The grand opening of New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park is now just 10 days away, and in honor of the upcoming milestone, here are my Top Ten Reasons you’ll love New Fantasyland – no matter what age you are.

1. It’s so darn photogenic – No matter how many times you’ve been to Magic Kingdom Park, New Fantasyland is so scenic and beautiful, it’s sure to be a favorite stop for photographers.
2. The area adds not one, but two new castles – Magic Kingdom Park is now the Disney Park with the most royal residences, thanks to the addition of Beast’s Castle and Prince Eric’s Castle. Add in Cinderella Castle and that makes three.
3. The level of detail is amazing – As we’ve shown here for the past year, Imagineers have laced the area with an incredible amount of detail, from hoof prints in the ground in Belle’s Village to aged shipwrecks at Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid.
4. The West Wing of Beast’s Castle – One of three dining rooms in Be Our Guest Restaurant, the West Wing from “Beauty and The Beast” is recreated here as ominous and foreboding. I love that our Imagineers included this room, as it played such a major part in the film.

5. Playing a part at Enchanted Tales with Belle – Forget everything you know about a character greeting. No matter what your age, you can easily get swept up in playing your part in the retelling of Belle and Beast’s love story.
6. The interior of Gaston’s Tavern – This just might be a hidden gem of New Fantasyland. Just like the song says, there are antlers in all of Gaston’s decorating. Don’t miss the room here to the far right, which features Gaston’s personal chair – built to suit the man himself – that makes a great photo op.
7. The Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid queue – There are so many things to explore in this seaside-themed queue, and lapping tides and rushing waterfalls really make you feel as if you’re heading “under the sea.”
8. Storybook Circus – This area is so impressive. Instead of merely relocating Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Imagineers built an entire 1940s-inspired circus into the park. The attractions and new character greetings are a blast, and the theming of the area is simply charming.

9. Cupcakes from Be Our Guest Restaurant – Available in three flavors – Strawberry Cream Cheese, Triple Chocolate and Lemon Meringue – these treats are plucked from an impressively stocked pastry cart and finished tableside for you. Delicious and amazing!
10. The expansion continues – Two more attractions, Princess Fairytale Hall and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, will open in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Considering the amount of detail and imagination our Imagineers have put into New Fantasyland so far, we have a lot to look forward to.

What part of New Fantasyland is your favorite? Let us know in the “Comments” section below.

Excited for the opening of New Fantasyland? Join in on the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #NewFantasyland.

Tagged: MK, WDW

Filed: Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort

Yoshie Cabral is a fixture at California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort – most nights guests see her deftly creating more than 2,000 pieces of sushi on a busy night.

When California Grill closes in late January for renovations, Yoshie has decided it’s time to take a break – the job of sushi chef involves many long hours of standing, and Yoshie says she’s ready to sit for a while.

She started at the California Grill back in 1995 when she convinced the chef to add sushi to the menu. And at the time, Yoshie was one of a handful of female sushi chefs in the U.S. “They said the temperature of a woman’s hands is too high to handle fresh fish,” says Yoshie with a shrug. But Yoshie proved the critics wrong as she created delectable sushi for a legion of fans.

Though we’ll miss Yoshie, sushi will stay on the menu, says Chef Brian Piasecki, with Yoshie’s protégés carrying on her work.

5 Questions With Yoshie

1. What is your favorite sushi to make?
   My favorite sushi to make is actually a roll that is on the menu right now – it’s called the Dragon Roll and consists of two types of tuna, tempura shrimp, cucumber and red peppers topped with tobiko (flying fish roe). It is one of my favorites because it looks so beautiful and is truly an artful presentation.
2. Do you have a favorite moment from all your years at California Grill?
   There have been so many over the past 17 years! One that stands out was just a few years ago when a woman came to the California Grill with her family and she was celebrating her 78th birthday. She was fascinated by what I was doing and came over and visited me. I asked her what her favorite type of sushi was and she said that she has never eaten sushi before! That was the perfect cue for me to make her something special to enjoy for her birthday. She was absolutely thrilled and couldn’t believe that she had gone her entire 78 years without enjoying this amazing culinary treat. It was very special to see her reaction and to have her experience this for the first time here at the California Grill.
3. A funny moment from your years at California Grill?
   Probably one of the funniest stories was when I was serving a California roll to a guest and the gentleman actually though that the green wasabi (Japanese horseradish) on his plate was guacamole. Boy, was he surprised, but it was too late because he put the whole green ball in his mouth. He was okay, thank goodness, and we both got a great laugh afterwards.
4. What’s your favorite meal to cook at home?
   I love having the whole family at home for a meal, and one of my favorite dishes to cook is a large pork roast that I can hand-shred for the whole family – along with homemade eggrolls.
5. What’s next?
   I just want to be able to relax and enjoy spending time with my family, my husband, three children and all 10 grandchildren.

Tagged: Dining, WDW

Filed: Cast Member Profiles, Disney Dining, Hotels & Resorts, Walt Disney World Resort

I absolutely love the “Pirates of Caribbean” film franchise, which is why I’m super excited to experience The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow attraction, which will grand open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on December 6.

The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow is a walk-through attraction that will allow guests to follow in the footsteps of Jack Sparrow to see if they have what it takes to join his rowdy and daring pirate crew.

Walt Disney Imagineering just shared this amazing video with us, in which Imagineers Jason Surrell, Laura Mitchell, Charita Carter and Jason Roberts take us behind the scenes of the making of this new experience. According to them, creating an entirely new attraction based on the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film franchise was a dream come true, as was working with the film’s lead actor, Johnny Depp, who reprised his role as Captain Jack Sparrow for the attraction’s film elements.

See what else they had to say:

 
Check out these posts for more updates from Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

• Taste of Hollywood to Go with Fantasmic! Seats Dec. 22-Jan. 5 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• First Look: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow Opens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• New Cupcakes at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Almost) Too Pretty to Eat

Tagged: BtS, DHS, Video, WDW

Filed: Behind the Scenes, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World Resort

The Disney chefs’ amazing gingerbread creations are one of the winter holiday highlights, and there are three cool new creations throughout Disney California Adventure park that took lots of patience and culinary skill.

At Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge, the gingerbread is artfully appropriate – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Gingerbread Cottage, a nod to the classic animated film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” which premiered at the original Carthay Theatre in Los Angeles in 1937. Perfect for the 75th anniversary of the film’s debut.

The intricate gingerbread cottage, created by Pastry Chef Jorge Sotelo and his team at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, is just 24” X 24” X 24”, and is on display this week through January 6, 2013, in the lower lobby by the Disney Family Museum Snow White Cell Collection.

The thatched roof is cleverly crafted with shredded phyllo and shredded wheat cereal. Gingerbread walls and shutters are secured with royal icing, and chocolate in the shapes of rocks is used for the rustic chimney. Grass is made of shredded coconut, with delicate sugar flowers.

Over in Cars Land, tip-“towing” his way into Flo’s V-8 Café is Mater, made en-“tire”-ly of gingerbread, proudly parked in the restaurant lobby atop a specially seasoned white wall tire. This piece was created by Executive Pastry Chef Jean Marc Viallet and his team of chefs at the Disneyland Resort Central Bakery (the same team that creates the gingerbread house in Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland park).

And commemorating Buena Vista Street’s first-ever winter holidays is a specially designed gingerbread house reminiscent of Walt Disney’s first home when he arrived in Hollywood in 1923. Another creation of the Disneyland Resort Central Bakery Team, look for it out at Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Café.

Keep an eye on the Disney Parks Blog for more updates on the holiday season at Disney Parks, and join the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #DisneyHolidays.

Tagged: DCA, Dining, DLR, Holidays

Filed: Disney California Adventure Park, Disney Dining, Disneyland Resort

Earlier this year, one quarter of Main Street, U.S.A., in Disneyland park reopened with a new look and new spaces. From the delicious decor in the Candy Palace to the new display in The Disney Gallery, the magic truly is in the details. Discover these details in the video tour below from Walt Disney Imagineering, hosted by Imagineer Kim Irvine, then stop by Main Street, U.S.A., to see them for yourself!

