Disney photo privacy questions raised by new ‘Let the Memories Begin’ campaign

by Leigh Caldwell on

Walt Disney World and Disneyland are inviting guests to share their Disney Parks memories in the form of photos, video and stories submitted to a Disney Web site as part of a 2011 marketing campaign called “Let the Memories Begin.” Videos shot by Disney visitors are being used in TV commercials for the theme parks.

And a key component of the new marketing campaign starts early this year, when Disney will begin projecting images of guests in the park that day on Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World and on It’s A Small World at Disneyland.

So, how will those images be chosen, and what if you don’t want your larger-than-life likeness shown?

Disney says the up to 500 photos used daily will be provided by Disney PhotoPass Photographers, those guys and gals who stop you and ask to take your picture at various scenic locations throughout Disney’s theme parks.

You will be able to opt out and keep your photo out of the nightly show, Disney tells the Orlando Sentinel. That’s a smart move for a company using the images in what is essentially another piece of a marketing campaign.

However, on an individual basis, you should know that photos taken of you inside U.S. theme parks are pretty much fair game. If your image winds up on someone else’s Twitter stream or Flickr account, there’s really nothing you can do.

Some theme parks print a generic “use of likeness” release on the physical ticket you are given; others include it in the terms and conditions you agree to when purchasing tickets online.

But lawyers say that even without some sort of printed photo release, you don’t have much recourse if you want a photo removed from, say, someone else’s Facebook. With thousands of people taking thousands of photos every day, there’s no real expectation of privacy if your face is captured in the crowd.

Another fatal Disney bus accident

by Leigh Caldwell on

There’s word this morning that a tourist has been killed at Walt Disney World. The 69-year-old Massachusetts man was in the parking lot at the Port Orleans Resort when he stepped into the path of a Disney bus.

It appears that the bus driver was not at fault and will not be charged. There were passengers on the bus at the time, and none of them were injured. This marks at least the fourth Disney bus accident this year at Walt Disney World, including one in April that killed a 9-year-old boy.

Earlier this year, there were concerns that a computer dispatching system on board the Disney buses, dubbed “Magic in Motion,” was a distraction for the drivers, though none of the earlier crashes this year was attributed to the driver being distracted.

Disney acted anyway and altered the system this summer so that the drivers cannot interact with it unless the bus is at a complete stop.

The Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating last night’s crash, and I’m sure that Disney will conduct its own internal investigation, as well. If there are safety problems found, they need to be corrected.

But it’s also time to examine Disney guests’ behavior on vacation.

Disney’s bus system is extensive. In fact, it’s larger than the city bus systems in nearby Orlando and Tampa. The highway system and parking lots there are also extensive – there are 40 square miles to cover and hundreds of thousands of cars travel the roads each day.

Yet, I continually see distracted people in “vacation mode,” pushing strollers through parking lots while their face is in a guidebook or map, children running off unattended in parking lots and, yes, people darting out in front of buses and cars and not using crosswalks.

So, don’t forget your common sense and safety rules when you go on vacation. While much of Walt Disney World is about the illusion – the “magic” – those are real cars and buses driving around the roads and parking lots.

[Image credit: Flickr user Darren Wittko]

Four amazing edible Christmas displays at Walt Disney World

by Leigh Caldwell on

At holiday time, the pastry kitchens in and around Walt Disney World must kick into overdrive, churning out all the holiday desserts served in the restaurants and bakeries at the resort.

But beyond the cookies and cakes, Walt Disney World’s ovens are filled with some important construction materials – hundreds and hundreds of house and roof tiles, all made out of gingerbread.

Here’s a look at four amazing edible Christmas displays on view right now at (or very near) the Walt Disney World Resort.

1. Gingerbread Tree, Disney’s Contemporary Resort

At first glance, you wouldn’t know this tree is edible, but it is made entirely out of gingerbread shingles.

Disney’s pastry chefs use amazing restraint on this tree, which is much more about precision than decoration. The result fits perfectly into the modern decor of the Contemporary and complements the Mary Blair mosaic mural the tree sits in front of.

More than 800 pounds of flour and 1,000 pounds of honey were used in making the gingerbread for this edible Christmas tree, which stands 17 feet tall.

When you visit the tree, you can buy a variety of edible items, including hand-painted white chocolate Christmas ornaments and your own tree building block – a gingerbread shingle.

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2. Chocolate Santa, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort

A sweet Santa sits under a Christmas tree in this display at the Swan hotel, as if he is taking a rest after delivering all the packages at his feet.

It took the Swan and Dolphin’s pastry staff more than 300 man hours to create this display, and everything here is edible – right down to the fondant covered presents and pulled-sugar candy canes.

