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The Disney Blog Readers Offer Their Top Ten Disney Newbie Tips.

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Think back to your first trip: What do you wish you’d known?  Was there a moment where you thought to yourself “I could have saved myself a lot of time (or money) if only I’d known that!” In my case, my first “real” trip came when I’d moved from Florida and was no longer taking quick day trips. There were so many things I didn’t think about when Disney World was just a few hours drive away.  John was wondering that too, so he put out a question on the Facebook page and here are some of your answers. I hope you find something you can use –or even pass on to a Disney newbie:

This isn't looking good, is it?

This isn’t looking good, is it?

10.   Suzanne G. is a girl after my own heart. She advises to take a jacket (or a sweater), even if it’s supposed to be warm.  While you’re at it, bring a poncho too.  It’s probably going to rain at least once on your trip.

9.  Get to the Magic Kingdom at opening and make a beeline toward Fantasyland.  Sometimes you buck conventional wisdom; this is not one of those times. If you have little kids, you want to knock out Pooh and Peter Pan first since these rides are some of the most popular in all of the parks. After that you can take on the mountains.

The New Rooms at the Polynesian are Gorgeous.

The New Rooms at the Polynesian are Gorgeous.

8.  Stay on property.  I’ve found it’s hard to sell someone on Disney property if he or she is looking at the bottom line. If you’re purely interested in saving money, you can usually stay cheaper off site, but if you think that time is money, you might find quite the opposite:  That you actually save money by staying on property. So do the math, but always remember the convenience factor. It’s huge.

7.  Pace yourself: You can’t do it all in one trip.  Going completely “theme park commando” for days at a time is overrated.  Take in the little details, people watch, eat some good meals. It’s all part of the experience.Read More »The Disney Blog Readers Offer Their Top Ten Disney Newbie Tips.

Retro Video: US Steel Builds The Contemporary

Disney’s Contemporary Resort was one of two hotels to open with the Magic Kingdom back in 1971. Disney partnered with US Steel to come up with what was seen as an innovative way of building the Contemporary with the goal of making it the resort’s… Read More »Retro Video: US Steel Builds The Contemporary

Return of the Orlando Theme Park Wars?

Concept art for Star Wars mini-park planned for Disneyland Paris

Concept art for Star Wars mini-park planned for Disneyland Paris

Orlando in the 1990’s was bookended by stiff competition between Disney and its rival Universal Studios. When Michael Eisner got wind that Disneyland’s cross-town rival Universal Studios was preparing to open in Orlando as well, he rushed the mouse’s plans for its own studio theme park into production, even opening a whole year ahead of Universal. Universal returned the favor by firing back with Islands of Adventure, which contained rethemed versions of the Beastly Kingdom attractions Disney had cut from its Animal Kingdom project just a year earlier. Universal even hired a lot of the Imagineers Disney had just laid off to help make IOA a quality theme park.

And then things calmed down for nearly a decade. Disney kept churning out new attractions (Expedition Everest, Toy Story Midway Mania to name two) while Universal Studios was the forgotten step-child in a larger corporation that was dealing with ownership and financial problems. Eventually that got all sorted out and two things happened that turned around the fortunes at Universal Orlando Resort.

First, Universal got the theme park rights to use the Kuka robotic arm roller coaster that everyone was excited about at IAAPA in 2004. Second, it was able to convince Harry Potter scribe J.K. Rowling that they would be better caretakers for her story than Disney. The Kuka robocoaster win had something to do with that, but Universal was also willing to give Rowling final approval on nearly every detail. Disney would not.

Read More »Return of the Orlando Theme Park Wars?

Orlando – The Action Center of Florida, Vintage Film Highlights “Before Disney”

Here’s a great vintage film that captures Orlando, Florida as it was just before Walt Disney World changed it forever. Walt’s vision for an experimental prototype city of tomorrow is discussed starting at 4:45 and there’s actually some excellent vintage footage of Disneyland scattered throughout.… Read More »Orlando – The Action Center of Florida, Vintage Film Highlights “Before Disney”

Brazilian Soccer Star Kaka Returns to See Mickey Mouse at ESPN WWOS

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If it’s June, it must be time for the Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite family vacation. His fans know him as Kaka and he currently plays soccer for Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. Kaka visited the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort this week. Spending some time with Mickey Mouse and kids before next month’s Disney Cup International Youth Soccer Tournament.

kaka-mickey-2-medRead More »Brazilian Soccer Star Kaka Returns to See Mickey Mouse at ESPN WWOS

Car Masters Weekend Returns to Downtown Disney for 3rd Year of Retro Fun

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Downtown Disney is about to undergo its own extreme makeover into Disney Springs, so June 15-16 may be the last year to really enjoy the great atmosphere of Car Masters Weekend until about 2017. If that’s not a good enough reason to get you out to see the cars, there is always the merchandise, special meet and greets, and the Pixar Cars themed fun. Plus this year they’re throwing in new fun from Splitsville and La Nouba by Cirque du Soliel and more.

Car Masters Weekend, now in its third year, is also the perfect way to celebrate Father’s Day. The Downtown Disney West Side area will be filled with classic cars and special entertainment as only Disney can arrange. Featuring all things “Cars,” the event showcases meet and greets with Disney•Pixar “Cars” and “Cars 2″ characters, a sock hop at Splitsville, select discounts on food and shopping, and more exciting entertainment for the whole family.Read More »Car Masters Weekend Returns to Downtown Disney for 3rd Year of Retro Fun

L’Artisan des Glaces Now Serving Deliciousness in EPCOT’s France

You have a new place to satisfy your sweet tooth in EPCOT. L’Artisan des Glaces is a new artisan ice cream and sorbet shop in the France pavilion. It features 16 yummy flavors, all made in-house with fresh ingredients. For grown-up tastes, you can even ask for a shot of liquor on top – served in a martini glass.

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The entrance is on a ramp that leads into the old bakery door.

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Some more new signage in the area.Read More »L’Artisan des Glaces Now Serving Deliciousness in EPCOT’s France

Global Themepark Attendance For 2012 Via TEA Report

Opening Ceremony

TEA has released its 2012 Theme Park attendance estimates listing the 25 most attended theme parks in the world. Disney has the top 8 spots and 3 others in the top 20. Not a lot of surprises if you’ve been following developments last year:

1. Magic Kingdom: 17,536,000 (+2.3% change)
2. Disneyland Park: 15,963,000 (-1.1% )
3. Tokyo Disneyland: 14,847,000 (+8.5%)
4. Tokyo Disney Sea: 12,656,000 (+8.5%)
5. Disneyland Park, Disneyland Paris: 11,200,000 (+1.9%)
6. Epcot: 11,063,000 (+2.2%)
7. Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 9,998,000 (+2.2%)
8. Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9,912,000 (+2.2%)
9. Universal Studios Japan: 9,700,000 (+14.1%)
10. Islands of Adventure: 7,981,000 (+4%)

Read More »Global Themepark Attendance For 2012 Via TEA Report