Test Track – WDWNT Archive

VIDEO: See How to Make and Take Home Your Own Custom Car Card at Test Track, Epcot

WDWNT on October 7, 2017

As we told you a few days back, guests can now turn their Test Track custom concept vehicle into a card that they can take home at the newly named SIMporium shop at the exit of the ride. We of course had to go try this out, so here’s a video of our experience:

The cards come out to $7.45 with tax (or $5.96 with annual pass holder 20% discount). It’s not the worst souvenir, although I do dislike the ability to make a custom name of your choosing for your car, but I understand that some immature people would take advantage of that. Personally, I think the driver’s license from Tomorrowland Speedway is cooler, but these are a nice way to collect your car design.

Sadly, the cards are not RFID enabled (yet), making them useless other than something you can stare at. The hope is that the cards will become RFID enabled and will actually store your custom concept cars, allowing you to keep bringing back your older designs on later visits to Test Track. Whether or not this will happen, only time can tell.

UPDATE: Guests Can Now Take Their Test Track Cars Home at Epcot’s Test Track

WDWNT on September 27, 2017

For the last few days, we have been speculating what the new Stat Stations at the newly renamed SIMporium inside of Test Track will do. Well now we know…

Guests can scan their MagicBands or tickets at the kiosks and create a custom card featuring the car they built on Test Track. Guests may then purchase this card to take home with them.

Sadly, we don’t have pricing or any additional information yet, but we should soon.

PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Test Track SIMporium Debuts with New Decor and Lighting Effects

WDWNT on September 27, 2017

Last night, we made our way over to Epcot to check out the new 3 5th Anniversary merchandise that showed up at MouseGear and decided to make a pitstop at Test Track to check out the progress on the transformation from After Market Shop to Test Track SIMporium. Check out the changes below as well as a neat video showing the cool new lighting effects added to the shop.

The awning and Test Track banner are still missing after they were removed due to Hurricane Irma a couple of weeks ago. No news on if and when it’ll return.

I spy with my little eye, a new SIMporium sign near the entrance of Test Track!

As we get closer we see the new updated signage above the entrance to the store…

The Stat Station isn’t running yet and we don’t have many more details on what you’ll be able to do with these once they go live.

New accents were added recently with the 4 logos you test your SIM Car on Test Track, and now they are accented by lighting effects and illuminating logos, just like on the attraction.

The Engravable I.D. tags machine moved opposite of where it was last week.

Behind the cash registers is a brand new Test Track mural which is really sweet and matches the new accents added to the SIMporium.

Remember those Taste Track desserts we reviewed a while back? They’re gone (at least for now).

The car over at the Coca-Cola Cool Wash has been missing for a few weeks now.

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PHOTOS: Mysterious Stat Stations Appear at Test Track’s Soon-To-Be-Renamed SIMporium

WDWNT on September 17, 2017

While at Epcot today, we stopped by for a quick ride on Test Track, and upon existing we noticed some changes in the After Market Shop.

New “Stat Stations” have been added right as you’re existing Test Track in the gift shop area. Currently, we don’t know What exactly these kiosks will do. The only hint is the tag line below the name “Custom Car[d] Design” which could allow guests to customize RFID cards to use in the attraction’s car creator process.

Other elements have been added to the store including the four test logos from the ride.

To reflect the changes, the store will change names to the Test Track SIMporium at some point.

REVIEW: Crazy Churro, Apple Pie, and Berry Explosion Ice Cream Sundaes Debut at Epcot’s Taste Track

WDWNT on June 12, 2017

Taste Track at Epcot, just steps away from Test Track in case the name didn’t give it away, has had a tumultuous history. Since it was constructed in 1998, it has more often than not been closed. In recent years, Disney has rotated through a few different menus at the location, including a short lived lineup of grilled cheese sandwiches. Well, the location is now open daily once again, but is now serving some crazy ice cream sundaes in addition to more traditional fare.

If you know us here at WDWNT by now, then you know that we had to try all 3 of these new sundaes out. Let’s see if they live up to their menu pictures…

Berry Explosion Sundae ($6.50)

Vanilla Ice Cream layered with Berries and Pound Cake, topped with Whipped Cream, Strawberry Pearls, and Cotton Candy

If you like strawberries and pound cake, do yourself a favor and get one of these. It is filled with generous chunks of strawberries and a nice piece of pound cake towards the bottom, which goes perfectly with everything in here. The cotton candy on top is probably unnecessary, but I’ll be damned if this isn’t just about the most photogenic dessert at Walt Disney World because of it.

Chocolaty Churro Sundae ($6.50)

Chocolaty Churro Sundae ($6.50) at Taste Track, Epcot

Vanilla Ice Cream and Hot Fudge, topped with Whipped Cream, Chocolate Curls, and a Churro

I had such high expectations for this and it did not live up to them (and it wasn’t nearly as photogenic as the sundae above, nor the one pictured on the menu board). Don’t get me wrong, if you want ice cream on top of a churro, this is great, but it just isn’t very exciting. It’s just vanilla ice cream with hot fudge and whipped cream. I would at least throw some caramel sauce in here to make it a little more interesting, but again, it’s not a bad option for a couple of dollars more, if not just to get some ice cream with a churro during these hot summer months.

Apple Pie Sundae ($6.50)

Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce, topped with Whipped Cream, Caramel Popcorn, Salted Caramel Pearls, and Warm Apple Pie

Basically a caramel sundae with a McDonald’s Apple Pie broken in half and shoved in it, this is enjoyable, but nothing to write home about. The flavor is mostly just vanilla, similar to the Churro Sundae above. This isn’t a bad option if you want a caramel sundae with apple pie in it, but based on the menu photos, I think we just expected much more out of these and the Berry Explosion was sadly the only one that delivered. Save your ice cream money for Beaches and Cream or Ample Hills.

