Prepare to have your sweet tooth teased. The latest “Every Role a Starring Role” video from Disneyland picks the ‘rolls’ of the new Jolly Holiday Bakery Café on Main Street, U.S.A.. Head Chef Janine Ruozi is responsible for these amazing creations (look for the Matterhorn… Read More »Jolly Holiday Bakery Café at Disneyland, Sweet Treats
The WDW Fan Zone has collected a great list of current day celebrities who got their start as Cast Member at one of Disney’s theme park or cruise ships. Here are a few of the big names you probably already know, Jennifer Hudson – Actress/Singer… Read More »Before they were Stars, They were Disney Cast Members
While strolling through Disney’s theme parks I’m always keeping an eye out for what’s new. That includes new merchandise too. What can I say, it’s a hobby. Here’s a collection of some merchandise that caught my eye over the last few weeks. Some of it’s… Read More »Walt Disney World Merchandise Review
Imagine you’re going out to your favorite Italian restaurant where you got engaged, had your wedding reception, and now eat every Sunday with friends and family for a lovely Prix-fix meal. There’s the roving accordion player, the bottles of imported Chianti on every table, and… Read More »A Hair Raising Analogy
Had a great time in the Magic Kingdom today (once I got into the MK at least). There are plenty of noteworthy changes at the park: the new Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom was open for guests in testing mode, construction was going full bore, and a few surprises were in order. This is a long update with 28 pictures. So I broke it up into two parts. But it might become three or more, who knows. Stay tuned.
Alright then. On with the show.
We arrived at the TTC only to find the Express and Resort monorail lines down. Everyone was being directed to the ferry boats. Without knowing how long the monorails would be down for, we decided to take the ferry.
A giant crane hanging over Cinderella Castle is not really what you want to see when you’re arriving at the Magic Kingdom.
However, when you’re arriving via ferry boat, this is an even worse sight — a ferry still in the dock. We didn’t have to wait as long this week as we did last week (about 6 minutes of waiting this time, about 12 minutes last week). But even more frustrating was the fact that both monorail lines came back to life while we were stuck in the middle of the lake and started delivering guests from TTC to the main entrance ahead of us.
With both a monorail and a ferry arriving at the same time bag check lines were long. I chose a shorter queue, but ended up waiting even longer than most as the Security Guard actually found something prohibited in a bag a few people in front of me. A small glass bottle of alcohol (serious, sneak it in in your pockets or a plastic container if you have to people. You’re not frisked, just your bags) and a mid-sized kitchen knife. There was also a little bit of a language barrier. Everything was handled professionally, but with only limited bag check lines open, it was just upping my frustration level to stuck in a line that was not be moving.
I know we hit the trifecta of bad luck, but I have to think that a guest’s arrival at the park is an area of the show still in need of much work. Starting off with a frown on your face is a bummer, you know.
Finally, we saw this sign and I mentally prepared myself for immersion in the magic.
Let’s get into the magic below the jump:
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
Disneyland Paris Resort and its operating company Euro-Disney SCA have spent years on a carefully crafted plan to eliminate some of the mountains of debt the resort was left with after opening with too many hotels. For a while they ran into a circle of an austere budget impacting maintenance and show, which resulted in a decrease in attendance, which turned into the banks demanding more austerity. That resulted in some unhealthy attitudes about the park in the eyes of the public. Thankfully, DLPR is at a place now where they can convince the banks that a certain amount of growth and maintenance is required just as a baseline to draw in new guests.
Plans for a new Ratatouille ride at Disneyland Paris’ Walt Disney Studios park leaked back in April of 2011, but it took until now for the banks to approve the 150 million euro price for the attraction and the mini-land that will come with it.
As you can see above, the concept art is gorgeous. This is the sort of detailed place making that will help WDS grow and continue to draw guests for an extended stay at DLPR. The new Ratatouille ride is rumored to be a trackless ride system based on the Winnie the Pooh Honey Pot ride in Tokyo Disney. Together with the Cars, Nemo, & Toy Story area, there will be a whole emphasis on Pixar in the park. Should be exciting.
The full press release is below the cut:
Read More »Ratatouille Ride at Disneyland Paris Resort Gets Funding
As a kid, my trips to Southern California always included quality time with family and almost always a trip to Disneyland. But I also looked forward to our visits to Universal Studios Hollywood. Something about the earnest way in which they presented their cheesy product attracted me. But there was also a tremendous collection of film and entertainment history there.
This year Universal is celebrating their 100th Anniversary. That’s a lot of history. Here’s how they plan to observe the centennial at their parks.
Universal’s Parks and Resorts will help highlight Universal’s 100th Anniversary campaign with centennial specific content and merchandise throughout both the Orlando and Hollywood locations. The Orlando resort will soon announce a specially themed entertainment experience that will celebrate Universal’s heritage. In Hollywood, the world-famous Studio Tour features expert guides that will take guests on a tour through 100 years of moviemaking history on the Universal Studios production backlot. Tours are conducted daily, visiting TV and movie sets ranging from the early Universal Studios monster film classics to current productions.
The full press release detailing all the celebrations across Universal, is below the jump:
Read More »Universal Parks Join in Company’s 100th Anniversary Celebration