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Ears the News: February 15, 2019 Edition


Welcome to the latest edition of Ears the News

Brought to you by our friends at WDWMagic.com

The 2019 Garden Rocks Concert Series gets underway in just over a month, part of the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival.

The performer line-up is now complete with the addition of Peabo Bryson and Eddie Palmieri, so here is an updated list of the acts you'll find at the festival this year.
Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com

  • March 6-8: Journey former lead vocalist STEVE AUGERI (NEW) “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” 
  • March 9-10: Glass Tiger (New to Garden Rocks) “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)” 
  • March 11-12: Jon Anderson of YES (NEW) “Owner of A Lonely Heart” 
  • March 13-14: Tony Orlando “Knock Three Times” 
  • March 17-20: Simple Plan “Perfect” 
  • March 21-22: Ambrosia (NEW) “Biggest Part of Me” 
  • March 23-24: Magic Giant (NEW) “Set on Fire” 
  • March 25-27: Air Supply (New to Garden Rocks) “All Out of Love” 
  • March 28-29: Berlin featuring Terri Nunn “Take My Breath Away” 
  • March 30-31: The Smithereens (NEW to Garden Rocks) “Top of the Pops” 
  • April 1-2: Rick Springfield “Jessie’s Girl” 
  • April 3-4: Christopher Cross (NEW to Garden Rocks) “Sailing” 
  • April 5-7: The Spinners “Working My Way Back to You” 
  • April 8-9: Dennis DeYoung, original member of the group STYX “Come Sail Away” 
  • April 10-11: John Michael Montgomery (NEW) “I Love the Way You Love Me” 
  • April 12-13: Sister Sledge (NEW to Garden Rocks) “We Are Family” 
  • April 14-16: Night Ranger “Sister Christian” 
  • April 17-19: Sister Hazel (NEW to Garden Rocks) “All For You” 
  • April 20-21: Steven Curtis Chapman (NEW) “Cinderella” 
  • April 22-23: TobyMac (NEW) “The Elements” 
  • April 24-26: Lonestar “Amazed” 
  • April 27-30: The Orchestra starring former members of ELO “Evil Woman” 
  • May 1-4: Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone “I’m Henry VIII I Am” 
  • May 5-7: Don Felder, Formerly of the Eagles “Hotel California” 
  • May 8-9: A Flock of Seagulls (NEW) “I Ran (So Far Away)” 
  • May 10-11: Marshall Tucker Band (NEW to Garden Rocks) “Heard It in a Love Song” 
  • May 12-13: Peabo Bryson 
  • May 14-15: Richard Marx (New to Garden Rocks) “Right Here Waiting” 
  • May 16- 19: STARSHIP starring Mickey Thomas “We Built This City” 
  • May 20-21: Colin Hay of Men at Work (NEW) “Who Can It Be Now?” 
  • May 22-23: War (NEW) “Why Can’t We Be Friends” 
  • May 24-27: The Guess Who “American Woman” 
  • May 28-29: Jon Secada “Just Another Day” 
  • May 30- June 1: Blood, Sweat and Tears “Spinning Wheel” 
  • June 2-June 3: Eddie Palmieri - NEW! 
Garden Rocks concert performances take place at 5:30 p.m., 6:45 p.m., and 8:00 p.m. each night of the festival and are included in regular park admission. Guaranteed concert seating can is available by reserving a Garden Rocks Dining Package at select Epcot restaurants.

Carnevale, the traditional Italian winter festival is returning to Maria & Enzo's later this month.

Famous in Venice and known as Mardi Gras outside of Italy, Carnevale is a spectacle of glamorous
Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com
costumes, culinary delicacies, and riotous celebration. February 22 through March 5 2019, guests who visit Maria & Enzo’s Ristorante at Disney Springs will get a front-row seat to nightly live entertainment including singers, stilt walkers, jugglers, mimes, face painters and folkdancers, while indulging in the restaurant’s signature Italian cuisine.

Visit mariaandenzos.com or call (407) 560-8466 for reservations and more information.

The former Little Missmatched location at Disney Springs Marketplace is now serving as another pop-up art location.

'The Art Corner by Artistic Talent Group' showcases classic watercolor caricatures, digital caricatures, hand-drawn names and an artistic marbling experience.

