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obsessed with Disney

50 Signs you are Obsessed with Disney

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Sure, you like Disney and all, and all your friends contact you every time they plan a Disney vacation for tips and tricks, but are you obsessed with Disney?

Signs you are obsessed with Disney

  1. You always dress as a Disney character for Halloween, and usually have your costume picked out months in advance.
  2. You have a Disney themed phone case.
  3. You get personally offended when anyone compliments a theme park other than Disney.
  4. Your profile picture is you with a Disney character
  5. You have a Disney tattoo (or two, or three)
  6. You have a Dole Whip scented air freshener in your car
  7. You have a Disney character as a spirit animal
  8. You once had a friend that went to Disney and didn’t get a Dole Whip. They aren’t your friend anymore.
  9. Your only bucket list item is visiting every single Disney theme park
  10. You own a Disney coffee mug (or two, or three)
  11. When you go to karaoke, it is a Disney song or bust
  12. Every single one of your favorite foods can only be found at Disney
  13. Your pet is named after a Disney character
  14. You have more Disney themed clothes than regular clothes
  15. You still own all of your Disney VHS tapes
  16. You know all the lyrics to both Pirates of the Caribbean and “it’s a small world”
  17. Your ringtone is a Disney song
  18. You see Hidden Mickeys on a daily basis, regardless of where you are
  19. You own a Disney antenna topper
  20. Your license plate cover is from Disneyland
  21. You have a Disney themed room in your house (or two, or three)
  22. You wouldn’t date someone if they didn’t love Disney as much as you
  23. You haven’t actually use a Disney map in a long time, but insist on bringing home copies after each trip
  24. You own Mouse Ears (or two, or three)
  25. You have a Disney countdown calendar for your next Disney trip
  26. Your retirement involves working for Disney
  27. You have a Disney sticker on your car (or two, or three)
  28. You have mailed yourself a postcard from Castaway Cay or one of the Disney parks
  29. You think anything Mickey shaped tastes better
  30. You learned Spanish by riding the monorail
  31. You can tell the difference between Chip and Dale
  32. You own Disney themed pajamas
  33. You check your Disney app for wait times, even when you are just sitting at work
  34. You insist on calling all the Walt Disney World resorts and theme parks by their original names (Hello Dixie Landings!)
  35. You know where all the ride cameras are located
  36. It doesn’t matter where you are in the Magic Kingdom, you will only use the Tangled bathrooms in Fantasyland
  37. You have planned a new Disney trip while on a Disney trip
  38. You have a collection of unused FastPasses
  39. You have called one of your kids by the name of a Disney character
  40. All of your family photos are from Disney vacations
  41. You have been on all four Disney cruise ships
  42. You know how to correctly pronounce Castaway Cay
  43. You have considered moving to Orlando, more than once
  44. You have a Disney cookbook (or two, or three)
  45. At work, people just know you as the “Disney Lady”
  46. You have a Disney themed email address
  47. You are annoyed at non-Disney hold music
  48. You always wonder “what would I be doing if I was at Disney right now?”
  49. People have quit asking you were you are going on vacation
  50. You change the theme of your Disney VISA card every few months

So, how obsessed are you?

 

disney travel agent

Why You Should Use a Disney Travel Agent

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Let’s face it, anyone can book a Disney vacation by going online, pricing out a few options, and clicking the “book” button, and your are done. Easy as pie. But should you? I have been a full time travel agent since 2002, and the thousands of people I talk to each year, I have yet to meet one person that couldn’t benefit from booking with a Disney Travel Agent rather than booking their trip directly online with Disney. Sure, you think you have been to Disney a ton and know everything, but trust me, there are plenty of ways a Disney Travel Agent can help you out.

