Between Books - Sara Earns Her Ears

I have constantly made one request for authors of Disney College Program memoirs.  Please bring me more Dole Whip!  Now Sara takes me straight to the machine! 

Sara Earns Her Ears: My Secret Walt Disney World Cast Member Diary by Sara Lopes provides a Californian's perspective of the Disney College Program in Walt Disney World.  Lopes details her love of Disney and how she prepared and applied for the Disney College Program.  Additionally she walks through her interview process and steps from acceptance to moving cross country.   The author was cast to work at Capt. Cook's at the Polynesian Resort.  And that brought her straight to the Dole Whip machine itself!  Along with work, Lopes details the entertainment experiences available to her such as Goofy's Mystery Tour, a scavenger hunt/trivia event for cast members.  Lopes ends her memoir with a appendix of helpers that includes a study guide for interview questions and a packing list.

In other memoirs it has been clear that social media is a huge support.  In Lopes' memoir this fact is emphasized several times. Lopes shows how to use Facebook, blogging and YouTube to both learn about the program and connect with others.  I was even shocked to see that not only Lopes but other Disney College Program members were active with blogs and videos even during their time in Disney employment.  It is likely these online tools that aided Lopes to pick roommates that largely matched her personality.  Lopes continues this social media participation with her own blog The Disney Den, which has additional information about the Disney College Program experience.     

Like with all good books in this genre, there are plenty of helpful tips to assist the potential Disney College Program member.  First, do not be neutral.  A sure-fire way to not be cast is to be lukewarm to the experience in interview responses.  Another great and helpful tip is if flying do not over pack.  If you are not driving to Florida, you will be forced by the airlines to choose carefully what you bring instead of buying in Orlando.  Third, Lopes describes the process of being deployed, working at a new site, and what a cast member can expect from the experience. 

I am finally a happy boy.  Sara Earns Her Ears is a title with helpful hints and tools for those wishing to get accepted into the Disney College Program.  For someone like me though, it made me crave Dole Whip as Sara ate her first Dole Whip, sold Dole Whip, and championed the awesomeness of Dole Whip.

I guess I need to find a new fatal flaw to complain about!  

Dreaming Disney - Dole Whip Rides Again!

I recently was surprised when asked by the editor of Celebrations magazine if I would be willing to allow Dole to post my Dole Whip article onto one of their blogs!

Of course I said yes.

So for the first time, you can read my history of Dole Whip online at http://dolesoftserveblog.com/2014/06/03/sunshine-in-a-cup-the-tale-of-the-legendary-dole-whip/.

And always make sure to enjoy a Dole Whip! 

Dreaming Disney - Dole Whip in Betweenland

As I write this, I am eating Dole Whip….in Betweenland!

I am a happy boy!

When I wrote the history of Dole Whip for Celebrations, Precision Foods mentioned that the mix was becoming popular in self-serve yogurt stores.  I had never seen one of these at the time I completed my interview I had never visited a yogurt store.  Honestly, I had no idea what was being described.  Months later one opened in my area, and I have visited it a few times.  Every time I entered hoping that pineapple would be an option.  And every time I was disappointed.  Recently I traveled through Betweenland and visited an Orangeleaf.  My friends claimed that pineapple was often an option.  When I visited, no dice!  And I inspected the wall showing all their options and at least at this store pineapple was not a possibility.     

I had come home defeated!

Today I was passing by a store I had seen a few times.  As I looked in I could see the letters “Pi” on the front of one of the soft serve machines.  I had to look.  It said pineapple and as I enjoyed my sample one phrase came to mind, “Dole Whip!”

The Sign of Success

I asked the clerk if she knew if the mix was from Precision Foods in order to verify that it was authentic and not a knockoff mix.  She was unaware of the mixes' origins and a few seconds later I realized its origins were relevant, because the taste and texture is right! 

It may not look as pretty, but it had me at first bite!

The store located in downtown Minneapolis is called (yo)gurt[lab].  There appears to be four locations throughout the Twin Cities.  They had me at first taste!   This is only the second time I have found Dole Whip in the wild, and this source should hopefully be more consistent.  The first is truly temporary, the Minnesota State Fair.  And I do not like to go there, it's crazier than Walt Disney World on the 4th of July!   

