Throughout the Hollywood streets of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Imagineers have included a wide variety of details that works together transport guests to the time of Tinsletown’s Golden Age. One of these details is the use of billboards featuring vintage or vintage-inspired artwork on the roof of several of the area’s buildings. There’s even a billboard located above “Mickey’s of Hollywood” advertising a classic Donald Duck cartoon: “The Autograph Hound.”
While there are plenty of events included with Epcot® admission for the 21st Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, this year’s “premium events” include some don’t-miss options.
Be sure to book reservations for guests when the phone lines open: 407-WDW-FEST (939-3378) at 7 a.m. next week on Thursday, July 21, 2016. Please note Chase cardholders can book with limited availability beginning 7 a.m. July 19, 2016
And don’t forget, the Back to Basics series, special book signings, Eat to the Beat concerts, cultural adventures, Festival Passport and attractions and park entertainment are included with regular Theme Park admission.
Back by popular demand, Sunset Showcase presents Club Villain, a special-ticketed event filled with fabulous performances, delicious food, bewitching cocktails and enchanting encounters with some of the greatest Disney villains.
The mysterious Dr. Facilier is host of Club Villain, welcoming his guests and friends from the other side to his parlor of mystical mishaps, with musical numbers and a wicked mix from his house DJ. Also stopping by to socialize are those divas of evil, Maleficent, Queen of Hearts, Cruella De Vil and the Evil Queen.
Club Villain provides a spellbinding evening for guests to enjoy fiendish concoctions from the Potions Bar, savor culinary delights from New Orleans and beyond, mingle with the villains and dance the night away!
Club Villain returns Fridays and Saturdays from Sept. 2 – Oct. 29, with an additional offering on Halloween, Oct. 31. This two-hour show experience will take place at 5:15pm and 8:30pm nightly inside the Sunset Showcase. Guests can check-in 30 minutes prior to the right of the entrance to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster® Starring Aerosmith.
The price is $129 per person (tax and gratuity included) and includes decadent delicacies with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages . Advance reservations are recommended and can be made up to 90 days in advance by calling 407-WDW-DINE or online at Disneyworld.com/Dine. A separate ticket admission to Disney’s Hollywood Studios is required.
PizzeRizzo will open this fall in Muppets Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studio® at Walt Disney World® Resort. Rizzo The Rat owns and operates the pizzeria, which is located in the former Toy Story Pizza Planet. Here, guests can enjoy a casual Italian-American dining experience in a whole new way, through the eyes of the lovable, wisecracking Muppet.
Walt Disney Imagineering hid hints of Rizzo, his extended family and friends who have visited PizzeRizzo over the years throughout the two-story quick-service location. In addition to the expansive indoor and outdoor seating area, guests will be able to dine in a “cheesy” banquet room, or take five in a special booth designated just for Rizzo’s celebrity friends.
As the sights and sounds of the savanna come to life at dusk in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, visitors to the theme park now have the opportunity to experience them in an up-close-and-personal way with the new “Savor the Savanna” tour. This premium offering affords guests a private two-hour safari trek through the 110-acre Harambe Wildlife Reserve, with a spectacular world of creatures, such as gentle giraffes, playful wild dogs and regal lions, roaming about.
The leisurely pace and a knowledgeable Harambe guide help to ensure no one misses the array of exotic animals in a variety of unique habitats. The safari vehicle will stop frequently for the best wildlife viewing and photo opportunities, and the guide will point out fascinating facts along the way.
A highlight of the adventure is a stop for dinner at an exclusive viewing area. Here, guests will enjoy a selection of regional beers, wines and specialty drinks and savor African-inspired tapas, right in the middle of the breathtaking savanna. It’s a bounty of flavors bursting with delectable tastes and textures.
After the journey, guests will receive a special keepsake memento of their unforgettable evening to take home.
Cost for this exclusive experience, which is limited to a maximum of 12 participants, is $169 per person. Each participant must be at least eight years old, and valid theme park admission is required. To book reservations, guests may call 407-WDW-TOUR or visit DisneyWorld.com/tours.
We were big fans of Guardians of the Galaxy, and not only because it featured swoon-worthy Chris Pratt. It was an overload of fun and adventure, duh! Naturally, we’ve been excited about the sequel ever since that first set picture, and now we have even MORE reason to feel giddy: Concept art by Andy Park has revealed a kickass new female character.
In one of the most impressive gatherings of professional wrestling talent in Wizard World history, fans can meet some of wrestling’s biggest names when WWE® Superstars John Cena®, Seth Rollins™, Dean Ambrose™, Sasha Banks™, The Bella Twins™ and Becky Lynch™ attend Wizard World Comic Con Chicago, August 18, 19 and 20 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
“We’re very excited to have such a large group of incredibly talented WWE® Superstars attending Wizard World Chicago,” said John Maatta, CEO of Wizard World. “The addition of these world-class athletes to Chicago’s already impressive lineup of stars from film, television, comics and more will give fans a unique and exciting experience, and shows Wizard World’s commitment to including all forms of pop culture entertainment at its shows.”
