There’s a fun song written by the famous Sherman Brothers who wrote many songs for Disney movies and attractions.  Remember "there’s a great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day…"?  Oh my Mickey ears, now I have that song in my head!  How about another Sherman Brothers’ song…"it’s a world of laughter…."   Okay, you get my digression.

The song I really want to to quote is "Making Memories"!

Now we shoot whatever we see; Night or day in color photography; Candid shots are barrels of fun; Takin’ pictures by the light of the sun; Smile, hon, look at the camera; Hold your breath and say cheese; And with every single shot we take, we are making memories…

This is the theme song for this blog entry!  Feel free to hum it, if you know it, while reading the info below.

I don’t know about you, but I love looking at photos.  I love to take them.  I even occasionally scrap them into what I consider mini works of art.  When you’ve been to Walt Disney World as many times as I have though, you find yourself not taking the traditional photos: Spaceship Earth, Cinderella Castle, Tree of Life, etc.  How many times can you shoot these icons?  Although the fine folks at Disney do occasionally change them up to keep it interesting.  (I did take a photo of Cinderella Castle after the golden makeover!  I’m working on a "Many Faces of Cinderella Castle" scrap page that includes the pink cake, a big crane that was up through my whole vacation one year, and a great night shot during Wishes, when the lighting make the castle look like the Sorcerer’s hat…fantastic!)

I also love technology.  The idea of Disney’s Photo Pass is inspired!  If you’ve ever been to Walt Disney World, you know that at the front of the parks there are photographers who will take your photo in front of the icon o’ the park.  I usually pass these fine cast members up unless I’m in a big family reunion group.  When I’m with my usual traveling companions, I’d rather not spend the time in line at the end of the night waiting to get my photo.  Well, Disney’s Photo Pass eliminates that line entirely!  You get a card from the photographer the first time you have a photo taken of you and your family.  Continue to give the card to a photographer throughout your vacation.  All your pictures are grouped together in one account.  When you get home, you may view your photos online, using the number on the back of the card, and forward them to your friends and family and order professional prints…very slick!

Oh, my friends, it gets so much better!!!  There is now a new service called Disney PhotoMovie.  I admit, I play with programs like Powerpoint and set my photos to music but THIS service kicks it up about a thousand notches.  You have the Magic of Disney in your corner now.  And for the introductory price of just $49.95, you get a professional DVD that can include any photos taken by photographers in the parks AND your own photos that you upload!  You can make a different chapter for each theme park.  I’m bouncing just thinking about it!  You get theme park music, video from around property and characters like Stitch who bites through your photos during transitions.  The result is an amazing, personalized keepsake of your vacation!  Disney has examples on line at www.disneyphotomovie.com.  Go there and look at it.  You’ll have to have one!

I haven’t been this excited by technology like this since my family and I "made" a Star Trek episode at Universal Studios on the day Gene Roddenberry died.  Perhaps I’ll show you that one day.  Then again, maybe I should keep my acting skills under wrap.  I wouldn’t want to be inundated with acting offers.  All I know is that when it comes to "Making Memories", Walt Disney World is the best.  When it comes to capturing those memories to look back on for years to come, the folks at Disney are always thinking!

Joanne - Joanne@MouseFanTravel.com 

There’s a fun song written by the famous Sherman Brothers who wrote many songs for Disney movies and attractions.  Remember "there’s a great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day…"?  Oh my Mickey ears, now I have that song in my head! < more... >