Disneyland Releases Tons of New Details on 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration; Merchandise, Food, Entertainment, & More!

In addition to the giveaways and new character costumes announced earlier today, the Disneyland Resort continues to roll-out new information of the 60th anniversary Diamond Celebration beginning May 22nd. Here’s what we have learned so far today:

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  • New details on the “Paint the Night” parade:

Tinker Bell leads the procession in a magical, musical overture, closely followed by a float reminiscent of the giant bass drum that led the “Main Street Electrical Parade.” Lightning McQueen races in with his buddy Mack Truck, who makes a hefty impression at 54-feet long, covered from headlights to tail pipe in gleaming light. Anna and Elsa from “Frozen” glide through the night in a shimmering palace of ice and snow, the tallest float in the new parade. Guests also will be delighted to see Cinderella, Rapunzel and beloved characters from tales such as “Monsters, Inc.,”  “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Toy Story,” with Mickey and his pals creating a breathtaking grand finale.

  • New details on the “Disneyland Forever” fireworks spectacular:

Guests will be surrounded by the worlds of timeless Disney tales, from the tips of their toes to the sky high above, thanks to the largest installation of projection mapping technology in a Disney park and surprising special effects. One minute they will be standing on Main Street, U.S.A., and the next they could be stampeding across Simba’s Pride Lands, dancing with King Louie from “The Jungle Book,” traveling “Under the Sea” with the Little Mermaid, flying over London with Peter Pan, dripping in honey with Pooh in a whimsical dream of heffalumps and woozles, or quivering as Queen Elsa brings a glimmering blanket of snow over Disneyland.

Similar to Tinker Bell, Dumbo, and Zero, Nemo from the Disney-Pixar animated film “Finding Nemo,” Nemo will swim through the skies above Sleeping Beauty Castle in this new show, as the Matterhorn is transformed into the fiery peak of Mt. Wannahockaloogie.

  • For the new nighttime spectaculars, Disneyland will roll out new “Made with Magic” merchandise that glows with the show. Among the new items will be a souvenir sipper, new design ear hats & magic wands, and the paintbrush that debuted with the Paint the night Parade at Hong Kong Disneyland.
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The “Made with Magic” paintbrush available in hong Kong, allowing guests to paint performer costumes during the nighttime parade

  • Changes are coming to some already existing Disneyland entertainment come May 22nd:

During the Diamond Celebration, guests will be invited to become part of the musical magic, singing, dancing and marching along with resort performers such as the Disneyland Band, Dapper Dans, Red Car News Boys, Straw Hatters and Five & Dime. The after-dark “Mad T Party” will return to Disney California Adventure as a dazzling new “Diamond Mad T Party,” featuring sparkling new decor, interactive fun, dancing and delectable food and drink.

Guests may join a daily Diamond March-Along up Main Street, U.S.A., with the Disneyland Band and Disney characters in their sparkling, new Diamond Celebration costumes. The cavalcade concludes with a Diamond Sing-Along at Town Square in Disneyland Park. Also on Main Street, U.S.A., the Dapper Dans quartet will invite guests to join Diamond Sing-Alongs, while the Straw Hatters band will encourage Diamond Dance-Alongs.

Guests may Dream-Along with Mickey Mouse and the Red Car News Boys, as Mickey shares a whole new song about his vision for the Happiest Place on Earth. When the Five & Dime arrive on Buena Vista Street, guests will be immersed in a joyous Dance-Along with Dime, Goofy and the boys.

Mad T Party returns to Disney California Adventure beginning May 22, as guests are invited down the rabbit hole to experience the Diamond Mad T Party, a nighttime entertainment party inspired by Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” motion picture. The Mad T Party main stage will feature a live band, performing contemporary and classic rock favorites as well as newly mashed-up Disney tunes given a rare Mad T Party twist. When the band isn’t onstage, the White Rabbit DJ takes over and plays the latest, hottest dance tunes.

