Disney Tries New Fastpass System

Walt Disney World Orlando is experimenting with a new system for distributing its FastPass tickets inside Disney's Animal Kingdom. The theme park last week began issuing the FastPass tickets — which allow guests to skip long standby lines at popular attractions by giving them a specific return time later in the day — from a central location. The change allows guests to obtain FastPasses without having to trek to each individual ride to get them (though the passes are still available at those attractions, too).

Disney is using the FastPass vending machines at It's Tough to Be a Bug, which is at the center of Animal Kingdom, to distribute tickets for the park's three most popular rides: Dinosaur, Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris. With the test, Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez said, the resort is examining "how to make it even easier for guests to utilize FastPass during their visits."

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Annual Disney Canoe Race

As reported in the local Orlando press this week; hours before the scores of guests arrived at the gates of Magic Kingdom, there was some unusual activity on the shores of Frontierland this week. Dozens of Disney cast members, chanting "stroke, stroke, stroke" and paddling stridently, competed in the Canoe Races of the World — commonly referred to as C.R.O.W. — an annual Walt Disney World event since 1973 with roots as far back as 1963 at Disneyland.

The teams, usually representing their work units, circle around the 1one-mile course, which begins on the Rivers of America near Country Bears Jamboree and passes by Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, scenery from the park's railroad and Tom Sawyer Island and Haunted Mansion before heading to the finish line.

Crews of eight to 10 people compete in C.R.O.W., which is designed for team-building and muscle-building. The route, which takes about five minutes to complete, is not without challenges.

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New Sea World Tour

News hot off the press - SeaWorld Orlando is introducing a brand new tour called Animal Show and Photos Experience, the new tour will enable guests to have priority, reserved seating for shows -- including the Shamu show "Believe," the dolphin show "Blue Horizons" and "Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island," the sea lion-otter show -- it will also include photo opportunities immediately following those shows with the featured animals.

The Animal Shows and Photo Experience at SeaWorld Orlando features photo shoots with Shamu and other animals. Guests will also interact with a penguin and a Clydesdale in the five-hour activity. Participants will receive a photo CD of the day's experiences. According to the SeaWorld Web site, the adult price is "from $125" and children "from $100." This is in addition to the regular (and required) SeaWorld admission.

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Disney Looks Forward

It was not too long ago that the rides in Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando provided thrills aplenty, promising tales of pirates and pirate ships and the chance to dive 20,000 leagues under the sea. But the modern generation of children, weaned on the Wii, Second Life and DVD "Easter eggs", look for more than the roller coasters and jerky automatons that entertained the youth of the 1970s.

"The emerging generation expects more immersive, personal and interactive experiences in every facet of their lives," says Bruce Vaughn, chief creative executive of Walt Disney Imagineering. It's a fact Disney had to face when it created its newest attractions for the Florida theme park.

Toy Story Mania is basically a giant 3D video game. Riders board a car and are driven through and parked in front of a series of video screens. The task: to shoot objects as they fall or fly out of the screen.

The 3D glasses mean objects do seem to come right out at you, and are sometimes accompanied by a fourth dimension: a blast of wind in your face or, in the case of water balloons, riders actually get wet.

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Waldorf Astoria Golf Club to Open in Orlando

Peter Kacheris, managing director of luxury resort hotel, the Waldorf Astoria Orlando in Bonnet Creek, announced the addition of the Waldorf Astoria Golf Club to the destination's extensive list of amenities. Created by acclaimed golf course architect Rees Jones, the 18-hole, 7,113-yard championship course is the centerpiece of the first golf club for the Waldorf Astoria brand. The Waldorf Astoria Golf Club will also feature a clubhouse and be open for play October 1, 2009, the same day as all of Bonnet Creek, conveniently surrounded on three sides by Walt Disney World Resort.

One of the few golf courses in the Orlando area to be free of real estate dotting its greens, the Waldorf Astoria Golf Club is open to all players -- those staying at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando or Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and those who want to experience a piece of history. Although designed with a five-tee system for all playing abilities, the course is challenging. Winding through a large wetland preserve, it has a par 72, slope 130 and 72.5 rating from its professional tees.

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SAW and Chucky Star At Universal Horror Nights

Universal Orlando is taking a tip from their Hollywood counterpart for this years Halloween Horror Nights event and incorporating big screen scares into their version of the popular Halloween attraction. Last year in Orlando there was a Doomsday themed attraction, this year it is based around The Wolfman, Chucky and Saw.

For 23 select nights this fall, modern horror films are “Ripped from the Silver Screen” to frighten guests at what promises to be the most feared Halloween HorrorNights ever. For the first time ever, guests at Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights 19 will live Universal Pictures’ “The Wolfman” – a mega-horror movie – before it even hits the big screen. They will also experience two modern day blockbuster horror franchises – “SAW” and “Chucky” – as Universal Orlando devotes its entire Halloween Horror Nights event to bringing horror films to life.

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NASA Tries Again

The news from KSC, Florida - it that NASA faces the prospect of more stormy weather today as it tries again to launch shuttle Endeavour to the international space station. Thunderstorms prevented Endeavour and seven astronauts from blasting off Sunday evening. Forecasters said there was a 60 percent chance the weather would force yet another delay Monday evening for the space station construction mission.

NASA has until Tuesday, possibly Wednesday, to launch Endeavour with the final piece of Japan's space station lab. Otherwise, it will have to wait until the end of July because of a Russian supply ship that's awaiting liftoff. Sunday's countdown, at least, made it all the way to the nine-minute mark. Saturday's launch attempt was foiled several hours in advance by a series of lightning strikes around the pad that required extra checks of the many critical shuttle systems. Back in June, hydrogen gas leaks held everything up.

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Puppet Festival Comes To Orlando

This weekend the city of Orlando hosts its first International Puppet Festival beginning this weekend at The Orlando Repertory Theatre and The Orlando Shakespeare Theatre in Loch Haven Park. Puppetering troupes from Spain, France, Canada and Mexico each will take the stage in performance, with time for a workshop or audience questions afterward. To be sure, these are no Muppets from Sesame Street; these are serious marionettes doing serious stage work here.

One highlight from the festival comes from the Bob Theatre from France. They are scheduled to perform their interpretation of “Nosferatu,” the original adaptation of the work most of us know better as “Dracula.” It’ll be interesting to see how they present the Nosferatu character, chillingly played by Max Schreck in F.W. Murnau’s 1922 classic film; you know, he was the guy coming through that door who looked very much like the one in the oft-stolen Edvard Munch painting “The Scream.”

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Amercian Idol Hits Orlando

Well the news from Orlando is that there is still time to register for the "American Idol" auditions. Idol staff will be at the Amway Arena until the start of the auditions around 8 a.m. Thursday. Show producers say they expect anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 people to audition today. Contestants began lining up outside the arena at 5 a.m. Many should expect to be there until the late evening hours.

“American Idol” staff suggested contestants have three songs prepared to sing, just in case -- and get to the good part as quickly as possible. You only have 10 to 30 seconds to impress the judges. In order to get yourself on the stage you need to bring two forms of identification to registration, one that is proof of your age and one with a photo. For example, a passport and driver's license, or a Social Security card and driver's license.

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Stormy Weather May Stop Shuttle Launch

Some not so good news in from Space Coast in Florida. Stormy weather could stall this weekend's launch of space shuttle Endeavour. NASA will try to launch Endeavour on Saturday night, following a pair of delays last month caused by a hydrogen gas leak. The leak has since been plugged; a fueling test validated the repairs last week. But now, NASA will have to deal with thunderstorms. Forecasters on Wednesday put the odds of acceptable weather at just 40 percent for a Saturday evening launch. Conditions improve only slightly on Sunday.

The seven astronauts assigned to the 16-day mission returned to Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday. They will deliver and install the final piece of Japan's lab at the international space station.

Five spacewalks are planned, more than usual, to complete work on the Japanese lab, replace space station batteries and unload spare parts carried up on Endeavour. The linked shuttle-station will be home to 13 people for nearly two weeks, a record number of astronauts.

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Harry Potter at Universal Orlando

Dont look now but the "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" is scheduled to open by next summer at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure. The Harry Potter-themed project starts to takes shape at Universal Orlando in surrounded by TOTAL secrecy. "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter," the $200million-plus "theme park within a theme park" that is scheduled to open by next summer in Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure, has sparked a near-constant stream of speculation about just how the resort will bring Harry Potter's universe to life.

Universal has kept the project — based on the wildly lucrative, seven-book series by British author J.K. Rowling and the movies it inspired — largely shrouded in secrecy. Contractors working on the project have been required to sign confidentiality agreements, and the resort has offered few clues beyond a handful of artist renderings

Apparently Universal's plans for Hogsmeade include The Three Broomsticks restaurant, shops and stylized locker and stroller-parking areas. The few clues Universal has provided indicate the stores will include Dervish & Banges, which sells and repairs magical equipment, and Honeydukes, a sweet shop whose treats include chocolate-covered frogs.

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Cost Cutting 4th July

It would seem that even the 4th July celebrations are being hit by the economic climate as central Florida residents will see shorter fireworks shows and less entertainment at some of today's July Fourth celebrations. Financial constraints have forced some Central Florida Orlando communities to scale back on its Independence Day gatherings. Orlando has cut its fireworks display at Lake Eola Park down from 20 to 15 minutes, an official was reported as saying.

Apparently those 5 minutes will save the city about $8,500, said Heather Allebaugh, public information officer for the city. However despite the 5-minute cut in the display, officials have said they expect a much higher turnout this year because the holiday falls on Saturday.

The official word from the mayors office was; "It's going to be a little bit shorter in length, but it's still going to be impressive." In addition "The city felt it was important to still do this because it's a community function that people have built their 4th of July weekend around."

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4th July Celebrations

Well if you are lucky enough to be in the Orlando area this coming weekend you are really are spoilt for choice as there are lots of special events for the Independence Day Celebrations some beginning as early as Friday of this week. Here are a very small selection of things going on at the major theme parks and attractions.

Universal Studios' celebration on Saturday also doubles up with the finale of its Summer Concert Series. Performing On stage this weekend will be the O'Jays ("Back Stabbers," "Love Train"). Showtime starts at 9 p.m. The park's late night film-fireworks-pyro presentation called Universal 360 returns Friday night and sports a patriotic finale on Saturday. Universal have advised that the fireworks will not be visible from nearby Islands of Adventure or Universal CityWalk.

Disney World sports has a number of special holiday changes to its normal programme of events. Friday and Saturday night at 9, Magic Kingdom will present "Disney’s Celebrate America! — A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky." There will be "SpectroMagic" parade at 10:30 p.m. Saturday and another one two hours later, in the week hours of Sunday. (The park closes at 1 a.m. Sunday.)

Disney’s Hollywood Studios hosts fireworks at 10 p.m. Saturday, sandwiched by presentations of "Fantasmic!" at 9 and 10:45 p.m. and Epcot’s "Illuminations" fireworks and laser show will be "holiday inspired" at the special time of 10 p.m. Saturday.

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Rip Ride Rockit Fails To Takeoff

As the Orlando theme parks battle it out for visitors during one of the leanest summers in recent memory, Universal Orlando has so far been unable to fire its biggest latest new weapon. HollywoodRip Ride Rockit, the resort's new $45 million roller coaster, has been hit with numerous delays. It was supposed to open in spring, and yet it still does not have an opening date, with the Fourth of July weekend — the biggest holiday of the summer — now just one a week away.

The theme park originally announced that the coaster would open this spring. However, back in April, it announced it wouldn't open until sometime in the summer, though even then Universal officials said late spring or early summer might still be within their reach.

Universal's struggles with the Rip Ride Rockit contrast sharply with the situation at SeaWorld, which this spring opened a new roller coaster well ahead of schedule. SeaWorld's Manta, which was announced two weeks after Rockit and initially not supposed to open until this summer, has been up and running since before Memorial Day.

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