WDWNT Now! – A Refresher Course on WDWNT’s Free Disney Trip Planning Tools

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

As you may or may not know, WDWNT has a full website dedicated to bringing you fast and accurate information about the Disney Parks, worldwide. The best part of all of that is it’s free! We want you to have the best information when you make a visit to a Disney Park.

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As a quick side note, we announced during the WDWNT 9th Anniversary Show that a WDWNT Now! app is in the works, and will hopefully be available soon.

Let me give you a rundown of what our website can do!

  • What’s near me?
    • In a Disney Park? We’ll show you the nearest attractions to your location, and even highlight the closest one with the shortest wait time.
  • Top attractions
    • We know what people like. We have a list of the top attractions at Walt Disney World and group their wait times for quick and easy viewing.
  • Wait times
    • We have the latest wait times. Never cached or stale, we provide you with an up-to-date picture of what the current wait is for your favorite attractions.
  • Attractions
    • We have full information on every attraction around the world.
    • While not quite available yet, we will be the one site you can visit to view every attraction and wait time for any attraction in any park around the world.
  • Entertainment
    • Want to know what the next time of your favorite show is? We’ve got it.
  • Restaurants
    • We have restaurant reviews, highlighted menu items for what’s recommended and what’s not, and always-up-to-date menus.
    • We also have the average menu item price to help you make a decision about where or not to eat at a particular location
  • Restrooms map
    • When you gotta go, you gotta go. We’ll help you find the restrooms!
  • Park hours
    • View park hours for Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
    • While not available yet, we’ll have park hours for every Disney park around the world.
    • Viewing all park hours is available now using the official WDWNT app!
  • Weather
    • Using Fahrenheit and Celsius for local and international visitors, we’ll give you an accurate forecast to help you know if you should pack a poncho or not.
  • Temporary closure notifications
    • Our Twitter account, @wdwntnow tweets when attractions have a temporary closure
    • You can also create an account with WDWNT Now! and we’ll alert you however you choose when an attraction goes down
    • Coming soon to our mobile app, you can get alerts of closures right to the app!

One of the biggest features of WDWNT Now! is what we call “Quick Queries”. You can send an SMS/text message to +1 407-917-4007 that contains certain text and get a quick reply back. For instance, you can send an SMS message containing the text #status midway soar fotlk wishes aloha and get a response back similar to the following:

Locations’ statuses

  • Soarin’ Around the World – Wait: 75 min
  • Toy Story Midway Mania! – Wait: 50 min
  • Wishes nighttime spectacular – Next event: Today at 10:00PM
  • Festival of the Lion King – Next event: Today at 10:00AM
  • Aloha Isle – Today’s hours: 10:00AM – 11:00PM, avg. item price: $4.61

I also want to announce that the same queries you can ask of the SMS service you can ask with our new WDWNT Now! Bot! If you browse to https://now.tdrnt.com/bot you can ask it the same queries that you can with SMS. This feature is in beta and eventually we’d like to add natural language (such as “what’s the wait time for Space Mountain?”) but for now our quick query format will have to suffice.

Are you a Now! user? Will you be now? If so, please let us know what you’d like to see and what we can do to make it more feature-filled.

“Star Wars: Episode VIII” Has Finished Filming

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

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“Star Wars: Episode VIII” has completed all of it’s filming and principal photography and now all that is left is the editing process; John Williams scoring the film and finally the addition of all of the special effects from Industrial Light And Magic.

That seemed to go really fast! Other than The Millennium Falcon and some long distance shots of sets and characters, we haven’t seen much that was leaked to the press but hopefully that will change this weekend.

“Star Wars Celebration” starts this Friday, July 15th! We are definitely getting a new trailer for “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” but I’m sure we will also learn some more about “Episode VIII”. I am hoping that we might get a teaser trailer, a title for the movie, some official photos and a synopsis.

“Star Wars: Episode VIII” opens December 15th, 2017!

