MouseFest Bound!

I am a last-minute MouseFester! I am so proud!

Thanks to a business trip in the vicinity of WDW, I can sneak over for a few days for MouseFest 2007. This year, I've gotten hooked on many Disney podcasts, and am looking forward to meeting a few people that I've "connected with" electronically! I hope that we hit it off as well in real life!

Will they like me? Or will I be seen as a stalker? It will be interesting!

Black Friday -- Only One Place for Me

So it's Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, when all the diehard shoppers hit the stores at the crack of dawn. Not me, no thanks, not in this lifetime. UNLESS I could be shopping at WDW today ...
You can't beat Mouse Gears at Epcot for both variety and uniqueness. Great place for interesting books, tote bags and knapsacks, super watch collection, kitchen items and figurines/knick-knacks. Another favorite, but much smaller, is the shop at the back entrance of Epcot between Y&B and the UK. It's a mini version of Mouse Gears. And at the front entrance, the Art of Disney is fabulous and amazing. And I can't wait to see how the new Art of Disney at MK turns out!
The shops at the hotels are also interesting, each carrying their own specialty items based on the hotel themes. Book an ADR at a hotel and enjoy the shopping too!
At MK, the Emporium is like Mouse Gears, but is usually way too crowded to enjoy browsing. We love the firehouse shop, a wonderful place for collectibles.
At the Studios, I love Keystone Clothiers -- there's always something there that I want!
(Clearly I need to have park maps handy when I blog, so I can use the proper names of shops and attractions and streets!)

Disney Podcasts

How did I ignore Disney podcasts for years?! What planet was I on?
Once I found the first one, the fat lady sang! Well, the podcasters espoused, rambled, laughed, cried, dreamed, complained, questioned and fed my appetite for All Things Disney.
So what are my favorites?
(1) All About The Mouse, with Jonathan and Bryan. I found them early on, was one of their first listeners and first emailers, so feel very connected to them and their success. They are always upbeat, fun and just sappy enough.
(2) The WDW Radio Show, with Lou and Jeff. "Oh, Lou..." One of the first Disney podcasters, a true original, an amazing guy. My favorite segment is DSI - Disney Scene Investigations. Who knew you could talk for an hour about the Jungle Cruise queue!
(3) Netcot, with Van. Short and sassy podcast, great radio voice, and insights and opinions that are unique and different.
It's a whole new world -- take a listen today!

Airports

Funny how you can get to know an airport. When I land in Orlando, I feel like I'm almost home. Then I get to the hotel (usually Boardwalk) and even though they say "Welcome home," I'm not really quite there yet. And driving or riding the bus on property feels like I'm getting close. I'm really home after I walk through the turnstiles at either MK or Epcot ... then it's really "Ahhhh, I'm home!"