PHOTOS & VIDEO: Super Hero Headquarters MARVEL Store Opens at Downtown Disney

The anxiously-anticipated Super Hero Headqaurters store soft-opened today at Downtown Disney West Side, and lucky for us, WDWNT’s own Nick LoCicero was there to check it out:

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The Super Hero Headquarters takes over what was United World Soccer

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There is nothing but tons of MARVEL items in the store

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The location is themed to a S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters

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Hero and villain bios come up on various screens

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There are also wanted posters on the walls

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You can get super-imposed as or with one of your favorite heroes in the store

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The Avengers Vinylmation series will be released May 1st

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There is a hidden reference to the opening date, as well as cast services…

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Due to legal restrictions, there is no sign of the MARVEL logo on the store

We also have a short video walk-through of the store to share with you:

PHOTOS: Harambe Market Menu and Facades Revealed, Opens This Month

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The 200+ seat Harambe Market counter-service restaurant will open to guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in late May. The food service windows and open-air market are the latest addition as part of a massive overhaul of the park which includes the new Rivers of Light nighttime show and the AVATAR themed land.

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Disney revealed the first images captured behind the work walls in Africa yesterday. The Marketplace resembles one built around a Colonial-era train depot, complete with a 1960’s water tower. The marketplace re-creates a bustling center of commerce where guests are welcomed from around the world who have come to visit the little seaside town and venture out to the reserve to observe Africa’s animals.

Chef Lenny DeGeorge led the Food and Beverage concept development team, and states that it’s the sort of food you’d find in a street market in Africa. “The menus reflect the unique personalities of the establishments’ owners,” says Chef Lenny.

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The restaurant is separated into 4 service windows.

  • “Kitamu Grill” offers skewered chicken and a kabob flatbread sandwich.
  • “Famous Sausages” features a corn dog, inspired by a South African sausage called a boerewors, dipped in curry-infused corn batter.
  • “Chef Mwanga’s” serves a spice-rubbed karubi rib with green papaya-carrot slaw. The karubi rib and curry corn dog are also available here.
  • Wanjohi Refreshments (“wanjohi” means “brewer” in Swahili) offers beverages including six South African wines by the glass; Safari Amber Lager and Orlando Brewing I-4 IPA on draft; red sangria with Van der Hum tangerine liqueur from South Africa; The Starr of Harambe, a frozen drink with Starr African rum with mango puree in a souvenir mug; non-alcoholic tangerine lemonade, and fountain beverages including Sparberry from Zimbabwe and Bibo from South Africa.

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The new market, together with the recently opened Harambe Theatre area doubles the size of the original Harambe Village in Africa at Animal Kingdom.

Camel Experience Being Tested at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

In one of the strangest stories I can recall reporting on, Animal Kingdom is about to test-out living camels walking through the park for guests to see…

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A camel float used to traverse the park…

The test will begin after park hours May 6th-9th. Disney will be taking camels out for a walk through the Africa and Discovery Island sections of the park during these nighttime walks. The camels will also do a few test walks with guests around on May 10th and 11th as they travel from Pizzafari to the Tree of Life. Should the test workout, the camels will be made a regular animal offering for the park. The documents released by Disney stressed that this was a direct result of the success of the Winged Encounters show.

PHOTOS: Walls Come Down In-Front of Chinese Theater, Former Sorcerer’s Hat at Hollywood Studios

WDWNT reader John Gibson sent us the following photos from Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The walls have come down around the former site of the Sorcerer’s Hat:

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The walls are down and planters have rolled in

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It appears the foundation from The Sorcerer’s Hat was kept to be the new “Center Stage” area

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The new area isn’t finished yet, but should be soon

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New palm trees have been planted

“Rebel Hangar” – Star Wars Lounge Dining Experience Added to Star Wars Weekends 2015, Reservations Open Now

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Some of the Backlot Express restaurant at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will become the “Rebel Hangar”, a first-time-ever Star Wars lounge experience for Star Wars Weekends 2015:

Calling All Space Travelers!

Bring your tastes and take your place in this makeshift home of visiting pilots, renegades and smugglers. Enter the Rebel Hangar: A Star Wars Lounge Experience!

Once a thriving port in a system in the Outer Rim, this abandoned space now serves as a rest stop and hangout for cosmic travelers of all kinds.

Explore the bounty of sights and sounds as you pass through the entryway—framed by the remnants long-abandoned spacecraft and other vehicles. Then, get ready for Star Wars-inspired food and beverage offerings as only a galaxy far, far away can supply—such as:

  • Spicy pork wings topped with piquillo pepper sauce
  • Slider sampler featuring barbecue-braised brisket with coleslaw, and barbecued pulled chicken with arugula
  • Hummus with red pepper coulis, black sesame dust and corn tortilla chips
  • Key lime cake

Don’t miss your chance to enjoy these unique intergalactic offerings—be sure to book your reservation online or by calling (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463!

