Asia Travel Birthday Discount

About Weblogs: A Blogging Network on Personal Growth, Passions and Lifestyles. We are now a part of b5media.com . Watch out for updates and news on the merger . MAIN | Archives | Admin | Network Stats | Be a Blogger | Jump to navigation Web Media Category: Network Blogs Blog #28 on the network is Online Journalism by Connie Vivero Luayon. Connie is a long-time freelance writer both for the print and online media. Here's a brief description of the blog from Connie: Online Journalism is basically researching and writing for the online media. But there is more to just gathering information from web sites, writing an article based on information scraped from anywhere, and publishing them for everyone to read. Online Journalism requires skills in researching, editing, reporting and interviewing suited to the online media. Do say hello to Connie and enjoy her brand new blog! tags: online journalism , connie luayon 12/05/05 - 02:40:18 - Shai - 1 comment |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 7444 times. Changing Needles Category: News and Announcements Our former Crochet blog has just undergone two major changes: 1) Gwynne Lacey, the former blogger of The Crochet Blog , has now been replaced by the vivacious Adelle Tilton . Adelle is a long-time enthusiast in crocheting and knitting, on top of her other interests and expertise . 2) It has now expanded its coverage from simply crochet to knitting as well. So now, it is known as The Knitting and Crochet Blog. . Well, until it moves to its new home at b5media anyway. Read Adelle's intro regarding her latest AW/b5 blog. tags: crochet , knitting , aboutweblogs.com , b5media , adelle tilton 11/27/05 - 16:24:27 - Shai - No comments |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 9886 times. On Autism Category: Network Blogs Our latest blog to launch on the network is the Teenage and Adult Autism Blog . And, our blogger is the energetic Adelle Tilton. Adelle is also our blogger for Daily Quotations . She's currently About.com's Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorders . And, she is also the author of Adams Media's The Everything Parents Guide to Children with Autism . And, if you're counting, this is blog #27. Join Adelle and spread the word! tags: adelle tilton , autism , teenage adult autism 11/20/05 - 00:09:46 - Shai - 2 comments |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 13595 times. Merger Stories: Behind The Scenes and More Category: General The past 48 hours here at About Weblogs has certainly been interesting, what with the announcement of the merger with b5media and all. I'm trying not to keep going on about this, but I've been receiving some questions from different people. And, as an avid blogger, I often prefer to go to my own blog when answering "official" questions - using my own words. At least, in this case, I think it's the way to go anyway. :-) In any case, one of the more "controversial" things that came out of the announcement is Scrivs's admission that his network is the one that first approached me and About Weblogs. So, what's the story behind that? [Read More!] 11/09/05 - 06:57:36 - Shai - 5 comments |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 20382 times. About Weblogs Merges with b5media Category: News and Announcements Yes, it's true. Our network is merging with b5media . The official announcement is also posted at The Blog Herald . Some people might think that I hinted about this merger last month. Truth is, I was talking about a different merger that time. I wasn't even in contact with the b5 guys back then about the possibility of merging. Another network owner has approached me a couple of months ago about merging About Weblogs with their network. But, as I said in my post, things didn't quite work out. A week or so after I posted the entry on mergers, Jeremy contacted me for a Skype chat. What they had to offer sounded good, so I said I'd think about it and talk to my bloggers about the possibility of a deal. As soon as we entered in to negotiations, I received another possible offer for a merger. I couldn't respond to that, as I was already talking to the b5 guys and it didn't seem fair. After a couple of weeks of negotiations, we came to the final conclusion that About Weblogs and b5media are a good fit. So, we sealed the deal. And now, we're here. Excited about the possibilities of this new partnership. In Darren's post , he mentioned the following reasons as b5's reasons for choosing About Weblogs: International Flavour, Size and Diversity of Blogs , Gender (er, you have to read his post to understand this ), and Shais (yep, that's me ;-)) Experience and Expertise. But, of course, apart from us bringing something to b5's table, I believe that they're bringing something to us too. Darren, Duncan and Jeremy's experience and expertise combined is a lot more than my own as an individual. Running a network by myself has plenty of challenges and limitations. Now, I have three wonderful guys to work with - and that's fantastic. In terms of traffic, exposure, and resources - b5media considerably has more than what About Weblogs has got at this time. So, those are welcome additions too. I can probably go on, but I think I'll stop now, as I'm sure that there will be more about this merger in the next couple of weeks or so. What does this mean to About Weblogs and where do we go from here? 1) About Weblogs will cease as a blog network brand, as soon as the merger is complete. We will then be known as b5media. 2) Each About Weblogs blog will now have new designs and domains of their own. We will be announcing each one as they find and establish their new "homes". 3) Apart from the pre-approved blogs that we have prior to the merger, we won't be adding any more blogs to the About Weblogs brand from hereon. So, blogger applications will now be put on hold and re-directed to b5media. 4) I will become the fourth partner in the b5media core/admin group, together with Jeremy Wright ( ensight.org ), Darren Rowse ( problogger.net ), and Duncan Riley ( blogherald.com ). We're looking forward to all the changes that will be happening here. I hope you will be thrilled for us too. In any case, we'll be updating you with any other news and developments. So, stay tuned! tags: aboutweblogs.com , b5media , blog networks 11/07/05 - 02:43:34 - Shai - 4 comments |4 Trackbacks This post was displayed 21590 times. Blogs In The Oven Category: General I'm not usually one to announce pre-launch blogs. In fact, I normally wait until a blog has a few blog entries and it has been generally "ironed out" a bit, before I add them to our 'live' environment here at About Weblogs. But, I'm pre-empting some questions that might come my way. So, I can answer the possible queries in one blog entry, here's a list of soon-to-come blogs on the network. Blogs Awaiting Promotion to Live Environment: - Online Journalism Blogs Approved But Still Awaiting To Be Set-Up: (Bloggers are already available, but waiting) - Stitching - Cardiovascular Disease - Widow's Walk - Teenage/Adult Autism - now live There are also a couple of other blogs that are still under negotiations with respective