CitySurfing Orlando

As we mentioned in an earlier story, Walt Disney World’s newest resort, Disney’s Art of Animation, is already accepting reservations and plans to open up for guests as of May 31, 2012.

The first wing to open to guests will be the Finding Nemo wing of family suites and WDW has been kind enough to release these photos of the external decor for the wing.

The first thing to notice is that unlike other value Disney resorts, there is no exterior hallway. This allows the themed decor to include huge murals on the side of the building, as you can see in the next photo.

The next photo is of the main “Big Blue” pool area, which is not only zero-entry, but is the largest pool on Disneyworld property.

I think the whole external decor looks great and very whimsical. Even if you aren’t a guest, head over for some great photo ops with the family.

The next section to open will be the Cars family wing, which Disney says will be open for reservations starting June 18. Here, a freshly paved road leads to the Cozy Cone Motel complete with a Cozy Cone pool and cone-shaped cabanas.

The Lion King wing is the last family suites wing to open, and that should start accepting reservations for dates around August 10. Its decor is a journey through an African landscape complete with an elephant graveyard play area that invites youngsters to seek hakuna matata time.

Finally, the Little Mermaid standard room wing will open for reservations starting September 15, which is decorated like an under-the-sea kingdom, complete with a 35-ft-tall model of King Triton.

In the meantime, here are a few more photos of the Finding Nemo wing:

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Some parts of the Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom have already had soft openings for the guests. However there are still a lot of additions and renovations that are still being worked on.

Last week, Disney parks released a projected timeline for a few more of the Fantasyland area rides and attractions.

The next area to open will be the remainder of Storybook Circus. This will include the second half of the Dumbo the Flying Elephant attraction and the Casey Jr. Splash ‘n’ Soak Station. This should be open by July 2012.

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The Disney Parks blog revealed that plans are in the works to bring popular cofee joint Starbucks to the four Disney parks in Florida, as well as the two California parks.

The first one will open in June at Disney’s California Adventure. The blog states that each location – one for each park – will be themed to fit in with its surroundings.

Each café will serve Starbucks items, including coffee and espresso beverages, Frappuccino® blended beverages, and signature breakfast sandwiches and pastries.

No word on when the first one will open at the Florida parks, but here’s hoping they utilize the FastPass system or you may be waiting in long lines if the number of blog comments are anything to judge the news by.

Even though SeaWorld Orlando just opened their new TurtleTrek attraction last week,they are already looking forward to their next attraction, which will take guests all the way to the southern continent.

Antarctica – Empire of the Penguin is set to open in Spring 2013 and will be the park’s biggest expansion to date. This week the park revealed more details on the attraction.

The attraction will utilize new technology that will allow guests to choose the level of thrill they experience on each ride through.

Each boat-like car will seat up to eight guests at a time.

Also along for the ride is a young gentoo penguin who will become the rider’s guide through the wilds of the Antartica landscape.

Antartica guests will get closer than ever to its colony of penguins, including gentoos, rockhoppers, adelies and kings. How close has yet to be detailed, but designers consider the guests’ encounters with the penguins to be the first of their kind in any theme park or zoo in the world.

Because the real penguins must stay in a habitat with temperatures in the low 30s, this will be the coldest theme park attraction in the world, according to the attraction’s designers.

The Antarctica – Empire of the Penguin attraction will include the ride, the penguin habitat gift shop and a restaurant. The exact opening date hasn’t been set yet, but as soon as we find out, we’ll let you know.

Antarctica - Empire of the Penguin

Yesterday, Walt Disney World revealed that they will be implementing a seasonal change to their nightly show at the Magic Kingdom.

During the “The Magic, The Memories, and You!” show, images are projected onto the castle and one of the new scenes features Cinderella Castle turning into a huge sandcastle.

Park reps say the seasonal changes to the show will start May 25. They do not have an exact end date, but my guess is it will be sometime around Labor Day weekend in early September.

Here’s an artist rendering of the sandcastle scene:

[Image courtesy of Walt Disney World]