$99 Family Vacation Blog

Splitsville Facts Frame-by-Frame

Ten frames about the new boutique bowling  Opening: Early December, 2012 in Downtown Disney West Side at Walt Disney World Resort. Square Footage: 50,000. Largest Splitsville ever built. Number of lanes: 30. Nearly twice as many as any other Splitsville. Lane configuration: 20 lanes second-level, 10 ground-level. First two-level Splitsville of its kind. Number of …

Fast Facts: Test Track Presented by Chevrolet

Location: Future World, Epcot, Walt Disney World Resort An Epcot icon! Opened originally with the park, in 1982, as GM World of Motion Redesigned, renamed and opened as GM Test Track in 1998 Current refurbishment began: April, 2012 Grand re-opening as Test Track Presented by Chevrolet: Dec. 6, 2012 Guest entry options: Standby, Single Rider, …

Chevrolet, Disney Inspire Design Innovation with Test Track

Two iconic brands collaborate to deliver interactive, personalized experience DETROIT – Chevrolet designers and Walt Disney Imagineers have joined forces to give Walt Disney World Resort guests a deep glimpse inside a professional design studio creating a first-of-its-kind multi-sensory virtual experience in automotive design. Chevrolet and Disney tapped their best design talent with expertise ranging …

Music: Songs of “The Little Mermaid” Become ‘Part of Your World’ In New Attraction at Magic Kingdom Park

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. ─ Guests experiencing Under The Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid at Magic Kingdom park will relive the romance and excitement of the classic “Little Mermaid” story through scenic design, Audio-Animatronics characters, special effects and, of course, the award-winning songs written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken for the Disney …

Special Effects: Little Mermaid Characters Come to Life with Classic Storytelling and Innovative Technology

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid debuts this fall at Magic Kingdom, advancing the great tradition of the “dark ride” – a theme park classic that transports riders in guided vehicles through specially lit scenes often featuring animation sound, music, and special effects. That said, the Little …

Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid Fun Facts

Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid opens this fall at Magic Kingdom park, located at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. This whimsical underwater adventure begins when guests board pastel-colored clamshell vehicles and head “under the sea” to visit Ariel and her friends in a musical retelling of the …

Fun Facts: New Fantasyland

Project size. Doubles the size of Fantasyland. Originally 10 acres; today’s Fantasyland with expansion: 21 acres. Largest expansion in the 41-year history of the Magic Kingdom. Team effort. Between Walt Disney Imagineers and their partners, it took more than 140 disciplines to bring New Fantasyland to life. Future additions to New Fantasyland include Princess Fairytale …

In Their Own Words: Walt Disney Imagineers on the Making of New Fantasyland

Overall: “Walt came up with the idea of letting our guests step into animated stories, and that was our inspiration for the entire expansion.” – Chris Beatty, Creative Director, New Fantasyland “Our top priorities for this expansion were to create great new guest experiences along with guest comfort. By creating a forest environment, we are …

Living Landscape Inspires Storybook Settings in New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Disney landscape magicians didn’t need a wand to conjure the storybook settings of New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World Resort.  Instead, they wielded a diverse plant palette, trucks of sand, rockwork and cobblestones, plus enough imagination to breathe life into richly textured scenes from classic Disney films. …