Grand Floridian – Page 2

Dirk Wallen’s 10/9/13 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on October 29, 2013

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited the Magic Kingdom yesterday and has some newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:

The final turnstiles at the Magic Kingdom are being converted to touch-point entrances

Some pavement outside of the Confectionery being worked on

The entirety of Main Street will be repaved in January in preparation for Festival of Fantasy

A few weeks ago, Sleepy Hollow got a new sign and a new name, now the Sleepy Hollow Inn

All of the walls are down around the old Peter Pan restroom area

A new backdrop for the Peter Pan and Wendy meet and greet was revealed

Peter Pan’s Flight is down for refurbishment

It appears that paper FastPass (or legacy if you prefer) is gone forever at Peter Pan’s Flight

Some work going on at Pinocchio’s Village Haus, but the restaurant remains open

Work continues on the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train in New Fantasyland

A look through the wall reveals that the pathway and fence along the ride are finished

The cake cups are still available at Cheshire Cafe, so they must be doing well

A new Madame Leota Haunted Mansion phone case available for the iPhone 5

The Grand Floridian Villas are scheduled to open on the 23rd

Work is wrapping up

The walkway to the older buildings is the last piece to be completed

Until it is done, there are going to be some monorail downtimes daily

Mary Poppins Penguin Fountain To Grace The Villas at the Grand Floridian

WDWNT on August 7, 2013

When guests enter the Grand Atrium Lobby of the Villas at the Grand Floridian, not only will they find two 45-foot-long gold chandeliers, but they will also find this charming fountain:

Made of bronze, guests will find seven penguins from Mary Poppins in playful poses in this lobby feature

Here is an artist crafting the penguins for the fountain

The penguins during the casting process

So, what do you think of this accent for the lobby of the Villas at the Grand Floridian?

Dirk Wallen’s 6/18/13 Magic Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT on July 17, 2013

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited the Magic Kingdom on Tuesday and has some newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:

The Villas at the Grand Floridian are starting to match the Grand Floridian skyline

They are racing towards an October opening

Work continues on the third bus loop at the Magic Kingdom

The first awnings for the bus loop have started to appear

Yep…

Tarps still up on the Adventureland Veranda

It looks like A Pirate’s Adventure is going to have FastPass+ at some point

Guests can’t board at the Frontierland Railroad Station currently as they work on the stairs

Sleepy Hollow Refreshments… say it with me… IS STILL BEHIND TARPS

Walls still up on the waterfront in Liberty Square

FastPass+ entrance at “it’s a small world” ready for testing this week

You can now buy your own Gaston’s Tavern sign at Bonjour Village Gifts

PHOTOS: Inside Model Rooms of “The Villas at the Grand Floridian”

WDWNT on July 17, 2013

Earlier today, I was lucky enough to get a tour of the model villas for “The Villas at the Grand Floridian” which will be opening in October. Here are photos I took of the deluxe studio and one-bedroom villa model rooms:

The hallway

Artwork in the hallway

First we will look at the studio

I’m not surprised to see Mary Poppins in the room, but The Happiest Millionaire? A really cool obscure reference!

The pull-out bed has Dumbo artwork behind it

The kitchen

The bathroom

Yes, there is a TV in the mirror…

Now on to the one-bedroom villa

Notice the Duffy in the girl’s basket in the picture on the right…

Mary Poppins lyrics adorn the back of the fold-out bed in this room

The kitchen is pretty awesome

The kitchen table

The master bedroom

Cute Mary Poppins artwork

The bathroom in the master bedroom

Hard to see, but the shower is huge! You could fit a lot of people in there…

Bathtub

Walk-in closet

The fold-out bed is in this unit

While I felt like the studio was nothing special, I felt the one-bedroom villa was just about the nicest Disney hotel room I have ever seen. While we have to wait a few more months to see the building completed, The room models have certainly wet my appetite for this new Disney Vacation Club Resort.

What do you think of these model rooms?

The Villas at the Grand Floridian Go On Sale This Week!

WDWNT on June 4, 2013

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?

