Disney and Florida Attractions News Blog

“Scotland: A Brave Adventure” Combines the Stories of Scotland with the Magic of “Brave” for an Unforgettable Family Adventure

BURBANK, Calif. (May 22, 2012) – Step out of the theater and become immersed in the world of “Brave” with Adventures by Disney’s first-ever Pixar-inspired itinerary, “Scotland: A Brave Adventure.”

Disney•Pixar’s “Brave” tells the tale of the courageous Merida, the film’s headstrong teenage protagonist, who defies ancient tradition and challenges destiny to change her fate. This 9-day, 8-night quest through Edinburgh, the Isle of Skye, the Isle of Lewis and Inverness takes families through the rugged Highlands, allowing them to experience first-hand the history, culture, nature, legends and lore of Scotland that inspired Merida’s story of bravery.

Adventures by Disney is a leader in the group guided-tour industry – sharing the stories of the world through 20+ international itineraries. For “Scotland: A Brave Adventure,” Adventures by Disney trip-planning specialists worked directly with the expert storytellers on Pixar’s “Brave” production team to incorporate the castles, landscapes and legends that inspired the lush settings and memorable characters in the film – creating a Scotland experience that could only come from Disney. Guests will discover locations that inspired Pixar’s creative spark during visits to the historic Black House of Arnol and the Gearrannan Blackhouse Village, both of which served as reference for the Witch’s cottage, and Dunnottar Castle, one of the inspirations for the DunBroch family’s home.

Beyond the drawing board, the culture of the Scottish Highlands will come to life through authentic, hands-on activities – a hallmark of Adventures by Disney itineraries. On the Isle of Skye, adventurers will partake in traditional highland games, make Scottish pastries – a favorite treat of Merida’s triplet brothers – and take lessons in Celtic music and dance. While traveling through Inverness, guests will participate in two of Merida’s favorite activities – horseback riding through the Caledonian Forest and archery at Glamis Castle. In Edinburgh, families will learn the art of tapestry-making at Dovecot Studios.

Another signature of an Adventures by Disney vacation, families will visit the country’s most treasured historical sites – including Eilean Donan and Edinburgh Castles, the ancient Callanish Standing Stones and Dun Carloway Broch on the Isle of Lewis – but in unique ways that only Disney could dream up. Rather than just walking the shores of Loch Ness, guests will go on a canoe expedition where they will search for “Nessie” and discover the picture-perfect Urquhart Castle. In the capital city, travelers will tour the Royal Mile, including privately-guided visits to the Palace of Holyroodhouse – the Scottish home of the Royal Family – and the National Museum of Scotland, where they will learn fascinating details of the ancient period in which “Brave” is set. Each departure features two knowledgeable Adventure Guides who will serve as leaders, storytellers, companions and personal concierge – taking care of all the details for a truly hassle-free travel experience.

“‘Scotland: A Brave Adventure’ combines the creative genius of Pixar Animation Studios with Disney’s ability to bring iconic stories to life with in a whole new way,” said Josh D’Amaro, Vice President, Adventures by Disney. “For the first time ever, our guests will be fully immersed in the legends and locations that inspired the film. ‘Brave’ is the perfect tale for Adventures by Disney to share; Merida’s experience speaks to the importance of the family bond – a cornerstone of any Disney vacation.”

Also new for 2013, Adventures by Disney has announced a Southeast Asia itinerary. Featuring Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, the 12-day, 11-night itinerary will give travelers the opportunity to experience some of Asia’s most exotic and culturally rich cities – including Saigon, Hanoi, Hoi An, Luang Prabang, Siem Reap and Angkor Wat.

For more information on “Scotland: A Brave Adventure,” visit www.AdventuresbyDisney.com or contact the reservations center at 1-877-728-7282.

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. May, 20, 2012 - Melissa Joan Hart, former star of "Sabrina, The Teenage Witch" and current co-star of "Melissa & Joey" on the ABC Family network, will join two Walt Disney World Moms panelists to discuss vacation planning during a live web chat Tuesday, May 22, at 9 p.m. ET on disneyparksblog.com.

Melissa, who is no stranger to traveling to Disney Parks with her two little ones, will interview the moms, take questions from participants via Skype and even share travel tips of her own. Those who wish to participate in the live video chat with Melissa, can email Disney@vidicom.com or post questions on the Disney Parks Blog Melissa Joan Hart post.

Midsummer Feast by Irish Celebrity Chef Kevin Dundon

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – When the summer solstice arrives June 20, guests at Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant can celebrate the season with traditional merrymaking during Chef Kevin Dundon’s first signature Midsummer Feast. Dundon’s tantalizing menu will incorporate fresh seasonal flavors to highlight the joyous occasion long tied to ancient summer customs and traditions. In Ireland, many towns and cities hold Midsummer carnivals celebrating culture, music and food.

“Our first Midsummer Feast will be a grand celebration of the summer harvest,” said Dundon, restaurant partner and owner of a five-star hotel and cookery school in Ireland. “I’m looking forward to sharing the delicious flavors of the season and telling our guests about the traditions tied to this ancient celebration."

The 6 pm. dinner in the restaurant’s Raglan Room kicks off with a salute to the season at a cocktail reception featuring the Summer Solstice Cocktail crafted just for the Midsummer dinner. Chef Dundon’s festive menu will feature:

-- An elegant Picnic Basket of Assorted Pates and Homemade Jams including smoked salmon mousse and brandied chicken liver pate.

-- A second-course Champagne Splashed Raspberry Sorbet.

-- An entree of Roast Stuffed Suckling Pig, Braised Vegetables, Raisin and Cider Glaze and Potato Roasties.

-- Dessert of Pimms Knickerbocker Glory, a creamy, light treat featuring Pimms liqueur.

Craft beer pairings will include Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, Jai Alai India Pale Ale and Bunratty Mead. Raglan Road’s house band, Creel, will perform along with the Raglan Road step dancers.

Midsummer’s Day festivals during the summer solstice -- the longest day of the year -- were European traditions that brought families and friends together to celebrate nature’s bounty. Midsummer was celebrated in Ireland with the lighting of bonfires and an evening of music, storytelling, feasting and merrymaking. The ashes from the fires would be tossed onto the fields as an offering to protect the crops. The timing of the solstice depends on when the sun reaches its farthest point north of the equator. This year, summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere on June 20 at 7:09 p.m., just as Raglan Road’s Midsummer Feast is underway.

To book a table at the Midsummer Feast with craft beer pairings ($90 per person, plus tax and gratuity), call 407/938-0300 or 407/WDW-DINE, or visit www.raglanroad.com.

Owned and operated by Irish partners Paul Nolan and John Cooke with celebrity chef Kevin Dundon -- famous for his five-star hotel and cookery school in Ireland -- Raglan Road features traditional Irish dishes and new creations with a Celtic twist. The restaurant’s warm interior of aged walnut and mahogany woods from old Irish bars and churches was built in Ireland and shipped to Orlando. Live entertainment nightly includes Irish house band Creel (Monday through Saturday) and Irish band Tuskar Rock (Sundays) plus Irish dance performances. Lunch is served 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Dinner 3-11 p.m.; Bar menu 11 p.m.-late. Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant is located on Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney in the Walt Disney World Resort, 1640 E. Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 15, 2012 - It's a good time to be a fangirl of the Star Wars saga as Her Universe, the female sci-fi genre line of fashionable apparel and accessories, revealed its new Spring/Summer line to debut at Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida, running each weekend till June 10, and online at www.heruniverse.com on May 21.

Created by actress Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka Tano on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the current seasonal offering from Her Universe Includes a racer back tank top and fashion tops featuring such beloved characters as Princess Leia, R2-D2 and Darth Vader as well as a unique Princess Leia zip-hoodie and a fun Ahsoka Tano youth tunic created to help young girls feel just like Anakin's Padawan learner on The Clone Wars.

To accentuate the new Star Wars apparel, Eckstein and Her Universe are offering two new charms - a Boba Fett design and a Japor Snippet replica, the good luck charm given as a gift to Padme from a young Anakin Skywalker. All of this Star Wars treasure can be carried in the new cotton canvas Star Wars tote bag featuring the Star Wars symbols. Several new apparel pieces are also being introduced for the younger "Jedi-in-training" including several Star Wars youth designs and, for the first time, a Jedi onesie for the tiniest followers of the Force featuring the adorable art of popular Star Wars illustrator Katie Cook.

"I was very excited when Ashley approached me to do kids' designs for Her Universe," said Cook. "She's doing a wonderful thing for the female fan community already... and she's doing those of us with little girls an even bigger favor by giving the littlest fangirls nerdy gear of their own!"

In addition to the new product line being available at Disney's Star Wars Weekends, Eckstein will also, for the fourth year in a row, be co-hosting the Behind The Force live stage show and signing autographs each weekend of the event.

"Disney's Star Wars Weekends is one of my favorite events of the year," said Ashley Eckstein. "I truly enjoy meeting Star Wars fans of all ages and that's why I am so excited to be offering merchandise for women, girls and now babies! As the voice of Ahsoka Tano, I cannot wait to see baby girls in an Ahsoka "Jedi in Training" onesie or little girls running around in Ahsoka's new costume top!"

Her Universe was launched in 2009 by Eckstein, and her partner, The Araca Group, known as one of the most innovative theatrical production and merchandise companies in the world. Her Universe was created to directly address the expanding market of female fans by entering into its first agreement with Lucas Licensing to develop and produce a line of female-centered Star Wars apparel and accessories. The success of that line was followed up with a collection for the Syfy network including such shows as Battlestar Galactica. Visit www.heruniverse.com to purchase the new Star Wars collection or visit a Hot Topic store near you to find select Her Universe items. You can also learn more about Her Universe by following Eckstein on Twitter and visiting the Her Universe Facebook page.

Running every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 18th through June 10th, Disney's Star Wars Weekends is an annual event at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park celebrating the Star Wars Saga, as well the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Each weekend offers fans a unique opportunity to join Jedi Masters, Sith Lords and Star Wars celebrities for special shows, presentations and memorabilia. For more information on Star Wars Weekends, visit: disneyworld.com/starwarsweekends or disneyparks.com/blog.

Here to welcome their “Cars” friends to Cars Land at Disney California Adventure park, Mandy and Mona Monorails began making trips around the resort yesterday – and they will soon be joined by a third friend, Manny Monorail. You can tell each by their colors: Mandy Monorail is blue, Mona Monorail is orange and Manny Monorail will be red.

Each Monorail has its own personality, which Disneyland Resort guests will certainly hear when riding. Manny, Mandy and Mona Monorails are taking charge of the overhead announcements themselves – providing a new experience along the “Highway in the Sky.”

The WDW Marathon will be celebrating 20 years with special entertainment along the 20th mile.

The race is also taking some new paths which will include, for the first time, running in the WDW Speedway as well as the EPSN WWOS Stadium!

If you want to get in on the fun, just sign up at runDisney.com for the marathon or any of the other family-oriented races taking place here during the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend presented by Cigna, Jan. 10-13.

The model for the New Fantasyland expansion, which was last on display for media during the Summer to Remember press event and for Disney fans at the 2011 D23 Expo, is currently being placed into the One Man’s Dream exhibit at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Star Wars Weekends returns to the Walt Disney World Resort during May and June 2012, as Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park celebrates the Star Wars film saga and the hit animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

The annual special event, included in regular theme park admission, will be held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 18-June 10, 2012.

The power of the Force and magic of Disney combine as more than 60 Star Wars characters – including Wookiees, droids, Rodians, Ewoks, bounty hunters and Jedi – roam the streets of Disney’s Hollywood Studios for meet-and-greet opportunities with guests.

Star Wars celebrities highlight the event, appearing in themed parades, talk shows, star conversations, behind-the-scenes presentations and autograph sessions. Here are the celebrities attending Star Wars Weekends 2012 (*subject to change):

Weekend I (May 18 – 20)

* Ray Park - (Darth Maul - Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)

* Dee Bradley Baker (voice of Clone Captain Rex and Clone Commander Cody - Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Weekend II (May 25- 27)

* Andy Secombe (Watto - Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
* Ray Park (Darth Maul - Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
* Tom Kane (voice of Yoda - Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Weekend III (June 1 -3)

* Jake Lloyd (Anakin Skywalker - Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
* Silas Carson (Nute Gunray/Ki-Adi-Mundi - Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
* Catherine Taber (voice of Padmé Amidala - Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Weekend IV (June 8- 10)

* Michonne Bourriague (Aurra Sing - Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
* Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett - Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi)
* Daniel Logan (Boba Fett - Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones)
* Nika Futterman (voice of Asajj Ventress - Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

The centerpiece of the celebration is the spectacular 3-D attraction, “Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.” The attraction, which opened last year, uses eye-popping 3-D, a dramatic musical score and motion simulator-based technology to immerse guests in the Star Wars galaxy like never before on a theme park attraction.

Limited-edition and event-exclusive merchandise is offered each year, and the ever-popular “Hyperspace Hoopla” ends each Star Wars Weekends day with a show filled with comedy, dancing and high-energy music.

For more information and future updates, guests may go online to disneyparks.com/blog (keyword search: “Star Wars Weekends”) disneyworld.com/starwarsweekends or starwars.com.

Singer Davy Jones, from the 1960s pop group The Monkees, was scheduled to perform at the 19th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival “Flower Power” concert series. However Jones, who was Festival favorite for at least the last 10 years, suffered a heart attack and passed away on February 29. Based on suggestions from fans of both Jones and The Monkees, Disney has arranged to have another former member of group, Micky Dolenz, take Jones's spot on the series schedule.

Concerts are performed at the America Gardens Theatre in World Showcase. Show Times: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 5:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Concerts are included with Epcot admission.

A brand new tour is now available at Disneyland called Cultivating the Magic!

According to Erin Glover, Manager, Social Media and Print, this tour "lets you experience the story of Disneyland park as told through the plants."

Similar to garden tours at Walt Disney World, you will learn all about the gardens and landscapes that tell a story and keep Walt's vision for Disneyland vibrant!

The tour will include select Disneyland attractions as well as lots of little details about trees you have walked past but didn't take notice of.

The tour is approximately approximately two hours long.

Theme park admission for Disneyland park is required to attend the tour.

The tour leaves from Disneyland park Tour Gardens (left of City Hall) on Saturdays and Sundays at 9 a.m. and Mondays at 10 a.m.

All guests who participate receive a collectable souvenir pin and exclusive seed packet.

Attractions and entertainment are subject to change without notice.

For pricing and booking information (and to find out about a special discount for Disney Rewards Visa and AAA card holders, Disney Vacation Club members and Disneyland Resort Annual Passport holders) call 714-781-TOUR (8687). Also, be sure to check out the other Disneyland Resort Guided Tours at Disneyland.com/Tours.