Max Guggenheim was at The Disneyland Resort today and captured a plethora of newsworthy photos to share. As the parks continue into the slow season, a lot of interesting things are happening around the resort…
Go Wild.. at the Mickey and Friends Tram
After hearing that Pleasure Island was starting to crumble, we sent WDWNT Reporter Banks Lee to investigate the preparation work for Hyperion Wharf and here’s what he saw:
The AMC has closed their side entrance to convert it into the new “Dine-In Theater” entrance
Read More about Banks Lee’s 1/7/10 Downtown Disney Photo Report
Demolition work has now begun on the former Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney as Hyperion Wharf is slated for completion in 2013. WDWNT Reporter Adam Roth was visiting what was left of the Island during the holidays and took the following photos, so keep in mind these were taken a few weeks ago:
Most of the Motion building is gone already, but it was starting to come down in this photo
Read More about Bulldozers Turning the Island into the Wharf
I was at The Disneyland Resort yesterday and the day before to enjoy some fun in the sun. Lot’s of work walls popping up due to the upcoming slow season for the next month or two.
On the 4th, work walls surround the CALIFORNIA letters to prepare them for removal
Read More about Conner Purzycki’s 1/4/10 – 1/5/10 DLR Photo Report
While we don’t usually talk about the latest discounts at Walt Disney World, two new commercials are airing and we thought we would feature them. The first ad has been around for a little while but has returned for a new offer and the second add was first used at Disneyland last year:
If you are interested in booking any of these offers, you can do so with Magical Travel… đ
We first reported on the new “gourmet” hamburgers at Walt Disney World last month, but now Disney is giving out official details via the Disney Parks Blog:
We love to tell the story of Walt Disney World cuisine being so much more than hot dogs and hamburgers, but when you want a burger, well, you want a burger. The Walt Disney World chefs have kicked it up with nearly a dozen satisfying âdesigner burgersâ that take buns to new heights.
All of the new sandwiches start with a 1/3 pound Angus burger (you might consider sharing). In the Magic Kingdom Park, try one at Cosmic Rayâs Starlight Cafe topped with Cheddar cheese, guacamole and bacon. At Epcot, Liberty Inn features two: a veggie burger with Monterey Jack cheese, avocado, tomato and lettuce; and a second topped with smoked ham, bacon, smoked Gouda cheese, red onion, tomato, pickle, lettuce and mustard aioli sauce. Also at Epcot, the Electric Umbrella is serving the mushroom-blue burger with sautĂ©ed mushrooms, bacon, blue cheese, fried onion straws, lettuce and tomato.
At Disneyâs Hollywood Studios, try the surf ân turf burger at the ABC Commissary â the Cheddar cheeseburger is topped with fried shrimp, a sweet onion ring, tomato, pickle, lettuce and their own special sauce. Rosieâs tops a Cheddar burger with fried onion rings, tomato, pickle, lettuce and special sauce. At Backlot Express, look for a Cheddar cheeseburger topped with diced avocado, sweet onion ring, lettuce, tomato and special sauce.
In the Walt Disney World Resorts, All-Star Music features a bacon-mushroom-Swiss burger; All-Star Sports a chili cheeseburger, and All-Star Movies a bacon-guacamole cheeseburger. At Old Port Royale at Disneyâs Caribbean Beach Resort, try the Caribbean burger topped with sweet plaintains, fried onion straws and pineapple barbecue chutney. Port Orleans Riverside has a chipotle-barbecue cheeseburger topped with bacon and onion rings, and Sassagoula at Port Orleans is serving the Creole burger topped with crispy popcorn shrimp and remoulade sauce. Everything Pop at Disneyâs Pop Century Resort piles on Swiss cheese, bacon, fried onion straws and barbecue sauce.
Itâs a meal in a bun. Devour with delight, then walk an extra hour â or two.
The Block Party Bash came to an end on January 1st at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The parade/show was just approaching it’s 3rd anniversary at the park, debuting in March 2008 after a run at Disney California Adventure from May 2005 through January 2008. Luckily, Banks Lee was there for the final performance and captured it on video for all of us to enjoy:
Now that Block Party Bash is gone, we can turn our attention to the upcoming “PIXAR Pals: Countdown to Fun”. The new parade is scheduled to debut on January 16th, but as always, we can expect some early performances at some point in the days before the official first performance. There has been a lot of speculation as to what floats will be included in the parade since the announcement. We expect to see the existing Block Party Bash floats that carry characters from “A Bug’s Life”, “Monsters Inc.”, and “Toy Story”, but what are the floats carrying characters from “The Incredibles”, “Ratatouille”, and “Up” going to look like? Here’s our theory:
Either Walt Disney World has built a new float for “The Incredibles” or we can expect to see these floats make their way to Florida from California Adventure this week
Construction and new float height requirements are being cited for the removal of the PIXAR Play Parade from DCA, and this is one of the taller floats, so it would make sense to send it to the Studios.
