News Nuggets from Around Disney World

by John DVC, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, News Nuggets, Planning, The Studios

It’s time for everyone’s favorite serving of Disney World, the Rope Drop [dot] Net News Nuggets! There isn’t a lot of particularly juicy news this time, but a few things that I would classify as “transitional” (like the closing of Sum of All Thrills or–essentially–moving all convention space to the Yacht Club.) That said, let’s get to it!

Extensive park hours updates from September through January – If you have a trip coming, now’s the time to check for park hour updates. (Sadly, Josh over at easyWDW is on vacation. His coverage of schedule changes is usually the best.)
Rumors of The Sum of All Thrills and Stormstruck Closing and an End of Innovations at Epcot – If Sum of All Thrills is closing too (as rumored), it would seem that Innovations might be added to the list of things that will get an overhaul. That said, with the construction currently going on at The Studios and Animal Kingdom, I would think it would be a few years before they even start things at Epcot.
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort to Expand Convention Space – This makes it seem less likely to me that the rumors about DVC being added to Yacht Club have any real truth to them.
Moana meet and greet coming to Walt Disney World? – Sounds like a good addition. That said, I don’t understand why the Zootopia characters aren’t available for a meet-and-greet yet.
The Jungle Book: Alive With Magic to End September 5 – The show definitely has had “mixed” reactions (most seemed negative.) I really hope this means they’re getting closer to Rivers of Light (October?)
Disney Offers Annual Passholders Discounted Park Hopper Tickets – $79 for a park hopper? That seems crazy. I haven’t been tracking Disney ticketing too, too long, but I don’t remember anything like this.
Rumors of Wreck-It Ralph VR Attraction to Replace Stitch’s Great Escape – I heard Jim Hill talking about this, and I thought it sounded like a decent idea (especially with Wreck-It Ralph 2 coming out in a couple of years.) I’d be fine with it. (Good job by WDW NT for crediting the source of the rumor, too.)
Celebrate Disney PhotoPass Day on August 19 – This strikes me as a weird promotion. Disney does seem to run things during this period in August, though (remember that Studios Villains event they did for a couple of years?)
New FitBit-style MagicBand design change possibly in development – Interesting. It might make sense to allow for people to move their RFID between different “bands”. Part of me wonders how that would impact the “special” MagicBand sales (like the Christmas themed ones, etc…), though.
Update to Magic Kingdom’s Evening Extra Magic Hours line-up – Having Splash run while Big Thunder is under refurbishment seems like a no brainier.
Disney Enhancing Wedding Pavilion With Redesigned Interior – Elyssa really needs to figure out a way to shoot some weddings here.
James Cameron Will Unveil New Details on the Avatar Theme Park in November – It looks Cameron is going to be at “Destination D” to talk about Avatarland. It’ll be interesting to see what they end up showing.
Guy Fieri teams up with Robert Earl on new Planet Hollywood Menu – I originally thought this was a joke. I guess they’re going for a different crowd than me.
Epcot’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” Ride will be a Roller Coaster Attraction – WDW News Today is going all in on this rumor. Again, if they get this one right, that’s a huge feather in their cap. If not, than they’re going to hear about it for years.
Rumor that the Contemporary Convention Center will be torn down to make room for more DVC. – This kind of makes sense. Expand the Yacht Club convention center and put convention goers closer to Epcot (where they can walk over and grab a drink at the end of the day.) Put in more DVC at the Contemporary so families have easier access to the Magic Kingdom.
New Hands-On Experiences at the 2016 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival – People love these. They’re just not for me.
Say ‘Freeze!’ Disney PhotoPass Captures Your Adventure on Frozen Ever After – Maybe now, people will finally give this ride a shot.
Direct Bus Service From Theme Parks to Disney Springs Begins August 28 – They’re making it easy to get from a theme park to Disney Springs, but you still have to transfer through a resort to get back to a theme park.
Extending Western Way to Route 545 past Flamingo Crossings – I always like easier traffic patterns, but I don’t want anything that’s going to result in Flamingo Crossing raising its prices (it’s a nice, quaint little place to stay for a night or two at the beginning or end of a trip.)
Pool at Disney’s abandoned River Country water park being drained and filled in – I still have (vague) memories of going to River country. If they ever built a DVC in that area, I would definitely take a look.
Disney applies for Copper Creek timeshare license – Speaking of DVC properties that Elyssa and I might have some interest in…
Les Parfaits Inconnus ending its run at Epcot – Friends of the site Dutch Lombrowksi and Howie from Maryland are surely devastated by this news.

We’ll close out with a video that Disney recently posted of what it’s like to be the eagle at the tail end of the Main Street Electrical parade. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

News Nuggets from Around Disney World

by John Dining, Disney Springs, Magic Kingdom, News Nuggets, The Studios, Walt Disney World

It might be the weekend, but here at Rope Drop [dot]Net HQ we are still committed to providing you with your News Nuggets. Before we get started on the “links” part of the Nuggets, a quick update to Tables in Wonderland. Disney has finally decided to add Skipper Canteen & Jock Lindsey’s to the list of places that get discounts (along with the much newer Nomad Lounge and Tiffins at Animal Kingdom.) I wonder if this will have any impact on attendance at Skipper Canteen.

As another special perk, Disney is giving 20% of merchandise purchase at Word of Disney in Disney Springs to Tables in Wonderland members through Labor Day. As always, I would recommend that you point out this discount to the cast members (i.e., I doubt they’ll ask you about it.)

Now, with that out of the way, let’s move on to the rest of the Nuggets!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will no longer sell Turkey legs – I’ve never been a big turkey leg guy, but I’m sure some people will be disappointed if this turns out to be true.
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex To Become New Epicenter of Cheer and Dance – When this is done, it’ll take away the argument that Disney needs to leave Indiana Jones open for Cheer & Dance events.
Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf Closing for Refurbishment – Just something to keep in mind if you planned on being at Disney World in early August and wanted to play mini-golf.
Art Smith’ s Homecoming now accepting Online Reservations. – I can verify that this works. I just made reservation for a potential trip.
Dine at Magic Kingdom quick service and receive discount coupons for Disney Springs Marketplace shopping – It’s that time of year.
AbracadaBar Now Open at Disney’s BoardWalk – I know some people complain about the amount of bars, but they get crazy crowded. Also, when the parks close at 9pm, it’s nice to have some place to calm down for a couple of hours. Here’s some photos and video from Mouse Steps about the bar.
Disney World Adding Calorie Counts to Counter Service Menu Boards – This is going to be a real eye opener for some people.
WDW News Today Claims New Menu Effectively Ruins “The Plaza Restaurant” at the Magic Kingdom – Tom is not happy with the menu change. Relatedly, has the burger there always been that expensive?
Concept Art Released for Muppets Restaurant at Hollywood Studios – Not a lot to glean from this at this point. We’ll have to wait to get a better idea of what Disney has planned for this space.
Orlando Magical Dining Month To Feature Disney Restaurants Deals – If you’re already planning on going to Morimoto Asia or STK during “Magical Dining” Month, then you might as well see if this is something you might benefit from.
Reservations Open July 29 for Re-Imagined Flying Fish on Disney’s BoardWalk at Walt Disney World Resort – I am looking forward to seeing the new space, but the menu looks like it might be a little beyond what Elyssa and I get for dinner when we’re at Disney. Of course, we’ll wait to see the reviews before making any final decisions.
The Muppets Are Coming to Walt Disney World Resort This Fall in an All-New Show – I wonder how this is going to work. Are they going to put a little stage or something?
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort hosting Alice in Wonderland themed ‘Wishes’ fireworks viewing party – Interesting. I wonder how long they’ll be trying this out for.
Germany Pavilion at Epcot Finally Debuts New Band at Outdoor Stage – Cool. (I guess?). Whatever, I don’t mind musical acts in World Showcase.
Sunshine Seasons at Epcot Discontinuing Breakfast Service This Weekend – With more people heading over to Norway for FrozenStrom, it makes sense that fewer people were headed to The Land for breakfast. I wouldn’t be surprised if they offered breakfast service at The Land during the holidays, though.
A change to Epcot Fastpass+ Tier system – One of everyone’s favorite boat rides, Living the Land, is now a Tier 2 attraction. Not really a surprise, with Soarin’ back open and FrozenStrom drawing people to the other side of the park.
Limited-time Character Experience for Guests with Memory Maker at Walt Disney World Resort – Interesting. It looks like they’re giving people with Memory Maker (or APs that feature Photopass) a special meet-and-greet with Belle at the Heritage House at Magic Kingdom.
Blaze Pizza Fires Up Counter Service Options at Disney Springs – There’s a Blaze Pizza near Elyssa and me, and we really like it. My biggest concern isn’t the quality, it’s if their assembly-line model will be able to scale to Disney-sized crowds.
Experience Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Disney Springs with Limited Time Offer – A whole bunch of discounts for various pass holders, DVC members, people staying on site, etc… If you were thinking about going to Bibbidi Bobbidi at Disney Springs before Septmber 5, it might be worth it to check out these discounts.
Shark Reef at Typhoon Lagoon Rumored to Close Soon – If you really want to do this, it sounds like you might want to do it before September.
New ‘Miss Fortune Falls’ Attraction Coming to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Spring 2017 – Related to the above storming about the closure, it looks like Typhoon Lagoon is also getting some new stuff.
Dining Pavilion & Grocery Store to be Added Soon to Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge – This story is weird. It does make sense, but Orlando biz journal link cited in the WDW News Today piece has been pulled (the same thing happens for a Google results.) I wonder what’s going on.

That’s it for this edition of the News Nuggets! Of course, if you’re like me, the biggest news of the weekend is probably the announcement that the new Rogue One trailer will drop during NBC’s Olympics coverage on Thursday! (I’m a little excited for that movie.)

Don’t Forget – Disney is Live Streaming the New Star Wars Fireworks Tonight at 9:20PM Eastern

by John The Studios

Just a quick reminder that Disney is live streaming Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular at 9:20pm tonight. It’s usually easiest to just go to the Disney Parks blog about 10 minutes before the show is supposed to start, but I’ll also try to update this post if I’m around.

Regardless, enjoy the show tonight!

UPDATE: Here’s the Disney Parks Blog Link and here’s the embed:

These are NOT the fireworks they are showing tonight.

News Nuggets from Around Disney World

by John Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, The Studios, Walt Disney World

Both here at Rope Drop [dot] Net HQ and throughout Orlando, the events of the last week the events of the last week+ still leave a lasting impression. Though we continue to mourn for all the lives that were lost, we are going to try and talk once again about a place that we (and probably a lot of you readers) love. There’s not real “good” approach to moving on from something like this, so we’re going to do a symbolic “reset” and clear the deck of all our pending News Nuggets (even if some may be a little out of date, now.) Here is what we’ve got:

2016 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Now 62 Days of Great Eats, Trend-Setting Beverages, Live Entertainment – This time, the festival runs from September 14 through November 14. Personally, I would love for it start over Labor Day weekend some year.
Preview of Sprinkles Cupcakes at Disney Springs – Denise from Mouse Steps put together a really nice preview of one of the dessert-focused shops opening at Disney Springs. I’m not a big cupcake guy, but I don’t mind some good ice cream (and I’ve never forgiven Ghirardelli for getting ready of the peanut butter sundae.)
New Food Kiosks Coming to The Studios. – This makes sense for the busy summer period. I am especially interested in the “waffle sandwich.” Will it be the famed sandwich that recently was cut from Sleepy Hollow’s menu? (UPDATE: It is NOT the Sleepy Hollow One)
First Look and Review! B.B. Wolf’s Sausage Co. in Disney Springs – This kiosk might be the new Disney Springs food location I’m most looking forward to trying. The big question: Sweet Hot or Bavarian? (UPDATE: I did try the Sampler and it was fantastic.)
Morimoto Street Food releases new Menu. – Though I’m most excited about B.B. Wolf’s, I know a lot of people are excited for this update to Morimoto’s quick service. Initial reviews have been promising.
Disney files plans for first step toward new Hollywood Studios entrance. – There have been rumblings about this for a while, and it probably make sense with how they are going restructure the park.
First Look and Review of Ample Hills Creamery Soft Opens on Disney’s Boardwalk – Speaking of new dessert offerings, Ample Hills is set to open. As someone who loves to spend time around Crescent Lake, I am really looking forward to this one. (UPDATE: It’s expensive, but really good.)
Disney to Discontinue Disney Dollars – Everyone seems to be posting about this. I never really understood why anyone would buy Disney Dollars in the first place, so it seems to make sense to get rid of them (especially in a world where so many people pay with magic bands, cards, etc…)
Flying Fish: New Name, New Chef, New Cocktail Lounge Next Door – I liked the old Flying Fish (Cafe), but I didn’t think it really held up against places like Cali Grill and Narcoossee’s. I hope this refurb helps with that. (Oh, and that bar name is ridiculous. I’m just going to avoid typing it since I’m sure I would mess it up if I tried.)
Character location changes at the Magic Kingdom – Nice tip from Kenny the Pirate about how Chip & Dale have relocated, and Woody & Jessie have come to take their place.
Magic Kingdom Area Roadways To Undergo Massive Overhaul and Expansion – These changes make a lot of sense. Make it easier for people to get in and out of the resorts near the Magic Kingdom, while overall improving the traffic flow.
FastPass+ Booking Window Moving to 7am from 12am – I think I like this move. I never was really a fan of having to be up at midnight to grab the best Fastpass+ selections.
June 2016 Disney World Operating Schedule Updated – Josh has a nice update on the schedule changes for June. I wonder if the rumors about the fireworks scaring the animals that are out at night are part of the reason that the fireworks are not every night.
Name of new Wilderness Lodge DVC confirmed; existing units renamed – The new villas will be named Copper Creek while the existing villas will be called Boulder Ridge. I’m wondering when they’ll go on sale.
Rumors of Sum of all Thrills Closing – A note about replays only being available until June 30, 2016 has fueled this rumor. It’ll be interesting to see when Disney addresses this.
Rumors of The Muppets Are Getting Their Own Restaurant at Hollywood Studios – “Pizza Rizzo” – A classic “Huge, of true.” I’ve found WDW News Today has been fairly good getting restaurant related scoops, so I’m hopeful that track record continues. This could be a fun spot.
Chef Art Smith’s Homecoming Florida Kitchen and Shine Bar opening mid-summer at Disney Springs – The amount of cool places to eat at Disney Springs seems to grow by the month.
‘The Jungle Book: Alive with Magic’ Debuts May 28 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – It’s got to be tough to make a temporary show that’s good enough that people want to see it, but it’s not so good that people aren’t going up in arms when its removed. Denise from Mouse Steps thought the show lacked some of the grandeur of other night time shows at Disney World. WDW News Today suggests you just skip it all together..
Soarin’ reopens at Epcot with third theater and new projectors – If you’re down in Orlando, this is your “last” chance to see the original Soarin’. (UPDATE: You missed it!)
Tiffins has opened at the Animal Kingdom. – Early reviews seem promising
STK Orlando opens at Disney Springs. – This “club-like” atmosphere doesn’t really line up with my sensibilities. If it’s your bag though, then it sounds like this might be a nice place for you.
3rd Track now Open at Toy Story Midway Mania. – WDW News Today has the complete walk through, and points out how much it impacted wait times during the first day it was open. It’ll be interesting to see how that continues.
Magic Kingdom’s Skipper Canteen Now Accepting Full Advance Dining Reservations – I hope this increases the people that give this place a shot. Allowing a Tables in Wonderland discount wouldn’t hurt either.
Dates for the 2017 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival – Like Food & Wine, Flower & Garden is getting more dates. It’s interesting that they’re keeping it open through Memorial Day weekend (when people would show up anyway.)
An Experience to Remember: Savor the Savanna at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Not a surprise that they’re offering a “Wild Africa Trek-like” experience for the new night time Safaris. (Well, the riding / eating parts, it doesn’t involve the walking sessions in the bridge.) I wonder if there will be an AP discount for this one.
Magic Kingdom extends park hours for June 2016 – If you’re planning on going to the Magic Kingdom on one of the days it opens at 8am, you can actually get some fun stuff done before the crowds really roll in.
Epcot’s Margarita Stand closes, but may not be permanent – For reasons unknown to me, Elyssa actually likes this place, so I guess it’s sad that it’s closing?
ESPN Club now offering reservations for lunch – I thought this might be paving the way for reservations all day, but I think there’s at least some chance that Disney wants a place that people can go without reservations to watch various sports-ball games.
Early Morning Magic at Magic Kingdom Extended Through September – Friends of the site, Howie and Wes, really enjoyed this experience. If it’s still around next time Elyssa and I visit, we might give it a try.
Disney “Drops” Plans for Tower of Terror Themed Bar at Hollywood Studios – The idea was a little strange anyway, but I guess I’m “sad” it’s not going to happen?
New Animated Magic Shot at Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin – I admit, I’m looking forward to getting one of these with Elyssa next time we ride.
New Summertime Eats Debut Today at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Shaved turkey and Gouda, really? They couldn’t have gone with spicy chicken? Boo!
‘Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire’ Begins June 17 at Magic Kingdom Park – I admit, I think this is going to end up being pretty good. I’m not sure why, I just think it has potential. (UPDATE: It debuted today and was pretty cool.)
New ‘Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular’ Fireworks Set To Make History at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Starting June 17 – I’m glad I got to see the previous show, because it was amazing. If the rumors are true that the goal for this show to is be a little less “explosion heavy”, I wonder how it ‘s going to compare.
Frozen Ever After Attraction & Royal Sommerhus Set to Open at Epcot June 21 – I wonder how many people have their articles about this “just being a re-vamp of Malstrom” and “not true to Epcot’s vision” already written. (UPDATE: Sommerhus opened today!)
FastPass+ Booking Window Time Change to 7am. – I like this change, since I’m always up at 7am, and rarely up at midnight.
Plaza Restaurant at Magic Kingdom Moving Away From ADRs, Walk-Up Availability Only – There are rumors that the Plaza is going to be replacing Skipper Canteen as the new “no ADRs allowed!” option at the Magic Kingdom. I guess this fits a need for people who “didn’t know” you you have make ADRs in advance, but it also conflicts with everything Disney has trained people to do for years I’m interested to see how this plays out.
Soarin’ to close early to prepare for new Soarin’ Around the World – It’s almost time for “New Soarin'”…
Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter’s Food Court To See Refurbishment – Closing through the Fall is quite a long time. I wonder what kind of “reimagining” we’ll get out of this. I’ve already said that French Quarter is very appealing with it’s BOATRIDE to Disney Springs, and this could increase that.
Typhoon Lagoon Expansion Planned with New Family Raft Ride – I’m not sure this a direct reaction to Volcano Bay, but the timing is curious. (That said, to people really stay at WDW v. Uni because of the water park options?)
Homecoming: Florida Kitchen and Shine Bar Gets Ready to Open at Disney Springs – I guess I’ll try a meal that involves fried chicken and doughnuts.
Epcot’s Disney Vacation Club Lounge Brings Imagination Pavilion’s Old ImageWorks Back to Life – I don’t hate that this exists. I wonder if it will get enough use to justify its existence, though.
Reservations Open Tomorrow for New Dining Package at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant at Magic Kingdom Park – Can I get a “dining package” that is just Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake and preferred seating for Tink in the MSEP for $10? That I would do. (Tony’s, I would not.)
Les Parfaits Inconnus circus group coming to Canada Pavilion – I can’t say that I’m very excited about this one.

