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Once a quarter I am forced to change my card, change my billing, etc. Either this is blatantly poor security or it’s a genius move to get me to use someone else’s bank.

Hey everyone... Meet Gary Johnson. He's running for President.

Chocolate Cake with Ganache

Growing up, my mom did something amazing every time the school year ended. On the last day of school, when I walked into the door, a layered cake would greet me. As most normal kids, my usual cake was a single-tiered cake with frosting on top. Special birthdays might have a two-layered cake with the thinest of thin layers of frosting separating them. But this was different.

The cakes mom would have had one layer for each year of school completed. If I had finished 4th grade, it would be a 4 layer cake. Seventh grade? 7 layer cake. My last day of high school had an amazing 12 layer cake. Until this week, I had actually never though about having more than a 12 layer cake… enter Dream Day Cakes®.

Our Gainesville bakery turned out a 24 layer chocolate cake covered in amazing ganache. It makes me want to go back to school– just so my mom can buy me one. =)

Clearly, and based on the title here, one major change involves food — I’ll talk about that in detail. First, let’s identify the two main disappointments: Customer Service and Food.

Again, overall, I still love going to Disney. Honestly, if we didn’t love it we wouldn’t get those annual passes. Also, because we do go (very) often, we probably end up noticing a lot more than others.

Customer Service

We just went to the Magic Kingdom today and here are two examples of how Disney’s legendary customer service degraded to become standard, crappy service. First, when purchasing some snacks at the bakery on Main Street, the attendant never said “hi,” “hello,” or offered any greeting. She held out her hand, swiped my card, and handed me back the card; not even telling me the total. Again, nothing “rude,” just not what we would get from Disney even just 2 years ago.

Later on, we were walking next to the Pirates of the Caribbean and a cast member ran into Yeni with one of those huge Disney strollers. He didn’t knock her down, but he scraped some skin of her ankle; if you’ve ever done something like this, you know it’s not a huge issue– but it hurts like hell. The cast member saw Yeni’s reaction and yelled “sorry” as he walked away; never breaking stride or checking to see if she was ok. Again, major? No. But even just two years ago, the cast member would have at least stopped.

The “nonchalant,” “could-care-less” attitude at Disney is alive and very noticeable.

Eating at Walt Disney World

I am now convinced that there is simply one or two good places to eat inside each park within Walt Disney World. In the past, eating at Disney was a treat. Food tasted good and there seemed to be some pride in what was presented. Those days are long gone– even at the high end places, such as Crystal Palace, the food is just “eh.”

Magic Kingdom

The two best places to eat are the Castle and Pecos Bill’s. At Cinderella’s Castle, the experience really makes the meal, but the food itself was good. At Pecos, it’s clearly fast food… but it’s good. The chili is very good – different than the chili at Casey’s. It’s just very good, and the topping bars are exactly what you would like to see at Disney. Sauteed onions, mushrooms, sides– just a very good meal. Very good.

Everything else? Crap. Crystal Palace is great for seeing Pooh and Friends. The food? Nothing special. The only other place I love? The Ice Cream Parlor on Main St. I’m scared though– it’s been closed the last two times I visited the park. Last time this happened was at MGM (sorry), Hollywood Studios, when the McDonald’s Fries stand started closing… which brings me to…

MGM/Hollywood Studios

There is only two good places to eat. There’s counter service in a ship that serves very good “meals in bread.” They’re great, and for Disney, not overly priced. The other? A little ice cream stand near the Tower of Terror.

There used to be a great McDonald’s Fries stand– it’s no more.

Epcot

The bakery in France is excellent, but go early before the croissants become stale. Also, there’s random eateries right as you enter the World Showcase. I’ve had some great emañadas there– but the menu comes and goes.

Animal Kingdom

Haven’t found the good place yet– open to suggestions.

I’ll call this a mini-rant and use it to hopefully help you enjoy a good meal at the park.

I do use a variety of statistical data to review the websites I administer — and while I will monitor and review the others very often, I review FredPosner.com about twice a year… and with that long winded introduction, I present… 2011: The Year That Was at FredPosner.com.

The Top 3 Most Viewed Pages of 2011

1. No, You Cannot Scan My ID (aka the Target rant)
2. The Ben Franklin Effect
3. Meet Cartoon Fred (an oldie, yet apparently popular topic)

The Top 3 Key Words/Phrases of 2011

1. benjamin franklin
2. what is a hero
3. fred posner

The Top 3 Referring Sites of 2011

1. google
2. facebook
3. qxork.com

The Top 3 Web Browsers Visiting during 2011

1. Firefox
2. Internet Explorer
3. Chrome

Thank You!

In 2011, over 10,000 unique visitors from 114 different countries checked out FredPosner.com. For a personal site, this is an amazing honor. Compared to the traffic we get at Dream Day Cakes®, the traffic here is nothing… but again, this site has pictures of bears holding hands, my annual Thanksgiving message, rants about Target, Rubio, Politics, and occasional photos of my odometer.

Trivial for you… my favorite post last year was the What is a Hero? rant. Yeni’s was (you guessed it)… the two bears holding hands.

Thank you again!

» Top Ten Cakes of 2011 from Dream Day Cakes®

** Remember, I am completely biased.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!

Whatever you celebrate this Winter (welcome to Winter by the way), both Yeni and I wish you a happy and healthy new year! So, be it Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Festivus, or anything else, please celebrate and return home safely.

Please note that I said “Merry Christmas.” This is because I don’t care if you’re Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Catholic, Wiccan, Pagan, Jedi, Trekkian, Klingon, Satanic, or pray to the Flying Spaghetti Monster— December 25th is Christmas. Changing “Christmas break” to “Holiday break” certainly doesn’t change the fact that the holiday you’re breaking for is Christmas. No one should be offended by the use of the word Christmas, and if you are… excuse my French, but get a fucking life.

Speaking of French… calling French Fries “freedom fries” is not American– it’s stupid. They’re french fries. If you want to reach a larger audience and avoid the word “French,” call them papas fritas.

As I was saying…

Have a Merry Christmas! Of course, you can always choose to make that celebration even more special (inserting shameless plug) as every celebration deserves Dream Day Cakes^®. =)

This is still one of the best pictures I have ever taken.

» Read the blog post at VoIP Tech Chat

This is our dream house. I love her smile.

Typing out the Thanksgiving Message

I’ve written about the history of Thanksgiving, about losing friends, losing family, gaining family, gaining friends, and more. 

I’ve talked about driving thousands of miles, flying across the world, the journey, the walk, and the festive table.

I’ve discussed weather, fortune, gratitude, and more.

In ten years, I’ve lost many people and gained many more.

A decade ago I had no idea that I’d be where I am now. None. I have no idea what ten years from now will look like. What I do know, is what I always know, and have known for at least the last 10 years…

I am extremely thankful for you. My friends and family are the rock that anchors my life. Thank you for another great year.

Florida Field

I love you, baby.

Me and the boy

More info: Dream Day Cakes Fall Classes