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MouseStation 72 - Collected short subjects
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Run time 0:31:43
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Let us hear from you!
Send in your suggestions, comments or tips via our email feedback form or via voicemail on our toll-free feedback line (1-866-939-2278). You can also make suggestions by replying to this post.
If you want to contribute a story for our Monday Magical Moment segment (and possible inclusion in the Cast Place column here on MousePlanet), you can either use our email Magical Moment story form or the toll-free feedback line. (We love it when you use the voice mail system, because then we can play your call on the show!)
Thanks to our sponsor, and a contest
Today's show is sponsored by Owner's Locker, a new service that gives you a place to leave your vacation-only stuff until your next trip to visit the Mouse.
This week, Mark talked a bit about his experience with his Owner's Locker. He's got leftover candy from Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in a zip-lock bag saved in there for MouseFest. (The storage warehouse is climate-controlled, but the seal isn't airtight.) Even with ponchos, an umbrella, a sun visor for the car, a couple of shirts and some other stuff, the locker is still woefully empty. We'll have to see what Mark can do about it come December.
Yes, that's Mark's actual Owner's Locker on his hotel room bed. That's a extra-large
laptop case next to it.
Don't forget that you've got until midnight on Halloween to send in your ideas on what you would do with an Owner's Locker. John will again select his favorite, and he'll join us on the November 5 show to announce our next winner!
Tip of the Week
This week's tip came from Mike, because the tip jar was empty again.. (Send in your tip now!)
Mike recommended using the PhotoPass discount from the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party or Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party for a mass purchase for all photos from your trip. This loophole has been around, but as far as we know it hasn't been closed, so give it a shot.
Featured attraction
This week, we look at Star Tours in Tomorrowland at Disneyland Park and the Disney-MGM Studios.
Once again, you're going on what's expected to be a fun trip, when Suddenly Something Goes Horribly Wrong. In this case, the pilot for your speeder trip is Rex, a first-time pilot who thinks that joining an assault on the Death Star would be fun because he always wanted to do that.
While Mark enjoys the attraction, he doesn't feel that he needs to do it every trip.
Mike had an additional tip that, during Star Wars Weekends, when merchandise lines at Tatooine Traders get very long and there's a long wait to get into the gift shop, you can short-cut the line by going on the attraction, which lets out into the gift shop. (Of course, now that the collectibles are located along Mickey Avenue, the lines at Tatooine Traders are much shorter.)
Mike prefers the Disneyland version because he feels that the queue feels more realistic, while the Studios version feels more like a stage set. Mark seems to recall that the C-3PO animatronic at Disneyland uses an original suit from the Star Wars movies. He also noted that there are three web-footed robots at Disneyland that used to be geese at the America Sings attraction.
Review system spotlight
This week's spotlight focuses on the Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World. MousePlanet readers seem to be very split about Coronado Springs, rating it 3.7 out of five planets on the strength of 18 reviews. Readers seem to either love it or hate it, so we're featuring two reviews this week, one a 1-planet review by AndyMan of Marietta, GA and one a 5-planet review by pattypre of Colorado Springs, CO.
AndyMan thought that the resort was just too large, and he had problems with housekeeping, to boot. pattypre didn't mind the long walk, and really enjoyed the food there.
Mark agrees that it's a large, sprawling resort, though he doesn't know if it's larger than the Caribbean Beach or Port Orleans Riverside resorts. He stayed in a Casitas building for a conference about five years ago. While the Casitas are fairly close to the main buildings (one reason why conference attendees are usually assigned those rooms), he did take the 1.1-mile walk around Lago Dorado a few times, and it's very enjoyable.
Mark didn't eat at Maya Grill, though he did eat at Pepper Market. The food was pretty good, though he really didn't like the forced gratuity for the person who brings you your drink.
Mike has mixed feelings about Coronado Springs. He has enjoyed staying there in the past. While it does seem too big and inconvenient at times, it does help you to feel like you're on vacation. He also doesn't like the forced gratuity for minimal service at Pepper Market.
Mike doesn't recommend the hotel for kids because the conventioneers generally don't like having kids underfoot, and would recommend the Caribbean Beach Resort instead.
You can also find the Coronado Springs Resort in our Park Guide.
Ask the Co-host
We didn't have any Ask the Kid questions pre-recorded, so we did Ask the Co-Host, or Ask the Grownup. Mike asked Mark how his trip to Walt Disney World was.
Mark's trip was short on sleep and extremely busy, doing a half-dozen interviews, taking two guided tours in order to review them, doing a bunch of research for the December's mini-MouseAdventure and having dinner with John Van Meter from Owner's Locker. After his dinner with John, they got to try out the Tip of the Week from two weeks ago. They stood and walked around talking for over an hour until they actually did the blow-off. There was an announcement at around 10:30 that they were going to blow off the remaining fuel, and it was really cool to watch.
To submit your own questions for "Ask the Kid," send us your question to ask Mark's son.
Magical Moment
This week's moment came from listener Steve from St. Cloud.
Steve was excited that he actually got a reservation for the Garden Grill at a reasonable time, 4:50, less than a week in advance, for October 1, the day of Epcot's 25th anniversary celebration.
Steve also found an EPCOT Center guide book from 1985, where it says, ?Some EPCOT Center restaurants require same-day reservations?, ?Reservations may be made at WorldKey terminals?, and ?Many dining locations in Epcot Center do not require reservations.? Mark really misses the old days where you could choose where you were going to eat the same day at EarthStation.
Feedback and MouseFest
Send us feedback via email or by calling our toll-free feedback line at 1-866-939-2278. Don't forget that we love voicemails because then we can put your voice on the show!
Don't forget that you've now got until Halloween to get your entry in for our second Owner's Locker contest!
We also wanted to remind you that we have now scheduled our MouseFest meet for the podcasts. The MouseStation Hustle-tini Meet will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Classic Concoctions in the Everything Pop food court at Disney's Pop Century Resort for Bluetinis to get our nerve up to get up and boogie. We'll make sure that we're in the lobby before 6 p.m. so that we can do The Hustle, then return to Classic Concoctions or elsewhere to record some more for the podcast. For more information on the Hustle-tini or any other MousePlanet-sponsored meet at MouseFest, check out our MouseFest information page. If you've got any ideas on what might make a cool MouseStation T-shirt for MouseFest, let Mark know!
Wrapping up
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Thanks to our audio engineer and sound editor Steven Ng.
Thank you for listening!
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