jedimaster1227

SeaWorld Orlando has given us some new press releases regarding the latest offerings at Aquatica! Aquatica will now offer "Learn to Swim" lessons! And now there's a combo ticket for SeaWorld and Aquatica for Florida Residents!

Universal Orlando has sent us a press release announcing the grand opening date for Despicable Me Minion Mayem!

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-06/14/c_131653674.htm

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/rss/nb20120615a6.html

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/jun/14/worth-the-wait/

It is great to hear a positive review of the Flying Tires! With so much negative buzz surrounding the attraction, I'd hoped that someone would be able to say that this wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be. For the historical factor alone, I'm looking forward to riding the Tires, and it does look like a fun attraction to ride with a group. I'm being very careful not to look over all of the details of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street since I'm hoping to see it for myself before the end of the Summer, but what I have seen has made me very antsy to get back to the park. I've always liked California Adventure, especially in the more recent years, but looking at these two projects as they have reached the finish line is just so neat! Seriously looking forward to checking all of this out in person, whenever that might be!

^The Intamin Cable is a creature of countless indecencies. Syfy was able to capture the creature mid-attack in a recent televised documentary regarding the creature's reign of terror along the Jersey Shore.

It was also linked in a recent tragedy in the Jersey Shore... Something about a shark attack and Joey Fatone.

Menchies serves dole whip--that's all you need to know! This a great trip report so far! You guys definitely did a great job representing Team TPR at Canada's Wonderland!

For those of you planning on braving the park's grand opening on Friday... http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/06/for-your-information-guests-planning-to-visit-disney-california-adventure-park-when-it-opens-on-june-15/

http://www.ocala.com/article/20120612/ARTICLES/120619914

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/06/get-wild-for-less-on-the-wild-africa-trek-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/06/all-in-the-details-tinkering-in-maurices-cottage-at-new-fantasyland-at-magic-kingdom-park/ http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/06/mmmmm-fresh-veggies-flatbreads-on-magic-kingdom-park-menus/

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/06/victoria-alberts-receives-coveted-aaa-five-diamond-award-for-13th-consecutive-year/

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/06/ghirardelli-soda-fountain-and-chocolate-shop-is-now-open-at-disney-california-adventure-park/ http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/06/disneyland-resort-guests-can-now-purchase-park-tickets-through-their-smart-phones/ http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/06/carthay-circle-restaurant-at-disney-california-adventure-park-to-open-with-92-sommeliers/ http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/06/creating-the-sounds-of-radiator-springs-racers-in-cars-land/ http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/06/were-getting-geared-up-for-cars-land-at-disney-california-adventure-park-what-are-your-questions-for-the-cast-of-cars/ http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/06/from-cars-to-cars-land-at-disney-california-adventure-park/ http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/06/from-the-ground-up-at-disney-california-adventure-park/

Gardaland has sent us a press release about their extension of park hours for the remainder of the Summer!

Though I'm a little late at posting it, Universal Studios Hollywood has sent us a press release regarding their lineup of free Summer concerts at CityWalk Hollywood.

SeaWorld Orlando has sent us a press release regarding the start of their popular Summer Nights offerings! http://www.insideseaworld.com/seaworld-orlandos-turtletrek-webisode-6-creating-audio

Universal Orlando has sent us a press release regarding the grand opening of their new water playground at Wet 'n Wild Orlando!

Six Flags Over Georgia has sent us a press release regarding the celebration of their 45th anniversary! They've also sent us a press release about the returning favorite Dive-In Movies at Six Flags White Water.