That clears all the pending News Nuggets. Hopefully, the next couple of weeks will bring some better news.

Meanwhile, at Disney World

by John Epcot, The Studios

We’re trying to a little something different and posting some trip photos on the site during the trip. These are different than the ones Elyssa and I have been posting on social media, so enjoy!

News Nuggets from Around Disney World

by John Disney Springs, Epcot, Events, Holidays, Magic Kingdom, The Studios, Walt Disney World

It may seem like you just had a large helping of News Nuggets, but the Disney World news has been coming hot and heavy for the past week or so. Sounds like it’s time for another order!

Here are the latest Rope Drop [dot] Net News Nuggets:

Name and Possible Theme Revealed for New Vacation Club Resort at Wilderness Lodge – There have been rumors for awhile that this would be a new Wilderness Lodge condo association, and this adds more fuel to that fire. I wonder how long before they are on sale.
Amorette’s Patisserie Opens May 15 at Disney Springs – The Goofy cake looks amazing.
Disney Now Offering Weddings in Front of Cinderella Castle – These weddings start at $75,000. That’s quite a bit of cash. Here’s a video preview from the DIS if you’re interested. – AT THE END!!!!
Goodbye Earffel Tower – The Earful tower at Hollywood Studios is officially no more. The park, it is a changin’.
Authentic Details Bring to Life Pandora — The World of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – The touches Disney is bringing to Pandora are pretty impressive. I do fear, however, that all these new features might result in even more time delays. (SIDENOTE: It’s super confusing that Avatarland is called “Pandora” while Pandora, the jewelry company, sponsors so much at the Magic Kingdom.)
runDisney Virtual Race Series – I know it’s probably a little silly, but I’ve already signed up for or this.
Disney After Hours Event Now Discounted for Annual Passholders and DVC Members – At $75 a person, this was pretty much a no-brainier purchase for Elyssa and me. We’ll have our thoughts on the actual event in another couple of weeks.
Disney World Early Morning Magic – Fantasyland Review – IS IT WORTH IT? – Speaking of “things that are worth it”, Josh at easyWDW has an excellent write up about the value of the Extra Morning Magic event.
Visit Olaf ‘In Summer’ at the All-New Celebrity Spotlight at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Putting Olaf in a different park than Anna & Elsa is a brilliant move to spread people out. That said, this will be a good test to see how much people still have Frozen “fever”.
Tutto Italia at Epcot Offering Prix-Fie Lunch this Summer – This is kind of “meh” for me. It looks like an okay deal for the price, but I’m not usually eating lunch at Epcot at all. I guess I’ll wait until I see some actual (paying for the meal) reviews before I make a final decision.
“Frozen” Games Coming to Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park – This is nice if you’re going to Blizzard Beach anyway, but is it really going to draw people there?
“Star Wars Celebration” event heading back to Orlando in 2017 – Cool news. Unfortunately, this timing (in between Wrestlemania & Star Wars: Dark Side) means that it’s unlikely that Elyssa and I will be going (unless we just decide to spend the whole month in Orlando).
“Whoopie Pies” a sweet new selection at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – I don’t know what these are, but these are not whoopie pies. I’m from Maine, the official home of the whoopie pie.
New Hollywood Minnie Mouse & Sorcerer Mickey Meet & Greet at The Studios – The space looks pretty cool. I especially like Mickey’s “castle” set.
Sneak Peek Inside Ample Hills Creamery on Disney World’s BoardWalk. – A nice photo preview of the soon-to-be opened ice cream shop from the Disney Food Blog. They also predict a May 15 opening.
Tiered pricing for Mickey’s Not So Scary and Very Merry Christmas. – The lower-priority parties didn’t change that much, but some of the more sought after dates went up significantly (and don’t allow AP or DVC discounts.) Unfortunately, if you’ve already planned your vacation (as a lot of people have, since it’s less than 6 months out), you’re kind of just stuck with that pricing.
Valet parking lot at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge to be relocated – This makes sense. The valet lot at this resort always seemed fairly empty.
Happy HalloWishes Premium Package Being Offered for 2016 Halloween Parties at Magic Kingdom – A $70 dessert party along with a $105 special event ticket is pretty steep.
Morimoto Street Food reopens this weekend. – It’s supposed to have a new, expanded menu, and covered seating. It might end up being quite the nice spot to relax.
Get a free cupcake when Sprinkles at Disney Springs opens on May 15 – Sign-up for Sprinkles member perks program, get a free cupcake. Seems pretty simple.
A Bundle of New Tastes Debut May 15, at Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort – I am really excited to try D-Luxe Burger and B.B. Wolf Sausage. They seem right up my alley as Disney Springs additions.
New Stage Show for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party – They added the Hocus Pocus show to Mickey’s Not So Scary last year, so it makes sense they’d update Mickey’s Very Merry this year.

Even though it’s not really our beat, we’ll end with a couple of videos from Shanghai Disney. First the TRON coaster:

And this one of Shanghai’s version of Pirates of the Carribbean:

Rumors are that this is the BOATRIDE system that will be used in the new Pandora BOATRIDE. Hopefully, that ride will be as impressive as this version of Pirates is.

News Nuggets from Around Disney World

by John Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Planning, The Studios, Touring, Walt Disney World

It’s been a little bit since we did a full version of the News Nuggets, so it looks like we’re going to need a double order! (As an aside, Elyssa and I once thought we were hungry enough to get 2 orders of corn dog nuggets from Casey’s Corner. It did not end well.)

First, today’s big news was the release of the famous “Free Dining” offer (and related room-only discount.). Free dining is one of the most “famous” of the Disney discounts, but if you’re staying a moderate or deluxe resort, it’s almost always a better value to get the room-only discount instead.

Second, initial reviews of the first couple of “After Hours” parties at the Magic Kingdom are starting to trickle in. Attractions Magazine has some nice pictures that show (what feels like) a nearly empty park, easyWDW showed how there was virtually no wait at any of the attractions that were operating, and Dave’s brief summary on yourfirstvisit.net seems to confirm the “non-existent crowd” feel. Even TouringPlans thinks the party is worth the money. Personally, I’m tempted by it, but Elyssa and I could do a lot with $300 at Disney World, so I’m not sure we’ll end up doing it.

Third, you can now book your 4th Fastpass+ on your phone!. This should mean that a lot (most?) people no longer will need to ever visit one of the Fastpass+ kiosks (which means maybe Disney can put staffing cuts in those areas instead of on actual attractions.)

Now, on to the rest of the Nuggets!!

Fastpass+ is now Available for Soarin’ when it re-opens June 17 – Even with the additional theatre, I think you’re still going to want to try to get a Fastpass for this one.
Swan and Dolphin Discounts for the beginning of the Food & Wine Festival – These look like some nicely discounted rates for a couple of the weeks during the early Food & Wine Festival. Of course, the Swan and Dolphin charge outrageously high resort and parking fees, so take these rates with a grain of salt.
Zootopia’s Nick Wilde & Judy Hopps Debut in Move It! Shake It! Dance & Play It! at Magic Kingdom – This was announced a few weeks ago. I was excited for it when it was announced, but I’m a little bummed that they bumped Genie as part of the change.
Dates Announced for D23 Expo 2017 – The expo is going to take place on July 14th-17th, 2017. I wonder if that will be a good time for Elyssa and I to head out to California.
New Sense of Africa Tour at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. – Breakfast at Boma and a cool sounding “meet and great” with various animals. For $150 a person, Elyssa and I would probably jump on this. At $250, maybe we’ll try it some time?
New Food Kiosks coming to Disney Springs – B.B. Wolf’s Sausage Co. sounds pretty good to me.
You can now choose Zootopia Characters for your My Disney Experience Profile. – Disney has already added Judy and Nick to the parks, and the My Disney Experience app. This seems like a pretty quick turnaround for integrating new characters into things.
Examining the Toy Story Land concept art. – WDW News Today takes a look at the Toy Story Land concept art that was recently posted at The Studios. There are some changes to Slinky’s Coaster that are kind of interesting.
Writer’s Stop at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Remains Open, Changes Menu. – The big tip from this Mouse Steps post: The Carrot Cake Cookie is at Sweet Spells!
Joy and Sadness From “Inside Out” Begin Greeting Guests at Epcot’s Character Spot – I’m hoping that the wait to see these two won’t be prohibitively long (especially once Frozen ever after starts up.)
Closures at The Studios – These were all announced months ago, but the actual closing has now happened. This is going to make The Studios feel a little more crowded while they work on all the new construction.
Club Villain at The Studios has discounts extended. – This show gets great reviews, but I still can’t see myself spending $99 a person for it.
Use Your Smartphone to Play Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure at Epcot – This makes things a little easier. I I wonder why they can’t just let people skip the entire “registration” process all together, though.
Norway Pavilion’s Stave Church closing for refurbishment amid hints of Frozen ride opening date – This seems to suggest that there might be some Frozen-related goings on at Epcot about May 28.
LEGO to Launch Line of Disney Minifigures! – These look so cool. I want them all.
Tiffins Inventive Menu Stars Cuisine From Around the Globe, Wine List Focuses on ‘Environmentality’ – This menu looks pretty interesting. Much like Skipper Canteen, it seems a little out of the “norm” for theme park food. (Personally, I wonder if they’re going to accept Tables in Wonderland right out of the gate.)
Changes coming to Fastpass+ system at Disney World. – A good breakdown of changes coming to Fastpass+ reservation concerning Anna & Elsa and Epcot starting May 27. This further seems to indicate that late is May is going to be when FrozenStrom might be opening up.
New Options and Perks for runDisney Events – Disney is now going to let you pay $40 and pick up your race bib “day of.” That could be useful for people who are trying to get in a runDisney race but minimize the amount time they want to spend at Disney World for the race.
Speculation that Star Wars Land will be built on former Streets of America. – New artwork and closures have caused increased speculation that Star Wars Land will be built in the area that used to be the Streets of America instead of the area near Indiana Jones / Echo Lake. I guess we’ll have to see how things come together.
New entertainment stage completed at Epcot’s Germany Pavilion – Can we get Off Kilter in Lederhosen?
Special “Spring into the Magic” offers available at Disney Springs hotels. – All of these special offers for Spring time makes me wonder if we might be seeing a reduction in guests this Spring. (Of course, the massive crowds at the parks make that seem unlikely.)
Update on Nighttime Experiences at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – In news that can only be classified as a “major bummer”, Disney is delaying the start of Rivers of Light. Based on the post saying that an “update” will be provided in mid-May, I doubt we’re going to be seeing this new show anytime soon.
Ample Hills Creamery Opening at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn & Villas This Spring – (1) I’m glad we’re finally getting an ice cream shop at The Boardwalk, and (2) I totally got this wrong when I dismissed the WDW Magic Rumor about it.
New Tour Offered at Grand Floridian – I bet my mom would love this. (Okay, I would too.)
Star Wars Fireworks Added at Hollywood Studios Most (But Not All) Days in May – Weird. Are they really only going to show this on certain days?
New Haunted Mansion interactive ending being tested at Magic Kingdom – I am fine with them continuing to roll out these additional magic band related features. It makes things feel that much more special.
Kilimajaro Sunset Safari Fastpass+ is now available – So close. Just missing this by a week.
New Bar Coming to Tower or Terror – I wasn’t really “pleased” with the rumors of the Guardians of the Galaxy overlay, but I also really don’t see how this bar is actually going to be “a thing.” I guess we’ll see how it plays out.
Fulton’s to become “Paddlefish” Restaurant in Fall 2016 – I knew Fulton’s would get a refurb, but I didn’t think it would get a name change (especially one that sounds kind of lame.)

That’s it from this double-sized order of News Nuggets. I’ll leave you with the final performance of the Dream Along with Mickey castle show:

Disney World Summer Entertainment Announcements – EMERGENCY News Nuggets

by John Animal Kingdom, Dining, Disney Springs, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, The Studios

The Disney Parks Blog exploded this morning with news about what’s coming this summer to Disney World. There is so much information that it seemed appropriate for a very special EMERGENCY EDITION of the Rope Drop [dot] Net News Nuggets!

First, we learned that near the end of May (i.e., Memorial Day Weekend), we’ll be getting:

New Nighttime Entertainment at the Animal Kingdom. – As expected, Rivers of Light is not ready yet, but Disney is going to be showing a temporary Jungle Book show as a place holder. There was a preview of this entertainment last night, so you can see The DIS’ Tree of Light nighttime projection and Rivers of Light preview videos, or Inside the Magic’s Rivers of Light preview video, if you’re interested. Personally, I’m most excited for Kilimanjaro Safari’s “After Dark”, and WDW Magic, and Inside the Magic already have preview videos up.
Tiffins – Grr. I was hoping this one open 1 weekend in advance so I could go. Maybe they’ll be doing a “soft open” that week.
Finding Dory Characters at Turtle Talk with Crush – I’m once again surprised at how quickly Disney was able to integrate new characters into the park. This is even before the movie comes out.
A third track on Toy Story Midway Mania – I know this doesn’t sound exciting, but adding 50% more capacity to one of the most popular attractions at a theme park that needs attractions for people to ride on during construction is important.

A couple weeks later, in June, we’ll be getting:

Frozen Ever After – Say what you want about Frozen, but this is going to draw people to Epcot in a way that hasn’t happened for months (years?).
Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire. – The previous Magic Kingdom stage show had been around for so long that I can’t even really remember watching it. I’m interested to see what they do with this one.
Soarin’ Around the World – Speaking of things to draw people to Epcot. Going into The Land pavilion the past few months has been eerie. I’m looking forward to Soarin’ re-opening, and I have high hopes that the new video is going to be great.

Disney also announced that new princess Elena of Avalor will debut at the Magic Kingdom in August and posted another rundown of the new Disney Springs elements opening this summer.

Lastly, Disney shared some more details about the upcoming Toy Story Land at The Studios. Personally, I’m less concerned with the attractions coming to this land, and more interested into how intricate the theming is. I really hope I feel like I have been “shrunk[en] to the size of a toy” while I’m there."

Disney also released some concept video of the Slinky Dog Dash coaster, and that seems like an excellent way to end this post:

New “Mic Drop” Segment as Part of This Week’s Mighty Men of Mouse Podcast

by John Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, The Studios

The newest edition of the Rope Drop [dot] Net Mic Drop is is now available as part of this week’s Mighty Men of Mouse podcast!

In this Mic Drop, Elyssa and I talked about our Favorite Attraction at each of the Disney theme parks. Give it a listen!

John and Elyssa’s Favorites – Attractions by Theme Park

by John Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Favorites, Magic Kingdom, The Studios

For this edition of John & Elyssa’s Favorites, we pick our single favorite attractions from each park at Disney World. We listed the parks based on order from Elyssa’s “least favorite” to “most favorite”.

The Studios

Ack! Where's my beard ?!!? — Ack! Where’s my beard ?!!?

Elyssa – Toy Story Midway Mania : Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin was near the top of my attraction list for a pretty long time. Then, Toy Story Midway Mania came and blew it out of the water. The theming is so intricate and the game is fun for everyone. The only negative is that I NEVER beat John, which tarnishes the ride a little. But it’s still my favorite at the Studios.

