Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster

The new indoor roller coaster at RPC0T, with a dark cloud overhead

Halloween is coming fast

Seen at the Co-op at Disney Springs. Still 6 weeks to Halloween but the Mouse wants you to be prepared.

Fall is coming

Hot and humid in early September but Fall is apparently coming.

Slink Dog

The new Slinky Dog attraction in Toy Story Land

The new Slinky Dog attraction at DHS

The Buzz about Star Wars

BL seems to be checking out the new Star Wars Land at DHS

At Mendenhall Glacier

Donald at Mendenhall Glacier.

New tram construction at DHS

Progress on the towers and loading platforms at Hollywood Studios. A lot has happened since last seen a few months ago.

Skagway

Good morning from Skagway

Zz

Our Alaskan Cruise Day

Our cruise day has finally arrived!

We are packed and about ready to get some breakfast before making our way to Canada Place to board the Disney Wonder. Weather can't be any more perfect.

Donald is excited too. He's examining the lanyard that I assembled to be worn for the cruise. I think he wants it for himself!

Room with a view

Our room in Vancouver during the next 3 nights before the Disney cruise. Not bad at all!

Greetings from Vancouver!

We have arrived, and about to get onto the SkyTrain.

After we get to our hotel, we will go hunt for a Japadog! Food!

Zz.

Sent from my iPhone

At airport

We are at the airport, bright and early, for our flight to Vancouver. Everything is on time, and I just finished breakfast.

See you in Vancouver!

Zz.

The Wonder of Alaskan Cruise 2018

We are less than a day away from flying off to Vancouver, CA, and doing our Alaskan cruise on the Wonder. We will be spending he weekend in Vancouver to do some sight-seeing, and then on Monday, we will hop the Disney cruise ship to begin our cruise. This is the first that that I will be on one of the smaller Disney ship. So far, I've only been on the Dream and Fantasy.

Here is our itinerary:

We have excursions at every stop, including a zipline through the canopy in Ketchikan. So this should be fun.

And yes, Donald is all set and ready to go. He has his cold weather gear just in case.

I'll try to post reports from where I will be whenever we have wifi or cellular services.

Zz.

Guy Fieri's "Chicken Guy!" To Open At Disney Springs This August

Add another restaurant to the list of the many, MANY restaurants at Disney Springs (at some point, isn't this way too many already?). Food Network star Guy Fiery is to open "Chicken Guy!" this August, and the emphasis is on chicken tenders and the sauces, with the food being served being under $8. I wonder how long that price will last?

Since Fieri is a huge fan of sauces, like his signature Donkey Sauce, there will be 22 sauces for dipping, slathering and smothering — take that, Chick-fil-A! Fieri's Donkey Sauce recipe (made with mayo, roasted garlic, mustard and lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce —or "Washashasahshashasha" as Fieri calls it) is actually really delicious, so hopefully the other sauces will be just as tasty.

Not only will the restaurant have almost two dozen sauces, but there will also be a designated "sauce slinger" who will wear a holster with the sauces and walk around the restaurant, presumably to squirt and sauce up any customers' orders.

I'm not averse to checking it out when we go there this December, so maybe I'll report back. So far, our only dining experience at a celebrity chef joint in Disney Springs was at Rick Bayless's Frontera Cucchina, and it was a winner.  I'm not a fan of chicken tenders, but I'll give this one a try.

Zz.

Christmas 2018 Merchandise at WDW

Here are the upcoming 2018 Christmas merchandise at Walt Disney World.



Oh, my poor, poor credit cards!

Zz.

Hallmark's 2018 Disney Singing Ornaments

This is this year's (2018) Disney's singing ornaments from Hallmark. This was released this past weekend (July 14, 2018). They come separately, or in a limited-edition boxed set. The box set has a commemorative art print, and the lamp posts are green, as opposed to the brown posts in the video of the individual pieces.

Here is the boxed set:

And here they are in action at a Hallmark store:



Zz.

Hallmark ornaments

Ornament pickup today. Lots of Disney stuff.

