Walt Disney World has released the entire lineup for the 2012 Flower Power Concert series, which will take place as part of the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. The Guess Who, Starship, and Davy Jones are among 11 acts that will be taking the stage at the American Gardens Theatre, which is located right across from The American Adventure. The concerts take place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the Festival, which runs from March 7 to May 20th this year. Admission is free with a ticket to Epcot. These concerts are some of the best entertainment experiences that you can find all year at Disney World. Check out the full lineup and schedule here.
      Updated: Jan 20, 2012

Epcot's fast paced ride Test Track is going to add a bit of a spin to its already popular formula this fall. The current testing facility will be transformed into the "Chevrolet Design Center," which will give guests a chance to have a hands-on experience with automotive design. Guests will design a custom vehicle, which they will then be able to take for a "six person SimCar ride" on the track of the ride. There are no details yet on how exactly the customization will effect the ride portion of Test Track, but this definitely sounds like a promising revamp of one of our favorite rides at Disney World. (Source: Disney Parks Blog)
      Updated: Jan 10, 2012

Probably the most prominent feature of the Fantasyland expansion that will open next year is Beast's Castle. As we mentioned earlier, Beast's Castle will be home to the Be Our Guest restaurant, and it will define much of the Fantasyland skyline. Earlier this month, Matthew Cooper took a snapshot of the Beast's new digs and shared it on his absolutely awesome flickr, which then went viral through tumblr, which was then first reported by the good folks at Stitch Kingdom. It's a pretty great glimpse at what the castle looks like, which we think is shaping up to be pretty awesome. For a better glimpse, be sure to check out Mr. Cooper's flickr, and hang around to Guide2WDW for more news about Disney World's Fantasyland Expansion.
      Updated: Dec 27, 2011

There’s only 5 more days until Christmas, which means that the Holiday season is in full gear at Walt Disney World Resort. If you’re courageous enough to brave the crowds in the coming week, be sure to check out our list of the Top Ten Holiday Sights at Disney World From the Gingerbread Houses to the Candlelight Processional, this list is full of yuletide sights you cannot miss on your visit.

The popular improv theatre, the Comedy Warehouse, closed along with the rest of the Downtown Disney's Pleasure Island back in 2008. However, fans of their made up on the spot style of comedy should try to head to Hollywood Studios from December 25 to 31, where cast members of the original Comedy Warehouse will play a limited run of shows. There will be six shows per day, located inside of the seasonally-closed Sounds Dangerous attraction. While a cast list has not been released, the shows will appropriately feature a holiday theme. If you're looking for some holiday cheer, look no further than Disney's Hollywood Studios! (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
      Updated: Dec 15, 2011

According to The Disney Food Blog, Be Our Guest will be opening as a new restaurant as part of the Fantasyland expansion in late 2012. The restaurant will feature three dining rooms: the Library/Gallery, the Ballroom, and the West Wing, all set inside of the Beast's Castle. Interestingly, Be Our Guest will offer counter service during the day and table service during the evening. The biggest question that remains: Will they serve the grey stuff? I've heard it's delicious. While the menu is still undetermined, we're excited to put their service to the test come late next year.
      Updated: Dec 14, 2011

A new counter-service eatery has just arrived at the Japan Pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase. Replacing the Yakitori House, Katsura Grill is themed after the gardens of the Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto, Japan and offers a variety of sushi, udon, and teriyaki dishes. Specific menu items include Teriyaki Chicken, Spicy Tuna Roll, and Tempura Shrimp Udon. Prices range from $7 to $13 for individual entrees, which is pretty much in line with other Disney World counter-service offerings. Be sure to check back into Guide2WDW later for pictures and the entire menu. (Source: Attractions Magazine)
      Updated: Dec 13, 2011

The oft-delayed Four Seasons Resort at Walt Disney World is actually becoming a reality. Construction officially began on Monday with a groundbreaking ceremony that featured Mickey Mouse sporting a hard hat. President of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Operations Meg Crofton told reporters that Disney and the Four Seasons will "offer a brand-new reason to visit and experience Central Florida." As we've mentioned on Guide2WDW before, the luxury resort is expected to open in 2014 with 444-rooms, a 14,000 square foot spa, and three pools and a lazy river. Additionally, the resort will incorporate and manage the Osprey Ridge golf course, which will undergo a renovation in the coming months. We're still a long way off from this resort opening in Golden Oak, but we're excited to see how it comes along.
      Updated: Dec 8, 2011

Not too long from now, in a Florida city far far away (depending on where you live), Star Wars fans young and old alike will descend upon Disney’s Hollywood Studios to celebrate their favorite sci-fi series. Disney Parks Blog has announced that the next Star Wars Weekends will take place May 18-20, May 25-27, June 1-3, and June 8-10. Guests will have a chance to meet characters, ride Star Tours, and, of course, witness some interesting dance routines.

