While strolling through Downtown Disney for the latest construction update, I also encountered some new merchandise and t-shirts that I found worth sharing. Most of these were in World of Disney, but a few of the Christmas items were in the Christmas store.
There were some great new t-shirts
A Mickey Mousetache for Movember. Look close!
I saw a kids version of this a few months ago, now they have one for big kids
Fans of Disney hats will like this t-shirt
Yes, that’s a Disney Parks t-shirt with a very mean looking Darth Vader on it.
I’m realizing that when I wrote my Disney’s Hollywood Studios rumored futureposts, I left off Disney Springs from the list of projects under development. And then, of course, Disney comes out and confirms two new properties from Disney Springs making me look bad.
As it turns out I was just at Downtown Disney checking in on the construction progress. There’s some significant improvements in a few areas, and even two new shops that have opened. I took a bunch of video and pictures before it got too dark, so I have a second October update to share today:
More photos and some speculation on what shops and restaurants might be coming to Disney Springs below the jump:
Get on your Disney Cruise Line floaties and float on over to the computer. Today, Disney Cruise Line introduced two popular Caribbean destinations — Tortola, British Virgin Islands and Martinique — into its lineup of favorite tropical itineraries for early 2016. The cruise line will also return to the homeport of San Juan, Puerto Rico and bring with it a new itinerary that includes Martinique.
From the warm Caribbean culture of Tortola, capital of the British Virgin Islands, to the exquisite French island of Martinique, these destinations provide Disney Cruise Line guests the chance to relax on pristine beaches, discover natural wonders and indulge in local shopping and cuisine.
There are some good deals available on these itineraries. Bookings open to the public on Oct. 30, 2014. More details on the itineraries available below the jump:
We’ve been chronicling the coming of Disney Springs since before its official announcement in March of 2013. By changing to the Disney Springs concept, Disney is expanding shopping, dining, and entertainment options at the Downtown Disney location with the goal of keeping more guests on property during their entire vacation and not shuttling off to local malls or other theme parks.
The first area of Disney Springs to open will be The Landing, which is a water front area approximately where Pleasure Island was before. The largest building in the area is what will become The Boathouse – a new concept restaurant from the team at Schussler Creative. Previous concepts from them at Walt Disney World include: Rainforest Cafe, T-REX Cafe, and Yak & Yeti. Opening Spring 2015 The Boathouse will be an upscale, waterfront dining experience featuring spectacular floating artwork: dream boats from the 30’s, 40’s & 50’s.
The Boathouse restaurant will immerse guests both on land and on water with live music. Among many special dining opportunities, there will be a romantic Captain’s guided tours aboard The Venezia, a beautifully crafted 40-foot wooden Italian Water Taxi featuring champagne toasts and chocolate-covered strawberries. There also will be the exhilaration of guided Amphicar rides that launch from land, entering the water with a splash, taking guests on a 20-minute tour of the landmarks of Disney Springs.
To add to the atmosphere, the Harbor Master will orchestrate daily flag ceremonies, accompanied by a lively musical performance of beloved bugle songs, performed aboard a classic 1800’s antique steam boat. Authentic nautical items, custom engraved paddles, distinctive lake-themed merchandise, and other unique items “Made on Earth” will be available at The Ship’s Store, adjacent to The Boathouse restaurant.Read More »The Boathouse, from the creators of T-Rex and Rainforest Cafe, is coming to Disney Springs
In part one of our look at the future of Disney’s Hollywood Studios we examined what changes have already been announced by Disney and those that are rumored to be in the offing. In short, depending on how much money Disney is willing to invest and how fast, Central Florida’s original studios park could be in for a massive makeover.
Before we go any further, I want to repeat, that I don’t have any particular insider knowledge of plans or upcoming announcements. What follows is my learned hypothesis based on available evidence and informed guesses (aka rumors) from sources I trust. Some of this is more speculation than solid info and I’ll try and indicate that when and where I can.
Let’s start with one piece of information that would be a natural result of the changes coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios losing its ‘studios’ theme. The name will have to change. I think there’s one clear favorite for a new name – Disney’s Hollywood Adventure. It captures the shift in theme from making movies, to being a part of them. Instead of learning how the movies are made, we get to celebrate them and all the magic they inspire. This will let the park keep its two main Hollywood themed thoroughfares, expand Pixar Place (which physically is in Emeryville, not Hollywood, but emotionally it’s the same place) and perhaps add on one or two others. You might see some other Hollywood icons come to the park. El Capitan theater, which Disney owns, and the Carthay Theater, which has ties to Disney history and Disney has used as California Adventure’s main icon seem like two likely candidates. But don’t expect them to get too carried away.
Of course, a new name like “Mickey’s Adventure Park” could come out of left field too. That would indicate the park is in for a major re-imagineering. It’s not outside the realm of possibilities, but not the strongest candidate at the moment either.
When people ask me about what’s going to happen at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I have a certain spiel I provide to give some context to the question. This will help set up some of the financial and timeline issues. The budgets that control those are almost always in flux until they’re not, and the attraction opens. Sometimes, Imagineers get creative with budgets and good things can happen too.
This all starts with some things Disney CEO Bob Iger had been saying to The Walt Disney Company’s investors, that after dropping a lot of money on DCA, New Fantasyland, and Hong Kong Disneyland, the capital expenditures (read: theme park expansion) would be vastly reduced for a few years with only Disney’s Animal Kingdom (for both Avatar and the Nighttime show additions) and Shanghai Disneyland getting the funds. If you look at Disney’s stock price right now you’ll see that investors are very happy with the company and expect its value to continue to rise. In their minds, Iger has been a great steward of their money. So they’re probably pretty psyched he’s planning on sticking around for another year or so.Read More »Disney’s Hollywood Studios – A Timeline for the Future (part II)
The La Jolla Playhouse production of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame began last night and runs through December 14th. Early reports are that the new songs are tremendous and Patrick Page is great as Frollo. If you’re planning on attending a future performance, the… Read More »La Jolla Playhouse Production of Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame Launches
DisneyToon Studios has just announced “Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast” – a new adventure that will bring everyone back to Pixie Hollow for another movie with Tinker Bell and her fairy friends. Additionally, Ginnifer Goodwin (“Once Upon a Time”) has been announced as the of voice the character Fawn.
“Fawn is a character who loves all animals unconditionally,” said director Steve Loter. “She will help any animal that needs her, but sometimes Fawn thinks too impulsively, when she should be thinking with her head, as well as her heart.”
Loter says there’s a lot of Goodwin in the character. “Fawn was inspired by my daughter and her unconditional love of animals,” he said. “But Ginnifer had a very strong hand in crafting the character. Her sense of fun and her wondrous view of the world gave Fawn direction. You can hear the smile in Ginnifer’s voice—this is a character that loves life and lives it to its fullest.”
