Walt Disney World Rolling Out Driverless Shuttle Cars By Year’s End

WDWNT on May 8, 2017

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Walt Disney World is planning a pilot program to begin later this year to transport Cast Members in cast-only parking lots using autonomous electric vehicles. The company is reportedly in talks with two manufacturers, Local Motors, based in Phoenix, Arizona, and Navya, based in Paris, France. The photo below shows a Navya vehicle, which holds 12-15 passengers.

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If the pilot program goes well, the driverless shuttles could be rolled out to public areas in 2018. The state of Florida has relatively few restrictions on driverless vehicle deployment on privately-owned land. The vehicles would be geofenced, which means they would be restricted to designated areas only, which have been fully mapped and loaded into the vehicle’s navigation system. This geofencing, along with cameras, radar, and laser sensors, would ensure the safety of the passengers and those around the vehicle.

It appears that Walt Disney World is finally realizing that the ubiquitous busses used to transport guests are really not that magical, no matter how many colors of LED lights are affixed to the interior. With the rumors of gondolas gaining steam, and now driverless shuttles, it appears we’re heading into a renaissance of cool transportation options at Walt Disney World.

Editor’s Note: Yes, we know how to spell busses. We spell it just like they did in the 50’s, when Disneyland opened.

New Mickey Mouse Celebration Cakes Coming to Walt Disney World

WDWNT on May 8, 2017

Starting May 17th, guests visiting the Walt Disney World Resort can celebrate in a whole new way! At all Walt Disney World owned table service restaurants across the resort, you will be able to purchase a Mickey Celebration Cake. These cakes will not be available at the third-party restaurants on property.

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These cakes are for sale at $35 per cake and serve approximately 4-6 guests. The cakes as pictured above, come in decadent chocolate or sweet white chocolate.  You can have a personalized message attached to a Mickey ear that can read, “Congratulations!”, “Happy Birthday!”, or whatever the special occasion is you are celebrating.

Reservations for the new Mickey Mouse celebration cakes begin May 17. Celebration cakes will be able to be added to a new or existing dining reservation by calling 407-WDW-DINE or by inquiring in person at a Walt Disney World Resort concierge desk or restaurant podium. Day-of quantities are limited, so make arrangements prior to dining.

Incredibles Super Dance Party Being Replaced in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom; Limited Time Meet & Greet

WDWNT on May 8, 2017

The Incredibles Super Dance Party that has taken over the Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom will finally come to an end on April 30th, 2017.

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The offering will be replaced by the Cosmic Dance Party sometime in the Spring, but no date or further details have been announced as of yet.

A Mr. Incredible meet and greet will be offered in the meantime May 1st through the 18th in Tomorrowland. We would assume that means that the new dance party will debut May 19th, but that’s just our guess.

VIDEO: A Celebration of Animal Kingdom, The Choose Your Own Adventure Game and More on WDW News Tonight

WDWNT on May 8, 2017

This week on WDW News Tonight…

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Subscribe on iTunes

Hosted by radio veterans and life-long Disney fans Tom Corless and Nick LoCicero, WDW News Tonight is a live, weekly, audio and video program presented on 105.5 FM, 660 AM, and AM 1520 WBZW in Orlando, Florida, as well as online at WDWNewsTonight.com every Wednesday from 9-11pm EST. The show covers the Walt Disney World Resort and other Disney news. The show combines the latest headlines, comedy, trending vacation topics, call in games, and in-depth discussions to bring Disney fans a one-of-a-kind 2-hour program covering the Disney Parks. While the show is being live-streamed in both audio and video, listeners and viewers also interact via a live chat online. The show is also available on demand as an audio download, online audio stream and can be watched live or recorded on YouTube.

Disneyland Introducing Tomorrowland Skyline Lounge Fireworks Viewing This Summer

WDWNT on May 8, 2017

Beginning May 26, 2017, guests can sit back and relax as they enjoy a view of the Tomorrowland skyline and Disneyland Park’s fireworks (on select evenings) with the new Tomorrowland Skyline Lounge Experience.

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See the sights from a new perspective as you enjoy a boxed treat and your choice of beverage with family and friends.

High above Tomorrowland, you’ll have plenty of time to relax. And if a fireworks spectacular is scheduled, you can catch a glimpse of it right from your seat. The lounge area is open to party Guests from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM, so you can sit or stroll around for a full 2 hours―or even come and go at your leisure.

Each ticketed Guest receives a boxed treat containing seasonal fruits, cheese and assorted sweets, plus choice of hot or cold non-alcoholic beverage. Please note that food and beverage offerings are subject to change.

There is ample seating at this event, but due to space considerations you may be seated with another party. Separate Disneyland theme park admission is required and not included in the price of this event.

Fireworks shows take place on select nights and are subject to cancellation without notice due to weather or other circumstances. Please check schedule for performance times.

It is unclear exactly what the location of the event is, but it appears to be the upper floor patio of the carousel theater building, currently home to Star Wars Launch Bay on the ground level.

Tomorrowland Skyline Lounge Experience is $45 per Guest ages 3 and older, including tax, with no charge for children ages 2 and younger. A credit card guarantee is required to secure the reservation at time of booking. Reservations are limited and advance reservations are highly recommended. Reservations can be made online or by calling (714) 781-DINE or (714) 781-3463.

Join WDWNT for Disney’s Hollywood Studios Appreciation Week 2017

WDWNT on May 8, 2017

Last year, WDWNT began to observe a new tradition called Disney’s Hollywood Studios appreciation day. The day was held on May 1st, the park’s birthday, the day it opened back in 1989. We celebrated with a full day of social media posts and more from the park to mark the occasion, but this year, we are extending our celebration into a full week!

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Why are we doing this? Well, because even as the Disney-MGM Studios, this park has always gotten a lot of flack from guests. This has only gotten worse with the widespread closures and construction in the park, but we will take a week to remind everyone of all the great things there are too see and do at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. From Streetmosphere and Fantasmic, to Star Tours and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, we will cover and celebrate it all!

Here’s a schedule of events for the week:

  • May 1st, 2017
    • Join Tom Corless for a day of fun at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Various attractions, entertainment, and more will be live streamed on Persicope, Facebook, and shared via twitter. If you join us in the park that day, Tom will also be handing out some cool stuff for those who find him in the park. Those watching at home will also have a chance to win a prize.
  • May 3rd, 2017
    • The celebration continues on the 3-hour-long 50th episode celebration of WDW News Tonight, Wednesday at 9PM eastern time. The show will include segments about the park and its history, as well as the return of Cornac the Magnificent, Jeopardy, and WDWNT: The Match Game.
  • May 1st through May 5th, 2017
    • A series of special articles will be published on WDWNT.com, including historical retrospectives, previews of things to come, dining reviews, and more. We will also release a week’s worth of new videos on our YouTube channel (which you should subscribe to, by the way).

We hope you will join us for a celebration of “The Hollywood That Never Was, But Always Will Be”, May 1st through the 5th, 2017!

Dining Packages Announced for The Music of PIXAR Live at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on May 8, 2017

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Today, Disney announced dining packages for The Music of PIXAR Live at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Beginning May 26, 2017, you’re invited to indulge in The Music of Pixar Live! Dining Package—which includes one of many unforgettable dining options at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, along with reserved seating at the Theater of the Stars for the park’s all-new evening entertainment.

A showcase of popular Disney•Pixar songs, The Music of Pixar Live! features soundtrack selections from films like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc. and Up, as performed by a live orchestra. Plus, while the symphony plays, you can watch in wonder as it all comes together with movie montages, outtakes and interview clips from the very folks behind the music!

Featuring great food, cherished music and an atmosphere like no other, The Music of Pixar Live! Dining Package is a one-of-a-kind experience—one you won’t forget… and one you surely won’t want to miss.

Guests who purchase The Music of Pixar Live! Dining Package can enjoy one of three performances of The Music of Pixar Live! each evening—in addition to a meal at one of the following restaurants:

Hollywood & Vine

  • Breakfast – $39 per adult and $25 per child
  • Lunch – $52 per adult and $32 per child
  • Dinner – $57 per adult and $35 per child

Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano

  • Lunch & Dinner – $45 per adult and $18 per child

The Hollywood Brown Derby

  • Lunch & Dinner – $65 per adult and $22 per child

Important Dining Details

  • Each dining package includes an appetizer, entrée and dessert—or one full buffet, where applicable—along with a non-alcoholic beverage and one guaranteed seat for The Music of Pixar Live! held on the same day.
  • For reservations, please book online or by calling (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463.
  • Guests under 18 years of age must have parent or guardian permission to call.
  • All prices listed do not include tax and gratuity.
  • Some dining plans are accepted—with one table-service entitlement required at Hollywood & Vine and Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano, and two required at The Hollywood Brown Derby.

