Security, Ignorance, Or What?

JMarsden92 February 17, 2010
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I was listening to a local radio station today, and heard about a family that was subject to what I would say was “The worst, and most insensitive handling of a situation.”  A family was taking a vacation to Walt Disney World.  The son of 4 years old has enough challenges due to being born @16 weeks early.  The boys ankles are malformed, and his legs have low muscle tone.  He had just begun walking in March.  Once the family had gotten to the TSA checkpoint the father took the boys stroller and put it on the conveyor so it could be scanned.  The family went through the detectors, and after the detector sounded on the boy the TSA screener instructed the family that the boys leg braces must come off, and he must walk through.  What kind of person would do this, and how long have they been at their job?  I would hope they were new because if a experienced person did that, then I would be questioning “How could this have happened?”

In the end the boy walked through, and the family went on their way.  The spokeswoman for the TSA stated that the boys braces should not have come off.  The director for that airports TSA apologized for this happening.  Being a Camden police officer maybe the father has seen his share of people getting one over on the system because he isn’t asking for any lawsuits, etc.  He only wanted to make sure that this wouldn’t happen to anyone else.

I wouldn’t personally go after anyone financially for this, but I know some people that would have.  In the end one of the things that would have happened if those people pushed would have been the worker doing a job search.

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Disney DVC Hawaii Named Aulani

JMarsden92 February 12, 2010
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DVC is currently building a new resort in Hawaii.  I have recently found out that the name of the resort will be “Aulani”.  It is going to have @800 rooms (300+ hotel rooms, & 400+ DVC accomodations), and will be on @21 acres of the island of O’ahu.  I haven’t been to Hawaii, but I have heard from others that it is a beautiful place.  This will be one of Disney’s biggest resorts not being tied to a theme park.

If I ever do get to go to the resort I will probably take a tour of other hawaii locations before arriving at the DVC resort.  Wife has told me that we could maybe even try Maui vacation rentals while touring the Hawaiian islands.  She wants to see the sites if we were to go.

Here is a construction photo that I ran into while surfing the internet.

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What Happens To Toontown & The Homes Of the Mice?

JMarsden92 February 12, 2010
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If you have ever been to Walt Disney World, then you know that at the back of the Magic Kingdom sits 2 homes that belong to the 2 Head Cheeses… (No Pun Intended!)  Well, if you haven’t been there, then here is some information.  Mickeys Toontown was created at the back of the Magic Kingdom.  It is home to Goofy’s Barnstormer, Donalds boat, Mickeys house, Minnies house, and Judges Tent.  There is also a train station at the back of Toontown.

While the public has no idea when the refurbishment will start I will venture to guess that it will more than likely start after the Easter holiday concludes.  I have been to Disney a lot, and historically they seem to do a lot of their changes after this date.

Judges Tent is a place for children to meet several “groups” of Disney characters.  It is also home of some Disney merchandise.

Goofys Barnstormer is a childs roller coaster.

Donalds boat is a playarea for children.  The S.S. Miss Daisy has some leaks in her, so you may get wet.

Mickeys house features a house that is in total disarray. 

Minnies house is a clean house with everything in its place.  Her house features her craft room, living room, kitchen, garden, and her office.  Put on your best makeup, and face creams because on occasion you can meet Minnie in the backyard.

When the proposed Fantasyland refurbishment happens what will happen to our hosts homes?  I don’t know, but I hope that they do something, as “It all began with a Mouse.”

D23 FantasyLand Rendition

In the new Fantasyland they have stated that you will be able to meet with the princesses at their homes, Ariel will be getting her own area finally, and Dumbo will be getting a huge overhaul.

While this overhaul will take a serious amount of time I think it will be a good thing for some change to come to the Magic Kingdom.  This will also help Disney considerable because the park limit will now be increased, which will result in more revenue.

I will post tomorrow with other renditions of the proposed Fantasyland that were presented at D23.

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Getting To Disney World Faster

JMarsden92 February 12, 2010
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Can you imagine getting to Disney just a few hours earlier than normal?  Well, if everything gets the final kick then that dream may become a reality.  While it won’t be something you can do from anywhere else, you will at least be able to cut out some of that drive if you choose.  After looking at the maps I figure that this is really intended for Florida residents so that they can ease some of the traffic issues at hand.

This could be good for Disney in many ways.

  1. Ease some traffic from the Disney roads.
  2. Maybe a “Disney” stop will cost.

This could be bad for Disney in many ways.

  1. Car repairs at the Disney repair shops may drop.
  2. Parking fees at the parking lots will drop.

The text from the WESH article is below.

White House officials and Sen. Bill Nelson confirmed on Wednesday that high-speed rail is heading to Central Florida. 

President Barack Obama is expected to announce in Tampa Thursday that federal money will be provided to the state to build the train that will link Tampa, Walt Disney World and Orlando. 

Nelson said Florida will receive a portion of $8 billion in stimulus funds that are being offered to develop a national high-speed rail network. State officials asked for $2.5 billion. 

“This will be one of the largest boosts to the state’s economy since Disney, since the Interstate highway system,” Nelson said. 

It’s unclear whether the state will get all the money it requested to build the rail system.

Officials with the Department of Transportation said high-speed rail would provide an efficient, reliable and comfortable travel option between cities at speeds of 120 mph or greater. The trains will contain modern amenities and conveniences, and they’re time and price competitive to other forms of transportation. Link to original article… http://www.wesh.com/automotive/22354556/detail.html#

Of Florida’s four applications submitted to the feds, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer predicts the Central Florida leg will come first. 

The cost for Florida’s proposed rail lines is around $2.6 billion. Sen. George LeMieux said he’s hopeful the president will award full funding to the Sunshine State. 

“I’m very excited about it. I’ve got my fingers crossed the president is going to award Florida the full $2.5 billion,” LeMieux said. 

The first leg could be in operation by 2015.  

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Downtown Disney Without McDonalds?

JMarsden92 February 12, 2010
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I just read an article in the Orlando Sentinel that Disney will be removing McDonalds from Downtown Disney later this year.  I know that they had removed the McDonalds items from the stands, and locations throughout the park, but this is a bold move by Disney in my eyes.  McDonalds has always been synonymous with Disney for many years as far as I know.  Disney movies get ramped up with the kids happy meals by who else… McDonalds.  Well, here is the text from their site.

Pollo Campero, an international Latin chicken quick-service restaurant chain, has partnered with Levy Campero to deliver a new restaurant concept in the Downtown Disney Marketplace at Walt Disney World Resort. The restaurant, which is scheduled to open in late 2010, will replace McDonald’s and feature Latin cusine, as well as fresh, and healthful foods. Menu items will include salads, chicken, yuca fries, sweet plantains, and Latin drinks including horchata and tamarindo.Pollo Campero, the world’s largest Latin chicken restaurant chain, serves more than 85 million customers each year at more than 300 restaurants in 12 countries around the globe. This includes more than 50 locations already open in the United States, with additional stores scheduled to open this year.

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