Wizarding World of Harry Potter Coming Along Nicely

Nice to see something beautiful being built after just seeing something once beautiful left to rot ...

Universal has been pretty hush-hush about its new, sure-to-be-amazingly-popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter land at the Islands of Adventure. With a hard opening set for June 2010, however, buildings are going up fast, and it's getting harder and harder to hide them.

Click here and here to see a series of photos of the construction (thanks, Disney blog). Hogwarts castle especially is looking very impressive. I'm curious to see how they'll build a snowy English setting in the middle of steaming hot Florida (and with a tropical Dinoland right next door, too). I hope they have real snowy owls ...

River Country In Total Disrepair

I've been updating pretty much non-stop about fun, cheerful, Christmas-y things that have been going on in Disneyworld. Today, though, I'm going to take a break from that to talk about something that I actually find pretty depressing.

Someone has apparently broken into the old, defunct River Country waterpark and returned with a large amount of photos. Although it isn't entirely clear how they got in, I'm going to assume that this was more or less illegal, since I'm sure Disney wouldn't have wanted these photos to hit the web. It only makes them look bad. Really, really bad.

For years rumors had been floating around that the waterpark would be reopened as an exclusive extra for guests of the Fort Wilderness Resort, or was at least available for rent by private parties. Neither seems the case here, as River Country has fallen into complete and total disrepair. It would take a lot of money to bring it back to something worth presenting to the public - and besides, if Disney had any plans for the waterpark, just a minimal amount of maintenance would have helped save it from what it's become now.

Trying to get a peek into the current River Country has always been fascinating for me. I never had the chance to visit the waterpark, as it closed not long after my first trip to Disneyworld. Like many others, when I was at the Fort Wilderness Resort, back by what is now the Mickey's Backyard BBQ area (this was actually once a part of River Country), I tried to look through the gaps in the temporary walls set up to block off view of the old waterpark. Now that I've seen everything, I'm not sure I wanted to in the first place.

It's just very, very sad to see what you could call a "classic" piece of Disney history fall into ruin like this. River Country was based off an idyllic version of the American South taken from sources like Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. Like Tom Sawyer's Island (which thankfully is still up and running), these types of attraction have largely been overwhelmed by those that promote a movie or franchise. It's always sad when an old attraction is closed down, but at least if it's shut down and then torn down, or replaced, it retains its dignity in one's memory. Disney's River Country looks like it was just abandoned one day, or hit by a nuclear attack, or something ... it's been completely neglected and forgotten about. Very surprising, considering the care with which Disney manages its properties. It's amazing how much nature can take back in just nine years.

Especially sad is the inside of an employees-only "shack" in the middle of the park. Outside, a deflated yellow tube used in the water slides sits on the ground next to an old banner that, ironically, encourages guests to recycle. Inside, the building is full of trash. An old employee recognition plague sits on top of it. Why was this stuff never cleaned up?

Pretty depressing overall, if intriguing. You can view all of the pictures (there are many) here. Thanks, Disney blog.

Life-Sized, Edible Carousel at the Beach Club Resort

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the life-sized, edible Christmas Carousel built each year at Disney's Beach Club Resort in Disneyworld. According to the official Disney Parks blog, pastry chefs use 100 pounds of icing, 50 pounds of dark chocolate and 36 pounds of honey to build the carousel. Also, 100 pounds of confectioner sugar and 96 pounds of bread flour go into the structure. The spinning carousel includes ponies made of chocolate and fondant, hand-painted chocolate “Fab Five” Disney characters surrounded by snowflakes on the side of gingerbread and giant candy cane poles. Pretty "sweet"!

To watch a time lapse video of the carousel being built, click here.

Gingerbread Tree at the Contemporary Resort

Apparently someone in Disneyworld likes my mother, because around the holidays the resorts sport beautiful, larger-than-life and completely impressive works of art made entirely out of gingerbread. One of these is a 17-foot tall gingerbread Christmas tree made out of gingerbread shingles at the Contemporary Resort.

According to the official Disney Parks blog, a team of 25 bakers used 136 pounds of honey, 101 pounds of flour and about 50 eggs to build the gigantic tree. They also used 75 pounds of icing along with bags of spices and sugar syrup.

