First a disclosure from S.W.

We know park plans can and do change & evolve.  My drawing – a rough interpretation based upon the previously-discussed sources – meant for fun & discussion.  But, unlike most of my site plans, this is not a work of fiction.  It is a 2-D translation of the 3-D massing model, and the rough placement of vertical structures & paths is fairly accurate.    The actual content (what kinds of attractions those structures contain), on the other hand, is more based on informed guesswork (with a few bits officially confirmed).  Still, as far as the physical layout of the resort is concerned, what follows may be the closest thing to a park map (of the current iteration of Shanghai) any of us outside WDI will ever see.

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Enjoy!

Pick Your Spot By Night’s End

Decide if you want to end your night with fireworks and Fantasmic at Disneyland, or ElecTRONica and World of Color at Disney California Adventure. Park hopping may not be allowed if the parks get too crowded, so pick a park and stick with it.

Get To Park As Early as Possible

Plan to be at the park ALL day. No really! Both parks may reach capacity before noon, and you may not be allowed to enter or re-enter the park once the crowd-control restrictions are in place. This is not the day to go “off-site” for lunch, or return to your hotel room for a nap.

Be Willing to Skip Stuff

This is not the day for riding every single ride and seeing every single show. Utilize the Fastpass service wherever possible to reduce wait times, but be prepared for long lines. If you have a iPhone you can download a diversion like the Wishing Stars application to play between rides, or pick up a copy of the Disneyland edition of the Hidden Mickeys book to read while you’re waiting in line, and use a smartphone ap like Touring Plans to keep tabs on wait times.

Be Flexible

While a little planning can help make the day more enjoyable, you should also be prepared to be flexible and change your plans on the fly. Expect to grab a meal on the run if your preferred restaurant is too busy, skip a favorite ride if the line is too long, and explore parts of the park you may never have seen before.

Visit Movie-Based Attractions

Whether it’s Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Captain EO, It’s Tough to be a Bug, or  Muppet*Vision 3-D, movie-based attractions offer an opportunity to get out of the crowds and sit down, even if just for 15 minutes. Visit the Blue Sky Cellar in DCA, explore the Disney Gallery on Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A., or go play with some new and not-so-new technology in Innoventions.

Don’t Waste Your Day For the Perfect View

Unless you’re willing to get there at park opening and sit on a bench for hours and hours, don’t even worry about seeing the midnight fireworks from directly in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. There’s a large group of folks who make it an annual tradition to hold that prime bit of real estate so they’ll have the perfect view of the festivities, and the area will be completely full by mid-morning.

One strategy for getting a good view of the fireworks is to wait until just after the Believe… in Holiday Magic show ends (it’s scheduled for 8:45 p.m. on December 31st), and then grab a spot as people leave that show. You’ll still have a three-hour wait until the Midnight show, so bring something to pass the time. You may also opt to view fireworks near “it’s a small world,” which is usually less crowded than Main Street.

Bring Warm Clothing and Be Able to Layer

It can get really chilly inside the parks at night. Locker rental is much cheaper than purchasing Disney-priced sweatshirts, scarves and gloves, so plan ahead.

Wait For the Rush to Pass

The Resort often suspends tram service immediately following the fireworks shows due to the number of people trying to exit the parks, so wait around a bit if you don’t want to walk back to the parking structure.

Great tips from MousePlanet. Of course if you are like me, you’ll completely avoid the park during busy times such as these. To be in the park during these type of events is not for the faint-hearted. However, if you dare, there is no better place to spend New Year’s Eve, that is if you follow these and other steps to ensure the best experience.

The left side of the construction represents the future area of Be Our Guest Restaurant, Maurice’s Cottage, and Gaston’s Tavern. The large building on the right side will house The Little Mermaid attraction and Storybook Circus (not included in the frame) will begin at the far right of this attraction.  The New Fantasyland attractions, stores and eateries will open in phases beginning late 2012.

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Which event in WDW’s 40 year history is most memorable to you? Is there something notable that they missed in the Infographic?

If you haven’t been to Walt Disney World in a while, or if you’ve never been at all, maybe it’s about time you did. There are plenty of Orlando Hotels and packages available these days, finding one to fit your budget has never been easier. It’s your turn to experience Disney history.

The Enchanted Storybook Castle is going to be the largest and most immersive castle at any Disney park around the world and it will be the first castle not dedicated to a specific princess because it will represent all of them. Inside, guests will be able to explore the multi-level castle, which will feature a princess meet and greet, the first ever Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique princess makeover experience inside a castle and Once Upon a Time Adventure, a large-scale, walk-through experience. Also for the first time, the castle will be part of a boat ride attraction that will be one of the anchor experiences of Fantasyland.

Below is a 3D video of what the castle will look like and some concept art as well.

Guests will be able ride the Red Car Trolley up Buena Vista Street to the park’s new icon, Carthay Circle Theatre — a recreation of the original theater where “Snow White and Seven Dwarfs” premiered in 1937. Guests will also be able to experience the park’s 1920′s style architecture which will include a mix of stores, eateries and guest service.

And with no further ado, here is the video.

Of interest is the ride layout (I love maps of ride layouts) which can be seen at about 1:20 minutes into the video but also captured and shown below for your careful inspection.

If you have already experienced the Anaheim version of this new attraction, keep in mind that the Walt Disney World one will be bigger and better due to a larger budget and more room for the ride itself.

With no further ado, enjoy this video!

In addition to the videos, some of which are hidden for fans to find, the site features character bios, descriptions of the Star Tours planet destinations and behind-the-scenes footage from the attraction. For intergalactic fun the whole family will enjoy, fans can download exclusive Star Tours crafts, printables, recipes and more, from DisneyFamily.com.

Eleven parks later and a media company that is one of the largest in the world, that original theme park has quite a history. The Infographic below, courtesy of City Traveler, takes us through the events of Disneyland’s grand opening all the way up to events as recent as the reopening of Star Tours in 2011. Enjoy!

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Additionally, the Orange County Register created a neat graphic which details what’s in store for the 12-acre addition to Disney’s California Adventure.

Looking at this layout, there will be three attractions (Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, Luigi’s Flying Tires and Radiator Spings Racers), three food venues and three retail shops.

Personally< I can’t wait for it to open so I can take my grandson who is a Cars fanatic.