More Details & Concept Art Leaks for Downtown Disney’s Conversion to Disney Springs

WDWNT on November 25, 2014

Well, here we go again. You may remember when we “leaked” the original concept art and plans for Disney Springs in early 2013, but even with a formal announcement following that, Disney has remained very quiet through many stages of the construction process on this overhaul of Downtown Disney. Today, we have uncovered some recently released documents that point to more of what is on the way for Disney Springs.

The now confirmed back story of Disney Springs involves a town that grew around local springs. The Marketplace is essentially the suburbs where residents moved to as the town experienced a boom. The Landing is a commercial district with a train station, bottling co. (Morimoto Asia), dock, and a large ferry boat (Fulton’s). The Town Center is the shopping center of the area and will feature the bulk of the retail options for Disney Springs. The West Side feature remnants of the abandoned train tracks, but is a thriving entertainment district. Further speculative details on the back story can be found in our original pre-announcement story. It seems the original document is pretty much on par with the finalized back story.

Now, let’s get into some new details and concept art for the neighborhoods of Disney Springs, starting with the West Side:

  • On the West Side, Food Truck Park (which will otherwise be known as Exposition Park) slated to open this Summer will now be opening by the end of November 2014.
  • The abandoned elevated train tracks in that are will be called the Sunshine Highline. We still expect this to offer lounge and bar areas when completed.
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Waterview Park area of The Landing, looking towards Raglan Road

  • The new park that recently opened in The Landing next to the Boathouse is called Waterview Park. As you can see in the concept art above, there will be a fountain and more trees added soon.
  • In the next 6 months, The Landing should open with 12 retail locations and 7 restaurants including the Boathouse and Morimoto Asia.
  • The walkway between Paradiso 37 and the other stores to the West Side should be open by Thanksgiving
  • BET Soundstage and the Adventurer’s Club locations have been confirmed as venues for new restaurants, so the Adventurer’s Club return rumor can now be ruled out.
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New pathway between Raglan Road and Portobello, facing Boathouse in The Landing

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The path recently opened while work on the new buildings continues

The new, renovated area in front of Fulton’s and Portobello is Riverfront Square. Walls have come down in this area already:

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We did not get much in the form of new details about the Town Center area, but we did get several new pieces of concept art for this area replacing the Pleasure Island parking lot:

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The entry plaza for the Town Center

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The Town Center

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The entrance to Town Center from the new bus loop

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The Town Center

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The entrance to Town Center from the Marketplace parking structure

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New pedestrian bridge over Buena Vista Drive into the Town Center bus loop

Some notes on the Marketplace:

  • The lake will be called “Lake Buena Vista”, because, believe it or not, it wasn’t called that already.
  • The World of Disney expansion will come out towards Town Center, modifications inside of the store are already taking place
  • More pedestrian bridges will be built over Buena Vista Drive leading guests to and from Hotel Plaza Boulevard.
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The Disney Springs master plan

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A closer look reveals the World of Disney expansion and new pedestrian bridges to Hotel Plaza Boulevard

So, what do you think?

Tom Corless’ 11/17/14 WDW Photo Report (Disney Springs, Hollywood Studios, New Phone Cases, Big Hero 6, ETC.)

WDWNT on November 25, 2014

I recently visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Downtown Disney and I have a great deal of newsworthy photos to share, so let’s take a look at what’s new and exciting:

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The dancing ornaments are back at Hollywood Studios!

There are two limited edition pins for the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights this year, no passholder pin for the first time in over a decade

CHRISTMAS CUPS!!!

With photo touchpoints at the exit of Tower of Terror, you have a limited window to tap your media in order to claim your photo without going to the counter

Sorry for the blurry photo, but here is what the beautifully themed touchpoints look like

All quiet back at Soundstage 1… for now…

More and more of the Studio Backlot Tour is vanishing…

New Frozen phone cases for 5C and 6 are now at Wandering Oaken’s

Both the summer and holiday Olaf MagicBands available at Wandering Oaken’s

Santa Goofy now also meets before the Spectacle of Lights from 1PM-5PM

Specialty drinks at Osborne Lights this year, notably there is no eggnog…

A child wiped out an entire display of cookies… this was the worst tragedy to strike the park since American Idol closed…

The poor cast members started to restock the shelf as the child still dug through the wreckage to find a cookie she wanted to buy…

Moving to Downtown Disney/Disney Springs, Christmas decorations are up

An elevated track piece has also appeared between Splitsville, AMC, Wolfgang Puck’s and Bongo’s

Work continues on the bridge in the Marketplace over Lake Buena Vista

A ton of new phone case designs were recently introduced at D-Tech On Demand at the Marketplace Co-Op

A look at some of the newer options to choose from

New ladies shirts at Tren-D

3 different holiday big figs are available this year

Walls came down around Riverboat Square, the new area in front of Fulton’s and Portobello

The path between Porotobello and Raglan Road opened, so you no longer have to travel the long way around

Some facades are out from behind walls in The Landing

The Boathouse

Another façade

Waterside Park, now open in The Landing

Another elevated train track by the West Side Starbucks, this one appears to be just a lighting rig and decorative piece

A giant inflatable Baymax from Big Hero 6 was erected for the opening of the film

“Sunshine Highline” Elevated Dining Area for Disney Springs Officially Cancelled

WDWNT on November 25, 2014

Disney released an interesting piece of concept art today:

Disney Springs

Something missing?

