Disney Parks, Resorts, & Entertainment

Disney’s D23 Expo 2011: A Primer for All You Need To Know

15 August 2011 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

I’ve been so busy lately with projects that I haven’t even had a chance to share the news that I’ll be attending the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California this week! (So if you’ll be there too, be sure to stop and say hello!) It is not only my first trip to Disneyland, but my first trip further west than Chicago and my first plane trip since 1997 (crazy, I know!). So I am, in a word, overwhelmed! I figured if I was overwhelmed, there were probably lots of other people wondering “What exactly IS this ‘D23 Expo?’” and even those attending might be a little confused by all the events, presentations and more. To help, I’ve enlisted Carrie Hayward, who I had the pleasure of meeting this year at the Disney Social Media Moms event. Carrie is not only the most famous Disney bride I know, she’s also an amazing writer. She attended last year’s Expo, so I knew she’d have all the ins and outs to help us newbies out. I’m honored to have her as a guest author here on ZannaLand. Without further ado, here’s Carrie —

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Billed as “The Ultimate Fan Event,” D23 Expo 2011 takes over the Anaheim Convention Center Aug. 19-21. Falling somewhere between the chaos of Comic Con and the intimacy of the All Disneyana Show & Sale, this official event is a chance for Disney to connect with fans and showcase the new and forthcoming products in all its business lines, from film, television, and radio to theme parks and consumer products. Whether you were at the inaugural D23 Expo in 2009 or this will be your first time, here is an overview of everything you need to know about D23 Expo 2011.

D23 Expo Show Floor

Located in Halls A, B and part of C, the D23 Expo Show Floor is where you’ll go to see Imagineering’s handiwork in the Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Pavilion, track down rare items in the Collectors’ Forum, purchase official Expo merchandise in the Dream Store, and visit the booths and exhibits of Disney’s various business lines. The show floor is open from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm daily, with a one-hour head start for D23 members beginning at 9:00 am.

Welcome Center
In addition to acting as an information booth and membership desk, the Welcome Center will host meet-and-greets with artists, authors, actors, filmmakers, and Disney celebrities including Don Hahn, Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry, Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence, and Dave Smith. Note that these take place in the Talent Round-up area across the aisle, not inside the Welcome Center itself.

Disney Consumer Products’ Disney Living Pavilion
This is where you’ll find a showcase of the latest Disney merchandise, appearances by celebrity designers and artists, story time with Disney Publishing, and a performance by American Idol‘s Constantine Maroulis and Rock Star Mickey. This massive pavilion, which spans the lower quarter of Hall A, also houses “pop-up” locations of the Disney Store and A Small World Village (more information on these in the Shopping section, below). Additionally, there will be toy demos, mini-beauty treatments at the Disney Beauty Lounge, and party ideas at the Disney Celebrations exhibit.

Disney Channel & Radio Disney Pavilion
You’ll hear this pavilion before you see it because it’s the site of a nonstop series of dance parties, concerts by Radio Disney favorites, appearances by Disney Channel stars, and meet-and-greets with Disney characters. This is also the place for “Perry-Oke” sing-alongs at the Phineas & Ferb Platy-Bus.

Disney Interactive Media Group
Check out the latest Disney videogames and meet Epic Mickey game designer Warren Spector on Friday and Saturday afternoon.

Walt Disney Studios In-Home Entertainment
This is the place to see Blu-ray 3D in action and learn about movie-viewing on mobile devices.

Inside Tides – Pirates of the Caribbean Film Prop Collection
Located next to the Walt Disney Animation Studios booth, this collection of props and costumes from the fourth film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise offers the rare opportunity to actually photograph items from the Walt Disney Archives.

Disney Corporate Citizenship
The hub for Disney’s charity and environmental initiatives offers the opportunity to volunteer just a few minutes of your time at the Expo to make a big difference in the community.

Disney Corporate Citizenship booth in 2009

Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Carousel of Projects Pavilion
Probably the most entertaining area of the show floor, this pavilion spotlights the work of Walt Disney Imagineering at the parks around the world. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the work on Disney California Adventure’s Cars Land and the Fantasyland expansion in the Magic Kingdom and have a chance to talk to real-live Imagineers about the projects they’ve worked on. There will also be exhibits on the inner workings of Audio-Animatronics, and last time there were meet-and-greets with advanced AA figures Wall-E and Lucky the Dinosaur. Elsewhere in the pavilion, you’ll find displays by Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club and Adventures By Disney.

