Everyone can give a thumbs up or down to any photo in our gallery. As you’ll see below, our American Idol pictures were very popular by visitors to our online gallery. Here are the top 10 photos from 2009 that received the most thumbs up (and least thumbs down). Click on any of the photos [...]

Our YouTube channel was a popular place in 2009. We reached more than a million views for a couple of our older videos, while others lay dormant for reasons unknown to us. Sometimes we think a video is going to be a huge hit and it flops, and sometimes we wonder why we’re bothering to [...]

A lot has happened in the Orlando area theme parks in 2009. Some new attractions were announced, some have closed down and some have opened up. One both opened and closed in 2009 (we’re talking about you Stitch.) Below are the top 10 most read blog posts on our site during 2009. Below the top [...]

There’s a lot going on for New Year’s Eve, but not all of the parks will be having special events or fireworks at midnight. Here’s a list of the special New Year’s Eve events. But be warned that it’s the busiest day of the year and many of the parks may close when they reach [...]

Former Walt Disney Imagineer Mark Eades (pictured here) was the media producer for the original Star Tours attraction, which first officially opened at Disneyland in California in 1987 and later at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then Disney-MGM Studios) in Florida in 1989. With Disney’s announcement that they will be revamping the attraction into Star Tours II, [...]

The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has become a Christmastime tradition in Central Florida. The lights debuted at the Studios on Nov. 24, 1995, but they weren’t dancing to the music until 2006. From 1995 to 2003, the spectacle lit up Residential Street, part of the Studio Backlot Tour. In [...]

Disney has announced the dates for Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2010 as: May 21 – 23, May 28 – 30, June 4 – 6, June 11 – 13. Prior to today’s announcement, many fans thought Disney might change their usual May/June dates for the annual Star Wars-themed event to surround Star [...]

Photo by TouringPlansLast week, we told you about Disney testing a queueless meet-and-greet system in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom in which parents would wait in line while their children played in a playground until it was time for everyone to meet a character. Now it appears that testing continues this week but on a [...]

The Winter 2010 issue of Orlando Attractions Magazine is now available for preview and pre-order. Feature articles in this issue include: • COVER STORY: A Whole New World Reimagined and expanded Fantasyland to deliver more magic than ever before. • Blast Off Into Superspace Disney’s Space Mountain reopens with new enhancements. • Star Tours II: [...]

Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of “Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back,” Lucasfilm and Reed Exhibitions’ PopGroup will partner to produce what’s expected to be one of the largest official Star Wars fan events ever – Star Wars Celebration V will take place Aug. 12 to 15, 2010, at the Orange County Convention Center. [...]

December is one of the best times to visit Orlando. Even though there’s no real snow, you’re sure to be able to get into the Christmas spirit with all of the festivities. Whether want to visit the Grinch, go ice skating, see thousands of dancing holiday lights, Orlando has you covered. Here are the events [...]

Singer Jon Bon Jovi poses with Goofy on the New York Street backlot set at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Bon Jovi and his band, who have sold more than 120 million records in a career that spans 26 years, released their newest album, “The Circle.” The group will begin a world concert tour in early 2010. [...]

Following on the heels of a number of iPhone apps that purportedly provide access to Disney theme park attraction wait times (through user submissions) comes Disney’s first official cell phone app called Mobile Magic. This app, however, will as of now not be available on the iPhone but rather compatible Verizon Wireless network phones. The [...]

Starting Monday, Florida residents will have a new option for annual passes to Walt Disney World. For $169, the Florida Resident Weekday Select Pass will allow access to all four of the Walt Disney World theme parks on weekdays, but with a few restrictions. The new Weekday pass will have the same blockout dates as [...]

We had a chance to go up in a helicopter today during the grand opening of the Waldorf Astoria and Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. The property the two hotels sit on is surrounded by Disney World on three sides. So in addition to giving us a birds-eye view of the hotel property, we were able [...]

The above image, released by Disney as part of the long-awaited Star Tours update announcement, may offer some clues as to what destinations guests will be traveling to when the popular Star Wars-based ride is updated in 2011. Seated at a table in front of boards of concept art are Walt Disney Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald (left), Industrial [...]

Below is the exciting announcement of the long-rumored Star Tours makeover featuring Stormtroopers, Darth Vader, and Jay Rasulo, chairman of Disney Parks & Resorts. httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VliPqCf4Z0w Details are scarce but you can read a little more about the announcement here.

After years of rumors, a much-anticipated makeover of the Star Tours attractions at Walt Disney World and Disneyland is on the way. The announcement was made at the Disney Parks & Resorts presentation at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, Calif. on Sept. 12, 2009. Details are scarce at the moment as Disney’s Imagineers are working [...]

The sad news of legendary newsman Walter Cronkite’s recent death at 92 years old has Disney fans remembering his contributions to Walt Disney World theme parks. While many remember Cronkite as the narrator of Epcot’s Spaceship Earth attraction from 1986 to 1994, he was also featured in a 9-minute film entitled Back To Neverland at what [...]

American Idol producers say nearly 10,000 people turned out for their Season 9 auditions at Orlando’s Amway Arena today, and several of them had a coveted Disney Dream Ticket. The Dream Ticket is the prize awarded to the finale show winner at the American Idol Experience each day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Caitlin MacAllister (pictured [...]