Enchanted Kingdom: No end to fun 

Construction about to begin on new restaurant in Animal Kingdom's Asia 

Disney/Pixar's Cars Game 

Pixar documentary airing tonight on ABC 

Raven sounds off on 'Cheetah Girls' reunion 

Hundreds learn Disney survival tactics 

Some Women Disappointed in ABC's Vargas 

Transpac Yacht Race: Applications for Disney's Morning Light crew now online

Enchanted Kingdom: No end to fun

 

The magic of fascination draws both the young and old. And to beguile the heart and satisfy the mind, amusement and theme parks abound, all over the world. We all have a child in us, and in that childhood is the longing to experience the enchantment of the magical world of colour and music.

Amusement parks evolved in Europe and are the historical precursors to modern theme parks. Today, amusement parks have largely been replaced by theme parks, and the two terms are often used interchangeably. The oldest amusement park of the world (opened 1583) is Bakken, at Klampenborg, north of Copenhagen, Denmark. Another long-standing park is Prater in Vienna, Austria, which opened in 1766.

Theme park on the other hand is a modern amusement park, either based on a central theme or divided into several themes. Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland is considered to be the first theme park in the world. An amusement park where rides, shows and attractions are organized and decorated around the ideas behind the story of a beautiful princess who slept for a hundred years till the prince came and rescued her from the spell.

The biggest and widely known park the world over, Disneyland is a theme park envisioned and brought to reality by Walt Disney, a man who dreamt of a clean, and organized park for both the young and the young at heart, to live and relive their childhood.

The first Disneyland Park opened in 1955. With theme parks under the banners of Disneyland, Disney World, Disney Cruises and Disney Water Parks, Walt Disney has brought the people closer to the future, while telling them of the past. His theme park has in it a wide range of sub-themes to choose from the Toontown to Tomorrowland, from down under the sea and out in the space.

Closer to home, the theme park fever caught on in the early 80s and is currently at its peak. Drive down the East Coast Road where the fun begins. No one would miss the long line of cars and buses parked in front of the VGP Golden Beach Amusement Park and Universal Kingdom. A little further down, a few meters after the toll plaza is the Mayajaal Family Entertainment and Club, offering a whole range of facilities for the entire family. Considered to be the best in South Chennai is the MGM Dizee World, now with a new attraction for the fun loving Chennaites, the Mary World.

In a much smaller scale are Dolphin City and Little Folks, just a few kilometers before Mahabalipuram. In the city, Anna Nagar boast of Prime Time, an extravagant indoor amusement park while Dash 'N Splash claims to be the South India's exclusive water park, located 30 kilometers from Central Station. Kishkinta in Tambaram offers high-tech entertainment and themed shows. With a wide range of rides and entertainment that these park offers, a day spent is sure to help one forget the weariness of hectic city life as they indulge in the beauty of magic.

From the jolly old carousel to the boogey helicopter ride, the dancing tea cups to the giddy giant wheel, the exciting bump cars to the mind boggling and heart wrenching roller coaster, splashing around the mini waterfalls to a jump from the sky-high board in the pool, these theme parks offer an adventure of a lifetime.

To be part of a world within this world. The enchanting kingdom where the young and old get to experience the world of laughter and tears, hopes and fears, and a lot of cheers. Where we get to enjoy a memorable adventure with Prince and princesses, gnomes and elves, witches and wicked stepmothers.

So, buckle up and enjoy the remaining days in the summer, before the kids head off to school and the house get filled up with work to be done and chores to be finished. Take part in the happiest cruise that ever sailed. The cruise to the enchanting kingdom of theme parks and entertainment.

Construction about to begin on new restaurant in Animal Kingdom's Asia

Work is about to begin on the new restaurant in the Asia section of the Animal Kingdom. The current Chakranadi Chicken Shop will be closing on June 4 2006, with construction on the new location continuing for the next year.

The new Restaurant will be a Asian themed restaurant with retail and is reminiscent of the western Himalayan foothills in India and Nepal, featuring a rural village called Anandapur in a jungle with a tiny town-like mass at its center. Asia will offer full service table dining, as well as quick service food. This Asian-Fusion concept will feature Asian decor, complete with Asian antiques, as well as a retail component that will offer Asian goods ranging from Sushi plates to chopsticks and fine teapots.

Disney/Pixar's Cars Game

Welcome to Radiator Springs, pardner. The sleepy, off-the-beaten-path burg where Lightning McQueen makes an unexpected pit stop serves as the primary setting for the Cars mobile game. The game is a sorta-sequel to the movie, since from the get-go, Lightning already has established relationships with some of the cars, such as Mater.

Cars is a solid game skewed for younger players -- and that's how I'm going to rate it. I know that while I appreciated some of the mechanics (pun intended), I'm not the intended audience -- which is why some of the missions were just too easy. So, if you're kid-less, don’t bother with this detour. However, if you have a younger player with a set of fingers just itching to hold your cell, this is a good download that offers light-hearted, suitable entertainment.

Pixar documentary airing tonight on ABC

Tonight from 8 - 11pm, The Wonderful World of Disney will once more present Toy Story. However, what makes this showing especially special is that included in the three-hour block will be a brand-new documentary of Pixar, in celebration of its 20th anniversary. Directed and produced by Leslie Iwerks, the granddaughter of animation legend Ub Iwerks, the show will reveal how the animation studio arose from humble beginnings, becoming the entertainment powerhouse it is today. Meanwhile, George Lucas, Steve Jobs, Roy Disney, John Lasseter, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Billy Crystal also make appearances in the documentary, providing their thoughts on Pixar.

Raven sounds off on 'Cheetah Girls' reunion

Raven Symone doesn't mince words when she talks about how it was to rejoin the rest of Disney Channel's "Cheetah Girls" to make a sequel to their highly successful 2003 telepic.

"It was weird, putting together young women our ages - 19 to 22 - one of whom had not been in the mix," says Raven, who has her own music career, and thus has not been part of the Cheetah Girls' recording or touring activities over the last three years. "I'll be honest. There were territorial issues. There were catfights. It was not all peaches and cream off camera."

However, she is quick to add that once the camera rolled, "Everyone stepped up to do the job."

The new "Cheetah" movie - helmed by "High School Musical" director Kenny Ortega, with Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan and Kiely Williams back as the rest of the girl group - was shot in Barcelona and will debut in August.

Meanwhile, with her hit "That's So Raven" sitcom now wrapped for good, Raven, now 20, has several movie prospects pending, as well as concerts.

"I'm touring across country, and I'm up to 35 dates through the end of the year," says Raven, who leans toward r&b with alternative lyrics in her music.

"The first round I think people came wanting to see Raven Baxter, to see what she could do," Raven says, referring to her series character. "Then they started to see me as a separate entity with my own style. It's really not about the money for me; it's about the feeling of the music. I like the way some of the old performers - Janet Jackson, New Edition, Aerosmith - put across their songs and let you really understand."

Old performers? Ouch.

Michael Bolton and Nicollette Sheridan, who will show up on "The View" today singing their rendition of "Second Time Around," are heading overseas for a little work and play - specifically, a Tuesday Glamour fashion show in London, in which the "Desperate Housewives" star is participating, and some R&R on the continent.

When the happily engaged pair returns, Bolton has a dance card full of appearances and concert dates in support of his just-released "Bolton Sings Sinatra" album. Nicollette will be with him at least part of the time, along with Oliver - her golden retriever who's been with the couple on many of their travels.

Nicollette is a real dog person, and Michael, well, friends say as long as she's happy, he's happy.

Hundreds learn Disney survival tactics

Wrong turns and failures were part of building one of the top entertainment companies in the world, a Disney Institute presenter told about 300 area businesspeople Thursday at Dickinson College in Carlisle.

From the debut of the first cartoon with synchronized sound, "Steamboat Willie," featuring Mickey Mouse, to signing an exclusive deal with Technicolor to making a deal with Pixar, the Disney company has tried to take the newest technology to its highest creative potential and make money in the process, said Kris Lafferty, a business program facilitator.

She uses ‘we’

Along the way, changes in leadership resulted in long dry spells and made the company ripe for takeover, she said.

After Walt Disney’s death at age 66, "we went into dark years," Lafferty said. "We had leadership by seance. We would sit around the conference table and ask, ‘What would Walt do?’ And Walt wouldn’t answer."

Lafferty asked the audience to name a blockbuster Disney hit during the 1970s and early ‘80s and after a silence, admitted, "There weren’t any. Oh, there was ‘Tron.’ People still talk about that," she joked.

While Lafferty didn’t join Disney until 1996 after a career in the Navy and a position on a Disney cruise line, she makes a point of using the word "we" to take ownership in the entire history of the Disney company.

That approach comes from Disney leadership, including Michael Eisner, Disney CEO for 22 years. Lafferty showed film excerpts from Eisner’s Oct. 4, 1984 speech to Disney employees when he became CEO.

Eisner told Disney "cast members," as all employees are called, that he would respect tradition while experimenting with "every new type of entertainment possible."

"Most cast members were reassured" that the company was in good hands, Lafferty said, and "stock rose 1,000 percent in the first year."

‘Culture’ reshaped

But as Disney became more and more profitable, "there was something wrong," Lafferty said.

Employees began to feel "it’s all about the money" and "guests" at Disney theme parks began to feel "a vacuum in their pockets sucking out all the money," she said.

That’s when a time-out was called and a reshaping of the "culture" at the company was undertaken.

Called "performanc excellence," the new focus is based on vision, values and leadership behaviors that contribute to positive behaviors among employees.

"The leaders left shaking" after the so-called "Leadership Accountability Matrix" was introduced, Lafferty said.

"Quite a few" members of Disney management left the company. Others were unable to change to the new criteria successfully and were "encouraged to find their happiness elsewhere," she said.

Disney leaders were required to set an example for employees, to create lifelong relationships with "cast members" and "guests" and to spark excitement and enthusiasm in others.

To do that, Disney leaders are expected to communicate a vision, Lafferty said.

Martin Luther King said, "I have a dream," she said, not "I have a seven-step strategic plan."

How to institute change

The best time for a company to change is when it doesn’t have to, says Kris Lafferty, business program facilitator for Disney Institute.

To ensure continued success, Disney offers these "tactical steps for proactive change":

• Seek new ideas;

• Measure and communicate results by surveying customers;

• Recognize employee successes and celebrate milestones;

• Share new knowledge and ideas between departments.

Motivate and involve employees

Beyond the suggestion box and an open-door policy, Disney companies strive to create a structure that supports employee involvement in company goals.

Among the policies that have resulted in award-winning entertainment venues and a healthy bottom line are:

• Transferring power and decision-making to employees by supplying goals and letting employees work out the details;

• Providing employees with educational opportunities, including interdepartmental pairing of workers to promote understanding of the entire operation,

• Allocating appropriate resources to do the job;

• Creating an environment of sharing information between employees and across departments.

