--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 149 DISNEY Ref: EDM00012 Date: 09/15/97 From: SHELLY MURPHY Time: 02:51pm \/To: ALL (Read 1 times) Subj: 101 Dalmations I searched the internet under disney and found the cutiest thing. A 101 Dalmations puppy gram. You fill it out as you desire and then send it to someone. They have all kinds Worlds Best (dad, father, mom, mother, grandmother, grandfather... be mine (valintine), and just have a nice day and many more. For those 101 dalmation fans who want to send some out the ddress is WWW.Disney.CO.UK\Disney Interactive. My apologize I cant remember if theres a space between Disney and Interactive I wrote it down without one so if it doesnt work with the space then try without. --- Squish/386 v1.11 * Origin: The PlayHouse <==> Wrzburg, Germany (2:2490/5170) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 149 DISNEY Ref: EDM00013 Date: 09/15/97 From: RKOSTER Time: 11:16am \/To: ALL (Read 1 times) Subj: WDW Trip Reports Yoo Hoo, y'all! I am about to enter Bruce Metcalf's trip reports he's sent me from WDW, but I want to make sure this message is getting out from this BBS before sending them. Someone please send me an e-mail message to rkoster@calweb.com to verify you've seen this message. Thanks! -Rich Koster, FidoNet Disney Moderator cc: RKOSTER@CALWEB.COM --- Platinum Xpress/Win/Wildcat5! v2.0 * Origin: The Amigazone BBS - Sacramento, Ca (1:203/528) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 149 DISNEY Ref: EDM00014 Date: 09/15/97 From: RKOSTER Time: 11:16am \/To: RKOSTER@CALWEB.COM (Read 1 times) Subj: WDW Trip Reports This message was originally addressed to ALL and a carbon copy was sent to you. ---------------------------------------- Yoo Hoo, y'all! I am about to enter Bruce Metcalf's trip reports he's sent me from WDW, but I want to make sure this message is getting out from this BBS before sending them. Someone please send me an e-mail message to rkoster@calweb.com to verify you've seen this message. Thanks! -Rich Koster, FidoNet Disney Moderator cc: RKOSTER@CALWEB.COM --- Platinum Xpress/Win/Wildcat5! v2.0 * Origin: The Amigazone BBS - Sacramento, Ca (1:203/528) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 149 DISNEY Ref: EDM00015 Date: 09/17/97 From: RICH KOSTER Time: 07:59am \/To: ALL (Read 1 times) Subj: Metcalfs @ WDW day 2 Yoo Hoo, Disney EchoEars! Continuing with trip reports from WDW written by my friend Bruce Metcalf... Subject: Metcalfs @ WDW day 2 Today we began with breakfast at the Contemporary's Concourse Steakhouse. Good food and a seat directly under the monorail tracks. Can you say, "Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun"? Bay View Gifts there turns out to be the only shop on the property which still had the new Michael Broggie book, "Walt Disney's Railroad Story". I've only had time to read the first third so far, but it looks pretty good. A foreword by Lillian Disney and introductions (two!) by Ward Kimball and Ollie Johnston show that this is an "official" version, despite being published by Pentrex, rather than Hyperion. Sixty bucks well spent, seems to me. (Watch for a full review when time permits.) (BTW, Pentrex is a well respected publisher of railroad books which is not controlled by Disney. Heimburger House Publishing originally had the book, and their failure to publish and Pentrex's pickup of the project [for reasons yet unknown] is why this 431 page tome was delayed.) After this delayed start, it was off to the Magic Kingdom. You may recall a recent thread on r.a.d.p about the monorail recording? I thought it was silly at the time, but I found my pulse quickening at the sound of it. Yesterday I reported on a lack of a sense of urgency to my visit? I found it! Something about walking under the railroad station and onto Town Square that does something to a person. Ponce de Leon looked in the right place, but he was a little early. >>> SPOILER ALERT <<< Light crowds and the calm knowledge that we could do the rest later caused us to concentrate on Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. I am pleased to confirm earlier rumors that the two sides of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride are markedly different: The right side includes a barnyard scene and flying chickens; the left a visit to a saloon, court, and a jailbreak by weasels. Same