Walt Disney World resort guests are invited to enjoy the red, white, and blue this Independence Day during a special tribute to the stars and stripes at Walt Disney World Resort. The two-day patriotic event will give you two chances to catch the best entertainment… Read More »Fourth of July Entertainment and Fun Scheduled at Walt Disney World
Harambe Nights “The Lion King Concert in the Wild,” Disney’s new up-charge after-hours event at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, has now had two Saturday performances. It has been getting generally good reviews, with everyone agreeing that the post-show dinner party was the best part. I have… Read More »Celebrity Spotting: Avery Brooks Narrates Harambe Nights
Over the weekend news broke that the caste of the American Idol Experience had been informed their show would be canceled early next year. Lower ratings on the TV show have resulted in low guest interest in the park attraction. However, managers are considering promotions like bringing back the popular American Idol Experience Junior Edition where kids 9-14 get their chance to perform before the January bow.
Walt Disney World and American Idol producers released this statement:
“After more than five successful years, The American Idol Experience will be coming to a close at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park in January 2015. Our partnership with FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment has been a great addition to the park and we are very appreciative of the amazing cast and guests who have devoted their time and talent to make this experience special and memorable. We are incredibly proud of the more than 2,000 Dream Tickets that have given guests a chance to live their very own Cinderella story and audition for ‘American Idol’. This past season alone, three of the Top 13 contestants were originally discovered through The American Idol Experience and we expect the attraction to continue providing top contestants for ‘American Idol’ XIV in the coming year.”
The cast and crew of American Idol Experience worked hard to produce what I considered a great show. But its time was always going to be limited.
Follow me below the jump for a few more juicy rumors:
Read More »American Idol Experience to close at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios are currently the only two Disney parks where you have tiered selection of Fastpass+. This forces the guest to make choices for the first three attractions they experience via Fastpass+ and makes sure the very limited number of e-Ticket style attractions are enjoyable by everyone via the system.
Disney has decided to tweak the system slightly starting June 16 2014. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios Great Movie Ride becomes a tier 1 selection while at EPCOT Living with the Land moves to tier 1 and Character Spot and Maelstrom drop to tier 2. That last one makes the most sense to me. I’m not sure The Great Movie Ride needed the move though, it’s a pretty high capacity attraction.
All previous selections you’ve made will be maintained, but going forward Fastpass+ for the 16th and beyond will conform to this new system. And once you use your three Fastpass+ you can select from any attraction with availability for your 4th, 5th, etc. Fastpass+.
The full updated line-up for the tiered parks is below the jump:
Read More »Fastpass+ Tiers Shifting Slightly at EPCOT and DHS
Orlando has a thriving gourmet food truck scene thanks in large part to the Food Truck Bazaar. Nine unique trucks will join five Disney trucks in one big event on June 21st from 5pm to 10pm at Downtown Disney in the Cirque du Soleil courtyard.… Read More »Food Truck Bazaar to visit Downtown Disney on June 21
The Seattle based coffee house chain Starbucks has made it to Downtown Disney Orlando in a big way. In the last few weeks, it has opened two locations in the shopping and entertainment district to go with the two locations already inside Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. Fans of the dark brew will be able to get their cup of joe on the go nearly anytime they want.
In addition to the usual Starbucks location items, the Westside location includes a wide selection of food and baked goods plus their reserve coffees which are brewed in the new Clover system.
The store itself is nearly 4,000 square feet and features indoor and outdoor seating. The outdoor patio features a moss wall with the iconic Starbucks logo mermaid and a nice view of the water. Inside there is a magical portal that connects the Anaheim Downtown Disney location with the Orlando one with a chalkboard like interactive interface.
There’s more green in the store than just the moss wall. The location is also the 500th Starbucks store to have a LEED designation.
I’m also a little excited about the odd structure out there in the courtyard between the new Starbucks and the Harley Davidson location. It’s the first part of Disney Springs new vision for the Westside to be constructed. Eventually there will be a longer area of ‘highline’ to dance and dine on above Westside. It looks good so far, and the scale definitely seems right.
Heading out to Walt Disney World to pick up a cup of Starbucks? Be sure to refill your Starbucks Card online before you go.
More photos below the jump:
Read More »Starbucks opens First Company Owned Store at Walt Disney World
Last year Walt Disney World has the great idea to hold a Villains themed party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The event on Friday the 13th, was a disaster. As it was included as part of regular guest admission, every passholder and their sister with in… Read More »Villains Unleashed Special Event Announced for August 23 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Legendary Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, aka Luke Skywalker himself, showed off his skills with a light saber and a serious pose with Jedi Mickey as he prepared for this weekend’s appearance at Star Wars Weekends. Friday through Sunday, subject to change of course, look for… Read More »Mark Hamill Channels The Force In Preparation For Star Wars Weekends Appearance