Disney Food Confession – PIZZA!

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August 6, 2010

Where is it? Via Napoli – A new casual pizzeria in the Italy pavilion at Epcot

What does it offer? Napoli features a selection of classical Neapolitan pizzas, ranging from pizza bianca, quattro stagioni, piccante, ortolano and a traditional margherita.

Why you want it? The pizzas are made with caputo flour imported from Southern Italy, San Marzano tomatoes, handmade mozzarella and water from a local spring just like in Italy’s Campania region – 10-inch, 20-inch or 1/2 meter to share.

If you have a Disney Food Confession email [email protected] or let us know on the Disney Food Confessions Facebook page.. He is accepting Food ideas or Photos if you have them!

ABC Family’s HUGE & Hayley Hasselhoff Partner With Seventeen Magazine

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Chip

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August 6, 2010

ABC Family’s Huge will feature Seventeen Magazine’s Body Peace Treaty in next week’s episode airing on Monday, August 9^th at 9/8c. A few of the characters talk about and sign the treaty themselves. The Seventeen Body Peace Project mission is to open a dialogue so girls and young women can recognize damaging thought patterns and make peace with their body image. The project launched in 2007 with best-selling author and Queen of Self Esteem, Jessica Weiner. The goal is to have girls go online and sign “The Seventeen Body Peace Treaty,” a truce that they’ll be making between their bodies and minds.

As part of the partnership, Seventeen Magazine will feature Hayley Hasselhoff, who plays Amber in Huge, in a four page fashion story in the September issue (on stands Tuesday, Sept. 10) Additionally, Jess Weiner will be creating a “Live Huge” version of the Body Peace Treaty (to be posted online in support of Monday’s episode).

Here is what Hayley had to say about the scene in next week’s show:

“The scene was very close to my heart because it is beautiful to see that not only did the show Huge realize it was very important to love yourself and feel comfortable in your own skin– but also that Seventeen magazine is promoting this idea, and they have so many wonderful stars who support the Body Peace Treaty. The words of wisdom in the magazine really made an impact on me.”

For more information about Huge, please visit the official website: http://www.abcfamily.com/Huge.

Good Eats – Via Napoli: A new casual pizzeria in the Italy pavilion at Epcot

By

Chip

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August 6, 2010

Via Napoli, a new casual pizzeria in the Italy pavilion at Epcot, features a selection of classical Neapolitan pizzas, ranging from pizza bianca, quattro stagioni, piccante, ortolano and a traditional margherita.

Nick Valenti, CEO of The Patina Restaurant Group, which also runs the Tutto Italia restaurant the Italy pavilion at Epcot, created the Via Napoli concept, based upon his travels in Southern Italy.

The menu also boasts a wealth of culinary delights from appetizers like arancini (fried balls of rice with mozzarella and beef ragou) to entrees/salads such as Manzo (filet of beef) with greens. And don’t forget dessert with everything from hot, crisp zeppole di Catarina, ricotta cheese fritters with chocolate sauce and whipped cream to the over-the-top coppa di brutti ma buoni, a vanilla gelato with Amarena cherries and “ugly but good” cookies.

Disneyworld Quick Tips – Hollywood Studios & Toy Story Mania

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Chip

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August 6, 2010

Today’s quick tip is kind of a hybrid tip/tour plan in one. Hollywood Studios has some great rides like Rock ‘n‘ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith and Tower of Terror. I think both of those rides handle lines and people beautifully. While they are targeted at an older they probably don’t see quite the numbers as Toy Story Mania does.

Every time I have been at Hollywood Studios Toy Story Mania fast passes have run out before lunch time. I am not sure if its the length or popularity of the ride. Whatever the reason today’s Quick Tip is:

Get to Toy Story Mania as soon as you get to the park!

Ride it as soon as you get there, then after you ride it Fastpass it for later.Then go ride Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster. Come lunch time and you see the sign below you will be thanking me.

Photo credit mousebeat.com

Disney Dream Cruise

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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August 6, 2010

Disney Dream. Launching in 2011.

Created with all the imagination of Disney dream makers, our newest ship features spectacular innovations that will make dreams come true in brand-new ways.

Legendary Disney service, unique personal touches and elegant details all come together on this incredible vessel to create spaces and experiences designed to delight kids, teens, adults and families in enchantingly different ways.

Thrill to the first water coaster at sea, the AquaDuck! A wild, watery ride, this 765-foot-long, winding slide propels you up, down, around, through the forward funnel, splashing down four decks and even over the edge of the ship!

Kids’ imaginations will be inspired as never before in enhanced spaces like the new Disney’s Oceaneer Club, where they are completely transported to dream destinations like Pixie Hollow and Andy’s Room (inspired by Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story films).

Tweens get Edge, their own club in the forward funnel. Teens enjoy an entirely reimagined onboard experience with Vibe, an exclusive indoor escape and outdoor lounge.

Adults can savor new indulgences in two restaurants reserved just for them. Palo enjoys a brand-new look, al fresco dining and more. The all-new Remy offers fine French cuisine in an intimate setting. Through the night, The District beckons with five distinct clubs offering their own kind of fun.

Families enjoy exclusive Disney entertainment and spaces created for everyone to enjoy together, including original Broadway-style shows, a family lounge, the all-new Goofy’s Sports Deck with a crazy nine-hole miniature golf course, virtual sports simulators and more.

Set to launch in January 2011, there’s new magic happening every day for Disney Dream™.

Contact Pixie Vacations for a free quote today!
Phone: 678-815-1584

New Pizzeria Via Napoli Unveiled at Epcot World Showcase at Walt Disney World Resort

By

Chip

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August 6, 2010

Patina Restaurant Group has opened a new casual pizzeria, called Via Napoli, adjacent to Tutto Italia Ristorante, its restaurant in the Italy pavilion in Epcot World Showcase at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. This becomes the first authentic Italian pizzeria to ever open in the park.

Restaurateur and longtime Patina Restaurant Group CEO Nick Valenti created the Via Napoli concept, based upon his travels in Southern Italy and his time developing and overseeing the successful Naples 45 Ristorante e Pizzeria in New York which was awarded the coveted certification of “La Vera Pizza Napoletana.” While in Naples, Valenti spent time studying the art of dough, crust, sauce and oven temperatures at the famous pizzerias Da Michele and Trianon. At Da Ettore, he discovered the art of pagnotiello, a folded round of pizza dough filled with mozzarella, ham and mushrooms.

“I have always loved the beauty of a simple Neapolitan pizza,” Valenti says. “It’s a perfect food, something beloved by both Italians and Americans. At Via Napoli we will make pizza the traditional Neapolitan way: with a textured, soft and charred crust. I look forward to bringing it to Walt Disney World, where it should be a welcome addition to guests visiting Epcot.”

Via Napoli features a selection of classical Neapolitan pizzas, ranging from pizza bianca, quattro stagioni, piccante, ortolano and a traditional margherita. Famed Pizzaiolo Charlie Restivo serves as executive chef at Via Napoli, where he crafts the pies using simple and delicious Italian ingredients such as San Marzano tomatoes, Caputo flour, handmade fresh mozzarella, Parma Cotto, crumbled sausage and water calibrated specifically to the pH found in Naples.

“We’re excited to be working with the Patina Restaurant Group once again on this significant expansion project,” said Dan Cockerell, vice president of Epcot. “Via Napoli will certainly enhance the guest experience and the architectural landscape of World Showcase just in time for our 15th annual Epcot Food & Wine Festival.”

A unique feature at Via Napoli is the wood-burning ovens, which are named after the three active volcanoes in Italy – Mount Etna, Mount Vesuvius and Stromboli. Each oven is sculpted with the “face of the volcano” — reflecting the gods whose mythology surrounds each volcano’s history.

The architecture and design of the new pizzeria is based on a mix of traditional Italian styles, with the Florentine architect Stefano Nardini (of Magris & Partners) working in conjunction with Rick Swisher Architect to build it.

Save up to 40% on Select Walt Disney World Resort Hotels

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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August 6, 2010

Contact: Pixie Vacations to Book Today!
Click for a Free Quote
Phone: 678-815-1584

Contact Pixie Vacations to book today!

Click for a Free Quote
Phone: 678-815-1584

Christmas at Disney World 2010 (Dec 19 event open to everyone)

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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August 6, 2010

Christmas at Disney World 2010 (Dec 19 event open to everyone)

What’s better than some Christmas cheer? Christmas at Walt Disney World, that’s what’s better! Come join us to say hello to your fellow Facebook, Blog and Disney fans and enjoy the Holiday decorations at the Happiest Place on Earth. We would love to meet everyone and talk Disney, and we will be planning some fun surprises.

