Posts Tagged ‘Walt Disney World’

Guests visiting Walt Disney World during the 2011 EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival, which runs from September 30 to November 13, 2011, can now begin planning their culinary adventures!

Some of the changes this year include the addition of booths in the World Showcase that represent the Caribbean and Portugal.  A complete listing of the participants and menus, along with a schedule of the popular Eat to the Beat concerts, is included in the Festival Guidemap.  Fans of Party for the Senses will be happy to learn that cast members from Cirque du Soleil will once again add their special brand of fun and excitement to this popular event.

Also new for 2011 is the addition of Sweet Seats to the “3D” Disney’s Dessert Discovery, The Discovery of Chocolate series, the Cranberry Bog Display, Home Entertaining Seminars Hosted by HGTV, Mixology Seminars, Scent Demonstrations, Italy Food & Beer Pairings, Italy Dessert & Wine Pairings, Italian White Truffle Lunch, Mexico Tequila Lunch, The Magic of Healthy Living Dinner, and the Kitchen Memories seminars.

For your convenience, we’ve  put together a series of printable guides which highlight the program offerings for this year.  Those wishing to attend any of the special events and seminars can begin making reservations on August 16, 2011.

Premium Events and Experiences

Premium International Events

Special Festival Seminars and Experiences

Special Sweet Events

You can also get further details about past Festivals by reviewing earlier posts.  It’s a wonderful time to visit Walt Disney World ~ the weather is beautiful, the Magic Kingdom is festively dressed for Halloween, and there is so much to see and do and taste!

Beginning July 26, 2011, tickets will be available for the 2011 season of EPCOT’s Candlelight Processional Dinner package.  Performances will begin on November 25^th and run through December 30^th, with three shows daily at 5:00 p.m., 6:45 p.m., and 8:15 p.m.

This annual favorite features a beautiful performance of seasonal music by a large chorus comprised of the wonderful Voices of Liberty, a cast member choir, and numerous guest choirs from around the country, accompanied by a full orchestra.  The highlight of each show is the reading of the Christmas story by a special celebrity narrator.

Prices are tiered to reflect both the dining venue and choice of lunch or dinner.  Guests with either the Magic Your Way Plus Dining or the Magic Your Way Plus Deluxe Dining plans can use two table-service credits.   Those on the Premium and Platinum plans can substitute the dinner package for one of their meals.

We’ve provided a downloadable document with complete details including a current list of guest narrators and a pricing chart for the various restaurants participating in this year’s package.

We invite you to review past posts for more information about the Candlelight Processional programs.

Our favorite kind of Hidden Mickey – atmospheric and artistic; merged with surrounding themes and waiting for us to find it.  A wonderful capture from a new contributor, Kurt!

In response to the demand for more Family Suites, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is now accepting reservations for 2012.  Guests can immerse themselves in classic animated films with a stay at this new Value Resort.  The resort is made up of four wings, three of which have family suites and one which features standard rooms.  It’s being opened in stages with the suites being offered first.  The property will ultimately include 1,120 family suites, and 864 standard rooms.

For arrivals beginning June 1, 2012, guests can stay in a Finding Nemo Family Suite.  Cars Family suites are available for dates from September 1, 2012, and on October 1, 2012, The Lion King Family Suites will be added to the roster.

An interesting element of these new suites is the addition of an Inova TableBed, a dining and work table that can quickly be converted into a double bed.  Suites will continue to offer a queen bed in the separate master bedroom and a double sleep sofa in the living room, as well as two bathrooms and a kitchenette with small refrigerator, microwave, and coffeemaker.

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort will also include standard category rooms in The Little Mermaid wing which will be opened for occupancy later in the year.

All images – Walt Disney Imagineering Concept Art

 

Dark rides; few experiences have greater power to transport us.  We enter and we are whisked away to another place; another time.  In Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom, we find one of the most well-loved of all the dark rides – Pirates of the Caribbean.