John – Tower of Terror: I think it would be tough for me to find a single block of 4 minutes that is better at Disney World than riding Tower of Terror. The whole attraction—from pre-show, to the “dark ride” elements, through the drop, is immaculately detailed and a ton of fun. I really hope I can convince Elyssa to ride it with me just once.

Animal Kingdom

Elyssa – Kilimanjaro Safaris: ANIMALS! Awesome wild animals. At this point in our lives, a photo safari in Africa is probably not imminent, so this is about as close as I can get. The bottom line is that it’s a relaxing and entertaining drive. Nothing else at Animal Kingdom even comes close.

John – Kilimanjaro Safaris: This 20 minute jaunt through an amazing recreation of the African savanna was just a revelation for me the first time I rode it. I really did feel like it’s was Walt’s idea of a “live animal” Jungle Cruise come to life. The only negative I have about the ride is that I wish you could spent more time on the savanna (which is why I love the Wild Africa Trek so much.)

Epcot

Elyssa – Gran Fiesta Tour: John thought I was joking when I said this. I’m not. I like Donald being a goofball. I really like the ambiance of the inside of the Mexico pyramid. It’s a dark ride and it’s a BOATRIDE. ’Nuff said.

John – Illuminations: Reflections of Earth: It’s kind of tough to not pick Soarin’ here, but I finally ended up settling on Illuminations. This really is a night time spectacular (3 acts, great music, awesome fights, etc…) I especially like how everyone is circled around World Showcase Lagoon, instead of traditional fireworks where people are all facing the same direction.

Magic Kingdom

Elyssa – Jungle Cruise: I think my favorite attraction at Magic Kingdom probably changes daily through a rotation of a select few. More often than not though, the first one that pops into my head is the Jungle Cruise. I enjoy dad jokes and puns. The louder everyone else groans, the more I giggle. I think Jungle Cruise epitomizes the tradition of Disney parks and I will love it forever.

John – ~~Meet Tinker Bell at Town Hall~~Splash Mountain: The emotional pick for me would be Celebrate the Magic, for how much it means to Elyssa and me. Splash Mountain, however, does so many of the “classic Disney World” things well, that I have to make it Number 1. It’s a complete story, told in the tradition of a Disney dark ride, but as a BOATRIDE, that also includes 3 different, super enjoyable drops (including the last one, that’s 50 feet and can reach speeds of 40 mph.) And it does have some emotional significance, since it’s the only Disney World attraction that is actually part of our wedding vows.

Those are our favorite attractions in each Disney World theme park. Let us know on Twitter or in the comments!

News Nuggets from Around Disney World – April 1 Edition!!

by John Disney Springs, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Meta, The Studios, Universal Studios

April 1 News Nuggets

It’s time for a special, April 1st edition of the Rope Drop [dot] Net News Nuggets! With so much to report on, we are going to jump right into the Nuggets, but please stay tuned for a special announcement at the end of the post!!

The Sorcerer’s Hat is Returning to The Studios – After a brief hiatus, the famed Sorcerer’s Hat is returning to The Studios. In order to allow for the new construction, The Great Movie Ride will be closing on April 15, 2016 to allow easier construction access to the courtyard. (NOTE: Rumors are the hat returning is only the beginning, and it’s just a matter of time until Epcot gets back its magic wand!)
Small World, Peter Pan, and the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh to close for refurbishment – After finally realizing that theme park guests universally prefer rides that involve sitting in nearly stationary vehicles while looking at a screen, Disney will be closing three of its signature attractions to replace them with ground-breaking technology that is referred to internally as “SCREENZ!”. When this transition is successful, Disney hopes to apply the same changes to its other attractions, starting with Kilimanjaro Safaris.
Illuminations to occur only during hard ticketed events – With the success of the yet-to-begin After Hours event at the Magic Kingdom, Disney has decided to expand its late night offerings to Epcot. In order to “plus” the event for its guests, Disney plans to move Illuminations to 2 hours after the park closes to regular guests. This later start time should give hard-ticketed guests a much better viewing experience of Disney’s classic nighttime show.
Park Hopper ticket now required to ride Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, and Expedition Everest. – Following the success of Universal Studios’ strategy of making guests pay for tickets to 2 “quarter day” theme parks just to be able to ride on one of its rides, Disney will now require park hopper tickets to experience some of its most popular attractions. (NOTE: With the Park Hopper ticket now required to ride certain rides, guests will have to purchase the new “Preferred” Park Hopper ticket in order to actually “hop” between parks.)
Fulton’s refurbishment to include takeover by the staff of Lombard’s Seafood Grill – With so many restaurants at Disney Springs trying to raise the proverbial bar when it comes to dining, the owners of Fulton’s Crab House have decided to take things in a completely different direction. “What if we gave the crew at Lombard’s a clean slate?” a person familiar with the matter said. “Could they make a restaurant so bad that people would visit it just to see how bad it was?” It’s a lofty goal, but if anyone can set a new standard for horrific seafood, it’s the crew from Lombard’s.

That’s all for today’s special April 1 New Nuggets. Before we go, though, it’s big announcement time: After some recent articles on the interwebs, Elyssa and I now realize that (1) we’re too old to enjoy Disney World, and (2) we should be doing more “adult” vacations. So, we are happy to announce that we have started the process of rebranding the site to “Spanish Moss [dot] Net” to better align with our more “adult” focus. As part of this transition, you can expect more of our coverage be about the only theme park in Orlando for people “15 years old and older.” We hope you are as excited for these changes as we are!

(Sorry. No, really. I’m sorry. As bloggers, however, we are required to make horrible April Fool’s Day jokes. It’s in the code.)

Won't Epcot be Nicer without all these People? — Won’t Epcot be Nicer without all these People?

Disney Gives Start Date for Rivers of Light and Details other Summer Entertainment

by John Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, The Studios

In a kind of diabolical move, Disney made a few announcements regarding its upcoming summer entertainment while most Disney writers are over at Epcot covering the start of the Flower & Garden festival.

The biggest announcement is that the new Rivers of Light show at Animal Kingdom will debut on April 22, 2016. (There was no mention of how many shows per night they’ll be doing, however.) Elyssa and I were recently discussing whether or not Rivers of Light would open in April, and it looks like Disney is going to get it in just under the gun. Disney provided a preview video of the show, but I find that shows involving water projection (e.g., Fantasmic!) don’t really translate to video. At this point, the best “hype” for Rivers of Light comes from the concept art that has been around for a while.

For those who want more information about Rivers of Light, Disney is going to do a live chat on Tuesday, March 8 at 1:15pm, which will include answering questions left in the comments section of this page on the Disney Parks Blog. If you want to get your question answered, I’d suggest getting it in early (and maybe asking it again during the actual March 8 call.)

The press release for the summer entertainment includes a bunch of things that we have already heard off, including:

Nighttime safaris at the Animal Kingdom;
The opening of the “Frozenstrom” BOATRIDE at Epcot (not the real name, obviously); and
A bunch of new Star Wars-themed entertainment coming to the Studios.

Unfortunately, the only things that have a definitive start date listed are the above mentioned Rivers of Light show and the “Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away” stage show (which will debut on April 4 at The Studios.) It will be interesting to see when some of the other offerings mentioned in the press release roll out. Similarly, rumors are that the Zootopia character will be joining the Move it! Shake It! Dance It! & Play It! Parade, but no date has been announced for that, either.

(Also, let’s just pretend that the summer entertainment press release didn’t include a section on the Skipper Canteen (which opened before Christmas last year.))

Will we soon get to take this pictures with Lt. Judy Hopps?

News Nuggets from Around Disney World

by John Animal Kingdom, Epcot, The Studios, Walt Disney World

Elyssa and I have a big week ahead of us, so we figured we would try to start it off on the right foot…with another edition edition of the Rope Drop [dot] Net News Nuggets!.

There isn’t a ton of major news to start the week, but the time changes at Epcot might indicate that things are going to be a little over there until for a few months.

Let’s take a look at that and some of the other news:

The operating hours of several Epcot attractions will be shortened starting this weekend. – Not a huge surprise that areas in the Land Pavilion are closing earlier. It’s like a ghost town over there now. It’ll be interesting to see how many of these get longer hours again once Frozenstrom opens.
Flamingo Crossings Hotels to have Transportation to Disney Parks – I don’t post about “off site” stuff a lot in the News Nuggets, but I am especially interested in these hotels as “short stay” and “first night” options.
Permits might show the Route for the AVATAR Boatride. – I know people like to complain about how Avatar isn’t really that popular of franchise, but–regardless of the movie–it sounds like Pandora in Animal Kingdom is going to be really, really cool. Yes, people might not have the same emotional connection to the world as something like Star Wars brings, but that doesn’t mean that Disney can’t make some top-tier attractions out of the concepts.
New Lion Guard Adventure Begins at the Animal Kingdom. – After Wilderness Explorers was such a big hit, it makes sense that Disney is going to try to add some more of those types of “edu-tainment” opportunities to the parks.
Stunning New Rendering Released for “Rivers of Light” at the Animal Kingdom – The rendered image is insane. My only fear is that Disney is setting expectations a little too high for this show.
Ticket Price Increase for Club Villain at the Studios – $129 per person for this just seems outrageous. Was there such high demand at the $99 price point that Disney figured it could increase the price?