It even has a hidden Mickey!

More Disney Christmas Videos!

Sometimes it seems like the steady stream of Disney Christmas videos I keeping finding will never end. I guess it just goes to show how important the holidays are in the Disney Parks.

These two videos are both taken from the official Disney Park blog. The first one is an interview with the lighting designer of the Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, who shares how to make decorating the outside of your own home a little easier. Of course, the big thing this year is switching to LED lights, which are much more energy efficient.

You can view that video here.

The next video talks about how you can decorate Christmas ornaments with dyed, crushed ostrich eggs and recycled telephone wire at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. Take a look at the end of the video to see the giant Christmas tree in the Jambo House lobby.

Wish I was there ... you can watch the video here.

Finding the Cat

I thought this was a really cute story, and something I didn't know before!

At the Osbourne Spectacle of Dancing Lights, it's fairly obvious that you can search for hidden Mickey's, but did you know that there's also a hidden cat?

Apparently, when the lights were being shipped to Florida from the Osbourne family home in Arkansas back in 1995, a Halloween cat was slipped into the Christmas lights by mistake. The team of cast members putting up the display were in a hurry to finish, and didn't have time to question it, so they put up the cat anyway.

Now, the Halloween cat is a traditional part of the Osbourne display in Disney's Hollywood Studios, and the show director hides the cat in a new place every year for guests to find.

Isn't that an awesome story? The next time I make it down to Disneyworld at Christmas, I'll definitely be looking for him.

Taken from DisneyShawn.

Christmas in ... Hong Kong?

I found these really cute videos giving you a taste of what you could expect if you decided to go East for your Christmas Disney vacation. The first one is a video of Hong Kong Disneyland's "Lights of Winter" show, which basically features dancing lights on their Main Street and castle. It just find it really intriguing to know what other parks have, and I really enjoyed what I saw of the show. It would be especially cool to imagine watching it in the darkness.



The second video is an adorable ad for Hong Kong Disneyland during the holiday season. It's in Chinese, but there's almost no speech, so don't worry. It's about two Eskimo children that escape from the It's A Small World attraction and run around enjoying all the holiday fun in the park. I can't stress enough that this video is really cute. Enjoy!

Christmas in Paris

Some gorgeous pictures of the Disneyland Paris Christmas lights and parade, taken from the Disney and More blog. Their castle looks gorgeous, especially with the Tinkerbell at the top. And I love the snowman display with the dangling strings of white lights in the trees.

Making Candy Canes in Disneyland

This is a really charming little video about how they make candy canes (by hand) at the Candy Palace on Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland. It's amazing how such a simple recipe and such giant chunks of wet sugar can be pulled and twisted into a beautiful, elegant cane. They're big, too!

Check it out here.

Pirate and Princess Disney Christmas Trees

Here's a fun little video about how to decorated your Christmas tree with a Disney theme. When I first watched it, I was a little disappointed that by Disney they meant either a pirate or a princess tree. What about Mickey, guys? But still, it's a cute video. Gotta love Goofy in that dorky sweater.

You can watch it here.

Fun Facts About the Decor on Main Street U.S.A.

The decorations in the Disney Parks, in my opinion, are the best part of their Christmas celebration. Apparently, ten Disney cast members work full time, year round to design and produce the decorations we enjoy for just a few short weeks.

Just a few fun facts about the decorations on Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyworld. They use ...

• 7,410 total feet of ribbon is used to make 812 bows. That’s 1.4 miles of ribbon!
• 2,365 ornaments on the Christmas tree on Main Street, U.S.A.
• 79,000 ornaments all throughout Main Street.
• 2,015 feet of garland help set the holiday tone.
• 10,395 lights make everything sparkle and just a little bit brighter.

See? You now have no excuse not to put up lights on your own house.

Holidays on the High Seas

One of the major downsides of visiting Disneyworld right around Christmas is that it's packed. Nothing like fighting the crowds to get you into that warm, cozy holiday spirit ...

But apparently, you can avoid all of that and still enjoy some Disney Christmas Magic if you take a holiday Disney Cruise. Although it makes sense, I hadn't really realized that the Disney Cruise Line had a special holiday line-up. I especially like the snowmen on the beach of Castaway Cay and that adorable reindeer tram. Enjoy this cute video to see it all.



Christmas on a beach ... only in my dreams, I suppose. Did I mention there was a blizzard where I live today?

Tilt-Shift Video of Epcot

This isn't very Christmas-y, but I love the tilt-shift videos of the Disney Parks. These are filmed so that everything looks like tiny, fast-moving toys. This one's of Epcot.

Unfortunately, I haven't figured out yet how to post videos directly out of the Disney Parks blog, so you'll have to go to this link to watch it.

Building the Life-Size Grand Floridian Gingerbread House ... in 30 Seconds

As a big fan of gingerbread houses, I got really excited when I found this video. It's a time lapse of the construction of the giant, life-size gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian Resort in Disneyworld.



Here are some fun facts about the gingerbread house:

- 400 hours to build
- 16 feet high
- Made of over 10,000 gingerbread pieces
- Uses 1,050 pounds of honey, 600 pounds of powdered sugar and 140 pints of egg white

Wow. It kinds of makes you feel bad about being too lazy to bake just some regular Christmas cookies.

Miss Me?

Hello readers (Mom)!

I apologize that it's been so long since I've updated this blog. College finals are not free-time friendly, and unfortunately this blog, fun as it is, can't be a big priority right now. I still check the other Disney blogs better at updating than I have, though, and they've come out with some really fun Christmas stuff. Although I'm partial to Halloween myself - somehow, I just got a little more excited about that - the holidays seem to bring out the best in the Disney parks. Hopefully, over the next two weeks, I'll update this blog with all the fun videos, photos, and updates that should've been posted ... well, weeks ago. I'm especially excited about the holiday happenings going on not just in the U.S., but in Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong as well.

Happy Holidays!

Waddle the Duck Saw the Truck ...

Shawn over at DisneyShawn has ... yes ... you guessed it ... posted more stuff about the Haunted Mansion. This time, he talks a little bit about one of my favorite "extras" outside the attraction - the pet cemetery. The pet cemetery wasn't an original part of the Magic Kingdom Haunted Mansion - it was added about a decade ago, inspired by a similar piece in Disneyland.

Check it out here.

Bats Are Special, Not Spooky!

Mickey Mouse says: Bats are special, not spooky.

Well, actually, that's what the official Disney Parks blog says, but they're no less right. Bats are one of my favorite creatures, and I can't visit the Animal Kingdom without walking through the Maharajah Jungle Trek to see them. Their bat room has widely set wooden bars that separate guests from the bats, but that's all - between them is thin air. How is this possible?

The bats that call Animal Kingdom home are Malayan Flying Foxes, who happen to be one of the largest bats in the world, with a wingspan of over six feet. You don't have to be afraid of these guys, though - they're vegetarians, and love fruit. Contrary to popular belief about bats, these bats don't use echolocation - they have excellent eyesight. So if you feel like someone's watching you ...

But how is it they can't escape their enclosure? These bats fly by gliding - and if they attempted to glide toward the open spaces between the bars, their wings would hit them. They can't tuck them in and make it through without falling. So if one got extra friendly or spotted your Mickey Bar, you're safe!

This Halloween, the bats at the Maharajah Jungle Trek are getting their yearly check-ups. You might be able to catch one for yourself, as they're performed in full view of the public at the Conservation Station.

In conclusion, bats are awesome - wicked awesome, in fact. Rather than be scared by bats this year, why not build a bat house in your backyard? The bats in North America are insectivores - meaning they eat all the mosquitoes and flies that drive us crazy. You can keep your backyard pest-free, and let's face it - a bat house is WAY cooler than a bird house, and a great way to show up your neighbors.

So the next time you're walking through Asia, don't skip the bat room ... stop in and say hi for me. Happy Halloween!

Check out the full article here.

Some Fat, Some Thin ... But the Seventh One Did Him In.

Surprise! More stuff from Shawn at DisneyShawn.

Sorry ... but I just can't get enough of the Haunted Mansion. And apparently Shawn can't either, because he has another post up ... this time about the mausoleums you walk past on your way out. Did you know that the Haunted Mansion was originally supposed to have a pirate theme?

I know you can't resist ... check it out here.

Yet MORE Haunted Mansion Stuff from Shawn

Shawn from the blog DisneyShawn has continued making my day by posting yet another article with behind-the-scenes information about the Haunted Mansion. This time, he tells us about the tombstones in the cemetery next to the attraction's entrance - each honors a Disney Imagineer who worked on creating the attraction. Check it out here.

Pics from Tiana's Showboat Jubilee!

More from the official Disney Parks blog ...

A new show in honor of Disney's upcoming release the Princess and the Frog has premiered in the Magic Kingdom at Disneyworld: Tiana's Showboat Jubilee. As you can see from the photos, the celebration is New Orleans style, filled with jazz, and features appearances from Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. The procession begins in the Liberty Square area and moves to the water's edge, where everyone boards the riverboat to continue the celebration as they sail.

The show officially launches on October 26th and will continue through January 3rd, 2010 (which sadly means I will miss it). I have also heard that as a part of the show, 30 guests are randomly selected from the park and asked to participate in the day's Jubilee, waving banners from the side of the riverboat and even dressing up in choir robes.


It looks so colorful and fun ... can't say I'm not sad that it won't be playing into August.

Check out the full article here.

Why Not Celebrate EVERY Holiday at Disney?

The official Disney Parks blog has some sweet new articles up today ... no pun intended, just thinking of the pumpkin pie.

How would you like to celebrate Thanksgiving without the cooking? Or the snow (I live in Wisconsin) ... or the dishes?

What if you could invite Chip and Dale instead of your in-laws?

That's right. You can have Thanksgiving dinner in Disneyland.



They call it the "Disney Family Thanksgiving Feast," and its an all-you-can-eat buffet served in the Grand Ballroom at the Disneyland Hotel. At $67 a person, it's a little more than can of that cranberry jello stuff, but listen to this description:

"The fall harvest and Thanksgiving favorites will include carved roasted breast of turkey and prime rib of beef, homemade stuffing, sweet potato soufflé, fresh cranberry orange relish and smashed potato and gravy. Chilled poached shrimp, king crab legs, fresh salads, artisan cheeses, smoked salmon and cured meats will also be included in the display. It may be difficult, but you’ll want to save to room for dessert, which includes a variety of traditional pies, tarts, cookies, crepes and even a chocolate fountain with sweets for dipping."

That's right. A chocolate fountain. A big chocolate fountain.



I'm just glad my grandma makes awesome dumplings and pie, because if not ... I might just be on roadtrip to California this November.

Read the full article here.

It's Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow ...

The Disney and More blog has posted a wonderful tribute to the classic Carousel of Progress attraction, which premiered at the 1964 New York World's Fair and is still running in Tomorrowland today. Of course, Walt Disney worked on developing this show personally, and it focuses on something he loved dearly: the American family.

Unfortunately, the last time I saw this attraction (the only time I can remember well), it broke down three quarters of the way in, so I never saw the last scene featuring technology of the present day. Apparently, this scene has been updated no less than five times to keep it current with the times. I still remember, however, being pleasantly surprised at how clever the show was in its special effects despite its age. Okay, so they really weren't all that impressive compared to what we can do now ... but they were clever none the less, and integrated well into the show. The mechanics controlling the revolving auditorium, on the other hand ...

Oh, well ... I guess there's always next year.

Update: More Haunted Mansion Stuff!

Shawn has updated his blog DisneyShawn with yet more insights into the Haunted Mansion and great photos to go along with it. This time he talks about what lies behind the "Servants Quarters" door, a part of the Mansion I've never seen before. Check it out here.

Halloween is Coming ...

Over at his blog DisneyShawn, Shawn has posted two articles that celebrate the Halloween spirit happening right now in Disneyworld. The first one has tons of photos of the Halloween decorations on Main Street U.S.A., as well as a great commentary that outlines the story behind them (yes - everything at Disney tells a story). Check that one out here.



And just in time for my favorite holiday, he's also posted a blog about one of my favorite attractions, the Haunted Mansion (insert giant grin here). The article has some neat photos and a background on some of the structures outside the Mansion itself that serve to tell its story, like the carriage house and the horse-drawn hearse driven by an unseen ghost horse. I know you're dying to read it ... so click here.

Happy haunting everyone!

The Bittersweet Introduction of Monorail Teal

Disney has recently begun test runs of the new Monorail Teal, which was built by combining the undamaged portions of Monorails Pink and Purple into a single new train. The colors pink and purple will be retired from the monorail fleet out of respect for the young cast member who died in the fatal accident earlier this year, and his family. The new Teal train will reportedly be the first to have an updated touch screen pilot control system that Disney has been testing in pursuit of better safety.

While I agree full-heartedly with the decision to retire pink and purple out of respect for the tragedy, it will still haunt my mind every time I see - or ride - Monorail Teal.

Here is a video of the testing. The train has not been repainted yet, and the old colors have been covered up with white stripes:

(Other) Amusing Blogs

Some people are just more interesting bloggers than I am, I guess ...

There have been some really random and funny blogs over at the Touringplans.com blog that are totally worth checking out. One counts down the best and worst bathrooms in the Magic Kingdom, and another talks about the recently announced Fantasyland expansion as if the Princesses and Tinkerbell led a revolution against Mickey for control of the park.

Very cute ...

Toy Story 3 Trailer

The new Toy Story 3 trailer that was released along with the Toy Story/Toy Story 2 3D double feature can be now viewed online. Check it out here!

More Fun Videos!

I just wanted to post a few random but cute videos I found awhile ago on the Disney Blog.

The first one is of a day in the Magic Kingdom shot in tilt-shift stop motion video, which makes everything look like little moving miniature toys. It was released as part of the Magic Kingdom's 38th anniversary celebration. This one is super cute - check it out. (Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to embed the HTML on this one).

The second one shows the Magic Kingdom being decorated overnight for Halloween in time lapse. This is a fun one also, especially if you love Halloween and wonder how Disney gets everything up so fast for the holidays.

Just Watch It

Visit this post from the official Disney Parks Blog and check out the video of Mickey dancing. You can't miss it.

Seriously. Go.

No More Johnny?

Several blogs (as well as various news agencies) are reporting that Johnny Depp may not continue with the Pirates franchise after the fourth movie. Apparently, he is no longer excited about playing the character of Captain Jack Sparrow following the firing of Disney executive Dick Cook, with whom he had a very positive working relationship. With that relationship of trust now gone, he may not wish to make the fifth and sixth expected films.

Time will tell if this is actually the case, since no formal announcement has been made. The success of the fourth movie will likely have a strong impact on how the fifth and sixth projects are greenlighted. No doubt Disney is offering him a lot - a lot - of money in exchange for the role, but Johnny Depp has never seemed the type of actor to do a film just for the paycheck.

The big question is, what would happen if he did drop out? Replacing him with a new actor would be suicide. Johnny Depp all but made the franchise, and having anyone else but him perform the role of Jack Sparrow would be sure to alienate audiences. The best course of action would probably be to just focus on the stories of the other characters, leaving Jack out entirely. Although this would mean that the future films would be far less successful without Johnny Depp in the mix, they would probably be more successful than films with a replacement Captain Jack.

Come on, Johnny. Think of the fans ...

Free Admission When You Volunteer!

The Touringplans.com Blog is reporting that Disney is about to announce a new promotion for 2010 to get people into the parks. Apparently, when you volunteer for a day with a participating organization, you get a free ticket to one of the Disney parks. Not sure yet who these participating organizations may be. This new promotion will likely begin in January, replacing the "free admission on your birthday" promotion.

On the one hand ... I had a wonderful time celebrating my mother's birthday in Disneyworld this summer. We usually go every year in August, right around her birthday, and it would be a shame not to get the same special treatment again. Of course, this promotion also gives people more flexibility - anyone, really, can get a free ticket, and you don't have to plan your vacation around a specific date.

Check out the YouTube video previewing the commercial, starring Miss Piggy, here:

Major Fantasyland Expansion for the Magic Kingdom

John from the Disney Blog (among others) recently reported that Disney has announced a major expansion of Fantasyland for the Magic Kingdom park. The formal announcement confirms the rumor that began floating around the web after blueprints for the expansion were leaked online.


