Parks & Resorts – Page 157

VIDEO: Experience the New Entertainment (Including Zootopia) and Snacks of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2016

WDWNT on September 17, 2016

On Friday evening, we attended the very first Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party of 2016 at the Magic Kingdom. While I am still composing my thoughts on the overall event this year, I figured I would share some video of the experiences we recorded during our night of fun, including a few short reviews of some of the party-exclusive snacks. Let’s take a look…

Zootopia Party Patrol Pre-Parade

New for 2016, gone is the “Creepa Crew” and here is the Zootopia Party Patrol, a new pre-show of sort for the guests waiting on Main Street U.S.A. for the Boo To You Parade.

The Headless Horseman

A staple of the event, the Headless Horseman rides again just before Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade. However, it is still at that rather slow speed that has been kind of a letdown over the last few years…

Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade

Perhaps the most beloved parade at Walt Disney World, Boo To You returns in 2016 with a newly-enhanced segment for Wreck-It Ralph characters. The parade is performed twice nightly during the event.

The Hocus Pocus Villains Spelltacular

While not new for 2016, new lighting effects and pyro make the Hocus Pocus Villains Spelltacular stage show even more fantastic then before, even though it is now only presented 3 times an evening.

Happy Hallowishes! Fireworks

The Halloween Party’s fireworks show is back, once again unchanged from the previous years.

Celebrate the Magic – Halloween Edition

The Magic Kingdom’s nighttime projection show is back, and just in time for the Halloween season is a special segment featuring the Disney villains. This show is presented just before the one performance of Happy HalloWishes! fireworks.

Party Exclusive Snack Reviews

A series of exclusive snacks are available at select locations only during the party. Below are reviews of the Pumpkin Spice Cupcake at Gaston’s Tavern, the Ghoulish Strawberry Lemonade Slush at Friar’s Nook, and the Candy Corn Soft Serve ice cream at Storybook Treats.

VIDEO: PizzeRizzo Signage Goes Up, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Comes Down in Our Latest Hollywood Studios Update

WDWNT on September 17, 2016

It’s time once again to check in on the latest progress of the expansion of Disney’s Hollywood Studios! By popular demand (although I still don’t really understand why anyone wants to hear me talk), this edition is the first narrated by Tom Corless, as he explains what exactly you are looking at throughout the update.

This update includes the latest progress on PizzeRizzo and Gonzo’s Royal Flush, the demolition of the Streets of America for Star Wars and Toy Story Land, and more! Enjoy:

RUMOR: Is Vekoma Constructing A Revolutionary Flying Roller Coaster for Epcot’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” Ride?

WDWNT on September 17, 2016

The plot is thickening for the rumored Epcot “Guardians of the Galaxy” attraction. Long time Disney roller coaster manufacturer Vekoma is now building a test track that may be the earliest version of a new coaster ride system that would replace the Universe of Energy.

A Guardians of the Galaxy themed roller coaster ride is rumored to replace Epcot’s Universe of Energy.

Vekoma has in many ways been the coaster manufacturer of choice for the Walt Disney Company over the last 25 years, producing the ride systems for The Barnstormer, Big Grizzly Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, and many more.

Photos from a Vekoma fan show a Vekoma test site with a strange coaster test track being erected. The following photos were posted by user MrRC:

But why do we think this could be related to the Epcot Guardians of the Galaxy ride? An interesting Disney patent form a few years back looks like it may tie-in to this very design, featuring a unique load system and track for a suspended, “flying” roller coaster:

A ride system for giving passengers a flying roller coaster experience. The ride system includes a train of vehicles, with each of the vehicles including seat assemblies that each has a seat and seat back for receiving a passenger. The vehicles are supported by the track to roll along a length of the track, and the ride path is adapted for gravity-based movement of the train of vehicles in at least portions of the ride path. The track includes a vertical segment, and the ride system includes a station including a platform assembly with horizontal platforms vertically spaced-apart to provide multi-level loading. The train is positioned on the vertical segment with each of the vehicles proximate to an end of one of the horizontal platforms. The seat backs are substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the track to provide vertical loading and, then, vertical launching from the station.

Does this patent and the Vekoma test track mean anything? That is the real question. Disney seems like a likely customer for an experimental ride system like this, especially considering Vekoma and Disney worked together on building a whole-new sort of vehicle for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train together.

