Another day in Hollywood

Here we are again at Hollywood Studios for day 6! Many woke up bright and early to rope drop Rise of the Resistance and Tower of Terror for a thrilling start to our day. The sun was shining and the weather was perfect for a nice tanning day. There are so many possibilities for the morning until we meet our guest speaker at PizzeRizzo for lunch.  

 

Our guest speaker was Alicia Stella the Patent Princess who shared many fun stories about her blogging and YouTube career. She uses schematics and permits to create videos on future rides and attractions at Universal and Disney. Alicia mostly writes about Universal and the new and upcoming Epic Universe park. Our group quite enjoyed meeting with her and learning how she works and how she turned her passion for theme parks into a full blown career. Many questions were asked about how she does what she does and personally I enjoyed being able to connect with her and see how one can find their career in what they love.

 

Part of our work alongside meeting Alicia was to watch one of her videos and also read her article on what was supposed to be on Rise of the Resistance before it opened. The videos we watch was about the new Epic Universe park being built at Universal Orlando. These were very intriguing and allowed us to dive deeper into understanding the kind of permits she worked with and studied. We also rode Rise of the Resistance again to see how close her predictions were to the real thing. Fascinatingly enough, she really only missed one detail about the ride, her research was so meticulously planned out that she was able to describe the ride before anyone had ridden it! She is simply amazing at what she does and it was really cool to both meet her and act like we too were bloggers writing about a new source.

 

We all went on a few more attractions such as the Slinky Roller Coaster, Star Tours, and Beauty and the Beast (Park edition). We even got special seating as a group for the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt show (thanks, Toni!). Despite how fun it was, today was not without its challenges. I [Nate]lost my phone and, well, I freaked out a little. Thankfully not only did I learn my lesson about keeping my phone in my pocket, it was returned. Guest services went above and beyond and I am truly thankful for them. 

 

Tomorrow is intended to be a relaxing day with laundry and lounging around the pool. However, it still may entail a trip to the Animal Kingdom, and we do have a task related to Ashley Craft and her Unofficial Disney cookbooks. Whatever the rest of our time at Disney holds in store for us, I know this one thing, it has been a magical experience!! 

Nate and Logan

 

Saving the Galaxy

Day number five began with meeting Freddie Gunzel at 9 o’clock sharp just as we had mentioned in the previous blog. He shared with us how he got to his current position of Area Manager here at Disney and the lessons he had learned along the way. The main lesson that we took away is that it can take time to pursue your passions and to get the job or position that you want in life. His road came with many challenges and benefits, but he is happy with where he is today at Disney. However, he hasn’t stopped there; he has worked to expand his knowledge about theater and everything that comes with it to keep up to date with the newest technology and methods used in his field. Personally, we found his journey inspirational.

When we wrapped up the talk  our class headed to Epcot. More specifically, the Guardians: Cosmic Rewind attraction at Epcot. It was a stunning ride that was well loved by most of the class. In our opinion we wouldn’t mind waiting twice in the standby line for that ride. It was well worth the hype, a fast but smooth ride for sure. With extra evening hours thanks to our Animal Kingdom Lodge upgrade, we ended up coming back to it at the very end of the day to catch one last ride with the Guardians of the Galaxy.

But we digress. After the first time we rode the Cosmic Rewind we were on our own until the evening. Our group ended up traveling to the Test Track. A fast coaster for sure, but that’s about all it has to its name. Then we checked out the Seas of Epcot and looked at mantes and dolphins they had. With that came the craving of some more Tropical Serenade Float which a quick trip to Magic Kingdom on the monorails fixed.

Our group wondered after that until the next class meeting at eight in the Italy pavilion- one of the many country-themed pavilions found in the back of Epcot. From there we watched the Harmonious show out on the lake. It was a brilliant show with some well-known Disney characters and songs. Full of flashing and dancing lights with timed fireworks to pull it all together. It was a little cold with the cool wind blowing across the lake, but it was quite a fun show to see!

 

We hope you have enjoyed our blogging, join us tomorrow when we return to Hollywood Studios!

Ashlynn Meadows and Nhi Tran

 

An Easy Breezy Day

Day number four at Disney started leisurely with freedom to wake up after six o’clock in the morning for those who decided not to go to the rope drop MK. Those dedicated early morning students encountered heavy traffic unfortunately, or so the GroupMe messages talking about the hour wait to get to Magic Kingdom on the bus told. Luckily it had cleared up around eleven, which was good as the class meeting was going to be at one in the Tortuga Tavern.

