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Ears the News: July 12, 2019 Edition


Welcome to the latest edition of Ears the News

Brought to you by our friends at WDWMagic.com


The official Passholders Extra website has been updated to include details on the upcoming Annual Passholder previews for Star Wars Galaxy's Edge.

According to the site, Platinum, Platinum Plus and Premier Passholders will have the opportunity to register for a preview of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge on select dates and times in August at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com


Email invitations with registration details will be sent out later this summer. If you are an eligible Passholder and would like to register a Guest to accompany you, that Guest must also have a valid Platinum, Platinum Plus or Premier annual pass, be listed on your Family & Friends list and have opted to share "All My Plans" with you.

Cast Member previews are scheduled for August 1 to August 16, 2019, with Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Oga's Cantina, and Savi's Workshop all expected to be available during those dates.

Disney has also announced that Rise of the Resistance will open at Walt Disney World on December 5, 2019 in Star Wars Galaxy's Edge.

Despite the Disneyland Star Wars Galaxy's Edge opening earlier than the Disney's Hollywood Studios version, Rise of the Resistance will not open at Disneyland until January 17, 2020.

Epcot's latest signature restaurant, operated by Mitukoshi, is now open in the Japan Pavilion in World Showcase.

Takumi-Tei will be offering upscale dining including a prix fixe tasting menu and a chef's table experience. Highlights of the menu include wagyu beef, sushi, sashimi, unique desserts, signature cocktails, and premium sake. The prix fixe menu is priced at $130 per guest with an optional $75 wine and sake pairing.
Artist concept art courtesy of Disney


Appetizers include Teien $20 (meaning “garden” and featuring compressed watermelon and tuna sashimi), Nikomi Wagyu $27 (braised wagyu short rib with roasted bone marrow), or Hama no Kani $26 (“Crab on the Beach” featuring crab tossed in a light ponzu sauce as well whole toasted crab), and Agedashi Tofu $19 with fried silken tofu, brown butter black rice and shimeji mushroom.

Entrées include Kamo Rosu and Takumi Gyuniku. The Kamo Rosu, priced at $45, features roasted marinated duck with kabocha squash, edamame beans, Japanese mizuna, cured duck egg yolk, and a grape reduction. The Takumi Gyuniku priced at $93, is a Japanese A-5 wagyu beef tenderloin with leek sauce, warishita, short rib gyoza, roast cippolini onion, curried potato, and seasonal mushroom.

On the Maki Sushi menu, you’ll find Mozaiku $18 (featuring tuna, yellowtail and asparagus) and the Takumi Sashimi entrée $40 features tuna, toro, salmon, yellowtail, uni and ikura.

Desserts include Kumo $14 (yuzu cheesecake, spiced kabocha, orange yuzu gel and blackberry sake) or Suiren Dani $16 (Water Lilly Valley featuring Japanese water cake, rose, kuromitsu and kinako crumb).
Photo courtesy of Disney


The drink menu beverage menu offers premium sake, wine, beer and cocktails. Specialty cocktails priced at $15 are themed to each of the five dining rooms and include Kochi (Joto Yuzu citrus sake, rum, fresh mint, yuzu juice and orange), Raiju (Haku Japanese vodka, spiced ginger beer and lime), Sakurajima (Japanese whisky sour smoked with cherrywood), and Kami (Roku gin, Sayuri “White Lilly” Nigori sake, calipco and lychee).

Takumi-Tei is open for dinner from 4pm to 9pm. Reservations will be available from July 16 2019 with bookings starting on that day via 407-WDW-DINE or online. To make reservations for the Chef’s Table Dining Experience, call Mitsukoshi directly at (407) 827-8504.

The NBA Experience is now open at Disney Springs, offering fans a huge range of NBA merchandise and collectibles.

The full NBA Experience opens August 12, but NBA fans can now shop for their team merchandise, collectibles, Disney products, personalized Magic Bands and more. Learn more about the activities you can experience when the full NBA Experience opens next month.

The NBA Experience is located on the West Side of Disney Spring, just across from House of Blues.

Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com

A new group of buses are joining the Walt Disney World Transportation fleet featuring an all new look with a heavy emphasis on some favorite Disney characters.

With a style similar to that of the new Disney Skyliner gondolas, the new busses are being wrapped with very prominent character graphics and bright colors - a big departure from the more serious look of the current Walt Disney World Transportation color-scheme. Characters will include Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto.

The new buses also feature USB charging outlets, and there is likely to be onboard Wi-Fi service coming in the future.


Video courtesy of Disney Parks
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Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park is expected to get some enhancements this winter as the park enters its annual refurbishment. 
Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com


The park will be closed from September 8, 2019 to January 4, 2020, reopening to guests on January 5, 2020. This is about 6 weeks longer than the standard refurbishment, and although Disney is yet to announce anything, some enhancements to the park are expected.


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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