Radiator Springs model and Lightning McQueen Audio-Animatronic at D23 Expo 2009

Collectors Forum
This area serves as a catchall for independent vendors of Disney art and collectibles, fan sites and message boards, and Disney travel agents. It’s also the place to meet Disney celebrities like Bill Farmer (Goofy), Paige O’Hara (Belle), Margaret Kerry (Tinker Bell), and Susan Egan (Megara, Belle on Broadway) at the Disneyana Fan Club booth. An outlet of the United States Postal Service will be handy for those who’ve gone on a D23 Expo shopping spree.

Disney Desk – Park Ticket Sales Center
Disney will be selling Expo attendees discounted “Twilight” tickets to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure that are good after 4:00 pm or 4 hours before the park closes, whichever comes first. Rates are $55 for a 1-day, 1-park Twilight ticket (vs. $80 for a full day) or $70 for a 1-day Twilight Park Hopper (vs. $105 for a full day). A full-day Park Hopper can be purchased at $8 off the regular adult or child price. Disney will also sell multiday Park Hoppers for $25 off the 3-day price, $30 off the 4-day price, or $35 off the 5-day price for adults and children.

D23 Arena

The 4,000-seat arena hosts all the major Expo events, from the Disney Legends Ceremony and 3-D screening of The Lion King to the presentations by Walt Disney Studios and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. The Studios presentation is the one to hit for celebrity sightings, with Jason Segel, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, Willem Dafoe, Kelly Macdonald, Jennifer Garner, Sarah Silverman, and cast members from Marvel’s The Avengers on tap at press time. Fans of the Disney princesses will want to check out Friday morning’s 2011 Disney Legends Awards Ceremony, which honors the women who provided voices for Ariel, Belle, Jasmine and Tiana. The Walt Disney Parks & Resorts presentation will provide a look at upcoming projects at Disney parks around the world, although last time the promised surprises were the same information that had been floating around the Internet for weeks or months already.

Walt Disney Parks & Resorts presentation in 2009

You only need to wait in the ginormous arena queue if you absolutely have to get a seat in the first few rows. Also, attendees will be required to turn over their cell phones, cameras, and other recording devices on the way in to the Walt Disney Studios presentation. This creates long lines before and after the event; allow extra time or find another place to stash these devices so that you can skip the check-in lines.

Second Floor

You’ll need to travel upstairs to see the various seminars, panels, and events with Disney celebrities, plus the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives. For a complete schedule, click HERE to download the official D23 Expo 2011 Guide Book.

Stage 28
The majority of the historical and Imagineering seminars at D23 Expo 11 will take place inside Stage 28. These are the kinds of presentations found at D23’s Destination D events at Disneyland and Walt Disney World: in-depth examinations of the development of parks and attractions, plus interviews with the people who were there. Stage 28 was frequently packed to capacity at D23 Expo 2009, so be sure to get in line early.

Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives
Located in the middle of the second floor is the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit. This year’s will be twice as big as it was at the inaugural D23 Expo, packing in 12,000 square feet of costumes, props, artifacts, photos, and memorabilia from Disney films, TV shows, theatrical productions, and Walt Disney himself. Also inside the exhibit this year is the D23 Fan Art Gallery, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of the movie 101 Dalmatians. (Shameless plug: My husband created the winning art piece, Tiki de Vil!) Note that photography and videography are prohibited inside the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives.

Outside the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit in 2009

D23 Expo Live Auction Preview Room
If you don’t want to pay $45 for a ticket to the D23 Expo Live Auction on Saturday night, you can preview the lots on the second floor of the convention center. Up for live auction are original attraction vehicles, props, art pieces, tours, and experiences—a complete list can be found at HERE. To see a few of the silent auction lots, click HERE.

Kevin Kidney & Jody Daily's Hatbox Ghost for the D23 Expo 2009 Live Auction

Third Floor

There’s only one venue on the third floor of the convention center, and that’s…

Stage 23
Not to be confused with Stage 28, this theater hosts mostly screenings and events for the first two days of the Expo, including the Pixar shorts collection, the Dick Van Dyke & The Vantastix concert, the Ultimate Disney Trivia Tournament and the D23 Expo Live Auction. On Sunday it becomes home to the kinds of theme park history and Imagineering seminars found on Stage 28, like “Imagineering Cars Land” and “The Making of Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.” Although it can hold 1,500 people, Stage 28 (then known as Walt Disney Studios Theater) was often packed to capacity in 2009, so get in line early for hot-ticket presentations featuring popular names.