(Image Credit Figment media)

Next year is approaching rapidly, and if you’re planning on visiting Walt Disney World next Spring, now is a great time to start planning your trip. Disney’s Official Reservations Site has revealed a new deal for select Disney Resort Hotel reservations from the end of February to the beginning of June next year. You can save up to 30% on your Disney hotel reservation from February 21 to March 31 if you book by January 22, 2012. The same deals apply for April 13 to June 14 if you book by February 28, 2012. For specific availability and to reserve your room, check out Disney’s site or call 407-939-7722 and mention the booking code N6P.

Watching Ryan Seacrest on New Year’s Eve not exhilarating enough for you? DisneyQuest at Downtown Disney is inviting you and your family to join a “cyber celebration” of the New Year. Disney Parks Blog revealed that last year’s popular New Year’s celebration is returning to the interactive Disney attraction. From 8 pm to 1 am on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, DisneyQuest will be hosting a party including a DJ, unlimited games and attractions, and, arguably best of all, a coupon for a meal. If you act now, you can get a ticket for $45 (a $10 discount) by calling 407-934-7639 to make a reservation.

In just a couple of months, you'll have the chance to get behind the wheel of a Lamborghini and punch it to speeds over 100 mph at Disney World. The Richard Petty Driving Experience is branching out from stock cars to include a new fleet of elite high-end cars in the new Exotic Driving Experience. Speed hounds will get the chance to either ride shotgun in or take the wheel of one of two Lamborghinis, two Ferraris, an Audi R8, or a Porsche 911, with prices ranging between $99 to $389 depending on the length of the ride, according to USA Today. If you're planning a trip to Walt Disney World next year and the thought of driving one of these amazing cars sounds awesome to you, be sure to include the Richard Petty Driving Experience in your plans.
      Updated: Nov 16, 2011

Examiner.com reports that Walt Disney World installed new RFID-enabled turnstiles at one of the entrances to Epcot yesterday, November 13th. RFID is a technology that allows you to “swipe” your pass just by placing it near the turnstile. Here’s how it works: Cast members are giving guests RFID stickers to place on their passes. Once by the turnstile, you just put your pass near the Mickey Mouse orb and place your finger on the fingerprint scanner. The Mickey Mouse logo will actually glow green once everything’s good to go.

This obviously seems to be a test run of the technology, since this entrance to Epcot is the historically-lesser used entrance left of the Monorail. However, it isn’t hard to see this technology being built into all Disney World tickets being sold in the future and creating an easier, more futuristic way of entering the park. As a bit of an aside, I also can’t help but imagine being able to buy a Disney World ticket on an NFC (near field communication) enabled phone, and then just being able to swipe your phone next to the turnstile to get in. We’re probably at least a year or two away from that type of technology being prevalent enough, but it’s really cool to see what kind of technologies Disney World is embracing.

Image Credit: TouringPlansBlog

Apparently not worn out from his recent Halloween festivities, Mickey Mouse is back and ready to party again tonight with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The party takes place from 7pm to midnight in the Magic Kingdom and features holiday themed entertainment from fireworks to snow on Main Street to Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. You do need an extra ticket to join the Yuletide festival. Tickets run $62.95 for adults and $57.95 for children ages 3-9. However, if you purchase in advanced, you can save $6 per ticket, with some limited exclusions.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will be thrown November 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 27, 29, December 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, and 18. Tickets can be purchased from Walt Disney World's official website.

Disney World is a pretty amazing place, and our blogger Meredith shares what she thinks are the seven most amazing features of Walt Disney World. If you want to find out what we think makes Disney World wonderful, you're not going to want to miss this article. Check out the list here.
      Updated: Nov 2, 2011

Tomorrow is the spookiest day of the year, and the Swan and Dolphin resorts are trying to scare you... with special offers. According to disZine, if you book your reservation with the Disney World Swan and Dolphin resorts between 8AM and 7PM EST on Halloween and say "Trick or Treat," you will be eligible to a random treat. The Halloween treats include free nights, food and beverage credits, Disney park passes, discounts, and more. Call the Swan and Dolphin at 888.828.8850, and check out disZine for an expanded list of the Swan and Dolphin's treats. Happy Halloween!
      Updated: Oct 30, 2011

The 2011 Epcot International Wine and Food Festival has begun, and it goes until November 13th. We've just added an image gallery of all of the booths at the Festival, as well as the menus and prices. Click here for the 2011 Epcot Wine and Food Festival gallery. Admittance is included with a ticket to Epcot, so if you haven't had a chance to check out the good eats at the World Showcase, you still have a couple of weeks left!
      Updated: Oct 24, 2011

Advanced Dining Reservations (known by Disney veterans simply as ADRs) have long been a great tool for planning your WDW vacation. A common piece of advice that we mention on this site and in our new pocket guide is to be sure to grab an ADR for your desired restaurant well before heading to Orlando. Starting October 26th, Disney will be adopting a new policy that invokes a $10 per person cancellation charge for ADRs that are cancelled with less than a full day's notice to 19 Disney World restaurants. A credit card will also now be required to book a reservation. These new penalties are pretty severe, especially for anyone who has experienced how fluid plans can be on a full family vacation. Our advice? Keep using ADRs to ensure your family dines where you want to, but be more selective about how many you book and be aware of this penalty. Nothing sounds worse than paying upwards of $40 or $50 on a meal you didn't even get to enjoy. For a full list of the restaurants with the new policy, check out the Orlando Sentinel Blog.
      Updated: Oct 14, 2011

Walt Disney World announced a brand new way to save money for your visit to Orlando this holiday season. From now until November 19th, 2011, when you book for "most nights" between October 30th to November 18th and November 26th to December 23rd, you can save some big bucks at Disney's on-property resorts. Disney Value and Moderate Resorts are offering up to 20% off, and Disney's Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts are offering up to 30% off of your hotel rate. For complete details and availability, head to Disney's official site.
      Updated: Oct 9, 2011

Walt Disney World recently announced through its official blog that the highest grossing movie of all time will be coming to a Disney Park in Orlando. Attractions based off of James Cameron's Avatar, which are all part of an Avatar Land in the Animal Kingdom, are currently in the design phase and will start construction in 2013. Avatar now joins Indiana Jones and Star Wars as non-Disney properties to have major Disney World and Disneyland attractions. It should be noted that the Animal Kingdom land is the only announced plan for Avatar in a Disney Park, but Disney has left the door open to build Avatar attractions in parks located outside Orlando. No specific attractions have been revealed, although expect the land to have "multiple attractions, entertainment, merchandise locations, restaurants, and other immersive elements." Disney confirmed that the project, from design to completion, will take roughly 5 years, so we won't be able to visit Pandora until at least 2016 or 2017. That leaves us plenty of time to speculate over what the Avatar Land will be like.
      Updated: Oct 1, 2011

Disney Parks Blog announced a "new role-playing adventure" coming to the Magic Kingdom: Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. In the attraction, Merlin the magician "will recruit guests to become apprentice sorcerers." While details are scarce right now, the attraction seems similar to the Kim Possible attraction, an interactive scavenger hunt around Epcot. In Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, it seems guests will be tracking down clues in order to defeat several Disney villains. Could be a lot of fun. We'll provide more details as they come. Look out for the new attraction at the Magic Kingdom in early 2012.
      Updated: Sep 14, 2011

With Disney's D23 Conference starting this Friday in Anaheim, Walt Disney World fans (including us) are looking forward to any news with high anticipation. Orlando Attractions Magazine has an entertaining round up of the juiciest rumors that may be announced at D23 on Friday. My favorites include Brazil coming to Epcot as a new country in the World Showcase and Disney building a Monsters Inc roller coaster in Disney's Hollywood Studios. The other rumors are a lot of fun to think about, and some of these are great ideas (like Disney California Adventure's World of Color making its way to Orlando), but keep in mind that these are all just rumors. There's no guarantee of seeing any of these happen, but we'll be watching Disney's Friday news conference very carefully.
      Updated: Aug 17, 2011

We at Guide2WDW are excited to announce that we have just released a brand new and updated version of our wildly popular Walt Disney World Pocket Guide. This guide gives you info beyond what you will find in Disney World's official park pamphlets. Our pocket guide provides in-depth descriptions, quick reviews, and recommendations, all in an attractive and updated layout. The best part? It's absolutely free, just because we love you. Be sure to check out the brand new Walt Disney World Pocket Guide when you're planning your next WDW vacation. Click here for more.
      Updated: Aug 15, 2011

Check out my newest review of Mama Melrose in Hollywood Studios! Great pictures of some of my favorite dishes. If you want to go on your next trip, be sure to make a reservation.
      Updated: Jul 24, 2011

