ORLANDO — The books and movies have long since wrapped up the epic tale, with Voldemort vanquished, Snape lionized, and the young heroes sending their own children off to Hogwarts. But the specter of Harry Potter will continue to dominate the landscape of central Florida for years to come.

“The Wizarding World of Harry Potter brought millions of new visitors to Orlando,” said Robert Niles, editor of the consumer website Theme Park Insider. “What we’re seeing now is a competitive moment, and the Orlando parks are all trying to take advantage of the momentum.”

The Wizarding World attractions opened to nearly mile-long lines in June 2010 at Universal Studios’ Islands of Adventure park, with a resulting 30 percent leap in attendance over 2009 — this in just a half-year of wand shopping and butterbeer. The din has barely subsided in the ensuing two years.

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“The word of mouth was excellent,” said Niles, “which led into Christmas 2010, which led into last summer, and so on. If something gets big enough, it creates a buzz that goes way above theme-park fans; it got to that level with Harry Potter.”

Mouse ears across town perked up, and as summer 201…………………continues on Boston Globe
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Inside Disney’s new Carbon-Freeze Me experience, immersing guests in a Star …
Article from Inside the Magic:

After being caught spying on Darth Vader’s latest Death Star plans, I was sentenced to eternal imprisonment frozen in carbonite. Maybe it didn’t go quite like that, but I did indeed step into a carbon freezing chamber at Walt Disney World, voluntarily, as part of the newest line of custom collectibles offered during Star Wars Weekends 2012, which began yesterday.

Disney calls the experience “Carbon Freeze Me,” enabling theme park guests to have their faces scanned and 3D-printed onto a small collectible figurine featuring their likeness sculpted onto Han Solo’s body, frozen in carbonite, a la “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.”

With the aid of my pal Kenny the Pirate, I recorded my trip into the Carbon Freeze Me experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, seen in the video below, including the variety of amusing faces I made while trying to act like I’d just been doomed by the Dark Lord of the Sith.

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Walt Disney World Hidden History: Remnants of Former Attractions and Other Tributes
Everyone can list their favorite former attractions at Walt Disney World. What if you could still have a glimpse of those treasure…

Micky Dolenz played to a full house at Disney World on Friday — but he really would have preferred not to be.

“Frankly, I wish it was someone else,” Dolenz said after finishing a few songs during the Flower Power concert series, part of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

He got the gig after friend and bandmate Davy Jones died unexpectedly Feb. 29. Jones, a frequent Flower Power performer, was scheduled to appear at the festival this weekend.

Dolenz, 67, said the death is still a “shocker” and that Jones was the closest thin…………………continues on Orlando Sentinel
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New Course Revealed for 20th Anniversary of Walt Disney World Marathon
Article from MousePlanet:

RunDisney has revealed the revised course for the 20th anniversary running of the Walt Disney World marathon.
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Runners to Race Around the “High Banks’’ and “Bases’’ As Part of 20th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon Course

2013 Disney Marathon route to go through baseball stadium and speedway; course tweaks build on list of new 2013 enhancements

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – (May 16, 2012) – Runners in the 20th anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon in 2013 will have the unique experience of running along a speedway and through a baseball stadium – in addition to Disney’s four theme parks – as part the latest enhancements designed to celebrate the event’s two decades of existence.

The 2013 Disney Marathon course will again start at Epcot. But runners will go through the Magic Kingdom and then, for the first time ever, run through the high-banked Walt Disney World Speedway where stock cars, Indy cars and exotic supercars typically roar around the one-mile tri-oval track. And later the course will take runners to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and through the complex’s Champion Stadium, a major-league style ballpark that’s the Atlanta Braves’ annual spring training home.

“Running through the speedway and the ballpark should provide quite a thrill for the runners,’’ said veteran race director Jon Hughes. “Thes…………………continues on MousePlanet
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2012 Walt Disney World Tinker Bell Pin

2012 Walt Disney World Tinker Bell Pin
List Price:
Price: 9.95

There was a moment the other night when I was sitting in my favorite chair at home and thinking of my favorite attraction at Walt Disney World.  But, this time I wasn’t just thinking about it in a standard way.  This time I was trying to recall why it was my favorite attraction.  What seems to draw me to this attraction when our family visits Walt Disney World?  Why does it just pop into my head when I’m dreaming of Disney World?  Continue through the page break and let’s take a quick look at why an attraction can become your favorite.

As you can see from the picture above my favorite attraction at Disney World is Spaceship Earth- the big geosphere that’s the icon of EPCOT (yes, there’s a ride in there).  There are a couple of…………………continues on DIS Unplugged
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Review: Disney’s Yacht Club Resort – DIS Unplugged
Article from Review: Disney’s Yacht Club Resort – DIS Unplugged:

There is a very good reason that Disney’s Yacht Club remains one of the most popular resorts in Orlando.  Its charm and ambiance remind me of just how good Disney is at theming a resort, and carrying that theme throughout each and every square inch of the property.

