May 2016 Walt Disney World Bits and Bites

Feature Article

This article appeared in the April 26, 2016 Issue #866 of ALL EARS® (ISSN: 1533-0753)

Editor's Note: This story/information was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all current rates, information and other details before planning your trip.

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clock A LOOK AHEAD
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by Debra Martin Koma
AllEars® Editor

Usually in this monthly Bits and Bites edition of the newsletter, we rummage around in our archives and take you back in history for a glimpse of Walt Disney World and The Walt Disney Company through the ages. This month though, we are just back from the "Awaken Summer" media event, which previewed for us many of the new experiences coming to Walt Disney World over the next few months. We thought we'd put a few of our regular monthly featurettes on hold while we share with you a recap of what's on the horizon. Herewith "A Look Ahead" instead of a "Step Back in Time."

Disney Springs Town CenterThis summer, there's something happening in each of the theme parks, as well as at many other areas of the WDW property. Let's start with things we have dates for:

May 15: The final neighborhood of the re-imagined Disney Springs area, Town Center, will open. Along with this opening, which will include the debut of about 50 percent of the neighborhood's stores, will be the unveiling of the actual Disney Springs — the waterway that serves as the shopping, dining and entertainment district's focal point. We had a chance to peek "behind the wall" at Town Center last week and were impressed with the attention to architectural details and the immersive environment — it really felt that no expense was spared and that it was a completely different place than Downtown Disney. It will be interesting to revisit the area once the popular retailers that are coming — like Anthropologie, Under Armour, kate spade new york, Sephora, Tommy Bahama, UNIQLO and PANDORA — have moved in.

Memorial Day Weekend (May 27-30): New nighttime experiences at Disney's Animal Kingdom will debut. (Note that the Rivers of Light show debut has been delayed.) Most of the park's attractions will have hours extending into the evening, but you'll probably be most excited to experience the Kilimanjaro Safari at night, with two new species along the way (hyenas and wild dogs). We took the safari at around 9 p.m. and the animals were difficult to see, despite the spotlights scattered around the savanna. It might be a better bet to try the excursion at twilight, before it gets too dark. You'll also be able to see the "awakening" of the Tree of Life — short vignettes that highlight specific animals on the tree and tell a story using amazing projections on the tree itself. These new projections are incredibly clear and well-done, and I think you'll find they leave you wanting more. Two new evening street parties will also start up this weekend, the Harambe Wildlife Parti and Discovery Island Carnivale, filling the streets with music and dancing, stilt-walkers and other entertainers, giving the park a lively vibe. A limited-engagement show, The Jungle Book: Alive with Magic, was not available for viewing, but it will premiere this weekend on Discovery River. Inspired by Disney's new live-action film, the live show will be filled with music and special effects that celebrate both the new movie and songs from the original animated classic. Finally, Tiffins restaurant and the Nomad Lounge will both open — reservations for the restaurant can be booked starting May 20.

Rhinos on Kilimanjaro Safaris at Night— Also opening Memorial Day Weekend: the third track for Disney's Hollywood Studios' Toy Story Mania, which will give the popular attraction much-needed added capacity.

June 17: Soarin' Around the World will open at Epcot (as well as in Disney California Adventure). The new film will include iconic destinations from all over the globe, including the Great Wall of China, the harbor around the Sydney Opera House in Australia, and the Matterhorn in Switzerland. The attraction will also debut a new, high-quality projection system and a third theater, for additional capacity. FastPass+ for Soarin' Around the World is available now.

Other happenings that we don't have specific dates for, just general time frames:

Early May: While Dory has already been making appearances at Epcot's Turtle Talk with Crush, other characters from the upcoming film "Finding Dory" (due in theaters on June 17) are slated to be added to the interactive attraction.

June: In Epcot's Norway, the Frozen Ever After attraction (which replaces Maelstrom) is set to open, as is the adjacent new Anna and Elsa meet-and-greet location, the Royal Sommerhus. In a "behind-the-wall" conversation with Imagineer Lauren Niederhiser, we learned that the Sommerhus and its surroundings will be much more rural, inspired by the Trondheim region of Norway. The story behind the Sommerhus is that it was the royal countryside retreat for Anna and Elsa's family when they were children. The meet-and-greet will be filled with memorabilia from the sisters' childhood, but will also contain a few nods to the former Maelstrom attraction. For example, rune stone carvings from Maelstrom can be spotted around the area. As for Frozen Ever After, the ride tells the story after the happenings of the film Frozen. The film's vocal talents (including Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad) returned to provide voices for the attraction, and original composers Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez created new arrangements for the attraction's score.

June will also see the premier of a new stage show in the Magic Kingdom. Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire will bring together Tiana of "Princess and the Frog," and Rapunzel of "Tangled," with co-stars Anna and Elsa of "Frozen," and a host of favorite Disney characters, including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald, Daisy and Goofy. Although we did not get to preview this "timeless fairytale" of a show, it promises to combine dance, fireworks and stunts with memorable music, an original song and special effects.

Also in June: The current fireworks at Disney's Hollywood Studios will be replaced by a new, improved version: "Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular." We were lucky enough to see a sneak preview of what this new show will look like hosted by Imagineer Michael Roddy. No photos or video were allowed, but Roddy showed us a model of the Great Movie Ride courtyard and surroundings extending to the One Man's Dream building, which will serve as backdrop for projections of scenes from the Star Wars movies, including the trench of the Death Star and the twin suns of Tatooine. The 15-minute display is being described as the largest fireworks show ever performed at the Studios, with lasers, explosions and other effects, concluding with a tower of fire and spotlights that will create a super-sized lightsaber in the sky.

Sometime this summer: There will be more "Frozen" fun at Disney's Blizzard Beach when Olaf and Kristoff host The "Frozen" Games — friendly, fun competitions at the water park.

Coming later this year: Rivers of Light, the new nighttime spectacular set for Disney's Animal Kingdom. Though Disney shared a preview of the show with us at the media event, it is not yet "ready for its close-up." Imagineers would not pinpoint a specific date for the debut of the show, which will feature projections on water screens, floats, lasers, stirring music and more. While we only were shown a few minutes from the middle of the show, I will say that the snippet we saw was stunning and left me disappointed that we couldn't see it in its entirety.

Shanghai Adventures by DisneyComing in 2017:

— A few new Adventures by Disney tours will be added to the list of itineraries. This year's new Danube River cruise proved so popular that next year AbD will introduce a Rhine River cruise that will go through four countries: Germany, the Netherlands, France and Switzerland. And traveling even further afield, AbD will revamp its China tour to start in Hong Kong, stop in Beijing, and then end with a visit to the new Shanghai Disney Resort.

Pandora – The World of Avatar: While there were no major surprises announced regarding this hotly anticipated new land in Disney's Animal Kingdom, Imagineer Joe Rohde and film producer Jon Landau were on hand last week at a media briefing. They reiterated most of what is already known about the new land and its attractions (the floating islands, the flying banshee ride, the bioluminescent river ride), but teased the audience with a very short clip of an extremely realistic-looking Na'vi coming to life.

Coming sometime in the future – no timetables:

Star Wars Land: You may have read on the Disney Parks Blog last week that ground was broken on the new Star Wars lands being built in both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts. Imagineer Scott Trowbridge spoke briefly to the media about the new area saying it would be a "remote outpost" that will allow us to experience Star Wars with all of our senses. He stated that the experience would be "fully immersive" and "totally authentic," and that there will be a cantina, an upscale dinner club, and two signature attractions, one that allows you to pilot the Millennium Falcon, the other that puts you in the middle of an epic battle between the Dark Side and the Light Side. There will also be a street market with shops. No timeframes, or even estimates, were given, which is disappointing, but I'm a patient person and am really looking forward to how this shapes up.

