Disney News, Discussion & an Element of Fun - 2023 Edition

[HokieRaven5]

runDisney reveals medals for 2024 Springtime Surprise Races including Stitch and Lion King

 

[rangerxenos]

Good Morning! Back from a week and a half at Disney. Had a wonderful trip, but didn't want to come back to work this morning!

Trying to get back into the swing of things, spent the weekend catching up on laundry and Christmas decorating.

 

[HokieRaven5]

After-Hours Fireworks Testing to Take Place at Disney's Hollywood Studios on December 14

Guests staying at any of the resorts located near Disney's Hollywood Studios should keep in mind that an after-hours pyrotechnic test is scheduled to take place in the park on December 14, 2023. The test is scheduled to begin sometime after 10 p.m. and could continue until 1 a.m. The expected noise level is minimal, as this test will only involve low-level pyrotechnic effects.

Be aware that this schedule is subject to change due to weather-related impacts or other operational reasons.

The fireworks will be launched for approximately 15 minutes once the show begins. Be aware that these advisories are for pyrotechnics and special effects only, and audio testing will not be included.

Affected Walt Disney World Resort hotels include the following:

• Walt Disney World Swan
• Walt Disney World Dolphin
• Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
• Disney's Boardwalk Resort
• Disney's Yacht Club
• Disney's Beach Club
• Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
• Disney's Art of Animation Resort
• Disney's Riviera Resort
• Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney's All-Star Sports
• Disney's All-Star Movies
• Disney's All-Star Music

 

[HokieRaven5]

NEW: The last day to experience Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park this holiday season will be on Jan. 21.

The attraction will close for refurbishment starting Jan. 22 and work will begin on the reimagined grounds and expanded outdoor queue announced earlier this year.






Disneyland has not yet provided a reopening date for Haunted Mansion or a timeline for the work being done on the grounds and updated queue.

Scott Gustin

 

[Madteaparty001]

I don't remember if this story was ever posted:

Disney Is Suddenly and Without Warning Cracking Down on Third-Party Tour Guides

 

[Elijah Abrams]

This may be less to do with retheming the ride and more to do with the plans for the overall area. It doesn't look like IP so much addressing the big problem that Tomorrowland has in all of these parks: what looks like Tomorrow today tends to look like Yesterday tomorrow. It's one of the reasons I think DLRP Discoveryland's "Future that Never Was" idea is brilliant.

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...-mountain-coming-to-tokyo-disneyland-in-2027/

I would love for Disney to resurrect those scrapped plans for the "2055" redo of Tomorrowland from the 90s and make them come to fruition, this time named "Tomorrowland 3000"*, for both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.





*Just because it would be called "Tomorrowland 3000", does not mean it would have a Futurama theme, nor have a Futurama attraction.

 

[BrianL]

I would love for Disney to resurrect those scrapped plans for the "2055" redo of Tomorrowland from the 90s and make them come to fruition, this time named "Tomorrowland 3000"*, for both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.





*Just because it would be called "Tomorrowland 3000", does not mean it would have a Futurama theme, nor have a Futurama attraction.

Honestly, the retro 1960's future works fine for Tomorrowland - they just need to put more stuff in there!

 

[clarker99]

I don't remember if this story was ever posted:

Disney Is Suddenly and Without Warning Cracking Down on Third-Party Tour Guides

I said this on another thread but this is likely why:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/rumored-changes-to-g.3933691/post-65192910

'On the last Disney Dish podcast @lentesta ran through the numbers on how back in 2020 (there was a lawsuit) that 3% of park guests have a DAS card. Those 3% took up 30% of the Lightning lane (Fast Pass back then) capacity and this 30% doubled the stand-by wait times.

He then ran through a recent scenario where Touring plans counted 1500 people getting into the Haunted Mansion Lightning lane line in one hour. Touring plans have determined that less than 300 slots are allocated to Genie+ per hour slot. So, 1200+ people were either rider swap, DAS or VIP tours. They counted zero VIP tours that time slot. 80% of the lightning lane capacity was non-Genie+. An insane number. This is likely why 3rd Party VIP tours have been banned.

DAS is being abused and it is almost impossible to deal with that without getting into law suits and PR trouble.

This type of information is very important to consider when analyzing waitimes and guest experience'

 

[soniam]

.

 

[HokieRaven5]

Fantasy Springs Hotel Room Types & Reservation Dates Released

The all-new Fantasy Springs expansion land will open on June 6, 2024 at Tokyo DisneySea, but that won’t be the only exciting offering opening that day. The new Fantasy Springs Hotel will also open on June 6th, and Tokyo Disneyland has announced new details about room types and reservation dates. Here’s the latest!

Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel​

Nestled on the banks of the Magic Fountain of Fantasy Springs, this hotel is integrated into the park, and it consists of two types of hotels: the luxury type “Grand Chateau” and the deluxe type “Fantasy Chateau”.
As you’d imagine, guests staying at the hotel will have direct access to Fantasy Springs with a valid park ticket.
Hotel Backstory
Once upon a time, in the far distance, there was a magical spring inhabited by spirits. While nurturing a beautiful garden, the spirit of the fountain traveled with the flow of water as his curiosity took him, and came across many fantasy stories. When the spirits returned to the magic spring, they used their magical powers to scrape the stones and trees around the fountain, creating intricate shapes that resembled the people they met. Then, humming a number of melodies that he had heard on his travels, he danced in the water and frolicked around.
Time passed, and one day, a woman who loved travel and adventure came to this beautiful magical spring. As she followed the flow of water and rivers gushing out of springs, she found a world of various stories. Fascinated by the magical fountain, she built a villa nearby, but eventually built a larger mansion to share the world of the story with more friends. Even now, if you follow the stream that flows out of the spring, you will be able to visit various worlds of stories.

Fantasy Springs Hotel Room Types​

There are two main room types in the Fantasy Springs Hotel.
Grand Chateau

The Grand Chateau has a total of 56 rooms. All rooms have a balcony or terrace and views of Fantasy Springs in front of you.
There are a few different room types, including an “Alcove Room” (4 people, twin beds, 70㎡), “Terrace Room” (4 people, twin beds, 70㎡), “Grand Room” (4 people, twin beds, 100㎡), “Grand Terrace Room” (4 people, twin beds, 100㎡).
Additional information about the room is not available on the Tokyo Disneyland website yet.

Fantasy Chateau

Fantasy Chateau has a total of 419 rooms. The rooms are decorated with motifs of Disney movie characters such as “Rapunzel” and “Bambi” and flowers everywhere, such as wallpaper and lighting fixtures. In addition, the guest rooms are divided into four types depending on the location (side): Bay Area Side, Hotel Entrance Side, Rose Courtside, and Spring Side.

On the Bay Area Side and Hotel Entrance Side, room types include “Superior Room”, “Superior Alcove”, “Deluxe” (4 people, twin bed, 41㎡).

For Rose Courtside, the room types include “Superior Room”, “Superior Alcove”, “Superior with Park View”, “Superior Alcove with Park View” (4 people, twin bed, 41㎡), and “Deluxe Room” (4 people, twin bed, 48㎡).

For Springside rooms, room types include “Deluxe Alcove with Partial View”, “Deluxe Alcove with Park Grand View”, “Deluxe Balcony with Grand Park View”, “Deluxe Alcove with Grand Park View” (5 people, twin bed, 50㎡).

Fantasy Springs Hotel Reservation Dates​

Tokyo Disneyland has announced that guests looking to book a reservation from June 6th through June 23rd will be able to do so on February 2, 2024. Guests looking to book a date in June beyond June 23rd will be able to do so starting March 3, 2024, and guests looking to book a stay for dates beyond June 2024 can do so up to 4 months before their intended travel dates.

 

[HokieRaven5]

It looks like both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort updated mobile food orders in the app. The “My Order” screen now shows item photos, adds ability to change item quantity, and makes it easier to modify items in your order.



Scott Gustin

 

[BrianL]

It looks like both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort updated mobile food orders in the app. The “My Order” screen now shows item photos, adds ability to change item quantity, and makes it easier to modify items in your order.

View attachment 817274

Scott Gustin

I love how they want 15 cheese sauces!

 

[HokieRaven5]

I love how they want 15 cheese sauces!

 

[BrianL]

View attachment 817280

That's healthy becuase it's a vegetable.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Fantasy Springs Hotel Room Types & Reservation Dates Released

The all-new Fantasy Springs expansion land will open on June 6, 2024 at Tokyo DisneySea, but that won’t be the only exciting offering opening that day. The new Fantasy Springs Hotel will also open on June 6th, and Tokyo Disneyland has announced new details about room types and reservation dates. Here’s the latest!

Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel​

Nestled on the banks of the Magic Fountain of Fantasy Springs, this hotel is integrated into the park, and it consists of two types of hotels: the luxury type “Grand Chateau” and the deluxe type “Fantasy Chateau”.
As you’d imagine, guests staying at the hotel will have direct access to Fantasy Springs with a valid park ticket.
Hotel Backstory
Once upon a time, in the far distance, there was a magical spring inhabited by spirits. While nurturing a beautiful garden, the spirit of the fountain traveled with the flow of water as his curiosity took him, and came across many fantasy stories. When the spirits returned to the magic spring, they used their magical powers to scrape the stones and trees around the fountain, creating intricate shapes that resembled the people they met. Then, humming a number of melodies that he had heard on his travels, he danced in the water and frolicked around.
Time passed, and one day, a woman who loved travel and adventure came to this beautiful magical spring. As she followed the flow of water and rivers gushing out of springs, she found a world of various stories. Fascinated by the magical fountain, she built a villa nearby, but eventually built a larger mansion to share the world of the story with more friends. Even now, if you follow the stream that flows out of the spring, you will be able to visit various worlds of stories.

Fantasy Springs Hotel Room Types​

There are two main room types in the Fantasy Springs Hotel.
Grand Chateau

The Grand Chateau has a total of 56 rooms. All rooms have a balcony or terrace and views of Fantasy Springs in front of you.
There are a few different room types, including an “Alcove Room” (4 people, twin beds, 70㎡), “Terrace Room” (4 people, twin beds, 70㎡), “Grand Room” (4 people, twin beds, 100㎡), “Grand Terrace Room” (4 people, twin beds, 100㎡).
Additional information about the room is not available on the Tokyo Disneyland website yet.

Fantasy Chateau

Fantasy Chateau has a total of 419 rooms. The rooms are decorated with motifs of Disney movie characters such as “Rapunzel” and “Bambi” and flowers everywhere, such as wallpaper and lighting fixtures. In addition, the guest rooms are divided into four types depending on the location (side): Bay Area Side, Hotel Entrance Side, Rose Courtside, and Spring Side.

On the Bay Area Side and Hotel Entrance Side, room types include “Superior Room”, “Superior Alcove”, “Deluxe” (4 people, twin bed, 41㎡).

For Rose Courtside, the room types include “Superior Room”, “Superior Alcove”, “Superior with Park View”, “Superior Alcove with Park View” (4 people, twin bed, 41㎡), and “Deluxe Room” (4 people, twin bed, 48㎡).

For Springside rooms, room types include “Deluxe Alcove with Partial View”, “Deluxe Alcove with Park Grand View”, “Deluxe Balcony with Grand Park View”, “Deluxe Alcove with Grand Park View” (5 people, twin bed, 50㎡).

Fantasy Springs Hotel Reservation Dates​

Tokyo Disneyland has announced that guests looking to book a reservation from June 6th through June 23rd will be able to do so on February 2, 2024. Guests looking to book a date in June beyond June 23rd will be able to do so starting March 3, 2024, and guests looking to book a stay for dates beyond June 2024 can do so up to 4 months before their intended travel dates.

I can't wait for the Mortal Kombat tournament to ensure when it comes time to book these rooms.

 

[HokieRaven5]

Summer House on the Lake has soft opened today in @DisneySprings! It is expected to have its official opening later this week!

MickeyBlog Twitter

 

[HokieRaven5]

'GoJuice' food truck comes to Disney Springs West Side

A new food truck, 'GoJuice,' has arrived at the West Side's Exposition Park in Disney Springs.

According to their website, GoJuice, which started in Costa Rica, serves wholesome juice, smoothies, bowls, and is home to the Original Banana Coffee. You can view the full GoJuice menu here.

The arrival of more third-party food trucks follows Disney's decision to close its food truck operations at Walt Disney World, including Exposition Park on the West Side.

 

[RivShore]

How is the first WDW mention at number 19 on this list of worst lines in the country? They must not have stumbled across our little corner of the internet...

https://www.clickorlando.com/featur...nes-in-the-country-you-can-find-6-in-florida/

These are the worst lines in the country. You can find 6 in Florida​

Long lines are easily one of the worst parts of any tourist attraction.

On Tuesday, Hawaiian Islands released its list of the most-complained-about tourist queues in the country — with several Florida attractions making the cut.

Researchers said the study was conducted by looking at the number of mentions regarding long queues in each of these places.

The Empire State Building and Top of the Rock in New York City placed at the top of the list, though six Florida locations were included in the ranking.

Of those, Universal’s Islands of Adventure ranked the highest at No. 4, with a score of 860 mentions.

According to the study, the longest ride wait time at the park on average is 93 minutes. The study adds that even lines meant for express pass holders can be lengthy.

“I always buy the express pass when I visit, but this was the first time I thought it wasn’t worth buying...” one review read. “The wait time on A LOT of rides was either the same or very similar to the normal lines.”

Below that, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando (No. 6) and Busch Gardens in Tampa (No. 9) also ranked fairly high in the study.

Outside of the top 10, Discovery Cove in Orlando (No. 13), the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island (No. 14), and the Epcot World Showcase (No. 19) also received attention for their long queues.

The full ranking is as follows:

Rank	Attraction	Location	Mentions
1	Empire State Building	New York City, NY	2,842
2	Top of the Rock	New York City, NY	1,305
3	Cable Cars	San Francisco, CA	871
4	Universal’s Islands of Adventure	Orlando, FL	860
5	Statue of Liberty	New York City, NY	837
6	The Wizarding World of Harry Potter	Orlando, FL	687
7	One World Observatory	New York City, NY	370
8	Skydeck Chicago - Willis Tower	Chicago, IL	341
9	Busch Gardens	Tampa, FL	304
10	Alcatraz Island	San Francisco, CA	285
11	Disney California Adventure Park	Anaheim, CA	210
12	Space Needle	Seattle, WA	180
13	Discovery Cove	Orlando, FL	166
14	NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex	Merritt Island, FL	164
15	The Metropolitan Museum of Art	New York City, NY	129
16	Graceland	Memphis, TN	114
17	The Museum of Modern Art	New York City, NY	101
18	Rockefeller Center	New York City, NY	95
19	Epcot World Showcase	Orlando, FL	63
20	Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve

 

[Smugpugmug]

How is the first WDW mention at number 19 on this list of worst lines in the country? They must not have stumbled across our little corner of the internet...

https://www.clickorlando.com/featur...nes-in-the-country-you-can-find-6-in-florida/

These are the worst lines in the country. You can find 6 in Florida​

Long lines are easily one of the worst parts of any tourist attraction.

On Tuesday, Hawaiian Islands released its list of the most-complained-about tourist queues in the country — with several Florida attractions making the cut.

Researchers said the study was conducted by looking at the number of mentions regarding long queues in each of these places.

The Empire State Building and Top of the Rock in New York City placed at the top of the list, though six Florida locations were included in the ranking.

Of those, Universal’s Islands of Adventure ranked the highest at No. 4, with a score of 860 mentions.

According to the study, the longest ride wait time at the park on average is 93 minutes. The study adds that even lines meant for express pass holders can be lengthy.

“I always buy the express pass when I visit, but this was the first time I thought it wasn’t worth buying...” one review read. “The wait time on A LOT of rides was either the same or very similar to the normal lines.”

Below that, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando (No. 6) and Busch Gardens in Tampa (No. 9) also ranked fairly high in the study.

Outside of the top 10, Discovery Cove in Orlando (No. 13), the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island (No. 14), and the Epcot World Showcase (No. 19) also received attention for their long queues.

The full ranking is as follows:

Rank	Attraction	Location	Mentions
1	Empire State Building	New York City, NY	2,842
2	Top of the Rock	New York City, NY	1,305
3	Cable Cars	San Francisco, CA	871
4	Universal’s Islands of Adventure	Orlando, FL	860
5	Statue of Liberty	New York City, NY	837
6	The Wizarding World of Harry Potter	Orlando, FL	687
7	One World Observatory	New York City, NY	370
8	Skydeck Chicago - Willis Tower	Chicago, IL	341
9	Busch Gardens	Tampa, FL	304
10	Alcatraz Island	San Francisco, CA	285
11	Disney California Adventure Park	Anaheim, CA	210
12	Space Needle	Seattle, WA	180
13	Discovery Cove	Orlando, FL	166
14	NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex	Merritt Island, FL	164
15	The Metropolitan Museum of Art	New York City, NY	129
16	Graceland	Memphis, TN	114
17	The Museum of Modern Art	New York City, NY	101
18	Rockefeller Center	New York City, NY	95
19	Epcot World Showcase	Orlando, FL	63
20	Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve

#1 should definitely be the drive thru line at any Chik Fil A in this country.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Also, why is Buc-ees not on that list? There is usually a line to get TO the exit where the gas station is and then another line to park. Then the line for the women's bathroom goes all the way across the continental United States.