More “Year of a Million Dreams” Details

November 14th, 2006

If you’re like me, you’d LOVE to sleep in Cinderella Castle!!  With the “Year of a Million Dreams”, that is just one dream of many that will come true for a lucky few at Walt Disney World.  There is a new article in the Orlando Sentinel that provides all sorts of delicious details about the brand new Royal Suite in Cinderella Castle that is pretty interesting, check it out here.

Attendance at WDW Up

November 10th, 2006

According to this Yahoo! article, attendance at WDW is up this quarter.  Here is a link to the complete article: 

Walt Disney 4Q, full-year earnings climb

Here is another article from the Orlando Sentinel about WDW’s increased attendance:

WDW Attendance Up

More Details about the Laugh Floor

November 8th, 2006

I received my monthly Disney Hello newsletter today (a monthly newsletter all about the theme parks) and it provided a lot more details about The Laugh Floor Comedy Club:

SOMETHING MONSTROUSLY FUNNY IS COMING

Mike Wazowski’s opening a comedy club at Magic Kingdom® Park-and you could be part of it!

At the end of Disney·Pixar’s Monsters, Inc., the citizens of Monstropolis discovered the wondrous power of human laughter. And at the new movie-inspired Monsters, Inc. The Laugh Floor Comedy Club, your laughter has the potential to light up the city. At least, that’s the theory of your monstrous old pal, Mike Wazowski.

“Mike had the bright idea that, instead of going from closet to closet getting laughs, why don’t they gather humans into their world in one place to get a bunch of laughs all at once?” explained Steven Spiegel, Director, Show Writing at Walt Disney Imagineering.

Enter a fantastic and funny world
“When you enter from Tomorrowland®, you’ll be invited to walk through a doorway to the monster world,” he continues. “Inside the comedy club, there are ‘laugh canisters’ to contain the power as the audience laughs. And as part of the audience, there’s a chance that you could be trading quips with one of Mike’s friends-monsters who are getting their big break in show biz.”

Some of the monsters are more experienced at comedy than others, so part of the fun is seeing if different sets of performers “hits the big time” each time you visit. Disney Imagineers have teamed with Pixar artists to create wacky new characters especially for the new attraction, and these mirthful monsters will be doing a variety of humor, from improv and one-liners to prop comedy and physical gags.

The audience is part of the fun
The one thing they will all have in common is the fun they’ll share with Guests like you throughout the laugh fest. And everyone will fall under the watchful gaze and wisecracking wit of Roz, who is there to make sure the whole thing meets her expectations.

Opening late January 2007, Walt Disney World® Resort Monsters, Inc. The Laugh Floor Comedy Club takes the “living animated character” technology that has made attractions like Turtle Talk With Crush, inspired by Disney·Pixar’s Finding Nemo, such beloved Disney Theme Park “must-sees.” The new attraction takes this magic further than even the Disney Imagineers believed could be possible.

“I love doing these attractions and having guests come up to me and say ‘How did you do that?’, especially in this day and age when so much is possible with home entertainment systems and computers,” Steve said. “It’s just wonderful to see the reactions-especially from the little kids because, like us, they believe in the magic anyway.

“They figure they should be able to talk to the characters. We’re just helping prove their point.”

Laugh Floor Comedy Club Opening in January 2007

November 7th, 2006

The WDW Official site is now reporting that the Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor Company will be opening in January 2007. 

“Help Mike Wazowski, your “Monster of Ceremonies,” and his wild and crazy pals power the city of Monstropolis — with laughter! Mike and his buddies have transformed the Laugh Floor at Monsters, Inc. into a comedy club for visiting humans. You won’t have the exact same experience twice as Mike invites his furry and funny friends to the digital stage to trade jokes with audience members like you. And don’t miss the wise-cracking Roz, who isn’t sure Mike is up to the task!”

The Laugh Floor will be taking the place of the Timekeeper in Tommorrowland at the Magic Kingdom.

“Finding Nemo - The Musical” AP Preview

November 2nd, 2006

From Disney’s Annual Passholder email:

“To celebrate the premiere of Finding Nemo—The Musical at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park, we’ve set aside each day’s first seating between Dec. 1–10 for valued Passholders like you!”

Please note that advance sign-up is required; you can sign-up online at the WDW Passholder site:

https://secure.disney.go.com/wdw/passholder/passholdersGate?id=PassholdersGatePage

No More Wand?

November 2nd, 2006

Guess what???  There are rumors that Disney engineers have been assigned to the Spaceship Earth wand in order to assess the best way of removing it in 2007.  Ooooh, I hope this rumor is true!  I much prefer the naked golfball to the wanded golfball :)

Everest

November 1st, 2006

Everest at Animal Kingdom

I recently experienced Everest for the very first time.  I’m a huge roller coaster fan, so naturally, I was excited to find out how Everest would measure up.  It’s definitely a unique coaster–the “backwards in pitch black at gazillion miles per hour” part of the ride is incredible!  I have to say, I’ve never experienced anything quite like that before on a coaster.  Also, the Yeti looks pretty darn neat, although your glimpse of him is rather quick.  My only complaint is that the ride photos remain on the screens for an incredibly short period of time–if you snooze, you definitely lose–so, be sure to hop out of your Everest car as quick as possible so you are sure to catch your ride photo before it is lost.

Be Careful on the Parking Lot Trams

October 31st, 2006

ORLANDO (AP) - A man riding a transportation tram at Walt Disney World was taken to the hospital Monday after receiving what officials are saying is a head injury.

Disney spokesman Jacob DiPietre says a stroller fell off the vehicle and the man injured his head while getting off the tram to retrieve it.

Authorities say rescuers found the man on the ground, bleeding from the head but said he was conscious and answering questions.

He was airlifted to the hospital as a precaution.

Disney Crocs

October 30th, 2006

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve noticed the super-ugly, but super-comfy shoes called Crocs.  More and more people love to tour the parks in their Crocs and now you can get special Disney Crocs!  I even have a pair now (THEY ARE AWESOME–get them NOW for your next WDW trip).  They are available in a variety of bright colors and feature Mickey head cut-outs along the top of the shoe.

Disney Crocs

You can order the special Disney Crocs at Shoebuy (easy returns):

Crocs Kids Disney Cayman (Children’s) - Red/Black

Crocs Disney Beach - Red/Black

Good Months to Visit Walt Disney World

October 28th, 2006

I’ve had the luxury of visiting Walt Disney World almost every month out of the year and there are definite pros and cons to each month.  Here are some of my favorite months to visit WDW, along with a detailed description of what to expect each and every month.

  • January - January is an extremely great time to visit WDW due to very low crowd levels.  However, the weather can be a bit chilly at times (average high: 71ºF, average low: 49ºF).  Avoid New Year’s Day and Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday weekend.
  • February - The beginning of February (typically, the first half of the month) is another fantastic time to visit the World.  It’s a tad bit warmer than January, but not much: the average high is 73ºF and the average low is 50ºF.  Crowds tend to pick up in the latter half of the month; avoid President’s Day weekend.
  • May - May typically has beautiful weather and relatively low crowds.  You’ll also get to enjoy the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot.  The average high is 88ºF and the average low is 66ºF.  The crowds pick up at the end of the month and you should definitely avoid Memorial Day weekend.
  • September - Even though the weather can be SUPER-HOT in September, the crowds are usually quite low, so it’s a give and take.  The average high is 90ºF and the average low is 73ºF.  I personally enjoy visiting the world in September, but I try to go as late in the month as possible.  Avoid Labor Day weekend. 
  • October - October used to be a truly fantastic time to visit the world, but it seems that the secret is out and crowds are picking up a little bit.  This might be due to the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot.  Additionally, the weather is beautiful at WDW this time of the year; the average high is 85ºF and the average low is 65ºF.  Even with the slightly elevated crowds, I still highly recommend October.  Avoid Columbus Day weekend.
  • November - Again, another great month to visit WDW!  You’ll still get to enjoy the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot and the weather is wonderful; the average high is 79ºF and the average low is 58ºF.  Avoid Thanksgiving week.
  • December - The beginning and middle of December is a wonderful time to visit WDW.  In addition to low crowds and cool (but usually not unbearably so) temperatures, you’ll also get to enjoy the beautiful Christmas decorations all around the World!  The average high is 73ºF and the average low is 51ºF.   Avoid Christmas and New Year’s Eve week AT ALL COSTS!

In my opinion, it’s best to avoid visiting Walt Disney World in March and April because of Spring Break/Easter crowds; and June, July, and August because of large summer crowds and HOT temps.  However, if you’re smart about your park touring, you can definitely still visit WDW during these months and have a great time.  If I had to choose, I would much rather deal with the Spring Break crowds than the summer crowds (what can I say, I don’t deal with crowds too well in extreme heat!).