BREAKING: Flights of Wonder at Animal Kingdom to be Replaced with PIXAR “Up” Bird Show

WDWNT on December 21, 2017

Today, Disney is sharing the first details about an all-new show coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Spring 2018 featuring Russell and Dug from Disney•Pixar’s “UP.”

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Beginning just in time for the 20th anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom next year, this new experience will offer guests the chance to see Senior Wilderness Explorer Russell and his furry friend Dug as they discover species of birds from around the world in their newest adventure at the Caravan Theater in Anandapur village.

As previously reported here, December 31, 2017 will be the final showing of Flights of Wonder. Until the end of this month, you can still experience Flights of Wonder at the park.

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RUMOR: Disney Restaurants at Walt Disney World to be Added to OpenTable for Reservations

WDWNT on December 21, 2017

If you want a reservation at a Disney-owned restaurant at Walt Disney World, you currently have to call 407-WDW-DINE or use the Disney website/mobile application to do so, but in the near future, it appears guests may be able to use OpenTable.

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OpenTable allows people to make reservations for restaurants just about anywhere, in fact, several 3rd-party restaurants at Disney Springs use the service as well as the DisneyWorld.com system. Disney would add the restaurants to OpenTable as well in hopes of gaining more attention with diners in the Orlando area, as the app showcases nearby restaurants when you open it.

OpenTable does have the capability of requiring a credit card hold for restaurants, so the same reservation parameters that currently apply at Disney restaurants would still be in place if this happens.

There is no set time frame for this service to roll out, but it should be fairly soon if it clears all of the appropriate channels.

PHOTO: Guests Try to Climb Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life at Walt Disney World

WDWNT on December 11, 2017

Coming out way via the Disney World subreddit, four guests were apparently trying to climb the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom over the weekend…

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The above photo shows one of the guests in a place they are clearly not allowed to be, roughly one-third of the way up the park icon.

Luckily no one was injured and security got them to come down rather quickly. There has been no word on if there were any repercussions for the guests.

REVIEW: Cinnamon Cream Cheese Mousse Dessert from Satuli Canteen, Flame Tree Barbecue, & Pizzafari at Animal Kingdom

WDWNT on December 11, 2017

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is now offering a special cinnamon cream cheese mousse at a few counter service restaurants, just for the holiday season. This bright red dessert is coated in a red glaze, has chocolate cream cookie crumbles and apple-compote at its base and is topped with a green meringue kiss. You’ll find this mousse at Satu’li Canteen, Flame Tree Barbecue and Pizzafari.

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Cinnamon Cream Cheese Mousse ($5.29)

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It makes for a pretty picture.

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Merry Christmas from Pandora, where I guess it’s always a blue Christmas…

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So, how is it? It tastes like Christmas (kids, don’t try to eat decorations at home). There’s a subtle sweetness brought on from the glaze, which ends with a subdued cinnamon flavor that doesn’t linger, but is prominent enough to be the focal point of the dessert. Mixing the cookie and apple with each bite yields a fantastic mix, perfect for the holidays. Personally, we still enjoy the regular offering from Satuli more, but this is a nice diversion for the season (and better than any other dessert you’ll have at Flame Tree or Pizzafari).

Moonlight Magic Events for 2018 Announced

WDWNT on December 1, 2017

Disney Vacation Club Members will enjoy more Moonlight Magic event dates than ever in 2018, with parties confirmed for every month from January through November, with more dates still to come. To help you plan accordingly, Disney Vacation Club is sharing confirmed party and booking dates.

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The confirmed slate includes the first Moonlight Magic events at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where Toy Story Land is scheduled to have made its debut by the time Members take over the park. Also confirmed is a return to Disney California Adventure park, where Paradise Pier is scheduled to have become Pixar Pier – headlined by the highly anticipated transformation of California Screamin’ into “The Incredibles”-inspired Incredicoaster.

Complimentary Moonlight Magic events invite Disney Vacation Club Members and special guests to turn Disney Parks into their own personal playgrounds at the end of the parks’ operating days. While attendees may get a jump start on the fun by mixing in with the regular crowd earlier in the evening, the real magic happens after the park has closed to the public. It’s then that privileged partiers discover shorter-than-usual wait times on popular attractions, meet off-the-beaten-path characters, enjoy complimentary refreshments, let loose at dance parties and more.

Here’s a look at the confirmed 2018 Moonlight Magic schedule, including the dates on which online reservations will open for each event:

  • Jan. 11 and 28, and Feb. 6 at Magic Kingdom Park
    (Booking begins for Members with Resort reservations on the event dates Dec 7. Pending availability, booking opens for all Members on Dec 21.)
  • March 21, April 17 and May 16 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
    (Booking begins for Members with Resort reservations on the event dates Feb 8. Pending availability, booking opens for all Members on Feb 22.)
  • May 30 and June 11 at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
    (Booking begins for Members with Resort reservations on the event dates April 19. Pending availability, booking opens for all Members on May 3.)
  • July 16 and Aug. 13 at Epcot
    (Booking begins for Members with Resort reservations on the event dates June 6. Pending availability, booking opens for all Members on June 20.)
  • Sept. 19 and 26, and Oct. 3 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
    (Booking begins for Members with Resort reservations on the event dates Aug 30. Pending availability, booking opens for all Members on Sept. 13.)
  • Nov. 15 at Disney California Adventure Park
    (Booking begins for all Members on Oct. 4.)

