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Ears the News: October 6, 2017 Edition


Welcome to the latest edition of Ears the News

Brought to you by our friends at WDWMagic.com.


The 45th Anniversary Annual Passholder dining promotion has been extended through to late December 2017.

Announced October 1, 2016 and originally planned to expire September 2017, the increased discounts are in effect for both Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members.

A 20% discount is available for Annual Passholders at the following Walt Disney World table and quick service restaurants.
  • Lottawatta Lodge, Blizzard Beach 
  • Disney Food Trucks, Disney Springs 
  • D-Luxe Burger, Disney Springs 
  • Flame Tree Barbecue, Disney's Animal Kingdom 
  • Tiffins, Disney's Animal Kingdom 
  • The Mara, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge 
  • Jiko, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge 
  • Sanaa, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge 
  • Beach Club Marketplace, Disney's Beach Club Resort 
  • Boardwalk Bakery, Disney's Boardwalk Resort 
  • Boardwalk Pizza, Window Disney's Boardwalk Resort 
  • ESPN Sports Club, Disney's Boardwalk Resort 
  • Flying Fish, Disney's Boardwalk Resort 
  • Contempo Café, Disney's Contemporary Resort 
  • The Wave Disney's, Contemporary Resort 
  • Trail's End Restaurant, Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground 
  • Gasparilla Island Grill, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa 
  • Citricos, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa 
  • Grand Floridian Café, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa 
  • Narcoossee's, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa 
  • ABC Commissary, Disney's Hollywood Studios 
  • Backlot Express, Disney's Hollywood Studios 
  • Hollywood & Vine, Disney's Hollywood Studios 
  • The Hollywood Brown Derby, Disney's Hollywood Studios 
  • Olivia's Café, Disney's Old Key West Resort 
  • Capt. Cook's, Disney's Polynesian Resort 
  • Disney's Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show, Disney's Polynesian Resort 
  • Kona Café, Disney's Polynesian Resort 
  • Boatwright's Dining Hall, Riverside Disney's Port Orleans Resort 
  • The Turf Club Bar & Grill, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa 
  • Roaring Fork, Disney's Wilderness Lodge 
  • Artist Point, Disney's Wildnerness Lodge 
  • Whispering Canyon Café, Disney's Wildnerness Lodge 
  • Cape May Café, Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resorts 
  • Captain's Grille, Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resorts 
  • Electric Umbrella, Epcot 
  • Liberty Inn, Epcot 
  • The Garden Grill, Epcot 
  • Biergarten Restaurant, Epcot 
  • Coral Reef Restaurant, Epcot 
  • Rose & Crown Dining Room, Epcot 
  • ESPN Wide World of Sports Grill, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex 
  • Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe, Magic Kingdom 
  • Jungle Navigation Co., Ltd. Skipper Canteen, Magic Kingdom 
  • Leaning Palms, Typhoon Lagoon 

Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com. 
The Stitch character meet and greet will have a new home.

The meet and greet will be on the move, taking up space in the first pre-show room of the Stich's Great Escape! attraction. Disney has also been using the area for a trick or treat location during Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party nights.

The 5 piece a cappella vocal group, American Music Machine is no longer performing at Epcot following its final performance on September 29, 2017.

American Music Machine debuted in April 2015, seizing on the popularity of a cappella music at that time.
Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com.

Salon by the Springs is now open at Disney's Wilderness Lodge.

Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com.
The salon is located in the former Trout Pass Pool Bar beside the resort's main pool. Operating hours are 9am to 4:30pm daily, and services available include manicures, pedicures and hair services.

More information and reservations can be made via 407-WDW-SPAS.

Salon by the Springs completes the upgrades and additions to Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort, which also saw the addition of the Copper Creek Villas & Cabins, Geyser Point Bar & Grill, and Boulder Ridge Cove Pool.

Casey's Corner at the Magic Kingdom is the latest restaurant to join My Disney Experience Mobile Order.

Mobile Order allows you to pay for meals on-the-go within the My Disney Experience app, bypassing the queue to order at the restaurant. Using the app, you can select menu items, customize an order and pre-pay for a meal.

