Disney World

Heaven Tufts’ face always lights up when she watches characters in TV shows on the Disney Channel. The 5-year-old, who suffers from a life-threatening disease, can’t speak.

But when Heaven’s parents, Tom and Rene, learned someone had recommended their child for a dream vacation, choosing a destination was a no brainer, according to her father.

The Earth Angel Foundation sent Heaven and her parents to Disney World for one week in April. Tom and Rene Tufts said their daughter responded well when she saw the same Disney characters she’d seen on television.

The Tufts said the highlight of Heaven’s trip was when she saw Donald Duck.

Heaven was born with Dandy-Walker Syndrome, a congenital brain malformation involving the cerebellum – an area at the back of the brain that controls movement – and the fluid filled spaces around it, according to www.dandy-walker.org.

Symptoms, which often occur in early infancy, include slow motor development and progressive enlargement of the skull, according to the Web site.

She also was born with Oral Facial Digital Syndrome, which can cause disfigurement to the mouth, face and extremities of the body.

These conditions require around the clock medical equipment like a feed pump, pulse oximeter and oxygen.

Panic and anxiety is the best way Tom could describe their emotions when the doctor told them their unborn child’s medical problems.

He said the problem was first discovered through the ultrasound. Heaven spent the first two months of her life at Children’s Hospital in Columbus. Struggles handling a child with life-threatening problems have been many, but he said he and his wife receive a lot of prayers and support through friends and family.

They receive support from the Fairfield County Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Board.

“It’s not easy, but I look at her like any parent looks at their children,” said Tom, who added that his daughter has taught him to be a better person and has given him a purpose.

The Earth Angel Foundation has taken children, with terminal illnesses and life-threatening diseases, and their families on dream get-a-ways since 1987.

“So far, we have taken over the years 162 families anywhere in the mainland of United States,” said Larry Smith, a board member of the volunteer-based organization. “We have a family that will take their trip on June 7.”

Smith said anyone who knows any child with a terminal or life-threatening condition can contact the foundation.

NASA’s Phoenix spacecraft landed on Mars, and two hours later pictures from the dusty red planet arrived at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to prove it.But sound doesn’t travel as fast as light, so it took a half-hour longer before we had an indication of extraterrestrial life stirring. That is when Hurricane Mama awakened and began to make miraculous music a few miles from JPL at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Terry Riley — a Space Age Prospero dressed in black, wearing a black skull cap and in striped stocking feet, his long gray beard flowing — walked to the organ consol. The hall was darkened. The wooden pipes were illuminated deep purple. No longer “French fries,” a nickname Riley told the audience he felt inelegant, the pipes were newly dubbed “radiant columns of Orfeo.” Hurricane Mama is his name for the Disney organ.

For the next two hours, Hurricane Mama howled and roared. Orfeo’s columns traced the shapes of swirling galaxies and accompanied accelerating quanta as they collided releasing astonishing quantities of energy. They strung out strings of space-time and hymned drones of mystical oneness with the universe. All of that came before lift-off, which occurred in a long-held ground-shaking, gravity-defying final chord.

Riley and the organ are a match made on the other side of Mars, namely heaven. As the composer who launched Minimalism in 1964 with “In C,” he was an obviously crucial figure in the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s “Minimalist Jukebox” festival two years ago. At that time, the orchestra invited Riley to create a new work for the organ. “Universal Bridge,” which began with an Anthem for Disney Hall and concluded with nature unleashed in “Hurricane Mama Blues,” was the result.

“Minimalist” is a strange tag for Riley. It suits him in that he has never lost his love for interlocking repetitive figures imbued with the strength to send the brain into psychedelic reverie. But Riley is really a musical accumulator.

Years of study in India have made him a master of raga, played on the keyboard and sung. A virtuosic pianist and inspired improviser, he began as a jazz player and, at 72, remains a brilliant jazz player. Hardly remaining in or anywhere near C, he roams through modes and microtones continually enriching his harmonic palate. Melodically and rhythmically he flows naturally between East and West, ancient times, recent music history and the present.

Although he has performed before on the pipe organ, Riley’s main instruments are piano, electric organ and synthesizer. To prepare for Sunday’s concert, he made several trips from his home in Northern California to spend nights familiarizing himself with the Disney organ, typically practicing from midnight to 6 a.m., a period when he could play in the dark uninterrupted with only the night watchman looking on. His original idea was to give an all-night concert, from around 11 to dawn, but he had to scrap that when the Philharmonic put him on its regular organ series.

For the first half of his program, Riley revised two classic pieces, first updating “Persian Surgery Dervishes,” a study in whirling repetitions for electric keyboard and tape delay. (A famous performance of that was given and recorded in Los Angeles in 1971).

Sunday’s new “A Persian Surgery Dervish in the Nursery” made his performance on the old electronic technology seem downright primitive. On Disney’s instrument, Riley achieved a sense of awe-inspiring vastness with thick church-like diapason textures. For an arrangement of a few themes from his epic 1985 string quartet, “Salome Dances for Peace,” Riley began with spellbinding rumbling of low notes and then traced trilling fanciful melodies, at one point adding raga-like vocalization.

The “Universal Bridge” premiere was after intermission. Its opening Anthem for Disney Hall proved an embracing celebration of succulent chords in grand progression. The second movement, “The Bull,” began with Middle Eastern melodic figuration over an arpeggiated ostinato base that had a faintly tango feel and slowly evolved into Bachian exuberance.

In the next movement, “The Shape of Flames,” calm, soft-grained Mexican-like figures radiated into musical styles from near and far, with occasional long dissonant blasts, as it built into the rapturous, overpowering, indescribable “Hurricane Mama Blues.”

On a personal note, I am not a disinterested observer of Riley’s music. I have been attending his concerts since the ’60s. I lined up with other students waiting for a Berkeley record store to open to buy “In C” the day the first recording of it was released. I attended Mills College in Oakland when Riley taught there in the ’70s (although I didn’t study with him). I got goose bumps watching him receive an honorary doctorate at CalArts this month.

