Another commercial for Pandora” The World of AVATAR just dropped, and this one is for the “Navi River Journey” attraction:
The commercial shows a few, brief seconds of new ride footage, with a sinister-looking cat-like creature stalking guests through the forest.
On February 1st, 2017, Oriental Land Co. released more information on the many events and entertainment coming to the Tokyo Disney Resort in the year of 2017. Many of the events announced are regular seasonal events. “Disney’s Easter”, “Tanabata Days”, “Disney Natsu Matsuri”, “Disney’s Halloween” being a few.
Some exciting new additions have been made to the many things that go on in Tokyo Disney Resort. These include “Disney Pirates Summer” and a Pixar themed event, a new show, and additions to the Electrical Parade will premiere this year.
Here is some additional information on the brand new fun coming to Tokyo Disney Resort in 2017!
Disney Pirates Summer
Promotional image for “Disney Pirates Summer” at Tokyo Disney Resort
During summer of 2017, this exciting new Pirates of the Caribean event will be making its debut at Tokyo DisneySea. Captain Jack Sparrow himself, along with many other pirates, will be in their very own show on Mediterranean Harbour. Following a recent trend in the Tokyo Disney Parks, and will have tons of water spraying and splashing, letting the guests get wet and cool off during the hot Japanese summer. There will also be a crew of pirates providing atmospheric entertainment. Along with this summertime event comes new merchandise, food, and decor that will revamp Tokyo DisneySea into the world of Pirates of the Caribean. This event will also be making their way into Tokyo Disneyland as well, where there will be extra decor and atmospheric performances close by the Pirates of the Caribean attraction. With the next movie, Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, premiering on July 1st, 2017, this event is perfectly timed.
Pixar Event
There hasn’t been much information released about this event yet, but we do know that it’ll be a brand new Pixar-themed event at Tokyo DisneySea starring oodles of the most popular Pixar characters we know and love. This event will consist of shows, meet and greets, along with lots of special merchandise and food!
Additions to “Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: Dreamlights”
A renewed version of the “Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: Dreamlights” will be hitting the hub on July 11th, 2017. This renewed version is set to include 5 new floats. The first being Anna and Elsa’s Ice Castle, which will presumably be very similar, if not the same as the one in Paint the Night. Cinderella will also be getting a little more love with two new floats which will be Cinderella’s Pumpkin Coach as well as the grand ballroom with Prince Charming by her side. The much missed Beauty and the Beast float will be making a comeback after it’s departure after the 2011 renovation of the parade. The existing floats will be getting upgraded LED lights, so the whole parade will be getting a little bit of added oomph.
New and returning floats in the Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade for 2017
New Show
There will be a brand new show debuting on July 11th, 2017 starring the one and only Mickey Mouse and all his pals. The show will be taking place at the Dockside Stage in American Waterfront and will be replacing “A Table is Waiting” which is scheduled to take its final bow on March 17th, 2017.
The Dockside Stage where this new show will be performed
The second in the 45th Anniversary series of MagicBand 2 bands featuring opening day attractions was released recently. This one features The Haunted Mansion and Madame Leota.
The band retails for $32.99 and is a limited edition of 2500. It is available at select locations inside the Magic Kingdom, including Memento Mori and The Emporium.
The band is also available for order online through DisneyStore.com HERE.
Starting today and running until February 26th, 2017, guest visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be able to ‘act like a super star’ in a one of a kind photo-op.
This photo op features a backdrop complete with the iconic statuette from the Oscars, and will be located inside Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream.
Guests are encouraged to share their Disney’s Hollywood Studios “My Oscar Moment” using #Oscars @WaltDisneyWorld on twitter.
Jimmy Kimmel hosts The Oscars LIVE Oscar Sunday, February 26 at 7e|4p on ABC.
The Smiling Crocodile food kiosk on Discovery Island at Disney’s Animal Kingdom recently introduced a new menu.
The former home of the wonderful smoky cheddar grits and the chicken drumstick is now serving up three varieties of “BLT Sandwiches”. Why did I put that in quotes? Because I’m still not sure that is how I would describe these dishes…
On the bright side, they are all snack credits on the Disney Dining Plan and sizable for such an offering.
Pictures of the three new dishes hang on the walls inside of the kiosk, just to assure that they turn out looking as they should.
With the proximity to the Flame Tree Barbecue seating area, there is always a nearby place to bring the food & drink from these stands and be able to sit in peace and quiet enjoying them.
