WDW News Today is a daily source for news and information about the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. It is also home to the popular WDW News Today Podcast audio podcast.
Since WDW News Today debuted about 1 1/2 years ago, we have had a lot of fun providing you with news, information, and entertainment about various aspects of the Disney Parks. It is a rewarding job, but as with anything in life, there are some moments that are regrettable. Today, we experienced one of those moments.
As most of you are aware, John Corigliano came to WDW News Today back in March of 2008 after years of working at the Mousetimes website. John had already been appearing on the WDW News Today Podcast for a few months at this point, and would become an important part of our WDWNTube video site. He recently was given his own podcast and vidcast titled “John Corigliano’s Ear To The World.” Earlier this week, John informed the staff at WDW News Today that he would be leaving the WDWNT Network. There was no reason given for the departure, nonetheless WDW News Today was willing to work with John to correct any issues he may have had with the site. Still, no explanation was given and and there was no willingness to work on the problems, so we simply gave John a heartfelt farewell.
As preparations for John’s official departure began to take shape, we made the necessary changes to ensure that our family of websites will continue to operate as normal for your enjoyment. After John told us he would be departing from WDWNT to return to Mousetimes, a troubling incident took place. John Corigliano apparently erased a number of videos that belonged to himself and others from our WDWNTube video website on Saturday afternoon. While we do not understand the motive behind this, we are taking the necessary steps to restore these videos. If you have any of the videos that are now missing from the site and would like to help us restore them, please contact us. Your help is deeply appreciated.
Since we still do not have a full understanding of the situation, at this point we are hesitant to blame John or the Mousetimes website directly for the incident. For those of you wondering why we would come out and acknowledge this situation publicly, the answer is very simple. We have way too much respect for the people who come to and enjoy our family of websites to simply let changes like this go quietly without notice. We apologize for any inconvenience that these events may have caused and hope you will stay with us as we continue to grow and modify our operations over the next few weeks.
I am also proud to announce that we will be continuing production of our newest podcast, which will now be called “Your Ear to the World”. The updated show will feature opinionated discussions and in-park audio from both the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts. It will initially be hosted by Luke Manning.
While we still cherish the friendship we had with John, we bid him a fond farewell and wish him the best in his future endeavors. We are sorry to have to be the ones to give you this information, but I I thought it necessary to explain the situation to the people who have made this website what it is today. As always, thank you for your support - we wouldn’t be here without you.
If you have any questions about this situation, we are more than happy to answer them by email at wdwnewstoday@gmail.com.
A brand new website devoted to Innoventions at Epcot has opened to give guests an idea of what the mostly updated interactive expo has to offer. You can see this new website by going HERE. This opening of this site coincides with the recently updated Innoventions maps, which tell guests to visit the official website to continue their experiences from the many different exhibits. The website even features details on the new IBM exhibit coming later this year called the “Thinkplace”.
The most recent version of the Innoventions logo that first debuted in 2007
This is yet another piece of the huge revamp that Innoventions has been going through over the last few years (encompassing the additions of Stormstruck, Don’t Waste It!, Slapstick Studios, Kim Possible World Showcase Challenge kiosks and Kidcot locations). The entire project is almost complete, with only a few new exhibits left to be put in place on both the East and West sides. Expect more changes inside and out, as the entire exterior of the Innoventions buildings to be repainted to the new blue and green color scheme sometime in 2009. You may even see the East and West side renamed Innoventions Green and Blue at some point in the future. The entire project is scheduled for Spring 2010 completion. The project has garnered all of Epcot’s attention at the moment, and is the biggest reason why we haven’t seen anything new happening over at the Imagination! pavilion just yet. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information on this project becomes available.
Disney Parks will once again be offering a special Christmas Day perk to guests who are booking their trips in the near future:
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – What could be more exciting than opening presents on Christmas morning? How about this: getting a call from Mickey Mouse announcing the gift of a 2009 Walt Disney World vacation?
