#Epcot

28 Hours of Diz: Hour 1 – Guest Relations

Oct 21, 2013
2 min

28 Hours of Diz: Hour 1 – Guest Relations

Fact: I had not been to the Magic Kingdom in 34 months. Fact: I have not been to Orlando in two years. Fact: This is the longest time span since betwixt the ages of 7 & 10 years old. This is blasphemy in the Dilloverse (that’s right, Dilloverse), but I thought it would be better to focus on my impending nuptials then try to coerce the then fiance now wife into a Disney getaway. Now, that I have gone and returned, I will blog all week long on my 28 Hours at The Diz. Hour One T

2 views0 comments

dillosdiz

Oct 14, 2013
2 min

REVIEW: Escape from Tomorrow

I am not a movie reviewer. The buzz has been surrounding the “ultimate guerilla film”, ‘Escape from Tomorrow’ since it appeared at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. The film secretly shot across both Walt Disney World & Disneyland was the ultimate hook – how did they get this done? How did they not get busted? How is Disney not suing them? How does this fall under parody? This past weekend, ‘Escape from Tomorrow’ had a limited release and became available through

2 views0 comments

dillosdiz

Sep 17, 2013
2 min

Viva la FRANCE

Last week, following my two week, first time visit to Europe, Sista Dillo requested via the Twitter for a comparison between Italia and the World Showcase’s Italy. What resulted was a three part series, part one of which you can read here. My first part of call, however, was in France. Needless to say, the comparison to EPCOT’s will be more of a contrast. We were in Cannes, that of the International Film Festival and the Palm d’o,r on the southern coast of France, You could s

1 view0 comments

dillosdiz

Sep 11, 2013
2 min

ITALIA, parte tre

We go to EPCOT. We go to the World Showcase. We drink around the world. We love the Food & Wine. We love the environments. We love the BGM. We love the nostalgia. But, I think I speak to a lot of us when I say – ‘I think there could be more’. Ride space in Germany? Oh, it’s available. Ride space in Japan? Oh, it’s available. Ride space in Italy? Oh, it was scheduled – and later bumped – in Phase 2. Never mind when Venezuela, Spain, the State of Israel, Equatorial Africa were

1 view0 comments

dillosdiz

Sep 10, 2013
2 min

ITALIA, parte due

“Behold, the majesty of the Sistine Ceiling…” The World Showcase’s Italian Pavilion shop Ii Bel Cristallo may pay homage to the Sistine Chapel, but Walter Cronkite’s delivery of the quote above resonates in my brain three decades later. It was always my favorite scene in Spaceship Earth, even more so than the turn into the planetarium cupola (now I’m using Italian architecture terms – so snobby!). This scene alone led me through a life in high school art classes where, throug

1 view0 comments

dillosdiz

Sep 9, 2013
1 min

ITALIA, parte uno

Previously, on Twitter, Sista Dillo requested a comparison of the Italian Pavilion in EPCOT’s World Showcase to the three ports in Italia I recently visited (Roma / Firenzia (Florence) / Salerno & the Amalfi Coast) – Qui andiamo! That means “Here we go’! We’ll reference the two pictures, above and below, first. Above is the Fountain of Neptune in Florence’s Piazza della Signoria and in front of Palazzo Vecchio. The fountain below is the famous Trevi Fountain in Rome. Some say

2 views0 comments

dillosdiz

Aug 23, 2013
1 min

I Can Show You The World

…shining…shimmering…splendid Right now Brother Dillo is on his way to a European cruise. He will be seeing parts of Italy, Greece, France. But so what? I’ve seen the world too. That world being World Showcase. Yes, that’s right. Anytime anyone has asked if I have been to any other countries I always say yes. I’ve been to France, Italy, Germany, Japan, China – I’ve seen it all. As I get towards the end I add in “, Epcot, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida.” But hey-it’s my li

1 view0 comments

dillosdiz

Jul 18, 2013
3 min

Must Do Disney | Dillo Style

In honor of Stacey (@staceyjaswad) being back in the parks this week to film some updates to the “Must Do’s,” I thought I would take this time to list a few of my own. MGM (Hollywood Studios) Muppet Vision 3-D: As I recently mentioned in a tweet, I noticed this pop up on a blog as something to avoid in Disney. For me, this is one of the best things to see! First off, it’s a quick way to get some air conditioning-HELLO SUMMER! Ok, sorry, that’s not the main reason but I am in

0 views0 comments

dillosdiz

Jul 17, 2013
2 min

On This Magic Night…

It has taken me two full weeks to process that SpectroMagic is no more. When you announce that the majority of the floats have been destroyed – that pretty much says it all. I picture it in the dump where the ‘Toy Story 3’ characters nearly met their fate, next to Mr. Toad’s, the ‘What About Science’ sequence of Journey Into Imagination, and the Art Deconess of Horizons. I don’t want to get into it by saying that SpectroMagic was/is better than the Main Electrical Parade, but

2 views0 comments

dillosdiz

Jul 11, 2013
2 min

A Disney Guest Audience

The only place I have been able to successfully speak in public (without looking like I’m getting a hot flash or sounding like I’m going to cry) is in front of Disney Guests. In high school I took Public Speaking to overcome some shyness…it didn’t work. In college I took Theater annnnnd Public Speaking…it didn’t work. I can talk in front of a group of friends hanging out, I can tell stories Papa Dillo style and run around during an event to make sure everything is running smo

1 view0 comments

dillosdiz

Jun 27, 2013
2 min

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes…

I’m not very religious, never have been. Although I did grow up attending classes for a certain religion and going through specific milestones, I still never had that strong connection of a 100% belief in that faith. There is often a joke between myself and our recent guest bloggers ‘M’ and ‘D’ that Mickey is our God and often end thoughts about Disney with “amen.” Obviously we don’t actually believe this, but there is definitely something to it. Here is something I never rev

2 views0 comments

dillosdiz

Oct 19, 2012
4 min

What Do You Do There? Do You Go On Rides?

I’m not sure if it’s my age or where I live but the general confusion people have when I tell people how many times I have been to Disney is comical. They look at me as if they don’t understand, sometimes in disbelief and I often get the same question: “What do you do there? Do you go on rides?” The answer to that is yes, I do go on rides. Those who are not familiar with Disney don’t understand the rides they have and that they are not restricted to ones for small children. A

0 views0 comments

dillosdiz

Oct 16, 2012
5 min

Food and Wine 2012 Review

For the last 7 years (with the exception of last year), I have made it a point to take part in Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival. It’s a great way to get friends together, walk around the world and sample treats from even more countries than you do on a normal basis. After the withdrawal from last year, I made sure to not miss out this year! Let me say that there is so much food, so many drink options and I was not able to sample everything. Therefore, this review is strictly ba

2 views0 comments

dillosdiz

May 4, 2012
2 min

When Disney World Closes

It’s raining here in NY and it’s reminding me of the few times Disney has stopped operations due to environmental factors. I think of two hurricanes and an incident of mosquitos changing our Disney experience. Mosquitos in Florida, especially during the summer are a given. However, sometimes those carrying West Nile sneak past the dome over Disney and create a bit of a scare for visiting families. I have a memory of the parks closing early and strong recommendations to stay i

1 view0 comments

dillosdiz

May 3, 2012
1 min

Aurora Borealis

Not that they didn’t have their place before, but the 21st Century at Walt Disney World has focused heavily on Princesses… Princesses and Fairies… Princesses and Fairies and Pirates. Growing up, finding a Princess for a Character Meet & Greet was a rarity. In the Magic Kingdom, you would most often run into Alice… who is not a Princess. In 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian (pre-spa) you could dine with Mary Poppins… who is not a princess. Snow White & Cinderella were most

1 view0 comments

dillosdiz

Apr 25, 2012
1 min

The 5 Senses of Disney

The smell of the Polynesian lobby, the sound of the fountains in Epcot, the feel of the warm night breeze, the taste of a Beaches and Cream cheeseburger and the sight of fireworks – is Disney’s magical secret just honing in on everyone’s senses? Alot of my favorite memories and things of Disney are beyond the rides. The music I hear when I enter Epcot now brings me back to when I was going to work. When I eat at a restaurant – I have a story about a previous dining experience

1 view0 comments

dillosdiz

Feb 22, 2012
1 min

A First Do for a Dillo

Going around the countries used to be a threat from the top Dillo himself, our dad. He would say “wanna walk around the countries?” as it was raining outside. This caused Epcot and the countries to be jaded. I did not enjoy it like I do today. Now it’s one of my favorite things to do and I find myself ending up at Epcot more often then other parks. Maybe it’s all the restaurants? The alcohol? Or maybe I’m just old now…. That can’t be it…moving on… Years back when I was workin

2 views0 comments

dillosdiz

Jan 19, 2012
1 min

IMAGINE if Disney Asked My Opinion!

My disclaimer for this post: I love Disney World. Always have, always will. It’s part of my family. And like any part of my family, I’m allowed to vent or say something against decisions it makes. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t defend it to anyone else that talked smack. There have been changes in Disney World history that make me think: Why didn’t Disney ask my opinion on this? One of the many things I would have liked to been asked about was changing Journey Into Imagination.

1 view0 comments

dillosdiz

Nov 4, 2011
1 min

Disney Any Time of Day is Magical!

When I worked at Disney, part of my job was arranging events for one particular company on Disney property. This often involved early pre-open mornings or late post-close nights. In the morning, it’s quiet and the sun is starting to come up which makes rainbows on the There are many cities in the US that claim to never sleep. I think Disney, a city in its own right, should be added to that list. Castmembers are working all day and all night to ensure the parks are guest ready

0 views0 comments

dillosdiz

Oct 25, 2011
5 min

1 Day Food & Wine: a timeline

On 10/24, I took the opportunity on my day off to shuffle off to EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival from NYC. That’s right – a one day turnaround. Seems impossible, I know, but it was a feat I had accomplished two years ago when you could get into the park for free on your birthday (same week in ’09) and I knew I could pull it off. It was also the first time I’ve live tweeted anything – what could prove to be a bad habit going forward. Here’s how my day brokedown, via DillosDiz twe

6 views0 comments