7/2/14 Walt Disney World Photo Report (The Magic Kingdom & Epcot)

WDWNT on August 7, 2014

WDWNT Reporter John Corigliano visited the Magic Kingdom and Epcot earlier this week and has some newsworthy photos to share with us:

The massive overhaul of the hub at the Magic Kingdom continues

A lot of new walking space that used to be moat…

The Astro Oribter is in the middle of a multi-month refrubishment

The Peoplemover is also closed during this time

Every few years, the ride is essentially disassembled and rebuilt

All of the planets have been removed

Moving to Epcot, we can see the work on the water main much clearer from the monorail

Over at Test Track, the FastPass machines and their canopy have been removed

Really strange to see this missing

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 & Dirk Wallen’s 3/13 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT on April 24, 2013

Things have been so crazy around here at WDW News Today lately that we’ve had some minor news stories slip through the cracks. In an effort to get you up to speed on some of the stories we haven’t covered on the site lately, here are newsworthy photos from myself and Dirk Wallen taken earlier in March:

Some new “flat” snowglobes for sale

There are some new hot sandwiches in Liberty Square

Most of the arcades at Walt Disney World are replacing their prize counters with one of these

An automated prize machine is a pretty cool concept

The new purchase with purchase item for sale is an expandable duffle

Wriost gift cards are available for the Flower and Garden Festival

Work continues on expanding the Boardwalk Bakery

The arcade next door is gone

The sign is still up and the door still enters the small ESPN shop

The arcade section is covered by a curtain

A few weeks ago, Test Track introduced a new car type guests can choose

Triton’s Treasures behind the Mine Train now has shutters on it

An ADA compliant ramp was installed on the Yankee Trader

Some of the new Haunted Mansion merchandise is for sale in Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe

Picture frame

Hourglass

Coasters

Work continues on installing A Pirate’s Adventure in Adventureland

Work continues on the exterior of the Adventureland Veranda

Rumors indicate that this may finally become a Pirate restaurant in 2014 once the Disney Fairies move out

More tarps on the front of the building

St. Patrick’s Day shirt

Spring Break and graduation merchandise out

Two new Oswald shirts for sale

Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny are in town square

Awwwwww

More Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train construction

Some trees up on the mountain

We can finally see some rock work

In preparation for FastPAss+, a large section of the Pirates of the Caribbean queue has been re-routed

Work continues on the Villas at the Grand Floridian

Thanks for reading!

Dirk Wallen’s 2/2/13 Magic Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT on March 17, 2013

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited the Magic Kingdom on Saturday and has some fantastic pictures of new progress on the Big Thunder Mountain interactive queue, A Pirate’s Life: Treasures of the Seven Seas, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and more, so let’s take a look:

While the Main Street Bakery is closed, guests can head to the Tomorrowland Terrace

Plenty of options at Tomorrowland Terrace, including beignets!

The flowers in the hub have gone to Valentine’s Day colors and the ducks love it…

Valentine’s Day cupcakes available at Big Top Treats

I’ve heard of panning for gold…

More props and interactive elements have been installed in the queue at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

The “exploding” crates are no longer under tarps

These huge machines popped up in the second-half of the queue over the weekend

It looks like guests will play some sort of game where they turn a lever

Spinning handles on the back of another machine

The refurbishment of Splash Mountain continues

Lots of painting going on

Golden Oak Outpost is closed again

Work continues on the Adventureland Veranda building

Another area of the building is also walled-off

The Crow’s Nest is out from behind tarps and it looks quite different… we expect it to play a role in “A Pirate’s Adventure”

More props for “A Pirate’s Adventure” have been installed throughout Adventureland

Jack Sparrow’s compass

This was the first prop installed a few months ago

A cannon

Ball and chains

Some props by the Jungle Cruise

Nearby, a pirate skeleton lies under the water near a treasure chest

It appears these skulls near the Pirates of the Caribbean entrance will talk

Another strange set of props

Gun powder

Sleepy Hollow Refreshments is open while the exterior is refurbished

Walls up outside of the Haunted Mansion and Yankee Trader

Tarps still up on Columbia Harbour House

The latest progress on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day lanyards are out

As is the new Test Track logo pin

Over at The Villas at the Grand Floridian, we can start to make out windows

New Details Emerge on MagicBand Including Customization Options

WDWNT on March 3, 2013

You already know that MagicBand will forever change the guest experience when it debuts as part of MyMagic+ later this year. However, some new details have emerged that you might not be aware of:

Made of a hypoallergenic material, MagicBand is flexible and comfortable to wear. It has ridges on the backside that help air circulate between the band and the wrist. It has been designed to withstand hot and cold temperatures. It is also waterproof.
The MagicBand easily scales to fit nearly any guest. It is adjustable and has a peel away layer to make the band small enough to fit children.

Guests who visit MyDisneyExperience before their vacation will have the opportunity to personalize their MagicBand with one of seven colors (Green, Blue, Pink, Yellow, Orange, Black, and Red as far as we can tell). They will also be able to have their name printed on the inside of the band. Guests who do not personalize their bands will get a two-tone grey band.
In the future, guests will be able to personalize the band with different accessories.
As soon as MagicBand testing begins, guest can use it during the vehicle design process at Test Track.

So, what do you think about MagicBand now? Does any of this change your feelings about the MagicBand?

Tag: Test Track