WDWNT Photographer Jose Eber has put together a few nice panoramic pictures for your enjoyment from the Magic Kingdom Resort area, including an updated photo of continuing construction of the Bay Lake Tower (be sure to click on the images for bigger versions of the panoramic pictures):
From the Orlando Sentinel:
Tinker Bell and four new Disney fairies get a home at the Magic Kingdom this week when Walt Disney World opens up its new Pixie Hollow meet-and-greet attraction.
The attraction is set to open Friday in Mickey’s Toontown Fair area, just in time to preview the release, also Friday, of the first Tinker Bell straight-to-DVD movie, based on stories developed for the old Disney character and her four new friends, Iridessa, Rosetta, Silvermist and Fawn.
Until now the four new fairy characters and their story have been known through a new line of books, toys and a Web site, introduced by the Walt Disney Co. over the past couple of years.
Tinker Bell was first introduced to Disney audiences in the 1953 movie Peter Pan. In anticipation of the new line of movies, Disney also is introducing a new line of costumes for young girls.
The Disney Fairies’ “Pixie Hollow” meet and greet will open inside the Toontown Hall of Fame at Mickey’s Toontown Fair in the Magic Kingdom tomorrow, October 24.
Here is a collection of news stories now making the rounds regarding the Walt Disney World Resort:
-Those famous toy guns that have been sold in Adventureland and Frontierland at the Magic Kingdom since opening day back in 1971 will be going through a rather large appearance change soon. Those guns that you probably either own or have seen a small boy walking around with in the parks are going to be turning a bright blue over the next few months, so they won’t be easily mistaken for real firearms. This change is actually coming much later than expected, with laws already passed in most states that require toy guns to be brightly colored. Should be interesting to see how sales of these guns hold up after the change.
-The Walt Disney World Monorail spiel has already been altered to mention the Bay Lake Tower addition to Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The change took place last week, only days after the official announcement of the project.
-The 2009 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival will be running from March 18 through May 31 next year, a few days shorter than last year. Here is the official press release for the 2009 edition:
An elaborate “Cinderellabration” topiary featuring four Disney princesses dressed in “blooming” finery will set the scene for the 16th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival March 18-May 31.
Cinderella and Prince Charming, Snow White and the seven dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip, and Belle and Beast from “Beauty and the Beast” will debut as the grand front-entrance topiary during the 75-day festival. Princess Ariel from “The Little Mermaid” also will greet guests by the front-entrance fountain.
And that’s just the beginning. More than 70 topiaries in all showcasing the extraordinary craftsmanship of Disney gardeners will dot the park landscape. Sweeping floral beds and exhibits will feature 30 million blooms. The art of bonsai will “wow” guests at the Japan showcase, and a large “green” garden between France and Morocco pavilions will reveal the many ways home gardeners can “go green” with their own landscapes.
Festival highlights also will include:
Disney Gardening at Home presentations: Disney horticulturists share gardening tips and lead guests in a hands-on, take-home activity. The Great American Gardeners series: Gardening celebrities and authors from across the country will share their gardening secrets. The Garden Town festival center: Guests can shop for festival merchandise, attend speaker presentations and demonstrations and ask gardening questions of the experts. The family-oriented Growing Future Gardeners: A garden of delight where kids and parents can get colorful (and tasty) planting ideas. Kids’ activities and character meet-and-greets. Flower Power concerts: Popular bands rock the open-air America Gardens Theatre every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 p.m. The concert lineup is slated to include Davy Jones, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Jose Feliciano and other top acts.
As promised, here is a photo report from my latest trip to Walt Disney World during WDWCelebrations World Wide Weekend event. I only get to do one of these every few months, so please forgive me if my photos aren’t as good as you are used to seeing:
The Braille map at Pleasure Island was updated to reflect the closing of the 6 remaining clubs almost instantly
Pretty empty at the time being
T-Rex Cafe is being considered Pleasure Island property just to pad the line-up, even though it does not open until October 14.
While I’m certainly not happy about it, I’m back from Walt Disney World after 8 days, 4 parks, and 1 WDWCelebrations.com World Wide Weekend event that I will never forget. It was another great success for the teams (both WDWCelebrations and WDW News Today) and here are some pictures taken, in chronological order, by WDWNT of the spectacular World Wide Weekend event and some current events from around the Walt Disney World Resort:
While the remainder of the team was on the special Backstage Magic tour Thursday, WDWNT met up with Chris Lastrapes of Disneyland News Today and Jose Castillo of WDW News Today for a day at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.
