Category: Walt Disney World Resort

Hey kids, remember this?

DisneyQuest was removed from annual passes and other tickets it used to be included with and it seemed like May 2016 was going to be the closure date for the attraction so the NBA experience could move in. Now we’re over 13 removed from the announcement of the project and Disney has never mentioned it again and DisneyQuest remains open. So, what happened?

Well, it seems NBA and Disney hit a snag after negotiating that they would go forth on the business venture, mostly arguing about the overall plans for the space. According to sources, Disney did not want to embark on another lengthy construction project that would be an eyesore on the West Side, visible to any guest driving by Disney Springs as it is not blocked by a parking structure. They also wanted a faster turnaround on the conversion to complete the project by 2017. Well, NBA wasn’t interested in using the existing DisneyQuest structure and paying to rework it, they wanted to build a custom, brand new building for their new home. That’s where the story ends a few months ago.

While everything has been quiet on the project, that doesn’t mean that Disney and NBA won’t ever happen, it just certainly seems that it is indefinitely delayed at this point. Disney has left the original announcement up on the Disney Parks Blog, which leads us to believe it isn’t completely dead, it just hasn’t made any progress since the initial announcement. Whether or not it ever will, well, that remains to be seen.

As for DisneyQuest, managers at Disney Springs have been told a closure will happen, it’s just a matter of when a tenant finally agrees to the space, whether that is NBA or someone else. So don’t expect DisneyQuest to be added back to any tickets anytime soon…

WINTER PARK, Fla. – Husband and wife chefs James and Julie Petrakis, who have won wide acclaim for their Winter Park, Florida restaurants Cask & Larder and The Ravenous Pig, will expand their Swine Family Restaurant Group to Disney Springs with a new concept, The Polite Pig. Partnering with the James Beard Foundation-nominated chefs will be Brian Petrakis, who owns and operates popular Orlando eatery Greens & Grille. The partnership unites the Petrakis brothers on a restaurant venture for the first time.

Scheduled to open in spring 2017, The Polite Pig will feature a variety of wood-fired smoked and grilled items. The restaurant will also introduce an innovative beverage program that serves all drinks on tap, including Cask & Larder beer, wine, and cocktails.

“As a locally-based restaurant group, it’s great to bring our new concept to Disney Springs where we’ll have the opportunity to showcase genuine Florida cuisine for guests from around the world,” James Petrakis said. “With so many talented chefs opening new restaurants at Disney Springs, we’re really excited to be part of a group helping Orlando distinguish itself as a world-class culinary destination.”

The Polite Pig will be located in the Town Center neighborhood. The 5,000-square-foot venue will be open daily, with seating for about 200 guests. Construction will be led by Gomez Construction, and HHCP Architects will oversee the restaurant’s overall design. Anna Schmidt Interior Design will handle interior design and Lure Design will spearhead branding efforts. All four firms are based in Florida.

About The Swine Family Restaurant Group:

Since opening in 2007 as one of the first Florida restaurants devoted to seasonal and local food, The Ravenous Pig has won numerous regional and national awards, including multiple James Beard Foundation “Best Chef” nominations for the Petrakises. It has also served as a career launching pad for chefs who have moved onto leading roles at other restaurants. Likewise for Cask & Larder, which was named one of Esquire magazine’s Best New Restaurants in 2014 and continues to garner acclaim not only for its Southern-inspired food, but for its brewery, under the direction of brewmaster Larry Foor, Jr. Swine & Sons, located just a few steps west of Cask & Larder, opened in 2015 under the direction of chef/partners Rhys and Alexia Gawlak. It serves breakfast, eat-in or takeout sandwiches and snacks, along with house-made charcuterie.

The Petrakises are also partners/consultants in a pair of much-anticipated restaurants that will open in the near future – DoveCote, in downtown Orlando, and a Cask & Larder location at Orlando International Airport.

FuelRods have certainly been dominating the Walt Disney World news cycle for a while now, and with Disney rolling out step by step directions in the MyDisneyExperience app, it’s understandable as to why these portable phone chargers are becoming such a big deal at the parks right now. Guests are going to be using up a lot of battery life utilizing this service, so making sure guests have a viable way to recharge their devices seems like a good idea. Well, Disney Springs is currently taking this plan a bit further…

Guest Relations locations have always given guests the option to leave their devices for charging, but never before have they rented out phone chargers to guests. Disney Springs is currently testing the program, under which guests can head into guest relations and choose if they would rather leave their device to charge or borrow a charger from Disney. If a guest chooses to borrow a charger, they can leave a $35.00 deposit and take a charger with them. When the guest is done with the charger, they can return it to get back the full deposit. Pretty nifty, huh?

The charger is pretty small, with a 2200mAh battery capacity. They are pre-charged by Disney for guest use. Guest relations does have a few iPhone and Android device USB cords available, but you may want to have your own with you as the cords are in short supply there.

The program has not been rolled out to the parks as of yet and is exclusive to Disney Springs at this time, but may very well roll-out to other locations soon.