In This Edition:
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Disney's Hollywood Studios: A new year
brings a new name to the Disney theme park that celebrates "all
things Hollywood"; Plans for ESPN The Weekend available online.
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Disney's Animal Kingdom: Park serves up new
dining experiences.
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Disney's Wide World of Sports: Brazilian
running for fifth Disney Marathon win; Health & Fitness Expo
showcases experts in running, fitness, nutrition during free
seminars; Atlanta Braves begin spring training workouts at
Champion Stadium in February.
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Epcot: Spaceship Earth relaunches in
February following nine-month project of changes.
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Magic Kingdom: Nine nights of Pirate &
Princess Party merriment in store in January and February.
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Disney's Dreamers Academy: 100 high school
students to be treated to a look at interesting careers Jan.
17-20.
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Downtown Disney: Surfer dudes have a place
to shop for boards and more.
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Disney Resorts: Disney's Coronado Springs
Resort welcomes nightlife newcomer -- Rix Lounge.
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Disney Cruise Line: Guests have special
offerings in 2008, new itineraries in 2009.
As "Year of a Million Dreams" Continues, Disney
Park Changes Name; New Supporting Cast of Attractions Set to Debut
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Change and constancy
are both on the calendar at Walt Disney World Resort in the new
year. While the popular "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration
continues for another year, the Disney park that celebrates
Hollywood and show business is keeping its theme but changing its
name and one of the park's hit shows is keeping its name but
otherwise changing:
Happy 2008 and hello Disney's Hollywood
Studios. Renamed from Disney-MGM Studios, the new moniker better
reflects not only the Golden Age of Tinseltown but all that today's
Hollywood has to offer -- in movies, music, theater and television.
In February, "Playhouse Disney--Live on
Stage!" one of the park's hit shows, will "re-debut" featuring a
new cast of characters and whole new storyline. Hugely popular with
young children -- who are on their feet singing, clapping and
dancing during performances -- the show now will be based on stars
from "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," "Little Einsteins," "Handy Manny" and
more.
The new edition of "Playhouse Disney--Live on
Stage!" is the first of several major entertainment offerings bowing
at Disney's Hollywood Studios in 2008. In the spring, a whole new
parade experience, "Block Party Bash," will make its Florida
premier, and the greatly anticipated attraction Toy Story Mania!
will follow in the summer.
Disney's Animal Kingdom Serves up Two New
Dining Experiences
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- From a bamboo steamer
basket of dim sum to crispy honey chicken and seared miso salmon,
Asian favorites are on the menu at the new Yak & Yeti Restaurant in
the land of Asia at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Across the park in
Africa, Tusker House is reopened as an all-you-care-to-eat
restaurant, with more than a dozen "cooking stations" with
African-inspired cuisine.
Yak & Yeti Restaurant, operated by Landry's
Restaurants (which also manages the Rainforest Cafés at Disney's
Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney), features a 250-seat dining room
inspired by the cuisine and architecture of the western Himalayan
foothills. There are eclectic antiques and artifacts including
embellished doorways, elaborate statues of ancient gods and
goddesses and an intricately carved wooden staircase that was made
in India and reassembled at Walt Disney World Resort. Menu items
range from $5 for appetizers to $23 for Shaoxing steak and shrimp.
A full-service bar includes five varieties of
chilled sake; beers from India, Thailand, Singapore, China and
Japan, and wines. The restaurant's specialty, the Yak Attack, is a
blend of frozen mango, rum and berries.
Guests in a hurry can eat at the adjacent
quick-service restaurant, with outdoor seating for 350. A limited
menu includes sweet-and-sour pork, crispy honey chicken, fried rice,
egg rolls and other Asian favorites.
At Tusker House, mornings feature Donald's
Safari Breakfast with Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Mickey. For lunch and
dinner, the diverse menus feature seafood; carved meats and pork
loin, and an array of interesting tastes such as chutneys, hummus,
spiced tandoori tofu, couscous salad and basmati rice. More than a
dozen South African wines are featured, many by the glass.
The children's menu includes peanut butter and
jelly sandwiches, chicken drumsticks and mashed potatoes.
Disney's Pirate and Princess Party Offers
Perfect Blend of Rowdy and Regal Merriment
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Enter a wonderland of
enchanting princesses and swashbuckling adventurers during Disney's
Pirate and Princess Party, which returns to Magic Kingdom on nine
magical nights in January and February 2008. The fun begins at 7
p.m. (after regular theme park hours) and continues until midnight
on Jan. 21, 26, 29 and Feb. 2, 5, 9, 14, 22, 26.