There the class discussed the Disney Channel Theme video created by the YouTuber Defunctland, a.k.a. Kevin Perjurer. It was a highly interesting and an extremely well-documented investigation about who wrote those four notes of the Disney Channel theme song. There are many lessons that can be interpreted from the hour and a half long video about legacy, passion, and the lengths you sometimes have to go to do what you love.

With that being said, we were given a task to explore a detail about the Disney parks that interest our groups. Our group discussed what we should talk about and we thought maybe about the multiple treats and food that can be found throughout the parks, but that idea was eventually lost as we devoured the Tropical Serenade Float.

Then we went on one of the Ferry rides available in Magic Kingdom. It was quite fun and not at all crowded by the time we went, making a joyful and sort of serene experience. It was there that we came up with the idea that we should do our project over the multiple methods of transportation at Disney! The monorails, the buses, the boats- it is a complex system that many, many people rely on to travel between resorts and parks; we being included in those ‘many, many people’. It was the perfect topic for us to write about and came to us just in time as our day drew to a close. 

Tomorrow is an early morning, but not as early as the first couple of days where we will meet with Freddie Gunzel, ride the Guardians: Cosmic Rewind, and watch Harmonious. A busy day for sure!

            Until tomorrow,

Ashlynn Meadows and Nhi Tran

 

 runDisney Day

Welcome back to your favorite Disney travel blog for day number three. This morning began at 3am with Professor Fonstad and I (Corbin) participating in the Walt Disney World Half Marathon. The race started in the Epcot parking lot and took us to Magic Kingdom and back, totaling 13.1 miles of running! Along the highway there were spots to meet your favorite Disney characters such as Mickey, Lotso, Buzz Lightyear, Sally, The Beast and other favorites. My favorite part was easily running down Main Street U.S.A and through Cinderella’s Castle. It was a surreal moment that I will never forget and will motivate me to do more runDisney races.

Tying the race into the theme of the course, the Walt Disney World Half Marathon is a direct result of pursuing my passions. Running is one of the biggest passions in my life and I have been competing for over 11 seasons, with four of them on the Franklin College cross country and track teams. Running brings me fulfilment and combining it with my love of Disney is truly unforgettable. I finished in 1:33:40 (78^th overall) and Professor Fonstad finished in 3:08:11.

 

For the rest of us, today began bright and early catching a bus ride at 6:30 this morning, to rope dropped the Avatars “Flight of Passage” ride in Animal Kingdom. What a thrilling and fun ride, and what a start to our day to ride a feared banshee as an Avatar yourself. After that we were free to explore the rest of the awesome Animal Kingdom park. 

 Since we didn't run the half marathon, our assignment today was to visit the runExpo at the Wide World of Sports Disney property to see people pursing their passions. The expo was filled with vendors supporting and selling lots of different things to all of the racers and Disney fans. Alongside the expo was official race merchandise and cool eateries. Many raced today bright and early. 

 

The rest of the day was up to us, will you embark on the dangerous quest upon Mt Everest to face the Yeti? Or maybe walk among the Dinosaurs in DinoLand! Whatever each group chose to do, I know it was filled with crazy safaris and animals galore. Thank you for stopping by today to explore Animal Kingdom and stay tuned for another amazing day tomorrow visiting Magic Kingdom itself! 

"Ahhhhhhhhhh"

Corbin and Logan

 

A Fantasmic Day at Hollywood Studios

 

            To kick off day two of our trip, we woke up early and headed to Hollywood Studios. We were there well before park opening so that we could rope drop Rise of the Resistance in Galaxy’s Edge. Despite Kylo Ren and the First Order’s best efforts, our entire group successfully completed the mission and escaped their wrath. We had a great deal of fun, and it was an amazing way to jumpstart an action-packed day.

 

Our assignment for the day had us focus in on the top three experiences, whether it be a ride, an interaction, or any occurrence, that we enjoyed throughout the day. This task was, in a way, tied to our interview with Main Street Magic later in the day, as their theme song highlights their love for “Top 10 Lists”. Many of us described the various attractions we enjoyed, such as Rise of the Resistance, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Also, as part of our assignment, keeping step with Main Street Magic’s mantra of “Be Nice to Cast Members”, we were to describe a cast member interaction that really exemplified the Disney Magic. Several of us were impressed by Shawn at Toy Story Mania, as he was doing impressions and quoting movie scenes. Shawn and many others help to make the Disney Parks an unforgettable experience.