The Disney Magic cruise ship returned to the Port of Los Angeles this morning, making it easier than ever for guests residing in Southern California to experience Disney Cruise Line’s highly popular seven-night cruises to the Mexican Riviera. The ship is on the West Coast for a limited engagement, sailing just 12 cruises this summer, but staterooms are available for select voyages throughout the season. The ship is scheduled to sail back to Port Canaveral, Fla. on Aug. 17.
Disney Cruise Line developed the special itinerary in response to overwhelmingly positive feedback about its original West Coast sailings in 2005 and requests from guests who wanted to see the ship once again depart from the Port of Los Angeles.
“When we launched our first Disney Cruise Line Mexican Riviera sailings in 2005, the guest reaction to the itinerary was tremendous. We have a significant Disney Cruise Line fan base on the West Coast and we look forward to another summer season sailing from the Port of Los Angeles,” said Disney Cruise Line President Tom McAlpin.
Beginning today, the Disney Magic is scheduled to sail 12 consecutive seven-night cruise vacations from the Port of Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera ports of Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta.
The itinerary for the Mexican Riviera sailings is as follows:
2008 West Coast Itinerary
Departing May 25, June 1, June 8, June 15, June 22, June 29, July 6, July 13, July 20, July 27, Aug. 3, Aug. 10.
Sunday. . . . . . . . . . . . Port of Los Angeles
Monday . . . . . . . . . . . At Sea
Tuesday . . . . . . . . . . . Cabo San Lucas
Wednesday . . . . . . . . . Mazatlán
Thursday . . . . . . . . . . Puerto Vallarta
Friday . . . . . . . . . . . . At Sea
Saturday . . . . . . . . . . At Sea
Sunday. . . . . . . . . . . . Port of Los Angeles
Guests will delight in the unspoiled beauty of the Mexican Riviera. Cabo San Lucas will treat guests to a tropical paradise of white sand beaches, crystal-clear blue waters and breathtaking mountain vistas. Mazatlán offers guests a glimpse into Mexico’s rich history and culture, while Puerto Vallarta, with more than 100 miles of scenic coastline, will allow guests to absorb the natural beauty of Mexico.
Disney Cruise Line developed some magical experiences for the ship’s return to the West Coast including brand new shore excursions exclusive to Disney Cruise Line, enhanced entertainment offerings and themed youth activities. Here is a glimpse at what’s in store:
Original Shore Excursions
Available exclusively to guests sailing on Disney Cruise Line, the West Coast Signature Adventure Collection offers a luxurious repertoire of fun-filled shore excursions. These adventures offer an intimate way to explore the sights of the Mexican Riviera. Some of the highlights include:
* Waterfall and Hot Springs Tour in Cabo San Lucas
Guests embark in a private vehicle to the East Cape Region in Cabo San Lucas. Once there, they take a short hike to a beautiful waterfall where they can take a dip in the cool waters and marvel at the sandy shores gleaming with gold pyrite. Guests continue to hot mineral springs and melt their cares away with a spa treatment created by Mother Nature.
* The Villa at Caletas in Puerto Vallarta
Guests board a private speedboat that whisks them to a secluded oasis only accessible by sea where they have exclusive use of a small villa. Hosts are available to assist in creating a relaxing and enjoyable stay as guests enjoy the snorkeling and kayak activities, take a relaxing snooze in a hammock or laze in a private Jacuzzi.
Entertainment
Even the world famous Disney Characters are getting in the spirit of the Mexican Riviera with lively entertainment enhancements, including:
* Minnie’s Fiesta Grande
Minnie is getting ready to say “todos a bailar” with a brand new sail-away celebration as the Disney Magic departs the port of Mazatlán. Guests join Minnie and her pals for Minnie’s Fiesta Grande, a fun filled party celebrating the magic, music and culture of Mexico.
Youth Activities
Children get a taste of Mexican traditions through fun-filled activities aboard the Disney Magic. Here is a glimpse at some of the activities:
* Churro For Sure-Oh
Children learn about one of the most famous Mexican desserts – the churro! They can experiment with different toppings and enjoy their own creations!
* Piñata Party
Children discover the history of this traditional Mexican pastime creating brightly-colored paper piñatas and stuffing them with an assortment of goodies. A special surprise awaits as children get to break their piñatas at the end of the program.
Significant enhancements have been made to the Disney Magic since its original West Coast sailings in 2005. Today, guests can enjoy poolside movies on a 24-by-14-foot jumbo LED screen, an expanded spa and fitness center exclusively for adults and a new youth activities space designed for children ages 10-14.
Rates for the special West Coast cruises start at $1,449 per person. Guests can book a seven-night cruise to the Mexican Riviera, or a magical three-, four- or seven-night cruise vacation to the Bahamas and Caribbean from Port Canaveral, Fla., by calling 888/DCL-2500, visiting disneycruise.com or contacting their travel agent.

More than 400 aspiring teen pop stars crooned and danced on stage as part of auditions for Disney Channel’s music talent show “Hannah Montana – The Big Pop Star Dream” at a mall here. The contest was held at the MGF Mega City Mall in Gurgaon Saturday evening. The teens sang and danced to the beats of hit Bollywood numbers and songs from Disney Channel’s Original movies – “High School Musical” and “High School Musical 2″.

The MGF Mega City, a sprawling shopping mall in the satellite township near New Delhi, was packed to capacity. The children aged between 7 to 12 wore make up and were given props to perform on the stage decked up like a concert space – complete with strobe lights and smoke screens.

The Hannah Montana show, one of the highest rated shows on Disney Channel with the largest viewership in the age group of 7-16, is about an ordinary not-so-good looking girl Miley Stuart in Malibu, California, who goes to school during the day and gets a makeover as pop star Hannah Montana at night. She lives with her brother and widowed father, Robby, a song-writer. No one in college knows that she is Hannah Montana. It is a musical with a fairy tale plot.

A statement by Disney Channel said nearly 100,000 children had registered for the talent hunt show in four cities – Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

Altogether, 1,600 aspiring pop idols will be handpicked from four cities, of whom four will be selected for the clinching round. The first round has been held in Kolkata. The auditions, recorded by the Disney team, will be screened by Anoushka Manchanda of the all-women’s pop group, Viva.

The channel will fly the four semi-finalists to Mumbai to give them a complete Hannah Montana makeover and record the Hannah Montana title track in Hindi. The vignettes of these four semi finalists’ performances will then be aired on Disney Channel for an audience poll to select the Big Indian Pop Star.

