There’s been a lot of Disney World news since we lasted posted an edition of the News Nuggets. (There’s also been a few other developments here at Rope Drop [dot] Net HQ, such as a trip down to the World for Elyssa and me, but that will be covered in a separate post.) Of course, as one would expect, there has been a lot of coverage about Pandora, but–again–I’m going to do something separate for that. So, with all that out of the way, on to the News Nuggets!

• Disney’s Grand Floridian Holding Special Fourth of July Ticketed Event – $120 per adult ($59 for children 3-9) gets you steak, shrimp, drinks, and fireworks viewing from the Floridian. It’s an interesting option.
• Tickets Now Available For Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Visits – Tickets seem to be around $10 more than they were last year (thought that varies by date.) Here’s TouringPlans’ rundown of the lowest attendance parties.
• Caribbean Beach Resort Introduces Breakfast and Dinner Buffet for Hotel Guests – Are they really going to scan people to make sure they’re staying at Caribbean Beach to eat the buffet? What’s the point of that? See also:
• Temporary Dining at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort – Here’s a $75 gift card, go eat in the tent.
• WDW News Today reviews the First Mobile Ordering Experience – It’s only available as part of the Pandora preview right now, but it should be interesting to see how things go as it expands to other places. I like the concept of ordering far in advance and then it recognizing when you’re close enough to the restaurant to start the order. I hope they can get discounts added to it soon, though.
• The Market at Ale & Compass Counter Service Dining Location Opens at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort – I like this setup. I think I’d be fine with having this type of stuff as an option when Roaring Fork re-opens at Wilderness Lodge (in addition to some other “quick service” staples.) The Disney Food Blog has an extensive write-up about the details.
• Disney Annual Passholder Bag Check Line For Pandora Preview – I’d be fine with them doing this all the time and at other parks.
• Epcot Wine Walk Review in World Showcase – I’m glad that Josh did this review (so I can skip doing the walk-it’s just not my thing.)
• Several Attractions (But Not) Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Will Be Closed for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party – Originally, Mine Train wasn’t on the list of open attractions. Personally, I think that was an error on the page, not something Disney actually planned on doing. If people get vacuumed up by the Mine Train during the party, I can’t imagine Disney has an actual problem with that.
• WDW News Today Rumors of Paint the Night Electrical Parade Packed Up to Leave Disneyland – Sadly, after almost a whole year without a nighttime parade, I’ll believe Paint the Night is coming to the Magic Kingdom when I see it.
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort Offers New ‘Day Cruise Around the World’ – This is a weird one. I really don’t think I understand it, but I’m fine if it helps raise funds they can use elsewhere.
• Celebrate Summer at D-Living in Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort – I’m not sure I’ll find anything I need to buy in this store, but I like the idea that Disney continues to flip this store into new concepts.
• Stitch’s Great Escape reopens for the summer at Magic Kingdom – So much for those rumors that they’d already started changing this ride out.
• Coaster Track Installed for Slinky Dog Dash in Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios – I’d imagine that D23 will have an announcement about the opening date of Toy Story Land.

Phew. That was a lot of news, but there is still a bunch to cover. Let’s take a quick break to look at this picture of Baby Stella:

(Yes, Elyssa and I did do the Caring for Giants tour on this past trip. More information on that coming as well.)

Okay back to the Nuggets:

• Refurbishment impact to water and fireworks views at Narcoossee’s – Keep this in mind if you were considering something like brunch here in the next couple of weeks.
• Walt Disney World announces premium parking spots at Disney Springs – Weird. I always park in the Orange garage so no skin off my back.
• Scammers Calling Walt Disney World Resort Guests – Well, this is kind of awful.
• Splitsville Encloses Upper Floor Patio for New Dining Experience at Disney Springs – Splitsville always gets positive ratings, but I’ve never actually taken the time to eat there.
• Sneak Peek: Margaritas Coming to Choza de Margarita in Epcot’s Mexico Pavilion – Elyssa seems to always want a margaritas in Epcot. Looks like this will be the new spot for her to get one.
• Cheshire Cat Tails & Cold Brew Coffee Magically Appear at Cheshire Cafe at the Magic Kingdom – I’m fine with having more places to get a cold brew.
• Disney World Cracking Down on FastPass+ Cheating, Will Begin Locking Guest Accounts Who Abuse System – This is a pretty inflammatory headline for the concept of “dummy bands”, but I have no real issue with Disney “fixing” this. See also:
• UPDATE: Disney Automatically Locking All Accounts That Attempt to Cheat FastPass System Beginning Today – Again, I’m not particularly upset about this.
• Walt Disney World Raises Prices on Memory Maker Photo Packages – $20 increase for “in advance” purchases and $30 for “same day”.
• Tom Bricker’s Territory Lounge Review – No particular “news” in this post, I just wanted to point out a nice write-up of one of Elyssa’s and my favorite spots.
• Toy Story Characters Woody, Jessie, and Buzz Lightyear Will Be Featured on New Apple Watch Faces This Fall – It’s debatable whether I’m a bigger Disney nerd or Apple nerd, so this hits right in my sweet spot. I’ve considered installing the watchOS 4 beta just to get this.
• Celebrate Father’s Day at Disney Springs with Special Experiences, Gifts and Restaurant Menus – Worth taking a look if you’re going to be at Disney World on Father’s Day (though, you probably won’t be surprised by what is being offered.)
• Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival closing for week long refurbishment – I’m glad this isn’t starting until I leave. I might have had to cancel my trip…
• Rumor: Will Alcoholic Beverages Be Included on the 2018 Disney Dining Plan? – Disney has definitely been increaseing the opportunities to grab a drink.
• Epcot Introducing “Frozen Ever After Dessert Party” with Fireworks Viewing and After-Close Attraction Ride – I enjoyed the previous Illuminations Dessert Party. $79 (at $30 increase) is a lot for a dessert party plus a ride on Frozen Ever After, though.
• New Modern Style Value Resort Rooms Debut at Disney’s Pop Century Resort – The fold up bed is a nice way to deal with the small space.
• FIRST LOOK! New Quick Service and Lobby Bar Coming to the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel – The Dolphin definitely could use something like this, but I figure it will be more convention goers than people there for Disney visits.
• Disney’s Wedding Pavilion shows off three new looks – If you can’t get the Italy Pavilion for your vow renewal, this might not be a bad option…
• 5 Magic Kingdom Restaurants Will Join Counter Service Mobile Ordering Program Next – The roll out continues. My main hope is that they figure out a way to have Disney Gift Cards stored in your MDE for these kinds of purchases.
• Trivia at Martha’s Vineyard at Disney’s Beach Club – An interesting little option if you’re over by Crescent Lake while it’s being offered.
• Disney World Offering Special Discounted Summer-Long Express Bus Pass for Annual Passholders – Sadly, in all my Disney trips, I’ve never bought an Express Bus ticket.

Our last News Nugget is Disney debuting the new “Disney Movie Magic” show at The Studios, a nice show to take up a little time before the fireworks. Speaking of which, let’s finish with a video of the show from The DIS: