AUGUST 2004

In This Edition:

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Book Now for Ticketed Events Oct. 1-Nov. 14
At the 9th Annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Reservations are now being taken for popular ticketed events at the 9th annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival at Walt Disney World Resort. The festival -- expanded this year 45 days due to guest demand -- kicks off Oct. 1 and continues through Nov. 14.

More than 100 wineries will offer tastings, while cuisine is featured from more than 20 regions of the world. At least 125 celebrity and Disney chefs will conduct culinary demonstrations and host elegant dinners and tasting events. In addition, up to 800 wine and beer seminars will deliver complimentary samplings to festival guests.

Bookings are underway for: four wine schools, including the prestigious Bordeaux Wine School U.S.A. and the new Napa Valley Wine School; a new Exquisite Evenings at Epcot dinner series; Signature Dinner Series; Party for the Senses grand tastings; Food & Wine Pairings; Brewer's Dinners; Lunch and Learn series; Vertical Tastings, and other ticketed events. To make arrangements, call 407/WDW-FEST.

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ESPN The Weekend, July 31-Aug. 1

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- To celebrate ESPN's 25th anniversary, ESPN and Walt Disney World Resort will offer fans the opportunity to see and hear ESPN personalities and some of the greatest athletes of the past 25 years during ESPN The Weekend, a special celebration at Disney-MGM Studios, July 31 and Aug. 1.

ESPN personalities scheduled to participate in The Weekend include SportsCenter anchors Linda Cohn and Trey Wingo; College Game Day hosts Lee Corso, Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit; Cold Pizza's Thea Andrews, Kit Hoover and Jay Crawford; and Baseball Tonight analysts Peter Gammons, John Kruk, Karl Ravech and Harold Reynolds, along with other ESPN on-air talent.

ESPN The Weekend will be a part of regular guest admission to Disney-MGM Studios and will include on-site ESPN telecasts including SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight, College GameDay and ESPNEWS; star motorcades and conversations with network personalities and athletes; sports shows in the ESPN Theater featuring ESPN commentators and athletes; a visit from ESPN The Truck; a special sports edition of the game show attraction "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire-Play It!"; an interactive sports area allowing guests to relive the past 25 years of sports; a SportsCenter and play-by-play "role play" area; and an exclusive video of blunders and thrills.

The event will culminate with a tribute to the past 25 years orchestrated to a Disney pyrotechnics show exploding over the park's 12-story Mickey's Sorcerer's Hat icon. For more information, visit www.espntheweekend.com.

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Stars of Hit Disney Channel Series 'JoJo's Circus' Make New Friends at Disney-MGM Studios

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Two of the preschool crowd's biggest stars from the hit Disney Channel series "JoJo's Circus" now make daily meet-and-greet appearances at Disney-MGM Studios. JoJo and Goliath, the popular clown girl and her pet lion, also appear daily in the "Disney's Stars and Motor Cars" parade.

Set in JoJo's hometown of Circus Town, the stop-motion animation series became an instant hit when it debuted on the Disney Channel in the "Playhouse Disney" block of programming in late 2003.

JoJo and Goliath made their debut in the Disney-MGM Studios parade April 25, 2004, joining the cast of "Playhouse Disney" along the parade route.

Their new meet-and-greet appearances take place along the theme park's Mickey Avenue where other favorite Disney characters also take photos with guests and sign autographs.

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U.S. Olympic Team Commemorative Pin Event, Aug. 14

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Pin trading is both an Olympic and Disney tradition, and with the 2004 Olympic Games right around the corner, Walt Disney World Resort is celebrating by unveiling a collection of commemorative Disney-inspired Olympic pins during an Olympic themed pin event. The event will culminate with a one-day pin extravaganza including a visit from Olympic Gold Medalist Sheila Taormina at Disney's Wide World of Sport Complex on Aug. 14.

In conjunction with the United States Olympic Committee's (USOC) exclusive pin licensee, Aminco International, a collection of pins and pin accessories featuring the world-famous Disney characters supporting the U.S. Olympic Team are available at Disney's Pin Traders.

For more information about the U.S. Olympic themed pin event or Disney's pin trading in general, guests should visit www.officialdisneypintrading.com.

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New Vacation Package Holds Three Nights of Fun at Night of Joy 2004

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Christian music fans are being offered a first-ever vacation package that includes admission to the biggest Walt Disney World Night of Joy ever -- three nights of concerts Sept. 9-11 featuring a total of 24 top Christian recording artists -- plus overnight accommodations and entry to Disney's four theme parks, two water parks and more.

Until Aug. 28, guests can book the Night of Joy Travel Package for $149 per person, per night based on double adult occupancy at a Disney Value Resort. (Additional per-adult charges apply if more than two adults 18 or older occupy a room. The rate does not apply to group or discounted rates. Other resorts are available with this package at varying rates.)

The Night of Joy Travel Package features: three-night accommodations at a Disney Value Resort; one Ultimate Park Hopper Ticket good for all Walt Disney World theme parks and more from check-in day through check-out day; and one three-day Night of Joy Ticket for Disney's 22nd annual Christian music celebration in Magic Kingdom. The package also includes an Official Walt Disney World Travel Company luggage tag (one per person), two souvenir Disney trading pins and two lanyards (per room) plus a Choice Feature such as miniature golf, a Leave a Legacy tile at Epcot or savings on a dining experience at Planet Hollywood at Downtown Disney West Side.

The star-studded lineup of this year's Night of Joy at Walt Disney World Resort features Michael W. Smith, Jars of Clay, Avalon, Point of Grace, 4HIM, FFH, Mark Schultz and Across the Sky on Thursday, Sept. 9; Steven Curtis Chapman, Third Day, Rebecca St. James, Skillet, Stryper, SONICFLOOd, downhere and Warren Barfield on Friday, Sept. 10; and Kirk Franklin, Jaci Velasquez, CeCe Winans, 12 Stones, Salvador, Jeremy Camp, Joy Williams and Jump 5 on Saturday, Sept. 11.

Three-night packages start at $445 per person. For more information or to book a Night of Joy Travel Package, call 407/W-DISNEY and ask for package code ZXIN.

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Disney Cruise Line Announces First-Ever West Coast Cruises

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. -- For the first time, Disney Cruise Line is catching the wave to southern California, repositioning its flagship Disney Magic for the summer of 2005, offering seven-night cruise vacations from the Port of Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera.

Just in time to celebrate one of Disney's biggest milestones -- Disneyland's 50th anniversary -- the highly distinctive 2,600 passenger ship is scheduled to sail 12 consecutive seven-night cruise vacations each Saturday from the Port of Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán and Cabo San Lucas between May 28 and Aug. 19, 2005.

More convenient than ever for west coast residents, the leading family cruise line will offer guests the opportunity to combine the fun and excitement of Disneyland Resort with the enchantment of a Disney Cruise Line voyage by booking two-night pre- or post-cruise stays in one of Disney's three Anaheim resort hotels.

The repositioning of the Disney Magic also includes two 14-night Panama Canal cruises, blending exotic ports of call with leisurely days at sea.

The Disney Magic is scheduled to return to Florida Sept. 3, 2005. Sister-ship Disney Wonder will continue sailing three- and four-night cruises to the Bahamas out of Port Canaveral, Fla., and offering land/sea packages with Walt Disney World Resort.

To learn more about Disney Cruise Line or to book a Disney Cruise Line vacation, guests can contact their travel agent, visit disneycruise.com or call Disney Cruise Line at 888/DCL-2500.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL Training Camp, July 31-Aug. 18

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue their 2004 NFL training camp at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex through Aug. 18. The Buccaneers, who have trained at the 220-acre sports complex for the past two years, are the first NFL team to conduct a preseason training camp at Walt Disney World Resort.

Under the leadership of Head Coach Jon Gruden, the Buccaneers begin workouts at the sports complex on Saturday, July 31. Top returning stars include Derrick Brooks, Ronde Barber and Keenan McCardell, while newcomers to watch include quarterback Brian Griese and running back Charlie Garner.

Fans will have the opportunity to catch all their favorite Bucs players in action when the team takes the practice fields for two workouts per day, tentatively scheduled for 8:35-10:45 a.m. and 2:45-4:45 p.m. (subject to change). Training camp practices will be free and open to the public. For more information, visit 407/939-GAME (939-4263), disneyworldsports.com or www.buccaneers.com.

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Hess Sports Fields Expansion Grand Opening in August

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Hess Sports Fields, sponsored by Amerada Hess Corporation, a leading company in the petroleum industry, will feature 20 acres of new fields and diamonds beginning in August. The 20-acre expansion includes additional multi-sport fields for soccer, football, lacrosse and other sports, as well as new diamonds for baseball and softball. This is the first expansion of Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex since its opening in March 1997 as a 200-acre facility.

The Hess Sports Fields will create opportunities for Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex to host larger events throughout the year with more athletes and teams participating. The new venue, which will accommodate more than 10 sports, will also pave the way for new sports events and training opportunities. Some of the youth sports organizations that will benefit most include longtime event partners: the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), Pop Warner Little Scholars, US Youth Soccer and the U.S. Specialty Sports Association (USSSA).