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Ears the News: February 7, 2020 Edition

Welcome to the latest edition of Ears the News

Brought to you by our friends at WDWMagic.com



Walt Disney World will host its first esports event with the 2020 Walt Disney World EGF High School National Championship at ESPN Wide World of Sports. 

Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com 

In collaboration with the Electronic Gaming Federation (EGF), the event will take place June 12 - 14 at The Arena, bringing together top talent from across the country. Games included in the event will be Overwatch, Rocket League and Super Smash Bros.

“At ESPN Wide World of Sports, we strive to make dreams come true for competitors and fans from many different sports,” said Faron Kelley, vice president, Disney Sports. “We look forward to adding our first high school esports tournament to this list and are proud to work with EGF, a leader in esports youth events.”

Disney shared a new video with a look inside Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway as training gets underway for the attraction's opening team. 

Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com 

Disney has opted to use FastPass+ instead of virtual queue boarding groups that are currently being used at Rise of the Resistance. A traditional standby line will also be available.

FastPass+ reservations are now available for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway beginning on opening day, March 4 2020.

Video from Disney Parks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCW9dkkIdl8&feature=emb_logo

Big Thunder Mountain at the Magic Kingdom is scheduled to be closing for a refurbishment later this year. The closure begins on May 4 through to May 21, reopening to guests on May 22 2020. The roller coaster's last major refurbishment was back in 2016. 

Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com 

The Swiss Family Treehouse at the Magic Kingdom is scheduled to close for refurbishment later this year. The closure begins on April 27 through to May 3, reopening to guests on May 4 2020. 

Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com 

City Hall on Main Street U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom is undergoing a major refurbishment on the exterior. The entire facade is now behind construction scrims, although City Hall continues to operate as normal for guest relations. 

Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com 

Rustic Cuff is now open in The Landing district of Disney Springs as a limited time pop-up store. Located in the former Erwin Pearl store just across from Wine Bar George, the accessory store specializes in statement cuffs, charm bracelets and more. 

Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com 

The new City Works Eatery & Pour House at Disney Springs celebrated its grand opening on February 6 2020. 

Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com 

The Disney Springs location will serve more than 80 beers on tap including rare, limited supply, special tappings from local breweries and others from around the world. There will also be a curated selection of popular wines, along with bar bites, shareables, sandwiches, tacos, all day breakfasts, burgers, brunch and more.

City Works will be open Monday - Thursday 11am to midnight; Friday 11am to 1am, Saturday 10:30am to 1am; Sunday 10:30am to midnight. Brunch will be on offer at the weekends from 10am to 3pm.

The 8,632 square foot restaurant will offer a retail space, expansive seating, plenty of high-definition TVs – including a 165-inch screen – and a 1,767 square foot patio. The space will also exhibit three full-service bars, two of which allow for covered, open air dining along the patio.

City Works Eatery & Pour House is located on the West Side next to The NBA Experience.

Disney PhotoPass is launching a new service that allows you to book an in-park photo session at the Magic Kingdom. 

Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com 

'Capture Your Moment' is priced at $50, and that gets you 20 minutes with a PhotoPass photographer. At the start of your session, your photographer will share available photo shoot locations and discuss what you’d like to capture before escorting you to your photo shoot location.

If you need more time, you can book 40 minutes for $100, which gives you access at least two photo locations. It is important to note that prints and digital downloads are not included in the session cost. To gain access to your shoot, you will need to pay per image, or use a Disney PhotoPass entitlement like Memory Maker or Memory Maker One Day, as well as qualifying Annual Passholders with a Disney PhotoPass download benefit.

Bookings are available now via 407-939-7758 and are available starting February 10, 2020. A limited number of same-day reservations may be available starting February 10, but you must call 407-939-7758 to inquire.ions in the park.

Disney has announced that reservations will open later this year for it's new Star Wars multi-day vacation experience -Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser. 

Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com 

Although no specifics have been announced, we do now know that Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will open in 2021 following reservations beginning in 2020.

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