The expansion is scheduled to be completed in 2012, a year late for the Magic Kingdom's 40th Anniversary. While it's always frustrating to have to put up with ugly barriers during the expanse of time needed to build these new additions, it seems like it will definitely be worth it. The expansion will allow you to journey "past the castle walls" of Cinderella's Castle, where each Disney princess will have her own castle, cottage or chateau. These, of course, are themed meet and greet areas, but the press announcement seems to suggest that you'll get to do more than just stand in line and meet a princess standing in the middle of an open room - you get to "share a dance" with Cinderella, celebrate Sleeping Beauty's birthday with the Good Fairies, and enjoy a story from Belle in the Beast's castle library. You'll be able to visit Tinkerbell and her friends in their own Pixie Hollow area. A new Little Mermaid attraction is also planned, which will be a clone of the one also opening at Disney's California Adventure park in 2011.


The Dumbo attraction is also getting a considerable revamp. There will now be two spinners, doubling the attraction's capacity (a good thing, considering its notoriously long wait times). The ride will be set within a three-ring circus and will feature an interactive queue, probably something like the talking Mr. Potato Head in the Toy Story Midway Mania queue line.


There will also be a new Beauty and the Beast dinner show, where guests can dine in "three enchanted rooms" in the Beast's castle. I have heard that this restaurant will be counter service for lunch and full service for dinner. Another full service dining option has been badly needed in the Magic Kingdom park, so this is great. I have also heard something about a very manly Gaston's (Belle's crude, burly suitor) restaurant as well ... maybe this is part of the larger Beauty and the Beast restaurant? It would be interesting to have a tavern in a park that doesn't serve alcohol.

Of course, the new expansion will probably mean the death of some or all parts of Mickey's Toontown Fair. Donald's Boat seems all but doomed, although I have heard that Goofy's Barnstormer may be rethemed into a Tinkerbell/Pixie Hollow attraction. It's possible that Mickey and Minnie will be moved to the front of the park (i.e. the Main Street/Town Hall area) to meet with guests.

The new expansion is an interesting move for Disney. Some of Disney's recent endeavors (the creation of Disney XD, for example, and the acquisition of Marvel) reflect the company's concern with capturing the boy demographic. As Universal ad campaigns have made painfully clear ("If I have to hug another Princess, I'm going to puke!"), Disney excels at drawing in the girls, but flounders a little with the boys. The popularity of the Pirates franchise has helped somewhat with that (notably, Disney created a Pirate makeover for boys to parallel their Bippity Boppity Boutique experience). It's interesting, then, that Disney would want to sink their dollars into a major expansion that promotes, largely, a girls' fantasy world of princesses and fairies. It could be they just want to strengthen something they're already in the lead with ... although it's a pity that with Universal opening Harry Potter land this spring (a franchise that appeals pretty much equally to both boys and girls, as well as adults), they couldn't have found a way to make the expansion a little bit more balanced. Pirates Land, anyone? Cars Land, of course, is opening up over at Disney's California Adventure ... but that only helps the west coast.

So ... what do you think? A very interesting move by Disney ... and in any case, it's something that's sure to be both successful and beautifully constructed. Disney doesn't slack off when it comes to its parks, especially such a classic and popular park as the Magic Kingdom.

Interactivity in the Parks

John over at the Disney Blog recently posted a great article about how interactivity is the new "trend" for theme parks, rather than just allowing guests to passively enjoy immersive, beautifully detailed environments. Examples of new interactive attractions might be ...

- The new Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Roller Coaster over at Universal Studios, which allows you to choose your own "soundtrack" while you ride;
- The American Idol experience, where you can both audition/perform and vote as a member of the audience;
- The new attractions to come out of the Disney Living Character Initiative (i.e. Turtle Talk with Crush, the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor ... where the characters on screen can actually talk one-on-one with individual guests)

... and more. I personally believe that interactivity can sometimes spoil the "classic," nostalgic elements of older rides (Spaceship Earth, for example) but are overall quite fun. Nothing, I think, can ever replace the experience of just soaking in a beautifully constructed fantasy world, whether it talks back to you or not. Not too long ago there were rumors about adding an interactive element to the Haunted Mansion, and that, I think, might be going a little too far.

