Today, the Disney Parks Blog released more images from the Fantasyland expansion, specifically the Enchanted Tales with Belle storybook adventure.  The images include one artist's rendering and one construction image.

The construction pic shows Maurice's Workshop, which will act as the first scene in the storybook adventure with Belle.

Here's some more for Disney Parks:

"Walt Disney Imagineering is currently building Maurice’s workshop, which will serve as scene one of the experience. The workshop, which is modeled after a French cottage, will be surrounded by a wishing well, footbridges and lush landscaping. Once inside, guests will step through a magic mirror and find themselves inside Beast’s expansive library, which he created as a gift for Belle in the film. This room will serve as the setting for a memorable character interaction experience with Belle – which will require a little help from Lumiere, the enchanted candlestick.

Another “Beauty and the Beast” experience planned for this area is the Be Our Guest Restaurant, which will allow up to 550 guests to dine in the ballroom, gallery and “West Wing” area of Beast’s castle."

You can definitely see the cottage taking shape with the framing and roofing in place.  It's great that Disney shares these "non-show ready" scenes with us to whet our appetite for images of the new pieces of the Magic Kingdom.

Disney plans to open the Fantasyland expansion in phases, beginning in late 2012 and completing by the summer of 2013.

After riding the new Star Tours ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios this past weekend, I have some thoughts to share in a review of the "re-imagined" ride.

I really had high hopes for this ride.  Hopes that were dashed upon experiencing the ride.

Let me start by asking you, did you like the old Star Tours?  Was it a quality ride?  Up to the standards of quality brands like Disney and Star Wars?  If you thought so, you'll love the new Star Tours ride.  If you're a kid, you'll love it, too.  My 5 and 7 year old thought it was "awesome!" in their own words....of course, they liked the old one, too.

Personally, I was never a big fan of the original Star Tours.  It was a weak representation of the strong Star Wars brand.  Poor story line, boring characters, and an overall ho-hum ride.  Star Tours The Adventure Continues didn't improve much on that weak ride.

Now, Disney did add lots of new story lines.  Up to 54 different combinations of sections of the story to provide some variety and inspiring multiple rides.  However, the basic storyline is still that you're traveling somewhere in space, your ship gets diverted, your navigator/captain manage to get you home safely.

The video has been improved, they switched out random robot captain (RX-24) for C3PO, and added the multiple story lines.  Really?  This is what you accomplish in 8 months of refurbishment?

They did improve the queue line quite a bit with more and longer "stories" as you wait in line....and wait you will, young Jedi.  Granted it was opening weekend, but waits were in the 90 to 120 minute range and to make it worse, Disney didn't seem to have the longer queues figured out.  Random queue lines would appear out of nowhere and block off entire walkways.  Poor planning and implementation.

I know I'm being negative and my kids really liked it.  I just think that the Star Wars brand deserves better.  I walked away from the ride thinking, "meh, I may ride it again, but I'm not impressed and frankly a little disappointed."

So, rather than just bemoaning the failure, what's the solution?  Well, for now, really nothing, but I wonder, why didn't the imagineers draw from the super successful franchise and bring us something completely different from the old ride?  Look at what Star Wars offers, today, not 30 years ago.  The Lego Star Wars game is immensely popular and follows the real story line from the movie series.  The Star Wars: The Clone Wars series is very successful.  Where was this included in the ride?  Somewhere along the lines, Disney decided to completely regenerate and create a "new" Star Wars story, rather than sticking to the one that works.

With that in mind, I did like the inclusion of some scenes from the movies -- the pod racing scene, going under water with Jar Jar, Hoth battle scenes, and so on.  This was the best part of the ride, in my opinion, but they still just seemed so random and tossed in without any kind of solid story.

As I've pointed out, it was just okay.  I know there's a lot of excitement about the new Star Tours ride, but I just don't get it.  What do you think?

Taking the place of the Disney Magic as Port Canaveral's 7 night Disney Cruise ship, the Disney Fantasy will begin sailing from the Florida port in the spring of 2012.  Today, Disney released the very first preliminary details about the Disney ship on the Disney Parks Blog.  The Fantasy will bring to life many of the same innovative features and guest favorites from the Disney Dream, including the AquaDuck water coaster, Magical Portholes inside the staterooms and Enchanted Art throughout the ship.

Animation Magic

A super exciting part of the new Disney Fantasy will occur in the Animators Palate restaurant.  Known for it's "dinner shows," Animators Palate will provide further innovation to your dinner experience aboard the Disney Fantasy.  Giving guests the opportunity to become real animators, the Animation Magic show allows guests to follow a template on their placemat to draw a character of their very own!!  Later on during the dinner show, guests will have the chance to see their drawings come to life on the screens around the restaurant, as Disney uses their magic to produce an animated special featuring the guests own illustrations!

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and Pirates League

Since the Disney Fantasy will be cruising for 7 nights, there's the opportunity to include more "fun" attractions on the cruise ship that were once only part of the Disney theme parks.  Enter Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and the Pirates League!

At the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, in addition to the full fairy tale princess makeovers with pixie-dust from their very own Fairy Godmother-in-training, young princes and princesses will also have the opportunity to become "Captain Mickey" or "Princess Minnie Mouse."

In addition to these wonderful enhancements, on pirate's night, the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique will transform to the Pirate's League!  Now, the little ones can become the monsters they hide underneath as pirates of the seven seas!  Arrgghh!!

Europa

For the adults, the Disney Fantasy will have an area known as "Europa," similar to "The District" on the Disney Dream.  Guests 18 and older can escape and enjoy a collection of sophisticated bars and trendy lounges inspired by European travel.  Featuring a look of outdoor piazzas and Italian cities, La Piazza will transport guests to beautiful Italy!

Similar to the Disney Dream, the Disney Fantasy will have a Skyline Lounge.  However, instead of featuring the various skylines of US cities, the Disney Fantasy version of Skyline Lounge will feature skylines of European cities.

Adding an Irish pub to the roster, Disney went after my own heart.

O'Gills Irish Pub will add modern twists to the classic Irish Pub.

Ooh La La will transport guests to a French boudoir...ooh la la is right!

Finally, The Tube takes it's place as the "night club"/"dance club" on the Disney Fantasy with a theme echoing the London Underground (also known as the tube -- get it?).

Royal Court

The Royal Palace from the Disney Dream will be replaced/upgraded as the Royal Court.  Very similar in appearance and likely, menu.  The Royal Court will feature princesses Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty, and Sleeping Beauty.

Aladdin Musical

For it's new musical, the Disney Fantasy will include Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular on board, a popular show at the Disney California Adventure theme park for many years.

The Disney Fantasy will sail Caribbean itineraries featuring a mixture of stops at St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Grand Cayman, Costa Maya, Cozumel, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Disney’s private Bahamas island, Castaway Cay. The maiden voyage is scheduled for the end of March 2012.

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As many of our readers know, the Magic Kingdom is currently remodeling and expanding the Fantasyland area.  In fact, it's the largest expansion in the history of the Magic Kingdom; nearly doubling it's current size.

Some of the new attractions in the Fantasyland expansion include Under the Sea: Journey of The Little Mermaid, Beast’s Castle/Be Our Guest Restaurant, Storybook Circus (replacing Toon Town), Belle's Village, and Enchanted Tales with Belle.

One of the most anticipated new attractions has to be The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train coaster ride.  The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will take you on a rollicking, musical ride into the mine “where a million diamonds shine.” The coaster will feature a first-of-its kind ride system with a train of ride vehicles that swing back and forth as they whisk along the track. The journey will be accompanied by music from the classic Disney film and animated figures of Snow White and the Dwarfs.

Other Disney princesses will find new homes (castles) in the current location of the Snow White's Scary Adventures ride.

The Fantasyland expansion will be constructed in phases with most new experiences open by 2013. Insider's Guide to Disney looks forward to sharing more with you as our work progresses.  For now, here's a quick video of the current progress.

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Opening today, the Downtown Disney AMC Theatre adds the Dine-In Theatre experience for Disney fans!

The AMC Dine-In Theatre allows guests to watch the latest movies with "seat-side" service, including food and drink options similar to a restaurant.  Disney has converted 6 of their theaters to include cozy seating, table-top dining, reserved seating, and a personal notification button that can be used to quietly call your server at any time during the movie.

Although AMC offers two options of Dine-In Theatres, Downtown Disney AMC will only have the Fork & Screen option, for now.  Fork & Screen is the more casual of the two options, with the Cinema Suites being the upgraded option that's not available at the Downtown Disney location.

The Downtown Disney Dine-In Theatres offer an extensive menu that includes appetizers, entrees – like quesadillas, burgers, and flatbread pizzas – desserts, movie theater candy, and more. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages also are available.

Ticket prices to see films in AMC Dine-In Theatres range from $6-13, depending on the day of the week and the showtime. Menu items start at $6.59-8.99 for appetizers, and $8.59-11.59 for entrees.

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Today, Muppet*Vision 3D (formerly known as Jim Hensen's Muppet*Vision 3D) celebrates 20 years at Disney's Hollywood Studios!  May 16, 1991, the Muppets made their debut at the Florida theme park.

This is one of my favorite attractions at Hollywood Studios.  Not only did I grow up with the Muppet Show on TV and the movies, but this attraction is an often welcome respite from the Florida heat!  

Opening the doors to those cool, air-conditioned breezes, Muppet*Vision 3D can be found just across from Pizza Planet and next to the streets of New York in Disney's Hollywood Studios.  You can't miss it, as there's a huge Muppet fountain, right in front of the building.

Muppet*Vision 3D offers families an up-close look at classic Muppet characters, such as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and others, in a film-going experience that combines 3-D technology with Audio-Animatronics figures and special effects.  I was shocked to learn that over 18 Muppet characters are featured in the Muppet*Vision show!  How many can you name?

The Destination D (D23) and Disney Parks Blog are reporting the Disney will bring back the classic Tiki Room attraction at Disney's Magic Kingdom.

This is one of the Magic Kingdom's original attractions, originally known at the Tropical Serenade and most recently known at the Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management).  The show was based on the original attraction at Disneyland.

Originally, its winged hosts, Jose, Fritz, Pierre and Michael, led 200 other birds, tikis and flowers in an entertaining musical Polynesian revue.  The attraction was changed to the "Under New Management" theme in 1998 to include Iago from Aladdin and Zazu from the Lion King.  Construction has already begun to transform the "Under New Management" version to more closely match the classic attraction.

The attraction will be renamed to Enchanted Tiki Room and is set to open later in the summer at the Magic Kingom.

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Disney has announced that the Star Tours ride re-opening will be broadcast live, online.  So, even if you're not able to make it to Orlando for the opening or don't have the right credentials to get in, you can still see all the "dignitaries" and celebrities, the pomp and circumstance surrounding the re-opening!

The Disney Parks Blog announced "a live webcast of the grand opening that will feature the ceremonial arrival of several dignitaries from around the galaxy to join in the fun."  The action begins at 10am ET, May 20^th on the Disney Parks YouTube channel and the Star Tours Facebook page.  Disney also promised that the live stream would feature "some material just for those of you watching online."

We will be at Disney's Hollywood Studios on the 20^th, however, we will miss the official Star Tours ride re-opening.  Obviously, we'll be online to see this webcast of the event and taking photos and video when we're able to get on the ride, later that day.  For anyone not able to be in Orlando or at the park for the re-opening, this is a great option and (finally) Disney taking advantage of available technology to bring their fans to the event.

Where will you be for the re-opening of the Star Tours ride?

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The Orlando Sentinel got an inside first look at the new "re-imagined" Star Tours Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  For the last 9 months (basically, since the end of last year's Star Wars Weekends), Disney's been renovating/updating the old Star Tours with a re-opening date set for May 20th.

Fans are anxiously awaiting the re-opening with many lining up each day in hopes of an unannounced "preview" opening of the ride.  I can't wait, personally and will be there opening weekend to catch a "ride."

Here's the raw video from the Orlando Sentinel's exclusive tour of the new Star Tours ride:

Here's some more details from the Orlando Sentinel about the Star Tours ride:

The new Star Tours is designed to immerse guests in the Star Wars universe, said Kathy Rogers, senior show producer for Walt Disney Imagineering. That feeling should be present "as soon as you come in the door," she said during the Orlando Sentinel's exclusive guided tour this week.

The ride's 3-D film is divided into several segments featuring different planets and will be shown in 54 combinations. Once inside that door, visitors have a chance to see:

•A flood of fresh — and familiar — faces from Star Wars lore. The attraction is populated with characters throughout. "You've got Darth Vader, you've got Princess Leia, you've got R2-D2, C-3PO, Boba Fett, Yoda, Admiral Ackbar," said Tom Fitzgerald, executive vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering. "Jar Jar Binks makes an appearance."

The idea is to set Star Tours in a definite galaxy far, far away. The new safety video shows only intergalactic beings filing into seats; no one who looks like a tourist, as in the previous version. A window to another concourse shows shadowy outlines of other recognizable characters, royal and interplanetary. There are cameos during the ride.

•A crisp look that reflects a time shift. The new version is set years earlier than the old ride, and familiar objects look newer. "It feels like a brand-new airport," Rogers said.

In the first room of the queue, a copper-and-white StarSpeeder 1000 vessel sits where the blue StarSpeeder 3000 used to be. R2-D2 and C-3PO are there again, along with a small IC-360 scouting droid. Overhead is a new high-definition board listing spaceport departures and a galactic Weather Channel.

•A clear vision. Once the ride begins, the adventures are presented in 3-D digital projections, as opposed to 70 mm film. The imagery was again produced by Industrial Light & Magic under the guidance of "Star Wars" mastermind George Lucas. (The 3-D "flight glasses" are sleek, shiny and black.)

•Nods to Star Tours past. In the second room of the queue, which is the scanning area of the spaceport, boxed-up droids are ready for shipping. Rex, the hapless pilot from the original Star Tours, is marked "defective" and spews snippets of old dialogue.

What do you say?  Are you ready to see the new, re-imagined Star Tours ride?  Let us know in the comments.

Disney has announced that, beginning this fall, guests can choose from a variety of specialty rooms for their Disney World vacation, including health and wellness suites at Disney's Contemporary Resort, Royal Guest Rooms at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside, and more at the Art of Animation Resort.  These will be added to the Pirates of the Caribbean rooms at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort and I'm sure, more to come!

Here's more from the Disney Parks Blog announcement.

Hi everyone. I’m thrilled to start off the day by breaking another exciting announcement here on the Disney Parks Blog about two new Specialty Room offerings coming to the Walt Disney World Resort – health and wellness suites and Royal Guest Rooms.

Beginning this fall, guests looking for some rest and relaxation can indulge in new health and wellness suites, which will debut at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. These suites will feature bamboo flooring, 100-percent cotton linens, non-allergenic wrapped mattresses – as well as great views of Magic Kingdom Park and Bay Lake. Bathrooms on this floor also will be equipped with rainwater showers and tea tree oils.

Guests staying in these suites also can enjoy the benefit of having cardio equipment right in their room. And they’ll have daily access to seasonal and organic fresh foods at the concierge lounge, and can enjoy yoga sessions and spa treatments at the resort’s renovated wellness studio.

Exciting enhancements also are taking place over at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort, with 512 Royal Guest Rooms planned to debut by March 2012. The story behind these lush rooms is that Princess Tiana (“The Princess and The Frog”) invited some of her royal pals – Belle (“Beauty and the Beast”), Jasmine (“Aladdin”) and more – for a vacation getaway. Princes and princesses of all ages can enjoy their luxurious lodging quarters, which will include ornate beds that feature headboards with fiber-optic special effects, and gold and crystal accents. Guests also can enjoy artwork and special mementos left by Tiana’s royal friends.

These rooms are the latest in Disney’s Specialty Room line, which already includes pirate-themed guest rooms atDisney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Donald Duck-themed rooms at Tokyo Disney Resort, and more. More Specialty Rooms will be added to the collection when Disney’s Art of Animation Resort debuts in May 2012.

Guests can begin booking the new Specialty Rooms mid-summer. The existing pirate-themed rooms can be booked now.  To book either or any other Disney or Orlando vacation, please visit our travel partner, Destinations In Florida Travel.  You can also call them at 877-918-8941.

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