destination, though. Seems that the wages of sin are still hell. Sin or arguing with trains for right-of-way, whichever. Even the second time around, The Timekeeper is marvelous, thanks to Robin Williams' manic performance. He doesn't really have two routines, you just laugh so much from the odd-numbered jokes you don't hear the even-numbered ones the first time through. I still love the Carousel of Progress, but I notice that with a less-than-capacity audience, other guests tend to move away from me when they discover I sing along at the end of each act. Their problem--not mine. Lunch was at Cinderella's Royal Table. We decided to give Cindy a try, despite a disappointing dinner several years earlier. Seems the girl's better at it than her cousin, King Stephan. Food above average, rather than below; service attentive, rather than sparse; and Cinderella greeted each of her guests downstairs before the meal, leaving more room to maneuver in the dining room and fewer screaming children to disrupt your digestion. If you have written this place off, it deserves another look. I still have two big beefs with the place though (other than the prime rib, I mean): Some of the heraldry is patently bogus (I used to be a special librarian for a collection of heraldry and vexillology); and no one on the staff knows a whit about it--even to the ability to point out the Disney arms. Pity, it could be every bit as interesting as the windows on Main Street with just a bit of effort. The heat and humidity continue to be in the Summer Swelter range (over 90 both), with no forecast of change in the next week. Hence we finally took everyone's good advice and retired to our hotel for an afternoon nap (at about 5 p.m.). Slept until 8:30, so called upon Wolfgang Puck's Express at Downtown Disney Marketplace (Note acronym change from DVM to DDM.) Wolfie does decent work, despite a cast who can't make themselves heard over the noise in the kitchen. Puck didn't bake the first wood-fired pizza in California, no matter what his ads say, but he does a good job of it. Note that his "Express" is a counter service shop (in the old Minnie's location), and is at the far end of Downtown Disney from his restaurant, which we later discovered had it's grand opening the same night. Oh well, we were too tired to enjoy it anyway. DDM is undergoing some major spatial reorganization, with half the shops closed and the other half recently moved to new quarters. Despite this confusion, or maybe because of it, there is now a weekly Guidemap to Downtown Disney in the same format as the Guidemaps to the major parks. What an attitude! At least they got the map right--for now. Studios tomorrow! Bruce Metcalf, EMuck Rufus, mailto:bmetcalf@cdc3.cdc.net --- April V1.0+ * Origin: The Mouse House of Mickey, Minnie & Meecelet -New Orleans (1:3828/1.3) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 149 DISNEY Ref: EDM00016 Date: 09/17/97 From: CAROL KOSTER Time: 08:45am \/To: CHET RHODES (Read 1 times) Subj: re: The Test Track Yoo Hoo, Chet! On September 1st '97 you wrote to All: CR> Anyone have any inside info on when The Test Track will be open? We CR> will be down the last week of October and I will be doubly disappointed CR> if in addition to not being able to see The World of Motion, I always CR> liked that one, I miss out on The Test Track also. :( Someone just posted on Usenet's rec.arts.disney.parks newsgroup that GM Test Track will NOT be open in early November as earlier anticipated and _may not_ be open in 1997. That "someone" is a WDW employee. Wasn't the original opening date supposed to be in Spring 1997? That it will not open in November seems solid fact. The person posted that the situation with the ride seems to change daily, so that if you read any dates that are not official press release type of news it's speculation and could be out of date as soon as you read it. Another point: I think Disney would rather err on opening an attraction "late" (later than the original announced opening date) and have it in full operational order as the designers intended guests to enjoy it, and have it be safe, than to open an attraction "on time" and have it constantly breaking down or needing tweaaking and thus incur guest wrath because the ride is up one day (or hour) and down the next. I remember several years ago hearing at Universal Studios