MouseStation 287 – Collected Short Subjects
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Run time 0:47:44
On today’s show, we’ve got delivery issues, the Boneyard, the Grand Californian, Dave Marx and still more debate on forcing your kids to ride and more.
(NOTE: The show was updated late on February 24 to add the accidentally-omitted Last Week on MousePlanet segment.)
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Thanks to our sponsors
Today’s show is sponsored by:
MouseEarVacations.com. Providing Magical Vacations for over 21 years.
Scooter Vacations. Official mobility scooter charitable partner to Kids Wish Network and Starlight Starbright Foundation.
Owner’s Locker. Why bring all that stuff back and forth, when you can leave it at Disney and have it waiting for you when you come back?
Tip of the Week
Mark warned that, if you put your credit card on your room via the Disney web site (or soon, via online check-in) to beware of the fact that you may be checked into your room at 11 a.m., even if you’re not arriving until later. If you’re having stuff delivered to the resort (including your Owner’s Locker), be aware that it may already be in your room. If communication between luggage services and/or package delivery services and the front desk at your hotel is poor (as it was at All Star Sports when Mark visited), the computer at the front desk may still indicate that it was still in storage even though it’s in your room, and you might be on a wild goose chase. It’s also a potential issue if you ask for a room in a different location at the resort, as they might not realize that your things had been delivered to your original room and would need to be moved to your new room.
Featured Attraction
This week we look at The Boneyard at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Mark gave a brief description of the main play area and the sand pit across the brachiosaurus bridge from the main area. One thing to remember is that there is only one way in and out of The Boneyard. The only way in and out of the sand pit is across the bridge, so if you can’t find your child, there’s no way for them to get out without going through the one and only exit.
Review System Spotlight
This week we take a look at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. MousePlanet readers really love it, rating it 4.3 out of five planets. Our featured review this week is by Carole0815 of Newburgh, NY.
Carole really loved the service that she got at the hotel while taking her grandson there for his birthday, and even though it’s extremely expensive, she’d stay there again.
Mark talked a bit about a great room that he and his family had overlooking Grizzly Peak the last time they were there on a family trip. He loves the food options and amenities, as well. Now that DVC units are being added to the hotel, he might stay in those accommodations, if the point cost was affordable.
Mike loves the resort, even though he hasn’t stayed there. He has taken the Art of the Craft tour given there. He loves the grounds there.
Mark warned that you’ll have a long walk to the nearest pharmacy if you’re looking for more than the most basic over-the-counter medication.
You can also find the Grand Californian Hotel in our Park Guide.
MouseFest Moment
Rather than doing a big show compiling a whole bunch of short interviews Mike did during MouseFest, we’re going to string them out for a few months as an extra segment on our Monday show. It’s a little strange now, with MouseFest going on hiatus for 2009, but we’re continuing the memories of MouseFest 2008 anyway.
This week, Mike talks with MouseFest Chairman Dave Marx, who has stepped down from the chairman role, and will continue to support the event as a community leader.
In the conversation at PodFest, Dave listed many of his responsibilities in the role of Chairman, and remarked on how well the event was going to date. He also talked a bit about PassPorter’s Decade of Dreams celebration, which was kicking off that evening.
For the rest of MouseFest, Dave was looking forward to the Mega Mouse Meet and then wandering around to the various meets, and most of all the downtime after MouseFest 2008 ended.
For more information on MouseFest and the hiatus for 2009, please go to the MouseFest Web site and read the news release and the FAQ.
Last Week on MousePlanet
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.
Listener Feedback
Most of today’s feedback focuses on the question of forcing children to ride attractions.
Stuart Sternberg agreed with Mark and Mike about forcing kids on rides. The first time he took his kids to Walt Disney World, his son was up for everything while is daughter was scared of the simplest attractions. He and his wife took turns riding with his son and let his daughter take a pass on everything. This allowed each of them to experience the rides with their son and not damage their daughter’s psyche, not to mention their own sanity. By their next trip, their daughter was up to riding attractions and they were all able to enjoy the attractions together.
Liana wrote to say that she would not force my daughter to go on anything she did not want to go on, and that her daughter suddenly didn’t want to ride Pirates of the Caribbean after having ridden it for a long time. Mark noted that The Kid got fearful of attractions that he had easily ridden before, and that it was because he didn’t understand everything earlier on, and once he was fully cognizant of the story line of the attraction he became frightened.
Mike wrote in to agree that he would never force a child on a ride that they don’t want to experience. He has seen parents try to force their children to go because they can’t leave their child alone and heard the disparaging remarks to the child and have seen the anger. He also noted that, when a child is older, peers can often get a friend to go on a ride, and later on the person has said they really enjoyed the fun. Even he, at age 55, has bent under peer pressure from his adult children, who cajoled his into getting on Maliboomer. He ended up loving the attraction. But for small children, it just doesn’t make sense to him to frighten them half out of their wits.
Brad from Gilbert called into the voicemail line to note that he feels that it really depends on the kids. His experience has been that, if the kid doesn’t want to go, don’t push it. His kid wanted to go on Splash, but it scared him to death so he didn’t want to go on anything dark, with a tunnel, or on water. They actually had to pull him out of the boat at “it’s a small world” because he was screaming so badly before they even left the dock.
Milt Davis wrote in to say that he had recently come across the issue of the Disney Magazine that was discussed on Episode 278 as part of the Becky Cline interview. The story on the Pancake Races were featured in the June 2004 Disney Magazine.
Rob disagreed about forcing kids on rides when they openly object to doing so. What he has done is to videotape the ride (if allowable and able to be filmed) and then have them watch it in order to get them comfortable with what will happen on the ride and may choose to go on their own. Mark noted that they are using that technique with the Kid, but there are still issues.
Paul from Abilene, TX wrote in to comment on the temporary tattoos recommended by Mike Hamilton on episode #275. His family also used those temporary tattoos and thought that they looked and worked great. He also noted that you should put the phone number of the cell phone you will have with you on the tattoo, so that they can contact you in the parks when they locate your child.
March of Dimes
Mark was just named the top walker for the March of Dimes Northeastern New York region for 2008, and second overall in Upstate New York (above the counties of Westchester and Rockland). MousePlanet readers and MouseStation listeners helped Mark to raise over $5,000 for the worthy charity. We’re looking to beat that this year and raise $6,000! Just go to Mark’s fundraising page and help to provide a better chance to prevent prematurity and to help those babies that are born prematurely.
Facebook and Twitter
We’re now on Facebook! Join the MousePlanet and MouseStation groups. You can also become a fan of MousePlanet or the MouseStation. If you join the club and use Pieces of Flair, you can get your MousePlanet and MouseStation flair from Mark (though you have to friend him first). You can also follow Mark and Mike on Twitter, as well as the main feeds for MousePlanet and MouseAdventure.
Wrapping up
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.
Don’t forget to go to the iTunes podcast directory and give us a good rating for the combined feed!
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Thanks to our audio engineer and sound editor Steven Ng and to announcer Andrew Rich.
Thank you for listening!
