Walt Disney World has just announced that their 4 theme parks will open earlier than originally scheduled at 8am on Saturday, October 8th. Animal Kingdom will open to resort guests at 7am for Extra Magic Hours.
The Walt Disney World theme parks all closed at 5pm on Thursday in preparation for Hurricane Matthew and remained closed all-day today, October 7th.
Welcome to another edition of Tom’s Top 7, a continuing countdown of my favorite (and occasionally, least favorite) things at the Disney Parks around the globe. Why seven? Well, we explained that last time…
Anyway, last time talked about the new items you should be ordering at the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival for 2016 now underway. I decided this week it might be fun to talk about what you should NOT be eating from the 33 collective booths and kiosks around the park. Please, stay away from the following dishes…
Jamaican Beef Patty – Islands of the Caribbean
Jamaican Beef Patties are on ion my favorite things to make at home if I’m going to cook something frozen. Also, my old home in Bronx, New York was often only steps away from a small chain of restaurants who actually served these wonderful meat pockets, so it was something that was always available to me. These puck like things that may actually be test MagicBands, are not Jamaican Beef Patties. They lack the flaky crust and the spicy flavor of a traditional offering. These were the most disappointing new offering of 2017.
Chicken Gyro – Greece
This is one of the least remarkable dishes at the festival. There is barely any meat, barely any flavor, and barely any reason to order this.
Beef Empanada – Patagonia
In my opinion, the most overrated dish at the entire festival. People seem to love this, which I can’t understand. It is just so bland and flavorless.
Chicken and Dumplings – Farm Fresh
If Cracker Barrel is serving better chicken and dumplings than you, you probably should just not serve them. A rather small portion and it just tasted off. Other members in our party liked these more than I did, but I just don’t get it.
Taco de Camaron – Mexico
While you will NEED to stop here to get the flan, the Mexico booth is otherwise forgettable. I can’t even remember what this taco tasted like, nor have I ever heard anyone clamor to go to the Mexico booth for anything other than dessert.
Pennete alla Parmigiana – Italy
Spezzatino alla Toscana – Italy
I’m cheating and putting both non-dessert items from Italy because they are both equally bad (also I’m the boss and I make the rules around here). The people running the Italy booth aren’t even trying. These both tasted like microwaveable meals from Lean Cuisine, and that might be more of an insult to Lean Cuisine. I can’t fathom how the company that runs Tutto Italia and Via Naploli could pump out such garbage.
(Yeah, Seven) Vegan Korean BBQ – South Korea
There are some vegan dishes at Food and Wine that are actually quite good. This is not one of them. There was an agreement between myself, Tom Bricker of the Disney Tourist Blog, and Josh of EasyWDW.com that we would most equate the flavor of this dish to what we think dog food might taste like. That, or cat food, but one off the two for sure. Under no circumstance should anyone eat this, ever.
If you avoid these 7 offerings while at the Food and Wine Festival this year, you will likely survive. Next time, I’ll go over 7 returning favorites of the Festival that are an absolute must. Now get eating!
Also, be sure to utilize our quick guide to the Festival, which will tell you what to get and what to skip at each booth!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjUykihgNJ8]
Hosted by radio veterans and life-long Disney fans Tom Corless and Nick LoCicero, WDW News Tonight is a live, weekly, audio and video program presented on AM 1520 WBZW in Orlando, Florida and online at WDWNewsTonight.com every Wednesday from 9-11pm EST. The show covers the Walt Disney World Resort and other Disney news. The show combines the latest headlines, comedy, trending vaction topics, call in games, and in-depth discussions to bring Disney fans a one-of-a-kind 2-hour program covering the Disney Parks. While the show is being live-streamed in both audio and video, listeners and viewers also interact via a live chat online. The show is also available on demand as an audio download, online audio stream and can be watched live or recorded on YouTube.
Reportedly, the Muppet Mobile Lab show will return after to Epcot after a several year hiatus today. The show will only be at the park for the next four weeks.
Muppet Mobile Lab is a free-roving, audio-animatronic entertainment attraction designed by Walt Disney Imagineering, that was tested at Disney California Adventure, Epcot at Walt Disney World and at Hong Kong Disneyland for an extended period. It was shipped back to Walt Disney World with the intention of adding it to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but for some reason it is simply going to Epcot for now. It should head over to Hollywood Studios at the conclusion of this test.
The project began as a continuation of Disney’s “Living Character Initiative,” a program that has generated other interactive shows at Disney theme parks including Lucky the Dinosaur, Turtle Talk with Crush, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, and Stitch Encounter.
In 2009, the attraction was honored with the Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement (Technical) from the Themed Entertainment Association.
It’s hard to believe that it was only done as a short test over 9 years ago with how much people talk about loving the Muppets Mobile Lab that once appeared at Epcot. You would think it had appeared at the park for years based on the legacy it has developed amongst fans. Well, starting today, guests can see the “living character” show at Epcot daily through the next 4 weeks.
The Muppets Mobile Lab returns to Epcot in 2016 for another test run
The show is critically acclaimed for its technology, including fully interactive characters who are a free-roaming audio-animatronics unit on wheels. The show also features that trademark Muppets humor that doesn’t miss even though the characters aren’t manned directly by human beings, much like The Muppets present Great Moments in American History over at the Magic Kingdom (which debuted yesterday).
Here is a video of one of today’s performances:
Now that is it back, I implore Walt Disney World to keep this offering. Please move this to Hollywood Studios and make this a regular offering. I have never met anyone who wasn’t wowed by the technology or who wasn’t amused by the humor of the program. Muppet Mobile Labs deserve a permanent home at the Disney Parks after this second testy run at Epcot.
According to cast members who work at Epcot’s Universe of Energy, they have been informed by managers of a closing date for the Ellen’s Energy Adventure attraction.
Epcot’s Universe of Energy
If the cast members are to be believed, the attraction will shutter in January 2017 to make way for the rumored Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster attraction. The Guardians of the Galaxy ride is likely to be announced at the upcoming Destination D event by Bob Chapek according to internal rumblings at the company.
The Guardians of the Galaxy ride for Epcot was originally slated to be announced at Comic Con alongside the Mission: Breakout attraction replacing Tower of Terror at Disney California Adventure. It seems as though the Epcot ride was simply not completely “green-lit” in time to make the announcement a dual one.
Do keep in mind that much of what you read above is still in the realm of rumor at this time (as is anything until finally confirmed by the Walt Disney Company), but with the rumblings growing stronger and stronger each day, it is seeming more and more likely to become a reality.
Part of this year’s Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is a scavenger hunt featuring Remy from Disney-PIXAR’s Ratatouille. The offering was introduced last year during the event as something new for children to do as their parents ate and drank their way around the world, so I figured why not record a couple of full grown adults trying to complete something meant for children. Here’s what happened…
The Epcot International Food and Wine Festival is now in full swing and the park is packed full of guests ready to sip and stroll their way around world. Meanwhile, the last of the HP references is removed from Mission: Space, new merchandise continues to roll out around the parks, and the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom have come to the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.
The 2016 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival has begun and will be running at the park through November.
A new Minnie Mouse retail MagicBand is for sale resort wide.
A series of new, awfully generic men’s shirts are for sale in MouseGear.
Some rather strange character t-shirts with Walt Disney quotes on the back were released recently.
Each one has a different Walt Disney quote on the back.
The HP logo has finally been removed from the screen at the exit of Mission: Space, replaced with a staticISTC logo flying through space.
The MagicBand interactive Mission Roster at the exit of the attraction has been turned off, replaced with some video clips from space missions accompanied by famous space exploration quotes.
Annual passholders who visit Epcot 3 times during the Food and Wine Festival can get this really nice glass for free just across from Colortopia in the former Vision House location.
There are no stamps required this year, just go to the park 3 times during the event and then get you ticket scanned at the redemption center.
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom cards are available at Epcot now, and I’m not entirely sure why.
Metal keys with Star Wars characters on them are now for sale alongside the attraction keys inside the Art of Disney.
According to Le Journal de Montreal, a highly acclaimed new band is coming to the Canada pavilion at Epcot for a limited time.
After presenting concerts in Quebec and Europe this summer, Celtic rock band Bodh’aktan will perform for two periods of 20 days at Epcot in October and January. Bodh’aktan will be performing 20 minutes every hour, five days a week, as part of this contract. Disney wanted the band to sign a 6 month contract, but they declined as they did not want to be that far from their families for that long of a period.
While not a permanent replacement for the revolving Canada stage, it should be an enjoyable temporary offering. Alberta Bound will be working at the Mills Stage until that time. The Holiday Voyageurs will perform during Holidays Around the World in-between these two 20-day stands.
Over the last few years, we have slowly seen Walt Disney World install screens at many of its theme park attractions for new interactive elements that would utilize the technology in a guest’s MagicBand. Many of these effects were eventually turned on, such as the Hitchhiking Ghost scene at the end of the Haunted Mansion, the “it’s a small world” finale where guests would receive a customized farewell, and the Mission Roster at Mission: Space at Epcot. Quietly over the last few weeks, many of these effects were turned off.
The now-retired effect on The Haunted Mansion
Is Disney finally throwing in the towel on these elements? It is uncertain, but all of theme being turned off simultaneously certainly means that they are up to something.
Some of these changes were deemed controversial by fans. The personalized tombstones that the ghosts would carry in the Haunted Mansion finale were called hokey, the “it’s a small world” goodbyes considered forced, and overall many guests felt like Disney was shoving it down their throats that they had the technology to put their name (and where they live) on a screen. Personally, I thought at least a few of them were clever, but agree there was likely too many of them present.
Guest names would show up as “it’s a small world” would say goodbye in various languages to them using RFID technology in the MagicBand
Similar effects were also installed at several other locations but never turned on. For example, screens inside Star Tours and the Hollywood Brown Derby at Hollywood Studios were simply never used. Another set of screens at Cover Story on Hollywood Boulevard were turned on for about 2 weeks before going back to being just static images again.
The Mission Roster at the exit of Mission: Space was turned off for the first time this week since it was installed. A short ISTC video with famous quotes about the exploration of space plays now:
Perhaps Disney will be upgrading these systems and they will be returning soon, but for now (or possibly forever), don’t be surprised if you don’t see your name in lights at your favorite Walt Disney World locale.
