The Disney Dining Plan finally returns in 2024! Here is what you need to know about it. The Disney Dining Plan Save time and money on your Disney World vacation by purchasing a Disney Dining Plan. Enjoy a certain number of prepaid meals and snacks during your stay to make your vacation feel more “all-inclusive”. […]
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Dates have been announced for these fan favorite meals. Find out when you can dine with your favorite characters during your holiday meals. Dining Reservations When dining at Disney World the food is one thing that comes to mind. It is highly recommend to secure dining reservations in order to dine at those must-do Disney […]
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Individuals who are not currently Disney Vacation Club members can now purchase ownership in The Villas at Disneyland Hotel, receiving free points for the length of the contract but little in the way of price reductions.
Disney Vacation Club brings back a familar promotion, offering free points for the life of the contract with a purchase of Disney’s Riviera Resort, Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort or Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas.
We bring you a lot of stories every single day. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up. So in case you missed anything from our feed, we have rounded up all our stories in one place to get the news at a glance. Here is your Daily Recap for Memorial Day, Monday, May 29, 2023.
That’s it for today; we hope you enjoyed this Daily Recap. Thanks for stopping by, and we’ll see you tomorrow!
The post Cast Member and Guest Battle Over PeopleMover Seating, Mike Wazowski Cake Coming to Magic Kingdom Next Month, and More: Daily Recap (5/29/23) appeared first on WDW News Today.
At Disney Springs, crews continue to work on Summer House on the Lake, a new restaurant on the West Side of the shopping and dining center.
Yellow weather-proof sheathing lines the top of the Summer House on the Lake structure facing Exposition Park, home of Disney Springs food trucks.
The building is still mostly bare bones but is scheduled to open this year.
The fiberglass weather-proof sheathing is DensGlass by Georgia-Pacific.
Behind scaffolding, the steel frame of a wall is visible.
The sheathing has not yet been added around the entire edge of the roof.
More sheathing will be added over this small section of a steel frame.
The construction walls show off some of the food and beverage items that will be available at Summer House. The corner of the construction walls also points to other Disney Springs offerings, like Cirque du Soleil, Everglazed, and Splitsville.
Behind the scaffolding and steel frames, wood paneling is visible around the edge of the roof.
Summer House on the Lake will be across from Pelé Soccer and Salt & Straw. The site was once home to Bongo’s Cuban Cafe, but the old restaurant was completely demolished.
There’s no theming on Summer House yet, but concept art promises sleek, contemporary decorations with touches of natural wood and greenery. The exterior will be gray and white with walls of ivy.
The ceiling is still unfinished steel.
A long, thin frame of steel looks to be a future overhang.
Summer House on the Lake will feature a menu of fresh, modern American cuisine, including seafood and steak options.
With indoor and outdoor seating, diners will be able to enjoy views of the Disney Springs lake while eating their meals. Expect a lively atmosphere, with a full bar and specialty cocktails.
While the building will only be one story, layers on the roof will give it a more dynamic look.
Here, we can see an awning sticking out to line up with the edge of the construction walls.
The construction walls extend in front of Jaleo by José Andres, but the Spanish restaurant remains open.
Summer House on the Lake is a spinoff of Summer House Santa Monica, which has locations in Chicago, Illinois and North Bethesda, Maryland.
Summer House on the Lake was announced in the summer of 2022, taking over the space formerly planned for Beatrix Restaurant. Disney and Lettuce Entertain You had previously announced that Beatrix was merely “on hold,” but it seems they decided not to go forward with that particular project. Lettuce Entertain You is the owner of both Beatrix and Summer House Santa Monica, which are both considered Chicago staples.
Concept art for Summer House on the Lake shows just how much greenery is planned for the exterior and interior of the restaurant.
The interior is mostly white with wood and wicker accents all around, fitting the typical aesthetic at the other two Summer House locations.
Are you interested in this upcoming Disney Springs offering? Let us know in the comments.
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The new live-action “The Little Mermaid” made its theatrical debut this week, while we found some new Ariel merchandise honoring the animated original in Walt Disney World. Both the ornament and magnet featured below are available in The Darkroom shop on Hollywood Boulevard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
This ornament features Ariel against a pastel underwater backdrop. Shades of lavender, red, and green dominate.
