Disney 3Ds (Different Dining Discounts)

Let’s preface this post by saying that I’m not here to engage in the Great Dining Plan Debate. You all have your opinions on that already. Instead, I’m going to show you some different discount options that we utilized on our recent WDW trip, so that you can see if they’d be beneficial tactics for you.

First was www.restaurant.com.  I bought a $50.00 gift certificate to Downtown Disney’s House of Blues for $4.00.  HoB wasn’t necessarily on my radar for dining, but $46.00 is $46.00.  Our meal for seven people (including alcohol and an 18% gratuity) after the discount was $123.38. That’s $17.63 per person, with two in our party consuming alcoholic beverages.  Not too shabby. That said, restaurant availability on www.restaurant.com does fluctuate, but it can’t hurt to check.

Next was Tables in Wonderland.   This is available only to Florida residents and annual passholders. The cost was $75.00, but boy was it worth it!  Here was a breakdown on our dining for the trip:

First Night: Seven people at ‘Ohana. All adult meals plus two alcoholic beverages before the discount was $248.68 (not including tax.)  Our TiW discount was $49.74.

Second Night: Four people at Flying Fish Café. Adult meals plus a bottle of wine before tax, tip, and discount was $141.00. Our TiW discount was $28.20.*

Third Night:  Eight people at Sanaa. Eight meals (including some appetizers, desserts, and drinks) came to a pre-tax total of $192.55. TiW discount was $38.43.

Fourth Night: Eight people at La Hacienda de San Angel. Again, with plenty of appetizers, drinks, and desserts, the pre-tax and discount total was $179.35. TiW discount was $35.87. 

Fifth Night: Three people at Bistro de Paris (with some appetizers, wine and desserts – do you see a pattern yet?) had a subtotal of $142.00.  Our TiW discount was $28.40.

*Bonus savings: We got free valet parking at the Boardwalk on Tuesday by showing our TiW card and Flying Fish receipt. 

Quick summary: Tables in Wonderland Card was $75.00.  Total savings on this trip was $180.64.  To break it down further, we saved an average of $6.58 per person, per meal. That means that a family of four with similar eating habits would save about $157.92 over the course of six nights.  And best of all, our Tables in Wonderland card will still be good when we go back next November!

I should add that in addition to the dining discounts and the free valet parking, there are some special events that are only available to Tables in Wonderland members.  For more information, please call (407) 566-5858.  

P.S.  For those keeping track, our average sit-down meal cost per person (including alcohol, appetizers, etc.) came to $28.22. This includes eating at higher end/two table credit restaurants like Flying Fish and Bistro de Paris.  Add that to an average counter-service lunch of $15.00 and you get $43.22.  The cost of the Disney Dining Plan per day is a minimum of $51.54.  I’m just saying. ;)

Different Dining Discounts

As word gets out about the changes coming to the Disney Dining Plan in 2012 (in a nutshell, the Basic Plan will be adding a refillable mug and the Counter Service Plan will be dropping one snack credit per day), I thought I’d take a look at some alternate forms of Disney dining savings – aka “The Teri Way”.

1. Restaurant.com - Having a hard time getting reservations at the Disney restaurants due to the popularity of the Disney Dining Plan?  http://www.restaurant.com/ can help. They offer gift certificates to many restaurants in the Walt Disney World area. Their basic tagline is “Get $25 Restaurant Gift Certificates for only $10”, but here’s the kicker: they often have sales. I recently got a $50 gift certificate to use at the Downtown Disney House of Blues for $4!  Of course, restrictions apply.  For example, I have to have a minimum purchase of $100 to use that.  The restrictions vary from restaurant to restaurant, but you may find them worth investigating. Some of the Disney area restaurants available through this program are:

Giraffe Cafe (at the Royal Plaza Hotel) 

Todd English's bluezoo

Kimonos

Il Mulino

Shula’s Steak House

Garden Grove

Original Outback (at the Buena Vista Palace)

House of Blues

2. Tables in Wonderland – This one is a little trickier, because it’s only available to Annual Pass holders and Florida residents. Cost is $75 for AP holders or $100 for non-AP Florida residents. This will get you 20% off your check (and that of up to nine guests) at most WDW restaurants, including alcohol!  For a list of participating restaurants, click here: http://allears.net/din/dde.htm#list .

3. Have I mentioned sharing lately?  I mean, odds are good you won’t want to take leftovers back to your resort room and Disney portions tend to run large, so you may want to consider splitting an appetizer and entrée with someone else in your party.  And if you’re still hungry, it’s the perfect excuse for dessert!

