by Don Myers

It’s a very special time at the Vacation Kingdom of the World, as one of the four parks turned 15 this week! So let’s get the festivities started and dive right in to the latest edition of the WDW Radio Newswire…..

We begin this edition of the Newswire with some birthday wishes for WDW’s fourth (and newest) park: Animal Kingdom. It’s hard to believe, but Animal Kingdom has been in operation for 15 years now! To commemorate this special occasion, Disney gave the park a 15th Anniversary celebration. The big day took place on Monday April 22nd, an important date Worldwide, as it also happens to be Earth Day. Festivities kicked off bright and early at 8:40am with a special Opening Ceremony at the base of the Tree of Life. Speakers for the ceremony included Jackie Ogden (VP of Animals, Science, and Environment for Disney Parks) and Josh D’Amaro (VP of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park). Other special events for the day included Party for the Planet activities in Africa, Asia, and Rifiki’s Planet Watch, and several artists and vendors were also on hand throughout Africa and Discovery Island. Special merchandise also played a part in the celebration, as various anniversary products such as shirts, hats, pins, and Vinlymation were available for purchase. There were also commemorative guide maps and keepsake postcards for Guests as well, and of course the party wouldn’t be complete without a delicious Earth Day cupcake! All in all it was a very special day and a very important milestone for Animal Kingdom, and I for one am extremely happy that Disney decided to honor the park for 15 years of service and memories.

Now it’s time to look ahead to the future of Animal Kingdom. For this newsbit we head into the heart of Africa, where construction walls have recently emerged at the site of the new theatre for Festival of the Lion King. The show will be relocating from its current home in Camp Minnie-Mickey to a new location in Africa later this year. The move comes in anticipation of the upcoming Avatar project at Animal Kingdom. Once it’s completed, Avatar Land will take up the space currently occupied by that of Camp Minnie-Mickey. This inevitable transition makes the Lion King’s upcoming move to Africa both a logical and necessary choice.

For more Animal Kingdom news, let’s venture over to the land of Asia where the Anandapur Ice Cream Truck has just closed up for refurbishment. The closure began on Sunday April 15th, and will last until Thursday May 23rd. This will put the total downtime for the frozen treat spot at just under six weeks.

Now it’s time to park-hop over to Magic Kingdom for some news on an Adventureland attraction. Last week, portions of the Swiss Family Treehouse were covered with large black tarps. As of now the attraction is still open to Guests, despite the presence of this cosmetic inconvenience. This appears to be a simple case of some minor touch-up work for the treehouse, as no upcoming closures are currently scheduled for the attraction.

Our final bit of news today is on the WDW Monorail System. Monorail Black recently hit the Express and Resort Beams sporting a brand new wrap. This new wrap is in promotion of the upcoming film: Iron Man 3. This is the third such wrap to adorn a WDW Monorail. From March 2010-July 2011, Monorail Coral was draped with a Tron wrap, and from March 2012-February 2013 an Avengers wrap covered Monorail Red.

Well, that’s gonna do it for today’s update.  We are having some trouble with our polling software but will get one up and running as soon as possible!

Don Myers covers news and recent events in Walt Disney World.  He has been enamored with the World of Disney since his first trip to WDW in 1986. As they say, the rest is history!  Don also has been a contributing writer for Celebrations magazine since 2009.

The post WDW Radio Newswire: Happy Birthday Animal Kingdom! appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Topics in this week’s Disney news include:

- EPCOT’s 30th Anniversary celebration recap and review
- Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin food and Wine Classic Preview & tasting!
- And more!

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Join us every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET at WDWRadioLIVE.com for a LIVE interactive video news show covering Walt Disney World. Be a part of the broadcast and discussion and discuss the news real-time in the chat room.

Thanks for watching! Be sure to tune in next week!

The post WDW Radio LIVE – Epcot 30 and the Food & Wine Classic – Oct. 3, 2012 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Topics in this week’s Disney news include:

- New Guides at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Wreck-It Ralph at Downtown Disney and Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Whispering Canyon menu changes and review
- Frankenweenie Weekend
- And more!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK - Since we are excited for Epcot’s 30th anniversary this weekend – If you could go back in time and visit EPCOT Center on Oct. 1, 1982, what would be the first thing you do (or eat?)