If you don’t like birds, then you may want to go eat elsewhere. While we were taking these photos, several winged-creatures tried to eat the “sandwiches”. We probably should have let them in hindsight…
First off, I wouldn’t call them sandwiches, even if using the term “open-faced”. They are what you might refer to as tostadas: a crispy toast with a blend of cold toppings. With that out of the way, let’s try them.
Open faced sandwich with hand-crafted pimento cheese, thick-cut, smoked, house-roasted bacon on ciabatta bread, topped with chives.
I wish I had some more positives other than these being sizable for snack credits, but there isn’t much else to say of a good nature. The bacon is too thick to bite and delivers almost none of the flavor you might expect for getting such a lengthy description on the menu. These aren’t terrible, but they aren’t something I would ever recommend to someone looking for a quick bite at Animal Kingdom.
Open faced smoked salmon sandwich made with thick-cut, smoked, house-roasted bacon on ciabatta bread.
The salmon quality isn’t bad, but the bread and other toppings do nothing to enhance that flavor. These are really hard to eat as the toppings simply do not stay on, often with most of the snack falling apart during your first bite. While these are meant to be a grab-and-go option, you will need to sit and eat these, otherwise the floor will be getting more of the food than you are.
Open faced turkey sandwich made with thick-cut, smoked, house-roasted bacon on ciabatta bread.
This was my favorite of the three, but that isn’t saying much. Again, the turkey is good, but the rest is nothing special. Despite not being advertised, the chives somehow ended up on this one as well.
I lament the loss of the really enjoyable cheddar grits here, especially with these offerings that simply pale in comparison. Hopefully these will be removed fairly quickly and replaced with something more enjoyable… or Disney can just bring back the cheese grits and we’ll pretend this whole thing never even happened…
Setting sail in summer of 2018, Disney Cruise Line is embarking on some new adventures, adding more stops and adventures in Europe, Norway, Iceland, Alaska, the Caribbean, and the Bahamas.
Duomo di Milano, the famous cathedral of Milan and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II at night against blue sky. Beautiful sunset at Piazza del Duomo. Milan, Italy.
For the first time ever, Disney Cruise Line will be setting sail for Milan as a part of special and unique sailings from Barcelona and Rome. The Disney Magic will be stopping in Genoa, Italy, which is the gateway into Milan. Milan has top-designer clothing stores, boutiques, open-air markets, art galleries, and more to enjoy. Milan is truly a diverse and beautiful city.
Setting sail June 2018, here will be new adventures where you can set sail between Barcelona and Rome and experience the rich history of both cities. In Rome you can explore the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain and the local Vatican as well as taste the local cuisine. Barcelona offers beautiful beaches, the market streets of Las Ramblas, the artistic architecture of Gaudi and the framed Sagrada Família church.
Blarney Castle which houses the famous Blarney Stone in County Cork
For the first time ever, there will be a 7-night British Isle Cruise voyage. The cruise will bring you into the heart of the British Isle and explore Cork, Ireland. In Cork, there is an abundance of pubs, shops, and cafes as well as the opportunity to explore Ireland’s ancient past and visit historic sites such as the Blarney Castle, pictured above. Additional ports on this sailing include Dublin, Ireland; Greenock, Scotland; and Liverpool, England.
In 2017, Disney Cruise Line guests set sail to Alaska’s Icy Strait Point on new itineraries departing from Vancouver, British Columbia. Pictured here, the Disney Wonder sails through Alaska’s Tracy Arm Fjord. (Kent Phillips, photographer)
Returning again for 2018, awe inspiring Alaskan cruises will set sail aboard the newly re-imagined Disney Wonder. A variety of itineraries departing from Vancouver, Canada, include stops in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Icy Straight Point, and Tracy Arm Fjord.
Families create magical moments and memories together on Disney’s own private island, Castaway Cay. (Matt Stroshane, photographer)
In 2018, there will be even more voyages that will make 2 stops at Disney’s private Island: Castaway Cay. In June and July, the Disney Dream will sail four and five night cruises to the Bahamas, each with the 2 stops to Castaway Cay.
Bookings are open to the public starting on February 23rd, 2017 and can be made here. There you will also find a full list of itineraries.
Our latest photo report brings us on a short trip to the Magic Kingdom to see what’s new and exciting inside (and outside) of the world’s most visited theme park.
While taking the monorail from Epcot to Magic Kingdom, we got a nice view of the ongoing roadwork to alter the way guests leave and enter the Magic Kingdom resort area. This will alleviate the current Magic Kingdom toll plaza, leaving it just for guests parking at the Transportation and Ticket Center. You can see the plans for the roadwork HERE.
