When I handed down my, now legendary, awards last year, I didn’t realize I would be issuing the inaugural awards  in what would quickly become a storied tradition surpassing even the Academy Awards and Soul Train Music Awards in terms of clout. The number of Imagineers and Disney executives who now proudly display a “Planie” on their mantel is staggering, and I swear I only broke into like 6 of their houses to put the award there. In actuality, I’m sure the three or four people who read these awards last year scrubbed the memory from their minds approximately 30 seconds after closing the browser window. But I dare to dream that someday, these awards will have their own red carpet gala!

Although anyone who disagrees with my picks here is obviously wrong, it’s worth noting that these aren’t official picks of the TouringPlans staff. So if anyone on the staff wants to disagree with me (and be wrong) as to the winner of any of these awards, more power to them.

Best New Attraction: Radiator Springs Racers, Disney California Adventure

There’s absolutely no competition for this award. Radiator Springs Racers is the best US attraction Disney has opened since at least Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ Tower of Terror, or perhaps earlier. It’s an appropriate flagship attraction for Cars Land, and is a “destination attraction” in that it will be the reason kids convince their parents to plan trips to go to the “Cars Park” out in California for years to come.

Radiator Springs Racers sets a new bar for Disney E-Ticket attractions as it brilliantly combines a ride through Ornament Valley with dark ride sequences and next-generation Audio-Animatronics. The ride system is similar to Test Track’s, but comparing Test Track to Radiator Springs Racers is like comparing Dinosaur to Indiana Jones Adventure. Racing side-by-side with another car through the breathtaking Ornament Valley mountains is an amazing experience, but it’s the dark ride sequences, the queue detail, and the complete package of Radiator Springs Racers that make it one of the greatest Disney attractions ever.

Honorable mention here goes to Test Track at Walt Disney World. While not technically new, Test Track “2.0″ is so drastically different from its predecessor that it might as well be new. For the first time in years, Future World feels like it embodies the promise of EPCOT Center a bit more. With Test Track 2.0, Disney finally nailed what an EPCOT Center “2.0″ attraction should feel like. It’s a shame that it took until the 3.0 version of the World of Motion building attraction for this to happen, but hopefully things are finally on the upswing for EPCOT.

Biggest Disappointment: New Fantasyland, Magic Kingdom

Maintenance issues have plagued Walt Disney World for the last several years, with plenty of new and continuing issues, so awarding this honor to New Fantasyland over, say, the Tree of Life, Carousel of Progress, Splash Mountain, Maelstrom, Expedition Everest, and probably a few more attractions that I’m forgetting might seem disingenuous. And it might be. The thing is, I’d be handing out this award to attractions with maintenance issues for the next decade if I didn’t look outside that realm.

Instead, I’ll give it to New Fantasyland. Judged in a vacuum, New Fantasyland is a solid addition to the Magic Kingdom. It provides a nice contrast to the sea of concrete of Old Fantasyland with plenty of lush landscaping and interesting areas of explore. It’s heavy on rich details, which are otherwise light in the Magic Kingdom’s Old Fantasyland. Just as important, it gives the Magic Kingdom needed capacity to absorb crowds.

Given that praise, it might be difficult to see how it wins this award. It wins because this is an award for Biggest Disappointment, not “Worst” _______. The former is relative to expectations, the latter is absolute. New Fantasyland is a disappointment because it has been billed by Disney as the largest expansion to the Magic Kingdom in 41 years, and has been heavily touted by Disney since the 2009 D23 Expo. Disney, itself, has been building excitement and anticipation for this land for over three years and fans have been craving an adequate replacement for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea since it closed in the area of New Fantasyland in the 1990s. To put things into perspective, construction of New Fantasyland will take significantly longer than construction of Cars Land…and New Fantasyland is no Cars Land.

After all of this build-up by Disney, it’s a bit disappointing that the “flagship” attraction of New Fantasyland is a C-Ticket Little Mermaid dark ride that, while containing a few really impressive Audio-Animatronics, also includes a lot of static and listless ocean denizens and regions of empty space. Be Our Guest Restaurant and Enchanted Tales with Belle are both arguably more impressive than the substance of the Little Mermaid ride (the official TouringPlans.com score for this attraction is 3.5/4, so clearly some people are going to disagree with me on my evaluation of the ride). Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid’s queue and exterior partially redeem it, but it lacks the wow-factor or charm to be the cornerstone of “the largest expansion in the history of the Magic Kingdom” at that land’s grand opening.

The level of hype as contrasted with the one ride of the expansion that’s currently open, in a nutshell, is why New Fantasyland wins this award. Be Our Guest Restaurant is beautiful and has fairly imaginative cuisine for the Magic Kingdom, and Enchanted Tales with Belle is a captivating experience that will surely leave an indelible mark on many youngsters. From a selfish perspective, I wish the funds for these two lavish elements of the expansion were allocated towards dark rides based upon “Disney Animation Renaissance” films (or even towards smaller, charming attractions like Casey Jr. or the Storybook Land Canal Boats), but I can understand and appreciate both as solid additions to the Magic Kingdom that others will surely love.

Plenty of New Fantasyland supporters will, I’m sure, point to the hunks of steel rising in New Fantasyland that will become the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, contending that it will be the flagship attraction of New Fantasyland, rendering my disappointment moot. I also have high hopes for this attraction. However, at the time of the “grand opening” of New Fantasyland, this attraction wasn’t open, and I’m not willing to deem something that hasn’t opened a panacea for New Fantasyland. I’m sure it will have its own grand opening in late 2013 or early 2014, at which time it might take “Best New Attraction” or might help the Magic Kingdom win “Park of the Year.”

