Easter Happenings At Walt Disney World

This week at Walt Disney World guests will find an array of events for the Easter Holiday. From special dining offerings at select restaurants, to activities at the resorts and in the theme parks, Disney has you covered, even down to religious services. With options available across property, Walt Disney World has taken strides to make guests feel at home in celebrating the holiday while on vacation.

As they do for Christmas, Walt Disney World is providing the Fantasia ballroom at Disney’s Contemporary Resort to hold Easter services this Sunday morning. Catholic Mass will be held at 8:00am and 10:15am, while Protestant services will be at 9:00am. If you are looking for other religious services, contact the concierge at your resort and they can assist you in finding the nearest location for your denomination or religious preference.

Restaurants are also joining in the celebration by offering special menus. Participating restaurants include: Captain’s Grille (brunch) at Disney’s Yacht Club, Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, The Wave (brunch) at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Cape May Cafe (dinner) at Disney’s Beach Club Resort, and Garden Grove (dinner) at the Walt Disney World Swan.

In the theme parks you will find a variety of entertainment options:

At Disney’s Animal Kingdom the Yak & Yeti DJ Dance Party will take place 4:00-8:00pm April 4 & 5 and 3:00-7:00pm April 6-14 in Asia. Africa will play host to Bourdicka April 4-14 at 3:10, 4:35, 5:30 and 6:30pm.

Epcot will have Easter Egg Hunts and Relays inside the UK pavilion of World Showcase for children ages 3-9 and 8-12 respectively. There will also be a smaller section for children under 3 to participate in their own hunt. The Easter Egg Hunts will be every 10 minutes from 11:00am – 3:30pm and the Relays will be every 40 minutes between 11:40am and 3:40pm. Also on hand will be Mr. & Mrs. Easter Bunny to greet guests from 11:30am – 4:00pm. Space is limited for sign ups for the hunts and relays with registration starting approximately half an hour before each hunt. Future World East will be having Easter Egg Hunts as well for children 3-9 in addition to some Easter themed games. The hunts will take place on the quarter hour starting at 10:00am and ending at 4:00pm.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a special dessert just for the Easter holiday from April 6-17. The pineapple coconut Easter cupcake will be sold at ABC Commissary, Backlot Express, Pizza Planet, Starring Rolls and Studio Catering Company. Additional outdoor beverage stands will also be added around Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater, The Hollywood Brown Derby, Mama Melrose Ristorante Italiano, and 50’s Prime Time Cafe. Sweet Spells will have several other holiday related treats, including some Kosher offerings.

The Magic Kingdom will have a meet and greet with Mr. & Mrs. Easter Bunny until Sunday in the garden to the left of City Hall in the Tour Guide Garden.

On Easter Sunday, all Disney Resorts will have special activities of their own including Easter Egg Hunts, special arts and crafts activities, pool games themed around Easter, dance parties, and you can even meet some of your favorite Disney characters in their Easter costumes. There are even in room celebrations that you can order from Disney Florist. See this recent post on the Disney Parks Blog regarding Easter baskets you can have delivered for your family.

No matter how you choose to celebrate with your family and friends, it seems like Disney has something for everyone. Hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend and enjoy!

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Eat To The Beat Concert Series Rocks Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival

The Eat to the Beat concert series is a super cool bonus to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival!

The concerts take place at the America Gardens Theatre in Epcot’s World Showcase, and the cost is included with your admission to the park. There are concerts at 5:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.

I went to my first Eat to the Beat Concert, and it was AWESOME! I can’t believe that we have skipped this during our multiple trips to Epcot during the International Food & Wine Festival. I was stoked to see Sugar Ray with Shalon, Emily, and Tom!

It was a great concert! He played all of the hits you’d expect, some you didn’t (They loved the “Play Mean Machine” signs that Shalon made…WOOT WOOT!), and then threw in a few fun extras!

I gotta fever. And only prescription is MORE COWBELL!!!

I absolutely suggest going early to get a great place in line. We got there 45 minutes early, and were given a ticket to turn in that allowed us to go in early to grab some great seats. We were able to hold some seats around us, but you can’t hold up too much space. And finally, be prepared to dance and have fun!

The remaining concert line-up* for Eat to the Beat is…

The Orchestra starring former members of ELO (“Don’t Bring Me Down”): 10/20-21/11

Howard Jones (“No One is to Blame”): 10/22-23/11

Boyz II Men (“End of the Road”): 10/24-26/11

Gin Blossoms (“Hey Jealousy”): 10/27-28/11

Sister Hazel (“All for You”): 10/29-30/11

Hanson (“Give a Little”): 10/31-11/1/11

The Pointer Sisters (“He’s so Shy”): 11/2-3/11

Night Ranger (“Sister Christian”) : 11/4-6/11

Air Supply (“Lost in Love”): 11/7-8/11

Richard Marx (“Right Here Waiting”): 11/9-10/11

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (Go Daddy-O”): 11/11-13/11

*=  The songs I listed are for recognition and not necessarily what they will play.

 

I know that Sugar Ray won’t be my last Eat to the Beat concert, and I hope to see you there!!!

 

 

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2011 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival Merchandise

Inside of the 2011 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival Center, located in the much beloved Wonders of Life Pavilion, you will find the most comprehensive collection of Festival Merchandise.

Let’s take a look at what this year has to offer…

This is the painting of the International Food and Wine Festival's signature print.

 

As always, the focus of the merchandise are items that you can use in your own kitchen.

 

PINS!!!!

 

I am in LOVE with the Minnie Pin!!! So I may be biased, as she's my favorite character...

 

This is the Annual Passholder exclusive pin for the Food & Wine Festival.

 

The old world looking stamps on the hat look super cool.

 

This burn-out t-shirt is really cute! It might be my favorite.

 

There were a large variety of shirts this year.

 

 

While the front seems unassuming...

 

The back is awesome, because it has replicas of all of the kiosk signs!

 

 

This looks dangerous!

 

Chef Duffy!

Now the next few items I found are so amazing! These cosmetic and messenger bags are created from the banners that flew at last year’s International Food and Wine Festival!!!

 

 

 

 

The 2011 Food and Wine festival Vinylmation.

 

The 2011 International Food and Wine Festival has also added two signature wines to their list of exclusive offerings.

The festival Pinot Grigio.

 

The festival Chianti.

 

The thing that strikes me the most about the merchandise for the 2011 International Food and Wine Festival is that the quality has definitely been kicked up a notch since last year!!!

Also, with the addition of the wines and the priorLife merchandise you will find more opportunities, outside of the featured artists, to purchase one-of-a-kind items!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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IBM Centennial Celebration in Innoventions

IBM is celebrating their Centennial Anniversary by showcasing their history and contributions in Innoventions.

Paul Lasewicz, IBM archivist, is sharing his knowledge and showing some of the products that have made them famous over the last 100 years.

The 20 minute presentation is full of information and facts. As a bit of a history buff, it was really interesting learning about their roles in early census tabulations and the creation of the Social Security Administration. I also learned that I need to type 216 words a minute to break the world record…guess I can mark that off the bucket list.

I know I probably sounds like a huge dork right now. But what started off as a way to dodge the rain, turned into a really fun hour.

Paul and his presentation are here until tomorrow, and take place every hour from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

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Hidden Gems: Making Earth Day Everyday in Innoventions

It is really easy to walk by, and goodness knows that I had done it many times,  but you really should stop by Innoventions East and try your hand at making Everyday Earth Day by creating paper!

Some fun environmental facts are on display around the area.
The first step was to scoop up the cellulose with a strainer.
Once the cellulose was placed into a form, it was dunked into another water bath.
As the form was lifted out of the bath, you could see the paper taking shape.
Zoe after she moved her form over to the rolling area.
Getting closer... The vacuum really helped start the drying process.
And now to roll out as much of the leftover water as you can from the 'paper'. Zoe was able to do this part all by herself!!!
And the paper was really starting to take it's shape! It was super soggy at first, but she was able to peel it off of the drying area and ready to be dried some more in an oven for a few minutes.
Zoe and her paper!!! She was soooo proud of all of her hard work!!! 🙂

And now the best part….DECORATING!!!!!

And now a look at the finished product!!!

The whole process did take about 20 minutes, but it was a great break from the heat and the hustle & bustle of a day in Epcot!!!

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New Figment Game in Imageworks!!!

Last week I tweeted out a picture of the opening of some computer stations in Imageworks, so I returned yesterday to find that they had opened more stations.


There is still a large area walled off where the Kodak demonstration area was located at the exit of the ride.
A look at the computer station area...

At each computer station, you have the opportunity to “Compose Your Own Figment” who can either be a boy or a girl.

Here is what it looks like if you choose the “Boy” Figment without emailing it home…

And here is what it looks like if you choose the “Girl” Figment with the email home option…


I thought that it was a super cute addition to the games that are still in Imageworks, but I thought that getting to make Figment a boy or a girl was a little odd.


What do you think?

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Illuminated by Illuminations!

I have to absolutely admit that when my Sister-in-law invited us to tag along on their Illuminations cruise I geeked out for a minute. It is my absolute favorite nighttime show in my favorite park!!!

We met at the Yacht Club Marina at 8 pm to board our boat, and we were greeted by Captain Michael. He was super funny and awesome! Zoe had to wear a life jacket, and at first she was nervous. The good Captain was quick to reassure our little lady, and soon enough she was walking down the dock showing off her “magic vest”.

The cruise began with a tour around the Swan and Dolphin Hotels, followed by the area in front of Hollywood Studios, and then back again to tool around in front of the Yacht Club and Boardwalk Resorts.

Then it was time…

We pulled under the bridge near the International Gateway between two other boats, and we got settled in for the show.

Now while the view from this area was absolutely beautiful and spectacular, it was by far not the shining star of the cruise. That spot alone goes to our fearless Captain.

As the show was about to start, up crept Michael to walk us through the show. He talked us through each image on the globe, explosion of each firework/gas/water effect, and the lighting of the torches. It was amazing! I never noticed a quarter of the images that he pointed out, and I have Goosebumps just thinking about it now.

From the bubbles as the land of the earth was rising from the sea, to the journey through the cave, the creativity of man, the many faces that grace the globe (equal parts women and men), to the fact that the Tapestry of Nations parade is shown so close to the finale you easily miss it…

I absolutely apologize for the total lack of photos, but I wasn’t going to let myself get distracted from Captain Mike for too long. 🙂

If you haven’t had the chance to take an Illuminations cruise, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Also, I can’t thank Elizabeth enough for inviting us to join her and letting us in on this crazy and amazing experience!

I am afraid that I may be hooked, and will HAVE to do this again!!!

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