Of course, interactivity isn't the only thing we'll see in future developments. I think that the new Harry Potter land at Universal will rely heavily on an immersive environment to satisfy fans of the series (they couldn't get by without including some gorgeous details) even as certain attractions there seek to be interactive. Olivander's Wand Shop, for example, is supposed to be an interactive experience where the "wand chooses the wizard".

What do you think about this trend?

The 14th Annual EPCOT 2009 Food & Wine Festival - By the Numbers!

The EPCOT Food & Wine Festival is the largest of its kind in the world, and it's going on right now. The six week festival began September 25th and will end November 8th. During this time, lucky guests can sample food and wine from exotic cultures, as well as enjoy great entertainment while they eat. Having never been to the festival, I found the following stats very interesting (if also tantalizing - they made me feel both jealous and hungry).

• More than 300 national and international wines
• More than 76 kinds of international foods, each appetizer-sized portion priced $2-$7
• More than 160 of America’s most celebrated chefs and Walt Disney World chefs
• 405 wine and beer seminars
• More than 1,200 fireworks rockets exploding each night over World Showcase Lagoon in “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” grand finale to the festival
• 135 Eat to the Beat! concerts performed
• 33,000 bottles of wine and champagne
• 1.2 million hors d’oeuvre plates
• 2.1 million Vanity Fair napkins
• 750,000 beer cups
• 690,000 sumptuous samplings
• 600,000 forks
• 338,000 wine glasses
• 100,000 miniature desserts including crème brûlée, traditional apple strudel, Grand Marnier parfait with Orange Coulis and warm chocolate lava cake with Bailey’s ganache
• 3,000 gallons of soup, including cheddar cheese soup (Montreal marketplace), chicken and coconut soup with mushrooms, lemongrass and ginger (Bangkok, Thailand marketplace) and Mealie soup with crabmeat and chili oil (Capetown, South Africa marketplace)

Special thanks to John from the Disney Blog who published these first!

The Disney Dream Portrait Series by Annie Leibovitz

I recently rediscovered the Disney Dream Portrait Series by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz. She was commissioned by Disney to create the series, essentially an ad campaign for the parks featuring celebrities in roles as classic fairy tale characters. A major of the photos came out back in 2007, but they're just as stunning now. A collection of the photos can be viewed here. My personal favorite is the scene from Peter Pan, which features Mikhail Baryshnikov as Peter Pan, Gisele Bundchen as Wendy, and Tina Fey as Tinkerbell.

New Hawaii Resort!

The Disney Blog has a picture up of the construction currently taking place in Hawaii to build Disney's latest destination resort. The resort is located on the island of Oahu in the resort area of Ko Olina. Very interesting. I'm thinking the Polynesian ... but with a better beach.

DisneyShawn Blog

Shawn over at the DisneyShawn blog has recently added some very intriguing postings about the Matterhorn and Sleeping Beauty Castle over in Disneyland. Having never ridden the Matterhorn (it was closed the one time I visited Disneyland), I found that article particularly fascinating. Definitely worth a look.

If you haven't already discovered Shawn's blog, I would highly, highly recommend it. He showcases various attractions at the parks and tells the story behind them, often with wonderful historical and imagineering insights. Check out his blog!

The Birthplace of Walt Disney ... Up for Grabs?

The Disney Blog is reporting that the house in which Walt Disney himself was born, located in Chicago, is on the market. The two-story house on Tripp Avenue was built by his father Elias in 1892, and Walt was born in an upstairs bedroom in 1901. Today, the house has been divided up into a two-story rental.

In 2006, the house was up for sale on eBay, but apparently that deal fell through. Today, the asking price is less than $200,000.

I'm not sure which is sadder about this little piece of information ... that Walt Disney's birthplace has been chopped up into a rental unit, or that the economy is so bad no one is springing to buy it.

Buy-4-Get-7 ... It's Back!

No big surprise here, considering the economy and Disney's need to tempt people into visiting the parks ...

The touringplans.com blog is reporting that Disney's Buy-4-Get-7 nights deal is returning. The value resorts will be offering a similar buy-5-get-2 free deal. Travel dates will likely be from October 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010, and you would need to book by December 20, 2009 (although this date could be extended). In addition, you have to purchase a Magic Your Way ticket for each night of your stay.

It's just a rumor until it's formally announced ... but it's a pretty reliable one. What do you think of this deal? It seems pretty good to me - something like 40% your resort stay - but the kicker is that, by being obligated to purchase a ticket for each day, you couldn't hop over to Universal or Seaworld for a day. Unless you get the "no expiration" option and save those tickets for next time ... tricky, Disney, tricky.

Halloween at Disney!

It's that magical time of year again ... and no, I don't mean Christmas. It's almost Halloween!

Okay, so it's still a few weeks (cough! a month) away, but if Disney can start celebrating now, so can I. No surprise here - Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Autumn itself is a wonderful time of year. The changing leaves, the apple orchards, the pumpkin picking ... throw in the opportunity to dress up and revel in all things spooky and supernatural, and I'm sold.

I'm infinitely sad that I won't make it to any of the Disney parks this year to enjoy the Halloween festivities. Disneyworld is hosting Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween party, which includes the "Boo-to-You" Halloween Parade (featuring a guest appearance by the Headless Horseman), Happy HalloWishes fireworks, the chance to meet Disney villains and see the Disney characters decked out in their Halloween costumes, trick-or-treating in the park, and, of course, whimsical decorations.

Disneyland is preparing for "Halloween Time," and they've put up a great website to drive fans like me batty with jealousy. The party over there is known as "Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party". Disneyland has a surprising many unique things to offer for celebrating the season. Apparently, wild candy corn is growing at "Candy Corn Acres" over in the California Adventure park that's just waiting to be picked - really? They've got a 16 foot Mickey Mouse head jack-o-lantern complete with pumpkin ears to pose in front of. The Disney's Happiest Haunts Tour sounds wicked cool as well. You get to "listen to sympathetic stories about the often-misunderstood Disney Villains" as well as enjoy VIP seating for the Halloween Screams fireworks. On top of it all, they have caramel apple cider and pumpkin cheesecake ... yum ...

This doesn't even touch on the special Halloween makeovers some of the Disneyland attractions are getting. The Haunted Mansion has been "taken over" and redecorated a la The Nightmare Before Christmas. And Space Mountain now lets you visit a "Ghost Galaxy," with a spooky soundtrack and ghastly visuals. I should add that I've only been to Disneyland once, and I've never, unfortunately, had the chance to visit during Halloween. If you've experienced these attractions, definitely let me know how you liked them!

Finally, check out this promo video for Disneyland's Halloween Time. The villains are taking over ... and it's super, super cute.



P.S. For whatever reason, Walgreens seems to have a bunch of Disney Halloween decorations, more than I've seen at Walmart or Target. They have light-up Mickey pumpkins, strings of Mickey head pumpkin lights, and more. Just a tip if you're looking to decorate!

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog!

Of course, no one is really reading this yet, but welcome anyway. I'm Alicia. Long story short, I've been going to Disneyworld with my family every year since I was ten (I'm in college now) and I've developed something of a ... well ... a little obsession.

For a long time now I've been checking a variety of different Disney blogs just about every day, each with its own focus. I thought, since I'm doing this anyway, why not make a blog where I can post the most interesting things I find so that other people don't have to filter through twenty blogs to find the really good stuff? Of course, this assumes that your idea of "good stuff" is in line with mine, but I'd say I go pretty middle of the road ... I don't want to know every obscure detail. Just enough to provoke my interest and bring back those wonderful memories.

I want this blog to be a source of Disney updates as well as little offerings of things I especially enjoy and want to explore further, or celebrate in my own little way. I'm no expert on Disney - just a major fan - but I hope I can offer insights into all things Disney as changes develop. The parks and the company are constantly evolving, making it possible to do more than just reflect back on the many wonderful things Disney offers. It's a challenge to try and stay on top of everything that's happening in real-time.

So ... I'm excited! This may not literally be a daily dose of Disney, but I'll do my best. Please don't be shy if you ever want to comment on the blog. I would love to meet other people as crazy about Disney as I am.

Happy reading!

- Alicia