Back in January I posted “one of my favorite photos,” which was taken high above the Partners statue. Well, today I’m posting my very favorite photo of this tribute to our founder.

This photo was originally in color, but the second I saw this scene that foggy morning, I knew that it would end up in black and white.

Just a bit of trivia: this photo was taken with my first digital SLR camera.

Tagged: DL, DLR, Photography

Filed: Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort

How about that? New dining, shopping and entertainment experiences are in the works for Downtown Disney and today we’re sharing a first look at what to expect in the future for the 120-acre complex. Look closely and you’ll see that Pleasure Island will evolve into a vibrant waterfront district called “Hyperion Wharf.”

The district will come to life with a nostalgic yet modern take on an early 20th century port city and amusement pier. By day, stylish boutiques and innovative restaurants will draw you in and by night, thousands of lights will transform the area into an electric wonderland.

Taking its name from Hyperion, the Greek god of light, as well as the street on which Walt Disney built his first major animation studio, the wharf district will also feature a relaxing lakeside park and enhanced pedestrian walkways. And its diverse eateries will expand dining availability at Downtown Disney by more than 25 percent.

Along with the new wharf district, other projects are underway at Downtown Disney, including:

• An extensive renovation of Lego Imagination Center, which will increase its overall footprint by nearly 3,500 square-feet and add new Lego exterior models featuring scenes from classic Disney movies.
• Enhancements at AMC Theatres that will take the movie-going experience at Downtown Disney to the next level with new digital technology, a Concession Stand of the Future and Florida’s first Fork & Screen Theater; and…
• Numerous new or renovated retail shops and merchandise vignettes, as well as additional atmosphere entertainment, throughout Downtown Disney.

Construction on the district begins immediately and it’s scheduled to be completed in 2013.

Pretty exciting, huh? Let us know what are you most looking forward to.

Tagged: Downtown Disney, WDW

Filed: Downtown Disney, Walt Disney World Resort

Beginning today, there’s a new way to explore and experience Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. We’ve teamed up with location-based web service Gowalla to make ‘checking-in’ to your favorite Disney places a lot more magical.

The fun starts with our new digital Passport Stamps. Hundreds of locations within Disney Parks will feature these exclusive Stamps created by Gowalla – it’s the largest number of custom Stamps ever developed for a brand. The Stamps can be collected and kept as a virtual scrapbook by using Gowalla and checking-in around the parks. Take a look at some of my favorites.

You’ll also be able to view park happenings with custom Disney Passport pages at each park that include maps featuring a check-in stream, a list of popular places and Trips.

Trips are a special “bundle” of attractions by age or interest.

• “For the Little Ones (under 44 inches)” is a dream track fit for pint-sized park-goers to Magic Kingdom in Florida. It includes “Mickey’s PhilharMagic,” Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Peter Pan’s Flight and more.




• “Characters in the Wild” treats Disney’s Animal Kingdom guests to a show track that includes “Festival of the Lion King,” “Finding Nemo-The Musical,” “Flights of Wonder” and more.




• Just in time for the holidays at the Disneyland park, “Santa’s Reindeer Roundup,” “Believe…in Holiday Magic” fireworks and Sleeping Beauty Winter Castle are on the menu for the “Seasons Greetings” Trip.

Of course, there’s more to come. We’ll be highlighting special events in the parks in upcoming months and you’ll be able to secure unique Passport Stamps for checking in at custom events via Gowalla to record your experiences as they happen.

You can start your Disney Parks adventure now by going to Gowalla.com/WaltDisneyWorld, Gowalla.com/Disneyland or Gowalla.com/DisneyParks. You’ll need to join Gowalla via the web or download the free application onto your smartphone.

Oh, and be sure and let us know your favorite stamps or any others you’d love to see.

Tagged: DLR, WDW

Filed: Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort

One of the things I love about Walt Disney World that it is a wonderful destination for families with people ranging in age from 2 months to centenarians. My most cherished memory is a trip I took with four generations of Princesses that included me, my mother, my grandmother and my brand new baby daughter.

Walt Disney World Moms Panelist Kaylene J, travels with many generations too, but as the mother of five, she often plans for large groups as well. Vacations at Walt Disney World Resort with many generations of your family can be some of the most magical. Here are her tips to creating that magic.

1. Book your Advanced Dining Reservations 180 Days in Advance
   Securing seats is particularly important for large parties, where sitting together is half the fun. Tip: If you split up in the Parks, be aware that restaurants won’t seat you until the entire party is present, so make sure everyone arrives on time for your reservations.
2. Designate one person as your “Travel Planner”
   Have everyone share their top 3 attractions that they must see and add them to the agenda. You’ll never do everything there is to do at Walt Disney World, but this way everyone gets to experience one of their favorites.
3. Don’t Over-plan
   Have a general idea of what you’d like to do each day, but be flexible. This will allow for plenty of magical moments to happen and for spontaneity. For example, if Grandma and her 13 year old grandson are enjoying watching the meerkats in Animal Kingdom together, that is magic worth slowing down to experience.
4. It’s OK to Separate
   Teenagers might want to ride a thrill ride and the toddlers may be enjoying a playground. It’s a good idea that when you do separate, to all remain in the same theme park. Navigating a park with large groups can be done with simple organization. Have a set time and place to meet at several times during the day and supply each group with a cell phone or long-range walkie talkie.
5. Be a Kid Again
   Once you enter the gates of the Magic Kingdom and catch your first glimpse of Cinderella Castle, everyone magically becomes about aged 8! Don’t fight it! Skip down Main Street USA holding hands while wearing your Mickey ears. Ride The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror with your 5 year old granddaughter and holler the lyrics to “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” while riding Splash Mountain.

Tagged: Moms Panel, WDW

Filed: Vacation Planning, Walt Disney World Resort

Just last month I had the unique opportunity to sit down with a few of my fellow colleagues and some very special guests, who were all “ears” when it came to talking about the 55th Anniversary of the Mickey Mouse Club. I thought I’d share a few of the highlights from our conversation with you.

Michelle: What do you remember about your Mouseketeer audition?

Sherry: My brother Roy was a drummer. He was auditioning and the director asked if he could play another instrument, because they already had Cubby playing the drums. Roy said no, but I have a little sister that can play the trumpet and do a tap dance at the same time. The next day I went to the studio, played the trumpet, did my tap dance and almost knocked out all of my teeth. But I got the job!

Michelle: What was the best part about being a Mouseketeer?

Sharon: That 55 years later we are all here together again like it was just yesterday. That is the best thing.

Bobby: We’ll always be friends throughout the years.

Tommy: How lucky it was to go to work and do something you really loved every day and be able to perform. We had a wonderful childhood.

Michelle: Given all the time you have spent as a Mouseketeer is there one memory that stands out in your mind?

Bobby: We can all attest that one of our favorite memories was working with Jimmy Dodd. He was a great leader for us, inspirational and positive. He treated everyone equally and always had a smile on his face.

Karen: It was Jimmy. He was a hero and a mentor.

Doreen: The power of Walt Disney and his gift for creating something so true and honest that touches the American spirit. When I was in Vietnam entertaining the troops I wanted to be known more as a rock-and-roller than a Mouseketeer. Inevitably at the end of every show, some GI would find a pair of Mickey Mouse ears and one by one they would pass it down and you would see a whole field of guys standing at attention singing M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E. They were all that age.

Cubby: I’ve traveled all over the world since the Mickey Mouse Club and have had the opportunity to meet many notable celebrities and entertainers. It’s funny because they always seemed to introduce me as Mouseketeer Cubby. There wasn’t a show that went by that someone didn’t come backstage and would tell me how much of an impact we had on them, since they grew up watching the show.

Michelle: What special memory or feeling about Walt Disney do you cherish?

Sherry: I remember like it was yesterday – my first day in costume. I had watched all these other kids on TV and sat with my plastic ears on dreaming of being a Mouseketeer. So when I finally was one, I was so proud. I had my uniform with my name in two inch letters across the front and was walking with my mom and Mr. Disney comes by and says “Hi Mouseketeer Sherry.” I was so thrilled and I said “Mommy, mommy, Mr. Disney knows my name.” It wasn’t until years later that my mom said “Yes honey, Mr. Disney could read.”

Karen: On opening day of the Alice in Wonderland attraction, I got to ride the attraction with Mr. Disney.

Tommy: I think all of us had a very warm feeling with Mr. Disney. He was always very respectful of us. It was a great experience growing up at the studio with him. We knew he was the boss and the buck stopped with him. We were sort of in awe of him and he was quite good to us.

Michelle: There are so many young people who aspire to have careers like yours. If you could share one piece of advice for young people what would that be?

Mary: Hold on to the dream, that is the main thing. Focus on the skills and then also picture yourself doing it. I remember when my mom showed me an article that Walt Disney was creating a TV show. I just pictured myself in it.

Michelle: Disney Parks just launched a new program called “Let the Memories Begin” in which guests can share their favorite memories, photos and videos. What is one of your fondest memories of visiting Disneyland park?

