Meet & Greets – 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.

Wreck-It Ralph Characters Coming To Disneyland This November

WDWNT on September 8, 2012

From Shawn Slater on the Disney Parks Blog:

I’m excited to tell you Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope Von Schweetz, two of the main characters from Disney’s newest animated adventure comedy “Wreck-It Ralph,” will soon be making their debut at Disney Parks.

My family and I can’t wait to see “Wreck-It Ralph.” In the movie, video game “bad guy” Ralph is tired of being overshadowed by Fix-It Felix, the “good guy” star of their game who always gets to save the day. Ralph takes matters into his own massive hands and sets off on an adventure across the arcade, with potentially disastrous results! Along the way, he runs into feisty misfit Vanellope VonSchweetz from the candy-coated cart racing game, “Sugar Rush,” and the unlikely duo must team up to try and save the day.

“Wreck-It Ralph” is going to be great, and meeting Ralph and Vanellope in the parks will be just as fun. At The Magic of Disney Animation attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you’ll step through Game Central Station, catching glimpses of the various game worlds from the film on your way to “Sugar Rush,” where Vanellope and Ralph are waiting to meet you at the finish line.

At Disneyland park, the arcade world of “Wreck-It Ralph” comes to life within the Tomorrowland Starcade. When Ralph and Vanellope are there, you’ll have an opportunity to meet them at the portal to “Sugar Rush” and can even play a round on the classic arcade game “Fix-It Felix, Jr.”

Look for each of these experiences to open this November, and be sure to catch “Wreck-It Ralph” in theaters November 2 in 3D!

Tim Alcoser’s 5/22/12 DLR Photo Report

WDWNT on July 16, 2012

Lots of cool stuff happening at the Resort today. We start with Carsland. I was able to catch a live commercial recording of the upcoming Carsland Commercial that will be hitting a local TV station near you soon! I wonder if they were all background actors? They watered down the roadway to make it look more dark for the cameras. There was everything from toddlers in strollers to old couples strolling Route 66. There are also new updates to the Mad T Party. I have to admit, it is looking fairly decent, and Disney has some creative people working on the sets. Moving over to Disneyland, you will see even more Memorial Day decorations, especially on Main Street USA. I take a stroll by Disney-Pixar’s Brave Merida Meet and Greet. Although Merida had packed up and went home for the night, you can see the entire set. They were also testing the new bobsled cars on the Mattehorn today. Also, there are some new pictures of the Monorail and a few extra pics of Pixie Hollow and The Teacups. Enjoy:

Take a good look. This scene is coming to a Disney Resort Carsland Commercial on a TV Station Channel near you!

A few remaining columns from Epcot’s World of Motion in the backlot

Interesting…plastic? Ummm… furniture?

I hope the lanterns are lit up bright

The inside of one of the lanterns.

The teacup seems to simply be another space for a band member.

Is this where Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum (the bouncers) are going to stand?

A scrim was placed over Carnation Cafe as it nears completion

The Brave meet and greet with Merida opened up

The area has been decorated quite a bit

Can you spot the new Matterhorn boblseds?

A shot of one of the new Cars monorails! Can you guess what the name of this one is?

The waterfalls now are basked in a brilliant blue LED light!

Thanks for reading!

‘Never Land Pirate’ Jake Coming To Disney California Adventure

WDWNT on November 11, 2011

From Erin Glover on Disney Parks Blog:

Great news, “Jake and the Never Land Pirates” fans! Jake, from the popular Disney Junior show, will begin greeting guests at Disney Parks this month.

Starting November 13, Jake will be making regular appearances at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort. He will join Handy Manny, Special Agent Oso and June from “Little Einsteins” at the Disney Junior Play ‘n Dine at Hollywood & Vine. Guests at the character dining experience will be able to get into the action by swabbing the deck, rowing the boat and shouting “yo ho” to songs from the show, including “Roll Up the Map,” “Hot Lava” and “Talk Like a Pirate.”

Also beginning November 13, Jake will join the Stars of Disney Junior at their meet and greet location in the Animation Courtyard. In order to make way for Jake, the Little Einsteins will no longer appear at that location.

Jake fans visiting the Disneyland Resort will also be able to meet their favorite little pirate beginning November 20, along Hollywood Boulevard at Disney California Adventure park.

Be sure to check daily entertainment guides for character greeting times and locations.

Yo ho! Let’s go!

Choose What Characters You Get To Meet During “Character Fan Days”

WDWNT on January 7, 2011

From the Disney Parks Blog:

Do you have a favorite Disney character you have never met?

For the first time ever, we’re giving you a chance to decide which rarely seen Disney characters you want to see in Disneyland park. Starting today, you can cast your vote in polls that can be found only on the Disneyland Facebook page, and those votes will determine which characters appear during our new Character Fan Days Jan. 28 through 30. The Characters Fan Days weekend is one of five, family-fun events coming to Disneyland park Jan. 14 through March 6 as part of “Family Fun Weekends.”

To vote, look for three polls on Facebook spanning three days, Jan. 7 through Jan. 9. Each poll will appear at 2 p.m. PT and will feature different characters – some you see often and some you don’t. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the characters included in the poll: the Seven Dwarfs, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Clarabelle Cow and the Country Bears.

The top two vote-getters from each day’s poll will appear in the Festival Arena in Disneyland park Jan. 28 through 30 during the all-new Character Fan Days (sorry – no write-ins accepted).

On a personal note, there’s a “character” you won’t be seeing around the Disneyland Resort as often – me. Today marks my last day leading social media at the Disneyland Resort and my last post as the primary Disneyland author on the Disney Parks Blog. On Monday, I begin a new role. I’m not going too far, and I’ll still be in touch with you. I’ll be joining the social media team at the main offices of The Walt Disney Company, in Burbank, Ca., and I hope to share all kinds of interesting stories with you from there!

I’ve really enjoyed the five years I’ve spent on the Disneyland Resort Public Relations team, and I’ve had a lot of fun with all of you since we launched the Blog in September, 2009. I know I’ve said this at just about every Disneyland meet-up we’ve held, but my favorite part of the job is reading your comments and meeting you in person. Thank you for your comments, questions, interest and enthusiasm. I even appreciate the corrections when they’re warranted.

On Jan. 14, Michele Himmelberg will join the Disney Parks Blog to write about Disneyland Resort. She will share the poll results and details about how to see the winning characters during Character Fan Days.

What are you waiting for? Go cast your vote in our Disney character poll on the Disneyland Facebook page.

New Meet & Greet Featuring Rapunzel

WDWNT on August 14, 2010