PHOTOS: ‘Kingdom of Cute’ Vinylmation Series Puts a Smile on Classic Park Icons at Disney Parks Next Month

A brand new vinylmation series is coming to the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts, putting a happy face on some of your favorite theme park icons.

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This new series is called the ‘Kingdom of Cute’ and features classic Disney ‘icons’ such as Space Mountain, Dole Whips, the Sword in the Stone and many more, turned into cute and adorable Vinylmation figures!

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These vinylmations will be available at Disney Parks beginning June 2, 2017. Once available, they can be purchased at Disney Pin Traders and the WonderGround Gallery in the Marketplace Co-Op at Disney Springs, or at the Disneyland Resort at D Street and the WonderGround Gallery in Downtown Disney.

REVIEW: Mobile Ordering Debuts at Walt Disney World Counter Service Restaurants, Does It Work?

A few weeks ago, we told you that Mobile Ordering through the MyDisneyExperience app was coming to select Walt Disney World Resort counter service eateries. Well, yesterday, during a special preview of Pandora: The World of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we got to try out the service at the Satuli Canteen.

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The latest update of the app is necessary to use mobile ordering, so make sure you download it.

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Upon opening the updated app, it informs guests of the new service, even though it is in very limited testing.

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Guests registered for a preview of Pandora: The World of AVATAR can utilize the service at Satuli Canteen, who plans to launch with the service when they open on May 27th.

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All you have to do is go to the restaurant of your choice in the app (who offers the service, of course), and select the “Order Food” option.

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As we told you before, the Dining Plan can not be used for this service, only credit cards.

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Ordering is very simple as you just select an entree…

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Once the entree is selected, you can then customize it as you wish.

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You can pretty much remove any of the ingredients, which I thought was impressive.

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When I selected a fountain beverage, the app even tried to up-sell me a Navi Flute Cup. Don’t be ridiculous app, I already have it!

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You can take a look at what’s in your “cart” or “bag” at any time to remove or change the quantity of an item. Once it is to your liking (and you skip over the cup up-sell again), you can hit “Review Order Summary”.

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The “Order Summary” screen gives you one final chance to look at the order, see the price, and purchase it. It will automatically use the credit card attached to your MyDisneyExperience account unless you change it at the bottom of this page. Then you can just hit purchase when ready.

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Once you have pre-paid using your credit card on file, you get a confirmation message. At this point, you can go do whatever and return when you are ready to eat later that day. I, in fact, placed this order three hours before returning to Satuli Canteen. When I even got anywhere near the restaurant, a notification would pop up and ask if I was ready to dine there, a nice feature to have.

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Upon reopening the app, you can find your pre-order in a separate box in “My Plans”, awaiting you to click the “I’m Here, Prepare My Order” button.

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You will need to present your order number, so have this ready when you do retrieve your food.

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Once you hit the button, then your food will be prepared. You don’t have to do anything until it tells you that your order is ready.


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I kept the app open through the entire process, so I saw the 3rd light turn green and tell me that my order was ready to be picked up. If you close the app, you can still get a notification to go to the counter, as you can see below.

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As I said above, when the food is ready, the 3rd dot will turn green and it will tell you to head on over.

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This is when you visit the counter labeled for Mobile Order Pick-Up, and if all goes according to plan, you will have your food and drink within seconds of your arrival. Everything worked for us and it was super convenient. The other person I was visiting with used the regular ordering process and I had my meal in hand much faster than he did, so should this system continue to work in this fashion, I think Disney has a real winner on its hands.

Mobile ordering will be also be available for the following counter service locations at the four Walt Disney World theme parks and Disney Springs at some point in the future:

  • ABC Commissary
  • Backlot Express
  • Columbia Harbor House
  • Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe
  • D-Luxe Burger
  • Electric Umbrella
  • Flame Tree Barbecue
  • Liberty Inn
  • Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe
  • Pinocchio Village Haus
  • Pizzafari
  • Restaurantosaurus
  • Satu’li Canteen
  • Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant
  • Tortuga Tavern

An exact start date for the service at all of these restaurants is still unknown, but we do know that at the very least Satuli Canteen will be using mobile ordering starting in May. More restaurants may be added in the future should the program prove successful.

‘Delicious Disney’ Chef Series Events Coming to the Walt Disney World Resort

The “Delicious Disney” Chef Series is an event that will feature well renowned culinarians from the the Walt Disney Resort, where they will present to you unique culinary creations with some delectable wine pairings, and bookings for these events are now open for Tables in Wonderland members.

