Dear Wonderful Readers + Fans,

Since the beginning of 2008, I have been writing hard and working hard to make WDW Central into the wonderful community it is today – the community of passionate Disney fans that it has been for some time now.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to a close. I have been thinking about this for a while now (which explains my absence from posting), and have finally made one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make: the decision to close the doors to WDW Central.

As upset as you may be, think how I feel. I have put literally hundreds if not thousands of hours into this site.

The reason is simple: I am entering a new point in my life, and I need to move on. I need to lift the commitment that this site gave me. Don’t get me wrong now – I’ve enjoyed every second of it! However it’s time for me to move on to other things that occupy my time as well.

Let me make something perfectly clear: I WILL NEVER DELETE THIS SITE. After all the work that’s been put into it, I wouldn’t dream of deleting it. It will continue to sit here and hopefully be an inspiration to more fans throughout the years through the posts, comments, pages, and more.

I urge you to read through the archives and see what’s here for you. Read through the old posts and you just might find something amazing. Feel free to link to the blog as usual. The more people coming to read it’s archives the better. The more knowledge and magic I can spread through these many posts the better.

Once again, I am truly sorry to let this wonderful community go. But – it’s just time.

If you’re interested, I can now ONLY be found through the following:

Almost Productive (Tumblr) & Flickr

I encourage you to follow me there. You can read my INTRO post on my Tumblog to read more about this change in my life. If you have any questions, I am always available through email: tcwmatt [at] gmail.com MY TWITTER ACCOUNT WILL EITHER BE FAIRLY INACTIVE OR DELETED.

Feel free to comment on this post and share your thoughts. Once again, I am deeply sorry for this decision, but it’s the right one. I know it.

Final Statistics, as of 7:05PM, September 27, 2010:

WDW CENTRAL, Dedicated to the legacy of Walt Disney & In Honor of Austin:

TOTAL VIEWS: 94, 203
BUSIEST DAY: Sunday, April 4, 2010 with 484 Views
TOTAL POSTS: 229
TOTAL COMMENTS: 672
TOTAL CATEGORIES: 13
TOTAL TAGS: 1,132
TOTAL SUBSCRIBERS: 49 (posts & comments)
TOTAL BLOCKED SPAM: 4,728

THANK YOU, READERS FOR MAKING THIS A MAGICAL COMMUNITY OF DISNEY FRIENDS. You will be missed.

Disney’s Awesome Things #21: The Clean, Wand-less Spaceship Earth

#21When I first got the news that the Spaceship Earth “Epcot” signage and wand were to be removed, I wasn’t happy. I had never seen the ball without them, so to me, this was shocking. But not for long.

Since I had never seen it before the wand and other needless glitz, I was horrified at the thought of all that leaving. To me, it was a part of Spaceship Earth, and without it, things would be plain and boring.

Boy, I’m so glad I was wrong! When I saw that enormous “golf ball” for the first time after the decluttering, I was amazed. Saying it looked great would be a horrible understatement.

If I had to describe the clean Spaceship Earth in adjectives, it would be only the following – simple yet majestic.

That’s why it’s the iconic structure for such a brilliant park as Epcot. Inside it’s reflective silver shingles an adventure awaits.

Photo by JNad

Disney’s Awesome Things #20: Being the Chosen One to Hold the Red Card

#20In the wonderful world of wait times, some folks often wonder how Disney manages to constantly keep an accurate wait time up for guests. And that’s where the infamous red card comes in.

If you’ve ever been the “chosen one” to hold the Red Card, then you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Every so often, a cast member will scan the magnetic card and give it to one lucky guest. Then when said guest gets to the end of the line, another cast member scans the card, which updates the ride’s wait time.

“This card is used to help provide you with the most accurate wait time. Please hand the card to a cast member at the end of the line. Thank you.”

The fate of the ride wait time is in your hands. Now doesn’t that feel awesome?

Photo by mrkathika

Want to Have a Bad Vacation? Here’s How

When I’m in the parks, I always see a family having a bad time. Here are the five stupidest ways families force themselves into a miserable vacation.

Make kids go on things they’re scared of
You know what? I think we should take little Suzie on the Haunted Mansion! That’s genius – and as the parents are dragging her through the door, she could be kicking, screaming, and crying for another reason. She probably just has to go to the bathroom, she’ll be fine.

I’m not really sure what are going through parents’ minds as they drag their terrified son or daughter on a potentially scary ride. Maybe they think it’ll cure their fears if they go on it at a young age. Maybe they just want to ride it and don’t care. Maybe they haven’t heard of the Baby Swap.

Never come to an agreement about anything
“What do you want to ride next?” “Oh I don’t know, maybe Thunder Mountain.” “Well I want to ride Pirates again.” “Well you know Figment probably doesn’t have a wait.” “Yes but that’s in a different park.” “Well do you want to go to Epcot?” “No.” “Fine then.” “I’m hungry.” “Want some popcorn?” “Hey look, it’s Pirates!”

Sure it can be hard to decide what to do, but at least make a decision. I mean there’s only so many hours in a day, and you shouldn’t spend all of them choosing what to do. Just pick something and do it. Then you’ll actually get things accomplished.

Never take a break
The next idea people get is to run themselves ragged. They want to cram all these things into one vacation, they want to cram having fun into a certain time frame – which doesn’t work.

It’s important to take breaks. Breaks are what keep you happy in the heat and crowds. Without breaks it won’t take long for your whole party to feel exhausted and miserable. Sit on a bench, go inside a gift shop, get some ice cream, whatever – it will help!

Be disappointed if you don’t do everything
Depending how often you visit the World and how long you stay, chances are you’re not going to get to do everything you want each trip. And you know what? That’s okay!

Do as much as you can (while still keeping your sanity), and whatever doesn’t get done you can do next trip. Don’t burn yourself out over something that minuscule. Just do what you can and enjoy every second of it.

Let weather ruin your day
“Aw man! It’s raining! This means everything is going to close. We might as well go back to the hotel now. This is awful.” No, it’s not at all bad – it’s actually a very good thing.

Quick rain showers do a few things: they clear the parks, they cool you down, and they force you to get out of the heat and enjoy a few indoor (but no less fun) attractions.

What do you think?
These are the top 5 things I see folks doing in the Parks that make them miserable. What about you? Do you do these things? Do you like Grumpy? Share with me.