4. The Suitcase – Fill a suitcase with convenient breakfast items (cereal bars, Pop-Tarts, fresh fruit) and chow on these in your room or en route to the parks. This saves money, calories (probably), and time.  After all, would you rather be waiting in line for pancakes or Space Mountain?  Then when you leave, that now-empty suitcase is ready to haul home all of your souvenirs.

Other people have their own preferred savings plans, like eating sit-down meals at lunch instead of dinner, eating off-site, or eating nothing but counter-service meals. Pick your own personal favorite. I just don’t want you to feel like the Disney Dining Plan is the only option available to you.  Bon appétit! 

Book Review 04/06/11

Have I mentioned that I am addicted to Walt Disney World guidebooks?  Okay, good.  I didn’t want to catch anyone by surprise if I suddenly show up on an episode of TLC’s Hoarding: Buried Alive. 

In all fairness though, I don’t buy all of them.  I can’t imagine purchasing Walt Disney World for Dummies, for example.  And it didn’t take me long in my guidebook purchasing obsession to discover that companies that specialize in travel but not Disney (Fodor’s and Frommer’s, for example) aren’t going to be as in-depth or replete with Disney knowledge as, say, The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World or PassPorter: Walt Disney World. Those I buy every year, whether I’m planning a trip to Walt Disney World or not.  But even amongst the classics, I have my favorites, and the latest addition of one of those finally arrived in the mail last week.

The Complete Walt Disney World 2011 by Julie and Mike Neal is a great read for Walt Disney World fans and visitors from start to finish. Loaded with beautiful photos, timeless tips and great maps, it is a helpful tool.  But my favorite features in this guidebook are the extra jewels of information provided on the parks and attractions.  For example, did you know that the “Howdy folks” guy at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is also the voice of Benjamin Franklin at Epcot’s American Adventure?  Or the swamp wallaby (found at Disney’s Animal Kingdom) can drink salt water and is known as “the stinker”? (Hey, that’s my daughter’s nickname!) Or that you can find a Hidden Mickey under the tail of a clownfish in the Toy Story Mania! queue?  I just adore these kinds of details.  Would you like to learn more?  Buy the book!

Of course, not all of the 2011 guidebooks that I’m eagerly anticipating have made it off the presses.  Case in point: if Bill Burke’s latest addition of Mousejunkies doesn’t get released soon, I may start stalking him on Facebook…

What Walt Disney World guidebooks do you tend to revisit like old friends?  Please let me know over at http://www.facebook.com/disneygene! 

Lou Mongello is a Genius

I know, I know; you knew that already.

But seriously, I was getting caught up on some relatively recent podcasts and listened to Lou Mongello’s News Chat for March 9, 2011. A bit of background: Lou is the author of the Walt Disney World Trivia Books (Volumes I and II), as well as the Audio Guides to Walt Disney World, and is the host and producer of WDW Radio, the award-winning online show about Walt Disney World.  In this particular episode, he discusses some possible uses for the old Virgin Megastore building at Downtown Disney.  

For those who may not be aware, The 49,000 square foot Virgin Megastore was located at Downtown Disney's West Side and was billed as “a state-of-the-art music, video, interactive media and book showplace featuring the hottest tunes, the best movies and more.” You were invited to “(t)ake a look at great flicks in one of the 20 video/laser preview stations. Groove to your favorite artists or discover new bands in a gallery of over 300 CD listening stations.”

However, on March 2, 2009 Virgin Megastore CEO Simon Wright announced that they would be closing all Virgin Megastores in the U.S., including the one at Downtown Disney West Side. The store was closed on May 12, 2009.

Since Virgin vacated the building, it has served as a temporary home for a couple of rather diverse tenants.  Off the top of my head, I can recall the Princess Diana Exhibit and Ridemakerz. 

“Diana – The People’s Princess” found a home there from July 7, 2009 – November 30, 2009.  It showcased the life and story of Princess Diana, one of the most iconic and inspirational figures in recent history, including a sampling of the royal dresses Diana chose to auction for charity and hundreds of authentic artifacts relating to her life.

Ridemakerz is a supercharged interactive experience that lets kids of all ages dream up, build, and customize their very own radio controlled car or truck. It opened March 25, 2010 and seems quite popular, but is only slated to remain open at this location through April 30, 2011.

So for Disney speculators far and wide, this begs the question: What’s next for this super-sized structure?  The best suggestion I’ve heard by far was on Lou’s podcast.  I am so ashamed that I didn’t come up with it myself:

How about a Walt Disney World Museum?  For Disney geeks like me, this would be beyond fabulous.  And it would be so easy for Disney; they have all sorts of stuff in storage from old attractions.  They could have separate sections for proposed attractions and resorts that never saw daylight, extinct attractions, the history behind the purchase of the property and construction of each of the parks, and even a blue sky area to showcase upcoming enhancements to Walt Disney World. And I am absolutely salivating at the thought of purchasing merchandise tied to these concepts.

What do you think?  Would you take time out of your Walt Disney World vacation to visit a museum? Would you be willing to pay a separate entrance fee for this opportunity?  And would you be next to me in line at the check-out counter with armloads of vintage merchandise and a worn-out credit card?  Let me know over at http://www.facebook.com/disneygene!  

Training the Newbies

As we plan for our upcoming Walt Disney World trip with some family members who are not WDW veterans, I’ve decided to start emailing occasional trip tips to them to help them prepare.  And since I’m in a sharing frame of mind, well, here you go!

It’s 6:45 A.M.  You are sound asleep in your Disney resort room until you are jerked awake by the sound of a phone.  You grope for it blindly and bring the receiver to your ear.  Before you can mutter a groggy “Hello?” the following blasts into your ear:

http://www.talkdisney.com/forums/attachments/disney-gadgets-gizmos/3296d1197598115-disney-resort-wake-up-phone-call-resort-wake-up-call.wav

Your first thought is probably one of the following:

A. “It should be illegal to be that cheerful this early.”

B. “Does this thing have a snooze button?”

Or

C. “I am going to kill Aunt Teri for making me get up at 6:45 on my vacation.”

Yes, it sucks to get up that early.  But trust me; the first several hours of each day are the most important of your Disney vacation. You are going to thank me when you get to walk right on Toy Story Midway Mania or Space Mountain when the schmucks who don’t roll into the parks until 11:00 are stuck in line for two hours for the same attractions.

Since you’ve bothered to haul your bottom out of bed that early, it’s important to make sure you don’t waste precious time dawdling.  I’m mean really, what sounds like more fun: getting yelled at by your mom to brush your teeth and comb your hair, or riding Expedition Everest?  Remember, you only have to get yourself ready in the morning.  Your mom is trying to get all of you organized and out the door, so help her out, okay?

Also, there are ways you can help speed up your Disney mornings before you even leave home.  How?  Pack smart.  If you put each day’s outfit (including underwear and socks) into separate Ziploc bags, you can just pull out a bag and have an entire outfit ready, instead of digging through your suitcase to find a pair of clean socks (and do you really want to risk grabbing a less than clean pair of underwear?).  This may sound like I’m going a little overboard in the organization department, but anything that gets you zipping down Splash Mountain sooner is worth the effort!

P.S. My thanks to www.talkdisney.com for posting the link for the Mickey wake-up call!

"Without 'U' There'd Be No 'US'"

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my sister-in-law?

Okay, I really love all of my in-laws.  It’s true that when you marry someone you marry their whole family, and I totally lucked out.  (And I’m not just saying that to suck up, because they rarely read my blog.)  So I guess I should say that other than not being huge Disney fans, they are really fabulous people.

But right now, I’m feeling a special fondness for my wonderful sister-in-law, Mackenzie.  Why?  Well, as I’ve mentioned previously, my New Year’s Resolution this year was to try to have a “fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants” Disney vacation.  Instead of booking my ADRs six months out, planning my daily park itineraries step-by-step,  and researching optimal places to stop along the way down for gas and restroom breaks, I was going to (gulp) wing it. I’m having nightmares already.

But then Mackenzie called.  She has decided to take a Walt Disney World vacation, and is coordinating it with our trip in December.

Now, Mackenzie and her family never go to Walt Disney World.  I think they’ve been there exactly once, and that was so long ago that her son Ethan was too young to remember it.  So the way I see it, if I’m responsible for not only planning the vacation of myself, my husband and my daughter (all of whom have visited Walt Disney World, well let’s just say, more than once) but also for helping to plan what could well be a once-in-a-lifetime trip for several loved ones, then it’s my responsibility to scrap my resolution and plan this trip down to the last detail, right?  Right?  

And a planning experience it will be.  We’re all driving (1061 miles, have I mentioned that before?), we’ll be visiting Walt Disney World and Universal, and we'll be staying in multiple hotels.  In addition to that, it’ll be for a group of seven: an 11-year-old, two 16-year-olds, a nineteen-year-old, and three 30-somethings (and the potential of a 28-year-old, but that's still up in the air).  Oh, and that’s also two vegans, two very basic, non-adventuresome eaters, and three foodies.  We also run the gamut from early risers to night-owls, from type-A personalities (I wonder who that could be?) to laid-back, relaxed, calm individuals.  This is going to be a new experience for me, and one I would have never had if I hadn’t received that call from Mackenzie.  So, thanks Kenz; I owe you one!

Give Kids The World

Paige was a little three-year-old girl from Indianapolis with a life-threatening illness.  Her biggest wish was to meet Bear from Bear in the Big Blue House, but due to Bear’s traveling schedule, the Make-A-Wish Foundation was unable to grant it.  Her next wish was to visit Walt Disney World.

Paige was what’s known as a “Rush Wish”.  A “Rush-Wish” is a child that could die within twenty-four hours, and probably will not survive the week at Walt Disney World that is their “wish”.  While visiting Walt Disney World, Paige and her family stayed at the Give Kids The World Village, a Central Florida resort specifically designed to cater to Make-A-Wish children and their families.  While Paige was there, a show was put on featuring Bear from Bear and the Big Blue House.  After the show was over, Pamela Ladwirth, one of the village administrators, noticed that everyone in the family of this little girl was crying, and she went over to make sure everything was okay.  Upon learning how special Bear was to Paige, Pamela raced backstage and asked Bear to come meet the little girl.  Bear came out and sniffed Paige (for those who have never watched the show, this is a Bear trademark).  Then Bear said to her, “You know Paige, if I were to have a wish, it would have been to meet you.”

This was in October.  Paige’s family wrote to the Give Kids the World Village that Paige was able to make it through Christmas.  This child, who was not supposed to last the week, got to have one more Christmas with her family, and they truly believe that her wonderful experience at the Give Kids the World Village gave her the strength to keep fighting a little while longer.

Paige isn’t alone.  Each year over 27,000 children in the United States alone are diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses. Half of those children choose as their wish through the Make-A-Wish Foundation to visit Walt Disney World.  Only about 7,000 a year make it, however.  There currently aren’t enough funds donated so that each of these dying children can get their wish. But you can help.

Give Kids The World Village is a 70-acre, non-profit resort in Central Florida that creates magical memories for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. It provides accommodations at its whimsical resort and donates attractions tickets, meals, and more for a week-long, cost-free fantasy vacation. It is specifically designed for children with special needs. With the help of many generous individuals, corporations, and partnering wish-granting organizations, Give Kids The World has welcomed more than 100,000 families from all 50 states and over 70 countries.  So many of the families who have stayed with them write the village afterwards to say what the trip did for them.  Many children then had the strength to go back and continue treatments to fight and even overcome their illnesses.  For those who don’t make it, their families get this wonderful memory to cherish for the rest of their lives.  Because while the rest of the memories for those families are of hospital rooms and doctors’ offices, of being told “No, you can’t so this” or “No, we can’t afford that”, this is a week of “yeses”.  Imagine that you are the 16-year-old girl in a wheelchair who for the first time can shower alone because of the facilities designed just for people like her.  Or imagine that for the first time, no one is staring at your wheelchair, or your trach tube, or your bald head, because all of the other kids in the village are going through the same thing.

In addition to providing such a wonderful service, Give Kids The World was named Worth magazine’s “most fiscally responsible charity in the US”.  To give you an idea, most charities are considered fiscally responsible if their administration costs run around 35%.  That means of every dollar you spend, $.65 goes to the mission.  Give Kids the World has administration costs of 6.3%, so over $.93 of each dollar donated is used directly for the children!

Why am I writing about this charity now?  Because right now the wonderful folks at the DIS (www.wdwinfo.com, www.disboards.com) have initiated The Power of 10: Give Kids the World $1 Million Challenge.  I’ll let them tell you about it in their own words:

“We are a group of Disney fans who want to help share our passion for Disney with those who need it most: children with life threatening illnesses and their families. When these children ask to visit Walt Disney World through organizations like the Make-A-Wish foundation, many times those organizations reach out to Give Kids The World to make that wish a reality.
Our goal is simple. We’re looking for 10,000 people who are willing to commit to asking 10 friends to donate $10 to Give Kids the World. If we can accomplish that seemingly simple task, we will raise $1M to help this worthy organization in their mission to turn no child away.
We are looking to show the power of the internet in raising money for good causes. Virtually every dollar raised through this initiative will go to Give Kids The World. The only exception are donations made through FirstGiving.org – that organization does take a small processing fee for each donation made through their web site. Beyond that – every dollar will go directly to helping these realize their wish of visiting the happiest place on earth.”

