Tag: disney world

New Baby Hippo Born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is celebrating the birth of a new Nile hippopotamus. The baby hippo is the first hippo born at the park in 13 years.

Born at approximately 10 p.m. on Saturday night, the calf is staying close to mom Tuma. The animal care team is giving Tuma and her calf plenty of room to nurse and bond, so the calf’s gender and weight may not be known for some time. Typically, a newborn calf weighs between 60 and 110 pounds.

This birth comes just six months after two Sumatran tiger cubs were the first of their kind to be born at the park.

This birth marks another success for the dedicated and highly trained team of Disney animal care experts. Tuma and her mate Henry were chosen to breed through the Species Survival Plan, which is overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The Nile hippopotamus is a vulnerable species with a declining population. This birth is an important contribution to the worldwide conservation and understanding of these amazing creatures. Disney hopes guests will see this adorable hippo calf and be inspired to take action to protect them in the wild.

You may see Tuma and her calf on Kilimanjaro Safaris and also during the Wild Africa Trek experience.

January 16, 2018
Refillable Soap Dispensers Showing Up at More Disney World Resorts

The soap opera created over the installation of refillable soap dispensers in Walt Disney World Resorts continues in what looks to be an effort to “clean” up the budget…

One of the best parts of staying on Disney World property is all the extra toiletries, like soap and shampoo, that you get to take home. Well, that seems to be changing and Disney is moving ahead with its plan to replace the soap and shampoo within its resorts with refillable dispensers.

Everyone’s favorite “free” souvenir looks like it could be a thing of the past and online reports say Pop Century will be seeing them installed in rooms as early as this week.

Port Orleans Riverside was said have them installed back in August of last year and we knew it would only be a matter of time, before we started to see them show up at other resorts.

The dispensers hold conditioner, shampoo, and body wash, but many guests feel it’s unsanitary and are not happy with the idea of having to share community hygiene products. It’s unclear if this is still a testing phase or if a full resort-wide rollout is expect soon. No word on if this will be rolled out beyond value and moderate resorts, but if you are paying deluxe resort prices the extra little soaps should be included if you ask me.

January 16, 2018
RUMOR: Talking Mickey Maybe Leaving Magic Kingdom Soon

The Talking Mickey Mouse Meet and Greet at Town Square Theater in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World may be getting the silent treatment if rumors are true. Talking Mickey may be removed from the attraction according to cast members who are familiar with the issue.

According to a report from wdwinfo, the Main Street U.S.A. attraction closing as early as this May, stating, ‘this is a cost saving move’. After an overhaul of the attraction, it is expected that Mickey will return, but without the ability to talk. The attraction has suffered from technical difficulties in the past and it’s unclear if that may have anything to do with the possible decision. The report also indicated that some guests have been confused as to why Mickey Mouse can talk in one location, but not in others.

As always, you have to take internet rumors with a grain of salt. This one seems strange since Disney was just testing out a talking Donald and a talking Minnie to go along with the talking Mickey in Disney’s California Adventure in September. The attraction has been well received by guests and the technology has a long history that doesn’t likely end here regardless of what ends up happening with this particular attraction.

If you’ve never seen Talking Mickey you can check him out in the video below.

I for one hope the rumors are not true. We love getting to personally interact with Mickey. So if you haven’t had a chance to talk to the main mouse personally, make sure you get there while there is still time.

January 15, 2018
Voice of Mater – Larry the Cable Guy – Visits Magic Kingdom

Earlier last week, the hilarious Daniel Lawrence Whitney, also known as “Larry the Cable Guy,” joined his family to put the pedal to the metal at Tomorrowland Speedway at Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World! And Whitney is no stranger to cars either…

Some may know him as Larry the Cable Guy, but we all know him as the voice of Mater, the friendly tow truck in the Disney•Pixar “Cars” movies. Mater, you know “kinda like ’Tuh-mater,’ but without the ‘tuh.’”

During his visit, Larry shared that Walt Disney World is the family’s favorite vacation destination and talked about his favorite attractions. Check out the video below for more and watch their hilarious journey around the speedway!

