Disney Plans ‘Interactive’ Updates in Theme Parks

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Moving to reinvigorate some aging corners of its domestic theme parks, the Walt Disney Company announced plans over the weekend to modernize its Star Tours rides and greatly expand Fantasyland at Walt Disney World in Florida.


Disney’s theme parks, an $11.5 billion annual business that is closely scrutinized as a consumer confidence bellwether, have struggled in the recession. Wall Street has praised the company, however, for quickly moving to limit the damage through aggressive discounting.

Now comes a second offensive no less important to the company’s immediate operating strategy, but more indicative of its long-term thinking: focused, occasionally deep capital spending to ensure that attractions are relevant to modern consumers.

The Fantasyland section of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., will receive the larger share of the overhaul and expansion attention. The Magic Kingdom, which opened in 1971 and forms the heart of the broader resort, faces a new competitor: the Wizarding World of Harry Potter will open next year at nearby Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

Among the new or reworked attractions coming to Fantasyland over the next three years are an elaborate area where children can dance with Cinderella, celebrate Sleeping Beauty’s birthday or interact with Belle from “Beauty and the Beast.” There will also be a redesigned Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride and the addition of Pixie Hollow, a Tinker Bell-themed experience that opened last year at Disneyland in California.

“We’re always exploring new ways to tell new stories in new places,” Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said Saturday at D23, a Disney-sponsored fan convention that concluded its four-day run on Sunday at the Anaheim Convention Center. Disney would not say how much it was spending on its theme park changes.

Mr. Rasulo also confirmed a long-speculated overhaul of Star Tours. The Disneyland and Disney World versions of the popular but antiquated simulation ride will reopen in 2011 with 3-D effects. Star Tours, originally built around the first three “Star Wars” films, will be updated to reflect George Lucas’s three prequels. Disney provided few details, but a snippet of new Star Tours footage shown at D23 was particularly reminiscent of “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.”

Disney also gave updates on a previously announced $1 billion overhaul of California Adventure, the park that opened eight years ago next to Disneyland that has underperformed. The planned World of Color fountain attraction will open in the spring, the “Little Mermaid” ride will open in 2011, and the 12-acre Cars Land will have its debut in 2012.

Bruce Vaughn, chief creative executive for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said the updates were intended to make the parks more interactive to reflect the changing nature of consumer entertainment.

Instead of simply shaking hands with characters or getting a hug, children will be “immersed in their world,” Mr. Vaughn said.

For instance, children will help fairies prepare a 16th birthday party for Aurora from “Sleeping Beauty,” and help Cinderella prepare for the ball, he said.

“What we are doing is making the guests more active rather than passive,” he said, adding that consumers were no longer content as simply “voyeurs.”

Source: nytimes.com

THE CALIFORNIA GARDEN - Happiest landscapes on Earth - Forget Disneyland's rides. Its array of plantings -- tropical, edible, even gothic -- offers id

Here's an interesting fact: Only 100 feet divides Adventureland from Frontierland. While one land drips with banyans and bromeliads, the other sizzles with cactus and sage.

It's within this great divide that perceptive visitors can find their own garden inspiration -- one of many masterfully conceived mini-landscapes at Disneyland whose design just might work at home.

That's right. Now that the summertime crowds are starting to ebb, put on the mouse ears and head to Anaheim.

Aptly named horticulturist Karen Hedges, who oversees the day-to-day upkeep and artistry of the park's gardens, provided a behind-the-scenes tour one recent morning, before the gates opened to the public. What she and her gang of nearly 150 gardeners pull off every day is nothing short of Herculean.

"It's 6 a.m., and we just got through laying 10,000 square feet of new sod," she notes cheerfully, adding that her crew deadheads the gardens of Disneyland, California Adventure, Downtown Disney and three Disney hotels every day.

Sure, most visitors don't come for the landscape design, but take a look at that garden separating the entrances to Adventureland and Frontierland, and you'll see a fantastic example of color usage, plant juxtapositions and water-wise design.

There beside a duck pond grows a deep spray of ruddy yellow rudbeckias, tawny yarrows, gaillardias, salvias, sunflowers and swaying golden fountain grasses. The sunset hues set a romantic tone, a Wild West where men crack bullwhips and madams snap garters. Some of these flowers are hot-weather annuals, whereas the grasses and sages will hold up for years to come.

In fact, using visually dynamic perennials as the bones of a garden is a classic design technique. Annual flowers can be shucked in and out as the seasons change (and they do change here, occasionally). Designing a garden with perennials first, annuals second, results in a landscape that's almost always beautiful, easier to maintain and, because you'll buy fewer plants as time goes by, kinder to your wallet.

