JUST FOUND! Video of Backstage at WDW (Mid-1980s U.S. TV Show, 100% OKed by Disney)

Years and years ago, there was a TV show about companies that focused on excellence by running their businesses well and treating both their customers and their employees as if they were royalty. A small, family-run supermarket in Connecticut that made $1.5 million per week, when most large supermarkets at the time averaged $200K per week. A tool and dye company whose owner purchased the failing business in 1978 and increased profits by 700% (modern day-news: the supermarket, Stew Leonard’s, is still in business. Unfortunately, the tool and dye company finally closed up shop, undoubtedly because of the computerization of modern technology). Other companies that made names for themselves for their overall quality. Apple Computer. 3M. McDonald’s. I.B.M.

One of the companies the TV show focused on was Walt Disney World. “Employees, called Cast Members, are trained as if they were entering a religious order. Visitors are not tourists, but honored guests.” I remember seeing this episode when it was first run and was THRILLED to find it on YouTube not long ago.

The WDW segment of the show has lots and LOTS of professionally filmed footage and includes, not only what Magic Kingdom looked like in the mid-1980s, but also some fascinating backstage footage, all sanctioned by Disney and broadcast in 1984.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did back then (and still do now!). Enjoy!
Continue reading “JUST FOUND! Video of Backstage at WDW (Mid-1980s U.S. TV Show, 100% OKed by Disney)”

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YMMV Travel Deals: Mon., April 23, 2018

When we see travel deals, we always want to spread the word. So as we see them, we make sure to let you know. They run the gamut from hotels to flights to points to miles to car rentals and even stuff you need while you’ll traveling, like equipment, Uber discounts, theme park tickets, food for when you’re on the road, etc.

Heads up that some of these deals might be really limited in time or amount, or some could go on for days or longer. Some deals might be good for some people and not so much for others. There may be better deals out there and we just don’t know about them. We take no responsibility for any transaction you may or may not do; we’re just telling you what’s we’ve seen that’s out there at that very moment and it’s up to you to decide if it’s something useful, beneficial and worth it for you, and if you can take advantage of it before it’s too late.

Here’s what’s out there today:

Continue reading “YMMV Travel Deals: Mon., April 23, 2018”

Must-Have Travel Items That Cost Under $10

We have several things we always bring with us when we travel. They’re not very large and we don’t need them every trip but we’re very glad we have them when we do. By this point, we don’t even bother to take them out of the suitcases when we unpack after a trip, because if we did, there’s a chance we’d forget to put them back. The best thing about these items are they all cost under $10 each and you might already have some of them in your own home.

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A Dream Hotel, A Rental Car Nightmare, The Disney Cruise & More

Hi there – I hope you’re enjoying your Sunday! Here are some travel-related stories I found particularly interesting this week:

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What To Do If You Travel To Another Country & Don’t Speak The Language

There was a time, several decades ago, when I had taken Spanish in school for 8 years and could have negotiated my way through a Spanish-speaking country with relative ease. And the first time I went to Japan, in 1994, I studied the basics from a book (Japanese in 10 Minutes A Day – it’s still in print!) for about 6 months before we went so I could converse a little bit. When we went to France back in the day, a friend of ours had a “point to the photo” communication tool that, when not in actual use, we used to play with to make bizarre sentences like, “There is a lobster eating soap in my toilet.” I’ve also been known to bring a small translation book, for excruciating word-by-word translation in the event of an emergency. But that was all back in the 80s and 90s and the electronic age has opened a whole new world in terms of communication in a foreign language. If you’re going to a country where they  generally don’t speak English, here are some of the options that are currently available:

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I Asked Airlines How I Could Ensure I Would Sit With My Kids. Here’s What They Said

After writing about the family who was split up in middle seats throughout the plane on our United flight to Chicago, I wasn’t expecting the response we got from our readers. We received a number of comments from readers with differing viewpoints. One one hand, we received two comments that I’m sure United would be just thrilled to read:

  • I won’t be flying with United. My kids won’t handle being separated from me.
  • Yup. Not flying United.

Continue reading “I Asked Airlines How I Could Ensure I Would Sit With My Kids. Here’s What They Said”

A Choice Of WDW Tickets, Shrinking Carry-On Bag Size, The Newest IHG Offers & More

Welcome to the weekend, y’all! Here are the articles we wrote this week, in one convenient place.

Joe wrote about:

And Sharon wrote about:

Don’t forget to join our Facebook Group, where we talk and ask questions about travel (including Disney parks), creative ways to earn frequent flyer miles and hotel points, how to save money on or for your trips, get access to travel-related articles you may not see otherwise, etc. We’d love to see you there!

Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love if you decided to hang around and clicked the button on the top (if you’re on your computer) or the bottom (if you’re on your phone/tablet) of this page to follow our blog and get emailed notifications of when we post (it’s usually just two or three times a day). Or maybe you’d like to join our Facebook group, where we talk and ask questions about travel (including Disney parks), creative ways to earn frequent flyer miles and hotel points, how to save money on or for your trips, get access to travel  articles you may not see otherwise, etc. Whether you’ve read our posts before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!