In their very own Lost flashback moment, a Florida couple has discovered that they crossed paths much earlier in their lives — on childhood vacations at Walt Disney World.
Days before their wedding, Donna Voutsinas was showing her then-fiance Alex old family photos, when she came upon one of her and her siblings posing with the pirate Smee at Walt Disney World.
But, as the couple told WESH TV, Alex was more interested in the man pushing a stroller in the background. Turns out, it was Alex’s father pushing the stroller that Alex was riding in.
At the time, Donna’s family lived in Florida, and Alex was visiting the Sunshine State from Montreal.
The Voutsinases met decades later at work, not at Walt Disney World. Today, they live in Boynton Beach, Florida.
“Just to be in the same picture with my wife when we were basically toddlers, it’s unbelievable,” Alex Voutsinas said.
Walt Disney World‘s newest fireworks show, the Summer Nightastic! Fireworks Spectacular, opened this weekend at the Magic Kingdom.
The show replaces the popular “Wishes” nighttime entertainment at Walt Disney World for a limited summer run.
When I went to see the show on its opening night, I was worried. I’m a sucker for fireworks, but I was such a big fan of the “Wishes” show and soundtrack that I was afraid the evening would end in disappointment.
The score includes classic Disney tunes, as well as newer music from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie soundtracks. The show is hosted by the Fairy Godmother and other “famous fairies” in the Disney stable.
There’s a recurring fight between Fauna and Merryweather over the color that the fireworks should be (“Pink,” “Blue,” “Pink,” “Blue…”), just like the magical fight they had over the color of Aurora’s birthday dress in “Sleeping Beauty.”
Capt. Hook and his pirates arrive to lay siege to Cinderella Castle until a familiar fairy — Tinkerbell — shows up to save the day.
Disney promised “dazzling effects” for this new fireworks show, and they delivered. The cannon battle for the castle is particularly impressive, with smoke that obscures it and the reflection of a skull-and-crossbones flag denoting that the pirates have taken over Walt Disney World’s most famous landmark.
Disney’s typical fireworks show happens over and behind Cinderella Castle, which means you really need to be in front of the castle to get the full effect. And you know what else that means: The areas of the park in front of the castle get crowded with what seems like the entire global population in the 30 minutes before the show begins.
Bigger displays that happen around the park — dubbed “perimeter fireworks” — were reserved for special events, such as the Fourth of July and Halloween. But the Summer Nightastic! fireworks will have perimeter fireworks every night.
They are cooler, of course, because at certain points in the show you have fireworks exploding in a circle surrounding. And they give you a chance to be cooler, too, because you can see them from just about anywhere in the Magic Kingdom and there’s no need for the larger summer crowds to all pack in one spot in the Florida heat.
The Summer Nightastic! Fireworks Spectacular runs nightly through Aug. 14 at Walt Disney World.
There are several Star Wars-themed events in Alabama and Florida that should be worth the trip, so you won’t have to crash on Dagobah or invade Naboo to feel the Force this summer.
This annual festival attracts Star Wars fans of all ages to Walt Disney World. There are meet-and-greets with a number of Star Wars characters, including Darth Vader, C-3PO, Luke, Leia and Jedi Mickey, who will sign autographs and pose for photos. Stars of the movies and TV series in the Star Wars franchise appear each weekend for “star conversations” and autograph sessions. This year’s guests include Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett) May 21-23 and Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) June 4-6.
There’s also a Hollywood-style motorcade of Star Wars characters and celebrity guests each afternoon, complete with contingents of marching Stormtroopers. And don’t miss the Hyperspace Hoopla, which often degenerates into a Star Wars character dance-off.
Star Wars Weekends are free with regular admission to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. A one-day ticket will run you $79.
It’s the first Southeast U.S. showing for this traveling exhibit, which uses the futuristic robots and vehicles in the Star Wars movies to teach real-world science and engineering.
Visitors can meet C-3PO and R2-D2 and learn about how humans interact with robots in Star Wars. Then they can design their own robot in the Robot Engineering Lab. Or view a Star Wars landspeeder and actual vehicles and prototypes being designed today for space travel. In total, more than 80 original costumes and props from the six Star Wars movies are part of the exhibition.
More than 100,000 people are expected to visit the exhibit in Huntsville, and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center says it will likely be sold out during peak times. Officials there suggest you buy your Star Wars exhibition tickets in advance. Day tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for kids, evening (off-peak) tickets are discounted to $20 for adults and $15 for kids.
And if you have Star Wars fans ages 7 through 12, be sure to check out the Jedi Experience overnight camps being offered at Huntsville’s Space Camp facility.
Star Wars Celebration V
Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida
Aug. 12-15
This Star Wars fan convention is sanctioned by and this year, produced by, Lucasfilm. It includes parties, autograph signings, costume events, collectible sales, panel discussions and all manner of Star Wars geekdom.
Jay Laga’aia (Capt. Typho in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith) is the celebrity host for the event. Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) is the headliner.
A four-day ticket to the Star Wars Celebration will run you $128, kids get in for $54.
Walt Disney World previewed its Main Street Electrical Parade on Sunday night for a few thousand international travel buyers visiting Orlando to attend the U.S. Travel Association’s international Pow Wow convention.
The parade, last seen at the Magic Kingdom from 1999-2001, returns to Walt Disney World June 6 through Aug. 14, with a new Tinkerbell float in the lead.
The beloved (and classic Disneyland) parade has returned to Florida as part of Walt Disney World’s Summer Nightastic! events, which also include:
A new Magic Kingdom fireworks show that promises special effects
New lighting effects and a new drop sequence on the Tower of Terror ride
The “Sounds Like Summer” concert series at EPCOT
Extended hours at Animal Kingdom
The Magic Kingdom was open only for convention-goers when the floats, newly outfitted with LED lights, were pulled onto Main Street USA and lit up about 10:30 p.m.
The private event was the opening party for the International Pow Wow, an annual event where U.S. destinations gather to meet with travel buyers from around the globe.
Disney Parks is overhauling the Star Wars-themed Star Tours rides at Disneyland and Walt Disney World later this year, and now Star Wars fans know when they can get that last ride on the original.
Star Tours will close at Disneyland on July 27 and at Walt Disney World on Sept. 8.
The original Star Tours ride puts riders in the passenger seat of a StarSpeeder 3000 spacecraft, under the pilot of a droid named Rex. The ship is supposed to be headed to the Moon of Endor, but a few wrong turns lead it into the middle of a battle between the Rebel Alliance and the Death Star.
It’s a motion simulator ride that was on the cutting edge when it launched about 20 years ago. But now, it’s a 20-year-old ride in need of an overhaul — that’s a “re-imagining” in Disney-speak.
The “new” Star Tours will be a 3-D affair, with riders joining in a high-speed pod race on Tatooine. It is expected to re-open at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland in May 2011.
Walt Disney World and the fan convention Star Wars Celebration V are holding a “Last Tour to Endor” party on Aug. 14 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. A special event ticket is required; a regular park ticket won’t get you in. The party will include Star Wars shows, a “Death Star Disco” and Star Wars-themed fireworks.