Some friends were in town this week so we made a full day trip to Epcot. Here are some things that caught my eye. We start at the front of the park where the line for Spaceship Earth was very long early in the day. A tip for those who don’t know: wait and ride [...]

A new tour of Epcot called “Nature-Inspired Design” recently premiered. It is the fourth Segway-based tour at Walt Disney World and the third at Epcot. Here’s Disney’s official description: Discover the wonder of nature-inspired design as you glide through land, sea and air at Epcot®.  This 3-hour backstage tour allows you to experience the symbiotic relationship [...]

Here’s what’s happening around the tourist areas of Central Florida for July 4 this year. Magic Kingdom “Celebrate America Fireworks” will fill the sky at 9 pm. July 4 (guests who’d like to begin the celebratory weekend a day early can enjoy the special fireworks on July 3 at 9 p.m.). After the fireworks, guests [...]

The whole family can boogie down at Epcot starting tonight as popular tribute bands take the stage throughout the summer at the America Gardens Theatre. Seven tribute bands will recreate classic hits from musical icons under the stars as part of the Sounds Like Summer concert series. Concerts, which are included in regular Epcot admission, [...]

The Summer 2009 issue of Orlando Attractions Magazine is now available for preview and pre-order. It’s our first quarterly issue and the first of our new and improved editions featuring nearly 20% more pages, thicker paper, more high-quality photography, and more articles than ever before. Feature articles in this issue include: • COVER STORY: Hitch a [...]

Several Grammy-winning bands highlight the lineup of popular music acts during this year’s Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Sept. 25 to Nov. 8. The Eat to the Beat! concert series will bring 17 acts – showcasing everything from rock to jazz, funk to pop – to the America Gardens Theatre stage during the 45-day [...]

The Great Piggy Bank Adventure had its grand opening this morning in Innoventions West at Epcot. The attraction is presented by T. Rowe Price. Pictured above with Mickey Mouse are, from left, Epcot Vice President Dan Cockerell, T. Rowe Price Chairman and CIO Brian Rogers, T. Rowe vice chairman Price Edward Bernard, and Walt Disney [...]

The Great Piggy Bank Adventure, Presented by T. Rowe Price, opens tomorrow, May 19, bringing basic saving and investing concepts to life in a fun and captivating way through a live, first-of-its-kind interactive experience at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot. It features a series of entertaining games that bring to life and teach key financial themes of [...]

Disney’s D23, the Official Community for Disney Fans, today announced its Summer 2009 Special Events Calendar that includes movie screenings, visiting the Walt Disney Studios, Archives and the new Walt Disney Family Museum. Here are more details on the charter member-only special events: May 28 D23 “Up All Night” at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre (FREE) [...]

Disney’s 14th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival will take place this year from Sept. 25 – Nov. 8. Festival guests can enjoy the flavors of more than 25 international marketplaces around the World Showcase, including Bologna, Italy; Bangkok, Thailand; Wellington, New Zealand; Santiago, Chile; Marrakesh, Morocco; Shanghai, China; and, from the United States [...]

Here are some of the new things happening around Walt Disney World this summer. We’ve written about some of these before, but some of this is brand new information. Be sure to get a copy of our Summer 2009 issue for more information on many of these happenings. Stitch’s SuperSonic Celebration Everybody’s favorite galactic pal [...]

Disney’s first-ever Chief Magic Official Justin Muchoney celebrated his final day in his role at Epcot, where he randomly invited park guests to join him in a surprise Unbirthday Party in The Odyssey, featuring Alice in Wonderland decorations and characters – as well as a few surprises for Justin. On Earth Day 2008, Justin Muchoney was named [...]

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 [...]

As revealed to Disney cast members via their online web portal called the Hub, Walt Disney Imagineering is working with Raytheon to develop a new motion simulator attraction for Innoventions at Epcot. The attraction is called “The Sum of All Thrills” and will allow guests to design a roller coaster, jet plane, or bobsled ride using real-life [...]

As a follow-up to our previous post about Ratatouille’s Remy the cooking rat appearing at Epcot’s Les Chefs de France restaurant, Disney has provided us with this video of “Chef Remy” in action:

The newest chef at Walt Disney World Resort may be small in stature, but he’s a big hit with guests enjoying haute cuisine at Les Chefs de France in Epcot. With his flair for French fare, diners of all ages are eating up his whimsical tableside visits. His name is Remy, and he’s the rat-turned-chef [...]

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 [...]

Volume 2, Issue 3 (April / May 2009) of Orlando Attractions Magazine is now available for preview and pre-Order. FEATURES: • COVER STORY: Idol Opportunity Visitors to Disney’s Hollywood Studios get into the act in the new American Idol Experience. • Unleash Your Inner Celebrity VIP tours offer a unique way to see Orlando’s theme [...]

We were lucky enough to have been invited to a special event for Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival over the weekend. Part of the day included a reception in the VIP Lounge at the American Adventure pavilion at Epcot. For those interested, here are some pictures of the lounge and the view.

In addition to our previous video, we’ve now uploaded our photo gallery from the opening of Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden yesterday and Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival. The Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden is a part of the festival. Disney Fairies Tinker Bell, Iridessa, Fawn, Silvermist, and Rosetta made an appearance, leading a group of [...]