We caught up with Richard Debler, the president of San Angel Inn LLC, and Executive Chef Ernesto Zendejas, in charge of the big changes at the Mexico Pavilion at Epcot. The all-new La Hacienda de San Angel and La Cantina de San Angel are on schedule for a mid-September opening, taking reservations for Oct. 15 and thereafter. (The first few weeks are a “soft opening” with no reservations.)

What’s going to wow guests about the new look?
The architecture resembles an old hacienda, and you’ll see the distinctive blue dome from a distance. It’s right on the water, and very eye catching. And the view – the whole building is geared to World Showcase Lagoon and the fireworks…during the day it’s great for enjoying the waterfront.

Tell us about the “flex space” idea.
We need quick-service capacity, but at the same time we want to increase table service. This space allows us during the lunch period to use a section of the dining room for quick-service guests – an air-conditioned space that will complement the terrace outside seating. So we will have 250 to 300 seats during the day; later in the afternoon La Hacienda switches to table service with 250 seats. We have a total of 400 seats.

What’s special about La Hacienda cuisine?
We’re bringing two taco specialists from one of the best taquerias in Mexico to work with us. Corn tortillas are a major component of a great Mexican meal, and all of ours will be made fresh right there every day, also for La Cantina. Salsas will be made fresh – and not just tomato salsa. We have salsas made with chipotle and Serrano peppers, tomatillos, mangos. There are unique flavors from different regions of Mexico. Cilanto, habanero, spicy flavors from Southern Mexico . . . this will be a little different than our past menus.

Any favorite menu items?
We have three or four spectacular appetizer items at La Hacienda. The trend in Mexican food is appetizers, such as mini tacos. [One that sounds especially delicious is chiles toreados y chorizitos, roasted sweet peppers with lime and sea salt and mini chorizos (pork sausage).] And I really like the skillet entrées – skillets with cuts of meat, veggies, seafood, to make your own taco. I’m still tweaking the menu!

How does La Cantina menu change?
The Cantina menu will focus on tacos with meat or chicken, properly grilled, and garnished with fresh pico de gallo. We want to create an authentic Mexican taco, something that locals would buy at the market. Less Tex-Mex, more regional authentic Mexico.

We have to talk margaritas!
La Hacienda will have a tequila ambassador on staff every day. We will feature tequila flights there like we do in La Cava [inside the Mexico pavilion]. We’ve developed a whole new line of margaritas with a mixologist from New York City.

New flavors?
The coffee margarita is one of my favorites. We wanted to incorporate a little mescal, which has more of a smoky flavor than regular tequila. The Mescal gives it a cacao flavor, almost like a cappuccino. The top sellers right now are passion fruit and lime-raspberry, but we’re going to serve a mango-blueberry-basil margarita with fresh blueberries, mango puree and mashed basil. And an orange mango fire margarita with a dash of Tabasco and chile powder and ginger liquer.

Frozen or on the rocks?
All frozen margaritas at La Cantina, on the rocks at La Hacienda.

And desserts?
[Chef Ernesto chimes in.] At La Cantina, paletas, or popsicles, with fresh fruit, such as mango with peppers. At La Hacienda, the sorbets are outstanding, like tamarind, watermelon – very tropical fruit flavors. And a sweet tamal del dulce filled with guava paste. That’s a good one for sharing!

Are La Cantina and La Hacienda on the Disney Dining Plan?
Yes, for 1 point, except for the larger entrées that are for 2 guests, they are 2 points.

Tagged: Dining, Epcot

Filed: Disney Dining, Epcot

Disney’s Night of Joy is less than a month away and the excitement is building. Throughout the summer, artists have been stopping by the Vacation Kingdom and we’ll be showing some exclusive video of their visits here on the Disney Parks Blog in advance of the event.

Today’s video is from Fervent Records’ Christian hip hop sensations Group 1 Crew.

Blanca, Manwell and Pablo, who hail from Central Florida, burst onto the Christian music scene in 1996 and haven’t slowed down a bit. They stopped by the Magic Kingdom recently; and, after a little fun on Space Mountain and a special meeting with their pal Goofy, the band chatted about their new EP Spacebound.


In addition to Group 1 Crew, 2010 Christian music Artist of the Year Casting Crowns and past Christian music “Artists of the Year” Third Day, mercyme and Chris Tomlin head a star-powered 16-act lineup set for Disney’s Night of Joy 2010 Sept. 10-11 when the long-running Christian music event makes its return to Magic Kingdom.

Also part of the two-night event (when specific acts play one evening each): David Crowder*Band, Family Force 5, Red, BarlowGirl, Day of Fire, Smokie Norful, Lecrae, Tenth Avenue North, Sidewalk Prophets, Thousand Foot Krutch and Britt Nicole.

This Just In: We have a first look at the 2010 Night of Joy Concert Schedule (artist/times subject to change without notice)

Friday, Sept. 10

Saturday, Sept. 11

Night of Joy tickets and additional information about the event are available at www.nightofjoy.com.

Tagged: MK, Night of Joy, WDW

Filed: Magic Kingdom, Special Events, Walt Disney World Resort

Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons is thrilled to announce the launch of our premier Facebook application!

My Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings Site is fully customizable and allows you to invite your friends and family, whether they’re on Facebook or not, to stay up-to-date on your wedding details. You can upload photos, send out virtual save-the-date cards and even inform your guests about Theme Park tickets and Resort Accommodations.

Announce your wedding from day one and allow your guests to be part of the celebration! You can easily manage your planning by compiling your guest list and then tracking your RSVP’s. Be sure to create a few polls so your guests can vote on anything from where you should honeymoon to the color of your dress! Stay connected after you say “I do” by uploading your wedding photos and sharing unforgettable wedding stories.

