My Disney Blog

Limited Edition Disney Parks Lithograph Contest

I am so excited to announce my first-ever contest! The idea came from my friend Allison on twitter. You can find her at http://www.twitter.com/wdwfan, and the TERRIFIC Destinations in Florida.

She offered to give me a set of 4 limited edition Disney Parks lithographs to offer as a prize, and of COURSE I took her up on it! That was actually a few months ago, but I've just been trying to figure out the perfect contest to be able to offer them as a prize. The set of 4 lithographs is valued at $75 (although it can be found cheaper on some online sites). I thought and I thought, but could not think of ANYTHING. Then, I posted the question on twitter, and got lots of great responses. I received one suggestion (from anniemcbeth on twitter) to give it away as a prize for the most creative photo of a Disney Park. I thought this would be pretty cool, and it would allow us to see some really interesting photos. 

The catch is that it has to be a CREATIVE, and IMAGINATIVE photo. Photos of folks standing in front of Cinderella Castle, or any standard issue photo will not be accepted. It MUST be a creative and imaginative photo to be accepted (I'm so tough, aren't I?) :)

For a peek at the lithographs, you can click this link to see a photo of all four lithographs.

You can submit your CREATIVE and IMAGINATIVE (think DIFFERENT!) photos to DisneyDean at mickeysites@gmail.com through January 31, 2010. After that, there will be a 2 week window where people will be able to rank the photos. The photo ranked most creative wins!

Only one submission per person, please. Thank you so much for your interest in this! I'm so excited!

--- DisneyDean

Donald Duck Short - Spare The Rod

On this date in Disney History (January 15, 1954), the Disney Donald Duck short entitled "Spare The Rod" was released. I just want to say...right here and now...that Donald Duck ROCKS!! This was directed by Jack Hannah, who became a Disney Legend in 1992, just before his death in 1994.
 

Information received from "This Day in Disney History" - an awesome website with daily historical information regarding anything Disney

--- Disney Dean

Pueblo Pluto

On this date in Disney History (January 14, 1949), the Disney short entitled "Pueblo Pluto" was released.

Information received from "This Day in Disney History" - an awesome website with daily historical information regarding anything Disney. 

--- Disney Dean

Share Your Thoughts on Disney Store Closings

I would really like to hear your thoughts on the latest announcements of Disney Store Closings. I have always been a huge fan of the Disney Store, and I was absolutely DEVASTATED when our store closed several years ago. I was a big fan of the prototype used before Children's Palace took over, especially the prototype with the separate rooms (one for toys, kids, collectibles, and adult wear). So, I totally know where folks are coming from that have just discovered their local Disney "fix" was going to be closed. 

Would really appreciate if you shared your thoughts in the comments section of this blog post. I do think the new stores are going to be impressive, but know how hard it is to see your local connection to Disney taken away.

--- Disney Dean  

Disney Store Closing Several Stores to Focus on New Interactive Stores

This statement was released by Disney Stores. We lost our Disney Store several years ago in the first round of closings, and it was absolutely heart-wrenching for me. I know there are going to be many people very upset about this, and I just want you to know that my heart goes out to you. I definitely know the feeling of having your local "touch of Disney magic" closed down.

Press release as follows:

Making the decision to not renew a store lease is never easy and we take these types of decisions very seriously. We value Disney Store cast members and our guests, and hope that for those of you affected, you will continue to be a Disney Store fan. The stores that will be closed over the next few months are listed below and will begin to offer discounts and clearance specials soon.

 Closing stores will also provide coupon offers in-store good for 15% off your entire purchase at participating alternate locations. DisneyStore.com will offer 15% off your entire purchase and free shipping for all purchases over $50. Limited time only. Offers may vary by store. Please visit your closing store for more discount offers and more details.

We continue to plan for the future and look forward to launching newly designed Disney Stores across the US and Europe. Look for these highly interactive new stores to roll out over the next five years.

Again, thank you for your continued support and remaining a loyal fan to the Disney Store.