Toy Story Land: Finally, it had already been announced some months ago that Disney's Hollywood Studios was expanding in the Pixar Place area to include an entire Toy Story-themed land. This past week, Imagineer Kathy Mangum filled in a few additional details about the 11-acre land, which sees visitors shrink to toy-size to be immersed in the world of Andy's backyard. She revealed the name of the coaster in the area — the Slinky Dog Dash — and we were treated to a short preview video of the family-friendly ride. She also gave the name of the other new attraction in the area, Alien Swirling Saucers, which will, of course, feature the Little Green Men from Toy Story, struggling to avoid their nemesis, The Claw. During the ride, guests will spin in alien saucers as they in turn spin around toy planets, all set to specially created "space jazz music." Well-known Toy Story heroes Buzz, Woody and Jessie will be joined by castmates Rex, Mr. Spell, Mr. Microphone and others in the new land, which Mangum called THE place to meet Toy Story characters.

And that's about all — at least, that's all I can remember! But I'd say that's enough, wouldn't you? It will keep us busy, that's for sure.

I hope you enjoyed looking ahead with me at what's to come to Walt Disney World in the near and hopefully not-so-distant future, and will check back with AllEars.Net often to track the latest developments.

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RELATED VIDEOS:

AllEarsNet TV's Summer Preview Recap

Walt Disney World Ambassador Caitlyn Busscher Gives an Overview of "Awaken Summer" at the Theme Parks

Imagineer Tim Warzecha Discusses the New Elements of Disney's Animal Kingdom at Night

Rivers of Light Preview

Imagineer Jason Grandt Speaks About the New Soarin' Around the World

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DISCLAIMER:

AllEars.Net was an invited media guest for Walt Disney World's "Awaken Summer" event, which included a hotel stay and some meals. My observations and opinions, however, are my own.

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reminder MONTHLY REMIND-EARS
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MAY EVENTS

Through May 30
EPCOT: Flower and Garden Festival
— To celebrate its 23rd year, the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival will expand to 90 days and run from March 2-May 30, 2016. Fresh farm market flavors at the festival's Outdoor Kitchens, new Disney character topiaries, interactive play gardens and live rockin' music will shower spring surprises on park guests.

EPCOT: Garden Rocks Concert Series will run on weekends throughout the Flower and Garden Festival. The tentative schedule of performers (subject to change) for May is:

— May 1: Georgia Satellites
— May 6-8: Gin Blossoms
— May 13-15: Darlene Love
— May 20-22: Night Ranger
— May 27-30: The Spinners

Early May
EPCOT:
Finding Dory Characters Added to Turtle Talk with Crush in the Seas with Nemo and Friends. Some of her new pals you can expect to spot within the attraction include Destiny the whale shark, Bailey the beluga whale and Hank the "septopus" (that's a seven-legged octopus). Crush's son and best pal Squirt will also be swimming by for the first time.

May 5, 8, 12 and 19
MAGIC KINGDOM: Disney After Hours is a special ticketed event in the Magic Kingdom. The $149 (plus tax) ticket will allow guests to stay in the Magic Kingdom for three hours after the park closes. Guests will have the chance to enjoy most of the park's popular attractions and character greetings, such as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Space Mountain, and Princess Fairytale Hall. In addition, the cost of admission includes ice cream novelties and select beverages. May 5 from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.; May 8, 12 and 19 from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. For more details or to purchase tickets, call the Disney Reservation Center at (407) 827-7185. Number of tickets to be sold for each evening limited.

May 8 – 12
ESPN WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS: Invictus Games — Britain's Prince Harry is bringing the Invictus Games, an event that features wounded servicemen and women from around the world competing in a variety of sports events, to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The inaugural Invictus Games, held in London in 2014, drew more than 400 athletes from 13 countries — plus some 65,000 spectators. The Invictus Games at Disney are expected to involve a similar number of athletes from up to 14 nations competing in 10 sports — archery, cycling, indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, triathlon, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.

May 15
DISNEY SPRINGS:
The Disney Springs and Town Center will open May 15, 2016. About 50 percent of the new retailers coming to Town Center will open on this date.

May 27-30 (Memorial Day Weekend)
DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM:

The Jungle Book Alive with Magic Show — For the summer, Discovery River will become the stage for a limited-engagement show inspired by Disney's hit live-action film "The Jungle Book." "The Jungle Book: Alive with Magic" is filled with music and special effects that celebrates the new film and the classic songs, now infused with an Indian influence.

— Kilimanjaro Safari After Dark

— The Tree of Life "Awakens"

— Tiffins Restaurant opens.

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Check our revamped Events page for a full schedule of upcoming events.

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REHABS AND CLOSINGS

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Toy Story Midway Mania — A third midway track is being added and is slated to reopen Memorial Day Weekend (May 27-30, 2016).

Pizza Planet is closed for refurbishment until late 2016.

Epcot

The Maelstrom attraction and Spirit of Norway movie have closed to make way for "Frozen Ever After," based on the animated film, "Frozen." The new attraction will take guests to the film's land of Arendelle and is expected to open in June 2016. The Norway pavilion will also again host a royal greeting location where the characters Anna and Elsa can meet guests. As part of the pavilion's renovation, Norway's Stave Church is closed; it is scheduled to reopen May 27, 2016.

The House of Whispering Willows in the China Pavilion will be closed for refurbishment May 2 through June 16, 2016.

Magic Kingdom

The Walt Disney World Resort Monorail System is undergoing refurbishment and may be on modified service and/or routes through June 2016. If you plan to use this form of transportation during your visit, check to be sure of the best option available, as alternative transportation options will be available.

Animal Kingdom Lodge

Jambo House Villas are undergoing a soft goods refurbishment from now through May 20, 2016. (Soft goods typically consist of design materials including bedding, wall, window and floor coverings and upholstery.)

Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House Concierge Lounge will be closed for refurbishment May 7 – 22, 2016. An alternate location will be available.

BoardWalk Inn and Villas

BoardWalk Inn is undergoing exterior repairs and painting now through May 5, 2016.

Flying Fish Cafe is closed through September 30, 2016, for an extensive refurbishment.

Caribbean Beach Resort

Jamaica Village Pool is closed for refurbishment through Summer 2016.

Saratoga Springs

Treehouse Villas — A soft goods rehab runs through June 22, 2016.

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin is currently undergoing the largest renovation in its 25-year history. The Swan rooms have been completed; the Dolphin room renovations are under way, with the entire room project currently scheduled to be completed by the end of 2017.

Wilderness Lodge and Villas at Wilderness Lodge

General resort refurbishments and construction work in multiple areas will continue until 2017. Some pathways and the nature trail will be unavailable at certain times.

Hidden Springs leisure pool, resort beach, playground and recreation fire pit are unavailable.

Cub's Den Children's Activity Center is closed now through 2017.

Disney Springs

Fulton's Crab House is closed for refurbishment. It is due to reopen in Fall 2016 with a new concept, and will be called Paddlefish.

Roadwork on Buena Vista Drive – Due to heavy roadwork, expect delays on Buena Vista Drive. It is recommended that guests use complimentary Walt Disney World Resort transportation from Parks and Resorts to Disney Springs and plan to arrive early for reserved dining and entertainment experiences.

Parking Lots – Entrance 2 – Lots A-G – closed through August 2016, due to the construction of Town Center and the East Garage.

Planet Hollywood will be transformed into a four-story stargazing observatory to "match the design aesthetic of Disney Springs." The interior will feature spherical, planet-shaped lighting fixtures and will create a welcoming atmosphere for fans to celebrate a new generation of superstar entertainers, while retaining the old movie memorabilia. There will be a new outdoor terrace and an outdoor bar space called Stargazers that will feature live entertainment. The main dining room will include a DJ. Planet Hollywood's renovations will be completed sometime in 2016.

Read HERE for more on Disney Springs.

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A complete list of known rehabs can be found HERE.

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Editor's Note: This story/information was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all current rates, information and other details before planning your trip.