January 14, 2018
Did You Know That You Can Actually Live in Disney World

Being able to live in Disney World is usually just a wish your heart makes. But it’s more than just a dream… It’s a reality… Well for those who can afford the $1.8 million entry point that is.

Dubbed Golden Oak and built on a huge tract of Lake Buena Vista land adjacent to the parks, the gated community has been open to since 2011. The community spans nearly 1000 acres consists of five different neighborhoods with homes ranging from 3,000 – 12,000 square feet.

The community is adorned with elaborate and elegant Disney decor throughout its beautiful; parks, footbridges, gardens and recreational pathways. There are three different types of homes for residents to choose from: an Estate Home on half an acre (offered in styles including French Country, Southern Classical and Dutch Colonial); a Grand Estate Home on three-quarters of an acre, designed for large families or corporate use and a Tuscan-style Village Home on a quarter acre near the Clubhouse.

Residents living here pay $25,000 a year for maintenance and homeowners association fees. The fees cover access to the 17,000-square-foot Golden Oak Summer house clubhouse which features a restaurant and lounge, a gym, a heated outdoor pool and a family room with game area, all run by top-notch “cast members” from the Disney family. It also includes concierge services to book park tickets, schedule VIP tours, dining reservations and even provide private transportation to any destination within Walt Disney World.

Right in the center of Golden Oak at Walt Disney World Resort is the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World. The 444-room, $370 million resort features an 18-hole championship golf course, an adults-only pool, a family pool with lazy river, a spa and a rooftop steakhouse that overlooks the nightly fireworks.

Clearly living here shows you have a special love for Disney World so to top it all off Golden Oak residents receive five three-year annual passes, and each pass comes with five additional one-day theme park tickets.

The homes themselves are breathtaking and stunningly large both inside and out. They include, pools, guest houses with separate entrances and at least five bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms. The community features more than 400 custom luxury homes and is still growing. What are your thoughts on it? Who wouldn’t live in Disney World if they could?

January 14, 2018
9 Things We Know About Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge So Far

1. It Opens Next Year! – Opening date is currently set at 2019. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at the Disneyland Resort will debut first and the land at the Walt Disney World Resort will debut second.

2. It’s Set On The Planet Batuu – At Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, guests visit Batuu, a remote outpost on the galaxy’s edge was once a busy crossroads along the old sub-lightspeed trade routes, but its prominence was bypassed by the rise of hyperspace travel. Now home to those who prefer to stay out of the mainstream, it has become a thriving port for smugglers, rogue traders and adventurers traveling between the frontier and uncharted space. It’s also a convenient safe haven for those intent on avoiding the expanding reach of the First Order. (See rendering at the top).

3. You’ll Be Able To Fly The Millenium Falcon – One of the land’s two signature attractions will put you in the cockpit of the Millenium Falcon, piloting the ship, shooting blasters or preparing for hyperspace – all while completing a critical mission. But how you perform on the mission holds even bigger stakes: perform with skill and you may earn extra galactic credits, while bringing the ship back banged up could put you on the list of a bounty hunter. End up on Harkos’s list and you may face a problem if you show up at the local cantina.

4. A Second Attraction Planned for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Puts You On A Star Destroyer – This attraction, “built on a scale we’ve never done before,” will make guests feel like they’re inside a hangar bay in the middle of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance. (The name of this attraction is still yet to be released).

5. A Cantina Will Serve Up Blue Milk – Only one F&B item has been announced for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge so far and that’s the blue milk Luke Skywalker made famous in “Star Wars IV: A New Hope.”

6. Expect To See Characters From A Galaxy Far, Far Away – Guests will also encounter many familiar faces inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, including BB-8, Chewbacca, members of the First Order and – among many others – Rex, the troublesome pilot you may remember from the previous version of a certain Disney attraction who takes on a new role in this land as the DJ at the cantina.

7. The Land Will Feature Marketplaces & New Toys – Imagineers looked to the exotic markets of Istanbul and Marrakech for inspiration for the land’s marketplace, where guests can explore a rich collection of shops and merchant stalls. One stall will be overseen by a Toydarian, a creatures fans first encountered on Tatooine in “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.” Here, guests will be able to discover all kinds of fun toys straight out of the Star Wars galaxy.

8. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Merchandise Has Already Been Released – The first Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge merchandise, available at select locations at the Disneyland and the Walt Disney World Resort, was released in December. The line currently consists of an assortment of men’s and women’s T-shirts, hats and more that feature faces and places familiar to Star Wars fans, including the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge logo, the Millennium Falcon, BB-8, DJ Rex and more.

9. You Can View A Portion Of The Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Model Right Now – A portion of the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge model is currently on display at the end of the Walt Disney Presents exhibit at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

January 13, 2018
Newest MagicBands Are A Must Have

‘Oh boy!’ Several new MagicBands have just been released and they are my new favorite thing! The Mickey Mouse inspired one is my favorite, but they are all super cute!

With the debut of the I Am Mickey MagicBand, Disney has taken care of the customization for Guests. This item pays homage to Mickey Mouse in a new and sleek way with a black MagicBand and yellow center icon. This first ever pre-customized MagicBand is currently available for $22.99 wherever MagicBands are sold. You can already Find this one on the shopDisney website.

You may have noticed over the past year some of your favorite attractions now have their very own MagicBand such as The Pirates of the Caribbean and The Seas with Nemo and Friends. Beginning Jan. 15, 2018, thrill seekers and fans of Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park will be able to purchase a red MagicBand complete with icons and patches representative of this train ride through the Himalayan Mountains. This Limited Release MagicBand will retail for $27.99.

Also, this month, in honor of the theatrical release of 101 Dalmatians in 1961, they are releasing the first-ever MagicBand to feature Pongo, Perdita and a few of those famous paw prints. This white MagicBand will be available Jan. 22 online and in select retail locations throughout the Walt Disney World Resort on Jan. 26, 2018 and retail for $22.99.

And don’t forget about this years Valentine’s Day Limited Edition Release. For the Aladdin and Jasmine admirers out there, the latest LE MagicBand for the upcoming holiday depicts the couple on their moonlit carpet ride over Agrabah. This teal MagicBand is now available with an edition size of 2,400 and retails for $32.99.

One last bit of exciting news is they have launched three new colors to their current MagicKeeper line. They have added blue, pink and purple. These MagicKeepers allow even more customization as you can swap icon colors to create new, fun looks.

As always, these MagicBands and MagicKeepers continue to allow guests to connect the vacation choices they make in My Disney Experience – from effortless theme-park entry, to Online Check-In, Disney PhotoPass association and more.

January 13, 2018
New Arena at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex

As part of the 20th anniversary celebration of its ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Walt Disney World Resort officially opened a new multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena Friday, continuing the growth and expansion of the 220-acre Disney sports venue that is widely regarded as the leading facility for youth sports in America.

ESPN Wide World of Sports executives, along with AAU and Varsity executives, marked the grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that featured streamers as cheerleaders performed a high-energy routine involving Minnie Mouse, who sported a new cheerleader outfit. Fittingly, the inaugural event at The Arena at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is the prestigious UCA and UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship, which runs through Sunday.

In the coming months and years, the 8,000-seat arena will host a variety of major indoor sporting events, everything from basketball to volleyball to gymnastics to wrestling. The venue also will host runDisney Health & Fitness Expos during runDisney race weekends, beginning with the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend presented by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in February.

The launch of the arena, the third indoor competition venue at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and one of the largest in the country designed specifically with cheer and dance events in mind, marks another milestone for the Disney sports facility, which opened in 1997 and pioneered a new type of sports vacation experience where athletes at all levels and ages can pursue their sports dreams.

“We have created one of the most unique sports arenas in the country,” said Faron Kelley, Vice President of Disney Sports. “We sat down and really listened to what our partners told us they needed the space to look like and what we ended up with is a fantastic new arena. We look forward to hosting many events in our new building for years to come.”

One of the unique features of the arena is its flexibility. It can be converted to host more than six regulation-sized basketball and volleyball courts and can be further expanded to host open-floor exhibitions, family shows, speaking engagements and other major events, such as the College Cheerleading and Dance Team Championship, which will feature more than 4,700 athletes.

“We are thrilled to have our 35th College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship as the inaugural event in the new arena,” said Varsity Brands Founder and Chairman Jeff Webb. “This year, we’ll host seven premier events and welcome nearly 70,000 athletes to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Our athletes and coaches are going to be very excited when they see the space, the warm-up areas and all of the other amenities that truly make this building one of a kind. We’re looking forward to a fantastic event, in a great building that’s being hosted by a terrific partner in Disney.”

Other features of the new arena include two versatile auxiliary venue spaces, an attached box office, plus built-in loges and judge’s boxes with seating for approximately 70 people. There are also seven concession stands and 35 concession points of sale which will include specialty items such as hazelnut churros, chocolate banana empanadas, donut chicken, Greek Dogs, and an Adobo Chicken Rice Bowl.

“We spent countless hours doing research to make sure we designed a building that caters to the needs of existing partners and potential future partners, including developing sports such as e-sports and futsal,” Kelley said. “The word we kept coming back to was flexibility and our new arena has something special and unique for all of our partners.”

The addition of the arena is another step in Disney’s efforts to expand its sports business through a relentless growth strategy centered on enhancing existing events, developing new and more diverse events such as tournaments, competitions and entertainment and creating additional sports experiences for our guests.

Future plans for the sports complex include expanding the portfolio of outdoor sports, continuing to host high-profile events such as the 2018 NFL Pro Bowl Week and further supporting the 100-plus existing events that take place at the sports complex year around.

January 13, 2018
Another Movie Illegally Filmed on Disney World Property

Walt Disney World property was chosen as the shooting location for yet another independent film with out Disney’s consent. This time in a Film called The Further Adventures of Walt’s Frozen Head.

This one based on the urban legend that Walt Disney was frozen after his death. It’s a quirky comedy about the unlikely friendship between the frozen head of Walt and Peter, a Magic Kingdom Cast Member.

Check out the trailer below.

During his yearly dethaw to oversee the direction of his company and guard his creative legacy, Walt demands to be allowed up to see his final dream, Walt Disney World. When management scoffs, he recruits Peter to kidnap him for a day in the Magic Kingdom.

This is not the first time guerrilla style film makers have hit Disney Parks. The low-budget independent movie called Escape From Tomorrow made headlines in 2013 as the first feature film to shoot at Walt Disney World without getting permission in advance.

The feature film was primarily shot in the Orlando area, including on location at Walt Disney World. The movie was made without the knowledge or permission of the Walt Disney Company or family.

January 12, 2018
Classic Hollywood Music Loops Replaced at Hollywood Studios

Add another change to the list for Hollywood Studios as it reimagines itself right before our eyes. The music loops known throughout the park, often playing music from Hollywood’s Golden Age, have been replaced as of today.

Change is hard and if you have loved Hollywood Studios since the day it opened in 1989 as Disney-MGM Studios, then this might be a hard one for you, but this is a change that is necessary for Disney’s vision of the park’s future.

Walt Disney himself knew that his parks would continue to change and evolve. “As long as there is imagination left in the world”, said Walt.

In a release from Disney they say, “Every great Hollywood story has a soundtrack that sets the tone and supports the narrative, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is no exception.”

They have now officially updated audio arrangements around the park and Disney says it will put a bounce in your step, and you’ll feel as if you’ve walked right into your own adventure.

Here is what you can expect to hear:
At the park’s Main Entrance, big band arrangements of familiar Disney tunes get your day started off right. As you enter the park, the music transitions to popular songs from the 30s and 40s, also in the big band style that comes to a crescendo as you approach the Chinese Theater. Throughout the park, the music complements each area’s setting and timeframe perfectly. From brassy horns near Echo Lake and jazz at the BaseLine Tap House, to the sounds of live performances outside Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, it’s music to your ears!

Of course, music is just one part of your experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. There’s also the park’s unprecedented growth that features even more of what today’s Hollywood has to offer, whether it be in movies, music, television or theater.

In 2018, Disney is rolling out the red carpet for Guests to experience the first part of the park’s blockbuster expansion with Toy Story Land where Guests will step right into Andy’s backyard and play alongside his toys. And in 2019, another out of this galaxy land will come to life when Guests will play a starring role in their own story at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019.

To quote Walt again, “We don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things”.

January 11, 2018