WDW Daily News

When you think of photo opportunities at Walt Disney World® Resort, your first thought is probably of iconic photo spots like in front of Cinderella Castle or the Tree of Life.  

But there are so many other ways for guests to commemorate their visit – including professional studio photography offered by Disney PhotoPass Service.  

There are actually three Disney PhotoPass Studios guests can visit: at the Marketplace at Disney Springs®, Sir Mickey’s at Magic Kingdom® Park, and on the second floor of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. 

The studios at Magic Kingdom Park and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa offer guests the opportunity to capture photos in front of a standard backdrop, while the studio at Disney Springs offers both a standard backdrop and a wide variety of Disney-themed virtual backdrops. 

While these studios are a favorite among princesses and knights who have been transformed at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, all Guests are welcome to take photos at these locations! No reservations are required. 

With a standard backdrop, photographers snap classic portrait photos that just beg to be framed! While guests never need an excuse to visit, this is also a great way to mark special occasions like a birthday or graduation. 

The virtual backdrops available exclusively at the Disney Springs studio provide a unique experience to capture family photos with a fun Disney twist. There are even festive virtual backdrops that make for excellent Christmas card photos!  

Whether guests include the whole family or have a solo photoshoot, Disney PhotoPass photographers will make sure they capture the picture-perfect snap to share with family and friends. 

This fall, from Sept. 6-Nov. 3, guests at the Disneyland Resort will enjoy special seasonal experiences inspired by Día de los Muertos at both Disney California Adventure Park and Disneyland Park. These festivities and displays are inspired by the tradition and spirit of Día de los Muertos, which celebrates loved ones who have passed while honoring familial bonds that last forever. This year, guests will enjoy new celebratory elements, from a photo moment with the whimsical, handcrafted Miguel from “A Musical Celebration of Coco” at Plaza de la Familia, to special new Día de los Muertos merchandise and food offerings.

At Disney California Adventure

Plaza de la Familia, a limited-time festivity at the Paradise Gardens area of the park, celebrates Disney and Pixar’s Academy Award®-winning film “Coco” and the everlasting bonds of family. Guests visiting Plaza de la Familia will enjoy an immersive celebration that includes live entertainment with storytelling, folklórico dancers and mariachi musicians, delicious Mexican fare and interactive experiences such as a craft to make colorful masks like the ones seen in the “Coco” film.

“A Musical Celebration of Coco”: A festive show by the entertaining Storytellers of Plaza de la Familia celebrates the popular songs from the film “Coco,” including the Oscar^®-winning Best Original Song “Remember Me.” As the lead storyteller Mateo recounts Miguel’s fantastical journey into the Land of the Dead, guests are immersed in the story of “Coco.” Miguel appears as a whimsical, hand-animated dimensional figure, joining a musical gathering that brings together a lively troupe of singers and folklórico dancers dressed in beautiful costumes accompanied by the Grammy® Award-winning Mariachi Divas. “A Musical Celebration of Coco” is performed several times daily.

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

At the Paradise Gardens Bandstand, guests will enjoy an uplifting and moving family celebration featuring beloved Mariachi music and traditional songs that touch the hearts of all. The Mariachi Divas and Mariachi Espectacular are two groups scheduled to appear live on stage throughout Plaza de la Familia.

Fun Activities: Guests are invited to take commemorative photos in front of the iconic Mexican “Árbol de la Vida,” or Tree of Life. Guests will be able to add a remembrance note on the Memory Wall to honor the many loved ones who have been − and will forever be − part of their lives. The Tree of Life overflows with images, colors and symbols. From its branches sprout flowers, animals and multiple characters that may be inspired by different evocative themes.

Additionally, guests visiting Plaza de la Familia can design their own paper “alebrije” (spirit guide) mask of Pepita or Dante as part of a craft activity. “Alebrijes” are small figurines of fantastical creatures, which feature a whimsical mix of the physical elements of many different animals. In the film “Coco,” the spirit guides that are prevalent in the Land of the Dead are living representations of these magical animals, and they serve as loyal companions.

Mouthwatering Mexican Food: The Mexican menu at Paradise Garden Grill features delicious offerings such as the traditional tamale plate, pollo verde wet burrito, a scrumptious pan dulce Conchita and special “Coco” cake.