bloggers. At the end of it, if all goes well, we'd have about 31 to 35 blogs in the network. tags: aboutweblogs.com , blogs 11/07/05 - 02:00:56 - Shai - 1 comment |1 Trackback This post was displayed 21209 times. Getting Quoted! Category: Network Blogs We're excited to present to you blog #26 on the network - the Daily Quotations blog by Adelle Tilton. But, mind you, it's not just about sharing the best quotations that you can find about various topics. There's a whole lot of other things to discover with the help of these quotes. Adelle is a professional writer who's currently the About.com Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorders . She is also a published author with Adams Media. So, head on over to say hello and get your daily dose of inspiration! tags: aboutweblogs.com , network blogs , adelle tilton , quotations 11/06/05 - 01:59:38 - Shai - No comments |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 21322 times. Leadership Blog on Washington Post Category: General Uhhh... not quite! Jone Lewis of the Leadership Blog sent me the link to this Washington Post article . Nothing to shout about, as it's only a Technorati-based linkback. But, it's fun to see and to share this anyway! :-) tags: leadership blog , washington post 11/05/05 - 20:48:00 - Shai - No comments |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 21257 times. AboutWeblogs Down Time Category: News and Announcements First of all, our big apologies to everyone who's been trying to access our network in the last few hours. During the last couple of weeks, the About Weblogs Network has been receiving more visitors than ever. In fact, our traffic has increased more than 50% lately. And, it looks like we're not slowing down yet either. We're especially excited with all the Google-loving that we've been receiving. SEO work does pay off. :-) Unfortunately, we're not ready for our increased popularity. So, we exceeded our bandwidth allotment and our host had to take our weblogs down. A "happy problem" - but a problem nevertheless. So, after a little bit of hair-pulling for a few hours, we've sorted it out. And, thanks to some good folks who helped us out, we've now increased our bandwidth - and disk space. Thanks for all your patience and support! Here's to hoping for more happy problems ahead... Or, just plain happy times. ;-) tags: aboutweblogs.com , blog networks , blogging news 10/31/05 - 16:13:45 - Shai - No comments |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 22402 times. Accessorise It with Fashion Frills! Category: Network Blogs Writing of changes on the network , one of the latest things that we've got going on AboutWeblogs.com is The Fashion Accessories Blog . It is maintained by our former Stamping blogger, Nikki Katz. That's right. Nikki's bowing out of The Stamping Blog in order to focus on Blog #25 on our network instead. The Fashion Accessories Blog (aka "Fashion Frills") will be all about fun and funky fashion accessories - from bags to shoes to jewelry to hats. 'hope you enjoy it! To find out more about Nikki, visit her Blogger Profile . tags: fashion accessories , nikki katz , aboutweblogs.com , new blogs 10/25/05 - 07:50:46 - Shai - 2 comments |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 24071 times. Winds of Change Category: News and Announcements So much is happening here at AboutWeblogs.com . Things are shifting, moving and changing. Scary stuff. Exciting stuff. Sad stuff. Great stuff. But, before I go on and on about our stuff... allow me to just share these things: Tammy has handed over The Birthday Blog to our beauty blogger, Christina . We've shared in the grief of our Philippine Culture blogger, Gloria when she lost her father recently. And, we wish her family well. If you've sent in an application to be an AboutWeblogs.com blogger and you still haven't heard back from anyone, please accept my apologies. Life's been really hectic and my email inbox has been really naughty. If you're still interested in pitching your ideas, please feel free to re-send your message. And, let me say thanks for your interest and support. Stay tuned for more news... and, er... stuff. tags: blog , networks , news , blog , news , bloggers 10/21/05 - 06:35:52 - Shai - No comments |1 Trackback This post was displayed 24720 times. Christina Jones: Network Blogger Profile Category: Blogger Profiles Christina Jones is our wild and wonderful blogger for The Beauty Blog . She studied Business Administration at Tusculum College. She's the author of the ebook, Nail Tech Secrets: A Step by Step Guide to Spa Manicures and Pedicures . And, she's been blogging with AboutWeblogs.com since July 2005. So, what kind of beauty expert have we got in Christina? I have been a nail tech for the last 18 years, during the first half of that time, I also worked as an aesthetician and makeup artist. I have been interested in beauty and fashion nearly all of my life. I can remember starting to work on the hair and makeup of friends and myself from about age 12. At age 18, I made it official, and began a career that I enjoyed so much. I love the people, I love the subject matter, I just love the beauty biz and all it entails! So, if she has 3 important tips to give regarding her topic, what would they be? 1. Moisturize everything that can be moisturized, you will not regret it! 2. Blend, blend, blend! 3. Do not think that you have to be Angelina Jolie or Pamela Anderson to be beautiful. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and it has a whole lot more to do with who you are inside than what you look like outside! [Read More!] 10/10/05 - 03:39:10 - Shai - No comments |1 Trackback This post was displayed 27967 times. On Blogging Network Mergers Category: Network Check-ups and Stories Okay, I'm breaking some of my rules today: 1) I'm writing a cryptic title and blog entry. (A general no-no.) 2) I'm engaging in a bit of blogosphere gossip. (I'm not a big fan of 'em. But then, this isn't comletely gossip, as it really happened.) 3) I'm posting something not too serious in this network blog for once. (A good thing, once in a while, methinks. ;-)) So, what am I talking about anyway? Well... Since I haven't posted any network news for a while now, I thought I'd share a "news that could've been" here at AboutWeblogs.com. You see, a few months back, a blogging network owner approached me with an idea: To merge AboutWeblogs.com with their then-growing (now, quite popular) weblog network. We were still to run as separate blog networks, but we would combine our strengths as two "fledgling" networks to create a bigger, more competitive blogging network. After all, what are the chances of little blog networks against the "big boys and girls of the blogosphere"? So yes, a merger sounded good. However, there were a couple of issues that needed to be addressed. I ran it past my wonderful network bloggers and most of them said that they'd support whatever my decision would be. It was a tough call because it definitely sounded like a great deal. I respected the network and the network owner. But, the issues were not addressed at the time, so I politely declined. I didn't hear back since. Not even a "That's okay. Maybe we can look