Changes at the Toy Story Mania! Ride

New characters from the Disney•Pixar film “Toy Story 3” have been added to the adventure of Toy Story Mania! at Disney California Adventure and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. In addition to playing with new characters in Toy Story Mania!, there are opportunities in both parks for up-close fun with a new character from “Toy Story 3” – Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear. He’s the bossman at Sunnyside Daycare in the animated feature film. Woody, Buzz, Mr. Potato Head and the gang are joined by a whole new set of characters from “Toy Story 3.” The new game greeting guests, “Rex and Trixie’s Dino Darts,” invites riders to shoot their virtual darts at all-new balloon targets in a primeval world filled with volcanoes and lava balloons. Game players are welcomed by Rex (the nervous Tyrannosaurus rex) and his new friend Trixie (a blue Triceratops and one of the toy characters from the new film) cheering them on. The new game (it replaces “Bo Peep’s Baaa-loon Pop”) turns up the fun with more hidden surprises. Other changes: The “Hamm & Eggs” game is now hosted by Hamm and Buttercup (a toy unicorn with heart-shaped nostrils). In the prize scene, Trixie, Buttercup, Dolly (a doll), Mr. Pricklepants (a lederhosen-clad hedgehog) and one other surprise – all from “Toy Story 3” – appear with Woody and Jessie.

Ok, I just can't help myself. Check out these new photos of the Disney DREAM!!!




This is the bow in its unfinished state at the ship yards. But you can tell it is going to have a very similar feel to the MAGIC and the WONDER. Construction started over a year ago and it is fun to see the pieces starting to come together. The maiden voyage is scheduled for January 26, 2011. Tell me again why I am not booked on that???? I am currently scheduled for 3 and 4 night cruises (back to back) in October of 2011. But I am starting to think that won't be soon enough. Come on....who wants to join me in early 2011 to check out this amazing ship!?!?

Originally Posted by Orlando Sentinel

Walt Disney World is about to begin building its first new hotel in seven years, a 2,000-room resort that will open in 2012. Disney’s Art of Animation Resort will feature 1,120 suites with room for as many as six people each and another 864 traditional hotel rooms, with a design theme based on four of the company’s most popular animated movies. The complex will be priced as a “value” hotel, at the low end of Disney World’s scale, similar to Disney’s Pop Century and All-Star resorts, where standard rates begin at $82 a night. The announcement is one of the strongest signals yet from Disney that it thinks a sustained recovery is under way from the long travel slump brought on by the global recession. Disney executives, who have been weighing construction of a family-suites hotel for several years, finally approved the project in January.

The Art of Animation Resort will be built on a 65-acre plot across a lake from Disney’s Pop Century Resort. The location will allow Disney to use a pair of long-neglected, unfinished buildings that Disney originally constructed as a second phase of Pop Century but which it abandoned amid the 2001 recession. Pop Century’s first phase was completed in 2003. Plans for the new resort show 10 wings of rooms and a separate building housing the check-in lobby and restaurants. The hotel wings will be separated into four distinct groups, each with a theme from a different animated movie: The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Finding Nemo and Cars.Each section will have separate courtyards anchored by icons from the movies — such as a 35-foot-tall King Triton presiding over the Mermaid section — and the entire resort will use bright-color palettes evocative of the lush scenery of animated movies. Hotel designers say they have been soliciting input from artists at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios on everything from building elevations to which scenes to depict at the swimming pools.“The hope is you walk into this courtyard and you’re kind of like seeing it as a character in the movie,” said Frank Paris, a senior project manager with Walt Disney Imagineering, the company’s in-house attraction-design unit.

Yahoo! A new Disney resort! You can bet I will be trying this one out in 2012!! Plus, the addition of more family suites will help a lot of larger families be able to do a "value" Disney vacation! Way to go Disney World!!!

Ok, this is enough to make me want to get married again! (Again to Kermit, I mean...!). Check out the new Pirate wedding reception you can have at Disney World....

As if I needed one more reason to take a Disney Cruise...! Look what's coming to the MAGIC and WONDER this spring!!

AHH! It's a new Dooney & Bourke collection created especially for Disney Cruise Line!! This colorful collection features Disney Cruise Line inspired characters on some of Dooney & Bourke’s most popular silhouettes. These are only available on the Disney MAGIC and Disney WONDER. Who wants to go shopping with me???

Disney Cruise Line was running a trivia challenge....I played every day (5 times a day!) for a month! The first prize was a 4 night cruise (!!) which I sadly did not win. However, prizes are awarded for the top 200 finishers and I finished 81st!! So guess what is on it's way to me as I type?? This sweet DCL clock. Now, who doesn't need this??!

YAHOO!!!

Christmas in Disney

I am now only 16 days away from my Disney World trip! I am taking Addie this year and we are staying at the Yacht Club. I got a great travel agent deal so we will be staying on the concierge floor. We can't wait!! If I really get techie, I may try to post some pictures from my phone to this blog---but it's a long shot! :)

Anyway, I love going to Disney over Christmas time and I thought I would share with you a few of my favorite things! So for today, here is my FAVORITE Disney Christmas tradition....

The Candlelight Processional

What is this, you may ask? A Disney tradition now in its 39th year (2009), the Candlelight Processional is a presentation of the Christmas story in readings by a celebrity narrator and music by a mass choir and 50-piece orchestra. This event takes place in the America Gardens Theatre in World Showcase in Epcot.

It begins November 27, 2009, and runs every evening until December 30. Shows are approximately 40 minutes. Each evening there are three shows -- 5, 6:45 and 8 p.m. That's the technical description anyway! This is a wonderful, musical presentation of the Christmas story. The entire thing is moving but when they close with the Hallelujah Chorus, well, it is truly awe inspiring.

So who will I be seeing this year?? Steven Curtis Chapman!!! In fact, I scheduled my flight for really, really early in the morning so I could make it for his last night of the Processional. I just can't wait to see him! I heard him do the Processional a few years ago and he is by far the best narrator I have heard!

Here's the list of who else will be narrating this year:

November 27-29 -- Isabella Rossellini

November 30, December 1-2 -- John O' Hurley

December 3-5 -- Steven Curtis Chapman

December 6-8 -- TBA

December 9-11 -- Andy Garcia

December 12-14 -- Vanessa Williams

December 15-17 -- Abigail Breslin

December 18-20 -- Whoopi Goldberg

December 21-23 -- Brian Dennehy

December 24-26 -- Edward James Olmos

December 27-30 -- Angela Bassett & Courtney B. Vance

If you ever have the opportunity to see the Candlelight Processional, do it! It is not to be missed in my opinion!

Steven Curtis, here I come!!