Disney files for patent for projector to work with drones

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February 11, 2016

As we previously reported Disney filed a request for an exception to FAA rules to enable it to fly drones well now they are filing for a patent for projectors to work with these drones.

When Disney first applied for the drone they made the statement:

“The inventors recognized, that presently there are no mechanisms for creating very large aerial displays, such as a display that is reusable/repeatable, dynamic, and interactive. To address that need, Disney’s R&D department is working to create a multi-drone aerial display system and a ground control station that could choreograph repeatable movements.”

This is where the projectors will come into play, the projector will have the ability to project still photos and videos and will contain a polypropylene mesh screen which will allow airflow yet still have adequate opaqueness to act as a RP screen.

For a while Disney has said they would like to use the drones to create large characters during their night shows at Disney World, FL and Disneyland, CA. This is where these projectors will really shine, they will be working alongside the drones to enhance the light shows.

Disney also says that not only will these projectors work with creating better entertainment which will be better advertising, they could also help other application such as rapid dissemination of emergency.

What do you think about these projectors? Comment below!

Disney Cruise lines wins big in Cruise Critics Cruiser’s Choice Awards!

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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February 11, 2016

Cruise Critics Cruiser’s Choice Awards are in and Disney Cruise Line is victorious! These awards are from overall ratings and reviews from guests of the website.

In the Large Ship Category:

Disney Dream won:

“best cruises overall”
“best cruise ship cabins”
“best entertainment”
“best public rooms”
“best service”
“best for families”

Disney Fantasy won:

“dining”
“best embarkation”
“best fitness and recreation”

In the mid-sized ship category:

Disney Wonder won

“best entertainment”
“best service”

Why chose Disney Cruise line?

Besides the fact that winning in 11 categories on reviews and ratings alone, Disney hospitality is all over these cruise ships. There is magic at every corner, from the amazing shows to the first class dining, Disney does it big on these ships and you reap the benefits!

For the family:

Disney is all about family and this is very obvious on any of the ships, the state rooms are large, some with sofa and split bathrooms so everyone can ready at the same time. There are also refrigerators in the rooms and in room movies. Also for families:

kids clubs for all different ages: 3-12 11-14 and teens all have their own space with lunch and dinner available.
one of a kind rotating dining, where you are the star and your staff follows you through out your cruise
complimentary room service
buffet style dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner
pool side movies at night
fireworks
character interaction
deck parties

For the adults:

adult only serenity area
nightclubs
lounges
full service spa
fitness center
adult only cafe
classes directed for adults like dancing, adult mixers, lectures and tours

With all of that going on you may not want to get off on any of the great destinations, but you will! Castaway Cay is Disney’s private island filled with amazing beaches and breath-taking water it’s a definitely Disney must do!

Are you ready to book your award-winning magical Disney Cruise vacation?

Contact me, my name is Karen Asaro I’m a travel agent with World of Magic Travel and a writer for Chip and Co and Disney Addicts. I visit Disney World as often as possible to keep up to date with the latest going on throughout the world, if I’m not there I am planning my next trip! Let me help you plan your next trip you can email me or visit me on facebook for all the latest info!

New Pins coming to Walt Disney World & Disneyland this March

By

Chip

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February 11, 2016

Here is a sneak peek at the new pins coming to Walt Disney World this March.

With just a few changes from their Disney World counterparts here are the new pins coming to Disneyland this March.

Please note – All information is subject to change including but not limited to artwork, release dates, edition sizes, and retail prices.

Here is a little Pin Trading Etiquette to follow.

The main criteria to judge whether a pin is tradable or not is that it must be a metal pin bearing a “©Disney”mark on the back that represents a Disney Event, Place or Location, Character or Icon.
Pins should be in good, undamaged, tradable condition.
For a safe trading experience, please trade one pin at a time, hand to hand with pin backs attached.
Guests may trade a maximum of two (2) pins per Cast Member, per day.
Please refrain from touching a Cast Member’s or Guest’s pins or lanyard. If you need a closer look, kindly ask the Cast Member or Guest wearing the lanyard if she or he can bring it into clearer view for you.
Monies, gifts or receipts may not be exchanged or used in trade for a pin.
When trading with a Cast Member, Guests should offer a pin that is not currently displayed on the Cast Member’s lanyard.
Pins from other business units of The Walt Disney Company (i.e.ABC, ESPN) are accepted for trade.
Operating participant pins that show a Disney, Disneyland®Resort, or Walt Disney World®Resort affiliation are accepted for trading.
Plastic pins, rubber pins or other non-metal pins are not accepted for trading.
“Personalized Name”pins are not accepted for trade.
“Broche style”or “clasp pins”are not accepted for trade.
Disney Service Award pins, Spirit of Disneyland®Resort pins, Partners in Excellence pins or Cast Member costume pins (i.e. Host/Hostess Badges, Disney Trainer) are not tradable.

