The Dragon Legend Acrobats are a crowd pleasing acrobatic troupe that has been performing at Epcot in the China Pavilion of World Showcase since 1996.  Their show will be leaving Disney World soon, so let's take a look at the show that has entertained so many over the years.



Dragon Legend Acrobats
The Dragon Legend Acrobats are made up of boys and girls ages 10 - 18 from the Pu Yang Academy of Acrobatics in China.  These young performers are quite talented and it is always interesting to see the feats of balance, flexibility, and skill that they are demonstrating.


They can take a simple concept like a hula hoop or jumping rope and turn it into a display of skill that amazes.  In this presentation the performers are able to not only keep a couple of hoops moving, but also to pass them along to each other and eventually the center performer was able to keep an unbelievable number of hoops rotating with her entire body.
 The next act shows a pair of performers demonstrating strength, balance, and agility as they not only bend into different shapes, but are able to twirl these cloth plates as well.  Truly amazing!


Amazing Live Entertainment
The Dragon Legend Acrobats have performed at Epcot for nearly 15 years.  During that time many different acrobats have performed delighting numerous Epcot guests.  For many people like myself their performances will be fond memories of past Disney World vacations.  It was always hard to not stop and watch when you saw that they were performing on their outdoor stage in full view of the main walkway past the China Pavilion.

I do not know what form of entertainment will come next to the China Pavilion, but I do know that the Dragon Legend Acrobats are certainly a tough act to follow. 

Thanks for making many memorable moments over the years!

ESPN The Weekend returns to the Walt Disney World Resort March 3 - 6, 2011 for another fun-filled weekend.  This annual event features ESPN personalities and over 35 all-star athletes from a variety of sports.

ESPN The Weekend Events
This is an action packed weekend with events located at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex and at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  Some of the highlighted events are:

• Live broadcasts of "Mike and Mike In The Morning" and "The Herd With Colin Cowherd."
• Motorcades with Athletes and Characters at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
• Interactive Sports Zone
• Live Versions of Baseball Tonight and NFL Live
• Atlanta Braves Spring Training Games
• The Champion 5K
• Inside ESPN live Athlete Q&A Sessions

The Interactive Sports Zone is a hands-on area where you get to try your hands at different sporting skills while the other activities allow you to see and interact with famous athletes and ESPN personalities.

Some Of The Athletes Scheduled to appear:

• Anquan Boldin - Baltimore Ravens
• Julius Erving aka Dr. J.
• Mia Hamm
• Alonzo Mourning
• Gary "The Glove" Payton
• Joba Chamberlain - New York Yankees
• Larry Fitzgerald - Arizona Cardinals
• Brandom Jacobs - NY Giants
• Darrelle Revis - NY Jets
• Tony Dorsett
• Karl Malone
• Chad Ochocinco - Cincinnati Bengals
• Cal Ripken Jr.
• Bernie Williams

For more information visit: ESPN The Weekend

The 2011 Atlanta Braves are returning to the Walt Disney World Resort for Spring Training for the 14th consecutive year.

They will be training at the beautiful ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex located within the Walt Disney World Resort.  Braves fans can catch their favorite team and enjoy all that Disney World has to offer all in one Spring trip.

There are 18 home games on this year's Spring Training Schedule:

Atlanta Braves Spring Training

• Sunday, February 27 New York Mets 1:05 PM
• Monday, February 28 Houston Astros 1:05 PM
• Thursday, March 3 Detroit Tigers 1:05 PM
• Friday, March 4 Toronto Blue Jays 1:05 PM
• Saturday, March 5 New York Mets 1:05 PM
• Tuesday, March 8 New York Yankees 1:05 PM
• Wednesday, March 9 St. Louis Cardinals 1:05 PM
• Thursday, March 10 St. Louis Cardinals 1:05 PM
• Saturday, March 12 New York Mets 1:05 PM
• Sunday, March 13 Houston Astros 1:05 PM
• Wednesday, March 16 Boston Red Sox 1:05 PM
• Thursday, March 17 Washington Nationals 6:05 PM
• Saturday, March 19 New York Mets 1:05 PM
• Sunday, March 20 Houston Astros 1:05 PM
• Wednesday, March 23 Florida Marlins 1:05 PM
• Friday, March 25 Detroit Tigers 6:05 PM
• Sunday, March 27 Philadelphia Phillies 1:05 PM
• Monday, March 28 Washington Nationals 6:05 PM

For ticket information visit: Atlanta Braves Spring Training Tickets.

Off Kilter is the star of the Epcot Live Entertainment line-up.  This irreverent kilt wearing band is a fan favorite playing in the Canada Pavilion at Epcot.  Recently they received a major upgrade to their stage.