Also for Mad T Party, the Hottest Deck in Town dance crew will perform their high-energy show with a new look at a new location, the Hollywood Backlot Stage. Diamond Mad T Party guests will also play interactive games, take photos or just chill out with a cold drink from the Drink Me Bar or Chiller truck. A new photo location combines the fantastical spirit of the Mad T Party with a tribute to Disney’s past.

  • Over 500 new merchandise items are being introduced for the celebration:

Headwear will include a Diamond Celebration ear hat, Minnie Mouse rhinestone-embellished headband, and youth and adult baseball hats. Also being introduced from the Diamond Collection is a crystal-encrusted Minnie Mouse headband and Mickey Mouse ear hat.

Home Décor items will include frames, snow globes, mugs, a dinner plate, dessert plate, trivet, napkin, drinkware and bottle topper, as well as a beach towel, throws and pillow.

Toys will include an array of plush, a fashion doll, a Diamond Celebration truck hauler, train set, playing cards, puzzles, Sleeping Beauty Castle playset and more.

Open and limited edition pins, trading accessories, boxed pin sets and framed pin sets will be available.

Collectors also will be interested in limited release, limited edition and crystal embellished Vinylmation.

Art & Collectibles will include notable brands such as Precious Moments, Lenox, Highland Mint and Arribas Bros. Over the course of the celebration, fans will find artwork by Dave Avanzino, Disney Design Group (Costa Alavezos, Tyler Dumas, Susan Foy, Caley Hicks, Alex Maher, Randy Noble), Liana Hee, Ink & Paint artists, Brian Jowers, Lisa Keene, Jerrod Maruyama, Kurt Raymond, Tim Rogerson, SHAG, Javier Soto and The Thomas Kinkade Studios and Gregg Visintainer, among others.

  • It of course wouldn’t be a party without some new food and beverage offerings:

The Disneyland Resort is filled with a variety of popular dining options. For the Diamond Celebration, some new specialties will join the classic favorites, served in colorful Diamond Celebration souvenir containers.

Special Diamond Celebration Cupcakes will be found at the Jolly Holiday Bakery Café (lemon flavored) in Disneyland and the Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Café (orange flavored) in Disney California Adventure.

Appropriately sparkling for the Diamond Celebration, a Pomegranate Silver Sparkler, topped with lemon-lime foam and garnished with silver flakes, will be served at the Jolly Holiday Bakery Café on Main Street, U.S.A., in Disneyland.

At the Lucky Fortune Cookery in Disney California Adventure, a special Lucky Fortune Tea will feature mango, pineapple and passion fruit flavoring.

Exotic new Diamond Celebration beverages will also be available at Disneyland Resort hotel locations: a Longboard Lemonade at the PCH Grill in Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, and a Wild Raspberry Rapids Lemonade at White Water Snacks in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.

Diamond Celebration Crisped Rice Treats, Caramel Corn and Cotton Candy will be available at select locations in the parks.

All of these newly announced items come in addition to already revealed offerings such World of Color – Celebrate!, the Hatbox Ghost returning to the Haunted Mansion, Matterhorn Bobsleds enhancements, Peter Pan’s flight enhancements, Soarin’ enhancements, and the decorative overlays of the park icons.

PHOTO: Mickey and Minnie Mouse to Greet Guests in Diamond-Studded Duds for Disneyland’s 60th

When Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration kicks off next month, Mickey and Minnie Mouse will be stepping out in style for the event…

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If you want to meet the pair in their 60th anniversary costumes, you’ll have to head out to Disneyland Resort for the Diamond Celebration beginning May 22, 2015. They will be appearing in Town Square at Disneyland Park along with Goofy, Pluto, Donald duck, Daisy, Chip, and Dale who will also have special costumes during the event’s run.

