WDW Daily News

On his extended tours of Europe, Walt fell in love with European art, architecture, food and, of course, stories. And now we’re so excited to share that the art in Disney’s Riviera Resort will reflect a European theme with a Disney twist! 

We’ve been talking about these awesome unique, Disney touches for the past few months and today we get to share with you a sneak peek of some of the European-themed art and décor that will be throughout the proposed Disney’s Riviera Resort when it opens in Fall 2019! Part of our sneak peek today is to show you some of the pieces as they will be displayed in some of the villas at the upcoming 15th Disney Vacation Club Resort.



Throughout the resort and within the villas, you will experience a variety of art types including Disney concept art with European settings, posters of Disney films as released in Europe, archival photography of Walt’s travels throughout the region, and references to the ephemera and book titles Walt gathered on his journeys.



Additionally, there will be more than 40 signature art pieces created just for Disney’s Riviera Resort featuring unique Disney character art inspired by the renowned artistic heritage found along the shores of the European Riviera. You will get to see so many of their favorite Disney characters reflected in the newly created master artistry, including Mickey and Minnie, and characters from “Beauty and the Beast,” Disney’s “Peter Pan,” “The Aristocats,” Disney●Pixar film “Ratatouille,” “The Princess and the Frog,” “Moana,” “Tangled,” “101 Dalmatians” and more.



Model rooms shown – furnishings subject to change. 

We’re delighted to announce that Rafiki’s Planet Watch, the Affection Section and the Wildlife Express will fully reopen this summer at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. The area will include a few new enhancements and join the celebration of all things “The  Lion  King.” 

Rafiki’s Planet Watch will still include the animal encounters you love, as well as new experiences that draw from Disney’s rich heritage of wildlife animation, featuring a celebration of “The  Lion  King.” We cherish this special place where our Guests and Cast Members can connect to the magic of nature and see the importance Disney places on animal care and conservation in our parks and around the world.

The Disney’s Hollywood Studios® parking lot just got a lot more character! Each section of the lot has been renamed after beloved characters Guests can encounter on their adventures in the park: Mickey, Minnie, Jessie, Buzz, Olaf and BB-8. Two additional bus loops, just steps away from the main entrance, also have been added to serve Guests arriving via Disney resort bus transportation.

These milestones are an important step in the multi-phased transformation of the Guest arrival experience at the park, which began last year with a new entrance allowing guests to enter the park from Osceola Parkway. Construction continues on refreshed parking tram lanes and walkways, additional screening areas and a station for Disney Skyliner.

These exciting enhancements set the stage for a historic year at the park, which will include the opening of  Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.  

Exciting improvements are being made to how you come and go at all four Walt Disney World® Resort theme parks. This includes reconfiguring walkways, and tram loading and unloading zones and more. We’re also enhancing security by adding more bag screening stations, metal detectors and other measures to aid in the screening of Guests.

As work continues to transform the arrival experience, the bricks from “Disney’s Walk Around the World” near Magic Kingdom® Park and the Transportation and Ticket Center will begin to be retired in the coming months. These bricks were sold with the commitment that they would be displayed until 2011. Since the bricks were not designed to be removed individually, they will not be available to take home. Instead, Guests who sponsored a brick may purchase a commemorative version between now and Aug. 31, 2019, or while supplies last.

If you sponsored a brick and would like to get a souvenir version, here’s what to do:

If visiting in person:

• Stop by City Hall at Magic Kingdom Park or Guest Relations at Disney Springs® to verify the previous brick by sharing the name and hometown of the Guest who sponsored it.
• After verification, Guests will be given a one-time use voucher to present by, or before Aug. 31, 2019, at Tomorrowland Light & Power Co. (at Magic Kingdom Park – separate theme park admission required) or the Marketplace Co-Op (at Disney Springs), enabling Guests to purchase one commemorative 6” brick at a special price of $10 (plus tax).

If needing to contact us virtually:

• Email guest.services@disneyworld.com or call 407-828-2701 with the name and hometown of the Guest who sponsored the brick.
• After verification, Guests will be provided a code to use by, or before Aug. 31, 2019, on shopDisney.com to purchase one commemorative 6” brick at a special price of $10 (plus tax and shipping) starting this spring. Please note, this code is for one-time use and will only be valid on shopDisney.com and may not be redeemed in person or at any other location. (Limit one voucher or code per verified Guest.)

For Guests who did not participate in the original “Disney’s Walk Around the World” program but would like to purchase a personalized brick, souvenir bricks are available to customize and purchase starting at $29.99 (plus tax and optional shipping). These are on sale now at Tomorrowland Light & Power Co. at Magic Kingdom Park (separate theme park admission required to enter) or the Marketplace Co-Op (at Disney Springs), or later on shopDisney.com starting this spring.