Business people motivated for change

Silence greeted Disney Institute presenter Kris Lafferty when she asked her audience, "How many of you do NOT want to be asked for your opinion?" and "How many of you do NOT want to be part of business planning?"

The answers were obvious.

"People want to be involved," Lafferty said. But often company leaders set up barriers to that.

Audience members became suddenly vocal when she asked for examples of those barriers: "Not being asked," "Not knowing the goals" and "Not being listened to when they’ve given input," they replied.

Getting employees involved was the goal for two of the attendees at the presentation.

"I’m going to try to emulate the theories and management styles" at Disney — "try to get employees to be involved in the process," said Kevin Talhelm, plant manager at George Weston Bakers in Carlisle. He manages 250 employees.

Beth Miller of CommunityBank in Millersburg resolved to "do those small things to include staff and formulate ideas based on their ideas."

FYI

The Disney Institute offers leadership development, team-building activities, 3 1/2-day seminars and convention tours at Walt Disney World Resort and more. Fortune 100 companies, mid-sized organizations and small businesses have used the programs for new employees and seasoned executives. Participants have come from retail, food service, manufacturing, government, military, and financial industries. For more information, call 407-566-2620.

Some Women Disappointed in ABC's Vargas

Like so many women, Suzanne Holstein, a schoolteacher and mother of two, has had her struggles balancing motherhood and career. So she was sympathetic when she heard that ABC anchor Elizabeth Vargas, a woman she admires, was stepping down from her prestigious evening-news perch to focus on her growing family.

And yet, like many women across the country, Holstein is not only a little disappointed by Vargas' move, but a little suspicious.

"I can't believe that a woman who's worked so hard to get where she is would just resign like that," says Holstein, 39. "I think they pushed her out."

Empathy, respect, disappointment, suspicion: women seem to be expressing all those emotions when they discuss Vargas, co-anchor of "World News Tonight" until this week, when she was replaced by Charles Gibson.

If she was pushed aside - and she denies it - it's troubling, they say. If she wasn't, it's even more troubling to some, who see it as a reminder of just how difficult it is to "have it all" - even when you have as much going for you as she does.

Vargas, 43, is hardly a household name like Katie Couric, whose ascension to the sole anchor chair at CBS was hailed by many as a breakthrough for women when it was announced in April. Yet when Vargas was named ABC co-anchor along with Bob Woodruff last December, she immediately became one of the most visible women in America.

Only weeks later, Woodruff was gravely wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq, forcing Vargas to go solo. The following month, she announced her pregnancy, which she says was unexpected. With ratings falling, she was permanently replaced on the evening news this week by the 63-year-old Gibson. (She'll return from maternity leave to co-anchor "20/20.")

Vargas said she'd felt no pressure from above to step down, but did so for the good of her family. "Every woman has the right to make that decision for herself and her family without anybody judging it," she told The Associated Press at the time.

Feminist groups say Vargas is just being publicly graceful about what was really her abrupt removal from the job.

"We see it as a demotion," says Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation and one of the country's most recognizable feminists. "We're worried. Is this a return to the days when it was tougher for women to get ahead?"

Smeal was one of three feminist leaders to sign a letter this week to the heads of ABC, asking them to reinstate Vargas.

"This clear demotion signals a dispiriting return to the days of discrimination against women that we thought were behind us," said the letter. It asked the network to find a work schedule that would allow Vargas to be both a dedicated mother and a dedicated journalist - and even brought a little show business into the equation, decrying ABC's cancellation of "Commander in Chief," starring Geena Davis as the first woman president.

"You have now managed to eliminate two of the country's most visible women role models," said the letter, also signed by Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women, and Susan Scanlan, chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations.

Certainly, there are those who believe that Vargas' move was a personal choice and nothing more.

"I would take her at her word," says Christina Hoff Sommers, a resident scholar with the American Enterprise Institute, whose writings are often critical of feminist groups. "By now there are so many prominent women out there. Women have never been doing better."

But whether Vargas was forced out may not be the real issue, says Geneva Overholser, a former ombudsman for The Washington Post.

"Whether it was her choice or not, she certainly speaks the truth - it's HARD to make it work," says Overholser of the mommy-work conundrum. Two decades ago, when faced with the possibility of a big new job, Overholser passed it up, she says - like Vargas, she had one child and was pregnant with another. "I felt I couldn't do it," she said. Later, she became editor of The Des Moines Register, and as it turns out, "I know I was a much better editor because I was a mother."

The message to take from the Vargas story, says Overholser, now at the Washington bureau of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, is that while some women manage to combine work and parenthood well, "we mustn't ever think it's easy. And yet, we must never think it's impossible."

Holstein, the Maryland schoolteacher, knows very well that it's not easy. About a year ago, her husband, an engineering consultant, was working in Iraq and her older daughter was having a rough adjustment to high school. Her daughter needed her; the balance wasn't working. And so she took a year's leave of absence to be with her child. She returned to her job a few months ago.

What she's learned, she says, is that you simply can't have it all. "You can't have the perfect marriage, home, children and career, AND be happy," she says. "Something's gotta give."

For Jackie Spooner Wilhoit, a mother of two boys in Hilton Head, S.C., the balancing act works, but only because she has carefully honed it over the years, she says. An interior designer, she works for herself, and so is able to make the baseball games or the school plays. She's been known to bring her boys with her when she sees clients or works out at the gym.

As for Vargas - whom she thinks is terrific - she doesn't want to judge her move.

"I do find it disappointing, if it's the network that made the decision," says Wilhoit, 47. "But if it was her, well, sometimes you don't know how you're going to feel until you're in the situation.

"Here she is at the pinnacle of her career," Wilhoit says, "but she's also at an incredible point in terms of her children. And maybe she's decided, 'Gosh, I made it. But you know what? My kids need me.'"

Transpac Yacht Race: Applications for Disney's Morning Light crew now online

Crew applications for Roy Disney's Morning Light project are now available online at www.pacifichighproductions.com. Deadline for filing is June 19.

Based on the premise of "the youngest crew ever to sail Transpac," a film will chronicle the experience of sailors as young as 18 as they prepare and ultimately sail a Transpac 52 in the next Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii in 2007.

Star Wars Weekends - Weekend #3 

The Little Mermaid SE DVD Due 

Disney President and CEO Robert Iger Addresses Town Hall Los Angeles 

Disney And Gold Get Tough With iPass 

Disney Needs Pixie Dust

“Stay, Play & Dine” Booking Date Extended 

ABC Wonderful World of Disney Presents Toy Story with Peek at CARS

Andy Mooney, Chairman, Disney Consumer Products, to Speak at the Merrill Lynch US Media Conference 

Download Useless Disney Flicks 

Sketch Released Of Teen Accused Of Killing Disney Cook

The Little Mermaid SE DVD Due

 

On October 3, 2006, Buena Vista Home Entertainment will release The Little Mermaid (2-Disc Special Edition) on DVD. This limited-time-only release of the most requested Disney tale will boast two packed discs, and will obviously feature a host of bonus materials and extra features, and will be available for the MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price) of $29.99.

Camping in comfort at Disney 

Disney parks for grown-ups: an insider's guide 

Pirates Look-Alike Contest 

NFL throws flag on Disney football film 

Spelling Hits it's P-R-I-M-E 

Disney in pact with Indus to launch jeans 

Researchers try to talk with the dolphins at Epcot 

Minister denies saying Govt bringing Disneyland to Malaysia 

UEM Builders & UEM World Shares Down As Disney Denies Report 

Theme parks, resorts expect surge from Gay Days 

Winnie the Pooh, Tigger thrill kids

Camping in comfort at Disney

 

Just the preparation for a typical weekend camping trip in Florida can be a job in itself -- enough reason to do something else -- for the inexperienced and uninitiated outdoorsman trying to impress the family.

Tent or camper? Sleeping bags or air mattresses? Fill the cooler with food, but how do you prepare it? Do people still use charcoal? Lanterns or flashlights for nighttime? Bug spray, sunscreen?
What do we do if it rains? Is there hot water? What about an extension cord? Will the ice last? Is there enough to do for the kids? Don't forget the fishing poles. What if we actually catch a fish? Will the beer stay cold enough?

Relax.

Just go camping, Walt Disney World style. Everything is already there or readily available.

"You don't have to worry about a lot of that stuff here," said a receptionist at the check-in booth. "Just bring the credit card.''

If you want primitive camping, go to the Ocala National Forest and look for the pit toilets. If you want all the luxuries of home -- and still technically be camping -- go to Fort Wilderness.

"This is great," said Steve Richord, who brought his family and their pop-up camper from Peoria, Ill. "I don't think my wife would have come unless we had certain things real close and convenient."

There are 1,108 campsites and 750 acres at Fort Wilderness, giving it an outdoors feel with a strong tourism touch, nestled among tall pines and large oaks but still in the shadow of the theme parks.

For the dad who has everything, but a dad who knows nothing about nature, it might be a perfect Father's Day gift -- a weekend in the great outdoors.

It's camping without getting your hands dirty. Even a wimp can enjoy it.

If you don't have a tent, the Fort Wilderness staff not only will provide one, it will set it up at your site, sweep it out and take it down, too.

There is enough greenery to be camping, but there is a better chance of seeing Mickey Mouse walk through the campground than a Florida black bear. There are cuddly rabbits, cute lizards and harmless armadillos walking around, but somehow they manage to keep the snakes, spiders and palmetto bugs well hidden.

There are hiking trails for the adventurous, but they are wide enough for the golf carts available to navigate around the campground. If the grill doesn't light, just ride down to the Trail's End Restaurant, where they serve three all-you-can-eat buffets each day, including waffles with mouse ears for breakfast.

The campfire is easy, too, provided every night at a central location, where they show drive-in style movies on a big screen. They even have S'mores packets that include everything you need, including the stick to roast the marshmallows.

You don't have to walk far from any site to find an air-conditioned comfort station, where there are clean showers, laundry facilities and the all-important, hotel-style ice machines. Some sites even include cable-TV access. Where else can you find an emergency defibrillator handy, a USA Today newspaper box and a house phone.

The only thing missing is room service.

One drawback of the convenience is that instead of falling asleep or awakening to the sounds of nature, the last and first thing you hear are the always-present Disney buses that are transporting guests around their properties.

"We like it here,'' said Bob Walker of Bradenton, who spent his day at the campsite with his son while his wife and daughter caught a nearby bus to see a theme park. "We camp quite a bit, and I like the convenience. It's easy.''

There are typical unshaven campers with NASCAR folding chairs, American flags and laundry waving in the wind, but there also are groups of not-so-rugged-looking tourists who just like it better than staying in a hotel for a change.

There are horse stables to visit, swimming pools to use, even dinner shows to attend while you camp. And the fishing is outstanding and easy. No poles? No problem.

Fort Wilderness provides the boats, the tackle and the guides, who will bait the hooks if you ask. In well-stocked and expertly maintained Bay Lake, the bass practically jump in the boat.

"It's the perfect place for a guy who doesn't know anything about fishing to take his child, spend a day and catch big fish,'' said Preston Clark, a professional fisherman for BASS who was doing a promotional appearance there recently. "Fishing isn't much fun if you can't catch fish, but that won't happen here.''

The camping might be too tame for some at Fort Wilderness, but the general store makes it too easy. Whatever you forget to bring or don't have, it can be found nearby for a price.

"People tell me all the time this is their favorite place to camp,'' said Elias Caraballo, who is part of the maintenance staff. "They don't come here to get dirty. They like it because it's clean and neat. And it's easy.''

Disney parks for grown-ups: an insider's guide

 

6 tips on how to have a great time, even during the busy seasons

Because of my lifelong passion for Disney theme parks, I've become something of a counselor to friends and co-workers considering a visit to Disneyland or Walt Disney World. They'll stop by my office before a vacation to tell me their fears or ask for tips.

Believe it or not, the park is still just as magical to me today as it was when I was 9 and made my first visit. My husband and I have been to a Disney park five times in the five years, and will be celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary this year at Disney World. I’ve read my share of guidebooks, logged many hours on fan sites across the Internet and kept copious notes about my trips.

Why do I keep going back? I return because there are things I’ve yet to see and it’s still full of that magic that brings a smile to my face, just like the first time. The countdown to the next trip is always in progress.

Here are some of the questions I hear from friends, and what I tell them:

• Is it just for kids? Certainly not, you don’t even need to be a kid at heart, but it helps. Anyone of any age can find things to enjoy, at Disneyland and Disney World. In addition to rides and character greetings, there are stage shows, night clubs, golfing, fishing, culinary activities and spa treatments.   
• Can I do it in a day? Well, not exactly. Disneyland Resort consists of two theme parks and Walt Disney World has four (plus two water parks and various other attractions). Each of the six parks has various lands, or themed sections. If you want a quick sampling of what an individual park has to offer, it’s possible to do that in one day, but you’re not doing it justice. Depending on the time of year, both resorts can be seen in 3-5 days, but 5-7 is ideal.
• Should I stay on-site or off-site? Staying off-site is more of an issue at Walt Disney World than it is at Disneyland, as off-site hotels are often as close as one city block from the latter park’s entrance. The neon jungle that grew up on South Harbor Boulevard around Disneyland so incensed Walt Disney that he bought a massive amount of land (47 square miles) in Central Florida to avoid that very thing.
  
  So, all of the parks and hotels at Walt Disney World require driving on Disney’s private roads. Parking fees run about $8 a day and the area isn’t accessible by public transportation. For Florida, I’m a fan of staying at an on-property resort hotel. You can use your own car or a rental, and there’s also a complimentary bus system that will ferry you from park to park, or resort to park, and back.

How to have a great time: 6 tips
Because my time at the Disney theme parks is so important to me, I want to make sure I have the best possible experience. Here are some tips:

1. See the "can’t miss" attractions: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Cirque du Soleil's "La Nouba," Yorkshire County Fish Shop and Ice Station Cool (free samples of Coca-Cola from around the world).

2. Plan, plan, plan: It’s a vacation, why spend all that time organizing? Well, if you don’t know where you’re headed or what you want to experience, you’ll be spending a bunch of money on the same crowd and confusion you could have gotten from going to your local bookstore the day the next Harry Potter book is released.

With the variety of things you can do and see at the resorts, you’ll want to have a general, flexible schedule for your vacation before you leave home. For example: “On Tuesday, begin with Magic Kingdom and head over to Epcot for dinner and fireworks.” Be sure to make time for breaks and relaxation; after all, this is a vacation.

Pick up one of the many guidebooks available, or borrow a guidebook from your local library. My favorite is the "Unofficial Guide" series, as you get an idea of crowd levels by date, individual ride-queue estimates and reviews of restaurants and both on- and off-property lodging.

3. Take advantage of early entry: There’s a big benefit to staying on-property -- besides the free transportation -- and that’s "Extra Magic Hours." Most days, a different park opens either an hour earlier or stays open up to three hours later for resort guests.

While it’s a tough sell for some of our friends, my husband and I find the morning hours invaluable. If the select park opens to the public at 9 a.m., it opens to resort guests at 8 a.m. It’s early, but it’s fabulous because there are fewer people in the park. With little or no wait, you can get to most of the big rides before it’s time for lunch.

4. Get there early: You can arrive at the parks beginning about an hour before opening time, so head out early and get in line. You’ll be rewarded with short waits for at least the first two or three attractions you visit.

Here's a tip for the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World: For easiest access to Tomorrowland, hang a right immediately at the end of Main Street and take the shortcut through the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station. Also, Fantasyland’s Dumbo has one of the slowest-moving lines on the planet. If this is a must-see, go there first, just like 80 percent of the other families with pre-schoolers.

5. Choose vacation dates carefully: I prefer the quieter seasons, which include early May, mid-September, and early December, but not everyone has flexible vacation times. No worries, because it’s still possible to have a full vacation during the busier times of year, such as Christmas, spring break (and Easter) and the Fourth of July. In fact, my husband and I were at Walt Disney World for Christmas two years ago and there’s nothing quite like watching fireworks in the Magic Kingdom on December 25.