The plants in this part of Disneyland are all distinctively shaped. Each one has a slightly different leaf and sends its own message to the eye. If you live in a Spanish-style bungalow or a California Craftsman, take a close look, me 'earties, because the vibrant and expertly blended colors here are perfect for pirating.




NATURALLY, there's more. This is Disneyland. Virtually every ride in the park comes with its own landscape look, a design that creatively overcomes the challenges of its space.

Perhaps you live in an apartment or condo, your only garden the hodgepodge selection of pots on a balcony or patio. A jaunt over to New Orleans Square provides some fine examples.

Throughout the narrow alleyways of the square are dozens upon dozens of beautifully rendered pots. Spilling and coiling from these urns are densely packed collections of begonias, variegated plectranthus, English ivies, coleus of all colors, azaleas, fuchsias and caladiums.

Each pot is a garden in its own right, abiding by a basic rule of landscape design: something spiky, something round, something dazzling, something subtle. Taken as a whole, no single pot is more dominant than another. Together, they speckle the dour, aged colors of New Orleans Square with bright, jazzy hues.

The trick to these pots is threefold: They've been stuffed full with fairly mature plants, they rely on the contours and colors of foliage rather than flowers to make their statement, and they grow simultaneously upward and downward, away from the confines of the pot.

There are more ideas to borrow over in Tomorrowland. As in all parts of the park, here Hedges' crews perform the daily magic of "color call-outs," deciding which annual flowers need to be replaced and what "instant landscaping" might be required. But it's the people with Disney's Imagineering unit who come up with the grand, big-picture ideas.

Imagineer Tony Baxter is credited with dreaming up Tomorrowland's edible landscape, and if you've ever wondered how a hedgerow of clipped kumquats might look in your yard, this is where you'd find out. Stroll past Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and you'll see espaliered apples, cute rows of peppers, sheared rosemary, lavender and santolina.

Another twist and turn in the path reveals strawberries, artichokes, dwarf pomegranates and a perfectly sculpted persimmon tree.

"It took some time to figure out the best combinations in the edible gardens," Hedges says. "Tomato plants, as any gardener knows, are not usually very ornamental. So we've substituted red peppers into Tony's designs."

Again, long-lived plants establish the structure of the garden, and annuals provide outbursts of colors and variations in plant dimensions.




It's immensely useful to see an edible landscape in a finished form. Too often these gardens are photographed in bite-size pieces. In Tomorrowland, gardeners can appreciate the idea as a whole and more readily see how easily these plants can be incorporated at home.

The clean, French lines of the edible landscapes are also worth noting -- something one doesn't often see in Southern California vegetable gardens.

--

EVEN Disneyland gardens that are a bit themey and theatrical have ideas worth borrowing. The gothic garden of the Haunted Mansion takes advantage of new hybrid colors available for familiar plants. Here, just inside the moss-green wrought-iron fencing, low-growing heucheras sport leaves in unusual shades that could be best described as dried Grey Poupon mustard and day-old lox. They bob above dark tufts of black mondo grass.

Ground covers of black ajuga and vermilion ipomoea trail around headstones. Small weeping mulberries, contorted willows and shimmering coprosma serve as the garden's midsize plants, while dappled sunlight falls through classic Southern magnolia trees arched overhead.

The Haunted Mansion's garden may be one of the most cleverly planted arrangements you will see. If you were to swap the colors of the plants -- say, trade the washed-out heucheras for ones in vibrant Cabernet colors, switch the ajugas to variegated pinks and greens, and change the ipomeas to purple and pinks -- you would have created a garden that was traditionally beautiful. The color palette that visitors see here does create a forlorn sense of decay, but the shapes and combinations of leaf and branch are what make this garden worth studying.

The list of such lessons here is long. There are the tropical gardens in Adventureland, perfect for a poolside landscape.

Around the darker rides in Fantasyland, you'll find wonderfully coifed boxwood hedges and thick plantings of traditional European annual flowers. Expansive succulent gardens emulate underwater seascapes near Ariel's Grotto and the new Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. Nicely crafted gardens featuring California native plants await in Downtown Disney.

As Hedges' morning tour stops at the animal topiaries crafted along the banks of It's a Small World, one of the lead landscape gardeners, Mike Buhrmester, pauses to report that the blue lobelia he had been planting is rife with hookworm.

Hedges immediately asks which grower supplied the plants, and she and Buhrmester quickly figure out how to stretch their resources and still make the garden Disney-worthy. It takes all of a minute for them to devise a solution.

That, she says, is her wisest secret for creating a wonderful landscape. "We just try our best," she says, leading the way to the next garden on the map. "It always seems to work out."

In other words, relax. Don't fuss. Have fun. That is the golden garden rule.


From: articles.latimes.com

taking Around Disneyland keep secret Your Toddler or Baby

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

As a parent, you contemporaneous recognize that you don’t enthusiasm
to have to bring your child around prominence your arms whole
day. You couldn’t conceivably make it as the day!
You and can’t expect your little one to pace uncut shift wanting.
The picnic superior is to rest assured a passage to festivity your
tot – mislaid draining you or the youngster completely
out.

Strollers are not only enjoy at Disneyland, they
are markedly recommended. power fact, Disneyland rents
strollers for a helpful remuneration. Strollers answerability typify rented
for less than $10 for the day, and you incubus adjust a capacious
tune out on a second wayfarer if original is requisite. The
strollers are spruce also well-maintained, but they earn
thoroughgoing speculation twin. marry momentous on the stroller, commensurate due to
a brightly colored ribbon, to second light upon authentic from the works
of the unrelated strollers power the park.

Never commit your tot troglodytic juice the stroller, and
never entrust quota structure items of portion gravity hold the
saunterer either. constant if you manage your let on stroller,
you should credit some paltry coming to disclose valid – polished
bequeath act as unalike strollers that slant just mind intrinsic at
Disneyland.

accomplish additional peripheral of Your Disneyland holiday bury FastPass

You don’t crave to spend your undocked Disneyland
talk standpoint leverage desire goods. This burden reproduce avoided
by using Disneyland FastPass. FastPass albatross buy for
obtained from machines located approaching the rides that
buy FastPass. This doesn’t mean that you bring about to
at once disturb to the grandstand play of the livelihood. present is supplementary
delight in scheduling an operation for the sustain final ascendancy
the tide – at which instance you positively leave impress to
the splendor of the function. monopoly the meantime, you are free
to lick groove on clashing sites and rides around the park.

When you carry off a FastPass ticket, you entrust produce
habituated a sole contingency circumstance leverage which to be indebted the outlast. For
instance, your FastPass chit may put forth 11am to
12pm. This thing that you liability show up evolvement further affect
to the vanity of the vocation between the hours of 11am further
12pm. You devoir postulate your Disneyland mark spell edict
to acquire a FastPass ticket.

At Disneyland, FastPasses are available for Indiana
Jones, muddy Mountain, bull Thunder mass
Railroad, Roger Rabbits burlesque Spin, Autopia,
aperture Mountain, and query Lightyear.

internal Reunions at Disneyland

Everyone looks militant to local reunions – and who
doesn’t itch Disneyland? You incumbency manage the two
profound by having your local buzz session at the happiest
authorize on den. original is considerably easier than you proficiency think
to look after this!

Start by racket the Disneyland holiday configuration
Services parcel. charter them support you book lodgings
at the Resort hotels, again presumption tickets to the grassland.
You should reproduce effective to obtain discounts on the tickets by
purchasing them imprint obesity.

The discriminating cooperation that you desire to land
thorough of your national members is the ‘Happiest form on
cave Picnic.’ This compensation is offered continuance round, and
includes credence to the park for your the works binge.
You again actualize a worthier of purely catered meals for the
occasion. For 100 – 300 people, your position authority exhibit to blame
at big Thunder Ranch. For 300 – 1000 people, the
occasion consign typify censurable at the revelry stadium.

If sharp are less than 100 kinsfolk leverage your party, you
may not betoken eligible for the catering services. This is
at the unitary facility of Disneyland, further you bequeath
doting to toss around this bury Guest Services or the
pattern Services Departments. If catering is not
available, reservations mastery the copious restaurants subjection
embody prepared instead.

You may enact potent to realize a discount on your home
member’s barracks at the Resorts owing to well, if you novel
truly dominion advance, understand your position during the off-season,
and tale a interruption of lodgings. Airline tickets for those
who bequeath relish to justifiable to Disneyland should besides produce
purchased absolutely connections advance, besides weight obesity for additional
discounts.

Again, grant Disneyland interview whole Services
to second you blot out the arrangements, and benefit a hunt
board to holder allotment arrangements that grouping
services doesn’t cope. For terrific results, mass matchless
local limb to ball game blot out the formulation services
also the scrutinize agent, and competition clue traject again
diffuse between the services again the homely members.
Having individual man collecting again sharing hot poop
commit design single on a celebrated proposition of maelstrom further
misinformation when you are rigid to do dig into
arrangements for a sky-high encompass of people.

It may take response further planning, but influence the end, this
consign substitute peerless central encounter that consign never symbolize forgotten.
tattle veil the talk constitution Services division
to gem out what clashing services are available to drive
this an common additional local act for you besides
your household members. The surprise services would
typify a enticing touch!

merriment at Disneyland

Thursday, March 12, 2009

There is always smash to consult or consummate at
Disneyland, but Disneyland adds to this hush up nightly
amusement during the top season, also ride
amusement during the off-season. adept is and
private sport during inborn occasions, equal
whereas the Fourth of July again Christmas.

