Newsletter 25 July 2006
Thar be Sea Monsters ahead!
Beware of the new dangers in the Pirate game!
July is Water Park Month!
Have summer fun all month long!
Push's Trash Talk
Trash Trivia
Last week we celebrated VMK's birthday! And very soon, Disneyland's birthday celebration, The Happiest Celebration on Earth, will be coming to an end. So to honor the first Disney park and Mickey Mouse's original home, this week I dug up some trivia about Disneyland's opening day!
Here are some fun facts:
- Disneyland opened on July 17th, 1955 to special invited guests and media.
- The Grand Opening, including Walt Disney's dedication speech, was a 90 minute television special in black and white.
- It was a hot summer day reaching temperatures of 110 degrees!
- The drawbridge to Sleeping Beauty's Castle was lowered for the first time. It's only been raised and lowered twice in 50 years!
- The first guests to walk over the drawbridge and into Fantasyland were children Walt had invited to the Grand Opening.
- Main Street, Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, and Tomorrowland were the original lands that opened that day. New Orleans Square opened in 1966; Bear Country (later renamed Critter Country) opened in 1972; and Mickey's Toon Town opened in 1993.
That's it for Trash Trivia this week. See you next week with more exciting news!
Waterslide Team Competition
The Build Your Own Waterslide competition is almost here! All the registrations that were sent in have been reviewed and accepted or rejected. If your team has been accepted, get your rooms ready!
Here are some frequently asked questions about the competition:
- What are the rules?
- Each Pool Patrol is to consist of no less than 6 and no more than 20 members. The ride may not exceed 30 rooms in length. Players may only be on one Pool Patrol team. Each member of the Pool Patrol must contribute at least one room to the ride. The Lifeguard must be the owner of the Shallow End room, where the team's ride begins.
- When will my room be judged?
- Judging will take place between Friday August 4 and Sunday August 6.
- How will I know when my room has been judged?
- When your room has been judged, you will find a Blue HOST Judging flag in your Shallow End start room. This flag cannot be traded or sold and will only be in the start room. This signifies that your team has been visited by staff and been judged.
- Do I need to have someone in my room the whole weekend?
- While it isn't necessary to keep your room open, it would be a great idea to have a team member in your room so you can share the great slide your team has created with other players.
- What are the categories that we will be judged on?
- There will be three categories with five winners plus one grand prize winner in each category: Best Use of Color, Most Creative, and Best Overall Ride Experience.
- Are there prizes?
- There will be prizes for the five winning teams in each category and a special prize for the grand prize teams (18 winning teams total). There will also be a participation prize for everyone entered in the competition.
Good luck and have fun!
Item of the Week
Each week we'll be revealing the history of an item, answering questions such as When did it first appear, how long was it in shops, is it rare? Check back each week for the info on another item.
Item: Captain Nemo's Nautilus Chair
Where can I buy it? The Inner-Space Shop
What colors does it come in? Cyan, Gray, Green, Red, Yellow, Blue, and Pink (In-Park Quest Only)
How much is it? 500 Credits
What's it for? Sit proudly in your captain's throne - the control center of your virtual world. Preside over your realm from this chair that feels like it has 20,000 virtual bells and whistles.
History: Captain Nemo and his Nautilus Chair come from one of Disney's most popular live-action movies: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It was released in theaters in 1945. One of Disneyland's and Walt Disney World's long-lost attractions, Submarine Voyage, was based on the journeys of the Nautilus submarine. While in one of the bright yellow subs, guests would pass mermaids and schools of fish and an angry sea monster!
Nickname: Cap'n's Perch
Team Competition Tip
Create a Team Lobby
What is a "Team Lobby"?A "Team Lobby" is a room that is accessible to all the members of a team and the "Shallow End" start room of your waterslide. The room should belong to the Lifeguard of the Pool Patrol. Each player places a teleporter in their own room and then trades the matching teleporter to the Lifeguard to set down in the Lobby. A teleporter linking the Lobby to the "Shallow End" should be placed in this room as well with an item next to it to signify it is the entrance. The Hosts in VMK use this technique when building ride-a-thons and mazes. It's a great way for each player to be able to access the "Shallow End" whenever needed.
On stage now: High School Musical
The High School Musical DVD is now in stores! VMK is part of the action with the new print-at-home High School Musical Quest. The VMK home page now has the new print-at-home High School Musical Quest. Some of the questions can be answered at home, while others will require a trip to either Disneyland® Park or Magic Kingdom® Park. Answer all the questions correctly to win special VMK High School Musical items.
