Kingdom Konsultant Travel Blog

*The FastPass service has been retired. The Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane will be the new service available to bypass the standby queue for select attractions.  Over the years, Disney has been testing and implementing many changes around Walt Disney World.  Technology that was once thought to be available only to the Jetsons is now in place all around property, making the guest experience even more seamless and enjoyable than it was before. MyMagic+ is continually improving with the addition of new features. Image courtesy Disney Parks Blog Your entire vacation experience is now linked to waterproof, durable wrist bands called MagicBands. These have the same functions as the old Key to the World cards, and more. These will serve as your room key and park tickets, and store information for Memory Maker, dining plans, and FastPass+. FastPass+ enhances the previous FastPass system and takes it to a whole new level. Before, FastPass was a tool to help guests avoid standing in l

Welcome to the latest edition of Ears the News Brought to you by our friends at  WDWMagic.com . Photo courtesy of WDWMagic.com Disney has announced that a both the Walt Disney World Railroad and The Tomorrowland Speedway will be interrupted during the construction of the new TRON coaster at the Magic Kingdom. The Walt Disney World Railroad will temporarily take up residence at the Main Street Station starting in December 2018, pausing its grand-circle tours of Magic Kingdom Park. During this time, you will be able to get an up-close look at the railroad and take advantage of one-of-a-kind photo opportunities. The Tomorrowland Speedway will close for a portion of 2019, as the attraction’s track is adjusted. It will reopen as the same attraction in the summer of 2019. An enhanced Wi-Fi service is being rolled-out across the Walt Disney World Resort hotels, with Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter the first to be updated. The new service is live now, and can

Welcome to the latest edition of Ears the News Brought to you by our friends at WDWMagic.com . In a new update to the My Disney Experience app, guests can now view up-to-the-minute estimates for when the next buses will depart from their Disney Resort hotel and when they will complete their journey to their destination. Bus information updates in real time to provide the most current estimates for buses heading to all four theme parks, two water parks and the Disney Springs area. Guests can access the feature throughout their stay by tapping “See Bus Times” when viewing an active Disney Resort hotel reservation associated with their account. The video below shows how it works: Trouble viewing the video? Click here to watch on YouTube. Walt Disney Imagineering has shared a number of new behind-the-scenes video of the final touches being put on Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios as well as what guests can expect to see at night. Video cou

Welcome to the latest edition of Ears the News Brought to you by our friends at WDWMagic.com . Sweet Spells on Sunset Blvd at Disney's Hollywood Studios will be permanently closing from April 16 2018 to make way for a Pixar store. Set to open alongside Toy Story Land on June 30 2018, the refurbished store will be the primary location for Pixar merchandise at the park. The production kitchen and treats at Sweet Spells will be removed, although some prepackaged items will continue to be sold at other stores. For the non-packaged items, quick service dining locations will be the place to go. Reel Vogue located next door to Sweet Spells will continue to operate during the refurbishment. Wine Bar George in The Landing at Disney Springs is approaching its grand opening, and new concept art of the second floor area has been released. Created by Master Sommelier George Miliotes, Wine Bar George is expected to open May 2018 at The Landing in Disney Springs. Picture c

Welcome to the latest edition of Ears the News Brought to you by our friends at WDWMagic.com. Beginning September 8, 2017, Disney's Hollywood Studios will offer a new Fantasmic! Dessert & VIP Viewing Experience. It all starts at the Fantasmic! theater where you’ll pick up your snacks inspired by the show. Menu items feature a variety of sweet and salty treats for adults or children such as chocolate-dipped strawberries, cheese and crackers and make-your-own “worms and dirt” pudding. Each guest also receives a light-up cup with a specialty drink (alcoholic optional for Guests 21 and older), along with a bottle of water. After you pick up your food and beverage, you’ll be directed to a VIP reserved seating area for Fantasmic! The Fantasmic! Dessert & VIP Viewing Experience costs $39 per adult and $19 per child (ages 3 to 9). Reservations can be made now online. Alongside the new Grand Avenue redevelopment of the old Streets of America, Disney has anno

Welcome to the latest edition of Ears the News Brought to you by our friends at WDWMagic.com.   Disney is upping the discount for Walt Disney World Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members from now through to September 30, 2017. There is now a 30 percent discount (up from 20%) on regular price food and non-alcoholic beverages when dining during the dinner meal period before 6:30pm or after 8:30pm at the following locations: Jiko at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge  Flying Fish at Disney's BoardWalk Resort  The Wave...of American Flavors at Disney's Contemporary Resort  Citricos at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa  The Grand Floridian Café at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa  Olivia's Cafe at Disney's Old Key West Resort  Boatwright's Dining Hall at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort Riverside  The Turf Club Bar & Grill at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa  Artist Point at Disney's Wilderne

Image courtesy Disney Parks Blog The Big Hero 6 character meet and greet is now open at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Inside the park's 'The Magic of Disney Animation,' you can find Hiro Hamada and Baymax in Hiro's garage workshop. The meet and greet replaces the Wreck It Ralph meet and greet, although both Vanellope and Ralph continue to appear in Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade at the Magic Kingdom. Disney's PhotoPass service has introduced a new type of photo available now with the purchase of the Memory Maker package. Building on the existing Magic Shots, which feature character overlays on your pictures, Magic Shots now expand to include animation, in the form of a video clip. There are currently four locations setup to produce Magic Shots - Epcot (behind Spaceship Earth), Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Hollywood Boulevard, Epcot at Norway Pavilion, Disney’s Animal Kingdom on the bridge near Expedition Everest. Guests who have purc

If you are wearing a MagicBand, your on-ride PhotoPass photos will now be automatically linked to your My Disney Experience account! This automated MagicBand to My Disney Experience service has been testing at various attractions over the last few months, but now moves to full operational status. You may find that if you have been in the parks over the last 45 days, those photos are also now available. For those guests without MagicBands, new touch-points have been installed at the photo preview walls at select attractions. After riding, you can touch your RFID card to the reader to associate the photo to your My Disney Experience account. Attractions already setup with the touch point features are: Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Space Mountain, and Splash Mountain. Test Track, Rock ‘n Roller Coaster, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Dinosaur, and Expedition Everest will be coming mid-November. Expect to see the MagicBand automated linking to become the default