Walt Disney World

Grand Opening of Givenchy Boutique in Epcot This Weekend!

30 September 2010 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

I know there are a great many readers and twitter-friends already in or heading to Walt Disney World this weekend for #EpicOctober2010, the Walt Disney World Moms Panel Meet & Greet, the Wine and Dine Weekend races and the opening weekend of the 2010 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival (wow, it really IS epic!). While you’re here, head to Epcot and the France pavilion in World Showcase from September 30 – October 3 and be among the first to experience Givenchy’s first and only stand-alone retail location in the United States!

Enjoy the opportunity to fully experience chic services and products from Givenchy with makeup artists and fragrance specialists .

This special Grand Opening event will feature exclusive products available only at Epcot. Receive a complimentary Gift with any $50 Givenchy purchase.

Offer available from September 30 – October 3, 2010, while supplies last. Valid in Epcot® at the Walt Disney World® Resort. Theme Park admission is required. Guest must make a pre-tax purchase of $50 or more of Givenchy products to to qualify for this offer. The pouch will contain a Givenchy deluxe sample size fragrance, skincare, foundation and lip gloss. This offer is only valid on purchases from September 30 – October 3, 2010, while supplies last. Valid in Epcot® at the Walt Disney World® Resort. Theme Park admission is required.

Boo to You! Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party 2010

21 September 2010 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

In addition to meeting Duffy the Disney Bear this past Saturday, some fellow Disney bloggers and I also got a chance to enjoy one of my very favorite special events at Walt Disney World – Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party! It’s so so hard for me to decide between this and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party…but MNSSHP as it’s commonly abbreviated has candy AND the Headless Horseman, so it might win.

I’ve reported previously about the fun that is MNSSHP – check out part 1 of my “Boo to You!” Parade pictures, part 2 with the “Boo to You” Villains from the parade and my Headless Horseman video from 2008. Last year and now this year again, the Horseman has slowed to a trot from an eerie gallop (perhaps for safety issues) but it’s still impressive nonetheless! New to the parade this year is the evil Dr. Facilier from Princess and the Frog fame. My favorite are still the gravediggers with their shovels!

Duffy the Disney Bear to Have a Costume for Each World Showcase Country

16 September 2010 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

We’re going to dive right in with something reader Shelley C. discovered today about none other than Duffy the Disney Bear. As you may recall, Duffy will be appearing to passholders this Saturday in a special presentation welcoming him to Epcot. Many people wondered if Duffy would appear park-wide, in addition to the question of whether the existing “Disney Bear” that once appeared at Walt Disney World was still available. Shelley answers those questions for us here —

After seeing a picture of Duffy Bear taking up residence in the Emporium on Main Street on Twitter, I decided to head on down and check it out! When I got there, I found it quite curious that there were no Duffy or Disney Bears on the shelves. However, I had also noticed that over the past week the Disney Bears that were once available at Once Upon a Toy and World of Disney had vanished. I asked around, and found out a little more information about our Tokyo Disney Seas import.

According to a management cast member on Main Street, USA, Duffy is going to be primarily based in EPCOT, but have ties to the Disney Cruise Line. He will have outfits that represent each country of World Showcase, some everyday outfits (rain coats and such like Pal Mickey had), the sailor suit that he is seen sporting in most of the Annual Passholder emails, and a Disney Cruise Line uniform. They were vague about Duffy having his own “store” in EPCOT, but said that he would definitely be “around”. However, don’t get your hopes up to Shellie Mae anytime soon (Super Boo on this part).

We’ll have to wait until Saturday for more information, but a resort wide launch is planned for around October 14, 2010. Stay tuned…

~Shelley C.

¡Bienvenidos a la Familia! La Hacienda de San Angel Opens in Epcot

16 September 2010 by Suzannah Otis 6 Comments

Last night local media and cast members were treated to a special opening preview of Epcot’s newest dining spots – La Hacienda de San Angel and La Cantina de San Angel. Completely new in design and construction, the two restaurants will replace the former counter service-only Cantina de San Angel. The new space will now accommodate both counter service during the day, using the outdoor tables as well as the air-conditioned comfort within La Hacienda, until 2:30pm, when La Hacienda will prepare for its dinner-only table service dining. Extending out onto World Showcase lagoon, the new construction is simply beautiful and fits right into the existing architecture and theme of the Mexico pavilion. While I will be sharing a more in-depth review after we’ve gone back and dined there as regular guests, I thought I’d share some of the highlights from last night and what you can expect from these two new choices.

