Disney’s Contemporary & Yacht Club Resorts Testing New “Express Fresh” Dining Service Starting Today

WDWNT on February 16, 2017

While many guests still enjoy traditional in-room dining, consumer preference for quick and casual dining is on the rise. To address the evolving needs of Guests, beginning February 7th and running through April 1, a new option added to in-room dining programs, Express Fresh, will be piloted at Disney’s Contemporary Resort and Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. This pilot will complement the existing in-room dining program by offering select quick and casual meal options to Guests.

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The meals are presented at the Guest’s room door in disposable containers and no set up is required. Disney is stating that the meals will arrive within 30 minutes of ordering as the menus are comprised of quick-to-prepare items. Express Fresh will be offered in the menu guides as a separate insert along with the traditional in-room dining options.

VIDEO: Enchanted Rose Cake Inspired by ‘Beauty and the Beast’, Now Available at Amorette’s

WDWNT on February 16, 2017

If you have ever visited Amorette’s Patisserie at Disney Springs and looked into the display case of all the delectable confections, you will see that each handcrafted dessert is a remarkable piece of art. All new cakes are first sketched on paper. After the sketch has been drawn, the extremely talented cake decorators will then bring the sketch to life, just as the inanimate objects in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ are brought to life in the movie. The video below from the Disney Parks Blog shows one of the pastry artists creating an Enchanted Rose Cake inspired by the live-action film “Beauty and the Beast.”

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The Enchanted Rose Cake is now available at Amorette’s Patisserie. Dome cakes can be pre-ordered by calling (407) 934-3500 or by visiting the shop at least 72 hours in advance.

This Week in Disney History: February 12th-18th

WDWNT on February 16, 2017

Today, WDWNT is debuting a new weekly Disney history column, aptly named “This Week in Disney History.”  In this space, we take a look at several important events of this week in the history of The Walt Disney Company. We will not endeavor to cover everything, and what we highlight might not even be the most important happenings of the week, but instead we hope to give you some interesting tidbits to broaden your knowledge of Disney history.

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This Week in Disney History: February 12th-February 18th

  • On February 12th, 2009, Carrie Underwood and David Cook , former American Idol winners, held a concert at the ‘American Idol Experience’ at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in honor of the grand opening of the attraction which would take place on February 14th.
  • On February 13, 2016, Walt Disney Animation’s Zootopia premiered at the Brussels Animation Film Festival in Belgium. The movie was not released to the U.S. until March 4th, 2016. Also, on February 13, 2009, Disney debuted their new tv channel called DisneyXD along with the website DisneyXD.com. They hoped to use this new channel as a means of making shows for boys ages 6-14. The channel is still very popular in 2017.
  • On February 14th, 2013, Walt Disney World celebrated Valentine’s Day by having 50 pre-selected couples to renew their wedding vows at Cinderella Castle while Snow White, Cinderella, Auroa, and their princes were performing on stage with Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
  • On February 15th, 1899, the wife of Walt Disney, Lillian Marie Bounds, was born. They were married on July 13th, 1925. Also, on February 15th, 1950, Walt Disney Animation’s Cinderella premiered in theaters.
  • On February 16th, 2012, Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, The Disney Fantasy, set sail from Cape Canaveral on its maiden voyage.
  • On February 17th, 1998, construction for the ‘Rock n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith’ at Disney’s MGM Studios began.
  • Finally, on February 18th, 1960, the VII Winter Olympic Games began at Squaw Valley, California. This event is significant in Disney history because Walt Disney orchestrated the opening and closing ceremonies for the Olympics. Walt’s official title for the Olympics was ‘Head of Pageantry for the Games’.

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” -Walt Disney

VIDEO: Imagineering Shares Behind the Scenes Look at Enhancing Peter Pan’s Flight

WDWNT on February 16, 2017

Peter Pan’s Flight is a beloved classic Disney attraction, as evidenced by the wait times that exceed many other favorite rides. Versions of the ride can be found at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Disneyland in California, Tokyo Disneyland, and even Shanghai Disneyland. The ride takes you on a journey, retelling the story of Peter Pan in scenes that include flying over the streets of London, visiting Mermaid Lagoon, and even encountering Captain Hook. In 2015, Disneyland’s version of the ride was refurbished to add many new special effects. In the video below from the Disney Parks Blog, take a look behind the scenes as Imagineers are busy making the magic behind the ‘new’ updated ride.

BREAKING: Opening Date for Star Wars Land Announced

WDWNT on February 16, 2017

Disney today announced that the Star Wars themed lands at both Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will officially open in 2019.

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This marks the first date that Disney has given for the completion of the project on either coast.

VIDEO: Full Show of “Rivers of Light” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Show Cut Down

WDWNT on February 16, 2017

Tonight, guests of the Disney Social Media Moms gathering at Walt Disney World were shown Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom during an exclusive private event.

Now, this isn’t taken by a professional videographer and the person recording does talk over it a little, but it appears to be the first video of the show from tonight’s preview to be posted online. Regardless, here it is (starts about 7 minutes in):

Most notably, several minutes of the show have been cut since the cast member previews a few months ago, but also some effects were missing that even appeared in those preview shows. It is likely that this is the finished product as cast members are actively scheduled to work at the theater starting this weekend and the show should formally debut around the time.

New ‘Doc Mcstuffins’ Meet and Greet Coming Soon to Animal Kingdom

WDWNT on February 16, 2017

Starting sometime later this month the character ‘Doc McStuffins’ from the animated Disney Junior tv series “Doc McStuffins”,  will be available for a character meet and greet at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

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At this time there is no official start date to when this will happen, all we know right now is that the meet and greet will be added some time later this coming month. Currently ‘Doc Mcstuffins’ is at Hollywood Studios, and will be at both parks.

‘Doc McStuffins’ will be found outside the veterinarian clinic at Rafiki’s Planet Watch. While there, kids will be able to take their pictures with Doc, have her sign autographs, and also learn about conservation and how the vets at Animal Kingdom take care for the animals that live there.

Star Lord Guardians of the Galaxy Character Coming to Walt Disney World

WDWNT on February 16, 2017

Walt Disney World is looking for actors to portray Star Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy for a special limited time experience.

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The experience will likely be in the same vein as the recent Doctor Strange show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Similarly, it will probably not be advertised outside of the parks, but last though the publicity period for the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 film.

The Disney Auditions site says the following:

Disney Creative Entertainment is seeking Male Look-alike performers to help portray Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord from the film, Guardians of the Galaxy, at an upcoming special limited engagement at the Walt Disney World® Resort, near Orlando, FL. Performers should be local to the Central Florida area, and should be available to begin work within the next two months.