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Video Update! 7 Dwarfs Mine Train Coaster

Published December 9, 2013 by Disneyways.com

My friend John over at BigFatPanda.com published a really cool video update of the progress of construction on the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train Coaster that is located right in the middle of New Fantasyland in Walt Disney World.

Seemingly overnight, there has been an addition of a few scenic elements that we will encounter at the top of the mine train’s first lift. When mine cars pull out of the load area, they will go up the track to the top of the mountain, where a crane sits – with two familiar vultures perched on top! These vultures originally appeared in Orlando’s original Snow White’s Scary Adventures attraction. This is the last stop before the mine train’s cars plunge into a mine shaft. Weeee!!

vultures

Official word from Disney:

“The lovable world of Sleepy, Doc, Grumpy, Bashful, Sneezy, Happy and Dopey comes to life in spring 2014 when the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train takes New Fantasyland guests on a rollicking, musical ride into the mine “where a million diamonds shine.” Inspired by the 1937 Disney animated film classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the fun starts as guests cross a stone bridge and walk through a beautiful forest with the Dwarfs’ cottage in the distance, leading to the entrance to the attraction — and immersion into the endearing story of the radiant and kindhearted Snow White and her forest friends led by the lovable Dwarfs.
After passing through an interactive pre-show area with fun activities themed to mining, guests will proceed to the mine train. Just like the iconic movie, surprises are in store! The family-style coaster will feature first-of-its-kind ride vehicles mounted in cradle-like pivots that allow the vehicles to swing back and forth during the ride. Adding to the fun, the journey will be accompanied by beloved music from the film classic and there’s a cast of animated figures of Snow White, the Seven Dwarfs and playful forest critters.”

Check out John’s video below! 

World Secrets: Has a Pirate Been Here?

Published June 28, 2013 by Disneyways.com

STEP UP, ME ‘EARTIES, YO HO!

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Sometimes you need only to look down to see some Disney World Secrets! 

When you exit many attractions throughout the Magic Kingdom, you  step upon a moving walkway. Normally that there are footprints painted on the walkway to indicate which direction you should go.  Next time you depart from your boat, look at the “footprints” Disney Imagineers placed on the moving walkway as you exit the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.  The single boot print followed by a small circle are the markings belonging to a peg-legged pirate!

Oh, by the way, have you seen the Mermaids?

Just in Time for the 15th Anniversary! Your GO-TO Source for Animal Kingdom Information!

Published April 9, 2013 by Disneyways.com

Have you heard? Monday, April 22nd is Animal Kingdom’s 15th anniversary! I wanted to quickly re-post for you what Disney has sent out so far about the occasion.

But first I need to let you in on a secret. If you are looking for more information on the entire Animal Kingdom Park in general – you really need to join Safari Mike at the MOST comprehensive site I have found so far on the web!

Read all the way to the bottom of this post to get the stuff from Disney and then head to:

JamboEveryone.com

DAK anniversary

The information from Disney about the anniversary begins below.

  • Special opening ceremony – Meet at the Tree of Life at 8:40 a.m., to hear from Josh D’Amaro, Vice President of Disney’s Animal Kingdom; Dr. Jackie Ogden, Vice President of Animals, Science and Environment; and Joe Rohde, Senior Vice President of Walt Disney Imagineering Creative. Make sure you arrive early for this!

 

  • Earth Day “Party for the Planet” festivities – Special interactive activities that focus on animals and nature will take place throughout the park from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • Artists and other vendors will present their work on in Africa and on Discovery Island, with their work available for purchase.
  • Opportunity to purchase special 15th anniversary merchandise, available in limited quantities.
  • Special food & beverage.

 

We’ll have more details on Party for the Planet fun, food & beverage and merchandise closer to the event date – stay tuned!

To join the conversation about the park’s anniversary online, use the hash tag #DAK15 on Twitter.

Related articles from Disneyways:

Wild and Free nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge

2 AK Restaurants that Give You the Most Bang for your Buck

5 Things you May Not Know About DiVine

Awesome Animal Photos and More

From World of Motion to Test Track 2.0 – an inside look

Published January 26, 2013 by Disneyways.com

Near the area of Future World Epcot, where one can now find Test Track, there was once  a pavilion that included the World of Motion presented by General Motors. World of Motion opened in October 1982 with the rest of EPCOT Center. Enjoying this attraction meant taking a road trip through the evolution of transportation. Almost everyone has some interest in transportation. Whether it’s cars, trains, airplanes, buses, boats or just by simply walking, everyone has used some form of it.  We have always relied on our ability to travel, and we have always searched for ways to improve that ability. This was the basis and idea behind World of Motion, to entertain and educate us about how it’s “fun to be free.” Click here for a photo tour. Check out this “totally tubular” 18 minute video to be transported back to 1982 and it what it must have been like to enjoy The World of Motion.

 

World of Motion closed in January 1996 to make way for Test Track. This change broke the heart of hundreds of thousands of nostalgic World of Motion enthusiasts, many of whom still believe the attraction was one of Epcot’s greatest achievements.