Honorable mention here goes to Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. The attraction (or whatever you want to call it) isn’t itself all that bad. It’s not for me, but I’ll concede that a lot of people enjoy it. The disappointment isn’t in the substance of the attraction, but in that  Disney has allowed profiteers to “lurk” around stations of the attraction, attempting to trade their common cards for rare cards held by unsuspecting guests (not all traders are like this, and profiteer traders are certainly the exception rather than the rule, but the bad apples are still enough to taint my opinion of Disney’s execution of the game). I’m disappointed in Disney having knowledge of these profiteers, and doing nothing to prevent them from preying on tourists and their kids.

Park of the Year: Disney California Adventure

Do I really even have to explain this one? Disney California Adventure was reborn in 2012, like a phoenix rising from Arizona! I could go on for thousands of words about Disney California Adventure’s rebirth (and have!), but that would be beating a dead horse at this point. There were no challengers for this award, and Disney California Adventure easily walks away with it thanks to Buena Vista Street and Cars Land, plus a lot of placemaking around the park that made it look new again.

Dining Establishment of the Year: Be Our Guest Restaurant, Magic Kingdom

I’ve only had the chance to dine here for lunch, but that was all it took to know that Be Our Guest Restaurant deserved this award. The artisanship, special effects, and details throughout Be Our Guest Restaurant make it as much an experience as it is a restaurant. The food is fairly inventive (especially considering this restaurant is in Fantasyland) and guests will find themselves taking time to walk around the restaurant looking at all of the effects and little details, instead of dining and dashing. While I personally don’t think the forced perspective on Beast’s Castle works, and the main dining room felt a tad like a mess hall during lunch, these are the only blemishes on an otherwise perfect dining experience.

In other years, Gaston’s Tavern and Flo’s V8 Cafe each probably could have taken this award. It’s interesting that for the second straight year, one of the best overall additions was a restaurant/bar. With Trader Sam’s and Be Our Guest Restaurant, Disney has really pushed the envelope on dining experiences.

Announcement of the Year: LucasFilm Acquisition

There were no theme park announcements deserving of this award in 2012, so I’ll punt this award to the LucasFilm acquisition, which undoubtedly will have indirect theme park implications at some point in the future. How near or distant in the future is anyone’s guess.

Am I way off with my picks? What are your picks for 2012 Disney Awards? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The Most Highly-Coveted, Heavily Sought-After Disney Awards: TouringPlans’ 2012 Picks! is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

Thanks to everyone who has purchased our new TouringPlans.com eBooks: Disneyland: Holiday TouringPlans eGuide 2012 and Walt Disney World: Holiday Season TouringPlans eGuide 2012, and double-thanks to those who have sent kind notes complimenting us on the eBooks. We poured a lot of time and energy into these eBooks, so it’s great to hear that readers are enjoying them!

For those of you still on the fence, we thought we’d share a little more of the Walt Disney World Holiday eBook! By clicking here you can access a PDF containing two sample sections from the eBook! (Note: due to file size limitations, this sample section has been compressed and its image quality is lower than the quality of the full eBook.) These are just a few of the pages and photos contained in the full 111-page eBook, which features over 150 high quality photos of Walt Disney World at Christmas!

Use the buttons below to purchase the eBooks:

Walt Disney World Holiday eGuide 2012: Click “Add to Cart” to purchase Walt Disney World: Holiday Season TouringPlans eGuide 2012.
Disneyland Holiday eGuide 2012: Click “Add to Cart” to purchase Disneyland: Holiday TouringPlans eGuide 2012.

For more information on these Holiday eBooks, including additional screenshots, please click here.

If you’ve already purchased your copy of either eBook, please share your thoughts about them in the comments! Good, bad, or ugly, we’d love some “reader testimonials.” 

Walt Disney World Holiday eBook Sample Section is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

Can you believe that it’s the holiday season already?! The Disney theme parks are already decked out for Christmas, and today marks the first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and the first night of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights! Disneyland is also in the spirit, as the Christmas decorations have been up in Disney California Adventure for the last few days!

As evidenced by our annual Festivus office party (for those curious, last year Fred handily defeated Brian during the “Feats of Strength;” seriously, it was embarrassing), we here at TouringPlans love the holidays. Whether we’re belting out an off-key rendition of “Tracks in the Snow” from Country Bear Christmas or trying the latest tequila-based holiday concoction Len has cooked up (his peppermint-tequila pancakes are surprisingly good!), we fully embrace the spirit of the season.

It was this holiday spirit that inspired us to create two new TouringPlans.com eBooks: Disneyland: Holiday TouringPlans eGuide 2012 and Walt Disney World: Holiday Season TouringPlans eGuide 2012. We’ve been working tirelessly on these eBooks, and the end results are pretty stunning. I know I’m biased, but these are two of the most gorgeous eBooks I’ve ever seen, with tons of tips and Christmas planning information that will make these guides the perfect tool for ensuring that your Christmas visit is truly magical.

What’s great about these eBooks is that they each offer something for everyone. If you’re a first-time or infrequent visitor to Walt Disney World at Christmas, the information and planning tips will be second-to-none and it will all be presented in a very pretty package! If you’re a regular Christmas visitor, you’ll still find a lot of useful information in these guides. Sure, you may not need a detailed description of the IllumiNations Peace on Earth tag, but you may not know where to grab the absolute-best Christmas cupcake at Walt Disney World or whether the Holiday Time at Disneyland Tour is worth the money. Even if you’ve been to Walt Disney World hundreds of times for Christmas and are confident you know everything, I guarantee you haven’t seen this many gorgeous Walt Disney World Christmas photos. See? Something for everyone!

What’s Inside?

We’ve managed to cram tons of photos, information, and tips into each of these guides. Here’s what you can expect from the eBooks:

• 92 pages (Disneyland) and 111 pages (Walt Disney World)
• Information & tips for enjoying every form of holiday entertainment in the parks and resorts
• Tips to avoid the holiday crowds
• 125+ photos (Disneyland) and 150+ photos (Walt Disney World)
• Full November & December 2012 TouringPlans.com Crowd Calendars
• Holiday snack recommendations
• Historical tidbits, facts, and photos of the Disney “Ghosts of Christmas Past”
• …And much, much more!

