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Hi! I'm Anita!
 Got
a question about Walt Disney World? I probably have the answer! Deb's
Unofficial Walt Disney World Information Guide is the most comprehensive
guide to the World on the Web, but if you still can't find the information
you're looking for by using the Site Map,
the Search
Function, or the Anita Answer Archives, drop
me a line and I'll do my best to find the answer for you. Since
there are only 24 hours in a day, I can't answer every email I receive
- however, I do read every one and try to answer as many as possible.
Check back weekly and see if your answer is waiting! Meanwhile, I'm All
Ears!
R.A.
writes:
I visited
WDW at the end of last year, and was floored to see the line at the
newly revised Living Seas pavilion at Epcot. My question is, if I have
no wish to take the new ride at this pavilion, but wish only to look
at all the pretty fish, do I still have to stand in that line? Thank
You!
Hi
R.A.!
If you
don't wish to ride the new Nemo ride
at the Seas with Nemo and Friends pavilion,
there is a very easy way to bypass the ride and its line. As you approach
the pavilion, don't go to the right toward the ride entrance. Instead,
head to the left and enter the pavilion through the gift shop area.
This will take you directly into the part of the pavilion with the exhibits,
Turtle Talk with Crush, and
all of the aquariums. Easy!
TIP: To
avoid long lines at the Nemo ride, wait until after dinner to ride.
A.A.
Nicole
writes:
Has the
Yeti been to the salon? When I first rode Expedition Everest in October
of 2006 I was in awe of the giant white Yeti animatronic at the end
of the ride. Because we passed him (escaped him, really) so quickly,
I wanted another look, but Fastpass was closed and the wait was lengthy.
I visited his lair with a first-timer friend in October of 2007, and
practically missed seeing him at the end of the ride! All I saw was
a mouth, he was so dark! I rode two more times and yes, he's much darker!
My question is, did the Yeti get a dark hair dye job, hoping we would
take him more seriously? All the merchandise in the shop is of a white
Yeti, and I confirmed with a Disney fan in the office that he had been
white when she visited in late 2005, too. Thanks for your Disney dedication,
Anita!
Hi
Nicole!
I'm afraid
the Yeti has hypnotized you and is playing tricks with your mind! He
(she?) has always been brown, and hasn't changed since I first rode
Expedition Everest (30 times!)
during the preview weekend in January 2006. The ride officially opened
in April, 2006.
It's true
that much of the gift shop merchandise depicts a white yeti, and there's
actually a reason for that. The Yeti that resides in Disneyland's Matterhorn
Bobsleds ride is white. Instead of designing and manufacturing
Yeti merchandise in two different colors for the two parks, they stuck
with the older one, white. (Hey, I said there was a reason, not that
it was a good reason!)
A.A.
Joanna
writes:
I love
your column!! Anyway, I have a question about music. Whenever I hear
a piece of music in Disney at a show (Wishes, PhilharMagic, etc.), I
often hear "A Night on Bald Mountain" composed by either Mussorgsky
or Rimsky-Korsakov, depending on the version. Does Disney have rights
to the music or do they just use it? Thanks for your help.
Hi
Joanna!
"A
Night on Bald Mountain," which was originally composed by Mussorgsky,
and then reworked and arranged after his death by his friend Rimsky-Korsakov,
is in the Public Domain. That means that no rights need to be obtained
and no royalties are paid for the use or performance of the music. I
hope that answers your question.
A.A.
Aimee
writes:
I know
you have answered many, many questions on the changes to the Disney
Dining Plan. Here is my question: If we made our reservations for our
spring of 2008 trip in the fall of 2007, is gratuity included or not?
Hi Aimee!
The simple
answer is this: It doesn't matter when you booked your package; it matters
when your check-in date is. If your check-in date occurs after the new
Dining Plan policy went into effect (January 1, 2008), then the Dining
Plan you booked and paid for is the 2008 plan. The 2008 plan
does not include gratuity, with very few exceptions (at certain dinner
shows, for instance). If you're in doubt, ask your server.
A.A.
Bob
writes:
Hi Anita!
I remember an Audio-Animatronic owl in the post-show area of the "Walt
Disney Story" on Main Street. Since this attraction closed, I've
been wondering what might have become of this owl. Did he get recycled
into another attraction? Is he hiding somewhere in Splash Mountain maybe?
Hi Bob!
The owl
in question was called "Hoot Gibson" after the star of silent
cowboy movies. He was originally built to be the Audio-Animatronic host
of the never-built Western River Expedition attraction. (See my 1/7/08
column for an explanation of WRE.)
Hoot Gibson
was the only AA to be built for WRE, although some sources claim that
the buffalo and prairie dogs in the Living
with the Land attraction were built for WRE as well. It's my
understanding that they were actually built from the plans for WRE,
but not built during the development of WRE. But as usual, I digress...
In 1973,
the chatty owl ended up at in the post-show area of the Walt Disney
Story, which was housed in what was then called the Gulf Hospitality
House (hosted by Gulf Oil), and is now the Town Square Exposition Hall.
Hoot's job was to talk about the coming WRE and other things to do at
the World, which then consisted of the Magic
Kingdom and a handful of resort hotels.
In 1981,
The Walt Disney Story was removed for the addition of A Dream Called
Epcot, and a preview center for the new theme
park. Hoot's show changed to talk about Epcot Center, and the
wonders it would offer when it opened the following year.
Six years
later, with another new park on the horizon, Hoot again changed his
show to center around the Disney-MGM Studios, which is now known as
Disney's Hollywood Studios.
The Disney-MGM
show lasted until that park opened in 1989. After that, Hoot Gibson
was removed from the post-show area. No one seems to know what happened
to him. I've never spotted him anywhere in another attraction, but who
knows? He may be out there somewhere. I doubt he's in Splash
Mountain, however, because the AA's in that show have a more
"cartoon-y" look while Hoot was more realistic looking. If
anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Hoot, please let us
know!
A.A.
Kevin
writes:
In the
Haunted Mansion, on the right hand side as you go into the graveyard
scene, there are five white "ghost heads" singing along and
making faces. Can you tell me if one of those "ghosts" is
Walt himself? Every time we go through I just have to scrutinize the
ghosts... are the other guys famous actors? Enlighten me, PLEASE!
Hi
Kevin!
That is
not Walt Disney's likeness you see on the Haunted
Mansion's singing busts, but that of Thurl Ravenscroft. Ravenscroft
is a famous voice actor, and is featured in many Disney attractions.
He is probably best known to American audiences as the voice of Kellogg's
Frosted Flakes' pitchman, Tony the Tiger. Ravenscroft is also known
as one of the singing group The Mello Men, and indeed sings "Grim
Grinning Ghosts," however with other singers, and not the Mello
Men.
The other
four "heads" are Chuck Schroeder, Jay Meyer, Vern Rowe, and
Bob Wright, whom I've also seen credited as Bob "Eright."
Which "right" is right?
A.A.
That's
it for this edition!
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