Now, where can I get cold pineapple juice?  I feel the need for a Dole Whip float!

Between Books - The Disneyland Encyclopedia

500 entries and Dole Whip has to share!

Chris Strodder has updated The Disneyland Encyclopedia: The Unofficial, Unauthorized, and Unprecedented History of Every Land, Attraction, Restaurant, Shop and Major Event in the Magic Kingdom.  True to its title The Disneyland Encyclopedia documents the smallest snack cart, the shortest lived shows, the favorite restaurants and the beloved attractions inside the Disneyland Park from its 1955 opening.  Starting with A and finishing with Z, Strodder documents the park in a methodical manner.  Yes, Dole Whip does not get its own entry, but Dole Whip is not a restaurant or show, though some may argue it is an attraction.  Strodder still reports the success of the cult food in the Tiki Juice Bar entry as the restaurant fits the plan of the book where a snack would not.  It would be difficult to find any physical element of Disneyland that is not documented in the book’s entries.

There are two ways to read this book.  First, one can read The Disneyland Encyclopedia straight through as an organized history of the park.  And through this method, which I did complete in a week, one can add much to their understanding of the park.  For example, I knew from Mouse Tales of deaths in the park but I had not considered the more obvious life event, births.  And I was not aware that the baby picture in the Baby Care Center was Walt Disney!  The reader does get the sense through the entries of the ever changing Disneyland, be it an attraction that was open for a few weeks or be it for decades.  Strodder’sd writing makes it clear that the park is living and evolving.  The entries are well written and clear which aids the reader looking to explore the book A to Z.  But I am kind of a strange guy, for goodness sake I have read an almanac cover to cover this year, and this method may not be preferred by everyone.  Not many will chose to read The Disneyland Encyclopedia in a week.  And with over 450 pages of entries it is a lot of information to read through quickly.

Sleeping Beauty Castle from The Disneyland Encyclopedia

The second way to use this book is as a research tool.  The Disneyland Encyclopedia can provide a basic background on all attractions, shows and restaurants.  Honestly it is a must have resource for anyone looking to research Disneyland.  As a research tool the book also includes an extensive bibliography which will help keep me entertained for years to come.  Additionally those who enjoy Disneyland and wish to know more about shops, rides or shows within Disneyland will likely enjoy thumbing through this text.  If someone likes to flip through touring books, it is enjoyable browsing through The Disneyland Encyclopedia in the same way.  It can serve as a supplement to vacation planning.    

Chris Strodder’s The Disneyland Encyclopedia is a resource which Disneyland fans will likely enjoy and find informational.  The readable text along with over 400 black and white photos and sidebars can help one forget you are reading an “Encyclopedia” at times.  After reading the second edition of The Disneyland Encyclopedia I can see why I have heard podcasters refer to the first edition as an invaluable research tool.  If anything, a read-through makes me wish there was a tool available that was as exhaustive for other portions of the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts.    

The Matterhorn from The Disneyland Encyclopedia

Review Copy Provided by Santa Monica Press     

Between Books - The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner: A Complete Organizer, Journal and Keepsake for Your Unforgettable Vacation

It’s a planner!

It’s a guidebook!

It’s an examination to the little touches that makes The Walt Disney World Resort special!

It’s a grill!

It’s a cooler!

It’s The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner: A Complete Organizer, Journal and Keepsake for Your Unforgettable Vacation, and three out of five isn’t bad. 

The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner by Susan Veness and Simon Veness is the follow up offering to Susan Veness’ The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World, a Disney fan favorite.  The first book is a land by land review of Imagineering Easter eggs and hidden history throughout the parks of the Walt Disney World Resort.  This new book does have additional “Hidden History” call outs for interested readers, but the bulk of this text falls within the traditional planning guide.  The authors provide a park by park, land by land overview of the Walt Disney World Resort and the planning experience. 