The events will be taking place only one day each month starting May 31st and will go through till December. Each event day is a different culinary showcase with different offerings. All of the days are $249 per person except for the event day on December 6th, which is only $199.

Tickets are available now until supplies last. You can get tickets by calling 407-939-5773 from 9am-5pm ET if you are a Tables in Wonderland member. For a full list of offerings each month, take a look below.

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REVIEW: Alcoholic Oatmeal, Breakfast Pods, and Other Unique Eats on Satuli Canteen Breakfast Menu in Pandora: The World of AVATAR

Earlier this week, we reviewed lunch and dinner at the Satuli Canteen, but today, we review a menu of far greater interest, breakfast. Why is breakfast so interesting at this eatery in Pandora: The World of AVATAR? Well, you clicked this story based on the headline right? Alcoholic oatmeal? Breakfast pods?

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With a menu sounding so interesting, I couldn’t wait to try breakfast here.

Satuli Canteen Breakfast Menu

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Satuli Canteen Breakfast Menu – Pandora: The World of AVATAR

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Satuli Canteen Allergy-Friendly Breakfast Menu – Pandora: The World of AVATAR

Entrees

Steel Cut Oatmeal ($7.49)

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Steel-cut Oats, topped with Caramelized Brown Sugar, Bourbon-soaked Raisins, Marcona Almonds and Goji Berries. This item is prepared with alcohol and can only be ordered by Guests 21 years of age or older.

At the end of the day, this is an $8 oatmeal dish, but I really enjoyed it. The caramelized brown sugar mixed with the bourbon from the raisins makes for sweet and satisfying bites, and the other assorted toppings are worth a try. There was enough bourbon inn here to make the dish smell like a glass of it, so I think you’ll be happy with the results. I don’t often crave oatmeal, but even just writing this review, I have the urge to eat this dish again.

Disney actually won’t let anyone under 21 order this, but you can get a non-alcoholic version instead. My suggestion would be to skip this if you are under 21 because the bourbon is where most of the desired flavor comes from.

Breakfast Steamed Pod ($8.49)

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Steamed Pods filled with Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Spinach, Cheddar Cheese served with Pickled Slaw

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As exciting as these sounded, they were fairly standard and again had the problem of too much bread and not enough substance. Also, no one is going to be full from this dish. It needs a real side, not this pickled slaw that already comes with every lunch and dinner dish.

Steak and Eggs ($9.99)

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Vegetable-Goat Cheese Frittata and Wood Fired Herb Crusted Beef, with Chimichuri sauce.

Another winning dish, the frittata is loaded with vegetables, but is still light enough to be enjoyable, while the steak is pretty much the same as what comes in the lunch and dinner bowls (which is good). Opposed to lunch, the Chimichuri sauce actually paired well with everything in this dish.

Pork Hash ($8.99)

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Slow Roasted Pork and Potato Hash topped with Grilled Chorizo Sausage, Green Onions served with Natural Jus

Probably the best breakfast dish overall, this meal is also quite sizable. The potato hash is similar to the one at lunch (minus the sweet potatoes), mixed with well-cooked pork and a tasty grilled chorizo sausage. I like this type of dish spicy, so it is nice that there is tabasco at the nearby condiment station.

French Toast ($7.99)

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Cinnamon Swirl French Toast topped with Blueberry Cream Cheese Dollop, Passion Fruit Anglaise and Pork Sausage

This sounded like it would be so good, but it was a complete letdown. The blueberry cream cheese dollop (because everything from the lunch and dinner menu has to appear at breakfast I suppose) blends horribly with the french toast, but I think the problem is all with the toast. It’s mostly flavorless and was kind of tough honestly. The sausage was good and the plate was of a good size, but this just isn’t something I would order again.

OVERALL

The Satuli Canteen breakfast menu goes 3-for-5 in our experience, with those three dishes all being ones we would order again. Based on the overall weakness of breakfast options in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, this would certainly be my go-to.

Don’t forget to check out our lunch and dinner review of the Satuli Canteen in Pandora: The World of AVATAR, which also includes a rundown of the drinks and desserts offered here, in addition to every one of the entrees.

TONIGHT on WDW News Tonight (5/17/17) – In-Depth Review of Pandora: The World of AVATAR, Happily Ever After, Win Prizes from Pandora!

Tonight on WDW News Tonight, we explore Pandora: The World of AVATAR, review Happily Ever After art the Magic Kingdom, and play The Math Game for prizes straight from the planet of Pandora!

