Episode 107 of the Disney Parks Podcast is our very special interview with author Ridely Pierson. March 24, 2013 was a pretty big day for me. I got to have lunch at Epcot with my very sweet friend and because of timing – I was able to skype with Ridley and Tony for this interview from my super (not so) secret location inside Disney’s Beach Club Resort!
Ridley Pearson, is truly an amazing man with an amazing career. He has brought a lot of joy to thousands (and thousands!) of people. I think you can tell how nervous I was. Special thanks to my friend Beatrice Feeney for supplying us with a couple of great questions for Ridley.
You can catch this episode by visiting HERE. Look for the small grey circle with the sideways white triangle inside. Click on that circle and make sure your speakers are on. The show will begin immediately.
Check out Ridley’s blog and all of the wonderful books and products that he has available HERE.
A Disney vacation is a dream for many families, couples and individuals. Whether you’re a life-long fan of the classic characters or just want to enjoy the many “wow” factors of the Disney parks, the opportunities are endless for planning your trip. In fact, there are so many options for things to do and see, and where to stay on your Disney vacation, that the planning process can become overwhelming. The tips below will help you plan stress-free for a magical vacation you’ll remember for a lifetime.
Tips for a Stress-Free Disney Vacation
• Determine the Specifics in Advance. Start your vacation planning on the right foot by determining when you wish to schedule your Disney vacation, who you’ll go with and how long you’ll stay. This information is vital to the planning process so you can make appropriate travel and accommodation arrangements, and enjoy activities that appeal to everyone.
• Consider Everyone’s Interests. Disney is a destination that offers something for everyone. Consider the interests of everyone in your family or travel party to ensure there’s time to organize where you go and what you see while you’re there.
• Work with a Travel Agent. Considering if enlisting the assistance of a professional trip planner will be beneficial when planning your Disney vacation. Allowing an industry expert to help you put together itineraries that cater to your family’s interests will help you enjoy a stress-free vacation, and take the pre-trip burden off of you.
• Create a Packing List. Enjoy your vacation without a care by using a packing list during your vacation preparations. The last thing you want to do is miss a special show or event because you had to go buy sunhats, sunscreen or figure out how to manage without a favorite stuffed animal left at home.
• Leave Work Behind. You work hard for your vacations. Give yourself permission to enjoy the time without checking email or catching up on paperwork. Remember, you went to Disney to make memories with your family and friends – the office can wait.
Enjoy Your Trip to Disney
Taking the guesswork out of the trip-planning process will go a long way toward helping you enjoy your vacation once you arrive. After you determine when you want to go and how long you can stay, the next best step is to talk with a travel agent to secure the best accommodations, inside info on things to do and places to go that fit with your family interests, and to secure help with any other arrangements you need to make. A vacation to Disney shouldn’t feel like work in the planning process or while you’re there. Use the above tips and appropriate support to place the emphasis on enjoying your Disney vacation.
Audrey Clark is a writer who loves to travel and stay fit. She’s always looking for her next adventure. You can find Audrey on Google+
New Star Wars Weekends 2014 Details Revealed! First, a fireworks show will be displayed every night of the event featuring Star Wars music, similar to the “Symphony in the Stars” Disney displayed for Limited Time Magic last year on May the Fourth. Disney has also revealed that a “new evening experience” on Hollywood Blvd will be part of the weekends, but didn’t specify what exactly that will be.
James Arnold Taylor will once again host the weekend, wrapping up his intergalactic adventure as the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi on “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”
More great news came in today from Gary Buchanan, Social Media Managing Editor at the Disney Parks Blog! Here’s what Gary had to say:
“As the Rebel Alliance continues its fight for freedom and democracy in the Star Wars galaxy, the phantom puppetmaster himself, Darth Sidious (aka Emperor Palpatine), has issued a new galactic decree about Star Wars Weekends 2014 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
While some of his blue-hued holographic transmission was garbled, the Emperor has ordered his Galactic Empire to create a demonstration of force and power that can be seen high above Disney’s Hollywood Studios during Star Wars Weekends 2014. This has caused much talk in the galaxy that a gala fireworks show featuringStar Wars music will be presented each evening this year.
When consulted, several protocol droids further translated the Emperor’s message. These translations reinforced the conclusions that there will be a new evening experience for Star Wars Weekends guests on Hollywood Blvd. in the Walt Disney World Resort theme park.
However, that’s not the end of this story.
When the Rebel Alliance secretly learned of the Emperor’s plans from a hidden message decoded from an astromech droid, they decided to extend the galactic gala one more weekend in 2014.
In order to convince more guests to join the Rebellion, a 5th weekend is now being added to Star WarsWeekends 2014. The new event dates are every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 16-June 15, 2014. The theme for this year’s event is, appropriately, “Join the Rebellion.”
Weekend I: May 16 – 18, 2014
Weekend II: May 23 – 25, 2014
Weekend III: May 30 – June 1, 2014
Weekend IV: June 6 – 8, 2014
Weekend V: June 13 – 15, 201
In addition to offering a first-look at this year’s event logo above, we’re pleased to announce James Arnold Taylor will return to Star Wars Weekends 2014 as the event’s official celebrity host. Taylor, a Star Wars Weekends fan favorite, is the voice of hundreds of animated characters, including Obi-Wan Kenobi on “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”
Breaking News! Flower and Garden Festival menus are here! For those who don’t know, this is the Outdoor Kitchens’ second appearance at the Flower and Food…I mean Food and Garden…I mean FLOWER AND GARDEN FESTIVAL! 🙂
The Outdoor Kitchens were introduced last year under the name, “Garden Marketplace Kiosks.” These Kitchens serve up delicious, fresh food and beverages that gather their inspiration from springtime flavors. This year there are some fantastic new dishes, mixed in with some previous favorites. New this year is Urban Farm Eats , and it appears that the Intermission Cafe in the Festival Center is officially included in the fun. It will offer up quite a few tasty treats, too!
Here are the full menus for each of the Outdoor Kitchens:
Jardin de Fiestas (Mexico Pavilion) – this booth offers tapas that are spring light and cooked just right.
Tacos al pastor – Corn tortilla filled with achiote-marinated pork, garnished with grilled diced pineapple, onions and cilantro
Quesadilla de hongos con queso – Flour tortilla filled with mushrooms and cheese
Flan de chocolate Abuelita – Mexican chocolate custard
Tecate draft beer
White Mexican sangria
Franbuesa (raspberry) margarita on the rocks
Tequila flight – blanco, reposado and añejo
Dasani bottled water
Lotus House (China Pavilion) – try a garden-fresh take on spring-influenced flavors.
Beijing-style candied strawberries
Spring pancake with grilled chicken and green apple
Vegetable spring rolls
Popping bubble tea
Kung Fu Punch – Vodka and triple sec with mango and orange juice
South Sea Storm – Guava juice with light and dark rum
Plum wine
Tsing-Tao beer
Lychee aerated water
Florida Fresh (Germany Pavilion) – Savor fresh Florida ingredients that are grown and produced locally
Watermelon salad with pickled onions, BW Farm baby arugula, feta cheese and balsamic reduction
Shrimp and stone ground grits with andouille sausage, sweet corn, tomatoes and cilantro
Florida kumquat pie
Watermelon passion fruit slush featuring Simply Lemonade®
Hurricane Class 5 White Sangria featuring Simply Lemonade, Florida Orange Groves
Garda Italian Wine Blend, Quantum Leap Winery
Rogue Valley Pinot Noir, Quantum Leap Winery
Blonde Ale, Orlando Brewing Company
Cotton Mouth Belgian Style Witbier, Swamp Head Brewery
Feast of Flowers Farmhouse Ale, Florida Beer Company
Beer Flight – Blonde Ale, Cotton Mouth Belgian Style Witbier, Feast of Flowers Farmhouse Ale and Florida Avenue Blueberry
Simply Orange
Primavera Kitchen (Italy Pavilion) – Sample some of this country’s many flavors.
Caprese – Fior di latte mozzarella, roasted peppers and olio verde
Three cheese manicotti – Egg pasta stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, tomato sauce and béchamel
Torta di ricotta – Lemon cheesecake with limoncello-marinated strawberries
Placido Pinot Grigio
Placido Chianti
Bosco del Merlo Prosecco
White peach bellini – Prosecco and white peach puree
Strawberry rossini – Prosecco and marinated strawberries
Frozen Italian primavera – Assorted fruit slushy with limoncello and vodka
Moretti Lager
Moretti La Rossa
The Smokehouse: Barbecue and Brews (American Adventure Pavilion) – Celebrate the truly American tradition of barbeque, paired with craft brews from across the country.
Pulled pig slider with cole slaw
Smoked beef brisket with collard greens and jalapeño corn bread
Smoked turkey “rib”
“Piggylicous” bacon cupcake with maple frosting and pretzel crunch featuring Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Bacon
Magic Hat #9, Magic Hat Brewing
Maduro, Cigar City Brewing
Fat Tire, New Belgium Brewing Company
Billy’s Chilies, Twisted Pine Brewing Company
Beer Flight – Magic Hat #9, Maduro, Fat Tire and Billy’s Chilies
The Original Rib Shack Red Wine
Hanami (Japan Pavilion) – enjoying delicate bites and refreshing beverages.