VMK Cards
Have you ever wondered what cards you are missing in your collection. Well there is now a great new way to discover all the cards for VMK. Check it out
Awards and Top Players
What makes a Guest Room award-worthy? Guest or Game Rooms that stand out show originality in concept and design. It could be a use of conventional furniture in unconventional ways, the use of a theme or color, or humor. Game rooms that get the nod offer a new game idea or a new twist on an old favorite. In all rooms we look for room owners who welcome everyone with a smile and show a willingness to answer questions about their room.
Check out this week's Best Guest Rooms and Best Game Rooms.
New feature! Click on the name of the room to view an image of the room!
Scam Alert
Free Swimsuits!
While exploring VMK, you might see rooms claiming to be giving away "Free Swimsuits". These are scam rooms trying to get your hard-earned items by asking you to trade something first without getting anything in return while promising you a free swimsuit once the trade is over. Please do not attempt to trade for a swimsuit. The wetsuit is only an effect visible while you are on a waterslide piece. There is a bug that sometimes allows players to still wear the wetsuit once stepping off a slide but it is only a temporary effect. Please be careful when trading and when in doubt, find a Community Leader for help.VMK Staff Profiles
Each week we interview a different member of the VMK Staff. Pay attention - the answers may prove useful in VMK-hosted trivia games!
Staff name: VMK_LoLo
Three favorite pieces of furniture and why?
This month, I like anything pirate related for obvious reasons! The Galleon pieces are so cool, as are the new flags, posters, pins and treasure chest! I wish staff could wear pirate hats in the game -- green ones, of course!
Favorite Public Space?
The Waterpark pool -- I could swim all day long and like to watch people come down the slide and splash into the water. I also like to rest at the lifeguard tower were lots of players come to chat with me.
Best VMK moment?
I always enjoy seeing the players help each other in the game, even if it's just to remind them that they might not be following the rules. We have to remember that our newer players might not know that asking an innocent question like, 'Where do you live?' is not following the VMK Values, but some of our more savvy players will always be there to remind them
Favorite Disney Movie and why?
The Pirates of the Caribbean, of course! I enjoyed both movies and now I can't wait for the third one! Treasure, mystery, intrigue and curses -- what's not to like?
Favorite Disney Character?
Well, it used to be Mickey Mouse, but now I'm thinking it's Captain Jack Sparrow -- or even Captain Barbossa if he turns out to be the good guy in the next movie
What one safety tip would you like to share with our readers?
We know that it is natural to want to know where a new friend lives or what a new friend's name is, but please don't ask or share that information about yourself. We want to keep you safe and, even though that new friend might seem nice, you really don't know anything about them.
In-Park Quests!
Going to Disneyland® Park or Magic Kingdom® Park? Play the in-Park Quests! Learn more here.
New High School Musical Quest! Watch the movie, visit the parks and answer all the questions to win cool stuff!
Get the Thrill Seekers Quest for the Walt Disney World® Resort here!
The Tomorrowland Quest is still available: Download it here
Contact Us Tips
When using Contact Us to ask a question or report an issue, please be aware of the following:
- If you use AOL for e-mail, you won't receive our response; the AOL e-mail filters block our replies. Please provide an alternative e-mail in the Contact Us form where it asks for your e-mail address.
- Some Spam Filters will automatically block e-mail from an unknown source unless you tell the program to allow it. Please be sure to allow mail from [email protected] (this e-mail address does not receive e-mail except via the Contact Us form)
Best Guest Rooms
Come on by and hang out in VMK Town!! Dragatling has created this great room for all to appreciate. He is very friendly and offers you a seat or a chance to swim in his lake.
You have been granted permission from stitchcreator to join his crew on The Pirate Ship of Sparrow. Sail around the open seas in search for treasure. You never know what you might find buried in the sand.
Best Game Rooms
See the wonderful acts of Pizay and his friends in Whose Line is it Anyway? Filled with laughter and music this show will bring all your worries to an end!
It's the magicstarpower Summer Olympics, and the current activity is High Dive! The Game! Can you make it to The High Dive Board? Or will you fall down in a Splash!
Best Player Quests
Come on in and try out Muscleboy's can you find it? quest. Help him in finding all the items he has dropped in his room. He sometimes remembers where an item is and will give you hints. Good Luck!
Players who have been previously recognized for their design talents will receive the VIP award.
Become a Game Designer!
Some of the most popular Guest rooms in VMK are game rooms, where the owners give away their own VMK goodies to the Players who win their races or quizzes. You can create your own games using nothing more than furniture, the room description and your imagination. To make your game room complete, check out these items in the Emporium: Ride Operator's Scoreboard, Retro Turnstile, Retro Penny Press and the Velvet-rope Room Divider.