New Experince Coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom

WDWNT on July 17, 2010

There is a new immersive experience heading to Animal Kingdom, from the Disney Parks Blog:

If you’ve ever wanted to venture off the beaten path and farther into the Kilimanjaro Safaris Expeditionsavannah, you’ll have a chance later this year. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park will be offering a new, immersive experience that’ll take a small group of Guests on personalized, guided treks along some unexplored areas of the Harambe Reserve.

During the excursions, you’ll be able to spend more time observing the wildlife on the savannah and have a chance to learn about the animals and their behaviors from one of our Disney guides. Adventurers will also trek through an undeveloped forest area of the Harambe Reserve and then board a unique vehicle specially designed for the rest of the quest.

Walt Disney Imagineers are still working on many of the details but we wanted to share the news with you first. Reservations for this specially priced tour won’t begin until later this year, so keep checking back for more details.

Sounds like this will be a great new way for select guest to experience this opening day Animal Kingdom attraction in a whole new way, stay tuned to WDW News Today for more information as it becomes available!

Time to Celebrate!!!

WDWNT on January 1, 2009

It’s finally here!!! The Year of a Million Dreams has just ended after over 2 years and now Disney Parks wants to know “What Will You Celebrate?” in 2009. Here’s some of what we have to look forward to (even though WDWNT has reported most of this already):

New immersive fun in theme parks
Disney Parks’ initiative to create more immersive experiences continues in 2009 at Walt Disney World Resort with premieres in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Magic Kingdom.  Here’s what’s in store:
  • “The American Idol Experience” (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) – Starry-eyed Disney guests will get a taste of TV’s pop culture phenomenon – up close and personal – when Disney’s Hollywood Studios grand opens this “American Idol” attraction in mid-February.  It’s another immersive opportunity as guests will be able to experience the challenge of auditioning, the rush of performing on stage in competition or the thrill of judging the performances in a live interactive setting modeled after the “American Idol” set.  There will be several showtimes daily.  Guests advancing through the screening process have the chance, in the nightly final competition, to win a guaranteed reservation for a regional audition for the “American Idol” TV show.
  • Disney’s Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure (Epcot) – Inspired by Disney Channel’s Emmy Award-winning “Kim Possible” animated series, guests of all ages will become secret agents to save the world from various comical villains and their mad inventions in this ultra-interactive adventure packed with mystery and excitement.  Guests team up with members of Team Possible in this high-tech experience slated for a late-January opening in seven World Showcase pavilions representing countries on three continents. 
  • “Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It! Street Party” (Magic Kingdom) – It’s party time beginning in mid-February when a cast of Disney characters, stilt walkers and other performers processes down Main Street, U.S.A. toward Cinderella Castle to high-energy tunes such as “Breakout” and “I Like To Move It.”  Five floats decked out as gift-wrapped packages are part of the procession, and near the castle, Mad Hatter, Genie, Lumiere and Sebastian – the life and light of the party – pop out of four huge boxes.  They join about a dozen other Disney characters headed by Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse to mix and mingle and dance in the street with Magic Kingdom guests during a 12-15-minute party scheduled to take place three times daily.
New high-tech innovations on land and sea
High-tech innovations will help guests navigate theme park fun and treat guests to new thrills on both land and the high seas:
  • Verizon (in Disney theme parks) – Marking a first in both the travel and mobile industries, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Verizon are teaming up to enhance the guest experience at Walt Disney World Resort (and at Disneyland Resort in California).  Guests will be able to access an array of features on their Verizon Wireless phones including the ability to easily locate shows, restaurants and the Disney characters anywhere inside the parks; get real-time attraction availability information; access mobile games; receive messages from characters and more.
  • Disney Digital 3-D (aboard Disney Cruise Line ships)– Movie entertainment at sea is being revolutionized with the debut of Disney Digital 3-D, a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience just introduced onboard the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder.  Guests will delight as first-run, feature Disney films leap off the silver screen and take on a whole new dimension in the onboard theaters.  Tridimensional images will combine with lasers, fog, streamers, and special lighting effects to create an immersive movie-going experience like no other at sea.  During these once-a-cruise special engagements, guests will feel the rush of being part of the hottest show in town.
  • The Hall of Presidents (in Magic Kingdom) – An Audio-Animatronics version of President Barack Obama will join representations of the previous 43 presidents of the United States as part of an attraction that has been celebrating American history since Walt Disney World Resort opened.  Disney Imagineers are also updating a broad array of show elements.  Reopening is slated for early July.
‘Re-imagining’ Downtown Disney
Following the fall 2008 opening of T-Rex: A Prehistoric Family Adventure, A Place to Eat, Shop, Explore and Discover, the “re-imagining” of Downtown Disney continues with:
  • Transformation of the Portobello Yacht Club – The name of this long-time favorite restaurant is shortened to “Portobello,” and an all-new menu reflects a new, warm, Italian trattoria décor.  Portobello is open daily for lunch and dinner and is owned and operated by Levy Restaurants.
  •  New waterfront dining spot  – A high-energy restaurant and bar opening in spring 2009 will feature Mexican and South American cuisine, an international wine bar and a tequila bar of more than 50 kinds of tequila and 10 signature frozen margaritas.  The new as yet unnamed restaurant is being developed by E-Brands Restaurant Group, a multi-concept restaurant group which currently owns and operates Timpano Chophouse and Martini Bars, Samba Rooms, Taqueria Canonita, Aquaknox, David Burke, Salsa Orlando and Canonita Express in a number of cities across the United States.  The Downtown Disney restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m. until late night with nightly entertainment.

