Another fatal Disney bus accident

by Leigh Caldwell on

There’s word this morning that a tourist has been killed at Walt Disney World. The 69-year-old Massachusetts man was in the parking lot at the Port Orleans Resort when he stepped into the path of a Disney bus.

It appears that the bus driver was not at fault and will not be charged. There were passengers on the bus at the time, and none of them were injured. This marks at least the fourth Disney bus accident this year at Walt Disney World, including one in April that killed a 9-year-old boy.

Earlier this year, there were concerns that a computer dispatching system on board the Disney buses, dubbed “Magic in Motion,” was a distraction for the drivers, though none of the earlier crashes this year was attributed to the driver being distracted.

Disney acted anyway and altered the system this summer so that the drivers cannot interact with it unless the bus is at a complete stop.

The Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating last night’s crash, and I’m sure that Disney will conduct its own internal investigation, as well. If there are safety problems found, they need to be corrected.

But it’s also time to examine Disney guests’ behavior on vacation.

Disney’s bus system is extensive. In fact, it’s larger than the city bus systems in nearby Orlando and Tampa. The highway system and parking lots there are also extensive – there are 40 square miles to cover and hundreds of thousands of cars travel the roads each day.

Yet, I continually see distracted people in “vacation mode,” pushing strollers through parking lots while their face is in a guidebook or map, children running off unattended in parking lots and, yes, people darting out in front of buses and cars and not using crosswalks.

So, don’t forget your common sense and safety rules when you go on vacation. While much of Walt Disney World is about the illusion – the “magic” – those are real cars and buses driving around the roads and parking lots.

[Image credit: Flickr user Darren Wittko]

Four amazing edible Christmas displays at Walt Disney World

by Leigh Caldwell on

At holiday time, the pastry kitchens in and around Walt Disney World must kick into overdrive, churning out all the holiday desserts served in the restaurants and bakeries at the resort.

But beyond the cookies and cakes, Walt Disney World’s ovens are filled with some important construction materials – hundreds and hundreds of house and roof tiles, all made out of gingerbread.

Here’s a look at four amazing edible Christmas displays on view right now at (or very near) the Walt Disney World Resort.

1. Gingerbread Tree, Disney’s Contemporary Resort

At first glance, you wouldn’t know this tree is edible, but it is made entirely out of gingerbread shingles.

Disney’s pastry chefs use amazing restraint on this tree, which is much more about precision than decoration. The result fits perfectly into the modern decor of the Contemporary and complements the Mary Blair mosaic mural the tree sits in front of.

More than 800 pounds of flour and 1,000 pounds of honey were used in making the gingerbread for this edible Christmas tree, which stands 17 feet tall.

When you visit the tree, you can buy a variety of edible items, including hand-painted white chocolate Christmas ornaments and your own tree building block – a gingerbread shingle.

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2. Chocolate Santa, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort

A sweet Santa sits under a Christmas tree in this display at the Swan hotel, as if he is taking a rest after delivering all the packages at his feet.

It took the Swan and Dolphin’s pastry staff more than 300 man hours to create this display, and everything here is edible – right down to the fondant covered presents and pulled-sugar candy canes.

The nice folks at the Swan and Dolphin even calculated the calories in their creation, all 2,956,818 of them.

3. Gingerbread house, Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort

This rustic cabin is not technically inside the Walt Disney World Resort, but it is very nearby, at Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort, which borders the Disney property.

It’s the most traditional Christmas display on our list, with 10 pounds of gumdrops and 50 lollipops adorning the roofline and windows, while 1,000 pieces of shredded wheat cereal form the roof.

Judging by the conspicuously missing gumdrops on some of the windowsills, we’re guessing a few wayward children have already been seduced by this gingerbread charmer.

4. Gingerbread house, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort

This is the big one – a Victorian cottage, life-size, made entirely out of gingerbread and other edible materials.

The Grand Floridian’s gingerbread house is so big, it’s used as a sweet shop, selling gingerbread tiles, cookies and chocolates to Disney visitors each day. Delicate sugar poinsettias adorn the windows, which have hand-painted winter scenes featuring Disney characters.

It takes 600 pounds of powdered sugar to sweeten up this holiday treat.

Holy Land Experience theme park: Crucifixion, even on Christmas

by Leigh Caldwell on

The new Noah’s Ark theme park planned in Kentucky may be making headlines these days, but it’s not the only U.S. park with a religious theme.

Central figures on the Orlando, Florida, theme park scene include Mickey Mouse, Shamu, Harry Potter, and Jesus Christ.

Just a few miles from Hogwart’s Castle at Universal Orlando Resort lies the Holy Land Experience, a 15-acre theme park firmly rooted in Christianity, at least the Trinity Broadcasting Network’s brand.

But the entertainment here doesn’t come from thrill rides, it comes from shows based on Bible stories, including live re-enactments of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, twice daily, even on Christmas.

Bill Briggs has an interesting look at the park – and its controversial history – today on MSNBC.com. The park opened in 2001 by fundamentalist Rev. Marvin Rosenthal, who intended it as a place to convert Jews to Christianity. It changed hands numerous times and was eventually taken over by Christian TV network TBN in 2007.

Briggs reports that park officials say it is now filled to its 2,000-guest capacity nearly every day and operates in the black. It’s popularity has prompted TBN to begin exploring the idea of opening licensing a second Holy Land Experience theme park in Seoul, South Korea.

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort: New details, images released

by Leigh Caldwell on

Walt Disney World‘s newest hotel will feature four courtyards themed around four beloved Disney animated films: Finding Nemo, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and Cars.

Disney has just released this concept art for Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.

The Little Mermaid section of the resort will have 864 traditional hotel rooms with sea-inspired decor.

Buildings featuring theming from the other three movies will house a total of 1,120 family suites designed to accommodate up to six people. The family suites will include two bathrooms, a master bedroom, and three sleeping areas in the living room.

The design includes a piece of furniture Disney calls an “Inovabed,” which transforms from a dining table into a bed.

The new Florida resort will also have a large main pool with a pool area, two quiet pools and an animation-themed food court. It is scheduled to open in the summer of 2012.

The property is near the ESPN Wide World of Sports, adjacent to Disney’s Pop Century Resort.

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort will be considered one of Disney’s “value” class hotels. Rates at value resorts currently start at $82 per night.

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Tommy Lee wants to make SeaWorld sex tape

by Leigh Caldwell on

Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee has thought a lot about whale masturbation this week.

Lee contends that to obtain sperm for breeding purposes, SeaWorld has someone “masturbate” Tillikum, a killer whale at the theme park who was responsible for the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau earlier this year.

Lee says it is “sick and twisted,” and that it violates SeaWorld’s own policies regarding trainer and whale interaction, which were revised after Brancheau’s death.

On Wednesday, SeaWorld responded to the rocker’s letter complaining about whale breeding practices by saying that Lee needs to “spend more time checking his facts.”

So, in a second letter — which PETA sent to Gadling today — Lee suggests that the best way to check his facts would be to come to Orlando and see the collection of whale semen for himself.

“To settle this, how about PETA and I come to SeaWorld and videotape the process, and then people can decide how natural it is?” Lee writes.

“It might make your dramatic news releases about a new orca pregnancy or birth less appealing, but the public deserves to know. And they’ve undoubtedly never seen a sex tape like this.”

Manual stimulation of animals is a regular breeding practice used with livestock and with some species at zoos and aquariums.

[Image credit: Flickr user Bread & CBG]