We discuss the history and features of Splash Mountain at Disneyland, Ken’s first love! For even more about Splash Mountain, you can hear all about Ken’s exciting adventures during the early days of the mountain in Episode 17 and we had a roundtable with opening day ride operators in Episode 314. Discount Disney Theme Park […]
The post The Sweep Spot Ep. #359 – Tribute to Disneyland’s Splash Mountain appeared first on MiceChat.
A three-year-old boy named Colton and his family recently visited the Disneyland Resort from their home in Oregon thanks to a Make-A-Wish trip following a lifesaving bone marrow transplant for the young boy. Marvel shared a look at Colton’s visit to Avengers Campus. Colton’s favorite Avengers is Iron Man and Cast Members helped him come face […]
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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 Saturday, May 20, 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 Imagineers Were Reportedly Working on New Galactic Starcruiser Stories & Merchandise, ‘Fantasmic!’ Dark Through Labor Day at Disneyland, & More: Daily Recap (5/20/23) appeared first on WDW News Today.
The Marvel Universe already has plenty of super animals saving the day and it’s about to get one more. Marvel shared a first look at the new canine hero who will be introduced in the upcoming “Marvel Unleashed #1.” When one of their own goes missing, the super pets of the Marvel Universe will do whatever […]
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Construction crews have been working on guest room balconies of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn as part of an ongoing refurbishment of the resort. We visited this week to see how work is coming along.
A cherry picker is parked on the sidewalk behind green temporary fencing. A workstation has been set up in the shade, with paint cans lined up on a white tarp.
Some crew members were on the ground, but others were on some of the balconies.
This entire section of the sidewalk is closed during the project.
We could see lights on in some of the rooms, and a sign taped to a balcony door where one crew member was working, perhaps warning of wet paint.
The crew members were painting around the doorways.
Disney’s BoardWalk Inn has a light color scheme, and it looks like they were mostly using white paint.
This crew member was on a ladder on the ground floor, painting the wall just out of view.
Another crew member was in a cherry picker raised up to a column.
Disney’s BoardWalk Inn has been undergoing a long refurbishment that includes guest room interiors.
The resort is modeled after turn-of-the-century boardwalks in such coastal cities as Coney Island and Atlantic City and Disney has stated they intend to keep this theme throughout all of their refurbishment projects happening at BoardWalk.
The lobby of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn was remodeled earlier this year with minimal changes. In December 2022, the new Carousel Coffee shop and seating area opened, replacing Dundy’s Sundries, which closed permanently in October. Decorations continued to be added over the following weeks.
On the actual BoardWalk, ESPN Club is being transformed into The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers. Much of the building was demolished to be completely rebuilt. The Cake Bake Shop is scheduled to open sometime this year.
Trattoria al Forno and the Pizza Window at Disney’s BoardWalk will be closing for a short refurbishment in June.
These new additions will join the BoardWalk Deli, which opened in the summer of 2022.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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As the legal battle between Disney and the state of Florida continues, Ron Desantis is now looking to have the judge dismissed from Disney’s case against him in federal court. Desantis filed a motion to disqualify Chief Judge Mark E. Walker from Disney’s case against him and the state of Florida. The motion specifically sites […]
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Firefighters and first responders as part of the Reedy Creek Fire Department, which covers Walt Disney World, approved a new contract today after years of negotiation.
Negotiations between the Reedy Creek Fire Department and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District began earlier this year when the state-operated CFTOD took over for the former Reedy Creek Improvement District, essentially operated by the Walt Disney Company.
According to WESH, the union president Jon Shirey said they have been working under an expired contract for years. “Up until January of this year, we had gotten zero momentum in moving this thing any closer to being signed,” Shirey said today. “There’s a huge level of relief. We have a level of open communication dialogue that we’ve never experienced before here.”
Under the new contract, starting pay for firefighters will increase to $65,000 per year, and EMS starting pay will rise from $40,000 to $54,000 per year. Additionally, the department will hire 25 additional firefighters and 12 more EMS paramedics in the next six months.
“We were having a major recruitment problem previously,” Shirey said. “So we’re very happy. Our daily firefighters staffing will go from a minimum of 32 firefighters to 44 by the end of this contract.” They’ll also eventually have four extra ambulances and a staffed ladder truck.
Shirey expressed gratitude toward the state takeover of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, stating “Ever since then, it’s been a completely different experience for us.”
80% of 185 union members voted in favor of the contract, which now heads to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board for approval.
Reedy Creek Fire District first responders expressed alarm last spring in the wake of Governor Ron DeSantis’ plan to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District, stating their lifetime Disney passes and lifelong health insurance were at risk as a result. Union leadership has been in regular dialogue with Gov. DeSantis since, expressing they’re reassured by the governor’s track record with first responders.
Tim Stromsnes, communications director of the Reedy Creek Professional Firefighters Local 2117 union, told the Orlando Sentinel earlier this year in the face of the CFTOD takeover “Anything has got to be better than what we currently have. We really hope that this new board will bring the morale up for Reedy Creek [and] will make us an elite emergency services department again. We’ve got our faith in the governor that we’re going to be around and that it’s going to be a better place to work.”
The union has had a rather rocky relationship with Disney, who appointed all five seats on the district’s Board of Supervisors. Their focus is largely on the theme park business and union members allege the Board cares little for actual employees of the District, which includes first responders like firefighters. Fire trucks and rescue units have broken down on multiple occasions, forcing responders to arrive on the scene in SUVs. Staffing has also remained inadequately low. Disney and Reedy Creek have both aggressively denied these claims.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 9B, which enacted the state takeover of the district, at the Reedy Creek Fire Department in February.
The post Reedy Creek Fire Department Approves New Employment Contract for Raises & More Staffing appeared first on WDW News Today.
Reedy Creek firefighters, who serve and protect Walt Disney World, have voted in favor of a new employment contract, according to WESH. The new contract promises pay raises and more manpower and comes after the Reedy Creek Fire union has been working on it for years. According to union president Joe Shirey, the firefighters have […]
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This week, we released a list of Disney+ and Hulu original films and series set to leave the services next week. We can now confirm a Disney Parks-related production will also be leaving — “Harmonious Live!”
Last summer, Disney livestreamed a special performance of the former “Harmonious” nighttime spectacular at EPCOT. Featuring a live orchestra and singers as well as the sights and sounds of the show itself and special guests Idina Menzel and Auli’i Cravalho, the show served as preservation of what turned out to be a short-lived show. It was also the first original theme park content on Disney+ since “The Imagineering Story” in 2019.
Along with many other titles including the “Turner and Hooch” sequel series, “Diary of a Future President,” and “Willow,” the recording of “Harmonious Live!” recording will be removed from Disney+ on May 26, this upcoming Friday.
With “Harmonious” itself having ended on April 2, 2023 following the conclusion of the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary celebration with which it debuted on October 1, 2021, this will leave the show viewable only on YouTube and other video platforms.
Are you disappointed to see “Harmonious Live!” permanently removed from Disney+? Let us know in the comments below.
“Harmonious” debuted on October 1, 2021, using five barges within the waters of the World Showcase Lagoon to deliver an all-new 20-minute nighttime fireworks spectacular. Harmonious featured a soundtrack of 15 songs in 13 languages from 240 artists around the world.
The four half-circle barges had LED screens, while the center ring barge used a water screen to project clips and images. Fountains, lights, lasers, and pyrotechnics were used to enhance the show.
The show opens with chants, as a narrator shares that “All around us, the world is alive with music. Voices calling out in search of one another, we find each other in song.” A medley of “How Far I’ll Go” from “Moana” and “Go the Distance” from “Hercules” follows, sung in English, Mandarin Chinese, Norwegian, German, Arabic, Latin American Spanish, and Tahitian.
Alongside a number of Disney favorites like “Aladdin”, “Mulan”, and “The Lion King”, the show featured scenes from newer Disney films, including “Moana”, “Coco”, “Brave”, and “The Princess and the Frog.”
“Harmonious” closes with the song “Someday” from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Tonight, for the final time, the narrator then proclaimed: “You raise your voice and it’s enough to lift the human spirit. Set the song inside you soaring, and the whole wide world will hear it.” A fireworks finale brought an end to “Harmonious” at EPCOT.
Removal of the “Harmonious” barges, which were permanently moored in the harbor, recently completed work after a month and a half. These barges were widely considered unsightly and impeded the stunning vistas of the lagoon on either side. In addition, they were plagued by a variety of problems, ranging from malfunctioning equipment to outright fires.
Eventually, a 100 Years of Wonder nighttime spectacular will debut at EPCOT, but “EPCOT Forever” will return in the meantime. In October of 2022, we reported that it was rumored that Disney will incorporate the use of drones in their new nighttime show coming to EPCOT later this year.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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In honor of Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantuania now streaming on Disney+, Uber Eats is offering a tiny menu for MArvel fans in the UK, according to Evening Standard. The ant-sized menu is called The Quantum Cafe and it features a variety of tiny treats, like miniature sushi, a chocolate gateau, fish and chips, […]
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