Mailbag editor and staff writer Stephanie Wien answers reader mail in response to her recent article “The Big Cheese in the Big Apple” (link).
Helen Johnson writes:
Terrific information, clear presentation, nice tips, good photos all made for a memorable read. I’ll be referencing this article for my next trip to NYC.
Thank you MousePlanet and thank you, Stephanie Wien!
Thanks for the kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed the article. I hope you get to NYC soon!
Jim from East PA writes:
Thank you for your story about Disney in NYC. It provided useful information (including contact information) for anyone visiting the city.
The reason I am writing you is you might want to be aware of an earlier series of articles MousePlanet had published. It was written by Jim Hill (prior to his Jim Hill Media days) and was called “Road Trip”. It too had information about NYC, including actually attending a “Good Morning, America” broadcast and an attempt to take the New Amsterdam tour (it was my original e-mail to MousePlanet that inspired Jim to take his trip).
I enjoy my daily visits to MousePlanet and look forward to more stories by you and other contributors.
Thank you for your letter. I wasn’t able to read that earlier Jim Hill article, but it’s good to know that others realize that not all Disney is in Anaheim and Orlando! Thank you for your continued support of MousePlanet.
Jon Triesch writes:
I enjoyed your article on the Disney landmarks in NYC. I live in Seattle, but I hope I’ll get to see them in person some day!
I remembered reading some time age about another stop of interest to the Disney fan (this one stuck in my mind because I’m also a librarian). The original stuffed animals that were owned by A. A. Milne’s son Christopher Robin, and were the inspiration for the Pooh books, now reside at the New York Public Library. And if that’s not enough, they also have what they call “Mary Poppins’ umbrella” (not sure what this is exactly, but I’d bet it was one owned by P. L. Travers). All of these items are on permanent display at the Central Children’s Room.
The New York Public Library has a Web page from their site with more info about viewing them (link).
Thanks again for the fun article!
Thanks for the tip about the Pooh and Poppins artifacts. I will be sure to check those out on my next trip down to NYC. I hope you are able to make it to my side of the country and check out some of the great Disney sights. Thank you for your letter.
Antonio also writes about Winnie the Pooh:
Great article… thank you. I wanted to add that the public is also free to enter the New York Public Library Children’s Reading Room on 53rd Street (right across from MoMA). The original Winnie-the-Pooh toys are on display that were owned by Christopher Robin Milne, on the second floor. Definitely a treat for Disney and/or Pooh fans.
I hadn’t thought about the Pooh toys, so thank you for pointing that out. I’ll have to check those out on my next trip down. Thank you for your kind words about the article, and for reading MousePlanet!
Staff writer Lisa Perkis’ recent article on the new American Girl Place store in Los Angeles generated the following letters. Susan Edgington writes:
Ooh, you are so lucky to have gone to American Girl Place! I am 26 years old, and I have been a fan of American Girl dolls since I was ten! I’ve spent countless hours pouring over the catalogs, and now perusing the website. Since I finished college and started working full time, I have managed somehow to buy almost all the historical dolls and several girl of today dolls. I absolutely love them! I understand totally how you felt when you saw all the dolls together. I know I would feel the same way! Now I want to visit AG Place more than ever! I live near Walt Disney World, and get to visit there often, but I have also always wanted to see Disneyland in CA, so I guess when I finally get to make that trip, I’ll be sure to include a day for AG Place! Thanks for your lovely article!
Thanks for the feedback! You really are a fan of American Girl—your collection sounds amazing. I hope you have the chance to visit Disneyland and make a side trip to the AG Place soon.
Louise writes:
Heaven help the parent who can’t afford to or isn’t willing to pay $100+ for a doll.
I agree that the dolls are very expensive. That’s why for years all my daughters had in the way of American Girl merchandise was the catalogue that came to the house every few months. We felt they were too young to understand the value of the dolls and wouldn’t be able to take care with them. Three years ago my oldest was given her first doll by her grandma for Christmas, and this last Christmas my youngest received a doll. For this trip to the AG Place, my kids had saved up all their birthday, allowance, and Christmas money to spend at the store. The things they bought are very precious to them, partly because they spent their own money to obtain them.
Louise responds:
Thanks for your response to my e-mail. You’re right—your daughters’ purchases at the American Girl Place are very precious to them because they spent their own money. I can appreciate the quality of the dolls and the AG accessories. I’ve gone into the AG website just to check things out. I was amazed at the different dolls available and all the accessories. Your daughters were fortunate you took them to the American Girl Place at the Grove during your last Disneyland trip. What was it like to first walk into the store? I can imagine smiles on all your faces. I enjoy reading your trip reports to the Disneyland Resort and look forward to your next report.
Yes, it was a dream come true for them. I had called way back in December 2005 for reservations to the cafe and theatre so they had been looking forward to it for months. Char chose the trip to AG Place over a traditional birthday party and both the grandmas came to have dinner at the cafe with her. It was a very exciting day for everyone.
Jessica writes:
Thank you SO much for posting a report of your trip to the LA American Girls store. I had (and still have) a Felicity doll when I was a little girl and I loved her with a passion—she will be a good friend to your daughter. Actually, the 2006 doll and I have the same exact name and I think I may have to get her even though I am 24—I’m not too old to buy a doll right? I heard about this new store opening and was hoping I could visit someday, but I’m sure it will be a while—I was practically drooling just looking at your pictures! It looks like you had an amazing time. Thanks again for going to the trouble to write that out and share with others!
Thanks for the feedback. No girl is too old for dolls! Plus, I’m sure they will be collector’s items one day that you can hand down to your great-grandkids.
Finally, MousePlanet staff writer and Walt Disney World update author Mark Goldhaber answers some letters from Walt Disney World fans. Pete Kale writes:
I’ve really been enjoying your “History of the World” series, but just about to get to my prime interest, the history of Epcot, you seem to have terminated the series. Any more coming? I’m really interested in what happened to change the evolution of the park from Walt’s original vision.
Thanks for the great history.
I’ve got every intention of getting back to History of the World, but the weekly grind of the park updates has a tendency to keep me from doing the amount of research that I usually do for these stories. I don’t know when, but I will get back to the story.
Connie writes:
Having just returned from a five-day visit to Walt Disney World, I was surprised by the lack of popcorn available at the parks. I found this odd knowing it was the crowded spring break period—is there a shortage of popcorn in the world? On an afternoon at Epcot my husband & I (and kids, 8 & 7) tried first by the stand at Test Track (all out & not popping more), by the World Showcase lagoon (just opening—not sure when it will be ready) and finally by the Imagination Institute where the cast member had enough for 1 box and did not offer to make more! Mind you this is at 3:00 in the afternoon! Does Disney not want any more of my money while I’m on vacation? Also, at the Magic Kingdom at 9:00 with the park open until midnight popcorn stands were closed in Adventureland. Just seems strange to me or perhaps the company is in dire straits and can’t afford to pop corn anymore! I have been going to Disney World twice a year for the last 12 years and it really soured my experience. Thanks for listening!
I find it odd, too. Popcorn is usually readily available at almost every turn at Walt Disney World. Perhaps a shipment had been delayed and they didn’t have enough popcorn to last until it arrived, so they were rationing it? I’ve really got no idea. I hope that you were at least able to find a viable substitute, and that you don’t let it color your feelings toward WDW. It would be a shame for a temporary popcorn shortage (at least I hope it was temporary) to reduce your enjoyment of the resort.
Kelly writes:
We (me, husband and 8 yr old daughter) will be traveling to WDW this summer on July 8-15. We have been to WDW many times since I was a child, but not in the summer. I know it will be hot, hot, hot! My questions are:
1. How late are the 4 parks generally open in the summer? Also how late is Typhoon Lagoon usually open in July?
2. Do they usually have the “extra hours at night” for the Magic Kingdom for resort guests? We will be staying at the Polynesian.
3. What are the crowds really like at that time? Are there waits for just about everything?
I think my plan is to do parks in morning, but we are not early morning people, and later in the evening and hit the pool during the heat of the day. But, I am afraid this will not allow enough time in the parks to do what we want? Any suggestions?
We are also concerned about any hurricanes at that time. Last year a trip was ruined in July to Key West because of a hurricane, can’t remember which one!
We check in on Saturday and if there is a storm coming we are going to either go early and ride it out then check in to Disney or stay and ride it out. It would be great for you to do an article, with hurricane season approaching, on Disney’s policies for check-ins after a storm and their cancellation policies before. Anything basically on what to do before, during and after a storm hits and Disney policy regarding hurricanes.
The answers to your first two questions are available on the Walt Disney World Web site. (On any page, just click the “calendar” link and then navigate to whichever information you need.) The week that you’re there, the Magic Kingdom will be open until 11 p.m. or midnight each night, the Studios are open until 10 every night, Animal Kingdom is open until 7 and Epcot is open until its usual 7/9 p.m. close, depending on the section. Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are also open until 7.
Magic Kingdom will have Extra Magic Hours in the mornings on July 11 and 13 and the evenings on July 9 and 14 during your trip.
For the answer to number 3, I consulted the “Best Days” page on the Unofficial Guide’s Web site (touringplans.com). The crowd levels are predicted to be an 8 on a scale of 1-10 each day during your stay. That would indicate peak waits of 75-84 minutes at the three Magic Kingdom mountains. You can probably figure out the rest from there.
We’re going down at the end of August, and our plan will also be to hit the parks early, take a break back at the resort (Old Key West) during the heat of the day, then go back to another park for the evening. We’re not really morning people either, but we’re going to try to make the change in order to get the most out of our days. I think that you need to plan to see as much as you can, but not be disappointed if you can’t see it all. Remember, there’s always next time, but if you’re pushing yourself so hard that you don’t have fun, you may talk yourself out of a next time.
As to hurricanes, I really don’t have any ideas. I’ll do some research (since I may need to know it for my own trip!) and if there’s enough decent information for an article, I’ll write it up.
