Last week, we attempted to ride Disney World’s newest attraction, the Characters In Flight balloon ride at Downtown Disney - Westside.  The ride takes you up in a tethered hot air balloon to as high as 400 feet above Downtown Disney!

Unfortunately, due to Florida’s spring storms, the testing phase had not been completed and the ride had not yet opened.  One of the pilot’s said he expected it to open sometime this week, however the storms and wind have continued this week.

The ride will cost per child and per adult and the number of passengers and height will depend on the wind speed, as you can see in the photo, below.

The “weather permitting” portion of the sign really says a lot about this ride.  I would expect availability of the ride to vary GREATLY.  With Florida’s finicky weather patterns, this ride will likely experience sudden and frequent down times, as demonstrated in the testing phase, already.

The ride looks like a lot of fun and probably provides some amazing views of Downtown Disney, as well as the nearby resorts and probably the parks, at it’s apex.

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Last Friday, Downtown Disney’s newest store, Tren D, had their grand opening.  The store has trendy fashions for women, all with that slight Disney touch.

As you walk in, you notice the amazing chandeliers hanging from the central ceiling that seem to go on, forever!

There are 85 of these beauties hanging from the ceiling!

I also noticed a LOT of hidden Mickey’s in the store.  I was only able to make a quick search, so I’m sure there’s more to be found, but here’s just a small sampling.

First Hidden Mickey I Found In Tren D

This One’s Questionable - Can You Spot It?

These, Too Are A Bit Shaky - Still Cool, Nonetheless

My Favorite One - Do You See Him?

The store also had some great art on the ceiling, including my personal favorite.

..and some Tren D ladies…

The store was very popular with the wife, so I’m sure we’ll be spending a lot of our Downtown Disney time in this new shop.

Have you had the opportunity to visit Downtown Disney’s newest store?  What did you think?

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While I had some free time, without the family, on a recent Epcot trip, I decided to do some searching for Hidden Mickeys.  I’ve never really been that into searching for Hidden Mickeys until recently.  It’s something I can really appreciate, having come from a building background and hiding my own things in all my projects.  Needless to say, I’m still new to the hobby and not real “dialed-in” to finding them, just yet.

The one I did find, I nearly stepped on before noticing it.  I was admiring a bonsai tree on the far right of the Japan pavilion (as you face the complex).

I turned around to head back down to the main walkway and noticed a small rock-bed to my left.  Literally, at my feet was the hidden Mickey that I nearly missed, had it not been for my keen peripheral vision.

I looked the hidden Mickey up on the Hidden Mickeys Guide site and found one that is most probably the one, but surrounded by bushes and flowers.  Apparently, this is a Cast Member created HM that may change location, within the same rock bed.  Either way, it was fun to find my own hidden Mickey without help from the guide!

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What is that clicking noise I hear as I enter the World Showcase at EPCOT?

You may have noticed a subtle clicking noise as you walked into the World Showcase at EPCOT, before.  Many people often wonder where it’s coming from and what it may be doing — other than disturbing the Magical music playing in the background at EPCOT.

Well, simply put, the noise comes from bird deterrants.  The little speakers play noises that are supposed to mimic distress and predator calls and keep birds from landing and roosting in outdoor locations.

At the World Showcase, they are installed on both of the retail locations, just as you enter the area.  So, it may sound like the clicking noise is welcoming you to the World Showcase, when, in fact, it is chasing off unwanted visitors to the area.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Fans of Jiko - The Cooking Place and Boma-Flavors of Africa have a new reason to dine at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge as Sanaa debuts May 1 in the resort’s new Kidani Village expansion.

(Editor’s Note: Disney previously released photographs of many of Sanaa’s new dishes, which you can find in the Disney News Blog HERE.)

The new Walt Disney World restaurant’s unusual name, pronounced “Sah-NAH,” is the Swahili word for “artwork.” With interiors inspired by African art and remarkable views of the resort’s Sunset Savannah through 9-foot windows, diners experience “the art of African cooking with Indian flavors” in the 150-seat, family-oriented restaurant located on the ground floor just below the lobby.

Sanaa’s cuisine is a melting pot of tastes from the islands of the Indian Ocean that all are part of Africa – Zanzibar, the Seychelles, Comoro Islands, Mauritius and Madagascar. “These islands were on important trade routes with influences from French, Portuguese, Dutch, British, Arab and Chinese traders,” said Chef Bob Getchell. “The diverse spices and flavors give us an endless array of options for Sanaa.”