Disney Trading is magical fun for the whole family! The most important etiquette to remember is to have fun collecting or trading!

New LEGOLAND Discovery Center Coming to Philadelphia!

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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February 11, 2016

Calling all Brick Builders! LEGOLAND released bricktacular news for the Philadelphia area! The LEGOLAND chain has announced it will open its ninth U.S. location about 15 miles northwest of Philadelphia at the Plymouth Meeting Mall.

Merlin Entertainments, which owns the children’s indoor attractions, says construction of “LEGOLAND Discovery Center Philadelphia” will begin next summer.

The space will include a variety of play areas, LEGO Master Model Builder classes, rooms to hold special events like birthday parties and a 4D cinema.

“Plymouth Meeting Mall is the ideal location for the attraction as the mall is already a favored destination for Pennsylvania families and tourists from the region,” Merlin executive John Jakobsen said.

LEGOLAND centers are tailored to families with kids from 3 to 10 years old, who can usually explore the indoor facility and its interactive stations in about 2-3 hours.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Philadelphia is slated to open in Spring 2017. I know I am excited, and will be sure to make the trip with my family when this center is open!

Universal Orlando Ticket Prices Increased

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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February 11, 2016

Universal Orlando fans I have some not so happy news to share. I mean who likes to hear prices have gone up? Even worse when it’s your favorite theme parks tickets. Yes, you’ve guessed it, Universal Orlando increased its theme park ticket prices on Wednesday. However, I’m not at all surprised since this time last year they did the same thing and I’m sure to follow soon will be The Walt Disney Travel Company.

Now let’s talk about the ticket price increases. Here’s the changes for now. First let’s talk about the Florida resident ticket prices.

FL Resident:

1-day park-to-park ticket increases by $8
2-day and 3-day park-to-park tickets increase by $23
1-day single park ticket increase by $3
2-day and 3-day single park tickets increase by $17

Now we’ll look at the price increase for the Non-FL Resident’s.

Non-Fl Resident:

1-day park-to-park ticket increases by $8
2-day, 3-day and 4-day park-to-park tickets increase by $25
1-day single park ticket increase by $3
2-day, 3-day and 4-day single park tickets increase by $20

Annual passholders no worries as of right now your ticket prices remain the same.

While these price increases seem low it’s the overall increase and the frequency that has fans worried like myself. However, with everything that Universal Orlando Resorts has coming soon I can understand why they feel the need to up the prices.

Just in case you haven’t heard about the different updates coming to the parks for 2016-2017 here’s the current list.

Resorts:

The expansion of my favorites, Cabana Bay Beach Resort. More details HERE.
The construction of the newest the Sapphire Falls Resort. More details HERE.

Water park:

The construction of the newest and soon to be the only Universal water park, Volcano Bay. More details HERE.

Rides/Attractions:

The construction of two simulator based rides located at Universal Studios. Race through New York starring Jimmy Fallon. More details HERE. Fast & Furious: Supercharged. More details HERE.

The massive update of one of my favorite rides at Islands of Adventure, the Incredible Hulk roller coaster. More details HERE.

Last but not least the construction of an attraction that fans have been waiting for since the closer of it’s predecessor, Skull Island: Reigon of Kong. I’m personally VERY excited about this new addition! More details HERE.

Don’t forget about the special ticket offer that Universal Orlando released a few days ago, and you better hurry because it ends soon. ticket offer. Buy a two-day ticket and you’ll get a third day for FREE! For more information please check out my article HERE or email me, [email protected]

For more information about planning a magical Universal Orlando vacation before it’s too late contact me anytime. I would love to help you plan the best vacation ever!

My name is Leigh Saleh. I’m a Travel Agent with World of Magic Travel. I’m a Universal Orlando Specialist, SeaWorld Parks Specialist, Legoland Florida Specialist and a Disney Destination Specialist as well as many more destinations including cruise lines. Email me today at [email protected] to book your next “Magical” family vacation to your favorite destination.

You can also visit my Facebook page, click here for more details, and updates on special offers to your favorite travel destinations. You will also find a ton of pictures from Walt Disney World,Disney Cruise Line, SeaWorld, Universal Orlando, and Legoland Florida.

