Tales From The Mouse House Disneyland Podcast...Episode 79

Welcome to episode 79 of Tales From The Mouse House Disneyland Podcast - another VIDEO VOICEOVER EXTRAVAGANZA!!! On this video greatness, we share some of our favorite memories from Halloween Seasons Past at the Disneyland Resort, our FAVORITE time of year to visit the Happiest Place On Earth! Why you ask? Well...just watch the video...

Halloween Season at Disneyland

Well, honestly part of the reason we love the Halloween Season so much at Disneyland, is because that was the very first time we had visited the Park together. In fact, Halloween Season 2007 was the VERY first time I (Al) had ever visited Disneyland! I know...shocking right? That's a long story, and if you've been tuning in to the show for any length of time, you've most likely heard it before, so I won't bore you guys again! (And a collective sigh of relief could be heard throughout the land!)

Such a BEAUTIFUL sight!

So, if you've NEVER had the fun of a Halloween Season Disneyland visit, trust me, it's something you're going to want to do.  Yeah, the Holiday Season is awesome, so is Spring Time, but for me at least, Halloween is THE best time. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not like a HUGE fan of Halloween. It's an ok 'Holiday', but never been my favorite. BUT...the way Disneyland dresses up the place for Halloween is...oh, I don't know...magical. Yeah, maybe it's because it always

Haunted Mansion Holiday

reminds me of our first visit, but still, you cannot deny that Disneyland does the fall/Halloween season up right! There's a wonderful chill in the air, especially at night; the fall themed decorations everywhere; Cast Members dressed in warmer clothing...everything! If you need a reality break, trust us, THIS is the time to go! One of the things we love during this season is to stop by the Market House, grab a nice cup of hot cocoa and sit either at the Hub or by the big

Fall Colors at Disneyland

Mickey Pumpkin in Town Square near the entrance to Disneyland, and just watch the happy guests! It's awesome to see the little ones all dressed up in Halloween costumes, HUGE smiles on their faces as they meet their favorite Disney characters all dressed up as well. (sniff, sniff), great, now I REALLY miss Disneyland!

Hey, if you have a favorite Halloween Disneyland memory, how about sharing with us? We'd LOVE to share it with other listeners on our Halloween Special coming up in October. In fact, it doesn't HAVE to be a Disneyland story. It could be ANY Disney Park or even just a favorite Halloween story. We always love to hear from you guys! 

Minnie Mouse in Costume

Hey, if YOU'RE in need of a great travel agent, why not give our sponsor, Randy Crane from Mouse Ear Vacations a holler! I bet he can make YOUR vacation a MAGICAL one! Visit Randy at www.randyc-mouseearvacations.com. NOW is the time to book your Disneyland Holiday adventure! 

As always, If you’d like to send in comments for the show, you can send us an email to talespodcast@cox.net, leave us voicemail on the Hotline at 304-TALES23, leave us feedback in iTunes or leave comments for us on our Twitter account @talespodcast. Heck, you can even find us on FaceBook, just search for Tales From The House House - Disneyland podcast! If you'd like to listen to the show, you can find it on iTunes, on our podcast site at talescast.com, the direct episode link: Episode 79, or on Stitcher Radio now! Just visit www.stitcher.com and search for Tales From The Mouse House - Disneyland Podcast!

Joyce

Al

Thanks for making us part of your Disney experience and remember…

"Make It A Mickey Day!" ~~ Al & Joyce

Tales From The Mouse House Disneyland Podcast....Episode 73 VIDEO

***HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY WIFE JOYCE!!!***

Welcome to Tales From The Mouse House Disneyland Podcast Episode 73 - Video Voiceover Special!! Thanks for our good friend and awesome listener Doug E. for suggesting another of his favorite episodes...the Video Voiceover (imagine this was said with a LOT of echo and dramatic music). So Doug...here you are...a video...you know, voiceover episode! On this episode we take you on a tour of the Main Street Opera House and all the wonderful Disneyland exhibits. Now, if you've not paid a visit to this awesome attraction, you really should. There is SO much Disneyland history inside that you'll kick yourself for not seeing it sooner! Who needs the D23 Expo...when you've got THIS?! 

