The DisGeek Podcast

Your Guide to the Happiest Place on Earth

Mousework – Factoids From Disney Employees

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When I was younger, I used to work for Crown Books (this was before the rise of Barnes & Noble, Borders and Amazon.com, when most books stores were quaint and much smaller). I remember that whenever I told someone that I worked in a book store, people usually thought I was a lucky guy, but working in a book store was no different from any type of retail job. Which is to say it was mostly a well disguised slice of Hell.

I see Disney employees all the time. Some of them even recognize me now, and they are always smiling and always happy, so one may think “Wow it must be great to work at Disneyland!” But since I labored under that same species of misconception from my days as a book store clerk, I know it can’t all be smiles. I have put together some interesting little factoids from Disney Employees around the Net that I have gathered:

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Character Fan Days – The Poll Results Are In

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For the first time ever, Disneyland gave us a chance to decide which rarely seen Disney characters we want to see in Disneyland park. The selections will be included in the entertainment for “Character Fan Days” (Jan. 28-30), which are part of Disneyland’s “Family Fun Weekends” – eight weekends of fun, January 14 through March 6, at Disneyland.

The votes from the polls have been tallied and the winners are:

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Disneyland’s “Family Fun Weekends” details

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From the Disney Parks Blog:

Do you like fiestas, hoedowns, Mardi Gras, Lunar New Year and Disney Characters? Then you won’t want to miss the next eight weekends at Disneyland park. We’re calling them “Family Fun Weekends” and they run Jan. 14 through March 6.

Families know they can find magic and excitement whenever they visit Disneyland Resort, and the next eight weekends will offer a special reason to play at Disneyland park.

“Family Fun Weekends” are themed events that invite guests to enjoy music, dancing, and special food and merchandise, along with a chance to meet and take photos with some Disney characters in specially themed attire. This weekend, for example, Fiesta Mickey and Minnie Mouse will greet you at Festival Arena in colorful, folklorico attire.

These events take place weekend days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first five weekends will be held at Festival Arena (at the back of Frontierland), and the final three weekends will move to New Orleans Square.

Here’s a brief description of the fun, and we’ll tell you more in the coming weeks.

Fiesta Disneyland – Jan. 14-16: The first weekend celebrates the Hispanic culture and experience in a colorful, lively event, featuring performance groups such as award-winning Mariachi Divas.

Disney’s Kickin’ Country Weekend – Jan. 21-23: This weekend will feature live music – including band Forth Worth West – and a Disney hoedown with Cowboy Mickey and Cowgirl Minnie Mouse.

Character Fan Days – Jan. 28-30: This is your chance to meet and take photos with some rarely seen characters. Think of this as the ultimate Disney character reunion – featuring the characters that you told us you would most like to meet. (We’ll announce the results of our Character Facebook poll later this week on the Disney Parks Blog.)

Lunar New Year Festival – Feb. 4-6 and Feb. 11-13: Two weekends will be devoted to Lunar New Year, when time-honored traditions and family celebrations are observed within the Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese cultures as the sun and moon begin their journeys for another year.

Mardi Gras – Feb. 18-20, Feb. 25-27 and March 4-6: Three weekends will be devoted to a lively, New Orleans-style Mardi Gras event, with vibrant excitement, jazzy music and sensational food of New Orleans. Where else? At New Orleans Square. Princess Tiana, along with a cavalcade of some Disney characters in their Mardi Gras finery, will appear at a photo location in the Court of Angels, staffed by Disney PhotoPass photographers.

Check back on the Disney Parks Blog each week, for more details on the weekend events.

99 Seconds of Fun at Disneyland Resort

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The Disneyland Resort announced a new ticket offer for Southern California residents, Two Days of Fun for $99, along with five new entertainment experiences for the upcoming “Family Fun Weekends” January 14 through March 6.

This fast-paced video highlights the five new experiences along with 94 other fun things to do around the Disneyland Resort.

From The Disneyland Resort Newsroom

D23 Announces More Discounts and Benifits for 2011

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Take a look belows at the new discounts and benifits for D23 members. These work for either Gold or Silver memberships

Discounts per the D23 site:

Mary Poppins on Broadway NEW
D23 Members can save over 40% on seats at select performances on this “practically perfect” Broadway musical now through April 17, 2011.

Sammy Duvall’s Watersports Centre & CURL by Sammy Duvall NEW
Sammy is offering D23 Members 10% off all waterfront activities — including parasailing, water skiing, wake boarding, and personal watercraft rentals — at Walt Disney World as well as 10% off most purchases at CURL on Downtown Disney’s Pleasure Island.

ABC TV Store NEW
ABC is offering D23 Members a 20% discount year round on all purchases made at their online store! There’s something for every TV fan, with terrific items from many fan-favorite ABC shows!

Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group NEW
D23 Members receive 10% off their bill at all Ralph Brennan restaurants including Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney Anaheim and their New Orleans establishments: Red Fish Grill, Ralph’s on the Park, and the Courtyard Cafe at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

ESPN Zone® at Downtown Disney, Anaheim
Show a valid D23 membership card prior to ordering and receive a burger, a non-alcoholic beverage and a $15 game card for only $20!

House of Blues Orlando Downtown Disney
D23 Members save 15% off their meals at House of Blues Orlando in Downtown Disney.

Sanders Art Studio
D23 Members receive free framing and shipping on all items from Sanders Art Studio, an authorized gallery of Disney Fine Art. Choose from dozens of stunning pieces of beloved Disney characters from Mickey Mouse to Jack Sparrow.

eFX Collectibles
D23 Members receive special pricing on meticulously crafted, limited-edition Disney collectibles produced by eFX including Captain Nemo’s Nautilus and the Evil Queen’s Heart Box.

Scrapblog™
Scrapblog and D23 have teamed to bring Disney memories to life. D23 Members have access to member-exclusive content including logos, images and art to create scrapbooks, calendars, travelogues, yearbooks, greeting cards and any other creations they make on Scrapblog.

Mandara Spa
The luxurious Mandara Spa offers D23 Members 10% discount off their treatments at all of its locations across North America, Mexico, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Mandara has spas in both Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa and the Walt Disney World Dolphin & Swan.

D23 EXPO
D23 Members will receive a discount on tickets to the ultimate Disney event for fans and families, taking place in Anaheim, Calif., from August 19-21, 2011. It’s the greatest gathering of all things Disney under one roof! Members who purchase tickets by June 30, 2011 can save as much as $144 off the general admission price of tickets.