Florida that one of their (at the time) new high tech thrill rides -- I think it was "Jaws" or "King Kong" -- opened to much fanfare and hype only to keep breaking and breaking and being closed and closed and then open and then closed... It made a lot of news at the time and got to be a public joke after awhile, Universal trying hard to compete with Disney and just not able to do it and thus becoming the laughing stock. I'm sure Disney identified strongly with how badly new rides can start out and the public ridicule and ill will that can generate if you try to rush attractions open just to meet public demand and not see they are fully operational first. I guess GM Test Track will open someday. My best advice is to plan a WDW vacation after GM Test Track is officially opened if you are centering a vacation around that particular attraction. "Stay loose" until then. ;-) --Carol Koster: CKoster@neosoft.com or Fido c/o Rich Koster 1:3828/1.3 FidoNet Disney Echo Moderator --- April V1.0+ * Origin: The Mouse House of Mickey, Minnie & Meecelet -New Orleans (1:3828/1.3) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 149 DISNEY Ref: EDM00017 Date: 09/17/97 From: CAROL KOSTER Time: 08:46am \/To: KEN NABBE (Read 1 times) Subj: re: Disneyana.... again Yoo Hoo, Ken! On September 4th '97 you wrote to me: KN> Ok Mr. Koster, I am noticing the convention is here again this year.... KN> so am I going to get wierd calls at my office? Ken is a Disney staffer at WDW who has written here on Fidonet's Disney Echo for years. :-) Short answer, Ken, is that we've had a tuff tuff tuff financial year. Major changes in Rich's job coinciding with expenses having our son last year coinciding with the costs of almost everything we own needing to be replaced or repaired (uncanny the timing of this!) meant we just couldn't afford to attend the Disneyana Convention this year. The costs of attending the Convention are rising too. We're very tentatively looking at just after Thanksgiving as a possibility for a trip, but we'll need to overcome a few more things needing replacing/repairing before we can determine whether we can afford a super cheap trip down to Orlando. It's just been one of "those" years which, like the Energizer rabbit, just keeps going and going with all the stuff we have to deal with which don't normally happen in our lives. Sorry we couldn't see you this September, Ken, but if you have a winning Lotto ticket you're willing to give us that would certainly get us to Orlando a bit faster to visit with you. ;-) --Carol Koster: CKoster@neosoft.com or Fido c/o Rich Koster 1:3828/1.3 FidoNet Disney Echo Moderator --- April V1.0+ * Origin: The Mouse House of Mickey, Minnie & Meecelet -New Orleans (1:3828/1.3) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 149 DISNEY Ref: EDM00018 Date: 09/18/97 From: RICH KOSTER Time: 07:52am \/To: ALL (Read 1 times) Subj: Metcalfs @ WDW day 3 Yoo Hoo, Disney EchoEars! Continuing with trip reports from WDW written by my friend Bruce Metcalf... Metcalfs @WDW day 3 Finally we get both the hotel alarm clock and our internal clocks in sync, and hit the floor only a little later than we intended. Off to Disney/MGM Studios and a quick breakfast at the Starring Rolls Bakery--not one half so good as the Fountain View Cafe at Epcot, we think. Crowds are down since it's Monday and the locals are back at work. "The Voyage of the Little Mermaid" is one of this park's unheralded gems, or so we have thought from previous viewings. It seemed as if the entire cast--humans and puppets--were being played by their understudies, and not well. If you ever get to see this show and are disappointed, please go back in 3-4 days and see if a better cast won't give you a better show. "Muppet Vision 3-D" continues to put us in stitches--who can say why, but we love it! If you go, don't fail to spend as much time as the crowds permit looking around at the stuff in the pre-show area. "A net full of jello" (Annette Funicello) is far from the only groaner waiting for you here. Lunch at the "Fifties Prime-Time Cafe" was a hoot, as ever. The food here is much better than it needs to be, and unlike most Disney attractions, you can greatly influence the quality of the entertainment just by giving your server a hard time. Just remember to keep your elbows off the table and clean your plate--especially if you