MOUSEFEST NEWSLETTER

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - S P O N S O R - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

DisFriends.com Launches Friday, November 30



Now it's easy to meet other mouse-minded folks like you!

Join DisFriends today and when we see you at MouseFest we'll
give you your own "Meet 'n Greet" cards to personalize & share.

Also, be sure to RSVP at DisFriends.com for one of our four
MouseFest Character Quest events & receive a free autograph book!

Get your Disney fan profile at: DisFriends.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

==========================================
Feature Article: It All Started With a "Mouse"
==========================================
by Cheryl Pendry, PassPorter Guide, Featured Columnist, and E-Book Author


[Editor's Note: We're all too busy packing to write a new article for this last newsletter, so we're reprinting an oldie but goodie that was written after MouseFest 2006 -- enjoy!]

What do you call hundreds of Disney fans all gathered in the same place to enjoy the magic together? MouseFest!

Of course it all started with a mouse, but this particular week long celebration, now an annual event, really grew out of the Internet and the many Disney web sites and message boards, such as http://www.passporterboards.com, where people can meet like minded friends. In fact, it was PassPorter authors Dave and Jennifer Marx, along with AllEarsNet founder Deb Wills who started the whole ball rolling, with the first official MouseFest in 2003.

Since then it's grown in size, as one quick look at the official website http://www.mousefest.org will show. So what can you expect from MouseFest?

We went for the first time in 2005, wondering exactly the same thing. Our participation was limited to the land based events, as our budget unfortunately couldn't stretch to include the cruise, no matter how hard I tried!

One thing we did learn is that you'll get so much more out of MouseFest if you've "met" some of those taking part online before you get there. The message boards are a great place to do that as well as learn details of some of the meets being planned. It's so much easier to talk to people face to face if you already know something about them from the posts they've made on message boards. We found that many of the meets were like coming face to face with old friends, even though it was the first time we'd seen many of these people. It's certainly an odd feeling and not one that you can prepare for, but it's also a wonderful feeling! You instantly feel part of a very special community. So if you haven't done so already, log on a Disney fan message board, and start getting to know those that you'll be meeting up with!

What is wonderful about MouseFest is that you discover you're not the only one who loves Disney. There are literally hundreds of people who share your passion and exploring the parks with them gives you a new perspective on the Walt Disney World Resort.

One thing you mustn't miss if you're at MouseFest is the Mega Mouse Meet, which takes place on the Saturday of MouseFest at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort. It's the centerpiece event and is packed with Disney guidebook authors, web site founders and representatives of various Disney communities. Before I attended this event, I really thought I was a Disney fan and knew about every source of information on the market about the place, but the Mega Mouse Meet proved me wrong. We found many new publications and web sites that we'd never come across before and were able to chat with lots of people and learned a great deal about our favorite happy place.

There really is something for everyone at MouseFest. On the cruise, which is the perfect place for a group get together, you can take a walking tour of Nassau, join the sail away party, enter the pirate costume competition or the sandcastle competition on Castaway Cay or just lounge around with Jennifer, Dave, and Deb.

During the land portion of the event, each day is allocated a specific park, where most of the events will be taking place. Every year, you can hunt for Hidden Mickeys with Steve Barrett, author of the Hidden Mickeys book, which gives you a fascinating way to look at the parks, or see how many safari vehicles you can fill at Kilimanjaro Safaris with the AllEarsNet team.

As well as all the organized events, because there are so many Disney fans in the parks, it's also possible to arrange your own meets with people you know -- and this is where getting to know people beforehand is invaluable. Some of our fondest memories were the meets that were literally arranged on the day, with a quick phone call to ask if we wanted to come along with watch SpectroMagic with them that night or spotting friends in a park and seeing if they were free to join up with us for the next couple of hours.

Whatever you choose to do -- or not to -- in the MouseFest schedule, it's a wonderful opportunity to meet up with like minded people and to put faces to the names that bring us all so much enjoyment all year round with their guidebooks, web sites and online communities. If you're thinking of attending your first MouseFest, my advice? Don't wait any longer - make a booking and join in. You won't regret it.



==========================================
MouseFest 2007 Land News
==========================================

The MouseFest Land Event schedule is chock full of a wide variety of meets in each of the four major theme parks, Downtown Disney, and also at some of the resorts.

Here is a taste of some of the meets recently added to the schedule: