How do I become a Disney focused Travel Agent in Ontario?

It is a question I get asked a lot because there isn’t a ton of information available online for people who are new to the travel industry.   There is quite a bit of misinformation and conflicting details, hopefully I can clear some of that up.

(Full disclosure – I have been a travel agent for over 15 years myself and I do own a travel agency.)

First things first – TICO.

If you live in Ontario or work for an Ontario travel agency you MUST be certified by the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO).   TICO is an organization mandated by the Ontario government to govern travel retailers and travel wholesalers registered in Ontario. TICO does not sell any travel services.  Registered TICO agencies and websites provide additional consumer protection that may not be available when booking with agencies based in other countries or provinces. A few of these protections include the compensation fund, travel complaint resolution, education standards, and set financial requirements for travel agencies.

You can find the education standards and requirements for TICO here.

Once you have your TICO certificate you need to decide what travel agency or program you would like to join.  Most times you are set up as an independent contractor  or home-based agent that is commission based.  There are some agencies that pay an hourly wage with little or no commissions that may have a physical location.

Some questions to ask when meeting with a potential host agency:

• Is this commission based or salary?
• Is there an expectation of minimum sales?
• What are the start up and monthly costs?
• What is the commission split?
• Do you offer training?
• What tools do I need?
• Do your agents charge fees?
• What perks or benefits are available and when?
• Can I book things other than Disney and Universal?

These are just some of the things that you should consider when meeting with or starting the application process with a potential agency.  It’s important to understand if you will be a good fit in the team overall.  Who are the agency owners and how involved are they in the day to day operations?  Who will be there to support you as you navigate your first bookings?  Read the contract in detail before you sign as every agency has different terms included.

I cannot stress this enough – please beware of agencies that ‘free’ or ‘discounted’ vacations or who ask you to recruit others.  If your compensation requires you to ‘sign someone up’ – RUN.  These are not travel agencies, they are multi level marketing schemes that recruit new agents to pay the fees to the others.

Is it fun to be a Disney vacation planner?  Absolutely!  Planning Disney vacations and having a first time guest come back and tell you how much they loved it is the best feeling ever!  The home-based travel advisors generally set their own hours, build their own marketing plans and nurture their own client base.  They spend as much time (or as little) as they feel necessary to grow and sustain their business.  They may be Disney fans, but the best agent knows this is a job and it is hard work as well as being fun.

Things that you should consider before signing up with an agency:

• How will you attract potential clients?
• Do you have personal experience at the Disney parks and Disney resorts to offer professional advice?
• How will you manage your time in order to give the personal attention and customer service to your clients?
• Do you have anything that would prohibit you from being available to your clients?
• Are you willing to invest $$ in your business to get started?

Once you have signed on to join an agency you’ll have access to the College of Disney Knowledge.  This is the online course that all Disney travel planners have access to.  Each supplier has their own versions of online training including Universal Orlando Resort, Marriott hotels and others.

Vacation planners have such an important role in helping determine the best vacation package that meets the client’s needs.  You are expected to offer expert advice, find the best price and monitor new offers that may become available after booking.  There is a lot of work involved for Walt Disney World Resort packages when you consider travel tips for dining, attractions, ticket options and Genie+.  Having accurate information and knowledge of Disney destinations is key to planning the most magical trips for your guests.

Becoming a travel agent was one of the best decisions I ever made.  It really does make me happy to have clients return from a vacation I planned and tell me how many wonderful memories they made.  To know that I was a part of making that happen for them is priceless.

If you would like more information about joining Playcation Travel click here for details.

If you would like to work with an agent to plan your vacation – reach out to one of our agents on the team page and review the myths of using a travel agent here

Zootopia Quotes – Top 12 Inspirational Messages

One of my absolute favourite movies is Zootopia.  I’m a sucker for a Disney movie that is inspirational and packed with lessons and humour, and this one is one of the best.

Zootopia tells the tale of Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin), a very tenacious bunny who has dreams of becoming a police officer.  In this town of animals, she is the very first bunny cop to join the force which brings it’s own challenges.  Throughout the movie we see Judy exude confidence, determination and kindness as she works her case with her new friend Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) – who happens to be a fox.  We follow the cute little bunny on her journey from growing up in Bunnyburrow to becoming Officer Judy Hopps.  She deals with negativity from many around her, and it’s how she succeeds in spite of it.

My top 12 memorable quotes from Zootopia

1. “Tomorrow’s another day”  – Judy Hopps

Judy says this while trying to remain positive after a bad day.  Her neighbour replies through the wall “ya but it might be worse!”

This one makes me laugh because I think we can all relate to this.  Judy is trying to be positive but the negativity from external forces is loud and clear!

2.  “Sometimes we come last, but we did our best” – Gazelle

This is a fantastic line in the song “Try Everything” performed by Shakira (Gazelle).  This song should be on your ‘motivational playlist’ if it isn’t already.  It talks about how we all make mistakes but how you should TRY.  I could have written out all of the lyrics – they are that motivational!  “I won’t give up, I won’t give in” – seriously, download and listen.

3.  “It’s great to have dreams” – Bonnie Hopps  “just as long as you don’t believe in them too much.” – Stu Hopps

When her parents are trying to temper a young Judy’s dreams that they don’t believe are achievable.  Judy happily ignores this negativity as they try to tell her there has never been a bunny cop before.  Her reply?  “I guess I’ll have to be the first”.  This one really gets to me as it shows (so clearly) how sometimes very well meaning people in our lives try to discourage us from trying things for fear of failure.

4.  “Hey Judy, I’d just like to say I’m sorry for the way I behaved in my youth. I had a lot of self-doubt, and it manifested itself in the form of unchecked rage and aggression. I was a major jerk.” – Gideon Grey

Gideon is the example of how people change and they shouldn’t be judged based on acts from their youth.  Gideon goes from a bully to being a partner to a bunny carrot farmer.

5.  “Well, he was right about one thing. I don’t know when to quit!” – Judy Hopps

After an altercation with the bully Gideon, young Judy Hopps jumps up more determined than ever to make the world a better place.

6.   “Life isn’t some cartoon musical where you sing a little song and all your insipid dreams magically come true. So let it go.” – Chief Bogo (voiced by Idris Elba – his voice lends an extra element of humour when he says this line)

This quote has to make you laugh where he is obviously poking fun at the movies, but it’s also another case where Officer Hopps is being discouraged by those around her.  The Chief says this to Judy after she tells him “I don’t want to be a meter maid, I want to be a real cop”.  Kind of makes you think about how many people in your real life do this to you doesn’t it?  Put a damper on your dreams?

7.  “Never let them see that they get to you.” – Nick Wilde

While Nick was originally the one to call Judy a dumb bunny, their friendship has matured by this point of the movie where you can see how they care for each other.  He sticks up for her with her boss and proclaims that they will continue their search for the poor missing otter they are searching for.  It’s a moment when you realize that their friendship has grown from the most unlikely pairing.

8.  “Sir, I’m not just some token bunny” – Judy  “Well then, writing one hundred tickets a day should be easy.” – Chief Bogo.  “A hundred tickets, I’m not gonna write a hundred tickets. I’m gonna write two-hundred tickets! Before noon!” – Judy

This is a great example of how Judy is determined to be good – at whatever she’s doing.  She doesn’t want to be writing tickets, but if she is going to do it – she will be the BEST at it.  She isn’t afraid of hard work and will prove and earn her place.

9. “I will take your kindness and pay it forward” – Mr Big

The big crime boss in the movie is Mr Big – who is an arctic shrew, a very small animal who is surrounded by polar bears for protection.  Nick is begging Judy to stop talking to Mr Big as he tries to hide the fact that she is on the police force.  Mr Big commands the bears to “ice ’em” until his daughter walks in and identifies Judy as the cop that saved her from a flying donut.  Paying kindness forward is always a good lesson and sometimes you get help from the most unlikely places.

10. “Told you Nangi has a mind like a steel trap. Ah, I wish I had a memory like an elephant.” – Yax

This is such a fun segment of the movie where Judy goes to a “naturalist club” for the animals and they are greeted by a Yak named Yax who is voiced by Tommy Chong (best known as half of Cheech & Chong).  Yax is at the reception desk and is trying to help Judy with information about the missing Mr Otterton she’s looking for.  He walks her out to the elephant that was his yoga instructor – certainly the elephant will remember all of the details!  The funny thing is that the elephant named Nangi continues to insist she can’t remember anything, but Yax continues to ask questions with incredible detail in them.  “Yeah, and we both walked him out, and he got into this big old white car with a silver trim. Needed a tune-up, the third cylinder wasn’t firing. Remember that, Nangi?”.  This entire scene illustrates how we assume others have capabilities and skills while completely overlooking them in ourselves!