Tommy: Seeing the smiles on my kids’ faces, especially the first time they met Mickey Mouse.

Sherry: There is nothing better than bringing your grandchildren here 55 years later, it’s magical.

Sharon: Coming here for my honeymoon.

Bobby: When we weren’t performing we would go out in the park and sign autographs, all trying to out do one another. Annette would do hearts and I would have my Zorro with my B and my G.

Doreen: People who work for Disney strive to show the world the best that America can be. When you come to Disneyland it’s honestly a little Main Street, and a little U.S.A. That is the magic of Disneyland.

I hope you enjoyed it! Be sure to keep an eye out for next month’s featured artist in the “Celebrating the Art of…” series.

Tagged: DL, DLR

Filed: Disney History, Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort

Greetings, Programs! I have added this article to the “Never Thought I’d Be Writing About This” bucket. I actually get to write about my favorite Disney film, “Tron.” I recently took my son to Tron Night in central Florida. We saw about 23 minutes of the new film, “TRON: Legacy,” and all I can say is, “Wow!” It was surreal (and awesome) to see my son pretending to play “disc game” after the preview (seriously, I did that as a kid too!). Speaking of awesome things, we have created some super cool merchandise inspired by the world of Tron (and I get to share it with you). Up first, it’s Vinylmation. I spoke with Eric Caszatt, one of the lead designers for Vinylmation, about these figures coming in 2011.

“We are releasing eight, 3-inch figures inspired by ‘Tron,’” explained Eric sitting behind his desk with “TRON: Legacy” wallpaper on his computer screen. “I started designing the figures about eight months ago. At Disney Design Group, I work closely with the Walt Disney Studios to get live action film reference materials. My great partners at the Studios provided me with complete turn-around images of the characters. The film makers reviewed and approved each of [the figures]. That was pretty cool.”

Eric designed six figures featuring characters from “TRON: Legacy” like Sam Flynn, Clu, Quorra and others. Thomas Scott designed the remaining two figures inspired by Kevin Flynn – one from 1982 and one from 2010. Originally, these figures were planned as two different limited edition sets.

“We changed the release of these figures to an open window box,” continued Eric. “We thought it would be a mistake to limit their production as they look outstanding. We believe in them like we believe in the Users [laughs].”

I asked Eric if he had a favorite figure from the series.

“I like Clu,” said Eric. “Everything about him turned out perfect – the color, the design, the artwork. [The figure] really pops. The most challenging figure was Castor as he is all white. I added shading to give the figure some definition and adjusted his face to give him an expression. It took several reviews from the Studios’ team before we were both happy with the final design.”

As mentioned, these figures will be released in 2011. But coming sooner to the “Game Grid” is a special event on November 21 featuring Noah, a local Southern California artist who is no stranger to Vinylmation. Noah has created 24 custom, 9-inch figures to be released at D-Street in Downtown Disney in California, and 12 custom, 9-inch figures for D-Street in Downtown Disney Marketplace in Florida. Each figure will retail for $595.00 and comes with a “TRON: Legacy” inspired display case standing 22-inches tall. Noah will be attending the event in California from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to personalize the figures.

I still recall the meeting that Donald Ferro, developer for Vinylmation, and I had with Noah at the end of July in California. Over breakfast, Noah explained his concepts for the figures. Seeing the final custom figures, like that preview of “TRON: Legacy” at Tron Night, blew me away! I just found the number one item for my holiday wish list this year. End of line.

Tagged: DLR, Downtown Disney, Vinylmation, WDW

Filed: Disneyland Resort, Downtown Disney, Downtown Disney District, Walt Disney World Resort

Earlier this week, we shared some exciting photos of the Disney Dream leaving the German shipyard where she was built and traveling by tugboats to the seaport of Eemshaven in the Netherlands.

Today we’ve got exclusive video – the first official footage of the Disney Dream sailing under her own power at the edge of Europe’s North Sea!!!!!

Within hours after reaching Eemshaven, crew members began conducting sea trials, a critical part of our newest ship’s test-and-adjust phase. It involves testing her engines and other control systems while cruising out on the open ocean.

It won’t be long until the Disney Dream arrives at her home in Port Canaveral, Fla., to sail her inaugural cruise January 26, 2011. I can hardly wait – can you?

More updates to come, including some exclusive photos and videos of the work taking place to finish the ship’s interior spaces, which we’ll share with you next week.

Tagged: DCL, Disney Dream, Video

Filed: Disney Cruise Line