“That is Our Dino!!!”

WDWNT on August 13, 2008

In case you didn’t get the Dinosaur attraction joke in the article title, here are some details on Downtown Disney’s newest resident:

A two-story tall dinosaur is pictured August 13, 2008 being transported on a flatbed truck past a pedestrian crossing sign at the Downtown Disney entertainment district at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The dinosaur will be featured inside a new restaurant, currently under construction, called “T-Rex: a Prehistoric Family Adventure.” Developed by Schussler Creative, Inc. and operated by Landry’s Restaurants, the 600-seat restaurant will feature dinosaurs, waterfalls, bubbling geysers and a fossil dig site. “T-Rex” will open in mid-October at Downtown Disney. (Kent Phillips, photographer)

Notice that the restaurant is once again ahead of schedule and will now open even earlier than was last reported, Sometime in the middle of October. Stay tuned to WDWNT as we continue to update you on the progress of the T-Rex Restaurant at Downtown Disney.

You Could Be Tinker Bell!

WDWNT on August 13, 2008

The Disney Auditions website is listing an audition for the 5 Disney Fairies characters, to be held this Sunday (August 17th), which ironically is the same day that Ariel’s Grotto is supposed to close.

Seeking females with engaging personalities to portray Disney Fairies, the newest members of our character family. Face Character Look-alikes perform before thousands of guests each day in “meet and greets”, parades and stage shows across the Disneyland® Resort. We are actively seeking performers of all ethnicities!

Roles:

Tinker Bell: 4’11”–5’2”
Iridessa, Rosetta, Silvermist, Fawn: 5’2”–5’5”

What is interesting, is that this audition isn’t just for meet ‘n greets, but also for shows & parades, which while adding extra strength to the ever gaining rumor that Tinker Bell will get the role of the opening float in Disney’s Electrical Parade, which perhaps may feature the other 4 Fairies as well, it could also mean a pre-parade float to Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams tied into the movie, much like was done with Ratatouille, Enchanted, & The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

Hat tip goes to the OC Register…

Electrosynthomagnetic In The 21st Century

WDWNT on August 12, 2008

We have a little update for you on the planned changes to Disney’s Electrical Parade. Sources are reporting that the Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs Diamond Mine unit, as well as the entire Pinocchio unit, that was used in the parade when it was at Disneyland Park, will arrive backstage at the Resort sometime soon. Several small effects are being tested with the floats currently in use at the moment. Various reports are saying that the new Tinker Bell float has been ordered for the parade, so it’s now pretty likely to replace the Blue Fairy as the opening float of the parade.

Stay tuned to Disneyland News Today for up-to-date information on these new additions to Disney’s Electrical Parade!

Details on Tinker Bell Movie Passholder Event

WDWNT on August 12, 2008

Registration for the Walt Disney World Passholder advanced screening of the Tinker Bell movie will be opening on August 19, 2008. The four screenings will take place on September 27 and 28 at 10:00 AM & 2:00 PM inside the Magic Kingdom, inside the Exposition Hall. You can register for the event If you have a valid WDW annual pass at this link beginning on August 19th.

More Details on Disney World’s 40th Anniversary

WDWNT on August 12, 2008

While we are still a little more than 3 years away from the 40th anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort on October 1, 2011, there are many rumors of new additions to the Disney theme parks that are becoming more and more likely. We have already told you about the plan to renew classic attractions at the Magic Kingdom such as Space Mountain, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, The Enchanted Tiki Room, The Country Bear Jamboree, and the Hall of Presidents, as well as add a few new attractions such as a Little Mermaid dark-ride and some new nighttime entertainment offerings. Now details are emerging on some planned projects for Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios during the celebration.

By now, you are all aware of the world’s worst kept secret of Star Tours receiving its new story, queue, film, and store sometime in 2011, but you may not be aware of another film change that is now making the rounds. It appears that filming for the proposed “Soarin’ Around The World” film is set to begin soon and we can plan on seeing the updated Epcot and California Adventure E-Ticket debut sometime in late 2009/early 2010 if all goes according to plan. Epcot is also expected to be replacing Illuminations Reflections of Earth with a new show sometime in the 2009 and who can forget the still unofficial Monsters Inc. roller coaster that’s coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With all these big-budget projects and the expected financial downturn that WDW is about to go through, it will be interesting to see what from this list actually makes it off the blueprints and into the parks.

Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information becomes available on these rumors as we get closer to Walt Disney World’s 40th anniversary.

Monorail Orange Arriving This Week?

WDWNT on August 12, 2008

According to our friends over at Screamscape, Mark VII Monorail Orange should be arriving at the Pongo parking lot sometime between Wednesday & Thursday this week. From there it will be moved via a crane into the Monorail Roundhouse early Friday morning. However, various other reports have said that Monorail Orange won’t be arriving at the Disneyland Resort until 2009, so it’s really anyones guess on this one.

Stay tuned to Disneyland News Today for the latest on Monorail Orange!

Soarin & Star Tours 2.0 Almost Announced

WDWNT on August 12, 2008

Various sources around the internet, including Laughing Place, have said that new versions of Star Tours & Soarin’ Over California have been given the go-ahead internally by Disney, but of course not yet officially announced.

The movie for Star Tours 2.0 should be about complete, seeing as it has been said that the attraction should be announced in the fall, for a grand re-opening in Summer 2009. Disney has applied for permits to shoot the new Soarin’ film, which should be a world based theme, & work should begin this fall for a late 2009 premiere. Both new films will be going to both Disneyland & Walt Disney World.

Disney hopefully should make an official announcement on both of these projects soon, so stay tuned to Disneyland News Today for the latest!

Refurb Season Is Coming!

WDWNT on August 11, 2008

UPDATED @ 11:00AM

We have a few more updates for you to the attractions refurbishment list. First up, over in Entertainment, for the week of August 25th, both Disney’s Electrical Parade & Fantasmic! will not be offered on the Monday through Thursday, due to a lot of kids being back at school. The following week, both will go on hiatus. Fantasmic! will return on November 7th, & Disney’s Electrical Parade will return in mid December.

August 17th will be the last day for the lovely Ariel’s Grotto meet ‘n greet. Work will then begin on changing over that area to Pixie Hollow for Tinker Bell & her fellow Fairies. So if you want your picture taken with Ariel in her Mermaid form, August 17th will be your last day to do it until 2010!

The New Orleans Square Railroad Station will close on September 2nd for repaving of the station & surrounding area (including the area in front of the Haunted Mansion). Trains will just go straight through that station, & continue on to Toontown. It’s due to re-open on October 17th.

Big Thunder Ranch will be closed from September 15th to the 25th (it originally was planned to be closed until the 27th) so they can add the Woody’s Halloween Round-up overlay. It will then be closed from November 3rd until the 20th for the Santa’s Reindeer Round-up overlay.

The previously planned Pirates of the Caribbean refurbishment that was to of gone from October 13th to November 14th seems to have been completely removed from the list.

A second Mark Twain Riverboat refurbishment will happen in November (the first is from August 25th-29th), from the 3rd to the 5th.

Finally for Disneyland Park, the new store, replacing New Century Timepieces will open September 30th, & the It’s a Small World Toy Shop will open before the attraction on September 28th. And over at It’s a Small World itself, the new flume has been painted.

One quick thing over at DCA, the Hyperion Theater refurbishment that starts on September 2nd, finally has an end date, that being December 18th.

Stay tuned to Disneyland News Today for updates on all attraction refurbishments. And for up-to-the-minute information on the various refurbishments, be sure to check our Attraction Refurbishments page!

New Music, No New Pavement

WDWNT on August 11, 2008

Various reports are stating the planned repaving of Main Street USA this winter will now last only 2 weeks, as opposed to the originally planned 2 months. Instead of repaving the whole of the street, only areas in dire need of work will be fixed up. Also, Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams may be getting new show stop music, as well as a few changes to the beginning of the parade to accommodate the new promotion for 2009.

Stay tuned to Disneyland News Today to find out what happens with Main Street’s pavement & Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams!

Temporary Dining Changes

WDWNT on August 10, 2008

Some temporary changes to dining at the Magic Kingdom are coming during the busy free dining plan season. According to the DIS:

TOMORROWLAND TERRACE

On August 24, 31 and September 7 and 14, the Tomorrowland Terrace will be serviing a buffet dinner from 5:30 to 9:00pm. The menu will include Chimichurri Beef Loin carved to order, salads, pastas, and breads.

$35 for ages 10 and up, $18 for guests 3 – 9 which includes tgratuity. Guests on the Disney Dining Plan can use one table service entitlement when dining here.

DIAMOND HORSESHOE

On August 24 – 31 and September 13 – 25, the Diamond Horseshoe will be serving a family style dinner from 5:00 to 9:00pm. The menu will include roast turkey, carved beef, pork loin, mashed potatoes and more.

$28.99 for ages 10 and up, $14.99 for guests 3-9. Guests on the Disney Dining Plan can use one table service entitlement when dining here.