Heading to Walt Disney World on Thursday? Expect security to be tighter and traffic to be busier than usual as the President of the United States will be visiting Walt Disney World to give a speech on tourism. No better place for that then Orlando… Read More »President Obama to speak at Walt Disney World on Thursday
Award-winning actress Uma Thurman was hosted by Universal Orlando Resort on Sunday, January 15, 2012 while vacationing in Orlando with friends and family. During her visit, she came face-to-face with a mysterious Egyptian guard moments before experiencing the pulse-pounding attraction, Revenge of the Mummy. Thurman… Read More »Uma Thurman spotted at Universal Studios
For me, the highlight of the day were the hula-hoop artists from China.
Went to SeaWorld Orlando on Saturday to sample their new “Just For Kids” festival. While there we checked in on the construction for TurtleTrek, schedule to open later this year, and Antarctica, targeted for Spring 2013. The park was very busy, but not too crowded and we definitely had a good time.
SeaWorld has a number of events through-out the year, but none focused on the youngest park visitors. Just For Kids gives families with pre-school and elementary aged children some activities and shows that are just for them. With the addition of Legoland to central Florida, this audience has become the latest battle ground.
There are some good savings for families with kids too. For the next three Saturdays, parents can rent strollers at half-price, and the following items are free for kids with each paid adult: all-day dining deal, sky tower ride, and free Penguins Up-close, Dolphins Up-close, or Behind-the-Scenes tours. The all-day dining deal is a great value if you’re planning on eating twice while in the park.
My biggest criticisms with the event were a) it was hard to get information about the event and b) the big stage show wasn’t as good as it could be. The shows are advertised using the original cast members from the TV show, but the actors were all different, with different voices. The kids around me picked up on that pretty quickly, but for the youngest kids, it didn’t appear to matter. I understand why the cast was different, and the actors did give it their all, but something was lacking. Part of the problem was also the poor puppet design and the fact that it was basically a 4-person cast. Lazy Town should be populated with many more of the citizens from the show.
That’s on the ticky-tack side of complaints. Who knows, the next three sets of shows could be a lot better. Plus the opening act featured a small troop of acrobats from China. The women hula-hoop performers were particularly talented. I would rather have seen a half-hour show of them then Lazy Town.
Festivals like “Just For Kids” are at least partially targeted at getting locals into the park. Flyers advertising SeaWorld’s Summer Camp opportunities were seen all over the place.
Join me below the jump for more photos of Just for Kids and construction around the park:
Read More »SeaWorld Orlando Update – Just For Kids, TurtleTrek, Antartica, and more
The Richard Petty Driving Experience is a must-do for racing fans who visit the Walt Disney World Resort. But not everyone dreams of driving a race car. On the other hand, almost everyone has watched as a high performance automobile, such as a Ferrari or Lamborghini, zoomed by them on the road and said to themselves, “Gee, I wish I could drive one of those.” That’s the premise behind “Exotic Driving Experience” where you get the chance to drive, or ride along, inside a very expensive automobile and put it through its paces.
Exotic Driving Experience opens officially today and this weekend The Disney Blog was invited out to experience it ourselves. Disney has modified its existing Walt Disney World Speedway track to include a new infield section with hard turns and sweeping esses, that will offer unique challenges and lots of fun for drivers. Driving experiences start at $199 and Thrill Rides with a professional driver behind the wheel start at $99.
Lots more below the jump including on-board POV video of Christian Fittipaldi putting a Ferrari 458 Italia through its paces around the track:
Read More »Exotic Driving Experience with Christian Fittipaldi at Walt Disney World Speedway
Revenge’s corner of the Hamptons is a bit quieter since Tyler was forced out last week. In fact, my husband usually measures how crazy the show is by the amount of yelping I do in the next room, and Wednesday night, I was pretty much quiet (yet silently stressing while hating on “Amanda” and Jack). Until the end where I shouted: I KNEW IT!
Let’s just skip to the ending. Emily finds out that Charlotte is indeed the daughter of Victoria and her father. As in, Charlotte is her half-sister. For all of Emily’s smarts, I’m kind of surprised that she wasn’t savvy to this possibility. But there it is, straight from her father’s mouth.
To rewind a bit, with Tyler gone, the episode sort of goes back to its original format. Emily has her eyes set on Mason Treadwell, the writer of a book that cemented the fact that her father was guilty in the minds of many. Including hers as a young girl. Back then Mason was known as Leo, a reporter covering the trial. David Clarke trusted him to tell his story objectively. And at first, Leo tried. He interviewed little Amanda, who believes she had to tell that her father was guilty or they would lock her away too. Leo agrees with Amanda that David is innocent and asks her: “How would you like to help me rescue your father?”
Anyone who has watched one episode of this show can guess what happened. Maybe even half an episode. (Or anyone listening to the scary music.)
The Graysons. They happen to everything.
Instead, we see a young Amanda crying over Treadwell’s book, burning the picture of her father, and living for many years with the fact that her father was a killer. Fast forward a handful of years, and our Emily is rereading the book, with the knowledge that her father was framed, and she is ready to bring this guy down.
Can I just say I love Roger Bart? I know him basically as a Broadway guy but he did a great job playing this pompous, over dramatic writer type. Anxious for more work but with a little bit of a conscious.
Last we heard, Disney Cruise Line was canceling December 2012 cruises on the Disney Wonder from Los Angeles to Mexico and it appeared a re-positioning cruise through the Panama Canal was a possibility. Now, evidence points to an eventual new home port of Miami for… Read More »Disney Wonder to switch ports from Los Angeles to Miami?
I like to think of ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex as Walt Disney World’s fifth gate. It packs in visitors day after day offering unique experiences that an only be found at this world class destination. Sure, there are no e-ticket rides, but the… Read More »ESPN Wide World of Sports Expansion Waiting on Tax Breaks
Steampunk posits that had steam powered computing took off in the Victorian era, the world would look a lot different today. Many Disney film have influenced the ethic, most famously Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea movie. So it makes sense that the Nautilus section… Read More »Steampunk Tokyo DisneySea