That odd, sunken-in plot of grass between the Coca-Cola Store and Planet Hollywood Observatory finally has a tenant: Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill.
Opening in 2018, the new Wolfgang Puck concept will open in Town Center, housed in a completely new building.
Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill, will modernize the traditional “bar and grill” concept in a setting inspired by traditional farmhouses with a touch of elegance.
The restaurant, designed by tonychi, will capture the essence of laid-back California dining made popular by Puck at Spago, his flagship restaurant in Los Angeles.
The menu will highlight the best of Puck’s signature dishes with Mediterranean influences, innovative takes on comfort food classics and handcrafted specialty cocktails, beer and wine.
Rather than distribute endless numbers of bottles and soaps to every guest room at Walt Disney World (that guests would then be able to take home with them), Disney is moving towards refillable dispensers inside of the showers found in guest rooms.
The picture above is from Port Orleans Riverside, featuring a locked shelf holding pump dispensers for conditioner, shampoo, and body wash.
it is unknown if this will be rolled out beyond Value and Moderate class rooms, but I imagine guests at a Deluxe Resort may be a little annoyed to find such a contraption in their rooms for the amount they are paying.
Halloween kicks off early this year in Magic Kingdom Park, with Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on select evenings beginning August 25, fun-filled evening with trick-or-treating throughout the park, eerie entertainment and Disney characters that go bump in the night.
This year, more than a dozen specially created treats – some available only during the parties, some all day in the Magic Kingdom Park – will be available to celebrate the season. Here’s the rundown:
New treats offered all day, every day, beginning Aug. 25-Nov. 1
Stop in the Main Street Bakery for a bright orange Mickey Halloween Cupcake with chocolate cake filled with purple marshmallow fluff topped with orange vanilla buttercream, sprinkles and a white chocolate scarecrow Mickey.
The Mickey-shaped Cinnamon Roll takes on a spooky twist with orange icing and a chocolate spider web.
Plaza Ice Cream Parlor will scoop up pumpkin-flavored ice cream.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Treats (party nights only):
Pumpkin Cheesecake Dome with a graham cracker streusel base, orange white chocolate glaze and a white chocolate Mickey can be found at Main Street Bakery and Gaston’s Tavern.
Jack Skellington gets his own dessert at Sleepy Hollow in Liberty Square – a vanilla panna cotta, chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream, white chocolate and dark chocolate crisp pearls, dark chocolate curls and a white chocolate Jack Skellington.
The artistic Haunted Mansion Desserts – each with a different flavor and themed chocolate accent – can be tracked down at:
Aloha Isle – chocolate tart filled with chocolate ganache and topped with Oreo panna cotta and a white chocolate Haunted Mansion-inspired portrait.
Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies – chocolate tart filled with raspberry compote and topped with white chocolate mousse and a Haunted Mansion-inspired white chocolate portrait.
Liberty Square Market – chocolate tart filled with chocolate ganache and topped with peanut butter icing and a Haunted Mansion-inspired white chocolate portrait.
Storybook Treats – chocolate tart filled with lemon curd, strawberry compote and topped with strawberry mousse and a Haunted Mansion-inspired white chocolate portrait.
A Pumpkin Mickey Waffle with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, sprinkles and caramel sauce will be offered at Sleepy Hollow.
Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café will offer Worms and Dirt, a chocolate gravestone with chocolate cake and chocolate mousse with a chocolate glaze topped with Oreo crumbs, and gummy candy.
Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies in Tomorrowland will dish up Candy Corn Ice Cream (formerly available at Storybook Treats).
Grab Chocolate Crisped Rice Treats and Vampire Mickey Brownies at various outdoor vending and kiosks throughout the Magic Kingdom Park.
Dates for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party are August 25 and 29; Sept. 1, 7, 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 26 and 29; Oct. 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 27, 29 and 31, and Nov. 1.
So, $8 seems like a lot of money for a s’mores, considering the average creation of a single serving of graham cracker, marshmallow, and chocolate probably would cost you less than $1 as a consumer. However, I don’t think you’ll be making s’mores quite like The Ganachery at Disney Springs…
A relatively new offering, the above $8 s’mores can be ordered at the counter and the guest is then given a little sign to hold up at the window where the desserts are made. The artisan behind the glass will then begin to make your s’mores and brings it out to you. You can see this entire process in the video below:
So, how it it? Amazing, and certainly worth the hefty price tag. The quality of the chocolate is staggering and the flavor with the sea salt is perfection. The giant chunk of marshmallow makes sure every bite has more than enough, and the graham cracker isn’t terribly crunchy to the point where the entire thing falls apart. This thing can be a little messy, so be sure to grab a napkin… or all of the napkins. You may also want to share it if you don’t want to feel terrible about yourself afterwards, but hey, it’s your vacation so I won’t judge you if you eat the entire thing alone.
I can’t recommend this enough. It is undoubtedly the best s’mores I’ve ever had in my entire life!