‘Re-branding’ the sports complex

Aligning the world’s No. 1 family vacation destination with the worldwide leader in sports, Walt Disney World Resort and ESPN are joining forces to “re-brand” Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex with the ESPN brand, creating an entertaining and immersive experience for the nearly 2 million athletes, coaches and spectators who come through the sports complex each year.  Plans for the re-branding initiative are still in the development stage, but initial concepts involve:
  • Renaming the sports complex and incorporating the signature elements of ESPN – Throughout the 220-acre facility, which is a leading venue for amateur and professional sports in the country, the project aims to enhance the experience of both athletes and spectators by connecting them to their favorite ESPN programs, personalities and elements and making them feel like they’ve made it to the “big time.”
10 new places to go, 4 new places to settle down
In 2009, Disney Cruise Line is charting two new eastern Caribbean courses.  Meanwhile, Adventures by Disney is adding eight destinations, including some of the most exotic and remote locations in the world, to its list of trips.  And Disney Vacation Club is offering guests visiting Disney Parks four new resort experiences.  Here’s a look at what’s coming:
  • New eastern Caribbean itineraries (Disney Cruise Line) – St. Croix will be a featured stop on one new seven-night itinerary, and Tortola will be featured on another seven-night itinerary, giving Disney Cruise Line guests more choices than ever before to explore the beautiful islands of the Caribbean.  Both islands are new to Disney Cruise Line, increasing the seven-night Caribbean choices on the Disney Magic to four itineraries (Disney’s traditional eastern and western Caribbean itineraries will continue).  Itineraries with St. Croix and itineraries with Tortola sail select dates throughout 2009.
  • New family-friendly adventure vacations (Adventures by Disney) – An expedition to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, a safari in Africa, and an exploration of Alaska are among eight new adventures in 2009, giving guests a total of 23 vacation options to choose from.  Other new Adventures by Disney itineraries: Italy and Switzerland; Boston, Newport, New York City; Central Italy; Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park and San Francisco; and Glacier National Park and Banff National Park.
  • New ‘home-away-from-home’ accommodations (Disney Vacation Club) – Four new options in 2009 will combine to revive “treehouse living” at Walt Disney World Resort, immerse guests in the African experience … in Florida, bring vacation ownership so close to Magic Kingdom that families can blow Tinker Bell a kiss goodnight and use Cinderella Castle as their nightlight, and provide the first Disney Vacation Club accommodations on the West Coast:
  • The Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa– Treehouse living, a cherished tradition from 1975-2002, returns with the opening (scheduled for summer) of 60 three-bedroom villas elevated 10 feet off the ground on pedestals and beams designed to blend into the forest glens where they are nestled, providing Saratoga Springs with a new room category.
     
  • Kidani Village at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Having completed the conversion of select rooms at Jambo House (at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge) into vacation villas, Kidani Village is taking shape (for phased openings in the spring and fall) with thatched roofs and hewn timber design.  Kidani means “necklace” and the building is shaped like a piece of native African jewelry with guest villas forming the beads, garden-like walkways creating the knots in between and the lobby representing the ornament or jewel at its center.
  • Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort – The 15-story curvilinear tower (slated for a fall opening) is designed to complement the fabled styling of the original building, which opened with Magic Kingdom on Oct. 1, 1971.  The crescent shape, which features 295 two-bedroom-equivalent villas, promises to deliver some of the most dramatic views available anywhere at Walt Disney World Resort – some of scenic stretches of Bay Lake, others with views of Magic Kingdom.
  • The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa – Offering 50 two-bedroom-equivalent vacation villas (in late fall), this expansion of the existing hotel at Disneyland Resort is an architectural and artistic celebration of California’s renowned Arts & Crafts style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The first guest has already been awarded free entry to a Walt Disney World theme park for the day in 2009:

