If you had the pleasure of going on the upgrade experience ‘Wild Africa Trek‘ at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in June or July, you might have taken home an unwelcome guest with you. The Orange County Health System and Walt Disney World report that a stomach… Read More »Mysterious Illness Breaks Out on Animal Kingdom’s Wild Africa Trek
John Rocco has led an amazing life. He’s worked with Whoopi Goldberg, designed attractions for Walt Disney Imagineering, he’s even been awarded the Caldecott award for a book he illustrated. His illustrations for children’s books can be found on covers of great series like “The… Read More »Award Winning Imagineer’s Illustrations On Exhibit at Orlando Museum of Art
Back in April, The Disney Blog enjoyed a pre-opening tour of the Disney’s Art of Animation Lobby from Walt Disney Imagineer Gary Hoffman. The lobby, aka Animation Hall, as you will hear, is designed as the pre-show for the greater hotel. While the central focus… Read More »Disney’s Art of Animation Resort – Lobby Tour
The other day I was at the Magic Kingdom and it started raining cats and dogs. I was just finishing lunch at Pecos Bill and didn’t want to run through the rain, but I remembered you can actually walk from Pecos Bill all the way to Pirates of the Caribbean under cover. Even better, with everyone else holed up waiting for the torrential down pour to stop, I pretty much had Pirates to myself.
There’s a good reason to check out Pirates these days as the queue has been getting some upgrades done to it. There is a popular rumor of an interactive game called “Pirates Adventure: Jewels of the Seven Seas” that will let you use an RFID device to interact with elements in and around Pirates. Construction walls have been up in the queue for over a month.
When walking through the queue this time, I noticed that Disney has unveiled the first of the new theme elements. It looks like the idealic Caribbean castle the queue winds through is under attack. Cannon ball impacts have added new damage to the walls, there are even a few spots whee the cannon balls are still stuck within the wall.
While the project isn’t complete, I can get on board with this sort of plussing the story. I can’t wait to see what else is unveiled in this makeover and if the interactive game elements are added as well.
A couple more photos below the jump:
Read More »Pirates of the Caribbean Queue at Magic Kingdom Gets Makeover
Orlando City Soccer looks to be on the fast track to joining the MLS. The league and local officials have actually been meeting for months looking for ways to make it happen. One major obstacle stands in the way, a stadium. The current stadium was… Read More »Orlando’s MLS Dream
Let’s say you want to enjoy SeaWorld Aquatica’s thrilling slides, double wave pools and pristine beaches, but are a little unsure of your, or your children’s, swimming skills. Well, SeaWorld has your back. They’re now offering “Learn to Swim” lessons. Locals can take them over… Read More »SeaWorld Aquatica Now Offering Swim Lessons
The death of trainer Dawn Brancheau in an encounter with a killer whale was a tragedy, but SeaWorld believes a Federal Judge has gone too far restraining trainers interaction with the whales. Not just too far, but made the decision based on faulty assumptions. Yesterday… Read More »SeaWorld Appeals Decision to keep Killer Whale Trainers out of Water
Apparently Universal Orlando Resort has figured out a large untapped audience – Families of Hipsters. They just announced a partnership with Loews Hotels & Resorts to build a new hotel development with a ‘hip’ theme that will add high-quality, high-value options for families wanting an affordable on-site experience. I joke, but I am willing to bet it will be a success for Universal.
Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort will offer two distinct experiences within the development’s multiple buildings: 900 family suites, capable of sleeping six, that include kitchen areas and 900 standard guest rooms – offering both moderate – and value-priced accommodations. It will be operated by Loews Hotels & Resorts and is scheduled to open in 2014.
Think of Cabana Bay Beach Resort like a moderate resort, compared to the more deluxe Portofino Bay Hotel, the Hard Rock Hotel and Loews Royal Pacific Resort. Amenities will be slightly different, and the room rate won’t include the Universal Express Unlimited Pass. That’s fine in my book, since a potential of 5000 more people running around with Express Passes could overwhelm the delicate balance that exists now in the parks.
That said, there is an obvious need for family suites. More extended families are vacationing together. A moderate level price is also something that has been missing from Universal’s deck of cards.