Rebel Hangar: A Star Wars Lounge Experience will be available every Friday, Saturday and Sunday during Star Wars Weekends—from May 15 to June 14, 2015, 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

Reservation are available now but going fast, so hurry up and book today if you are attending Star Wars Weekends this year.

 

UPDATE: Disney has revealed more of the menu offerings:

  • Pilot’s Pomme Frites – these are tossed with parmesan cheese, garlic and parsley with a garlic aioli for dipping
  • Ensalada Naboo – seared chicken breast, bibb lettuce, grape tomatoes, watermelon radish, almond frica, and a parmesan-peppercorn ranch dressing
  • Lightsaber Bites – hand-dipped corn-battered knockwurst sausages with house-made chips and mustard dipping sauce
  • The Dark Fried – Chicken and Darth Vader waffles served with maple syrup and sweet barbecue sauce
  • Trio of Thermal Detonators – spicy pork wings topped with spicy piquillo-pepper sauce and slaw
  • Slider Sampler featuring “The Sith” barbecue-braised brisket with cole slaw and “The Jedi” with barbecued pulled chicken with arugula
  • Fruit and Cheese “Sabers” featuring Tillamook cheddar, Brie, goat cheese, pickled vegetables, crostini, cheddar crackers, blueberries, raspberries, honeydew melon, strawberry, olives and gherkins
  • Chips & Sith – hummus with red pepper coulis, black sesame dust, and corn tortilla chips
  • Yoda Key Lime Cake
  • Trio of Star Wars mini cupcakes, including Mini Darth Vader (chocolate-peanut butter), Mini Yoda (chocolate-hazelnut), and Mini Jabba the Hutt (salted caramel latte) served in the Han Solo Carbonite Souvenir Box

A new drink menu will also be available:

  • Imperial Blue – Maker’s Mark Whisky, Cointreau, Blue Curacao, sweet and sour, topped with Sprite
  • Tatooine Sunset – Stoli vanilla, Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, pineapple juice with grenadine
  • Rebel Red – Grey Goose vodka, Chambord, sour mix and a splash of grenadine
  • Dagobah Swamp Juice – Midori, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, sweet and sour, topped with lemon-lime foam
  • The Dark Side – Stoli vanilla vodka, Bailey’s liqueur, crème de cocoa and brownie garnish

BREAKING: Walt Disney World Officially Bans Selfie Stick Use on Attractions

It has been a long time coming, but Walt Disney World today officially notified all cast members that selfie sticks being used on rides and attractions will no longer be tolerated.

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Image from Jaunted.com, riders at Disneyland using the sticks while on Luigi’s Flying Tires

The elongating sticks that guests use to take cell phone “selfie” pictures have been a huge problem since their introduction, with many guests sticking the rods out beyond ride vehicles and such at the parks, posing a major safety threat to themselves and other guests.

Cast members at greeter positions in front of attractions are now instructed to ask any guest with a visible selfie stick to stow the item for the duration of the experience. A guest using the stick while enjoying a ride or attraction will be asked to stow the item over the attraction’s PA system or the attraction will be stopped immediately by the cast members according to the policy.

While not really a new policy, this is the first step by Disney to make sure all cast members handle use of the selfie sticks by guests in the same manner. Disney’s rules about sticking any items out of a moving ride vehicle have always been the same, it is completely prohibited. The memo to cast members today simply ensures that all of the employees know about the issue and are trained to resolve it.

Selfie sticks are still allowed at Walt Disney World theme parks outside of rides and attractions.

Magic Kingdom Hard-Ticket Party Event Dates and Ticket Prices Announced for 2015

All tickets go on sale tomorrow, 4/8/15:

MICKEY’S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY 2015

  • September 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, & 27
  • October 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31
  • November 1

All September dates & 10/1 – $68.00 plus tax age 10+, $63.00 plus tax age 3-9 in advance, $74.00/$69 same-day

October dates & 11/1 – $74.00 plus tax age 10+, $69.00 plus tax age 3-9 in advance, $79/$74.00 same-day

10/31 – $87.00 plus tax age 10+, $82.00 plus tax age 3-9

Passholder Rates available 9/15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27; 10/1, 4, 6, 8, 12, 13, 15, 18, 20; & 11/1 – Rates are $63/$58 plus tax for September nights and 10/1, $70/$65 plus tax for October nights and 11/1.


MICKEY’S VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS PARTY 2015

  • November 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 29
  • December 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18

Advance Ticket Sales – $74.00 plus tax age 10+, $69.00 plus tax age 3-9

Same-Day – $79.00 plus tax age 10+, $74.00 plus tax age 3-9 in advance

Premium Night 12/18 – $82.00 plus tax age 10+, $77.00 plus tax age 3-9

Passholder Rates available 11/8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19; 12/1, 3, & 8 – Rates are $70/$65 plus tax

Blast off to Star Wars Weekends With a Special Offer at the Swan and Dolphin Hotel

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel is offering guests the chance to enjoy the month-long Star Wars Weekends celebration at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with special rates starting at $185, May 15-June 15.

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Guests staying at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin are within walking distance or short complimentary boat ride to all the festivities taking place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Star Wars Weekends will be held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 15-June 14. The 2015 event will feature Star Wars characters roaming the theme park for meet-and-greet opportunities, star conversations with Star Wars celebrities, a Star Wars motorcade through the park, interactive activities, exclusive merchandise and more.

In addition to staying within walking distance of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, guests at the Epcot Resort-area hotel will receive exclusive theme park benefits, such as complimentary transportation throughout Walt Disney World Resort, Disney FastPass+ service, which allows guests to reserve up to three select theme park experiences up to 60 days in advance of their visit, and the extended park hours benefit, which allows guests to spend extra time and enjoy select attractions in one of the four Walt Disney World Theme Parks each day.

For more details about savings at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel, visit www.swandolphin.com/offers. To make room reservations, call 1-800-227-1500 and mention “STARWARS.” Rates start at $185 per night. Taxes, resort services fee and gratuities not included. Not valid with any other special offers, promotions, or for existing reservations or groups; offer is based on rate schedule availability.

More Details, Opening Dates, and Annual Pass Previews Announced for 12 Minute Sneak Peek of Disney’s “Tomorrowland”

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Walt Disney Studios announced today an unprecedented collaboration between the Studio, Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort to offer park guests a 12-minute sneak peek of Disney’s upcoming thrilling, mystery-adventure film, “Tomorrowland,” opening in U.S. theaters on May 22. Guests will also enjoy an impressive exhibit that features the making of the movie with props, concept artwork and photos from the filming of the movie plus exclusive images from the Disney Archives. The sneak peek and exhibit will open April 17 in Tomorrowland at Disneyland Park and on April 18 in Future World at Epcot and will be available to the public for a limited time. There will be an annual passholder preview at Walt Disney World on April 17th, but no details have been provided on that offering yet.

The must-see event marks the first time that a sneak peek has been offered at Epcot in Walt Disney World and the first time Walt Disney Studios has teamed up with both parks to showcase an upcoming Disney film with footage and an in-depth look at the making of the film. Sure to spark the imagination and curiosity of all, the special exhibit details the process of bringing director Brad Bird’s vision to life and will show how filmmakers created the world of Tomorrowland, along with archival images of iconic Disneyland attractions featured in the movie.

In the movie, the premise that the futuristic city of Tomorrowland could actually exist pays homage to Walt Disney’s vision for both Tomorrowland at Disneyland Resort and Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort where ever-evolving technologies are showcased along with ideas to make the world a better place for all.

Commenting on the exclusive “Tomorrowland” sneak peek event, Brad Bird, the film’s two-time Oscar® winning director, says, “We are excited that park guests will be the first to get an extended look at ‘Tomorrowland’ in the part of Disneyland that inspired the film. Tomorrowland is the one section of the park that Walt Disney himself designed to be tied inexorably to constant change. After all, the future is always in motion, continually shifting as humankind’s choices of the present remake the world ahead of us. ‘Tomorrowland’ is a state of mind. My hope is that the exhibit will convey some of the magic that went into bringing this land… and this movie, to life.”

“Tomorrowland,” a riveting mystery adventure starring Academy Award® winner George Clooney, tells the story of former boy-genius Frank (Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, who are bound by a shared destiny and embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as “Tomorrowland.” What they must do there changes the world—and them—forever.

Featuring a screenplay by “Lost” writer and co-creator Damon Lindelof and Brad Bird, from a story by Lindelof & Bird & Jeff Jensen, “Tomorrowland” promises to take audiences on a thrill ride of nonstop adventures through new dimensions that have only been dreamed of.

The film also stars Hugh Laurie as brilliant scientist David Nix, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw, Kathryn Hahn, Keegan-Michael Key and Thomas Robinson.

“Tomorrowland” is produced by Damon Lindelof, Brad Bird and Jeffrey Chernov and directed by Brad Bird, with John Walker, Bernard Bellew, Jeff Jensen and Brigham Taylor serving as executive producers.

New Shops & Restaurants Coming to The Landing as The Boathouse Prepares to Open April 13th in Disney Springs

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When the Boathouse opens as the first new restaurant of Disney Springs next week (April 13th), several new retailers will be following close behind, joining it in the lineup for The Landing:

  • Erwin Pearl – offers a fine selection of enamel, precious, and semi-precious fashion jewelry marked by style, creativity, and outstanding quality.
  • Joffrey’s Tea – specializing in teas (iced or hot) featuring custom blends, accessories, and packaged teas.
  • Vivoli Gelateria – serving panini sandwiches, espresso drinks, and expertly crafted gelato made with fresh, seasonal ingredients.

No opening dates were given for these new businesses, but they should be fairly soon. New Downtown Disney guidemaps will be released on the 13th to reflect all of the new additions.