Between Nov. 28 and Dec. 23, guests who booktheir 2009 vacationsto Walt Disney World Resort can sign up to receive a call from Mickey Mouse on Christmas Day, surprising their family with the vacation news.
And the time has never been better to visit the Vacation Kingdom in Florida. It’s party time at Disney parks during 2009. As part of a special park-wide celebration, everyone who visits a Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort theme park in 2009 gets in free on their birthday. Disney Parks has embraced a new travel trend called “celebration vacations.” Wondrous new entertainment and special services such as character greetings can be booked to help guests transform personal milestones such as birthdays and anniversaries into magical Disney experiences.
I discovered two very interesting websites today while browsing the web:
-Similar to the Halloween website we told you about a few weeks ago, the Walt Disney World Resort has set-up a pretty nifty site to promote the seasonal happenings around the resort in the 2008-09 holiday season. You can see the page by going HERE.
-Disney will be running another special merchandise event themed to the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise in 2009, however, this time it will be taking place on the Disney Cruise Line. The Disney Wonder will be hosting “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend Lives On” from March 7th through the 12th, 2009. The event schedule is currently set to include:
- A special welcome reception with Lee Arenberg and Marty Klebba at a Walt Disney World® Resort on Saturday, March 7.
- Event Exclusive Seminar aboard the Disney Wonder with Talent from Pirates of the Caribbean films
- Private Meet and Greet with Talent from the Pirates of the Caribbean films
- Viewing of The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest, and At World’s End.
- Unique entertainment aboard Disney Wonder and Castaway Cay
- First Opportunity to Pre-Purchase Open and Limited Edition Pirates of the Caribbean Themed Merchandise
- Event Exclusive Gifts
Tickets to the event will be $250 in addition to the costs of joining the cruise. More details, as well as a sale date, should be appearing soon. Be sure to stay tuned to the official site which can be found HERE.
We finally know the name, Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex will be becoming the ESPN Wide World of Sports. Here is a press release regarding the Walt Disney World sporting complex:
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – With the sports tourism industry expanding by $200 million last year, Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex outlined plans to further grow its business and bring new visitors to Central Florida.
The strategy includes plans to expand facilities, enhance existing events, diversify the Complex’s events portfolio and create more one-of-a-kind, immersive sports experiences that only Disney can provide.
Expansion plans for the complex reflect a nationwide trend in which more youth are participating in sports and are willing to travel longer distances for competition. Last year in the United States, the sports tourism industry grew from $700 million to $900 million, with an overall economic impact of $6.1 billion.
“Our goal is to be recognized as the pre-eminent multi-sports venue for amateur and professional sports and create events that benefit guests, the community and business,” said Ken Potrock, senior vice president of Disney Sports Enterprises. “Each year, Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex draws more than a million spectators who might not otherwise visit Central Florida, resulting in a significant economic benefit to our region.”
At the center of the complex’s growth strategy are plans announced earlier this year to re-brand Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex as ESPN Wide World of Sports, aligning the world’s No. 1 family vacation destination with the worldwide leader in sports.
“Through the collaboration of two powerful brands we will be able to help make the ultimate sports dreams come true for young athletes and further establish the Wide World of Sports Complex as the place to compete and watch sports,” said Potrock. “Athletes will be able to compete and train on world-class fields and courts and be immersed in an experience that only Disney and ESPN can provide.’
Creative teams are still in the early stages of working together to bring this experience to life. Initial concepts involve incorporating many signature elements of ESPN, such as sports programming, sports events, breaking news, on-air talent and sports celebrities to complement the event management and renowned hospitality already evident at the Sports Complex.
As part of this commitment to growth, Potrock announced that Disney Sports and ESPNare creating a week-long, multi-sport event planned for July 2009 that will feature some of the top high school athletes in the country. The ESPN RISE Sports Festival, scheduled for July 18 to 25, will involve more than 2,000 young athletes, many of whom are among the most heavily recruited in the nation, competing in six sports – softball, baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse and track & field – at the Wide World of Sports Complex. The competition will be televised live on ESPNU and other ESPN Web outlets.