Off Kilter Rocks Canada
Off Kilter plays their own unique version of Celtic Rock with front man Jamie Holton playing the bagpipes when he is not singing.  Although they play in Epcot's Canada Pavilion, oddly enough none of the 5 member bands hails from the land up north.  There is an international flavor to the band though as one member is from Ireland, another from Puerto Rico, and the rest are from the United States.


■Mark Weldon - "Co-Founder", Lead Singer, and Bass player.
■Scotty Zymowski - Drummer
■Tony Escapa - Keyboards
■Randy Holbrook - Lead Guitar

Disney Pixar's Toy Story 3 accomplishes a rare feat for animated films by receiving a "Best Picture" Award Nomination from The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  The Disney Pixar film is the 3rd installment of the box office smash Toy Story starring the now household names: Woody and Buzz Lightyear.

Toy Story 3 received a total of 5 Academy Award Nominations in all for the 83rd rendition of the awards:

• Sound Editing “Toy Story 3” Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
• Writing (Adapted Screenplay) “Toy Story 3” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
• Music (Original Song) “We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
• Animated Feature Film “Toy Story 3” Lee Unkrich
• Best Picture “Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer

Rare Best Picture Nomination
Toy Story 3 receives only the 3rd ever Animated Film to receive a Best Picture Nomination.  Probably to no one's surprise the other 2 also belong to Disney and Pixar with the 1991 Disney hit "Beauty & The Beast" and the 2009 Pixar film "Up.'"

The "Writing (Adapted Screenplay)" nomination was ever rarer for a sequel that was based solely on an extension of the earlier movie in the series.  This was only the 2nd time that such a film received that nomination.  The only previous one was 1936's "After The Thin Man."

Toy Story Mania
The Toy Story trilogy has thrilled fans from around the world and has even made its way to a smash theme park attraction called Toy Story Midway Mania  at Disney World  and Disneyland.  Both attractions were recently updated to include characters from Toy Story 3.

Toy Story Mania! is certainly the most popular attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  As soon as the park opens a crowd races to either get in line for the attraction or get in line for a FastPass so that they can ride it later.  With all of the excitement for Toy Story Mania!, many people never notice what the Toy Story characters are up to on the building across the street.



Toy Story Command Post
There is a small building that looks like a brick ticket booth that is next to the FastPass Machines for Toy Story Mania!  On this tiny building with windows that have their blinds drawn closed, is a sketch worth investigating.



This sketch is labeled Command Post and it looks like something that perhaps Andy has drawn up for his little Green Army Men.

On the left hand side of the drawing labeled as PLAN A is the RECON Position with the Signal Corps Communicator being shown partially lowered from the building.  The picture below shows the real life enactment of PLAN A.

A favorite pastime when visiting Disney's Animal Kingdom is checking out all of the details that the Disney Imagineers have created to tell their remarkable rich stories.  The Animal Kingdom easily surpasses all other Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in terms of details to see.


Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs
In this article we will focus on just some of the many signs and postings that you may see when you tour the Asia section of Disney's Animal Kingdom (DAK).  Throughout the land you will see signs that help inter-relate all of the shops and tell the story of the fictional town of Anandapur.  You will see how the Yeti is both the source of a Tourists coming to their town and something to be feared and respected.


This is a sign of expansion due to all of the tourist traffic to the area.

This marker sign for Anandapur indicates that this building has been here since June 8, 1953.

The World Showcase in Epcot has many points of interest worth seeing that never show up on any attraction list.  One such place is The American Heritage Gallery in the America Pavilion.

The America Heritage Gallery
Housed within the America Pavilion, The America Heritage Gallery is a mini museum filled with artifacts of a diverse collection of people who contributed greatly to American history.  You will see displays representing famous American inventors, astronauts, authors, politicians, reformists, and actors. 

The America Heritage Gallery is a walk through attraction that gets little publicity.  You actually have to go through the entrance to the American Adventure Attraction in order to see the Gallery.  You can walk through the American Heritage Gallery without viewing the attraction. 


Thomas Edison
Inventor Thomas Edison is represented by 3 of his inventions on display.  There is a Tinfoil Phonograph (pictured above) from 1878 - 1879.  There is also an example of a Kinetophone and a Kinetoscope.  The Kinetoscope was a way of watching moving pictures before modern motion pictures were invented.  Inside a cabinet a strip of film passed rapidly by a lighted shutter giving the illusion of movement.


Astronauts - Glenn, Herrington, & Apollo 16
There are several authentic artifacts from American Astronauts: John Glenn, John Herrington, and the Apollo 16 mission.
John Glenn's Jacket from his Space Shuttle mission when he was 77 years old is on display as well as his helmet from his earlier days during his flight aboard Friendship 7 when he became the first American to orbit the earth.

John Herrington's flute that he played during his Space Shuttle mission aboard the Endeavor.  Herrington, a member of the Chickasaw Nation, was the first Native American to fly in space.

