Walt Disney World (FL) - 2/33 - TouringPlans.com Blog

Do you have a podcast that discusses Disney or Universal theme parks? If so, we would like a word with you to discuss the development of the TouringPlans.com Podcast Network.

We are looking for a number of various podcasts to possibly form a new network which would combine the wonderful content that already exists in the podcasting world with the reach of a popular site like TouringPlans.com. No matter the style, format, or topics of your podcast, we would love to hear from you.

We’re looking toward the future…well okay, the Italy pavilion.

Very, very little would need to change about your podcast yet you would get the backing of a website that gets a few million hits a year (yes, this one). The basic idea is that your podcast, along with a handful of others, would be available via the TouringPlans.com Network feed. Listeners would get the benefit of finding great content all in one place and you would get the benefit of a very wide audience.

This could be a great opportunity for you as well as us and the theme park community as a whole. If you are interested in hearing all the details, please email Brian at Brian@TouringPlans.com by no later than Wednesday, May 22. Your email should include:

• The name of your podcast
• A brief description of what the podcast is about
• Any other details we should know (is your podcast only 20 minutes long, do you only record once a month, is it dirtier than George Carlin’s stand up, etc.)
• The name and email of at least one person from the podcast that we can contact
• A link to a fairly recent episode that you would like us to review for consideration

Simply applying is not a binding agreement so you can send us an email simply if you want to hear more about it and you can remove your application at any time. When we get all of this information we will review your podcast and give you all of the details about what we would expect and what you can expect from us should we decide to partner up. We are very excited to be starting this and we look forward to hearing from you. Thanks!

Yesterday my good friend and fellow TouringPlans.com researcher Shane was celebrating his birthday at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and I headed out to join him. It was a gorgeous sunny day, not too hot, and was perfect for being outside.

We arrived just after noon and before we even got into the park we noticed all the Star Wars Weekends signs are starting to go up. At first I was surprised to see them up so early and then realized that time has gotten away from me and the event begins this Friday! I love Star Wars Weekends and will for sure be back on Friday to enjoy the first day.

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Disney

We are just now finishing up with Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival (its last weekend is May 17 – 19), so now it is time to look toward this year’s Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.

This year is the 18th annual event at Walt Disney World and will feature more than 25 special marketplaces along the World Showcase promenade. New for this year is the Scotland Marketplace serving up traditional flavors, as well as beers, scotch, and meads. This new booth is in celebration of the movie, Brave.

Also back will be last year’s hit booth, Terra (a vegan booth serving trick’n chicken curry), the Hawaii Marketplace (mmm…Kalua pork slider), and back after a year’s hiatus, Brazil (featuring exciting new menu offerings).

In addition, returning this year will be the Ocean Spray cranberry bog found in between Future World and World Showcase. Here guests will be introduced to the cranberry’s rich heritage.

One of the more popular events that takes place during the event is the Eat To The Beat Concert Series. This year, there will be five new acts. They include the Go-Gos (Sept. 30-Oct. 1), Edwin McCain (Oct. 10-11), The Manhattan Transfer (Oct. 12-13), Spin Doctors (Oct. 31-Nov. 1), and Christopher Cross (Nov. 2-3). Kicking off the event will be STARSHIP starring Mickey Thomas. Other acts include The Pointer Sisters, Smash Mouth, Boyz II Men, Sister Hazel, Air Supply, Hanson and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

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Last week Disney announced it would host a special coronation ceremony making Merida an official Disney Princess. Although Brave is actually my least favorite Pixar movie, it was rumored that all the other Disney Princesses would be there, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see them all together!

The ceremony was at 9:30am, so we needed to be at the park pretty early for a good spot. With 2 toddlers, a very slow McDonald’s Drive-Thru, and a not-so-magical on-property traffic ticket, we were a bit late. We got to Magic Kingdom just a bit after Rope Drop and headed straight to Cinderella Castle. Most of the area directly in front of the castle was roped off for the Social Media Moms conference, and invited media and regular guests took up most of the hub. We wandered around a bit before settling on a spot just at the back of the hub in front of the Partners Statue. The view wasn’t great, but I would be able to get a glimpse of the princesses, and we would be able to hear.

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Limited Time Magic for next week will help honor that special lady in your life: the one you call mom.

On May 12 (Mother’s Day; this is your reminder to make sure you have a present for your mom!), guests who enter one of the four Walt Disney World theme parks or one of the two Disneyland Resort theme parks will receive a special flower to mark the occasion.

For those who are looking for the perfect gift, take mom shopping. Disney will be offering some special watches for the occasion. At Walt Disney World, they can be found at Tren-D or World of Disney in Downtown Disney. On the west coast, they will be available at both World of Disney in Downtown Disney and Fortuosity Shop at Disneyland Park.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Yesterday Animal Kingdom celebrated International Migratory Bird Day. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t that exciting…but it was different so I decided to check it out and do a couple of other things in the park. I decided to get to the park early and actually made Rope Drop! Crowds were supposed to be fairly low according to the Crowd Calendar and I was looking forward to a quiet day.