More Día de los Muertos in Cars Land 
Guests who cruise into Cars Land will find that Ramone, one of the citizens of Cars Land, also pays tribute to Día de los Muertos at Ramone’s House of Body Art. Ramone celebrates this time when families gather to remember their loved ones with a traditional “ofrenda” display honoring the gone, but not forgotten, Doc Hudson.

At Disneyland

Disneyland Park continues to offer its traditional Día de los Muertos display at Zócalo Park in Frontierland. To commemorate the occasion, this immersive setting features marigolds and papel picado, along with a traditional “ofrenda,” sugar skulls known as “cavaleras” and an iconic figure of La Catrina. Nearby Rancho del Zócalo Restaurante offers delicious Mexican cuisine for lunch and dinner.

For more information about attractions, entertainment and vacations at the Disneyland Resort, please visit Disneyland.com.

The Walt Disney Company, led by Disney Cruise Line, has committed more than $1 million in cash and in-kind support to help relief and recovery efforts for those in The Bahamas affected by Hurricane Dorian.

“The Walt Disney Company stands with the people of The Bahamas affected by Hurricane Dorian,” said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company.  “We hope our $1 million donation will provide much-needed relief and help our neighbors, colleagues, and all those impacted by this devastating storm begin the long process of recovery as they work to put their lives and communities back together.”

Disney’s commitment includes a $1 million donation to non-profit relief agencies who will be undertaking recovery and rebuilding efforts, as well as the provision of supplies – including food staples and basic construction materials – to those in impacted areas.

Additionally, Disney employees with immediate needs in impacted areas of The Bahamas will have access to a range of resources. Disney Castaway Cay, which experienced only tropical force strength winds, employs more than 60 Bahamians from Abaco and Grand Bahama, as well as several employees from other Bahamian islands.

“The Bahamas is such a special place to us and our guests, and we have watched the devastation created by Hurricane Dorian with concern and heartache,” Jeff Vahle, president of Disney Cruise Line said. “We stand with the Bahamian people, and especially those in Abaco and Grand Bahama, as they recover from the worst storm to ever make landfall in The Bahamas. As the needs in these communities are assessed, we are prepared to aid the relief and recovery efforts through funding, the provision of supplies and by providing support to our Bahamian Crew Members.”

Disney continues to monitor Hurricane Dorian and will coordinate on an ongoing basis with nonprofit organizations on emergency response efforts. This includes sharing lifesaving information with families before and during emergencies, prepositioning supplies at-the-ready to respond rapidly to natural disasters, and providing resources to activate large-scale responses as needed in the event of a disaster.

With more than four decades of films, television series, novels, comic books, video games and more, Star Wars has a deep history that has inspired generations of devoted fans. In creating Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Walt Disney Imagineers and Lucasfilm were driven to fulfill the dreams of anyone who ever imagined visiting this galaxy far, far away by telling new stories that feel authentically Star Wars.

When Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens Aug. 29, 2019, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida, guests will find a land filled with rich details meticulously researched and crafted by Imagineers and Lucasfilm. Though the planet Batuu and its Black Spire Outpost may be new to fans, this setting offers a genuine Star Wars experience for all who enter as they discover a plethora of hidden gems and other details drawn from across the galaxy.

Hidden Gems to Look for in the Land

• While Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is set during the current trilogy of Star Wars films, the land features elements representing many different eras of the Star Wars Examples include:
  • Several creatures seen throughout the land will be familiar to some fans, such as the dianoga from the Death Star trash compactor in “Star Wars: A New Hope” found in a tank above a Black Spire Outpost drinking fountain, or the taxidermic wampa from the ice planet Hoth in “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” in Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities.
  • A podracing engine in the Ronto Roasters food stall calls back to “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace,” while the former smelter droid turning the spit of meats is similar to a droid seen in Jabba the Hutt’s palace in “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.”
  • A mural on the wall of Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities depicts an ancient battle between the light and dark sides of the Force. The original bas-relief of this mural was seen in Chancellor Palpatine’s office in “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.”
  • Hondo Ohnaka, best known from the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels” animated television series, gives guests their mission in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
• Batuu’s landscape is dotted with tall petrified tree trunks, and Black Spire Outpost takes its name from a trunk in the center of the village that is darker than all the others.
• Imagineers took rubbings from the feet of the R2-D2 droid used in “Star Wars: A New Hope” and turned those into a set of three-dimensional wheels. Then they built a trolley with those wheels and rolled it through the land before the concrete pathways fully dried to leave behind authentic droid tracks that guests might spot as they explore the outpost.

It’s All About the Story

• One reason Imagineers set Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on a planet never before seen in the Star Wars universe was to give everyone a chance to step into the story at their own levels – whether a guest is a lifelong Star Wars fan or has never watched a Star Wars film, everyone will be seeing Batuu for the first time.
• Batuu and its residents are starting to appear in and inspire other Star Wars stories:
  • Both Black Spire Outpost and Dok-Ondar were referenced in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”
  • Characters in the Timothy Zahn novel “Thrawn: Alliances” visit Oga’s Cantina.
  • “Star Wars: Pirate’s Price,” a young-adult novel by Lou Anders, details a previous trip Hondo Ohnaka made to Batuu.
  • A five-issue Marvel comics series, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, debuted in April and delves into some of the famous antiquities found in Dok-Ondar’s shop on Batuu.
  • Released Aug. 6, 2019, “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – A Crash of Fate” by Zoraida Cordova is a young-adult novel about two childhood friends from Batuu who are reunited later in life and have a series of adventures.
  • “Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire,” a novel by Delilah S. Dawson set for release Aug. 27, 2019, tells the story of Vi Moradi, Leia Organa’s top spy who chooses Batuu for the Resistance’s secret command post (guests may encounter Vi as they explore Black Spire Outpost).
• During Star Wars Celebration 2019, April 11-15 in Chicago, many attendees who visited the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge booth recorded video testimonials sharing their personal Star Wars These videos were embedded into a Jedi holocron that is now inside Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.

Attention to Detail 

• The land was designed with sightlines that evoke cinematic angles. Guests begin with views of wide vistas, then as they explore deeper into the land, their field of vision narrows into tighter spaces – like zooming in for a close-up.
• In developing props and other décor for the land, Imagineers tried whenever possible to use pre-1980 materials to best capture the look and feel of the props in the first Star Wars films (“Star Wars: A New Hope” was released in 1977).
• To create the look of an older Hondo Ohnaka and properly capture the pirate’s personality for his Audio-Animatronics figure in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Walt Disney Imagineering consulted the character’s creator, Dave Filoni.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened May 31, 2019, at Disneyland Park in California.

PARK CLOSURES AND OPERATIONAL UPDATES

In keeping with their strong commitment to safety, the history of being prepared during inclement weather and to continue to delight Guests who are staying at our resorts, Walt Disney World® Resort is adjusting its operating hours beginning Tuesday, September 3:

Tuesday, September 3

Magic Kingdom®Park: 8:00 AM-3:00 PM (opening at 7:00 AM for Extra Magic Hours)

Epcot®: 7:00 AM-3:00 PM

Disney’s Hollywood Studios®: 9:00 AM-2:00 PM (opening at 6:00 AM for Extra Magic Hours)

Disney’s Animal Kingdom®Theme Park: 8:00 AM-2:00 PM (opening at 7:00 AM for Extra Magic Hours)

Disney Springs®: 10:00 AM-3:00 PM

ESPN Wide World of Sports: Closed

Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park: Closed

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park: 10:00 AM-3:00 PM

Winter Summerland Miniature Golf: 10:00 AM-3:00 PM

Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf: 10:00 AM- 3:00 PM

Please continue to monitor Disneyworld.com for additional updates and news outlets for the latest weather information. For more information, review frequently asked questions regarding our hurricane policy.

DISNEY RESORT HOTEL OPERATIONAL UPDATES

Disney Resort hotels remain open. In keeping safety top of mind, Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground will be closed beginning September 3 at 3 p.m. and will reopen following the storm when it is safe to do so.

We have contacted guests with current and upcoming reservations at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, Copper Creek Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and the Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort to relocate them to other resorts on property and to help them plan for anticipated weather impacts.

