Jun 18, 2013

2013 Disney Dining Plan: Finding the Value by Ron D’Anna There appears to be little about Walt Disney World that is as rationally and hotly debated as the Disney Dining Plan (“DDP”).  Convenience, value, amount of food, access to reservations, and the food quality are all aspects that are questioned constantly on innumerable podcasts, blogs, FAQs, and forums. While many of these topics are unquantifiable, one is easy to test: value. Are you getting your moneys worth on the Dining Plan? A quick answer is impossible to come by. I’ve always been fascinated by numbers and how easily they can show us complex situations in a simple format, so a few years ago, I decided to break down the relative value of the DDP. I have updated it year by year, which isn’t an...

Jun 16, 2013

Earlier today, the Main Street Bakery held a limited soft-opening as they prepare to open with Starbucks items to serve guests on Tuesday. We were lucky enough to be a part of that test today and I managed to take some photos of the largely remodeled Main Street Bakery at the Magic Kingdom for you to enjoy: There are Starbucks bags in the window They were using vouchers to manage guests and what they could order A look at the breakfast menu The Starbucks drink menu A look around inside They still sell plenty of pastries There are no more seats, but there are a few counters you can eat at The walls are well-decorated There are some hidden Starbucks mermaids in the bakery They sell bags of Starbucks coffee… yep… So, what do you think of...

Jun 14, 2013

Starting this week at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the former ABC Sound Studio that was home to Sounds Dangerous was converted into a theater featuring a preview of Disney’s upcoming film, The Lone Ranger. The preview opens at 10am daily and is open to all guests Just for attending, guests get a free Lone Ranger button  The theater has added a larger screen and an HD projector for the preview The preview is 12 minutes long and is exclusive to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Star of the film Armie Hammer even recorded an introduction where he mentions that the clip being shown is only for the park. The preview is a nice addition to the park and reminds me of the movie previews the park used to show frequently in its early days. It is also using space...

Jun 14, 2013

Arrow Dynamics: Disney’s Coaster Partner by Michael Truskowski Arrow Dynamics is a name that is well know to coaster lovers, but many Disney fans may be unaware of the fact that Arrow was instrumental in the creation of Disneyland. Throughout its history, Arrow redefined theme park attractions and helped jump-start the modern coaster boom that continues to this day. Disneyland Arrow caught the attention of Walt Disney in the early 1950s as his plans for Disneyland were moving from an idea on a park bench to the real world. This was to he an innovative park, and would not simply be a collection of off the shelf carnival rides. This was particularly evident in the dark rides of Fantasyland. Just a short list of Arrow built Disneyland attractions include Mr....

Jun 13, 2013

Disney Parks guests can get their red, white and blue on for an entire week during a special tribute to the stars and stripes with Independence Week July 1-7, 2013 — all part of Limited Time Magic at Walt Disney World Resort. It’s a seven-day patriotic extravaganza as Disney Parks honor America with a Fourth of July celebration like never before. At Magic Kingdom, a 15-minute 360-degree fireworks spectacular rockets into the air every night with ”Disney’s Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky.” Guests can enjoy a patriotic spectacle as Goofy, Donald and Pluto lead a spirited procession down Main Street, U.S.A, prior to the daily Celebrate a Dream Come True parade at Magic Kingdom. The rousing pre-parade features the Main Street...

Jun 12, 2013

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited the Magic Kingdom on Monday and has plenty of newsworthy photos to share with us, so lets take a look: Work is still in the early stages for the third bus loop at the Magic Kingdom A look at the Villas at the Grand Floridian from across the lagoon An up-close look The Main Street Bakery should re-open as a Starbucks location any day now ]The former Hall of Champions is still behind tarps The unexplained tarps are still up on the facade of the Adventureland Veranda Some work taking place on the second level of Grizzly Hall required the removal of the Jamboree sign Tarps still up at Sleepy Hallow Refreshments Columbia Harbour House is also still behind tarps Some walls up by the boat dock as well Nothing new over at the...

Jun 11, 2013

In the last year, we have seen the debut of an autumn and spring edition of the popular Main Street Trolley show at the Magic Kingdom. Well, just last week a new summer edition of the show was unveiled and we have video of it to share with you: So, what do you think of the summer version of the Main Street Trolley...

Jun 9, 2013

Fantasia: Music Evolved Announced for Xbox One by Michael Truskowski Technology is a funny thing. A new iPhone comes out every year, and your new computer is replaced the day after you buy it, but the video game consoles are now closing in on a decade on the market. The 7th generation consoles (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii) landed in 2005/2006. After years of speculation, the 8th generation is upon us. The Nintendo Wii U hit store shelves at the end of last year (and unfortunately for Nintendo has largely stayed there), Sony “showed off” the PS4 in February (and by “showed off” I mean they talked about the console for an entire press conference without ever showing it), and just a few weeks ago, Microsoft announced the Xbox One (proving that yet again, they are...

Jun 6, 2013

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited Animal Kingdom and the Magic Kingdom on Saturday and has some newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look: Still no permanent sign installed at the Explorers Outpost Surprisingly, there is still work happening down at the Tree of Life nets Small walls still up Looks like they are installing some railings Work continues on the new theater for Festival of the Lion King in Africa They are still working on the queue modifications at Finding Nemo: The Musical New signage up at the Main Street Bakery as we get closer to the reopening this month Sleepy Hallow Refreshments still behind tarps Some walls up in Liberty Square Tarps still up on the former Peter Pan restrooms No tarps on Princess Fairytale Hall...

Jun 6, 2013

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Car Masters Weekend, now in its third year, is the perfect way to celebrate Father’s Day as Downtown Disney West Side hosts a classic car show with a modern twist June 15-16, 2013. Featuring all things “Cars,” the event also showcases meet and greets with Disney•Pixar “Cars” and “Cars 2″ characters, a sock hop at Splitsville, select discounts on food and shopping, and more exciting entertainment for the whole family. In a race for ‘Best in Show’ at Sunday’s awards ceremony, car enthusiasts from the local Muscle Car Network of Central Florida will display more than 150 classic, muscle and exotic cars for families to view and vote on their favorites. Guests also can take pictures with favorite Disney•Pixar “Cars”...