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Christee -> Dateline Disney - July-August 2008 (7/7/2008 4:44:35 PM)
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In This Edition:
- Across Walt Disney World Resort: July 4th celebrated with special fireworks shows
- Disney's Hollywood Studios: Toy Story Mania! scores topping 300,000 in first month; 'Prince Caspian' comes to life in new soundstage attraction
- Epcot: Tribute bands rock during Sounds Like Summer concert series; crab-catching TV stars from 'Deadliest Catch' appear at Norway pavilion
- Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex: Tampa Bay Bucs return for NFL Training Camp and guests invited to view practices
- Disney Resort Hotels: Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa celebrates 20th anniversary with a step into the future
- Disney Dining: New restaurant opens at Disney's Contemporary Resort
Guests Score Big on Toy Story Mania! During First Month of Attraction's Operation at Disney's Hollywood Studios
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The points are piling up and the spring-action shooters are getting a workout during the first month of operation at Toy Story Mania! -- the new 4-D attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
An arcade-style tally at the ride's conclusion heralds the high scores of the day as guests try their best to beat the top totals. During the first month of daily operation, daily high scores regularly topped 200,000+ points, while all-time highs have reached the 300,000+ point range.
In Toy Story Mania!, guests don 3-D glasses and enter a wild and wooly 4-D world of Woody, Buzz and other favorite "Toy Story" characters. Inspired by the Disney-Pixar films "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2," Toy Story Mania! raises the bar for interactive ride-game attractions.
As vehicles move among midway-style game booths, guests aim for 3-D, animated targets using their own on-board spring-action shooters. Players pair up and sit side-by-side, scoring points in a friendly competition that delivers an ever-changing variety of targets and surprises.
As they play, guests can actually see the "virtual objects" they've launched -- everything from pies, plastic eggs and pointed darts ... to baseballs, rings and suction-cup darts -- leave their spring-action shooters and hit (or miss) the targets. And thanks to the 4-D special effects technology, they may sense objects popping out of the 3-D scenes and whirring past them.
Disneyland Resort in California also welcomed Toy Story Mania! when the attraction debuted June 17 at Disney's California Adventure theme park.
Independence Day Sparkles Across Walt Disney World Resort With Star-Spangled Pyrotechnics Performances
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- A popular July 4th tradition at Walt Disney World Resort will continue this year as star-spangled salutes to America's independence are presented all across the Florida Vacation Kingdom.
Here's some of the fireworks fun scheduled for July 4 this year:
- A Fourth of July "Concert in the Sky" will light up the night at Magic Kingdom in honor of Independence Day. Featuring a magnificent display of aerial fireworks, dazzling pyrotechnic effects and dynamic music, the show, entitled "Disney's Celebrate America!-A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky," is a grand tribute to the United States, its people and traditions. The special show is scheduled for 9 p.m. Magic Kingdom also will feature two performances of the "SpectroMagic" nighttime parade, first at 10:30 p.m. and then again at 12:30 a.m. that same night.
- A holiday-inspired finale will be added to Epcot's nightly fireworks extravaganza, "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth." The park's American Adventure pavilion also will feature enhanced entertainment throughout the day, with visits from historic characters who will share their stories. American Adventure also will feature additional performances of its signature musical group, Voices of Liberty, performing patriotic classics.
- Disney's Hollywood Studios will present a special July 4th fireworks show at 9 p.m., with skyrockets and patriotic music filling the air at the showbiz-themed park. The park's popular "Fantasmic!" show, featuring fireworks, animation, dancing waters and Disney characters, will be presented on July 4 at 10:30 p.m.
- Downtown Disney will present July 4th fireworks at 10:30 p.m. for the revelers, shoppers and diners enjoying the nighttime entertainment district.
The Wave Opens at Disney's Contemporary Resort With Plenty of Healthy Choices and an Innovative Wine List
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- A new Disney dining experience, The Wave, has opened at Disney's Contemporary Resort, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily in a 220-seat restaurant that takes casual dining into the health-conscious 21st century.
The classic American breakfast menu includes plenty of egg creations, but guests also can make their own Wave muesli or sip a Beta Berry Smoothie with raspberry puree and non-fat yogurt blended with Odwalla Berries GoMega (a great source of Omega-3). The Pure Sunshine breakfast cocktail features organic vodka and orange juice topped with Vitamin Energy Drink. Coffee is organic Colombian (fair trade and "Smithsonian-certified bird-friendly") and teas are whole leaf Pyramid bags in flavors from chamomile blossoms to monsoon chai.
At lunch, light eaters might enjoy lettuce wraps with sautéed lamb and bay scallops, or a lump crab cake with crispy papaya slaw. Entrées range from oversized salads and a vegetarian sandwich with grilled tofu, roasted veggies and herb goat cheese on multi-grain bread to an Angus chuck burger with cheese and Applewood smoked bacon, or a classic grilled Reuben.
The dinner menu offers a delicious spin on comfort classics such as pan-seared Alaskan black cod with corn and edamame (soybean) stew with cilantro chutney; braised lamb shank with bulgur lentil stew and red wine sauce, and a nouvelle chicken pot pie with thyme pastry. Sides at both lunch and dinner include braised greens and roasted sweet potatoes and carrots.
The innovative wine list has a quirky claim to fame -- all screw caps, no corks. Cutting-edge wines from around the globe are showcased on the list.
Tampa Bay Bucs Return to Disney for NFL Training Camp
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will come back for their seventh NFL training camp at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, from July 26-Aug. 14.
The team's daily practices are free and open to the public, with the schedule often incorporating two-a-day sessions in the morning and afternoon.
Featuring one of the league's most animated head coaches, the Jon Gruden-led Bucs seek to build on their winning ways from 2007 with a collection of established stars such as quarterback Jeff Garcia, linebacker Derrick Brooks and cornerback Ronde Barber.
The 2008 season will also see the return of Warrick Dunn back into the Buccaneer fold. The diminutive, big-play tailback spent his first five seasons with Tampa Bay, totaling more than 6,500 yards of offense and 26 touchdowns.
A fertile breeding ground for success, the Buccaneers have produced three division titles and one Super Bowl championship since first arriving at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in 2002. Fans once again will be allowed the unique access to witness the daily workouts and drills that NFL players undertake in preparation for the rigorous regular season, along with routine autograph opportunities following practice.
'Sounds Like Summer' Brings Tribute Bands to Epcot Through Aug. 10
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Timeless tunes performed by tribute bands have guests groovin' at Epcot America Gardens Theatre during the return of the Sounds Like Summer concert series.
The series, which began June 9 and runs through Aug. 10, features a lineup of 'tribute' bands covering famous tunes that have been performed by some of the greatest artists from around the globe. Concerts are included in Epcot admission.
The lineup of acts for July and August (talent subject to change) includes:
- June 30-July 10: Bjorn Again (A Tribute to ABBA)
- July 11-20: Slippery When Wet (A Tribute to Bon Jovi)
- July 21-27: 52nd Street (A Tribute to Billy Joel)
- July 28-Aug. 3: Captain Fantastic (A Tribute to Elton John)
- Aug. 4-10: The Sounds of The Supremes (A Tribute to The Supremes)
Crab-Catching Stars of TV's 'Deadliest Catch' Slated to Appear at Epcot
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Norway pavilion at Epcot will host Sig Hansen -- one of the featured stars on the popular reality series on The Discovery Channel, "The Deadliest Catch" -- for an in-park appearance July 10-13, 2008. Hansen will appear inside The Puffin's Roost, the pavilion's merchandise location, each day. He will be joined by his brothers, Edgar and Norman Hansen, who also appear on the show.
A fourth-generation Norwegian fisherman, Sig Hansen is the captain of the Northwestern, one of the crab-catching vessels on "The Deadliest Catch." He, Edgar and Norman own and operate the Northwestern. Based in Seattle, Wash., the Hansens have fished together for nearly 20 years.
The Hansens' crab-catching skills on the television show also have inspired "Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm," a video game for the Xbox 360 system.
In addition to signing autographs and posing for photos, the Hansens will have Northwestern merchandise for sale during their Epcot appearance.
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Celebrates Two Decades
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- On July 1, 1988, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa opened its doors and invited Walt Disney World guests to rediscover a bygone era of elegance and luxury among the gabled roofs and Victorian balustrades of a turn-of-the-century seaside resort.
In the two decades that followed, approximately 15 million guests have enjoyed the splendor of its 867 deluxe accommodations and the gracious hospitality of its cast members. Countless others have been enchanted by the creative cuisine of its incomparable restaurants, including Narcoossee's, Cítricos and Victoria & Albert's, a consecutive recipient of the annual AAA Five-Diamond Award since 2000.
Disney's flagship resort is celebrating its 20th anniversary with plenty of "grand" new magic for Grand Floridian guests, including extensive renovations completed in late 2007 that upgraded its guest rooms with sophisticated new furnishings, carpet, drapes, bedspreads, flat-screen televisions and more.
Also new is the latest yacht to bear the Grand 1 name, a 52-foot Sea Ray pleasure craft available for chartered cruises across the tranquil waters of Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake, and a floating view of nighttime fireworks spectaculars above Magic Kingdom.
Coming soon is an opulent marble floor to be showcased throughout the hotel's main lobby and mezzanine. Designed by the creative minds of Walt Disney Imagineering, the lavish enhancement will add another magical touch to a destination resort created as a fantasy image of Florida's past.
For rates and availability of Grand Floridian rooms and suites, guests may call 407/W-DISNEY or visit disneyworld.com.
'Journey Into Narnia: Prince Caspian' Comes to Life In New Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Some of the characters from the timeless fantasy "The Chronicles of Narnia" come to life in a new experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.
"Journey Into Narnia: Prince Caspian," an all-new soundstage experience (opening in late June), offers an in-depth and unique look into the making of "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," the hit motion picture released in May 2008 by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media Films.
The journey begins at the attraction queue where guests can test their knowledge of the "Narnia" stories. Next, guests will have an option of participating in a meet and greet with Prince Caspian himself. Or, fans have the option to head directly into the new movie attraction "Journey Into Narnia: Prince Caspian."
The soundstage experience features a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film with narration from director Andrew Adamson. Guests also can view authentic props from the movie set and costumes worn by the actors and actresses in the film.
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