“We want Indian kids to get a feel of the real Hannah Montana show. It allows Indian children to get an opportunity to express themselves and pursue their dreams. I am thrilled that so many children in India emulate Hannah Montana,” Antione Villeneuve, senior vice-president and managing director, Walt Disney Television International, said.

One lucky fan among the Disney Channel viewers who participates in the voting to select the final winner, will also win a chance to accompany the contest winner to meet Hannah Montana in the US.

Hollywood scandals work, but not for kid stars. A semi-nude Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) in Vanity Fair could be the cause of an additional slide in ratings for the Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana.
According to the Nielsen Company, the brand new episode of Hannah Montana which aired after the photos were released saw a 14% decline in viewers when compared to the previous fresh episode. However, longterm figures suggest that Hannah Montana ratings were declining prior to the nude pics – numbers are down 26% compared with the first original show of the year, which aired in January.
One issue is that once a show gets hot, programmers are stuck with a limited number of original episodes and must spread them over a long period. This means that as the time for new content increases, tweens fill their time with new shows.
And this is exactly what has happened.
Hannah Montana has now been replaced as Disney’s top-rated show by Wizards of Waverly Place, which stars Selena Gomez who has previously appeared on Hannah, reports the New York Daily News.
The ratings decline has not effected merchandise or retail partners. Wal-Mart has created areas just for “Hannah” items and production has just began on the “Hannah Montana” feature film.
“‘Hannah Montana’ kicked off as the highest-rated cable premiere series ever among kids and tweens, held the No. 1 rank across all TV, second only to ‘American Idol’ [in that age group] for two years, and is now a global hit,” said Gary Marsh, president, entertainment, Disney Channels Worldwide.

The New York Times has a feature on the modest and charming Shigeru Miyamoto that likens him to Walt Disney. “The father of Donkey Kong, Mario, Zelda and, most recently, the Wii” has a stunning track record in the games business. The story says:

Mr Miyamoto’s work is evolving from a reliance on invented characters and fanciful, outlandish settings like Mario’s Mushroom Kingdom or Zelda’s mythical Hyrule. With games like Nintendogs (inspired by his pet Shetland sheepdog), Wii Sports, Wii Fit and coming next, Wii Music, Mr Miyamoto is gravitating toward everyday hobbies: pets, bowling, yoga, Hula-Hoop, music. It is as if an artist who had mastered the abstract had finally moved into realism.
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“I would say that over the last five years or so, the types of games I create has changed somewhat,” he said. “Whereas before I could kind of use my own imagination to create these worlds or create these games, I would say that over the last five years I’ve had more of a tendency to take interests or topics in my life and try to draw the entertainment out of that.”

Think pulling the plug on a relatively small and slightly aged social virtual world is easy? That’s what Disney apparently thought, when it announced plans to shutter its free Virtual Magic Kingdom service. Even though the VMK userbase is small (just over one thousand were online when I checked this morning, and now almost 4000 are online at 7:30 in the evening, eastern time) they are extremely dedicated, and are taking news of the closure quite badly, according to the Wall Street Journal and other sources. There have been petitions, angry blog posts, and even a tiny real-world demonstration outside of Disney HQ. I am not surprised. People don’t just love social networks and virtual worlds, they come to depend on them, and the threat of losing access is extremely hard for some to bear. Second Life’s adult residents griping over grid outages is nothing new, but even kids-oriented worlds can draw die-hard fans who have trouble letting go of these environments, as I found out when I blogged about Webkinz World’s technical difficulties in December and January. The responses in the comments and email was remarkable — parents and their kids lamented the apparent loss of avatars, virtual furniture, and social connections. A few even talked about joining a class-action lawsuit or starting boycotts. I doubt Disney’s Virtual Magic Kingdom will get a reprieve, but the VMK experience is a lesson for Disney as it expands its virtual worlds strategy with Club Penguin and other projects. The moral of the story: When trying to build up a successful virtual world, consider some of the inevitable challenges associated with breaking it down.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Disney Store on Thursday said it recalled Pirates of the Caribbean Sleeping Bags and Tinker Bell wands due to excessive levels of lead paint.The 4,100 recalled sleeping bags and 8,000 Tinker Bell wands were sold at Disney Stores nationwide between April and October 2007 for about $25 and $13, respectively.The sleeping bags have lead paint on their zipper and the wand has lead paint on pearl beads in flowers on the top of the wand.Consumers should stop using the bags and wands return them the store for a full refund.The products were made in China and imported by Hoop Retail Stores, LLC, in Secaucus, N.J.
No injuries have been reported.

