Around the Mouse: Walt Disney World News
What’s New This Week?
Walt Disney World Theme Parks
Magic Kingdom Park
New! Main Street Trolley Winter Show Debuts: The citizens of Main Street U.S.A. have donned their winter costumes and introduced new musical numbers to welcome Guests to Magic Kingdom Park. “Main Street Trolley Show” began performances of its new winter show on Jan. 13. In addition to new costumes and choreography, this seasonal offering features the musical selections “Walkin Down Main Street USA,” “Put on Your Sunday Clothes,” and “How Does She Know.”
New! Peter Pan’s Flight Receives New Queue: A new interactive queue will officially debut at Peter Pan’s Flight at Magic Kingdom Park very soon. Guests will soon be able to watch Tinker Bell fly around and interact with Wendy, John and Michael’s toys. They’ll also see their own shadows come alive on the wall in the children’s nursery and get a sprinkle of pixie dust before they head off into Never Land with Peter Pan.
New! Space Mountain Celebrates 40th Anniversary: Disney is celebrating another attraction milestone—the 40th anniversary of Space Mountain! Space Mountain officially opened Jan. 15, 1975 at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom! Space Mountain attractions have since opened at Disneyland in 1977, Tokyo Disneyland in 1983, Disneyland Paris in 1995 and finally at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2005.
New! Adjusted Times for Move It! Shake It! Dance & Play It!: Due to refurbishment work on Main Street, U.S.A., Move It! Shake It! Dance & Play It! will be presented at 12:30 and 5:40 p.m. on Jan. 20 and 23.
Reminder! New Fastpass+ Viewing Areas for Parades and Fireworks: Starting January 12, the viewing location for Magic Kingdom parades will move from the Central Plaza Viewing area to the Town Square Viewing Area, near the flagpole (shown above). This new location is available for both the daytime and nighttime parades. Also, beginning February 27, the viewing location for Magic Kingdom fireworks will relocate from the Rose Garden to the Main Street Plaza Gardens. Main Street Plaza Gardens is adjacent to Casey’s Corner and the Plaza Restaurant (shown below). Guests may choose either side upon arrival to the Main Street Plaza Gardens, based on availability.
Epcot
New! Garden Rocks Concert Series to Debut at Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival: The Flower Power Concert Series has been replaced with the new Garden Rocks Concert Series. This year, 11 pop bands are set to appear in the Garden Rocks Concert Series, which will take place March 4-May 17, 2015. Several acts will join this festival lineup this year, including En Vogue, Little River Band, Jon Secada, Pablo Cruise and Taylor Dayne. Performances are at America Gardens Theatre at 5:30, 6:45 and 8:00 p.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and are included with Epcot admission. Check out this year’s lineup (subject to change without notice):
- March 6-8: Gin Blossoms “Hey Jealousy”
- March 13-15: Pablo Cruise “Love Will Find a Way”
- March 20-22: En Vogue “Free Your Mind”
- March 27-29: Starship “We Built This City”
- April 3-5: The Orchestra starring former members of ELO “Evil Woman”
- April 10-12: Village People “Y.M.C.A.”
- April 17-19: Jon Secada “Just Another Day”
- April 24-26: The Guess Who “These Eyes”
- May 1-3: Taylor Dayne “Tell It to My Heart”
- May 8-10: Little River Band “Lady”
- May 15-17: Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone “I’m Henry the VIII, I Am”
New! Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Dates Announced: Epcot International Food & Wine Festival launches September 25 and runs through November 16 this year – 53 days of sweet and savory tapas-sized dishes and beverages, plus tasting seminars, culinary demos, signature dining experiences, live entertainment and more.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Reminder! Sneak Peek of “Cinderella” Movie thru March 21: Starting Jan. 17, Guests visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios will get an exclusive sneak peek of Disney’s upcoming movie, “Cinderella” at ABC Sound Studio. This special preview, containing several clips from the soon-to-be-released Disney movie, will be presented through March 21. It will show at the top and bottom of every hour, from 10 a.m. until 30 minutes prior to the park closing time. In addition, Guests may also experience more of the story’s charm, by capturing their own close-up photos with Cinderella’s golden coach displayed on Streets of America from Feb. 1 through April 11.
Reminder! Sorcerers Hat Now Closed for Removal: With the park’s central hub being reconfigured, the Sorcerer’s Hat will be removed and the pin merchandise location will be relocated to Sunset Ranch located on Sunset Boulevard beginning Jan. 7.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
New! Mt Everest Wilderness Explorer Badge is Moving: The Mt. Everest Wildness Explorers badge that is currently located at the Expedition Everest merchandise cart will be relocating to across from the ice cream bus on Tuesday, Jan. 20. This badge will stay at this location until further notice. At this badge location, Wilderness Explorers can learn what gear they need on an expedition by looking for items at Expedition Everest.
Reminder! Flame Tree Barbecue Temporarily Closed: On Jan. 5, construction started at Flame Tree Barbecue. This location will be closed for approximately three months. Since the food offerings at Flame Tree Barbecue are favorites amongst Guests, a selection of them will be offered at existing kiosks throughout the park during the downtime. Until Flame Tree Barbecue reopens, Mickey-shaped pretzels and jalapeno pretzels will be temporarily located at Isle of Java in Discovery Island, and look for hand-scooped ice cream and sundaes at Dino-Bite Snacks in Dinoland, U.S.A.
Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
New! Grand Floridian Cafe to Stay Open Later: The Grand Floridian Cafe is testing new hours between now and Feb 14, 2015. During this time, the restaurant will remain open until 10 pm for dinner.
New! Senses Spa at Saratoga Springs Resort Temporary Closure: There will be refurbishment work taking place at Senses – A Disney Spa at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort. As a result, the spa will be unavailable Jan. 26–27. The fitness center will remain open during this time. The Spa at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is still open for spa treatments.
Reminder! Animal Kingdom Lodge Lobby Floor Refurbishment: The floors in the lobby at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge—Jambo House are under refurbishment. The floor rehab will consist of stripping the floor of its current color and revealing the natural look of the wood underneath. This process is taking place now–Feb. 27, Monday–Friday from 9 a.m.—5:30 p.m.
Reminder! Refurbishment at Paddock Pool at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort: Paddock Pool will be unavailable to Guests beginning Jan. 13. The work is expected to continue through Jan. 27. During the work, Guests may enjoy High Rock Springs Pool. The pools in the Grandstand, Congress Park and Treehouse Villas also are available.
Walt Disney World Resort – General
New! New Retail Locations Coming Soon to Downtown Disney: As Downtown Disney continues its transformation to Disney Springs, we will soon see new signs installed for stores that will be opening soon in the area that will be known as The Landing. Those stores include:
- APEX by Sunglass Hut – offering the latest in sports and activewear sunglasses
- Havaianas – specializing in a wide array of flip-flops, including a station where Guests can create their own flipflops
- Art of Shaving – premium shaving shop offering grooming essentials
- Sanuk – creatively inspired and distinctively designed footwear
- Chapel Hats – specializing in hats and headwear
- Sound Lion – offering the latest technology in headphones, ear buds, speakers, wireless music players and other digital sound and music products
- Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC – gluten-free, vegan bakery
New! Pleasure Island Water Taxi Test: The Downtown Disney internal water taxi will continue to transport Guests between the Marketplace and West Side boat docks. As part of a test beginning Jan. 18, water taxis will not be available at the Pleasure Island boat dock.
New! Live Bands at Splitsville Saturday Nights and New Menus: In early November, Splitsville Luxury Lanes quietly introduced a new offering inside their venue – live bands on Saturday nights. With a new year here, Splitsville is rolling into 2015 with even more enhancements. Their menu now includes Crispy Wings, a Sushi Tuna Rice Bowl, a Foghorn Burger, Steak Alfredo and a California Crunch Roll. New drinks include a Cinnamon Toast Colada and Sangrita (Margarita meets Red Sangria). They recently expanded their first floor Bullet Bar, too, so there’s more space than ever to catch your game, people watch, or enjoy live music on Saturday nights! The Jimmy James Band, Blonde Ambition or another guest group will perform 9 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. every Saturday night. There’s no cover charge and there are plenty of tables, bar seats and lanes on the first floor with great views of the stage and dance floor. To guarantee a spot and reserve a lane, contact kingpin@splitsvillelanes.com or call 407-938-PINS; for dinner only, you can book online here.
Reminder! Updated Valet Parking Hours at Downtown Disney: Valet Parking at Downtown Disney West Side is now available 1:30 p.m.-2 a.m. As a reminder, valet is located on the West Side in front of Cirque du Soleil.
Reminder! Meet Disney Artist Greg McCullough January 19 – 25: Meet Greg this month at Art of Disney, Downtown Disney Marketplace. It’s never too late to add a new piece by Greg McCullough to your collection!
Merchandise Events
New! Starbucks Walt Disney World Merchandise: Starbucks and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is launching a co-branded merchandise line for Guests. Co-branded retail drinkware will be available exclusively at Disney-operated
locations serving Starbucks products which include Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café and Market House at
Disneyland Resort, and Main Street Bakery and Fountain View at Walt Disney World Resort. Beginning late Jan., Guests at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort locations will have the opportunity to purchase 24 oz. acrylic tumblers featuring the art of the co-branded hot and cold cups as well as Park-specific “You are here” mugs. Walt Disney World Resort will see 12 oz. ceramic travel tumblers soon thereafter. A purchase limit of five (5) per SKU is in effect.
Reminder! Meet Disney Artist Greg McCullough January 19 – 25: Meet Greg this month at Art of Disney, Downtown Disney Marketplace. It’s never too late to add a new piece by Greg McCullough to your collection!
Closures and Refurbishments
Click here to view the latest renovations and closures at Walt Disney World Resort.
Jason Mayhew
My name is Jason Mayhew, and I am the owner of OFF On The Go. When not traveling with the website, I own my own marketing and PR company, J Mayhew Marketing. I have the best job where I get to travel the world and showcase the most amazing and unique experiences!
