Skip to content

main street usa

Starbucks Sponsored Main Street Bakery Opens at Magic Kingdom

Huge interior of new Starbucks.

Huge interior of new Starbucks.

The Starbucks sponsored Main Street Bakery has opened at the Magic Kingdom. For some it’s a blessing to have ‘real’ coffee available in the parks, for others, its an intrusion of the outside world into the magic. The final execution is a very high capacity, smoothly run Starbucks with a few Disney touches added to make it just magical enough.

There is not as much merchandise as at a regular Starbucks, indeed hardly any beyond bags of coffee, but you’ll find all the coffee, tea, and other drinks you’ve come to love at your local Starbucks. Although we were led to believe that much of the old menu would transfer to the new location, the baked goods are mostly what you would find in a regular Starbucks. The egg and cheese croissant and super large cinnamon roll are both absent to name a few. Disney is apparently looking for new homes for the cinnamon roll, but in the meantime you can find it in Gaston’s in New Fantasyland.

The use of the Starbucks logo is tasteful – not overpowering, but not absent either. Disney has created a backstory complete with ‘grand opening’ photos and a collection of coffee paraphernalia from the owner’s trip around the world collecting photographs and unique items from different societies and their coffee habits. That backstory also includes the use of Starbucks original two-finned mermaid figure (modified slightly for Disney audiences) and there’s even a couple hidden mermaids scattered around the store.Read More »Starbucks Sponsored Main Street Bakery Opens at Magic Kingdom

Festival of Fantasy Parade Announced for Magic Kingdom

Entertainment is one the departments that is always delivering the magic at Walt Disney World. They make shows like Beauty and the Beast look fresh every day and wow thousands of people every night with Fantasmic! However, even their best efforts can not rescue the sad reality that is the current Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade, parts of which originally came from the Share a Dream parade in 2001. On some days the whole parade passes by guests in its entirety in less than 8 minutes. It’s not the fault of the cast members, they’re giving it their all, but they’re stuck with a lame duck of a parade that’s overstayed its welcome by a number of years.

Well good news, a new daytime parade, the Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade, will march into Magic Kingdom in spring 2014. Disney promises the parade will bring the magical stories of New Fantasyland to Main Street, U.S.A., through fantastic and innovative new parade floats, vibrant costumes, and an original soundtrack that will feature beloved songs from favorite Disney films, plus a new parade theme song.

Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade Coming to Magic Kingdom in 2014Read More »Festival of Fantasy Parade Announced for Magic Kingdom

Tour Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland with Imagineer Kim Irvine

Imagineer Kim Irvine hosts a new video that takes us through some of the changes brought by recent remodeling along Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland. I can almost taste the delicious decor in the Candy Palace and am impressed with what they’ve done with the… Read More »Tour Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland with Imagineer Kim Irvine

New Dance Party Added to MNSSHP Pre-Parade

It won’t just be dozens of glow merchandise carts and the Headless Horseman that precedes the nightly parade at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party this year, Main Street USA will be home a new dance party the “Not So Scary Street Jam!”. This interactive… Read More »New Dance Party Added to MNSSHP Pre-Parade

Alice Davis finally gets her Window on Main Street at Disneyland

Finally things are starting look right at Disneyland. That empty window next to Marc Davis’ has its pairing. Disneyland has honored Alice Davis with her own window on Main Street USA at Disneyland which serve as the ‘credits’ to the full experience of the park. There ceremony was star studded as far as Disneyland luminaries go.

Alice Davis was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2004 and is known for her work on the costumes for “it’s a small world” and “Pirates Of the Caribbean,” however, her accomplishments also include live action films, developing WDI standards, and is a brilliant artist and imagineer in her own right.

I’ve been writing about the need to correct this injustice since at least 1999. I mentioned the lack of windows for Alice Davis and Mary Blair in the 2nd month of this blog and later added in Lillian Disney as another major oversight. Davis joins Harriet Burns, Cicely Rigdon, and Mary Anne Mang as the fourth woman to be honored with a ‘credit’ on Main Street USA at Disneyland. Let’s hope that number quickly rises to six and higher as the company finally starts to recognize the contributions made by women in their cast, not just the men.

A full video of the ceremony is available below the cut:

Read More »Alice Davis finally gets her Window on Main Street at Disneyland

World Champion MVP Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers Celebrates Super Bowl Win with Victory Parade at Walt Disney World

The Magic Kingdom had the sweet smell of victory yesterday as Super Bowl XLV World Champ, Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers celebrated as thousands of cheese-heads fans lined Main Street, U.S.A.. Afterward he cut a ceremonial slice of cheese and then talked with press. Here is some video and a few more photos for those of you who just can’t get enough of the Packer’s victory tour.

Just hours after his title win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rodgers was riding high atop a convertible smiling and waving to green and gold clad guests at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Flashing lights, a whirlwind of fluttering confetti, balloons and Mickey Mouse himself, accompanied the Super Bowl hero down the famous street at the Magic Kingdom.

More pics below the jump:

Read More »World Champion MVP Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers Celebrates Super Bowl Win with Victory Parade at Walt Disney World

The Myth of Main Street Marceline

Over the years I’ve heard many rumors and myths concerning Disneyland’s Main Street U.S.A. It’s the first land you enter and it sets the tone for the whole experience, so there is no doubt its crafting was carefully considered by Walt Disney. I have heard… Read More »The Myth of Main Street Marceline