PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Disney VISA Card Meet and Greet Opens at Epcot with Lots of Future World Aesthetic Goodness

WDWNT on October 24, 2016

I don’t often freak out about tiny new meet and greet experiences at the park, but the new Disney VISA Cardholder exclusive spot at Epcot is pretty sweet.

The new location under wraps a few weeks ago.

The new location under wraps a few weeks ago.

The space once occupied by “Figment’s Place” some years ago is now the home for the spot, with the Innoventions location closing forever last Thursday. With the closure, guests can no longer enter what was Innoventions West, other than the Baymax and Inside Out meet and greet experiences that are considered part of the Epcot Character Spot.

The former Disney VISA meet and greet location, now shuttered.

The former Disney VISA meet and greet location, now shuttered.

The new locations is nestled on the patio of the Imagination pavilion, just behind the waterfall and jumping fountains, right next door to the entrance of the Disney & PIXAR Short Film Festival.

Some helpful planning information: don’t visit this early. The meet and greet is open only to Disney VISA card members from 1PM to 7PM daily. When we first went at 2pm, there was a 30 minute wait to meet Mickey and Goofy. When we returned at 5:30PM, we were the only people other than the cast members and characters in the building.

The interior is gorgeous. If you have time, please check out the video walkthrough below (featuring a pretty cute interaction with Mickey and Goofy):

While the space isn’t very big, the queue utilizes what little space it has quite well. It may be a character experience, but it is one of the things that in the park that most embodies what Future World is (as far as design goes).

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These colorful Spaceship Earth panels will play music when you hold your hand to them. It’s very subtle, but similarly to the Stepping Tones inside of the ImageWorks, another instrument will kick-in as you touch them.

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These mirror effects are simple, but very effective and fit the theme nicely.

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Icons of Future World decorate the flat walls in the experience.

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Guests then wait here until they are taken to meet Mickey and Goofy.

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The new Disney VISA card member meet at greet at Epcot is a vast improvement over the original space and is sure to bring a smile to average guests and hardcore EPCOT Center fans alike.

New YesterEars Disney Parks Tees Now Available at DisneyStore.com

WDWNT on October 24, 2016

DisneyStore.com is now offering two new T-Shirts in the YesterEars collection, in addition to a new sweatshirt!

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The sweatshirt features a 1970’s Walt Disney World logo with Cinderella Castle icon.  The Tencennial tee transports you back to 1981 with the original “Tencennial” logo, and the 25th Tee sports the historic Cinderella Coach logo from 1996.

These new items are only available through Thursday, October 27, 2016.

PHOTOS: Le Cellier Steakhouse Merchandise Released at Epcot

WDWNT on October 24, 2016

In the spirit of the Rose and Crown Pub and Biergarten having their own merchandise, now the famous Le Cellier steakhouse in Canada at Epcot has its own line of merchandise.

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The merchandise can be found only at the Canada pavilion Trading Post, fittingly.

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The sweatshirt retails for $59.99.

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The baseball cap is $24.99.

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A magnet! Sadly there was no price on it.

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The Le Cellier t-shirt, $29.99.

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Will you be buying any Le Cellier merchandise?

VIDEO: First Look at “Old Man Wolverine” Film, Logan

WDWNT on October 24, 2016

Today MARVEL and 20th Century Fox released the first trailer for Hugh Jackman’s final movie as Wolverine. WARNING: The trailer and film are R-rated.

https://https://youtu.be/Div0iP65aZo

The trailer holds a really somber tone throughout, which sets an appropriate stage for the final Wolverine film. Based on the comic series titled Old Man Logan, the film is set in 2024, where an old Logan needs the help of an even older Professor Xavier and a young female Wolverine clone to try and defeat Nathaniel Essex, a man who’s corporation has defeated the X-Men.

20th Century Fox is going for a darker tone after seeing the success of R-rated superhero films such as Batman v Superman and Deadpool.

Logan will hit theaters on March 3, 2017.

Disney Confirms Removal of AOTAS Hall of Fame at Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on October 24, 2016

As we have been speculating for several days, Disney has now confirmed the removal of the Academy of Television Art and Sciences Hall of Fame today.

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame Being Removed

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame Being Removed

The area, a part of the theme park since 1993, has been behind construction walls for a few days now. It will be replaced with a food and beverage offering.

EA Releasing Star Wars Battlefront Ultimate Edition in November for Rogue One

WDWNT on October 24, 2016

Although there won’t be a new AAA Star Wars games releasing this Fall, but EA still has something coming to store shelves  just in time for Rogue One.

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To celebrate Battlefront‘s one-year anniversary, EA will release Star Wars Battlefront Ultimate Edition this November. The package will include the base game and all of the content that has released post-launch through the Season Pass. This means the Outer Rim, Bespin, Death Star, and the upcoming Rogue One: Scarif (which will release in December) expansions will all be included in one release. That adds up to over 30 maps, 14 heroes, and 14 game modes.

According to a listing on Amazon, the game will retail for $39.99 and release on November 18, however, the Microsoft Store has the digital version listed for $69.99.While EA has not yet announced a solid release date or price point, it is unclear which, if either, listing is correct. That said, it seems like the November 18 release is probably accurate. It is not uncommon for Amazon to completely and accurately leak a product ahead of release. It happens all the time.

The Ultimate Edition is nothing too exciting, especially if you already own Star Wars Battlefront, but hey, at least that Rogue One: Scarif expansion is something to look forward to.

TONIGHT on WDW News Tonight (10/19/16) – Disney Parks Pursuit, Worst of WDW, Dining Reviews, ETC.

WDWNT on October 24, 2016

Tonight on WDW News Tonight, the Disney Parks Pursuit returns, we countdown the absolute most hated things in the history of Walt Disney World, and the usual amount of hijinks ensue…

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If you are in the Orlando area, you can tune in to AM 1520 WBZW at showtime. For those outside the Orlando area, the show can be heard (and now watched via video stream) at Listen.WDWNT.com on your computer or mobile device. The show also utilizes new interactive avenues for our audience, including a live chat, the ability to call-in to the show, and live polling. WDW News Tonight is hosted by Tom Corless and Nick LoCicero, but also features appearances by a number of other WDWNT correspondents.

Coming up on this week’s show:

  • A recap of the week’s news (with a WDWNT comedic twist)
  • Tom and Nick are Angry About Things
  • The Wonderful World of Psychotic Comments
  • “The Disney Parks Pursuit”, presented by Theme Park Connection
  • Who’s Hates Tom Now?
  • What Did We Just Eat? – Jock Lindsey’s Happy Hour and Turkey Flatbread Thing, Min and Bill’s Dockside Diner, Liberty Inn, etc.
  • And more!

We hope that you will tune in tonight at 9PM ET for another episode of WDW News Tonight!

If you missed last week’s show, be sure to watch it:

Kitchen Closed at Walt Disney World Swan for Failing Health Inspection; Bugs Found

WDWNT on October 24, 2016

An employee cafeteria at the Walt Disney World Swan was closed down by health inspectors last week because of live roaches and fruit flies in the kitchen.

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During a visit on Oct. 12, an inspector noted live and dead roaches. “Observed 14 live roaches crawling on the kick plate near hot boxes,” the report read. There were also fruit flies in the prep room, among six basic and two high-priority violations.

The kitchen reopened the next day with a clean inspection. Other eateries in the hotel passed recent health inspections.

The Swan Resort is on Disney World property but is managed by Starwood Hotels.