A parking structure is finally being built for Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. Too bad it is just for cast members.
The new cast member parking garage for the park will be located just across World Drive, adjacent to the new fireworks launch site for the park. Work on the structure has already begun along with the new entrance and exit ramps for the park that we already told you about. Cast members will walk safely over traffic on a bridge over World Drive once the parking structure is completed.
The structure will assist with guest parking as it will free the current cast member parking lot for guest parking (or maybe just for the rumored Indiana Jones expansion somewhere down the line).
Disney has yet to announce the existence of this project, but should shortly.
The Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter is currently closed for a massive overhaul, but I’m not sure we expected the work to be this drastic…
Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
One of the doors on the restaurant had the covering ripped off from inside (albeit slightly), so we took a peek inside. As you can see in the pictures, the interior has been completely gutted for the most part and new kitchen equipment is awaiting installation.
This is what the interior looked like before:
Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
It is unknown if the original theme of the restaurant will stay, but it doesn’t look reassuring to me. It is possible that the large props and such will be moved back in when the construction is done, but only time will tell.
Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
For those who may be unaware, this location is the main counter service offering for the resort. While it is closed for refurbishment, the former table service location inside the resort has been turned into a temporary counter service location to meet the needs of guests staying here.
Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter is scheduled to reopen in the Fall of 2016. No exact opening date has been set by Disney as of this time, so stay tuned for more information.
What do you think? Would you like to see a new theme for this eatery or would you like to see the old theme return with a refreshed look?
It’s time once again for a Disney’s Hollywood Studios expansion update. This is a pretty big one as it includes our final glance at the Streets of America and the removal of all traces of the original Studio Backlot Tour, the headlining attraction from when the park opened back in 1989.
We will have photos of the wreckage later this week in a photo report, but the above video does a pretty good job showing the size and scope of this project.
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.
In our latest photo report, we take a dark and dreary evening trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios to see the latest progress on the demolition around the back of the park, as well as some other minor changes and newsworthy happenings. Welcome to Hollywood!
New Mugs & Tumblers
For some reason, Walt Disney World is currently rolling out dozens of new mugs and ceramic tumblers at the resort. I know mugs are one of the highest selling items at the parks, but I have never seen so many released at once, including the character sports team variety we had in our last Studios report.
Bye-Bye Backlot
The entrance of thew Backlot Studio Tour and the remains of the tank pre-show are were completely bulldozed over the last week.
The end of PIXAR Place is now just a big open sky and some construction vehicles.
This panorama does a pretty good job showing off the current scene. You may also want to check out this week’s expansion update for video of the area, as well as the removal of New York Street:
Cash Register Turns Dangerous Coloring Station
I have seen some weird and wacky things at the parks in my time, but this is easily one of the weirdest… the second bank of cash registers at the Studio Store has been turned into a coloring station.
That’s right, this store is down from 3 cash registers to 1, and the larger bank of registered was covered into a coloring station.
While it is a nice gesture, it looks pretty terrible as it is a ragged piece of furniture that has been there for 25 years and is fairly decimated at this point. Beyond that, it has had Disney Junior characters shoddily laminated and plastered all over it.
The worst part? There are easily exposed electrical outlets. While we had to peel this one back to find them, they were very much exposed nearby.
I feel like this is something I might find at a Six Flags, but never any a Disney theme park. Hopefully this will be corrected.
Sorry, We Have No Water
During construction on Saturday, a water main was struck, forcing Disney to close all of the park’s water fountains. On the plus side, any guest who asked about the water fountains was offered a complimentary bottle of water from a nearby location.
Streets of America is No More
Just the Chrysler building facade now stands at the end of the street where New York Street once stood.
The walls were expanded outward to accommodate the latest phase of the demolition.
I’m not sure why this one piece got left behind…
New Merchandise Stands
A number of new merchandise carts and stands are on their way to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the first of which arrived in Center Stage over the weekend.
It carries on the art deco styles of the area, and actually is a big improvement over the silver carts that once stood here.
Pandora: The World of AVATAR seems to be coming along nicely at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In a lot of ways, it looks like the project is speeding along now, appearing likely to open by the middle of 2017 should all go according to plan. While visiting Animal Kingdom over the weekend, I captured some pictures and video of the latest progress on the project, including the arrival of a new and intriguing decorative piece inside of the land.
From most angles, it has simply become a lush landscape. While beautiful, it makes it impossible for us to really see what is going on in the construction site anymore.
From the back patio of the Nomad Lounge, something of interest has become visible.
It is an alien lamppost, appearing to constructed of materials one would not find on Earth (in story off course, I’m sure it is made of wood or resin in actuality).
For a better look this strange, alien decorative piece, I invite you to watch the below video update of construction that i recorded over the weekend:
Disney has filed a patent for specialty lightbulbs that would be able to project animated imagery onto surfaces in guest hotel rooms (in theory). The patent filing provides further info on how the experience might work:
For instance, right now if one plays a car racing game on a computer, they not only drive the cars, they also hear them, hear other cars, hear the crowd, see fiery crashes, hear the explosions, and the game play is back-grounded by emotional music and the like. If they play with a slot car, they only get to drive a car. There are few sounds, certainly no background music to amp up the emotions. When they play on a screen, the world is completely surrounding and immersive, they only have to move by brain through the frame of the screen bezel and they are into another world. If they play in their room, none of this is true. The goal of the projector with its camera and audio attachments of the display systems described herein is to allow a room, where ever the room is located, to become as immersive as any screen environment or even more so.
To this end, the display system is a device that can be both an input and an output device. On the output side, the display system is a projector of still or animated visual imagery, and the display system may include a speaker or otherwise be capable of sending audio signals to speakers elsewhere in the room. In this way, the display system may provide an audio track to projected imagery to enhance the display and/or gaming experience.
A rather interesting casting call was put out recently on the Disney Auditions website:
Disney Parks Talent Casting is seeking male actors to portray Doctor Strange for a limited engagement appearance this fall at the Walt Disney World® Resort, near Orlando, FL.
As you probably know, no MARVEL characters appear at the Walt Disney World Resort per the deal between MARVEL and Universal Parks and Resorts. So, has Disney found another loophole in regards to the Dr. Strange character, similar to those surrounding the Guardians of the Galaxy (who once appeared at Disney’s Hollywood Studios) or will this take place outside of a theme park? Only time will tell.
