You knew these were coming, two new topiary will be gracing this year’s EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. Queen Elsa and her sister Anna from the land of Arendelle are the latest Disney characters to be made into topiary. These photos are from the… Read More »Anna & Elsa Topiary Flower & Garden Sneak Peek!
Forget the Star Wars land rumor, we’re hearing that the price of a one-day admission ticket to the Magic Kingdom may soon rise from $99 to $105 and the other parks will rise from $94 to $99. It seems amazing that tickets are that expensive.… Read More »Are Walt Disney World ticket prices about to go up again?
The hat didn’t go up overnight and it’s not coming down over night either. With all of the blue finally removed, we’re down to what remains of the support and infrastructure of the former park icon. In the meantime the center of the park is… Read More »Slow process of Sorcerer Hat removal continues at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Coffee addicts rejoice. The Trolley Car Cafe officially opened to guests of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Located on the right side of Hollywood Blvd after you enter the park, the new Starbucks location is very centrally located. From the outside the building looks like a former… Read More »Trolley Car Cafe Opens, adding Starbucks to 3rd Walt Disney World park
With nearly 75,000 Cast Members who call Central Florida home, the Walt Disney World Resort has a significant stake in the success of Central Florida as a community. As such they’re committed to making a difference in the community. In 2014, that commitment added up to a record $37.9 million in Disney’s cash and in-kind donations aimed at strengthening local children and families.
“Here at Walt Disney World Resort, our Cast Members are honored to give back to the community in a variety of ways – from supporting our schools to grants for local nonprofits to the countless hours our VoluntEARS devote to the causes close to their hearts,” said Nancy Gidusko, director of corporate citizenship for Walt Disney World Resort.
The list of support Disney provides is long. Below are just a few examples:
Read More »In 2014 Walt Disney World donated more to Central Florida Community than ever before
The Polynesian Village Resort Lobby has just come out of a long refurbishment in the middle of a resort wide set of improvements and DVC addition. We take a look around in this new video (note, stick around to the end for a little bonus):
I get what Disney’s hotel designers were trying to do with the remodeled lobby of the Polynesian. It’s lighter, more open, and, best of all, has this amazing vista of Cinderella Castle from the moment you park in valet all the way out the rear doors of the lobby heading toward the pool. It’s a wonderful effect and was totally worth getting rid of the giant waterfall for.
But that doesn’t mean they needed to go as generic as they did with the new water feature. It’s pretty basic. In fact, the whole thing feels slightly generic. The stores give some excitement around the edges, but the central part of the lobby feels very similar to every other large hotel on the planet.Read More »Polynesian Village Resort Lobby Emerges After Long Refurbishment
Walt Disney’s Imagineers are busy remaking large swaths of one of the world’s most beautiful theme parks – Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Not only is James Cameron’s Avatar project coming to the park, but Africa’s Harambe Village is expanding, the Discovery Island hub is getting a variety of improvements (and a new Starbucks), and the river between Asia and Dino-land is becoming a stage for “Rivers of Light.”
Can’t watch the video? More photos below:
Read More »Disney’s Animal Kingdom construction continues to reshape the park
The Plaza (or Hub) at the Magic Kingdom is undergoing a major renovation. When it’s down you’ll experience a more garden-like setting with much better crowd control opportunities. Early signals from Disney indicated work on the hub to be done in phases, but they’ve started working on the center of the plaza and show areas in the front of the castle while the new viewing garden areas are not yet complete. That’s good news as it means the project will probably be finished earlier.
In the meantime, we have Walt Disney’s Partner Statue in a box and temporary structures all over the place. That’s in addition to the walls and construction that was already making the hub a bit of an eyesore. Judge for yourself, but it’s definitely on the shy side of magical right now.
The end result of this construction will be a wider area leading from Main Street to the Hub. There will be two garden areas that can be used for fireworks viewing parties, expanded outside seating for Casey’s Jr and some much needed seating for the Ice Cream Palace and Starbucks. Plus the performance area in front of the castle will get a much needed tech upgrade.
Can’t watch the video? We’ve got photos below the jump:
Read More »Magic Kingdom Plaza / Hub Construction picks up pace – January 2015 Update