at this again another time," kinda' email. So, I'm not sure how my decision affected that particular blogging relationship. Strangely enough, after I made that decision, that network made a policy change, which would've addressed one of the biggest issues that we were facing if we were to merge as a network. And, when that change took place, I asked myself: If that new policy was in place during our negotiations, would we have continued with merging our networks? And, with new blogging networks popping up like mushrooms everywhere, would blogging network mergers become a reality? And if so, how would blog network owners handle such mergers? Hmmm... Any guesses about which blog network AboutWeblogs.com would've merged with? ;-) tags: blog networks , blogging network , blogosphere , weblogs , bloggers 10/05/05 - 11:04:30 - Shai - 4 comments |2 Trackbacks This post was displayed 28898 times. Blogger Wanted: Skiing and Snowboarding Category: News and Announcements Due to personal circumstances, Melissa, our current blogger for Skiing and Snowboarding Mom decided to end her term. So, if you or someone you know would like to take over, please let me know. We can even change the blog title in to simply Skiing and Snowboarding , if you wish. Anyway, Melissa's still blogging over at Discount Travel Europe . So, make sure to say hello. tags: bloggers , skiing , snowboarding , network blogs 09/30/05 - 02:30:18 - Shai - 3 comments |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 30223 times. Writing From The Heart , The Mind and The Soul Category: Network Blogs We have a treat for people who are in to journals and diaries. You see, the newest blog on our network (#24!) is the Journal Writing Blog by Heather Goldsmith. Heather is a prolific writer based in Perth, Western Australia. And, she has been journalling for over a decade. She writes this about journal writing: The daily habit of journal writing has taken my writing to surprising places over the last thirteen years. While I originally picked up a pen and notebook to improve my writing skills, I did not expect to learn so much about myself, or find a place to rest my soul, or a place to work out the difficulties of life. The journal habit also led me to uncover ideas to use in short stories, articles, poetry and for several novels. So, go ahead and check out the Journal Writing Blog for ideas, prompts, tips, inspiration and more. 09/17/05 - 06:29:15 - Shai - 1 comment |No Trackbacks This post was displayed 32428 times. About This Blog Need a Blogging Consultant? Your Ad Here Member, AboutWeblogs.com About Weblogs is part of a network that offers personal views, tips, news, reviews and other resources about different niche topics. Our focus is on passions, personal growth and lifestyles. If you have any ideas, suggestions or questions, please feel free to contact us . Navigation Navigation MAIN Archives Network Stats Admin About Weblogs Categories Around The Network Blogger Profiles Credits and Thanks General Media Mentions / Press Coverage Network Blogs Network Check-ups and Stories News and Announcements Total Entries in This Blog: 69 Subscribe / Feed What's This? Receive Updates! Enter your email address below to subscribe to AboutWeblogs.com ! powered by Bloglet Search Login Username : Password : Shared Computer Latest Comments George says Best of luck Shai.But could... Mary Emma says Hi Connie,Welcome to the group. ... Drogba says That's why your network suceeds in... Mary Emma says Congratulations, Adelle, on the... Ron Iverson says Many skiers would be interested to... Chasity Moody says I am also interested in this... Ruth says this post makes me all the more... ABOUT WEBLOGS NETWORK AboutWeblogs.com Passions Jewelry & Beading Knitting & Crochet Performing Arts Quilting & Patchwork Scrapbooking Stamping Personal Growth Beauty Children's Books, Toys and Things Counselling/Self-Help Freelance Writing Journal Writing Leadership Make Money Online Parenting Teens Quotations Teenage and Adult Autism Lifestyles Asian Cuisine Asia Travel Birthday Discount Travel Europe Fashion Accessories Genetics & Public Health Housekeeping & Homemaking Online Journalism Philippine Culture Skiing & Snowboarding Weddings & Honeymoons AboutWeblogs.com Honour Roll Weblogs@About.com ChrysalisCreativity.com FreshWave.TV ShaiCoggins.com eWriteLife.com Technorati Profile About Weblogs (c)2005 AboutWeblogs.com & Respective Authors. All rights reserved worldwide. Do not copy, distribute, or print the contents of this site without permission. Graphics/Photographs: Photo Credits | Privacy Policy | Powered by Nucleus .

Japan Travel Tips Japanese

Japan maps - map of Japan - Japan travel maps  You are here: About > Travel > Japan for Visitors > Japan Maps Travel Go Japan Essentials Clickable Map of Japan Japan Pictures Japan Travel Tips Japanese Geisha Japan 101 - Fact about Japan Articles & Resources Japan Maps Picture of Japan / Web cams Best of Japan / Attractions Hotels/Accommodations Tokyo / Cities / Regions Japanese Translators Japanese Culture Etiquette / Living in Japan Japan Weather / Geography Japan History / Samurai Japanese Penpal / Chat Plan Your Trip to Japan Air Travel / Train Travel Restaurants / Japanese Food Japanese Gift / Japan Books Buyer's Guide Before You Buy Top Picks Japanese Gifts Product Reviews Forums Help FREE Newsletter Sign Up Now for the Japan for Visitors newsletter! See Online Courses   Search Japan for Visitors > Japan Maps Japan Maps There are various maps of Japan and Japan travel maps. Subtopics Japan Map by Region (18) Map of Japan (6) Articles & Resources Sort By : Guide Picks | Alphabetical | Recent Japan map index - Japan region maps Japan map index - Japan regional maps and Japan country maps. Clickable Map of Japan Just click your destinations on the map. You can find lists of informative links for each region and city. It's a good place to start your search. Japan Map - Prefectures in Japan A map of Japan, which indicates prefectures in Japan. Japan Fall Foliage Destination Map Links to fall foliage destinations in regions in Japan. Cherry Blossom Map A Japan map which shows cherry blossom flowerging dates in Japan.        Topic Index | Email to a Friend Our Story | Be a Guide | Advertising Info | Work at About | Site Map | Icons | Help User Agreement | Ethics Policy | Patent Info. | Privacy Policy | Kids' Privacy Policy ©2005 About, Inc., A part of the New York Times Company . All rights reserved. Around About New Video iPod - Review POLL: Must-Have Gadgets VIDEO: Portable Gaming VIDEO: Choosing a TV Hugh Hefner's Life What's Hot Japan Postcard - Japanese free email postcards - New Year's ... Japan Map - Nagano Prefecture Map - Map of Japan Universal Studios Japan Odaiba Photos Pictures of Japan - mount fuji picture - mt. fuji Photo Headlines Best Japan Photos in 2005 Which Japan photo gallery was viewed the most by visitors... Japanese New Year's Cards Sending New Year's cards to relatives, friends, teachers, classmates, and... Photo Gallery: Christmas Decorations in Japan Christmas in Tokyo Disneyland, Odaiba, Ebisu Garden Place, and more.... Christmas in Tokyo There are many fun events and beautiful Christmas illuminations to...

Taiwan Travel

Taiwan - Taiwan tourist & travel guide for Taiwan Taiwan Map City: Taipei Kaohsiung Tainan Taichung Kenting Hsinchu Keelung Hualien Taitung Taoyuan Scenic spot: Taiwan - Lungshan Temple Taiwan - Mount Hehuan Taiwan - Sun Moon Lake Taiwan - Tianhou Temple Taiwan - Alishan Taiwan - Chihkan Mansion Taiwan - Guanzi Hill Taiwan - Palace Museum Taiwan - Yangminshan Taiwan - Fuguang Mountain Accommodation: Taipei Hotel Directory Kaohsiung Hotel Directory Taichung Hotel Directory Tainan Hotel Directory Hsinchu Hotel Directory Keelung Hotel Directory Taoyuan Hotel Directory Hualien Hotel Directory Taitung Hotel Directory Kenting Hotel Directory Taiwan Tour Directory: Taiwan Tours Taiwan Taiwan, known for short as Tai, is situated at China's southeast sea waters. Taiwan Island faces the Pacific to the east, approximately 2,800 kilometers from Guam. It borders Bashi Channel to the south and is 300 kilometers away from the Philippine Islands; to its west is Taiwan Strait, facing Fujian Province on China's mainland. The width of the strait is less than 200 kilometers and the narrowest part is only 130 kilometer; it traverses the sea trough of Okinawa in the northeast and neighbours Ryukyu-gunto. It holds a strategic point of communication on the north-south sea of China and the communications hub of West Pacific shipping line, and constitutes the natural barrier of China's south-east sea waters and the communication pivot of contacts among countries in the Pacific region. Taiwan is a multi-island:- 1) The Taiwan island proper and its scattering islands, such as Hongtou Isle, Huoshao Isle, Guishan Isle altogether 14 isles attach to it. 2) The Penghus made up of 64 islands. In addition, The Diaoyu Islands (Archipelago) which are composed of 8 islands and some other isles. All in all Taiwan has more than 100 islands big and small. Taiwan's land area is 36 thousand square kilometers, among which the area of Taiwan proper is over 35 thousand square kilometers, occupying more than 97% of the Taiwan's total area. It is China's biggest island and ranks the 28th of the world islands. The length from north to south of the island proper is 394 kilometers long and its width from east to west is 20-150 kilometers wide. The general topography is high in the east and low in the west. The general landform is extremely complicated, of which the mountainous area occupies 2/3 and the lower plain zone, 1/3 of the area. The mountainous area is very precipitous; there are 7 mountain peaks of over 3800 meters each above sea level. Many rivers rise in the mid-mountainous area and flow into the sea in all directions. Because of the steep gradient, the discharge of the rivers is in abundance. There are also different kinds of sea coasts and the topography of mudstone appearing in all their glory and the corals protruding out in the air, unfolding a magnificent picture of their great beauty and majesty. Taiwan belongs to the tropical and subtropical zones, with the Tropic of Cancer running through its middle. However, being surrounded by seas in all sides, Taiwan is embraced by the Pacific Ocean. The majority of Taiwan region falls in the temperate and humid maritime climate zone. As is influenced by the maritime monsoon, Taiwan has neither severe winter nor has it intense heat of summer. The forests remain verdant luxuriantly green and the flowers blossom in all seasons. Taiwan is also characterized by abundant rainfall and violent typhoon. Taiwan is rich in more than 110 kinds of minerals with coal, petroleum, natural gas, gold, silver copper and sulphur as its main resources. It is also extremely rich in terrestrial heat, a great variety of plants and the forest vegetation occupies 52% of the land area of the whole island, capturing the first place in all China. It is rich in aquatic resources too and the output of Taiwan's coral occupies about 80% of the world total production, winning the fame of "The Kingdom of Coral". Taiwan is also one of the main regions which exports butterflies in the world. Taiwan is economically developed. Industries are flourishing mainly in the fields of computer products, textile, electronic appliances, foodstuff processing, chemicals, petrochemicals, metal smelting, the manufacture of the means (Kaohiung), Taichung, Tainan, Hsinchu and Chiayi are the major cities. In the field of agriculture, paddy rice, tea, sugarcane and fruits are produced in abundance. Camphor, quinine and lemongrass are local special products. There exists a dense railway and highway communication network on Taiwan. Communication on sea also constitutes an important position with Gaoxiong and Chilugn (Keelung) as the main seaports. Surrounded by sea, Taiwan's weather is agreeable and is as beautiful as a painting with bountiful tourist resources. There are such significant places of historic interest and scenic beauty as Jihueh Tan, Alishan and Yangmin Mountain Scenic Spot and others.

Italy travel package will

Travel to Italy and enjoy italy vacation packages at Tour Italy Now Register with us and get updates about new travel destinations and packages. In addition, you will be registered to win a week's trip to Rome for two. Italy Blog Italy Shop Mobile Phone Rental About Italy Italy Regions Information on Italy Transportation in Italy Torino 2006 Winter Olympic Press Releases Online Brochure Testimonials Italy Articles Tour Italy Now is a leading online provider of travel to Italy. An Italy travel package will allow you to enjoy this country of wondrous beauty and timeless treasures. All of our Italy vacation packages are professionally designed, offering only the very best regional food and wine, the most knowledgeable tour guides, and first-class ltaly accommodations. Travel to Italy and explore famous cities, pristine beaches, quaint villages, and medieval hilltop towns with an Italy travel package from Tour Italy Now. Bask in the beauty of charming villas, rolling hills, colorful vineyards, and lush gardens with our incredible Italy vacation packages. Unearth ancient artifacts and hidden treasures tucked away in famous museums, palaces, and cathedrals with an Italy travel package. Travel to Italy with us and enjoy all this and more when you book your Italy vacation packages. Our Italy travel package helps you experience the splendor and charm that sets Italy apart from the rest of the world! So travel to Italy with Tour Italy Now today! Travel to Italy Now ! Classic Italy Bike Across Italy 2 Italy by Train A Week in... Italy Amalfi Stroll & Roll Home | Tours | Hotels | Group Travel | About Us | Contact © 2004 Tour Italy Now. All rights Reserved. Powered by Amorbis LLC Site Map Link Exchange Resources Privacy Statement Terms and Conditions

disney vacation , disney

The Disney Blog: disney vacation The Disney Blog Informing Disney Fans the World Over with the latest news and updates from all Disney companies, divisions, and related stories. Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruises, Disney Animation, Pixar, ESPN, and more are covered in as much detail as I can muster. Our Sponsors Blogads Disney DVDs Walt Disney: Walt Disney Treasures - The Adventures of Spin & Marty - The Mickey Mouse Club Walt Disney: Walt Disney Treasures - Elfego Baca and The Swamp Fox - Legendary Heroes Walt Disney Treasures - The Chronological Donald, Volume Two (1942-1946) Walt Disney : Walt Disney Treasures - Disney Rarities - Celebrated Shorts, 1920s - 1960s Disney Books Robert Tieman: The Disney Keepsakes Sequel to the Disney Treasures book. A must have for any Disney fan. (****) Pixar: The Art of Pixar: 100 Collectible Postcards Full of wonderful postcard art. Great for any Disney or Pixar fan or anyone who collects postcards. Which would be me! (****) David Gerstein: Mickey And The Gang: Classic Stories In Verse CartoonBrew.com says buy it today! I'll take their word for it. (*****) Bob Sehlinger: The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, 2006 The Unofficial Guide has served me well in the past and the 2006 edition is sure to be no exception. Its biggest problem is how popular it has become that you'll run into dozens of others who are following its suggestions. (*****) John Canemaker: The Art And Flair Of Mary Blair: An Appreciation An under appreciated artist whose influence on art, animation, and