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Over the past week, there's been a lot of talk on Disney-related discussion boards about the policy change that the Walt Disney World Resort now has in the works when it comes to FASTPASS return times . To be specific: Starting on March 7th, Guests who arrive 5 minutes ahead of their ride reservation...

I have to admit that It's been kind of amusing to watch the reaction (both here and elsewhere around the Web) that Tuesday's "What's really behind the sudden change in Disney Parks & Resorts' facial hair policy" story has been getting. With all sorts of would-be Disney scholars...

January used to be the start of the slow season at the stateside Disney Parks. How so? So slow that - immediately after New Year's Day -- Disneyland Park wouldn't even open on Mondays & Tuesdays. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Which -- as far as the maintenance crew...

Wow. Has it really been 15+ years since Beth Dunlop wrote " Building a Dream: The Art of Disney Architecture " ? Obviously Disney's world has gotten a whole lot bigger since 1996. Which is why I think it's terrific that Disney Editions recently decided to revisit Dunlop's book....

I know, I know. It's the holidays. So hearing people go "Ho-Ho-Ho" this time of year isn't all that unusual. But that steady wave of laughter which has been rolling out of the ABC Sound Studio at Disney's Hollywood Studios since this past Sunday, that IS kind of unusual. Especially...

Ben wrote in a while ago to ask: "What happened to those Unofficial Guide Disney Dish podcasts that you were doing with Len Testa ? I really enjoyed the first two recordings and thought that there were supposed to be more shows in this iTunes series. Didn't you also record walk-thrus of Disney's...

Back when I lived in Central Florida in the early-to-mid 1990s, one of my favorite things to do this time of year was to go into Frontierland at WDW 's Magic Kingdom and then catch a performance of "Country Bear Christmas Special." Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved...

This week's first Why For question comes from Buddy W. Who asks about a change that was made to one of Disney's Animal Kingdom 's opening day attractions: It seems like "Countdown to Extinction" was tamed down when they changed it to " DINOSAUR ." Besides the movie coming...

It's the joke that senior members of Mouse House management have never found to be all that funny. That it now costs so much to vacation at the WDW Resort they should probably change the name of the place to Wallet Disney World. (L to R) Larry Silverstein, president and CEO of Silverstein Properties;...

"You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen ..." Well, if you're a Disney history buff, then you must already know about Walt's land searches of the early 1950s. As Disney tried to find just the right spot in Southern California for his family fun park . Likewise if you're...

Picture this: It's late June of 1995. And the folks in charge of Disney-MGM Studios are racking their brains, trying to come up with some sort of signature holiday event for that theme park. "The Magic Kingdom had Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and Epcot had its Candlelight Processional...

Earlier this Fall, Disneyana fans could be heard all around the Web griping about the Company's plans for Walt Disney World 's 40 th anniversary. Or lack thereof. "I don't get it," (or words to that effect) was the constant refrain that you saw online. "Why isn't Disney...

TikiTerry writes in to say: I've really been enjoying all of these Disney World history stories that you've been sharing with JHM readers lately. So I was wondering if you could maybe talk about the Polynesian Resort 's wave machine. How long did it work? Where was it located? Why did Disney...

Fluffy-Not-Fat sent me a new Why For question earlier this week, saying: As a longtime fan, it's great that you've begun writing theme park history stories again. Those stories were always my favorite part of your site. So now that I've kissed your butt a little, I was wondering if you'd...

And how was your weekend? Nancy and mine was going great there for a while. On Saturday, we were getting ready to celebrate her ... er ... 29 th - yeah, that's it - 29 th birthday when a freak October Nor'Easter came through and dropped two feet of snow on us. We did okay through most of Saturday...

So what's the deal with that new dining reservations policy which The Walt Disney World Resort put in place earlier this week? Which states that ... If a Guest cancels within one day of the reservation or if the dining party is a "no show" for the meal, a cancellation fee of $10 per person...

Here's an idea that - I know - will shock you theme park fans out there. But there are people (lots and lots of people, I might add) who actually go to Disney World to relax. Seriously, these are the folks who look at the Walt Disney World Resort and don't just see theme parks. They see 24 different...

This is going to seem kind of counter-intuitive. But if you're in the Orlando area this weekend and want a genuinely memorable Mouse-related experience, don't go to a Disney theme park. Seriously. Instead - on Saturday evening - make your way over to the Holiday Inn at Downtown Disney . Where...

It's once again Food & Wine time at the Walt Disney World Resort . Photo by Angela Ragno Now in its 16 th year, Epcot 's International Food & Wine Festival is in full swing. For the next five weeks, foodies will eagerly be eating their way around World Showcase, sampling cuisine from...

Epcot Enthusiast wrote in this week to say: I saw a Tweet today that said that you and Len Testa were touring Future World and World Showcase recording stories for a new " Unofficial Guide Disney Dish with Jim Hill" podcast. Epcot is my very favorite WDW theme park. Could you please share some...