Baby Animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

We interrupt your regularly scheduled details of the Animal Kingdom to bring a special post about the park: a highlight of all of the baby animals born there in the recent months. I could talk about the special tours and shopping found there (and I will eventually), but a choice between that and adorable baby animals? Please, I’m going with the cute. The most recent addition to the Animal Kingdom came in June, in the form of a baby okapi. Okapis look like they’re some kind of deer, or strange deer-like horses that are related to zebras, because they have … Continue reading →

Disneyland Good Neighbor Hotels

Disneyland and Disney World aren’t identical. One of the big ways they differ is in size; Disney World is much larger than Disneyland. Because of this there are far fewer hotels at Disneyland than Disney World; I can think of dozens in Orlando, but Disneyland has only three: the Disneyland Hotel, the Grand Californian, and Paradise Pier. Disneyland makes up for that by teaming up with several local Anaheim Hotels as part of its Good Neighbor program. A Disneyland Good Neighbor Hotel isn’t officially a Disney hotel. Anyone can stay at them without going to the park (though I suppose … Continue reading →

A Beastly Glimpse Inside Disney’s Enchanted Forest

Beast’s Castle, still under construction The official Disney Parks blog has posted a ton of videos lately about the Enchanted Forest section of the new Fantasyland expansion. Given that that’s the area that will feature “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast,” I can’t resist highlighting them. Most of the recent sneak peeks have all been about the latter. The earliest videos all previewed the Be Our Guest restaurant. If you’d like to have a meal in the world of “Beauty and the Beast,” this restaurant will be for you. It’ll open with three dining rooms in the middle … Continue reading →

Disneyland Developing New Fantasy Faire

I’ve come to a conclusion: the Disney parks are almost like a living organism. They’re constantly changing and evolving. Maybe equating them to something that’s alive is a bit of a stretch, but the idea that they never stay the same, that there’s always something different or new happening or in the process of doing so: that’s definitely accurate. When the famous founder of your illustrious company was known for his innovation, you don’t have much choice but to constantly do the same if you want to uphold his legacy. The latest update announced for Disneyland, not long after the … Continue reading →

17th Annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

I’m breaking with my own tradition here: usually I wait to post about the Epcot Food & Wine Festival until closer to when it will actually start. We’ve got just over a month until it kicks off, so why am I writing about it now? I’m doing so in case anyone reading this is interested in going, and wants to sign up for one of the seminars or other special events. As of right now, some are sold out but others still have spaces available. Slots are going fast, so sign up ASAP if you’re interested. Here’s a quick summary … Continue reading →

Adventures at Disney World

Your family is desperate for a Disney World vacation. They’ve been begging you to go for ages, but you just can’t get into the idea. Amusement parks aren’t your thing. Sure, there’s stuff like the Animal Kingdom and special events at Epcot, but even on an off-season Disney might just be too crowded for you. You’re the outdoorsy type, you love adventure. In fact, Adventures by Disney would be more your speed, but that’s way too expensive. You’re in luck, because a little-known fact about Disney World is that there’s tons to do there that one wouldn’t associate with amusement … Continue reading →

Lodging at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

The Animal Kingdom has lodging at just about any level: from deluxe villas to discount resorts. If you want something themed around the Animal Kingdom you’ll have to go for the pricier places: the deluxe villas Jambo House or Kidani Village, or the deluxe Animal Kingdom Lodge. The two former are actually just specific floors/areas within the latter, which is an African-style lodge spread out over 43 acres. The Animal Kingdom Lodge has two of its own restaurants, which weren’t covered when I looked at the dining at the Animal Kingdom. They’re Jiko – The Cooking Place and Boma – … Continue reading →

Disney Park Secrets: Working the Front Gate

Any Disney fan has wondered this at some point in his or her life: what would it be like to work at Disney? Be it for the movie division, at the parks, as an Imagineer, or even just in a Disney store, surrounded by the characters we grew up with, we’ve probably all thought about it at some point. So it’s fun to hear about what it could be like to work at the Happiest Place on Earth (or its East Coast sibling). Internet news/interest site Reddit has a feature called “Ask Me Anything,” wherein people, anyone from “Avengers” director … Continue reading →

How Disney Chooses Park Attractions

After reading my posts on Disneyland California Adventure’s now-open Cars Land, a close friend and loyal reader (hi, Becca!) asked me what I really thought about the park. She knows my feelings on the “Cars” franchise, and thought that maybe I’m feeling more negative about it than I let on in my articles. I admitted that while I’m not super excited that Disney keeps choosing to promote “Cars” in the parks, I don’t really mind. I’d rather them open another “Cars Land” at Disney World, for example, than make a “Cars 3.” That led me to wonder about the process … Continue reading →

Fantasyland Expansion Opening Dates

It’s 2012: where’s the new Fantasyland? Three years ago when I first read about all of Disney World’s planned expansions for the Magic Kingdom, I was so excited that for a moment I could close my eyes and almost imagine being there. That is the Disney World I always imagined as a child, and I only have to wait for three years, and there it’ll be. Well, we’re halfway through 2012 now, but it seems like little has happened. The biggest expansion-related news to come out of a Disney Park has been about “Cars Land” out in Anaheim. We all … Continue reading →