 

As aforementioned, later in the afternoon, we had the privilege of meeting with Jeremy and Rhonda from the Main Street Magic podcast. They even recorded a podcast with us, as well as let us ask questions and be a part of the entire process! This was honestly a tremendously awesome experience. It was so interesting to hear about their backgrounds, as well as how their podcast has evolved and blossomed into such an insightful bright spot and encouragement to so many. Their love for Disney and the parks was so evident and infectious, as it seemingly just oozed out of them. Jeremy and Rhonda were both extremely kind and were truly a special treat. We were even able to continue our conversation with them over dinner at the Riviera’s Primo Piatto, where we all enjoyed some great meals! A major thank you to Main Street Magic for helping make today magical!

 

To round out a wonderful day, the whole group returned to Hollywood Studios to enjoy the amazing Fantasmic show. We all were mesmerized by how great of a production it truly is. Throughout the show, we got to see many of our favorite Disney characters, and enjoyed the awesome water, pyro, and lighting effects. Some of us even sang along with some of our favorite Disney tunes! After it had ended, I even heard a member of our group say, “Well that’s hard to beat.” I cannot think of a better way to close out a really special day.

One unique thing that happened today was on Rise of the Resistance. The droid’s and my (Nate) screams were apparently so similar, it was hard to tell us apart. Tomorrow, we release our wild side and head to the Animal Kingdom.

 

That’s all for now,

            Lucas Densford and Nathan Irskens

 

A Day One Disney Surprise!

Our day started very early with all of us arriving at the airport at 4:40 am.  We made it on the plane and had a great flight to Orlando.  When we got here, we were driven to All-Star Music resort which is where we were going to be staying, but our instructors surprised us…we all had been upgraded to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge!!  This was such a nice surprise that is going to make our trip even better than we imagined. 

 

We arrived at Animal Kingdom Lodge and it was beautiful! We have a view of the Savanna, so we get to see Giraffes and Zebras from our balcony!  Also, the pool looks amazing. We are very excited to try it out soon!  We are also happy to use the perk of staying at a Deluxe resort and getting able to stay at the parks after they close!

 

After we all got unpacked, we headed to Magic Kingdom to have some fun!  We were able to ride Haunted Mansion, Small World, Big Thunder, Splash Mountain, People Mover, and Monsters Inc. Laugh floor.  Even though there were some long waits, it was worth it!  Haunted Mansion was really fun and was our favorite ride!  We did an assignment that describes how the first ride we went on could relate to pursuing our passion in some way!

 

 

After riding these fun rides, we met up with the group to watch the firework show!  It was amazing and we all really enjoyed it! We even got to see Tinker Bell fly in the sky!  We were able to take a group photo of all of us before the show started!  Overall, we had a great day and are so excited to head to Hollywood Studios bright and early tomorrow to ride Rise of the Resistance as a group.

 

Until Next time,

-Alli Campbell and Kinley Harmon

Welcome to a New Group of Grizzlies!

 Welcome to our blog! Back in 2019 when I was planning our college's first study away experience to Disney World, I knew I wanted to include a blogging component so our friends and family back in Indiana could follow along, and so that we would have a time capsule documenting our experiences to look back on. Fast forward three years to now, and here we are at the start of something exciting once again!

If you are a student considering traveling with us this time, I encourage you to look through what we did in our course the last time we went to Disney. While the focus of the course has shifted from Imagineering inside Disney to the many businesses and ideas inspired by Disney beyond its walls, the seeds for everything we will do this time were firmly planted by the successes of this past course, as well as from that little pandemic thing that happened not too long after we returned.

Among the many benefits of this shift in focus, the goal this time it to spend more time on the ground talking to people who have themselves been inspired by Disney, whether they are travel planners, journalists, chefs, clothing designers, and more. This will also allow us to go beyond the Disney property and explore other locations in Orlando, including Universal Studios! The goal of this course will be to have each student recognize what their own passions are, how they can better integrate them into their future pursuits, and how to manage some of the problems inherent in pursuing your passions.

So please take the time to browse the blog! If you have question on our upcoming trip, Jenny Cataldi, Brad Jones, or I would be happy to answer them. We hope that this look back at the past can help you look to the future as together we can be "Inspired by the Mouse: Pursuing Your Passions!" 

-Professor Paul Fonstad