Collected Short Subjects

MouseStation 309 – Collected Short Subjects

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Run time 0:53:33

On today’s show, Mike and Mark talk about lots of tips about water, the Mark Twain Riverboat, Le Cellier 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 is actually a two-fer, coming from Stuart Sternberg via Twitter and Hartford Hight via email. Stuart suggests that you save money and stay hydrated by asking for ice water at any counter-service location whenever you are thirsty. Hartford suggests that you get a filter cap from Culligan or another manufacturer and use it on a standard water bottle so that you can keep refilling the bottle from water fountains and the like while still not tasting the “Florida water” taste.

Mark noted that, if you combine the two, you can get ice water to run into your filtered bottle. Mike noted that Nalgene makes a durable wide-mouthed reusable bottle that you can use to have a sturdier bottle that’s made for reuse.

Mark noted that, if you have a resort room with a large fridge, you can get a large jug of water and refill the smaller sport-top bottles each night. (Mark and his family get multiple 2.5-gallon jugs to keep in their DVC fridge and use to refill their sport bottles each night.)

Mike added that unsealed bottles of water left in the fridge for at least 12-15 hours will lose most odors and taste similar to what filters will do instantly. Mark noted that he and his family fill bottles of water halfway and stand them up in the freezer with the cap off to freeze, then fill the rest of the bottle to have ice water for the first half of the day, then cooled water once the ice is gone.

Mike’s final water tip: Drink it.

(What’s your opinion?)

Featured Attraction

This week we look at the Mark Twain at Disneyland Park.

Mark gave a little bit of history about the riverboat straight from Bob Thomas’ Walt Disney: An American Original. He discussed the construction of the ship and its use four days before the opening of Disneyland for Walt and Lillian Disney’s 30th anniversary celebration. He also noted that Louis Armstrong performed aboard the ship for an episode of the Disneyland TV series.

Mike feels that the Mark Twain experience is different from the experience of the Liberty Belle at Walt Disney World.

Mark noted that you can ride in the pilothouse on occasion if you ask politely. He also mentioned the fatal accident that occurred when an anchor cleat pulled loose and killed a bystander a few years ago.

Review System Spotlight

This week we take a look at Le Cellier at Epcot. MousePlanet readers really love it, rating it 4.5out of five planets. Our featured review this week is by HaleyAnn of Chicago.

HaleyAnn loves Le Cellier and eats there often, but had a bad experience the last time that she ate there. There was some confusion in getting them seated, which resulted in a huge delay before they could sit. They had difficulty with the hostess and the waitress, as well. The food was still great, but the poor service left a bad taste in their mouths.

This is our first time looking at Le Cellier in 300 episodes.

Mark noted that the food quality is much higher than during Le Cellier’s original incarnation as a buffeteria. He highly recommends the cheddar cheese soup and the breadsticks. He also noted that the burgers are great during lunch. He’s hoping to line up a meal there during his family’s upcoming trip this summer.

Mike has eaten the chicken there, and the leisurely service would be good for a slow, romantic dinner.

You can also find Le Cellier in our Park Guide.

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 register 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!

Magical Moment

This week’s Magical Moment came in a voicemail from listener Vickie Buick, who had a wonderful experience with a cast member who went above and beyond the call of duty in sending Vickie’s daughter a package “from Ariel” when she wasn’t able to find her favorite princess during her trip. Mark was so impressed with the story that he forwarded the audio file to Walt Disney World Guest Communications so that the cast member could be recognized for her efforts.

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

John Papas wrote in to note two additional flaws that he sees wth the Studios: 1. a lack of fast food Italian, 2. he misses the old Playhouse Disney characters.

Jerrilee from Western NY called the voicemail line to say that she loves the new updates to the Studios that they’ve done since the first time she was there in 1998. She thinks they’ve done a wonderful job with adding Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and other stuff along Sunset Blvd.

Bob Becker wrote that he found the Great Movie Ride rather pathetic. He thought that the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular was OK, and he had no interest in the American Idol Experience. He loves Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and enjoys the Lights Motors Action Extreme Stunt Show.

Bob McGovern called the voicemail line to congratulate Mike and Kayla and wishes them all the best.

Stuart Sternberg also sent in an email to congratulate Mike, though he still prefers Nemo to The Lion King.

March of Dimes

Mark’s walk for the March of Dimes went well, though he did not make his goal. MousePlanet readers and MouseStation listeners made up more than half of the non-Mark-contributed money – thanks so much! The donations page should remain active through the end of the month, so you there’s still time to donate, if you’d like. 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.

Meet Mike at Epcot

You can meet Mike at Epcot on May 22. For more information and to RSVP, you can check out the event page on Facebook.

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.

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Thanks to our audio engineer and sound editor Steven Ng and to announcer Andrew Rich.

Thank you for listening!

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