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KMF: Walt Disney World’s Fifth Park

People love to use their imaginations.  Some people think of more practical things, while others imagine the impossible.  Walt Disney World is one of those concepts that either one can work.  Disney fans young and old alike use their imaginations to create new attractions, buildings, restaurants and so much more.  I would think that one of the more popular things to imagine is a fifth theme park.

Disney seems to have covered every aspect for a theme park:  there is a magical park, a futuristic park, a theater park and an animal park.  Having covered such a vast number of themes requires people to dig deeper into their ideas to think of something new that hasn’t been done before.  Some people think that maybe there should be a theme park focused on the villains or one centered around the past.  But Tony Ebers, known in the box as BacksideOfWater, came up with a brilliant idea.  He mentioned this idea to me, and I loved it so much that I decided to take the idea and dig a little deeper.  What about specific attractions?  The restaurants?  The location of everything?   The color scheme?  (Yes, I was thinking THAT deep).  I loved doing this so much that I created this blog about it, and you are reading it right now.  What was his idea, you ask?

What if Disney World’s fifth theme park was WDW Radio themed?KMF logo

Before I go into detail, the name of the park is KMF:  WDW Radio Kingdom, but is shortened to be KMF, which stands for Keep Moving Forward. If any of you have listened to even ONE of Lou Mongello’s podcasts or newscasts, you know that this seems to be his favorite quote and he says it all the time.  Let’s take a walk through KMF and stay tuned for the last section where I talk about a few people that get their own areas in the park.

The Attractions

The star attraction in this park is called The Curse of the Incident.  You are invited to join Lou and the rest of the gang on their 6th anniversary adventure.  You get to see how their day really went in a format similar to the Winnie the Pooh ride or Peter Pan’s Flight.  Things take a drastic turn (almost literally) when your ride vehicle stops at the bottom of the waterfall.  All you hear is Otis’ scream and Lou exclaiming “We gotta get out of here!” before zooming backwards into a loop.  You reach speeds up to 80 miles per hours throughout the attraction.  This is unlike any existing Disney experience!

CURSE 2The ride vehicles look like hybrids.  Even though it is truly a hanging rollercoaster (meaning that the track is above you and your feet dangle), there is the illusion that it is not.  The bottom half of the vehicle is simple and similar to Snow White’s Scary Adventures.  Your feet do touch the bottom of this mechanism.  The upped half, however, is unique.  You have the standard “U” shaped safety device that you have to pull down, but there is an adjustable Viking hat attached.  From a bystander’s point of view, it looks like you are wearing the hat.  Now here is the REALLY cool part of the vehicle.  When you reach the bottom of the waterfall, hear the scream, and shoot backwards, the sides of the Snow White Scary Adventure part of the vehicle (the bottom) drop down, and you fly backwards without your feet touching any part of the ride vehicle.  So that’s when it becomes a true hanging roller coaster.  This ride also contains loops and corkscrews, so only the most daring of people can witness “The Curse of the Incident”.

For those with younger children or people who aren’t so adventurous, this next experience might be for you. Everybody loves Toy Story Mania.  It’s just one of those addicting rides that you can ride over and over and get different experiences every single time.  In Mongello’s Trivia Test, instead of shooting things for points, you will be answering trivia questions for points.  Of course, these questions are written by the one and only Lou Mongello!  The ride vehicles would almost be the same as Toy Story Mania’s.  You would have 90 seconds at each center to answer as many questions as possible.  Each screen will have different themes, just like the original trivia books (General, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, etc.).  Inside your vehicle, instead of a mini cannon, you will find a touch screen that has A, B, C and D.  The question is displayed on the screen along with the four choices.  The idea is to prove to your ride partner that you know more about Disney than they do!  Put your thinking caps on and get ready to hop right back in line as soon as you depart your vehicle.  I promise this will be one with a long line all the time.

The Restaurants

Imagine you are walking around KMF with your family.  You want escargot, while your loved one wants a few spring rolls and your daughter wants a burger.  How can you accommodate all of these cravings?  Just fill your stomach at “Go With Me Here”:  Around The World!  All seven continents are represented here with some of our more popular areas being India, Brazil, Madagascar, Scotland, Australia, and Jamaica.  You can now visit many different countries without having to buy an expensive plane ticket!

If you aren’t interested in expanding your culinary options, don’t worry!  Your classic BBQ favorites can be found at Lightning Round!  Rest assured your food will be prepared and served to you in under 10 minutes!  This restaurant is called Lightning Round because Lou answers his lightening round questions SUPER FAST!  Plus, consider all of your food “struck by lightning” as it is grilled or fried perfectly!

Are you just a little hungry?  Just need a little snack?  We got ya covered!  The Double Vision Cupcake Shop serves the greatest cupcakes of all time, which is conveniently located next to the Ninja Arcade. (These two might be a little confusing for those of you who don’t know Christy Viszoki, but I am sure that you can figure it out J).  Don’t worry if you see double at the Double Vision Cupcake Shop-everything is sold in twos!  At the Ninja Arcade, get ready to move!  All of these games require you to be quick on your feet, like a blue belt in karate!  (For more go to The People References)

 

The Other Things

Magic Kingdom has Cinderella Castle, Epcot has Spaceship Earth, Hollywood Studios has the Fantasia hat, and Animal Kingdom has the Tree of Life.  What does KMF have?  A huge radio microphone that has a question mark with ovals printed on it.  AKA, the microphone found in the WDW Radio logo.  It towers at 199 feet tall and it is the focal point of the fireworks.

A while back, I wrote a blog with a corresponding video called the WDW Radio Hall of Fame, which you can find HERE and everyone seemed to love it.  Well now that idea is coming toHALL OF FAME LOGO life with a REAL WDW Radio Hall of Fame!  Video and audio of some of the most favorite and classic moments can be found here, along with some mementos, including one of the Vikings hats seen in the sixth anniversary show and the fairy wings from the fifth anniversary show.

If you ever just want to simply escape the crowds that we would definitely be drawing in, you can take a monorail to Lawyer’s Landing, which is themed to fit Lou’s life before he became a podcast star. Our cast of characters walk around, play the part of lawyers and interact with everyone they meet.  Is it really against the law to eat popcorn with your legs crossed or have your children share an ice cream?  You might be surprised how many memories you can make!  Lawyer’s Landing will also include WDW Radio U and a show, both of which will be explained in more detail later.

Do you like working out while on vacation!  Then come check out the Running Team Training Room, also known as The Happy Center after the beloved coach Happy Keller.  You can find a rock climbing wall, a zipline, an indoor pool and all of the great gym equipment you can only dream about at home!

If you know Lou, you know that he loves Nutella Waffle Sandwiches.  So, to commemorate that, you can smell this scent all of the time in KMF.  How?  From the 24/7 piped Nutella Waffle Sandwich scent! This could change seasonally to things like the Chili Con Queso from Cozy Cone, Dole Whip and a churro. You never know what to expect!

We all know that Lou likes to mess around with 80s music.  He smashes them together, remixs them, and occasionally even destroys the ones you love (well, at least if you ask Beci).  At night, you can join us for an 80’s themed dance party in front of the microphone following the fireworks.  At other parks, the fireworks symbolize the end of the night.  Not here!  You still have time to spare.  There is a live DJ that takes requests, so don’t be afraid to speak up and ask.

Monorails are fun.  I know that.  You know that.  You know what would make them better?  Instead of just trying to guess what color your monorail is, why don’t you wait and see what memorable quote is printed on your highway in the sky?  That’s right!  Favorite WDW Radio quotes are in the monorails. Some include “THAT MERMAID TOOK MY SEASHELLS!”, “Oh my!” and “Who is your favorite box person?”  Once you see a quote on a monorail it is there to stay, but you may find that the pure white monorails could be covered in quotes within a few years.  Each quote (or group of quotes) is specific to each monorail, so you can still bet on which one you will be taking to your destination.

The Show, Parade and Fireworks

Fireworks are a necessity to many successful parks.  The firework show at KMF is inspired by the many different events that Lou has done with the box, including the 24 Hour Show, the 40 Hour Show and the fifth and sixth anniversary shows.  The narrator of the show is, of course, Lou Mongello as he takes you back in time with audio tidbits, with the grand finale being the celebration of the future events, like the 2013 WDW Radio Cruise and the trip to Aulani.  This also means that the show will change very often as time goes on.  The firework extravaganza is called Keep Moving Forward.  On Lawyer Landing, you find a show that explains how Lou turned from being a lawyer to a reliable Disney World source called From Lawyer to Legend.  This is a musical, so expect a lot of random outbursts of singing!  Not in the mood for a show?  That’s okay, because you can sit for a ten minutes stop-and-pay parade inspired by each of the topics on the blog!  You can find a vegan float, a 20-something float, a float devoted to only photos, and so many more!  Each blogger is represented in this fantastic fanfare called Believe in Blogging!

Lou Quote SignThe Gift Shops

One of the more unique gift shops is the “Put Your Name On It!” Sign Shop.  It isn’t hidden that Lou loves this quote, and this is the perfect time to use it.  You can find many personalized things here including hats, mugs, key chains, and of course, signs.  There are a lot of other specific gift shops, but they are dedicated to other people so I don’t mention them here.  (For more go to The People References)

The People References

What makes WDW Radio truly magical are the people.  Without them, WDW Radio would be nothing. Since Lou is scattered throughout the whole park, I didn’t create another themed area for him here (I hope you understand, Lou!) and I figured that it was time for some other people of WDW Radio fame and people who work behind the scenes.  The first one I want to recognize is Tony Caggiano.  He can be known as the jokester of the group, but I PERSONALLY remember him as the lead singer during the 5th and 6th anniversary celebration.  I decided that he should give other people a chance to take the microphone.  Here you can find Caggiano Karaoke.  Show us your stuff with choices from classic Disney songs to 1980’s pop hits.  Another popular area of the park is Club Caitlin, a 21 and up club for people who are twenty-something just like Caitlin Corsello.  Another blogger gets his time to shine with Myer’s Magazine, a newspaper stand with all of the latest and greatest WDW Radio news, dedicated to Don Myers.

Who can think of WDW Radio without thinking of Christy Viszoki?  She is the ringmaster of the blog and keeps everything on schedule.  She is an amazing teacher, and in fact she is the Chancellor of WDW Radio U where you will learn more about all things Disney and WDW Radio:  including how to argue your “Top Ten” of any topic and draw your favorite WDW Radio personalities!  More details of WDW Radio U will be released in upcoming months and, at the moment, is planned to open to the public in the Fall of 2014.

AJ Wiseman gets her own merchandise area called AJ’s PJs, which sells fashionable pajamas for all ages and all genders (including your dogs!).  Kendall Foreman gets to spread her magical tips at Kendall’s Kiosk, which is conveniently right next to Lindsey’s Garden of Information.  Lindsey Diamond’s dedicated area is filled with flowers and plants that describe each personality, like roses for the romantics and sunflowers for the families with younger children.  Once you gather the information there, go to Kendall’s Kiosk to figure out how to apply the information you gathered to your vacation.  Angie Carriero is our favorite vegan here at WDW Radio.  Whenever you visit any of our restaurants, the vegan part of the menu is titled Angie’s Picks.  You can find this on every single menu!

Do you hear the bushes shaking?  That must mean that Scott Otis is nearby!  It is rare to see him without a hat, and you can find your own at Otis’ Hat Shop.  The selections are almost endless!  Another person (in)famous in the WDW Radio community for something on her head is Beci Mahnken.  Beci and her bangs are both recognized in the barbershop Beci’s Bangers, famous for the stylish haircuts you leave with. Complete the hair at Glenn’s Gel, where you can get unique hair gels used by Glenn Whelan and other accessories that you can only find here!  Another person who is box famous is Mike Beckerman.  He is well known for receiving the blame of the box shutting off during the beginning of the 40 Hour Show and later on that same broadcast.  To commemorate this, you can see how well you can keep things on your head at Beckerman’s Balancing Act.  One of the more important people that is often overlooked is the hard-working John, the videographer.  In KMF he has his own movie theater titled John’s Films, where you can find all of the archived WDW Radio videos and broadcasts!  Every fifteen minutes you can vote on what gets shown in one of our ten movie theaters.

Even former bloggers are remembered here.  If the younger ones just want to hang around while you explore what the park has to offer, you can drop them off at Fran’s FunSpot, where the kids can let their imaginations fly with all of the crafts they can think of under the supervision of Fran Cassano.  Don’t worry, at night teens and adults can join in the fun with crafts aimed at older age groups.  And of course, since it was his idea, Tony Ebers gets his own tribute.  A huge waterfall is behind the center point of the park.  You might notice that the waterfall is angled very weirdly. That is because it is the BACKSIDE OF WATER! *baa dum tss*

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I hope you enjoyed all of my ideas.  I sure had a lot of fun thinking and planning Disney’s fifth park.  And any Imagineers:  if you are reading this and you use any of my ideas, I want credit. 🙂  I am waiting to see what you guys think should be added to KMF!  What did I miss?  What should we add?  Share your ideas in the comment section below!  I am VERY excited to see what you guys come up with!

Congrats to everyone who answered that story number two was correct on last week’s To Tell the Truth! The water that is collected from Spaceship Earth goes to the World Showcase Lagoon.  You guys are so good at this!

See ya REAL soon!

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Quote of the Week: “I shall call him squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my squishy!” ~Dory, Finding Nemo

 

Makena is a 14 year old high school student who spends much of her free time researching Disney. She enjoys sharing Disney facts and even plans Walt Disney World vacations (including searches for secrets and Hidden Mickeys) for friends and family. Makena began blogging for WDW Radio in December 2011.

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About Lou Mongello

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion, and is now a recognized Disney expert, author, speaker, and host of WDW Radio. Learn more…

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