Walt Disney World Resort

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On This Day in Disney History: November 21st

Published November 21, 2013 by Disneyways.com

Nov21

 

1929:
The following snippet appears in this day’s issue of The Film Daily
(a daily Hollywood publication):
Walt Disney, with his “Mickey Mouse” and “Silly Symphonies” series, is paving the way for
a bigger and better year. Grauman’s Chinese, Carthay Circle, Fox Palace, and Criterion
theaters have signed for the product. The Disney boys are making rapid headway with
their creations, adding new sound effects with each cartoon.

1942:
Mouseketeer Ronnie Steiner is born in Canada.
He joined the Mickey Mouse Club in the first season as a dancer.

1955:
The Mickey Mouse Club airs on ABC-TV. Today is Fun With Music Day. Musical numbers include Roy Williams dressed as the “boy at the dike” singing Roy at the Dike and Jimmie Dodd dressed as Tom Sawyer (along with a handful of the Mouseketeers) singing Painting Aunt Polly’s Fence.

2001:
Disney World unveils its holiday lights and decorations with The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights at Disney-MGM Studios.
(Arkansas businessman Jennings Osborne received worldwide attention when he first created the luminous light show for his daughter more than a decade ago.) The glowing bulbs light Residential Street, Washington Square and New York Street in merry holiday displays that include 170 flying angels, two 30-foot-tall carousels, illuminated trees, and 50 lighted Mickey Mouse figures.

New Information on the Construction in Morocco at Epcot

Published November 20, 2013 by Disneyways.com

spice road table

We got some new information on Spice Road Table, the exciting new waterfront restaurant coming to the Moroccan World Showcase Pavilion in Epcot! I wrote a story for Chip & Company with all the details! You can check it out HERE.  I can’t wait to see the new restaurant, how do you feel about it?  

An Interview with Belle in Episode 79 of the Podcast!

Published November 20, 2013 by Disneyways.com

show79

It’s hard for me to believe I am even writing this, but yes, it’s true! We were very fortunate that the awesome Julie Nathanson, current speaking and singing voice of Disney’s Princess Belle agreed to come on the Disney Parks Podcast as our very special guest. Julie is warm, sassy, funny, and she has so many wonderful qualities that you would probably expect from Princess Belle herself. There is so much feminist controversy over the Disney Princesses and my very favorite part of the interview was hearing Julie put into words how she feels about Belle, and why Belle’s character is a wonderful example for young girls. Julie has such a beautiful way of expressing herself that I admire so very much.

More great moments during the interview include:

  • The story of how Julie got a part on a soap opera, which one it was, and what character she played
  • What it has been like to be the voice of Belle, and how she got the job
  • Julie sharing how she feels about filling the shoes of the amazing Paige O’Hara (the original voice of Belle)
  • There is so much MORE to Julie besides playing Belle and it’s awesome to learn how versatile she has been in her career. Some of her other roles may surprise you!
  • I couldn’t sweet talk Julie into singing for us on the air but you can click HERE to hear a sample of her singing as Belle on iTunes
  • The always exciting rapid fire questions!

Here are some ways to tune in:

You can catch Julie’s episode by visiting DisneyParksPodcast.com directly from your computer. 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.

Please head over to iTunes and subscribe! This will give you access to each episode as soon as it is released.

On This Day in Disney History: November 17th

Published November 17, 2013 by Disneyways.com

littlemermaid

On this day in Disney History, November 17th, The Little Mermaid is released in theaters in 1989.

To learn about our interview with Pat Carroll, voice of Ursula, please click HERE.

To see a video of the Little Mermaid attraction in New Fantasyland click HERE.

Photos: Christopher Cross Featured During Food and Wine Festival

Published November 3, 2013 by Disneyways.com

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To read more about Epcot’s Eat to the Beat Series during the International Food and Wine Festival – click HERE.

MyMagic+ and MagicBands Explained in 3 Minutes

Published October 17, 2013 by Disneyways.com

MagicBand

Can MyMagic+ and MagicBands really be explained in just 3 minutes? Built to make things simple and streamlined – MagicBands are one of the most ambitious steps Disney has taken in more than 30 years. Imagine using a single source for tickets, room keys, credit cards, FastPASS tickets and even PhotoPass cards while you’re vacationing at the Walt Disney World Resort. Are you ready to learn more? Let’s add some magic to our day – shall we? Check out this video for an awesome 3 minute overview of Disney World’s  MyMagic+ and MagicBands!

Sid Gray is an award-winning freelance producer-director with a list of credits that includes ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, CNNfn, CNBC, Bloomberg, The Walt Disney Company, ITT, Kodak, Yahoo and numerous other organizations. I met Sid through Mouskejournals, a wonderful group of Disney bloggers and a fun site to check out when you want to get all your Disney fun, from many different perspectives, in one place. In addition to all of his professional credentials, Sid is an amazing, first-class kind of guy who truly cares for people. Thank you Sid, mostly for just  being who you are, but also for creating this wonderful video for the thousands of Disney fans who have enjoyed it!

New Disney Princesses to Appear in the Parks!

