I don’t know about you, but I love it when rides at Walt Disney World break down. It just gives me this happy feeling inside, like something that isn’t supposed to happen is. Something that temporarily “ruins” the “show” does – just a little bit, just enough for me to enjoy that. It also gives you more time to enjoy the scene you are in on the ride.

This post is simply a collection of Walt Disney World ride breakdown videos that I have seen on Youtube. They are embedded in this post so you don’t have to keep clicking links back and forth. Enjoy!

Stuck on Soarin’ for 25 Minutes:
Catch a rare glimpse of Soarin’ broken down for a few minutes. Multiple breakdown announcements (one is a prerecorded Patrick). Also see the theater with service lights on, with many shining on the screen.

Riding Dinosaur! with the Lights On:
Here is another rare video, guests getting to ride the entire Dinosaur! attraction with the service lights on, really giving you a new perspective. Very cool to see!

The Land Pavilion’s Fire Alarm:
8 second video showing the chaos that ensues when the fire alarm at The Land Pavilion is accidentally set off.

Firetrucks Driving Through Epcot:
Here you can see guests being roped off as two Reedy Creek fire trucks drive by Innoventions to put out a small electrical fire.

It’s a Small World without the Music:
Lucky, lucky people. Here, “it’s a small world” breaks down and the music stops. See those creepy anamatronic children dancing to nothing.

Haunted Mansion with service lights on:
These folks were stopped in the Graveyard of the Haunted Mansion (Disneyland, sorry) with the service lights on. Two minutes of Heaven for me!

Test Track Breakdown (Surprise, Surprise)
The infamous Test Track’s let’s-go-really-slow-around-all-the-curves-then-break-your-neck-by-starting-fast-again breakdown.

Some might say these videos ruin the magic. For me, they make it even more magical to see even in WDW there might be little problems, yet it amazes me how quick and efficient they are in the long run. What do you think? Which rides have broken down when you’re on them?

Hey there, it’s been a while! I was waiting to post this post until I had been to Walt Disney World myself to see the updated TTA/People Mover. I went last weekend, so now I think it’s time for me to share my opinion.

If you don’t know what happened yet, here it is: Disney closed the Tomorrowland Transit Authority when Space Mountain closed for major refurbishments. People were expecting new lighting and refurbished cars – but something that was completely unexpected to me was a new dialogue.

That’s right, the familiar deep, monotone voice, along with the well known male & female voices that used to be heard throughout the attraction have been removed. No more “Paging Mr. Morrow – Mr. Tom Morrow. Your party from Saturn has arrived. Please give them a ring.”

Instead, there is now a more energetic young man as the narrator. He is softer (I couldn’t even understand him the first half of the ride) and he basically just gives you a tour of Tomorrowland, promoting the rides in the surrounding area.

My thoughts on this are simple. I’m not that upset, for some reason. Sure I will miss the old narrations and such (D-CoT has some of the old announcements to listen to on demand), but I don’t think change is bad. Everyone will get used to the new narrator, and who knows, in a few years he might be the “classic” that everyone wants to keep.

All I’m saying is – are these new changes really that bad? Share your thoughts below; let us know what you think of these changes if you’ve seen them (or at least watched a Youtube video).

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Photo: scottbowling

Walt Disney World has announced to build a new monorail train from the undamaged remains of the two trains that collided in a fatal accident this summer. The new monorail, expected to be put in service later this fall, will be given a teal stripe to differentiate it from the other trains.

Even with the addition of this new monorail train, the Resort will be one short of its previous twelve trains before the accident. Disney announced their expectation to add another train to the line next year, giving the monorail system their normal number of twelve trains once again.

The two colors that were involved in the accident, Pink and Purple, are retired out of respect for Austin Wuennenberg, his family, and the other cast member involved in this terrible incident. [Source: Orlando Sentinel, Photo: Disney Top 10]

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As you may or may not know, I am a loyal member of D-CoT: The Disney Community of Tomorrow. One feature of this friendly community is Forums. One of the topics started a while back was “Where would you most like to work in WDW?”. A few posts later, someone mentioned that actually working at WDW might “ruin the magic”.

A few posts after that, TiggerROCKS came up with a reply that I completely agree with. Read his post below:

“First, a lot of you guys are scared to work in the parks because you don’t want
to ‘ruin the magic.’ I say PHOOEY!!  

Guests like people on this site make EXCEPTIONAL Cast Members. You already love it…Yeah, you learn how a few things work… but that means you get to be IN on it. You become part of the magic… which for me, just intensifies my own magical experience.

Of course, I’m one of those ‘How do they DO that?’ kind of guys… But usually, when I find out, knowing the secret makes it 100 times cooler! I’ve worked at all 4 parks and many of the resorts… (Entertainment is global)… Getting to see the inner workings across property made me really appreciate the genius of the Imagineers and front-line CMs who keep this magical monster alive.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself. What do you think? Would being a CM ruin the magic, or make it better? I want to hear from CM’s (past/present) is there are any here, as well as everyone else. Share your thoughts!

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Photo: gumption

Welcome to Part One of a new series here at WDW Central, The Elements of Disney Theming. This time, we’re going to look at something that really makes or breaks many themed attractions – this one factor is so important regarding the theme of an attraction and its believability. It is: The MUSIC.

MUSIC sparks MEMORIES. When you’re at home sitting in your chair all depressed because your next Disney trip isn’t for a year, what would happen when you heard a few bars of a classic Disney song? It would probably perk you up – whether it be It’s a Small World, Grim Grinning Ghosts, or Soarin’, music is important – when heard, it will bring back many pleasant memories.

MUSIC creates MOODS. This is one of the main reasons music is so vital to an attraction’s theming! Music sets the mood and tone of the whole experience, whether you consciously think about the music or not. Take The Haunted Mansion, for example. From the moment you walk in, you hear that slow, creepy organ playing in the background. This takes the experience to a whole new level by adding that emotion that heightens the experience’s reality.

MUSIC in the BACKGROUND. Music is not only used in these themed attractions; it’s also in the background pretty much every second of your time in the parks. Whether you officially “notice” it or not, area music is always playing in most areas – and Magic Kingdom, Epcot, DHS, and Animal Kingdom all have different areas with different styles of area music, always matching the theme of the area you are in.

On a side note, Disney is very clever about disguising their speakers on attractions and in walking areas. Look to the right (from left to right: In Tomorrowland, these rounded ultra-modern speakers fit right in; On Splash Mountain, speakers are disguised as birdhouses to keep the music flowing; At Animal Kingdom, the speakers blend right in with the polls and African-style design). Click pictures to enlarge.

Parades are no exception. I went to the Universal Christmas Day Parade, and was disappointed. The individual floats were the only things producing music – so when there were gaps between floats (pretty much every time), it was awkward silence. Of course Disney has this covered. They have hidden speakers on 2nd story windows and balconies that play the instrumental background music of the parade, while the floats each have an individual different arrangement that accompanies the BG music. Just another way Disney has thought of everything!

This has been an extremely long post – there’s just so much to talk about! Agree? Disagree? I’d like to hear your opinions on this article – how Music is a vital part and one of the main elements of the Disney theming. The Disney difference.

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Coming soon to WDW Central is a series titled “The Elements of Disney Theming”, a spinoff of the series “Why Disney World is so Great”. The goal of this fresh new series is to give everyone a new appreciation for the Walt Disney World attractions. Theming is one of the key factors that sets Disney apart, it’s a trademark that gives all the attractions their distinct quality.

Walt Disney envisioned the Parks as a “show” – and anything the guests can see is thought of as the “stage”. In this series we’re going to take a look at what makes the “show” complete – we’ll look at all the detailed elements that come together for each attraction, making the show a believable presentation.

And so the tour begins. We’re going to look at lots of different elements of Disney theming that work together to make the show possible – so stay tuned! The first post will be here in a day or so.

Feedback is welcome, as always. We’d love to hear your thoughts! Whether you hate this series or love it, we want you to comment on every post (but especially this one so we know how we’re starting off) – so don’t be shy, leave a comment now!

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Logo by Jahfer.

Update: The promotion is called “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day”.

A blog post on Touring Plans has announced that the new promotion Disney Parks will use in 2010 for giving out free admission is Volunteering. This replaces the 2009 promotion of coming in free on your birthday.

According to the commercial (video below), beginning in January, if you “give a day of service to a participating organization”, you will get a free one-day ticket to a park! The birthday celebration will end on December 31, 2009, as announced on the Disney website.

As you can see, they are still keeping the “What Will You Celebrate?” slogan. More details and an “official” announcement of this promotion may be announced at 7:30 AM on Good Morning America. This post may be updated (or another post added) later this afternoon with more details.

I’m sure it’s no surprise that I’ve been to Walt Disney World lots of times. And I’m sure you have too (why else would you be here?). Anyways, every time I visit WDW, I can see that there are two kinds of vacationers. Sure there can be variations on these two types, but this is the general idea I have gotten.

Hurry up – I Want to Get Everything Done Before We Leave!

I fall in this group. And while sometimes it is impossible to get everything done, I sure do like to try. We’re the people that get to the Magic Kingdom and head straight for a Splash Mountain fastpass. We know (and care about) when certain rides are more crowded, when certain areas are less crowded, and we always can plan around parades/fireworks to get more done when needed.

Let’s Slowly Stroll Through Epcot, then maybe eat and ride a thing or two.

These types of people don’t hurry. They think a vacation should be relaxing – whether they get everything done or not. They sometimes leave the park in the middle of the day to take a nap, swim in the pool, or grab a bite to eat at their resort. While these vacationers do get rides done, they also slowly walk through the parks, look in gift shops, and utilize benches.

Which type are you?

I have presented the two extremes of the two types of vacationers. There are so many variations on this – you could hurry up to get rides done yet still enjoy the resort pool. No way is right or wrong – it’s just a person’s personal preference. What’s your take? What is your vacationing style?

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Photos: seanosh, thislslt2

Check out this hilarious video I came across on Youtube filmed at Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Darth Vader seems to be having a little trouble with his saber – feeling glum? This will cheer you up!

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Today has been (and is being) an exciting day for Disney Parks, more specifically the Walt Disney World Resort! Announced on Twitter by DisneyParks and DisneyD23 (and also at the D23 Expo), there will be some changes happening to Walt Disney World over the next few years that we can look forward to. Read below for more exciting details.

FANTASYLAND EXPANSION – 2013

It has been announced that Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom will nearly double in size by the year 2013. The photo seen above is “a bird’s-eye view of the vastly-expanded Fantasyland…which will offer Guests a new land of enchantment in a magical fairy tale forest just beyond the castle walls”. The expanded Fantasyland will also have new attractions, meet-and-greet areas, and a brand new Beauty and the Beast themed restaurant, as was announced at the D23 Expo on Saturday by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo. More details.

DUMBO THE FLYING ELEPHANT RE-IMAGINED – 2013

Dumbo the Flying Elephant – a classic ride in Fantasyland will be completely re-imagined when the circus comes to town. “Guests are invited to step into the big top and join the circus before their magical flight over Fantasyland”. Additionally, the queue will be completely interactive and will feature slides. The attraction will be part of the expanded Fantasyland that was announced at the D23 Expo on Saturday by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo. More details.

STAR TOURS II COMING – 2011

Star Tours II has officially been announced – and it’s going to be in 3-D! Seen above is an exciting scene from the new Star Tours. “Guests aboard Starspeeders will join in a high-speed pod race through the desert canyons of Tatooine”. The launch of the new Star Wars based attraction was announced at the D23 Expo on Saturday by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo. More details. Click here for a video of a scene in the new Star Tours!

More details could be announced at any time, so check back right here as we will keep this post updated!

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Guest post by Lourdes Gutierrez of Orlando Fun Tickets

Get your appetite ready and head over to Walt Disney World’s Epcot Food and Wine Festival for a dining experience featuring cuisine from around the world. This event is a food-lover’s paradise and great for anyone visiting Epcot from September to November. The best part about this festival is the incredible amount of special events going on. It’s not just about the food!

The Eat to the Beat series features a variety of concert performances that let you enjoy your food and listen to music from hit acts like Richard Marx, Billy Ocean, Vanessa Carlton, Boys II Men and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Make sure you pick up your festival guide for concert listings—you wouldn’t want to miss your favorite performer! Food wise, get ready to explore cuisines from around the world.

The World Showcase Pavilion is converted into a food marketplace with kiosks representing the foods of over 25 countries. These kiosks serve up tapas-sized portions of regional cuisine. This year there are some new food kiosks being added to the mix. You will be able to sample foods from Rio De Janiero, Brazil and Bangkok, Thailand along with a brand new Desserts and Champagne kiosks for those of you with a sweet tooth.

If you would like to learn how to make some of the delicious foods you are eating, or maybe get one of your favorite cookbooks signed, there are also plenty of seminars and celebrity appearances at the Food and Wine Festival. Tastings are another popular event. There are plenty of wine and cheese seminars you can look for in your festival guide. One of the highlights of this year’s festival is the new tequila bar in the Mexico pavilion. La Cava de Tequila is going to feature delicious Mexican appetizers and 70 varieties of tequilas for you to enjoy. During the Food and Wine Festival there will be a tequila master on hand to teach guests about the tequila making process and the history behind the legendary drink.

Overall this is a great Disney theme park event to attend, so get your discount Disney World tickets before you head into the park. Many of the Food and Wine Festival’s events are free with admission to the park! Bon appétit!

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Photo: Orlando (About.com)

Welcome to another post in our Top 5 Series! Walt Disney World is full of wonderful scents – some put out during rides on purpose, others not so intentional. No matter what though, scents from Walt Disney World are always a pleasant memory to me. When I get a “Disney scent” outside of “the world”, it always bring back wonderful memories. Here are my top 5 scents of Walt Disney World.

