The new Test Track

Can't wait until I'm back in WDW in January to give it a whirl.
The new Test Track

The basketball court in the Matterhorn...true

Always nice when you find out one of the Disney myths is actually true:

http://boingboing.net/2012/11/30/the-basketball-court-inside-th.html

new topiaries, food around World Showcase, Village People

Yes, the most important thing about the headine is Village People:

Disney World has released details about its upcoming Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, which will feature topiaries and other attractions based on "Phineas & Ferb," "Monsters University," "Cars 2," "Oz: The Great and Powerful" and more. The 20th annual festival, which runs March 6 to May 19, will add special food kiosks in World Showcase and add the Village People to its Flower Power concert series for the first time.

Starbucks

While I'm thrilled that WDW will finally have some decent coffee (although Kona was a good reason to hop on the monorail) in a couple of parks...I hope they keep some of the goodies at the Main Street Bakery instead of replacing with Starbucks "not so tasty treats".

Two new Starbucks opening at Disney

Two new Starbucks locations will open in 2013 at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and Epcot theme parks, Local 6 reports.

The cafes will replace the Main Street Bakery at the Magic Kingdom and The Fountain View at Epcot, and are included in the six Starbucks locations set to open at Disney parks in California and Florida

The bakery will close for refurbishment in January and open as a Starbucks early next summer, while The Fountain View will close in March and re-open as Starbucks in midsummer.

 

AvatarLand...what AvatarLand?

I have some guarded excitement over the Disney purchase of Lucasfilms.  I really believe we could easily see a whole new theme park in the not to distance future based on Star Wars...but hey, could we maybe scrap AvatarLand and put a nice Indiana Jones feature or two in Animal Kingdom?

Does Disney’s Star Wars deal freeze Avatar plans in carbonite?

So did the Oct. 30 announcement of The Walt Disney Co.’s $4.05 billion purchase of Lucasfilms Ltd. make you forget about those Avatar Land plans for Animal Kingdom? Yeah, me too.

Walt Disney Company Considering Buying Disneyland Paris

Now this could get interesting:

After two decades of putting up with lackluster financial results at its European theme-park resort, Disneyland Paris, the Walt Disney Co. is considering a possible buyout of the publicly traded French company that manages the resort, Euro Disney SCA.

Disney currently owns 40% of Euro Disney, and sources close to the Burbank, Calif., entertainment giant told TIME that serious discussions have been taking place internally about buying out the stock it doesn’t currently own. Of the remaining shares, 10% is owned by Saudi Prince al-Waleed bin Talal, and the rest is held by individual and institutional investors.

Disney to replace French restaurant in Epcot

Walt Disney World has closed the French restaurant Bistro de Paris in Epcot in preparation for a renamed, less formal eatery that is set to open in mid-December, the Orlando Sentinel reports.


The Bistro de Paris was one of the more formal and pricy options in Epcot. In the transition for a less formal restaurant concept, the waiters also will no longer wear tuxedos.

Vote for Chris

Hey, vote for a fellow Disney Dad over on the Disney Store Design By Me contest...you can vote once a day until May 3rd.  Here's his design:

Big News for Coffee Fans

One of my only complaints over the years has been the coffee at the Disney Parks (only Kona Cafe was tolerable):

Starbucks Coming to Disney Parks

In June, the first of six planned Starbucks locations is scheduled to open at Disney California Adventure park. And more locations are planned at Disneyland park and Walt Disney World Resort (Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom).

Free Mickey Ears Tomorrow

On Wednesday, March 28 the Disney Store is giving away FREE Mickey Ears to first 250 guests! Celebrations continue all day with store wide savings.

*While supplies last. Event limited per session based upon store capacity. No lineups prior to 30 minutes before event begins. Event subject to change or cancellation without notice. Call store for more information.

Storybook Circus Soft Opening

Sounds like the secret is well out on the interwebs. The first of the Fantasyland expansion is now open...welcome back Dumbo(s)

While it hasn't opened officially, the first part of New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom welcomed guests Monday morning in an apparent soft opening.

Disney fans tweeted their excitement Monday morning as Storybook Circus let visitors in for the first time. Click Like For Disney World News Updates: It's common practice for theme parks to host unannounced "soft openings" to test new areas before any official grand opening. Hours and attraction operations never are guaranteed during soft openings, so while Twitter users reported the opening Monday morning, that could change at any time. In short, operations are in Disney's hands as it moves toward grand opening.

RIP Robert Sherman

Disney song writing legend Robert Sherman passed away Monday at the age of 86.

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom

Got to play the new interactive game at Magic Kingdom last night. We got mixed reviews from our party where one enjoyed the interactivity of Kim Possible (where things moved) over the video screen only Sorcerers while our youngest son enjoyed Sorcerers more. Good to have both I say.

Until...

Great day at the park...until the At-At's show up.

Win a trip from PixieVacations.com

Only a couple of weeks left to enter to win a 4-day/3-night WDW vacation from PixieVacations.com

No more poaching on Disney's Kilimanjaro Safaris

Sounds like the poaching storyline, what's left of it from the original, are leaving the Safari starting in March:

Changes are coming this fall to Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney's Animal Kingdom. This attraction takes guests on a safari ride through a 100-acre savannah full of free-roaming animals. It is a guest favorite, who love seeing the 34 species of animals. This spring, the poaching storyline in the ride will be removed, by taking out the "Little Red" audio-animatronic elephant who has been captured by poachers. A new savannah area will be created here instead and have a watering hole for zebra, who aren't often seen on the Safaris because of their location. Work will begin in March and will be done by fall. The attraction will not close during this refurbishment.

Fast Pass changes coming?

Sounds like March 7, 2012 may be the day one of my most used fast pass strategies come to an end.

Our good friends at Touringplans are reporting that cast members at Walt Disney World Resort have been informed that beginning March 7, 2012, return times on Fastpasses will be enforced for all guests. Whereas in the pasts, guests could get a Fastpass for a scheduled return time and then save it for later in the day (so long as it was used the same day), guests using a Fastpass will reportedly be given only a small window in which to use the pass. Guests will be allowed to present the Fastpass 5 minutes prior to or up to 15 minutes after, the return time printed on the ticket. Guests presenting Fastpasses after this time will be denied admittance.

Patricia Disney dies

Former wife of Roy E. Disney, Patty Disney, has passed away.

Patty was a vibrant, intelligent, witty, well read independant soul who devoted her entire life to supporting her husband Roy in everything that he did. She sailed with him and when she stopped crewing on the races she met him on every dock he sailed to. Together they traveled the world. With Stanley Gold they built their empire. Patty was happiest when at Coolmain Castle in Ireland, her refuge from the world.

Diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 2006, she slipped into the clutches of Alzheimer's Disease without losing her sense of humor.

John Carter for passholders

Hey annual passholders...here's a little treat for you on March 3 & 4.

Check out http://wdwscreeningtickets.com/ where you are invited to a special screening of the new John Carter of Mars film to be shown in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom

Would love to hear from anyone that's played the new card came via the soft openings in Jan. Sounds interesting.

In this role-playing game, guests become Merlin’s apprentice sorcerers and embark on a quest to stop more than 20 Disney villains – including Hades and Cruella De Vil – from stealing one of the four shattered pieces of Merlin’s crystal ball. Armed with spells in the form of special cards, guests search for the magic symbols that lead them to villains’ hiding places in Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, and Main Street, U.S.A. Once there, apprentices use magic keys to reveal a villain’s hideout and use spell cards to stop them in their tracks.

According to the game’s developers, the cards really are the secret weapons of the game. There will be 70 different spell cards available and guests will receive five complimentary cards when they play. Each card features a different Disney character that offers a spell unique to him or her. Guests can use more than one card simultaneously, casting multiple spells at a villain at one time.

Magical Trash

Everything is just a little more magical with Disney...even the trash cans.

Before they were stars...they were cast members

Great list of some of the famous folks that were once cast members. Can you imagine Robin Williams as a Jungle Cruise skipper?

The Jack Sparrow floodgates are now opening

Attention all you folks with facial hair:

Disney employees now allowed to have facial hair
The Walt Disney Co. is making more changes in their strict dress code policy. Beginning February 3, the decades-old facial hair ban is being eliminated. In 2000, mustaches became acceptable; now, male employees will be allowed to sport beards and goatees up to 1/4 an inch in length. Since the opening of Disneyland in 1955, Disney cast members have been known for their clean-cut "Disney Look", which Walt thought made them look more approachable to guests. The other change happening next week is the introduction of Casual Fridays for cast members who aren't in front-line roles interacting with guests.

One More Disney Day

Very kewl...Magic Kingdom & DisneyLand will be open 24 hours on Leap Day...and you can also win!!!

We love to celebrate the good life! Families spending time together, sharing hugs, giggles, smiles, and magical moments they will treasure forever in their hearts.
In 2012, we're celebrating Leap Day with One More Disney Day. For the first time ever, we're giving away a vacation every day from January 1 through February 29.
Enter each day for a chance to win a 5-day/4-night vacation at Disneyland Resort in California or Walt Disney World Resort in Florida!*
You're one more day closer to realizing a vacation dream come true for your family if you win.