Weekend Update: Characters in Flight, Tokyo Disneyland, Busch Animals, Candy Factory

Up, up and away we go on the Weekend Update! Denise nbodyhome Preskitt shares photos and a video taken while actually in flight on Walt Disney World's new Characters in Flight attraction! TDLFAN logged quite a few miles flying to Tokyo Disneyland so he could bring us part two of his 25th anniversary retrospective. SummerInFL brings you some pretty darn cute animal photos taken at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Then MickeyMaxx finishes things up this week by taking us to a modern day version of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.


Walt Disney World
Orlando, Florida


The Balloon Rises

This week, Denise nbodyhome Preskitt managed to catch a ride upward. 400 feet upward on Florida's Downtown Disney's latest attraction, Characters in Flight. Fun? That depends on your tolerance of floaty, extremely high, devices!

The building:


Going up in the air:


Looking down:


The Bay Lake Tower with my zoom:


Flying above Fultons:


At night:


Even with my fear of heights, I enjoyed Characters in Flight. If you can catch it on a non-windy day (when flying), the price is $16.00 for adults and $10.00 for children - including tax. Here is a 3 minute video from when I flew:


The upcoming Paradiso 37 restaurant from the water at Downtown Disney:


Fultons:


A pelican at Epcot:


Italy:


This guy had a totally cool wheelchair! Mickey Mouse and LED's:


To see more of Denise's photos and videos of this and other subjects, visit mousesteps.com.





Tokyo Disneyland Resort
Tokyo, Japan


Here is the second and last installment of TDLFAN's year in review report for Tokyo Disneyland's 25th anniversary celebration.


4TH STAGE: TDL's Christmas Fantasy, TDS' Harborside Christmas

Welcome to Christmas Fantasy at TDL!


Special decor for this anniversary event.


The Official 25th anniversary Xmas tree.


Castle Stage hosted "Mickey's Jolly Snow Time" show


Show Finale.


TDL also hosted "It's A Small World's Xmas Around the World"


Meanwhile.. over at TDS..


Xmas at TDS


Xmas in NYC


TDS hosted "Candlelight Reflections" on Mediterranean Harbor.


5th Stage: GRAND FINALE... "The Dream Goes on!"


Dream goes on at TDL..


Tulips take over the park!


Castle Stage hosted "Dreams Within". Here, Alice holds a magical tea party!


"Dreams Within" .. Follow your heart and make your dreams come true!


Meanwhile at TDS.. the dream goes on as well.


TDS hosted "Mickey's Dream Company" at the Waterfront Park Stage.


"Mickey's Dream Company" tells the story of a young gal who dreams of being in show business...and making her dream come true, in elegant TDS fashion of course!


Disney Resort's 25th anniversary celebration comes to an end, and the entire year of spectacular entertainment, decor, menus, merchandise becomes a memory to cherish for a lifetime. May Tokyo Disney Resort be successful for yet another magical 25 years and beyond. May the Magic Continues....
So, on this week may I be the first one to say..."Happy 26th Tokyo Disney Resort!!! WE LOVE YOU!!



Busch Gardens
Tampa Bay, Florida


SummerInFl spent some time at Busch Gardens Tampa and brings us a few shots of their beautiful and in the case of the first creature, very personable animal residents.



And some animals of the human variety, kind of.


Official site: BuschGardens.com.




Ethel M Chocolate Factory
Las Vegas, Nevada

MickeyMaxx has more from Las Vegas this week. Who would have expected a premium chocolate factory in the middle of this desert?



The Ethel M Factory Tour

We talk a lot about theme around here, so when we heard about Ethel M, it didn't quite fit our thoughts about what one would expect to be connected with Las Vegas. Of course 20 years ago, one could say the same about the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, Gondolas being piloted a few yards from the Strip, or a working Monorail. So, chocolate = good, premium chocolate = gooder, we are fans, let's go!


About a 10-15 minute drive from the strip, you'll come upon a nondescript complex that you could easily drive right by, had you not carefully planned your route. There are perhaps 4 cars in the parking lot, alongside a tour bus. By the time we finish our tour, there are more busses unloading their passengers with their florescent name tags. One group was British, another Japanese, the rest domestic stock, all driven by the same thing we were . . . at the end of a factory tour, there be samples and a chance to buy even more.

The tour is standard issue. Large signs along the way attempt to add a dash of the educational and the cultural responsibility. The right side of this one reminds us a little of the happiest voyage that ever sailed.


The "tour" consists of a straight path that leads you by large windows looking into the plant, with signs explaining the production of chocolate.

The plant was not in production while we were there. Everything was tidy and clean.


Wait, I spy lots of chocolate in this mixer thingie.


There were some employees packing candy for Easter.


Also along the tour corridor, there were chocolate sculptures and a demonstration kitchen, which was also unmanned.


This is their take on a caramel apple which goes for $12 a pop.


On a scale of 1-10, the tour was a strong 2, but were we looking forward to an intense factory experience? No, just like the tortillas and the bread on Pacific Wharf, we really wanted to see the end product.

Looks like we've arrived!


Their retail space puts Marcelline's Candy shop to royal shame. There was a vast array of choices in a very large space, complete with a man forcing samples on the large crowd, and very attentive employees.


The strawberry lady.


And, if only the following were true!


If you are tempted, the link below will tell you how to get Ethel to send some straight to your home. You'll also find the complete story of Ethel M (as in Mars candy fame) and how a company best known for M&Ms came to produce a world class candy and open candy lounges where folks can sit on comfy couches while working their way through the hundreds of varieties of confections.

Looking for up-to-date reports from Disneyland
including photos, gossip, park schedules and more?

Visit these MiceChat columns each week:

Andy Castro's Dateline Disneyland

David DarkBeer Michael's In the Parks

And that brings us to the end of another week. Our photographers have just enough time to reload their cameras before we see you all again next weekend. Thank you to all of our wonderful readers, and as always, a huge thank you to our amazing team of global photographers, spies, and gossips:


TDLFAN
Denise nbodyhome Preskitt (mousesteps.com)
SummerInFl (wdwfanpics.com)
sir clinksalot
MickeyMaxx
BigPigletFan
Abominable Snowman
"Postcard Junkie" darkfairycthulu (postcardjunkie.blogspot.com)
Fishbulb
Ian Parkinson
PhotoMatt
Jack Hollywood 1939 Wixom

Your Editor - Rixter

Where have YOU been recently? We invite you to share your photos of theme parks or any other destination that may be of interest to our readers. Please feel free to contact me via MiceChat Private Message (screen name Rixter)
or send me an email: oceansiderick@gmail.com.