Jeff Barnes is the best selling author of 2 of my favorite books – The Wisdom of Walt and Beyond the Wisdom of Walt! He teaches the only accredited college course on the History of Disneyland and believes the Disney parks teach us some of life’s greatest lessons, as long as you know their history! Learn all about Jeff at TheWisdomofWalt.com !
Walt Disney – Master of Dreamersfrom Director Tony Cortese has been selected to open the 2019 Orlando Film Festival on Thursday October 17th 2019.
Detailed information on the film and how to get tickets can be found HERE.
The film will debut at 8 p.m.at the Cobb Plaza Cinema Café (Located at 12 at 155 S. Orange Avenue) in downtown Orlando. The screening will be preceded by a red-carpet event at 6:30 p.m.
The festival will offer more than 250 films through Oct. 24. The Disney documentary will screen again at 6:45 p.m. Oct. 24.
Cortese wrote, directed and produced the film. He also narrates the story of Walt Disney’s contributions to the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, the creation of Walt Disney World and the work of Imagineers to bring Epcot to life. The film salutes Disney, who died in 1966, as a mentor, visionary and urban planner. Details on the festival, the films and tickets are at OrlandoFilmFest.com. Tickets also can be purchased at the festival box office, which will be in the Cobb Plaza lobby during the festival.
Concerts in the Epcot Summer Concert Series are are free to attend with paid Epcot admission. I’m a big fan of Stayin’ Alive Canada – they do a tribute to the Bee Gees!! Want to see them outside of Disney?? You can!! Check out the full tour schedule for this band HERE.
Hundreds of Duffy bears dressed up as historic American figures!! FREE to browse!! Ask a cast member about this “secret” Duffy Bear book! Located at the American Adventure Pavilion – usually at the Kidcot Fun Stop – near the big hall of restrooms!
March 9, 2016 at 7pm Eastern we did a live facebook broadcast that included thoughts and feelings on my first visit to the new Skipper Canteen restaurant in Adventureland! We also discussed the new technology at the It’s a Small World Attraction and so much more! Click HERE to see the video with all the links and comments attached. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live. See you next Tuesday at 7pm on Facebook!
Here it is – your fully comprehensive guide to Disney World MagicBands from the past and present!
If you are following along here on Disneyways, you have definitely heard about MagicBands. We published a sneak peek for you back in 2013! These convenient little bands are your everything inside the resort: your room key (if staying on property), your park tickets, your payment method (if you have a credit card on file to charge to your room), your dining plan holder, etc. Since rolling out the original MagicBands a couple of years ago, the Walt Disney company has added some unique and limited edition MagicBands among Disney Parks guests. As these became more and more popular, Disney decided to start making Limited Edition MagicBands for special events and such. The last year saw an increase in the number of limited edition MagicBands, especially during Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I’ve included a good portion of the Limited Edition MagicBands that have been produced by Disney this year. Since we are still a few months away from Food & Wine Festival, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2015, I’ve included pictures and videos of the bands from previous years. Hopefully Disney will delight us with even better bands this year for all of these events. If something you were looking for is no longer in stock – or if you require something even MORE customized – be sure to check out out friends at MagicYourBand.com and MyFantasyBands.com. I hope you enjoy our little tour of the Disney Parks Limited Edition MagicBands. Special thanks goes out to Disneyways reader Brandon Wolgast for providing so many wonderful photos!
To start our tour, I’ll choose the first big event of the year, EPCOT’s International Flower & Garden Festival. Held each spring, the Flower & Garden Festival really brings EPCOT to life in breathtaking beauty. The theme this year was, of course, Frozen and the MagicBands matched the frozen theme. The band has a picture of Anna & Elsa on one side and a nice floral pattern on the other. This was a limited edition of 5,000.
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The following video shows what the band does when touched to a touch-point in the park.
Next up we have the MagicBands from the Frozen Summer Fun event held at Disney’s Hollywood Studios last year. I have not seen or heard of any from this year, but that could be a mistake of my own. These bands sold out fairly fast and were very cute. These had a picture of Olaf on one side with the words “Chilling in the sunshine” above him and “Frozen” on the the other side. Limited edition of 5,000 as well.
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The following video shows what this band does when touched to a touch-point in the park.
Next we have a generic Olaf MagicBand that, suprisingly, is still in circulation and available in the parks (as of a month ago – found in Animal Kingdom for sale). These MagicBands aren’t for any particular celebration other than celebrating the awesomeness that is Olaf. On one side they have a picture of Olaf in a Santa hat and on the other side it has snowflakes. This is a limited edition of 4,000.
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The following video shows what this band does when touched to a touch-point in the park.
Next comes the magic that is Star Wars Weekends. As the force descends upon Disney’s Hollywood Studios for weekends throughout May, MagicBands of all sorts and star systems show up. This year had a fairly impressive line-up, including Mickey, Donald and a couple of lightsabers for Galactic Gathering guests. First up is the Donald MagicBand. On one side you have Donald holding a purple lightsaber (I thought only Mace Windu had a purple saber, but that’s me). On the other side, you have the Star Wars Weekends logo. These were a limited edition of only 2,500 and sold out very quickly.
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The following video shows what this band does when touched to a touch-point in the park.
Next we have the Jedi Mickey band. This band has Jedi Mickey on one side holding a non-impressive (in my opinion) light blue lightsaber. On the other side there is the Star Wars Weekends logo. These were also a limited edition of 2,500 and sold out quickly as well.
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The following video shows what this band does when touched to a touch-point in the park.
Next up you have the two most limited edition bands found in the park this year: the red lightsaber and green lightsaber from the Galactic Gathering. These were only available to Galactic Gathering guests and were an extremely limited edition of only 350 for the red and 330 for the green. These awesome bands look like a lightsaber from one side to the other. I only have pictures available of the green, but they are identical in everything but the color.
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The following video shows what the red band (first video) and green band (second video) does when touched to a touch-point in the park.
Next up we have the bands from last year’s Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. These bands have the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party logo on one side and a cool Halloween themed design on the other. These were a limited edition of 5,000 and were originally only available during the Halloween Party. However, they did not sell out so they were later released as general sale items.
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The following video shows what this band does when touched to a touch-point in the park.
Finally, we have the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party bands. These are candy cane colored and have the party logo on one side and Mickey & Minnie on the other. These were again a limited edition of 5,000 and originally only sold during the Christmas party, but never sold out at the party so were released later.
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The following video shows what this band does when touched to a touch-point in the park.
I hope you enjoy our little tour through the MagicBands. This is in no way a comprehensive list of every available MagicBand (that would take a very long time to compile and would be out of date as soon as it was posted) but a list for you to enjoy and know about. Have a happy day and we’ll see you with your MagicBand very soon! AND for great ways to spruce up your ordinary MagicBands, visit our friends at MagicYourBand.com and MyFantasyBands.com.
Just like thousands of other Disney fans, The Epcot International Food and Wine Festival is something I look forward to each year. Sure the food, merchandise, cooking demonstrations and drinks are fun…but for me…it’s also got a lot to do with the 1300 square foot Ocean Spray Cranberry bog. The bog welcomes you as you enter Epcot from the front of Future World, with it’s 500 pounds of cranberry color and beauty. Friendly Ocean Spray cranberry farmers are also on hand to talk with you about this fascinating harvest. It is a gorgeous display of information combined with entertainment in classic Epcot style. Check out my previous post to learn more!
Sometime in my early blogging days I became aware of an event where the media was given a chance to put on waders and get a sense of what it’s like to participate in the harvesting of this beautiful fruit. I thought of it as some sort of Disney dream to be so successful – what kind of media proprietor would you have to be to get invited to such an event? I took this dream into my heart and shared it with my family and friends. I knew it sounded crazy – but we all have a Disney dream, right? Mine just happened to involve wearing waders!
I began reaching out to the wonderful people at Ocean Spray in 2013. As 2014 rolled around, it got close to cranberry time again. When I checked in with Ocean Spray, I was very sad to learn that the negotiations did not work out to bring the bog back. I thought my dream was all but lost. Fast forward to 2015 – I am still “bog obsessed” and I find out it will be back for the 20th anniversary of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival!
A couple of days, a few emails and texts later – thanks to the generosity of Ocean Spray – I find myself right in the middle of my cranberry dream becoming actual reality. Only it was better, because when the time came, my two friends decided to join me. The only thing better than an Epcot cranberry bog dream come true…is to get an exclusive experience of the magic with a couple of friends. Other than the Disney cast members and the team from Ocean Spray – we were the only ones inside the bog. Mark (far right) was a little hesitant at first – but I was encouraging him, and so was Sharon from Ocean Spray. I will never forget the way he looked at her and said, “OK – but can I go with HER?” I’m so proud to think maybe my dreams are a little contagious.
We were provided with brand new big red socks to wear underneath our boots!We put on our waders, and we had a blast!
If you want to see first hand what an emotional response I had to this whole thing, here’s a video.
I learned about cranberry harvesting in a whole new way. Does this remind you of the scene from Carousel of Progress? I was able to look up, down, and even behind me as the movie played. Amazing!
Another incredible part of my evening was meeting author Lisl H. Detlefsen. Lisl and I have a lot in common for two girls who live so far apart. We will have a whole story on her for you soon.
To see more from the reception room, a hilarious demonstration of harvesting by me, our nitro fried dessert, glowing cocktail and MORE check out the YouTube playlist! Follow Ocean Spray online on facebook, twitter, pinterest and YouTube.
