August 2014 – Page 5 – WDWNT Archive

PHOTOS, VIDEO, & REVIEW: Frozen Summer Fun Adds Hours of Entertainment at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on August 7, 2014

Frozen Summer Fun kicked off on July 5th at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and we here at WDWNT were on the scene to give you the full run-down of the 2-month-long event at Walt Disney World. Let’s look at this special event centered around the worldwide phenomenon of Frozen:

Anna and Elsa’s Royal Welcome

Daily at 11:00AM, guests can welcome Anna and Elsa to Disney’s Hollywood Studios with a short parade that travels up Hollywood Boulevard, pauses at the Sorcerer’s Hat stage for a short presentation, and then travels through Echo Lake towards Star Tours.

The parade is short, but a fun way to start your Frozen-filled day at the park

Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post

Located inside Soundstage 1 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a Frozen superstore!

If you are looking for anything Frozen, there is no reason to shop anywhere else at Walt Disney World.

They are doing a great job of keeping everything in stock and the variety is the best of any store carrying Frozen items at Walt Disney World.

If you are looking for one of the iPhone 4/4S or 5/5S cases or the Anna, Elsa, or Olaf MagicBands (retailing at $19.95 each), this is where you will need to go.

The store is really well-themed, even down to the pine smell being pumped in. There’s even a small counter selling Frozen-themed treats.

Oaken’s Frozen Funland

Oaken’s Frozen Funland is a little bit of a frosty winter in Florida. Guests can play in the snow at the “Do You Want to Build A Snowman Playground”…

Enjoy some ice skating for 30 minutes for a fee of $10…

Purchase a Frozen treat… or even buy hot cocoa in July in Orlando…

But my favorite offering had to be the hourly ice skating show performed by two very talented professionals to some of Frozen’s more popular songs:

For The First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration

If you’ve seen the sing-along version of Frozen, get ready for a condensed version of what you have seen with fancy lighting and a few character appearances. Oh, and snow. Lots of snow. Ticketing is being done on the Streets of America and is given out for each show on a first-come, first-serve basis. The theater holds over 1000 guests and there are several shows a day, so don’t worry about running over here hours before the first show to get a ticket.

The show has two storytellers who jump in between songs to move the story along and keep the show around 30 minutes. Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff make sporadic appearances before appearing all together on stage for the finale. The moment at the end is cute and your kids will probably love the sing-along portion, but this really isn’t much. It’s better than waiting 3 hours to have your family meet the characters individually, but isn’t much of a unique offering if you saw the sing-along in theaters. It’s well-produced and a nice escape from the heat, but it isn’t anything to write home about either.

Frozen Fireworks

A second nighttime show at Studios is always a good thing, and Frozen fireworks are no exception. Preceded by a now seemingly customary dance party starting earlier in the evening, this show combines live characters on stage with pyrotechnics in the sky:

Thoughts

Frozen Summer Fun is a great offering because it adds so much more to do in a given day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Oaken’s Frozen Funland is a great way to spend an hour or so of your day ice skating, watching ice skating, playing in the snow, or just enjoying the air-conditioning and you inhale a Frozen-themed sweet treat. The sing-along will keep smaller guests entertained and out of the Florida sun, and the parade is cute and well-done for what it is. The main attractions is definitely the fireworks show, a must-see if you are visiting during the limited run. Overall, it’s always nice to get more entertainment added to a day in the park, and frankly this isn’t the best or worse seasonal event ever held at Walt Disney World. If someone in your party loves Frozen, chances are they will think this is the coolest thing ever, and that’s probably enough reason to go. You’ll certainly find at least one or two of the offerings worth the trip and chances are you were going to visit the Studios on your trip anyway. Frozen Summer Fun is a worthwhile addition, but probably not the highlight of anyone’s vacation. Oh, and don’t forget to get an Olaf on a stick to tweet about…

Frozen Summer Fun festivities will be offered daily through September 1, 2014. Fireworks will not be offered on August 23rd due to the Villains Unleashed party.

