“Summer Nightastic!” Debuts Early!

WDWNT on May 8, 2010

According to park schedules released by Disney, “The Main Street Electrical Parade” and the “Summer Nightastic! Fireworks Spectacular” should be debuting early. The parade and fireworks are set to begin one night earlier than expected on Saturday, June 5th, with Electrical Parade at 9PM and the Fireworks Spectacular at 10PM. For those who wish to catch Spectromagic and Wishes! one more time before they “glow” away for the Summer, you can see them on June 4th at 9PM and 10PM respectively.

A strange note: the only night of “Summer Nightastic!” that is not scheduled to feature a Main Street Electrical Parade performance is Wednesday, June 9th. Other than that, the parade is set to perform every night through August 14th at 9PM (except 4th of July weekend where it will perform at 10:30PM).

For anyone who were afraid that Spectromagic or Wishes! might not return on time, fear not. Both are scheduled to return right on time August 15th. As usual, all of these dates and times are subject to change, but this is what Disney is saying at the moment.

Disney Vacation Connection Launches

WDWNT on May 7, 2010

A few weeks ago, we told you about Disney Vacation Connection. Well it has officially launched. It may take you a while to load the page and download it, but I think it’s going to be worth it in the long run. Here’s what the Disney Parks Blog posted today about Disney Vacation Connection:

UPDATE – May 7: It’s here. We’ve launched the new Disney Vacation Connection desktop widget and it’s ready for you to explore. Just visit DisneyVacationConnection.com and click the “Download Now” button. Also, if you’d like a quick tour to see what it’s all about, check out the video from our earlier “sneak peek” post below.

Disney Vacation Connection Desktop Widget

Today, we’re sharing a sneak peek at the new Disney Vacation Connection desktop widget –- that’s it…right there with Pluto. When you open the red suitcase on your computer screen you’ll find valuable news, calendars and information about Disney theme parks, Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney and Disney Vacation Club. It’ll be easy to try. Just download the widget to your desktop (free of charge) and you can customize planning for your next vacation, find special events and ticket prices and create a personalized Disney vacation countdown. Here’s a quick walk through showing how it’ll work.

Fantasyland Construction Walls Provide Some Disney Magic

WDWNT on May 7, 2010

WDWNT Network Community Forum user FreakOuter84 provided us with the following photos of the construction walls in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom:

The walls now have large landscapes and descriptions of what’s to come

Note that this isn’t concept art, but artwork from the films

Preview of “Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid”

Enchanted Tales with Belle

Prince Eric’s castle from The Little Mermaid

Maurice’s Cottage

To discuss this update, click this link.

Last Tour to Endor (Or Is It?)

WDWNT on May 6, 2010

The following press release was issued by the Star Wars Celebration website:

BE THE FIRST TO BE THE LAST,

AS STAR TOURS PREPARES TO LAUNCH ITS…

LAST TOUR TO ENDOR

On August 14, Fan-Favorite Disney Theme Park Attraction

Gets the Ultimate, Out-of-this-World Send-Off

Exclusive Festivities Coincide with the Biggest Party

This Side of the Galaxy – Star Wars Celebration V

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – After more than a decade of interstellar travel, Disney Parks’ StarTours attraction is powering down to make way for its reimagining in 2011 – but Last Tour to Endor offers fans the opportunity to attend an out of-this-world, first-of-its-kind decommissioning party before Star Tours launches its final flights. Taking place on August 14 from 8:00pm – 1:00am at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Last Tour to Endor is a special event on the Saturday night of Star Wars Celebration V – THE official Lucasfilm fan convention and the biggest Star Wars™ party in the galaxy! Fans and families attending Last Tour to Endor at the Walt Disney World Resort can enjoy a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience – including specially-themed intergalactic party zones, Star Wars shows, a Death Star Disco and much more. The evening will culminate with Symphony in the Stars – a Star Wars fireworks spectacular as only Disney Parks can create. Though the party begins at 8:00pm, Last Tour ticket-holders will also be allowed early entrance to Disney’s Hollywood Studios at 4:00pm – where they can be sure to secure a seat one of the StarSpeeder 3000’s final voyages!

Disney Parks will also have a prominent presence on the Celebration V show floor at the Orange County Convention Center – including Jedi Training Academy for younglings and Padawans and a Disney merchandise booth featuring a host of exclusive items as well as Star Wars items only previously available at Disney park stores. CV attendees will also enjoy special room rates at Walt Disney World Resort Hotels, specially-priced tickets with pre-arrival purchase savings for Walt Disney World parks and an exclusive, reserved room block at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – which will include complimentary round-trip transfers to and from the
convention center.

To purchase tickets – and to take advantage of Last Tour to Endor special offers – visit www.starwarscelebration.com/Disney. For more information on Star Wars Celebration V visit www.starwarscelebration.com for the latest updates.

Tickets to this event guarantee only one of the final rides on the original Star Tours, not the last. The ride will still operate beyond August 14th. How much longer after that date is unknown. Rumors indicate the attraction will close on September 8th, but it is yet to be confirmed by Disney. Stay tuned as we get more information on the Star Tours farewell festivities.

You’ll Be Looking for Droids at Star Wars Weekends

WDWNT on May 3, 2010

We were quite excited to tell you that Jedi Mickey Mouse would get his own astromech droid companion in the form of toys, pins, and more a few weeks ago, but R2-MK may be doing a bit more at Star Wars Weekends 2010. He may actually be appearing. Rumors indicate that a “walk-around” living character of R2-MK will be making appearances with Jedi Mickey at Star Wars Weekends this year. While this is just a rumor at this point, we have been hearing rumblings that the character is backstage at Walt Disney World and should appear when Star Wars Weekends begin at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 21st. Star Wars Weekends events then run every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Studios until June 13th.

WDWNT: The Wallpapers #2

WDWNT on May 1, 2010

Thanks to the amazing talent and generosity of photographer Tim Goodchild of timgoodchild.com, we are able to provide these downloadable wallpapers for your computer monitor.  Simply click the link corresponding to your monitor’s resolution, then save the resulting image file to your computer.  We will have select wallpapers available for dual-monitor and triple-monitor setups as well.

We will try to present a new wallpaper image once a week. This week, we present the Hollywood Tower Hotel on Sunset Blvd. at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

1024×768
1280×800
1280×1024
1440×900
1680×1050
1920×1080
1920×1200
Dual Monitor 1024×768 = 2048×768
Dual Monitor 1280×1024 = 2560×1024
Dual Monitor 1680×1050 = 3360×1050
Triple Monitor 1024×768 = 3072×768
Triple Monitor 1280×1024 = 3840×1024