That’s it for now. Stay tuned tomorrow for a little Rope Drop [dot] Net special feature!

News Nuggets from Around Disney World

by John Disney Springs, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, The Studios, Walt Disney World

It’s time for another edition of the Rope Drop [drop] Net News Nuggets! (Don’t worry, we haven’t given up the site as a result of our new found fame as models on Orlando Weekly) .Before we get to the “new” news nuggets, we have a couple of updates from WDW News Today on items we posted about last week:

More News on Seashore Sweets Closing during Flying Fish Expansion. – Nice little rumor from WDW News Today suggesting that Disney might move Seashore Sweets down closer to the ESPN Club. (See also, Josh’s Boardwalk Update over at easyWDW).
Big Thunder Mountain to get the same finale as Disneyland – Another neat rumor from WDW News Today that suggests that the upcoming Big Thunder Mountain refurb might add the same ending as the ride has at Disneyland. Check out WDW News Today for a video.

and this announcement from Disney that:

Reservations are now Open for Afternoon Tea the Crescent Solarium.

With that out of the way, let’s move on to our traditional nuggets!

Two New Outdoor Kitchens added to this Year’s Flower & Garden festival. – La Isla Fresca “with flavors like Jamaican Braised Beef with Pigeon-Pea Rice and Jerk-Spiced Grouper or Chicken with Mango Salsa” sounds pretty interesting. Here’s also hoping that Cider House has some unique hard ciders available to sample.
Disney files permit to expand Wide World of Sports – Based on the permit, it appears the new building would be 3 times the size of the Josten’s Center (NOTE: That’s really big.) All indications are that it will be a venue for future cheerleading and dance competitions.
The Boneyard closing for refurbishment – The popular playground (and place for parents to relax while their kids run around) will be closed from late February until Mid-March.
The Circle of Life film at The Land Pavilion is now closed for Refurbishment. – The really interesting part is that WDW News Today has the rumor that the the film is never coming back.
Disney Springs’ Fulton’s Crab House to lay off 214 ahead of 6-month refurb – They seem to be following the same strategy as Planet Hollywood. What I don’t know about this refurb, however, is what the end result is going to be. Do we really need a steak / seafood place at Disney Springs with The BOATHOUSE already there?
Kylo Ren now appearing at Star Wars Launch Bay – I’m glad this change got implemented before Elyssa & I got down there.
Sweetheart Wine Tasting Cruise for Valentine’s Day – That sounds like a cool (and different) thing to do this Valentine’s Day.
Club Disney at The Studios moving to “Seasonal” Operation – I always suspected that this concept wouldn’t last very long. I guess I figured it would make it a little longer than early February.
Same-Day Dining Reservations Coming to Jungle Skipper Canteen – Disney has trained people so well that people won’t go to a restaurant unless they can make a reservation. Kind of crazy.

That does it for this edition of the actual “news” section of the News Nuggets, but I’ll leave you with this “Escape to the Magic Kingdom” video from The DIS to help you through your day:

News Nuggets from Around Disney World

by John Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, Magic Kingdom, The Studios, Walt Disney World

With the storm taking place last week, it was a good chance for us to put together a pretty significant helping of News Nuggets. The theme for this edition: “changes”. We have closings at The Studios (shocking, I know), as well as other various changes and new entertainment offerings. Let’s get to it!

Lights, Motors, Action! to close on April 2, 2016 – There were rumors about more closures coming to the Studios, and now we have the date for Lights, Motors, Action!’s official closing. The Disney Parks blog post also indicates that “nearby locations will be closing”, but doesn’t specify what those are. On Twitter, WDW News Today suggests those nearby locations include Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Backlot Catering Co., Watto’s Grotto, Youse Guys Merchandise, and the Mnnsters, Inc. meet-and-greet (which would seem to make sense.) The big question though: What is going to happen with MuppetVision?
Earful Tower to Come Down – The above mentioned change isn’t all that’s coming the Studios. The iconic “Earful Tower” will also be removed as part of construction. I like the quote that Tom Corless uses in his WDW News Today write up: the tower would be “visually intrusive” to those at Toy Story Land, where “guests are shrunken to the size of toy.” (I don’t put a lot of weight into this rumor that the Disney Springs water tower will actually be the Earful Tower.)
Flights of Wonder at Animal Kingdom to close for refurbishment – A 2 month closure from January 25th until approximately March 17 to add a new roof over the arena. It always stinks to have an attraction down for an extended period, but adding a new roof is probably as good a reason as you can get for why something has to close.
TradNation to Perform at Epcot’s Canada Pavilion – Huh. This doesn’t sound as “electric” as I thought the new entertainment would be. I wonder if this is only a temporary plan. WDW Magic has a video.
Kylo Ren Meet-and-Greet Coming to The Studios – This is pretty cool, and not something I expected. I wonder if he’s going to talk.
“Star Wars Rebels” meet and greet coming to Disney World – Interesting. I wonder if this will be for special events only, or if it will go in the new meet-and-greet area they’re building at The Studios.
You Can Now Modify Your Disney Dining Reservations – A nice functionality upgrade. I wonder how it impacts the cancellation policy (can I change my reservation to 1 person before cancelling day-of so I’m only charged $10?)
Big Thunder Railroad to be closed for long refurb over Spring and early Summer. – Woah. April 4 through July 15 is a long time for such a premiere attraction to be closed. I doubt this will impact crowds at the Magic Kingdom, but with Soarin’ already down during that time, it’s a big hit to “iconic” Disney World rides.
New “Afternoon Tea” offering at the Beach Club’s Crescent Solarium. – This is another new offering that just seems strange to me. At this point it’s not available for online booking, but you can check available dates via Disney Dining phone line.
Inside Out Meet-and-Greet Rumored to Start at Epcot Next Month – The rumors are just for Joy and Sadness. Personally, I really want to get an Anger meet-and-greet.
World of Coca-Cola experience under construction at Disney Springs – This isn’t the most exciting addition to Disney Springs, but it seems like it might be a nice touch.
Seashore Sweets on Disney World’s BoardWalk Scheduled to Close February 1st – I knew that Flying Fish was going under a major refurb, but I hadn’t heard about Seashore Sweets. I’m bummed this place is closing, I have a lot of good memories that involve getting ice cream here and walking around Crescent Lake (and it goes without saying that I really hope it re-opens.)
Menu Changes at the Nine Dragons in Epcot – A few interesting changes, and the $18 per person prix fixed lunch isn’t a terrible price. It’ll be interesting to see the first round of reviews on this.
Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter to get Separate General Managers – This is kind of a small-ish news item, but I think it might result in some improvements to French Quarter as a stand-alone resort. Combine this with being so close to always improving Disney Springs, and I think French Quarter is going to be an even more prime location in coming years.

I’ll finish up this post by urging you to check out a new feature that Josh at easyWDW has been doing: daily wait times analysis. It’s a nice “only at easyWDW” feature that it is worth checking out if you’re into that kind of in-depth analysis of crows at Disney World.

With all these closings, I need a drink.

News Nuggets from Around Disney World

by John Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, Magic Kingdom, The Studios, Walt Disney World

Though we still haven’t recovered from Monday night, we can’t keep our loyal Rope Drop [dot] Net Readers waiting any longer. It’s time for a new edition of the News Nuggets!

Let’s jump right in:

Zooptopia preview coming to Hollywood Studios – I don’t mind Disney showing these previews, but I am bummed that it’ll be at One Man’s Dream. It’s just another strong indicator that One Man’s Dream is not long for this (Disney) World.
Changes for Disney’s Hollywood Studios Begin in January – Bye, bye to Phineas and Ferb and Cars meet-and-greats. I suspect these won’t be the last things that close as construction begins at The Studios.
New Menu Items Coming to Sanaa – Grabbing a quick bite to eat at Sanaa really is a nice way to relax during the day. Get a late lunch ADR, have the bread service, and thank me later.
New Adventure Happens Here Dancing Party at The Studios – Not a bad way to try and fill the evening time before the Symphony in the Sky fireworks without building anything new.
Construction has begun to turn Planet Hollywood into Planet Hollywood Observatory at Disney Springs – As expected, Planet Hollywood closed shortly after the holiday rush. Since most of the changes to Disney Springs have been fantastic, I’m interested to see what happens with this.
New meet and greet area under construction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Interesting. I hadn’t heard any rumors about a new Hollywood Studios meet-and-great until these photos went up. I guess we’ll see what they have in store for us.
New runDisney Costume Restrictions – Not unexpected given everything else that’s been changing around “security”, but still a little disappointing.
Willie the Aardvark comes to the Animal Kingdom – There’s going to be a meet-and-greet with an aardvark ?!?

That’s all for this latest edition of the News Nuggets. I’ll leave you with a couple of links to WDW Magic videos of New Year’s fireworks from Hollywood Studios and the Magic Kingdom

Last One to Leave, Turn Off the (Osborne) Lights

by John Events, Holidays, The Studios

The End of the Osborne Lights

On Wednesday night, the Osborne Lights faded to black for the last time. Thankfully, a lot of our favorite Disney blogs were there to cover the event (and give people like me–who couldn’t be there in person–a chance to see what the Lights were like in their final moments):

Mouse Steps had an excellent photo post, including a video of the show’s final moments:

WDW Magic had a photo post and an epic 10 angle video of “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” and the last moments of the show before it went dark:

WDW News Today had a nice written recap and video of the final moments:

TouringPlans had a recap of the last night and a video of their own:

And with that, we say goodbye to the Osborne Lights. As I’ve said before, I’m sad they’re going away, and I hope they come back (in some form) some day.

Disney gives People a Few More Days to See the Osborne Lights

by John Events, Holidays, The Studios

In a move that I don’t find particularly suprising, Disney has extended the display of the Osborne Lights through Wednesday, January 6th, including running the Lights until 10:00pm on Monday through Wednesday. (Frankly, I am surprised it’s only 2 more days. I was thinking they might extend the lights through Martin Luther Kin, Jr. Day or later.)

As you would expect with a piece of news like this, everyone has reported it: TouringPlans, WDW News Today, and easyWDW.

News Nuggets from Around Disney World

by John Disney Springs, Epcot, Hotels, The Studios, Walt Disney World

With 2015 coming to a close, I figured we could sneak in one last edition of Rope Drop [dot] Net News Nuggests. After the big edition last week, this will feel like a little bit of a down week:

Pixar Short Films Festival Now Open – I was hoping this was just a temporary, holiday attraction, but the amount of work they did to update the theming makes me think it will be there for a while.
New Menu at Jock Lindsey’s – Great rundown of the menu changes from Josh over at easyWDW. I’m bummed that I never got to try the calamari flatbread, though (it’s just regular calamari now.)
Disney Testing Paid Parking at Walt Disney World Resort Hotels – I think I prefer this to the blanket “no parking at the resort without an ADR” policy. I hope it’s something they only implement during busier times, however (and they have special exceptions like late night trips to Trader Sam’s.)
Pizza Planet closing for major refurbishment lasting from January 19 through November 7, 2016 – With all the construction taking places for Star Wars land (and Toy Story land being a whole different part of the park), I think we might have seen the end of Pizza Planet.
Permits for Disney Springs show details about Edison and (possibly) Neverland Lounge – I really have high hopes for the Edison. I hand’t heard about “Walt’s” before, but it sounds like the exact type of place I want to see more of (at Disney Springs or otherwise.)
Saratoga Springs might become a higher value DVC – This is an interesting look at how the DVC point charts for 2017 might make Saratoga Springs a more desirable destination. Combine this with its location near Disney Springs and it seems like a pretty good option for DVC members.

Let’s end things with a link to a video of this year’s holiday Illuminations and a link to Corey Disbrow’s 2015 Disney World photo recap. (And don’t forget that Disney is live streaming it’s New Year’s Eve fireworks from the Magic Kingdom tonight!)

The original news nugget picture for the last nuggets of 2015

News Nuggets from Around Disney World

by John Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, Epcot, Events, Holidays, Magic Kingdom, The Studios, Walt Disney World

There has been a lot of Disney World news over these last few weeks of 2015. So, let’s not waste any time and get right to this edition of the Rope Drop [dot] Net News Nuggets:

The Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen is now open! First, I’m glad they went with straight table service, instead of a mix. The menu options and the lack of ADRs are interesting choices. I look forward to seeing some of the reviews about the quality of the food.
Comedy Warehouse to be at The Studios from December 19 through 25. – I used to love the Comedy Warehouse. My family and I would go almost every night of our trips and I was devastated to see it close. I hope I’ll get to see the Christmas version one of these years. (NOTE: It’s a Tier-2 Fastpass+ attraction.)
Nighttime Torch Lighting Ceremony Returns to the Poly. – This is pretty cool. I’d like to check it out some day. (The only question is whether or not I wait until I stay at the Poly first or not.)
Audio-Animatronic Three Caballeros return to the end of the Gran Fiesta Tour. – What a neat little upgrade. Much like Disney repurposing part of the Magic Kingdom’s old Snow White ride into the Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train, this addition brings a nice little bit of nostalgia to Gran Fiesta Tour. You can see a video at WDW Magic.
Previewing the Chocolates Available at the New Ganachery at Disney Springs. – These look pretty awesome. I have a feeling that Elyssa is going to be asking to go to Disney Springs more and more because of places like this. This is also coverage of the opening and a Disney Food Blog review available.
Here’s a line-up of all the holiday entertainment that’s available at the Magic Kingdom this week.
A Review of the Different Levels of Walt Disney World Park Capacity Closures – With the the busiest weeks of the year approaching, it’s a good time to review the various levels of closure that might occur at Disney World.
Tiana, Lady Tremaine, Step Sisters, and Fairy Godmother return to their original Meet-and-Greet Locations – As construction wraps up, it makes sense that some of these characters are moving to their original meet-and-great locations.
Memory Maker gets lower pricing. – I’m glad to see Memory Maker get a price decrease, but it makes the Annual Pass price increase earlier this year a little tougher to swallow. That said, the ability to get photos via the My Disney Experience app for easy social media posting makes Memory Maker a better value than it used to be.
‘Brunch at the Top’ Debuts February 7th, 2016 at California Grill. – Eating brunch at the California Grill would be cool, but $80 a person is pretty steep. Personally, the menu is probably a little too fancy for Elyssa and me. We’ll stick to Whispering Canyon.
New pirate “invasion” comes to Adventureland. – This is…ahhh…interesting? Are they really going to do this all year long? I kind of think this is a holidays only thing.
Disney World makes some security changes, including metal detectors and bans on adult costumes. – It’s kind of a bummer that we’re at a place where Disney World has to do this. I hope this is a temporary step until they can install some additional security that’s more transparent to the guests. I guess only time will tell.
Pizzafari now has handmade pizzas! I thought Josh had lost his mind when he said the new pizzas at Pizzafari aren’t that bad. Looking at the pictures in his post, however, I am optimistic about this change.
Baymax Meet-and-great now open at Epcot. This is great news. I’m really glad to have Baymax back.
Thirsty River Bar and Trek opens at Animal Kingdom. – It’s a small addition, but it seems like a nice one. Disney Hipsters and Disney Food Blog also have coverage.
New Wine Bar coming to Disney Springs – With each new announcement, Disney Springs is becoming more and more of a place you are going to want to visit during your trip.
Christmas Day religious services at Disney’s Contemporary Resort – I think it’s good that Disney gives people an easy option for this while they’re on vacation.

That’s it for this edition of the New Nuggets. Let’s finish off this post with a link to some pictures of some of the great Christmas trees found at Disney World And a video of the new Symphony in the Stars, Star Wars-based Fireworks at The Studios

Symphony in the Stars (Disney’s Star Wars Fireworks Show) Live Stream Tonight at 11:00PM Eastern

by John Events, The Studios

Disney is doing another live stream tonight, and this time it’s Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular, Disney’s Star Wars themed fireworks show. The stream will take place at 11pm Eastern tonight.

For these types of events, I normally recommend starting to check the Disney Parks Live Youtube Channel about 20 minutes before the show is supposed to air, and then continuing to reload the page until the link for that night’s event shows up. (You can also search for “Disney Parks Live” in the YouTube app in various media streaming devices if you want to watch on your television.)

The Start of the Studio’s Star Wars Invasion

by John The Studios, Touring

Last week, Disney started rolling out some of its previously announced Star Wars related attractions and food items. Though Elyssa and I probably won’t get to see any of it with our own eyes for a couple of months (unless we decide to just head down some other random weekend…), there has been a ton of coverage online about what is available.

If you want to get the most in-depth summary of everything (especially in the context of overall Studios touring strategies), I recommend that you check out this post by Josh over at easyWDW. In addition to covering all new entertainment and new food items, he also explains how to best fit a visit to the Launch Bay into your day:

If you do want to do the meet and greets [available at the Launch Bay], I suggest visiting as late in the evening as possible and ideally 90 to 120 minutes before close. … The benefit of going late is that we know for a fact how morning touring goes, so we can stick to the tried and true strategy there and enjoy short waits at Toy Story, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and other Meet and Greets.

