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Tag Archives: Downtown Disney

CLASSICAL MUSIC WITH A GROOVE

by Shalon G. (NDI#167) | Published: Saturday, May 21, 2011

On a recent evening stroll through Downtown Disney, I unexpectedly found a group playing that I thought had disappeared from Walt Disney World. As I rounded the corner of Raglan Road I was greeted with the beautiful sound of “classical” music. Once I got closer I recognized the group as Nova Era. This group played in the Italy pavilion at Epcot from 1999-2000 and was loved by many guests. Nova Era was formed in 1999 and has been a staple in the Orlando music scene ever since. In addition to their performances at Walt Disney World, the group has toured all over the world. Recently they teamed up with QVC to reach out to a wider audience and their music and DVDs can be purchased through the
company.

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Posted in Culture, Lifestyle, Music | Also tagged 18th century, Bach, Beethoven, classical, EPCOT, Fulton's Crab House, Italy, Mozart, Nova Era, Raglan Road
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DOWNTOWN DISNEY’S LEGO IMAGINATION CENTER OPENS

by Bill I. (NDH#35) | Published: Friday, May 6, 2011

With more than 3,500 more square feet than the old Lego Center, this newly renovated store opened this week. Of course, there are more of those iconic “Lego Statues” in addition to the classic Water Dragon in the lagoon and the “Tourist Family” we all remember. The Dragon remains the same, but our famous family has undergone a bit of an upgrade. If you recall the original family, they now are dressed as a Pirate, the Father has a Goofy hat and the daughter is dressed as Alice in Wonderland. To help jog your memory, I have included two pics of the family, past and present. The new statues around the perimeter of the store are simply amazing! A giant Black Dragon we know as Maleficent is squirting fire at a stalwart knight on a white horse. Around the corner, you’ll see Snow White kissing Dopey on the forehead, and in a magnificent piece of work: several of the Seven Dwarfs are coming out of their mine. And don’t miss the statue of Buzz Lightyear carrying Woody as he takes off.

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Posted in Disney Company | Also tagged Kids, Lego, Re-habs, Retail stores, shopping, Toy Story, Toys
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WALKING AROUND THE WORLD…THE SPICE AND TEA EXCHANGE OF LAKE BUENA VISTA

by Bill I. (NDH#35) | Published: Friday, April 15, 2011

Walt Disney World is always in a state of flux. You never know when a cutting-edge attraction, show, or store will make its appearance. That‘s what makes the World such a magical place; guests are continually experiencing unique and exciting things. Case in point? A tasty new shop called “The Spice & Tea Exchange” which opened in Mickey’s Pantry on November 9^th, 2010 in the Market Place in Downtown Disney. This new store is a wonderful addition to Disney’s culinary arsenal, and is conveniently sandwiched between The Earl of Sandwich and Wolfgang Puck Express. The spices and teas available here are a cut above anything you will find in your local grocery store. Every product is natural with neither preservatives nor chemicals, ensuring top flavor and freshness.

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Posted in Disney Company, Fitness | Also tagged food, Mickey's Pantry, Recipes, restaurants, shopping, Spices
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PORTALS TO WALT DISNEY WORLD

by Mary Beth C. (NDM#6) | Published: Friday, April 15, 2011

As a Neurotic Disney Canadian Mom, I constantly strive to find Disneyesque experiences for me and my family. Whenever we go to a city with a Disney store I always insist we visit. Before entering, I close my eyes and let the Disney music from inside the store fill my mind. When I open my eyes and enter the store I let myself imagine I am in the Emporium. Yes, it may be smaller, but in my mind I am walking the aisles of my favorite Walt Disney World store. To me, the Disney store is my own private portal to WDW.

This last weekend I was amazed to find another portal. My NDD10 was competing in a large Dance Competition in Blue Mountain Resort, near Collingwood Ontario. I had not visited the area since my own childhood and was anxious to see the area. The competition and our hotel were situated in the “Village” which is the touristy area at the bottom of the main ski runs. The temperature for the weekend was in the mid 20s Celsius. (which is in the 70s Fahrenheit) but the ski hill was still open due to the fabulous base of snow.

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Posted in Culture, Leisure, Planning, Travel Tips, Vacation | Also tagged Blue Mounain, Canada, Disney Village Marketplace, skiing, travel, Walt Disney World
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MICKEY ONION FUN

by Amy P. (NDM#365) | Published: Monday, April 11, 2011

Photo Credit: Amy Falk Petermann

Contributed by: Amy Falk Petermann (NDM #365) Amy is the DDL Hidden Mickey and Organization Blogger. She is also the creator of The Relocated Tourist.

