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  • Blog Post: Disney World unveils its more boy-friendly plans for the Fantasyland expansion project

    There's this story which dates back to the Fall of 1984. About how Michael Eisner - right after he'd been installed as the new head of Walt Disney Productions - brought his son, Breck along when Eisner did his very first walk-through of WED. And based on this then-14-year-old boy's enthusiastic...
  • Blog Post: Team AllEars is Running with Purpose at this year's Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend endurance events

    This time last year, over 55,000 runners journeyed to Central Florida to take part in the 17 th annual Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend . Over the next 48 hours, an equally large number of endurance athletes will be arriving in Orlando to take part in the 18 th edition of this 4-day-long event. Now...
  • Blog Post: Disney's Night Kingdom lives to see another day (sort of) with DAK's Wild Africa Trek

    Do you remember that niche park which the Imagineers toyed with building back in 2008? You know, that project which went by a variety of names among them Disney's Night Kingdom & Disney's Jungle Trek )? Which then would have given WDW Guests the opportunity to have all sorts of hands-on experiences...
  • Blog Post: Mickey always plans a few moves ahead when it comes to Walt Disney World

    There have been lots of looky-loos lately over that Fantasyland Forest construction fence. Which has resulted in an equally large number of theories floating around online about what's currently going on with this $300 million project. Take - for example - all that soil that's been piled up towards...
  • Blog Post: Imagineering Field Guide goes in for a close-up on Disney's Hollywood Studios

    It's the Disney's Hollywood Studios icon that makes fan boys foam at the mouth. That 122-foot-tall Sorcerer Mickey Hat which stands of Hollywood Boulevard, blocking the view of the Chinese Theater. So if this icon is so controversial, why then did Alex Wright opt to put the Sorcerer Mickey Hat...
  • Blog Post: Will Johnny Depp’s version of the Mad Hatter soon be making appearances at Disney’s theme parks?

    First up, Mark K. writes to ask about WDW ’s Night Kingdom / Jungle Trek project: There was considerable talk several years back about a potential 5th park opening but I have heard no mention of it recently. Did the recession and the decision to remake fantasy land doom this project? Dear Mark K. – There...
  • Blog Post: New shops & entertainment options re-energize Downtown Disney’s West Side

    Whether it’s with relatively big projects (EX: That $300-million-plus expansion of Fantasyland that’s currently underway at the Magic Kingdom) or with somewhat smaller changes (EX: The Imagineers pulling “Bo Peep’s Baaa-loon Pop” out of DHS’s Toy Story Mania! attraction so that they could then replace...
  • Blog Post: How a Toon Elevator helped Mickey Mouse learn how to talk

    By now, you’ve no doubt seen those online videos that made many a theme park fan go gaga. Where a few lucky Guests – as they were making a stop at Mickey’s House at Disneyland earlier this week – suddenly found themselves face-to-face with a NextGen walkaround character. A Mickey Mouse who not only addressed...
  • Blog Post: Monday Mouse Watch: Disney World uses coupons to promote off-peak dining & shopping

    Maybe you’ve heard about this coupon that Cast Members have been handing out at WDW ’s Magic Kingdom ? The one that gets Guests 20% off on all food that they purchase at Columbia Harbour House, Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe, Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe, Pinocchio Village Haus and Tomorrowland Terrace...
  • Blog Post: Spring brings fun & excitement to Walt Disney World

    Okay. I know. It’s been a particularly brutal winter for most of the country this year. But if you can hang in there just a few more days, Spring officially arrives this Saturday! Mind you, Walt Disney World didn’t wait for the vernal equinox (which officially occurs on March 20 th at 1:32 p.m. EDT)...
  • Blog Post: Monday Mouse Watch: D23’s Steven Clark looks ahead to 2011 and beyond

    On the heels of last week’s news that there would be no D23 EXPO in 2010 – but, rather DESTINATION D , a history-based event that celebrates Disneyland ’s 55 th anniversary – I reached out to Steven Clark, the Head of the Official Community for Disney Fans . And – as usual – Steven was forthcoming. ...
  • Blog Post: Get your ticket to ride at WDW’s Richard Petty Driving Experience

    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...
  • Blog Post: Florida’s frosts fail to stop Disney World’s annual Flower & Garden Festival

    By now, you’ve probably heard about the freakishly cold weather that the Sunshine State experienced back in January. Where temperatures actually dipped down into the 20s in the Central Florida area. Well, it wasn’t just the state’s fruit & vegetable crop that got whomped by these...
  • Blog Post: Hoops and hoopla highlight ESPN Wide World of Sports’ grand re-opening

    "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet." Ah, but when Shakespeare wrote that over 400 years ago, he was talking about teenage romance. Not two hugely successful divisions of this massive corporation that – while they had been working together for more than...
  • Blog Post: The WDW Resort is looking for a few dozen new Disney Princesses

    Have you ever dreamed of being a Disney Princess ? Of being one of those Cast Members who gets to interact with the public while you’re dressed as Cinderella, Princess Aurora or Belle? Well, if so, now might be a good time to buff up your resume. For – even as Walt Disney Imagineering filed those Notices...
  • Blog Post: From “Just Around the Riverbend,” here comes a brand-new Why For column

    Pavement Chaser starts things off with a rather succinct query. Which reads: Copyright 1995 Disney. All Rights Reserved Was there ever a Pocahontas ride in development? Pavement Chaser Dear Pavement Chaser – Whenever Walt Disney Animation Studios has a new project in development, you can pretty much...
  • Blog Post: Enjoy the return of Warm Weather with a 4-Day Dream Pass

    First, let’s start with the news that everyone has been waiting to hear: Florida’s freak cold snap appears to be over. After this past weekend, where the temperatures got so low that a few spots in Central Florida had scattered snow flurries, we’ll be back in the 60’s later today and the mid-to-high...
  • Blog Post: A Time of Change for Orlando Theme Parks

    With just hours to spare ‘til 2009 gives way to 2010, I thought that it might be interesting to review the year from the Orlando Fun Tickets point-of-view. 2009 got off to a pretty fast start with tens of thousands of runners pouring into the area January 8 – 11th to take part in the Walt Disney World...
  • Blog Post: Tube Tuesday: Xmas marks the spot for the Muppets in 2009

    Thanksgiving is traditionally a time when we reconnect with friends & family. And this year, The Walt Disney Company must be feeling especially thankful for the way the public passionately re-embraced the Muppets last week. I mean, who would have thought that a viral video (which was shot on the...
  • Blog Post: The Magic Kingdom: From Scary to Merry in Just 5 Nights

    It always looks so easy in those Disney films. Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother just waves her magic wand and a pumpkin immediately becomes this beautiful coach. But when it comes to removing the hundreds of jack-o-lanterns that are used to decorate the Magic Kingdom for “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween...
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