Disney VISA – WDWNT Archive

PHOTO REPORT: Epcot 11/1/16 (New Retro EPCOT Center Merch, Margaritas Are Coming, Innoventions Update, ETC.)

WDWNT on October 31, 2016

Our latest photo report brings us to Epcot where a ton of new park-exclusive merchandise can be found. It is also a time of great change for the park, with Innoventions closing, construction in Mexico, and other projects around the park starting to take shape. Let’s take a look:

Muppet Mobile Labs

Muppet Mobile Labs is now wrapping up its one month stint at Epcot. It is likely to move to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but there has been no official word as of yet.

New Merchandise

Due to theft, limited edition pins are now being enclosed in glass cases at all store locations. This was unnecessary for the first 17 years of the hobby.

A ton of changes happened in MouseGear, with all of the merchandise being reorganized again. There is also a slew of new items for sale.

A variety of Tsum Tsum clothing is now available.

A new line of Epcot merchandise focusing on vintage logos and World Showcase was recently released. There is quite the variety of items available.

My personal favorite is this sweatshirt which features the original World Showcase logo icon with each country’s flag.

There is now a coaster to match the cup and plate featuring Spaceship Earth.

A new plush Figment hat for sale.

New shortbread cookies for sale, not sure why these are a thing but they are in most major stores now.

The Star Wars section has moved down to the other end of the store.

Moana merchandise was recently released at the parks.

The Maps of the Disney Parks book is available in MouseGear.

The LEGO Cinderella Castle is back in stock now.

The Canada pavilion recently started selling merchandise for the Le Cellier restaurant downstairs. You can see photos of the entire line in a separate post from a few weeks ago.

The Margaritas Strike Back

A new Margarita stand and a food stand are supposedly being constructed on the opposite side of the Mexico pavilion.

Walls are up on both sides leading us to believe it could be two stands.

VISA Character Meet and Greet

The new Disney VISA Cardmember Exclusive meet and greet recently opened at the Imagination pavilion. It is open daily from 1 PM until 7 (yeah, seven) PM.

Innoventions

Colortopia remains the last functioning piece of Innoventions.

Both sides, east and west, are now boarded up.

Goodbye Epcot, see ya’ real soon!

PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Disney VISA Card Meet and Greet Opens at Epcot with Lots of Future World Aesthetic Goodness

WDWNT on October 24, 2016

I don’t often freak out about tiny new meet and greet experiences at the park, but the new Disney VISA Cardholder exclusive spot at Epcot is pretty sweet.

The new location under wraps a few weeks ago.

The space once occupied by “Figment’s Place” some years ago is now the home for the spot, with the Innoventions location closing forever last Thursday. With the closure, guests can no longer enter what was Innoventions West, other than the Baymax and Inside Out meet and greet experiences that are considered part of the Epcot Character Spot.

The former Disney VISA meet and greet location, now shuttered.

The new locations is nestled on the patio of the Imagination pavilion, just behind the waterfall and jumping fountains, right next door to the entrance of the Disney & PIXAR Short Film Festival.

Some helpful planning information: don’t visit this early. The meet and greet is open only to Disney VISA card members from 1PM to 7PM daily. When we first went at 2pm, there was a 30 minute wait to meet Mickey and Goofy. When we returned at 5:30PM, we were the only people other than the cast members and characters in the building.

The interior is gorgeous. If you have time, please check out the video walkthrough below (featuring a pretty cute interaction with Mickey and Goofy):

While the space isn’t very big, the queue utilizes what little space it has quite well. It may be a character experience, but it is one of the things that in the park that most embodies what Future World is (as far as design goes).

These colorful Spaceship Earth panels will play music when you hold your hand to them. It’s very subtle, but similarly to the Stepping Tones inside of the ImageWorks, another instrument will kick-in as you touch them.

These mirror effects are simple, but very effective and fit the theme nicely.

Icons of Future World decorate the flat walls in the experience.

Guests then wait here until they are taken to meet Mickey and Goofy.

The new Disney VISA card member meet at greet at Epcot is a vast improvement over the original space and is sure to bring a smile to average guests and hardcore EPCOT Center fans alike.

Meet ‘n’ Greet Removed From the Vine

WDWNT on April 6, 2008

The Disney VISA rewards program had a little Meet ‘n’ Greet thing inside the Seasons of the Vine theater, that gave you a free PhotoPass photo with Disney characters. Well since Seasons of the Vine has closed to make way for the Disneyland Resort Preview Center, the Meet ‘n’ Greet opportunity has moved to somewhere in Hollywood Pictures Backlot.

Tag: Disney VISA