PHOTOS: Disneyland Releases Mugs Featuring Blueprints of Classic Park Attractions

New at the Disneyland Resort, guests will find mugs featuring the blueprints of some of Disneyland Park’s most classic and beloved attractions.

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The four mugs include the Main Street Railroad Station, The Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, and Sleeping Beauty Castle.

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The mug handles on each mug are shaped like the classic Disneyland “D” icon as well.

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The mugs retail for $15.99 each and are ceramic. They are available now at various locations at the Disneyland Resort.

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Joffrey’s Coffee Magic Kingdom Kiosk Gets a Name and Exclusive Beverage

The previously announced Joffrey’s Coffee kiosk at the Magic Kingdom now has a name: Revive.

The Joffrey's Coffee kiosk's location near Space Mountain and the Tomorrowland Stage.

The Joffrey’s Coffee kiosk’s location near Space Mountain and the Tomorrowland Stage.

Joffrey’s Coffee has confirmed our speculation that the construction near Space Mountain is for the new kiosk. Opening in March, the location will even offer a beverage exclusive to Magic Kingdom Park, the “More S’mores Latte”, made of espresso, rich chocolate sauce, sweet marshmallow syrup, whipped cream, graham cracker sprinkles and marshmallows. The new drink will be available hot or iced.

PHOTO REPORT: The Magic Kingdom 1/2/17 (“it’s a small world” Merchandise, Tomorrowland Improvements, ETC.)

 

Our first photo report of 2017 brings us to the Magic Kingdom to see the latest adjustments and merchandise additions around the park. Let’s jump right in, shall we?

Welcome to the Magic Kingdom

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Good morning Magic Kingdom!

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They have slowly been repaving the area outside of Mickey’s Philharmagic over the last few weeks.

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Some new Villains shirts available at Sir Mickey’s.

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A new Belle shirt for sale as well.

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Christmas stickers were being given out all around the park.

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Liberty Square Market has started selling Muppets plush since the show is nearby. They can’t sell baked potatoes anymore, BUT LETS STOCK SOME PLUSH!

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There has been a pretty vile garbage mound growing in the Rivers of America as of late…

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Including some dead fish…

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PADDLEFISH ANYONE?

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If I haven’t mentioned it before, Pecos Bill’s has recently become my favorite counter service stop at the Magic Kingdom. The fajita dish is pretty good and offers more than enough food.

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The bowl is pretty good as well, considering you can load it up at the toppings bar.

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Christmas Party exclusive pins were being sold to the general public before the last party even happened. As I have complained before, they should at least wait until the final party is over…

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We found some baby ducks hanging out by Tomorrowland. I’ve never seen them this late in the year.

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“No, don’t eat the cigarette!!!”

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Stitch’s Great Escape Returns

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Stitch’s Great Escape reopened for a bit every day to combat the crowds in the park. It actually was getting quite the line.

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The walls that have been up since the rock painting began have now finally come down.

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The decal over the entrance has been falling off for months, but I suppose there’s no reason to invest in something you are closing.

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We pretty much just went in to say hello to Skippy who stayed over from the Alien Encounter attraction.

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When seats are broken, you will sometimes still see these XS Tech “Temporarily Seized” seat covers.

This and That

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The new customizable Star Wars name tags are also available at the Merchant of Venus, not just at Hollywood Studios.

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They are now regularly handing out Zootopia stickers in Tomorrowland for some reason.

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There its some heavy construction taking place near the Kingdom Cabanas adjacent to Space Mountain, not sure what for as of yet.

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“it’s a MagicBand 2.0”

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One of the first MagicBand 2’s available to guests is this “it’s a small world” 45th anniversary band currently available.

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PHOTO REPORT: The Magic Kingdom 1/2/17 (“it’s a small world” Merchandise, Tomorrowland Improvements, ETC.)

 

Our first photo report of 2017 brings us to the Magic Kingdom to see the latest adjustments and merchandise additions around the park. Let’s jump right in, shall we?

Welcome to the Magic Kingdom

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Good morning Magic Kingdom!

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They have slowly been repaving the area outside of Mickey’s Philharmagic over the last few weeks.

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Some new Villains shirts available at Sir Mickey’s.

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A new Belle shirt for sale as well.

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Christmas stickers were being given out all around the park.

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Liberty Square Market has started selling Muppets plush since the show is nearby. They can’t sell baked potatoes anymore, BUT LETS STOCK SOME PLUSH!

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There has been a pretty vile garbage mound growing in the Rivers of America as of late…

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Including some dead fish…

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PADDLEFISH ANYONE?