Disneyland to Give Away Dazzling Prizes for “Diamond Days” as Part of 60th Anniversary Festivities

Similar to the Year of a million Dreams, guests who attend Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration starting in May will have a chance to win fabulous prizes as part of Disneyland Diamond Days sweepstakes that begins May 22, 2015.

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Disneyland Diamond Days is a sweepstakes in which daily prizes are awarded to select visitors while they are in the park as part of the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration. In addition to the daily prizes, Disneyland Diamond Days will offer guests a weekly opportunity to win other prizes and experiences.

Appropriately, the most exciting prizes are authentic diamonds, custom-engraved for the celebration. One and two-carat Disney Diamonds will be awarded throughout the celebration, and the one-carat Disney Diamonds will even be paired with a stay in the Disneyland Dream Suite. Other weekly prizes include a clear, crystal Cinderella slipper adorned with a diamond-and-topaz pendant, and unique experiences, such as a private party in Fantasyland, a romantic cruise aboard the Mark Twain Riverboat, or a tailgate party in Cars Land. The available prize will vary each week.

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Full official rules will be available at Disneyland.com/DiamondDays on May 22, 2015.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S., D.C., Mexico and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are age of majority as of date of entry. Specific prizes to be awarded in the weekly sweepstakes will be announced online at Disneyland.com/DiamondDays the preceding week. Sponsor: Disney Memories, 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, CA 91521, U.S.A.

A Trip Report from Rob, and a “WDWNT NOW!” Update

As you might have seen (or not), I was visiting Disney World last Wednesday and Thursday. My mom turned 60 (happy birthday, Mom!) and I surprised her at the Magic Kingdom. It was awesome.

Actually, there were lots of things that were awesome, and I wanted to take a minute to share them with you.

Let’s get a few things straight first:
1 – I’m not a “Disney expert” but I know lots of stuff and care deeply about the World
2 – this visit was my first encounter with MyMagic+, FastPass+, MagicBand+, Paperless+, etc.
3 – This is all my opinion. Your opinion may differ, and you probably know and understand more than I do – please share!

Alright, where to begin…

I flew from Indianapolis to Atlanta to Orlando, got off the plane, got a rental car, and drove right to Epcot. From plane to rental car to the Epcot parking lot took less than an hour. How you ask? It was just me and my backpack.

Rental Car
My family has never gotten a rental car before, but I’m almost positive I’ll never go down there again and not have one. It was simple to pick up and drop off, and being able to come and go wherever and whenever I wanted was amazing. I love the Magical Express and the transportation Disney provides, but this was a glorious thing.

MyMagic+
As I mentioned earlier this was my first encounter using a MagicBand and FastPass+. I got to the Epcot main gates and placed my MagicBand against it, pressed my pointer finger on the fingerprint scanner, and away I went.

Let me just say, as an IT/dev guy who loves technology, the simplest thing like the ring around the Mickey head glowing white, spinning faster, and then glowing green when it read my band was magical. A very nice touch if I do say so myself.

I had FastPasses for Soarin’, Spaceship Earth, and the Seas with Nemo. I met some friends when I got there and we ate at Sunshine Seasons. My FastPass time for Soarin’ came, so I rode that (again, magical green spinning circles) and then I went over to Spaceship Earth. There was no wait so I rode that. I decided to skip the Seas with Nemo and went to Test Track for the single-rider line. I did a few more things before Illuminations and then headed out for the day.

Overall, I loved not having paper to worry about. Nothing for the hotel, old school FastPass tickets, receipts, whatever.

I did however have two qualms:
1 – Since I didn’t use all of my FastPasses, I could’ve gone to a kiosk and re-booked or canceled them. I tried using the My Disney Experience app and website to no avail, and ended up just giving up. This lead to me thinking “Perhaps having 2 FastPasses would’ve been better?” More on that later…
2 – Using the WDWNT Now! site (which I made) proved to be great about 10% of the time. I was bummed. Trying to find menus, wait times, meet and greets – all of it took too long. The reason I wanted to make the Now! site was to help people, not frustrate them. More on that later too…

MyMagic+ with matching watch

MyMagic+ with matching watch

The Polynesian
Quick side note – go visit the Polynesian Village Resort. You won’t be disappointed. I had breakfast there on Thursday morning (Tonga Toast FTW!) and the new lobby is beautiful.

Isn't he so cute?

Isn’t he so cute?

The Magic Kingdom
Much like Epcot the day before, I was in love with using my MagicBand. We had a FastPass for meeting Mickey at 9:20am, then Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at 11:20am, and then Peter Pan at 2pm. The Magic Kingdom closed at 1am that day so I was prepared to use my 3 FastPasses and book more.

(By the way, I’m now joined by my mom, sister, brother-in-law, and their 2 kids who are both 3).

We had a magical day. It was sunny, hot, and beautiful. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday for my mom.

It was around the 2 or 3 o’clock mark that my family started feeling the effects of the heat. All being from Indianapolis and just coming off of winter it seems that we didn’t adjust well to the climate and temperature changes. We ended up splitting our group and I took my sister to First Aid to cool off while everyone else went and rode some rides. (I tell you all of this because I didn’t use my Peter Pan FastPass)

We had dinner at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant, and my sister’s family went back to their room. My mom and I hung out at the Magic Kingdom until about 10:30pm, and then we left.

Alright, to sum up and add my thoughts:
1 – Just like at Epcot, I would’ve loved to have canceled my Peter Pan FastPass and booked Space Mountain (which I did get to ride later) or something else easily (ie – no kiosk visit).
2 – My niece really wanted to meet Jasmine. As a dad myself I wanted to help and take care of her, so I pulled out my phone and went to the Now! site – the “character appearances” page was difficult to navigate to and usually wouldn’t load. My own site! My own creation! How dare you!?
3 – The new Hub is beautiful. Take some time to wander.
4 – The Magic Kingdom is beautiful. Take some time to wander.
5 – Having “planned” our vacation months in advance and “locking” ourselves into what we’re doing when (as people claim you’re doing) proved to be the complete opposite. We were able to see, watch, and do so much in one day.

Here’s what I did in 48 hours at Walt Disney World
Rode

  • The monorail
  • Soarin’
  • Test Track
  • Spaceship Earth (twice)
  • Gran Fiesta Tour
  • Jungle Cruise
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
  • “it’s a small world”
  • Tomorrowland Transit Authority
  • Space Mountain
  • Carousel of Progress
  • Under the Sea (Little Mermaid)
  • Pirates
  • Haunted Mansion

Saw

  • Festival of Fantasy parade
  • Main Street Electrical Parade
  • Wishes
  • New Fantasyland (new to me)
  • New Hub

Ate

  • Sunshine Seasons
  • Refreshment Port (croissant donut!)
  • Kona Cafe
  • Columbia Harbor House
  • Tony’s
  • Gaston’s Tavern (to try Lefou’s Brew)

Still with me? Thanks!

I would like to conclude with this:
1 – Booking FastPasses in advance proved both awesome and not so awesome. I loved knowing I would get to ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine train. Never once did I feel like my whole day was “ruined” because I had “everything” planned out. See that list above? We got to do FastPass+ attractions during spring break. Think about that…
2 – However, as I mentioned, canceling FastPasses to be able to book more proved to be a tad more difficult than I thought it would be. Again – is 3 too much?
3 – Having a car is magical.
4 – My own creation, the Now! site, left me more frustrated than I’d hoped. Sure, it was cool seeing the “What’s Near Me?” actually work (instead of mocking me with “Far, far away”…who wrote that code?!). I’ve made some changes since I’ve been back that would’ve been nice to have during my trip (like sending a text message that says “#meet jasmine” and getting a reply with her meet and greet times and locations or simply navigating here).

So, dear reader, what do you think? Do you think 3 FastPasses is too much? Do you think I’m crazy? Do you love Tonga Toast as much as I did?