Even before we enter, we are entranced by the architectural details of the building.  There are beautiful elements everywhere – grillwork and tiles, arches, scrolls, and turrets, and wonderful lighting.

The atmospheric queue, with its twisting pathways, caves and caches, only hints at the “treasures” waiting beyond.

We climb into seaworthy vessels and head out on our adventure.  The darkness intensifies the senses.

We feel the cold sea wind blowing; the ghostly voices cause a shiver of anxiety about what may lie ahead.

Then, suddenly, we are in the midst of a battle with muzzle flash and splashing cannonballs which seem to miss our fragile boats by the smallest of margins.  Around the bend and we sail into an amazing nighttime scene.  There’s music and mischief, commerce and cavorting, grime and gold as the pillaging crew makes its way through the town.

Disney likes to point out the fact that the attraction inspired the movies of the same name, which in turn inspired enhancements to the original ride.  Amongst its dozens of audioanimatronic figures, Pirates of the Caribbean now features several encounters with a strikingly realistic Captain Jack Sparrow.

There’s also a spooky image of Davy Jones that emerges from a curtain of water at the beginning of the voyage.

To complete the adventure, we have the perfect song, one that will play happily in our heads each time we relive our voyage to the Caribbean – Yo Ho!!

 

Pirates of the Caribbean

Magic Kingdom, Adventureland

Approximately 9 minutes

Guests must transfer from wheelchair and ECV to ride vehicle

No flash photography allowed

FastPass available

Handheld captioning available

Park admission required

 

 

For the men who shop, or the women who shop for the men who would prefer a root canal treatment, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa features one of the few shops devoted to the Disney male – Commander Porter’s.

The shelves are filled with golf apparel and accessories, crisp, button-down shirts, and Grand Floridian logowear.  Elegant Hawaiian shirts, swimwear, and tastefully subdued Disney ties tempt shoppers.  There is casual clothing with labels bearing the names of Ralph and Tommy, well-known fragrance lines, cigars, lighters, and other manly merchandise.  Commander Porter’s, open from 9:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, is found on the second floor overlooking the main lobby.

Water is one of the key elements in Native American culture and it is charmingly represented at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge in the form of Silver Creek.  From its source inside the lobby, the bubbling stream travels under the wooden bridge and outside, flowing over pebbled beds as it makes its way towards the rocky outcropping.

There it becomes a waterfall that cascades over the rocks before seeming to flow into Silver Creek Springs pool.  Finally, it gurgles past the wildflowers and butterflies, seeking the freedom of beautiful Bay Lake.

In keeping with the theme of the majestic National Parks, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge offers a unique feature for the entertainment of visitors.  On the hour, from early morning until about 10:00 p.m., Fire Rock Geyser erupts, forcing a column of water more than 120 feet in the air to catch the light and delight guests.

With a nod to its inspiration, the iconic Old Faithful, Fire Rock appears peaceful, gently steaming, until the clock strikes the hour and hissing and bubbling, a column of water bursts up towards the sky.

There is much talk about the depth of theming at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, but the attention to this single element, the water path, is astonishing.  It serves no purpose other than to add interest and beauty to the property, yet it represents an extraordinary effort in terms of planning and execution.  The frothing hot spring in the lobby with its arched bridge; the stream beds, plantings, and the elaborate rock work underpinning the falls; the infrastructure that results in a regularly-scheduled display; this enormous undertaking simply to please a few of the more observant guests.  It is precisely this type of endeavor, so creative and imaginative, that draws us back to Disney again and again!

 

Classic \ˈkla-sik\  serving as a standard of excellence;  of recognized value;  traditional, enduring

There are the thrill rides.  There are attractions that showcase the latest and greatest technologies.  There are those that exploit modern themes and the newest stories and characters.