The guide opens with basic planning advice that could improve any trip to Orlando for a guest.  They provide an in-depth description of accommodations within the resort.  The authors then guide readers through each park of the Walt Disney World Resort.  From The Magic Kingdom Park to Disney’s Animal Kingdom they provide a summary of attractions, dining, shopping and special occasions for every park.  But recognizing that the resort is not parks alone, they also extend their summaries into the water parks, resort dining, Downtown Disney and the often unknown attractions within the park.  Throughout the book the authors sprinkle in tips for rookie guests and “Hidden History” providing background or history on aspects of attractions, restaurants or dining.  Each section is accompanied by blank lined pages for guests to journal or take notes of their own trips.  Chapters on each park are accompanied by simple maps (non-cluttered) of the parks.  And working as a planner there are folder pockets with each major park section to store documents or notes to help with your trip.  The book concludes with a selection of color photos, which readers are directed to as they read through the text. 

Overall, this is a very solid and useful guide.  The summaries are helpful, and would give first time guests a good idea of the experience they can anticipate without being completely spoiled.  I had to laugh when discussing the tips with the Between Wife.  I commented to her that the descriptions of Disney’s PhotoPass included all the basics, but I thought rookies needed to know that the photographers will take a picture with your camera.  Her response was, “Do you think you hit a point where you know too much about Disney?”  As always her point was made.  This book isn’t for me, it’s really directed at those first timers.  And with that in mind, the advice and guidance the Vennesses’ offer is very solid and helpful.  I mean, I could argue that Dole Whip isn’t “pineapple-flavored yogurt.”  Dole Whip is non-diary so not yogurt.  But I am a self proclaimed Dole Whip expert and for the first timer who might find Dole Whip in a yogurt shop that is probably a pretty good description. 

Now with the Dole Whip caveat out of the way I still found plenty of Hidden Magic I just did not know in The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner.  I had no idea that some of the pools have opening ceremonies, with the description of the opening of the Fuentes del Morro pool at the Caribbean Beach Resort definitely sounding like an extra special piece of magic.  I was amazed at the tricks that Imagineers have used to make guests think a Nazi swastika is present in the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! while it is not actually there.  There are plenty examples found throughout the text where Between Disney learned something new. 

I was concerned about the physical durability of the book.  It does have a spiral spine with a cover that is bigger than the pages.  I was convinced that with my lifestyle that pages would rip off the spiral rings and that the cover would be beaten up after a few days in a backpack.  So I was mean to the book, in fact I tried to destroy it through normal usage.  I have carried it in my backpack, not a happy place for books for two weeks.  I cram my bag to capacity with books and other items of odd shape.  And being a commuter I bang and bash my bag on my daily journeys.  I knew it would fall apart, not being the first book my bag defeated.  I have been defeated.  No pages have ripped out and the over sized cover seems to have helped the pages from being attacked by the random pens and highlighters floating in my bag.  And the cover is showing slight wear, with the corners bruised with a few slightly upturned.  But it has survived two weeks of book bag living!  Maybe I didn’t torture this book enough. 

So who is Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner for?  First, rookie visitors to the Walt Disney World Resort would find this book really useful.  The text includes all the basics that a first time visitor would need to know.  And the authors with their “Rookie Mistake” additions sprinkled throughout the book clearly targeted this audience.  Additionally I could see recommending this book to friends who have never visited the parks but I know would want details about the attractions that are not obvious.  The “Hidden History” for them would not be overwhelming but still provide enough to whet their curiosity.  Second, this book would serve well for folks looking to save money by not buying a separate planner, guidebook and Imagineering guide.  Here right in one text their basic needs would be met.  It’s not the biggest guidebook, but it is one that serves multiple purposes.  Second, more experienced travelers may find this book interesting as a reference; it is always handy to have a book with important telephone numbers for dining and accommodations in one easy to find location.  Third, fans of The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World will probably jump at this book with over hundred new hidden magic secrets.  I expect that the Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner will find its way into many Between Disney libraries to aid vacation planning.      

Review Copy Provided by Adams Media 


For more on the Hidden Magic Series see Between Books - The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Trivia.  

Dreaming Disney - My "Celebration" Experience

Several years ago the Between family was planning for a Walt Disney World vacation, one in which we were planning for a toddler and trying to find some new experiences that we had not had in our trip a few years before.  I had heard of Celebrations magazine through Lou Mongello’s WDW Radio podcast.  My wife suggested I order a copy online since it would likely have information about future events, recent park changes and maybe some planning tips that we had not considered.   I love to read, so the suggestion sounded good and I ordered the latest copy of the magazine.  About a week later I got the copy and I was hooked.

