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.

This year, I will be speaking at two sessions – one in the Podcasting track, and the other in the Monetization track.

The first session, taking place on Wednesday, June 6, is entitled: “Making Money from Your Favorite Niche Market” and I’ll be joined by Scott Fox and others. Your niche hobbies and personal interests offer profitable and fun online business opportunities IF you know how to monetize them. Our panel of entrepreneur success stories shares the innovative strategies they use to make real money from surprising audience niches like remote-controlled airplanes, Disney World, art fairs, and more. Each panelist represents a different niche and shares practical tips they use personally to generate revenue from Internet marketing and monetization tactics including e-commerce, advertising, online communities, YouTube, podcasts, and information products. Join us to hear these niche success stories you missed! More info…

On Thursday, the second panel I’ll be part of is “Podcasting As A Career: Learn How To From Full-Time Podcasters!” - Find something that you love to do so much, that you’d be willing to do it for free. Then become so great at doing that one thing and people will want to pay you to do it! Does this apply to podcasting? You bet it does! In this session, led by a panel of full-time podcasters, you’ll be inspired as you hear how each have found a unique way to make podcasting their full-time career. Chances are, if you attend this session, you may walk out with a desire to make your dreams of podcasting, full-time, become a reality! More info…

I’m SO excited to be working with two groups of dynamic speakers and sharing my passion and experiences with others!! BlogWorld is undoubtedly the most important conference I attend each year, and I hope that I’ll see you in New York!

If you’re interested in attending, register now, as prices go up as you get closer. I can assure you if you are serious or curious about doing what you love, attending BlogWorld is the best investment in your future!

About BlogWorld and New Media Expo

BlogWorld and New Media Expo NYC 2012 is the world’s largest and only industry-wide conference, tradeshow and media event for bloggers, podcasters, social media networkers, online communities, internet radio and TV broadcasters and every type of new media user and content creator!

This is where independent content creators, journalists, micro-enterprisers, marketers, internet entrepreneurs and the world’s largest corporations learn about the newest online communication technology, tools and methods from innovators and industry leaders. Past events have offered more than 100 educational sessions with amazing speakers including Guy Kawasaki, Mark Cuban, Erin Kotecki Vest, Matt Mullenweg, Steve Rubel, Gary Vaynerchuk, Chris Alden, Elisa Camahort Page, Laura Fitton, Tim Ferriss, Mike Shinoda, Wendy Piersall, Chris Brogan, Tim Street, Paula Berg and dozens of A-list bloggers and podcasters, award winning journalists, Fortune 500 executives, and world renowned online marketers.

Topics range from building audience & community, basic and advanced blogging and podcasting, Audio and Video tools & techniques, web TV and internet radio broadcasting, monetizing content, SEO and SEM, social media marketing, brand reputation management online, how to effectively engage bloggers, and including (and maximizing) new media in your business marketing mix.

If your audience includes bloggers, podcasters and other new media content creators, or if your site is geared to business professionals who could benefit from learning about social media, then this is a great offer for you.

BlogWorld and New Media Expo NYC 2012 is the first and only tradeshow, conference, and media event dedicated to promoting the dynamic industry of blogging and new media. If you are currently blogging, vlogging, podcasting, producing some other form of new media content, thinking about joining the exciting industry of new media or just want to know what this whole blogging phenomena is all about then you need to be at BlogWorld.

The BlogWorld & New Media Expo 2012 New York will take place June 5-7 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York, NY with the exclusive 3-day executive and business focused Social Media Business Summit conference track beginning on June 5th. The BlogWorld NEW YORK event is co-located at Javits Center with the Book Expo America (BEA) show, and affords all BlogWorld conference pass holders a nice bonus!–Free Access to BEA’s tradeshow to network with book industry resources.

Hope to see you there! Learn more and register now!

The post BlogWorld & New Media Expo – June 5-7, NYC 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.