The “Ratatouille” float was the tallest in the parade and was only used during busy Summer months, so we can assume we will see this at DHS
The “Up” float is another mystery, but the little seen pre-parade float from California in 2009 seems like a candidate
Another question is the parade soundtrack. Yes, we can expect to hear the PIXAR Play Parade main theme and the songs that were in that parade to play along with characters from “Ratatouille”, “The Incredibles”, “Monsters Inc.”, “Toy Story” and “A Bug’s Life”, but what about “Up”? These characters were never in that parade, so we should expect to hear something new for Carl Fredrickson and the gang. Again, this is all purely speculation at this point but are the most likely outcomes for this new parade we’ll see at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2 weeks. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information becomes available on the “PIXAR Pals Countdown to Fun”.
WDWNT Reporter Zach Larson stopped by the Magic Kingdom for a few hours on Tuesday afternoon and has a few photos from his trip to share with us:
It’s busy, no surprise there…
Read More about Zach Larson’s 12/28/10 Magic Kingdom Photo Report
From Bonnie McCarthy of WalletPop.com:
In an era lived at the speed of 4G, the Imagineers at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., have spent the past year establishing systems and park controls designed to prevent long lines and agonizing wait times from thwarting the buzz at the “Happiest Place on Earth.”
If successful, their efforts will mean more fun for the price of admission — as well as more time to shop (read: spend money) and eat (more money). Everybody wins.
In the article, “Disney Tackles Major Theme Park Problem: Lines,” New York Times reporter, Brooks Barnes, revealed that Disney World’s new, high-tech nerve center hidden beneath Cinderella’s Castle, “uses video cameras, computer programs, digital park maps and other whiz-bang tools to spot gridlock before it forms and deploy countermeasures in real time.” Score one for progress!
For example, according to Brooks, if computers monitoring the number of guests waiting to ride Pirates of the Caribbean indicate a spike from green to yellow, “the center might respond by alerting managers to launch more boats.” Cool.
Similarly, the center may send costumed characters to distract … err, entertain, folks waiting in line or direct a mini parade to entice guests into a more unpopulated area. Pied pipers of fun (and crowd control) so to speak.
The command center also keeps an eye on restaurant and gift shop lines and will advise managers to open more registers or hand out menus to waiting guests in order to speed things up. Anyone who’s ever languished in line should appreciate the effort. Phil Holmes, vice president of the Magic Kingdom, flagship Disney World park told the Times, “These moments add up until they collectively help the entire park.”
In fact, Disney World has reported that since the new command center has gone into effect, the average number of rides per admission has increased from nine rides-per-visit to 10. Mama likes.
Although Disney has been using technology for years (analyzing data, Fast Pass systems and weather satellites), Mickey’s new Bat Cave demonstrates an increased commitment to modernization. Thomas O. Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts told the Times, “It’s not about us needing to keep pace with technological change. We need to set the pace for that kind of change.”
Brooks points out that Disney is already experimenting with smart phone apps that can help visitors find where their favorite Disney princesses and characters are currently appearing in the park, and they have also added 87 video game stations to the highly trafficked waiting area for Space Mountain.
In the future, new wrist-band technology containing individual Disney preferences, identification and credit card information may further grease the wheels of wait times and provide a more personalized experience. “Picture a day where there is memory built into these characters — they will know that they’ve seen you four or five times before and that your name is Bobby,” said Bruce E. Vaughn, chief creative executive at Walt Disney Imagineering in an interview with the Times. “Those are the kinds of limits that are dissolving so quickly that we can see being able to implement them in the meaningfully near future.”
Definitely something to think about if you’ve been considering reserving one of those new budget-friendly rooms scheduled to open at Disney World in 2012. Hold on tight to your mouse ears and buckle up, the future is gonna be a wild ride — with much shorter lines.
With all of the changes coming to the Magic Kingdom in the coming months and years, it was only a matter of time before the recorded spiels on the Walt Disney World Railroad had to be changed. Well, they were changed on Thursday. There is a new voice and narration on the trains for the first time since the opening of Toontown Fair in 1996. The new spiels include the addition of Jack Sparrow to Pirates of the Caribbean (Just to give you an idea how long it has been since this has been changed) and mentions of all the new attractions coming as part of the Fantasyland Forest Expansion. The spiels also include Mickey’s Toontown Fair despite it closing in February, so expect to see the narration change frequently.  Banks Lee was there to capture the new spiels as well as a ride on the Railroad in video, so enjoy:
