Weekly DDL Post

This week on the Disney Driven Life, I have written an article about the great Steve Barrett and his recent appearance and interview with ABC.  This was a story I had featured a few weeks back on this blog that I brought back for the masses at The Disney Driven Life to read.  Check out the video and article by Clicking Here! There is also one week left to vote for who you want to win the DDL Academy Awards! There are some great nominees, so Vote Here Now!

Steve Barrett's Awesome Interview!

Chris, Jess and Steve with an Animal Kingdom Lodge Hidden Mickey

Back in June, when Chris and I went to Walt Disney World, we had the great pleasure of meeting many wonderful people.  Two of those wonderful people were Steve Barrett and his wife Vickie.  If you are a Disney fan of any sort, you probably know the name Steve Barrett from many areas; Celebrations Magazine, Cosmic Reid's Starlight Cafe, WDW Radio....but when you hear his name, there is one main thing he is associated with: Hidden Mickeys! His Hidden Mickeys books are very popular, so much, in fact, they are sold ON Disney Property! Not just there of course, you can also buy them at local bookstores and at the Intrepid Traveler website.

The reason I bring up Steve right now is because recently, he was interviewed by ABC/Travel about his beloved Hidden Mickeys! Here is the video interview that Steve did with Scott Mayerowitz:

There is also a written article on Steve and his Hidden Mickeys, which can be viewed by clicking here and if you would like to see some pictures of Hidden Mickeys, click here for a photo slideshow featured on ABC's website. 

Rejoining the Radio

As you may know, in the last year I have been doing several radio shows, including one for my school.  I still have a few weeks until that one starts, but I get to start the radio early! Mike from www.magicalmouseradio.com has generously allowed me to be part of a show with the amazing Chris Reid! (yes, I may be a bit biased, but he really is an amazing radio host!)

Starting last Friday and going every Friday at 7pm Eastern until the middle of September, Chris and I will be bringing you Summer Sunsation! This show will play upbeat Disney music to get you ready for your weekend as well as the weekend Theme and Water Park Schedule sponsored by Disdates.com. and at the end of every show, you will get to hear a full length Finale from one of the parks in Walt Disney World, including Spectromagic, IllumiNations or some other special! The Sunsation Finale is sponsored by Steve Barrett's Hidden Mickey's Guide.

Tonight on the show, Chris and I are going to talk about Disney Dining since Free Dining Plan season is coming soon, and the Sunsation Finale for tonight: Hallowishes!

Check out Cosmic Reid's site, cosmicreid.com to find out more about Summer Sunsation and to hear about his show on Mondays, Cosmic Reid's Starlight Cafe!

VPC: The Hassle-Free Walt Disney World Vacation 2010

The very first book that I got when I knew Chris and I would be planning a Walt Disney World vacation was the Hassle-Free Walt Disney World Vacation 2010 by Steven Barrett. I have gotten and reviewed Steve’s latest Hidden Mickeys Guide (which will be coming on my trip of course) but this was my first time with a vacation planner book.

The beginning of the book is all about what to do to get to Walt Disney World, where to stay, tickets to buy, how to budget and so much more! There is a huge list of important phone numbers on property and a list of packing suggestions. Barrett has also brief synopses of the hotels on property and in the section saying where to eat, he has a list of the features at each restaurant, a few suggested ones for each park and a list of the characters at the character meals, but not a large description of the eateries.

After going through all of this, we get to the “Meat and Potatoes” of the book: The Parks. For each of the four parks, Barrett has described and rated every attraction. After the attraction descriptions, he has a set of lists:

• Attractions with a Minimal Wait (Usually)
• Attractions that May Frighten Children
• Least Crowded Restrooms, resting places
• Especially Attractive at Night
• And a small list of Hidden Mickeys (of course, I mean, it is Steve Barrett)

He then gives tips on entering each park,navigating the park, and a large list of touring plans. He has plans for adults and teens, families with children, seniors, for Extra Magic Hour (EMH) days, Non- EMH days, for a one day visit and even for a 2 day visit. These touring plans are incredibly thorough and cover a lot.

After the parks, there is a chapter on Downtown Disney and the Waterparks, which give a brief description of the two waterparks and the three areas of Downtown Disney. The final chapter is a very long list of lots of little extras and surprises to add or look for on your Walt Disney World vacation for some extra magic. The end of the book has a little “Where in the World” game where you have to identify the pictures with their locations in Walt Disney World.

If you are looking for a book with a lot of information on eateries and hotels, this is not your book. This book’s main purpose is to help you see the most in the parks that you can. The book is all black and white, so the few pictures and maps in the book are not in color. Those are really my only problems with the book…and they really aren’t even problems!