Earlier last week I had the chance to visit Disney's Art of Animation Resort on its opening day. Built into the same footprint as the originally planned Legendary Years (with two of the Little Mermaid buildings actually being remnants of the abandoned resort project), many expected this project to become the new Pop Century Resort, but I am happy to report that this is so much more than that! Themed around four popular Disney franchises, the first wing to open is the Finding Nemo section with the Cars themed wing opening very soon. Soon after that will be the Lion King wing and last to open will be The Little Mermaid which unlike the other wings consists of traditional hotel rooms. I make note of this because there's something very unique about the approach to the design of these rooms. Themed family suites make up the mass of this resort, fitting clever designs into the building shell as would have been built for the Legendary Years. With a single bedroom attached to a living room with two bathrooms and a table that converts into a pull-down bed, the room is designed for families to partake in. Heavily themed in every way, lighting fixtures, wallpaper and even bathroom sinks all convey the story of the room you're in. Inside of the (enclosed) building hallways to the rooms are pieces of film-related art unique to each floor. Outside of the buildings, there is no shortage of additional theming. Quite the contrary, the resort sports a surplus of overwhelming facade and design work. Gigantic representations of well known characters tower over guests and smaller statues line the wall ways around each building. Even on the backsides of the building are sketchpad designs that imitate the creation of a moving character from the respective Disney film. I think I was most clearly taken aback by the amenities found within the Animation Hall, the lobby of sorts for the Art of Animation Resort. This resort is the first to employ a system "islands" for a more personalized check-in experience, rather than the traditional stand-behind-the-counter approach. The interior is designed beautifully with an incredible transition of vivid colors spanning the lobby through clever lighting. The walls opposite the check-in feature early concept sketches of Disney characters from the four films represented in the resort, making a pretty incredible mural to behold. Even the atrium sports a unique chandelier with bulb covers also featuring sketches of Disney characters. While parents are checking in, kids can take part in a small Animation Academy of sorts with featured Disney artists on hand to teach daily drawing lessons. This same space also hosts the standard Disney cartoons for the lobby when the artists aren't present. The Animation Hall hosts the resort's arcade which is one of the first on Disney property to be completely paperless in its pay-to-play system. It features some of the newest arcade games including Speed of Light, Tron Legacy pinball and a custom four-way air hockey table that is sure to create some awesome mayhem for the families to enjoy (we certainly dropped a good deal of money on this game during our visit). The Ink & Paint Shop is the resort's gift shop and is very well designed in every way. It matches the tone of the rest of the resort but also has some clever pieces of its own including paint-jar display cases and a very gradual shift of color scheme throughout the store. Looking back on the history of this resort's development, it should be noted that this store's fixtures were designed by a Disney Professional Internship Program participant, as seen in this Disney Parks Blog post we shared a while back. Landscapes of Flavor is the resort's food court, designed (at least physically) in a similar model to that found at Disney's Pop Century Resort. Despite a similar layout, this place is a hidden gem in the Walt Disney World counter service dining catalog. With a unique menu designed from scratch by Disney, it features five main stations. The first station is a smoothie and gelato counter for those with a sweet tooth. Next up is the create-your-own salad station (haven't tried this yet, but my friends who did were extremely happy with their choices, as well as the serving size of their entrees). Moving on you get to the Tandoor/Mongolian BBQ station, which is seems to be the one for the most adventurous of eaters. I didn't have a chance to order my own yet (I was too enticed by the other offerings I'll soon describe) but my friends that tried the Tandoor chicken with paneer cheese and basmati rice along with naan bread all loved it. Next was the Pizza and Pasta counter, likely designed to appeal to the more picky of eaters, but even this has been built up to be more than the standard. I tried the "create your own" pasta for dinner that evening and loaded it up with shrimp, sausage, prosciutto, cheese, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and olives, all in an alfredo sauce. For quick service pasta, it was possibly the best I've had at Walt Disney World. The last counter is the burger station, which was definitely my favorite. I opted to try the Surf and Surf Burger first, which is a crab cake sandwich topped with popcorn shrimp and a delicious cajun remoulade. With the option to customize any of the burgers at this counter, I added a fried green tomato to the sandwich, which ended up being