Why you should use a Disney Travel Agent

  1. Absolutely not cost to you. Most Disney Travel Agents, Mouseketrips included, never charges you an extra fee for anything. If you look up a package online, our prices will never be more than what you can find with Disney. Since our services are free, there aren’t really any excuses to not use a Disney Travel Agent.
  2. You can retain complete control. Even though use decided to use a Disney Travel Agent to help you book your Disney vacation, your retain complete control over your reservation, or you can allow your agent to have some control over it, totally up to you. Some people have been planning Disney trips for decades, and like to make dining, fastpass+ and other reservations all by them selves, and they can.
  3. Best Prices. Disney releases discounts basically year round, and they often release several discounts for any particular date. We follow Disney discounts every single day, and we are always checking your reservation to make sure you get the absolute best deal. Sure, you can always find out about discounts by yourself, but I can promise you Disney isn’t going to find out about one and call you up to let you know that they applied it for you. You never have to worry about getting the absolute most for your money.
  4. Your Agent. As agents, we act on your behalf, and we are always on your side. We make sure your reservations are 100% correct, that all of your transportation, dining and other reservations are made on time and are perfect for your family. If there are any issues, we are on your side and fight to get them resolved for you.
  5. Experience. Personally, I have stayed in every single Disney Resort, been on every single Disney Cruise ship, done several Adventures by Disney and experienced every single Disney restaurant and theme park. I have been there and done that, and continue to do so. I have visited Disney with little kids, tweens, teens and just adults. It is rare that I find a client that is planning a trip that I have not already experienced. That goes for all the Mouseketrips agents too, they all have considerably more Disney experience than you do (if that isn’t true, I would like to talk to you about working for us).
  6. Authorized. Your Disney Travel Agent should be an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner (Mouseketrips is), which means they are recognized by Disney for the expertise and experience in planning Disney vacations.
  7. Service. Your Disney Travel Agent should take care of every single thing with your Disney vacation (though we usually leave airfare to the clients). That would include dining reservations to weddings at sea and everything you can imagine in between. Nothing will be missed that might lessen your Disney vacation.
  8. Convenience. Your Disney Travel Agent is just a quick phone call or email away (of text, facebook message, tweet or whatever other way you communicate). Have you ever tried to call into Disney when it is busy? Wait times can be hours and hours, and all on your dime. Ever tried to email Disney? Good luck.

So, let me sum that up. Easier, cheaper and more convenient. Seems like a no brainer.

disney change

Disney and Change

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For many of us, we have been visiting Disney for years and years, and remember fondly the Disney of our childhoods or first visits. I started visiting Disneyland in the early 70’s with my family, and didn’t make it across country to Walt Disney World for another 20 years. As a child, my two favorite rides were Rocket to the Moon and Adventure Thru Inner Space. I still miss the PeopleMover at Disneyland, but fortunately I can still visit a similar one the Magic Kingdom. Sometimes that nostalgia for rides, parades and attractions keeps us from seeing that they need to replaced, or better options have come available to Disney as a replacement. We all want to go to Disney and replicate that fantastic trip we had years ago, but that is nearly impossible as the parks change. Remember what Walt Disney said:

“Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world. It is something that will never be finished. Something that I can keep developing and adding to.”

Of course, this philosophy applies to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise ships, etc. When you sit down and think about it, Disney has done a remarkable job of keeping the original Disneyland rides open and fresh, while adding additional attractions that change from time to time. Look at the list of rides that were available at the grand opening of Disneyland:

  • Autopia
  • Disneyland Railroad
  • Jungle Cruise
  • King Arthur Carrousel
  • Mad Tea Party
  • Main Street Cinema
  • Mark Twain Riverboat
  • Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
  • Peter Pan’s Flight
  • Snow White’s Scary Adventures
  • Storybook Land Canal Boats
  • Casey Jr. Circus Train*
  • Dumbo the Flying Elephant*

*These two attractions were not quite ready at grand opening, but opened within a month.

Every single one of these rides is still in existence at Disneyland. If you had visited Disneyland in 1955, and again in 2015, you could ride these exact same rides just as you had 60 years before. But of course, there are also a large chunk of rides like my beloved Adventure Thru Inner Space that closed long ago. The real question is how do we look at change and Disney? Are we upset that Disney changes anything or are we excited for the future?

Maelstrom opened in Epcot during July, 1988, about a month after the Norway Pavilion opened. Maelstrom featured a boat ride through Norwegian history, including an encounter with trolls and a backwards ride over a waterfall. While definitely not an “E-Ticket” ride, it was pretty popular. I think most of it’s popularity was because at the time it was the only real ride in the World Showcase other than the Gran Fiesta Tour in Mexico (which isn’t much of a ride). In 2014, Disney announced that Maelstrom was set to close to be replaced by a Frozen themed attraction called “Frozen Ever After”. For my kids, Maelstrom was one of their favorite rides in all of Disney. My guess is that each trip we rode Maelstrom 10 – 15 times, maybe more. It was a sad day when I had to explain to my kids that Maelstrom was going away and we would not be able to ride it any more. In the next month, Frozen Ever After is scheduled to open along with a new Anna and Elsa Meet and Greet. From the description of the new ride, it sounds like the ride itself will be similar, but it will be Frozen rather than Norway. I am sure the Norway people are thrilled as this will now be the most popular area of Epcot. Sales of Norwegian sweaters and salty licorice are going to skyrocket. While I will miss Maelstrom, I am sure my kids will love Frozen Ever After, as will many, many other people.

The Disney parks are going to change as time goes on, and we want that! If Disneyland hadn’t closed down Adventure Thru Inner Space, we wouldn’t have Star Tours now. As much as I loved Adventures as a child, I have to admit that Star Tours is a much better ride. Disney messes up from time to time (I am looking at you Rocket Rods), but for the most part, closed attractions make way for much better attractions, which makes our Disney experiences just that much better.