**The Official photographs provided by Universal Orlando**

Beat The Winter Blues – Plan A Trip To Disney World

By

Catie

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February 11, 2016

I don’t know about you, but I personally am ready for a bit of warmer weather. It’s been a mild winter here in Upstate New York, but it’s still February, and I am still MORE than ready to ditch the gray skies and chilly temperatures for someplace warm and sunny – someplace like WALT DISNEY WORLD perhaps?

If you’re ready to beat the winter blues and plan your family’s next vacation, then check out my Top 5 reasons why you should be booking your next trip to Walt Disney World NOW:

Planning Is Half The Fun: From choosing your Resort to making your Dining ADR’s, to making your fastpass+ selections for each Park – you have plenty of planning to do to get you psyched for your trip. And if you have no idea what a fastpass or an ADR is – fear not, as there is TONS of information out there about the ins and outs of WDW – from guidebooks to amazing sites like Chip And Co – you will have plenty of help learning all about Disney before your trip. And speaking of ADR’s – that brings me to my next (delicious) point…

The Food. Seriously – the FOOD: Walt Disney World is a true foodie’s paradise – they have so much food there it’s almost unimaginable what is in store for you! If you haven’t been to WDW, you’re probably thinking “ok – theme park food – that means a week of burgers, pizza, chicken nuggets, and other assorted fried food” – and while you can find all of those at Disney, there is SO MUCH MORE. Not only do they use super fresh quality ingredients in everything, but they take pride in what they make – and there really is every type of food imaginable – Japanese, Moroccan, German, African, plus amazing fresh seafood, steak…and I could go on (seriously, I could go on for DAYS). The only way to really understand is to get to Disney and start tasting! Try something new, you’ll be glad you did – trust me! Plus they cater to special dietary needs too – read more about that here.

Always Something New To See: Disney is always changing things up – from new rides and shows to new foods and restaurants and plenty of everything in between – you’ll never have the exact same trip twice, that’s for sure! For those of you who are WDW veterans and have been there multiple times, you know this to be true more than anyone, and there are definitely some awesome new things coming in 2016 and beyond (new rides, restaurants, and more!). So if you think “seen it once, seen it all” about WDW – you couldn’t be more wrong – as you will discover something new around every corner!

It’s Truly A Vacation Destination: No need to rent a car or even leave WDW property when you stay on site at a WDW Resort for your trip – as they take care of everything! The Magical Express shuttles you from the airport to your Resort, and then Disney Transportation takes you anywhere and everywhere within Disney! And there are plenty of places to go/things to do: there’s the 4 theme parks, shopping, water parks and water sports (including boat and watercraft rentals), fishing expeditions, spas, walking/running/biking trails (and places to rent bikes), pools, restaurants, nightclubs…etc, etc – needless to say – there is really something for everyone to enjoy, and so much to do you could stay there a month and STILL not do it all.

The Magic Is REAL: For those of you who have never been to Walt Disney World, let me just say – there’s a reason they call it the Happiest and Most Magical Place On Earth – it really is that awesome. Disney really goes all out to create an amazing guest experience – from exceptional customer service, to the theming and décor in the Parks and Resorts, the character interactions, the food, and the fireworks, parades, and shows, the rides – it all adds up to create a place that transports you out of reality and into the best vacation ever.

I love having things to look forward to – things as simple as the weekend or a nice meal, and big things too – like my next WDW vacation! Hopefully getting into that WDW planning mode will get you out of your “winter funk” and get you excited for visiting Mickey and all his friends (hey, it works for me!)

Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comment box below.

Happy Lunar New Year From Disneyland’s California Adventure

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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February 10, 2016

This past weekend, the Disneyland Resort celebrated the Year of the Monkey by bringing back the Happy Lunar New Year Celebration. Held at the Paradise Gardens in Disney California Adventure, February 5th to the 8th, the event celebrated Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean cultures.

While Mulan and Mushu had huge lines of visitors waiting to take pictures with them, for this Entertainment Reporter, Mickey and Minnie in their festive Lunar New Year outfits were my favorites.

Spending the day at Disney California Adventures with my family, we enjoyed many of the special events. Along with face painting, coloring and decorating lanterns and enjoying delicious food, music and performances, we were also able to learn a bit about how each culture celebrates Lunar New Year. The beautiful costumes, talented ladies that spent hours writing guest’s names in Chinese and the decor added to the festivities making it a wonderful celebration.

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The newest Jungle Book Trailer is Now Available

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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February 10, 2016

The Walt Disney Company shared the latest video from the upcoming new live action film, The Jungle Book during the Super Bowl, last Sunday to one of the biggest audience in history. Now to add to our excitement Disney has released the trailer. But it get’s better, not only do we get to see the incredible upcoming adventures of Mowgli and his friends, but we get an added bonus too! Fans who retweet the post from @TheJungleBook using #junglebooktrailer, will get to enjoy the trailer and receive a special thank you from the Director, Jon Favreau.