Epcot's Mexico Pavilion will debut a new musical show this spring, as Mariachi Cobre Present the Story of 'Coco.'

Mariachi Cobre will be joined by a pair of Folklórico dancers to tell the tale of Miguel Rivera, his love of music, and his journey to find what matters most – his familia. The dancers perform to the music of the film, pulling everyone into the celebration, and Miguel himself appears in the form of a whimsical, hand-crafted puppet.

Disney has said that the new show will be performed in addition to the existing performances of traditional Mariachi music by the group.

The new 'Coco' show begins March 6, 2019.

This will be the second time that the Mexico Pavilion has performed a show to Coco, with the last taking place in 2017 as part of Holidays Around the World.

Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com

Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station in the Magic Kingdom's Storybook Circus will be closing for refurbishment next week.

The refurbishment begins February 11 with a planned reopening on March 25, 2019.

Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage at Disney's Hollywood Studios is closing for maintenance later this month.

The closure begins on February 24 and will reopen to guests on March 10, 2019.

Disney Minnie Van Service to Orlando International Airport is now operating longer hours, with airport transportation now available from 7am to midnight, up from the original 7am to 10pm.

Pricing has also risen by $5 to $155 per vehicle, one way, excluding tax. The service accommodates 6 guests and 6 pieces of luggage.

You can schedule drop-off and pick-up by calling 407-WDW-PLAY.

"Kevin," from Disney•Pixar's "Up!," has made her first appearance at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

The character from the movie "Up!" will begin appearances with guests this week on Discovery Island. Until then, check out this fairs look at Kevin at Disney's Animal Kingdom.


Video courtesy of the Disney Parks Blog
Having trouble viewing the video? Click here to watch on YouTube.

Disney has filed plans for improvements to the security screening area on the walkway between the Magic Kingdom and Disney's Contemporary Resort.

Plans show a proposed shade structure in the location of the existing tent that currently houses the security checkpoint. Along with a more permanent structure, the area also offers more space as it expands into existing landscaping area.

Disney is currently undertaking a property-wide initiative to improve the arrival experience for guests at the theme parks, with a focus on streaming the security screening.

Many of the existing security screening points were very quickly added in 2017 in response to moving the Magic Kingdom's security screening to the TTC. Work is well underway on major changes to the Disney's Hollywood Studios arrival experience, and now it appears work will begin on the smaller areas such as resort checkpoints.

Permits have also been filed for the construction of a Hampton Inn and Suites at Flamingo Crossing, just across from the existing Marriott hotels.

Located just off State Road 429 and near to the Western Way entrance to Walt Disney World, Disney
Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com
rebooted its 10 year old Flamingo Crossing development last year, with an announcement of new plans to bring 29 retail and restaurant buildings across 45 acres, to be developed in three phases.

Five additional value hotels will ultimately be built, including other Marriott and Hilton properties. The first two hotels by Marriott at Flamingo Crossings opened in 2016, and are the only businesses currently operating in Flamingo Crossings.

Paige O'Hara, voice of Belle from Disney's Beauty and the Beast animated feature, will be meeting guests this week at the Epcot International Festival of the Arts.

With the purchase of a piece of her artwork, you can meet Paige on February 14 - 18 from 1pm to 3pm and 5pm to 7pm at the Fine Art by Collectors Editions Festival Market located between France and Morocco.

Epcot's Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope meet and greet has today moved from the former Innoventions West to the Imagination pavilion.

Located inside the ImageWorks area at the exit of the Journey into Imagination ride, you can meet both Ralph and Vanellope daily from 9am to 7pm.

Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios will be undergoing a refurbishment that will reduce its operating capacity for much of this year.

Taking place throughout the spring and summer of 2019, the planned refurbishment will carried out
Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com
in phases, allowing the hugely popular attraction to remain open during the work.

Work will be performed on one side of the attraction, leaving the other side fully operational. As a result of the work however, the number of FastPass+ allocations will be greatly reduced.



The 2019 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is less than a month away and we now have the complete run-down of all the menus at the World Showcase Outdoor Kitchens.

The 2019 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival will take place from March 6 to June 3 2019. New Outdoor Kitchen's for this year include the Trowel & Trellis, The Citrus Blossom, Flavor Full Kitchen and Arbor at The Gardeners Terrace.

Click here to view our post on the full Festival menus. 

Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com


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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