This growing demand in sports tourism has prompted expansion plans throughout the Sports Complex, including several announcements this year.
Earlier this summer, the sports complex opened Jostens Center, a new state-of-the-art field house that will enable Disney to accommodate twice as many indoor sports events each year such as basketball, volleyball, wrestling, cheerleading as well as other competitions.
In June, the complex announced plans to partner with Osceola County and the Central Florida Sports Commission to bring 13 United States Bowling Congress tournaments to Osceola County – each of which could bring 70,000 to 85,000 athletes and spectators to Central Florida. As part of this agreement, Disney will make land available for a new 100-lane bowling center that is large enough to accommodate the tournaments.
In December 2007, the sports complex debuted additional outdoor playing fields for football, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey competitions.
Each year, the Disney sports complex stages more than 180 events. Since its inception, the complex has hosted athletes from more than 70 countries involved in more than 50 different sports. “A majority of the athletes and spectators who compete in a Disney sports event are first-time visitors to Disney,” said Potrock. “In fact, roughly 85 percent of these guests would not have come to Disney if it weren’t for an event at our sports complex, and many of them, particularly coaches, are repeat visitors.”
For example, one of the largest events is the Walt Disney World Marathon, which draws nearly 80,000 runners and spectators to Central Florida annually, making the event the largest sports event in Central Florida and on-par with some of the area’s largest conventions. In addition, an overwhelming majority – nearly 90 percent of Marathon and Half-Marathon participants – travel from outside of CentralFlorida, which has an economic ripple on area hotels, restaurants, retailers and more.
Since Disney opened the sports complex in 1997, nearly 2 million athletes and enthusiasts have competed at the venue including many of the biggest names in amateur and professional sports, such as Tiger Woods, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Mia Hamm, Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, Serena Williams, Shaquille O’Neal and Pete Sampras, among others.
The Wide World of Sports also hosts the Atlanta Braves spring training season, a Tampa Bay Rays regular-season series, the Major League Baseball Draft, the NBA Pre-Draft Camp, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp, Chelsea Football Club-sponsored events, the Pop Warner Super Bowl, Amateur Athletic Union National Championships, Varsity All-Star Cheerleading competitions and USSSA events. ESPN televised 20 sporting events from the complex in the last year. Walt Disney World Resort and ESPN also annually work together to host the popular ESPN The Weekend event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Here is a collection of news stories now making the rounds regarding the Walt Disney World Resort:
-Those famous toy guns that have been sold in Adventureland and Frontierland at the Magic Kingdom since opening day back in 1971 will be going through a rather large appearance change soon. Those guns that you probably either own or have seen a small boy walking around with in the parks are going to be turning a bright blue over the next few months, so they won’t be easily mistaken for real firearms. This change is actually coming much later than expected, with laws already passed in most states that require toy guns to be brightly colored. Should be interesting to see how sales of these guns hold up after the change.
-The Walt Disney World Monorail spiel has already been altered to mention the Bay Lake Tower addition to Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The change took place last week, only days after the official announcement of the project.
-The 2009 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival will be running from March 18 through May 31 next year, a few days shorter than last year. Here is the official press release for the 2009 edition:
An elaborate “Cinderellabration” topiary featuring four Disney princesses dressed in “blooming” finery will set the scene for the 16th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival March 18-May 31.
Cinderella and Prince Charming, Snow White and the seven dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip, and Belle and Beast from “Beauty and the Beast” will debut as the grand front-entrance topiary during the 75-day festival. Princess Ariel from “The Little Mermaid” also will greet guests by the front-entrance fountain.
And that’s just the beginning. More than 70 topiaries in all showcasing the extraordinary craftsmanship of Disney gardeners will dot the park landscape. Sweeping floral beds and exhibits will feature 30 million blooms. The art of bonsai will “wow” guests at the Japan showcase, and a large “green” garden between France and Morocco pavilions will reveal the many ways home gardeners can “go green” with their own landscapes.
Festival highlights also will include:
Disney Gardening at Home presentations: Disney horticulturists share gardening tips and lead guests in a hands-on, take-home activity.
The Great American Gardeners series: Gardening celebrities and authors from across the country will share their gardening secrets.
The Garden Town festival center: Guests can shop for festival merchandise, attend speaker presentations and demonstrations and ask gardening questions of the experts.
The family-oriented Growing Future Gardeners: A garden of delight where kids and parents can get colorful (and tasty) planting ideas.
Kids’ activities and character meet-and-greets.
Flower Power concerts: Popular bands rock the open-air America Gardens Theatre every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 p.m. The concert lineup is slated to include Davy Jones, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Jose Feliciano and other top acts.
We are happy to inform you that you can now download episode 62 of the WDW News Today Podcast, as well as WDWNT Videocast episodes 14 & 15 recorded by Jose Eber. We are happy to have Jose back after his well-deserved summer away from the site and hope you will enjoy his newest videos.
On WDWNT Videocast Episode 14:
Jose Eber is back!!! To mark his return after a long summer off, Jose brings us to Disney’s Contemporary Resort to see the transformation of the hotel and the construction of the all-new Bay Lake Tower coming in the fall of 2009.
On WDWNT Videocast Episode 15:
Jose Eber brings us to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort to see the hotels newest addition, a pirate themed pool area at Old Port Royale. The new pool area matches the “Pirates of the Caribbean” themed rooms coming to the resort in 2009.
On WDWNT Episode 62:
Join me, Tom Corless, and a cast including Justin Heyman, Jason Diffendal, Jose Castillo, Kyle Duffield, Luke Manning, Lee Scott, Adam Roth, and Jackie Steele for a show that Bridges the Gaps Between You and the World. I hope you enjoy all of the Walt Disney World information and fun we have to offer on this “I’m back from Walt Disney World” edition of the WDW News Today Podcast.
To kick off episode 62, we have all Walt Disney World news and rumors from the last week to discuss. This time around, we’ll be telling you about where you can pick up some 1970’s Magic Kingdom merchandise, just how good the newly refurbished Nine Dragons restaurant at Epcot is, and the future of the ABC Super Soap Weekend at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
After that, we’ll have a special round-table discussion re-capping WDWCelebration’s World Wide Weekend event that just wrapped up at Walt Disney World. I’m joined by the rest of the team for what we hope you will find an entertaining and informing discussion. We’ll also give you a hint as to what’s next for the group in 2009.
To subscribe to the WDW News Today podcast on Itunes, go to this link. If you do not have Itunes, visit our Podcast Download Directory to download or listen to all of our shows
This episode is also available in an enhanced version. An enhanced podcast is a podcast with added features that standard podcasts don’t have. Enhanced podcasts include many features like Chapter listings, this lets you skip through chapters or see what is in store for this weeks show. Enhanced podcasts also have images to let you differ the chapters by. Enhanced podcasts have one negative feature, you can not play them on most MP3 players. The file format for this is a .m4a which can play on Apple’s iPod and Microsoft’s Zune. You will also need iTunes or Windows Media Player to be able to skip through chapters. If you need or would like the standard edition, download the normal edition listed below this file both on Itunes and in our podcast directory.
As promised, here is a photo report from my latest trip to Walt Disney World during WDWCelebrations World Wide Weekend event. I only get to do one of these every few months, so please forgive me if my photos aren’t as good as you are used to seeing:
The Braille map at Pleasure Island was updated to reflect the closing of the 6 remaining clubs almost instantly
Pretty empty at the time being
T-Rex Cafe is being considered Pleasure Island property just to pad the line-up, even though it does not open until October 14.
While I’m certainly not happy about it, I’m back from Walt Disney World after 8 days, 4 parks, and 1 WDWCelebrations.com World Wide Weekend event that I will never forget. It was another great success for the teams (both WDWCelebrations and WDW News Today) and here are some pictures taken, in chronological order, by WDWNT of the spectacular World Wide Weekend event and some current events from around the Walt Disney World Resort:
While the remainder of the team was on the special Backstage Magic tour Thursday, WDWNT met up with Chris Lastrapes of Disneyland News Today and Jose Castillo of WDW News Today for a day at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.