5. Spaceship Earth (Burning Rome): A great smell that is distinctly “Disney”. A classic that most can recognize – it had to make this list!

4. Soarin’ (Orange and Pine): Soarin’ is one of my favorite rides ever. And anytime I’m in the “real world” and get a whiff of orange or pine scented air freshner or spray, it instantly takes me to Soarin’.

3. Monorail (Air Conditioner): You know the smell. You are waiting in line for the monorail in the hot Florida heat. The monorail finally pulls up and you enter the wonderful ice-cold monorail car that has that air conditioner-ish smell.

2. Hotel Rooms (Clean scent): You’ve walked up stairs or taken the elevator with luggage. Hunt your room down, and when you find it, you walk in to that clean smelling (most of the time) room that welcomes you to relax and turn on the TV to watch Stacy.

1. Water Rides (Chlorine/Water smell): Any ride that has water: Living with the Land, it’s a small world, Pirates of the Caribbean and the like. Walking into the building that houses the ride, you get closer and closer to the actual attraction and the smell of chlorine in the water lets you know you are there.

These are just a few of the wonderful scents of Walt Disney World. They play a big part in helping remember the magic!

Are there more? Leave a comment and let us know what your favorite Disney scents are. Think I’m crazy? Leave a comment too!

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Photo: armadillo444

It’s time for another WDW Central poll – and I want to thank you for the votes – keep them coming! If you’ve missed a previous poll or would just like to check the stats of a poll, simply visit the WDW Central poll archive.

Poll: Which attraction is worth the longest wait time?

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When Expedition Everest of Disney’s Animal Kingdom was being developed and built, I can remember reading about the Yeti. That was the main attraction, so to speak. I can also remember watching the History Channel’s “Modern Marvels” before Everest opened and watching Imagineer Joe Rhode talk about the complexity of the attraction and the Yeti anamatronic.

The first few times I rode Everest (actually until the past few times), the Yeti was pretty realistic. He was huge, he clawed at you, and you only saw him for a brief second. Then, there was some talk on the internet a while back about the Yeti not moving anymore – being stationary. A few months ago I went to Animal Kingdom to get my own opinion of this change. It stinks.

This isn’t new news, I just thought to write an article about it now. If you haven’t been on Everest lacking the Yeti’s motion – you should.

I’m sure you can imagine – you’re at the climax of the attraction – you barely escaped the Yeti as he ripped up the track in front of you, you plummet and somehow get back in the mountain without dying (pretty realistic, right?), then you come face to face with him as he tries to rip you to pieces. Except for the fact that he’s not moving.

The Yeti no longer looks like a sophisticated anamatronic. He looks like a big stuffed animal.

I’ve heard things recently from the Yeti is back moving again full-time to only some days he moves. None of these things are confirmed, though.

Have you seen the motionless Yeti? If so, what did you think of it? Why do you think Disney stopped it from moving? Share your thoughts in the comments now!

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Photos: Joe Shlabotnik, Andy Castro

The Company’s Philosophy

When I say the “Disney philosophy”, most of you probably think of the way they treat their guests. While this is true (and will probably show up here soon), this isn’t the philosophy I’m talking about.

The philosophy I’m talking about goes along with the theming of their rides and attractions – but a bit beyond that. You see, Walt Disney World thinks of all their rides as a production.

That idea was started by Walt himself and the company has been using that mindset ever since. The keyword here is quality. Instead of placing rows and rows of big buildings housing the rides and attractions, they “plus” it as Walt would say. They decided to actually give it a realistic feel. They want to give you the whole experience – and the experience begins the minute you see the attraction.

Let’s take The Haunted Mansion for instance. If Disney just decided to be lazy and not worry about the exterior of the ride (similar to Universal’s E.T. Adventure and such) – the entire attraction would be spoiled. Here’s the Disney difference: Universal tries to make their attractions entertaining, while Disney tries to entertain while making it realistic and believable.

The Disney Haunted Mansion experience begins long before you get on the ride. You go through a queue next to the creepy house, hear wolves howling while waiting, see the thunder and hear the lightning (at night), go through the mini-graveyard with amusing but creepy little tombstones, and more – all before you even get on. Although you haven’t gotten on the Haunted Mansion, you have been experiencing the attraction from the moment you walked up to it – wether you realize it or not.

Every ride and attraction is treated like the set of a movie. There are backstage areas, but what the viewers (guests) see/experience is what counts – and Disney takes that into account by making the theming and details count. That’s what Disney does best, and that’s just another reason there is no comparison to Walt Disney World.

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Photos: About.com, Devil Elephant