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Category Archives: Original Articles
Is Disney World becoming too crowded?
While we were at Disney World last week which according to many websites like Touring Plans and from Travel Agents like Pixie Vacations it was going to be a low attendance or value week. I remember when I was in High School and going to Disney World all the time and there were day’s it was completely empty even on a weekend.
So with that information in hand we headed to the park in hopes of a relaxing uncrowded visit. Boy were we wrong.
As you can tell there were people everywhere.Has the days of having the parks all to yourself fallen of the map? Personally I believe Disney Free Dining and to much information has killed any semblance of a slow season. What do I mean exactly? I will tell you…
Free Dining – About 5 years ago is when Free Dining and Special Room rates starting popping up. That period coincides with what I believe when Disney jacked up their rates big time! How else would they give you such a deep discount if they didn’t raise their prices? This a common thing businesses do, they say this item is 75% off but they inflate the Retail Price so basically you are not really saving anything. So now we have Free Dining so conveniently when there is a slow season Disney can keep the parks to capacity at all times.
To much Information – I know I am partly to blame for this along with many other websites out there. We share tips and tricks on when the best time to goto Disney World is and essentially shooting ourselves in the foot by packing the parks out on those slow seasons.
Finally one last thing to look at is:
The sheer numbers of people out of country visiting Walt Disney World. Remember 2 weeks ago President Obama came to Disney World and spoke on how we are open for business. When we were at Disney World last week it looked like a sea of Brazilian Tour Groups. You can spot them by their identical bright color shirts.
So while not any one factor is to blame I believe all of these have led to an overcrowding of Disney World. It might be time for Disney to look at possibly expanding to another theme park. I hear Texas is nice, or heck Disney World Brazil might be nice too.
Whatever shift is happening I am not to happy with it. I am not huge on crowds of people and it is becoming hard for people like me to enjoy the parks. Don’t get me started on the heat either..Oy Vey!
I want to hear your thoughts and ideas in the comment box below. Is Disney World or even Disneyland becoming too over populated?
Related articles
- Disney World Quick Tips – How to pick the least busiest park (chipandco.com)
- 5 Adult Restaurants to try at Walt Disney World (couponingtodisney.com)
iPad Review: Pooh’s Birthday Surprise
The folks at Disney Publishing Worldwide Apps have released several iPad apps, and today I’m going to review for you Pooh’s Birthday Surprise. This app is for younger children, and the app itself is available at the iTunes store for both the iPad and the iPhone (or newer generations of the iPod Touch), and costs $4.99.
In the story, the narrator helps to guide you along in the story of Winnie the Pooh’s birthday, and the surprise party that his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood are planning for Pooh. As you can see from the scenes I’ve captured, there is quite a bit to do to get ready for the party!
Tigger and Rabbit working together?
As you can see from the outline of the cupcake, this is one scene where your children can interact with the scene. In this case, Tigger ate a cupcake (big surprise), so you have to match the correct sized cupcake with the rest of the cupcakes.
As for Piglet, he is helping Christopher Robin to wrap a present for Pooh. Based on the shape of the present, can you tell me what object it might be?
They are wrapping a special present for Pooh. What do you think it is?
As for Roo, he has a big job to do as well — he needs to make the party hats!
Which color hat will come next in the pattern?
As you can see, there is a pattern that needs to be completed. Can you tell me what color hat will come next (look for the dotted line to indicate where the hat needs to go.)
Eeyore has perhaps the hardest job! It’s his job to get the balloons. I do not like balloons, so I wouldn’t want this job at all! Look at the trouble Eeyore had with them!
Are those balloons caught on Eeyore's tail?
Yep, the balloons have caught Eeyore!
Even Owl has a job to do — he needs to make a Birthday Card for Pooh!
As you can see, everyone works together to give Pooh a happy surprise birthday party!
As you can tell, this app is for a younger aged child, but it’s a good app, and one that your young child will enjoy. There isn’t as much interaction as with the Beauty and the Beast app that I reviewed recently, but it is a nice app, and worth the price in my opinion.
