Photo Reports – Page 14

Tom Corless’ 3/23/14 Disney Springs Photo Report (Pollo Campero Closes, Concept Art, New Shirts, ETC.)

WDWNT on March 31, 2014

Plenty is going on at Downtown Disney as it slowly transforms into Disney Springs, so I took my camera and headed over to the districts to see what new merchandise has been popping up and exciting changes are happening to the area:

New kid’s shirt featuring PIXAR characters

There’s also a new kid’s shirt with Disney characters

A few new adult t-shirts have also been released

Railroad t-shirt

I love this new shirt that not only features a Friendship boat, but also says Lake Buena Vista on it

Work continues on the Marketplace bridge

Pollo Campero and Babycakes NYC have closed to make way for Disney Springs construction

This location will be knocked down, but it remains unknown if either tenant will return in a new location

On the West Side, you can now find concept art for the new parking structure

Tom Corless’ 12/30/13-1/1/14 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on February 18, 2014

I managed to spend the last three busy days citing Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World and I have some photos to share with you all from my journey, so let’s tai a look at what’s new and exciting:

New 2014 iPhone 4/4S and 5 cases have hit stores

These have a new design as they are hard cases with a bumper

Disney’s Hollywood Studios once again had the stage up for the holidays and used the screens to give guests park information

The Legend of Jack Sparrow is now only available to guests via a ticketing system done on a first-come, first-serve basis. Disney’s thoughts are guests will be less let down that this isn’t a ride if they don’t have to stand in line for 30 minutes or more. The tickets were all gone by the time we got there on the 30th.

Specialty holiday drinks were available in the park

Comedy Warehouse returned again for the busy holiday season

Moving to Downtown Disney, the new barbecue quick service location at House of Blues is nearing completion

These two-layered t-shirts were found at World of Disney

It’s a mesh layer over a colored character layer

The Disneyland 4-D puzzle has made its way to WDW

A whole bunch of new charms for charm bracelets have been released, including the Orange Bird

The 4th and final food truck debuted at Downtown Disney, Fantasy Fare

There are a lot of good offerings

CORN DOGS!!!

I dared to venture to the Magic Kingdom for New Year’s Eve again this year…

This looks much worse than it actually was, it took less than 3 minutes to get through bag check

Some lines were long, as to be expected, especially at Starbucks

Casey’s Corner was offering breakfast due to crowds

The ham, egg, and cheese croissant was excellent

Golden Oak Outpost has re-opened and now has a spicy chicken sandwich, the lines were just too long to try it on the 31st…

Pirates of the Caribbean reached an 80 minute wait at one point

Work continues on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Friar’s Nook is open as well and now has gourmet mac and cheese dishes

There are 3 choices of different mac and cheese styles

Here is the Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese

And the mac and cheese with bread crumbs, both were very good

The 31st was your last chance to catch Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade

See you in 2014 Santa!

Prince Eric’s Village Market was offering soup since it was cold

90 minute wait for Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

Cinderella’s Coach is out for photos through the 4th to deal with some crowds

The second seating planter by Pinocchio’s Village Haus came out from behind walls recently

A new sign was added to the facade of the Country Bear Jamboree in an attempt to draw in more guests

We dined at the Tortuga Tavern buffet that was only open for the busy holiday season and I have to say it was pretty good

Some great desserts as well!

The animated Pluto bank is now available in stores for $19.95

As always, free cookies and cocoa were offered at the end of the night to keep guests in the park during the midnight rush to leave

Moving over to Animal Kingdom, the Dawa Bar in Africa has moved opposite the Tusker House check-in desk to accommodate the eventual queue for Festival of the Lion King

A new limited release iPhone 5 case available at the park

Some new clothing

A sweatshirt

Construction continues on the new Festival of the Lion King theater

All guests visiting Animal Kingdom can now use FastPass+ by heading to any service center or FastPass+ location

This is the first KODAK picture spot sign I’ve seen blank, but it should have a new NIKON picture spot sing in it soon

Some new Toy Story action figures made by Disney Parks have been released

Aerial Construction Photos of Disney Springs From 1/3/14

WDWNT on February 18, 2014

WDWNT Reporter Nick LoCicero is once again bringing us the latest aerial construction photos from high above Downtown Disney as the conversion to Disney Springs continues:

Vertical construction on the parking structure continues

Pleasure Island is slowly transforming into The Landing

Another look at the structure

A look at the former site of the Comedy Warehouse that is being excavated

Another look at the parking lot

Vertical construction on the main structure in The Landing should begin shortly

Captain Jack’s is gone, all that remains are some posts in the water

Dirk Wallen’s 1/15/14 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on February 18, 2014

