The holidays are approaching rapidly and with so many events at Walt Disney World® Resort for the 2009-2010 season, planning ahead will prevent you from missing a major part of the theme park’s holiday celebration. Walt Disney World® Resort will be featuring a variety of exciting events that promise this year’s holiday season to be better than ever. It is important for visitors to understand that in order to take full advantage of the holiday vacations, advanced planning is critical in order to save time and money while maximizing the holiday experience. The key to enjoying all the special events at Walt Disney World® Resort during the 2009-10 holiday season is to be well-informed about the major events and plan ahead so that once in the park, you do not lose any time and go straight to what you want to experience. This year Walt Disney World® Resort will feature six outstanding and major holiday-themed events. From Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party to The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights the variety is unlimited and entertainment will be available for the whole family. Check out the following holiday guide that features descriptions of key events that will take place at Walt Disney World® Resort and will help you plan your holiday vacation in advance.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party – November 10 – December 18, 2009
Celebrate the spirit of the holidays at “Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party!” This wonderful holiday event takes place at Magic Kingdom® Park on select nights from November 10 to December 18, 2009. The fantastic Mickey’s Merry Christmas Party parade features Mickey and Minnie Mouse with their friends having fun with park visitors as they walk through Main Street. Special performances, “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade,” spectacular holiday wishes fireworks and even falling snow are part of this incredible party. The cheerful “Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party” is a great option to explore during your holiday vacation at Walt Disney World® Resort.

Holidays Around The World – November 27 – December 30, 2009
What better way to celebrate all around the globe the joyous holiday season than at the “Holidays Around the World” event at Epcot®? Among the shows featured is a nightly Candlelight Processional, where an invited celebrity narrates the Christmas story accompanied by a fine 50-piece orchestra and a fantastic choir. Another excellent show is the “ IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth,” which showcases more than 1,000 fireworks, an amazing floating Earth Globe that has state-of-the-art LED screens and lots of great music. Holiday stories from all over the world are told by special invitees, including France’s Père Noël, Italy’s LaBefana and America’s Santa Claus. Other not-to-be-missed events at Holidays Around the World are Holiday Storytellers and Lights of Winter.

The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights – November 10, 2009 – January 4, 2010
If you are looking for a different experience where the holiday spirit shines all over the place, The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is the perfect event. Millions of blinking, twinkling and colorful lights decorate New York Street at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ while dancing in a choreographed motion to splendid holiday music. Beautiful Christmas trees, heavenly angels, sparkling snowflakes and various three-dimensional and motion-based displays adorn the streets making visitors feel and enjoy the spirit of the holiday season at Walt Disney World® Resort.

Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade – November 27, 2009 – January 3, 2010
Mickey’s Jingle Jungle is a colorful and lively parade that takes place in Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. Mickey Mouse, Donald, Minnie Mouse, Goofy and other friends go for a great jungle adventure while fun performances take place and magnificent holiday music plays. The cheerful and exotic Mickey’s Jingle Jungle paradeis known for its outstanding abstract animal images, amazing designs made with natural materials and fabrics, and unique holiday decorations.

Festival of the Seasons – November 17 – December 24, 2009
Festival of the Seasons at Downtown Disney® Area provides a spectacular holiday shopping experience. All the Disney stores are decorated for the holidays and feature a great variety of holiday merchandise. Live entertainment, wonderful light consistent displays, Santa’s presence, magnicifinet music and friendly performers make the holiday shopping experience enjoyable and fun. Some of the stores at Downtown Disney® Area are: Once Upon a Toy, LEGO® Imagination Center and Disney’s Days of Christmas.

New Year’s Eve At Walt Disney World Resort – Dec. 31, 2009
Walt Disney World® Resort has a variety of options to countdown The New Year. Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom® Park, Epcot® and Downtown Disney® Area will be celebrating the arrival of the 2010 with music, festivities and entertainment.

When it comes to celebrating the holidays at Walt Disney World® Resort with your family, many choices are available. As a result, an organized plan of holiday activities is a great idea to save time and enjoy to the fullest the holiday season at Walt Disney World® Resort. And if you are seeking great deals on comfortable accommodations during your next Disney World vacation getaway, look no farther than Westgate Resorts. For more information about Westgate Resorts, visit www.westgatedestinations.com.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party returns to Disney’s Magic Kingdom on select nights between September 4 and November 1, 2009. Parties are scheduled for September 4, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25 and 29; October 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, 29 and 31; and November 1, 2009. Highlights of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party include Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade and “Happy Hallowishes” Fireworks Spectacular. Note: Separate admission is required for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

If you are looking for great deals on accommodations near Disney World, look no farther than Westgate Resorts. Visit www.westgatedestinations.com for more information.

YouTube

The Electrical Water Pageant is something that you won’t likely find on a theme park times guide. Instead, it’s the way that many Guests end their days at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. The Electrical Water Pageant is a sort of “surprise” show on the Seven Seas Lagoon which can be seen while waiting for a monorail or ferryboat at the end of a long day of theme park fun.

Index of other nighttime entertainment: watch them all!

YouTube

Magical is the new fireworks show at Disneyland in California. It is being released for a limited engagement as part of the “Summer Nightastic!” event which includes a plethora of other nighttime excitement.

Index of other nighttime entertainment: watch them all!

Part 1 in HD – Part 2 – Part 3

Fantasmic! is presented at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. My prior post discussed the differences between the two shows.

Index of other nighttime entertainment: watch them all!

Watch Part 1 in HD – Part 2

Disney’s Electrical Parade (formerly known as the Main Street Electrical Parade) is now found at Disney’s California Adventure in the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. This parade was the inspiration for several other parades, including Spectromagic at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, as well as a variant at Tokyo Disneyland called Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights.

Index of other nighttime entertainment: watch them all!

Link to video

Disney Magic in the Sky is the fireworks show at Tokyo Disney Resort (Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea). This show is less than five minutes long – a very short show when compared to others like Wishes.

One thing that makes this show unique is that it is visible from both theme parks. Because of that, it is listed on the show times guides for both parks.

Index of other nighttime entertainment: watch them all!

Watch in HD – Part 1 – Part 2

Remember… Dreams Come True is the current fireworks show at Disneyland in California. It was created for the 50th anniversary of Disneyland, which was in 2005. The show will temporarily be on hiatus for the summer of 2009 for a show called Magical, but it is expected to return in the fall.

Index of other nighttime entertainment: watch them all!

Watch Part 1 in HD – Watch Part 2 in HD

Disney in the Stars is the fireworks show at Hong Kong Disneyland. It has been playing at the park since it opened in 2005. Like at other Magic Kingdom-style parks, the music largely focuses on classic Disney films.

Index of other nighttime entertainment: watch them all!

Part 1 shown above – Part 2

BraviSEAmo! is sort of like Tokyo DisneySea’s answer to Fantasmic!, presented at the Mediterranean Harbor. It does not have a dedicated seating area like Fantasmic! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios does.

The music for BraviSEAmo! was composed by Gavin Greenaway, who was also responsible for the scores to Shrek, Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, and the new Disney’s World of Color show scheduled to open in 2010 at Disney’s California Adventure.

Index of other nighttime entertainment: watch them all!

Video includes pre-show musician entertainment. Link to the video

Fantasmic! is a great story of what goes on in Mickey Mouse’s imagination. This show takes place at both Disneyland Park in California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida. While the stories are essentially the same on both coasts, there are segments of the story which are unique to each park, and the seating arrangement is very different for each – for example, at Disneyland it takes place along the Rivers of America, while at Disney’s Hollywood Studios it takes place at a large amphitheater created specifically for this show. Disneyland’s show has recently added some new technology, such as an improved dragon scene.

Index of other nighttime entertainment: watch them all!

Watch in HD

Wishes at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World is narrated by Jiminy Cricket. It’s not just a fireworks show, since it includes awesome lights on Cinderella Castle and even a live appearance by Tinkerbell herself (weather permitting, of course). This is probably what most people would associate with “the Disney World fireworks show” since it takes place at Walt Disney World’s “signature park.”

Index of other nighttime entertainment: watch them all!

watch video in HD

Illuminations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot in Walt Disney World is my favorite Disney nighttime spectacular. It was introduced in late 1999 under the name “Illuminations 2000: Reflections of Earth” as a part of the Millennium Celebration at Walt Disney World. It has now become a classic part of Epcot’s World Showcase and is a highlight of many fans’ visits to Walt Disney World.

