Um....holy cow...so it's been a GOOD LONG while since we've had a news and rumors post, hasn't it?! Yikes!!! That's what December trips will do to you. Put you behind on everything! (Actually, that's just the month of December that will do that to you!)
With all that being said, we're gonna dive right into the Disney fun and find out what's been going on these past few weeks! (For those who may have missed some stuff). There is a LOT to talk about!
News
Magic Kingdom
- Mickey's Toontown Fair will officially be closed starting Feb. 12th to make way for the new Fantasyland Expansion. Guests will be able to find Mickey, Minnie and the Disney princesses on Main Street USA in the Town Square Exposition Hall starting in the Spring of 2011. Until then, they will be found in various other areas around the Kingdom. Also, the railroad station in Toontown will be closed, however the train will still be in operation.
- Information is coming out about the 2011 International Flower and Garden Festival. The Toy Story 3 characters are going to take the front entrance flower bed. Buzz, Woody, and Lotso are going to make their topiary debut! Other new topiaries this year will include a Cars 2 display and a Winnie the Pooh one as well. The festival will run from March 2 through May 15, 2011.
- The Dragon Legend Acrobats will be leaving in early 2011. The group has been there since 1986! New entertainment offerings are expected in Feb. 2011.
- Thanks to Toontown Fair being closed in Feb, Tinkerbell will end up being moved here. (Rumor has it she will be possibly be meeting guests where the Journey Into Narnia section is currently.) The other fairies will be moved to Epcot, presumably during the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival.
- The refurb of the Backlot Tour and Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playset has been postponed, with it possibly happening in Sept now.
- An Italian Food Stand has opened up for the busy holiday season. The new booth called Restaurante Italiano will serve food made from the kitchen of Mama Melrose. Menu items include Penne Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Meatballs, Penne Pasta with Tomato Sauce, and Minnestrone Soup. If the booth proves popular, it may remain after the first of the year.
- During the Holiday Season, Mickey's Christmas Carol and other Holiday Shorts will be shown at the Premiere Theater from 12 pm - 10 pm.
Disney's Animal Kingdom
- Primeval Whirl's refurb has been extended a bit to last until April 17th.
General WDW News
- The parks are now selling Disney branded chips, instead of a branded version now. The come in original potato chip, bbq potato chip, cheese curl, and tortilla chip varieties.
- For anyone going to the parks in the next two weeks, make sure to check out the calendar...things have been shifted around (meaning hours have been added).
- In Downtown Disney, Pooh's Corner, Summer Sands, and Mickey's Mart will be closing to make way for LittleMissMatched to open up an expanded location. These shops are expected to close Jan. 15th. LittleMissMatched is expected to open in their new location in Spring 2011. For those guests who enjoyed shopping at Mickey's Mart, have no fear, it will reopen in another part of the building in March 2011.
- Another addition to the Kouzzina refurb is the addition of a Chef's Table. The restaurant has recently opened up from a brief refurbishment.
- There are quite a few Pool related refurbishments that will be going on in the next few months. Some may have been mentioned before, but it's always nice to have a reminder. The Magnolia Bend quiet pool at Port Orleans Riverside will be closed from Feb. 8th - April 2nd. The Cabanas quiet pool at Coronado Springs will be closed Feb. 8th - April 2nd. The Paddock quiet pool at Saratoga Springs will now reopen on July 1st. And the slide at Stormalong Bay will reopen on Feb. 7th.
- Fulton's Crab House has just seen a refurb of it's lobby and dining room.
- Disney is offering another new experience for New Year's Eve. In place of celebrating in the parks, guests can celebrate the New Year at DisneyQuest. The party will start at 8 pm and last until 1 am. Guests will get the opportunity to play all the games and attractions, plus there will be a DJ present with a DJ dance party and countdown at midnight, party favors, and a coupon for a personal pizza and soda. Tickets cost $39 per person ahead of time or $45 day of. Guests may visit here to purchase tickets online.
- Some new changes have taken place for booking online ADRs. You can now book up to 14 guests at a time for one dining reservation. Guests can also now book prepaid dinner shows and Cinderella's Royal Table. Also, guests can now book reservations at Victoria and Albert's. Finally, Disney's Online ADR system has now expanded to offer guests to make reservations for specific dining experiences. These include
- Chef’s Tasting Wine Dinner at the Flying Fish Café
- Fantasmic! Dinner Package
- Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party
- Candlelight Dinner Package
- Dine With an Imagineer
- Some new concept art has come out in regards to the New Disney's Art of Animation Resort. Also, check out wdwnewstoday.com for actual pictures of what the rooms are going to look like.
Rumors
- Phineas and Ferb may finally be coming to the parks!!! The are rumored to be getting their own area next to the Cars area at DHS possibly in the spring.
- Lotso will more than likely be leaving in the spring to bring in the Winnie the Pooh characters to tie in their new movie in 2011.
- Jessie and Woody should be getting a new backdrop in Frontierland.
- There are some rumors going around about a potential timetable for some of the New Fantasyland expansion. Dumbo is expected to close by the end of 2011. The new Dueling Dumbos are expected reopen by Summer 2012. Also, I've heard that the idea of tents in this area may be staying. (Not the particular tents that are there already though.)
- It's rumored that the next attractions to be getting Next-Gen Queues will likely be Splash, Big Thunder, and possibly Country Bear Jamboree.
- Lots of rumors have been floating around the internets as of lately in regards to lots of changes that may potentially be coming to WDW. Of course, there has been the rumor that Australia may finally be coming to a Disney theme park, Disney's Animal Kingdom. Also, rumors are still sort of floating that we may be seeing a DVC resort built where River Country was. Finally, we may finally be seeing a refurb for the Imagination Pavilion, as soon as Disney can find a replacement sponsor, since Kodak is now gone.
- I'm hearing guests may no longer be able to make specific room requests. It's being said the room assignments are now all computerized. You can still book location requests (ie: near the pool or food court) however you may not be able to make specific requests until you check in.
- Recently, I read that if the new round of Pirates movies takes off, we may be seeing an Adventureland makeover...mostly by changing the names of certain things and re-decoration of existing facilities, though we may see one new attraction.
- I've also seen that any plans to build anything related to Tron in the theme parks has been halted.
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