Exhibit Inside Mainstreet Opera House

Disneyland's Mainstreet Opera House

We also take you back in time to our very first visit to Disneyland together (and MY FIRST EVER VISIT) from September 2007. Now remember, this was pre-HD video for us, so some of the footage is a little grainy. You'll get to see the New Orleans Square train station, take a harrowing ride on one of Toontown's SCARIEST attractions, Gadget's Go Coaster and you'll finally get to see an extinct attraction that I covered a few episodes back, the infamous Maliboomer! And, we take you on a white water adventure over in California Adventure's Grizzly River Run where you'll meet some new friends.

Grizzly River Run

Speaking of my first visit to Disneyland, believe it or not, I can still remember it like it was 6 years ago! Ok, that was an attempt at humor. Seriously, I can still remember it like it was just a few months ago. I was so excited - AFTER I walked through the gates. Before...well, not so much. I was very much like a kid again after walking through the gates, and under that berm. We must have walked 80 miles (no exaggeration) on that vacation, just running here, then there, then back here. So much fun. It was then that my life changed forever. I thank my wonderful wife Joyce for introducing me to my Happy Place, and I thank Walt Disney for creating the getaway of my dreams. My life hasn't been the same since. But...that's a story for another day.

So, I just want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my best friend and wife Joyce. Hope you had a wonderful day honey. And I want to remind you all that if you're thinking of taking a trip to Disneyland, or heck anywhere for that matter, give our good friend and sponsor Randy Crane from Mouse Ear Vacations a shout. He CAN get you the best deal in town. Check out his website at www.randyc-mouseearvacations.com   

Oh, and if you're looking for a good audiobook to listen to, check out storytellerpodcasts.com for the books I've narrated. Some awesome stuff there! 

An Audiobook Narrated by Al!

As always, If you’d like to send in comments for the show, you can send us an email to talespodcast@cox.net, leave us voicemail on the Hotline at 304-TALES23, leave us feedback in iTunes or leave comments for us on our Twitter account @talespodcast. Heck, you can even find us on FaceBook, just search for Tales From The House House - Disneyland podcast! If you'd like to listen to the show, you can find it on iTunes, on our podcast site at talescast.com, the direct episode link: Episode 73, or on Stitcher Radio now! Just visit www.stitcher.com and search for Tales From The Mouse House - Disneyland Podcast!


Thanks for making us part of your Disney experience and remember…


"Make It A Mickey Day!" ~~ Al & Joyce

Joyce the birthday girl (on the right)

Travel Back In Time...To 2012!

Remember WAY Back in 2012?

Well, if you know me, you know I LOVE gadgets! All kinds - computers, phones, iPads, and...APPS! I love those cool little applications that can just make your life so much fun, and of course, can make you look up at the clock and say "HOLY...what the? What happened to the time?" Yep, I get hooked on apps. 

Last year, I found this app called "Video Time Machine" distributed by Original Victories. This is one cool application, truly. It gives you access to over 10,000 videos, from 1860 to 2012, all organized into categories like MOVIES, MUSIC, TV, ADS, etc. Simply select a year, then a category (or "all") and you'll find all kinds of fun and interesting videos. And yes, I did say 1860...as in the YEAR 1860! They actually have film clips/shorts from WAY back when!! Once you find a video you really like, you can share it to Twitter or FaceBook. Pretty cool.

So, in honor of the Earth not being wiped out and all (you know, the whole Mayan thing), Original Victories and Shout! Factory has created a brand new app - 2012 Time Machine. Very similar to the original Time Machine, the 2012 Time Machine focuses on all the awesome events from the past year, including a few brand new categories like Style, Tabloid, and my all time favorite - Viral Videos! 

First off, the interface is really smooth. With very easy to understand controls, you can't get lost. As before, simply select a category (I recommend starting with Viral Videos!), then either use the left/right arrow buttons to advance to the next video, or go back to the previous video. If you're feeling especially lucky, roll the dice for random videos. Also as before, if you find that cute dog viral video you love, you can share it with your friends via Twitter or FaceBook. The videos really do play very smoothly. I received the app to review today and played with it for about an hour and a half, and watched, well, WAY too many videos and only experienced one that seemed to glitch a little bit, but nothing tragic. 

Space Jump

I personally love these Video Time Machine apps. For me, they're a great way to remember our history. For example, I went to high school in the 80's (the 1980's thank you very much!) and the original Video Time Machine has a great many videos from that era that I completely forgot about, but really get a kick out of seeing again. The 2012 Time Machine will be that same source of nostalgia for many people in the years to come I'm sure, and for now, it's fun to look back and realize just how many awesome (and NOT so awesome) things happened in 2012. It's pretty cool to relive some of these highlights, or even catch a few that you completely missed!

What? We Elected A New President? 

Currently these apps are only available in the Apple App Store, and you can purchase the original Video Time Machine for $2.99, and the brand new 2012 Time Machine for only $.99, which is a great deal. It's certainly a fun and nostalgic way to spend many, many, many, many hours! I give this app 4 out of 5 App Nods! 

If you interested in learning more about the 2012 Time Machine, click the image below, or watch the totally cool trailer video below (destined to be on the 2012 Time Machine app I'm sure!). Have fun!  --Al 

2012 Time Machine

The Happiest Blog On Earth - Getting Ready

Wow, it's hard to believe that it's October already! I love Fall for many reasons, one of the biggest is we FINALLY have a chance at day time temperatures BELOW 100, and overnight lows far enough to start what we like to call, Fire Pit Season. We love sitting in our backyard, a cozy fire blazing in our fire pit, billions of stars above. But I think, what I love best about Fall is that it represents the anniversary of my conversion...to a Disneyland Fan! 


It was September of 2007 when Joyce and I made our first trip together to the Happiest Place On Earth. In the four years now that we've been making the trek to the Disneyland Resort, we've visited in just about every month, every season really. But by far my favorite it Fall, right around the end of September to the end of October. Truth be told, the end of October is my all time favorite because the weather is perfect and, well, it's our wedding anniversary time. So, why have I shared this with you? Because, my magical readers Joyce and I are heading off to Disneyland near the end of October to celebrate our 15 year wedding anniversary! 


We thought long and hard about where we wanted to celebrate 15 wonderful years of marriage and both agreed there was only one place we wanted to be - Disneyland (ok, so it really took us about 15 seconds to decide!). Where better to celebrate the best day of my life but in my favorite place on earth, with my favorite person. Oh, and believe me, the Disneyland Resort IS the best place to celebrate anything. They go WAY above and beyond to make certain you feel special. Joyce and I have shared many things over the years, but the one thing that we share that has enabled us to spread magic to others is our love for Disneyland and Walt Disney. 


So, take it from me, if you're looking to find a place to celebrate your love, or your birthday, or that job promotion, or winning the big game...well, you get the picture, look no further than Disneyland. And if you're not sure, why not check out our latest video podcast. We've started a series we call "Through The Eyes Of The Mouse: Relaxing At The Disneyland Resort". In this series of special videos, we take you on a people watching-relaxing trip through the Disneyland Resort, and you don't even have to wear shoes! In this second of the series, we take you to Mickey's Toontown and Adventureland. If you'd like to see the first part, check out our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/talespodcast. And be sure to check out Tales From The Mouse House - Disneyland Podcast in iTunes, or at www.talescast.com. ~~~ Al 

Disneyland in the Fall