Go See The Princess and the Frog!

Jan 12, 2010 Author: admin | Filed under: Disney

If you are looking for something to do indoors this holiday season but don’t want to go to the mall and can’t make it to the Disney theme parks, we highly recommend you head to the movies. We know there’s a lot of buzz about James Cameron’s Avatar, but you can’t call yourself a true Disney fan unless you head out and see The Princess and the Frog. We finally got a chance to go see the movie and we have to agree it was a fantastic feeling to see the work of Disney animators back on the screen again. After years of Pixar flicks like Up! and Toy Story we finally get to see the magic of hand-drawn animation back on the big screen with this lovely tale set in New Orleans.

Like other Disney films that borrow from classic stories (The Little Mermaid, Snow White) The Princess and the Frog is an interpretation of the old story where, instead of the frog becoming a prince after a princess’s kiss, a hard-working New Orleans girl becomes a frog after kissing a frog (formerly a prince!) The movie’s twist is sure to be a hit with the kids as Tiana and Naveen head off on an adventure through the Bayou in their frog forms. They meet Louis, an alligator that wants to play in a jazz band with humans, and Ray, a Cajun firefly in love with a star he calls Evangeline.

When the crew meets Mama Odie, the good Voodoo priestess, we get to hear one of the best, if not the best song of the movie “Dig a Little Deeper” which is catchy and full of gospel influence. The song, along with the rest of the movie’s plot, teaches you that what is most important is who you are inside! Unlike the classic Disney films, Tiana isn’t waiting on her prince to achieve her dreams. She saves up money to open up her own restaurant by working hard. While in the end love conquers all, the viewer will be delighted with the beautiful animation and wonderful story that is a trademark of the Disney name. We only hope The Princess and the Frog is only the beginning of Disney’s return to hand-drawn animation!

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Aquatica Ready to Expand

Jan 4, 2010 Author: admin | Filed under: Disney, Sea World

It seems that all of the Orlando theme parks are stepping it up by adding new attractions, rides and expanding the size of their parks! Over at Universal Studios’ Islands of Adventure they’re getting ready to launch the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in the spring of 2010. The Walt Disney World Resort has confirmed a massive expansion of Fantasyland over at the Magic Kingdom, and now the beautiful Aquatica park has announced they will join in on the expansion trend by adding new rides to Aquatica in 2010.

Aquatica is a gorgeous water park that is considered part of the SeaWorld theme park family. It spans over 60 acres and features 36 water slides, 3 drop raft slides, cannon bowls, a six story family raft slide and more. While Orlando may be in Central Florida, Aquatica has 80,000 square feet of beautiful sandy beaches that even feature private cabanas and waterside waiter service for those of you wanting to be catered to. This great park, which caters to water park enthusiasts of all ages, is open all year round thanks to our great Florida weather. Not only will you see great water slides and a beautiful “beach,” you will also see an amazing array of interesting animals like exotic fish, Commerson’s Dolphins, spoonbills, and cookabura birds. When you’re hungry you can eat at the Banana Beach Cookout, where it’s always time for a poolside BBQ, or grab a quick bite at the Mango Market.

As for that expansion trend, Aquatica will be adding four new waterslides for those of you that can’t get enough of the thrilling rides, and we have the details on two of them! The Twin Tornado walls will feature V-shaped slides that shoot riders in 6 person inflatable rafts up a vertical wall thanks to innovative hydro-magnetic technology. The Topsy Turvy is a 40 foot pipeline style ride that fits a 2 person inner tube. You can either ride the 285’ long track that features 2 funnels or zoom down the 460’ long track that features 4 funnels. 2010 looks like it’s going to be fantastic for the Aquatica park.

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Walt Disney Month

Jan 2, 2010 Author: admin | Filed under: Disney

Did you know December is officially Walt Disney month? Here at DWTickets.com we thought it would be neat to do a recap of the major Disney-related events that happened this month. Aside from commemorating Walt Disney’s birthday December 5th, December is usually the month where plenty of Disney events occur. This year marked the return to classic animation with The Princess and the Frog and Disney’s first black princess, Princess Tiana. This year also marked the 72nd anniversary of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with its release on Disney BluRay and DVD.

The Disney theme parks had their fair share of new events as well. Space Mountain finally re-opened, now being darker and scarier than ever. Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee has a limited run over at the Magic Kingdom to get everyone into the spirit of New Orleans jazz and The Princess and the Frog. Holiday decorations were everywhere to get people into the holiday spirit and the special event Disney fans wait for every year, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, recently wrapped up another successful party!

At Disney’s Hollywood Studios the Osborn Family Spectacle of Lights delighted millions of guests with its music and Christmas, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah-themed displays. Epcot featured their wonderful Candlelight Processional, where celebrities came to the parks to read The Christmas Story to guests from around the world all while a gospel choir sings in the background. It has been a great December for the Walt Disney Company and we know next year will only be better. More rides are getting refurbished to bring you great, updated experiences, and we know the Disney animation studios are hard at work on new features coming soon to a theatre near you. There’s Rapunzel, Winnie the Pooh, and Toy Story 3, not to mention plenty of rumors about Disney working on their own version of The Snow Queen! While 2009 has been tough for every one of us, Disney has pulled through and is preparing for a full recovery in 2010.