We are delighted to continue to provide you with the latest in wedding trends as we add to our existing wedding planning tools. Be sure to check out our Facebook page to let us know what you think of My Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings Site!

Tagged: Weddings

Filed: Weddings & Honeymoons

UPDATE: Click here for complete list of attendees. If you are on the list and did not receive a confirmation email, please contact us at meetups@disney.go.com.

Please note that we will not be responding to questions via this email address. If you have questions, please ask them on the Disney Parks Blog, and we will do our best to answer them.

UPDATE: We’re thrilled with the great response to the “World of Color” Meet-Up! We have reached capacity. At approximately 2:00 p.m. PT, we will send the meet-up attendees a confirmation email. If you are on the list and did not receive a confirmation email, please contact us at meetups@disney.go.com. By 5:00 p.m. PT, we will post a link to the complete list of attendees. Stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for additional meet-ups in the future.

You asked for it! After our first successful meet-up back in May, we’ve been planning our next event. We’ve had a lot of requests for a “World of Color” Meet-Up, so next Thursday we’ll be making that wish come true for 300 guests. If you’re a true “World of Color” fan, you will have the opportunity to hear from some of the show’s creators, including two Imagineers.

We’ll be hosting a panel discussion with Steven Davison, Vice President of Parades and Spectaculars, Sayre Wiseman, Director of Show Production, and Mary Niven, Vice President of Disney California Adventure park and Guest Services.

The event will be a rare opportunity for a personal, behind-the-scenes look at the show and its creators. Fans will have a chance to ask questions and to hear the show’s creators talk about some of their favorite memories since they started working on this project in 2005.

As if that weren’t enough, for this very special event, we will have reserved viewing in Paradise Park at the 9:00 p.m. performance of “World of Color” for this exclusive group.

The event will take place from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 26, 2010, and check-in will close at 7:15 p.m.

To attend, please RSVP to meetups@disney.go.com, beginning at 11 a.m. PT, today, and you must include “RSVP to World of Color Meet-Up” in your subject line. The event is subject to capacity of 300 people, so we recommend that you RSVP quickly.

Here are a few things you should know:

• Valid RSVPs must include the following information:
• Subject line must read “RSVP to World of Color Meet-Up.”
• Your name must be included in the body of the email.
• If you are bringing one guest, you must note that in the body of the email. We do not need the name of your guest, but if you do not request a guest at the time you send your RSVP by email, you will not be permitted to bring a guest. RSVPs that include missing information (e.g. incomplete names, incorrect subject line) or request more than one guest will not be accepted and will not be considered valid.
• Valid photo I.D. will be required at check-in.
• All guests who RSVP for the event must be 18 years or older, but your guest is not required to be 18.
• The event is subject to change or cancellation.
• We will send an email to respondents who sent their valid RSVP via email before we reached capacity to confirm their attendance for August 26. We plan to send this email at approximately 2:00 p.m. PT today, and we will also post a link on the Disney Parks Blog that will include a list of names of all attendees. If you do not receive an email from us confirming your reservation and your name does not appear on the list of attendees, your RSVP was not accepted.
• Guests attending the meet-up are not required to purchase admission to Disney California Adventure park.

What question would you ask about “World of Color” if you had the ear of an Imagineer?

Tagged: DCA, DLR, World of Color

Filed: Disney's California Adventure Park, Disneyland Resort, Special Events

It’s hard to believe we are only 160 days away from the maiden voyage of the Disney Dream. All of the spaces on the ship are quickly transforming from cavernous steel hollows to beautiful guest areas.

Construction is moving very quickly on the Buena Vista Theatre which will span two decks and have capacity for 399 guests. As you can see, the decorative ceiling is nearly complete, the stadium seating structure is already in place and furnishings will be installed shortly.

For cinephiles, the Buena Vista Theatre will be home to first-run-movies, including releases in stunning digital 3-D. Take a look at this rendering of the finished venue.

Tagged: DCL, Disney Dream

Filed: Disney Cruise Line

Last August, as part of a photo shoot, I was treated to my first overnight stay on Castaway Cay in the Bahamas. I’d heard from co-workers how well you could see the stars at night, but had no idea it would be as spectacular as it was. I spent almost an hour standing in the dark just staring up at the Milky Way that night. There were some very distant thunderstorms lighting up the horizon, so I made my way to the bridge overlooking the boating harbor on the southwest side of the island to see if I could get some nice shots.

This photo is a two-minute exposure of the dimly-lit Flying Dutchman from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, which makes its home in the harbor. For you photo types (you poor souls) the exposure was 120 seconds at f/2.8 at 1600 ISO. The star trails are a result of the rotation of the earth during the long exposure, and the aforementioned lightning gives some nice color to the sky. The green color cast of the ship is from the lights in the island’s dock area.

I actually got so carried away shooting long time exposures that night I depleted three of my four camera batteries before remembering I hadn’t brought a battery charger and still had my photo shoot to do in the morning. I’ll definitely bring one next time.

Tagged: DCL, Photography

Filed: Disney Cruise Line

There’s a new type of treatment at Mandara Spa at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa – the Bamboo Massage. This new treatment features bamboo shoots of various sizes that are soaked in essential oils and rolled and slid to soothe muscles. The therapist uses deep tissue techniques or gentle strokes to melt away tension in the back.

If a traditional massage is more your style, they’ve got that too. View a complete list of services and prices here.

For more information or for reservations please call (714) 300-7350 or visit www.mandaraspa.com.

Tagged: DLR

Filed: Disneyland Resort, Hotels & Resorts