Visit Steve Barrett’s Hidden Mickeys to learn more about these secret Mickey tributes throughout Disney Parks.

Posted in Hidden Mickeys, Lifestyle, Photography | Also tagged Earl of Sandwich, food, Hidden Mickey, lifestyle, Onions, Orlando, Photography, salad
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MY DISNEY PET DISAPPOINTMENT

by Jennifer G. (NDI#27) | Published: Tuesday, April 5, 2011

I just got back from Walt Disney World about 2 weeks ago. This trip was a little bit different from my usual ventures, as I went down looking for specific things: blog ideas, photo opportunities, and merchandise to write about. During my journey, I spent two separate nights shopping and dining at Downtown Disney. The first night was a quick jaunt through the shops, just to get an idea of some items to purchase before my departure. I didn’t want to spend a ton of time in World of Disney this first night, as I was extremely tired from my trip and had a very busy day planned starting the next morning.

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Posted in Gifts, Pets | Also tagged animals, Disney Pets, English Bulldog, Hyperion Travel Company, Jen Ginn, pet merchandise, Pets, Pop Century, Walt Disney World, World of Disney
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RECREATING A DISNEY DAY AWAY FROM THE PARKS

by Betsy B. (NDI#152) | Published: Friday, March 4, 2011

photo credit: Betsy Bates

Do you ever wonder what you can do to recreate a bit of that magic in your every day life when you aren’t at one of the Disney Parks? I admit, I go to the parks more often than your average NDP. However, this does not mean that I don’t miss the magic of Disney just as much as the rest of you who don’t live as near to WDW as I do.

Recently, I found myself missing Disney and regretting that I don’t live closer. Yes, I can hear you now, “But, Betsy, you only live an hour and a half away, you can go whenever you want.” Yes, I do live that close, but no, I can’t go whenever I want. Even living this close, there are still concerns such as free time and money.

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Posted in Community, Fitness, Leisure, Lifestyle, Shopping | Also tagged Disney food, Disney Store, Earl of Sandwich, Friends, hidden Mickeys, meetup, Recreation, shopping
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NEW PIN SETS AT EPCOT AND LOVE IS MAGICAL DUFFY PIN EVENT

by NDD110 | Published: Wednesday, February 9, 2011

With the celebration of the 40^th Anniversary of Walt Disney World starting up around the World, two very nice collector pin sets have debuted at Epcot over the last couple of weeks. The “Epcot Passport Collectors Set” is the newest of the bunch and will set you back $60 dollars. As I understand it, it is a limited edition of only 500 sets. Personally, I cannot wait to get my hands on this set and hope to do so very soon. This set features some of the original logos of The Land, Living Seas, World Showcase, Journey into Imagination, and Spaceship Earth. It really is a must have, not only for the avid pin collector, but for the Epcot geek such as myself. This set is an Epcot exclusive and can only be purchased at Pin Traders in Future World plaza.

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Posted in Collections, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Pins, Shopping | Also tagged 40th Anniversary, Duffy, EPCOT, Future World, Journey into Imagination, Living Seas, Magic Kingdom, Mousegear, pins, Spaceship Earth, The Land, Walt Disney World, World Showcase
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WHERE TO DINE ON NEW YEAR’S EVE AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

by Kristen H. (NDI#59) | Published: Wednesday, December 29, 2010

So you haven’t made your ADRs for New Year’s Eve and you’ll be in Walt Disney World. What to do? Well, here are some place to avoid and some place that are your best bet.

Contributed by: Kristen H (NDI#59). Kristen is one of our resident Disney foodies and creator of Cooking With Mickey

Posted in DDL Video, Fitness, Organization and Plannning, Resorts | Also tagged ADRs, Advanced Dining Reservations, Animal Kingdom, dining, dining recommendations, Disney, Disney dining, Disney Driven Life Dining Tips, Disney's Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, New Year's Eve, Resorts, restaurants, Walt Disney World
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PLEASURE ISLAND TRANSFORMATION

by Jessica C. (NDI#21) | @lady_aurora | Published: Sunday, November 28, 2010

The big talk in the last week has been the major Downtown Disney announcement made last week by Disney Parks Blog. After letting the property sit empty for the last couple years, Disney has finally announced their plans to bring Pleasure Island back to life, though not in the same way it once was.