Index of other nighttime entertainment: watch them all!

For the next couple weeks, I plan on running a series of videos of nighttime entertainment at the Disney theme parks around the world. After I am done, I will post a poll where you can vote on which is your favorite.

This post will be an index of the videos which I post:
- Illuminations: Reflections of Earth – Epcot (5/21/09)
- Wishes – Magic Kingdom (5/22/09)
- Fantasmic! – Disneyland (5/23/09)
- BraviSEAmo! – Tokyo DisneySea (5/24/09)
- Disney In the Stars – Hong Kong Disneyland (5/28/09)
- Remember… Dreams Come True – Disneyland (California) (5/30/09)
- Disney Magic In the Sky – Tokyo Disney Resort (6/3/09)
- Disney’s Electrical Parade – Disney’s California Adventure (6/4/09)
- Spectromagic Parade – Magic Kingdom (6/6/09)
- Fantasmic – Disney’s Hollywood Studios (6/8/09)
- Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights (6/9/09)
- Magical – Disneyland (6/12/09)

After an eventful day Friday of Resort Hoping, Meetings and Dinner and the California Grill (See Part 1), Saturday was devoted to the Magic Kingdom! This is actually the first time I’ve been to the Magic Kingdom in about two years so it was a welcome visit back into the original Disney theme park. We started off the day around 9:30am by driving to the Magic Kingdom Ticket center where any visitor starts the day. We purchased our tickets and then took the Ferry Boat across Bay Lake to the Magic Kingdom itself!

Upon entering the park we were lucky enough to catch the first parade of the day! What better way to start off the day then being greeted by the infamous Disney Characters! After the parade we headed straight down Main Street and into Tomorrowland!

Making the most of the Fast Pass Ticket system we got a Fast Pass to Buzz Lightyear and then went to the Laugh Factory. This was my first visit to the Laugh Factory, and it was quite entertaining as well as pretty cool to watch! It is an interactive Computer Generated comedy show that has the famous Monsters Inc. characters on screen interacting with the audience!

After Laugh Factory we rode the Carousel of Progress then back to Buzz Lightyear. I came in first place among my family, pulling from last place to first in the last minute of the ride! Following Buzz Lightyear we headed into Fantasyland. We rode most of the traditional rides in Fantasyland like The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and It’s Small World. We also viewed, personally one of my favorite attractions at Walt Disney World, Philharmagic! This is a must see for anyone visiting the Magic Kingdom. Donald chases Mickey’s Sorcerers Hat through many of the classic Disney Films, all in a 4-D experiance where the characters jump out at you, you feel the wind in your face and the scents of the extravagent feast in Beauty and the Beast fill the theater. Make time to visit this one!

Following Fantasyland we next headed to Fronteirland where we rode Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain. Not expecting to get wet on Splash Mountain with it being winter, we were extremely surprised when we got off the ride soaked! Thank goodness it was a very nice temperature in Orlando on Saturday!

Next on the list was the after Parade which while waiting for we visited the Country Bear Jamboree! This is a great “oldie” at the park that use to be one of my favorites! The 3:00 parade started and we were right at the beginning of the route! This parade included most of the characters and princesses from all the Classic Disney Movies!

Following the parade we headed to the Jungle Cruise where we were carried on a tour of four of the major rivers of the world!  After Jungle Cruise we rode a couple of more rides as well as grabbed a bite to eat. Then it was time for the Spectromagic Night Parade!

The Spectromagic Night Parade is one of the best of the park! We got a prime spot for the parade directly in front of the Train Depot! We took several photos of the parade, however Emily missed the shot of Cinderella! So as soon as the parade ended in our area (right at the beginning of the route) we took of running to catch up with the Cinderella float and take this picture!

After the parade we got ready for the Wishes Fireworks, this time getting a great spot right in front of the castle! It was absolutely amazing! I’m including a few of the pictures, the first of which is my absolute favorite! I’m using it as my desktop background now, click on it for a larger image!

Wow! Amazing! (Click for Larger)

Wishes!

Awesome!

