Solving the Mystery surrounding the Rapunzel Tower in New Fantasyland…

Published December 13, 2012 by Disneyways.com

UPDATE ADDED MARCH 8TH 2013! Click here to see photos of the new tower!

Disney fans who have been to the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World recently have noticed something new rising out of New Fantasyland. Located next to the “It’s a Small World” attraction, right where the old Fantasyland Skyway ride was, an adorable tower can be seen from Fantasyland, Frontierland and even from the Haunted Mansion cue. This addition comes as somewhat of a surprise to Disney fans as Rapunzel’s tower and village was never included in any concept art of New Fantasyland released by Disney. It all seems so mysterious because details have been hard to come by.

We are now able to see for ourselves, because the tower is peeping up from behind Imagineer construction walls. Despite the rumors, there will not be a meet and greet in this spot. Rapunzel will be found in the new Princess Fairytale Hall (where Snow White’s Scary Adventures use to be) when it opens in 2013. Therefore the tower area does not need to be a meet and greet because we will already have Princess Fairytale Hall for that purpose. In case you haven’t seen them, here are some of the beautiful concept drawings released by Disney of the new Princess Fairytale Hall scheduled to open in 2013.

So why the tower? Believe it or not Disney sources say this is where they will be placing new BATHROOMS. It seems so funny now that we know the truth doesn’t it? It actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it. When nature calls, and the kids have to “go” – this tower will be like a beacon in the night – letting us know that relief is not too far away. The new facility will include increased handicapped and family bathrooms, and is meant to replace the current bathrooms in the area by the Peter Pan’s Flight attraction. With those older bathrooms gone, my thoughts are that they will add an expanded interactive queue for Peter Pan, sort of like the one Winnie the Pooh has (only Pan themed of course!) Imagineers are also planning to expand the walkways to help with traffic flow between Fantasyland and Liberty Square on those crowded days. Having a meet and greet here would actually crowd the area with folks waiting to meet princesses. I hope this helps explain things – let me know if you have heard or seen any new information that I am missing! Personally, my thoughts are that maybe Disney doesn’t believe it’s very magical to brag about new bathrooms, so we are going to have to keep each other in the know on this one as things develop. Have a magical evening!

Video by Daniel Andersson and edited by Jeff Lange from MouseSteps.com

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l1nCjXt77A

Disneyways Recap Dec. 1 – 7 2012 (disneyways.com)

Living with the Land

Published December 13, 2012 by Disneyways.com

Many days after a long shift at the Garden Grill – you could find me on this ride. It is one of my favorites.

Living with the Land is an attraction in Epcot – you will find it in the Land pavillion.

This is a relaxing 13 minute boat ride. It takes you on an informative journey through a tropical rain forest, an African desert complete with sandstorm, and the windswept plains of a small, turn-of-the-century family farm. Guests experience the struggles of the past and plans for farming in the future including Hydroponics, Aeroponics and Aquaculture. It’s not just about fruits and veggies, fish farms are on display.

This attraction is geared more towards adults, but younger guests will also find it entertaining. Guests in ECVs must be able to transfer to a wheelchair.

If you are a REALLY big fan, you may want to pay for a “Behind the Seeds” Tour

Entertainment, times and prices are subject to change without notice – these are the details of this tour as this blog is published.

Departing every 45 minutes from 10:30am – 4:30pm
Cost (including tax, theme park admission required):
$16.00 Guests ages 10+
$12.00 Guests ages 3-9
To book in advance call 407-WDW-TOUR

This guided tour will appeal to gardeners. The tour is an up close look at four greenhouses that are part of the “Living with the Land” attraction. Behind the Seeds is led by a member of the Epcot Science Team.

Highlights include:
Sensory challenge with herbs/spices
Lady bug release
Vegetable taste test
Fish feeding
Sprouting a seed in your pocket to bring home
Close look at the alligators
Latest gardening tips
Seeing how exotic crops and gigantic fruits and veggies are grown without soil
-Cameras are welcome.
-Children of all ages can participate. Strollers will be provided when needed
-Wheelchair accessible but ECV users must transfer to regular wheelchair

TIP:The Sunshine Seasons food court is one of the best food courts at Walt Disney World. A limited breakfast menu is available. Lunch/dinner is available at the Asian Wok Shop, Sandwich Shop & Bakery, Soup & Salad Shop and Wood Fired Grill Shop. In addition, there’s a large amount of seating in the pavilion.

FUN FACTS: If you are enjoying fresh vegetables or fish at an Epcot
restaurant, it’s likely that they were grown right here.

Here is the song they used to play on the ride!

Here is a great video of the history of this ride.

Do you have any stories or memories about this ride that you’d like to share? Please post them in the comments below!

We want our MTV – I mean – ECV! (disneyways.com)

Top 5 Things You Won’t Want to Miss in New Fantasyland

Published December 11, 2012 by Disneyways.com

Enchanted Tales With Belle. Meet and greet with Belle like never before when you actually get to help stage a short play for her. If you’re like me you will marvel at the AMAZING animatronics of Lumiere and Madame Wardrobe. You even get a walk through of Maurice’s cottage from “Beauty and the Beast.”

