Mousekingdom Blog

Well, by the time you read this I’ll have boarded an airplane to Orlando for a nice 10 day visit at Walt Disney World. We have a full program booked, including a viewing of the space shuttle take off, Halloween Horror Night visit and a Bush Garden visit. The rest of the time it will be Disney, Disney, Disney….

Obviously this will reflect my presence on the blog. No regular news and gossip, no rumors or stories from me…

I will not make any promises but do come to the blog to see if I found a little time to say hi from the best place in the world. You can expect a lot of Disney Magic after my return. Trip reports and Walt Disney World magic and more…

Disney has announced new plans to improve Disney’s California Adventure and  release some new concept art. Some of the changes where already know while others are new. A big chance will be the park icon

A new visual icon, inspired by Los Angeles’ historic Carthay Circle Theatre, will draw guests into the heart of Disney’s California Adventure. It will house a next-generation “Walt Disney Story” featuring Walt’s California experiences and his entertainment legacy.

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If you’re either a fan of the National Treasure movie or you want the chance to win a new Mercedes-Benz C350 then you should visit The World’s Biggest Treasure Hunt site from the National Treasure Book of Secrets movie…

The hunt will start on Monday 15 October and watching the competition trailer it looks like it will be fun. Good luck for those entering the hunt!

Picture copyrights; Disney

Visiting Orlando (or the US in general) hasn’t become easier over the last years for non US citizens. Airfare prices, long security check ins, it’s all keeping away many potential future visitors. Looking at an European view (living in Europe) I see many people enjoying a holiday closer to home not willing to spend the extra money and loose all that time checking in and going true the many security procedures. Obviously the procedures and security standards are there for a reason, and while I have no problem with them, many others just don’t want to take part into this long “getting there” part.

My next trip alone will cost me 15 hours from airport to airport (this includes an unfortunately long 4 hours stop over in Newark). Include the minimum 2 hour you need to be at the airport before leaving, getting to the airport and getting to Walt Disney World afterwards. I am looking at a 20 hour day… Not something I am looking forwards too (my holiday starts when I arrive, not when I leave my door), but at the end it will have been worth it, being the Disney Geek I am.

But like I said, this is not for everybody. A little closer for most Europeans (but also for others) is Dubai. Could Dubai become their new Orlando destination for those people?

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Disney has release a beautiful new Featurette from their expected “Enchanted” movie. The great thing about this Featurette is that the villains have been pushed into the spotlight. And lets be honest, Who doesn’t love the Disney villains.

Susan Sarandon plays the Evil Queen and it looks like she had a lot of fun. “It’s always fun to be bad”

You can also watch the “regular” trailer when you follow the same link.

Picture Copyrights; Disney

Disney has announced plans that they will open a new 800 room hotel, including Disney Vacation Club villas, in Hawaii. Contstruction is already to start next year with a planned opening for 2011.

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This week saw Epcot’s 25th anniversary celebrations in Walt Disney World. The chances are they passed many people by (even in Orlando itself), as it was not exactly the most widely publicised event. But, while it may have been only grudgingly acknowledged by Disney management, they did the park proud on October 1 with a day’s celebrations that proved immensely fulfilling.

With the fans coming together on the Internet like never before, Disney had appeared to do a major U-turn on their decision not to stage any kind of major event to mark the date, as stated back in February (although there is also a strong feeling that Epcot’s new vice-president, Jim McPhee, who took over five months ago, had a major say in changing this policy!). (more…)

In August the Disney Gallery was closed down in Disneyland. Yesterday Disney announced their plans for the location. In 2008, as part of the expanded Year of a Million Dreams, lucky guest will be  able to stay there for a sleep over. Of course the rooms will be fully transformed into Disney magic.

“We don’t just want them to be beautiful rooms – we want there to be Disney Magic in them,” Kim Irvine, the head of the Disney Imagineering Anaheim office who’s overseeing the project, said today (OC register)

Sounds nice doesn’t it. How about this…

Decorations will include a full-size carousel horse, mechanical songbird and original wall paintings of European castles. (NC Times)

The new residence will be hidden away in the New Orleans Square and will include 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and will have an open air terrace. Sounds very nice to me…

You can see the picture of the suite in the Year of a Million Dreams catalog I talked about yesterday.

Picture copyrights; Disney

Disney has added a catalog online presenting their 2008 Year of a Million Dreams give aways. The dreams presented in this catalogue will be given away as from 1st January until 31 December 2008.

And there are some nice dreams in their. How about a cruise with one of the Disney ships, or become an honorary Imagineer. What about a Hot Air Balloon flight over the parks, and not just any hot air balloon but one in the shape of Spaceship Earth. (Looks awesome to me)

Can you think about anything more magical? How about staying in the Cinderella Castle suite… During New Years Eve. I love that idea and wish I would be there for that one. Staying at the castle sounds awesome enough, but during the New Years celebration sounds pretty much perfect to me.

You find the amazing catalog here including many more dreams

Picture copyright: Disney

My favorite place , Epcot at Walt Disney World is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Happy Birthday Epcot. I know that many purist love the old Epcot and would love to see some of the early prime return. Unfortunately I am not that lucky to be one of those persons that was there from the beginning but I love the park that we know today.

Happy Birthday Epcot and many more magical years to come.

Only 20 more days before I’ll be at WDW where I’ll be having the chance to celebrate (a little late) at the park itself. I can feel a special “Illuminations with a tear” viewing coming up…