MouseStation 305 – Collected Short Subjects
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Run time 0:48:52
On today’s show, we’ve got the change that has come over Figment, plus scary Mickey Dreamfinder, Taste Pilot’s Grill and more.
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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.
Tip of the Week
Mark put out a call via Twitter and Facebook for Tip of the Week contributions, and got a whole bunch of suggestions in response that we’ll use in the coming weeks. Today’s tip comes via Facebook from Holly Andrew. Holly suggests that if you are flying there to pack one suitcase with snacks etc. for the family and then on the way home you can use the empty bag for all of your souvenirs.
Mark noted that it doesn’t have to be a full suitcase, but it can be a half or other portion of a suitcase. It can also be any kind of disposable item, such as baby diapers or other consumables.
Mike noted that his family often will pack their things in one suitcase, which they then pack inside another suitcase.
Beware of baggage fees, though. Depending on your airline and how many bags you’re flying with, it cost you quite a bit to carry those souvenirs home. (Of course, there are still no baggage fees for your first two bags on Southwest Airlines.
Featured Attraction
This week we look at Journey Into Imagination with Figment at Epcot.
Mark has fixed an error in the Park Guide to note that Figment is a dragon rather than a dinosaur. Mark noted that he and his wife remarked upon first visiting Version 2.0 of the attraction that they had taken all of the fun out, and that in creating Version 2.1 all they did was to plop a bunch of extra Figments into the ride. However, the change in Figment’s personality is perhaps the worst sin of all. He had been full of childlike wonder in the original version, then they turned him into a mischievous brat when they made the attraction in-your-face.
Mark loves his Version 1.0 plush Figment.
Mike is glad that Figment is there at all, but he’s not really happy about the changes, either.
Mike (and Mark) are frightened by the scary Mickey Dreamfinder that was sold in the parks.
Review System Spotlight
This week we take a look at Taste Pilot’s Grill at Disney’s California Adventure. MousePlanet readers really like it, rating it 3.7 out of five planets. Our featured review this week is by ralfrick of By the SF Bay.
ralfrickand his wife had a great meal at Taste Pilot’s Grill. It was a little expensive, but it was worth it.
Mark and Mike both enjoyed Taste Pilot’s Grill, and would eat there again.
You can also find Taste Pilot’s Grill in our Park Guide.
Planning Mike’s Wedding (again)
Mike is again getting married (not to Nora), and it looks like this time it’s actually going to happen. Mark expects to be there and to stand up with Mike. We’ll let you know how it goes.
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
Sean Jones wrote in to list which shows mentioned in the Rob Klein interview are on which Disney Treasures sets. Here they are:
- Disney Treasures: DISNEYLAND USA
- The Disneyland Story
- Dateline Disneyland
- Disneyland After Dark
- Disneyland Tenth Anniversary
- Disney Treasures: YOUR HOST WALT DISNEY
- Kodak Presents Disneyland ’59
- Disneyland Tenth Anniversary Show
- Disney Treasures: DISNEYLAND SECRETS, STORIES & MAGIC
- Operation Disneyland
- The Golden Horseshoe Revue
- Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair
- Disneyland Around the Seasons
He also mentioned watching the old Disneyland shows on “Vault Disney” back when late night Disney Channel was good. His personal favorite is Disneyland Showtime! featuring a teenage Kurt Russell, the young Osmonds and E.J. Peaker. Mark also loved this episode. Another episode called Pirates of the Caribbean to the World of Tomorrow features the opening day of the Pirates attraction.
Joey in Tucson called the feedback line to congratulate us on our 300th show. He noted that his favorite moments are the blooper shows, and that he has always been a fan of the banter between Mark and Mike. However, one of his favorite episodes was the episode where The Kid filled in for Mike last year and Mark and The Kid just talked about their family trip last summer.
He hopes that we’re getting more rest now that we’re not doing four shows per week, but he’s glad he can still listen to us twice a week.
Mike Hamilton of the Disney Podcast Directory sent Mark a note via Facebook that there had indeed been a Kids Walt Disney World podcast, but there hasn’t been an episode for a while. He offered to send along the URL, but Mark said that we should probably wait to see if the podcast starts up again before sending people to listen to it.
Alex from Houston wrote in to clarify some information about the iPhone/iPod Touch application that he had told us about. The applications don’t give wait times or FastPass return times, but rather just information about the length of the attractions and whether FastPasses are available at the attractions. He also noted that there are also apps for Downtown Disney and both Disneyland Resort parks.
Stuart Sternberg noted via Twitter that it sounded like we had a blast recording Episode 303 and that The Kid did a great job.
Mark noted that his wife and Mike’s fiancee deserve kudos as well for sitting there patiently while we were recording.
Dean from NYC called the feedback line to congratulate us on Episode 300, and to ask why outside the Studios they play the music from TV show Amazing Stories so often since it’s Universal, not Disney.
Mark noted that Disney doesn’t always pick music based on whether or not it’s a Disney property, but rather whether or not it fits the mood that they’re trying to portray. For example, on Main Street, U.S.A. you can hear songs from “Hello, Dolly!”, “Oklahoma” and “The Music Man.”
March of Dimes
Mark was recently 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.
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MouseAdventure at Walt Disney World, November 14
Don’t forget that registration is now open for MouseAdventure Walt Disney World! Get your team ready and sign up now!
Also, don’t forget to sign up for the MouseAdventure Newsletter, which will keep you informed as more details about MouseAdventure and the MouseAdventure on the High Seas cruise are announced!
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!
