For those of you wondering when you might be able to buy into the Disney Vacation Club Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, it will be May 23rd for DVC members and June 19th for non-members:
This video also provides our first-look inside a model villa.
So, what do you think of the Villas at the Grand Floridian?
WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited the Magic Kingdom on Saturday and has some fantastic pictures of new progress on the Big Thunder Mountain interactive queue, A Pirate’s Life: Treasures of the Seven Seas, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and more, so let’s take a look:
While the Main Street Bakery is closed, guests can head to the Tomorrowland Terrace
Plenty of options at Tomorrowland Terrace, including beignets!
The flowers in the hub have gone to Valentine’s Day colors and the ducks love it…
Valentine’s Day cupcakes available at Big Top Treats
I’ve heard of panning for gold…
More props and interactive elements have been installed in the queue at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
The “exploding” crates are no longer under tarps
These huge machines popped up in the second-half of the queue over the weekend
It looks like guests will play some sort of game where they turn a lever
Spinning handles on the back of another machine
The refurbishment of Splash Mountain continues
Lots of painting going on
Golden Oak Outpost is closed again
Work continues on the Adventureland Veranda building
Another area of the building is also walled-off
The Crow’s Nest is out from behind tarps and it looks quite different… we expect it to play a role in “A Pirate’s Adventure”
More props for “A Pirate’s Adventure” have been installed throughout Adventureland
Jack Sparrow’s compass
This was the first prop installed a few months ago
A cannon
Ball and chains
Some props by the Jungle Cruise
Nearby, a pirate skeleton lies under the water near a treasure chest
It appears these skulls near the Pirates of the Caribbean entrance will talk
Another strange set of props
Gun powder
Sleepy Hollow Refreshments is open while the exterior is refurbished
Walls up outside of the Haunted Mansion and Yankee Trader
Tarps still up on Columbia Harbour House
The latest progress on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day lanyards are out
As is the new Test Track logo pin
Over at The Villas at the Grand Floridian, we can start to make out windows
WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Monday and has a ton fo newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:
Work continues on Splash Mountain
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Ep. 105 Pirates of the Caribbean Helmsman This week we record at the Animal Kingdom Lodge with special guest Scuba Owl. He is an avid listener and Vinylmation writer. We talk about all things vinyl and the future of the hobby. In a twist, Scuba Owl interviews us to give you the chance to learn more about us. We also deliver all the latest news and the current release calendar. |
The concept art has been floating around for a long while, now we can confirm the third DVC exclusive is in fact the white picket fence “Home Sweet Home” figure.
Due out on February 22nd at D-Streets and possibly online, this Lisa Badeen designed 3″ will retail for $14.95 and is open edition. You must show a valid Disney Vacation Club member ID to purchase.
WDWNT Reporter Zach Larson visited the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Monday and has a ton of newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:
Construction has gone vertical on the Disney Vacation Club wing of the Grand Floridian
Welcome to the Magic Kingdom
There are two of these posters in the tunnel now… not only is it not an attraction… but it has more posters than any others…
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom sign near Town Square Theater
Work continues on the Confectionary and Chapeau facades
Work still going on near the Main Street bridge
This new railing was installed during the work
Didn’t your parents ever teach you not to touch trash-cans?
Still not a whole lot of theme to this walkway between Tomorrowland and Storybook Circus
Work on the water tower at Fantasyland Station is complete
A look from the Barnstormer reveals that the second Dumbo spinner is nearing completion. We can also see the true height of the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train
The mountain of the Mine Train will be pretty tall
The second Dumbo is fully decorated
Workers on top of Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
The covered part is the lift hill as the train will roll out of the mountain
Work continues on turning Tigger’s Bouncy Place into something else
Some tarps now up in front of the Castle Wall construction
A second set of walls now makes for a tight passage
They are working on the back end of the Village Haus facade now
It’s still quite a mess back here
Now “it’s a small world” has tarps up
Work continues on the former Skyway site
Next-gen FASTPASS testing at the Haunted Mansion
It will be interesting to see what this looks like when they are done
They were forcing guests down the graveyard side if you weren’t using FASTPASS, but you could still bypass the interactive queue
Work continues on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Everything looks fantastic!
GOAT!
Package Pick-Up still behind tarps
Awesome shot of the Avengerail in action… I hope you’ve seen the movie by now…
A look at the Grand Floridian DVC construction from across the water
They’ve installed a rocky shoreline
Moving over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, it looks like the Sorcerer Mickey topiary is on the move again as walls are up
Stage for Star Wars Weekends is going up
Citizens of Hollywood recently had a character shuffle. This is the “new” Mimi Kaboom
Things got heated…
ACTING! BRILLIANT!
I don’t think the security booths are coming back…
I visited the Walt Disney World Resort last week covering all four of the theme parks and I have plenty of newsworthy pictures to share, so let’s take a look at what’s happening around the Vacation Kingdom:
The Rainforest Cafe sign inside Animal Kingdom is still missing
Beastly Bazaar is closed to become a character meet and greet experience this Fall
Wreck-It Ralph has taken over the display at the exit of the Magic of Disney Animation show
Vannelope is voiced by Sarah Silverman
That cake looks so real…
The game Fix-It Felix is inspired by games such as Rampage and Donkey Kong
Ralph even started as a monster just like one you would find in Rampage
Niceland is the city in the game
Ralph and Felix
Hero’s Duty might end up being the darkest looking scenes in any Disney animated film ever…
Hero’s Duty is inspired by games such as Gears of War and Halo
Voiced by Jane Lynch
Sugar Rush is inspired by games such as Mario Kart
Looks like a possible villain to me…
They were painting the next Ink and Paint Cell to be released while I was there
A Hatbox Ghost big figure has been released
There’s also a new Stitch figure
For the first time in ages, the decorations in The Studio Store do not represent a single new film!
Nice to see the original intended decorations back for once
Banners for Finding Nemo 3D up
The LEgend of Jack Sparrow building was painted blue
Walls are now up near the front of the building
The menu has been drastically changed at Backlot Express
BUFFALO CHICKEN BREAST NUGGETS! AHHHHHHH!
Next-Gen FASTPASS preparations already made at American Idol
Moving over to Epcot, work continues on the new Disney Vacation Club booth near Canada
A strange wall has popped up in the queue for Journey Into Imagination
Possibly FASTPASS related?
The Kim Possible sign-up areas in Innoventions have been completely removed
While passing by on the monorail we could see that the new parking lot for the Grand Floridian DVC wing is almost complete
Moving on to the Magic Kingdom, the park is ready for Halloween
There is a new banner at the beginning of Celebrate a Dream Come True
I’m not sure when it happened, but Mickey and Minnie are in normal clothing on their float
The Junioe Jungle Boats outside of the Jungle Cruise have reportedly been closed permanently
Next-gen FASTPASS ready to go at the Jungle Cruise
Same at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Meanwhile, some rather drastic queue modifications have been made at Pirates of the Caribbean
There is now a point where the two queues meet
Work continues on the former Fantasyland Skyway site, soon to be home to a new walkway and restrooms
Thought this was an interesting shot as it gives you an idea of where the Mine Train will be as you walk into Fantasyland
Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train construction
The Castle Walls are nearing completion
Some work being done on the roof of Mickey’s Philharmagic
Most of the Snow White facade is now gone in preparation for Princess Fairytale Hall
Grass continues to be installed on the roof of Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
The signage has been installed on Big Top Souvenirs in Storybook Circus
I LOVE the popcorn lights…
FOOD!
Some new Space Mountain shirts are available
Moving back to Fantasyland, the lights were on inside the Castle Walls
Lights were on in the Beauty and the Beast area as well
They were testing lighting on the turrets of the Castle Walls as well
The Mickey-O-Lanterns are much brighter and actually flicker this year
WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen was all over the Walt Disney World Resort this weekend, visiting Downtown Disney, the Magic Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. He took some great photos on his trip and has them to share with us in this photo report:
Looks like the Earful Tower is being painted or repaired
At the Magic Kingdom the Bakery has been out from behind tarps for a while now
The old Swan Boat dock is getting refurbished at the moment
Work continues on Princess Fairytale Hall
The Castle Walls are approaching completion
We still can’t go on the second level of Village Haus to take photos…
More grass being placed on the facade of Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
The structure for the new Fantasyland restrooms is coming along nicely
The Yankee Trader is open but behind tarps
The Crow’s Nest is still being worked on
Next-Gen FASTPASS has been installed at Haunted Mansion, but it is still covered
Work is wrapping up on the Tomorrowland bridge and we can now see new futuristic railings have been installed
Another look at the Swan Boat dock
Another look at the work on the new bathrooms
Moving over to Epcot, Habit Heroes is still closed!
Epcot 30th anniversary merchandise is starting to hit shelves, like this awesome lanyard!
Perry the Platypus/Phineas and Ferb snacks are available, but I’m more interested in what’s on those Epcot-only popcorn buckets and cups…
A permanent DVC booth is being built next door to the Canada pavilion
Phineas and Ferb topiary still up
A quick stop at Downtown Disney shows us the progress on the new Rainforest Cafe volcano
Moving to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, there’s a Frankenweenie ad in the parking lot
The first sign of work on The Legend of Jack Sparrow is this blue coat of paint on the building matching the colors now used for the Superstar Television Theater complex
Oz billboard behind the Great Movie Ride
Frankenweenie as well
Wreck-It Ralph and Frankenweenie up in the Animation Courtyard
Finding Nemo banners hanging in the courtyard
At the end of PPIXAR Place, you can find this Finding Nemo billboard
Halloween merchandise is out!
Awesome shirt featuring the Haunted Mansion and the Fab 5
Another shirt has the Hatbox Ghost
Our last stop is a look at Grand Floridian DVC wing construction
It’s coming along…
WDWNT’s diligent reporter Adam Roth was on the scene at Walt Disney World this weekend, visiting Epcot and the Magic Kingdom. Adam took a number of newsworthy photos on his trip, so let’s take a look at what’s new and exciting:
Art of disney at Epcot recently was refurbished and is now open once again, now featuring the Castle Collection merchandise
Looks like they just cleaned up the place a bit
They did rearrange some shelves
Work continues to prepare a new entrance at the Seas with Nemo and Friends
This new wave awning replaces the plain umbrellas that had been here
Work continues on a new entrance, presumed to be a new queue for Turtle Talk with Crush
Work continues on what we believe is a DVC booth near Canada
Bistro De Paris is gone…
It will be replaced with a new restaurant from the same company after 30 years at Epcot
The bakery is also being expanded
Construction walls up inside the shop next door
Food and Wine Festival preparations underway
No more Vanity Fair, now the sponsor is Chase
Nice to know that the new patio at Tutto Italia can be enclosed in bad weather
This fountain outside of La Hacienda has been like this for months…
The new exhibit inside the Mexico pavilion seems to be just about finished
Donald was meeting guests inside
The Cool Wash by Test Track is still behind walls
Work continues on Test Track
Heading over to the Magic Kingdom, we can see Grand Floridian DVC construction
AVENGERAIL!
It now advertises the home video release of the film
It turned into a nice day
The Country Bear Jamboree is closing for a few months this week
Some people seem convinced the show will be shortened and some songs will be removed
Shaker says “Probably not”
Trixie would be sad…
Gomer is befuddled
Some people think Big Al will be cut… yeah, OK…
The Yankee Trader is now behind tarps as work continues on the new path and restrooms in Fantasyland
Next-gen FASTPASS looks ready to go at the Haunted Mansion
The store is open during this
A strange structure has risen on the Skyway site which makes these people angry at each-other…
Chubby Moonliner?
I’m not sure what that is supposed to be
Next-gen FASTPASS installed at Peter Pan as well
People like to lean on things
The castle walls are nearing completion
Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train construction
Work continues on Princess Fairytale Hall
Caught someone picking their nose… fantastic!
Just like in the concept art, Prince Eric’s castle is visible just over the mountain
Next-Gen FASTPASS at Winnie the Pooh
More grass appearing on the roof of Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
Big Top Souvenirs
Next-Gen FASTPASS installed here as well
The presumed Humphrey the Bear counter service location through the trees
Looks like a sign will be installed soon
Another look at the roof grass…
Work continues on the Tomorrowland bridge
And the old Swan Boats dock
Infrastructure for the eventual move to RFID tickets is being installed at the Magic Kingdom entrance
Another look at Grand Floridian construction
WDWNT Reporter Robert Ashburn visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios yesterday and has some newsworthy photos to share with us:
The Sorcerer topiary is still out front
Wait times were fairly average
Temporary lighting structures still up
The temporary stage is gone though, even though it will probably return for Star Wars Weekends in a month…
The studio gate booth is still missing
The DVC logo was updated on this booth
The Hunger Games is being sold at the Writer’s Stop… it’s right above John Carter, just like at the box office…
The logo was updated on this window display as well… the Disneyland attraction posters are a nice touch
Plenty of Phineas and Ferb merchandise in Stage 1
Some fairly new Muppet shirts on sale as well
Time for something new already…
The sign on the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular was replaced a few weeks ago and it looks great!
Time for an emotional stop
A makeshift memorial to Dick Clark forming
His legacy lives on…
The Legacy Continues section of One Man’s Dream has some new park wall displays
The last Narnia sign is finally gone! YAY!
