PHOTOS: New Look Remodeled Rooms at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort and Spa

WDWNT on March 17, 2017

Today, Walt Disney Imagineering is sharing more details on changes to Disney’s Grand Californian Resort and Spa to bring guests a more ‘premium’ look and feel. In the renovations, all guest rooms, pool areas, the concierge-level Craftsman Club, and the furniture for the lobby, will be remodeled and replaced.

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Guest rooms will be completely redesigned to create a fresh sense of luxury. Every single element will be new—from the floors and walls to the furnishings, beddings, and linens as well as upgraded bathrooms. Upon entry, you’ll notice hardwood flooring transition into soft, bright-toned carpeting. The room decor is a contemporary take on the Arts & Crafts style featuring all-new furniture made of natural oak, specially designed for each room, as well as California-inspired artwork created by artists and Imagineers, including beautiful headboard walls with wood inlay designs featuring orange trees and Chip ‘n Dale!

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Guests with a sharp eye will catch other uniquely Disney details throughout these newly refreshed rooms. Refurbishments are well underway at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and guests will begin enjoying the first phase of refreshed guest rooms soon.

The multi-phase roll-out is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Now To Be Performed Twice A Night

WDWNT on March 17, 2017

Starting March 11th, Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be offered twice a night on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

On March 11th, an 8:30pm show has been added. Following that, with daylight savings time in effect, Rivers of Light will be offered at 8:45PM and 10PM on those select nights. Park hours on these nights have been extended until 9:30PM.

BREAKING: Hourglass Lake Overlook Being Built at Pop Century & Art of Animation; Is This the Gondola Station?

WDWNT on March 17, 2017

Disney will be constructing a scenic overlook over Hourglass Lake, the body of water located between Disney’s Pop Century and Art of Animation Resorts.

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Permits were filed with the South Florida Water Management District and the image below is provided in the documentation.

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It appears as though this could be the spot for the station of the rumored gondola transportation system. The size of the plot would be big enough to hold such a item, and the placement directly between both resorts makes sense. Otherwise, it is unknown what the exact reasoning for building this overlook could be. There is already more than enough seating out in this area for those who wish to enjoy the view, so building more seating or standing space wouldn’t serve any real practical purpose.

Either way, this overlook is being constructed starting soon.

PHOTOS, VIDEO: Latest Behind the Scenes Look Provides First Glimpse at Flight of Passage Queue, Pandora – The World of AVATAR

WDWNT on March 17, 2017

Disney is providing another behind the scenes look at the creation of Pandora: The World of AVATAR today. This time, they focus on “placemaking”:

In the video, Disney shared a quick glimpse at concept art for the queue of Flight of Passage, where guests will ride on a Banshee:

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They also shared looks at some other interesting details throughout the land:

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Pandora: The World of AVATAR opens May 27th, 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Entertainment Weekly Gives Us Our First Look At “Thor: Ragnarok”

WDWNT on March 17, 2017

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This week’s Entertainment Weekly will take you behind the scenes of the third movie in the “Thor” franchise, “Thor: Ragnarok”.

Cate Blanchet (Hela), Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie)

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Chris Hemsworth returns as Thor with a new look and new weapons. Gone is Thor’s trusty hammer, Mjölnir, and now he carries two swords and a shield into battle. Also a pretty short hair cut for Thor this time around.

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Tessa Thompson (“Creed”) will portray a fan favorite from the comics, Valkyrie.

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Tim Hiddleston returns as Loki. But is he Thor’s ally or enemy?

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Mark Ruffalo returns as Bruce Banner but this time he must battle Thor in a grueling gladiator battle on the planet Sakaar. Chris Hemsworth seems to be laughing at the idea.

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Cate Blanchet (“Cinderella”) plays Hela, The Goddess Of Death!

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Another shot of Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie with some very colorful warriors.

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Our first look at Jeff Goldblum (“Jurassic Park”) as The Grandmaster.

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Tessa Thompson with director Taika Waititi and Chris Hemsworth.

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Tessa Thomspon and director Taika Waititi take a break on the set of “Thor: Ragnarok”.

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Source: Entertainment Weekly

4 Different ABC Shows to Preview Pandora: World of AVATAR on March 9th

WDWNT on March 17, 2017

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Disney is giving TV viewers a chance to get a major sneak peek at Pandora the Wold of AVATAR tomorrow, March 9th, 2017. 4 different ABC shows will be getting in on the fun: Good Morning America, The View, The Chew, and then Nightline. Below is an official schedule of when to watch, and what to expect on these previews.

Good Morning America- 7 AM Eastern, they GMA team will explore a look into the main attraction of the land; Avatar: Flight of Passage.

