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August 2013

18th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Details

Wine Cheese & Thou

If there is one festival I look forward to every year it’s the Food & Wine event at EPCOT. 2013 will mark the 18th anniversary of the event that finds Disney guests sipping and savoring fresh flavors from six continents and more than 25 food booths. When you add in the special events, exhibits and generally fun atmosphere, you just can’t beat it. The 18th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival presented by Chase runs from Sept. 27 to Nov. 11, 2013.

Disney chefs will debut the authentic tastes of Scotland at the celebrated 46-day festival known for innovative food, wine, beer, cocktails, music and entertainment.  The sizzling aromas of more than 25 ethnic and specialized marketplaces including Africa, Brazil and Florida Local will tempt guests strolling the World Showcase Promenade.  Celebrity chefs like Warren Brown and Jamie Deen will bring culinary cachet to special festival events and demonstrations.Read More »18th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Details

How Disneyland Made a Believer Out of Me.

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I never wanted to go to  Disneyland. Sure, I’d heard all about how it was “Walt’s park” and how you could walk in Walt’s footsteps, but to be honest, I’m not very sentimental about those things. I love Disney World, all four parks, the dining options, and the resorts. It didn’t seem necessary to go all the way out to the West Coast (where I was raised, incidentally) when I had everything I needed just a few hundred miles from my front door. But circumstances change and an opportunity arose. I went to Disneyland.

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Here’s what I found, in a nutshell: Disneyland is both the same and different.  Disneyland feels like a “family” park, with a million pass holders for whom it’s like a second home; Disney World is everyone’s park, a destination for people from all over the world. Their castle is “cute,” not grand like “ours,” their quick-service food is better and the table-service food is spotty in places.Their Haunted Mansion has nothing on ours, except during the fall and Christmas, when they do a Nightmare Before Christmas overlay that is not to be missed.

Read More »How Disneyland Made a Believer Out of Me.

MyMagic, Fastpass+ and Magicband Test Preview Video

Jeff and Denise of the excellent Mousesteps Disney fan site were invited by a cast member friend to be their guest during a test of the new Next-Gen system at EPCOT. During the test of the neww MagicBands and MyMagic+, they put the device through… Read More »MyMagic, Fastpass+ and Magicband Test Preview Video

Universal Orlando’s Transformers Attraction Rushes Past Milestone, Park Already Moving On

Walt Disney World managers may not publicly admit they’re in a battle for tourist dollars, but there is an arms race going on in Orlando and one side is bringing out the big guns. After the success of Harry Potter and Despicable Me themed attractions,… Read More »Universal Orlando’s Transformers Attraction Rushes Past Milestone, Park Already Moving On

New Poster for Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World

Hang on to your hats and glasses everyone, there’s a new “Payoff” poster out for Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World.” It features Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins and more in what is now a standard ‘assembled cast’ motif for Marvel’s Super Hero films.

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If you missed the teaser trailer from earlier this year, you can find it here. The full boilerplate for the movie and slate of upcoming Marvel releases is below the jump:
Read More »New Poster for Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World

Free Dining is Here for Fall 2013!

The fall free dining promotion is here and the booking frenzy is about to begin. Disney’s “back to rack” campaign, which is essentially a move to end discounts, is reflected in this promotion, with Art of Animation, Port Orleans French Quarter, All Star Movies and… Read More »Free Dining is Here for Fall 2013!

Are we all mis-judging Disney’s The Lone Ranger?

My own review of The Lone Ranger wasn’t as clear-cut negative as most of the critics. I thought it was a mixed bag, but most raked it over the coals (it has a 27% rating on Rotten Tomatoes). Recently, one film aficionado has taken a… Read More »Are we all mis-judging Disney’s The Lone Ranger?

Why do you love EPCOT Center?

Over the last few years The Daily City has grown into one of Orlando’s real treasures. It’s as close to a hyper-local news blog as we’ve got in the town and it continues to deliver great content on a daily basis (not to mention its… Read More »Why do you love EPCOT Center?