Published October 9, 2013 by Disneyways.com

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There is always room for more Disney princesses! It’s a good thing too, because more are coming very soon! Back in August, Laura wrote an awesome guest post all about the new Disney movie coming to theaters! The movie is simply called “Frozen.” We have also posted information and video about the new Frozen gallery that has been placed in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Now we have even more exciting news on this chilling topic!

The Disney parks blog has officially announced that Anna and Elsa from the movie will begin appearing in Epcot beginning in November. They have not stated a specific date but there are  RUMORS that they could appear as early as October 27th. However this is not official news, so just keep that in mind.

Frozen Logo

Photo credit Disney

In the comments section of the Disney Parks Blog Shawn Slater stated that these characters are “only expected to appear in Norway at Epcot through January 4, 2014.” History has shown however – that character meet and greets can be extended if the characters and movie are exceptionally popular.

Again, not official news, but  there is speculation that the we will be able to meet the new Princesses inside the Puffin’s Roost store. We do know for sure that they will be appearing at the Norway Pavilion at Epcot, along with a new gallery exhibit exploring how the culture and beauty of Norway-inspired the filmmakers in the creation of “Frozen.”. This gallery will be different than the one you can currently see at Hollywood Studios.
If you like the thought of seeing these princesses we have more good news. During the evenings this holiday season, a sequence celebrating “Frozen” will join “Celebrate the Magic,” the nighttime projection show that transforms Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom Park. So what are your thoughts? Are you excited about the new movie? How do you feel about a new meet and greet with Elsa and Elsa?

Photo credit Disney

Photo credit Disney

Meetups Coming Soon!!

Published September 27, 2013 by Disneyways.com

Join us at the next Disney Parks Podcast meetup located at Epcot during

The International Food and Wine Festival!

food and wine crawl

Goody bags and giveaways sponsored in part by:

Little Keiki Bou-Tiki

and

Mary Morales – Travel Agent with Glass Slipper Concierge 

Estimated times we will be at each location are listed below.

Join in for all the stops or just a few if you’d like!

The meetup will begin at the Belgium booth at 2pm

New Zealand 3pm

Florida Local 4pm

Hops & Barley 5 – 6pm

We will end up at the 6:45 show at the American Gardens Theater  to Night Ranger perform!

No RSVP required. Park admission, food and wine is on you.

We always have a lot of fun – and it’s a great way to meet other Disney fans and make new Disney friends!

MeetupCollagewText

Get up to the minute information on this event and more by following us on Facebook and Twitter!

Boat facebook

Saturday November 23rd come and join us as we set sail around Bay Lake and visit all the lounges along the way.

Blue Launch watercraft transportation ends at 11:30pm but route may vary depending on demand.
Times and places are subject to change due to weather and other factors:

We will begin at the TerriTONY Lounge (also known as the Territory Lounge in Wilderness Lodge!) 4PM – 5PM

We will then sail to Ft. Wilderness! Time permitting, we will head to Crockett’s Tavern in Ft Wilderness and from there – we will catch the bus to the Chip ‘n Dale meet and greet at the campfire sing-a-long.
(Fire lighting is at 6:30 with the sing-a-long starting at 7pm-7:30pm)
We will then sail to the Contemporary Resort to enjoy The Wave Lounge, and then board the boat back to the Wilderness Lodge some time before 11:30pm (The Wave Lounge closes at midnight.)

No park admission necessary, but drinks and food are on you.

Fun and games and other wild things we can think of can be enjoyed by all.

We are looking for individuals and small businesses to sponsor giveaways, s’mores supplies, and goody bags for this event!

Please contact me for information!

We hope you will join us at one or both of these events so we can meet you!!

Get up to the minute information on this event and more by following us on Facebook and Twitter!

 

Miss out on the Disney Parks Blog Meetup?

Published September 9, 2013 by Disneyways.com

Did you miss out on the latest Disney Parks Blog meetup? Did you feel a little left out?

Me too.

BUT, here’s some great news for those of us who were not able to attend. My buddy John from BigFatPanda.com has posted a video he filmed during the big night! Like some sort of lovable octopus with multiple hands and arms – he held food, drinks, the video camera – and still managed to get smiles and comments from some of the best Disney correspondents in our community. What a guy! Watch closely to see everyone’s favorite Disney blogger – Mya Space – a character actor hired by Disney to keep everyone laughing!

I think you will agree that it is a real gift to be able to hear and see what it was like to attend this fantastic event. Thanks Panda for sharing the Disney magic with us once again!

Oh and if you will be in the Walt Disney World area on September 13th 2013 – there is another meetup to come. Everyone is invited. No fast and furious emails required. Click here for details, and have a magical day!

villains13meetup

 

Reasons to Stop in a Disney Lounge Even if you Don’t Drink

Published August 26, 2013 by Disneyways.com

bar

I DO however, enjoy a great Disney lounge! There are many reasons to stop in and check out a Disney bar – in some cases – even when you have the kids with you! Check out my latest post over at Chip & Co. to learn more!

Click HERE to learn why you should still stop by a Disney Lounge – Even if you Don’t Drink!