in our Sunday paper - article on new rides & attractions

hi all -

great article in our Sunday Minneapolis Star/Tribune with a recap of some of the newer rides / attractions / shows / amenities at Disney.

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DisneyWorld: A whole new world

David Swanson - January 28, 2007

www.startribune.com/1513/story/962412.html

At Disney World -- which includes the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Disney-MGM Studios -- fresh attractions and amenities promise to entertain visitors. Here is a guide to the theme park%26#39;s latest attractions:

ExpeditionEverest at Animal Kingdom This nearly 200-foot-high attraction -- Disney%26#39;s tallest ';mountain'; -- debuted last April and has proven a monster hit with guests.The thrill ride mimics a runaway train in an Asian landscape and throws in a surprisingly realistic yeti to terrorize passengers. As many as 2,000 authentic handcrafted Asian props help establish an authentic sense of place.

Wanyama Safari at Animal Kingdom Hundreds of wild animals, from lowland gorillas to Bengal tigers, prowl Animal Kingdom. You can see the wildlife from the 1,293-room Animal Kingdom Lodge -- or get closer. New at the lodge is the Wanyama Safari, which allows up to 12 guests to travel through the enclosure in a vehicle for up-close encounters with the animals. The sunset tour is conducted three days a week and concludes with dinner at the resort%26#39;s signature restaurant, Jiko.Including dinner, the price is $160 for adult concierge-level guests, $210 for non-concierge guests. Children ages 8 or 9 pay half-price; adult prices start at age 10 and kids under 8 may not participate (1-407-938-4755). Mission: SPACE at Epcot The Mission: SPACE ride simulates a spacecraft launch, approach and landing on Marsusing a centrifuge to reproduce the G-force of liftoff. The $100 million attraction has a reputation for inducing motion sickness; it%26#39;s the only Disney ride with airsickness bags. In the past year, two deathslanded Disney in hot water(preexisting medical conditions were found in both cases). Last summer, two of the four centrifuges were turned off to provide a milder ride for guests concerned about the thrill ride. My verdict: The original ride was a gripping experience that toyed with my equilibrium, but the ';less intense'; version is still a viable attraction. The Seas with Nemo %26amp; Friends at Epcot Epcot%26#39;s Living Seas pavilion opened a new ride based on the three-year-old hit movie ';Finding Nemo.';The new attraction is designed to revitalize a pavilion that was severely outdated, yet possessed a spectacular 5.7-million-gallon saltwater aquarium that is host to more than 65 species of marine life.The animated movie%26#39;s characters now ';inhabit'; a portion of the aquarium viewed on the ride, making it appear as though Nemo, Dory and others are swimming with the real sealife. Also in the pavilion -- now called the Seas with Nemo and Friends -- is ';Turtle Talk With Crush,'; a charming encounter with the surfer-dude turtle from the movie.

Lights, Motors, Action! at Disney-MGM Studios ';Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show,'; an import from Disney%26#39;s Paris resort, sends cars, motorcycles and watercraft careening through a sprawling Mediterranean village set. The spectacle takes place in a 5,000-seat venue several times daily.

Pirates of the Caribbean at Magic Kingdom Capt. Jack Sparrow has been added to the lineup of AudioAnimatronic characters in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. The lifelike representation of Johnny Depp%26#39;s character from the blockbuster movie appears three times during the ride, along with his nemesis Barbossa. The attraction received a general overhaul that improved the lighting and sound effects throughout. Lines for the ride are longer than usual.

BED CHECK Like the theme parks, hotels are updating, too. Here%26#39;s what%26#39;s new.

Saratoga Springs Resort %26amp; Spa is a new 828-unit property next to Downtown Disney that is part of the company%26#39;s vacation-ownership program, Disney Vacation Club. Traditional hotel stays can be booked in the studios and one- and two-bedroom villas (1-407-827-1100).

The All-Star Music Resort, which provides Disney%26#39;s most inexpensive hotel option starting at $82 a night, had nearly 400 of its guest rooms converted to 192 family suites with kitchenette. The new units, which sleep up to six, opened last fall (1-407-939-6000).

Two upscale Disney resorts, the Contemporary (1-407-824-1000) and the Polynesian (1-407-824-2000) have added flat-screen TVs and designer bedding, among other enhancements.

Another new accommodations feature is Disney%26#39;s Magical Express-- airport transfer, luggage delivery and airport check-in service, now free for guests of the Disney resorts.(It%26#39;s a healthy savings -- typical one-way taxi transfer from the Orlando Airport to Walt Disney World is about $40, including tip.)Disney operates 22 resort hotels on the Florida property, with 31,000 guest rooms (for information and reservations: http://disneyworld.disney. go.com or 1-407-939-6244) . David Swanson is a freelance writer based in San Diego. He writes for several national magazines and is a contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler.

Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando reaches new heights with Expedition Everest and other additions.

in our Sunday paper - article on new rides %26amp; attractions

If I was the editor of the paper I would fire the writer, all that information is dated and should of been printed months ago.

in our Sunday paper - article on new rides %26amp; attractions

Agreed - sounds more like an advertorial. Apart from Everest (and the minor changes in Pirates), sounds the same as 2 years ago!