Shopping

Disney provides numerous “shopportunites” at the expo, including plenty of limited-edition and exclusive merchandise.

D23 Expo 2011 Dream Store
This is the place for limited-edition Expo merchandise, theme park products, jewelry, ACME art, and autograph sessions. Each day will see the release of items themed to a specific Disney classic: 101 Dalmatians on Friday, Dumbo on Saturday, and Alice in Wonderland on Sunday. Last time, Disney handed out tickets to those in the pre-opening line that allowed them to return at any time that day to pick up the limited-edition items they wanted. While certain products remained available throughout the Expo, others sold out to those at the front of the line, so be sure to get there early if these are important to you. A partial list of D23 Expo merchandise can be found HERE.

Mickey’s of Glendale
Although it has been a fixture at the Disneyana Fan Club’s All Disneyana Show & Sale for a few years, Mickey’s of Glendale makes its D23 Expo debut in 2011. This satellite location of the employee store at Walt Disney Imagineering will be inside the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Carousel of Projects pavilion selling WDI-exclusive apparel, accessories, pins, and art, plus merchandise inspired by the projects on display in the pavilion. Pin collectors, take note: There will be several limited-edition D23 Expo pins sold only at Mickey’s of Glendale. Also, they usually have a few bins of $4 and $5 WDI pins that make great traders.

Disney Store
The Disney Living Pavilion is the site of a 1,500-square-foot pop-up Disney Store, which will kick off its 25th anniversary celebration with a D23 members-only presentation at 9:00 am on August 19. The first 25 people in line will receive a commemorative pin. Additional members-only opening ceremonies will be held at the same time on Saturday and Sunday. Note that only 500 of the Disney Store 25th anniversary Vinylmation figures will be sold at the Expo, but 2,000 more will be available to D23 members online.

There were plenty of limited-edition Vinylmation figures left on the last day of D23 Expo 2009

Walt Disney Archives Treasure Trove
Adjacent to the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit is the Walt Disney Archives Treasure Trove, which will sell reproductions of and pieces inspired by items in the archives, limited-edition merchandise from the 40th anniversary of Walt Disney World and 20th anniversary of The Rocketeer, and assorted other leftovers from previous D23 events.

A Small World Village
This pop-up shop features apparel and accessories for children, toddlers, and babies inspired by Mary Blair’s concept art for the “it’s a small world” attraction. Sponsor Nordstrom will also offer Basq NYC skincare for new moms and TOMS shoes for kids.

Dining

All concessions are handled by Aramark, whose food you may recognize from arenas, convention centers, and stadiums across the country. If you have special dietary requirements or are just a fan of fresh food, you may want to explore the options right outside the convention center in an area known as CenterWalk.

A complete list of dining locations and menu items can be found in my article “Dining Options at the 2011 D23 Expo” on The Disney Food Blog.

Touring Tips

It’s a Disney convention, but it’s still a convention. Disney may have reinvented the amusement park business, but its approach to conventions is strictly by the book. Expect many of the less-than-thrilling aspects of a theme park visit (lots of walking, long lines, overpriced food) combined with familiar convention touchstones like counter-programmed seminars, bad fluorescent lighting, and huge corporate booths shilling the latest and greatest products.

It may feel crowded. In 2009, D23 Expo drew almost 40,000 people over four days. This year, they’re expecting 45,000 people over three days. This may be especially noticeable at the two counter-service restaurants around lunchtime, so you might want to eat at off hours.

Expect to wait in line. Unfortunately, Disney’s FASTPASS does not extend to D23 Expo. Lines form hours in advance for popular seminars (especially the ones featuring Imagineers), the sale of limited-edition merchandise, and presentations in the arena.

Know when to get in line. Although D23 Expo officially opens to D23 members at 9:00 am (10:00 am for the general public), Disney is expecting lines to begin forming out front by 5:00 am. These will mostly be people waiting to line up for merchandise vouchers from the Dream Store and those who want floor seats in the arena. The first group will be ushered into the lobby at 6:45 am, with the rest entering by 7:00 am. At 8:00 am lines will be divided into one for the store and one for the arena, and at 8:30 am the latter will be allowed into the arena. There is no need to wait in either line if you’re not interested in limited-edition merchandise or don’t care where you sit in the Arena.

