When you’re a travel writer and your computer gets smashed mid-flight by someone reclining their seat and the first thing you do is take photos because you know there’s a story there…
I can finally share why I went on a merry jaunt across the country for 24 hours this week! I had the incredible opportunity to tour Walt Disney Imagineering and learn how Disney uses technology and innovation to deepen its storytelling capabilities.
Here's what I learned:
There are still some big changes coming to EPCOT this year!
By late 2023, Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana will open to guests, the World Celebration neighborhood will be complete, including Commmunicore Hall.
EPCOT will also be host
#disney100
at
@WaltDisneyWorld
My quarantine routine involves drinking too many iced americanos and staying up too late. This week, I got to speak with
@mneelzy
for
@lifeinsider
and, well, she has me beat my just a smidge.
Re: Disney Genie, I wouldn’t take anything you see today as final. If you aren’t visiting this week, I’d probably choose another day to play with it as the kinks get worked out.
As always, be nice to Cast Members and travel agents!
New WFH gear to celebrate my new role! I'm so excited to announce that today is my first day as a full-time member of
@thepointsguy
team as a Family Travel Writer. Follow along for fun family travel inspiration, news, gear reviews, and so much more.
Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to visit
@dollywood
and speak with
@dollyparton
about her namesake park.
Her love for her hometown and being able to create a fun vacation destination for families shines through.
Read all about it here:
We heard from Bob Iger and Josh D’Amaro. They confirmed we will learn more about what’s “beyond Big Thunder” at Magic Kingdom and in the upcoming tropical Americas area at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at this year‘s D23 Expo.
ICYMI - I spent my vacation asking Jurassic Park TMs at
#universalorlando
what island we were on and watching the Jurassic Park River Adventure queue videos.
I don’t know how
@AliciaStella
does what she does, but I know she’s good at it and I was honored to share her expertise for
@BusinessInsider
! If you want to know what’s next in the world of theme parks, make sure you are following her.
Alright,
@WaltDisneyWorld
. Let’s do this. For the next six days I’ll be eating, breathing, and sleeping Disney except not sleeping at all because my schedule is packed full to make sure I experience every possible minute of magic!
#disneyworld50
#disneyworld
@mindykaling
At DCA, make sure you time your day so you are in Cars Land at dusk when the neon lights come on and the music from the movie plays. It’s so good!
This article from
@Attractions
is the first I’ve seen to point out that you can stay on the Starcruiser for $1,500 per person if you split a room with 3 other ppl. 🧐 And I love that people are already on FB trying to put groups together to make it happen!
If you think the only thing that’s been missing from
#disneyworld
is a Monte Cristo sandwich, now you can get one at Plaza Restaurant for
#disneyworld50
!
We got to interact with these cutie BDX droids who will appear at Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland during the Season of the Force celebration from April 5 – June 2, 2024. You can see them starting tomorrow!
The new
@disneyplus
show
#BehindtheAttraction
debuts TODAY! I screened a few episodes earlier this week and it’s so good. I write about this stuff every day and I still learned something new about my favorite Disney rides!
Mario Kart at
#SuperNintendoWorld
has a single rider line and it’s worth it just for the views! YMMV on how long your wait will be. I’ve been in line about 40 minutes and the regular queue is at 50 minutes.
@UniStudios
I love sitting in on
@TimHerrera
freelancer calls on the weekends, but honestly the biggest lesson I’ve learned is I’m already doing most things right and I just need to relax and stop worrying so much. ✌️
I visited
#AnimalKingdom
(virtually) yesterday to hear
@Joe_Rohde
, Dr. Mark, and others from the animal care team talk about the new
@disneyplus
show "The Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom."
It premiers Sept. 25, but you can catch the trailer now!
#MoDAK
Happy
#MonorailMonday
! Do you always find an excuse to go for a ride even if you don’t actually need it to get anywhere? 🙋♀️🙋♀️🙋♀️
#WaltDisneyWorld
We saw demonstrations from WDI’s R&D department, including this Holo-Tile floor to learn how innovations like these allow Disney to connect with guests in entirely new ways, bringing guests deeper into their favorite stories and closer to beloved characters.
It was an unbelievable experience to see how Disney blends innovation and storytelling to make dreams a reality. You can read my full story on what the future of Disney's theme parks looks like on
@thepointsguy
:
The Disney Dim Sum from Crystal Lotus at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel was everything I hoped for and more. If you want to try it, you must order it at least 24 hours in advance.
#hkdisneyland
I had so much fun putting together this Disney Diary for
@InsiderLife
! I shared all my favorite things like must-do rides, my beloved
@JoffreysCoffee
, my favorite boozy Dole Whip from
@WineBarGeorge
, and our tradition of picking out jewelry on every trip.
Going out in your 40s is taking a photo of the server’s pen because it writes really smooth and you want to get some at
@Target
tomorrow.
(it was an InkJoy 100 1.0mm, by the way)
Fun update! It’s been over two weeks and nobody from the airline contacted me so I followed up today. Got the “we aren’t liable for carry-on items” canned response. Interesting…I think I know what my first story of 2023 will be. 😜
When you’re a travel writer and your computer gets smashed mid-flight by someone reclining their seat and the first thing you do is take photos because you know there’s a story there…
@mattboom
They didn’t even know it happened. Like even though I personally don’t recline I get the argument that people do because it’s a function of the seat so I don’t totally see it as their fault because I’m sure they didn’t think that was a possibility.
It’s been one week and I still can’t believe this place is real.
#SuperNintendoWorld
is my entire childhood come to life and I can’t wait to go back.
@UniStudios
Ya'll (yes, I started this tweet with a Midwestern exclamation for a reason)! If you've never been to
@HolidayWorld
in
@SantaClausInd
you are missing out on one of the most unique theme park experiences around. Here's everything you need to know to visit:
I’ve officially VelociCoastered!
I rode front row and back row and I’m still processing my thoughts but right now my opinion is something like BDIFYC!)(567&&🦖GJ!
I cried. I laughed. I said “How’d they do that?” and then I cried some more. It was amazing being here for
@Cirque
’s return to
@DisneySprings
and
#DrawntoLife
perfectly blends Disney animation with the talent of Cirque’s performers. Full review coming soon…
Up before the sun writing about water parks! If you had to choose between Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach at
#WaltDisneyWorld
, which would you choose? 💦
For future reference, three large Squishmallows are too large to qualify as a personal item, but nobody stopped me so I’m headed home with my illicit Squishmallows.
Good morning, NYC. I’ll be spending most of the week at Disney World, but there is a very special reason I had to start here. Tell you all about it bright and early tomorrow morning… 💫
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Kevin and I are already planning a return visit to
#HHN30
in a couple weeks and I’m actually looking forward to it.
And according to Kevin, I provide a great deal of entertainment in the houses. 😈