Check it out:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11002/1114619-37.stm?cmpid=lifestyle.xml
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11002/1114619-37.stm?cmpid=lifestyle.xml
Disney gains new port with Alaska cruises
Sunday, January 02, 2011
By Mike Kelly
In Liarsville, Alaska, kids panning for gold get an assist from a life-sized Disney character.
LIARSVILLE, Alaska -- You won't find this place on any map, because it's every bit as imaginary as the bogus news reports that gave this spot its name.
A tent city on the outskirts of Skagway, this re-created trail camp marks the spot where journalists from "the Lower 48" hunkered down during the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s and sent phony dispatches back to their newspapers describing the great riches being dug up in the distant gold fields -- which they never bothered visiting.
Today Liarsville is a popular shore excursion for cruise ship passengers, who can chow down on salmon, watch live entertainment, explore the camp and even pan for gold.
I was here in mid-September with senior staff from Disney Cruise Line, which is gearing up for its first foray to Alaska next spring. From May 3 through Aug. 30, the 2,400-passenger Disney Wonder will sail 18 seven-night cruises, departing from Vancouver with stops at Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan.
When it comes to Alaskan cruising, Disney is plenty late to the party -- other cruise lines have been sailing here for two decades or more -- but to partially offset that, Disney plans plenty of special treats in its shore excursions -- or in Disneyspeak, "port adventures."
For example, in Liarsville, while families are panning for gold, they'll suddenly be joined by a life-sized Disney character who will wander in from the surrounding forest. During our visit it was Donald Duck, clad in a red-and-black plaid jacket and hat, who joined the prospectors, much to the delight of both kids and parents. He mingled for an hour, hugging everybody and posing for endless pictures.
Larry Stauffer, Disney's manager of port adventures, has worked with local tour operators for months, challenging them to come up with add-ons or tweaks to their standard excursions that might appeal more to kids and families, Disney's major demographic.
"I told them they may [already] see some kids now, but we're coming with 1,000 kids [on each ship], so they'd better be ready," Mr. Stauffer said.
"These tour operators have some great offerings already," added Jason Lasecki, the cruise line's public relations director. "And then you complement that with what we bring to the table as a family entertainment company, and the result, hopefully, is a unique guest experience."
One of those tour operators is Wings Airways, and its president, Holly Johnson, said working with Disney has been both a challenge and a delight.
"We already had a great product, but when they came along, we realized we hadn't thought outside the box for so long, and it's been a fantastic creative process for us," she said. "It's been a blast."
In addition to the shore components of the trip, various shipboard tie-ins are planned while the Wonder is at sea. Those might include naturalist talks, projects and games, as well as screenings of Disney movies like the animated feature "Brother Bear" or some of the studio's many wildlife and nature films.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11002/1114619-37.stm?cmpid=lifestyle.xml#ixzz1A4NrI8lb
Sunday, January 02, 2011
By Mike Kelly
In Liarsville, Alaska, kids panning for gold get an assist from a life-sized Disney character.
LIARSVILLE, Alaska -- You won't find this place on any map, because it's every bit as imaginary as the bogus news reports that gave this spot its name.
A tent city on the outskirts of Skagway, this re-created trail camp marks the spot where journalists from "the Lower 48" hunkered down during the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s and sent phony dispatches back to their newspapers describing the great riches being dug up in the distant gold fields -- which they never bothered visiting.
Today Liarsville is a popular shore excursion for cruise ship passengers, who can chow down on salmon, watch live entertainment, explore the camp and even pan for gold.
I was here in mid-September with senior staff from Disney Cruise Line, which is gearing up for its first foray to Alaska next spring. From May 3 through Aug. 30, the 2,400-passenger Disney Wonder will sail 18 seven-night cruises, departing from Vancouver with stops at Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan.
When it comes to Alaskan cruising, Disney is plenty late to the party -- other cruise lines have been sailing here for two decades or more -- but to partially offset that, Disney plans plenty of special treats in its shore excursions -- or in Disneyspeak, "port adventures."
For example, in Liarsville, while families are panning for gold, they'll suddenly be joined by a life-sized Disney character who will wander in from the surrounding forest. During our visit it was Donald Duck, clad in a red-and-black plaid jacket and hat, who joined the prospectors, much to the delight of both kids and parents. He mingled for an hour, hugging everybody and posing for endless pictures.
Larry Stauffer, Disney's manager of port adventures, has worked with local tour operators for months, challenging them to come up with add-ons or tweaks to their standard excursions that might appeal more to kids and families, Disney's major demographic.
"I told them they may [already] see some kids now, but we're coming with 1,000 kids [on each ship], so they'd better be ready," Mr. Stauffer said.
"These tour operators have some great offerings already," added Jason Lasecki, the cruise line's public relations director. "And then you complement that with what we bring to the table as a family entertainment company, and the result, hopefully, is a unique guest experience."
One of those tour operators is Wings Airways, and its president, Holly Johnson, said working with Disney has been both a challenge and a delight.
"We already had a great product, but when they came along, we realized we hadn't thought outside the box for so long, and it's been a fantastic creative process for us," she said. "It's been a blast."
In addition to the shore components of the trip, various shipboard tie-ins are planned while the Wonder is at sea. Those might include naturalist talks, projects and games, as well as screenings of Disney movies like the animated feature "Brother Bear" or some of the studio's many wildlife and nature films.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11002/1114619-37.stm?cmpid=lifestyle.xml#ixzz1A4NrI8lb
