Editor: Please welcome my wife Stacey who will be writing a series of travel planning articles. What shoes do I wear? That seems to be the question when visiting a Florida theme park. I have some helpful tips and recommendations that will help you get… Read More »Dressing for Vacation At Walt Disney World – Footwear
All the adjustments in policy and procedures have already been made, employees disciplined, OSHA fines levied, and the family’s lawsuit settled. All that we have been waiting for is the final federal investigation’s Accident Report. Today the National Transportation and Safety Board released that report putting a period on the end of a long sentence that I’m sure Disney World would like to put behind them.
That sentence started with a conflagration of errors by operators, management, and poor enforcement of existing policies that ended in the tragic death of a Walt Disney World Monorail Operator early on the morning of July 5th, 2009.
The report itself, issued this afternoon (releasing something on a holiday is almost like intentionally burying it, I wonder if that was coordinated in any way?), is written a very factual manner and in a plainly stated way. The facts outlined clearly put majority of the blame on inadequate procedures and failure to enforce the exact safety procedures that would have prevented the accident. To its credit Disney has made a lot of changes to correct what went wrong, but even if Disney had just enforced one of the common sense errors, this tragedy could have been averted.
Read More »Report on Disney World Monorail Accident of July 2009 released by NTSB
Happy Halloween everyone! The talented cast members at Walt Disney World cosmetology have some timely tips for applying make up to your family this Halloween. Are you wearing a Disney related costume tonight?
When Disney parks chair Tom Staggs announced a partnership with James Cameron to bring Avatar to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I sort of assumed that Cameron and his production partner Jon Landau had already toured the park with its chief creative influence Joe Rohde. Apparently, they… Read More »James Cameron walks the future site of Avatar-land with Joe Rohde and Tom Staggs
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.
Read More »All the World’s a Bog with Chef Ming Tsai at Food and Wine Festival
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
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
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: