and he gave some interesting information about adjustments made to tram operations during storms. He talked about what happens with ride-out crews during hurricanes and what happened with Hurricane Charley, which hit just as he was leaving after his seasonal stint.
Send us your Adventurer’s Club memories
The MouseStation is planning to give the Adventurer’s Club a proper sendoff as it heads to YesterWorld at the end of September. You can be a part of it by sending your memories of the Adventurer’s Club to us via email or by calling them in to 1-866-939-2278. Please get them in by September 21 to make sure that we get them before we record the show. Kungaloosh!
Feedback and Other Stuff
We’ve put together a new listener survey to help us learn more about you and what you like most about this podcast. This one is much more targeted than the old Podtrac survey. Please take a few minutes to fill it out and let us know what you think.
Send us feedback via email or by calling our toll-free feedback line at 1-866-939-2278. Don’t forget that we love voicemails because then we can put your voice on the show!
Wrapping up
Don’t forget to go to the iTunes podcast directory and give us a good rating for the combined feed!
You can get your MousePlanet (or MouseStation) swag from the MousePlanet CafePress store and the brand-new MouseStation CafePress store.
Also remember to go out to our main podcast page and poke a pin into our Frappr map.
Thanks to our audio engineer and sound editor Steven Ng.
Thank you for listening!