The track in the patent and what is being built at the Vekoma test site are eerily similar. The Disney patent is for a sideways loading roller coaster and Vekoma is building what looks to be a sideways loading flying coaster track. It is an awfully big coincidence if not related.

PHOTOS, VIDEO: Cabins & Dining Take Shape at New DVC Copper Creek Villas, Wilderness Lodge

WDWNT on September 17, 2016

While no opening date is set yet, work continues at a blistering pace on the Copper Creek Cabins and Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, the latest Disney Vacation Club property announced by the company. I went to check out the construction site yesterday and found that many of the cabins are in place and the new dining establishment along the waterfront is pretty far along as well.

Copper Creek Cabins & Villas Construction

Here we find the new dining establishment, just steps away from the existing pool bar at the Wilderness Lodge.

Copper Creek Cabins & Villas Construction

This looks to be an outdoor seating area adjacent to the new dining establishment.

Copper Creek Cabins & Villas Construction

We’re guessing that is the entrance to the establishment, believed to be an additional counter service location.

Copper Creek Cabins & Villas Construction

Some of the cabins are in place already and many have their framework fully completed at this point. This project has moved a lot faster than we thought it would, possibly because Disney is anxious to move on the the Caribbean Beach project, followed by the 2nd Bay Lake Tower project.

Copper Creek Cabins & Villas Construction

The pool seems to be the one part of the project lagging behind, but pool construction is not such a time-consuming task.

Copper Creek Cabins & Villas Construction

We also have a video tour of the construction site to share with you today, which will give you a better feel for the scope of the project:

As always, stay tuned to WDWNT.com for the latest news and information on the Copper Creek Cabins and Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

Trader Sam’s Celebrates Mahalloween 2016 with The Haunted Mansion Themed Tiki Mug

WDWNT on September 17, 2016

Trader Sam’s at the Disneyland Hotel will be celebrating “Mahalloween 2016” with a special mug and drink…

Trader Sam’s MaHalloween 2016 Haunted Mansion Mug

The mug looks like a tiki totem featuring the Hitchhiking Ghosts from The Haunted Mansion. The mug will be released as a part of Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort sometime in the next few days.

PHOTO REPORT: Disneyland Resort 9/7/16 (Tower of Terror Farewell, Star Wars Land, AP Days, New Character Heads)

WDWNT on September 17, 2016

Conner Purzycki brings us a fairly news-heavy photo report from the Disneyland Resort on the first day of its transition from the Diamond Celebration into HalloweenTime. Heavy promotion has started for the Tower of Terror final check-in, Star Wars land continues to rise from the dirt, Mickey and Minnie are getting an entirely new look, and the popular AP Days promotion has returned. See, I told you there was a lot going on! Let’s get started, because there is so much to see:

Tower of Terror Final Check-In

Banners around the resort promote HalloweenTime and the Tower of Terror send off events.

Billboard by the tram station don’t even mention Halloween Time, it’s all Twilight Zone Tower of Terror promotion. Halloween Time is a pretty big deal at the Disneyland Resort, so giving Tower of Terror the headline billing for this season is kind of a big deal.

Star Wars Land Construction

Construction of the Star Wars themed land continues in the back of Disneyland Park.

While it may appear that this project is ahead in schedule compared to Hollywood Studios, this version of the land features more tunnels and an elaborate mountain range to separate the area from Frontierland and Critter Country.

The Tower of Terror off in the distance, making this an interesting snapshot in Disneyland history.

Some of the Paint the Night floats are visible just beyond the Star Wars site. The parade is set to return for the holiday season at the Disneyland Resort before the finale run of the Main Street Electrical Parade begins.

The Diamond Celebration Slowly Vanishes

Promotional signs for AP Days out in force at the Mickey and Friends Parking Structure.

The Diamond Celebration still lingers at the Disneyland Resort, including the Diamond Days promotion, which is still going for some reason.

Halloween Time and the Diamond celebration decorations clash on Main Street.

Some work being done outside of the Disneyland Railroad station.

Some tarps still up on the Market House, but Starbucks remains open through it.

Some other Main Street facades are now also behind tarps.

The hub Jack-O-Lanterns are back.

While the “60” came down overnight, the rest of Sleeping Beauty Castle is still sporting the 60th decorations.

