WDW Daily News

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic returns for the fifth year to the Epcot Resort Area hotel October 31 – November 1, featuring more than 40 food and wine stations, 10 food and wine seminars and the opportunity to meet the masters behind the culinary magic.

Amidst a backdrop of live entertainment, celebratory surprises and spooky fun on Halloween night, guests will enjoy opportunities to sip and savor all weekend as they stroll along the hotel’s causeway.

The two-night event offers an enticing array of culinary options from the hotel’s award-winning signature restaurants: Il Mulino New York Trattoria, Shula’s Steak House and Todd English’s bluezoo, as well as wine and spirits sampling from around the globe.

The food selections are as innovative as they are enticing, ranging from Italian arancinito Asian-inspired grilled scallops to barbeque handcrafted bacon. On the sweeter side, finishing touches include a chocolate crunch Napoleon and a lemon peel mousse dome

New to the event this year:

• A beer garden featuresa variety of local and seasonal brews from around the world alongside homemade bar snacks made by the hotel’s culinary experts.
• The Cheese Course seminar looks at the art of wine and cheese pairing.
• The Fine Art of Sushi and Sake seminar teaches guests how to select and pair sushi and sake.
• A hands-on Caipirinha seminar reviews the traditional recipe and welcomes unique twists to this popular Brazilian cocktail.
• Tequila University offers an in-depth look at tequila and the secrets to making the perfect margarita.

Returning seminars include: pasta-making, Italian wines, modern mixology, beer, wine-blending and champagne.

To add to the event’s appeal, guests can enjoy a meet and greet with celebrity chef Todd English, the namesake of the hotel’s Todd English’s bluezoo restaurant. With 17 restaurants and lounges, a distinguished culinary and beverage team and unmatched customer service, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel continually receives national recognition for its food and beverage program. The hotel boasts more than 70 certified wine sommeliers and 1,400 wine selections, including  rare vintages.

Tickets to the Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic are available as part of a hotel package or individually. For more information or to book, please visit www.SwanDolphinFoodandWineClassic.com or call 1-800-227-1500.

Any frequent visitor to Walt Disney World has surely had at least 1 quintessential Disney “magical moment”. It’s that moment when an unexpected experience, sight, or kindness sprinkles the vacation with an extra dose of pixie dust that becomes an incredibly special lasting memory. It may be an amazing character greeting, a free waffle given away at the very end of a long night, or a rainbow over Cinderella Castle. For me, I am always blessed with at least one special Disney moment per visit. More times than not, it is the dedication and spirit of a Walt Disney World cast member who is responsible for this moment of spontaneous happiness.

I have heard a few people recently say that the Disney magic seems to be dying; they felt as if the cast members seem disinterested and not willing to go to the extra effort to make a visit magical for the guest. I am so happy to say that I don’t believe it- not even for a second. I have come across so many amazing cast members on my recent trips to the World, who have gone out of their way to make my day special. Have I run into the occasional grumpy cast member? Sure…but anytime that there is such an enormous group of people working toward a common goal, there is bound to be a bad egg or two. In my experiences, the majority of the dedicated individuals that choose to work for Disney hold the spirit of Walt in their hearts. They believe that it is their primary goal to make each guest’s experience magical. They have a smile on their face and are always looking to make that magic, even through the blistering heat and torrential rain.

Never was this more apparent to me than on my recent trip in July. It was the day before I was to depart from Walt Disney World, and I was determined to catch the Festival of Fantasy parade. The parade was elusive to me; over my past 2 trips, the weather had caused the parade’s cancellation the 5 times I had been in the park to see it. Since I was flying solo and didn’t have my kids to complain and really wanted a good viewing location to take some pictures, I found a shady spot in Frontierland (on a raised planter near the bathrooms) about 90 minutes before the start time. I settled in, figuring I could catch up on email and twitter while I relaxed under the tree. Soon I was joined by 2 lovely young ladies, and we struck up a conversation. They introduced themselves as off-duty Magic Kingdom cast members. Over the next hour, these women showed that they exemplified what a Disney cast member should be. Not only did they spend time talking with this middle-aged mom about everything under the sun, but they showed kindness to all those around them, both adults and children. They asked me all about my trip and what magical experiences I had encountered. They shared their experiences working at Disney and their hopes for a continued career with the company. The love for both their work and for the magic of the parks was clearly evident. Most importantly, they both interacted marvelously with the children around us, bringing smiles and giggles to all. As new cast member friends joined them, they introduced me and included me in their conversations. When the parade finally began (I had a few very nervous moments with some ominous clouds heading our way), the young women made certain that I had the best view for picture taking, telling their friends that I had been trying (unsuccessfully) to see this parade for so long! When the parade ended, we said goodbye and headed our separate ways.