Be Our Guest Restaurant. French cuisine has arrived beneath the Beast’s Castle. Lunch is quick service with no reservation required. Reservations are needed for dinner, when guests can order wine and beer with their meals for the first time in Magic Kingdom history. Click here to see a whole lot more – including a photo of “the grey stuff!”

Gaston’s statue and fountain. A tribute to the man, they myth the legend. A plaque reads: “Tribute to Gaston. An extravagantly generous gift to the humble people of my village. From me, Gaston.” Nearby: Gaston’s Tavern, a tiny eatery that serves up savory pork shanks and warm cinnamon buns that are bigger then your fist! Despite its name, Gaston’s Tavern does not serve alcohol. Here is a video.

Under the Sea — Journey of the Little Mermaid. This mild-mannered ride is great for princesses young and old. You will not want to miss the virtual way that you are actually submerged under water while staying completely dry! One showstopping room features 128 aquatic animatronics in action. Click here for more on this attraction.

Dumbo the Flying Elephant. This attraction was transported to Fantasyland’s new Storybook Circus area, and DOUBLED. Yep there are two Dumbo rides now. You won’t want ot miss the fantastic new gift shop that smells like heaven. Throw in an air-conditioned cue that doubles as a playground – as well as pagers that blink when it’s your turn to ride – and you’ve got a fantastic addition to the New Fanatsyland line up!

So what do you think? What would be in your top 5 list of New Fantasyland fun not to be missed? Photos are ©Disney Parks Blog

Disneyways Recap Dec. 1 – 7 2012 (disneyways.com)

Disneyways Recap Dec. 1 – 7 2012

Published December 7, 2012 by Disneyways.com

This week at Disneyways – we had lots of fun, and we hope you did too! Our hope was not to repeat, but rather enhance all the other Disney news you saw around the web. We know you also want to stay in the loop, so keep reading to find links to all of the major events too. We hope you will enjoy having it all in one place. Please let us know how we are doing and subscribe to get Disneyways updates by email!

December 1st we learned that perhaps Scuttle is interactive over at the new Little Mermaid ride…or maybe we just learned I need to lay off the Lefou’s Brew! Oh, and did you find the schedule of events for opening day at New Fantasyland helpful?

December 2nd stirred up a facebook frenzy as we took a new look at an old video of the Splash Mountain gator. We shared video from a local Orlando news station about New Fantasyland too.

December 3rd we revealed some Candlelight Processional Secrets – you may not have seen this any where else!

December 5th we brought you a link some fantastic new Disney wallpaper for your computer! You may want to keep that handy because they are adding new ones all the time.

We look forward to spending many more magical weeks with you!

It was a historical week for the Disney World community!

Grand opening of New Fantasyland
Our first view EVER of Disney’s new flying dragon.
The celebration of Walt Disney’s birthday.
The Grand RE-opening of Test Track 2.0

English: Logo for New Fantasyland — the expansion of Fantasyland at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How to take Disneyways with you wherever you go…on your iPhone (disneyways.com)
New Fantasyland feature you might not have heard about… (disneyways.com)

Candlelight Processional Mystery Revealed at Last!

Published December 3, 2012 by Disneyways.com

The holiday season is in full swing at Disney World! Our family has made the Epcot processional a family tradition. Thinking back to when I used to book Disney dining – I would often get asked “What time should I dine to see the ___o’clock show?” I haven’t seen this information in a lot of places, and it’s great to know. Times and availability are always subject to change but this is the general rule.

When you make your reservations for Candlelight dining packages – keep this in mind.

Dine time is 4:20-5:45 to see the 8:15 show

Dine time is 3:30-4.15 to see the 6:45 show

Dine time is 12:30-2:30 to see the 5:00 show (This will often be considered a LUNCH package. Usually it’s same exact menu as dinner – sometimes for a much lower price! The trade off is that the sun won’t be setting until around 5:30. If you prefer your entire candlelight processional in the dark – you may want to book a later time.)

If you call in your reservation, 407-WDW-DINE (407-949-3463) your agent will remind you what show time you will be getting. Make sure they specifically tell you this is a Candlelight booking – or you won’t get reserve seating for the show. They will ask you for a credit card number, just to hold the reservation (no charge for now!) so you will want to have that handy.

For more information and details about this and all the holiday happenings at the Walt Disney World Resort – please click the links below.

I hope you’ll find this information helpful. Merry Christmas!!

Holiday Highlights at Walt Disney World! (disneyways.com)

Local Orlando News Station Covers New Fantasyland

Published December 2, 2012 by Disneyways.com

Click here to see the Fantasyland tour from a local Orlando news station!

Tour the new Fantasyland in pictures! (disneyways.com)
Live from New Fantasyland! Gaston, The Man, The Myth, The Legend… (disneyways.com)
New Fantasyland feature you might not have heard about… (disneyways.com)
First Impression of New Fantasyland (thisfloridalife.com)

Gator Spotted in Magic Kingdom! Keep Arms and Legs Inside the Boat!

Published December 2, 2012 by Disneyways.com

With all this talk about the dragon that flew over New Fantasyland during a media event in 2012 – it was bound to happen. Conversation reemerged about about this video of the Splash Mountain gator. My first thought? Of course there are gators in Splash Mountain! They sing, dance and play the fiddle!

But this gator is not the singing kind – or even the University of Florida kind. I thought this story couldn’t possibly be true – so I had to see for myself.

The guests weren’t in any danger since the gator was not IN the Splash Mountain attraction itself. He was actually in the Rivers of America (where the riverboat and the rafts are) safely separated from guests on the ride by a dividing wall. I can’t believe people on the bridge were feeding the thing popcorn, however. That is just asking for trouble.

How did the gator get in to Magic Kingdom without a ticket? Well, this body of water he is enjoying is said to lead to a waterway – that then leads to Seven Seas Lagoon and finally empties in to Bay Lake. I’ve lived in Orlando my entire life so I can tell you from experience that Gators abound in Florida lakes. Man made or natural bodies of water can attract them, they do not discriminate. It is not unusual to see news stories about gators that have found their way to the backyard pools of Florida homeowners!

However…this is Disney after all…and this was filmed way back in 2003. I imagine some sort of precautions have been taken since then that would prevent anything like this from happening again. Unless of course…this is actually a baby dragon. I have heard that 9 years is about how long dragons take to mature into adults.

Maybe this guy just wanted to get a good spot for the parade or fireworks like the rest of us. What do you think?

Schedule For Opening Day of New Fantasyland Dec. 6th

Published December 1, 2012 by Disneyways.com

New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World will officially open to the public on Thursday, December 6th. A few changes have been made to hours of operation for some of the attractions in preparation for the grand opening.

On December 5th:
The Magic Kingdom will be open from 9:00am – 7:00pm, with Wishes being shown at 6:00pm.

The Enchanted Forest area of Fantasyland will not be open to guests that day, but the Storybook Circus area will be open from 9:00am – 3:00pm.

Goofy can take a break from always getting electrocuted – because Mickey’s PhilharMagic will also be closed that day.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel will be open from 9:00am – 6:00pm. Watch for me in the giant honey pot.

On December 6th:
TheMagic Kingdom will open at 8:00am for Extra Magic Hours for resort guests and at 9:00am for the general public.

Both the Enchanted Forest and Storybook Circus will be open from 8:00am – park close.

Be Our Guest Restaurant will be closed all day (but when you say the name of the place…that seems ironic!)

A grand opening ceremony will take place at 10:00am on the Castle Forecourt Stage. I can’t wait for that!

The park closes at 7:00 both nights for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

Things are always subject to change without notice so please be sure to pick up a daily Times Guide when you get to the park to verify that these times are still correct.

Something’s Fishy at New Fantasyland!

Published December 1, 2012 by Disneyways.com

Sure, I’ll admit it. I am one of THOSE people. I LOVE the Little Mermaid. I know what a snarfblat is, I love Ariel, and I love little singing crabs with Jamaican accents. At the risk of keeping Disneyways family friendly…I think Prince Eric is kinda confident and sexy. I can’t think of another prince who wouldn’t get all embarrassed if you asked about his dinglehopper.

It’s OK because I know I am not the only one.

I remember all the lyrics to “Part of Your World” and have been known to sing them on demand. So when it was revealed that there would be a Little Mermaid attraction added to the new Fantasyland – well – let’s just say it was kind of a big deal to me. This may explain why I believe in my heart that Scuttle saw me and actually SPOKE to me (ala Turtle Talk with Crush) on one of my first rides through the attraction. I was alone…and it has not happened since…so it could just be that I had a little too much Le Fou’s Brew that morning.

Anyway, it is in this spirit of love for Princess Ariel, and the grand opening of the New Fantasyland on December 6th, that I wanted to share with you this video from Attractionsmagazine.com. Here you will find footage of the full ride and queue line preceding it. I hope you can come see the real thing for yourself very soon.

Oh – and if you hear singing from the clam shell behind you – that just might be me – so lean over and say hi before covering your ears.

Tour the new Fantasyland in pictures! (disneyways.com)
New Rapunzel Tower Photos and Rumors January 2013 (disneyways.com)
Solving the Mystery surrounding the Rapunzel Tower in New Fantasyland… (disneyways.com)
Everything You Need to Know about Dining at Be Our Guest (disneyways.com)

The Glass Slipper Collection by DSW

Published November 30, 2012 by Disneyways.com

Updated April 30th 2013 – many designs are already sold out but the remainders have been marked down!

Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) has partnered with Disney to release a whimsical Cinderella-inspired shoe line called The Glass Slipper Collection. The collection of six timeless heels capture the beauty, fantasy and elegance of Cinderella – with touches like satin, lace and rhinestone embellishments. You don’t have to be a Disney bride to appreciate these beauties. My absolute favorite part about this collection is that there’s an embossed Cinderella’s Coach and blue Cinderella jewel on the sole! These shoes are available for immediate purchase, however they are limited edition, so don’t wait! You can see all of them from every angle as well as the prices at the link above. I have included some photos for you here, however, that are straight from Disney.

“> disney wedding shoes