New Mickey & Minnie Costumes Arrive

The heavily discussed new look heads for Mickey and Minnie Mouse debuted at the Disneyland Resort yesterday.

These style heads also appear in Mickey’s Royal Friendship Fair at the Magic Kingdom and at the Shanghai Disney Resort.

Rivers of America

Work continues on the Rivers of America as it prepares for a Summer 2017 reopening, including a newly enhanced Fantasmic show.

The Columbia is being re-rigged for a new segment in Fantasmic, themed to Pirates of the Caribbean.

Haunted Mansion Holiday

The Haunted Mansion is currently closed for its Haunted Mansion Holiday makeover.

A new cemetery has been placed up on the hill in the queue, featuring some fo the more famous tombstones from the attraction lore.

The Halloween Tree

The Halloween Tree honoring Ray Bradbury is back in Frontierland.

Peter Pan Facade Refurbishment

Even though it was worked on extensively in 2015, the Peter Pan’s Flight facade is once again behind tarps in Fantasyland. The attraction is open.

Space Mountain – Ghost Galaxy

Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy will be replacing Hyperspace Mountain until November. Hyperspace Mountain is expected to return and run until the opening of Star Wars land (only bowing our for Ghost Galaxy every year).

Downtown Disney

The new Starbucks in Downtown Disney is already getting a facade touch up, along with aÂ SprinklesÂ location moving in next door.

More Tower of Terror and Halloween Time banners going down to the Disneyland Hotel.

Disney California Adventure

Some work being done to the outside of Rushin’ River Outfitters.

AP Days Return

AP Days have returned to the resort for the fall season.

A number of annual passholder exclusive items are available at the event.

Specialty food and beverage offerings from around the resort are showcased.

Trader Sam’s has a special Mahalloween mug this year celebrating The Haunted Mansion.

The lines for the AP Days Showcase were pretty long.

The now infamous Backlot Stage still remains, simply as it is more cost effective to leave it standing than remove it at this point.

The Pete’s Dragon preview is gone, so the Sunset Showcase sits dormant.

The Haunted Mansion Closing for Refurbishment in November/December 2016

WDWNT on September 17, 2016

The Haunted Mansion at the Magic Kingdom will be closing for a short refurbishment in late November/early December 2016. It is unknown if the work is at all related to the facade and queue work that has going on at the attraction for a few weeks now.

Picture of the recent facade and queue work on The Haunted Mansion, Walt Disney World

The attraction will be closed November 28th, 2016 through December 1st, 2016.

REVIEW: Flame Tree Barbecue at Animal Kingdom – The Most Overrated Counter Service at Disney World

WDWNT on September 17, 2016

For years, I’ve been told by hundreds of other Disney World guests that their favorite counter service restaurant at the resort is Flame Tree Barbecue at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Heck, it was the winner by the largest margin in “The Top 10” segment’s history on the WDW News Today Podcast back in the day (in voting to rank quick service options at the Vacation Kingdom of the World).

Now, I’ve been to the restaurant at least 4 times in the decade and I have never really had a positive experience. Twice, myself and others in the party got sick after dining here, and the other two times I was just truly underwhelmed.

Now, I fully expect the comments regarding this article to be hateful as I bash the beloved Animal Kingdom smokehouse, but I want you to understand that I tried. I visited twice in the last month in an attempt to give Flame Tree Barbecue a fair chance, and both times I was fairly unimpressed. That being said, this place isn’t all bad and I certainly found some redeeming qualities outside of the menu:

It is beautiful – the seating area is gorgeously themed (even if it is outside in the Florida heat) and offers breathtaking views of the park, as well as serene dining gazebos surrounded by trees and water features.
The spicy barbecue sauce makes anything better. Available at the condiment station, you are welcome tog et as much as you please.

Well, let’s get this over with, and then I will provide my address so the angry mob can find me…

Flame Tree Barbecue Menu

Flame Tree Barbecue Menu, Disney’s Animal Kingdom

French Fries with Pulled Pork and Cheese ($6.49)

These sounded so good that I was excited to eat here, but they did not meet any expectations. I HATE the Disney counter service french fries (check out my Plaza Restaurant review), and they are presented here with toppings that do nothing to enhance them. The pulled pork here is mostly flavorless and the cheese is probably the equivalent of melted Kraft American Cheese Singles.

