Watch the new “Empowered” featurette in which the cast from “Beauty And The Beast” talk about how Belle is not your typical Disney princess.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_yT_icxszM&feature=youtu.be
Source: Disney Movie Trailers
As we inch closer to the opening of Pandora – The World of Avatar in summer 2017, Disney has announced a new limited edition pin collection coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park starting today, March 2. This item is the first AVATAR related item to be sold at Walt Disney World, marking a milestone for the project.
March, April, and May Pin Releases for Pandora: The World of AVATAR Countdown
There will be one new pin released each month from March to May. The first pin in this collection (above left) will be released on March 2. The second countdown pin (center) will be released on April 6. The final individual limited edition pin (above right) will be released on May 4. Each individual pin will have an edition size of 1,250 and will be released at Discovery Trading Company in the park.
Artist Dylan Cole designed the travel posters which inspired this pin collection. Attendees may recall getting a first look at the travel posters during the D23 Expo in 2015. Dylan provided design work on Disney’s “Maleficent,” and is currently Co-Production Designer for the upcoming “Avatar” motion picture sequels. Today, guests may see these posters near Tiffins restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park.
The final two pins in this collection, called “Completer pins,” will only be found in the five-pin boxed set containing all five travel posters. The boxed set will have an edition size of 250, and will be released during the opening of this new land on May 27.
There will be a purchase limit of two limited edition pins, per style, per guest, per release. These pins will not be available via Shop Disney Parks app or the Disney Parks online store.
In this week’s episode, the gang talk about:
Join hosts Joe Hogarty, Jack McCarthy, Taylor Katcher and Eric Lancy!
WDWNT: Nerd Alert – Season Three Episode 3 is now available for download through WDW News Today: Original Programing and iTunes!
While Coronado Springs has stolen a lot of the thunder with the announcement of a 15 story tower and massive expansion, the far-longer-rumored expansion of Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is beginning as well, but Disney is saying very little on the project…
Also during this exciting time, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort will be reimagined with new additions to the resort’s current marketplace, Centertown, including new waterfront dining and retail shopping areas. This centralized location will offer the resort’s guests more convenient access to services, amenities and dining.
This doesn’t really tell you a whole lot about the overall project. Why? Well, it would be kind of hard to sell the Copper Creek Villas at Wilderness Lodge (which aren’t even on sale yet) when people know that another Disney Vacation Club Resort is on the way.
The following information comes from cast members at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and is in no way official as of yet. This is simply what they are being told at this time.
The expansion of Old Port Royale that begins May 1st and runs through Summer 2018 will reportedly include moving the Shutters table service restaurant onto the waterfront and will include a new bar and lounge. Small grab and go locations are also being constructed elsewhere around the resort, including one in Trinidad South. The counter service location and shop space inside of Old Port Royale will be completely reimagined during this process.
Other pieces of the project include the demolition of the Customs House and the move of all important guest facilities to Old Port Royale as well. A centralized pathway system over the water (similar to another facet of the Coronado project) is also planned to allow guests an easier way to traverse the large resort.
Of course, the focus of the project will be a new, 10-story tower with 600 guest rooms that will make up the Disney Vacation Club wing of the resort. This and the rumored gondola system are yet to be announced, and knowing DVC, it could be a while until they are formally. The tower should also have a rooftop dining restaurant similar to the one being constructed at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.
Hopefully Disney will come forward with more information soon, but in the meantime, guests staying at Caribbean Beach should keep in mind that it will be a “war zone” in there starting this May. Guests are being compensated with $75 gift cards per night until the Old Port Royale project is completed.
A new trailer for “Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” has just premiered on The Ellen Show. Check it out!
And here is the official poster for “Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”:
Source: The Ellen Show
Sales for Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, the newest Disney Vacation Club resort, will begin next week. Current Disney Vacation Club Members will have the first chance to purchase real estate interests beginning on March 8, with general sales following on April 5.
The resort, which is currently under construction, also has a scheduled opening date: July 17. Once open, Copper Creek Villas & Cabins will be the 14th Disney Vacation Club development and the second at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.
Copper Creek Villas & Cabins offers Disney Vacation Club Members and guests a new frontier for magical vacations where the comforts of home and the wonders of the wilderness are deeply rooted in the magic of Disney. Inspired by the legendary mining and railroad history of the Pacific Northwest, Members and guests will discover rustically elegant accommodations, where cozy touches mix with modern designs to create a tranquil retreat.
Offering one of the widest ranges of accommodations found at Walt Disney World Resort, Copper Creek Villas & Cabins will feature 184 modern, nature-inspired vacation homes, including Deluxe Studios, one- and two-bedroom Villas, and even three-bedroom Grand Villas, which sleep up to 12.
Artist rendering of the cabin interiors
Here are what the floor plans for each room type look like:
Deluxe Studio, Copper Creek Villas and Cabins at Wilderness Lodge
One Bedroom Villa, Copper Creek Villas and Cabins at Wilderness Lodge
Two Bedroom Villa, Copper Creek Villas and Cabins at Wilderness Lodge
Two Bedroom Lock-Off Villa, Copper Creek Villas and Cabins at Wilderness Lodge
Three Bedroom Grand Villa, Copper Creek Villas and Cabins at Wilderness Lodge
Cascade Cabin, Copper Creek Villas and Cabins at Wilderness Lodge
The new resort will also include 26 all-new luxurious waterfront cabins. Sleeping up to eight and featuring two bedrooms, two baths and large dining and living room spaces, the cabins’ floor-to-ceiling windows, exposed wooden beams and interior-exterior stone-hearth fireplace bring the beauty of the outdoors in, and offer plenty of room for families. After a long day of fun at the nearby theme parks, guests can return to their porch and relax in the built-in hot tub. Some even enjoy a view of the Electrical Water Pageant on Bay Lake!
Additional developments at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge include the recently opened Geyser Point Bar & Grill, an open-air lounge overlooking Bay Lake. The resort’s quick-service restaurant, Roaring Fork is also undergoing refurbishments and is scheduled to reopen later this year with a refreshed look and expanded outdoor seating. Boulder Ridge Cove pool, a modern-day swimmin’ hole, will also open this summer.
Those in search of extra pampering will want to stop by the all-new Salon by the Springs for poolside manicures, pedicures and hair services scheduled to open this summer.
More details are to come, but for now, you can visit DisneyCopperCreek.com to explore this latest offering from Disney Vacation Club.
Get your first look right here at the all new “DuckTales” series that will premiering this summer on Disney XD!
The series stars David Tennant as Scrooge McDuck; Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz and Bobby Moynihan as the voices of Huey, Dewey and Louie, respectively; Kate Micucci as Webby Vanderquack; Beck Bennett as Launchpad McQuack and Toks Olagundoye as Mrs. Beakley, and will follow the epic family of ducks on their high-flying adventures around the world.
Source: Disney XD
The highly-anticipated new water ride at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, Miss Adventure Falls, will be opening with the park on March 12th, 2017.
The final touches to the ride are being added this coming week. Down below is a look at one of the artifacts from the collection of Captain Mary Oceaneer, who is a sea-faring treasure hunter whose haul was caught in a rogue typhoon. Her character is part of the backstory behind the new ride, which includes ties to the Society of Adventurers and Explorers.
It’s just one of the precious treasures you will spot from your four-person raft, as you twist and turn on this fun-filled white-water experience. Stay tuned as more details are realesed in the coming days for this new attraction.
Starting today, Disney is removing the custom POS TouchPoint devices at all retail, front desk, and food & beverage locations and replacing them with industry standard devices.
The first of these devices were installed recently at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. It’s the PX7 Retail Multilane Terminal.
The company who designed the custom POS machines with touchpoints currently all over WDW is apparently no longer in business, and it was costing Disney a lot to maintain the existing devices.
The new POS devices still work with MagicBands (utilizing the flat reading area pictured above), other RFID payment methods, and also have the chip readers for credit cards, which is now an industry standard.
The Mickey Mouse shaped touch points that are a hallmark of MyMagic+ may be added to these new readers in the future.
So, what do you think of this change?
Welcome to the another edition of Tom’s Top 7, a continuing countdown of my favorite (and occasionally, least favorite) things at the Disney Parks around the globe. Why seven? Because Bill McKim said so!
Anyway, with the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival for 2017 now underway, I decided it would be fun to talk about what you should be eating from the 15 collective outdoor kitchens that will be inhabiting the park for the next few weeks. I managed to eat and drink every single new offering from the Festival this year, so let’s talk about what I think are the seven brand new dishes you can’t miss if you’ll be dining your way around the world this Spring.
While not a dish, this is my favorite thing we had this year, and maybe in any year of the Flower and Garden Festival. Served with Tap 357 Maple Rye Whiskey, the concoction is pure perfection, offering a maple ice cream flavor with a nice enough portion of the whiskey. Let the caramel corn sit in and soak up the drink before you eat them, because a whiskey and ice cream soaked bite is unbelievably good.
There is also a nonalcoholic version, seen behind this one. Believe it or not, it’s also pretty good and a nice way for the children and those who won’t partake in such drinks to enjoy this.
Not really the most Moroccan dish, this one is probably more akin to something you would have at a baseball game. That being said, the bun is fresh, and the peppers and the beef & lamb link pack a nice spicy flavor. I will be back for this one, for sure.
The Carne Asada from Florida Fresh is very quickly becoming the favorite of festival. The black bean cake underneath and cilantro lime sour cream accompany it nicely, adding to the flavor of the well-prepared meat. You would probably expect something like this out of the Mexico booth, but we all know how that usually goes…
The last time I said that I don’t usually like Key Lime flavoring, I got yelled at in the comments, but I’m going to remind everyone anyway. That being said, this was amazing. The portion size is what you would get from a full-price pastry at any WDW bakery and the flavor and presentation matches (at least before Josh hit it with a cup). If you get one dessert at the event that isn’t the returning Whiskey Cake, this should be it.
There are two potato pancakes at this booth, but stay away from the apple sauce version of this. This potato pancake topped with carmelized ham, onions, and herb sour cream is really solid and a great value (as far as Epcot festivals go) at just $4.25.
Vegetarian or Vegan dishes usually aren’t my thing, but this crabless crab cake is a real winner. The Old Bay Remoulade sauce is what makes it, but I thought the cake itself was of a good quality. The vegetable slaw was tasty as well.
The Italy booth, in this case called Primavera Kitchen, has not been known for its quality at any Epcot festival in the past, but I though they offered a much better lineup this time around. The meatballs in this dish are of the same quality as Tutto Italia and there is plenty of cheese. Overall, it’s a really healthy portion for the price, offering 6 meatballs. I can’t believe I’m recommending something at the Italy booth…
If you get these 7 new offerings while at the Flower and Garden Festival this year, you will without a doubt have a phenomenal time. Next time, I’ll go over 7 returning favorites of the Festival that are an absolute must. Now get eating (and drinking)!