SPECIAL EVENT CANCELLATIONS AND UPDATES

Disney After Hours at Disney’s Animal Kingdom has been canceled on Tuesday, September 3, 2019. Guests with pre-purchased event tickets for this date are able to exchange their tickets for one of the following options:

• Tickets to attend another Disney After Hours event in 2019.
• Tickets to a Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party event in 2019.
• 1-Day Flexible Date Ticket with Park Hopper Option, which can be used any day prior to December 31, 2020.
• Receive a full refund for event tickets.

To redeem these other options, you should call (407) 939-7818 by December 15, 2019 between the hours of 7:00 AM and 11:00 PM, or email us at Ticket.Inquiries@DisneyWorld.com. Please have  tickets available so we may process the request for you as quickly as possible.

DINING AND OTHER EXPERIENCE RESERVATIONS

On Sept. 3, theme park dining reservations will be honored up to one hour prior to park closing. Resort dining reservations will be honored until 5:30 p.m. Effective immediately, they will not be enforcing cancellation policies for dining and other experiences, so there’s no need for you to cancel existing reservations through Tuesday, Sept. 3. Pre-paid dining and other experiences outside of the modified operating hours for Sept. 3 will be automatically canceled and refunded.

Take a look at the latest Construction Photos of the Star Wars Hotel at Walt Disney World.

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From an authentic Star Wars cantina on the Outer Rim of the galaxy to exotic creatures, military encampments and daring missions aboard the Millennium Falcon, guests will find plenty of stories to explore as they live their own adventures inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The highly anticipated new land opens Aug. 29, 2019, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.

By the Numbers

• Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge spans more than 14 acres, making it the largest single-themed land expansion in Disney Parks history.
• More than a dozen venues fill the land, including Resistance and First Order encampments, a spaceport and a bustling marketplace.
• Two attractions will entice guests to live their own Star Wars adventures – Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and (opening Dec. 5, 2019) Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
• The Millennium Falcon docked in the Black Spire Outpost Spaceport measures more than 100 feet long.
• Among the ancient-looking spires across the lands, the tallest is more than 130 feet high.
• The land was created with more than 200,000 square feet of rockwork and approximately 260,000 square feet of themed plaster.
• More than 7,000 props were created for the land.
• Nine different retail locations in the land offer nearly 700 unique items, ideal for those looking to take a memory of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge home with them.
• There are more than 120,000 possible combinations for constructing a lightsaber using all the available pieces in Savi’s Workshop – Handbuilt Lightsabers.
• There are nearly 280,000 possible combinations for constructing an R-series or BB-series astromech droid using all the available pieces in the Droid Depot.
• Five locations within Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge offer guests a chance to purchase food and beverages. The land’s menus feature more than 50 distinct, out-of-this-world items.

Did You Know?

• Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge marks the first time a full-size, 100% complete Millennium Falcon has ever been built.
• The chess-type game played on the table in the Millennium Falcon main hold and lounge is called Dejarik; guests can sit at the table inside Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, and the game is available for purchase in the Toydarian Toymaker marketplace stall.
• At Black Spire Outpost, the droid in charge of music at the local watering hole, Oga’s Cantina, is DJ R-3X, the former Starspeeder 3000 pilot from Star Tours.
• For the soundtrack inside Oga’s Cantina, Walt Disney Imagineering commissioned musicians and composers from around the world to craft original music for a galactic playlist.
• Kowakian Monkey-Lizards and Porgs are among the “critters” guests will find at the Creature Stall in the marketplace. These are just a few of the many items guests may purchase during their visit.
• Academy Award-winning® composer John Williams created an all-new suite of themes written especially for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and its attractions.

Development Timeline

• The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm Ltd. In 2012.
• Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has been in development since 2014.
• Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced Star Wars-themed lands would open at Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios while at the D23 Expo on Aug. 15, 2015.
• Construction in both Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios began in April 2016.
• Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened May 31, 2019, at Disneyland Park in California.
• To operate the land, 1,700 new jobs were created for Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
• In addition, jobs were created due to the support of both small and large Florida-based companies contributing more than 5,500 local trade, artisan and construction roles to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, one of two attractions in the lands, will open Dec. 5, 2019, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Jan. 17, 2020, at Disneyland.

The Walt Disney World® Resort global dine-around – the 24^th Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival – starts today and runs through Nov. 23, 2019 with irresistible bites, sips and non-stop family fun. That’s 87 delicious days of Festival-exclusive edibles and entertainment, such as a Candy Sushi-making experience, Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak Scavenger Hunt, the rockin’ Eat to the Beat Concert Series and Disney du Jour Dance Party.

Opening week is set to thrill foodies at more than 30 global marketplaces, filled with eats like the warm raclette Swiss cheese debuting at The Alps Global Marketplace, a brand-new location for this year’s event. Guests can follow their nose to the jerk-spiced chicken grilled on site for all to savor at the Islands of the Caribbean Global Marketplace. And get ready for a taste of autumn at the Appleseed Orchard Global Marketplace near Le Cellier Steakhouse, where a chill vibe plus charcuterie and cheese nibbles pair well with fresh apple-enhanced libations plus fanciful flights with spice and kick. 

Guests can toast the Festival kickoff with us at Shimmering Sips Mimosa Bar, where mimosas will be served individually or as a flight for those who can’t choose between vibrant fruity flavors like key lime and blood orange.  

Then they can bust some moves this opening weekend when Radio Disney ‘Next Big Thing’ artist alum Meg Donnelly (“With U,” Disney Channel’s “Zombies”) ratchets up the fun factor at the Disney du Jour Dance Party, Aug. 30 and 31 in Future World. The Dance Party runs daily, with Disney Characters and Radio Disney artists appearing each Friday and Saturday. More new artists will be announced this week, adding to the concert series’ smorgasbord of family fun!  

You can make a date to groove with the Plain White T’s (“Hey There Delilah”) at the debut of this year’s Eat to the Beat Concert Series, Aug. 29-31. Or, they can celebrate with new Festival act Sawyer Brown (“Thank God for You”) who’ll take the stage and round out Labor Day weekend of top tunes Sept. 1 and 2. The outdoor concerts are included with theme park admission and located at America Gardens Theatre, running Sundays to Thursdays at 5:30, 6:45 and 8 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays 6:30, 7:45 and 9 p.m. from Aug. 29 – Nov. 19.  There’s still time to book an Eat to the Beat Dining Package at select Epcot table-service restaurants to secure guaranteed concert seating!

Reservations for special programming and premium Festival events, including Eat to the Beat Dining Packages, can be made by calling (407) WDW-FEST.

The day is finally here – Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is officially open to Guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios®!

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is the largest and most technologically advanced single-themed land expansion ever in a Disney park. The 14-acre land transports you to the remote planet of Batuu, full of unique sights, sounds, smells and tastes.

Here, guests can become part of their own Star Wars stories as they experience galactic food and beverages, craft their own lightsabers, build their own droids and much more.

Here’s a roundup of some of what guests can expect when they step onto Batuu…

Soar the Galaxy Aboard the Millennium Falcon – Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run makes dreams come true for you who’ve wished to step aboard the “fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.” Here, you can strap into the Falcon cockpit and take the controls as pilots, gunners or flight engineers on a mission to deliver smuggled goods while avoiding any … unnecessary entanglements.

Drink & Dine in Batuu – Weary travelers can take refuge in Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo or even grab a specialty cocktail in the outpost’s favorite watering hole, Oga’s Cantina. For a quick snack, you can also grab a delicious Ronto Wrap from Ronto Roasters or some sweet and spicy Outpost Mix from Kat Saka’s Kettle. And of course, they can always sip on the popular plant-based Blue Milk (or even Green Milk!) at the Milk Stand. For full menus and to make reservations for Oga’s Cantina, be sure to tell you to check out the My Disney Experience app, and don’t forget – mobile ordering is available for the Milk Stand, Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo, and Ronto Roasters!

Shop for Wares Found Only On Batuu – Black Spire Outpost is home to a bustling marketplace, full of vendors showcasing wares from across the galaxy. You can pick up authentic Batuuan attire with a stop at Black Spire Outfitters, start a collection of toys at Toydarian Toymakers, or peek into the cages in the Creature Stall. You can visit Savi’s Workshop to craft their own lightsabers, customizing them with various hilts, décor and the all-important kyber crystals, or build and customize their own astromech friends at the Droid Depot.

Encounter Characters in Batuu – Nothing brings the adventure on Batuu to life like encountering a familiar face from the Star Wars galaxy. Be on the lookout for Chewie, Rey, Kylo Ren, stormtroopers and Resistance spy Vi Moradi.