Are YOU 23?

I know I've touched on D23 - the official community for Disney Fans - before. I just came across a sizzle video sent to members on YouTube that I thought I'd share.

Taken from TheDisneyBlog

Here’s an official description for D23:

D23 - Disney’s first official community for fans - celebrates the wonder and excitement that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his studio in Hollywood. Through the years, Disney’s stories, characters and experiences have captured the imagination of fans everywhere, and now D23 places you in the middle of the magic. Go backstage, behind closed doors, and get the inside scoop, while experiencing the nostalgia, adventure and fantasy of Disney as never before.

What does D23 mean?

“D” stands for Disney, and “23″ represents 1923, the year that Walt Disney arrived in California and founded what was to ultimately become The Walt Disney Company.

The cost of a membership is $74.99 and it can be given as a gift. If you buy your membership in 2009 you’ll become a D23 Charter Member. A one-year D23 Charter Membership includes:

      Disney ”twenty-three” Quarterly Publication: A one-year subscription (four issues) to D23’s exquisite collectible magazine, filled with stunning photography, dazzling illustrations and the ultimate Disney insider perspective. It’s your all-access pass to discovering the magic of Disney’s past, present and future!

            Membership Card and Certificate: Your membership card and personalized, suitable-for-framing charter member certificate feature many of Disney’s most beloved characters drawn by Disney Master Artist David Pacheco.

            Surprise Collectible Gift: A collectible just for D23 members. You’ll receive a gift you’ll cherish from the new Walt Disney Archives Collection.

            Exclusive Special Events and Merchandise: D23 offers its members unique special-event opportunities throughout the year, as well as access to exclusive, limited-edition merchandise and collectibles.

            D23 Expo: It’s the ultimate Disney fan experience, taking place in Anaheim, California from September 10-13, 2009. This can’t-miss event will feature guest speakers, celebrity appearances, breathtaking exhibitions, sneak peeks, film screenings, one-of-a-kind merchandise, and so much more! Admission will be discounted for D23 members.

            Subscription to bi-weekly D23 FanFare e-newsletter with breaking news and special offers. (You may opt out of receiving FanFare after your first e-newsletter arrives.)

            Plus, stay connected to D23 every day at Disney.com/D23, featuring up-to-the-minute Disney news, feature stories, event info, merchandise and more.

As of now no family memberships are offered. You must be 18 years old to join or purchase membership (so there is no point of a family membership anyway as discounts will probably be applied to something like “up to 4 people” (see D23 Expo details below).

There will be a variety of D23 members-only events throughout the year. Check online at Disney.com/D23 to find out about upcoming events. Special promotional codes and information for some events will be sent out via email and e-newsletters, so once D23 members start receiving D23 emails and e-newsletters, they may not wish to “opt out” of receiving that correspondence.

Finally there are some additional details on the big D23 convention:

D23 Expo
What is the D23 Expo?

It’s the ultimate Disney fan experience, taking place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California (across the street from Disneyland), September 10-13, 2009. This four-day can’t-miss event will feature incredible speakers, celebrity appearances, breathtaking exhibitions, sneak peeks, film screenings, one-of-a-kind merchandise, and so much more! There will be something for children of all ages, fans, the whole family, and friends.

When will tickets go on sale for the Expo?

Tickets will go on sale this spring. Check the D23 Web site for more information. Members will be alerted the day tickets go on sale.

How much will the Expo cost?

General Admission:
Adult 1-day $37
Child 1-day $27
Child 4-day $81 (4th day free)

D23 Member Admission (D23 members may purchase up to four discounted tickets per membership):
Adult 1-day $30
Adult 4-day $90 (4th day free)
Child 1-day $22
Child 4-day $66 (4th day free)

All details are scheduled to change, of course. More details can be found on the official FAQ.

This looks like something profitable to invest in. Granted, I'll be saving my money for various other things this summer, but something like this can be treasured for a lifetime. I'll have to do more research and talk to people I know who are already members of the club to see how "worth" it the experience is but so far it looks promising.

Good Morning George!

To any of my cast member friends, or anyone as a guest who has heard the tale of George, the spirit that lives within the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Walt Disney World, or even if you're just curious, read this spooky recollection by FoxxFur, a once cast member who worked on the ride before the 2006 refurbishment.

I first heard about George on my first program - however I cannot remember by whom I was told the tale. Ever since then, every time I rode the ride I experienced him in one way or another (as you'll read in her post above).

I now feel more informed - and somewhat more spooked - by George and the other spirits that haunt the ride after reading her well-written summary. In one month, I can't wait to wait in line with my new CP friends and share this tale with them as well and finally say "Good Morning George" once again!

Heigh-Ho!

DISCLAIMER: it's now 2:18am and I should be in bed, but a good Blogger never turns down their thoughts for sleep. So any misspellings or rambles is completely and directly related to my stubbornness and lack of sleep.

During my daily Twittering, I noticed John Hensel made this tweet about working over 145 hours this week because of the Easter Holiday. He even made this video for his YouTube subscribers apologizing that he won't be able to make a full-video due to his lack of sleep and excessive work schedule (okay so maybe not ALL good bloggers turn down their thoughts for sleep!):



This led me to thinking, I know it's a holiday weekend, ergo a lot of people will be spending time at the parks...but does over 145 hours seem a little excessive? When I was a CP in '07, they capped our hours during holiday and peak times at 60-something and wouldn't allow us to work longer than that...and I worked on Main Street in the Emporium! We would always get flooded during the day and especially at night-time after the fireworks when everyone was exiting the parks.

Anyone I've worked with, who has worked in the Emporium or even visited the shop knew how terribly busy we were. Anyone who closed would yearn for the time when managers would say gather round and we would wave goodbye to electronic Mickey as he reminded us to have a magical day and we would slavishly wander in the tunnel to the bus to take us home (or for us CP's, the bus to take us to the OTHER bus to take us home...)

I remember one time I had to work until 3 or 4am (I think it was also around Easter time), got home at around 3:30 because of stupid American Coach (but we'll save that for a different time) and had to be up and back at work at 8am the next day. I was not magical that day let me tell you that.

Even when I worked Grad Nights in May and we would get down close to 5 in the am and some people just stayed in costume downstairs because they had to be back in 5 hours to work a 14 hour shift and felt staying downstairs would benefit more than 3 hours in bed!

Trying to think of the major holidays I'll be working this summer makes me both excited and partially scared: July 4th, Father's Day, heck just summer in general!

So I definitely feel John's pain and I understand it's a holiday weekend, but 145 hours? Really Mickey? What do you guys think? Any work experiences where scheduling just didn't seem to be your friend? Leave them in the comments blow...

Okay the furnace just turned on and being up alone in the basement of my apartment is scaring me so I'm going to bed. Have a magical night!

What will people say when they hear that I'm a Disney-Freak?

I signed on to my iGoogle account this morning and saw under my Walt Disney Quote widget this interesting quote by the man himself:

All right. I'm corny. But I think there's just about a-hundred-and-forty-million people in this country that are just as corny as I am.
- Walt Disney

This left me thinking back on all the jokes and back-burns I've received ever since I came back from my first program in 2007 about how the "chip" has been activated in my head and I am a slave of the mouse and all that other crap.

Lets back-track: I truly am a kid-at-heart. I watch the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon - The-N, Cartoon Network (in addition to all the grown-up stations like MTV, CNN, MSNBC, BET, etc.) and I do watch shows like Hannah Montana, Wizard of Waverly Place, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Instant Star, The Suite Life On Deck, Sonny With a Chance...shall I go on?

I've watched these networks/shows long before I went on my program, my love for the Disney Company just enhanced my liking towards these networks just a little more after coming back. I especially hit it hard after moving into my fraternity house after coming back and watching my networks a la kids and getting mocked because of it.

