PHOTOS: Structures Erected For Sunset Seasons Greetings at Hollywood Studios

They may not be pretty, but the structures for the Sunset Seasons Greetings offering at Disney’s Hollywood Studios have gone up.

 width=

 width=

A temporary structure with a large screen has emerged at Sunset Ranch Market, meanwhile, a large permanent structure has risen next to the Tower of Terror.

 width=

As well, the classic Fantasmic billboard has been removed.

 width=

 width=

Sunset Seasons Greetings debuts November 9, 2017 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

PHOTOS: Japan Makes Pixar’s Cars Inspired ‘Smile Bumper’ to Add Personality to Everyday Ride

Somewhere in Saitama, Japan a custom body shop is making a Pixar’s Cars inspired “smile bumper” for the Suzuki Twin.

This car bumper adds the face of a Cars character to make the Suzuki Twin look extra cartoonish and lovable. Take a look at some of the photos owners have posted.

https://twitter.com/suzukitwin/status/896276567847968768

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaBP4pnDJa_/?taken-by=pu_ri.n

It appears that the bumpers occasionally make their way to online auction sites as well. The bumper costs about 64,800円, or $550-$600. This seems to be a pretty justifiable car modification, if you ask me.

 width=

Credit: masa_aoyagi

 width=

Credit: masa-aoyagi

 width=

Credit: masa_aoyagi

It’s too bad that that these are only available for the Suzuki Twin, a car that both hasn’t been in production for over a decade and never made its way to the United States.

SaveSave

VIDEO: Parents and Kids Behavior at the Parks, Match Game and More on WDW News Tonight

This week on WDW News Tonight…

    • We discuss the misbehavior of kids and lack of attention by parents at the parks
    • Epcot turns 35
    • Possible new features at Disney resorts
    • We play The Match Game for Disney themed prizes

[sc name=”YouTube Embed 825w” id=”s00czrQFBxg” ]

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.

BREAKING: Dogs Welcome at Select Walt Disney World Hotels for a Fee Beginning October 15th

Beginning this Sunday, October 15th, for the first time ever, the Walt Disney World Resort will welcome guests – and their dogs – to four of its resort hotels.

Four Walt Disney World resort hotels have been designated dog friendly. Each property’s per night/per room pet-cleaning rate is:

  • Disney’s Art of Animation Resort $50/night
  • Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort $50/night
  • Disney’s Yacht Club Resort $75/night
  • Cabins at Disney’s Ft. Wilderness Resort $50/night

A maximum of two dogs per guest room can be accommodated. Each guest room will have easy access to outdoor pet walkways for exercise and green spaces with pet relief areas.

Dog lovers will find plenty of Disney amenities and special touches for their four-legged friends.

  • At check-in, Pluto’s Welcome Kit includes mat, bowls, a pet ID tag, courtesy plastic disposable bags, puppy pads and dog walking maps. Also included: a Pluto “Do Not Disturb” door hanger indicating to hotel staff that a pet is in the room.
  • Disney enjoys a partnership with Best Friends Pet Care, an on-property full-service facility that can provide assistance with pet daycare and other pet services (fees apply).
  • Pet merchandise is coming soon to participating resorts.

While dogs will be allowed to stay in guest rooms, they will be expected to be well behaved, leashed in public resort areas and properly vaccinated. For more information about the new dog-friendly trial program, including other restrictions and policies, guests may contact 407-W-DISNEY. DVC Members should contact Member Services at 800-800-9800.

Disney Announces Full Celebrity Narrator Lineup for Candlelight Processional 2017 at Epcot

Disney has announced the remainder of the celebrity narrator lineup for the  2017 Candlelight Processional, now part of the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays.

 width=

Emmy and Tony award-winning Actor Neil Patrick Harris narrates Candlelight Processional Dec. 1, 2015 at Epcot. The event is one of the most beloved holiday traditions at Walt Disney World Resort, featuring a joyous retelling of the Christmas story by a celebrity narrator accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and a glorious mass choir. Epcot is located at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Mariah Wild, photographer)

Disney Legend Kurt Russell, who has starred in Disney films from the 1960s to 2017’s “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” will read the Christmas story this year – as well as gold- and silver-medal-winning gymnast Laurie Hernandez. Two veterans of the event – actress/comedienne Ana Gasteyer and Jodi Benson, voice of Ariel in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” – complete this year’s list.