11.  “What, are you saying that because he’s a sloth he can’t be fast? I thought in Zootopia anyone could be anything.” – Nick Wilde

In this hilarious scene the sloth is in fact painfully slow.  As he repeats the three-humped camel joke that Nick told him, Judy tries to explain she’s in a really big hurry – but he just can’t move any faster.  The irony is, he is judged as a sloth for being slow, but in the end – turns out to be the fastest guy in a car!

12.  Gideon Grey was a jerk who happened to be a fox. I know plenty of bunnies who are jerks. – Judy Hopps

Such a powerful message about not judging based on ‘biology’.  Just because he was a fox – that wasn’t what made him a jerk. Jerks exist in every kind of animal.

Judy’s speech at the end of the movie welcoming the new recruits to the academy sums it all up perfectly!

“When I was a kid, I thought Zootopia was this perfect place, where everyone got along and anyone could be anything. Turns out, real life is a little bit more complicated than a slogan on a bumper sticker. Real life is messy. We all have limitations, we all make mistakes, which means – hey, glass half full! – we all have a lot in common. And the more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional each of us will be. But we have to try. So no matter what type of animal you are; from the biggest elephant, to our first fox, I implore you – try. Try to make the world a better place. Look inside yourself and recognize that change starts with you. It starts with me. It starts with all of us.”

C’mon – some great lessons right?  Be kind to one another, do the right thing and believe in yourself.

Have you seen Zootopia?  What is your favourite part?

What I won’t soon forget from 2022

Disney mug collections bring such joy

I can’t even remember when it started, the earliest one I can find is from 2017 when the clocks changed and posted a pic of my Castaway Cay mug.

How it started

I know I was struggling for content one Sunday morning when I had a bunch of things to get done so I snapped a pic of my Disney mug and posted it.  It got some great engagement and people enjoyed sharing, it was a fun one.

A few Sunday mornings later I was in the same position – so I posted a different mug… that was it.  The tradition had started!

I have SO much fun with this post each and every Sunday morning.  It is the post that makes me feel like I get a glimpse in to YOUR days and YOUR Disney life and it’s awesome.

There are people from all over who send me pics of their Sunday mug and share tidbits about what they’re drinking in it, or where they got it or what special memory it means to them.  Sometimes you get a glimpse of the background or their breakfast and it’s a real connection.

I know that it isn’t just for me – others come to the post to scroll everyone else’s mugs too!  I see comments back and forth asking where they got it or complimenting each other on their choice.

If you look in the background of that post there are my Disney canisters – I get asked all the time where I got them.  I actually bought them WAY back in Downtown Disney (before it was Disney Springs) and they had a kitchen shop.  I love these canisters – and if you really want to know, there is NOTHING in them.  I am not a cook… I’m a ‘frozen reheat’ kinda gal.  But I digress…

I have shared some big ‘life’ news via my mug choices too – it just felt like the right way to share.  It’s funny how I think of these posts as a bit more ‘personal’.  Maybe because they come from inside my house?

I was so excited to announce this and the support was overwhelming.

The other AMAZING thing about the connections that I am so grateful for is the tea pot in the background – next to the canisters.

I am a HUGE fan of the TV show Coronation Street, I have been watching it for as long as I can remember.  I used to watch it with my Mum, I grew up with it.

Sharing my love of Coronation Street and tea and one of the most amazing Pixie Dust Fans sent me a gift that had me in tears.  It was incredibly generous and kind and I was completely overwhelmed.  She will never know how much this meant to me.

I have carried on doing this mug post almost every Sunday.  Sometimes the days get mixed up for me (especially when I’m on vacation) but I always try to share it.  It’s a fun way to connect and I really enjoy it.

If you listen to the podcast you know the story of this mug! I bought it one trip and accidentally put it in the washing machine at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort!

Even when I’m on a non-Disney vacation I feel I have to post something!  I took this one at sea on a Norwegian Cruise.

My biggest issue?  This post started because I had too much to do one Sunday morning and I needed a post… Now?  I can’t get ANYTHING done on a Sunday morning because I’m too busy looking at pics of mugs.  And I love it.

Thank you all for engaging with me!!

Are YOU a mug collector??  Make sure you’re following along on Facebook for the posts and share your mugs!

Every time I see my wife Carol’s collection of Orange Bird figures and memorabilia an old song runs through my mind!

Carol’s current Orange Bird collection

♫♪ Come to the Florida sunshine tree ♪♫

♫♪ For fresh tasting orange juice, naturally ♪♫

♫♪ Orange juice with natural vitamin C ♪♫

♫♪ From the Florida sunshine tree ♪♫

It was sung by an Oklahoma beauty queen named Anita Bryant!

If you’re as old as dirt, like I am, you were probably glued to your television set back in the 1960’s and you watched a little orange bird urging you to drink Florida Orange juice.  That little tune up above probably sounds very familiar to you.

For the many generations of Orange Bird fans who are younger than I am, here’s a little background to help you understand where our favourite little bird came from!

Back in the mid 1960’s Walt Disney was busy building his latest daring venture which he called the Florida Project.  The Disney Company had acquired 57 square miles of land in central Florida where Walt envisioned a huge family entertainment complex.  Today we know it as Walt Disney World, the most popular tourist destination in the world!

A project of that magnitude required money . . . lots and lots of money!  To keep ahead of the constant demand for cash the Disney Company entered into partnerships with a number of companies and groups who “sponsored” different aspects of the project.  One of those partnerships was with the Florida Citrus Commission.  The Commission and the Disney Company had been partners since 1941 . . . Do you remember Donald Duck Orange Juice?

They began negotiations in 1967 and in October 1969 a deal was finalized!  The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) would sponsor a 3 million dollar pavilion in Adventureland that included The Tropical Serenade (now The Enchanted Tiki Room), The Sunshine Tree Terrace snack bar and the rest of The Sunshine Pavilion.  The Florida Orange Bird was quickly designed by Imagineers at WED Enterprises, and a massive marketing campaign began!  The little bird was simple in design and he didn’t speak.  He communicated through small thought balloons!

The public face of the FCC was Anita Bryant who had been crowned Miss Oklahoma in 1958 and was second runner-up in the Miss America pageant of 1959.  She enjoyed a successful singing career, with 11 of her songs reaching the top 100 in the charts, before she signed on as FCC spokeswoman in 1968.

Soon Miss Bryant and the Orange Bird were appearing everywhere!

They were on billboards all over Florida, in print ads and in TV commercials.  There was even a full length 45 rpm LP written by the Sherman Brothers and narrated by Bryant.  The record included an illustrated 10 page storybook that told the back story of The Orange Bird.

Do you remember the slogan “A breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine”?  That was Anita Bryant and the Orange Bird.

There were Orange Bird coin banks, comic books, drinking glasses, t-shirts, plates and mugs.  Carol has managed to add a few of these vintage items to her collection!

The Orange Bird appeared regularly near the Sunshine Tree Terrace and posed for pictures with guests.  The picture below features our son Rob with the famous bird in about 1978.

Alas, the partnership between Miss Bryant and the FCC began to break down in 1977.  She lived in Miami at the time and took a very strong stance against gay rights.  Her home city had recently adopted strong anti-discrimination legislation and she worked long, hard and successfully to overturn it.  She became a very vocal and public opponent of same-sex relationships.  This caused plenty of friction with the FCC and before long Miss Bryant was leading a boycott of Florida citrus products.  Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!

As you might expect, the FCC elected to let their contract with Bryant lapse, leaving the little Orange Bird with no partner.  His prominence soon began to fade and by 1987 the cheerful little critter was no longer visible in the park, on billboards or in ads.  That little orange ray of sunshine was gone!

Carol was sad to see her little friend, and all his merchandise, leave her happy place, but there is a happy ending to this tale.

