Diana – The people’s princess the new exhibit is now open. It occupies the old Virgin Mega store in the West Side part of Downtown Disney. There are many artefacts on display along with some of her dresses. The exhibit covers the whole of the downstairs part of the building. It charts her life from child to icon.

Admission is $14.50 (ages 10 and above), $5 for ages 3-9. Hours are 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. The exhibit will be at Downtown Disney through Nov. 30, 2009.

Here is an interesting story that was reported recently in the Orlando press. Like most of us, Brent Pope of Jacksonville gets frustrated by long queues at Walt Disney World in Florida . So when Mr Pope, 44, was laid off from his job at an ad agency a few months ago, he decided to see if he could do something about it. So he developed “Wait Times”  a really clever iPhone application that will tell you just how long the queues are for the rides and attractions at Magic Kingdom. The app was approved for sale by Apple on Tuesday of this week. The “app” relies on other app users to supply wait-time information.

They can choose from a list of rides and then enter or view the current wait for that ride. The more information that people report, then the more useful Pope’s 99-cent app becomes. He’s also planning to release Wait Times apps for the other Disney parks in Orlando and California as well as for Universal Studios in Orlando and California.

 

After a cold winter Orlando is under going some very hot Spring weather with temperatures reaching the upper 90’s. This is the time that Florida needs some rain as we start to see some wild fires cropping up in various parts of the state. Also villa owners and other home owners don’t want to see their lawns drying up and dying.

A new attraction at Downtown Disney featuring a balloon that carries guests up to 400 ft giving views of all around Walt Disney World has opened at Downtown Disney. One word of warning though, you could be waiting in line a long time if it is a little windy. The attraction operates on a “weather permitting” basis. Given the amount of thunderstorms around the area in the Summer I would say it will be closed quite a lot.

It works on a scale so if the wind speed is between 12 – 22 mph there will be fewer than 10 riders and each round trip lasts 10 minutes so by that calculation there wont be many people going through the attraction in an hour. If it gets much windier than that then the flight is grounded. Don’t forget it might just be breezy where you are stood but up at 400 ft it could be quite strong.

 

The restaurant Spoodles is being replaced on Disney’s boardwalk. The new restaurant to take it’s place is Kouzzina (Greek for “kitchen” and pronounced “koo-zee-nah”) It is being opened by Cat Cora and will feature Mediterranean style food. Kouzzina will be owned and operated by Walt Disney World.

There is a new Farmers market open on the corner of Sand Lake Road and Turkey Lake Road. It is sponsored by the Whole Foods Market It is open every Saturday from 9am till 2pm.

If it is your Birthday when you visit Walt Disney World in Florida next Year, you will get to celebrate your big day for free, yes, that's right you will be given free entry to the park. According to Fox news as long as you show a valid form of id there will be no charge for you.

 Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said that he hoped visitors would make the most of the opportunity. "Our goal is to mark the special moments in your life in a way that your family will remember forever," he added.

If you have already bought your ticket, you can either get a ticket for next year, get a fast pass for up to 6 people or spend the ticket equivalent on merchandise. So it seems worthwhile letting them know if you are visiting on your birthday

From the Orlando Sentinel 29th May 2008

For its next big attraction, "Manta," SeaWorld Orlando intends to mix 184,000 gallons of water, 3,000 sea animals and a roller coaster that puts riders in a prone position, then takes them through four inversions and as high as 140 feet and as fast as 56 mph.

"You say, 'Hey, you're putting as much emphasis on the animals as on the ride.' Absolutely. That's who we are. This is uniquely SeaWorld. We don't want to just put in a ride," said Joseph Couceiro, chief marketing officer for SeaWorld's parent company, Busch Entertainment Corporation.

SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Entertainment officials today announced details today for the new Manta roller coaster, which they said will seamlessly take guests from the awe of encountering rays in underwater flight into the sensation of actually being one.

Swooping over water and sky, Manta will show riders underwater animal habitats, then soar them face-down aboard a manta-inspired flying coaster, donned in hues of dark purple, ultramarine blue and cobalt.