It works! It's not mocking me!

It works! It’s not mocking me!

Dirk Wallen’s 4/13/15 WDW Photo Report (Frozen, AVATAR, Rivers of Light, Harambe Marketplace, ETC.)

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited Animal Kingdom and Epcot this week and has some newsworthy photos to share with us from his trip, so let’s take a look:

 Work has begun on the Frozen meet and greet pavilion between Mexico and Norway at Epcot

Still no visible progress on the Frozen attraction

Moving over to Animal Kingdom, the annual DisneyNature sand sculpture can be found outside of this park instead of at Epcot this year

Walls came down around Island Mercantile revealing new planters

It doesn’t look like the pin cart will be returning to this spot anytime soon

Rivers of Light construction from above… looks like something is being constructed out in the water

AVATAR construction as seen from the parking lot at Animal Kingdom; this building will hold the flying Banshee ride

The building from afar

What appears to be construction of an outdoor seating area for the Beastly Bazaar Starbucks

The viewing area for Rivers of Light is coming along slowly

Meanwhile, a hyena habitat is being constructed on Kilimanjaro Safaris

Should be a cool addition when the nighttime safaris debut

The Africa Marketplace and Harambe Marketplace restaurant should be opening soon

 The water tower looks ready to go, but some work remains on the ground level

Scrooge McDuck Returns in Remastered “DuckTales” for Mobile Devices

Disney Interactive has brought back one of the most popular 8-bit games of all time with the mobile release of DuckTales: Remastered.

  Ducktales

Available for iOS, Android and Windows devices, DuckTales: Remastered lets players join Scrooge McDuck in an epic adventure across the world to discover the five Legendary Treasures.

In DuckTales: Remastered, players will embark on a journey to the Himalayas, Amazon, Transylvania, African mines and Moon using Scrooge’s secret map. The evil sorceress Magica De Spell and notorious Beagle Boys are on a quest to steal Scrooge’s fortune, which he may have to risk along the way to save his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie.

Ducktales 01

Ducktales 02

Ducktales 03

Ducktales 04

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DuckTales: Remastered retains the authenticity of its 8-bit predecessor and features an expanded storyline with all new, improved graphics. Additionally, the game features a digitally-enhanced soundtrack with modern amplified iterations of the classic melodies. DuckTales fans can relive the classic TV series through the game with the original voice-actors and over 90 pieces of production art from the original TV series’ archives.

DuckTales: Remastered is now available for $9.99 USD on the App Store, Google Play, Windows Phone and Windows Store.

Star Wars Weekends 2015 Celebrity Line-Up Announced, Frank Oz & Ian McDiarmid Will Appear

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Walt Disney World announced the celebrity line-up for Star Wars Weekends 2015 today:

Weekend I (May 15 – 17)

  • Ian McDiarmid: Senator/Emperor Palpatine (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace; Star Wars: Attack of the Clones; Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi)
  • Amy Allen: Aayla Secura (Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith)
  • Tiya Sircar: Sabine Wren (Star Wars Rebels)

Weekend II (May 22 – 24)

  • Warwick Davis: Wald, Wicket W. Warrick (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace; Star Wars: Return of the Jedi)
  • Silas Carson: Ki-Adi-Mundi, Nute Gunray (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace; Star Wars: Attack of the Clones;Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith)
  • Vanessa Marshall: Hera Syndulla (Star Wars Rebels)

Weekend III (May 29 – 31)

  • Warwick Davis: Wald, Wicket W. Warrick (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace; Star Wars: Return of the Jedi)
  • Daniel Logan: Boba Fett (Star Wars: Attack of the Clones)
  • Steve Blum: Zeb Orrelios (Star Wars Rebels)

Weekend IV (June 5 – 7)