A treasure map leads feisty buccaneers and
pretty princesses on a trek through Magic Kingdom seeking chocolate
treasures, colorful beads and encounters with favorite Disney
characters. Youngsters can explore themed pirate coves and princess
courts overflowing with special entertainment and dance parties,
plus favorite attractions are open throughout the evening.
Centerpiece of the event is the "Enchanted
Adventures Parade," a colorful cavalcade starring a 39-foot pirate
ship with swinging and sword-fighting mates. And perched high on the
gold-filled treasure chest is Tinker Bell herself guarding the goods
from Captain Hook and the larger-than-life crocodile -- Tick Tock --
that angrily snaps and slithers along the route. Disney maidens and
princes, knights on horseback, regal dancers and the Jolly Rogers
flag corps make fairytales come alive in the nightly spectacle. The
night is capped with the dazzling "Magic, Music, and Mayhem"
fireworks spectacular orchestrated to an original musical score with
memorable pirate and princess melodies.
Tickets are $45.95 plus tax for ages 10/up and
$39.95 plus tax for ages 3-9. Call WDW-AHOY or visit
disneyworld.com/pirateandprincess
for special offers.
2008 Disney's Health & Fitness Expo Jan. 10-12
Features Running Legends, Fitness and Nutrition Experts at Speakers
Series
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Running legends Bill
Rodgers and Jim Ryun are among more than a dozen experts on running,
fitness and nutrition who will step to the Speakers Series podium
during Disney's Health & Fitness Expo Jan. 10-12 at Disney's Wide
World of Sports Complex.
A total of 19 topical seminars -- each 30-45
minutes in duration -- will take place in The Milk House. Seminar
times are 3:30-6:30 p.m. on Jan. 10, 12:30-5:15 p.m. on Jan. 11 and
11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Jan. 12. The sessions include Q&A, with TV and
radio commentator Creigh Kelley serving as host and moderator. There
is no admission charge for either the seminars or the Health &
Fitness Expo in general.
Coach/columnist/author Jenny Hadfield, who
writes for Health Magazine and Runnersworld.com, will launch
the Speakers Series Jan. 10 at 3:30 p.m. with a session entitled
"Last Minute Tips for a Magical Race."
Bill Rodgers, the only American to win the
Boston and New York marathons four times, will take part in seminars
all three days -- Jan. 10 at 4:30 p.m., Jan. 11 at 4:15 p.m. and
Jan. 12 at 2 p.m. Jim Ryun, the former world record holder in the
mile and an Olympic silver medalist in the 1500-meter, will be part
of the Jan. 11 and Jan. 12 sessions entitled "Return of the
Legends."
The legends involved in the two seminars (Jan.
11 at 4:15 p.m.; Jan. 12 at 2 p.m.) are a "magnificent seven" from
the world of running. Rodgers and Ryun will be joined by fellow
former Olympians Jeff Galloway and Keith Brantly, former U.S. and
world distance record holder Patti Dillon, sixth-ranked all-time
U.S. women's marathoner Kim Jones, and Runner's World "king
of the rankings" Jon Sinclair, whose long career as a road racer has
produced more wins and placings than any other male runner in modern
road racing history.
Disney's Health & Fitness Expo takes place in
conjunction with Walt Disney World Marathon weekend. More details
about the expo, including a complete schedule for the Speakers
Series, are available online at
www.disneyworldmarathon.com.
On the landing page, click on the Health & Fitness Expo "Event Info"
button.
Four-Time Champion Adriano Bastos Returns to
Defend Title at Walt Disney World Marathon Jan. 13
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Brazilian Adriano
Bastos returns to the Walt Disney World Marathon Jan. 13 wearing a
familiar number: 1. The 29-year-old Sao Paolo athlete will be
running for his fourth straight Disney title and fifth in six years,
starting at the front of an entry field of 18,000 people in the 15th
annual Walt Disney World Marathon that takes participants on a
26.2-mile tour of the Vacation Kingdom property, including all four
theme parks.
Bastos has posted four of the 25 best times
ever at Disney in winning the marathon four times -- including each
of the last three years. In January 2007, his 2:19:24 performance
(20th best in the event's history) earned him his biggest victory
margin -- 12 minutes and 59 seconds.
The marathon caps a four-day "weekend" of
activities that this year has attracted a record 40,000 participants
for a variety of races -- from a diaper dash for crawling babies and
a 5K ... to a half marathon (Jan. 12) and the full marathon. Entry
is closed for all events except kids races (including the famous
diaper dash) on Jan. 11 and Jan. 12. To register, guests can log on
to
www.disneyworldmarathon.com.
Magical Journey Begins for 100 High School
Students Headed to Disney's Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Walt Disney World
Resort will open the doors of the magic behind Disney to 100
creative and imaginative teens during the first-ever Disney's
Dreamers Academy Jan. 17-20. High school students from New York to
New Orleans, from Compton, Calif., to Wichita, Kan. -- that is, from
all across the United States -- have been selected to participate in
the enrichment program that will immerse the students in creative
and non-conventional career opportunities during "The Year of a
Million Dreams." Disney worked with nationally syndicated radio
personality Steve Harvey to create this innovative program.
"The Steve Harvey Morning Show" conducted the
Dreamer's Contest to identify the participants -- high school
students who show promise but may need a little motivation. However,
all of the selected students share a trait: the power to DREAM.
Parents, teachers, school administrators, church groups and even the
students themselves nominated more than 3,000 aspiring dreamers from
across the nation for the program. The participants were selected by
a distinguished panel of judges.
During Disney's Dreamers Academy, young
dreamers will have unprecedented access to the magic behind Walt
Disney World Resort. Students will participate in interactive
workshops focusing on a variety of subjects including Walt Disney
World Imagineering techniques, entertainment, the business of
sports, culinary arts, and more. Disney cast members, executives and
celebrities like actress Monique Coleman will share their blueprints
for success. And the lucky participants will explore Disney's theme
parks before a graduation ceremony where a special guest will
deliver a motivational address.
February Relaunch of Spaceship Earth Follows
Nine-Month Project of Changes and Refinements
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The nine-month
countdown continues to the February 2008 relaunch of Spaceship Earth
at Epcot.
Presented by Siemens, Spaceship Earth
relaunches with much more than the facelift that has restored the
exterior look of the Epcot icon to what greeted the park's first
guests a quarter century ago. Spaceship Earth has been undergoing
changes since May 2007 that, when complete, will treat Walt Disney
World guests to an attraction with four new scenes, new costumes and
set decorations, new lighting and special effects, a new musical
score and narration, and a totally re-themed interactive post-show.
The schedule for the attraction's changes has
permitted operation of various show and post-show elements during
much of the nine-month project. Holiday guests got a sneak preview
of most of the changes in the enhanced ride-through portion of the
attraction.
Some star power has been helping to drive the
project:
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The new narration is delivered by English
actress Dame Judi Dench, who earned an Oscar as best supporting
actress in 1999 for her role in the motion picture "Shakespeare
in Love."
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The new musical score was composed by Bruce
Broughton, who has won a record 10 Emmy Awards and has been
nominated for an Oscar and a Grammy during a career writing in
every medium -- from theatrical releases and TV feature films to
the concert stage and computer games.
Disney Cruise Line Adds Two Eastern Caribbean
Itineraries Amidst a Wave of New Choices for Guests in 2008 & 2009
CELEBRATION, Fla. -- Disney Cruise Line has
announced two new eastern Caribbean itineraries for 2009 -- giving
guests more choices than ever before to explore the beautiful
islands of the Caribbean -- and special offerings for 2008.
Beginning in 2009, St. Croix will be a featured
stop on one new seven-night itinerary, and Tortola will be featured
on another seven-night itinerary. Both islands are new to Disney
Cruise Line, increasing the seven-night Caribbean choices on the
Disney Magic to four itineraries (Disney's traditional eastern
and western Caribbean itineraries will continue). Here's the
schedule for the new itineraries:
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The "St. Croix itinerary" (which also
visits St. Thomas and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay)
will depart Port Canaveral, Fla., on Jan. 3, Jan. 31, Feb. 28,
March 28, Oct. 10, Nov. 11 and Dec. 5 in 2009.
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The "Tortola itinerary" (which also visits
St. Thomas and Castaway Cay) will depart Port Canaveral on April
25, May 23, June 20, July 18, Aug. 15 and Sept. 12, 2009.
Special offerings during 2008 include a summer
season of sailings to the Mexican Riviera, select cruises with
multiple stops at Castaway Cay, and an enhanced Land and Sea
package. Disney's seven-night Land and Sea Package Plus Dining
includes all the perks of the existing seven-night Land and Sea
package that combines a Disney cruise with a stay at Walt Disney
World Resort along with the added benefits of the Disney Dining
Plan, which provides guests one sit-down meal, one counter-service
meal and one snack per person for each night of their Walt Disney
World stay.