USA 

ALABAMA

Riverchase Galleria - Birmingham, AL

CALIFORNIA

South Bay Galleria - Redondo Beach, CA

COLORADO

Southwest Plaza - Littleton, CO

FLORIDA

Broward Mall - Plantation, FL

GEORGIA

Arbor Place - Douglasville, GA

IDAHO

Boise Town Square - Boise, ID

ILLINOIS

Yorktown Center - Lombard, IL

Spring Hill Mall - West Dundee, IL

INDIANA

Glenbrook Square - Fort Wayne, IN

Greenwood Park Mall - Greenwood, IN

KENTUCKY

Florence Mall - Florence, KY

MASSACHUSETTS

Silver City Galleria - Taunton, MA

MICHIGAN

RiverTown Crossing - Grandville, MI

Southland Center - Taylor, MI

NEW MEXICO

Coronado Center - Albuquerque, NM

OHIO

Belden Village Mall - Canton, OH

SOUTH CAROLINA

Broadway at the Beach - Myrtle Beach, SC

TENNESSEE

Coolsprings Galleria - Franklin, TN

Opry Mills - Nashville, TN

TEXAS

The Parks At Arlington - Arlington, TX

West Oaks Mall - Houston, TX

Collin Creek Mall - Plano, TX

VIRGINIA

Dulles Town Center - Dulles, VA

Valley View Mall - Roanoke, VA

CANADA

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Metropolis at Metrotown - Burnaby, BC

MANITOBA

St. Vital Centre - Winnipeg, MB

ONTARIO

Scarborough Towne Centre - Scarborough, ON

Contact: 

Disney Store Guest Services

Guest.Services@DisneyStore.com

Silly Symphony - The China Shop

On this date in Disney History (January 13, 1934), the Silly Symphony titled "The China Shop" was released. 

Information received from "This Day in Disney History" - an awesome website with daily historical information regarding anything Disney. 

--- Disney Dean 

Pirate Protection in the Mediterranean

I am getting so excited, because I am getting closer and closer to booking a Disney Cruise Line Mediterranean cruise for the July 9, 2011 sailing. I know my name is Disney Dean, but I am here to admit that I have NEVER been on a Disney Cruise! Yep, you're heard correctly - never, nada, zilch! When I got back from my trip to Hawaii (staying very close to the new Disney Hawaii Resort construction site!), I tried to think about how I could top that vacation. I knew it HAD to do with Disney, but I wasn't sure what we should do. By chance, one of the Walt Disney World Mom's was talking about her upcoming trip to the Mediterranean on Disney Cruise Line, and it instantly set off alarm bells in my big empty head (ouch)! I knew from that point on, that I would do everything I could to get on THAT cruise (well, not the same one as @DisneyWorldMom, but the same itinerary). :)

When I started talking about it on twitter (my home away from home), a few people started asking me if we could get a twitter group cruise going. I asked my friend Celeste (owner of Enchanted Destinations), and she said she would love to help set something up that would be fun and have some extra perks. Well, once I mentioned this on twitter, they asked if I was going to provide FREE Pirate Protection. They asked me if I would dress up like Jack Sparrow and everything! I said "of course!". So, if you come along on this cruise, you will be provided with Pirate Protection by Disney Dean at absolutely no extra expense! This typically has a value of $19.99, so act now! :)

The problem is that it is about 18 months away. The GOOD thing is that I have 18 months to save for this cruise, because it is pretty spendy. I recently read that the average vacationing family spends about $8000 a year on vacations, so that made me feel a little better. We have decided to forgo our weekly cabin stay during that year, and to save up as much as we can between now and then. I would eat ramen noodles for MONTHS to be able to do this cruise. I  would make my kids shovel walks, and sell my wife's collection of snow babies on eBay to be able to go. OK, maybe not quite that far, but it's fun to think about. Just not selling any Disney memorabilia :)

Anyway, just wanted to let you know where we are with the group cruise. Group space is not available for booking quite yet, but the prices will be pretty close to what they are on the Disney Cruise Line site. If you are a Disney Travel Agent and would like to go, you'll want to book that yourself to get the commission, and then maybe pay a fee for the group get together(s) - whatever they may be.

Gotta run...have to hit the treadmill if I'm gonna look like Johnny Depp in 18 months!

--- Disney Dean - arrrrr