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Big Thunder Mountain Queue

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to Get Interactive Queue

Back when Big Thunder Mountain Railroad re-opened after its latest refurbishment, there was a lot of speculation about exactly what those nondescript boxes were in the queue. Obviously, they were temporary place holders until something better could be installed, but what is that something. Turns… Read More »Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to Get Interactive Queue

“Frankenweenie Weekend” Takes Over Downtown Disney Sept. 28 – 30, 2012

Downtown Disney in Orlando is getting into the spirit of Frankenweenie as it hosts a weekend of special fun for fans of Tim Burton and his films. Experiences inspired by the new movie, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Alice in Wonderland” will take place at… Read More »â€śFrankenweenie Weekend” Takes Over Downtown Disney Sept. 28 – 30, 2012

EPCOT Center Celebrates 30th Anniversary With Small Event, Talks

EPCOT Center, the first Disney theme park to break the Magic Kingdom mold, turns thirty on October 1st. While the mission has shifted from the original vision for the future and the name is now just Epcot, it’s still spectacular in many ways. The 1st… Read More »EPCOT Center Celebrates 30th Anniversary With Small Event, Talks

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Photo Update

We were pleased to be invited to the Magic Kingdom to enjoy an evening at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. This event fell on a Friday evening and the crowds were fairly thick for the start of the evening. However, after the fireworks, the park cleared out and the last couple hours of the night was relatively quick access to any attractions or candy stop we wanted to swing by.

For our family, MNSSHP is a chance to see some walk-around characters we don’t see very often, catch one of our favorite parades, see the Halloween fireworks, and collect some candy. We tend to avoid the dance parties and special food offerings. But if that’s your thing, those looked fun this year.

One new item was added to the pre-parade on Main Street – a flash mob. Well not technically a flash mob, but some sort of impromptu line dancing was taking place. To be honest, I was a little underwhelmed by the effort. Sure it was neat to see cast members out in the street instead of at the restaurant counter, but the stage was just a plain black platform and there really weren’t that many guests out in the street. Now, I saw the pre-parade show before the 2nd parade, so the first parade may have had more energy. But frankly, I’d rather they spend this entertainment budget on doing things like adding the Dapper Dans on a ghostly boat tour aboard the Lilly Belle or more atmosphere around the park.

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Enchanted Tales With Belle In Limited Soft Opening

When the original Fantasyland Expansion was announced it was going to have not one, not two, but three next-generation princess encounters. Guests wouldn’t just line up to get a photo with their favorite Disney princess, they would enter their world and participate in the story in some way. When the decision was made to add a coaster to the mix, two of those encounters went away.

The one encounter that’s left is the Enchanted Tales with Belle attraction. It takes place in Maurice’s Cottage, which sits in a lovely wooded setting, just like in Beauty and the Beast. Guests enter Maurice’s cottage and see some special family mementos, then enter the work shop where a magical moment happens. (I don’t want to give too much away. If you want to see it, there are a couple of walk-throughs on YouTube.)

At the end of last week, the Magic Kingdom started offering limited testing of the attraction. Guests are taken behind the construction walls in small groups and then allowed to enter Maurice’s cottage. I have yet to make it myself, but on Sept 8th Duy Truong (friend of The Disney Blog) was invited.

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Inside The Little Mermaid Wing at Art of Animation Resort

The last wing to open at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is actually the first set of buildings built. Of course, it was still called “Pop Century – Legendary Years” at the time. Later these buildings became known as Disney’s Ghost hotel. Now we’re just… Read More »Inside The Little Mermaid Wing at Art of Animation Resort

U.S. Soldier Returns from Afghanistan to Surprise Family with Walt Disney World Reunion

Walt Disney World is known as a place where families can have a great time together. But what happens if time, distance and service to one’s country keeps them apart? Well, sometimes magic happens. That was the case when the children of SPC Scott Halquist… Read More »U.S. Soldier Returns from Afghanistan to Surprise Family with Walt Disney World Reunion

An Orlando Journey Into the Future

Unless you are living under a rock (which would be incredibly uncomfortable), you realize the affect that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has had on the Orlando tourism community. Everyone is filled to the brim with new projects that, they hope can match and/or topple Harry Potter in the themed and immersive environment category… or the bring in millions of people and billions of dollars category too! I thought, you can never look too far into the future… so here is a preview to what will, supposedly, make you travel to the Orlando area in the coming years!

Positive Coming Attractions:

  • This December 6th, the east coast’s Carsland equivalent will finally be unveiled in the Magic Kingdom. New Fantasyland containing: Enchanted Tales with Belle, Gaston’s Tavern, Be Our Guest Restaurant, Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid, Ariel’s Grotto, Pete’s Silly Sideshow, and officially, Storybook Circus, will FINALLY open after years of “looking-over-the-wall” photo updates. In 2013, the Princess Fairytale Hall will open, in the former Snow White’s Scary Adventures building. And the expansion will finally be ending (unless they announce a phase 2 with Pixie Hollow…I wish!) with the opening of the Seven Dwarves Mine Coaster. Can you believe that this was all announced back at the first D23 Expo in 2009?! If feels like so long ago!
  • Test Track will re-open at the end of this year after a rather extensive rehab and rethemeing. The concept of being inside of a computer seems like a great fit for an aging Future World attraction that needed a lift (and a nip…and a tuck…). We will see how Tron-y this new Test Track looks this December.
  • Although not at a theme park, I am super excited for Spiltsville to be coming to Downtown Disney. We have one in Tampa and it is an awesome place. This incarnation will be a two story, 36-lane bowling alley version of the usual 1 story, 12-lane concept. The uniqueness of Splitsville comes from two factors, first being that while you bowl, a waiter comes to your table…as it is a sit-down (or play-up?) restaurant as well as a bowling alley (BTW, best chicken tenders anywhere!). The second factor comes from the design of the place, the lanes aren’t set up in the normal long, side-by-side fashion of the old-fashioned alleys, they are scattered throughout the building giving it a much more personal experience. Get ready to bowl your brains out in late fall of this year.
  • Seaworld has also jumped on the immersive environment bandwagon by announcing Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin. This will take the place of the former penguin exhibit at the park. Not a lot of details have been announced about the project as of now, but the concept art is astounding. A publicity photo was recently released and has led to speculation that the ride in the land will be using a trackless ride system similar to the one used on Pooh’s Hunny Hunt at Tokyo Disneyland. I am really excited to check it out in the spring of 2013.

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