You can’t see it all. D23 head Steven Clark has said that the Expo is scheduled so that fans will feel like there’s too much good stuff to see and do. This means that popular presentations are often counter-programmed so that it is impossible to see them all. Be prepared to make tough decisions between certain panels and presentations, especially those that require a long wait in line.

See you at the Expo!

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Carrie is the author of PassPorter’s Disney Weddings & Honeymoons, a guidebook and bridal organizer for weddings and honeymoons at Walt Disney World and on the Disney Cruise Line. You can read her account of the inaugural D23 Expo in D23 Expo The “All-Lines, No-Rides” Disney Experience! and follow her adventures at D23 Expo 2011 as @lurkyloo on Twitter.

VIDEO: Epcot in Under 10 Minutes and over 5000 Photos

8 August 2011 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

One of my fabulous friends shared this link with me and I was mesmerized for the entire video. It’s simply brilliant! Click play and enjoy. I would love to have the patience and skill to do something like this, what about you? Be sure to visit its creator at DiscoverEpcot.com.

Walt’s Diner – Amazing Fan Art Homage to Disney and Edward Hopper

6 August 2011 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

My friend and fellow Disney fan sent me this image and I knew I had to share it here. I love coming across incredible fan-art like this which shows the effect Mr. Disney has had on people far and wide, decades after his passing.

Edward Hopper Disney tribute — Fashioned after Edward Hopper's famous "Nighthawks" painting

I’d love to see this done with other non-Princess characters too, say some of the original animators or Imagineers? Endless possibilities. Head over to this talented fan’s flickr page to see more of his work. He’s done some super fun things with Photoshop and park characters. Enjoy!

Electrifying Secret Mickey Surprise at Walt Disney World’s Town Square Theater

4 August 2011 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

Mickey the Magnificent poster — Here is the Mickey the Magnificent print on the wall

I posted previously about the opening of the Town Square Theater at the Magic Kingdom – the new meet and greet location for Mickey & Minnie, and the Disney Princesses but I had not been actually been inside yet. A few weeks ago, a friend let us in on a little secret that I hadn’t heard about yet, so I had to go check it out.

As you enter Mickey and Minnie’s dressing room, the small waiting area is lined with a chalkboard listing upcoming ‘rehearsals’ and a poster about “Mickey the Magnificent” unleashing the power of electricity. On the next wall is a larger cut-out of the same design. Since you are normally excited about the main event within the room, Mickey and Minnie, you may not have stopped to take a photo in front of this display. Next time you are there, pause and take a flash photo to see what you can see. If you’d like to see now, keep reading!

As always, click to enlarge the photos.

Mickey the Magnificent x-ray — Ooh, what's this?

Mickey the Magnificent flash electricity — Electrifying!

To view Mickey’s x-ray, simply take a flash photo in front of this display. It seems to be some sort of phosphorescent paint, and to get the best possible photo of the effect, make sure you stand directly in front of the cut-out and make sure you have a strong flash when you take your photo.

To see more details from the Town Square Theater Meet & Greet rooms – head to my flickr set!

Limited Edition Steampunk Vinylmation Set

2 August 2011 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

I am a huge fan of the Steampunk genre and as such was thrilled to hear that a Steampunk Vinylmation – “Steam Park” set was coming out. It arrived on July 22 and while in D-Street at Downtown Disney last week, I was able to see this set in person. At $100 for the Limited Edition set of 6, it is definitely for serious collectors. Here’s what the 6 Vinylmation look like inside the themed box:

Fun Mickey and Minnie Ponchos for Kids

1 August 2011 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

I know these have been out for a little while at the Disney Parks but I thought they were cute enough to share for people that may not have seen them. Definitely a cute alternative to the generic clear plastic ponchos and usable back home too.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse ponchos — Here you can see what the ponchos look like opened up