You can also download the audio version by subscribing to WDW Radio FREE in iTunes

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Join us every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET at WDWRadioLIVE.com for a LIVE interactive video news show covering Walt Disney World. Be a part of the broadcast and discussion and discuss the news real-time in the chat room.

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Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

- Lou Mongello

The post WDW Radio LIVE NewsCast – September 26, 2012 – Disney’s Animal Kingdom Guides, Wreck-It Ralph, Whispering Canyon changes, Frankenweenie, and more! appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Topics in this week’s Disney news include:

- Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party – Mobile site http://m.disneyworld.disney.go.com/
- Gaston’s Tavern in the New Fantasyland
- Fantasmic!
- Little Mermaid at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
- Phineas and Ferb and YOU: A Brand New Reality
- Disney Cruise Line from Galveston, Texas
- Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Members save $300 on Premium Annual Pass
- Walt Disney World Moms Panel
- And more!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK – Have you applied to the Walt Disney World Moms Panel before? Will you apply this year? Why should YOU be on the Moms Panel?

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Join us every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET at http://WDWRadioLIVE.com for a LIVE interactive video news show covering Walt Disney World. Be a part of the broadcast and discussion and discuss the news real-time in the chat room.

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Thanks for watching! Be sure to tune in next week!

- Lou Mongello

The post Video: WDW Radio LIVE – Sept. 12, 2012 – Walt Disney World News with Lou Mongello appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Topics this week include:

- Disney’s D23 Expo 2013 and Destination D 2012
- Epcot International Food and Wine Festival details
- And more!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK – Are you planning on visiting for this year’s Epcot Food & Wine Festival? What are you looking forward to most or what else would you like to see? Leave your answer in the comments below

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Join us every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET at http://WDWRadioLIVE.com for a LIVE interactive video news show covering Walt Disney World. Be a part of the broadcast and discussion and discuss the news real-time in the chat room.

Thanks for watching! Be sure to tune in next week!

- Lou Mongello

The post WDW Radio LIVE – Aug. 1, 2012 – D23 Expo and Epcot Food & Wine Festival appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Topics in this week’s Disney news include:

- Free Dining in Walt Disney World
- Encore Cast Member concert – EncoreCentral.org
- Disney Contest – Help design a new logo!
- And more!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK – Does free dining in Walt Disney World change how or when you visit?

Leave your answer in the Comments section below

Join us every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET at WDWRadioLIVE.com for a LIVE interactive video news show covering Walt Disney World. Be a part of the broadcast and discussion and discuss the news real-time in the chat room.

The post WDW Radio LIVE – Disney News July 18, 2012 – Free Dining in Walt Disney World & more! appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Topics in this week’s Disney News include:

- 2013 Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend, Tinker Bell Half Marathon, and the Wine and Dine Half Marathon
- Grand Floridian Resort refurbishments
- Disney’s California Grill changes
- Dumbo FASTPASS
- Rapunzel Meet and Greet
- Be Our Guest Restaurant Menus
- Party for the Senses at the 17th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World
- Disney Parks air fresheners
- And more!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK – What smell from the Disney Parks would you like in an air freshener?

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Thanks to our sponsor this week – basq Skin Care NYC and their new Disney it’s a small world skin care line!

• Special offer for WDWRadio listeners- this month basq is offering 20% off any purchase when WDWRadio listeners use code “WDW” just input code at check out
• Even better – basq is looking for product reviewers!! Friend basq on Facebook and post your favorite IASW story or inspiration. Your story may qualify you to be one of 15 fans to receive a free IASW product to review and post on their Facebook page. This is a great opportunity to become a guest reviewer & get product for free!

Join us every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET at WDWRadioLIVE.com for a LIVE interactive video news show covering Walt Disney World. Be a part of the broadcast and discussion and discuss the news real-time in the chat room.

Thanks for watching! Be sure to tune in next week!

