BradyBzLyn...Mo

https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2019/08/12/next-weeks-d23-expo-will-reveal-big-plans-for-walt-disney-worlds-50th-anniversary
Next week's D23 Expo will reveal big plans for Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary
Posted By Ken Storey on Mon, Aug 12, 2019 at 7:13 pm
  One of the most anticipated announcements at next week’s D23 Expo will be the upcoming 50th Anniversary celebration for Walt Disney World. 

The yet-to-be-announced, resort-wide event is expected to be one of the biggest events the history of Walt Disney World. Industry insider Jim Hill says the company is expecting to sell out every single hotel room throughout the entire resort for the entirety of 2021. 

According to various insiders, most notably user WDW1974 on the WDWMagic forums, Disney is planning to honor the 50th Anniversary by marketing a list of 50 enhancements across the resort. Some of those will be brand new offerings, like the Skyliner and the two new Epcot attractions, but many of the other ‘enhancements’ will be smaller things added to existing attractions. 

Hollywood Studios is rumored to be seeing new effects in the Tower of Terror drop shaft, updated dining experiences, and, of course, the new Mickey Mouse dark ride. Epcot will see some of its offerings included in the golden anniversary marketing, but many of its biggest projects aren’t designed to be a part of the anniversary celebration and instead will open in the mid-2020s. It’s rumored that Spaceship Earth may be closed for a significant rehab throughout all of 2021. 

Animal Kingdom will likely see a new nighttime show, but no significant additions are expected within the next 18 months to two years leading up to the anniversary. 

Much of the focus of the celebration will be the Magic Kingdom and the Seven Seas Lagoon resorts that opened in 1971. 
  Image via Disney The TRON coaster now under construction will likely be heavily used in marketing for the anniversary. TRON, Epcot’s two new attractions, and DHS’s three new attractions are by far the largest ‘enhancements’ ahead of the 50th, but many smaller improvements are expected as well. At the Magic Kingdom, nearly every single iconic attraction will see some type of enhancement. 

Big Thunder Mountain is believed to receive the projection mapping in the tunnel scene that Disneyland’s version received a few years ago along with a few other small improvements. 

Over in Fantasyland, ‘it’s a small world’ will see the addition of the Mary Blair style Disney character dolls that both the Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland versions received in recent years. These characters are added to the existing scenes with the overall attraction seeing no significant change. 

Across the pathway, Peter Pan’s Flight will also see small enhancements similar to those that the Disneyland version saw ahead of that park’s 60th Anniversary. The Disneyland updates included adding stereophonic sound, an improved nursery scene, a new London scene, Tinker Bell pixie dust projection mapping, and Neverland overview enhancements.  Image via Disney Concept art for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway The Walt Disney World Railroad may see some new scenes. The addition of the TRON building will also drastically alter the ambiance of the train ride through the Tomorrowland area. 

Tomorrowland will see the most significant improvements with the new TRON coaster, a rumored TRON update to the Tomorrowland Speedway, enhanced scenes possibly added to the PeopleMover, and perhaps a new attraction in the space formerly used for Stich’s Great Escape. The Carousel of Progress will likely see a new final scene, new more lifelike animatronics, and a new queue video. 

A nighttime parade, a new fireworks show, and new floats added to the daytime parade are also all expected, though in recent months the chances of a nighttime parade seem to be less likely as the once retired Main Street Electrical Parade was pulled into service at Disneyland to help draw the locals back to the park. With it now being out of retirement, Disney may opt to use it in Orlando instead of investing in a brand new nighttime parade. 

The Electrical Water Pageant, which hasn’t been touched since the mid-1970s, is thought to be receiving an overhaul that will be timed with the new pathway currently being built between the Grand Floridian and the Magic Kingdom. This pathway will temporarily block access to the Electrical Water Pageant’s storage facility with Disney using this inconvenience as an opportunity to overhaul the parade adding new floats themed to Moana and The Little Mermaid. 

Like all anniversary events at Disney, the WDW 50th is expected to last longer than just 12 months. It’s thought that it will begin in early 2021 and continue until the end of September 2022. Of course, a massive celebration is expected to take place on the actual anniversary on October 1, 2021. 
After the expected confirmation of the anniversary celebration at next weekend’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, Disney will be begin rolling out the updates over the next 18 months. 

Disney could've used thousand of those smart drones to hover overhead and move around to block the sun as it moves!

This type of character interaction is one of my fondest memories from my first trips to WDW.  Pluto stood in line behind my mom at our very first Contemporary check-in way back in the 70's.  She turned around and must have jumped a foot - we thought it was hysterical.

Saw this on a FB site.
Woman made this, was just showing, not trying to sell it.
People went crazy and want her to take orders, but she's adamant about only making them for her family.
She's at the fort now and was going to gather maps from the parks and resorts to make a full set.
It has 3 layers of marine epoxy on it.
 
 

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2019/08/01/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-disney-worlds-refillable-water-bottle-stations/?fbclid=IwAR26KRfAWO3-kfNrKw96fD_Buhi5DxWuiYhASuaV9m6-HIyNNT18inyXab0

Yes in deedy doodle 

Ha! still works! Guess I'll need to find a new photo host if I'm going to post any more pictures. Oh, these are the old school "Free Refill" mugs that were supposed to be free for life. This was when Port Orleans was really Port Orleans and not French Quarter. 

Well if you fill up the seat with some fluffy sized people you don't need to worry about moving around and getting banged up! 