This review is a bit different than the ones I’ve done in the past.  As part of our ongoing effort to raise money for Give Kids the World, we decided to start ‘auctioning’ off thes…………………continues on Review: Disney’s Yacht Club Resort – DIS Unplugged
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NEW YORK, May 17, 2012—When runDisney promised new features for the 20^th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon, they weren’t joking. Disney Sports announced that the Walt Disney World Marathon course will be modified for the race to take runners not only though the four Walt Disney World theme parks, but also through the Walt Disney World Speedway and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex including Champion Stadium, a major-league style ballpark that the Atlanta Braves call home for spring training.

“Running through the speedway and the ballpark should provide quite a thrill for the runners,’’ said race director Jon Hughes. “These very creative enhancements should make for a pretty memorable 20^th anniversary marathon that people will probably be talking about for 20 more years.’’

Other changes unique to the 20^th anniversary include extra entertainment along Mile 20, a specially designed 20^th an…………………continues on Washington Times
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DisneyBound: 10 Super-Stylish Disney-Inspired Outfits From The Fashion Tumblr
Article from Huffington Post:

As self-professed Disney lovers, our latest Tumblr obsession has been DisneyBound.Tumblr.com — a popular fan site that doles out practical style tips inspired by classic Disney cartoon characters, from Aladdin, to Ariel, to Winnie The Pooh.

The project started out as a personal blog where creator Leslie Kay casually documented her excitement about an upcoming trip to Disney World. It was when she decided to start incorporating her other passion — fashion — into her Disney-themed posts that the site quickly took o…………………continues on Huffington Post
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Disney Parks: The Secrets, Stories and Magic Behind the Scenes (Walt Disney World Resort: Behind the Scenes / Disneyland Resort: Behind the Scenes / Ultimate Walt Disney World / Disney s Animal Kingdom / Disney Cruise Line / Undiscovered Disney Parks)
It is all here… the secrets, the stories and the magic of the places where dreams come true. Contains the following programs: Wa…

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — You can do Disney on a dime; well, actually not a dime.

But there are ways to definitely get your family to Disney World this summer on a budget; and if you know the tricks, you can save a lot.

If your dream is getting to Disney this summer, we found some experts to help.

“You may find that it’s difficult to find Disney’s discounts and that’s really how my site started,” said Mary Waring, of MouseSavers.com.

Waring runs MouseSavers.com, which has special deals and tips on how to save.

Then, there’s the Williams family from McCandless. Brett Williams has created a spreadsheet so they don’t waste time at Disney.

“You want to talk about Disney, time is money,” he says.

Tip #1: Undercover Tourist

Undercover Tourist is a site to get discounted park tickets, which can be a big expense.

“They buy in bulk from Disney, and they’re able to sell it at a slight discount,” says Waring.

She says they’re definitely on the up and up, and you get even better discounts from them through the Mousesavers’ newsletter.

Tip #2: Fastpass

With the idea that…………………continues on CBS Local
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Epcot International Flower & Garden Fest
Article from Orlando Sentinel:
WHAT: It’s the final weekend of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Fest at Walt Disney World. Guests can take in thousands of blooms and dozens of the famed topiaries spread across the theme park, but there’s still a little star power left in the fest. Singer Micky Dolenz will perform in the Flower Power concert series in the slot left empty by the death of former bandmate and co-star Davy Jones, who died in February. Meanwhile, HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder will speak about “Turning Your Landscape Inside Out” in the Festival Center.

WHEN: The festival’s last three days are Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 18-20. Dolenz’s concerts are at 5:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Gorder’s appearances are at noon and 3 p.m. (Park hours are 9 a.m.-9 p.m.)

WHERE: Off continues on Orlando Sentinel
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7:49 a.m. EST, May 16, 2012

…………………continues on Orlando Sentinel
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Mathis Helps Band Club Raise Money For Disney World Trip
Article from KRIS Corpus Christi News:
Posted: May 14, 2012 10:22 PM by Morgan Frances – mfrances @kristv.com
Updated: May 15, 2012 11:29 AM

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The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World: Over 600 Secrets of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom
Sure, it’s the Happiest Place on Earth, but how much do the 45 million-plus people who visit the Disney World theme parks annually…

Disney World actresses taking on the role of Merida, the new Highland princess from the upcoming animated ‘Brave’ film, are facing criticism for their not-quite Scottish accents.

After seeing the online videos of two women playing the character at the Florida amusement park, many viewers are saying the accent is Irish not Scottish.

“Dear, dear God. That accent is part-Irish, part-Indian,” commented one YouTube viewer, according to the Daily Record.