Dirk Wallen’s 4/17/13 Magic Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT on April 24, 2013

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited the Magic Kingdom yesterday and has some newsworthy photos to share with us, so lets take a look:

Work continues on the Grand Floridian DVC wing

Work continues on a third bus loop for the Magic Kingdom

The Grand Floridian Villas off in the distance

There is still a ton of construction equipment put in the Polynesian Resort parking lot

Some work being done to the planter in front of the train station

Beautifully Disney products now available in the Emporium

The Swiss Family Treehouse s being fixed up while it is open

The Adventureland Veranda facade is still being worked on

Sleepy Hollow Refreshments is still behind tarps

The exterior refurbishment of Columbia Harbour House rolls on

Tarps now up on this end of the building

On the Fantasyland side, the Peter Pan restrooms have been closed and are behind tarps

No visible progress on Princess Fairytale Hall

Mad Tea Party refurbishment ongoing

The first real details of the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train attraction are beginning to emerge

Dirk Wallen’s 4/5-7/13 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on April 24, 2013

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen has been all-over the Walt Disney World Resort as of late and has a ton of newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:

While most of the new parking lot at the Grand Floridian Villas is open, some is still closed to accommodate construction

Work continues on the Villas at the Grand Floridian

This appears to be the drop-off area

Iron Man-O-Rail running

Moving to the Magic Kingdom, work continues on the Main Street Bakery

The new Dumbo popcorn bucket available on Main Street

Purty

Work continues on the exterior of the Adventureland Veranda

The glass canopy on the other side of the building is still missing

Some work happening at the Swiss Family Treehouse while it is open

Kodak picture spots are still up around the parks

Some new Splash Mountain shirts have come out

Work continues on Columbia Harbor House

The other side looks completely new

More rock-work appearing everyday on the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train

A new shirt featuring Main Street U.S.A.

Some new sports shirts

They put a cardboard popcorn bucket inside the Dumbo popcorn bucket

Moving over to Epcot, work continues on the facade of Mission: Space

Walls are already up and work has begun on the Spice Road Table restaurant in Morocco

A temporary stage is now up for Mo Rockin’

Work continues on turning the old France bakery into an ice cream parlor

Moving over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios…

Kodak signage is gone from Muppetvision 3-D

A dance party truck was rolled out on Streets of America to deal with the heavier crowds recently

The Disney Truck Shop at Downtown Disney

The latest pin in the 2013 poster collection was released last week

Huey, Dewey, and Louie are now 75 years old

Disney-PIXAR Vinylmation pins are now on sale

Tom Corless & Dirk Wallen’s 3/13 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on April 24, 2013

Things have been so crazy around here at WDW News Today lately that we’ve had some minor news stories slip through the cracks. In an effort to get you up to speed on some of the stories we haven’t covered on the site lately, here are newsworthy photos from myself and Dirk Wallen taken earlier in March:

Some new “flat” snowglobes for sale

There are some new hot sandwiches in Liberty Square

Most of the arcades at Walt Disney World are replacing their prize counters with one of these

An automated prize machine is a pretty cool concept

The new purchase with purchase item for sale is an expandable duffle

Wriost gift cards are available for the Flower and Garden Festival

Work continues on expanding the Boardwalk Bakery

The arcade next door is gone

The sign is still up and the door still enters the small ESPN shop

The arcade section is covered by a curtain

A few weeks ago, Test Track introduced a new car type guests can choose

Triton’s Treasures behind the Mine Train now has shutters on it

An ADA compliant ramp was installed on the Yankee Trader

Some of the new Haunted Mansion merchandise is for sale in Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe

Picture frame

Hourglass

Coasters

Work continues on installing A Pirate’s Adventure in Adventureland

Work continues on the exterior of the Adventureland Veranda

Rumors indicate that this may finally become a Pirate restaurant in 2014 once the Disney Fairies move out

More tarps on the front of the building

St. Patrick’s Day shirt

Spring Break and graduation merchandise out

Two new Oswald shirts for sale

Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny are in town square

Awwwwww

More Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train construction

Some trees up on the mountain

We can finally see some rock work

In preparation for FastPAss+, a large section of the Pirates of the Caribbean queue has been re-routed

Work continues on the Villas at the Grand Floridian

Thanks for reading!

Dirk Wallen’s 2/11/13 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on March 17, 2013

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

Dirk Wallen’s 2/2/13 Magic Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT on March 17, 2013

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