Walt Disney World announced that it has hosted its last ESPN The Weekend. The sports celebration started in 2004 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Worldwide Leader in Sports. The event would feature live broadcasts of popular ESPN shows from Disney World parks and would feature appearances from both current and legendary athletes. Disney cites the move as a way to focus on "ESPN's growing year-round presence at Walt Disney World." This growing presence includes a rebranding of the Wide World of Sports complex to include ESPN, as well as the new ESPN RISE games. It should also be noted that Disney owns ABC, which is ESPN's parent company.
      Updated: Jul 23, 2011

Disney Parks Blog announced the addition of Cars and Cars 2 star Lightning McQueen to the Lights, Motors, Action automobile stunt show at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The red racecar made his LMA Stunt Show debut this previous Tuesday, and he can be seen at daily performances of the show at Hollywood Studios. McQueen replaces a cameo from Herbie from "The Love Bug." Fans of Cars and its recently released sequel should definitely add this attraction on their to-do list for their upcoming Walt Disney World vacation.
      Updated: Jul 22, 2011

Early bird shoppers who are also Disney World Annual Passholders or Vacation Club Members better mark their calendar for July 23rd. On this Saturday from 6:30AM-9AM local time, the World of Disney store will feature a massive sale on a wide variety of select items. The sale includes up to 75% off select Vinylmation, 50% off of select apparel, 50% off of the world famous Ear Hats, and much more. There will also be special door buster deals with merchandise starting as low as a dollar. Passholders and Vacation Club members will also enjoy discounts throughout Downtown Disney all throughout July 23. Set you alarms early!
      Updated: Jul 21, 2011

Walt Disney World announced through the Disney Parks Blog that construction on Splitsville, a "50,000-square-foot upscale entertainment center," will begin this fall at Downtown Disney. Splitsville is set to have billards, dining, music, but the main attraction is the bowling alley inside. This new building will cause RIDEMAKERZ to be relocated from the West Site to the Marketplace. Splitsville is just part of an entire "re-imagining" of Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney. No word was given as to when the entertainment center is due to open.
      Updated: Jul 18, 2011

Disney Fairies fans will have to recalibrate their plans for their upcoming Walt Disney World vacation. Tinkerbell and the Fairies of Pixie Hollow will be moving to the Magic Kingdom starting July 28. You can meet the Fairies daily at the Adventureland Veranda, near Aloha Isle.
      Updated: Jul 16, 2011

Over the holiday weekend, Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa opened up Paddock Pool, a new swimming pool free for resort guests. Paddock Pool features a huge slide, a wet deck play area, and a horseshoe shaped hot tub. The pool is the second "feature pool" for Saratoga Springs. For more info on the new pool at one of Walt Disney World's top resorts, check out Disney Parks Blog.
      Updated: Jul 6, 2011

Initially announced in 2007 for a 2010 opening, the Four Seasons planned for the Walt Disney World resort area has been further delayed until 2014. The Four Seasons is now planned to be part of Disney's high-end neighborhood, Golden Oak, which will feature 450 luxury homes. (Source disZine.)
      Updated: Jul 5, 2011

According to Disney Parks Blog, Walt Disney World resort is bringing a new guest experience for guests yearning for a bit of swashbuckling adventure. "A Pirate's Adventure," an In-Room Celebration, starts with Captain Jack Sparrow, while on the run from a gang of pirates, hiding a treasure chest in your room. If your family can figure out the puzzles Jack left for you, you'll be able to unlock the treasure chest and keep whatever treasures lie inside. This in-room add-on will go on sale late this summer and will premiere at Walt Disney World Resort in the Fall of 2011.
      Updated: Jul 1, 2011

With Disneyland's "The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Undersea Adventure" set to open at California Adventure next week, Disney Parks Blog has posted an update on the status of Walt Disney World's own Little Mermaid ride: "Under The Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid." The ride, which is part of the major Fantasyland expansion in the Magic Kingdom, is currently under construction and is scheduled to make its Walt Disney World debut sometime in 2012. Head over to Disney Parks Blog to see a picture of the construction, plus links to videos of the Disneyland ride.
      Updated: May 28, 2011

With literally hundreds of treats available at the Happiest Place on Earth, it can be hard to know what to buy. We've taken up the arduous and exhausting task of trying these candies, cakes, and ice cream cones. The result: Our list of the Top Ten Desserts in Walt Disney World. Be sure to check out other top ten lists at our Best of WDW section.
      Updated: Apr 2, 2011