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  • Blog Post: From concerts to cels, attraction openings to book signings, there's a mighty busy Mouse-related week coming up

    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...
  • Blog Post: The post-Christmas origin of character dining at Walt Disney World

    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...
  • Blog Post: Why For Central Florida never actually became Hollywood East

    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...
  • Blog Post: The Folks Who do it Right: The Tokyo Disney Resort at Halloween

    At heart I'm just a kid, and one of the things I most look forward to every year is trick or treating with my young daughter. The first year we took her out, age 2, I realized how much I had missed it. Seems silly, doesn't it? One of the nice things about having a child is that you get to reclaim...
  • Blog Post: Getting A-head at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

    As you walk through Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom these days and encounter all of those construction fences for the Fantasyland expansion project it's kind of hard to imagine what this part of the theme park will look like in just a few years. But me? I can't help but look at the attractions...
  • Blog Post: Trip the light fantastic with Walt Disney World’s new “Summer Nightastic!” program

    Okay. I know. The news coming out of Orlando these days all seems to be about a certain boy wizard (As well it should be. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter really is spectacular. The next time you’re in O-Town, you should definitely make a point of swinging by Islands of Adventure and checking this...
  • 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: 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: The Muppets lead the way with Disney Parks & Resorts' new "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" promotion

    Because Kermit the Frog helps hammer together the framing for a new Habitat for Humanity house, he gets to take his little nephew Robin off to Disneyland to experience “ Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride .” And because Miss Piggy muscles some plywood into place at this very same construction site, she then gets a...
  • 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: 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: Beat the heat this summer with a trip to one of Central Florida’s water parks

    The Walt Disney Company has long been an innovator when it comes to its theme parks & resorts. But that being said, that doesn’t mean that the Mouse doesn’t still keep a close eye on the competition. And when one of the other Central Florida parks introduces a service that quickly proves to be popular...
  • 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...
  • Blog Post: Do you ever wonder what became of Splendid China Florida?

    What with Pleasure Island closing this weekend, I've been getting nostalgic for some of the other attractions that Central Florida lost over the years. With perhaps the most bizarre being Splendid China . I don't know how many of you ever got the chance to visit this 76-acre theme park during the 10...
  • Blog Post: How "One Little Spark" nearly fried the Dreamfinder

    As a kid I'd tune in the Wonderful World of Color every Sunday night. Most of the time Walt would introduce some western or historic feature - or some story like "Melvin, the Manic Marmoset" - and I'd switch over to watch Ed Sullivan . He had ventriloquists ! On a good week, there'd be an animated feature...
  • Blog Post: Looking back on the Disney-MGM Studio Backlot project -- Part I

    Most longtime Disney fans know that Disney’s California Adventure was not Michael Eisner ’s first attempt at establishing a second Disney theme park in California. There was, of course, WESTCOT in Anaheim and Port Disney in Long Beach . But hardly anyone talks about Eisner’s first attempt to bring a...
  • Blog Post: Monday Mouse Watch : WDI complains about all those complainers

    It's as predictable as the tides. First a new attraction soft-opens at one of the Disney theme parks. And then someone online declares this new ride or show is " ... the worst thing that Imagineering has ever designed." Which is why -- on the heels of "Spaceship Earth" 's torturous test-and-adjust period...
  • Blog Post: Will the Liberty Square bridge repairs lead to an abridged version of Disney's "Dreams Come True" parade ?

    Remember those proposed Liberty Square bridge repairs that I wrote about last month? Well, Magic Kingdom management has finally decided to go ahead with this construction project. Which is why they filed the necessary permits last Tuesday. "So what happens now?," you ask. "Given the huge number of people...
  • Blog Post: Get ready for Central Florida's coming coaster war

    As you enter SeaWorld Orlando , it's really hard to miss the thing. Photo by Robert Bish That enormous construction wall that's been erected around the front of this theme park. Photo by Robert Bish Not to mention the rumble of heavy equipment, as that behind-the-scenes construction team clears brush...
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