WASH. RESIDENT FIRST IN THE NATION TO REDEEM HIS FREE DISNEY PAR

Using an oversized park ticket created for the occasion, Seattle, Wash. resident Andrew DaCosta enters the Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. on Jan. 1, 2009. DaCosta was honored this morning as the first person in the nation to receive free admission to a Disney theme park on his birthday as part of Disney’s “What Will You Celebrate?” DaCosta, who turns 49 today, redeemed his “Free On Your Birthday” registration at the Magic Kingdom Guest Relations window at 7:31 a.m. Jan. 1 is the first day of the “What Will You Celebrate?” campaign at both Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California. In addition to offering everyone who visits a Walt Disney World or Disneyland theme park on their birthday in 2009 free admission, the “What Will You Celebrate?” campaign features new theme park entertainment, added celebration experiences and new ways for guests to customize their own “celebration vacation” at both vacation resorts. (Preston Mack, photographer)

SEATTLE, WASH. RESIDENT FIRST IN THE NATION TO REDEEM HIS FREE D

New Year’s Eve Begins with a Bang

WDWNT on December 31, 2008

‘-While it comes as no surprise that the Magic Kingdom closed it’s gates to all but Annual Passholders and Disney Resort guests at 12:00 PM today, another more interesting closure took place. It seems a pipe of some kind burst in the Frontierland area of the park earlier today, closing the entire area off to guests. A large vehicle was then actually brought into that section of the park to fix the problem. The only downtime we can confirm thus far was for Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain which guests could not reach at this point. Stay tuned for more details on this story as it becomes available, as well as pictures sometime tomorrow.

-In a follow-up to yesterday’s DVC report, here is a video taken by WDWNT  Reporter Jose Eber:

  

You can also watch the video in HD HERE

New Year’s Eve 2009 Line-Up

WDWNT on December 29, 2008

Here is the current line-up for New Year’s Eve entertainment at the Walt Disney World Resort:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — A kaleidoscope of colors and elaborate light displays will decorate the skies on the final night of 2008 at Walt Disney World Resort.

Dazzling fireworks showers, live entertainment and extended park hours throughout the Vacation Kingdom on Dec. 31 make it a popular spot to ring in the new year.

  • At Epcot, a special version of “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth,” the laser-light spectacular featuring dancing flames and cascading fountains orchestrated to an original musical score, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. and 11:40 p.m.  The park’s Dec. 31 operating hours are 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. 
  • Disney’s Hollywood Studios will host “Fantasmic!,” the lavish spectacular of water animation, lasers and fireworks, at 6:30 p.m. and 8 and 10 p.m.  Revelers can “rock on” with live performances by in-park band “Mulch, Sweat and Shears,” plus a DJ spinning tunes at Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat.  A special “Lights, Camera, Happy New Year” fireworks show brings in the new year at 11:50 p.m.  The park is open from 8 a.m. until midnight on Dec. 31.
  • Late-nighters can party at Magic Kingdom until the wee hours with parades and fireworks galore.  The park is aglow with “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade” at 12 noon and 3:30 p.m., followed by the wondrous “SpectroMagic” parade at 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.  “Holiday Wishes” fireworks, the boldest and brightest pyrotechnics show at Disney, takes place at 8:30 p.m. capped with the grand finale “Fantasy in the Sky” fireworks at 11:50 p.m. On Dec. 31, the park is open from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Dec. 31.  Guests can enjoy one of the final presentations of the romping character cavalcade “Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade” at 3:45 p.m.

The Whirl Takes A While

WDWNT on November 19, 2008

It appears the project of completely replacing all the track and refurbishing all the vehicles for the Primeval Whirl roller coaster attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom was a bigger project than originally expected. The attraction has been closed since early September and was supposed to re-open on November 16th, however, that did not happen. The ride is now scheduled to return to service in early December, a full three weeks later than we were originally told. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information on this becomes available and to keep up with all of the upcoming and current refurbishments around the Walt Disney World Resort, be sure to check out the frequently updated “Attraction Updates” page.

Night Kingdom Scaled Back to Jungle Trek???

WDWNT on August 21, 2008

Our good friend Jim Hill over at Jim Hill Media is now reporting that the Night Kingdom project (a fifth park for the Walt Disney World Resort that would only operate during the evenings, operate with a 2 to 1 cast member to guest ratio, and cost a pretty hefty ticket price) has been severely altered, and will now be tentatively named “Disney’s Jungle Trek”. The name change may not be all that was altered, as Jim goes into some detail in today’s article about various budget cuts the concept is already receiving in these very early planning phases.

Jim also reports that various surveys are going to be conducted very soon to gauge guest reaction to the idea of this proposed vanity park. So if your going to be at Walt Disney World in the not-so-distant future, be sure to be on the lookout for those research Cast Members wielding clipboards.

We would also like to remind you that project is still just a rumor and has not been discussed or announced in anyway by the Walt Disney Company. However, numerous sources have confirmed that a project of the sort is indeed in development, but may still never be constructed. To read Jim Hill’s complete article, go HERE.