Frushi – Fresh pineapple, strawberries and melon, rolled with coconut rice, topped with raspberry sauce, sprinkled with toasted coconut and served with whipped cream on the side
Temaki hand roll – Sliced Panko fried chicken, curry sauce, rice and pickled julienne carrots wrapped with Nori
Hanami sushi – A flavorful combination of salmon, scallop and beef-topped rice balls served atop a shiso violet sauce
Japanese puffed rice cakes with green tea whipped cream and azuki
Kirin draft beer
Pinepple Paradise with Yuzu Slushie – Frozen blend of sweet sake, pineapple juice and crème, flavored with a hint of Yuzu citrus juice
Orange Mango Slushie – Frozen blend of Nigori sake, mango and orange juice
Taste of Marrakesh (Morocco Pavilion) – Discover the tastes on North African spices.
Lamb brewat roll with prunes and sesame
Harissa chicken kebab with couscous salad
Baghrir – Moroccan pancake with honey, almonds and argan oil
Mint iced tea
White sangria
Guerrouane red
Casa Beer
Desert Rose – Sparkling wine with pomegranate liqueur
Fleur de Lys (France Pavilion) – Indulge your senses in France’s most magnificent culinary masterpieces.
Gnocchi Parisien à la Provençal – Parisian-style dumplings with vegetables and mushrooms
Confit de canard, pommes de terre Sarladaise – Pulled duck confit with garlic and parsley potatoes
Macaron à la fleur d’ Oranger – Orange blossom macaron with white chocolate ganache
La Vie en Rose frozen slush – Vodka, Grey Goose Orange, St. Germain Liquor, and white and red cranberry juice
Kir Imperial – Sparkling wine, Chambord and black raspberry liquor
Spoiler alert! We’ve got the inside scoop on Disney’s next Princess. While I am sure none of what you read here has been formally announced by Disney, I feel that my sources are pretty reliable, namely the Huffington Post and some others. The movie is not estimated to release until 2018, and a lot can change between now and then… but I think this is fun information that was too good not to share, and I hope you’ll agree.
First let’s talk story. This highly anticipated Disney princess movie is set to be an epic, or even mythic, adventure set around 2000 years ago. The setting will be across a series of islands in the South Pacific. The lead character, our princess, Moana Waialiki, is the only daughter of a Chief, and she comes from a long line of navigators. She’s a nerd about sea voyaging – so when her family needs her help, she sets off on an epic journey. “Moana” has been described as a “Polynesian musical” and it is said that the animation and music will go along with that theme. Mark Mancina will reportedly serve as the project’s musical composer. Typical of many of Disney’s “magical” movies, some of the other characters supporting Princess Moana are demi-gods and spirits drawn from real mythology.
While the studio doesn’t seem to have settled entirely on the overall look of the animation, Moana is expected to use some new, ambitious techniques. John Musker and Ron Clements, who were the directors of Treasure Planet and The Little Mermaid, are expected to have some pretty cool tricks up their sleeves for this movie. Remember how Paperman tried a new blend of the hand-drawn and the digital?
Here is a refresher in case you’ve forgotten:
Beautiful, isn’t it? I hope we get to see something like that again. The good news is that artists behind Moana have been playing around with similar, yet different, cutting edge software and systems. They are testing how much is ready for application to a full-length feature. Musker has said that “it’s far too early to apply the Paperman hybrid technique to a feature,” stating that the technique still has many complications (including color use) to sort out before it can be used for a full-length film. I think with all this time on their side, they can make it happen though – don’t you?
There’s no evidence of the technique here in the concept art (see below) but it’s still an interesting tease of some of the style, even if it is only in an early development phase. Disney has denied that this concept art is for Moana, however that may not be the case. If you remember, Disney denied that many leaked Frozen concept art pieces were real, but in the end they were released as official. In their defense, it is possible that what Disney meant was that the concept art no longer reflects what the film will look like, as the creators may have overhauled it. Such a situation is common in movie development, especially for movies that will not be out for half a decade. The concept art for Moana that you see below was found on an official Disney artist’s website, under a section where she talks about Moana. Additionally, notice that the concept art has the artist’s signature on it.
Below is a painting by Paul Gauguin that is said to be serving as an inspiration for Moana.
We can end here by saying we’re a long way out from Moana, with its release unlikely to happen before 2018. We have lots of time to speculate and dream about what will come of it. The look of the film could change quite a bit in the meantime, and that’s always worth bearing in mind. Regardless, I think Moana is a wonderful concept, and shaping up to be really quite tremendous. Only the next 5 years will tell! In the meantime I am perfectly happy to play my Frozen soundtrack over and over and relish in my new favorite character of all time, Queen Elsa.