Farewell to Captain Rex – D23’s Last Flight to Endor Celebration

9 September 2010 by Suzannah Otis 11 Comments

Star Tours Last Tour to Endor — He's smiling on the inside, right?

Many of you may have heard about the Last Tour to Endor party associated with the Star Wars Celebration V that took place at the Orange County Convention Center last month. I know I was disappointed that we couldn’t get it to work out logistically, so when I saw the D23 event for the Last Flight to Endor (which was an essentially free event save for the $5 per ticket processing fee), I was all over it! What’s more, this free event was going to take place on the actual last night of Star Tours operation before it closed for refurbishment and would be limited to the number of guests that could fill the speeders in the attraction for the actual last flight. It was too cool to pass up. I am so glad I didn’t.

{I apologize in advance for the photo quality. I was using my cell all night – convenient, but not so great at night and when you are pretty much constantly moving. Hopefully the spirit of the evening comes across in the pictures, despite the blurriness! }

I make no claims to know all there is about Star Wars, but I know enough to make obscure references or movie lines when needed and get suitably excited when our escorts for the evening turned out to be some of the 501st Legion‘s finest Stormtroopers (even though my first response upon seeing one of them was “Aren’t you a little short to be a Stormtrooper?”). It was great to see so many excited fans and fellow bloggers/Disney media people there as well as meeting some twitter friends. We all checked in and were given a commemorative boarding pass and FastPass for the evening, and the first 100 guests received a limited edition Star Wars coin set as well. Soon the Stormtroopers arrived and we were on the march to our destination: Star Tours.

Star Tours Last Flight to Endor — I wish I could say this was the first time armed guards escorted me somewhere...

Pets Get a Dose of Pixie Dust at Disney’s Best Friends Pet Care

2 September 2010 by Suzannah Otis 7 Comments

It’s not news that devoted pet owners will do just about anything for their “fur children”, including luxury accommodations which are gaining popularity across the country. I have a friend who’s been putting her dog in a similar pet hotel for years, allowing her to watch her pets on a webcam while she’s away. After all, if you’re enjoying the place “Where Dreams Come True”, why not let your beloved pets experience some magic as well?

I was really impressed with the facilities at the Best Friends Pet Care, which opened this week. Situated across from Port Orleans Riverside on Bonnet Creek Parkway, the newly built Best Friends Pet Care replaces all other Disney kennels throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. With facilities for over 300 pets, this one new location will be able to comfortably accommodate all of Disney’s four-legged visitors. Whether you are just dropping your pet off for a day visit, or an overnight stay, they will be given as much attention as if they were a human guest at one of Disney’s deluxe resorts.

Back to the Future-Memories of My 1983 Trip to EPCOT

18 August 2010 by Suzannah Otis 11 Comments

It’s no secret that I am a proud child of the 80’s. Also no secret that the reason I fell in love with Walt Disney World was my 1983 visit to EPCOT Center, when we stayed at the Lake Buena Vista Vacation Villas. I’m sure part of what made that visit so special is that my parents actually drove us down from Massachusetts. We stopped at historical sites on the way over and back, breaking up the 1300 mile drive, but the ultimate destination was Disney and this all new park we’d read about in Birnbaum’s Official Guide – EPCOT Center. I’ve explained how a little purple dragon and his dream-finding friend are what really sparked (pun intended) my love of Disney but I wanted to go back to the 9 year-old me and see what she thought of things, as they happened.

Since I still can’t locate my flux capacitor, I have the next best thing – my actual travel diary from that 1983 trip. I remember that blank journal so well; my mom had bought it for me in a sticker shop along with my latest Lisa Frank obsessions to add to my sticker books (I still have my sticker album which would be another awesome entry for my fellow 80’s kids). It had a shiny silver cover with a rainbow on the front. The pages were then different colors of the rainbow, so if you looked at it on the side, it was complete rainbow perfection. Sadly, I didn’t save the whole journal for some reason. We’ve moved so many times I probably just thought I’d pull out the pages I wrote on and save them. I know I used it to record our next trip when we flew down with my siblings and also stayed in the Villas, but I do not have those pages any more. What I do have, is just hysterical.

