Pirates of the Colosseum? Rome plans theme park

Oh, brother.

Reuters is reporting that Italy’s Lazio region, of which Rome is the capital, is planning a Disney-style theme park (apparently Disney will not be involved) based on ancient Rome. The 1000 or so acre park would feature rides that show visitors what life was like in Rome 2000 years ago. You can read more about it here.

Walt Disney World in August

You may be crazy, but at least you won’t be alone.

Troll the various WDW message boards and newsgroups and you’ll get the impression that no one who knows what they’re doing goes to WDW in August. Maybe that’s true, but when our children were still, well, children, that’s when we would always go.

You’re going WHEN???
There are several good reasons to go to WDW in August besides the obvious one - it’s the only time you can go:

Everything opens early, everything closes late
You want to be in the theme parks at opening, at closing, but not in the middle of the day.

It’s HOT!
Everyone complains about the heat in WDW in August, but I can’t tell you how many December, January, and February trip reports I’ve read on the internet where the writer complained that he or she was freezing. In summer, all of the pools and waterparks are open and very inviting. At many of the resorts the pools are open late, and it’s common to see families splashing around and having a great time at 10:00pm.

The rain is our friend
You can use the daily afternoon rains to your advantage if you realize two things:
1. The rain cools things down
2. Lots of people leave the park when it starts raining. Of course, if you are afraid of getting soaked, you may too, but in the summer I can stand being a little wet, and I dry off quickly.

Which brings up the poncho vs. umbrella controversy. I prefer to carry a small travel umbrella. Ponchos are bulkier to carry when dry, and become a real pain to carry when wet. And wearing a wet poncho is no fun. They become heavy, hot, and sweaty. Besides, I look stupid in one.

How to enjoy WDW in August without experiencing a meltdown
Take it easy - You cannot maintain the same pace when it’s 92 degrees that you can when it’s 72. Walk slowly, take lots of breaks, and drink lots of water.

Get to the parks before they open - you will have an hour or so of uncrowded bliss, and be able to see more attractions in those first 90 minutes then you would see during the rest of the day. Have a very light breakfast, be there when the turnstiles start spinning, and if you want a big breakfast, look for a place in the park at around 10:00 when it starts to get crowded or go to a resort for a leisurely brunch, then go back for a little while.

Around noon to 1 p.m., it’s time to get out of the park. You could go hotel hopping, spend a few hours at the pool, or take naps, but don’t bother trying to cope with the crowds and the heat in the parks. You can go back in the evening when both will start to dissipate and close the joint.

There’s no bad time to go to WDW, but enjoying the place in the summer requires adjustments to your itinerary and a slightly different mindset.

Harriet Burns, who helped create Disney attractions, dies

The San Fransisco Chronicle is reporting that Disney Legend and Imagineer Harriet Burns has died. She was 79.

What to look for in a camera bag

First of all, when I say camera bag, I mean a bag, not a backpack. I don’t like backpacks because the person who’s wearing them can’t get to anything unless he or she takes it off, which is not very practical in a crowded place. I see photographers wearing them everywhere, but unless you’re rock-climbing, I don’t see how they would work well on vacation. I know that they are supposed to be more comfortable than a shoulder bag, but so is staying home.

A curved shoulder pad does a better job of distributing the bag's weight.

So let’s talk about the shoulder strap first. The best straps have either a curved or a wedge-shaped shoulder pad. That’s because when you’re wearing a bag, the strap falls at an angle, forcing one edge of the pad to press harder on your shoulder than the other. The curved or wedged pads conform to your shoulder, distributing the weight of the bag. The shoulder pad should also have a non-slip surface so you’re not constantly pulling the blasted thing up.

95% of the bags that you see in the stores are made of nylon, and that’s generally fine. Nylon is strong, lightweight, and fairly weatherproof (this is not the same as waterproof, most bags are NOT dunkable). You can improve or renew the water-resistance of a bag by spraying it with the waterproofing spray that they sell in shoe stores.

Monsters, Inc. roller coaster in Disney’s Hollywood Studios?

Pixar Place in Disney's Hollywood Studios

According to Jim Hill Media, Walt Disney Imagineering will be adding a new Monsters, Inc. attraction to Pixar Place in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The queue area will recreate the Monsters, Inc lobby, complete with Mike Wazowski’s snake-haired girlfriend Ceilia behind the reception desk. Human visitors will tour the facility as part of an open house, and the two-minute long coaster ride will go through the ‘door warehouse’ from the film.

Five simple things you can do to shoot better video (especially at Walt Disney World)

5: Don’t be an upstanding photographer.
Upstanding is the practice of shooting everything at eye level while standing directly in front of it. Many times this is unavoidable, as there are crowds, and you happen to be where you happen to be, but often when you’re just grabbing some footage of a landscape, building, or the Dapper Dans, you can make the shot more interesting by shooting from an unusual angle or point-of-view. (Disney street performers love this and will often play to your camera.)

4: Play with your zoom rocker switch as much as you want, but NOT WHILE THE CAMERA IS RUNNING.
A zoom lens is an excellent tool for improving the composition of your shot before you press the start button, and, used thoughtfully, it can add movement to an otherwise static shot, but in general, keep your finger off the rocker unless you hate your audience.

Pocahontas show at AK to close

Walt Disney World announced that the live ‘Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends’ show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will close Sept. 27 after a 10-year run. The Pocahontas character will remain in the park.

No immediate replacement is planned for the amphitheater.

Walt Disney World Moms Panel now has how-to videos

A while back Disney established the Disney World Moms - a panel of experts who answer questions and offer tips on visiting The Mouse. Now they have a series of how-to videos.

Bogus Fastpasses for sale on eBay

For about a year now individuals have been selling Fastpasses for the Disney parks on eBay. Some are expired, although the sellers always claim that they will be accepted, and some have no expiration date (and are likely counterfeit).

Are these legit? Of course not. Will they work anyway? Perhaps, if the castmember isn’t paying attention.

The Orlando Sentinel has an article on this.

Pirates of the Caribbean

When Walt Disney World opened on October 1, 1971, most of the biggest attractions from Disneyland had been reproduced for its only park, The Magic Kingdom. In addition, there were some new attractions, such as the Country Bear Jamboree, that were created for Walt’s new world.

Conspicuous in its absence was Disneyland’s newest and biggest attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean. PotC was the first Disneyland attraction to utilize full-scale realistic people-like Audio-Animatronics figures (Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln was the first ever, but at that point had only been seen at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair), and it was the hottest ride in Anaheim.

One story goes that during the planning of WDW in the late 60’s, Roy Disney decided that Florida tourists were already up to their eyebrows in pirate lore, and since there wasn’t the time or money for another E-ticket blockbuster anyway, Walt Disney World could do without PotC.