Radio Disney to Announce Nominees for the 2015 Radio Disney Music Awards in New Television Special Friday, February 27 on Disney Channel

For the first time ever, the broadcast nominees for the 2015 Radio Disney Music Awards (RDMA) will be announced in a televised special, “Disney Channel Presents the 2015 RDMA Nomination Special,” FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27 (7:00-7:30 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney Channel. The special event, hosted by the Radio Disney on-air team, will feature appearances by Nick Jonas, Jessie J, Meghan Trainor, Olly Murs, Becky G, Sabrina Carpenter, Fifth Harmony, Echosmith, Jessica Sanchez, Jacquie Lee and more. All categories and nominees will be highlighted on “Radio Disney’s 2015 RDMA Nomination Special,” a two-hour on-air programming feature that will air SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28 (5:00-7:00 p.m. ET / 2:00-4:00 p.m. PT) on Radio Disney.

“Family-appealing, music-focused programming is central to our success, and as we seek to extend it to meet our viewer consumption habits and our client’s demands, we are uniquely positioned to leverage the natural synergies we have throughout Disney,” said Phil Guerini, VP, Programming and General Manager, Radio Disney. He continued, “Our audience utilizes every media platform and new technology to discover and listen to music, and the RDMAs are a fully-immersive, true multi-media event.”

Online voting for all categories will open immediately following the special at Disney.com/RDMA until Sunday, April 5.

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Disney Wins Big in 2015 Cruise Critic Cruisers’ Choice Awards

Cruise Critic®, the world’s leading cruise reviews site and online cruise community, has announced the winners of the 2015 Cruise Critic Cruisers’ Choice Awards. The awards name the best cruise ships of the year, based entirely on consumer reviews posted to the Cruise Critic website.

For the third year in a row, Disney Cruise Line won the coveted “Best Overall” award, with Disney Dream winning in the large ship category and Disney Wonder in the mid-size category. In total, Disney’s fleet won twelve awards, including “Best Entertainment” and “Best Cruises to the Bahamas” for Disney Dream, and “Best Cabins,” “Best Service” and “Best for Families” for Disney Fantasy.

A back-to-back win was also nabbed by Oceania Riviera, named “Best Cabins” and “Best Dining” in the mid-size category for the second year in a row – a nod to the ship’s luxurious cabin furnishings, wide variety of restaurants and onboard Culinary Center. Carnival Liberty was named “Best Value-for-Money” in the large ship category for the second consecutive year.

Unique, best-seen-by-cruise itineraries ruled the “Best Shore Excursions” category – Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America, which sails year-round in Hawaii, won the award in the large ship category and Princess’ Coral Princess won in the mid-size category, sailing partial and full transit Panama Canal cruises. Silversea’s Silver Galapagos won in the small ship category, offering expedition cruises of the Galapagos.

“Being named to this list of winners is one of the highest forms of praise cruise lines can receive,” explains Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor-in-chief of Cruise Critic. “The awards represent the compilation of thousands of reviews Cruise Critic received over the past year, so it’s truly representative of the experiences of those who have sailed on the ships first-hand.”

The Cruise Critic Cruisers’ Choice Awards are awarded in three ship classes, based on passenger capacity (Large: 2,000+ passengers; Mid-Size: 1,200 to 1,999 passengers; Small: 1,199 or fewer passengers) and are calculated using the ratings submitted with each Cruise Critic member review.

First-place winners include:

Best Cruises Overall
Disney Dream (Large)
Disney Wonder (Mid-Size)
Pacific Princess (Small)

Best Cruise Ship Cabins
Disney Fantasy (Large)
Oceania Riviera (Mid-Size)
Regent Seven Seas Voyager (Small)

Best Cruise Ships for Dining
Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam (Large)
Oceania Riviera (Mid-Size)
Azamara Quest (Small)

Best Cruise Ships for Embarkation
Disney Fantasy (Large)
Disney Magic (Mid-Size)
Crystal Symphony (Small)

Best Cruise Ships for Entertainment
Disney Dream (Large)
Disney Magic (Mid-Size)
Pacific Princess (Small)

Best Cruise Ships for Fitness
Celebrity Equinox (Large)
Oceania Riviera (Mid-Size)
Azamara Quest (Small)

Best Cruise Ship Public Rooms
Disney Dream (Large)
Oceania Riviera (Mid-Size)
Crystal Serenity (Small)

Best Cruise Ships for Service
Disney Fantasy (Large)
Disney Wonder (Mid-Size)
Regent Seven Seas Voyager (Small)

Best Cruise Ship Shore Excursions
Norwegian Pride of America (Large)
Coral Princess (Mid-Size)
Silversea Silver Galapagos (Small)

Best Cruise Ships for Value
Carnival Liberty (Large)
Holland America Zuiderdam (Mid-Size)
Pacific Princess (Small)

Best Cruises for Families: Disney Fantasy

Best Alaska Cruises: Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
Best Bahamas Cruises: Disney Dream
Best Caribbean Cruises: Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam
Best Mediterranean Cruises: Celebrity Reflection
Best Cruises from Florida: Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam
Best Cruises from the Northeast: Carnival Pride
Best Cruises from the West Coast: Sapphire Princess
Best Cruises from the U.K.: Celebrity Eclipse

For the full list of winners, visit the 2015 Cruise Critic Cruisers’ Choice Awards.

Cruise Critic boasts the world’s largest online cruise community, with more than 100,000 cruise reviews, covering approximately 500 cruise ships. Awards are based on reviews submitted for cruises taken in 2014.

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Disney’s Big Hero 6 Wins Best Animated Film at the Oscars

Big Hero 6 provided Walt Disney Pictures its a second consecutive win in the Best Animated Feature category at the Oscars, following in the footsteps of last year’s Frozen.

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New York City Runner Has Dreams Come True with Disney Princess Half Marathon Victory

One year after Lauren Passell feared she would never run again because of a broken hip, she found herself in another unlikely place Sunday – the winner’s circle at the Disney Princess Half Marathon presented by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Passell, 30, from New York City, slipped on some ice last winter, breaking her right hip and plunging her running future into serious doubt. “I didn’t think I’d ever run a race again,’’ she said.

Turns out, all she really needed was a little Disney magic.

“I was afraid actually (to run again) but this race really pulled me through,’’ said Passell, who couldn’t walk for four months after the injury, took disability leave from her job and didn’t run normally again for nearly a year. “When I was stuck on my couch (during her recovery), I would dream about running here, I would fantasize about it. I mean, for me to run through Disney, it means the world to me. I feel like the luckiest person in the world.’’

Passell, a self-described Disney nerd, didn’t appear to need much luck Sunday at Walt Disney World Resort, pulling away from the field of more than 24,000 mostly-women runners just after the midway point of the 13.1-mile course through Epcot and Magic Kingdom. Her winning time of 1:22:59 was nearly 30 seconds faster than second-place finisher Heather Schulz of Orlando (1:23:28). Mariela Ortiz of Argentina was third (1:23:45).

While Passell’s winning time was far off the race record of 1:11:49, it was easily her fastest half marathon time ever and her first half marathon win. And a performance that apparently holds the kind of special meaning that can’t be measured in hours, minutes and seconds.

“I seriously think I had that little extra push because of the injury and I just felt so driven and so lucky to be healthy and able to move,’’ she said. “It’s a blessing to be able to run and I appreciate it now. I really do.’’

In all, more than 49,500 runners competed in various events during the weekend. The weekend included the Disney Frozen 5K, the Disney Princess Enchanted 10K,runDisney Kids Races and the Glass Slipper Challenge, which involved runners completing the 10K on Saturday and the half marathon on Sunday.

The weekend event also included a health and fitness expo which featured the latest running apparel and equipment, plus a speaker series involving running experts such asrunDisney’s official training consultant Jeff Galloway.

The Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend is one of eight annual runDisney events and one of two women-focused events. The other is the Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend presented by PANDORA Jewelry, which takes place in May at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA.  Both events are designed to celebrate and promote women’s empowerment, women’s health and an active lifestyle. And both are among the nation’s largest race weekends geared towards women.

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New Village Causeway Now Open at Downtown Disney Marketplace

This is part of an ongoing series of posts highlighting the transformation of Downtown Disney® to Disney Springs.

The Village Causeway, a bridge connecting the area near The LEGO Store across the water to Rainforest Café, is now open at Downtown Disney Marketplace. This new area is quickly becoming a favorite spot for photos, sunset viewing and shopping. Guests can enjoy these new merchandise kiosks now open on the Village Causeway:

  • Flour & Sugar – featuring baked items with Florida flavors
  • Florida Bath Co. – offering bath products made with home-grown ingredients
  • Icon Jewellery by Bico – including fine grade pewter and enhanced with Swarovski Crystals
  • Kate & Leo –  featuring items inspiring curiosity, creativity and imagination

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Feel the Power of the Force During Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Star Wars™ Weekends returns to Disney’s Hollywood Studios® at the Walt Disney World® Resort every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 15-June 14, 2015.

During this galactic event, guests can encounter out-of-this-universe entertainment, favorite attractions and more!

James Arnold Taylor, the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi on “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” will return to host the Stars of the Saga talk show – including everyone’s favorite stormtrooper preshow – at a new larger location in the Theater of the Stars on Sunset Boulevard.

Star-wars-weekends-2015

Darth’s Mall is moving to a new and expanded complex near Streets of America where guests can find Star Wars-themed and exclusive event merchandise just for Star Wars Weekends 2015.

Plus, Star Wars characters assemble and “Summon the Force” each night for a grand celebration, including a look back at greatest moments throughout the day on social media.

And, at the end of the day, the night sky will erupt in an interstellar frenzy of fireworks as “Symphony in the Stars” salutes the saga’s most dramatic stories and brings your Clients as close to the Force as they can get.

 

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The 2 Reasons Why Ant-Man Isn’t In Avengers 2

While the upcoming Marvel mega-movie sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron looks to expand the comic book-inspired breadth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe even further, it has been known for some time that one critical aspect of the adaptation will be altered:

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Steven Spielberg reportedly wants to direct the Indiana Jones reboot

Word has been circling for some time that Disney is mulling a reboot of the Indiana Jones series and wants Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt to take the whip.

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DirecTV subscribers can now watch ESPN, Disney channels on mobile devices

DirecTV and Disney’s recent deal finally pays dividends as subscribers will now gain access to a host of mobile apps for live streaming, including WatchESPN, WATCH Disney, and others.

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Behind the magic: Inside Disney’s Central Shops

When you visit Walt Disney World most visitors would agree, there’s a certain amount of magic found in all the parks. One of the parks is even called Magic Kingdom, and of course, their new program is called MyMagic+.

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