The View- 11 AM Eastern, Whoopi Goldberg will be exploring the land with director James Cameron, as well as go into details of the other attraction, Navi River Journey.

The Chew- 1 PM Eastern, The cast of the Chew will be exploring the unique food of the new land including the Lumpia snack found at Pongu Pongu.

Nightline- 12 AM, Eastern, The cast of Nightline will explore the land in whole, and most likely explore the land at night.

Pandora: The World of AVATAR will open officially to the public on May 27th, 2017.

 

PHOTOS, VIDEO: Look Inside Pandora – The World of AVATAR and the “Flight of Passage” Banshee Thrill Ride at Animal Kingdom

WDWNT on March 17, 2017

This morning, Good Morning America took us inside Pandora: The World of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom for our first “good” look at the Flight of Passage attraction where guests will fly on a Banshee, as well as the awesome scenery that will fill the planet.

In the video, Disney takes us inside the Flight of Passage ride, where we get some new information on this very secret new attraction.

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To experience Pandora from the back of a Banshee, special goggles (the likes of which we have never seen before) have been developed. They look larger than goggles used at other attractions, but it appears that they will fit better over eyeglasses that guests might be wearing. You may also notice that the lenses are not as dark as other 3-D glasses.

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Also, the pre-show experience will include a room where guests are matched to their AVATAR.

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Outside of Flight of Passage, the preview also brought us all over the land. This was our first time seeing the actual pathways of the land as guests will and the area looks to be as highly themed as Disney promised it would be.

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And of course, how could we not talk about the nighttime lighting?

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Pandora: The World of AVATAR opens May 27th, 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.

VIDEO: Jeopardy, AVATAR, Cornac the Magnificent and More on WDW News Tonight

WDWNT on March 17, 2017

Last night on WDW News Tonight…

    • We learned a lot about Pandora this week
    • Universal opens up another ride with screens
    • We take a Mission to S’mores
    • Bob Chapek’s favorite IP, Cornac the Magnificent stops by!
    • “The Wonderful World of Jeopardy Answers” presented by WDWNT: The App
    • “The Wonderful World of Psychotic Comments presented by The WDWNT Inner Globe Society
    • We play Jeopardy The WDWNT Edition presented by Theme Park Connection

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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.

PHOTOS, VIDEO: James Cameron Provides Tour of Pandora: The World of AVATAR, Look at “Navi River Journey” Boat Ride

WDWNT on March 17, 2017

This afternoon on The View, James Cameron toured host Whoopi Goldberg around Pandora: The World of AVATAR. Take a look:

Revealed in the video, we can see some new sights around the Valley of Mo’ara, and also a better look at the Navi River Journey attraction:

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At night, the land comes alive with bioluminescence, even in the ground.

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They also rode the Navi River Journey attraction.

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Pandora: The World of AVATAR open on May 27th, 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

New Cruise Line Family Experiences Including Star Wars, MARVEL on Disney Fantasy

WDWNT on March 17, 2017

Disney Cruise Line is majorly upgrading their  entertainment options aboard the Disney Fantasy. From new Marvel experiences to Star Wars, there is now so much more fun for the whole entire family. Here are some of the new experiences to come aboard when the ship docks and renovates this spring:

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Imaginative New Spaces for Kids

For kids joining in on the fun Oceaneer Club, you can blast off to a galaxy far, far, away with Star Wars or learn mystic arts with Dr. Strange. For the new Star Wars experiences;  Star Wars: Command Post, will take kids on journeys where they can train with heroes of the Star Wars saga and help fight against  the Fisrt Order. Kids will be able to interact with holographic models at one-of-a-kind Star Wars holotable that will project the Milenium Falcon, Death Star, and other very famous Star Wars ships, meet members of the resistance, and channel the force. Disney already has added the new Marvel Super Hero Academy to the list of things to do, but now they are adding even more Marvel experiences aboard the ship. Kids will now be able to learn the mystic arts with the one and only Dr. Strange. Children will be also open so called ‘portals’ to different locales around the Marvel Universe and immerse themselves in an exclusive gaming experience.

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Tasty Treats to Delight the Enitre Family

New to the ship is the Sweet on You Ice Cream Shop which features hand-crafted gelato and ice cream, specialty sundaes, homemade chocolates, truffles, and a large selection of candy for purchase all right by the family pool. This new shop is themed after the recent Mickey Mouse shorts.

Luxury Shopping For Adults

For a first on DCL, the famous and iconic American Luxury brand Tiffany & Co. will have its very own store where you can indulge in timeless collections of jewlery luxury accessories, including the effortlessly elegant Tiffany & Co. diamonds.

All of these new enhancements will debut on the Disney Fantasy sailings starting May 17, 2017, from Port Canaveral.