Skip to main content

Ears the News with Richard




'Be Our Guest Restaurant' has been incredibly popular, with dinner reservations being near 100% booked for 180 days in advance, and the lunch queue beginning at park opening. 

Starting this month, selected guests are going to be given the chance to choose an arrival time for lunch online, and even choose items from the menu prior to their arrival. This will all be done on a website, similar to the new FASTPASS+ system that is already in testing with guests. Once the arrival time and menu items have been selected, the guest will arrive at the designated time, check in and pay at an express location, take the magic rose to the table of their choice, and the food will be delivered.  This new system being tested looks like a way to manage guest flow through the restaurant more effectively, and reduce time taken in the ordering phase once inside the restaurant.

The test will be in limited numbers; with guests being invited into the test at their resort check-in. Regular walkups for lunch will still be available for all other guests not taking part in the test. 

Epcot's nighttime spectacular IllumiNations Reflections of Earth and Wishes have started a round of testing for inclusion into FASTPASS+. Two locations are in Epcot going to be trialed, one near Germany and the other in World Showcase Plaza as well as sections around the hub at Magic Kingdom.  FASTPASS+ will ultimately allow guests to not only choose attraction FASTPASS times, but will also provide preferred viewing locations for shows, parades, and fireworks.

Disney has invested heavily in the NextGen project that is introducing a whole host of new trip planning technologies across the entire Walt Disney World Resort. The latest product from the project is a brand new version of the official DisneyWorld.com website. Completely re-written, the site no longer uses Flash making it much more iPad friendly. It is also much more focused on providing information and creating itineraries. As you would expect, the new website also features a dedicated 'My Disney Experience' section, that will allow visitors to manage all of their FASTPASS+ ride reservations, dining, accommodations and PhotoPass.

The site is being rolled out gradually, so is not available to all users. It appears to be random, so keep trying if you want to see the new site before its full launch.

'Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage’ at Disney's Hollywood Studios is scheduled to close for a brief refurbishment in early January 2013. The refurbishment begins on 1/7/2013 and reopens on 1/13/2013 

‘Disney Junior - Live on Stage!' is closing for month long refurbishment in early 2013. The refurbishment begins on 1/14/2013 and reopens on 2/15/2013.

The official Disney Parks Blog has confirmed that “Doc McStuffins” and “Sofia the First” will be joining “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” and “Jake and the Never Land Pirates” at the attraction.







The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort has a new holiday display this year. The palm trees between the two hotels now form a nightly show, with the trees performing approximately every 10 minutes from 6:00 PM. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wsu8JBIJKos
Video from WDWMagic

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 Ways To Get Psyched For Your Disney Trip!

Hey-Howdy-Hey, Disney Guys and Gals!      Is anyone familiar with Barney Stinson's "Get Psyched" Mix? Anyone? How I Met your Mother Fans? Ok, great! So you totally get where I'm going with this! If you have no idea what I am talking about, you can watch a clip  HERE!  Basically, the theory is that no matter what's going on in your life, you can get yourself psyched up and ready for something awesome to happen, all by listening to the right piece of music. Playing off of that theory, I feel that one of the very best things about a Disney trip is actually  preparing  for it, or getting psyched! You can have a whole bunch of crappy stuff happening in your life at the time, but if you have a Disney trip on the horizon... even if it's 564 days away, you have something to look forward to and enjoy preparing yourself for. In fact, many Disney fans, (myself included), pretty much get from one day to the next by preparing for upcoming trips. You may even book a ne
Post a Comment
Read more

Mythos Restaurant at Universal's Islands of Adventure

Located on The Lost Continent of Universal's Islands of Adventure, Mythos is an award-winning, full-service restaurant that offers an otherworldly experience. If you've ever been to Universal's Islands of Adventure, you've undoubtedly walked by this restaurant with its towering rock formations, waterfalls and ancient figures carved into the side of the building. The restaurant has been calling to me for years and I was finally able to give it a try. When you enter the restaurant, it feels like you've entered a cavernous grotto from another world. There are oceanic and mythical touches throughout the indoor dining room and there's also outdoor seating with great views of the park. View from our table The menu features a mix of Mediterranean, Asian and American cuisine including Spanakopita Dip, Pad Thai and a Bacon Cheeseburger. There's also a kids menu for little ones and a dessert menu featuring Chocolate Banana Gooey Cake.  On our first visit to Mythos, we
Post a Comment
Read more

Universal's Volcano Bay Private Cabana Review

On a recent training in Universal Orlando Resort, agents Maci, Ashley, Aubrey and Yaritza and I rented a private cabana for the day at Universal's Volcano Bay. There are multiple locations around the park along with the option to have an upper or lower level, all of which reflect in various pricing. Agent Ashley received an email the day before informing her of where to check-in the next morning. While we were personally escorted to the cabana shortly after check in, the line at the check in location is the same as those getting towels, meaning it was not short. As expressed by an additional guest checking into a different cabana, we would have greatly appreciated a separate line, since this caused our group about a half hour wait. We're all adults and made great use of our time getting some fun pictures before the park was filled with guests, but this is important to be aware of if you are traveling with children.  We had an upper level Cabana which came with a splendid view!
Post a Comment
Read more