Saturday, July 15, 2017

New theater coming to The Magic Kingdom, show yet to be announced

Image copyright Disney.  All rights reserved.

Disney announced at the D23 Expo 2017 that a new venue for world-class entertainment is coming to Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom.

According to the Disney Parks Blog, the new entertainment venue will be based on the iconic Willis Wood theater in 1920s Kansas City, where Walt lived after he left Marceline.  As the blog states, "it’ll fit well right off Main Street, U.S.A."

“Across Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, we’ve been upping the game in Entertainment with shows like Frozen Live at the Hyperion,” Bob Chapek, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts said. “It’s been a huge hit at the Disneyland Resort, and I’m sure many of you have seen it. This new theater at Walt Disney World continues that streak by bringing a new venue for world-class entertainment to the world’s biggest park.”

So far, there have been no announcements about what this new theater will be used for.  Based on the size depicted in this concept art - it will be huge, so there will be a lot of room for a major production.  It also appears that this will go in Town Square, which means the probable end of Tony's Town Square restaurant and yet another move for the Mickey Mouse meet and greet (unless it is incorporated into this new plan).

What do you think may be coming to this space? 

New space restaurant coming adjacent to Mission: SPACE at Epot

Image copyright Disney.  All rights reserved.

At the D23 Expo, Disney announced that a new space-themed restaurant will be coming near Mission: SPACE at Epcot.  According to the Disney Parks Blog, the restaurant will invite guests to travel into space for amazing dining experiences in the stars.

“We know our guests love dining at Epcot – and the restaurants really are out of this world,” said Walt Disney Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald, who shared a first look at the restaurant during the Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts presentation at D23 Expo 2017.  “Now we’re about to create one that takes that literally,” he added.

The new space restaurant will be operated by the Patina Restaurant Group. Patina Restaurant Group operates several other restaurants at Walt Disney World including Tutto Italia and Via Napoli at Epcot and Morimoto Asia at Disney Springs.

No word yet on a possible opening date.

Paradise Pier at California Adventure to be rethemed to Pixar Pier

Image copyright Disney. All rights reserved.

At the D23 Expo 2017, Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Bob Chapek was joined by Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios John Lasseter to unveil plans for Pixar Pier at Disney California Adventure, where the pier will take on a brand new look as more favorite Pixar characters and stories come to life, from The Incredibles, to Inside Out to even more Toy Story. Chapek also announced there is more Pixar in store during Pixar Fest at Disneyland Resort. Starting in 2018, this limited-time offering will include a new fireworks spectacular as well as special characters and entertainment moments.

Extraordinary Line-up of Experiences Coming to Disney Parks around the Globe
As part of the celebration, the Pixar Play Parade will return to Disneyland Resort – this time at
Disneyland Park – and the fan favorite Paint the Night Parade will move to Disney California Adventure, one of Disney’s longest parade routes.

Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios to open summer 2018

Image copyright Disney.  All rights reserved.



At the D23 Expo 2017, Disney announced the new Toy Story Land, currently under construction at Disney Hollywood Studios, will open in summer 2018.  This new land replaces the area that was the Backlot Tour and Lights, Motors, Action! Stunt Spectacular.

Disney conforms new goldola network coming to area south of Epcot

At the D23 Expo 2017, Disney announced a whole new transportation system called Disney Skyliner will give guests a birds-eye view of Walt Disney World Resort. This brand new system will connect Disney’s Art of Animation, Pop Century and Caribbean Beach resorts, as well as the proposed new Disney Riviera Resort, with Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the International Gateway at Epcot.

Construction already is underway on this project.

See this previous blog post for more about this ongoing project.

Tron rollercoaster attraction coming to Tomorrowland at Walt Disney World in a new space

Images copyright Disney.  All rights reserved.

At the 2017 D23 Expo, Disney announced that the most popular attraction at Shanghai Disneyland is coming to Walt Disney World Resort. A thrilling, Tron-themed attraction will be added in a new area near Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom.  Interestingly, as you can see from the design concept above, this new attraction will not replace the Tomorrowland Speedway, as initial rumors suggested.  Instead, this attraction will be placed beyond the Speedway, where the current walkway between Tomorrowland and The Fantasyland Circus is.  One interesting question remains - how will this impact the WDW Railroad? 

New Mickey, Minnie attraction coming to Hollywood Studios, likely to replace Great Movie Ride


Disney remains at the cutting edge of deeply immersive, creative storytelling that draws guests into new worlds, and it is a legacy that lives on in every new Disney Parks experience.  At the D23 Expo, Disney announced the first-ever Mickey-themed ride-through attraction, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, will come to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With a new original story and lovable attraction theme song, this new state-of-the-art ride-through attraction will take guests on a journey inside the wacky and unpredictable world of Disney Channel's Emmy Award-winning “Mickey Mouse” cartoon shorts using new technologies that transform the flat cartoon world into an incredible dimensional experience.

As rumored, this attraction will replace the Great Movie Ride.  It's unclear if the iconic Chinese Theater facade will remain.  The Great Movie Ride will close in August.

Ratatouille, Guardians of the Galaxy attractions coming to Epcot; changes coming to Mission Space

Image copyright Disney.  All Rights Reserved.


Looking ahead to the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World, there are grand plans to complete the transformation that started with the debut of New Fantasyland in 2014. Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman, Bob Chapek, announced exciting plans across Epcot to realize the original vision of the park while making it more timeless and relevant than ever before. Patterned after the number one family attraction at Disneyland Paris, Ratatouille will be added in an all-new space in the France pavilion at World Showcase.


Images copyright Disney.  All Rights Reserved.

Epcot will also see the addition of a brand new E-ticket attraction based on the rockin’ and action-packed world of Guardians of the Galaxy, the next step in how guests can encounter these characters at Walt Disney World Resort.

In Future World, a new Green Mission at Mission: SPACE will take guests on a stunning tour around the Earth, and an updated Orange Mission will make the trip to Mars even more spectacular. Adjacent to Mission: Space will be a new restaurant that will invite guests to travel high above the earth for an unforgettable dining experience.

D23 news: Star Wars lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World to be called, "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge" new Star Wars-themed hotel announced

Image copyright Disney, All Rights Reserved.
Fans at the D23 Expo were elated to hear their Star Wars stories will come to life in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the newly announced name for the Star Wars-themed lands. Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman, Bob Chapek, shared exciting new details and a glimpse inside the two anchor attractions, including one that puts guests right in the middle of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance where guests will feel like they are inside a hangar bay on a Star Destroyer. Guests will also have the chance to fly the Millennium Falcon, where each guest is critical to the mission’s success. Chapek also revealed many characters that guests will meet, including BB-8, Chewbacca, Rex and Kylo Ren. Representing the largest single-themed land expansion at 14 acres each, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will open in 2019, with the first land debuting at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, then at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando.

Image copyright Disney, All Rights Reserved.
Among the announcements were projects that infuse even more exciting experiences for resort hotel guests in ways that are only possible at Disney. To the delight of fans, Chapek confirmed ambitious plans to create the most experiential concept ever in an immersive Star Wars-themed hotel at Walt Disney World Resort. Dedicated entirely to the galaxy of Star Wars, it will be a one-of-a-kind experience where a luxury resort meets a multi-day adventure in a galaxy far, far away.  Details have yet to be announced about the specific location of this resort.

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Fast Facts about Pandora at Disney Animal Kingdom



When Disney’s Animal Kingdom guests journey to the far-away world of Pandora as probable eco-tourists, they encounter floating mountains, a glowing, bioluminescent rainforest and other wonders of an alien world. The Valley of Mo’ara on Pandora is undergoing a rebirth long after a destructive mining operation known as the Resources Development Administration (RDA) ceased operation.  Eco-tourists, for the first time, can travel to this exoplanet located in the Alpha Centauri star system 4.4 light years from Earth.




Here are a few facts and figures about the new land of Pandora at Animal Kingdom:

Where Mountains Float . . .
  • The iconic floating mountains in the Valley of Mo’ara – there are 22 – peak at about 130 feet above the valley floor. .
  • Sharp-eyed adventurers will see Pandoran Stingbats nesting in the mountains. Despite their lethal tail spines, these animals can be summoned by the Na’vi with clicking sounds made between the tongue and teeth.
  • A team of more than 60 artisans from the U.S., Peru, France, Portugal, Japan and Ireland contributed to creating the art-scape of the floating mountains.
Where the Landscape Glows and Hums…

  • It wouldn’t be an alien planet without bizarre plant life.  On Pandora, a diverse ecosystem is rebalancing as a variety of colorful plant life flourishes.
  • Plants have names like Puffball Tree, Dapophet, Vein Pod, Scorpion Thistle, Episoth and Flaska Reclinata.
  • Humans rapping on the Flaska Reclinata cause this large alien plant to pollinate by releasing spores within the environment. With its wide base tapering to a narrow top, the Flaska Reclinata is found just past the old RDA bridge.
  • Many plants are bioluminescent, with internal lighting or material that makes them glow.  Plants are interactive. Guests can see and sense the energy of the plants that moves in waves.
  • Pandora plays to a surreal soundtrack. Said Matt Beiler, WDI producer: “For the land to feel like a real jungle from another planet, we don’t have traditional background music in Pandora – we have a soundscape designed to make it feel as though it is an alien jungle. We hear vocalization patterns like mating calls and hunting moments, and this makes it feel real.  When those moments happen, the lighting ties into that with waves of energy.  It gives us a connectedness to nature.”
Where Water Flows . . .

  • At the center of Pandora is a riparian area, where waterfalls cascade from the mountaintops into gentle pools and streams.
  • One stream follows a peaceful path along the entry to Pandora. The other flows into the Na’vi River Journey, where guests board reed boats for an excursion to see the revered Shaman of Songs.
  • The looming mountains are arid, and guests will hear different animal vocalizations from those areas.
Where Earth Elements Integrate…

  • The Walt Disney Imagineering landscape architecture team worked side by side with the land’s design and engineering teams to ensure that thousands of Pandoran plants, including epiphytes and barnacles, fit into the overall landscape plan.
  • For example, the Dapophet plant features a sort of starburst bloom that resembles the live agave planted next to it.  The Puffball Tree looks like the family of plants we know as cycads with its fern-like, palm-like characteristics.
  • More than 250 varieties of live trees, shrubs and epiphytes mingle with the Pandoran The Disney horticulture team planted more than 500 trees and nearly 10,000 shrubs across the Pandoran landscape.
Where Even the Walkways Glow…

  • Many of the walkways and paths, like the alien plant life that surrounds them, are also bioluminescent.  A treatment added to some of the Pandoran walkways gives them that glowing quality.  Charged by sunlight and reinforced by black light, the glowing pathways come to life.
Where Creature Life Surrounds You…

  • No matter where guests go in Pandora, they will feel the presence of many animal species. Pandora teems with them.
  • The pack hunter, the Viperwolf (with six legs and opposable thumbs) communicates with unusual coyote-like yelps. The Direhorse (a six-legged domesticated riding animal) exhibits a gentle demeanor.
  • Mountain Banshees, with wingspans averaging approximately 45 feet, inhabit the mountainous regions of Pandora.  The most fearsome land predator is the omnivorous, powerful Thanator.  And the Great Leonopteryx, larger and more solitary than the Mountain Banshee, is the most formidable winged creature.

Where You Can Fly on a Banshee . . .

  • At Avatar Flight of Passage, 48 guests at a time can enter a state-of-the-art theater and board mountain banshees as avatars for the ride of their lives across Pandora.
  • Immersion in the world of Pandora is complete thanks to a projection screen 69 feet wide and more than 97 feet high.
  • Flight time during the six-minute experience is about four minutes.

Where You Can Meet a Na’vi Shaman…

  • During the 4½-minute Na’vi River Journey, guests will meet an Audio-Animatronics Na’vi Shaman of Songs. At nearly 10 feet tall, the shaman is typical height for a Na’vi.
  • New technology programs fluid energy into her every movement and gesture.

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Do you know which ticket you're really using on your Magic Band?

Magic Band
It may seem pretty straightforward - you purchase your tickets, get your Magic Band and off you go to enjoy the parks!  However if you happen to have multiple sets of tickets, you may inadvertently use the wrong set of tickets at the wrong time.

This happened to me recently.  I had purchased a set of 8-day park hopper tickets for an upcoming trip in June.  This happened back in February.  As soon as they came in, I linked these tickets to the MyDisneyExperience account and attached them to each family member so that we would be ready when our FastPass+ window opened up.

In March, one of my kids was heading to WDW with his high school band.  As part of this trip, he had a 2-day, one park ticket.  Again, I linked his ticket to the MyDisneyExperience account and attached it to this child, so he could make FastPass+ reservations.

As he is leaving, he gets his Magic Band for his school trip and he's all set to go, having no idea that he's got the wrong tickets on this Magic Band.

Fast forward to April.  I'm getting ready to start making FastPass+ reservations for that June trip and, surprise, no ticket listed for that child who went on the band trip.  What?!?!  I try to re-link his ticket and no go.  That ticket has been used.  Used?  How?

It turns out that when I linked his band ticket to is MyDisneyExperience account, the Magic Band that was generated for the band trip pulled the first tickets that were linked to him - the 8-day passes, instead of the 2-day tickets.  So when he went in March, he actually activated the 8-day pass.  As you may recall, tickets automatically expire 14 days from first activation, so those 8-day tickets were burned up.

Fortunately, Disney has outstanding customer service.  With a tremendous amount of help from a particular cast member who shall remain nameless at his request (R - many thanks!!!) I was able to get a group of replacement comp tickets that equal the 8-day park-hopper ticket that was accidentally linked.  Unfortunately, that means some FastPass reservation options aren't available, but we can work around that.

So what's the lesson here?  Again, my thanks to the nameless cast member, who explained that when someone has multiple tickets, the first ticket purchased has the top priority and, thus, is the ticket that gets applied to the Magic Band.  If you have multiple tickets in hand, you may want to call Disney at (407) 939-5277 and let them know which ticket is the priority and is the one you want to go on the Magic Band first.

Sometimes people purchase multiple packs of tickets, especially when there's word of an impending price increase.  Or, you might to use up a 2-day ticket before using a larger ticket option.  Again, it's best to call ahead to set the priority order for ticket use.  Otherwise, you could be in for an expensive and unwelcome surprise.

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Beauty and the Beast live action movie soundtrack: a review


With the recent release of Beauty and the Beast live action movie, I've been reading several reviews that compare this version of the story with that of the original 1991 animated film that has enchanted millions around the world.  While I haven't seen the film yet, I'm troubled by how much these reviews focus on making comparisons instead of examining this film on its own merits.

Recently, Disney sent me a sample of the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack and I'm going to try to avoid making such comparisons as I review the soundtrack.  Having not seen the film yet, this review will focus exclusively on the music and vocal performances.

First, let me say that the music overall stays very close to the original score, and does justice to the original.  This should be no surprise as Alan Menkin, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice created the music and lyrics of this version.  To Disney and Beauty and the Beast fans, these names should be very familiar.  Menken and Ashman created the music and lyrics for the original 1991 film.  Rice joined the duo when the musical version of Beauty and the Beast first premiered on Broadway in 1994.  Suffice it to say, this new soundtrack truly sounds like Beauty and the Beast and evokes the same feelings using traditional and very memorable melodies.

However, if you're thinking this new version of Beauty and the Beast is just a remake of the original including some elements from the musical, you'd be incorrect.  Menkin and Rice teamed up to create several new songs for this film, including "Days in the Sun," a reflective and dreamy song that reveals the wishes of the enchanted characters in Beast's Castle.  This song, in some ways,  replaces "Human Again" that was cut from the animated version, but revived for the musical.   "Evermore," is a strong and powerful new song performed by Dan Stevens that showcases the depth of the Beast's despair and remorse at his past deeds, and, at the same time, his love for Belle and the transformation that she has brought about within him.  Josh Groban performs the same song with equal splendor.  "How Does a Moment Last Forever," is a song with several renditions, performed by Kevin Kline (Maurice), Watson, and Celine Dion (during the credits).  These new songs fit in right alongside the classic melodies and are welcome additions to the Beauty and the Beast canon.


Beauty and the Beast includes a star-studded and singing cast.  Emma Watson delivers a charming, while reserved, performance as Belle.  Let me be the first to say that Emma Watson is no Paige O'Hara (the original voice of Belle) and she shouldn't be.  This isn't Paige O'Hara's Belle.  This is Emma Watson's Belle.  This Belle is bit more reserved and Watson's singing reflects this character trait.  Her voice is dainty, yet forceful when it needs to be, especially during the reprise of "Belle."  Listeners (and viewers for that matter) have to get past the notion of "Hermoine Granger playing Belle."  This isn't Hermoine in any way, shape, or form.  This is Belle and nothing more.  Watson's Belle gives the character a new vision that pays proper respect and homage to the original, while being unique in it's own right.

Gaston, played by Luke Evans, is a different character.  This is not the baritone, brash, brawny (and few brain cells) character originally played by Richard White.  Evans performs Gaston in a somewhat higher octave.  Fans may long for the traditional deep tones, however, like Watson, Evans breathes new life into the character of Gaston.  This Gaston actually has some brainpower, though it comes with additional cruelty.  In some ways, Evans has found the true nature of Gaston -- the person who is so self-centered that he will do anything to get what he wants, no matter what.

Lumiere, voiced by Ewan McGregor, is a wonderfully unique performance.  No one could do Lumiere like the late Jerry Orbach, so McGregor doesn't even try.  His rendition of the famous French candlestick is fun, enjoyable, familiar, yet unique.  Teamed up with Emma Thompson, playing Mrs Potts, "Be Our Guest" is a grand production number that is fantastic, toe-tapping and great entertainment.

Speaking of Mrs. Potts, Emma Thompson also puts her own mark on the character.  Mrs. Potts is very English (yes, we're in France, but it works well), and she does a masterful job of portraying a servant in a French castle.  Thompson's performance of the iconic "Beauty and the Beast" is charming, simple and classic. 

The one character that I feel most fans could have the hardest time with is that of LeFou, played by Josh Gad, especially when listening to the soundtrack.  The reason is that Gad created such an incredibly memorable and unique voice for Olaf from Frozen, that some may get stuck on the mental image of Olaf as LeFou.  Gad's voice for LeFou is similar to that of Olaf, so it's understandable that some may connect Olaf to LeFou.  Put it aside.  This is a fun LeFou, again different, but no less enjoyable, especially during "Gaston."

The weakest moment of the soundtrack comes not during any of the songs included in the movie itself, but during the credits.  Ariana Grande and John Legend sing a duo of the signature song "Beauty and the Beast."  Legend gives a fair performance, but just can't overcome the disappointment that is Ariana Grande.  "Beauty and the Beast" is a Broadway-style song.  It is not pop music, yet Legend and Grande attempt to "popify" the song.  It just doesn't work and feels forced and false.  Frankly, I thought the same thing of Demi Lovato's performance of "Let It Go" from Frozen.  I suspect this is an effort to get the song on the pop charts, so whatever.

The 2017 live version of Beauty and the Beast is a welcome addition to the Beauty and the Beast franchise.  This version stands on it's own, blending original content with traditional music. 

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Beauty and the Beast is out! Win free tickets!




Enter here:  https://www.punchbowl.com/p/movie-magic-giveaway

Punchbowl is giving away free tickets to see Beauty and the Beast!  Just use the service to create free e-invites and send to four friends.  You could win tickets!

Good luck!

Already seen Beauty and the Beast?  What did you think?  Post a comment!

Sunday, March 5, 2017

UPDATE: Rumor mill no more - gondolas are coming to Walt Disney World

UPDATED April 18

In early March,  WDWMagic.com broke a story that suggested Disney possibly was considering creating some sort of gondola network connecting the southern portion of Epcot (near the International Gateway) to the Caribbean Beach/Pop Century/Art of Animation and then to Disney Hollywood Studios.

In late April, the Orlando Sentinel confirmed that Disney is indeed creating a gondola network to connect Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Caribbean Beach and Pop Century/Art of Animation.

While Disney has yet to officially comment, this report has the online WDW community buzzing.  For years, there has been a call for Disney to expand the current monorail system to include DHS, AK and southern area resorts.  While this is just about an impossibility these days (the costs are more than astronomical), the thought of a goldola network is a very different animal.  

Here's where we leave the world of RUMOR and enter SPECULATION.  This is your fair warning.  Nothing that I discuss from here on is based on any fact.  I am carrying the rumor forward.

Ok, caveat statement done.  Let's have some fun.