NEW! Tokidoki Meets Marvel T-Shirts at Walt Disney World

30 July 2011 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

While visiting Downtown Disney’s West Side last night, of course I had to stop in to D-Street, my favorite spot for fun merchandise. I was so excited when I spotted these new shirts from Tokidoki, featuring Marvel characters. I love Tokidoki, the Japanese inspired brand from Italian designer Simone Legno and his partners and have been known to covet their branded items from Sephora. I couldn’t think of a cuter collaboration to expand the Marvel line to those who may not otherwise be interested. For instance, my almost-11-year-old daughter instantly wanted the Incredible Hulk shirt and she has pretty much no interest in comic book characters. I may have to pick one or two up myself! Check them out below: (click to enlarge)

Tokidoki Marvel Captain America — Captain America

Tokidoki Marvel Incredible Hulk — This is the Incredible Hulk shirt my daughter wanted. He's so cute with Cactus Pup!

Tokidoki Marvel Iron Man — Captain Coco and Coco Bella hang around with Iron Man. Can't stand the cute!

Tokidoki Marvel Wolverine — Ciao Ciao finds out Wolverine comes in handy at a cookout!

Each shirt is $28. I hope this is the first of many new designs we see. {There are actually quite a few on sale at Tokidoki‘s site!} Which is your favorite?

Kingdom Keepers “Mary Poppins Lounge” at Disney Revealed-The Carousel Room

26 July 2011 by Suzannah Otis 10 Comments

Last year at this time, I was able to visit the VIP lounge at the former Wonders of Life pavilion in Epcot’s Future World. The pavilion has been closed for quite some time now but functions as a special event space for things like the International Flower and Garden Festival and International Food & Wine Festival, along with wedding receptions held in the VIP lounge. The Tables in Wonderland program has held a preview for the Food & Wine Festival for the last two years and I was lucky enough to attend both events for the Disney Food Blog. (As always, click to enlarge photos)

Wonders Lounge red doors — What lies beyond the red doors???

While I shared photos of the Wonders Lounge and circus-themed restroom here on the blog, I wondered all night long what lay behind the two red doors in the main lounge area. The original lounge was entirely circus themed, but the main area has since been repainted in more muted tones, with the exception of some bold color choices like the bright red doors. In speaking to cast member friends, I was informed that there definitely was something behind those doors…but never told what. I put it from my mind, thinking I’d probably never get the chance to solve this mystery first-hand. Then suddenly, it was July again and the Tables in Wonderland preview gave me hope that maybe I’d get to find out.

I tweeted that I was so excited to be in the Wonders Lounge again since it was my favorite of the VIP lounges I’d seen so far. A back and forth on twitter brought up the question of whether I liked it even more than the lounge at the Seas and I said that yes, while the Seas was a very close second, I just loved the (clown-free) circus theme up here. It was then that I discovered that the space behind the red doors was actually called the Carousel Room. I wondered if I could try to sneak a peek but thought I’d probably chicken out (I am shy in-person after all!). I was encouraged to just ask a cast member, since I was up there I had to see it. I agreed that it was silly to sit by and not try to get in to see it. So we asked, and a very nice cast member said yes. She said the couches and chairs that were usually out in the lounge area were stuffed in the room, so if we waited till the event had cleared out a bit, they would move them out so we could get around.

By now, my head was swimming with possibilities. I pictured this giant ballroom with a full-sized carousel inside, or at the very least, carousel horses filling the room. I had been told by my helpful twitter friend to prepare myself, so I knew it must be something breathtaking.

At the end of the event, we patiently stood by the door and waited for our kind cast member to give us the okay. In the meantime two guests from the event strolled by the doors and said casually, “Oh, I wonder what’s in this room here…” and then just opened the doors and went in! I did hear them gasp before the doors closed behind them so the anticipation was killing me, but I wanted to do things right and not cause problems for anyone by just storming in myself. My husband went over to ask the cast member again but she was deep in conversation with the event hosts and the two other people had come out by the time he got the okay to go in. As it turns out, this room was mentioned in the third book in the popular Kingdom Keepers series: Disney in Shadow and was referred to as the Mary Poppins Lounge. The two people that went into the room said they had booked the Tables in Wonderland dinner just because it was in this lounge and they wanted to see this because of the Ridley Pearson series. Now there was a bit of buzz around the door and when we were given the official all clear, two other couples went in with us too.