 A moon rock collected during the Apollo 16 mission from 1972 is shown here and dedicated to the memory of Virgil "Gus" Grissom as a tribute to our nation's brave pioneers of space exploration.


Harriet Beecher Stowe And Frederick Douglas
Writing from Harriet Beecher Stowe and Frederick Douglas are also on display.  Stowe was most well known for writing Uncle Tom's Cabin and an early copy of the classic novel is on display.  There are several items penned by Frederick Douglas including a letter that he wrote to Abraham Lincoln.


Mark Twain And Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of America is represented by a couple of different items.  The first of which is the Queen Anne's Chair pictured above.  This chair which was produced in 1748 by renowned cabinetmaker Solomon Russell.  It was one of two matching chairs that Benjamin Franklin and his wife Deborah used in their Philadelphia home.

 Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, is represented by some of his writing tools, a Pen & Case from 1880, and an inkwell from the late 1800's.  You can also see a Top Hat of his from around 1910.  The box is the lower part of the picture is a humidor where he may have stored some of his trademark cigars.

Will Rogers
Actor and showman Will Rogers is represented by some of his famous cowboy tools: Boots, Chaps, Saddle, Hat, and Lasso.  Known for his ability with the lasso, it was interesting to learn that as a boy on his family's ranch a freed slave taught him how to use a lasso to rope cattle.

Beyond The Expected
Throughout Epcot and especially in the World Showcase there are many examples of Galleries and displays that don't show up on anyone's list of must see attractions, but are worthwhile to explore nonetheless.

The American Heritage Gallery is an interesting look at some authentic American artifacts, whether you choose to browse them while waiting for the next showing of the American Adventure or you decide to escape the heat or rain and stumble upon it.  Regardless the reason, take the time to visit and check out this educational display.

In this time of financial uncertainty, it is always helpful to know a few ways to save some money when it comes to planning your Walt Disney World Resort Vacation. Now I am not condoning the extreme low budget vacation where you get water with lemon and add sugar to make free lemonade. I am going to talk about real ways to have an enjoyable vacation and save a lot of money by making some simple choices and decisions.


Top Money Saving Tips

1. Plan your trip to be 6-7 days long.  With the pricing structure of the Disney World Theme Park tickets it is in your best interest to schedule one longer trip as opposed to 2 shorter trips.  The Disney Theme Park Tickets are one of your largest expenses.  A family of 4 can save nearly $1,000 by taking one longer vacation versus 2 short ones.
2. Disney's Magical Express Service should definitely be used if you are flying.  This provides FREE shuttle service to and from the Orlando International Airport (MCO) to your Disney World Resort Hotel.  By not getting a rental car or paying for a taxi or shuttle you can save nearly $200 for a family of 4.
3. Take advantage of Disney World Resort Discounts.  During most of the year Disney World offers significant discounts for its Resort Hotel rooms.  You can find the current discounts at: Only WDWorld Disney World Discounts - Current.  You can often save hundreds of dollars by using these discounts.  The Disney World Resort Hotels are the one area that Disney World regularly discounts so it is in your best interest to take advantage of it.
4. Purchase Base Magic Your Way Tickets.  The Disney World Theme Park Tickets are called Magic Your Way (MYW) and can be purchased as Base Tickets for the number of days that you wish.  There are also add-on options called Park Hopper and Water Fun & More.  If it is your first Disney World vacation avoid the urge to add these options.  They may unnecessarily add hundreds of dollars to your family's vacation bill.  Even if you think you might need the option, remember this tip: Options and ticket upgrades can occur any time during your vacation without cost penalty, but you cannot downgrade your ticket to one without options if you find you didn't use them.
5. Stay at a Disney World Resort Hotel.  If you do not plan to spend much time in your room, opt for one of the Value Resorts and you still get all of the great amenities like: Free Parking at the Resort and Theme Parks, Free Park Transportation, Free Magical Express, Extra Magic Hours, & close access to Disney World Parks so that you can easily take a mid-afternoon break.  The Value Resorts can be priced as low as $56/night with some of the discounts that are offered during the year.
6. Stick to the 4 main parks to avoid the "extra expenses". There are more activities in the 4 main parks than you can do in one week's time. In order to minimize costs, skip the Water Parks, Miniature Golf, Bicycle and Watercraft Rentals and all of the extra expense activities that you can do at Disney World. If you want to get beyond the parks visit the Boardwalk or Downtown Disney, or use the Disney World complementary transportation to have dinner at one of the Resort Restaurants. If you have already paid for the admission to the parks use that admission to the fullest. The extras are nice, but can add a lot of cost to your vacation. Don't forget the parades, nighttime shows and fireworks. This is where Disney World separates itself from other "parks".
7. Set an allowance for souvenirs and impulse purchases ahead of time. Determine your budget for those types of items before your trip and make sure that you and the kids stick to it. There is an endless stream of opportunities to buy items on the Disney World property. Accept the fact that you cannot buy everything and set a budget that you can live with. If you decide after the trip that you really wish you would have made a specific purchase, you can call guest relations and they can connect you with cast members that can take your order and ship the item to you. It is not talked about much, but you can do this. Also make sure you keep copies of the Park Guides and Maps to take home. They make wonderful additions to scrapbooks of your trip.
8. Set A Budget For Food.  There are many different ways to keep for expenses down while still enjoying your vacation.  The Disney Dining Plan will provide some savings, but its biggest benefit is you know ahead of time what your dining expenses will be. 
   
