Imagination – WDWNT Archive

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.

CONCEPT ART: Original Upstairs ImageWorks in the Imagination Pavilion at Epcot to Reopen as DVC Member Lounge

WDWNT on January 27, 2016

As part of the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Disney Vacation Club, members will soon have access to an exclusive lounge in the Imagination! pavilion at Epcot:

Available in late spring 2016, Members will be able to relax and get their Member Services questions answered in this brand-new lounge, located in the Imagination! Pavilion in Future World at Epcot.

The lounge will feature comfortable seating, complimentary soft drinks, strong Wi-Fi, charging stations, helpful Member Services Advisors and computers with printers, and will serve as a gathering place for Members to meet up and celebrate their pride for Disney Vacation Club.

While we were unsure of the exact location of the lounge since that it announced, a reader was nice enough to send in some artwork of the new lounge that will re-open the former lobby of the old upstairs ImageWorks at the Imagination! pavilion (which has been mostly closed to guests since October 1998):

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While it may not be something open to all guests, it is nice to see such a beautiful space return to functionality after all these years.

6/30/14 Walt Disney World Photo Report (Epcot, 8-Bit Chairs, & More)

WDWNT on August 7, 2014

John Corigliano and myself visited Epcot over the weekend and took some phoitos of what is new and noteworthy in the park to share with you, so let’s take a look at the latest from the park:

Welcome to Epcot

An ad for Frozen Summer fun is on the times guide at every park right now…

Work continues to repair the water main behind Innoventions

Inside Innoventions behind Club Cool and Character Spot, some tables and chairs were added to the abandoned lobby area near the restrooms

The chairs have a strange “8-bit” look

Nothing too special about the tables, but a nice offering given how many guests crash in here during the summer months

The water features at Imagination! will be off until the water main is fixed

Not sure when this happened, but the Captain EO FastPass machines were removed

It’s quite the mess

The food cart between Imagination! and The Land is behind walls

The Odyssey has been a very popular place to watch the World Cup

Your World Cup update courtesy of Epcot…

Just a few minutes before this photo was taken, the place was PACKED for the Mexico game…

There is another soccer photo-op by the Germany pavilion

They also have the brackets board back here

The Glasskunst in Germany was closed for a few weeks for a small remodeling, but it is open now and looks great

The main reason for our Epcot trip was the new snacks at the Refreshment Outpost in World Showcase. They have two new yogurts and a alcoholic rum drink

In the 30 seconds between getting the yogurt and getting to a table, the Florida heat made the yogurt a little less photo friendly, but they were still absolutely delicious!

The coconut is my favorite, but pineapple was also very good. We didn’t order the swirl, but when we mixed the two, it was incredible!

In the cultural exhibit in Mexico, they have added a pretty crazy projection-mapping effect to this large stone piece

They are projecting the original paint scheme that would have been on the piece onto the now-grey stone

Every few minutes, the coloring fades in and out

New Disney PArks umbrella for sale in MouseGear, $14.95

There is also this character umbrella

And another Disney Parks design

6/16/14 Walt Disney World Photo Report (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs)

WDWNT on June 29, 2014

In an effort to best keep you updated with what is going on at Walt Disney World, we will be providing a comprehensive photo report every Monday. Should we attend anything of note during the week, we will of course continue to post videos and smaller photo reports on other weekdays, but Monday will offer the largest and most detailed on a weekly basis. With that being said, let’s dive in and see what’s new as of June 16th, 2014:

Avatar construcvtion is in full swing at Animal Kingdom and you can clearly see the cranes over the tree-line from the parking lot

A Lion King musical “ocarina” mug is now for sale at the Harambe Popcorn cart

It comes with sheet music to show you how to play a few Disney songs

Some work happening by this gate between Africa and Asia

Walls also up by Creature Comforts on Discovery Island

Moving on to Disney Springs, work continues on Food Truck Park on the West Side

More of the elevated area that is supposed to be abandoned train tracks has appeared in the park area

A soccer store called United World Soccer has opened on the West Side, just in time for the World Cup

The store was quite busy on Saturday, but it was Car Masters Weekend

Pleasure Island continues its conversion into The Landing

Construction finally happening in the old Harley-Davidson location

The waterway between Pleasure Island and Marketplace is behind walls, also, one of the old PI train ticket booths is gone

Work continues outside of Fulton’s and Portobello

The latest progress on the new Marketplace bridge

The area between T-Rex and the LEGO store is a mess right now

Reminds me of 2010 at Disney California Adventure

The former site of Pollo Campero

Looking towards World of Disney

If you go this way, you will be funneled into LEGO

A look at the lake from the LEGO area

I hit Marketplace Co-Op to pick up some things and also tried my hand at creating a phone case. The process is fairly simple…

Moving over to Epcot, removal of the Flower and Garden Festival is still taking place… more on that later…

The Odyssey is actually open and hosting World Cup viewing all-day long

Come on in!

The interior is nicely decorated

There’s even a physical board they will update through the rounds of the World Cup

Tables and chairs are set-up inside, but there are also some cushy leather chairs in the first two rows in front of the big screen

The side pockets of the room are also filled with chairs and smaller screens

Some modest food offerings inside as well

There’s even a store filled with Epcot World Cup merchandise!

So, where the butterfly garden was located, apparently the workers hit a water main and now the entire area is being excavated…

No Figment comics remaining at Imagination!, they sold out pretty quick

As a result of the damaged water main, the Imagination! waterfall is off

Some ponds in the area have been drained as well

Olaf carrot cake cupcake for sale at the Main Street Bakery

There’s also a Frozen cupcake

We had dinner at the Be Our Guest Restaurant last night…

It had been a little while since we had been here, but the menu again had some new additions and price hikes

The current kid’s menu

The grey stuff is now offered as a dessert, served on top of a chocolate cake. It was still delicious!

Tom Corless’ 5/8/13 Epcot Photo Report

WDWNT on June 4, 2013

I made a visit to Epcot during the day on Wednesday and found a few newsworthy items around the park, so let’s take a look at what’s new:

The store at the exit of Test Track now has a name: The After Market Shop

I haven’t seen fish like this in a long time at the Seas with Nemo and Friends… it was because it was feeding time

They are growing a Mickey made of hops on Living with the Land

We think it might be for the Food & Wine Festival in the fall

The loading area was modified at Journey Into Imagination this week

The loading area was pushed way back from the loading platform

The Norway waterfall is behind walls again

New, larger restrooms are being constructed at the American Adventure, near where the festival booths are set up each year

Work continues on L’Artisan des Glaces, the France ice cream parlor

A lot of work to be done before the June opening

New Grumpy shirt in Mouse Gear

Tom Corless’ 5/6/13 Epcot Photo Report

WDWNT on June 4, 2013

While visiting Epcot on Monday to see the Three Caballeros, I managed to take pictures of a few other newsworthy items around the park, so lets take a look:

The “toothpick holder” set was updated with a retro Figment shot glass now included

Some new shirts out in Mouse Gear

Work continues on turning FountainView into a Starbucks location

Work is just getting started on Spice Road Table in the Morocco pavilion

The latest Good Luck/Bad Luck pin has Yoda, which is interesting because the set until now has consisted of classic Disney characters

A new retro Journey Into Imagination keychain came out recently

Dirk Wallen’s 4/25-26/13 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on June 4, 2013

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios last week and has a ton of newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:

The Kodak sign is still up, too bad the waterfall isn’t…

Just imagine it is there

This seating area in Innoventions is now being used as office space as far as we can tell

Segway Central hasn’t changed since closing

Probably should take this down

Monsters University merchandise in Mouse Gear

MU iPhone cases

Scare Pig plush

Art plush

Open edition pin

Kids shirt

Ummmmm….

Graduation Duffy!

AHHHHHH!

Moving to Studios, there is a Monsters University billboard in the parking lot

Kodak letters gone from the Darkroom facade, but are still on the sign

FastPass test for Fantasmic! ongoing

We are in the final days of the old Monsters Inc. meet and greet in the backlot

Soon we will be going back to college…

Monsters University billboard near PIXAR Place

A Lone Ranger billboard up as well

MU banners in the Animation Courtyard

Inside the Magic of Disney Animation, Monsters University artwork has been added

The Gallery exhibit was updated as well

Tom Corless’ 8/23-8/29/12 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on December 21, 2012

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

LED Lighting Enhancements Added to Journey Into Imagination with Figment

WDWNT on October 30, 2012

So, while we have been tweeting a lot over the last 10 days or so, Disney’s wonderful wifi at their resorts (Pop Century and Art of Animation) have kept us from posting some news. Apologies for the long gap without stories, but there is about to be a flood of news coming you way over the next week or so starting with this interesting tidbit.

If you thought that Epcot may soon replace the Journey Into Imagination with Figment attraction (just now celebrating its tenth anniversary), you may be in for a surprise. Another significant investment in the ride has just been made, this time in the attraction lighting. A few months ago we showed you the installation of new screens and projectors through the ride, but now two scenes have added dramatic LED lighting and effects.

The smell lab scene now changes between two colors before blasting you with an unpleasant odor, while the finale scene becomes a rainbow of rotating colors. I hate to say this, but this makes a dramatic difference. Not only does the finale actually stay completely hidden until the walls explode, but the reveal is actually a “wow” moment. So while no replacement is on the way yet, it’s nice to see time and effort spent on a forgotten attraction. Here’s video of the changes:

So, what do you think?

Adam Roth’s 3/23/12 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on September 8, 2012

WDWNT Reporter Adam Roth visited Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the Magic Kingdom on Friday and has a TON of newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:

Flower and Garden Festival in bloom at Epcot

IF ONLY WE HAD XPASS!!!!

Queue modifications are done… it’s a completely different queue experience now…

Peacock

Cool graphics on the Epcot tip board

Enjoy Kim Possible while it lasts

Habit Heroes and the VISION House now on the list inside Innoventions East

Habit Heroes is still closed

I’m offended…

Work continues on the VISION House

Habit Heroes now has a sign on the entry wall

Goodbye

VISION House will be added soon as it opens in April

Phineas and Ferb now have an entire section at MouseGear

AGENT P!

The light-up Vinylmation lamps and Baseball figures now available

Let’s Go Yankees! (Personal bias)

These are buy 1, get 1 50% off

Shouldn’t the Knicks be on the bottom? (I actually am a fan… but I’m realistic)

Let’s go Dolphins! (Please pity me)

2012 dated Vinylmation

Zodiac series

Flower and Garden merchandise

Cool magnets

This is too cool…

If your imagination features Captain EO, seek help

Bambi’s Butterfly House is back

The play area for this year’s festival is called “Let’s Get Moving”

Chimpanzee is coming… before Earth Day?

Can’t imagine why they are changing this…

Exterior work continues at the Seas with Nemo and Friends

A new entrance being worked on, possibly for Turtle Talk

There’s a new path in the queue…

It leads to Seabase

The mural is surviving the work

A new company has taken over the chromakey photo area at Imageworks

It’s pretty empty right now

Amazing Pictures (who you may have seen at Universal Studios) is now here

Hey, why don’t we just start the demolition…

On to the Festival Center

The Flower and Garden, Food and Wine Festival?

A touch-screen map of the Festival available

Body Wars is back there somewhere

The Odyssey has been painted blue

Well, at least the roof

This exhibit is weird…

Tarps are now up for the Tutto Italia refurbishment

FREE SAMPLES!

Another play area

Let’s take a boat over to Studios

We can’t get enough of these

The outline of Roger Rabbit has seen better days

The entrance at Tower of Terror had some pavement replaced

The Star Tours name is on some of the merchandise tags now

On to the Magic Kingdom, Skyway demolition continues in Fantasyland

The Tigger Bounce area being removed from the Pooh queue

Yes, more Dumbo photos…

Storybook Circus sure is something at night

HA!

I love restrooms… there, I said it…

I’ll tell you what I don’t love… the Club 626 Dance Party

A sad not to end on…

Tag: Imagination

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

CONCEPT ART: Original Upstairs ImageWorks in the Imagination Pavilion at Epcot to Reopen as DVC Member Lounge

6/30/14 Walt Disney World Photo Report (Epcot, 8-Bit Chairs, & More)

6/16/14 Walt Disney World Photo Report (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs)

Tom Corless’ 5/8/13 Epcot Photo Report

Tom Corless’ 5/6/13 Epcot Photo Report

Dirk Wallen’s 4/25-26/13 WDW Photo Report

Tom Corless’ 8/23-8/29/12 WDW Photo Report

LED Lighting Enhancements Added to Journey Into Imagination with Figment

Adam Roth’s 3/23/12 WDW Photo Report

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