After the fireworks we headed over to Tomorrowland to try and catch Space Mountain, however it was packed so we took a brief leisurely ride on the Tomorrowland Transit before calling it a night!

All in all it was a fantastic weekend and an amazing way to spend my 21st Birthday! I look forward to the road ahead!

Check back later for a link to the complete collection of Photos from the Trip!

]]> http://bgavideo.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/disney_weekend/ Mon, 23 Feb 2009 03:02:45 +0000 Blake Adams http://bgavideo.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/disney_weekend/

“All our Dreams come true if we have the courage to pursue them”

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to travel with my family to Orlando, and of course to the most amazing place on earth, Disney World! Leaving on Thursday afternoon we slowly began to make our way to Orlando by first fighting Atlanta traffic! After an eight hour drive, including a few pit stops, we made it to our hotel and called it a night.

Friday morning we woke up around 8:30am and headed to the Animal Kingdom Lodge to see the check out the Animals! This hotel is definitely on my top list for the Walt Disney World Resort, you wake up to views of the “African Savannah” every morning with Giraffes grazing right outside your window!

After the Animal Kingdom Lodge visit we headed into Downtown Disney for a little shopping, of course visiting the Lego store, and then tried out the new T-Rex Restaurant! I would rate this one high on a themed restaurant scale for the WDW Resort. It has several themed areas, including an ice cave, a rain forest and a volcano fire room! Every few minutes the lights would dim and a meteor shower would hit. I ordered the Flat Bread Chicken Pizza which was quite good, however next time I will leave off the sauce.

Of course next on my list for the afternoon were the meetings with some Disney Leaders I had scheduled! We went back to the hotel where I changed then I headed over to Disney Casting! The meetings were amazing, as they always are when I am able to visit! I will share more about those as time goes on! My family stayed at the hotel and rested for the long night ahead!

After my meetings I headed back to the hotel to get ready for the remainder of the evening! Our first order of business was to continue our Hotel hoping tour! It is literally a full day adventure to visit the different resorts within Disney, as each one of them have a unique environment! Our first hotel visit for the afternoon was The Wilderness Lodge!

This one tops my list of resorts to stay at while at Disney! Modeled after the Grand Canyon hotel this is truly a remarkable work of art! Walking in you are literally overtaken by the vastness of the great room! However the outside is what is truly amazing about this resort!

After The Wilderness Lodge we headed to the Contemporary to park, then took the MonoRail to the Polynesian Resort. The Polynesian is also a very cool resort, with beaches and pools that are reminiscent of a Hawaiian Resort. The Polynesian is also home to a few great restaurants including Ohana which I have had the privilege of eating at in the past. After the Polynesian we rode over to the Grand Floridian Resort, which is the “upscale” resort of Walt Disney World. With a very turn of the century atmosphere one is easily taken back to a time of pure luxury! This hotel also houses ‘ and Albert’s, which is a restaurant I will have to try soon (the meals run around $100 per person however!)

After the Grand Floridian it was time to head back to the Contemporary Resort to catch the Fireworks from the roof viewing deck and then for our 9:45 reservation at California Grill. We arrived a little early and Emily and I headed outside to the beach area were we tested out her new camera with night reflection shots! They turned out very cool! (Check the second picture above out).

Around 8:30 we headed upstairs to catch the fireworks! If you have not yet seen the fireworks from this angle be sure to make reservations at California Grill to do so! You are perched about 10 stories above the park and have a commanding view of all the Magic Kingdom. They also play the shows music over loud speakers on top of the deck! Warning- This does not take the place of seeing it in front of the castle of if you never have!

The Family at Dinner

After viewing the fireworks it was time for my Birthday Dinner at the California Grill! This is an absolutely amazing restaurant that you must check out if you’ve got time! It is definitely geared more toward adults however, and the price range is at least in the $30’s per person, but it is worth it for the environment and the food! I believe I tasted the most amazing rocky shrimp I have ever had! Unfortunately mom was the one who ordered it so I only got a bite! After the main meal we ordered a dessert and they brought out my Birthday Cake! Of course, being Disney, all the Cast Members who were working “On Stage” knew it was my Birthday!