   If you are not using the Disney Dining Plan then consider this tip: Many of the nicer table service restaurants offer most of their dinner menu during lunch at a significant savings.  For example, if you really wanted to try the Signature Dish at Le Cellier - the Mushroom Filet you can order it for lunch for $11 less than what it will cost you at dinner.  This is also true with the Disney World Buffets.  There is a significant savings if you dine there for lunch instead of dinner.  For most restaurants Lunch is considered to be from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm.

Save Money Without Sacrificing The Enjoyment
You can use any or all of these tips to save significant amounts of money without depriving yourself of a great vacation experience.  A Disney World Vacation may never be considered cheap, but there are certainly ways to avoid paying more than you have to and still have the vacation of your dreams!

When walking through the Magic Kingdom's Liberty Square it is hard not to notice the Liberty Tree.  It is a massive Live Oak that has been a Magic Kingdom landmark since the park opened in 1971, but how many of you know its story?

The Liberty Tree  - A Part Of American History
Everything at Disney World is part of a story.  Nothing appears by chance.  The Liberty Tree actually has two interesting stories to be shared.  The first story has to do with the role that the Liberty Tree plays in its place in Liberty Square.

The term "Liberty Tree" held a special place during the American Revolution as it was used as a rallying point for the colonists.  The original Liberty Tree was in Boston and area beneath its branches became known as "Liberty Hall."  This stately elm became a meeting place, bulletin board, and symbol of rebellion for the pre-revolutionary war activities.

The single most known moment was when lanterns were hung in its branches to mark the repeal of the Stamp Act so that all could see.

On the bronze plaque located at the base of the tree (and pictured below) are the following words:

Under the boughs of the original Liberty Tree in Boston in 1765, Patriots, calling themselves "The Sons Of Liberty," gathered to protest the imposition of the Stamp Act.  In the years that followed, almost every American town had a Liberty Tree --  A Living Symbol Of The American Freedom of Speech and Assembly.

Our Liberty Tree is a Southern Live Oak, Quercus Virginiana, more than 100 years old.

The Remarkable Story Of A Tree
The second story is about the tree itself and its impressive story of how it got to Liberty Square.  As mentioned above the tree is a Southern Live Oak and it was originally located within the Disney World Resort property about 6 miles south of its present location.  The tree was 40 feet tall and 60 feet wide and weighed over 38 tons.

At the time this was one of the largest trees ever attempted to be transplanted. It was too large to just place a chain around the trunk and lift it, since that would damage the delicate bark and potentially kill the tree.   In order to move the tree and protect it, they drilled two holes through the trunk and inserted metal rods so that a crane could then lift the tree and transport it.  After the tree was put into place the metal rods were removed and the original wood plugs were returned to the tree.

Over time the re-inserted wood became diseased so they had to be removed and the holes were filled with concrete which stopped the further spread of disease.  Also a second, smaller live oak has been grafted onto the original tree to help give it the full shape that it enjoys now.

The Liberty Tree currently holds 13 lanterns representing the 13 original colonies.

Under Appreciated Landmark
The Liberty Tree doesn't get much attention since it is not part of a ride or a show, but it has a story that is as involved as any attraction.  It makes an excellent addition to Liberty Square.  The next time that you are visiting the Magic Kingdom, please take the time to slow down and look closely at the Liberty Tree and read its plaque.

Earn extra points with your family by telling them the story of how they are looking at one of the largest trees ever transplanted and how the Disney Imagineers accomplished the task.

The Magic Kingdom has added a new night time show that appears literally ON Cinderella Castle.  It is called "The Magic, The Memories, and You!"  It is a 10 minute show that consists of animated graphics and photographs being projected onto Cinderella Castle by 16 high powered projectors.

The show includes over 500 photographs taken that day by in park PhotoPass photographers and over 5,000 photos in all.  It is presented just prior to the Wishes fireworks show. 

The new addition is part of the "Let The Memories Begin" celebration theme at the Disney Parks for 2011.

In order to help explain what the show will look like, here is a short video clip from DisneyParks and the Disney Parks Blog.  Enjoy!