Donald, The Tomato Guardian

Donald is guarding over his tomato, and also my heirloom tomato that is growing next to him, from those two rascals Chip and Dale.

Zz.

4th of July Disney Vest

This is the vest I'll be wearing today. Happy 4th of July to everyone celebrating it!

Zz.

This Is Halloween - Lego Stop Motion Movie

I know this is almost a year late, and I know that it is only the beginning of July, but hey, if the Hallmark channel can start showing Christmas movies already, I can definitely highlight this video that I've only recently found.

It is a good one.



Zz.

Play Disney Park App

On June 30, 2018, Disney will debut the Play Disney Park app on Android and iOS platform.

Disney theme parks like never before with the Play Disney Parks mobile app, a transformative new digital entertainment offering that will make its official debut on June 30 at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California.

The Play Disney Parks app will bring to life unique interactive experiences that enable guests of all ages to access a wide range of activities including themed games, Disney trivia, digital achievements, music and so much more – whether they are playing on Main Street, U.S.A. or waiting in line at beloved attractions.

Let's see if this new app is as slow and sluggish as the MyDisneyExperience app!

Zz.

Why "Bao" Is More Profound Than You May Think

The Pixar short, "Bao", that was shown before "Incredibles 2" has elicited quite a reaction, especially among Asian immigrants.

During the pivotal moment of “Bao,” I started to sob in the theater. 

I’m not the only one who was deeply touched by this short. Before I even saw “Bao,” I had a Chinese friend message me from the theater about the emotional punch. Other friends tweeted about how they teared up in the movie theatre. People across social media shared their own experiences and how the short resonated with them. 

Of course, there are those who don't get it, based on the Twitter reaction that was described in the article.  But the writer makes a very good point here:

Just as a pocket of the internet can summon ire over the supposed homogeneity of animation, another can implicitly fear the diversification of characters and traditions brought to life by the medium. Not understanding media — be it literature, film, art, or music — is not a bad thing. But the employment of a white, mostly male perspective throughout most of American movie history means audiences have been weaned to expect one set of values for years. When something outside that demographic crosses moviegoers’ paths, so often people react like a mistake’s been made, like they’ve been provoked. Then they bypass Google for Twitter.

Pixar's shorts have always had a lot more "life" and story in it than many people realize or give them credit. This is another one such example.

Zz.

Incredicoaster At Pixar Pier

This is the new Incredicoaster at Pixar Pier in Disney's California Adventure. It is, of course, the old California Screamin', with The Incredibles embellishments.



Zz.

Why Are There No Mosquitoes At Disney World?

A very good question indeed, considering that if you look all around the Orlando area, most houses have outdoor areas that are covered with screens. And if you've been out and about, you'll realize that you can get eaten alive by these mosquitoes. So how come we get very little mosquitoes attack while we're on the Walt Disney World grounds?

As usual, if you have a question, you'll eventually find someone who offers you the possible answer, as in this video.



Zz.

Incredibles 2 - A Review

***SPOILER ALERT*** This review contains crucial parts of the story. If you do not wish to know, stop reading now.

Let's get this out of the way, you should go see Disney/Pixar's latest "Incredibles 2". It is a load of fun, and Jack-Jack certainly stole the movie. The best part about the entire movie is the dynamics between the Parr family members, especially in how Bob has to be the "Mr. Mom" of the family.

As fun and exciting the movie is, I can't help feel a bit disappointed in the tired, old, familiar storyline. First of all, I correctly guessed who the villain (or the brain of the operations) was almost at the very beginning. To me, it was way too obvious.

But here lies my major complaint: this is a familiar storyline as not only with many other movies, but also with the first "Incredibles" movie! In that first movie, the antagonist was Buddy Pine, who turned into a bad guy because he was dismissed by Bob to be his sidekick. So he was a spurned fan.

