WDWNT’s own Jose Castillo is back from the Walt Disney World Resort and has plenty of photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:
Jose arrived at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Wednesday evening to enjoy Fantasmic!
Park hours were expanded and a Fantasmic! was added at 10:00 PM
As part of the Kidani Village expansion of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, diners are treated to a new restaurant – Sanaa. The menu in the 150-seat, family-oriented restaurant reflects the art of African cooking with Indian flavors. Pronounced “Sah-NAH,” the restaurant boasts interiors inspired by African art and remarkable views to a savannah of free-roaming animals. Kidani Village, a Disney Vacation Club property, is the newest resort addition to Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
The good people over at LaughingPlace.com have reported two interesting news bits from around the Walt Disney World Resort that I feel are of interest. The first piece concerns a new dining option at Animal Kingdom:
Animal Kingdom has introduced a new program – Picnic in the Park. The following is from the brochure:
Turn your meal at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park into an adventure with Picnic in the Park!
Tier 1 – Sandwiches
Select from Turkey Focaccia, Chicken Wrap, Ham Grinder or Tuna PitaMeal for Three – $24.99 + tax
3 Sandwiches, 1 side, 3 desserts, 3 bottles of Dasani waterMeal for Four – $32.99 + tax
4 Sandwiches, 1 side, 4 desserts, 4 bottles of Dasani waterMeal for Five – $40.99 + tax
5 Sandwiches, 1 side, 5 desserts, 5 bottles of Dasani waterMeal for Six – $48.99 + tax
6 Sandwiches, 1 side, 6 desserts, 6 bottles of Dasani waterSides: Chips, coleslaw, corn medley, green beans, macaroni & cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, orza pasta, oven-roasted potato wedges, seasonal fruit salad, tomato & cucumber salad
Desserts: Apple, brownie, cookie, cornbread, crisped rice treat, orange
Tier 2 – Rotisserie Chicken or Ham
Meal for Three – $29.99 + tax
8 Pieces of Rotisserie Chicken or 1 lb of Ham, 2 sides, 3 desserts, 3 bottles of Dasani waterMeal for Four – $38.99 + tax
8 Pieces of Rotisserie Chicken or 1 1/4 lb of Ham, 3 sides, 4 desserts, 4 bottles of Dassani waterMeal for Five – $47.99 + tax
10 Pieces of Rotisserie Chicken or 1 1/2 lb of Ham, 4 sides, 5 desserts, 5 bottles of Dassani waterMeal for Six – $56.99 + tax
12 Pieces of Rotisserie Chicken or 1 3/4 lb of Ham, 5 sides, 6 desserts, 6 bottles of Dassani waterSides: Chips, coleslaw, corn medley, green beans, macaroni & cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, orza pasta, oven-roasted potato wedges, seasonal fruit salad, tomato & cucumber salad
Desserts: Apple, brownie, cookie, cornbread, crisped rice treat, orange
Note: No substitutions allowed
Details
- Stop by the Picnic in the Park podium, located in front of Guest Relations at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park to place your order, or visit the Tusker House Restaurant podium in Africa. Orders must be placed between the hours of Park Opening and 1:30pm.
- Select which tier of entrées you would like and your choice of sides and desserts.
- Each order comes in a reusable bag packed with plates and utensils, plus a map to help guide you to picnic spots throughout the Park.
- When placing your order, you’ll also be able to select a pick-up time at least two hours after the time the order is placed.
- You may pick up your order at Kusafiri Coffee Shop & Bakery, adjacent to Tusker House Restaurant in Africa (indicated by H on the map on the reverse side). Payment is due upon pick-up.
- If you are on a Disney dining plan, Picnic in the Park may be used as a Quick Service Meal. Requires one
Adult entitlement per meal ordered. For example, a Meal for Three will require three Adult entitlements.There are 14 picnic locations spread throughout the park
The picnic prices seem very reasonable and it sounds like a great dining option for Animal Kingdom, which only offers a short list of eateries. The second piece of news leads us to believe Pleasure Island is coming back to life (sort of):
Downtown Disney has introduced “Celebrate Tonight!”, a high-energy street party focusing on guest celebrations. Guests are invited to join in with the DJs (spinning party hits), stilt walkers and party crew for group dances and sing-alongs to celebrate anything and everything. Celebrate Tonight! is now running 5pm-11pm Sunday through Thursday and 6pm-Midnight Fridays and Saturdays.
From the sounds of this, the Pleasure Island clubs will remain closed as guests party in the streets rather than indoors. A strange decision, but it will certainly be interesting to see how many guests actually attend these nightly parties. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today as we get more information on both of these breaking stories.
Two very small press releases were just made available by Walt Disney World regarding the “Characters in Flight” balloon and the “Paradiso 37” restaurant at Downtown Disney:
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The fun soars to new heights at Downtown Disney West Side with an iconic new tethered balloon that takes guests on ascents of up to 400 feet above the waterfront.