A ton of trees on the right side of the toll plaza are cleared for a new road to take guests to Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground.
To the left, more trees are being cleared just after the toll plaza, where the new flyover will be.
Monorail red was looking really rough, and its wasn’t just on the doors either. The front of the nose cone was just as marked up as this. When things look like this, it is unacceptable. This is the kind of maintenance I expect from Six Flags, not Disney.
Work continues on the Main Street Railroad Station and the train remains closed.
The Haunted Mansion MagicBand 2 was released recently. For more details on it (and link to buy it), check out our post on the limited edition collectible. If you click the link to buy, WDWNT even gets a few bucks to put towards more fantastic Disney World coverage for you.
Work continues on the new covered seating areas outside of Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe.
The D-Tech on Demand kiosks inside the Tomorrowland Light and Power Co. now also have a matching Haunted Mansion 45th anniversary phone case.
There are also some new MagicBand designs inspired by the upcoming Beauty and the Beast film.
Sadly, these are still going to be printed on the old MagicBands.
The Joffrey’s Revive coffee kiosk in Tomorrowland just got really interesting, now with a tall marquee reminiscent of those that were found in the land back in the 1970’s.
If You Had Wings, Flight to the Moon/Mission to Mars, and the Circlevision 360 theaters all had similar marquees back in the day.
Some nice flowers were planted in Town Square, perfect for the spring weather which has already descended upon Orlando.
On the way back aboard the monorail, we could see more work happening just outside of the Magic Kingdom toll plaza, along the road which leads guests away from the park. Apologies for the dirt monorail window, but it was the hand we were dealt.
We recently told you about the new ‘Beauty and the Beast’ inspired offerings coming to Disneyland. One of those was the remodeling of the Pinocchio Village Haus Restaurant (for a limited time engagement) into a French Tavern-themed quick service restaurant, aptly named ‘Red Rose Tavern’. The restaurant will be opening on February 24th, 2017 and Disney has shared a first look at the menu:
Beast’s Burger – A 1/3 pound Angus beef patty, slow-cooked beef, Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato and horseradish aioli on a toasted roll.
Classic Angus Cheeseburger – A 1/3 pound Angus beef patty with cheese, lettuce, tomato and signature sauce on a toasted roll.
Enchanted Cauliflower Sandwich – A grilled cauliflower steak, spicy lime aioli, tempura-battered green beans, lettuce and tomato on a toasted roll.
Slow-Cooked Beef Poutine – Slow-cooked beef and gravy over seasoned waffle-cut fries, pickled onions and cheese curds.
Chicken Sandwich à la Lumière – Grilled chicken breast, apple slaw, onion-bacon jam and fried cherry peppers on a toasted roll.
Chef’s Chopped Salad – Cabbage, Romaine and iceberg lettuce, smoked bacon, apple, hard-cooked eggs, blue cheese crumbles, garlic croutons and apple vinaigrette.
Poutine Flatbread – Topped with slow-cooked beef, pomme frites, roasted garlic aioli, cheese curds, gravy and herb oil.
Garden Mozzarella Flatbread – Topped with marinated tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella, basil and tomato sauce.
Pulled Pork Flatbread – Topped with pulled pork, roasted corn, sweet and spicy barbecue sauce, pickled onions and cilantro.
Grey Stuff Gateau – A white chocolate mousse and red velvet cake with a sweet raspberry center.
Lemon Rose Cake – A lemon mousse cake with strawberry-rose filling.
Gaston’s Famous Brew – Apple-mango punch topped with passion fruit foam.
Red Rose Taverne is a limited-time offering, so be sure to be their guest soon!
Similar to the long running Fantasmic! dining package offered at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom has a Rivers of Light dining package which offers a meal at one of their table service restaurants and a preferred viewing area for their nighttime spectacular. In our continuing effort to review all dining experiences at Walt Disney World for you, we decided to go try both of the available package restaurants and see if the package was worth it.
Rivers of Light, Disney’s Animal Kingdom
First, all of the information you will need to know. Rivers of Light is the new nighttime spectacular at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park, typically performing just once a night on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays until April, but then moving to a nightly schedule. During the Summer months, it is expected that there will be two (maybe even three) shows per evening. Once the second shows become standard, the dining packages will offer guests a ticket to either the 1st or 2nd show in a special viewing area on the Dinoland side of the theater.
The dining package is currently offered at Tusker House Restaurant and Tiffins. Both are Disney Dining Plan Eligible.
