The MousePlanet Mailbag is a regular compilation of some of our reader feedback and writer responses that may be of interest to our readers. We encourage you to drop your questions, opinions, or comments to us in care of our mailbag.
In the first group of letters this week, staff writer Lani Teshima answers a couple of souvenir questions. Emily D. writes:
Thank you for your article on Disneyland on a budget (Souvenirs on a Shoestring, August 4, 2004). With the soaring gas prices, I have found driving from Albuquerque to Anaheim to be very expensive. There are very affordable alternatives to driving. I have found Amtrak train to be the least expensive out of all the ways to travel; for five of us the cost is well under $500 round trip with a AAA discount.
As for souvenirs, in the park they give out free buttons! If you come across an information kiosk, they are stocked with free buttons. You can also get a free button at any character meal. Character meals can be pricey but the pictures you get well make up for the price you pay (and you avoid the lines you have to wait in inside the parks to see some of your favorite characters).
Every hotel in Anaheim is expensive, and if they aren’t they have a considerable amount of bad reviews. We have found staying a little farther away and renting a car saves the money and the hassle of the over-priced motels and hotels of the Disneyland area. We search timeshare rentals; sometimes you can find a two-bedroom timeshare that someone wants to rent for fewer than $500 a week! Timeshares are usually in a really nice hotel or villas on the beach in that area.
I hope this gives your readers some alternative ideas and saves them some money!
Thank you for your money-saving tips. The free buttons indeed make great souvenirs! The various types (happy birthday, first visit, honeymoon, anniversary, family reunion, and so forth) are all part of Disneyland’s Year of a Million Dreams promotion, so they will not be available after the promotion ends. Park visitors can pick them up in City Hall or other locations, including flagging a “Dream Team” cast member. The button you get from a character meal is also cute, as long as you are already going to a character meal (otherwise it’s a very expensive button!).
…speaking of free buttons, MousePlanet readers who join us for special occasions (such as our recent MousePlanet birthday get-together on July 17) can always pick up a free MousePlanet button! Our next get-together is on October 12 during the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party; you can read the announcement on MousePad here.
Time shares can be a hit-or-miss deal but for larger families looking for a full list of home-like amenities (such as a full kitchen), long-term lodges like the Residence Inn by Marriott and time share condos make a great deal. At least on the East Coast, this is an extremely strong draw for people who join the Disney Vacation Club.
Stephen S. writes:
Do you know what those little plastic viewers are called, or how to get them? I’m talking about something that has a single photo inside, maybe of the castle, that a child holds up to the light and looks through? I have seen them before, and used to have one or two. They are maybe 3″ long, and 1″ wide. Some have a keychain looped through the end. They are tapered in shape—widest at the photo end, narrowing down at the eyepiece end. I hope you know what I’m talking about.
The item you are thinking of is probably what people often refer to as a “photo viewer,” “slide viewer,” or “full frame viewer” keychain. These are often sold in souvenir shops with pictures of whatever landmark or place the shops are selling items for, but they are also available through promotional supply companies for people who want to give them out as little take-home gifts from weddings, birthdays, reunions, and whatnot.
I’m not sure Disneyland currently has any of these keychains available, but you might want to contact the fine folks at MouseShoppe.com (whose proprietor is MousePlanet’s Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix) and they may be able to find out for you.
Hope this helps!
Next, MousePlanet staff members answer letters in response to the weekly Disneyland Park Update. Louise H. writes:
Tickets [for Mickey’s Halloween Treat] are also available for Annual Passholders to purchase at $27. I haven’t seen the tickets being offered to the general public yet.
General sale of tickets for Mickey’s Halloween Treat began on August 1, though as you point out Annual Passholders and DVC members can still purchase discounted tickets.
Gary McK. writes:
Even though I can only get out to Disneyland once about every 5 years, I am sad to see the Disney Gallery closing its doors. This was one of those areas of the park where I could escape the rush and noise and take a few moments to collect myself and view some of the greatest works of art around. I liked to consider it my little hideaway because there were times when I was the only person in the whole place. Sometimes, what I scheduled to be a 5 minute sanity break would turn into a half hour of relaxation and peace.
I read that the Disney Gallery may be relocated to Main Street (Opera House?). I hope that it is and that there is more square footage so that more displays can be shown.
Thanks for writing and sharing your memories of the Disney Gallery. Relocating the Gallery’s exhibits and merchandise to the Main Street Opera House is just one of several rumors we’ve received, but none are particularly stronger than another. It seems that right now we just have to wait and see.
Bryce writes:
Out of the majority of the populated school districts in Utah, only two have a different break (10-15) than the normal UEA [Utah Education Association convention]. Your reader is correct, but all of Salt Lake County, obviously the more populated, has UEA off still. Utah County, Springville and Orem have a fall break. Anyway, maybe that is too much information.
Thanks for the extra clarification. I’m sure it will be helpful to people considering travel to Disneyland around that time.
MousePlanet photographer Frank Anzalone answers a reader question about his desktop images (link). Ramon writes:
Great job once again on the recent Nemo photos. I have a question regarding your wallpapers. If this is an insider’s secret you can just tell me to mind my own business. I notice you offer them in several dimensions or sizes if you will. I know you don’t take a photo in each dimension. You must take the photos in one size right and then tinker with them in a program? So how can you offer so many sizes while retaining the proper ratio & quality. Look forward to your answer.
No secret… The photos are ONE original image and then cropped for a few various monitor sizes. To get a little technical, the original photos I shot are 300 dpi (good quality for making prints and such), then converted to 72 dpi (this is the computer monitor resolution), and then cropped for a few different proportions (depending if you have a desktop monitor, or a lap top… Pick the size that works best for you!).
Keep reading MousePlanet! There will be more desktop pictures in your future!
Staff writer Mark Goldhaber answers a couple of Walt Disney World-related letters. Steve S. writes:
Mark, Your column is awesome—my brother and I (both 45+ years old) read the WDW Update religiously every week and use it to schedule our respective family trips.
A quick question—does Disney always hold to the specific dates they say a ride will be “closed for refurbishment”? Specifically, I will be at WDW from Oct 21-24 and it is a bummer that Big Thunder Mountain will be closed during this period. Any chance it will open early?
Thanks for your kind words on the Update.
Disney usually does their best estimate for ride refurbishments, with a little extra in case it takes on the long side of expectations. It’s possible that attractions will open early, but it’s best not to count on it. Good luck, and I hope that Big Thunder opens ahead of schedule for you.
Jack T. writes:
I have a question that I am dying to get an answer to and no one seems to know the answer. I came here hoping I could find an answer. At Epcot Center in 1986 there was a show on the lagoon that had dragon boats and kites in it. The show was in the daytime and also had jet skis and gliders. I am looking to find out the name of the show. I remember seeing it as a child but I forgot the name. I am hoping that I can get an answer.
It was Skyleidoscope.
Finally, here are a couple of follow-up letters to topics covered in previous mailbags. Pam writes:
Regarding the reader’s concern about the Caribbean Beach and refillable mugs. You have to go to the market to take care of that and many villages are quite far from the market. We are staying at the CB for the second time this June. We requested “Jamaica” because it is a pleasant walk across the footbridge to the market. It is not a preferred location (which is another option for the reader) because we decided not to pay extra for that. Disney has always seemed to honor requests on buildings and rooms even though nothing is guaranteed. We loved the location of Jamaica and enjoyed the pleasant walk each morning across the bridge.
Jenny writes:
While we were visiting Orlando we took part in the Typhoon Lagoon early surf experience. A local TV station was there that day too. The theme park reporter looked as if he had just as much fun falling down as I did when my husband and I tried.
I found the story on their Web site. You have to click on the “Catch a wave” link with the little camcorder logo to watch the video (link)
Friends of ours in Indiana watched and now they are skipping an extra day at Disney MGM to do this instead!
