.jpg)
Roundtable
Contributors: Estelle Hallick (This Happy Place Blog),
Alan Mize, Blake Taylor (BlakeOnline.com), Andrew (Disney Hipsters
Blog) and yours truly.
Blake Taylor (BlakeOnline.com)
After 2012's test run of a 24-hour operating day for the
Magic Kingdom, the park approached last week's Monstrous All-Nighter with
experience and expectations that were not afforded last time. Now that the park
knew what an event like this felt like, it could have some fun with it.
Among the plusses made to the event included two runnings
of the afternoon parade, a webcam that streamed all 24 hours online from Town
Square, and the underlying Monsters University theme that tied everything
together in a much larger way than anticipated. A party in Tomorrowland,
exclusive dessert treats, and Mike and Sulley galore (they were everywhere!)
really hit the MU theme out of the park. Arguably the most fun plus was the
small (but magical) closing ceremony. 2012's 24-hour day ended with no fanfare
whatsoever, so it was a real surprise when, at 5:45 a.m., the DJ at the Castle
dance party instructed everyone to make their way to the train station for a
special goodbye moment. (YouTube that thing right now.) It was Disney doing
Disney at its finest.
While eyelids were fluttering and feet were sore by the
time the 24 hours were up, a fun time was had by all (except for maybe more
than a few guests caught in the post-Wishes mob... but let's save that story
for next week).
Andrew (Disney Hipsters Blog)
Early next week Disney will begin testing the new Wilderness Explorers attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom! Though little information has been released, the game will loosely be based on Disney/Pixar's Up. Russell (who is a Wilderness Explorer in the film...) already has a meet and greet centrally located in the park.
I have a
certain apprehension when it comes to all of the new "interactive
game" style attractions that Disney has been installing lately. Sure, I
enjoyed Kim Possible (the first of these games...) but the Agent P's World
Showcase Adventure that replaced it has turned out to be a dud. Sorcerers of
the Magic Kingdom also turned out to be
all but useless after a few plays as well. If it weren't for the latest game to
roll out, Pirates Adventure: Treasures Of The Seven Seas, I would be adamantly
against this. As it were, the Pirates game was executed flawlessly, and gives me
new hope for these types of attractions.
The fact that
there will be multiple sign up kiosks does bother me somewhat. The centrally
located station of the Pirates game is less obtrusive than the multiple Agent P
stations. On top of that it is well themed and blends into the area quite
well. Lets all cross our fingers.
Alan Mize
I’m a Disney
nerd, but you already knew that. And
since you’re reading this right now, I’d be willing to bet that you are
too. Despite the fact that I am a
self-professed Disney nerd, I have never really had an interest in joining the
official Disney fan club, D23. The
magazines that come with the higher level of subscriptions seem really nice and
I’d love to read them, and it seems that you can get some really great
merchandise, too. But those things just
aren’t enough to entice me into taking the plunge.
This week
however, Disney made an announcement that awoke the fan boy in me and really
made me want to join D23 for the first time.
On Saturday August 10th, two absolute Disney Legends will be performing
on stage together. Richard M. Sherman
and Alan Menken will be performing in a show entitled “Richard M. Sherman and
Alan Menken: The Disney Songbook” and the musician in me is absolutely giddy
with the thought of seeing those two giants of Disney music history come
together. If it’s a famous Disney song,
there’s a very good chance that it was written by either the Sherman Brothers
or Alan Menken. From “Carousel of
Progress” to “Aladdin”, these men cover more than 50 years of Disney music and
to see them in concert together would be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Sadly, I’m not
a member of D23, and I also live on the east coast, so this concert probably
isn’t going to happen for me. I’ll just
have to keep my fingers crossed that video of the performance is made available
so I can see what will surely be a fantastic concert.
Estelle Hallick (This Happy Place Blog)
I'm going with
a bit of lighter news this week. Let's focus on the ice cream (my current
mindset because it's been so humid in New York). L’Artisan des Glaces, a nook
full of sweets, opened up in Epcot's France pavilion this week. Oh oh oh, does
it look adorable! When you don't get a new attraction in the World Showcase,
second best is always dessert.
What caught my
eye most? The adult option: a mix of ice cream and liquor in a martini glass.
You cannot go wrong with that, folks. Looks like there's another spot to add to
my Epcot food list! (Soon there are going to be so many places like this one...
I'll never make a reservation in World Showcase again.)
Ryan P.
Wilson (Main Street
Gazette)
Unless you've
been living under a soundproofed rock for the past day or so, you are aware
that France newest snack location, L'Artisan des Glaces has opened. Housed in
the former Boulangerie Patisserie, the shop serves up ten flavors of ice cream
and six flavors of sorbet in waffle cones or cups, all made in house, with an
option to add a shot of liquor to selection. Your grandmother's kitchen
atmosphere, or at least it felt precisely like my grandmother's kitchen, has
not been swept away entirely, but a thematic change has been made to make
L'Artisan des Glaces feel a bit more like a creamery and less like a kitchen.
One key component
to the L'Artisan des Glace is the ordering procedure. You order and pay at one
of two registers before moving on to have your ice cream cone or cup prepared.
No longer will you have to fumble with your wallet or purse while your ice
cream begins to melt and drip on you, the counter, and everywhere in between.
Also, there is only one counter, taking away the cramped feeling the previous
occupants had to contend with when they had two counters and two lines of
guests in the same amount of space.
Do I miss the old bakery case in the window? Sure I do! However, from
everything I have seen and heard from those who sampled the goods yesterday,
I'm willing to bet that fresh ice cream and sorbet can make me forget my
troubles.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment