Conference koolit::disney

    
     After talking with a few supervisors about this same subject, it
    appears that it will remain.
    
     Quite by accident, it solves one of the greatest problems that
    Cast Members and Guests have experienced throughout the years,
    it gives guest access to Mickey.
    
     Remember, however, things have been known to change at the drop
    of your 'ears'.
    
    R 

    Thanks for the info.
    
    Doug

    According to the latest issue of Disney News, Mickey's Birthday Land
    will be remaining at the Magic Kingdom.  It will be renamed Mickey
    Land, and feature a new show saluting Mickey's friends who have made it
    big on TV shows such as Duck Tales, Winnie the Pooh, The Gummi Bears,
    and Chip & Dale's Rescue Rangers. 

    Who said Disney isn't the champ at cross-promotion?

    Has Mickey's Birthdayland been converted to Mickey's Starland yet?
    I've seen a commercial on tv advertising it but I thought it wasn't
    going to be changed until this summer.

    It was still a delightful BirthdayLand as of March 22nd.
    
    Eric

    There is an article in this week's Entertainment Weekly about WDW
    versus Universal by one of the columnists (with assistance from 
    his family). One of the attractions reviewed is Mickey's Starland.
    I'm curious if his description matches what recent visitors have
    experienced. There is no mention of any party any more. It doesn't
    sound like as much fun as it used to be. 
    
    Following is what he (Ken Tucker) had to say (reprinted without 
    permission):
    
    MICKEY'S STARLAND
    
    The newest of the Magic Kingdom's "lands", opened in 1988 to celebrate
    the 60th anniversary of the creation of Mickey Mouse, Mickey's Starland
    is for children of elementary school age and younger. Everything in it
    - a small town complete with stores and houses - is pint-size; children
    can scamper around experiencing what it must feel like to be a towering
    adult. The other attraction may not seem, at first, so important: The 
    area is populated with Disney employees dressed in fuzzy costumes of
    famous cartoom characters - Mickey, Donald Duck, Goofy, and so on. They 
    just stroll around and wave. But these big, soft creatures exert an 
    amazing pull on children - kids run up and throw their arms around
    them, hugging and kissing these familiar figures as their parents 
    frantically reach for their cameras to take the best shots of their 
    vacation. Except for those magic moments, grown-ups probably will
    find Starland a little tedious, but I'll let you in on an unexpectedly
    guilty pleasure to help you while away the minutes: Only in Starland
    will you find warm, fresh, not-too-sweet cupcakes being sold from a
    sidewalk cart. Each one has a birthday candle in it and is coated with
    thick pink or yellow butter icing. It was easily the best food I had
    at Disney World.  Grade: B+
    

    We didn't see any characters wandering about when we were there in
    late April.
    
    When did it actually get converted to Starland?  I beleive it was in
    the guide as Birthdayland then.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Karen

    While I was there in mid-May it was closed for the conversion.
    

    
    
    	While we were there May 27-June3, I thought it was really neat to
    walk through the Mouse House (and see his foot prints and red britches
    hanging out back).  It is a short distance out the back of Tomorrowland
    so it's not really necessary to ride the train, unless you really want
    to.
    
    	We enjoyed the show with Mickey, Chip and Dale, and others.
    
    	We didn't wait to go backstage with Mickey becasue of the sheer
    volume of kicking, screaming, crazed, hyperactive kids (and
    wouldn't you be too  ;^)  if you were about to meet Mickey!).
    
    	I also noticed that there was a cart with cupcakes for sale,
    remarking I didn't remeber seeing them anywhere else in the park.  I
    don't think they were especially marked as Birthday cupcakes, though.
    
    	It is a small place (Mickey's Starland), the show is about 20 minutes?
    so it is worth a stroll over to look around, (we skipped the animal petting
    zoo too, having grown up with that sort of thing in Texas)  do see the 
    show, though!
    
    	Maybe mentioned before but the show entrance is behind the Mouse
    House, in other words once you stroll through the house keep going out
    the back to the yellow doors to get into the pre-show area....