Please note that, in order to allow as many Members as possible to enjoy Moonlight Magic, only one event date for each participating park will be available per Membership. Watch disneyvacationclub.com for additions to the Moonlight Magic event slate, as well as party hours and transportation information.

An R.S.V.P is required for these events. At least one valid Disney Vacation Club Membership Card with photo ID will be required for these experiences. Activities, entertainment and Characters are subject to change and these events are subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather.

Finding Nemo: The Musical Will Be Dark Most of February 2018

WDWNT on November 20, 2017

The Walt Disney World website is telling guests that no showtimes are available for Finding Nemo: The Musical at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park beginning on February 4, 2018.

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The first date after February 4 that displays showtimes is Sunday, February 24, 2018.

However, the Disney Travel Agents website is showing closure dates of February 4 – 18, 2018. It may be that the closure is planned through the 18th, but they have added an extra week as a buffer in case extra time is needed for whatever changes are being made.

 

PHOTOS: Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Prepares for Massive Thanksgiving Holiday Crowds

WDWNT on November 20, 2017

Pandora: The World of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom has been quite popular since it opened back in May, but the wait times and crowd levels inside the park’s newest addition have certainly become more manageable since the Summer. However, the massive crowds expected at Walt Disney World for the Thanksgiving Holiday through Christmas have Disney expecting the return of those higher crowd levels in the new land.

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As you can see in the photo above, the barricade to seperate guests entering and leaving Pandora has returned. Should the crowds in the land reach its capacity, the space to the left can become a queue just to enter the area, nevermind to experience the two attractions or any other offerings inside it. Just two days ago we witnessed a 300 minute wait for Flight of Passage, so demand for Pandora attractions is clearly on the rise once again as many guests who haven’t been to Disney World since the land opened are now clamoring to visit during their holiday vacations.

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With lines expected to be quite long for the Windtraders store and the Banshee Rookery experience, a pop-up shop of some kind is being installed in some unused space outside. It will be interesting to see if this is used for express sales of the Banshee toys that won’t include the adoption experience.

If you are visiting Pandora: The World of AVATAR this week or during any of this holiday season, you should be prepared to battle some massive crowds based on these changes Disney is making.

Disney Offers An Update on Sumatran Tiger Cubs at Animal Kingdom

WDWNT on November 10, 2017

It’s been a couple of months since we last saw the precious Sumatran tiger cubs that were recently birthed at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Now that the cubs are two months old, Disney has shared an update on the cubs’ growth and habitat. Below we have Jeda (male cub on the left), and Anala (female cub on the right).

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The cubs are continuing to develop a strong bond with their mother, Sohni, and are beginning to display their own unique personalities. Jeda is very laid back, as is his father, Malosi. The name Jeda means “pause” in Malay, and is representative of the two parallel stripes on his head that resemble a pause button.

Anala loves to explore and has a more independent spirit. Her name means “fiery, sizzling” in Hindi.

Here is some additional information about the cubs from the Parks Blog:

“The cubs wrestle with each other constantly and love jumping on plants and logs,” said Erin Heavey, an animal care specialist who cares for the tigers. “Jeda in particular loves ripping the bark off the logs and playing with all the pieces that come off. Anala is becoming more adept at sneaking and pouncing and loves hiding behind things (even when she isn’t entirely hidden) and trying to surprise attack Sohni or her brother. This is actually something she gets from Sohni, who loves to “hide and sneak” even though she isn’t always very covert about it.”

It is still too soon for the cubs to make their way to the Maharajah Jungle Trek for the public to see, but the parents are still out on stage in the meantime.

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Okay, this one is too cute…

RUMOR: Flights of Wonder at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to End Later This Year

WDWNT on November 2, 2017

Flights of Wonder, a guest favorite show in Asia since Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened in April 1998, is rumored to close at year’s end in 2017.

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The show features an entertaining and informative bird trainer who welcomes guests to a mystical place. With “help” from Guano Joe or Jane—the amusing explorer who fears birds more than a bit—the trainer goes over the fascinating natural behaviors and often humorous talents of at least 20 species of exotic birds over the course of the show.

If current talk around the park is to be believed, the final shows for Flights of Wonder will be performed on December 31st, 2017. No reason for the closure of the show has been given, but there is already rumors of a new show filling in at the Caravan Stage starting in April, just in time for the park’s 20th anniversary.

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