At Tusker House, you’ll find a bountiful buffet with African flavors. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals ranging between 8am and 2.5 hours before the last Rivers of Light showtime of the evening are available.
Breakfast is $39.00 for adults, $24.00 children ages 3 to 9; Lunch/Dinner is $52.00 for adults; $32.00 children ages 3 to 9.
Tiffins is a signature restaurant where you can enjoy a choice of appetizer, entrée and dessert (plus non-alcoholic beverage) from a menu featuring mouth-watering delights from around the globe. Lunch and dinner meals are available here, starting at 11:30AM and 3 hours before the last Rivers of Light showtime of the evening. The price is $67.00 adults, $26.00 children ages 3 to 9.
No discounts can be applied to these packages and any alcoholic drinks are not included.
After your meal is complete, you are handed your tickets to Rivers of Light and instructed to show up at the seating area 15 to 35 minutes prior to showtime. I’ll get more in-depth with where and when you should go towards the end of this post, but let’s start with our experiences at both of these restaurants.
We have been to Tiffins a lot and reviewed nearly the entire menu at this point, so you will want to check out these reviews to cover everything we have already tried (including all of the drinks at Nomad Lounge, which can be ordered from your table at Tiffins)…
While there are just three reviews linked above, I have been to Tiffins a lot more than that. It may in fact be my favorite restaurant at Walt Disney World, providing some of the absolute best meals I have ever eaten in my life.
While the package is a bit pricey at $67.00 for an adult, you can obtain that value quite easily with a $14-16 appetizer, a $42-53 entree, a $10-12 dessert, and a nonalcoholic drink. If you stay in these price ranges, you will end up with a discounted meal that would typically cost between $70 and $86 for just $67. Obviously, for lunch, you will want to stay away from the Taste of Tiffins meals as they will not provide a good value for what you are paying.
Here is the current menu of appetizers, entrees, and desserts at Tiffins, slightly altered since our previously review visits:
New from past visits was the Duo of Lamb, so I had to try it…
Ethiopian Coffee Butter-infused Lamb Loin, Boerewors, Soubise, Chakalaka, Tamarind Barbecue, Leek Ash
I am not one to typically order lamb, but this was phenomenal. The leek ash on the edge of the plate is intended to be an accompaniment for the lamb, and when you rub the lamb in it, it is absolutely glorious. I would highly recommend this is you are looking for something outside of the seafood or the short rib.
If you have read the previous reviews, then you know about the other highlights of the menu, and they are still there. Sadly, the halibut dish is now swordfish for the time being (seasonally available), but otherwise, all of my other recommendations for Tiffins still stand.
The whole fried fish at Tiffins, which I always include just for laughs at people who can’t handle it…
Wagyu Striploin and Beef Short Rib, Tiffins
Calamansi Mousse, Tiffins
South American Chocolate Ganache, Tiffins
Tiffins is going to offer you unparalleled service and meals. I could see those with children wanting to pick Tusker House for the package (or to save some money as the Tiffins version is a little more expensive), but I can’t imagine anyone reading this site would be disappointed in dining here, even when it is almost $70.00.
On the opposite side of the spectrum is the Tusker House restaurant, offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner as a character buffet.The characters you can meet here include Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, and Goofy, all in Safari outfits.
As you can see above, the characters are fun (as always), but the food is an entirely different story…
Tusker House dinner menu, Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Why do we have a picture of chocolate milk, pickles, chicken, pap, and the seven (yeah, seven) layer bar? Because this is what we enjoyed. That’s practically it.
OK, maybe we did this just for comedic effect, but the two main dishes were awful. Both the peri-peri salmon and the mojo pork from the carving station were near flavorless. I’m not sure I could really recommend a buffet where the two highest cost items aren’t good. In my experience, that is mostly what you are paying for as they would be the most expensive items at a normal table service restaurant, so you kind of want those to be good.
I’ve had a few dinners here before, so I was surprised at how bad our experience was. Many dishes had degraded in quality and the time it took the staff to replenish empty dishes was insane. There was two desserts that were listed and ran out, but did not become available again during the last 30 minutes of our meal. How does a dish from the buffet vanish for over 30 minutes? That’s poor show.
No thanks, I’ll pass on the bread pudding at Tusker House…
I usually write longer reviews than this, but there isn’t much more to say. There was a few things that were good, but a lot was bad. In fact, the bred pudding should be used as a torture device.