Lou Mongello, author of “Walt Disney World Trivia Book: Secrets, History & Fun Facts Behind the Magic” and the host of The WDW Radio Show explained it this way in his November 2007 article for the AllEars.net weekly newsletter:  “The Orange Bird made a mysterious comeback in 2004 – but not in the United States. Tokyo Disneyland began to produce its own, unique Orange Bird merchandise line around that time. Today’s Orange Bird looks somewhat similar in proportion to the popular Japanese animated characters with heads disproportionately larger than their bodies. Recently, April 14 has been designated as “Orange Day,” in Japan, a new holiday (promoted by Japanese and U.S. citrus growers like Sunkist). The concept is that on “Orange Day” people confirm their love with the objects of their affection by exchanging oranges or orange-colored gifts.”

And now, at long last, he’s back at Walt Disney World too!  The first signs of his triumphant return were at the EPCOT Trade Celebration in September 2011.  The theme of the event was “The Florida Project”.

The décor and all the pins and other merchandise created for the event revolved around classic rides and attractions that were part of those early years.

The Orange Bird was very prominent at the event, appearing in many of the displays!  And on some of the pins too!

Then in 2012 D23 announced the bird’s “official” return to the park.  The six minute video clip below gives a good summary of his history and his return to glory.

Carol is a happy Disney fan; the Orange Bird is back and his merchandise is everywhere!  She’s happily acquiring more Orange Bird treasures to display in her Disney Room!

I wasn’t even sure if I should write this post, it has been sitting in my drafts for some time.  You see, it’s not Disney focused – and that’s why people follow me, for Disney stuff.  This is about my life – my real life outside of Pixie Dust Fan. But the real life has impacted the Disney life, and I feel like I need to share what’s going on.  I forgot to publish my podcast, I’m missing emails and messages and I keep getting asked “when is your next trip?”.  

I haven’t been to a Disney park in 5 months, which is a LONG time for me because I promised myself after covid I would go as often as I could.  As soon as that border opened last year I went 3 times in 4 months, I had missed my happy place SO MUCH that I would never take it for granted again.  And then, my world turned upside down.

Becky and I in Walt Disney World in 2021

2 years ago as Covid had begun, my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Within days she had surgery and then started a long haul of chemo and radiation.  She came through it well and was cancer free by the fall.  In fact she was well enough to join me for my birthday trip in October and our D23 event in November.  She needed a scooter and tired easily – but it was nice to have her back in HER happy place.  My sister Becky and I have been doing Disney trips since I was a little girl – so it was amazing to be back in Walt Disney World together again.

Becky and I way back when in Walt Disney World

After the D23 event in November it was time to start thinking about the next trip.  We had cancelled our May Disney Cruise from Hawaii because we didn’t think it was smart with her recent health issues to be out at sea for so many days.  Maybe we should stick to land for a bit.

Mid December Becky went for her booster shot and her maintenance treatment for her breast cancer.  They did her blood work and all was normal.

7 days later we were in the Emergency department at the local hospital because she couldn’t breathe.  Of course the concern was Covid – but they quickly ruled that out.

They did blood tests and said “it could be a clot in her lung, or it might be Leukemia”.  

Say what?  Huh?  Isn’t Leukemia Cancer?  She already had her share – you must be mistaken.

Within 24 hours Becky was on chemo pills to reduce the amount of white blood cells in her body.  Normal range was 4-11 and Becky had over 100.  Thanks to a quick thinking Doctor in the emergency, the pills started working to hold off the spread and she was transferred to The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

If you don’t know, the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is a scientific research centre and a teaching hospital in Toronto, it’s one of the best in the world.  The Doctors and Nurses here could not have been more kind to us.  We didn’t really know anything about Leukemia except that it was a blood cancer.  Everything was explained to us and they diagnosed her with AML – acute myeloid leukemia (AML).  Given her blood work was normal the WEEK before the symptoms started, we knew it had been caught early.  They were very direct with us, if we do nothing she will be gone in months.  We had to start chemo.

We had to be gowned and gloved in her room – it was a pretty fancy outfit!

I say ‘we’ a lot because as a family I feel like we are all going through it.  While she has the hard part of doing the treatment on her body, we have the job of being there, being positive and supportive and doing whatever is necessary.  Because of Covid we were limited to 2 visitors allowed for her entire stay, so my oldest sister Carol and I were the designated visitors.  We made sure one of us were there every day cheering her on.  

Her chemo started on Christmas Day – we liked to joke it was her present.  We decorated her room with a few of her Disney popcorn buckets to bring a little Christmas cheer.  She was in the hospital for 6 weeks recovering.  I know more about white blood cells, platelets and neutrophils than I ever wanted to.  I sign in to her hospital charts in the morning to see how her counts are doing and wait patiently for them to recover.  Of course there is a family group text where we share the counts and updates on her progress.  The rest of the family feel so helpless when she’s in the hospital because they can’t do anything to support her.

Celebrating Andrew’s Birthday

The good news is that she responded well to the treatment.  There were some bumps along the way – heart rate off the charts, a stint or two in urgent care, Covid exposure and some other nerve wracking moments but she came through.  She got to come home for a bit and celebrated her son’s birthday and Christmas all in one day.  Then it was another round of chemo and back home to recover again.  Lots of doctor appointments and visits to the hospital 2-3 times per week for blood tests and transfusions.  I am so thankful that our sister and brother in law are retired and could take her to all of her appointments so I didn’t need to take extra time off of work.   They have been amazing.

Thank goodness for the Tim’s at the hospital

After all of that treatment they confirmed no leukemia in her blood (YAY!!).  The only problem is that it will come back.  Many people manage their leukemia with ongoing chemo to try and stay in remission as long as possible.  Some are strong enough to get a bone marrow transplant.  In the most basic terms the transplant works by wiping out the patients cells and immune system and then the donated marrow generates all new cells that don’t have leukemia in them.  One of the doctors told Becky that chemo is like rebooting your computer where a transplant is a new hard drive.  Please remember I’m not a doctor and don’t even play one on TV – this is my basic understanding of it all.  

Based on testing, Becky was not immediately approved for transplant because her heart was damaged by all the other chemos.  It’s crazy to think that she has ‘treatment related leukemia’ from her breast cancer and now her heart is an issue because of the leukemia treatments.  After the cardiologist did an echocardiogram to confirm no blockages they gave her meds that got her heart in a good enough spot to move forward with transplant.

They found 2 donor matches for her in the world, but wanted to test me.  It’s amazing she even had matches, I heard it can be difficult to find.  I was tested (and if you know me, needles and blood are my biggest fear) and 17 vials of blood later I was a perfect match.  The doctors had to decide if I was suitable given my age (apparently old cells aren’t as good!) but they cleared me for donation.  

My injection kit

My sister was admitted to the transplant ward in the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.  She got 4 days of chemo and then a full body radiation to prepare her for the new marrow.  There are so many risks and things that could go wrong and the doctors have to tell us everything so we are prepared for the worst.   Her body can reject my cells, my cells can attack her body – it’s so scary but we are all doing our best to stay positive.  Becky is tougher than any of us ever gave her credit for in the past, I’m so amazed how well she’s done during all of this.  If you had told me 2 years ago that she would get through all this as well as she has, I wouldn’t have believed you.

it was quite a process

For my part in the transplant process I had to give myself 2 needles per day for 4 days (yes, I gave them to myself and didn’t faint – I’m proud of me!).  The side effects hit me pretty hard and I was out for the count for a few days with headaches and pain.  Apparently the injections stimulate marrow production and then it can’t all fit in your bones so it spills out in to your blood (that’s the technical explanation I have to offer).  Then they hook me up to a machine that takes the blood out of one arm and pulls the marrow out, and then puts the rest of the blood back in the other arm.  It’s amazing technology when you think about it.  

The machine was so big – I chose NOT to post the one from when it was actually running

As I post this it’s the day after the transplant.  I got all hooked up in the morning and they took out all the cells they needed and then some.  Apparently they needed 4 million and I gave them 7 – I like to be thorough!  I watched as the runner picked up the marrow and my sister Carol sent me a picture from Becky’s room when it arrived there a short time later.  It didn’t take long before the transplant was done and they all wished her a “happy birthday”.  It’s a whole new immune system so many celebrate it as a new birth day.

Now that the transplant is done she can focus on getting stronger every day.  It’s a long recovery, but I know she can do it.  I keep teasing her I’ve given her some of our Mum’s tough stock via the marrow to help her.  

So that is my story of why I haven’t been to Disney and I’ve been so scattered.  I decided to share what is going on because I was getting messages from you all that I really couldn’t answer.  This is my reality and it has been difficult feeling like I was keeping a secret.  Of course I have Becky’s permission to share her story, but I won’t share everything and I’m not sharing pictures of her as she goes through it.

I appreciate you all so much for following along and keeping the Pixie Dust Fan community going while I have been a bit absent.  Once Becky is home and others can help take care of her I will be back in Walt Disney World, I am looking forward to lots of pixie dust myself.

I know great things are ahead, but for now we take it one day at a time.  Becky is in the best hospital getting the best care, and she has tons of love and support from her family and friends.  She will be ok, I just know it.

Becky is a planner and I’m a last minute gal – I’m looking forward to our future arguments about planning our Disney trips 🙂

If you would like to support the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre – you can find more information here

Please consider donating blood and find out if you can be a match for someone here at bethematch.org.

UPDATE – July 23rd, 2022

It has been a while since I posted this, I can’t believe how long and yet it feels like yesterday that we did the transplant.

It continues to be an incredible journey.  Becky handled the transplant well with a few side effects.   She had a horrible rash that started on her face and made its way all over.  She had mouth sores and fatigue, but only required one blood transfusion.  We were told she could be in the hospital 4-6 weeks and she was home in 3.

She was really weak when she got home, they told us the first 100 days would be the hard ones.  These are the days when she’s most likely to experience complications and our cells ‘fighting’.  She is kept on drugs that suppress her immune system to give mine a chance to ‘grow’.  We made sure that she was never left alone and we took turns living with her to make sure someone was always there.  We even had some outings to the Butt N Ben – a Scottish Bakery near us.

Lots of appointments, weekly blood tests and hundreds of pills later and she is on day 88!  They have started to decrease the immune suppressent and she will be completely off of it by day 100.  She is staying on her own now, cooking for herself and even drove her car a short distance!  She’s not going to get any speeding tickets any time soon, but it’s nice to see her have some independence back.  Her blood test a few weeks ago showed that 97% of her immune system was made up of my cells and there was NO SIGN of any leukemia – RESULT!!

It’s all working the way it should and she is getting her “lines” out next week.  (In case you are wondering – it’s a tube that is placed into a vein in her chest and ends in a larger vein just above her heart. This Hickman line was used for long-term to access to her veins it was used to give chemotherapy, intravenous medications, nutrition, and to draw blood for labs.)  It’s going to make it so much easier for her to shower once those are out because they need to be covered and can’t get wet.  She is not allowed to be in the direct sun anymore so we’re in search of fun long sleeved clothes and bucket hats!

Hopefully at day 100 she can start getting all of her vaccines (childood ones like Measels as well as the Covid vaccine).  I think we’ll all feel a bit better once she has some protection.  Right now we’re all double masking when we are with her and being extra careful of course.  Our priority is getting her back to 100%

I am amazed at how well she has come through this – her body and mind were so much stronger than any of us thought.  She’s still got to build her strength back, but she’s on the right path and I know she will do it.

Thank you to everyone that has reached out to ask and send your thoughts – we both appreciate it more than you know.

If you read my June 2020 blog titled ‘Walt Disney – The Canadian Connection’ here on Pixie Dust Fan, you know that I’m an amateur genealogist.  Like most who share my interest in family history, I look for relationship puzzles in the oddest of places . . . like Donald Duck’s family.

Do you remember all those years ago when Mickey’s Birthdayland first opened at Walt Disney World?  It was June 18th 1988 and Mickey Mouse’s 60th birthday celebrations were in full swing!

Mickey’s Birthdayland was set in the mythical town of Duckburg in the equally mythical State of Calisota.  Duckburg boasted that it was “A town that’s everything it’s quacked up to be?”

Duckburg and Calisota both sprang from the vivid imagination of Carl Barks who drew and wrote Donald Duck comic books for Western Publishing from 1943 until he retired from drawing in 1966.

Years after Mr. Barks retired Don Rosa drew and wrote more comics based on the Duckburg characters for Gladstone Publishing, who were licensed to use Disney characters in those later years.  Over the years both Barks and Rosa created a host of new characters for the comics and a rich history and backstory of Duckburg developed.

Have you ever wondered how Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck were related?  What about Huey, Dewey and Louie?  How are they connected in the family tree?  As I said earlier, we genealogists enjoy puzzles like this!

Let’s start by taking a quick look back to into history of Duckburg.  According to the lore imagined by Barks and Rosa, Duckburg was originally founded in the 16th century by British explorer Sir Francis Drake who named it Fort Drake Borough.  In the 19th century Cornelius Coot purchased the Fort from the departing British, renamed it Duckburg and the rest, as they say, is history.

One of the central features in Mickey’s Birthdayland was a statue of Cornelius Coot, located in front of the Cornelius Coot’s County Bounty shop!

Duckburg is rumoured to be the largest city in Calisota and its skyline is dominated by Scrooge McDuck’s Money Bin which sits high on Killmotor Hill at the edge of the city!

There was also an animated television series, ‘Duck Tales’ which ran from 1987 until 1990 with a total of 100 episodes.  The TV series followed in the steps of Carl Barks and Don Rosa’s comic books with the same cast of characters who lived in the same place, Duckburg Calisota.

The overhead view of Duckburg, showing Scrooge McDuck’s Money Bin on Killmotor Hill, was the product of Disney artist Mike Peraza’s mind and was created for Duck Tales in 1987.  The ‘money bin’ was said to measure a cubic acre . . . that’s a big pile of cash!

In the original comic books Scrooge lived in a private apartment above his money bin, but in the 1987 TV series he lived in central Duckburg, in McDuck Manor, also designed by Mike Peraza.

McDuck Manor 1987

Duck Tales was ‘re-booted’ in 2017 and featured a brand new version of McDuck Manor . . . if you subscribe to Disney+ be sure to check out Duck Tales!  You’ll meet most of the Duckburg clan there!

McDuck Manor 2017

Now, let’s get to the genealogy . . .

There were three principal families in Duckburg, the Coots, the Ducks and the McDucks.  Donald Duck is the son of Quackmore Duck and Hortense McDuck. 

Donald’s mother Hortense is the sister of Scrooge McDuck, making Scrooge Donald’s uncle.

 Donald has a sister Della (sometimes called Dumbella) who married an unnamed Duck and had three sons, Donald’s identical triplet nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie.

A family tree, drawn by Don Rosa lays out many of the characters who appeared in the comics over the years and places them in an understandable order.

Click the picture to see the full size tree

If you follow that tree you can see how Donald traces his lineage back to Cornelius Coot.  His father was Quackmore Duck, the son of Humperdink Duck and Elvira Coot (often referred to as Grandma Coot).  Elvira was the daughter of Clinton Coot and Gertrude Gadwall.  Clinton Coot was the son of Cornelius Coot.  That means that Cornelius was Donald’s paternal great-great-grandfather.

On his mother’s side Donald can trace his family back to the McDuck clan from Glasgow Scotland.  His mother Hortense McDuck was the daughter of Fergus McDuck and Downy O’Drake.  Grandfather Fergus was the son of Dirty Dingus McDuck and Molly Mallard.

If you follow the chart carefully you can see how Donald is related to his cousin Gladstone Gander, his second-cousin Gus Goose and his great-great-uncle Quagmire McDuck.

There are a few salty characters from the past, like Sir Roast McDuck, Hugh “Seafoam” McDuck, Pintail Duck and Sir Eider McDuck included on the chart.

Sir Roast McDuck (1159-1205) succeeded his father Sir Stuft McDuck, as clan chief.  Clan McDuck was one of the richest clans in Scotland, but in 1189 Sir Roast offered much of the clan’s wealth to the king of Scotland, William the Lion, after William asked for his help in paying tribute to Richard I, King of England.  This act of patriotism led to financial ruin for the clan.

Hugh “Seafoam” McDuck made a fortune sailing his “Golden Goose” on the trade route to the West Indies. Unfortunately, in 1753, Swindle McSue tricked Seafoam with a contract to deliver horseradish to Jamaica, and then scuttled the Goose.

