Disney World Blog Discussing Parks, Resorts, Discounts and Dining | Only WDWorld

Downtown Disney To Add 2 New Shops And 3D Theater Technology

2010-03-02T22:11:00.001-05:00

Disney World has announced new additions coming to Downtown Disney starting on March 5th, 2010.

3D Theater Technology
Just in time for the debut of the new Alice in Wonderland movie on March 5th, AMC Entertainment is upgrading auditorium #1 to be the first Enhanced Theater Experience (ETX™) in the United States. The ETX auditorium will include a 20 percent larger, floor-to-ceiling screen, 3D technology, 12 channel audio and digital projection that delivers higher resolution than HD.

RIDEMAKERZ
Opening on March 25th will be a new retail addition to Downtown Disney's West Side. RIDEMAKERZ will integrate full-sized cars and a supercharged interactive experience that lets guests build, customize and trick out their very own radio-controlled vehicles. Kids of all ages will be able to satisfy their need for speed with over 649 million ways to create a mean machine.

This will be the 6th U.S. location for RIDEMAKERZ. Current plans are for this Downtown Disney location to be temporary and only be around until Fall.

Having personally visited the RIDEMAKERZ located in Myrtle Beach, SC I have to admit that this is a pretty cool shop, where you make your own customized RC car by choosing from a wide variety of styles and options.

D Street
D Street will build upon the success of Trend-D in the Downtown Disney Marketplace. Different from Trend-D is the fact that D Street will have merchandise for both men and women. It will have urban inspired products mixed with a Disney creative flair.

The store will have edgy apparel, pop culture novelties, Vinylmation™ figures and collectibles, artwork, handbags, accessories, jewelry and more. Opening in April, the D Street will feature a raw, unfinished industrial look and provide a great venue to showcase Disney art created by local artists.

Exciting New Additions To Downtown Disney
Downtown Disney continues to be a place for entertainment, shopping, and dining while visiting the Walt Disney World Resort. These newly announced additions build upon the others recently added attractions like Characters In Flight, Paradiso 37, Trend-D, and the recently announced Pollo Campero.

Pollo Campero Is Bringing Its Latin Chicken To Downtown Disney

2010-02-06T11:52:00.002-05:00

Pollo Campero, in conjunction with franchisee Levy Campero, is opening up a new restaurant in the Downtown Disney Marketplace.

Pollo Campero is a Guatemalan based fast food restaurant that is very successful in Latin America. The chain now has over 300 restaurants in 12 countries, serving over 85 million customers annually. Pollo Campero is known for its chicken.

According to the company website: "Our Latin flavored chicken is hand-prepared every day, seasoned with our special herbs and spices, marinated slowly and served with a zest and passion for making our guests feel at home."

This new addition to Downtown Disney will be replacing the McDonald's currently found near the Lego Imagination Center. Construction is beginning soon for an expected opening in November of 2010.

From an interview of Pollo Campero President, Juan Jose Gutierrez by Prensa Libre, Only WDWorld has learned that:

Negotiations have been going on with Disney for 4 years in preparation for this restaurant.
"It represents great pride and satisfaction to have completed negotiations, both as a company and as a mark of Guatemala."
They expect 15 to 20 times more traffic than a typical Pollo Campero restaurant, so they had to redesign their logistics, equipment, and processes to be able to handle the increased number of customers.
This 10,000 sqft space is 5 times bigger than a typical Pollo Campero.

Expanded Menus
In addition to the great, flovorful chicken that they are known for, they will also offer tasty alternative dishes such as fried yucca, sweet plantains, and Latin drinks including horchata and tamarind. You will also find other healthy alternatives, such as salads added especially to this Downtown Disney location.

Great Addition To Downtown Disney
The addition of Pollo Campero continues the trend of Disney World partnering with outside firms to bring great international flavors and options to Downtown Disney. Add this to the list of current choices: Cooke's of Dublin, Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant, Portobello, & Paradisio 37 Street Foods Of The Americas.

We'll close with a (translated) quote from Pollo Campero President Juan Jose Gutierrez: "For decades, Walt Disney World has introduced its visitors to a rich cultural experience. We contribute to the cultural heritage of the park, helping visitors discover the unique flavors and the proximity of Latin-style family meals."

Characters In Flight Seen From Epcot

2009-11-23T06:34:00.003-05:00

Characters In Fight is one of the newest attractions at the Walt Disney World Resort. It is based at Downtown Disney, but was recently spotted from Epcot.

The Characters In Flight Balloon is 72 feet in diameter and is the world's largest tethered gas filled ballon.

It was built by Aérophile S.A, headquartered in Paris, France. It was made to be similar to an attraction created for Disneyland Paris.

Weather permitting, guests can board the balloon in Downtown Disney from 9 a.m. to midnight each day, for an 8 to 10 minute excursion to 400 feet in the air.