Let me point out that I'm not bashing my fraternity brothers, quite the opposite really: I'm questioning society as a whole when it's "not okay" for a 21-year-old man to like High School Musical. Case in point, i was just ridiculed as I'm typing this by one of my fraternity brothers (I'm writing this blog in my computer lab) because 'Fantasmic' is apparantly not a word and the chip in the back of my brain is being activated at this very moment.

I laughed at the South Park episode with the Jonas Brothers and Mickey Mouse, I'm not a total noob when it comes to my interests and what not - but I don't like being put down because of my likes and dislikes.

I love (almost) all aspects of Disney - if I didn't I wouldn't strive so hard to further my career with the company. I am a kid-at-heart. And yes, at times I can be corny, I may imitate Mickey Mouse, I may have a crap-load of pins at my disposal, and yes, I have Hannah Montana, all High School Musical, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Jake Epstien and many others on my iPod and listen to their music while walking to class

Am I a Disney-Freak? Yes. Am I proud of it? Yes. And you know what? Walt was right...there are over 40 million others like me who are proud of it as well. If it wern't for the corni-ness (is that a word?) of one man, the world would be such a different place!

So patronize me all you want. I'll continue to like what I like, do what I do and watch me ending being a CEO of Public Relations for some aspect of the Disney Company in 15 years, with a beautiful corner office, a spending budget, and a family I can share the experience with.

Woman dies after colliding with bus on Disney Propety

Sad day. I heard about this last night through TheDisneyBlog. You never really think about all the dangers that could happen. My heart and prayers goes out to the woman's family during this tragic time.

A 47 year old Clermont woman is dead after she lost control of her car
and crashed into a Disney bus on Walt Disney World property Sunday.
Reports say she was heading north on World Drive, when she went into the southbound lane and collided with the bus.
The crash happened near the Wilderness Lodge, and south of the Magic Kingdom.
Of the nine people aboard the bus, two were taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Teresa Scarborough was driving a four-door Hyundai north on World Drive when she missed a curve, veered into the wrong lane and struck the bus, the patrol reported.
Residents who live north of Magic Kingdom often use World Drive as a way to avoid the sometimes congested 535 highway.

To all my friends on the program currently, and who I'll be seeing soon: please be safe and watchful at all times. Dream well.

Call me, beep me and become a special agent!

This is an advertisement from the Disney Parks channel on Youtube from the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure, a new interactive game at EPCOT. Basically you go on missions and defeat some of the villains from the show on Disney Channel while exploring World Pavilion. Probably wont try this at first - if anything, my first expenditure at EPCOT will be drinking around the world, but maybe in the long run.

Disneykid08 tried it earlier today and said it was fun. It seems like it's marketed towards younger kids and families to do together though."

I'll keep it short!

Happy Sunday!

I figured after the monstrosity that was my Pop Film essay that I posted on Thursday, I'd keep this post short. Big news (for me anyway) is that I've passed the 40 Day Countdown and things are finally starting to come together for me for the summer. I still have some paperwork I have to do, haven't found a roommate yet and I have to patiently wait until after finals to actually get my butt in gear and get things ready for the big move.

I'm kind of sad because the two BG Campus Reps I told you all were coming down with me are no longer accompanying me on this journey. Kelly has a teaching job this summer which she should totally take if she wants to graduate and Tana just told me yesterday she wasn't coming down anymore either...sadness personified. But at least I have Caitlin and all my other friends I've been communicating with through Youtube vlogging...

Speaking of which, my friend Michelle, whom I worked with at the Emporium, is uploading her first vlog today! (She's having trouble because YouTube is being stupid) so once she gets that posted I'll give you all a link.

Finally, someone needs to tell me why I am following Miley Cyrus on Twitter...cause I can't for the life of me. It just happened lol. I even taught her how to "@reply"!

Kay that's all for now, couldn't find a suitable topic to talk about so I thought I'd just update you. This wasn't really that short but shorter than my last post!

Have a magical week!