Getting a Postcard from the Main Mouse
With the advent of Pinterest there have been lots of bloggers pinned who talk of sending a letter to your favorite Disney character and getting a signed picture in return. There is even chatter of getting a signed picture and “Just Married” button when you send a wedding invite. I can vouch for the wedding invite having been a real promotion. When I got married in 2009 I sent off an invite to the Disneyland address and got a signed picture of Mickey & Minnie in front of Sleeping Beauty castle (granted my name was spelled wrong and I did not get a celebration button) I was very happy with this little memento!
I decided with the new popularity to give it a try so I printed off an invite, changed the date, and mailed out a few letters.
If you send a letter to:
Walt Disney World Communications
PO Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista FL 32830-0040
You can expect to get:
A postcard from the fab five addressed to your family. Some people still report the signed picture but I had no such luck.
If you send a wedding invite to:
Micky & Minnie, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank CA 91521
Or Mickey & Minnie Mouse, 1675 N Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista FL 32830
You can expect to get:
A postcard with a cute congratulations and Minnie kissing Mickey image addressed to you and your spouse. I have found info from people as late as last year who reported getting a picture from Disneyland but can’t seem to find anyone recently who has received anything besides a postcard from Walt Disney World.
Sure a signed picture would be a littler more personal, but considering this is a free extra I am very happy with my postcards! I have them hanging on our fridge right now and they will surely find their way into a scrapbook in the future! 
Related articles
- Top 10 Disney Foods I Never Get Tired Of (chipandco.com)
- 10 Tips on how to Spread the Disney Addiction (chipandco.com)
Chip & Company Week in Review, January 30, 2012
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Chip & Company Week in Review. There have been a lot of stories to read about, so here are the stories that caught our eye last week:
- As we discussed a couple of weeks ago, the itineraries for the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder for 2013 have now been released!
- For you D23 members out there, you will enjoy knowing that they have released more discounts for their members!
- Disney recently announced that their cast members will now be able to grow beards, whereas before this was not allowed. What do you think of this change?
- A new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse video is being released! Look for “I ❤ Minnie” on February 7th!
- Jane By Design, volume 1, is coming to DVD on March 20th, to mark your calendars!
- Aljon recently did a review of “Timmy Time: Timmy Needs a Bath.” According to Aljon, it’s good clean fun for the Kids!
- The Muppets will be coming to DVD and BluRay on March 20th, 2012! I’ll be marking my calendar for that release date!
- Mel shares with us information on how to charge to your “Key to the World” card.
- Will you be boarding your dogs at Best Friends Pet Care between now and February 4th? If so, your friends will be in for an ice cream and cookie treat!
- Lastly, here are the Tables in Wonderland special events for February, 2012!
That’s our look at some of the news stories from last week, now let’s take a look at some of the incredible original articles that our writers produce each and every day! Enjoy!
- Amanda had another of her famous posts of photos submitted by Chip and Company fans! Check out Andrea’s picture of Star Wars Weekends!
- Chris shares with us the cruising secret no one wants you to know!
- Lastly, Catie shares with us her top 5 adult restaurants to eat at!
That’s all we have for you this week. I hope you have a terrific week, and remember to check out Chip & Company often for the latest in Disney News, Views, Giveaways, and more! To keep up with the latest Disney news and views on the fly, check out the Chip & Company Facebook Page or follow Chip & Company via Twitter! Also, head on over to the Disney for Seniors page and tell Ken you hope he’s feeling better! Ken, get well soon my friend!
Related articles
- The Week That Was, January 29th, 2012 (mydreamsofdisney.com)
Disneyland AP Discount Set to Expire May 31
The merchandise discounts Disneyland annual passholders currently receive are set to expire May 31, 2012. For a while now, SoCal select, SoCal and Deluxe passholders have been receiving a 10% discount on merchandise and select restaurants, while Premium passholders receive a 20% discount. These discounts have been repeatedly extended. A while back, only Premium passholders received any kind of discount (20%).
It is unsure what will be done once the discount expires. There has been no word as to whether the discount will only be for Premium passholders again or will be eliminated completely.
Related articles
- Special Ticket at Disneyland Resort Offers Two Days of Fun for $99 for Southern California Residents (chipandco.com)
- One More Disney Day-Disneyland (chipandco.com)
