Inside Mouse

Disney Dining Trivia

Inside Mouse — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:14:04 +0000

Ever wonder what it takes to keep the Disney World restaurants running. How much food is consumed? Who eats it all? Find out all sorts of random facts about Disney Dining (compliments of Disney By The Numbers). From how many seats are in restaurants to how many hot dogs are served, I’m sure you’ll find something on the list of interest.

4,000 eggs are served at Chef Mickey’s each day

1,700 Mickey shaped waffles are served at Chef Mickey’s each day

1,500 pancakes are served for breakfast everyday at Chef Mickey’s

1,200 people eat at Chef Mickey’s everyday

1 restaurant on property has received the exclusive AAA Five Diamond Award, that is Victoria’s & Albert’s at the Disney Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

8,000 recipes are on file throughout all the eateries at Walt Disney World.

125 orders of meatloaf and mashed potatoes are requested every single day at 50’s Prime Time Cafe at the Disney MGM Studios.

70 pounds of tomatoes are served at the California Grill every night during tomato season, which is July through November.

236 seats are at The Hollywood Brown derby Restaurant.

225 seats are at 50’s Prime time Cafe.

252 seats are at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant.

562 seats are at the ABC Commissary.

250 seats are at the Mama Melrose’s Restaurant Italiano.

468 seats are at Hollywood & Vine, 80 seats are located outside.

600 seats are at Backlot Express.

140 seats are at Min & Bill’s Dockside Diner.

400 seats are at Sunset Ranch Market featuring Rosie’s All-American Café and Catalina Eddie’s.

48 seats are at Starring Rolls Bakery.

496 seats are at Studio Catering Co.

3677 total seats are available at Disney’s MGM Studio

7 million hamburgers are sold in the park each year

5 million hotdogs are consumed each year in the park

1.4 million barbecued turkey legs are consumed each year at Walt Disney World

40 to 50 pounds is the average size of the turkey used to make the turkey legs

1.5 pounds is the average weight of each turkey leg

6 hours is needed to cook each turkey leg

1,200 pizzas are made each hour using the custom made pizza-a-matic pizza maker

2 oz sauce, 3 oz cheese and 4 to 6 oz of pepperoni are used on each pizza

4 to 5 minutes are needed to make each pizza

1,200 pounds of ribs are smoked at one time at the Flame Tree BBQ

.5 million pounds of macaroni and cheese are consumed each year

5 party chefs are assigned just to make wedding cakes

500 places on property sell food

350 chefs work at Walt Disney World

1 million pounds of watermelon are used in 1 year

3 million pizza are sold each year

5 million servings of popcorn are consumed each year

6,000 food choices are available to eat at WDW

2,000 people dine at Chef Mickey’s each day

18 tables are located at Victoria & Albert’s

5 tables are in the fireplace room of Victoria & Albert’s

7 course custom menu is served at Victoria & Albert’s

13 workers are in the kitchen of Victoria & Albert’s

700 selections are on the wine list at Victoria and Albert’s

4,200 selections are in the cellar of Victoria and Albert’s

13 course are served at the chef’s table inside the kitchen of Victoria and Albert’s

4 hours are needed to eat at the chef’s table at Victoria and Albert’s, so plan ahead

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Downtown Disney’s T-Rex Cafe

Inside Mouse — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:16:05 +0000

The creators of The Rainforest Cafe have brought another dining experience to the Downtown Disney Marketplace. The new dining experience, T-Rex Cafe, opened in October and is sure to be a hit with all the Dinosaur lovers. The only other T-Rex cafe was in Kansas City until now.

This restaurant features life-size dinosaurs, hands-on activities, and a pit where you can dig for Dinosaur bones. The restaurant also features a Build-a-Dino Workshop, an interesting spin off the popular Build-a-Bear chain. Kids of all ages can enjoy everything the T-Rex Cafe has to offer.

Below is a video review of the grand opening

According to the Associated Content Restaurant Review below, if you like The Rainforest Cafe you are sure to like T-Rex Cafe.