Looks like Super Soap Weekends will have it’s finale this year at Disney’s Hollywood Studios as it won’t be coming back next year, at least not to Florida. Here is what we have from The Orlando Sentinel.
Who’s killing ABC Super Soap Weekend at Disney’s Hollywood Studios?
It’s not Zach Slater, the sometimes bad boy played by Thorsten Kaye on ABC’s All My Children. He has pledged to attend this year’s gathering of soap-opera stars on Nov. 15-16. So has John McBain, the sometimes suspect character played by Michael Easton on One Life to Live.
Yet as Walt Disney World prepares to host about 30 daytime-drama characters at this year’s Super Soap Weekend, there’s a shocking plot twist in sight: The event won’t return in 2009. Healthy and popular in this episode, it’ll be dead by the next.
Brian Frons, president of Daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group, appears to be the one writing Super Soap out of Disney World’s script after 15 years.
In a news release issued Monday, Frons said ABC wants to send its soap stars on a national promotional tour next year, rather than sponsor a single weekend at Disney World. “Our fans have told us they want us in their neighborhoods,” he stated, adding: “We thank Walt Disney World for being a wonderful host and partner, and look forward to our plans to send Super Soap off with a bang.”
Rilous Carter, Disney World vice president for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, is promising that this year’s event will be a fitting finale.
But will the tour succeed? Is there a chance the soaps might return to Disney World in 2010? Stay tuned.
Most of the WDWNT Crew is back from Walt Disney World (Tom will be back tomorrow), so you can expect a lot of photo reports in the coming week. Here’s the first one from our very own Jose Castillo:
Jackie Steele leading the Pleasure Island History Walk as part of WDWCelebration’s World Wide Weekend event.
A skeletal T-Rex has arrived outside the upcoming T-Rex restaurant in Downtown Disney.
Tom Corless, Jason Diffendal, & Adam Roth with his head turned away.
Jackie Steele along with event attendees at the Mickey’s PhilharMagic group showing.
Construction on Bay Lake Tower is pressing along nicely.
A look around this year’s Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
Mickey’s Boo to You Halloween Parade.
The awesome looking Haunted Mansion float.
This mini-float from SpectroMagic carries a “pumpkin man”.
Nice atmosphere around the Main Street Train Station.
Cinderella Castle VERY late at night.
The WDWNT Crew were the last to leave the park on that night.
Moving on to the second day of World Wide Weekend… Here we see Marcus D’Amelio, & Matt Pezzula setting up the WDWCelebrations table at Epcot in the morning.
You gotta love free goodies.
Jason Diffendal ready for a great day at Epcot.
Turned out Saturday was the last day for the Epcot 25th Anniversary exhibit.
Jason, Adam, & Tom.
The Festival Center was open once again, with this year’s theme, Cities in Wonderland.
Marcus & Jason at the Electric Umbrella.
World Wide Weekend attendees.
Winners of the World Showcase Scavenger Hunt.
The WDWCelebrations Core Team: (L-R) Adam, Matt, Jackie, Jason, Marcus, and Tom
The first event of Day 3 was an It’s Tough to be a Bug group showing.
Then it was off to Expedition Everest.
Followed by Dinosaur.
Jim Henson’s name has been removed from Muppet Vision 3D.
The Hot Air Balloon is back up to its rightful space.
Jason & Adam waiting for Block Party Bash to start.
This was Jose’s first time seeing Block Party Bash, & he loved it!
Next up was the Star Tours group ride.
Construction on the exterior of the American Idol Experience theater.
The guys look excited on the Tower of Terror group ride.
For more of Jose’s lovely pictures (and a couple of videos too), head on over to his Flickr page. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today in the upcoming week for plenty more photo reports from Walt Disney World & World Wide Weekend, as we continue to “Bridge The Gaps Between You & the World”!
