Each May, we take the time to honor and showcase the love we have for our moms; that day this year is May 14th, Mother’s Day.
Mother’s Day is when we celebrate all that our moms have done for us and what better way then to spend it at Walt Disney World?
This Mother’s Day, Disney Springs has put together some special offerings and promotions to ‘pamper’ your mom with. Take a look at the flyer below:
As always, you can click the images above to make them larger. Some of the offerings you can expect to find are 10% off all purchases over $40 at Basin, 3 macaroons in a chocolate jewelry box for only $20 at Amorette’s, and much more!
Each offer is different and has a different ending and starting date, so pay attention to those. We hope you can use these promotional offers to get your mother something nice!
Over the last week, I have seen a number of rumors circling the internet about a volcano-themed roller coaster possibly being constructed in Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom. I find the rumor strange for a number of reasons, first because it seems likely that a TRON roller coaster is being constructed in the park in the next 4 years (why build 2 roller coasters simultaneously?), but secondly, because we have been hearing for over a year now about Walt Disney World’s plans for a new resort hotel themed around a volcano.
Another Disney Parks Volcano – Mount Prometheus, Tokyo DisneySea
About a year ago, a reliable source informed us that Disney was looking to build a new luxury resort in the Magic Kingdom area, one that would have a large volcano at the very center of it. Around the volcano would be all manners of recreational activities, including pools, slides, a lazy river, live entertainment, dining areas, and more.
Original (and still possible) proposed site for volcano-themed hotel
Last I had heard, the project was slated for the land between the Transportation and Ticket Center and Disney’s Contemporary Resort, but the project may have actually moved closer to the Magic Kingdom now. In fact, it might be inside of it, located behind Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise.
The space in the Magic Kingdom rumored for a volcano roller coaster is more likely going to be home to a luxury resort themed around a volcano.
Now, it is possible that this somehow has morphed into a roller coaster or that is a competing idea for the space, but this resort has been on the table for a while and seems likely to happen one way or another. The project is still in the development phase, so it could be quite a while until we hear anything official from Disney on the fate of the parcels, but the rumor seemed relevant with all the talk of Magic Kingdom volcanoes going on at the moment.
Stay tuned as we will update you on the story as more becomes available on it.
New for May 2017, Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a specialty cupcake themed to the Guardians of the Galaxy, since the much anticipated Vol. 2 hits theaters this week (and Groot and Star Lord should be arriving at the park soon).
Baby Groot Cookies ‘N’ Cream Cupcake, Disney’s Hollywood Studios
The cupcake is available at the Trolley Car Cafe, ABC Commissary, and at the Sunset Ranch Market eateries and costs $5.99.
Baby Groot Cupcake ($5.99)
Baby Groot Cookies ‘N’ Cream Cupcake, Disney’s Hollywood Studios
The cupcake is cookie flavored and has a cookies ‘n’ cream icing on top (flavoring akin to an Oreo), along with a white chocolate Baby Groot and a chocolate cup filled with green icing.
Baby Groot Cookies ‘N’ Cream Cupcake, Disney’s Hollywood Studios
As far as Disney cupcakes go, this was one of the more unique ones considering the cookie-floated cupcake portion, which I really enjoyed. I wasn’t crazy about the icing as there was just way too much of it, but that’s kind of the reoccurring theme with the in-park treats. I hope they will make these cookie cupcakes again, but maybe it just needs different icing next time. It wasn’t bad, just kind of disappointing based on the description since I enjoy Cookies ‘N’ Cream snacks typically.
Last night, many of the new effects and pyro for Happily Ever After at the Magic Kingdom were tested out for the very first time and were visible to guests around the Magic Kingdom resort area. If these photos are any indication, we are in for an amazing new nighttime spectacular…
Happily Ever After at the Magic Kingdom, photo by Disney Photo Snapper
These photos show a lighting test, which at first looks similar to what we see in Once Upon a Time, but just wait until you see how they have amplified the effect…
Happily Ever After at the Magic Kingdom, photo by Disney Photo Snapper
Mind you, these photos were taken from far outside of the park. Pretty amazing, huh?
Happily Ever After at the Magic Kingdom, photo by Disney Photo Snapper
If you look closely at Cinderella Castle, you may even spot some stars created by lasers being projected onto the face of the classic icon.
Happily Ever After at the Magic Kingdom, photo by Disney Photo Snapper
Our latest photo report brings us to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the midst of Disney’s Hollywood Studios appreciation week for a look around at what’s new and exciting in tinsel town. Ready when you are C.B.!
Hooray for Hollywood
Streetmosphere characters Mayor Sonny Burbank and Evie Starlight welcome guests to the park.
Officer Percival Peabody of the Hollywood Police Department also ensures that guests walk, and not run to their first destination.
Happy 28th Anniversary
On May 1st 2017, Disney’s Hollywood Studios celebrated its 28th birthday!
The park of course opened as the Disney-MGM Studios in 1989, changing its name in Early 2008.