Based on recent treads in crowd levels, Josh’s strategy makes a ton of sense. Take advantage of the lower crowd levels associated with rope drop to get the most popular attractions out of the way and then visit the Launch Bay when most people probably already have. It will also be interesting to see what the crowd levels are like in the Launch Bay after it has been open for a few months.

If you’re mainly interested in seeing photos of the new Launch Bay, then you can check out the companion photo post from easyWDW, or these posts onWDW News Today and WDW Magic. Both Inside the Magic and The DIS also have video walk throughs of what you can see in the Launch Bay. For those of you more interested in pictures of the new food items, I suggest checking out WDW News Today and Disney Food Blog.

On a semi-related note, various sources are also saying the new Symphony in the Stars fireworks show is rumored to start on December 18. (You can also now start booking reservations for a new dessert party associated with the show for dates starting January 5, 2016.) This is a little surprising to me, since I feel like the Osborne Lights are enough to draw people to the Studios over the holidays. I have always assumed they would wait until after the Osborne Lights are taken down to start showing Symphony in the Stars.

Star Wars toys lose all their value if you take them out of the box.

News Nuggets from Around Disney World

by John Epcot, Events, Magic Kingdom, The Studios, Walt Disney World

So many nuggets, they don't even fit in the cup. — So many nuggets, they don’t even fit in the cup.

It’s about time for a hearty helping of news nuggets. As you are probably aware, new Star Wars offerings opened at The Studios this week, but since Star Wars is so important (both to Disney, and to Elyssa and me), I will be saving a recap of that coverage for another post.

On to the nuggets!

The Lumberjack Show won’t be returning to the Canadian Pavilion. – Off Kilter was so popular, that I think whatever replaced them had to be a home run. Though I didn’t mind this show, I don’t think it was as outstanding as it needed to be. I assume the next act will have a bit of an easier time.
International holiday food items available at World Showcase – The Food & Wine festival might be over, but there are still some special treats available at Epcot this holiday season as part of Holidays Around the World at Epcot.
Acoustic Group “Quickstep” Debuts in the United Kingdom Pavilion at Epcot – Huh. This seems like something you’d find in Portland or Austin, not Epcot. It’ll be interesting to see what people think. (Here’s a video from WDW Magic if you don’t want to wait to see them live.)
Clown slide at the Boardwalk closed. – The big reason I’m posting this is so that people staying at the Boardwalk while the slide is closed know that they might be able to use Stormalong Bay.
New “Grab-n-Go” Food and Beverage Option coming to Animal Kingdom “Thirsty River Bar and Trek Snacks” should open on or about December 12, and is located in former Expedition Everest Fastpass location.
Enchanted Tales with Belle no longer part of evening extra magic hours. This makes sense. They only do a show if there’s a certain number of people, and I imagine that number is hardly ever reached late at night.
Sum of All Thrills closed for Refurbishment until December 5 It’s a quick closure, but it helpful to know if you’re visiting Disney World this week.

We’ll close out with some links to the various Christmas decorations that are up around Disney World, including gingerbread sculptures at Contemporary, Mickey’s Village at the Yacht Club, and the famous gingerbread house at the Floridian.

News Nuggets (Special, Double-Sized Edition!)

by John Animal Kingdom, Dining, Disney Springs, Epcot, Shopping, The Studios

While we were away on an actual visit to Disney World, we fell a little behind on the various bits of news that came out over the past couple of weeks. We intend to rectify that situation with today’s special, double sized, edition of Rope Drop [dot] Net’s News Nuggets:

NOTE: While I was preparing this News Nuggets update, Disney released additional details about the nighttime “Rivers of Light” show coming to the Animal Kingdom. I couldn’t wait to share that news, and already posted about it here.

The Epcot Flower & Garden Festival will run from March 2 – May 30 in 2016 This expands the festival from 75 to 90 days (and, my guess, tries to get people to still visit Epcot while Soarin’ is shut down and Frozen Ever After isn’t quite ready to open).
Rumor of a Pizza Planet getting a Muppets-based Re-Theme Pizza Planet is closing on January 11, 2016, and Tom Corless from WDW News Today suggests this could pave the way for a Muppets-based re-theme for the restaurant. Tom’s track record has been pretty stellar recently, so I’m inclined to believe this will happen until someone else tells me otherwise.
UberBLACK now available for rides from Orlando’s MCO Airport It’s not as good as having uberX available, but it’s a start. Elyssa and I have used various flavors of Uber a few times while at Disney World and (while Elyssa isn’t a huge fan of the “sharing economy” overall) it has been invaluable for things like early morning ADRs.
Rope Drop Procedure Expands at The Studios You see the name of the site? How could I not post a link to a story about rope drop procedures changing?
Tiffins Restaurant Coming to Animal Kingdom in 2016 Disney has said this new “Signature” restaurant “will celebrate the art of traveling, featuring a diverse menu drawing from places that inspired the creation of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.” The restaurant will be open for both lunch and dinner (and you assume will be table service for both if it’s getting the “Signature” label) and will apparently “include waterfront views from comfortable indoor and outdoor seating areas.”
Captain EO shows to end on December 6, 2015 The theatre is going to show a “Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival” when Captain EO’s run ends. I hope, however, that there are bigger plans for the Imagination Pavilion before too long.
Epcot’s Fastpass+ tiers to change in January, 2016 With Captain EO going away, and Soarin’ closing for a lengthy refurbishment, I assumed something like this would happen. The big change is that Mission: SPACE (both versions) becomes Tier 1. (I assume when Frozen Ever After opens, it will also be at the tier 1 level.)
Colortopia has opened in Innovations East at Epcot I, admittedly, never really give these smaller attractions in Innovations much of a look. That said, I’d rather they actually have something in that space than just have a building full of construction walls and hallways.
Sephora, Lilly Pulitzer, and Vera Bradley coming to Disney Springs I am hoping the presence of these stores (along with the nearby lululemon outlet) helps convince some more of my family members to join Elyssa and me at Disney World for various events in the future.
Victoria & Albert’s wins its 16th straight AAA Five Diamond award Victoria & Albert’s is clearly an amazing dining experience (it’s just one that doesn’t really fit with Elyssa’s & my personal tastes.)
Planet Hollywood to close in January 2016 for its “redevelopment” into The Observatory They probably would have loved to start this refurb. earlier, but I would imagine they need that restaurant’s capacity during the holiday season. An unfortunate, related note is that Disney is laying off the restaurant’s 468 employees when it closes (but says those employees will have first shot at getting jobs at the “new” restaurant.)
The once a year hidden Mickey made an appearance You can only view this hidden Mickey on November 18 (Mickey’s birthday) at noon. So cool.

Lastly (and of particular interest to Elyssa), next year’s Dapper Days have been announced:
* April 16 – Magic Kingdom
* November 12 – EPCOT

I think we already have a Kivus & Camera wedding booked for April 16, so I guess we’ll see how badly Elyssa wants to go down for the one in November.

The Upcoming Star Wars Invasion at The Studios

by John The Studios

Whether Disney calls it Season of the Force or not, there is going to be a lot of new Star Wars-related entertainment, attractions, and food coming to The Studios over the next couple of months.

First, Star Yours – The Adventure Continues has already received a new sequence based on Star Wars – The Force Awakens. Disney released a teaser of the new sequence (which I refuse to watch since I’m trying to go into the new Star Wars movie as “blind” as possible to what might happen):

(If you really want spoilers about the new sequence, WDW News Today has a write-up (which I have not read)).

Opening next (perhaps as early as November 27, 2015) will be the Star Wars Launch Bay. Disney has described the Launch Bay as:

tak[ing] guests into the Star Wars saga and the upcoming film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, with special exhibits and peeks behind-the-scenes, special merchandise and opportunities to encounter Chewbacca and Darth Vader.

Also opening in December, will be the new Jedi Training – Trials of the Temple, which Disney describes as:

This reimagined Jedi Training experience will take younglings to the secret site of an ancient Jedi temple where they will face Darth Vader along with the Seventh Sister – a new villain from the Disney XD series “Star Wars Rebels.

WDW News Today also recently broke the news that the Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular fireworks show will run nightly starting on January 5, 2016, as well as describing the new dessert party and First Order Stormtrooper patrols that will be part of the new Star Wars-related entertainment.

Of course, all of this new Star Wars entertainment comes at a price, as Disney officially announced the end of Star Wars Weekends. It’s a bummer that we are seeing the end of another yearly event at The Studios (I already miss you Osborne Lights), but, hopefully, the new Star Wars land will fill some of that void before too long.