Chuck Schmidt

Chuck Schmidt, bitten by the Disney bug at an early age, remembers watching The Mickey Mouse Club after school in the mid-1950s. During his 48-year career in the newspaper business, he channeled that love of Disney as the Sunday News and Travel editor for The Staten Island Advance. Chuck has written or co-authored seven books for Theme Park Press, including Disney's Dream Weavers, On the Disney Beat, An American in Disneyland Paris, Disney's Animal Kingdom: An Unofficial History and The Beat Goes On. Chuck has shared his passion for all things Disney in his Still Goofy About Disney blog on AllEars.Net since 2015. He resides in Beachwood, N.J., with his wife Janet. They have three adult children and seven grandchildren.

MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT DISNEY: The Boat Ride From Old Key West to Disney Springs

November 20, 2023 by Chuck Schmidt

When all is said and done, boat transportation may well be the best way to get around much of Walt Disney World. To many guests, the slow and steady water taxis are the preferred method of transit inside much of WDW’s vast property, where lakes, canals and tranquil waterways abound.

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MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT DISNEY: Impressions de France

November 10, 2023 by Chuck Schmidt

Of all the attractions featured at Walt Disney World’s four theme parks since 1971, I have one clear-cut favorite: Impressions de France, located in the France pavilion in EPCOT's World Showcase.

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MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT DISNEY: “it’s a small world”

October 23, 2023 by Chuck Schmidt

"it’s a small world" and I go back a long way … all the way to 1964, when I first rode the quintessential Disney attraction at the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair.

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Impressions de Walt Disney World: The Changes We Saw After A Nearly Two-Year Hiatus

October 9, 2023 by Chuck Schmidt

After a nearly two-year hiatus, I was looking forward to returning to the four theme parks and everything else that Walt Disney World has to offer. We discovered that much has changed over the past two years ... and much, thankfully, remains the same.

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When Our Flight Home From Walt Disney World Got Canceled, We Hunkered Down For 13 Hours At The Airport

September 19, 2023 by Chuck Schmidt

United Flight #504 – MCO to EWR – left on time at 6AM on Sept. 9 and arrived at its destination at 8:40AM … a rather uneventful end to a 13-hour ordeal that won’t soon be forgotten.

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Disney100: The Exhibition Opens Walt’s Vault, Unlocking Scores Of Disney Treasures

September 8, 2023 by Chuck Schmidt

The Disney100: The Exhibition ran from Feb. 18 through August 27 at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, was curated Becky Cline and members of the Disney Archives, who opened up the Disney vault and unveiled a boatload of Disney treasures for Disney fans to savor.

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Shedding Light On Disney’s Classic Dark Rides

August 21, 2023 by Chuck Schmidt

Call me old school. Or just call me old. Either way, I still get a kick out of Disney’s classic “dark rides” – those slow-moving, bare-bones attractions that last all of two or three minutes, but often require a wait time of an hour or more.

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Vintage Photos: From Character Caravans To A Wedding Pavilion To Dino-Rama

August 7, 2023 by Chuck Schmidt

Decades-old photographs of Walt Disney World can bring back wonderful memories of the way things used to be in the Vacation Kingdom of the World. As an added bonus, for those who weren’t around in the 1980s and 1990s, it’s nice to see just what your parents and grandparents have been talking about all these years.

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Disney Cruise Line Turns 25: The Magic And Wonder Of A Dream-Like Fantasy Cruise … A Trip You Once Could Only Wish For

July 24, 2023 by Chuck Schmidt

During the early 1990s, the Walt Disney Company was at a crossroads when it came to its participation in cruising: Should they a) sign a new agreement with Premier Cruise Lines; b) find a new cruise partner; c) start a cruise line of its own; or d) get out of cruising altogether? Long story short: Disney Cruise Line will be celebrating its 25th anniversary on July 30, the date the Disney Magic was launched into service in 1998.

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Imagineers’ Recent Trip To New Orleans Is Another Example Of Their Boots-On-The-Ground Quest For Authenticity

July 10, 2023 by Chuck Schmidt

One of the most important tools used by the members of Walt Disney Imagineering in creating cutting-edge attractions and adventures is – believe it or not – hitting the road. A recent trip by a group of Disney Imagineers to New Orleans is just another example of the Imagineers' commitment to authenticity.

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