The best part? If you’re able to read this blog post, you’re able to read these eBooks! There are no crazy or exclusive formats. These holiday eBook Guides are being released as a high-quality full-color PDFs that you can download instantly and read on your computer. You can also transfer them to read on the go on your iPhone, iPad, or other eReader device! Please note that to avoid any issues, you should always download the eBooks on a computer first, and then transfer them to your mobile devices. Apple recommends importing them into iBooks, which you can do by following these instructions.

Purchase Now!

Walt Disney World Holiday eGuide 2012: Click “Add to Cart” to purchase Walt Disney World: Holiday Season TouringPlans eGuide 2012.
Disneyland Holiday eGuide 2012: Click “Add to Cart” to purchase Disneyland: Holiday TouringPlans eGuide 2012.

Downloading & Installing

Bought an eBook (or two!) and wondering how to get it onto your mobile device? First, and this is incredibly important: no matter which eReader or mobile device you’re using, always download to your computer and transfer the file to your device. This is the most reliable way to ensure a successful download, and it ensures that you have a back-up copy on your computer for safekeeping! Here are links to the instructions for the most popular formats:

iPad & iPhone: Apple recommends importing the eBooks into iBooks, which you can do by following these instructions.

Kindle: Amazon suggests emailing the file (these are likely too large for that) or copying via USB. Use these instructions to transfer.

Android: Although Google recommends copying from your computer, you should be okay opening the download email you receive from us in your Android device and clicking the link there. If you’d rather go the more reliable route and copy from your computer, follow these instructions for Windows and follow these instructions for Macs.

Nook: Nook users should connect via USB and transfer to their device by following these instructions.

Need More Convincing? 

Still not convinced that these eBooks are filled with holiday cheer? Check out these actual screenshots from the eBooks that we’re sure will convince you that you need them! First, Walt Disney World: 

More of a Disneyland person? Check out the screenshots from the Disneyland Holiday eBook below:

Are you a fan of Christmas at Walt Disney World or Disneyland? Please let us know what you love about Christmas at Disney, and give us your feedback on these eBooks in the comments!

Gorgeous New Disney Christmas eBooks Now Available! is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

The original title of this post was to be “A Salute To All Things Norway, But Mostly Trolls, Anorexic Polar Bears, Oil Rigs, and Children of the Corn” but that was deemed a tad too wordy by the editors. Title notwithstanding, I’m excited to take you on an exciting 24,248 word adventure/dissertation on the cultural significance, anthropological underpinnings, and guest psychology surrounding the Maelstrom boat ride in Epcot. Hope you’re ready for some fun!!!

As my posts over the years have suggested, I’m a big fan of some of Walt Disney World’s less popular attractions and I honestly believe many of these attractions are superior to popular attractions in their respective parks. I’ve ardently supported Country Bear Jamboree. I’ve pontificated on the merits of Carousel of Progress. I’ve even presented my case for believing Impressions de France is superior to Soarin’. I’ve even wrote a treatise complaining about that big hat so many people seem to love. So does it really come as any surprise that I’m a fan of Maelstrom?

The difference in the case of Maelstrom is that I realize Maelstrom is flat out bad. Laugh out loud bad. So bad that it’s good. I enjoy a lot of media like this, most of which I’d describe as campy, kitschy, or self-aware and self-deprecating. I enjoy movies like the Leprechaun series that don’t purport to have any artistic merit and are acutely aware that their whole premise is a big joke.

For those who don’t hold the same zeal as me for the brilliant Maelstrom attraction, let’s examine Maelstrom. There’s a lot to love. The excellence starts out in the queue, after guests pass through some dank hallways themed to emulate the mold-infested buildings of Norway(?). How many of you have picked up on the exceptional details of the discolored ceiling tiles here? Brilliant and incredibly subtle storytelling!

At the end of the queue, we arrive at the loading area, which (probably) uses artisan tiles and fine woods imported from Norway to further pull guests into the experience. Overhead, there is a large mural representing all of the various occupations in Norway (basically, working on some sort of ship or being a viking). Here, Norway brings out the big guns as they commissioned Chuck Norris to pose as an oil worker in the mural. Pretty sure Mr. Norris isn’t from Norway, but a cunning move to go after that coveted 18-25 audience by gaining his endorsement. This mural foreshadows much of what’s to come, as guests board their Nordic vessels and head into the heart of darkness…

From here, I’m not exactly sure what happens. I usually cover my eyes for the duration as I fear gazing into the eye of Mara. I think your ride boat starts by taking you through a modern day Norwegian village…where something has gone terribly wrong! Everything is on fire and all of the village people have entranced, vapid blue-glowing gazes as if they are possessed. Spooky. I always assume this is the result of someone in my boat having looked Mara in the eye.

Next the boat goes up a hill where we encounter a three-headed monster (presumably Mara’s handiwork) and some rad state of the art fiber-optics before changing directions and going backwards down another hill (look out: hairpin turn!). This is really the highlight of the attraction, and given that it was built in the late 1980s, I’m not sure what all the “Everest is state of the art” hubbub was about when Expedition Everest ripped off Maelstrom’s design some 25 years later. At this point, the boat quickly passes some puffins and a herd (that’s what groups of bears is called, right?) of anorexic polar bears before passing a Hidden Troll (why aren’t there books devoted to spotting these in Walt Disney World?!) and again changing directions.

Finally, the attraction passes down a hill and culminates in a glorious three-hour finale featuring stormy skies and some oil rigs. I believe these oil rigs are somehow symbolic or help tell an elaborate 29 page backstory that explains away why a travelogue dark ride would feature such an eclectic and gloomy assortment of stuff. When it’s all over, guests exit into a port town complete with store fronts and pass through a theater without stopping for the film (this last part is key).