imagineering, is still felt today. (****) James B. Stewart: DisneyWar A detailed look into the fall of Michael Eisner and the path of destruction he left in his wake. (*****) Harrison 'Buzz' Price: Walt's Revolution!: By the Numbers An inside look at the creation of the Themepark Industry. (*****) Jason Rich: The Everything Family Guide To the Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Studios And Greater Orlando: A Complete Guide To The Best Hotels, Restaurants, ... Attractions (Everything: Travel and History) Brand new, huge book (415 pages). John Canemaker: Walt Disney's Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation Canemaker looks into the careers and art of the acknowledged legends of animation -- Disney's Nine Old Men. (****) Karal Ann Marling: Designing Disney's Theme Parks : The Architecture of Reassurance Although it's a few years old, you still can't find a better look at the equal parts of science and illusion (though some would say they're the same thing) that go into making Disney Theme Parks. This book is a must have for the true fan's library. (****) LaughingPlace.com Disney News, Articles and Updates What I'm Listening to While Writing This Shake a Tail Feather Disney: Chicken Little (****) Smells Like Teen Spirit Paul Anka: Rock Swings Didn't think I'd like this, but it's everybit as good as Johnny Cash's The Man Comes Around (but Jazzy and Swingy!) (*****) The Black Pearl Disney: Pirates of the Carribean (*****) My Wish List New Custom Disney Tshirts! Save With Disney Deals 101 Things You Never Knew About Disneyland -- Save 27% at The LaughingPlace.com Store Melody Time DVD -- Save 20% at The LaughingPlace.com Store Schoolhouse Rock: Special 30th Anniversary Edition DVD -- Save 17% at The LaughingPlace.com Store Walt Disney Takes You to Disneyland -- Save 29% at Amazon.com Gargoyles - The Complete First Season (Special 10th Anniversary Edition) -- Save 30% at Amazon.com Rent a vacation home or condo in the heart of Orlando for just $99 per night at holidaynetwork.com -- New!! $2,500 Last-Minute Getaway Sweepstakes -- New!! Chronicles of Narnia UnAbridged AudioCD -- Like Netflix for Audio Books -- 15 Day Free Trial Unlimited DVD Rentals! -- 30 day free trial The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, 2006 -- Save 32% at Amazon.com Chicken Little Soundtrack -- Save 42% at Amazon.com Check out Delta's last-minute fares for great travel deals. -- Book your Disney Trip Now and Save Big Best Online Rates at ParkPlaza .com Add me to your TypePad People list About Powered by TypePad December 28, 2005 Attendance Numbers re-examined Over on the Discussion Boards at LaughingPlace.com member Darkbeer has broken down the top 25 ranked US theme parks in a more useful manner, visits per operating day. This gives a slightly different top 5 and pushes California Adventure all the way down to 14th. Let's look at the AB/ERA 2005 numbers from a Average DailyAttendance viewpoint. (I am going to the parks operating schedule tofigure out the days open, and then dividing it into the yearattendance, then rounding). 1. Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, 44,110 2. Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. 39,725 3. Paramount Canada's Wonderland in Maple, Ontario, 28,350 (127 days) 4. Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando, 27,125 5. Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World in Orlando, 23,560 (continued below the cut) Interesting to note the huge drop off between the two big boys and everybody else. I'd also like to see the AB/ERA judged against total estimatedcapacity for each park. ie, which parks are consistantly meeting theirgoals. These are numbers I'm sure industry insiders have. [ disney , themepark , universal , themeparks , theme+park , orlando , anaheim , disneyland , disneyworld , wdw , disney+world , magic+kingdom ] Continue reading "Attendance Numbers re-examined" » Posted by John Frost in Florida Attractions , Themepark Industry , disney vacation , disney world , disneyland | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) Not impressed with Disney Xmas Parade Coverage? Were you unimpressed with the recent airing of the Christmas Parades at Disney World and Disneyland. Well so was Nicholas at Cinemazement . Tell me, how is it possible that with millions of dollars worth of television equipment, “professional” television producers, cameramen, sound people, editors, they were totally unable to accurately capture the feel of the Parade of dreams at Disneyland? They would have been better off showing some guy’s homevideo of the parade because what I saw on TV was not the parade. It was entirely artificial. That's about exactly how I felt too. I'm sorry if you sat through the whole thing. I could only stand about 5 minutes of it. [ disney , parade , disneyland , disney+world , wdw , disneyworld , abc , television , kelly+ripa , regis+philbin ] Posted by John Frost in disney vacation , disney world , disneyland | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) December 26, 2005 Themepark Attendance Figures with Disney on top Amusement Business has released their estimated theme park attendance figures for 2005 and once again the Walt Disney Company has cleaned house. Disney owns the top five spots with Orlando's Magic Kingdom claiming top spot with 16.1 million visitors, an increase of 6.5%. Anaheim's Disneyland placed second with 14.5 million, an increase of 8.5% (bolstered by the 50th anniversary celebrations). The third through fifth parks were Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, and Animal Kingdom, all posting growth in the 5 percent range. Disneyland's neighbor, California Adventure, grew a disappointing 3.6% considering the attendance growth at the gate just 100 yards away. People still aren't coming to see this park built on the cheap even after the Tower of Terror was added. Monster's Inc looks promising, but it's not enough to raise the attendance that much. For that they'll have to add two or three more E-ticket thrill rides and completely rebrand the park away from its ties to California. Plans for the latter are underway, plans for the former... who knows. See the rest of the 2005 top 25 list here . (also see the 2004 list ) [ disney , themepark , universal , busch , theme+park , themeparks , orlando , anaheim , attendance , list , top25 ] Posted by John Frost in Florida Attractions , Themepark Industry , corporate disney , disney vacation , disney world , disneyland | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) December 23, 2005 Disney Themeparks, what's next? Disney issued a press release today outlining the upcoming changes and attractions at Disney's world wide theme parks. Now, normally when you release some news on a Friday you're hoping to bury it over the weekend. But this being a holiday weekend they may be hoping to pick up on some slow news time for extended coverage. Who knows. No big news was announced. But here's the roundup if you're interested: At Florida's Walt Disney World Resort, a massive recreation of the Himalayas is the setting for a thrilling adventure called Expedition Everest, scheduled to open in April 2006 at Disney's Animal Kingdom. In their quest to bring authenticity to this new attraction, Walt Disney Imagineers partnered with Discovery Networks and Conservation International in a scientific expedition to the Himalayas for a first-hand exploration of the legend of the mysterious Yeti. "Our passion for bringing great stories to life has taken Walt Disney Parks and Resorts to amazing places over the last 50 years," said Rasulo. "Over the next 50 years, we will continue to scale new heights in our ongoing quest to create great experiences for our Guests." In California, the Disneyland Resort is bringing to life a popular creative franchise with Monsters Inc: Mike & Sully to the Rescue, which will open at Disney's California Adventure on January 23, 2006. And in 2007, new technology will take Disney storytelling to the next level as the "subs" return to Disneyland in Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. In this all-new adventure, Guests will travel to the undersea world of "Finding Nemo," where they'll see and interact with characters that appear exactly as they do in the Disney/Pixar Animated Studios film. At Hong Kong Disneyland, Autopia, a classic Disney favorite, will let Guests of all ages drive along futuristic highways through surreal, out-of-this world landscapes. It will be the first Autopia with electric powered vehicles -- and is scheduled to open in the summer of 2006. Disneyland Resort Paris also plans several major new attractions to open over the next three years. Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, based on the highly popular attractions at other Disney parks around the world, will open at the Disneyland Park in 2006. In 2007, Walt Disney Studios Park will add a new land called Toon Studios, which will immerse Guests in the magical world of Disney's animated movies. And in 2008, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror will come to Disney Studios -- plunging Guests into a thrilling experience based on the iconic attraction at other Disney parks. In the fall of 2006, Tokyo DisneySea also will open its own Tower of Terror. Disney Cruise Line will offer Guests new experiences as well in 2006. In May, a new seven-night itinerary will be available that includes two stops at Disney's private-island getaway, Castaway Cay. The itinerary will also include a stop at Cozumel and a new port of call -- Costa Maya. Additionally, in September the Disney Wonder will embark on two extended itineraries -- one 10-night and one 11-night cruise to Southern Caribbean ports, including Barbados, St. Kitts, St. Thomas, St. Lucia, Antigua and Castaway Cay. [ disney , disney+vacation , themepark , themeparks , theme+park , disneyland , disneyworld , wdw , dlr , disney+world , tokyo+disneyland , paris+disneyland , disney+cruise ] Posted by John Frost in Hong Kong Disneyland , Themepark Industry , disney vacation , disney world , disneyland , paris disneyland , tokyo disneyland | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) November 30, 2005 G-force study on Orlando Attractions A local TV station in Orlando has done a study on exactly how many G-forces one experiences on some of the more popular and extreme roller coasters and other attractions in the Central Florida Attraction Zone. The report found that 'The Hulk' Roller Coaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park had not only highest G-force at 4.5Gs, but also had some of the most extreme changes in forces going from near 0Gs to 4.5Gs at one point. Disney's attractions came in at: Space Mountain: 3.5 Gs Big Thunder Mountain: 2.5 Gs Rock n Roller Coaster: 4.4 Gs Mission: Space: 2.1 Gs (but for 15 seconds in length) Test Track: 2 Gs [ disney , attractions , disneyworld , wdw , disney+world , ioa , universal , roller+coaster , rollercoaster , extreme , space+mountain , missionspace , mission+space , g-force , themepark , theme+park ] Posted by John Frost in Florida Attractions , Themepark Industry , disney vacation , disney world | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) November 08, 2005 Disney World acquires new sponsor We've been hearing about this deal for some time now. A new major corporation would step in and sponsor Spaceship Earth and a few other attractions around the resort kicking off a small wave of renovations across Epcot as it gets ready for its 25th Anniversary. The announcement finally came today and the new sponsor is Siemens AG . The 12-year agreement will have the German based company sponsoring not only Spaceship Earth, but also the Reflections of Earth fireworks shot at Epcot and the Osborne Family Festival of Lights at the Disney MGM Studios. The sponsorship will also extend to Disneyland's two parades, the Disney's Electrical Parade at California Adventure and The Walt Disney Parade of Dreams at the Disneyland gate. I'm so happy to see this partnership and hope that not only does it signal the start of better corporate sponsorship relationships between Disney parks and companies across the globe, but that it helps kick off some much needed refurbishment around the Walt Disney World Resort. Additionally a long needed update to the Disney's Electrical Parade, including a few new floats and some new technologies, would be greatly appreciated by the parades fans and visiting guests. [ Tags: disney , disneyland , disneyworld , wdw , disney+world , california+adventure , dca , dlr , siemens , bob+iger , epcot , sponsorship , imagineering , vacation , travel ] Posted by John Frost in corporate disney , disney vacation , disney world , disneyland | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) November 04, 2005 Halloween Photos: around the world Halloween is over, which means that at the Disney Themeparks it's time to rush onto the next holiday... Christmas. Oh, a few moments thought will be given to Veterans Day, if you're lucky you might be able to find a juicy Thanksgiving feast at one of the mouse's hotels. But generally speaking if Halloween wasn't there to stop them, Christmas would start in July for Disney (and most of consumer America). However, before The Disney Blog is ready to move on here is a quick look at how Disney themeparks around the world do Halloween. Did you know that since 1999 the Disney Company has been a primary influencer at restoring the Halloween tradition in France with its Disneyland Paris Pumpkin Celebration. Japan never celebrated Halloween, having a much different view of ghosts and ancestors than most western nations, but Disney has introduced a two month Halloween Festival there with most of the western trimmings and it's been a huge success, practically a national obsession, if you believe the Disney PR. Via BoingBoing we have this flickr set of photos from the Tokyo Disneyland celebration. They certainly know how to party there and their costumes are wonderful. Back in the Americas Disney World has been running their successful Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) for years now. The park closes down for a separate admission party after the regular hours are over. Many nights sell out. This year Robb Alvey took his Theme Park Review crew down for one of the MNSSHP nights and a lot of fun was had by all. I took my wife and son trick or treating at MNSSHP on Halloween itself where I got a lot of photos of the parade, which was added new this year. Cindy Stephens visited Disneyland's attempt to re-enter the Halloween market this year (previously left to Knott's Scary Farm and Universal Studio's Scare Nights) with a kid oriented event called Mickey's Halloween Treat. The catch, the event was at the mostly lackluster California Adventure second gate. Still with admission numbers capped low, the event was a huge success selling out nearly every night. Cindy's write up is a great and has tons of photos and a copy of the event guide. [ disney , disneyland , disneyworld , disney+world , halloween , flickr , holiday , event , mickey ] Posted by John Frost in Holiday , disney vacation , disney world , disneyland , paris disneyland , tokyo disneyland | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) October 27, 2005 Secrets of the Haunted Mansion If you're one of those people who refuses to watch the 'masked magician reveals X' shows, then stop reading this post now. For we are about to reveal the amazing secrets behind Disney's many Haunted Mansions . This page also includes a collection of sounds and songs from the Haunted Mansion in MP3 . You might want to borrow a few for your own personal halloween soundtrack. [ disney , disneyland , disneyworld , wdw , disney+world , hauntedmansion , haunted+mansion , imagineering , imagineer , backyard+imagineering ] Posted by John Frost in Disney Fandom , Disneyism , Imagineering , disney vacation , disney world , disneyland , paris disneyland , tokyo disneyland | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) World of Narnia to appear at Disney World The December 9th release date for Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is rapidly approaching. Now Disney World has announced that they will be debuting a Narnia exhibit on the 9th featuring sets and costumes from the film. You'll get a peak behind the magic as you enter Soundstage 4 at the Disney MGM Studios themepark. Sounds like fun. But no idea how long it will last. So make plans to attend soon. Posted by John Frost in Film , Narnia , Themepark Industry , disney film , disney vacation , disney world | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) October 25, 2005 Bye-Bye Hurricane Wilma... end of season? MKT who brought us wonderful pictures of the preparation and the damage wrought by last year's hurricanes has returned with a look at the Magic Kingdom after Hurricane Wilma . It looks like everything, including the little characters added to the castle this year, has survived just fine. You can also see what a beautiful day it was after the storm had passed. With 30+ days still left in this record setting Hurricane Season you have to wonder what Mother Nature has left to throw our way. Hopefully she'll cut us a break.. [tags: disney , disneyworld , disney+world , magic+kingdom , wdw , hurricane , wilma , hurricane+wilma , orlando ] Posted by John Frost in Florida Attractions , disney vacation , disney world | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) October 24, 2005 Morning Update, Hurricane Wilma It's almost 8:30 AM and we're still here (here being about 2 miles from SeaWorld and 5 miles from Disney World ). We've dodged one tornado generating cloud system already and another is on the way. But so far the winds and rain haven't been too bad (I saw much worse in some of the thunderstorms earlier this year). That's different if you're east or south of here, however. Hurricane Wilma is speeding across southern Florida and behind it will be cold, but clear, weather. I wouldn't be surprised to see Disney World's Magic Kingdom and Epcot open later today. Universal and SeaWorld will probably be the same. Disney's Animal Kingdom park takes longer to open as they have to check on all the animals and their environments. The Orlando International Airport has temporarily suspended service this morning. But that's mostly due to unsafe wind shear and heavy rain. It should reopen later today as well. Things might be much worse in Naples, the Everglades and southward. Keep those families in your thoughts today. [tags: disney , disneyworld , disney+world , seaworld , hurricane , wilma , hurricane+wilma , storm , tornado , themeparks , orlando , universal studios ] Posted by John Frost in Florida Attractions , disney vacation , disney world | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) October 20, 2005 Wilma uninvited guest at Funai Classic Forget Tiger Woods and Michelle Wie, the biggest name in golf this week is Wilma. Officials at the Disney World based Funai Classic are bracing for a hit from the hurricane, but hoping for the best as this year's tournament gets underway today. Disney officials figure they would need 24 to 36 hours of lead time todisassemble concession tents and corporate skyboxes. Perhaps as earlyas 5 p.m. today crews could begin taking apart tents and hospitalityareas, which are designed to withstand winds of 50 mph. But that doesn't mean the event will be postponed. Just that some of the luxury normally associated with professional golf tour events will be deminished. Worse things could happen. If you're attending Disney World this weekend give yourself extra time when driving to and from the Magic Kingdom or any of the nearby resorts. And keep your eyes on those greens, you never know who you might see. [ Technorati Tags: funai , funai+classic , golf , pgatour , pga , tiger+woods , tigerwoods , disney , disneyworld , wdw , disney+world , walt+disney+world , hurricane , storm , hurricane+wilma , wilma ] Posted by John Frost in Sports , disney television , disney vacation , disney world | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) October 18, 2005 Hurricane Wilma and Walt Disney World As of tonight's 11PM EST forecast from the National Hurricane Center , Orlando is still in the "cone of uncertainty" for Hurricane Wilma. That means visitors expecting to attend one of Walt Disney World's theme parks or other attractions in the central and southern Florida regions should be prepared to meet with some delays or closures this Saturday and Sunday going into Monday. Everybody is old hands at hurricane preparation at the theme parks having gone through this routine four times last year. Most hotels in the Orlando area survived with nothing more that a little wind and rain damage and most attractions opened within 24 hours or so of the storms passing. So there really is no reason to be concerned or postpone your stay. That said, keep your eyes on the weather channel and the NHC website and you might want to bring some extra rain gear as even if Wilma passes south of Orlando, we'll still likely see tropical storm strength wind gusts and rains. [tags: disneyworld , disney+world , hurricane , hurricane+wilma , wilma , wdw , orlando , seaworld , universal+studios , hotel , vacation , nhc ] Posted by John Frost in Celebration, FL , Current Affairs , Florida Attractions , World Events , disney vacation , disney world | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBack (0) August 07, 2005 Good answer to Will you change travel plans question I've had a few great responses to my desire to know how Disney's recent spate of deaths and injuries has affected your travel plans, if at all. I'm happy to say that everybody appears to be fairly sane, is a little more cautious. I wanted to post this response I got through another channel as I thought it was quite good: This topic has been on my mind for a while now. My sisters and I are regular visitors to Disneyland as we live in the area. We were on the California Screamin' rollercoaster about ten minutes before it had its little accident last week. While by all accounts the accident was minor, it's yet another in a series of accidents that seems to represent Disney's shift in focus from safety to cost-effectiveness. While the number of actual deaths and injuries has been small - onekilled by a metal cleat ripped off of a ship, another killed after atrain derailed on Big Thunder Mountain - these instances can all beattributed to negligence on Disney's part. The former president ofDisneyland, Paul Pressler, was once quoted as saying, "We have to ridethese rides to failure to save money." This desire to do things on thecheap led to inadequate employee training, the scaling-back ofpreventative maintenance, and undue stress being placed on certainrides (Disney's California Adventure relies heavily on flagship rideslike California Screamin' and Soarin' Over California, to the pointwhere these rides cannot go down for lengthy rehabs because guestsatisfaction and attendance would plummet). All of this has led to aseries of accidents that are directly Disney's fault - where in thepast, most incidents at Disneyland could be attributed to eithernatural causes or dangerous guest behavior. On the positive side, Disneyland has a new president who seems lessfinancially cutthroat, and, unlike Walt Disney World, accidents atDisneyland are subject to investigation by the state and rides cannotreopen until the state approves it. But last week's accident adds to mypersistent feeling of mistrust surrounding safety at Disneyland. Mysisters and I haven't been back on Big Thunder Mountain since thefatality over a year ago (the ride continued to have problems after itreopened), and there are certain rides we won't go on because we aregenuinely afraid of mechanical error (Mulholland Madness, a "WildMouse" ride, is scary enough just being a Wild Mouse ride - never mindthat it's an off-the-shelf ride intended for seasonal use, being runfor long hours year-round!). But this hasn't dissuaded us from visiting the park, nor has itprompted us to avoid thrill rides altogether. It's just made us awarethat the reputation for safety Disneyland enjoyed in the past is nolonger applicable to the present day. The park is not being run thesame way it was 50, 40, 30 years ago. (Posted with permission from brookedel ) [ttags: disney , disneyland , disneyworld , disney+world , disney+vacation , travel , accident , injury , death , californiaadventure , dca , wdw , dlr ] Posted by John Frost in disney vacation , disney world , disneyland | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) August 06, 2005 Will the recent accidents, injuries, and deaths keep you away? Disney theme parks are receiving lots of attention this summer, but not all of its due to the Happiest Celebration on Earth. A 3-month rash of injuries, accidents, and deaths has focused media attention on some of Disney's flaws. The Orlando Sentinel doesn't think it will affect attendance at the parks. How about you? Will you change your travel plans or alter your visit to an amusement, water, or theme park after hearing about these problems? What do you think accounts for the apparent uptick in incidents? The comments are open! [ttags: disney , vacation , disneyworld , disney+world , disneyland , themepark , theme+park , injury , accident , death ] Posted by John Frost in Disney Fandom , Disneyism , Florida Attractions , Themepark Industry , Travel , corporate disney , disney vacation , disney world , disneyland | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack (1) August 04, 2005 Another child dies at Walt Disney World This is not a post I wanted to be writing so soon. Local Orlando News is reporting the death today of a 12-year old girl at the Walt Disney World Resort's Typhoon Lagoon Water park. The girl was found at 6PM on the edge of the large Wave pool by a lifeguard. She soon passed out and her pulse and breathing stopped. CPR was attempted and she later was pronounced dead at the nearby Celebration Hospital. Today was a hot and humid day with highs in the upper 90s and humidity pushing the 'feels like' temps to aboe 100. I have to wonder if this has something to do with heat exhaustion. On hot days at the theme parks there are frequent calls to first aid for guests who just didn't drink enough water or powerade. The same holds true at Water Parks where you may not realize you aren't getting enough to drink. I'm not claiming this is what happened today, but drinking lots of water is good advice for any visitor to Orlando. [ttags: disney , disneyworld , disney+world , wdw , typhoon+lagoon , water+park , death , accident ] Posted by John Frost in Disneyism , Florida Attractions , disney vacation , disney world | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) August 02, 2005 Wet Disney Dreams in Shanghai? Hot on the heals of the Korean Disney park 'announcement' comes a bit of speculative news from Shanghai. The article states "the sources said the park will be four times bigger than Hong Kong's Disneyland," which sounds like someone's wet dreams to me. Disney Corporate claims to have very valid business reasons for building these mini-parks like California Adventure, Disney Studios Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland. They may not be home runs, but their solid base hits for the company and with a little tweaking and some strong follow up batting (An e-ticket or two over the next 5 years) those runs will be driven in. I think it will be a long time before we see Disney swing for the fences with a mega themepark on the scale of Tokyo or Orlando's Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Even the original park didn't become a 50 attraction mega-park in its first few years. It grew, contracted, and grew again until its present form was reached. Posted by John Frost in Disneyism , Hong Kong Disneyland , Imagineering , Themepark Industry , disney vacation , disneyland , tokyo disneyland | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) July 28, 2005 Another near death at Walt Disney World I don't know if the Mouse Resort is having a string of bad luck or if the media is just finally reporting on these incidences, probably the latter, but here's another near death to report -- this time a drowned worker . A 16-year old diver doing shoreline restoration at the Dolphin Resort became entangled in ropes and had to be rescued. Posted by John Frost in disney vacation , disney world | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Disneyland Do's and Don'ts' Do: Take your kids to DisneyLand, regardless of their age. I never imagined getting so much enjoyment over their excitement. Don't: Havekids outnumber the adults. One adult per child. You'll save yourselffrom the, "hey where's small child number 6" moment of terror. Also,most rides require an adult with the child lower than your belt buckle(an no, the hewge belt buckle trick doesn't work - nor does spiking thehair of your child so it stands straight up). Leaving one small childat the exit doesn't work so well either. Do: Go see the fireworks. Surround sound, laser lights, killer explosions and a scantily clad fairy on a wire - need I say more? Don't: Expectto do much else the hours before and after the show. 50,000 people onmain street (100,000 SF) with one exit and two bathrooms. 'nuff said. Do: get caught up in the "Fantasy" and "Pretend" that this theme park is supposed to be. You'll enjoy a lot more things. Don't: Askthe characters how long they need to train to do all this because youget the standard answer, "How long did it take you to figure out you'rean idiot??".....ok they said it in a nice cartoon voice. Plenty of other useful Do's and Don'ts for your next vacation to Disneyland from Lee at ' Oh No, The Blog '. Posted by John Frost in disney vacation , disneyland | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) Partner Blogs Home4Sale Orlando Bound Blog Resume Upgrade - New! The Home Blog RSS Feeds Subscribe to this blog's feed Recent Posts Attendance Numbers re-examined Not impressed with Disney Xmas Parade Coverage? Pixar and Disney: can a working partnership be reached? Toy Story 3-D? Can the Disney Co. Really be Saved? Themepark Attendance Figures with Disney on top Iger, Jobs, Close to Announcement? Audio Tour of MoMA's Pixar Exhibit Happy 80th Birthday Pooh! Anastasia: Family Fun DVD? Trip Reports Disney trip full report Not every trip report is 100% cheery. This is one of those. Mike’s Annual Disneyland Trip Report We reported on Mike's trip last year too. Your Donald sucks. The one at Hong Kong Disneyland is more charismatic. Sylvia journeys to Disneyland. Can't tell if she had a good time or not. Unique Disneyland 50th Anniversary Trip Report A wonderful scrapbook revisiting the events surrounding the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland Ammy and Rick visit Disneyland on its 50th Birthday Also see following post for review of Blue Bayou and its new seating policy. Silent Joes Playground - Disney Wrap Up Theme Park Adventure of Disney Dancer Greetings from Disneyworld: Omnipotent? Lynn's Road to Disney World Three Kid Circus Recent Comments loana on Attendance Numbers re-examined rosemary on The Great Hidden Mickey Quest rosemary on The Great Hidden Mickey Quest Kenneth Barnes on The Whistle Blows for Monday Night Football Stacey on Disney ponders new style of hotel Doug135711 on Themepark Attendance Figures with Disney on top Lynnad on Studio Gibli: Howl's Moving Caslte Natasha Kershaw on Edna Mode is Edith Head Tyler C. on Narnia News from the old gray lady Tyler C. on Narnia News from the old gray lady Search This Site Web thedisneyblog.typepad.com December 2005 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Categories Animation Business anti-disney Art Books Broadway Celebration, FL CIC corporate disney Cosplay Current Affairs disneyana disney animation Disney Channel disney comics Disney Concert Hall disney consumer products disney cruise disney dining Disney Fandom disney film Disney Games Disneyism disneyland Disney Mobile Disney Musicals Disney Online Disney Publishing disney television disney vacation disney world DVD EM:HE espn Film Florida Attractions Food and Drink Games Holiday Hong Kong Disneyland Humor Imagineering Indiana Jones LaughingPlace.com Lost Mickey Mouse miramax Miyazaki Muppets Music Narnia NFFC paris disneyland pixar Playhouse Disney Podcast Pooh & Characters Religion Round Up Sports Star Wars Television The Disney Stores Themepark Industry Tim Burton tokyo disneyland Travel Uncle Walt Weblogs Web/Tech World Events Archives December 26, 2005 - January 1, 2006 December 19, 2005 - December 25, 2005 December 12, 2005 - December 18, 2005 December 5, 2005 - December 11, 2005 November 28, 2005 - December 4, 2005 November 21, 2005 - November 27, 2005 November 14, 2005 - November 20, 2005 November 7, 2005 - November 13, 2005 October 31, 2005 - November 6, 2005 October 24, 2005 - October 30, 2005 Disney Links The Disney Blog for Kids Disney Shopping at The LaughingPlace Store The Latest Disney News from LaughingPlace.com Disney Online - The Official Home Page of The Walt Disney Company! 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