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So why exactly did Walt Disney World 's November 2010 plan for Pleasure Island (i.e. turn the center-most section of Downtown Disney into Hyperion Wharf , "a nostalgic yet modern take on an early 20th century port city and amusement pier" which was supposed to have "stylish boutiques...

Never mind March coming in like a lion. This month is really more a mouse, given all of the Disney-related events that are going to be happening all over the country in the coming week. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Like what? Well, for starters, today through Monday, March 11th...

It's been a very interesting week to be in Orlando. What with IAAPA 's Attractions Expo currently being loaded into the Orange County Convention Center . Photo by Jim Hill Out in the parking lot, all manner of sample amusement park rides are still being assembled. Photo by Jim Hill While inside...

January used to be the start of the slow season at the stateside Disney Parks. How so? So slow that - immediately after New Year's Day -- Disneyland Park wouldn't even open on Mondays & Tuesdays. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Which -- as far as the maintenance crew...

It's time to say "Good-bye" to " ... the mistake on the lake." Copyright Universal Orlando. All rights reserved That's what the skippers who worked on "Jaws" used to affectionately call this Universal Studios Florida attraction. Which will be closing later today...

It's one of those must-do aspects of a Walt Disney World vacation. Especially if you've got young kids. Character dining . That pricey breakfast, lunch or dinner which is periodically interrupted as Disney characters come by your table, pose for pictures and sign autographs. Copyright Disney...

"You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen ..." Well, if you're a Disney history buff, then you must already know about Walt's land searches of the early 1950s. As Disney tried to find just the right spot in Southern California for his family fun park . Likewise if you're...

Picture this: It's late June of 1995. And the folks in charge of Disney-MGM Studios are racking their brains, trying to come up with some sort of signature holiday event for that theme park. "The Magic Kingdom had Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and Epcot had its Candlelight Processional...

What with James Cameron's tour of Disney's Animal Kingdom on October 17 th (which was then followed by this Academy Award-winner's visit to Universal's Island of Adventure on October 18 th ), the Web has once again been a-buzz with stories about how The World of Avatar is supposed to...

Here's an idea that - I know - will shock you theme park fans out there. But there are people (lots and lots of people, I might add) who actually go to Disney World to relax. Seriously, these are the folks who look at the Walt Disney World Resort and don't just see theme parks. They see 24 different...

Earlier this week, Steve B. wrote in to ask: Dear Jim, When the Disney-MGM Studios theme park opened, it was promoted as a working studio. Both live action and animation were being produced there. There was discussion in the news about the high costs in California driving production out of that state...

There are Walt Disney World guidebooks that you read because they give you amazingly accurate info about how to properly navigate this 43 square-mile resort (EX: " The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2012 "). Then there are those WDW guidebooks that you pick up because they have lots of...

There's a joke from " Annie Hall " that I love: Two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort. And one of them says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." And then the other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions." I bring this story up today...

" Toy Story 3 ," you've just crossed the $1 billion mark at the global box office . How are you going to celebrate? "I'm going to Disney On Ice ." Or - rather - Pixar's latest hit is about to become an ice show. Which will actually have its world premiere tomorrow afternoon...

Ask any performer who ever got to see Wally Boag during their formative years. Who sat in the audience at the Golden Horseshoe Saloon and then watched as this master comedian - day in & day out - wowed the crowds at Disneyland . And they'll pretty much admit (just as Steve Martin did in his 2007...

Let’s say that you had this great idea for a theme park ride. So you write your idea down and then ship it off to The Walt Disney World Resort . Care to guess what happens once your new ride proposal arrives in Orlando? As soon as the cast member who works in Guest Relations (they’re the department at...

It’s long been said that – if you build a better mouse trap – the world will beat a path to your door. Well, as the folks in charge of D23 have learned, if you give Disneyana fans an exciting new way to celebrate the Company that (as Walt Disney once so famously said) was “ … started by a mouse,” an...

Last Monday afternoon, I got pulled over by the Florida Highway Patrol. It was all my fault. I was out on State Road 429. I was rushing to get back to property so that Nancy and I could do a little shopping at Downtown Disney before we then headed out for the airport. And six miles north of Western Way...

Did you manage to make it to last week’s NFFC – Disneyana Fan Club Disney World Holiday Extravaganza? If not, you missed out on some primo fan events. Like what? Well, how about a private screening of “ The Princess & The Frog .” Which featured an appearance by artists & animators from Premise...

I don’t know how many of you got to see Jason Garcia ’s great story about the Space Mountain redo at WDW ’s Magic Kingdom (It was featured on the Orlando Sentinel ’s new Daily Disney blog . Which is well worth adding to your Favorites list, by the way). Copyright Disney. All Rights Reserved Anywho …...