Let's take the idea of a gondola network even further.  Why stop with this small, limited system?  Why not create an entire network that services the entire southern portion of the property?

Fan imagination of a WDW gondola map
Click here for a larger view.

So let's give this some serious consideration.  Above, you will see a wide-view map of a gondola network that serves many of the key areas in the southern portion of the Walt Disney World Property. Each red square is a station.  The yellow lines between each station represent a two-way line with gondolas traveling in each direction.

Thus, if a guest wanted to travel from, say, Epcot to Disney Springs, he or she would first take the gondola from Epcot's International Gateway to a main terminal area located in between Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort and Disney's Pop Century Resort.  This is something like the Ticket and Transportation Center (just without the large parking lot) and would be a hub for multiple gondola lines.  From the Hub (for lack of a better term), the guest would then switch lines and take the gondola to Typhoon Lagoon.  Again the guest would switch lines (or perhaps stay on the gondola) and proceed to Disney Springs.

You can quickly see how this sort of network has all sorts of possibilities.  Having such a network would remove some of the strain on the already overtaxed bus lines, especially during peak hours.  Also, the gondolas would bring an additional entertainment and another unique feature to Walt Disney World - guests will be riding the gondolas, just to ride them - much like the monorail.

And then there are the environmental benefits - gondolas are much cleaner to operate than any sort of expansion to the current bus network.

Sure, there are some mitigating factors - high wind and thunderstorms being chief among them.  However, gondolas are used in some of the more mountainous areas of the world, and these places also are known for thunderstorms and wind, so I suspect there's been some developments to address these concerns.

What I don't know is the cost - are gondolas cost-effective?  I do know that several communities are looking to gondolas as a possible solution, especially for mountainous areas.

What do you think?  Could this new project be the initial phase of Walt Disney World's newest transportation network?  Where there is nothing to indicate anymore more than what's been confirmed to this point, it's fun to consider the possibilities.  After all, isn't that what Walt Disney had intended for his original EPCOT?

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Here we go again... ticket prices increase for 2017

In what has become an annual post, I am again writing about the increase in ticket prices at Disney.  Ok, ok, I get it.  Ticket price increases are as anticipated as the sunrise.  It just happens each year.


Magic Kingdom ticket prices from 1982 to today.  Notice how the rate of increase has steadily grown sharper?
Click for a larger view.


What I have a problem with is the continued decrease in value of that ticket.  What do I mean?  Long-time Disney park veterans can remember the days when the cast member was the biggest difference between a day at a Disney park and a day at some other theme park.  The cast members and the exceptional level of service were unmatched.  Period.

Let me be very clear - Disney cast members still provide the best service in the world -- with what they have to work with.

In recent years, the guest experience has diminished.  No longer is Disney service unparalleled.  Part of this is due to other parks catching up, but part of this also is due to the numerous cost-saving measures implemented under Bob Iger's direction.  I've seen the value of a Disney trip continue to be less and less due to these cost-saving measures.  Live entertainment is a rarity.  Dining offerings have slipped and aren't quite the level they used to be, especially counter-service.  Merchandise has become homogeneous.

Where this all leads to is a decline in the Disney reputation.  Ok, ok, I understand that people are still pouring into the gates each and every day in droves, and that's correct.  I also see all the construction that's going on in the parks and I get that too. 

For now.  I continue to be very concerned that Disney is pricing itself into elitism.  I know of many long-time annual passholders who have given up their AP's because it's just not worth it anymore.  I'm one of them.

Maybe one day Disney management will start to see the trend and will try to find ways to bring back the Disney shine.  Maybe not.  So long as Bob Iger is there, I don't think you will see a commitment to the guest experience that Walt Disney was so proud of.  Don't get me wrong, I think Bob Iger has done a great deal to benefit the Disney company - he brought in many new brands to the Disney family and that's been a huge benefit to the parks.  He also has expanded the parks with the launch of Shanghai Disneyland.  According to reports, he's working to bring Disneyland Paris fully back into the fold - something that's desperately needed.  It's time to turn the attention to home and shore up the U.S. parks.

Will my family and I still go to Disney?  Yes.  But maybe not as much.  And that's my fear -- Disney is pushing away the repeat visitor.  I understand that the 1st time visitor is Walt Disney World's bread and butter, but what better way to expand revenue than to turn a 1st time visitor into an annual (or bi-annual) visitor?

What are your thoughts?

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Flower and Garden Festival begins March 1

Celebrating 24 years when it kicks off March 1, 2017, the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival will jump-start spring with gardens of earthly delights plus new character topiaries, entertainers and food and drink offerings.

The festival, which expanded to 90 days in 2016, will open with an irresistible array of fresh surprises and new treats:

Fresh, farm-market food and beverage flavors will debut at two new Outdoor Kitchens that will join 13 returning Outdoor Kitchens. Guest can sip and savor their way around Epcot, enjoying chef-inspired noshes and refreshing libations with or without a kick.
The new generation of princess topiaries (Snow White, Anna and Elsa – the first to be designed and created with topiary facial features) will welcome a brand-new Belle topiary as fans remember her from the Oscar-winning Disney film, “Beauty and the Beast.” Located outside the France pavilion with the Beast topiary, Belle will come to life with sculpted facial features and her yellow ball gown created with golden blooming Joseph’s Coat plants.
Another festival first will be a 6-foot-tall topiary of Figment, the feisty dragon mascot of the park’s Imagination! pavilion, perched atop a 5-foot-diameter ball fashioned from yellow Joseph’s Coat.
The brand-new Epcot front-entrance topiary garden inspired by a vintage Walt Disney short film will spring to life with a floral-festooned maypole featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Daisy and Pluto.
The popular Garden Rocks concert series will expand to four days each week, with three concerts each Friday through Monday presenting pop musicians that span multiple genres over four decades.
New Garden Rocks Dining Packages will be available on select days at a number of Epcot restaurants.
Reimagined interactive play gardens will include a new take on the “Cars”-themed garden introducing a new character topiary from the June 2017 release of the Disney•Pixar sequel, “Cars 3.” Music Garden Melodies play area will return with new garden and topiary elements.
For the first time, the event’s Festival Center will extend operating hours from Wednesday, March 1 through Sunday, March 5. Throughout the rest of the festival, the center will be open each Friday through Sunday with an entertaining mix of gardening seminars and DIY workshops.
One of the popular Outdoor Kitchen gardens, Urban Farm Eats, will return with savory bites, sweet treats and ideas for planting produce that can inspire growing numbers of guests who want to learn to grow their own edibles.

“A lot of people, including young children, are serious foodies now, and they have lots of questions about gardening,” says Eric Darden, festival horticulture manager. “We’re getting more and more people in their 20s and 30s asking, ‘How can I grow this?’ I think we’ll be creating more gardeners because people can see what’s possible.”

The 2017 festival forecast will be sunny with colorful floral bursts by day and a nighttime landscape aglow with twinkling lights:

Topiaries of Donald Duck and nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie will share Future World space in front of Spaceship Earth with Chip and Dale for a “Fresh Epcot” selfie and family photo opportunity.
Anna and Elsa topiaries will return to the Norway pavilion festival landscape in celebration of the park’s new Frozen Ever After Nearly 100 festival topiaries in all will include up to 70 character creations such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Lady and the Tramp, Simba, Timon and Tinker Bell.
Guests will encounter garden surprises and special appearances related to Earth Day and other spring activities.
The Butterflies on the Go garden will return with the story of the Monarch’s epic journey across the continent and featuring butterflies emerging from their chrysalises.
On the way to the new Soarin’ Around the World film at the Soarin’attraction in The Land pavilion, guests can discover gardens featuring edible flowers, plants that benefit health and healing, and a pollinator paradise.
 Dozens of Disney-crafted “flower towers” and beds of multi-colored blooms will transform the park’s landscape.  At least 70,000 bedding plants will surround the Future World east and west lakes alone; on the water, 220 mini-gardens will be set afloat.

For more information about the 24th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, call 407/W-DISNEY (934-7639).  As the festival nears, more details will be available at epcotinspring.com. The festival, including all gardening programs and exhibits, is included in regular Epcot admission.

- See more at: http://wdwnews.com/releases/2016/11/28/24th-epcot-international-flower-garden-festival-welcomes-spring-with-new-outdoor-kitchens-topiaries-and-entertainment/#sthash.ZHHp52Hc.dpuf

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