BREAKING: New Shops Confirmed for Disney Springs at Walt Disney World

WDWNT on January 29, 2015

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The first new shops coming to Disney Springs at Walt Disney World, specifically in The Landing later this year, have been formally announced by Disney:

  • APEX by Sunglass Hut – offering the latest in sports and activewear sunglasses.
  • Havaianas – specializing in a wide array of flip-flops, including a station where Guests can create their own flip-flops.
  • Art of Shaving – premium shaving shop offering grooming essentials.
  • Sanuk – creatively inspired and distinctively designed footwear.
  • Chapel Hats – specializing in hats and headwear.
  • Sound Lion – offering the latest technology in headphones, ear buds, speakers, wireless music players and other digital sound and music products.
  • Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC – gluten-free, vegan bakery.

1/6/15 Aerial Construction Photos of Downtown Disney Conversion to Disney Springs

WDWNT on January 29, 2015

WDWNT’s own Nick LoCicero took a trip high above Downtown Disney this week and has some great aerial photos of the on-going work to share with us today:

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Even though it has opened, work continues on the Orange parking structure

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The top level appears to be far from ready

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Work has begun on the Town Center, the former parking lot for Pleasure Island

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Some new facades can already be found on this side of The Landing, the large Bottling Co. building will be home to the Morimoto restaurant

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We can see work progressing on the Boathouse, as well as the still unannounced hangar restaurant

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The Town Center will be completed by 2016

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PHOTOS: Food Truck Park Opens at the West Side in Disney Springs

WDWNT on December 30, 2014

After months of delay, Food Truck Park on the West Side at Disney Springs finally opened to guests today. The area offers a permanent home to the Food Trucks at Downtown Disney and to some live entertainment space along the water:

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Walls came down around Food Truck (or Exposition) Park today, located between Bongo’s and Starbucks on the West Side

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As reported, the Sunshine Highline is not accessible

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There is no more grass, just pavement and planters around the Food Trucks

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Live entertainment in the park

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Live entertainment in the park

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This is where the elevator would have gone to get up to the Sunshine Highline

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Another look

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Instead of ordering at the truck, there are now podiums at the Food Truck

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Signs tell guests to order at the kiosk

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Nearby, walls have also come down around the Harley-Davidson store

PHOTOS: Walls Come Down and Walkways Open in Disney Springs, Revealing “The Landing”

WDWNT on December 30, 2014

Walls came down around the former Pleasure Island bridge area (near the Adventurer’s Club site) over the Thanksgiving weekend, revealing new facades, concept art, and more for The Landing, the replacement land for PI courtesy of the Disney Springs makeover project of Downtown Disney. Let’s see what’s new and exciting:

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Walls came down on the former Pleasure Island bridge connecting to the West Side last week, just in time for the heavy crowds

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It has been closed for quite a while, well over a year

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This area underneath the Restrooms next door to the former BET Soundstage seems to have been cleaned up

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The large open space is where the Comedy Warehouse used to be

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New lamps

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Continuing the story of the abandoned railroad, there are train tracks in the pavment

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Train tracks

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Train tracks

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One of the new facades, not sure if this is a shop or restaurant

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Looking down the main street of The Landing towards Paradiso 37

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Another look at this large facade

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Sign is up, but nothing is on it…

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As much as there have been complaints that the Town Center looks fairly bland, the Landing has some really pretty elements

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The former home of the Adventurer’s Club will become a restaurant

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Some small store facades in The Landing

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Some small store facades in The Landing

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Some small store facades in The Landing

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The former home of Mannequin’s is transforming in Morimoto’s

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Another new facade

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Originally meant for just dining, The Landing now includes several store spaces

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Some new concept art for The Landing

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Looking towards Paradiso 37 and the West Side from the new park area

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Concept art showing the Landing, including another look at the yet-to-be-named restaurant in an airplane hangar…

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The frame of the airplane hangar building is up

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Another beautiful piece of concept art showing what will become of the Adventurer’s Club and BET Soundstage

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Here’s what it looks like now

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The Landing will open in the Spring, but I can’t imagine these facades will be changed by then

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Another new piece of concept art

The Landing neighborhood in Disney Springs will open Spring 2015, although the area will likely not be finished by that time.

Tom Corless’ 12/23/14 Disney Springs Photo Report (Parking Structure, New Restrooms, New Babycakes Location, & More)

WDWNT on December 30, 2014

This weekend, I took a trip to Downtown Disney (Disney Springs), so let’s take a look at what’s new and exciting:

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For the first time, I parked at the new parking structure, still an active construction zone for the most part…

This is the Orange garage

A non-Disney food truck at Exposition Park

More Wonderground Gallery merchandise popping up at D Street

STK Steakhouse is either going in the former Adventurer’s Club building or BET Soundstage

This facade we thought might be a restaurant is actually restrooms and they are open now

Very nice, no mirrors yet though

Any doors or windows that are boarded up in the area now have these Disney Springs signs

The building that looks like an airplane hangar is pretty small, may just be a bar or a counter service location

Work has begun on the Town Center

Another look at the airplane hangar

Siding has now been placed on The Boathouse building

Another new restroom near Portobello and some soon-to-open new shops

The new Babycakes location should be going in this building

It should see a lot of traffic here on the main path and not inside a Pollo Campero

The Marketplace bridge should open any day now

The new park area in front of T-Rex

Some new artwork featuring Mickey Mouse and the gang that will soon appear inside the expanded World of Disney store is now on the construction walls

Some new iPhone cases

Another look at the bridge

A look inside the new restroom by Raglan Road

Back to the parking garage

Some really great views can be found from the garage

This pedestrian walkway will open in a few months, temporary paths are in place now

This back of house area will soon be made to look a lot nicer

Work has begun on the Town Center area

“Sunshine Highline” Elevated Dining Area for Disney Springs Officially Cancelled

WDWNT on November 25, 2014

Disney released an interesting piece of concept art today:

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Something missing?