If you haven’t experienced Maelstrom yourself, yeah, it’s just as awesome as it sounds. It is best described as campy–it has such an odd mix of elements and they’re presented without much rhyme or reason. I wouldn’t describe it as kitschy or self-aware, as it appears that the point of the attraction when it was built was to share some of the folklore of Norway along with some of its present culture and wildlife with a travelogue tone, but the execution totally missed the mark or the attraction hasn’t aged well. The result is chuckle-inducing content around every turn, and lines of dialogue that are memorable not because they’re poignant, but because of their cheesy content and delivery. I love Maelstrom and I think it’s a lot of fun, but not because of its substantive quality. I love it because those corny scenes and the laughs I’ve had about them with others, the dialogue, and even the smell of the attraction, are all firmly embedded in my memory. I like it for the same reason I like the Leprechaun films–because it’s fun and absurd.

Although I love it, one thing I always wonder after we exit Maelstrom is what purpose the ride serves? The goal of most World Showcase pavilions is to pique guests’ curiosity about these foreign lands, and entice them to visit. That’s why the countries and corporations within the countries agreed to sponsor them in the first place. Every other pavilion does this pretty well by showcasing the beauty and charm of each country. I would argue that the films in Canada, China, and especially France do the best job of “selling” their respective countries. Norway, on the other hand…well…can anyone honestly say that they’ve felt compelled to visit Norway after riding past some creepy glowing eyed village-people, misshapen polar bears, oil rigs, and trolls? The sad thing is, from what I’ve seen and read independently, Norway is a beautiful and charming country with a lot of history, but absolutely none of that is conveyed in Maelstrom. I think this irony might make Maelstrom even more awesome for me.

For all of these reasons, no visit to Epcot is complete without a ride aboard Maelstrom. While I’d really like to see it completely overhauled and replaced with something that I enjoy because it’s actually good, part of me would mourn the loss of such an unintentionally fun romp through troll country. If for some reason you haven’t experienced Maelstrom yet because you’ve heard it’s bad, give it a chance. You may find yourself agreeing with me that it’s so bad that it’s good!

What do you think of Maelstrom? Do you enjoy it for its unintentionally humorous qualities…or do you actually think it’s a good attraction? Share your thoughts in the comments!

A Tribute To Trolls is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

Ever left Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party with some ghoulishly bad photos? Blame ghosts. Or evil-doers. Or something of that sort. Whatever you do, don’t blame yourself! (But who would do that?! It’s not the American way!) If you’ve had trouble taking photos during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, not only are you not alone, and chances are, it’s really not your fault. Between the harsh artificial lighting and nighttime darkness during the event, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party presents the most challenging circumstances for outdoor landscape-style photography at Walt Disney World. That lighting really adds to the great ambiance during the Party, but it wrecks havoc on our camera sensors.

Well, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that you don’t have to be an advanced-level photographer in order to improve the photos you take during the party. The bad news is that, unlike many other times when taking photos at Walt Disney World, you will hit some walls based upon your camera gear. Normally, skill and knowledge matter far, far more than the equipment you use (despite all of the “I wish I had a camera that takes photos as good as your camera” comments I receive), but in this case, the importance of equipment is actually high. This is mostly true for photos of the Boo to You parade.

If you’re looking to upgrade both your knowledge and your gear, my recommendation for those who want to stick with point and shoot cameras would be to purchase either the Canon S100 (budget) or the Sony RX100 (more expensive, but a beast of a pocketable camera). I could go on and on about which DSLR you should purchase if you’re in the market there, but I will spare everyone the boring details. As a Nikon shooter, my recommended options include the Nikon D3200 (entry), Nikon D7000 (moderate), or Nikon D600 (advanced).

For those who aren’t looking to spend any money, here are some tips to improve your photos with the camera you already own. Since I presume most of you are using point and shoot cameras or perhaps entry level DSLRs, I’m going to keep the tips simple and approachable. For advanced tips on photographing the Halloween Party, I’d recommend checking out Disney Photography Blog, which has some excellent Halloween material.

The first tip is to arrive at the party as early as possible, and try to get as many photos then. If can enter the Magic Kingdom on Party nights with your event ticket as early as 4 pm, and you will see Cast Members in costume and decorations out that early. Get as many photos as you can right away if your goal is photos. In the daytime light, these photos are much more likely to turn out. Grab photos of the snazy Cast Member costumes then, the “See Ya Real Soon” pumpkins lining the backside of the Train Station (most people don’t notice these or think to photograph them until they leave), the cool Halloween statues in the hub, the festive bunting, and the lamp-post decorations on Main Street all right when you arrive. These photos will be exponentially more difficult to capture once night falls. Plus, if you can capture all these photos before the of Party actually starts, you have more time during the Party to enjoy Party-specific entertainment!

At or shortly before 7pm, many party attendees are going to turn their focus to character photos. If these matter to you, you should arrive early for some of the more popular characters (follow our excellent Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Touring Plan).  All night photos you take during the Party are going to be tough, character photos included.

If you’re using a point and shoot camera and are at all comfortable with manual settings, try raising the ISO, using as low of an aperture value as possible (likely f/2.0 to f/4 depending upon your camera), and lowering the shutter speed. If people will be in your photos, try not to go slower than 1/30th of a second if you’re holding the camera or 1/60th of a second if you’re handing the camera off to PhotoPass and don’t go quite so low with the aperture (keep it around f/5.6). Also, don’t be afraid to ask the PhotoPass photographer to snap a couple photos with your camera, which gives you a higher chance of at least one being in focus/good.

If you’re not comfortable with manual settings, see if you can find a “night portrait” or “dusk portrait” mode on your camera. The camera will, more or less, choose the same settings in these modes. With these settings, you’ll get some ambient background light into the shot to bring some detail to the background so it’s not just your party and the character set against a black background. If you commonly have this problem, it’s because your flash is the main source of light in your photos–you need to adjust your settings. If you get a blurry photo when using this preset mode, it’s because of camera shake. Try to hold the camera as stable as possible or set it on a trash can or other surface to minimize this issue.

Next up is the Boo to You parade, which is really difficult for photography. Your equipment simply may not be able to capture good parade photos. There’s really no good “auto” mode that you can select for the parade on most cameras (Try “kids and pets” mode with flash turned on). Because the floats move, you need a relatively fast shutter speed.  Due to the fast shutter speed, you need a really wide open aperture and high ISO.  While I typically hate the look of flash on parade floats, your equipment, especially if you’re using a point & shoot, may require that you use the flash. Honestly, if you don’t have the camera to take good parade photos, I’d just recommend setting it down and finding good photos online, and just enjoying the parade in person. Boo to You parade photos with the flash as the only light in the frame aren’t going to look that good, anyway.

Fireworks are also going to be difficult unless you have a tripod or really, really steady hands.  In manual modes, I would advise to set the camera to 400-800 ISO for a point & shoot, aperture as low as you can go (f/2.0-f/4), and shutter speed of 1/15th of a second or so, depending on the steadiness of your hands.  Most cameras have a fireworks “auto” mode, but the assumption on the camera’s part is that you have a tripod or some way of stabilizing the camera if you’re using this mode. If you try to use it handheld, you’ll end up with a lot of blurry shots. I’ve had good success stabilizing the camera on someone else’s head before (seriously). Just make sure they stand very still and, of course, don’t use this method on a stranger!

Another great aspect of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is the excellent ambiance and lighting just about everywhere in the park. You know what else is just about everywhere in the park? Trash cans. Trash cans provide the perfect stabilization device if you don’t have a tripod.  Set your camera on one, set it to a “night” auto mode (or dial in manual settings for a long exposure), and capture some wonderful shots.  There are great places in Tomorrowland, Frontierland, and Adventureland for photos like this. However, the best place for these ambiance photos is Main Street. It looks incredibly spooky during the Halloween Party, and photos of it are a “Must Do” during the Halloween Party. If you want to get in the photos, use the trash can and set it to a night portrait mode, or otherwise enable the flash. On your way out of the park, make sure you grab as many photos as you can of Main Street!

With these tips in mind, hopefully you’re able to capture better photos at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party!

Do you have any tips for photography at the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party? Any specific questions I might be able to answer? Share them in the comments! 

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Photography Tips is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

Earlier this week I was listening to Lou Mongello’s excellent interview with Tony Baxter. This interview was fairly refreshing; I’ve met Mr. Baxter before, and even with creepy, random fans like me he’s a relatively no-nonsense guy who doesn’t speak with PR-driven restraint. (I’m looking at you, Test Track chat!) At one point in the interview, Mr. Baxter made the comment that he disliked the new digitally-driven changes to queues and attractions being referred to as more immersive and interactive (I’m paraphrasing based upon memory–listen to the interview yourself for the precise quote) than past experiences. To him, the most interactive experience in the parks is the Jungle Cruise. This is something with which I whole-heartedly agree, and not just about the Jungle Cruise. A great number of Disney attractions are interactive, as any attraction that places the guest in the midst of the experience is an interactive attraction. These fully encapsulating interactive attractions of the past like Jungle Cruise, Horizons, or even Tower of Terror actually execute on the premise of interactive entertainment better than the “touch random screens and press buttons” style of new interactive. At least in my opinion.

Unfortunately, societal expectations, preferences, and ideas are a moving target, and what was popular with one generation doesn’t always resonate with the next generation. As younger generations are more familiar with a type of interactive where their actions have a causal impact on their experiences, Disney is shifting its attention to a different type of digital interaction. Since listening to that interview, I’ve thought about this more and more, and the implications it has for the Disney theme park experience going forward. While the potential for these kind of experiences excites me, there are some pitfalls that concern me.

The most obvious pitfall, and one that is commonly cited in discussions about new interactive attractions, is that the extraordinary dimensionality present in so many attraction sets will slowly become a relic of the past. More and more new attractions are screen-based, and while I enjoy a number of these attractions, I think there’s something to be said for a fully dimensional set-based attraction. Toy Story Mania is a fun attraction that I enjoy playing, but given what it is and because I own the Wii game by the same name, there’s absolutely no way its waits at Disney’s Hollywood Studios are justifiable for me. Essentially, it’s a glorified video game, albeit a fun one, that lacks the heart of a unique Disney attraction that you need to visit a theme park to experience. For lack of a more articulate explanation, “there is no there there.”

Similar criticism can be made (and has been made) about the Spaceship Earth descent, Monsters Laugh Floor, and a few other recent attractions and queues. It seems that guests aren’t happy unless they’re touching something or somehow an active participant in a game-like experience, even if they’re an active participant in something that is devoid of substance and quality.

Shifting gears a bit, this type of interactivity isn’t just bad for attractions when taken to an extreme. It’s bad for the guest experience in general and is prevalent beyond attractions. The biggest culprit? Smartphones. I already established that I’m a surly old-timer with my post last week on political correctness in the parks, so my stance here should come as no surprise.

Being glued to our smartphones or similarly distracted from the true experience of the theme parks is the biggest pitfall of the “new” interactive way of experiencing the parks, and something many, including myself, are guilty of doing. We check-in to locations, share photos and thoughts about what we’re doing via social media, check and enter wait times in Lines, and in many ways attempt to share the experience that we should be having with others instead of having the experience ourselves. By diverting even some of our attention from the parks and attractions we’re supposed to be enjoying, we do not get the full experience that the Imagineers put so much painstaking effort into creating.

Of course, we get the general gist of it, and most of us probably aren’t texting while riding Space Mountain, but there’s so much more to the Disney theme park experience than what occurs in the four minute intervals between the time we board an attraction and the time we de-board. The entire theme park is an artistic creation, all of which is meant to digested and enjoyed. The parks themselves are like a real-life video game, and as guests we explore them much like we control a character in a platform adventure video game. The parks aren’t merely a sum of the snippets of time on-board each attraction, they’re so much more, which is what makes Disney theme parks so special. Each time we attempt to multitask or share our experience with others, we miss part of the experience we should be having.