Arriving at the restaurant, you'll tap an “I’m here” button in the app, which will notify the kitchen to prepare the meal. When ready, you'll be alerted through the app to pick up the meal at a designated window. Only credit card payments will initially be accepted via Mobile Order, Disney Dining Plan guests and those wishing to use a discount will have to use the regular line. Check out the video below from the Disney Parks Blog to learn more about mobile ordering.


Having trouble viewing the video? Click here to watch on YouTube.


Disney's Yacht Club is nearing the end of its restaurant updates, with the Ale & Compass Lounge and Ale & Compass Restaurant set to open later this month.

The Captain's Grille, which has been temporarily operating at Ariel's, is now permanently closed. Until the opening of Ale & Compass Restaurant, the nearby Yachtsman Steakhouse is offering a casual breakfast and lunch service.
Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com.

Breakfast menu items include Smoked Salmon and Toasted Bagel $10.00, Pastry Board - Scones, Croissants, and Biscuits with Cinnamon Butter, Orange Blossom Honey-Cream Cheese, and Seasonal Jam $10, Tailored Omelet - Choice of Meats, Vegetables, and Cheese served with Roasted Potatoes and a Biscuit $14, Egg White Frittata $14, Mickey Waffles $12, Crab Cake Benedict $15, Dark Chocolate Waffles $13, Fried Egg Sandwich $12, Shrimp and Pepper Jack Cheese Grits $15.

Lunch items include Grilled Chicken Salad $15, Blackened Fish Tacos $14, Tomato and Mozzarella Sandwich $13, Grilled Chicken Sandwich $15, New England-style Lobster Roll $19, Shaved Beef Sandwich $15, Soup and Sandwich Combo $15.

The recently opened Market at Ale & Compass will also be adding additional dinner menu items from next week.

An opening date for the Ale & Compass Restaurant has not yet been given, but Disney has previously announced an October 2017 opening,

The Runoff Rapids water slide at Disney's Blizzard Beach closed for refurbishment in late January 2017, and has yet to reopen.

This recent aerial photo shows that the slide appears to be abandoned, with algae in the splash pool at the bottom of the slide, and the area itself is walled off. Blizzard Beach is scheduled to close for its major winter refurbishment on October 30 2017.

Runoff Rapids consists of three individual waterslides, with both open and enclosed tubes.

Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com.
Ferrytale Fireworks: A Sparking Dessert Cruise is returning to the Seven Seas Lagoon in December.
Ferrytale Fireworks gives guests a view of the nightly fireworks spectacular from aboard one of the Ferry boats, complete with an onboard dessert party. The cruise was first introduced back in 2015.

Beginning December 1, 2017, Ferrytale Fireworks: A Sparkling Dessert Cruise is available on Fridays and Sundays through January 28 2018. Reservations are now open and can be made online or by calling 407-WDW-DINE. The price is $99 adults, $69 ages 3-9, per person, including tax and gratuity. A 10% discount is available for Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Members.

The event beings 75 minutes prior to the start of Happily Ever After fireworks, and lasts for 90 minutes.

The menu includes:

“The Grand” Key Lime Tart
Polynesian De-constructed Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Contemporary “Traditional with a Twist” Spiced Flourless Chocolate Cake
“Main Street” Mickey Balloon Tarts
Mini “Fireworks” Cupcakes with a Pop
Cinderella’s Sugar Slipper with Orange Financier
Florida Mango Panna Cotta
Sparkling wine
Coffee
Signature punch

The "Star Wars - A Galaxy Far, Far, Away" stage show at Disney's Hollywood Studios will once again close for the installation of new mobile stages.

Beginning October 10, the show will be closed through to October 22, with a planned reopening on October 23, 2017. Characters that normally appear in eh show will be roaming and meeting guests.

The show was closed previously to install the new stages, but various technical issues prevented their introduction.

The plan is to switch out the semi-permanent stage with a mobile version that can be rolled in and out each day, clearing additional viewing space for the nighttime spectaculars in the hub area.


Looking to plan your next trip to Walt Disney World? Contact the agents at Kingdom Konsultant Travel to help you plan your dream vacation. Email vacations@kingdomkonsultant.com for a free quote today.
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