Hey there everyone, Jose Castillo here finally back from Walt Disney World. We had a great World Wide Weekend and expect full run down in the upcoming shows. Until Tom Corless gets back on Wednesday, I’ll be posting some updates from the parks. First up, 25th Anniversary Exhibit that Epcot had running since October 1st of 2007 is now closed, we are not sure if this is permanent, but we can’t find any reason why they would close it…could this be the end of it? It did run for a full year so who knows if it has reached the end, since it has been a year already. We will have photos of this and more coming up this week. Stay tuned to WDW News Today for more news coming from Walt Disney World as things start to get back to normal this week.
Here are some quick bits of news for you while most of the crew is down at Walt Disney World for WDWCelebrations.com World Wide Weekend:
-The Fry Wagon in Frontierland appears to now be gone for good.
-Nine Dragons Resturant in Epcot has re-opened early from its refurb.
-Test Track track appears it got a slight change to the on-ride audio, it now mentions OnStar.
News might be slow while the staff is enjoying World Wide Weekend but stay tuned as we will continue to bridge the gaps between you and the world! Also, don’t forget to visit one of our other sites by going to www.wdwnt.com !
As most of you are aware the 2009 edition of the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival will be beginning this Friday. Here are the full details released on the annual event this week by Disney:
Fine cuisine and wines from some of the best “foodie” cities in the world will take a bow at the 13th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Sept. 26 through Nov. 9 at Walt Disney World Resort. Opening weekend, eight of the country’s top chef teams will compete at the gold-standard Bocuse d’Or USA semifinals of the international cuisine contest, to be held at Epcot for the first time.
The prestigious cook-off will feature the country’s leading chef candidates, each with one assistant, cooking Sept. 26 and 27 before an audience of park guests at World Showplace pavilion. The winning team, to be selected by prominent chef judges, will be announced Sept. 27 at a grand gala. The finalist team will compete in January at the international contest in Lyon, France, founded by renowned French chef Paul Bocuse.
Throughout the six-week festival, Epcot guests can explore the culinary “Cities in Wonderland” – from trendy Cork, Ireland, to the melting pot of Cape Town, South Africa – around the World Showcase promenade while also discovering blissful bites at international and regional marketplaces brimming with exotic flavors and comfort foods. The six-week festival will showcase tastes from countries on six continents.
More than 25 international marketplaces will serve tapas-sized portions of regional specialties at $2-to-$5 each, and recommended wines and beers make perfect pairings at each kiosk. New festival flavors explore the culinary wonders of Lyon, France; Marrakesh, Morocco; Shanghai, China; Bologna, Italy; Tokyo and Mexico City. Exhibits along the promenade also will showcase entertainment and traditional crafts of several countries.
Daily complimentary wine and beer tastings serve up sips from around the world, and culinary demonstrations dish up featured taste treats. A series of special culinary programs features a lineup of renowned winemakers, guest chefs and speakers participating in elegant dinners, luncheons, seminars and wine schools. “We wanted to take our guests on a grand gustatory expedition,” says Nora Carey, festival manager. “The cities that we’ll feature are known for great dining experiences, and the ‘Cities in Wonderland’ theme will inspire our guests to enjoy great food and wine in a fresh new way.”
The Epcot festival continues to grow dramatically, attracting a diverse audience of more than one million guests each fall – from wine connoisseurs and epicures to neophytes wishing to boost their wine IQs. Beer aficionados can raise their steins at several tasting locations, including Germany’s Biergarten, which specialize in brews from light to dark.
Musical entertainment pairs perfectly with culinary fun during the nightly Eat to the Beat! concert series featuring a varied lineup of classic rock, soul, R&B, oldies, jazz and funk hit-makers. Concerts are performed three times each evening at America Gardens Theatre along the World Showcase lagoon. New acts to appear include Kool & The Gang, Spyro Gyra, En Vogue and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. David Sanborn, Jon Secada and Otis Day and the Knights are among returning crowd-pleasing acts.
Festival highlights include:
Opening weekend Bocuse d’Or USA chef competition presented by culinary stars including Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, and Jerome Bocuse, who runs the Chefs de France restaurant at Epcot. All park guests can attend the cook-off, where competitors will prepare elaborate fish and meat platters to be evaluated for excellence in taste, presentation, creativity and technical precision.
The Festival Welcome Center, with a Champagne and Wine Bar, complimentary wine seminars, celebrity chef book signings, and festival keepsakes including exclusive festival pins and an official festival cookbook.
New cultural experiences. At Louisiana, hosted by Louisiana Office of Tourism, guests can discover sights, sounds, flavors and crafts of the state’s seven regions. Music, dance, artistry, food and beer are featured, and complimentary culinary seminars are hosted daily. At Melbourne, Australia, hosted by Tourism Victoria, guests can glimpse Federation Square and scenes from Queen Victoria Market. A wine walkabout and tasting bar serve favorite sips. The marketplace kiosk offers tasty bites. And complimentary wine seminars occur daily.
Some 250 Disney chefs and guest chefs conducting culinary demonstrations and hosting elegant dinners and tasting events. Guest chefs now booked include Tory McPhail of Commander’s Palace, Rock Harper of Hell’s Kitchen, Tre Wilcox from Top Chef Season 3, plus Cat Cora, Jamie Deen, Allen Susser, Jeff Henderson, Gale Gand, Robert Irvine, Todd English, Warren Brown plus many other culinary stars.
New culinary programs to include French Regional Lunches at Bistro de Paris in France pavilion; City Tastes of global food and drink at World Showplace Pavilion; a Master Class Series with wines and champagnes at the Festival Center; and the Bocuse d’Or Grand Gala at World Showplace. Popular Epcot Wine Schools, Food and Wine Pairings, Kitchen Conversations and other events also are scheduled.
The weekly Party for the Senses grand tasting event featuring tempting tastes from eminent chefs, more than 70 wines and beers and live entertainment.
Family fun at Pearville Fair, a slice of Americana where pears from the great Northwest take center stage, and Behind the Seeds Greenhouse Tour at The Land fish farm and greenhouses, where guests can sample a greenhouse vegetable and release lady bugs.Festival guests also can enjoy new Epcot experiences including the re-launched Spaceship Earth attraction in Future World, with narration by Oscar winner Dame Judi Dench, new scenes, sets and costumes, updated Audio-Animatronics figures, plus a touch-screen interactive ride sequence. In World Showcase, there’s a new restaurant at the Italy pavilion, Tutto Italia, with cuisine from different regions of Italy. And the Japan pavilion just introduced its new Tokyo Dining and Teppan Edo restaurants. Mexico’s new tequila bar is perfect for cool sips on a warm autumn evening.
Included with Epcot Admission:
Wine and beer seminars, cooking demonstrations, special book signings at the Festival Center, Eat to the Beat! concerts, culinary and cultural exhibits, and all attractions and park entertainment are included with regular Epcot admission.
Special Programming by Reservation:
The Party for the Senses grand tasting events, Food and Wine Pairings at select Epcot restaurants, Regional Feasts, Epcot Wine Schools, Cheese Tastings, Sweet Sundays, and other special wine and culinary programs require reservations and separate admission.
Guests can call 407/WDW-FEST (939-3378) for information and to make reservations for special events and programs. Festival details are available at the Web site: www.disneyworld.com/food.
While there are still 3 months remaining in the long running Year of a Million Dreams at the Disney Parks, the marketing campaign for “What Will You Celebrate?” is already in full swing. If you head over to the official Walt Disney World website, you can plainly see that the mouse-ear balloons have already taken over the place. More interestingly, there is now a Walt Disney World Resort specific page for the 2009 celebration that focuses only on what guests of the Orlando Vacation Kingdom will be able to see or do when they are invited to “Celebrate Everyday!” beginning January 1st. You can see the new website by going HERE.
Did I mention that we now have an entire section for information on 2009’s “What Will You Celebrate?” campaign? If not, then be sure to follow the link in either the category section or by clicking the celebration logo located in the right sidebar of WDW News Today. We hope this will make it easier for you to follow all of the happenings for this upcoming celebration.
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