When I arrived I headed straight for Kilimanjaro Safaris. I love to visit this attraction in the morning before it gets too hot and the animals are more active. I only waited about 10 minutes, but then the actual ride took over an hour! Apparently an Addax was in the road and caused a huge back up. None of the vehicles could move for over 30 minutes. This could have been really fun if we were stopped near the elephants or hippos. However, we were in the White Rhino area and they were all hiding so we just stared at dirt the entire time. Luckily the rest of the safari was great and we even saw the cheetahs up and running around.

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Now that we’ve covered the basics of Disney pools in general, let’s get into the specific pool situation at each resort. First up are the Disney value level resorts: All-Star Movies, All-Star Music, All-Star Sports, Art of Animation, and Pop Century. Here’s the scoop on the pools at these hotels.

ALL-STAR MOVIES

• How many pools are there? Two.
• What is the pool themeing? The main Fantasia pool features elements from the film “Fantasia,” notably a Sorcerer Mickey statue which shoots streams of water into the center of the pool. The smaller Mighty Ducks pool features hockey themeing such as larger than life sticks and a faux goal net.
• What’s the kiddie pool situation? There is one shallow kiddie pool with an adjacent water spray feature. This is located to the immediate right of the Fantasia pool, as you face the main Cinema Hall building.
• Are there water slides? No.
• Is there a nearby playground? There is a playground, located a bit away from the pool, near the Toy Story section of the resort.
• What’s the nearest food option? The Silver Screen Spirits bar is next to the Fantasia pool. For a full menu, go inside Cinema Hall to the World Premier Food Court. There are no food options near the Mighty Ducks pool.
• Are there showers at pool? Yes. There are locker rooms with showers next to both pools.
• Are there hot tubs? No.
• Are there towels available at the pool? No. You are welcome to use the towels from your room while you’re at the pool.
• How deep is the pool? Both pools are five feet at their deepest point.
• Is there are zero entry pools? No.
• Are poolside cabanas available? No.
• Are there poolside activities? Yes. All activities take place at the Fantasia pool area. There is one poolside ping-pong table. Schedules may vary seasonally, but recently there were planned events from 1:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. every afternoon, plus a movie under the stars in the evening. Events may include: Mickey Bean Bag toss, Twister, Musical Dots, Dance Party, Bingo, Treasure Hunt, and others.
• Anything else? Laundry facilities are available next to both pools.

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©Disney

With only about a week and a half left until Star Wars Weekends, people are getting excited! It is truly a time when Disney’s Hollywood Studios shines.

Early this week, I discussed about the Carbon Freeze Me Experience that will be taking place at the event. We now know some more details about these special weekends.

Serving as Celebrity Hosts, yet again, will be Ashley Eckstein and James Arnold Taylor, both of whom are voice actors for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show.

In addition, during each weekend there is a trio of Star Wars celebrities who celebrate the event with fans of the franchise. Disney announced that the 2013 celebrities will be:

Weekend I (May 17–19)

• Ray Park (Darth Maul – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)

• Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett – Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi)

• Dee Bradley Baker (voice of Captain Rex – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

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Up until about a week ago I was pretty disappointed with Limited Time Magic. Sure, there were a few fun meet and greets, but nothing that blew me away. But then, they announced May the 4th Be With You at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I am a huge Star Wars fan, so the idea of special meet and greets, merchandise, a dance party with characters, and fireworks surrounding the franchise seemed like a fantastic idea. May 4 has been celebrated as an unofficial Star Wars Day by fans for years (It’s a play on the popular phrase “May the Force Be With You”…Get it?) and a formal celebration seemed like a prime opportunity for Limited Time Magic.

While everything sounded fun, I originally just planned to show up for the end for fireworks, but since I didn’t really have other plans that day and so many friends were going to be in the park, I decided to take my kids out for the whole day. When we pulled into the parking lot at 9am (getting 2 toddlers out of bed has a way of making you miss Rope Drop), I was surprised at the number of cars. I then realized that the park had Extra Magic Hours that morning and that the park had already been open for an hour. Normally this wouldn’t bother me too much, but since there was merchandise and Jedi Training Academy sign-ups that you needed to be there early for, this put us way behind.

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There are few concrete truths in this mixed up, crazy world, but one of them is that Finding Nemo – The Musical at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the best stage production at Disney World. In fact, I am so certain that I will not even explain my reasons…thanks for reading!

What!? You are dubious of my claim!? Okay, I’m about to drop a Nemo-shaped truth bomb on you.

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