The Magic Kingdom to Distribute Bonus “Surprise” Paper FastPasses on Select Evenings Through November & December

WDWNT on November 20, 2017

On select very busy evenings at the Magic Kingdom between November and December 2017, some guests will receive a bonus “surprise” FastPass to use on select attractions.

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These paper FastPasses will only be valid on the day they are distributed and will not work at Peter Pan’s Flight, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, or any character meet and greet experiences, but any other FastPass attractions in the park will accept them.

The distribution process for these FastPasses remains unknown, but it seems you will need to be in the right place at the right time (but they should be distributing quite a few on those nights). We suspect that these will be given out on most evenings where there is not a Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom.

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Star Tours Now Ends On Galaxy’s Edge Planet, Previewing New Star Wars Land at Disney Parks

WDWNT on November 20, 2017

Guests riding Star Tours today not only got a look at Crait from The Last Jedi, they also got a sneak peek at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

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The new Crait scene in Star Tours actually concludes the ride by making a hyperspace visit to the safety of Batuu, the now-named planet guests will visit in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios In 2019.

Other changes to the ride include two new opening sequences featuring Kylo Ren and the First Order Stormtroopers in place of the original opening scenes. There are also two new transmission sequences featuring Maz Kanata and Poe Dameron, in addition to the pre-existing BB-8.

All of these changes were detailed in a report we posted earlier this week.

 

 

REVIEW: Hot Chocolate Ganache with Bailey’s, The Ganachery at Disney Springs

WDWNT on November 20, 2017

The Ganachery at Disney Springs is now offering a Hot Chocolate Ganache with Bailey’s.

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Hot Ganache with Bailey’s ($9)

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It’s unbelievably creamy and rich, exactly what we’ve come to expect from Ganachery. It’s topped with crunchy beads and whipped cream making for a thicker sip to begin with.

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The chocolate is warm without being overly hot, the Baileys poured in at the exact right time to be heated when you receive the drink. We recommend stirring the whipped cream right into the drink to make it a frothy mixture. At $9, this stands FAR above the offerings at Hollywood Studios, which come off as watery imitations of a potential real hot chocolate. Don’t miss this one, it’s a real treat.

Also, starting 11/25, the s’mores will return, this time though, it will be gingerbread.

PHOTOS: Tons of Treats Available at Walt Disney World for Mickey Mouse’s Birthday Weekend

WDWNT on November 20, 2017

Mickey Mouse turns 89 years old on Saturday and Disney is celebrating with tons of treats that can be found throughout Walt Disney World from November 17-19.

From the Parks Blog:

Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Found at Trolley Car Café:

  • Mickey’s Birthday Cupcake – Cookies and cream-flavored cupcake with cookies and cream frosting

Magic Kingdom Park
Found at Main Street Bakery, Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café and Pinocchio Village Haus:

  • Steamboat Willie Cookies ‘n Cream Cheesecake – Cookies and cream cheesecake with chocolate glaze, whipped cookies and cream panna cotta and Steamboat Willie garnish

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Found at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant, Cinderella’s Royal Table, Be Our Guest Restaurant and Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen:

  • Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat Chocolate Cake – Layers of flourless chocolate cake with caramel mousse, milk chocolate pearls and a red glaze

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Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Found at Contempo Café:

  • Mickey’s Red Velvet Cake – with cream cheese filling and white chocolate glaze
    Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts

Found at Beach Club Marketplace and Market at Ale & Compass:

  • Mickey’s Birthday Celebration Cupcake – Large peanut butter cupcake
    Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Found at Narcoossee’s:

  • Happy Birthday Mickey Dessert – Almond-crusted cheesecake

Disney Springs

Found at the Ganachery:

  • Strawberry Ganache Lollipop
  • Mickey Mouse-themed Milk Chocolate Bar

Found at Amorette’s Patisserie:

  • Mini Mickey Dome Cake – Chocolate chiffon, milk chocolate mousse and orange blossom pâte de fruit
  • Mini Pluto Dome Cake – Banana and peanut butter-flavored
  • Mickey-Shaped Chocolate Macaroon

Epcot
Found at Sunshine Seasons:

  • Mickey’s Cookies ‘n Cream Cheesecake

Found at Rose & Crown Dining Room:

  • Kid’s Bangers and Mash with Mickey-Shaped Potatoes
  • Scotch Egg with Mickey-Shaped Puff Pastry
  • Mickey-Shaped Cheese in Cheese Plate
  • Mickey Banoffee Tart – Banana, Jameson Irish Whiskey-Caramel, sweet cream and chocolate

Found at The Garden Grill:

  • Mickey-Shaped Cucumber Salad

Found at Fountain View and Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe:

  • Mickey’s Celebration Cupcake – Vanilla cupcake with white chocolate mousse and vanilla buttercream

Found at Le Cellier Steakhouse:

  • Mickey Nanaimo – Chocolate cake with peanut butter cream covered in red glaze with graham cracker-coconut streusel and toasted coconut ice cream

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Found at Kona Café:

  • Mickey’s Hau’oli lā Hānau – Coconut mousse, crispy vanilla pearls, tropical fresh fruits and dragon fruit sorbet

Found at Capt. Cook’s:

  • Mickey’s Chocolate Celebration Birthday Cupcake – Chocolate cupcake filled with strawberry guava ganache and topped with white chocolate mousse

Disney’s All-Star Resorts
Found at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort:

  • Mickey’s Pumpkin Mousse Marshmallow Tart – Pumpkin mousse with spiced marshmallow dipped in chocolate

Found at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort:

  • Steamboat Mickey’s Cupcake – Chocolate cupcake with Oreo buttercream

Found at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort:

  • Mickey’s Pumpkin Whoopie Pie – Pumpkin whoopie pie with cream cheese buttercream

Disney’s BoardWalk

Found at BoardWalk Bakery:

Heritage Mickey Dessert – Black and white tart with white chocolate mousse and topped with a dark chocolate Mickey dome adorned with chocolate ears, tail and buttons

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Found at Roaring Fork:

  • Mickey’s Mischievous Rice Krispy Treat – Mickey-themed crispy treats

Found at Whispering Canyon:

  • Mickey’s Birthday Dark Chocolate Dome – Dark chocolate Mickey dome with raspberry sauce and Chambord cream

Found at Geyser Point:

  • Mickey’s Birthday Celebration Brownie – Mickey brownie with dark chocolate mousse and white chocolate face

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Found at The Mara:

  • Mickey’s Charm – Lemon rose cremeux, caramelized milk chocolate mousse tart

Found at Jiko – The Cooking Place:

  • Fantasmic Entremet – Spiced chocolate and cherry entremets

Found at Boma – Flavors of Africa:

  • Steamboat Willie Cheesecake – Oreo cheesecake tartlets

Found at Sanaa:

  • Tropical Mickey Tart – Coconut lime cremeux, passion fruit mousse tart

Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Found at Creature Comforts, Kusafiri Coffee Shop & Bakery and Isle of Java:

  • Safari Mickey Cupcake – Yellow cake filled with banana pastry cream, dipped in chocolate ganache and topped with buttercream and fondant and red chocolate balloon
    Safari Mickey Cupcake at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

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Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
Found at Leaning Palms and Happy Landings Ice Cream:

  • Mickey’s Birthday Cupcake – Vanilla cupcake with white buttercream icing and Happy Birthday Mickey chocolate topper

Found at Typoon Tilly’s and Snack Shack:

  • Mickey’s Birthday Cupcake – Chocolate cupcake with buttercream icing and red chocolate Mickey glove

Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
Found at Trail’s End Restaurant:

  • Mickey’s Birthday Celebration Cupcake – Yellow cake with strawberry filling, buttercream icing, sugar cookie Mickey Ears, chocolate buttons and tail