While the animated Ariel is available for meet-and-greets in Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios is now offering a chance to meet the live-action version of Ariel over at Walt Disney Presents.
This die-cut magnet features Ariel and Sebastian with text that reads “Wave Maker.”
Utilizing the same color scheme and style of the ornament, this magnet is suitable for many surfaces, including personal vehicles, and avoids potential damage from stickers and adhesives.
Oscar-nominated Rob Marshall, known for his work with “Chicago” and Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns,” directs “The Little Mermaid.” The remake stars Halle Bailey as mermaid princess Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian the crab, Awkwafina as diving bird Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. Noma Dumezweni will portray the new character Queen Selina — Eric’s mother.
The full trailer debuted during the Oscars, and a teaser trailer was released in April. Alan Menken, who wrote the score for the original 1989 “The Little Mermaid,” made some lyrical updates for the live-action remake, with help from Lin-Manuel Miranda.
“The Little Mermaid” was released in theaters on May 26, 2023. Bailey and Jodi Benson, who voiced the animated Ariel, united at the film’s premiere.
This wasn’t the first time that Bailey and Benson had interacted. According to the LA Times, Benson makes an on-land cameo in the film and was on set for the filming of “The Little Mermaid.” Benson was a source of on-set support for Bailey.
She told me how proud she was of me and how I’m handling everything, and encouraged me to just go for it. I appreciate her for being so warm and welcoming to me because she’s the GOAT, and it was important to me to get her stamp of approval.
Have you seen this film yet? What are your thoughts? What do you think of the new Ariel magnet and ornament? Let us know in the comments.
Check out some of the live-action-inspired merchandise now available at Walt Disney World Resort:
If you’re interested in getting some other Disney ornaments added to your collection, here are some other recent options:
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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More than 100 Disney VoluntEARS from the Disneyland Resort and Disney Publishing Worldwide brought 40,000 children’s books to families, kids and educators to inspire reading through the summer months. What’s Happening: Since 2000, Disney has donated millions of books to First Book, a nonprofit organization that works to ensure educational equity by providing free and low-cost […]
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Over the years, there’s been a handful of Disney-themed racing video games released: Disney All-Star Racers, Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour, and Mickey’s Speedway USA, to name a few. However, on April 18, 2023, Disney and Gameloft decided it was time to make a new entry into this category of games with Disney Speedstorm.
So, what is Disney Speedstorm? Nintendo describes it by saying:
Disney Speedstorm is the ultimate hero-based combat racing game, set on high-speed circuits inspired by Disney and Pixar worlds. It’s a thrilling arcade racing experience where players will need to master each character’s unique skills on the racetrack and claim victory.
There are currently 18 characters (otherwise known as “racers”) from eight different franchises for players to choose from:
Along with characters from these franchises, there are racing environments to match each of them (except for Figment). Each environment can have from just a single track (such as The Factory) to multiple, like Mount Olympus for example, which has 8 tracks. Below is a list of each of the environments:
There are several different racing modes for players to choose from on the home screen, from local multiplayer, to online, the season tour, limited events, and the starter circuit.
If you’re just booting up the game for the first time, I highly recommend checking out the starter circuit. This acts as a tutorial of sorts, teaching you the basics from how to race, to leveling up your characters, using items and unique character abilities, and overall getting you comfortable with the game.
There are six chapters to the starter circuit, each allowing you to explore a specific character and their tracks: Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Mulan, Hercules, and Jack Sparrow.
Now that we’ve got the characters and maps out of the way, let’s dive into the meat of this game: the racing. While this game uses driving mechanics I hadn’t yet encountered (meaning, it’s different from Mario Kart), overall the gameplay is very fun. You need to learn to time starting the engine at the right moment for each character for a maximum boost at the start of the race, and there are unique items to help you along the way to stun other drivers, defend yourself, or give you a boost — similar to a mushroom for the Mario fans out there. Each character also has a unique ability, which I felt was a fun touch. For example, Hercules can call upon Pegasus, and if you drive behind Pegasus, you get a speed boost. It’s effective in the game, along with being incredibly thematic and true to the Hercules story.
Of course, like other racing games, there are custom upgrades you can make to the kart, from color to wings, to wheels, and even customized plates.
Along with the kart, you can customize your character, change up their suit, or modify their victory animation. Also, a feature in Speedstorm is your “crew.” Assigning a crew member to help a specific character will give them different driving advantages. For each collection of characters, there are different crew members you can unlock — Dreamfinder is available for Figment, except he’s incredibly rare, so good luck! You can unlock crew tokens by playing the starter circuit, the limited events, or the season tour.
The one downside to Disney Speedstorm are the in-game currencies and the “Golden Pass.” While you don’t need to spend money in the game to get all of the characters, crew members, or kart upgrades unlocked, you can buy things individually instead of grinding through the limited events or the different circuits. That being said, I find it difficult to complain about this too much as it’s nearly a standard for every popular video game these days.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by Disney Speedstorm. The environments are charming and truly transport you into these different Disney properties that we all love. The music is absolutely incredible and actually one of my favorite parts of the game, as they managed to take classic Disney songs (such as “The Bare Necessities” or “Zero to Hero”) and create modern takes that fit with the fast-paced action of a racing game.
Between all of the different racing options, from the events to the circuits, to playing online, it always feels like there’s something to do, which I find most racing games can lack over time, leading to disinterest and eventually making you want to stop playing. With Disney Speedstorm, I feel I’ve barely scratched the surface and find myself logging in every day.
Currently, Disney Speedstorm is in “early release” with 2024 as the expected date for the full game. When it does officially come out, it will be free-to-play; however, there are three different packages you can purchase to gain early release and begin playing until then. For $29.99, you will receive the Standard Founders Pack, for $49.99 the Deluxe Founder’s Pack, and $69.99 for the Ultimate Founder’s Pack. Again, each of these packages gives you access to play Disney Speedstorm, while the rest of the stated benefits are different cosmetic options, in-game currency, and unlocking some racers early.
Disney Speedstorm is available to play on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows.
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A new display of Transformers has appeared in front of the cinema in CityWalk at Universal Studios Hollywood, to promote the upcoming “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” film.
Two of the most famous Transformers are featured here: Bumblebee and Optimus Prime. Both are Autobots — the main protagonists of the franchise who are often at odds with their nefarious nemeses, the Decepticons.
Optimus Prime is the leader, and when disguised as a vehicle, emulates a red 1987 Freightliner FLA semi truck in this latest adventure. Notably, he has been faithfully voiced by Peter Cullen since the 1980s in both animated and live-action Transformers outings.
Bumblebee is a favorite of the franchise, appearing frequently and arguably serving as the second-most important Autobot character behind Optimus. He sports the look of a yellow and black 1977 Chevrolet Camaro.
In 2018, Bumblebee received his own self-titled film, which served as a spin-off and prequel to the 2007 Michael Bay-directed film that initiated this current live-action “Transformers” series.
Both vehicles have signs offering an interactive QR code for guests to scan. This code provides a link to an augmented reality experience, where users may choose to take photos of Optimus Prime, Optimus Primal, or Mirage in real-life settings with their phone’s camera. Any photos taken are free to download, and if shared with the hashtag #TransformersMovieGiveaway, enters anyone interested into contention for a free vacation package offered by Paramount.
This includes round-trip airfare to Los Angeles, two nights of hotel accommodations, $500 in spending money, toys and other merchandise promoting the new film, lunch at Restaurant 917, a 90 minute 911 Carrera 4S Drive Experience at the Porsche Experience Center LA, a 911 GT3 Demonstration Lap, and free ground transportation between all venues for two people.
Entering the contest is optional and non-obligatory for anyone who simply wants a fun photo.
Following the commercial success and warm critical reception (often a rarity in this franchise) of “Bumblebee,” Paramount Pictures began work on “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” — which will serve as a sequel to the 2018 spinoff and prequel to 2007’s “Transformers.” It will feature the first appearance of the Maximals and their leader, Optimus Primal, in the current series of films. Michael Bay (who directed the first five movies) did not return to lead this production, but is a producer. The official website offers some insight into the story:
Returning to the action and spectacle that have captured moviegoers around the world, ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ will take audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduce a whole new faction of Transformers – the Maximals – to join them as allies in the existing battle for earth.
“Rise of the Beasts” will be released worldwide on June 9. View the full trailer here:
Are you excited for this upcoming adventure? Let us know in the comments.
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