Stay tuned for more updates on work to improve your arrival experiences at our Walt Disney World Resort theme parks. 

One of the central and incomparable strengths of Disney—cinematic excellence—is coming to The Land pavilion at Epcot®,  and its subject is as wide as the great, big, wonderful world around us.

“Awesome Planet,” an on-screen exploration of the realm we call home, showcases the spectacular beauty, diversity and dynamic story of our earth with all the grandeur guests have come to expect. 

This new film – together with the new Circle-Vision film previously announced for the China pavilion, updates to the film at the Canada pavilion, and the “Beauty and the Beast” Sing-Along that is coming to France – hints at the scope of the coming transformation of this amazing park. The new films herald a bold new era for a theme park that is distinctly Disney in its view of the earth, its lands and its people.

We’re aware, of course, that each time we touch Epcot, we are touching the setting for millions of precious family memories. So, we are very careful stewards of this park.  

“Beauty and the Beast” Sing-Along will rotate, for instance, with “Impressions de France,” which retains its place in Guinness World Records as the longest-running daily screened film in the world.

With spectacular nature photography, immersive in-theater effects, and space sequences created by none other than Industrial Light & Magic (which provided the cinematic foundation for the Star Wars franchise), “Awesome Planet” will stir Epcot Guests and deliver an environmental message that will resonate far beyond its final scenes.

Look for more news soon on the transformation of Epcot. We’re looking forward to welcoming the world in a whole new way!

Disney wants guests to have a truly immersive experience when they step into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. One way they’re looking to facilitate that is through the use of an app, which through your interactions will  ultimately decide whether you support the Resistance, the First Order, or roam around as an independent scoundrel.

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Walt Disney World has been cranking out some pretty delectable treats recently, including chocolate-orange doughnut holes, rainbow cotton candy, and banana pudding churros. But despite all of these new treats, few can compete with the beloved classic, Dole Whip.

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Guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, may be able to spot a new addition on the Kilimanjaro Safaris savanna. A 2-month-old male Masai giraffe named Jabari has officially joined the giraffe herd. Jabari, which means “brave one” in Swahili, is a bold, curious and courageous calf and his name celebrates his spirit. Standing seven feet tall, Jabari has spent the past two months bonding with his mom, Mara, in a backstage habitat. True to his name, Jabari has quickly reached all his key developmental milestones, so on March 12, 2019, he was reintroduced to the savanna and his tower – otherwise known as a group of giraffe. Jabari has several special distinctions; he is the first giraffe calf to be born on the savanna at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and he has a special heart-shaped spot on his neck. (David Roark, photographer)

From its distant view of the Eiffel Tower to a waterfront reminiscent of the banks of the Seine, the France Pavilion at Epcot® has long possessed a certain je ne sais quoi, inviting Guests to linger in a setting inspired by the sidewalks of Paris. And soon, that invitation will be extended in a gastronomic experience as French as Renoir and Monet: the crêpe.

Scheduled to be built in an all-new location near the previously announced Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure attraction, the new crêperie will feature the cuisine of celebrity chef Jérôme Bocuse, the mastermind behind the pavilion’s Chefs de France brasserie and its celebration of gourmet cuisine, Monsieur Paul. With a menu inspired by the Brittany region of France, the new location will offer table service dining as well as a quick-service stop for Guests craving savory crepes called galettes and sweet crepes.

The restaurant is part of the multi-year transformation of Epcot and an enrichment of the France pavilion that includes—in addition to the classic “Impressions de France”—a “Beauty and the Beast” Sing-Along experience and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure attraction,  in which your Clients will virtually shrink to the size of French cuisine’s most famous rat and scurry to safety across the kitchen of Gusteau’s legendary Parisian restaurant. All are coming to the pavilion in time for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World® Resort.

Elsewhere in the park, new and enhanced films are underway, and construction continues on the new “Guardians of the Galaxy”-themed attraction and a first-of-its-kind area devoted to playful fun that’ll come to life under the dome of the pavilion previously known as Wonders of Life.

Look for more news soon on the transformation of Epcot, including the crêperie’s name and opening season. We’re looking forward to wishing your Clients, “Bon appétit!” 

In the meantime, there’s still time for your Clients to witness “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth,” planned to run through end of summer 2019, and the seasonal splendor of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. There has never been a better time to visit Epcot.

A TRIP TO DISNEY WORLD HAS BEEN A RITE OF PASSAGE FOR GENERATIONS OF KIDS. BUT THESE DAYS, THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH IS PLEASING LEGIONS OF ADULTS WITH BOOZE-ORIENTED CULTURAL EXPERIENCES.

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