The nice folks at the Swan and Dolphin even calculated the calories in their creation, all 2,956,818 of them.

3. Gingerbread house, Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort

This rustic cabin is not technically inside the Walt Disney World Resort, but it is very nearby, at Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort, which borders the Disney property.

It’s the most traditional Christmas display on our list, with 10 pounds of gumdrops and 50 lollipops adorning the roofline and windows, while 1,000 pieces of shredded wheat cereal form the roof.

Judging by the conspicuously missing gumdrops on some of the windowsills, we’re guessing a few wayward children have already been seduced by this gingerbread charmer.

4. Gingerbread house, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort

This is the big one – a Victorian cottage, life-size, made entirely out of gingerbread and other edible materials.

The Grand Floridian’s gingerbread house is so big, it’s used as a sweet shop, selling gingerbread tiles, cookies and chocolates to Disney visitors each day. Delicate sugar poinsettias adorn the windows, which have hand-painted winter scenes featuring Disney characters.

It takes 600 pounds of powdered sugar to sweeten up this holiday treat.

Mickey’s Toontown Fair to close at Disney World

by Leigh Caldwell on

When you travel to visit Mickey this spring, you won’t find him in his house. Walt Disney World has announced that the Mickey’s Toontown Fair area of the park will close after Feb. 11, 2011.

The area features the side-by-side houses of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, Goofy’s Barnstormer – a kiddie coaster, Donald’s Boat – a playground for toddlers, and a large character greeting area where guests can meet Mickey and Minnie, Tinker Bell and her fairy friends, and several Disney princesses.

Mickey’s Toontown Fair is being closed as part of Disney’s grand plans for the largest Walt Disney World expansion ever. Princess castles, restaurants, and a new ride based on The Little Mermaid are being added to Fantasyland.

The construction is set to be completed in 2013.

Mickey’s Toontown Fair opened as a new “land” at Walt Disney World in 1988, when it was called Mickey’s Birthdayland in celebration of the Mouse’s 60th birthday.

Many Disney enthusiasts dislike the cartoon theming of the area and say that it doesn’t fit in with the rest of Walt Disney World. But the land in the northeast corner of the Magic Kingdom has proven popular with families.

The Disney Parks Blog says that Disney World guests will still be able to meet their favorite characters after Toontown Fair closes. Mickey, Minnie and the Disney Princesses will greet guests in a building in the Magic Kingdom’s Town Square. Tinker Bell will move to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and her fairy friends will flutter over to Epcot.

Disney World at Christmas: Expect crowds. BIG crowds.

by Leigh Caldwell on

I spent many a childhood vacation driving back and forth to Florida. My family loved to vacation here. We went to various beach communities around the state, and our trips would often involve a day or two spent at Walt Disney World.

So the whole family was excited when, in 1984, one of my aunts moved to Florida. It was immediately decided that the extended family would spend Christmas there. Not only that, but we were all going to Walt Disney World. On the day after Christmas. Because, surely no one is on vacation at Walt Disney World at Christmastime.

On Dec. 26, the whole extended family – grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, probably 18-20 of us – loaded up in a motor home for the 1-hour drive to Walt Disney World. It was smooth sailing for the first 45 minutes, and then we hit the traffic. It took an extra hour to get into the parking lot, and the lot closed practically right behind us.

I still remember the nervous voices of my parents and the other adults in the car, quietly discussing the crowd levels.When we got up to the Ticket and Transportation Center, there were people everywhere. Into the Magic Kingdom we went, and it was packed, as well. I only remember riding one ride that Dec. 26 – It’s a Small World. I also remember waiting at least an hour in a 2-hour line for Dumbo before being forced to leave the line because some younger cousins had to use the bathroom.

Our expectations of an empty park and lots of rides and shows were not met, and the whole day was way less than magical.

I have now lived in Florida myself for 17 years. And almost every January or February, I run into someone, new to Florida, who decided that Walt Disney World would be empty around Christmas and it would be the perfect time to take the family. And their tale always ends up like mine. I listen, and then explain that there are certain times of year that we locals – and that includes them now – don’t go the parks. Christmas is tops on that list.

What I know now is that many families have made a trip to Walt Disney World their Christmas tradition. And with good reason, because there are a lot of Christmas sights to see at Disney World. But those folks go in with their eyes open to the crowds.

So, trust me, Walt Disney World is crowded at Christmas. While Disney doesn’t release attendance figures, the two weeks surrounding Christmas and New Year’s Day are widely believed to be the highest attended times in the Disney theme parks every year.