That’s how my family and I felt following our trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., during March break this year. Efficient fantasy doesn’t begin to do our experience justice. Our two boys, age 10 and 13, were pumped from the beginning, thrilled at the thought of the Disney spectacle and wild rides they were about to experience. My husband and I took on the project with an attitude akin to cynical resignation. But we were no match for Mickey’s charms. We arrived in Orlando only to be ushered quickly to our air-conditioned bus, welcomed at the Disney resort by helpful and efficient staff and given keys to our spotless and comfortable suite.
And so, a mere one hour after arriving at our destination, the two of us were walking around with silly grins glued to our faces. Walt Disney World is designed for fun and nothing but fun. Creative, innovative and snazzy. The weather was perfect, the flowers bloomed and the infrastructure hummed like a well-oiled machine.

We began to refer to beauty, cleanliness, efficiency and civilized service as very “Mickey.” Conversely, once back in Montreal, we took to describing rude behavior, street litter and incompetent service as very “un-Mickey.”

The massive Walt Disney World Resort covers 120-square-kilometres of Florida landscape. With so much to see and do, advance planning goes a long way to help ease confusion and unnecessary exhaustion during your trip.

Here are 10 things to consider when planning a trip to Walt Disney World.

Before you decide to go, consider the ages of your children. Don’t be fooled by the adorable ad campaigns featuring delighted toddlers hugging Mickey Mouse. That moment represents a few seconds in what can be a very long and frustrating day visiting a Disney theme park with an overtired preschooler.

A preschooler won’t remember the trip for long, but you will. Keeping the tiny tot rested and happy will make for happier memories.

Book your vacation through a travel agent who is familiar with the myriad of possible Disney vacation packages. Our travel agent (CAA’s Kathryn Drew) was excellent. She had much to offer in the way of anecdotal advice that she had gleaned over the years from returning families. (See above advice on the age of your children.) We used air points to book our flights and not all air-points plans allow access to all flights at all times, so we booked way ahead to be sure to get seats on the dates we wanted.

Buy a good Walt Disney World guide book. Use it as a resource tool when planning the trip, but also take it with you. A guide book is packed with wonderful tips and includes all the important telephone numbers and websites you need. Bookstores offer a good selection of guides. We used The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2007 (Wiley) by Bob Sehlinger with Len Testa. A 2008 version is now available.

Stay on site. If you stay at one of the Walt Disney World resorts – they come in three price categories, moderate, medium or luxury – you enjoy perks including comfortable, air-conditioned transportation to and from the airport with Disney staff handling your luggage retrieval and delivery, extended-hour access to the theme parks and free shuttle service from park to park. (Accommodation options are discussed in the story on Page J5.)

When booking, take the Disney Dining Plan and the Park Hopper options. They save money and reduce hassle. The Park Hopper option allows people to visit more than one theme park a day. The Disney Dining Plan covers the cost of snacks, light meals and dinners and can save you up to 40 per cent in food costs.

- Keep in mind the large size of the portions served in the United States. I shared my sons’ dinners, and we still had food left on the plates.

- Make sure the cashier understands clearly from the outset, before he or she begins punching buttons on the cash register, that you will be paying with your meal plan and make it clear whether you are ordering a snack, a light meal or a dinner. You don’t want the wrong item to be deleted from your meal plan.
- We bought refillable mugs the first full day of our visit. Every morning, even before the restaurant opened, we could go to the coffee machines and fill our mugs for free. Yes, there are coffee machines in the rooms, but, hey, we were on vacation.

Book dinner reservations at the same time as you book your flight and accommodations. You can find a complete list of all the dining facilities on the Walt Disney World website (www.waltdisneyworld. com) or in an updated guide book. Making reservations for every evening meal is a good idea. The family can be tired and cranky after a long day of fun in the sun, and standing in line for a table can ruin your day.

