Blast into space with new Mission: Space
Story and photos by Phyllis Steinberg
Strap yourself in! Disneyworld’s brand new attraction Mission Space is here. The new ride was launched in Oct. 2003 at Walt Disney World’s Epcot Center in Orlando and already is commanding long lines of visitors waiting to board the space ship bound for Mars.
Mission: Space guests are grouped in crews of four with specific duties to be carried out by each member of the crew during the expedition into space.
The rocketing thrills and the landscapes seen are more than worth the long line waits for the new attraction.
Also opening at the same time in the Magic Kingdom was the multi-million dollar 3-D Magic Kingdom attraction, “Mickey’s PhilharMagic” movie. The movie features a flight with Peter Pan, Aladdin and his magic carpet and plenty of antics from Donald Duck. The movie may be too intense for young children as the characters fly all over the theater in 3D animation, but older children and adults of all ages are bound to be entertained by this delightful new attraction at the Magic Kingdom.
And that’s not all that is new at Disneyworld. A new fireworks spectacular called wishes is nothing short of spectacular. This “Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams” hosted by the voice of Jiminy Cricket has characters as well as fireworks shooting from 11 different locations at Cinderella’s castle. I made the mistake of arriving late and got glued into a crowd of kids of all ages and adults on main street. It was wall to wall people and no one would move. All eyes were steadily fixed to the sky watching the awesome display of magic fireworks. Arrive early and pick a good spot to watch. If you bring your children, have them take a nap, so they can stay up until 9 p.m. for this magical, amazing display of fireworks.
Disney also will be opening its newest resort, the Pop Century Resort in December 2003. The 2,880 room hotel is budget priced from $77 per night, based on season The resort is a celebration of pop culture and showcases the popular toys, fads, dance crazes and catch phrases of the 20th century. Rooms are roomy with two double beds or one king bed, a table and two chairs, vanity area and sink with separate bathroom, television, in-room wall safe, telephones with voice mail and data port. The resort has a food court, quick-service lounge, pizza delivery to guestrooms and swimming pool , kiddie pool and playground. Guests are immersed in pop artifacts everywhere around the resort. You’ll see giant bowling pins, transistor radios and cell phones, but best of all, you can ride all of the Disney transportation vehicles to the theme park by staying in this new Disney budget priced property.
Disneyworld is also introducing special benefits for groups of eight or more who stay at a Disneyworld Resort Hotel. There are Travel Planners dedicated to meeting the needs of larger groups with a phone call to 1-407-W-Disney. Some of the special offerings for groups of eight are a venture into Disney’s Animal kingdom Theme Park on a VIP Safari across the rolling savannah and dining in style at Tusker House Restaurant. Then there is a Magic Kingdom morning gathering with special songs and fun for kids of all ages with classic Disney characters joining you for breakfast at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. A special evening Epcot is also offered for groups of eight or more.
But whether you travel with eight or with your immediate family, Disney has something for everyone. Where else can you go and feel like a kid again?
For more information about Walt Disneyworld, call 407-W-Disney or log on to www.disneyworld.com. Groups of eight or more should check out www.disneyworld.com/magical gatherings