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If I haven’t mentioned it before, Pecos Bill’s has recently become my favorite counter service stop at the Magic Kingdom. The fajita dish is pretty good and offers more than enough food.

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The bowl is pretty good as well, considering you can load it up at the toppings bar.

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Christmas Party exclusive pins were being sold to the general public before the last party even happened. As I have complained before, they should at least wait until the final party is over…

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We found some baby ducks hanging out by Tomorrowland. I’ve never seen them this late in the year.

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“No, don’t eat the cigarette!!!”

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Stitch’s Great Escape Returns

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Stitch’s Great Escape reopened for a bit every day to combat the crowds in the park. It actually was getting quite the line.

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The walls that have been up since the rock painting began have now finally come down.

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The decal over the entrance has been falling off for months, but I suppose there’s no reason to invest in something you are closing.

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We pretty much just went in to say hello to Skippy who stayed over from the Alien Encounter attraction.

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When seats are broken, you will sometimes still see these XS Tech “Temporarily Seized” seat covers.

This and That

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The new customizable Star Wars name tags are also available at the Merchant of Venus, not just at Hollywood Studios.

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They are now regularly handing out Zootopia stickers in Tomorrowland for some reason.

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There its some heavy construction taking place near the Kingdom Cabanas adjacent to Space Mountain, not sure what for as of yet.

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“it’s a MagicBand 2.0”

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One of the first MagicBand 2’s available to guests is this “it’s a small world” 45th anniversary band currently available.

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PHOTOS, VIDEO: Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom Adds LED Nighttime Lighting

A little over a week ago, LED lighting was finally installed on the facade of Space Mountain in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom. Pretty much every other version of the attraction on the planet has been using LED lighting for years now, but finally the Florida original shines brightly in the night sky.

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The lighting is static, but changes to a different color scheme every 10 minutes or so. Oh, and it looks great just steps away from that shiny new Carousel of Progress sign which also has some nifty lighting:

So, what do you think of all this fancy new lighting in Tomorrowland?

PHOTO REPORT: The Magic Kingdom 10/4/16 (45th Anniversary, Stitch Closes, Space Mountain, Electrical Parade, ETC.)

Our latest photo report brings us to the Magic Kingdom on its 45th anniversary weekend, but changes in the park certainly didn’t stop for the festivities. Rapid progress on the look of Tomorrowland continues, Stitch’s Great Escape has closed, and OK, we have some duck pictures.

Magic Kingdom 45th Anniversary

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A special commemorative map was given out to mark the day.

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The opening day resorts and the park also had complimentary buttons for guests.

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The day began with a special welcome show at the Train Station:


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Plenty of specialty merchandise was available (the line lasted over an hour at some points though).

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The line wrapped around the Emporium and went down most of the street.

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The main event of the day was a special anniversary ceremony at Cinderella Castle:


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A special “Celebration Dog” was being served at Casey’s Corner:

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Big Top Treats had some special candy apples.

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Gaston’s Tavern and the Main Street Bakery were serving the infamous anniversary cupcake.

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This time, guests could choose chocolate or vanilla cake.

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The only piece of the open edition merchandise that came out on the 1st was this lanyard and pin set. That being said, most of the open edition items are currently sold out.

Tomorrowland Goes Rogue One

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The Stitch related Tomorrowland murals in Merchant of Venus were covered up with giant Rogue One art when the merchandise was released (I’m sure it helps that Stitch’s Great Escape is now closed and only operates seasonally).

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There’s a Tomorrowland mural under there, and no, it’s not by Mary Blair.

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This and That

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The Carousel of Progress finally got its new marquee sing, but you probably already saw that post

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The often congested Fantasyland bottleneck is now equipped with permanent signage for cast members to use. This only took 45 years.

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Only 8 days before it happens, Disney releases a “Glowing Away Soon” shirt for the Main Street Electrical Parade. This shirt will be outdated in less than week. Why not put the final day on it? Oh, in case it gets rained out this weekend…

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There is a fantastic photo-op at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe right now featuring Sonny Eclipse, “the biggest little star in the universe”.

New Space Mountain Lighting

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After years of waiting, LED lighting was finally installed on the exterior of Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom and it looks fantastic!

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MagicBand Interactivity Returns

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Right after we reported that they were off, many interactive elements returned to the Magic Kingdom. The goodbye at “it’s a small world” was turned on, but has still been breaking a lot.

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Stitch’s Great Escape is Closed!