As of the completion of the project in 2013, the area once called Pleasure Island will be known as Hyperion Wharf, named after the street where Disney build his first big animation studio. There are no clubs being brought back to the area; they are keeping with the idea that the area should be family friendly.

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Posted in News, Rumors | Also tagged AMC Theatres, Disney Parks Blog, Hyperion Wharf, Lego Imagination Center, Pleasure Island
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HEY MICKEY YOU’RE SO FINE!

by Hannah N. (NDT#23) | Published: Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Close your eyes and remember when you were a little kid. Was there a special outfit you always grabbed? Mine was a purple Ariel t-shirt, a flowy blue skirt, and my favorite pair of shoes: little red cowgirl boots. My mom always giggled at the sight of me in my mismatched outfit. I proudly wore those clothes until I couldn’t fit into them any longer. This was the humble beginning of my relationship with Disney fashion.

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Posted in Lifestyle | Also tagged Acid Alice, Ariel, D-Street, Disney Store, Dooney and Burke, Evil Queen, Grumpy, Harveys, Lotso, Madam Mim, Maleficent, Mickey, Mickey Mouse Club, Mouseketeers, Tarina Tarantino, The Art of the Disney Princess, Tren-D, Vault 28
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THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF GAMING

by Jessica C. (NDI#21) | @lady_aurora | Published: Sunday, October 24, 2010

This past Saturday, a new, interactive area opened up in Downtown Disney’s store, Once Upon A Toy. This area, called The Wonderful World of Gaming, was opened up by Disney Interactive Studios and allows customers to play some of the latest Disney video games before they purchase them.

There are three stations where you can play Wii games and seven stations for Nintendo DS playing experiences. This new area of the Once Upon A Toy store, according to Disney Parks Blog, has “the most extensive collection of Disney Interactive video games in all of Walt Disney World.” If there is a video game that you want, this is where to get it! The grand opening on Saturday had lots of giveaways and activities that were offered to all who stopped by. The nice part about this video gaming experience, all of the games are family friendly, so everyone can get involved and have some fun! The games that are offered to try are the latest games, but you can be sure they will be updated when new games come out. I know I would love to go there and try out Epic Mickey!

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Posted in DDL Tech, News, Rumors | Also tagged Disney Interactive Studios, Disney Parks Blog, Nintendo DS, Once Upon A Toy, video games, Wii, Wonderful World of Gaming
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DOWNTOWN DISNEY LEGO DRAGON

by Traci C. (NDM#118) | @TraciLeigh | Published: Sunday, March 21, 2010

I love to shop at Downtown Disney when I go to the World, and I get a real kick out of the display of giant Lego sculptures. The cast of characters that has changed from time to time, but it seems as though the dragon has been there forever. Oh, and remember the snoring Lego dude on the bench? The one who looked like “Frasier”? Good times, good times…

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Posted in NDP Community, Photography | Also tagged NDP roster
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DOWNTOWN DISNEY MCDONALD’S CLOSING

by Jessica C. (NDI#21) | @lady_aurora | Published: Sunday, February 7, 2010

In the last few years, several Golden Arches – the international symbol for McDonald’s restaurants – have slowly disappeared from the Walt Disney World Resort.

There are two remaining on property, the stand alone one near the Animal Kingdom that has just been renovated and the one in the Marketplace in Downtown Disney. And now, one is going to be closing for good and, as you can probably guess, it is not the one that has been recently renovated.

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Posted in Rumors
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CHARACTERS IN FLIGHT

by Eric H. (NDI#2) | Published: Wednesday, December 30, 2009

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Posted in DDL Video, Disney Reviews, Organization and Plannning | Also tagged Organization and Plannning, RR&R
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THE ZENITH OF OLD KEY WEST

by JL Knopp (NDM#1) | @jlknopp1 | Published: Sunday, June 3, 2007

key-west-palms THE ZENITH OF OLD KEY WEST

“Disney’s Best Kept Secret” reached my ear back in 1997. I was on my Walt Disney World honeymoon, strolling hand-in-hand with DH through the landscape of Downtown Disney, when an attractive kiosk caught my attention. The sign attached to the kiosk promised to reveal a carefully protected Disney confidence if I would only approach the kiosk-keeper who smiled pleasantly beside the booth.

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Posted in Relationships, Travel Reports, True Confessions of a Neurotic Disney Mom | Also tagged arrival, cartoon, check-in, crowd, Disney channel, Disney Vacation Club, Disney's Best Kept Secret, Disney's Old Key West Resort, lobby, Mickey Mouse, timeshare
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