The balloon itself, called the Aéro30, is attached to a gondola that is 19 feet in diameter and holds up to 29 Guests and the pilot at a time. On a clear day the passsengers can see up to 10 miles away with a 360 degree view.

Ticket Prices:
•$16 Adult (tax included) - Guests ages 10 and up
•$10 Children (tax included) - Guests ages 3 - 9
•Guests under 12 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.
•Gondola is wheelchair accessible with assistance. Guests must transfer from an Electric Convenience Vehicle (ECV).

See and Be Seen
The Characters In Flight balloon has a circumference of 240 feet, and a height of 105 feet, making it easy to spot from Epcot as we did in the earlier photos.

For those that are not afraid of heights this would be a great addition to your Disney World vacation, and a chance to see Disney World from a whole new perspective.

Festival Of The Masters Returns To Disney World Nov. 13 - 15th

2009-11-10T07:43:00.001-05:00

This weekend (November 13th -15th) a special event is taking place in the Downtown Disney area.

It is the 34th rendition of the Festival of the Masters presented by Sharpie®. The Festival of the Masters is a complimentary open-air art festival featuring nearly 150 award-winning artists.

Since its start at Disney World in 1975, millions of guests have enjoyed this world-renowned event. This art festival with the Disney touches has become an anticipated event for both the art lovers, as well as, the artists themselves.
Festival History
The Festival of the Masters ranks amongst the nation's top outdoor art festivals.

The Festival truly seeks out the Masters when it comes to artistic talent. To be included in the festival an artist must have earned a primary award at a juried art festival within the last 4 years. So all of the artists that you will see are truly award winning artists. It has also become a very desirable festival for the artists to be able to display their talents.
Festival Highlights

Besides being able to see some of the country's best artistic talent there are a host of activities going on in the Downtown Disney Area during the festival.

House of Blues Folk Art Festival — Delight in the 11th annual "Where the Art Meets the Soul" festival, featuring local and national folk artists, great music and captivating children's activities.

Central Florida Chalk Artists Association — Watch as more than 6,000 square feet of sidewalk at the Downtown Disney Marketplace are transformed into a giant canvas for talented chalk artists to showcase their masterpieces. And kids can create their own works of chalk art in a special area just for them!

Family Activities — Treat your family the world of art as they're taught by experts how to draw some of their favorite Disney characters outside DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive theme park. Families can take part in other art-related activities throughout the Downtown Disney area, and kids can boogie at a special DJ Dance Party at the Dock Stage every afternoon.

Meet the performers from Cirque du Soleil® La Nouba™ and enjoy face painting and balloons outside Cirque du Soleil®.

Additional Live Entertainment — Keep your groove going all weekend with live performances throughout the Downtown Disney area.

Unique "DIANA - The People's Princess" Exhibit is Coming To Downtown Disney

2009-06-19T12:56:00.007-04:00

In the former location of the Virgin Megastore in the West Side of Downtown Disney at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida comes a new temporary attraction - "DIANA - The People's Princess." The exhibit opens in July, 2009 and will run through Nov. 30th, 2009.

Here is the official press release for more information including the fees to view this exhibit:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The People’s Princess Charitable Foundation, Inc. (PPCF) is bringing “DIANA–The People’s Princess” – a major new exhibit of royal artifacts – to Walt Disney World Resort. Opening in early July 2009, this limited-time experience showcases the life and story of Princess Diana, one of the most iconic and inspirational figures in recent history, including a sampling of the royal dresses Diana chose to auction for charity and hundreds of authentic artifacts relating to her life.

“DIANA–The People’s Princess” exhibit will be held in a 17,500-square-foot setting at Downtown Disney West Side adjacent to DisneyQuest. This unique exhibition is one of the largest collections of royal dresses and rare artifacts ever assembled for an American audience which provides an in-depth historical perspective of her life. The exhibit includes five rarely seen royal dresses worn by Princess Diana. As part of this unique experience, guests will come to understand:
• The stories of Diana’s own childhood and ancestry and how that lineage was influential in her selection as the future bride of HRH Charles, The Prince of Wales, the future King of England.
• Her magical royal wedding which was viewed by over 750 million people from around the globe; her favorite role as “mum” to princes William and Harry.
• Kensington Palace, the royal residence where Diana lived from the moment she became the Princess of Wales until her death and which today plays an active role in preserving her charitable legacy.
• The historical significance of her role as Princess of Wales and the impact she had through that role on the fashion industry and charitable landscape.
• How at the Christie’s “Sale of The Century,” 79 of Diana’s royal dresses were sold to benefit charities which helped position her as an astute philanthropist.
• Her untimely passing and the massive media and public interest in the tragedy.
• The charitable impact still being recognized through her gowns and personal effects.

A hint at some of the items on display:
• Royal Doulton figurine of Diana in her wedding dress – Made in 1981 at the time of the royal wedding, the doll is wearing an exact replica of the famous wedding dress.
• The Black Velvet “V” Neck (pictured above)– Designed by Bruce Oldfield and worn by Diana for her official royal portrait in 1985.
• Wedding Breakfast booklet – Contains guest names and two tickets to observe the bride and bridegroom before and following the wedding ceremony in the quadrangle at Buckingham Palace and Clarence House.
• Three-foot doll of Diana as a young girl – Released by the Great American Doll Company in 1998 as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales. “The late Princess used her globally renowned platform brilliantly,” commented Maureen Rorech Dunkel, founder of PPCF. “She understood that the many different experiences she had in her life, both positive and negative, made her more relatable to the public. She used this quality to connect to the common masses and in doing so became known as ‘The People’s Princess.’ She used her compassion to bring support to all those in need and is still to this date, almost 12 years after her tragic passing, regarded as one of the most influential humanitarians of all time." “We look forward to The People’s Princess Charitable Foundation bringing this unique experience to our Downtown Disney guests,” said Kevin Lansberry, vice president of Downtown Disney. “We remain committed to offering guests new and exciting experiences they can only have at the Walt Disney World Resort.”

Tickets may be purchased at the exhibit – $14.50 (ages 10 and above), $5 (ages 3-9). The exhibition will be through Nov. 30, 2009. Hours are 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily.

Tren-D Creates New Shopping Experience at Downtown Disney

2009-05-01T06:07:00.003-04:00

One of the newest shopping experiences to be added to Downtown Disney at the Walt Disney World Resort is called Tren-D.

The 2,500 sqft boutique is an urban-inspired, hip destination for fashion-conscious shoppers seeking trendy apparel and novel accessories. The new store combines designer items with Disney art, apparel, and accessories. Some of the designers represented in the store include: Kidada Jones, Tarina Tarantino and Roxy.

Here is a video clip from Disney showing you around Tren-D:

Most of the merchandise that you will see here is not offered anywhere else.

According to Mark Perrotta, director of Product Development and Design, "Tren-D speaks to what is happening today with a blend of vintage and hip with stylized Disney influences.”

This is the place to find stylish items that you would not previously find at Disney World. Where else would you find embroidered handbags and jeweled sunglasses, along with unique Disney artwork and trendy assessories?

Tren-D is located in the Downtown Disney Marketplace area between Pin Traders, and Once Upon A Toy.

For those of you yearning for a different Disney shopping experience that is trendier than the usual Disney fare that you would find in the World of Disney, Tren-D may be the place or you. Why don’t you check it out during your next vacation? You may find just the item you have been looking for.

Exciting New Attraction Coming to Downtown Disney Soon

2009-03-08T21:05:00.004-04:00

A new iconic attraction will be coming to Downtown Disney this summer. It is a tethered hot air balloon from the Aerophile corporation that will take guests 300 feet into the air for a panoramic view of Disney World.

Here is an excerpt from the Aerophile website:

Downtown Disney® in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., will get its own iconic attraction, in the form of a giant tethered balloon that will take guests 300 feet into the air to view the vistas of Walt Disney World® Resort starting next spring. The balloon will give visitors keen for thrills the chance to ascend to the skies above Downtown Disney® for a six-minute trip, by day or night. It will give up to 30 guests at a time an unparalleled, 360-degree view of up to 10 miles. The balloon is the newest and largest of the company's Aero30 model, with a volume of 210,000 cubic feet, a 72-foot diameter, a circumference of 240 feet, and a height of 105 feet. It has a quick 8 points mooring system and a landing platform on the lake designed especially for Downtown Disney®.

Aerophile has worked with Disney previously, providing a similar attraction for Disneyland Paris in 2005.

This will definitely provide a new exciting feature for Downtown Disney.

T-Rex Comes to Downtown Disney

2008-10-16T05:49:00.003-04:00

A T-REX has invaded Walt Disney World's Downtown Disney marketplace. A T-REX Cafe that is.

On Tuesday October 14th the restaurant opened and I must say it rates high on the cool factor. The restaurant is operated by Landry's Restaurants Inc, which also operates the Rain Forest Cafe.

The outside of the buidling is very impressive and it gets your attention right away with the giant dinosaur skeleton and the mountain facade.

Although I didn't get a chance to go inside I could see the animatronic T-Rex among other Dinosaurs inside. The retail shopping area also includes a Build-A-Dinosaur shop from Build-A-Bear.

The menu has a good selection, but I think the entertainment factor alone is enough to want to be able to visit this new restaurant. I am sure that this will soon be one of the most popular destinations in Downtown Disney.

Enjoy the pictures!