For whatever reason, the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival MagicBand is now available at the Studios.
A number of older designs have been updated for the MagicBand 2, some even using the new white and black band base colors.
Star Wars Launch Bay
40th anniversary banners remain outside of Star Wars Launch Bay.
Wait times for the character meet and greets have been short lately. Chewbacca was posted as 20 minutes.
Only 15 for Kylo Ren.
Even the new BB-8 meet and greet has had short wait times.
That sadly hasn’t stopped guests from destroying the walls…
It’s a pretty cute meet and greet experience if you haven’t seen it yet:
New designs celebrating the 40th anniversary of Star Wars can be found at the D-Tech on Demand location inside of Star Wars Launch Bay.
Skywalker Vineyards wines are also available now. We actually bought a bottle and tried the new flight at the Brown Derby, so we will dedicate a post to this in the coming days.
PIXAR Displaced
Work continues on the Star Wars and Toy Story themed lands.
This barrier for Star Wars land continues to rise over the walls.
A peek through the walls at the beginning of PIXAR Place reveals the current state of Toy Story Land.
There appears to be a structure of some kind being erected in the middle of the Slinky Dog Dash rollercoaster now.
It appears that the coaster will barrel through it, whatever it is.
These pics from a few days later show some progress on the walls going up at the other end of PIXAR Place.
Pirates of the Caribbean: One Man’s Dream
The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales preview has moved in at Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream.
The Moana meet and greet recently closed inside, leaving us to believe that the Star Lord and Groot meet and greet coming will be located here.
The exit is currently boarded up as well.
A costume worn by Javier Bardem in Dead Men Tell No Tales is now on display.
The preview is quite good, leading me to believe we might just be returning to form in the series.
New York Street Lives!
It is now certain that this lone standing section of New York Street will remain as modifications are being made to the structure.
Meanwhile, Star Wars Land rises next door.
Not only are the facades being touched up, but new elements are being added.
A new awning was installed at the end of the street.
With much of the original signage stripped, it will be interesting to see what becomes of this area.
The former Writer’s Stop lies behind walls, amidst rumors that this may be the Club 33 location for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. How cool would it be to either here through a facade on New York Street?
Star Tours
No trip to Hollywood Studios is complete without a ride on Star Tours.
In Tatooine Traders, a number of new items can be found.
Paddlefish at Disney Springs will be celebrating its first Mother’s Day by offering a new dish just for the special occasion.
For $48 per entree guests dining at Paddlefish on Mother’s Day can try lobster ravioli with fresh Maine lobster, as well as lavender, sage, brown butter, crushed tomatoes, and white asparagus. The dish will have a recommended wine pairing of Textbook chardonnay that will be $15 per glass.
Additionally, any mothers who visit Paddlefish on Mother’s Day will receive a complimentary carnation. For those that need a reminder, Mother’s Day 2017 is on Sunday, May 14.
Next week, “Wishes” will have its last performance at the Magic Kingdom on the evening of Thursday May 11th and “Happily Ever After” will debut the next night on May 12th. In order to accommodate larger crowd levels expected for the final/first shows, Disney is adding additional viewing areas for fireworks over the next few days.
To accommodate the additional guests, Disney is opening up an a viewing area in the cast member parking lot located next to the Main Street bypass (behind Tomorrowland) on May 6th, 11th, 12th, and 13th. The backstage bypass between Main Street and Adventureland may also be opened to guests if the crowd levels are high enough.
With less than 10 days until passholder previews begin, and only 23 days till the official grand opening, Pandora: The World of Avatar will be open before you know it!
Disney has given us a new inside look into this upcoming land, which today showcases the Banshee Connect experience. The Banshee Connect allows guests to ‘pick out’ their own banshee for purchase and take home with them. No, it is not a life-size version, or even close to that, but we have the next best thing.
When guests visit this so called ‘rookery’, a Naturalist from Alpha Centauri Expeditions will assist a guest with identifying a favorite banshee from among 10 unique styles. Each interactive banshee includes three ranges of motion – mouth, head, and wings – that are controlled by hand with remote control. Guests will also hear them make authentic banshee sounds provided by Disney’s partners at Lightstorm Entertainment. Guests will determine each banshee’s personality through a combination of hand movements and sounds.
Guests can either display a banshee on their shoulder or cradle them in their arms. A banshee perch will also be available for purchase separately.
You will be able to purchase these banshees in Pandora: The World of Avatar in the Windtraders gift shop when it officially opens May 27th at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Welcome to another edition of Tom’s Top 7, a continuing countdown of my favorite (and occasionally, least favorite) things at the Disney Parks around the globe. Why seven? Brakes, brakes… WHERE ARE THE BRAKES?!?