Pintail Duck was a British sailor in the Caribbean. Once Pintail and officer Malcolm “Matey” McDuck buried a treasure of potatoes.  Their ship the Falcon Rover sunk with its crew on December 9th 1564 in conflict with the Spanish.

Sir Eider McDuck (880-946) was the chief of Clan McDuck during an Anglo-Saxon invasion in 946. Eider was killed during the Anglo-Saxons’ siege of McDuck Castle after his serfs abandoned him. He had refused to buy them arrows because they were too expensive.

Alas, the comics have never provided enough biographical detail to fit all of these colourful characters into the proper spot in the tree.

A number of characters, like Gyro Gearloose and Kildeer Coot, are not included at all, but according to the comic book series they are related to Donald in one way or another.

Fergus McDuck seated, surrounded by his family.

Naturally Donald’s long time girlfriend Daisy is missing from the tree and that means that her family history is a mystery.  All is not lost though; the Duckburg rumour mill can help us out a little bit with Daisy’s family.  According to Duckburg lore and legend Daisy had an unnamed sister who may have married a brother of that unknown Duck who married Donald’s sister Della.  Those two anonymous ducks were the parents of Daisy’s triplet nieces April, May and June.  That makes Daisy’s nieces the first cousins of Donald’s nephews.

Sometimes family trees can be very complex!

Isn’t it interesting how something as simple as a series of children’s comic books can weave such an interesting and complicated history!

Here’s Mary getting my thanks – it was fun to see the message made it all the way to her!

3.  Donate to say thank you

As a result of the current pandemic, many cast members have unfortunately found themselves out of work.   While these cast members are are no longer making magic for guests, they did – and they created the vacation memories that we will all cherish for a lifetime.  They need more than our thanks right now, they need our donations.

Where do you donate?  How can you contribute?

Emily Lartigue, a furloughed Walt Disney World cast member created the Cast Member Pantry to help her fellow cast members after they were laid off or furloughed from Walt Disney World.   This fantastic service allows cast members to pick up some much needed essentials.  

From the Facebook page:

“Cast Member Pantry makes it quick and easy to receive free food essentials once a month per Cast Member. You’ll receive a reusable grocery bag filled with foods that are easily put together to make meals for 4, with breakfast and snack options as well. We take pride in putting food we all enjoy in our bags because we believe our Cast deserve the very best, and a little comfort too.”

Cast members who are in need should email castmemberpantry@gmail.com and fill out the survey in the automatic reply.  Once the survey is done the cast member will receive an email with a day and time for pickup.

To donate to the Cast Member Pantry:

Venmo account for monetary gifting is @castmemberpantry.

They have an Amazon Wish List with gift cards that make it easier for those of us without a Venmo account.  Send your donation via the wish list here.

You can also donate to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida

To help the cast members in California, you can donate to the Second Harvest Food Band of Orange County.

Kids Save The World

Furloughed Disney performers/creators Julie Frost and Mike Dombrow are launching an empowering musical adventure podcast for kids, “The Super Secret Hive.”   Featuring six full-length episodes, 14 original songs, and (free!) online activities galore, Julie and Mike are excited to share this one-of-a-kind series with kids, parents, and educators worldwide.  The duo aims to engage, entertain and inspire kids while also providing parents and educators with much-needed content during this challenging time of distance learning.  Check out their website here

Cast Member Toy Box

Cast Member Toy Box was created by long time Disney Cast Members who have been furloughed since March and were recently informed that they would soon be separated from the company.  Together, Laura Bartlett and Erin Blackketter created this nonprofit holiday toy drive that benefits the children of furloughed and laid-off Disney Cast Members.

“It was extremely important for us to start something that we could rally the community together and sprinkle some pixie dust around to help create our own magic for our cast member family who have gone above and beyond for so many guest in the past. Our goal is to help alleviate some of the financial strains that our cast family are enduring during this difficult and different holiday season. We are blown away by the kindness and generosity of the people in our community in such a short amount of time.”

For those who would like to help:

Shop their Amazon Wishlist here

Donate via Venmo – Venmo Username: @castmembertoybox

Donate via PayPal: www.paypal.me/CastMemberToyBox

The Cast Member Toy Box are currently working on helping over 500 children have toys for the holidays, donations are imperative to continue that mission.  For those wanting to participate they have opened an additional December Waitlist pick up pending donations!  If you are an affected cast member and would like to be placed on our December waitlist please fill out this form to request a pick up.

Fellow Disney Fan Josh Gad got in on the donations too!

It’s so important during these times to find ways to stay positive and have hope.  For some positivity from Disney leadership, I like to follow  Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. He’s a leader who seems to genuinely care and have compassion for those he meets, you can see the posts he’s been tagged in. 

Do you have unique and fun ways to support Disney cast members?  

Let me know and I will update here!

When you think of Disney, you think of entertainment – but there are many aspects of the company that are focused on education.  While it isn’t as obvious in the parks and movies – there is always a lesson somewhere inside.

Disney does have a more ‘education focused’ branch of the company called the Disney Institute.  They offer professional development courses, consulting services and will host conventions for large corporations.  I have had the opportunity to attend one of the courses on Disney’s Approach To Customer Service and I can tell you that they design learning the way they tell stories, it’s incredibly engaging and unbelievably entertaining.

When Disney teamed up with a Japanese game creator to make a new web-based training program to teach coding – it just made sense.  Storytelling with your favorite Disney characters while learning coding skills is the perfect lesson for kids today.  (Exclusive discount code for Pixie Dust Fans – use PIXIEDUSTFAN10 at checkout on Codeillusion)

Basic coding skills are a minimum requirement for many entry level jobs today.  More advanced coding skills can help secure higher salaries and opportunities.  Teaching kids HTML, CSS and Javascript helps set them up for success in the future.

This is where Disney Codeillusion comes in.

This online program offers 125 lessons that are an average of 30 minutes each. 

Players receive a collectible Magic Book Starter Kit to collect postcard prizes they earn when they complete modules. 

Imagine tutorials featuring these 14 Disney movies, wouldn’t we all want to go back to school this way?

• Aladdin
• Alice in Wonderland
• Beauty and the Beast
• Big Hero 6
• Frozen
• Lilo and Stitch
• Little Mermaid
• Sleeping Beauty
• Ralph Breaks the Internet
• Snow White
• Tangled
• Winnie the Pooh
• Wreck-It Ralph
• Zootopia

Engaging lessons are key to anyone completing a course. As Scott Kramer described in his article in Forbes “I’ve invested several hours into it so far. My early impressions are that I could see it really capturing the imagination of kids. Essentially — and this is difficult to put properly into words — you log in, take on the role of a character and then interact with other characters including Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck.”

When I was approached about Disney Codeillusion and offered a free trial to review it, I was excited.  In my unmagical job I taught myself basic coding skills when I started out, but I now lead a team of people who are expert “coders” doing data analytics every day.  I understand the principles of coding – but couldn’t sit down and write a query myself.  Couple my ‘day job’ with my Disney obsession and this course was perfect for me to try.

I had a ton of fun with these lessons.  Each one builds on the previous one and allowed me to reinforce what I had learned already.  The added bonus of having Disney characters just helped to keep me engaged.

I love Zootopia!

I did wonder how it would entertain someone younger, so I did engage the help of my family and asked for his opinion.  As an early teen whiz already working in computers and taking courses for coding – he said it was good, it taught the ‘right stuff’ but of course with his current studies it was a bit basic for him.  He spent a few hours on the first lessons and they really do start at the beginning of “how to code”.  He really like the way the course flowed and said if he was starting to learn, he would have really liked to do this course.

So would I recommend the course?  If I was starting my career again I would sign up for it as an adult for sure.  For children I think it’s a great idea to learn coding skills while they’re young so that it’s easier to build on later.  The course is reasonably priced in my opinion at $899 USD – a good value for the amount of information.  If you choose to purchase the program I have the opportunity to offer you $200 off when you use the code PIXIEDUSTFAN10 – with the discount you can get ALL of the lessons for $699.  Check out all the details at here at Codeillusion and sign up for a free trial to test it out.

UPDATE in Septmeber 2020 – There is a NEW product Disney Codeillusion Prime.  It gives you lifetime access to all 125 lessons with 7 interactive chapters covering Game Development, Web Design, and Media art in 4 core programming languages – HTML, JavaScript, Processing and CSS. Each lesson comes with a virtual mentor, helpful hints, and clues, ensuring you’ll never get stuck so you can continue learning at your own pace, on your own time.  It is a lower price, but there is still a way to save – for $100 off, use code: PIXIEDUSTPRIME.