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
Found at ESPN Wide World of Sports Grill:

  • Mini Mickey Dome Cake – Chocolate chiffon, milk chocolate mousse and orange blossom pâte de fruit

Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Found at Everything POP Shopping & Dining:

  • Mickey Cupcake – Vanilla cupcake covered with buttercream frosting and topped with Oreo cookies and crumbles

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Found at Landscape of Flavors:

  • Mickey Cupcake – Vanilla cupcake with buttercream icing, Oreos and white chocolate buttons

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Found at Artist Palette:

  • Happy Birthday Mickey! – Funfetti cake with vanilla buttercream

Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Found at Good’s Food to Go:

  • Mickey Funfetti Mini Cake – Yellow cake with vanilla bean filling

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Found at Centertown:

  • Mickey’s Birthday Celebration Cupcake – Red velvet cupcake filled with chocolate mousse and fondant Mickey topping

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside and French Quarter
Found at Riverside Mill Food Court and Sassagoula Float Works and Food Factory:

  • Mickey’s Birthday Celebration Cupcake – Red velvet cupcake filled with chocolate mousse and fondant Mickey topping

There is no way anyone will be able to try all of these treats over the course of a weekend.

Disney Springs Introducing Hands-Free Shopping This Holiday Season

WDWNT on November 20, 2017

Starting this week, guests at Disney Springs can take advantage of a hands-free shopping experience.

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With any purchase a guest makes at a participating location, guests may request that the items be tagged to be retrieved later. The guest is then given a ticket so they can retrieve their purchases from the Disney Springs Welcome Center anytime before 11pm.

Disney Springs has not offered a package pickup system of this kind in recent memory, but the Walt Disney World Theme Parks do.

New Made with Magic 3.0 Ear Hats Now Available; Glow With The Show At Home Via App

WDWNT on November 20, 2017

Just released on the Shop Disney Parks app, the new “Made With Magic 3.0” ear hats (that we first told you about last month) are the first of the new “connected” Made with Magic items to become available. These new generation interactive glow items are designed to connect to the Shop Disney Parks app via Bluetooth so that users can control the lighting effects even when they are not at the Disney Parks.

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To demonstrate this new home use, the app will sync with ABC’s The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration on November 30th at 9PM EST to “complete the event experience with a glowing, synchronized display.” The same synchronization will be available during the broadcast of the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade on December 25th.

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You must order your new ear hat by November 20 in order to have it arrive at your home in time for the Nov. 30 television special.

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BREAKING: Opening Date Revealed for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on November 20, 2017

With today being the 89th birthday of the one and only Mickey Mouse, it seems like a pretty good day to talk about the first-ever ride to star this immortal icon.

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During D23 Expo 2017, Disney Parks Chairman Bob Chapek announced Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World. The attraction will be the first ever Mickey-themed ride-through attraction, with a new original story and lovable attraction theme song.

Since being announced back in July at the 2017 D23 Expo, Disney has been very quiet about the expected opening date for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, the attraction replacing The Great Movie Ride inside of the replica of the Chinese Theater at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Well, we now have some idea when this attraction will be opening…

According to internal documents, Walt Disney Imagineering is scheduled hand over operations of the attraction to the park sometime in April 2019, with the park opening the attraction sometime between April and May. Purely speculation on our part, but it seems likely that the official opening of the attraction be May 1st, 2019 – the 30th anniversary of the park. This may also be used as a good opportunity to rename and rededicate the park ahead of the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

With Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opening later in 2019, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway would support the final Summer before the long-awaited Star Wars Land arrives towards the end of the year in Orlando. That being said, we are still 18 months away from this projected opening and things could change if the project falls behind schedule, but Disney is certainly aiming for the Summer of 2019.