In "Incredibles 2", it was a sister who somehow blamed the superheroes for the death of her father. And even that isn't convincing either. The father tried calling his superheroes when someone broke into his house. But the superheroes couldn't answer because, by then, they have already been outlawed. So it wasn't their fault in the first place that they didn't come to the rescue of the father. So not only is the premise a recycle of the first movie, it was also rather weak!

We have seen way too many movies in which one disgruntled person somehow managed to cause mayhem of such magnitude. It is a tired story. That is why I was disappointed that "Incredibles 2" dipped into this well once more, especially considering that they went there with the first movie.

It should not diminish your enjoyment of it. But considering that this was from Pixar, I was expecting a lot more.

2 1/2 out of 4 stars.

Zz.

Squirrel Caught Stealing At MK Store

A squirrel was caught on video stealing peanuts M&M at a store in the Magic Kingdom.

Where was Disney security? I'd say they ban that squirrel ("SQUIRREL!!!!") for life from the theme park.

Zz.

Location of New Star Wars Hotel

Orlando Sentinel has reported the location of the Star Wars hotel that will be built at WDW, to open in late 2019.

Where will the Star Wars hotel be located at Walt Disney World? The company now says it’s “under development” just east of World Drive, on the south side of Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park.

“This location will allow the experience to be seamlessly connected to the highly-anticipated Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, enabling guests to fully immerse themselves in the story of “Star Wars,” a new post on the official Disney Parks Blog states.

I did a Google Map to look at the sight, and this is what I found:

I circled the location mentioned in the new article. This looks like it might have a direct access to Galaxy Edge, since the location butted against the new land being built at Studios. But will the guests of the hotel, who will be allowed to dress in Star Wars costumes, be allowed into the park wearing their costumes? Hum?

Zz.

Maleficent Dragon Caught Fire

The fire-breathing dragon caught fire during the afternoon parade at the Magic Kingdom. So that's the biggest news out of Disney yesterday.



Ouch! I hope they will repair or rebuild it, because this was the highlight of that parade!

Zz.

Donald's Dino-Bash

Donald's Dino-Bash coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom near you.



Zz.

Disney's Animal Kingdom 20th Anniversary Celebration

Happy 20th Birthday, Disney's Animal Kingdom!



Zz.

Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade Trivia

So here is a fun Disney trivia. Which current US Congressman designed and built the parade controller for the Main Street Electrical Parade?

Check out minute 5:50 in the video below for the answer:



And in case you are not aware of this, he is the only physicist in the US congress right now.

Zz.

Paint The Night Parade Opening Night

Opening night of Paint the Night parade at Disney's California Adventure.



Is it me, or does this reminds me of Spectromagic parade at MK that I miss so much?

Zz.

Pandora Conservation Initiative Utility Suit

What the hey.......?





They are taking this waaaaay too seriously! 😂

Zz.

Millennium Falcon Simulator Ride Will Have 8 GPUs To Run

It appears that the new Millennium Falcon Simulator ride being planned at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studies will have a beast of a processing unit.

Each and every implementation of the sim will be powered by a Boxx workstation running eight Nvidia Quadro P6000 GPUs connected via Quadro SLI, so this definitely won’t be something available to consumers. Disney had to build multi-GPU workflows, which they helped Epic Games integrate into the company’s Unreal Engine which will continue to use that code moving forward.

I know that something like this can be quite thrilling. I've seen how popular the new Flight of Passage at the Pandora land can get. But I can't help hoping that there would be an E-ticket PHYSICAL ride, rather than a simulator. There seems to be a reliance on too many of those lately.

Zz.

WDW Resorts To Charge For Parking

This came out of nowhere.

Disney resorts at WDW will start charging guests to park their vehicles at the resorts.

The amount will vary, depending on the level of accommodations. At what Disney refers to as a value resort, which includes the All-Star hotels and Pop Century, the charge will be $13 per night. For the moderate resorts (such as Port Orleans or Coronado Springs), it will be $19 a night. On the deluxe end of the scale – including Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Yacht and Beach resorts and the monorail hotels – it’s $24 per night.

The report does not say whether this applies to DVC resorts, DVC members, and passholders. I'm guessing that it will not, since DVC members and passholders can already park for free even at the theme parks.