Be sure to let me know if you try it out, I would love to hear your thoughts on the program and what you learned.  Who knows – you could be learning how to code the next big game and working for Disney in the future!

It’s no secret I’m a pretty big Disney fan (obviously!) – but there are times when I see the company doing things that just melt my heart even more than before.  Disney’s response during Covid-19 has been one of those times.

Here are some of the ways that Disney has given me reason to smile.

SHOP FROM OUR TEE PUBLIC STORE!

Pixie Dust Fan’s Tee Public Store

They donated ponchos to hospitals

Hospitals were making requests for additional protective garments and Disney donated 150,000 rain ponchos as well as more than 100,000 N95 masks.  

The “top” dogs cut their salaries

Yes, in order to reduce the expenses for the company, Disney executives have taken a pay cut.  Disney’s executive chairman Bob Iger is forgoing his full salary while the new CEO Bob Chapek is reducing his salary by 50%.  Other executives are taking pay cuts too:

• Vice president salaries will be reduced by 20%
• Senior vice president salaries by 25%
• Executive vice president salaries by 30%

I don’t know about you, but I don’t see that happening at a lot of other companies.

They addressed Cast Member concerns immediately

Disney announced the closures of Disneyland and Walt Disney World “in an abundance of caution”, that’s when I knew things were seriousl with the virus.  Do you know what else they did when they announced the closures?  They communicated at the same time that they would pay their cast members during that time.  This was out of the gate – right in the releases.  It set an example, a tone that hopefully other large companies would follow, even if only to save face.  Disney took a stand showing compassion for their cast members – even at what I am sure is a great expense.

One of the many updates Disney posted on their websites

Disney Donated All Of The Excess Food

All of the food that was on hand for the parks and resorts that would not be used was donated to help the communities.

In Orlando the food was donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, enough for over 18,000 meals!

In California the food was donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County and Disneyland Paris donated to local and national associations in France. 

Disney has art lessons online

Now we have #BetterTogether:  Draw Mickey Mouse at Home with a Disney Parks Artist

Fun right?  Who doesn’t want to learn to draw Mickey?  This was a fan favorite at the D23 Expo a couple of years ago and now it’s all online to entertain us all while we’re at home during the ‘social distancing’ exercise to stop the spread of the Corona virus.

If you don’t want to draw Mickey there are a whole ton of other characters you can learn to draw!

• Sally from Tim Burton’s ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’
• Celebrate Spring With Daisy Duck
• Aladdin’s Pal, Genie
• Tinker Bell
• Buzz Lightyear from ‘Toy Story’
• ‘Frozen’ Voice Actor Josh Gad Tests His Skills at Drawing Olaf
• Hiro from ‘Big Hero 6′
• Mickey’s Pal Pluto
• Baymax From ‘Big Hero 6’
• Rapunzel’s Buddy, Pascal
• Stitch
• Winnie the Pooh
• Jack Skellington
• Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
•  ‘Frozen’s’ Anna
• Do You Want to Draw a Snowman?

You can find all of the links to the tutorials on the DISNEY PARKS BLOG.  

If you want a little peek – check out the Winnie The Pooh One!

Imagineering in a Box

According to the Disney parks Blog:

“Imagineering in a Box is a series of interactive lessons in theme park design and engineering, designed to give a behind-the-scenes peek into Imagineering’s development process. It combines 32 videos of actual Imagineers, real-world case studies, and lots of interactive activities to give you the opportunity to dream and design your very own theme park experience!

With so many families at home together right now, we thought this would be an especially useful time to share this program with you. It’s available to all and completely free.”

Check out the courses here 

I will warn you – when you watch the “Welcome to Imagineering In A Box” video – if you’re a Disney fan it’s all the feels and yes, my eyes were a little misty!

They released Frozen 2 on Disney+ 3 months early

Given that most of us are at home flipping channels AND the kids are out of school while most schools are closed for a very extended March break, it was a welcome surprise that Frozen 2 would be available on Disney+.  We are all looking for stuff to keep us entertained, Carrie and I talked about what we were doing on the podcast, but I am sure there are a whole whack of parents who were happy this was released early…. and then after it played for the 12th time – maybe they weren’t so happy!  

They were generous with changes and refunds.

Disney was VERY accomodating with changes, refunds and fees during this time.  They extended the due dates for final payments, waived all change fees and offered some very generous credits to re-book for cancelled Disney Cruise Line sailings.  On select sailings the credit for a future cruise was 150% of what they paid for the cancelled one.

Disney does what it does best… gives us hope and positivity!

I don’t know about you, but I always have a smile on my face when I see Mickey’s posts on Instagram!

Aside from ALL of that – there are so many Disney stars who are doing their part to bring smiles to our faces.  I think my favorite so far has been Josh Gad (Olaf) reading bed time stories on Twitter!

How cute is this??  Have you watched any?

Subscribe to win!

[et_bloom_locked optin_id=”optin_3″] content [/et_bloom_locked]

Current subscribers are automatically entered to win.  Winner will be drawn randomly from all email addresses collected on March 15th.  The winner will be contacted by email to claim their prize and must be claimed before March 29th.  Value of the buttons is $9.99 USD and the odds of winning is dependent on the number of entries.

Contest is open to residents of Canada, US and the UK.

I am in LOVE with Baby Yoda from the Mandalorian series on Disney Plus.  Seriously – it isn’t the ‘actual Yoda’, but a baby of the same species as Yoda.  (For the record… I recognize it seems weird to say the ‘actual Yoda’ – like Yoda was real… but he is real to so many of us!)

We KNEW that this would be a shopping frenzy – who DOESN’T want something baby Yoda related?   I had already planned to scour the shops at Walt Disney World next week for baby Yoda merch – but Amazon has come through with all sorts of fun merchandise.  Being the total T-shirt addict that I am, I was so excited to see this selection.  Now the question is – which one(s) will I buy for myself?  Or put on my wish list??   They have a variety of colours and sizes – so many choices!!!

Take a peek at these!  Click the pictures to shop the Amazon store.  The store is a .com link – if you live in Canada, don’t worry – they will ship to Canada, but you need to use the .com link to shop.

There is an entire shop for Mandalorian with all sorts of great stuff to buy.  How will you decide?  What will you put on your list?

This article contains affiliate links

During a Disneyland vacation in December 2017 Carol and I decided to avoid the Anaheim theme parks on the weekend, knowing that they’d be terribly busy.  We decided to designate Saturday and Sunday as “Walk In Walt’s Footsteps” days . . . not the tour in Disneyland that goes by the same name . . . we did that years ago.  Instead, we hopped in our rental car and drove around the Los Angeles area seeing sights that had a special Disney significance.

Our first stop was only about two miles southwest of Disneyland; the Stanley Ranch Museum and Historical Village at 12174 Euclid Street.  The historical village is operated by the Garden Grove Historical Society and is the home of Walt Disney’s first animation studio.  When Walt and Roy first arrived in Los Angeles in 1923 they roomed with their uncle, Robert Disney and set up their studio in his garage.  In 1984 that historic old garage was donated to the Garden Grove Historical Society and moved from 4406 Kingswell Avenue to the village on Euclid Street.

The society does not have a web site, but when I did an Internet search the night before Tripadvisor.com indicated that they opened at 9:00 a.m.  We arrived at about 9:15 a.m., eager to kick off our ‘Disney day’.  As we walked from the small parking area toward the entrance of the historical village we were stopped by a lady who was stretching a flag-draped rope across the entrance, to block access to the village

“Are you here for a tour?” she asked.

“No,” I replied, “we’re looking for Robert Disney’s garage.”

“We’re closed right now.” she replied, “You’ll have to book a tour and come back on the first or third Sunday of the month.”

We were disappointed as we hopped back in the car and drove north about 30 miles, through Los Angeles, to Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale.  We were trying to track down Walt’s grave site near the Court of Freedom.  Forest Lawn is a huge cemetery, about 300 acres, and the receptionist who greeted us at the entrance gate was very helpful.  She highlighted our route on a map of the grounds and gave us some helpful driving hints.

Within a few minutes we arrived at the Court of Freedom and began our brief search for his final resting place.