I think this is an excellent book for first time planners who are not very familiar with the parks. The touring plans will really help you see a lot! My favorite part was the end of the book, where Barrett has the list of things to do and see extra in the World. This gave Chris and I some great ideas of things to do on our trip!

To purchase The Hassle-Free Walt Disney World Vacation 2010, visit your local bookstore, bookstores online or on www.intrepidtraveler.com Make sure to check out all of Steve Barrett’s books, including Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World’s Best Kept Secrets, which is in its 4th edition. See my blog post on Hidden Mickeys by clicking here.

Hidden Mickeys: a Fourth Edition of Scavenger Fun!

Looking for something to keep the children entertained while going from ride to ride in Walt Disney World? Looking for some fun and a great competitive experience on your vacation? Look no further than the newest edition of Steven Barrett’s award winning book series Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World’s Best Kept Secrets, with challenging and exciting Mickey hunts!

You may see this book and think “4^th Edition? Is there anything really different from the first 3?” and the answer is a big YES! I happened to have the 3^rd edition already, so I did a side by side analysis of the two books. I found that the first chapter, which is all of the rules and explanations for the Hidden Mickey hunts, were completely alike! The only reason the 4^th edition has two more pages in this chapter is because the “Contributors” to the book have two more pages of names than the 3^rd edition. It is no wonder there are so many more contributors because there are so many more Mickeys!

That means that the rest of the book, including the extra 31 pages, are all brand new Hidden Mickeys!! And BOY are there a lot of new Mickeys! I found several examples during my analysis in the first hunt through Magic Kingdom. Near the beginning of the hunt, you are told to go to Adventureland to ride Pirates of the Caribbean and in the 3^rd edition, find 3 hidden Mickeys. In the 4^th edition, you are told to look for an incredible 14 Mickeys on Pirates! That is 11 new Hidden Mickeys, just on one ride!

I have always found the layout of these books to be very fun and entertaining as well! The way that the hunts are set up (taking you around the park and on many major rides, telling you when to watch the parade and when you should eat and suggestions where to eat) really allow you to see a lot, find a bunch of Hidden Mickeys and have a great time! The thoroughness of the layout as well simply amazes me! How all of these Hidden Mickeys were found I will never know, but it is something amazing! I also like that the hunts are organized for each park, and then separate hunts for the resorts and for the non-park places, such as Downtown Disney and the water parks.

As a huge Disney Parks fan, I give this Hidden Mickeys book two thumbs way up! Get it to keep your children entertained. Heck, get it to keep YOU entertained! I know that’s why I have it! Next time I am down in the parks, you can bet you will find me with this book wide open, rushing off to the next ride!

For information on purchasing Steven Barrett’s Hidden Mickeys, go to your local bookstore, bookstores online, the Walt Disney World Resort or visit http://www.intrepidtraveler.com/.

For information on other Steven Barrett products and the press release on his newest books, visit http://www.theotherorlando.com/hm4.html.

Hidden Mickey Press Release

Well known author Steven Barrett's book Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secrets is in its 4th Edition! I always have fun using this book to search for Hidden Mickeys and I am extra excited with how many new Mickeys are in this edition! I will be reviewing it once I am finished reading it all, but for right now, I thought I would share the press release with all of you, released by Barrett's publisher, The Intrepid Traveler!

Ace Hidden Mickey Hunter Uncovers Even More New Mickeys Hiding In Walt Disney World

(Orlando, FL) Steve Barrett's day job as an Orlando-area emergency room physician is deadly serious. But on his days off, he heads to Walt Disney World Resort on a merry mission: to track down, authenticate, and document those elusive creatures known as "Hidden Mickeys." He's even written a book on the topic.

In the latest edition of his Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide To Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secrets (Intrepid Traveler, $12.95), He has added some 100 previously unknown Mickeys for a grand total of nearly 900.

Just what is a “Hidden Mickey”?

According to Barrett, a Hidden Mickey is “a partial or complete image of Mickey Mouse that has been designed to blend into the surroundings in such a way that its presence is not immediately obvious.” For instance, Mickey hidden in a mural; an outline of his head on a shop fixture; his side profile on a weather vane.

No one knows exactly how Hidden Mickeys started. The most widely accepted theory is that they began as private in-jokes by Disney’s designers and artists — “Imagineers,” to use the Disney term — when Disney was building Epcot and decided that the new “adult” park should be free of cartoon characters. A few Imagineers couldn’t resist slipping Mickey in. As word got around, more Imagineers were tempted to incorporate their own cleverly camouflaged images of Mickey and other characters into the Walt Disney World rides, attractions, restaurants, shops, and other spaces they were designing. Now new Hidden Mickeys are eagerly anticipated in any new construction.

