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 | Advent Calendar - 6th December 2014 | |
| DisneyDan
Saturday, December 6, 2014 12:27:05 AM |
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Hello everyone,
It's the 6th December, which means it's time to open the sixth door of our very special Character Central Advent Calendar!
Here we go!...
[ Read More... ] |
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 | Happy 113th Birthday Walt Disney! | |
| DisneyDan
Friday, December 5, 2014 8:14:02 AM |
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Today is 5th December, which would have been Walt Disney's 113th birthday.
Born in Chicago on 5th December 1901 to Canadian father Elias and American mother Flora, Walt found himself growing up in a rapidly changing world. The automobile, electricity and telephones were amongst the new technologies that were gradually altering the way people went about their everyday lives.
Soon came World War I, and Walt found himself too young to enlist - but he did anyway!
While away he discovered his talent for drawing, and became known for decorating the helmets his comrades had found, with illustrations.
From there Walt developed his talents further, and found himself creating characters and shorts such as the Alice comedies and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Sadly Oswald wasn't too lucky for Walt, but it did spur him onwards to develop a new character in 1928 - Mickey Mouse.
Mickey was Walt, and Walt was Mickey.
Walt Disney was a creative genius, who was far ahead of his time. Bringing a whole new definition to the world of film and television, Walt pioneered many new concepts and technologies.
Walt won more Oscars during his lifetime than any other person, a record that he still holds.
With his studio now one of the best in the world, Walt turned to other things. Bigger things.
Walt's ultimate dream was of course Disneyland; a place where anyone can come and have fun, away from reality.
In July 1955 Disneyland opened and has since become probably the most famous theme park in the world. Capturing Walt's very essence, and offering a true escape from the outside world, Disneyland was, and continues to be, the Happiest Place on Earth.
Of course, Walt's dream grew and grew, and so did Disneyland, to the point where Walt dreamt even bigger!
Florida was to be the home of Walt's final dream, one which sadly he did not get to see through to completion (having passed away in 1966).
Walt dreamt of a huge community where people not only lived and worked, but where they played an vacationed; known as EPCOT. A complete city built from the mind of this brilliant man.
Walt Disney World opened in October 1971 by his surviving brother and business partner, Roy, and was dedicated to Walt having changed the name from simply Disney World to Walt Disney World.
Although Walt's vision of EPCOT never came to fruition as he saw it, it certainly has come true. Walt Disney World has given Central Florida a different identity to what it had 50 years ago. From swamps to a metropolis filled with hotels, malls, other theme parks and indeed entire communities of people who live and work there. Walt Disney World itself has thousands of Cast Members who live and work at the resort, who come from all over the world, ensuring that Walt's final vision is forever captured in an amazing and colourful reality.
Over a century after his birth, we are on the brink of the 12th Disney Park opening (Shanghai, 2015/16), have a world filled with hundreds more movies, TV shows and even stores, a cruise line and much, much more.
All the parks have their own little nod to Walt and his dreams, remembering the man who started it all.
Walt Disney lived to entertain, and entertained for a living. He gave the world a slice of imagination and inspiration that is unrivalled, and that will continue for many more decades.
Happy 113th Birthday, Walt Disney. We thank you for your dedication to your dreams.
Dan. |
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 | Advent Calendar - 4th December 2014 | |
| DisneyDan
Wednesday, December 3, 2014 10:32:59 PM |
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Hello everyone,
It's the 4th December, which means it's time to open the fourth door of our very special Character Central Advent Calendar!
Here we go!...
[ Read More... ] |
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 | Advent Calendar - 3rd December 2014 | |
| DisneyDan
Wednesday, December 3, 2014 1:02:18 AM |
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Hello everyone,
It's the 3rd December, which means it's time to open the third door of our very special Character Central Advent Calendar!
Here we go!...
[ Read More... ] |
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 | Advent Calendar - 2nd December 2014 | |
| DisneyDan
Tuesday, December 2, 2014 12:44:57 AM |
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Hello everyone,
It's the 2nd December, which means it's time to open the second door of our very special Character Central Advent Calendar!
Here we go!...
[ Read More... ] |
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Hello everyone,
This past weekend Jon and I visited National Harbor in Maryland to experience their Christmas season, which has become something of an annual tradition for us. The Gaylord National Resort there holds its very festive 'Christmas on the Potomac' which includes the very popular ICE! event, and of course, characters!
We started the day with breakfast at the "Madagascar Crack-A-Lackin' Cook-In Breakfast". The restaurant is on the lower level, with the entrance right in the main square area near the fountain. The restaurant is a buffet restaurant and offers everything from waffles, French toast, fruit, cereal, yoghurt, pastries, hot food (eggs, bacon, etc), custom omelets and more. The restaurant is divided into two areas, one for those who do not want to meet characters, and those who do. The character dining part is out the back in a separate dining space. The character dining was available from 8am until 11am, and we called ahead to make reservations because we didn't know how busy it would be. You do not need to be staying at the hotel in order to make a dining reservation.
Now to the important part, the characters! Being a Madagascar themed breakfast, I was expecting at least the core characters from the movie such as Alex and King Julien, and I wasn't disappointed! We got five characters at our meal in total. In attendance were Alex, King Julien, Skipper, Private and Mort. I would have liked to have seen Gloria there, as I know that she exists as a character at other resorts around the world, but I wasn't really complaining. Five characters is fairly standard for most Disney character dining experiences, so this really wasn't any different.
When we arrived it was very early, and the restaurant was empty! Alex and Skipper were pretty much having a party of their own when we arrived! We took a lot of photos, and they were very willing to pose for the cameras!
In the second rotation were Private, Mort and King Julien. Throughout the morning the characters would hold dance off competitions and dance parties around the dining room. It was very lively, in good spirits and definitely a lot of fun. All the staff really got into it and were dancing fiercely around the dining room too! It was hilarious!
Overall we had an excellent experience at the breakfast. We paid $70 total for the two of us, which by all accounts for a character buffet breakfast, especially compared to Disney prices, was very reasonable.
Next up, we wanted to meet Gingy the Gingerbread Man (from DreamWorks' Shrek) who holds his own gingerbread decorating experience upstairs from the restaurant.
Hanging around on the lower level and the mid-level we also found some other characters! Princess Fiona and Puss in Boots from DreamWorks' Shrek and the penguins from Madagascar were all greeting fans. We were told that Shrek also appears, but he wasn't out when we were there.
After the character greeting fun, it was finally time to head into the ICE! exhibit, which this year featured Frosty the Snowman. We always enjoy coming to this. It's a very unique experience. However, not to be too critical, I will say that it seems to have becomes shorter and shorter each year while the price increases. Anyway, you enter the ICE! exhibit, hand over your ticket, pick up your none too flattering Parka jacket (to protect from the cold), and prepare to enter the Arctic... Well, not really, but it is extremely cold inside!
Every year they have an ice slide inside the exhibit, which you can ride as many times as you like. I always have to do it! It's really great fun, and surprisingly fast!
As you come to the end of the Frosty the Snowman part, you enter a room where you can see a real ice carver at work.
There was a random ice carving of Turbo, too.
In the final room is a traditional Nativity scene all carved from ice.
To finish, a shot of the Christmas Tree at the Gaylord National, and one of the Christmas Tree outside in the "downtown" area of National Harbor.
Overall, we had a great day, and I look forward to seeing what ICE! feature they have next year, and which characters will appear.
Dan. |
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