(And look for a special cameo at the end of the video from someone you Carnation Café fans might recognize!)

Tagged: DL, DLR, Video

Filed: Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort

Have you joined forces with Agent P at Epcot yet?

The interactive game, Disney Phineas and Ferb: Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure, debuted earlier this summer but today we’re happy to announce that in the next few weeks, Agent P will be adding new elements to his adventures in the United Kingdom, Mexico and Japan Pavilions.

The game is based on the wily secret-agent alter-ego of Perry the Platypus, a faithful pet to the title characters from Disney’s animated series “Phineas & Ferb.” Although just a simple pet to Phineas and Ferb, Perry turns into Agent P in each episode to help stop the misguided plans of his nemesis, Dr. Doofenshmirtz.

Here at Epcot, guests transform into secret agents to help Agent P thwart some of Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s most daring plots. Agents use a high tech detection device called a “F.O.N.E.” (Field Operative Notification Equipment) to receive clues for each case.

 
While we don’t want to give away any of the clues ahead of time, here are two landmarks that just debuted as a part of Agent P’s enhanced missions.


Read more about Disney Phineas and Ferb: Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure in the posts below:

• Let Agent P Take You on an Adventure Around the World at Epcot
• Live Chat: Talk In-Park Gaming With Imagineer Jonathan Ackley
• ‘Phineas and Ferb’ VIPs Tour Epcot as Imagineers Prep Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure

Tagged: Epcot, WDW

Filed: Epcot, Walt Disney World Resort

I’m looking forward to the grand reveal of New Fantasyland on December 6. We have created a small assortment of commemorative items to celebrate the largest expansion in the history of Magic Kingdom Park. We will also be holding a New Fantasyland pin release party at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort on December 6 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This free activity will see the release of the limited edition pins and sets that I first discussed in September. I will be sharing details of that event soon on the Disney Parks Blog. While no pins will be at Magic Kingdom Park on December 6, here is a look at the other items we will be releasing that day.

The grand reveal day has been captured in three new shirts that will be offered all day at Magic Kingdom Park on December 6. For men, shirts will be offered in sizes ranging from small to 3-extra large, while ladies’ shirts will have sizes ranging from extra-small to 2-extra large. For youth, the shirts will be offered in extra small to extra large.

We will introduce a new “Cover Your Ears” featuring a beautiful aerial view of New Fantasyland. We first introduced this new kind of cover for a standard Disney ear hat during the 30th anniversary of Epcot. The “Cover Your Ears” for New Fantasyland has an edition size of 1,000.

Speaking of covers, we will be offering six new D-Tech On Demand cases for both the iPhone 4/4S and iPhone 5. The three New Fantasyland cases use the amazing signature images released in August 2012, and will have an edition size of 300 each. The Disney Princess cases featuring Belle, Ariel and Snow White will be limited release.

Finally, we will release two deluxe prints, again featuring those signature images of Maurice’s Cottage and Prince Eric’s Castle. Each print has an edition size of 500.

On December 6, you can find commemorative merchandise in the following Magic Kingdom Park locations:

• Emporium – Main Street, U.S.A. – Will have tees, Cover Your Ears and D-Tech On Demand cases.
• Main Street Cinema – Main Street, U.S.A. – Will have deluxe prints only.
• Big Top Souvenirs – Fantasyland – Will have tees only.
• Mickey’s Star Traders – Tomorrowland – Will have tees only.
• Pirates Bazaar – Adventureland – Will have tees only.

The event tees and the D-Tech On Demand cases with Disney Princesses for iPhone 4/4s and iPhone 5 will also be sold via the Disney Parks online store from December 6-9, 2012 (please allow 8 to 10 weeks for delivery). To find these items online starting December 6, visit http://www.DisneyStore.com/NewFantasyland.

I hope to see you at New Fantasyland for what will be an exciting day!


Read these posts for more news about New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park:

• Mysterious Film, Photos Emerge in Disney Dragon Dilemma at New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park
• Find New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park With Our New Interactive Website
• Let the Magic Begin! New Fantasyland Preview Period Begins Today at Magic Kingdom Park

Tagged: MK, WDW

Filed: Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort