from Instagram Although ostensibly it was to expand the smoking area, the recent upgrade to the old canoes queue and dock looks really nice. They used to do a cute little ‘pan for gold’ activity in this area, these gold nuggets look more permanent, so… Read More »Instapic: There’s gold in them there hills.
I’m always on the lookout for great new merchandise and a new set of coffee mugs for Walt Disney World certainly qualifies. In fact, I used to collect coffee mugs, but they were nothing like these Three of the four park icons are represented in… Read More »New Park Icon Coffee Mugs
The commercial MyMagic+ I posted last week has been set to private, but Disney has released this new MyMagic+ commercial complete with singing Lumiere to promote the new service. Keep an eye out around the 0:09 second mark for some really bad photoshoppery of Main… Read More »MyMagic+ Commercial Gets Bad Photoshop Award
Update: Welcome to NY Times readers. Please find the latest news on MyMagic+ and Fastpass+ here. See all of our coverage here. Finally, I hope you’ll take a moment to discover my new book on the Magic of Disneyland.
The My Disney Experience mobile app delivers pertinent parks information, Fastpass+ reservations, maps and simple navigation to guests on the fly – via their smart phone or other portable device.
In the last 24 hours we’ve looked at MyMagic+ and Fastpass+ from the guest perspective and tried to put a little historical and business sense behind it, now it’s time to turn our eye on how Disney is presenting these new products to the public.
Disney’s marketing has just released a series of video promoting MyMagic+, Fastpass+ and the digital photo package Memory Maker. Look for more videos like these to form the core of Disney World’s 2014 marketing message.
Fastpass+
MyMagic+
Read More »FastPass+ and MyMagic+ takeover Disney World – Part 3: The Marketing Push Begins
Are you a Disney World expert or a relative newbie? Maybe your level of expertise is multiple choice questions or do you like to really hunt for answers while on your trip? What if you have a family with both levels in it? Good news,… Read More »New Disney World Trivia Book Appeals to All Levels of Expert
Earlier this week famed photographer of the stars Annie Leibovitz added Jessica Chastain to the list of celebrities she has featured in her Disney Dream Portraits series. The famous redhead portrayed Pixar’s first princess, also a redhead, Merida from the hit animated feature Brave.
Today we get two exciting videos that take us behind the scenes of the photo shoot and reveal how the magic is made. (Love the fake horse in the shot above. Makes sense though.) Appropriately enough for the Scottish princess, the photo shoot took place in an area of Cold Spring, New York known as the Hudson Highlands.
Turns out Chastain is a fan of a certain activity enjoyed by many guests at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World – Pin Trading. Below she shares her Pin Trading strategy:Read More »Behind the Scenes on Jessica Chastain’s Disney Dream Portrait Shoot with Annie Leibovitz
Normally at this time of year, I write a retrospective piece looking back at the year in Disney, but for personal reasons, I’ve decided now is the time to look forward, not back. Instead of recollections, I’m writing prescriptions.These are the things I believe will help Walt Disney World continue to compete for the hearts and wallets of their fans while fending off challenges from other entertainment options both near (Universal Orlando) and far (changing TV viewing habits at home, for instance)
I’ll try and limit myself to one or two recommendations each and something that can at least get started in 2014. I don’t intend each prescription to solve every woe, but it will at least make a significant difference in one or two major problem areas.
Magic Kingdom
The oldest theme park in Central Florida is showing its age more and more and suffers from serious stagnation in both attractions and entertainment (translation: a serious capacity issue). There is something they can do quickly to make a dent. As part of an overall project to update Tomorrowland, I prescribe for the park an indoor air-conditioned high-capacity theater capable of hosting shows similar to the Hyperion Theater at California Adventure. With multiple shows a day, this adds a lot of capacity, gives guests a place to cool off in the heat and humidity, and allows for a showcase for Disney’s latest animated musicals (Rapunzel Stage show anyone?). This is also something that could be accomplished quickly and with minimal in park disruption by setting the theater outside the berm. Additional revenue can be raised by hosting events in the space, something the Magic Kingdom is currently lacking.
EPCOT
This park has the highest capacity of all four parks. It has two wonderful festivals and an enjoyable Christmas overlay. These are wonderful for what they do to attract guests. However, the mission and vision of EPCOT has been ignored for too long, and many areas of the park are in serious need of rejuvenation. Let’s tackle the two sections of the park separately.Read More »Dr. John’s 2014 Prescriptions for Walt Disney World
Universal Studios just released a teaser poster for it’s upcoming expansion of Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley themed area. Last week Universal Orland Resort uploaded two trailers for the first Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion. The first is a not so subtle jab at Disney’s… Read More »Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley Trailer and Teaser Poster