To be perfectly clear, I’m not lecturing down from a pulpit on high, admonishing everyone. I am just as guilty of this as many others. Even though I make a conscious effort to avoid using my phone in the parks, I take a lot of photos. Each time I look through that viewfinder, my experience is diminished. Because of this, I’ve recently made an effort to put the camera away or avoid high use of it for chunks of the day, but I still find myself using it a lot. This idea that we need to constantly immerse ourselves in our gadgets has become ingrained in us, and is a tough fixation to break.

With the continued roll-out of Next-Gen and as elements like My Disney Experience expand, immersing ourselves in the experience instead of our gadgets is going to become more difficult. There will be more and more “important” reasons to pull out that iPhone and distract ourselves. There will be digital FastPasses to get, digital ADRs to make, phone-based interactions that will be triggered based upon certain locations, and a myriad of other possibilities presently unknown. As this happens, the new digital immersion will increase, displacing the traditional immersion of the parks.

In some regards, this new digital component will probably offer a lot of benefits to the experience, and I’m excited about the possibilities. But the old-timer in me fears what it will do to the classic style of immersion and interactivity. Will guests miss the hilarious puns and gags in the queue for MuppetVision 3D because they’re too busy watching a customized video “hello” message from Gonzo that was triggered by their location in the park? Will future generations even notice the names on the Main Street windows, or will they be too busy darting from portal to portal waving cards at video screens? We can experience a lot of great things through our smartphones and tablets at any ‘ole time. We cannot experience the rich dimensional design and tactile detail of the parks from our couch. There’s no app for that.

I know it won’t be easy, and it goes against the grain of the direction we’re heading not just with the theme park experience, but in many aspects of life, but it’s time to experience the parks firsthand, with as minimal distractions as possible. Society is beginning to recognize the dangers of distracted driving and how that doesn’t allow us to fully “experience” our surroundings while operating a vehicle. It’s time we as Disney theme park guests recognize the dangers of distracted theme park enjoyment and start more fully experiencing the amazing theme park experience that’s all around us.

What do you think about the “new” type of theme park immersion? Are you glued to your smartphone in the parks? Are you reading this from Walt Disney World right now?! Share your thoughts in the comments…unless you’re in Walt Disney World, in which case wait until you get home.

The Pitfalls Of New “Immersion” is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

Not even going to touch this attraction's source material...

Over the years, Disney has made a lot of changes to its theme parks that have no explainable basis other than the pursuit of more politically correct attractions and experiences. This is no surprise, given that we live in a sensitive society. To be sure, some of this sensitivity is absolutely justified. We should live in a society that is aware of its past transgressions and is intolerant of intolerance. However, attempting to sanitize all elements of culture to be politically correct is a fool’s errand.

In the past, we have seen some of these sanitation efforts at play in the Disney theme parks. Famously, Pirates of the Caribbean was altered so that instead of pirates chasing after wenches (err…sorry…females), pirates now run around with gold or are chased by females. Now, I’m not contending that the scene in its previous form could not have been construed to ascribe ill-intentions to the pirates, but I think it takes a fairly literal interpretation of the attraction in order to view that scene as offensive. If viewing the attraction in such a light, where do you draw the line? Consistency would require taking offense at women being auctioned off as “brides,” and actually, should require taking offense at the premise of the attraction, in general. After all, pirates are hardly model citizens. Historical and contemporary pirates are heinous individuals who commit murder, among other terrible things. Is it really appropriate that we glamorize such atrocious human beings with a popular attraction and a series of blockbuster films?

Yes, yes it is. It is acceptable because what’s depicted is not a glamorized version of real pirates, but a whimsical version of fictional caricatures of pirates that bear little resemblance to reality. Essentially, they’re nothing more than a historically rich (albeit inaccurate) theme for a story arc in an attraction. It’s acceptable because it doesn’t aim for anything beyond lighthearted entertainment, and any arguments that it has any sort of causal connection with the promotion or legitimization of piracy are absolutely laughable. Without having any statistics in front of me, I can say with a fair degree of certainty that Pirates of the Caribbean has not caused generations of children to become pirates or become more accepting of real pirates nor has it caused an increase in violence or other issues.

Simply put, it hasn’t bred any sort of unacceptable insensitivity (or misplaced sensitivity) in our society, which is what properly-aimed political correctness should seek to address. It’s a theme park attraction, and a fun and detailed one, at that. Overboard attempts at political correctness are exactly what’s wrong with the ideology. Offense could be found in a myriad of culture, and attempting to strip all culture of offense would have the unintended consequence of stripping culture of a lot of…well…culture, too. Entertainment would be dull and flat as it attempted to gloss over our rich and complex world history, which sometimes includes less than proud moments.

Disney, thankfully, has recognized this and not butchered Pirates of the Caribbean any further. The Company has refused to budge on other occasions, arguably when there was justification for the criticism. Peter Pan remains on store shelves despite its portrayals of Native Americans. Dumbo is still celebrated despite its crows. The Jungle Book is still sold despite criticism of King Louie. Heck, even The Fox and the Hound has been criticized with the rationale that because it tried so desperately to avoid insensitivity that it was actually insensitive and inaccurate. More recently, The Avengers drew criticism for its inaccurate stereotypes. This list could, literally, go on and on.

The point with these examples is that no matter what a prominent entertainment company does or releases, there is going to be some group that takes offense. The CliffNotes and comical nature of the entertainment industry pretty much guarantees this. Not everything can (or should–see PotC) hit the requisite levels of accuracy to satisfy politically correct concerns while simultaneously telling its story and entertaining. Now, this isn’t to say that we as a society should throw our collective hands up in the air at anything that’s in poor taste simply because “it’s in the name of art.” Moreso that, going forward, we should seek to toe the line between what is reasonably and what is unreasonably offensive while looking back at the past not with an eye toward revisionism, but acknowledging where our society has taken missteps. As the adage goes, “don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.” Just because entertainment and art (and theme parks are art) past and present has imperfections doesn’t mean that it should cease to exist or be altered.