WDW News Today Celebrates Seven… “Yeah, Seven”… Years Online Today

WDWNT on August 7, 2014

Every year as this website grows older, we reflect upon the accomplishments, impact, and incredible growth of WDWNT. It has now been 7 years since WDW News Today launched on July 8th, 2007. What was founded on the website you see before you and built on the back of daily news and information about Walt Disney World is now a vibrant collection of websites, podcasts, radio programs, streaming original programming, & more. The last year in particular has been a memorable one, as we moved WDW News Today: The Radio show to primetime on Thursdays and completed the amazing coverage of the New Fantasyland project which we started in 2009. We even set new records in traffic for our websites and podcasts this year, as well as brought you the best live coverage of many big events. Oh, and did I mention the $3,674.09 total we raised for Toys for Tots in the last year bringing our fundraising total to $15,194.84 over the past several years?

In the world of Disney, our site has covered huge stories such as the 2013 D23 Expo, the Friday the 13th “Unleash the Villains” event, the opening of Princess Fairytale Hall and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in New Fantasyland, the controversial roll-out of the disability access service, the arrival of Glow with the Show mouse ears in Florida, Mickey Mouse’s first spoken words to guests at Town Square Theater, the opening of the Villas at the Grand Floridian, the incredible arrival and popularity of Frozen in the parks, the debut of Disney’s Festival of Fantasy Parade, Festival of the Lion King roaring into the new Harambe Theatre, and of course, the incredibly important soda flavor changes at Epcot”s Club Cool. We also said goodbye to the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade and Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade after 13 years. We even celebrated the 25th anniversary of Disney’s Hollywood Studios along with WDWCelebrations and have continued to present a fascinating podcast & radio show segments celebrating a quarter of a century of the park formerly known as the Disney-MGM Studios.

Tonight, we will continue our annual tradition of presenting a special anniversary edition of the WDWNT Live! show on WDWNTunes.com. The show begins at 9PM EST and will last until 12PM EST. During this show, we will be making several major announcements about the future of WDWNT including the return of several beloved programs throughout our summer-long celebration of seven years. We’ll be interacting with you live through our live chat-room, taking any questions you may have about the Disney Parks, the Walt Disney Company, or about what we do at WDWNT. Unlike years past, we will be sharing never-before-heard stories and insight as opposed to a collection of segments, so think of it as Part 2 of WDWNT: The Documentary. We hope you will join us for that tonight as it is always a very fun event!

On a personal note, the 7 year journey of this website, the podcast, and the entire family that makes up WDWNT has been the greatest experience of my life. I’d like to thank the incredible volunteer staff of over 50 people that have worked tirelessly to get us where we are today and the loyal readers & listeners who are to thank for our great success. I am very proud of what we have accomplished in the last 7 years and amazed at where it has taken me today. I’m looking forward to many more years of “Bridging the Gaps Between You and the Disney World”. As a great song once said, “We’ve just begun to dream!”

Tom Corless
CEO & Founder of WDW News Today

VIDEO: New Daily “Frozen Fireworks” Show Debuts at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on August 7, 2014

As part of Frozen Summer Fun at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, guests have the opportunity to see a new nightly fireworks show now through September 1st. The show is an odd, yet interesting mix of live stage show and fireworks, including a video presentation of Olaf’s Summer Vacation featuring photos guests took of the popular snowman throughout the day:

We’ll be sharing more Frozen Summer Fun today on twitter and be sharing more videos and photos with you starting tomorrow, so stay tuned!

More Frozen iPhone Cases and Vanity MagicBands on the Way to Walt Disney World

WDWNT on August 7, 2014

Some new phone cases and MagicBands with your favorite Frozen characters are on their way to Walt Disney World:

8 new D-Tech on Demand phone case designs will be released starting this Saturday at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and as well at the Marketplace Co-Op. The cases come in iPhone 4/4S and 5/5S. The Marketplace Co-Op location will have a few designs not found anywhere else, while the “Frozen Summer Fun” design will only be found at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Next week, 3 open edition vanity MagicBands with Anna, Elsa, and Olaf will be released. The same rules will apply as did with the Star Wars MagicBands where guests must present one of the following for the MagicBand to be linked to at the time of purchase: valid theme park admission, Memory Maker card or another MagicBand. These items will not be available for purchase online or via Merchandise Guest Services.