  • Ray Park: Darth Maul (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace)
  • Jeremy Bulloch: Boba Fett (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back; Star Wars: Return of the Jedi)
  • Ashley Eckstein: Ahsoka Tano (Star Wars: The Clone Wars; Star Wars Rebels)

Weekend V (June 12 – 14)

  • Frank Oz: Yoda (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace; Star Wars: Attack of the Clones; Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi; Star Wars Rebels)
  • Ray Park: Darth Maul (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace)
  • Peter Mayhew: Chewbacca (Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith; Star Wars: A New Hope; Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back; Star Wars: Return of the Jedi)
  • Taylor Gray: Ezra Bridger (Star Wars Rebels)

The event will also hold a new show called “Star Wars: Rebels” hosted by James Arnold Taylor, and the autograph opportunities are moving inside to a location on Commissary Lane which we assume to be the former audition space for the American Idol Experience.

WDWNT’s Extinct Attraction Tournament Concludes Tonight (04/02/15) on WDW News Today: The Radio Show

This week, on WDWNT: The Radio show, MARCH MADNESS: EXTINCT ATTRACTIONS continues!

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We have narrowed 64 Extinct Walt Disney World Attractions down to 32 and will crown a winner tonight! Join us for some heated debate, and if you pre-registered last week, make sure you tune in to root for you team and cast your call-in vote. Some great prizes from Theme Park Connection are on the line as you and our panel decide the greatest extinct attraction in Walt Disney World history!

Here is a refresher on some of the rules you will need to know for tonight if you are a registered contestant:

  • You will need to tune-in to WDWNT: The Radio Show  on April 2nd  from 8-10PM ET for the conclusion of the tournament in order to win. ALL CONTESTANTS MUST BE AVAILABLE TO CALL INTO THE SHOW ON APRIL 2ND IF YOUR NAME IS CALLED AS A WINNER. ONLY THOSE CONTESTANTS LISTENING, AND WHO CALL IN TO CLAIM THEIR PRIZE, WILL BE AWARDED A PRIZE. (winner does not have to go on air if they wish not to.)
  • The four attractions you will be assigned can win points for each victory they gain in the tournament rounds. The point distribution is as follows:
    • 1st Round Win – 1 Point
    • 2nd Round Win – 2 Points
    • “Swell Sixteen” Round Win – 3 Points
    • “Exciting Eight” Round Win – 4 Points
    • “Fantasmic Four” Round Win – 5 Points
    • Championship Round Win – 6 Points
  • The winner of each match is decided by the illustrious panel on the Radio Show. Each panelist counts for a single vote for an attraction. Majority rules on the 7 person panel and decides the winning attraction by vote count.
  • However, listeners who register to play along can change the outcome by calling in. A listener who is registered and playing in our contest may call in once during the run of the tournament and place a vote for an attraction that is worth 2 votes, more than any single panelist. The phone number is 407-774-8255. To allow time for any listening delays, we will count any phone vote cast that comes in before the next round’s voting has begun.
  • The top 8 players in terms of points amassed throughout the tournament will receive prizes from Theme Park Connection! The top player will receive a grand prize package and be declared the WDWNT March Madness Extinct Attraction 2015 champion.
  • Contestants must be 13 years of age or older to enter. You must get parent’s permission if you are under 18.

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Hosted by radio veterans and life-long Disney fans Tom Corless and Nick LoCicero, the live radio talk show on AM 1520 WBZW in Orlando 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 or on your TuneIn and iHeartRadio apps, just search for WBZW. WDW News Today the Radio Show debuted in August of 2013 as a 1 hour 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 Listen.WDWNT.com.

The show begins at 8PM EDT Thursday night, don’t miss it!

ALSO: Directly following WDWNT: The Radio Show, don’t miss the very first episode of Nerd Alert!

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It’s finally here! We have been working on this for a while, but now we have our first episode of “WDWNT: Nerd Alert” in the can and it will air this Thursday night at 10 PM which can be heard on WDWNT: On The Air. Our first episode will immediately follow “WDWNT: The Radio Show,” which will air from 8-10 PM.

