Okay, I’m up to bat. Bases are loaded, two outs, and what’s this?

Curve ball! Ouch, Dave wasn’t expecting that one!

...or so I felt while reading the questions when they came in.

Based on my experience with the other previous questions and answer sessions in this column, I knew to expect some tough questions though. On that level, kudos to those who wrote in, and thanks for the challenge; It’s fun trying to hunt down an answer sometimes when you have a good question.

But without trying to stall any longer, let’s get right into it, shall we?

First up, JPatti writes in and asks:

What's the deal with lucky the dinosaur? ... my grandson... is crazy about dinosaurs. I just read in the local paper that lucky will only be in the world for three months. Is this true?...

Lucky the Dinosaur will be a very cool addition to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but for now it seems, he will be only be appearing there for three months as you heard, from May until July of this year.

Some of you may already know about Lucky, but for those who do not, let me describe him a little bit.

Lucky is the newest generation of Audio-Animatronics® from Walt Disney Imagineering, in that he is completely wireless and mobile. He is a dinosaur that “pulls” a cart full of flowers behind him, which actually house many of the electronics that make him work. He is one of the newer generations of animatronic movement, in that his motions are fluid and can stop on a dime. He was designed, and is used for, roaming in the Parks for Guest interaction.

In fact, that is what makes him so special; in that he is so advanced he can be brought out to interact with Guests. Of course, there is a handler with him to assist with the Guest interaction, but Lucky has the mechanical ability to do very intricate thing, including signing a signature book with his own personal signature, a four leaf clover.

Lucky was first revealed and seen publicly in Disney’s California Adventure Park, where he underwent testing in a “real world” setting out in the Park. Now, he is scheduled to appear in Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom Park in where else, but the Dinoland, U.S.A section.

Of course, why just three months? My guess would be that they would like to see what happens to Lucky in this new Park environment, especially if he is planning on staying there a while.

In my opinion, I think he will be a rather permanent addition to the Park eventually. However, it does make sense to only publicize a limited schedule, to allow for additional testing, and if necessary, adjustment afterward before starting a regular performance schedule.

Not to fear, however, that your grandson will have plenty of dinosaurs to look at while at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and if that’s still not enough, bring him over to the Universe of Energy at Epcot for some “old school” Walt Disney World dinosaur enjoyment.

Next up, we go to Joe, who writes in to ask:

Are there any rooms in the Boardwalk or Wilderness Lodge type resorts for the month of February... for $100.00 dollars a night?

Probably not. That level of resort is know as “Deluxe”, and even though that’s not Central Florida’s busiest time of the year, you’ll still find rates for Deluxe resorts on Walt Disney World property starting at around $199.00 per room per night

Other than that, you’ll have to look at either Moderate resorts (from $134 per night) and Value resorts (from $79 per night).

...and while we’re talking about Value resorts, let me say that just because the price is cheaper, don’t expect the cleanliness or service to be any less. All Walt Disney World resorts are held to a high standard, regardless of price range. You’ll see the difference in location, amenities, intensity of theming (meaning more block-type buildings and less architectural uniqueness), among others. With that said, my wife and I were pleasantly surprised when we stayed at the Pop! Century Resort.

From the “Where can I Find This” file, Jim writes in with:

At the Canada Pavilion in Epcot, the song "O Canada"(not the Canadian National Anthem), but a duet, is played during the circle vision movie. Do you know if that song is available anywhere on CD??

That song is actually called “Canada: You’re a Lifetime Journey”.

You can find it as track number ten on the 2000 Walt Disney World Resort Official Album, known properly as:

WDW Resort: The Official Album 2000

However, the release date was 1999. If you find any Official Albums that were released after 1999, they will not have the song on there. To help you out a little bit more, here’s what the cover looks like:

As of last check, I only found it available at Amazon.com as a used CD, going for $28.90. You may be able to find it on eBay, but I didn’t see any listings for it as of now.

Next, Jason writes in and asks:

I was wondering what happened to the World Key Information kiosks that used to be featured so prominently in EPCOT? At one point, Disney was selling this as the wave of the future.

You are absolutely right, and I do remember them being very prominent for a while there at EPCOT: Center. Of course, they are long gone now.

I’ve heard that they simply did not hold up well over time, and were constantly breaking down.

Of course, I would bet that they just were no match for a regular Cast Member. Given that almost any Cast Member can answer all of the frequently asked questions of Guests, their sheer numbers (hence being everywhere the Guests are) was just more convenient than going to a kiosk for the same information.

Not to mention, the ability of a Cast Member to gather clues from a Guest about what they are trying to ask, as sometimes attraction names are not remembered or may be the question itself. In other words, walking up to a kiosk to find out what the name of a ride you remember going on as a child with a purple little dragon may be difficult. However, just say the words “purple” and “dragon” to any Cast Member at Epcot and before you know it they’re telling you “Oh, you mean ‘Journey Into Imagination’, yes that’s over this way...”. I think that’s what really killed the kiosks; super-helpful Cast Members. By the time Guests got to the kiosk, their questions were already answered.

And lastly, John writes in to ask a favorite question of mine:

Hey Dave, how come the monorail only goes between Magic Kingdom and EPCOT? Shouldn’t somebody tell them that they have two more parks to connect?

Well John, I’m very glad you asked that question, and so glad in fact that I’m going to have to defer your question to next week, when I get into the Walt Disney World Monorail System as a separate issue.

Don’t worry John; the monorail is a favorite topic of mine, and I’ve been waiting to write about it for quite some time.

As for everyone who wrote in, thanks very much for sending these questions in and allowing me to try and answer them. Until next week when we go into the details of John’s question...

Thanks for stopping on by, and I’ll see you next week!