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Disney’s New Year resolution is to get visitors to the fun faster. Managing over 30 million guests is no easy task but Disney is turning to technology to improve the experience at the “Happiest Place on Earth”.

It seems visitors are less patient than they once were, in this age of “instant everything”, and Disney is responding to restless visitors facing long lines for popular rides.

Beneath Cinderella Castle is their new Ops Center where employees watch color-coded screens to observe wait-time patterns and prevent gridlock before it happens. For example, those monitoring the Pirates of the Caribbean ride can immediately order the launch of more boats when demand turns from green to yellow. Video games have also been added to amuse waiting guests at Space Mountain and the Epcot Soarin’ ride.

In other locations, Disney characters are sent to entertain the lines to deflect attention from the longer-than-acceptable waits. If one area is swamped but a nearby “land” is underused, an impromptu miniparade appropriately called “Move it! Shake it! Celebrate it!” can be drafted in to divert the crowds to the less busy area.

Future developments are even more sci-fi as Disney experiments with wristbands which will not only charge purchases to a pre-registered credit card but will also have a memory to record your name and favourite Disney character who can make a beeline for fans, and will even greet them by name!

Disney may be 55 years old, but the imagineers still keep it ahead of the game and continue to make it every child’s must-see attraction.

by Gillian @ Luxique Luxury Hotels

Disneyland Paris is planning a themed adventure that will give youngsters the chance to become spies for a day.

Spy Camp – aimed at 8 to 16 year-olds – is scheduled to begin in October next year. There will be induction training in the morning, with more advanced exercises in the afternoon.

Participants will learn the secrets of the world of espionage from experienced trainers, and put their spy skills to the test in a series of specially-devised challenges ranging from code-breaking and surveillance to dodging laser alarms and a combat zone. Those who successfully complete the course will be recognised at a closing ceremony.

Spy Camp at Disneyland Paris is being organised by the UK-based specialist company Spy Games Ltd, which has been running spy-themed activities and events for children and adults since 2001.

The founder, Dave Thomas, a former SAS instructor and surveillance expert, said: “We’re hugely excited to be taking the Spy Camp experience to Disneyland Paris and pulling out all the stops to create a stunning new and immersive experience for children and young people.”

by Andy Moreton

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We’re used to seeing height restrictions on theme park rides, but Universal Studios ran into a new problem at its recently opened Harry Potter attraction in Orlando, Florida – visitors were too fat to ride.

On the rollercoaster-style Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey, the safety bar has to click three times as it’s pulled down, but larger riders could not achieve the necessary three clicks and were turned away.

Now, Universal has modified some seats in order to accommodate larger frames. Overweight visitors can now sit in a pair of ‘test seats’ outside the ride – if they fail to fit, they’re directed to a special line where they can access one of the modified seats.

“We always want to accommodate as many guests as possible on our attractions,” said Universal spokesman, Tom Schroder. “After watching Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey operate for several months, we made some adjustments to the ride’s overhead restraints that would allow more people to ride. We’re thrilled to be able to give more people the opportunity to experience this attraction.”

by Andy Moreton

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It’s just days away now – the opening of Orlando’s ‘Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ which is set to bewitch and enchant Potter fans from around the world.

This new 20-acre section of Universal’s Islands of Adventure park features a replica Hogwarts Castle, as well as themed attractions called Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff and Dragon Challenge.

“Guests will experience first-hand a completely new adventure featuring the iconic characters, amazing creatures and recognisable locations they’ve only read in the books or seen in the films,” said the creative director, Thierry Coup. It would, he said, take the theme park experience to a new level.

Not everyone, however, is eagerly looking forward to the grand opening on Friday. Step forward the ubiquitous Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

In his column in the Daily Telegraph, he writes: “I know that Thierry and everyone at Warner Brothers and Universal will do a magnificent job of making it look and feel authentic and faithful to the stories.”

“But I know somewhere that’s even better than Orlando at looking like London – and that is London. I want to know why this Kingdom of Potter is not being built in the UK.”

Johnson says that, in general, he adores America. “But I deeply and bitterly resent that Orlando is about to become the official pilgrimage for every Harry Potter fan on earth.”

by Andy Moreton

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More details have been coming out about the Ferrari theme park that’s being developed in Abu Dhabi and scheduled to open in September.

Fittingly, the 20 rides and attractions will include the world’s fastest roller-coaster, travelling at speeds of up to 125mph. Another ride will rocket passengers through the roof and to a height of 203 feet to simulate the G-forces experienced by drivers in an F1 car.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, being built on Yas Island, will also feature state-of-the-art racing simulators and a driving and racing school for youngsters, with expert tuition.

