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TREN-D GRAN-D OPENING: Television and music personality Joey Fatone carries his daughter Briahna April 10, 2009 through the “Tren-D” store at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. during Friday’s Grand Opening festivities for the new fashion boutique.

The store, located at Downtown Disney, blends both vintage and modern designs with stylized Disney characters. Apparel and accessories are featured from designers including Tarina Tarantino, Roxy and Kidada Jones. (Gene Duncan, photographer)

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Paradiso 37, a high-energy restaurant and bar featuring cuisine from North, South and Central America, welcomes guests to its table in May at Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World Resort.

The lakeside eatery will offer a delectable variety of menu offerings representing the 37 countries of the Americas, plus an international wine bar, 37 varieties of tequila and 10 signature frozen margaritas.

The new concept was developed by Orlando-based E-Brands Restaurant Group, a multi-concept restaurant group which currently owns and operates Timpano Chophouse, Samba Room, Taqueria Canonita, Aquaknox, David Burke, Salsa Orlando and Canonita Express in a number of locations across the United States.

The lively Downtown Disney restaurant will feature nightly entertainment and will be open daily from 11 a.m. until late night.

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It started with the opening of new stores like Tren-D and Disney Design-A-Tee early this year, and then guests were offered an amazing new experience earlier this month in the form of Characters in Flight, a hot air balloon ride taking off from the waterfront and hovering over Walt Disney World. Now, even more fun additions are being made to Downtown Disney’s Pleasure Island, and they can leave no doubt that Walt Disney World is working hard to improve everyone’s favorite entertainment district in time for vacation season in Orlando, Florida.

First up, there’s no denying that the closing of Pleasure Island’s nightclubs has left a void in Downtown Disney. However, Disney is now filling at least some of that absence with a new nightly celebration that takes the parties that once existed inside the nightclubs and moves them right to the streets. “Celebrate Tonight!” is an energetic street party hosted by Disney DJs who will spin the latest and greatest of party hits. Perfect for anyone celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or just having fun, this new celebration is themed to match with Disney’s What Will You Celebrate? promotion and invites everyone to celebrate along – no matter what the occasion.

As part of the fun, guests are invited to join in on popular group dances and participate in sing-alongs. There’ll also be stilt walkers and a party crew to get the crowd motivated and excited. “Celebrate Tonight!” will be held every night in the West End Plaza of Pleasure Island, with the party carrying on from 5 to 11 pm Sundays through Thursdays and 6 pm to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

And aside from a new party, spring will also see the opening of a new restaurant at Pleasure Island called Paradiso 37. This high energy restaurant and bar will arrive in early May and bring with it cuisine from North, South, and Central America for a true paradise.

Located lakeside across from the now closed 8TRAX, Paradiso 37 will offer a delectable variety of menu offerings representing the 37 countries of Americas. Guests will also be able to sample an international wine bar, 37 varieties of tequila, and ten tasty signature frozen margaritas. In addition, this lively new addition to Pleasure Island will offer nightly entertainment, serving up food, drinks, and music until late into the evening.

Paradiso 37 is coming to Downtown Disney from the Orlando-based E-Brands Restaurant Group, which also owns and operates Timpano Chophouse, Samba Room, Taqueria Canonita, Aquaknox, David Burke, Salsa Orlando, and Canonita Express.

With a new restaurant and street party, it looks like Pleasure Island, which has been somewhat shy of pleasure for quite a while now, is coming back to life just in time for the summer. Take it as your cue to plan your Walt Disney World vacation, which can include fun days at the parks and exciting nights at Downtown Disney. Book your Walt Disney World tickets now at DWTickets.com and you’ll have made step one towards a pleasurable Disney getaway.

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Apparently it was a star filled grand opening day at Downtown Disney’s new “Tren-D” boutique. Above actor Alfonso Ribeiro shops with his daughter during the festivities. The store, located at Downtown Disney, blends both vintage and modern designs with stylized Disney characters. Apparel and accessories are featured from designers including Tarina Tarantino, Roxy and Kidada Jones. (Photo Courtesy Disney. Gene Duncan, photographer)

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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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The King has come to Orlando. No, we’re not talking about the King of Sweden or Saudi Arabia or even Elvis; we mean the Burger King, which has brought its Whopper goodness to Universal Orlando CityWalk in a new restaurant that’s the first of its kind anywhere. This week saw the opening of three new restaurants in the Universal Studios entertainment district, giving guests new options for great dining and casual fun.

Panda Express, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and the world’s first Burger King Whopper Bar are the new additions, housed together in one connected dining area on the second level of CityWalk. Open for lunch and dinner, each of the three new restaurants offers guests delicious food prepared right before your eyes. After placing and picking up their order, guests can then make their way into a new modern and trendy dining room outfitted with posh booths and tables.

Part of the family-owned national chain, Panda Express will serve up fresh, high quality Chinese food served hot; Panda’s highly-skilled chefs use the ancient Chinese art of wok cooking to prepare crisp and tangy favorites like Orange Chicken and Beijing Beef. Moe’s Southwestern Grill, meanwhile, will serve fresh, made-to-order southwest flare, with signature items such as the Homewrecker Burrito and Joe Coctostan Quesadilla. Complimentary chips and salsa come with every meal, as well as warm, exceptional service.

The Whopper Bar, however, will really make a unique mark on CityWalk’s dining with a new restaurant concept that takes Burger King’s “Have It Your Way” philosophy to new heights. There, guests will be able to enjoy premium and customizable selections off a new Whopper-based menu with interesting variations of the original Whopper. And when they say “have it your way,” they mean any way – guests will be able to dress their burger with unique toppings like jalapenos, Parmesan peppercorn sauce, sautéed mushrooms, and onion rings. They’ll even be able to opt for “extra thick” burgers.

Though the restaurant’s name may suggest otherwise, there’s no alcohol served at the Whopper Bar – just juicy whoppers, and in the morning, breakfast items like Croissan’wiches, French toast sticks, and hash browns. The restaurant has a sign indicating that the Orlando location is the world’s first.

A 30-acre complex filled with nightclubs, premier restaurants, and live entertainment, Universal CityWalk is one of Orlando’s hottest nightspots. When it came to dining, however, Universal CityWalk big wigs saw something missing in the area’s offerings.

“We saw a desire for quick, casual meals among our guests,” said Ric Florell, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Resort Revenue Operations. The three new restaurants were their answer to the void.

Great for fueling up in the morning before hitting Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure, Whopper Bar, Panda Express, and Moe’s Southwest Grill are sure to be popular spots at CityWalk. Be sure to check these eateries out next time you pass through Universal Studios, and remember to get your Universal Orlando tickets at DWTickets.com before you go so you’ll have more money left over for noshing.

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