So that’s why I’m writing.  I want to encourage all of you to please help in this wonderful cause.  Donations can be made by texting the word DISGKTW to 50555 - you will send a $10 donation directly to Give Kids the World via mGive.org, or by visiting the FirstGiving web site at http://www.firstgiving.com/disgktw.  Money collected via FirstGiving is sent directly to Give Kids the World (less a 7.5% processing fee charged by FirstGiving.com).

You may help save a life.  You will help provide wonderful memories for families suffering from non-stop fear and sadness. Please don’t turn your back on them.

If/when you donate, please let me (and everyone else) know at http://www.facebook.com/disneygene.  You’ll have done something good, and I think you deserve a little recognition for it!

P.S. I don’t have direct permission from the folks at The DIS to write this post, but they are pretty nice, so I think it will be okay. ;)

How to Serve Fried Tiki Bird

Okay, that title may have been in poor taste.  What can I say?  I’m in a bit of a bad mood.  People on Facebook are trying to tick me off, I swear.

But back to the Tiki Birds.  I’m sure by now you’ve heard that The Enchanted Tiki Room "Under New Management" at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom recently suffered some fire damage and is currently closed.  Disney claims it was a small fire confined to the attic, but strong rumors are floating around that several of the Audio-Animatronic figures, particularly Iago, suffered severe damage. Naturally, this has us all speculating on the future of the attraction.  Since I love a good gossip session as much as the next person, I thought I’d chime in.

Option A: Worst case scenario would be for the attraction to just stay closed. It wouldn’t be unheard of (Wonders of Life Pavilion, anyone?), but: 1. that would tick me off and 2. that would make for really boring speculation, so let’s continue.

Option B would be for them to just reopen the “Under New Management” version exactly as it was.  I’m sure this would be the easiest idea for Disney, but I’m really hoping they don’t do that.  To this day, it still breaks my heart to hear Phil Hartman’s voice in the preshow.  I want to start ranting about the evils of drug abuse right there in the middle of the Magic Kingdom, and people tend to look askance at me when I do that. And seriously, Miami Sound Machine’s Conga and Buster Poindexter’s Hot, Hot, Hot were outdated before the show even opened, and I highly doubt anyone is going to make a case for calling either of those numbers timeless classics.

Option C would be for them to put an entirely new attraction here.  The idea has merit, I suppose, but I personally like seeing homage made to the first ever Audio-Animatronics in a Disney park.

Option D would be for them to just put the original show back in.  I kind of like this idea, but with a twist.  What if we had some new preshow characters (a flock of gossiping crows, maybe?), discussing how the Tiki Gods were angered by Iago’s disrespect, and that prompted the return of the original show. Heck, maybe we can even throw in a sight gag of Iago and Zazu in the “birdie boiler”!  Your thoughts?

My New Year’s Resolution

A Type A individual is defined as one who is “ambitious, aggressive, business-like, controlling, highly competitive, impatient, preoccupied with his or her status, time-conscious, and tightly-wound. People with Type A personalities are often high-achieving workaholics who multi-task, push themselves with deadlines, and hate both delays and ambivalence.”  Let’s face it; that’s not the most flattering of portrayals.  I’d like to claim that I don’t resemble that description at all, but who would I be kidding?  You might as well just put a picture of me next to it and be done with it.  I mean seriously, my daughter came across David Farragut’s famous quote "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" and was surprised, as she had always attributed that quote to me.

You can take a vacation from work, but you can’t take a vacation from your own personality (believe me; I’ve tried).  So even when I’m at the Happiest Place on Earth I’m still, well, me.  I hit the ground running and tour the parks commando-style (but don’t worry, I am wearing underwear. And yes Mom; it’s clean.)  I not only have plans, I have printed lists.  I have folders to keep track of my dining reservations.  I study the menus of the restaurants before leaving, and generally walk into the restaurants already knowing what I’m going to order. I have a strict touring plan for visiting the attractions. If a member of my party wants to sleep in or slow down, I will leave them behind rather than abandon The Plan. 

