Podcast #015: Expedition Everest

Posted by Van
June 23, 2006

#015: Expedition Everest - 6.23.2006
Top 7: “Traffic Jams in Disney”

News Stories:

“Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Play it!” is closing. Speculation is that a Monster’s Inc. or Toy Story related attraction will go in this area. Disney officially says that the area is going to be rethemed sometime in the next 4 years.

Special edition Mickey Mouse ears (hats) are available with a pirate theme. The new versions come in different colors and have an earing and fabric hanging from them (in the back).

One of the items available to winners in the Year of a Million Dreams celebration will be the ability to spend a night in Cinderella’s Castle. Incase you didn’t know, the castle has an appartment about 10 stories up. If you’re standing outside of it, you can see the area by looking at the main structure where the spires start to climb up on their own. — Until recently, the apparentment was used as a storage space, radio room and telephone operator switchboard room … for most of that time, it wasn’t even drywalled.

Disney recently sold a 349 acre parcel of land (part of the WDW resort, located in west Orange country, FL) to Centex Homes. Disney officials say this type of sale, as well as others in the future, are part of their new policy to divest properties that no longer fit with long term Disney plans.

Disney received approval to build up to 999 high-rise appartments or condominiums near Celebration High School, just east of I-4. Celebration Company, Disney’s development arm in that area, also has approval for 8,000 homes (4,300 have been built so far). Also on the drawing board for Celebration is a 500-room Four Seasons luxury resort.

Top 7: Traffic Jams (in Disney theme parks)

7. The express monorail in the last hour the Magic Kingdom is open.
Everyone leaves the park at about the same time and the monorail line gets really backed up. Here’s a tip: leave early or late to avoid the rush. The shops on Main Street are open a full hour after the park is closed… and if you stay late enough, you’ll hear the audio CLOSING announcement … few people stick around long enough to hear it.

6. The EPCOT monorail the hour after Illuminations stopped.
Everyone who saw the line we described in #7 and realized they could go to EPCOT instead just realized that their car is back at the Magic Kingdom parking lot… so you’re going to have to wait with them while they travel back via monorail.

5. The entrance to the Tomorrowland Speedway
There’s an indy car outside of it that kids can sit in … or push back and forth and get dislodged from the blocks that hold it in place. This, plus the entrance to the ride, plus strollers equals TRAFFIC JAM.

4. The exit to any auditorium or theater show, especially Lights, Motors, Action in MGM.
Disney refers to this as a “dump.” Theater shows hold hundreds and in some cases THOUSANDS of people. An easy way to avoid getting “dumped” on is to grab a Show Times listing at the front gate and avoid the areas by each show 30-40 minutes after each show starts.

3. A 100-foot radius around any streetmosphere act in MGM
I’m really starting to like Streetmosphere, so I say stick around and watch the show. You’ll laugh and avoid everyone trying to get around the swelling crowd of people trying to see over your shoulder and figure out what’s going on.

2. The last float in ANY parade.
You got your seat an hour early, it only seems fitting that you’d get up the SECOND the parade is over and bolt. Here’s two tip options: 1. leave your area before the last float or B. stand up, but let everyone around you figure out where the heck they’re going.. then go the other way.

1. Fantasyland — all of it!
The close proximity of everything, plus long wait lines, plus strollers, plus cast members moving strollers makes this area a disaster. There’s no way to avoid a traffic jam if you want to see stuff in Fantasyland. If you want to bypass fantasyland, there are walkways that lead behind it and route around the castle… check out your map. — You will, however, miss WWE Wrestling Legend Mick Folley, who’s been spoted in Fantasyland by yours truly on many occassions.