Amanda Tinny, Kevin Mackie, me, John Frost and Leigh Caldwell at the Magic Kingdom one night last week.
Trips to Walt Disney World are starting to feel like a class reunion.
There are several online Disney journalists that help us all keep up with the latest news, feed our need for Mickey knowledge and keep everyone connected to their favorite vacation destination. And this week, I was lucky to be around some of the best.
I arrived on Monday to check-in at the Saratoga Springs Resort. Who was in front of me in line? Lou Mongello and Beci Mahnken. I’ve spent hours as a box person, and it was great to see the creator of the box and one of his great team members. It was fun to see Lou in action, living up to his billing as the Hardest Working Man in Disney News, carrying his laptop around the parks in one hand, all the while hosting the live show he was broadcasting.
A few of us gathered in the lobby of the Animal Kingdom Lodge later that afternoon to attend a welcome dinner. I eyeballed a guy to my right, trying to read his name tag. My bionic vision was failing me, so I just walked over to him and said it was impossible to read someone’s name tag furtively without being creepy, so could he move his arm so I could just read it. Just as I thought: Matt Hochberg. I’ve been a fan of WDWToday podcast for years. Every time I fly to Orlando I save up a bunch of the guys’ podcasts and completely immerse myself in Rush references, attraction quotes, and great Disney information for three hours straight.
As we met our Disney reps and the other media members we’d be around for the week, I learned we’d be paired with Leigh and Amanda from ThemeParkMom.com and DisneyEveryDay.com. These ladies were awesome – they know everything there is to know, and they’re an absolute blast to hang around with. As we walked through a darkened Hollywood Studios one night, winding down from a crazy, fast-paced, fun Star Tours event, Amanda, Leigh, my friend Kevin and I grabbed a few final drinks, reluctant to let the night end. We each had signature Star Wars drinks in each hand – holding them for other friends as we balanced our own – looking hilariously like a walking liquor cabinet. Our Disney rep was heard exclaiming a few steps behind: “I have the best group ever.”
Another night early in the week as I was preparing to board a bus to dinner, I saw yet another familiar face: John Frost from The Disney Blog. We had dinner at Epcot last year, and it was great to see him again. John is smart, funny and knowledgeable. I got to spend some great time with John and his great family throughout the week, and I can’t wait to see them again in the future.
Later in the week I attended an event to learn more about the new Disney Cruise Line ship, the Fantasy. As I was walking toward my table, who did I see? Jim Hill of JimHillMedia.com – the man with the best Disney sources available. We caught up and talked a little New Hampshire (we, along with Mike Scopa of Allears.net and WDWToday, are all residents of the Granite State) and a little Disney.
From a fanboy’s point of view, it couldn’t get much better.
Discussion
And I wonder how many of them said they got to meet Bill Burke on their trip?
Bill,
I hope you realize that many of them were quietly saying “OMG, it’s Bill Burke!”
It seems in the last year or two many of us have suddenly come together through this strange, mystical, wonder called Facebook. And it’s very cool. It’s nice to feel a part of something. And there are recognized voices, dare I say leaders in the WDW information hive.
Unfortunately as with all nerdly obsessions, there seems to be a shift with some from “I want to share information with fellow fans” to “naa-naa, look what I get to see and do now!”
I’ve never gotten that vibe from you. In fact even in the last week when you were down there getting all this great access, there was still that sense of just being a fan and wanting to share it. It’s the reason we admire you.
Well, that and that thing you gave us that is made of simple paper, ink, glue, and the (far from simple) proof of amazing talent and imagination within.
Recently I’ve found myself not even bothering to read some blogs or download some podcasts any more because it’s like “ugh, ok, I get it. It’s good to be you.”
But sir, my blood runs red, black, and white, and I will die a ‘Junkie! (Won’t my mother be proud?)
We are guilty of the “OMG it’s Bill Burke!”
Hi Bill! Wouldn’t I love to have been a fly on the wall… sounds like great fun! Thanks for sharing!
Hey Bill! It was great to see you last week as well! And yes, I DID have a “Hey! That’s the MouseJunkies guy!” moment in the lobby of the resort!
Was great to see you as well, and I’m sorry that we didn’t have more time to chat along the way. It was an incredibly fun, yet hectic, few days, right? We’ll have to make it a plan to grab a meal/snack/coffee, etc. one of these days. Hope you enjoyed your time at the events, Star Tours, etc. Hope to see you again soon!
I’m just awestruck to finally be apart of this. For the last three years I thought I had some kind of illness. I obsessively bought Disneyworld books and thought that I might be a bit crazy reliving a childhood I never had or something.
Finding the Mousejunkies book, website AND WDW has made me realize that I am not alone in my obsession. To know all of you out there are just like me is very comforting. My two little girls (3 and 6) are going to be mousejunkies, too. They went last year and haven’t stopped talking about going back. Which will be Oct. 2013. ( I’m actually planning a trip that’s over two years away…I never thought I would ever do that)
Thank you Walt Disney for such an incredible vision and thank you Bill Burke for letting us be a small part of that….Go Bruins!
Wow I don’t know where to start. I first went to WDW in 2006 and like you I was some what of an unbeliever in way of the mouse. I was pleasantly surprised to find that WDW was my dream vacation. Now in a little more than a week I will be coming back to my obsession. This time I am back with my new bride for our honeymoon and we have studied your book from cover to cover. We decided to stay at the Port Orleans French Quarter and we wondered if you have any tips for our trip? I appreciate your time and thank you for your wonderful book. We are defiantly Mouse Junkies!
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