Changing 9 Dragons Over 6 Months

WDWNT on June 3, 2008

Here’s an excerpt from the Orlando Sentinel talking about changes taking place at Epcot’s Nine Dragons Restaurant now through this December:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (Orlando Sentinel) Nine Dragons Restaurant, Walt Disney World’s premiere Chi-nese cuisine diner at Epcot, closed late last week for refurbishment. The work is part of ongoing efforts to re-fresh many of the food offerings and experiences in Epcot’s World Showcase. Nine Dragons interior is to be remodeled and redecorated. The restaurant also will be revising its menu. Nine Dragons is expected to reopen sometime in the fall. Meanwhile, counter service of a limited number of Chinese dishes is still available through the China Pavilion’s Lotus Blossom Cafe, and a food kiosk will be added to the pavilion’s courtyard with additional offerings. The main restaurants in Epcot’s Mexico, Japan and Italy pavilions were refurbished in the past year or two. Nine Dragons Restaurant features several styles of Chinese cooking, with entrees ranging in price from $15 to more than $30.

The Happiest Cruise That Ever Got Laughs

WDWNT on May 29, 2008

The Jungle Cruise attraction returned into service at the Magic Kingdom this past Memorial Day weekend with a few noticeable changes. The first thing you should notice while aboard is that most of the props and sets throughout the attraction have been repainted and repaired, all looking practically brand new. Besides the general maintenance, some of the audio-animatronics characters from the attraction are still missing or have been removed. The Tiger from the cave scene and Chief Nami (the man holding the two shrunken heads near the very end) were still missing from the attraction as of early Wendesday morning. WDW News Today will be sure to keep an eye on the attraction in the coming weeks, as it is believed that this was only the first phase of a larger refurbishment that thisclassic Magic Kingdom attraction will be receiving in the near future.

Checking In From The World

WDWNT on May 28, 2008

Hello everybody, Tom Corless here reporting from the Walt Disney World Resort in Orland, Florida. It has been a fun and hectic nine days here, but I’ll be returning home to New York tomorrow evening. I apologize for the lack of news lately, but here are some tidbits to tide you over until we are fully operational again on May 29.

-Toy Story Midway Mania was operating perfectly at Disney’s Hollywood Studios the first few days of my vacation, but has suffered greatly from the addition of the fastpass system this past weekend. The stand-by line moved very fast prior to the changes, but wait times after the changes went up to 2 hours in length, despite what the estimated time was stated to be. Expect either limited fastpass distribution or the removal of the system from the attraction sometime in the near future. Also expect the new store and dining location across the street inside the Pixar Studios area to open during the later part of June.

-Work on Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa continues as the entire pool area is slated to be refurbished over the next week or so. In addition, the now delayed new flooring for the main building will be arriving in September and should be in place before the holiday season.

-The Mad Tea Party will be closed for refurbishment May 28th, 2008.

-The Jungle Cruise, Ariel’s Grotto, and Cinderella’s Golden Carousel re-opened from refurbishment recently and are all looking great. The Carousel has received new loading gates that are really well themed and decorated. Expect pictures from me later this week of all of these changes plus other items from my ten day trip.

Prince Caspian Is Coming

WDWNT on May 13, 2008

Multiple sources have confirmed that the new Journey Into Narnia: Prince Caspian exhibit at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be opening this Friday as the Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian movie is released in theaters. The opening of this exhibit marks the conclusion of 5 months of total inactivity for the right-east corner of the park as Toy Story Midway Mania enters a full-time soft-openings schedule beginning, as well, on Friday. 

4/7/08 Jose Eber Update

WDWNT on April 8, 2008

Jose Eber is back with another WDW photo update, this time covering Disney pin trading and the Ghirardelli shop refurbishment at Downtown Disney, one of the Walt Disney World Railroad trains heading in for some maintenance, road work at the car entrance to the Magic Kingdom, and a few added surprises. Enjoy!!!

Dead Men Tell No Tales in June

WDWNT on March 31, 2008

Our attraction closures page has been updated to include a short refurbishment of Pirates of the Caribbean at the Magic Kindom during the middle of June 2008. Be sure to check our attraction closures page to see the date for this and other upcoming closures at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Ears To You

WDWNT on March 21, 2008

As part of the refurbishment of The Chapeau on Main Street U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom, they now provide you with the opportunity to create your own ear hats. The process is quite simple as guests select their cap, ears, ear emblems, and then their special embroidery. To see picture of the new system, head over to coverage at Laughingplace.com by going HERE.

Liberty Square Bridge is Falling Down

WDWNT on March 19, 2008

As we reported a few weeks ago, the bridge that connects Liberty Square to Main Street U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom is in horrible shape. Because of this, the bridge will now have to be completely replaced and may seriously jeopardize the operation and means of operation of the many Magic Kingdom’s many parades at some point. To view the permit that was recently filed to rebuild/replace the bridge, go HERE. Be sure to stay tuned to WDW News Today for updates on parade operations as they become available.

Tomorrowland Speedway

WDWNT on March 17, 2008

Rumors are beginning to circulate about the “Indy” name dropping from the Tomorrowland Speedway at the Magic Kingdom. While we cannot confirm this at this time, I did want to share a rumor I have been hearing about the location. Sources have been telling me that before Walt Disney World celebrates it’s 40th Anniversary in 2011, the attraction will undergo a huge refurbishment to add electric cars and new scenery. To quote our source:

“The idea behind this refurbishment would be to make our speedway similar to the Autopia attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland, while also including scenery that tells the story of our Tomorrowland.” (ex. Stitch, Wall-E, Buzz Lightyear, and Monsters Inc. character and theming references)

While this still may be a few years away from happening, keep your eyes peeled for details on any coming changes to Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom. Tomorrow looks very promising. 

Upcoming Attraction Closures and Openings

WDWNT on March 14, 2008

Please check out our attraction closures page to see dates for some new upcoming attraction closures and new attraction openings at the Walt Disney World Resort. You can go directly to the page by clicking HERE.