The post Disney News for July 11, 2012 on WDW Radio LIVE with Lou Mongello appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

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Reported healthy after her first wellness exam, Nafuna, whose name means delivered feet first, was born on June 21^st following a 14-month gestation period.

Guests will be able to catch a glimpse of Nafuna and first-time mom Zawadi a few months from now at Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Ituri Forest. Father Akili currently lives on the savannah at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Considered rare in the wild, okapis are often thought as being related to the zebra because of their stripes. But okapis are in fact, related to the giraffe. Their natural habitat is the Ituri Forest, a dense rain forest in central Africa, which is often threatened by loggers, hunters and human settlements.  Currently, guests can see okapis when they ride the Kilimanjaro Safaris and when traveling along the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail.

Disney’s commitment to conservation and okapis extend beyond breeding. The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund provides support for wildlife study, the protection of habitats and the development of community conservation and education programs in critical ecosystems around the world.  For more information visit Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund.

Okapi fun facts:

• Okapi newborns can stand up within 30 minutes of birth and will nurse for the first time within an hour of birth. They have the same coloring as an adult but have a short fringe of hair along the spine, which generally disappears by the time they are 12 to 14 months old.
• Okapi are typically solitary animals, living alone or in mother-offspring pairs.
• Okapi’s stripes work as camouflage when hiding in the partial sunlight that filters through the forest canopies of Africa.
• They are extremely wary and secretive, making okapi very difficult to observe in the lowland rainforest of central Africa where they make their home.
• Adult okapi can reach weights of 550-720 pounds with females typically being larger than males. They can live over 30 years in zoological facilities.
• Normally silent, female okapi vocalize with a soft “chuff” during courtship and when calling to their calves. There are infrasonic qualities to their call, which are below the frequency that the human ear can detect.

Can’t wait to see this new addition in the Kilimanjaro Safari!!  When do you like to ride Kilimanjaro Safaris?  First thing when you arrive?  After lunch?  In the evening?  Tell us in the poll below!

The post Kilimajaro Safari Poll and Disney’s Animal Kingdom News! appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Tentative Opening Date For Princess Fairytale Hall,

and more!

by Don Myers

The calender has turned to June. The BBQ’s fired up, the tiki torches are lit, and the “Summer Season” is in full swing! So let’s add a little Disney magic to the poolside fun with another edition of the WDW Radio Newswire…..

We start today’s Newswire with some info out of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It seems as if Discovery Island will be the future home to a brand new meet and greet experience, as Disney recently announced plans to transform the store Beastly Bazaar into an indoor “Character Spot” for Animal Kingdom. The store will be closing on Sunday August 12th, however no official opening date has been given for the meet and greet, as Disney has simply stated “Fall 2012″ for the debut. This new character spot is exactly what Animal Kingdom needed, as the Park has seen several “character casualties” since last Fall, including Pocahontas, Jiminy Cricket, Meeko, Lilo, Stitch, Flik, Terk, Timon, Thumper, Miss Bunny, and even Daisy Duck. There’s no word yet on who will be appearing at the new location, but hopefully some of these Characters (as well as a few new ones!) will be included in the line-up.

For more meet and greet news, let’s Park-Hop from Animal Kingdom over to Magic Kingdom, where Disney has made an official announcement pertaining to the opening of Princess Fairytale Hall. A time-frame of “Late 2013″ has been given for the new meet and greet experience, which will be taking up residence in the area formerly occupied by Snow White’s Scary Adventures. Princess Fairytale Hall will be rounding out the Final Phase of the Fantasyland Expansion, along with the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Coaster, which is scheduled to make its debut sometime in 2014.

Let’s stay in Magic Kingdom, and travel from Fantasyland over to Frontierland. It looks as if the residents of Grizzly Hall will be going on a little vacation this Summer, as the Country Bear Jamboree will be closing down for refurb on Wednesday August 22nd. But fans of the singing bears fear not; as Henry, Wendel, Liverlips, Big Al, and the rest of the gang will be back in action on Thursday October 18th. If this estimate stays on track, then this will put the attraction’s downtime at just under two months.