Daisy Ridley says goodbye to “Episode VIII” filming on Instagram:

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Mark Hamill also posted a photo of the “Episode VIII” Wrap Party held at The Natural History Museum in  London:

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Source: Daisy Ridley; Mark Hamill

PHOTOS: Fantasyland Tsum Tsum Arrive July 22nd, Orange Bird & Jungle Cruise Coming Fall 2016

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

Fantasyland-themed Disney Tsum Tsum are coming to select merchandise locations at Disney Parks on July 22.

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These three-inch stackable plush were inspired by characters and attractions found in Fantasyland.

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Guests will find two Tsum Tsum inspired by the “it’s a small world” attraction. Additional Tsum Tsum include Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse; Mr. Toad from Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneylandpark; a tea cup from the Mad Tea Party attraction; and a carousel horse.

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Disney today also previewed the Adventureland collection coming in Fall 2016 to Disney Parks. These 3-inch plush feature the Orange Bird from Magic Kingdom Park and a skipper from the world famous Jungle Cruise.

Club Villain at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Returning for Select Dates in Fall 2016, Including Halloween

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

If you were sad that Club Villain at Disney’s Hollywood Studios had come to an end a few weeks ago, we have some good news for you today: the event has been extended into select dates in September and October 2016.

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The event will be hosted every Friday and Saturday evening in September and October 2016, as well as on on Halloween night, October 31st. The event if offered twice nightly at 5:15 and 8:30PM. Park admission and separate admission to this event are required. Tickets to this event are$129.00 a person, tax and gratuity included.

If you are not familiar with the event, more information in available on the Disney World website.

BREAKING: MyDisneyExperience App Launching Innovative Step-By-Step Navigation System

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

We knew there were big plans for the MyDisneyExperience app, but I’m not sure anyone ever speculated that the app would someday give guests step-by-step directions around the Walt Disney World Resort. Starting Monday, July 18th, the app will begin guiding guests around the resort, whether they are walking or utilizing Disney transportation.

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The new feature will be able to direct guests to theme parks, water parks, resorts, The Transportation and Ticket Center, Disney Springs, attractions, characters, dining, restrooms, entertainment, events and tours, PhotoPass locations, guest services, recreation, shopping, and spas.

Version 3.6 of the MyDisneyExperience app will give guests the ability to use this new feature. The new feature can be accessed in the app by clicking buttons labeled “Get Directions” or “Start Walking”. “Get Directions” will give guests Disney transportation options to various locations. “Start Walking” will give guests walking directions to their destination. The function will not give driving directions for guests with their own vehicles.

UPDATE: Reedy Creek Firefighters May Have Fed Gators In Weeks Leading Up To Attack

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

Apparently, RCID FD firefighters at Walt Disney World were warned to stop feeding alligators at just two months before the alligator incident took place.

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According to emails obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, Reedy Creek Emergency Services officials were upset with firefighters for feeding at least one of two alligators at a station less than a half-mile from where the incident took place just a few weeks ago.

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RCFD Fire Station 3, located behind the Magic Kingdom just off Floridian Way, is the station where the alligators were allegedly being fed.

The email stated that employees were afraid after a gator was spotted near the parking lot and they asked officials to remove it. Reedy Creek District Administrator John Classe said Disney’s animal-control department had been contacted but he did not know whether either alligator was ever actually removed.

A Disney spokeswoman said it was “unclear whether the gator had been removed”.

Star Wars Battlefront Offline Mode Coming Next Week, Death Star DLC in September 

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

EA has finally announced the addition of a single player mode in Star Wars Battlefront.

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Skirmish is a mode that will allow players to fight against bots offline, either single player or couch co-op style. Skirmish will be available for both Fighter Assault and Walker Squadron modes, with a number of difficulties offered for players of all skill levels. The offline mode will be released in an update coming next week on July 20. Unfortunately, this mode will only be coming to consoles. Sorry PC fans!

Additionally, Season Pass holders will be receiving a new DLC expansion, titled Star Wars Battlefront Death Star. This Death Star release will include new maps, weapons, Star Cards, and two new heroes. One of the new heroes has been teased as one that fans have been “patiently waiting for”. The expansion will also be available separately for those who don’t have the Season Pass for a unannounced price.