Date: Sunday, Dec. 19, 2010

Time: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
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Location: Contempo Cafe, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Walt Disney World (4th Floor of the resort)

We will be keeping a name / contact list. So please RSVP here on Facebook or by email to [email protected]

Check back here for updates and some fun surprises.

Disney Weddings at Walt Disney World with Lou Mongello

By

Chip

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August 5, 2010

Disney’s Wedding Specialists have worked with couples from all over the world since 1991 and hosted over 40,000 unique weddings. Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings provides a one-stop shopping experience for couples’ every wedding planning need.

Join Lou Mongello in Walt Disney World as he tours Franck’s and the Disney’s Wedding Pavilion and discusses the variety of options with Korri McFann from Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons

For more information visit http://DisneyWeddings.com

It’s a Dog’s World, After All, at Luxury Pet Resort to Open Aug. 27 at Walt Disney World Resort

By

Chip

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August 5, 2010

Gourmet dog and kitty treats, plush pet bedding and all the creature comforts of home are on tap for Pluto wannabes and other pet pals at Best Friends Pet Resort, opening Aug. 27 at Walt Disney World Resort.

Best Friends Pet Care Inc. will operate the one-of-a-kind, 27,000-square-foot luxury facility complete with cat “condos,” doggy suites, and special accommodations for smaller “pocket pets.” Park and resort guests, as well as visitors staying off property, can reserve the pet hospitality services to include overnight boarding for pampered pups, cats and pot-bellied pigs.

The new resort, built to accommodate 270 dogs, 30 cats and a small menagerie of pocket pets including hamsters and guinea pigs, will replace the five existing pet care facilities now operated by Best Friends Pet Care Inc. throughout Walt Disney World Resort.

Services and amenities offered at the resort are designed to create a fun and comfortable environment for all pets. Dogs staying overnight and accustomed to curling up with a child for bedtime stories will be all ears when they settle down for staff-read “tuck-in” tales. Discriminating cats with a taste for tuna can get their own custom treats. TVs will be tuned to favorite pet films like “Milo and Otis” or “Homeward Bound.”

Guests also can board pets by day and take advantage of services like the resort’s doggy day camp and grooming services.

Best Friends Pet Care’s luxury pet resort includes:

17,000 square feet of air-conditioned indoor space
10,000 square feet of covered outdoor runs and play areas
A full-service grooming salon with lobby view
Two 1,100-square-foot doggy-day-camp rooms opening onto a play-yard
Nearly a quarter-acre private, nature-scaped play park with water-play area and protected trail
Accommodations for 270 dogs in standard and luxury indoor-outdoor suites. Oversized luxury suites include raised bedding (hop up Fido!) and TVs
A separate “Kitty City” pavilion accommodating up to 30 cats in “purr-fect” two- and four-story cat condos
A special room for boarding of pocket pets that include birds and hamsters

As guests and their pets approach the resort, located at 2510 Bonnet Creek Parkway, Lake Buena Vista, Fla., 32830, across from Disney’s Port Orleans Resort, they’ll drive beneath a stylized porte cochere canopy. From the airy lobby, they can watch grooming experts at work on pets of all shapes and sizes.

The resort’s exclusive dog park features a fenced walking trail that borders the natural wetlands around the park. Inside the trail, a 3,300-square-foot play area is covered in artificial turf, and another 4,500-square-foot area is dotted with shade trees for owners who want to sit and watch their pets play. Dogs even can enjoy a 1,300-square-foot water park in their own splash-and-shake zone. Several park spaces are equipped with benches where guests can sit and watch their pets play. The park is secured for guests and their pets only and is illuminated for use after dark.

Directly off the resort’s lobby, a grooming salon offers “go-home-fresh” baths and haircuts for pets. A la carte activities for dogs range from one-on-one playtimes and social playgroups to “cuddle time” and bedtime stories with resort staff. Dog owners also can choose from pet amenities that include ice cream treats, bottled water and premium orthopedic bedding. Cat owners can treat their feline favorites to private playtimes or gourmet snacks like “Tuna on a Ritz” or Cookies and Milk.”

Guests who wish to book accommodations for their pets can visit www.wdw.bestfriendspetcare.com or call 877/4-WDW-PETS.

About Best Friends Pet Care

Best Friends Pet Care Inc. (www.bestfriendspetcare.com) is a long-time leader in the U.S. pet hospitality industry, providing high-quality boarding for dogs and cats, as well as day care, grooming, training and related services. Founded in 1991, the Company redefined pet boarding in 1996 with the opening of its first, full-service pet resort in Norwalk, Conn. Since that time, Best Friends has expanded to more than 40 pet care centers in 18 states, always innovating and providing new offerings based upon the needs of pets and feedback from clients. The company operates five boarding kennels at Walt Disney World Resort that are being phased out with the opening of the luxury pet resort.

Disney Pic of the Day – Expedition Everest

By

Chip

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August 5, 2010

Like mountain homes of the Himalayas, the rustic rammed-earth and stacked-stone buildings of the mythical village of Serka Zong sag and buckle under the weight of time. But time cannot erase the beauty of the structures’ intricately carved window frames nor the significance of the symbolic earth-based colors layered upon walls to protect against perceived dark forces.

The Decommission of the Tomorrowland Transit Authority

By

Chip

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August 5, 2010

The Tomorrowland Transit Authority at the Walt Disney World was created back in 1975 and has been a favorite for weary travelers for centuries. It offers a chance to put your feet up and and relax for a few moments before delving back in to the busy park fray of parents, teens, and toddlers.

Let me start with the official Wikipedia definition describing the TTA.

The Tomorrowland Transit Authority (also called the Blue Line, TTA and Tomorrowland’s Super-Skyway), formerly known as the WEDWay PeopleMover, is a peoplemover system in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort. Themed as an urban mass transit system of the future, riders are taken on a train ride around the second floor of many attractions in Tomorrowland. It has one station, in the center of Rockettower Plaza, located beneath the landmark Astro Orbiter. The TTA’s leisurely pace, and lack of long queue lines, along with the sneak previews of other more extreme Tomorrowland attractions it offers make it a favorite attraction among repeat visitors.

That being said I believe at the creation of this ride it was used to offer sneak peeks at various attractions but is it really being used to its full potential today?

If it is just there to take up space why not just decommission it and put something more useful or exciting in its place?

In a age of information and exploration I think this ride could offer us so much more. Disney is barely scratching the service of this rides potential, and if you permit me to offer up a few suggestions maybe as a collective we could present something to Disney to help enhance a old antiquated attraction and give it a much needed face-lift.

Now I know a lot of you seasoned Disney people know that the ride went under refurbishment last year around the time Space Mountain went under the knife too. They added a few updates and changed the narrators voice but was that really enough?

This video from SpoodlesWDW was taken last year and shows the few meager changes.

Ok enough griping, how bout some suggestions..

Anyone who has been on the site for any length of time knows that I fancy video. I was a videographer before being completely burned out and transitioning to the computer industry. Now I like to play around with graphics and websites.

Idea #1

So with the cost of LCD/Plasma TV’s being so low right now, and the models becoming extremely inexpensive that they happen to reside in almost every home in America why not incorporate a video presentation into the ride. This would be an excellent way for the Disney Marketing Machine to give guest exclusive looks at Movies, Music, and even update us on the Rides and Attraction from Disneyworld and the rest of the Disney Universe.

You can wire them into a central location and update the video monthly to keep things fresh as news and updates change. The only difficulty I see is mounting, you could hang them from the ceiling or possibly put them in the dark tunnels at the various attractions you pass through.

Idea #2

The other idea I had was for the dark tunnels. While it is cool to see a glimpse of Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin what would be even cooler is if when you enter the tunnels you could do something like the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas. Wrap the riders in a tunnel with video that follows you as you travel through. I think Disney could handle some LED lights no problem…

If you have never seen this experience in Vegas check out the video below.

Don’t get me wrong I do love Disney and I love Disney History but I also believe in progress. Even if Disney didn’t do a thing to the TTA I would still ride it several times on all of our Disney World Vacation. But if your not moving forward your standing still and to coin a phrase “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” so why not give a classic ride a much deserved update and bring it into the 21st century?

Photo credit Tom Bricker (WDWFigment)