Most of the WDWNT Crew is back from Walt Disney World (Tom will be back tomorrow), so you can expect a lot of photo reports in the coming week. Here’s the first one from our very own Jose Castillo:
Jackie Steele leading the Pleasure Island History Walk as part of WDWCelebration’s World Wide Weekend event.
A skeletal T-Rex has arrived outside the upcoming T-Rex restaurant in Downtown Disney.
Tom Corless, Jason Diffendal, & Adam Roth with his head turned away.
Jackie Steele along with event attendees at the Mickey’s PhilharMagic group showing.
Construction on Bay Lake Tower is pressing along nicely.
A look around this year’s Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
Mickey’s Boo to You Halloween Parade.
The awesome looking Haunted Mansion float.
This mini-float from SpectroMagic carries a “pumpkin man”.
Nice atmosphere around the Main Street Train Station.
Cinderella Castle VERY late at night.
The WDWNT Crew were the last to leave the park on that night.
Moving on to the second day of World Wide Weekend… Here we see Marcus D’Amelio, & Matt Pezzula setting up the WDWCelebrations table at Epcot in the morning.
You gotta love free goodies.
Jason Diffendal ready for a great day at Epcot.
Turned out Saturday was the last day for the Epcot 25th Anniversary exhibit.
Jason, Adam, & Tom.
The Festival Center was open once again, with this year’s theme, Cities in Wonderland.
Marcus & Jason at the Electric Umbrella.
World Wide Weekend attendees.
Winners of the World Showcase Scavenger Hunt.
The WDWCelebrations Core Team: (L-R) Adam, Matt, Jackie, Jason, Marcus, and Tom
The first event of Day 3 was an It’s Tough to be a Bug group showing.
Then it was off to Expedition Everest.
Followed by Dinosaur.
Jim Henson’s name has been removed from Muppet Vision 3D.
The Hot Air Balloon is back up to its rightful space.
Jason & Adam waiting for Block Party Bash to start.
This was Jose’s first time seeing Block Party Bash, & he loved it!
Next up was the Star Tours group ride.
Construction on the exterior of the American Idol Experience theater.
The guys look excited on the Tower of Terror group ride.
For more of Jose’s lovely pictures (and a couple of videos too), head on over to his Flickr page. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today in the upcoming week for plenty more photo reports from Walt Disney World & World Wide Weekend, as we continue to “Bridge The Gaps Between You & the World”!
Here are some quick bits of news for you while most of the crew is down at Walt Disney World for WDWCelebrations.com World Wide Weekend:
-The Fry Wagon in Frontierland appears to now be gone for good.
-Nine Dragons Resturant in Epcot has re-opened early from its refurb.
-Test Track track appears it got a slight change to the on-ride audio, it now mentions OnStar.
News might be slow while the staff is enjoying World Wide Weekend but stay tuned as we will continue to bridge the gaps between you and the world! Also, don’t forget to visit one of our other sites by going to www.wdwnt.com !
Here is a press release from earlier today on all the details for next year’s new “Disney Parks” celebration:
“We believe Disney parks are uniquely positioned for any celebration and offer the ultimate setting for marking a cherished milestone,” Rasulo said. “People trust Disney to make an occasion truly magical. And now more than ever, Disney will help guests seize those special moments and turn them into memories that will live forever in their hearts.”
For more information or to book a Disney “celebration vacation,” guests can visitwww.disneyparks.com, call 407/W-DISNEY or contact their local travel agent.
The Swiss Family Treehouse at the Magic Kingdom unexpectedly closed today for a refurbishment that is now scheduled to continue through the end of the month. With such a sudden unannounced closure, we can only guess that something was discovered to be wrong with the classic walk-through exhibit that has forced it to close for repairs on such short notice.
Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information on this refurbishment becomes available.
Walt Disney World has launched a new interactive website just to distribute details to guests on the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Parties at the Magic Kingdom, currently taking place on select evenings until the end of October. The website features the popular “Boo-To-You” theme song from the party’s parade as well as narration from a ghostly voice that actually moves between the left and right audio channels, mimicking the voice-over effects from the stretching room scene of the Haunted Mansion. You can also view a special performance of the Cadaver Dans (otherwise known as Main Street U.S.A.’s Dapper Dans) singing “Grim Grinning Ghosts” while visiting the purple and black website. To get more information on the fireworks, candy, characters, and parade that make up this spirited nighttime after-hours event, be sure to go HERE.