Guests board a gondola beneath the 105-foot-high balloon from a landing platform on Village Lake at the end of the main promenade at Downtown Disney West Side. Riders can catch flights seven days a week. Hours Sunday-Thursday are 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. while ascents Friday-Saturday are 10:30 a.m.-midnight. Tickets ($16 for ages 10-up and $10 for ages 3-9) can be purchased on site. Availability is on first-come, first-serve basis.
Characters In Flight operated by Aerophile is a 72-foot-diameter balloon with a whimsical design featuring silhouettes of a dozen of Disney’s “flying characters” – such as Mary Poppins, Peter Pan and Dumbo. The vibrantly colored balloon can lift up to 30 guests at a time on a six-minute trip – thanks to its enclosed volume of 210,000 cubic feet of lighter-than-air gas. The ascents, by day or night, provide guests with an unparalleled, 360-degree view of up to 10 miles.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Paradiso 37, a high-energy restaurant and bar featuring cuisine from North, South and Central America, welcomes guests to its table in May at Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World Resort.
The lakeside eatery will offer a delectable variety of menu offerings representing the 37 countries of the Americas, plus an international wine bar, 37 varieties of tequila and 10 signature frozen margaritas.
The new concept was developed by Orlando-based E-Brands Restaurant Group, a multi-concept restaurant group which currently owns and operates Timpano Chophouse, Samba Room, Taqueria Canonita, Aquaknox, David Burke, Salsa Orlando and Canonita Express in a number of locations across the United States.
The lively Downtown Disney restaurant will feature nightly entertainment and will be open daily from 11 a.m. until late night.
WDWNT Reporter Jose Eber took a short trip to the Walt Disney World Resort this morning and has a few photos to share:
The Characters in Flight balloon at Downtown Disney looks ready to take off any minute now
The Virgin Megastore is almost gone, rumors suggest that this may become an AMC-Imax location
Work continues on “Paradiso 37”, not much progress on the exterior in the last few days
The finishing touches are being applied to the entrance of the Bay Lake Tower wing of Disney’s Contemporary Resort
WDWNT Reporter Jose Eber has provided us with the following video featuring the on-going construction of the “Paradiso 37” restaurant on a rather empty Pleasure Island, currently scheduled to open Spring 2009 (The video is available in high definition by clicking the HD button on the bottom of the video window):
WDWNT Reporter Jose Eber spent the early part of April Fool’s Day 2009 at the Downtown Disney District to provide us with an update on some of the area’s latest offerings. Here is the joke free report:
The “Characters in Flight” balloon operated by Aerophile will now open around April 10th
Read More about Jose Eber’s 4/1/09 No Fool’s Downtown Disney Report
That’s right, the very popular free dining plan offer for the Walt Disney World Resort is back and here are the details:
Guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels will have extra reason to celebrate with a great vacation offer that features the popular Disney Dining Plan for free.
Guests buying a five-night/six-day room and theme park ticket package for stays most nights from Aug. 16 to Oct. 3, 2009, can enjoy the Disney Dining Plan for free. The plan includes one quick-service meal, one snack and one table-service meal at up to 100 restaurants for each night of the package stay.
With this special offer, a family of four can get a five-night stay at a select Disney Resort and a 6-day Magic Your Way base ticket (with free dining) for as little as:
$1,390 in a standard room at a Disney Value Resort
$1,764 in a standard room at a Disney Moderate Resort
$2,276 in a standard room at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
$2,586 in a studio at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort or Disney’s Old Key West Resort.*
Guests taking advantage of this offer will find even more to celebrate during their visit. Throughout 2009, Disney Parks asks guests “What Will You Celebrate?” and guests of Walt Disney World can revel in new attractions, entertainment and services that allow them to turn their personal milestones into magical Disney experiences.The package can be booked now through June 21, 2009 at disneyworld.com or by calling 407/W-DISNEY (407/934-7639) or their local travel agent and asking for package code RYH.
* Prices are based on two adults, one junior (ages 10 to 17) and one child (ages 3 to 9). The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Tickets are for one theme park per day and must be used within 14 days of first use. No group rates or other discounts apply. Excludes gratuities.
Of course, you can book this excellent offer by choosing the fabulous Magical Travel at Magicaltravel.com.
WDWNT videographer and photographer Matt Paul spent last weekend visiting the Walt Disney World Resort and reports back to us with an amazing amount of newsworthy photos to share:
Let’s go there!
Closer…
WDWNT’s newest staff member, Anthony Yacullo, has just returned from his latest trip to the Walt Disney World Resort and has a number of photos from around the world to share with us:
Construction of Stitch’s Supersonic Celebration continues in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom.
The control booth is coming along nicely as well.