We have more details to come your way today for this exciting new attraction, so stay tuned throughout “The Big Cheese’s” birthday for more on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

UPDATE: Details on the Ride System and Vehicles for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on November 20, 2017

This morning, we told you about the projected opening date for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Now, we have some details to share on the ride system and the vehicles in which guests will be traveling when this attraction debuts in the Spring of 2019.

As stated at the D23 Expo 2017, guests will literally step through the movie screen and into a Mickey Mouse cartoon. As the concept art below shows, Goofy is the conductor on a wacky train, and it is that wacky train that guests will be boarding. With guests aboard Goofy’s train, only danger can be expected, and that’s why Mickey and Minnie Mouse will be following along in their car on your journey – in an effort to save you from Goofy’s clumsiness.

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The ride system will indeed be a trackless one, much like Pooh’s Hunny Hunt at Tokyo Disneyland and Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland. Trackless ride technology is becoming more prevalent at the U.S. Disney Parks now, with the opening of Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters in Cars Land, as well as the upcoming “Battle Escape” attraction for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Although The Great Movie Ride was indeed a trackless ride system, Runaway Railway’s vehicles will not be anything recycled from The Great Movie Ride. In fact, the track layout and placement of rooms in the building won’t even be nearly the same beyond the load area.

Guests will board the 16-passenger train, which consists of four separate cars that hold four guests each (two rows of two), before it departs the train barn at the beginning of the attraction. The part we are unsure of is whether the engine with Goofy at the helm will actually travel with guests through the entire ride. This would be very possible, despite the fact that the four car train can separate at any time, offering a unique ride path for every car. This being a cartoon and all, it wouldn’t be too strange for the train cars to separate and come back together at various points in the ride.

We still have one more post on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway to share with you today, Mickey’s 89th birthday, so stay “tooned”!

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UPDATE: Scene-by-Scene Synopsis of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

WDWNT on November 20, 2017

To conclude our celebration of Mickey’s 89th birthday and our very early look at Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, why don’t we take a walkthrough of the upcoming ride?

As with any attraction, the story begins in the queue. The facade of the Chinese Theater and the first part of the exterior and interior queue will be the same as they were for The Great Movie Ride, with the original lobby still very much intact. Obviously the displays will be different, but otherwise it will still have all of its original charm.

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Guests will literally step through the movie screen and into the cartoon world in one of two pre-show rooms.

Things start to change where the large pre-show theater showing classic movie trailers once stood, just before guests would board their “journey into the movies”. This large room has been broken down into two identical pre-show movie theaters where guests will be going to see this new Mickey Mouse cartoon about the trio (including Minnie and Pluto) heading to the park for a picnic, with the screen ultimately opening up and guests walking through it to the load area of the attraction. Guests will then board Goofy’s train in a train barn before embarking on the ride.

The attraction begins with a trip through the park, followed by a tunnel. In the tunnel scene, guests encounter Minnie and Mickey in the car driving alongside them. Mickey and Minnie will be audio-animatronics figures here, inside of a physical car that will travel alongside guests through the entire scene. A maquette of the classic duo in the car can be seen at the preview of the attraction currently at Walt Disney Presents.

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An Imagineer works on a maquette of the Mickey and Minnie animatronic figures who will travel in a car alongside guests through a tunnel.

The next scene appears to be a stampede or “running of the bulls” type scenario, where the cars break apart and try not to incur the wrath of the stomping creatures. This is followed by a trip to the carnival, which somehow ultimately ends with Mickey and Minnie caught up in a twister. The twister may or may not be a reference to The Great Movie Ride, which was famously set to have a twister scene before some arguments over the Wizard of Oz led to the scene being cut and replaced with Sorcerer Mickey Mouse.

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Imagineers working on the carnival scene of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

The twister drops guests and the characters in a tropical locale with 4 separate rooms, one for each car of the 4-car train to pull into. These individual rooms have a large screen and water effects that will spray guests as they teeter near the edge of a waterfall.

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Concept art of the waterfall scene, with the train car teetering on the edge via projection technology and water effects.