The most indelible mark on the cuisine of the region was made by Indian traders who introduced curries, spice blends and breads. Central to African-Indian cuisine is the use of the tandoor oven, essentially a large clay pot similar to a pizza oven. The tandoor provides very high, dry heat that creates a crisp outer layer and moist interior. Along with meats, a favorite tandoor oven treat is the Indian bread naan, which is slapped directly onto the oven’s clay walls and allowed to bake until puffy and lightly browned. The Sanaa kitchen will have two custom tandoor ovens.

Specialties include tandoori chicken, lamb and shrimp, slow-cooked curries, and braised short ribs. “Don’t think of curry as spicy,” said Chef Getchell, “but as a centuries-old cooking method that allows flavors to fully develop in the meats, vegetables, and sauces.” The base blend of seasonings for Sanaa’s curries include cardamom, chiles, cinnamon, cloves, saffron, coriander, nutmeg, fennel seed, cumin, tamarind, turmeric and more. The turmeric is what gives many curry dishes their characteristic yellow color.

Appetizers such as lamb kefta with tamarind-dried papaya sauce, and unusual salads like okra, radishes and tomato, roasted beets, and carrot, orange and mint start the dining experience.

Entrees include the tandoori-roasted meats, curries, and sides such as dahl (stewed lentils), curried crushed potatoes, stir-fried green beans and slow-cooked spinach and paneer (a mild South Asian cheese). Indian style flatbreads including naan, roti, and paratha are paired with chutneys, Indian style pickles and raita (yogurt-based dip).

For guests who prefer more American flavors, there is a grilled pork chop and club sandwich at lunch, and grilled flank steak at dinner.

Sweets are the final adventure, including mango pudding, cardamom-butter cake, papaya with sea salt and lime and vanilla-coconut rice pudding.

The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and from 5-9 p.m. An adjacent 24-seat lounge serves African wines, beer and spirits. For reservations, call 407/WDW-DINE.

Kidani Village at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is part of Disney Vacation Club.

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From the Silver Screen to Haute Cuisine!

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The newest chef at Walt Disney World Resort may be small in stature, but he’s a big hit with guests enjoying haute cuisine at Les Chefs de France in Epcot. With his flair for French fare, diners of all ages are eating up his whimsical tableside visits.

His name is Remy, and he’s the rat-turned-chef made famous in the Academy Award-winning Disney•Pixar film “Ratatouille.” A new Audio-Animatronics character created by Walt Disney Imagineering, Remy stars in a new guest experience at Les Chefs de France entitled “Bon Appétit from Chef Remy.” Les Chefs de France is one of the restaurants featured at the France pavilion in Epcot.

Six days a week, four times a day (subject to change), a Maître d’ greets diners with a rolling gourmet food cart. Dramatically lifting the lid from a silver-domed cheese platter, the Maître d’ reveals the guest of honor – a six-inch-tall rat with silky-soft fur, pink paws and traditional toque. Chef Remy then comes to life, entertaining diners with sprightly movements and lively banter. Winding their way through the restaurant, Remy and his Maître d’ pal make stops at each table. In addition to his hijinks, Chef Remy might even bust a move to the beat of different tunes, from the soft sway of a French love song to the hot sounds of hip-hop.

The 40-minute experience provides guests an up-close encounter with the “Ratatouille” star as he laughs, sniffles and even flirts with his new friends.

Remy is part of the Living Character initiative created for Disney Parks by Walt Disney Imagineering.

“By combining technologies, our Living Character initiative creates new levels of guest interaction and brings characters to life like never before,” said Holger Irmler, who worked on the Remy project for Walt Disney Imagineering. “Things we do are so complex, yet our goal is to make them seem so magical to our guests.”

Since its inception, the initiative has been providing guests with a dash of never-before-seen technology and a heaping helping of legendary Disney magic. The first Living Character debuted in 2004 in the form of a large and lovable dinosaur named Lucky.

Not only is Remy one of the newest Audio-Animatronicscharacters created by Walt Disney Imagineering, he also holds the distinction of being the smallest one ever created. Having already wowed guests at Disneyland Resort Paris, Imagineers chose Epcot as the next park for Remy to visit – with Les Chefs de France serving as the perfect Parisian setting for his Walt Disney World debut.

Guests dining at Les Chefs de France are encouraged to make advance reservations by calling 407/WDW-DINE (407/939-3463) up to 90 days prior to their visit. “Bon Appétit from Chef Remy” is scheduled to take place at Les Chefs de France Monday through Saturday until Sept. 5, 2009 (subject to change).

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