The most common Hidden Mickey is the “classic” frontal silhouette, consisting of Mickey’s round head and two round ears. “But a Hidden Mickey can take many other forms,” Barrett notes, “including a three-quarter profile, a full-body silhouette, or a detailed picture of his face.” Of course, not every image of Mickey is hidden. Most are in plain sight and are meant to be seen by all. Purists don’t recognize these as true Hidden Mickeys, and Barrett includes only a handful of them in his guide, ones he considers “sentimental favorites.”

Barrett’s interest in writing a Hidden Mickeys guide was piqued when he noticed groups of Mickey hunters carrying loose sheaves of printed lists, passed from fan to fan, arguing over whether a particular Hidden Mickey was actually there or not, and wishing aloud that they had a book to make the whole task easier.

Hidden Mickeys filled the void. Based on his own obsessive searching and tips supplied by a growing number of fans, each Mickey is personally verified by Barrett, who then tests his observations against those of friends and family members. To add to the fun, Barrett has arranged the book as a series of six scavenger hunts, complete with clues, hints, and points to be scored.

In the Walt Disney World theme parks, it’s not unusual these days to see families and groups of friends, Barrett’s book in hand, fanning out to compete in spotting the most Hidden Mickeys. Many of them spot new Hidden Mickeys, which they report to Barrett, who meticulously records and verifies their sightings, separating mere “wishful thinking” from the genuine article. The new edition of his book, in true scholarly fashion, acknowledges more than 900 fellow hunters for their contributions to the effort.

“Hidden Mickey mania is contagious,” says Barrett. “Searching for them has escalated into a bona fide vacation mission for many Walt Disney World fans, and even beginners have happened upon a new, unreported Mickey or two.”

Hidden Mickeys is available in the Walt Disney World theme parks and at bookstores everywhere. Barrett maintains a site where visitors can report sightings of new or suspected Hidden Mickeys. The address is
www.HiddenMickeysGuide.com

Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide To Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secrets, 4th edition by Steven M. Barrett ISBN: 978-1-887140-84-3 253 pages • 4 in. x 9 in. 5 b/w maps Index to Mickey's Hiding Places Trade paperback original USA: $12.95 Publication Date: August 2009

Hidden Mickeys is available in bookstores nationwide, from online bookstores, by calling 203-469-0214, or by visiting www.TheOtherOrlando.com/hm4.html

Published by The Intrepid Traveler

Please send two copies of any printed review or mention to
The Intrepid Traveler, P.O. Box 531, Branford, CT 06405

Please send a link to digital reviews or mentions to
mischa @ intrepidtraveler.com

To request a review copy of Hidden Mickeys, or for any additional information: Contact Mischa Benoit-Lavelle at The Intrepid Traveler
mischa @ intrepidtraveler.com • (203) 469-0214

Well Known Names Getting Billing at D23 Expo

If you a Disney fan, there are some names that are synonymous with being a fan. I mean, obviously there's Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, but there are other names also, the names that help bring the magic to you at home; names like Lou Mongello, host of the WDW Radio Show and author of the Walt Disney World Trivia Books, and Steven Barrett, author of the Hidden Mickeys Guide. Both of these outstanding gentlemen are out in Anaheim as I write this, getting ready for their debuts at Disney's First D23 Expo!

Both authors will have their own booth at the Collectors' Forum, where all attendees of the Expo will be able to walk around the various showcases and see what each has to offer. For D23 members, the Collectors' Forum is open every day from 8am to 5pm while for non-D23 attendees of the Expo are able to view the Forum from 9am to 5pm daily.

Steven Barrett will be at his table throughout the event, signing copies of his books; his Walt Disney World Hidden Mickeys just released its 4th edition while his Disneyland Hidden Mickeys Guide released its 2nd edition. He also is looking forward to meeting some of the people who helped him uncover hidden mickeys for his Disneyland book.

Lou Mongello will not only be promoting his Walt Disney World Trivia Books, his WDW Radio Show and his Walt Disney World Audio Guides, but he will also be promoting the newest undertaking of his and co-editor Tim Foster's (Author of Guide to the Magic), the Celebrations Magazine. Lou is looking forward to meeting everyone and sharing his experiences not only with the attendees, but using the gift of technology to share it with all of us non-attendees that follow him on facebook, twitter (@loumongello) and on his website.

To Visit Lou Mongello's Website, go to www.wdwradio.com

To check out or subscribe to Celebrations Magazine, go to www.celebrationspress.com or click the magazine cover on the side bar of my blog.

To visit Steven Barrett's Website, visit www.hiddenmickeysguide.com

For more information on Barrett's new books, check out www.theotherorlando.com/hm4.html