My recommendation here would be to do breakfast at Tusker House if you absolutely need to eat here. Breakfast is cheaper, offers the same characters, and I feel is abetter value overall. If you can feel good about just wearing a bunch of side dishes at a buffet, then you will likely survive your Tusker House experience. Otherwise, Tiffins is where you will want to go for lunch or dinner.
If you are doing the dining package, you will be given tickets for everyone in your dining party to see Rivers of Light from a special dining section. That being said, if there is a second show added and no dining packages offered for it, then standby guests can get in this area for the second show. This will not be a regular occurrence during the late spring and summer months as the packages will cover both announced shows.
Rivers of Light Dining Package tickets. They sadly rip these in half when you get to the viewing area…
Having seen the show from seven (yeah, seven) different locations so far, I’m going to give you my thoughts on the various viewing locations within the Discovery River Theater, not just for the dining package.
The dining package entrance is located just across from the entrance of the Theater in the Wild, home to Finding Nemo: The Musical. This entrance will typically open up a little before 6pm for a 7:15pm show, despite the tickets telling guests to arrive only 15-35 minutes prior to show. A good rule of thumb is to ask cast members working at the theater when they will let guests in if you are concerned about getting in here early to pick your seats.
Above is the view from our dining package seats, practically dead-center for the show.
These two sections make-up the entire dining package area, with the standby seating beginning in the area where the benches go further back.
There is wheelchair accessible seating towards the bottom for those with the need and their families/friends, but the row above offers seats with the most unobstructed views of the show. My recommendation would be to get here early and try to get this slightly-raised second row that does not exist in every viewing area.
Here is video from our view in the Dining Package section:
[vimeo 204676987 w=640 h=360]
Seating chart (as Doc Brown said, please exclude the crudeness)
I do like the dining section, but my favorite view of Rivers of Light would have to be from section D in the FastPass area. If you want to sit here, you will need to be there when they start allowing FastPass guests into the viewing area, as this section is typically the first to go. Similar to dining, FastPass+ seating has opened at 5:50-6pm for 7:15 shows, but you will see a line forming shortly before that.
Here is a video taken from section D on the Asia side:
[vimeo 203552673 w=640 h=360]
Section C isn’t bad either, but D is pretty perfect. I’m sure E is great, but this is reserved for some reason, so I haven’t had the chance to sit there. Only guests with a FastPass+ are allowed on the Asia viewing side (provided it fills up completely, which it most likely will).
The view of the show’s finale from section D
Guests in wheelchairs and their party have access to the bottom rows of sections on the FastPass side as well, which would provide an awesome seat in sections E or D, right against the water’s edge. This show does not have splash zones, so you are assured to stay dry, unlike at Fantasmic when you sit towards the bottom. For other guests, I suggest being up 1-2 rows from the bottom for what we thought to be the best view of the show on the FastPass+ side in Asia.
With FastPass+ reservations filling up at 30 days out, the dining package is quickly becoming an important weapon for trip planners without a FastPass reservation. Honestly, if you are going to do Tusker House breakfast already, or want a good deal on a Tiffins meal, I recommend it. It isn’t my favorite view of the show, but it is a close second. Otherwise, you’re going to need to be on the ball and ready to book FastPass+ reservations for Rivers of Light as soon as they are available to you.
If neither of these options works out for you, there is always the standby line, which goes through the path near Dinoland U.S.A. up to the Discovery River Theater. These lines have been LONG though (some reporting waiting over 2.5 hours prior to showtime for a better seat), and I’m not sure that standing in line for that long to sit (or stand) in sections U, M, N, O, R, S, T, or V is worth it. If this is your only option, then go for it, but otherwise, I wouldn’t bother. If you do HAVE to do standby, try for the second show (if available). Same as Fantasmic!, this will be less crowded and offer a shorter wait at least, albeit with a view not preferable to dining package or most FastPass+ seats. There is also some viewing available on the bridge, between Dinoland and Asia which fills up pretty early and only holds roughly 40-50 guests in my estimation. If you get there early enough to be front row in that standing-room only section, it should offer an OK view of the show.
Another view from section D
Overall, many WDWNT staffers agree the Asia side is best for viewing, but again, the dining package area is a suitable runner-up. There’s something about section D that is just more pleasing to the eyes, and the Asia side offers better views of one of the shaman boats in the show.
Today, Disney has released a new video showcasing Pandora: The World of AVATAR. In this video, Imagineer Joe Rohde explains how AVATAR will fit into the park, a question many a guest has asked over the last 6 years:
Here are some fantastic stills of water flowing through Pandora, marking the first time we have seen this landmark in construction:
Pandora: The World of AVATAR opens May 27th, 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
