Good morning, cruisers, breakfast seekers, and those who enjoy their meals best when served by 5-foot tall rodents, and welcome to the Disney Magic! Today the beans have the pleasure of joining their pals Alex and Ashley at one of the Disney Cruise Line's morning character meals, where pancakes meet Pluto and nobody dares tell the Three Little Pigs where the bacon on that plate came from.

Since he's the Big Cheese in these here parts, the beans thought they'd start the celeb-fest with none other than Sir Mickey himself. Yes, Mickey Mouse is a genuine icon. He's starred in over 120 shorts, made his appearance in several Disney movies, ran three different incarnations of his daily Mickey Mouse Club, served as the mascot, logo, and spokesmouse for one of the world's largest corporations, and has been featured on countless t-shirts, watches, and other swag over the last 77 years. Yet, on top of all that, he's still a really decent guy. You've got to hand it to Mickey Mouse - he'll never pull a Mickey Roarke on us.

The beans have a really strong admiration for Mr. Mouse - probably because he's a lot of fun to hang with, and because you'll usually find a theme park nearby wherever he is. If only the frijoles could talk Mickey into hanging around with them all the time, they'd be set. Hey, Mick -- the frijoles are even willing to go pick up your dry cleaning if that's what it takes. I mean, that way you wouldn't have to wear that shirt out in public again. Okay? Mickey? Hello? Hey, come back! Was it something I said?

Disney has what they refer to as "The Fab 5" - their "A" list stars. Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, and of course Donald. Sometimes Daisy is thrown into the mix for good measure, but she's more of a hanger-on than a true elite celeb. (Try as she might, she still can't get a Monday night table at Morton's.) But then there are the supporting players - those guys and gals that may not find their names above the title, but who are still pretty far out themselves. Here's one with the beans now -- meet Chip, from the comic duo Chip 'n Dale. (No, not Chippendales. Chip 'n Dale. They're good looking, but they're not about to put on bow ties and shake their groove things for dollar bills. So don't ask.)

Did you know that there's an easy way to tell Chip and Dale apart, besides the personally embroidered (and devilishly handsome, I must say) aprons? Here's how: Chip has a black nose, while Dale has a red nose. Think 'Chocolate Chip', and you'll be able to win trivia contests from now until New Years. Now, as far as Dale's red nose goes, we'll all hope it's from leading Santa's sleigh on a foggy night and not too many tugs on the ol' Yukon Jack.

Every good comic duo has a straight-man / goofball combination. It just seems to work best that way. Martin had Lewis, Laurel had Hardy, Sonny had Cher, Bush had Quayle. And in the wonderful world of Disney characters, our straight-munk Chip has his comic foil in the form of goof-munk Dale. Unlike ol' Chocolate Chip up there, there really isn't a cute way to remember Dale's name, so you'll just have to do your best and try not to refer to them as "Chip 'n Doug".

Regardless, Chip 'n Dale made their premiere in a walk-on role in the classic cartoon "Private Pluto". They then went on to co-star with Donald in a few shorts before moving on to the big time where they starred in several shorts themselves. This was of course followed by Chip 'n Dale's Rescue Rangers, which amused the beans immensely during their "field" days.

The beans have always wanted to build cool inventions made out of ordinary household junk, like the Rescue Rangers seemed to be able to do (just like McGuyver, sans the duct tape). I mean, who wouldn't want to have a helicopter made out of a helium balloon, a straw, a spool of thread, a pair of rusty scissors, and some conveniently placed bubble gum? On second thought, the frijoles have decided that plummeting to Earth from 5,000 feet up when a passing seagull clips your balloon 'n gum chopper wouldn't be a fun plan, and that a used-Kleenex parachute probably wouldn't do the trick either, so instead they'll just keep their can on the table, if it's all the same to you.

Here the beans meet up with none other than the lovely Ms. Mouse, Minnie. Minnie made her film debut in "Steamboat Willie" on the same day as the old Mickster (November 18, 1928 for those of you keeping track), but for some reason Mickey's birthday is the only one that garners much attention. But never fear, Minnie - the beans promise to celebrate your special day this year with a triple-decker carrot cake, some sugary beverages, and a pinata shaped like Donald Trump's hairpiece.

But what really surprised me was this shot...Yes, Minnie likes the beans. (And you know what? The beans like Minnie, too. Ain't love grand?) I was really surprised to see this photo show up, 'cause from what I hear Uncle Eisner frowns on having his happy character friends promote non-Disney products. But hey -- we're not selling anything here, and Minnie picked the can up on her own. Chris noted that the beans were sitting on the table minding their own business when Minnie came along, grabbed them, gave him a big thumbs up, and then she and the incredibly-shocked-and-starstruck frijoles smiled for the birdie. We're willing to bet that Minnie knew about the Web site, and that's why she was so willing to pose with the beans. Amazing, no?

Now, the beans have to be honest. They've had pretty good luck over the years meeting celebrities both big and small, but this is mighty cool. Knowing that Minnie Mouse is a huge fan of Beans Around The World - how can it get better than that? I'm sure that the beans will eventually meet up with someone else who leaves them speechless, but for now, we'll enjoy the moment while it lasts.

Finally, there's this photo. See, Mom? This is why you don't let the kiddies have unlimited bowls of Froot-Loops in the morning. As for whom this is supposed to be, the beans aren't totally sure, but one thing is certain - he's definitely a "character". (Sorry, Chris - I couldn't resist.)

Anyway, let's not end this on a weirded-out note. The beans had a fantastic time with the world famous Disney gang, and thank everyone (but especially you, Minnie!) for the laughs, autographs, and the Disney stock tips. When they make a killing in the stock market, they'll cash in their dividends and we'll all sail together again.