The dates and times for each appearance are as follows:
Thursday, August 18
Friday, August 19
Saturday, August 20
They will greet fans, pose for photo ops, sign autographs and more, at the largest and longest-running Wizard World show.
Visiting Walt Disney World can be stressful and tiresome, especially when the weather in Florida creeps toward the triple digits. If you want to avoid the summer heat while still packing in everything you came for, believe it or not, you can.
This summer Disney Springs is the place to be by day and by night! With a Grand Opening Summer Celebration taking place all season long, Disney Springs features an array of hard-to-pass-up deals and a variety of delectable new dining options at the newest neighborhood–Town Center, plus free nightly entertainment featuring more than 20 different acts performing across all four neighborhoods – The Marketplace, Westside, The Landing, and Town Center.
To kick off the grand opening season, on July 15, the best of summer and Central Florida came together to celebrate Disney Springs-style – in Town Center, with an outdoor party under the stars where guests strolled into all sorts of discoveries designed to delight the senses — renowned chefs serving up scrumptious samples from their restaurants, performances by nationally recognized entertainers, and proprietors showcasing their products and store designs that make shopping at Disney Springs simply special.
Wrapped in Florida-inspired, made-for-strolling promenades, arcing footbridges, flowing streams and waterfront charm, Disney Springs treats Walt Disney World Resort guests to an exciting blend of shopping, dining and entertainment with a Disney touch. By day or night guests can expect a vibrant scene at Disney Springs, whether they are shopping world-class brands, enjoying high-quality entertainment, having that special dining experience, pleasure boating on Village Lake or hopping a balloon skyward for spectacular views of Walt Disney World and beyond.
Now and every day, guests can enjoy the benefits of a dramatically transformed exciting new waterfront district for world-class shopping, unique dining, and high-quality entertainment featuring more than 150 establishments across its four neighborhoods.
Discover Disney Springs like never before! Here are just a few of the highlights:
Town Center – Spectacular Shopping and Award-winning chefs
The Landing – Inspired dining, breathtaking waterfront views, and unique boutiques
The Marketplace — Family-friendly delights for guests of all ages
The West Side – Exuberant entertainment retail and dining options
From new acts at Cirque du Soleil to iconic restaurants to colorful food trucks to bowling with a stylized twist at Splitsville, West Side offers something for everyone. There is even the opportunity to lift off in a tethered balloon. Characters in Flight rises from the banks of Village Lake for eye-popping, 360-degree views (on a clear day you can see Florida’s east coast).
Two new slot-smart parking decks where green lights indicate available spaces make parking convenient to the entire Disney Springs scene – and it’s free. Valet parking also is available. Disney Springs is easily accessed from I-4, Central Florida’s major interstate, and connected to the rest of Walt Disney World Resort by motor coach and watercraft.
The U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials recently took place in Eugene, Oregon and several hopefuls who regularly train at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort participated. These athletes train at Disney under the watchful eye of former U.S. Olympic Track & Field head coach Brooks Johnson, who has coached at least one athlete in every Olympics since 1968. Continuing that streak, sprinter LaShawn Merritt and hurdler Andrew Riley have earned spots on the United States and Jamaican National Olympic Teams, respectively.
Riley, who made NCAA history in 2012 when he became the first male athlete to win national titles in the 100-meter and 110-meter hurdles in the same year, is making his second Olympics appearance. Riley qualified to represent Jamaica in the 2012 London Olympics.
For Merritt, this will be the veteran sprinter’s third Olympics. Merritt took home gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics when he won the 400-meter dash and was on the team that won the 4×400-meter relay. Merritt also has 11 World Championships medals, eight of which are gold.
Merritt entered this month’s trials focusing exclusively on the 400-meter race, but decided to enter the 200-meter trials as well. In what came as a surprise to many, Merritt posted a world-leading time of 19.74 seconds in the 200-meter semifinals and would finish second behind fellow veteran sprinter Justin Gatlin (19.75) in the 200-meter finals.
In earning a spot in both races, Merritt puts himself in position to pull a 200-400 double in Rio. This is especially difficult at the Olympics, where the races are on back-to-back days instead of three days apart, like in the trials.
While Merritt is chasing sprinting legend Michael Johnson’s 400-meter world-record time of 43.19, he could also set his eyes on another milestone: Johnson is the only male ever to win gold in both the 200-meter and 400-meter in the same Olympics, a feat he accomplished at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
The Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, take place Aug. 5-Aug. 21. But before they go for gold, Riley, Merritt and Coach Johnson will return to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex mid-July to complete training.