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If you are in the Orlando area, you can tune in to 105.5 FM or AM 1520 WBZW at showtime. For those outside of the Orlando area, the show can be watched via video stream at listen.WDWNT.com on your computer or mobile device. You can also use WDWNT: The App to watch and chat along. The show also utilizes a live chat and the ability to call-in to interact with the show. WDW News Tonight is hosted by Tom Corless and Nick LoCicero, but also features appearances by a number of other WDWNT correspondents and announcer Michelle Wargo.

Coming up on this week’s show:

  • A recap of the week’s news (with a WDWNT comedic twist)
  • An In-Depth Discussion of all aspects of Pandora: The World of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (20 hours of experience, food reviews, attraction experiences, and more)
  • The Wonderful World of Psychotic Comments
  • “WDWNT: The Math Game” for prizes from Pandora: The World of AVATAR, provided by WDWNT: The App
  • Who Hates Tom Now?
  • And more!

We hope that you will tune in tonight at 9PM ET for a very special episode of WDW News Tonight!

If you missed last week’s show, be sure to watch it:

Happily Ever After Forces Magic Kingdom to Shift Times for Move It, Shake It, Dance & Play It Street Party

Due to large crowds awaiting the nightly performance of Happily Ever After at the Magic Kingdom, Disney has adjusted the times for the Move It, Shake It, Dance and Play It Street Party.

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The new daily showtimes are as follows:

  • 12:30PM
  • 5:40PM (moved from 5:45PM)
  • 7:00PM (moved from 7:45PM)

These changes will affect the rest of this week, but it is possible that the popularity of the new fireworks spectacular will require further changes to the performance schedule.

Details on Entertainment & Nighttime Lighting Ceremony Taking Place Daily in Pandora: The World of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

While various previews of Pandora: The World of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are ongoing, guests are still not seeing a finished product of the land and will not until May 27th, 2017. On opening day, Disney will debut entertainment offerings, as well as a nighttime lighting ceremony for Pandora.

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The drum circle show, which has been mentioned before, will debut on the 27th, performing up to 14 times per day during the long operating hours planned for this Summer. The 8PM show will be a special one as it will reportedly bring the bioluminescence of Pandora to life right before the eyes of guests.

It is also rumored that there will be lead ACE team members who will be roaming the land in-character, teaching guests about the planet.

In addition to entertainment, none of the bioluminescent effects on the planet will be activated for guests until opening day. Inside sources also tell us that the interactive plant life on Pandora is not completed yet and that there will be more to touch and interact with once the finished product is unveiled.

VIDEO: Preview the Theme Song & Finale Music for Magic Kingdom’s ‘Happily Ever After’

Disney has given us another look behind-the-scenes of the upcoming nighttime spectacular Happily Ever After, set to debut May 12th at the Magic Kingdom. This time around, they show off the original theme song of the show, also showcasing what the song means to the 2 singers; Jordan Fischer and Angie Keilhauer. Here is that video below from the Disney Parks Blog:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzVag7rmQ6U]

Happily Ever After will debut at the Magic Kingdom May 12th.

Disney Store Introducing “Fantasyland Football” Theme Park Merchandise in Fall 2017

Based on the success of the annual March Magic promotion from Disney Parks and DisneyStore.com, Disney will be introducing a similar event in the Fall of 2017.

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Guests who ordered March Magic t-shirts were given cards to promote the new event with different icons from either the Walt Disney World Wonders or the Disneyland Dreamers. The teams will be pitted against each other in some way when the event begins.

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We received Figment in the mail, but many other icons were mailed out to guests.

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No further details are available as of yet, but we will keep you posted as more becomes available.

Portobello at Disney Springs Will Not Return, New Restaurant with Outdoor Bar Announced

Levy Restaurants, a Chicago-based restaurant company which operates more than 100 food-service locations in the United States and Canada, has announce the development of a new, Italian restaurant concept at Disney Springs. Previously, it had been indicated that this restaurant would remain Portobello and undergo extensive menu changes only.

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James Beard award-winner and Top Chef Master, Tony Mantuano, is leading the development of the restaurant, which will replace the space at Disney Springs that was occupied by Portobello Country Italian Trattoria. The new restaurant’s menu will feature dishes inspired by Chef Tony’s adventures across the many regions of Italy.

In order to accommodate the large-scale renovations, Portobello closed its doors April 24 with plans for the new concept to reopen in early Fall 2017.

Based on the concept art, it appears that an outdoor bar area will be added during the renovations.

“We’ve been grateful to serve our loyal guests at Portobello for the last seven years,” said Andy Lansing, President and CEO of Levy Restaurants. “We look forward to welcoming our guests back to the location early this fall when we unveil a new concept at Disney Springs.”