Old Town Kissimmee gets some new attractions....

Old Town located of of Hwy 192 in  Kissimmee, Florida is a location that many people pass everyday.  The bright lights and carnival style attractions bring back memories of an era gone by, a time when big budget theme parks were scarce, and the family outing to the local fair/carnival created memories that lasted a lifetime.

Old Town at night

Old Town is not really a park but a unique shopping and entertainment district located at the doors to Walt Disney World.  The weekly classic car show is a favorite with locals, as well as visitors from abroad, and will allow you to see automobiles that most have only seen in movies. Corn dogs, popcorn, hamburgers and hot-dogs (along with many other items) help to fill the stomachs of those traveling back into this quaint little "town".

Classic Car Show every Saturday night is a huge hit

Last year saw the opening of a new permanent haunted attraction "Legends: A Haunting at Old Town". The premise behind Legends is simple, a  funeral home established by Archibald Ashdown in 1889 at Old Town had a thriving business burying the dead. The truth is however that not everyone Archibald buried was dead at the time, and now those souls haunt the building forever. The attraction is unique in that it has live actors, combined with animatronics and special effects in ways never used before. The one thing that really makes this attraction a nine on the scare scale is that the actors are not leashed, meaning they are free to roam, so no location in the house is safe from the dead.

Creepy

The attraction has been an instant hit, so Old Town has decided to expand its entertainments offerings once again by adding a new venue known as "The Great Magic Hall".  The project is still on the "do not discuss" list for now, but we have pulled some hints out of our magic hat as to what the experience entails.

The Great Magic Hall will be a series of rooms all interconnected and driven by a singular story line.  Guests will be escorted through 12 rooms where they will lay witness to some mind-blowing magic tricks that will be combined with special effects, actors, and other surprises. We are also told that the finale is something not to be missed and will leave you in awe. The attraction is operated by Theater Magic, which is the same crew that does shows at Universal and other area parks. More details will follow as they are released but look for a summer 2014 opening for this new project.

The pace at Old Town is slower, and more intimate than in the larger parks and can be a refreshing change for most guests, so if you get the chance check it out!!

Enjoy!!

Mardi Gras 2014 at Universal "Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez"!!

Let the good times roll!! or as the French say "Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez"!!

Music Plaza at night

Universal just released a new list of artists for the annual Mardi Gras celebration and the line up is going to be outstanding with something for basically everyone! The celebration takes place each year at Universal Studios Florida and is a massively popular experience, which is understandable as the Music Plaza area at the studios is one of the best outdoor concert venues ever built inside a theme park.

Line up as of 1/16/2014

Top name acts and new up and coming performers will fill the stage on select nights at the largest Mardi Gras celebration outside of New Orleans. The studios is decorated in festive purple, gold and green colors along with many other great photo op sets. This year will be the longest running Mardi Gras event Universal has ever hosted, and will provide the lead in for the opening of the new Harry Potter: Diagon Alley which is rumored to open in early June.

Mardi Gras nights bring the famous parade with floats galore (many of which come directly from New Orleans), more beads than you can carry, commemorative doubloons, and lots and lots of glitter and confetti. The smell of true New Orleans Mardi Gras food fills the air and drinks, including the signature Hurricane, flow like water.

King Gator Float

King Cake

Beauty of India float

 Mardi Gras nights can be packed, with the major artists nights reaching sell outs.  So be prepared to have some amazing experiences with a few thousand of your closest friends and celebrate this great event along with Universals top attractions and shows. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or help with planning your trip.

Enjoy!!

#mardigras #themeparkwhispers #universalorando

Whaaaaaaaaa?!?!?! Dispicable Me 3 in 2017

Fans of the cute, rowdy and extremely funny banana colored Minions rejoice!!  Universal has announced that Despicable Me 3 will hit theaters in 2017 and promise it to be bigger and better than ever. The original voice cast will be back, along with a new surprise for our minion buddies.

Universal also announced a new version of Dr. Seuss's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" will be released the same year. Look for the new film to be an animated adaptation of the classic.  To those of you that are asking didn't Universal just do a Grinch film...well by the time the new film is released "The Grinch", staring Jim Carey, will be 17 years old!!

Enjoy!!

#minions #tpw #dispicableme #universal #thegrinch 

Typhoon Lagoon Closed today due to weather

Please note that Disney's Typhoon Lagoon will be closed today due to the cold temperatures here in Central Florida.  Disney's Blizzard Beach is already closed for its annual refurbishment.

#disney #typhoonlagoon #tpw

Disney goes Steampunk with all new Festival of Fantasy Parade this spring!!

Disney is about to shake up its theme park parade world with a major, and  much needed, replacement to the long running Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade which ended its run on January 4th at the Magic Kingdom.

Expect lots of metal, high end fabricated floats, new characters, and a few surprises when Disney debuts the all new Festival of Fantasy Parade!!  The theme of the parade as you can see from the artists renderings below will be very Jules Vern, the father of Steampunk,  in nature and will feature some new floats with characters never before used in a Disney parade.

Little Mermaid Float

Mickey and Minnie join the fun!

Brave

Off to Neverland!

Disney also released some new photos of the Maleficent float that will be part of this new guest experience.  I will say that I am very excited about this new parade and the Dragon from Maleficent is truly amazing in its look and stature.  Disney, ever the master in promotion, has leaked the photos not only to build anticipation for the new parade, but also for the new Maleficent film due out this May staring Angelina Jolie.

Details on the rest of the parade should be released soon as we head quickly into the spring opening.

Enjoy!!

#disney #maleficent #parade #steampunk #themeparkwhispers

Winter Side of Disney's Winter-Summerland Mini Golf Closed Until Further Notice

As expected Disney has announced the closing of the Winter side of their popular Winter-Summerland Mini Golf course located near Disney's Blizzard Beach water park. The closure is to allow for a major refurbishment of the area. No re-opening date has been given and we will provide more details as we find them out.

The Summerland side of the course will remain open during this time period.  So if you plan on Mini Golf on your next visit to Disney plan accordingly.

Enjoy!

Disney Breaks Ground on Avatar:The World of Pandora Project

Disney's Animal Kingdom started the process of becoming a much larger, full day park experience this week with the official groundbreaking for a new area themed to James Cameron's Avatar.  The ceremony took place in the now closed Camp Minnie Mickey area with Tom Staggs (Chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts), and leaders from Lightstorm Entertainment. James Camerons absence is a little peculiar, and may show a shift in how Disney intends to create and present the new area.

Leaders from Disney and Lightstorm

The new environment is going to be large with multiple attractions, restaurants, and merchandise locations, as well as many opportunities to snap some great photos. The themed environment will take over the old Camp Minnie Mickey as well as a huge section of backstage that was utilized for storage at the property. Disney actually started the process months ago with the closing of the highly popular show Festival of The Lion King which will be getting a new home closer to Harambe.

Future home to Avatar

Disney promises to take entertainment to a new level with the entire area of Pandora being one of the most immersive that Disney has ever provided. Bio-Luminescent plant life, floating mountains, and stunning landscapes will transport guests from Orlando Florida to the planet of Pandora home to indigenous Na'Vi .

Confirmed at this time are two E-Ticket attractions (Disney lingo for really awesome) of which one will be a boat ride through the forests of Pandora, and the other a signature attraction simulating flight on the back of a banshee soaring through the skies of the Na'Vi world.

Boat ride concept art

Banshee Ride concept art

Concept art of entrance to Pandora

James Cameron, Tom Staggs, and Joe Rohed with Pandora model

 The new area is expected to open in mid 2017 and should be an amazing experience for guests of all ages. Stay tuned for more details as they are made available.

Enjoy!!

#pandora , #disney , #animalkingdom , #orlando

The Marvel Experience program details and artwork released.

(Time for our new weekly Friday update, that's right boy and girls, we will be updating the Theme park Whispers site every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this year (with more updates if needed) for your enjoyment!!)

2014 promises to be an amazing year for the parks here in Orlando. Universal will open a new game changing area with Harry Potter: Diagon Alley, Disney will take us on an amazing ride through the Mines of the Seven Dwarfs,  Seaworlds Aquatica is scheduled to open the worlds tallest, fastest, water slide, and the Orlando Eye is set to change the look and shopping available on International drive. Mondays update will start a series based on 2014 openings and we will kick it off with Universal's new Potter Project.

Today we will explore something that is not located in the theme parks in Orlando but is going to be a "do not miss" event if you are lucky enough to be close to an area that will host, get ready... The Marvel Experience!

Disney is really going to WOW guests with this attraction and it may be an indication of things to come in their theme parks worldwide. Contract restraints with Universal NBC do not allow Disney to use most of its major super hero characters east of the Mississippi in a permanent attraction. Disney however, resourceful as always, has found a way to tour their intellectual property and still fulfill the contract. So grab your favorite Marvel comic book and lets head into the world of super heroes, super villains, and high tech gadgetry.

Artist rendering of the S.H.I.E.L.D. complex

The Marvel Experience is a $30 million dollar interactive extravaganza that is going to amaze visitors with exhibits, 3D animated short films, digital projects, virtual simulators, merchandise and super hero meet and greets, with photo opportunities galore.

S.H.I.E.L.D. (short for Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law Enforcement Division) is the organization responsible for the safety of our planet in the Marvel universe. The organization works hand in hand with super heroes to insure peace reigns worldwide and unseen threats stay at bay.

Since the Avengers saved the world from Loki and his evil Chitauri army, the public wants to know more about super heroes and how they fit into our society.  S.H.I.E.L.D. will be providing a first hand look at some of these heroes and operations worldwide that have been kept secret for years, and they have will be deploying a mobile command center to do so.

Utilizing a 2 acre foot print with over 80,000 square feet of exhibit space The Marvel Experience will take you through a series of inter-connected domes that are central to a singular story line.High tech imagery, advanced fabricated sets, and live actors will all play part in this attraction providing a guest experience like none other.  Details and tour dates will follow soon, but we already rank this as one of the major theme park connected experiences of 2014!!

Enjoy!!