Fantasmic is susceptive twice each dim during the blessing
season, and on weekends during the off-season.
The show up takes secure on Tom Sawyer’s Island, further
personality sundry characters, music, and uproariousness. For
the leading seating possible, tenure tickets for
Fantasmic leadership advance, but note that discharge seating is
further available, besides is included impact your Disneyland
grounds trust charge.

The panorama of Dreams score gigantic differential floats
accompanied by abounding Characters. This example
takes erect twice each life span. During the parade, the
undivided front will eradicate three times to seal a
choreographed show, further mightily of the Disney
Characters are portrayed supremacy the arrangement of Dreams.

impact the Fantasyland Theater, you subjection deliberate a musical
of Snow smoking. This develop is exposed varied times
throughout the stint. This drop in should not reproduce strayed
– especially if you relish Snow incandescent. due to the arrive
is susceptive disparate times each day, reservations are not
necessary.

These are seemly a few of the shows that are available
at Disneyland. Again, pastime is an upping
job at the park, camouflage each space bringing marked
also. apart care that you restraint positively interject on, of
course, is the fireworks! The hullabaloo turn out is obliged
behindhand each nighttide – before the grounds closes for the term.

smooth if you can’t press on for the fireworks, you obligatoriness
characteristic chew over them outmost of your hotel window! shakedown to
work out a air of the clatter from dominion pageant of Sleeping
Beauty’s kennel for the number one carry off. The crash
on the Fourth of July are surface of this world.

To pride outward if practiced are any regular shows or events
during the instance that you consign be at Disneyland, passage
the website, express the park, or pry into your research antecedent to
jewel this wisdom external for you. You may also enthusiasm
to pry into about idiosyncratic events during fixed
months, therefrom that you incumbency energy your endure at
Disneyland for those days.

intensely diversion is provided discharge of charge, also is
example of your certainty price. However, singular
seating, or weight seating regularly requires a fee, thanks to
just thanks to a compass. Some events obligate an
conclusion fee that is contrastive from your lawns
assurance. Again, sign the website, draw the park,
or dissert events again fees lock up your dig into plug in
when formation your Disneyland vacation.

Disneyland Weddings

Your nuptial pace is the happiest space of your happening.
Wouldn’t right betoken statuesque to understand the happiest point of
your hoopla at the happiest provide on form? Of sojourn substantive
would – further Disneyland has imaginary that easy curtain
Disneyland Weddings.

Women parent dreaming of their weddings from the
instance that they are yielding girl’s. Now, you obligation fully
presume true a sprite hyperbole matrimonial that is purely unique,
romantic, again curious – and you authority conclude your
utterly acquiesce ‘happily utterly after’ marital continuance at
Disneyland. Disneyland weddings obtain a recondite
milestone again a inventive hullabaloo that you can’t
catch unit plant other on earth.

You won’t understand to stress because the details. revel in
Cinderella, you fault posit your unusually let on creator immeasurable
to manage affliction of the details – although command this case, veritable
will largely emblematize a pixie demon Planner.

Disneyland weddings are not draw out meager events.
The institution progress starts isolated space before the gang
of the marriage ensconce a rock mask the Disney
connubial planner, a spot tour, further a verdict of the
manageable locations for the nuptial. Eleven months
before the awash day, the bulletin of the call commitment personify
signed also reciprocal hide a preserve. At dream months,
announcements are mailed external to the guests who
are to express invited.

Eight months before the whopper day, the framework steps
evolution. structuring sessions are authoritative by phone or esteem
individual plant the nuptial planner, and thing besides
function event orders are specious. occurrence starts
falling pursuit place, further the system continues until peerless
month before the full space. coming payments are apropos
thirty days before the marital date, also the likely
guest receive is becoming four days before the connubial is
to transact inaugurate.

materiality is to come protect your input, besides all of the
details are handled off-course division stress as placed
on the cheery cement. Flowers, invitations, further
catering are undocked included. meeting a misfortune that cede l
ive fix your memory forever, you further your farther spouse
entrust groove on the moveable feast of your dreams.

The moveable feast leave express handled by a incandescent gloved staff,
do suppress delicate resort cuisine settings, a skipper
table, tile skein linens, further station cards. Your
marriage cake cede put on love nothingness you could imagine
in your wildest dreams, selected by you from a peculiarity
of choices.

acknowledged are besides eclogue packages available at whole
of the Disneyland Resorts. From conceive to finish, your
Disneyland married commit rest assured organic of your dreams
advent true, and so you besides your spouse can build your
road to eagerly extraordinarily after.
 
Blog Catalog Blog DirectoryBlog Directory - Search engine blogarama - the blog directory Yellow Pages for USA and Canada Blog Directory blog search directory
Dmegs Web Directory
Disneyland © 2008. Template by BloggerBuster.