It’s a super site featuring some rare and in depth insider knowledge about the parks, most specifically Disneyland Park in Paris. It truly opened my eyes to the amazing amount of detail that went into the creation of that park, and I can’t wait for more.

‘Designing Disney’ is currently running the ’2011Designing Disney Blog Easter Egg Hunt’. They provide a list of posts within which you might find the image of an egg:

Click on the egg upon finding it, and you’ll be rewarded with an amazing Disney History treat. Seriously, its well worth the effort!!! Check it out here

Well, I’m back from a pretty chaotic 3 months with the family, and 12 days at Disneyland Resort Paris.

Though I won’t be focusing much on time spent with the family, you can most definitely expect some pretty varied posts about the French parks. I will also do my best to post about individual days, but as you can imagine, a whopping twelve days can leave one with a distorted memory of the specifics.

My magical days at the parks were made possible by a number of people, and I would like to thank them for helping me make my dreams possible. They all get my “Mickey Ear Stamp Of Approval”:

My French Grandparents: Without the inheritances left by my grandparents, we would not have been able to make the trip, and who knows when I would have had the opportunity to visit a Disney Resort.

My Parents: For having taken me along to France. For providing me with extensions to my budget. For being lovingly supportive of my passion. For listening to me babble about my days at the parks.

My Father: For driving me to and from the parks the last few days. It sure beat the heck out of 40 minutes of grotty public transport!

My Mother, Sister and Nephew: For joining me for my first full day at the parks. Disney Parks are about magic for the whole family, and their company made it an amazing return to Disney Theme Park Magic.

My Sister: For lending me her son over 2 whole days. I got to share some real  magical moments with him.

(Am I over using ‘Magic’ yet?)

My Nephew: For joining me in the parks and for driving the Autopia cars like a true Disney fan!

My Uncle Joel: For my wonderful board while at the parks. For waking up just to feed me after a hard day at the parks. For the wonderful food and drink. For showing me Paris, as I’d never seen it, on the side.

Michelle: For suggesting I get an annual pass (I didn’t know they even existed at DLRP) and for organising the tickets for me.

My Uncle George: For helping me extend my budget in a BIG way. (And the massive amount of beer tasting, but that hasn’t much to do with my trips to the park!)

Marie: For selling my album, and thus, extending my budget. For recognising my passion and adding to my collection of Disney swag.

Regis: Also for recognising my passion and adding to my Disney collection.

Christelle: For making the effort to join me for a day in the Parks, even though she lives 4 hours away!
Carole, Aurelie, Ben and Co.: For joining Christelle and I at the parks.

To All The Pin Traders I met: For loving Disney. For being fellow fans. For chatting with me. For the fun we shared. (Beware the ‘Old Lady’!)

Gregory (See Image On Right): For an amazing and unforgettable Cast Member performance at the ‘Tower Of Terror’

Patrick, Franck, Tristan and Nadia (castmembers): For helping me ease into pin trading. For their wonderful friendliness, acceptance and openness. For their insider stories. For their warmth and laughter. For making me feel part of the Disney family.

To Cast Members: For making my experience that much more magical.

To Walter Elias Disney: For creating this empire. For making me cry during the ‘Enchanted Fireworks’. For giving me this amazing world that is my refuge. For providing it to us all.

Thank You.

I went. I saw. I wore Mickey Ears!

Original ‘Parents’, ‘Michelle’, ‘Marie’ and ‘Regis’ Photos Courtesy Of
Dave Harcourt at Digivu.co.za

‘The Official Disneyland Resort Podcast’ has just released a new “Year Of A Million Dreams” videocast, and once again, as a result of seeing one of the amazing prizes I’d melt my left hand off for being given away to someone else, I ended up crying.

© 2007 The Walt Disney Company

The Year Of A Million Dreams

“The Year Of A Million Dreams”, for all you Non “Disney Nuts”, is a kind of celebration (hear ‘promotion’) which the Disney company has been running at it’s Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks since the beginning of 2007, and which it has now extended to cover 2008.

Basically, anyone visiting the U.S. parks has a chance of being randomly selected to win one of the 1 million prizes given away each of the two years. These prizes can be anything from special Fast Passes, to Limited Edition “Dream” Mickey Ears, to Disney shopping sprees, to Disney Cruises all the way to single nights in the two newly built park suites“Cinderella Castle Suite” at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom park or, as seen in said videocast,
Disneyland’s “Dream Suite”.

All these prizes, feel extremely precious to me, as decent Disney Merchandise can be a serious hassle to get hold of here in South Africa.
Yet none feel as magical as the possibility of spending a night in either of the parks. Both suites were originally Uncle Walt’s ideas, but both fell by the wayside when Walt Disney died in 1966. So staying in one of them just blows my mind!

The Castle Suite

In the “Cinderella Castle Suite”, I’d be right in the centre of the Magic Kingdom. Non Disney Fans are saying “so?”. Umm….did I mention I’d be right in the centre of the Magic Kingdom….for a night….alone…..
In The Castle…

Photo Courtesy Of “Zesmeralda” on Flickr

Who wouldn’t want to spend a night in a fairytale castle anyway?!? Well okay, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but from what I’ve seen, the sheer grandeur of this place would cause anyone to enjoy it! It’s all meticulously decorated, as only Disney does, in a 17th Century style that includes a carved limestone fire place, stain glass windows and a starlit roof surrounding a sunken bathtub, stone pillars and stone walls with wooden panelling. I’m drooling all over myself just thinking about it.

The Dream Suite

The “Dream Suite” keeps an even bigger space in my heart. Nestled in the heart of New Orleans(…..well, actually only in “New Orleans Square” in Disneyland) It’s a wonderful, elegantly themed 2 bedroom piece of Disney Magic. Not only are each of the rooms themed to match one of Disneyland’s, well, lands (themed sections), but almost every room contains “surprises” that involve animating the rooms objects and decorations. This includes a “Goodnight Kiss” button in both bedrooms, which, when pressed activates a comforting and magical show to remind you you’re actually about to fall asleep in Disneyland. To me, the shows are so subtle and indicative of the times in which Walt grew his magic, that they’re almost a goodnight kiss from Walt himself. I also pick up a close resemblance in decor to that of Walt’s very own, apartment above the firehouse, though the “original” is no where near as fancy!
Click here for a fairly in depth explanation of the suite and it’s effects.
I can’t express enough how much I feel connected to this suite. Disney Nuts will tell you, that there is a certain resonance that emanates from good Disney stuff, and a lot of it tends to be from the work that Walt had a direct hand in producing while he was alive. However, when I watch this videocast, I feel that resonance, I fall in love and I cry.

This And All Disneyland ‘Dream Suite’ Photos Courtesy The Disney Company
and © 2008 The Disney Company

See All The “Year Of A Million Dreams” Prizes In This Awesome Picture Catalog!

Every true Disney geek must return from a Disney park, holding head high and with “swag” in hand. This must be promptly followed by the customary
“swag show”.

It seems my head may be held only at half mast upon return as funds are short. Here follows my current wish-list as allowed by my current budget:

1 x Mickey Ears

Many a non-Disney fan (and even some Disney fans) fail to see the point of  donning the Mickey Ears. I feel it’s the best way to show just how much you want to be part of the theme park experience. On top of that, one tends to receive more attention and friendliness from cast members (or so I’m told).

I’ve been dreaming of having my first set of Mickey ears and showing them off proudly for quite a while now, and so, Mickey ears will be the first item I purchase at DLRP (Disneyland Resort Paris)

1 x Messenger Bag

This will have to be one of the first things I buy once there (straight after the Mickey ears!), so that I can keep the mass of stuff I’ll have with me in an appropriate bag.

What stuff? Well a camera, my mole skin notebook, possibly an autograph book (though I may just get characters to autograph the notebook), small towels (incase I or attraction seats get wet: I’m not usually afraid of water, but in the middle of an icy french winter….not so keen), hopefully my iRiver and stereo lapel microphone (unfortunately, unbeknown to me, the iRiver T20 I purchased for recording doesn’t actually have a built in mic pre-amp!) and as many free pamphlets, leaflets, guide books and loose pieces of scenery (etc.) I can get my thieving little hands on! (I would never actually steal…I’m a nice guy! : )

1 x ‘Disneyland Resort Paris’ Top

The first time I visited DLRP, at the age of 10, my aunt bought me a “Euro Disney” shirt. Euro Disney was the park’s name back then.

She had to push me to accept it (I had seen the price and I was embarrassed) , but I eventually accepted it. I became so attached to it, that I wore it for the next 11 years, including twice at the park!

At the end of those 11 years, the shirt had, as you may imagine, outgrown it’s owner somewhat, as well as amassed a surprising amount of holes. To be honest though, I still bludgeon myself for giving it away. I should have at least kept it and framed it, especially since it bore the Euro Disney logo!

1 x Mystery Item(s?)

I’d like to keep a little mystery in my Disney Shopping experience. Therefore, I’ve kept this list well inside the current budget in order to leave some space for what ever item(S?) warm my heart.

It could be anything from a Disney Poster (can you believe I don’t even have one?!?!), to a snow globe, to an album of park music, to pins, or even to silly things liked branded lighters, key-ring and pens. These small items may seem insignificant, but to a serious Disney nut like me, it’s a daily reminder of the magic, and yet another way to declare your love for Disney!

For an example of the “Swag Show” and other essential Disney-Geek stuff, Check  Out:

“Perfect Day At Disneyland – Part 003 – Countdown” videocast
From
WindowToTheMagic

Disneyland was built within a year. The effects of the hurried process made themselves quite apparent on opening day (a.k.a “Walt’s Folly” or by Walt and his team as “Black Sunday”) when women’s high heals got stuck in asphalt poured just the night before, clothing became stained by freshly painted benches, a plumbers strike left drinking fountains without water, vendors ran out of food, and a gas leak caused Adventureland, Frontierland, and Fantasyland to close.

As if that wasn’t enough, it was hot day (105 F / 38 C), parents kept pushing for their children to get onto rides and, worst of all, invitations to the opening day were counterfeited, effectively flooding the park with people.

But as you can see in the dedication footage, Walt was beaming. He knew he was offering the world an experience they would find themselves unable to forget anytime soon. He understood the immensity of the event, and how rare the hysteria over an event such as this was. He knew he was building dreams. Most of all, I believe, he was a child again. A child who saw his dreams come true.

As for me, I allways cry when I watch Uncle Walt speak anyway!

More Disneyland Opening Day Clips (Youtube)