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LOST in Hollywood Studios

Dec 28, 2009 Author: admin | Filed under: Disney

What do the Disney theme parks and the hit television series LOST have in common? A lot more than you think! LOST is an ABC show, and ABC is owned by Disney, meaning that opens up a world of possibilities for hints of the mystery show to pop up all over the Walt Disney World Resort. With the release of Season 5 on DVD and Blu Ray this week and the upcoming final season starting February 2, 2010, we wanted to let LOST fans know you can still get your island fix at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Once you head over to the Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror’s gift shop, you might be surprised to find yourself looking at LOST merchandise like DVD’s, action figures, books, and t-shirts. We think that attraction is the perfect place for all of the LOST merchandise to be held, considering the mysterious and spooky nature The Twilight Zone television show was famous for. Any LOST fan with knowledge of the Rod Serling classic could quickly point out references to the sci-fi classic on the current mystery island show. The Blogster has purchased quite a few items at the Tower of Terror gift shop, including a t-shirt with the infamous numbers running across it. If you remember the Disney D23 Expo, there was an entire section devoted to memorabilia from the show there as well. It’s a pretty cool thing for a Disney and LOST fan to explore two things they love at a convention like that.

While you’ve seen the merchandise at the store, many fans have been wondering if LOST will ever come into play as an attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s certainly a rumor that has been around for quite some time, but unfortunately, one we don’t think will happen anytime soon. As much as the LOST fans at DWTickets.com would love an attraction for the show, we’ll just have to settle for DVD marathons for now. Don’t forget to tune in to the final season of LOST this February 2, 2010.

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VoluntEars Spread Holiday Cheer

Dec 23, 2009 Author: admin | Filed under: Disney, Sea World

The Walt Disney Company has always been one to participate in charities and help those that are less fortunate. When you’re visiting the Orlando theme parks you see the smiling faces of cast members and realize Walt Disney World really is the happiest place on Earth. There are a lot of fortunate people that get to go to the Disney theme parks throughout the year, but there are people that never get to travel, let alone have a safe place they can call their own.

Homelessness is affecting the United States like never before, especially with the economic recession that we have been undergoing. People have lost their jobs and even their homes because of layoffs and other reasons—but the Walt Disney Company would never ignore the less fortunate. Over Thanksgiving, chefs from various Disney resorts came together with the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida to prepare meals for over 600 people. These people, which includes families, women, children and men, were all fed a traditional Thanksgiving dinner prepared by Disney chefs. Chef Tony Marotta oversaw the entire project.

Monthly, the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida prepares about 750 meals for the homeless in the area, but for the special Thanksgiving day feast, the chefs had to start two days in advance. It was a lot of hard work, but important work, as Disney firmly believes in the idea of VoluntEars and helping the community.

“When you see homelessness in the media, you are moved to humility and compassion, but when you see homelessness in person, you are moved to action,” said Trevor Larsen, WDW vice president of engineering services and manufacturing, who serves on the Coalition board. “There are plenty of ways people can help. Come meet these adults and children in need and get involved.”

If you want to get into the giving spirit, you can always volunteer at a homeless shelter or other charity foundation yourself. Don’t forget Disney is doing the Give a Day Get a Day program! If you volunteer and sign up on the website, all you need is proof of your day of service to get a free admission into the Magic Kingdom or any other Disney theme park!

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Holiday Sweets at the Disney Resorts

Dec 21, 2009 Author: admin | Filed under: Disney, Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort

Everyone loves to eat during the holidays. Why do you think gym memberships soar in January? After Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and other parties people usually find their pants a bit tighter than they would like. But we’re still in 2009 and there is plenty of holiday fun to be had, especially here at the Orlando theme parks. We’ve been blogging about the various holiday events going on at the parks, but in this post we’re going to let you in on some of the sweet treats you can see if you visit some of the hotels in the Walt Disney World Resort.

Over at the Contemporary, one of the hotels closest to the Magic Kingdom, you can see a holiday tree inspired by Disney Legend Mary Blair. The tree is located on the 4th floor of the hotel and measures in at 17 feet high, made completely with gingerbread shingles. Disney has plenty of traditional sweet sculptures during the holiday season, and one of them is celebrating its 10th anniversary! Over at the Beach Club Resort, the life-size edible carousel is celebrating 10 years of pleasing guests from all over the world. The carousel is made of gingerbread, chocolate, and sugar paste. You can buy your own gingerbread house from the marketplace to take home with you. If you’re a fan of Hidden Mickeys, we hear the carousel has 10 of them.

For you Disney pin traders, make sure you head over to the Board Walk for their walk-through Holiday Gazebo. It also has Hidden Mickeys, but you can also purchase a limited edition Stitch pin featuring the gingerbread display. But the most popular sweet sculpture in the Disney resort world is housed at the beautiful Grand Floridian. Here you will find their enormous gingerbread house created from a traditional Austrian recipe. This house has been featured on a variety of travel show specials and is a highlight of the Grand Floridian hotel during the holiday season. It takes 400 chefs to bake everything needed for the house and 160 hours to assemble it. Make sure you explore some of these great edible sculptures during your visit to Walt Disney World.

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