I will host the show along with Patrick Hackett and Ron D’Anna. With Disney purchasing Marvel Entertainment in 2009, and then purchasing Star Wars and Lucasfilm in 2013, we realized that without a doubt we have a ton of subjects to talk about regarding those two franchises. Marvel and Star Wars will be our main focus but we also mention any important news made by DC/Warner Brothers and other comic book and sci-fi related production companies.

In our first episode, we will discuss in our news segment:

  • The latest “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” TV spot.
  • The Russo Brothers signing on to direct “Avengers: Infinity War Parts 1 and 2.
  • Star Wars Battlefront coming to next gen platforms and leaving old gen behind.

Our first Topic Of The Week will be “Our Top Ten Superhero Movies Of All Time.”

Finally our last segment will consist of us reading and answering listener emails.

Patrick, Ron and I hope you will join us this Thursday for the very first episode of “WDWNT: Nerd Alert!”

Link: WDWNT: On The Air

WDW News Today teams up with TDRExplorer.com to bring you Tokyo Disney Resort news and content

 

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We’re always looking at new ways to expand our Disney coverage and today we’re thrilled to share with you a new partnership that will bring Tokyo Disney Resort content here to WDWNT. Please welcome Chris from TDRExplorer.com! Below are a few words from Chris introducing himself and explaining what he does:

Konnichiwa! I’m Chris, the creator and Chief Content Editor of TDRExplorer.com. We are the one of few English language websites and podcasts dedicated solely to news and information about Tokyo Disney Resort. All our team members either currently live or have lived in Japan, so you know you are getting the best and latest information.

Our goal with TDRExplorer (and our podcast TDRNow) is to provide one easy source to turn to when you need to plan your trip to one of the best Disney Resorts on the planet! From news to advice, you can find it on TDRExplorer.com.

I am originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Moved to Tokyo, Japan in 2013 to pursue a new challenge. During the day, I am a web and mobile app developer for multi-national companies. In the evenings and on the weekends, you can bet that I am doing “research” at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea.

Tokyo Disney Resort is truly a magical theme park that every Disney fan needs to experience. I am excited to be contributing to WDWNT, bringing the best of Tokyo Disney Resort to the rest of the world.

Beginning today, you’ll be able to find content from Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea right here on WDWNT additionally we encourage you to visit and follow TDRExplorer along on Twitter.

New WDWNT Now! Text Messaging Service Available

Have you ever been at Walt Disney World and wondered “When does ‘Festival of the Lion King’ start next?” or “I wonder what the wait is currently for Space Mountain?”. Maybe you’ve thought “Should I bring a poncho tomorrow? What’s the forecast?”

Well now you can find out quickly using WDWNT Now!’s new service – Quick Queries!

Before we begin – a few notes:

  • Note: Message and data rates may apply. WDWNT is not responsible for SMS/text messaging charges incurred.
  • This system is in beta mode currently. If you don’t get a response, want us to add a short code for an attraction, entertainment, or restaurant, or have other comments, please send an email to now@wdwnt.com

Alright, let’s go. It’s super simple – just send a text message with a valid “short code” to 1-407-917-4007 and get a reply back.

Some examples:

  • #plans – returns your next 3 “My Disney Experience” itinerary items (note: you must have registered an account at now.wdwnt.com)
  • #status yeti space pirates – returns today’s hours for Yak & Yeti and wait times for Space Mountain or Pirates of the Caribbean (there are code words for each attraction or establishment)
  • #status fotlk – returns the next showing of Festival of the Lion King
  • #weather – returns the current WDW weather and tomorrow’s forecast
  • #epta – returns wait times for top Epcot attractions
  • #dlrhours – returns today’s Disneyland park hours

For more information and a complete list of short codes, visit the help page for the service.

We have more codes in the works so stay tuned, remember that it’s in beta mode, and enjoy!