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom last week and has some newsworthy photos (and video) to share with us, so let’s take a look:

Banners for The Jungle Book on Blu-Ray now hanging in the Animation Courtyard

A billboard up as well

A billboard for Maleficent is also up near PIXAR Place, and yes, the horns stick out of the top…

The scanner boards at Star Tours have still not been activated to work with MagicBands yet

There’s also a new sign that will interact with guests installed in the pre-show area at Muppet Vision 3-D

The Etch-A-Sketch in the queue at Toy Story Mania was finally turned on last week, here’s a video showing the device in action:

Osborne Lights are coming down

All clear on this end of the street

The AFI exhibit is quietly being updated at the exit of the Backlot Tour

A few props have been switched out and moved around

Among the new additions is a costume from Batman

There are also now some items from E.T.

The croissant doughnut (or Cronut) is our only photo from Epcot, but you can pick up this incredible snack at the Refreshment Port

The Let The Memories Begin signage has been removed from the front of Animal Kingdom

Some walls are up near Island Mercantile where FastPass+ kiosks once stood… not sure if they are moving this help desk or not

Walls now up blocking guests from Camp Minnie-Mickey as it transforms into AVATAR

Camp Minnie-Mickey signage around the park has been removed

Work continues on the new home for Festival of the Lion King and the former Dawa Bar has now been absorbed by walls to accommodate queue construction

A look at the theater construction from far away

Not too long ago, Dug and Russell got some permanent signage for their meet and greet

Since Camp Minnie-mickey is closed and Animal Kingdom is down one show, Dinoland is now hosting a dance party

Here’s a short clip of the new offering that is full of obscure characters:

Dirk Wallen’s 1/19/14 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on February 18, 2014

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited Downtown Disney, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and the Magic Kingdom on Sunday and has some newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:

Work continues on the Disney Springs parking structure

Since this photo was taken, the new confer service location at House of Blues opened

It’s called The Smokehouse

Here is the menu

The West Side Starbucks under construction

A look at what will be The Landing

Paradise 37 will remain open through all of the construction

No visible progress on Pleasure Island

Walls up in the Marketplace

The Starbucks under construction in the Marketplace

Captain Jack’s and the marina has been reduced to some poles in the water

Moving over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Min and Bill’s is now serving turkey legs and pork shanks

The Glow with the Show window at Villains in Vogue has vanished behind this old Fantasmic display

Over at Animal Kingdom, the stroller parking area at the Wildlife Express Train in Africa is behind walls

Work continues on the new DVC wing of the Polynesian

We spotted out first Nikon Picture Spot in Fantasyland

FASTPASS machines are now being uninstalled at the Magic Kingdom as they are now only using FastPass+

Peter Pan FASTPASS covered up

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train appears to be nearing completion, and trains are now testing on the track daily! Here’s video of a train running:

Hayley Nance’s 1/26/14 Magic Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT on February 18, 2014

We welcome WDWNT’s own Hayley Nance on-board as a Walt Disney World photographer/reporter this week, and she gets started by bringing us some wonderful photos from earlier this week at the Magic Kingdom:

Removal of the Cinderella Castle Dreamlights is in full swing

Awww…

Cinderella’s rented crane returns for an annual visit

Legacy FastPass machines and signage are now vanishing from the park

After 11 years, there is no more FastPass signage or machines at Mickey’s Philharmagic

The screens in the finale of “it’s a small world” have been covered up again for some reason

Perhaps until they are ready to start working with MagicBands

Work continues on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, the tarps remain under the bridge still

A look through the peep holes…

Walls have also gone up across the way now as they finish up some pavement work

Plenty of fake trees now cover the mountain

Looks like some more greenery will be appearing soon

The entrance structure seems to be complete

The rain did not give us a clear view this week 🙁

The crane, ruining vacation photos since 2007

Hayley Nance’s 2/2/14 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on February 18, 2014

WDWNT Reporter Hayley Nance visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom this past weekend and has some newsworthy photos to share with us from her trip, so let’s take a look:

Starting at Hollywood Studios, The Backlot Tour is closed for refurbishment

In the Magic of Disney Animation, you’ll now find posters for Big Hero 6…

Inside Out

The Good Dinosaur and Planes Fire and Rescue

A billboard for The Pirate Fairy is now up in the Animation Courtyard

Moving over to Animal Kingdom, work continues on the new Festival of the Lion King theater

Some walls are up blocking some of the Discovery Trails near the Tree of Life

Perhaps work has begun on the modifications to the area for nighttime entertainment?

