The Disney Look... to the Past! (July 26-August 1)

Hello, and welcome to the latest edition of the weekly feature known as "The Disney Look... to the Past!"
Enjoy reading all of the following interesting facts about the Walt Disney Parks, Resorts, Movies, and more:
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This Week in Disney History: July 26-August 1

July 28, 1994 - Groundbreaking held at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort

It would welcome home its first Members just over a year later on Oct. 1, 1995, but Disney leaders broke ground on this day for the first Disney Vacation Club resort to open outside the Walt Disney World Resort. A two-hour drive southeast of Orlando, Disney’s Vero Beach Resort is located on 71 acres of Florida’s “Treasure Coast” along the Atlantic Ocean. Offering Members and Guests a chance to enjoy the simple, old-fashioned charm of a Florida beach vacation, the resort features a central inn and a collection of relaxing villas and standalone cottages, with an inviting expanse of white, sandy beach and recreational activities just outside the doors. Members can pamper themselves at The Spa at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, enjoy the romantic dining atmosphere of Sonya’s, or enjoy a drink at the Green Cabin Room, named for a feature of a 1618 Spanish galleon whose wreckage is said to be located offshore. The resort is situated on a top nesting area for loggerhead sea turtles, and was designed to minimize impact on their annual nesting patterns by minimizing exterior lighting facing the ocean, since the turtles’ hatching is triggered by moonlight.

July 30, 1998 - The Disney Magic sets sail on its maiden voyage

Built at the Fincantieri shipyards in Italy, the Disney Magic is more than a Disneyfied cruise ship. This inaugural member of the Disney Cruise Line fleet was designed as a throwback to the “Golden Age” of ocean travel, when luxury liners were the primary mode of transit between Europe and America Lavish design touches and an Art Deco interior meet modern, innovative technology throughout its eleven decks. With a cruising speed of 21.5 knots (nearly 40 MPH), it has plenty of power to boot for 2,700 Guests and 950 Crew Members. Registered in Nassau in the Bahamas but based out of Port Canaveral, Fla., the Disney Magichas sailed to dozens of exotic ports around the world, and even offered itineraries from Los Angeles in 2005 to commemorate Disneyland Park’s 50th anniversary. The Disney Magic is currently spending the summer season in the Mediterranean, but will enter dry dock in September for a month-long reimagining to refresh staterooms and suites, expand the luxurious Senses Spa & Salon, and add the new AquaDunk waterslide, which will thrill riders with a near-vertical drop out of “bomb bay” doors.

Also this week in Disney history:

July 26

1951 - Walt Disney Pictures world premieres “Alice in Wonderland” in England 

1999 - Goofy’s Kitchen reopens in a new location at the Disneyland Hotel

2007 - Disney’s stage musical “The Little Mermaid” premieres in Denver, Col.

2010 - The original version of Star Tours closes at Disneyland Park

July 27

1945 - The Pluto animated short “Canine Casanova” debuts 

1987 - Disney leaders announce plans for the Wonders of Life pavilion at Epcot

July 28

1951 - Walt Disney Pictures releases “Alice in Wonderland” 

1998 - The Disney Magic cruise ship is christened at Port Canaveral

1998 - Roy O. Disney (Walt’s brother) receives a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, directly in front of the El Capitan Theatre

July 29

1930 - The Mickey Mouse animated short “The Shindig” debuts

1933 - The Silly Symphony short “Old King Cole” debuts 

1998 - Walt Disney Pictures releases a remake of “The Parent Trap”

July 30

1932 - The Silly Symphony short “Flowers and Trees,” the first cartoon in Technicolor, debuts

1986 - Walt Disney Pictures releases “Flight of the Navigator” 

1993 - Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril opens at Disneyland Park in Paris

1999 - Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith opens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

July 31

1929 - “The Karnival Kid,” the first animated short in which Mickey Mouse speaks, is released (his first line: “Hot dogs!”)

1955 - Casey Jr. Circus Train opens at Disneyland Park

1960 - Sunkist Citrus House opens at Disneyland Park

1995 - Disney announces the purchase of Capital Cities/ABC television network

Aug. 1 

1936 - The animated short “Mickey’s Circus” debuts 

1958 - The animated short “Paul Bunyan” debuts 

1997 - Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort opens at Walt Disney World 

1997 - Walt Disney Pictures releases “Air Bud”

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Thank you for reading, and have a great rest of your weekend!

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