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Starting Sunday, Stitch’s Great Escape now operates seasonally. The attraction will return for two short stretches at the end of 2016, but after that it should close to make way for a Wreck-It Ralph ride.

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Tomorrowland Rocks

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Work on the Tomorrowland rocks is wrapping up.

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The new grass is still rough, but we probably need to give it some time to grow in.

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The ducks decided it was ready for them.

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The Magic Kingdom wildlife was being particularly photogenic.

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Some extensive work is being done to the Express Monorail load platform at the Magic Kingdom, but the service remains open through the work.

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UPDATE: Disney Restores Some MagicBand Interactive Features on Some Attractions

Last week, we told you about many of the MagicBand interactive features around the parks that had recently been deactivated. Well, since we posted that story, a few of these elements have returned to service at the Magic Kingdom.

The Space Mountain exit ramp once again displays the names of guests

The Space Mountain exit ramp once again displays the names of guests

Space Mountain and “it’s a small world”, which boast two of the simpler “name display” effects, were both reactivated over the weekend. These effects had both been turned off for weeks when we ran our story last week (in fairness”it’s a small world” was closed for most of that time, but returned for at least a week with the effect still off). Maybe somebody reads WDWNT.com?

:it's a small world" says goodbye to guests in various languages at the Magic Kingdom

:it’s a small world” says goodbye to guests in various languages at the Magic Kingdom

Perhaps it had simply gone unnoticed, or perhaps Disney was in the progress of updating the technology or fixing the broken readers at the attractions. The truth is, we may never know exactly what happened.

Interestingly enough, the effect in The Haunted Mansion is still turned off. Perhaps the upcoming December refurbishment will be used to fix the effect? Only time will tell.

PHOTO REPORT: Disneyland Resort 9/7/16 (Tower of Terror Farewell, Star Wars Land, AP Days, New Character Heads)

Conner Purzycki brings us a fairly news-heavy photo report from the Disneyland Resort on the first day of its transition from the Diamond Celebration into HalloweenTime. Heavy promotion has started for the Tower of Terror final check-in, Star Wars land continues to rise from the dirt, Mickey and Minnie are getting an entirely new look, and the popular AP Days promotion has returned. See, I told you there was a lot going on! Let’s get started, because there is so much to see:

Tower of Terror Final Check-In

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Banners around the resort promote HalloweenTime and the Tower of Terror send off events.

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Billboard by the tram station don’t even mention Halloween Time, it’s all Twilight Zone Tower of Terror promotion. Halloween Time is a pretty big deal at the Disneyland Resort, so giving Tower of Terror the headline billing for this season is kind of a big deal.

Star Wars Land Construction

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Construction of the Star Wars themed land continues in the back of Disneyland Park.

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While it may appear that this project is ahead in schedule compared to Hollywood Studios, this version of the land features more tunnels and an elaborate mountain range to separate the area from Frontierland and Critter Country.

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The Tower of Terror off in the distance, making this an interesting snapshot in Disneyland history.

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Some of the Paint the Night floats are visible just beyond the Star Wars site. The parade is set to return for the holiday season at the Disneyland Resort before the finale run of the Main Street Electrical Parade begins.

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The Diamond Celebration Slowly Vanishes

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Promotional signs for AP Days out in force at the Mickey and Friends Parking Structure.

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The Diamond Celebration still lingers at the Disneyland Resort, including the Diamond Days promotion, which is still going for some reason.

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Halloween Time and the Diamond celebration decorations clash on Main Street.

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Some work being done outside of the Disneyland Railroad station.

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Some tarps still up on the Market House, but Starbucks remains open through it.

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Some other Main Street facades are now also behind tarps.

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The hub Jack-O-Lanterns are back.

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While the “60” came down overnight, the rest of Sleeping Beauty Castle is still sporting the 60th decorations.

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New Mickey & Minnie Costumes Arrive

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The heavily discussed new look heads for Mickey and Minnie Mouse debuted at the Disneyland Resort yesterday.

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These style heads also appear in Mickey’s Royal Friendship Fair at the Magic Kingdom and at the Shanghai Disney Resort.

Rivers of America

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Work continues on the Rivers of America as it prepares for a Summer 2017 reopening, including a newly enhanced Fantasmic show.

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The Columbia is being re-rigged for a new segment in Fantasmic, themed to Pirates of the Caribbean.

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Haunted Mansion Holiday

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The Haunted Mansion is currently closed for its Haunted Mansion Holiday makeover.

