Disney News

Experience a kaleidoscope of culinary experiences at this year’s Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival, taking place April 16 – May 31, 2010, at Disney’s California Adventure® Park and select locations across the Disneyland® Resort.

Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival includes experiences for anyone who appreciates the art of food, wine and beer. Chefs, winemakers and brewmasters will celebrate The Art of Flavor with entertaining culinary demonstrations, outstanding wine and spirits seminars, and delicious food, wine and beer. You can experience the talents of chefs Guy Fieri and Cat Cora of Food Network, along with Disney culinary masters and special guests, as they present their gastronomic talents in a full menu of complimentary demonstrations and signature paid events, such as winemaker dinners, Sweet Sundays, the Napa Rose Cooking School and Taste Food-Wine-Life – a night that celebrates the essence of the festival with a mosaic of food, wine and live entertainment.

This year, the Hollywood Pictures Backlot comes to life with artists, musicians and an international beer menu at the Brewers Collection. At the new Festival Showplace located in Stage 12, you can sample from a delicious tapas menu at the Taste of California Marketplace and relax at the new Hollywood & Wine Lounge.

Among the most popular events at the festival are live culinary demonstrations and autograph sessions with popular celebrity chefs. Along with Guy Fieri and Cat Cora, those scheduled to appear include Robert Irvine, Jeffrey Saad and Kerry Simon.

Hundreds of complimentary experiences and cooking demonstrations will entertain you during the 46-day festival, many featuring the talents of Disneyland Resort chefs. Enjoy seminars that feature outstanding wine, spirits and beer.

At the spectacular ticketed events, food and wine aficionados will collect cooking tips from chefs, mingle with noted winemakers and celebrate the palette of flavors presented by culinary masters.

Also new this year is a Brewmaster Dinner on May 7, 2010. The ingredients for this memorable evening include savory seasonal fare artfully paired with handcrafted Karl Strauss beers.

Events returning for 2010 include the gala Taste Food-Wine-Life and other popular experiences:

• Taste Food-Wine-Life: This fun, high-energy evening combines the best elements of the Food & Wine Festival into one grand celebration on May 29, 2010. The immersive party will have live entertainment, an outstanding selection of wines and colorful décor. Guests will stroll from station to station sampling delectable food dishes created by the chefs of theDisneyland Resort.
• Sweet Sundays: The sweetest of all events features a light buffet breakfast and sparkling toast at the new Festival Showplace in Disney’s California Adventure Park. Guests will see demonstrations and taste signature desserts created by acclaimed pastry chefs, including Richard Ruskell of Montage Beverly Hills.
• Winemaker Dinners: Disneyland Resort chefs partner with premier California winemakers to prepare outstanding culinary delights at exclusive Winemaker Dinners on selected Friday nights. Each festival meal is paired with award-winning vintages and served at Steakhouse 55, inside theDisneyland Hotel.
• Napa Rose Cooking School: Disney Executive Chef Andrew Sutton will once again lead this hands-on course that sells out quickly. Each class will create and enjoy a four-course meal, expertly paired with wines, and each class member will go home with a white chef’s coat embroidered with the festival logo. This rare opportunity takes place in the show kitchen of the renowned Napa Rose restaurant at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa. Guests must be at least 18 years old.
• Introduction to Wine Tasting: In this entertaining class, Advanced Sommelier Joy Cushing introduces Guests to the joys of wine tasting. Guests will learn about wine regions, varietals, growing and harvesting techniques and then test their skills with a blind tasting.

*Some events, including culinary demonstrations, are included with admission toDisney’s California Adventure Park. Signature events are separately ticketed and require reservations; these events may require Theme Park admission.

Adding to its impressive list of cruise industry firsts, Disney Cruise Line® is combining technology-infused innovations with Disney imagination to create a whole new level of magical experiences for families sailing on the Disney Dream™.

Throughout their cruise vacation, Guests will encounter unexpected magic – such as a restaurant that transports you under the sea, artwork that magically comes to life and youth clubs filled with immersive gaming environments and personalized character encounters.

New experiences planned for the Disney Dream include:

Animator’s Palate
Disney Cruise Line is re-imagining a fan favorite from its classic ships. Animator’s Palate restaurant will resemble a classic animation studio filled with character sketches, animation maquettes, paint brushes, colored pencils and other tools of the animation trade, while scenes and characters from popular Disney•Pixar films adorn the walls.

Once dinner service begins, the dining room begins a magical transformation as scores of wall-mounted LCD screens switch to scenes of a vivid undersea environment. It’s as if the restaurant was transported to the ocean floor and the LCD screens are windows, providing incredible views of a colorful coral reef and creatures that reside on the reef.

While dining, Crush (the surfer-dude sea turtle from Disney•Pixar’s “Finding Nemo”) makes a special appearance, swimming around the restaurant and engaging in live impromptu interactions with Guests. Crush will ask about their experience onboard the ship and in turn answer questions about life under the sea. While Crush is moving throughout the restaurant, other characters from “Finding Nemo,” such as Nemo, Dory, Squirt and Bruce the shark, swim by and visit with Guests.

Interactive Play-floor
For young cruisers, Disney’s Oceaneer Club and Disney’s Oceaneer Lab will feature an interactive play-floor, a cruise industry first that blends the latest in gaming technology with Disney’s panache for storytelling.

Located in the main gathering space in both venues, the interactive play-floor allows children to engage in team play exercises where their movements control the action on the interactive floor. For example, one activity has children scrambling around the perimeter of the interactive play-floor with their movements controlling the pitch of a virtual tilt maze.

On the interactive play-floor, children will be able to explore a wide variety of gaming options with varying levels of difficulty. Disney Cruise Line youth counselors will use the interactive play-floor during storytelling activities where children will be able to fly over the streets of London with Peter Pan or ride the ocean waves with Crush.

Living Characters
Also in Disney’s Oceaneer Club andDisney’s Oceaneer Lab youth areas, Disney Characters come to life and interact with children in one-of-a-kind experiences. On a 103-inch screen, Crush, the animated sea turtle from the Disney•Pixar motion picture “Finding Nemo,” or the mischievous animated alien Stitch make scheduled appearances to chat, play and joke with kids in live, unrehearsed conversations.

Sometimes using silly props from their digital environments, Crush and Stitch amaze and entertain children during real-time, personalized appearances. These magical experiences with Crush and Stitch continue Disney’s legacy of bringing characters to life in new and incredible ways.

Enchanted Art
Throughout the Disney Dream, Guests will encounter Enchanted Art that immerses them in Disney storytelling in a completely new way. Appearing as traditional framed art, Enchanted Art magically comes alive when your Clients pause to admire the artwork.

In addition, Enchanted Art will be used as part of a one-of-a-kind detective-themed adventure where Guests of all ages can join a ship-wide quest to find either stolen artwork or missing puppies. By using a simple card that serves as a high-tech detective device, Guests can peer behind virtual canvases and discover clues that will lead them to solve the mystery and capture the villain responsible. A self-paced adventure, the game offers six potential villains and features randomized events so each time Guests play, they will encounter a different and unique gaming experience.

Virtual Porthole
The Disney Dream carries on the spirit of innovation with a cruise-industry first for all inside staterooms. Virtual Portholes will offer a “window” to the world with a real-time view outside the ship. High-definition cameras placed on the exterior of the ship feed live video to each Virtual Porthole. The live video feed corresponds to the stateroom location – with a view to port, starboard, forward or aft.

As Guests are observing the outside views, they may glimpse a magical surprise: animated characters may pop by the Virtual Porthole. Characters may include Peach the starfish from the Disney•Pixar film “Finding Nemo,” the flying balloon house from “UP” or even Mickey Mouse.

Holidays at the Walt Disney World® Resort are always special, and Easter is no exception!  Although is Easter is typically one of the busiest times of the year, you can still have a wonderful time and enjoy all of the special Easter touches.

On Easter Sunday, you will want to arrive at the Magic Kingdom® Park for Park opening. Dozens of Southern belles in pastel frilly dresses linger outside the entrance and in Town Square. Later, these belles join the Easter Bunny for a special Easter parade.  Don’t forget to stop by and meet Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny in the Tour Guide Garden.  They appear intermittently from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. all this week until Sunday, April 4.  Also, on Sunday, April 4, there will be a 3 p.m. parade that’ll feature an Easter theme with the Easter Bunny, Daisy and other entertainers.

And at Epcot® on April 4, there will be Easter egg hunts for children ages 3 to 9 every 20 minutes from 10 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. at Heritage Garden at the American Adventure Pavilion. There will also be Easter egg relays for children ages 6 – 12 at Future World West Garden ever 40 minutes from 10:40 a.m. to 4:40 p.m.  While in Epcot®, be sure to check out some of the beautiful topiaries and exhibits for the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival.

Question:

We have reservations for the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue while we are at the Walt Disney World® Resort. What is the easiest way to get there?

Answer:

This is a great question!  The easiest way to get there is by boat. Take a bus/monorail to the Magic Kingdom® Park’s front gates and then look for the boat launch for Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. Once getting off the boat at Disney’s Fort Wilderness, it is a short walk to Pioneer Hall – the home of the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. My suggestion is to allow at least 60 – 90 minutes for total transfer time.

If you are coming from either Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ or Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park, you can take the bus directly to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. Once at the resort, you will have to transfer to an internal shuttle to get to North end of the grounds.

The Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue is a personal favorite. Enjoy the show!

Kip Dennis, Navigator

Mediterranean cruises starting from $999*
Great rates are still available per person based on double occupancy.
For 10 or 11 night Mediterranean sailings on August 28 and September 8, 2010.

Come explore favorite ports in Europe and venture to incredible places. Combine this with the outstanding personal service, enchanting experiences and unmatched entertainment that is distinctive to Disney Cruise Line®.

*Rates are in US dollars, per person, based on double occupancy and valid for a standard inside stateroom Category 12. Government Taxes and Fees and Port Adventures not included. This special offer applies to new bookings only and is non-transferable. Rates, dates and availability are subject to change without notice. Other restrictions may apply. See Disney Cruise Line website for applicable Terms and Conditions.
Ships’ Registry: The Bahamas