The saddest part is that this isn’t even a recent development.  I remember at the age of five, pouring over the map for the Magic Kingdom and presenting to my mother a step-by-step itinerary for the entire family.  It’s probably a good thing there was only one park back then, or I’d have really driven her nuts.

But for the very first time, I will be visiting Walt Disney World as a Disney Vacation Club member.  I (theoretically) don’t have to worry that this may be my last visit to the World for a long time.  I’m supposed to visit annually now. Therefore, I should be able to relax, and not feel the need to cram every possible experience into every available moment, right?  Right?

That’s my resolution.  I have promised my family that this will be a “stop and smell the roses” trip.  My husband, who claims that one of his arms is longer than the other because of the way I’m constantly pulling him around by it, simply laughs at my vow and says my naïve belief that I can change is very cute.  My daughter (Teri Junior) is baffled at the very concept of willingly slowing down.  It’s my fault, really.  Let’s face it; she didn’t start referring to The Swiss Family Treehouse and the film in Norway as “crowd control measures” on her own.

I’m already facing my first test to my resolution.  Our trip is booked for early December, and now that our hotel reservations are made, my thoughts would normally be turning to dining plans.  As in, I would typically be making lists of what theme parks we would be visiting each day, and which restaurants (at what times) would best fit our schedule.  After researching which parks are historically least crowded on which days, I would come up with a corresponding list of restaurants (a top choice and two back-ups), along with preferred eating times.  I would have these printed out (and in my folder) so that I could simultaneously call and check online at the 180 day mark for availability. But not this time. I want to try taking a trip without making a single Advance Dining Reservation.  This is truly my intent, but the mere thought has me breaking out in hives.

Do you think I can do it?  Do any of you “smell-the-roses” folks have any advice for me?  Please let me know over at http://www.facebook.com/disneygene!   

Dear Disney, 01/11/11

Dear Disney,

Today is my birthday, and only you can make my birthday wish come true.

My birthday wish is for Who Framed Roger Rabbit 2 to be confirmed for 2012, and for a Roger Rabbit attraction to come to Disney’s Hollywood Studios along with it.

First, let’s talk about the movie.  I had heard reports that it was a definite “go” and that it’s in production.  Then I heard that its status would depend on how well Tron: Legacy performed.  Then I heard that if we did get WFRR2, it would be filmed in motion capture. 

Let’s review.  I’m a Disney dork and a sci-fi geek, and even I wondered about the wisdom of releasing a new Tron movie.  So to pin the future of a sequel to the wildly popular Who Framed Roger Rabbit on the success (or lack thereof) of a sequel to a relatively obscure film like Tron makes no sense to me at all.  But I must give you the benefit of the doubt here.  Hopefully there is no truth to that rumor.

Giving credit where it’s due, however, at least Tron: Legacy was pretty to watch.  I’d go so far as to say visually stunning (generally lacking in a compelling story line, but visually stunning).  But movies made in motion capture, like Robert Zemeckis’ The Polar Express or A Christmas Carol just plain creep me out. I’m not at all fond of this method of animation, and I laughed out loud when in the ending credits of Pixar's Ratatouille, a stamp appeared labeling the film as "100% Pure Animation -- No Motion Capture!"

Now, on to DHS.  It broke my heart when I learned that a Roger Rabbit attraction and/or area had originally been planned for the Studios and then scrapped.  This was especially true when I finally made it out to Disneyland and saw how cool their Toontown was compared to Florida’s.  I know parents of toddlers everywhere are going to hate me for this one, but I found the Magic Kingdom’s Toontown about as appealing as Animal Kingdom’s Dinoland, USA.  Toontown had Barnstormer, Dinoland has Dinosaur, and neither has much of anything else worth seeing, in my humble opinion.  I know a few people might disagree, but Disney can do better, and they should.

But back to my point.  A release of a Roger Rabbit sequel (a real one, not that direct-to-video crap you’ve been cranking out repeatedly over the last sixteen years) would be the perfect opportunity for a Roger Rabbit attraction, or even a whole Toontown-themed area to come to the Studios.  A good Toontown though, not a Mickey’s Birthdayland, Mickey’s Starland,  Duckburg, Towntown Fair area that looks like it was designed as a backyard playhouse for a three-year-old girl.

Yes, I know I’m being demanding, but it’s my birthday.  And after all Disney, you’re the ones who taught me that:

“No matter how your heart is grieving,

If you keep on believing,

The dream that you wish will come true”.

Sincerely,

Teri