With this in mind, we turn to Country Bear Jamboree. The elephant in the room. I’ve made my strong opinions about Country Bear Jamboree pretty clear in the past: I think it’s one of the most intelligent and witty attractions at Walt Disney World. There are presently a lot of rumors floating around about what’s going to change or be cut from Country Bear Jamboree when it reopens from its refurbishment. I have no clue as to the veracity of these rumors nor am I into rumor-mongering, but they’re out there if you want to find them. Without commenting on the likelihood of these rumors coming to fruition one way or the other, my stance is that Country Bear Jamboree should never be altered out of concerns about its political correctness. (This is not to say it shouldn’t be altered for some other reason.)

Like any entertainment, there are certainly those who take offense to Country Bear Jamboree. It could be construed as glamorizing child abuse, violence, alcoholism, and even promiscuity. Beyond that, it presents a certain period-stereotyping of the culture of the American South. If people are seeking things to find offensive, they’ll likely find plenty in Country Bear Jamboree.

A face only...EVERYONE...could love!

You know what else Country Bear Jamboree has? Bears. Bears are vicious, cold-hearted murder-machines (just ask past Presidential candidate Stephen Colbert). Country Bear Jamboree glamorizes the savage lifestyle choices of bears! Given this, shouldn’t the whole thing be ripped out? Of course I’m kidding, but only because the idea to me that Country Bear Jamboree contains an unacceptable amount of offensive content is a joke to me. Country Bear Jamboree tells the story of a band of singing bears. Singing. Bears.

Now, I haven’t met a lot of singing bears in my time, but I’m fairly certain that this is just their brand of innocuous humor, and that the bears don’t intend to make serious commentary or endorsements of any “questionable” topics that have passing reference in their shows. In fact, I think these singing bears have less of substance to say about these topics with their punchline-laced jokes than do the average G or PG rated movies, general-audience television programs, and news media that frequently address these topics in more detail, with humans, and in a far more serious manner. I’d hazard a guess that the vast majority of guests feel the same way given the frequent, audience-wide laughs I hear when I watch the show multiple times on each trip I take. Like Pirates of the Caribbean, I’d make a large wager that Country Bear Jamboree has never caused any child abuse, alcoholism, violence, or has even inspired anyone to become a singing, man-eating bear.

Disney has surely received some complaints about Country Bear Jamboree’s subject matter (TouringPlans.com has received at least one such complaint), just as there likely have been complaints about every attraction and film Disney has ever made. As a purveyor of rich, themed entertainment and as a responsible corporate citizen, I do think it’s important for Disney to evaluate all of these claims and concerns and maintain a certain level of sensitivity in its parks, but while also maintaining the amusing and rich nature of its offerings. That said, if Disney does choose to err on the side of catering to the offended, I’d like to officially register my complaint that Stitch’s Great Escape and Journey into Imagination deeply offend me.

What do you think about Disney’s role with regard to political correctness? Let us know in the comments!

The Dangers Of A Politically Correct Disney is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

If you’re like me, Disney is a big part of your life. The Disney theme parks are a hobby, of sorts, and you spend a lot of time fixating on them. All of your relatives and friends of your stories about the glory days of Dreamfinder and Figment, and are tired of your odd excitement when you report the huge “news” that Be Our Guest Restaurant is now accepting reservations.

Of course, even in our obsessing, it’s important to remember that all things are best in moderation. Being a well-rounded person with plenty of other interests and hobbies is important, and a love of Disney should never come at the expense of “real” life. It’s easy to get carried away with a hobby, but you probably should shave a mickey mouse head pattern on the back of your cat (scratch that, you absolutely should…it would be totally awesome!) nor should you spend your life savings commissioning someone to carve a recreation of a totem pole in the lobby of Wilderness Lodge. With that little disclaimer out of the way, let’s talk about how we “Disneyify” our lives.

As someone who has perfected the fine art of fixating on Walt Disney World and Disneyland, here are a few suggestions for how you can embrace your inner Disney geek and make the theme parks a “hobby” even when you’re not visiting, based upon the things I do:

Disney In Your Home - Is your significant other reluctant to let you add a third shelf for Vinylmations in your living room? If your house is anything like mine, it’s not decked out in Disney art or collectibles. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why my wife doesn’t want me to have Disney ephemera pinned up in random places around the house. Even my framed attraction posters are relegated to the garage. However, even if a Duffy portrait doesn’t fit the decor of your house, there are still ways to infuse Disney in your home.

Do it in little ways, such as with Mickey Mouse ice cube trays, coasters, and other kitchenware. Stock up on retro mugs from eBay (or old refillable mugs…who among us doesn’t envy those who own Dixie Landings refillable mugs?!) and use those. Buy Disney ornaments for your Christmas tree. Stock up on Disney shampoo and use that throughout the year. Sometimes it’s the little touches of Disney that resonate the most with us and remind us of our happy place–you don’t need to turn your yard into a mini version of Radiator Springs, raising the eyebrows of your neighbors in the process, to have Disney in your daily life.

Podcasts, Blogs & Social Media - Discussing Disney on social media and reading blogs eats a ton of my time. A scary amount. Most blogs I read focus on the history of the Disney theme parks and feature a lot of historical photos, with only a couple focusing on trip planning or news. I currently have 596 unread posts sitting in Google Reader, so, suffice to say, I read a lot of Disney blogs. I could never comprehensively list all of the blogs I read here, so I don’t want to make a list and accidentally exclude any of my favorites. I focus on historical blogs because they give me a greater appreciation of the parks.