As we celebrate Disney’s Hollywood Studios Appreciation Week here at WDWNT.com, I couldn’t help but get swept up in nostalgia for the park of old, the days of the Disney-MGM Studios, and a theme park that doubled as a working production center. With that being said, I decided to take a look back at my personal most-missed-list of things you can no longer find at Walt Disney World’s third theme park. Here are my Top 7 Things I Miss At Disney’s Hollywood Studios…
1. Who Wants to be a Millionaire – Play It! (2001-2006)
Eventually replaced by PIXAR Place and Toy Story Mania, Who Wants to be a Millionaire -Play It! fit the Studios well. It brought the world’s hottest game show to the parks and allowed guests a viable shot of being in the “hot seat”, and even if they didn’t make it there, they could play along in the studio audience.
2. The Earffel Tower (1989-2016)
One of and arguably the most famous park icon of the Disney-MGM Studios was the Earfful Tower. The 130-foot tower was located in the Studio Backlot Tour backstage area of the park. Originally sporting the Disney-MGM Studios logo, it was altered to reflect the park’s name change in 2008. The Earffel Tower was reinstated as the park’s icon for a bit after the removal of the Sorcerer’s Hat in 2015, but it would be short lived. The tower was removed on April 29, 2016 to facilitate the construction of the park’s Toy Story Land. Its condition and whereabouts are unknown.
3. Disney-PIXAR Block Party Bash (2008-2011)
Replaced by the dreaded (and thankfully defunct) PIXAR Pals Countdown to Fun, this parade with lengthy show stops was a good change of pace for the park. While the floats rolled out down Hollywood Boulevard, unlike normal parades, they stopped for a full show containing interactive segments, dancing, gymnastics, and eventually, an explosive ending that launched logo Nerf balls into the crowd (which made for fun, free souvenir). I know not everyone loved this, but I thought it was a really good offering. Did it fit the park very well? No. Was it fun? Absolutely.
4. Star Wars Weekends (1997-2015)
While overall there were things I didn’t like about it (insane lines to get autographs, merchandise, and park overcrowding), I can’t deny that I have some amazing memories of Star Wars Weekends. Offered periodically at first, the event became an annual tradition in the mid-2000’s and a reason for many Star Wars fans to book a trip to Walt Disney World every Spring. Some of the highlights for me were the Celebrity Motorcade, A Conversation with Mark Hamill in 2014, and the Stormtrooper pre-shows (luckily, all of which I filmed and can share with you below).
Almost deserving of its own spot on this list was the Hyperspace Hoopla, where Star Wars stars danced-off against each other in a theme park comedy masterpiece. Lucasfilm mandated the show be removed after the 2013 event, and has since also eliminated any Disney characters in Star Wars character clothing.
5. Studio Backlot Tour (1989-2014)
An opening day attraction, the Studio Backlot Tour was a half-day experience that slowly was cut away to about a half an hour over 25 years. While I lament the loss of the original tour, I didn’t care much for the final version of the attraction. That being said, my final ride was an emotional one, saying goodbye to the trams, Catastrophe Canyon, the special effects tank, Walt’s airplane, and more of the remaining shell of what once made for a memorable experience. Without Residential Street and actual production to see, it wasn’t much of anything, but it was the last vestige of the “working studio theme park”.
6. Star Tours (1989-2010)
I love Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, but the original Star Tours will always hold a very special place in my heart. While it was incredibly dated by the end of its run, it was undoubtedly a classic that changed theme parks forever. I owe this attraction my Star Wars fandom as I actually rode this ride before I had ever seen a Star Wars movie. I loved the attraction so much that my dad took me to Blockbuster when we got home from vacation and bought me the VHS boxed set of the original trilogy. Kids, ask your parents what Blockbuster and VHS are.
7. (Yeah, Seven) The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights (1995-2015)
I know this one still looms heavy in the hearts of many, myself included. The Osborne Lights were a staple of the Studios before they ever danced, but once the display moved to Streets of America and was sychirmnoized to music, it became an indelible piece of Walt Disney World history. It was everything the holidays at the parks should be: larger than life, covered in lights, a display of cutting edge technology, all while still being incredibly heartwarming. Will they ever return to Walt Disney World? With the amount of money being left on the table by not offering this, I can’t imagine a Walt Disney World theme park won’t someday host the lights one more time.
Sadly, the display was a victim of where it was. The only thing that made the display possible was a large, mostly underutilized empty street towards the back of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Not to defend Disney, but there is nowhere that logistically could make this work today. Disney Springs would be overcrowded as the offering would be made free, no resort hotel has the parking area large enough, and no park currently has a space that could handle it. The only hope I see is a custom built area that is an expansion of a park, otherwise the Osborne lights will likely never return to Disney World.
“Sorry folks, it was my first flight and I’m still getting used to my programming!” – Captain RX-24 (Rex)
While these offering can not be seen anymore at Walt Disney World, an exciting future awaits Disney’s Hollywood Studios. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little nostalgia for what was.
What do you think? Which of these was your favorite? Is there something else from the Studios that you miss? Let me know in the comments below.