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Concept art with the “Sunshine Highline” still there, including the ADA compliant elevator

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In back story, the area was an abandoned railroad track

It would seem that the delay in the construction of Food Truck Park on the West Side, now also known as Exposition Park, was the removal of the “Sunshine Highline” second floor offerings, an elevated abandoned train track area for guests to relax and possibly dine. The concept art on the walls for Food Truck Park featured the above art until quite recently it was removed and signs change to reflect the Fall 2014 opening, rather than Summer. Disney is being very quiet about the removal, so it is unknown if it was a budgetary or safety decision. Drunken guests on an elevated platform WOULD be a bad idea. Regardless, it’s sad to see the use of these structures relegated to simply being shade and lighting structures. Oh well…

Dirk Wallen’s 10/10/14 Disney Springs/Downtown Disney Photo Report (The Landing, EPCOT Center, Food Truck Park, ETC.)

WDWNT on October 24, 2014

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited Downtown Disney (Disney Springs as it will be known soon) yesterday and has some great newsworthy photos to share with us from his trip:

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The large waterfront building in The Landing is coming along nicely

It was supposed to open Summer, but Food Truck Park still isn’t finished

The concept art

There’s an EPCOT Center bag hidden in the artwork…

A look at the new boardwalk and the large new structure in The Landing, which is currently still Pleasure Island

Originally, the Landing was supposed to be just new dining options, but some retail space has been built

New, small retail locations can be found in front of Fulton’s

The first one appears to sell bar accessories

The second is called Sublime… no idea what it is…

The Marketplace bridge will be completed by early 2015, maybe even for the 2014 holiday season

Even though it is only a year old, the Rainforest Café volcano is being fixed up

Ghirardelli has a new sundae

They also have some great holiday treats

MINI CHOCOLATE!

La Nouba Dinner & Show Package To Be Offered 9/30-11/22/14

WDWNT on September 30, 2014

The package includes category 1 or 2 tickets to Cirque Du Soleil La Nouba 6 Pm performances and dining at Splitsville, Wolfgang Puck, or Planet Hollywood on dates ranging from 9/30 through 11/22, 2014. Category 1 tickets are $119 + tax for adults and $109 + tax for children, while category 2 tickets are $99 + tax per adult and $89 + tax per child.

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Dinner includes one entrée, 1 non-alcoholic beverage, and 1 dessert per person and gratuity is not included. Dining can be before or after the show, with before needing to be seated prior to 4:30Pm and after seating beginning at 8PM.

You can book this package by calling (407) WDW-SEAT, or by visiting the box office at Cirque Du Soleil at Downtown Disney.

Tom Corless’ 9/23/14 WDW Photo Report (Frozen Store, Disney Springs, Hollywood Studios, ETC.)

WDWNT on September 30, 2014

This weekend, I visited Downtown Disney/Disney Springs as well as Disney’s Hollywood Studios and I have a number of newsworthy photos to share with you from my trip, so let’s take a look at what’s new and exciting!

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Disney Infinity 2.0 for sale at Once Upon a Toy

The remodeling has begun at the World of Disney store: the pirate displays were ripped out and replaced with this temporary display

Work on the new pedestrian bridge in Marketplace continues

If you’re complaining about the lack of Android or iPod cases at WDW, the sun damage to these packages should indicate how poorly they sell compared to iPhone cases

Some of the pavement between Portobello and Fulton’s has come out from behind walls

The new pathway through Pleasure Island/ The Landing is nearing completion, so you’ll be able to walk between Raglan Road and Portobello soon

Legends of Hollywood is now a Frozen store on Sunset Boulevard at Hollywood Studios

With Wandering Oaken’s closing on the 28th, this will be the home to all Frozen merchandise at the Studios

Even the window display got dressed up for Olaf

A look inside

There’s even pressed pennies!

Not Frozen, but I spotted this awesome new pressed pennies book in the store

OLAFS!!!!

Character portraits can be found near the ceiling

New, 2-sided ornament

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Over at One Man’s Dream, the New Fantasyland model is gone and the old exhibits are back

At Muppetvision 3-D, a new soon-to-be interactive element was spotted hanging in the pre-show

Goodbye…

iPhone 6 Cases Coming to D-Tech on Demand at Co-Op in Downtown Disney

WDWNT on September 30, 2014

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Do you smell that? That’s the smell of new technology in the morning! With the release of the new iPhone 6 imminent (tomorrow as of this writing), fans look for ways to showoff they’re love for Disney and Disney knows that. Announced on the Disney Parks Blog, D-Tech on Demand will begin selling iPhone 6 cases on September 20th at the Co-Op store in Downtown Disney Marketplace. Other locations at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland will be added in October. You’ll be able to pick from over 170 designs to customize your new iPhone 6 and Disney even gave us a preview of 3 new designs they’ll be introducing with the launch of the iPhone 6 cases.

For those of you who purchased an iPhone 6 Plus (like myself), we’ll have to hang on just a little longer as they launch of those cases won’t be until later in the Fall.