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A new cemetery has been placed up on the hill in the queue, featuring some fo the more famous tombstones from the attraction lore.

The Halloween Tree

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The Halloween Tree honoring Ray Bradbury is back in Frontierland.

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Peter Pan Facade Refurbishment

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Even though it was worked on extensively in 2015, the Peter Pan’s Flight facade is once again behind tarps in Fantasyland. The attraction is open.

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Space Mountain – Ghost Galaxy

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Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy will be replacing Hyperspace Mountain until November. Hyperspace Mountain is expected to return and run until the opening of Star Wars land (only bowing our for Ghost Galaxy every year).

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Downtown Disney

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The new Starbucks in Downtown Disney is already getting a facade touch up, along with a Sprinkles location moving in next door.

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More Tower of Terror and Halloween Time banners going down to the Disneyland Hotel.

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Disney California Adventure

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Some work being done to the outside of Rushin’ River Outfitters.

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AP Days Return

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AP Days have returned to the resort for the fall season.

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A number of annual passholder exclusive items are available at the event.

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Specialty food and beverage offerings from around the resort are showcased.

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Trader Sam’s has a special Mahalloween mug this year celebrating The Haunted Mansion.

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The lines for the AP Days Showcase were pretty long.

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The now infamous Backlot Stage still remains, simply as it is more cost effective to leave it standing than remove it at this point.

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The Pete’s Dragon preview is gone, so the Sunset Showcase sits dormant.

Tom Corless’ 9/30/14 WDW Photo Report (Big Hero 6 Art, Backlot Tour, Rivers of Light, New Frozen Merchandise, ETC.)

It was quite the busy weekend at Walt Disney World, so I managed to visit all 4 parks to see what was new and have a ton of newsworthy photos to share with you in today’s report:

Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

The Studio Backlot Tour closed forever on Saturday

A Big Hero 6 exhibit can now be found at the Magic of Disney Animation

Moving over to Epcot, menu changes have been made a the Electric Umbrella

I decided to try the French Dip burger

It was surprisingly good!

I also tried the Pumpkin Macaroon from the France ice cream parlor and it was amazing.

Over at the Magic Kingdom, this low clearance was added in the bus stop to ensure busses go the right way through the loop

The awning on the boat dock at the entrance was replaced, it’s now red instead of green

The latest progress on the hub at the Magic Kingdom

The Astro Orbiter reopened this weekend, but you can read more about that here

The leave-your-phone charging stations in Tomorrowland have all been closed, the test period came to an end and we’ll now have to wait to see if it was a success and is brought back

New Space Mountain ladies’ shirt

New men’s “I conquered Space Mountain” shirt

This artwork was previously on a black t-shirt and slightly different

Dumbo character sketches are now being sold at Big Top Souvenirs

New Beast plush for sale at Bonjour Village Gifts

Instead of selling generic items, there is a now a Beauty and the Beast shield toy

If you don’t have a FastPass for it, prepare to arrive at Be Our Guest at park opening to get a return time to eat lunch there or you’ll be turned away

Even more of Sir Mickey’s has been taken over by Frozen merchandise, even Ariel merchandise got pushed out

Some new Frozen artwork for sale

A two-sided Olaf ceramic ornament was just released

Queue work continues at Peter Pan’s Flight

We thought it would only be at Disneyland, but the Zero popcorn bucket was released at the Magic Kingdom! It costs over $13 but has a light-up nose feature

Strange new t-shirts…

LOVE this new sweatshirt!

Odd new Magic Kingdom shirt

Simple, but nice

Halloween 2014 Duffy

Some of the Haunted Mansion 45th anniversary lithographs have made it to Florida

An awesome new print by Alex Maher

In preparation for “Move It! Shake It! Dance and Play It!”, video screens are being installed on the floats

Moving over to animal Kingdom, it’s still a mess

At least all of the construction walls are decorated now

The UP meet and greet has seen better days

“it’s tough to be a bug” re-opened this weekend

Most of the nets installed to protect guests from falling particles have finally been removed from the queue

There are still nets by the base of the tree, not sure if these will stay here

work is picking up on the new nighttime show, Rivers of Light

The Everest shrine is behind walls and probably will be until the construction is done in late 2015/early 2016

Since one of the Wilderness Explorers’ answers is behind walls, they made a copy and placed it on the walls

The walls wrap around most of the river

We can peek through and see that the construction vehicles are already in place, ready to start working on the show and viewing area

Some sort of new structure is going up by Flame Tree Barbecue

An Oswald Christmas ornament was released

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

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:

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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