Restaurant Review

T-Rex Café is the newest theme restaurant to spring up at Downtown Disney in Orlando, Florida. At the T-Rex Café, guests dine among prehistoric beasts in a setting that rivals many of Orlando’s most popular theme park rides. Here is a review of the T-Rex Café at Downtown Disney in Orlando, Florida.

If you’re spending the afternoon at Downtown Disney, the T-Rex Café is a great place to stop for lunch. Your kids will love to dine with lifelike animatronic dinosaurs in a bright, dazzling prehistoric setting, complete with ice cave and oceanic bar. Owned by the same company that brought you the Rainforest Café, the T-Rex Café shares Rainforest’s fun atmosphere, with loud roars and the occasional meteor shower replacing the sights and sounds of the Amazon.

The menu at T-Rex Café offers the usual burgers, salads, sandwiches, steaks, pasta, chicken, and seafood dishes, as well as some great appetizers - all, of course, with new dino names. The portions are large and reasonably priced. The food is decent, not great, but your other senses will be so preoccupied that you may not notice the difference.

You can’t miss T-Rex Café at Downtown Disney: Just look for the giant dinosaur bones… And the long line. If you’re heading to Downtown Disney on the weekend, or during a peak season, you may want to stop at the restaurant long before you’re actually hungry, in order to give them your name. The restaurant is brand new and already very popular among tourists.

T-Rex Café is always rather busy, so make sure you have time enough to dine before that movie starts at AMC. In fact, you may want to wait to buy your tickets. The service (so far) is mediocre at best. But that could change over time.

If you don’t like loud noise, steer clear of T-Rex Café. Likewise if you don’t like too many visual effects with your meal. Otherwise, the T-Rex Café is a real treat. Their specialty drinks are strong and delicious (though pretty high-priced), and the desserts are large enough to share. There aren’t too many healthy dishes on the menu, but if you stick to the salads and don’t eat there often, you probably won’t become extinct.

T-Rex Café also offers a great little gift shop, with tees and hats and mugs and stuffed animals. You can even create your own dinosaur. If you and your kids like Rainforest Café, you’ll love T-Rex. If you find Rainforest too loud and too busy, you best stay away. And if you’re heading to T-Rex just to please your grandkids, you best turn down your hearing aid.

Disney Dining Trivia Ever wonder what it takes to keep the Disney World...

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Retired Disneyland Attractions

Inside Mouse — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 23:51:10 +0000

Disneyland is full of classic attractions that will probably never go away. On the other hand there are attractions that did not withstand the test of time. If you’re a Disney history fan check out the article below from Neatorama talking about six Disneyland attractions that are no longer around. Maybe you were even lucky enough to see these prior to them becoming part of Disney history.

Six Attractions You’ll Never See at Disneyland (unless you already did)

Some Disneyland attractions are classics and have been around forever – Dumbo, for instance, has been around almost since the beginning (the park opened on July 17, 1955 and Dumbo followed about a month later). Peter Pan’s Flight has been around since the beginning, and so has the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (the teacups!) and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.

Other rides haven’t really stood up to the test of time, unfortunately, and those are the ones we’re going to take a look at.

Holidayland

photo from A History of Disney Theme Parks

You’re probably familiar with the different sections of Disneyland these days – Tomorrowland, Frontierland and Fantasyland, to name a few. But Holidayland? Yep. It opened on June 16, 1957, and was a nine-acre picnic area that was for… well… frolicking, basically. There were playgrounds, horseshoes, a baseball field, volleyball and the “world’s largest candy-striped circus tent” which stood where the Haunted Mansion is today. Pirates of the Caribbean takes up the spot where the baseball field used to be. It only lasted a few years – Holidayland closed in 1961 because it just didn’t fit in with the rest of the park (among other things like lack of shade).

The Viewliner

This miniature train has the dubious honor of being one of the shortest-lived rides to ever exist at Disneyland. It opened in June of 1957 and promptly closed in September 1958 when construction started on the Matterhorn and Submarine Voyage. There were two trains – one for Fantasyland and one for Tomorrowland – and the track ran a figure-eight through both of those areas. The tiny, sleek (for that time) train was supposed to represent the future of train travel. Eventually the monorail filled the void left by the Viewliner.