First, it is written in some sort of 9 year-old short hand and most definitely from a 9 year-old’s perspective as to what the important parts of the trip were. Well, let me just show you…

The first page is from the first leg of our drive, from Sharon, Massachusetts to Savannah Georgia. Unfortunately I did not date my entries, but I’m pretty sure it was the end of the summer in 1983, since school started pretty soon afterward and I remember presenting my trip souvenirs (match books, drink stirrers, guide maps…) to my 5th grade class a few weeks later. Everything below is as I wrote it, including the things in parentheses. The things in brackets, however, are my notes today. Most of the pictures are from 1983, but a few are from our trip the next year.

“We arrived at 1:45. It took 7½ hours. Got settled at the Quality Inn. [This was in Washington, DC.] I got a surprise visit to the zoo! [Pandas were really big back then and I wanted nothing more than to see them at the National Zoo!] Then we took a ride to see the memorials and monument, Capitol and White House. We ate at the Inn of the Eight Immortals (a szechuan Chinese food place) [no longer there it seems]. Then we saw the hospital I was born in and the house we lived in then.

-Wednesday-

We got a tour of the Capitol and had lunch at the Senate Dining Room [I have no idea whether or not this was a big deal back then or if it’s the same now, that you are allowed to dine there if they have room. When I was first born, my father worked as the Maitre D’ of the Capitol Hill Club, so I’m not sure if he still knew people there or not]. We went to half of the Smithsonian. Then we swam a little and finally we had dinner at Farrell’s ice cream parlor [this was in Tyson’s Corner and has been closed for a while]. Then we go home and sleep.

dad and me smithsonian — My dad and I outside the Smithsonian – I was caught mid-blink 😛

-Thursday-

We arrived in Georgia about 4:30. We swim for a long time then we eat dinner at the Pirate’s House. That was excellent. I was scared to look at some of the pirate figures they had set up and I almost walked into the boys bathroom! We come back late and read or whatever. Then we finally get to sleep. (Daddy snores all the time.)

[There is then a gigantic arrow letting anyone reading to know to turn the page. :P]

-Friday- [I apologize for the run-on format to follow!]

At 6:00 am we get up and get ready to go. We find a cockroach (gross!) and then start driving to Florida. We have breakfast at McDonald’s. We do every day practically! We came to EPCOT at 10:15! Daddy makes dinner reservations at Germany [I remember this, it was in the original area underneath Spaceship Earth where you could make video reservations with guest relations. That was one of THE coolest things ever.] We call Nana and off to the Land. We see a nature film [Symbiosis] it was SO loud! Then a boat ride with lots of veggies then see dancing veggies – Kitchen Karoba (sp?) [Obviously Kitchen Kabaret made an impact on me haha]. Then my all-time favorite: Journey into Imagination! Awesome. Then we go to the Image Works same place) – Rainbow tunnel, stepping on notes etc. Then awesome 3-D movie [Magic Journeys]. I admit I did grab for some objects coming out! Then home to an awesome motel – 2 bedrooms, fold out sofa – bath, kitchen. [This, my friends, was my 9 year-old impression of the Vacation Villas. Oh well. I appreciate it now!]

lake buena vista villas — My mom and I posing in ultra early 80’s luxury at the Lake Buena Vista Vacation Villas.

We have a snack and off to Germany. First we went on Spaceship Earth – no line. Went straight up and straight down backwards! Then Germany. Show, dancers, singers, horn players, etc. etc. German shops then go to Italy just in time for the Teatro di Bologna – very funny! Then the France movie and Mom and I wait in a line of 500,000 it seemed for yummy pastry. We buy a Figment. [I still have him, broken neck and all…]

journey into imagination 1983 — The original Figment topiary…

-Saturday-

Up at 7am. Coffee for Mummy and Daddy. We walk in the super World of Motion after Daddy makes reservations for Japan, then onto the Universe of Energy. Scary dinosaurs but great moving theater – dull movie at end. [Sorry UoE, I’ll still always love you, even tho I was petrified of the dinosaurs!] Journey into Imagination again. Still awesome. Then the Land for a danish breakfast, back to monorail and a ferry to the Magic Kingdom. Took a fire engine to Cinderella Castle. We walk into Small World then Carousel ride and on to the Magic Kingdom railroad, Haunted house and Pirates of Caribbean [no, I didn’t spell it right back then :P]. A hot dog for lunch and then Tiki Birds, a swirl ice at Orange Bird stand [*cry*] and shops, then take the ferry back to EPCOT and car and motel. [I love how I keep calling it a motel.] Daddy and I take a quick dip in the pool then off to dinner in Japanese Manor [not sure why I called it that?!]. Really good. I learned the trick of chopsticks. Then shops, UK shops and Renaissance play – Romeo and Juliet! The Canada round movie. Back to EPCOT and World of Motion, Imagination again. Time for Image Works and DDD movie [I was so funny har har]. We get popsicles then home to bed.

dad and me outside journey into imagination — My Daddy, cigarette and all, and me. 😉 Look at those cool trees in the background!

-Sunday-

Up at 6:30, coffee and cereal time. Off to Mass at the Polynesian [I spelled it Poloneasayn haha] resort – flowers, birds and buggies. Back to EPCOT on monorail. Then breakfast at Good Turn restaurant. We eat and see Land boat ride as we eat! Off to American stage for World Showcase dancers – great – we talk to a dancer [I remember exactly what she looked like. My mom being a former professional ballerina, she loved this show and loved getting to talk to this dancer] and then Mom and Daddy see French movie. I see marionette show Hansel and Gretel [I have absolutely zero memory of this show OR my parents letting me watch it alone!] Then World dancers again. I dance with one – neat – off to the motel. McD’s for lunch then pool. [ick, McD’s for lunch, really?!] Back to EPCOT for dinner in Mexico. Really neat! It’s like a town square in Mexico. Mom and Daddy ate cactus! I tried a little turnip, interesting! Went on the boat ride – neat. Then Magic Kingdom for Electric parade and fireworks. Great! The Wings of Man [my name for If You Had Wings? Ah hA! Just looked it up – that was Eastern airline’s slogan at the time.], G.E. Carousel of Progress, People Mover then back on monorail for home. We’re pooped!

world showcase dancer and zanna — I guess that’s why I remember what she looked like – we had a picture!

-Monday-

Up for EPCOT, sad day – last day. We ate breakfast in Good Turn, went on rides and started driving for Maryland. Drove and drove and drove. When Mom drove we went 90 miles an hour – no ticket. Later Daddy went 76 and got a ticket! Arrived in MD at a good time, went to D.C. first. Went to a French restaurant [La Nicoise, sadly now closed as well] where the waiters were all on roller skates! Then to Maryland, we went to an absolutely awesome aquarium and to the shops. I get stickers and a painters cap with Suzy written on it. Ate at Phillip’s Crab House then drove home.”

Journey into Imagination 1984 — This is a terrible quality picture, but I had to post it. We took a picture of our family’s picture at the end of Journey into Imagination. I’m the one clinging to my dad’s arm because I don’t want the ride to be over… 🙁

And that’s it. An uneventful end to a journey back to such an amazing time. I think I’ve rambled enough about all that this trip meant to me back then, and I know for a fact I’ll discuss it again, as it is my hope to post my Love Letter to EPCOT sometime soon…so I’ll just end this here. Thank you for reading and letting me indulge a bit of the childhood me. If you’d told the excited little me back then what my love of Disney would turn into today…I just might have believed you. After all, Dreamfinder told me imagination belongs to all of us.

The First and Only Broadcast on Disney Fairytale Weddings Debuts Today

11 August 2010 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

A new podcast devoted to covering all of Disney’s Fairytale Weddings will debut today. Inside Disney Weddings is hosted by Scott Sheppard and Carrie Hayward will be released weekly each Wednesday and is available via iTunes and is also available at their website – Inside Disney Weddings and on Facebook.

