Disney Springs will feature boutique shops to unique flagship anchor stores, and a wide variety of shopping, dining and entertainment experiences unlike any other currently available in Central Florida.

Drawing inspiration from Florida’s waterfront towns and natural beauty, Disney Springs will include four outdoor neighborhoods interconnected by a flowing spring and vibrant lakefront. In addition to a new gateway with a signature water tower and grand entry, the destination will feature:

- The Town Center, which offers a sophisticated mix of shopping and dining along with a promenade where guests can relax, refresh and reconnect.

- A colorful and thriving commercial district called The Landing with inspired dining and beautiful waterfront views.

- The family-friendly Marketplace that will continue to delight guests of all ages by combining new experiences, such as an over-the-water pedestrian causeway, along with classic Disney favorites, including an expanded World of Disney store.

- A West Side that provides an exuberant atmosphere with lively entertainment, along with a series of new elevated spaces that provide both shade and an overlook to the activity below.

Disney Springs is expected to be complete in 2016.

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What part of Disney Springs are YOU most excited about?

Leave your answer in the Comments below
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Thanks for watching!

- Lou Mongello

The post Video: Disney Springs at Walt Disney World – Lou Mongello on Fox 35 Orlando appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Walt Disney World Resort celebrated the grand opening of New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom on December 6, as classic Disney movies The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Dumbo come to life in the magic Kingdom’s largest expansion ever.

New Fantasyland consists of the Enchanted Forest and Storybook Circus, and includes many new attractions: Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid, Enchanted Tales with Belle, from “Beauty and the Beast” Be Our Guest Restaurant, Dumbo, the Flying Elephant, The Barnstormer Featuring the Great Goofini, and Pete’s Silly Sideshow meet and greet, featuring Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, Goofy and Donald Duck.

Walt Disney Imagineers have truly brought to life beloved Disney stories and magical places, putting guests in the middle of Disney classics and new favorites

What are you most excited about experiencing in New Fantasyland? Leave your comments below

The post Video: Lou Mongello Discusses New Fantasyland at Walt Disney World on Orlando’s Fox 35 News appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

MyFoxOrlando.com – Spending the day at the most magical place on earth can be a lot of fun but a day at Disney for your wallet isn’t a very fun day.

Disney expert Lou Mongello and the creator and host of WDW Radio.com stopped by Good Day to share the top 5 free things people can do at Disney!

1. Free resort tours
2. Eat and drink (samples) for free
3. Watch fireworks and a special show
4. See the animals on the savannah – at night!
5. Disney Nightlife

Read more here

Top 5 free things to do at Disney: MyFoxORLANDO.com

The post Lou Mongello on Fox 35 Discusses Top 5 Free Things to do at Walt Disney World appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

The biggest expansion in the history of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is on schedule, but before the new Fantasyland opens, some existing rides will close or be relocated.

Work is underway on what’s being called Storybook Circus, the former location of Mickey’s Toontown Fair. Disney intends to relocate Dumbo the Flying Elephant to the new circus grounds that will include an interactive queue under a big-top tent to entertain children waiting in line. Disney will add a new Pixie Hollow character-greeting area, home to Tinker Bell and other fairies.

“Most of the attractions are still open, but you’ll notice that Dumbo is closed,” said Lou Mongello, author and a Walt Disney World radio host, “but you don’t have to worry, because he’s actually moving to Storybook Circus.”

There will a second matching Dumbo ride spinning next to the original one once they are in place. Those rides are expected to open sometime in March, along with the junior roller coaster called The Great Goofini, which is the old Barnstormer at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm. A train station stop, water play area and some meet and greet areas are also expected to open this spring. Other parts of the new Fantasyland will open in phases, beginning at the end of this year.

The biggest addition will be the Little Mermaid attraction, based on Disney’s 1989 movie of the same name. Plans call for an enclosed ride that will carry guests through the underwater realm of Ariel — the redheaded mermaid. It will use an Omnimover ride system similar to that of the Haunted Mansion, and will move through scenes featuring characters and songs from the movie. The ride, which has a working title of Under the Sea: Journey of The Little Mermaid, will be the same as one being built as part of the $1 billion overhaul of Disney’s California Adventure theme park in Anaheim, Calif., though the attractions will have different exteriors.

“What you can see now is the creation of Fantasyland Forest. You can see Beast’s Castle, which is going to be the Be Our Guest restaurant. The Journey of the Little Mermaid is a dark ride attraction with an interactive scavenger hunt in the queue as well. There will be a lot of water features,” said Mongello. “And then, coming in 2013 or 2014, will be the big attraction which is the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train coaster.”

The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train replaces the current Snow White attraction, which is expected to close later this year. Old attractions which will be integrated into the new Fantasyland include It’s a Small World and Peter Pan’s Flight.

Disney’s parks are a major profit center for the entertainment giant, contributing about a third of the company’s revenue.  The expansion comes at a time when Universal Orlando is enjoying great succes with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which opened in June of 2010.

Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland expansion on schedule: MyFoxORLANDO.com

The post Lou Mongello on Orlando’s Fox 35 TV Discussing Walt Disney World’s Fantasyland Expansion appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.