Ask Magically Speaking

In each issue we like to answer questions from you. What are your questions? Are you wondering about a certain attraction? Are you curious about a resort or cruise? Do you have some nagging little trivia question that you are just dying to know the answer to? If so, please send them to us. We have a great team of Disney experts and sleuths that would love to answer your questions! If you have a question, send it to us at magicallyspeaking@themouseforless.com.

Ask Magically Speaking is a regular feature in the Magically Speaking newsletter. The following Ask Magically Speaking was published in the January 29, 2007 issue
of Magically Speaking ISSN: 1556-3863

Q. Here's a question I am hoping you might be able to help with. My daughter (16) is a pre-professional dancer planning to enter college for dance toward her dream of working in Disney upon completion of her training. During one of our trips, is there any way she could participate/observe/get to meet any of the dance professionals who work at Disney? We've done some of the behind the scenes tours but what she'd really love is to get in touch with the entertainment world. Even just a contact name there would be great to get us started. (Submitted by Paul S.)

A.Hi, Paul. We have heard of some remarkable things being done for guests that you never would have expected, so it will never hurt to ask. Our best suggestion would be to make an appeal to a cast member at City Hall in the Magic Kingdom and hope for the best. That said, there are a couple of other avenues you may wish to explore in the meantime.

First is that many of the Disney World / Disneyland enthusiast websites have message boards of which some participants are actual cast members. An appeal made there might be fruitful. One such website that comes to mind is stupidguesttricks.com. As the site's name suggests (a play on David Letterman's Stupid Pet/Human Tricks), it's mostly an unofficial vehicle for cast members to vent some frustration, so it won't all be light reading, but a large percentage of the active members are employees at WDW. Perhaps there you can find someone who can get your daughter one step closer to making that contact. 

If neither of these approaches pans out for you, one thing your daughter should definitely keep in mind is the Walt Disney World College Program (www.wdwcollegeprogram.com) which offers paid internships to college students. There’s no better way to expose her to what working at WDW would be like as she earns both a paycheck and college credit. Not to mention the potential networking. Roles in the program are covered more in-depth on the college program's web site, but include working backstage in costuming as well as on stage in entertainment. 

Beyond college, the Disney theme parks frequently hold open auditions for performers in all capacities. You can find more details as well as current schedules for each of the parks at www.disneyauditions.com. As a side note, the website makes for a very valuable tool when it comes to speculating what or who might be appearing at the parks next!

Q. I was hoping you might have some idea where I could find the band list for the upcoming Flower Power event held at Epcot at WDW in May. They have bands scheduled and I would like to know who will be playing and when to best schedule my time there. Any idea where I can find this out? Disney typically does not put the list up on the web until April, which is too late for me to book airfare. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! (Submitted by Carol M.)

A. Hi, Carol. Because there’s no official list of dates and performances for Epcot's Flower Power concert series yet for this year's International Flower and Garden Festival (April 5 - June 3), please don't be surprised if things do change from the list offered below. Of course, even when there is an official list published, performances are always subject to change for any number of reasons. With that in mind, here is the most complete list of dates and performers found, compiled from a number of internet sources, most notably www.intercot.com. (Note that a few dates are still missing):

April 5 - 9 Paul Revere and the Raiders
April 15 - 18 The Buckinghams
April 19 - 21 The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie
April 22 - 24 The Box Tops featuring Alex Chilton
April 25 - 28 The Tokens
April 29 - May 1 Peter and Gordon
May 4 - 5 Petula Clark
May 6 - 10 The Nelsons
May 11 - 15 Davy Jones
May 16 - 19 B.J. Thomas
May 20 - 22 The Grass Roots starring Rob Grill
May 23 - 26 The Guess Who
May 27 - 30 Gary Puckett
May 31 - June 3 Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone

Also be on the lookout for the debut of the pirate ship topiary featuring Peter Pan, Tinker Bell and Captain Hook. Even the fab five will be featured as pirate in topiary form. ‘Coincidentally,’ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End opens May 25, so you may want to put that on your schedule as well.

Q. Can you tell me where to go to order the maps of the four parks that was offered by Disney? The maps were to include stickers of your favorites in each park. We are going to WDW in August and I would like to order them. Thank you. (Submitted by Don)

A.Hi, Don. You can order your very own customized park maps (and stickers to mark your new favorites) for free at Disney's Customized Map Page. Disney advises that map delivery may take 2-3 weeks, so plan accordingly. However, since you're limited to ordering one set every six months and these maps may make for better keepsakes than for practical planning, you might wish to wait until after your trip to identify and reminisce about your favorite attractions (although you are free to customize and print maps using your own printer, anytime).