If you stand at the back of the Court of Freedom building and see the wall and statue pictured below, Walt’s grave is in the corner to your right.

For a man who had such a profound impact on so many people, who left such a rich legacy behind, we were surprised at the humble family plot.

The Disney Family Plot at Forest Lawn

Forest Lawn Disney Headstone

We spent a few minutes paying our respects to this incredibly gifted man, then carried on to our next stop.

A quick 3-mile drive took us to Walt’s old home at 2695 Lyric Avenue.  He built it in 1926; in fact, Walt and his brother Roy built identical homes side-by-side on Lyric Avenue.  Roy’s home at 2697 Lyric was a mirror image of Walt’s!

Walt Disney’s house built in 1926

Roy Disney’s 1926 house – next door to Walt

On our way to our next stop, about three miles from Walt’s first house, we had a terrific view of the famous Hollywood sign.  That’s no co-incidence since our next destination was the stone gates built in 1923 to mark the entrance to the new real estate development known as Hollywoodland.

The sign originally read Hollywoodland, but it deteriorated over the years, and when it was first refurbished in 1949 the last four letters were dropped, creating the iconic Hollywood sign we know today.

Do you see the bus in the picture above?  It’s the same bus as the one in the picture below.  It’s parked at a bus stop right beside the 1923 stone gates we were looking for.  They’re just steps from the corner of Beachwood Drive and Belden Drive.

Look carefully at the picture . . . do the gates look familiar?

Close your eyes and imagine that you’re at Walt Disney World and you’re approaching the Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  On your left you should be imagining a stone building that used to house the FastPass dispensing machines.  On the right you should be picturing a stone tower that houses restrooms.

That’s right; those buildings in Florida are replicas of these old 1923 structures in Hollywood.

Next time you’re at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida look around and you might just find a replica of this brass plaque that has marked the Hollywoodland entrance in California for almost a century!

Our next stop was only two miles away at 1660 North Highland Avenue, just around the corner from Hollywood Boulevard.  It is only steps from Disney’s El Capitan Theatre, Disney’s Soda Fountain, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the Dolby Theatre, home of the Academy Awards.

Max Factor Building

The building pictured above, at 1660 North Highland Ave., was purchased in 1928 by Max Factor who was the most sought-after cosmetologist in tinsel town!  The building was totally transformed in Art Deco style and re-opened in 1935 as the Max Factor Makeup Studio.  Today the taller portion, on the left, houses the Hollywood Museum and the shorter portion, on the right, is home to Mel’s Drive-In.

Does the building seem familiar to you?  Next time you’re at Disney’s Hollywood Studios look very carefully at the buildings along Hollywood Boulevard as you walk toward Grauman’s Theatre.  In the midst of all those Art Deco facades on the left you will find a replica of the Max Factor building.

Around the corner from Max Factor was the stop Carol had been looking forward to!  Disney’s Soda Fountain has recently been renovated and is now operated under license by Ghirardelli’s. 

El Capitan and Ghirardellis

We spent a few minutes walking up and down Hollywood Boulevard looking at the stars along the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  These Disney-related stars are all within a block of the El Capitan Theatre and the Disney-Ghirardelli Soda Fountain.

Snow White Hollywood Boulevard Star

Mickey Mouse Hollywood Boulevard Star

Richard and Robert Sherman Hollywood Boulevard Star

Roy Disney Hollywood Boulevard Star

Directly across the street from the El Capitan Theatre is the Dolby Theatre, home of the Academy Awards, and beside the Dolby Theatre is the familiar building pictured below.

Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

Grauman’s Chinese Theatre has been a Hollywood landmark since it opened May 18, 1927.  The handprints, footprints and autographs of nearly 200 Hollywood celebrities are pressed into the concrete of the theatre’s forecourt.

The replica of Grauman’s Theatre in Disney’s Hollywood Studios has housed the Great Movie Ride since the park opened in 1989 but closed in 2017 and is scheduled to re-open soon as Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

Our last ‘Disney’ experience of the day was a quick drive-by at 5370 Wilshire Boulevard where Carol snapped the picture below as we slowly cruised past ‘The Darkroom’.

The Darkroom

The building’s facade features a 9-foot tall replica of a Minolta Camera and it has been a Hollywood landmark since it opened as a camera store in 1938.  Today the building houses a restaurant, but if you want to see how it looked back in 1938 look for the replica at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  It’s a remarkably good reproduction!

We enjoyed a quiet evening back at our Anaheim ‘home away from home’ the Candy Cane Inn.  The next morning we were up bright and early, enjoyed a relaxed breakfast beside the pool then took it easy until about noon.

Our first stop was at 6671 West Sunset Boulevard, the Crossroads of the World.  This one should look familiar to every Disney fan.  This is the first thing you see after you enter Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  The only difference is that the Florida version is a bit taller and Mickey Mouse stands on top of the globe.

Crossroads of the World

The Crossroads opened in 1936 as a shopping mall and office complex.  Today it is primarily offices, most of them associated with the entertainment industry.

From the Crossroads we drove around the western side of Griffith Park to visit the Los Angeles Live Steamers Club and see Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn.

Since the barn is only open on the third Sunday of each month we knew that we wouldn’t be able to get close to the barn or see inside, but we were hoping to see it from a distance.  As we walked through the entrance gate there were other guests buying $3.00 tickets for a ride through the property on one of the model trains.

Live Steamers

The picture above, from the Steamers web site, shows a model train similar to the one we rode.

We asked the two people in the ticket office if we would be able to get a glimpse of Walt’s barn from the train ride, and they said that we would see it twice, once from the front and then again from the rear.

As we bought our tickets we explained that we were visiting from Canada and wouldn’t be around to see the barn when it was open on the third Sunday but we’d be happy if we could get even a glimpse of the barn from a distance.

A few minutes later, as we waited in line to board the next train, the lady who sold us the tickets called out to us through the ticket window.  I went back, and as I leaned down to listen, she whispered, “If you go to the back door of the office my partner Jack will walk you back to Walt’s barn.”

Yes, even though it wasn’t open to the public we were going to get close to Walt’s barn!  We were flabbergasted!  I don’t know how many times we said thank you . . . but it was a lot!

Carol and Jack at Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn – Griffith Park

As we walked toward the barn our guide Jack, who was a fairly new member of the Steamers, explained about the trains and artefacts we passed by.  He told us about Walt’s barn.  It’s registered as an official museum and designated as an historic site so it will be preserved for eternity.  The barn is administered by a special sub-group within the Steamers organization, sort of a ‘club within a club’.

We spent about 15 minutes with Jack, walking around Walt’s barn, and taking in the sights and sounds of the surrounding area.

(Don’t tell anyone, but Carol and I actually touched the barn!)

We even had the chance to talk to a few of the other railroad buffs who were busy tinkering with their trains.  As we gazed around we got a sense of what a dedicated bunch they are.

The props and detailed scenery around their track network are all wonderfully done.  There are a lot of man-hours, no doubt all volunteer, wrapped up in the scenes alongside those tracks!

After thanking Jack for the fortieth or fiftieth time we lined up again for our train ride.  The circuit took us for three complete loops around the property which contains about 4 ½ miles of track in two different gauges.

Doesn’t she look happy?

The lady in that fuzzy picture above (shot from our moving train) had just finished decorating her train for Christmas and was taking it out for a joyride.  Doesn’t she look happy?

Our train had an ‘engineer’ up front operating the locomotive and a ‘conductor’ at the rear who explained the sights and exhibits as we passed them.

Walt’s barn as seen from the train ride

There were bridges, tunnels, trestles, turntables, water towers, ghost towns and so much more . . . all built by dedicated train fanatics.

If you have a few hours to spare in Los Angeles, take a trip to Griffith Park and enjoy a train ride.  We had a blast!

Oh yeah – Jack, thanks again for the special tour!

We took a leisurely pace as we Walked In Walt’s Footsteps.  We could have seen all the sights in one day but we stretched it over two days; we wanted to take our time and savour the experience.  We are always fascinated to see the same places that Walt saw and to understand the things that influenced him a little more clearly.  I hope you enjoyed riding along with us!

There are plenty of other locations in the Los Angeles area that we also hope to visit, places that are meaningful for all Disney fans.  This blog just gives a small sampling, based on what Carol and I did that weekend a few years ago.

We’re really hoping to get back to the Los Angeles area on the third Sunday of the month so we can visit Uncle Robert’s Garage and see the interior of Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn.  They’re both still on our bucket list!

When you want to take a short break from the theme parks in Anaheim there are plenty of other ‘Disney sights’ for you to see.  You can probably uncover some ‘Disney magic’ that Carol and I haven’t discovered yet!

What happens when you ask a bunch of expert travel bloggers to share some of their favourite vacations?  You get a whole mixed bag of fantastic information and ideas for your vacation!  

I always find it so fascinating to get different opinions and perspectives given that we all experience vacations differently.  It’s interesting to see what pieces were important to the author and what they focus on.  I think it’s these details that help you find people to follow, when you connect with someone that shares similar views.  I had someone tell me she liked my YouTube room tours because they focus on details that are important to her, but other videos had glossed over.  Funny what little things bring people together!

So if you’re looking for some different perspectives and vacation ideas, I have 8 blogs below that might inspire you!

1.  Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Food And Drink by Didi

This post spoke to me – of COURSE it did, it’s about Star Wars, food and drink – how could I not be all in?  Didi had a fantastic visit to Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland when it opened and I have used her post to narrow down the list of things I want to try on my visit.  Surprisingly the beer isn’t calling to me – but the Yub Nub is! 

Check out Didi’s full review here.

2.  Beaches near Disney by Jen

When I was younger we always had a ‘split stay’ vacation in Florida, we would spend a week at a beach and a week at Walt Disney World.  Since I am usually going to Florida for Disney only, I have neglected and sort of forgotten about all the wonderful beaches nearby that you can visit outside of the theme parks.  Why don’t I do this anymore?  

Jen has some great insight in to Siesta Key, read it here.

3.  Jekyll Island with kids by Kayla

So, I have to admit – I had never even HEARD of Jekyll Island until Kayla’s post.  While she focuses on visiting this gem in Georgia with kids, the pictures look so lovely I think I want to go!  It’s obviously a different vacation than I’m used to, but it’s so easy to forget sometimes that there are great places outside of Florida!

Find out what Kayla loves about Jekyll Island here.

4.  White Island Tour by Albion 

This is a trip that’s WAY out of my typical adventures, but it does sound incredible!  An active volcano would be amazing to see up close, but when you look at these pictures you realize HOW CLOSE this tour takes you.   If you’ve got a trip to New Zealand in your future – this is something you really don’t want to miss.  Imagine the stories those kids were telling their friends when they got home?

Read all about Albion’s adventure here.

5.  Tokyo with Kids by Allison

Allison let her tween and teen plan her vacation to Tokyo and you won’t believe the stuff they did.  From a Pokemon Center to the Bullet Train, they spent a full 10 days there exploring.  There are so many things to experience and Allison has listed her 12 things to do in Tokyo with kids.

Find Allison’s List Here

6.  Universal Orlando – Visiting with a family, Lisa’s perspective

Universal is a big tourist destination in Orlando, but a very different experience from Disney of course.  Lisa has some views on why you shouldn’t wait until your kids are older to experience Universal.  I had not tried Mel’s Drive-In when I was visited – this was a great reminder!  

Lisa’s overview of visiting Universal Orlando is here.

7.  Embarkation on Disney Cruise Line from Carrie

From your day bag to security to having your camera ready, Carrie has some great tips and reminders for your boarding process. I have enjoyed so many Disney Cruises that I can’t imagine sailing on any others.  The process, customer service and class – it’s just top notch!

Carrie’s embarkation tips are here.

8.  Disney Cruise Line Spooky Sailing review by Sarah

Sarah shares her insights and reviews from her Halloween on the seas sailing in 2016!  From boarding the ship to being ON the cruise for Halloween night, what a treat!  I have yet to do a Halloween cruise – might have to get one of those booked!

Read Sarah’s review here.

So what did you think?  Have you got some vacation inspiration now?  

Call my friends at Playcation Travel Ltd to help you plan your next adventure!

A question that I get asked is ‘why do you ruin a good picture by putting your logo on it?’.  My response is usually ‘so people know the source and hopefully come find my blog if they like the picture’.  That’s my politically correct response, but it’s only part of the reason.

The other reason is – people will steal my content.

Just this weekend I created a piece of content for Mother’s Day.  I spent time gathering my magic bands, setting them up (they kept falling over!), just to get the shot of the different ones.  Then I spent time in the photo editor I had making the graphic, deciding on the fonts to use and color filter to apply.  I debated putting lots of logos on it because I thought it was a clever graphic, but I decided my logo at the bottom and my website across the picture was good enough.  I didn’t want to ‘ruin’ the picture as some would say of others I’ve done.

This was my post:

My original Mother’s Day Post. My logo at the bottom and my website in the middle

That same day – I had friends send me this post from a group:

The group content

Yes – that is the graphic I spent my time making, and someone deliberately cropped my logo from the bottom AND COVERED my website on the top.  

It was reported to the group admins who replied that the person who posted wasn’t deliberately trying to steal the content – they were following the group rules.  I assume that means the group rules prohibit links/references to other pages and groups.  I get that… but then please don’t share it at all.  

The post was reported to Facebook and eventually the admins removed it from the group.  But not before the post has been downloaded and uploaded again elsewhere… without my logo.  Once the image is out there – it’s done.

Now the altered image is making the rounds instead of my original content

As a creator, I’m thrilled when I see my content being shared and people respond and relate to it.  I just wish that the people who were interacting with it knew where it came from so that they could find me and enjoy more of it.

Some fans have downloaded and uploaded my pictures.  While the social platforms don’t recognize it if it isn’t shared, these individuals do leave my logo there so that others know where it’s from.  I am grateful for that.

This one appears with my logo

What really irks me are the big pages who know better, and are just lazy. I spent hours creating this post because I thought it was fun and engaging:

How fun is this? I had some great comments!

Only to see this post from a page with over a million followers who did this:

Even some people commented “Hey that’s Pixie Dust Fan’s post”

It was not the only time this particular page has taken my content and manipulated it or just copied it.  I didn’t blur out their name because hey – I wouldn’t want to cover their logo, let’s give them credit.

I debated if I was going to comment, post or say anything on Facebook but I decided a blog post was better.  I will reference this blog every time I get the question ‘why do you ruin your pictures’.  It will also serve as a good reminder to me – I need more watermarks that are harder to cover up.  

I appreciate all of the support that I have and people that share my original content.  

THANK YOU Pixie Dust Fans!

You’ve probably heard it said that Disney has a license to print money! Well, that’s true . . . not long ago they actually did print their own money!

Disney Dollars could be purchased in plenty of Disney locations and guests could spend them in a variety of ways!

Almost a decade ago I wrote a blog about Disney Dollars. I asked readers to imagine they were at the Happiest Place on Earth with a pocketful of cash!

What could be better? How about being at the Happiest Place on Earth and that pocketful of cash had pictures of your favorite Disney characters!

I asked them to imagine that they had a pocketful of Disney Dollars. How cool would that be? Almost like a pocketful of Pixie Dust!

My wife Carol used to keep Disney Dollars on hand to use for special gifts . . . sometimes when friends or family were heading on a Disney vacation, their birthday or anniversary gift from us would include a small envelope stuffed with a few Disney Dollars. Everyone was always delighted with a gift of Disney Dollars.

Alas, that all came to an end in 2016. The last Disney Dollars were sold on May 14, 2016. Those wonderful little sheets of spendable Pixie Dust were replaced by plastic gift cards . . . most Disney fans said “BAH HUMBUG”!

Can I still buy Disney Dollars?

Yes, but not from Disney.

Disney Dollars used to be available at Guest Relations in all the Florida theme parks and water parks. At Disneyland they were available at one cashier location in The Emporium.

There is, however, an active market where Disneyana Collectors can buy old specimens. Check out a few online shopping sites, like e-Bay or Amazon to see how valuable Disney Dollars have become.

Can I still spend Disney Dollars?

Yes, you can . . . but I don’t recommend it!

The last I heard, Disney Dollars were still accepted at ticketing locations, food & beverage venues, merchandise locations, recreation areas, resort concierge desks, resort front desks and Guest Relations at all theme parks and water parks. Since they haven’t been in active circulation for several years I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you got a ‘deer-in-the-headlights’ look from some of the newer cast members when you present a Disney Dollar to pay for something.