French Fries with Pulled Pork and Cheese ($6.49)

Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich ($10.99)

I though theÂ pulled pork sandwich would be a safe option… I was wrong. The bread was pretty standard and the pork itself flavorless. I did order this without the coleslaw as I am not a fan of it, but this felt like something I had ordered at Six Flags Great Adventure not too long ago. I expect more from Disney counter service.

1/2 Chicken ($13.99)

This particular dish was ordered by a peanut/tree nut allergy guest, so some of the sides have been altered to protect the innocent. The chicken itself is good, but requires a fair amount of work to get the meat off of the bones. Once you do, it may not feel like $13.99 worth of food. The coleslaw and beans are fine enough as sides.

1/2 Chicken ($13.99)

Ribs, Chicken, and Pulled Pork Combo ($19.99)

Yes, there is a $20 entree at this counter service location, but is for sure big enough to share. I split this with another adult and we were both pretty full after. That being said, the chicken is the same from the 1/2 chicken dish, so I need no reiterate my feelings on it. Both the pulled pork and ribs were flavorless, and the ribs were fairly fatty. The spicy barbecue sauce I added from the condiments bar helped a lot, in fact, I would happily walk food over from any other location just to add that sauce to it. The jalapeno cornbread wasn’t bad, but paled in comparison to what you will find at Trail’s End, Boatwright’s, or similar establishments around the Walt Disney World Resort.

Overall

Flame Tree Barbecue is underwhelming in my opinion. I like barbecue, and I even like a fair amount of quick service barbecue joints outside of the theme parks. My review doesn’t come from adversity to the type of cuisine served here. I feel like this could be much better with little effort. I would very much like to see a menu revamp for Flame Tree in the not-too-distant future. Until then, I will likely not be returning to the Discovery Island eatery.

Overall Score for Flame Tree Barbecue – 2 out of 7

PHOTO REPORT: Epcot 9/8/16 (New Jasmine Costume, Gators & Crocs Still Missing, Dreamfinder, ETC.)

WDWNT on September 17, 2016

Our latest report brings us to Epcot where Food and Wine Festival prep is in full swing, Living with the Land is still missing a number of its reptilian residents, and Jasmine is covering up…

Welcome to Epcot

The pin trading tables were packed. What year is it, 1999?

A glass with both the Spaceship Earth and Journey Into Imagination art was released, $12.99 each.

Really loving this new Rapunzel MagicBand,

Traces of the Epcot 25th Anniversary exhibit linger behind closed doors inside Innoventions…

Work continues to prepare for the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival which starts on Wednesday.

No Alligators or Crocodiles on Living with the Land

Plants were placed where one crocodile was on Living with the Land, the other location had the mechanisms removed, so ti looks like they will not return.

Meanwhile, the live Alligator habitat is sealed off, possibly not to ever return.

This and That

Food and wine and food and wine and food and wine… (I’m excited)

Rather than fix the wall under the No Climbing sign in Mexico, they just painted the damaged area.

Supposedly, a new larger beer cart is being constructed for the Canada pavilion.

The Mill Stage in Canada is once again vacant as Les Parfaits de Inconnus concluded recently.

If you missed the act, you can watch it below:

So, bring back Off Kilter? I think this calls for another video…

Jasmine’s New Costume

Jasmine received a rather controversial costume change over the last week.

Gone is the exposed midriff and more revealing costume of the last 20 or so years.

The American Dream

I didn’t know this even existed, but Fife & Drum outside of the American Adventure sells something called the American Dream, which is two flavors of slush drink with vanilla ice cream sandwiched between…

It sounded gross to me, but it was actually really good.

Around the World

The tiny Food & Wine Festival has already started for the villagers of the Germany train exhibit.

A Frozen pressed penny machine was placed at the exit of Frozen Ever After. It is one of the new machines that takes credit cards or cash and requires no changed from the user.

I don’t want to say goodbye to the Universe of Energy…

Downtown Disney at Disneyland Resort to Discontinue Valet Service

WDWNT on September 17, 2016

Downtown Disney Anaheim, located at the Disneyland Resort, will be discontinuing valet service on September 10th, 2016.

Disney is not giving any reason for the change, although it is likely related the the expansion of the resort, including a new resort hotel being constructed nearby. The space is rumored to be home to a new parking structure shared by the hotel and Downtown Disney.