Inside Disney Weddings is the only program dedicated to weddings and honeymoons at the Disney parks and on the Disney Cruise Line. Each week, Scott Sheppard and Carrie Hayward take a look at what’s new and exciting in the world of Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings. Topics range from the latest news, planning information and money-saving tips to in-depth interviews and event coverage. The program also features special guests, including industry experts and real Disney brides and grooms, along with caller Q&A, giveaways and contests.

“I’m thrilled that Scott Sheppard and Carrie Hayward have teamed up to bring us the new ‘Inside Disney Weddings’ program,” said The Disney Wedding Blog founder Carly Morgan. “Scott has worked in the Disney wedding industry for years, and Carrie—a past Disney bride and the author of ‘PassPorter’s Disney Weddings & Honeymoons’—has become the expert on all things Disney weddings. I can’t think of a better team!”

Scott Sheppard is the CEO of Inside Media Networks. IMN creates targeted talk programming for creative, B2B and consumer lifestyle markets. Its talented team of broadcast and communication professionals has successfully built desirable niche audiences by leveraging online content-distribution tools, including podcasts, blogs and social networks. IMN also provides consulting services to clients wishing to transition from traditional to new media and establish or expand their own brands. With a background in terrestrial broadcasting and professional radio and television production, IMN is considered the leading technical expert in the fields of new media and podcasting today.

Print and broadcast journalist Carrie Hayward is the author of “PassPorter’s Disney Weddings & Honeymoons,” a guidebook and bridal organizer for weddings, vow renewals, commitment ceremonies and honeymoons at Walt Disney World and on the Disney Cruise Line. She is also the E-Book Editor at PassPorter Travel Press, an independent publisher of best-selling Disney park guidebooks. She was married at Walt Disney World in 2008.

From the site: This week’s show offers an introduction to the four types of Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings at Walt Disney World and on the Disney Cruise Line—Escape, Wishes, Couture and Cruise—and sets the stage for an in-depth look at each type of wedding in the coming weeks.

If you’re planning a wedding, honeymoon or renewal, or just love everything about weddings like me, be sure to check out this magical new podcast!

Magic in the Mist

9 August 2010 by Suzannah Otis 7 Comments

While visiting Epcot’s World Showcase again last night, the weather was off and on rain showers all day. The temperature was only around 78º but the “feels like” was at 105º due to the humidity. As a result, when we strolled through Japan, we were treated to a special effect from the mist that puffs out of the bamboo area of the zen garden. The fog had started to hang in the air, lingering like a shroud and making us feel as if we were actually in the Japanese countryside for a moment. It was beautiful and serene. Now if only I’d seen Totoro…

Click to see full-sized.

[Read more…] about Magic in the Mist

In Napoli Where Pizza is King…Epcot Welcomes Via Napoli to the Family

6 August 2010 by Suzannah Otis 10 Comments

Ok, so Dean Martin said love was king, but he never tried the pizza at Via Napoli now did he? I was among those lucky enough to get a taste yesterday at the Via Napoli grand opening celebration and I can’t wait to return. Of course there has been a lot of buzz about Via Napoli online since it was first announced it would join the World Showcase family of restaurants. Fears swirled that adding a new element to an existing country pavilion would disrupt the look and flow of our beloved Italy, while others felt an expansion was necessary and eagerly awaited its arrival. Me? Well, I am used to Boston pizza, where Dominoes is a 4-letter word and places like Bertucci’s once took the pizza chain restaurant up to date and into the land of the brick oven. Knowing there would now finally be a place to get authentic Neapolitan pizza in Epcot, I was a fan before I even got there.

Now I know, everyone just wants to know how good the pizza is, but please indulge me as I discuss what makes Via Napoli such a satisfying experience…First of all, look at the picture above – how beautiful is that? So authentic-looking and inviting, isn’t it? Before we venture inside, lets take a look at the ribbon-cutting ceremony with Epcot Vice President Dan Cockerell, Patina Group CEO Nick Valenti, legendary chef and Patina Group and founder Joachim Splichal and of course, Mickey and Minnie, in their finest Italian couture!