Don’t Miss A Patriotically Super-Sized 3 Hour Edition of WDWNT: The Radio Show on July 3rd

WDWNT on August 7, 2014

Sam the Eagle may have only gotten a minute and a half, but we get a glorious 3 hours! Join us this Thursday, July 3rd LIVE from 8-11pm EST for WDWNT: The Radio Show on AM 1520 WBZW in Central Florida and live online at www.1520WBZW.com! You can even chat with us live during the show at Radio.WDWNT.com.

We will have all the latest news from around Walt Disney World to discuss and we will talk to Josh Humphrey of EasyWDW.com who can help you plan the perfect trip to WDW.

In addition, we’ll be playing the ever-popular WDWNT: The Match Game for great prizes from Theme Park Connection.

Hosted by radio veterans and life-long Disney fans Tom Corless and Nick LoCicero, the live radio talk show focuses on the latest news and current trending topics at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. WDW News Today: The Radio Show can also be streamed live at www.1520wbzw.com. WDW News Today the Radio Show debuted in August of 2013 as a 1hour broadcast on Saturday evenings and has grown into a 2-hour program by popular demand.

To interact with the hosts during the show, listeners can call in at (407) 774-8255, tweet @WDWNT using #WDWNTRadio, or use the new LIVE chat that will be available at Radio.WDWNT.com.

Tom Corless is the founder of WDWNT.com. He has hosted and produced the WDWNT Podcast for over 7 years. Nick LoCicero has over a decade experience in the Orlando radio market. He has hosted and produced numerous Disney related podcasts and radio segments.

About WDW News Today
WDW News Today (WDWNT) is a daily-updated resource for news and information on the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida and the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Through pictures, video, and articles no other fan site brings you closer to the U.S. Disney Parks.

7/2/14 Walt Disney World Photo Report (The Magic Kingdom & Epcot)

WDWNT on August 7, 2014

WDWNT Reporter John Corigliano visited the Magic Kingdom and Epcot earlier this week and has some newsworthy photos to share with us:

The massive overhaul of the hub at the Magic Kingdom continues

A lot of new walking space that used to be moat…

The Astro Oribter is in the middle of a multi-month refrubishment

The Peoplemover is also closed during this time

Every few years, the ride is essentially disassembled and rebuilt

All of the planets have been removed

Moving to Epcot, we can see the work on the water main much clearer from the monorail

Over at Test Track, the FastPass machines and their canopy have been removed

Really strange to see this missing

July 4, 2014 Festivities & Fireworks at the Disneyland Resort

WDWNT on August 7, 2014

Disneyland Resort guests are invited to show their patriotic Disney Side this summer to celebrate America’s birthday.

Guests will celebrate the holiday with a special fireworks show, “Disney’s Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky.” This stunning pyrotechnic production salutes the pioneering spirit and enduring beauty of America. On July 1-4 at 9:25 p.m., the skies above Sleeping Beauty Castle will light up with a colorful display of fireworks, choreographed to a striking musical score that celebrates the best of America.

In addition to “Celebrate America!” the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Band is returning to Disneyland Park and will perform several times throughout the day on Friday, July 4. The band will perform along the parade route at 3:30 p.m., just before the “Frozen” pre-parade and the first performance of Mickey’s Soundsational Parade. The band also will appear in Town Square at 5:30 p.m. during the Disneyland Park flag retreat ceremony, as well as along the parade route back to “it’s a small world” at 5:45 p.m.

Finally, guests can see the full band in concert at Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree on stage, starting at 7:15 p.m.

Also on July 4, the water spectacular “World of Color” features a special, patriotic pre-show, prior to the 9 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. performances. Guests can “Glow with the Show” with special interactive Ear Hats that become part of “World of Color” at Disney California Adventure, and part of the “Celebrate America!” fireworks spectacular at Disneyland.

Guests may also explore their patriotic Disney Side by visiting the inspirational Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln attraction on Main Street, U.S.A., or by attending the flag retreat ceremony, held in the early evening each day at Town Square in Disneyland. Additionally, the patriotic super hero Captain America greets guests daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Innoventions.

