BREAKING: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios to Add Themed Bar Inside

WDWNT on April 20, 2016

It’s no secret that Disney’s Hollywood Studios is pretty short on attractions right now, but they are also in serious need of some new food and beverage services as well given the loss of many dining establishments in the Backlot section of the park. To better serve guests, they are going to be adding a themed bar/lounge at the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction.

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Now, before you get too excited, the bar is not located on the beautiful balcony and it is not the infamous Tip Top Club from the attraction storyline either, but rumor has it that the bar will offer Hollywood Tower Hotel themed beverages.

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The bar will be located where this desk was at the ride’s exit

The bar will be located at the exit of the attraction, across from the PhotoPass area, just before you enter the Tower Hotel Gifts store. There is now word yet on if there will be seating, but the bar will be installed very quickly starting immediately.

REVIEW: Oasis Canteen Digs Up New Sweet-and-Spicy Chicken Nuggets

WDWNT on April 20, 2016

For as long as I can remember, Oasis Canteen at Hollywood Studios has served funnel cakes. Suddenly last week, they debuted an all-new menu with chicken nuggets.

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Not only are regular chicken nuggets offered either in an adult or kids meal, but there are also sweet chili-glazed chicken breast nuggets.

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I of course had to order the sweet-chili glazed nuggets as I have been missing the spicy buffalo nuggets recently removed from the nearby Backlot Express.

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Let’s start with the good: the nuggets. These are pretty perfect. I love the mix of spicy and sweet in the flavoring. While I would personally pick the buffalo sauce over this, I understand that I’m in the minority who usually choose spice over flavor. I would equate this sauce to a sweet and sour sauce you might find at a Chinese-style restaurant. Regardless, these are great and turn the ubiquitous chicken breast nuggets into something more exciting (and flavorful) and actually worth ordering versus other counter service offerings.

My only  problem here was with the side offering. Carrots and celery aren’t a bad thing, they just weren’t good in this dish. I don’t know if it’s the place they are being stored at in this booth or what, but they just didn’t taste great. The chips are chips, which is a nice addition if you can’t offer fries I guess.

Overall, the chicken is the star and main offering, so if those are great, I guess that’s good enough. I’ve never been wowed by a counter service side dish that wasn’t the house-made chips, so I won’t start complaining about the other side dishes now (even though fries here would be an improvement). Regardless, I will be stopping here again for the sweet chili-glazed chicken nuggets.

PHOTO REPORT: Hollywood Studios 4/13/16 (New Star Wars Store, Expansion Progress, Pizza Planet, ETC.)

WDWNT on April 20, 2016

I visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Sunday to see what was new and exciting regarding all of the ongoing projects in the park, here’s what I found:

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Welcome to Hollywood Studios

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Where the park map almost fits on one panel!

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Additional signage around the park to help guests find their way through the construction

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Pizza Planet continues to be ripped apart, now the entire awning is gone

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New billboard behind Great Movie Ride

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Disney is getting ready to launch more interactive elements in the parks, including these screens at Cover Story which should soon have guest’s pictures appearing in them

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Temporary graphics fill the screens right now

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The braille map of the park was updated

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Don’t worry everyone, the carrot cake cookie is now at Sweet Spells…

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Captain America Civil War merchandise has invaded Reel Vogue next door

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Work was finally completed on Sunset Ranch Market and most of the seating area is now covered

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Legends of Hollywood no longer has Frozen merchandise, it’s now a Star Wars store

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Death Star sweatpants anyone? I’d make a thermal exhaust port joke but it would be in bad taste…

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Even the table has a Star Wars theme

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Work continues on the projectors for the new Star wars fireworks show

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Work also continues on the new meet and greets for Olaf, Mickey, and Minnie

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Concept art now up on the walls by Muppetvision for the Star Wars themed land

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Even at this size, you still can’t make out a lot of the details for the new land

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New Hollywood Studios ornaments available

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There’s a few of these…

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The new meet and greet facility from the ABC Commissary side

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There are now ads for the Jungle Book preview on the work walls on Mickey Avenue

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No visible progress yet on demolition where Toy Story Land will be

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Maps were added to the walls as guests are apparently getting lost

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The front of Legends of Hollywood has Star Wars posters and signage now

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A new Peter Pan ear hat now available

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PHOTOS: Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster Debuts New Interactive Element

WDWNT on April 20, 2016

A few weeks ago, we showed you the new interactive element at the end of “it’s a small world”, which shows guests personalized farewells as they float by. Now guests walking through the queue of Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will see customized posters as they walk by…

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The element uses the guest’s first name and hometown to create a personalized performance poster. It also displays the current date.

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The element is just the latest aspect of MyMagic+ to come online. Similar elements are still expected to debut at Star Tours, Muppetvision 3-D, Toy Story Midway Mania, Expedition Everest and other attractions in the coming weeks.

PHOTOS BY BRIAN CAREY

PHOTO REPORT: Hollywood Studios 4/19/16 (Tower of Terror Bar, Carrot Cake Cookie Goes Home, Star Wars, ETC.)

WDWNT on April 20, 2016

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen and myself both visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios this week and have some newsworthy photos compiled to share with you from our two separate visits:

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Fantasmic! has replaced Lights, Motors, Action! on the road entrance signage, while the Frozen sign has seen better days…

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Reel Vogue now has a large selection of MARVEL merchandise leading up to Civil War

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The projection towers and control booth for Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular are currently being constructed

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The stores are trying something different, mixing pins in with displays for certain characters

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Thought this new glass slipper pin was pretty cool

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Spotted one of the new Star Wars attraction poster pins as well

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There was no visible work on the Tower of Terror bar, which had me scared that maybe we were misinformed…

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But then I found this behind the counter confirming that the desk had been cleared out so work could begin!

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Even though Sunset Showcase is closed, a sign tells guests to check times guides…

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New drawstring bag at Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster

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A new tank top as well

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Another look at the projection towers going up in the center of the park

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The second tower had not gone up yet

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For some reason, all of the Star Wars banners around the park got a new look…

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I found the rest of the Star Wars attraction poster pins at Tatooine Traders

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For some reason, they closed the gate by the exit of Muppet Vision 3-D

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One of the planet lights is now down at Pizza Planet, the last few pieces of the old theme should be gone shortly

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New DHS luggage tag

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Also, a new fleece throw

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You can still walk through the gate, but it is closed, probably to push guests towards the gift shop

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Hard to see, but Writer’s Stop lounge has pastries again, as well as the carrot cake cookie!

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A few temporary tables rolled in now…

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Work continues on the new meet and greet homes for Mickey, Minnie, and Olaf

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The queue for the Great Movie Ride gets pretty long these days, so the line usually enter here

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So they very shoddily covered the Stand-By entrance sign up here

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With queue work happening now, Toy Story Mania has setup quite the extended queue

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Launch Bay not only has the new Star Wars 3″ Vinylmation on sale, but also the recently released limited edition set

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Spotted some new Star Wars phone cases that could be made at Launch Bay as well

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Also, 3 new MagicBand designs

Writer’s Stop to Become Sci-Fi Dine-In Lounge Starting April 3rd

WDWNT on March 31, 2016

For a limited time starting April 3rd, guests waiting for their table at Sci-Fi Dine-In will be able to enjoy some appetizers and drinks in the relaxing atmosphere of the Writer’s Stop next door.

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While the Writer’s Stop was originally set to close on April 2nd, it will instead begin operating from 11:30AM until one hour prior to closing time at the Dine-In on April 3rd.

The new menu at the lounge will include a warm pretzel with spicy mustard and cheese sauce, sugar spiced nuts, and a cheese platter, as well as a selection of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages.

Somehow, the Writer’s Stop will still also function as a shop when it reopens on April 3rd, but it remains to be seen how.

BREAKING: Shanghai Disney Puts Financial Strangle-Hold on Domestic Disney Parks

WDWNT on March 5, 2016

Shanghai Disneyland is behind schedule and over budget, so Disney Parks will be looking to shave some money off their operational budget by cutting labor hours at both the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts.

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According to inside sources, the Disneyland Resort saw a 20% cut in labor costs from non-profit locations starting at the beginning of the month, this includes positions such as attractions, guest relations, custodial, entertainment, and more. Walt Disney World will see similar cuts starting this week, such as the cut of front desk curbside greeters at all resorts. All front desk and concierge cast members will also only be offered only up to 32 hours a week once the cuts are in effect. Other departments will have similar restrictions, but we could not confirm a complete list.