Monsanto House of the Future

picture from Apartment Therapy

I love those old ads from the 1950s that show “futuristic” kitchens cooking the meals all by themselves with “space-age” technology. That’s kind of what the Monsanto House of the Future was like. It was in operation from 1957 to 1967 and was a tour of a house in the year 1986. It’s laughable now, but the MIT-built house featured technology such as microwaves, which obviously did end up being invented. Just about everything about the house – including the exterior – was made out of plastic. You can still see the support pillars of Monsanto’s House of the Future in Neptune’s Grotto – they were rated for earthquakes and proved to be so sturdy that they were just about impossible to remove. Monsanto, by the way, is an agricultural biotechnology company (meaning they make herbicides and pesticides and the like).

Captain EO

picture from AlteredDreams

In the more recent past, we have Captain EO, which I vaguely remember from EPCOT. Captain EO was a 3-D movie starring, of course, Michael Jackson. And if you’re looking for more credentials than that (keep in mind MJ was HUGE at this point in time), it was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and executive produced by George Lucas. They also co-wrote the script with Rusty Lemorande.

Here’s the plot: Captain EO and his team are piloting a spaceship to deliver a gift to the evil Supreme Leader (Anjelica Huston). One of his shipmates is named Hooter, which seems like a huge oversight to me. Hooter is an elephant, not an owl as you might suspect. Well, the Supreme Leader isn’t exactly thrilled with the crew and orders them to be tortured. EO charms the Queen by singing her a song, but as soon as the music stops the spell breaks and she orders the crew to be captured again. EO uses his music to transform the evil guards into dancers who line up to dance behind him Thriller-zombie-style. EO eventually uses his powers to turn the Supreme Leader and her entire planet into things of beauty.
The 17-minute film cost somewhere between $17 and $30 million to make. Sounds like a lot, but when you consider than it ran for more than 10 years at Disneyland (1986 to 1997), maybe it’s not so bad. Then MJ went weird and Disney decided to pull the attraction and replace it with “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience”.

America Sings!

picture from Yesterland

Looking for a collection of animatronic swamp critters singing old Dixieland favorites and old folk tunes? Too bad you missed America Sings! Had you been at Disneyland sometime between June of 1974 and April of 1988, you could have witnessed geese singing “Camptown Races”, a dog singing “Home on the Range” a pink singing “Won’t You Come Home Bill Bailey?” and a crane and a rooster singing “Shake, Rattle and Roll”. A decent number of the characters appeared to be either quite intoxicated or at least trying their hardest to get there. It’s one of the few Disney attractions with characters actually drinking alcohol (Pirates of the Caribbean also comes to mind… rum anyone?). The building was used for offices for a while and eventually became home to Innoventions, which I believe is still there today. The swamp creatures, however, befriended Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and Brer Bear and now reside happily at Splash Mountain.

Flying Saucers

Picture from Yesterland

High school physics students who participated in Hovercraft competitions, this one is for you. Basically, the Flying Saucers ride was Disney’s answer to bumper cars. When the ride starts, air would shoot up under the saucer and lift it up off the floor (just a little… we’re not talking feet here). Riders would have to tilt their bodies the way they wanted the saucer to go and were encouraged to bump into other guests. Alas, the saucers only lasted about five years in the mid 60s.

Those are just a few of the rides that are now defunct – things at all of the Disney parks are always changing. Even the old favorites get little updates every now and then. Do you have a favorite ride that is no longer in operation? I know a lot of people were upset when the Magic Kingdom’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea met its maker.

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Disney Wedding Planning

Inside Mouse — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 20:50:28 +0000

Thinking of getting married at Disney? Whether it’s Disney World, Disneyland, or the Disney Cruise Line there are plenty of options available.

Disney Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons has everything you want to make your wedding day a dream come true. Hosting about 2,000 Disney weddings a year they are experts in making your Fairy Tale come true.

If your looking to be a true princess Disney has an exclusive bridal line developed by couture designer, Kirstie Kelly. Each Disney Princess has dresses designed after her to reflect the characters beauty and style.

For all your Disney Wedding needs check out MouseWeddings.com. They do a great job of compiling all the information you need, including over 500 pages of photos, to create the Disney Wedding your dreaming of.

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Disney Shopping Discount

Inside Mouse — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 19:31:21 +0000

The Disney Store online is having a President’s Day Sale!

Check it out and save up to 30% off your purchase. Visit DisneyShopping.com for full details. Use discount code PRESDAY through 2/16/09.

They are also running $5 shipping on orders over $89. Details and restrictions can be found on the site. Use discount code SHIPTODAY.

Happy Shopping!

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Disney College Program

Inside Mouse — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 03:31:16 +0000

Disney offers a unique work experience to college students known as the Disney College Program. The Disney College Program has been around since 1981 and thousands of students from around the world, including myself, have participated.

Almost seven years ago I packed up and moved down to Orlando to be a part of the Walt Disney College Program. It was a great experience and I would recommend it to any interested college students. Disney does a very thorough job of explaining the program on the Disney College Program site, so for this post I’ll give a general overview of the program with my own experiences.

The Interview Process

The interview process with Disney is pretty simple. Disney recruits at universities and community colleges across the country. The first step is a mandatory presentation put on by a Disney recruiter, which covers the program and expectations. There are past interns at the presentation to talk about their experience and answer any questions. At the end of the presentation if you are interested you sign up for an interview, which is typically the next day. Interview was pretty basic to get a feel for your personality. Offer letters are then sent usually within 2 weeks. During the application process you are asked to preference what type of role you want. It isn’t guaranteed but they try their best. Roles can vary from hospitality, custodial, and lifeguards to food and beverage, attractions, and merchandise. I was lucky enough to get my first choice, which was hospitality.

Living at Disney

What’s it like to live at Disney? For the most part it’s pretty good. There are 3 housing complexes and you will be placed at one of those. All interns are separated based on gender and whether they are over or under 21 years of age. Apartments range from 1-4 bedrooms and costs range from $80-105 per week depending on the size of the apartment and which complex which is automatically deducted from your check. All apartments are fully furnished and include the cost of utilities. The apartments are assigned 2 roommates per room. In my case I lived in a Vista Way 3 bedroom apartment and had 5 roommates. Transportation to the parks, work, and the grocery store is provided although I would highly recommend bringing your own car if you are able.

Working at Disney

Depending on where you get placed your job could vary drastically. You’ll know what role you’ll be in before you accept so there are no surprises although you will not know the specific location. For example I signed on knowing I would be in hospitality but I didn’t know which resort I would work at until I arrived. I loved my role and my work experience. I had roommates that were in food and beverage that hated it and friends that were in custodial and loved it. A lot of the jobs aren’t glorious but if you like interacting with the guests and have a good attitude you’ll be fine. This internship, although it is paid, is not a money making experience and they will tell you that. Current pay range is $7.21-$8.56 per hour depending on the role. By the time you take out your rent you’re not left with a lot of money. Keep in mind you will probably still have other bills depending on your situation such as; cell phone, car payment, car insurance, etc. Most people do well to break even on the program.

Learning at Disney

The Disney College Program is an internship and depending on your university you can choose to do it with or without credit. Each university is different and some require you to take classes in order to get credit. I actually chose to do the program the semester following my senior year and opted to not take credit for it. I did however participate in classes. You can choose what class you want to take if any depending on your schools requirements.

Playing at Disney

While on the college program you will have a hard time being bored. With 47 square miles of Disney to explore and play in there is always something to do. Obviously a major benefit of doing this program is the perks.

Some of the main perks are:

. Free admission to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios, and the Animal Kingdom

. Discounts on merchandise and food

. Discounts tickets to the water parks and Disney Quest

. Free admission for up to 3 friends or family members up to 6 times

. Resort discounts for friends and family

Overall Experience

The Disney College Program is a unique experience that I personally would recommend. Keep in mind it is what you make of it. Don’t go with the expectation of making a lot of money or having a glamorous job. Keep and open mind and a positive attitude and you’ll have a great experience, meet great lifelong friends, and have a great company on your resume to start your career.

If you’re interested in doing the Disney College Program and have additional questions feel free to leave a comment or email the Inside Mouse at info@insidemouse.com. I’d be happy to offer additional information about the program or my experience.

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Happy Birthday Walt Disney!

Inside Mouse — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 04:57:11 +0000

One hundred and seven years ago in Chicago, Illinois the legendary Walt Disney was born. Walt Disney was an innovator and created so many great things we have come to know and love. From movies and animation to theme parks this man created it all. Unfortunately for Walt her died of lung cancer 5 years before his dream of Walt Disney World became a reality. His brother Roy Disney postponed his retirement to make sure that dream came true.

Today his legacy lives on in movies and theme parks throughout the world. In 2001 for the 100 Years of Magic celebration MGM studios opened Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream. The attraction is an interactive gallery with never been seen Disney memorabilia. One Man’s Dream includes pieces of history from Walt Disney’s life as well as the history of his company. It includes a number of models of parks and attractions and a film on Walt Disney’s life and the creation of Mickey Mouse. A true tribute to man that started it all.

Facts about Walt Disney

Born in Chicago, December 5th, 1901
Co-founder of the Walt Disney Company
Created Mickey Mouse
Received 59 Academy Award nominations
Won 26 Oscars
Holds the individual record for the most nominations and awards
Won 7 Emmy’s
Dropped out of high school at the age of 16
Died of lung cancer on December 15th, 1966

Disney Dining Trivia Ever wonder what it takes to keep the Disney World...

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Disney on a Budget

Inside Mouse — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:00:02 +0000

A Disney trip on a budget is possible. There are lots of tricks you can do to save money along the way. Some require a little planning in advance. I’ll be sure to post money saving tips whenever possible, but here are a few from the Resourceful Mommy. She has a couple good tips I felt I should pass along. The autograph book idea is great! I’ve often thought of using a regular notebook for character autographs but they don’t have the Disney feel. The solution of making your own solves that and lets you make it as personal as you want.

Disney on a Budget

With less than 48 hours to go until we fly to DisneyWorld, we are deep in the throes of packing. We have tried our best to plan at once a magical vacation and a budget friendly trip, and with a little pre-vacation planning, you can save money as well.

The best way to save money on your trip is to anticipate those “little” extras that will empty your wallet once you arrive at the parks. Despite the fact that we are travelling to Florida at the end of the fall season, the UV rays in the sunshine state burn all year long, so remembering ahead of time to pack our sunscreen left over from the summer will save us a significant amount of money. I’ve also been warned that with a rainy period, Florida turns quickly into a mosquito’s haven. Although I would never be able to purchase bug spray in a Maryland store in December, I was able to purchase it very inexpensively online from Avon, thus saving me the high theme-park prices in the event that we are there during a particularly buggy time.

Generations of Disney fans have enjoyed the tradition of collecting the autographs of their favorite characters. While you are not likely to forget to pack diapers and snacks for your children, you may not remember pens and autograph books. By simply heading to your local craft store and purchasing a small sketch pad and Disney scrapbooking components, you and your children can create a homemade autograph book that not only saves you money, but adds to the fun and excitement of preparing for your trip.

Because my children absolutely adore the Disney princesses, we have decided to go one step beyond the autograph book and save money on favorite souvenir of all - the vacation t-shirt. Using a fabric iron-on sheet, I designed t-shirts for my children on my computer using just the basic paint program that comes standard and a regular ink-jet printer. When we are visiting with the princesses during special princess meals, I will pull out the t-shirts and fabric markers so that my children can have the ladies autograph the t-shirt directly. Not only have I saved money with this technique, but my children will have an especially unique vacation t-shirt. Thank you to Connie at Princess Time Toys for this wonderful idea!

