Marty, Author at Uncle Walt's Insider - Page 153 of 173
Walt Disney as depicted in the Partners Statue, vaguely gesturing with multiple fingers. Photo by David [CC BY 2.0] via Flikr.

Photos reveal Walt Disney actually pointed with three fingers

New evidence suggests more than just cigarettes were airbrushed from photos of Walt! Many guests at Disney parks worldwide are aware that Disney cast members are not allowed to point with just one finger. Instead, they must either gesture with the whole hand or use the famous "two-finger point." Officially, the reason is to avoid insulting guests from cultures that find pointing offensive, such as China, Indonesia, and Milwaukee. The origin of the two-finger point is a bit hazy, but most Disney fans, ...
April 17, 2018 by Marty in Other
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A new trend in cruising: shore excursions without leaving the ship!

Cruise line trend: shore excursions without leaving the ship

Other cruise lines are now copying Disney's September 2017 dock encounter. ROATÁN -- As Uncle Walt's Insider reported last year, the Disney Dream backed into a dock at the Port of Nassau, when the Captain was letting his teenage son practice parallel parking. Apparently the Disney Cruise Line is still a trendsetter in the industry, as other cruise lines are experimenting with combining land and sea adventures without leaving the ship: https://youtu.be/3IaXf171iDE The video shows a test run of the MSC Armonia cruise ship's ...
April 16, 2018 by Marty in Other
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Entrance to the Be Our Guest restaurant at Magic Kingdom. Inset photo by HarshLight [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

Be Our Guest’s new Dungeon Room opens in May

It's cold, dark, and you'll be locked in there forever. But the food is good! WALT DISNEY WORLD -- Construction is almost complete on additional seating for the Magic Kingdom Park’s Be Our Guest restaurant! As reported here in November, the popular Beauty and the Beast-themed eatery, built to appear as if it were inside Beast’s castle, often must be booked months in advance. The current three dining rooms — the Grand Ballroom, the Castle Gallery, and the mysterious West Wing — will ...
April 14, 2018 by Marty in Florida
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Some suitcases, one of which has a Mickey silhouette on it.

What the “Moms” missed: more packing essentials for Walt Disney World

You need more than you realize for a trip to the Most Magical Place on Earth! A recent article on the Disney Parks blog gave some great advice on what to pack for a trip to Walt Disney World -- great, but incomplete. Not to cast doubt on the collective wisdom of the Disney Parks Moms Panel, but the average family needs to bring more than just some mesh laundry bags, ziplocs and pennies when visiting Walt's Magic Kingdom, Not That One ...
April 13, 2018 by Marty in Florida
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HungTime is Knott's Berry Farm's newest roller coaster, with a soundtrack by William Hung. Inset photo courtesy Knott's Berry Farm.

‘HungTime’ roller coaster, with music by William Hung, opens soon

"You'll be screaming before you even leave the station." BUENA PARK, CA -- Knott's Berry Farm theme park has announced that its newest roller coaster, 'HungTime,' will open on April 18. The coaster, named for its soundtrack featuring former American Idol contestant William Hung, features quadraphonic stereo speakers in every seat and a subwoofer in every car, and also some loops and stuff. Knott's Berry Farm spokesperson Jun Knott [no relation] tells Uncle Walt's Insider, "We crank it up to eleven from the very beginning ...
April 12, 2018 by Marty in California
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