So the next time you’re at Disney Springs, be sure to stop by The Ganachery in the Landing to try this for yourself (or try something else from here, you really can’t go wrong).
The Hollywood Reporter just announced that a Obi-Wan Kenobi movie is in the works at Disney and Lucasfilm. This will be the third Star Wars spinoff movie and join the likes of “Rogue One” and “Han Solo”.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
Stephen Daldry is Star Wars’ newest hope.
The Oscar-nominated director behind Billy Elliot and The Hours is in early talks to direct a Star Wars stand-alone movie centering on Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Sources say talks are at the earliest of stages and that the project has no script. If a deal makes, Daldry would oversee the development and writing with Lucasfilm brass. It’s not known at this stage if Ewan McGregor will reprise his role.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi stand-alone is one of several projects being developed by Lucasfilm and Disney that fall outside the trilogies telling the saga of the Skywalker family. A Han Solo movie is now in the final stages of shooting under new director Ron Howard and Lucasfilm is also looking at movies featuring Yoda and bounty hunter Boba Fett, among others.
Guests will check-in and pick up a delicious snack box (which features a mix of sweet and savory items) at the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater prior to show time. A special light-up credential will allow Fantasmic Dessert & VIP Viewing Experience guests to enter a special reserved viewing area.
The adult box features chocolate-covered strawberries, cheesecake, a chocolate cupcake, apple crisp, California trail mix and cheese and crackers. Kids receive chocolate pudding with crushed chocolate cookies and gummy worms, confetti popcorn, grapes and a vanilla cake bite which features Sorcerer Mickey. Guests will also receive a bottle of water and a specialty alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage in a light-up keepsake Fantasmic cup.
Cost is $39 for adults and $19 for children ages 3-9. Reservations can be made by visiting DisneyWorld.com/dining or by calling 407-WDW-DINE.
It’s been over a year since the cancellation of Disney Infinity, and we are still getting information about the game’s scrapped future plans.
This time we have actual gameplay footage of the unfinished Moana Playset, thanks to YouTuber Infiniteer Adventures.
In this video, we actually get to see Maui in fully realized environments, platforming, interacting with items, and of course using his iconic hook. The footage shown in the video technically shows an early prototype, though the visuals and lightning look like some of the best we’ve seen in a Disney Infinity Playset.
Infiniteer Adventures plans to release more footage from the Moana Playset in the coming days, so hopefully we will get a look at even more characters, as well as additional gameplay elements that would have been featured in the Playset.
Disneyland’s Audio-Animatronic America Sings attraction opened June 29, 1974 (to honor the upcoming bicentennial celebration) and closed April 10, 1988
Disneyland’s Rocket Rods attraction opened on May 22, 1998 (replacing the PeopleMover) operating intermittently through September 25, 2000
Disneyland’s Videopolis nightclub opened on June 22, 1985 and closed in 1989 when it was converted into a stage show venue (renamed Fantasyland Theater in 1995)
All three shirts are priced at $27.99 and are eligible for the Buy One Get One 40% Off promotion. These shirts are only available through Thursday, August 24, 2017.
The recently named Muppets Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is already no more, as Disney announced today that the entire land and the remains of the Streets of America will all become the new Grand Avenue area this Fall.
Muppets Courtyard, along with a portion of the former Streets of America, is being re-imagined by Walt Disney Imagineering to become a new area called Grand Avenue. Inspired by the revitalization and the vibrant culture of present-day downtown Los Angeles, Grand Avenue is where vintage office buildings and warehouses are being converted to exciting new uses. Guests will soon see facades for “merchants” appearing in this area for a music shop, loft apartments, a tailor and more, with each window on the street featuring charming displays.
Grand Avenue includes BaseLine Tap House, which takes over the former Writer’s Stop. This new corner pub will feature California beers and wines along with a selection of small bites.
The current Muppets Courtyard will become Grand Park, an urban square off Grand Avenue surrounded by shops and restaurants like PizzeRizzo and Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano. Guests can already see changes in the area, with the Muppets theater being renamed “Grand Arts Theatre” and boasting a brand-new marquee. Disney has assured guests that the hilarious and irreverent “Muppet*Vision 3D” show will remain in this new area.
The future of the Stage 1 “Muppets Store” and various themed elements in the area remains in doubt as Disney has not mentioned them specifically.
Patina will reportedly be opening a new Italian concept, Maria & Enzo’s, located inside of the very same complex as The Edison on The Landing at Disney Springs. Patina Restaurant Group also currently operates Morimoto Asia, Tutto Italia and Via Napoli in Epcot, and The Edison when it opens later this year. They will even be involved in the upcoming unnamed space restaurant in Future World.
The new Italian restaurant will also feature a speakeasy bar element, themed to an underground rum-running tunnel. This likely means that the restaurant is in basement of The Edison, replacing the long rumored “Neverland Tunnels” and “Walt’s Lounge” concepts originally meant for this space. Maria and Enzo’s is also expected to feature a counter service component of some kind.
Maria & Enzo’s is planned to open late 2017/early 2018.
