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
The Art of Animation resort will offer 1,120 family suites (bedroom, living room, and kids sleep area) themed after “The Lion King,” “Cars” and “Finding Nemo” animated films, as well as 864 guest rooms inspired by “The Little Mermaid.” The current timeline has the “Finding… Read More »More Art of Animation Details – Phase One Opens May 31st, 2012
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
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
The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has acted quickly to meet the needs of the Jane Goodall Institute and the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance who are working to protect endangered chimpanzees in Africa. Disney’s ties with Jane Goodall go back to before Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened.… Read More »Chimpanzees Receive Emergency Support from the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund
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
Okay, I know the nation’s economy is in the pits, but if you absolutely must have that family vacation to Walt Disney World, there are other things you can sell besides your newborn son. Yet, that’s exactly what a new Mom from Delaware is accused… Read More »Woman Sells Baby to Pay for Family Disney Trip
(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:
Read More »Walt Disney World Cast Members Share Opening Day Memories