To say I was shocked is an understatement. It isn’t so much that what’s in there is scary or unbelievable…it’s more that the space itself is very small – it’s actually a meeting room, not the grand ballroom I was envisioning. There is a huge oval-shaped table which takes up all of the room, with purple chairs that definitely looked like they arrived in the late 80’s. The few couches and chairs from the lounge were still stacked in there, but it didn’t detract too much from the main focus of the room, which was, in a word, overwhelming. Without further ado:

The walls of the room are painted – in amazing detail – as if you are in the very center of a beautiful carousel. The colorful and lifelike horses surround you as does the painted wooden floor of the carousel and the landscape beyond the horses. As in a real carousel, each horse is uniquely themed. The ceiling continues the painted theme with stripes, so that you feel like you are inside a tent. Another surprising feature of the room was the amazing acoustics. I was speaking at one end of the room in a normal voice and another guest on the other side said it sounded like I was right next to her. Perfect for business meetings where everyone needs to be heard clearly. The main wall ahead of you as you walk in slides apart and there is a white board behind it, again, perfect for brainstorming about the wonders…of life! Here’s a slideshow with more Carousel Room goodness:

[portfolio_slideshow exclude=”6242,6253,6263,6262,6248″]

Another curious detail is that one of the horses has what appears to be a marble or small ball in its teeth. I tried doing some research on what this could signify, but came up blank. I’m pretty sure, given what I do know about Walt Disney Imagineers that each horse depicted has specific meanings or nods to something either artist or Disney-related. Even if I’m wrong and they are just historically-accurate carousel horses, I would love to know more and truly be able to solve this mystery.

Carousel Room — What’s in that horse’s mouth?

Wonders Lounge elevator — My husband and I being dorks on the elevator. It’s really cool but kind of impossible to capture on a camera!

While I never got to experience the GE or Kodak VIP lounges while they existed, and I still have not seen the lounges of Spaceship Earth, The Land, Universe of Energy or Test Track, I stand by the Wonders Lounge as being my favorite. It is definitely the most unique so far. Although the HP lounge has all sorts of cool technology inside and the Seas lounge is just fun to sit in and look at the water views, the level of theming in the original design is, well, a wonder. I still continue to hope I’ll see the remaining Future World lounges (and any others hiding in the World too!). If anyone has any insight to the design stories behind the Carousel Room, please feel free to share.

Please do not use any of the photos here without permission, all photos are copyright Suzannah DiMarzio. Thank you!

Port Orleans French Quarter Refurbished Rooms PHOTOS

13 July 2011 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter has always held a special place in my heart. Aside from Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Villas, which were my family’s first foray in staying “on property,” Port Orleans French Quarter was our second experience of staying in a Disney hotel. The resort recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, which I didn’t realize also coincides with my high school graduation date, so that’s convenient to remember.

Some changes have taken place over the years; adding the “French Quarter” when its sister resort, the former Dixie Landings also received a name change to become Port Orleans Riverside. In addition, the table service restaurant, Bonfamillies, named of course for the Aristocats’ owner in the animated film of the same name, closed in 2000. Bonfamillies was a favorite of mine and husband’s for our anniversary dinners and we still miss it to this day.

Despite these changes, the resort is still one of the best themed, with the most beautiful grounds to walk through and relax in. It is the one place in the Walt Disney World Resort where you can get delicious, freshly made beignets, a wonderful treat any time of day inside the Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory, the resort’s food court. You can also enjoy a scenic ride down the Sassagoula River by boat, which stops at Riverside and Downtown Disney as well. To top it off, there is a pool with a giant sea serpent ridden by King Neptune, which doubles as a water slide.

As if that weren’t enough reason to stay at this delightful moderate resort, the French Quarter is now refurbishing and renovating all of their hotel rooms to make guests stays even more enjoyable. Let’s check out some photos of the new rooms: (click to enlarge)

Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Refurbished Room

I am excited to stay in one of these new rooms at some point in the future. I think it’s a beautiful renovation and will go well with the new Royal Guest Rooms over at Port Orleans Riverside (which we’ll see more about tomorrow!). What do you think?

Celebrating the 4th in Celebration!

6 July 2011 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

I’ve got some catching up to do with writing on ZannaLand but I’ve been busy packing up and moving a whole hour away from our former home outside of Tampa, FL to our new home in Celebration, FL. It’s been a dream of my husband and I to live here since ground was broken in Celebration back in 1994. I’ll be writing about our experiences soon, but until then, enjoy these two photos from our first Fourth of July celebration in Celebration!