While we’re in Frontierland, let’s quickly make our way over to Liberty Square, where there is some news to report on the Liberty Square Riverboat, aka the Liberty Belle. The Riverboat will be seeing a little downtime this Summer as well, however this refurb is only scheduled to last for a week. The closure is slated to begin on Saturday August 4th, and if all goes according to plan, the Liberty Belle will resume its cruise along the Rivers of America on Saturday August 11th.

For our final bit of news, let’s move out of the Parks and head over to WDW’s newest Resort: Art of Animation. In just about one week’s time, Art of Animation will celebrate the debut of its second (of four) themed areas. Fasten your seatbelts, because the Cars Section is set to officially “start its engines” on Monday June 18th. Also opening on that date is the Cozy Cone Pool, which is located between the area’s two Guest Buildings.

Well, that’s gonna do it for today’s update. But I’ll be back again soon with another edition of the WDW Radio Newswire……

Don Myers covers news and recent events in Walt Disney World.  He has been enamored with the World of Disney since his first trip to WDW in 1986. As they say, the rest is history!  Don also has been a contributing writer for Celebrations magazine since 2009.

The post WDW Radio Newswire: Brand New Character Meet and Greet Coming to Animal Kingdom’s Discovery Island appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

by Don Myers

There’s breaking news out of Storybook Circus, and the 2012 Flower & Garden Festival just kicked off at Epcot Center, so it’s time to dive into the latest edition of the WDW Radio Newswire…..

Unfortunately, we’re gonna have to wait a few more weeks to see an elephant fly again in the Magic Kingdom. The Double Dumbo’s won’t be taking flight until Saturday March 31st, nearly three weeks later than the previously anticipated opening date of Monday March 12th. Fantasyland Train Station, Casey Jr. Roundhouse, and the Great Goofini kids coaster were originally scheduled to make their debuts on March 12th along with Dumbo, but they are all expected to open up on March 31st now as well.

For more news out of the Magic Kingdom, let’s head over to Main Street USA, where exterior refurb work has just about wrapped up on Center Street. Buildings on Center Street have been covered in decorative scrims since the beginning of October, so this will put the total refurb time at just under five months. There is still one building on Center Street that remains under tarps, but work is expected to be completed on that final section very soon.

Now let’s Park Hop from the Magic Kingdom over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where there is a small bit of news to report on Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. Indy will be going on a brief two-day hiatus later this month, as there will be no performances of the stunt show on Saturday March 10th or Sunday March 11th. But fear not; as Dr. Jones will be back in action on Monday March 12th.

Shifting gears, let’s “dive” into a little Water Park news. The re-opening date for Typhoon Lagoon is fast approaching. The Lagoon will return to full operation in a little over a week’s time, as the Park is set to open back up on Sunday March 18th. Typhoon Lagoon has been closed since Sunday December 4th for its annual refurbishment.

For our final bit of news today, let’s head back into the Parks, where the 2012 International Flower & Garden Festival is now in full swing over at EPCOT. The event kicked off on Wednesday March 7th, and things will run throughout the Spring, with an end date scheduled for Sunday May 20th. This will be the 19th incarnation of the festival, as the first event took place back in 1994. Over 100 topiaries will be on display this year, and the usual slate of events are back on the docket, including presentations by HGTV and DIY network personalities, special displays like Bambi’s Butterfly House and the English Tea Garden, and of course, the Flower Power Concert Series at the America Gardens Theatre. And much to my delight, the Wonders of Life pavilion will once again be opening its doors to serve as the Festival Center (open daily from 10am-5pm).

For more information on the 2012 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, head to:

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/special-events/epcot-international-flower-and-garden-festival/

Well, that’s gonna do it for today’s update, but I’ll be back again soon with another edition of the WDW Radio Newswire…..

Don Myers covers news and recent events in Walt Disney World.  He has been enamored with the World of Disney since his first trip to WDW in 1986. As they say, the rest is history!  Don also has been a contributing writer for Celebrations magazine since 2009.

The post WDW Radio Newswire: Dumbo’s Opening Date Put On Hold For Another Three Weeks appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.