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All the World’s a Bog with Chef Ming Tsai at Food and Wine Festival

Editor: please welcome back guest author Suzannah!

Tuesday night I ventured over to Epcot for one of the Culinary Demonstrations for the 16th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. The demonstration I attended was sponsored by Ocean Spray’s Craisins – not only a sponsor of the Food & Wine Festival, but also an official sponsor of both Walt Disney World and Disneyland parks. The chef for the evening was Ming Tsai, owner of Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Massachusetts, author of two cookbooks: Blue Ginger and Simply Ming, and host of the PBS programs East Meets West and the Emmy nominated Simply Ming. Originally from Massachusetts, I’ve always been a fan of Ming Tsai and loved his cooking shows, so I was excited to see him create a dish for us.

Guests were greeted at the Festival Center (former Wonders of Life pavilion) with samples of Ocean Spray Craisins as they waited to be seated at tables in front of a demo kitchen stage. This was actually my first-ever culinary demo during the festival, I’m almost embarrassed to admit for the past 16 years I’ve been attending the Food & Wine Festival, I’ve only ever taken part in the Marketplace Booths and their delicious offerings, never a demo or seminar of any kind. I was pleasantly surprised at the presentation. For a mere $11-14 per person (depending on the chef), guests get an exciting cooking demonstration with a celebrity chef, either nationally known, or famous within the Walt Disney World Resort or local area. I had no idea we’d actually be seated at a table and get to enjoy the dish being prepared. I would definitely do this again and am now looking into future demos I can bring my husband or family back to.

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Disney World adds fee to Prime Dining Reservations

Planning to visit Walt Disney World in the next 6 months? You might want to make you dining reservations today. As of October 26th Disney will roll out an adjustment to their restaurant reservation policy by adding cancellation fees for certain popular restaurants. At the… Read More »Disney World adds fee to Prime Dining Reservations

Astro Orbiter Catches Fire, Tomorrowland Evacuated

Update: Tomorrowland has reopened. Astro Orbiter remains closed after power outage and small fire. Here’s a pic of a Firetruck exiting Tomorrowland after the fire was put out. Update #2: In a story in the Orlando Sentinel, Disney claims that the fire was nothing more… Read More »Astro Orbiter Catches Fire, Tomorrowland Evacuated

Using Group Deals to Save on Your Next Vacation

You may be using group discount coupon websites in your local town for some big savings, but have you considered taking advantage of those same great savings when you’re on vacation? Most popular destinations like Anaheim and Orlando have tons of great deals that are perfect for savings.

Half-Off Depot frequently has deals with 50% off savings on Kissimmee and Orlando area attractions and hotels.

Groupon Orlando has more restaurant deals, but they also have been known to include an attractions or water park deal every now and then. Los Angeles and Orange County are definitely worth checking out if you’re planning a trip to Disneyland.

LivingSocial also has Orlando and Orange County deals. I’ve found some really great vacation bargains via LivingSocial.

Even if you don’t see any deals you’re interested, make sure you sign up for email alerts to any city you plan to visit in the next 6 months or so to see if great deals appear. However, keep in mind these points:

  1. Some deals don’t activate immediately. So read the deal carefully before buying.
  2. Read all the requirements and the expiration date before buying. A deal that saves $10 off a $20 purchase but requires a $50 purchase from the whole table, may not be a good deal. Likewise, a deal that expires in September, but your vacation is in October, won’t work.
  3. Don’t over plan. Part of being on vacation is having flexibility, if you have a group coupon for every day of your vacation, you’ll miss out on some of the serendipity.

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Time-Lapse Video of New Fantasyland Construction Progress

Walt Disney Imagineering has released a new time-lapse video showing the progress of New Fantasyland. If you look close you can see the crane used to put Holiday Lights up on the castle last September. Also note that the video actually ends a few months… Read More »Time-Lapse Video of New Fantasyland Construction Progress

Golden Oaks profiled in Luxury Home Magazine

Golden Oaks, the luxury home conclave set right into the middle of Walt Disney World, has been profiled in the Luxury Home Quarterly magazine. If this doesn’t start people beating a path to the mouse’s doorstep, I don’t know what will? There are some nice… Read More »Golden Oaks profiled in Luxury Home Magazine

Walt Disney World Cast Members Share Opening Day Memories


(left to right) Charles Ridgway, Forrest Bahruth, Heather Will-Browne, Darlene Kennedy, Kevin Myers.

On October 1st, 2011 I had the immense privilege to interview four Magic Kingdom opening day cast members. Each brings their own interesting stories and passion for making the magic.

Author Charles Ridgway, former Director of Walt Disney World Public Relations and Disney Legend for four decades of service to “the Mouse” (Hometown: Chicago) – Before moving from California to head the Walt Disney World publicity staff, Charlie Ridgway worked for Walt Disney himself at Disneyland in Anaheim, where he hosted media interviews and set up photo shoots with Walt and Mickey. When the Magic Kingdom first opened, Ridgway says, there was still some tweaking and problem solving to do. The parking lot trams “didn’t have enough power to go up the hill to the Ticket and Transportation Center arrival area,” he recalls. “There was lots of construction yet to go, wires hanging, walls not finished.” And he remembers the Flag Retreat ceremony brought to the Magic Kingdom from Disneyland: each evening a flock of pigeons flew in a white cloud from Town Square to Cinderella Castle and back. “Walt liked to say at Disneyland, ‘If you have pigeons and balloons, you can’t go wrong.’ Park officials eventually ended the tradition out of concern for the birds and the environment.

Three more below the jump:

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Magic Kingdom Turns 40 and Life Goes On


(click to embiggen)

The 40th Anniversary of Walt Disney World and the Magic Kingdom was punctuated by big moments at the start and end of the day with long lines for everything in between. Since Disney has chosen to ignore the anniversary in favor of a more bland promotional strategy, my expectations for the October 1st activities were quite low. Indeed, up to 3 days before the event I was told there wouldn’t even be a press event. But at the last minute, things came together and it was actually a decent show.


The morning started early for guests looking to line up for merchandise. Which had its own transportation challenges since there is no transport from the TTC at 6AM. If you entered early enough in the day you got a special map like the above and a 40th anniversary button. Both very nice. Both were essentially gone by 3pm. (click to embiggen)

Video highlights of the morning and more photos below the jump:

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