What are your thoughts on all this? Please leave me your comments below!
Spoiler alert! The nice folks at DisneyLifestylers, DisneyParksBlog, and InsideTheMagic.net have posted backstage photos of some of the magical floats that will debut this spring in the brand new Festival of Fantasy Parade. As a refresher: the new Magic Kingdom parade titled Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade, will feature new parade floats, costumes and theme music. We are expecting floats that will include themes such as “Tangled” “The Little Mermaid,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Dumbo,” “Pinocchio,” “Peter Pan,” “Brave,” and a Princess unit.
Over the past year The Disney Parks Blog has released concept art and photos of the floats that we know for sure are coming, so let’s start with those:
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Check out the backstage photos that the DisneyLifestylers postedHERE.
InsideMagic.net has a couple of additional ones that you can check out HERE.
Despite no official date being announced by Disney, The Disney Parks Podcast team is betting on March 16th 2014 as the first day of the parade. In fact, we have built a meetup around it! We would love to have you join us, and you can get the details HERE. This is subject to change – so be sure to check our facebook page and website for all the latest on the meetup.
Does anyone else find it a little ironic that a restaurant that is literally named, “Be Our Guest” can be so hard to get in to?
Anyone who has ever called 6 months in advance just to find out they are completely booked knows what I am talking about here. But guess what? Last night I got a seemingly impossible dinner reservation at Be Our Guestand you can do it too. In fact, you can use these tips for any popular Walt Disney World restaurant.
Now please don’t hold it against me that I have had a little practice with this process. If you called Disney Dining at 407-WDW-Dine at any time between 2008 and 2011 or so – I might have been the one that answered the phone and got you in at your favorite Disney restaurants. However…I wasn’t a miracle worker then and I am certainly not one now. Anyone has a chance to get into the most popular Disney restaurants at the last minute by utilizing these simple tips I am about to share with you today.
I’m going to start by stating the obvious. You best bet is to plan way in advance. There are lots of articles out there with tips on how to go about doing this. However, this particular blog post is for those of you out there who for whatever reason didn’t have the luxury of planning so far ahead.
So here is step one: try getting in 2 days before and even 1 day before you want to dine. First go on-line to WaltDisneyWorld.com and if that doesn’t work, make the phone call to Disney dining reservations at 407-WDW-Dine. In training we were always told that table inventory was exactly the same on-line and over the phone, however, for whatever reason, the system CAN show different times of availability. I have seen it happen with my own eyes. So go ahead and try both methods. You can book dining as late as 3 hours in advance but either 2 or 1 day before you are wanting to dine is your best bet. Why? Because guests will cancel either 2 or 1 day before their reservation so that they don’t get hit with the $10 per person penalty depending on the policy of the respective restaurant. That is when you can hit the jackpot, swoop in, and score your dream dining reservation.
Even if you aren’t able to accomplish your booking with step one, there is still a glimmer of hope in step two. Don’t go out of your way, but if you are close to a restaurant that you would really love to try, ALWAYS walk up to the hostess stand and ask politely if they are taking walk-ins. You just never know. This works best if you are in a smaller party of 1 to 4 people. When we dined at Be Our Guest for our late dinner, we were told they had been taking walk-ins all evening. Please be nice and be understanding if they are completely booked. They can’t give you what is not there…but it never hurts to ask…especially if you are very nice about it.
It’s OK to keep asking too. Don’t be annoying and keep bugging them every hour – BUT do try again later if you are close by and notice there aren’t a lot of guests waiting around with pagers. I have experiencewith working at a hostess stand at Disney as well — and I can tell you there were many days where one hour we could not take walk-ins and then an hour or two later on that same day – we were able to. It all depends on how busy the parks are and how many people just didn’t show up for their dining reservations.
Finally, if all else fails, remember you are still at Disney World! All the restaurants are special in their own ways. Check the internet for those hidden gems that often have availability at the last minute, simply because they don’t get as much “hype.”
Just a few examples:
I have found a real treasure in Biergarten! The food is terrific and they’ve got a German polka band! Restaurant Marrakesh has belly dancers! Don’t forget about the Lava Lounge in Downtown Disney. It shares a kitchen with the Rainforest Cafe – and you never need a reservation because they only take walk-ins. Many Disney resort lounges and bars serve appetizers and even full meals. You can walk right up and order fast.
It almost always feels like summer here in Orlando. But, do you want to build a Snowman? Here is a printable Olaf that you can keep with you, even when it’s warm out!
Anna, me, and Elsa at Epcot. I am totally obsessed…
Disneyways 