Like blogs, I listen to many podcasts. I listen to a lot of podcasts focused on trip planning or discussing trips, and I enjoy these podcasts because it’s great hearing the passion these podcasters have for Disney. Plus, their enthusiasm prevents me from becoming too jaded by any negative commentary I read elsewhere.

I enjoy a myriad of social media sites, but Twitter and Facebook are the places I visit the most. For a while I didn’t use Facebook at all because my friends there were mostly casual acquaintances from college or high school with whom I haven’t communicated in years who were starting to post baby photos and…I don’t have any interest in seeing photos of babies from casual acquaintances. Recently I’ve learned to use the lists feature better and now have more “Disney friends.” I’ve also jazzed up my profile with a Disney Facebook cover and have started sharing more Disney content, making Facebook relevant for me again.

Twitter is my favorite hang-out for discussing Disney, and I’ve formed a number of friendships there. I originally got “into” Twitter by discussing WDW Today Reunion 2010, and since then, I’ve been hooked. It’s easy to jump into random Disney conversations (the community is, generally, very welcoming!) and it’s a great place to read about breaking news and rumors.

Multimedia - Photography is a hobby of mine, and when I go to Walt Disney World or Disneyland, I take a lot of photos. I usually find myself editing and sharing these photos for months after trips, which is a way of reliving the trip well after its over. For those who enjoy taking photos on their trips, but aren’t so inclined to edit them, Disney scrapbooking is a popular way to preserve memories for years to come. With digital scrapbooking, it’s now cheaper and easier than ever–and you can also use these digital (or traditional) tools to make Disney countdown calendars to get ready for your trip!

If you’re really ambitious, you can create your own Disney time lapse or film about your visit to the parks, like this ambitious guest. Thanks to modern technology, the only barrier to creating these fun projects is knowledge, so if you want some fun (and sentimental!) do it yourself souvenirs, all you have to do is learn how to make them.

Books & Magazines - With the proliferation of eBook readers and iPads, there are now a lot of Disney eBooks. While I enjoy reading eBooks on my HP TouchPad (iPad? psssh, I’ve got a TouchPad!), I love real from-the-presses, tactile books even more. I enjoy walking past my bookcase dedicated to Disney books and grabbing one to take outside and read in the sun. Plus, buying real books and magazines helps Bob Barker in his quest to help control the tree population.

I love the photography and art in books made by Disney, especially some of the older ones. A few of my favorites are the brand new Poster Art of the Disney Parks, the Imagineering Behind the Dreams books, the Gardens of Walt Disney World Resort (1988–not the Glorious Gardens one!), Disneyland Inside Story, Disneyland Nickel Tour, and the Art of… books for both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Be warned, though, some of these Disney books can be expensive!

There’s no better feeling than pulling a new Disney magazine out of my mailbox (what can I say, I’m easy to please), so I also love reading D23′s Twenty-Three, Celebrations Magazine, and Orlando Attractions Magazine. I used to also love Tales from the Laughing Place, but they haven’t sent an issue in two years now (to anyone) despite a lot of active subscriptions out there. Avoid subscribing to that one.

Other Hobbies - The above are just a few of the ways I infuse more Disney into my everyday life. The great thing is, with the advent of the internet, you can find like-minded individuals who put a Disney spin on just about any hobby you might have. Enjoy sewing? Check out one of the Disney Boutique groups! Avid runner? Check out one of the many Disney running clubs! Enjoy camping, especially at Fort Wilderness? Chat with those crazy “Fort Fiends.” The possibilities are truly endless, and no matter what your interest, you can probably find others online you share it and also share a love of Disney!

Finding ways to intertwine Disney and your everyday life and hobbies can be a lot of fun. It’s much cheaper than building that Radiator Springs garden and, best of all, it gives you a way to experience the magic of Disney at home without boring your “non-Disney” friends out of their minds!

How do you put a little “Disney” in your everyday life? Share your thoughts in the comments!

My Life Goes Disney: The Magic Of Disney At Home is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

Walt Disney World will roll out the next phase of its NextGen project in early August 2012, with an app for the iPhone, iPad, and Android reports WDWMagic.com. The name of the app, “My Disney Experience,” is one of a handful of names that has been thrown around as a candidate for the eventual public name of the NextGen project based on domain and trademark registrations. The app will eventually replace Mobile Magic.

No word yet on what level of functionality the app will have when it drops, but given the ongoing nature of NextGen testing, we do not expect it to be fully fleshed out upon its initial release. More likely, it will offer Mobile Magic “plus” functionality, and will perhaps be used in limited paperless FASTPASS testing at select attractions (word is the RFID readers are back at Haunted Mansion), with other features added once further testing with limited app functionality is completed.

No date has been set for a full scale roll out of the NextGen/My Disney Experience project.

“My Disney Experience” Mobile App Launches August 2012 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

The Evening Extra Magic Hours benefit for guests staying in Walt Disney World Resort hotels will be reduced from 3 hours at night to 2 hours at night beginning in January 2013. Confirmation comes from Walt Disney World’s website, which was updated to state the following about Extra Magic Hours: “Each day, one of the 4 Walt Disney World theme parks opens one hour early or remains open up to 2 hours after regular closing time. Additionally, Disney Water Parks offer Extra Magic Hours during select times of year.”

This follows the removal of evening Extra Magic Hours at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in February 2011, in favor of added morning Extra Magic Hours. No word yet on what, if anything, will be added to the guest experience in place of the cut Extra Magic Hours. Whether normal operating hours are extended to offset the decrease in Extra Magic Hours remains to be seen (and given the fluid nature of park hours it likely won’t be a question we can answer for months), but it appears likely at least for the Magic Kingdom. If this offset occurs it will benefit non-Disney hotel guests most.

This cut in benefits to on-site resort guests follows recent increases in Disney Dining Plan prices for 2013 and Walt Disney World Resort hotel price increases for 2013.

Evening Extra Magic Hours Reduced in 2013 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.