I finally got a chance to go up in the Characters in Flight balloon at Downtown Disney at night. I’d been up twice before during the day and got some great pictures, but I wanted to see the view at night. It was a particularly neat time to go, not just because it was dark [...]

The Characters in Flight helium balloon ride at Downtown Disney officially opened on April 21, 2009.
The balloon, operated by Aerophile, takes up to thirty guests 400 feet in the air for around five minutes, providing 360-degree views of all of Walt Disney World and the surrounding Orlando area.
One of the most-discussed aspects of Characters in [...]

Actor Alfonso Ribeiro (Most famous for his roles in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Silver Spoons) shops with his daughter Sienna on April 10, 2009 at the new Tren-D store at Downtown Disney. The store blends both vintage and modern designs with stylized Disney characters.
Photo by Gene Duncan

The Characters in Flight tethered hot air balloon ride has been running off and on for guests the past few days. It’s been windy so the balloon has been down more than up since it opened. But when it’s up, you can see it from miles away. I’ve seen it while driving down Apopka-Vineland Road [...]

Tren-D, a stylish boutique with designer flair and eclectic offerings became Downtown Disney’s newest shop with its grand opening on April 9. The urban-inspired specialty store is a one-of-a-kind, hip destination for fashion-conscious shoppers seeking trendy apparel and novel accessories.
“This unique environment, filled with textured fabrics, new silhouettes, and whimsical art and design allows [...]

With the Virgin Megastore at Downtown Disney closing next month, the closeout sale has begun. Starting today, everything is up to 30% off. Music, DVDs and books are 20% off and electronics are 10% off.
I expect the discounts will increase as closing day nears. In addition to all merchandise being on sale, the store [...]

Paradiso 37, a high-energy restaurant and bar featuring cuisine from North, South and Central America, will welcome guests in May at its location in Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney.
The lakeside eatery will offer a variety of menu offerings representing the 37 countries of the Americas, plus an international wine bar, 37 varieties of tequila and [...]

Recently, we have added downloadable high-definition versions of our most recent videos to our Videos section.
These include:

MC Hammer at Universal Studios Mardi Gras
A tour through The Holy Land Experience
Racing experiences at the Walt Disney World Speedway
Zipline Safari at Forever Florida
2009 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival opening celebration
The American Idol Experience world premiere event (14 videos)
Disney [...]

The AMC Theaters Web site is listing their Downtown Disney location as a future spot for an IMAX theater. They don’t list any time frame for when the theater may open, but some are speculating that once the Virgin Megastore closes next month, the space would make a perfect location for an IMAX theater. We’ll [...]

I stopped by the Lego Imagination Center at Downtown Disney tonight and noticed this very cool Digital Box display.
If you hold certain Lego boxes up to the camera, it’ll show you an animated 3D model of the completed set right on top of the box you’re holding. This augmented reality technology is from a German [...]