It’s a Small World, Carousel of Progress, and Me

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1964 World's Fair PlateI’m proud to say that It’s a Small World, the Carousel of Progress and I all made our debuts in 1964.  While, technically speaking, I did not attend the New York World’s Fair – my mom took me there (sort of, I was due to arrive later in the year) along with my dad, brother, and two sisters.  I’m sure the wonder and excitement of the fair exhibits helped distract my folks from the (shocking?) fact that they’d soon be starting over, welcoming a fourth child into the family when their three other children were 9, 10, and 13 – but I digress.

The fair made a big impression on my family.  My mom talked about it from time to time often over the years and my sister still has a gorgeous souvenir plate and clearly remembers experiencing It’s a Small World at the fair.  Walt Disney’s influence was huge!  Four of the fair’s exhibits had a tremendous impact on the future of Disneyland and Walt Disney World.  Today’s Disney vacations would not be the same had Walt Disney’s Imagineering wonders not had the sponsorship and presence in New York in 1964.

 “Pepsi Presents Walt Disney’s ‘It’s a Small World'” – a Salute to UNICEF and the World’s Dolls from It's a Small WorldChildren” – This boat ride around the world to the Sherman Brothers’ famous tune delighted visitors.  All the dolls had the same face and they played and sang as they promoted international unity.

In a ride design that would later become the People Mover, Ford’s Magic Skyway was designed by WED Imagineering.  Motorless Ford convertibles moved along a track and took visitors past displays depicting animatronic dinosaurs and cavemen.  So much of this exhibit would become future attractions!

The future Hall of Presidents was started with the World’s Fair’s “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” in the Illinois pavilion.  Royal Dano provided the voice for Honest Abe as he recited Mr. Lincoln’s famous speeches.

“There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” – also by the Sherman Brothers, was the theme song for General Electric’s Progressland.  Inside the Carousel of Progress, visitors followed along as the progress of electricity in the family home was demonstrated by animatronic figures.

The marvelous wonders on display at the fair had staying power!  Clearly Walt Disney thought a great deal about what he had seen and learned from the experience – Epcot Center was originally built to showcase much of the same types of attractions and exhibits as the World’s Fair, which focused on the future of technology in daily life.  The fair also had a “World Showcase” of sorts featuring many countries including Spain, Vatican City, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Pakistan, Thailand, Philippines, Austria, Greece, Japan, Mexico and more! The fair’s “Unisphere” looks very much like the globe we see in “Illuminations, Reflections of Earth”.

Recently, the New York Times published a great look back.  Fifty Years After the New York World’s Fair, Recalling a Vision of the Future.

Did you or your family attend the 1964 New York World’s Fair?  What memories or souvenirs do you (or they) have?

Disney at Home – Mary Poppins Art

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Mary Poppins ArtBack in the fall, when Christmas was looming large, I started trying to help Joseph pick out a gift for Raymond.  Joseph is…well, he’s….picky.  And opinionated.  Huhn…wonder where he gets that from?  Best to get started early, ’cause at the last minute the two of us would be locked in an epic battle of wills over finding the perfect gift.  We take holidays very seriously here at Living a Disney Life.

I started looking around at some of my favorite online shopping sites and throwing out ideas via text message or during the occasional phone call.  Have you tried recently to communicate by phone with an 18 year old male away at school?  If not, let me tell you there’s a lot of silence and monosyllabic answers.

So, anyway, I described a wide variety of gift options and put them to the test:  “Well? what Mary Poppins Artabout that one?” – every question was met with a grunt (or no reply at all by text).  I took that as a no and kept looking.  Purely by coincidence I stumbled upon some interesting art.  Disney art – well, technically, art based on Disney, but one picture in particular caught my eye – a Mary Poppins movie-themed print that was appealing in its simplicity.  Hmmm – could I have found THE gift?  After so much rejection I was about to tell Mr. Picky-pants to go it alone and shop solo for his Dad’s present.