Entertainment cuts are coming as well, such as the removal of the 2nd Fantasmic! show on evenings until Easter week and only one nightly performance of the Main Street Electrical Parade through the entire month (a month which is typically quite busy thanks to Spring Break and Easter). Other entertainment cuts have been rumored, such as various characters meet and greet experiences being permanently removed, but none are confirmed at this time.

This isn’t the first shakeup Disney has made since the Shanghai project financially got out of hand. Just a few weeks ago there was a massive shakeup at Walt Disney Imagineering in an attempt to prevent such projects from falling apart again. However, these new changes affect cast members on the much lower end of the pay scale, many of which count on the longer hours in these seasons to make a decent living. Many have voiced concerns over the cuts and that they may have to look for work elsewhere in order to pay their bills.

Disney has made no public statement on the cuts as of yet.

New Olaf, Mickey, and Minnie Meet & Greet Experiences Coming To Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on March 5, 2016

As rumored, there is a new meet and greet space coming to Hollywood Studios, and it seems the location will be split into 2 different experiences.

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Entering on the Echo Lake side, guests can head to Celebrity Spotlight to meet Olaf from Frozen. The new experience features the lovable snow man with a fun summer backdrop. According to Disney, the character meeting in this location will rotate every few months.

The second experience is called “Mickey and Minnie starring in Red Carpet Dreams”. Entering from the Commissary Lane gateway (former American Idol Experience audition entrance), guests can walk the red carpet and step into a scene with Minnie Mouse, and then find Sorcerer Mickey Mouse in his Sorcerer’s Apprentice costume nearby.

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The current Sorcerer Mickey meet and greet should close when this opens in the spring. Minnie Mouse lost her indoor meet and greet experience when the Magic of Disney Animation closed.

PHOTO REPORT: Hollywood Studios 2/18/16 (Star Wars, Meet and Greet Construction, New Merch, ETC.)

WDWNT on March 5, 2016

I visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios over the weekend to see what was new and exciting, so let’s take a look at some photos from my trip, shall we?

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Welcome to Hollywood!

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New 5 pin booster set

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For Valentine’s Day, there’s a special Lady and the Tramp cupcake at the park

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It was cute and delicious…

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I hadn’t eaten at Studio Catering Co. in years, but this sandwich was really, really good

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Pulled beef brisket with horseradish sauce, surprisingly good

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I got carried away with the cupcake

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It was good…

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Finding Dory billboard up in the Backlot

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A green army man was hiding in a FastPass machine…

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Stormtroopers on patrol

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The wait times for Kylo Ren at Launch Bay haven’t been awful

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Pretty much the same as Chewbacca all of the time

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A Rey costume and BB-8 now on display in Launch Bay

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Work continues on the new awnings and covered seating areas at Sunset Ranch Market

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Signage remains up for Sunset Showcase, even though it’s closed right now (except for the hard-ticket Villains event)

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New open edition Studios pins

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The Moonliner ceramic figure is now in stock at most locations that carry such pieces

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This display is in Celebrity 5 & 10

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Dinosaur Gertie was actually open and had quite the line…

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Work continues on the new meet and greet locations for Olaf, Mickey, and Minnie which were announced this week

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PAvement work by Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple continues

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No visible progress on the former meet and greets in the Backlot

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BREAKING: New Star Wars Fireworks Show and More Coming to Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on March 5, 2016

As rumored, a new Star Wars fireworks show is on its way to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but so are some other new entertainment offerings.

The Force will officially awaken at the park April 4, with the debut of the brand new Star Wars stage show, “Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away.” The new show will play out iconic moments from the film saga on Center Stage (in front of the Chinese Theater), and will feature appearances from Star Wars characters like Kylo Ren, Chewbacca, Darth Vader and Darth Maul.

Also starting April 4, Captain Phasma will begin leading a platoon of First Order stormtroopers on a march from Star Wars Launch Bay to Center Stage multiple times each day.

And starting this summer, there will be a new Star Wars fireworks show, “Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular.” This new nightly show is the next generation of the current Star Wars-inspired fireworks show. The show will combine fireworks, pyrotechnics, special effects and video projections that will turn the nearby Chinese Theater and other buildings into the twin suns of Tatooine, a field of battle droids, the trench of the Death Star, Starkiller Base and other Star Wars destinations. The show will be punctuated with a tower of fire and spotlight beams, creating massive lightsabers in the sky. This new show will reportedly be the most elaborate fireworks display to take place in the history of Disney’s Hollywood Studios.