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Concept art with the “Sunshine Highline” still there, including the ADA compliant elevator

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In back story, the area was an abandoned railroad track

It would seem that the delay in the construction of Food Truck Park on the West Side, now also known as Exposition Park, was the removal of the “Sunshine Highline” second floor offerings, an elevated abandoned train track area for guests to relax and possibly dine. The concept art on the walls for Food Truck Park featured the above art until quite recently it was removed and signs change to reflect the Fall 2014 opening, rather than Summer. Disney is being very quiet about the removal, so it is unknown if it was a budgetary or safety decision. Drunken guests on an elevated platform WOULD be a bad idea. Regardless, it’s sad to see the use of these structures relegated to simply being shade and lighting structures. Oh well…

Dirk Wallen’s 10/10/14 Disney Springs/Downtown Disney Photo Report (The Landing, EPCOT Center, Food Truck Park, ETC.)

WDWNT on October 24, 2014

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited Downtown Disney (Disney Springs as it will be known soon) yesterday and has some great newsworthy photos to share with us from his trip:

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The large waterfront building in The Landing is coming along nicely

It was supposed to open Summer, but Food Truck Park still isn’t finished

The concept art

There’s an EPCOT Center bag hidden in the artwork…

A look at the new boardwalk and the large new structure in The Landing, which is currently still Pleasure Island

Originally, the Landing was supposed to be just new dining options, but some retail space has been built

New, small retail locations can be found in front of Fulton’s

The first one appears to sell bar accessories

The second is called Sublime… no idea what it is…

The Marketplace bridge will be completed by early 2015, maybe even for the 2014 holiday season

Even though it is only a year old, the Rainforest Café volcano is being fixed up

Ghirardelli has a new sundae

They also have some great holiday treats

MINI CHOCOLATE!

La Nouba Dinner & Show Package To Be Offered 9/30-11/22/14

WDWNT on September 30, 2014

The package includes category 1 or 2 tickets to Cirque Du Soleil La Nouba 6 Pm performances and dining at Splitsville, Wolfgang Puck, or Planet Hollywood on dates ranging from 9/30 through 11/22, 2014. Category 1 tickets are $119 + tax for adults and $109 + tax for children, while category 2 tickets are $99 + tax per adult and $89 + tax per child.

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Dinner includes one entrée, 1 non-alcoholic beverage, and 1 dessert per person and gratuity is not included. Dining can be before or after the show, with before needing to be seated prior to 4:30Pm and after seating beginning at 8PM.

You can book this package by calling (407) WDW-SEAT, or by visiting the box office at Cirque Du Soleil at Downtown Disney.

Tom Corless’ 9/23/14 WDW Photo Report (Frozen Store, Disney Springs, Hollywood Studios, ETC.)

WDWNT on September 30, 2014

This weekend, I visited Downtown Disney/Disney Springs as well as Disney’s Hollywood Studios and I have a number of newsworthy photos to share with you from my trip, so let’s take a look at what’s new and exciting!

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Disney Infinity 2.0 for sale at Once Upon a Toy

The remodeling has begun at the World of Disney store: the pirate displays were ripped out and replaced with this temporary display

Work on the new pedestrian bridge in Marketplace continues

If you’re complaining about the lack of Android or iPod cases at WDW, the sun damage to these packages should indicate how poorly they sell compared to iPhone cases

Some of the pavement between Portobello and Fulton’s has come out from behind walls

The new pathway through Pleasure Island/ The Landing is nearing completion, so you’ll be able to walk between Raglan Road and Portobello soon

Legends of Hollywood is now a Frozen store on Sunset Boulevard at Hollywood Studios

With Wandering Oaken’s closing on the 28th, this will be the home to all Frozen merchandise at the Studios

Even the window display got dressed up for Olaf

A look inside

There’s even pressed pennies!

Not Frozen, but I spotted this awesome new pressed pennies book in the store

OLAFS!!!!

Character portraits can be found near the ceiling

New, 2-sided ornament

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Over at One Man’s Dream, the New Fantasyland model is gone and the old exhibits are back

At Muppetvision 3-D, a new soon-to-be interactive element was spotted hanging in the pre-show

Goodbye…

Disney Tries To Sort the Downtown Disney/Disney Springs Mess For Guests, New Project Details Revealed

WDWNT on September 5, 2014

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Starting today, guests visiting Walt Disney World will find a new map that isn’t labeled as a map… It’s simply titled “Tips for Visiting Downtown Disney”. The last few months have seen quite a bit of confusion and anarchy at the shopping and dining district as Disney tries to operate the popular attraction while performing a massive overhaul into Disney Springs. The parking situation currently has many guests missing movie showings and dining reservations on a frequent basis, so to avoid some of the existing confusion and to help guests do whatever they may be planning to do at Downtown Disney, some drastic changes were made to the map:

DDMap

The walkways to Saratoga Springs were more clearly labeled, as well as the new bridge connecting Marketplace to the hotel. Bus stops, valet parking, and other walkways to other areas are now also sporting the large black and white text bubbles to clarify how guests can get where they need to go. In addition, some new opening dates for two facets of the Disney Springs project were revealed to us:

  • The West Garage was supposed to open this fall, but has now been pushed back to early 2015.
  • The pedestrian walkway or bridge across the water in Marketplace is now also labeled as opening in early 2015.

The busy summer months may be drawing to a close, but it is sure to be an interesting few months over at Downtown Disney with the parking structure, pedestrian bridge, and The Landing are all set to open in “early 2015”. Stay tuned…

Dirk Wallen & John Corigliano’s 8/22/14 Disney Springs Photo Report

WDWNT on September 5, 2014

WDWNT Reporters Dirk Wallen and John Corigliano both visited Downtown Disney/Disney Springs earlier this week and have a number of newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:

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Disney Springs parking signs are already up

Work continues on Food Truck Park and the elevated walkway area on the West Side

Some pavement work on the West Side

Panorama of the West Side

A look at the elevated walkway from the ground

Pleasure Island signage above the bridge from West Side has been torn down

A look at the latest progress on The Landing

Structural steel taking shape in the center of The Landing, formerly Pleasure Island

Mannequin’s is finally boarded up

Land clearing still happening at the old entrance to Pleasure Island

Work continues on the Marketplace bridge

A temporary sign on the façade of World of Disney as they await a new sign

More Frozen iPhone Cases and Vanity MagicBands on the Way to Walt Disney World

WDWNT on August 7, 2014

Some new phone cases and MagicBands with your favorite Frozen characters are on their way to Walt Disney World:

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8 new D-Tech on Demand phone case designs will be released starting this Saturday at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and as well at the Marketplace Co-Op. The cases come in iPhone 4/4S and 5/5S. The Marketplace Co-Op location will have a few designs not found anywhere else, while the “Frozen Summer Fun” design will only be found at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

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Next week, 3 open edition vanity MagicBands with Anna, Elsa, and Olaf will be released. The same rules will apply as did with the Star Wars MagicBands where guests must present one of the following for the MagicBand to be linked to at the time of purchase: valid theme park admission, Memory Maker card or another MagicBand. These items will not be available for purchase online or via Merchandise Guest Services.

7/21/14 Walt Disney World Photo Report (Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Disney Springs)

WDWNT on August 7, 2014

I visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney Springs, and Epcot this past weekend and have a number of newsworthy photos to share with you, so let’s take a look at what’s new around Walt Disney World:

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A new Elsa mug for sale at Oaken’s Trading Post

If you spend $25.00 on Frozen merchandise, you can get this lithograph for $14.95, it’s a Limited Release item

Some Yoda MagicBands remain in the Darkroom, Vader has sold out…

Moving over to Downtown Disney/Disney Springs…

Work on Food Truck Park and the elevated walkway on the West Side is progressing

Pleasure Island’s transformation is really starting to take shape

The large building on the waterfront in The Landing has most of its framework completed

New structures also taking shape in the center of the island

This will mostly be new dining options

Heavy dirt moving happening where the Town Center will be, the former main entrance of Pleasure Island

Some work occurring in the waterway by T-Rex

Pavement work continuing near Portobello and Fulton’s

The first large details on the Marketplace bridge are showing

You may recognize this blue steel truss from the concept art

With the construction mess there currently, you may want to stay away from Downtown Disney this summer

There is a new display when you enter Marketplace Co-Op

Items from the Wonderground Gallery at Disneyland are now being sold in the center

Hipster Mickey and Minnie along with “it’s a small world” on one side

Disney Princesses on the other side

Some benches have also been placed in the center

Signage is being replaced on the World of Disney store, so a temporary sign is up

Moving back to Hollywood Studios, Frozen was added to the front of the map this week

A Guardians of the Galaxy photo-op was added near the preview, they add the other characters in if you buy the Photopass picture

New Rebels shirt at Tatooine Traders

#OlafSummerVacation over…

The new Hollywood Studios popcorn bucket features the Disney characters dressed at Streetmosphere from the park

The Red Car building has begun its conversion into Starbucks, the canopy on the front has already been removed

This really cool new book has started appearing around Walt Disney World

You can write down memories and important trip information in here

I love the artwork inside

FUZZY PENS!

SURPRISE!

On to Epcot, where some planter work is happening outside of the park

NEW iPhone cases

Some fairly new Toy Story ear hat ornaments have been released