James (Black Wolf) Hansen, Anita (Quick Silver) Hansen, and Garry (Thunder Hunter) Englehart perform the annual Blessing of the Four Directions, November 12, 2008, in the lobby of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. November is American Indian Heritage Month.
Susan Lucci, Emmy Award-winning star of the ABC Daytime drama “All My Children,” strikes a pose with her “Dancing with the Stars” professional dance partner, Tony Dovolani, Nov. 15, 2008 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Lucci and Dovolani, who were eliminated from “Dancing with the Stars”… Read More »Susan Lucci Dances into Disney’s Hollywood Studios one last time for Super Soap Weekend
I’ll start by saying I’m not in favor of platform dependent services when it comes to mobile or wireless internet services. That said, I understand that this is the way things get built at Disney Parks. You have a great idea, you find a partner, and then you work with them to make it a win-win for both sides. Hopefully the guests get something good out of it too.
So what’s the big deal coming to the U.S. based Disney theme parks? How about a park guide with real time information on your mobile phone? It’s about time, I say. The ability to know how long a queue is without having to walk to the attraction yourself is practically invaluable to the Disney park goer. Finding last minute dining reservations, special deals, interactive games and adventures, and so much more offers to enrich the theme park experience dramatically.
Beginning next year, guests will be able to access an array of features on their Verizon Wireless phones while at the Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort to help them make the most of their Disney experiences. Planned services include an exclusive mobile application that will give guests with Verizon Wireless service the ability to easily locate shows, restaurants and the Disney characters anywhere inside the Parks; get real-time attraction availability information; access mobile games; receive messages from characters and more. Verizon Wireless is also continuing to invest in its wireless network from coast to coast, and the relationship with Disney means the wireless users will benefit from further enhancements to the Verizon Wireless network in the Parks.
Verizon gets access to millions of Disney guests each year and a good chance of converting frequent theme park visitors to their service. I hope they’ll also offer ‘test’ units to those who don’t currently have Verizon as a provider. If it’s cool and useful, it might be enough to make me switch. Any current Verizon Wireless users want to chime in with your experiences?
The full press release is below the cut:
Read More »Disney Partners with Verizon for In Park Facts and Fun
First, a tropical depression has formed in the Caribbean and looks likely to reach hurricane strength this week. This is not a rumor, but it’s not likely to affect Central Florida either. I’ll post again if things change. Second, the Disney Gossip blog has some… Read More »Walt Disney World Rumors
As this year’s Food and Wine Festival winds to a close Walt Disney World has released exciting new details about next spring’s International Flower & Garden Festival. Among the new items are a “Cinderellabration” Topiary, a ‘Green’ Garden, Pirates Adventure Zone, and the Pixie Hollow… Read More »Celebrate Floral Fun and ‘Go Green’ At 16th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, March 18-May 31, 2009
Finally, below the cut is a video of a ride through Walt Disney World’s Space Mountain with the lights on. I don’t know why they don’t leave the lights on normally, it’s much more frightening to see how close you come to those crossbars sometimes.
More than 200 Walt Disney World VoluntEARS lent their magical touch to the Florida Coastal Cleanup by clearing the shores of Orlando’s Lake Fran of 3,560 pounds of trash and debris. Working with Keep Orlando Beautiful and the Ocean Conservancy, Disney VoluntEARS represented the largest… Read More »Disney World VoluntEARS Help Clean Up Lake Fran in Orlando
I’ve got whatever stomach virus that has been going around the Orlando area. So I apologize for the light blogging this weekend. Here are some links to what I’ve found interesting over the last few days. High School Musical 3: Senior Year is the valedictorian… Read More »Some Sunday Sundries – Disney News Links