This writer goes into depth dissecting the new parks concept art they released during the announcement ceremony.
He admits right off the bat that it is only conceptual and there is a lot of room for errors in figuring out what each section is.
But he's basing his interpretations on previously released info and rumors.
It's a long article so it's best to just follow the link.
https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2019/08/05/heres-every-detail-we-could-find-in-universals-epic-universe-concept-art
 
This is just one small part
 
Guests will enter the park via a set of arches, similar to those found at other Universal parks, but with a steampunk-meets-sci-fi, galactic-inspired design. The park is laid out with an updated version of the traditional hub-and-spoke design with an oval-shaped central hub corridor anchored by a significant water feature that stretches the entire length of the park. 

While it may not at first glance have many similarities to the more traditional Main Street, U.S.A. style entrance retail corridor, the lagoon anchored hub corridor seen in the concept art is lined with plenty of large buildings that will be more traditional retail, dining, and guest service outlets. Unlike the individual lands, where many of the specifics have been set for some time now, the hub corridor is still going through design revisions that could still dramatically alter the final product from what is seen in the concept art. 

While closer to a more traditional hub-and-spoke design, Disney used a similar garden-like design similar in their most recent park, Shanghai Disneyland. There the Gardens of Imagination central corridor is where classic attractions, like the Dumbo spinner and the carousel, can be found, along with certain dining and retail venues. The Epic Universe concept art seems to show a comparable design with certain rides, restaurants, and retail venues scattered along the corridor. A carousel has been mentioned by multiple insiders as one of the attractions to be found in this area, though the concept art does not confirm this.
 

Checkmate! Locked up the lucrative Orange County Convention Center area. Now if the South Florida train comes to fruition with a stop at the Orange County Convention Center they've showed their hand. Not to mention they are a "Gold Key Attraction Sponsor" of the Convention Center. Good move, Universal and Orange County. Done and done. 

SeaWorld Orlando to host 'Thrill Fest Ride Night' in August with extended nighttime rollercoaster hours
SeaWorld Orlando plans to celebrate National Coaster Day a second year in a row by hosting “Thrill Fest Ride Night” on Friday, Aug. 16, with extended park hours. 

One of the toughest parts of accomplishing the "the coaster challenge" is the limited amount of time for crisscrossing the park and standing in line for rides. Visitors on the 16th will get 90 additional minutes to ride all the park's heart-racing offerings, including Manta, Mako, Infinity Falls, Kraken and Journey to Atlantis. The coasters will be open until 11 p.m. 

Thrill-seeking nerds will enjoy the educational aspect of the day, with two behind-the-scenes, 20-30-minute “Coaster Tech Talks” with SeaWorld operations and ride maintenance teams. The tours include the Mako trains inside the “coaster house,” and are first-come-only and limited to 50 people each for 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Guests must sign up in person at the Mako Gift Shop to hold a place. 

The day's extended happy hour gets you BOGO drinks until 11 p.m. at Waterway Grill and Flamecraft Bar, as well. Guests also get a discount on rollercoaster photos, five for $20 all day at Adventure Photo in the park. 
 
Hmmm, just what they need a bunch of drunks riding on coasters and getting bounced all around.  All them BOGO drinks might be coming back up pretty quick.
 
And this is also going on.
 
Free Beer — May 25 - September 2
The free brews will be available at the park starting Saturday, May 25 through September 2, 2019 from 10:30 a.m. to one hour before park close. Complimentary beer will be available to guests 21 years of age and older. Guests can visit The Patio Bar next to Mama’s Pretzel Kitchen and receive one complimentary 14-ounce domestic beer per day.

https://apple.news/Azy3izXeNQWmFBKYPi0FR_Q

Public Service Announcement:
 
All revisions have been accepted and the app is up on the Apple Platform/Store.

Here are some pictures taken today of the area formerly known as River Country.  The first 3 pictures were taken where the River Country Entrance used to be (near Clementine's Beach):



This picture shows how you can now see the Contemporary from the horse barn:

Consider a visit to the the VA. Marine Science Center which is a very nice Aquarium.  Located on the other side of town from where you plan to camp.  This is a great rainy day place to visit
Might see if you can book a tour at Oceania Naval Air Station, a very busy Navy jet base.  Always aircraft of many types flying around VA. Beach.
Near your camp area, you may wish to visit the Old Lighthouse.  It is on a military base, so you will be checked out.  Access to the public is permitted up to, but not beyond the lighthouse.
In the middle of town, just on the boardwalk, is the old Coast Guard Rescue building, now a museum.  Very interesting to visit, and recommended.
Opportunities for boating and fishing are available as you might expect.
When visiting, we will often go to a restaurant called Abbey Road, that has lots of Beatles stuff.  The food is OK, and not very expensive (based on local norms).  They have parking adjacent to the restaurant.
Have fun!

I have found that the pool water is pretty good.  Add a little iced tea mix if you like.

I always think it smells like Pirates of the Caribbean when washing my truck at the Fort. 😁

True, but the good news is that they get paid by Disney, not you.  🙂

I've realized that a big reason I love the Fort so much is the boats. 
Boat to Magic Kingdom? Yay!
Boat to dinner?  Yes Please!

I've realized that a big reason I love the Fort so much is the boats. 
Boat to Magic Kingdom? Yay!
Boat to dinner?  Yes Please!

Could you imagine how nice the flight attendants would be? 
Dole whips on the beverage cart?
Mickey Pretzels? 
Could be fun!
https://simpleflying.com/disney-airline/

If it reclined you could take it camping and just leave the tent at home.  LOL!

4 new promotions were released today for select dates in fall of 2019. 

I have all the offers on my Facebook page if anyone is interested in seeing them. 
https://www.facebook.com/JasonWithMouseCounselors/

That's what you give as baby shower gifts,  pre-booked reservations to FL campgrounds.
By the time the kid is old enough to go camping you might have a reservation available.