As previously announced, new narrators for this year’s lineup include Matt Bomer (“White Collar,” “The Last Tycoon,”); Star Wars fan favorite Warwick Davis, who played Wicket the Ewok in “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi;” Daytime Television Legend Pat Sajak and TV star CCH Pounder, who was recently at Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the grand opening of Pandora – The World of Avatar. And returning this year are everyone’s favorite hard-driving Dr. Bailey from “Grey’s Anatomy,” Chandra Wilson – and newly-named Disney Legend Whoopi Goldberg, co-host of ABC’s “The View.”

Here is the full list of narrators (everything subject to change, of course):

  • Nov. 24- 26 – Laurie Hernandez – NEW!
  • Nov. 27-28 – Matt Bomer – NEW!
  • Nov. 29 – 30 – Ana Gasteyer
  • Dec. 1-3 – Whoopi Goldberg
  • Dec. 4-5 – Pat Sajak – NEW!
  • Dec. 6-8 – Jodi Benson
  • Dec. 9-11 – Kurt Russell – NEW!
  • Dec. 12-14 – Warwick Davis – NEW!
  • Dec. 15-17 – Trace Adkins
  • Dec. 18-21 – Neil Patrick Harris
  • Dec. 22-24 – CCH Pounder – NEW!
  • Dec. 25-27 – Jaci Velasquez
  • Dec. 28-30 – Chandra Wilson

The Candlelight Processional presents the traditional story of Christmas in truly spectacular fashion – with a celebrity narrator, a 50-piece orchestra and a massed choir. The processional is performed three times per night (5:00, 6:45 and 8:15 p.m.) during the holiday season at the America Gardens Theatre. These packages, available on select nights, include a delicious meal and a guaranteed seat for one of the Candlelight Processional performances. Availability is limited.

In addition to lunch and dinner packages, breakfast options are available at restaurants in and near Epcot like Akershus Royal Banquet Hall and The Garden Grill. Breakfast, lunch and dinner options are also available this year at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, with breakfast and dinner options being offered at Trattoria Al Forno at Disney’s BoardWalk. Candlelight Dining Packages for breakfast start at $35 plus tax per person for adults and $21 plus tax per person for children, ages 3-9. Candlelight Dining Packages for lunch and dinner start at $44 plus tax per person for adults and $15.50 plus tax per person for children, ages 3-9.

 

Two New Disney Books Every Fan Should Own – “Eat Like Walt” & “The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation”

Disney and D23 have recently released two new books that should pique the interest of Disney fans that love food and animation, so, basically all Disney fans.

The first book is Eat Like Walt: The Wonderful World of Disney Food, which explores the history behind the various treats and food items available throughout Disneyland. Explore each the park’s six lands and the food items that are associated with each land. Go further into the history of Walt’s experience with food, and learn about the four restaurants that opened at Walt Disney Studios before Disneyland was even built. The book also includes an array of recipes from Walt’s home life, the Walt Disney Studios, and Disneyland.

 width=

The second book is Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation, which tells the history of how women helped to create Disney animation by bringing color and depth to the drawings that eventually became the stories we know and love today. The book explores the painstaking work that went into coloring these animations, as well as the future technological advancements in animation that women stood at the forefront of. Ink & Paint includes a collection of archival artwork and photography, as well as production documentation and private works.

 width=

Both books can be found now on Amazon and are only available in hardcover editions. For a link to Eat Like Walt: The Wonderful World of Disney Food click here, and for more on Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation click here.

 

Save

SaveSave

SaveSave

PHOTO REPORT: The Magic Kingdom 10/13/17 (Alien Encounter, Passholder Lines, Splash Mountain Closure, Etc.)