What I found was all that we expected and more.  I have a history background and I found articles providing historical information about Walt Disney World. It also contained behind the scenes information about the attractions and hotels.  There was even information relevant for traveling with kids.  Before I finished reading the issue, I had ordered the other available back issues and ordered a subscription.  I’m happy to say that today I have a full collection of Celebrations due to some timely reprints and beginning my subscription in the first year.  Yeah, I was hooked and to be honest it really helped me past my future vacation because it delivered me regular Walt Disney World information straight to my mailbox. 

Around a year later I saw publishers Tim Foster and Lou Mongello ask listeners for ideas for future stories.  Now I had ideas, but they were ideas tied to another future vacation and I really would have loved to get one of the magazine’s contributors to chime in on my questions.  I got a response from Tim thanking me for my ideas, explaining kindly why my questions currently did not fit in their plans, and letting me know if I had any additional ideas of what I wanted to write on to send them to him.  Then it hit me.  Living out in Between Disney I was actually seen as someone who might not only provide a suggestion but maybe write an article on Walt Disney World. 

Several months later I had just finished a book.  A book that left me with a pretty fun question that I wanted more of an excuse to explore.  So, I sent the idea to Tim, and was quickly told that would be a fabulous idea for an article.  I have to be honest; I had so much fun as I researched my new little project.  I loved every minute of this project and was a little sad when I had given the final submission to Tim.  But, luckily that project led to another idea which Tim also liked so I pretty quickly was able to start again and again, it was so fun writing this new Disney project.  I admit it I was addicted, which is part of the reason I even started this blog.  I really helped to lower my stress level and make me a more fun person to be around.

Later I asked my wife for ideas, after all she was where this little adventure again.  She suggested Dole Whip, as this tasty treat is something that the Between family enjoys together.  As she says, a day in the Magic Kingdom or Disneyland Park without a Dole Whip is a wasted day.    I submitted this idea to Tim.  His reaction was it would be great if possible but was it doable?  Now when I was in high school I was told by an English teacher that a creative writing paper I was writing about a purple cow was a sponge in the ocean, which led me to make it work.  So with this determination again, I found all I could about Dole Whip trying to figure out how to get content on paper.  In the end, I pulled it off.  It is not the longest article, but it did present everything I could find about Dole Whip and its history.  And it was so so fun.  I was thrilled when it arrived in my mailbox as my first published Disney article.

So what did I learn about all this experience?

First, your geography does not matter.  If I am lucky I get to the parks once every 12 to 14 months, if I am lucky.  So it’s not like I can access the parks whenever I want.  That does have certain disadvantages.  For the Dole Whip article I was not able to provide any of the photos.  Instead the editors sent someone who had access to get pictures to support the text.  Sadly for me, they probably got to eat those Dole Whips too.  In fact it was kind of fun with my limitations.  At one point on New Year’s Eve I had friends searching the windows on Main Street U.S.A trying to uncover one small piece of information.  If you have a Disney dream, you can probably find a channel for it out here Between Disney.

Second, you can become the expert.  I’m pretty sure that I found pieces of information about Dole Whip that were not widely available.  In fact Precision Foods staff reviewed my article and said they did not realize the fuller background on Dole Foods Inc.  Even if you feel like you are not the expert, which you can feel living away from the parks, you can through research and hard work smarten yourself up.  So you should never feel like you cannot do something because you do not have the expertise, instead go get the expertise. 

Third, following a dream is fun.  Writing about Dole Whip was never ever a chore.  On another future project I spent my lunches in a local library with a book not available for circulation.  That was never a hardship; in fact it became the highlight of my workday. 

 In the end I have to thank Tim and Lou for giving the opportunity for me to contribute to the Disney community on a topic that I love, Dole Whip.  Lou often encourages listeners of his podcast to follow their dream as he has his own.  In the end my Celebration experience was highly satisfying because it is true, following a dream feels great.  Now the question is what’s next?