Zz.

Mobile Food Ordering Adds Dining Plan

I reviewed the MyDisney Experience park app's mobile food ordering service at WDW a couple of months ago after we tried it during our December 2017 trip. We loved it, and can't think of any reason anyone would not want to use it for ordering at many of the counter services at the parks and at a couple of places in Disney Springs. The only significant part that was missing from this ability is the use Disney Dining Plan with the mobile service.

Well now, with the recent update of the app this past week, it appears that they have included the ability to use the Dining Plan to order food via the mobile app. I fully expected this because they tend to roll out the app in stages as they figure out its capabilities, etc. So it is not surprising that the Dining Plan is now included. Not that we will use this feature since we seldom get the Dining Plan, but I know that this was a common question and feature request.

So folks, if you have a smart phone, there really is no reason to not download the app, and if you're planning on eating at one of the quick service places at a WDW theme park, you'll be out of your mind to not use the mobile food ordering feature.

Zz.

"Christopher Robin" Trailer

Disney has released the new "Christopher Robin" trailer. Oh, the nostalgia!



Zz.

"Coco" Was Almost A Full-Blown Musical

Lee Unkrich revealed that "Coco" almost became Pixar's first full-blown musical.

Although those half-dozen tunes didn’t make the film, you can hear several of them as bonus features on the DVD/Blu-Ray release of “Coco” that arrived Tuesday. Hearing those artful songs might prompt the question: Why didn’t they make the movie?

“I pivoted for a few reasons, the main one being that the film felt like it was trying to be something different than what we were trying to force it to be,” says Unkrich, who worked on “Coco” for about six years after his Oscar-winning direction of “Toy Story 3.”

And as he has stated, it will be a bit ironic to have musical numbers from the very beginning, considering that any form of music was banned from the Rivera family.

Definitely looking forward to hearing the rest of the tunes that didn't make it into the film. Still, with all the music already written, who is going to bet against Disney bringing "Coco" to Broadway?

Zz.

Wreck It Ralph 2 - Official Teaser Trailer

Disney has released a teaser trailer for Wreck It Ralph 2, which will be released Thanksgiving this year. The trailer is histerical!



Zz.

Disney Easter Eggs at Hallmark

Found these Disney Easter Eggs ornaments at our Hallmark store.

They are ridiculously adorable!

Zz.

The Long Wait Times For "Flight of Passage"

This Orlando Sentinel article highlights the popularity of "Flight of Passage" at Disney's Animal Kingdom, and the fact that the wait times have not diminished, reaching to more than 6 hours recently.

Visitors who did not have FastPasses waited in stand-by lines an average of about 2 hours and 15 minutes in June, according to Testa’s numbers. He bases those on a rolling average, which helps eliminate outliers, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the busiest time of day, he said.

Through Touring Plans, Testa’s 140,000 paying subscribers (plus half a million who use his website for free) feed him data. He’s collected 20 million data points to guide his analysis, he said.

Fast forward to Dec. 16, a Saturday, about 6 p.m., the wait time hit 6½ hours — the highest Testa has ever recorded, beating the previous 305-minute wait for Soarin’ Over California at Epcot.

Yowzah!

We managed to go on "Flight of Passage" twice during our last trip in Dec. 2017. It is certainly a spectacular attraction. But is it worth a wait that long? It appears that many people standing in line for hours seem to think so.

But the Na'vi River ride? Not worth the wait more than 20 minutes.

Zz.

Contemporary bungalows

The modern Contemporary resort seen from the even newer Polynesian bungalows

Morimito’s

The inside of Iron Chef Morimoto's restaurant at Disney Springs

Gourmet Donald at Festival of the Arts

Donald is sometimes feeling deconstructed so he is having Deconstructed BLT and a DC strawberry cheesecake. The BLT is pork belly, egg and tomato jam.

Donald at the Painter’s Palatte

Don is eyeing a gourmet appetizer at the Festival of the Arts. The egg with candied bacon was especially good.

Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway

More news out of D23 Expo Japan. New details on the attraction replacing The Great Movie Ride at DHS has been released.

"On the attraction, the fun begins when you see the premiere of a new cartoon short with Mickey and Minnie getting ready for a picnic," Disney said. "As they head out, they drive alongside a train and find out that the engineer is Goofy. Then, one magical moment lets you step into the movie and on Goofy's train for a wacky, wild ride."

This is interesting because it will be the first ride at WDW that features Mickey and Minnie (not counting Philharmagic, which is a show and not a ride).

Let's hope it is not another lame attraction such as the Na'vi River ride at Pandora.

Zz.

Epcot's "Guardians of the Galaxy" Coaster Will Be Massive

The big news that came out of the D23 Expo in Japan is that the "Guardians of the Galaxy" roller coaster ride at Epcot will be one of the largest indoor coasters in the world.

With the “Guardians of the Galaxy”-inspired coaster, we’re going big. This one-of-a-kind family attraction will be one of the world’s longest enclosed roller coasters when it’s added to Future World at Epcot. It’ll feature a unique story currently being created by Walt Disney Imagineering and include a new innovative ride system that’s guaranteed to “wow” guests.

OK, wow!

I hope they're not doing to wait till WDW's 50th Anniversary to finish it.

Zz.

Dragon in Blue

Seen somewhere at EPCOT. Inspired by Festival of the Arts.
Part of a treasure hunt type game so exact location can’t be revealed

Donald’s pandemonium

Don with strange bear

Chalk art at EPCOT

An area dedicated to chalk art by various artists, at Festival of the Arts

Chalk art in progress

Chalk art at the Festival if the Arts at EPCOT

Donald and Donald

Our famous duck admiring a portrait of himself at EPCOT

Mona Figment

A possibly rare painting by a possible Italian master, possibly seen at EPCOT. Actually it isn't and it was.

Impression de Figment

A rare Monet (or not) painting of Figment seen at the EPCOT Festival of the Arts

Festival of the Arts goodies

From the Painters Palette at EPCOT, white chocolate "paintings" with chocolate easels.

Star Wars Dessert Party

One of the tables at the dessert party at DHS. Tried the blue stuff, it was delicious. The party includes a special fireworks viewing area.

Star Wars Ice Cream

Seen at Annie's on the Boardwalk. The cup has a scoop of First Order, very chocolate.

New Disney Skyliner

Seen at DHS, poster for the new Tram that will connect several places(see map). This also shows the proposed Riviera resort which might be near the Caribbean. Construction can be seen at DHS.

Dancing and Singing Mickey and Minnie

OK, so this is rather late to show something that is more appropriate for the holiday season, but hey, I've been busy!

We bought these at CVS, of all places, in Nov. 2017. At first we didn't want them because we need more singing Mickey and Minnie plushes like we need a hole in the head. But when I played and put it on the floor, we just had to get them because they actually dance and move across the floor! They were too adorable to pass up.

So, this may be late, but here they are, Mickey and Minnie, dancing and singing "Deck The Halls".



Zz.

The Fate Of John Lasseter May Depends On What Happens On Thursday

Disney Animation unit has scheduled a "Day of Listening" tomorrow, Feb. 1, 2018, to discuss, among other things, the issue of John Lasseter and if he will be welcomed back.

The gathering, which Disney veterans say is unprecedented for the Burbank-based animation unit, comes as sources with ties to both Disney Animation and Pixar Animation Studios speculate that John Lasseter, who oversees both companies but has been on leave since November, will not return from what was characterized by Disney as a six-month "sabbatical." At the time, Lasseter, 61, acknowledged "painful" conversations and unspecified "missteps" in a memo to staff.

The loss of Lasseter will definitely be a major blow and a major transition for both Disney Animation and Pixar.

I wonder if they have removed, or will remove, all those bottles of wines from the two Remy restaurants on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy ships.

Zz.