A package which offers seating for both The Music of PIXAR Live and Fantasmic is also available.

Guests who purchase The Music of Pixar Live! and Fantasmic! Dining Package can enjoy one of three performances of The Music of Pixar Live! and the evening’s single showing of Fantasmic!—in addition to a meal at one of the following restaurants:

Hollywood & Vine

  • Breakfast – $44 per adult and $28 per child
  • Lunch – $57 per adult and $35 per child
  • Dinner – $62 per adult and $38 per child

Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano

  • Lunch & Dinner – $50 per adult and $21 per child

The Hollywood Brown Derby

  • Lunch & Dinner – $70 per adult and $25 per child

Reservations are now open by phone at 407-WDW-DINE (we were seeing issues with the online booking today).

VIDEO: New “Pirates Of The Caribbean” Featurette Goes From Parks to Movies

WDWNT on May 8, 2017

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This new “Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell  No Tales” featurette called “Legacy” goes back to the development of the Pirates ride by Walt himself and through each film of the Pirates franchise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI2oAFJD6e0

Johnny Depp returns to the big screen as the iconic, swashbuckling anti-hero Jack Sparrow in the all-new “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.” The rip-roaring adventure finds down-on-his-luck Captain Jack feeling the winds of ill-fortune blowing strongly his way when deadly ghost sailors, led by the terrifying Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), escape from the Devil’s Triangle bent on killing every pirate at sea—notably Jack. Jack’s only hope of survival lies in the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to find it he must forge an uneasy alliance with Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), a brilliant and beautiful astronomer, and Henry (Brenton Thwaites), a headstrong young sailor in the Royal Navy. At the helm of the Dying Gull, his pitifully small and shabby ship, Captain Jack seeks not only to reverse his recent spate of ill fortune, but to save his very life from the most formidable and malicious foe he has ever faced.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” also stars Kevin R. McNally as Joshamee Gibbs, Golshifteh Farahani as the sea-witch Shansa, Stephen Graham as Scrum, David Wenham as Scarfield and Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossa.

Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg are directing “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” with Jerry Bruckheimer producing. The executive producers are Mike Stenson, Chad Oman, Joe Caracciolo, Jr. and Brigham Taylor. Jeff Nathanson wrote the screenplay. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” drops anchor in U.S. theaters on May 26, 2017.

Source: Disney Movie Trailers

Portobello at Disney Springs Will Not Return, New Restaurant with Outdoor Bar Announced

WDWNT on May 8, 2017

Levy Restaurants, a Chicago-based restaurant company which operates more than 100 food-service locations in the United States and Canada, has announce the development of a new, Italian restaurant concept at Disney Springs. Previously, it had been indicated that this restaurant would remain Portobello and undergo extensive menu changes only.

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James Beard award-winner and Top Chef Master, Tony Mantuano, is leading the development of the restaurant, which will replace the space at Disney Springs that was occupied by Portobello Country Italian Trattoria. The new restaurant’s menu will feature dishes inspired by Chef Tony’s adventures across the many regions of Italy.

In order to accommodate the large-scale renovations, Portobello closed its doors April 24 with plans for the new concept to reopen in early Fall 2017.

Based on the concept art, it appears that an outdoor bar area will be added during the renovations.

“We’ve been grateful to serve our loyal guests at Portobello for the last seven years,” said Andy Lansing, President and CEO of Levy Restaurants. “We look forward to welcoming our guests back to the location early this fall when we unveil a new concept at Disney Springs.”

Disney Store Introducing “Fantasyland Football” Theme Park Merchandise in Fall 2017

WDWNT on May 8, 2017

Based on the success of the annual March Magic promotion from Disney Parks and DisneyStore.com, Disney will be introducing a similar event in the Fall of 2017.

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Guests who ordered March Magic t-shirts were given cards to promote the new event with different icons from either the Walt Disney World Wonders or the Disneyland Dreamers. The teams will be pitted against each other in some way when the event begins.

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We received Figment in the mail, but many other icons were mailed out to guests.

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No further details are available as of yet, but we will keep you posted as more becomes available.