The B-Day Cake

After the meal we called it a night and headed back to the hotel to prepare for the next day at the Magic Kingdom! Check back tomorrow for that part of the story!

All in all it was a great Friday and a great way to start off my Birthday Weekend!

]]> http://brumbemom.wordpress.com/2008/07/06/memories-of-fireworks-past/ Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:25:02 +0000 brumbemom http://brumbemom.wordpress.com/2008/07/06/memories-of-fireworks-past/

Hello Friends!  I hope everyone had a nice long weekend.  I love it when there is a holiday on Friday or Monday.  It seems like you have so many days off.  I know it just adds one extra day to the weekend, but it always seems like more to me.

We had a pleasant time, pretty uneventful, but nice.  We had a small family thing on Friday at my in-laws and then had some friends over on Saturday for grilling, swimming, homemade ice-cream.  I so enjoy just getting a few families together and just “hanging out”.  We really have some great families in our life to socialize with.  

We live very close to a “celebrity” that has his own fireworks show on the 4th, so we were able to watch his big display on Friday night from our bedroom window and we also live across the street from a park that shoots their fireworks off on the 5th, so we were able to watch them from the front porch on Saturday night. 

I like fireworks, but since we practically lived at Disney for a year, and saw their indescribable fireworks a multitude of times, it kinda puts all other fireworks in a whole different league.  Nothing can compare to the nightly fireworks, “Wishes”, that Disney puts on behind the castle. 

We also were at Mount Rushmore one year at night and they shot fireworks off above the giant carvings, and that was truly spectacular.  It was one of those moments where you hope you can somehow manage to never forget the emotions that come welling up inside you.

Don’t you just love it when you are experiencing something and you know that it will turn into one of the memories that you just look back on in the many years to come with such nostalgia.  That sounds kinda lame, I know, but I love “making memories”.  I guess it is because you can take them with you anywhere you go.  No matter where you are or what you are doing, you can find a moment of solace and quiet contentment just from bringing back a memory of good times past.  Man, I sound like a sap.  Oh well, what can you do!?!

Thanks for stopping by

Many families have traditions of lighting fireworks in their backyards, even handing lit sparklers to toddlers as they run in dizzying circles in the yard.  This is a safety disaster waiting to happen and a practice that needs to be abandoned.  Leave lighting fireworks to the professionals this year!  Take your family out to see a public firework display as a safer alternative to lighting fireworks at home.

Fireworks are dangerous!

The National Council on Fireworks Safety reports that every year nearly 10,000 people are treated for injuries related to at-home fireworks.  It is estimated that as many as 45-50% of those injured are children.

Never use homemade or illegal fireworks – their use accounts for 30-35% of all firework related injuries!

Never allow a child to play with or light fireworks – even sparklers!  Sparklers get very hot:  over 1800*F! That’s hot enough to melt gold!  They are simply not safe, especially in the hands of a child.  Six states have already banned all consumer fireworks, including sparklers.

• Try offering glowsticks as a safer, non-toxic alternative to sparklers this year.  If you have a budding scientist in your house, you can even incorporate a science lesson on chemiluminescence (the science behind why glowsticks glow)!
• Older kids (grown ups too!) might enjoying chewing on wintergreen candies in the dark and watching each other to see the resulting blue sparks.  Your budding scientist can tell everyone about triboluminescence!

• Fourth of July Celebration in Sanford, 
• Red, Hot, and Boom in Altamonte Springs,
• Fireworks at the Fountain at Lake Eola in Orlando, 
• or the Independence Day Fireworks Displays at Disney World.  Disney World has gone “green” with their fireworks displays – they now use compressed air instead of gunpowder to launch their fireworks!

Fireworks terrify animals!

Here’s another reason to abandon the tradition of at-home fireworks – they terrify animals.  Pets are not allowed at public firework displays and for good reason.  The sudden and very loud explosions are very damaging to our pets’ sensitive ears.  Animal shelters report a surge in lost pets during fireworks season as petrified animals flee for safety.  

• Keep your pets inside in case your neighbors decide to set off fireworks.  
• Turn on some soothing music inside the house and dim the lights to help reduce your pets’ anxiety level.
• Make sure that your pets’ ID tags have current contact information in case they run away.
• Do not bring your pets to a public fireworks display.