ESPN Wide World of Sports

How many big Disney fans have ever visited the ESPN Wide World of Sports at WDW? I have, but only a couple of times, and for both times, it had nothing to do with sports (both were related to pins).

So while I know about the facility, I don't know much about it since I don't have much of a reason to go there when I'm on vacation at WDW. Still, for those who are curious on why Disney would have such a facility, this article will enlighten you on why it is such an important part of Walt Disney World. I, for one, didn't know that the Cheerleading thing is that big and how the World of Sports is the major venue for the event.

No wonder I kept bumping into cheerleading squads every now and then when I'm going to WDW.

Zz.

Inside The Flavor Lab

I don't get to read much about the Disney's Flavor Lab at WDW. So it was quite informative to read this article on what it is and what it does.

Flavor Lab is a 7,500-square-foot complex tucked away in the backstage parts of Disney's Florida property, off limits to the countless tourists who will eat the dishes dreamed up within its walls. In this building, the company’s chefs and Imagineers have access to a one-stop workshop to build immersive dining experiences, create detailed mythologies that lend story to restaurant locations and menu items, try out new technologies, make sure ideas are practical on a Disney-size scale, and test everything down to the individual appetizer. The goal: Create restaurants where a meal is as much a part of a theme park vacation as a ride on the Haunted Mansion.

Hey, when will get a backstage tour of this place? :)

Zz.

Le Creuset Disney Collection

Oh, as if I need another reason to spend money!

I just found this (thanks, Chuck!) Le Creuset Disney collection. Le Creuset is never cheap (I have several dutch ovens and a few other ceramic items). Pair it with Disney, and it becomes downright expensive.

But hey, those ramekinds are awfully tempting!

Zz.

Happy Holidays From Living With The Land

These are photos that I managed to snap of the holiday decorations inside the greenhouse during the boat ride on Living With The Land at Epcot. This was taken this past December, 2017.

Zz.

A Review Of Mobile Food Ordering

On this trip (which we are still on for at least another couple of days), we used the mobile food ordering service that is inside the My Disney Experience App. This feature allows you to preorder and pay for food at various counter services at the 4 theme parks, and one in DS. Supposedly, it will expand even more as they add more counter service.

The take home review of this feature is: IT IS FREAKING AWESOME!

Say you want to order food from Flame Tree BBQ. You tap on "Order Food" section in the App. It will then list all the quick service restaurants that are able to prepare your order. Under Animal Kingdom theme park, you'll find Flame Tree BBQ. Tap on that, and you will be shown the menu that are available for mobile app ordering (for Flame Tree, it is identical to the one you get standing in line at the counter. For Sunshine Season, there are items that are not listed in the current menu list for that establishment).

You then pick the item you want, ADD to your selection, and add as many as you want. Also note that you may have the ability to customize, as in the type of side dishes if the item comes with it. So you may want to keep the default fries, or maybe change it to a fruit cup.

You also may add drinks, desserts, side dishes, etc., anything that is on the listed menu.

Then, once you are done with your selection, you place your order. This is where it will be processed to be paid. Then you will be presented with a button that said "I"m here, process my order now", or something to that effect. It is only THEN will they start preparing your order. Once your order is ready, the app will refresh that page and will tell you that your order is ready to be picked up.

Picking up the order is simple. You either give the name of the person who ordered it, or the order number that is displayed on your app. At each counter service that accept mobile order, there is a location denoted by a sign on where you should go to pick it up.

Having used it MANY times on this trip, this is one of the most convenient feature that we have come across with. It saves time standing in line, or the aggravation of standing behind a group of people who seem to only start to figure out what they want when they get to the cashier. Many times, we often start the order even before we got to the place we want to eat. When we get there, I would indicate that they should start the order while we look for a place to sit. Often times, it takes less than 5 minutes before we get the notice that our order is ready.

From what I can see, there are still not many guests who are making use of this feature, so the efficiency of this service may change as more and more people use it. But as of now, I can't think of any sane reason for anyone not to use this. Unless of course, you enjoy standing in long lines that crawl.

Zz.