Created especially for Disney Parks, the Kingdom Couture collection was designed using luxurious fabrics and intricate details. The result is elegant yet comfortable apparel and accessories in the first “premium” line of apparel and accessories for Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Castle imagery can be found throughout the line.
The Kingdom Couture spring collection arrives in select merchandise locations in mid-April. Additional Kingdom Couture items will be introduced later this year. This means that select apparel and accessories from a particular season may only be available for a limited period of time at Disney Parks.
If you are visiting Walt Disney World Resort, look for this collection at World of Disney in Disney Springs Marketplace. At Disneyland Resort, you’ll find this collection at Vault 28 in Downtown Disney District; Fortuosity Shop in Disneyland park; and Elias & Co. in Disney California Adventure.
The Disney Parks Blog just posted a photo that will take you behind the scenes with a 360 degree view of construction that has begun in Disneyland.
From Disney Parks Blog:
Today, we’re excited to celebrate the official groundbreaking at Disneyland park in California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida with this exclusive 360-degree photo, produced with help from our friends at Littlstar, from the 14-acre construction site at Disneyland park. Keep a sharp eye out for some of the unique resources that are being brought to the project.
In recent years,Disney Parks has offered unique t-shirts on their Disney Parks online store that celebrate classic Disney attractions, films and characters. Today, they shared a look at several new shirts coming to the online store in April and May 2016. These limited release shirts will be offered online only at DisneyStore.com/ParksEvents.
Just ahead of the opening of “Captain America: Civil War,” the First Avenger will return to the Disneyland Resort. Captain America will begin making appearances next month at Disney California Adventure park. Also swinging in to join Cap on his latest mission in Hollywood Land will be everyone’s favorite web slinger, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
With this move, Disney will shutter Super Hero HQ in Tomorrowland at Disneyland park on Saturday, April 2. The Iron Man Tech Presented by Stark Industries and encounter with the Mighty Avenger Thor will both be closing and not returning.
The closure is expected to have something to do with an expansion of Star Wars Launch Bay, likely to include more character meet and greet experiences with Star Wars characters.
At first glance, the opening of Disney California Adventure Park’s newest ride, Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters, may not seem like a groundbreaking event, and certainly not an “American Ride Revolution.” It is, after all, the successor of the under-performing Luigi’s Flying Tires – a ride that, in the eyes of the public, just wouldn’t float.
“Roadsters” may appear to be a mere bagatelle: a mid-level carnival caper. But the carefree, dancing, cartoonish Italian cars belie a powerful digital program, which is the first of its kind in the U.S. Disney Parks, and likely to control much of the next generation of theme park attractions.
As you can see from the pictures and videos, the ride operates without a track. Instead, a system akin to GPS (but not actually GPS), positions the little Italian cars as they dance, spin, and do-si-doe to unheard and unseen instructions as if by… um, fiat. The vehicles make their moves across a mostly featureless concrete surface, on the former footprint of a ride that once used beach balls to distract guests from its inaction.
Trackless ride systems do exist in offshore Disney Parks, including Pooh’s Honey Hunt at Tokyo Disneyland, Aquatopia at Tokyo DisneySea, Ratatouille at Walt Disney Studios Paris, and Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland. Pooh’s Honey Hunt, a traditional dark-ride with ride vehicles that also can’t resist a chance to dance, was the first, debuting over a dozen years ago.
Possibly as interesting as the high-tech choreography, is the charging system that keeps the ride rollicking through long operational days. The final dance move is where cars take turns positioning over a nondescript round metal plate, where they nest, plug in, and remain for the roughly two minute unload/load cycle. This short respite is apparently all they need to get through a few sets. (Editor’s note: Although speculation on the Internet has hypothesized an induction charging system (like that used at Universe of Energy), this charging system is most definitely not induction. Careful observation reveals the contact points that make an electrical connection while the cars are stationary.)
The result is a pleasant family attraction akin to Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. A suitable supporting player to the headlining Radiator Springs Racers on the Cars Land slate.
Bothans relate that the becoming Star Wars areas at Disneyland and Disney Hollywood Studios will use similar trackless tech in a “chase ride” featuring the First Order and the Resistance.
It’s back! The Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival begins April 1, taking place for the first time since the expansion of the park began several years ago.
This month-long festival, taking place during weekends in April, will celebrate some of the best of delicious California cuisine. A distinguishing feature will be new Festival Marketplaces, where guests can sip and savor delicious flavors from throughout the state of California. The Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival will also include culinary demonstrations, appearances by celebrity chefs and informative seminars.
Disney will have more information to share soon, including how you can reserve your seat at the premium experiences taking place during the festival. Mark your calendar now for the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, weekends beginning April 1 at Disney California Adventure park, ending May 1st, 2016.
Shanghai Disneyland is behind schedule and over budget, so Disney Parks will be looking to shave some money off their operational budget by cutting labor hours at both the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts.
According to inside sources, the Disneyland Resort saw a 20% cut in labor costs from non-profit locations starting at the beginning of the month, this includes positions such as attractions, guest relations, custodial, entertainment, and more. Walt Disney World will see similar cuts starting this week, such as the cut of front desk curbside greeters at all resorts. All front desk and concierge cast members will also only be offered only up to 32 hours a week once the cuts are in effect. Other departments will have similar restrictions, but we could not confirm a complete list.
Entertainment cuts are coming as well, such as the removal of the 2nd Fantasmic! show on evenings until Easter week and only one nightly performance of the Main Street Electrical Parade through the entire month (a month which is typically quite busy thanks to Spring Break and Easter). Other entertainment cuts have been rumored, such as various characters meet and greet experiences being permanently removed, but none are confirmed at this time.
This isn’t the first shakeup Disney has made since the Shanghai project financially got out of hand. Just a few weeks ago there was a massive shakeup at Walt Disney Imagineering in an attempt to prevent such projects from falling apart again. However, these new changes affect cast members on the much lower end of the pay scale, many of which count on the longer hours in these seasons to make a decent living. Many have voiced concerns over the cuts and that they may have to look for work elsewhere in order to pay their bills.
Disney has made no public statement on the cuts as of yet.