Cast members now stand guard to make sure guests are not lost trying to find the now non-existent Camp Minnie-Mickey

More walls

Temporary walls remain in the queue for “it’s tough to be a bug”

Permanent FastPass+ signage now installed

A look at the Festival of the Lion King theater from a distance

It’s pretty big…

Joe Hogarty’s 2/3/14 Magic Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT on February 18, 2014

WDWNT Reporter Joe Hogarty visited the Magic Kingdom on Monday and has some newsworthy photos to share with us from his trip to the park:

A section of the Confectionary is behind tarps

The crane can still be found behind Cinderella Castle

Legacy FastPass machines being ripped out at Mickey’s Philharmagic

But a FastPass+ kiosk can be found not far away

A queue set up for the initial rush on most days

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is progressing nicely, rumors indicate we may get a March soft-opening

We can now see the first details on Snow White’s cottage

We can now see emergency railings along the track, at least they look themed

Someone forgot their broom

TREES!

More details have been added to the strange mechanism with the vultures on it

I wonder what is in the basket…

The signage should be installed soon

Smokin’ on the job…

This guy is my favorite…

Hey, “it’s a small world” was built on martinis and cigarettes, so I’m OK with it

We can only imagine what has arrived in these boxes at the work site

The wishing well is closed off until the crane leaves

Work continues on enclosing the patio on Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe

More FastPass+ by Stitch’s Great Escape

The Casey’s Corner seating area is being expanded

Casey’s is also closed right now

This was the Dole Whip line…

Yep…

Agrabah Bazaar getting some work done

There is an Enchanted Tiki Room tankard cup now available at Sunshine Tree Terrace

It features the tiki faces from inside the Enchanted Tiki Room

We need more stuff like this to buy, right?

Monorail service in the middle of the day has been suspended and will likely be for a few weeks while some maintenance is performed

Dirk Wallen’s 2/4-2/8/14 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on February 18, 2014

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney over the last few days, so let’s take a look at everything happening around Walt Disney World right now:

Nikon photo spot now in place near the Rose Garden

Some more planter work happening near the hub… rumors suggest this may all be related to a new nighttime show for the park…

See ya’ later trash can…

The facade at the Enchanted Tiki Room is getting some work done

The Nikon picture spot at Splash Mountain isn’t quite picturesque yet…

The Splash Mountain refurbishment continues

Tarps up on the buildings in Liberty Square and the castle crane looming behind it

The Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin FastPass machines are being removed

Plenty of Valentine’s Day treats are available at Big Top Treats

Moving over to Disney’s Polynesian Resort, DVC wing construction is in full swing

I love these signs…

Gates up on the beach

The work out in the water on the rumored bungalows

Over at Epcot, the former Kim Possible kiosk area is now a MyMagic+ service center

Prep work for the Flower and Garden Festival is in full swing now

Another Nikon picture spot

The Darkroom at Hollywood Studios is still presented by Kodak

Yet there is a Nikon Picture Spot not too far away

The Monsters University meet and greet is becoming the Monsters Inc. meet and greet again

Backlot tour is still closed

Frozen billboard up in the backlot

Pirate Fairy and Jungle Book billboards up in the Animation Courtyard

Nikon picture spot at Animal Kingdom

A decent size line for FastPass+

AVATAR construction is happening folks…

Some work happening outside of Expedition Everest

A look at the new Festival of the Lion King theater from high up on Everest

Looks like there is a lot of work to still be done

On to Downtown Disney… Disney Springs… whatever it is…

Not much visible progress to the West Side Starbucks

Not much to see on Pleasure Island either

But there is something happening behind these walls

Here is the site for the large water-side building in The Landing

Bridge work in the Marketplace is happening quickly

The stage area near Fulton’s has been behind walls for a few weeks now

The staging area for the bridge is across from T-Rex behind the DVC booth

The Marketplace Starbucks is also coming along slowly

Guests watching construction take place

Cinderella outside of World of Disney received a backdrop on the construction walls for the Starbucks

Some strange new men’s shirts on sale

Team Mickey is now closed to become the Marketplace Co-Op

New Star Wars MagicBandits have arrived

There is also an R2-D2 MagicSlider!

Dirk Wallen’s 2/17/14 Epcot & Disney Springs Photo Report

WDWNT on February 18, 2014

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited Epcot and Downtown Disney this week and has some newsworthy photos of Walt Disney World to share with us, so let’s take a look: