The Avengers monorail debuts at Walt Disney World on the Magic Kingdom express line!!
Just one day after Walt Disney World announced one of their monorails would be themed to The Avengers, the ‘Avengerail’ has made its debut on the Magic Kingdom express line.
The glossy black wrap is quite stunning in person, contrasted by the colorful Avengers characters: the Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Thor, with lightning bolts extending toward the back with “The Avengers” logo.
Disney, of course, is promoting The Avengers because they have owned Marvel since 2009. Disney and Marvel’s highly-anticipated “The Avengers” hits theaters on May 4, 2012.
It’s not known how long Walt Disney World will leave Monorail Red wrapped in the Avengers design. The “Tronorail” promoted “Tron: Legacy” for more than a year, so this “Avengerail” could be around for many months, or at least throughout the full theatrical run of “The Avengers,” and possibly until the film’s home release.
For as long as it’s around, you’ll find the Avengers monorail on the Magic Kingdom or resort lines, not the Epcot beams. Today it took roughly 18-20 minutes for the new Avengers-themed monorail to make a full loop around the track, but depending on crowd levels and how many monorails are running, that time may vary. The beams are parallel to each other, with monorails running in opposite directions, and the resort line stops three more times than the express.
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Disney's Typhoon Lagoon opens in time for Spring Break
Just in time for spring break and with the perfect mix of slides, rafts, water flumes and family fun - Disney's Typhoon Lagoon opened for the 2012 season this last weekend.
Themed for a castaway adventure, this water park is a family favorite for all our guests staying in our vacation homes, and offers some fabulous rides and thrills in a tropical setting under the warm Florida sunshine.
Unlike any other water park, at Typhoon Lagoon there's always something to see as well as to enjoy. Set in the heart of Orlando, this water park offers family and group rides, as well as thrilling drops into lush, jungle-like canopies.
It's a ''must do'' on everyone's wish list for Florida. If you're coming to stay in one of our Orlando vacation homes - be sure to make at least one day on your schedule to spend the day at Typhoon Lagoon or it's sister park, Blizzard Beach.
You can spend the whole day at Typhoon Lagoon and take the time to enjoy every ride and sight-to-see.
For more information on Disney events, visit www.closesttodisney.com. Palm Tree Vacation Homes has the most affordable selection of vacation condos and townhomes in the Orlando area. All of our Orlando vacation homes are located just minutes to all the major theme parks,…See you in Orlando!!
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AS Roma Becomes Official Pro Soccer Club of ESPN Wide World of Sports
Famed Italian football club AS Roma is teaming up with ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex to bring elite European professional football to youth athletes through a multi-faceted strategic agreement. The groundbreaking partnership also calls for Roma’s first-team to train at the facility during its Serie A winter break, which is a first for an Italian League team.
As part of the six-year deal, the ESPN sports complex at Walt Disney World Resort, the leading multi-sports venue for amateur athletes in the United States, becomes the official winter training home of AS Roma, and the three-time Serie A champions become the sports complex’s official professional football team. Additionally, AS Roma will have signage throughout the sports complex, serve as presenting sponsor of several Disney-owned youth soccer events there and have one of its youth academy teams compete in Disney’s Soccer Showcase.
AS Roma’s involvement with ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex underscores the sports complex’s stature as the nation’s top youth soccer venue, which annually hosts pro soccer events as well as the country’s most prestigious youth soccer tournament, Disney’s Soccer Showcase. AS Roma joins the Atlanta Braves (Major League Baseball), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (National Football League) and the Orlando Magic (National Basketball Association) as professional sports franchises that have trained at the ESPN sports complex at Disney.
For more information on Disney events, visit www.closesttodisney.com. Palm Tree Vacation Homes has the most affordable selection of vacation condos and townhomes in the Orlando area. All of our Orlando vacation homes are located just minutes to all the major theme parks,…See you in Orlando!!
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Coming this summer to Epcot: Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure
Coming this summer, Disney Phineas & Ferb: Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure is based on the wily secret-agent alter-ego of Perry the Platypus – faithful pet to the title characters from Disney’s animated series “Phineas & Ferb.” Although just a simple pet to Phineas and Ferb, Perry turns into Agent P in each episode to help stop the misguided plans of his nemesis, Dr. Doofenshmirtz.
Epcot guests will transform into secret agents to help Agent P thwart some of Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s most daring plots. Agents will use a “high-tech secret agent device” to receive clues for each case. Solving the clues will take agents to different places throughout seven World Showcase countries at Epcot, including Mexico, France, Germany, Norway, Japan, China and the United Kingdom. Agents will scour each country for clues, evil “Inators,” and – with a little bit of luck – help Agent P defeat Dr. Doofenshmirtz.
Disney Phineas & Ferb: Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure will arrive at Epcot and the current Disney Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure will close in summer.
For more information on Disney events, visit www.closesttodisney.com. Palm Tree Vacation Homes has the most affordable selection of vacation condos and townhomes in the Orlando area. All of our Orlando vacation homes are located just minutes to all the major theme parks,…See you in Orlando!!
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Storybook Circus soft opening, including new Dumbo, Barnstormer, and Fantasyland Train Station
This morning Walt Disney World opened the first phase of the New Fantasyland expansion in a soft opening of part of Storybook Circus at the Magic Kingdom park. The attractions that opened this morning for the first time include Barnstormer featuring The Great Goofini, one spinner of the dueling Dumbos and the Fantasyland Train Station.
Please remember that this is a soft opening so the whole area or select attractions within it could close at any time.
More photos and video are coming soon so stay tuned to this post.
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Brian Urlacher Throws First Pitch at Braves Spring Training at Disney
With Mickey Mouse watching, Chicago Bears All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher throws the first pitch at the Atlanta Braves Spring Training baseball game. You can see a complete line-up of Atlanta Braves Spring Training games at Champion Stadium at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex on our Atlanta Braves Spring Training page.
For more information on the Atlanta Braves Spring Training, visit www.closesttodisney.com. Palm Tree Vacation Homes has the most affordable selection of vacation condos and townhomes in the Orlando area. All of our Orlando vacation homes are located just minutes to all the major theme parks, shopping and world class golf…See you in Orlando!
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Mobile web app part of this year's Flower and Garden Festival
Just as it did with last year's Food and Wine Festival, Disney is making a mobile web app available for guests attending the 2012 International Flower and Garden Festival. Called 'Epcot in Bloom', the site is now available at http://m.epcotinbloom.com, and from inside the park you will once again be able to scan a QR code to be taken to the site.
The mobile site offers maps, topiary details, event guides, and even an audio guide. You can see some screenshots from the web app below running on an iPhone, or try it for yourself at http://m.epcotinbloom.com
More information on this year's Flower and Garden Festival.
For more information on Disney events, visit www.closesttodisney.com. Palm Tree Vacation Homes has the most affordable selection of vacation condos and townhomes in the Orlando area. All of our Orlando vacation homes are located just minutes to all the major theme parks,…See you in Orlando!!
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Disney Parks Mobile Magic app now available for iPhone providing ride wait times, Fastpass information, and maps
Today Disney has announced a highly-anticipated expansion of its mobile app offering. Disney Parks first debuted a the app called Mobile Magic in 2009, providing Verizon users with access to theme park wait times, show times, Fastpass return times and availability, character information, GPS-enabled maps, and more. And after promising it in Aug. 2011, Disney Parks today has released Mobile Magic for iPhones everywhere.
Mobile Magic is now available to download for free via iTunes.
The app covers theme parks in the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort, including Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, plus other popular locations like Downtown Disney, Blizzard Beach, and Typhoon Lagoon.
Each area in the app offers helpful information for better navigating Disney’s resorts. Inside theme parks, GPS-enabled maps allow visitors to view locations of attractions with photos, descriptions, height requirements, and even access official wait times to ride or see a show. Character greeting times are also accessible along with whether or not Fastpasses are still being distributed for an attraction.
Guests can also browse and make dining reservations from the Mobile Magic app.
Mobile Magic was previously exclusive to Verizon and Disney Parks has now offered Verizon users a few “premium” features including videos, a “Pirates” trivia game, Disney Character Puzzle, and Disney Character Quiz.
Though Mobile Magic is now free for iPhone users to download and enjoy, message and data rates may apply.
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Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend
Fairytales do come true. One mile at a time.
Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend brings women of all ages together to participate in a magical event designed just for them. The Disney Princesses are the inspiration for the weekend’s events and will focus on the attributes every princess possesses: commitment, courage, determination, fantasy, perserverance, and strength.
This event will take place at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida on February 24 – 26, 2012, and is set to celebrate the women who prove that anything is possible in life’s fairytale.
The weekend also includes the Tangled Royal Family 5K, which takes runners on a course around the World Showcase and ending at Spaceship Earth at Epcot, and the Princess Kids’ Races, which gives kids ages 1 to 11 the opportunity to race at Epcot’s Imagine Lot. Even crawling little ones under the age of 1 will be able to participate in a unique ‘Diaper Dash.’
And in an effort to encourage princess health, the weekend will also feature the Fit for a Princess Expo, a two-day celebration of women, health, and fitness. The Expo will be located at the Jostens Center at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. There’ll be appearances by characters and celebrity runners, as well as seminars on training, racing, and nutrition with the opportunity to experience the latest in running and fitness equipment.
More than 10,000 runners are expected to participate in the Princess Half Marathon, making it one of the country’s largest road races geared toward women. Spectators will be able to catch the action from special areas along the route detailed in the Princess Handbook, which can be picked up at the Expo.
For more information on Disney marathon events, visit www.closesttodisney.com. Palm Tree Vacation Homes has the most affordable selection of vacation condos and townhomes in the Orlando area. All of our Orlando vacation homes are located just minutes to all the major theme parks, shopping and world class golf…See you in Orlando
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‘Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom’ set to debut Feb. 22 in Walt Disney World
Disney has set a date for when Magic Kingdom guests will be able to battle villains who aim to take over the theme park. The new “Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom” interactive game will make its official debut on Feb. 22, 2012, offering players a chance to cast magical spells via trading cards in the new role-playing game.
Upon linking up with Merlin to become apprentice sorcerers, Magic Kingdom guests use their given spell cards across four of the park’s themed lands to access magical portals and encounter villains including Hades, Maleficent, Ursula, and Dr. Facilier, each with the goal of stealing one of the four shattered pieces of Merlin’s crystal ball.
Each spell cards features a different Disney character that offers a spell unique to his or her personality. There are 70 cards total, with guests receiving five randomly selected cards when playing, all included with park admission.
The game has been in development for longer than four years and features more than 95 minutes of original animation.
Here's Jonathan Ackley, a Project Producer & Creative Director, Walt Disney Imagineering, in a Disney-produced video further explaining Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom:
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