July 4th 2014 Festivities & Fireworks at Walt Disney World

WDWNT on August 7, 2014

Guests can celebrate America’s birthday with a red, white and blue extravaganza at Walt Disney World Resort. There will be no shortage of nighttime fun as fireworks will dance across the skies above the Florida vacation kingdom. This year marks a special milestone in America’s history, too: the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” observes its 200th anniversary in 2014.

Here’s a look a what’s in store:

Magic Kingdom

The celebration begins with “Disney’s Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky,” July 3 and 4 at Magic Kingdom. The 14-minute fireworks spectacular rockets into the sky above Cinderella Castle at 9 p.m. both nights.

The fireworks are set to an exciting musical score produced in a concert band style. This score was specifically created to stir a sense of pride in being American, show producers say, while at the same time, inviting guests from around the world to feel part of the celebration.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Guests also can enjoy a twist on traditional fireworks with the “Rockin’ 4th of July Celebration.” At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the party kicks off at the Sorcerer’s Hat stage at 6 p.m. and continues through 11 p.m. on July 4 with live entertainment from “The Hollywood Rockers” whose music will take guests on a rockin’ road trip across America.

Everything leads up to a special rock n’ roll fireworks presentation above the Sorcerer’s Hat starting at 10:15 p.m.

Epcot

Guests visiting Epcot on July 4 will have the opportunity to meet some of their favorite Disney characters dressed in patriotic attire throughout the afternoon at the American Adventure Pavilion. Voices of Liberty, the eight-part a capella group, will have special performances at American Gardens Theatre at 12:30, 1:45 and 3 p.m. They also will perform inside the American Adventure Rotunda at 4:15 and 5 p.m. that day. Guests also will have the opportunity to catch the Spirit of America Fife & Drum Corps outside at 1, 2:15, 3:30, 4 and 4:45 p.m.

That evening, the spectacular fireworks and laser show “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth,” lights the night at 10 p.m. with a heart-pounding grand finale in a salute to America.

First-Look at Frozen Summer Fun LIVE! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Concept Art

WDWNT on August 7, 2014

Frozen Summer Fun LIVE! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios begins on July 5th, but today we are getting our first look at what the stages for the various events will look like.

Above, we have a concept of what the stage in front of the Sorcerer’s Hat will look like. This stage will be used for several events including the “coolest summer ever” dance party and the Frozen Fireworks Spectacular.

This second piece of art shows us the interior of the Premiere Theater, home to “For The First Time in Forever”: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. Guests will be able to follow the bouncing ball (or more likely Olaf) and sing along with the characters appearing live on the stage.

Frozen Summer Fun LIVE! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is running daily July 5th through September 1st.

Looks like a lot of fun! What do you think?

6/30/14 Walt Disney World Photo Report (Epcot, 8-Bit Chairs, & More)

WDWNT on August 7, 2014

John Corigliano and myself visited Epcot over the weekend and took some phoitos of what is new and noteworthy in the park to share with you, so let’s take a look at the latest from the park:

Welcome to Epcot

An ad for Frozen Summer fun is on the times guide at every park right now…

Work continues to repair the water main behind Innoventions

Inside Innoventions behind Club Cool and Character Spot, some tables and chairs were added to the abandoned lobby area near the restrooms

The chairs have a strange “8-bit” look

Nothing too special about the tables, but a nice offering given how many guests crash in here during the summer months

The water features at Imagination! will be off until the water main is fixed

Not sure when this happened, but the Captain EO FastPass machines were removed

It’s quite the mess

The food cart between Imagination! and The Land is behind walls

The Odyssey has been a very popular place to watch the World Cup

Your World Cup update courtesy of Epcot…

Just a few minutes before this photo was taken, the place was PACKED for the Mexico game…

There is another soccer photo-op by the Germany pavilion

They also have the brackets board back here

The Glasskunst in Germany was closed for a few weeks for a small remodeling, but it is open now and looks great

The main reason for our Epcot trip was the new snacks at the Refreshment Outpost in World Showcase. They have two new yogurts and a alcoholic rum drink

In the 30 seconds between getting the yogurt and getting to a table, the Florida heat made the yogurt a little less photo friendly, but they were still absolutely delicious!