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Artegon Marketplace Orlando – By Guest Author Jacquie Princz MontesdeOca

Published November 26, 2014 by jpmdo

artegon orlando marketplace

November 20th saw the opening of Artegon Marketplace Orlando . This  1.1 million square foot  shopping area and artisan marketplace will be on International Drive, the middle of Orlando’s tourism. Even though this is not directly on Disney property – it is close enough that we thought you’d want to know about it!

Artegon Marketplace Orlando is being developed by former Festival Bay Mall by Paragon Outlet Partners, LLC best known as one of the most influential and forward-thinking development firms in the nation’s retail real estate industry. This will be a new shopping concept for Orlando which was inspired by other marketplaces such as Seattle’s Pike Place, Boston’s Faneuil Hall, New York’s Chelsea Market and the London Flower Market. Paragon redeveloped the former Belz Factory Outlet into the now well-known and highly-successful Prime Outlets Orlando which eventually were sold to Simon Properties. Steven Sless, executive vice president for Paragon Outlet Partners said “It’s fantastic to see our vision coming to life.”

A particular feature of the center will be Florida’s largest daily indoor artisan marketplace. The Village at Artegon Marketplace Orlando will have 165 artisanal shops and stores where local suppliers will sell and showcase their products and services. They will include Florida Soap Company, Poca’s Hottest, Vagabond Traveler, David Ramirez Chocolates and Kathryn McHenry of SOS Art Studio, along with a many others one-of-a-kind artisans who will be offering eco-friendly handbags and accessories, jewelry, sculpture, mixed media artwork, custom clothing and locally-sourced foods.

Sless expects that the artisan marketplace to be fully leased by opening day. “We have experienced a marked increase in inquiries over the past month as interest and excitement builds among Central Florida’s top artisans and craftspeople,” Sless said. “With each passing day, we are seeing new and interesting concepts and handcrafted works arrive to our leasing office as entrepreneurs explore our exceptional business opportunity.”

Along with The Village at Artegon Marketplace Orlando there will be some of the biggest brands in dining and retail. Some of these anchor stores will include Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, Ron Jon Surf Shop, Cinemark Theaters, Sheplers Western Stores, Radbourne Center, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill and Berghoff’s Octoberfest. The latter two venues are scheduled to open between fall 2014 and spring 2015.

There will also be more than 20 in-line retailers enhancing the guest experience, including GODS & MONSTERS, the first high-end innovative comics and collectibles store of its kind in the country, and the nation’s first International Hot Glass, a glass gallery showcasing artists from around the world and a studio where guests can work with a professional glass blower to create their own piece of art.

“We’ve designed Artegon Marketplace Orlando to be a highly immersive and interactive experience unlike any other in Central Florida,” Sless explained. Beyond the artisan marketplace, anchor tenants and in-line retailers, other defining features include:

The Great Hall with an expansive “Climb Adventure” ropes course (paid admission) and a variety of food offerings, from coffee and Danish to pizza, sandwiches and salads.

Daily food trucks.

Free Wi-Fi both indoors and in the outdoor plaza areas.

Caricaturists, henna and jawa tattoo painters, canvas airbrush artists and other edgy performers.

Streetmosphere performers, from jugglers to singers to stilt walkers, strolling throughout the shopping attraction on weekends.

An industrial-chic environment punctuated by heavy wooden support beams, exposed brick and weathered steel.

Thearon Scurlock, director of marketing added , “Artegon Marketplace Orlando is poised to become a must-see attraction for residents, visitors and conventioneers alike, providing them with a new place to experience the sights, sounds and flavors unique to Central Florida.” “Guests can discover authentic local culture and take home a hand-made treasure and lasting memento of their trip to Orlando.”

Artegon Marketplace Orlando will be great for group outings as it will be interactive and entertaining. This will be especially great for community events, off-site convention outings, corporate parties and bus tours. Mears Transportation Group is the official transportation partner for convenient taxi service, and trolley service is available along I-RIDE Trolleys’ Red Line at stop #3.