I have already retweeted and spread the word about The Jungle Book…will you?

Don’t miss Mowgli and the gang coming to theaters, April 15, 2015.

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Star Wars Episode VIII Officially Begins Filming

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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February 10, 2016

The latest announcement by Disney CEO, Bob Iger brings an air of excitement and anticipation to Star Wars Fans worldwide. Star Wars: Episode VIII has begin filming. Recent news from Episode VIII had many of us worried as the filming scheduled to start in January was delayed and the release date was postponed from May 2017 to December 2017. However the news of cameras rolling means we are one step closer to the continued Star Wars Saga.

Mr. Iger also shared news about Episode IX saying “production of Episode IX, a 2019 release, has also begun.”

Although the announcement is huge, there is still a long wait and a lot of work that will be going into the Episodes before we can begin to see or hear updates or trailers. To make the wait a bit more tolerable, we have Rogue One which brings us the story of the Rebel plans to steal the original Death Star blueprints almost complete and ready for theaters December 16, 2016. Part of the stand alone series, with the 2nd one based on a young Hans Solo, coming in May of 2018. Under the direction of Phil Lord and Chris Miller and based on the script by Jon and Lawrence Kasdan, the Young Hans Solo film seems to be on target as well.

The huge number of Star Wars films coming at us nonstop over the next few years along with the new attractions coming to the Disney Parks in California and Orlando are going to satisfy every level of Star Wars Fan needs and wants. My family and friends can’t wait to read our updates and news on www.chipandco.com.

What are you most excited about? The upcoming films or the events and attractions at the parks?

Good News for Universal Fans, A New Harry Potter Book is Coming Soon

By

Danielle

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February 10, 2016

If you’re a fan of Universal Studios, and the Wizarding World of Potter, you might be overjoyed to find out a new Harry Potter book is coming out this summer!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts 1 & 2 is a new book debuting July 31, 2016. Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series. This is the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on 30th July 2016.

The official play synopsis:

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

For Universal Fans this could spell good news for the longevity of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for many more years to come!

can’t wait? Pre-order yours on Amazon here now!

A New Lion Guard Adventure Awaits at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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February 10, 2016

Look out here comes the Lion Guard!

Starting this week, young guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom can embark on a quest to become honorary members of the Lion Guard, inspired by the Disney Jr. series “The Lion Guard,” which follows Kion, Simba and Nala’s son, and his friends as they defend the Pride Lands.

This new adventure at Disney’s Animal Kingdom sends explorers on a park-wide search for the five members of the Lion Guard – Kion, Bunga, Fuli, Beshte and Ono! You start by picking up a “Lion Guard Adventure Map,” which can be found in select merchandise locations. Guests then search for character statues hidden in themed locations within the park.

Each stop will have a Lion Guard banner and a sign with each character’s attribute – Fiercest, Bravest, Fastest, Strongest and Keenest of Sight. Once all five traits are found, head over to Rafiki’s Planet Watch where Cast Members will officially induct the little one into the Lion Guard with a special pledge, fun activities and a Lion Guard Button!

I know my little guy is a huge fan of the Lion Guard and we can’t wait to try out this new adventure on our next trip to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Will your little one be the newest Lion Guard member?

There are so many things for little ones to experience at Walt Disney World. As the mom of a Disney-loving toddler, I’d love to help you plan a magical Walt Disney World vacation that even the youngest traveler will enjoy! I am a Travel Magician with World of Magic Travel, the preferred agency of Chip and Co and the Disney Addicts! Email me today at [email protected] to start planning your “Magical” vacation! –Alissa

Share Your Love with Matching Carl and Ellie Cellphone Cases

By

Danielle

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February 10, 2016

Love is in the air, and few stories are as romantic as Carl and Ellie from Disney Pixar’s UP!. These darling Carl and Ellie matching phone cases are the perfect way to remind each other of fond memories, and cherished adventures whether you are near or far.

The listing is for a set of cases, so you get both Carl and Ellie. They have 2 colors option : black or white and they have 2 materials option : Hard Plastic (100% poly-carbonate hard shell) or Plastic with TPU rubber wrap (The Back is made from poly-carbonate hard shell, the other 4 sides are made from TPU rubber). If you message them they will make sure to accommodate which ever combination your heart desires.

The cases are only $27.98 and available on Amazon here: Disney Carl and Ellie reading Romantic Couple case.