NBA Experience, a basketball-driven attraction at Disney Springs, will open to the public on Aug. 12, the company announced during a game between the Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers at Amway Center in downtown Orlando last month.
The new experience will include virtual and real-life play, including some re-enactments of key professional basketball moments, such as slam-dunk challenges or walking through the players' tunnel before tipoff.
It will feature 13 interactive elements, Disney says.
Previously, Disney's announced time frame for NBA Experience was merely some time this summer.
The two-story, 44,000-square foot structure is currently under construction in the West Side section of Disney Springs. It's going up across from House of Blues, where DisneyQuest operated for several years.
— Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel (TNS)
• Families bound for a Disney theme park should think twice — and measure once — before tossing the stroller into the car.
Starting May 1, visitors can no longer take strollers larger than 31 by 52 inches or stroller wagons into the attractions. By eliminating these behemoths, the theme parks hope to open up passageways that are expected to grow even more crowded this summer, when Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens at Disneyland Resort in Southern California (May 31) and Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios in Florida (Aug. 29). Parents who attempt to enter the park with the banned set of wheels will be asked to check the item or return it to their car or hotel room.
To avoid a miscalculation, consider renting a stroller. At Disney World, for example, a single stroller costs $15 a day or $13 a day for multiple days, and a double stroller goes for $31 and $27, respectively.
May 1 also sounds the death knell for loose and dry ice in coolers. Instead, take ice packs or hit up a Quick-Service dining station for free cups of ice. The parks are also becoming smoke-free in both of Mickey's theme parks, the water parks, the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida and the Downtown Disney District in California. Smoking is still permitted outside the venues and at Disney Springs in Florida.
— Andrea Sachs,
The Washington Post
• School may not be the first you think of when you plan your vacation at Walt Disney World.
But this type of school is different.
The Orlando, Fla., theme park is offering fans of The Little Mermaid lessons on how to be like Ariel, the star of the classic tale, according to The Disney Parks blog.
During the one-hour class, students will be fitted with a tail, and then taught how to move like a mermaid in the shallow end of a pool. In case your little one doesn't know how to swim, life jackets will be available.
The sessions, which started recently, are being held at three hotels: Disney's Art of Animation Resort, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort and Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resort. Classes will be held six days a week, except Mondays, at 8 a.m. Eight people will be allowed in each class. Teachers hail from The Mermaid Academy, which also sells colorful tails from $109 on its website.
The cost for the class is $53.25 a pop for guests aged "4 up to 100."
For reservations, call (407) 939-7529 and inquire about Disney World's "Enchanted Extras." Agents are booking through the end of September.
— Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald (TNS)
Travel on 04/21/2019