To learn more about Disney Cruise Line or to
book a vacation, guests can contact their travel agent, visit
disneycruise.com
or call Disney Cruise Line at 888/DCL-2500.
Updated Information about 2008 Edition of ESPN
The Weekend Available Online at www.ESPNTheWeekend.com
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Sports fans who want
to leap into planning for the fifth edition of ESPN The Weekend
presented by Dick's Sporting Goods -- Feb. 29-March 2, 2008, at
Disney's Hollywood Studios --can visit
www.espntheweekend.com
for the latest information about the upcoming event.
The weekend will feature a lineup of athletes
and ESPN personalities as the studios theme park hosts ESPN and ESPN
Radio shows, motorcades and star conversations, behind-the-scenes
looks at ESPN shows, and an interactive sports area. The sports
celebrity list will grow as the weekend draws nearer. All the fun is
included with regular theme park admission.
Atlanta Braves Set Dates for Start of Second
Decade of Spring Training at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Atlanta Braves
will return to Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in February for
their 11th spring training season at Walt Disney World Resort.
Pitchers and catchers report Feb. 14 and begin workouts Feb. 15,
with position players arriving Feb. 19 and hitting the practice
facilities Feb. 20.
During March, the Braves will play a schedule
of Grapefruit League spring training games against other Major
League Baseball teams at 9,500-seat Champion Stadium. Details about
the schedule and tickets will be announced at a later date.
Water Ski Champion Sammy Duvall Opens Surf Shop
at Downtown Disney
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Surfer dudes will
want to ride the waves with the newly opened Curl by Sammy Duvall
surf shop at Downtown Disney Pleasure Island. The high-end shop
offers a selection of trendy surf-wear clothing and accessories,
plus skate boards, surf boards and other water-related sports gear.
Situated near 8Trax, Curl by Sammy Duvall is open daily from 11 a.m.
until 2 a.m.
During his competitive career, Sammy Duvall was
one of the most accomplished water skiers in the world. He won more
than 80 professional championships and was ranked #1 in the world
for either ski jump or overall competition for 17 straight seasons.
He was inducted into the International Water Ski Hall of Fame and
the prestigious USA Water Ski Hall of Fame.
Today, Sammy's legacy continues with his
multi-faceted Watersports Centre located at Disney's Contemporary
Resort marina. His staff introduces Disney guests into his world of
wakeboarding, waterskiing and tubing at the facility on Bay Lake.
Upscale Lounge Opens at Disney's Coronado
Springs Resort
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Rix Lounge, offering
an upscale nighttime experience with house music, specialty drinks,
tapas-style appetizers and rotating entertainment, has opened at
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World Resort.
The 300-seat, 5,000 sq. ft. venue with a
Mediterranean-inspired atmosphere is "a unique, sophisticated lounge
for the conference guests that visit Disney each year," said Richard
Debler, president of Springs Foods Service, which operates the
location.
Debler, whose 25-year association with Walt
Disney World Resort began with the opening of the San Angel Inn at
Epcot in 1982, scoured the world to combine the right elements for
the perfect lounge to open at Disney's Coronado Springs, a
1,921-room resort that specializes in hosting meetings and
conventions. "Over the years, there has been an increased demand for
an evening experience at convention locations," he said.
The bar serves as a focal point with its
multi-colored backlit display and glowing onyx countertop. More than
a dozen specialty cocktails such as the Rix Royale and the Rix
Bouquet (champagne with rose petals and limes mulled up) may be
paired with tapas-style appetizers such as the chorizo flat bread
and the seafood cappuccino. State-of-the-art lighting and sound
systems combined with high-backed banquettes, stylish couches and
other furnishings create a first-class, fresh, contemporary and
sophisticated ambience. There is also a private room --
accommodating up to 80 persons -- ideal for meetings, private
receptions and other special events.
"We've created an atmosphere where guests can
go unwind after work or a day at the park, celebrate a special event
or party all night," said General Manager Lee Viersen. "It's truly a
VIP experience."
Rix Lounge is open daily from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
A nightly DJ plays a variety of Top 40 music and on select evenings
a percussion band will perform. This versatile venue is available
for special events with creative entertainment. VIP table service
and private events also are available. For more information, call
407/939-3806 or visit
www.rix-lounge.com.
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