Raise your hand if you saw this coming. The Location Based Entertainment project at the Walt Disney Company appears to be on the ropes. The Walt Disney Company just backed out of the National Harbor project near Washington D.C. that was going to be a… Read More »Disney backs out of National Harbor development in Washington D.C.
Dreaming of a weekend getaway to the Happiest Place on Earth and wondering if you can do it without spending a whole lot? Here are some helpful tips to make it happen: Research + Planning = The Most Bang for Your Buck Packages: Booking a… Read More »Plan an Affordable Weekend Trip to Disneyland
We now know the amount by which Disney Vacation Club was undervaluing their Aulani contracts — 33%. That’s the amount of the raise Disney has been given permission to add to their previous fees. According to a Disney spokesperson quoted in the Orlando Sentinel, sales… Read More »Aulani Officially Opens, Receives Permission to Sell DVC Again
Aulani, Disney’s first hotel not located near one of its theme parks, is getting mixed reviews in the first few weeks of operations. Some of this is no doubt related to the usual issues that have to be worked out at any new large resort,… Read More »Aulani get mixed reviews in opening weeks
There’s an interesting question that arises with the current struggles Disney is experiencing with Aulani, one of Disney’s first attempts to see if they can build a Disney resort experience without a Disney park nearby. Will it work? A lot is riding on this project… Read More »What happens to Disney after Aulani
Hello, and welcome to the D23 Expo, Day 2 (for more expo coverage read my D23 Expo Day 1 and Alison’s D23 Expo Day 3 recaps!) where things were taken up a big ol’ notch. I know, I couldn’t believe it either.
This is where you say, “How in the world did they top the first day? Nothing could be sweeter than Kermit the Frog and Rowlf the Dog singing a tribute to the late, great Jim Henson! Nothing could be better than Dick Van Dyke in concert!
Fair enough. However, where Day 1 was a tip of the hat to Disney legends, Day 2 was about the now and the immediate future. Hence John Lasseter introducing Billy Crystal to a standing ovation (Lasseter also received a standing ovation) while discussing the upcoming Pixar film Monsters University. Also, Jason Segel coming out with Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy to discuss the new Muppet Movie. And of course, the Avengers assembling. On stage. That’s right, with the exception of the Hulk and Captain America, the entire team came out to watch a trailer that they had never seen. Robert Downey, Jr. made us watch it twice. Basically, it was a parade of celebrities (including Jennifer Garner, Sarah Silverman, and Jon Cryer, to name but a few) and Disney awesomeness (including Rich Ross, Andrew Stanton, and Marvel’s Kevin Feige, to again name but a few). My inner geek setting was at 11.
Walt Disney Imagineer Joe Rhode moved to the Aulani project a few months into its life. Since then he’s focused on adding the sort of details that Disney’s Animal Kingdom became famous for under his leadership. With the hotel’s grand opening coming August 29th, Rhode… Read More »Imagineer Joe Rhode Video Tour of Aulani – Disney’s Hawaiian Resort
Yesterday we got a sneak peek at Disney’s new Hawaii resort Aulani via a couple hundred snapshots. Today here’s a video tour of the lobby and grounds of the Ko Olina property. This was taken about on the 12th, about 15 days before the grand opening.
Via the always excellent DisneyByMark.com.
Bonus video of the kids water play area is below the jump: