Mousefest 2006 will see quite an increase over the number of attendees from last year. When you look at such an increase the assumption is that this strongly suggests many first-time Mousefesters. With this in mind it seems appropriate that yours truly and Mouseplanet, a sponsor of Mousefest, provide a public service to those who are going to Mousefest for their first time.
This isn’t your basic run-of-the-mill Walt Disney World trip, folks—so it’s important to make sure you are fully prepared for what’s ahead of you.
In this session, let’s look at what Mousefest is all about, its history, what’s on tap for this year, and discuss the basic training regimen required for anyone heading for Mousefest 2006. Pay attention because this training guide has been put together by someone who has been there from the beginning and knows all too well what is required to make a Mousefest trip a successful and rewarding experience.
Mousefest: What is it?
Mousefest is the Disney fan’s annual opportunity to meet up with other fellow fanatics at Walt Disney World and see their favorite Walt Disney World guidebook authors, Disney webmasters, and podcasters. This is also the only time all year where all Disneyphiles from online Disney communities gather together to see their friends and share their joy and passion for all things Disney.
Mousefest is actually two gatherings, as there is a Disney cruise portion as well as a land portion. Some Mousefesters make it quite a vacation as they basically treat themselves to two vacations in one: a Disney cruise and then several days at Walt Disney World.
Mousefest: The Beginning
Many years ago those who subscribed to the rec.arts.disney.parks (RADP) Usenet newsgroup held informal meetings at Walt Disney World. These “meets” offered those subscribers the opportunity to meet their online friends face to face.
Early December was chosen as the time of year to hold this event. The off-season room rates, relatively mild weather, and low crowd levels of early December was just what the doctor ordered.
The bonus of the holiday season also made early December a most appealing time of year. As the years went on and the Disney Internet community grew, many of those original RADP folks founded other Disney Internet communities. The Disney online community exploded.
If you’re wondering where Mousefest came from, look no further than Mousefest founders Deb Wills of AllEarsNet and Passporter authors Dave and Jennifer Marx. This trinity served as the architectural brain trust and original sponsors for Mousefest, seeing it as an outgrowth of the annual Walt Disney World RADP gathering.
The first Mousefest was held in 2003, and for many it was their first time at such a gathering. The highlight of that first Mousefest was the MegaMouse Meet in which Mousefest attendees could meet their favorite authors and webmasters. Over 400 attendees took advantage of this opportunity.
Mousefest 2004 and 2005 saw an explosion of popularity and the number of participating communities grew, not to mention the number of meets. Mousefest has now grown to the point at which planning for the event continues all year long.
Mousefest 2006
Mousefest 2006 is projected to be quite a gathering. The number of participating communities, meets and registered attendees continues to grow. At last check there were over two dozen official participating communities, some 75 official meets, and close to 1,700 officially registered attendees. One can only wonder what those numbers swell to when you add the unofficial figures.
Mousefest 2006 occurs from Sunday, December 3 through Monday, December 11. The Disney Cruise Portion runs from December 3 to 6 and the land portion runs from December 7 to 11.
The 2006 Mousefest land portion has designated park days which focus on a particular theme park for meets on those days. For 2006 those designated days are as follows:
- Thursday, December 7 – Magic Kingdom
- Friday, December 8 – Animal Kingdom (AM) & Disney-MGM Studios (PM)
- Saturday, December 9 – Epcot/MegaMouse Meet/Epcot
- Sunday, Dec 10 – Magic Kingdom
- Monday, December 11 – Disney-MGM Studios
Of course the big day is Saturday, December 9, the day of the annual MegaMouse Meet.
For information such as official Mousefest events, the official Mousefest Pocket Guide, and a list of those who will be attending this year’s event visit the official Mousefest site.
Mouseplanet and Mousefest
Mouseplanet has been a part of Mousefest since 2003 and this year is no different.
Mouseplanet staffers, Mark Goldhaber, David Koenig, Brian Bennett, and your
humble servant will be there to partake of the festivities. Mouseplanet will
be hosting several meets including:
- Dole Whip Meet on Thursday, December 7
- Mini-MouseAdventure on Friday, December 8
- Shocolatte Mousssse Meet on Saturday, December 9.
Getting Ready
When you decide to go to Mousefest, it’s important to prepare for this trip. It will be unlike any other Walt Disney World visit you have experienced. Consider:
- As your first Mousefest, this may also be the first time you can meet some of your online Disney friends. This can be an exciting time to put a face to a screen name.
- This is your chance to meet those guidebook authors that have provided you with all the help needed to help you plan your Walt Disney World trips. The important thing to know is that these people are also looking forward to meeting with you as well. Don’t forget that there will also be those Disney webmasters and podcasters who are also anxious to meet their audience.
- Mousefest brings to Walt Disney World a number of official and unofficial meets, and I mean plenty. The various communities supplement the official meets with their own get-togethers. If you are a member of one or more of those communities you may want to see what that community has on tap for meets that week. I’m sure the various communities will also have private meets not listed at the official Mousefest org site.
- If this is not just your first trip to Mousefest but also your first Christmas holiday season trip to the Walt Disney World resort then you’ve got yet another first time issue and that is the holiday happenings that await you. It will obviously be a trip of firsts for you and going at this time of year may seem as if it’s your first trip ever to Walt Disney World. There is surrealism to visiting Walt Disney World at the holiday season for your first time.
Mousefest Training Guide
I’m sure you wouldn’t go into a marathon without proper training, an exam without some intense studying, or a dance recital without hours practicing beforehand. The same goes for Mousefest. It is not advisable for anyone to go to Mousefest without investing some valuable time in preparation for this event.
There are four basic areas which need your attention:
- Sleep Deprivation – During Mousefest you will find yourself doing so many things with so many people at so many meets that you may become either so overtired or so wired at the end of the day that it will take you hours to wind down and fall asleep. The next thing you know, it’s time to get up and get ready for the next day. To prepare for this routine, start cutting down your sleeping hours a week before you leave for Mousefest. Reduce your sleeping time by one hour each night. If you do that then you’ll be down to one hour of sleep per night by the time you get to Orlando? Perfect.
- Neck Training – You will need to build up your neck muscles so that they can withstand the pull of several hundred pounds. Why? Well, you see at Mousefest you will be bombarded with lanyards, pins and buttons so you will be wearing all of them and they will certainly weigh you down. Since the preferred method of travel is to be horizontal you need to build up your neck muscles daily from Thanksgiving on by adding five pounds of weight to a rope tied around your neck each and every day. Pretend it’s a new fashion statement. Wear the rope all day for two weeks and by the time you arrive for Mousefest you’ll be ready to take on all lanyards and buttons.
- Restraint Preparation – From time to time we all need to practice restraint. Just like any Walt Disney World vacation a Mousefest visit means you cannot do everything, it’s just impossible. So as soon as you finish reading these words of wisdom you need to run over to the Mousefest Web site and your favorite Disney online community and check out the meets listed for Mousefest. Once you’ve decided as to which meets you want to attend make your Mousefest grid. This handy tool should have dates, times, and other info for all the meets you want to attend. Once you have these meets listed slash the number in half because frankly, you will not be able to attend all of them, it’s virtually impossible. It would be best to do what most veteran Mousefesters plan to do and keep the number down to about 50 meets. Yeah, that sounds about right. 51 would be a stretch.
- Invest – That’s right. Invest wisely because when you get to Walt Disney World at this time of year you can’t help but think, “Hmm, I can do some holiday shopping while I’m down here!” That’s a very dangerous thought. Assuming you have figured out a way to block off some time for shopping bring money, lots of money, because you may find yourself wanting to buy quite a few things for those people on your holiday gift giving list.
Are You Ready?
So are you prepared for your first Mousefest? I’m not sure anyone can be fully prepared for what awaits them at their first Mousefest. I can tell you one thing and that is that going to Mousefest sort of reminds me of an old commercial I used to see on television. You know, the potato chip one in which we are told nobody can eat just one.
The same holds for Mousefest. Once you’ve had a taste, you’ll be back for more because on your trip back from your first Mousefest you will do nothing except…
…Remember the Magic!
Next Time
In keeping with the holiday theme we’ll look at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and a few other holiday offerings at Walt Disney World this holiday season.
Class dismissed!