can't remember the lyrics to "Ittsy Bittsy Spider"! The tour of the soundstages has been changed since my last visit, and now uses props from the live-action "101 Dalmations" to demonstrate props and effects. The Henson "Muppet Body Shop" components are particularly interesting and effective. All three soundstages are presently full of "From the Earth to the Moon" sets, which are mostly closed (for practical reasons, not secrecy) and leave little to see there. It's still worth it just for the Henson prop demos. The heat and humidity rage on, so after a quick "Great Movie Ride", it's nap time again. Boy did we need it! (I'm only getting old on the outside, thank goodness.) Evening found us dining at the "Flying Fish Cafe" at the Boardwalk. Very tasty stuff, my potato-wrapped snapper. (She's asleep, so can't check on hers, but she liked it.) One beef about this place (pun intended)--don't you think that with dinner prices exceeding $50/person they could get their own restroom instead of sharing with Spoodles and the ice cream parlor? "The Great Movie Ride" Bruce Metcalf, EMuck Rufus, mailto:bmetcalf@cdc3.cdc.net --- April V1.0+ * Origin: The Mouse House of Mickey, Minnie & Meecelet -New Orleans (1:3828/1.3) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 149 DISNEY Ref: EDM00019 Date: 09/16/97 From: SHAUN EWING Time: 09:05pm \/To: ALL (Read 1 times) Subj: Disney Site Hi All , The Disney site is located at http://www.disney.com Regards, Shaun Ewing E-Mail: shaunewing@cyberia.asstdc.com.au sysop@p5.f848.n712.z3.fidonet.org --- Terminate 4.00/Pro * Origin: Shaun Ewing's Point - St Clair, NSW Australia (3:712/848) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 149 DISNEY Ref: EDM00020 Date: 09/17/97 From: MIKE TUCHMAN Time: 08:25pm \/To: ALL (Read 1 times) Subj: National O/W Rent Specia Today I received a special notice from National Car Rental for One-Way rentals to Florida during the period October 12 to December 12, 1997. (It came as part of an Emerald Club mailing.) This is known as "The Great Florida Drive-In" program. Following Terms and Conditions: Unlimited mileage. 3-Day minimum with advance reservations required. 14-Day maximum rental period. Last booking date December 9. Cars must be turned in by December 26. Cars must be turned in at one of the following cities: Boca Raton, Cocoa Beach, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Melbourne, Miami, Naples, Orlando, St Petersburg, Sarasota, Tampa, or West Palm Beach. Rates (Daily/Weekly) Mid-Size ($19.99/$89.99) Full Size ($24.99/$109.99) Premium ($29.99/$129.99) Mini Van or Luxury ($69.99/$299.99) Canada Locations - Mid Size or Full Size (C$49.99/C$199.99) Valid at participating locations (see listing at end of article). Subject to availability of cars and capacity control. Cannot be used with any other offer. Standard Rental Qualifications apply. Minimum rental age at most locations is 25. Optional Loss Damage Waiver up to $16.99 per day (subject to change). Surcharges and a concession reimbursement fee of up to 10% applies at some locations. Significant additional charges if car is not returned within a prescribed rental period. Additional driver fee is applicable. Optional refueling charge. Optional insurance benefits. Renting Locations: CONNECTICUT - Hartford ILLINOIS - Chicago, Moline KENTUCKY - Lexington, Louisville MARYLAND - Baltimore, Salisbury MASSACHUSSETS - Boston, Northampton MICHIGAN - Ann Arbor, Birmingham, Detroit MINNESOTA - Deluth, Minneapolis MISSOURI - Kansas City NEW JERSEY - Cherry Hill, Mount Holly, Newark NEW YORK - Binghamton, Elmira, Ithica, JFK Airport, LGA Airport, Manhattan (W 77 St), Rochester, Syracuse, Utica NORTH CAROLINA (After 10/22/97) - Fayetteville, Greensboro, Raleigh OHIO- Cincinnati, Cleveland, Toledo ONTARIO - Ottawa Airport, Toronto PENNSYLVANIA - King of Prussia, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh QUEBEC - Dorval, Mirabel, Montreal, Quebec City Airport TENNESSEE - Memphis, Nashville TEXAS - Dallas, Houston VIRGINIA - Charlottesville, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond WASHINGTON DC - Dulles International and Washington National Airports ... ARRRRRGGGHHH!!!! ... Tension breaker, had to be done. ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12 --- Maximus/2 2.02 * Origin: Air 'n Sun 703-319-0714 Origin needed; apply within (1:109/120)