“Krista Joy pushed herself and her entrepreneurial streak to the limit to make her dreams into reality! Starting up her blog, Disneyways, was only the beginning of her trying to break away from traditional jobs! She has been doing big things down in Orlando, Florida! Not only with a community that she has built up, but getting to be a part of several endeavors that have helped her make more connections with fans of Disney – and opened her up for even more interviews with Disney legends! As you may already know, I love passionate people, and Krista is one of those people!” ~ Joe Pardo Host of the Dreamers Podcast
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Our mission at Disneyways includes:
1) Bringing you exciting Disney news and information that is also sprinkled with Disneyways treasures you won’t find any where else
2) Helping to answer your Disney related questions
3) Sharing with you only the best products and services to help meet all of your Disney-related needs and desires
4) Bringing Disney magic and fun to the every day lives of Disney fans all over the world and
5) Sharing some laughs along the way!
Disney Ways is PR Friendly and welcomes product reviews, giveaways, sponsorships and other promotions based on companies and products that would be beneficial or of interest to Disneyways readers.Krista is native to Orlando, Florida. She is a former cast member, has 20 years of experience in marketing, is open to travel opportunities and advertising.
As heard on Randy Crane’s Stories of the Magic – Episodes 98 and 99!
Requests for reviews, promotions, guest writing, or site statistics may be directed to disneyways@disneyways.com.Krista is most easily reached on Twitter and Facebook.
Disneyways is extremely proud to be a part of the Mousekejournals.com family!
Krista has also submitted work for:
icFlorida.com (a division of WFTV Channel 9 a local news station in Orlando)
The Disney Parks Podcast blog features content created by the Krista Joy Enterprises Dream Team and is listed in the TheBestofDisney.com blog directory.
Krista was a co-host for the Disney Parks Podcast for over 150 Episodes ~ from May 2013 to June 2015!
She was essential to many of the meetups, newsletters, booking of celebrity interviews, organizing blog post contributions and MORE during the time she was with the show. Episode #200 is where you will hear the current hosts talk about how she made improvements to the Disney Parks Podcast, and brought it to a whole new level. At the time this was written, Disney Parks Podcast was still re-tweeting and re-sharing many of the 150+ episodes that Krista was a part of. She had a blast growing and improving her skills with this show, but is thankful for the chance to enjoy new beginnings and interviewing all of her Disney celebrity friends again (and more!) on LivingTheDreamPodcast.com.
Krista was featured and interviewed as one of the people “shaping Orlando’s community”on Episode 7 of the Orlando Waterhole Podcast. Show host Ben Reed invited her back to be included as resident Disney World expert on Episode 20.
Kyle and Chris from the Wonders of the World Podcast had Krista on to discuss enjoying the parks even on those extra crowded days! You can check out this podcast HERE.
The Home Based Travel Agent Podcast invited Krista on to share her love of Disney and tips for selling Disney travel from a guest’s perspective. You can check out this episode HERE.
Joe Pardo of the Dreamers Podcast featured Krista as one of his guests who are living their dreams and inspiring others to live their dreams too! You can check out this episode HERE. Joe invited Krista backto talk about how just being friendly can change your life!
Cheryl from The Mighty Mommy’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Practical Parenting recently mentioned Disneyways and Disney Parks Podcast as two of her favorite resources of Disney information on episode #290. Check out Cheryl on the Mighty Mommy Podcast HERE.
They guys from the Enchanted Tiki Talk Podcast welcomed Krista as a guest to talk about eating at Magic Kingdom on $40 a day. You can listen to this episode HERE.
The MakupBlogginDiva.com inquired about Krista’s eye makeup routine! Please check out the full article HERE.
As seen at MegaCon 2015!!
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Do you like dessert? What about fireworks? If you say yes, then the Food Allergy & Celiac Convention IllumiNations Dessert Party is definitely for you. Celebrate the cultures of the world with a buffet of dessert choices–all free of the top 8 allergens! During the event, you’ll enjoy a clear view of the World Showcase Lagoon
watching the Epcot nighttime fireworks spectacular, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.
Includes:
An all-your-care-to-eat special diets dessert buffet, free of the top 8 common allergens and gluten
Access to our private IllumiNations viewing area, which begins at 9pm
Loaded gift bags, giveaways, and evening extras from our Title and Supporting Sponsors
Details:
Limited to 250 guests, so register early!
For more details about the traditional dessert party, visit the official Walt Disney World site here
Several years ago we celebrated Father’s Day at Walt Disney World. There are so many different ways to celebrate at Disney. Why not make special memories in the place where dreams come true? You can make these occasions more memorable and truly spectacular with a little extra planning.
Stop by Guest Services to pick up a I’m Celebrating button. Ask the Castmember to customize it with a Sharpie pen.