One of the most expensive parts of a trip to any theme park is the constant request for those little treats inside the park. My children are most likely to ask for glow sticks and bracelets, especially when we are in the park at night for fireworks. With the sun going down before dinner time, it is likely that we will spend a great bit of time in the parks in the dark. Rather than wait and buy expensive glow sticks once we arrive in Florida, I stocked up on 15 sticks for a dollar packs at my local craft store. I plan on putting several sticks in my bag each day to use not only when the sun goes down, but when we are enjoying rides that have periods of darkness that might be frightening for my four and two year old.

As I write about my vacation this week, look for more tips on how to enjoy a vacation at Walt Disney World on a budget.

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Farewell to Pleasure Island

Inside Mouse — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 01:19:34 +0000

For almost 20 years there has been an entire section of Disney dedicated to nightlife, known as Pleasure Island. Pleasure Island was a stretch of land between Downtown Disney Marketplace and Downtown Disney West Side housing numerous clubs and bars. From Rock & Roll, Techno, and Top 40 to Comedy and 80’s Music there was something for everyone.

Pleasure Island used to be closed off and required a ticket to get in. A few years back that changed and anyone could walk through Pleasure Island but you required a wristband to get into the bars and clubs. On Pleasure Island it was New Year’s Eve every day. Each night at the West End Stage the countdown to midnight would begin and end in a fireworks display.

All that is now over. According to Disney, “We are taking the Downtown Disney experience to the next level for a few reasons. It’s consistent with our commitment to regularly evaluating and refreshing our product to ensure it is relevant to our Guests and providing them with new and exciting experiences they can only have at Walt Disney World Resort. In addition our Guests are telling us they want additional shopping and dining experiences at Downtown Disney and we want to position Downtown Disney for long-term success.”

On September 28th, 2008 six remaining bars (Adventurer’s Club, Comedy Warehouse, 8 Traxx, Motion, Mannequins and BET Sound Stage) on Pleasure Island had last call for the last time. Although it will reopen it will not reopen as Pleasure Island. It will be themed differently and focused on family friendly shopping and restaurants. Sounds kind of like an extension of the current Downtown Disney, something to better join the Marketplace and West Side.

While Pleasure Island has become a thing of the past there are still nightlife options at Disney. The Downtown Disney West Side has the House of Blues and the Boardwalk has ESPN Club for the sports enthusiast, Atlantic Dance Hall, and Jellyrolls Dueling Piano Bar.

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Once Upon a Toy

Inside Mouse — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:14:44 +0000

Of course there are gift shops all over Disney but if you are looking for toys, Once Upon a Toy at Downtown Disney is the place to go. The store looks like it is made out of Lincoln Logs and has big statues of Buzz Lightyear and Mr. Potato Head out front, which make for great photo spots. Inside the store is filled with all kinds of Disney themed products and some really cool toy displays.

The store has a number of stations where you can build your own toy set including Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, My Little Pony, Mr. Potato Head, and the newest station where you can build your own Star Wars Lightsaber.

My favorite is the Mr. Potato Head station. Who doesn’t love the Hasbro classic Mr. Potato Head? All the Disney accessories turn this classic toy into an updated favorite. You can’t miss it since it’s right in the front of the store. Disney has created just about everything you can think of to transform your plain Mr. Potato Head into a Disney character.

Here’s how it works:

Play on the Mr. Potato Head computer to design your own
Print off the card that tells you exactly what pieces you need to gather
Grab a box and fill it with your pieces
If you prefer you can always just pick your own pieces without using the screen
Fill the box as full as you can as long as it closes
The box of Potato Head parts costs $18 last time I checked

Inside Mouse Tip: Don’t waste space filling the box with the Mr. Potato Head body. Get a plain Potato Head at Target and save your box space for parts you can’t get anywhere else.

Mr. Potato Head has gained popularity around Disney and you can find him at resort and park gift shops, however; Once Upon a Toy has the best selection and so much more.

For a complete list of all the Disney accessories made check out this Mr. Potato Head fan.

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