6. Use FastPass judiciously: FastPasses are free, and the benefit is included with the price of admission. To get a FastPass, insert your park ticket into a selected attraction's FastPass machine and then collect it and your FastPass. There will be a time range printed on the FastPass, during which you can return and get expedited access to the attraction. But you'll want to use the system wisely.

If, for example, the stand-by (regular) line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is 45 minutes but the FastPass return time is in an hour and a half or two hours, grab FastPasses. Then, go enjoy the Liberty Belle Riverboat or explore Tom Sawyer Island. When your return time rolls around, go back to Big Thunder and enter the FastPass queue and you’ll have a much-reduced wait time.

My longest FastPass queue was about 25 minutes, and that was on Christmas Eve, so it was totally understandable given the crowd density. If the stand-by line is 20-25 minutes, it’s generally a better idea to just do stand-by.

NFL throws flag on Disney football film

Even after an extensive rewrite by a hot Hollywood script doctor, the football flick starring Dwayne ``The Rock" Johnson apparently still hasn't passed muster with muckety-mucks at the NFL. As a result, it appears Disney won't be allowed to shoot the feel-good film at Gillette Stadium -- as it hoped -- and will instead be setting up shop at Boston College. The film, about a hard-partying NFL quarterback who discovers he has a 7-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, needed league approval to be filmed at the stadium. But even the softer script by Audrey Wells, who wrote and directed ``Under a Tuscan Sun" and ``Guinevere," apparently didn't satisfy the suits paid to safeguard the NFL's image. (By the way, originally titled ``Daddy's Little Girl," the movie is now called ``The Game Plan.") Because of a scheduling conflict, BC initially turned down director Andy Fickman's request to film scenes at Alumni Stadium, but college spokesman Jack Dunn said yesterday the filmmakers have since come back with another date in July, and the stadium is available then.

Spelling Hits it's P-R-I-M-E

It's an unlikely word to apply to an event featuring jittery prepubescent dictionary jocks trying to spell words like gnomonic. But if there's any lingering doubt that spelling bees have become a hot property, it will be put to rest tonight at 8, when ABC presents the first primetime, live broadcast of the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee.

The broadcast completes a pop-culture sweep of sorts for a 79-year-old event that was once regarded with the same level of excitement as, say, a horticulture competition.

It follows on the heels of a pair of books (Myla Goldberg's best seller "Bee Season and James Maguire's new "American Bee: The National Spelling Bee"); two movies ("Bee Season" and "Akeelah and the Bee"); and a Broadway musical ("The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee").

"It's just been growing and building," says Mark Kroeger of Scripps Howard, who was squeezing in an interview amid a pre-bee media blitz that was significantly less frenzied several years ago. ABC picking up the event "really launched this into another level," he says.

So how did this all come to pass for a decidedly glitz-challenged schoolkids' word competition?

Kroeger says interest has been steadily building since 1994, when ESPN first started broadcasting the event. But as far as the current bee craze goes, blame it on "Spellbound," the hit 2002 documentary that proved striving youngsters with dreams of spelling-bee glory could make for riveting drama.

"Spellbound really kicked things off," says author Maguire, whose book about the competion, "American Bee," came out last month. "It was under the radar until that brought it to people's attention."

While bee fever has built each year since then, Maguire, who was speaking from Washington on Wednesday, the first day of the competition, says it's reached new heights.

"I'm amazed at the change," he says. "It's a serious media fest."

Andrea Wong, vice president in charge of special programming at ABC, says she first had the idea to take the bee primetime seven or eight years ago, after watching it on ESPN.

"What you're looking for in a show is a great story and great characters, and you've got incredible characters in these kids, who work so hard and are so passionate about what they do," she says.

The idea languished, largely because the lack of a time limit made the competition unsuitable for live television. But the success of "Spellbound" brought the issue back to the fore - and in the meantime, Scripps Howard had imposed an audience-friendly time limit. (Kids now have two minutes to start spelling the word, and 30 seconds to finish.)

As for why the public is captivated with wordy whiz kids all of a sudden, observers offer a number of theories. Chief among them is the drama of seeing years of preparation come down to a do-or-die moment.

"Can they slay this dragon, or are they going to have to slink off-stage because they missed a single letter?" Maguire says. "There's lot of natural drama in that moment."

It's also something we can identify with, Kroeger suggests. After all, "we all had to participate in a spelling bee in our elementary school years, and for some of us it was a terrifying experience."

Jennifer Dziura, who co-hosts the bimonthly Williamsburg Spelling Bee, held at the Brooklyn bar Pete's Candy Store - which has attracted "ridiculous" press attention, much of it from foreign media - offers another explanation.

"We like seeing people's pain," she says. "We certainly like seeing people compete to steal others' boyfriends on TV. This is like a smarter version of a reality show."

Maguire notes that, to the average person, there's a compelling alien quality to kids who can spell words the average person has never heard of.

"There's something really entrancing about kids 12 years old spelling these words 18 syllables long that mean hair disease," he says.

In spite of all these reasons, though, he says he still couldn't have predicted the avalanche of interest.

"Come on," he says. "It's spelling."

Disney in pact with Indus to launch jeans

The Walt Disney Company (India) announced a licensing agreement with Indus Clothing to launch Disney Jeans in India on Thursday.

According to the agreement, Indus Clothing will manufacture branded jeans and fashion accessories in India.

The products will be retailed through exclusive Disney Jeans stores in malls, key retail chains, high-end stores and multi-brand outlets across the country.

Designed especially for children, the core denim product line will feature tee-shirts, fleece and accessories in nearly 100 fashion styles for kids aged 4-14.

"Disney aims to create a line of products that meets the quality and value standards of Indian consumers while offering design and styling that will match  international fashion trends. The product line will extend the brand beyond the popular character franchises and establish 'Disney' as the preferred fashion and lifestyle brand for kids and youngsters across the world," said Rajat Jain, MD,  Walt Disney India.

He added that the children's branded apparel and accessories market in India was estimated at $600 mn (nearly Rs 2700 crore) in FY'05 and was estimated to grow to $ 850mn ( Rs 3820 crore) by 2010.

While the market is driven by both character and non-character merchandise, the latter segment accounts for 85 per cent of total market size.

"We see a tremendous opportunity in the segment and are delighted to partner Disney in launching Disney Jeans in India. Our focus would be to build a strong retail network for the brand and give it a pan Indian presence," said Harpratap Singh, director, Indus Clothing.

He added that the kidswear market in India stands at almost 15 per cent of the total apparel market and is poised for a yearly growth of approximately 40 per cent. Currently however, it is almost completely untapped by international kidswear labels and brands.

In addition to an extensive retail push, Indus Clothing will ensure innovative marketing initiatives to achieve optimum product visibility for the consumers.

The company plans to invest  Rs 21 crore to set up 20 exclusive 'Disney Jeans' stores by the end of 2007 and take the number to 50 by 2008.

The brand currently enjoys a presence in European markets like France, Italy, Spain and Belgium. The brand is also  available in Asia in Taiwan, Thailand, and China. The range will be launched shortly in North America, other parts of Europe and Hong Kong.

Researchers try to talk with the dolphins at Epcot

Calvin's got rhythm -- and scientists are excited, since the Disney performer weighs 450 pounds and breathes through a blowhole.

A 12-year-old Atlantic bottlenose dolphin living in the backwaters of Epcot at Walt Disney World, Calvin is being taught a vocal form of communication that involves the cadence of his sounds, something that's never been done before with animals, his researchers said.

He is one of four dolphins that spend much of the day swimming around Epcot's Living Seas attraction to the delight of customers, then moonlight at Disney as scientific research subjects.

Calvin stars in an experiment that has scientists exploring whether dolphins can communicate with language that doesn't rely on the pitch, timbre or intensity of vocalizations -- the variations that humans most typically use to form words -- but on the sounds' duration and rhythm.

Think Morse code: One long sound could mean one thing. A bunch of quick sounds uttered in staccato might mean another.

In a project overseen by New College of Florida psychology professor Heidi Harley, Disney researchers and trainers are teaching Calvin to associate such rhythms with specific objects.

"It's interesting that they are capable of being sensitive to and capable of producing rhythms," said Wendi Fellner, a research associate with Disney. "No other species has shown this sort of flexibility. We want to see if these rhythms can be symbolic for a dolphin, to be used as an artificial communication system."

The trainer, normally Disney marine mammal specialist Leslie Larsen-Plott though others take turns, holds up an object. If Calvin responds by vocalizing the right rhythm, he gets a fish. A basketball, for example, is identified with chirp pause chirp pause chirp pause, a rhythm that researchers dubbed the "dribble." Chirp pause long whistle means the Batman action figure. Long whistle pause long whistle pause long whistle is the watering can.

So far, Calvin has seven rhythms down, and two more to go in the first phase.

It all started with another dolphin named Bob, who seemed to have rhythm all on his own, Harley said. He'd respond to rhythms, even when the trainers changed the timbre or pitch. He got Harley thinking.

"It seemed to me that dolphins, who are so acoustically oriented and are mammals like we are, might be a place to look at some sophisticated rhythm processing," Harley said. "So we said, 'Gee, let's see if they can produce rhythms that we teach them.' No nonhuman has ever been taught rhythms. We didn't know any animal on Earth could do this besides humans, producing rhythms that aren't naturally part of their repertoire."

Calvin was already identified as "a uniquely bright animal," Harley said, and he already had a good working relationship with Larsen-Plott, so he was recruited. Within three months, he clearly was producing rhythms on demand.

Harley and Fellner have presented some of their findings at two scientific conferences, for the Acoustical Society of America and the Comparative Cognition Society, and are writing a paper.

The next step, Fellner said, is to see if Calvin can find objects when the trainers play back recordings of his rhythmic sounds. Perhaps some day they might see if dolphins could communicate with each other with the rhythms.

If nothing else, rhythm might give trainers and dolphins another means to communicate, Fellner said.

"The most direct way to find something out about somebody is to ask them," she said. "So if we can find a way to develop an artificial language, it would be a much more direct way to find out something about them."

Minister denies saying Govt bringing Disneyland to Malaysia

 

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Effendi Norwawi has denied saying the government was bringing Disneyland to Malaysia.

"At no point did I categorically say we are bringing Disneyland into the country," he said in a statement today in response to enquiries on his comments yesterday on the economic and development benefits Malaysia could reap from the setting up of a major theme park in Johor.

He said a theme park would be a feature in the Southern Corridor development.

"However, this is subject to commercial viability," he said.

As such, he said, all options are being explored, including Disneyland.

"In fact, efforts are ongoing to explore the most realizable and commercially viable theme park option," he said.

UEM Builders & UEM World Shares Down As Disney Denies Report

Share prices of UEM Builders and UEM World declined marginally in morning trade on Bursa Malaysia as Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday said it has no plans to build a theme park in Malaysia.

Shares of UEM Builders shed two sen to RM1.18, while UEM World stocks slipped three sen to RM1.79 at 9.44 am. The CI was 2.91 points lower at 926.98.

Disney's announcement came on the back of earlier reports that Malaysian government officials and representatives of UEM World are in talks with Japan's Oriental Land, a partner in Tokyo Disneyland, to set up a Disney theme park in Johor.

The report was confirmed by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Mohd Effendi Norwawi earlier Tuesday.

Lisa Haines, a spokeswomen for Walt Disney Park and Resorts was quoted as saying that Disney has no plans for a Disney-branded resort development in Malaysia.

"Oriental Land Company, which owns and operates Tokyo Disney Resort as our licensee, is a valued partner; however, they have no role in evaluating or negotiating other opportunities for Disney outside of Japan," she said.

Separately, Oriental Land said it had only done some research in Johor in a possible leisure business but said the project was not related to Disney.

"We are only a Disney licensee. We have no rights to set up a Disney park nor provide advice on its operations," its spokesman was quoted in the report.

Theme parks, resorts expect surge from Gay Days

Attractions and hotels are expecting a boost in crowds this week after Tuesday night's kickoff of Gay Days in Orlando.

Organizers estimate a record 140,000 gays and lesbians will be in town for the 16th annual gathering, which has grown a worldwide reputation with six days of events that largely center on Walt Disney World.

While Disney, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando don't officially sponsor the events, they welcome the crowds.

"We've always seen more people in the parks during Gay Days, and we expect the same this year," Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said. "It's a great weekend for the city of Orlando and the community, in national attention and bringing business. There's no question we'll see more people in our theme parks and see more people staying in our hotels."

The gay and lesbian travel market is valued at about $50 billion nationwide, according to David Paisley, project manager at Community Marketing Inc., which publishes Gay Travel News.

"The Orlando event has become a huge event over the past decade, one of the most popular gay and lesbian festivals in the country," Paisley said.

To show their social and economic clout, participants traditionally wear red shirts at the events, which are expected to pump $100 million into the local economy.

Chris Alexander-Manley, vice president of sales and marketing for Gay Days Inc., said exhibitor space at the event's expo at the Royal Plaza Hotel near Disney sold out faster than ever before.

The expo featuring HGTV, Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Bud Light and other vendors begins Thursday and runs through Saturday.

The main event takes place Saturday at Disney's Magic Kingdom when more than 60,000 red-shirt-wearing Gay Days participants are expected at the park. There are several events planned throughout the day such as the 1 p.m. Lesbian Express ride around the park on the Walt Disney World Railroad.

The gathering also features Johnny Chisholm's One Mighty Weekend, a series of nighttime parties at the theme parks.

Disney tends to downplay Gay Days as just another large group of people who choose to come to the theme parks, and pay to hold a few private parties while they're there. Disney offers no official sponsorship and does not have any specific ticket packages for the event, though it becomes the unofficial host.

"While we're not a sponsor of the event, we're certainly open to it every day," Walt Disney World spokeswoman Kim Prunty said. "It's just like with any private promoter, a private group, who would like to use our facilities."

While Gay Days organizers are steering attendees to Disney parks most days of the event, they have designated Friday for SeaWorld as well as Disney-MGM Studios. Universal has been excluded from the official lineup this year because the company didn't approach the group, Alexander-Manley said.

Last year Universal was an official sponsor, and Schroder said it went well.

"We thought things went fine last year, and we're always happy to talk to people about new business," he said.

SeaWorld spokeswoman Becca Bides said the marine park also expects a jump in attendance as a result of the event.

"Obviously, you have a very large group, enjoying all the major attractions in the city," she said. "SeaWorld, as one of the theme parks, we do receive attendance."

Winnie the Pooh, Tigger thrill kids

Shoppers at Carrefour Wangsa Maju in Kuala Lumpur recently had a glimpse of the Disney Live! Winnie the Pooh stage show to be held at Stadium Negara from June 29 to July 2.

Children were delighted to see Winnie the Pooh and his friend Tigger, even though it was only for a brief 10 minutes. Both cartoon characters will join Rabbit, Kanga, Roo and Owl in the stage show at the stadium, which is set to be transformed into the Hundred Acre Wood as seen in the cartoon.

As Tigger pounced on stage, the excited children followed its steps. Then, the yellow bear emerged and greeted the young fans with a smile.

Apart from the appearance of the cartoon characters, the shoppers were also entertained with magic and clown acts.

Presented by Tiga Events Sdn Bhd, BEC Tero Entertainment (Thailand) and Media Prima's TV and radio networks and produced by Feld Entertainment, Disney Live! Winnie the Pooh brings together on stage, the characters from the Hundred Acre Wood in a charming story of friendship.

The show narrates the tale of Tracie, the storyteller who guides the audience through the show with the help of her three amusing Hunny Helpers.

The Hunny Helpers provide constant humour as they help change scenes, interact with the audience and follow Tracie's direction throughout the story.

Feld Entertainment regional marketing director (Asia-Pacific) Eric Gravelle said the company believed that it had a good product in Disney Live! Winnie the Pooh and it was excited at bringing the show to Malaysia.

Each character's personality shines on stage as all of Winnie the Pooh's friends work together to plan a surprise birthday party for him.

Tickets are priced at RM230, RM180, RM120 and RM70. For bookings and enquiries, call Axcess Ticketing at 03-7711 5000 or visit www.axcess.com.my.