Our latest photo report brings us to the Magic Kingdom for Fall weather and the lighter crowds of the season. I’m of course joking, it has been above 90 degrees everyday and the parks have been super crowded, but we went anyway…

Welcome to the Magic Kingdom

 width=

Annual Passholder entrances don’t seem to be leaving anytime soon as they now have more permanent signage.

 width=

Thor Raganrok merchandise is now available throughout the resort.

 width=

 width=

The Citrus Swirl Orange Float has been added to them menu boards at Sunshine Tree Terrace. You can check out our review here.

 width=

Columbus Day Week has been particularly busy. Here, the Jungle Cruise FastPass return line stretches back almost to the entrance of the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.

 width=

The line goes on for niles…

 width=

And niles, and niles, and niles, and if you don’t believe me, you are in…

 width=

Well, probably you’re in the standby line then, because who would believe this?

 width=

The refurbishment of Splash Mountain rolls on. For a better look at the all of the work being done (mostly repainting), check out our video below:

 width=

Permanent signage for the lines and exits at the Lunching Pad has arrived. There had been big “foamcore” signs here for the last few weeks.

 width=

Mobile Order is available there as well, which I’ve already used a few times just to order a soda with no wait on these hot and busy days at the Magic Kingdom.

 width=

While Stitch’s Great Escape is closed seasonally, it is now being used for Stitch’s Alien Encounter Character Greeting during the day.

 width=

Signage outside informs guests that the attraction is closed, since the presence of a line might lead to thoughts of the contrary.

 width=

 width=

 width=

It was so crowded… (how crowded was it?) It was so crowded that the Country Bear Jamboree show that we went to was completely full!

 width=

SaveSave

New Dishes and Themed Areas Headline 2017 Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. – Oct.12, 2017 –The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic will celebrate its eighth year October 27 – 28, the largest event to date featuring more than 60 food and beverage stations and 11 educational seminars taught by members of the resort’s award-winning food and beverage team.

 width=

Guests will delight in numerous opportunities to sip and savor along the resort’s causeway, private lake and private beach all weekend while enjoying live entertainment.

Delectable culinary offerings headline the two-night event, featuring cuisine from the resort’s own award-winning restaurants: Il Mulino New York Trattoria, Shula’s Steak House, Todd English’s bluezoo, Kimonos and more, with wine and spirits samplings from around the globe.

“One of our favorite parts about this festival is showcasing our creativity and adding new experiences each year,” said Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort Director of Food & Beverage Tony Porcellini. “Things that won’t change are the quality of our food and beverage selections and our vibrant street party atmosphere.”

New for 2017

A new seminar, the Grand Tasting Experience, will be presented by a master sommelier, highlighting the unique Nebbiolo grape of northern Italy. Master Sommelier Matthew Citriglia, one of only 149 master sommeliers in the Americas, will showcase several rare vintages from the Piedmont region. Tickets to this intimate experience will be extremely limited.

Also new this year is Bubbles Lounge, a secluded, whimsically themed area showcasing sparkling beverages including champagne and sparkling wine, inspired by Lawrence Welk and his champagne style. Guests will receive a special entrance ticket to the lounge upon check-in and can seek out the space to enjoy a light-hearted atmosphere and sweeping views of the festival while sipping champagne.

Bubbles Lounge joins the event’s other themed areas including: Carnival Corner, offering carnival food and games; Chinatown, featuring dishes and drinks inspired by San Francisco’s famed neighborhood; and a Beer Garden, offering a variety of local and seasonal brews from around the world alongside Oktoberfest-inspired cuisine. (Access to the Beer Garden requires an upgraded ticket.)

Featured Food

Highlights of this year’s menus include: Kobe beef mini burgers with truffle aioli, Applewood smoked bacon and roma tomato chutney from The Fountain; seared Yellowfin Tuna salad from Todd English’s bluezoo; ricotta gnocchi with wild mushrooms, baby spinach and fennel sausage from Il Mulino Trattoria and oven-roasted beef ribeye with mashed potatoes and sauce bordelaise from Shula’s Steakhouse.

 width=

Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Executive Chef Robert Ciborowski brings back his signature barbecue at the Cib’s Smoke House station with his hand-crafted pork belly and smoked Spanish Iberico pork collar. Popular returning dishes include the dragon sushi roll from Kimonos and fish ‘n’ chips with sea salt and vinegar potato chips from Garden Grove.

