I hope everyone enjoyed the Thanksgiving Day Holiday and the ensuing weekend. I enjoyed taking a few days away from the computer and burying my nose in a good book or two. The Twilight Series, that the movie that bested Bolt last weekend is based… Read More »Monday Morning Roundup – Disney News
The IAAPA Attractions Expo opened on Monday. But the show doesn’t really get going until the “What’s New” presentation which was yesterday morning. This year the kickoff session featured performances from Universal and The Blues Brothers, dancers from Busch Gardens, and a new song from beautifully performed by a singer from Walt Disney World Resort. All in all a great showcase for central Florida.
Three new IAAPA members were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Arto Monaco (Land of Make Believe) and Edgard “Eddy” Meeus (Walibi Parks) both played key roles in the early days of theme park development and were awarded posthumously. Larry B. Cochran helped open Six Flags over Texas and rose to the top of the company during his 41 years of service and team building. He gave a wonderful speech with a tribute to his family and team members.
The bi-annual Applause Award went to Xetulul a theme park in Retalhuleu, Guatemala. I’ve never heard of this park, but it looked like a lot of fun. San Diego SeaWorld cam in a close second.
After the morning performance everyone heads down to the show floor to make some deals and see what’s hot from vendors old and new. I only managed to cover about 20% of the show floor yesterday but click through the cut to read a few things that caught my eye.
As part of a recently started tradition for 43-year history of the Disney Ambassador program, the worldwide 2009 Disney Park Ambassador team gathered for a week of training at the Disneyland Resort. Each of the eight Ambassadors pictured above represent the five Disney Resort locations… Read More »2009 Worldwide Disney Park Ambassadors go back to where the magic began
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
Sadly the rumor I posted last week has come true. Cypress Gardens will close for four months to retool into two separate gates. The water park will grow larger while the attractions and animal exhibits will be removed and sold to other amusement parks. The… Read More »Cypress Gardens to divest itself of Animals, Attractions
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
When Lorri Galloway decided to back a high-end housing developer over the city of Anaheims primary meal ticket, Disneyland, she had to know she would be in for the fight of her life during the upcoming election cycle. As expected Disney has been helping her… Read More »Disney influences Anaheim Councilwoman’s Race