Mary Poppins on the WallScreen shot included in the next text – I waited for yet another rejection…what?  Could it be?  He loved it!  So, knowing better than to hesitate during such a moment, I placed the order.  Joseph was home for semester break when the package arrived and we carefully opened the box and slid out the contents – even better in person than it was in the picture.  The colors are muted, but match our décor perfectly.  We both just stood there staring at it for a moment – then I noticed Joseph was smiling and realized he was imagining how happy his dad would be with this gift.  And Raymond loves the picture every bit as much as we’d hoped he would.  The Mary Poppins picture now hangs prominently in our foyer.

What do you buy the hard-to-shop-for Disney fan? What’s one of your favorite Disney gifts?

10 Reasons to Visit Alaska Aboard Disney Cruise Line

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Alaska on Disney Cruise LineAlaska – it’s not called The Last Frontier for nothing (that alone is a great reason to go there!) – Have you ever thought about visiting Alaska?  I can tell you from personal experience – for our family, it was unlike anyplace we’d ever seen before!  In the best possible way.  We probably wouldn’t ever have gone except for one thing – we’d always said…if Disney Cruise Line ever goes to Alaska, that’s one trip we cannot miss!

When Disney made the big announcement that the Wonder would be heading to Alaska in 2011, we booked as soon as possible.  For us, one of the early season cruises worked best with our schedules – this meant that we missed seeing bears and the salmon season, but we wouldn’t have changed a single thing.  What a “Wonderful” trip we had!  Just in case it’s on your bucket list or even if you’ve been toying with the idea a teeny bit – I’d like to try to help you decide if a trip Spotting Seals in Alaska on our Disney Cruiseto the Land of the Midnight Sun is right for your family…

Top 10 Reasons to Visit Alaska Aboard Disney Cruise Line:

10. The Daylight – We got so much out of every day and night!  We enjoyed those super long daylight hours.  How strange it was to eat dinner and go to a show then stroll the deck after 10:00 pm to enjoy the view!

9. The Air – This may seem strange, but I’ve mentioned in previous posts about Alaskan excursions that the air is so clean and clear it feels like you must be breathing the freshest air on Earth.

Views from the Deck of the Disney Wonder in Alaska8. The Ship – Obviously we love Disney, but the Wonder is near and dear to our hearts!  The service, the comfort, the entertainment, the special touches – on the day the ship visited Tracy Arm Fjord (the one destination you stay ON the ship to enjoy), there was an on-deck barbecue so no one had to miss a moment of the action at lunchtime!

7. The Adventures – The list of excursions is staggering.  We zip-lined, whale watched, and explored the Mendenhall Glacier.  We explored Misty Fjords by boat and learned so much!  Regardless of age, health conditions, individual tastes, and budget – there is something for everyone.  Even the view from the ship is simply breathtaking.

6. The Ports – Each town we visited (Vancouver, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan) had a charm all its own.  Downtown Skagway, AlaskaThe history could be felt in the air.  Small enough to explore on foot, we strolled through each port and took in the unique sights of each and fell in love with them all.

5. The Souvenirs – We bought several items (okay, it was more like a huge bunch) – a couple-few (as we like to say around these parts) in each port.  Excellent prices!  We bought a crazy amount of tee-shirts because the designs and styles were terrific and the prices were incredibly reasonable.  I’ve worn the heck out of mine and they’re still holding up great!

Alaskan Wildlife on the Disney Wonder4. The Wildlife – You can see whales from the ship.  We saw many!  You actually see seals float by on their own tiny icebergs.  Bald eagles are everywhere and we even saw tiny jellyfish in the water on one excursion.  While sled dogs are not actually “wildlife” – we saw some of those, too!

3. The Glaciers – You can look at them in pictures, but nothing compares to seeing (in person) the spectacular shades of blue within a glacier’s face or the feeling of that cool, fresh air growing steadily colder as you get closer to the glacier!

2. The Unexpected – Surprises are everywhere!  On the ship when Disney characters pop up unexpectedly for great photo ops, waterfalls loudly rushing down cliff faces – so close to the ship you feel as though you could reach out and touch them.  Those seals, whales, and eagles See Alaskan Glaciers aboard Disney Cruise Lineare just waiting to be spotted!  It takes “expect the unexpected” to a new level.