Most Dads love to sit in front of a flat screen tuned to ESPN. Why not take him to The ESPN Club to watch his favorite team. Check out the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. Both pro and amateur teams use this state of the art facilities. During MLB Spring training guests fill the seats to watch the Atlanta Braves.
Disney offers three 18-hole championship golf courses, including the Disney Palm Course, redesigned by Arnold Palmer Course Design. The Four Season Resort Orlando located in the exclusive Golden Oaks Community near the Magic Kingdom gives guests the opportunity to hit the links at the newly renovated Tom Fazio designed Tranquilo Golf Club.
Disney also offers a 9-hole course at Oak Trail as well has two miniature golf courses even non-golf families can enjoy together.
Looking for a little less activity but still enjoy the outdoors? Why not book a fishing excursion on Bay Lake for the whole family. Make an early morning reservation when the fish are biting and the sun is not too hot. Disney provides the boat, fishing guide, and all supplies.
Disney has over 100 different restaurants throughout the property. Make a reservation to sample some of his favorite foods. Many Dads love a good steak dinner and its even tastier when they are not the ones grilling it. Check out Le Cellier, Shula’s Steak House and the Yachtsman Steakhouse. STK Steakhouse is set to open in later in 2015. Once opened it will offer the only rooftop dining experience in the Downtown Disney area.
Downtown Disney offers many unique shops tailored to men. Check out the Art of Shaving and make an appointment there for the royal treatment at the Barber Spa. Sosa Family Cigars showcases the art of hand rolling cigars. Even if you don’t smoke, stop by and watch these artisans work. Why not end the evening at Splitsville. This one of a kind bowling venue features 30 lanes, live entertainment, gourmet food and beverage selections. It is not your typical bowling alley.
You don’t have to visit in June to enjoy any of these Father friendly activities. Disney offers them all year long. So pull him off that recliner, out of his man cave and celebrate with Dad on your next Disney vacation.
Guest Blogger, Patricia Mickus is founder and author of MagicalMickeyTips. Patricia is an avid fan of all things Disney. Her first trip to Walt Disney World was 40 years ago during their opening year. Since then, she has taken 35+ trips to Disney destinations. Patricia lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two sons. She enjoys traveling, cooking and skiing. Her favorite Disney attractions are the classics – Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion. Patricia works full time as a travel agent, specializing in Disney vacations. You can find her on Facebook.
Ay amigos! It’s that time of year again. Time to celebrate Cinco De Mayo. For those of you that are too Central Florida bound to make it to Mexico to celebrate, you can have your own special celebration, right here in Walt Disney World. Head over to EPCOT to start your festivities. There are several different ways to do this. Here’s a list of my top 5 (plus an extra one for adults only).
5. Meet Donald Duck at Mexico – this is an often overlooked character meet and greet, since it’s a little off the beaten path. However, Donald shows his true Mexican love in a great sombrero and Mexican-inspired outfit. He can be found beside the Mexico pavilion on a little off-street.
4. Sombrero Time – take time to try on sombreros. While you’re doing this, take pictures to capture the moments, like Krista has done below. This is a great opportunity to get out of the sun and enjoy a wonderful time with friends (or even by yourself). Post your picture on Facebook, then challenge your friends to do the same thing (maybe even come up with a contest to see who can make the wackiest face).
3. Lunch at La Cantina De San Angel – for a great way to celebrate without actually going inside the Mexico pavilion, stop by La Cantina De San Angel outside for a quick bite with a Mexican flare. This a counter service location, and the service is pretty quick and always yummy. I recommend the Tacos De Barbacoa. It’s delish!
2. Dinner at San Angel Inn Restaurante – this excellent restaurant is located inside the Mexico pavilion and has seating that overlooks the beginning of the Three Caballeros boat ride (similar to the Blue Bayou Restaurant and Pirates Of The Caribbean at Disneyland). The atmosphere is set to remind of you twilight in Mexico, which is always the right time for a fiesta. This is a very popular restaurant and reservations are HIGHLY recommended.
1. Gran Fiesta Tour starring The Three Caballeros – this ride is the ultimate in Mexican celebrations. Take a fun boat ride through some of the history and sites of Mexico, while in search of Donald Duck, along with Jose and Panchito. This is a great ride for the whole family. It’s indoors, you’re seated the whole time, and it’s nicely air conditioned (great for those hot and humid early summer/late spring days).
BONUS HIGHLIGHT: For adults, there’s a great little place in the Mexico pavilion called La Cava Del Tequila. That’s right, it’s a TEQUILA BAR and it’s AWESOME!!! Make sure to check this out for some “adult libations”. You can also pick up Kahlua chocolate truffles in the shop outside La Cava. Perfect for some adult alone time at home.
I hope this helps you to enjoy Cinco De Mayo while on your festive trip to Walt Disney World. I know it helped me.
Disneyways 