World Champion Pastry Chef Laurent Branlard sweetens the evening with decadent desserts like the crunchy chocolate passion fruit truffle and key lime vanilla cream. The returning Sundae Action Station allows guests to choose their own toppings like caramelized hazelnuts and raspberry whipped cream.

 width=

Seminars and Brunch

Favorite hands-on educational seminars, taught by members of the resort’s award-winning food and beverage team, return for foodies who want to add a little something extra to their festival experience. Seminars offered this year include: wine blending, Italian wines, Argentinian wines, champagne, beer, Riesling, craft cocktails, pasta making, sushi and sake and wine and cheese pairing. All seminars require separate tickets, and space is limited.

Guests can extend the indulgence into Sunday morning with the Sunday Bubbles Brunch with J Vineyards and Winery at Il Mulino New York Trattoria, featuring a lavish menu of traditional and unconventional dishes like various cured meats and imported cheeses along with an array of sushi and trattoria-inspired entrees. The Sunday Bubbles Brunch is a separate ticket option and does not require an evening ticket or overnight accommodation to participate.

With 18 restaurants and lounges, a distinguished culinary and beverage team and unmatched customer service, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort continually receives national recognition for its food and beverage program. The culinary team has had the honor of presenting multiple dinners at the distinguished James Beard House. The resort boasts more than 70 certified wine sommeliers and 1,400 wine selections, including organic and rare vintages. The resort’s restaurants are annual winners of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence including Shula’s Steak House, a multiple-time recipient of the exclusive Best of Award of Excellence.

Tickets to the Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic are available as part of a resort package or individually. For more information or to book, please visit www.SwanDolphinFoodandWineClassic.com or call 1-800-227-1500.

SaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSave

PHOTO REPORT: Epcot 10/12/17 (Guardians of the Galaxy Coaster Construction, Goodbye Energy, Siemens, Epcot 35, Etc.)

Our latest photo report brings us to Epcot in the days after it’s 35th anniversary, as the early phases of the overhaul of the park get into motion…

Welcome to Epcot

 width=

 width=

 width=

The Siemens sponsorship of Spaceship Earth has ended, but the signage remains, as does Project Tomorrow, which is pretty much a giant advertisement for the company.

 width=

 width=

 width=

 width=

 width=

 width=

 width=

 width=

 width=

 width=

 width=

 width=

 width=

 width=

 width=

 width=

Some new, very bright, white lights are pointed at the Fountain of Nations, illuminating the taller water features. A strange addition considering this will all be bulldozed in the park’s overhaul.

 width=

Feel the Flow, There It Goes…

 width=

Signage was removed pointing guests towards the Universe of Energy. It now points towards what’s left of Innoventions, which is just Colortopia at this point.

 width=

A closed Universe of Energy pavilion behind walls.

This and That

 width=

Signage was already taken down for the Test Track SIMporium so they could paint the wall behind it. This is where you can now make your own Sim Car Card to take home.

 width=

Some new phone cases for sale inside of MouseGear.

 width=

 width=

 width=

A little late, but a Limited Release World Showcase pin has been released at Pin Central to commemorate the 35th anniversary. It retails for $14.99.

 width=

A large line of classic Mickey and Minnie Mouse merchandise has hit all of the parks. I’m usually not a fan of such generic stuff, but the line looks pretty nice.

 width=

 width=

 width=

 width=

 width=

 width=

There’s also a new line that evokes colors of the late 80’s/early 90’s that I’m pretty crazy about.

OOGA CHAKA

 width=

Outside of the park, work has commenced on the Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster ride.

 width=

 width=

A series of barricades make sit hard to get too close, and security is patrolling the area to combat “corporate espionage”. Since this is a first-of-its-kind ride system, Disney will be very strict about letting guests see the construction.

 width=

 width=

SaveSave

SaveSave

Lane & Ramp Closures, Roads Narrowing at Caribbean Beach as Construction Projects Intensify at Walt Disney World

There will be several single lane closures and overnight ramp closures in the Epcot Center Drive area now through Friday, October 13th, 2017 due to the ongoing road improvement projects.

 width=

Additionally, starting today, there will be work taking place in the roadway at the exit of the Trinidad South buildings at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort as part of the ongoing enhancement projects there. The road will remain open, but Guests should use caution in this area as the roadway will be narrowed significantly.

SaveSave