The center provides ample, free surface parking with 5,800 spaces. Operating hours are 10am -9pm Monday-Saturday and 11am-7pm on Sunday. Artisan studios will be open Monday-Saturday 11am-8pm and noon-6pm on Sunday. Artegon Marketplace Orlando is located at 5250 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819. Local residents will especially appreciate easy access to the center via W. Oak Ridge Road, Sand Lake Road, and other alternatives to I-4.

To learn more about Artegon Marketplace Orlando, visit ArtegonOrlando.com. Like on Facebook and Follow on Twitter and Instagram #ArtegonMarketplace

 

Elsa Inspired Jamberry Nail Wraps by Guest Author Tanya Shores

Published November 20, 2014 by jpmdo

I’m back with more information on Jamberry and some new Disney-inspired designs! If you are planning a Disney vacation anytime in the future, it would be awesome to take a long what us Jamberry consultants call a “Jamicure”! Since Jamberry nail wraps last up to 2 weeks on fingers and 4 weeks on toes, you won’t have to spend a minute thinking about your nails and worrying about chips during your vacation. Jamberry nail wraps are completely water-safe, so you can definitely spend all day in the pool at your hotel or go on any water rides at the parks without worrying about ruining your beautiful nails. Also, no last minute trips to the salon while you’re busy prepping for your trip – you can EASILY give yourself the perfect Jamicure!

Jamberry is much more cost efficient than a mani/pedi at the salon (a single sheet gives you 2 pedicures, 2 manicures, and 8-16+ accent nails!), which means more money for your Disney trip!

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In my last post (https://disneyways.com/2014/09/06/meet-tanya-your-official-jamberry-consultant-for-disneyways/), I shared some fun Disney-inspired character designs that I created in our custom Jamberry nail art studio. I’ve now created a few Princess-inspired designs. It would be so much fun to have Elsa-inspired nails when you meet Elsa in the new Frozen attractions at Epcot! I have also created designs inspired by Cinderella and Aurora (my favorite princess!).

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Let me know if you have any other characters or princesses you would like to see a design for. I’ll be posting soon with some beachy-Disney designs to get everyone ready for those Disney cruises! Winter will be over before we know it (unless you spend too much time around Elsa ;-)).

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You can contact me on my Jamberry Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/tshoresjamberry) with any questions or to get info on how to order these special Disney-inspired custom nail wraps. Find out more about Jamberry on my Independent Consultant site (http://tshoresjam.jamberrynails.net).

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Magic in the Details: Digging DINOLAND U.S.A. ~ by Guest Author Adam M. Berger

Published November 17, 2014 by jpmdo

As a professional attraction show writer, I’m always fascinated by the many ways the Disney Imagineers use their mastery of visual storytelling to immerse guests in their themed environments. But you don ‘t have to be a theme park designer to appreciate the countless details that fill every Disney theme park, helping to communicate the storyline and adding so much enjoyment to your experience.

One of my favorite examples of this is also among the most easily overlooked—especially if you are visiting without a young child in tow. I’m talking about The Boneyard playground in the Dinoland U.S.A. section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. You may think The Boneyard is all kid’s stuff…but you’d only be half right, because it’s also an example of Disney themed storytelling at its finest.

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The story plays out on several levels, and you can decode it by simply looking around and paying attention to the details. First, you’ll notice that this is very clearly a paleontological dig site, with the fossils of dinosaur bones exposed in the various layers of earth that have been deposited over millions of years. If you take a few moments to study the (fake yet very realistic-looking) rock formations, you can clearly make out the different layers or “strata” in which the fossils have been trapped.

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Superimposed over this is the architecture of the paleontologists’ camp. The scaffolding, netting, and debris chutes double as climbing structures, slides, and other play elements. But check out the graphics, signage, and audio and you’ll discover an intriguing conflict that is at the heart of the Dinoland U.S.A. storyline.

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The conflict is a generational one. First we have the professors of the fictional Dino Institute and their outdated understanding of dinosaurs. Then we have the youthful graduate students and their new (and occasionally radical) ideas about the subject based on the latest scientific research. Take a few moments to examine the plaques, signs, and whiteboards posted around the dig site and you’ll see the conflict in full blossom, with the students tacking their own handwritten corrections onto the Institute’s official descriptions. In places, the professors have pushed back with their own tacked-on notes.

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As it happens, the conflict between the professors and the grad students is not just an example of the eternal “generation gap” between young people and their elders. It’s also an example of an uneasy real-world transition that’s been occurring in recent decades—from traditional scientific ideas about dinosaurs to newer theories that have revolutionized our understanding of these prehistoric beasts.

You can also see the grad students’ rebellious streak demonstrated in other ways. Although you won’t find any of the grad students at work on the dig site, you’ll hear two of them yucking it up between tracks as the wisecracking deejays of the Institute’s pop rock radio station. And be sure to seek out a certain wall of excavation tools, which reveals at least one student’s non-conformist impulses.

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 So have you visited DAK’s Boneyard playground? Were you surprised to discover the depth and detail of the storytelling in what is nominally a “kids zone”? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

 

Adam M. Berger is president and senior show writer at Berger Creative Associates, Inc., an Orlando, Florida-based creative writing and consulting firm serving themed attraction and design clients around the world. He is also the author of the book Every Guest is a Hero: Disney’s Theme Parks and the Magic of Mythic Storytelling—available in print and e-reader editions from Amazon.com and other fine online booksellers.

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Epcot’s Test Track – The New Version

Published November 4, 2014 by jpmdo

Test Track is a giant slot car attraction at Epcot’s Future World in Walt Disney World. The ride uses some of the rough tests that General Motors uses for its concept cars, ending in a high-speed drive around the outside of the attraction. It closed for refurbishment in April 2012 when sponsorship changed from GM to Chevrolet and re-opened on December 6, 2012.

In the queue, instead of crash test dummies and cars being tested, the way it was before the refurbishment, it shows two Chevrolet concept cars. Guests then have the choice of designing their own car that will be tested on the sim-track. While guests wait to board the sim-cars, they’re told to scan their design key to upload their car design to the ride.

Test Track Re-imagined

After riders board the sim-cars and go through the seat belt check, the car that they designed will go through four different tests: capability, efficiency, responsiveness, and power. In the capability test, the car first rushes past a rain/snow projection and skids out of control. Next, the continuing path disappears and the sim-car turns around to speed up again. The sim-car then makes a sharp left turn as a lightning bolt strikes, and then passes by a futuristic city. The sim-car then starts the efficiency test. It’s scanned for “optimum eco-efficiency” and has an aero-dynamic test. During the responsiveness test, the sim-car accelerates around hairpin turns with laser-projected trees. The power test is where the sim-car runs on a track outside of the ride, increasing its speed. After the test is complete, the car returns to the loading station where the riders leave.

I still like to ride Test Track, but it’s not the same as the original version of the ride. In the old version, it felt more like it was actually testing the car. The ride used to have real people explaining each test, real temperature rooms, and different kinds of roads that the car would drive on. In this new version, everything seems too digital and virtual. Even the voices explaining the tests sound like they’re computerized.

About the Author: Amber Montes de Oca is a huge Disney fan. She’s an annual pass holder and loves to visit the Disney parks often. Her hobbies are singing, acting, and drawing. She has a BA from the University of Central Florida.12

Magic in the Details: Raven About the Haunted Mansion By Guest Author Adam Berger

Published October 29, 2014 by jpmdo

MAGIC IN THE DETAILS: RAVEN ABOUT THE HAUNTED MANSION By Guest Author Adam Berger

The Haunted Mansion has always been one of Disney’s most popular attractions. Yet no matter how often you may ride, you’ll probably notice details you missed during your previous visits. That’s because the Disney Imagineers intentionally filled the attraction with far more details than anyone could possibly discern, even after numerous excursions. They knew that this approach would entice guests to experience the Haunted Mansion again and again, appreciating previously unnoticed content each time. And now, with Halloween fast approaching, I’d like to share one of my favorite overlooked elements with you: the Mansion’s sinister raven.

Adam Berger HM

Because of the faint lighting levels inside the Mansion, the raven can be difficult to make out. But if you know where to look, you’ll spot the bird not just once, but FOUR separate times during the ride. Its first appearance occurs in the conservatory, perched atop a wreath next to the casket. The large black bird, with its glowing red eyes, is a suitably ominous presence. The Imagineers even recorded the raven squawking, “Nevermore!” in an audio tribute to Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem, “The Raven.” The bird’s voice, provided by actress Eleanor Audley, (the voice of Cinderella’s stepmother and Maleficent), was never used in the ride. Yet Ms. Audley is still heard inside the mansion…as the voice of Madame Leota.

Adam Berger Raven Disney Copy

Copyright – Disney

Speaking of Madame Leota…the raven’s second appearance is in the séance scene, perched on the back of a chair behind Madame Leota’s table. You’ll see the bird a third time in the gnarled branches of a spooky old tree as your Doom Buggy begins its backwards descent into the cemetery scene. You’ll then encounter the raven one last time, perched atop the stone archway as you enter the crypt scene.

At the Magic Kingdom version of the attraction, you’ll also find a fifth raven: a stylized brass figure that adorns the stone pipe organ in the interactive area in front of the Mansion entrance. The front of the organ is inscribed with the name “Ravenscroft”—a not-too-subtle nod to voice actor Thurl Ravenscroft, the deep bass voice of the broken singing headstone in the cemetery scene.

Adam Berger Organ Disney Copy

Copyright – Disney

Obviously the inclusion of the raven in so many locations can’t be a coincidence. Which leaves you with this chilling challenge: to figure out why the Imagineers decided to give it such a prominent role.

One explanation refers back to the Poe connection—the idea that the Imagineers found inspiration in Edgar Allan Poe’s famously unsettling poem. A second possibility suggests that the designers may have been influenced by Maleficent’s raven sidekick in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, the production of which coincided with the early conceptual stages of the Haunted Mansion. Of course, ravens have always had a strong association with the spirit world, predating Poe’s 1845 poem. For example, they are prominent figures in both Norse mythology and in the creation myths of some of the indigenous peoples of America’s Pacific Northwest.

So do you have a favorite Haunted Mansion detail that you only noticed after repeated rides? Feel free to share. But remember one thing: Beware of hitchhiking ghosts!

 

Adam M. Berger is president and senior show writer at Berger Creative Associates, Inc., an Orlando, Florida-based creative writing and consulting firm serving themed attraction and design clients around the world. He is also the author of the book Every Guest is a Hero: Disney’s Theme Parks and the Magic of Mythic Storytelling—available in print and e-reader editions from Amazon.com and other fine online booksellers.

Adam Berger photo

 

Go Back in Time to the Land of Dinosaurs.

Published October 25, 2014 by jpmdo

Dinosaur

DINOSAUR is a dark ride attraction in Dinoland USA at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World. At first, the ride was named Countdown to Extinction, but it was later changed to DINOSAUR to promote the 2000 Disney movie, Dinosaur. The attraction’s only connection to the movie is that they both have Aladar the Iguanodon and a Carnotaurus.

Guests enter the Dino Institute, which shows real dinosaur fossils and a background narration by Bill Nye the Science Guy. They watch a pre-show video, where Dr. Seeker tells the guests that he will send them back in time to the Cretaceous period so that they can bring Aladar back to the present.

The guests exit the pre-show area and go down a staircase to the underground loading area, where they board a Time Rover and are sent back into a prehistoric jungle.

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As The Time Rover drives through the jungle looking for the iguanodon, it passes different kinds of dinosaurs. The computer gives a warming of how many seconds before the asteroid will hit. After the vehicle comes across a Carnotaurus, Seeker decides to abort the mission. The Time Rover finds Aladar, who’s holding up a fallen tree so that the guests can pass under. The computer announces that there the meteor is about to hit. The Time Rover arrives back into the present followed by Aladar, who then goes wandering through the institute. Seeker thanks the guests for their help and tries to find the Iguanodon.

Out of all the attractions in Animal Kingdom, Dinosaur is my favorite. Every time I go to the park, I have to ride it, and I never get tired of it. Even though the ride is fast, dark, and kinda choppy and has sharp turns, sudden drops, and things that jump out, it doesn’t bother me, or stop me from enjoying the ride.

12Amber Montes de Oca is a huge Disney fan. She’s an annual pass holder and loves to visit the Disney parks often. Her hobbies are singing, acting, and drawing. She has a BA from the University of Central Florida.

Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage ~ By Amber Montes de Oca

Published October 17, 2014 by jpmdo

Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage ~ By Amber Montes de Oca

As a musical, Beauty and the Beast is considered to be a big hit.  It’s won Grammy Awards and Academy Awards for its music.

Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage is a live Broadway-style musical based on the 1991 Disney movie Beauty and the Beast.  The show is located in the Theater of the Stars, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park in Walt Disney World.

The story begins when an old beggar woman offers a spoiled and selfish prince a single rose in exchange for shelter from the cold; but because of her ugly appearance, the prince turns her away.  He’s then transformed into a Beast as punishment.  Only learning to love another and earning their love in return can break the spell.

The song “Belle” begins and the curtain opens, revealing Belle strolling through the village, reading a book.  The other villagers comment that Belle is especially beautiful, yet also strange and isn’t like the rest of them.  Gaston arrives onstage and, along with the villagers, sing and brag about him.  After all the villagers leave, Gaston takes Belle’s book from her and asks her to marry him; but she refuses.  Gaston takes her book away again, saying that she will marry him, and leaves.  Belle sings about her wanting a life outside of the provincial town.  Shortly after, Belle finds herself in the Beast’s castle where she meets the enchanted objects, who are the servants also under the spell.  Along with the dancers, they invite her to “Be Our Guest” for dinner, where they bring out food carts and giant spoons.  Afterward, the Beast enters onstage saying he’s afraid that Belle will only see him as a monster.  Belle then wanders into the West Wing and finds the rose.  The Beast finds her and says that he’s told her never to go there, which causes them to argue.  The objects gently tell the Beast be kind to her, if they’re ever going to break the spell.  Over time, the two start to bond and eventually fall in love.

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Back in the village, Gaston convinces the villagers that the Beast is a dangerous monster and declares that they have to go after him and kill him.  Belle comes out during a fight between Gaston and the Beast, and afterwards tells the injured Beast that she loves him.  The spell breaks, and the Beast is magically transformed back into the Prince.  Along with all the dancers, Belle and the Prince dance happily to the “Beauty and the Beast” song.

The show has combined a few different tones. The enchanted objects give a comical tone, while the mob song, the fight scene and the transformation provide serious tones.

The major conflict in this play is the Beast’s struggle to become kind and to love and earn the love of another, in order break the spell.  The major theme of Beauty and the Beast is to not judge someone by their appearance, because beauty comes from within.

The idea of the show is to recreate the classic Disney movie.  The same characters, similar dialogue, and all the same songs from the movie appear in the show.  To anyone who has seen the movie, the characters and songs are easy to recognize.  All of the scenes happen in the order that they appear in the movie.  However, since the show is slimmed down to twenty-five minutes, some scenes and characters from the movie don’t appear, including Belle’s father Maurice, their horse Phillipe, Belle coming to the castle and taking her father’s place as the Beast’s prisoner, the wolves, Belle and the Beast’s ballroom dance, and the Beast allowing Belle to return home.  It’s my favorite show at Disney World and I could definitely see it more than once a day.  The show is fantastic and it’s a performance that I encourage people of all ages to see.

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Beauty and the Beast has daily performances at 11:45am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:15pm, and 5:30pm.

About the Author: Amber Montes de Oca is a huge Disney fan. She’s an annual pass holder and loves to visit the Disney parks often. Her hobbies are singing, acting, and drawing. She has a BA from the University of Central Florida.

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