The huge indoor park has a glass and metal roof designed in the style of a classic double-curve body shell of a Ferrari GT car, with the famous logo painted on to its surface.

A 2,200–room luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi, cinema complex, restaurants and shops will also form part of the theme park, which is only 10 minutes drive from the airport.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique offers the chance to book just one luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi – but what a hotel! The huge and sumptuous Emirates Palace is a national landmark. Many of the suites are furnished in gold and marble and there are 22 three-bedroom suites for visiting heads of state and their guests (who have their own entrance).

A number of visitors riding the monorail at Disney World in Florida on Sunday were trapped for about three hours because of a power failure.

The stranded passengers were either helped to safety by fire and rescue crews or their train was towed back into a nearby station.

“The monorail just shut down and came to a stop,” said a woman who was in one of the stranded cars. “The lights turned off, the air conditioner turned off, and then the pilot said: ‘We’re experiencing technical difficulties.’”

In a statement, the resort said passengers were never in danger. It apologised for the inconvenience and assured visitors that it was continuing to work actively to ensure their safety.

The monorail, which has 15 miles of track, connects the various theme parks and takes guests into the complex from the giant parking lots.

by Andy Moreton

Check out Luxique’s 26 recommended luxury hotels in Florida.

Harry Potter fans – and there are quite a few of them – are eagerly awaiting the opening of a dedicated theme park at Universal Orlando Resort in spring next year.

‘The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ will feature a high-tech ride, The Forbidden Journey (named by author J.K. Rowling). It will take guests through scenes and rooms from the blockbuster movies inside a richly detailed remake of Hogwarts Castle, designed to look 700 feet tall.

Other rides include the Dragon Challenge, a twin high-speed rollercoaster themed after the Triwizard Tournament, and the family rollercoaster Flight of the Hippogriff, named after a creature with an eagle’s head and a horse’s body.

“Along those journeys people are going to be swept up into the greatest parts of the movies and books,” said Paul Daurio, producer of the Potter area at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. “We’ve pushed every technology available to us to give guests a theme park experience unlike any they’ve had before.”

Art and set directors from the films have been hired to translate the movie magic into a theme park. J.K. Rowling, who’s known for carefully guarding the Potter franchise, hasn’t yet travelled to Orlando, but the design team have made several trips to London for consultations with her.

by Andy Moreton

If you’re planning a wizard trip to Florida, check out Luxique’s favourite luxury hotel in Orlando, the spectacular Westin Grand Bohemian.

The Chinese authorities have approved the construction of a Disney theme park in Shanghai.

“China is one of the most dynamic, exciting and important countries in the world, and this approval marks a very significant milestone for the Walt Disney Company in mainland China,” said Disney president and CEO, Robert Iger. Disney already has operations in Hong Kong, where its fifth resort was built in 2005.

A 1.5 square mile block of land has been earmarked for the Shanghai project, but there will have to be considerable compensation paid out to residents forced to move. The cost of relocation to make way for the first phase – the park, a hotel and retail outlets – is put at £523 million ($880 million).

Disney will hold a 43 per cent share in the project. The remainder will be controlled by Shanghai state-owned companies. Chinese state media said the park would cost up to £2.1 billion ($3.6 billion) and be opened around 2014.

Disney has been trying to build a park for years in Shanghai, in an effort to take a firmer foothold in a fast-growing China market where success has eluded most Western media companies.

by Andy Moreton

As Disney confirms, Shanghai is the jewel of modern China - a fascinating and vibrant city. Luxique can guide you to the best of its luxury hotels, including the Four Seasons Shanghai, the Grand Hyatt Shanghai, and the J W Marriott Shanghai.

The Chinese have had a mouth-watering idea for a tourist attraction – a chocolate theme park.

The World Chocolate Dream Park – reminiscent of Roald Dahl’s much-loved book Charlie And The Chocolate Factory – will feature a life-sized Terracotta Army, Great Wall of China and versions of famous paintings. All, presumably, will be carefully guarded to stop them being eaten.

The park, due to open in January next year, will be located in the Olympic Green in Beijing, which also includes the iconic Bird’s Nest stadium and the Water Cube aquatics centre used during the summer Games last year. There will be five pavilions and two outdoor sites.

Chocolate is not as popular in China as it is in Western countries, but the nation’s younger generation have increasingly acquired a taste for it.

Tina Cheng, general manager of the company that will operate the park, said some prestigious European chocolate makers – notably from Switzerland and Belgium – wanted to take part in the project. “Our chocolate wonderland will be beyond imagination,” she said.

by Andy Moreton

For those with great taste, Luxique offers the best in luxury hotels in Beijing, including the award-winning Peninsula Palace and Shangri-La Beijing.