And then, there are the classics.  They may not utilize the most up-to-date equipment, advanced programming, or state-of-the-art special effects.  It doesn’t matter.  They are the classics; the quintessence of the Disney experience.  Using old-time tricks and familiar illusions, the Haunted Mansion continues to amaze and delight us.  It’s a Small World still compels us to board little boats and float past hundreds of dolls while listening to a repetitive tune.  Children will always clamor for Dumbo the Flying Elephant, adults will forever get teary in the Hall of Presidents, and they all line up to sit in twirling teacups and laugh together.

Yet none is more clearly touched by Walt’s hand than the Carousel of Progress.  It’s a simple concept – guests are seated in a theater that revolves around a central stage as they follow nearly 100 years of innovation.  Through a series of cozy kitchen scenes and folksy chats, the audience can see the evolution of both technology and, more subtly, American culture, from the late 1900’s until the end of the 20^th century.

The clothing changes, as do the “latest” appliances, and even the vocabulary, but the core message remains the same:  mankind’s infinite capacity for inventiveness and resourcefulness, and the timeless values of family and country; philosophies that were dear to Walt’s heart.  In fact, he was deeply involved in the project right from the start when it was developed for the New York World’s Fair in 1964 and 1965.  Progressland’s Carousel Theater, sponsored by General Electric, was actually an offshoot of a concept known as Edison Square, which Walt had conceived, but never built, for Disneyland in the 1950’s.

It was a huge hit at the Fair, and although the original structure was demolished, the audioanimatronic figures and the systems were packed up and moved to Disneyland when the Fair closed.  While Walt did not live long enough to see it open, it ran for six years at its new home in Tomorrowland.  On the upper level of the theater, guests could view a beautifully-detailed model of Progress City, a preview of the real city he had planned to build in Florida – EPCOT.  Today, visitors can see a section of that model displayed along the route of the TTA PeopleMover in Walt Disney World.

After its Disneyland closure in 1973, once again, the theater was left behind, although this time repurposed for America Sings and later, Innoventions, and the figures and systems made the trek to their new home in the Magic Kingdom.  Renamed Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress in 1994, the attraction underwent renovations which included an updated final scene.

Still featuring the original control systems and audioanimatronic figures, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress is a somewhat fragile treasure, and only open seasonally during busier periods.  Nonetheless, it holds the record for the most performances of any show in the history of American theater.

Although the fourth, “modern day” scene is sorely in need of some serious reimagining, the attraction remains a touchstone for hundreds of thousands of visitors.  Indeed, sitting in that theater, it’s easy to imagine that a great, big, beautiful tomorrow is just a dream away.

 

Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress

Magic Kingdom

21 minutes

Open seasonally

Wheelchair and ECV accessible

Park admission required

 

Perhaps even more iconic than its enormous 55-foot counterparts in the main lobby, the character totem welcomes shoppers to the Wilderness Lodge Mercantile.  The store features merchandise with a decidedly woodsy flair.  Look for characters in their best “ranger” attire as well as outdoor-themed clothing and gift items.

It’s certainly one of the most attractive and inviting resort shops, and really shines during the holiday season when the fireplace is crackling and the signature red and black buffalo plaid lends a colorful continuity to the displays.  Even the shop windows are highly-themed and imaginative.

There are coonskin caps for all budding Davy Crocketts and “Fish Fear Me” t-shirts for the sportsmen in the family.  The presence of the adjacent Villas at Wilderness Lodge signals an expanded selection of grocery items as a convenience for those staying in accommodations with full kitchens.

The Lodge’s mascot is Humphrey the Bear  and bears are a recurring theme throughout the resort.  Guests will find Humphrey holding up his friends from the base of the character totem, as well as carved and plush versions on the shelves.

While hours may vary with the season, the Wilderness Lodge Mercantile is typically open from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

It’s difficult to decide if the most amazing “Reflections of China” are found in the movie of that name shown inside this pavilion, or  are best seen in the glowing colors of nature and the exuberant exteriors of the buildings.