Editorial: Magic Bands and Fast Pass Plus

Disney made a major announcement this week regarding the future of how Fast Pass Plus and Magic bands would be working for all guests, so I thought I would throw my opinion into the fray and do my monthly editorial on this $1 Billion dollar project know as "Next Gen".

Magic Bands and Mickey

Next Gen" is the term used by Disney to label an incredibly expansive project around the Walt Disney Resort. The project includes but is not limited to enhancements made to admissions, turnstiles, attraction queues, reservations, resorts, dining, and on, and on, and on.  The Disney company feels that the future of the theme park industry is in making every experience for every guest unique and personal, and I for one am a big fan of the project.

Change is always going to be a point of contention for die hard fans of any "fan" group, Disney, Star Wars, Star Trek, and comics all get lambasted anytime they make a change.  People by nature are abhorrent to change. I have never understood this really, for most times in life change is a wonderful thing. The changes that Disney is making now will forever affect the theme park industry and the way we travel and vacation.

Disney, as many of you know, now issues an item know as Magic Bands to all future resort guests, annual passholders, and as of this week, even day guests can buy their own Magic Bands to use in the parks. The band is used for a variety of things, it is your room key at the Disney resorts, your admission into the parks, your Fast Pass to the attractions, and your Photopass while visiting Disney.  The system uses a colorful bracelet which contains an RFID chip that has all of your information encoded to a main database and is genius in design.

The problem with the project is mainly found among annual passholders and frequent visitors whom over the years have found way to hoard Fast Passes to Disneys major attractions, and in reality, to manipulate a system that needed desperate change. I for one hate getting to the park at 12:00 PM only to find the Fast Passes for most major attractions gone.  The new system allows the Fast Passes to be spread among the masses more evenly.  A resort/passholder guest can now book three Fast Passes each day well in advance of their arrival at the resort and rest easy knowing that they have at least 3 key things reserved that they really want to experience.

Disney in the near future will be adjusting the Fast Pass system so that once those three items have been used, then guests may visit a Fast Pass kiosk and pick another selection, after that one is used they may do another, and rinse repeat. The system currently does not allow Fast Passes to be used in regards to what Disneyholics call Park Hopping (going from one park to another), this to will be changing in the future.

I would like to see everyone relax a little about the new systems and give Disney some time to work out the kinks and details.  I can say first hand that when combined with the My Disney Experience app the system has always worked great for me and has been a huge time saver and stress reducer. I am a fan and congratulate Disney on the foresight they have and look forward to the future of the "Next Gen" project.

Cabana Bay Resort Opens!!

Universal Orlando is celebrating the opening of its fourth on-site resort hotel and it looks to be another home run for the unstoppable property here in Orlando.

The Cabana Bay Beach Resort officially opened yesterday to eager guests looking to visit the resort and experience all of its amenities, but still save the family a little money on accommodations. The resort and its retro theme beckon travelers to a time when family trips by car were the norm, and "Air Conditioned Rooms and Color TV's" were the hottest thing in America.

Front Entrance

The resort even went retro with the bathroom amenities which feature VO5 shampoo and conditioner,  and Zest soaps!!  Poolside you will find a sandy beach area that has ping pong tables, a massive zero-entry pool, plenty of Cabanas to take a break from the intense Florida sun, and OUTDOOR pool tables....score one for Universal recreation.

Main Lobby

The opening is only phase one of this massive property and includes 900 family suites, a great retro lobby bar, a classic dive tower water slide in the pool area, and a ten lane bowling alley just for starters.  The resort also offers its guests a massive food court and a hip little lounge for Mom and Dad. The resort is also home to the worlds first Jack LaLanne fitness center which is amazingly nostalgic and contemporary at the same time, a fitting tribute to the "Father of Fitness".

Main Pool area with waterslide

Fitness center

Bowling!!

Yes...Bowling!!

Retro Bar

Phase two of the resort will open later this summer and add 900 standard rooms, add another pool, and Universals first lazy river at any of its resort properties. A new poolside bar and another quick service restaurant is slated to be part of Phase 2 also.

Congratulations to Universal in yet another successfully executed concept. Be sure to check out Cabana Bay Beach Resort when you get a chance, they are taking reservations now at GREAT rates!!  Click the link below for more information.

CABANA BAY BEACH RESORT RESERVATIONS

Enjoy!!

Disney's Frozen Hits a Major Milestone!!

Disney's Frozen reached a milestone this week when it became the highest grossing animated film of all time, beating out Toy Story 3 for the coveted title.

The cast of Frozen

Total global box office revenue for the film reached over one billion dollars this week and still has room to climb. The amazing success of the film has also earned it number ten on the list of largest global blockbusters of all time.

The movie, for those that have not seen it, is an amazing heart-warming story of family,and friends and the ability to trust the love of both.  Disney was already looking at breaking records when the film took both Best Animated Film and Best Original Song at the 2014 Oscars. The win of an Oscar, as with most films, simply pushed its box office receipts even higher.

Congratulations to the cast and crew at the Disney Company that labored to bring this film to life. We also want to give our thanks to Disney for once again thawing our hearts and showing us how to "Let it Go" in a way that only Disney storytelling can do.

Enjoy!!

Huffington Post Gives Florida Some Love!!

The Huffington Post recently published an article giving 23 Reason Florida may be the Best State to Live In, and the article is great.  I think we as Floridians tend to forget how good we have it here sometimes. The theme parks, the beach, the sunshine, the always green and lush landscape, and the list goes on!

Vintage Post Card

 Do not mistake the fact that we have issues, and our share of crazies, but for the most part I am proud to be a native Floridian and love being here.  Take a moment and read the article below then tells us what you love most about living or visiting the "Sunshine State"!!

Click the link Below

23 Reasons Florida (Yes, Florida) Is Quite Possibly The Best State In America

NEW!! Star Wars Character Dining during Star Wars Weekends!

Do you feel a disturbance in the force? The disturbance would be the joy of thousands of Star Wars fans hearing the announcement that for the first time ever you will be able to dine with characters from Disney and the Star Wars films during Star Wars Weekends at Disney Studios!!

Parking At-At the front gate

Starting May 4th, the official Star Wars day, Star Wars fans and geeks can have breakfast at Sci-Fi Dine in, or dinner at Hollywood and Vine with their favorite characters.  Dinner characters will include Ewok Chip and Dale, Leia Minnie, Jedi Mickey, Darth Goofy and Stormtrooper Donald, all taking photos and signing autographs while families dine on a great selection of specially theme Star Wars foods.  Breakfast will be dominated by Stormtroopers, Jawas, Greedo, Boba Fett, and the evil mastermind himself Darth Vader!!

A rainbow moment

Prices for breakfast will cost $47.99 for adults, and $29.99 for kids. Dinner will run you $55.99 for the adults and $36.99 for your little Ewoks. You will also receive a digital download on a special Photopass card made for the event . These dining options will run during the entire time period of the event and not just on the weekends.

The news follows the announcement from Disney that Mark Hamill will be making his first ever appearance the weekend of June 6th - 8th, 2014. The attendance of the original Luke Skywalker is expected to be paired with an announcement the he will be appearing in the new Star Wars: Episode VII film due in theaters December 18th, 2015.

Luke Skywalker announcement expected

I am also counting on some type of announcement from Disney regarding a new Star Wars expansion at the Florida complex but only time will tell.

Enjoy!!

Seven Dwarfs Mine Artwork and Cast Member Training

Disney Imagineering has released the new official logo for the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Coaster which is soon to open at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando.  The artwork is bright, detailed, and solidifies the rumors that we will see all seven of the Dwarfs in the attraction.

Official Logo

The attraction has been a very long build and is the final piece to the massive Fantasyland expansion. The opening date has not been set in stone but cast members begin training on April the 20th, so look for a soft opening around that time with a grand opening in May.

Enjoy!!

#disney #rollercoaster #fantasyland

Cabana Bay Garden Walk Details

Guests staying at the Cabana Bay Resort at Universal Orlando will have a new experience to add to their lists of things that make Cabana Bay resort unique.  The once rumored Garden Path walkway leading from the resort to the theme parks has been started, and looks to be like an amazing scenic journey from Cabana Bay down a new canal system and into the Royal Pacific Resort grounds before heading into CityWalk and the park areas.

The project was first discovered months ago, but only recently has Universal Orlando made it official.  Pylons are being driven into the ground near Cabana Bay and blueprints have been released.  Guests will actually cross from the resort over what is being called a Garden Bridge. The bridge will allow guests to cross without ever realizing they are crossing over a busy roadway system.

Bridge Artist Concept

The path will then wind along side canals and landscaping ending where the Royal Pacific Resorts guests cross now to get to Citywalk and the entrances of the parks.

Overlay of new walkway

Cabana Bay Resort Phase 1 is scheduled to open at the end of this month, with Phase 2 opening later in the summer. More details to follow.

Enjoy!!

#cabanabay #universalorlando #themepark