It was certainly not necessary for these young ladies to befriend me, yet they went out of their way to make my parade experience special. Their kindness and obvious love for this magical place that means so much to me was touching and made my time waiting for the 3 o’clock parade a highlight of my whole trip. The most impressing quality of these beautiful young ladies is that it was not outwardly obvious that they were cast members, but they still went out of their way to enhance the vacation of all those around them. They continued to deliver that special Disney magic even though they did not have to. Unfortunately, I did not get their names, so I am unable to give them the formal compliment that they so deserve. To the 2 lovely fairy godmothers sitting with this middle-aged mom on that hot July day in Frontierland- I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You, and those like you, are the heart and soul of my beloved Walt Disney World.

I know I’m guilty of constantly using my cell phone, especially for social media. I can’t tell you how many times a day I check email, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Today I want to talk about how this habit is changing my personal Disney vacations (for better and worse) and what I’ve observed others doing in the parks.

Let’s start with the best reason to be on your phone in the parks, the My Disney Experience app. If you don’t have this on your phone, download it now. My husband loves to use this app. Our vacation is still 25 days away and he’s already made us dining reservations and FastPasses. You can easily check park hours, show and wait times. My only note is the app seems to perform better on his Iphone 4 compared to my Galaxy S4.

On to social media usage, my husband proposed to me in front of the Haunted Mansion in 2011. My entire family was there for it and I couldn’t have dreamed of a better moment, but after the initial excitement wore down I was posting a picture of my engagement ring on Facebook. I was so happy I wanted to share the news with everybody immediately. This is an instance I’m ok with social media use during a visit. On the other hand, I know I’m guilty of pulling my phone out and mindlessly scrolling while waiting in line. This is a habit of mine I hate and I wish others would do less of it too. Waiting in all of Disney’s lines is part of the experience. The queues are full of wonderful details and strangers from all over the world you could be talking to. Time flies by a lot more quickly when enjoying others’ company, as opposed to staring at a screen.

“Let’s take a selfie!” A sentence most people have heard, and something I have seen happening more frequently in the parks over the years. It makes sense. You want to have pictures from your magical trip, but are you losing memories by taking a lot of selfies? I have taken selfies in front of Cinderella’s castle and several other landmarks, but I’ve seen a lot of people working for that perfect shot during parades and rides. This is what really triggered my pondering of cell phone usage in the parks. These people may have a good picture to post online, but what about experiencing the parade or attraction? My last trip to Disney is when I came to the realization that I want to spend less time on my phone during my visits. I can post my pictures and status updates later that night. To be honest, I spend way too much money on a park ticket to not be fully immersed in my visit. I’d rather leave with millions of memories than a few likes and comments.

How about you, do you constantly use your phone in the park? Does it annoy you when you see others’ immersed in their cell phone? Let me know on Twitter @hoodie_life!

While Maelstrom fans cry into their school bread, Frozen enthusiasts received the news they had been hoping for. Disney Parks Blog announced last week that Maelstrom, the main attraction of the Norway Pavilion in Epcot, would be closing on October 6th to make way for a new Frozen inspired attraction.
The overwhelming popularity of Frozen has created exceptionally long lines to meet the Scandinavian princesses, a frenzy of moms desperately seeking the desired Elsa dress (the likes of which has not been seen since since Tickle Me Elmo), and a bevy of YouTube parodies of “Let it Go”. While Frozen seems to have taken Disney fans by storm, not everyone is thrilled about the coming changes. Traditionalists and Maelstrom fans are definitely disappointed that a classic Epcot attraction will be gone in just three weeks. The news took to the Twitter-sphere within minutes of the announcement and #Maelstrom was trending in the US for most of the day.

It is always hard to see a beloved attraction close its doors. Maelstrom was a favorite of my family, and it will be missed by many. It is important to remember though, that Walt Disney planned for his parks to never be completed, and this means that some things must change. I do think Frozen has become a Disney classic. Like movies such as “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast”, it’s characters, music, and storyline appeal to a wide audience, and it is likely to remain a popular franchise for the foreseeable future.
In typical Disney style, few concrete details of the new Frozen attraction have been released. The new attraction is expected to open in early 2016, and will take guests on a musical journey through Arendelle. A permanent royal greeting location will be part of the pavilion refurbishment where guests can meet Anna and Elsa. This should then free up space in the Magic Kingdom’s Princess Fairytale Hall for alternate and any future princesses.

In the meantime, Frozen fans can continue to visit Arendelle’s royal family at Princess Fairytale Hall, and beginning in November Elsa will transform Cinderella Castle into an ice palace each night. Anna and Elsa will be joined by Kristof and Olaf who will be part of this year’s parade at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, and some elements of Frozen Summer Fun! are being extended, with an expanded Oaken Trading Post where you can find Frozen merchandise and play in real Florida snow! Whether this announcement brings a smile to your heart, or you prefer to just “Let it Go”, it looks like Frozen, my friends, is here to stay.

A few weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit some of the locations I have never been to at Walt Disney World. My family and I found ourselves wandering around the resorts in the Magic Kingdom area and boy did we discover some amazing hidden gems.

It all started with our trip to The Wilderness Lodge for dinner. Traveling by boat from the magic kingdom we stepped into what seemed to be another world. You would never know you were in busy and bustling metropolis that is Orlando, but you are rather one with nature. The grounds are kept in a way that makes it appear as if the lodge is a natural element of the surrounding woods rather than a resort. As you pass the resort’s pool, the look and feel of a natural Florida spring. As you enter the lobby you feel as though you have stepped into a colossal log cabin. The carvings in the at the tops of the pillars looks as though they were handcrafted by some of the most skilled artist around. The entire lobby is just beautiful. One of the things my family found most enjoyable was grabbing some hot chocolate and wandering up to the second floor. There we found a nice area with a fireplace and comfortable seats where we could people watch and just enjoy the view of the lake and wilderness outside the large window.

On our way to the campground we found another wonderful treat. Boarding our boat the “Navigator” our captain was very friendly and greeted us all. As we pulled away from the dock, Marty, our wonderful captain, began to sing, quite well i may add, some of our favorite Disney tunes. This went on the entire way to the campground and made the trip absolutely wonderful. We did stop along the way so Marty could show us the “Shoe Tree”. This is a tree that guests have attached tennis shoes too at some point and rather than taking them down, the Disney cast members have made it into a joke for their guests. Just before we exited to boat, Marty sang a special song for a young lady on our boat who was celebrating a birthday. The child couldn’t stop smiling. Cast members like these make a Disney vacations even more magical.

As we explored the campground we were greeted again by several cast members and learned a bit about many of the exciting activities we can expect to experience on our trip. We can’t wait to make s’mores at the campfire with Chip and Dale, or take a sunset hay ride around the woods.
Returning to the Contemporary again by boat we were given a unique view of the Wilderness Lodge. Our boat captain pointed out that only from this angel, guest can see the large bear face that makes up the resort. looking at the resort you can see the eyes, nose, and open mouth that make up this ferocious beast. It was a great way to see a part of the resort that you normally don’t get to see.

We finished our evening at the Contemporary. Relaxing and enjoying drinks at the Outer Rim lounge right next to Chef Mickey’s. When it was time, we wandered on to the back balcony of the concourse to watch fireworks. We noticed however the walkway to Bay Lake Tower had the door proper open. The family and I wandered down a bit and found the perfect spot to see from and in that area they play the music to accompany the show. It was one of the best seats in the house.

All in All, exploring the Disney Resorts can lead to so many amazing discoveries. Be sure on your next vacation to take time, rent a surrey bike, explore the common areas, just get to know your resort, or other resorts that peak your interest. You never know what you might find.

Take a look at photos and video from WDW Daily News’ Morgan Turner from the 2014 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

Click here to view

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you know that Frozen has basically taken over the world. So I wasn’t at all shocked when the announcement for Disney On Ice presents: FROZEN, showed up. Now you might think I’m a little bit over the great freeze…but I’m not…like at ALL! I hopped all over that like a Disney fan to dolewhip! I booked my tickets the day it was announced….and then promptly forgot that I had booked it until the ticketmaster fairy sent me an email to remind me. First off let me say this reminder was awesome for 2 reasons- 1: I remembered I was going to another Disney on Ice production, and 2: I had an extra day off of work that week 😛 So when September 5th rolled around, I prettied myself up, set my Mapquest for the Amway Center and away I went!

First off let me say I’m no stranger to lines, but I was completely shocked when I walked up the steps to cross the bridge into the center and there was a long line that wrapped all the way around the garage, there was actually a line to get into the center. It moved quickly and finally I made my way in and was smacked in the face with all the glorious Frozen merchandise. I bought myself the fancy program and snapped a few photos, the weirdest of which were the Olaf snow cone cups. They had this white ball of ice in Olaf’s head…it really looked like his brains were made of snow.

After I made my way through all of the merchandise I found my seats and I was ready for the show to begin. It starts out with some fun performers teaching you the snow man dance and to see a bunch of adults and kids wiggling around snowman style warmed my heart. And then Mickey and Minnie and a bunch of their friends make their grand appearance! I laughed, I danced, and sang louder than pretty much every kid around me. After Mickey begins to tell Minnie Mouse a story about the love the real party begins! FROZEEEEENNNNN!!!

Without giving away too many spoilers, the show is really the film come to life on ice. I don’t know where Disney finds their skaters, but the performances are absolutely stunning. Elsa’s performance for “Let it Go” was literally one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen- I actually shed tears (I know kind of sad, but it was that amazing). As the show progresses you do notice a few changes here and there to make it plausible for the show to flow together, but most of the story is spot on with lots of fun and excitement, pizzazz and of course all the music and fun of Frozen! I’ve been to two other Disney on Ice performances and I have to say this one was by far the most spectacular I’ve seen. I realized watching, that I’m going to know the words to every song on the Frozen soundtrack for the rest of my life…and every other person in the arena is too. And you know what I’m perfectly okay with that. I had a blast and I can’t wait for the next big event! Who knows…maybe Big Hero 6 will get its own ice show. Who knows, but for now….I’m off to build a snow man 😉

In the summer of 2012, my mom gave me the idea to write a letter to Diane Disney Miller, Walt Disney’s daughter, to tell her what a huge impact Disney has had on my life. I wrote about how my brother and sister have worked at Walt Disney World, how it is my dream to be able to work for the Walt Disney Company someday, and just simply what an amazing legacy and impact her father has left behind. It took a few rough drafts to get the wording perfect, but when everything was just right I carefully copied it onto homemade stationary. After a little internet sleuthing, I discovered that she and her husband owned a winery in California, so I decided to send the letter there, in care of Diane. I never expected an answer.

A few weeks later, I received a bulky package in the mail. Inside there were two books about Walt and a brochure for the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. The first book, Walt Disney: His Life in Pictures said on the inside, “July 16, 2012. Dear Emma- Thank you for your letter! I think that you would enjoy this book. Sincere regards, Diane Disney Miller.” The second book, The Walt Disney Family Museum, had inscribed, “To Emma, with the hope that I’ll meet you here at the museum some day. Diane Disney Miller. P.S. Your elegant printing puts my scrawl to shame!” I was completely overwhelmed and grateful – I had never in my wildest dreams hoped for such an amazing response! My parents decided right then and there that the next summer, we would take a road trip out West. It was something that we had always wanted to do, and Disneyland in Anaheim and the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco seemed like perfect stops for a trip! I quickly composed a thank-you letter for Diane and sent it off.

All throughout that winter and the next spring, we planned our trip. We decided that the round trip would take about two weeks, and by the beginning of the next summer we had every day outlined. When July finally rolled around, I wrote another letter to Diane telling her about our upcoming trip and our plans to visit the museum and Disneyland. I left my phone number and email address for her to contact me if she wished and hoped for the best.

Our departure date was set for July 25, and after months and months of anticipation, the day finally arrived. We left bright and early that morning, driving every day and making lots of stops all along the country. We saw the Wall Drug Store in South Dakota, wild donkeys and buffalo at Custer State Park, and spent two days at Yellowstone National Park. From the rugged landscape of the Badlands to the carved mountainside of Mt. Rushmore, we experienced it all. A few days into the trip, I received an email from Diane. She said she was so sorry to miss us, but she would be gone for a week in Colorado while we were there. However, she said that she had alerted the executive director of the museum of our visit and that she would be looking out for us. She also mentioned that if we knew when we would be at Disneyland, she could call in passes for us. I was disappointed that we wouldn’t be able to meet, but still anticipated the museum visit and Disneyland.
We arrived in San Francisco on July 31 and spent the evening exploring Chinatown and the Pier. The next day, we arrived at The Walt Disney Family Museum and walked in as soon as it opened. We were surprised to find tickets for us waiting at the desk, and the Facilities Coordinator came to greet us. She said that they had originally planned on having a guide take us around the museum, but Diane had insisted that we tour it on our own time. She also mentioned that Kirsten Komoroske, the Executive Director, and Michael Labrie, the Director of Collections, would be meeting up with us sometime. We thanked her and began our journey through Walt’s life.

Check out the photo of the week by Stacy Degaro featuring a Mickey Head Pumpkin on Main Street USA at Magic Kingdom.

For those that have taken the Studio Back Lot tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I’m sure you remember the narration along the way describing what is referred to as Walt Disney’s personal plane, having the call letters of N234MM.

Yes, in fact this was Walt’s 1963 G-151 Grumman Gulfstream 1. It had 21 seats, 2 Rolls-Royce Dart 529 turbo prop engines and took about 7 hours to cross from Los Angeles to Orlando, which it did many times up until retiring in 1992.

The narration also mentions that this is THE plane that Walt used to scan the Florida landscape to locate the spot for his Florida Project. Well, this part is not necessarily true. Walt made his decision on the current Florida location on November 22, 1963, while on en route to New Orleans for a refueling stop. Walt was aboard his first aircraft, a Beechwood Queen Air, a smaller twin propeller aircraft that was put into service in 1963. The Gulfstream was not put into service until 1964. Walt also learned of the assignation of President John F. Kennedy this same day.

And what of those call letters and numbers? The tail number that is currently listed on the plane are not original. In the days when Walt was flying aboard, the call number was N732G. N234MM was originally on the Queen Air, then transferred to another plane owned by Disney, a King Air, then finally to the Gulfstream we see on display to this day.

Air traffic controllers would pronounce the name as N or November, two, three, four, metro-metro which is the phonetic FCC regulation pronunciation. Eventually they got familiar with the aircraft and it’s owner and began using the familiar N234 Mickey Mouse, or “The Mouse” for short. In the beginning, the plane’s name was…George!

The plane was landed for the last time along Florida Interstate 4 and transported by crane to its current home at The Disney Studios. It was gutted and sealed so there is no chance of it to fly again. It does make a great lawn ornament if you ask me!

I also learned that the original paint scheme for the plane was one orange stripe that crossed the window panels and a small Mickey Mouse emblem on the tail section. There was no other verbiage or company insignia to indicate it was a Disney Corporate Jet. Walt and his wife Lillian personally chose the interior design and color palette.

You can also find these call numbers on the license plate of a bright red MINI Cooper that also has a mouse ears hat in the back window. Yep, that’s me. Be sure to wave! 