The train cars then go down a drainage pipe into the big city. Guests somehow end up taking a detour into a dance studio, where an audio-animatronic Daisy Duck is giving lessons. The cars will dance while in this dance studio, similarly to Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters at DCA.

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Kevin Rafferty and fellow Imagineers at work on the factory scene of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Guests end up in a alleyway leading to a large factory, where they may come up close and personal with a giant furnace before being saved by Mickey and Minnie.

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Imagineers at work with the factory furnace in the background

Once guests are safe, they arrive back in the park for a picnic. This scene includes audio-animatronic figures of Mickey, Minnie and their dog, Pluto. Guests then head to the unload station, disembark, and go back through a movie screen in a new postshow theater, to eventually exit out the same exit doors as The Great Movie Ride.

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An Imagineer working on the park scene for the ride, which could be the area as seen in the first or final scene of the attraction.

Do keep in mind that all of this will be combined with cutting-edge trackless ride technology, an original musical score and theme song, over 10 audio animatronics, and the first-ever “2.5D” effects (think of it as 3-D without the use of special glasses), so text probably does not do every scene justice. Also keep in mind that many of the events that will take place in each scene are still a secret, so Runaway Railway has plenty of tricks up its sleeves.

If all of this sounds exciting, well, sadly we still have 18 months or more to wait for this attraction to open, but it sure does sound pretty cool. Of course, stay “tooned” to WDWNT.com for the latest on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Some screenshots were collected from a video by Attractions Magazine, which you can see here.

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Hidden Holiday Treasures at the Walt Disney World Resort

WDWNT on November 20, 2017

By Barbara Cash, Small World Big Fun Disney Authorized Travel Agent

So you are going to Disney World during the holiday season but, for whatever reason, you didn’t purchase tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in the Magic Kingdom. No worries! There is so much to see and do at Disney World to get into the holiday spirit.

Below are some “insider” tips and advice for things to do that are not always included in the standard maps and guides.  If you have any questions you can contact me anytime!

  1. Check out the resorts. Every Disney resort will be decked out in their themed holiday splendor. The Grand Floridian has a huge gingerbread house and a five-story Christmas tree.  Many nights, the deluxe resorts also have characters in the lobby taking pictures with guests and signing autographs.  Last year, after finishing dinner at ‘Ohana at The Polynesian, my family was greeted by Mickey and Minnie in the lobby decked out in their Hawaiian holiday attire. Most of these activities aren’t listed in map guides or schedule sheets. These are just special moments guests happen upon while visiting Disney World.
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  2. Visit Disney Springs. Grab a hot chocolate from Ghirardelli’s and take a stroll through the Disney-themed Christmas trees along the Trail of Trees. If you need to wrap up your holiday shopping, the options are almost limitless!  There is no cost to visit Disney Springs.  Take a stroll, have a snack, and take in all the decorations.
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  3. Explore the holiday decorations in the parks. At Epcot, Chip & Dale’s Christmas Tree Spree is a fun scavenger hunt around World Showcase. Be sure to visit the Santas Around the World and learn a little about his history and traditions in other countries.  In Hollywood Studios, there are special fireworks and throwback decorations from earlier eras.
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  4. Last but not least… the food!  The special treats at Disney World are always great but they are completely over the top during the holiday season. Everything from Christmas-themed caramel apples to the Holiday Waffle featured at the Holiday Marketplace in Epcot – It’s a sweet potato waffle base stuffed with roast turkey and topped with green bean casserole!
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The holiday season is a special time at Disney World.  You can visit resorts, take in the decorations at the theme parks, happen upon special groups sharing their cheer, and have some fantastic treats that are beyond the usual at Disney World.  Don’t let the lack of a party ticket keep you from getting into holiday cheer.

Barbara Cash is an Agent with WDWNT’s Exclusive Disney Travel Partner – Small World Big Fun. You can learn more about Barbara here.