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  • 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: Pook-A-Looz give classic Disney characters a quirky new look

    From the people who brought you Passamaquoddy , Heffalumps and Woozles as well as Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo , now come Disney Pook-A-Looz . The official tagline for this quirky new line of plush is “Too cute for their own good.” But these classic Disney characters didn’t get that way all by themselves. They...
  • 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: Walt Disney Imagineering is very serious when it comes to play testing

    Did you hear about the play test that WDI ran at The Magic Kingdom last month? Where the Imagineers used Guests who were waiting in line for a character meet-n-greet right outside of Pooh’s Playful Spot to try out a new entertainment-based queuing system? Though the Imagineers are being pretty close...
  • Blog Post: D23 fine-tunes its selection of special events for 2010

    D23 is still a few weeks out from its really-for-real birthday (Just for the record, The Walt Disney Company launched its Official Community for Disney Fans back on March 10, 2009). But given that D23 just revealed that it will be holding first anniversary parties at Disneyland and WDW’s Magic Kingdom...
  • 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: Last call (and I mean the VERY last call) at WDW’s Adventurers Club

    Feeling pretty smug (or – at the very least – hung over) because you spent last night at some hoity toity New Year’s Eve party? Well, take a gander at these shots. Which were taken on the very last night that members of the general public were allowed into WDW's Adventurers Club. Photo by Jeff Lange...
  • 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: Disney World soldiers on, looking for new ways to plus the Parks for the holidays

    As you walk around Walt Disney World this time of year, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by all the seasonal sights, sounds and colors. Unless you happen to be David R. Hartmann. As Art Director for Walt Disney Entertainment Design, Hartmann actually has the opposite problem. Whenever he walks around...
  • Blog Post: NFFC Disney World Holiday Extravaganza places the emphasis on in-park fun

    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 …...
  • Blog Post: Tune Tuesday: Disney to celebrate the performing arts in 2010

    If you’re a fan of The Walt Disney Company’s theatrical productions , then you should probably make a point of setting your TiVo to record Friday’s “ Live with Regis & Kelly ” (when the Las Vegas company of “ The Lion King ” will be making an appearance on that syndicated morning talk show) as well...
  • 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...
  • Blog Post: Let George Do It: One-time WDW busboy becomes Disneyland’s newest president

    What with that $1.1 billion worth of construction that’s currently going on at Disney’s California Adventure (not to mention that $100+ milllion redo of the Disneyland Hotel that just got underway), the next three years are going to be a particularly tough time for the Disneyland Resort . Walt Disney...
  • Blog Post: Gary Vaynerchuk wants you to think outside of the box wine

    Epcot has long been noted known for its mix of education and entertainment. Which is why Gary Vaynerchuk fits in perfectly at this theme park. This self-trained wine expert flew into Orlando late last week to help kick-off the 14 th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival . And in his own...
  • Blog Post: Mickey varies the menu at Walt Disney World

    Once upon a time, if you wanted to get away from the crowds at the Magic Kingdom , you hopped on a bus and then headed over to the Lake Buena Vista Village. Where – if you could find a seat by the window – you could then kick back a cocktail or two at Cap’n Jacks Oyster Bar and watch...
  • Blog Post: Treat yourself to tickets to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

    Throughout the country, people are looking forward to Labor Day. Trying to fit in the very last few moments of summer, including one last barbecue, one last dip in the pool, and those final few moments of joy, before the summer season disappears and the Fall grind of work and school arrive. But over...
  • Blog Post: When it comes to fun Fourth of July festivities, O-town is the “Oooh” & “Aaah” capital of the USA

    This year, there are lots of places around the country where you can go to see Fourth of July fireworks. The bank of the Charles River in Boston, South Street Seaport in NYC as well as the National Mall in my hometown of Washington DC. But what if you’re one of those “too much ain’t enough” types and...
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