Test Track presented by General Motors (GM) represented the cutting edge of Walt Disney Imagineering created ride-systems. As Epcot’s first thrill ride, it took guests through a series of vehicle tests and outside onto a 50 degree banked track at highway speeds. Even though it seems strange for a car company to advertise by emphasizing car crashes  – the message here was that GM designs cars for safety and performance – and puts them through rigorous tests. A high-speed performance run on a proving ground track was thrown in, to the delight of thrill seekers from all over the world. The complexity of the ride system took years to perfect, but to many, it was worth we wait.  Officially opening in March 1999, Test Track became a firm favorite and must do for hundreds of thousands of Walt Disney World visitors. This 24 minute video takes you for a closer look at the original Test Track.

Just over 10 years later, General Motors began looking to make more use of one of its most visited marketing locations. Plans began to come about for a complete Test Track makeover. After a collaborative design effort between GM and Walt Disney Imagineering, the original Test Track closed on April 16th 2012 to begin the transformation. Just like it’s predecessor World of Motion, once again, many are feeling nostalgic for what’s now affectionately known as Test Track 1.0

Despite having only 8 months to complete the refurbishment, the new Test Track is definitely much different in some ways. Nearly every set piece has been removed from the original attraction. The new Test Track takes a step towards the more traditional Epcot Center pavilion approach, with the idea that there is now more to the pavilion than just the ride. Having enjoyed the new Test Track 2.0 attraction 10 or more times now, I can tell you first-hand that the actual ride track – is the same – despite rumors that it is different.  This video from AttractionsMagazine.com gives even further proof in a really cool way. Take at look at this 4 minute, amazing, side-by-side comparison.

New Fantasyland feature you might not have heard about…

Published October 13, 2012 by Disneyways.com
English: Logo for New Fantasyland -- the expan...

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

Thank you Disney World – for paying attention. Today there is yet another reason that I think the new Fantasyland will be worth the wait! It looks like the folks at  Walt Disney Imagineering have read our minds and maybe monitored our tweets and facebook requests.  So far we have seen the indoor air-conditioned Dumbo queue, FASTPASS for most attractions, shade trees, wider walkways, and lots of wall-seating throughout Storybook Circus.

That’s all great but what am I MOST excited about?
It seems though that Disney is not quite done yet, and have another trick up their sleeve. The third Big Top in Storybook Circus (the yellow one), along with the new restroom area being built in the former skyway station area, (remember those??)  is expected to feature something known as a ‘D-Zone’. These areas are designed to allow people to relax, take a seat, and to have access to things like ECV charging stations….and a place to -wait for it – CHARGE OUR CELL PHONES. Thank you Imagineers…thank you!!
No longer will I have to be the crazy lady in the park looking everywhere for outlets.  My legs going to sleep from sitting on the ground will be just a memory. October 23rd I get to go to Fantasyland for a sneak preview, and I am so excited I may explode. Blogging and sending you photos from the park will be a breeze if the new D-Zones are ready. Stay tuned to Disneyways!
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On Track with Test Track

Published August 28, 2012 by Disneyways.com

NEW INFO as of October 2012! Click here to learn more!

“Late Fall” is the time frame for Test Track to return. Don’t you love it when Disney gets specific?

Walt Disney Imagineering’s Melissa Jeselnick revealed more details about Test Track through a Q&A chat session posted Monday on the Disney Parks Blog.

Here are some things Melissa had to say about what we can expect.

Remaining the same:

•Ride vehicles. They are “still the same physical ride that our guests know and love,” Melissa says. “You’ll ride in our sim car.”

•Track layout. The indoor-then-outdoor nature of the attraction continues, including the 65 mph stretch.

•Queue workarounds. Both FastPass and single-rider line will be available again for Test Track. YAY!

Expect these to be updated:

•Marquee. Test Track will have a new look upon approach in Future World.

•Queue. The pre-show area will be totally rehabbed, with a theme that is “changing from testing to design,” Jeselnick says.  On display will be “actual items, sketches, cars, models from GM that have never been seen before by anyone outside the Chevrolet family,” she says.

•Music. The soundtrack will be futuristic and have sound effects. (To me, the thing looks like something from Tron. It seems the music may sound like Tron too!)

Here’s what will be totally different:

We will get a chance to virtually create a “dream vehicle” using interactive kiosks. Whether this is done individually or as a group, the new creation(s) will be graded against the standard sim car (the vehicles we actually ride in as we know them).  When you get to the slide show at the bottom, look for the photo with the dials.   We get to choose from factors such as capability, efficiency, responsiveness, power and speed. The actual ride will be the same, only now you get to see who makes the best “dream vehicle” in comparison to the sim car.

The post-show will kick off with a scoring opportunity, not just with the guests in our car, but guests throughout the day. (Think Toy Story Ride ending) From there, we’ll move into other opportunities to interact with our design. The show room space will still be there with the Chevrolet cars, and we’ll have our own photo ops with different concept cars.

Why the changes? Melissa told us car design has moved into a digital realm, and now Test Track will reflect that move. Test Track is one of my favorite attractions. I have a feeling it will stay that way. How about you?

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