- Le Cellier Steakhouse at the Canadian Pavilion at Epcot is considered one of the best places to eat. You must reserve in advance. The Disney restaurants reservation number is 407-939-3463. The top-notch, all-Canadian menu, the pavilion’s beautiful Victoria-garden setting and its updated, multimedia presentation make a stop at the Canadian Pavilion a must.

- On our last night, we ate at the California Grill located on the top floor of the upscale Contemporary Resort. Reserve in advance. The panoramic view of Walt Disney World is spectacular, and so is the food. If you book your reservations for later in the evening, you will see the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the comfort of your table. Reserve a table by the window.

- When making dinner reservations, make sure to ask what the restaurant’s policy is concerning dinner coupons. The California Grill, for example, allows adults to pay for their meals with the meal-plan option, but children’s meals are not covered.

It is physically impossible for any one family to see everything at every theme park in the course of a one-week visit. We would make plans for each day during dinner the night before. Our two boys would come up with a list of priorities, deciding which ride they would take in which order. The order would be influenced by the popularity of the ride. The most popular rides would be enjoyed first thing in the morning.

There are four theme parks, Downtown Disney and the water parks to consider. Concentrate on one theme park a day, leaving one day at the end of the vacation to unwind at a water park. It was the perfect decision for our weary eyes, minds and legs.

This is very important. Take full advantage of the fast-pass option. Excessively popular Disney rides have huge lineups. The way to beat those long lineups is to use fast passes, which are available at self-serve machines set up adjacent to each ride. The pass tells you exactly what time you should come back to line up. (Usually around one hour after picking up the pass.) This frees you up to wander and do other things until it’s time to take the ride. The fast-pass lines are always shorter than the regular lines and move quickly.

A word to the wise. Disney merchandise is everywhere. At times it feels like you are wandering a huge shopping mall with some rides tucked in here and there for good measure. Every ride exits into a souvenir shop. The temptations to buy, buy, buy are enormous. Lay the ground rules with the children about how many trinkets will be purchased in advance of each day’s visit.
Fireworks displays begin after dark. On the days you want to see the fireworks, schedule an afternoon break at the hotel to relax. Even children with exemplary stamina stop enjoying when the day stretches beyond 13 hours.

Six local dance students from Forbes and district will step up their campaign to dance at Disneyland with a family fun day to be held this Saturday, May 24.The fun day will be held at Forbes Sports and Recreation Club on Saturday afternoon to help the students pay for an upcoming trip to perform at Disneyland and visit a leading Californian dance studio.The young dancers – Jacinta and Kirshiah Sharpe, Chenoa Pearse, Meg Toole, Jasmine Rolfe and Francesca Fenton – have been invited to travel to the United States in September to perform with Dubbo-based Stepping Out Dance Factory.Stepping Out has been granted two half hour dance segments at Disneyland’s Hollywood backlot and garden plaza stages this September and will also attend classes at The Edge dance studio in Los Angeles.Stepping Out Dance Factory went through three auditions to win the honour of performing at Disneyland and will take a team of 55 dancers to the US.Next week’s fundraiser will help pay for the girls’ expenses for the tour, including airfares, costumes and workshop fees at The Edge.Some of the girls’ parents will also fly out with the dancers on September 23 but will pay their own way.The family fun day will feature face painting, jumping castle, games, giveaways and prizes, a chocolate wheel, sausage sizzle, Mr Whippy and market stalls.Young Forbes rock trio ‘Ten Seconds to Take-Off’, featuring Callum and Harrison Baker and Harry Hayes, will also perform on the afternoon.Another highlight will be the monster auction, to get underway at 5.30pm.Guests will be invited to make a bid on the numerous donated items, which include financial planning services, a holiday to Mt Victoria, super spreading services and restaurant vouchers.Judy Pearse, mother of Forbes Stepping Out dancer Chenoa, said the girls are “getting very excited” about the upcoming trip to Disneyland and The Edge.The girls rehearse every week in Forbes and also attend weekend workshops in Dubbo once a fortnight.The family fun day fundraiser starts at 3pm this Saturday (May 24) at the Forbes Sports and ­Recreation Club.