Players can get a sneak peak of the upcoming DLC at Star Wars Celebration on Saturday, July 16, where a lifestream of the game will held.

FIRST LOOK: The New Team Of Guardians That Will Appear In “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2”

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

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Entertainment Weekly has given us our first look at the new team of Guardians that will appear in “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2”!

The above image is official concept art for “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol2” by artist Andy Park and we see some old favorites, some surprising familiar faces and a brand new member making her MCU debut.

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Our returning favorites are Starlord (Chris Pratt), Gomora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and what looks like Baby Groot (Vin Diesel).

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One familiar face joining the team is Gamora’s sister, Nebula (Karen Gillan), who was on Thanos and Ronan’s side the last time we saw her. Also joining the team is Yondu Udonta(Michael Rooker), who was Peter Quill’s captor as a boy and a reluctant aid in taking down Ronan’s army. The never before seen new member is a character called Mantis, who will be played by actress Pom Klementieff. 

Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.2 opens May 5th, 2017!

Source: Entertainment Weekly

“The Polite Pig” from “The Ravenous Pig” in Winter Park, Florida, to open at Disney Springs at Walt Disney World

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

WINTER PARK, Fla. – Husband and wife chefs James and Julie Petrakis, who have won wide acclaim for their Winter Park, Florida restaurants Cask & Larder and The Ravenous Pig, will expand their Swine Family Restaurant Group to Disney Springs with a new concept, The Polite Pig. Partnering with the James Beard Foundation-nominated chefs will be Brian Petrakis, who owns and operates popular Orlando eatery Greens & Grille. The partnership unites the Petrakis brothers on a restaurant venture for the first time.

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Scheduled to open in spring 2017, The Polite Pig will feature a variety of wood-fired smoked and grilled items. The restaurant will also introduce an innovative beverage program that serves all drinks on tap, including Cask & Larder beer, wine, and cocktails.

“As a locally-based restaurant group, it’s great to bring our new concept to Disney Springs where we’ll have the opportunity to showcase genuine Florida cuisine for guests from around the world,” James Petrakis said. “With so many talented chefs opening new restaurants at Disney Springs, we’re really excited to be part of a group helping Orlando distinguish itself as a world-class culinary destination.”

The Polite Pig will be located in the Town Center neighborhood. The 5,000-square-foot venue will be open daily, with seating for about 200 guests. Construction will be led by Gomez Construction, and HHCP Architects will oversee the restaurant’s overall design. Anna Schmidt Interior Design will handle interior design and Lure Design will spearhead branding efforts. All four firms are based in Florida.

About The Swine Family Restaurant Group:

Since opening in 2007 as one of the first Florida restaurants devoted to seasonal and local food, The Ravenous Pig has won numerous regional and national awards, including multiple James Beard Foundation “Best Chef” nominations for the Petrakises. It has also served as a career launching pad for chefs who have moved onto leading roles at other restaurants. Likewise for Cask & Larder, which was named one of Esquire magazine’s Best New Restaurants in 2014 and continues to garner acclaim not only for its Southern-inspired food, but for its brewery, under the direction of brewmaster Larry Foor, Jr. Swine & Sons, located just a few steps west of Cask & Larder, opened in 2015 under the direction of chef/partners Rhys and Alexia Gawlak. It serves breakfast, eat-in or takeout sandwiches and snacks, along with house-made charcuterie.

The Petrakises are also partners/consultants in a pair of much-anticipated restaurants that will open in the near future – DoveCote, in downtown Orlando, and a Cask & Larder location at Orlando International Airport.

VIDEO: First Poster For “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”; Sizzle Real Released

WDWNT on July 20, 2016

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Sometime today we will be getting a brand new trailer for “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”, but until then Lucasfilm has released the official poster (above) and a sizzle real showing behind the scenes action from “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”. Check it out!

Source: Star Wars via Twitter