a great choice. The shrimp was clearly made fresh and wasn't the standard frozen fare served in the parks. The crab cake was delicious and was probably 90% crab meat and 10% breading, which was spectacular. I'd go so far as to say that this sandwich is something I'd order at a sit down restaurant and stood up to some similar sandwiches I have had at established seafood restaurants like Legal Seafood. The sandwich was so good, I ended up getting it again for lunch the following day. I won't further bore you as I salivate over the food but we sampled so many items during our visit. The pastrami burger, the smoothies, the cheesecake bites and the chocolate cookie crumb cake were all stand outs amongst our selections, but nothing we had wasn't at least good, if not great or incredible. Oh, and if you're a beer fan, the location serves locally sourced beers from Orlando breweries which is a plus! Moving outside, we had a chance to visit the pool area at the Finding Nemo wing. The pool is the largest one in the Walt Disney World Resort and is a zero-entry pool. Underwater speakers installed in the pool allow swimmers to hear the characters from Finding Nemo talking and singing, along with the music being pumped underneath--another really neat touch! The area also hosts a water play area for kids, as well as a dry slide section down the way. The pool area has a bar for the adults, and a few family games including a four-way ping pong table. There simply isn't anything about this resort I don't love. It is easy for you to get wrapped up in the level of theming in the resort, even if you aren't the biggest fan of the film that surrounds you. The family offerings are clever and useful, and the resort is designed beautifully with all guests in mind. Landscapes of Flavor is a spectacular step forward in quick service dining, one that I hope other eateries in Walt Disney World will eventually take pages from, because it is just that great. I'll be revisiting this resort (soon and frequently) and will likely have more reason to walk around once the new wings open up. If you get a chance, come out and visit Disney's Art of Animation Resort. You'll be impressed, trust me. Our visit started our with a special "pool party" to launch the resort for guests. And guess who showed up? The first gift of Christmas! (Sad that I of all people make this reference.) Looking across the huge pool at the Nemo Wing towards Animation Hall. It looks so nice! There's even a huge water play area for the kids! It's huge! You're sure to recognize the characters from the film throughout the area, including some of the lesser-seen ones. A huge Mr. Ray marks the entrance to one of the buildings. There's a dry play structure here too. The detail on these models is stunning. Some unique view points set up throughout the area. Um... When did I miss Finding Nemo 2-4? That fish sure gets lost a lot. This picture serves two purposes: 1. Here's the photo people can make fun of me for taking. 2. It shows that the signage design is clever, using the school of fish from the film to spell out the letters. Mine? While it isn't open yet, guests can still walk around a good portion of the Cars wing at Disney's Art of Animation Resort. The backsides of the buildings feature sketches of characters from the wing's respective film. We may not have Cars Land, but this does look pretty great! Less than a week to go! Foosed! I spy Mater! Anyone want some Chili Con Cone? Luigi's Leaning Tower of Tires... We have a Cadillac Range too! Each of the buildings masks their stairs in a unique way. Looks like they're ready to go! Looking forward to roaming this courtyard very soon! Enclosed and air conditioned hallways! Best decision ever! Disney's Art of Animation Resort is the first to use RFID access cards for room entry. Looks pretty similar to those Fastpass+ (xPass) readers spotted in the park a few weeks ago, right? Unique artwork for each floor! Access to the pool area is also RFID enabled! Dude! Time to take a look at the room... It starts as a table... And transforms into a bed! I still haven't found the Allspark in the room. The guest bathrooms are themed to the submarine from Finding Nemo. And here's the adults' room. Another room (the model for tours) features a flipped layout, but it is pretty much the same. The Lion King wing is the third that will open. Mufasa! Landscapes of Flavor is just awesome! The Ink & Paint Shop looks great too! The Animation Hall's cool chandelier... My "create-your-own" pasta... This certainly doesn't look like the Legendary Years! Closing time... So long Art of Animation... See you soon to check out the Cars wing!

I too saw this commercial a few times. I think they ran it a bit prematurely, so much so that I saw several people yelling at team member's at the attraction's entrance claiming that they came to the park that day specifically because of the commercials. They did team member previews a few days ago, and did soft openings today and yesterday, so I think it is getting close to a full launch.

^

If there's one thing Six Flags seems to have found a niche in, it is theming attractions around the apocalypse. This honestly looks like a good overlay for a formerly tired attraction. Good for Six Flags America... One step in the right direction.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dolby-theater-atmos-sound-334215