<…………………continues on IrishCentral
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Mathis Community Helps Band Club Raise Money For Disney
Article from KRIS Corpus Christi News:
Posted: May 14, 2012 10:22 PM by Morgan Frances – MFrances @kristv.com
Updated: May 15, 2012 4:28 AM

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2012 Walt Disney World Mickey Mouse Pin

2012 Walt Disney World Mickey Mouse Pin
List Price:
Price: 9.95

June 13 2010

Lake Buena Vista, FL – When Walt and Roy Disney founded their company in 1923 they had fantasies about becoming a dream factory. Through incredible innovation and imagination, that’s exactly what the two brothers built. Expanding from simply
shorts to full length motion pictures, theme parks, and cultural weight that few companies have ever achieved, that dream has spread to millions of creative people and fans around the world. Unlike any other studio of that era, Disney was built by and for dreamers, and that ethos survives until this day almost ninety years later.

Of course things have changed dramatically since those times. Now a multi-billion dollar multi-national corporation the company has expanded far beyond anything the brothers could have imagined. Along with that power comes, of course, a great deal of responsibility with shareholders, employees, and fans to make happy. That pressure has sometimes
allowed the company to soar above expectations, but has also forced it into the dark depths of corporate greed. Though the company has been able to rise above its difficulties some of those controversies remain skeletonised in the closet, a black mark on the dream factory. Many of those issues have in fact come from the robust image control procedures the…………………continues on The World on your … – Scrape TV
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The Dark Side of Disney
THE DARK SIDE OF DISNEY reveals all of the tips, tricks, scams, and stories that THEY don’t want you to know about! Unabashedly un…

Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World 2012
Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World, the most respected and well-known name in travel guides, takes readers to the world’s most popul…

Walt Disney World is well known for it’s family-friendly attractions. It isn’t, however, known for being terribly affordable. Here are a few tips for making your trip a little easier on the wallet.

Visit during the off-season
Lou Mongello, Walt Disney World historian and host/producer of the WDW Radio show, emphasized that one of the most important factors in reducing the price of your Walt Disney World vacation is deciding upon the right time to go. Since prices fluctuate, try to plan your trip for an off-season when prices drop lower. Mongello recommended four optimal times to visit:

1. Mid-November through mid-December (except Thanksgiving week): This period has low rates, milder weather and holiday decorations.

2. Mid-January through mid-February: Since this is one of the least busy times of the year, room rates are less expensive than other times.

3.Early to mid-May: Rates tend to be lower.

4. End of August to end of September: Rates tend to be lower. Disney has also traditionally offered free dining during this period. For instance, free dining was available “in 2012 from August 25-September 29, 2012 for resort stays booked by May 18th, 2012,” Mongello reported.

Plan trip through Disney
Compare prices for different options with the continues on Fox News
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Disney debut real-life version of Scots princess…but she sounds Irish
Article from Scottish Daily Record:

May 13 2012 By Toby McDonald

THE real-life version of hot-head Highland princess Merida has made her debut at Disney World… to be sure, to be sure.

The first actresses to play the animated star of eagerly-awaited Pixar blockbuster Brave have appeared at the world-famous theme park and fans say they look amazing – but sound Irish.

Videos of two flesh-and-blood Meridas are online but their efforts to copy the accent of Scots star Kelly Macdonald, who voices Merida, have won mixed reviews.

One YouTube viewer said: “Dear, dear God. That accent is part-Irish, part-Indian.”

Another said: “Oh dear, the accent is all over the place. There’s a mix of Irish and even Welsh in there.”

A third stated: “Holy bejesus. That’s the worst fake Irish accent I’ve ever heard. Someone had better tell her she’s supposed to be doing a Scottish one though.”

Disney launched a nationwide search for lookalikes to meet and greet guests in their parks this summer when Brave will premiere.

The actresses, who have not been named, are just two…………………continues on Scottish Daily Record
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For some, Disney World’s newest souvenir is just another pricey geek trinket, but for others, it’s a lifelong dream made real. As part of its Star Wars Weekends events in the springtime, Disney’s Hollywood Studios (one of four parks that make up Disney World) has announced plans for its new Carbon-Freeze Me experience, which allows Star Wars fans to freeze a likeness of themselves into a 3-D eight-inch figurine a la Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back.

The Disney Parks blog reveals that the experience uses state-of-the-art technology to capture multiple angles of a subject’s face, which are then processed on a fancy computer and built out (most likely with a 3-D printer). Within just four short weeks, you’ll have your own personal reminder of gangster enslavement! Getting to live out your carbonite dream will set you back a mere $ 99.95 (plus shipping), and you’ll be free to get your Han on as early as May 18.

I’m not making it down to Disney World anytime soon, so I’ll probably just attempt to achieve the…………………continues on Entertainment Weekly
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PHS band wins best in show at Disney Festival
Article from Seacoastonline.com:

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