On its way to the California Science Center in Los Angeles, the Space Shuttle Endeavour made a special pass over the Walt Disney World® Resort on Wednesday. Walt Disney World’s® talented videographers were there to capture the historic experience.
Upon reaching its final destination, Endeavour will retire and serve as a piece of history of NASA’s 30 years of discovery!
We are just a little over a week away from a major milestone in Walt Disney World® Resort history.
On October 1st, Epcot® will celebrate its 30th anniversary. Originally called “EPCOT Center,” the park is inspired by Walt Disney’s vision to create an Utopian city of the future – an Experiemental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow! Since opening, the park, consisting of Future World and World Showcase, has often been referred to as a permanent World’s Fair.
Guests visiting the park on October 1st, 2012, will enjoy the following special offerings which are included with regular park admission:
Special merchandise will be available for purchase as well. Here is a look at some of the merchandise that will be available.
To many of us, Walt Disney World® Resort transports us to ‘another time and place’ in our lives. I have often found myself walking through Magic Kingdom® Park reliving memories from my childhood as I walk down the nearly unchanged Main Street, U.S.A.® Area with the picturesque Cinderella’s Castle centered in the sky at the end of the street.
Sometimes, it isn’t even past trips that are called to the forefront of my memory, it may just be recalling the joy of family and friends…or losing myself in the creativity of youthful years gone by. Whatever it is, Walt Disney World® Resort is a place for both memories to be relived and dreams to be created.
On Main Street, U.S.A.® Area in Magic Kingdom® Park there is an often overlooked storefront that really does transport you back to simpler times, where the chatter of news and gossip fills the air, in a throw-back barber shop that embodies small town U.S.A.
At the Harmony Barber Shop inside Magic Kingdom® Park you can slip into chair for a haircut as you enjoy the atmosphere, and banter, of a traditional barber shop. Behind the signature candy-striped pole on the outside sits a bustling shop full of activity and excitement.
Serving around 400 customers a week, one of Harmony Barber Shop’s specialties is ‘first-haircuts’! Young visitors who are having their ‘first-haircut’ ever are treated to some extra special surprises including Mickey Mouse stickers, bubbles, “My 1st Haircut” Mouse Ears, special ‘pixie dust’ and a certificate!
As an added treat, the Dapper Dan barbershop quartet visits the shop daily…singing and entertaining guests with their spot-on melodies and funny antics.
There are plenty of antiques to check out inside the shop too, including a cash register from 1912 that the barbers still use to ring up their sales!
Located near the Emporium gift shop, Harmony Barber Shop accepts appointments at least one day in advance from Walt Disney World® Resort guests and welcomes walk-ups without reservations on a daily, first-come, first-served basis! Haircuts range from $15 to $19…and don’t miss the popular colored hair gel that will help you stand out for the day!
Contact your Magic Maker® today for more information about making a reservation at Harmony Barber Shop on your next visit to Walt Disney World® Resort!
Avast ye matey! It’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day! While we know nothing about talking like a pirate, we do know something about sleeping like a pirate!
Guests who have been swashbuckling all day at the Parks of the Walt Disney World® Resort and the Disneyland® Resort can rest their tired legs in the finest of pirate accommodations. In Florida, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort features 384 Pirate rooms with pirate ship beds and buccaneer accessories and décor. These rooms are filled with fun and details from stem to stern— buccaneers and empresses of all ages will fall in love! In California, the Disneyland® Hotel celebrates the suite life of a pirate inside the Pirates of the Caribbean Suites. These elegant suites are an amazing mix of modern conveniences with fun décor and furnishings.
Ask your Magic Maker® about how you can drop anchor in one of these Pirate rooms on your next Disney Vacation!
Walt Disney World® Resort recently announced that beer and wine will be included on the dinner menu when the Be Our Guest Restaurant opens on November 19th.
“As part of the overall theming, we wanted to offer wine that enhances the guest experience and complements the French-inspired cuisine. The wines focus primarily on France’s famous wine-growing regions, including Champagne, Alsace, Loire, Rhone, Burgundy and Bordeaux.” – Stuart McGuire, Beverage Director, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
The restaurant will also offer the leading French beer, Kronenbourg 1664, and various Belgian beers from that same themed area.
Longtime Disney Chef Roland Muller, a native of Alsace, France, has lead a team of Walt Disney World® Resort’s Culinary Cast Members in creating the lunch and dinner menus for the restaurant. After more than three years of work, they are sure that guests will be happy with the selection. See a full listing of menu options here.
Enjoy this preview of some of the dishes you can expect from Be Our Guest Restaurant when it opens in just a few short months!
This morning, the 4th and final phase of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort opened at Walt Disney World® Resort!
The Little Mermaid wing consists of 864 standard hotel rooms themed after one of the most celebrated animated films of all time. Guests stay “under the sea” inside their rooms with decor inspired by the film. Outside in the courtyards and by the Flippin’ Fins pool, that theming continues with many of the movie’s characters.
Enjoy this photo tour of The Little Mermaid wing:
For most of us, the school year is now in full swing again. Summer vacations have been replaced by desks and educators. Flip flops and swim suits have been traded for school clothes and lunch boxes. As memories of our recent summer vacations slip further away, the next hopeful vacation dangles like a carrot in front of us, pulling us towards the next school break.
To Walt Disney World® Resort lovers, that next school break can feel like an eternity away.
That is why many of us don’t make it. We find the changing seasons and relatively lower crowds pulling us towards Walt Disney World® Resort earlier, via long weekends and family getaways that may pull our children (or grandchildren) out of school for a few days to ‘get our fix’! The good news is, even if your child may be missing a few days of school, Walt Disney World® Resort offers some fantastic learning opportunities throughout their four Orlando parks!
From pre-school to high school and from homeschoolers to college students, you will find several fantastic learning experiences at Walt Disney World® Resort that will truly engage learners both young and old alike! Here are some of our favorites…
The Hall of Presidents in Magic Kingdom® Park is a unique Audio-Animatronics® journey through American history as you get to ‘meet’ all 43 U.S. presidents on one stage! The Hall of Presidents includes speeches by Presidents Washington an Obama, and is flowing with history and patriotism.
On Magic Kingdom® Park’s Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress you will take a journey through time meeting with the same family in their home at different points in history. From pre-electricity to modern technology and conveniences, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress is a fun look at the advancement of our society!
Another attraction for the history buffs is Epcot’s® Spaceship Earth. From the beginning of recorded time to the modern 21st century, Spaceship Earth is a narrated journey through time and space. Set to music with stirring narrations, your omnimover vehicle will transport you from generation to generation…giving you glimpses into the advancements of the human race.
Walt Disney World® Resort isn’t just history though! In Epcot’s® Innoventions® Entertainment Facility young scientists can get ‘hands on’ while exploring countless current innovations. Students will quickly see that with imagination the sky is the limit in Innoventions® Entertainment Facility! From designing their own thrill rides to product safety and financial planning, there is literally something for everyone to see, do, learn and enjoy!
Walt Disney World® Resort has its share of biology too! In fact, Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park is one non-stop, interactive animal experience! From Rafiki’s Planet Watch® Land to Kid’s Discovery Club, and everything in between, Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park is a packed full of learning and experiences with countless teaching moments centered around our ecosystem and the animals that inhabit it!
All of this is just the ‘tip of the iceberg’ of learning experiences available at Walt Disney World® Resort…with too many attractions to mention in just one place! From the geographical exploration of Epcot’s® World Showcase Pavilions to bringing out the art student in all of us at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ at The Magic of Disney Animation, Walt Disney World® Resort combines learning and fun like no other family destination can!
So we won’t tell if you sneak your children away for a quick get-away this school year, just be sure to help them learn something new along the way!
The 17th annual Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival is just a little over 2 weeks away! From Sep. 28-Nov. 12, 2012, Walt Disney World® Resort guests can taste their way around the world as they take part in what the Travel Channel has called one of the Best Food and Wine Festivals! More Details
Walt Disney World® Resort has released three commercials for the upcoming Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival that contain a bit of character! Enjoy, and let us know which one is your favorite in the comments section below!
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party kicks off tonight at the Magic Kingdom® Park and Mickey’s Halloween Party will begin at Disneyland® Park on September 28th. Halloween will be here before you know it!
To celebrate this spookiest of holidays, guests will be see some very creative merchandise available for purchase this year in merchandise locations resort-wide. Here is a look at some of the spooky souvenirs available this year.
Summer vacation is over and the Magic Kingdom® Park is decorated for autumn. And starting tomorrow, Mickey will make it officially by hosting his first Not-So-Scary Halloween Party of the season!
“Lots of delight and not so much fright” is the perfect recipe for this family-friendly, after-hours party hosted annually at the Magic Kingdom® Park. Party guest will enjoy trick-or-treating, meet and greets with Disney characters donning Halloween costumes, and various entertainment that can only be seen at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
This year’s exclusive entertainment includes:
