WDW Daily News

Last month at the D23 Expo 2019, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Bob Chapek unveiled new details around Epcot’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, a family-friendly “storytelling coaster” that will feature a groundbreaking ride system with vehicles that rotate 360 degrees and can even do a reverse launch. Today we’re happy to share a closer look at this out-of-this-world ride system.

Paradise Gardens Park at Disney California Adventure® Park is celebrating the return of one of its most fun and colorful seasonal experiences, Plaza de la Familia!

Plaza de la Familia honors the beloved Pixar film, “Coco,” and the everlasting bonds of family with picturesque arts and crafts activities, mouth-watering Mexican food and inspiring live entertainment!

¡Así es! “A Musical Celebration of Coco” also returns this year with its cast of storytellers to entertain Guests with beloved songs from the film performed by singing host Mateo and the Grammy® Award-winning Mariachi Divas. You will be transported to the land of the dead with appearances of authentic folklórico dancers and townspeople from “Coco” joined by the adventurous Miguel, who is brought to life in a whimsical style inspired by Mexican folk art!

New this year, you have the opportunity to take photos and make new memories with Miguel when he appears between shows at a beautiful artistic mural entitled “Recuérdame” (“Remember Me”). Named after the iconic song from the film, the evocative mural depicts the themes touched on by the Storytellers of Plaza de la Familia in their show, and celebrates Miguel’s beloved family in Santa Cecilia and the Land of the Dead.

At Paradise Garden Grill, you can sample delicioso, traditional Mexican dishes, including Traditional Tamale Plate with chile red pork tamales with golden rice and black beans, and Tacos de Estilo Callejero: a trio of sirloin beef tacos with pickled vegetables, golden rice and black beans. Another option is Tortitas de Papa – vegan crispy potato cakes with sautéed spinach, ranchero salsa, golden rice and pickled onion salad. For postres, try Pan Dulce Concha, traditional house-made Mexican sweet bread filled with dulce de leche.

Check out the spot we recently created with our friends at Pixar!

You can celebrate the everlasting bonds of family at Plaza de la Familia now through Nov. 3, 2019!

If you are visiting Walt Disney World® Resort this holiday season, they can “roar in” the New Year. That’s because Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park will be open until midnight to celebrate New Year’s Eve on Dec. 31, 2019.  

Throughout the night, you will find special New Year’s Eve-themed food and drinks, while DJs in Asia, Discovery Island and DinoLand U.S.A. will keep the party pumping! 

As midnight approaches everyone can gather around Discovery Island and Asia to watch a special New Year’s Eve countdown on the iconic Tree of Life. Energetic music and lighting displays will welcome in 2020.

You can also get into the fun with special pin trading opportunities, plus a limited-edition New Year’s Eve pin available beginning that evening. Subject to change and based on availability. 

The park’s New Year’s Eve celebration will cap off a thrilling season of all-new holiday experiences at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. You can check out the festive new décor in every land, enjoy unforgettable winter projections on the Tree of Life, get into the holiday spirit with their favorite characters in DinoLand U.S.A. and more. Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a place you will want to visit this holiday season! 

Family fun is in the making at Disney’s Riviera Resort, the newest Walt Disney World® Resort, under construction now and projected to open Dec. 16, 2019. Today, we’re sharing a sneak peek at one of the most whimsical features of the resort – S’il Vous Play.

For young Guests, the S’il Vous Play interactive water play area will be the perfect place to splash and have fun in the sun. Drawing inspiration from the grand public fountains throughout Europe, this fanciful fountain will feature several beloved characters from the classic 1940 Disney film “Fantasia.”

Inspired by the “Dance of the Hours” in “Fantasia,” S’il Vous Play celebrates music, art, dance and storytelling with a creative fountain that features whimsical animals as they frolic and play in the water. Your Clients will find an elephant filling a dump bucket with his trunk while hippos and ostriches dance and play, and hippos splashing water into decorative bowls and basins. 

Guests may even spot the playful references to the animated film’s classical music, which featured the works of many European composers. In fact, S’il Vous Play’s charming musical references expand the artistic theme throughout the resort.

In the midst of these delightful characters,  little ones are sure to find S’il Vous Play especially enchanting! 

Early this summer we introduced you to a new look for some of our Walt Disney World® Resort buses, as the sensational six: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto hit the roadways.  

As we roll on into September, we’re super excited to share even more buses featuring characters from some of the most beloved Disney films are joining the fleet. Now you will be able to enjoy a ‘Hakuna Matata’ journey with Simba from Disney’s “The Lion King,” experience a whole lot of laughs with Mike and Sully from “Monsters, Inc.,” or see how far they’ll go with Moana – as these new designs full of character and fun hit the roads around Walt Disney World!

If that wasn’t enough…in the coming weeks keep an eye out for buses featuring characters from Disney’s “Frozen” and many more. 

And, similar to the buses featuring the sensational six, these buses have those new blue seats and laminate floors throughout. Some of the buses will also have USB charging ports conveniently located between seats, so guests can re-charge your devices and not miss a moment of capturing and sharing their Disney vacation memories. 

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party nights have returned to Magic Kingdom® Park, and this year, one event wowing Guests is the brand-new nighttime fireworks show, “Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular.”

Today, we’re excited to share that our Disney Parks Blog partners will live stream “Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular” on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019 at 10:10 p.m. ET. And, you can watch it right here on Disney Travel News!

In the new show, Jack Skellington from Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” comes to tell a “not-so-scary” story about how anything can happen on Halloween night. Jack’s ghost dog, Zero, flies off carrying everyone along on a trick-or-treat adventure, where Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy find themselves drawn into a mysterious haunted house. They encounter dancing skeletons, waltzing ghosts and a whole series of troublemaking Disney villains along the way.

To tune in, simply visit Disney Parks Blog on Sunday at 10:10 p.m. The live stream will be posted at the top of the page at that time. In the meantime, check out a behind-the-scenes sneak peek above!

Of course, you can also catch “Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular” in person by attending Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

We recently announced a new “Beauty and the Beast”-inspired lounge coming to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Today, we’re excited to share the official name as well as menu details. 

Located on the second floor of the lobby, this re-imagined lounge will be called Enchanted Rose and will celebrate the magic and romance of Disney’s popular live-action movie. Featuring four unique spaces inspired by Belle and the Beast, you will find charm and elegance around every corner. The lounge includes a chandelier inspired by Belle’s flowing ball gown as well as a formal library that will showcase classical baroque designs and French furnishing. A garden room will take its inspiration from the enchanted forest surrounding the castle, and an outdoor patio will evoke the romance of Beast’s garden terrace. 

Enchanted Rose will feature a delicious menu with a variety of shareable bites. Guests can snack on an artisanal cheese selection with pine nut bread and raisins or enjoy an exquisite dish of white sturgeon caviar served with egg timbale, crème fraiche, and chives. 

In addition, you could try the Mini Smoked Short Rib Sliders with glacier blue cheese and onion marmalade on brioche buns. Or if seafood is more their style, you can order the Espelette Pepper-Spiced Shrimp or Octopus a la Plancha with black olives, blistered tomatoes, and fingerling potatoes. There’s also the Crab and Gnocchetti Gratin, which comes with jumbo lump crab, gnocchetti sardi, robiola bosina mornay, and citrus breadcrumbs.

Other options include truffle fries as well as a house-made flatbread pizza featuring charred broccolini, seasonal mushrooms, fennel sausage, ricotta salata, and tomato confits.

On the beverage menu is a variety of beverages including cocktails and martinis as well as spirits, beer, cider and even a few non-alcoholic options for guests of all ages. Featured cocktails include beverages such as the Island Rose with grapefruit and rose vodka, lime, orgeat, pineapple, bitters, and rose water. You can also sip on the Lavender Fog (dry gin, crème de violette, English breakfast tea, vanilla, and cream) or the Garden Daisy (tequila, midori, lime, egg white, and cucumber). The lounge will also be pouring an extensive collection of wine and Champagne by the glass. 

Non-alcoholic options include a Garden Cocktail (non-alcoholic spirit, lime juice, agave nectar, and soda)  as well as the B&B (fresh-brewed iced tea, lemon, blueberry, and basil) and the Rosemary Cooler (Odwalla lemonade, vanilla, and rosemary).

Enchanted Rose will open this fall at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Stay tuned for more details!

Let the countdown begin, as we’re 100 days away from The Rise of Skywalker. Lucasfilm has officially kicked off the countdown, with a teaser that focuses on the duel between Kylo Ren and Rey, which we saw in the recently released trailer from D23. The brief teaser was shared with the following caption.

“100 days until the saga ends… #TheRiseOfSkywalker is in cinemas 19 December!”

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At this year’s D23 Expo, we learned that the Marvel-themed land at Disney theme parks around the globe will each be called an Avengers Campus, where guests are “recruited” to help their favorite Marvel superheroes battle the forces of evil. Now there’s a new piece of concept art for the Disneyland Paris version of a new Avengers attraction, as well as some “super” impressive Marvel hotel concept art, giving us a look at the first-ever hotel dedicated entirely to Marvel artwork.

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Halloween Time is underway at Disneyland® Resort, and there’s a whole host of fall activities across property, including Haunted Mansion Holiday, special Halloween fireworks, Haul-O-Ween at Cars Land, character greetings with favorite characters dressed in their Trick-or-Treat best, and more! And of course, what would Halloween Time be without our annual array of eerie eats and treats?

Each year, our Disneyland Resort chefs create tons of incredible Halloween offerings that your Clients can find throughout the entire resort. From pumpkin spice churros to Minnie Witch treats and Boogie Man Sundaes, there’s a little something for everyone! Today we’re sharing details on where to find all of this year’s Halloween offerings. These will be available throughout the duration of Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort, which runs through Oct. 31, 2019. So be sure to tell your Clients to stop on by to try them – and don’t forget, they can even mobile order their Halloween treats in advance at select location via the Disneyland app! This allows your Clients to pay in advance, skip the line, and get straight to snackin’!