1. Discovering it all as a Family!  When we traveled, Megan was 20 and Joseph almost 16.  Meg was too old for the teen club and Joe wanted to spend a bunch of time there (meeting other kids from all over the world and taking part in the teen activities) – we worried about the situation making Megan the odd girl out, but NO!  We had so much fun!  We hadn’t had an opportunity to spend this much one-on-one time with our little girl since before her brother came along.  Joseph joined us for every excursion and for dinner and the show each evening.  We had plenty of time together as a family, but I have to say – the time with Megan was especially memorable for me.  For you – there are a ton of onboard activities for guests of every age from toddler to…well, at my age, I prefer the term “mature traveler”…you get the idea.

There you go!  My own top 10 reasons to visit Alaska on Disney Cruise Line.  Have you cruised Alaska?  What did you love the most?  Is an Alaskan cruise in your future?  Tell me!

Why Every Disney Family Needs Dave Smith’s Book

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Dave Smith's Disney A to Z frontIf you’ve never laid eyes on Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia, I’ll understand you most likely don’t know what you’re missing.  So, I’m here today to set you straight.  You’re missing a lot!  This absolute treasure written by THE Dave Smith (founder and former chief archivist at the Walt Disney Archives) will delight you with every turn of the page. It’s a must-have resource for every Disney-loving family.

Let me explain:

The book is simply a gigantic index of all things Disney.  Don’t let that simplicity or its size (760 pages in my edition before the bibliography) put you off.  Don’t worry about the lack of pictures (there are a few, mostly black and white) – I’m telling you, this book is absolutely wonderful.  One glance within its plentiful pages will uncover Disney memories you didn’t even know you had!  It’s true.  Before I give you a couple of examples, let me point out a couple of super cool things.  Page 441: a list of the 120 Mickey Mouse cartoons!  Pages 3-7: a list of Disney’s 86 Academy Awards (as of 2005 in my edition).  Movies, rides and attractions, voice Dave Smith's Disney A to Z sample pageactors, comic books, characters – you name it, it’s all here.

What’s fun for me is to peruse the pages and, as I mentioned, find things I remember from early childhood and realize that I didn’t even know these were Disney memories.  For example:  My dad brought home a Siamese cat once and I lobbied to name him Lambert because I had seen a cartoon about a lion named Lambert who slept in the same position as our new pet.  Looking through Disney A to Z and I find (page 387)…”Lambert, the Sheepish Lion (film) Special cartoon; released on February 8, 1952.  Directed by Jack Hannah.  A stork delivers a lion cub to a flock of sheep by mistake, which eventually proves fortuitous for the sheep when Lambert grows up to realize his power and uses it to protect the sheep from a wolf.  Nominated for an Academy Award.”  See?  Happy childhood memory and I didn’t even know it was a Disney memory!  Oh, and Lambert was the best cat EVER!  Could open doors and neat stuff like that.

Dave Smith's Disney A to Z back coverOne last example for you “mature” readers like me.  Listen up kids.  Way back when I was in school (to which I walked five miles uphill, both directions) – right after dinosaurs went extinct, there was a very special treat for our class from time to time.  The teacher would roll out the film projector and unroll the movie screen – this was cause for much happiness and celebration!  We would get to watch a movie in class!!!  Usually, it was at least semi-educational, but always better than listening to whatever the teacher would have had to say that day.  Film reels in place, the projector running (oh, the quick tempo of that film rolling through the projector was such a joyous sound) and wonderful stories like Johnny Tremain – Yep, found him on page 363 – if you ever get a chance to see this 1957 gem set during the Revolutionary War, do not pass it up.  Or Paul Bunyan (1958), who provided an important lesson on American folk-lore, I’m sure, but Babe the Blue Ox stole the show.  Paul’s on page 523 and Babe on 48.

Okay – you get it now, right?  This book is beyond awesome!  Need one?  Check it out at Amazon right here.

Do you have Dave Smith’s book?  What’s your favorite Disney resource?